The Times-Picayune 08-13-2026

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T h u r s d ay, au g u s T 13, 2026

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Meta won’t have to release electric, job data La. regulators override judge’s recommendation

BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER

Sylvia Alfortish and her son, Todd, right, chat with attorney Shaun Clarke as they leave federal court in New Orleans after a day of testimony in the trial of Sean Alfortish on Wednesday.

Man’s final words open N.O. staged wrecks trial Two accused in killing of FBI informant

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Cornelius Garrison opened his mother’s front door on a warm fall night in 2020, expecting to greet a woman he’d been texting.

For a brief moment, there was silence.

Then a figure darkened the Gentilly stoop and shots rang out. Garrison, wearing a light blue shirt and jeans, dashed inside and the shooter followed, firing 10 rounds.

“Mama, fall down on the floor!” he yelled, collapsing in the living room.

A car door slammed and tires screeched.

When she called 911 moments later, Garrison’s mother, Sandra FontenetteGarrison, told a dispatcher she hadn’t laid eyes on her son’s killer.

“I couldn’t see, baby,” she wailed on a call played in federal court Wednesday, at the start of the prosecution’s case

ä See META, page 6A

Attorneys for Leon ‘Chunky’ Parker Stephen Haedicke, left, and Richard Schroeder, center, leave federal court on Wednesday. against two men accused of the killing.

“I hit the floor.”

The question of who murdered Garrison, who’d made a six-figure living as the nervy driver in staged collisions with 18-wheelers, would remain a mystery to federal law enforcement for the better

part of four years.

His violent death stifled an FBI investigation that Garrison helped propel as a covert informant, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Payne told the jury.

ä See TRIAL, page 6A

Bishop: ‘You don’t tell God no’ Lake Charles native becomes the youngest to attain rank in America

BY MEGAN WYATT

Staff writer

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

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

Thoughts raced through his mind. The Lake PROVIDED PHOTO Charles native told the ambassador for Pope Leo XIV that he was too young for such a rank and he The Most Rev. Robert Boxie III is hadn’t even been a parish pastor yet. But when pictured during his July 7 bishop the pope’s representative asked if he accepted, ordination ceremony in Washington, Boxie offered a hesitant “Yes?” “I hung up the phone and I grabbed my pillow D.C.

WEATHER HIGH 95 LOW 77 PAGE 6B

Meta will not be required to turn over more details about exactly how many jobs it expects to create and how much electricity it will use at its massive Hyperion data center in north Louisiana, after Republicans on the Louisiana Public Service Commission on Wednesday overrode a judge’s recommendation that the tech giant should provide the information.

The decision, made in a party-line vote, was the latest by Republican leaders in Louisiana to support Meta in its push to build its data center in Richland Parish, after setting up tax incentives, approving electric infrastructure and fast-tracking Entergy’s plans to support a large expansion of the project.

And it was a blow to opponents of the data center who are seeking more information about how many permanent jobs it will ultimately create as they try to build a case against Entergy’s plan to build seven new power plants to support Meta’s plans for a massive expansion.

The company has said it will create 1,000 new jobs at the data center and that it will pay for its own power needs.

A report by a commission consultant found that Entergy’s acquisition of a power plant would effectively mean residents subsidize part of the power needs. Meta disputed the report, saying it is paying for its own power, though Entergy later postponed that plan.

Kenner police paid $590K by DHS, ICE

Department helps with immigration enforcement under 287(g) program

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

and I just screamed in my pillow for the next five minutes,” Boxie said. “It’s like, what just happened? What did I agree to? What’s going on?”

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

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

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

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

His mother, Roxanne Boxie, remembers that phase fondly.

The Kenner Police Department has received hundreds of thousands of dollars for salaries, equipment and technology this year through an agreement with the federal government that allows officers to assist with immigration enforcement activities.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement paid Kenner police nine payments totaling $590,020.83 since February for its participation in ICE’s 287(g) program and its Task Force Model, according to interviews and records provided to The Times-Picayune.

That program allows officers to take on some federal immigration enforcement during routine police duties, such as identifying undocumented immigrants during a traffic stop and reporting that information with ICE.

ä See BISHOP, page 7A

ä See KENNER, page 6A

Business ......................8A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C

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2A ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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BRIEFS

Press secretary Leavitt leaving

COLOMBIA

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Official: Helicopter crash near Fort Hood kills 2

An Army Apache helicopter crashed in a central Texas field on Wednesday, killing both people on board and sparking a wildfire that forced several homes to be evacuated, a sheriff’s official said.

Officials from nearby Fort Hood announced that the AH-64 Apache helicopter had crashed.

Cliff Coleman, spokesman for the Bell County Sheriff’s office confirmed that both occupants died.

A military official tells the Associated Press that the crashed Apache was out on a routine training flight when it went down. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a developing situation.

No cause of the crash was immediately announced. Fort Hood’s criminal investigation division was leading the crash investigation, Coleman said.

Fort Hood is a massive base with 336 square miles that is used to train and deploy heavy forces.

The Army says the rolling, arid terrain around the base provides an ideal training ground.

In November 2015, four soldiers were killed when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training exercise. And nine Fort Hood soldiers died in 2016 when a rain-swollen creek swept their vehicle into rushing waters.

The helicopter did not hit any homes or other structures when it crashed, Coleman said.

Hinckley addresses Foster in new interview Gunman John Hinckley thought he’d wind up with Jodie Foster even after shooting President Ronald Reagan and being arrested. He now realizes that wasn’t meant to be and wishes the Academy Award winner well.

The 71-year-old attempted assassin was institutionalized until 2016 at St. Elizabeths Hospital after shooting the 40th president outside a Washington, D.C. hotel in 1981.

Hinckley, who now admits he was “delusional,” thought his actions might help his infatuation with Foster blossom into a relationship.

Podcaster Mark Joseph asked Hinckley in an interview posted Wednesday how he figured events would play out after he attempted to kill Reagan, shot two law enforcement officials, critically wounded White House Press Secretary James Brady and was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

“I thought she would, you know, after things settled down, join me wherever I was,” Hinckley said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to be in jail or the hospital or what, but after things settled down, I had this notion she was going to join me wherever I was.”

Hinckley launched a music career after being granted unconditional release in 2022, but found some concert venues weren’t receptive to hosting his performances. He said his interest in Foster is no longer a priority.

“I don’t really see her movies, but I wish her well, and I know she’s doing quite well,” he said.

“That’s all I can say, is just, I wish Jodie well, and I hope she has a good life.”

Taliban detains 2 with U.N. political mission UNITED NATIONS — Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have detained two Afghan members of the U.N. political mission in the country, the United Nations said Wednesday, The Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence detained the two staffers in the western city of Herat on Sunday, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told U.N. reporters.

He said the U.N. mission has not been informed of the charges against the two men or been able to visit them.

The mission has called on the Taliban “to ensure compliance with the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its officials,” Haq said.

The U.N. mission’s mandate from the U.N. Security Council includes promoting and supporting humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, promoting human rights, equality for women and girls, inclusive governance and economic stability.

By The Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SANTIAGO SALDARRIAGA

Volunteers sort aid for people affected by the earthquake in Cali, Colombia, on Wednesday.

Earthquake response strains government The search for life in the rubble is growing more desperate

BY ASTRID SUÁREZ, MEGAN JANETSKY and MARKO ALVAREZ Associated Press

PEREIRA, Colombia — The search for survivors in the rubble of Colombia’s powerful earthquake grew more desperate on Wednesday, two days after the quake razed buildings, buckled roads and crushed cars.

The devastation has tested Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, and his government as it scrambles to respond to the disaster and civil society as it pushes to provide aid to the most affected communities.

Colombian forensics authorities said Wednesday that more than 200 people died in the 7.4 magnitude earthquake. The government has been slow to provide updated tolls, and the true number is likely higher.

De la Espriella said Tuesday that at least 181 people died and 2,595 more were injured. Local and federal authorities have reported

hundreds missing, while civilianrun databases put that number at more than 4,100.

Teams continued to pick through the rubble in the hardest-hit cities of Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo, as time ticked away for victims to be found — and rescued — alive. Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours crucial for retrieving survivors, though that threshold can be extended if those trapped have access to food and water.

On Wednesday afternoon, Alejandro Eder, the mayor of Cali, told reporters that rescue teams continue to find signs of people alive under the rubble and are racing to save them.

“The next 20 hours are the most critical to find and rescue people alive,” he said. “Every minute is vital.”

In Pereira, rescuers pulled Daniela Largo alive from the rubble late Tuesday, capping a complex 12-hour rescue in which crews carved a small opening in the debris to free her pinned arm and a doctor administered IV fluids to stabilize her. Wrapped in a blue blanket, the young woman was carried to an ambulance as firefighters embraced and onlookers

cheered.

Another moment was marked by mourning, as a man was pulled from a building in the same city, lifeless and covered in a white blanket.

Across the coffee-growing region, among the areas worst affected by the quake, authorities have converted sports arenas, schools and other public buildings into shelters for thousands of displaced Colombians. In Pereira and Cali, families have been sleeping in parks — some fearing aftershocks or the collapse of their damaged homes, others without homes to return to.

Colombia’s geological service has documented 130 aftershocks since the quake.

“We have the most important things: a roof over our heads, food, water and, in my case, medical care,” said Edith Penagos, 48, who was staying with her teenage son in one of the white tents set up in a Pereira park.

Rodrigo León Loya, a seismologist and geosciences professor at the University of the Andes, said the probability of an earthquake of a similar magnitude occurring in the same area is low but he would not rule out more seismic activity.

Minn. man kills wife, daughter at daycare after killing other relative Police: Suspect fatally shot self

GET IN TOUCH Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COM or 504-529-0522 News Tips / Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM Obituaries: 225-388-0289 • Mon-Fri 9-5; Sat 10-5; Closed Sun Advertising Sales: 504-636-7421 • Mon-Fri 8-5 Classified Advertising: 225-383-0111 • Mon-Fri 8-5 Subscribe: nola.com/subscribe E-Edition: nola.com/eedition Archives: nola.newsbank.com The Times-Picayune (USPS 18530) is published by Capital City Press at 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130 and at additional mailing offices. Periodicals postage paid at New Orleans, LA. ISSN: 2379-0008. Capital City Press, proprietor. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Times-Picayune, Circulation Accounting, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588. Newspaper carriers are independent contractors and not employees of Capital City Press.

BY MARK VANCLEAVE and R.J. RICO Associated Press

HOPKINS, Minn. — A Minnesota man killed his 7-yearold daughter and wife as young children gathered at a home daycare the couple owned before taking his own life, police said Wednesday. Some time prior to the attack, police believe he also killed a 78-year-old relative at her home.

The 41-year-old man fatally shot himself after stabbing his wife and child at their in-home daycare in Hopkins, a suburb of Minneapolis, police said.

All six other children who were at Brown Bear Childcare were not physically harmed, authorities said. Another parent called police after witnessing the attack in the home’s basement while dropping off a child, Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said.

“There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” Johnson said at a news conference.

“This is a tragic day and horrific scene for little

WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold the role, will leave at month’s end, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday.

Leavitt, 28, just recently returned to the White House after taking a brief leave for the birth of her second child in May. Leavitt has been one of the most visible advocates of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. The Republican president described her as one of his “most trusted aides” in a social media post announcing her departure.

He said Leavitt “will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!

Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisers, and Leavitt an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.”

Leavitt recently returned to work after taking leave following the birth of her second child, a daughter, in May. She also has a 2-year-old son.

Leavitt briefed from the White House press room less frequently than some of her recent predecessors. Trump, who regularly engages with reporters during White House events and during his travels, primarily deployed Leavitt to Fox News and other conservative news outlets to trumpet his agenda and take shots at Democrats and the mainstream media.

Trump’s first-term press secretaries were Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who were known for quarreling with reporters. Another, Stephanie Grisham, never held a briefing. Her successor, Kayleigh McEnany, often lectured the news media during her appearances in the press briefing room.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CARLy DANEK

Law enforcement respond to a call at a home daycare Wednesday in Hopkins, Minn. children to witness, if they did witness this,” Johnson later added.

More than three hours after the killings, Burnsville Chief Matt Smith said officers were called to a home in his community, 20 miles from Hopkins, where they found a woman who had been fatally stabbed. He said investigators believe the two tragedies are linked, and that the man had been living at the home of the “close family relative.”

No names were released.

Johnson said no clear motive had been determined yet and there was no history of police calls to the Hopkins address.

Johnson said it will take time for authorities to determine the timeline between the killings in Hopkins and Burnsville.

Amanda Marx, a nurse who lives across the street, didn’t realize anything was wrong until she noticed police officers trying to break down the home’s front door.

The brown, two-story house has a mural on the garage door of a tree-lined lake and a moose.

Marx said she and her 7-year-old son always referred to it as the “garage house” due to the colorful mural. The longtime resident said she’d never met the home’s owners and was unaware they were running Brown Bear Childcare out of the home.

She didn’t recall any prior disturbances.

“I’m just trying to figure out how to explain to my 7-year-old why there’s crime scene tape on our deck,” she said.

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Millions crowd Spanish cities to see total solar eclipse

BY SUMAN NAISHADHAM

the remainder of the partial eclipse and quickly cleared out of the square.

Associated Press

MEDINACELI, Spain — Millions of people crowded cloudless cities and towns in Spain on Wednesday in search of the best views of a total solar eclipse, when the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth briefly plunged parts of the planet into darkness.

The crowds brought lawn chairs and umbrellas as they eagerly awaited the celestial spectacle, which began early in the evening. As the sky darkened, gradually at first and then quickly, people broke into applause and cheered. It was the country’s first total solar eclipse in more than a century.

“It’s simply impossible to imagine,” Rosa Celiberti, a language teacher who watched from Medinaceli, a Roman-era hilltop town in northeast Spain, said with tears in her eyes. “No matter how many photos or videos you’ve seen, nothing comes even close to what it actually feels like.”

Across a wide band of northern and central Spain and Portugal, millions of people enjoyed some of mainland Europe’s best views of the eclipse. It also passed over slivers of Greenland and Iceland.

Totality — when the moon completely covers the sun’s light — was expected to last less than 2½ minutes, reaching its maximum duration off Iceland’s west coast. By the time it got to a small patch of Portugal and then to Spain, just before sunset, totality dwindled to a minute or so.

The total eclipse then ended over the Mediterranean.

The eclipse was expect-

Eclipse glasses sold fast Special eclipse glasses were essential for safe viewing, even if only a sliver of the sun remained visible.

The glasses are made with special filters that block solar radiation that can damage the eyes.

For months, supermarkets, department stores, museums and planetariums across Spain had sold or distributed the glasses, with many pharmacies running out of stock ahead of Wednesday.

On Tuesday evening in downtown Madrid, a long line formed outside a photo shop where a sign read, “We ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By BERNAT ARMANGUE carry eclipse glasses.”

Members of the ‘Los Taraos’ amateur astrophotography group set up cameras to shoot a total solar eclipse in Berlanga de Duero, central Spain, on Wednesday. ed to draw at least a halfmillion additional visitors, Spanish authorities said. Demand for hotel rooms along the path of totality, including in the northern cities of A Coruña, Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela, soared.

Influx of visitors The event unfolded against the backdrop of scorching summer temperatures and wildfires, and Spanish officials rolled out a large public safety campaign.

Temperatures across much of Spain climbed above 95 degrees Fahrenheit in many areas where the eclipse was observed.

Some 350 official viewing sites were set up across the sparsely populated interior, and more than 33,500 law enforcement officers were deployed to observation ar-

The sequence of the moon covering the sun in a total solar eclipse is seen from Berlanga de Duero, central Spain. eas and access points, the Interior Ministry said.

Sky watchers in Iceland In Reykjavik, clouds did not prevent hundreds of people from gathering in bright raincoats in front of the landmark Hallgrímskirkja church as the skies darkened.

With rain falling, the disk of the sun was barely perceptible and then, suddenly, the lights went out. Only the glow of phones held aloft could be seen.

The crowd cheered the darkness as it rained harder and roared even louder when the first light returned.

They did not wait to watch

Ship circles Sverre Rud, captain of the MS Spitsbergen, was circling the waters of Rypefjord in eastern Greenland trying to make sure he was perfectly positioned for his 126 passengers to view the spectacle. All day, people came up to Rud to ask if he had nailed the right spot, with no clouds.

“I will do my best,” Rud said. “I will pull out my superman powers.”

The eclipse may have been startling for the passengers, who had been experiencing 24 hours of daylight on a 17day cruise in locations mostly north of the Arctic Circle.

Suddenly, for two minutes it was dark.

“Everyone is very enthusiastic,” Rud said. “When we were down for breakfast earlier, it was almost like a little bit of a Christmas Eve feeling here.”

Hotel costs skyrocket Rooms in Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital, averaged more than $1,000 for Wednesday night as Icelanders prepared for their first total solar eclipse since 1954 and the first visible from the capital since 1433.

Prices were roughly double 2025 rates, according to data group Lighthouse Intelligence. Many tourists made bookings years in advance.

But cloudy skies prevailed across much of the island.

Authorities expected up to 20,000 additional overseas visitors during an already busy peak tourist period.

Iceland is home to fewer than 400,000 people.

The 70-room Hotel Keflavík in the Reykjanesbaer municipality was fully booked, with guests hoping to see around one minute and 45 seconds of totality.

“Eclipse time, of course, has been very demanding, and many people came to us early, like last year,” said Steinþór Jónsson, the hotel’s owner and manager.

Jónsson said he had seen nothing like it since 1986, the year the hotel opened, when U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev held a summit in Reykjavík.

“When I opened the hotel, we had Reagan and Gorbachev meeting. It was very hectic here,” he said with a smile.

Associated Press journalists Teresa Medrano in Madrid; Marco Di Marco in Reykjavik, Iceland; and James Brooks in Snæfellsnes, Iceland, contributed.

Ex-SPLC official charged in broader criminal case against group

By The Associated Press RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A former Southern Poverty Law Center official has been charged in the Department of Justice’s broader criminal case against the AlabamaBeirich based civil rights group, a frequent target of conservative critics who claim the nonprofit is politically biased.

Heidi Beirich, a political extremism expert who left the law center about six years ago, was named in an indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Beirich, 59, of Palm Springs, California, is charged with wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. She was charged in the government’s existing case against the SPLC in Montgomery, Alabama.

Beirich made her initial court appearance for a bond hearing in Riverside, California, Wednesday afternoon. She did not enter a plea and U.S. Magistrate Judge David T. Bristow ordered her to surrender her passport and appear in court in Alabama within two weeks.

Her lawyer, Michael Proctor, said his client is innocent of the charges and described the case as politically motivated.

“She has dedicated her life to fighting the KKK, neo-Nazi groups, extremists. And for all of that life’s work, we’re all safer. We’re all better as a community,” he told The Associated Press.

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the new charges at a news briefing in Washington, but did not name Beirich. CNN was first to report on the charges against Beirich.

“This is exactly what we said would happen in a case like this,” Blanche said.

An SPLC spokesperson said the case against it and Beirich “will not shake our resolve.”

Beirich led the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, which incurred the anger of conservatives with its annual report on organizations that

it classified as hate groups.

Critics accused the law center of unfairly tarnishing right-wing groups with the same label that it applied to White supremacists.

Beirich co-founded the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism in 2020 after leaving the SPLC. She has testified before Congress about far-right extremism and is frequently interviewed about the subject by news outlets. Her current organization did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Wednesday.

A superseding indictment

filed in June appears to refer to Beirich as “Employee-2” and by her former title as director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project.

The indictment alleges that between 2007 and 2023, more than $4 million in donated funds were secretly funneled to people who infiltrated or were associated with violent extremist groups. Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.

The indictment says

“Employee-2” oversaw the payment of donor money to SPLC informants or “field sources,” including KKK members and White

nationalists who initially approached the SPLC for help leaving the extremist organizations. The SPLC employee was in a romantic

relationship with a source who infiltrated a neo-Nazi group at the direction of the law center, the indictment alleges.

DECLARATION OF ELECTION RESULTS Be it known and declared that the governing authority of School District No. 1 of the Parish of St. John the Baptist, State of Louisiana (the “District”), did meet in open and public session to examine the official certified tabulations of votes cast at the special election held in the District on Saturday, May 16, 2026, and did examine and canvass the returns of the said election, there having been submitted at said election the following proposition, to wit: PROPOSITION NO. 2 OF 2 (MILLAGE RENEWAL) Shall School District No. 1 of the Parish of St. John the Baptist, State of Louisiana (the “District”) continue to levy a special tax of 8 mills on all property subject to taxation within the District (an estimated $7,000,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the Tax for an entire year), for a period of 10 years, beginning with the year 2029 and ending with the year 2038, for the purpose of providing additional support to public elementary and secondary schools in the District, dedicating one (1) mill to pay the District’s unfunded obligations for health benefits for retired employees and to establish a trust fund for said purpose to the extent permitted by law; dedicating four (4) mills to pay salaries and benefits of teachers and other employees; and dedicating three (3) mills to implement a written plan for academic school improvements, a copy of which is on file with the Secretary of the Parish School Board?

There was found by said count and canvass that there was a total of 3,208 votes cast IN FAVOR OF the Proposition and a total of 5,023 votes cast AGAINST the Proposition, as hereinabove set forth, and that there was a majority of 1,815 votes cast AGAINST the Proposition as hereinabove set forth. Therefore, it has been declared by the governing authority of the District that the proposition as hereinabove set forth was duly DEFEATED by a majority of the votes cast by the qualified electors voting at the said special election held in the District on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Results by precinct are available from the Secretary of the School Board during regular business hours or via the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website (voterportal.sos. la.gov). The actual cost of the election as determined by the Louisiana Secretary of State in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 8-A of Title 18 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended, is $3,090.67.

School District No. 1 of the Parish of St. John the Baptist, State of Louisiana

Call 504-553-1235 to schedule your free quote today!

4A ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

ICE plan for shock gloves draws outrage lll

The maker of the Taser recently resisting. Unlike Tasers, they statement said. “Every decision is show and a defendant who said he Democrats, civil rights are do not leave burn or contact marks. made with careful consideration was laughed at after he was un- phased out its drive-stun feature, and appropriately reviewed to necessarily shocked in court. Both a similar pain compliance tool that advocates call it New York AG ‘outraged’ by plan ensure that any technology ICE cases have been dismissed. had been misused by some offiSeveral Democrats in Congress, cers.

The size of the purchase sug- utilizes is consistent with all apunnecessary, cruel gests Michael Mannheimer, a law proICE plans to give the device plicable law enforcement policies including Reps. Pramila Jayapal,

BY RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s plan to give officers gloves that deliver painful electric shocks faced criticism Wednesday from Democratic elected officials and civil rights advocates, who called it unnecessary and cruel.

ICE plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million to outfit officers and agents with “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices,” according to a notice published Monday and revealed first

by The Associated Press.

The devices known as the G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, are normal patrol gloves until an officer presses a button to activate its electrical mode. They must be applied directly to someone’s skin to produce a voltage that causes pain, which is intended to gain compliance from people who

to most or all of its officers. The gloves have been used by local departments more often in jails than in the streets, where ICE officers have increasingly used force to extract people from cars and faced protests over their actions carrying out President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

“We are outraged,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said at a news conference Wednesday, where she warned that ICE officers who misuse the gloves in her state could face criminal and civil consequences.

The Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, issued a statement that did not mention the product specifically or explain why it had been chosen.

“ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country,” the

and standards.”

Lawsuit: Shocks led to death While the devices are marketed as nonlethal and safe for the heart, a pending lawsuit alleges a 43-yearold man died in 2024 after he was shocked 27 times with the gloves and 13 more times by a Taser at a jail in Richmond, Kentucky. An internal investigation found two of the glove shocks lasted 45 and 99 seconds apiece — far more than the manufacturer’s recommended 15-second limit.

“These actions not only inflicted unnecessary pain but also heightened the risk of serious health complications,” the investigation by the Madison County Detention Center found, according to court documents.

An Associated Press review found two other lawsuits alleging injuries from the gloves, including a man with heart problems who was shocked at a Las Vegas trade

Maxwell Frost and Delia Ramirez, said on social media that ICE did not need another weapon.

“This won’t make anyone safer and in fact just gives ICE another dangerous tool to target citizens and immigrants alike,” Jayapal wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

Worry gloves will be misused The manufacturer warns the devices should not be used against some populations that ICE agents routinely encounter: the elderly, small children, pregnant women and the severely handicapped. The device’s user manual also warns it should not be used in response to verbal defiance, or for punishment, torture or horseplay.

“It’s too easy for this to get misused, against a population that doesn’t pose a threat,” former ICE acting director John Sandweg said Wednesday in an interview on MS NOW.

fessor at Northern Kentucky University who has written about police use-of-force and issues in federal law enforcement operations, agreed the gloves raised concerns about officers using disproportionate force.

“One concern I would have is if ICE agents have this at their immediate disposal, will they use it more than they should? Will they jump over lesser force that could be appropriate and successful to attain compliance and instead use this first?” he said.

The notice published in a DHS database indicated the solicitation for a no-bid contract to purchase the gloves could be released as early as Friday, and the contract would last through March 31, 2027.

The founder of Compliant Technologies LLC, which manufactures the gloves, declined comment.

Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer contributed to this report.

Crowley’s razor-thin victory Officials say U.S. on track to finish sets up Wis. governor’s race pullout from Iraq Democratic socialist defeated in primary

cess in defeating ISIS and Withdrawal now the Iraqi security forcincluding the Peshmerga scheduled for the es, and other Iraqi Kurdistan security forces, will end of September Region lead the fight against terror-

BY SCOTT BAUER Associated Press

MADISON,Wis.— David Crowley’s razorthin primary win over a democratic socialist sets up a Wisconsin governor’s race against a Republican congressman who has voted with President Donald Trump 100% of the time, potentially giving moderate Democrats an ideal matchup as Trump’s approval ratings sag in the swing state.

Crowley overcame Francesca Hong in dramatic fashion in Tuesday’s primary, stunning pundits and pollsters who had long placed Hong as the front-runner. That means Crowley’s challenger, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, must pivot to face a Democrat known for working across the aisle with Republicans as the county executive in Milwaukee, the state’s largest source of Democratic voters.

Crowley calls opponent extremist After a unity event with Hong and others on Wednesday, Crowley pledged to build a broad coalition — including Hong’s progressive backers — to take on Tiffany by zeroing in on the Republican’s support for the Make America Great Again movement.

“This isn’t establishment versus progressive. This isn’t insider versus outsider,” Crowley said. “This is Democrats defeating a MAGA extremist in Congressman Tom Tiffany and that’s what we should be focusing on moving forward.”

It will be easier for Tiffany to pivot away from his ties with Trump and unpopular federal policies because he’s running for governor and not Congress, said former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a Trump supporter.

“He’s got to be on point, on message every time that comes up, and say, ‘That’s not what’s on the ballot,’” Walker told The Associated Press.

“What’s on the ballot is who’s going to be governor the next four years.”

BY QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and ABBY SEWELL Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KAyLA WOLF

Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley, left, and lieutenant governor nominee Sarah Godlewski greet Susan Dopp, right, of Middleton, and her dog Zoey on Wednesday in Middleton, Wis. Tiffany represents a broad swath of Wisconsin’s rural, conservative north woods. Trump won the state in 2024 and 2016, but lost in 2020. All three elections were decided by less than a percentage point. Crowley’s win on Tuesday was even narrower — about half a point, further cementing Wisconsin’s reputation for close elections.

Crowley exited, reentered race Crowley, 40, often notes on the campaign trail that he grew up in poverty in the poorest ZIP code in Wisconsin, his parents struggled with drug abuse and mental health issues, and his family was evicted multiple times.

Elected to the state Assembly in 2016 at the age of 30, Crowley served just over three years before being elected as Milwaukee County executive. In 2023, Crowley worked closely with the Republican-controlled Legislature to pass a bipartisan deal that sent more state aid to Milwaukee and local communities.

Crowley launched his bid for governor 11 months ago. But he dropped out of the race on July 8, saying he didn’t see a path to victory. He rejoined it on July 18, less than a month before Tuesday’s primary. With the backing of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, Crowley made a case that he was the better matchup against Tiffany.

“Obviously Hong was the neverending gift in terms of one gaffe after another, wasn’t really ready for primetime,” Walker said. “But Crowley didn’t get any real scrutiny either.”

Crowley shared a meal with Hong, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and others at a unity event outside Madison before embarking on a statewide tour.

Crowley became the first Black person to win a major party nomination for Wisconsin governor. Now he’s vying to become the first Black governor of the state and just the fourth Black governor elected in the country’s history.

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BAGHDAD — The U.S. military is on track to pull all of its forces out of Iraq by the end of September, officials said Wednesday, marking the end of a presence that started with the 2003 invasion against Saddam Hussein.

Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind down the much smaller U.S.-led operations against the Islamic State group.

U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a presence in the semiautonomous northern Kurdish region. Bases there have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb. 28.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads the U.S. Central Command, on Wednesday. Al-Zaidi said in a statement afterward that he had affirmed Sept. 30 as the “fixed and final date for ending the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq and completing the departure of its forces.”

A U.S. official confirmed that the U.S. expects to complete its pullout by Sept.

30, but declined to say how many troops remain in Iraq or where they would be redeployed.

“The United States, Iraq and coalition partners have achieved tremendous suc-

ists in Iraq,” the official said.

Two Iraqi Kurdish officials said a drawdown of U.S. troops and military equipment from Irbil began about three weeks ago.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

The U.S. presence in Iraq grew to more than 170,000 troops at the peak of counterinsurgency operations in 2007. In December 2011, the final combat troops departed.

But in 2014, the rise of the Islamic State group and its capture of a wide swath across Iraq and Syria brought U.S. forces back at the Iraqi government’s invitation.

After IS lost its hold on territory it once claimed, coalition military operations ended in 2021. The U.S. maintained about 2,500 troops in Iraq for training and to conduct counter-IS operations with Iraq’s military.

Iraq’s prime minister has also set a Sept. 30 deadline for non-state armed groups in Iraq to give up their weapons, saying they will have no justification to carry arms once the foreign troops withdraw.

Some Iraqi militias have justified their existence by pointing to the U.S. military presence, which they describe as an occupation, although the current U.S. mission came at the invitation of the Iraqi government after IS militants rampaged across the country in 2014, seizing large swaths of territory.

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KENNER

Continued from page 1A The funding boost underscores how Kenner’s Police Department, one of only two in the New Orleans area that has joined the federal program, has helped to pay for equipment and officers in the Jefferson Parish city. The payments this year are the first Kenner has received since signing up for the 287(g) program in March 2025.

The money arrived in the months after the U.S. Border Patrol swept through the New Orleans area and arrested over 560 undocumented immigrants in “Operation Catahoula Crunch,” which was focused on Conley neighborhoods and businesses in Kenner.

Deputy Chief Mark McCormick, who detailed the payments and what they were used for in an interview Tuesday, said the funds were not related to Kenner’s participation in those activities. Axios New Orleans this week first reported that Kenner received a series of payments earlier this year from DHS and ICE. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley has supported stricter immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration. He has also welcomed federal resources to help get undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds off the street, which Conley argues is a longstanding issue in the city.

“As we’ve stated throughout, the 287(g) partnership is a force multiplier — not a mission changer,” Conley said in a prepared statement.

Conley added that local law enforcement has always shared immigration information with ICE after an arrest is made, and that the 287(g) program expedites that process so that officers can return to their patrol duties quicker.

Critics have said that the 287(g) agreement puts undocumented immigrants without a violent criminal background into situations where even a minor traffic violation can result in a deportation.

Rachel Taber, an organizer with Union Migrante, said the payments for 287(g) are “disgusting” but “unsurprising.”

“What this money has led to is the incentivization for racial profiling, stopping people for minor infractions and separating families that have been contributing for decades and are the lifeblood of the local economy,” Taber said.

Funds for salaries, tech The payments from the 287(g) agreement include a $212,500 transfer from DHS in February 2026 to grant the department a $100,000 one-time stipend for vehicles and another $112,500 stipend for officer equipment, equaling $7,500 per officer at the time.

Another $225,000 payment from ICE made in May 2026, the largest payment of the nine, offered two stipends of $112,500 each to cover equipment and technology for officers certified by 287(g).

The department received another $148,000 in July for its participation in ICE’s Unaccompanied Alien Children Safety Verification Initiative, in which local departments conduct federally-requested welfare checks for undocumented children who entered the country without a parent or legal guardian and their sponsors.

McCormick said the department was assigned 24 children to check on and received payments based on their efforts to locate each child, such as verifying home addresses or school enrollment. The department located four of the 24 children, McCormick said, and received the $148,000 for equipment, technology and training.

McCormick added that the welfare checks did not involve further inter-

lll

vention or immigration enforcement like deportations, but that the department would not know if ICE conducted immigration activity afterward.

The department also received six smaller payments ranging from $367.80 to $1,927.52 as reimbursement for time Kenner police officers spent processing immigration detainers, as well as overtime for work locating the 24 children.

McCormick said that the department seeks reimbursement for wages only when officers arrest an undocumented person who has an immigration detainer placed on them, and that officers do not change how they conduct daily operations for the 287(g) program or its incentives.

He also denied that payments for conducting immigration enforcement resemble a “bounty hunter” system, a comparison that’s been raised by national media and immigration enforcement critics.

“We aren’t doing immigration checkpoints, we aren’t doing those things,” McCormick said. “I don’t see where it could ever be construed as a bounty because we are still arresting the same individuals we would before, the only thing now is we are processing the ICE detainers.

It gives us more resources.”

Kenner police have processed roughly 200 immigration detainers since the start of the year, compared with roughly 300 between March and December of last year, McCormick said.

The department did not start tracking detainers until it joined the 287(g) program.

Kenner, which has the largest Hispanic population per capita in Louisiana, came under a national spotlight during “Operation Catahoula Crunch” in December as Border Patrol concentrated operations to the city’s predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods.

Gregory Bovino, then the commander-at-large for the agency, publicly lauded Conley at the time for his assistance after the department ordered a police blockade to separate federal agents from media and protesters following behind.

Border Patrol deployed to several Democratic-led cities last year to conduct immigration sweeps and arrest thousands of undocumented immigrants.

Those operations ended at the start of the year after two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis were fatally shot by Border Patrol agents.

Kenner police currently have 28 officers trained and eligible for reimbursement under the 287(g) program out of roughly 148 sworn officers. The department operates with a $25.2 million budget from the city’s general fund, majority of which is allocated to personnel costs.

The department initially joined the 287(g) program under the jail enforcement model, which gives police officers access to databases to see whether a suspect in jail has an immigration detainer placed on them rather than requesting federal agents to screen suspects themselves.

The department then joined the task force model in October 2025.

McCormick said the department is still waiting on training and access to resources under the jail enforcement model.

The only other law enforcement agency in the New Orleans area participating in the 287(g) program is the Gretna Police Department, who joined in August 2025 under the task force model.

Chief Brett Lawson said Wednesday the department has 12 officers enrolled in the program but has not received any payments from DHS or ICE thus far.

Lara Nicholson writes about Jefferson Parish for The Advocate | TimesPicayune. Email her at lnicholson@theadvocate. com.

TRIAL

Continued from page 1A “It wasn’t just a murder. It was an assassination. A hit,” Payne said. “And it stopped a federal investigation. In. Its. Tracks.”

On Wednesday, defense attorneys for the men on trial for the execution-style hit again raised those questions before a jury in opening arguments.

Each denied a role for their clients in Garrison’s murder — and sought to pin it instead on another “slammer,” who learned the game from Garrison, has admitted to playing a role in his death and is set to testify in the coming days.

On trial are Sean Alfortish, a disbarred Kenner magistrate and longtime horseman who is accused of masterminding a yearslong scheme to stage accidents with big rigs on New Orleans roadways and cash in through bogus civil lawsuits; and Leon “Chunky” Parker — the alleged triggerman in Garrison’s execution-style hit. Parker has admitted only that he participated in a few staged wrecks.

Jurors heard Wednesday how Garrison had been cooperating with the FBI for nearly a year before his death. He wore a wire to record meetings with Alfortish and told agents, prosecutors and his defense attorney how Alfortish would pay him directly to stage accidents.

Sometimes they met first, Garrison said.

“It was a business,” Garrison’s defense attorney, Claude Kelly, the federal

META

Continued from page 1A The meeting exposed an increasingly tense atmosphere at the PSC, which regulates utilities and has become a central player in the AI-fueled push to build data centers in Louisiana.

Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, R-Metairie, repeatedly argued with opponents who spoke at the meeting, and with Commissioner Davante Lewis, the Baton Rouge Democrat who was the lone vote to force Meta to turn over the information. The vote was 3-1 to overturn the judge’s ruling.

Meta’s attorney, Weston Adams, who attended the meeting, also declined to testify after being asked by Lewis to answer questions.

The vote comes as Meta’s data center continues to draw concerns from advocacy groups and some residents, especially over its impact on electricity rates and secrecy in negotiations. A host of state officials signed nondisclosure agreements with Meta and Louisiana Economic Development to keep negotiations over the deal secret. None of the PSC members signed an NDA, though the secretary of the PSC, Brandon Frey, signed one with LED, records show.

Nonprofit groups the Alliance for Affordable Energy and Union of Concerned Scientists filed subpoenas with Meta seeking a host of information about the data center. They have expressed skepticism that Meta’s data center will truly be an economic boom in the long run, arguing in front of an administrative law judge that Meta should have to provide documents that prove it will create jobs and show how much electricity it will use.

Meta has fought the subpoenas in the case, telling the administrative law judge that the information requested includes “trade secret and confidential information.”

“If this information is disclosed to Meta’s competitors, the information will lose its value and Meta will be placed at a competitive disadvantage,” Adams wrote in filings. “The result, in turn, would be Meta’s loss of revenue, profits, and business.”

Opponents of the data center argued the PSC can’t make a fair conclusion

public defender, testified. “They paid him with checks. I thought, ‘Jesus, who leaves a trail?’ ” Disbarred over an earlier federal conviction, prosecutors told the jury how Alfortish had to enlist his fiancée, upand-coming trial lawyer Va n e s s a Motta, to litigate the injury claims.

She was convicted of Alfortish wire fraud in March and remains jailed pending sentencing for her role in the scheme.

Prosecutors charge that as Alfortish became skittish about Garrison’s cooperation, he enlisted another “slammer,” Ryan “Red” Harris, to help silence him.

Harris has pleaded guilty to a role in Garrison’s killing and is set to testify in the trial.

Prosecutors claim he enlisted Parker — who dated Harris’ mother for years — as the triggerman.

Harris admits to tricking his then-girlfriend, Jovanna Gardner, into texting Garrison that night under false pretenses.

At first, it was just Harris and Gardner who faced federal charges for the murder.

They were indicted in 2024 on a bevy of murder-conspiracy and witness-tampering counts.

Gardner quickly agreed to cooperate, acknowledging she had texted Garrison that night, thinking she was luring him outside so Harris could coax him to take a payoff to stop his federal cooperation. She told prosecutors that Harris admitted that night to

killing Garrison. Later, she said, he would threaten to kill her, too.

Only a year later did Harris, whose family members appear across Motta’s roster of injury claimants, agree to plead guilty too. At that point, he offered that Parker was also part of the plot to murder Harris’ former mentor.

Defense attorneys for Parker and Alfortish were united Wednesday in telling the jury that the government was trying the wrong man for the killing. They seized on statements they said the feds had massaged to fit a narrative, accusing Harris of trying to shorten the lengthy prison term he faces.

“The last thing that Cornelius Garrison saw when he opened that door at his mother’s house was Ryan Harris standing there with a 9 mm,” said Parker’s attorney, Stephen Haedicke.

In arguing that Alfortish was uninvolved in Garrison’s killing, his attorney, Shaun Clarke, said his client did not know Parker before their criminal case. Clarke argued that Harris, also a prolific slammer, had set them up.

“You won’t see any evidence that they ever met before they were brought to court today,” Clarke said.

“No evidence, that is, except the word of Ryan Harris.”

Haedicke noted that Parker had had surgery as a result of participating in a staged wrecks and couldn’t move easily, calling the shooting the work of a much younger man. And he said that Harris had lied repeatedly — and would do so again when he takes the

stand later in the trial.

“We’re going to ask you that you do justice to Cornelius Garrison, a man who was murdered in front of his mother by Ryan Harris, by not allowing Ryan Harris’ lie to work,” Haedicke said.

“The government married that lie.”

Alfortish and Parker have been present in court since the trial began Monday, watched closely by U.S. marshals but clad in suits and unshackled.

Alfortish faces the added challenge before the jury of also fighting a bevy of fraud charges tied to his alleged management of the staged accidents scheme.

Clarke in his opening statement told the jury how Alfortish had been running a business in which he set injury claimants up with trial lawyers.

He said Alfortish had known Garrison only as a “runner” — an operator who works police scanners, speeds to wreck sites and enlists crash victims for lawyers — and was unaware that accidents delivered to him were staged.

“Harris and Garrison could hide a small number of staged accidents in the large scheme of real cases they were bringing Sean,” Clarke said.

As testimony ended for the day, Alfortish blew a kiss to his mother, Sylvia, who watched from the gallery.

about the case without seeing exactly how many jobs it will create and how much electricity it will use.

“We are rightly concerned that the Hyperion data center will not generate the 5,000 plus jobs that Meta claims it will and does not need the seven new gas plants to power it,” said Jude Terrell, head of LSU’s Student Alliance for AI Reform, citing Meta’s claims about job creation during the construction period and after it’s complete. “We’re already paying hand over fist at grocery stores and at the pump. No one needs their electric bill to go up, too.”

The judge handling the details of the case ruled in favor of the nonprofits on two categories of information: data on the “level of investment and permanent job creation” and the amount of electricity used by the data center.

But the PSC, the state’s top regulator for electric utilities like Entergy, has the final say. Commissioner JP Coussan, R-Lafayette, moved to overrule the judge’s ruling, ensuring Meta doesn’t have to turn over the information.

Skrmetta, R-Metairie, and Mike Francis, R-Crowley, agreed to overturn the judge’s ruling. Democrat Foster Campbell was absent.

“This information is readily available to the public,” Coussan said, citing public statements by Meta and state officials that the data center will create hundreds of jobs. “What you’re looking for is more granular data. I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Coussan and others, including Gov. Jeff Landry, have cited a boom in construction jobs and tax revenue in Richland Parish, which has allowed the school district there to hand out $50,000 bonuses to teachers.

During the meeting Wednesday, several opponents asked the PSC to scrutinize its effects on electric bills in a meeting that became testy at times.

“That economic development should not be voodoo economic development,” said James Hyatt, a Lake Charles resident who drove to Baton Rouge for the meeting. “They should show the work and show the data.”

The PSC has let Entergy fast-track plans for the data center, and all commissioners except Lewis have indi-

cated they are supportive of the plans. But the meeting offered opponents a chance to sound off on concerns about data centers, which have become a national political issue that has prompted several states to consider moratoriums, roll back tax incentives and put more regulations on them.

Logan Burke, head of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, said that state officials have insisted the data center is in the “public interest” in large part because of the jobs and investment it will bring.

“This Public Service Commission has the jurisdiction to make decisions that no one else in the state does,” she said.

The data center’s impact on electricity rates has prompted a debate among state leaders over how to best handle the tech industry’s race to build huge data centers to power the artificial intelligence industry.

After a Times-Picayune story on a report that found residents could be subsidizing Meta’s power needs through an Entergy acquisition of a power plant called Cottonwood, Landry issued an executive order seeking to require data center developers to pay for their own power.

Entergy later paused proceedings in that case, suggesting it will go back to the drawing board before presenting a plan to regulators.

James Finn covers federal law enforcement and courts for The TimesPicayune | The Advocate.

Reach him at jfinn@ theadvocate.com or on Signal at jamesfinn.82.

DECLARATION OF ELECTION RESULTS Be it known and declared that the governing authority of School District No. 1 of the Parish of St. John the Baptist, State of Louisiana (the "District"), did meet in open and public session to examine the official certified tabulations of votes cast at the special election held in the District on Saturday, May 16, 2026, and did examine and canvass the returns of the said election, there having been submitted at said election the following proposition, to wit: PROPOSITION NO. 1 OF 2 (MILLAGE RENEWAL) Shall School District No. 1 of the Parish of St. John the Baptist, State of Louisiana (the "District"), continue to levy a tax not exceeding 4.33 mills on all property subject to taxation in said School District (an estimated $3,800,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of 10 years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, for the purpose of operating and maintaining its educational system and buildings and other facilities used in connection therewith?

There was found by said count and canvass that there was a total of 3,201 votes cast IN FAVOR OF the Proposition and a total of 5,044 votes cast AGAINST the Proposition, as hereinabove set forth, and that there was a majority of 1,843 votes cast AGAINST the Proposition as hereinabove set forth. Therefore, it has been declared by the governing authority of the District that the proposition as hereinabove set forth was duly DEFEATED by a majority of the votes cast by the qualified electors voting at the said special election held in the District on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Results by precinct are available from the Secretary of the School Board during regular business hours or via the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website (voterportal.sos. la.gov). The actual cost of the election as determined by the Louisiana Secretary of State in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 8-A of Title 18 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended, is $3,090.68.

School District No. 1 of the Parish of St. John the Baptist, State of Louisiana

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ 7A

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BISHOP

Continued from page 1A While on vacation in Disney World, she asked her son if he wanted a stuffed Mickey Mouse souvenir. Instead, he asked for a statue of the Blessed Mother for his bedroom altar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But he still felt like something was missing.

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

“It seemed like the priesthood was calling him very strong,” his mother said.

“And he finally listened. He couldn’t tell God no anymore.”

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

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

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

During his time in seminary, Hardie and her children prepared care packages to send to him. Later, when she traveled to Rome, he scheduled tours of the Vatican, showed her a rooftop view from the seminary that he loved and invited her to a Thanksgiving meal with him.

During a difficult divorce, he would break from his other responsibilities to hear her struggles and would regularly let her

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Most Rev. Robert Boxie III is ordained as a bishop in a July 7 ceremony in Washington, D.C. know he was praying for her.

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

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

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

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

“I was one of those six in the country,” Boxie said.

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

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

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

‘My life changed’

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

“I’m just there shaking my head the whole time,” Boxie said. “Like, this is not real. This is not happening.

I’m too young. Like no. And so then he point-blank asks, ‘Do you accept?’ ” Boxie gave a hesitant “yes.” Then he went back to trying to finish writing the homily for Howard’s final Mass of the semester.

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

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

“He’s getting ready to tell us, and we’re like, ‘Oh my God. What’s happening?’ ” Roxanne Boxie said. “We were very, very surprised because we did not expect that at all. He always told us that he wanted to be a parish priest and to be among people.”

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

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

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

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

Boxie didn’t think anything of it when he saw Cardinal Christophe Pierre, known as the nuncio, call his number late this spring.

A couple days before, he’d taken his students from Howard to meet Pierre. After Boxie thanked Pierre for the opportunity for his students, the nuncio asked ‘Extremely significant’ if Boxie was sitting down.

Boxie is now the youngest He was. bishop in the United States.

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He’s also one of just a handful of active Black bishops in America.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Black folks don’t feel as though they have a voice in the church,” Boxie said.

“Therefore, is this church really for me? Does this church really speak for my

experiences and my situation? Because I don’t see anyone who’s in leadership.”

Boxie’s life experiences differ from many other bishops, which should help him connect with members of the church, said his longtime friend and Baton Rouge priest the Rev. Josh Johnson.

“A lot of times decisions are made by leaders in the church by people who aren’t Black or young,” said Johnson, who is also Black. “And so he’s going to be able to bring that voice as a young priest and as a Black priest to the table, which is super important.”

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

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

“He spoke with such power and strength but also with warmth.”

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

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

‘He’s very normal’

resonate with others.

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

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

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

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

As the auxiliary bishop of Washington, Boxie will split duties with the Most Rev. Gary Studniewski. Among his tasks: developing a plan to revive, staff and resource Black parishes in the archdiocese.

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

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

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

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

“I always have called him Robbie,” Mancuso said.

“And when I spoke to him after the announcement, he said it made him feel good that I still called him Robbie, rather than Bishop Robbie or anything like that.

That shows his humanness.” Email Megan Wyatt at Boxie’s friends said his mwyatt@theadvocate. vulnerability helps him to com.

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8A ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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DOW 53,770.27 -21.58 -0.04%

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Google unveils latest Pixel phone models

Google on Wednesday unveiled its latest lineup of Pixel phones, with slimmer cameras that include more a powerful zoom and artificial intelligence features designed to help users accomplish things with fewer taps and swipes.

With the improvements, the search giant hopes to give users a reason to buy new models and expand the number of people using its AI tools.

“Google continues to tout new software features, primarily around AI, as the reason to upgrade,” said Forrester senior analyst Andrew Cornwall. He noted the company has added a way to extract photos from videos, a teleprompter, video stabilization and an improved speech-to-text feature.

Beginning Wednesday, U.S. customers can order the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, starting at $900, $1,100 and $1,300, respectively. The Pixel Pro Fold, meanwhile, starts at $1,900. That’s a $100 increase for each phone from last year’s prices.

New features include live translation for videos, podcasts and voice messages. In the Pro models, a tool called HiLight lets you assign a color to your favorite contacts and have the phone light up in that color when they call and your phone is placed face down. It complements Pixel’s “Flip to Shhh” feature that puts the phone in “do not disturb” mode when it is placed face down.

Boeing plane deliveries drop to 53 in July Boeing delivered 53 airplanes in July, a drop from May and June totals, when it delivered 60 and 64 airplanes, respectively.

Boeing’s 737 Max deliveries also decreased to 39 in July, from 42 in June and 51 in May. The higher delivery rate in May reflects the effect of a wiring problem that temporarily slowed some Max production earlier this year.

Boeing delivered 10 787 Dreamliners in July, a drop from 13 in June, but an increase from just six in May, when it dealt with delays related to certifying interior seats.

Compared with the same month last year, Boeing slightly increased its delivery cadence.

In July 2025, Boeing delivered 48 airplanes, including 37 Maxes and eight 787s.

In the year since then, Boeing has focused on increasing its Max production, after safety regulators lifted a cap on monthly production placed following the January 2024 midair fuselage blowout.

Chinese automaker buys Nissan plant in Africa NAIROBI, Kenya — Chinese automakers are increasingly shifting from exporting vehicles to building them in Africa, betting that rapid urbanization, a growing middle class and supportive government policies will make the continent one of the industry’s last major growth markets.

It’s part of a strategy for coping with slowing demand at home and rising trade barriers in Europe and North America.

Analysts say the shift could reshape Africa’s automotive industry by creating jobs, developing local supply chains and accelerating adoption of electric vehicles.

In July, Chery, China’s largest auto exporter, acquired Nissan’s former Rosslyn plant near Pretoria, South Africa, where it plans to make plug-in hybrids, battery-electric vehicles and models under its Jetour brand.

The move reflects a broader strategy by Chinese automakers to manufacture closer to African consumers rather than rely solely on imports, though the trend is just getting started.

Beijing Automotive Group has an automotive manufacturing and assembly facility in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa, and China’s Great Wall Motor has some localized assembly and component distribution capacity.

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Wall Street rises as AI stocks climb Markets close near a record after unexpected growth

BY STAN CHOE

AP business writer NEWYORK — Wall Street finished just shy of a record Wednesday after several AI stocks reported better growth for the spring than analysts expected, while a report showed inflation across the United States was slightly less bad last month.

Stocks in the artificial-intelligence technology business helped

lead the way after strong profit reports bolstered hopes they can continue to deliver big-enough growth to justify the huge gains their prices have made.

Super Micro Computer, which sells servers and other equipment, jumped 19% after reporting earnings per share for the latest quarter that were 84% higher than analysts expected. It also gave forecasts for upcoming profit and revenue that topped analysts’ expectations.

CoreWeave, which offers AI computing power to customers over the cloud, leaped 19.3% after reporting better revenue for the

latest quarter than analysts expected, along with a milder loss.

CEO Michael Intrator said demand is accelerating from customers as big businesses adopt AI. CoreWeave gives its customers access to AI chips from Nvidia, and Nvidia climbed 3%. It was the single strongest force lifting the S&P 500.

It’s a return to strength for AI stocks, which have been veering on a roller-coaster ride. After surging to records, AI stocks came under pressure on worries that they shot too high. Investors wanted to see big spenders on AI prove their investments are yielding enough

in profits and productivity to make them worth it. That in turn could lead to continued demand for chips and other AI infrastructure.

Wall Street also got some support from easing yields in the bond market. Treasury yields fell after a report showed that U.S. consumers paid prices for gasoline, groceries and other costs of living last month that were 3.4% higher than a year earlier.

That’s higher than anyone would like, but it’s not as bad as June’s 3.5% inflation rate.

The deceleration could give the Federal Reserve more leeway to hold off on hikes to interest rates.

How to lure an MLB fan: pope hats, bloody shirts and bobbleheads Baseball gets creative in filling stadiums

BY JAY COHEN

AP baseball writer CHICAGO — It started as a limited promotion for a specialty theme night. Then the Chicago White Sox heard from their fans.

Everyone wanted a pope-themed hat.

“When things go bananas ... that’s when it gets really fun,” said Brooks Boyer, Chicago’s chief revenue and marketing officer.

Fun is the overarching theme when it comes to stadium giveaways, and business has been good at major league ballparks this year.

An array of creative promotions — everything from the New York Mets handing out fake glasses and mustaches for a Bobby Valentine Disguise Night to the Texas Rangers giving away a Nolan Ryan bloody lip jersey — has played at least a small role in an MLBwide average attendance of 29,618 through Tuesday’s games, the highest such number for a full season since 2017.

Bobbleheads remain popular — like the Brandon Nimmo Bull Riding bobblehead in Texas, or the butter-churning Nick Kurtz “Big Amish” bobblehead with the Athletics — but it’s not just those iconic figurines that are drawing big crowds. The Brewers handed out 25,000 bar dice sets to fans 21 and over on Saturday, and they had a crowd of 40,625 at American Family Field.

The pitch clock and other innovative rules introduced by MLB in 2023 are often credited for spurring fan interest. But it’s clear from the long lines — and occasionally astronomical resale prices on eBay — what a clever giveaway can do for ticket sales, too.

“I definitely think across the league, there’s been an increase in demand and desire, and even necessity, to do things that are outside of the box,” said Meagan Hermosillo, the director of marketing and promotions for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“For us, we can’t really do a standard bobblehead or a standard anything. It has to have some kind of unique factor if we want it to move the needle.”

Pope hats took creative, careful planning The White Sox ended up giving the pope hats — shaped like the Pope’s miter, with the team’s sock logo in the middle — to everyone in the crowd of 38,113 for Tuesday night’s 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The tribute to Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and longtime White Sox fan, helped push the club’s seasonlong attendance to 1,460,383, surpassing its total of 1,445,738 for all of 2025.

The team leaned into the theme. There were signs posted in the ballpark that read “LEO KNOWS MUNE” and “LEO KNOWS KONERKO,” referring to current White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami and for-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MELISSA TAMEZ

Fans wear promotional pope hats during a baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox on Tuesday in Chicago. mer slugger Paul Konerko. Sister Mary Jo Sobieck threw out a ceremonial first pitch, and former White Sox pitcher Donn “The Pope” Pall kicked off the game with the “play ball” announcement.

“I thought it was a great idea, knowing that the Pope is from Chicago and he’s a Sox fan, which is great,” said Edward Lopez, 58, a truck driver from the south side of the city.

Lopez was supposed to go to the game with his girlfriend, but she wasn’t able to make it. So he went through two different gates to make sure he secured two pope hats.

“It was worth it,” he said.

Promotions for the White Sox go through a committee led by senior director of marketing and promotions Mike Downey. They throw out ideas and concepts, and they also look at samples from different vendors.

The team also is handing out wooden domino sets to 10,000 fans on Aug. 22 and magic wands to 20,000 fans on Sept. 4, a nod to the viral wand-waving dugout displays of injured reliever Mike Vasil.

“We’ve always looked to have our giveaways be something that we know people would wear or use or value because it adds value to the ticket,” Boyer said. “So it starts with that.”

While planning the pope hat night, religious sensitivities were part of the conversation for the promotions committee.

“We haven’t done items that would be Pope Leo’s likeness,” Boyer said. “We wouldn’t do that without the permission of the Vatican. ...

We’ve been very careful. There is a little bit of nuance and finesse that needs to be done.

And items, you know a lot of items may not be for everybody.”

Cultural moments for promotions The Baltimore Orioles handed out a Tupac Shakur bobblehead in May. The New York Yankees gave out a “ KPop Demon Hunters ” bobblehead on Tuesday night, and they have a George Costanza calzone bobblehead — paying tribute to a 1996 “Seinfeld” episode — coming up on Aug. 27. Every MLB team except Toronto had a Star Wars Night this season.

Following in the footsteps of the minor leagues in many cases, it’s not enough anymore to just feature a popular player for a giveaway.

“You can see that teams are doing a much better job with their understanding (of) who they’re trying to target,” said Jim Strode, an associate dean and professor at Ohio University’s College of Business. “When I think of the ‘Seinfeld’ one, I’m thinking, you know, they’re targeting Gen X, they are targeting some, you know, younger baby boomers to try to get out to the ballpark.”

There is also what Lauren Anderson, the director of the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon, described as the “collector chase game.” There were multiple fans looking to buy additional pope hats at Tuesday night’s game, and there were several listings for the giveaway and the “KPop Demon Hunters” bobblehead on eBay on Wednesday.

“You want something that’s unique and cool and something that you can, you know, I’m one of 5,000 people to get these, I’m one of 10,000,” Anderson said. “I mean, there is also a bit of the game of people want something that’s limited so they can flip it and sell it, like on an eBay.”

Inflation slows but prices remain elevated as war pushes up prices

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — U.S. inflation declined slightly last month as the cost of gas and groceries slipped, though prices are still rising more quickly than before the Iran war, posing challenges for the White House as the midterm elections near.

Consumer prices increased 3.4% in July from a year ago, down slightly from 3.5% in June, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Inflation had fallen to 2.4% before the Iran war. On a monthly basis, prices rose just 0.1% from June to July.

The mild decrease is the second straight decline after sharply higher gas prices pushed inflation to 4.2% in May, a three-year high.

Yet even with the pause, prices are still rising more quickly than average wages, underscoring the struggle many Americans have had paying for groceries, gas, and healthcare. And many costs grew last month, including airfares, computers, and used cars.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core inflation slipped to 2.5% in July from a year ago, down from 2.6% in June.

July’s figure matches a post-pandemic low reached in January and February, before the Iran war.

Core prices rose 0.2% from June to July. Monthly increases at about 0.2% would be low enough over time to bring inflation closer to the Fed’s 2% goal.

“America still has an inflation

problem, but there are encouraging signs that price pressures outside of the gas pump are easing,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said.

Cooler inflation could also ease pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise their key interest rate to combat rising costs. Fed officials are sharply split over their next steps. Roughly half the members of the central bank’s rate-setting committee support raising borrowing costs this year, while another half think rates are already high enough to slowly push inflation back to their 2% target.

“We’re clearly not out of the woods, however it makes the Fed’s decision a little bit easier, because now you see that inflation is creep-

ing down,” said Dan North, senior economist at Allianz Trade North America.

Still, oil prices remain elevated and gas prices rose in late July and August, suggesting overall inflation could accelerate next month.

On Wednesday, gas averaged $4.04 a gallon nationwide, 16 cents higher than a month ago, according to the motor club AAA. Inflation has been pushed higher by a series of shocks to the economy, including President Donald Trump’s tariffs imposed last spring, higher gas prices stemming from the U.S attack on Iran, and a surge in investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure that has boosted computer chip prices.

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Slidell rejects drive-thru alcohol sales Residents, mayor speak against proposal

BY JIM DERRY

Staff writer

Two weeks after unanimously approving an initial proposal that would have allowed drive-thru daiquiri shops, the Slidell City Council abruptly reversed course and has now “indefinitely postponed” the measure.

The move came following opposition from Mayor Randy Fandal, Police Chief Tommy Williams and five

residents who appealed to the council on Tuesday to drop the plan. The postponement, which effectively kills the ordinance, was approved 6-3 after it was proposed by council member Nick DiSanti and seconded

by Tom Abney.

Had the measure not been nixed, it would have put Slidell Fandal in line with St. Tammany Parish, which allows alcohol sales via drive-thru windows. Lindsey Patterson, the lone proponent in the audience to speak Tuesday, said her three-decade-old daiquiri business is at a “competitive disadvantage simply because we’re in the city limits.”

The Slidell City Council on Tuesday declined to approve a proposal that would have allowed for drive-thru daiquiris in the city.

Patterson was referring to other daiquiri shops just outside of the city limits, one about a mile away, that are able to have a drive-thru because it is legal in unincorporated parts of the parish.

The emotional responses from other speakers went on for nearly a halfhour and seemed to sway the council.

“Any ordinance that saves even one life is worth more than a million dollars,” said Slidell resident Tommy Brunell. “And if it hasn’t then that means drunk driving hasn’t affected your family.”

The vote came as a surprise to council member Sean Fadely, who in his third meeting since being sworn

FILE PHOTO

ä See DRIVE-THRU, page 2B

SQUEEZE THE DAY

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

A couple embraces while looking out over the Mississippi River at Crescent Park in New Orleans.

N.O. firefighters union sues city over ‘out-of-class’ assignments Duties come without extra pay, suit alleges

Third round of testing determined safety

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

The New Orleans firefighters union filed suit last week against the city and its fire department, alleging Superintendent Roman Nelson is assigning firefighters to higher-responsibility jobs for which they aren’t qualified, denying them additional pay and unlawfully threatening discipline if they refuse.

According to the 19-page lawsuit filed Thursday in Civil District Court, Nelson in a July 31 email told firefighters that “out-of-class” assignments are “an operational necessity” and that firefighters could not refuse such assignments given by a supervisor.

“If no volunteers are available, the Department may be forced to place companies out of service to maintain safety and compliance,” Nelson warned.

The suit brought by New Orleans Fire Fighters Association Local 632 alleges that Nelson violated Civil Service rules by requiring firefighters to accept out-of-class assignments and retaliated against the union after it posted a bulletin reminding members of their right to decline such assignments, infringing on their First Amendment and labor rights.

The dispute came to a head this month. The union on Aug. 1 advised

S&WB lifts Memorial Park boil-water advisory

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

The New Orleans firefighters union is suing the city and Fire Department, alleging unqualified firefighters are being ordered to work higher-level jobs without additional pay amid budget cuts and staffing shortages.

members to follow orders and act out of class while documenting those circumstances as complying “under protest,” according to the suit. But that day, three NOFD companies were forced to close for 12 hours after 13 workers, including four captains, called in sick without what Nelson described as “competent volunteers” to replace them.

“The City has been working with the New Orleans Civil Service Commission and the firefighters’ union to resolve what is essentially a compensation dispute,” Charline Gipson, attorney for the City of New Orleans, said in a Wednesday

ä See UNION, page 2B

An extended boil-water advisory for the Memorial Park neighborhood in Algiers was canceled on Thursday afternoon after a third round of testing determined the water is safe.

The five-day advisory, which initially covered all of Algiers, began on Aug. 8, after a contractor damaged a water main on Gen. DeGaulle Drive and knocked out water service altogether. Service was restored, but the temporary drop in pressure necessitated a boil advisory to eliminate any bacteria.

The advisory was lifted for most of Algiers on Aug. 10, but water samples showed E. coli in Memorial Park. Another round of testing returned on Tuesday found coliform contamination, prompting officials to conduct a third round of testing. Those results, announced Wednesday afternoon, found no bacteria.

The S&WB has issued three boil-water advisories in a little more than two weeks, including two affecting Algiers.

Localized boil water advisories in New Orleans are common, with

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Algiers Water Plant is seen on the West Bank of New Orleans on Wednesday. The S&WB has issued three boil-water advisories in a little more than two weeks, including two affecting Algiers. water leaks, open fire hydrants and contractor mishaps frequently causing pressure drops. Advisories are usually lifted within 24 to 48 hours after tests confirm the water is safe, but advisories are occasionally extended to conduct additional testing when bacteria is detected.

An advisory in Little Woods was extended in November when testing failed to confirm the water was safe. There have been 11 boil advisories in various parts of the city since then. The Memorial Park boil advisory was the longest since one in January 2025 af-

fected parts of New Orleans East and went on for six days.

The other recent Algiers advisory was issued on July 25, the result of an unknown infrastructure malfunction. It was canceled the next day.

S&WB Executive Director Randy Hayman, speaking after a town hall meeting at Calvary Tabernacle C.M.E. Church, said a pump breakdown or open fire hydrant likely triggered the pressure drop that resulted in the earlier Algiers advisory. He said

ä See ADVISORY, page 2B

2B ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Private nonprofit eyed for lakes, park in Baton Rouge Proposal would streamline oversight of area

transparent.

“I also think there’s ways to build that into an agreement that it’s required that they abide by those things,” Williams said about transparency with a conservancy. “You want the efficiency and effectiveness of a private body, but you want the transparency and openness of a public body. How do we get there?”

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Along with discussing the future look of one of Baton Rouge’s most notable parks, another proposal has sparked some debate: Should a new, private nonprofit be in charge of both the University Lakes and CityBrooks Park areas?

The private nonprofit organization in question is called a conservancy, which is used to manage and fund a park system. Moncus Park in Lafayette and Hermann Park in Houston both operate under conservancies.

Something similar in Baton Rouge that involves its parks agency, LSU and the city-parish could be created as part of the City-Brooks Park & Lakes Vision Plan.

Sasaki Associates created an 18page memo in August that outlined a potential plan for governance and management of City Park and University Lakes, saying “a need for this structure is urgent” and that the current “disjointed oversight of this high-potential asset has limited its ability to thrive.”

Sasaki is the private firm hired

by BREC to create the master plan for City-Brooks Park, the design of Wampold Park and the governance structure for the area.

The plan, which was presented

‘A fear of mediocrity’

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

Wampold Park faces Stanford Avenue in Baton Rouge. A plan presented to the City-Brooks Park & Lakes Vision Plan committee this week suggests establishing a separate nonprofit conservancy focused only on managing the lakes and park. to the vision plan committee this week, suggests establishing a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservancy focused only on managing the lakes and park. Current landowners, BREC, LSU and the city-parish, would be encouraged to enter a cooperative endeavor agreement to support the initiative.

BREC Superintendent Brooks Williams, who started the job this month, emphasized that plenty of questions from the committee and public still need to be answered, like how a conservancy model would be executed or how much it would cost.

“You’ve heard it in a bunch of different ways: There’s a fear of mediocrity if BREC runs it. If BREC were to run a reimagined CityBrooks Park, it’s going to be done at a mediocre level,” Williams said.

“A conservancy has that ability to fundraise. It has that ability to get people to buy in. It has an ability to maintain it at a high standard on a daily basis.”

Recently, some residents at public meetings have questioned a potential lack of transparency from a conservancy. Williams, in response, said it is important to first define what information the public wants

BATON ROUGE

3 charged in fatal shooting of 3-year-old Grand jury indicts three men in fatal shooting

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

A new suspect in the 2022 shooting death of 3-year-old Devin Page Jr. was named Wednesday, as a Baton Rouge grand jury indicted three men on murder charges in the case.

Jordan Anderson, 21, and Jiles Vaughn, 24, were charged with first-degree murder, while Jaylen Davis, 23, was indicted on a second-degree murder charge.

Davis and Anderson had previously been identified as suspects in the case; both are currently housed at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Vaughn had not yet been publicly tied to the crime. Court records show he is serving a 15-year sentence for attempted seconddegree murder and illegal use of weapons after he pleaded guilty to an unrelated 2023 shooting in a parking lot off Greenwell Springs Road.

Anderson, who was 16 at the time of Devin’s death, was already in the parish prison in connection with the unrelated killing of Leslie Riley, 66, in a July 2022 drive-by shooting on Tennessee Street in Baton Rouge.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore thanked the grand jury for its work over the past three weeks, saying it examined over 34 hours of evidence in the case before coming back with its determination.

“I also want to say that the Baton Rouge Police Department and District Attorney staff over the past several years, and then here again over the past several months, have worked extremely hard to try to get to the point where they can present this case to a grand jury,” Moore said.

Devin was fatally shot on the evening of April 12, 2022, as he slept in his crib.

Police believe Devin was not the intended target in the shooting. Instead, they say Keymira Becahum, who lived next door, was being targeted in a retaliatory shooting for her suspected involvement in the earlier killing of 18-year-old Mjireyae Addison, according to arrest affidavits for Davis and Anderson.

Becahum’s house had been targeted the night before Devin’s death, as dozens of shots were fired, resulting in a juvenile in the home being shot in the back.

Shooters allegedly returned the following night and mistakenly shot at Page’s house, with 40 shell casings being found outside from 10 different kinds of ammunition.

The boy’s family had been liv-

ing in the home for only around a month at the time of the shooting.

Speaking on the courthouse steps following the indictment, Page’s grandmother Cathy Toliver said it has been a “long, long journey” to seeing the men indicted.

“I never thought that we’d get to this place. I thank God that we have, but I never thought that we would, because I wasn’t looking in this direction; I was busy trying to help heal people so they wouldn’t experience the pain that my daughter and I are experiencing every second of the day,” Toliver said.

Following her grandson’s death, Toliver began street preaching and connecting with other families who have lost young children to gun violence. She said she wasn’t aware of the magnitude of how many people had been affected by similar tragedies in Baton Rouge until it struck her family too.

Toliver said the day’s hearing was emotional and that the weeks of evidence were painful for her and her daughter to sit through.

“The DA, they’ve walked us through it every step of the way.

They’ve actually held our hand through this very painful experience,” Toliver said. “We’ve never been in a situation like this, but we’re here, and had he not held our hand, my daughter and I, we would not have made it.”

Lawsuit by journalists against LSU dismissed Details sought on athletics revenuesharing program

“As an LSU alumnus and journalist who once covered LSU sports, it’s not lost on me how passionately people in Louisiana feel about their Tigers,” Louisiana Illuminator editor Greg LaRose said. “However, that zealotry crosses an unacceptable line when journalists are assaulted and threatened.”

LSU declined to comment on the case being dismissed. In an earlier statement when the suit was filed in March, the university said releasing revenue-sharing information “puts LSU at a competitive disadvantage on the field and runs contrary to the privacy interest of our student athletes.”

Revenue sharing refers to funds paid directly to student athletes out of athletics department budgets, an outcome of the House v.

NCAA settlement in 2025. After the settlement, Louisiana passed

a law that hiked the state tax on online sports betting to 21.5% and dedicated a quarter of those proceeds to public university athletics programs.

The journalists suing LSU — Todd Horne of Tiger Rag, Piper Hutchinson of the Louisiana Illuminator and Chris Nakamoto of WAFB — argued that because of the taxpayer dollars at play, the revenue-sharing payments were “textbook public documents.”

“It’s taxpayer money in many cases, and everybody from the legislators to reporters to an average fan has a right to know what public money is being spent and where,” said First Amendment expert and attorney Scott Sternberg, who represented the journalists in the suit. “I just hope that in the name of student athlete safety, we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

“It’s the last area where we don’t have those sensors, but they’re Continued from page 1B hundreds of thousands of dollars that we don’t have at this time,” Hayman said.

Water leaks, which still haven’t the S&WB can’t conclusively determine the cause because water been found, led to an advisory for pumps in Algiers aren’t equipped Venetian Isles on Aug. 7. That adwith sensors, which would verify visory was canceled on Aug. 10. if and when a pump stopped work- Hayman said water pressure in Venetian Isles is still low, although ing.

not dangerously so, indicating a leak somewhere.

“We’re trying to locate the leak, but we’re having some difficulties in doing that. We believe this is a large leak,” Hayman said at the meeting. “This is an area that has uninhabited spaces, which makes it difficult to find, and it’s one that historically we’ve had challenges with finding leaks.”

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

A lawsuit by local journalists seeking details of the LSU athletics revenue-sharing program was dismissed after the Louisiana Legislature passed a law shielding those records from public view.

The reporters chose to dismiss the lawsuit in light of the new state law, a statement from the plaintiffs said Wednesday. They faced “violent and occasionally sexual threats,” property vandalism and, in one case, physical assault after the public became aware of the lawsuit, the statement said.

ADVISORY

The City-Brooks Park Master Plan & Lakes Vision Special Committee discussed and debated the proposed governance plan on Monday. BREC originally formed the committee of community and business representatives last year to help guide the master plan process and make recommendations.

Joshua Brooks, a landscape architect and planner with Sasaki Associates, said ideally, this proposed conservancy, upon maturity, would take over day-to-day maintenance and operations, all capital planning and construction, programming, fundraising and financial management.

The conservancy model recommends having a total of $1.6 million in annual base funding at first, split roughly at 50% BREC, 25% LSU and 25% city-parish, according to the memo.

Multiple members of the committee raised questions about how a conservancy would impact their own organizations, from the Knock Knock Children’s Museum to LSU.

DRIVE-THRU

Continued from page 1B

Rob Stuart, who represents the LSU Foundation on the committee, expressed some doubt about the benefit of the university joining the conservancy in terms of cost and efficiency.

“In terms of LSU, I don’t think mowing the lawn along all the LSU properties on sorority row (by the lakes) is cheaper for LSU to put in a conservancy than just do it itself,” Stuart said.

Christina Melton, Knock Knock’s executive director, said she wanted more details about how this conservancy model would impact the museum’s existing cooperative endeavor agreement and funding.

“I still feel like there are a lot of details that we need to understand to protect the investment that the community has already made in Knock Knock, which is significant,” she said.

Three operators with existing cooperative endeavor agreements sit in City Park: Knock Knock, the Baton Rouge Gallery and City Park Golf Course.

Brooks, with Sasaki, after discussion, said there is a lot of flexibility and room for negotiations and discussions to continue moving forward.

“I think the most critical thing is that there are some very real early-stage considerations related to managing things that are currently under construction, and I think we would strongly recommend some form of this take place,” Brooks said.

“I have knocked on doors and had to say, ‘I’m sorry your son or daughter has been in a terrible crash,’ ” Fandal said. “I have been there many, many times. … We, as the largest city in St. Tammany Parish, should take the lead and we should go to the parish and get them to shut the drive-thrus down.”

The council also voted to indefinitely postpone a measure that would have placed a moratorium on “the review, approval, permitting or construction of new buildings or structures” in an area of the city bordered by Fremaux Avenue, Sgt. Alfred and Daney Street.

They also postponed for 30 days an ordinance that would remove a law that currently requires permits for garage sales inside city limits.

in had co-authored the bill with fellow incoming council member Shawn Jones.

When the public comments were over and before the vote was taken, Fadely aired his differences with his fellow council members, arguing that the regulations were overly restrictive.

“This is a free country, Fadely this is America, and you should be able to do what you want to do,” he said. “We shouldn’t have laws to regulate morality.”

On the other side, Fandal didn’t think the postponement went far enough. The former police chief and now mayor said while he appreciates that businesses have a different perspective, his 45 years in law enforcement forces him to Email Jim Derry at jderry@ see the issue in an opposing light. theadvocate.com.

UNION

Continued from page 1B statement.

Gipson also called allegations that NOFD retaliated against anyone for union speech or activity “entirely false.”

In his July 31 email, Nelson said the decision to put firefighters in higher-responsibility roles without corresponding higher pay stems from “unprecedented budget cuts.” A freeze on hiring and overtime, coupled with a sharp slowdown in promotions imposed

by Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration earlier this year to rein in a budget crisis, has left the department short of qualified personnel for critical jobs, including fire apparatus operators, who drive fire trucks.

Though the lawsuit names the city, union President Aaron Mischler and members said they place blame squarely on Nelson.

“The citizens of New Orleans deserve the best, and firefighters deliver day and night. This dispute concerns (Nelson’s) abuse and exploitation of public servants. Not in dispute are firefighters’ dedication to service,” Mischler said in a statement.

“City Hall stepped in, forcing (Nelson) to reopen (NOFD companies) after this union blew the whistle,” the statement continued.

“His decision to close stations was supremely irresponsible and a consequence of his decision to strip pay from firefighters while forcing them into higher responsibility roles for which they may not possess the minimum qualifications or training.”

Out-of-class work Mischler has said it’s not unusual for firefighters to work “out of class” by doing tasks like driving a truck, even if they haven’t officially been promoted to fire apparatus operator.

In the past, however, those assignments went to firefighters with at least two years of experi-

ence who had completed the two 40-hour courses required for state certification and were awaiting promotion to operator as positions opened based on seniority.

While awaiting promotion, those firefighters could put their names on a “dual assignment list” to volunteer for out-of-class work, Mischler said. Firefighters taking those shifts who met qualifications should receive 10.45% over their normal rate of pay, per Civil Service Commission pay rules referenced in the group’s suit.

Of 6,000 out-of-class shifts since January 2025, about 2,500 — more than 40% — were worked by personnel who weren’t on the dual-assignment list, according to public records obtained by the firefighters’ union, Mischler said.

The city on Wednesday disputed the union’s characterization of the fire apparatus assignments.

“All NOFD firefighters are competent to operate a fire apparatus, and their official job descriptions include this duty,” Gipson said.

But Mischler maintains that being competent is not the same as being qualified and state-certified to serve as an operator. As evidence, he pointed to a newly created NOFD “Basic Operator Training,” scheduled for Aug. 18, to bring firefighters without traditional operator training up to speed.

“A hastily conceived training session, meant to fool the city leaders and citizens, will not solve the crisis (Nelson) created,” Mischler said.

Kasey Bubnash contributed to this report.

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New Orleans Area Deaths Adams, Henry Atzenhoffer, Sherron Carr, Dennis Creel, Mary Davis, Shannon Roberson, Beatrice Schexnayder, Jane Vernon, Ike Willoz, Frank

Obituaries

events throughout the years. She will be sorely missed by her family, relatives, and friends.

Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the visitation at St. Cletus Catholic Church, Claire Avenue, Gretna, La on Saturday, August 15 from 11 AM until Funeral Mass time at 1 PM. Interment will follow in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Gretna, La. Mothe Funeral Home handled arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Research Hospital, a cause dear to her heart, or masses preferred.

Carr, Dennis Michael

Adams, Henry Lee

Henry Lee Adams, age 70 was born on May 19, 1956 in New Orleans, LA departed this earthly home on Sunday, August 2, 2026.

He attended Alfred Lawless High School and later pursued careers as a welder and caregiver.

Henry Lee leaves to cherish his memory his brothers: Ezel, Timothy (Dana), Thaddeus Sr., Troy (Megan), Andre (Francis), Charles (Rolinda), Anthony, Larry (Kimberly), Darrell (Victoria), Brandon, and Brian (Larracia); sisters: Brenda, Pamela (George), Shalonda (Cot), Felicia (Lourell), Deborah, Bevel, Nicole (KK), Tammie (Joe), and Crystal (Dexter); uncle Isaac Bolden, Jr. (Gail); brother-in-law Andre; sister-in-law Doreen; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and friends who will forever cherish his memory. Henry Lee was preceded in death by his parents, Anderson and Florence Cavalier; Charley and Lydia Simmons; grandparents, Isaac and Bessie Bolden and Charley Sr. and Ophelia Simmons; brothers, Charley III and Terry Sr.; sisters, Shirl-Lane, Angela, and Angel (Donald Sr.); nephews, Charles Jr., Randell, Thaddeus Jr., and Terry Jr.; and niece, Myesha.

Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Service on Friday, August 14, 2026 at Gentilly Baptist Church, 5141 Franklin Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70122 at 11:00 a.m. Visitation from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.

Interment Providence Memorial Park, 8200 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA 70003.

You may sign the guest book on www.gertrudeged deswillis.com.

Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home, Inc., in charge (504) 522-2525.

Atzenhoffer, Sherron Wimprine

Sherron Wimprine Atzenhoffer, age 80, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 9, 2026.

She was born on October 4, 1945 in New Orleans, La. She was the wife of the late Paul L. Atzenhoffer for 61 years. She is survived by her children Michael Atzenhoffer (Lisa) and Michelle Johnston (Gary), and her granddaughters who were the lights of her life, Sara, Emma, and Amelia Johnston. Also survived by her brother Ronald Wimprine (Barbara), and many other relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by her son Paul Atzenhoffer, Jr. and her parents Eula and Joseph Wimprine.

Sherron was born in New Orleans and graduated from Sacred Heart of Jesus High School in 1963.

She was employed by the Jefferson Parish School System for 25 years as a teaching assistant. She retired, then being a loving Grammy, decided to spend time daily with her granddaughters until they were old enough to attend school.

She was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus of St. Cletus Ladies Auxiliary Council 8615, volunteering for many churchrelated

Dennis was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. A retiree from Xavier University of LA. Dennis leaves behind his wife, Nadja W. Carr; his three children, Renata Weatherspoon, D'Avonni Carr, and Dennis M. Carr, Jr. (Janaea); and his grandchildren, Arielle Washington, Dennis M. Carr, III, and Nala Rose Carr.

He is also survived by his loving siblings: Ferdinand Carr, Jr. (Carolyn), Carol Moten, Olinia Cryer, Wanda Farria, Clyde Carr, June Carr, and Felton Carr (Sheila), a host of nieces and nephews.

Dennis was preceded in death by his parents, Ferdinand R. Carr, Sr. and Elvera J. Lambert; his sisters, Zina Carr and Juanita Carr; his brothers, Eric Carr and Kenneth Carr; and his beloved nephew, Corey Jones.

Creel, Mary Jane Woolledge 'Janie'

Mary Jane Woolledge "Janie" Creel passed away on Friday, August 7, 2026.

She was born in New Orleans, LA and a resident of Metairie, LA. Aged 94 years she was the widow of John L. "Johnny" Creel, Sr. They were married 58 years. She was the only child of Mae Whitaker and Thomas L. Woolledge. She graduated from St. Rita's Elementary School, Sacred Heart of Jesus High School and received her dance teaching certificate from the Haines and Morton School of Dance.

Janie lived a long and productive life. She shared her time and talents with her family, friends and community. Her decades of volunteering began with fundraising for United Cerebral Palsy. When her children were in school at St. Christopher the Martyr Parish she taught a group of students to square dance for the annual fair.

She later became the secretary for the High School of Religion. She joined the Altar Society and served two terms as President becoming an honorary member after twenty years. She also served two terms as President of the St. Christopher Senior Citizens Club. She belonged to the Mission Rosary Makers.

When she could no longer make rosaries she did the packaging. She belonged to the Holy Name Society.

She was appointed parish Historian in 2007. She was an Extraordinary Minister of Communion. She received the Catholic Charities leadership and service award, as well as The Order of St Louis IX Medallion her most cherished recognition.

She served two terms as President of Sacred Heart of Jesus High School Alumni Association. She worked with Tulane University Archives to preserve the association's records. She continued to serve on the board of directors through its final Homecoming in 2025. She was a founding member of AARP River Ridge Chapter 4595 and served two terms as President. As part of their Caring Ladies group she volunteered at St Anthony's Nursing Home for 12 years. She served two terms as President of the Metairie Terrace Civic Association. She served on

the Board of Directors of the Metairie Senior Center and was a member of JeffCap-RSVP, Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

This past April she received her twenty-five year appreciation certificate from the Metairie Women's Club.

For more than fifty years she worked tirelessly to promote and preserve Square Dancing. As founding members of the Metropolitan New Orleans Area Square and Round Dance Association she and Johnny served two terms as President and she was Historian for decades. She again worked with Tulane University Archives to preserve the Association's records. She and Johnny also represented the New Orleans Square Dance Callers Association on the Board of the Louisiana Square Dance Association where she was also Historian. In 2016 she was made a Lifetime Honorary Board member and Historian. In 1969 she attended the first State Convention as well and in 2019 the fiftieth State Convention and many in between. She and Johnny chaired the eleventh State Convention here in 1980.

They were co-chairs of the National Convention in NOLA in 1971.

Professionally she taught dance and was a tour director for Universal Travel Agency. In her spare time she had a love for gardening, enjoyed ceramics, and was well known for her sewing skills, especially the Square Dance dresses she designed. She sewed clothing, home goods and dance costumes for her family. She was also a great cook. She researched genealogy before it was on line. She accomplished all this with a severe hearing impairment.

In addition to her husband and parents she was preceded in death by her son John L. Creel, Jr. and son-in-law Richard A. Reed.

Left to cherish her memory is daughter Mary Jane C. Holmes and husband Rodger B. Holmes Sr., daughter-in-law Arlene "Bonnie" Creel, daughter Barbara C. Reed, grandchildren Rodger B. Holmes Jr., Jennifer C. Romano and husband Mark, Brian J. Creel and wife Erin and Thomas P. Reed. She also leaves behind nephew James F. "Pete" Wilson and Godchild Barbara Onisko.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Visitation and Funeral Mass at St. Christopher the Martyr Catholic Church, 3924 Derbigny St., Metairie, LA on Friday, August 14, 2026. Visitation will be held at church from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at 12:30 p.m.

Interment in Greenwood Cemetery, New Orleans, LA. Arrangements by L. A. Muhleisen & Son Funeral Home. To share memories or condolences, please visit www.muhleisen.com

Davis, Shannon E.

Shannon will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, greatgrandfather, and dedicated public servant. His memory will live on through the many lives he touched and, most importantly, through his family, who will carry his love and legacy forward.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at Honaker Funeral Home, 1751 Gause Blvd West, Slidell LA 70460. Visitation will begin at 9:00am followed by services at 11:00am.

Burial will be held at a later date in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Slidell.

Roberson, Beatrice

Beatrice "Bea" (Robinson) Roberson, a devoted family matriarch, sister, aunt, and cherished friend, passed away peacefully on July 19, 2026, at the age of 74. Bea was born on October 17, 1951, in Monticello, Mississippi, to Shelby and Lynell Robinson. She graduated from McCullough High School in Monticello in 1969 as the Class Valedictorian. She later attended both Jackson State University and the University of New Orleans.

Bea went on to build an honorable career dedicated to her country, retiring from the Federal Civilian Service within the Department of Homeland Security after more than 33 years of exemplary service to the United States of America. While she took great pride in her professional career, Bea's true life's work and greatest joy was in her devotion to her family. In her personal time, Bea was an incredibly talented seamstress who took great joy in designing and sewing her own clothes. She was preceded in death by her parents, Shelby and Lynell Robinson; her brothers, Clyde, Cleo and Thomas "TC" Robinson; and her beloved nephews, Anthony Cole and Samuel Cole. Her beautiful memory will be forever cherished by her surviving family: her loving sister, Charline Sluss of New Orleans, LA; her brother, Lee Edward "Duck" Robinson of Flowood, MS; four additional nieces and three nephews; a host of greatnieces, great-nephews, and their children; as well as a large circle of extended family members and dear friends.

Funeral services were held on Friday, August 7, 2026, at D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70125. Interment: Mount Olivet Cemetery, New Orleans, LA.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ 3B

uating with honors in 1976.

She earned two Bachelor of Science degrees with honors in 1980 from St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans in Microbiology and Biochemistry.

Jane devoted 36 years to research. She worked as a microbiologist with Dr. Githens, Ph.D., at the University of New Orleans, then at LSU Medical Center with Dr. Roger Davis, Ph.D., studying cholesterol. She later worked in physiology with Dr. Steve Nelson, M.D. and Dr. Greg Bagby, Ph.D., researching HIV and alcoholism. Before retirement, she was also a member of the Women's Business Association.

She played in an adult softball league in Harahan and served as a Girl Scout leader for her daughter, creating opportunities for travel and adventure across the United States.

Jane and Keith shared a passion for genealogy, tracing both family lines back to the 1600s and preserving a rich family history.

She loved sewing and often made clothing and costumes for her children and grandchildren. An exceptionally talented quilter, she carried forward a family tradition passed down from her grandmother and shared it with her daughter.

Jane faced Parkinson's disease with courage and determination for 15 years.

Throughout those years, her strength, perseverance, and love for her family remained an inspiration to those around her.

Even in death, Jane continued her legacy of giving.

As an organ donor, she gave the gift of life to at least three individuals, offering them renewed hope and the chance to live on.

We would like to extend a special thanks and appreciation to her personal caregiver, Leothia Garrett for your continued and unending help in the love, patience, and care you provided for Jane. In addition, we extend appreciation to her doctors, Dr. Nona Epstein and Dr. Sarah Breaux, for their continuing service of providing the care and guidance throughout her struggle with Parkinson's. Finally, we would like to thank her sister, Cathy, who on a daily basis for the last four years, was her caregiver helping her with the day to day struggles of living with

Parkinson's.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Tharp Funeral Home, 1600 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie LA 70001 on Saturday, September 12, 2026 starting with a visitation at 1:00 PM, followed by a service at 3:00 PM. Please dress casual.

Expressions of love and sympathy may be placed and viewed at www.tharpcares.com.

Vernon, Ike M.

Ike M. Vernon departed this life on Thursday, July 23, 2026 at the age of 67.

Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend a Funeral Service at D. W. Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Ave. New Orleans, La 70125 on Friday, August 14, 2026, at 11:30 am. Visitation will begin at 10:30 am. Burial will follow at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery. Arrangements

by D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home.

Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to sign the online guestbook.

Willoz, Frank Joseph

Frank Joseph Willoz Jr., 76, of Bay Saint Louis, MS, passed away on Saturday, August 8, 2026.

Services will be held at Edmond Fahey Funeral Home, 110 S. Necaise Ave., Bay St. Louis, MS 39520, on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with visitation at 9:30 a.m., funeral at 11:30 a.m., followed by interment in Gardens of Memory Cemetery, Bay St. Louis, MS. Please visit bslef.com to leave online condolences for Frank's family.

Louisiana needs in-depth, solutions-driven, public service journalism more than ever.

Schexnayder, Jane Archambault

Shannon E. Davis, 82, of Talisheek, Louisiana, passed away at his home on Sunday, August 1, 2026.

Shannon was the beloved husband of the late Madeline Bothner Davis. He was a devoted father to Brian E. Davis (Tracy Ostendorf Davis), Caprice Davis (Jimmy Sczuka), Breck Davis (Brandy Evans Davis), and Allison Davis Bolin (Jacob Bolin).

He was a proud grandfather to Johnathan Holder, Brandon Davis, Kaitlyn Davis Lapsley, Brett Davis, Carley Davis Morgan, Morgan Davis, Austin Davis, Andrew Davis, Madeline Bolin, and Reagan Bolin, and a cherished great-grandfather to seven great-grandchildren.

Shannon dedicated much of his life to serving his community. He served as the St. Tammany Parish Police Juror representing the Lacombe area from 1976-1980. He also worked as a supervisor at Domino Sugar from 1989-2002 before serving as Director of Public Works for St. Tammany Parish Government from 20022020. Through his work and service, Shannon made a lasting impact on the community he called home.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Madeline Bothner Davis; his parents, Ellis Davis and Gussie Reeves Davis; and his sister, Betty Davis Venturella.

Jane Louise Archambault Schexnayder, age 68, passed away peacefully on August 9, 2026, at Ochsner Hospital.

A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, and friend, she will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Jane was a resident of River Ridge for 38 years and the loving wife of Keith Schexnayder, sharing 44 years of marriage.

Together, they built a life centered on family, love, and cherished memories.

She was the devoted mother of Bryanne Schexnayder of Harahan, Louisiana and Brandon Schexnayder of Thompson's Station, Tennessee, and a proud grandmother to Bailey Schexnayder and Blythe Schexnayder of Thompson's Station, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Henry Archambault and the late Mary Ann Palmer Archambault, step daughter of Jeanette Archambault, and the sister of Michelle Archambault and Mary "Cathy" Chimento.

From an early age, Jane loved learning, creativity, and activity. She attended St. Raphael the Archangel Grammar School, where she played basketball and indoor ball. At St. Mary's Dominican High School, she played basketball and served as yearbook photographer and editor, grad-

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4B ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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OPINION N O L A.C O M/opinions

OUR VIEWS

In Murrill case, grand jurors should not be made to fear Leave the grand jurors alone.

Whatever else Attorney General Liz Murrill and her criminal defense attorneys do with regard to her now-dismissed indictment for alleged threats against Orleans Parish and city officials, they should make clear that grand jurors themselves aren’t targets for legal sanctions.

With extremely rare exceptions, grand juries are sacrosanct institutions intended, as many of this nation’s founders explicitly said, as bulwarks of liberty. Consisting of ordinary citizens drafted into service, often at personal cost, they are guaranteed secrecy in their proceedings for their own protection and that of the witnesses and possible targets of criminal probes.

And while grand jurors often are considered mere tools of prosecutors, the U.S. Supreme Court itself regularly has recognized — to quote Costello v. United States in 1956 — that it always has been the case that “grand jurors could act on their own knowledge and were free to make their presentments or indictments on such information as they deemed satisfactory.”

That is exactly what the trial judge and prosecutor said happened in Murrill’s case.

Granted, it is possible that grand jurors can be penalized if they themselves illegally violate their rules of secrecy or accept inducements, and Murrill herself said she suspects the former. Murrill and her team have every right to pursue a civil public records lawsuit to get to the bottom of what occurred.

Before she filed that suit, though, her defense attorneys demanded that special prosecutor Laurie White pass on to the grand jurors a letter ordering them to preserve all records, including electronic, pertaining to Murrill’s case.

That letter specifically said the grand jurors themselves could be subject to “tort liability” or “referral for criminal prosecution” if they fail to preserve relevant materials.

This dire warning to grand jurors is highly unusual — and troubling. Such an ominous escalation of legal pressure should come only upon solid evidence, not mere suspicion, that grand jurors may have done something wrong.

While it is surely within the Murrill team’s legal rights to send such a letter, it nonetheless is unwise. As Murrill, the state’s chief prosecutor, surely understands, the willingness of people to accept (rather than try to dodge) the civic duty of grand jury service, and the faith of the public in the system, is far from infinite. Grand jurors ought not be made to fear that their service carries major legal risks to themselves.

That’s why it is heartening to see a group of defense lawyers open a hotline to answer questions from Murrill-case grand jurors and provide free legal consultations to them.

Meanwhile, with Murrill herself no longer in legal jeopardy — properly so, as the indictment appears to have been misguided — she should make clear that even if she pursues answers about how her indictment was catalyzed, the jurors themselves are not her intended quarry for punishment.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published

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

The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

YOUR VIEWS

SpaceX project River District development would be poised to revitalize downtown another blow to coastal La.

On July 9, the New Orleans City Council approved a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT agreement, for The Rivana Apartments at the River District, clearing the way for 220 affordable homes on our riverfront.

As a native New Orleanian and a partner in the development, I have spent decades driving past that expanse of long-vacant land. In a city where over half the population struggles to pay rent, it’s been a depressing reminder of how much work our city has to do.

The City Council’s vote marked years of collaborative effort and the next step in bringing this historic section of our city back to life. The River District’s land belongs to the Convention Center, a public entity, and has been tax-exempt for decades. A PILOT is not a fit for every development, but it deserves strong consideration when a project meets an essential community need but is forced to overcome a serious financing gap.

In this case, the city gives up nothing and gets a $100 million building full of homes working families can afford.

We’re seeing real momentum at the River District. The Shell building is rising high, and streets and curbs are taking shape. The Rivana Apartments are set to break ground this fall — now 100% affordable. It is the first of three planned housing phases. It’s essential that we keep the momentum going, rallying private and public resources behind economic development priorities that will elevate our city for generations. Thriving cities that compete for investment routinely offer incentives to bring business home and improve quality of life. It’s refreshing to see New Orleans moving the needle.

The City Council’s support is a big reason the River District has come this far. After years of looking at that empty land, we’re ready to see life on it.

Your recent article on the use of Pecan Island for a large industrial project prompts this reply (“SpaceX is planning a rocket-launching space port in coastal Louisiana”).

The ExxonMobil settlement comes will pay came from a corporation directly responsible for the destruction of the Louisiana coastal zone, and one that earns millions.

The lawsuit that required this settlement took more than 20 years of litigation before it prevailed, and its purpose was to obtain resources for coastal restoration.

Accordingly, the state has had an active coastal restoration program for the past 30 years, based largely on projects that will restore the coast in a natural way. Unfortunately, Gov. Jeff Landry canceled the most ambitious of them.

More to the point, the Pecan Island wetlands are the last remaining undeveloped wetlands in Louisiana with a spectacular array of wildlife, including 30 species of birds; abundant ducks, geese, deer, raccoons, otters and fresh, brackish and saltwater fish, and reptile species.

There are clearly less-damaging locations. I hope that Pecan Island will be saved for the hunters, fishers, birdwatchers and all of us for generations to come.

SHAWN BARNEY New Orleans

Residents concerned over West End proposal The recent headlines on the front page of The Times-Picayune do not fully represent the negative impact of the proposed commercial development in the West End Park area. (“New Orleans, Jefferson Parish leaders plan West End transformation after years on hold.”)

Those who know New Orleans know the West End Park area as a quiet, peaceful area surrounded by boats, boat houses and nature.

The current proposal is not intended to enhance the beauty of this area, but rather to turn it into a money-making complex of bars and restaurants.

The people who live in the area and the public who enjoy and picnic in the area were never consulted. If they

had been, they would want to know: Will the city put speed limit signs and radar-controlled speed limits on Lake Marina Avenue and other streets into and around the park?

Will the city ensure adequate parking for the boathouse owners who live in and around the park area?

Will the city establish rules for noise levels emanating from the new bars and restaurants? Will the city provide police protection?

We can only hope that before it is too late, the city will hear the concerns of those who live in the neighborhood and not allow the ruination of one of the city’s last gems.

OLIVER HOUCK professor emeritus, Tulane University David Boies Chair in Public Interest Law New Orleans

MIKE GERTLER New Orleans

Newspaper needs to move beyond its biases

Think through anti-trans ordinance before going forward TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

The Bossier Parish Police Jury has introduced an ordinance that would allow the imprisonment of anyone refusing to leave a publicly owned bathroom if that restroom doesn’t match the sex of their birth (Shreveport Advocate, Aug. 6).

This makes no sense at all. Wouldn’t it be more upsetting for a woman in a bathroom to see someone who looks like a man — a trans man — standing next to them at the sink than to see a trans woman standing nearby? Think

this through. Trans people need to go to the bathroom. Until there are nongendered restrooms everywhere, isn’t it easier and less disturbing to allow people to choose the bathroom of the gender that they identify with?

There are some unusual-looking straight people out there. Are we going to make everyone who looks a little different show a birth certificate before entering a public toilet?

LEO LAVENTHAL New Orleans

Your blatant bias continues to disappoint me, and I am sure many of your other subscribers.

But as I always say: It’s your paper.

JOE SPITALE Kenner

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ARNESSA GARRETT STEPHANIE GRACE WILL SUTTON QUIN HILLYER FAIMON ROBERTS

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ 5B

lll

COMMENTARY Blatant La. vote fraud case changed the course of history Friday marks the 50th anniversary of a second-place primary-election finish that changed the history of Louisiana and, really, the whole nation.

“What if” lookbacks sometimes are amusing or thought-provoking, so… here goes — and you’ll love the little-known ending: In 1976, 36-yearinciumbent U.S. Rep. F. Edward Hebert, D-New Orleans, was finally reQuin tiring, and Democratic Hillyer City Council member Jimmy Moreau, a moderate-conservative, was a heavy favorite to replace him in the First Congressional District. Moreau was so well regarded that President Gerald Ford called him in May to try to talk him into running as a Republican rather than a Democrat. After a full century without any Republicans from Louisiana in Congress, the GOP was on a small upswing, electing David Treen in the Third District in 1972 and Henson Moore in the Sixth District in 1974.

Moreau, though, remained a Democrat and led a six-man Aug. 14 party primary by a huge margin: His 37,646 votes nearly doubled the 18,888 votes of state Rep. Rick Tonry, a unionbacked populist.

On the Republican side, assistant state attorney general Bob Livingston, a last-minute contestant after the expected nominee backed out, won the nomination, although the local news barely mentioned him. But it was Tonry’s move into second place on the Democratic side, forcing a runoff, that had the long-term consequences.

In the Democratic runoff, Tonry ran a much more aggressive campaign than Moreau, and by official totals he eked out a stunning upset, 48,789 to 48,605.

Had Moreau won, the Democratic label alone would have made him a betting favorite against Livingston.

Instead, Moreau’s team immediately began yelling that Tonry supporters had committed massive vote fraud.

With increasing evidence buttressing those charges, an ethical cloud weighed Tonry down while Livingston’s spirited campaigning made a real race of it.

Tonry narrowly won a three-way general election race, 47.2% to Livingston’s 43.4%.

And, lo and behold, as Tonry spent an antic-filled (that’s another story) four months in Congress, the charges were proved in court: Illegal votes had put him over the top, and he him-

could see her areolas. You could see the bumps on her areolas. And they were down to here. She was strutting like how great she was. Thinking everyone was staring at her, which they were.”

Pronovias, the Barcelona-based bridal fashion house, ginned up quite a bit of press when it introduced naked dressing for brides. Of special note was its bridal jumpsuit made of lace with floral appliques strategically placed over the crotch.

Bear in mind that Pronovias was an international luxury bridal brand, not a grubby adult sex shop. It had stores in the high-rent areas of Paris, Beverly Hills, Houston, Miami, London and New York.

Their dresses started at $2,000 and ran to over $10,000. (I use past tense because Pronovias filed for bankruptcy about six months ago.)

We live in contradictory times. Some feminists argue women shouldn’t be viewed through the “male gaze.” Some say women should be free to reveal as much of their beautiful bodies as they choose.

And some express both views simultaneously in an unsuccessful attempt to square the circle. “How dare you gaze at my naked body.”

The bride isn’t blushing, but the congregants may be.

Political candidates greedy for power are often parsimonious with information about what they would do with it. And voters currently being exhorted to participate in electing a new Congress might reasonably wonder: Why bother? Presidents govern, Congress spectates.

Nevertheless, here are three commitments voters might seek from those currently seeking House or Senate seats.

First: When the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was passed, the George national debt was less than $500 billion. It is almost certain to Will reach 80 times that sum — $40 trillion — next month. It has become normal for the federal government to run nearly $2 trillion budget deficits even during full employment and steady economic growth.

So, ask candidates about Warren Buffett’s five-minute solution: “I could end the deficit in five minutes. You just pass a law that says that anytime there’s a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for reelection.”

Buffett’s measure is Madisonian. He understands, as Saint James did, that it is not love, it is incentives that make the world go round. But a law might not suffice. Buffett’s plan would effect a change in qualifications for the House and Senate, so a constitutional amendment would be necessary. Fine. Ask the candidates if they would support one, and if not, why not.

Second: About 99.9% of Americans would be startled, or bemused, or both, to learn that they are living during 53 national “emergencies.”

(The count is from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.) These have been declared by presidents whose powers are enhanced by invoking the National Emergencies Act of 1976.

Some of these declared emergencies have become long in the tooth: Six were declared in the previous century. In a recent hilarity, the current president said his tariffs respond to the “emergency” of a national trade deficit.

This continuous 50-year fact — aka something normal — has coincided with soaring national prosperity, but is an “emergency.” Go figure.

Candidates should be asked to commit to making life more restful by making emergencies less numerous and persistent. Specifically, they should commit to legislation that says a declaration of emergency shall expire after 30 days unless there is a joint congressional resolution extending it.

Third: Congress was the arena for the great national debates of the 19th century — about manifest destiny (westward expansion), “internal improvements” (canals, railroads, etc.), and slavery (especially its status in territories not yet states). As Jay Cost of the American Enterprise Institute writes, the thunderous speeches of Congress’s “Great Triumvirate” (Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and John Calhoun) and others were national events, made so by being published in newspapers nationwide.

Late-19th-century Congresses were, however, as Cost says, corrupt and parochial. So, “reformers had good reason for moving power to the executive branch.” But, he says, this went too far.

Cost, who cares more about Congress than many of its members seem to, writes: “If you have ever been to Washington, D.C., it is easy to appreciate just how much the city’s designers wanted you to notice Congress.”

The Capitol sits on a hill, where the city’s four quadrants converge. In 1910, Congress passed height limits on the city’s buildings: the width of their street, plus 20 feet (about 12 stories).

Congress’s prominence suits its constitutional preeminence — it creates all executive departments and all federal courts other than the Supreme Court.

Today’s national debates focus on the White House 16 blocks west of Congress, or across First Street from Congress, in the Supreme Court. Congress no longer even controls most federal spending: Beginning with Social Security (1935), then Medicare and Medicaid (1965), the federal budget has become primarily (approximately 60%) a distributor of entitlements — transfer payments.

It could begin to reverse its diminishment by involving itself with federal regulations that compel substantial private sector spending.

Years pass, but the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act does not. It would require Congress’s approval of “major” regulations, defined as those with an annual impact on private sector entities of at least $100 million.

If a candidate will not commit even to this small step toward resurrecting the legislative branch’s involvement in actual governance, it is fair to ask him or her this: Are you sure you want to be a legislator? There are other jobs involving less travel and more congenial colleagues. Starbucks is always hiring baristas.

Follow Froma Harrop on X, @FromaHarrop.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost. com.

FILE PHOTO

Bob Livingston, center, celebrates his election to Congress on Aug. 29, 1977, with Gov. Dave Treen, left, and U.S. Rep. Henson Moore of Baton Rouge. self resigned from Congress, pleaded guilty to accepting illegal campaign contributions and went to prison.

With a special election thus necessitated, Livingston had a second chance that surely wouldn’t have come so quickly or promisingly if the honest Moreau had won and built the power of incumbency.

That election lured rising-star state Rep. Ron Faucheux into the race on the Democratic side, but Livingston’s momentum from the first race pushed him, in another three-way contest, to a 51.2% to 37.2% victory.

The downstream consequences of those races loom large.

Who knows where Faucheux’s elective career would have gone if he had not been lured into that race? Would he have found a different path — a different higher-office to shoot for, rather than eventually losing a very close race for mayor of New Orleans — if he had been bided his time and waited for a better opportunity? His smarts and energy certainly seemed well suited for elective office.

As it was, Faucheux did superbly in non-elected posts: He became the state’s Secretary of Commerce, then a major political consultant, publisher of Campaigns & Elections magazine, and trusted pollster, and he now graces these opinion pages with an insightful weekly column.

The biggest hinge of fate, though, involved Livingston. The second chance afforded to him by Tonry’s primary shenanigans obviously had huge repercussions. Livingston’s election catalyzed massive tangible benefits for Louisiana through his work on

the Appropriations Committee. And nationally, without his powerful will and discipline in chairing that committee from 1995-99, there is very little chance — as anyone then in Congress would attest — that the federal government would have balanced its budget for four consecutive years.

In light of massive subsequent debt, those balanced budgets look like epochal accomplishments.

But ... what about Tonry?

Well, after his prison term ended, Tonry drifted back into trouble. In 1986, he was convicted of bribing the chairman of the Chitimacha Indians for exclusive rights to lucrative bingo games on Indian land.

Tonry appealed, arguing that bribery statutes applied only to money given to government officials. Native American leaders, he said, were not government officials, so the money wasn’t illegal.

In open court, one of the judges, puzzled, asked Tonry — who was acting as his own lawyer — what he would call himself if not the purveyor of a bribe.

“I guess you could just say,” Tonry chuckled, with stunning lack of political correctness, “that I’m an Indian giver.”

Yes, Tonry won his appeal.

But all that history — Faucheux, Livingston, balanced budgets, illicit payoffs — happened only because, 50 years ago tomorrow, Tonry managed to finish a distant second in a sleepy Democratic primary. Fate works in odd ways.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

What’s behind all the naked dressing?

Brides should know that they alvealing manner could be to flatter the groom, to show the guys in the pews ready have a man. They don’t have to what they are missing. use their wedding to attract a date for It should be clear that I’m limiting Saturday night. They’ve supposedly secured one for the foreseeable future. this discussion to heterosexual pairThus, it’s hard to figure how the ings. Same-sex couples have their own fashion trend of “naked dressing,” rules. lamentable even at nightclubs, has Am I being unfair? I don’t think so. invaded the precincts of ancient Judgmental? Definitely. social custom. Displaying one’s At Studio 54, the late 1970s privates — or underwear — in disco of wild abandon, there public started as a fashion trend actually was a dress code — pushed by attention-hungry cethough it took up only one line.

Women could get as naked lebrities. Now it’s walking down as they liked. Men, however, the aisle.

Froma were not allowed to take out The traditional bridal dress is Harrop their “members” for display, if white for its association with puyou get my drift. rity, innocence and, yes, virginI know this because my husband, ity. OK, things change. before becoming a plumber, was one Brides still claim the white for its of Studio’s bartenders. “I couldn’t ensymbolic value, but many push other boundaries that were brick-walled in force this rule,” Craig recalls, “but I the past. Strapless dresses are comcould inform those who did.”

Craig, as you might imagine, has mon. Whereas brides traditionally had seen it all, and remains generally nontheir arms modestly covered to the wrists, sleeveless has become a norm. judgmental on matters of provocative And the frontiers of cleavage display dress by women. Yet he was taken are continually being tested. aback last week when, walking down Suffice it to say, brides have the right a big city street in broad daylight, he to dress seductively even at a ceremo- passed a young woman who had wholeny crafted to broadcast that she is no heartedly embraced the naked dresslonger available. It’s their show. And ing aesthetic. if they want to entertain the congregaReader advisory: What follows may prove unsuitable for readers of delition by letting it see her skimpy panties through sheer fabric, well, I don’t cate sensibilities. (Bravo to you who have a vote here. still have them.)

There’s another possible explanation.

“She had this see-through top,” Craig One motive for dressing in this resaid. “You could see her nipples. You

Now midterms begin in earnest

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

6B ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

TODAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Partly sunny

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Mostly sunny

A couple of thunderstorms

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A t-storm around in the p.m.

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

95° 77°

LOW

HIGH

96° 77°

LOW

95° 80°

Beaumont 93/77 Port Arthur 93/78

Baton Rouge 96/74

Lake Charles 94/77

New Orleans 95/77 Houma 94/75

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

0s

Hattiesburg 97/75

Alexandria 98/73

Lafayette 95/76

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

HIGH

LOW

96° 78°

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

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

HIGH

9:40p 3:39p 6:25a 9:01a 11:26a 10:39a 12:34p

6:27 a.m.

7:44 p.m.

7:20 a.m.

8:28 p.m.

FIRST

FULL

LAST

NEW

AUG 19

AUG 27

SEP 4

SEP 10

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

Hi

93 101 83 93 77 102 78 98 95

TODAY Lo

76 79 68 75 69 79 61 78 78

W

t s t t t s t s t

Hi

94 99 83 93 78 100 86 95 97

FRI. Lo

77 79 63 77 72 81 63 78 76

W

t t pc t t s t t c

FT.

LOW

0.7 8:10a 1.6 1:14a 1.8 9:22a 1.8 1:03a 1.3 9:50p 1.6 8:07p 1.6 10:52p

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 38 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

93°/78° 92°/77° 90°/80° 100° in 2023 67° in 1962

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

City

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

LOW

New Orleans through 5 p.m. Wednesday

Jackson 98/75 Many 96/73

HIGH

94° 79°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 101/75

-0s

LOW

Monroe 100/75

Shreveport 99/75

-10s

HIGH

95° 78°

Well, besides Tropical Storm Cristobal, which is moving away from the U.S., we have two other tropical disturbances in the Atlantic, neither of which is currently a threat to Louisiana. The heat will be your biggest weather problem today. We are all under either a major or moderate heat risk. Temperatures this afternoon will be rising into the mid-90s. Humidity is high so “feels-like” temps could rise to 105 or higher. The UV index is at the very high level, so stay hydrated, take breaks and wear sunscreen.

0.00” 1.18” 2.50” 40.79” 41.44”

FT.

HIGH

0.0 0.0 1.4 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3

FT.

--- ----- --3:58p 1.8 5:34p 1.6 --- ----- ----- ---

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FLOOD

FT.

--- ----- --9:48p -0.1 1:30p 1.4 --- ----- ----- ---

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 12:03a 6:15a 12:28p 6:40p Friday 12:56a 7:08a 1:20p 7:31p Saturday 1:48a 8:00a 2:11p 8:22p Sunday 2:39a 8:51a 3:02p 9:13p Monday 3:30a 9:41a 3:52p 10:04p Tuesday 4:19a 10:31a 4:43p 10:54p Wednesday 5:08a 11:20a 5:32p 11:44p

City

Hi

Los Angeles 83 Miami 93 Nashville 98 New york City 86 Philadelphia 90 Phoenix 100 St. Louis 97 San Francisco 71 Seattle 82

TODAY Lo

68 81 77 69 73 83 80 61 58

W

pc t t pc pc t t pc pc

GOOD

Hi

82 94 98 84 88 103 98 72 81

FRI. Lo

66 82 77 65 70 84 80 61 57

W

pc t pc pc pc pc pc pc s

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

WED. 24-HOUR

MISSISSIPPI STAGE STAGE CHANGE Memphis 34 1.20 +0.78 Vidalia-Natchez 48 18.20 -0.01 Red River Landing 48 21.30 -0.10 Baton Rouge 35 7.90 -0.47 Donaldsonville 27 4.10 -0.10 Reserve 22 4.04 +0.12 New Orleans 17 2.70 -0.02 OHIO Cairo 40 17.30 -0.94 COMITE Near Olive 19 -1.66 -0.27 AMITE Near Darlington 18 -1.16 -0.06 Denham Springs 29 10.30 +0.11 Port Vincent 8 2.00 -0.08 TICKFAW Montpelier 13 1.52 -0.12 Holden 15 0.87 -0.04 ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport 47 7.55 -0.15 Melville 34 5.19 -0.08 Krotz Springs 29 3.70 -0.07 Butte La Rose 20 4.13 -0.01 Bayou Sorrel 12 3.10 +0.30 Morgan City 6 2.25 +0.14

data as of 7 a.m. Wednesday

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

Deaths, damage reported from severe weather in Midwest Storms cause tornadoes, heavy rains, flash flooding

BY DAVE COLLINS and JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — First responders rescued more people from floodwaters Wednesday as utility crews cleared trees and wires downed by severe storms in the Midwest that unleashed tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity.

A 4-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a home in Geneva, Indiana, during Tuesday’s storms, the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office said. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said a resident of Roseville died during a health emergency when first responders, faced with flooded roads, couldn’t reach them. Officials in Portage, IndiASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By CAROLyN KASTER ana, were investigating whether the severe weather played a role Jim Koehler works with a chain saw Wednesday to remove an oak tree damaged by severe storms on Tuesday in a reported house explosion that in his daughter’s front yard in Cincinnati. killed a person.

“Water just started pouring into Lightning struck a prison comthe house,” she said. “Because of plex southwest of Cleveland on my house being very old, when the Tuesday, injuring 16 incarcerated water was coming up I was very people who were hospitalized, worried about the electric outlets according to the Ohio Departthat were on the floor, because ment of Corrections. DeWine said there was water literally coming four remained hospitalized as of out of them, so I was afraid that Wednesday, including one with my children were going to get severe injuries. shocked.”

Storm damage was reported In Athens County, Ohio, nearly from the Chicago area all the way 300 people called 911 for help to western Pennsylvania. Three on Tuesday, including 42 involvtornadoes in counties south of Chicago were confirmed by the ing vehicles stuck in floods, with National Weather Service. more calls Wednesday as high waFlood warnings on Wednesday ters flowed toward the Ohio River, stretched from northern Illinois said the emergency management to eastern Indiana, and there were director, Teresa Fouts-Imler. flash flood watches from Indiana DeWine surveyed the hardest to parts of Ohio, Kentucky, West hit areas by helicopter on WednesVirginia, Virginia and Tennessee, day and called the extent of the the weather service said. flooding “stunning.”

“Severe thunderstorm and Crews work along Race Road among trees and power lines downed by “These communities have been heavy rainfall threats continue hit exceedingly hard in a historic across the Plains, Midwest, Ohio severe storms on Tuesday, to restore power in Cincinnati on Wednesday. way,” DeWine said during an afValley, and central Appalachians ternoon news conference from the next couple of days,” it said. bers to help in two counties east Ohio, early Tuesday morning, Perry County. “They’ve been hit of Columbus and he said dozens of reaching knee deep as it stranded before with water challenges, but Rescued from rising floodwaters local departments also responded her and her husband and four chil- this is certainly the worst.”

Authorities in Ohio and western to help, including from West Vir- dren. With the currents too strong to make it out themselves, they Wide swath of Midwest gets hit Pennsylvania reported numerous ginia. water rescues. DeWine sent 40 Floodwaters barged into Kait- were rescued by firefighters in a More than 650,000 customers Ohio Army National Guard mem- lyn Rodgers’ home in Crooksville, boat in the predawn darkness. were without power Wednesday

afternoon in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, according to poweroutage.us.

Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power was still surveying the damage but had already identified more than 100 broken poles, some 650 downed wire spans and another 85 entangled with trees. About 76,000 of its customers remained without power, even after crews had restored electricity for 135,000, it said Wednesday.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther declared an emergency Wednesday.

Neighborhoods inundated Photos posted on social media from the Chicago area and in Indiana showed flooded roads, trees tangled in power lines and homes with gashes in their roofs.

“No power. It was very scary.

We were down in the basement,” said Javid Jenkins of Homewood, a Chicago suburb. “We’re built for snow. We’re built for cold. We’re not built for this.”

Jenkins, 54, was driving around for gas to fire up a generator to preserve food in his refrigerator.

Forecasters said a wind gust of 99 mph was recorded in Gary, Indiana. Elsewhere there were numerous reports of gusts of 80 mph or more at personal weather stations.

Preliminary information indicated that the intense system that swept from Iowa into Indiana over several hours qualified as a derecho, the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center said Tuesday evening. Derechos are prolonged straight-line wind events that unleash heavy rainfall and travel far. The damage they cause is sometimes comparable to the destructive forces of tornadoes or hurricanes.

“Total devastation. No roof,” said Kerry Hourigan, standing outside her home of 25 years in Tinley Park, another Chicago suburb. “Stupid thing, but my focus was I just bought a new barbecue grill, and I have no idea where that is. It’s disappeared.”

Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta and John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed.

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

H

SPORTS N O L A.C O M

Breaking down Saints’ first unofficial depth chart

BY MATTHEW PARAS

There are good reasons why unofficial depth charts put out every preseason are unofficial.

Coaches rarely, if ever, put any effort into the exercise. They’re required by the NFL to be released ahead of every preseason contest. They don’t always reflect what is actually happening in practice.

That said, every once ä Preseason in a while, they do conJaguars at Saints tain some pivotal infor3 P.M. SATURDAy,WVUE mation.

The Saints unveiled their first depth chart this week before Saturday’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And like many others around the NFL, it requires context to determine what’s real — and what’s not.

Let’s dig in.

What’s real

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

Saints running back Travis Etienne

T h u r s d ay, au g u s T 13, 2026

LSU coach Lane Kiffin watches players run drills during practice on Tuesday at the school’s practice facility. Kiffin is holding his players to a high standard. STAFF PHOTO By PEARL SPURLOCK

LSU coacch Kiffin expects his players to behave like pros

BY JON BLAU

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Staff writer

Pelicans’ in-season tournament schedule set Dates for games abroad vs. Spurs also announced

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans now know the schedule for their four NBA Cup games.

The NBA announced the schedule for group play of its annual in-season tournament Wednesday morning.

The Pelicans, as announced in June, are in West Group B with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Pelicans get their first two games at the Smoothie King Center, hosting the Timberwolves on Nov. 6 and the Grizzlies on Nov. 13. They will then hit the road to play the Thunder on Nov. 20 and the Clippers on Nov. 27.

The NBA implemented the in-season tournament during the 2023-24 season. The 30

ä See PELICANS, page 2C

1CN

PLAY THE PART

Staff writer

Teams, including the Saints, love to use the “-OR-” option the league allows so that they don’t have to tip their hands on a starter.

This year’s version for the Saints includes three uses of the method. The Saints’ starting running back, based on this depth chart, is either Travis Etienne OR Alvin Kamara. The Saints’ starting defensive end is Chase Young OR Carl Granderson. The Saints’ kicker is either Charlie Smyth OR Tanner Brown.

Of those three, the kicking competition is the only spot where there’s a legitimate

|

LSU coach Lane Kiffin has been at the center of controversies this offseason following a tense departure from Ole Miss.

But aside from a pair of ex-Rebels being sued by Ole Miss for transferring to LSU after signing revenuesharing contracts, Kiffin’s players have stayed out of the headlines.

“I don’t want to jinx that,” Kiffin said as the Tigers opened preseason camp last week, “but it has been really quiet that way.”

It would stand to reason that there is more opportunity for distraction in the NIL era where athletes are essentially paid a salary and have the funds to buy fancy cars and throw blowout parties if they wanted to.

But there’s another side to that coin.

“You’re pros now,” Kiffin said, “and they get paid like it.

And the expectation should be that they act like it.”

There are no illusions of amateurism in Kiffin’s program.

Tens of millions of dollars have been invested in LSU’s

roster for the 2026 season, securing some of the top talents available in the transfer portal.

In exchange for their wages, athletes are expected to focus on football, whether it’s quarterback Sam Leavitt strictly adhering to his rehab regimen to return from last season’s foot injury, or left tackle Jordan Seaton stripping excess pounds from his 6-foot-5, 305-pound frame in conditioning.

A roster with 40-plus transfers appears to have bought in, but that’s to be expected when their football services were literally bought.

“That’s kind of just how they run this program,” LSU center Braelin Moore said this week. “It’s scheduled like a pro team would be. We’ve got to hold ourselves to that standard.”

Kiffin swears he’s all business, removing alcohol and, most recently, social media from his life. The 51-year-old said he spends most of his time in LSU’s football facility, preparing for a pressure-packed season.

There is a seriousness Kiffin expects from his players too.

ä See LSU, page 5C

Three players stepping up in Wave’s secondary

BY GUERRY SMITH

Contributing writer

Having lost three key contributors in the secondary, Tulane entered the offseason looking for a few good men to help out proven performers Jack Tchienchou and Kevin Adams on the back end.

Meet Anthony Rogers, TJ Smith and Josh Moore, three ascending players who did not put it on cruise control while excelling through the summer and the first six practices of camp. Their improvement should solidify a defense that returned six of its top 10 tacklers from an American Conference championship team in 2025 despite the departure of cornerback Jahiem Johnson (Arkansas), nickelback Javion White (Houston) and safety Bailey Despanie (no eligibility left).

Rogers, a Nicholls transfer, has practiced ahead of more touted Texas Tech transfer Macho Stevenson opposite second-year starter E’Zaiah Shine while playing bigger than his size (5-foot-11, 176 pounds).

“There’s not a day I’ve walked off the field when he hasn’t made plays,” coach Will Hall offered unsolicited after the Green Wave’s Tuesday workout. “That dude just wants to compete.”

Hall said he used Rogers as an example at a team meeting for how to attack every

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

ulane defensive back TJ Smith, left, breaks up a pass during Tuesday’s practice at yulman Stadium. Smith has split time at nickelback and strong safety in camp.

day. On Tuesday, he blocked a field goal and made an interception in a one-on-one drill. On Monday, he bounced back from giving up a touchdown to wide receiver Destyn Hill with multiple pass break-ups.

Rogers cited his Laurel, Mississippi, up-

bringing for his demeanor.

“Not many make it from where I’m from,” he said. “Probably like 1%. The only thing that matters is me getting 1% better every day.”

He added the transition to Tulane from Nicholls was smooth. Coming off a 55-tackle, three-interception year as a redshirt freshman for the Colonels, he is trying to follow in the footsteps of Jarius Monroe, who had 97 tackles and six interceptions in 2022 and 2023 at cornerback with the Wave after transferring from Nicholls. Monroe, the younger brother of current Colonels defensive coordinator and former four-year Tulane starter Darion Monroe, spent 2024 and 2025 with the New York Jets.

“I felt like I could come in and do the same thing,” Rogers said. “Football is just football. It’s been the same since peewee.”

While Rogers’ emergence is a bit of a surprise, the coaches expected Smith to assume a much bigger role. Backing up White, he made 24 tackles a year ago after transferring from Division II East Central (Ada, Oklahoma), where he had 45 tackles and five interceptions in 2024.

Even though Smith missed spring drills following shoulder surgery, Hall considered him a sure starter and, as with

ä See TULANE, page 5C

2C ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Kushner, Iger agree to buy Lakers The blockbuster deal is $12.5B according to AP sources

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold for the second time in a year, going to businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking price.

This sale agreement is $12.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the terms who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because neither side revealed specific details of the latest stunning development with one of North America’s marquee sports teams.

ESPN first reported that Kushner and Iger are buying the NBA’s most valuable franchise. The Lakers were valued last year at $10 billion — a record for a pro sports team — when Mark Walter purchased a controlling stake from the Buss family, which had owned the team since 1979.

“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world,” Iger and Kushner said in a statement. “We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss.

Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.”

Kushner, a venture capitalist, and former Walt Disney Company CEO Iger had been working together on landing a possible NBA expansion team for Las Vegas. By buying the Lakers, they don’t have to wait until the possibility of expansion in the 2028-29 season at the earliest.

Lakers icon Magic Johnson, a partner in Walter’s ownership of baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, praised the deal on social media.

“Laker fans, you couldn’t have two better owners,” Johnson wrote. “I’ve known Bob personally for over 40 years — he has always loved the Lakers and basketball and he will bring championships back to LA.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ETHAN SWOPE

Crypto Arena is viewed before a Los Angeles Lakers game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 4 in Los Angeles.

The sale still will need approval from the NBA’s board of governors, and that process can take several weeks. The next board meeting is set for September in New York.

The $12.5 billion price tag is not only a record for U.S. pro sports but a new summit in skyrocketing NBA franchise values. Only three years ago, Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a $3 billion valuation, while the Boston Celtics were sold last year to private equity mogul Bill Chisholm at a valuation of just over $6 billion.

Walter’s agreement to purchase a controlling stake in the Lakers at the $10 billion valuation last summer obliterated that mark, and now Iger and Kushner have pushed the bar even higher.

The 66-year-old Walter’s shocking decision to sell after just 10 months of official ownership is reverberating throughout the team’s massive fan base, which appeared to be uniformly excited about the purchase last year. Walter has stewarded the Dodgers into the most successful stretch in franchise history, with three World Series championships in the past six seasons as the most aggressive spenders in baseball.

Multiple media outlets last month reported that Walter’s business empire is under scrutiny from both federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission in tax fraud investigations.

The Lakers are 17-time NBA champions who won their most recent title in 2020. They’ve made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, and their current roster is built around NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is signed through the 2028-29 season. The Slovenian superstar has become passionate about Los Angeles and the Lakers less than two years after his arrival.

“Being a Laker means everything to me, and I’m excited to get back on the court and bring a championship to LA,” Doncic wrote on social media after hearing of the sale. “I’ve gotten used to big changes over these last few years, but I know that no matter what, there is no limit to the potential of this iconic franchise. I look forward to meeting Josh and Bob so we can get to work building something special in LA together.”

The 41-year-old Kushner has been a minority owner of two NBA teams, but he jumped into the international sports spotlight this summer when his capital holding company, Thrive Eternal, was set to be the “anchor investor” in FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits. Infantino abandoned the idea on July 31.

Kushner’s older brother is Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Josh Kushner currently owns a minority stake in the Miami Heat, and he previously owned a stake in the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 75-year-old Iger became one of Hollywood’s most well-known executives while he ran Disney for two lengthy stints between 2005 and last March, when he stepped aside. Iger and his wife, former sports journalist Willow Bay, became the controlling owners of NWSL team Angel City FC in 2024 with a deal that valued the club at $250 million.

Walter’s purchase of the Lakers was approved by NBA owners last October. He originally bought a 27% minority stake in the team in 2021 before purchasing control of the team last year.

The Lakers’ 17 championships going back to the franchise’s origin in Minneapolis are the second-most in NBA history behind Boston’s 18. It is a global brand, always at or near the top of the league’s merchandise-sales rankings.

This record sale price comes just weeks after LeBron James, the league’s all-time leading scorer, left the Lakers after eight seasons to become a free agent.

James ultimately decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Walter and his team had already begun to make extensive changes to the Lakers, who were often perceived as an antiquated franchise in many aspects during their decades of Buss family ownership.

The Lakers had beefed up their basketball operations department with new hires in the front office around longtime general manager Rob Pelinka. They also boosted the business side with extensive searches for new revenue, including sales of new jersey patches and additional prominent sponsorship deals.

When Walter bought his controlling interest in the Lakers, the deal specified that Jeanie Buss would stay on as the team’s governor. With new ownership, it’s unclear whether Buss will have a continuing role in the team she inherited along with her siblings from her father, Jerry Buss, who died in 2013.

Along with the Dodgers, Walter and his various partners also have ownership interests in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, English Premier League club Chelsea, the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the new Cadillac Formula 1 racing team.

Westbrook retires from NBA with farewell video The Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Russell Westbrook, the NBA’s career leader in triple-doubles and the 2017 MVP, announced Wednesday he’s retiring after 18 seasons during which he was selected to the league’s 75th anniversary team.

The two-time scoring champion shared his decision on social media in a post featuring a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan where the guard never says a word.

“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,” Westbrook

PELICANS

Continued from page 1C teams are divided into six groups of five teams each.

The six group winners and two wild card teams advance to the knockout stage. The quarterfinals of the knockout stage are on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5. The semifinals are Dec. 8 and 9. The championship is set for Dec. 11 in Indianapolis after being held in Las Vegas the first three years.

Two more games on the Pelicans’ schedule were announced in May. The Pelicans will play a pair of games against the San Antonio Spurs in Europe.

The Pelicans will play the Spurs at Accor Arena in Paris, France,

wrote. “You had to be there. And now it’s over.”

Westbrook was the No. 4 pick in 2008 out of UCLA by the Seattle SuperSonics, just before they moved to Oklahoma City. He played his first 11 seasons with the Thunder and spent this past season with the Sacramento Kings.

Westbrook led the NBA in assists three times and was a twotime MVP of the All-Star Game.

He won an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 London Games.

Westbrook leaves with 209 triple-doubles, the last on March 15.

Nikola Jokic ranks second in that category with 198 going into this

season. Westbrook also holds the NBA mark for most triple-doubles in a season with 42 in 201617, when he earned his only MVP award.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti called Westbrook “the ultimate competitor.”

“His internal belief and unbridled fearlessness helped establish the foundation of our organization from day one in 2008 and he elevated the confidence and inspired our community in every year thereafter,” Presti said in a statement. “Russell will be as successful in his life after basketball as he was during his career because

his qualities and gifts transfer.

His impact on our community is still felt today, and he is beloved for his devotion as much as his talent.”

Westbrook averaged double figures for points and assists in five of six seasons starting in the 201516 season.

Westbrook also played for Houston, Washington, the Lakers and Clippers — splitting the 2022-23 season between the Los Angeles teams and Denver.

Last season, Westbrook started 58 of the 64 games he played for Sacramento. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 assists.

on Jan. 14.

Pelicans Three days later, the two teams center yves will play in Manchester, England, Missi pulls at Co-op Live. down a It’s part of the NBA’s multi-year slate of regular-season games in rebound Europe. against the “These games provide a unique Orlando platform to showcase our team, Magic our culture, and our community on April to global audiences while building meaningful relationships 5 at the with fans, partners, and commuSmoothie nities abroad,” Pelicans execuKing Center. tive vice president of basketball STAFF PHOTO operations Joe Dumars said in

By DAVID May. “We are grateful to be part GRUNFELD of the NBA’s continued international growth efforts, and we are excited to help grow the game Europe will be broadcast on Prime announced Thursday. globally and connect with new Video, the league announced generations of basketball fans.” Wednesday.

Email Rod Walker at Both of the Pelicans’ games in The entire NBA schedule will be rwalker@theadvocate.com.

LSU third baseman Tucker to play junior college ball

Freshman third baseman Luke Tucker will spend the 2027 season with McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, before rejoining LSU baseball whenever his time at McLennan comes to an end, Tucker announced on social media Wednesday.

Tucker, a former Arkansas State commitment, was set to join LSU for this upcoming season after not being selected during the MLB Draft.

LSU’s roster was set by the end of July, but after left-handed pitcher and fellow commit Logan Schmidt failed to agree on a contract with the Cleveland Guardians, Schmidt wound up at LSU, which ballooned the roster to 40 players.

The addition of Schmidt meant LSU would need to trim its roster to 39 players before the start of the new school year. Tucker’s decision to play at a junior college next season opens up that roster spot while keeping him in the fold in the long term.

Starting UNC guard Trimble committing to Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — North Carolina guard Seth Trimble is transferring to Louisville and taking advantage of the recent preliminary injunction from a Colorado judge giving student-athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 a fifth season of eligibility for the upcoming year.

ESPN reported Wednesday morning that Trimble committed to Louisville, a social media post shared by the Cardinals.

Trimble thanked North Carolina fans in an Instagram post for “the best four years anyone could ask for.” He wrote that he gave his all to represent North Carolina every day.

NASCAR’s All-Star race returns to North Carolina

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — NASCAR’s All-Star race is returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2027.

The midseason exhibition is moving back to the 0.625-mile asphalt oval in the picturesque North Carolina foothills after a one-year stop at Dover Motor Speedway in Delaware. North Wilkesboro hosted the All-Star event for three years, from 2023-25.

The May 23 race will be televised on Fox Sports. It also will be part of a tripleheader weekend that includes the Craftsman Truck Series on Friday and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on Saturday.

Kyle Larson (2023), Joey Logano (2024) and Christopher Bell (2025) won the previous All-Star races at North Wilkesboro, with each taking home a $1 million prize. Logano also won this season’s race at North Wilkesboro, the first points-paying race at the track since 1996.

Rockies third baseman Karros lands on 7-day IL

PHOENIX — The Colorado Rockies placed third baseman Kyle Karros on the seven-day concussion injured list on Wednesday.

Karros was injured in a collision with teammate shortstop Ezequiel Tovar in the sixth inning of Tuesday night’s game, a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Karros was moving to his right in pursuit of the grounder as Tovar moved to his left and the two collided. Karros went down and received assistance from a trainer before being helped off the field.

Karros, the son of former major league first baseman Eric Karros, is batting .265 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs for Colorado this season.

The Rockies recalled infielder Adael Amador from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Karros.

Amador, 23, was batting .261 with 11 homers for Albuquerque.

Cadillac makes abrupt F1 team principal change

SILVERSTONE, England — Formula 1’s newest outfit Cadillac fired its first team principal, Graeme Lowdon, and replaced him with former Alpine director Marcin Budkowski on Wednesday Cadillac said the move was part of a “planned leadership transition as the organization evolves from its initial build phase into the next stage of racing performance,” though it hadn’t previously signaled it intended to move on from Lowdon, who played a key role setting up the General Motorsbacked team.

It comes a week before the F1 season resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix after the mid-season break.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ 3C

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Former NFL QB Hasselbeck part of latest CTE frontier

BY DAVID BRANDT AP sportswriter

many similarities between Alzheimer’s and CTE because both are degenerative brain diseases, but there are also some key differences, and mapping out those discrepancies is key to figuring out a way to diagnose CTE properly.

“We’ve applied what we’ve known worked for Alzheimer’s disease, but we’ve learned it does not work for CTE,” Alosco said. “We’ve really got to push discovery efforts and find the marker that’s specific to the protein of CTE versus Alzheimer’s because they’re different.

“How we’re going to get there is through the research we’re doing right now.”

Nicholas Ashton, the principal investigator in Phoenix, said roughly 10 patients have participated at the Arizona site. He said that currently, diagnosing CTE in the living is mostly guesswork because so many of the symptoms mimic Alzheimer’s.

“The more people involved, the more information we get and the closer we get to an answer,” Ashton said. “Treatments exploded with Alzheimer’s once we were able to accurately diagnose. We’re trying to get to the same spot with CTE.”

PHOENIX — Matt Hasselbeck took some nasty hits to the head during his 17-year NFL career, four years at Boston College and a childhood full of sports, but the quarterback seems to have emerged from more than two decades of collisions relatively unscathed, enjoying middle adulthood with his wife and three children.

The 50-year-old knows that some of his friends and former teammates haven’t been as lucky.

That’s why the three-time Pro Bowl selection recently spent two days at Boston University, going through a battery of scans and tests to determine how much all those collisions affected his brain. The hope is that it will be a small step toward a goal that has eluded doctors — diagnosing chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the living.

“They need guys like me — they need people who are feeling good to step up to the plate and volunteer,” Hasselbeck said. “I played quarterback, so I didn’t take some of the hits that a lot of my teammates took.

“But the guys who were blocking for me, or playing special teams, or trying to get the ball back for me on defense, Eye-opening tests I wanted to do something. They Hasselbeck said he went had my back, so in a way I’d through a variety of mental like to have their back.” tests — like counting backward from 100 by sevens CTE’s harsh spotlight and reciting the alphabet A degenerative brain dis- backward. He also had a ease that has been linked to blood sample taken, an MRI concussions and other head on his brain and a PET (positrauma common in military tron emission tomography) combat and contact sports, scan that injects a small CTE has been diagnosed in amount of safe radioactive more than 100 former NFL tracer that maps out the players, casting a pall over brain’s function. the United States’ most popuThe former quarterback lar sports league. Some high- said the procedures were profile football players diag- eye-opening and humbling.

“I’ve got a healthy respect nosed with CTE after their deaths include Hall of Famers for people who are dealing like linebacker Junior Seau with serious brain trauma, and quarterback Ken Stabler, whether it’s tumors or canalong with former Patriots cer,” Hasselbeck said. “I tight end Aaron Hernandez. walked in there feeling comRight now, CTE can only pletely healthy and you still get a little anxious when be diagnosed after death.

CTE can affect regions of you’re doing a brain scan, the brain involved with reg- an MRI. You come out and ulating behavior and emo- you’re looking at your brain.”

Hasselbeck also is donattions. This can lead to memory loss, depression, violent ing his brain for research mood swings and other cog- after he dies.

Not everyone in the study nitive and behavioral issues, though researchers note is a famous former NFL these symptoms can also be player.

Bryan Savage, a 56-yearlinked to other illnesses.

Hasselbeck’s participation old who lives in Maryland, is just a small part of a study is a former linebacker at that Michael Alosco, co-di- Union College in Schenectrector of clinical research at ady, New York — an NCAA the Boston University CTE Division III school. He travCenter, hopes will expand eled to Boston for the study to hundreds of participants and also has committed to in multiple locations. Alosco donating his brain. is the principal investigator Savage said he’s lucky to in Boston and there are also be relatively healthy but sites in California, Arizona, that he’s been diagnosed Texas and Florida with po- with depression and ADHD over the past few years. tentially more to come.

The study seeks two types “I was interested because of people: Those who played of some of the things that I’ve professional or college foot- gone through physically and ball and those who have mentally,” Savage said. “You been diagnosed with Al- wonder if it’s just getting older, zheimer’s disease and never a midlife crisis or if it’s related played contact or collision to any brain trauma I might sports and have no history have had playing football.” of repetitive head impacts.

Savage praised the reAlosco said there are searchers who were with

him during the study and said he was relieved to find out his brain scans look normal for a man in his mid-50s.

He’s reached out to some of his former teammates, encouraging them to get involved in the study.

“I’ll talk to some of my former friends and they’re going through a lot of the same things,” Savage said.

“They’ll say — ‘Why do I feel like this? I’ve never been depressed. Things that I used to be passionate about I don’t care about anymore.’ ” Alosco said the main reason Alzheimer’s research is much more advanced than CTE research is sheer numbers: Alzheimer’s research dates back decades and there have been countless people who have been studied.

By comparison, CTE research is relatively new. Volunteers like Hasselbeck and Savage are crucial to bridge the gap. The National Institutes of Health is sponsoring the current study, awarding $15 million for the research in 2025.

“The (Alzheimer’s progress) is through years and years of research, of people donating their brains, and also collecting data during life,” Alosco said. “While we’ve been studying CTE for a while, we haven’t had the point where we’ve had all this data during life, that have also donated their brain. We need to get to that place.”

He added: “I’m really hopeful about detecting CTE — I don’t think that’s too distant. Once we can accurately diagnose, that’s when we can start some treatment trials.”

Culture in NFL changing Hasselbeck — who played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts — said he had three concussions before he even started college, one playing football, another on the basketball court and another while goofing around while ice skating. He had a few concussions during his college or NFL career, but he wasn’t sure of the exact number because some might have gone undetected since there was a culture of toughness in locker rooms, particularly early in his career.

Hasselbeck’s pro career spanned from 1998 to 2015 and the quarterback said there was a huge change regarding head injuries during that time. Early in his career, the only acceptable answer after a hit to the head was “I’m good,” but by the mid 2010s, players were much more honest about potential concussions.

Hasselbeck’s proud of that change. Now he hopes his participation in the current CTE study can continue that progress.

“I’ve always had a passion for making the game safer,” Hasselbeck said. “I love football. One of the things I’m most proud of as an NFL guy is not just as a player, but the entire time I worked with the league and NFLPA for ways to make the game safer.”

SEC commish reminds schools to follow NCAA eligibility rules

BY TERESA M. WALKER Associated Press

Commissioner Greg Sankey wants everyone in the Southeastern Conference to move carefully when adding players suddenly allowed by court rulings to seek a fifth year of eligibility.

Sankey sent a memo to league members on the landscape created by court filings and rulings being “highly dynamic,” a person familiar with the memo told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because of the volume of lawsuits, motions and courts involved.

The memo, sent Tuesday, was first reported by

CBS Sports.

Sankey reminded SEC members that they should operate under existing NCAA rules, interpretations and applicable league rules until advised otherwise. He told them each school’s compliance office should work with SEC staff before making any commitments on a player’s eligibility.

“Recent court rulings should not be interpreted as creating broader eligibility relief beyond the scope of the applicable orders,” Sankey wrote.

“In addition, SEC eligibility rules, including those relating to intraconference transfers, remain in ef-

fect until fully or individually waived, or the rule is changed.”

The NCAA is appealing a preliminary injunction from a Colorado judge giving student-athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 a fifth season of eligibility for the upcoming year.

Tennessee announced forward Jalen Washington’s signing Aug. 5. The former Vanderbilt player was the lead plaintiff in a Tennessee chancery court along with 18 given a temporary injunction to retain their eligibility on July 31 — hours before the federal judge issued the injunction in Colorado.

ASSOCAITED PRESS PHOTO By BRUCE KLUCKHOHN

Scottie Scheffler hits from the second tee during the first round of the 3M Open on July 23 at the Tournament Players Club in Blaine, Minn.

Scheffler begins chase for FedEx title PGA Tour playoffs begin in Memphis

The Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The PGA Tour postseason starts with a $20 million tournament, with only a 69-man field, and with a sense of urgency for only about half of the players at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 seed and bracing for three straight postseason tournaments, even though his chances of winning the FedEx Cup for the second time depend solely on how he performs at East Lake for the season-ending Tour Championship.

“I have three tournaments, three good starts to kind of end the year. Definitely excited to get this week going,” Scheffler said. He has played the TPC Southwind seven times, the most of any course on the PGA Tour without ever having won.

Those outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup — Jordan Spieth the most prominent at No. 54 and Jackson Koivun at No. 70 despite turning pro only in June — have great urgency. Their season is over if they don’t move into the top 50 and advance to St. Louis for the BMW Championship.

And then there’s Rory McIlroy at No. 12, already set for the Tour Championship. He skipped the TPC Southwind last year because there was no point in playing. But he’s back this year, perhaps because the

Masters champion has played only 11 times on the PGA Tour this season.

“A few different things went into that decision. I think having four weeks off going into the last two events of the year was probably going to be a little too much for me in terms of wanting to be competitive,” McIlroy said. “So this is a good week. Obviously I want to play well, but it’s also a good week to just see where my game is, do a lot of practice, or as much as I can in the heat.”

McIlroy won’t reach the minimum 15 tournament required for PGA Tour membership, though there are enough exceptions — his home circuit is the Europe tour and McIlroy is a life member with his 30 wins — that it probably won’t be an issue.

Membership is required to vote on such items as PGA Tour player of the year, and that might be the most compelling part of this year’s postseason before the tour completes its journey through the sweltering heartland before arriving in sweltering Atlanta.

No one has stood out this year. Cameron Young, who won The Players Championship, might have been the front runner until Ryan Fox made that memorable birdie on the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale to win the British Open.

McIlroy has only one win this year, which he wouldn’t trade — the Masters. Scheffler has only one win — his first start of the year in the California desert — but he

has five runner-up finishes and had top-4 finishes in all but one of the majors. He’s still the player to beat, even though he has beaten the field only once this year.

Matt Fitzpatrick and Chris Gotterup have three wins. Wyndham Clark’s two wins include the U.S. Open.

Fox and PGA champion Aaron Rai have only one win. Any of them winning the FedEx Cup might go along way toward getting the Jack Nicklaus Award.

“If you value winning the biggest tournaments, you would say it could be Cameron Young and Wyndham Clark,” McIlroy said. “Matt Fitzpatrick has had a great year. Scottie’s had an unbelievably consistent year without the wins that he’s had the last couple years.

Again, it all depends on what you value. I guess I value like the bigger tournaments and guys having the bigger moments.”

It all starts to unfold Thursday at a tournament where the heat is expected to be stifling, as usually is the case in August. The end of the season is near, and so is the St. Jude Championship. The PGA Tour already has said it will not be part of the top-tier “Championship Series” in 2028.

For now, it remains as important as any tournament on the PGA Tour.

The top 50 after this week are assured of all the $20 million signature events for the following season, and it keeps alive hopes of reaching the Tour Championship, where everyone starts over and the winner gets the FedEx Cup.

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SAINTS OBSERVATIONS

Shough, offense still searching for footing Odds and ends

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Not to sound like a broken record, but the 11th Saints training camp practice followed a similar trend to the 10 before it: The first-team offense is struggling against the starting defense.

There have been moments, and even entire days, where the offense has looked like the unit that was generating so much optimism at the outset of training camp. And, with three sets of joint practices and three preseason games to go before the regular season kicks off, there is still plenty of time to get there.

It is far, far too early to press a panic button.

But the Saints do need to start seeing it more consistently.

“It definitely needs to get there,” coach Kellen Moore said. “It’s training camp, it’s a work in progress.

We need to play more consistent football and we have to get there.

That’s what this time of year is about.”

The pads came off for Wednesday’s practice and the team moved out from under the harsh South Louisiana sun into the indoor facility. It was a lighter session that ran a little less than 90 minutes.

But in three team periods, the offense never found a rhythm.

Second-year quarterback Tyler Shough completed his first two passes, both under duress from a pass rush that has harassed him for much of camp, then misfired on his next four pass attempts to close practice.

On the optimistic side, two of those incompletions went to Chris Olave — optimistic because that pair, in particular, hasn’t seemed to be on the same page throughout

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough runs a play during training camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Tuesday. camp ever since Olave returned from his “hold-in” contract standoff with the team. One incompletion came on a deep shot to Olave in double coverage, and the other glanced off Olave’s hands on a slant. Shough and Olave were great together last season, and it feels like a matter of time before they start clicking again.

But the issues have seemed to go deeper than that one connection. The pressure from the Saints defensive line has been relentless (Carl Granderson, Chase Young, Nathan Shepherd and Khristian Boyd all affected plays with their rush Wednesday), and there have been plenty of moments throughout camp where Shough extends plays only to have to throw it away because nobody has broken free.

On the first-team’s final four snaps, all in the red zone where the team struggled a year ago, it found no breathing room. It ended on a Young sack.

This sort of stuff happens in training camp — especially considering all that is new on offense and all that are returning on defense. But an improved offense is one of the main drivers of Saints optimism, and that unit has yet to prove that optimism is well-placed.

Thursday’s joint practice against the Jacksonville Jaguars should provide a clearer image on where they stand.

dre Miller (back) and Devin Neal (hamstring), receivers Devaughn Vele (rest) and Mason Tipton (leg), defensive linemen Davon Godchaux (ankle) and John Ridgeway (back), linebacker Chris Rumph (ankle) and defensive back Rejzohn Wright (hip).

Play of the day

n For as much as the offense has struggled to find its rhythm throughout this training camp, running back Travis Etienne looks as much like the real deal as he can without the contextual benefit of live tackling. He is patient when finding his holes and incredibly quick to get through them when they develop. n The Saints frequently rotated players on and off the field with the first-team unit Wednesday.

Jonas Sanker moved back to safety (with Jayden Price playing firstteam star) while Julian Blackmon and Justin Reid split snaps. The regular interior of the offensive line often checked out after a play or two, yielding the field to Jeremiah Wright (right guard), Cesar Ruiz (center) and William Sherman (left guard). Moore said that was a planned way to ease off the reps for starters. n There were several notable issues with the snaps from centers Wednesday. Starter Erik McCoy airmailed one over Shough on one team rep, while Zach Wilson had consecutive reps interrupted by either a low snap or a bad exchange under center. This was an issue with the Saints during training camp last season, too, but it never manifested during the regular season. n The Saints are going to use the controlled environment of joint practices to get their starters work. Moore said Wednesday that most of his starters will be held out for the team’s preseason opener against the Jaguars.

Rookie receiver Bryce Lance has put together a couple of nice practices now, and Wednesday he showed off his improved physicality when he made a leaping catch through contact in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown from Spencer Rattler. While that play went down in the reporter’s notebooks Attendance as a touchdown pass for Rattler, The following players were it was really made possible by the Email Luke Johnson at not present for Saints practice effort from Lance to go up and ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Wednesday: Running backs Ken- get the ball in traffic.

SAINTS McCarthy and Heidenreich’s Pittsburgh homecomings get real

Continued from page 1C

BY WILL GRAVES AP sportswriter

PITTSBURGH — The vibes for Mike McCarthy and Eli Heidenreich over the last few months have been immaculate. How could they not be?

The chance for McCarthy to lead his hometown team brought the first-year Pittsburgh Steelers coach to tears when he was hired in January. The image last April of Heidenreich walking onto the draft stage in full Naval dress uniform outside Acrisure Stadium — just a few miles from the Mount Lebanon neighborhood where he grew up — felt like something out of a movie.

Their respective homecomings have provided plenty of “fairy tale” narratives during an eventful offseason for the typically lowkey Steelers. And while there will be a little bit of “hey, is this really happening?” on Thursday night when they walk onto the field for the first time as the Steelers host Green Bay in the preseason opener, they’re both aware of the reality check that awaits under the lights.

“Naturally, there’s some people that might assume that it was like you said, like a hometown pick or whatever, whatever someone wants to say,” Heidenreich said.

“But I’m here to play football, and that’s it.”

Good thing, because evolving from a seventh-round flyer following a record-setting career at Navy — where he set program marks for career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns — into an NFL roster spot will take some doing. Nobody knows that more than the 6-foot, 206-pound Heidenreich, who politely dismissed comparisons between himself and San Francisco 49ers running back and 2023 NFL Offense Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey.

Both are on the smaller side, sure. And yes, both are shifty. But one came to the league as a Heisman Trophy finalist and a firstround pick. And it wasn’t Heidenreich.

“He’s a fantastic player and one of the best to ever do it,” he said.

“And he’s just someone that I look up to and really try to do my best to model him in certain ways. But yeah, I do see the (comparisons) and I know people get pretty fired up one way or the other about them.”

Heidenreich wants no part of that discussion. He’s too focused on trying to carve out a niche in

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GENE J. PUSKAR

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Eli Heidenreich participates in the team’s training camp in Latrobe, Pa., on July 29.

Pittsburgh, where his best chance to avoid getting cut for the first time in his life will be as a contributor on special teams.

While the chance for reps at running back might be difficult to come by — though Heidenreich has basically attached himself to backfield coach Ramon Chinyoung since camp started — his elusiveness could make him an intriguing option as a kick returner.

Whether Heidenreich gets any opportunities against the Packers in front of dozens of friends and family members who will make the short drive to Acrisure Stadium is uncertain. He tweaked his hamstring recently, which limited him for a stretch, though his No. 29 was noticeable during a walkthrough on Tuesday.

Either way, it figures to be a “pinch-me” type of moment when he jogs onto the field and looks up, a point of view that will be markedly different from the one he enjoyed as a fan.

“It’s an honor to just get out there and play in that stadium,” he said.

“I think that’s the best way for me to put it. It’s something that I have dreamed of for a long time.”

How long the dream lasts now that he’s exchanged his fandom for a uniform with his name across the back is up to him.

“Preseason is really important,” he said. “So I’ve got to put my best foot forward and be locked in when I get there.”

The same goes for McCarthy, though perhaps for different reasons. He’s walked onto the turf a handful of times during his career, but has never stood on the home sideline. He figures the significance will start to hit as he makes the drive in.

The fact that he gets to begin what is likely the final chapter of his head coaching career against the team where it all began makes it just a little sweeter.

“Obviously, having a personal and professional connection to Green Bay, that’s part of my life,” he said.

Of course, all the nostalgia will wear off once the ball is kicked.

Then the more pressing needs of the moment — like figuring out how much progress his group has made during his first camp and seeing what he has to work with in young quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar — will take over.

And in a way, it will be a relief.

While he has embraced all the trappings of being the hometown boy made good, the Steelers didn’t hire him to curry favor with the fanbase but to win games. The process starts in earnest on Thursday.

“I just want to see these young guys play,” he said. “I want to see how they play connected to each other. The pre-snap of the operation, having an understanding of what’s in front of them ... This is what these games are for.”

battle taking place. The Saints gave Etienne a four-year, $52 million contract in the offseason, and he’s taken almost all the reps with the starters — he’s going to be their No. 1 back. Young and Granderson, meanwhile, are often lined up on opposite ends. The main reason they’re listed on the same line is so that Cam Jordan — who has 228 straight starts — gets to preserve his streak. But in terms of playing time, Young and Granderson take the majority of snaps with Jordan coming in third.

But Smyth and Brown have been razor-close in camp. The battle took another turn Tuesday when the Saints rotated the kickers by the snap rather than have them kick on alternate days, which they had done previously.

The preseason will be crucial for each of them.

Elsewhere, the Saints (thankfully) did not play any games as it relates to their rookies. Sometimes, rookies are intentionally buried on the depth chart so that they can “earn” their place. But the Saints listed first-round pick Jordyn Tyson as a starting receiver because he is a starting receiver.

Similarly, second-round defensive tackle Christen Miller, fourth-round receiver Bryce Lance, fourth-round guard Jeremiah Wright and sixth-round wide receiver Barion Brown are all listed with the second team.

Fifth-round safety Lorezno Styles and seventh-round cornerback T.J. Hall are listed later on the depth chart. That appropriately reflects how their snaps have been divided, for the most part.

What’s not

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints running back Audric Estime runs a drill during training camp on July 29 at the team’s practice facility in Metairie. perimented with the orders of the others.

On Tuesday’s release, the Saints have Kendre Miller listed as the third-string running back. Would that be the case if the regular season started this weekend? That’s debatable. For one, Miller has been sidelined with a back injury and the longer his absence lingers, the tougher it may become for the 24-year-old to make the final roster.

Second-year running back Devin Neal, listed fourth, also has been hampered by a hamstring injury. But even with the injuries to the two backs, Audric Estime’s emergence may be quickly making the first depth chart already outdated.

Estime, who appeared in seven games last season for New Orleans, has impressed enough that he earned reps with the starters during Tuesday’s practice.

As for other quibbles, Chris Rumph being listed as a secondstring linebacker came as a minor surprise. Before he went down with an ankle injury, he was mostly working with the third team — although he did get some occasional reps with the 2’s.

Some of the offensive linemen could also arguably be put in other spots. Xavier Truss, listed as the second-string right tackle, has played a lot of guard this camp. Joshua Kilty, listed at fourth-string left guard, has been the third-team center of late. Dillon Radunz, before his seasonending ACL injury, was primarily at right guard but was listed at left.

Of course, there’s time for all of this to change by the regular season. Camp battles last throughout training camp, and coaches consistently tinker with lineups. That’s why putting too much stock into one chart can be dangerous.

But it’s fun for us football sickos, nonetheless.

For one, the Saints can’t have 12 defenders on their starting defense.

New Orleans, likely in an effort to avoid confusion between base and nickel packages, listed a third safety after the first 11 positions. In reality, that third safety spot — led by Jonas Sanker, followed by Jayden Price and Styles — reflects how the Saints are utilizing the “Star,” or inside cornerback. When the Saints trot out three cornerbacks, that means a defensive tackle is often coming off the field.

The difference on the chart is appreciated but still worth noting in case there’s any confusion.

Beyond that, the listed order of running backs is one position that doesn’t necessarily feel right. As mentioned, Etienne is the clearcut starter. While Kamara has been a steady No. 2 behind him, Email Matthew Paras at matt. the Saints have very much ex- paras@theadvocate.com

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ 5C

lll

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Six games you won’t want to miss out on

Matchups that could play key role in CFP field

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

From early-season heavyweight clashes to conference rivalry games, the road to the College Football Playoff could come down to a handful of marquee matchups. Here are six mustwatch games that could shape the playoff race in 2026:

Ohio State at Texas, Sept. 12

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

Holy Cross wide receiver Talon Meyers runs out of the backfield against De La Salle on Sept. 11 at Tad Gormley Stadium. Meyers is expected to be the top target for new quarterback Cooper Odle.

INSTANT CONNECTION New Holy Cross QB Odle, top WR Meyers develop instant bond

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

When Cooper Odle transferred from University High of Baton Rouge to Holy Cross in February, Tigers wide receiver Talon Meyers knew he had to get close with his newly arrived quarterback.

Meyers introduced himself to Odle right away when the U-High transfer set foot on the campus located in the Gentilly neighborhood.

Odle The two incoming seniors immediately hit it off and they formed a friendship throughout the summer.

The bond was a result of Meyers and Odle spending hours throwing together to establish their on-field connection while also spending time together as friends off the field.

“The first day (Odle) came in, I knew I had to get close with him to get that connection,” Meyers said. “We always stay after it, we always run extra routes. Off the field, we hang out almost every weekend.”

Meyers projects as Odle’s top wide receiver at Holy Cross this season.

Odle won the starting quarterback job despite not being able to practice in the spring and he has been named a team captain along with Meyers.

Together, they’ll lead a Holy Cross offense that’s working to improve after back-to-back losing seasons.

“It says a lot about (Odle’s)

TULANE

character that he’s already been named a captain,” coach Scott Wattigny said. “(Odle and Meyers) work together well. It’s always good to have a go-to guy, a safety net, and that’s what Talon provides for Cooper.”

A pocket passer with the ability to run when needed, Odle saw some playing time last season at U-High. He was set to compete with Knox Kiffin for U-High’s starting quarterback job before transferring to Holy Cross.

Odle attended Vandebilt Catholic before his junior season at U-High. His opportunity as a full-time varsity starter has arrived at Holy Cross, where he’s got the trustworthy Meyers by his side.

“It’s been going good coming in (to Holy Cross),” Odle said. “(Meyers) is my best friend on the team. We’re just building that connection so we can be unstoppable.”

Meyers leans on his routerunning at just 5-foot-8, 165 pounds. He showed off his receiving skills against John Curtis last season with a 70-yard reception followed by a 10-yard touchdown catch.

“When I train, I really focus on separation,” Meyers said. “(Odle) is definitely a step up from the other (quarterbacks) we’ve had.”

Holy Cross graduated workhorse running back Ke’Rynn Smith, who signed with UL. Senior Arius Miranda is the mix to get carries and will be involved in the passing game.

The offensive line has experience with senior Ashton Harris back as a three-year starter.

likely will not start, but he has earned praise as the primary Continued from page 1C backup to Tchienchou at free safety. He flashed immediately in camp with an interception and Rogers, recently cited his work has stacked good days of practice after excelling on special teams a ethic at a team meeting.

After gaining more than 10 year ago.

Tulane strength and condipounds of good weight, Smith (5-10, 183) has split time at nick- tioning coordinator Colin Kenyon pointed out elback and strong improved his safety in camp.

“My goal is to go Moore top speed in the off“He has embraced All-American. I season to 21.5 miles attitude change as didn’t have the per hour from 20.6 much as anyone on our team,” Hall said. role I wanted last last season—an extraordinary jump “He used to be an athyear, so I took a halflete that just showed this offseason to considering a-mile-per-hour inup and did exactly get better by the crease is considered what you showed him day and have the outstanding. to do. Now he’s a guy “He wants to play that when he’s away mentality to start from here, he’s doing and win a lot of more on defense,” Hall said. “He’s anwhat he’s supposed to games.” other young man that do, and you can see had an opportunity the growth.”

TJ SMITH, Tulane to leave and chose to Smith has lofty amdefensive back stay. I’m pleased with bitions, rating himhis growth.” self as one of the two Tulane lost 155 tackfastest players on a les, eight interceptions and 20 team with increased speed.

“My goal is to go All-Ameri- break-ups with its departing trio, can,” he said. “I didn’t have the but their potential replacements role I wanted last year, so I took see anything but a drop-off.

“Everybody thinks it’s a big this offseason to get better by the day and have the mentality loss and we’re going to be worse to start and win a lot of games. in the back end,” Smith said. “The Learning two positions is helping coaches told us as a group everybody is doubting y’all basically, so me learn the entire defense.”

Moore, a fourth-year junior, we have a chip on our shoulder.”

The defensive front will be led four-year starter Sebastian Perez. “(Miranda) knows all the plays at every position,” Wattigny said. “(Harris) works hard and has really committed himself to making the most of his senior year. (Perez) is a great technician with a lot of upside.”

Senior Jonah Weir is back to lead a young linebacker corps as the only returning starter at the position. A three-year starter, Weir said he is aiming for triple-digit tackles this season.

Savoy Guidry will lead the defensive backfield as a Stanford commitment who’s transitioning from cornerback to free safety. Junior Brandon Green is another Holy Cross safety with Division I offers. “(Moving to safety) isn’t too hard of a switch,” Guidry said.

“I learned the whole defense when I played corner, so I’m just learning how to play in the box and also play in the pass game. (Green and I) are going to be able to rotate and move around.”

This Holy Cross senior class has been with Wattigny since he began coaching his alma mater in 2023. The Tigers won nine games and reached the quarterfinals that season.

“The senior class as a whole is leading in the right way,” Wattigny said. “The bulk of the seniors have been with me for three or four years. It’s not new to them anymore, and that’s huge for where we are.”

Email Spencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.

Steve Sarkisian and Ryan Day match wits again as both teams get an early-season measuring stick game after failing to meet expectations in 2025. A Week 1 loss to the Buckeyes left the Longhorns fighting an uphill battle with little room for error throughout the rest of the season.

Texas ultimately fell short of the 12-team CFP while the Buckeyes lost their last two games, the latter in the CFP quarterfinals.

Julian Sayin vs. Arch Manning will get the headlines but last year’s 14-7 win by Ohio State is a reminder that the best-prepared defense may rule the day. The Buckeyes are reloading on defense — including three spots on the line — while Texas has four of its starting offensive linemen back.

Both teams have stacked schedules — Texas faces the likes of Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU and Texas A&M and Ohio State has Indiana, Oregon, USC and Michigan — so a win here helps set the tone.

LSU at Ole Miss, Sept. 19 One of the most intriguing games of the year, an emotionally charged revenge game on paper for Ole Miss, as Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford, Mississippi, for the first time since his awkward departure for LSU in December.

Trinidad Chambliss is a Heisman contender again for the Rebels.

Will Leavitt said he couldn’t be happier after transferring in for the Tigers.

Besides the obvious tension, the matchup could help shape the playoff race early. As contenders but not necessarily favorites in the SEC, Ole Miss and LSU could find themselves fighting for an atlarge bid. A win here could make all the difference come playoff selection time, especially with both teams facing schedules that leave little room for error.

Georgia at Alabama, Oct. 10 The SEC’s two most dominant programs over the past decade meet in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with plenty of recent history hanging over the matchup. Georgia had its 33-game home winning streak snapped by Alabama with a 24-21 defeat in 2025, but the Bulldogs later got revenge with an SEC championship game rout.

Both teams now enter the season with plenty at stake. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer faces pressure to keep the Crimson Tide in national title contention following Ty Simpson’s departure for the NFL. Kirby Smart looks to fi-

LSU

Continued from page 1C “We do a lot of football. Like, a lot,” said safety Ty Benefield, who transferred from Boise State. “You see guys when they’re tired, you see guys when they’re at their lowest … that chemistry is being built every second of every day.”

Kiffin aims to make things fun, rolling a basketball hoop into the team meeting room for impromptu shot-making contests or oneon-ones.

At the same time, the Tigers have to meet their film-study requirements. They can’t miss workouts. They have to perform during a fast-paced, intense preseason camp.

Even when they’re not physically on the field, they can be virtually present through a virtual-reality system that’s been integrated into LSU’s training methods.

“Part of that is how you run your program, what chooses you,” Kiffin said of his team’s lack of disciplinary issues. “They see how you do things; that’s what they choose and what they become attracted to.”

Kiffin has expressed concerns in the past about the infl uence of money in college football, wondering aloud if getting paid before reaching the pro ranks has sapped motivation and drive

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt takes a snap before handing the ball off on Monday at fall practice.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton is brought down by Alabama defensive lineman Tim Keenan during the SEC championship game Dec. 6 in Atlanta.

nally secure a regular-season win against Alabama. This one could have major implications beyond just SEC standings.

Ohio State at Indiana, Oct. 17 Indiana was untouchable in 2025, as coach Curt Cignetti and a haul of transfers — including quarterback Fernando Mendoza — put together a 16-0 season and claimed the Hossiers’ first national title. The final four wins were a murderer’s row: Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon and Miami.

It will be difficult to go through the Big Ten unscathed. A road win here would reassert the Buckeyes as a top dog in a rugged conference.

Miami at Notre Dame, Nov. 7 It’s safe to assume grudges are still being held in South Bend, Indiana, after Miami beat the Fighting Irish in the opener and then finished ahead of Notre Dame in the rankings to claim a playoff spot this past season.

Both teams enter the season with extra motivation to win it all and rosters capable of pulling it off. While Miami can return to the playoff by winning an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title, this is one of the few statementmaking opportunities for the Irish, who have a relatively low strength of schedule.

BYU at Utah, Nov. 7 Morgan Scalley’s debut season as Utah coach will include an edition of the Holy War that could play a big role (again) in the Big 12 race and the playoff berths available the first week of December. There’s new staff in place and new faces, too, including two replacements for NFL draft picks on the offensive line.

BYU held on to coach Kalani Sitake, has quarterback Bear Bachmeier and RB LJ Martin back, and is coming off a 12-2 season loaded with big wins and only a pair of losses to Texas Tech. The Cougars will be itching to erase that runner-up finish and crack the CFP.

Honorable mention Oklahoma at Michigan (Sept.

12), Houston at Texas Tech (Sept.

19), SMU at Louisville (Sept. 19), Miami at Clemson (Oct. 3), USC at Penn State (Oct. 10), Texas at Texas A&M (Nov. 27).

sometimes — or human beings, in general, for that matter.

But the only court proceedings involving current LSU football players are in the civil realm, where Ole Miss has sued edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen and offensive lineman Devin Harper for allegedly breaking their revenue-sharing contracts by transferring to LSU. When asked if he was aware of Umanmielen and Harper’s buyout payments before he pursued them in the transfer portal, and how he hoped those contract matters would be resolved, Kiffin declined to comment.

“Yeah, I really don’t get into that,” he said.

Kiffin will hope he doesn’t have many cases to comment on this season. He believes he’s had a “good run” of good behavior off the field.

He hopes the right players have “chosen” his program and his philosophies. They are asked to live as pros, on and off the field, because that’s what they are now.

“We’ve been grinding … it’s been a grind since I got here in January,” Leavitt said of his relationship with Kiffin and his coaching staff. “Winning helps a little bit as well. So probably, down the road, it’s going to get even better.”

from some athletes.

But there is a flip side to paying college athletes.

“Where before it was you get in trouble, and maybe you lose a scholarship,” Kiffin said, “now you’re talking about a lot of money at stake when you make these mistakes.”

It remains to be seen whether Kiffin’s standards are maintained throughout the season because 18- to 22-year-old athletes aren’t always the most sound decision- Email Jon Blau at makers. Neither are actual pros jon.blau@theadvocate.com

6C ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL American League East Division

National League East Division

Tampa Bay New York Boston Toronto Baltimore

W 74 67 64 59 58

L 46 52 56 63 63

Pct .617 .563 .533 .484 .479

GB — 6½ 10 16 16½

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

Chicago Minnesota Detroit Cleveland Kansas City

W 62 60 59 59 49

L 57 62 61 62 72

Pct .521 .492 .492 .488 .405

GB — 3½ 3½ 4 14

Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Cincinnati Pittsburgh

Houston Texas Seattle Athletics Los Angeles

W 62 60 56 47 46

L 60 60 64 74 74

Pct .508 .500 .467 .388 .383

GB — 1 5 14½ 15

Central Division

West Division

Tuesday’s games

Detroit 6, Cleveland 4 Toronto 5, Boston 3 N.Y. Yankees 4, Seattle 1 Baltimore 5, Minnesota 2 Cincinnati 5, Chicago White Sox 4, 10 innings L.A. Angels 3, Texas 2 Tampa Bay 12, Athletics 4 San Francisco 4, Houston 1 L.A. Dodgers 5, Kansas City 4, 10 innings

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHARLIE NEIBERGALL

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Drew Smyly walks on the field before a game against the Cincinnati Reds at the Field of Dreams movie site on Aug. 11, 2022, in Dyersville, Iowa.

MLB is back in Iowa

BY DAVE CAMPBELL AP sportswriter

Major League Baseball ‘s growth goals have taken the game from a military base in North Carolina to a racetrack in Tennessee, with numerous stops for photo ops around the globe in between.

But there’s nothing quite like turning the bright lights on an Iowa cornfield, where home runs disappear into a sea of green stalks and ghosts of old ballplayers just might still be whispering. After playing in 2021 and 2022 at a temporary facility next to the “Field of Dreams” movie site, MLB has returned to stage another regular-season game in what is now a permanent ballpark.

The Minnesota Twins host the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday in the small town of Dyersville, where mystique and nostalgia will hop into the pennant races for a night and the pace of the big-city beat can quickly fade into the endless rolling hills.

“It’s going to be really cool, having been able to see the movie when I was growing up,” Phillies All-Star Kyle Schwarber said. “I’ve never been out there before, so I’m excited to see the corn.”

Schwarber and his teammates sure won’t be disappointed.

“It looks awesome this year,” said Keith Rahe, the executive director of Dyersville Events, which owns and operates the complex that now stretches beyond the farmhouse

and ballfield that set the 1989 film and hosts a full calendar of youth tournaments as well as high school, college, minor league and seniorlevel competitions.

Rahe’s nephews grew up there and have carefully cared for the corn for more than a decade. Their five-person crew has worked particularly hard on those 67 acres this summer, fertilizing, transplanting and watering so their state’s signature crop looks as lush as can be for Netflix’s worldwide streaming audience.

“It’s a big garden,” Rahe said. “It takes a lot of time and energy.”

They built it, and MLB came back After the 2020 game originally scheduled between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox was pre-empted by the pandemic, the White Sox played the New York Yankees in 2021 with a Fox telecast that was the most-watched regularseason game in 23 years. The Chicago Cubs then faced the Cincinnati Reds in 2022.

Rave reviews of the broadcast presentation and on-site experience weren’t enough to guarantee the Field of Dreams an annual place on the MLB schedule, however, like the Little League World Series site in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Building a temporary ballpark from scratch was an unsustainable task.

So the people in Dyersville — 2020 census population: 4,477 — and the business community in northeast

Iowa went to work on planning and funding a permanent venue that could continue to attract visitors to the area. With a state tourism grant from federal pandemic relief money and a few big contributions from local donors, construction began two years ago on a 3,000-seat ballpark that finished in time for a series of showcase events this summer.

“We have some real plumbing that we don’t need to bring in, which is a real positive,” said MLB senior vice president of global operations and events Jeremiah Yolkut.

With temporary bleachers added for the major league crowd, there will be seating for about 8,000 people on Thursday. Fans will again enter the complex through the quaint ballfield where the movie was filmed and walk through the corn toward the new ballpark. There will be more amenities than before, but still a vibe of simplicity. More than 25 members of the Hall of Fame are scheduled to be present.

“I think it’s the perfect blend of being in the movie, on a farm, watching the baseball game, but having some of the creature comforts that people seek out when they’re coming to big events, and that’s a unique thing for us to be able to do,” Yolkut said. “I’m sure down the road if we’re able to come back to Field of Dreams we’ll learn things this year about having a permanent structure around the ballfield, but everything else remains the same.”

SCOREBOARD Hole-in-one

x-clinched playoff spot Tuesday’s Games

Chad Smith

Indiana 106, New York 92 Las Vegas 86, Washington 76 Phoenix 94, Los Angeles 87

Course: Country Club of Louisiana Hole, yardage: No. 3, 176 yards Club selection: 7-iron Witness: Thomas Rathmann

Wednesday’s games

Toronto at Dallas, n Chicago at Golden State, n Minnesota at Portland, n

Odds

Thursday’s games

Atlanta at Connecticut, 6 p.m.

Los Angeles at New York, 7 p.m.

Washington at Las Vegas, 9 p.m.

MLB Thursday

American League FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG Cleveland -119 at DETROIT at N.Y YANKEES -153 Seattle Boston -165 at TORONTO at LA ANGELS OFF Texas National League FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG Pittsburgh -131 at MIAMI Chicago Cubs -139 at WASH. at LA DODGERS -139 Milwaukee Interleague FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at CHI. W. SOX -138 Cincinnati Philadelphia -113 at MINNESOTA

LINE -103 +123 +134 OFF

Soccer

LINE +107 +115 +113

Nashville Inter Miami CF New England Chicago New York City FC Cincinnati Charlotte FC New York D.C. United Orlando City Columbus Toronto FC Philadelphia CF Montréal Atlanta

LINE +113 -109

Pro football NFL glance Thursday’s games

Detroit at Cincinnati, 6 p.m.

Green Bay at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.

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

Arizona at Las Vegas, 7 p.m.

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

Tennessee at San Francisco, 8 p.m.

Friday’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.

Pro basketball

Indiana Atlanta Washington New York Chicago Toronto Connecticut

W 21 20 19 20 12 10 8

L 12 12 13 14 21 22 23

Pct GB .636 — .625 ½ .594 1½ .588 1½ .364 9 .313 10½ .258 12

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

W 27 23 23 19 13 12 13 7

L 7 9 11 14 19 20 22 28

Pct GB .794 — .719 3 .676 4 .576 7½ .406 13 .375 14 .371 14½ .200 20½

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Friday’s games

MLS Glance Eastern Conference W 12 11 9 9 7 7 7 7 5 6 5 3 4 4 3

L 2 2 6 6 6 6 7 7 5 10 8 7 10 10 12

Western Conference

T Pts 4 40 5 38 3 30 2 29 5 26 5 26 4 25 4 25 8 23 2 20 5 20 8 17 4 16 4 16 3 12

GF GA 35 14 45 32 28 23 32 23 31 24 45 44 29 27 29 39 26 29 30 47 26 28 24 32 25 33 24 35 19 33

W L T Pts GF GA Vancouver 10 3 4 34 38 17 Los Angeles FC 10 5 4 34 35 19 San Jose 10 5 3 33 37 24 Houston 10 6 2 32 27 24 Real Salt Lake 8 6 3 27 29 25 FC Dallas 7 5 6 27 32 25 St Louis City 7 6 5 26 24 24 Portland 7 8 3 24 33 33 Seattle 7 7 3 24 20 22 Minnesota United 6 6 6 24 20 25 Colorado 7 10 1 22 27 25 LA Galaxy 5 7 7 22 24 29 San Diego FC 5 7 6 21 32 29 Austin FC 4 9 5 17 22 36 Sporting Kansas City4 12 2 14 18 46 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Saturday’s games

WNBA glance EASTERN CONFERENCE

San Diego 10 7 2 32 24 20 Portland 9 6 4 31 32 28 North Carolina 9 6 3 30 32 26 Kansas City 9 7 3 30 30 26 Angel City 7 7 3 24 26 19 Seattle 7 7 3 24 22 23 Denver Summit FC 6 7 5 23 24 24 Orlando 7 10 2 23 23 29 Boston Legacy FC 5 9 5 20 22 28 Houston 5 8 5 20 20 26 Bay FC 5 9 4 19 18 24 Louisville 5 11 2 17 24 35 Chicago 4 13 1 13 9 33 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

New York at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.

Columbus at Charlotte FC, 6:30 p.m.

D.C. United at CF Montréal, 6:30 p.m.

Cincinnati at Orlando City, 6:30 p.m.

New England at Toronto FC, 6:30 p.m.

LA Galaxy at Houston, 7:30 p.m.

Miami at Nashville, 7:30 p.m.

Sporting Kansas City at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.

Minnesota at Real Salt Lake, 8:30 p.m.

San Diego FC at Los Angeles FC, 9:30 p.m.

St Louis City at San Jose, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday’s games

Portland at Chicago, 5 p.m.

Philadelphia at New York City FC, 5 p.m.

FC Dallas at Austin FC, 7:30 p.m.

Vancouver at Seattle, 9:30 p.m.

NWSL glance Gotham FC Washington Utah Royals FC

W 12 11 10

L 3 5 6

T 4 3 3

Pts 40 36 33

GF 24 29 32

GA 12 17 21

Kansas City at Gotham FC, 7 p.m.

Denver Summit FC at San Diego, 9 p.m.

Chicago at Seattle, 9 p.m.

Bay FC at Utah Royals FC, 9 p.m.

Saturday’s games

Boston Legacy FC at Louisville, 5:30 p.m.

Orlando at Portland, 7:45 p.m.

Sunday’s games

Houston at North Carolina, 6 p.m.

Washington at Angel City, 8 p.m.

Pro golf ATP National Bank Open results Wednesday

At IGA Stadium Montreal Purse: $9,415,725 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor

Men’s Singles

Semifinals Brandon Nakashima (28), United States, def.

Rafael Jodar (20), Spain, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Men’s Doubles

Semifinals Mate Pavic, Croatia, and Marcelo Arevalo (3), El Salvador, def. Albano Olivetti and Theo Arribage, France, 6-4, 6-4.

Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz, Brazil, def.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Francisco Cerundolo, Argentina, 6-4, 7-6 (7).

Transactions BASEBALL

Major League Baseball American League ATHLETICS — Activated LHP Drew Rom. Recalled RHP Hayden Juenger from Las Vegas (PCL). Optioned RHP Yunior Tur to Las Vegas. Placed LHP José Suarez on the 15-day IL. BOSTON RED SOX — Recalled LHP Alec Gamboa from Worcester (IL). Designated RHP Seth Martinez for assignment.

Traded CF Harold Rivas to Baltimore as the player to be named later in the Aug. 3 Adley Rutschman trade.

DETROIT TIGERS — Selected the contract of LF Corey Julks from Toledo (IL). Designated RHP Troy Watson for assignment. Placed LF Riley Greene on the 10-day IL. SEATTLE MARINERS — Claimed C Willie MacIver off waivers from Toronto.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Claimed RHP Paul Sewald off waivers from Arizona.

National League CHICAGO CUBS — Sent RHP Shelby Miller on a rehab assignment to Knoxville (SL).

W 73 64 62 59 53

L 48 58 59 63 69

Pct .603 .525 .512 .484 .434

GB — 9½ 11 14½ 20½

W 74 71 61 57 58

L 47 50 60 62 64

Pct .612 .587 .504 .479 .475

GB — 3 13 16 16½

W 72 65 64 50 48

L 48 57 58 71 73

Pct .600 .533 .525 .413 .397

GB — 8 9 22½ 24½

Central Division

West Division Los Angeles San Diego Arizona San Francisco Colorado

Tuesday’s games

Wednesday’s games

Miami 2, Pittsburgh 0 Atlanta 4, N.Y. Mets 0 Chicago Cubs 8, Washington 6 St. Louis 2, Philadelphia 0 Cincinnati 5, Chicago White Sox 4, 10 innings San Diego 11, Milwaukee 2 Colorado 3, Arizona 2 San Francisco 4, Houston 1 L.A. Dodgers 5, Kansas City 4, 10 innings

Thursday’s games

St. Louis 7, Philadelphia 1 Houston 2, San Francisco 1 Colorado 6, Arizona 4 San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3, 11 innings Miami 8, Pittsburgh 2 Atlanta 6, N.Y. Mets 3 Chicago Cubs 12, Washington 6 Chicago White Sox 5, Cincinnati 0 Kansas City at L.A. Dodgers, n

Minnesota 7, Baltimore 5 Tampa Bay 8, Athletics 4 Houston 2, San Francisco 1 Cleveland 6, Detroit 4 Toronto 6, Boston 4 Chicago White Sox 5, Cincinnati 0 Seattle at N.Y. Yankees, n Kansas City at L.A. Dodgers, n Texas at L.A. Angels, n Cleveland (Messick 9-6) at Detroit (Montero 8-7), 12:10 p.m.

Seattle (Gilbert 8-7) at N.Y. Yankees (Fried 4-3), 12:35 p.m.

Cincinnati (Abbott 6-7) at Chicago White Sox (Martin 9-6), 1:10 p.m.

Boston (Tolle 7-6) at Toronto (Scherzer 1-4), 2:07 p.m.

Philadelphia (Nola 3-9) at Minnesota (Bradley 9-4), 6:30 p.m.

Texas (deGrom 8-7) at L.A. Angels (Ureña 7-8), 9:07 p.m.

Wednesday’s games

Thursday’s games

Pittsburgh (Ashcraft 11-5) at Miami (Phillips 3-5), 12:10 p.m.

Cincinnati (Abbott 6-7) at Chicago White Sox (Martin 9-6), 1:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Gausman 6-10) at Washington (Cavalli 9-5), 3:05 p.m.

Philadelphia (Nola 3-9) at Minnesota (Bradley 9-4), 6:30 p.m.

Milwaukee (Drohan 6-4) at L.A. Dodgers (Sasaki 5-5), 9:10 p.m.

BOX SCORES St. Louis 7, Philadelphia 1

Houston 2, San Francisco 1

Philadelphia St. Louis ab r h bi ab r h bi Schwarber dh 4 0 0 0 Wetherh. 2b 3 2 1 0 Turner ss 4 0 0 0 Herrera dh 4 21 1 Harper rf 2 1 1 0 Burleson 1b 3 1 2 3 Arraez 2b 4 0 1 1 Walker rf 3 11 1 Stott 3b 4 0 1 0 Church cf 3 01 2 Marsh lf 2 0 0 0 Winn ss 4 00 0 De La Cr. ph-lf 2 0 0 0 Prieto 3b 2 110 Realmuto c 3 0 0 0 Jordan ph-3b 2 0 0 0 Bohm 1b 3 0 2 0 Fermín lf 3 00 0 Crawford cf 3 0 1 0 Pereira lf 1 01 0 Crooks c 3 00 0 Totals 31 1 6 1 Totals 31 7 8 7 Philadelphia 000 100 000 — 1 St. Louis 010 040 20x — 7 E—Bohm (11). DP—Philadelphia 1, St. Louis 2. LOB—Philadelphia 5, St. Louis 7.

2B—Harper (23), Arraez (26), Church (10), Burleson (30), Walker (24). SB—Walker (16), Wetherholt (13). SF—Church (5).

IP H R ER BB SO Philadelphia Wheeler L,10-4 5 6 5 4 1 5 Raley 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 Alvarado ⁄3 1 2 2 3 0 Shugart 12⁄3 1 0 0 0 2 St. Louis Leahy W,9-4 5 6 1 1 0 6 Bruihl 11⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 2 Graceffo 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Gastelum 1 0 0 0 1 2 HBP—Wheeler (Burleson), Shugart (Crooks).

ABS Challenge—Harper (Strike-Confirmed); Wheeler (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Wheeler (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Schwarber (Strike-Confirmed).

Umpires—Home, Dan Iassogna; First, D.J. Reyburn; Second, Louie Krupa; Third, Adam Beck.

T—2:30. A—22,565 (44,494).

Houston San Francisco ab r h bi ab r h bi Peña ss 4 0 1 0 Lee rf 5 0 0 0 Alvarez dh 3 0 1 0 Adames ss 3 1 1 0 Paredes 3b 4 1 0 0 Kennedy 3b 0 0 0 0 Varsho cf 4 0 0 0 Eldridge 1b 3 0 0 0 Wade 1b 2 0 0 0 Devers dh 3 0 0 0 Velázquez ph 0 0 0 1 Bericoto lf 4 0 1 1 Walker 1b 0 0 0 0 Gilbert cf 3 0 0 0 C.Smith rf 3 0 0 0 Basabe 2b 4 0 0 0 Trammell lf 3 1 1 0 Cavanaugh c 2 0 1 0 Allen 2b 2 0 1 1 Knizner ph 1 0 0 0 Vázquez c 2 0 0 0 Koss 3b-ss 4 0 2 0 Totals 27 2 4 2 Totals 32 1 5 1 Houston 000 000 110 — 2 San Francisco 100 000 000 — 1 E—Bericoto (2). DP—Houston 0, San Francisco 2. LOB—Houston 2, San Francisco 9. 2B—Peña (13). 3B—Trammell (2).

SB—Koss (2). SF—Velázquez (2), Allen (3).

S—Vázquez (5).

IP H R ER BB SO Houston 2 King ⁄3 0 1 1 2 1 1 De Los Santos ⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 Imai 3 3 0 0 2 3 2 Blubaugh 1 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 2 Okert W,6-1 11⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Abreu H,8 1 0 0 0 0 2 Hader S,17-17 1 0 0 0 0 0 San Francisco Houser 6 2 0 0 1 5 Hentges H,9 1/3 1 1 0 0 0 Winn L,2-3 BS,1-41 2/3 1 1 1 0 0 Sanmartin 1 0 0 0 0 2 ABS Challenge—Imai (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Varsho (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Smith (Strike-Confirmed).

Pitch timer violations—Houser (pitcher).

Umpires—Home, Nate Tomlinson; First, Paul Clemons; Second, Mark Wegner; Third, Steven Jaschinski.

T—2:27. A—28,101 (41,915).

San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3

Colorado 6, Arizona 4

Milwaukee

Colorado

San Diego ab r h bi ab r h bi Chourio lf 5 0 0 0 Rengifo lf 40 1 0 Turang 2b 5 0 1 1 Cronenw. 2b 4 1 1 1 Vaughn 1b 4 0 0 0 Machado 3b 5 0 0 0 Lara rf 1 0 0 0 France 1b 40 2 0 Bauers rf-1b 4 0 1 0 Song pr 01 0 0 Contreras dh 3 0 0 0 Merrill cf 40 1 1 Bae pr-dh 0 1 0 0 Hays rf 30 0 0 Sánchez c 4 1 2 2 Campusano c 2 0 1 1 Lockridge cf 2 0 0 0 Sheets dh 20 0 0 Mitchell ph-cf 2 0 0 0 Bowen pr-dh 1 0 0 0 Hamilton ss 4 0 0 0 Bogaerts ss 4 1 1 1 Ortiz 3b 3 1 1 0 Fermin c 20 0 0 Tatis ph-rf 01 0 0 Totals 37 3 5 3 Totals 35 4 7 4 Milwaukee 011 000 000 01 — 3 San Diego 001 000 010 02 — 4 E—Hamilton (8), Merrill (2), Rodriguez (2). DP—Milwaukee 4, San Diego 0. LOB— Milwaukee 13, San Diego 8. 2B—Sánchez (8), Merrill (20). HR—Sánchez (10), Bogaerts (10). SB—Tatis 2 (28), Hamilton (22), Bowen (5), Mitchell (12), Song (12).

SF—Merrill (2).

IP H R ER BB SO Milwaukee May 7 4 1 1 2 6 2 ⁄3 0 1 1 2 0 Patrick H,7 2 ⁄3 2 0 0 0 1 Ashby BS,0-6 0 1 0 Megill 12⁄3 0 0 1 0 0 Senzat. L,9-4 BS,3-9 2⁄3 1 2 San Diego Ray 4 2 2 2 3 4 Rodriguez 2 1 0 0 1 3 Estrada 1 0 0 0 0 1 Hart 1 0 0 0 2 2 Miller 1 0 0 0 2 1 Morejon W,9-2 2 2 1 0 2 4 May pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.

HBP—Senzatela (France). WP—Ashby, Morejon.

ABS Challenge—Sánchez (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Ortiz (Strike-Confirmed); Rodriguez (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Estrada (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Turang (Strike-Confirmed); Hart (BallOverturned to Strike); Campusano (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Megill (BallConfirmed); Morejon (Ball-Confirmed).

Pitch timer violations—Megill (pitcher); Morejon (pitcher); Lara (batter).

Umpires—Home, Alfonso Marquez; First, Mike Estabrook; Second, Lance Barrett; Third, Malachi Moore.

T—3:46. A—36,072 (40,222).

Arizona

ab r h bi McCarthy cf-rf4 0 0 0 Carrigg ss-cf 5 0 1 0 Rumfield 1b 4 0 1 0 Goodman dh 3 1 0 0 Moniak lf 4 1 1 0 Castro 3b 3 2 2 1 Veen rf 3 1 1 2 Tovar ss 1 0 1 0 Norby 2b 3 0 0 0 Sullivan c 4 1 1 3

ab r h bi Perdomo ss 6 1 2 0 Carroll rf 4 2 2 1 Moreno c 5 0 2 1 Marte 2b 3 1 2 1 Nootbaar dh 2 0 0 0 Lockl. ph-dh 1 0 1 0 Arenado 3b 4 0 0 0 Kepler lf 4 0 2 0 Tawa 1b 3 0 0 0 Vargas ph-1b 1 0 0 1 Waldsch. cf 3 0 0 0 Totals 34 6 8 6 Totals 36 411 4 Colorado 040 200 000 — 6 Arizona 100 010 110 — 4 E—Moreno (2). DP—Colorado 2, Arizona 1.

LOB—Colorado 6, Arizona 15. 2B—Castro (18), Tovar (20), Moreno (23). 3B—Carroll (14). HR—Sullivan (6), Veen (1), Carroll (18). SB—Castro (8).

IP H R ER BB SO Colorado Feltner W,5-6 5 7 2 2 3 2 2 ⁄3 1 0 0 2 0 Mushinski 1 ⁄3 0 1 1 2 1 Mejia H,8 Herget H,7 1 0 0 0 2 0 Bernardino H,10 1 3 1 1 0 0 Romano S,12-15 1 0 0 0 1 0 Arizona Kelly L,8-10 5 6 6 6 3 2 Carrillo 2 1 0 0 1 4 Abner 1 1 0 0 0 0 Garcia 1 0 0 0 0 1 ABS Challenge—Feltner (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Kelly (Ball-Confirmed); Castro (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Nootbaar (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Moreno (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Moreno (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Mejia (BallOverturned to Strike); Carrillo (BallOverturned to Strike); Castro (StrikeConfirmed).

Umpires—Home, Emil Jimenez; First, Gabe Morales; Second, Mike Muchlinski; Third, Doug Eddings.

T—3:01. A—17,168 (48,359).

THIS DATE IN BASEBALL Aug. 13 1910 — The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates played to an 8-8 tie.

Each team had 38 at-bats, 13 hits, 12 assists, two errors, five strikeouts, three walks, one hit batsman and one passed ball.

1921 — George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns became the first batter in American League history to hit for the cycle twice. Sisler went 5-for-5 and drove in three runs in a 7-5, 10-inning win over the Detroit Tigers.

1921 — John “Mule” Watson of the Boston Braves pitched two complete-game victories over the Philadelphia Phillies.

1931 — Tony Cuccinello of the Cincinnati Reds had six hits in six at-bats in the first game of a doubleheader at Boston. Cuccinello had a triple, two doubles and three singles to knock in five runs as the Reds won 17-3. Cuccinello hit a three-run homer in the eighth of the nightcap to give the Reds a 4-2 win.

1939 — The New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Athletics 21-0 to equal

the major-league record for lopsided shutouts. Every batter in the Yankees lineup hit safely. Joe DiMaggio and Babe Dahlgren had two home runs apiece, each hitting an inside-the-parker. Pitcher Red Ruffing had four hits and drove in three runs.

1948 — Satchel Paige, 42, pitched his first major league complete game against the Chicago White Sox. Paige gave up five hits en route to 5-0 Cleveland victory.

1957 — Milwaukee pitcher Lew Burdette hit his first two home runs to lead the Braves to a 12-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

1969 — Jim Palmer of the Orioles, plagued by arm trouble the year before, threw an 8-0 no-hitter against the Oakland A’s in Baltimore.

1979 — St. Louis’ Lou Brock reached 3,000 hits with an infield hit off Chicago Cubs pitcher Dennis Lamp. St. Louis won 3-2.

2004 — Kansas City rookies Abraham Nunez and John Buck hit grand slams to lead the Royals past the Oakland Athletics 10-3.

LIVING

N O L A.C O M

|

T h u r s d ay, au g u s T 13, 2026

1dN

Do a favor

Spice things up with easy lamb curry

BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)

Here’s a meal that will spice up your summer dinners.

Tender cubes of lamb are simmered in a quick, curry sauce for an easy weeknight meal.

The best lamb cut for this recipe comes from the leg, which is also ideal for kabobs.

If you don’t see it in the meat case, ask your butcher to cut some for you.

For convenience, I used supermarket curry powder.

Curry powder, as we know it, is not traditionally used in India where cooks often create their own fresh spice blends. For the best flavor, replace prepared curry powder every 3 to 4 months, as it gradually loses its potency.

Frozen, cut green beans are another time-saving ingredient. They cook quickly in the curry sauce while staying crisp and tender.

HELPFUL HINTS: n Fresh green beans can be used instead of frozen. Place them in the microwave for 2 minutes before adding them to the skillet. n Two teaspoons ground ginger can be used instead of fresh ginger.

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

Rabbit Sauce Piquante

‘WE CAN DO THIS.’

A love letter to parents surviving a New Orleans summer Rabbit Sauce Piquante Makes about 6 servings. From “Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune” 1 wild rabbit, 1 domestic rabbit, or 1 chicken, cut into serving pieces Salt and cayenne to taste ¾ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2 cups chopped yellow onions 2 cups chopped green bell peppers 1 cup chopped celery 2 teaspoons chopped garlic 1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed in their juice 1 (10 ounce) can Ro-Tel tomatoes 3 tablespoons tomato paste 2 bay leaves ¼ cup red wine (optional) 3 to 4 cups chicken broth or water, as needed 3 tablespoons chopped green onions 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

TNS PHOTO By LINDA GASSENHEIMER

Lamb Curry

Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer.

2 teaspoons canola oil ¾ pound lamb cubes cut from leg (about 1 to 1½-inch cubes) 1 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger 3 crushed garlic cloves 1 cup lite coconut milk 1 tablespoon mild curry powder 2 cups frozen cut green beans 2 tablespoons fresh mint 1 package microwaveable brown rice to measure 1½ cups cooked 1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and brown for 2 minutes.

Remove the lamb to a plate.

2. Add the onion, ginger and garlic to the skillet and saute until onion starts to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and curry powder.

3. Add the green beans and return the meat to the skillet.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook 3 minutes. A meat thermometer for the lamb should read 140 F. 4. While the lamb cooks, microwave the brown rice for 1 minute or according to package instructions. Measure 1½ cups and save any remaining rice for another dinner.

5. Divide the rice in half and place on two dinner plates.

Spoon the lamb and sauce onto the plates. Sprinkle mint on top.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 613 calories (33 percent from fat), 22.6 g fat (10.2 g saturated, 7.3 g monounsaturated), 108 mg cholesterol, 43.7 g protein, 60.4 g carbohydrates, 8.7 g fiber, 151 mg sodium.

1. Season the rabbit pieces with salt and cayenne. Heat a half cup of the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the rabbit, in batches, for about 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter and set aside. Drain the oil from the pot and clean it well.

2. Return the pot to stove,

and, over medium heat, combine the remaining quarter cup of oil and the flour. Stirring slowly and constantly, make a dark brown roux. Add the onions, bell peppers and celery, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and golden, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine (if using), the bay leaves and 3 cups of the broth or water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the oil rises to the surface and a paper-thin skin forms, about 30 minutes.

Stir occasionally.

4. Return the rabbit to the pot and adjust seasoning to taste.

Continue to cook over mediumlow until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. If the mixture becomes too thick, add the remaining cup of broth or water during the cooking time. Remove the bay leaves and add the green onions and the parsley. Serve over steamed rice.

T

Kevin Belton

here’s a particular kind of exhaustion that settles into your bones around mid-August in New Orleans.

It’s not just the humidity that wraps around you like a wet blanket the moment you step outside, or the way the air conditioning bill makes you weep quietly over your bank statement. It’s the bone-deep weariness that comes from three months of being everything to everyone — camp counselor, shortorder cook, referee, entertainment director and somehow still expected to maintain your actual job and a semifunctioning household.

ä See LETTER, page 2D

ANOTHER RECIPE ä Heavenly

Hash Cake 2D

Sweet corn, zucchini pasta tastes like summer Pasta with Sweet Corn and Zucchini, RECIPE 2D

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/ TNS PHOTO

By GRETCHEN McKAy

BY GRETCHEN McKAY

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS) One of the best parts of summer are the long and short car trips that get you out of town and into nature.

Even better: The family-run farm stands featuring flowers, eggs, jams and seasonal fruit and veggies — sometimes sold from the back of a pickup truck or small shelter at the end of a dirt driveway leading back to the farm.

Chief among August offerings is sweet corn, which has been grown and continues to be universally loved as a summer staple for more than 200 years.

Harvested early, while the kernels are still young in the “milk stage,” sweet corn is exactly as billed — sweet, with tender, juicy kernels that burst open on the tongue when you bite into a buttery cob that’s been steamed, boiled, grilled or

ä See PASTA, page 2D

2D ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

Wedding guest’s expenses add up lll

Dear Miss Manners: Men often do than $1,000 for a guest. not have a tuxedo to throw on for I understand a bride wants to a wedding. If they do, it is have her ideal day, but relikely embarrassingly out quiring black-tie wedding of date. They often need to attire in this economy is rent one for $200 to $400 probably better reserved — if one is even available for a wedding whose in their size, and it still guests are all affluent and might need alterations. already possess a curJudith That is a lot for a guest! rently fashionable tuxedo Martin in their wardrobe.

I chose to purchase an ecoMISS Gentle reader: To borrow nomical black suit to wear MANNERS vocabulary from a time as a wedding guest as an when those old tuxes in alternative to a tux. everyone’s closets still fit: You In addition to that expense, have been snookered — lied to by there’s a wedding gift (from a a bridal industry trying to sell you registry where items range from something by saying good man$250 to $2,500), a shower gift, a hotel room for a destination ners demands it. wedding, and the list goes on. A Good manners require exactly simple one-hour wedding can eas- none of the following: wedding ily become an investment of more gift registries, wedding gifts,

bridal showers, bridal shower gifts, destination weddings, accepting a wedding invitation, brides having their ideal wedding days, or — to your point — gentlemen wearing black tie at black-tie events. A smart black suit, even one you already owned, is a proper alternative.

As you did accept this invitation, you will have to go, which Miss Manners realizes involves some cost. As will the present you likely still wish to give, even if it is not strictly required. You can likely find something not on the registry that you still know the couple will enjoy.

She hopes you will agree that she has now done her part.

Dear Miss Manners: Our family is not religious, although we have

TODAY IN HISTORY XVI; he would be executed by guillotine the following Today is Thursday, Aug. 13, January.

In 1952, Big Mama Thornthe 225th day of 2026. There are 140 days left in the year. ton first recorded the song Today in history: “Hound Dog,” four years On Aug. 13, 1961, on what before Elvis Presley’s fawould become known as mous version was released.

Barbed Wire Sunday, East In 1969, New York City Germany sealed the border held a ticker-tape parade for between Berlin’s eastern Apollo 11 astronauts Neil and western sectors before Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” building a wall that would Aldrin and Michael Collins. divide the city for the next In 1995, Baseball Hall of 28 years.

Famer Mickey Mantle died Also on this date: at a Dallas hospital of rapIn 1521, Spanish conidly spreading liver cancer at age 63. queror Hernando Cortez In 2020, Israel and the captured Tenochtitlan, United Arab Emirates anpresent-day Mexico City, from the Aztecs. nounced the establishment In 1792, French revoof full diplomatic relations under a U.S.-brokered deal lutionaries arrested and that required Israel to halt imprisoned King Louis

By The Associated Press

its contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians.

Today’s birthdays: Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is 93. Opera singer Kathleen Battle is 78. High wire aerialist Philippe Petit is 77. Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke is 77.

Golf Hall of Famer Betsy King is 71. Movie director Paul Greengrass is 71.

Actor Danny Bonaduce is 67. TV weather forecaster Sam Champion is 65. Actor Dawnn Lewis is 65. Actor John Slattery is 64. Actor Debi Mazar is 62. Figure skater Midori Ito is 57. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is 44. Actor Sebastian Stan is 44. Actor Lennon Stella is 27.

Heavenly Hash Cake From “Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune” 2 sticks, plus 6 tablespoons butter 10 tablespoons cocoa powder 4 eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 1½ cups cake flour 2 cups toasted pecan pieces 1 small bag miniature marshmallows 1 pound powdered sugar ¾ cup evaporated milk 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Melt 2 sticks butter and 4 tablespoons cocoa in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool for several minutes.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar until well blended. Add the butter and cocoa mixture and stir to blend. Add the flour and pecans. Mix well.

2. Spoon the mixture into a lightly oiled 13-by-9-by2-inch pan. Bake for 30

LETTER

Continued from page 1D But here we are, parents.

We made it. We survived another summer.

Soon those beautiful, exhausting, endlessly creative little humans will walk back through school doors across New Orleans and throughout the country. Lunch boxes are already appearing in Target displays like beacons of hope.

The uniform shops on Veterans Boulevard are packed with families, and there’s an almost giddy energy in the air that parents are trying desperately to hide from their children.

Don’t get me wrong, summer had its magic. There were sno-balls from Hansen’s Sno-Bliz that dripped rainbow colors down chins and arms. There were afternoons at City Park where the kids ran through the splash pad while you sat in whatever sliver of shade you could find, scrolling your phone and calling it “supervision.”

There were late nights on the porch, swatting mosquitoes and listening to the neighborhood come alive with music and laughter, bedtime be damned.

We told ourselves we’d make memories. And we did. We took them to the Audubon Zoo before it got too hot (which is approximately June 1). We let them stay up late. We said yes to

nothing against religion. We would probably best be described as free thinkers. One manifestation is that we don’t say grace before a meal.

When we have friends over for dinner, most of whom are religious, should we offer to let them say grace? We are upfront about our position and so are they, and everyone is extremely tolerant and friendly about it.

I feel guilty about taking something away from them that I know is important, but I don’t want to make it a “thing” and emphasize our differences on that issue. I assume they can say grace to themselves. What is the best way to handle this?

Gentle reader: The general rule is to follow the custom of the home,

Dear Heloise: I live in Texas, harmed my family and and there’s no way that I’m dinner guests! — Patricia D., in going to leave my trash Anaheim, California can open to feed Patricia, you can any roaches that breath easy now. may have wandered Lead and cadmium into the house. Also, were phased out if I have paper globally, and in that was wrapped 2021, they were around fish, it’s gocompletely elimiing to stink whether Hints from nated. However, Heloise trace amounts of it gets air or not.

What I do is occaheavy metals like sionally spray an air fresh- cadmium can still be occaener that kills odors into sionally found in road runthe trash can and close it. off, but not from tailpipe Problem solved! — Emily M., emissions. — Heloise in Kingwood,Texas

Lipstick on collar

Protecting plants Dear Heloise: How thick should mulch be to protect tender plants? — Robert T., in Norcross, Georgia Robert, coarse material such as straw should be about 4 inches thick. Mulch that’s made of pine and other natural material should be about 3-4 inches, depending on how much frost you usually receive. — Heloise Dear Heloise: All summer, I grew veggies in my garden. They tasted good, but my brother pointed out that because the plants were so close to the road, they probably picked up lead and cadmium from auto exhaust. Now I’m worried that I may have

ice cream more times than we can count. We became intimately familiar with every playground in a 5-mile radius and developed strong opinions about which ones have the best shade.

But we also survived the sibling fights that erupted approximately every 17 minutes. We endured the chorus of “I’m bored” that began roughly 45 seconds after the last day of school. We navigated the intricate social politics of playdates and summer camps. We became short-order cooks, preparing different meals for different children with different dietary preferences that seemed to change daily.

We did this while New Orleans turned into a sauna, while afternoon thunderstorms rolled in with biblical fury, while the city’s rhythm shifted into its slower, sultry summer pace. We did this while working from home with children who seemed magnetically drawn to interrupt every single video call. We did this on budgets stretched thin by camp fees and activities and the constant need to feed growing children who apparently have hollow legs.

And somehow, miraculously, we all survived.

The truth is, we love these kids so much it sometimes feels like our hearts might burst. But we’re also counting down the days until that first morning when we can drop them off, watch them disappear into their

classrooms, and sit in our cars for just a moment of blessed silence.

Maybe we’ll cry a little because they’re growing up so fast. Maybe we’ll cheer a little; we made it through another summer. Probably both.

To the parents in New Orleans and across the country who are eyeing those back-to-school sales with barely concealed joy: you’re not a bad parent for being ready. You’re a human being who has given everything you have for three solid months. You’ve loved hard, worked hard and probably sweated through more shirts than you care to count.

We can do this. We can survive just a little more “Mom, can I have a snack?” and “Dad, they’re touching me!” and the endless, endless requests for entertainment.

And then, the school buses will roll. The routines will return. And we’ll finally, finally get to drink our coffee while it’s still hot.

We almost made it, parents.

We’re almost there!

Kevin Belton is resident chef of WWL-TV and has taught classes in Louisiana cooking for 30 years. The most recent of his four cookbooks, “Kevin Belton’s Cookin’ Louisiana: Flavors from the Parishes of the Pelican State,” was published in 2021. Email Chef at chefkevinbelton@gmail. com.

Dear Heloise: My brother came for a visit, and as he was leaving, I went to plant a kiss on his cheek. The dog jumped up and knocked me forward, and I planted a kiss right on his white collar. I insisted that he leave his shirt with me, and I’d wash it and mail it back to him. So, how do I get lipstick out of a man’s collar?

— Marie G., in Trenton, New Jersey Marie, here’s what I do to remove lipstick: Rub the stain with cold cream or shortening. Then use three drops of liquid dish soap and 2 cups of club soda to wash the collar by hand. If you aren’t happy with the results, wash it again in your regular wash with a half cup of bleach. Or you might want to take it to

your dry cleaners and see what they can do about getting the stain out. — Heloise

Roach killer Dear Heloise: For many years, I’ve used boric acid to control (more like eliminate) roaches. I sprinkled the powder behind furniture and through the openings in cabinets around the drain. I have painted walls, and every time I wash the walls, I follow it up by brushing on a light coating of a solution of one-fourth of a cup of boric acid powder to 1 quart of water. It’s cheap, minimally toxic and basically harmless to anything but roaches, and it lasts and lasts.

I treated my house while it was under construction, salting within the walls at the edges of wood flooring before the base shoe was put down around the crawl space. I moved in 2010. For a long time, the only roaches I found were belly up. I haven’t see a roach indoors for many years.

I’m a Chicago native, and it’s been fun sharing with the natives here in Mississippi how easy it can be to eliminate roaches. Thank you for all the helpful information you provide! — Cleon D., via email Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

Pasta with Sweet Corn and Zucchini

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON 6 tablespoons butter in the evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Combine the sugar and cocoa mixture with the butter and milk mixture. Pour over the warm cake.

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

Getting rid of trash can odors

Traces of metal

minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and spread the marshmallows over the top of the hot cake. Sift the powdered sugar with the remaining 6 tablespoons cocoa. Melt the remaining

i.e., the host, which would mean that grace is said when you attend dinners at your friends’, while grace is not said in your own home.

Although Miss Manners does not accept every impromptu etiquette innovation merely because it is new, she notes with interest that this old idea is consistent with showing respect by not pretending to be something one is not.

Serves 4-6. Recipe is from Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette. I used trottole, a short, corkscrew pasta from the Campania region of Italy, but any spiral pasta will do.

4 ears sweet corn, husked 1½ tablespoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste 4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter, divided 2 medium shallots, minced 1 seeded and stemmed hot red chile, minced 1 large or 2 small zucchini, cut into small cubes 12 ounces trotolle or other spiral pasta Handful fresh basil leaves, sliced thin ½ cup sliced cherry or grape tomatoes Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Place a box grater in a large bowl or atop a pie plate. Using the large holes, grate the corn down to the cobs. Set aside cobs.

2. In a large pot, bring 2½ quarts water to a boil. Add reserved corn cobs and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring heat down to medium, cover pot and cook cobs for 10 minutes. Use tongs to remove and discard cobs. Remove pot from the heat but do not discard water.

3. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add shallots, chile pepper, chopped zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add corn puree and cook, stirring, 5 minutes or until shallots soften and zucchini is tender.

4. Stir in 1½ cups corn-infused water. Reduce heat to medium-

PASTA

Continued from page 1D roasted in the oven.

While the best way to eat sweet corn is probably right off the cob, salted and heavily buttered, the veggie lends itself to a wide range of summer dishes. Pan roasted, it can easily star in a pasta salad or the Mexican dish known as elote; it also can be simmered in a soup or chowder, team up with tomatoes in a cobbler, be scraped into hot cream for a luscious pudding or be folded into risotto.

More a fan of dessert?

Corn can even be made into a sweet, no-churn ice cream.

All told, the possibilities are almost endless for the creative cook — a happy fact that makes buying a

low and cook, uncovered, 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. A spoon should leave a brief trail when drawn through.

5. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 10 minutes.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

6. Add cooked pasta to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until pasta is coated and sauce is creamy. If pasta seems dry, add reserved cooking water 1 tablespoon or two at a time to adjust consistency.

7. Remove pasta from heat. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter, basil and halved tomatoes; toss gently until butter has melted.

8. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.

dozen ears when you’re only planning on eating half that much that day a smart move.

Here, sweet corn purchased at a roadside farmers market is the star ingredient in a creamy, super-seasonal pasta dish.

After the kernels are grated down to the cob using the large holes of a box grater set in a deep bowl, the cobs are added to a pot of boiling water to make a flavorful “corn stock” full of sugars and starches.

When pasta is added to the hot corn water after the cobs are removed, the noodles not only absorb the corn’s sweet, earthy flavor but the starchy water helps bind the sauce into something wonderfully silky.

Because zucchini is typically on display alongside corn at a farm stand, and almost melts into a creamy sauce when sauteed in but-

ter, I added small cubes of it to the pan along with shallots and a diced (homegrown) red chile pepper. A handful of halved cherry tomatoes add a punch of color and candy-like sweetness to the finished dish.

When buying corn, look for ears with fresh, tightly wrapped green leaves and golden or light brown silks at the top that feel slightly sticky. That’s a sign that the corn was ripe when it was picked. An ear should feel plump and firm when lightly squeezed; avoid ones with holes in the leaves (possible worms!).

Fresh corn very quickly loses its sweet flavor after being picked — it’s best within two days of purchasing — so if you’re not using it right away, leave the husks on and store in your fridge’s crisper drawer as soon as possible.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ 3D

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FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

zodIAC LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Making financial decisions, handling emotions and dealing with associates will be dicey. Don't make or agree to changes without consideration of the potential pitfalls.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Set high standards, and don't deviate from the path you choose. Don't let what others do lead you astray or cost you your reputation.

Align yourself with people who have as much to offer as you do.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Change only what's necessary and reasonable. Do your research, set a budget and find the right people if you need help. It's better to play it safe than to have regrets. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Rethink your way forward. Consider what you enjoy doing most, and elaborate on how you can use these skills, experience and knowledge to earn a living. Focus on learning and expanding your vision. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Your emotions and aspirations aren't likely to mix well. Don't lose out because you can't decide what's next. Stick close to home, and take better care of your health. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take a moment to gather your thoughts and consider your financial position or any chronic medical concerns you have.

What you discover will help you put pressure on the right people to resolve any concerns you have.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Pay attention to your relationships with loved ones and those who can influence whether or not you excel. Getting along with others is

essential, and putting differences aside will benefit everyone.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Surround yourself with the people and possessions that put your mind at ease and that encourage you to develop and pursue what you enjoy doing most. Refuse to let the changes others make stand in your way.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Avoid making decisions or wastefully spending when under emotional duress. Your highest returns will come from working hard, having discipline and finishing what you start. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Gravitate toward people who bring out the best in you. A change to how you manage your personal finances will help lower stress and add to your confidence and security.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Change is overrated. Keep a low profile, focus on completion and refuse to let anyone lure you into an emotionally complicated conversation. Let your actions speak for you and your heart lead the way. cAncER (June 21-July 22) If you are honest with yourself and others, you'll avoid taking on other people's problems. Offer suggestions and a kind word, not handson help or promises you won't be able to deliver.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: R EQuALs L

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

4D ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ 5D

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman philosopher, statesman and dramatist, said, “Life’s like a play: it’s not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters.”

A bridge deal is often not like a play, because it is the length (of a suit) that matters.

In this example, how should South plan the play in four hearts after West leads the club queen?

South, with two aces and 11 points, was right to open one heart, not two hearts.

North’s jump to four hearts was aggressive. A game-invitational three hearts would have been normal. But South would surely have passed and ruined the play ... er, column.

South starts with four losers: one spade, one diamond and two clubs. He has nine winners: six hearts, two diamonds and one club. His only realistic chance is to establish dummy’s spade suit. For that, he needs to find the spades splitting 4-3 and to have four dummy entries: three for spade ruffs in his hand and one to get back to the dummy (after drawing trumps) to cash the 13th spade.

South must act immediately, winning the first trick with his club ace and leading his spade.

Let’s assume East takes the trick, cashes his club king, and plays his last club.

West wins and shifts to a diamond.

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

Declarer wins in the dummy, ruffs a spade, plays a low heart to dummy’s 10, ruffs a spade high, leads another trump to dummy’s king, ruffs a third spade, and cashes the heart ace. When everything passes off perfectly, South leads a diamond to dummy and cashes the remaining spade, discarding his last diamond. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD = gOOD aFTErnOOn

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD — GIttERn: GIH-tern: A medieval guitar.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 17 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 25 or more words in GITTERN? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — HELMsMAn hale heal helm elan lame lane lase lash lean leash lens

male mane manse mash meal mean mesa mesh sale same sane

seal seam shale sham shame shea slam ahem alms amen ashen

name

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord your God, he it is that does go with you; he will not fail you, nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 You are not alone. God is still on the throne. — G.E. Dean

6D ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Scrabble GramS dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus.

“Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

jump Start

For more information on tournaments and clubs, email naspa – north american sCraBBlE players association: info@scrabbleplayers.org. Visit our website: www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com.

Get fuzzy

Hasbro and its logo sCraBBlE associated logo, the design of the distinctive sCraBBlE brand game card, and the distinctive letter tile designs are trademarks of Hasbro in the United states and Canada. ©2021 Hasbro. all rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content agency, llC.

ken ken

animal crackerS

DuStin

InstructIons: 1 - Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

2 - The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

Wallace the brave

Drabble

WiShinG Well breWSter rockit

luann

HErE is a plEasanT liTTlE gamE that will give you a message every day. it’s a numerical puzzle designed to spell out your fortune. Count the letters in your first name. if the number of letters is 6 or more, subtract 4. if the number is less than 6, add 3. The result is your key number. start at the upper left-hand corner and check each of your key numbers, left to right. Then read the message the checked figures give you.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ 7D

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1-2 Bdrm Apts * From $800/mo Parking * Sec Gate 504-209-8054 * 504-454-1333 KENNER

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Pets

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CEMETERY PLOTS Westlawn Cemetery Mausoleum, in the Chapel. Corr IV, Tier A, holds 6 interments $17,500. 504-259-0505 DECANTERS Liquor Decanter Collection for sale 275pcs 1966 & Above!

Interested Call Mr. Szabo 504-352-8412

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New Orleans Rental APARTMENT METAIRIE

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PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Project: DELGADO COM‐ MUNITY COLLEGE WESTBANK, BUILDING 1 AND 2 ROOFING AND WINDOW WIND MITIGATION 2600 GENERAL MEYER AVE. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 70119 Contract No./Delgado Project No.: 40006R0031505 Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived by the Delgado Community College Pur‐ chasing Office, O’Keefe Administration Building, located at 501 City Park Avenue (Building 37), New Orleans, Louisiana 70119 until 2:00 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. All bids which have been duly received will be publicly opened in the Purchasing Department and, except as provided in LSA-R.S. 37:2163, read aloud. Late bids will not be ac‐ cepted.

Description of the pro‐ posed work: Membrane Roofing and Window Replacement in Building 1 and Metal Roofing and Window Re‐ placement in Building 2.

Pursuant to LSA-R.S. 37:2163, Licensed Con‐ tractors may secure Bid‐ ding Documents from the Purchasing Department of Delgado Community (purchas‐ College lo‐ ingdept@dcc.edu) cated at 501 City Park Avenue, New Or‐ leans, LA 70119 until 24 hours prior to bid open‐ ing. An account Log-in will be provided to the Bidder giving access to an online service to obtain pdf’s of the Construction Documents.

Licensed Contractor shall submit evidence of Louisiana State License and License number.

Questions about this pro‐ cedure shall be directed to the Designer at: N-Y Associates, Inc. 2750Lake Villa Drive Metairie, LA 70003 Telephone: 504-885-0500 E-mail: mbuisson@nyassociates.com (Michael Buisson) A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held at the Delgado Westbank Campus in the Building 5 Auditorium located at 2600 General Meyer Av‐ enue, New Orleans, LA 70114, on Friday, August 28, 2026, at 2:00PM. local time.

Type of Bid: Bids shall be on a lump-sum basis.

Segregated bids will not be accepted.

Bids security in the amount of five percent (5%) of the total bid must accompany each Bid. A certified or cashier’s check or a bid bond is acceptable bid security. If bid bond is used, it shall be writ‐ ten by a surety or insurance com‐ pany currently on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Man‐ agement service list of approved companies bonding which is published annu‐ ally in the Federal Regis‐ ter, or by a Louisiana domiciled in‐ surance company with at least an A-rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent of policy‐ surplus as holders’ shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating (LSA-R.S. Guide.

38:2218.C).

Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. RS.37:2150-2192 for the classification of Building Bidder Construction. shall certify that he is li‐ censed under the provi‐ sions of LSA-R.S. 37:2150 et seq. and show his license number on the bid enve‐ lope. Except as other‐ wise provided in LSA-R.S. 37:2163, any bid that does not contain the contractor’s certification and show the contractor’s license number on the bid enve‐ lope shall be automati‐ cally rejected, shall be returned to the Bidder stamped “Re‐ jected” and shall not be read aloud. Any Bidder who submits a bid for a type of construction for which he is not properly li‐ censed shall be acting in of LSA-R.S. violation 37:2163 and shall be subject to all provisions for violations and penalties thereof.

Any interested person may object to the licensing classifica‐ tion of this public project in accordance with LSAR.S. 37:2163D. The successful Bidder will be required to fur‐ nish a Performance Bond guaranteeing faithful performance and a Labor and Materials Payment Bond guaranteeing the payment of all bills and obligations arising from the performance of the contract.

Sureties will be required to meet qualifications set forth in LSA-R.S. 38:2218 and R.S. 38:2219 as applicable, and as set forth in the Contract Doc‐ uments.

Delgado Community Col‐ lege reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any and all informalities, and to re‐ ject nonconforming, nonresponsive, or condi‐ tional bids whichever is in the best interest of Delgado Com‐ munity College.

197122-AUG 13-20-27-3T $ PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived for the State of Louisiana by the Division of Administration and shall be directed to the Office of Facility Planning and Control, 1201 North Third Street, Claiborne Office Building, Suite 7Baton Rouge, 160, Louisiana, 70802 or P.O.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Box 94095, Baton Rouge, 70804-9095.

Louisiana, The deadline for receipt of bids is 2:00 PM on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at which time bids will be opened and read aloud in a public meeting in the Claiborne Office Conference Building, Room 1-145.

FOR: City Park Mainte‐ nance Complex Improve‐ ments Equipment Storage Build‐ ing New Orleans City Park New Orleans, Louisiana PROJECT NUMBER: 06A20-12-01, F.06002337 Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments for this project are available in electronic form. They may be ob‐ tained without charge and without deposit from www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.

Printed copies are not available from the Designer but arrangements can be made to obtain them most repro‐ through graphic firms. Plan hold‐ ers are responsible for their own reproduction costs.

Questions about this pro‐ cedure shall be directed to the Designer at: Lachin Architects, APC 5190 Canal Blvd., Suite 201 New Orleans, LA 70124 Telephone: 504-835-8013 E-mail: stephen@ lachinarch.com and christopher@lachinarch. com All bids shall be accom‐ panied by bid security in an amount of five per‐ cent (5.0%) of the sum of the base bid and all al‐ ternates. The form of this security shall be as stated in the Instructions to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for this project.

The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond written as described in the Instruc‐ tions to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for this project.

A PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD at 10:00 AM on Wednes‐ day, September 02, 2026 at City Park Administration Building, Lobby, 1 Palm Drive, New Orleans, LA 70124.

Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. R.S. 37:2150-2166 for the classification of Building Construction. Bidder is required to comply with provisions and require‐ of LA R.S. ments 38:2212(B)(5). No bid may be withdrawn for a pe‐ riod of forty-five (45) days after receipt of bids, except under the provisions of LA. R.S. 38:2214.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In ac‐ cordance with La. R.S. 38:2212(B)(1), the provi‐ sions and requirements of this Section and those stated in the bidding documents shall not be waived by any entity.

When this project is fi‐ nanced either partially or entirely with State Bonds or financed in whole or in part by federal or other funds which are not readily available at the time bids are received, the award of this Con‐ tract is contingent upon the granting of lines of credit, or the sale of bonds by the Bond Com‐ mission or the availabil‐ ity of federal or other funds. The State shall incur no obligation to the Contractor until the Con‐ tract Between Owner and Contractor is fully exe‐ cuted.

Facility Planning and Control is a participant in the Small Entrepreneur‐ ship (SE) Program (the Hudson Initiative) and the Veteran-Owned and Service-Connected Dis‐ Veteran-Owned abled (LaVet) Small Entrepre‐ neurships Program. Bid‐ ders are encouraged to participation. consider Information is available from the Office of Facility Planning and Control or on its website at https:// www.doa.la.gov/doa/ fpc/.

If you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to participate in this meeting, please con‐ tact Cheryl Schilling at Cheryl.Schilling@la.gov or (225) 342-6060 as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting.

STATE OF LOUISIANA DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATION FACILITY PLANNING AND CONTROL MATTHEW H. BAKER, DIRECTOR 197117-aug 13-20-27-3t $164.79 PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS CITY OF NEW ORLEANS SPONSORING DEPARTMENT: New Orleans Health Department TITLE: Outpatient Treatment Services SOURCING EVENT NO.: 4746 TYPE OF SOLICITATION: Professional Services DBE OPPORTUNITY: Waived RELEASED ON: August 6, 2026 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: September 3, 2026 PRE-BID CONFERENCE: August 17, 2026 Meeting ID: 258 355 129 752 553 Passcode: Vo9Li7yR Dates are subject to changes via an adden‐ dum posted by the Bu‐ reau of Purchasing on the City’s supplier portal.

If this solicitation is fed‐ erally funded, prospec‐ bidder/respondent tive must pay particular at‐ tention to all applicable laws and regulations of the Federal government the State of and Louisiana.

The Bureau of Purchas‐ uses commodity ing codes to notify suppliers of the release of a sourc‐ ing event and subse‐ quent modifications via addendum. Note that you would receive those noti‐ fications if you selected h f ll i di

Public Notices Bids/Proposals y the following commodity code(s) before the re‐ lease of the sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 962-58 The City of New Orleans is an equal opportunity employer and strongly minorityencourages and womenowned owned businesses, so‐ cially and economically busi‐ disadvantaged nesses and small busi‐ nesses to respond to this solicitation, or to partici‐ pate in subcontracting opportunities pursuant to this solicitation. Any person with disabilities requires special accom‐ modation must contact the buyer listed within the bid no later than seven (7) days prior to bid opening.

For more information this sourcing about event, go to www.nola. gov and click on “BRASS Supplier Portal” under “BIDS & CONTRACTS”.

Once on the Supplier Por‐ search “Open tal, Events.”

Thank you for your inter‐ est in doing business with the City of New Or‐ leans.

James C. Simmons, Jr. Chief Procurement Officer Advertising Dates: August 6, 13 and 20, 2026 NOCP 9208 196857-aug 6-13-20-3t $119.43 PUBLIC NOTICE --The Louisiana Office of State Parks is requesting proposals for a PublicPrivate Partnership pro‐ ject to design, construct, and operate a high-qual‐ ity recreational vehicle campground and related amenities. For more in‐ formation go to opportu‐ nitiesinlouisiana.com.

192988-jul 2-aug 31-t PUBLIC NOTICE --The Lowlander Center (https://www.lowland ercenter.org/) is an‐ nouncing a Request for (RFP) due Proposals Monday, August 31, to deconstruct spoil banks for a Canal Spoil Re‐ placement (Backfilling) Please email Project. admin@lowlandercenter. org with any questions

by Tuesday, August 11.

All questions and an‐ swers will be posted on the Lowlander Center canal backfilling project page (https://www.low landercenter.org/canalbackfilling) by Tuesday, August 18. Please see the project page for RFP, per‐ mits, plat maps, back‐ information ground about the project, and an slideinformational deck.

This project is partially funded by the National and Atmos‐ Oceanic Administration pheric (NOAA), through a grant agreement with the Na‐ tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation, grant award number: NA23NOS4730219.

The views and conclusions contained in this docu‐ ment are those of the au‐ thors and should not be interpreted as represent‐ ing the opinions or poli‐ cies of the U.S. Govern‐ ment or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its funding sources.

Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government, or the Na‐ tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation or its funding sources.

Legal Notices

Legal Notices

Riverside Drive #107, LA 70003.

Metairie, Should a public hearing be required, a public no‐ tice will be published stating the date, time, and location of the hear‐ ing.

y serve on the attorneys for Limitation Plaintiff an answer to the complaint on or before the afore‐ said date unless his claim has included an answer, so designated, or be defaulted.

195340-JUL 27-aug 13-2t $70.92

New Orleans, Louisiana, this 13th day of May, 2026.

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

/S/ Carol L. Michel CLERK OF COURT

The KIPP New Orleans Schools FY27 revised pro‐ posed budget is avail‐ able for inspection at the organization’s main of‐ fice (1055 St. Charles Ave, Suite 400). The board fi‐ nance committee will perform a second review of the budget at the main office during a commit‐ tee meeting at 5:30 p.m. on August 24th, 2026.

197119-aug 13-1t $31.12

Legal Notices

right to exoneration from or the right to limitation of liability, that claimant shall file and serve on counsel for the Limita‐ tion Petitioner an answer to the Complaint on or before the aforesaid date unless the claim has in‐ cluded an answer, so designated, or be de‐ faulted.

Personal attendance is not required.

Date: June 24, 2026

Respectfully submitted, PHELPS DUNBAR LLP BY: /s/ Evans Martin McLeod Evans Martin McLeod (Bar #24846) Canal Place | 365 Canal Street, Suite 2000 New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Telephone: 504 566 1311 Facsimile: 504 568 9130 Email: marty.mcleod@ phelps.com

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

ATTORNEYS FOR GENESIS MARINE, LLC

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

195162-jul 23-30-aug 6713-4t $1,404

/seal/ UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA Carol L. Michel Clerk of Court /s/ L. Guillot Deputy Clerk PETITIONER TO PUBLISH: Once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date fixed for filing of claims in the New Or‐ leans Advocate 194344-jul 23-20-aug 6-134t $1,343.60

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

IN RE GENESIS MARINE, LLC, AS OWNER AND OP‐ ERATOR OF THE GENESIS GLORY AND BARGE GM 8001, PETITIONING FOR EXONERATION FROM OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

CIVIL ACTION NO. 2:26-cv984 CONSOLIDATED WITH NO. 2:26-cv-844 JUDGE GREG G. GUIDRY MAGISTRATE JUDGE DONNA P. CURRAULT NOTICE TO CLAIMANTS OF COMPLAINT FOR EX‐ ONERATION FROM OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY NOW INTO COURT, undersigned through counsel, comes Genesis Marine, LLC (hereinafter “Limitation Plaintiff”), as owner and operator of the towing vessel to sub‐ mit the following Notice for publication: IN RE GENESIS MARINE, LLC, AS OWNER AND OP‐ ERATOR OF THE GENESIS GLORY AND BARGE GM 8001 PETITIONING FOR EXONERATION FROM OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY CIVIL ACTION NO. 26-984 SECTION: T (2) Notice is given that the above named Limitation Plaintiff has filed a com‐ plaint, pursuant to Sec‐ tions 4281-4285, and 4289 of the Title 46 of the United States Code, 46 U.S.C. §30501, et seq., for exoneration from or limi‐ tation of liability for all claims for any loss, dam‐ age, or injury arising out of an incident occurring on or around April 14, 2026, involving the tug GLORY and GENESIS barge GM 8001 that con‐ tacted the GI 47-L plat‐ form offshore, Gulf of America.

All persons having such claims must file their re‐ spective claims, as pro‐ vided in Rule F, including paragraphs (4) and (5) thereof, of the Supple‐ mental Rules for Certain Admiralty & Maritime Claims of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with the Clerk of this Court at the United States Courthouse, 500 Poydras Street, New Or‐ leans, Louisiana, and serve a copy must thereof on attorneys for Limitation Plaintiff on or before the 19th day of October, 2026, or be de‐ faulted.

If any claimant desires to contest either the right to exoneration from or the right to limitation of liability, he shall file and h

IN RE: THE MATTER OF SETTOON TOWING, LLC., AS OWNER AND OPERA‐ TOR OF THE M/V CHRIS‐ TINE, M/V MARSHALL J. AND M/V SETTOON, CATHY M. SETTOON PETI‐ TIONING FOR EXONERA‐ TION FROM OR LIMITA‐ TION OF LIABILITY CIVIL ACTION NO.: 2:25-cv-02537 SECTION: H (2) JUDGE JANE MILAZZO ADMIRALTY - Rule 9(h) NOTICE TO CLAIMANTS OF COMPLAINT FOR EXONERATION FROM OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Settoon Tow‐ ing, LLC, as owner and operator of the M/V CHRISTINE, M/V MAR‐ SHALL J. SETTOON, AND M/V CATHY M. SETTOON, their engines, tackle, gear, furniture, appurte‐ nances, etc. (hereinafter "the Vessels") (collec‐ tively with Settoon Tow‐ ing, LLC ("Settoon"), has filed a Complaint, pur‐ suant to 46 U. S.C. §§ 30501, et seq., for exoner‐ ation from or limitation of liability for all claims for any and all loss of life, injury, loss of prop‐ erty, destruction, or dam‐ age, arising out of or re‐ lated to the casualty al‐ involving the legedly CHRISTINE, M/V M/V MARSHALL J. SETTOON, AND M/V CATHY M. SET‐ TOON as is more fully de‐ in Settoon's scribed Complaint For Exonera‐ tion From or Limitation of Liability ("Complaint").

All persons having such claims must file their re‐ spective claims, as pro‐ vided in Rule F of the Supplemental Rules for Admiralty or Maritime Claims of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with the Clerk of Court for the Eastern District of Carol L. Louisiana, Michel, United States Courthouse, 500 Poydras Street, Room C151, New Orleans, LA 70130, and serve a copy must thereof on counsel for Limitation Petitioner, Jef‐ ferson R. Tillery and Austin S. Glascoe of the firm of Jones Walker LLP, 201 St. Charles Ave., 47th Floor, New Orleans, LA 70170 on or before the 21st day of August, 2026, or be defaulted.

If any claimant desires to contest either the

PUBLIC NOTICE --ReNEW-Reinventing Edu‐ cation will introduce the 2026-27 budget and hold its first public hearing on the 2026-27 budget on May 14, 2026 at 5:30 pm at Edgar P Harney Build‐ ing located at 2503 Wil‐ low St., New Orleans, LA 70113 (LA R.S. 39:1307).

ReNEW-Reinventing Edu‐ cation is the charter school management or‐ operating ganization ReNEW Laurel Elemen‐ tary, ReNEW Dolores T. Elementary, Aaron ReNEW Schaumburg Ele‐ mentary, and ReNEW Moton Lakefront Elemen‐ tary. A physical copy of the 2026-2027 budget is available at 10001 Lake Forest Blvd., Suite 710, New Orleans, LA 70127.

186911-may 9-aug 27 $956

Reporting you can trust on stories that matter

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

196005-aug 1-31-31t $$4,838.79

Legal Notices

The digital edition of today’s paper is always at your finger tips with

PUBLIC NOTICE --Notice to be posted: Community Leaders Ad‐ vocating Student Suc‐ cess Inc./ Fannie C. Williams Charter School Budget Meeting will be held on Thursday August 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the school Library, Ad‐ dress: 11755 Dwyer Road New Orleans, LA 70128.

Also, you can attend via the zoom link below. The 2026-27 Budget will be approved at the meeting.

The Budget is available for viewing in the Busi‐ ness Office Monday- Fri‐ day 9a.m. to 3p.m. or you can contact the office at 504-373-6228 Ext 7.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom. us/j/86725218911? pwd=AczazANrSMzvT26 Eo3m1MecDbfG6Ct.1 Meeting ID: 867 2521 8911 Passcode: UFJ0tC 197271-aug 13-27-15t $180.10

E-EDITION

View the e-edition from the NOLA.com app OR

in your web browser by visiting NOLA.com and clicking E-EDITION

PUBLIC NOTICE --PUBLIC NOTICE OPPORTUNITY FOR REQUESTING A PUBLIC HEARING All interested persons are hereby advised that the Jefferson Council on Aging has applied to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and De‐ velopment for project funding under Federal Administration Transit 5310 and/or (Section 5311) for the following: PROJECT: Jefferson Coun‐ cil on Aging is preparing to replace existing equip‐ ment it uses to provide transportation services in the Parish of Jefferson.

Further details relative to the project are available from: Rose Jenkins | 6620 Riverside Drive #107 | (504) 270-4900.

Interested persons are advised that they may request that a public hearing be conducted to provide a means for the public to express their views relative to the pro‐ posed project on the social, eco‐ probable nomic, and environmen‐ tal effects involved. In lieu of requesting a pub‐ lic hearing, interested may submit persons their comments in writ‐ ing.

Written requests for a public hearing and/or submittal of comments must be postmarked on or before Monday, Au‐ gust 31, 2026, and should be addressed to: Jeffer‐ son Council on Aging Attn: Rose Jenkins, 6620

HEROES OF HOPE Thank you to all of the first responders for keeping us safe in this time of crisis.

HIGH 88 LOW 65 MORE ON 4C

SEVEN DAyS l HOME DELIVERED l LOUISIANA OWNED

THURSDAY APRIL 9, 2020

$1.00

7th year, No. 241

Additional jobless pay set to begin

ELEC TION 2020 PRESIDENT

THE RACE IS ON

Unemployed to get $600 more per week from stimulus package

BY SAM KARLIN

COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS: THE LATEST

CASES IN LA.

652 deaths

17,030 positive cases INSIDE ä Mnuchin:

Direct deposits to start next week, 2A

ä La. nursing

home deaths up to 130, 5A

ä More testing

options available in N.O., 1B

Staff writer

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

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

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

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

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

In the meantime, as the order is set to keep thousands of businesses closed until at least April 30, the Louisiana Workforce Commission will start paying out the extra $600 per week benefit to unemployed Louisiana

ä See JOBLESS, page 6A

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a March campaign rally in Detroit.

BY WILL WEISSERT

Superintendents want schools to stay closed

BY WILL SENTELL Staff writer

Louisiana public school superintendents Wednesday asked Gov. John Bel Edwards to extend his schools closure order through the end of the academic year because of the coronavirus.

The request significantly boosts chances that classrooms will remain locked for nearly 720,000 public school students

and that the school year will have effectively ended for many students on March 13.

“By not having students return to school facilities this school year combined with social distancing intervention there could be lessening or even prevention of further community spread of the virus,” superintendents said in their request to the governor.

ä See SCHOOLS, page 6A

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a January rally in Washington, D.C.

Sanders drops out, leaving former Vice President Biden the presumptive Democratic challenger to Trump Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, making Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in a general election campaign that will be waged against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sanders initially ex- Sanders ceeded sky-high expectations about his ability to re-create the magic of his 2016 presidential bid and even overcame a heart attack in October. But he couldn’t convert unwavering support from progressives into a viable path to the nomination, with “electability” fears fueled by questions about whether his democratic socialist ide-

ology would be palatable to general election voters.

“The path toward victory is virtually impossible,” Sanders told supporters Wednesday. “If I believed we had a feasible path to the nomination, I would certainly continue the campaign, but it’s just not there.”

He called Biden a “very decent man” but didn’t offer an explicit endorsement of the former vice president. Sanders said his name would remain on the ballot in states that have not yet held primaries so he can gain more delegates and “exert significant influence” on the Democratic platform.

Biden, who is backed by much of the party’s establishment, told supporters at a virtual fundraiser that he had a “short conversation” with Sanders on Wednesday.

“He didn’t just run a political campaign. He created a movement,” Biden said. “That’s a good thing for our na-

tion and our future. His campaign has ended, but I know his leadership will continue.”

Trump sought to foment the tension among Democrats by tweeting Wednesday that the party stacked the race against Sanders. The president said the senator’s supporters “should come to the Republican Party.”

Sanders began his latest White House bid facing questions about whether he could win back the supporters who chose him four years ago as an insurgent alternative to Hillary Clinton. Despite winning 22 states in 2016, there were no guarantees he’d be a major presidential contender this cycle.

But Sanders used strong polling and solid fundraising — collected almost entirely from small donations made online — to quiet early doubters. Like the first time, he attracted widespread

ä See RACE, page 4A

8D ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Aug. 13, 2026

PAGE 6

Northshore dining deals return for summer page 8

Review: ‘Spider-Man’ looks inward page 11

2 ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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saints’ first preseason game Looking for an air-conditioned activity that’s kid-friendly this weekend? The Black & Gold kick things off at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Caesars Superdome against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With fewer fans and cheaper tickets, preseason games can be a good opportunity to get near the sidelines or introduce a little one to a live game.

Resale tickets are available on various websites starting at $10.

ABOUT LAGNIAPPE

The Lagniappe section is published each Thursday

by The TimesPicayune | The New Orleans Advocate.

All inquiries about Lagniappe should be directed to the editor.

LAGNIAPPE EDITOR: Lauren Walck, lauren. walck@theadvocate. com COVER DESIGN: Andrea Daniel CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Kristine Froeba, Ian McNulty, Stephanie Riegel Keith Spera, Poet Wolfe

ganking mr. guidry A visit to the Whitney Plantation inspired this new play by Harold Ellis Clark about a slave revolt in 1878.

The world premiere, featuring actors Al Aubry, Martin Bats Bradford, Kenneth Brown Jr., Nicole Collins and Rahim Glaspy, is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday with matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m.

Sunday at Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, 616 St. Peter St., in the French Quarter. Tickets start at $22. lepetittheatre.com.

GET LISTED IN LAGNIAPPE

Seven choreographers spent two weeks creating six different dance pieces that will premiere Saturday at the New Marigny Theatre, 2301 Marais St. Doors open at 6 p.m. with cocktails and a pre-show performance installation. Show starts at 7 p.m with an artist Q&A to follow. Suggested donation $5-$25 in advance or at the door. newmarignytheatre.com.

free movie series

Submit events to Lagniappe at least two weeks in advance by sending an email to events@ theadvocate.com.

ON THE COVER

Bryan Batt sings in the production of ‘Here Comes J. Edgar!’ running through Sunday in London. Photo by Mark Douet. Story on Page 6 by Kristine Froeba.

shoestring dance residency

Artist-created metal figures at Whitney Plantation in Wallace represent the enslaved inhabitants.

Back-to-school season is the perfect time for a trip to Hogwarts with a showing of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at The Orpheum, 129 Roosevelt Way. Open to all ages. No tickets needed; no outside food or beverages allowed. orpheumnola.com.

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music

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ 3

Duo’s tour exploring global styles makes La. stops

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

He is a classical guitarist with moviestar good looks taking his native Australia by storm with his virtuoso performances.

She is a drop-dead gorgeous mezzosoprano from Argentina on a mission to bring the music of her homeland to the world.

Together, Andrew Blanch and Maria Eugenia Nieva ‘SPANISH have created a powerful and ROMANCE’ moving musical experience WHEN: 5 p.m. to that is com6:10 p.m.Aug. 23 ing to south (7 p.m. show sold out). Louisiana with Doors open at 4:30 p.m. performances in New Orleans WHERE: Nunemaker Auditorium, Monroe Hall, and Lafayette later this Loyola University, month.

6363 St. Charles Ave. It will be the TICKETS: $30; concerts. duo’s second visit to New andrewblanch.com/ Orleans in less getmytickets than two years.

The duo will also They played the Crescent perform at 7 p.m.

City in late Aug. 26 at First United at the Methodist Church, 703 2024 Nims Fine Arts Lee Ave., in Lafayette.

Center at the Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Academy of the Sacred Heart, wowing the audience with their performance, “Spanish Romance,” a musical journey that traces the Spanish guitar from its origins in Baroque-era Europe to Spain and, eventually, South America.

Now, they’re back, crisscrossing the country on a 67-stop tour through 33 states that follows the same format and themes as earlier performances but features new numbers and, in the duets that Nieva sings to Blanch’s guitar, a more expansive sampling of music from across Latin America, not just Argentina.

“We call the program ‘Spanish Romance’ every time but use it as a broad title and launching-off point to explore different music,” Blanch said in a call from a hotel room on the road last week.

“Each time, we develop a different repertoire. The hope is we keep it broadly

followed by several numbers from 20thcentury Spanish composers Fernando Sor, Francisco Tarrega and Manuel de Falla. It culminates with Latin American solos from Venezuela, Argentina and Peru.

Nieva joins the stage in dramatic fashion for the second set, performing Latin American classics from Brazil, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela.

“While some of this music is not strictly speaking classical music, we interpret and perform the songs within our classical paradigm since Euge’s a trained operatic mezzo-soprano,” Blanch said. “That’s a little twist we have to offer.”

Expanding the repertoire of the duets PHOTO PROVIDED in the second set beyond Argentinian Maria Eugenia Nieva, a mezzo-soprano from Argentina, and Australian classical música folklórica has been meaningful to audiences, Nieva said, enabling so guitarist Andrew Blanch return to south many to connect to the music.

Louisiana this month for performances “It is really nice when you have some-

in New Orleans and Lafayette.

appealing but people coming back a second or third time are hearing new music.”

The duo and their music have been well received wherever they’ve performed. Their 7 p.m. performance at Loyola University’s Nuemaker Auditorium, which seats nearly 350, sold out more than a week ago, so the university added an earlier show at 5 p.m.

“We were thrilled they added a second show,” Nieva said. “I believe the attention is growing. People are really excited about us coming back.”

Expanding the repertoire Both partners on stage and off, Blanch and Nieva teamed up in 2022, when she moved to Sydney from Mendoza, Argentina. He was already an established musician by then, having toured the globe and racked up awards in international guitar competitions.

When he heard her passionate renditions of música folklórica — a genre that blends traditional Argentinian folk songs with more modern styles of music — he was captivated.

The couple describe “Spanish Romance” as two shows in one.

The first set of the 70-minute performance features Blanch solo on the guitar playing compositions from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras,

one come and say, ‘This is the song my mom sang to me when I was little,’” she said. “By doing it more broadly Latin American and not just Argentinian, we’re able to touch more people.”

Performing in Louisiana, which is home to so many rich musical traditions of its own, has been particularly gratifying for Blanch and Nieva. He remembers playing New Orleans Dixieland jazz standards on his trumpet as a child in Sydney and has studied the influence of jazz on the musical genres it inspired — blues, R&B and rock and roll, among others.

“We’re so excited to be coming back,” he said.

Added Nieva: “We think this is our best so far. People are receiving this really, really well. They’re loving it.”

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie. riegel@theadvocate.com.

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4 ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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BILLY IUSO

Keith Spera SOUND CHECK

It’s another relatively slow summer week for live music in New Orleans, but you can still find solid shows.

Email Keith Spera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

FRIDAY,TIPITINA’S Thirty years after he landed in New Orleans, guitarist, singer and songwriter Billy Iuso is partly responsible for the local music community’s affinity for the Grateful Dead, even as his own sound has branched off from its Dead roots.

Iuso was born in New York and lived in multiple states as a child before settling in Connecticut during high school.

From 1984 to ’87, he traveled to every Grateful Dead show he could.

He eventually transitioned out of his Deadhead phase, in part to concentrate on making his own music. Iuso founded the psychedelic funk/jam band Brides of Jesus in the early 1990s. The Brides became part of the scene around the New York venue Wetlands that also included Blues Traveler and the Spin Doctors. The Brides later shared bills with the then-little-known Dave Matthews Band and Widespread Panic.

Iuso’s interest in Little Feat led him to New Orleans funk legends The Meters. After the Brides opened shows for the Funky Meters, bassist George Porter Jr. and keyboardist Art Neville

OTHER NOTEWORTHY SHOWS

Steve Turre

country commissioned him, often in conjunction with Porter, to be on-site and sit in with various bands.

He developed a fruitful creative partnership with fellow New Orleans guitarist Anders Osborne, who coproduced Iuso’s 2013 album “Naked.”

That album signaled a shift away from jam band music toward a more songcentered approach.

He continued that streamlining initiative in 2021 when he dropped the Restless Natives band name and started billing himself simply as “Billy Iuso.”

During the COVID lockdown, he launched a popular weekly livestreaming show that spanned more than 350 different songs. He collected several new songs on his 2023 album “52 hz.”

On Friday, Iuso headlines this week’s installment of the summer-long “Free Fridays” series of no-cover shows at Tipitina’s. As was the case for Iuso’s “Free Fridays” appearance exactly two years ago, Pocket Chocolate opens for him at 9 p.m.

Billy Iuso

FRIDAY

THURSDAY Saxophonist Julian Lee is a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in New York who has worked across the spectrum of the best-known jazz clubs and festivals. For shows at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Snug Harbor, he’ll be backed by James Alsanders on drums, Lex Warshawsky on bass and Seth Finch on piano. Tickets are $30.

Leroy Thomas & the Zydeco Roadrunners are featured for this week’s Zydeco Night at Rock ’N’ Bowl; tickets are $17.

suggested he move to New Orleans.

In 1996, he did. In addition to performing with the Brides of Jesus through 2001, he spent four years working as a tour and stage manager for the Funky Meters, the Neville Brothers and Porter’s Runnin’ Pardners.

In 2002, he formed Billy Iuso & the Restless Natives in New Orleans and recommitted himself to his own music.

He also developed a side career as an “artist at large,” whereby festivals around the

Steve Turre is a trombonist and longtime member of the “Saturday Night Live” band who also pioneered the use of seashells in his synthesis of jazz, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and blues traditions. At Snug Harbor on Friday (and again on Saturday), he’ll be joined by an allstar New Orleans band consisting of trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, drummer Herlin Riley, pianist Kyle Roussel and bassist Jason Stewart. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $45.

The Big Fun Brass Band reopens the Maple Leaf Bar after its summer hiatus with an 8 p.m. show; tickets are $18.

Guitarist and songwriter Chuck Prophet, an alumnus of the “Paisley Underground” era’s Green on Red, fronts his solo band at Chickie Wah Wah. Tickets are $25.

SATURDAY The Low End Theory Players started as a collection of New Orleans musicians, anchored by drummer Derrick “Smoker” Freeman, dedicated to celebrating the music of hip-hop ensemble A Tribe Called Quest. But the Players have over the years expanded their repertoire to include the catalogs of other hip-hop heavyweights of the 1990s.

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ 5

music Elvi and the Sassyracs host their Summer Blood Drive at Tipitina’s.

Cortland Burke & His Close Company and musicians from the New Orleans School of Rock will perform throughout the event, which also includes a local artist/vendor market, food trucks, a raffle, and a dance showcase. Costumes are encouraged. Go to tipitinas.com for details and to schedule a blood donation time.

Paul Varisco & the Milestones sing New Orleans oldies at & the Rock ’N’ Milestones Bowl starting at 4:30 p.m.

Tickets are $17.

On Saturday at Tipitina’s, the Low End Theory Players present “Biggie vs. Pac: A Live Hip-Hop Tribute.” They’ll perform songs from Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., both of whom died during the East Coast versus West Coast rap rivalry of the 1990s. Alfred Banks and Kaye the Beast open the show starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $17 plus fees.

Steve Turre, Delfeayo Marsalis, Herlin Riley, Kyle Roussel and Jason Stewart are back at Snug Harbor at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Rock Show NOLA stages a tribute to Styx and Foreigner at Rock Paul ’N’ Bowl; tickets Varisco are $20.

SUNDAY From noon to 4 p.m., the Carnival organizations the Rolling

Pianist Tom Hook and trumpeter Wendell Brunious team up for a free happy hour set at Snug Harbor at 4:30 p.m. Later on Sunday, Snug Harbor presents jazz vocalist Betty Shirley backed by pianist Will Thompson’s trio at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $30.

Phil DeGruy

MONDAY Bassist George Porter Jr.’s trio features guitarist Chris Adkins at the Maple Leaf at 8 p.m.; tickets are $18.

WEDNESDAY Guitar master Phil DeGruy, who deploys a custom-made 7-string “guitharp” alongside a wicked sense of humor, is joined by vocalist Sasha Elliahna Durta for a free, 5 p.m. happy hour set at Snug Harbor. Later Wednesday, Snug Harbor presents trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $45.

OCTOBER 2–4 & 9–11

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6 ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

stages lll

MAN

G-

CONFIDENTIAL New Orleanian Bryan Batt takes London by storm in new musical comedy about FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover

BY KRISTINE FROEBA Contributing writer

“Mad Men” star and New Orleans actor Bryan Batt made his London theatrical debut this summer in the world premiere of the new musical comedy “Here Comes J. Edgar!” Batt plays the title role, a flamboyant and closeted J. Edgar Hoover.

“It’s a dream come true to perform on the London stage,” Batt said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and it’s in an original piece, a great part, great people, and I think a great show.”

Written by Harry Shearer (“The Simpsons” and “This Is Spinal Tap”) and Tom Leopold (“Seinfeld” and “Cheers”), with music by the late Peter Matz, the musical offers a look at the life of the notorious FBI director.

Hoover was the first and longest to hold the post, serving 48 years from 1924 until his death in 1972.

The play’s showbill reads, “He knew everybody’s secrets. What was his?”

Batt and Shearer both touched on the play being inspired by vintage MGM musical spectacles, but with camp overtones. To that end, the dialogue is comprised of zippy banter and sardonic wit, as well as scenes that require multiple costume changes before the cast moves set pieces and joins in fullensemble choreography.

From audio play to stage musical The musical expands on the 1994 public ra-

dio play by Leopold and Shearer, “J. Edgar,” recorded in Santa Monica by John Goodman, Kelsey Grammer, Annette O’Toole, Michael McKean and David Lander (Lenny and Squiggy of “Laverne & Shirley” fame). It was subsequently performed in 2003 at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Thirtytwo years later, the full theatrical version has finally come to fruition.

“We’ve been trying to get this show produced in London for about 15 years, because the London audience is a lot more fascinated by and welcoming to stories of unsavory characters, and we got one really unsavory one here,” Harry Shearer said.

“Hoover used his capacity for compiling files on everybody to protect himself; anybody who threatened to out Hoover would be retaliated against, using whatever he had on them,” said Shearer. “That’s the same way he kept his job through five presidencies, intimidating all the presidents.”

Shearer said he instructed Matz to treat the music as though it were famed Broadway songwriter Frank Loesser’s final masterpiece. The results are custom-made for the Great White Way and filled with what Shearer calls “hummable tunes that lilt.”

“The show is insane,” said Batt. “It’s absolutely, wonderfully crazy. He was a closeted homosexual — who targeted gay people.”

Reviews “Batt is diabolically good as J. Edgar Hoover ... he’s a master comedian, a fre-

Bryan Batt, seated right, takes the leading role as a flamboyant and closeted through Sunday in London. quently thrilling singer and a delirious center to the unhinged shenanigans surrounding him,” Alun Hood wrote in a review for WhatsOnStage.

“With impressive vocals and an impeccable knack for precise comic timing, Batt also brings a sense of authenticity that ensures that while he may be poking fun at Hoover, there is still some level of sensitivity when addressing sexuality in a performance bursting with heart,” Mickey Jo Theatre said in All That Dazzles.

Batt’s Hoover sings a stage, and even perform acter, as written by She ruthless to adversaries in scenes with his dom “The most difficult pa wearing heels,” Batt sa Shearer said he chose Screen Actors Guild Aw for his chops, vocal bra ability and their yearsl ducing and starring in

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ 7

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“The show is insane.

It’s absolutely, wonderfully crazy.”

— BRyAN BATT, actor

HOLLYWOOD AND NEW ORLEANIANS IN ATTENDANCE

PROVIDED PHOTO By MARK DOUET

d FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover in ‘Here Comes J. Edgar!’ The production written by Harry Shearer and Tom Leopold is running

and dances across the ms in drag. The charearer and Leopold, is s yet also vulnerable mestic partner. art of the musical is aid. e Batt, the two-time Award-winning actor, avura, energy, availlong relationship proNew Orleans’ annual

charity performance, “Christmas Without Tears.”

Batt’s Broadway credits are extensive and go back to the late 1980s; they include “Starlight Express,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Saturday Night Fever,” “La Cage aux Folles” and “Beauty and the Beast,” predating his television success in the more recent “Mad Men.” “Tom and I have always been connoisseurs of bad show business, so we’ve seen a lot of really bad musicals. So, we’ve stolen a few of their hokier devices for this show,” Shearer

said. And as a gay man of a particular era, Hoover naturally dreams in the form of a Broadway spectacle.

“One of my favorite lines is: I’m dead, but I’m singing,” Batt said.

Shearer’s wife, singer-songwriter-actress Judith Owen, recreates her cameo from the original audio production as bank robber John Dillinger’s notorious paramour, femme fatale “The Lady in Red.” Both her song and performance are cited as critic and audience favorites.

Several New Orleans residents traveled to London to support Batt, including David Pons, Laure Sika, Dawn DeDeaux, Simone Rathle, Anne Johnson Bailey, Lauren Gurvich, Leann Moses, Ted Merritt, Ellie Lane, Jana Napoli and Tessa Martinez. Loyola University professor C. Patrick Gendusa, who once hired Batt and his husband, Tom Cianfichi, to direct Loyola’s production of “Cabaret,” was one of the first to purchase tickets to see Batt.

“The production, and, of course Bryan, did not disappoint. We laughed for two hours straight,” said Gendusa. “The performances, music, humor, writing and story were all brilliant.”

Lorraine Harper, 88, a “Picayune On Stage” theater member, sat front-row center on her first trip to Europe watching Batt twirl in full drag. Batt had donned a faux Chanel gown and Hedy Lamarr-inspired wig in the musical number. She said she laughed at Batt’s bright coral pedicure as he danced near her own feet.

As a decades-long member of New Orleans’ Le Petit Theatre, she said she always wanted to see Batt on stage; it finally occurring in London made it all the more special.

Christina Hendricks, a “Mad Men” alum, attended to support her former castmate and close friend.

“I will always come out to support Bryan.

I couldn’t be more thrilled to be here,” she said. Martin Short was in the audience a few nights ago, afterward stating the play was brilliant. Laurence Fishburne of the “Matrix” trilogy was also in attendance.

“I don’t think I’ve had that much fun at the theater since I don’t know when,” Fishburne said post-performance. “It’s a great time.”

The only question is whether the show will transfer south from off-West End to a commercial run at a larger West End theater.

The musical runs at the King’s Head Theatre until Sunday. For locals, the question is whether “Here Comes J. Edgar!” will travel to New Orleans.

8 ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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PROVIDED PHOTO By INSTAGRAM

Steak ’n Shake has been serving its thinly pressed patties since 1934.

Steak ’n Shake opens at Fair Grounds

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Steak ’n Shake, the fast food chain known for smash burgers and shoestring fries, has become the latest addition to the New Orleans Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots as a new national brand at the concession stands long defined by local fare.

The Fair Grounds announced the opening in an Instagram post featuring Steak ‘n Shake’s milkshakes topped with whipped cream and maraschino cherries. Because the restaurant is located on the gaming floor with the slot machines, guests dining with anyone under 21 can enter through the trackside doors, according to the post.

The opening marks Steak ’n Shake’s first location in New Orleans and second in Louisiana. The chain joins a handful of concession stands at the Fair Grounds, where vendors have long served gumbo, bread pudding, and coffee and pastries from PJ’s Coffee.

Steak ’n Shake also is one of the latest entrants in the city’s growing smash burger scene, where neighborhood restaurants specialize in thin, crisp-edged patties — a style that has risen in popularity in recent years and contrasts with the thicker burgers that long dominated American menus.

Steak ’n Shake, however, was making smash burgers on a griddle long before the style became popular, according to the company’s website. The chain opened its first location in Illinois in 1934, serving thinly pressed patties made from 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef on a toasted bun.

Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

The bar is a busy centerpiece of Feliciana, a French restaurant in Covington.

North for the

summer

STAFF FILE PHOTO By IAN McNULTy

Wild mushroom hummus awaits the hot pita bread to start a meal at Tavi in downtown Covington.

St. Tammany deals drawing inspiration, and maybe diners, from the south shore

Ian McNulty

While the annual Coolinary dining deals are underway in New Orleans this month, on the northshore a circuit of new and longtime restaurants are taking part in a separate program that’s become a summer tradition.

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ 9

food

The dining room at Tchefuncte’s restaurant in Madisonville has curving booths and a series of private rooms.

People take in the lakefront view on the porch at Aperitif Spritz + Bites, an upscale casual restaurant and bar in Old Mandeville.

STAFF FILE PHOTOS By IAN McNULTy

Tammany Taste of Summer runs throughout August, with participating restaurants across St. Tammany Parish offering special prix-fixe menus.

The list of participating restaurants this year has surged to nearly 70 (up from about 40 last year).

While Coolinary in New Orleans has a set structure for courses and price limits, the August offers vary significantly from restaurant to restaurant on the northshore, from summer tasting menus to discounts and other offers. It showcases the growing diversity of style around northshore dining.

The variety of restaurants listed this year is impressive, from Peruvian cuisine in Slidell at Pablo’s, 2128 Front St., to northshore stalwarts like Gallagher’s Grill, 509 S. Tyler St., in Covington.

Some of the menus available early on indicate some good summer deals.

For instance, Keith Young’s Steakhouse, 165 La. 21, in Madisonville goes traditional with a three-course steak

Palmettos on the Bayou in Slidell wends across a large, covered outdoor dining area, with a walkway leading to a bayou-side dock.

dinner for $40, among other options.

Steak is also one of the choices on the three-course dinner menu for $52 at the Dakota, 310 E. Boston St., also in Covington.

Tavi, 330 N. New Hampshire St., in Covington gives a taste of its modern Middle Eastern flavors across three courses for $28 at dinner, while around the corner, Meribo, 326 Lee Lane, has three courses for $33, including pizza, pasta and salads.

Start with a cool cobia crudo and then foie gras-stuffed quail at Covington’s new French stunner Feliciana, 405 E. Boston, some of the options on its $60 three-course dinner menu.

Some restaurants get creative with their meal structures. Zea Rotisserie & Bar, 110 Lake Drive, in Covington has dinner for two people at $59.99, with a shared appetizer, grilled bread and two entrees.

Participating restaurants can give you dinner with a waterfront view at

the high-end Tchefuncte’s, 407 St. Tammany St., in Madisonville or take you on a trip down a more languid waterway at Palmetto’s on the Bayou, 1901 Bayou Lane, in Slidell.

There are more waterfront dining deals at Pat’s Rest a While, 2901 Lakeshore Drive, and its newer neighbor in Old Mandeville, Aperitif Spritz + Bites,

1943 Lakeshore Drive).

Look for updates on participants and details at visitthenorthshore.com.

Tammany Taste of Summer is organized by the St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission.

Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@ theadvocate.com.

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10 ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

film

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Bourdain biopic ‘Tony’ an early nibble at a culinary giant

BY MARK KENNEDY

Associated Press

“Tony,” the Anthony Bourdain biopic, is a comingof-age tale for a modern culinary giant. Set over just a summer, it’s also clearly an appetizer.

And like all first courses, it leaves you Review with a nice first taste — but still hungry.

Director and co-writer Matt Johnson has frustratingly taken liberties with a formative period in Bourdain’s life, but still only manages to tell the story of how a callow lad became somewhat of a less callow lad after toiling in a restaurant kitchen on Cape Cod in 1975.

In “Tony,” the world-weary, forever romantic, noodle-slurping Bourdain that we would fall in love with decades later via travel shows like “Parts Unknown” stays firmly out of grasp.

‘TONY’ What’s perhaps most frustrating is that this could have HH been a fine movie without STARS: Dominic Sessa, Bourdain at its center at all.

Antonio Banderas, Emilia Who doesn’t like a good coming of age? Why did it have Jones, Leo Woodall to be Bourdain if Bourdain DIRECTOR: Matt never gets to be Bourdain?

Johnson Dominic Sessa plays the RATED: R teenage chef-traveler as an angular misfit, his tall frame RUNNING TIME: 106 hunched, peering at people minutes through a mop of unruly IN THEATERS: Wide curls, his chin forever jutted release Aug. 21 downward — a surly Bob Dylan in kitchen whites. We rarely see moments of joy flash on his face, even for lust or food. He never unlocks. Even a beautifully documented moment in Bourdain’s life — when the sea that summer was filled with stripers, triggering a mass fishing frenzy at night — doesn’t trigger awe.

Bourdain spent two chapters talking about this time in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in his star-making 2000 memoir, “Kitchen Confidential,” and he would return in TV episodes of “A Cook’s Tour” and “Parts Unknown.” It was certainly an important time in the young Bourdain’s life, but hang too much on it and the hanger apparently collapses.

The new movie opens with a quote from “Kitchen

PROVIDED PHOTOS By A24

Antonio Banderas, left, steps into the role of the mentor of Dominic Sessa’s teenage Anthony Bourdain in ‘Tony.’

thew Miller, Todd Bartels and Lou Howe, heightens what should be a small, beautiful awakening by crafting a completely new culinary mentor for Bourdain and adding showy references to 17th-century chef François Vatel and 18th- and 19th-century “sin eaters.” Did we need a devastating, Hollywood action movielike kitchen fire here? No. You can almost feel the filmmakers try to argue for a car chase.

Antonio Banderas steps into the role of the mentor, but it’s a fuzzy image. His character is spiritual, punctual and deeply religious, yet silently overseeing a very misogynistic, racist and drug-addled workforce.

Our film’s Bourdain will inspire him to reach higher by adding a lobster thermidor to the menu, one of those tired devices by which the mentee becomes the Dominic Sessa, left, as Anthony Bourdain, shucks mentor. (The gorgeous Banderas fails to fully capture the book’s mentor with a “gin-blossomed face” and oysters while flirting with love interest Emilia Jones. “boozer’s gut.”)

Confidential”: “I was — to be frank — a spoiled, misWhat’s most frustrating is we never feel Bourdain’s muse come alive. He doesn’t, over the course of more erable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless than 100 minutes, become an evangelist for cuisine or young lout, badly in need of a good ass-kicking.” He got that as he went from dishwasher to plating shrimp its power to heal, celebrate and embrace. He acknowlcocktails and learning the insult-based, testosteroneedges — from “Kitchen Confidential,” in a childhood filled ways of the kitchen. chapter — that oysters tasted “of the future” — but Bourdain would develop two love affairs during the rat in “Ratatouille” had better passion. this fateful summer: One, a delight for the kitchen — There are lovely moments, like when shucked the pressure, the camaraderie, the artist’s heart, the oysters are used to flirt or when chef Eric Ripert, pirate’s adoration of heat and knives — and, another, a longtime friend of Bourdain, makes a cameo, or hard drugs. “This is where I bought my first bag of whenever actor Emilia Jones as Bourdain’s love interheroin,” he says in “Parts Unknown.” But, like a colest appears. Leo Woodall also does a fantastic turn as lapsing soufflé, it fails at that first task — never show- Bourdain’s kitchen and drug pal, Sal. Focusing on a slice of time from a cultural icon — ing us how this wannabe writer with a Velcro wallet in most recently done for The Boss in “Springsteen: a Stooges T-shirt pivoted to become a global culinary raconteur. And it never depicts Bourdain’s own heroin Deliver Me From Nowhere” — is a now-savvy alteruse. native to the cradle-to-grave biopic. But “Tony” fails Johnson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Matas an origin story. The cook is off.

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Thursday, August 13, 2026 ✦ 11

A lonely superhero grows up in newest ‘Spider-Man’

BY JOCELYN NOVECK

AP national writer

Are the ears playing tricks on us? Or does Tom Holland’s Peter Parker sound, at the Review beginning of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” like more of a native New Yorker than before?

The cadence, the sort-of Queens accent — it’s striking, as we watch Peter chat on the phone with police captain Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) about the crimes plaguing the city that’ll have him springing into action, because he’s a full-time Spidey now.

But behind the chipper banter, there’s an underlying melancholy. Anyone who saw the last movie, of course, knows we’ve embarked on a lonely era for Spider-Man. When we last saw Peter, he was buying the saddest takeout coffee of his web-slinging life. Girlfriend MJ was at the doughnut shop counter but had no idea who he was, her memory of Peter erased as part of a sacrifice he’d made to save the world.

“It would be as though you never existed,” Doctor Strange had told him before casting the fateful spell at the end of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” But Peter was resolute: “Do it.” And now, four years later, he’s paying the emotional price.

Peter lives alone in a drab apartment; beloved Aunt May, of course, died in the last film.

He’s been watching via social media as MJ (Zendaya) and best buddy Ned (Jacob Batalon) have the time of their lives at MIT. That was once the dream for all three: living and learning together at school. Didn’t quite work out that way.

These early moments of “Brand New Day” set the tone for a different kind of movie.

Ned, newly graduated from MIT, and follows him to his new apartment, where, wouldn’t ya know, he rooms with MJ. She’s just turned down a job, telling Ned: “Something is just telling me that I’m waiting for something great.”

But is it Peter? MJ does have a new boyfriend. Seeing that, a dejected Peter heads home, letter undelivered.

Don’t we all want to see Spidey and MJ back together, swinging joyfully around town? Obviously, we can’t tell you what happens between them. Or much of anything else. Such is the challenge — there are more sticky spoilers in Spidey films than there are sticky Spidey webs.

But speaking of those webs … things start changing, strangely, in Peter’s body. SudPROVIDED PHOTO By SONy PICTURES denly, the webs start generating organically, for one thing In ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ Tom Holland, who has spent a decade in the role of Peter Parker, — à la Maguire’s Peter. And seems increasingly human and vulnerable. there are blinding headaches.

It’s actually a DNA imbalance.

Director Cretton (“ShangIt’s not the surprise-a-minute, of a different kind in director and the natural creases in his Chi and the Legend of the fan-funfest of “No Way Destin Daniel Cretton’s film, face signify layers to his porTen Rings”) puts his Marvel Home,” which, in piercing for diehard fans who seek trayal as well. experience to good use here, open the multiverse, brought them. Jon Bernthal gives an We begin, of course, in New and weaves nicely together a us a hugely satappealing turn York City, which can be the isfying set of ‘SPIDER-MAN: as The Punisher. busiest and the loneliest place, set of subplots — including teMark Ruffalo all at once. And that’s the reunions. There lepathy and possession — that BRAND NEW DAY’ flexes his musbest way to describe Peter’s were all the old keep the film moving, though newly anonymous life, on busvillains — Green 20-some minutes could easily cles here too, and HH1/2 Goblin, Doctor have been trimmed from the Sadie Sink is a tling streets where not a soul Octopus, Electro, STARS: Tom Holland, denouement. very welcome ad- knows him. They just know Zendaya, Mark Ruffalo, Jon dition, although Sandman. But The urban cityscapes are that Spider-Man is an ace nothing beat the lovely, as Spidey swings Bernthal, Jacob Batalon, telling you more crime-fighter. Those streets return of our two Sadie Sink, Florence Pugh might get us ban- have never been safer. through the Big Apple. Holprevious Spideys, DIRECTOR: Destin Daniel ished to another Alongside the usual urban land, though, is best in closewith Tobey Magucrimes, Peter’s been recruited up, with the hood off, showing universe (mere Cretton by the Department of Damage time and again how his is a mention of her ire and Andrew RATED: PG-13 newly grown Spider-Man. character’s name Control — and the agency’s Garfield arrivThe story ends on a note of ing to bond with RUN TIME: 145 minutes. drew applause at head, Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman) — to help identify community and interreliance; my screening.)

Holland over nobody can go it alone, the emotional arcs, backaches and Likewise, there’s a funny cam- an invisible, insidious threat, a plotline that frankly never message goes. This is driven web-shooting technique. eo with someone who holds home nicely in one final imHard to top that, certainly. meetings in a public bath, but feels that compelling. It’s the personal stuff that keeps the And “Brand New Day” defidon’t ask us to elaborate. age, a simple, sweet handattention.

The main reward, though, shake with a most unexpectnitely lags, sorry to say, in its To wit: At home, Peter’s is Holland, who, a decade into third act, when approaching edly poignant punch. After been writing a letter to MJ, (and passing, handily) the two- the role, seems increasingly a quarter-century worth of telling her the story of their human and vulnerable. Holhour mark. movies, “Spider-Man” still has There are, though, rewards surprises up its sleeve. land is also, well, 30 years old, love. Then one day he sees

12 ✦ Thursday,August 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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