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Open house set for I-49 proposal Shrimp Festival royalty wear decorated shrimp decorated shrimp boats parade down the delcambre Canal after the blessing boots while walking to the blessing of the shrimp fleet on Sunday. of the fleet Sunday during the 74th delcambre Shrimp Festival.

BOATS, BOOTS and a BLESSING Shrimping takes center stage at delcambre festival

The Rev. daniel Picard blesses the fleet during the 74th delcambre Shrimp Festival on Sunday.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAd KEMP

Associated Press

WEATHER HIGH 96 LOW 78 PAGE 6A

The public may soon review and comment on the recently signed environmental impact statement for the proposed Interstate 49 Lafayette Connector. An open house is scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 2 at the Downtown Convention Center, 124 S. Buchanan St., in Lafayette. Oral public comments will begin at 6 p.m. and continue until everyone who wishes to speak has had the opportunity to do so. Comment is limited to three minutes per person. The proposed six-lane partially elevated freeway through the city between Lafayette Regional Airport and the current terminus of I-49 at Interstate 10 is part of a larger plan to extend I-49 from Canada to the West Bank of New Orleans. The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement of the Lafayette Connector will be available for review at the open house. Those attending will have the opportunity to review the project at their convenience and ask questions, and submit written comments at that time. Displays will show the general location and design features of the project; the purpose and need of the project; right-of-way acquisition process and relocation assistance program; anticipated social, economic and environmental impacts; and consistency with local urban planning goals and objectives. The project is expected to cost billions and will be funded in phases. This is the second time the connector project has gone through this process. A federal record of decision was issued in 2003, but the project never advanced. When the connector project was resurrected in 2016, the community pushed back against the original plans, plus too much time had passed, warranting a reevaluation.

Corps of Engineers has Planned container granted permits authorizing of the Louisiterminal set for construction ana International Terminal, St. Bernard Parish which will be located in Vio-

BY JULIA FRANKEL, SAMY MAGDY and WAFAA SHURAFA

ä See GAZA, page 5A

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR

Staff writer

N.O. port gets building permits

U.S., Israel meet on Gaza ceasefire JERUSALEM — A marathon meeting Monday between U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the fate of the Gaza ceaseﬁre unclear, with ofﬁcials signaling moderate optimism but offering no concrete commitment by Israel to the latest U.S.-proposed plan. Hamas has already agreed to the proposal. American negotiators appeared to acquiesce to Israeli demands that Hamas disarmament must come

Public comments sought for revived connector project

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

PROVIdEd IMAGE

A rendering shows plans for the proposed Louisiana International Terminal in Violet in St. Bernard Parish.

The Port of New Orleans has secured a key federal approval for its planned container terminal in St. Bernard Parish, a major step forward in the yearslong effort to build a facility that will help the region remain competitive in global trade. In a release Monday, the port said the U.S. Army

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let about 17 miles downriver of New Orleans. The facility, which is expected to cost at least $2.6 billion, according to the most recent estimates, is considered critical for Louisiana’s maritime economy because the giant container ships that account for a growing share of world shipping are too large to journey upriver and safely pass under the

ä See PORT, page 5A

102Nd yEAR, NO. 49

2A ● Tuesday, August 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial postponed

NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, which was slated to begin Sept. 8, has been postponed indefinitely as his lawyers seek to have the case thrown out on double jeopardy grounds following his guilty plea last week to federal charges. Judge Gregory Carro issued an order Monday canceling the trial and giving the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the state case, until Oct. 9 to respond to the defense’s double jeopardy claims. A hearing will be held on Dec. 10, Carro said, about a week before Mangione is scheduled to be sentenced in the federal case. Mangione, 28, pleaded guilty Friday in Manhattan federal court to a pair of stalking charges and admitted trailing Thompson to UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference and gunning him down outside a Manhattan hotel in 2024. Federal prosecutors said they would seek life in prison when Mangione is sentenced Dec. 18, though federal sentencing guidelines call for a term of 24 to 30 years. “On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” Mangione said. Immediately after his plea, Mangione’s lawyers filed paperwork seeking to have the state case thrown out on double jeopardy and due process grounds. They described him as a “pawn in parallel prosecutions” and accused state and federal prosecutors of “trying to punish him twice for the exact conduct.” Mangione has pleaded not guilty in the state case, which also carries the possibility of a life sentence. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said in a statement that it would fight efforts to end the state case, in part because Mangione’s federal sentence isn’t yet known.

Congo’s Ebola outbreak deaths pass 2,300

BUNIA, Congo — Congo’s fastmoving Ebola outbreak has now killed over 2,300 people and become the deadliest outbreak of the disease on record in the Central African nation. The outbreak unfolding in one of Congo’s most vulnerable regions is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever, with 4,945 cases including 2,325 deaths, according to government data released overnight into Monday. It’s Congo’s 17th outbreak, with a toll that has eclipsed that of the country’s 2018-2020 outbreak when 2,299 deaths out of 3,481 cases were recorded. The latest data shows 101 new cases and 33 deaths reported in the previous 24 hours. Over 1,000 people have recovered, while 730 remain in hospitals or isolation. The outbreak has infected and killed more people at a greater speed than any other outbreak in history. The World Health Organization has said it is on track to surpass the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the deadliest on record with more than 11,000 deaths. Trish Newport, emergency coordinator with Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said the limited community engagement in the outbreak remains a key challenge.

U.S. hiker struck by lightning, dies in Italy

MILAN — An American tourist was killed by a lightning strike on Sicily’s Mount Etna while hiking Europe’s largest volcano following a period of intense activity, Italian ﬁreﬁghters said Monday. The 29-year-old man from Kansas was rescued by helicopter after being struck Sunday evening in an exposed, barren area. He was later declared dead by medical personnel. His name was not released. The man was found at nearly 4,600 feet in the Rocca Capra area. Authorities have closed areas of the volcano’s slope to hikers due to the volcano’s prolonged activity — which forced the closure of the airport in nearby Catania for most of last week — but it was unclear if he was in such an area.

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U.S.-Iran peace prospects dim Trump says no timeline for ending war, threatens to bomb Oman

BY CATHERINE LUCEY Bloomberg News (TNS)

The prospects for peace in the Middle East suffered a fresh setback, with President Donald Trump reportedly saying he is in no hurry to end the war with Iran and fighting flaring anew in Lebanon. Trump told Fox News in a phone interview that a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports is putting pressure on the country and he has no timeline for resolving the conflict. He also warned that if “Oman gets in the way we’ll bomb the s*** out of them,” without give any further details. He made a similar threat in May. Oman is negotiating with Iran on how the Strait of Hormuz should be managed, but the U.S. isn’t part of those discussions. The war with Iran has dragged on for nearly six months with no resolution in sight. Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding in June that was supposed to open a window for the warring parties to reach a more lasting peace deal

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By HUSSEIN MALLA

A woman mourns Sunday in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, during the funeral of Hezbollah member Ali al-Haj Hassan, his wife and four children who were killed the previous day by an Israeli airstrike. within 60 days. During that period, which expires Monday, the truce has been repeatedly violated and both sides have said the agreement is defunct. Iran said a “shipping map” had been finalized as part of a broader agreement with Oman on how to govern trafﬁc in the strait, but Tehran has warned that it won’t necessarily translate into a reopening of the crucial maritime route. Intensive talks are continuing, but reaching a deal has been time consuming because of secu-

rity complexities and the “obstructionist behavior of destructive elements,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters on Monday. The price of Brent crude has gained more than 7% since the start of last week as the prospects further dimmed for a swift reopening of Hormuz, through which a ﬁfth of the world’s oil and gas transited before the war. The global benchmark rose at much as 1.3% on Monday to $89.68 a barrel.

Tensions in the Middle East were already on the rise over the weekend, when Israel’s military said it killed senior Hezbollah commander Abu Hassan Alaa in southern Lebanon. Eleven people died in the Israeli strikes on Saturday, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said were in retaliation for an attack by the militant group that seriously injured three soldiers. In recent days, Israel has also struck Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza, the Yemenbased Houthis have at-

tacked ships in the Red Sea, and several vessels have been hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. Israeli settlers have meanwhile laid siege to Palestinian homes, drawing international condemnation. Netanyahu has downplayed that violence and blamed a small number of radicals. The renewed ﬁghting in Lebanon risks derailing a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, an eventual Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory and the Lebanese army taking responsibility for security. It will also complicate efforts to revive the deadlocked negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, with the 14-point memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran providing for a pause in hostilities “on all fronts, including Lebanon” and free passage through Hormuz. Trump did however tell Fox New that back channels with Iran remain open. Trump has struggled to ﬁnd an off-ramp to a war that’s increasingly unpopular in the U.S. and threatens to penalize Republicans in November’s midterm elections. Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. is preparing to announce new economic measures on Tehran “like have never been seen.”

Thousands in Indonesia await aid after quake Authorities say at least 58 killed

BY FIRDIA LISNAWATI and NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press

REO, Indonesia — Thousands of people waited for aid on the Indonesian island of Flores on Monday as the country marked its 81st Independence Day, two days after a powerful earthquake killed at least 68 people, injured more than 200 others and damaged thousands of homes. Many residents on Flores island in East Nusa Tenggara province spent the day mourning victims while military teams tried to deliver food, clean water and clothing to inaccessible communities by plane. The Saturday morning quake left widespread damage, with buildings collapsed onto parked cars, homes shattered and trees and boulders blocking roads. “My house is just rubble now,” said Rasyid Jafar, a clothing trader in the village of Reo, the hardesthit area in Manggarai regency. “We need food, medicine and clean water urgently.” During Indonesia’s

on Flores camped outside metric tons of emergency collapsed homes under tar- aid. Nearly 5,400 food packpaulin tents overnight into Monday, sleeping outside ages, two field hospital tents, because of the danger of medicines and clothing were more aftershocks. being delivered to commuFor many residents, the nities across the disaster disaster revived painful zone, as logistical chalmemories of a powerful lenges slowed deliveries to earthquake and tsunami that some hard-hit communities, struck Flores in 1992, killing national disaster agency about 2,500 people. Deputy Chief Abdul Muhari As thousands of survivors said in a video statement. remain in need of food, shelAuthorities set up two ter and medical treatment, emergency field hospitals in the government said more the worst-hit town of Ruteng ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By FIRdIA LISNAWATI than 1,800 military and po- to treat earthquake victims lice personnel have been after local hospitals were A man examines a building that collapsed during deployed across the disas- damaged, with two crisis an earthquake in Reo, East Nusa Tenggara province, ter zone, supported by 10 management teams overseeIndonesia, on Monday. aircraft and several vessels, ing a health emergency opto distribute more than 100 eration center, Muhari said. Independence Day cer- Management Agency or emony in the capital, Ja- BNPB. The disaster also GET IN TOUCH karta, President Prabowo damaged 122 health faSubianto asked partici- cilities, 252 schools and 84 Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COM or 337-234-0800 pants to pray for people places of worship. News Tips / Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM The province’s governor affected by disasters in Obituaries: 225-388-0289 • Mon-Fri 9-5; Sat 10-5; Closed Sun East Nusa Tenggara and declared a 14-day state of Advertising Sales: 337-234-0174 • Mon-Fri 8-5 other parts of the country, emergency on Sunday. Classified Advertising: 225-383-0111 • Mon-Fri 8-5 The quake occurred at while leading a nationwide Subscribe: theadvocate.com/subscribe moment of silence honor- a depth of 6 miles shortly E-Edition: theadvocate.com/eedition ing the nation’s indepen- before 6 a.m. Saturday, acArchives: theadvocate.newsbank.com cording to the U.S. Geologdence heroes. More than 4,500 homes ical Survey, and residents The Acadiana Advocate (USPS # 25-866) is published daily by Capital City Press, LLC at 203 W. Third St., Lafayette, LA 70501. Periodicals postage paid at Lafayette, LA ISSN 2643-7252 and additional mailing offices. were damaged when fled in panic as tsunami POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Acadiana Advocate, Circulation Accounting, P.O. Box 588, Baton the quake struck Flores warnings were issued but Rouge, LA 70821. Newspaper carriers are independent contractors and not employees of Capital City Press. island early Saturday. later lifted. Authorities All home delivery subscription sales are non-refundable. Should you discontinue your Some 19,000 people were have since recorded 1,576 subscription during term, the subscription will end with the expiration date on your forced into temporary aftershocks into Monday, subscription, and there will not be a refund of a prorated amount. Subscribers who shelters and 213 people though only 54 were felt purchased their subscription before Feb. 1, 2023 and wish to cancel can request were injured, according by residents. a refund of a remaining balance at https://www.nola.com/app/forms/refund-reto the National Disaster Thousands of people quest-form/. Refunds are considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of

Justices again rebuff Trump’s push to toss $5M Carroll verdict BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday again rebuffed President Donald Trump’s push to throw out a jury’s $5 million ﬁnding that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her. The Republican Carroll president’s lawyers had asked the justices to reconsider their refusal to hear his appeal. The court denied Trump’s petition along with several others. It’s unusual — although

not unheard of — for the court to grant such requests. Trump paid the judgment shortly after the court declined to take up his appeal in June. Trump and the Justice Department are also asking the high court to toss out a second Carroll verdict totaling $83 million. They argue he’s immune from being sued over comments he made about her in 2019, when he was president. The court has not yet acted on that appeal. Carroll is a longtime advice columnist and former TV talk show host. She testified at a 2023

trial that Trump turned a friendly 1990s encounter into a violent attack in the dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury retailer across the street from Trump Tower in Manhattan. The jury found Trump liable for defaming Carroll when he denied her allegation in 2022. Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said they were pleased by the Supreme Court’s decision. “As a result, the jury’s unanimous verdict that Donald Trump sexually assaulted and then defamed E. Jean Carroll is now ﬁnal and cannot be challenged in any court,” Kaplan said in a statement. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

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‘Heroes,’ ‘Nashville’ star Hayden Panettiere dies at 36 BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM

Associated Press

Hayden Panettiere, a onetime child star who soared to fame in the TV shows “Heroes” and “Nashville” while enduring struggles with alcohol addiction and depression, has died. She was 36. Police said Panettiere was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. Lifesaving measures were performed but she was pronounced dead at the scene. No cause of death has been determined and Panettiere’s death remains under investigation. An autopsy found no signs of trauma and police said ofﬁcers saw no signs of foul play. The television and film performer, who would have turned 37 on Friday, had been open about her private battles and wrote at length about them in the memoir, “This Is Me,” which came out in May. She described lifelong scars from her early fame, and acknowledged being addicted to alcohol and enduring postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter, Kaya, with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic pass-

ing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement provided to ABC. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.” A publicist for Panettiere did not provide any additional details in response to inquiries from The Associated Press. Panettiere was one of two children born to Skip Panettiere, a former New York City ﬁre captain, and Lesley Vogel, a former soap opera star who had been the prime force behind her early career before the two became estranged. Panettiere began acting in commercials and soap operas, including as the evertroubled Lizzie Spaulding on “Guiding Light.” In “This Is Me,” she wrote that the traumas her character endured, from being kidnapped to killing her mother’s boyfriend, led her to associate “catastrophe with adoration.” “Grown-ups gave me positive attention when — as an actor — I failed, got sick, screamed and cried, killed, grieved, and suffered,” she wrote. “Is it any wonder why I’ve faced so many real struggles in my life? I’ve often wondered whether — un-

ASSOCIATEd PRESS FILE PHOTO By JORdAN STRAUSS

Hayden Panettiere arrives at the premiere of ‘Blonde’ on Sept. 13, 2022, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Panettiere, a onetime child star who soared to fame in the TV shows ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’ while enduring struggles with alcohol addiction and depression, has died at age 36. intentionally — I’ve brought on my traumas because I’m wired to think they’re good for me.” She had much warmer memories of her role as a cheerleader with supernatural powers in “Heroes,” which propelled her to fame in 2006. The series revolved around the mantra: “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” “I think ‘Heroes’ is re-

ally hot because it’s just a really great combination of everything that people love — they love reality, they love sci-fi and things like ‘X-Men’ where they get to dream of something bigger,” Panettiere told the AP in 2008. “And at the core of it are these human stories that people can relate to, very rugged. And it’s just grabbed everyone in every

age group.” She went on to win three Teen Choice Awards for that role and was nominated for a Grammy for a children’s spoken word album, “A Bug’s Life: Read-Along,” also voicing a role in the Disney animated movie. Panettiere later played a brash country upstart opposite Connie Britton on “Nashville,” which aired on

ABC for four seasons before being canceled and revived on CMT. She did her own singing in the show, which scored some hits on country charts, spawned U.S. tours and earned Panettiere two supporting actress Golden Globe nominations. Eleven songs that Panettiere recorded for “Nashville” appeared on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts during the show’s run, including two featuring Britton. Panettiere’s daughter, now 11, began living with Klitschko full-time in Ukraine when she was 2. At the time, the actor was struggling with mental health and addiction. “I think there’s been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child,” she said in an interview with podcaster Jay Shetty in May. “That could not be farther from the truth.” She said she was in a “horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse” while “just trying to find my way back, my way out of the darkness.” She entered rehab in 2015, while filming “Nashville.” “I was the one who put myself in the first treatment center. I was drowning,” she said in a 2023 interview with Women’s Health magazine.

Feds briefly pause border project in Texas’ Big Bend BY REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Monday it is temporarily pausing construction of a contentious border construction project in Texas’ Big Bend National Park while the head of the agency tasked with building the wall visits to do an “on-the-ground evaluation.” The project through the national park in southern Texas has faced fierce bipartisan opposition by critics who say it is marring the area’s pristine environment. They argue the region’s rugged and remote terrain al-

ready serves as a deterrent to migrants and smugglers. Border crossings in the area have historically been lower than other regions and have dropped even further over the past two years. “CBP is pausing all construction activity in Big Bend National Park while I visit and conduct a personal, on-the-ground evaluation,” Rodney Scott, who heads Customs and Border Protection, said on X. Scott said over the next couple of days, he was going to “listen to local leadership, community members and stakeholders” to address what he said were “real” national security threats while protecting the

park. While it isn’t clear whether the brief suspension portended a more permanent halt to the construction in the area, it reﬂected the intensity of the bipartisan opposition and was a rare concession from the administration on a signature promise of the president’s that it has raced to complete. Congress gave the Trump administration $46 billion last summer to build a wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, and the administration has been charging ahead and waiving numerous regulations in an effort to swiftly build the wall.

Scott has said he expects the ﬁrst layer of the wall to be built by the end of next year. But the administration has run into ﬁerce opposition in Texas, especially when it comes to construction in and near Big Bend National Park and a state park to the west. Customs and Border Protection earlier this year backed off plans to build a 30-foot-tall bollard wall through the parks but was still moving forward with other border protection

measures such as a new road, lights, miles of barriers designed to stop cars from crossing the border and technology such as ﬁber optic cables to be buried under the fences. That has sparked opposition from Democratic and Republican sheriffs in the region, former national park ofﬁcials, local residents who rely on the parks for their livelihood and some Texas elected officials. Critics have said it will scar the rugged landscape that attracts

tourists who raft down the Rio Grande and take advantage of some of the clearest night skies in the U.S. to gaze at stars. Last week, bulldozers were seen clearing land at the park, sparking even more concern and raising questions from one of the state’s Republican senators. At the time the bulldozers were seen, the Department of Homeland Security said on X that they were related to “survey and design work.”

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ICE pitches legal insurance to help shield local officers BY RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is pitching a plan to help shield local police ofﬁcers who make immigration arrests from possible ﬁnancial consequences if they are accused of on-duty misconduct. The agency is proposing to subsidize liability insurance for state and local officers who are trained and deputized to enforce federal immigration laws, according to a planning document published Friday. ICE’s partnerships with local departments have soared since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year and may get an additional boost with liability insurance by removing a hurdle that has made some local police departments re-

luctant to join. The Associated Press is the first to report on this insurance proposal. Under the plan, officers would purchase insurance covering up to $500,000 in personal liability, which typically funds legal fees, settlements and judgments. Officers would be reimbursed up to $250 annually — roughly what the insurance is expected to cost. One prominent critic of ICE’s immigration crackdown said the program would be yet another way for officers to avoid personal accountability for misconduct. “The concern here is that ICE is going above and beyond to guarantee law enforcement does not have even the slightest risk of liability for violating Americans’ rights while helping ICE arrest people,” said David Bier, director of im-

migration studies at the Cato Institute, who has called on Congress to make it easier to sue ICE agents for wrongdoing. ICE outlined the plan in a document informing industry ofﬁcials that it is considering hiring a contractor to help provide outreach, training and communications support for its so-called 287(g) partnerships with local departments, which are named for a section of a 1996 immigration law. The contractor would hire the insurance vendor and process the reimbursements, among other tasks. ICE has asked for industry feedback by Thursday. The proposed timeline for launching the program and its estimated cost are unclear. ICE had no immediate comment on the plan.

Ukraine energy firm says facilities damaged after 13 Russian strikes BY HANNA ARHIROVA

Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia attacked facilities of Ukraine’s Naftogaz Group 13 times over the past week and has targeted its premises almost 300 times since the start of the year, the state energy company said Monday. Russia has repeatedly battered the Ukrainian power grid since its all-out invasion more than four years ago. Moscow hopes to sap Ukraine’s will to ﬁght by denying civilians light, heating and running water during the bitter winter months.

Ukrainian officials, who say Russia is “weaponizing winter,” fear Moscow will pursue its campaign through the coming winter, too. Russian drones and missiles struck facilities in several regions of the country, with one asset hit multiple times during the week, Naftogaz said, reporting serious damage to equipment and production capacity. No employees were hurt in the attacks, the company said. DTEK Group, a coal mining and power production company which says it is the largest private investor

in Ukraine’s energy sector, also said a Russian attack started a fire at one of its mines, killing a 52-year-old man. With troops largely bogged down by drones and robots along the roughly 780-mile front line, both Russia and Ukraine are expanding their aerial campaigns and devising new long-range weapons. Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russia killed seven people, while ﬁve civilians died in Ukraine after strikes by Moscow’s forces, ofﬁcials said Monday as they collated overnight attacks.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday,August 18, 2026 ● 5A

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GAZA

Continued from page 1A before any reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian enclave. They did not publicly signal that Israel had made any commitments to withdraw from the 60% of Gaza that Israeli troops currently occupy. That’s a major sticking point in the plan and one that Hamas had pressed negotiators to compel Israel to fulﬁll prior to the meeting. The talks came days after Netanyahu rejected the 15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the ceasefire deal forward, saying there would be no withdrawal without disarmament. A day earlier, Kushner met for two hours with Hamas’ leader in Egypt. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the director of the U.S.-created Board of Peace, Nickolay Mladenov, were also in the meeting with Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the plans and a diplomatic source. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting. At stake are the lives of some 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, rebuilding plans and future control over the territory.

Netanyahu: Talks constructive In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said the talks were “deep and constructive.” Israel and the board agreed to establish two working groups — one on the disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza and another focused on public health issues for Gaza. Israel and the board agreed that the demilitarization “should be prompt and completed before any reconstruction,” the statement said. A Board of Peace official said they also agreed that the demilitarization must include “every weapon, light and heavy, and every tunnel.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting. “Backed by President Donald Trump, the parties share clear goals: a fully demilitarized and deradicalized Gaza that poses no threat to Israel, and where Gazans can pursue prosperity and dignity peacefully,” the official said. Another Board of Peace official said the meeting was “very productive” and resulted in agreement on “a path forward.”

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By JEHAd ALSHRAFI

Palestinians remove iron from the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during the war with Hamas in Gaza City on Sunday. The iron is repaired and recycled for construction, building tents or selling it. “The Israelis are going to give this a chance. Now it’s up to Hamas to show if it truly intends to comply,” said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked if Israel had committed to the U.S. plan for Gaza, a spokesperson for Mladenov said it was a “work in progress.”

Kushner had talk with Hamas Kushner, who is Trump’s son-inlaw, met Sunday with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on disarmament, according to a regional official and a Hamas official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey also were there. The Hamas official said the Hamas leader demanded that Israel halt its attacks on Gaza and

PORT

‘Critical ... authorization’ The terminal will comprise more than 600 acres with 3,600 linear feet of wharf and a container yard capable of holding more than 62,850 containers at any given time, according to documents from the corps. It also will have vehicle ramps, administrative buildings, an intermodal rail yard and a wharf extending out into the river with 10 cranes capable of loading and unloading two “ultra large” container vessels — which can hold up to 24,000 standard containers — at a time. Preliminary work on the site, including building access roads, clearing the ground and laying materials atop the soft Louisiana soil to support the heavy equipment and infrastructure

er Riv pi

Crescent City Connection bridge. “Today’s permit turns years of engineering, environmental review and partnership into forward motion,” Beth Branch, president and CEO of the port, said in a statement. “This is not simply a regional port expansion; it is nationally significant infrastructure that will expand American export capacity and position Louisiana to lead the next generation of maritime commerce.” First conceived more than a decade ago, the project has been a top priority of local economic development leaders and, more recently, of Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration. Still, the project still has a long way to go, both ﬁnancially and logistically. And it continues to face stiff opposition on the ground in St. Bernard Parish from elected officials and community groups who are worried about its impact on trafﬁc, the environment and their quality of life.

Wetlands

. St

Continued from page 1A

ST. BERNARD PARISH

Dr. rez Pe ge wy. ud dH ar rn Be

MERAUX Mis J sis sip

withdraw to the so-called “yellow line” dividing the territory before beginning implementation. The yellow line was never precisely deﬁned. Israeli forces have moved beyond it and now control about 60% of Gaza. In May, Netanyahu said the next step was to move to 70% control, with Israel “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction.” Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the road map. They said Israel “now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.” Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceaseﬁre mediators. The foreign ministers’ statement called on the Board of Peace and the U.S. to take “immediate and concrete measures” to keep any

ORLEANS PARISH

PLANNED CONTAINER TERMINAL

VIOLET

Violet

Logisticsrelated businesses

W. Smith Jr. Elementary School

Canal

Bayou Rd.

could begin as soon as this fall. If all goes according to schedule, construction is expected to take ﬁve years, meaning the soonest the terminal could be up and running is late 2031. “I think we are comfortable enough with where we are now that we have a permit in hand to say ﬁve years from groundbreaking,” said Branch in an interview on Monday. “This really is a critical piece of authorization that allows us to construct.”

Funding stacks Permits have been in various stages of review by the Corps for more than four years. And while they are a key milestone for the project, other details still need to be finalized, including a final budget and ﬁnancing package. Branch said it will take another six or seven months for engineering and construction documents to be completed, which will determine whether the current

Transportation Corridor, as it is called, is expected to cost at least $1 billion and is still in the early stages of a review process by the state that is expected to take up to two years. Financing for that phase of the project, which port ofﬁcials have said is critical to the overall terminal project, has not been ﬁnalized.

Not giving up the fight POYDRAS

Staff map

party from obstructing the plan’s tee has not yet entered Gaza. implementation. But Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons Talks spark hope and doubt to the creation of a Palestinian While some in Gaza hope that state, and the road map entails efforts to implement the road the creation of a “credible pathmap will bring an end to the war way toward achieving Palestinian sparked by the Hamas-led attack self-determination and statehood,” on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, something Israel’s current governothers are skeptical. ment rejects. Mohammad Abu al-Qombuz cast Until the road map is agreed to, doubt on all talks and visits cur- other elements of the ceasefire are on hold, including reconstruction rently taking place. “A conference here and there, it and the deployment of internationis all lies. We need a definitive so- al forces to separate Israeli forces lution that would work for every- from committee-controlled areas. Netanyahu faces a challenging body,” said Abu al-Qombuz, who lives in a Gaza City tent camp, part election on Oct. 27 as he tries to of the territory’s vast displaced hold onto power with a coalition that includes ministers taking population. Under the road map, Hamas a harsh line on Gaza, and it’s not would hand over weapons to the clear whether he will take decisive Palestinian technocratic commit- steps on the ceasefire before then. Also coming up is the annivertee meant to oversee daily operations in the territory. The commit- sary of the 2023 attack.

working ﬁgure of $2.6 billion — already about 45% higher than the initial price tag — is still a reasonable estimate. Also unclear is where all the money will come from. Two private companies that are planning to operate the terminal through a long-term lease with the port, Terminal International Limited and Ports America, have agreed to put $800 million toward the cost of construction. Another $500 million has been committed from state and federal sources. Still, that leaves the port short at least 50% of the remaining cost of the project. Branch said Monday that most of that money will come from bond debt that the port will assume and federal loan programs. “We need to build a capital stack out of all this,” she said. “But you don’t need all the money on day one.” Also still unresolved is the location of a highway that will connect the port to the interstate system, bypassing local roads. The St. Bernard

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Economic development ofﬁcials have touted the beneﬁts of the project. Beyond keeping the region’s maritime sector competitive in global trade, they say it will create jobs and generate tax dollars in St. Bernard Parish. A study by Greater New Orleans Inc. estimates that once fully complete, the terminal will generate $100,000 in new tax dollars per day in the parish and increase employment by more than onethird.

GNO President and CEO Michael Hecht, who was tapped by Landry to help bring the project to fruition, said having the permits clears a key hurdle in the process. “While other elements must fall into place, having the permits gives (the terminal) undeniable political and practical momentum.” But St. Bernard Parish Council Chair Fred Everhardt, who is opposed to the project, and others say they will continue to ﬁght to stop it. “They are trying to paint a picture to the public that they got their permits and it’s a great thing for the state and the country,” Everhardt said. “But it’s a bad thing for St. Bernard Parish.” Currently, three lawsuits challenging the terminal are making their way through state court. One takes issue with the location of an elementary school that will be

impacted by the project. Another raises environmental concerns and a third questions the jurisdiction of Port NOLA to even build a facility in St. Bernhard Parish, which has its own port. Everhardt said the permits haven’t changed the facts on the ground and that “the battle is not won.” Branch said the Port NOLA has offered to work with the St. Bernard Parish School Board over the relocation of the school, W. Smith Junior Elementary School, and has offered potential alternatives. “We are hoping there is going to be a pathway forward,” Branch said. The School Board and parish District Attorney’s Ofﬁce, which ﬁled the suit, did not respond to requests seeking comment. Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.

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6A ● Tuesday,August 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A stray afternoon thunderstorm

Sunny

HIGH

LOW

96° 78°

LOW

94° 77°

LOW

96° 76°

Baton Rouge 98/78

Lake Charles 95/79

Port Arthur 94/78

New Orleans 97/80 Houma 94/77

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

Hattiesburg 101/77

Alexandria 101/77

Lafayette 96/78

Beaumont 95/77

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

HIGH

94° 76°

LOW

95° 77°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 103/77

Many 101/75

LOW

YESTERDAY

TODAY

REAdING 50 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Monday

Longview 105/78

-0s

95° 77°

Monroe 104/79

Shreveport 105/79

-10s

LOW

For some of us in Acadiana, heat index values will again rise to 110 or higher this afternoon while the actual temperatures will be in the mid- to upper 90s. Heat is our big issue in the weather again today. Most of us across Southwest Louisiana are also under a major heat risk, so heat illnesses are a real threat if you’re not taking proper precautions. There’s a slight chance we’ll see an isolated shower or storm but only slight.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today FIRST

AUG 19

City

Austin Boston dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

PRECIPITATION

97°/80° 93°/75° 94°/76° 102° in 2023 63° in 1992

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

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

HIGH

12:38p 6:31a 7:14a 1:27a 2:22a 1:37a 3:30a

6:37 a.m. 7:46 p.m. 12:32 p.m. 11:11 p.m.

FULL

LAST

AUG 27

102 76 102 61 88 107 85 98 90

TODAY Lo

77 69 82 51 76 86 69 81 67

NEW

SEP 4

s pc s c c pc s s pc

SEP 10

102 84 103 66 88 109 86 96 92

GOOd

WED. Lo

77 70 82 51 77 87 70 80 74

s pc s c pc pc t t pc

FT.

LOW

0.00” 1.18” 3.28” 41.97” 40.70”

FT.

HIGH

0.6 --- --1.4 4:43p 0.3 1.6 12:54a 1.5 1.4 4:02a 1.4 1.1 2:09p 0.3 1.4 12:43p 0.3 1.4 3:11p 0.4

SOURCE: LOUISIANA dEQ ANd AIRNOW.GOV

FT.

--- ----- ----- --8:08a 1.5 --- ----- ----- ---

LOW

FT.

--- ----- --1:51p 0.2 5:12p 0.4 --- ----- ----- ---

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

Today Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday

City

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

4:27a 5:16a 6:05a 6:53a 7:39a 8:25a 9:11a

10:39a 11:28a 12:17p 12:40a 1:27a 2:13a 2:58a

TODAY

97 96 90 111 80 95 87 79 93

80 79 70 90 63 74 72 69 82

4:51p 11:02p 5:40p 11:52p 6:29p ---7:18p 1:05p 8:05p 1:52p 8:51p 2:38p 9:35p 3:23p

t t s s s t s s t

GOOd

96 93 91 111 79 95 84 78 92

WED. Lo

77 77 73 89 62 72 69 69 80

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

t t pc pc t s t pc t

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

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

MON. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

4.80 19.00 21.60 7.80 4.60 3.41 2.90

+2.46 +0.18 none -0.10 +0.10 -0.09 +0.11

24.49

+1.50

-1.61

+0.03

18 29 8

-1.20 9.99 1.43

+0.03 none +0.16

13 15

1.42 0.77

+0.02 -0.02

47 34 29 20 12 6

7.99 4.86 3.89 3.80 2.90 2.03

+0.21 -0.06 +0.21 -0.22 none -0.19

data as of 7 a.m. Monday

U.S. school vaccination rates inch down yet again

majority are parents childhood shots should be tion shot against diphtheria, searcher who is chair of the keep our children and teens Exemptions reach vast withholding shots for non- spaced out into separate tetanus and pertussis, and AAP’s infectious diseases healthy and in the classfor the ﬁrst dose of the vac- committee. medical reasons. Exemp- medical visits. room.” record high “The root cause of this is cine against chickenpox. Those at-risk kids are not In the past, the CDC has tions increased in 41 states

BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

NEW YORK — U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Monday. The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.2%, up from 3.6% the year before. That’s an estimated 155,000 children nationally during the 2025-2026 school year. It’s the fourth consecutive year that the national average exemption rate has reached a record, and the

and the District of Columbia. Experts point to turmoil caused by federal health ofﬁcials. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was a leading voice in the antivaccine movement before President Donald Trump put him in charge of federal health agencies. In the last 18 months, Kennedy and other federal ofﬁcials have repeatedly tried to revise and reduce childhood vaccination guidance. Earlier this month, Trump called for revamped childhood vaccination recommendations that promote his discredited theory that

primarily because there’s so much chaos and confusion in vaccination recommendation systems in the last year or so,” said Dr. James Campbell, of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The CDC reported that 92.4% of 2025-26 kindergarteners got their required measles-mumps-rubella shots, down slightly from the previous year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccination rate was 95% — the level that makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease cluster or outbreak. Vaccination rates also fell for polio, for the combina-

The rate held steady for protection against hepatitis B. But that’s a vaccine given shortly after birth, and it will take a few years before recent federal efforts to upend infant hepatitis B vaccine recommendations would appear in the vaccination rates of kindergartners, Campbell said. The vaccination numbers were posted as the U.S. experiences its worst year for measles since 1991. The numbers indicate that more than a quarter of a million children entering kindergarten are susceptible to measles, said Campbell, a University of Maryland re-

evenly distributed — concentrations of unvaccinated children are higher in some places than others, which helps explain why measles waves vary in intensity. The CDC data is coming out as school and health ofﬁcials across the country are encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated as the school year starts. “Back-to-school season is an important reminder that protecting our children’s health is both a shared responsibility and a shared goal,” North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai said in a statement. “Vaccines help

Flooding risk remains as storms move from Midwest to mid-Atlantic BY OBED LAMY and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana residents remained on alert while returning to their ﬂoodravaged homes Monday as repeated rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain moved east from the Midwest into the mid-Atlantic and high heat scorched much of the South and Southwest. In central and east central Indiana, emergency operations were still ongoing after days of punishing storms, Gov. Mike Braun said at afternoon news conference, while other areas were shifting to recovery. He said the state had launched a disaster relief fund to provide $5,000 to individuals needing to buy basics such as clothing and food. “We’re tracking your needs, and we will get you resources,” he said. “We want displaced Hoosiers to have

a hot meal, comfortable bed and get into air-conditioning.” The National Weather Service said heavy rain would continue one more day before a cold front sweeps the weather pattern off the East Coast on Tuesday. Meanwhile, much of West Virginia, southeast Ohio and northeast Kentucky were under a flood watch through Monday evening, with high water from the series of storms hiking the possibility of flash flooding. Elsewhere, hot weather posed more of a problem, particularly across the South and Southwest. The weather service issued extreme heat warnings for portions of Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona, Nevada and California. In Indiana, where days of storms and flooding left at least seven people dead, floodwaters receded in In-

dianapolis’ White River and rains eased around the state Sunday. But a ﬂood warning remained in effect Monday morning for part of Randolph County in east central Indiana, where thunderstorms had dropped between 1 and 2 inches of rain by 8 a.m., and residents of half a dozen counties were urged to stay off the roads except for essential travel. “While we have seen encouraging trends, the work is far from over,” said Jacob Spence, director of the Metropolitan Emergency Services Agency in Indianapolis, where city ofﬁcials launched a website to support affected residents. Oliver Riggle, 33, said he had just moved into a camping trailer in Indianapolis a few months ago after living in his car. “Just having privacy again was a huge deal. I mean, I had a door that locked. I had a roof that was mine,” he

released the vaccination coverage data in its ﬂagship publication, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC officials usually speak to the trends and stress the importance of vaccinations. But since the Trump administration took office early last year, the agency has posted the data online. This year, the agency issued a three-sentence statement that noted a small decline in vaccination coverage among children entering kindergarten and said: “CDC continues to encourage parents to discuss vaccination options with their doctors.”

Muddy cleanup ahead in Hawaii after Lala By The Associated Press

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By OBEd LAMy

Scott Conrad, from left, Joseph Workman, Ronan Carey and Kesley Patterson use a kayak to transport items from their flooded homes on Sunday in Indianapolis. said. “No one was gonna take it from me, except for apparently Mother Nature.” A neighbor told Riggle the trailer nearly tipped over as it ﬂoated in the ﬂoodwaters. It was still full of water Sunday, but by Monday, the water had receded and he was busy throwing away waterlogged belongings. A handyman who works for a general contractor, Riggle said he hopes to help others salvage their own homes.

“I’ve got tools that I can use to help be a part of the community,” he said. “We’re just gonna have to have faith that we’re going to be able to pull through because it’s not like we’ve got a safety net.” South of Indianapolis, officials in Madison Township said firefighters and others rescued 10 people from their homes Sunday night. Others had to be rescued from cars after attempting to drive through flooded roadways.

HONOLULU — Tropical Storm Lala left behind a muddy mess Monday caused by intense rainfall and flooding as it moved past Hawaii’s main islands. Lala weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday after lashing the state without making landfall. The storm was projected to continue moving westward and was forecast to become a hurricane again at sea and far from land by Wednesday. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect for Hawaii on Monday as cleanup efforts were expected to begin, but life-threatening surf and rip current conditions remained, according to the National Hurricane Center.

METRO

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

T u e s d ay, au g u s T 18, 2026

1BN

Audit: Carencro loan lacked ordinance Jan Risher LOUISIANA AT LARGE

All hat, no cattle and 198 boxes This week marks one year since our house fire. It may also be the week we finally move back into our rebuilt house. That said, I probably didn’t need to go to the opening of Rancher Hat Bar BR on Saturday. But I did. It was a rather wild scene. Women of all ages were in a near frenzy picking out ribbons, feathers and other details I had never considered as hat decor — like poker chips, playing cards and Indian head nickels. The new shop opened Saturday next to Trader Joe’s in Baton Rouge. Kate Durham, in from Arizona with Rancher Hat Bar, walked me through the process of customizing a hat. From a wall of choices — trucker hats and cowboy hats in every color — I picked a simple pinky-beige wool felt cowboy hat. I learned that, technically, it is a cattleman with a cutter bump crown. Durham said this style of hat was most used by working cowboys and cutting horse riders. It’s supposed to sit lower and tighter to reduce the chances of flying off. Doubtful that most of the working cowboys who were concerned with hats flying off had the hat adornment options available to me Saturday. I selected a leather cord and a single feather for its trim. When else could I add a feather in my own cap? As Durham began to add the cord (tied with a rancher knot) and feather to my hat, she said I could also brand my hat. The store has dozens of thumbnailsized brands — every letter, a fleur-de-lis, the outline of Louisiana, horseshoes, longhorns and more crosses than I could count. Employees use a blow torch to heat the brands, casting the distinctive yet not unpleasant scent of burning wool into the store. When she asked if I wanted a brand, I had to see the process. I went with my initials — JR has a certain ring to it when it comes to cowboy hats. When she handed me the completed hat, I appreciated its restraint. Cord, feather, initials, done. Having nothing else to decide equals a beautiful thing. Rancher Hat Bar started in January 2023 in California. Baton Rouge is its 18th shop. The target customer is clearly younger than me — bachelorette parties, girls’ weekends, the kind of crowd that wants a hat and a photo to go with it. Still, I really enjoyed the experience. It was, frankly, a wonderful moment not to think about all the hats I’m currently wearing. For $149.18, I walked out in a hat I hope to enjoy for years to come.

ä See RISHER, page 4B

Festival received $3K, findings reveal

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

A recent audit of Carencro found that the city improperly lent money to Carencro C’est Bon Seasoning Fest Inc., raising questions about compliance with the Louisiana Constitution. For three consecutive years, the city has been found to have improperly lent or donated funds to a local nonproﬁt entity, according

to the state audit. In 2023, the city lent $3,000 to the festival to assist with its incorporation. However, according to an audit conducted in 2024, no ordinance had been passed justifying the loan. The Louisiana State Constitution states that funds cannot be lent to any person or entity without first passing an ordinance showing a demonstrable beneﬁt or purpose to the city. Additionally, a cooperative endeavor agreement between the city and the nonprofit had not yet been signed at the time of the transfer, as is mandated under

state law. The festival, while not technically operated by the city, lists incumbent Mayor Charlotte Clavier as one of the initial incorporators. Likewise, several city officials, including Clavier and Chief of Police David Anderson, currently serve in advisory roles on the festival’s board. In its response to the audit, officials said the city’s financial assistance was structured as a loan rather than an appropriation because the expectation was “that the funds would be repaid as the

event became operational.” Additionally, the city wrote in its response to the auditor’s opinion that it would seek an opinion from the Attorney General’s Office if legal counsel recommended it do so, and expressed its intention to institute formal policies to better align its funding structures with constitutional requirements. Other ﬁndings in the audit include inadequate controls over financial preparation and the reconciliation of general ledger accounts in the culture and recreation fund.

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

diane Frederick chooses her slices of cake to bring home during the Cake Fête event, where guests cook or buy a cake and then eat them, Saturday in Vermillionville.

BETWEEN THE LAyERS Community event with more than 100 cakes has focus on giving back

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Strawberry shortcake, Hawaiian guava cake, tiramisu, coconut pound cake and even Matilda’s famous chocolate cake were just some of the 170 cakes displayed at the second annual Cake Fête. The free community celebration Saturday at Vermilionville brought people together with one simple rule: Bring a cake. The idea for Cake Fête came from Tiffany Steward, a special events coordinator and member of Foodies of Lafayette, after

she came across cake-sharing parties that took place in other cities. Wanting to bring the idea to Lafayette, she helped turn it into a local celebration. Inside the cake room, tables were covered with cakes of all shapes, flavors and designs. Outside, guests listened and danced to music from Brazilian House Band and watched performances by The Shrimpettes, a Lafayette-based dance krewe, as they waited for their wristband color to be called to enter the cake room. Steward said this year’s event had a different energy than the ﬁrst. “Last year, it was more like a picnic. It was chilled, a little laid back,” she said. “This year, it’s more like an upbeat vibe with socializing and music.” Catherine Comeaux, a repeat visitor, said the creativity and people are what make

the event special and made her want to return. “I love seeing the creativity and so many people you meet, and it’s such a fun event,” she said. Among her cake pickups was a Tarta de Santiago, a traditional almond cake from Spain associated with the Camino de Santiago. Her cake picks, like those of other participants, were placed into pizza boxes donated by Central Pizza for the event. “I like to see the creativity,” Comeaux said. “I got one cake that a woman made that she told me is a traditional cake eaten while walking or completing the Camino.” She also picked up an orange crunch cake made with graham crackers and a mint cake she was excited to try. For Geoff Daily and his 8-year-old

ä See CAKES, page 4B

Caroline’s Cookies bringing Bagels! to River Ranch BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

A new Lafayette bagel concept from the founder of Caroline’s Cookies has ofﬁcially announced its location. Caroline Merryman is launching Bagels! Lafayette with her older brother, Reece, and longtime Caroline’s Cookies team member Ashlyn Fruge. The concept will serve bagel sandwiches

made with house-made dough and real-fruit smoothies. The new location will be at 111 Stonemont Road in River Ranch, between Rock-n-Sake and Romacelli, according to a Facebook announcement from the business. The location is about a fiveminute drive from Caroline’s Cookies, Merryman’s original business. “We truly couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect loca-

tion for Bagels,” the team said in a Facebook post announcing the location. The space is being designed to accommodate customers running in to grab a pickup order, enjoying a bagel sandwich while getting some work done or sitting down with a few friends. Merryman’s brother will lead the creative side of the business and help build the brand, while Merryman will oversee busi-

ness and operations. Fruge, who has been part of the Caroline’s Cookies team for more than four years, will oversee day-to-day operations. The team has not announced an opening date but plans to share updates throughout the construction process. Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori.madison@theadvocate. com.

State Police investigate Lake Charles officer-involved shooting STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Rancher Hat Bar’s Kate durham shows the special purple and gold hat the company has created for its newest custom-hat shop, located at 3535 Perkins Road, beside Trader Joe’s in Baton Rouge.

28-year-old man killed after hours of police negotiations

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

A 28-year-old Lake Charles man died Saturday following hours of

“extended negotiations” with police ofﬁcers after he barricaded himself in a residence, Louisiana State Police said. Just after 10 p.m. Saturday, the Lake Charles Police Department requested detectives from the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations to investigate an ofﬁcer-involved shooting that happened in the 2300 block of

Creole Street in Lake Charles, according to a news release from State Police. A preliminary investigation by State Police found that Lake Charles police ofﬁcers responded to the residence after they received a 911 call. When the officers arrived, they determined that 28-year-old Khylin Stevens had barricaded himself inside.

According to the news release, the ofﬁcers engaged in “extended negotiations” with Stevens and “used several less-lethal measures.” “During negotiations, Stevens failed to comply with officers’ commands, and produced a weapon,” the news release states. “In response, an ofﬁcer discharged

ä See SHOOTING, page 4B

2B ● Tuesday,August 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

OUR VIEWS

Thank you, Coach Bertman, for teaching us how to ‘hold the rope’ There was a time when one could walk up to Alex Box Stadium at LSU, pay $1 and sit right down on the third-base line. LSU baseball was, like many other university programs, an afterthought that functioned mostly as a springtime diversion while Tiger fans bided their time until football season. No longer. Now, LSU baseball is a juggernaut, the top-drawing program in the nation and a team expected to make a run to Omaha for the College World Series every year. That’s due to Skip Bertman. The legendary LSU coach, who died Friday at age 88, moved from Miami to take over a lightly regarded LSU team in 1984. To say the program took off would be an understatement. The numbers alone are remarkable: During his 18 years at the helm, LSU made 11 College World Series appearances and won five national titles, all of which came in a dominating 10-year run from 1991-2000. He retired with a record of 870-330-3 and won 89 NCAA tournament games. He also coached through some of LSU’s most indelible moments: Chris Moock’s third-to-first putout that earned the Tigers their first Rosenblatt dogpile in 1991, Warren Morris’ walk-off home run to win the national title in 1996, and Brad Cresse’s title-winning hit in 2000 are chief among them. Bertman also turned LSU into a factory of top talent, nurturing future Major League Baseball stars such as Ben McDonald and Todd Walker, and coaches such as Mike Bianco. His influence extends far beyond Baton Rouge. When he came to LSU, a handful of schools, like Texas, the University of Southern California, Arizona and Miami, dominated college baseball. Bertman’s transformation of LSU helped lift not just the Tigers, but the entire SEC as other schools saw how baseball could become a revenue and fan-interest driver. These days, the SEC is by far the strongest baseball conference in the nation. Off the field, Bertman’s gracious persona endeared him to fans and administrators alike. When he stopped coaching after 2000, he was promoted to athletics director, where he oversaw a number of major renovation projects and the hiring of Nick Saban to coach the football team. He is arguably the most important person in the history of LSU sports. Bertman was famed for the “hold the rope” mantra he taught his teams. Borrowed from his high school football coach, the mantra asked players to consider who they would want holding a rope if they were dangling above a cliff on the other end. He used it to foster trust, teamwork and belief. For decades, Bertman held the rope for LSU baseball, the university and the state of Louisiana. Words are too few to express our gratitude and appreciation. We hope he knows that even though he’s gone, we’ve got the rope.

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YOUR VIEWS

donors may support ballroom but other expenses are on taxpayers’ tab

Officials didn’t want Meta facts, so we don’t know either We can’t handle the truth. That is effectively what your representative on the Public Service Commission has told you. At their Aug. 12 meeting, I saw the PSC vote 3-1 to not require Meta, which is building a massive data center in Louisiana, to tell the public, under oath, how many jobs Meta will create, how many will be remote and how many of the remote jobs will be overseas. The commissioners who voted to overturn a judge’s ruling that Meta had to provide this information — to them — indicated that they felt they didn’t need to know the facts to rule whether it was in the public interest to make the massive investment in new power plants to support the data center. When urged by members of the public to allow the judge’s decision to stand so that we could all know these facts, the public was told by members of the commission that we

should just rely on news reports and press releases from Meta and the governor’s ofﬁce. They also said they had not signed a nondisclosure agreement with Meta nor received the related conﬁdential information. So, why were the majority of the commissioners so sure they didn’t need to know in order to protect the public interest? The only reason they gave, other than we could “read it in the paper,” was that it would be a burden to Meta to provide it. One of the commissioners, in a jovial, friendly manner, politely asked Meta’s representative at the meeting if he would like to explain. The Meta representative stood up from the crowd and, in a light-hearted manner with a smile on his face, waved and said, “No.” And the commission voted not to know.

ROBIN MOULDER Baton Rouge

Families caring for sick loved ones need aid The words “your child has Friedreich’s ataxia” changed everything. As a mother, I imagined school dances, graduations, marriages, families and dreams fulﬁlled. I never imagined that two of my children would be diagnosed with a rare, progressive neuromuscular disease with no cure. Caregiving isn’t something I chose, but it is something I embrace with every part of who I am. I traded my career as a teacher for doctor appointments, therapies, insurance battles, advocacy, accessibility planning and preparation for Zachary and Sydney’s growing needs. I celebrate every milestone while grieving what Friedreich’s ataxia takes away. I hold hope and heartbreak in the same hand. Supporting caregivers is compassionate and practical public policy. The Credit for Caring Act would help offset out-of-pocket expenses families face. The Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act would simplify access to beneﬁts and resources, giving families more time to care for the people we love.

People often tell caregivers, “You’re so strong,” but we are not superheroes. We are parents, spouses, children, siblings and friends doing everything we can because love leaves us no other choice. Behind the scenes are real sacrifices. I put my career on hold and lost income. Across the country, caregivers provide billions of dollars in unpaid care every year, filling gaps in our healthcare system while often receiving little support. I am proud to care for my children. They inspire me every day with their courage and determination. Families should never have to sacrifice financial security, health or the future because someone they love has a disability. Caregivers don’t need pity. We need policymakers to listen and pass legislation recognizing the essential role family caregivers play. When caregivers are supported, the people we care for, our families and our communities are stronger.

MELINDA RICHARD Maurice

In Richard Levy’s recent letter, he criticized your paper for publishing a cartoon claiming that the taxpayer was paying for President Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom. The letterwriter asserts it is being paid for by private donations. While it is true that the ballroom, and ballroom only, is being paid for by private donations, the taxpayers are on the hook for millions of dollars redirected from the Secret Service and the White House Military Ofﬁce for “security enhancements.” Sort of like, “Build it for free, but the add-ons will cost you!” The construction of the ballroom is an issue only because of Trump’s ego. He says he wants it, along with other ego-driven items, including monuments, arches, golf courses, airplanes, helicopter pads, his name on currency and airports, the hanging of a banner of himself on the Department of Justice, the reﬂecting pool “renovations” — laws, rules and regulations be damned. The East Wing gets torn down because he wants a ballroom. By doing so, he then creates the need for taxpayerfunded security for a ballroom that he has no authority to build, regardless of who pays for it. How much longer are we going to put up with this oligarchy?

NAHUM D. LAVENTHAL New Orleans

Nation can no longer ignore crippling debt The F-word is focus: Simply setting goals, a plan to achieve them and deadlines. Unfortunately, neither political party has focused on the crippling debt we can no longer ignore: $40 trillion, about $300,000 for each taxpayer. The press can do its part to solve this by making the public aware and how it impacts each taxpayer. First, publish the national debt daily and the debt per taxpayer in the business section headlines. Secondly, publish the cost of all proposed legislation and the cost per taxpayer. Maybe voters will demand accountability for the ridiculous spending that accomplishes little and the obscene fraud in government-run programs. We have to stop the insanity, and this could be a start.

DON LANDRY Slidell

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COMMENTARY A special golden anniversary Golden anniversaries used to be spe- me along to a Virginia prison, which cial celebrations in the days when peo- included men on death row. Inmates literally reached out to him and enple got married and stayed married. This year marks the golden anniver- gaged him in conversation. It was resary, not of a married couple, but of an markable to see. organization that invests in the lives Even more remarkable are the thouof people whom politicians largely sands of stories that have emerged ignore. from prisoners who have participated It’s called Prison Fellowship in Bible studies organized by and it was started by Charles Prison Fellowship that are Colson, a top aide to President taught by local people who have Richard Nixon. Colson served been instruments in the transseven months in federal formation of many lives. prison for pleading guilty to In a visit to a “Faith and Law” obstruction of justice in the meeting in Washington recently, Cal Watergate affair in the 1970s, Scott Peyton, Prison Fellowship Thomas senior director of advocacy, and which led to Nixon’s resignaEd Simcox, co-founder of Prison tion. Fellowship, shared reﬂections on ColWhen he was released, Colson, who had become an evangelical Christian son’s legacy (he died in 2012) and the before his guilty plea and sentencbeginning of the ministry. Peyton said that after Watergate, “(Colson’s) faith ing, would not forget the men he had did not pull him away from public life. known while behind bars. It did just the opposite. It pushed him Cynics claimed his “religious conversation” was a ploy for a lighter sen- toward those who are too often forgottence and sympathy from his fellow ten.” believers. A foundational principle of Prison After several years of consistent Fellowship has been to support public living and dedication to his ministry, policy that “reﬂects both justice and even Bob Woodward of The Washingmercy and advocating for second chances of formerly incarcerated ton Post acknowledged Colson’s comindividuals.” That is a far cry from plete transformation, genuine faith and dedication to helping inmates and Colson’s previous “tough on crime” philosophy. their families. The stories of transformed lives can Colson enjoyed an immediate cononly be described as miraculous. One nection with inmates when he visited story is told by Jermaine Wilson who them after his release. He once took

became the mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas, (some irony given the town has a famous prison). Wilson’s father and siblings had been to prison. He says he began using drugs at an early age because he wanted to hang out with older kids. His drug use and other criminal activities sent him to prison several times. “While I was in prison,” he says, “I cried out to God and said, ‘Lord, I need you in my life.’ I spoke to Christ and I became free. The Prison Fellowship program has helped me to unlearn those negative things that I had learned.” When he got out the last time, it was difﬁcult for him to ﬁnd employment because of his record. A local church gave him a job cutting grass. Ultimately, he ran for mayor and won. Wilson’s criminal record was expunged in 2015. Politicians promise to make our lives better, but that is beyond their power. Wilson and many other current and former inmates have discovered a greater and genuine power available to those who will receive it. If you want to support something that truly transforms lives, instead of believing the empty promises of politicians, visit prisonfellowship.org. You might wish them a happy 50th anniversary while you are there. Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.

Kansas might get first Democratic U.S. senator in nearly 100 years About a century ago — in 1932, to be exact — Kansas elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate. That was the last time. But a newcomer to the political world might change that distinction come November, God willing. His name is Adam Hamilton, better known to his more than 24,000 parishioners as Rev. Hamilton or Pastor Adam. Hamilton, 62, Kathleen leads the largest Methodist congregation in the Parker country at the ministry he founded more than three decades ago, the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. The church has nine locations in multiple states. Hamilton won the Kansas Democratic primary for Senate on Aug. 4. He’ll face Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in the general election. Talking and listening to Hamilton, it’s not hard to understand how he created a megachurch. A plainspoken Midwesterner, he’s easy on the ears and keeps things simple. As a fifth-generation Kansan whose family helped establish a small community called Hope, he replaces fire and brimstone with kindness and common sense imbued with biblical wisdom. He said his congregation includes Republicans, Democrats and independents in about equal numbers. The leap from the pulpit to politics was the gradual result of his revulsion over what has been happening in Washington since President Donald Trump reoccupied the Oval Office. (Hamilton expressed this more diplomatically.) The policies coming out of D.C. were, the minister said, “an assault on the values I preached and taught for 35 years.” While watching the news each night, he would say, “That’s not OK with me. Somebody needs to do something.” While he had others in mind, others had him in mind. His wife was not among them. “If you’re going to run, you’re going to have to find another wife,” said the woman he married one week after high school graduation 44 years ago. “She wasn’t smiling,” Hamilton deadpanned, but he didn’t disagree. “My job is to raise people up to run for office, not for me to run.” Then one Saturday, after he had preached at a funeral, LaVon Hamilton walked up to her husband and said, “You know, I think I was wrong.” With that, the two set off on an 18city listening tour in March. They heard frustration, disappointment and dissatisfaction with Washington. As

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By COLIN E. BRALEy

democratic U.S. senatorial candidate Adam Hamilton of Kansas, right, listens as Health Partnership Clinic CEO Amy Falk gives a tour of the low-income family medical facility on Aug. 12 in Olathe. Kan. an agricultural state, Kansas has suffered more than its fair share of consequences from the Iran war, which has led to increased gas prices. It has also dealt with tariffs and billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Kansas leads the country with 28 rural hospitals at immediate risk of closure. Farmers nationwide paid $1.4 billion more on diesel fuel for this spring’s planting season than last year, according to a report from the Democratic staff of Congress’s Joint Economic Committee. Kansas was ranked fifth nationally in percentage increase, with planting diesel costs rising nearly 84% year over year. Within one week of declaring his candidacy, Hamilton had raised $1 million. After two months of campaigning, he had raised $3.66 million. Though he declared his candidacy just a few months ago and was in a field of 11 contenders, Hamilton easily won the primary. He faces a tough contest against Marshall, a physician who, among other things, is a 2020 election denier and voted to support Trump’s agenda 98.3% of the time during the president’s first term while Marshall was a member of the House of Representatives. In light of all that’s happened under Trump 2.0, this would seem a timely opportunity for Hamilton, but Kansas has long been a solidly red state.

There’s still plenty of time to move the needle toward a Democratic victory. If nothing else, Americans, including Republicans, ought to welcome an opportunity to elect centrist Democrats to restore a balance of power to Washington. Hamilton’s decades of ministering to people suffering hardships including divorce, suicide and bankruptcy have given him what Washington often lacks — empathy and compassion. If elected, he hopes to bring his pastoral experience to the Senate while also ﬁlling leadership gaps that occurred to him during a recent visit to Liberal, Kansas — yes, a town — and its Wizard of Oz museum. “Lots of people [in Washington] have lost their minds,” he said, referring to the Scarecrow’s search for a brain. “A lot of them have lost their hearts. And there’s a lot of cowardly lions afraid to say what they know to be true. They’re so afraid they’ll be bullied and primaried that they go along with it until they lose. Then they’ll speak up. But it’s not courageous when you’re on the way out. It’s courageous when you have everything to lose and say, ‘You know, this is wrong and I’m sorry, I can’t support this.’” Nearly 100 years of Republicanism seems long enough. Kathleen Parker is on X, @kathleenparker.

Yes, the DSA has a communist problem Sometimes a red scare isn’t such a bad thing. Over the last several weeks, President Donald Trump has issued forth with five-alarm-fire warnings about the Democratic Socialists of America really being communists, and his opponents have blasted him for the worst sort of McCarthyism. Trump’s rhetoric has been blunderbuss-like and over the top, but the DSA does have a communist problem. The DSA is a matryoshka doll of subversion — it is attempting to infiltrate and take over the Democratic Party (with some success), while Marxists are infiltrating and taking over the DSA Rich (also with some success). Lowry In other words, the most important movement within the Democratic Party is in the process of falling under control of communists. Over the last few years, they have established a majority on the DSA’s National Political Committee, the governing board. As recent reports in The Atlantic warning about the direction of the DSA have noted, this is not in keeping with the original vision of the organization. The late Michael Harrington was the biggest founding figure of the DSA, and he was a genuinely democratic socialist. (The need for the adjective “democratic” before “socialist” stems from the fact that so many varieties of socialism are undemocratic.) A 20th-century intellectual and organizer, Harrington came to prominence with his 1962 book on poverty in the U.S., “The Other America.” Harrington’s policy prescriptions may have been misbegotten, but he wasn’t a hater with totalitarian tendencies or an opponent of Western civilization obsessed with destroying Israel — in fact, he was pro-Zionism. Harrington and similarly battle-hardened socialists of his generation had plenty of experience watching social organizations get penetrated and destroyed by Marxist-Leninists in the process that Trotskyites called “entryism.” So they wrote a provision into the DSA’s bylaws allowing for the expulsion of anyone “under the discipline of any self-defined democraticcentralist organization.” Now the measure has been repealed. ProHarrington members of the DSA formed a group called the North Star caucus to preserve his vision; the hard leftists countered with the Red Star caucus. Members of Red Star wrote a dispatch a couple of years ago lamenting how the DSA was once upon a time “an anti-communist, Labor Zionist, social democratic organization,” and calling on “all communists in the United States to join us in the democratic struggle within the DSA.” Sure, the DSA isn’t perfect, but “as communists contest for and win hegemony within the organization, we continue to move toward a revolutionary horizon.” It wasn’t bluster. The orientation of the DSA has changed in recent years. As far as an animating spirit, it’s “Goodbye, Michael Harrington” and “Hello, Hasan Piker,” the left-wing influencer who thinks fondly of Chairman Mao and of anti-Israel terror groups. True to its new posture, the DSA refused to condemn Hamas after Oct. 7, and the New York City chapter promoted a pro-Hamas rally immediately after the attack. In response, about two dozen longtime members of the DSA, some of them former leaders, quit the group. “It is time,” they wrote, “to find other organizational vehicles to advance an emancipatory, humane democratic socialism.” (Good luck.) All this should matter. Like it or not, the DSA is not a fringe group with exotic concerns anymore, but a mainstream force nominating Democratic candidates across the country. As such, its internal politics deserve intense scrutiny. Needless to say, if Republican candidates were pledging fealty to a group increasingly subject to the control of self-professed fascists, it’d be an enormous story and they’d have to disavow their association. That there isn’t such pressure on DSA candidates from the legacy media is testament to how any warning about domestic communism is discounted as groundless alarmism, and how communism — as a supposedly idealistic force — doesn’t carry the same malodor as fascism. Now, the Democratic Party isn’t about to become a vehicle for communism, but the DSA — the cradle of so many new, attention-getting Democratic candidates — is well on its way. Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

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

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4B ● Tuesday,August 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

Former Make It Right executive testifies Pitt nonprofit accused of building shoddy homes BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

The former chief operating officer of Brad Pitt’s post-Katrina neighborhood development Make It Right testified in Civil District Court on Monday during a hearing in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. Make It Right is being sued by homeowners for critical design and construction flaws in the houses they purchased from the nonprofit Pitt founded, as well as breach of contract and fraud. For the past week, Civil District Judge Lori Jupiter has presided over a preliminary hearing to determine if all 106 homeowners can join a classaction suit against the nonprofit organization, or if homeowners must sue individually. James Mazzuto rarely spoke publicly, if at all, during his tenure as COO, treasurer and secretary of the Make It Right nonprofit organization. He took over the position in 2016 from the original Make It Right COO, Tom Darden III, when Darden and the four members of the board of directors resigned. By that time, most of the Make It Right homes had been built and Mazzuto, who earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Tulane University in 2010, found himself managing the twilight of the project. In court Monday, he said he was terminated by Make It Right in 2021, because, “it was my understanding the company ran out of money.” When asked if he knew there were construction issues, he said “I learned there were problems with houses” during his tenure. Starting in 2008, celebrity actor Pitt, who’d lived in New Orleans during the filming of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” in 2006-07, reestablished a Lower 9th Ward neighborhood that had been catastrophically flooded during Hurricane Katrina. The 106 futuristic homes Pitt’s Make It Right organization built were sold to former residents for affordable prices. But it wasn’t long before homeowners began complaining of rotting decks, leaks and other defects, which eventually led to a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Make It Right filed in 2018. In 2022, the Global Green ecological organization offered to pay the homeowners $20.5 million on behalf of Make It Right. But it soon became clear that Global Green didn’t have the money, and the suit returned to court after a three-year delay. Make It Right also sued its own managing architect in 2018 for alleged defective design work and sued its former executive director Tom Darden III along with the former treasurer and other officials in 2021, accusing them of mismanagement. On Monday, lawyers for the homeowners asked Mazzuto, now a restaurant manager in New Jersey, to describe his role in Make It Right’s management and to confirm details of the organization’s tax returns. He mostly gave brief, yes-or-no responses. Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@ theadvocate.com.

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La. reports heat-related deaths from July

ticularly vulnerable to heat- hydrated and take breaks residents to take the heat Emergency visits began Heat wave related illnesses and heat indoors or under shade after seriously,” Casanova said rising in mid-June across Monday. that are becoming being in the heat. the state, and the southeast continues for waves New Orleans residents The first heat-related Louisiana region has seen longer and more common. Currently, an extreme needing to escape the death of the year was re- the most emergency departNew Orleans area heat warning is in effect warmth in the next few corded in Acadiana after a ment visits at 470.

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

Extreme heat is expected to persist across Louisiana for several more days as health and city ofﬁcials urge residents to stay hydrated and limit outdoor time to prevent heat-related illness. The Louisiana Department of Health last week reported three heat-related deaths in July, bringing the total number of heat-related deaths for the year to 11. Last year, the state saw a total of 31 heat deaths. In New Orleans and across the state, heat fatalities have risen steadily from 2020 to 2025, and the city is par-

for southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi through 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Heat index values between 110-115 degrees are likely through at least midweek. The heat will be exacerbated by higher-than-normal evening lows for late August, as temperatures creep into the high 70s to low 80s, forecasters said. Health Department officials urged residents to look out for symptoms of heatrelated illness during the hottest months of the year. Those signs include dizziness, weakness or nausea. Louisianans should also stay

days can cool down during the day at NORD recreation centers or open library branches. Homeless residents can seek overnight relief at New Orleans Mission, 1130 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., in Central City and The Salvation Army, 4526 S. Claiborne Ave., Uptown. Isis Casanova, communication director for the city’s Ofﬁce of Health and Human Services, said last week that city teams tasked with homeless outreach planned to continue handing out water to homeless residents, check on their well-being and connect them with available services and resources. “We continue to encourage

man over the age of 65 died in June from hyperthermia. Since then, two deaths have been reported in the southeast region that includes New Orleans, along with three in the northshore region. The northwest region that includes the Shreveport area reported one death. Nine of the heat-related deaths included people over the age of 65, the age group most at risk for heat-related illness. In addition to deaths, there have been a total of 3,100 recorded emergency department visits from heat-related illnesses so far this year, according to Health Department data through Aug. 8.

Despite this week’s intense heat, this summer has not been as hot as the past two, according to weather service climate data. As of Monday, average summer temperatures have been just under a degree warmer than normal, records showed. July’s average temperature was 84.8 degrees, compared with 85.5 in 2025 and 84.6 in 2024. And so far, the average temperature in August is sitting at 84.9 degrees, compared with 85.4 degrees in 2025 and 86 degrees in 2024. Email Marco Cartolano at marco.cartolano@ theadvocate.com.

CAKES

Continued from page 1B daughter, Jojo, Cake Fête was worth returning to after their experience last year. “Part of the fun is coming and not having an expectation because some are homemade, some are storebought,” he said. “Also, it’s a community event involving cake; we had to come back.” This year, the experience extended beyond cake. Cake Fête partnered with Tropical Smoothie Cafe to kick off the restaurant’s annual food drive beneﬁting the Lafayette Community Fridge, which is powered by Foodies of Lafayette. Guests were encouraged to bring canned goods and other nonperishable food items. Heidi McDonald and Jason Stoner, two of the driving forces behind Foodies of Lafayette, said the event has grown since its ﬁrst year. “We had twice as many participants as last year, which is way bigger than last year, so it’s getting bigger,” McDonald said. Stoner said the community fridge was another important part of bringing people together. “This is also about the community fridge, and it’s a fundraiser and supported by social entertainment, so everyone had to come together to make this great,” he said. The event also featured a $20 cake pull fundraiser. First-time attendee Ella Champagne was surprised when she pulled the gold ribbon and won a pair of custom earrings donated by G Jewelry. “It was full of cake, so I couldn’t really tell, but when I saw the gold, I was so excited,” Champagne said. As guests enjoyed their cake, danced to music and socialized, McDonald said she hopes they leave

RISHER

Continued from page 1B Besides, it matches the ofﬁce we are rebuilding in the house we hope to move into shortly — where I used to have an extensive collection of hats I had collected from all over the world. There was a traditional headdress worn by the Akha hill tribe in Thailand that I bought from a woman in Phuket. There was a wild ﬂoral cotton hat that I spent my last

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

Catherine Schoeffler Comeaux, left, and Becca Begnaud check out their cake haul during the Cake Fête event Saturday in Vermillionville. Cake Fête remembering that the celebration is meant for everyone. “The thing that makes Acadiana so special is that we come together in times of need and for fun, and this event is the sweet spot of that,” she said. Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori. madison@theadvocate.com.

RIGHT: Cakes are on display at Cake Fête, where guests cook or buy a cake and then eat them, Saturday in Vermillionville.

dime on when I was 26 in San Francisco. There was a beautiful straw hat with a satin sash that I bought in Prague. Hats have long been my weakness. That collection is gone. But I’ve learned something about rebuilding: Start with one thing you love and go from there. The house is close but not quite ready. We have inspections to pass, rental furniture to be picked up and a houseful of things to move from one place to another — all within the next four days. All of this should happen in a

certain order, but the pieces keep changing. This I know: The rugs need to come ﬁrst. Then the furniture. We probably won’t be able to live in the house for another week or so because of something involving a gas line being moved and an occupancy inspection that will follow. Plus, there’s the delivery of extensively packed items the remediation company deemed OK to salvage — 198 boxes of that. I’m going on faith that the number of boxes is not as overwhelm-

ing as it sounds. We asked for our favorite dishes back in time for Thanksgiving and learned that each box could hold the vast contents of two cups and a saucer. The truth is, we don’t really know what survived. It will be quite the experience to unbox items that have been chilling in an ozone chamber to remove the persistent stench of smoke. I knew that branding smell was familiar. Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

SHOOTING

Continued from page 1B their service weapon, striking Stevens.” Stevens was taken to an area hospital and was pronounced dead, according to State Police. There were no ofﬁcers injured in the incident. The investigation is still active. The release asked anyone with information, as well as photos or video, to contact State Police detectives. Tips can be made anonymously through the State Police online reporting system by visiting “File a Report,” or calling the Fusion Center Hotline at (800) 434-8007.

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T u e s d ay, au g u s T 18, 2026

1CN

LSU lands at No. 11 in ﬁrst AP poll The Associated Press

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt passes the ball during preseason practice Monday.

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON

FLEETING FEET Secretive Kiffin not thrilled about short video of LSU QB Leavitt on run

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

On Monday, LSU football released 27 seconds of footage from its first preseason scrimmage. Those 27 seconds were jammed with a couple of dozen shots from Saturday, all tightly framed and quickly cut. The supercut revealed no formations, routes or coverages. It was just scenes of athletes running in open space and defenders landing a couple of killer blows. What was most attention-grabbing was a flash of quarterback Sam Leavitt at the 16-second mark, putting his right foot in the ground and sharply cutting to his left. The camera angle flipped to show Leavitt reaching the football across the goal line with his right arm. It was further proof that Leavitt, who was sidelined in 2025 by a foot injury, is ready to run. But that wasn’t necessarily something LSU coach Lane Kiffin wanted the world to see. “I didn’t know we released those, so I don’t know what’s on there,” Kiffin said, seemingly annoyed as he looked down at

ä See LSU, page 4C

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin watches practice Monday. Kiffin later told media that QB Sam Leavitt is moving ‘great’ at practice.

LSU is a ranked team coming into the 2026 season. Lane Kiffin’s first LSU squad came in at No. 11 in the initial Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday. Ohio State and Oregon were ranked first and second, respectively. LSU’s first opponent, Clemson, is just outside the Top ä Koki Riley’s 25. The other Tigers had the preseason poll, most points of PAGE 2C teams in the “receiving votes” category. Clemson had 112 voting points, while the next most went to Florida with 51. The top-ranked team in the SEC is No. 3 Georgia. The Bulldogs are followed by No. 5 Texas, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 10 Oklahoma. Texas, Texas A&M and Ole Miss are all on LSU’s schedule, along with No. 13 Alabama and No. 20 Tennessee. Although five teams received at least one vote for No. 1, not a single SEC team garnered such a vote. With Ohio State and Oregon at 1-2, the Big Ten Conference boasts the top two teams in the preseason rankings for the first time in 65 years and just the second time ever. The Buckeyes received 40 first-place votes and Oregon received 14 in voting by 69 media members who cover college football. Ohio State will go into a season No. 1 for the ninth time, and first since 2015. The Buckeyes are now tied with Alabama for second-most preseason No. 1 rankings behind Oklahoma’s 10. Oregon has its highest preseason ranking in program history after opening at No. 3 four times. Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas round out the top five. Reigning national champion Indiana starts at No. 6 and is

ä See POLL, page 4C

Habetz pleased by UL softball’s offseason BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT dUKE

Pete Herzog watches Saints’ training camp in Metairie on July 31.

Saints fan, 21, builds following analyzing ﬁlm BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

ä Preseason: Saints at Rams,

3 P.M. SATURdAy, KATC

When scrolling on his phone one day, Quincy Riley came across an ﬁrst, Riley didn’t know the analysis Instagram account called “Film would be credible. But soon, Riley realized the Watchers” that piqued the New Orleans Saints cornerback’s interest. person behind the account knew The page was dedicated to breakä See SAINTS, page 4C ing down tape of NFL plays, and at

As soon as the UL softball season ended in the Sun Belt Tournament, it was no secret how important the offseason would be for coach Alyson Habetz and her Ragin’ Cajuns. With the recruiting part of the offseason behind her, Habetz is happy about what was achieved. “I’m very pleased,” she said. “The portal recruiting was challenging at times, but at the end of the day, I’m really pleased with who we have, and I’m really excited about seeing everyone come together.” Habetz added Florida State redshirt freshman catcher Danika Spinogatti, South Carolina sophomore pitcher KG Favors and Texas Tech sophomore third baseman Angelyna Conde, in addition to adding freshman Candice Puig from Whittier, California. “We now have 10 returnees and 10 newbies on the roster, so it’s going to be fun,” Habetz said. Naturally, it starts in the circle in college softball. So where exactly does UL stand with its pitching staff? Can Favors become the ace pitcher the fan base was hoping to ﬁnd? Time will tell, but Habetz is happy with the early results. “Yes, pitching is always a ques-

STAFF PHOTO By BRAd KEMP

UL softball coach Alyson Habetz is pleased with the offseason additions her team has made this summer.

tion mark,” She said. “I think they’re all going to add something different to the table.” Favors was a high school player from Orange Beach, Alabama, whom Habetz knew from her days as an assistant coach at Alabama. “She would come to all of our camps, and she was a phenom,” Habetz said. “I mean, she was

young when she was the No. 1 player in the country on Extra Inning softball. I mean, she was all the things and just an athlete. She brings the velo. She could probably get it up to 69 or 70. “She can throw it hard, and she can hit. She didn’t hit it at South Carolina, but I remember watching her and she can hit it. She was a three-time state champion and three-time MVP. So she’s got a lot of tools.” Favors is expected to contend for a spot in the weekend rotation, while Puig arrives in Lafayette as a true freshman. “There’s always an adjustment, and every freshman handles it differently,” Habetz said. “What she does have going for is she has some velo. I think she can get up to about 65. I think that’s going to be beneﬁcial and when we watched her, she threw a lot of strikes. “And she was a pitcher. She kind of understands the whole pitching game ... how to nibble and then how to come back in the strike zone.” Favors and Puig will be joined by returnees Sage Hoover, a senior, and sophomore Bailey Mackles, as well as true freshman Emily Adams of Dothan, Alabama. “Sage obviously did a lot of

ä See SOFTBALL, page 4C

2C ● Tuesday,August 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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No Ducking my initial No. 1 team Oregon edges Texas; LSU makes cut at No. 6 BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, it’s not Christmas. It’s the start of another college football season that is expected to give us more to talk about than ever before. Lane Kifﬁn at LSU, and new regimes at Michigan, Ole Miss, Florida and Penn State. Can Indiana repeat its historic championship? How will Texas Tech Koki respond after the Riley Brendan Sorsby fallout? We can start to preview this season with my AP Top 25 preseason poll. Here are my baseline rankings before the 2026 season gets underway.

Oregon at top The Ducks bring back the core of a team that reached the College Football Playoff semifinals last year, most notably persuading quarterback Dante Moore to come back to school and delay his chances of becoming a topfive pick in the NFL draft. Wide receiver Evan Stewart is back from an injury and provides Moore another elite weapon alongside sophomore wideout Dakorien Moore. The defense is also more loaded for coach Dan Lanning. All four starters across last year’s dangerous front are back, and Oregon added top Minnesota safety Koi Perich out of the transfer portal. No team in the country has a better combination of top-tier talent, returning experience and coaching than Oregon. Two new and unproven coordinators may be the Ducks’ only flaw. Texas — with edge rusher Colin Simmons, Arch Manning at quarterback, wide receiver Cam Coleman and offensive tackle Trevor Gossby — arguably has

ASSOCIATEd PRESS FILE PHOTO By BARRy REEGER

Oregon offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon looks to block for quarterback dante Moore against Penn State during a game Sept. 27 in State College, Pa. more elite talent than Oregon. But after the offensive line and running game torpedoed its chances of making the CFP last year, coach Steve Sarkisian has to prove that he can orchestrate a more cohesive attack.

LSU, other SEC notes Outside of Texas, LSU has the best roster in the SEC. The Tigers have an offensive coaching staff that guided Ole Miss to the CFP semiﬁnals, and they bring back defensive coordinator Blake Baker after two successful years in Baton Rouge. Baker and company are armed with more talent on all three levels of the defense, thanks to the additions of Ole Miss edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery and Boise State safety Ty Beneﬁeld out of the portal. On offense, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt and Colorado left tackle Jordan Seaton will try to jumpstart an attack that was dreadful a year ago. Many readers will be surprised to see Georgia all the way down at No. 8. Although I’d be surprised if the Bulldogs miss the CFP, I question whether they have enough playmakers for Gunner Stockton to throw to or a pass rush that’s good enough to change the complexion of games. Until proven otherwise, this team

lacks difference-makers. Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Alabama are all playoff contenders after Georgia. Of those four teams, I like Oklahoma’s odds the best because of my faith in coach Brent Venables’ defense and quarterback John Mateer being healthy again after a thumb injury derailed a promising start to last season.

Minnesota? Really? Don’t dismiss the Golden Gophers. Coach PJ Fleck’s team is led by a quarterback with ﬁrst-round upside (Drake Lindsey) and has two of its top three wideouts back from a year ago. The defense should be one of the better units in the country thanks to a dangerous pass rush. Minnesota struggled to generate explosive plays on offense last season despite winning eight games. I think Fleck has the pieces to open up the attack, especially with Lindsey back after getting a year of starting experience. The team Minnesota edged out for the last spot in my rankings was Louisville. I’m a big fan of coach Jeff Brohm, but the offensive line is questionable, and Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz is unproven as a starting quarterback.

Deep sleepers Neither team made my just-

missed list, but if a few things go right for these programs, they could end up in everybody’s rankings eventually. California has a ﬁrst-year head coach (Tosh Lupoi) and a plethora of new players on both sides of the ball, but sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is arguably the best quarterback in the ACC already, and Lupoi did an excellent job of surrounding him with talent through the portal. The big question is whether the Golden Bears can hang around on defense. UCLA has a bunch of question marks, especially on both lines of scrimmage. But hiring Bob Chesney as head coach from James Madison was an inspired decision, and the Bruins could do a lot worse at quarterback than Nico Iamaleava. Relying on JMU players to help spark a rebuild has worked in the recent past; just ask Curt Cignetti at Indiana. Three more deep sleepers I’m keeping an eye on are Oklahoma State, Maryland and Kentucky. Don’t be stunned if any of these programs crack my Top 25 at some point. Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter

AL wild-card race is a mess but could be lots of fun BY DAVID BRANDT

Sanchez. Just 20 years ago, there were 45 pitchers who hit 200 innings. If Alcantara manages to make it to 220 this season, that will be most in the big leagues since — Sandy Alcantara. He threw 2282/3 innings during 2022 when he won the Cy Young.

Associated Press

The middle of the American League standings has turned into a mediocre mess. It might make for a fascinating playoff race. There are seven teams fighting for the final AL wild-card spot, and all of them have a record below .500. The Baltimore Orioles would make the playoffs if the season ended Sunday, sporting a 61-63 record. Right behind them: The Texas Rangers (61-64), Toronto Blue Jays (61-65), Detroit Tigers (6064), Minnesota Twins (60-65), Cleveland Guardians (60-65) and Seattle Mariners (59-66). The Houston Astros could be in the mix as well with a 63-62 record that gives them a narrow advantage in the AL West. Many of those teams were sellers at the trade deadline this month. The Blue Jays traded outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Astros; the Orioles traded former No. 1 pick Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox; and the Tigers dealt ace Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers and right-hander Casey Mize to the Padres. Now at least one of those teams might find itself playing baseball in October anyway. Only three teams in MLB history have made the playoffs with a losing record, and all of them

LSU will host an event celebrating the life of Skip Bertman at 7 p.m. Aug. 25 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the event will be free to attend. It will also be streamed live on ESPN+ and the LSU Sports Facebook and YouTube pages. LSU recommends parking in lots 401 and 404. Concessions will not be available, but attendees may bring a sealed water bottle. The public will sit in the upper bowl of the PMAC. Lower bowl and ﬂoor seating will be reserved for guests of the Bertman family. Bertman, who died on Friday at 88, won five national championships as the LSU baseball head coach before serving as athletic director for seven years. During his time as athletic director, LSU won nine national championships.

LIV Golf cancels Michigan event, ending season early

My AP Top 25 preseason poll 1. Oregon, 2. Texas, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Ohio State, 5. Indiana, 6. LSU, 7. Miami, 8. Georgia, 9. Oklahoma, 10. Southern Cal, 11. Ole Miss, 12. Michigan, 13. Texas A&M, 14. Alabama, 15. BYU, 16. Houston, 17. Texas Tech, 18. Washington, 19. Tennessee, 20. Florida, 21. SMU, 22. Penn State, 23. Clemson, 24. Arizona, 25. Minnesota Just missed: Louisville, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Virginia

LSU to host celebration of life for Bertman at PMAC

Dodgers in the dumps

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By CHRIS O’MEARA

Gunnar Henderson, right, of the Baltimore Orioles, celebrates his tworun home run with Tyler O’Neill on Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla. happened during seasons when the schedule was much shorter than normal. The 1981 Kansas City Royals (50-53) qualiﬁed for the postseason thanks to a split-season format caused by a players’ strike during the middle of the summer. In 2020, the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers both squeezed into the playoff bracket with a 29-31 record during the pandemic-shortened season that had an expanded playoff ﬁeld of 16 teams.

ERA after struggling last year following Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss the 2024 season. He’s also doing what he does best — pitch deep into games. The 2022 National League Cy Young winner has already thrown 1702/3 innings this year, which leads the big leagues by a large margin. If he continues at this pace, he’ll throw roughly 220 innings in 2026. Throwing more than 200 innings has become increasingly rare over the past few decades as The workhorse returns teams lean more on their bullpens. Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcan- Only three pitchers reached the tara has had a great bounce-back mark last season — Logan Webb, season with a 13-7 record and 3.43 Garrett Crochet and Cristopher

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the two-time reigning World Series champs and one of the favorites to win the title again. They sure aren’t playing like it these days. Los Angeles is 5-11 in its past 16 games, having been swept by the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs and losing series to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers in that span. Since July 1, the Dodgers are 18-21. “I say this because it’s just been four or five, six weeks of below average production in our offense. It’s just the truth, and I think we have just haven’t played clean baseball for quite some time, and that speaks to the defense,” manager Dave Roberts said. The Dodgers have a chance to gain some momentum this week with three games against the Colorado Rockies and three more against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Rockies are in last place in the NL West while the Pirates have fallen to 61-65 .

LIV Golf is ending its season one week earlier than planned, announcing Monday it will not hold the team championship in Michigan next week and instead crown the team champion this week 20 miles north of Indianapolis. The 12 events this year — New Orleans was previously postponed — is the smallest schedule for LIV since it was launched with massive Saudi Arabia funding in 2022 and featured eight tournaments. Jon Rahm already has clinched the individual season title for the third straight year. LIV Golf Indianapolis, which starts Thursday at The Club at Chatham Hills, will determine who ﬁnishes second and third among the players, and the top team.

Arkansas baseball coach signs contract through ’31

FAYETTEVILLE,Ark. — Dave Van Horn, the Division I active leader in career wins, has signed a new contract keeping him as Arkansas coach through 2031, the school announced Monday. The contract replaces the 10-year agreement he signed in 2021 and will increase his pay to $2.1 million annually with possible bonuses. The 2027 season will mark Van Horn’s 39th as a head coach and 25th at Arkansas. Van Horn has led the Razorbacks to eight CWS appearances, including a national runner-up ﬁnish in 2018. Arkansas has played in 22 NCAA regionals and won three Southeastern Conference regular-season championships and one SEC Tournament. Of his 1,345 wins at the D-I level, 974 have come with Arkansas.

Buss family will sell its ownership stake in Lakers

LOS ANGELES — The Buss family has voted to sell its 17.8% minority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to new majority owners Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, ESPN and The Athletic are reporting. The decision Monday by the six children of late owner Jerry Buss will end the family’s 47 years in an ownership role with the 17-time NBA champion franchise. The move also appears to end Jeanie Buss’ tenure as Lakers governor. Jeanie Buss, the Lakers’ governor since Jerry Buss’ death in 2013, led the family’s decision to sell a controlling stake in the Lakers to Dodgers owner Mark Walter last year at a valuation of $10 billion. The sale agreement still must be approved by the NBA’s board of governors.

MLB approves sale of Padres to investor group

Major League Baseball’s team owners unanimously have approved the sale of the San Diego Padres to an investor group led by private equity billionaire José E. Feliciano and his wife and business partner, Kwanza Jones. The league announced the approval Monday after a vote. Feliciano and Jones reached an agreement in May to buy the Padres from the family of late owner Peter Seidler at an MLB-record valuation of $3.9 billion. The deal is still contingent on the ofﬁcial closing of the transaction in the coming weeks. Seidler’s family announced its intention to explore a sale of the Padres last November, two years after Peter Seidler’s death. The 53-year-old Feliciano is a co-founder of Santa Monica-based private equity ﬁrm Clearlake Capital,

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, August 18, 2026 ● 3C

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PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

WCA-Lafayette

2026 SCHEDULE Date

Opponent

Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 24 Oct. 2 Oct. 8 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct 30 Nov. 6

Acadiana Renaissance PORT BARRE Houma Christian CENTERVILLE Vermilion Catholic ASCENSION EPISCOPAL Central Catholic HANSON Jeanerette ASCENSION CATHOLIC

PLAYERS TO WATCH Dane Fontenot 5-11, 212, OL/LB, Sr. Coach Kent Gable describes Fontenot as an unselfish player. The compact senior will be a force at linebacker and offensive tackle. “I can play pretty much anywhere on the offensive line,” he said. “We have a great group of coaches who make sure I’m ready.”

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

PAST FOUR YEARS 2025: 7-5 2024: 7-4 2023: 3-4 2022: 5-2 STAFF PHOTO By MIKE COPPAGE

PROJECTED STARTERS Offense WR Abe Lemoine (5-9, 155, Sr.)* WR Zeph Prejean (6-2, 186, Fr.) TE Graham Martin (5-11, 185, So.) OT dane Fontenot (5-11, 212, Sr.) OG Henry Waldmeier (5-11, 181, So.) C Austin Reed (5-9, 225, So.) OG Maddox Bertrand (5-9, 271, Sr.)* OT Michael Landry (6-0, 235, Sr.)* QB Zade Prejean (6-3, 188, Jr.)* RB Pierce Gabe (6-0, 215, So.)* RB Ethan Simon (5-9, 175, Sr.)* Defense dE Michael Landry (6-0, 235, Sr.)* NG Maddox Bertrand (5-9, 271, Sr.)* dE Austin Reed (5-9, 225, So.)* LB dane Fontenot (5-11, 212, Sr.)* LB Pierce Gabe (6-0, 215, So.)* LB Henry Waldmeier (5-11, 181, So.)* LB Ethan Simon (5-9, 175, Sr.)* CB Torin Ledet (5-9, 135, Jr.) CB Zack Ortis (5-11, 166, Jr.)* SS Andre Greene (5-9, 155, Sr.)* FS Luke davis (5-11, 160, Jr.)* * RETURNING STARTER

COACHES Head coach: Kent Gable (14-9) Assistant coaches: Paxton Martin, Coy duhon, Jason Hebert, Ahmad Onezime, Kevin delahoussaye and Russ Roberts

Westminster-Lafayette offensive leaders include, front row from left, Maddox Bertrand, Austin Reed and Ethan Simon. In the back row from left are Graham Martin, Zade Prejean, Abe Lemoine and Zeph Prejean.

Acadiana Renaissance team that doesn’t have any players going both ways on its preseason depth chart. Last season, Westminster Christian-Lafayette won “If we can stay healthy, we have a chance for a the first playoff game in the program’s brief history. special season,” Gable said. “The goal is to be district The program believes much more is possible with 18 champs and practice on Thanksgiving while giving returning starters. ourselves a chance to win the whole thing. The offensive skill players are outstanding with “That’s been our goal since year 1. It’s still the goal. quarterback Zade Prejean; running backs Pierce Gable, It’s just a little more achievable.” Ethan Simon and Andre Greene; and How we see it receivers Abe Lemoine and Zeph Prejean, a 6-foot-2, 186-pounder who The Chargers can accumulate a massive amount started as an eighth grader in 2025. of power points and maximize their playoff seeding “I think the skill guys have a chance if they can pull off wins against ARCA and Class 3A to be explosive,” said coach Kent school Port Barre. Gable, who guided the Chargers to a Houma Christian and Ascension Catholic, the 2025 Gable 7-5 record last season. “This is the division IV select runner-up to Riverside Academy, first time we’ve had multiple weapons that can stretch complete the nondistrict schedule. the field.” The district has a loaded Jeanerette team, as well Lemoine and Simon missed last season with as division IV select semifinalist Ascension Episcopal, injuries. Two years ago, Simon led the team in rushing Vermilion Catholic and Central Catholic, among others. with nearly 900 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 5-9, With their methodical split-back veer attack that 175-pounder also will start at linebacker. Gable ran to perfection as the Acadiana offensive The defense, which brings back 10 starters, got coordinator, the Chargers have a chance to win every a tremendous addition at cornerback in Comeaux game. transfer Torin Ledet. “I think we have one of the best backfields in the “He can fly,” Gable said of the junior. area and especially in Class 1A,” Gable said. “We The entire front seven returns, led by all-state should be much better defensively.” performers Michael Landry and Gable, who collected Gable is excited about new defensive coordinator 77 tackles and 10 sacks as a freshman. Paxton Martin, who was promoted from within and is only a few years removed from his college playing days What we don’t know The roster was already light on linemen when Hudson at Nicholls State. Juniors Luke davis and Zack Ortis are returning Adams transferred to Lafayette Christian. starters in the secondary who should have huge With nine players designated as offensive and seasons. Tight end Graham Martin put on 20 pounds, defensive linemen, including two eighth graders, while offensive guard Henry Waldmeier packed on 15. injuries could prove catastrophic for the Chargers. Both are sophomores. “depth upfront is the question mark,” Gable said. Maddox Bertrand, Austin Reed and Landry all “The first group is as good as we’ve had, but I’m not weigh at least 235 pounds. Senior dane Fontenot, sure what we have behind them.” who is moving from tight end to offensive lineman, Perhaps more than any local team with legitimate is more than 200 pounds. postseason aspirations, the Chargers will have to

What we know

be iron men, starting in Week 1 against a Class 4A

Michael Landry OL/DL, 6-0, 235, Sr. A four-year starter, Landry does everything well. “He’s a legit tough guy who will run through a wall,” Gable said. The senior will play end on defense and tackle on offense. Andre Greene RB/DB, 5-9, 155, Sr. Greene was the third-leading rusher, averaging close to 7 yards per carry while gaining 350 yards despite having his season cut short with a collarbone injury. He’ll start at strong safety on defense. Zade Prejean QB, 6-3, 188, Jr. The four-sport standout got better as the 2025 season went on. He should have a breakout campaign running an offense with three good backs and two wideouts, including younger brother Zeph. “Zade’s an unbelievable athlete who won the 200 meters in district,” Gable said. Pierce Gable RB/LB, 6-0, 215, So. As a freshman, Pierce Gable was a two-way terror. He was 10th among area rushers with 1,217 yards on 154 carries and 16 Tds, and he anchored the defense at inside linebacker in his first full season playing football. Coach Gable predicts the game will slow down to make it easier for Pierce Gable.

Mike Coppage

SCOREBOARD Hole-in-one Liam Harrison

Course: City Park Hole: No. 9 Club: Pitching wedge Witnesses: Lucas Wassan, Luke Dennis

Indiana Atlanta New York Washington Chicago Toronto Connecticut

W 23 21 22 20 13 10 8

L 12 13 14 14 22 23 25

Pct GB .657 — .618 1½ .611 1½ .588 2½ .371 10 .303 12 .242 14

W 29 24 24 20 15 13 12 7

L 7 9 12 15 20 23 22 30

Pct GB .806 — .727 3½ .667 5 .571 8½ .42913½ .361 16 .353 16 .18922½

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Odds

FAVORITE OPEN at HOUSTON 1½ at LA CHRGRS 1½

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 2½ (38½) Las Vegas 1½ (39½) San Fran

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

FAVORITE at PITTS at JAX at DENVER

OPEN 2½ 2½ 4½

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3½ (39½) NY Jets 1½ (39½) Carolina 6½ (38½) Green Bay

Chicago 82, Seattle 80 Indiana 95, Atlanta 91, OT Portland 88, Phoenix 85

FAVORITE OPEN at DETROIT 1½ at IND 2½ at CLEVELAND 1½ at MINNESOTA 2½ New Orleans 1½ NY Giants 1½ at NE 1½ at CINCINNATI 3 at TAMPA BAY 3 at ARIZONA 1½

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3 (36½) Wash 2½ (37½) Atlanta 1½ (39½) Buffalo 3 (37½) Baltimore 1½ (37½) at RAMS 2½ (37½) at MIAMI 1½ (38½) Phila 1½ (40½) Chicago 3½ (37½) Knsas City 1½ (37½) Dallas

FAVORITE OPEN at TENNESSEE 3

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 2½ (38½) Seattle

Sports Betting Line NFL Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

MLB

Tuesday

American League FAVORITE LINE N.Y Yankees -113 at TAMPA BAY -142 at KANSAS CITY OFF at HOUSTON -167 National League FAVORITE LINE at PHILA -240 St. Louis -118 San Diego -112 LA Dodgers -177 Interleague FAVORITE LINE at CLEVELAND -185 at PITTSBURGH -143 at BOSTON -172 at MILWAUKEE -157 -132 Atlanta at TEXAS -162 at CHI CUBS -164

UNDERDOG at BALTIMORE Toronto Athletics LA Angels

LINE -109 +120 OFF +136

UNDERDOG Miami at CINCINNATI at N.Y METS at COLORADO

LINE +198 -104 -104 +142

UNDERDOG San Francisco Detroit Arizona Seattle at MINNESOTA Washington Chi White Sox

LINE +149 +117 +140 +128 +108 +132 +138

Pro basketball WNBA Glance EASTERN CONFERENCE

x-clinched playoff spot Sunday’s Games

Monday’s Games

Dallas at Golden State, n

Tuesday’s Games

Indiana at Toronto, 6 p.m. Los Angeles at Connecticut, 6 p.m. Atlanta at Las Vegas, 8 p.m. New York at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Tampa Bay New York Boston Baltimore Toronto

W 74 69 66 61 61

L 49 55 58 63 65

Pct .602 .556 .532 .492 .484

GB — 5½ 8½ 13½ 14½

Chicago Detroit Cleveland Minnesota Kansas City

W 65 60 60 60 51

L 58 64 65 65 74

Pct .528 .484 .480 .480 .408

GB — 5½ 6 6 15

Houston Texas Seattle Athletics Los Angeles

W 63 61 59 49 49

L 62 64 66 75 76

Pct .504 .488 .472 .395 .392

GB — 2 4 13½ 14

West Division

Sunday’s Games

Baltimore 10, Tampa Bay 2 Pittsburgh 8, Boston 3 San Diego 5, Cleveland 0 Chicago White Sox 7, Detroit 5 N.Y. Yankees 4, Toronto 3, 10 innings Philadelphia 7, Minnesota 5 Kansas City 3, L.A. Angels 0 Athletics 5, Texas 2 Seattle 3, Houston 2

Monday’s Games

N.Y. Yankees (Warren 8-6) at Baltimore (Baz 4-12), 5:35 p.m. Detroit (Montero 9-7) at Pittsburgh (Ashcraft 12-5), 5:40 p.m. San Francisco (Whisenhunt 3-3) at Cleveland (Grifﬁn 13-4), 5:40 p.m. Toronto (Soriano 9-6) at Tampa Bay (Martinez 12-3), 5:40 p.m. Arizona (Kelly 8-10) at Boston (Suarez 4-3), 6:10 p.m. Athletics (Perkins 2-9) at Kansas City (Lynch 4-4), 6:40 p.m. Atlanta (Mahle 4-9) at Minnesota (Matthews 6-8), 6:40 p.m. Seattle (Miller 4-6) at Milwaukee (Harrison 9-3), 6:40 p.m. Chicago White Sox (TBD) at Chicago Cubs (Gausman 6-11), 7:05 p.m. Washington (Kent 0-0) at Texas (Quantrill 4-4), 7:05 p.m. L.A. Angels (Klassen 1-1) at Houston (Javier 1-3), 7:10 p.m.

East Division

American League

Central Division

Tuesday’s Games

National League

Major League Baseball East Division

San Diego at N.Y. Mets, n Atlanta at Minnesota, n Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs, n L.A. Dodgers at Colorado, n

Baltimore at Tampa Bay, n Detroit at Pittsburgh, n Arizona at Boston, n Athletics at Kansas City, n Atlanta at Minnesota, n Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs, n

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

L 50 58 61 66 69

Pct .597 .536 .512 .476 .448

GB — 7½ 10½ 15 18½

Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati

W 77 72 64 61 59

L 48 53 61 65 65

Pct .616 .576 .512 .484 .476

GB — 5 13 16½ 17½

Pct .592 .536 .528 .411 .403

GB — 7 8 22½ 23½

West Division Los Angeles San Diego Arizona San Francisco Colorado

W 74 67 66 51 50

Sunday’s Games

L 51 58 59 73 74

Atlanta 5, Arizona 3 N.Y. Mets 4, Washington 3 Pittsburgh 8, Boston 3 San Diego 5, Cleveland 0 Miami 7, Cincinnati 1 Philadelphia 7, Minnesota 5 St. Louis 11, Chicago Cubs 4 Milwaukee 6, L.A. Dodgers 2 Colorado 13, San Francisco 7

Monday’s Games

Pro football NFL Glance

W 74 67 64 60 56

Central Division

Detroit (Montero 9-7) at Pittsburgh (Ashcraft 12-5), 5:40 p.m. Miami (TBD) at Philadelphia (Wheeler 10-4), 5:40 p.m. San Francisco (Whisenhunt 3-3) at Cleveland (Grifﬁn 13-4), 5:40 p.m. St. Louis (Leahy 9-4) at Cincinnati (Abbott 6-7), 5:40 p.m. Arizona (Kelly 8-10) at Boston (Suarez 4-3), 6:10 p.m. San Diego (Ray 10-7) at N.Y. Mets (Thornton 3-3), 6:10 p.m. Atlanta (Mahle 4-9) at Minnesota (Matthews 6-8), 6:40 p.m. Seattle (Miller 4-6) at Milwaukee (Harrison 9-3), 6:40 p.m. Chicago White Sox (TBD) at Chicago Cubs (Gausman 6-11), 7:05 p.m. Washington (Kent 0-0) at Texas (Quantrill 4-4), 7:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Lauer 7-6) at Colorado (Feltner 5-6), 7:40 p.m.

St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 1, 1st game Miami at Philadelphia, n St. Louis at Cincinnati, n, 2nd game Detroit at Pittsburgh,n Arizona at Boston, n

Thursday, Aug. 20

Las Vegas at Houston, 7 p.m. San Francisco at L.A. Chargers, 9 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 21

N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m. Carolina at Jacksonville, 6:30 p.m. Green Bay at Denver, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22

Washington at Detroit, 11 a.m. Atlanta at Indianapolis, noon Baltimore at Minnesota, noon Buffalo at Cleveland, noon N.Y. Giants at Miami, 3 p.m. New Orleans at L.A. Rams, 3 p.m. Chicago at Cincinnati, 6 p.m. Philadelphia at New England, 6 p.m. Kansas City at Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m. Dallas at Arizona, 9 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 23

Seattle at Tennessee, 7 p.m.

College football The Associated Press Top 25 Record

1. Ohio State (40) 2. Oregon (14) 3. Georgia 4. Notre Dame (6) 5. Texas 6. Indiana (8) 7. Miami (FL) (1) 8. Texas A&M 9. Ole Miss 10. Oklahoma

Pts 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Prv

1672 1597 1513 1510 1483 1440 1379 1131 1102 1047

11. LSU 0-0 988 12. Texas Tech 0-0 983 13. Alabama 0-0 904 14. BYU 0-0 839 14. USC 0-0 839 16. Michigan 0-0 718 17. Washington 0-0 501 18. Penn State 0-0 482 19. SMU 0-0 434 20. Tennessee 0-0 394 21. Utah 0-0 304 22. Iowa 0-0 260 23. Houston 0-0 252 24. Louisville 0-0 198 25. Missouri 0-0 117 Others receiving votes: Clemson 112, Florida 51, Boise State 43, Arizona 32, TCU 11, Navy 10, South Carolina 10, Illinois 9, Oklahoma State 8, Vanderbilt 8, Pittsburgh 7, Virginia Tech 6, Minnesota 5, UNLV 4, New Mexico 4, Georgia Tech 4, James Madison 3, Auburn 3, Memphis 2, California 2, Liberty 1, Western Michigan 1, Tulane 1, Virginia 1

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League BOSTON RED SOX — Selected the contract of RHP Wyatt Olds from Worcester (IL). Optioned LHP Raymond Burgos to Worcester. KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Reinstated 3B Maikel Garcia and 1B Vinnie Pasquantino from the 10-day IL. Recalled LHP Connor Thomas from Omaha (IL). Optioned 3B Josh Rojas and RHP Jose Cuas to Omaha. Designated RF Starling Marte for assignment. MINNESOTA TWINS — Selected the contract of C Alex Jackson from St. Paul (IL). Placed RF Austin Martin on the 10-day IL. TAMPA BAY RAYS — Reinstated LHP Shane McClanahan from the 15-day IL. Optioned RHP Joe Boyle to Durham (IL). TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Sent RHP Lazaro Estrada outright to Buffalo (IL). National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Reinstated RHP Justin Martinez from the 60-day and LF Jordan Lawlar from the 10-day IL. Optioned 1B Tyler Locklear and RHP Gerardo Carrillo to Reno (PCL). Designated RHP Andrew Hoffmann for assignment. CINCINNATI REDS — Recalled RHP Zach McCambley from Louisville (IL). Selected the contract of LHP Kent Emanuel from Louisville. Designated RHP Ron Marinaccio for assignment. COLORADO ROCKIES — Recalled RHP TJ Shook from Albuquerque (PCL). Designated RHP Michael Lorenzen for assignment. NEW YORK METS — Selected the contract of 1B Christopher Morel from Syracuse (IL). Designated 3B Gabriel Arias for assignment. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Recalled LHP Quinn Mathews from Memphis (IL).

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association INDIANA PACERS — Signed G Braden Smith to a two-way contract.

4C ● Tuesday, August 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

POLL

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topped the poll. The Big Ten has won three straight College Football Playoff championships (Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana) and will be going for an unprecedented fourth straight national title. This is the fourth consecutive year the Big Ten has had two of the top three teams in the preseason rankings. The SEC leads all conferences with nine teams, marking the third straight year it has had at least that many. Five of the top 10 teams are from the SEC for the ﬁrst time since 2013. Four Big 12 teams are

ranked, with conference champion Texas Tech the highest at No. 12. The ACC has three ranked teams, with the Hurricanes joined by No. 19 SMU and No. 24 Louisville. There are no Group of Six schools in the Top 25. n Ohio State will try to become the 12th team to start and finish No. 1 since the AP preseason poll debuted in 1950. The last team to do it was Alabama in 2017. n Notre Dame has its highest preseason ranking since it was No. 2 in 2006. The Fighting Irish, which

has a Heisman candidate in quarterback CJ Carr, brings a 10-game winning streak into the season and is still smarting from being left out of the playoff. n Kiffin’s first LSU team is No. 11 after finishing 7-6 and unranked under Brian Kelly and Frank Wilson. n Ten of the 12 CFP teams last season are ranked. The two that aren’t are James Madison and Tulane from the Group of Six. n No. 23 Houston has its first preseason ranking in four years and third since 1991. Staff writer Jon Blau contributed to this report.

LSU offensive lineman Aliou Bah, left, battles offensive tackle JaKolby Jones during drills at practice on Friday. LSU is ranked No. 11 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.

“I thought the first defense played extremely well. Gave the offense a lot of pressure and really good in coverage,” Kiffin said. “Anytime in scrimmages, both sides are never gonna look really good. So the first offense struggled for a while, then came back and played well later, which is what we hope for.” If any takeaways can be distilled from the first two weeks of preseason camp, it’s that Kiffin has been impressed by the defensive line, which has been bolstered by transfers and freshman standouts. The defense as a whole, he said, has taken the biggest leap forward as “alphas” such as linebacker TJ Dottery (Ole Miss), edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss) and safety Ty Bene-

field (Boise State) learn to work together. It sounds like the Tigers’ pass game is still catching up to the run game, which isn’t all that surprising given Leavitt’s limited spring. Running back Harlem Berry had a “good, long” touchdown run, Kifﬁn said, during the scrimmage. As far as specifics, he didn’t add much more. Kiffin plays it closer to the vest than most, but limiting information has become standard practice in college football. There was some upset in Clemson this past week when Dabo Swinney shrunk the invite list for his program’s scrimmage to just former players and family members. “Just tightening it down,”

said Swinney, who lamented that reporters will still ﬁnd a way to learn things about his team that he would rather they not. Kifﬁn comes from the Nick Saban school of limiting practice access, and he answers questions selectively. He even refused to go into detail earlier in camp when he was asked why the Tigers have alternated between morning and evening practices, claiming a competitive disadvantage if he divulged his rationale. It’s been possible to ascertain that freshman defensive linemen Deuce Geralds, Richard Anderson and Lamar Brown are in the mix for snaps because they were featured on the first- and second-team defenses in a “pursuit” drill early in camp.

Even so, Kiffin admitted Monday he has some reservations about playing freshmen early in a sport dominated by fourth- and ﬁfth-year players. Camp has just been a means to see how ready Geralds, Anderson and Brown are in their debut seasons. “How much can we get them ready to do? And can they play really well versus the mistakes that they make?” Kiffin said. “Especially because of our schedule, the opener and the ninth SEC game, you don’t have those (lower-level nonconference) games you had before (to play younger players).” Educated guesses can be made about where LSU stands less than three weeks away from the opener

against Clemson. But the cohesiveness of the offensive line, the connectedness of Leavitt and his receivers and the actual ferocity of the Tigers’ pass rush won’t be known until it’s debuted in Tiger Stadium on Sept. 5. Kiffin doesn’t want much revealed in August. After he kidded about LSU’s release of scrimmage highlights, Kiffin did elaborate some on Leavitt. “He’s moved great,” Kiffin said. “We knew obviously what an athlete he was, especially two years ago on film. But he moves around great, got out of a lot of trouble with some great pass rush and great pressures that came at him.”

Herzog in a crowded space. These days, detailed breakdowns of the X’s and O’s can be found in every market. The film that coaches use — the all-22 — is readily available on services such as NFL Pro. Nationally, analysts such as ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky and the NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger have become popular as they share clips on X that explain the game within the game. Herzog will be the first to admit he doesn’t have an extensive football background. While he started playing in the second grade and lasted all the way through high school, Herzog said he was never exposed to the “advanced systems” that run in the NFL. But Herzog believes that lack of background actually helps him. For one, he’s sought to increase his knowledge of the game even as his channel takes off. That’s partly why, for instance, he started his interview series with players. But Herzog said he thinks his limited experience keeps him from overrelying on jargon that can bog down a video. “When you spend so much time in these advanced systems, you begin to kind of over-assume what the average person knows about the game,” he said. Every once in a while, Herzog’s analysis will open him up for criticism. In May, he misidentified a Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman as playing from a three-technique stance (positioned outside the guard’s shoulder) when, in reality, he was in a 4i (lined up on the inside shoulder of the tackle). Comments piled on, including from former offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz. “I appreciate the effort to watch the ﬁlm and provide analysis,” Schwartz wrote. “However there’s just some basic things that are incorrect in this video.” Asked about the ordeal, Herzog admitted he was wrong but added “nobody’s ever going to be 100% accurate.” Football, especially, is a sport that is hard to interpret correctly. What may

look like a mistake by one player routinely turns out to be another person’s fault because he wasn’t in the right spot. And it’s difficult to understand assignments without having access to the playbook or by asking those involved. But Herzog’s error, no matter how small, brings up an interesting question — one that’s particularly relevant in an era that has seen a rise of armchair-style analysis online. Is it possible to actually learn football without having played at the highest level? “There’s probably always context to everything (that) you can always fine-tune as you go,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “People have passion for this game that want to educate others and also want to continue to evolve from their own standpoint. I think that’s good.” Moore said he thinks it’s “awesome” that the film breakdown industry has taken off. For Herzog, his channel exploded in a matter of months. Launched in December 2024 on TikTok, Herzog first went viral the following March when his breakdown of running back Ashton Jeanty racked up more than 300,000 views — far surpassing his typical 4,000-or-so views. The success of that encouraged him to keep going — Herzog said he briefly contemplated quitting before that — and he said he truly found his footing when identifying a tendency that teams used to attack the Baltimore Ravens when they rotated from a singlehigh look to Cover 2. “I was like, ‘Holy [expletive], this is how it works,’ ” Herzog said. “This is how coaches see it. That format kind of clicked.” Initially, Herzog launched the channel in hopes that maybe it could help him break into coaching one day. These days, Herzog is committed to the channel fulltime. He earns income from the views his clips generate, and he’s partnered with outlets such as Bleacher Report and the NFL to gain additional exposure. Herzog said he isn’t “mak-

ing a ton.” After transferring from Auburn University, he also takes online classes at a local community college. He lives at home with his parents. “Honestly, now, I get to sleep until noon every day,” Herzog said with a chuckle. There are additional perks to becoming as well known as Herzog has become. When the Saints rejected Herzog’s request for a media credential for this year’s training camp, he slid into quarterback

Tyler Shough’s DMs to see whether he could do anything about it. The two had become friendly through social media, and a Shough jersey hangs framed in the background of Herzog’s videos. Shough, according to Herzog, was more than accommodating. The quarterback hooked Herzog up with a friends-and-family pass for two days of training camp. Herzog made the trek from St. Louis to attend the sessions in late

July. “He’s a really good human being,” Herzog said of Shough. “I’m grateful he’s so, so generous and going above and beyond.” Said Shough: “He does a great job of just highlighting all parts of the game. He has such a great energy about him. Deﬁnitely got to get on his channel hopefully in the future.”

Spinogatti was cleared by doctors earlier this month Continued from page 1C after missing all of last season in Tallahassee with a knee injury. With her comgreat things last year,” Ha- ing in at catcher and Conde betz said. “She comes back at third, the plan is to move with the most experience Kennedy Marceaux and and most conﬁdence, but I’m Brooke Otto to the outﬁeld really looking forward to see next season. “I think Kennedy can play Bailey in the fall. She’s been working all summer and got- anywhere,” Habetz said. “I just think she’s more comten her velo up.”

fortable and free in the outﬁeld. Even at third base, you’re constantly in the middle of it. “Danika’s been doing a lot of rehab. Obviously catching is a little bit different, because of all the up and down, but I deﬁnitely think she’s a tough kid.”

Continued from page 1C followed by Miami, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Oklahoma. Notre Dame received six ﬁrst-place votes, Indiana got eight and Miami one. This is the first year a conference has held down the top two spots in the preseason poll since Oklahoma and Nebraska of the Big Eight were 1-2 in 1987. The last time the Big Ten had the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the preseason was 1961, when Iowa and Ohio State

LSU

Continued from page 1C the podium in front of him. He smiled as he continued: “Don’t know that I’m happy about that.” There was levity in Kiffin’s response but also some truth in his statement. Kiffin isn’t trying to reveal too much ahead of his Sept. 5 debut versus Clemson. The former Ole Miss coach has opened about a dozen practices for media members, but each viewing window is limited to individual drills and lasts about 10-12 minutes. Kiffin painted with a broad brush as he described what he saw Saturday during a 170-play scrimmage, half of which featured live tackling.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C “ball.” Riley, 25, found himself visiting the page more and more often — so much so that he says he would check to see whether there were any breakdowns of the Saints’ upcoming opponent to glean any information he could. “Everything he says is very knowledgeable,” Riley said. Riley isn’t alone in that opinion. There are hundreds of other NFL players who make up Film Watcher’s total following that’s north of 500,000 on Instagram and 800,000 across all of his platforms. The channel has reached such a level of acclaim that players such as Riley and Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love agreed to be interviewed about their own plays, offering detailed explanations about the complexities that football is all about. Behind the account is Pete Herzog, a 21-year-old St. Louis resident who just so happens to be a die-hard Saints fan. Herzog’s videos have a simple appeal. With the top of the screen featuring Herzog talking into a microphone and the bottom of the screen dedicated to whatever play is being broken down, Herzog uses software to illustrate concepts and explain what’s happening in a tone that’s easy to digest. Each clip posted to his Instagram generally lasts no longer than three minutes. He speaks with an enthusiasm that’s unmistakable. As complicated as football can be, Herzog wants people to follow long and love the sport as much as he does. “The way I do the video is I describe what I’m seeing, because the audience can see exactly what I’m seeing,” Herzog said. “If you describe what you’re seeing instead of using advanced terminology — instead of trying to ﬂex football knowledge to some extent — it connects with the audience better.” This is what has separated

SOFTBALL

Poll nuggets

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

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LIVING

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

All about althea

T u e s d ay, au g u s T 18, 2026

5CN

Grab the magnifying glass and get to bug watching. Here’s tips for the hobby in La.

This old garden favorite is worth revisiting. Here’s why. Whether a song, a movie, a family recipe or a pair of broken-in blue jeans, old favorites are hard to beat. New things come along and distract us from these dependable standbys — but somehow, we always ﬁnd GARDEN our way back NEWS to their familiar comfort. In the garden, an old favorite that’s worth revisiting is althea (Hibiscus syriacus), which you may know as rose of Sharon. This ﬂowering shrub, a native of Asia, was brought to the American colonies in the 1700s. It gained popularity quickly, becoming a bestseller in early nursery catalogs and remaining a landscape staple well into the 20th century. This was especially true in the South, where gardeners prized its ability to bloom profusely even in the heat of summer.

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE

Althea blooms are attractive to pollinators and last throughout summer.

Unlike many of the 300-plus Hibiscus species grown around the world, althea is not tropical. It’s a temperate, deciduous shrub that handles both our intense summers and typical winters with grace. Althea naturally grows as a multitrunked shrub, although some people train it to be a single-trunked tree. It works well as a specimen plant or a hedge. It reaches 8 to 10 feet tall, sometimes more, and up to 6 feet wide. Pollinators love althea’s pretty flowers, which bloom from May until August or early September. In true Hibiscus fashion, the flowers are shortlived, lasting just a day or two. But new buds appear throughout the summer. Different cultivars offer single blooms as well as semidouble and double forms that have a ruffled appearance.

PHOTO By COLETTE dEAN

Brandon Johnson helped others log in 57 species of arthropods, which included 17 species moths and one butterfly.

Ready for their

CLOSE-UP

BY COLETTE DEAN Contributing writer

ut down that ﬂyswatter and grab the magnifying glass. Bug watching is the latest craze and is surging in popularity. All it takes is a white sheet, a light, a magniﬁer and some patience. Insects make up roughly half of the animal kingdom. Life would be impossible without them, and many nature lovers are learning that they’re fascinating to observe. One recent muggy night, members of the Louisiana Master Natu-

Eratoneura comoides is a leafhopper species identified by its superhydrophobic, anti-reflective coating on the cuticle.

ralists of Greater Baton Rouge invited the public to join them on the grounds of LSU Hilltop Arboretum for a sheeting event celebrating “Moth Week,” a national celebration of the nighttime pollinators held every July. White sheets draped on clotheslines were tied to trees and illuminated with UV lights. The sheets were stationed far apart to attract moths and other arthropods. Observers used headlamps, cellphones and cameras to see the creatures up close and, when spied, were added to the iNaturalist community-science project.

Insects are visible during the day, but the real show begins after dark and lasts until daylight, where there’s a better chance of seeing the jewels of the night — moths — but also thousands of other insects with a wide array of colors and patterns, including beetles or ﬂies, like the orange and white Eratoneura comoides, or the black, green and white striped Tylozygus biﬁdus. Participants Tyne and Christian Bankester said they enjoyed seeing the specimens up close.

Luna moths, also called American moon moths, are one of the larger moths found in North America, with common wingspans from 4.5 to 7 inches.

The colorful Io, or peacock, moth takes its name from Greek mythology — Io was a mortal lover of Zeus.

ä See BUGS, page 6C

PHOTOS By BRANdON JOHNSON

ä See ALTHEA, page 6C

IT’S ‘LI F E - CHANG ING .’

National visitation program seeks to break stigmas of those incarcerated BY IZZY WOLLFARTH Contributing writer

When Val Browning’s friend suggested he participate in a local prison visitation program with the Louisiana Parole Project, he agreed, but, before his visit in May 2023, he said he didn’t expect to get much out of the experience. “I expected everybody that I met to have a long rap sheet,”

ä See PROGRAM, page 6C

A small group of incarcerated people and visitors discuss topics at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel. PROVIdEd PHOTO FORM THE FREdERICK dOUGLASS PROJECT FOR JUSTICE

100 Black Men of Metro BR installs new president Baton Rouge is a local nonprofit that has been mentoring Black Local attorney Miyouth in Baton Rouge chael B. Victorian was for over 30 years. Its recently installed as volunteers work with president of the 100 youth in areas of eduBlack Men of Metro Baton Rouge. Victorication, economic eman, a longtime member Victorian powerment, health of the local branch of the na- and wellness and community tional organization, succeeded involvement. “I have grown up in this orAndre Harmon as president. He officially became presi- ganization, witnessing and dent during recent installation working with Black youth who ceremonies for the leaders of benefit from the programs we the organization. ä See PRESIDENT, page 6C 100 Black Men of Metro Staff report

6C ● Tuesday,August 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

‘No gifts — Oh, twist my arm, I’ll take a gold watch’ What would you advise? Now, Dear Miss Manners: I accepted an I feel like if I don’t contribute at invitation to a party for a friend’s husband at their home. It hadn’t oc- least $100, it will impact this longstanding friendship. If it curred to me to bring a gift had occurred to me to bring — most likely I would have a gift, I might have brought simply brought a nice card a book, not something that and a bottle of wine. costs $100 or more. A few days before the Do you ﬁnd it unusual to party, I was surprised to repropose friends buy a speceive this message: “Some Judith of you have asked about cial watch in this way? I beMartin gifts — and truly, your preslieve it used to be common MISS for an employer to offer the ence at this event is already MANNERS gift of a watch for a retiring the greatest gift of all! employee who has been esHowever, if you still wish to contribute something, we warmly pecially valued or long-tenured. invite you to participate in a group Gentle reader: Miss Manners ﬁnds gift: a special watch for (husband). it strange that people now feel You are welcome to bring cash or responsible for the presents they a check, or to make a direct bank expect to receive. Surely it should deposit.” be the prospective donors who

BUGS

Continued from page 5C “I think it’s cool. It’s a great date night activity,” Tyne Bankester said. For the record, Christian Bankester documented the sharp-headed Sharpshooter and the Afflicted Dagger moths. LMNGBR member Brandon Johnson and his wife, Yipin, helped others log in 57 species of arthropods, which included 17 species of moths and one butterfly. Johnson has been participating in the club’s past sheeting events at Hilltop, LSU Burden and BREC parks, particularly during the City Nature Challenge held each spring. Observers have helped the Hilltop Arboretum iNaturalist project site accrue a robust species count. To date, the site has 21,458 observations; 15,193 of these are insects, accounting for 2,081 different species. Last year’s National Moth Week drew more than 150,000 participants across 80 countries. Their observations help researchers track how different moth species react to climate change. Johnson explained that Moth Week is held in July due to the peak time in North America when most are likely to see the greatest number of

PROGRAM

Continued from page 5C Browning, from Baton Rouge, said. “I expected them to not be doing much.” When he visited the Elayne Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel, his expectations were proven wrong. The visit was part of a national initiative, the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, a national nonprofit organization committed to humanizing incarcerated people by facilitating conversations between people in prison and those in the outside world. The Louisiana Parole Project, also a nonprofit, has much of the same mission, dedicated to reentry services and mentorship. Formally launched in 2020, the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice operates in 30 facilities across 16 states, including Louisiana. Visits take about three hours and consist of a tour of the prison grounds, including dormitories, recreational centers and yards, and they end with small group discussions between volunteers and people in prison. In 2022, the Louisiana Parole Project took its first step in implementing the program locally with a visit to the Elayne Hunt Correctional Center. Since 2001, Louisiana has been preparing individuals for release through a series of reentry programming, including educational and literacy courses, on-site job training and vocational paths for incarcerated people. These programs range from cosmetology courses under the direction of the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology to welding classes, upholstery training and CPR and First Aid certifications. About 7,000 people incarcerated in Louisiana have earned industry-based certifications, and around 600 have received high school equivalency preparation with a 77% graduation rate,

species. The week selected depends on the lunar calendar when there is the least amount of moonlight. In Louisiana, it’s easy to bug watch all year long, although counts may be lower in cooler months, Johnson said. Some species in Louisiana only emerge in winter. Teri Rome, a LMNGBR member and self-described butterfly and moth enthusiast, said she enjoys bug watching in her backyard. “You don’t always need a sheet,” she said. “I turn out the lights, wear white, and put on a white shower cap with my headlamp. The moths think I’m a giant flower.” Rome said she makes a bait mixture of bananas, beer and vanilla to sit out in a bowl or paint on nearby trees or fence posts. “You can throw a sheet over a fence or drape over a shrub and place a flashlight behind it to attract them,” said Rome, who enjoys moth sheeting with her granddaughters. Most members of the Louisiana Master Naturalists program throughout the state were introduced to bug watching by Charles Allen, a retired botany professor and author from Pitkin. Allen hosts the nocturnal naturalists and arthropod classes as well as native plant identification classes on his nature preserve, Allen Acres. He’s

according to the Louisiana Department of Corrections. “The biggest surprise is when they meet the men and the women on the inside, and they’re surprised at the opportunities that they have inside the prison, like education, vocational and also college courses,” said Matthew Pineda, the community engagement manager at the Parole Project and co-leader of the prison visitation program. He said many incarcerated people have master’s degrees, are church pastors and lawyers, and leave prison with professional skills. Two days after Browning’s visit, he began charting out his future as an advocate for second chances and rehabilitation in prison. He believes the prison visitation program should be made available in every state. “It should be at every correctional facility in this country because I think it would give people a better idea of what goes on in a correctional facility, what inmates do when they’re inside,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the location, you would think it’s somebody from down the street.” Since its inception in Louisiana, the Louisiana Parole Project has expanded into four prisons: Dixon Correctional Institute, Hunt Correctional Center, Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women and Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Around 1,300 volunteers and 80 groups have since participated, with group sizes ranging from 12 to 25 people. Karyn McConnell, executive director of the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, said the experience is often described as “life-changing” for both those incarcerated and participants from outside the prison walls. “People have seen movies and shows so they think they have an idea of who is incarcerated, but that perception is not really accurate or complete,” McConnell said. “The Douglass Project provides

ought to think up what to give — if anything, as presents are often customary but never mandatory. It may even be true that your friends were besieged by demands to know what to buy the guest of honor/host. And they didn’t know that they could brush this off by saying, “Oh, that’s not necessary” — not only omitting the presentpresence cliché (because we’re all sick of it), but not then undermining it with what sounds, at least to you, like a demand. It is not. Give your old friends the beneﬁt of the doubt by assuming that they made their suggestion through awkward ignorance, not from greed, and that they invited you for fun, not for proﬁt. But if this is wrong, and if it takes

been an ofﬁcial bug watcher since 2001. Allen initially started with two sheets tied between trees and a mercury vapor light on his 26 acres. Now, he houses 20 permanent moth sheets hung on treated poles and has installed electrical boxes to plug in lights. Allen checks his sheets twice daily: two hours after dark and just before daylight. “I ﬁnd that there are a lot more moths and other insects just before daylight and after the lights have been on all night,” Allen said. His moth count for Allen Acres is 1,450, and other insects is over 1,200. About 200 of his moth counts are the only record for Louisiana, and one moth from Allen Acres, the Bean Pod Borer, is the only one for the United States. “I think we are the only place in the world with 20 moth sheets and lights,” he said. For more information, email Allen at Native@camtel.net. This article was supplied by the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge, which seeks to advance awareness, understanding and stewardship of the natural environment. For more information, email info@ lmngbr.org.

opportunities for all participants to share their humanity with each other. Really, the folks inside are just people that made mistakes who want to better their lives.” She said that those in prison still worry, dream and love their families the same as anyone else and that walls do not exclude them from humanity and compassion. Andrea Buttross, deputy assistant secretary from the Louisiana Department of Corrections, wrote in an email that reentry services play a critical role in improving public safety and overall morale inside prisons. “By providing education, workforce training, treatment services, and structured reentry planning while individuals are incarcerated, we increase their chances of securing employment, rebuilding family connections, and avoiding future criminal behaviors,” said Buttross. “Ultimately, effective reentry services reduce recidivism, strengthen communities, and support long-term outcomes that beneﬁt the individual, the correctional system, and the public as a whole.” Browning said he supports being tough on crime, yet recognizes that incarcerated persons are capable of change. “Somebody who’s been in jail for 30 years is not the same person that they were when they committed that crime,” he said. “If someone’s done all the right things, they’re not getting in trouble. … Why shouldn’t we reward an incarcerated person?” Izzy Wollfarth received her master’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University in May. She reported this story with the support of the nonproﬁt Louisiana Collegiate News Collective, an LSU-led coalition of eight universities, funded by the Henry Luce and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundations.

a $100 bribe to maintain a longstanding friendship, you might ask yourself whether the friendship has been standing too long. Dear Miss Manners: My beloved mother-in-law recently passed away. While I am old-school and wear only black to funerals, I have noticed that “the times, they are a-changing.” While getting ready to go and say our ﬁnal goodbyes, I asked my husband which string of pearls, which I had inherited from my mother, would be more appropriate. The look he shot me left no doubt that it was a faux pas. My heart sunk, as I had only thought to honor his mother and mine. Was I truly amiss? Gentle reader: No. Pearls are con-

sidered the most subdued of jewels, second only to the jet jewelry to which Victorian women were limited during their long periods of formal mourning. Miss Manners would consider that bereavement sometimes makes people irrational, and try not to hold it against your husband if he is normally reasonable. And resolve not to ask his opinion of your appearance. 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.

TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press Today is Tuesday, Aug. 18, the 230th day of 2026. There are 135 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing American women’s right to vote, was ratiﬁed as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it. Also on this date: In 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Island colony (in presentday North Carolina), returned to Roanoke after nearly three years abroad only to ﬁnd the settlement deserted; the fate of the “Lost Colony” remains a mystery. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued his Proclamation of Neutrality, aimed at keeping the United States out of World War I. In 1958, Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita” was published in the United States.

ALTHEA

Continued from page 5C Colors range from white, pink and purple to red and even bluish tones, sometimes with pink or red veins and throats. Small, toothed leaves provide a dark green contrast during the growing season before falling in the cooler months. Traditional althea varieties readily self-seed and can spread like weeds. But modern cultivars are sterile, meaning they don’t

PRESIDENT

Continued from page 5C operate,” Victorian said in a news release. “More importantly, I have seen the payoff when our participants become successful later in life. This gives ‘the 100’ the feeling that we are indeed ﬁlling a need.”

In 1963, James Meredith became the ﬁrst Black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi. In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York, wound to a close after three days and nights with a mid-morning set by Jimi Hendrix. In 1983, Hurricane Alicia slammed into the Texas coast, leaving 21 dead and causing more than a billion dollars’ worth of damage. In 2004, in Athens, Paul Hamm won the men’s gymnastics all-around Olympic gold medal by the closest margin ever in the event; controversy followed after it was discovered that a scoring error cost Yang Tae-young of South Korea the title. In 2005, a judge in Wichita, Kansas, sentenced BTK serial killer Dennis Rader to 10 consecutive life terms, the maximum the law would allow. In 2014, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the National Guard to Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis

convulsed by protests over the fatal shooting of a Black 18-year-old, Michael Brown. In 2023, a former neonatal nurse in a British hospital was found guilty of murdering seven babies and trying to kill six others over a yearlong campaign of deception as she preyed on the vulnerabilities of sick newborns. Days later, Lucy Letby was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for release. Today’s birthdays: Actor Carole Bouquet is 69. Actor Denis Leary is 69. Actor Madeleine Stowe is 68. ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff is 65. Actor Edward Norton is 57. Actor Christian Slater is 57. Actor Kaitlin Olson is 51. Actor-comedian Andy Samberg is 48. Artist-model Frances Bean Cobain is 34. Actor-singer Maia Mitchell is 33. Actor Madelaine Petsch is 32. Actor Josephine Langford is 29, Singer Clairo is 28. Olympic gold medal swimmer Summer McIntosh is 20.

produce seed. One such cultivar is Aphrodite, a product of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s althea breeding program from the 1970s and ’80s. A 1988 release, Aphrodite — with its pink petals and red throat — was one of the LSU AgCenter’s first Louisiana Super Plant selections. Another cultivar of note is White Pillar, a newer cultivar with bright white flowers and a tall, columnar shape that is an excellent fit for tight spaces. Although althea is blooming now, it’s best to wait

until fall or winter dormancy to plant. Choose a well-drained location — althea doesn’t like wet feet — with plenty of sun. You’ll get the most blooms in full sun, but part-sun conditions are OK. Althea has few insect pest or disease problems, and it doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. Most plants stay in an attractive, vaselike shape on their own. If you decide to prune, do so in late winter or early spring — which also is a good time to put down an application of fertilizer.

Victorian is an attorney with the Phelps Dunbar Law Firm. He is a past president of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society of Baton Rouge, an organization of Black legal professionals and students. He follows in the footsteps of his father, Michael W. Victorian, a past president of the local group and currently vice chairman of the national 100

Black Men of America. Other ofﬁcers include Don Johnson, president-elect; Rodney Coates, secretary; Melvin Chambers, Jr., vicepresident of operations; Stanley L. Adkins, vice president of development; Roy McClain, vice-president of programs; Stanley C. Savage, vice president of finance and Tyrone Dunn, vice membership.

YEARS

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, August 18, 2026 ● 7C

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zodIAC LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Think big, but know your limits. Set boundaries and implement discipline, and what you achieve will be a learning experience that helps you propel what you want to present and promote. VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Revise your schedule and rearrange your routine. How you set things up will reflect how well you do. Knowing exactly what's available mentally, physically and financially will put your mind at ease. LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) Take any negativity you encounter and turn it into sunshine. Where there's a will, there's a way. Choose the path that allows you the freedom to be yourself. scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Refuse to let situations escalate, costing you your position, reputation or relationship with an associate or loved one. Put more time and effort into money management, contracts and medical issues. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take pride in how you live. A well-run home can propagate an attitude that makes your life easier. Address clutter and unfinished business, and you'll alleviate pressure. Use your intelligence. cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Put your discipline and energy into cleaning up any mess that is crowding your space. Dig in and go above the call of duty to ensure you offer the best assistance. AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Don't wait for change to manifest itself. If something new is what you need, make it happen.

Leave nothing undone or in someone else's jurisdiction. Set a budget. PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Spend more time on comfort and convenience. Time at home working to lower your overhead and putting a financial plan in place that offers less stress and more time having fun will be conducive to growth. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Restraint is necessary when dealing with financial or medical issues. Too much of anything will work against you. Limit what you agree to do, and look out for your best interests when dealing with partnerships. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take a break, sit back and observe. A lifestyle change that points you in a healthier direction or fitness and dietary improvements will pay off personally and professionally if you put in the time and effort. GEMInI (May 21-June 20) A change of pace and scenery will elevate your curiosity and encourage you to up your game and pursue knowledge and skills. Make prominent connections with individuals. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Put your energy toward something that challenges you to look and feel your best. Engage in competitive activities or spend time with motivating individuals who offer positive support. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

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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

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday,August 18, 2026 ● 9C

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Bridge By PHILLIP ALDER Isaac Asimov said, “It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.” Some bridge experts are known for making unusual bids. Then, even when they produce an obvious call, opponents tend to assume that they were being “clever.” In this deal, which occurred during a social game, look at the South hand. After two passes, East opens one club. What is the “obvious” call for South? East’s opening bid would not meet with universal agreement. Since partner is a passed hand, game is unlikely. There is a good case for opening one heart (or one spade). Yes, partner will expect a fivecard suit, but if West ends on lead, he is more likely to find a good choice than after a one-club opening. I think South should overcall three no-trump. Yes, it looks weird with those major-suit holdings, but he has eight winners. A dummy worth its salt will add a ninth. And a slam is unlikely opposite a passed partner. If South bids three no-trump and it is passed out, what should West lead? Unless South is being subtle, he has a long, solid minor and is ready for a club lead. West should choose a major, presumably a heart. Note that the defenders can take the first eight tricks, four hearts and four spades. But after a minor-suit lead, South

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has 10 winners. At the table, South passed over one club (often the right move when long and strong in opener’s suit), West responded one heart, East raised to two hearts, and then South overcalled three clubs. That was passed out and made with an overtrick. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

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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 — cAnOnIZE: KAN-ih-nize: To declare a deceased person a saint.

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today’s thought “I will meditate also of all your work, and talk of your doings. your way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?” Psalms 77:12-13 Meditate on the Lord and His greatness. You will be blessed. — G.E. Dean

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

DOW 53,459.78 -272.63 -0.51%

NASDAQ 26,644.91 -84.25 -0.32%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Amazon makes it harder for class-action lawsuits

On Friday, Amazon sent its customers an email informing them that the company had updated its terms to include an arbitration agreement and class-action waiver. The new language reinstates a bulwark the company removed five years ago when it was overwhelmed by 75,000 arbitration claims from customers claiming its Alexa devices were recording them without consent. The change means customers generally cannot take Amazon to court before a judge and jury. Customers can still use smallclaims court and individual arbitration, but only after first trying to resolve complaints with Amazon directly. The company said it’ll pay “most of the cost” of arbitration. There’s no opting out, unless customers stop using Amazon. In its email to customers, the company said continued use of any Amazon service confirms someone’s agreement to the change. In an emailed statement, an Amazon spokesperson said the company continually updates its conditions of use to better serve its customers. “We determined that reinstating the arbitration clause will offer customers a fast, cost-effective way to resolve disputes while still giving them the option of going to small claims court,” she said. Lawsuits filed before Friday can generally still go through.

Stellantis recalls 955,000 vehicles Chrysler parent Stellantis NV said it’s recalling about 848,000 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles in the United States due to radio software that can prevent rearview cameras from operating properly. The glitch, which results in the rearview camera image not appearing on the media screen, affects various 2026 and 2027 model year Chrysler Paciﬁca, Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid and Voyager, Dodge Charger, Jeep Cherokee, Compass, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Grand Wagoneer and Wrangler, and Ram 1500, 2500 and ProMaster vehicles. An additional 107,000 vehicles are being recalled in Canada, Mexico and other markets, the automaker said in a statement from spokesperson Frank Matyok. The company said it’s unaware of any accidents or injuries. It said as customers await the repair, “drivers should remain aware of their surroundings and use their rearview and side mirrors when reversing.” The ﬁx involves an over-theair radio software update.

Japan’s economy manages 1.1% growth TOKYO — Japan’s economy grew at an annual rate of 1.1% in the April-June quarter even as private consumption stayed flat and the growth of exports declined, according to government data released Monday. Japan‘s real GDP, or gross domestic product, the sum value of the nation’s goods and services, grew at a seasonally adjusted rate of 0.3% from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2026, according to Cabinet Office data. The annualized rate shows what the growth rate would have been if it had continued for a whole year. It was 2.1% in the JanuaryMarch period. Private spending dipped 1.2% in April-June compared to January-March, while exports grew 0.5%. Exports for the latest period were driven by the global demand for Japanese autos and semiconductors. Japan is home to Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and other top automakers. Global demand for computer chips is being powered by interest in AI, helping to support Japan’s exports. Government consumption rose 1.6%.

S&P 500 7,745.06 -40.70 -0.52%

EURO 1.1578 0.0019 0.17%

CRUDE OIL 84.50 2.10 2.55%

GOLD 4,417.80 37.40 0.85%

6-MO T-BILLS 3.92 0.0 0.0%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.32 0.06 1.12%

Bally’s issues warning over liquidity issues

early next year to stay in compli- and perhaps the city. tice Aug. 8 to the Chicago CommuConstruction paused by Bally’s operates three casinos in nity Builders Collective, a general ance with lenders for its revolving Louisiana: Bally’s Baton Rouge and contracting partnership overseefacility. at Chicago casino site credit Bally’s is looking to raise cash The Queen, both in downtown Ba- ing the casino complex construc-

BY ROBERT CHANNICK Chicago Tribune (TNS)

CHICAGO — Days after pausing construction on nearly all nongaming amenities at its $1.7 billion casino complex going up in Chicago, Bally’s Corporation issued a going concern warning related to liquidity issues. The warning, part of Bally’s second-quarter earnings ﬁling Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, states that the Rhode Island-based company is pursuing “a number of ﬁnancing alternatives intended to enhance its liquidity”

through asset sales, an equity offering or debt financing, according to the SEC filing. “While the company is actively engaged in discussions on several financing alternatives, the conditions and events raise substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern,” Bally’s stated in the filing. Auditors are required to issue a going concern warning when they believe a company might default on its debt within 12 months. The warning is sometimes a prelude to a bankruptcy filing, and may be a growing concern for investors —

ton Rouge and Bally’s Shreveport. Bally’s said the ﬁnancing issues are connected to future developments and are unrelated to the Chicago construction slowdown, which was implemented as part of its escalating standoff with the city over video gambling terminals. “There has been no change to the status of Bally’s Chicago’s construction based off the company’s most recent 10-Q ﬁling,” the company said in a statement Sunday. “Bally’s Chicago remains well situated to continue delivering on its obligations.” Bally’s Chicago issued a reset no-

tion, putting everything from the 34-story hotel and events center to a number of planned restaurants on hold, citing the advent of VGTs as a violation of its agreement with the city. A group of 28 aldermen sent a demand letter to the casino company Wednesday calling for a public hearing and the resumption of the full development project. In addition to challenging the legality of the construction slowdown, the aldermen also questioned the ﬁnancial capacity of Bally’s to complete the $1.7 billion project as planned.

Mexico’s avocado pickers welcome return of country’s exports to U.S. But security fears remain amid extortion, violence BY MARÍA VERZA and ARMANDO SOLÍS Associated Press

SANTA ANA ZIROSTO, Mexico — It didn’t take long for Mexican avocado picker Francisco Isidro to get back to work after authorities announced the lifting of a U.S. security alert that temporarily halted avocado exports. Back on the job the morning after the alert was lifted, Isidro threw a rope over an avocado tree about 20 feet high and climbed up. Fifteen minutes later, he had ﬁlled a box with avocados bound for the United States. “Thank God ... and now we’re getting paid!” he shouted happily after several days without work. Eight days after the alert affecting Michoacán state and the deployment of more Mexican troops in the region, U.S. authorities fully lifted the restrictions that spurred producers to shut down operations, and exports resumed. Michoacán is Mexico’s main avocado-producing state and a region where four cartels designated by the Trump administration as terrorist organizations operate. By the weekend, orchards were operating again, packing plants were running at full speed and U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors had returned to certify the fruit and ensure it was free of pests before entering the United States. The workers were happy to get their daily wages back. Some producers hoped the increased security would reduce violence and extortion. Others feared the calm would not last long. “We’ll be safe for a while; we’ll see what happens next,” said Valentín Rodríguez, a longtime avocado industry businessperson. The U.S. alert caught Isidro high in a tree in an orchard in Santa Ana Zirosto, an area of green, low hills in western Michoacán where criminal groups are very active. There were no explanations, just the foreman’s shout to stop cutting. Isidro, 39 years old and with two decades of experience as a harvester, knew that this meant either starting to look for another job until the situation returned to normal — since they’re paid by the day — or supporting his family solely on what his wife earned from a small store. More than 90 miles away, in Tacámbaro, an engineer at an avocado packing plant received the alert in the early hours of the morning: The facility should be kept sealed and under quarantine. Some 200,000 people employed by Michoacán’s avocado industry were left in limbo. Authorities did not say what threat triggered the alert. But in a state where numer-

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTOS By ARMANdO SOLIS

A farmhand harvests avocados at an orchard in Santa Ana Zirosto, Michoacan state, Mexico.

In March alone, Mexico shipped nearly 4,800 tons of avocados a day to the United States. ous local cartels make money not only from drugs but also from extortion, there are plenty of possibilities. Some growers have come to consider extortion an unavoidable production cost. A producer from Michoacán told The Associated Press recently that he pays 1 peso per kilo exported in extortion fees and exports about 90 metric tons a day, which amounts to more than $5,000 in daily payments. In March alone, Mexico shipped nearly 4,800 tons of avocados a day to the United States. Trucks loaded with avocados are also sometimes robbed on roads in western Michoacán. And some farmworkers have been stopped and beaten by armed men near the border with Jalisco without being told why, according to one worker who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. U.S. inspectors have been assaulted and temporarily detained in the past, triggering similar export suspensions. On some occasions, threats arose after inspectors detected

pests and were pressured not to report them, said an official familiar with their work who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. The U.S. Embassy does not usually provide details about the incidents. Inspectors have less of a presence in the orchards, which are located in isolated hills where armed groups operate with little interference, and concentrate on packing plants. “If the United States says that it is suspending technical services for security reasons, it’s impossible to export. If it’s for a plant health, it’s the same,” said Rodríguez, who grows, packs and sells avocados. “We are at the mercy of whatever the U.S. market and government decide to do with the industry.” More than 80% of Mexican avocados are sold to the U.S. Thousands of tons of avocados travel daily to the United States, especially when demand for guacamole surges ahead of the Super Bowl. To keep that volume moving, certification is key. Isidro is a “certified” picker. He knows how to disinfect cutting tools before using them, handle the fruit quickly and carefully, and report any spots or damage. The orchards where he works are also certified, providing dining and bathroom facilities for workers. Jesús Méndez, his supervisor, inspected the boxes before they were loaded onto a truck with the tracking details. The trucks wait until all those in the area are ready before traveling in convoys to packing plants, accompanied by police patrols to prevent robberies. At the packing plants, inspections continue, checking quality, the fruit’s flesh and possible pests. Once labeled and sealed, the trailers head for the U.S. border. At the slightest security alert, every point along the route can be brought to a standstill.

Oil prices rise, pushing stocks further from record highs BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEWYORK — U.S. stocks edged further from their record heights on Monday after rising oil prices cranked up the pressure on inflation and financial markets. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% but remains near its all-time high set Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 272 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%. Wall Street’s losses solidified in the afternoon when oil prices accelerated upward. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 2.7% to $90.87. It’s been careening back and

forth because of uncertainty about what the war with Iran will do to the global ﬂow of crude. Last month alone, Brent zigzagged between $72 and $102 as hopes rose and fell that the United States and Iran could reach a deal that would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again. Monday’s rally for oil prices sent Treasury yields in the bond market higher, which in turn raised the pressure on the economy and prices for all kinds of investments. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.72% from 4.68% late Friday. It has shot up from just 3.97% before the war with Iran, largely because higher oil prices are worsening inﬂation and upping the probability that the Federal

Reserve will have to hike interest rates. Higher rates could keep a lid on inﬂation, but they do so by intentionally slowing the economy. The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate has already jumped near its highest level in a year because of the rise in the 10-year Treasury yield, though reports last week said that inﬂation in July was not as bad as earlier in the summer. Usually around this time of year, anticipation is building on Wall Street to hear from the head of the Federal Reserve about where it may take interest rates. But the Fed’s new chairman, Kevin Warsh, may give little insight at this year’s economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at the end of this

month, according to Thierry Wizman, a strategist at Macquarie Group Warsh has been adamant about giving Wall Street less guidance about the Fed’s plans for interest rates. Wall Street has run to records despite high inflation in large part because profits are booming for U.S. companies. Those in the S&P 500 index are on track to deliver growth of roughly 50% for earnings per share in the spring from a year earlier, according to FactSet. That’s much better than analysts expected and would be the best since five years ago, when the economy was erupting out of the chasm created by the COVID pandemic.