The Advocate 08-15-2026

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Skip Bertman 1938 – 2026

Fall elections challenge status quo EBR School Board majority hangs in the balance

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

STAFF FILE PHOTO

‘The greatest of all time’ Coach’s legacy at LSU lives on as champion, legend

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

On the day Stanley “Skip” Bertman died, his statue stood where it always had before. Bertman leaning on a dugout railing, overlooking the program he built and the field named after him within Alex Box Stadium’s walls.

Flowers lay at his feet by the bottom of the rail. White roses and yellow kalanchoes to the left of his statue, an arrangement of purple and pink flowers from Billy Heroman’s to the right.

The fan who gave the carnations, lilies and snapdragons left him a note: “Skip, simply the best. Will miss ya big guy!” Another fan taped a copy of The Advocate’s story from the day LSU baseball won its 2025 national championship to the walkway that led to his statue, also writing a message that included an arrow pointing to the article.

“Coach… you did this. You started it…

Thank you! Rest in Peace.”

That observation is an astute one. Since the moment Bertman — who died on Friday at the age of 88 — stepped onto LSU’s campus for the first time as the new baseball coach in the summer of 1983, he built a legacy at LSU that has arguably been unmatched.

“He is probably the most important person in the history of LSU athletics,” LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry told The Advocate on Friday.

Bertman won five national championships and 11 College World Series appearances as LSU’s baseball coach over 18

ä See QUALIFYING, page 5A

Former chief of tourism may advise Baton Rouge STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

The Skip Bertman statue in Legacy Plaza outside of Alex Box Stadium was unveiled in 2019. The statue commemorates Bertman’s accomplishments as the LSU baseball coach from 1984 to 2001. He led the Tigers to five national championships and seven Southeastern Conference championships. seasons (1984-2001). He then hired four eventual national championship-winning head coaches as LSU’s athletic director in a seven-year tenure (2001-2008).

ä See BERTMAN, page 3A

BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer

Nearly two years after 65-yearold Herman Harris was found dead in his Maringouin home, an Iberville Parish jury delivered guilty verdicts Friday night to a pair of siblings and the hitman they hired to kill him.

After deliberating for a little

WEATHER HIGH 98 LOW 76 PAGE 6A

more than two hours, jurors declared siblings Rilonda Brooks and David Brooks guilty of charges including principal to second-degree murder, solicitation for second-degree murder, conspiracy, principal to aggravated burglary and obstruction of justice.

Johnnie Hicks was convicted of principal to second-degree murder, conspiracy, principal to aggravated burglary and obstruction of justice, as well as a count of possession of a firearm

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

verdicts were in that he was disappointed but is confident enough evidence exists to prove her innocence in an appeal.

The prosecution said in its case that Rilonda Brooks and her brother hired Hicks to kill Harris, a former employee, to avoid a lawsuit that Harris had planned to file against Rilonda Brooks’ trucking company.

Around 9 a.m. on Aug. 27, 2024, Harris’ family found him shot

ä See CASE, page 4A

ä See CENTER, page 4A

ä Scott Rabalais: Bertman’s LSU legacy is eternal. Page 1C ä LSU, college baseball figures mourn loss of legendary coach, administrator. Page 2C

by a felon.

All three were cleared on counts of racketeering.

While the verdicts were read, all three defendants remained emotionless and held their gaze straight ahead at the judge.

“I know this doesn’t bring him back, but it’ll bring some closure, and this family can start healing,” Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi said outside the courthouse after the verdicts were read.

Rilonda Brooks’ defense attorney, Harry Daniels, said after the

‘Butch’ Spyridon has a vision for the Raising Cane’s River Center

In the early 1990s, Christopher “Butch” Spyridon left behind a legacy in Baton Rouge, where he served as chief of the city’s tourism agency.

What is now called Visit Baton Rouge was then the Baton Rouge Convention & Visitors Bureau. The organization secured events in Capital region such as the Senior Olympics, Junior Olympics and Women’s Bowling Congress as Spyridon Spyridon’s final act before moving to Nashville, Tennessee. In Nashville, he attracted largescale events like the NFL Draft and pushed to build Music City Center, a 2.1-million-square-foot convention center in the heart of downtown.

Since his retirement from the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp in 2023, Spyridon has advised Visit Baton Rouge and consulted with the city-parish’s oversight committee for the Raising Cane’s River Center redevelopment. Early discussions have included adding a headquarters hotel

All found guilty in murder-for-hire case in Iberville Three defendants are convicted

Except for one eight-month stretch, for the past two decades Republicans have commanded a majority on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board. And Black members have never had a majority.

The Nov. 3 elections, however, will serve up fresh challenges to both parts of that status quo.

A handful of Democrats, and a couple of candidates not affiliated with a political party, are competing with Republicans for four of the nine seats on the board. If they win any of them, they would likely score a majority on the board.

A Black majority is also possible.

In Broadmoor-centered District 1, Kimberly Bainguel, who is Black and a Democrat, is hoping to claim a seat that she came within 22 votes of winning four years ago. She would be the fifth Black board member, since four seats are certain to be held by Black officeholders — no White candidates qualified in those races.

Speaking Tuesday to the parish’s Republican Parish Executive Committee, board member Patrick Martin V urged the audience to get behind his fellow GOP members on the ballot.

“I need a solid Republican majority on this board so we can continue the

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

102ND yEAR, NO. 46

2A ■ Saturday, August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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President asks justices to step in on ballroom case

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

2 UAE tankers attacked while transiting strait

The United Arab Emirates blamed Iran for firing drones at two tankers operated by a stateowned oil company as they sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Friday that the attacks were acts of piracy.

The attacks caused no casualties but underlined the dangers faced by vessels moving cargo through the critical waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open oceans, as Iran keeps a firm grip on the passage.

Two tankers owned by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil and gas company ADNOC were attacked Thursday evening while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the company said. It added that the attack caused no injuries and that “the situation has been brought under control.”

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said two vessels were reported to have suffered minor damage when attacked by drones while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. It did not identify them as the ADNOC ships, but it appeared to be the same incident.

The UAE’s Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on Iran and said they were a “flagrant violation” of the United Nations’ principles of freedom of navigation.

Reform UK’s Farage beats fringe candidates

CLACTON-ON-SEA, England — Nigel Farage regained his seat in Parliament on Friday, beating a field of fringe candidates led by trash-can-wearing comic Count Binface in a special election boycotted by mainstream parties that called it a farce.

Farage, leader of the antiimmigration Reform UK party who some see as a possible next prime minister, abruptly quit his seat in July amid an investigation into whether he failed to report a $6.7 million gift from an overseas crypto billionaire.

He denied wrongdoing and ran again for the seat to prove he had voters’ support, regaining it with 63% of Thursday’s vote in an unusual election on the hottest day of the year. Binface, a serial candidate who has challenged prime ministers past and present, represented a protest vote and finished second in a field of 34 candidates — many of them also jokers — with about 27%, according to the results announced Friday.

Farage hailed the result as an “overwhelming win” that increased his vote share over the last election, but it’s hard to draw broad conclusions from the election given the lack of genuine rivals and the fact that Farage has long been popular in the conservative constituency on the east coast of England.

Picasso etching stolen from Wis. gallery found

MADISON, Wis. — Bill DeLind thought the Picasso print that was stolen from his Milwaukee gallery in 2018 was gone forever.

But then police called last week and asked him to look an artwork that a local landlord found while cleaning out a vacant apartment.

DeLind immediately recognized the stolen “Torero” print, one of 30 known to exist signed

by Picasso.

“I was overwhelmed,” DeLind said Friday. “I was at a loss for words. It was an overwhelming moment for me.”

The sticker from his DeLind Fine Art Appraisals was still on the back of the framed print, just as it had been placed there in 2018.

Milwaukee landlord Tim Dertz told WISN-TV that he found the print while cleaning out an apartment of someone who had been evicted.

Dertz said he showed it to an antique dealer friend who recognized it as a Picasso and said it appeared to be the one DeLind reported stolen in 2018. Dertz handed it over to police, who then contacted DeLind.

CORRECTION The Advocate and Times-Picayune Tuesday cited an incorrect cost figure for the Comite Diversion Canal. It is $908 million, not billion. The Advocate and TimesPicayune regrets the error.

Trump wants construction to continue

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST

Associated Press ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Sailors and Marines line the deck of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as it deploys from San Diego in 2021. The carrier has been deployed for more than 240 days amid the conflict with Iran.

Trump downplays toll of carrier deployment President says USS Lincoln at sea ‘not nearly long enough’

BY KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed the toll on American sailors enduring nearly nine months at sea on the USS Abraham Lincoln as concerns escalated about mental health and supply issues aboard the aircraft carrier supporting U.S. operations against Iran.

In a brief exchange with reporters before flying to New York for an event to highlight falling violent crime rates across the U.S., Trump refuted that family members have raised concerns about the deployment’s length and even said that the deployment — which includes a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days — is “not nearly long enough.”

“That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump said when asked about the lengthy deployment. The acting Navy secretary, Hung Cao, said the Lincoln “will return home soon” in a social media post on Friday.

Trump strode into office for a second term vowing to avoid lengthy and expensive military entanglements. And after launching the Iran war, alongside Israel, Trump and his advisers said the conflict would last a matter of weeks. The war is now more than five months old.

But on Friday, during his crime address in Garden City, New York, he acknowledged that he’s used the U.S. military “a little bit more than I wanted to,” while asserting anew that the U.S. operation against Iran is going well. He even said, seemingly in jest, that “pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.”

“I’ll never apologize,” Trump added about the war and its impact on oil prices.

“I did the right thing.”

Extended deployments of carriers during the Iran conflict have raised concerns about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods as well as the increasing strain on the ships and their equipment.

Several Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, and Ruben Gallego, of Arizona, are pressing for accountability from the Pentagon over conditions aboard the Lincoln, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said were “completely misrepresented.”

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment before being elected, took to social media to criticize Trump’s comments, saying on X that “President Trump does not care about our servicemembers or their families.”

Top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have requested a classified briefing on the ship’s food inventory, sanitation issues and healthcare availability, as well as an assessment of how much longer it would be deployed before relief arrives.

Republicans have been less outspoken about the situation on the Lincoln. The GOP chairs of the House and Senate armed services committees did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war. Hegseth said the U.S. military can maintain the blockage of Iranian ports “indefinitely.”

Another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, and is expected to replace the USS Lincoln, one of two aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East.

Suspect arrested in WWII memorial vandalism in D.C.

BY GARY FIELDS Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A person has been arrested in connection with vandalism at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday.

Pirro announced on X that her office was filing two felony charges against Melissa L. Farris. Pirro said the felony charges are “Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials.” The offenses carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

On Thursday, the words “Clean hands dirty $” were found painted on the monument and bubbles filled a fountain.

“Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather,” Pirro wrote.

A woman identified on her Facebook page as Melissa Lovewell posted a video Thursday in which she is seen taking cans of spray paint from her bag and then painting the monument.

“I will wait here to be arrested for spraying our veterans’ fountain,” she says. “It was me, I’m doing it, it’s on camera.”

In a video posted Friday, the woman, who in a separate post said she had been in Washington for three weeks, said she was turning herself in.

The arrest warrant filed in the case indicated that witnesses took pictures of the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Visitors walk Friday at the World War II Memorial in Washington.

vandalism occurring, which were circulated among U.S. Park Police officers.

One officer recognized the suspect as someone they arrested Aug. 10 “for unlawfully camping on federal property” just blocks away. She livestreamed that arrest, the warrant said.

The suspect was identified by her Kentucky driver’s license as Melissa L. Farris, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Farris was expected to be arraigned Friday. The Public Defender’s office said she was not yet listed in the system and had not been assigned an attorney.

The incident sparked harsh rebukes from both Pirro and President Donald Trump and comes after the president blamed damage to the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on vandals, without providing evidence. That case prompted charges against multiple people which were dropped when Pirro said evidence showed the damage came from botched repairs after Trump’s renovation at the site.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the White House to continue construction on its $400 million ballroom project while it appeals a lower court’s order to halt the work.

Trump’s solicitor general petitioned the high court to suspend last week’s decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Chief Justice John Roberts set a deadline of Tuesday for a response by plaintiffs challenging the ballroom project.

The divided appeals court panel ruled last week Trump must stop the White House ballroom’s construction because Congress has not approved the project.

The panel’s majority said Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom where the White House’s East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition last fall.

The lower court suspended its own ruling for two weeks to give Trump’s Republican administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court. Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to rule on its stay petition before the appeals court panel’s decision takes effect on Aug. 21.

“This case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex, including a totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White House, which is vitally required by national security,” Sauer wrote.

Friday’s court filing includes the administration’s first confirmation that a

threatened missile attack on Air Force One prompted the Secret Service to secretly fly Trump out of Turkey last month on an alternate military aircraft. In arguing for the need for a secure ballroom space, the filing cites “the threat of a missile attack against Air Force One on July 8” in a list of recent assassination attempts against Trump.

The filing also asserts that the project is “on time and under budget” with approximately $400 million in private donations obviating the need for any taxpayer dollars to be spent. However, Democrats in Congress have said it appears that funds from Trump’s tax cuts bill appear to be paying for ballroom work. The administration also has requested additional funding from Congress for the project, but lawmakers haven’t approved it.

In April, a district court judge ordered a stop to aboveground construction of the planned ballroom.

But the judge stressed that the White House was free to proceed with underground work, including the construction of any bunkers, military installations and medical facilities.

The D.C. Circuit panel’s 2-1 decision upheld an order to pause aboveground construction on the project, siding with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction of the ballroom.

“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” wrote the majority’s two judges, both appointed by Democratic presidents.

A third judge disagreed, finding that the preservationist group that challenged the project had no legal right to sue.

“The district court elevated the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby over the government’s security interests in the ballroom,” wrote Judge Neomi Rao, who was appointed by Trump.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, August 15, 2026 ■ 3A

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BERTMAN

Continued from page 1A LSU won nine national championships while Bertman served as athletic director. The Tigers also reached the Final Four five times in women’s basketball and once in men’s basketball during that time.

“So many people use words like GOAT (greatest of all-time), but Skip truly was the GOAT,” former LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri, who Bertman hired for the position in 2006, said.

“He was the greatest of all time, and I was just lucky enough to call him not only my boss, but a dear friend.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO

The Miami years

Coach Skip Bertman watches from the dugout during the deciding NCAA Super Regional Bertman was born in De- game against Tulane in 2001.

troit, Michigan, but his story as a legendary coach and administrator began in Miami Beach, Florida, where he was the head baseball coach at Miami Beach High, his alma mater. The program renamed its field in his honor back in April.

At Miami Beach, Bertman led the program to a state championship in 1970 and two second-place finishes.

His years there were also when an 11-year-old Mainieri got to know the future LSU legend.

“It was about a 45-minute drive from our house over to Skip’s house on Miami Beach,” Mainieri said, recalling the first time he met Bertman. “And during the drive, my father was telling me all about Skip and what a great coach he was. And how he had developed this youth program in Miami Beach and how it had (fed) into his high school program.”

Mainieri’s father, Demie, then the head coach at Miami Dade North Community College, would meet with Bertman to share ideas and discuss players. Multiple players of Demie’s NJCAA national championship team in 1964 had come from Bertman’s program at Miami Beach.

Eventually, the Mainieri and Bertman families grew close, meeting monthly. The Mainieris had a batting cage in their backyard, and Bertman would give Paul pointers while he struggled to hit.

Even at that age, Paul would sit in on his father and Bertman’s meetings and soak up every last word.

They were his idols.

“You couldn’t wedge me away from that conversation with a crowbar,” Mainieri said. “I just sat and listened to these two great coaches sharing ideas.”

Following his time at Miami Beach, Bertman became the associate head coach at the University of Miami for eight seasons, winning a national championship in 1982 before LSU hired him as its head coach ahead of the 1984 season.

Bertman builds a winner LSU’s baseball program back then was not in the same place as it is today.

Bertman’s predecessor, Jack Lamabe, was fired after five seasons and an overall record of 134-115. The man who held the position before Lamabe was Jimmy Smith,

who only held the role in a part-time capacity.

Smith’s full-time gig was as the equipment manager for the football team.

“He wasn’t even out there for fall practices,” Mainieri, who played under Smith for one season, said, “except for on Sundays when the football team didn’t practice.”

LSU had reached the NCAA Tournament just once in its program’s history before Bertman’s arrival. For the dynasty he eventually built, he essentially had to start from scratch.

Ausberry remembers attending games in the early years of Bertman’s tenure as a student and linebacker on the football team. There would only be a few hundred people in the stands as he and his teammates would watch games from the train tracks next to the old Alex Box Stadium.

“I remember my buddies and I would watch games, (and) there was always Texas, and Arizona State, and Miami, and Oklahoma State, schools like that (playing on TV),” said Bill Franques, LSU baseball’s communications director who was a student at LSU when Bertman was hired. “And I remember thinking, ‘Man, wouldn’t it be great if LSU could play baseball in Omaha in the College World Series, and be on TV like all these other teams?’ ” LSU reached the College World Series twice before Franques was hired as LSU baseball’s communications director in 1989, a position he still holds.

One weekend, on a road trip to Ole Miss, Bertman ordered Franques to bring a camera to the park and start taking photos in and around OxfordUniversity Stadium/Swayze Field, which had just opened that season. Bertman wanted to provide then-athletic director Joe Dean with ideas on how LSU could upgrade the old Alex Box Stadium.

As Franques began taking pictures at the park with his 35 mm Pentax camera, Bertman got impatient and snatched the device from his hands. He then started taking photos of the outfield fence, foul pole and stands before he stopped, looked at the camera and started to get upset.

The camera only had a few exposures of film left.

Franques had forgotten to check how many he had in

the camera.

“He was very, very displeased with that fact, and that he wanted to take a lot more pictures,” Franques said. “So he promptly handed me a $20 bill, told me to find the bus driver and go to a pharmacy and buy some more film. And he didn’t say it quite that nice.

“But I do remember him saying something to the effect of, ‘You know, I’m trying to win here. I’m trying to win a national championship here.’ Basically, he was saying, you need to get on board with my vision, with what I want to do, if you want to continue to work with me.”

Franques eventually found the bus driver and bought more film for Bertman to shoot with that day at Ole Miss, but Bertman wouldn’t reach his ultimate goal of winning a national championship until 1991.

When he accomplished the historic feat, Franques remembers how calm Bertman was after LSU had just climbed to the mountaintop of the sport. He shook the hands of his assistant coaches, shook hands with the opposing coach — Wichita State’s Gene Stephenson — and took a moment to reflect.

“He said, ‘The reason I was that way, because I’d seen this happen in my mind so many times,’ ” Franques recalls Bertman saying. “‘I visualized this exact moment so many times, I knew exactly how I would react.’ ” LSU went on to win four more national championships, winning five titles in 10 years, including back-toback championships in 1996 and 1997, before he stepped down as LSU’s head coach and became the athletic director in 2001.

By the end of his tenure, Bertman had accumulated a career record of 870-330-3.

“When I took the job here, everybody asked what kind of goals I had, you know, national championships, SEC championships, et cetera,” Mainieri said. “And I said, ‘I really only have one goal.

I’m going to feel like the custodian of the program that Skip built, and all I want to do is make him proud.’ ”

Bertman was hired as LSU’s next athletic director.

What Ausberry will never forget about the opportunity was his first day on the job, Sept. 11, 2001. But on a day that sowed chaos across the country, Bertman remained focused on solving the tasks at hand.

“One thing about Skip, you couldn’t go to him and say, ‘This is the problem,’ ” Ausberry said. “He would always say, ‘How are we going to solve the problem?’

“He was a guy who just thought about, ‘Hey, how are we going to win?’ ” Under Bertman’s guidance, Ausberry learned almost everything he’d need to know for the position he now holds. Bertman placed him in various roles throughout the athletic department, including operations, game management, internal and external relations, multimedia rights and marketing promotions.

Bertman wasn’t afraid to make Ausberry uncomfortable in an effort to help him grow.

“He put us in positions where you’re a utility player,” Ausberry said. “I’m going to put you in some positions you’re uncomfortable with, but you got to get it done.”

Perhaps the biggest lesson

he learned from Bertman came in the art of interviewing coaches. Don’t waste their time or insult their intelligence. They coach at the highest level of collegiate sports for a reason.

“When I was working with hiring Lane Kiffin, that’s why the interview lasted an hour and 10 minutes,” Ausberry said. “You don’t sit there for four hours and ask a guy, ‘What offense are you going to run up, what’s your scheme?’ That came from Skip.”

Bertman’s success with hiring and developing coaches resulted in national championships, but, perhaps most importantly, ushered in a new era of LSU football.

Bertman’s work with Nick Saban delivered a national title in 2003 and created a blueprint of success that led to national championships in 2007 and 2019.

Saban and Bertman had a mutual respect for one another as type-A personalities and winners during Saban’s time in Baton Rouge, Ausberry said.

“They knew what it is to be a coach, what it is to compete,” Ausberry said.

“So when you’re young as a player, you don’t get it, and when you’re a young administrator, you don’t get it.

You don’t get it until you get older. What it takes to win in this conference in the SEC and win national championships. It’s not easy.”

After Bertman stepped down as athletic director in 2008, he continued to offer advice to Mainieri, who went on to win his own national championship at LSU in 2009. Oftentimes, they’d have lunch together at Mike Anderson’s in Baton Rouge.

By 2022, when Jay Johnson took over for Mainieri following his retirement, Bertman was still a largerthan-life figure within the program. During Johnson’s tenure, he spoke to the team on multiple occasions, met with players before games and offered advice to Johnson whenever he asked for it.

The most nervous Johnson has ever been as LSU’s coach was when he had to

call Bertman for the first time after he got the job.

“It was the man,” Johnson said, “the guy I held in the highest regard, and saw and viewed as the pinnacle of my profession.”

As recently as Tuesday, Bertman was asking Johnson about Logan Schmidt, a freshman left-handed pitcher who wound up at LSU despite getting picked in the second round by the Cleveland Guardians in the MLB Draft last month.

Bertman thought the world of Johnson, telling The Advocate back in February that Johnson was a “much, much, much better coach than I was.” When asked about it on Friday, Johnson chuckled before stating that he disagreed.

Before he died, Johnson and Ausberry met with Bertman on Thursday night. He was “in a situation fighting for his life,” but Ausberry still expected to have dinner with his neighbor of 26 years next weekend.

“You think, OK, it’s Skip Bertman,” Ausberry said.

“He’s going to be OK. He’s gonna wake up tomorrow and be better, and I’ll see you next week at dinner.

“He told us he loved us, and my boys are here. And we’re probably, other than his family, the last people he saw last night.”

Ausberry got the call at 1:30 a.m. on Friday that Bertman had died. As the sun came up that morning, and the news began to spread around Baton Rouge, the SEC and the nation, one constant truth remained at Alex Box Stadium.

It was Bertman leaning on the dugout railing, looming over a program, athletic department and university that he elevated to new heights.

“The first person that I think about, when I think about the state of Louisiana,” Johnson said, “is Skip Bertman.”

Email Koki Riley at koki. riley@theadvocate.com.

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter.

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Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges

Alleged shooter still faces state charges

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK, LARRY NEUMEISTER and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press

NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting matter-offactly that he trailed the executive to an investor conference and gunned him down on a New York City street in 2024.

Mangione, 28, said he made a gun with the aid of a 3D printer, traveled to New York and used a ruse — posing as an investor at a multibillion-dollar firm — to contact the company for details on the event.

“On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024,

CASE

Continued from page 1A

I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” Mangione told the Manhattan federal court, which he entered shackled at the feet but not handcuffed in his beige jail uniform.

Listening in the audience, Thompson’s wife, Paulette, took several deep breaths and repeatedly wiped tears from her eyes.

Prosecutors plan to seek a life prison term at Mangione’s sentencing, set for Dec. 18. When U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett asked whether he understood that he could spend the rest of his life behind bars, Mangione answered neutrally: “Yes.” In a statement, Thompson’s family called the plea “an important step toward justice” and noted

to go home, don’t make room for them on the elevator,” Clayton told the jury.

Defense tactics dead in his home in Maringouin. A couple of days later, the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested the Brooks siblings along with the 27-year-old Hicks.

Each of the defendants had their own defense attorney for the trial, and each provided conflicting stories about what happened in the case.

In his closing arguments earlier Friday, District Attorney Tony Clayton remained steadfast in the state’s belief that Rilonda Brooks was the mastermind behind the entire operation and referred to her as a serpent. He told members of the jury they would never be as close to three cold-blooded killers than they were in that courtroom.

“In order for you to believe that this lady is innocent, you would have to believe that (Sheriff) Brett Stassi, the FBI, the marshals, me and my office, my investigators, West Baton Rouge police, that we all got together and conspired to go get Rilonda Brooks,” Clayton said.

During the trial, the prosecution discussed Harris’ former employment with Rilonda Brooks’ trucking company, Hotshot Trucking. Allegedly, Brooks had shoved and injured Harris while on the job, and he planned to file a workplace injury lawsuit.

On Aug. 15, 2024, Baton Rouge injury law firm Dudley Debosier sent a letter to Rilonda Brooks stating that Harris would be suing her and her company for expenses related to his injury.

The Brooks siblings had received more than $4.9 million in December 2023 from a settlement with a trucking company in Beaumont after it was held responsible for an accident that killed their mother, according to court records.

Clayton alleged that those occurrences motivated Rilonda Brooks to plot the killing, involving the other defendants.

“When you go in to deliberate and when you finish deliberating and are ready

In his closing remarks, Daniels argued that Rilonda Brooks should not be responsible for the crime, because her brother may have been. He alleges David Brooks, Hicks and another man, Javadda Lewis, were the ones responsible for Harris’ death.

Lewis allegedly kept watch outside Harris’ home while Hicks pulled the trigger, and he was offered a plea deal by the prosecution in exchange for testifying.

Daniels argued that the case was simply a matter of trust and betrayal. He alleged the plan, the promise and the payment for the killing of Harris came exclusively from David Brooks.

“Miss Rilonda Brooks trusted her brother David Brooks not to commit a murder, not to commit a crime. And if he did, she never expected that someone would be trying to hold her accountable for it. He betrayed her trust,” Daniels said.

“Reasonable doubt is like gumbo. Everybody’s gumbo is different. Everybody doesn’t need the same reasonable doubt. You don’t have to explain your reasonable doubt. You’re entitled to your own reasonable doubt,” Daniels told jurors.

David Brooks’ attorney, Kathryn Jakupack, remained firm in her original narrative as well, that the only thing Brooks is guilty of is doing a little bit of drugs. She showed the jury a video of the drive that Lewis and Hicks took from Mississippi to Harris’ home the night of the killing.

Jakupack said one person was responsible for Harris’ death — Lewis. She asked the jury to see that the state had not proved that Brooks had an issue with Harris and wanted him dead.

She admitted that David Brooks made the mistake of throwing the gun that Lewis and Hicks gave him the morning of killing, on the edge of his property.

She argued, however, that he made the best decision he could given the worst of circumstances.

that Mangione still faces other cases, including a New York state murder prosecution. It carries the potential for a separate long sentence.

Mangione Federal prosecutors didn’t give Mangione any deal or incentive to plead guilty, they and his lawyers said. Nor did Mangione plead guilty to avoid a potential death sentence.

That possibility was taken off the table when a federal murder charge was tossed out this winter.

Mangione’s lawyers didn’t explain why he choose to plead guilty now, but after he entered the plea at Friday’s hastily scheduled hearing, they quickly sought to have the New York case thrown out

“He kept company with people that nobody should.

He panicked when a killer’s gun was pushed into his hands. He lied to the police because he was afraid.

Those are his sins, and he does. But not one of them is murder,” Jakupack concluded.

Finally, Hicks’ attorney, Victor Woods, said the only reason Hicks was on trial was because he trusted the wrong people. He kept the company of someone he knew before his stint in jail, and that car ride may very well put him behind bars for life.

Woods claimed the only person who had the contract to kill Harris was Lewis.

The only piece of evidence that connects Hicks directly to Harris’ death is his DNA on a pillowcase at the scene of the crime, and the only way to connect him to the crime is the everchanging storyline Lewis has given the jury, Woods said.

“Look at the evidence that’s presented. Don’t look at the man and judge the man. Judge the evidence, and if you do that, you have to return the verdict as not guilty,” Woods said.

Surprising testimony In a shocking turn of events, and against the advice of both of her defense attorneys, Rilonda Brooks took the stand to testify on her own behalf.

Defense attorney Franz N. Borghardt began by asking Brooks if she had any involvement in the murder of the Harris — to which she adamantly denied.

“I am disappointed in the act of the murder of Herman Harris,” Brooks said.

Brooks told the jury that the “body slam” that Clayton claimed Brooks did to Harris to cause the injury and subsequent lawsuit was merely a shove, done in response to Harris allegedly throwing coffee in her face.

Borghardt asked Brooks how involved her brother was with her trucking company, to which Rilonda said he was not involved at all.

She was repeatedly asked if she knew anything about the drugs her brother was allegedly selling, and also denied knowing anything.

on double jeopardy grounds. The state’s double jeopardy protections can kick in if a prior prosecution ends in a guilty plea.

“Mr. Mangione has accepted full responsibility for the death of Brian Thompson,” defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said outside court, arguing that her client shouldn’t face two prosecutions over a “single tragic event.”

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which is handling the state prosecution, said it remains committed to its case and would contest the defense’s efforts to shut it down.

Surveillance video of the ambush showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson, 50, from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase

CENTER

Continued from page 1A and expanding the center’s convention space.

Sound familiar?

Though formal planning began during former Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome‘s administration, talks of refurbishing the River Center and adding a hotel were ongoing when Spyridon last lived in Baton Rouge in the early 1990s.

Moving the needle on the project seems to be a challenge, though recent developments, including Visit Baton Rouge taking charge of the search for the center’s next management company, indicate some momentum building.

Spyridon is up for a twoyear consulting contract with the city-parish, earning $250,000 for the first year and $275,000 for the second, pending approval from the Metro Council later this month. With Visit Baton Rouge and Mayor-President Sid Edwards on board, Spyridon said he is optimistic.

“The potential is there,” Spyridon said. “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think the timing was right, the players are right.”

Missing pieces Work on redevelopment planning had lagged in the past due to the “culture of politics in Louisiana” and leadership turnover across the city draining momentum from the project, he said. The redevelopment has worked in tandem with that of a proposed new $400 million LSU arena, which has been stalled by issues with funding and the developer.

As part of that agreement, the city is limiting event attendees at the River Center to 3,500 to prevent competing with the new arena.

Spyridon said he supports that measure.

Excitement at the River Center mounted last month when the new owners of the Baton Rouge minor league hockey team announced the organization will return as the Kingfish, the beloved name of the franchise from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Spyridon said while the hockey games do generate revenue for the center,

used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

That detail — and revelations that Mangione’s private writings lambasted health insurers as greedy, according to authorities — made the case a fulcrum for debate about the industry and made Mangione a cause célèbre for some of its critics.

A University of Pennsylvania graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, Mangione told the court Friday that he pursued Thompson “after years of enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system and witnessing similar experiences of countless others.”

Friedman Agnifilo later said her client “believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life.”

the team’s standing in a lower-tier league won’t help the center become a first-class destination.

He said he thinks Visit Baton Rouge CEO Jill Kidder and Edwards’ personality and approach can bring parties together and move the redevelopment forward. Edwards is scheduled to host a news conference Monday regarding the River Center redevelopment.

Baton Rouge has strengths in its vibrant dining scene, LSU and the Manship Theatre, Spyridon said, but hospitality has not been a priority of the city. Spyridon referenced the “string of pearls” phrase of land-use attorney Charles Landry, who is working on the LSU arena project, referring to a goal to have a slew of attractions in the LSU-downtown area that spur foot traffic.

“It can and should happen,” he said of a successful string of pearls. “But it could fall on its face very easily if everybody’s not committed.”

With the string of pearls approach, Spyridon said tourists would not be the only people able to enjoy Baton Rouge’s future success.

He noted the New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July celebrations in Nashville that draw locals and many visitors.

“A local got a free vacation, world-class entertainment and got to enjoy their city,” he said. “We sold 20,000 or 30,000 hotel rooms too. So we can do both. If the locals want to come, then you know it will work for visitors.”

Building the roster

revenue. Spyridon said the developer should have a successful track record, bring in a well-known hotel brand with a strong sales and reservation system, be financially stable and have experience managing meeting facilities.

A timeline for the developer selection has not been set at the moment, he said.

“You want somebody that wants to invest in the city, not somebody that just wants to make money, take it and leave,” he said.

If the council rejects the contract, which also includes per diems of $300 for lodging and meals and $224 per trip for travel, he will work for free, he said. After retiring, he moved back to his hometown of Pascagoula, Mississippi, positioning himself close to Baton Rouge for occasional travel.

Bound to Baton Rouge Spyridon still keeps ties to Nashville, serving as the chair of Nashville Zoo’s Board of Directors and a member of the city’s Super Bowl 2030 Committee. What has kept him engaged with Baton Rouge are the relationships he maintained after moving and fond memories of the city, he said.

“His expertise is going to be vital in helping us move this,” Kidder said in an interview following a Visit Baton Rouge board meeting where the body authorized the agency to serve as interim management of the River Center.

According to Spyridon, synchronization of downtown and LSU redevelopments is key. The arena and convention center projects are occurring alongside hotel projects, notably the redevelopment and rebranding of The Belle of Baton Rouge to Bally’s Baton Rouge and the planned redevelopment of the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center into a Sports Illustrated Resort.

The River Center should be fit for celebrations — something Louisiana knows how to do well, he said.

“I think Baton Rouge can win and change its trajectory for their own future if this is done right,” he said.

Spyridon had a $60,000, six-month contract with the River Center Oversight Committee that expired last spring, where he helped select Chicago-based Hunden Partners as the city-parish’s representative in the project. He will help other project planners select a developer, finalize plans to redevelop the center and build a hotel and execute the plan.

Legends Global, the current management company for the River Center, has stabilized the venue, he said, and the whoever manages the center next needs to Email Ianne Salvosa share the vision of creating at ianne.salvosa@ a gathering place that drives theadvocate.com.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, August 15, 2026 ■ 5A

lll

Trump focuses on crime reduction as he boosts candidates in N.Y.

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — President Donald Trump highlighted his record on crime and safety during a visit to New York on Friday, pivoting to one of his strongest issues as he looks to boost Republicans in battleground races

QUALIFYING

Continued from page 1A progress we’ve made these past four years,” Martin said.

Martin and fellow incumbent Cliff Lewis, a Democrat, were both returned to office for a second term last week after no one qualified to run against them. Martin’s District 9 stretches from Bocage in the west to the Country Club of Louisiana in the east. Lewis’ District 5 stretches from LSU through Mid-City.

With Martin and Lewis reelected, seven active races remain. Twenty candidates have qualified to run for those seats.

Races in districts 1, 4 and 8 have two candidates each; they will be decided Nov. 3.

Races for districts 2, 3, 6 and 7 have multiple candidates; they may head to runoffs on Dec. 11.

Incumbents In four races, incumbents are seeking reelection: Carla Powell-Lewis, District 3; Shashonnie Steward, District 4; Nathan Rust, District 6; and Emily Soulé, District 8. Powell-Lewis, Steward and Rust are seeking second terms. Soulé is seeking her first full term on the board.

Powell-Lewis is the incumbent with the most competitors: three. Powell-Lewis, a high school civics teacherturned-educational consultant, is facing Thomasina Joseph, an environmental activist and school guidance clerk; Stephen “Stew-

Trump’s visit aimed at boosting Republicans in closely contested races across his home state, but just how much his presence will help is in question as he faces lagging approval ratings and a deeply unpopular war in Iran with no end in sight.

Trump briefly touched on the new crime statistics, but

before long he was returning to familiar attacking lines, calling his opponents “Radical left Democrats” and his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, “Sleepy Joe.” “We call them Dumbocrats now because their policies are so dumb. Fighting to defund the police.

Does that play well in this

room?” Trump said at one point, turning around to look at the officers behind him.

He criticized the state’s Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and insulted the state’s Attorney General, Letitia James, as “a real slob” and “a disgrace.”

James successfully sued the president and his companies for financial fraud.

who helped persuade Baton Rouge schools to begin shifting to new start times, especially later starts for teenagers so they can be more rested. She works as a physical therapist and has two school-age children.

The lone Democrat running in District 7 is Chris Spalatin, managing director at Adds Up Consulting. Spalatin has two school-age children. He spent three years as senior manager of small Open seats business and entrepreneurThree of the seven active ship building at the Baton races are for open seats. Rouge Area Chamber, now They are in districts 1, 2 and called Greater Baton Rouge 7. They are currently held by Economic Partnership.

Mark Bellue, Dadrius Lanus and Mike Gaudet, respec- New maps tively. Bellue is finishing his This fall’s election will difthird term and, thanks to fer notably from 2022 beterm limits, can’t run again. cause of new maps for the Lanus and Gaudet opted not School Board. They were apto seek third terms. proved in May 2022, but were No Republicans quali- held up by a court challenge fied to run in districts 2, 3, that has since ended. They 4 and 5, districts long held were designed to maintain a

by Black Democrats. Dis- White majority on the board, tricts 1, 7 and 8, though, are with five White members and historically competitive for four Black members.

District 1 is ground zero Democrats.

Four years ago, District 7 for that proposition.

In the 2022 race, Bainguel was a near miss for Democrats. Michael Vincent is came within inches of ousttrying to hold this open seat ing incumbent Bellue, who for Republicans. He works has represented the area as a chemist at Skyfall Bio- since 2015.

While better known now, logical in Geismar. An 11thgeneration Louisianan, Vin- Bainguel has a steeper decent moved to Baton Rouge mographic hill to climb. To for grad school, earning a win, she likely will need to doctorate in chemistry. increase her support from Hannah Amoroso is Vin- White voters. The new maps cent’s most prominent op- increased the White share of ponent. She is not regis- registered votes in District 1 tered with a political party. from 50.7% to 54.9%, while One of the first candidates reducing the Black share to announce, Amoroso is from 39.2% to 34.7%.

And Bainguel, a licensed a longtime parent activist

mental health therapist, is not facing an incumbent this time. Her opponent is Megan Garretson, owner of Young Scholars Academy, a childcare center in Baton Rouge.

Garretson, who is White and Republican, has been active in helping to set early childhood education policy in the state. She currently serves as president of the Louisiana Association for the Education of Young Children.

Both Bainguel and Garretson are mothers of schoolage children.

2024 as principal of Glen Oaks High.

By contrast, candidate Tristan George is just starting his educational and political career, and he is off to a fast start. Working in Zachary, George was the teacher of the year in 2023 for his school, Northwestern Middle, and went on to become a finalist for the “New Teacher of the Year” for the whole state. He recently returned to Clinton to teach at his alma mater, East Feliciana Parish High.

In the civic and political world, George has been busy. Among other things, he has joined the board for the Capital Park Museum, served as a mentor with the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, and has served as secretary of the Baton Rouge branch of the NAACP. In District 4, Jackson is in a rematch against incumbent Steward. Four years ago, Steward beat a field of three. Jackson earned 25% of the vote, failing to make a runoff. A veteran educator, with 10 years of experience working in East Baton Rouge Parish schools, Jackson is currently a high school civics teacher at University View Academy.

Steward is the owner of Redstick Rehabilitative & Correction Services and recently earned a law degree from Southern University.

For the past two years, she has served as president of the School Board.

ahead of the November midterms.

Tr u m p was visiting the Nassau County police acadTrump emy in suburban Long Island, where he was expected to promote new FBI

crime statistics being released Friday showing a decrease in violent crime for 2025. But despite the setting and an array of uniformed local police officers behind him on stage, the event was overwhelmingly a political one, with Trump lashing Democrats and promoting his record and his party’s candidates.

art” Stewart, a former high school teacher; and Eugene “Rico” Williams III, who ran unsuccessfully for Metro Council in 2020. All four are Black. Stewart is registered as “No Party,” while the other three are Democrats.

The district stretches from Scotlandville to Downtown.

Soulé is the newest member of the board. She ended the brief period of Democratic control in March 2025 when she won the District 8 seat back for Republicans, defeating retired Unitarian Church minister Steve Crump by a margin of 55% to 45%. District 8 is partially in Baton Rouge, partially in St. George.

Soulé, family ministries director at Grace Life Fellowship, replaced Katie Kennison, a Democrat who served on the board for eight months before resigning.

Soulé is now facing Melissa “Dani” Altazin. Both are White and mothers of three school-age children.

Altazin, a Democrat, is vice president of the parentteacher organization at a Baton Rouge magnet school.

She has been active in St. George politics, co-founding PULSE — People United to Lead St. George Engagement. PULSE led the successful campaign to defeat the statewide referendum in May that would have created a St. George school district.

Rust’s District 6 is difficult terrain for Democrats. The district is entirely within St. George, and 45% of its registered voters are Republicans, the highest rate on the board.

That partisan tilt has not stopped Rust, owner of Pres-

tigious Painting, from drawing two challengers. Nicole Fitzgerald, who is running as “No Party,” is a former Spanish teacher at Westdale Middle School. Tristan Yperman is running as a Democrat; she has worked in construction management and as an emergency medical technician.

All three District 6 candidates have school-age children.

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Trying again

Like Bainguel, Vereta Lee in District 2 and Tebbe Jackson in District 4 ran unsuccessfully for those seats in 2022 but are trying again.

This is Lee’s third try to win back the North Baton Rouge school board seat she held from 2007 to 2018. Lee was defeated in 2018 by Lanus and lost a 2022 rematch.

She is a former elementary teacher who later worked as school administrator in Baker and in St. Helena Parish.

With Lanus not running again, District 2 is an open seat, and Lee has three other candidates vying with her to claim it.

Two of the candidates are also veteran educators.

Edna Buchanan is a science teacher who spent many years teaching at Belaire and Glen Oaks high schools before retiring in 2020. Meanwhile, Robert Signater Sr. spent most of his career as a football coach, with long stints lead- Email Charles Lussier at ing Clinton and McKinley clussier@theadvocate. high schools. He retired in com.

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6A ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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TODAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Sunshine and toasty conditions

An afternoon t-storm in spots

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Hot; a p.m. thunderstorm

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Partly sunny

HIGH

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98° 76°

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98° 76°

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99° 77°

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

Beaumont 95/75 Port Arthur 95/75

Hattiesburg 102/76

Alexandria 100/75 Baton Rouge 98/76

Lafayette 96/76 Lake Charles 96/77

10s

20s

30s

Houma 96/75

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YESTERDAY

60s

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80s

HIGH

6:31 a.m.

7:47 p.m.

9:30 a.m.

9:32 p.m.

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AUG 19

AUG 27

SEP 4

SEP 10

City

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

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

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

11:39p 8:48a 7:01a 8:58a 1:43p 12:38p 2:51p

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

90s 100s 110s

PRECIPITATION

97°/74° 93°/74° 96°/75° 102° in 2023 59° in 2004

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

New Orleans 96/79

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

0s

LOW

95° 75°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 101/75

Many 98/73

LOW

Baton Rouge through 5 p.m. Friday

Longview 102/76

-0s

98° 77°

Monroe 102/77

Shreveport 101/76

-10s

LOW

The heat will continue to be our biggest issue with the weather today and all weekend. In fact, all of Baton Rouge is under an Extreme Heat Warning because heat index values could rise to 115 degrees or higher while the actual temperatures are in the mid- to upper 90s. There is also an Extreme Heat Watch in effect for Sunday. There are two invest areas in the Atlantic, neither of which is a threat to Louisiana. Stay hydrated, take breaks and wear your sunscreen.

Hi

TODAY

96 101 78 95 81 101 85 99 96

Lo

76 77 63 76 73 81 59 75 80

W

t pc s t t s t s s

Hi

SUN.

97 102 79 96 85 103 84 99 99

Lo

77 74 66 77 68 81 60 76 84

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t s pc t t s t s pc

FT.

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0.00” 0.73” 2.69” 42.22” 39.78”

FT.

HIGH

0.4 8:39a 0.2 0.9 1:05a 0.4 1.6 11:12a 0.9 1.5 2:18a 0.6 0.9 8:39p 0.7 1.0 6:48p 0.7 1.0 9:41p 0.8

MODERATE

READING 79 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

FT.

LOW

FLOOD

FT.

--- ----- --5:42p 1.1 12:13p 0.8 6:50p 1.6 11:15p 0.7 8:42p 1.4 2:48p 0.9 --- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---

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 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

City

1:52a 2:43a 3:34a 4:23a 5:12a 6:01a 6:49a

Hi

Los Angeles 83 Miami 93 Nashville 100 New york City 82 Philadelphia 89 Phoenix 105 St. Louis 97 San Francisco 70 Seattle 77

8:04a 8:55a 9:45a 10:35a 11:24a 12:13p 12:36a

TODAY Lo

67 81 76 68 72 87 78 58 57

2:15p 8:26p 3:06p 9:17p 3:56p 10:08p 4:47p 10:58p 5:36p 11:48p 6:25p ---7:14p 1:01p

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pc pc s s s pc t pc pc

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MODERATE

Hi

85 94 102 78 79 108 92 71 80

SUN. Lo

67 80 77 71 71 87 74 60 57

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

W

s pc s t t s t pc pc

FRI.

24-HOUR

MISSISSIPPI STAGE STAGE CHANGE Memphis 34 1.30 -0.30 Vidalia-Natchez 48 18.40 +0.23 Red River Landing 48 21.10 +0.20 Baton Rouge 35 7.70 -0.10 Donaldsonville 27 4.20 +0.10 Reserve 22 3.84 -0.22 New Orleans 17 2.60 +0.19 OHIO Cairo 40 17.99 +1.10 COMITE Near Olive 19 -1.64 -0.05 AMITE Near Darlington 18 -1.20 -0.01 Denham Springs 29 10.04 -0.07 Port Vincent 8 1.34 -0.41 TICKFAW Montpelier 13 2.51 -0.02 Holden 15 0.83 -0.01 ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport 47 7.54 +0.09 Melville 34 4.87 -0.11 Krotz Springs 29 3.73 -0.09 Butte La Rose 20 3.85 -0.16 Bayou Sorrel 12 2.90 +0.10 Morgan City 6 2.36 -0.16

data as of 7 a.m. Friday

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

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Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coverage for their entire working life, through employer-provided benefits. When those benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to put off or even go without care.

Simply put — without dental insurance, there may be an important gap in your healthcare coverage.

When you’re comparing plans ...  Look for coverage that helps pay for major services. Some plans may limit the number of procedures — or pay for preventive care only.  Look for coverage with no deductibles. Some plans may require you to pay hundreds out of pocket before benefits are paid.  Shop for coverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits. Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

Medicare doesn’t pay for dental care.1

Previous dental work can wear out.

That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meant to cover everything. That means if you want protection, you need to purchase individual insurance.

Even if you’ve had quality dental work in the past, you shouldn’t take your dental health for granted. In fact, your odds of having a dental problem only go up as you age.2

Early detection can prevent small problems from becoming expensive ones.

The best way to prevent large dental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkups twice a year.

Treatment is expensive — especially the services people over 50 often need.

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1 “Medicare & You,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2025. 2 “Aging changes in teeth and gums”, medlineplus.gov, 4/17/2022. 3 FairHealth, Inc. National average dental fees. Data current as of July 2025; subject to change.

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St. George plans to launch Uber program 50% off rides to be offered within city limits

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

The city of St. George is preparing to launch a $550,000 program with Uber to give riders 50% off rides within city limits.

St. George hopes to launch an Uber Rideshare Pilot Program by the end of the year. It’s a proposed initiative that would last at least one year and would provide dis-

counted rides and capture data to inform the city where residents need transportation, according to the city’s proposal.

The pilot program will be funded

by St. George and the Uber Transit Innovation Fund. The city has budgeted $500,000 for the program and received an additional $50,000 grant from Uber, according to a St. George spokesperson.

There is a public meeting sched-

uled for 5 p.m. Aug. 19 to discuss the program, council member Drew Murrell said.

Eligible trips will generally have to begin and end in city limits; exceptions are anticipated for trips to and from locations associated with Woman’s Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge General Medical Center and Ochsner Health Center-O’Neal.

The pilot program in St. George

is currently projected to serve approximately 1,500 to 2,000 riders.

Participants would be able to receive up to 10 subsidized rides per month.

“That is St. George changing the face of public transportation in this parish,” Murrell said Tuesday about the program.

This program is modeled after similar programs in several Texas cities. Cedar Park and Kyle, two suburban cities outside Austin, both offer discounts for riding within city limits.

Lizzie Pittinger, Uber public policy senior associate, said in a statement Friday that Uber is thrilled to partner with St. George.

“As a recipient of Uber’s inaugural Transit Innovation Fund, St. George is demonstrating how cities can embrace new approaches to meet local transportation needs and bring innovative public transit solutions to life,” Pittinger said.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@theadvocate. com.

Rape trial on hold for 30 days

Judge grants delay in Madison Brooks case

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

LSU freshman McKenzie Williams moves into a dormitory building on Friday.

STAFF PHOTOS By PEARL SPURLOCK

TIGERS ON THE MOVE Incoming freshmen at LSU got their chance to move into the dorms and see where they were going to spend their first semester on Friday.

Move-in continues this weekend for freshmen, who will attend Welcome Week on Monday, which is five days of orientation and activities. Second-year and above students move in on Friday.

Prosecutors with the Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office sex crimes section on Friday successfully delayed trial against one of the men accused of raping LSU student Madison Brooks, over complaints that the suspect’s defense team was filing last-minute motions.

Judge Gail Horne Ray granted the Brooks motion Friday, extending the case against 21-yearold Desmond Carter until Sept. 17, when a motions hearing date will be held. Carter is charged with both first- and third-degree rape, and faces life in prison if convicted of the first-degree rape charge.

The opening of Carter’s trial was scheduled for Monday.

ä See TRIAL, page 2B

ASCENSION PARISH

LSU freshman Skila Hoffield moves onto campus on Friday.

Officials weigh overlay zoning plans Growth anticipated in Donaldsonville

Assumption man arrested in beating death of 3-year-old A man arrested in the death of a 3-year-old girl fatally beat her during potty training at his Belle Rose home where he was watching CRIME several children, to the BLOTTER according Assumption Parstaff ish Sheriff’s Ofreports fice.

The girl and her twin sister were the youngest of the children at the home on La. 308, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lonny Cavalier said Friday.

Cavalier said the Louisiana Department of Child and Family Services has been alerted to the

situation.

Bernard “JR” Fleander, 26, of Belle Rose, was booked into the Assumption Parish jail on Thursday on a count of first-degree murder.

Fleander had one of the older children at the home drive him and the injured child, who was unresponsive, to the Assumption Community Hospital in Napoleonville shortly after 3 a.m.

Thursday, Cavalier said.

Medical personnel conducted lifesaving measures on the girl, but she was pronounced dead a short time later, Cavalier said.

After a forensic autopsy was performed, the death was classi-

fied as a homicide. indecent behavior of juveniles.

The girl had massive bleeding, According to the arrest affidaas well as internal and head inju- vit, Parms admitted to sending money to a 16-year-old — even ries, Cavalier said. though he knew her age — for goods such as food, cigars and rent.

The girl told police that Parms The man accused of killing knew she and her family were 15-year-old Ja’Derrius Minnie- struggling for money. He would weather in June now is facing make sexual comments toward charges involving sex crimes her and continue to supply monwith juveniles, as the search con- ey if she did the sexual acts he tinues for the boy’s body in the requested, police said.

The teen told police they met Baton Rouge landfill.

Maurice Parms, 51, has been when she was 15. She described charged with counts of second- to police three instances when degree rape, trafficking of chilä See BLOTTER, page 2B dren for sexual purposes and

Man faces new charge of raping minor

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

As Ascension Parish prepares for growth on its west bank due to industry expansion, officials are considering an overlay to guide new housing and commercial development.

The Parish Planning Commission heard an update Wednesday on a proposed development overlay for areas surrounding the future extension of La. 3127, which will extend the road’s corridor from St. James Parish into the Donaldsonville area, adding a new four-lane divided highway and a bridge over Bayou Lafourche.

The overlay would add another layer of development standards and voluntary bonuses on top of existing

ä See ZONING, page 2B

2B ■ Saturday, August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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St. Vincent de Paul New Orleans officials heat relief assess three NORD parks toCoolingoffer centers to Mayor Moreno vows improved maintenance amid complaints

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

The sun beamed over Joe W. Brown Park in New Orleans East on Friday as Mayor Helena Moreno, her staff and dozens of residents toured the park’s massive grounds.

The group entered one of Joe Brown’s shelters, where a black trash bag and a Bible covered a nonworking toilet. Nearby, a playground area had tattered benches.

And concrete barricades barred public access over a bridge to the other side of the park that the state is working to replace.

“When it comes to NORD, we’ve been hearing for quite some time of the necessity for improved maintenance,” the mayor said.

“And honestly … I don’t see changes happening fast enough.”

Joe Brown was the first of three parks city officials assessed Friday in response to resident complaints around deferred maintenance, one of many issues facing the New Orleans Recreation and Development Commission.

Residents and park advocates have complained about grass overgrowth, clogged lagoons and

a seeming lack of urgency by the New Orleans Recreation and Development Commission in addressing the issues. Friday’s tours were meant to give city officials a firsthand look at those problems so they might find solutions.

Eva Washington, a member of the park’s advocacy group Friends of Joe W. Brown Park, said they’ve been reporting issues to NORD since 2021, and many have gone unfixed.

“I love that this happened. I’m grateful that they came out, and hopefully they can address issues at all of the parks,” she said.

Changes to come

with NORD, which manages over 160 public parks, playgrounds and recreation centers across the city.

“We’re a part of this park every day. We know the issues more than NORD and we’re invested,” he said.

The mayor asked to organize an internal working group earlier this year to come up with a series of other fixes. The city eventually aims to combine NORD’s workforce with the city’s Department of Parks and Parkways and to address park safety and environmental concerns.

“My goal has always been to create as many opportunities for our youth and as many recreational opportunities here in the city of New Orleans,” Moreno said.

The mayor has also overhauled the NORD board, which aims this fall to appoint a leader to replace former CEO Larry Barabino Jr. Applications for that job are due to the agency on Monday.

Moreno said she wants to expand NORD’s partnerships and its youth programs. She also wants to improve coordination and communication between NORD and city departments to address issues, such as the invasive tree situation.

“If (Parks and Parkways) would have known that earlier, they could’ve taken care of it earlier.

Now it’s a really significant situation,” the mayor said.

Moreno said most of the issues she spotted Friday appear to be cosmetic fixes that the city, with support from NORD’s fundraising arm, the NORD Foundation, can handle.

On Friday, neatly cut grass filled Joe Brown, Samson Playground in the Desire neighborhood and Bodenger Playground in Algiers.

Officials noted invasive plants along the fences at Joe Brown that will require removal, which the New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways can do now that they are aware, Moreno said.

At Sampson, in front of a playground set that featured chipped paint and a faded slide, community advocate Karl Washington spoke of the park’s significance to the community and the need Email Joni Hess at joni.hess@ for a better working relationship theadvocate.com.

Lafayette town hall gets heated Congressman Higgins calls for unity during Crowley meeting

One of the first contentious exchanges centered on glyphosate, a widely used herbicide.

A Trump-ordered executive action earlier this year granted limited legal immunity to glyphosate manufacturers and labeled them as essential for national security.

Higgins said he has personal conBY JOEL THOMPSON cerns about glyphosate but does Staff writer not believe the federal governCongressman Clay Higgins, ment should prohibit its use.

“American crops are the most R-Lafayette, opened a Crowley town hall Thursday with a call for heavily regulated crops in the Americans to respect one another world,” Higgins said. “I don’t think you’ll find a farmer here despite political disagreewho’s OK with taking ments. away glyphosate.”

The meeting did not stay Higgins repeatedly arthat way for long.

Questions about glyphogued that government regulation and intervensate, environmental regution should be limited, exlations, SpaceX and the Epstein files led to heated pressing support for abolexchanges, including one ishing the Department of in which Higgins, R-La- Higgins Education and saying that, in his view, the decline of fayette, told a constituent he would personally carry him out American public schools began with federally mandated school of the building.

Donning a T-shirt featuring desegregation through busing in himself alongside President Don- the 1970s.

Higgins returned to his antiald Trump with the caption “WINNING,” Higgins told the crowd intervention stance during an exthat political disagreements need change on the suspension of mulnot prevent Americans from re- tiple state-level environmental regulations ahead of speculation specting one another.

“I don’t think America hates it- about a possible SpaceX facility in self. We’re going through an era of Vermilion Parish.

“The governor has every right to disagreement,” he said. “So what?

We can respect each other and I rescind unnecessary bureaucratthink most of us do.” ic obstacles,” he told the crowd.

“Elon loves Louisiana. He’s quite an ecologically concerned man.

There’s no way he or I are going to allow something ecologically damaging to move forward.”

The Epstein files Higgins was the lone vote against the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed the House of Representatives last fall by a vote of 427-1.

“Congress overrode 200 years of criminal justice procedure. It’s my job to support the rights of the 800 or so victims who didn’t agree to have their name unredacted,” Higgins said in response to a constituent’s question about why he voted against the widely popular measure. “I was the lone congressman with the conviction to vote his conscience. Many congressmen told me afterward they wished they had voted with me.”

However, when pressed, Higgins declined to name any such members of Congress, saying that it was up to them whether they would ever indicate that view.

The town hall was also attended by one of five candidates challenging Higgins in the November election, Democratic candidate John Day, who questioned Higgins about whether there were any issues that would prompt Higgins to break from Trump. Higgins said personal conviction guides his political decisions.

Police seek woman in alleged stolen valor case

BY BRIAN McCALLUM Staff writer

A woman Shreveport Police investigators believe used a fake military ID card is wanted on suspicion of fraudulently taking $8,500 from a bank.

Shreveport Police are seeking the unnamed woman and have released a surveillance photo taken on July 15 when she allegedly used the identification of someone else to make a withdrawal at

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B Parms had sex with her.

Parms is facing these new charges nearly two months after he was arrested in connection with Minnieweather’s death. Parms allegedly dumped the teen’s body in a dumpster on June 5 and was arrested June 20.

Officials are now in week five of searching for Minnieweather’s body in the Baton Rouge Landfill in Zachary. BRPD Police Chief TJ Morse said Tuesday he is “1,000% positive” the body is in the

a Youree Drive bank branch.

According to police, the ID bore a photo of the victim, and a cash withdrawal was made in that person’s name.

Victims eventually discovered the withdrawal had been made without authorization and reported the offense.

In a news release, police said detectives were troubled by the alleged use of a fraudulent military ID. “Men and women who serve in

the United States Armed Forces earn that distinction through sacrifice, commitment, and service.

Using the appearance of military service as a tool to facilitate fraud is a particularly disgraceful form of deception,” the release stated.

Anyone having any information about the incident can call the Shreveport Police Department at (318) 673-7300 or CaddoBossier Crime Stoppers at (318) 673-7373.

landfill.

Parms faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.

vit, the Baton Rouge Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire that appeared to be intentional on Monday in the 12300 block of East Brock Place. A witness stated they saw her pour lighter fluid in a hallway and light it on fire. She said Griffin was allegedly upset with her sister, which led her to start the fire.

A second witness said they saw Griffin light the fire in the hallway before breaking multiple windows and kicking an air conditioning unit through the window.

Griffin said she started the fire because she was upset that people on Snapchat were making fun of her, fire officials said.

17-year-old Baton Rouge girl accused of arson A 17-year-old was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly setting a house on fire because she was upset with her sister and social media.

Cedrika Griffin, 17, was booked in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on a $51,000 bond for aggravated arson and simple criminal damage to property.

According to the arrest affida-

open this weekend

Staff report St. Vincent de Paul will open two “cooling centers” this weekend and into next week for those in need, as a heat wave continues to bake Baton Rouge, the nonprofit said Friday.

Highs in the upper 90s are predicted to continue through Thursday, according to the seven-day National Weather Service forecast.

One of St. Vincent de Paul’s cooling centers will operate from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 1623 Convention St.; the entrance

TRIAL

Continued from page 1B

is at the gate in the back alley.

The second cooling center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at St. Vincent de Paul’s “One Stop” site at 153 North 17th St. St. Vincent de Paul said the cooling centers are activated when temperatures reach 95 degrees and the heat index is 101 degrees or higher.

The centers “provide relief for people who may be especially vulnerable to extreme heat, including individuals experiencing homelessness, older adults, people with medical conditions and anyone without access for a safe, air-conditioned place,” St. Vincent de Paul said in a statement.

date all of the defense counsels’ requests, and meet the court’s orders within 36 hours, which were the circumstances this week.”

Cardia-Porter also requested the defense’s recent pretrial motions be denied as untimely.

The last two weeks have seen several hearings held over pretrial motions as Carter’s original trial date neared, including over a motion from the defense to limit displays of pink clothing in support of Brooks and clothing depicting her.

Ray granted that request in part, allowing pink clothing in the courtroom but excluding any depictions of Brooks.

Previous pretrial motions have included requests from the defense to drop Carter’s first-degree rape charge due to being unconstitutionally vague and to include evidence related to Brooks’ sexual partners.

Carter, alongside three other men, is accused of raping Brooks, a 19-year-old LSU student, in 2023, after which she was fatally hit by a car.

Carter’s defense objected to the extension and said they will seek an appeal of Ray’s decision.

In a motion to delay trial filed Thursday afternoon, Assistant District Attorney Sonya CardiaPorter complained that Carter’s defense team had filed seven pretrial motions seven days out from the beginning of trial.

Those motions include attempts from the defense to exclude a toxicologist, exclude evidence related to Brooks’ death, exclude drone footage and limit the prosecution’s use of the term “victim.”

In her motion, Cardia-Porter characterizes the defense as attempting to litigate the case through “trial-by-ambush.” “(Defense) would rather the State spend every possible moment responding to their lastminute motions rather than prepare for trial,” Cardia-Porter’s motion states. “The State cannot respond to eight substantive mo- Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. tions, prepare for trial, accommo- coffman@theadvocate.com.

ZONING

Continued from page 1B

bigger sewer lines that can accommodate large subdivisions and 55plus communities.

For example, a developer whose property is otherwise limited by its underlying zoning regulations could voluntarily provide benefits and potentially build at a higher density, thereby selling more houses.

Fournier said developers could choose whether to participate.

Those who do not would remain subject to the property’s existing zoning regulations.

Several commissioners questioned whether allowing seven homes per acre would create too much density.

Gleason said the proposal remains a draft and could be changed based on feedback.

“If we need to back off the density, and back off of the community benefits, it’s in draft form so we can do that,” Gleason said.

In addition to density incentives, Gleason said the overlay has design standards for commercial development near neighborhoods, prohibits new heavy industrial uses throughout the overlay and preserves large expanses of rural areas. She said some of the design standards would include landscaping, lighting, parking and signage.

zoning regulations. It would guide future residential and commercial development while establishing areas for conservation and protecting portions of the west bank’s rural character.

The overlay would include three sectors: a conservation subdivision district, residential and commercial areas. It would not replace underlying zoning regulations.

The proposal is the next step in creating ordinances, following the commission’s unanimous approval in September 2025 of a resolution that incorporates the 2025 West Bank Small Area Plan into the parish’s 2019 Master Land Use Plan as an update and supplement.

Former Planning Director Jerome Fournier and Maggie Gleason, an urban planner at Bayou Rouge Environmental and Planning, presented the latest plans Wednesday.

Gleason said an open house will be held at the end of August for community input and review. She said final draft plans will be made after the open house. From there, the commission will vote to recommend the plan to the council, which will have the ultimate deci- New industry sion. She said she hopes to have a The growth is expected ahead council review by September or of construction of Hyundai’s $5.8 October. million steel mill. The mill will supply Hyundai Motor Group’s Residential development automotive plants and other One of the key components of original equipment manufacturthe overlay is voluntary incen- ers across the U.S. with the goal tives for landowners and develop- of having every Hyundai vehicle ers who want to build major sub- assembled in America made from steel produced in Donaldsonville. divisions.

The plant will sit on a 1,700-acre Gleason noted that no new housing developments have been built site in the RiverPlex Mega Park. on the west bank of Ascension Par- It is expected to bring roughly ish since the 1970s. There are an 1,300 new permanent jobs, 4,800 estimated 4,024 total housing units peak construction jobs and 4,100 in the west bank, 591 of which are indirect jobs. Construction on the vacant, according to the overlay facility is set to be completed in 2029. draft plan.

Signs of growth have already Under the draft plan, developers could legally build more homes begun economically in downtown per acre if they also provide a Donaldsonville. In the past year, community benefit, with devel- local and international investors opments containing five, six, or have purchased and renovated seven homes per acre. Gleason multiple historic buildings. said that during the early phases of planning, surveys revealed that community members wanted LOTTERY higher density subdivisions.

The more homes a developer THURSDAY, AUG. 13, 2026 commits to building, the more PICK 3: 5-5-8 community benefits it must proPICK 4: 6-0-7-8 vide.

PICK 5: 0-0-8-5-6 Benefits would include things like regional detention, which is a Unofficial notification, keep your tickets. stormwater management system,

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, August 15, 2026 ■ 3B

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4B ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

Funerals Today Chapple, Albert

Broadmoor United Church, 10230 Mollylea Dr., Baton Rouge, LA at noon.

Courtney, Gerald

Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Hwy. Baton Rouge, LA at 11am.

Jefferson, Arthur

Winnfield Funeral Home, 7221 Plank Rd., Baton Rouge, LA at 10am.

Jenkins, Melvin

Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church, Baton Rouge at 11:00am.

Marionneaux, Eugene

Charlet Funeral Home, 4230 High Street, Zachary at 3:00pm.

Mars Jr., Johnny

Camphor United Methodist Church, 8742 Scenic Hwy., Baton Rouge at 11:00am.

Odom, James

First Baptist Church, Jackson at Noon.

Rodrigue, Leslie

St. Philip Catholic Church, Vacherie at 12:30pm.

Obituaries Andersen, Clara Stuart

Clara Stuart Andersen, age 94, died peacefully on July 25, 2026, in her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was born on December 20, 1931, the sixth of seven children of Walter Bynum Stuart and Rosa Gautreaux Stuart.

She attended local schools and graduated from Baton Rouge High School in 1948. In 1951 she married Paul K. Andersen, an Iowa native and electrical engineer at Humble Oil (now Exxon Mobil).

In 1960 she was the mother of three young children when her older daughter's school asked her to lead a Camp Fire Girls group. Though initially hesitant, she agreed.

This new role was the start of her long voluntary career and her interest in informal education and lifelong learning. She led her younger daughter's Camp Fire group through high school. She was later elected to the local council's board and asked to head their volunteer development efforts. Clara continued this work at the national level as a volunteer representative of Camp Fire, leading training workshops and advising councils in three states until the mid-1980s.

In 1988 she joined a group of women who were career and life-planning consultants to conduct workshops aimed at helping others find a path for-

ward in their lives during periods of uncertainty and indecision. She said she was drawn to this project because of her own past struggles, including a serious depression following the birth of her third child.

She later wrote that sharing her experience and knowledge to help other women was deeply meaningful to her.

Although she was unable to pursue formal higher education, Clara was intellectually curious and an avid reader of philosophy, psychology, and faith and spirituality. At St. James Place she participated in a creative writing group. She described herself as a lifelong "student of life."

Her family was central to her life. She and Paul were married for 70 years and often said their family was their greatest achievement. Clara was a loving mother and grandmother, who wanted her children to be self-reliant and caring adults. Her family and friends enjoyed her gracious hospitality and good cooking. They also knew they could always find in her a sympathetic ear.

Clara was a long-time member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church. After Paul converted to Catholicism in 1986, they volunteered for 20 years as peer counselors for Retrouvaille, a program to help couples struggling with their marriage. It was a shared experience they later said strengthened their own marriage.

In her last years, she faced the challenges of physical decline with great courage and never lost her warm smile. She will be greatly missed.

Clara is survived by her three children and their spouses: Kathleen Stuart Andersen (Daniel M. Fox), Richard Paul Andersen (Martha Hebert Andersen), and Susan Andersen Staub (Jack G. Staub); six grandchildren; and nine greatgrandchildren. She is also survived by her brother Robert M. Stuart and her nieces and nephews. The family is enormously grateful to the staffs of St. James Place and The Hospice of Baton Rouge for their kindness and care.

Visitation will be on Monday, August 17, 2026, at St. Aloysius Church, 2025 Stuart Ave., from 9:30 a.m. until the Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in honor of Clara S. Andersen to St. Aloysius Church or to a favorite charity.

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Clark, Marvin Jerome

Marvin Jerome Clark (67 year old, native of Baton Rouge) entered into his rest on Friday, August 7, 2026.

He was a minister, Gospel songwriter, praise & worship leader, author & musician.

He had a steady focus on preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, a burning desire to go to heaven, anointed music, and deep love for his family especially his beloved wife, Robin White Clark, of 39 years.

He is survived by his wife; sons: Terry Odds (Aisha), Stephen Clark (Megan), and Shawn Clark; three sisters, two brothers, & three grandchildren.

Mars Jr., Johnny

Nicolle Jones Brumfield (Reginal), all of Baton Rouge, LA, Terrance Higgins (Dr. Traycee Allen) and Kia Higgins, Esq.,both of Chicago, IL, Stanesha Mars, New Orleans,LA,two great-grandchildren; Tre'Mont Higgins and Tahiru Mohammend, Chicago, IL., one sister, Mattie Mars Green (Louis),Gloster, MS,two brothers, Willie Earl Mars (Wanda), Houston,TX and Edward Mars, Oakland, CA,seven sistersin-law, Marie Jackson Dillon, Joyce Jackson Washington, and Shirley Jacksonm all of Baton Rouge, LA, Celia Jackson Suggs (Maurice), Richmond,VA, Dr. Brenda Jackson, Gloster,MS, and Willie Alma Royal Jackson, Centreville,MS, one brother-nlaw; Nero Jackson (Lula), Ruleville, MS, and a host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends. A visitation will be held from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on 202608-14 at HALL DAVIS & SON FUNERAL SERVICE, 9348 Scenic Hwy. A visitation will be held from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 2026-08-15 at Camphor Memorial United Methodist Churc, 8742 Scenic Highway.

A celebration of life will be held from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM on 2026-08-15 at CAMPHOR MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 8742 Scenic Highway.

Johnny Mars, Jr. departed his earthly life peacefully on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at the age of 91 at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana surrounded by his loving family.

Johnny was born May 3, 1935, in Woodville, Mississippi. He was the second child born to the late Johnny Mars, Sr. and Idella Myles Mars.

Johnny relocated his family to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and quickly began his work life at Louisiana Agriculture Supply. He later accepted a position as process operator with Exxon Resin USA. He remained at Exxon for 27 years as a loyal, dedicated, and dependable employee until he took his well-deserved retirement.

Johnny enjoyed music and especially gospel and blues when playing his guitar.

He leaves to cherish his loving memory, one devoted son, Thomas Royal Mars (Dell), Baton Rouge,LA , two loving daughters; Zan Mars Jones (Reginald) Mobile, AL, Deborah Higgins (Terrylon), Chicago, IL,six grandchildren; Thomas Royal Mars,II,U.S.Navy, Kaitlin Alexis Mars and Ashton

Russell, Thomas Leroy 'Tommy'

Thomas "Tommy" LeRoy Russell, Jr., 73, of Zachary, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on August 9, 2026, with his wife of 54 years, Brenda, by his side.

Born in Baton Rouge on February 7, 1953, Tommy graduated from Glen Oaks High School in 1971, where he met Brenda Seal. They married on June 3, 1972.

Tommy spent more than 50 years building pools throughout Louisiana with Russell Pool Company alongside his family before retiring in 2017.

A cancer survivor, Tommy lived his faith with humility and devotion. He was a longtime member and Deacon at First Baptist Church, Zachary, where he served as Chairman of the Deacons, taught Sunday School, served on numerous committees, participated in mission trips, and helped develop the church's television ministry.

Tommy was also a longtime LSU football season ticket holder and TAF Purple Blazer recipient. He was best known for his generosity, love of Jesus, devotion to family, and desire to help others.

He is survived by Bren-

How to place an Obituary Notice EMAIL:

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da; siblings Mona Sappenfield, Darrell Russell, and Keith Russell; children Lee, Cynthia, and Elizabeth; and nine grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Betty Russell.

Visitation and services will be held Monday, August 17, at First Baptist Church, Zachary. Visitation is 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., with services at noon. Interment will follow at 3:00 p.m. at Resthaven Gardens of Memory, Baton Rouge.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to FBCZ Missions.

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BUSINESS

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ 5B

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

DOW 53,732.41 -107.58 -0.20%

NASDAQ 26,729.16 -73.86 -0.28%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Ford converted plant for EV work within a year

Ford Motor Co. on Thursday said it’s on track to launch the Fathom all-electric midsize truck next year, after converting Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky from a gas-vehicle plant into a fully electric facility in under a year.

More equipment installation and quality verification will continue through the end of the year at the former home of the Escape and Lincoln Corsair crossovers as the plant prepares for a first-quarter launch of prototype production of the sub-$30,000 Fathom. It’s the first plant to adopt Ford’s new Universal Electric Vehicle Production System, which adopts a three-pronged assembly tree over the Henry Ford-invented moving assembly line to ease the manufacturing process.

The highly automated manufacturing process will help Louisville Assembly be able to build vehicles a net 15% faster than its former products and will help Ford catch up to Chinese competitors and Tesla Inc. that have implemented similar structures to produce EVs, often at lower costs. Wi-Fi at the plant also has been upgraded to support software quality checks.

France court blocks age social media ban PARIS — A top court in France on Friday struck down a law banning children under 15 from using social media, saying it infringes on fundamental freedoms.

The Constitutional Council ruled that provisions in the ban “disproportionately infringe freedom of expression and communication” and haven’t provided legal guarantees to ensure those rights, according to a news release summarizing the decision.

France last month became the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban on the platforms amid rising worldwide concerns about the harmful effects of digital content on kids. Both chambers of the Parliament had voted in favor of the measure, which also banned the use of mobile phones in high schools.

The legislation was one of the final major measures adopted under French President Emmanuel Macron’s presidency before he leaves office next year. Macron wanted the law to take effect at the start of the new school year in September, but the bill faced a review to determine whether it complied with the French Constitution.

Responding to the decision, Macron said in a statement that he was fully determined to see the ban take effect by spring and has tasked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu “with working as quickly as possible on a legally robust proposal that takes into account the decision of the Constitutional Council as well as the European legal framework.”

Reddit to join S&P 500 index NEW YORK — Reddit will join the S&P 500 next week, giving the wide-ranging online forum a boost in prestige and investments.

Joining the S&P 500 is considered an achievement for a company because the index is a widely followed measure of the broader U.S. stock market’s health.

A company is selected for the index based on several criteria that demonstrate stability, including market size and consistent profitability.

Reddit’s stock surged 12.6% Friday.

Aside from status, inclusion means more investments. The index tracks 500 of the biggest U.S. stocks, and trillions of dollars in investments benchmark themselves against it. Those investments include mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.

Essentially, those funds will have to buy the stock once it becomes part of the index that the fund is tracking or mimicking.

S&P 500 7,785.76 -13.23 -0.17%

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GOLD 4,373.90 10.30 0.24%

6-MO T-BILLS 3.92 -0.01 -0.25%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.26 0.04 0.71%

Wall Street slips following weak economy update

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market edged back from its all-time high Friday following the latest report on the economy to come in surprisingly weak, this time about how much shoppers are spending at retailers. Such data could keep interest rates low, which is something Wall Street loves, but it also raises the risk of a slowing economy when inflation is still high.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% from its record set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 107 points, or 0.2%, and the

Nasdaq composite sank 0.3%.

Stocks gave up modest gains from early in the morning after oil prices swung higher. The price for a barrel of Brent crude rose 1.7% to $88.52 as uncertainty continues about when the war with Iran will allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again.

Also raising uncertainty was a report showing shoppers spent less at U.S. retailers last month than the month before. That surprised economists, who were forecasting another month of growth.

On the bright side for financial markets, such a pullback in spending could take pressure off infla-

tion. Inflation remains much higher than anyone would like, but reports earlier this week suggested the pace of increases in prices is decelerating.

If inflation keeps trending that way, it could encourage the Federal Reserve to hold off on hikes to interest rates. Higher rates would help keep a lid on inflation, but they do so by intentionally slowing the economy and making it more expensive to borrow money.

The downside of such data, including last week’s surprisingly weak report on the U.S. job market, is that they raise the risk of a slowing economy. The Fed has no good

tool to fix both a stagnating economy and high inflation at the same time, which is why what’s called “stagflation” is seen as a worst-case scenario.

Some on Wall Street cautioned against overreacting to the weak data on U.S. retail sales, even if it was broad based. It could simply be a snap back after retail sales in earlier months were boosted by unusual factors such as big tax refunds, the World Cup and even an earlier Prime Day event at Amazon, according to Jennifer Timmerman, senior investment strategy analyst at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Retail sales slump sharply after summer tax-refund boost fades Consumers are more pessimistic about economy

BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP business writer

NEW YORK — After splurging on the World Cup and Amazon Prime Day sales, Americans unexpectedly cut their spending in July by the biggest amount in more than a year.

Retail sales fell 0.6% last month, marking the biggest decrease since May 2025, compared with a revised gain of 0.2% in June, according to the Commerce Department data released Friday. Economists were projecting a small increase.

The decline followed a notable bump in spending in both April and May as Americans dipped into their government tax refunds.

The drop in spending for July, however, raised concern among some economists about the resiliency of consumers who have powered the economy forward despite nagging inflation and soaring gasoline prices. Yet, it may be too early to declare a retreat by one of the strongest and most consistent forces in the U.S. economy of late.

Still, the weak sales report follows unexpectedly sluggish jobs figures last week, and both suggest the economy could be slowing after strong consumer and business spending in the first half of the year.

Separately, consumers turned more pessimistic about the economy this month, likely driven by stubbornly high prices, according to the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, released Friday.

While most economists still expect solid economic growth in the July-September quarter, many have lowered their forecasts in the wake of the retail sales report.

Prices in July, which were not adjusted for inflation, were impacted by falling sales at gas stations. Fuel prices remained low until later in the month when evidence of a stalemate between the U.S. and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz began to grow. Business at gas stations fell 0.9% last month, according to the report.

Gas prices have been rising since the final week of July and ticked higher again overnight to $4.08 per gallon, up from $3.85 a month ago, according to motor club AAA. That’s 92 cents more per gallon than Americans were paying last year at this time.

Gas prices typically begin to recede in August as the driving season comes to a close and the AAA said this week that the high cost of fuel for Americans this late in the year is unprecedented.

Excluding sales at gas stations and auto dealers, retail sales in July fell 0.2%.

Business at motor vehicle and parts dealers saw a 1.8% drop from a 1.9% increase in June, which was helped by automakers’ promotion incentives.

Electronics and appliance sales declined 0.5%. Online sales fell 2.2% from June when they were fueled by spending surrounding Am-

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS

The drop in spending for July raises concern among some economists about the resiliency of consumers who have powered the economy forward despite nagging inflation and soaring gasoline prices.

Business at motor vehicle and parts dealers saw a 1.8% drop from a 1.9% increase in June, which was helped by automakers’ promotion incentives. azon’s four-day Prime Day event that began in late June, earlier than previous years.

The drop in online sales weighed heavily on the so-called control group — which excludes food services, autos, building materials and gas station sales and is used to calculate economic growth. That figure fell 0.4% last month.

“American consumers are showing signs of fatigue, “ Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote Friday. “July retail sales were disappointing on all levels.”

But the weak sales seemed to be concentrated in a few areas.

Among some of the bright spots in the report: clothing and accessories stores, furniture and home furnishing stores as well as building material and garden supplies merchants all posted gains last month.

The data offers only a snapshot of consumer spending and doesn’t include activities like

travel and hotel stays. But the lone services category — restaurants — registered a healthy 0.5% increase “Though the latest numbers warrant a downgrade to the spending forecast, it’d be premature to write off the consumer,” Bernard Yaros, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics said.

He noted the job market is “broadly balanced,” and wealthy households, boosted by strong gains in the stock market, continue to spend.

New data this week showed that inflation declined slightly in July as gas and grocery prices slipped, though it is still rising more quickly than before the Iran war.

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 modest decline marked the second straight decrease after sharply higher gas prices pushed inflation to 4.2% in May, a threeyear high.

Given the volatile economic environment, economists are closely watching how families spend behind Christmas.

Shopping has been steady, though Americans have dialed in on sales as they grow more careful with their money.

Off-price retailers, consumer electronics and office supply retailers have had a “strong early start” to the back-to-school season, said Elizabeth Lafontaine, director of research at Placer.ai.

“Consumers have looked to take advantage of early deals to check off their lists,” Lafontaine said.

Brazil’s Lula triggers reciprocity process against U.S. tariffs

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press

SAO PAULO — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Friday his government has triggered an economic reciprocity law mechanism against U.S.-imposed tariffs, saying the move was intended to show his nation must be respected.

Lula In July, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on hundreds of Brazilian exports, with duties reaching up to 37.5% in

some products. The Trump administration has accused Brazil of unfair trade practices, but Lula has denied the accusations, insisting they are politically motivated ahead of the October election.

Lula is seeking reelection against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a Trump ally who met with U.S. officials, including Trump, in Washington weeks before the administration proposed higher tariffs on Brazilian goods.

“Yesterday, we invoked the reciprocity law to show that we are not to be taken lightly,” Lula said in an interview with Brazilian podcasters. “We respect ourselves. I am very calm knowing what could happen, and I am prepared to

debate the defense of Brazil anywhere in the world.”

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Thursday it is requesting diplomatic consultations with its U.S. counterparts on the issue, as a sign of Lula’s aim “to privilege dialogue and negotiation in its international relations.”

The beginning of the proceedings does not necessarily mean Brazil will retaliate against U.S. tariffs.

“I don’t want any fight with the United States,” Lula said Friday.

“Unfortunately, they are spreading falsehoods.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washing-

ton in retaliation for Brazil’s denial of visas last month for two American diplomats who sought to visit ahead of the October election.

The U.S. government also has accused Brazil of stalling approval of Trump’s nominee for ambassador in Brasilia, while Brazilian officials say the U.S. should have first sought the government’s approval before submitting the nomination to Congress, as diplomatic protocol requires.

Since U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the Brazilian ambassador’s visa in response to Lula’s actions but did not order her expelled, U.S. officials have said the Trump administration does not want the dispute to escalate.

6B ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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

ANOTHER VIEW

Picking the next Democratic nominee for president The politician who could have the most influence on who will be the next Democratic presidential nominee isn’t even a Democrat. He’s Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont and an unapologetic socialist.

While Democratic leaders respect Sanders for consistency and endurance, they see him as an unrealistic ideologue, not a power broker. But they may be missing the point: A Sanders endorsement, along with his sizable national organization, could have a significant impact on the 2028 nomination.

Even if Sanders can’t deliver the nomination — few people in his shoes ever can — he may have veto power over who gets it.

Sanders ran for the Democratic nomination in 2016, opposing Hillary Clinton. Her campaign was a juggernaut with tons of money, endorsements and establishment support, but Sanders animated the party’s grassroots base.

He carried 23 state primaries and caucuses Ron and captured 13.2 million votes, 43% of the Faucheux total.

In 2020, Sanders ran again and won more votes in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada than any other candidate, clobbering Joe Biden, the eventual nominee. The Democratic establishment rallied around the former vice president that year mainly to stop Sanders, who they feared could win the nomination and lose the general election.

Six years hence, Sanders is still a player. Not as a candidate — he’ll be 86 in 2028 — but as a potential kingmaker. Republicans may see him as “a crazy communist,” but Democrats give him an impressive 78% favorable rating, according to a recent Marquette University poll.

Sanders could become the Barry Goldwater of the left. The Arizona senator lost the presidency in 1964, but galvanized a conservative movement within the Republican Party that went on to nominate and elect Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Goldwater famously told Republicans: “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice ... and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Those words frightened liberals and Democrats of that era, but would the new left hear them differently today?

Many Democrats are angry at their own party’s establishment. They see it as weak, corrupt and subservient to the billionaire class. Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies have been channeling that anger into political action.

Remember, the Democratic establishment backed Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. And the result? Two terms of Donald Trump in the White House. The party’s inability to stop Trump infuriates rank-and-file Democrats.

The nation’s widening wealth gap has also given the leftwing new fodder. How many more stories about $50 million weddings and half-billion-dollar yachts can the struggling middle-class stomach?

CNN polling finds that more than a third of Democratic voters identify as “democratic socialists.” That’s a lot. In the Gallup poll, nearly two-thirds of Democrats say they view “socialism” favorably as an economic philosophy. That’s not to be discounted.

There are limits to any movement, of course, and running a bad candidate is one of them.

The recent Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor is a case in point. Democratic socialist Francesca Hong was leading the polls until her extreme record was scrutinized.

Her past calls to abolish the police and cancel Thanksgiving were over the top. Moreover, Sanders refused to endorse her and the withdrawal of other candidates helped her opponent.

Nonetheless, Hong came within half a percentage point of winning the nomination against an establishment-backed candidate.

Who would Sanders support for president in 2028, if anybody?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York tops the list, but it’s unclear whether she will seek the nomination. To many voters, the presidency is a bridge too far for the 36-year-old New York House member. That’s why she may decide that Chuck Schumer’s Senate seat is a more realistic goal, whether Schumer runs or not.

What about Ro Khanna from California? A close ally of Sanders, the Silicon Valley congressman co-chaired his 2020 presidential campaign. He’d love to carry Sanders’ mantle, and would need it to gain national recognition and credibility.

Other possibilities include Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Chris Murphy of Connecticut. Both have tiptoed toward becoming more acceptable to the populist left. A biggername Democrat — Harris, Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, Wes Moore or JB Pritzker — could try the same.

It’s time Democrats ask themselves: Does association with the “socialist” label make it harder or easier for them to win general elections?

While they fear offending the far left, they still have to worry about the consequences of falling off the end of the political seesaw.

Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

YOUR VIEWS

Drew Brees is a humble hero, quick to give credit to others After reading the many accolades about former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, I noticed his most defining trait is his humility.

He has reached the pinnacle of success, not only in the game of football but in everything he does.

But when reading his comments or viewing pictures of him in your excellent articles, I see humility.

He directed any comments made about him to others, to whom he gave credit for his success.

When he posed for photos, he could have been basking in his glory. Instead, he was directing others to step in and be included in the photo, always directing attention

away from himself and onto someone else.

If he exhibited any sense of selfpride, it was in having his family around him, sharing the moment.

For a person to have reached such a height of achievement not only for himself but for his family, friends and his community in such trying times is proof of his humble existence on our Earth.

Much like the example of our Lord, he lives for others and not for himself, sharing what the meaning of life should be and in the process exemplifying what a great man he is.

GLENDA THOMAS Lafayette

E-bikes, scooters a danger to pedestrians I’ve observed a new danger on our streets — the electric bicycle and the stand-up electric scooter. Both electric bikes and electric scooters have a low profile, and they are difficult to see. They can operate at speeds up to 35 mph, though fortunately most don’t go faster than 20 mph.

Often, they are operated dangerously: at night without lights, and at all hours, with no regard for traffic regulations or the safety of any pedestrians present. I don’t think I need to discuss the dangers posed by the tandem use of electric scooters.

To add to this problem, sidewalk ramps that make sidewalks accessible to wheelchair users as well as parents with strollers, travelers with rolling bags and delivery workers

also provide easy access for electric bikes, scooters and old-fashioned pedal bicycles, creating formidable and dangerous conditions for all other users of sidewalks.

We do not like having “too many regulations” governing our lives, but we are obligated to protect the rights of all users of sidewalks and streets.

Users of electric bikes and scooters should be required to obey and respect existing traffic regulations.

They also should keep off sidewalks.

If electric bike and scooter users do not use common sense for operating their vehicles, perhaps we should provide incentives to encourage proper operation of their vehicles.

THOMAS G. SUYDAM New Orleans

Homeless may need treatment and housing In the recent article, “Landry moves to take over New Orleans homeless services,” Ed Carlson, director of Odyssey House Louisiana, says he agrees with the state that “you’ve got to get people housing-ready before they’re put into housing.”

It sounds like he’s talking about puppies from the pound.

This whole argument nationwide is a false choice by design, because this group is treated, as Pope Leo would say, as “marginalized,” and as I say, along with Pope Francis, as “human garbage.”

Many homeless persons, if not most, are not in need of treatment.

And for those who are, the resources for medical/addiction treatment are

limited at best and then often behind bureaucratic barricades that make them impenetrable.

Examples include new Medicaid rule changes that expand work requirements and policies to make opioid treatment more difficult to obtain, as pointed out by Thomas Roddy’s guest column recently.

Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the city’s deputy mayor for health and human services, nails it. Both housing and treatment need prioritizing!

We need no more pushing false choices. We need a societal commitment to provide sufficient resources for both.

Residents deserve to know facts about Landry’s deals with big business Our governor’s cozy relationship with big business is expected and unsurprising, but the novel use of nondisclosure agreements, or NDAs, to curb dissent, prevent community organizing and restrict the Legislature’s speech is deeply troubling.

In Louisiana, the largest sectors of our industry have serious and known consequences for climate, health and pollution that benefit their owners tremendously but have an outsized effect on the tax base and citizenry.

Heck, even the “largest AI training facility in the world” will only provide 1,000 permanent jobs for a $50 billion investment, if Meta’s rosy projections are to be believed.

Louisianans deserve all the information from their state government and representatives — good or bad. The governor’s actions simply don’t pass the smell test.

TAYLOR LORIO Metairie

Editorial cartoon gave the wrong idea about who’s paying for Trump’s ballroom A recent editorial cartoon

by Jeff Stahler connotes the idea that President Donald Trump’s ballroom is funded by taking money from healthcare to have it built.

That is a lie.

The ballroom is to be funded by private donations and no government money is to be used.

It is very poor policy to give the public the idea that they are being robbed of a benefit.

RICHARD LEVY New Orleans

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

Shough to command Saints’ other huddle

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S at u r d ay, au g u S t 15, 2026

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LSU icon’s voice goes silent, but his legacy is eternal

Pregame message duties fall to QB after Davis departs When the Saints take the field for their preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, a symbolic changing of the guard will occur.

For the first time in nearly two decades, someone other than Drew Brees or Demario Davis will deliver the pregame huddle message in the south end zone before the New Orleans Saints break into warm-ups.

That someone will be Tyler Shough. The second-year Jeff quarterback said Wednesday Duncan he plans to assume the duties that were held by Davis the previous five seasons. In doing so, he will inherit a coveted role within the hierarchy of the roster, one that essentially establishes him as the unequivocal leader of the team.

“That’s my plan, to be out there every game and do it,” he said.

The pregame huddle is one of the Saints’ most popular traditions. Part hype session, part battle cry, it’s the team leader’s final chance to set the tone and establish a mindset for teammates before they engage the opponent on the gridiron.

The ritual started organically after coach Sean Payton took over the team in 2006, and, like the pregame Who Dat chant, has become a game-day tradition ever

ä See DUNCAN, page 4C

Age of Bertman The phone rang at my desk in The Advocate’s old newsroom on Lafayette Street.

The voice at the other end of the line cut unmistakably through the clatter and buzz of people scurrying about to compile that day’s news.

“Hey Rab,” the voice said. “It’s Skip, at the college.”

I had to chuckle. I knew who it was. That was the inside joke. Anyone who ever heard Skip Bertman speak knew immediately it was no one else — not even one of the many former players, friends and fellow media members who did impressions of him.

If imitation is indeed the most sincere form of flattery, then Stanley “Skip” Bertman was the most flattered human being I’ve ever met. Deservedly so.

Bertman, who died early Friday morning at 88, was a figure larger than life. Brilliant, visionary, demanding and exacting in a way few people — certainly few coaches — ever are, he was the very definition of excellence. He wanted things done The Bertman Way. Invariably, that led him and LSU to success.

He was the greatest college baseball coach ever. Full stop. Others won more than his 870 games at LSU from 1984-2001. The late Rod Dedeaux went from New Orleans to USC and won more College World Series (10) than Bertman did with five. But Bertman won his titles in an unprecedented era of competition in the sport.

An era he helped create.

A resume like Bertman’s — five CWS titles in 11 trips to Omaha, seven Southeastern Conference championships, six SEC Tournament titles — would be enough to cement an amazing legacy. More than enough to warrant the statue of him outside Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field, hunched over the dugout railing, gazing forever toward the ballpark that replaced the old Alex Box because of Bertman’s sheer will that it be built.

But he also went on to serve as the LSU athletic director from 2001-08 as well, a compromise choice between then-LSU President Mark Emmert and the LSU Board of Supervisors when they were at odds over who would replace Joe Dean.

Scott Rabalais

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints running back Alvin Kamara runs with the ball during training camp on Sunday at the team’s practice facility in Metairie.

Saints looking to Etienne, Kamara to revitalize the run game

BY MATTHEW PARAS

ä See RABALAIS, page 2C

LSU baseball coach Skip Bertman poses for a picture at the school’s field in an undated photo.

Bertman died early Friday. He was 88. STAFF FILE PHOTO By MATT ROSE

Staff writer

Alvin Kamara always has liked having a running mate.

At its best, the dynamic creates an atmosphere where Kamara believes he and his partner can feed off of each other.

“I can look out and shoot, probably see Trav and I know the play call and I’m like, ‘Oh I know he’s about to hit this,’ ” ä Preseason Kamara said.

Jaguars at “Trav” is Travis Etienne, Saints 3 P.M. the Jennings native who left SATURDAy,WAFB the Jacksonville Jaguars in March to become Kamara’s newest backfield partner.

But unlike recent years, when the Saints would search for a Robin to Kamara’s Batman, Etienne’s signing marks a significant shift.

For the first time since he was a rookie, Kamara is no longer expected to be the lead running back for the Saints. Not after the four-year, $52 million contract the Saints gave Etienne.

The Saints believe the two can co-exist, which is why the team negotiated a pay cut with Kamara last month instead of releasing him outright. But how New Orleans goes about implementing them — and whether they can jump-start a rushing attack that ranked among the league’s worst a year ago — remains one of the bigger mysteries

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

Baker gets autonomy to mold LSU defense

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

LSU coach Lane Kiffin doesn’t tell defensive coordinator Blake Baker what to do.

He suggests.

“It’s a true suggestion,” Baker said. “A lot of times, they’re really good ideas.”

That’s a luxury in this business, which Kiffin knows full well. He was an aggressive, push-the-pace offensive coordinator serving under defensive-minded head coaches such as Southern Cal’s Pete Carroll and Alabama’s Nick Saban.

Coaches from the defensive side of the schematic fence often like to slow down and play it conservatively. They can make demands that muck up a game plan.

“Sometimes it doesn’t always work like STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON that because they understand this part of it and not what all that means when you LSU defensive coordinator Blake change this one thing,” Kiffin said. “So I try Baker watches the defense run not to do that very much on defense and let through drills during preseason them coach.”

Kiffin came to LSU because he liked the practice on Thursday.

financial resources and autonomy the school promised him. It appears Kiffin is affording Baker, a coordinator who passed on head coaching opportunities last offseason, the same consideration.

The defense added the likes of edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, linebacker TJ Dottery and safety Ty Benefield from the transfer portal. Baker has those players flying around, chasing Kiffin’s fast-paced offense in preseason camp.

Baker is essentially the head coach of the LSU defense.

“Like any relationship, you try to feel each other out,” Baker said of his boss, “and it’s been outstanding. I think he’s been really, really good to me.”

Kiffin retained Baker, a coordinator who spent two seasons under Brian Kelly, because of respect. He didn’t just notice that LSU improved from the 59th-ranked scoring defense in the country in 2024 to the No. 23 unit a season ago. The former Ole Miss head

ä See LSU, page 3C

2C ■ Saturday, August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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IN BRIEF

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV

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NTT IndyCar Series FS2 noon Motocross Championships NBCSN 1:25 p.m. NTT IndyCar Series FS1 6 p.m.

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PGA: St. Jude Championship CBS 2 p.m.

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Maryland vs. California ESPN MLB noon Chicago White Sox at Detroit MLBN 3 p.m.

Washington at N.y. Mets FS1 6 p.m.

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Pan Pacific Championships NBC TENNIS 10 a.m. Cincinnati-ATP/WTA TENNIS WNBA 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Las Vegas CBS

Mourners testify to Bertman’s greatness

SAN FRANCISCO — The All-Star Game is returning to San Francisco.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement Friday that the 2028 Midsummer Classic will be at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. The 2007 game was played in the picturesque waterfront ballpark, featuring Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki’s famous inside-thepark home run that bounced off the tricky wall in right-center field.

This will mark another major sporting event for the Bay Area recently after the Super Bowl and World Cup this year and the NBA All-Star Game in February 2025.

The Giants will host the Midsummer Classic for a fourth time overall after Candlestick Park held the first All-Star Game of the 1961 season.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Former LSU baseball coach and athletic director Skip Bertman, left, chats with LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson, right, on the field before first pitch against Mississippi State on May 12, 2023, at Alex Box Stadium.

ESPN’s top college baseball analyst, placed Bertman atop the pantheon of great college baseball coaches.

“Skip was simply the best,” Peterson said on X. “One of the most important and influential people in the history of college baseball.

I cherished every minute that I was able to spend with him over the years. The voice that needed no introduction, you knew who it was the minute he spoke. While his voice may now be silent, his impact on college baseball will be felt for generations. Rest easy and thank you Skip.”

Ray Wright, who was an outfielder on Bertman’s final national championship squad in 2000, described his time playing for the Tigers as life-changing.

“I’m so blessed to have been a small part of the juggernaut that Skip Bertman built,” Wright said on social media. “Skip changed my life. He taught me lessons that I still carry with me and pass on to others today. I’ll never forget getting on the bus after we won the 2000 Natty in Omaha and Skip greeting each of us personally: ‘National Champion Ray Wright.’

“It was an incredible feeling, but more than that, it put into perspective what we had just accomplished. That was Skip — he made everyone around him believe they could accomplish something special. RIP Skip. There will never be another.”

LSU athletic director Verge Aus-

berry acknowledged Bertman’s time at LSU as a critical period for a school that has become a prime destination for elite coaches and athletes.

“Few people have had a greater impact on LSU than Skip Bertman,” Ausberry said in a statement. “As the greatest college baseball coach of all time, and later as our Athletics director, Skip developed a championship standard and culture still guide us today. Personally, he was a dear friend, mentor and advisor, and I’m forever grateful for the trust and faith he placed in me to serve this institution. I will continue to honor Skip by leaning into the lessons he taught me every day. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones at this time.”

Current LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson developed a close relationship with Bertman after taking over the program in 2022, and Bertman made the trek to Omaha to watch Johnson’s Tigers beat Coastal Carolina for the 2025 national title.

“By far the greatest part of being the baseball coach at LSU the last five years is the relationship I was able to build with the greatest college baseball coach of my lifetime, Skip Bertman,” Johnson said in a statement. “The mentorship, and most importantly, the friendship we built is easily one of the best, most rewarding, and special relationships I have ever had. What an honor it has been to

sit with, talk baseball with, smile with, and laugh with Coach.

“Coach Bertman was so far ahead of his time while leading the LSU Tigers, and as a young coach just starting my journey, I watched, studied, and admired his incredible skills of leading, motivating, teaching, coaching, and ultimately cultivating what became ‘The Powerhouse’ of College Baseball. Being able to share the 2023 and 2025 National Championships with Coach Bertman watching is something I wouldn’t trade for the world. The impact he made and legacy he has left on the state of Louisiana and college baseball is beyond remarkable and will never be duplicated.

“I love you Coach, I will miss you, and will continue to work every day in a manner that I know would make you proud.”

Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco, who was a catcher for Bertman’s 1988 and 1989 teams before becoming an assistant for Bertman from 1993-97, joined the chorus of those who saw the former LSU coach as one of the primary architects of modern college baseball.

“It’s a sad day,” Bianco said in a statement. “This morning we lost a legend. Skip Bertman was (simply) the best. His impact on College Baseball will live on forever.

I feel so blessed to have had him as a coach and a mentor. He meant so much to so many. I will miss you, Coach.”

Bertman’s timing, like knowing just when to go to the bullpen, Continued from page 1C was remarkable.

Between what he did on the field and how he led off of it, LSU athletics has existed in Who could say no to Skip Bertwhat can only be called the Age man? Hardly anyone.

Always with an eye for talent, of Bertman, the most influential and important figure it has ever Bertman hired four coaches known. He not only demanded who went on to win national LSU’s programs compete at a championships in their respective sports: Les Miles (football), high level but he also showed all those programs how to get Paul Mainieri (baseball), Dennis Shaver (track and field) and there.

With baseball, Bertman Chuck Winstead (men’s golf). elevated a sport that had acHe started the Tradition Fund at LSU, requiring donations for complished next to nothing and turned it into a program that the right to buy season tickets.

LSU fandom now obsesses over I’ll never forget the summer afternoon in 2003 when he came the way they do basketball at Kentucky or football at Alato speak to our sports staff and bama. Baseball’s popularity at editorial board to outline the LSU will never quite eclipse reasons LSU needed to create football — Bertman knew that this new revenue stream. It may sound quaint now in the era as well as anyone — but it’s firmly entrenched as the No. 2 of uniform patches and private sport at LSU in a way that is exequity/investment, but at the ceedingly rare anywhere else. time it was going to be a tough At The Advocate, we staff sell. And Bertman knew it. every single LSU baseball game “I need Nick (Saban) to win home and away — probably the big,” Bertman confided. “Nine, only news organization in the 10 wins.” country that does that for a colThat fall, Saban and LSU won lege baseball team — because the football program’s first national championship since 1958. of the intense interest in the

program Bertman built.

College baseball is bigger across the nation, and most specifically in the Southeastern Conference, because of Bertman. Through his promotions such as bringing in The San Diego Chicken (if you don’t know, look it up) or creating a family atmosphere at the old Alex Box where the coffee was always hot and the bathrooms always clean (in his early days, Bertman would tour the ballpark with a pregame checklist), Bertman showed baseball didn’t have to be a money pit but could pay much of its own freight. At a few places, even turn a profit.

Since Bertman’s coaching tenure, every SEC school has upgraded its ballpark or built new.

That’s hardly a coincidence.

Not after the Johnny Appleseed of college baseball showed the way.

In addition to everything else, Bertman was the best storyteller I ever met. The best pure joy I’ve had as a sportswriter was on practice days at the College World Series. Bertman would let his assistants run practice while he held court in the dugout, often with a cigar in hand,

giving quotes and spinning anecdotes.

I’d love to hear one more story. His former players I know would love to hear one more inspirational tale.

The last time I spoke to Bertman was early last month, shortly after I’d heard a large tree in his yard fell on part of his home in Riverbend.

Most of the house was consumed by a fire in 2004, taking with it much of Bertman’s trove of memorabilia from his career.

But he and his wife Sandy (who died in March 2025) survived, rebuilt and stayed. The house took a pounding from that big tree over the garage but still stood.

“The house is OK,” he said.

“Everything is fine.”

The voice wavered a little compared to Bertman’s prime, but it was still unmistakable.

It seemed like it would endure forever.

Now, that voice is silent.

But the Age of Bertman continues.

RABALAIS

Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce will be suspended for the first eight games of the 2026 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, the league announced Friday.

Pearce was arrested in February following a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend and WNBA player, Rickea Jackson.

Pearce’s charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing police and resisting arrest, and misdemeanor stalking could be dropped if he cooperates in a pretrial intervention program requiring random drug tests, distance from Jackson and staying out of legal trouble for one year.

Pearce will be available to participate in preseason games and all team activities until the suspension takes effect on Aug. 30.

MLB awards San Francisco with 2028 All-Star Game

Staff report The LSU community woke up Friday to news of the death of Skip Bertman, a legendary baseball coach and athletic director who earned national respect as a proven winner and trailblazer in college baseball.

Bertman, a native of Miami Beach, Florida, died early Friday morning in Baton Rouge at the age of 88.

He led the LSU baseball program to its first five national championships during an 18-year run as head coach. After stepping down as baseball coach, he served as the LSU athletic director for seven years. He hired four coaches who won national titles at LSU: Les Miles (football), Paul Mainieri (baseball), Chuck Winstead (men’s golf) and Dennis Shaver (men’s and women’s track and field).

Not long after the news spread, those who knew Bertman best and admired him from afar expressed sadness over the passing of one of the more successful figures in LSU and Southeastern Conference history.

Ben McDonald, a pitcher who became the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 MLB Draft after a stellar career at LSU under Bertman, said he visited with Bertman on Thursday night.

“My heart is broken this morning….we have lost Coach Bertman,” McDonald said on social media. “The best to ever fill out a lineup card….the man who changed college baseball forever and the man who built the best baseball program in the country.

As great a coach he was, even a better man that touched countless lives. So thankful I got to see him last night and tell him how much I loved him 1 more time!”

Gov. Jeff Landry joined those remembering Bertman for his status as one of the true LSU greats.

“The word legend is often used to signify the greatness of a person, but in sports being a legend isn’t measured by the trophies you collect. Those are just symbols of accomplishments,” Landry said in a statement. “A legend is a person who changes a standard forever, and that is what Skip Bertman did. He took something ordinary and made it extraordinary.

“Most importantly, he left his players and those he touched better than he found them. His goal was to impact the scoreboard of life. Louisiana will dearly miss him!”

Kyle Peterson, who serves as

NFL suspends Falcons edge rusher Pearce 8 games

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

Timberwolves to retire Garnett’s No. 21 jersey

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves will retire Hall of Fame forward Kevin Garnett’s No. 21 jersey after their game against the Boston Celtics this season.

The team announced Friday that the ceremony will take place following the Feb. 28 game at Target Center against the Celtics, who retired Garnett’s jersey in 2022.

Garnett will become just the second player in the 37-year history of the franchise to have his number retired, following the late Malik Sealy, a close friend and teammate of Garnett’s who died in a car crash in 2000.

Garnett is the all-time Timberwolves leader in numerous statistical categories, including points, rebounds, blocks, assists and steals.

Venus Williams’ losing streak in singles matches now at 13

MASON, Ohio — Venus Williams’ losing streak in singles play has reached 13 matches.

The seven-time major champion was defeated 6-2, 6-2 by Emiliana Arango on Friday in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.

The 46-year-old Williams received a wild-card entry to the WTA 1000 event. She has not won a singles match since July 2025.

Arango, a 25-year-old qualifier from Colombia ranked 95th, needed 1 hour, 5 minutes to defeat Williams on the grandstand court at Lindner Tennis Center.

Williams’ last singles victory came last year in Washington, when she defeated Peyton Stearns.

Venus is also slated to play mixed doubles at the U.S. Open later this month with Alexander Bublik.

Miami RB Lyle arrested for fleeing police, reckless driving

Miami running back Jordan Lyle has been charged with a felony count of fleeing/eluding police and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving, according to the Broward County state attorney’s office in Florida.

A state attorney official said Friday that Lyle voluntary surrendered to police on Thursday, a day after warrant was issued for his arrest.

Court records show he was released after posting bond the same day.

Police allege in a report that Lyle demonstrated “wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property” by willfully fleeing or attempting to elude a marked police vehicle with its emergency lights and siren activated in Sunrise, Florida, on July 10. It’s unclear why police sought to stop Lyle or how they came to identify him as the driver.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday, August 15, 2026 ■ 3C

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LSU women’s hoops adds 17-year-old Russian center Minaeva is 6-foot-5, has played pro ball

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

It’s been the subject of online rumors for months, and now it’s official: The LSU women’s basketball team has dipped back into the international ranks to round out its 2026-27 roster.

Coach Kim Mulkey and her staff announced Friday that they have made Anna Minaeva — a 6-foot-5, 17-year-old center who’s played professionally in Russia — their second international signee of the offseason. The first was Noa Morro, a 6-3 forward from Spain who joined the Tigers in April.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Anna to our LSU family,” Mulkey said in a statement. “She has the experience, skillset and size to make an immediate impact in our frontcourt.”

Minaeva spent the 2025-26 season playing in both Russia’s top-tier Professional Basketball League (PBL) and its second-tier Superleague. In the PBL, she averaged 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13 minutes per game.

In the Superleague, she tallied 15.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals in 31 minutes per game.

Minaeva and Morro will solidify LSU’s frontcourt this coming season.

Morro, 21, is a sharpshooting veteran with some playmaking chops. Minaeva is a taller, stronger back-to-the-basket post player with a soft touch. They’ll patrol the interior alongside sophomore Grace Knox, junior Kate Koval and sophomore Meghan Yarnevich — the three incumbent frontcourt players set to return for another season.

Koval is a native of Ukraine, which adds an interesting layer to the Minaeva signing. LSU is now believed to be the only Division I women’s college basketball team to roster players from Russia and Ukraine — the neighboring Eastern European nations that have been at war since 2022.

Both Koval and Minaeva represented their respective countries in international competition this offseason. In June, Koval competed for Ukraine in the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, while Minaeva starred on the U17 Russian team that played in the Russia-China youth games in May. She was named MVP of that event.

Minaeva will join an LSU program that had to replace seven players from last season, including star senior Flau’jae Johnson.

Three exhausted their eligibility, and four decided to enter the transfer portal. Six of the seven

were guards.

Including Minaeva, the Tigers have added six newcomers this offseason. Lola Lampley — a McDonald’s All-America wing — is the lone U.S.-born freshman. Iowa State’s Jada Williams, Florida’s Laila Reynolds and Tennessee Tech’s Chloe Larry are the three transfer guards.

Williams, a 5-8 senior, was the fifth-best player in the transfer portal, according to ESPN. She had the nation’s third-highest assist average last season (7.7), and she also scored 15.3 points per game.

Reynolds is a tall, long senior with 97 career starts.

Larry, a Bossier City native, is a junior who played her high school basketball with Mikaylah Williams.

Minaeva won’t turn 18 until January, which means she can play college basketball through 203031. The NCAA recently switched to an age-based eligibility model that allows athletes to play no more than five seasons in five calendar years.

“It takes tremendous courage to leave home at just 17 years old,” Mulkey said, “and travel across the world to pursue a dream. I’m excited to support and guide Anna as she begins this next chapter at LSU.” Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK J. TERRILL

Dodgers pitcher Edwin Díaz walks off the field after being taken out of the game in the ninth inning against the Brewers on Thursday in Los Angeles.

Roberts frustrated as Dodgers’ bullpen melts down yet again to be quite honest, none of those do the best thing for the team. At Closer Diaz blows save guys really have thrown the base- the end of the day, if they give me the ball in the ninth, I will try to ball great. for third time in past way it is.” That’s just kind of the do my job. If they give me the ball That’s the dilemma facing Rob- in another inning, I will try to do four appearances erts, whose bullpen doesn’t cur- my job. Got to get better, be con-

BY GREG BEACHAM

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Edwin Diaz is out of explanations, and manager Dave Roberts is almost out of patience after the latest untimely meltdown by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ problematic bullpen.

The Dodgers took a two-run lead into the ninth inning Thursday night with Diaz, the highest-paid closer in baseball, on the mound.

The reigning champions left one inning later with a 5-4 loss to the NL-leading Milwaukee Brewers, who wreaked havoc on Los Angeles’ already beleaguered relief corps with a clutch three-run, fivehit rally.

Diaz (2-2) blew a save for the third time in his past four appearances for the Dodgers, giving up four consecutive one-out singles and three runs.

The normally imperturbable Roberts was clearly annoyed after this brutal loss in a game that would have pulled the Dodgers even with the Brewers atop the National League standings. Instead, Los Angeles has lost nine of 13.

When Roberts was asked whether Diaz would be allowed to continue to work through his struggles as the closer, Roberts snapped: “Give me another option.”

“I can’t just say, ‘Change (Diaz) to low leverage,’ ” Roberts added.

“I have to have other options, and

rently contain a reliever he completely trusts. While the Dodgers’ overall bullpen statistics aren’t glaringly bad, Diaz’s struggles and a series of poor performances in recent high-leverage situations have clearly taxed Roberts’ problem-solving ability.

“You look back at the last week, and guys have struggled,” Roberts said. “I’m not going to sit here and play carousel and chase my tail ... when a guy is struggling, and then when he doesn’t pitch well, then it’s, ‘Why are you pitching him?’ I don’t do that. Everyone has got a role. They all have jobs to do, and they all have to do their job. That’s it.”

The trumpets that herald Diaz’s entrance into games have sounded more like a dirge lately while his ERA ballooned to 11.57. The threetime All-Star and longtime Mets closer has been frequently awful since returning late last month from a three-month absence for elbow surgery, giving up eight runs and 12 hits in only seven appearances.

“It’s frustrating, because I know my ability,” Diaz said. “I know what I can do on the mound. To not be able to do it (stinks). I’ve just got to come tomorrow and try to keep getting better.”

Diaz realizes he could be in danger of losing his job as the Dodgers’ closer.

“I’ve just got to see what they want to do,” he said. “I want to

sistent.”

The clearest option to replace Diaz is left-hander Tanner Scott, who earned 16 saves this season before Diaz returned. But Scott’s miserable 2025 season is still top of many minds in Los Angeles, and his 2026 performance has mildly declined in recent weeks.

Roberts realizes he could consider a closer-by-committee plan, but that’s also difficult when any choice will be concerning.

“We’ve got to get other guys on track to even have that be even a valid conversation, to be honest with you,” Roberts said.

The bullpen’s struggles are magnified because the Dodgers’ talent-laden lineup hasn’t blown out anyone in weeks. Los Angeles has won just two games by more than two runs since July 19, repeatedly putting its relievers into perilous situations.

The Dodgers are trying to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series, and their fans still remember their team barely scraping through last season with a patchwork bullpen that finished 21st in the majors in ERA. In the postseason, LA improbably converted rookie starter Roki Sasaki into a closer.

Diaz was supposed to be the foundation of a return to a strong bullpen for the Dodgers, who hadn’t had a standout closer for years. Instead, he’s the central figure in another mess in mid-August.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Scottie Scheffler hits on the ninth hole during the second round of the St. Jude Championship on Friday in Memphis, Tenn.

Scheffler shoots 61 to take lead in playoff opener

By The Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Scottie Scheffler birdied the first five holes and shot a 9-under 61 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead in the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

“Really just a dream start,” Scheffler said. “Probably one of the best starts I’ve had on tour, to be honest with you. I couldn’t tell you a time where I’ve been lower early in the round.”

The top-ranked Scheffler had 11 birdies and two bogeys in 100-degree heat at TPC Southwind in the playoff opener. He had an 11-under 129 total.

“The tournament is halfway over,” Scheffler said. “I had two good rounds to start and hopefully continue that over the weekend.”

Scheffler tied the tournament course record.

“I wouldn’t say golf’s ever easy,” Scheffler. “I did some good things out there. I hit some iron shots in there close and was able to hole a few putts as well.”

He has played the TPC Southwind more times (seven) without winning than any other course on the PGA Tour.

LSU

Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im were tied for second at 8 under.

Hovland had a 64, and Im shot his second 66.

“It was really nice, really solid,” Hovland said. “Hit a lot of fairways, and I think that’s a big deal for my game, but also especially at this golf course. I think it’s really difficult to score if you’re missing fairways.”

Ludvig Aberg was 7 under after a 65.

Jordan Spieth shot 69 to get to 6 under. He was part of a four-way tie for the first-round lead. Spieth is outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup who advance to the BMW Championship next week.

Scheffler entered the week with a 794-point lead over Matt Fitzpatrick in the FedExCup standings. Fitzpatrick was 3 under after a 67.

So much emphasis is on getting into the top 50 because that locks up all the $20 million signature events for next season.

Rory McIlroy played alongside Scheffler the first two days. He followed an opening 74 with a 70, leaving him tied for 60th at 4 over.

the edge, while freshmen Deuce Geralds and Richard Anderson Continued from page 1C have tantalizing potential on the interior.

Kiffin, the son of a Hall of Fame coach and his staff were tested by defensive coordinator, knows Baker’s “complicated” tendencies how much a defensive line can factor into winning or losing. and looks on third down.

“The quarterback may not be LSU was one of just three teams to hold the Rebels below 30 points playing well, maybe he’s hurt. last season, even if the Tigers You’re on the road and it’s really couldn’t put up enough points in loud,” Kiffin said. “Defensive line, and neutralizing the game and a 24-19 loss.

“I don’t have bragging rights on stopping the run, really takes those him,” Baker said. “He gets to troll things so they’re not as big of a factor in the outcome of the game.” me on that one, for sure.”

Baker, who had to blitz last year But Kiffin liked the energy he observed from Baker on the opposite to generate pressure, could have more opportunities to rush quarsideline.

The 44-year-old former Tulane terbacks with his front four this linebacker is known to wear cleats season. That should allow Baker at practice so he can run around to draw up more sophisticated coverage schemes with his players.

“The second part, on the back end.

Baker participated Kiffin might make in post-practice contalking to coach ditioning with LSU Kiffin, I truly believe some suggestions, but he isn’t going to left tackle Jordan with what he does have his defensive Seaton and multiple other Tigers after on offense and what coordinator rewrite we do on defense, game plans to his Thursday’s practice.

This is the kind of the ultimate goal is liking. Kiffin, who coach Kiffin wanted to bring a national wants to be more of to lead his defense. championship to LSU. a “CEO” head coach, has promised a fair “It wasn’t just, ‘Hey, we’re just I kind of want to see amount of autonothat through.” my for his offensive going to keep him coordinator Charlie because they’d BLAKE BAKER, LSU Weis Jr. as well. improved here,’ defensive coordinator It’s been fun for ” said Kiffin, who Baker to battle it canvassed Baker’s former colleagues. “I wanted to out with Weis in preseason camp, know how he was and his passion then see him across the fence affor football and his competitive- ter practice. Literally, they are neighbors. ness and ability to adjust.”

“We really can look into each On his end, Baker wanted to keep his family in Baton Rouge other’s backyards and see each for a bit longer, especially with other,” Baker said of Weis. “Our daughters are already best his children getting older.

“The second part, talking to friends.”

Who knows how long Baker coach Kiffin, I truly believe with what he does on offense and what and Weis will remain neighbors we do on defense, the ultimate because they could both be up goal is to bring a national cham- for head coaching jobs next offpionship to LSU,” Baker said. “I season if LSU wins big.

For now, Baker likes his setup kind of want to see that through.”

Kiffin has supplied Baker with in Baton Rouge.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to talent in their mutual mission.

Umanmielen, Tennessee trans- know the new guys on the staff fer Jordan Ross and five-star and it’s been a really good bond,” freshman Lamar Brown profile Baker said. “I’m very, very foras quarterback-chasers from tunate.”

4C ■ Saturday, August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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These 8 Saints worth watching vs. Jaguars RG Jeremiah Wright, DT Christen Miller

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

The starters won’t take the field for the New Orleans Saints’ preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be reason to watch.

This Saints team feels deeper than recent iterations, with a large number of interesting players fighting for only a handful of roster spots. There are also a handful of players from the rookie class who have not been able to fully display what they can do, either because of injuries or the contact restrictions in practice.

Here are eight players who have shown some interesting things in training camp.

RB Audric Estime There is no question who the top two backs on the roster are; Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara have those spots solidified. But there is a really healthy competition for the third running back, and Estime seems to have taken the early lead.

He impressed during last season’s stretch run, posting 198 yards rushing in seven games — including an impressive 94-yard effort in a Week 17 game against the Tennessee Titans. Estime also showed he was capable as a receiver, hauling in 12 passes for 103 yards.

During Thursday’s joint practice against the Jaguars, Estime took a handful of first-team reps. It also helps his case that his primary competition for the No. 3 spot, Devin Neal (hamstring) and Kendre Miller (back), are both nursing injuries.

Estime likely will line up in the starting backfield Saturday. He can

DUNCAN

Continued from page 1C since. The weekly breakdowns are popular with fans and media outlets, including the Saints and NFL, which broadcast the huddles regularly on their websites. The huddle breakdowns made for such good TV during the Saints’ Super Bowl run in 2009, team officials had to restrict access from interloping video crews who were crowding into the huddles.

“It’s tradition, and it’s an important thing,” said deep snapper and team captain Zach Wood, one of six players on the roster who dates to Brees’ playing tenure. “It’s just a thing that we do here. Pregame, give the right speech, say the right words, get everybody hyped up.”

In the grand scheme of things, leading the pregame huddle might seem like a trivial thing. But it’s an exalted position for the Saints. Not just anyone gets to step into that huddle and lead the team.

Since the tradition began, only six players have led the huddles.

Joe Horn and Reggie Bush handled the duties in 2006. Brees usurped them in 2007 and passed the torch to Davis when he retired in 2020.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C ahead of the regular season.

“I feel like we’re just two running backs who can go out there and make things happen,” Etienne said earlier in camp. “I don’t think either one of us care who go out there first. Our biggest focus is winning the game, and I feel like that we complement each other well.”

Determining the split Kamara is quick to point out he’s shared the spotlight before. He thrived with Mark Ingram to begin his career. Latavius Murray was a natural fit later.

And sharing has its benefits.

There are physical advantages, sure — splitting reps keeps each back fresh over the course of a game. But having a true tandem, when defenses see both runners as a legitimate threat, unearths a level of energy that’s different.

If practice reps are any indication, Etienne will be the first one up. And the second. Sometimes, even the third. But the Saints also have made sure to mix Kamara in, whether that’s on third down, the last rep of a four-snap series or occasionally on the first two downs.

Saints coach Kellen Moore rarely has relied on a true 50-50 split throughout his play-calling career. As an offensive coordinator in Dallas and Philadelphia, Moore coached stars such as Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley. They got the rock often.

Elliott’s four seasons under Moore, for instance, saw him take 67%, 56.7%, 50.1% and 43.5% of

Wright and Miller are massive and physically dominating presences on the interior lines, but we haven’t gotten to see a ton of what they can do yet.

They’re both here under the same category for three reasons: 1. They both missed some time with injuries to start camp; 2. It is difficult to evaluate offensive and defensive line play from field level; 3. The controlled environment of training camp practices doesn’t allow their best traits to fully shine.

It’s possible that neither player starts a game this season. It’s also possible they play much larger roles than they are at the present STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD moment, setting themselves up to take starting jobs in 2027.

New Orleans Saints running back Audric Estime runs up the middle during training camp at the Ochsner

Sports Performance Center in Metairie on Sunday.

CB Jayden Price

make a good case for himself in the player, especially if he proves in a may also give the Saints their first live game setting that he’s able to glimpse of what Brown can truly ofpreseason opener. use his size to get tough yards. fer in the return game, which most RB C.J. Donaldson thought would be the way he contributed right away after his prodiDonaldson almost certainly won’t WRs Bryce Lance, Barion Brown, crack the 53-man roster, but he’s Kevin Austin gious college career. made a strong case during training Austin has played quite a bit for camp for a developmental spot on Let’s group these three together the Saints in the last few seasons the practice squad. because they may be the starting as a practice squad call-up when It is hard to truly tell what he is in wide receivers against the Jaguars. receivers have gone down with ina training camp setting where live Brown and Lance have made juries. But in the wake of Ja’Lynn tackling is not part of the equation. flashy plays throughout the last Polk’s surprise retirement, a spot The Ohio State product is the big- week of camp, including Thurs- on the 53-man roster may have gest back on the roster, checking day’s joint practice against Jack- opened (if the Saints decide to keep in at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, and sonville when each accounted for six receivers), and Austin might be in the lead for that. he runs with physicality. He is not an explosive play downfield.

He’s big, has shown he can do it in especially sudden, but he’s shown Both of them are virtual locks good vision in camp, exploiting a to make the roster, but it’s worth games and also gotten more work couple of cutback lanes. watching them closely to get a with the first-team offense than any He’s not a threat to break a 70- sense of how they might contribute receiver not named Chris Olave, yard run, but he’s an interesting once the regular season starts. This Jordyn Tyson or Devaughn Vele.

Going into training camp, it felt like the Saints had a gaping hole in the depth chart behind Jonas Sanker — what already felt like a somewhat tenuous spot given the big position switch Sanker made to the Star position this offseason.

That feels less true after a couple of weeks. Price, a former UFL star who has not played a snap in a meaningful NFL game, has enjoyed an outstanding start to training camp, perhaps leading the entire defensive back group in plays made on the ball.

The preseason games will be a couple of more data points for Price to prove the team can rely upon him.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@ theadvocate.com.

Other than a shared cameo appearance by Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill for one game last season, Davis and Brees have been the only players to lead the team in the pregame huddle since 2007.

Shough will be the seventh. It’s a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly.

“That’s why I have a reverence and respect for (the role), and want to go about it the right way,” he said. “More than anything, it’s about earning the respect of everybody and earning that role.

And I feel like I have done it in an authentic way.”

Shough’s predecessors attacked the job in different ways. Brees, true to form, thought long and hard about the messages he delivered. He crafted a different message every year and repeated it for each game throughout the season. He found inspiration in various places: movies, books, poetry.

In 2008, his speeches were inspired by the movie “300” — except he flipped the script from “This is Sparta” to “This is New Orleans.”

He leaned on military cadences the next two years.

The inspiration for his famous 2009 pregame chant came from

a USO Tour Brees made to a U.S. Marine base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in July 2009. While there, he picked up on a running cadence the Marines used during their morning workouts and created his own version for his pregame huddle chant: “One, two, win for you. Three, four, win some more.” His 2010 chant of “When I say one, you say two.

When I say win, you say for you.

One! Two! Win! For you!” also came from the military. “(The military) is where a lot of the inspiration for some of our pregame chants came from,” Brees said last week at his Hall of Fame news conference in Canton, Ohio. “When I heard that one (in 2009), I said, I’m taking this back for my team. And sure enough, we go on to win the Super Bowl, so that one will live forever.”

Davis also took the role seriously. He referred to the middle of the huddle as “sacred ground” and cherished the weekly responsibility. Unlike Brees, he varied his messages from game to game and tailored his pep talks to the opponent or task at hand. He often leaned into spontaneity, proselytizing about whatever came to mind in the moment.

“That’s a special moment for us

(the players), so I knew (the role) was important,” Davis said in 2019.

“But I felt like I could do it, too.”

It’s notable that Shough, at the age of 26 and just entering his second NFL season, has been anointed to the position. He will become the youngest, least decorated and most inexperienced player to assume the duties since Bush in 2006. Brees was 28 and had earned two Pro Bowl invitations when he assumed the duties in 2007.

Davis was a 31-year-old, nine-year veteran when he took over the duties in 2021. Shough, though, has earned the mantle, according to teammates.

“Obviously, we have a few leaders on the team, but I think whoever gets that role is the leader of leaders, the one running the show,” Wood said. “And Tyler is definitely that guy.”

Added veteran defensive end Chase Young: “He’s not just anybody. He’s it. He’s Tyler (expletive) Shough. We have full belief in him.

He’s the guy to lead the troops. We love our QB1. He’s that guy, and he’ll be ready (for the role).”

Shough said Davis did not designate him as his successor before leaving the Saints in free agency this offseason. Likewise, there was no vote among teammates.

Instead, he simply feels the job is part of his inherent responsibility as the starting quarterback now that Davis is a member of the New York Jets.

“It’s just natural,” he said.

As his debut neared this week, Shough admitted he hadn’t quite thought through his strategy or what message he planned to convey on Saturday. He said he’s leaning toward mixing up his messages from game to game, but he still wasn’t certain which way he’d go.

“It’s going to be nowhere near the level of Demario and them, especially right off the bat,” he said. “I think it will depend upon the vibe of that week or what team we’re playing or what the message is or what hits my brain. I think that would be how I would operate about that.

Obviously, maybe Year 10, the way Drew was doing it, I think I may have a certain message, but I think that comes with time and experience as well. My main goal is, I want to be able to convey my message and get everybody on the same page and motivated to go.

“I feel like I have done it in an authentic way and want to go continue to earn it. I feel really prepared for it.”

Dallas’ total rushing attempts.

The 2022 season was the closest Moore got to truly alternating between two backs, when an emerging Tony Pollard ended up with 1,007 yards on 190 carries to Elliott’s 876 on 231.

“It’s by situation,” Moore said. “In general, you’re going to need a few backs to play throughout an NFL season.”

If Kamara’s workload is significantly reduced, he seems prepared.

The 31-year-old told reporters in June that he’s played every role in his career — noting he was the third back behind Adrian Peterson and Ingram as a rookie — and said he has “no animosity” toward Etienne. A month later, he reiterated he’ll have no problem with his role.

“He’s handled it well,” Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas said.

Thomas said he’s seen Kamara become “more hands-on” as each practice progresses, handing out pointers to the rest of the room.

Thomas said even as Kamara’s contract situation prolonged this summer — and there was a real question over whether the sides were headed for a divorce — he never viewed it as a situation in which he had to recruit Kamara to return.

“Everybody’s congratulating us, like, ‘Hey, Alvin’s back,’ ” Thomas said. “I’m like, ‘He never left.’ ” The hope is that by scaling back Kamara’s role, he’ll rebound from what was his worst season as a pro. Kamara’s production notably slipped in several categories in 2025. He mustered just 3.6 yards per attempt and held a success rate of 33%.

The Saints, including Kamara, also believe there’s still plenty of good football left in him. And his

best years came in a tandem. ra beyond their four-year age gap.

“This situation offers the potenThomas said Etienne’s rushing tial for that kind of efficiency to style tends to be more “low promanifest,” Kamara said. file,” which allows him to keep his hips square when hitting a hole.

How they mesh Kamara has tremendous contact Kamara and Ingram were nick- balance, which has helped him named “Boom and Zoom.” Murray, shed tackles, stay patient and cut replacing Ingram as Boom, kept up back to create explosive plays.

Paganetti noted that Etienne has the moniker.

Etienne could slide in as either played in a variety of schemes that have helped him feel “his way label.

“We’ll flip a coin for it,” Kamara through the defense,” whereas Kamara is “extremely explosive” said.

Etienne and Kamara don’t have when cutting. They win in differthe stylistic differences that typi- ent ways, he said.

“The beauty of Travis is his abilcally accompany a 1-2 running back punch. In most other tandems, ity to start and stop and kind of there’s a big guy and a little guy. have this patience behind the line There’s a speedster and a bowling of scrimmage … is really special ball. That’s not the case here. Eti- and unique,” guard David Edenne and Kamara are listed as the wards said. “What’s really special same height (5-foot-10) and weight about AK is I feel like that guy can hit a home run at any second. His (215 pounds).

Etienne, who grew up a Saints fan, twitchiness, athleticism and burst has said he modeled his game after are really unique.”

Kamara. It shows.

“In terms of vision and cuts, that’s Finding what works where they’re very similar,” Saints Last year, Moore’s staff felt it run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti took about nine games before ironsaid. “Very, very similar.” ing out what the Saints were best The similarities create opportu- at in the run game. While wide nities for how the coaching staff zone runs were the Saints’ bread wants to deploy each of them. In and butter under former coordiJacksonville, Etienne was a more nator Klint Kubiak in 2024, Moore than capable threat in the passing utilized a buffet of concepts in his game — where some of Kamara’s first season — sometimes to the best plays have come. If that con- Saints’ detriment. tinues in 2026, the Saints could Starting in Week 10 against the avoid the predictability that other Carolina Panthers, there was a teams face when swapping backs. subtle shift. The Saints found sucThink back to the 2023 season, for cess by hammering home insideinstance, when Jamaal Williams’ zone runs that ripped off 5.1 yards presence for the Saints often in- per carry. A new formula was esdicated a short-yardage run or a tablished. According to FTN Fanpass-blocking down. tasy, the Saints went from running But to be clear, there are differ- inside zone on 23.1% of their rushences between Etienne and Kama- es through the first nine games to

35.8% over the final eight.

The Saints also reduced their usage of outside zone (19.8% to 11.7%) and power concepts (13.7% to 8.5%) in that span.

“We figured out who we wanted to be and what fit us,” Paganetti said.

Added Thomas: “We trimmed the fat.”

A clearer identity should lead to a faster start on the ground this season, but dramatic improvement is still needed. As much as the Saints tweaked their tendencies in the second half of the season, they managed only 3.6 yards per carry — which actually fell from the first half’s 3.8 ypc. The Saints improved on inside zone plays (averaging 4.1 a pop) but suffered elsewhere.

Adding Etienne and Edwards — who arrived from Buffalo on a fouryear, $61 million deal — demonstrated the Saints recognized that playcalling tweaks wouldn’t be enough.

The signings may allow New Orleans to tap better into run concepts that weren’t as successful last year. Etienne, for example, averaged 6.2 yards per carry on outside zone runs in 2025 — almost a full 3 yards better than what New Orleans averaged as a team.

“We’re very, very good at outside zone, like that wide zone stuff you hear about,” Paganetti said. “Our backs have been tremendous all camp at feeling that, feeling the cutbacks, but at the same time, reading the front side. Outside of that — even some of the downhill, inside stuff — I think everything has kind of clicked.”

Etienne and Kamara clicking could be central to it all.

“Coach is going to manipulate defenses with us,” Etienne said.

“Great things are going to happen.”

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ 5C

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Moore says rookie Tyson’s injury could linger into season

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Donaldsonville edge rusher DeCaleb Green will transfer to Amite for his senior season.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Three-star Donaldsonville edge rusher set to transfer Cincinnati commit Green had 211/2 sacks last season

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Donaldsonville star edge rusher DeCaleb Green will don a new uniform for his senior season.

Green has played at Donaldsonville his whole high school career but is transferring to Amite High for his final year, as confirmed

by Tigers coach Darnell Lee and Green this week.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound edge rusher is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. He received his first FBS offer during the 2025 season from South Alabama.

He committed to the Jaguars before flipping his commitment to Cincinnati this offseason.

Green put up big numbers last year, totaling 211/2 sacks, 27 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and one safety. He earned AllMetro and LSWA Class 3A allstate honors for his stellar season.

Lee confirmed the move but said it isn’t official yet, with Green still enrolled at Donaldsonville.

“That’s not official yet, but he hasn’t been to any summer workouts or anything,” Lee said. “I see him on our rosters here at our school still, so I guess he’s kind of in between, but he hasn’t been practicing with us.”

Donaldsonville finished 2025 with an 8-4 record after reaching the second round of the Division III nonselect playoffs.

a bit more nuanced. He missed time during Arizona State’s regular season with a hamstring injury last year, then sat out much of the pre-draft process. The Saints also limited the work he did throughout the summer after they selected him.

Moore was hesitant to provide specific details about how much time Tyson may miss, though when pressed on whether it could linger into the regular season, Moore said, “It could.” Tyson is expected to get an MRI on his hamstring, if one hasn’t already been done.

“We’ll see what happens,” Moore said. “We’re in the early situations of letting the experts take care of their evaluation and put together a plan.”

Even before the injury, Tyson was not going to play in the preseason opener against Jacksonville. Moore said he wasn’t sure whether Tyson would join the team in Southern California next week, where the Saints will participate in joint practices against the Cowboys and Rams before playing the Rams in a preseason contest.

“Jordyn’s had a great camp, he’s played really good football,” Moore said. “Inevitably, this is the unfortunate part of what preseason and training camp football is. Obviously, we’ve had a few of these guys have something come up.

“We’ll be fine and get through this.”

When the New Orleans Saints selected receiver Jordyn Tyson with the No. 8 pick of this year’s draft, most of the conversation was about whether his injury history made it a risky pick.

On Friday, coach Kellen Moore told reporters that Tyson is dealing with a hamstring injury in his right leg — one that could jeopardize the prized rookie’s status for the season opener against the Detroit Lions.

“It’s something we’re going to ... collect some more information, just as far as what that timeline looks (like),” Moore said. “He just kind of got caught in a goofy spot.

It’s not anything related to a previous hamstring (injury), it’s something new.

“We’re going to collect some more information on that, put a good action plan for that moving forward, and we’ll keep progressing as well as we can.”

The injury occurred early in the Saints’ joint practice against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday when Tyson caught a crossing route and then fell to the turf near the sideline after gaining some yards after the catch.

Moore said Tyson’s foot slipped out from under him as he was getting shoved from behind, an unfortunate series of events he was told would have resulted in a hamstring injury for most players.

Email Luke Johnson at With Tyson, the conversation is ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Charles Salzer contributed to this story.

Raiders QB Mendoza dives into video study after loss to Arizona

BY MARK ANDERSON Associated Press

HENDERSON, Nev. — Rather than go out and blow off steam after his first NFL preseason game Thursday night, Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza had something else in mind.

Stay in and watch the game video.

“I have nothing else to really do tonight,” Mendoza said.

He was critical of his performance in Las Vegas’ 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Mendoza completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown to Jack Bech. He played four series.

Mendoza’s postgame plans underscored how diligent he has been since the Raiders drafted him No. 1 overall.

Coach Klint Kubiak said because technology allows all players to immediately evaluate their performances, Mendoza likely wasn’t alone in going to the iPad. Kubiak said he wasn’t concerned about information overload, even for a young quarterback.

“Our quarterbacks, they’re expected to handle a lot of information and to process it all,” Kubiak said Friday. “So I think you push them mentally and see how much their bucket can hold. And him and Aidan (O’Connell) and Jacob (Clark) and Kirk (Cousins), those guys can carry a lot of information.”

Cousins remains the No. 1 quarterback, and Kubiak said after the game it was “his job to lose.” But Kubiak didn’t rule out

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza drops back to pass against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday in Las Vegas. The Raiders lost 27-14 in their preseason opener.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

By DAVID BECKER

giving Mendoza more first-team snaps in training camp.

Mendoza has had just one practice where he ran the starting offense, and that was because Cousins and defensive end Maxx Crosby were briefly held out of team drills because of an altercation.

The Raiders practice against the Texans in Houston on Tuesday and then play them two nights later. Las Vegas concludes its preseason schedule on Aug. 27 at home against former Bay Area rival San Francisco.

“We’re going to put a plan together this week, and that’s something that we’re talking about as a coaching staff right now,” Kubiak said. “But, really, whether it’s Aidan O’Connell, Kirk or Fernando, I would say all three of those guys deserve first-team reps.”

Cousins has held the top spot through his consistent play in practice, which carried over into the game against Arizona.

He played the opening drive, completing 5 of 6 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown to Michael Mayer.

His battle with Mendoza has been far from contentious, and Cousins will lend an ear if the youngster asks.

“I don’t pull him aside and say, ‘Hey, come here for my wisdom,’ ” Cousins said. “I think he’s a pretty smart, mature player and person, and if anything, I don’t want to get in his way. I think he knows what he’s doing and has a good feel, and I don’t want to overload him.

“If I feel like I can offer a quick nugget here or there, I will. He’s a great question asker, so a lot of times he’ll just ask.

There’s also times where I say, ‘Hey, nothing needs to be said.

Go do your thing, you got it.’

There’s a lot of good football up ahead for him.”

Mendoza’s other teammates also have taken note of the young player’s work ethic.

“He’s in the building, studying late night and things like that,” rookie wide receiver Malik Benson said. “So when he comes out here, he just went off it because it’s been a lot of work.”

Battle for starting right guard The only offensive line position currently in play is right guard, with Jackson PowersJohnson and Caleb Rogers competing. Powers-Johnson started against the Cardinals.

“I’ve been really pleased with how both of those guys are playing,” Kubiak said. “They’re making each other better. They’re making decisions hard on us, but it also means we’re continuing to build solid depth.”

Rookie Trey Zuhn, taken in the third round out of Texas A&M, has been practicing at multiple offensive line positions and was the second-team right tackle against Arizona.

“We have moved him around quite a bit, and that’s what we drafted him to do,” Kubiak said.

“That’s a position that we want to see him get live reps in a game with, so that was the plan going in.”

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints wide receiver Jordyn Tyson catches the ball during training camp at the team’s practice facility on Sunday in Metairie.

Seahawks coach explains agreement with CB Arnold

BY ANDREW DESTIN Associated Press

RENTON, Wash. — After answering six minutes’ worth of questions about why the Seattle Seahawks are working on a contract with cornerback Terrion Arnold, coach Mike Macdonald was asked about the team’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.

Macdonald made it clear he was not ducking inquiries about Arnold, who is facing eight felony charges stemming from allegations he orchestrated the abduction and beating of three men in February. The 23-year-old became a free agent in June, when the Detroit Lions released him a few days after the kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy charges were levied.

“I understand the situation,” Macdonald said Friday. “So, I’m glad that we had the opportunity to talk about it.”

Macdonald explained why the reigning Super Bowl champions felt compelled to add Arnold, who prosecutors in Florida said arranged for men to be pistolwhipped after he wrongly suspected them of stealing $100,000 in cash and luxury goods from him.

Police called Arnold the “primary conspirator” in the Feb. 4 attack, and a judge set his bail at $1 million.

Defense attorney R. Timothy Jansen said in Hillsborough County court earlier this summer that Arnold is “absolutely denying these

allegations.” Denise White, the CEO of EAG Sports Management, an agency that represents Arnold, said there’s “no credible evidence” against him, only accounts from others who may have an incentive to get a lighter sentence.

“We also understand that it’s a serious situation with a legal matter,” Macdonald said. “There’s a process behind it, so we respect that. And that’s how we’ll operate, too, is just letting that process play out. And let the league decide if and when his return to play is.

And we’ll just kind of understand that that’s at play.”

Macdonald said the timetable for the NFL ruling on Arnold’s eligibility for the 2026 season is still being worked out. To Macdonald’s understanding, Arnold visited at least eight teams, and it is unclear when he will join the Seahawks.

“We have an agreement with him, and we’ll see,” Macdonald said. “But I just really don’t know how we’re going to do it.”

Should Arnold be permitted to play for the Seahawks this season, he could bolster what was arguably the NFL’s best defense last season.

No team allowed fewer points per game (17.2), and Seattle finished in the top seven in the league in sacks and interceptions.

Arnold should add depth to a secondary that lost cornerback Riq Woolen to free agency and has been without second-year safety Nick Emannwori, who had offseason ankle surgery, during training camp.

6C ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL American League East Division

National League

Tampa Bay New York Boston Toronto Baltimore

W 74 68 65 60 58

L 46 54 57 64 63

Pct .617 .557 .533 .484 .479

GB — 7 10 16 16½

Chicago Detroit Minnesota Cleveland Kansas City

W 63 60 60 59 49

L 58 62 63 64 73

Pct .521 .492 .488 .480 .402

GB — 3½ 4 5 14½

Houston Texas Seattle Los Angeles Athletics

W 62 60 57 48 47

L 60 62 65 74 74

Pct .508 .492 .467 .393 .388

GB — 2 5 14 14½

Central Division

West Division

Thursday’s games

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J. PHILLIP

Hyped in H-town

Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith celebrates after hitting an RBI triple as Seattle Mariners third baseman Brendan Donovan looks on during the second inning Friday in Houston. The game ended after deadline.

SCOREBOARD Odds NFL Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG Minnesota 1½ 2½ (41½) at NY GIANTS at BUFFALO 1½ 3 (39½) Carolina Cleveland 1½ 3 (40½) at CHICAGO at KAN. CITY 1½ 2½ (36½) LA Rams at NEW ORL. 1½ 2½ (35½) Jacksonville Philadelphia 2½ 3½ (37½) at BALTIMORE at SEATTLE 2½ 2½ (38½) Dallas

Major League Baseball American League FAVORITE at DETROIT at TORONTO at TAMPA BAY at HOUSTON at LA ANGELS at ATHLETICS

LINE -149 OFF -145 -122 -157 OFF

National League FAVORITE at CHIC. CUBS at SAN FRAN. at N.Y METS Miami at ATLANTA Milwaukee

LINE -179 -133 OFF -116 -141 -144

Interleague

FAVORITE LINE at CLEVELAND OFF Philadelphia -154 Boston -126

UNDERDOG White Sox N.Y Yankees Baltimore Seattle Kansas City Texas

LINE +125 OFF +119 +107 +132 OFF

UNDERDOG St. Louis Colorado Washington at CINCINNATI Arizona at LA DODGERS

LINE +144 +117 OFF -106 +116 +118

UNDERDOG LINE San Diego OFF at MINNESOTA +124 at PITTSBURGH +102

Pro football NFL preseason glance Thursday’s games

Cincinnati 16, Detroit 14 Pittsburgh 28, Green Bay 9 Indianapolis 13, New England 13 Arizona 27, Las Vegas 14 L.A. Chargers 27, Houston 7 Tennessee 19, San Francisco 13

Friday’s games

Denver 27, Atlanta 7 Washington 20, Miami 7 Tampa Bay 24, N.Y. Jets 7

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 WNBA glance EASTERN CONFERENCE Indiana Atlanta New York Washington Chicago Toronto Connecticut

W 22 21 21 19 12 10 8

L 12 12 14 14 22 23 24

Pct GB .647 — .636 ½ .600 1½ .576 2½ .353 10 .303 11½ .250 13

W 28 24 24 20 13 13 12 7

L 7 9 11 15 20 22 21 28

Pct .800 .727 .686 .571 .394 .371 .364 .200

WESTERN CONFERENCE

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

GB — 3 4 8 14 15 15 21

Thursday’s games

Atlanta 104, Connecticut 69 New york 85, Los Angeles 81 Las Vegas 83, Washington 76

Friday’s games

Indiana 98, Dallas 87 Portland at Seattle, n

Saturday’s games

New York at Connecticut, noon Los Angeles at Washington, 6:30 p.m.

Minnesota at Las Vegas, 7 p.m.

Golf PGA Tour FedEx St. Jude Championship

At TPC Southwind; Memphis, Tenn.; Purse: $20 million; Yardage: 7,288; Par: 70

Second round

Scottie Scheffler Viktor Hovland Sungjae Im Ludvig Åberg Nicolas Echavarria Tommy Fleetwood Brian Harman Jordan Spieth Patrick Cantlay Wyndham Clark Jake Knapp Keith Mitchell Sudarshan Yellamaraju Chris Gotterup Hideki Matsuyama Patrick Rodgers Adam Scott Alex Smalley Sam Burns Pierceson Coody Matt Fitzpatrick Michael Kim Alex Noren Nick Taylor Justin Thomas Gary Woodland Bud Cauley Si Woo Kim Kurt Kitayama Min Woo Lee Maverick McNealy Aaron Rai Cameron Young Jacob Bridgeman Ryo Hisatsune J.T. Poston Xander Schauffele Ryan Gerard

68-61—129 68-64—132 66-66—132 68-65—133 68-66—134 66-68—134 70-64—134 65-69—134 69-66—135 69-66—135 65-70—135 69-66—135 70-65—135 66-70—136 66-70—136 67-69—136 66-70—136 68-68—136 67-70—137 71-66—137 70-67—137 65-72—137 71-66—137 69-68—137 70-67—137 66-71—137 66-72—138 70-68—138 65-73—138 67-71—138 68-70—138 72-66—138 69-69—138 69-70—139 69-70—139 71-68—139 67-72—139 70-70—140

-11 -8 -8 -7 -6 -6 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 E

Harry Hall Max Homa Collin Morikawa J.J. Spaun Sam Stevens Michael Thorbjornsen Rickie Fowler Russell Henley Tom Kim Jackson Koivun Shane Lowry Sepp Straka Sahith Theegala Corey Conners Aldrich Potgieter Michael Brennan Harris English Nicolai Højgaard Kristoffer Reitan Justin Rose Matti Schmid Akshay Bhatia Eric Cole Ben Griffin Rory McIlroy Jordan L. Smith Alex Fitzpatrick Matthew McCarty Ricky Castillo Ryan Fox Robert MacIntyre

DP World Tour

72-68—140 73-67—140 71-69—140 71-69—140 69-71—140 65-75—140 68-73—141 71-70—141 69-72—141 71-70—141 69-72—141 68-73—141 69-72—141 71-71—142 71-71—142 73-70—143 68-75—143 73-70—143 72-71—143 73-70—143 73-70—143 72-72—144 72-72—144 73-71—144 74-70—144 71-73—144 71-74—145 73-72—145 72-74—146 73-73—146 82-WD

E E E E E E +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6

Danish Championship

At Great Northern; Kerteminde; Purse: $2.8 million; Yardage: 7,314; Par: 72

Second round

Cameron Adam, Scotland 70-63—133-11 Antoine Rozner, France 69-64—133-11 Ewen Ferguson, Scotland 69-65—134-10 Matthew Jordan, England 68-67—135 -9 Romain Langasque, France 69-66—135 -9 Julian Perico, Peru 69-66—135 -9 Brandon Stone, South Africa 66-69—135 -9 Caleb Surratt, United States 69-66—135 -9 Bubba Watson, United States 68-68—136 -8 Yanhan Zhou, China 69-67—136 -8 Filippo Celli, Italy 67-70—137 -7 Todd Clements, England 69-68—137 -7 Rasmus Højgaard, Denmark 70-67—137 -7 Freddy Schott, Germany 67-70—137 -7 Marcus Armitage, England 70-68—138 -6 Sam Bairstow, England 72-66—138 -6 Alejandro Del Rey, Spain 70-68—138 -6 Ricardo Gouveia, Portugal 69-69—138 -6 Marcus Helligkilde, Denmark 70-68—138 -6 Oliver Lindell, Finland 67-71—138 -6 Per Längfors, Sweden 71-67—138 -6 Jack Senior, England 70-68—138 -6 Marcel Siem, Germany 70-68—138 -6 Jeff Winther, Denmark 71-67—138 -6 Angel Ayora Fanegas, Spain 69-70—139 -5 Dan Bradbury, England 69-70—139 -5 Joe Dean, England 68-71—139 -5 Mats Ege, Norway 73-66—139 -5 Julien Guerrier, France 69-70—139 -5 Oihan Guillamoundeguy, France 70-69—139 -5 David Horsey, England 68-71—139 -5 Francesco Laporta, Italy 67-72—139 -5 Zander Lombard, South Africa 70-69—139 -5 Félix Mory, France 65-74—139 -5 Jacob Skov Olesen, Denmark 70-69—139 -5 Yannik Paul, Germany 71-68—139 -5 Ryan Peake, Australia 72-67—139 -5 Bernd Wiesberger, Austria 68-71—139 -5

Tennis Western & Southern Open At Lindner Family Tennis Center; Cincinnati Purse: $9,415,725 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor

Men’s singles

Round of 128 Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, Paraguay, def. Kyrian Jacquet, France, 6-2, 6-4.

Hubert Hurkacz, Poland, def. Sho Shimabukuro, Japan, 6-2, 6-4.

Quentin Halys, France, def. Vit Kopriva, Czechia, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece, def. Valentin Royer, France, 7-6 (4), 7-5.

Daniel Altmaier, Germany, def. Coleman Wong, Hong Kong, China, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Yannick Hanfmann, Germany, def. Luca Van Assche, France, 6-2, 6-4.

Sebastian Baez, Argentina, def. Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Pablo Carreno Busta, Spain, def. Tomas Machac, Czechia, 6-3, 6-2.

Matteo Berrettini, Italy, def. Titouan Droguet, France, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Alex Michelsen, United States, def. Jesper De Jong, Netherlands, 6-4, 6-4.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Argentina, def.

Mark Lajal, Estonia, 6-4, 6-4.

James Duckworth, Australia, def. Jeffrey John Wolf, United States, 7-5, 7-6 (0).

Christopher O’Connell, Australia, def. Kamil Majchrzak, Poland, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Botic Van de Zandschulp, Netherlands, def.

Aleksandr Shevchenko, Russia, 6-4, 6-4.

Lorenzo Sonego, Italy, def. Juncheng Shang, China, 6-3, 6-3.

Women’s singles

Round of 128 Lucrezia Stefanini, Italy, def. Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Italy, 5-3, ret.

Sara Bejlek, Czechia, def. Karolina Pliskova, Czechia, 6-0, 6-2.

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Spain, def. Anna Bondar, Hungary, 6-3, 7-6 (5).

Daria Snigur, Ukraine, def. Yuliia Starodubtseva, Ukraine, 6-4, 6-3.

Nikola Bartunkova, Czechia, def. Alina Charaeva, Russia, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Anna Blinkova, Russia, def. Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Thailand, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Peyton Stearns, United States, def. Harriet Dart, Britain, 6-1, 7-6 (6).

Emiliana Arango, Colombia, def. Venus Williams, United States, 6-2, 6-2.

Tamara Korpatsch, Germany, def. Maya Joint, Australia, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Viktorija Golubic, Switzerland, def. Alycia Parks, United States, 6-2, 6-2.

Talia Gibson, Australia, def. Lilli Tagger, Austria, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Oleksandra Oliynykova, Ukraine, def. Elvina Kalieva, United States, 6-4, 6-1.

Wang Xiyu, China, def. Maria Timofeeva, Russia, 6-0, 3-0, ret.

W 73 65 62 60 54

L 49 58 61 64 69

Pct .598 .528 .504 .484 .439

GB — 8½ 11½ 14 19½

Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Cincinnati Pittsburgh

W 75 72 61 59 60

L 47 51 61 62 64

Pct .615 .585 .500 .488 .484

GB — 3½ 14 15½ 16

Los Angeles San Diego Arizona San Francisco Colorado

W 73 66 65 50 48

L 49 57 58 71 73

Pct .598 .537 .528 .413 .397

GB — 7½ 8½ 22½ 24½

Central Division

West Division

Thursday’s games

Friday’s games

Friday’s games

Chicago White Sox 9, Detroit 5 Pittsburgh 8, Boston 4 Toronto 3, N.Y. Yankees 1 San Diego 7, Cleveland 5 Baltimore at Tampa Bay, n San Diego at Cleveland, n Seattle at Houston, n Kansas City at L.A. Angels, n Texas at Athletics, n

Pittsburgh 13, Miami 1 Cincinnati 9, Chicago White Sox 8 Washington 7, Chicago Cubs 0 Philadelphia 7, Minnesota 1 Milwaukee 5, L.A. Dodgers 4 Chicago Cubs 3, St. Louis 0 Cincinnati 1, Miami 0 Pittsburgh 8, Boston 4 N.Y. Mets 4, Washington 1 Arizona 2, Atlanta 0 San Diego 7, Cleveland 5 Milwaukee at L.A. Dodgers, n Colorado at San Francisco, n

Saturday’s games

Saturday’s games

Chicago White Sox (Kay 9-5) at Detroit (Melton 7-1), 12:10 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Schlittler 10-6) at Toronto (TBD),2:07 p.m.

Baltimore (Bradish 7-11) at Tampa Bay (Seymour 9-3), 5:10 p.m.

Philadelphia (Luzardo 10-5) at Minnesota (Prielipp 3-5), 6:10 p.m.

San Diego (Vásquez 8-6) at Cleveland (Cantillo 8-7), 6:10 p.m.

Seattle (Hancock 6-7) at Houston (Wesneski 2-0), 6:10 p.m.

Boston (Gray 14-3) at Pittsburgh (Jones 2-4), 6:15 p.m.

Kansas City (Dobnak 2-1) at L.A. Angels (Detmers 3-8), 8:38 p.m.

Texas (Gore 6-9) at Athletics (Ginn 8-6), 8:40 p.m.

St. Louis (McGreevy 4-9) at Chicago Cubs (Boyd 8-1), 1:20 p.m.

Colorado (Lorenzen 3-10) at San Francisco (Webb 7-7), 3:05 p.m.

Washington (TBD) at N.Y. Mets (Manaea 4-5), 3:10 p.m.

Miami (Gusto 0-3) at Cincinnati (Singer 5-11), 5:40 p.m.

Philadelphia (Luzardo 10-5) at Minnesota (Prielipp 3-5), 6:10 p.m.

San Diego (Vásquez 8-6) at Cleveland (Cantillo 8-7), 6:10 p.m.

Arizona (Rodriguez 11-4) at Atlanta (Holmes 7-4), 6:15 p.m.

Boston (Gray 14-3) at Pittsburgh (Jones 2-4), 6:15 p.m.

Milwaukee (Misiorowski 11-5) at L.A. Dodgers (Wrobleski 11-4), 6:15 p.m.

BOX SCORES

MLS glance Eastern Conference

L 2 2 6 6 6 6 7 7 5 10 8 7 10 10 12

Western Conference

T 4 5 3 2 5 5 4 4 8 2 5 8 4 4 3

Pts 40 38 30 29 26 26 25 25 23 20 20 17 16 16 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

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.

Transactions BASEBALL Major League Baseball

American League ATHLETICS — Sent LHP Jeffrey Springs on a rehab assignment to Stockton (CAL).

Agreed to terms with SS Jonathan Ornelas on a minor league contract.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Reinstated RHP Chris Bassitt from the 60-day IL. Optioned RHP Yaramil Hiraldo to Norfolk (IL).

BOSTON RED SOX — Sent RHP Seth Martinez outright to Worcester (IL).

CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Designated LHP Joe Rock for assignment. Placed RHP Davis Martin on the 15-day IL. Recalled RHP José Urquidy and LHP Tyler Schweitzer from Charlotte (IL). Optioned RHP Tanner McDougal to Charlotte. Claimed C Jake Rogers off waivers from Boston.

DETROIT TIGERS — Agreed to terms with OF Michael Siani on a minor league contract.

HOUSTON ASTROS — Sent RHP Mike Burrow on a rehab assignment to Sugar Land (PCL).

MINNESOTA TWINS — Designated C Alex Jackson for assignment.

NEW YORK YANKEES — Agreed to terms with RHP Justin Topa on a minor league contract.

SEATTLE MARINERS — Placed SS Colt Emerson on the 10-day IL. Selected the contract of 2B Brock Rodden from Tacoma (PCL).

TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Activated RHP Paul Sewald. Optioned RHP Lazaro Estrada to Buffalo (IL).

National League CINCINNATI REDS — Sent RHP Tony Santillan on a rehab assignment to Louisville (IL).

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Agreed to terms with RHP Lyon Richardson on a minor league contract.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — Agreed to terms with RHP Casey Lawrence on a minor league contract. Optioned OF Kameron Misner to Lehigh Valley (IL).

PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Placed RHP Yohan Ramírez on the paternity list. Optioned OF Jhostynxon Garcia to Indianapolis (IL).

Recalled RHP Wilber Dotel and OF Billy Cook from Indianapolis.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Optioned 3B César Prieto to Memphis (IL).

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Optioned 2B Nate Furman and OF Grant McCray to Sacramento (PCL). Recalled OF Jonah Cox from Sacramento.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Sent LHP DJ Herz on a rehab assignment to Harrisburg (EL). Released RHP Miles Mikolas.

BASKETBALL

WNBA DALLAS WINGS — Signed G Christyn Williams to a player development contract.

FOOTBALL

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

Detroit 3, Cleveland 0 Cincinnati 9, Chicago White Sox 8 Seattle 1, N.Y. Yankees 0 Boston 7, Toronto 0 Philadelphia 7, Minnesota 1 L.A. Angels 7, Texas 0

Soccer W Nashville 12 Inter Miami CF 11 New England 9 Chicago 9 New York City FC 7 Cincinnati 7 Charlotte FC 7 New York 7 D.C. United 5 Orlando City 6 Columbus 5 Toronto FC 3 Philadelphia 4 CF Montréal 4 Atlanta 3

East Division

NFL NFL — Suspended Atlanta DE James Pearce Jr. for eight games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

ATLANTA FALCONS — Waived OT Jack Nelson with an injury settlement.

BALTIMORE RAVENS — Placed OT Kendall Lamm on the reserve/retire list.

BUFFALO BILLS — Signed DB Wande Owens.

Waived LB Otis Reese.

CLEVELAND BROWNS — Placed DB Tyron Herring on injured reserve.

GREEN BAY PACKERS — Waived TE RJ Maryland.

HOUSTON TEXANS — Waived K Chris Freeman.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS — Waived DB Bryce Phillips.

NEW YORK GIANTS — Placed DB DJ James on injured reserve. Waived WR Beaux Collins with an injury settlement.

NEW YORK JETS — Waived DE Eric Watts.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Waived OT Lorenzo Thompson with an injury settlement.

Chicago White Sox 9, Detroit 5

Cincinnati 1, Miami 0

T — 2:40. A — 39,638 (41,083).

Cincinnati ab r hbi ab r h bi Marsee cf 4 0 0 0 De La Cruz ss 3 0 0 0 Edwards 2b 4 0 1 0 Stewart 3b-1b 4 0 1 0 Lopez ss 4 0 1 0 Bleday lf 3 01 0 Conine dh 3 0 0 0 Stephenson c 4 1 1 0 Hernández lf 3 0 1 0 Suárez dh 4 01 1 Sanoja 3b 3 0 0 0 Toglia 1b 2 01 0 Caissie rf 2 0 0 0 Hayes 3b 1 01 0 Jiménez 1b 1 0 0 0 Myers cf 4 00 0 Mack c 2 0 0 0 Marte rf 3 00 0 Ruiz ph-rf 1 0 0 0 McLain 2b 2 00 0 Pauley 1b 2 0 10 Ramírez ph-c 1 0 0 0 Totals 30 0 4 0 Totals 30 1 6 1 Miami 000 000 000 — 0 Cincinnati 000 001 00x — 1 DP — Miami 0, Cincinnati 1. LOB — Miami 3, Cincinnati 9. 2B — Toglia (1), Suárez (15). SB — Lopez (24).

IP H R ER BB SO Miami Alcantara L,13-7 7 3 1 1 4 2 Ekness 1 3 0 0 0 1 Cincinnati Burns W,14-2 7 4 0 0 0 8 Burke H,14 1 0 0 0 0 3 Pagán S,15-18 1 0 0 0 0 0 ABS Challenge — Toglia (StrikeOverturned to Ball); Marsee (StrikeOverturned to Ball); Stewart (StrikeOverturned to Ball); Hernández (Strike-Confirmed); Burke (Ball-Overturned to Strike).

Umpires — Home, James Jean; First, Sean Barber; Second, John Libka; Third, James Hoye.

T — 2:19. A — 21,232 (43,891).

Toronto 3, N.Y. Yankees 1

Pittsburgh 8, Boston 4

Chicago

Detroit

ab r hbi ab r h bi Antonacci lf 2 1 0 0 Torres 2b 4 02 1 Doyle ph-cf 2 0 0 0 Dingler c 5 00 0 Murakami 1b 3 2 1 1 McGonigle ss 4 1 1 0 Vargas 3b 5 3 4 3 Valencia dh 4 0 2 1 Benintendi dh 4 1 1 0 Keith 3b 4 01 0 B.Mntgmry rf 5 0 3 3 Torkelson 1b 4 1 1 0 C.Mntgmry ss 5 0 0 0 McKinstry rf 4 0 0 0 Meidroth 2b 5 1 2 0 Malgeri lf 4 22 3 Peters cf-lf 5 1 3 2 Clark cf 4 11 0 Romo c 4 0 00 Totals 40 9 14 9 Totals 37 510 5 Chicago 100 502 010 — 9 Detroit 021 000 200 — 5 DP — Chicago 0, Detroit 1. LOB — Chicago 9, Detroit 6. 2B — Vargas (27), Meidroth (24), Valencia (6), Keith (15).

3B —B.Montgomery (3), Clark (2). HR — Peters (7), Murakami (27), Vargas 2 (27), Malgeri 2 (3).

IP H R ER BB SO Chicago Newcomb 11⁄3 0 0 0 1 2 Urquidy W,1-1 32⁄3 5 3 3 0 3 1 Brazobán 1 ⁄3 3 2 2 0 0 2 Taylor H,9 1 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 Hudson 1 1 0 0 0 2 Detroit Jobe L,1-1 32⁄3 9 6 6 1 4 Waguespack 11⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 1 De Jesús 2 ⁄3 3 2 2 2 1 2 Madden 1 ⁄3 2 1 1 0 1 HBP — Jobe 2 (Antonacci,Murakami).

Miami

ab r h bi Bateman cf 4 0 2 0 Lukes rf 3 00 0 Guerrero 1b 3 1 1 0 McAdoo 1b 1 0 0 0 Springer dh 4 1 0 0 Kirk c 3 12 2 Giménez ss 4 0 1 0 Okamoto 3b 3 0 1 0 J.Sánchez lf 3 0 0 0 Straw lf 0 00 0 Clement 2b 3 0 1 0 Totals 31 1 5 1 Totals 31 3 8 2 New York 000 001 000 — 1 Toronto 000 002 01x — 3 E — McMahon (7), García (5). DP — New York 1, Toronto 0. LOB — New York 4, Toronto 6. 2B — Jones (7), Giménez (19), Kirk (5). HR — Grisham (16), Kirk (5).

IP H R ER BB SO New York Cole L,6-6 6 5 2 1 2 5 Blackburn 1 2 0 0 0 1 Hanner 1 1 1 1 0 2 Toronto Bieber W,4-2 6 4 1 1 1 5 0 0 0 Rogers H,25 1 1⁄3 1 0 2 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Fluharty H,13 Varland S,27-28 1 0 0 0 0 0 ABS Challenge — Cole (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Cole (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Bateman (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Bieber (Ball-Overturned to Strike).

Ejected — Boone.

Umpires — Home, Vic Carapazza; First, Nic Lentz; Second, Hunter Wendelstedt; Third, Brock Ballou.

T — 2:25. A — 42,816 (39,150).

Pittsburgh ab r h bi Gonzales 3b 2 0 0 0 Gonzalez ss 1 1 1 0 Simon dh 3 11 0 Reynolds lf-rf 4 3 2 0 Valdez rf 4 11 2 Cook pr-cf 0 00 0 Lowe 2b 4 11 3 Flores 1b 4 13 2 Mangum lf 4 00 0 Triolo ss-3b 3 0 0 0 Davis c 3 00 0 Totals 34 4 9 4 Totals 32 8 9 7 Boston 000 020 101 — 4 Pittsburgh 010 330 10x — 8 E — Durbin (8), Chandler (3). DP — Boston 1, Pittsburgh 0. LOB — Boston 8, Pittsburgh 3. 2B — Abreu (25), Reynolds (29), Valdez (10), Gonzalez (7). HR — Flores (4), Lowe (26). SB — Reynolds (9), Gonzalez (2). SF — Sogard (1). S — Simon (1).

IP H R ER BB SO Boston Bennett L,7-6 4 5 4 4 1 6 Morán 1 2 3 3 0 2 Gamboa 3 2 1 0 0 0 Pittsburgh Chandler W,6-8 5 4 2 2 2 5 Soto 1 0 0 0 1 1 Doval 1 2 1 1 1 1 Weaver 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 ⁄3 3 1 1 0 1 Yates 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 Montgomery S,4-6 HBP — Morán (Gonzales).

ABS Challenge — Mangum (StrikeOverturned to Ball); Chandler (Ball-Confirmed); Soto (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Yates (Ball-Confirmed); Montgomery (Ball-Overturned to Strike).

Umpires — Home, Ryan Wills; First, Ryan Additon; Second, Jonathan Parra; Third,

Arizona 2, Atlanta 0

Chicago Cubs 3, St. Louis 0

Arizona

St. Louis

New York

ab Grisham cf 4 Rice dh 4 Jones rf 4 García 1b 4 Chisholm 2b 4 Ramos lf 3 McMahon 3b 3 Wells c 2 Lombard ss 3

r hbi 1 21 0 00 0 10 0 00 0 10 0 00 0 10 0 00 0 00

Toronto

Atlanta

ab r hbi ab r h bi Perdomo ss 5 1 4 0 Baldwin c 4 01 0 Carroll rf 4 0 2 0 Acuña dh 4 00 0 Moreno c 5 0 1 1 Olson 1b 4 00 0 Marte 2b 1 0 0 0 Harris cf 3 01 0 Barrosa cf 2 0 0 0 Albies 2b 3 00 0 Arenado 3b 4 0 0 0 Dubón lf 3 01 0 Vargas 1b-2b 4 0 1 0 Ystrzmski rf 3 0 0 0 Tawa cf-1b 3 1 1 1 Riley 3b 3 00 0 Locklear dh 2 0 0 0 Jarvis ss 2 00 0 Nootbaar dh 2 0 1 0 Smith ph 1 00 0 Waldschmidt lf3 0 0 0 Kim ss 0 00 0 Totals 35 2 10 2 Totals 30 0 3 0 Arizona 100 000 001 — 2 Atlanta 000 000 000 — 0 LOB — Arizona 10, Atlanta 3. 2B — Carroll (25), Perdomo (16), Moreno (24). HR — Tawa (7). SB — Vargas (3). S — Tawa (6), Waldschmidt (2).

IP H R ER BB SO Arizona Pfaadt W,7-1 7 2 0 0 0 7 Morillo H,16 1 1 0 0 0 2 Garcia S,4-4 1 0 0 0 0 2 Atlanta Sale L,12-8 6 5 1 1 0 9 1 1 0 0 0 1 Fuentes Dodd 1 2 0 0 0 0 Kinley 1 2 1 1 1 1 HBP — Dodd (Barrosa).

ABS Challenge — Moreno (Strike-Overturned to Ball).

Pitch timer violations — Kinley (pitcher).

Umpires — Home, Roberto Ortiz; First, Jim Wolf; Second, Edwin Jimenez; Third, Alan Porter.

T — 2:32. A — 35,106 (41,149).

Boston

ab Sogard 2b 4 Yoshida dh 5 Rutschman c 5 Contreras 1b 3 Abreu rf 4 Durbin 3b 3 Duran lf 3 Monasterio ss3 White cf 4

r hbi 0 22 0 21 0 00 0 10 0 10 1 00 2 10 0 11 1 10

Chicago ab r hbi ab r h bi Wetherhlt 2b 4 0 0 0 Crw-Amstrg cf4 0 0 0 Herrera c 4 0 1 0 Suzuki dh 4 12 3 Burleson 1b 4 0 0 0 Bregman 3b 3 0 0 0 Walker rf 3 0 0 0 Busch 1b 3 01 0 Church cf 4 0 0 0 Hoerner 2b 4 01 0 Winn ss 3 0 0 0 Kelly c 3 01 0 Torres dh 3 0 1 0 Happ lf 3 00 0 Fermín lf 2 0 1 0 Taylor rf 2 10 0 Prieto 3b 3 0 0 0 Swanson ss 3 1 1 0 Totals 30 0 3 0 Totals 29 3 6 3 St. Louis 000 000 000 — 0 Chicago 000 003 00x — 3 DP — St. Louis 1, Chicago 0. LOB — St. Louis 5, Chicago 5. 2B — Suzuki (22). HR — Suzuki (21). SB — Hoerner (20), Taylor (1), Swanson (17).

IP H R ER BB SO St. Louis 2 1 6 Liberatore L,5-10 51⁄3 2 2 2 ⁄3 2 1 1 1 0 Soriano Strzelecki 2 2 0 0 1 0 Chicago 0 1 3 Holmes W,5-5 62⁄3 1 0 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Rolison H,5 Zeferjahn H,12 1 1 0 0 1 2 Webb S,9-13 1 1 0 0 0 1 ABS Challenge — Holmes (Ball-Overturned to Strike).

Umpires — Home, Paul Clemons; First, Mark Wegner; Second, Nate Tomlinson; Third, Steven Jaschinski.

T — 2:34. A — 40,374 (41,363).

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S at u r d ay, au g u S t 15, 2026

1dN

Out on a limb Tensions build in Capital Heights neighborhood after beloved oak trees are cut down

BY JOY HOLDEN

Staff writer

For several decades, the W.R. Irving Children’s Center, home of the Ingleside Methodist Church daycare and fellowship hall, was flanked by two large live oak trees in the Capital Heights neighborhood in Baton Rouge. On Aug. 7, Capital Heights homeowners woke up to see the trees roped off.

Amelia Gilmore, a licensed arborist who has lived beside the church since 2012, said she thought the caution tape meant that the trees were to be saved.

Instead, she said her neighbor, Nicole Cotten Callac, informed her that the trees were going to be cut down.

As an employee of Baton Rouge Green, Gilmore asked one of her co-workers to check if the trees were on city property or church property. Baton Rouge Green confirmed that the trees were on Ingleside’s private property, Gilmore said.

The church could do with them what they wanted.

PROVIDED PHOTO By AMELIA GILMORE

The remnants of one of the live oak trees outside of Ingleside Methodist Church in the Capital Heights neighborhood in Baton Rouge.

PROVIDED PHOTO By LOUIS HENNICK’S ‘RAILWAyS OF LOUISIANA’

A photo in Louis Hennick in his 1979 book ‘Street Railways of Louisiana’ includes this photo belonging to W.M. Lewis, left, who was a streetcar conductor on Baton Rouge’s electrified streetcar line in 1906.

LOST TRACK

Remnants of a metal rail line tell a Baton Rouge story of early progress mixed with a little romance

BY ROBIN MILLER

Church property

Staff writer

Ingleside started as the East Baton Rouge Methodist Church on March 10, 1946, with 77 charter members meeting at Bernard Terrace School. It later purchased the property at 4264 Capital Heights Ave., and in 1968, the church was renamed Ingleside United Methodist Church.

The fellowship hall housed in the W.R. Irving Children’s Center functions as a space for Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, game nights, Christmas celebrations, open houses and more. Jeffrey Bean, chairman of the Ingleside Methodist Church administrative board, said the church had been facing maintenance concerns for the center, such as roof issues, fascia problems and large falling tree limbs.

“If you look at that side of the building, you’ll see the moss that’s scoring the building and the roof damage that the trees were causing because of the lack of light being able to dry the building out,” Bean said.

Bean added that the church building was there before the trees were there, and to his understanding, the church planted the oak trees. He said the church hired two arborists to run health assessments on the trees, who concluded that “the trees were ill,” Bean said.

So, Ingleside Methodist voted to cut down the trees.

To think, the remnants of metal tracks along East Boulevard in Baton Rouge were once a surefire way for a guy to get a date. That is, if he had two nickels in his pocket to ride the electric-powered cars that once traveled the century-old rails from 1890 to 1936.

That was the standard fare to ride a streetcar in the 43-year operation of the Baton Rouge line. Five cents per person would buy a guy and his girl a ride around the city.

“Riding around the belt a few times on a Sunday evening, accompanied by a young lady, was very much ‘a la mode,’ ” Dr. E.V. Whitaker wrote in his column, “Memories of Baton Rouge” for The Advocate’s June 1, 1952, Magazine section. “Following this delightful escapade, a young swain took his date to Nelson & Burden’s for an ice cream soda, which was the last word in elegant splurging.”

Whitaker wrote this passage 16

A part of the community This action took the Capital Heights neighborhood by surprise, Gilmore said.

As a member of the Capital

ä See TREES, page 2D

years after the streetcar was shut down, and the picture he paints of its riders makes the glint of the East Boulevard tracks in the August sun all the more ghostly.

Gone for 90 years No streetcars have transported jovial couples on this route in 90 years. Even car traffic is sparse these days.

But the tracks, two short sets of parallel iron, still mark the greenway of this road directly behind First United Methodist Church connecting North Boulevard to Government Street. It was part of a 3.55-mile route, known as the “City Belt,” that circled the city, starting at Main and 19th streets near the Dufrocq School and proceeded PROVIDED IMAGE By WARD MAPS LLC down Main Street to Third Street.

“The line turned and used Third A 1914 map of Baton Rouge’s streetcar lines. The main line, called Street to enter and pass through the downtown section,” writes Louthe ‘belt,’ circled the downtown is Hennick in his 1979 book, “Street area, which was the main city Railways of Louisiana.” “In front

during the streetcar’s operation between 1893 and 1936.

ä See TRACK, page 2D

Temporary restaurant closure may become permanent In the space at Tsunami at Highland, Tiek Byday designers used beaded curtains and water elements to reflect the restaurant’s brand.

PROVIDED PHOTO By JACQUELINE MARQUE

BY MADDIE SCOTT

Staff writer

Tsunami Sushi’s location on Highland Road in Baton Rouge has been closed since last Saturday at least — and it could be closed indefinitely amid the company’s bankruptcy.

The sign on the door, at 1 Smart Way Suite 100, off Highland, in Baton Rouge, reads: “Tsunami

Highland will be closed today.

Please visit our downtown Baton Rouge location.”

Attempts to reach restaurant management for comment have been unsuccessful.

The closure comes after the Tsunami Sushi company filed for federal bankruptcy protection in March, four years after

ä See CLOSURE, page 2D

2D ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

BRB, changing my name to ‘Cookie’ Dear Miss Manners: I am wondering male nickname. (Think “Jack.”) what to say when I meet new peo- But when I say “Jack,” almost no one accepts it. Here are ple and they question my some responses: first name. I have always “What’s your REAL first accepted whatever name name?” someone calls himself, “What? I never heard whether it’s conventional THAT!” like John or Steven or a “What’s your real first nickname like Cookie, Judith name, Jacqueline? And Corky, R.J. or Button.

Martin you don’t like it?”

I would consider it rude “That’s a guy’s name!”

MISS to ask the person what MANNERS “Is that short for Jackie?” their “real” name is or “If you’re Jack, I’m Lois” what the nickname stands for. Yet, when I introduce myself, (from a man).

It’s become a point of feminism I invariably get asked questions.

Some people go so far as to repeat for me: Men who introduce themthe nickname incredulously, or to selves as Jack don’t get asked if make fun of it. I am at a loss as to they are “really” John or Jackson. how I might respond to them.

I said to one guy who questioned My particular case is a female me, “You introduced yourself nickname that is the same as a as Dave. I didn’t ask if your real

TREES

Continued from page 1D

health assessment.

No one from the church responded, Gilmore said.

But she said she heard from a neighborhood friend during the weekend that the church was open to discussing options for the trees.

On Aug. 10, when Gilmore was bringing her daughter to the bus stop by the church, she saw church members standing outside. She introduced herself and explained that she was excited to talk to them about discussing options. She was told that she had been misinformed, and the trees were coming down that day, Gilmore said.

“We were also told that if we were any trouble, a board member who is a retired police officer would radio the police,” she said.

“Tears were shed, and we went home.”

The complete removal shocked Gilmore.

“If the trees were truly a risk to the church or to people, then yes, they should come down,” Gilmore said, “but I was hoping for a health risk tree assessment before they came down.”

By Aug. 10, limbs had been cut off. By Aug. 11, the trees were cut down, and only oak shavings were left among the gravel in the parking lot.

Heights Neighborhood Association, Gilmore approached the church about the trees’ value to the residents — including shade and beauty. She said the association has held events in the W.R. Irving Children’s Center in the past, and the two entities have had a positive working relationship.

On Aug. 8, Gilmore approached the Rev. Lewis Morris, who has been the pastor at Ingleside Methodist since 2018. He was standing outside, so she asked why the church was taking such a drastic approach to the trees.

“We were not met with kindness,” Gilmore said.

“It was delivered to us that as people who don’t attend the church, we really didn’t have a say in what goes on there.”

She sent a lengthy email enumerating the benefits of the trees and suggested solutions for the trees instead of cutting them down. Gilmore offered for the neighborhood association to remove the gravel from around the trees and replace it with mulch. She said she recommended other tree compa- Email Joy Holden at joy. nies that could give another holden@theadvocate.com.

CLOSURE

Continued from page 1D the current owners, Chad Hughes, Connie Hargrave and Sarwat Gad, bought the company from a Lafayette group led by Michele Ezell of Lafayette.

Each of the restaurant’s four locations had between $2.5 million and $3.5 million in debt, according to filings, and in a company statement, Tsunami Sushi stated the intention to keep each location open through the bankruptcy process.

Before bankruptcy, the restaurant had two locations in Baton Rouge, one in Lafayette and one in New Orleans. Just last month, an article from The Advocate/ Times-Picayune stated that the New Orleans location quietly closed and was found empty in June.

With Tsunami Sushi Highland’s closure on Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday, when it is normally open, the restaurant chain may al-

ready have dwindled down to two locations.

As of Tuesday early evening, Katie Cooper, manager of the three-story building that holds Tsunami, called @ Highland, said she hasn’t received a final decision from Tsunami operators yet.

“Tsunami operators are still working with the court and the trustee, and we as the landlord have not received a final decision yet,” Cooper said.

The restaurant at Highland opened in 2024, designed by Baton Rouge firm Tiek Byday was designed to seat up to 249 people. It included outdoor seating and several private and semiprivate dining rooms.

Tsunami served sushi rolls, nigiri, appetizers, cocktails and seafood specialties like tuna tataki and smoked salt escolar.

Baton Rouge’s downtown location remains open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, closed Sundays and Mondays.

name was David.”

They demand an explanation, and I feel it is very intrusive. I just want to be called what I want to be called. This has been happening for many years, and I haven’t hit on a solution. Any suggestions?

Gentle reader: That you give up and call yourself Button.

In all seriousness, Miss Manners suggests you stand your ground and just continue to assert, “It’s Jack.” You could alternate with “Nope, Jack” until they surrender, or until you can politely change the subject.

Miss Manners agrees that it is tiresome, but it is also possible that those who are asking politely (not the openly sexist or aggressive ones) are just trying to get to know more about you. You need

not change your response, just perhaps acknowledge that while they still may be misguided, not everyone means to offend.

Dear Miss Manners: There is nothing that makes me more uncomfortable then when someone who’s behind me in a line stands super close to me. It’s even worse if it’s in a supermarket that has one of those conveyor belts that they put their items on without using a divider.

It makes me feel rushed and anxious, like it’s an intrusion of my personal space. Could I somehow ask for a little room without sounding rude or petty?

I don’t know the best way to go about this, and I don’t want to be disrespectful, especially if it’s an elderly person.

Gentle reader: The trick is to act as if you are the one who is infringing on their space. “Let me get this out of your way and give you a divider so that you have some room for your wild boar” — picking the largest item in their cart for maximum distance.

As far as standing too close in line? Miss Manners recommends you arm yourself with a cart or basket — and make some (careful but close) wide turns.

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.

TRACK

Continued from page 1D of the castle-like (Old) Louisiana State Capitol Building, the light (30 pound) rails left Third Street and entered North Boulevard.”

From there, it stretched from North Boulevard to St. Ferdinand Street, where it traveled to Government Street, where it stopped at its terminal at Baton Rouge’s former State Fair Grounds.

The East Boulevard tracks were added in 1913 as part of the East Boulevard line, whose route included a connection of Government Street to North Boulevard.

The streetcar only ran through the downtown area because it was the main city back then.

“Baton Rouge was a small city in 1881 (7,000 people) when the first charter for a street railway was filed,” Hennick writes. “On the 11th of October, 1881, the Baton Rouge Street Railroad Co. was chartered.”

The charter was secured exactly a month later.

No monumental milestones Baton Rouge’s line would never experience any monumental pop culture or historical milestones, meaning Tennessee Williams never immortalized it on the stage as he did New Orleans’ Desire Streetcar line.

And there would be no streetcar strike in Baton Rouge resulting in the birth of the po-boy, as happened with New Orleans’ St. Charles Streetcar Line — the world’s oldest continuously operating streetcar line.

Baton Rouge’s short-lived streetcar operation was steady and straightforward with a history of transporting residents to work, school, stores, entertainment venues and Sunday afternoon dates.

Well, maybe it wasn’t much of a dating hub in the beginning, when the cars were powered by mules, whose speed was set at 6 miles per hour. But that wouldn’t happen until later, because, despite the 1881 charter, the rails, crossties, spikes, bolts and other track supplies didn’t arrive until June 1890.

“Construction of the Baton Rouge Street Railway commenced on July 9 with workmen laying rails in the dirt streets,” Hennick writes.

“It was easy to excavate the dirt street for the crossties and rails — work proceeded

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

Remnants of the Baton Rouge streetcar line track can be found on East Boulevard downtown. Two sets of tracks are visible in the greenway. This one is located across from St. Agnes Catholic Church, seen in the background. quickly once started.”

The line’s six closed mule cars arrived in Baton Rouge on Oct. 7, 1890.

“By all indications, the cars were purchased secondhand from a street railway in Nashville,” Hennick writes. “Some lines there had just been converted to electric operation.”

LSU. By 1932, rail service was ended on East Boulevard, and in December 1933, five more passenger buses began replacing streetcars.

City Belt was the last

“Ironically, the last streetcar line in Baton PROVIDED PHOTO By CAROLyN BENNETT Rouge was the City Belt Line, the first line A 1910 linen postcard shows the Baton begin operations,” Rouge City Belt Streetcar Line passing the to Hennick writes. “On Party time ‘Silent Sentinel’ Confederate monument April 23, 1936, a cerAfter that, it was that once stood at Third Street and North emony was held at the party time. corner of Third Street Boulevard.

The official launch and North Boulevard was no small affair, kicking the Mississippi River, banks, to bid goodbye to Baton off with a gala ceremony on a brick yard and the street- Rouge’s faithful streetcars.”

Oct. 16 in front of the Old car line.

The rail cars were eventuState Capitol with a crowd After the charter of yet ally scrapped and the overof hundreds. While Baton another company, the Capi- head wires dismantled, but Rouge was celebrating, elec- tal Railway & Lighting Co., the idea of streetcars would trification was already in the to which the line was trans- linger in the city with disworks. ferred on Sept. 22, 1892, cussions in 2006 of imple“Even as the little mule electrification began. Rails menting a rail system becars started out to the Fair were removed, updated and tween downtown and LSU on Grounds on the inaugural moved from Third Street to Nicholson Drive — the same first run, there were talk Lafayette Street. route where buses were first and anticipation of electric “Six single truck cars introduced. Talks of the new streetcars,” Hennick writes. (three open, three closed) line would continue until “The Baton Rouge Street were ordered from the St. 2018 with a line yet to be inRailway formed a new com- Louis Car Co. and arrived stalled.

Though the downtown pany to take over the Baton in late March 1893,” HenRouge Street Railway & Im- nick writes. “By that time, tracks were either removed provement Co., chartered on all track and overhead work or paved over, a few remOct. 22, 1890. The new com- was virtually completed. On nants still remain on East pany planned electrification April 6, 1893, a great festi- Boulevard’s greenway and line extensions.” val, complete with the driv- across St. Agnes Catholic The Daily Advocate’s ing of a silver spike, inau- Church, reminding passerspride in the city’s mule- gurated electric car service by of simpler times when an drawn line was reflected over the 3.55-mile belt line.” evening on the town meant a in its Jan. 19, 1892, “What Tracks were extended, streetcar ride punctuated by Baton Rouge has,” a listing lines were added, but by ice cream. of things that made the city 1926, streetcar riders degreat. This included LSU, creased with the introduc- Email Robin Miller at churches, public schools, tion of a motor bus route romiller@theadvocate. the Louisiana State Capitol, between downtown and com.

Places of Worship Directory Places of Worship Baha'i Faith Baton Rouge Baha'i Faith Public Informational Meeting 2nd Sunday of Each month @ 2:30-3:30 pm Goodwood Library Room B Visit bahai.org, bahai.us and bahai-br.us

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Mount Zion First Baptist Church Dr. Rene’ F. Brown, Pastor 356 T. J. Jemison Blvd.

Sunday School: 8:30 am Sun. Service: 9:30am Wednesday Bible Study: 12 noon & 7:15 pm Communion Service First Sunday: 6pm Broadcast: 11am 106.5 FM www.mtzionfirstbaptist.com

TRUE LIGHT CHURCH Rev.BAPTIST Dennis R. Hebert, Pastor 3836 North Street Phone 383-3912 Sunday School – Sunday Worship – 9:00 10:00A.M. Wed. Prayer Service &A.M. Bible Study – 6:00 P.M. Communion Service 2nd Sunday 10:00 A.M.– PRINT ADVERTISING WORKS

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930 North Boulevard (Corner of North & T.J. Jemison) 225-383-4777 Rev Brady Whitton Senior Pastor www.firstmethodist.org Sunday Worship Sanctuary 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM America Street - 9:45 AM First Baptist Church Baton Rouge 529 Convention Street Sunday School 9:15 am Sunday Worship 10:45 am.

Broadcast live stream of Sunday Worship on Youtube and Facebook.

Wednesday Prayer meeting and Bible Study 5:30 pm www.fbcbr.com

Sunday School (for all ages) - 9:40 AM Services Broadcast Sunday 9:30 AM WBXH (Cox Channel 16, Digital Channel 39, Dish TV Ch. 39) 10:30 AM WAFB Channel 9 Radio Broadcast 5:30 AM- WYNK 101.5 FM 8:00 AM- THE RIVER 96.1 FM

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Employee reprimanded for networking on the job Dear Harriette: I am a college have conversations about working with them — but student in New York City, never at your job and cerand I work part-time for a beauty store that carries tainly not in front of your dozens of brands. boss. While at work, A brand owner and you need to do your CEO came into my job — that’s it. boutique the other Dear Harriette: I am a day and spoke with single mom who is both me and my struggling to make manager. I jokingly ends meet. I diHarriette vorced my husband told the owner that Cole if he ever needs a of 15 years, and I SENSE AND marketing intern to now have full cusSENSITIVITy let me know, and we tody of a 9-year-old exchanged inforand a 10-year-old. I do get child support from mation. When he left, my manager (who I am friends my husband, but it’s not much. I haven’t been workwith) told me never to try to network for a better ing for the past decade, so job at work again. I didn’t my job options are limited. even realize that what I did Since the divorce, I’ve been could have come across as working a front-desk job, inappropriate. How can I but it doesn’t pay what I navigate networking and need to be able to support a seeking opportunities in the family. future? — Student Worker I’ve been thinking about Dear Student Worker: Your going back to school, but boss is right. You should not I’m nervous. I’m worried pitch for any other business that after being out of the when you are on the job, classroom for so many whether you are in store, at years, I won’t be able to an event or anywhere else. keep up with the courseInstead, present yourself work. On top of that, I don’t in the most professional know how I would juggle and proficient way possible. classes, homework, a fullMake an impression on evtime job and raising two young children on my own. eryone who walks through Childcare is expensive, and the door so that they remember you. If that person I don’t have much family nearby who can help me follows up and reaches out when I need it. to you, that’s when you can

I know that getting a degree or learning a new skill could open the door to better-paying jobs and provide more stability for my kids in the long run, but it’s hard to justify taking on student loans or reducing my work hours when every dollar is already accounted for. Do you think going back to school is worth it? — Can’t Stretch It Dear Can’t Stretch It: Sounds like it’s time to go back to your ex. Explain to him that you simply cannot make ends meet, no matter how hard you try. Thank him for doing the right thing by offering you child support, but point out that it simply is not enough. Talk to him to make a strategy where he gives more, including financial resources and time.

If he can take the children more, you will have a bit of time to go to school and upgrade your job potential.

He may not want to work with you, but you need him.

Try to do it out of court, but go there if you must.

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

TODAY IN HISTORY Schumann leapt to freedom over a tangle of barbed wire.

Today is Saturday, In 1989, F.W. de Klerk Aug. 15, the 227th day of was sworn in as acting 2026. There are 138 days president of South Africa, left in the year. one day after P.W. Botha reToday in history: On Aug. 15, 1969, the signed because of a power Woodstock Music and Art struggle within the National Fair opened in upstate New Party.

York; more than 460,000 In 1998, 29 people were people attended the threekilled by a car bomb that day festival, which would tore apart the center of become a watershed event Omagh, Northern Ireland; a in American music and splinter group calling itself culture. the Real IRA claimed reAlso on this date: sponsibility.

In 1057, Macbeth, King of In 2003, bouncing back Scots, was killed in battle from the largest blackout

by Malcolm, the eldest son in U.S. history, cities from of King Duncan, whom the Midwest to Manhattan Macbeth had killed 17 years restored power to tens of earlier. millions of people.

In 1914, the Panama In 2021, the Taliban Canal officially opened as regained control of the the SS Ancon crossed the Afghan capital of Kabul just-completed waterway after the withdrawal of U.S. between the Pacific and At- forces from the country.

In 2025, U.S. President lantic oceans.

Donald Trump met with In 1935, humorist Will Russian President Vladimir Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their Putin in a much-anticipated airplane crashed near Point summit in Alaska but failed to secure an agreement Barrow in the Alaska Terto end Russia’s war in ritory.

In 1947, India gained inde- Ukraine.

Today’s birthdays: Actor pendence after nearly 200 Jim Dale is 91. Retired years of British rule.

In 1961, as workers began Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 88. constructing a Berlin Wall U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, made of concrete, East D-Calif., is 88. AuthorGerman soldier Conrad

By The Associated Press

The Right Realtor changes everything.

Real estate is more than a transaction.

It’s knowing the neighborhood.

It’s knowing the market.

It’s knowing when to listen-and when to lead.

I bring experience, local knowledge, and a personal approach to every move.

CHARISSE HANCHEY, REALTOR®,CRS, ABR, 225.315.0512 | www.charissehanchey.com

journalist Linda Ellerbee is 82. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 80. Actor Phyllis Smith is 77. Britain’s Princess Anne is 76. Actor Tess Harper is 76. Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio is 64.

Film director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is 63.

Philanthropist Melinda French Gates is 62. Actor Debra Messing is 58. Actor Anthony Anderson is 56. Actor Ben Affleck is 54.

Olympic gold medal beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings is 48. Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 37. Actor Jennifer Lawrence is 36.

RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

150th anniversary at Greater Sixty Aid

Greater Sixty Aid Baptist Church, 655 Gardere Lane, Baton Rouge, will celebrate its 150th a n n i v e rsary and c o m b i n e d Guidry Family & Friends Day at 8 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 23.

Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice John M. Guidry will be guest speaker.

The community is invited. in a Changing World,” will be led by the Rev. Christopher Murphy Jr., pastor.

Refreshments will be served.

The Homochitto Baptist Association invites the public to its Congress of Christian Education workshop at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Little Rock Baptist the Homochitto Association Church, 7191 La. 1, MorDevelopment Center, 2753 ganza, will celebrate the Antioch Perkins Road, Glo- Rev. Willie O. Richard Jr.’s 25th pastoral anniversary ster, Mississippi.

The adult class, “Leading at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23.

Special guest will be the and Serving in This Present Age,” will be led by Manuel Rev. Russell Jackson and Scott Jr., national evange- the Spirit and Truth Worlist. The youth class, “Main- ship Center.

The public is invited. taining Christian Character

Christian education workshop in Miss.

Little Rock Baptist celebrates milestone

Losing weight before wedding home remedy for cleanDear Heloise: I’d like to respond to Patty W. She ing artificial plants? My wanted to lose weight for plants get so dusty, and her son’s wedding. I also the store products are wanted to lose weight for very expensive. Any help my son’s wedding a few you can give me will be so years ago. The best appreciated (probdiet advice I reably by others as well). — Deb E., in The ceived was free and Villages, Florida easy; it was simply Deb, for leafy “more exercise, plants, a slightly less eating” — or damp cloth to wipe MELE for short. It Hints from down the leaves was easy for me to Heloise should do the remember. trick. Afterward, I started walking wipe the leaves dry with more often and further a clean, soft cloth. If you distances. I swam as best have artificial flowers that I could and ensured that have become dusty over I was doing some sort time, pour about 1½ cups of movement daily. I ate smaller portions and saved of table salt into a plastic bag. Stick the head of the my “bad foods” for the flower into the bag of salt weekends only instead and hold the bag closed of cutting them out altowith a firm grip. Shake it gether. It took a while, vigorously. The salt will but I made it and kept it cause the flowers to shake off! I call it my “MELE off dirt. — Heloise lifestyle.” Thanks for all your hints over the years!

— Barbara, in San Juan Capistrano, Looking for new friends California Dear Heloise: Recently, I Barbara, great job keep- participated in a practice trial at a law firm for which ing the weight off! ReadI was paid, but my other ers, before starting any goal was to meet people. It diet, you should always was a diverse group agemake sure to get a clean wise and occupation-wise. bill of health from your However, at each break, doctor. — Heloise the other 20 participants Dusty artificial plants immediately got on their cellphones. I was never Dear Heloise: Thank you able to exchange more for my daily dose of helpthan “good morning” or ful hints! I love your “good afternoon.” column. Do you have a

MONICA C. JARREAU

BROKER/REALTOR/OWNER

(225) 718-3025

monicacjarreau@gmail.com

JARREAU REALTY, LLC 3900 Oakland Road Lakeland, LA 70752 www.jarreaurealty.com

This scenario has been a trend at a number of events I’ve attended. I’m not shy, having worked in the hospitality industry for decades, and I truly enjoy people. — P.M., in St. Louis P.M., don’t give up! Many people have met friends at church, at a political function, or with a group that gathers for a worthy cause, such as the preservation of historic buildings. You could also volunteer in a hospital or with an animal rescue group.

If there are evening classes near you, find something interesting that you’d like to learn (or teach) and check it out.

You might enjoy pottery or learning how to speak French. I learned American Sign Language in night school and loved it.

You’re on the right path; just try other sources. — Heloise

Serrated fruit spoon Dear Heloise: Our grandchildren were visiting recently, and the ice cream was too hard to scoop. We all know about warming the scoop up with hot tap water, but another idea is to use a serrated fruit spoon. Wow! Who knew? — Bren M., in Virginia Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

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4D ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

lll

zodIAC LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Don't stop setting goals until you satisfy your appetite for what you desire. Use your charm and finesse to captivate attention and to propel you to the forefront of whatever you pursue.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Take a moment to size up situations that offer too many choices. Don't feel pressured to follow someone else. It's up to you to reevaluate and research to avoid making a mistake.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Don't let anger take over. Taking on too much will cause you to fall short. Risk will lead to anxiety, not profit or pleasure. Pay attention to how others treat you. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Press pause and rethink your strategy. Trying to break down barriers will be costly in lost time, effort and money. Learn from your experiences in order to dodge an emotional setback. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Kindness and courtesy are your tickets to getting what you want. If you size up your work situations and mix business with pleasure, you'll score points with someone who can help you excel. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Keep your thoughts to yourself. Being a good listener will give you the advantage when you need it. Anger solves nothing, and addressing issues prematurely will lead to regret.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Push for what you want and give something back. A fair and honest approach will help you

move forward without regret. Getting along and being willing to meet in the middle is half the battle.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) What you do to make your space more functional will encourage you to expand your interests. Avoid interacting with those putting pressure on you to change.

When criticism comes your way, walk away.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Listen to your inner voice, address issues of concern and express your emotions with unfiltered truth. Positive change is about to unfold regarding work, money and relationships.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Chip away at projects that ease stress and give you room to breathe. Jumping into competitive or social settings will lead to anxiety and a tendency to overreact.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) A new look, personal project or form of entertainment will change how you view your lifestyle. It's in with the new and out with the old. Embrace what motivates you to follow your heart. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Don't overdo it or get into a frenzy over things you cannot change. Worry and anxiety will wear you down physically, causing chronic health issues or leading to other repercussions.

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: P EQuALs n

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ 5D

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CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

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La TimeS CroSSword

6D ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Albert Einstein said, “A theory can be proved by experiment; but no path leads from experiment to the birth of a theory.”

At the bridge table, leads are very important. And not only do you have to lead the right suit, but you must also be careful which card you select.

In this deal, South is in four hearts.

West leads the diamond eight. How should East plan the defense?

North’s two-no-trump response was the Jacoby Forcing Raise, guaranteeing at least four-card heart support and game-forcing values. South rebid four hearts to show a minimum opening bid and no singleton or void.

West led a diamond because that suit was stronger than his clubs.

East knew that his partner’s lead was top of nothing. And it couldn’t be a singleton, because that would have given South five diamonds and a singleton or void, which he had denied in the auction.

Also, now dummy had diamond winners on which South could discard losers.

East realized that his side had to take, in order, one diamond, one spade and two clubs. But how to get West to win his spade trick and shift to a club?

At trick two, East carefully led the spade nine, the high card in principle denying an honor in the suit. West got

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

the message and defeated the contract.

If East had led the spade two, West would have probably put in a lower spade to force out dummy’s king, or won with his ace and returned the suit.

Remember, a low lead from length expresses an interest in trying to win tricks in that suit. © 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 — GLAMoRous: GLAM-er-us: Excitingly attractive.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 29 words Time limit 55 minutes Can you find 45 or more words in GLAMOROUS? yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — IMPEnDInG idem impeding impend impinge indie mend mending midi mien mind minding

mine mini mining pend pending pidgin pied pine ping pinged pining

pinned ending nine deign denim dime dine ding dinge dining gimp

gimped

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.” Joshua 1:8 Read the Bible. Believe the Bible. Apply the Bible. — G.E. Dean

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Saturday,August 15, 2026 ■ 7D

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classifieds.theadvocate.com Search Search& &Place PlaceAds AdsOnline Onlineatatclassifieds.theadvocate.com classifieds.theadvocate.com* Call * Call -Friday Us Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111 8AM-5PM at 225-383-0111

Announcements Anyone knowing of the whereabouts of MARY ANN SANFORD and her heirs, assigns or legatees, please contact Barrington R. Neil, Attorney at Law, 328 Government St., Baton Rouge, LA, 70802, Ph: (225) 344-1704.

197528-Aug 15-17, 3t $102.70 ANYONE knowing the whereabouts of any property owner, heir or other related person, in regard to the properties listed below, please contact the East Baton Rouge CityParish, Department of Development – Neighborhood Revitalization Office at 225-389-8680.

2704 TECUMSEH ST DAVID AND KATIE EVERITT 3586 CANONICUS ST PAULETTE JACKSON 2601 NORTH BLVD GREGORY STEVEN LATHAN 2628 EDGEWOOD DR MACWCP II LLC 1834 GAYOSA ST VALENTINO BUILDERS, LLC 2963 TECUMSEH ST UNITED COMPANIES LENDING CORPORATION 8225 DENBO DR TERYL CHAMBERS VINCENT 4676 SHERWOOD ST EVA M SCOTT HARRIS 1075 PARLANGE DR THE ESTATE OF VIVIAN MOORE AND THE ESTATE OF 1137 S 15T RUSSELL KELLY 725 N 26TH ST MARION L REDDITT SANDRA R GORDON & KATHY R JONES 2536 HURON ST EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD 2515 HURON ST ISAAC HENRY MASON 3224 TECUMSEH ST ROBERT JORDAN 2842 FAIRFIELDS AVE TSCHAKIWA J SMITH 5562 WINBOURNE AVE EBR OFFICE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 3461 N FOSTER DR JENNIFER SMITH BELL 3419 MYRTLELAWN ST INVEST PROPERTIES, LLC 4121 PROVOST ST CLAUDE WASHINGTON 4062 PROVOST ST IVY LEE REED & LORRAINE GRAY REED 6233 MATTHEWS ST VANCE ALLEN SMITH 2425 70TH AVE LESTER J MENDEZ 1556 FRATERNITY ST MODERN DAY MANAGEMENT, LLC 3430 NEWBURY DR JBFH CORPORATION 3422 ARBOR VITAE DR HANH T TRAN 233 GATEBRIAR AVE SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATTN: AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EXTENSION 6453 ARBOR VITAE DR IVORY L WHITFIELD 8268 INNOVATION PARK DR WILLIE E ZANDERS 1925 BRIGHTSIDE DR JENNIFER KAY ROSZELL 2605 TOULON DR FRANCIS N TRAN 9721 JUDI AVE DALE WAYNE GORDON, JR 9397 W DARRYL PKWY MERCHELLE ROBINSON 2135 VICKERS DR JAYLIN JOHNSON 650 WOODDALE BLVD CADLES OF WEST VIRGINIA, LLC 725 S BURGESS DR HJOHNNY ENGLISH DAWSON 10332 OLD HAMMOND HWY RESHONDA RICHARD 2683 LINWOOD AVE MARY T GANT

643 WINDINGWAY MARY KELLY 1486 FIG ST LEOLA ROBERTSON SCOTT 4234 MAPLE DR TAMMY BROWN 2500 ERIE ST EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD 1250 W GRANT ST FRANKLIN WATSON JUANDRIKA MILLER-WATSON 3046 BRANDYWINE THE ESTATE OF JOSEPH PEYTON PARKER, JR 1728 N 44TH ST DONNIE L CARTER 5544 MADISON AVE KIMBERLY DESHAWN ROGERS 3424 BEECHWOOD DR GLORY DAVIS 2585 DOUGHERTY BERNARD KIBODI 2806 EATON ST TAYLOR WILLIAMS 4284 O'DELL ST THE ESTATE of ELNORA PROFIT JOHNSON C/O BETTY JONES 4030 O'DELL ST BERNARD JONES 914 N 36TH ST WARDEL MARIE JACKSON 1185 N ACADIAN THWY E BRIA COLEMAN 1572 SORA ST BENJAMIN THOMAS 1914 72ND AVE ALAN W JUDERJAHN 3014 69TH AVE THE ESTATE OF MAE ALMA BEACHEM / C/O TABBITA REED 763 FLICKER ST FRANK B MILICAN, JR 6739 VINEYARD DR CAROLE SCOTT 5624 TIOGA DR PATRICK SIGNATER, JR 848 BAIRD DR JONATHAN BARON WILLIAM PEAK 3324 CRESTAIRE DR MICHAEL DELONE 3683 EATON ST THOMAS HUBBLE, II 9166 W POMONA DR DOUGLAS JOSEPH CAULFIELD 1608 THOMAS H DELPIT DR EVONNE THOMAS/ MABLE SCOTT 2107 CEDARDALE AVE CLARENCE E HALL 3789 KEOKUK ST JBJ REALTY LLC REGISTEREED AGENT: JONATHAN GORDILLO 1502 LEHMANN ST WILMER HARDY AND LISA SUMMERS MILLER 4025 MONROE AVE ISAAH DUNN JR & KIM YVETTE BURKES DUNN 2608 WASHINGTON AVE CRAIG T AND FANNIE MAE G JOHNSON 16444 CEASAR AVE CARLOS GARCIA 3829 FLORIDA BLVD WALEED MOHAMED AHMED ALGAMAL 2432 DELTA ST MILDRED SIMS GIVENS 2024 SILVEREST AVE ROY DOUGLAS CHAPPELL 5822 LARCHWOOD DR VICTOR DUNCAN 527 W BUCHANAN ST BERNICE R SIDEBOARD 963 MAXIMILIAN ST CHARLET PROPERTY GROUP, INC /C/O BRENT CHARLET 1073 SOUTH S AMEKA THOMAS 1201 CHARLES T SMITH DR LPI VI LLC 5080 JACKSON AVE TEVH, LLC 3904 MONROE AVE MARGARET MCCLAIN SNYDER 4044 ODELL ST THOMAS WASHINGTON, JR 990 N 35TH ST KESHANDRA LATRECE MCINTYRE 7911 KEEL AVE BSC INDUSTRIES LLC 7951 KEEL AVE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF GREATER BATON ROUGE, INC 1947 MARINER DR CHUQING HE

12617 WARWICK AVE RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST 10094 AVENUE B ESTATE OF WOODROW GEORGE 1923 75TH AVE LADONNA ROBERTSON 5915 WRIGHT DR GREGORY WILLIAMS 1923 HARDING BLVD TINA HENDERSON 8114 BAYOU FOUNTAIN AVE MICHAEL S JOSEPH 1724 LAUREL ST ROBERT KYLE PHILLIPS JAMES LUTHER MARTIN 14314 SUNNYHILL AVE BRANDON WASHINGTON 2045 SAINT CROIX AVE TERRY L PIXLEY 5252 BRIGHTSIDE VIEW DR PAUL J MOONEY 2432 DELTA ST MILDRED SIMS GIVENS 2578 JURA ST ANN DEAN ROBERTSON 1162 N 35TH ST VELMA MILTON 790 N 35TH ST RITA D MILLIGAN 4608 OSBORNE AVE KENDRICK T HUNT 1246 N 37TH ST VANESSA BROWN 1355 N 36TH ST PRESTON CHUBE 6586 GLEN OAKS DR MARLON M MCCOY 1621 SWAN AVE VIEWPOINT DEVELOPMENT & CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 2943 REBECCA LYNN AVE NATHAN G WILSON 8855 GOVERNOR PLEASANT DR BRON R NOEL 763 FLICKER ST FRANK B MILLICAN, JR 10591 AVENUE D DAVID EVERITT 5435 SILVERLEAF AVE DANIEL G BOWMAN 5858 KILONA DR CHARLENE PORTER 3425 GERLANDO DR ANDREW GRANT 5133 N AFTON PKWY E&E PREFERRED PROPERTIES, LLC 7767 TOM DR HARRY P ROBERT

Full information may be obtained upon request from the above address.

The Department reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any informalities.

GLENN P. LEDET, JR. SECRETARY, LADOTD JULIE KENNISON, CPPB, NIGP-CPP DOTD PROCUREMENT DIRECTOR 197711 Aug. 15, 2026 1t $16.34

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --Final Notice and Public Explanation of a Proposed Activity in a Regulatory Floodway or Wetland To: All interested Federal, State, and Local Agen‐ cies, Groups and Individ‐ uals This is to give notice that the Town of Farmerville (TOF) has conducted an evaluation as required by Executive Order(s) 11990 and in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR 55.20 in Subpart C Procedures for Making Determinations on Flood‐ plain Management and Wetlands Protection. The activity is funded under Louisiana Watershed Ini‐ tiative Community Devel‐ opment Block Grant Miti‐ gation program B-18-DP22-0001. The proposed project(s) is located in various locations throughout Farmerville, Union Parish and in‐ cludes approximately 1.6 acres of wetlands and other waters. The pro‐ posed project will in‐ clude the installation of an outfall structure in an

1.

Site Location #1 (32.783231°, -92.400915°) #2 2.

Site Location (32.782809°, -92.416428°) 3.

Site Location #3 (32.780368°, -92.418285°) 4.

Site Location #4 (32.779353°, -92.400438°)

HOME-DELIVERED

EVERY DAY

NOLA.COM/SUBSCRIBE

Written comments must be received by the TOF at the following address on or before August 22, 2026: Town of Farmerville, 1024 Ster‐ lington Hwy, Farmerville, LA 71241, Attention: John Crow, Mayor. A full de‐ scription of the project may also be reviewed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the address listed above. Comments may also be submitted via email at Matt@wetland sunlimited.org.

Date: August 15, 2026 197577-aug 15-1t $556.25 PUBLIC NOTICE --Notice of Hearing on Proposed 2026-27 Budget for New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy (NOMMA) will hold a hearing on its proposed 2026-27 budget on Tues‐ day, September 15 at 6 p.m. The hearing may last approximately one hour.

The meeting will be held at the NOMMA Library, 425 O’Bannon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70114. Starting Septem‐ ber 1, 2027, NOMMA's proposed budget will be available for public in‐ spection from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, in the school's main of‐ fice at the address above. NOMMA does not discriminate in the ren‐ dering of services to/or employment of individu‐ l b f

GENERAL HELP The Diocese of B.R. Child Nutrition Pro‐ gram is seeking FT school Cafeteria Mgrs., Cooks, & Porters. HS Diploma or Equiv. and BG Check req. Apply at www.cnpbr.org/employment

197465-aug 15-1t $132.61 PUBLIC NOTICE --Public Budget Hearings will be held for the fol‐ lowing Public-School Academies: Advantage-14740 Plank Road, Baker-225-7743111-August 28, 9am Willow-14740 Plank Road, Baker-225-774-3111- Au‐ gust 28, 9am A copy of the Budgets for the listed Public-School Academies will be avail‐ able at the school office.

197581-aug 15-1t $81.58 PUBLIC NOTICE --STATE OF LOUISIANA AFFIDAVIT TO DISSOLVE LIMITED LIABILITY COM‐ PANY R.S. 12:1335.1 STEELE HIMBOLA MANOR LLC is no longer doing busi‐ ness, owes no debts and owns no immovable property is dissolved by filing this affidavit with the Secretary of State, executed by the mem‐ ber(s), or organizer(s) if no membership interests have been issued, attest‐ ing to such facts.

Those listed below de‐ clare that they are: (check one): ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ABOVE NAMED LIM‐ ITED LIABILITY COM‐ PANY. Member(s) or Organizer(s): HUD KARSHMER 6875 E EVANS AVENUE DENVER, CO, 80224 The filing of a false pub‐ lic record, with the knowledge of its falsity, is a crime, subjecting the filer to fine or imprison‐ ment or both under R.S. 14:133.

BY TYPING MY NAME BELOW, I HEREBY CER‐ TIFY THAT THE INFORMA‐ TION PROVIDED IS A TRUE AND COMPLETE STATE‐ MENT. ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE: HUD KARSHMER (8/11/2026) TITLE: AUTHORIZED PERSON 197568-AUG 15-1T $181.09 PUBLIC NOTICE The City of St. George Planning & Zoning Com‐ missions will hold public hearings on Monday, Au‐ gust 31, 2026, at 6:00 pm at St. George City Hall, 11207 Proverbs Ave, St. George, LA 70816, to con‐ sider the following: Planning Commission S-26-0026 Combination of Lots at 15961 Airline Hwy: This 6.01-acres combined property is located on Lots TR 3-A-1 and 4-A-1 of

Baton Rouge Rental

Garage Sales BATON ROUGE GRAYWOOD ESTATE SALES 7979 Delaville Drive

APARTMENT AREA 5 1BR $600, 2BR $700 Tigerland. $500 Deposit. 225-475-1737

Fri thru Sun 08/14-16 9am-4pm Mon & Tues 08/17-18 9am-2pm

APARTMENTS 655 North St Subsidized Efficiency Apartments cpabr.org 225-383-5551 TDD/TTY 711 RELAY

graywoodestatesales.com BATON ROUGE LA 70808 NL ESTATE SALES LLC August 14-16, 2026 253 Steeplechase Ave Fri-Sat. 8am-5pm Sun. 10am-4pm FABULOUS SALE WITH FABULOUS DEALS!!! …you know it’s …special… it’s an NL Sale!!!!

For news & pix, go to: nlestatesales.com (No large handbags accepted.)

Garage Sale Opens @ 7 a.m. #’s up at that time.

All major Credit Cards accepted, Cash & Checks. No Venmo.

Merchandise APPLIANCES Side by Side stainless steel Whirlpool Refrigerator, like new.

36"X 69". $500. Call 225-205-3316.

For Sale: (Crypts) 2 Double Depth, Double Companion Niches(Crypts).

Located-Lake Lawn/Metairie. $5500 ea. 757-647-6748 cq5280@aol.com MISC FOR SALE Prof. Surveyor Retiring. Top Con Total Station, auto level. All equipment and instrument available $3000 for all 225-978-8306

Looking for the right hire?

225-388-0111

HOUSE 3Br/1Ba $950/month $700/deposit.

2571 72nd Avenue. Section 8 welcome. Call 225-355-6004

BATON ROUGE Yard Sale. 15092 Rimrock Court.

Saturday 7a-3p. Lots of shoes, hh supplies, jewelry, clothes & more.

MOBILE HOME 1, 2 & 3 BR mobile homes, $675 & up 6061 Plank Rd. CALL 225-978-4653

CENTRAL Estate sale Aug 14, 15, 16; 9am-4pm.

Furniture, Quilting, Harley parts.

13226 Virgil Jackson Avenue.

ROOMS FOR RENT Furnished Rooms. $125/wk. $500/mo.

225-933-7560

Baton Rouge Real Estate For Sale

Recreational Vehicles

AREA 2

225-388-0111

p y als because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic pro‐ tected by law.

DOTD Extruded Panel Hardware RFx 3000026604

Employment

Looking for the right hire?

5.

Site Location #5 (32.767639°, -92.401038°) 6.

Site Location #6 (32.765193°, -92.400949°)

BID TO BE OPENED September 3, 2026

197483 Aug. 14-15 2T $120.20

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Tiesha Laniece Tendell is requested to contact Attorney Raushanah S. Hunter in reference to a pending legal matter at (225) 3565252.

197765-Aug 15-17, 3t $88

existing private pond and upgrades to the con‐ veyance system which drains to the pond from the north of the project site. The conveyance up‐ grades will include hard‐ ening an initial earthen stretch (approximately 390 ft.) between the pro‐ posed outfall structure in the northern extent of the pond and S. Circle Drive. Additional con‐ veyance upgrades will in‐ clude repairs to failing sections within the exist‐ ing concrete con‐ veyances between S. Cir‐ cle Drive and Roland Drive and upsizing of the existing culvert cross‐ ings at Roland Drive, N. Circle Drive, James Av‐ enue, and S. Circle Drive.

TOF has considered the following alternatives and mitigation measures to minimize adverse im‐ pacts and to restore and preserve natural and beneficial functions and intrinsic values of the ex‐ isting floodplain/wet‐ land: Firstly, this flood risk reduction project is largely in response to significant flooding in‐ curred during March 2016 and numerous subse‐ quent flash floods, which have caused major dam‐ age to existing drainage channels and roadways.

An alternative that was considered was to pur‐ chase the private pond between Spring Street and Porter Street and make substantial modifi‐ cations to it. Upon addi‐ tional review, it was de‐ termined that this alter‐ native would result in substantially higher envi‐ ronmental impacts ver‐ sus the proposed option of obtaining an ease‐ ment from the pond owner and installing an outfall structure. In addi‐ tion to the increased en‐ vironmental impact, this option would also have resulted in a substantial increase in cost for the project. All activities af‐ fecting wetlands will be conducted in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local require‐ ments, including any necessary permits, ap‐ provals, and best man‐ agement practices to minimize impacts to wet‐ lands and water quality.

Owner/Member: Shane B Morrison

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of the heirs of Harold W. Adams, please contact B. Kyle Kershaw, Attorney at Law, 212 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70801, telephone number (225) 336-9600.

197678-Aug 15-17, 3t $96.40

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

There are three primary purposes for this notice.

First, people who may be affected by activities in wetlands and those who have an interest in the protection of the natural environment should be given an opportunity to express their concerns and provide information about these areas. Sec‐ ond, an adequate public notice program can be an important public edu‐ cational tool. The dis‐ semination of informa‐ tion and request for pub‐ lic comment about wet‐ lands can facilitate and enhance Federal efforts to reduce the risks and impacts associated with the occupancy and modi‐ fication of these special areas. Third, as a matter of fairness, when the Federal government de‐ termines it will partici‐ pate in actions taking place in wetlands, it must inform those who may be put at greater or continued risk.

SFCC Hammond, LLC d/b/a Santa Fe Cattle Company

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Rochelle Pullins is requested to contact Attorney Raushanah S. Hunter in reference to a pending legal matter at (225) 356-5252.

197671-Aug 15-17, 3t $85.90

Legal Notices

Sealed bids for the fol‐ lowing will be received by the Louisiana Depart‐ ment of Transportation and Development, Pro‐ curement Section, 1201 Capitol Access Road, 4th Floor, East Wing Room S447, Headquarters Ad‐ ministration Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, Telephone number (225/379-1444) on date(s) shown below, until 10:00 A.M. No bids will be ac‐ cepted after this hour. At 10:00 A.M. of the same day and date, they will be publicly opened and read in Headquarters Ad‐ ministration Building, 4th Floor, East Wing S-447.

Evidence of authority to submit the bid shall be required in accordance with R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(c) and/or R.S. 39:1594 (C)(2) (D).

2035 Hammond Square Dr, Hammond, LA 70403

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of James Calvin Johnson is requested to contact Attorney Raushanah S. Hunter in reference to a pending legal matter at (225) 3565252.

197675-Aug 15-17, 3t $88

Legal Notices

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

SFCC Hammond, LLC d/b/a Santa Fe Cattle Company is applying to the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control of the State of Louisiana for a permit to sell beverages of high and low alcohol content at retail in Tangipahoa Parish at the following address:

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Bob Dean, Jr. is requested to contact Attorney Raushanah S. Hunter in reference to a pending legal matter at (225) 356-5252.

197674-Aug 15-17, 3t $88

Legal Notices

TOF has reevaluated al‐ ternatives to building in the wetland area and has determined that it has no practicable alternative to wetland development.

Environmental files doc‐ umenting compliance with Executive Order 11990, are available for public inspection, review and copying upon re‐ quest at the times and location delineated in the last paragraph of this notice for receipt of com‐ ments.

If you know or have any information about the whereabouts of Jeremy Paul Ross, please contact Attorney Marlon Watkins at (225) 412-2993.

197701-Aug 15-17, 3t $79.60

196825-Aug 10-16, 7t $6,033.10

Public Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Tommy Jefferson, Sr., A/K/A Tommy Jefferson is requested to contact Attorney Raushanah S. Hunter in reference to a pending legal matter at (225) 356-5252.

197677-Aug 15-17, 3t $94.30

NEWLY UPDATED! 6726 PINE ISLAND AVE. $245,000, Approx. P & I $1,480 Forest Heights S/D Off Mickens Rd, 3BR 2BA, w/Cent/H/A Freshly Painted Int./Ext. New Ceramic FLR thru out, & New Kit Countertop Enclosed Screen Patio, Rear Dbl Carport w/Storage Shed & F'd B.Y. Call Charles for Your Showing 225-266-4078 Roy Carter Realty 225-357-6436

CAMPER-CAMP EQUIP 2005 Casita 17' Camper For Sale.

Good condition $6000. 225-397-4617

GET FULL DIGITAL ACCESS

On your phone.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Selling Business only not building.

Don't have enough workers to run.

Has great potential in Reeve's shopping center. Has all equipment needed to boil crawfish, fry seafood plates amongst other foods with warmer in front. Asking price 50k negotiable and rent is needed to negotiate with landlord.

Call or Text Steve 225-341-9235

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Subscribe today Scan the QR code Cancel anytime

Pets / Pet Services Directory PETS • SUPPLIES • SERVICES • OBITUARIES • LOST & FOUND

PLACE YOUR PET SERVICES INFORMATION IN THE PET SERVICES DIRECTORY TODAY! • IT IS FAST AND EASY! • CALL 225-383-0111 AKC Belgian Malinois Pups Beautiful, Easily Trained $2,000.00 601-299-0264 www.psdkennels.com AKC long hair miniture Dachshunds Shots and wormed $800.00 985-2220577 rio.remi@yahoo.com

CATS RAGAMUFFIN & RAGDOLL KITTENS www.CatsByFrancy.com/kittens $1500up! Reg. Shots & Guaranty 337-230-3150

Legal Notices

the Edna D. Martin Tract in Sec 37 and 38, T8S, R2E, GLD, EBR. The applicant requests to combine two lots into one in the B-2 Business-2 Zoning Dis‐ trict. (Applicant: Brian Aguillard, B.M. Aguillard & Associates, LLC, on be‐ half of MMR Construc‐ tors, Inc) Zoning Commission T-26-0008 Home Occupa‐ tions: Amend Title 7 Uni‐ fied Development Code (UDC) to update regula‐ tions for home occupa‐ tions and provide for re‐ lated matters.

T-26-0009 Significant Trees: Amend Title 7 Uni‐ fied Development Code (UDC) to prohibit re‐ moval of significant trees and provide for related matters.

197640 Aug. 15, 19, 31, 2026 3t $74.53 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.

192994-jul 2-aug 31-t

Public Notices Nat Res Coastal

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE the Louisiana De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy, Office of Permitting and Compli‐ ance (OPC) has received the following applica‐ tion(s) for a Coastal Use Permit (CUP) in accor‐ dance with La. R.S. 49:214.21 et seq., and the rules of the Coastal Man‐ agement Program. Appli‐ cations for coastal use permits may be in‐ spected at 617 North 3rd Street, Room 1078, Baton Rouge, LA or on the OPC https:// webpage at: www.dce.louisiana.gov/ page/coastalmanagement-publicnotices. Copies are avail‐ able, costs apply. Written comments are solicited from the public and must be received within 25 days of the date of this notice. Comments must be uploaded directly to our electronic record through the OPC web‐ page or mailed to: OPC Administrator, Kyle Balkum, P.O. Box 44487, Baton Rouge, LA 708044487. All comments must contain the appropriate CUP number and the commenter's full name and contact information.

Below are the referenced application(s): ******* CUP NUMBER: P20260667 Name: Enterprise Prod‐ ucts Operating, LLC c/o Morris P. Hebert, LLC 116 VENTURE BLVD. HOUMA, LA 70360 Attn: Brandon Clark Location: Iberia Parish, LA; Lat.: 29-4444.3N, Long.: -91-5135.35W; Section 17 T15S R06E; Section 8 T15S R06E; 17 miles south of

Public Notices Nat Res Coastal

New Iberia, Description: Proposed concrete mat installation on the exist‐ ing 20-inch Acadian Chico A to Skelly Pipeline, which has shal‐ low cover and exposure in the pipeline canal.

Work will require ~48 cy of concrete mats; ~2 cy of sandbags; and ~177 cy of rock to extend/con‐ nect an existing bulk‐ head. No dredging will be required. ************ CUP NUMBER: P20260668 Name: St. Tammany Parish Government c/o T. Baker Smith, LLC P.O. BOX 2266 HOUMA, LA 70361 Attn: Michael Trahan Lo‐ cation: Saint Tammany Parish, LA; Lat. 30-2112.74 N, Long. 90-02-50.84 W; Section 51, T8S-R11E Description: Replace‐ ment of the Tammany Trace Bike Trail & Pedes‐ trian Bridge #15. A new 70' fabricated steel truss bridge with concrete abutments, concrete piles, and asphalt base course will be installed.

Approx. 55 cy will be ex‐ cavated and hauled off‐ site. Approx. 370 cy of fill will be required. ************************ NOTICE the Louisiana De‐ partment of Conserva‐ tion and Energy, Office of Permitting and Compli‐ ance (OPC) has received a request to extend for the referenced applica‐ tion(s) for a Coastal Use Permit (CUP) in accor‐ dance with La. R.S. 49:214.21 et seq., and the rules of the Coastal Man‐ agement Program. Appli‐ cations for coastal use permits may be in‐ spected at 617 North 3rd Street, Room 1078, Baton Rouge, LA or on the OPC https:// webpage at: www.dce.louisiana.gov/ page/coastalmanagement-publicnotices. Copies are avail‐ able, costs apply. Written comments are solicited from the public and must be received within 10 days of the date of this notice. Comments must be uploaded directly to our electronic record through the OPC web‐ page or mailed to: OPC Administrator, Kyle Balkum, P.O Box 44487, Baton Rouge, LA 708044487. All comments must contain the appropriate CUP number and the commenter's full name and contact information.

Below are the referenced application(s):******* CUP NUMBER: P20220251 (Extended) Name: Jeffer‐ son Parish Department of Environmental Affairs, c/o Aptim 2424 Edenborn Avenue Suite 450 Metairie, La 70001 Attn: Kellie Hass Location: Jef‐ ferson, Plaquemines Parishes, LA; Lat. 29-369.48N / Long. 90-4-16.78W (see plats for additional project coordinates) De‐ scription: West Barataria Marsh Corridor sediment delivery corridor and emergent marsh creation on the Barataria Land‐ bridge. This project will extend the Mississippi River Long Distance Sedi‐ ment Pipeline Phase 1 project an additional 19,000' on the west side of the Barataria Bay Wa‐ terway. Approx. 7,464, 595 cy of native material will be excavated and placed onsite. In addi‐ i f h d

Mia's GoldenDoodles 6-11-26 3M/2F Vet Chkd, $800 SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY!! CASH ONLY! 5043077786 5045411098

DOGS 3 Female German Shepherd puppies, S/W $350. 11wks old. 225-205-4311

PUPPIES For Sale! Adorable! 1/2 Pomeranian 1/2 Chihuahua $200, Full Blooded Toy Poo‐ dles $500 228-669-0077

Frenchie Pups Merle pups 7 weeks old ready to go next week $2,500.00 504-723-8131 Send text for more picks. Males and females available demfrenchiesdeaux@gmail.com frenchiesdeaux.com

TEACUP POODLES MALTIPOOS POMS YORKIES Miniature and Toy Goldendoodles UTD. S/W Please Call 504-259-2222

Public Notices Nat Res Coastal p tion, 1,000 cy of crushed stone/gravel and 700 cy of rock will be hauled in and placed onsite.

197629 Aug. 15, 1t $49.78

Public Notices Sex Offenders

Public Notices Sex Offenders

Scars/Tattoos: LOUISIANA 197035, AUG 14-15 $250

Public Notices Sex Offenders

I, ANDRA TAVARA WASHINGTON, have been convicted of 14:78.1 - Aggravated Incest Sexual Motivation. Date Convicted: 10/23/2007.

My Address is: 3484 MAIN ST BATON ROUGE, LA 70806 Race: BLACK Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 2/16/1975 Height: 5'6" Weight: 225 Hair Color: BROWN Eye Color: BROWN

I, FREDRICK Morkell NETTER AKA FREDERICK NETTER, have been convicted of 14:42.1 - Forcible Rape .

Sexual Motivation Date Convicted: 09/11/2006.

My Address is: 7342 Town South Ave, APT #1 Baton Rouge, LA 70808 Race: BLACK Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 1/3/1981 Height: 5'8" Weight: 200 Hair Color: BLACK Eye Color: BROWN Scars/Tattoos:

I, JAMES CLIFFTON MULKEY AKA Monkey Mulkey, have been convicted of 14:81.2 Molestation of Juvenile. Date Convicted: 03/19/1998.

14:81 - Indecent Behavior with Juveniles. Date Convicted: 07/23/2012.

My Address is: 10232 HOOPER Rd BATON ROUGE, LA 70818 Race: WHITE Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 10/18/1977 Height: 5'8" Weight: 225 Hair Color: BROWN Eye Color: BROWN Scars/Tattoos: LOUISIANA 196863, AUG 14-15 $250

LOUISIANA 197036, AUG 14-15 $250

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Public Notices Sex Offenders

Scars/Tattoos: LOUISIANA 196865, AUG 14-15 $250

Race: BLACK Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 02/08/1945 Height: 6' Weight: 225 Hair Color: BLACK Eye Color: BROWN

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Public Notices Sex Offenders

Public Notices Sex Offenders

Weight: 250 Hair Color: BLACK Eye Color: BROWN Scars/Tattoos:

My Address is: 5376 Windswept Ln Zachary, LA 70791 Race: BLACK Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 7/7/1994 Height: 6' Weight: 190 Hair Color: BLACK Eye Color: BROWN Scars/Tattoos:

LOUISIANA 196864, AUG 14-15 $250

Public Notices Sex Offenders

NOTICE OF FILING FIRST AND FINAL TABLEAU OF DISTRIBUTION AND FIRST AND FINAL AC‐ COUNT

19TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATE OF LOUISIANA NO. P-115810, SECTION 33

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

NOTICE IS GIVEN THAT James P. Dore, the Inde‐ pendent Administrator of the Succession of Ajay Holla Murthy, has filed a Petition Filing First and Final Tableau of Distribu‐ tion and First and Final Account. The Petition can be homologated after the expiration of seven (7) days from the date of mailing or of publication of this notice, whichever is later. Any opposition to this Petition must be filed prior to homologa‐ tion.

19TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT

This 11th day of October, 2026

PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE

s/Ja’Koria Barra _____________________ Deputy Clerk of Court 19th Judicial District Court.

LOUISIANA

197038, AUG 14-15 $250

I, Joseph Longo Wailunga, have been convicted of 14:81 Indecent Behavior with Juveniles. Date Convicted: 01/17/2023.

14:81.3 - Computer Aided Solicitation of a Minor (attempted).

Date Convicted: 01/17/2023.

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My Address is: 5119 BRIGHTSIDE VIEW DR BATON ROUGE, LA 70820

Race: BLACK Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 7/22/1996 Height: 5'10"

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Public Notices Successions y the date of publication of this Notice to file an op‐ position to the granting of the Judgment Autho‐ rizing Compromise of Claims.

IN THE MATTER OF THE SUCCESSION OF RICHARD HERMAN JONES, JR.

These proceedings are pending before the 19th Judicial District Court in and for the Parish of East Baton Rouge. The ad‐ dress of the Court is 300 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802.

NOTICE OF FILING OF PETITION TO COMPROMISE CLAIMS

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this ______ day of Au‐ gust, 2026.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Kathleen Mills Jones, Administratrix of the Succession of Richard Herman Jones, Jr., No. P-115810, Section 33, on the docket of the 19th Judicial District Court has filed a petition seeking authority to pay certain liabilities of the Succession of Richard Herman Jones, Jr., as listed in the Petition to Compromise Claims filed in the record of these proceedings.

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196862, AUG 14-15 $250

I, SERGIO Dangelo BOWIE , have been convicted of 14:81 Indecent Behavior with Juveniles. Date Convicted: 07/13/2021.

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I, John Williams, have been convicted of 14:42(A) - Rape in the 1st Degree. Date Convicted: 09/08/1969.

My Address is: 2711 JACKSON AVE BATON ROUGE, LA 70802

Public Notices Sex Offenders

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Legal Notices

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MINUTES WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING GOVERNMENT BUILDING 880 North Alexander Avenue, Port Allen Thursday, July 23, 2026 5:30 PM The Following Minutes Are Summarized For Brevity, For Precise Meeting Information Please Refer To Meeting Audio Or Video.

1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER & REQUEST ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES BE SILENCED A Regular Meeting of the West Baton Rouge Parish Council was held on Thursday, July 23, 2026 and called to order at 05:29 PM. Council Chairman Carey Denstel asked that all electronic devices be placed on silent.

Legal Notices

4. LOG ATTENDANCE The following members were recorded as being present: Messrs. Daryl “Turf” Babin, Atley Walker, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Gary Joseph.

Absent: Mr. Kirk Allain, Mrs. Katherine Andre.

Also present were, Mr. Jason Manola, Parish President, Mr. Phillip Bourgoyne, Executive Assistant, Mr. Chance Stephens, Director of Finance, Mr. Brandon Bourgoyne, Director of Public Works and Mrs. Michelle Tullier, Council Clerk.

5. MINUTES APPROVAL A. Approval of Minutes from the Regular Meeting of July 9, 2026.

A motion was made by Council Member Alan Crowe, seconded by Council Member Daryl “Turf” Babin to approve Minutes from the Regular Meeting of July 9, 2026.

The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 7 (Daryl “Turf” Babin, Atley Walker, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Gary Joseph) NAYS: 0 (None) ABSENT: 2 (Kirk Allain, Katherine Andre) ABSTAIN: 0 (None) As a result of the votes, the motion Passed.

6. CONSIDER ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA There were no items to consider at this time.

7. PARISH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Parish President Jason Manola was recognized and covered the following items: Update on 2070 Commercial Drive being occupied by Community Coffee, not to be an ICE facility; NACO Conference Update; Condolences for the recent passing of Mr. Harry Laws; Update on Rosedale Rd. bridge replacement.

8. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no comments at this time.

9. COMMUNICATIONS WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND/OR ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICIALS Mr. Phillip Bourgoyne was recognized and advised that road overlays will start Monday Morning.

Fire Chief Butch Browning was recognized and introduced Mr. and Mrs. Randy Steil, Mrs. Steil briefly explained the medical emergency which happened to Mr. Steil on the levee recently. She went on to explain that it took only 3 minutes for the WBR Parish EMS to respond and ultimately save the life of Mr. Steil. The couple expressed their deepest gratitude to the member of the WBR Fire and EMS services who made this happen and also thanked the Council for their steps to make this possible in this Parish.

10. PUBLIC HEARING ON PREVIOUSLY INTRODUCED ORDINANCES A. An Ordinance Amending Chapter 104 Zoning To Incorporate Amended Zoning Designation Map (Zoning Plan) Under Section 104-3 Establishment Of Districts, Official Zoning Map, and Section 111-78 (Special, Conditional Use Requirements And Procedures) For Request of Michael Kauffman with MBK Land LLC. Regarding Property located at 838 Hwy 190 West, Port Allen LA 70767. File #26-0019: Described by the WBR Assessor as: TRACT E-7 & W P/O TRACT E-8 CONT 4.59 AC BELAIR INDUSTRIAL PARK. Requesting a Rezoning from I-1 to I-2 with a Special Use Permit for Commercial Seasonal Fireworks and Wrecker Service Facility.

The Chairman opened a public hearing for the purpose of receiving comment regarding the aforementioned item.

Mrs. Mallorie Davis was recognized and explained the reasons for this request, which has been seen before, was merely a fix due to a mapping error which was recently caught. Mrs. Davis briefly explained what happened, and noted this item was recommended for approval by the Zoning Commission.

No public comments for or against said ordinance were presented. No written protests opposing the ordinance were received. The Council Chairman at this point declared the Public Hearing closed.

A motion was made by Council Member Brady Hotard, seconded by Council Member Kenneth Gordon to approve An Ordinance Amending Chapter 104 Zoning To Incorporate Amended Zoning Designation Map (Zoning Plan) Under Section 104-3 Establishment Of Districts, Official Zoning Map, and Section 111-78 (Special, Conditional Use Requirements And Procedures) For Request of Michael Kauffman with MBK Land LLC. Regarding Property located at 838 Hwy 190 West, Port Allen LA 70767. File #260019: Described by the WBR Assessor as: TRACT E-7 & W P/O TRACT E-8 CONT 4.59 AC BELAIR INDUSTRIAL PARK. Requesting a Rezoning from I-1 to I-2 with a Special Use Permit for Commercial Seasonal Fireworks and Wrecker Service Facility.

The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 7 (Daryl “Turf” Babin, Atley Walker, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Gary Joseph) NAYS: 0 (None) ABSENT: 2 (Kirk Allain, Katherine Andre) ABSTAIN: 0 (None) As a result of the votes, the motion Passed.

Ordinance 22 of 2026 can be found at the end of these minutes.

Legal Notices

Legal Notices

adopted by acclamation at 05:48 PM. ______________________________________ Carey Denstel, Council Chairman ______________________________________ Michelle Z. Tullier, Council Clerk ALL MEETING INFORMATION INCLUDING MINUTES AND VIDEOS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE WBRPARISH.ORG UNDER THE AGENDA AND MINUTES TAB. ORDINANCE 22 OF 2026 As Introduced by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council At the Meeting of June 25, 2026 And Adopted on July 23, 2026

2. OPENING PRAYER Councilman Atley Walker Jr. led everyone in an opening prayer.

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chairman Denstel recognized Mr. Gary Hubble who led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Legal Notices

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 104 Zoning To Incorporate Amended Zoning Designation Map (Zoning Plan) Under Section 104-3 Establishment Of Districts, Official Zoning Map, and Section 111-78 (Special, Conditional Use Requirements And Procedures) For Request of Michael Kauffman with MBK Land LLC. Requesting a Rezoning from I-1 to I-2 with a Special Use Permit for Commercial Seasonal Fireworks NOW THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council in legal session that Chapter 104 Zoning, Sec. 104-3 Establishment of Districts, Official Zoning Map of the Compiled Ordinances of the Parish of West Baton Rouge, Louisiana is amended and re-enacted to read as follows: Sec.104-3. Establishment Of Districts, Official Zoning Map For Rezoning Request Of Michael Kauffman with MBK Land LLC. Regarding Property located at 838 Hwy 190 West, Port Allen LA 70767. File #26-0019: Described by the WBR Assessor as: TRACT E-7 & W P/O TRACT E-8 CONT 4.59 AC BELAIR INDUSTRIAL PARK. Requesting rezoning from I-1 to I-2 with a Special Use Permit for Commercial Seasonal Fireworks and Wrecker Service Facility.

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council that this ordinance shall become effective pursuant to Section 2-12 (C) of the Home Rule Charter.

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council, that all other ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed in their entirety.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Parish Council of the Parish of West Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that if any provision or item of this ordinance or the application thereof is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions, items or applications of this ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provisions, items, or applications of this ordinance are hereby declared severable.

THE FOREGOING ORDINANCE AFTER HAVING BEEN SUBMITTED TO A PUBLIC HEARING WAS CONSIDERED, AND UPON MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER BRADY HOTARD, WHICH WAS SECONDED

BY COUNCIL MEMBER KENNETH GORDON. THE ORDINANCE WAS SUBMITTED TO A VOTE AND RESULTED IN THE FOLLOWING: YEAS:

7

(HOTARD, GORDON, BABIN, WALKER, DENSTEL, CROWE, JOSEPH)

NAYS:

0

(NONE)

ABSENT: 2

(ALLAIN, ANDRE)

ABSTAIN: 0

(NONE)

WHEREUPON the ordinance was declared adopted on the 23rd Day of July, 2026.

ATTEST:

2027 BUDGET SCHEDULE AUGUST 27, 2026 AUGUST 31, 2026 OCTOBER 2, 2026 SEPTEMBER 24 & OCTOBER 1, 2026

THURSDAY MONDAY FRIDAY THURSDAY

COUNCIL APPROVES SCHEDULE BUDGET PROCESS BEGINS ALL BUDGETS DUE IN COUNCIL OFFICE PUBLICATION OF ALL SPECIAL MEETINGS

OCTOBER 8, 2026 OCTOBER 26, 2026 OCTOBER 27, 2026 OCTOBER 30, 2026

THURSDAY MONDAY TUESDAY FRIDAY

COUNCIL PRESENTED COPIES OF THE BUDGET 5:30 PM SPECIAL MEETING BUDGET REVIEW 5:30 PM SPECIAL MEETING BUDGET REVIEW DEPARTMENTS MAKE CHANGES AND/OR ADJUSTMENTS TO PROPOSED BUDGETS TO INTRODUCTION & ADOPTION.

NOVEMBER 12, 2026

THURSDAY

5:30 INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCE CALL FOR PUBLIC HEARING

DECEMBER 10, 2026

THURSDAY

PUBLIC HEARING TO ADOPT 2027 BUDGET

NOTE: ALL MEETINGS WILL BE HELD AT 5:30 PM

11. NEW BUSINESS A. Consider Approval of 2026 Budget Schedule.

Mr. Chance Stephens was recognized and pointed out this was the 2027 Budget Schedule, and offered to answer any questions.

No public comments for or against were presented.

A motion was made by Council Member Alan Crowe, seconded by Council Member Brady Hotard to approve the 2027 Budget Schedule.

The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 7 (Daryl “Turf” Babin, Atley Walker, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Gary Joseph) NAYS: 0 (None) ABSENT: 2 (Kirk Allain, Katherine Andre) ABSTAIN: 0 (None) As a result of the votes, the motion Passed.

The 2027 Budget Schedule can be found at the end of these minutes.

B. Consider Approval of 2026 Road Materials Bid Recommendation.

Mr. Phillip Bourgoyne was recognized and noted the bid recommendations are designated by line item on the presented spreadsheet for the 2026 Road Materials.

No public comments were presented.

A motion was made by Council Member Brady Hotard, seconded by Council Member Gary Joseph to approve the 2026 Road Materials Bid Recommendations as presented.

The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 7 (Daryl “Turf” Babin, Atley Walker, Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Gary Joseph) NAYS: 0 (None) ABSENT: 2 (Kirk Allain, Katherine Andre) ABSTAIN: 0 (None) As a result of the votes, the motion Passed.

The Road Materials Bid Recommendations can be found at the end of these minutes.

12. CONSIDER STATUS REPORT, CHANGE ORDER AND/OR OTHER MATTERS AS REQUIRED ON CURRENT PROJECTS There were no items to consider at this time.

13. RESOLUTIONS There were no items to consider at this time.

14. CONSIDER SUBDIVISION PLATS, CONDEMNATIONS, WAIVERS AND MATTERS RELATED THERETO There were no items to consider at this time.

15. INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES Mrs. Tullier, Council Clerk read by title the below proposed ordinance/s being introduced and publicized by title, and considered for adoption following a public hearing as specified below, at 5:30 pm in the Council Chambers, located at 880 North Alexander Avenue, Port Allen, La.: A. An Ordinance Adopting An Operating Budget Of Revenues And Expenditures For The Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2026 And Ending June 30, 2027 As Published By The West Baton Rouge Parish Council On Aging. Public Hearing Date: August 13, 2026.

B. An Ordinance Amending Chapter 104 Zoning To Incorporate Amended Zoning Designation Map (Zoning Plan) Under Section 104-3 Establishment Of Districts, Official Zoning Map For Rezoning Request Of TMI Enterprise LLC. Regarding Parcel#053400003500 HWY 190, Port Allen, La 70767.

File #PJ 26-0021: Described by the WBR Assessor as: TRACT K190-B2-A CONT 13.703 AC IN SECS 38, 82 & 83 T7S R12E 34-35. Rezoning Approximately 13.73 AC From R-MH, C-1.3, And AG To I-2. Master Plan Change. Public Hearing Date: August 27, 2026.

16. CORRESPONDENCE REPORT Correspondence Report from Council Clerk, Mrs. Michelle Tullier included the following items: • Next Planning & Zoning Meeting Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 5:30PM canceled; • Next Council Meeting Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 5:30pm.

17. ADJOURN There being no further business, a motion to adjourn was made by Council Member Brady Hotard and was

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