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Local developers buy historic CBD building Plans in place to revitalize the 23-story high-rise

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK

Southern Decadence Grand Marshal Bobby Wagstaff Mackie marches in the walking parade on Royal Street on Sunday.

DECADENCE ON DISPLAY

About 1,000 costumed, risqué marchers circulated through the French Quarter on Sunday for Southern Decadence, the huge gathering of the LGBTQ+ community with myriad events traditionally held over Labor Day weekend each year. This year’s parade featured a record number of six grand marshals and aimed to carve out more space for queer and lesbian communities.

The former National American Bank Building on Carondelet Street, a historic high-rise in the Central Business District that was converted to an apartment complex after Katrina, has new, local owners with fresh plans for the nearly century-old structure. Michael Merideth and Andre Lewis, co-founders of the New Orleans-based real estate development company Verius Property Group, purchased the 23-story building last month for $27 million with backing from local and national investors. Merideth The seller was an out-ofstate partnership that included Housing Preservation Trust, a Georgia-based nonproﬁt that develops affordable housing. The deal comes a year after reports of malfunctioning cooling systems and elevators in the property, which has a mix of 189 affordable and Lewis market-rate apartments. Merideth said VPG will begin a “major chiller replacement” within the next two to three months and start updates to interior and exterior spaces after that. The developers also plan to explore new purposes for the roughly 10,000-square-foot former bank space on the ground ﬂoor of the structure. “We’re poised to bring the building back to life,” Merideth said in a phone interview last week. “There are some known problems, but it’s not a derelict building that’s falling apart, and now it has a local owner paying attention day to day and investing in the property.”

ä See BUILDING, page 4A

Joseph Izak marches in the Southern Decadence walking parade on Sunday.

The Southern Decadence walking parade rolls through the French Quarter.

BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer

An oak-ﬁlled ridge at the end of the marshy Louisiana coast has long served as a refuge for birds during their migrations. But property near the coastal forest, which is thick with trees, shrubs and ferns, could soon be paved over as a parking lot, leading

WEATHER HIGH 94 LOW 78 PAGE 6B

to warnings from birders and environmentalists about the effects on wildlife. The location is one of three recently proposed park-andride lots meant to accommodate more than 2,000 vehicles for those working in the region’s booming liqueﬁed natural gas industry. Energy company Caturus’s $13 billion Commonwealth liquefied natural gas export facility that’s under construction near Johnson Bayou is within walking distance of Peveto Woods Bird and Butterﬂy Sanctuary, which opponents say could disorient migratory birds with light and noise pollution. The planned parking lots have led to tension between the

ä See BALANCE, page 5A

Groups worry about emissions; state expects minimal impact

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL

Seeking a balance LNG boom in coastal Cameron Parish prompts concern over impact on migratory birds

Big expansion approved for N.O.-area landfill

Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Bird enthusiast John Parker looks out over a wetland area along La. 82 toward a liquefied natural gas facility construction site in Cameron Parish on Aug. 12.

State regulators have authorized River Birch landfill to more than double its storage capacity by expanding into a long-closed landfill in Jefferson and St. Charles parishes, which would make it the state’s largest. The approval also grants the company a nationwide service area for trash customers, though the company says it’s committed to keeping that reach limited. State backing came despite community opposition in the nearby Waggaman area and across the Mississippi River in River Ridge and Harahan over what some residents argued are chronic foul odors. The new expansion will spread into the nextdoor Greater New Orleans Landfill, a problem dump created before tougher federal and state requirements were adopted. It became a focus of complaints in the 1980s and was capped and fully closed in 1999, years before River Birch owned the site. State Department of Environmental Quality

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ä See LANDFILL, page 4A

14TH yEAR, NO. 26

2A ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Explosion of fireworks in Mexico kills at least 10

TEMASCALCINGO, Mexico — Pyrotechnic material exploded during the festival for a patron saint in a town in Mexico State, collapsing a wall, killing at least 10 people and injuring another 64, Mexican authorities said. The explosion occurred Saturday night next to the Nuestra Señora de la Luz church in Temascalcingo, a municipality in central Mexico with 66,000 residents. Hundreds of them were preparing to watch a fireworks display that is part of a religious festival when the blast occurred. The municipality is about 100 miles northwest of Mexico City. The cause of the explosion has not been determined and the Mexico State Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation. A local bishop said two priests are among the injured. A video on social media shows the aftermath of the blast, with dozens of people walking through smoke and debris in search of survivors. Explosions involving pyrotechnics are common in Mexico, where fireworks are frequently used in street celebrations and religious festivals.

Volcanic island in Indonesia erupts

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A volcano erupted in Indonesia early Sunday, prompting the cancellation of all flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and disrupting other domestic airports as ash drifted across western parts of the country. The volcanic island of Anak Krakatau, located in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands, had showed signs of activity since Friday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. Sunday and for 16 seconds about three hours later, Indonesia’s Geological Agency said. Closed-circuit camera footage showed lava flares from the volcano. No casualties were reported and no evacuation order was issued. The nearest settlement is more than 10 miles away, but authorities warned residents and visitors to stay at least 2 miles from the active crater. Volcanic ash spread across parts of Jakarta and Lampung province on Sumatra’s southern tip, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said. AirNav Indonesia closed airspace around Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma airports in Jakarta, as well as six other airports, including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, because of volcanic ash. By Sunday evening, the closure of eight airports had affected 170,000 passengers from 1,558 canceled flights, including 963 flights in Jakarta’s SoekarnoHatta airport alone. All eight airports were ordered closed until midnight.

German far-right party set for election win

MAGDEBURG, Germany — The farright Alternative for Germany was projected to win a strong victory in a regional election Sunday, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether it would be able to fulfill its ambition of forming the country’s first far-right state government since World War II. The party of German’s unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, was set for a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany’s candidate for governor said that “we have written history.” Ulrich Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a signal that “things cannot carry on like this” and that it was “also a signal toward Berlin.” Of Germany’s unpopular leader, he said: “A very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz. Every day this man is in the chancellery is one too many.” Alternative for Germany, or AfD, went into the vote seeking an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern on its own. That would overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties’ refusal to work with AfD, but it was unclear long after polls closed whether it would happen.

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U.S. envoys hold talks in Ukraine Kushner, Witkoff spoke with Putin on Saturday

BY SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held “encouraging” talks in Kyiv on Sunday in their first official visit to Ukraine, but made no breakthrough toward ending Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Trump administration’s push to end the fighting has lost momentum, with the focus on the Iran war for the past six months. The trip by the Americans, part of a renewed effort to end the war, followed a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday, as both sides have escalated their aerial attacks in the more than 41/2-year all-out war. Despite the latest diplomatic push, the core demands of Moscow and Kyiv remain mutually exclusive, especially over territorial concessions, underscoring the difficulty of reaching an agreement. Kushner acknowledged the challenge, saying the U.S. was working “behind the scenes” to create the conditions for a possible deal. “It’s a very, very hard problem, but we’re going to try,” Kushner said. Russia has recently been using fast-flying jet-powered drones, and the recurring wail of air-raid sirens has become part of daily life in Kyiv. Troops have struggled to make progress along the 775-mile front line. Zelenskyy held three rounds of talks with the Americans on Sunday, the last of which brought in

PHOTO PROVIDED By UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, walks with President Donald Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner, right, and Steve Witkoff on Sunday at Mariinsky palace in Kyiv, Ukraine. national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Zelenskyy said at a news conference that the discussions covered air defense needs — including Patriot systems — and a “winter package” of support covering both air defense and energy infrastructure before the colder months. He said that Kyiv was seeking “serious volumes” of American support on that front, with backing from European partners as well. The Ukrainian president said the U.S. planned to increase production of Patriot interceptor missiles next year, with Germany also expanding its own production under existing licensing agreements. Zelenskyy said that Russia had intensified strikes on Ukrainian cities before Russia’s State Duma election later this month, calling

the attacks deliberate “terror” against civilians. He said Ukraine was working with 67 domestic companies developing systems to shoot down Russia’s jet-powered drones at scale. The Ukrainian leader said the territorial question “remains relevant,” but reiterated his view that such difﬁcult issues “can only be resolved at the level of leaders.” Zelenskyy said the talks also touched on long-term security guarantees and economic support for Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction. He said that a strong Ukrainian army remained “one of the main guarantees of security.” Zelenskyy said the sides agreed to hold a follow-up meeting involving Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe, though a location has not been set. Witkoff said the U.S. was pursuing “a diplomatic resolution to

this conflict, not a kinetic resolution.” Referring to the previous day’s talks, he said the meeting in Moscow had produced “new ideas” that were later brought to Kyiv. He pointed to the presence of national security advisers from the so-called E3 nations — France, Germany and the U.K. — as evidence that “collaboration is critical” to reaching a deal. Asked whether Washington was prepared to increase pressure on Russia if the talks produced no breakthrough, Kushner said the U.S. approach was to look for a “winwin” outcome. He said his father-in-law, U.S. President Donald Trump, was focused not just on ending the fighting but on building “a framework that could actually lead to a durable peace,” and that he and Witkoff had held a “constructive and substantive” meeting with Putin, discussing what Russia, Ukraine and the wider world could each gain from a settlement. Kushner said the two envoys hoped to revive trilateral talks involving Russia and Ukraine directly, a format last used roughly six months earlier, and said that Washington remained in near-daily contact with Ukrainian officials even between visits. Saturday’s meeting in Moscow lasted more than three hours behind closed doors and ended without any major developments being announced. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the talks as constructive, frank and useful, but he didn’t discuss specific outcomes. While Moscow offered its “comprehensive assessment” of the battlefield situation in Ukraine, Ushakov said, the talks weren’t purely focused on the war.

Administration makes another appeal on mail ballot order

their systems to comply the improper cloud of uncerTrump wants vise with the new Postal Service tainty that the district court has cast over the Rule, makSupreme Court to directives. The Trump administration ing clear to all involved that framed the restrictions compliance with the Rule is allow restrictions has as commonsense changes not optional and must start

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LyNNE SLADKy

An Amazon cargo plane sits at the Miami International Airport after it barreled off the runway Sunday, killing at least 5.

Amazon cargo plane barrels off runway in Miami, killing 5 BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE, DAVID FISCHER and JOSH FUNK Associated Press

MIAMI — An Amazon cargo plane barreled off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, killing at least five people as it struck vehicles and burst into ﬂames, authorities said. The aircraft overran the runway about 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Five people were killed, three critically injured and two others hospitalized with less severe injuries, Miami-Dade County officials told a news conference. Miami ofﬁcials said Sunday afternoon that it was too soon to determine whether the people who died were on board the plane or in the vehicles the plane hit. The crash, which sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky, trapped the pilot and copilot in the cockpit and some occupants in cars, said Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah. The agency said another person was trapped under a vehicle. It also halted flights at the busy travel hub for much of the afternoon. Fire crews were still dealing with a fuel leak on the plane several hours after the crash, Jadallah said.

The Prime Air plane came to rest beside a roadway near two semitrucks, images from the scene showed. The aircraft appeared to be resting on its belly and was largely intact despite the fire. The flight had been operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina. The 32-yearold Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines for more than two decades before being converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24. About 250 flights were delayed at the airport late afternoon Sunday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is sending a team to Miami led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to investigate. Amazon said in a statement that it would cooperate with any investigation. “We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” the company said. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.”

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and GARY FIELDS

that are within its power to without further delay.” regulate the mail. The filing added that eli“Simply put, the best way gibility for mail-in and abAssociated Press to address respondents’ fears sentee voting will continue WASHINGTON — The Trump about inability to comply with to be governed by state law administration on Sunday the Rule is to grant an imme- and state and local officials renewed its appeal to the diate administrative stay of will determine who is eliSupreme Court to allow new the order, followed by a full gible to use the method and restrictions on mail ballots in stay pending further review,” which ballots are eligible to time for the midterms. Sauer said. “That will remove be counted. The filing came after U.S. District Court Judge Indira GET IN TOUCH Talwani extended an order against the Postal Service Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COM or 504-529-0522 enforcing President Donald News Tips / Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM Trump’s executive order for Obituaries: 225-388-0289 • Mon-Fri 9-5; Sat 10-5; Closed Sun the November elections. Advertising Sales: 504-636-7421 • Mon-Fri 8-5 The legal wrangling is hapClassified Advertising: 225-383-0111 • Mon-Fri 8-5 pening even as states start Subscribe: nola.com/subscribe sending out mail ballots, E-Edition: nola.com/eedition Archives: nola.newsbank.com leaving the administration little time to make big changThe Times-Picayune (USPS 18530) is published by Capital City Press at 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130 and at additional mailing offices. Periodicals postage paid at New Orleans, LA. ISSN: es in mail ballot rules. 2379-0008. Capital City Press, proprietor. 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Iran plans to announce ‘exclusion zone’ near strait

BY SAMY MAGDY, JULIA FRANKEL and CARA ANNA Associated Press

CAIRO — The new head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Sunday said Tehran plans to announce an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway. Mohsen Rezaei’s comments to Iran’s state broadcaster came with few details, a day after the U.S. struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Tehran launching ballistic missiles at U.S. warships. Experts called the launches a dangerous escalation after Iran’s previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping. The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and “will begin from the line of the U.S. naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf,” Rezaei said. “Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHID SALEMI

A man works Sunday aboard a boat as a motorboat leaves a harbor in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Strait of Hormuz and is identiﬁed will be placed on our sanctions list.” It is not clear where Iran deﬁnes the location of the weekslong U.S. blockade, which is aimed at Iranian ports and keeping Tehran from shipping out its oil. The U.S. mili-

tary has said over 20 warships are supporting the blockade, which as of Sunday had redirected 92 commercial ships and disabled three. The U.S. has been introducing new measures to increase the economic pain on Iran after nego-

tiations collapsed and no end to the intermittent fighting appears in sight. Meanwhile, Iran continues to attack some ships trying to transit the strait, which has become an important source of leverage for Tehran in the war that began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes. Iran earlier Sunday said it struck an unmanned U.S. vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that the U.S. military dismissed as a “total lie.” The United States and Iran resumed attacks last week, following a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz and areas along Iran’s southern coast again being targeted. At least ﬁve people were killed earlier in the week during a U.S. bombardment that returned attention to the area where a school was hit in the war’s opening strikes. The Trump administration appears to have adopted a dual-prong approach to the conﬂict, responding militarily to attacks on the strait while going after foreign financial institutions that handle Iran’s money. But Tehran’s hard-line new senior

leaders including Rezaei have signaled a willingness to dig in after weathering decades of sanctions. Iran has found ways over the years to circumvent sanctions, and now the U.S. blockade of its ports, and get its oil to buyers to help ease growing economic pressures. On the matter of the collapsed negotiations with the U.S., Rezaei on Sunday expressed wariness not only of the U.S. but also of the mediators. The memorandum of understanding that the U.S. and Iran signed in mid-June began to fall apart within days as each side accused the other of violations. “We had trusted our friends in Pakistan, Qatar or Oman, thinking that since they had stepped in as mediators, one of a mediator’s responsibilities is that if one side violates the agreement, they should stop them,” Rezaei said. “We are now pursuing diplomacy with guarantees.” The Strait of Hormuz is crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments and was seen as an international waterway before the war began.

Whiplash midterm election year enters the final stretch President holds wild cards BY STEVEN SLOAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — In the earliest days of this election cycle, the U.S. wasn’t at war with Iran. The East Wing of the White House was still standing and the Kennedy Center wasn’t threatened with demolition. Artificial intelligence data centers weren’t bipartisan shorthand for the tech sector’s excess. Democratic socialists were largely confined to the outer edges of political discourse. Lake Ontario’s name wasn’t in question. Since President Donald Trump entered politics more than a decade ago, he’s had a knack for dominating the national conversation so thoroughly that it can be hard to keep up. But as the final midterm of his presidency rapidly approaches, the landscape is proving especially volatile, with Trump often stirring the tumult. “Some of these things are out of our control,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, told reporters last week when pressed on whether the frenzy will hurt his party’s election prospects. Even the map itself has been in flux, with Texas, California and Florida among the states that have redrawn congressional districts. Missouri’s Republican attorney general is appealing a court ruling last week that blocked a Trump-backed map there. The twists could keep coming. The economic fallout from Trump’s tariffs on Canada may intensify as the election nears. His effort to limit mail ballots could add uncertainty to the voting process just as such ballots are being distributed in states like North Carolina, home to a critical U.S. Senate race. The president is sitting on more than $400 million that could shape the election’s trajectory. And Trump’s gilded remake of Washington stands in contrast to the economic anxiety many Americans are expressing. The wealth he has amassed in office has no modern presidential precedent, with Trump taking in $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year, according to a federal filing released this summer. That’s threatening a bipartisan effort in the Senate to advance legislation to strengthen cryptocurrency regulation as soon as next week. Democrats are insisting the measure include a more robust ethics provision. “We’ve watched this president enrich himself,” said Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, of Maryland, a key Democratic vote on the bill who said she wouldn’t support it without tougher language. With so many shifts underway, it is perhaps fitting that one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on is that Trump will again be a central player in the election’s final stretch.

“No. 1, President Trump,” Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary under Republican President George W. Bush, said when asked to rank the top issues this year. Rep. Suzan DelBene, of Washington, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said: “People are feeling the pain from Trump.” She expects voters will elevate candidates who “want to stand up for the American people, the pain that’s been inflicted by this administration and Republicans in Congress.” Midterm elections are historically challenging for a president’s party as restive voters seek change. Democrats flipped 40 House seats during Trump’s last midterm in 2018 and 31 seats during the final race of Bush’s term in 2006. Republicans, meanwhile, gained 63 seats in 2010 under Democratic President Barack Obama but flipped fewer than 10 seats in 2022 under President Joe Biden. Shifting dozens of seats this year could be challenging because partisan redistricting has reduced the number of genuinely competitive races. Still, just a third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the presidency, according to a July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s down slightly from 37% in June and well below the 42% who approved of his work when he took office. Majorities also disapprove of his handling of the economy and immigration, issues that were central to Trump’s election in 2024. Democrats are confident they can win the handful of seats they need to regain control of the House. There may be a path to flipping the Senate if they can hold on in states like Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire while winning Republican-held seats in places like Maine, Texas, Iowa or Ohio. But the party is also aiming to regain ground outside of Washington. Democrats are devoting resources, in particular, to the governors’ races in Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, and Nevada, all currently held by Republicans. “I’m excited about the map and I am bullish that we are going to pick up several seats,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a potential 2028 presidential contender who has led the effort to win governors’ races this year as chair of the Democratic Governors Association. Democrats are especially enthusiastic about Iowa, which hasn’t elected a Democratic governor in 20 years. Their governors association has spent $5 million to back Rob Sand, who has gained national attention for his campaign to connect with rural voters who have abandoned Democrats in recent elections. But even in a seemingly favorable year, Democrats face challenges. Beshear acknowledged that Arizona,

where incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing Republican challenger Andy Biggs, will be a “tough race.” The Republican candidate for governor in Minnesota, Lisa Demuth, suggested she would tap into the antiincumbent mood that has coursed through both parties to target her Democratic rival, Amy Klobuchar, who has spent nearly 20 years in the Senate after working in local politics. “She is a 30-year politician,” Demuth said of Klobuchar.

After democratic socialists won a string of primaries this summer, Republicans are eager to tie anyone in the party to the far left ﬂank. Most of the candidates aligned with democratic socialists are in reliably Democratic seats. Still, Fleischer said Democrats snatched “defeat out of the jaws of victory” by elevating such contenders in a handful of congressional primaries. Democrats have dispatched democratic socialist candidates in governors’ races. But Beshear, who has

carved out a centrist lane before his potential presidential bid, rejected Republican efforts to label the broader party. “The only person that I see engaged in socialism is Donald J. Trump, who is taking equity in private companies for the United States government,” he said. “That’s the deﬁnition of socialism.” Hanging over many of these states is concern that the federal government under Trump will seek to influence elections, perhaps one of the biggest variables ahead and a prospect that

some Republicans are warning against. Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming, a Republican, said recently that the behavior of Justice Department ofﬁcials who monitored poll workers and observed voters was “a bit aggressive” and “irregular.” “I feel very strongly about the federal government coming in and taking our guns,” he said at a meeting to conﬁrm election results in August. “I don’t like that. I don’t like the federal government coming in and taking our votes, either.”

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officials agreed with River Birch in finding that continued trash disposal in an area where it has been occurring safely for decades offered the best protection for the environment and the public, while also ensuring trash has a place to go for the long term. “The bulk of the expansion project will be on land used historically for landfill operations and that abuts landfill operations,” DEQ officials said in a statement explaining the decision. “This provides the additional capacity STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE while maintaining, at least, the status quo of land use.” Heavy equipment works on the construction of a new cell at River Birch in Avondale on Feb. The new expansion will 10. bring in 351 acres for additional trash storage, bringwill take several years to ing the total amount of land grade the site, install new dedicated at River Birch to River Birch expansion liners designed to prevent trash to 710 acres, or roughRiver Birch Landfill is seeking state approval to expand over groundwater contamination ly 540 football fields, agency several hundred acres of a former landfill. and bring the existing landdocuments say. The newly combined landfill to a required height. WAGGAMAN “We expect to start disposfills are also next to two othLiv 18 eO er landfills that River Birch ing of waste there in about ak Blv d. owns or operates, including five years, when our existing one for Jefferson Parish. landfill reaches a height of 60 Existing U.S. 90 The combined trash comfeet,” company officials said construction in a statement. plex on the west bank of the River Birch debris landfill River Birch is currently Mississippi River has one of landfill a municipal and industrial the largest capacities in the landfill and, before the new nation, an Environmental permit, had previously had a Protection Agency database Proposed Jefferson expansion service area of 13 parishes in shows. Parish metro New Orleans and the The expansion means on old landfill bayou parishes. trash storage at River Birch GNOL In the new permit, DEQ is expected to continue landfill accepted River Birch’s for the next six decades — 90 promises that out-of-state through 2090. Once built out, trash will make up a small the landfill pile on the old Staff map percentage of the expanded GNOL site would be 195 feet high and have enough trash of River Birch’s lifecycle expansion, said she thinks landfill’s garbage stream — to fill the Superdome nearly and size would bring no “new “she can speak for many in no more than 10% — and 27 times. social costs” to the area. saying it’s a disappointing will be focused on supplyLisa Karlin, an east bank decision by LDEQ.” ing still-developing innovaNo ‘new social costs’? resident of Jefferson Parish Company officials said last tive renewable energy projDEQ officials concluded, who has been a vocal oppo- week that they welcomed ects. Municipal solid waste however, that the extension nent of River Birch and the DEQ’s decision but that it wouldn’t come from areas

BUILDING

Continued from page 1A

New heights

Designed by prominent New Orleans architect Moise Goldstein, whose firm would later design the old Moisant Airport terminal, the North American Bank Building opened in 1929 to serve as a bank headquarters. It was constructed using steel and limestone, and is adorned with art deco flourishes common for the era. In 1986, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. After Katrina, the building’s former owners converted it into affordable and market-rate apartments, which debuted in December 2008. The renovation transformed former offices into studio and onebedroom units and added a business center, fitness center, meeting room and social area. The property sits at the corner of Carondelet and Common streets, one block from Canal Street and a block and a half from Bourbon Street. It’s also neighbors with 201 St. Charles, one of the city’s most prestigious office buildings. Merideth said the building is roughly 90% occupied, and its tenants are a “good mix of folks, including students, downtown workers, musicians, teachers and seniors.” Forty percent of the units are set aside for tenants who earn

STAFF PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK

Michael Merideth, right, and Andre Lewis stand in front of their apartment complex on Carondelet Street in New Orleans on Wednesday. no more than 60% of the area median income — about $38,000 a year — a designation that will remain in place for more than a decade because of mandates tied to tax credits used for the conversion in the early 2000s. Merideth said the company has set aside money to deal with the known problems on-site. “We will revitalize a corner that needs it,” he said. “It’s going to be something that takes time, but it’s going to be big for downtown. This is a legacy project for us.”

A fast-growing company Merideth grew up in Atlanta. Lewis is from Montgomery, Alabama. The two Tuskegee University alumni founded VPG in 2010 when they were both living in New Orleans while working as petroleum engineers for Chevron. The partners’ ﬁrst acquisition, which came in 2011, was a residential “four-plex” in Chalmette. Over the next 15 years, they grew their portfolio dramatically to include nearly 1,400 “doors” — or individ-

self-reported to regulators. The groups noted, for example, methane surface emissions at River Birch between Nov. 12 and 14, 2025, were as much as 64 times the federal threshold, based on the company’s self-reported data. Their air monitor reported its highest peak on Nov. 14, 2025. River Birch officials said they strongly disagreed with the groups’ reading of the air data, suggesting they showed methane, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds were coming into the Waggaman area “from every direction, not just from the direction of the landfill.” The company also argued the groups’ wind readings were inconsistent with their own and that of the New Orleans airport’s. Wind readings can figure heavily in determining the source of an emission. River Birch added that DEQ “regularly monitors our facility for odors and emissions, and in granting approval for GNOL, it has confirmed that River Birch is compliant with all emissions limits.” DEQ officials didn’t dispute River Birch was a source of emissions, but found they weren’t exceeding background limits and that the company’s advanced methane controls, which convert landfill gas into natural gas for fuel, offered a way to contain potential odors. They noted those systems and others to prevent groundwater contamination would be extended into GNOL.

farther than 200 miles away, the officials said. The 200-mile radius is not specified in the permit — a concern for some residents — but company officials said they will file “a binding addendum” to add the requirement. In their decision, DEQ officials also downplayed the impact the expanded capacity and service area would have on local traffic or the speed with which that capacity would be used because the permit retains the existing weekly trash volume limit.

Air monitor data

Chronic smells remained a focus of local opponents in comments and during the public hearing earlier this year on the expansion. Tw o e n v i r o n m e n t a l groups, the Environmental Integrity Project and Join for Clean Air, later weighed in with two local community groups to try to challenge the company’s and state’s conclusions that the landﬁll was controlling its odors and emissions adequately and that the expansion wouldn’t worsen those problems. The groups used their own air monitoring data from Waggaman, along with data from the Carbon Mapper methane detection satellite and two others operated by NASA. Collected over almost nine months starting in mid-August 2025, the air data from the Aeroqual AQS 1 monitor in Waggaman, they alleged, showed methane was coming from River Birch. The groups pointed to methane peaks at the monitor that coincided with prevailing winds and known David J. Mitchell can be big methane leaks from the reached at dmitchell@ landﬁll that River Birch had theadvocate.com.

ual rental units — across greater New Orleans and the surrounding region. Last year’s acquisition of the 250-unit Marquis apartments on Poydras Street near Broad Street and this year’s pickup of four multifamily projects totaling 288 units in St. Bernard Parish boosted that total considerably. VPG is also one of the developers working to build the potential $1 billion River District neighborhood from scratch on nearly 40 acres of undeveloped land upriver from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Construction of The Rivana, the district’s first affordable housing project, could begin as soon as this fall. VPG’s growth over the past decade has been fueled by support from national institutional partners, including Goldman Sachs and private equity firms. VPG has more than 60 fulltime employees split between its Tchoupitoulas Street headquarters and its properties. It also has its own in-house construction company. The former National American Bank Building is VPG’s highest profile — and just plain tallest — acquisition to date. Larry Schedler, a veteran of the New Orleans multifamily real estate industry, said VPG’s roughly $144,000 per unit price was a “very good deal, and I think this is the right group at the right time. These are smart young guys who

The point of the apartment complex that Michael Merideth and Andre Lewis recently purchased is seen on Carondelet Street on Wednesday. are obviously committed to the city.” Schedler also said the acquisition shows outside investors have conﬁdence in the city’s downtown core. “When you put a transaction like this together, you have to sell a lot of people on the vision,” he said. “It’s really good news that all these groups bought in.” Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ 5A

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BALANCE

Continued from page 1A company and a group of concerned birders, ecological researchers and environmental activists. Caturus had applied for three coastal use permits with the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy to build the lots along La. 82 in the Johnson Bayou area. Dozens submitted comments opposing the plan to the state agency. The proposal is currently on pause, with the permit applications stalling in July when the state asked Caturus for more information about them, according to Patrick Courreges, spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy. The company then asked to put the permits on hold as they attempted to work with local ofﬁcials and look into other alternatives, Courreges said in an Aug. 25 email to The Advocate | The TimesPicayune. Magnus “Sonny” McGee, who represents District 1 of the Cameron Parish Police Jury, also asked the state to suspend the review of the coastal use permit applications. “The Coastal Use Permit process is intended to yield the greatest public benefit with the least amount of environmental damage,” McGee wrote in a July 29 email to a Department of Conservation and Energy ofﬁcial. “Given the scope of these interconnected projects and their potential impacts, I believe the public deserves the opportunity to comment on them collectively rather than through separate permit proceedings.” Meanwhile, opponents have asked that the company consider alternative sites away from the habitat. They’ve also asked the Department of Conservation and Energy to consider the environmental impact of the proposed lots cumulatively instead of independently, and for a single public hearing to voice concerns. If the state eventually approves the permits, the Cameron Parish Police Jury would also have to sign off for approval. “We’re not anti-LNG,” said Mark Pethke, treasurer of the Louisiana Ornithological Society and Baton Rouge Audubon Society. “We’re anti-these locations, and particularly the Targa lot.” The Targa lot would hold around 900 vehicles, about one-third of a mile from the Peveto Woods. Caturus Energy did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

A vital stop for birds Up to 2 million birds ﬂock to the chenier habitat in coastal Louisiana each spring on their migration trips from South America to Canada, many stopping along the 40 acres of Peveto Woods Bird and Butterﬂy Sanctuary in Cameron Parish. French settlers used to invoke the word “chenier,” which means “oak grove,” to describe the beach ridges along the coast. After an on-

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Construction is underway on the Commonwealth liquefied natural gas export facility in Cameron Parish on Aug. 12. it’s especially vital during inclement weather when Peveto Woods and the surrounding areas serve as an emergency stop, he said. “There’s all sorts of cascading problems when you add any kind of noise and lighting to a place that is really critical for billions of birds,” said Johnson, who holds a doctorate in wildlife and ﬁsheries management. “And it’s not just Peveto Woods. It’s that whole region that’s super important for birds and is one of the great wildernesses in some ways.”

A pair of orchard orioles perch in a tree at a site proposed for a parking lot along La. 82 in Cameron Parish on Aug. 12. slaught of development and residential subdivisions decades ago started to shrink the habitats, a movement took hold by the 1980s to save what remained. A small group of concerned birders purchased undeveloped lots and donated parcels to the Baton Rouge Audubon Society, which has since expanded the acreage, filled in sand pits and replanted live oak seedlings. More recently, birders have documented 325 of the 493 bird species recorded in the state along the coastal refuge, according to Jane Patterson, president of the Baton Rouge Audubon Society, which owns the sanctuary. The sanctuary and similar cheniers in the region not only act as a first stop for birds migrating north in the spring, but also as a last stop for birds migrating south in the fall before crossing the Gulf, Patterson said. “Without a doubt, there are just fewer birds in the woods these days than there were 50 years ago,” Patterson said. “That decline is going to continue, and we may lose additional species entirely in our lifetime if we don’t figure out a way to achieve some balance.” Of the three proposed lots, the Targa lot would be the closest to Peveto Woods. A second Johnson Bayou lot is proposed for one mile away from the sanctuary, with parking for 500 vehicles near the community library. A third Stream West lot would be about 5 miles away from the sanctuary in the opposite direction, and have parking for 665 vehicles near the community fire station.

Mary Tutwiler, a Louisiana birder who lives in Lafayette, worried that the parking lots will bulldoze the brush that birds rely on. “It’s one of the very few places along the coast that offers the birds these things, and we’ve kept it from being turned into beachfront homes,” she said. “After the hurricanes, a lot of these oaks were wiped out, which makes it even more important to preserve this spot.” Some opponents have suggested relocating the parkand-ride lots farther north or to areas that are already developed and well-lit at night. If the lots move forward in the proposed locations, opponents have warned that the type of lighting could affect birds, saying downwardfacing, motion-sensing lights would be better than those that continuously light up the sky.

Cascading problems Bright lights, loud noises and disruptions to their habitats can be stressors for migratory birds, according to Erik Johnson, an associate professor in LSU’s School of Renewable Natural Resources. Johnson, who has provided research for opponents of the project, also warned that daytime noise from increased trafﬁc can increase stress hormones, which impacts birds’ ability to communicate with one another. That can lead to reduced feeding at a critical time — either right before or right after crossing the Gulf, Johnson said. The coastal chenier habitat has long been important to migratory birds, but

Changes could happen The three recent parkand-ride lot proposals are the latest in a series of projects along Cameron Parish’s rural coastline related to the LNG industry. The region experienced a sharp population decline over the past two decades after devastation from Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Laura in 2020. But the recent uptick in LNG activity has inundated the twolane coastal highways with gravel-filled dump trucks and buses packed with workers. Mark Daigle, who represents District 5 of the Cameron Parish Police Jury, said there are few residents left

tion that advocates for stricter environmental standards. The report, which was sourced from federal and state data, documented over the last decade 34 federal Clean Air Act emission events at Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass LNG terminal, which resulted in 4,211 tons of air pollution. The report also documented 19 emission events at Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal, resulting in 93 tons of air pollution, and 89 emission events at Cameron LNG’s export terminal in Hackberry, resulting in 475 tons of air pollution. “Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass facility has and continues to be in compliance with federal and state environmental regulations,” Venture Global spokesperson Jess Szymanski wrote in an email to The Advocate. She disputed records about past deviations during the facility’s commissioning phase, saying they do not constitute violations and occur across the industry during a project’s commissioning. “Calcasieu Pass has been in full compliance with its annual air permit emission limits,” Szymanski added. Cheniere Energy and Cameron LNG did not respond to requests for comment. James Hiatt, a Lake Charles environmental advocate and director of the community-based environmental organization For a Better Bayou, told the Cameron Parish Police Jury during a recent meeting that the proposed park-and-ride lots will impact residents, and similar future projects will affect the area. “We’re going to see this again and again,” Hiatt said. “The police jury has the authority and ability to express the will of the people who live here — and maybe the state reps and senators too — but if y’all had a uniﬁed voice, that matters, and what’s happening in lower Cameron could change.”

in his community. Still, he feels the effects of the workers who’ve come for the LNG boom. “Unfortunately, I literally stay at my house until 9 or 10 o’clock at night because I can’t even pull out my own driveway because of trafﬁc,” he said. “But as a juror and a resident, I kind of got to wear two caps. As a resident, it’s aggravating, but it’s progress. Nobody likes to hear it.” Longtime Cameron Parish residents and conservation activists both say they’re not against the recent LNG boom, which local leaders say is vital to keeping federal funding from disappearing as the permanent population dwindles. But some residents and conservationists say they want the companies to be respectful of the people and wildlife that were around before the industry. And even with environmental regulations in place, LNG facilities in Cameron Parish have been dinged over environmental problems. The three LNG export facilities in Cameron Parish have had a pattern of air pollution concerns, according to a 2025 report by the Environmental Integrity Project, a Email Megan Wyatt at nonproﬁt research organiza- mwyatt@theadvocate.com.

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N O L A.C O M

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‘Astounding’ gains in New Orleans test scores Students in top national percentiles for reading, math growth

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

For America’s 250th birthday, the Department of Justice asked U.S. attorneys across the country to honor a hometown hero. In New Orleans, that award went to Maj. Stephanie Minto-Gibson, who for more than a decade has headed up the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Crime Victims Reparations Unit. In that role, she helped secure financial support for victims of the Bourbon Street terrorist attack.

‘We’re here to help’

Sheriff’s Office major instrumental in helping Bourbon Street attack victims picked as ‘Hometown Hero’ BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Maj. Stephanie Minto-Gibson woke up on Jan. 1, 2025, to a phone call from an FBI agent, alerting her to the Bourbon Street terrorist attack. As the director of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Crime Victims Reparations Unit, Minto-Gibson got to work. She scoured social media to identify family members of the people who were killed. By the end of the day, she was filling out paperwork to help them get emergency funding to cover burial costs and travel expenses. Her three-person team helped dozens of other victims who were injured or emotionally traumatized by the attack, assisting them in obtaining funding for medical care, counseling and lost wages. U.S. Attorney David Courcelle

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Capt. Stephanie Minto hugs a girl after she read a poem and talked about her own experience with a violent crime during the 2021 All White Balloon Release along Bayou St. John. Minto-Gibson took over as the Sheriff’s Office’s crime victims coordinator in 2012.

pointed to Minto-Gibson’s “rapid and highly coordinated utilization of OPSO resources” to help those victims when he named her in August as the recipient of the Freedom 250 Hometown Hero Award. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Department of the Justice asked each of the nation’s 93 U.S. attorneys to identify a law enforcement officer, first responder or community figure whose acts of service exemplified the ideals of liberty, service and civic responsibility. Minto-Gibson took over as the Sheriff’s Office’s crime victims coordinator in 2012. In that role, she helps victims of crime, or family members in the case of death, file applications with the state board overseeing the Crime

ä See HERO, page 2B

New Orleans students are leading the nation in reading and math growth as they improve their test scores faster than their peers in Louisiana and across the country, according to a recent nationwide analysis. Students in Orleans Parish were in the 99th percentile in reading growth and in the 98th percentile for math growth among nearly all districts nationwide from 2022 to 2025, according to the study, which looked at changes in student test scores during that period. Called the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University, the study was ﬁrst released in May and updated with new data this month. New Orleans students learned nearly 34% more per school year than the national average during that period, according to the analysis, which based that estimate on how much students’ test scores improved from one grade level to the next. Their “learning rate” was well above Louisiana’s statewide rate and higher than in comparable school districts, the study found.

ä See TEST, page 2B

N.O. East residents push for City Hall move Public meetings continue on building’s future

BY VIOLET BUCARO Staff writer

Cars packed an overﬂow parking lot in Joe Brown Park on Thursday night as residents came to voice their opinions on the city’s plans to replace its aging Civil District Court and City Hall buildings and a possible new annex in New Orleans East. But Nga Vu, of New Orleans East, had a different idea. “Why bring an annex, another building, when they can bring the whole City Hall to New Orleans East?” Vu said. “We have the land. It’s affordable. Bring the whole thing here.” The suggestion drew three rounds of applause from dozens of residents who had been brainstorming ideas for a new City Hall and Civil District Court for an hour. Residents Claudia and Anthony Smith said

ä See CITY HALL, page 2B

2B ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Man arrested in fatal daiquiri shop shooting BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

New Orleans police arrested a man on suspicion of murder in a Thursday killing near a Gentilly Woods daiquiri shop, court records show. Robert G. Rodriguez, 23, was booked into Orleans Justice Center on Thursday evening on a count of second-degree murder. He was also being held on a traffic warrant and a court capias warrant, according to records. Rodriguez is accused of shooting another man dead in the 4400 block of Chef Menteur Highway around 2 p.m. Thursday. Shortly after New Orleans Police Department ofﬁcers found the man down, state troopers saw a vehicle leaving the area at a high rate of speed. Troopers pursued the vehicle, which crossed the Industrial Canal before running off the road a couple miles from the homicide scene. Two individuals ran away. Rodriguez was detained there after a short foot chase, questioned and arrested.

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

New Orleans homicide detectives investigate a fatal shooting in the 440 block of Chef Menteur Highway on Thursday. “Troop NOLA saw something suspicious, they went to go engage, and they immediately notified NOPD ... likely helping us clear another murder in the city of New Orleans,” NOPD Deputy Superintendent Nicholas Gernon said Thursday at the homicide scene. A search ensued for the second person, which shut down a perimeter spanning Chef Menteur High-

way, Ransom Street and Lynhuber Drive. That person remained at large as of Friday afternoon, the NOPD said. If convicted of murder, Rodriguez faces life at hard labor. Investigation into the incident is ongoing. Anyone with additional information may contact NOPD Homicide Section detectives at (504) 658-5300.

CITY HALL

Continued from page 1B they agreed that an annex would be progress for New Orleans East, but bringing City Hall in its entirety to the area could attract investment to a part of the city they consider underdeveloped. “New Orleans thinks small. That tourists are where the money is at, but business is what is happening now,” Anthony Smith said. “City Hall ain’t nothing but a drop compared to what it could be out here.” Nearly all of the residents who spoke at Thursday’s roundtable meeting said New Orleans East is a promising site for City Hall. “New Orleans East is the largest area in New Orleans,” another resident at the roundtable, Trina Hudson, said. “It would make it more accessible for the majority of the people to be able to use those services. At the least, give us the annex.” Residents also brought up the importance of parking at City Hall, which they said is scarce at its current location on Perdido Street. Some said they would like to see shuttle service between New Orleans East and downtown. The discussion comes as the Municipal Complex Advisory Committee, appointed by Mayor Helena Moreno, considers where New Orleans’ next seat of government should be. The committee has been exploring options since August after several failed attempts by previous administrations to renovate or relocate City Hall. Renovations to the midcentury City Hall building would require hundreds of millions to restore infrastructure dating back to 1957. The building has been plagued by rodents, mold, water leaks, damaged ceilings, exposed wires and nonfunctional elevators and restrooms for several years. The committee held its third meeting Tuesday at Union Passenger Terminal to discuss potential downtown alternatives to the existing City Hall and Civil District Court buildings. Previous meetings focused on renovating or rebuilding the existing complex at 1300 Perdido St. Annie McBride, CEO of the New Orleans Building Corporation, presented six downtown buildings that were previously considered as potential sites under former Mayor LaToya Cantrell. The sites included 1615 Poydras St. across from the Caesars Superdome, 1515 Perdido St. across from Benson Tower, Gallier Hall and the old Veterans Affairs hospital.

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TEST

Continued from page 1B The latest state test scores, which are not included in the analysis, indicate the growth trend has continued in New Orleans. Across all subjects and grades, students grew 3 percentage points this year, pushing the district’s share of students earning mastery above comparable districts, including East Baton Rouge and Jefferson Parish. Jamie Carroll, executive director of the Education Research Alliance, a Tulane University-based research group, called the gains “astounding.” “This does tell us that Orleans — especially in the growth since COVID — has really outperformed many districts,” she said. Despite the gains, which occurred as academic progress has slowed in most other school districts, New Orleans students’ test scores remain near the bottom of the pack. The district ranked in the 7th percentile of districts in average math scores and 20th percentile of districts in average reading scores, according to the report, which estimated that New Orleans students are nearly two grade levels below the national average. Still, growth rates are often a more reliable measure of school quality than baseline test scores, which can reﬂect students’ education opportunities and circumstances outside school, Carroll said. For that reason, Louisiana’s new school-rating system gives more weight to student growth. “These gains reﬂect the dedication of our teachers, the hard work of our students and fami-

lies, and our school leaders’ relentless focus on providing a high-quality education,” NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Fateama Fulmore said in a statement.

Gaps remain Despite systemwide growth, there are major disparities between student groups. Black students in New Orleans were nearly two and a half grades below the 2019 national average, while White students performed nearly two and a half grade levels above the average, the study found. Hispanic students were three grade levels below average. There were similar disparities between students from low- and higher-income families. Nationwide, racial and economic test score gaps are a longstanding challenge, which worsened during the pandemic. In New Orleans, students from all backgrounds have improved their test scores since 2022, the analysis found. However, White students showed more growth than Black and Hispanic students. “There still appears to be inequality within the district by race and economic advantage,” Carroll said. Still, New Orleans students grew more than their peers in districts with similar demographics, including East Baton Rouge, Caddo and Tangipahoa parishes. “While we still have work to do to close longstanding achievement gaps, the trajectory is clear,” Fulmore said. “NOLA Public Schools is moving in the right direction and our students are growing, achieving, and thriving at higher levels than ever before.”

STAFF FILE PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK

Renovations to the midcentury City Hall building on Perdido Street in New Orleans would require hundreds of millions of dollars to restore infrastructure dating back to 1957. A committee is exploring options for a new location for City Hall.

Old furniture is stacked in the basement of City Hall in New Orleans. The building has been plagued by rodents, mold, water leaks, damaged ceilings, exposed wires and nonfunctional elevators and restrooms for several years. Those sites are between 40 and 70 years old, and some are not for sale or already serve as office space. The sites were studied under Cantrell’s administration in 2023, and she ultimately pushed to convert the Municipal Auditorium into a new City Hall but faced opposition from the City Council and Treme community leaders. Officials on Tuesday said each site would need major renovations and could cost hundreds of millions of dollars to acquire. The committee has until Jan. 20 to submit a final report, and there will be one more public roundtable meeting later this month. Renovating the existing buildings would sidestep the cost of a new building; it would also mean investing in a courthouse already deemed to be at the end of its lifespan. “It seems like a really, much easier option to renovate the existing building until you map out the logistics,” Andy Koplin, president of the advisory committee and Greater New Orleans Foundation, told the advisory board at the meeting two days earlier at Union Passenger Terminal. “Collocating (Civil District Court) with City Hall has benefit

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because it creates a civic node within the city, and that is something that serves the public, as well as other businesses that use the court,” Lisa Herron, of Manning Architects, told the advisory board members at the same meeting. She said it would give a sense of civic pride to have the two buildings in proximity, for “the courthouse should make a civic statement.” Another option that has been discussed is to build on the 4.5-acre Duncan Plaza site across from City Hall on Loyola Avenue. No decisions were made Thursday afternoon. Koplin said residents with ideas or comments can email suggestions to mcac@nola.gov. The next public meeting will be at Morris F.X. Jeff Sr. Recreation Center in Algiers on Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. A fourth Municipal Complex Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. in the second-floor conference room at Union Passenger Terminal on Loyola Avenue, followed by ﬁve more board meetings until December. Email Violet Bucaro at violet. bucaro@theadvocate.com.

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STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Under Maj. Stephanie Minto-Gibson’s leadership, the Sheriff’s Office launched Operation NOLA Hub, a centralized resource center that’s activated during high-profile events like Carnival or the Sugar Bowl to provide services to survivors of violent crimes.

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realized she was born for the work. “People always share problems with me, from when I was a little girl,” Minto-Gibson said. “Folks gravitate to me.” She noted that her friends call her “a refrigerator,” because they can conﬁde in her and trust that she won’t share it with others. “I keep it in,” she said. Under her leadership, the Sheriff’s Office launched Operation NOLA Hub, a centralized resource center that’s activated during high-proﬁle events like Carnival or the Sugar Bowl to provide services to survivors of violent crimes. “We are here to help, and we will navigate them through the criminal justice system,” she said. “And if we can’t help, we have partners who can assist them as well.”

Victims’ Compensation Fund. The fund is financed through federal grants and fees assessed to those convicted of crimes and provides awards of up to $25,000, depending on the circumstance. Minto-Gibson said her team handles around 15 to 20 applications a week. But her job is about more than navigating a bureaucratic process. “It’s not about rushing the paperwork. It’s about getting to know them,” Minto-Gibson said in an interview last week. “I had one individual sit here for two hours one day. But it was OK because that person left here lighter.” Minto-Gibson grew up in Jamaica, the daughter of a police detective. She attended college in Email Blake Paterson at the U.S. on a track and field schol- bpaterson@theadvocate.com. arship and started working at the Sheriff’s Office in 1999 as a booking clerk. LOTTERY After getting a master’s degree SATURDAY, SEPT. 5, 2026 in criminal justice at Southern PICK 3: 3-2-6 University New Orleans — where she was a student alongside nowPICK 4: 2-9-2-1 Sheriff Michelle Woodfork — she PICK 5: 4-3-5-4-4 began working in internal affairs EASY 5: 1-3-18-20-34 and human resources at the SherLOTTO: 20-21-25-30-32-42 iff’s Office. POWERBALL: 15-40-47-53Minto-Gibson initially didn’t want to work as a victim coordi59 (9) Unofficial notification, keep your tickets. nator. She was moved into the role without asking. But she quickly

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STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Color match

A painter rolls on Southern blue as Southern University in Baton Rouge gets A.W. Mumford Stadium ready for football season recently.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Kai Drobish, founder of Architectural Memories, makes ceramic plaques representing historic architecture like this one of Olde Tyme Grocery in Lafayette.

Lafayette artist replicates sentimental places as ornaments BY JA’KORI MADISON

Staff writer

For Kai Drobish, clay isn’t just clay. It starts as something from the earth; then she shapes it, fires it, and it eventually becomes a house, a church, a school or another place someone remembers. Drobish calls her work Architectural Memories, a business where — inspired by iconic Louisiana landmarks or other sentimental places — she handcrafts 5-by-7-inch ceramic plaques and 3-by-3-inch ornaments that hang from a raffia tie. “I call them architectural memories,” she said. “But really they’re reminders.” A church might remind someone of a wedding. A house might be the place where someone grew up. A school could bring back memories of a child’s first day. A business might represent years of someone’s life. “It’s not that they’re memories, because obviously a picture of their church is not their memory,” she said. “But when they pass by their living room wall, they might think, ‘Oh, my wedding was so great,’ or, ‘Oh, I remember the night he proposed to me there,’ or, ‘Oh, I remember my child’s first day of school there.’ ” Over the years, Drobish has created items representing a lighthouse in Australia, a castle in Cuba, churches in Spain and Italy, hospitals in the United Kingdom, country houses in England and Scotland and a château in France. The request most of her customers have starts simple: Here’s a photograph. Make this. The process begins with raw materials. For a custom home, Drobish starts with a thick slab of wet clay and builds the architectural elements by hand using thin slabs. The photographs tell her what the building looks like. Then the artist in her decides what matters by hand-painting details into each piece. “There’s only so much detail you can get,” she said. “So I have to choose.” For Drobish, windows and doors are some of the most important details. “If there’s something that they had, a flag, I try and put the flag,” she said. “But you always have to make decisions.” The clay dries before it goes into one of her kilns for its first firing. After that, she paints the piece and fires it again, creating the final color and glaze. Her Lafayette studio is filled with pieces at different stages of the process, from wet clay, unfinished buildings and molds to painted pieces and orders waiting to be shipped. “I am basically worker one and worker two,” Drobish said.

Southern University dean will step down after academic year Donald Andrews to resume teaching after 29 years in role

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Kai Drobish, founder of Architectural Memories, works in her Lafayette art studio.

A ceramic plaque of The French Press in Lafayette

Kai Drobish, founder of Architectural Memories, created a ceramic plaque of Louisiana Tech University.

chitectural Memories in the early 2000s, her connection to making things began long before that. Drobish grew up in Houma. Her mother, Camilla Drobish, made crafts and painted to earn extra money, selling her work at church fairs and small shops. As a child, Drobish and her siblings helped. “We were always kids who were crafting,” Drobish said. “My mom didn’t believe in idle hands.” Drobish remembers spending time with her mother, helping with the work and watching people buy things they had made. She thought it was fun; it never seemed like work to her. The combination of making things with her mother and seeing that they had sentimental and proﬁtable value stayed with her. In college, she originally studied ceramics at LSU and loved it. But sometime around her junior year, she decided that although she loved it, she couldn’t make Inspiration starts at home a living from it. So she switched her major Although she started Ar-

to political science. Then she enrolled in law school. Her path back to art after graduating with a degree in political science came from her mother. After college, Drobish worked in marketing and fundraising in New Orleans. Her mother continued making and selling art, and Drobish began helping her ﬁnd new ways to sell it. “We get so much fundraising business that she’s like, ‘You need to move to Bay St. Louis so you can help me make these. I can’t do this all,’ ” Drobish recalled. Drobish started selling her own work in Lafayette in 2004, when she participated in the Junior League’s Tinsel & Treasures show. That led to her ﬁrst wholesale account. Soon, her work was being sold in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Lake Charles, Natchitoches and other places around Louisiana. These days, she has turned down wholesale accounts because she simply can’t do what she used to do.

Ornament of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Erath “I can’t,” she said. “I physically cannot do any more.” Today, much of Drobish’s work still centers on custom-ordered pieces through her Architectural Memories website. She also sells ready-to-purchase plaques featuring landmarks from different Louisiana parishes, along with ornaments depicting historic and familiar landmarks from around the area. “It’s so cool that I can take mud and make it into things that people like,” she said. “It’s really one of the most ancient things you can do.” In another life, she says she sees herself as an architect. “It was nothing until you touched it and made it into something,” she said. Drobish shares her work on Instagram, @architecturalmemories and on her Architectural Memories Facebook page.

STAFF PHOTO

Decades before he was dean of the Southern University College of Business, Donald Andrews picked cotton in northeastern Louisiana and took lessons with the retired schoolteacher next door. “She just painted an entire different picture for me,” Andrews said. “At that time, we were highly segregated. I don’t think people in the town I grew up in knew that the South lost the Civil War.” When he visited Grambling for the first time, home to the historically Black Grambling State University, it was with the teacher’s daughter and grandson. Seeing a Black mayor, a Black police ofﬁcer — all the opportunities he had no idea about — Andrews knew that he had to go to college, he said. “The only professional Blacks I’d ever seen were schoolteachers and preachers,” Andrews said. “That was it. When I saw what was going on at Grambling, I said, ‘Oh my god, we’ve overcome, and nobody ever told me anything about it!’ ” He started his degree at Southern University in 1967 and became the dean of the College of Business in 1998. It was supposed to be an interim position, but it stuck, he said. “I don’t know how seriously they looked for somebody else,” he joked. After 29 years, he will step down as the dean next July. He will continue serving as the G. Leon Netterville/Kellogg Endowed Professor and resume teaching, he said. In his career, he helped the college achieve and maintain its accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. “It’s especially important to recognize that accomplishment, because he was never a dean that had a lot of resources set up for him,” Southern University Chancellor John Pierre said. “That means that he put in a lot of work to make it possible.”

Southern University College of Business Dean Donald Andrews speaks at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting at J.S. Clark Administration Building.

Southern University Board of Supervisors Chair Tony Clayton said Andrews has become an institution at the university and will leave a legacy as “one of the best deans that we’ve had.” “He actually taught me and gave me a C,” Clayton said. “I didn’t make a good grade in his class, but I still love him.” Andrews oversaw the creation of numerous international initiatives, sending students to Ghana, Uganda, China and Brazil. At home, he launched specialized programs in entrepreneurship and risk management and insurance, and he did the “heavy lifting” of bringing a Master of Business Administration to the college, Pierre said. The university plans to select a new dean by the 2027-28 academic year, Pierre said, giving the next leader a transition period. “We want to give that person time to take in all the things that Dr. Andrews has brought to us, so that we can make sure that those things continue as part of his legacy and the legacy of the College of Business,” Pierre said. Andrews said he sees changes on the horizon for higher education with the widespread use of artiﬁcial intelligence and state and federal funding cuts. But he learned from his grandfather to identify chances rather than barriers, he said. “I think I kind of got that idea of opportunity being out there,” Andrews said. “You just have to recognize it when it’s there. We always say, ‘Opportunity shows up wearing overalls,’ which means it’s work.” Email Haley Miller at haley.miller@ theadvocate.com.

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YOUR VIEWS N O L A.C O M/opinions

LSU is taking a big risk by signing former NFL football players

Letlow’s Meta stock purchase deserves scrutiny

I have a prediction for the upcoming football season. I predict that LSU will have an outstanding season, go to the playoffs, possibly win the national championship and then be forced to forfeit all their games because they used players who had been declared eligible by an obviously biased local judge who, with any hope of reelection, would not dare to rule against the home team. These cases in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and other states will eventually reach courts where judges are not subject to local pressure. Under NCAA rules, players who have signed NFL contracts are ineligible. I sincerely hope that the LSU athletic staff has the foresight to look past immediate gratiﬁcation to foreseeable consequences.

After signing a nondisclosure agreement that granted her conﬁdential information related to Meta’s Hyperion data center, U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, Louisiana’s front-runner for a U.S. Senate seat, purchased stock in both Meta and Nvidia. Letlow disclosed those purchases over a year late — part of a consistent pattern and in violation of the federal STOCK Act. Letlow has tried to pass the blame to her stockbroker, claiming those purchases were made without her knowledge. However, the delay in disclosing the trades falls squarely on Letlow. Whether ill intent or simple negligence, failing to report these trades is a serious breach of the public’s trust. Louisiana deserves an elected ofﬁcial who acts with transparency and is focused on serving the public rather than her own net worth. Letlow has no scheduled town halls to allow the public to directly address these concerns and seems intent on brushing this scandal under the rug. If Letlow cannot own up to her error in judgment, she should step aside for a candidate with more integrity to serve Louisiana.

RICHARD S. DERBES Baton Rouge

Columnist overlooks violence that erupted after George Floyd’s death Regarding Will Sutton’s column of Aug. 27, “Some in Louisiana say political violence can be justiﬁed, and that’s scary”: I too was appalled at the percentage of people who thought political violence was justiﬁed. I was with Sutton about three-quarters of the way through his article until his “mind immediately went to Jan. 6 and what happened that day.” How could his mind not immediately go to the riots after the George Floyd takedown, where the Insurance Information Institute declared that between $1 billion and $2 billion of damage occurred in 140 cities in 20 states? Various tracking studies also determined between 19 and 42 deaths. He can’t seem to write an article without somehow disparaging President Donald Trump.

PAT GERNON Gretna

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

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

PROVIDED By THE PORT OF NEW ORLEANS

An undated conceptional rendering shows plans for the Louisiana International Terminal, which will include 3,600 feet of wharf and a container yard able to hold nearly 62,900 shipping containers.

Is there a better location for port’s international terminal?

Your editorial, “As LIT moves forward, it’s time for obstacles to clear,” suggests that the issuance of a Corps of Engineers permit should effectively end the debate over the Louisiana International Terminal. It should not. A permit is an important milestone, but it does not resolve questions involving ﬁnancing, litigation, transportation infrastructure, a public school within the project area or whether Violet is the best location for a generational investment of this magnitude. More importantly, the debate should not be framed as LIT vs. no economic development. Louisiana should think bigger. We possess one of the greatest economic assets in the world: the Mississippi River, connecting America’s heartland with inter-

national markets and the Gulf. If Louisiana intends to become a truly competitive international container gateway, we should fully examine whether a location farther downriver — closer to the Gulf and farther from established communities — offers greater potential. The Port of New Orleans has proposed a site it claims to be within its jurisdiction. But the boundaries of one port authority should not deﬁne the boundaries of Louisiana’s ambition. Why shouldn’t we ask whether going farther downriver could better serve the longterm interests of our state and nation? A permit should not prevent Louisiana from asking whether we can do better.

SHAWN COLEMAN New Orleans

Elected officials abused voters’ trust with NDAs

SIDNEY D. TORRES III Chalmette

The promise of SpaceX is welcome Our family has owned farmland in Jefferson Davis Parish for generations. We steward a coastal prairie restoration project there, as well as a working rice and crawfish farm, a solar project, a certified industrial site and hunting and fishing — all about 100 miles from the planned Starbase Louisiana site. We care about innovation and deeply respect the integrity of our ancestral property. Faimon Roberts (Aug. 27) and James Whelan (Sept. 1) miss the larger point. SpaceX’s $100 billion plan is the largest private investment in state history. Officials project 3,000 permanent jobs paying nearly twice the Vermilion Parish average, plus more than 8,000 construction and indirect jobs. The $100 million paid for former ExxonMobil marshland is slated for coastal restoration. Vermilion Parish is to receive more than $820 million over 25 years in lieu of taxes,

plus $25 million for the Community Foundation of Acadiana. SpaceX has pledged to work with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and wildlife agencies. That is not a giveaway of empty marshland. It is a chance for southwest Louisiana — farms, restoration work and industrial sites like ours — to share in high-wage work and related development instead of watching another generation leave Louisiana. Tesla made electric vehicles and grid storage ordinary. SpaceX cut the cost of reaching orbit and restored American-crewed launches. Starlink already serves rural homes and disaster zones when ﬁber cannot. We can welcome that kind of industry and still insist the coast and farmland be treated with respect. Those two aims are not enemies.

CHARLOTTE LANDRY Baton Rouge

Trump squanders U.S. leadership role with abuse Re: ”A frivolous and oblivious president,” George Will, Aug. 31. President Donald Trump’s wildly conjuredup thoughts and ill-advised actions are becoming destructive distractions to maintaining our hard-won position on the world stage. For example, he is openly diminishing our relationship militarily with our ally in the Paciﬁc, South Korea, in favor of conducting what seems to be a personal relationship with communist North Korea (which is donating multiple thousands of soldiers to Putin’s war against another ally of ours, Ukraine). And closer to home, he is scandalously abusing Canada, a fellow charter member of NATO and the most stable neighbor we could ask for along our entire northern border; his

assertion that the Canadian nation should become our 51st state, and his renaming of our mutually contiguous Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” are two grands faux pas. Instead of our reputation as a premier bulwark for freedom and responsible leadership, we seem to be slipping (or sliding) onto the crowded, unruly, muddy racetrack of world opinion. Not only are we losing respect, but we are also losing physical superiority, into which several other entities will be only too happy to insert themselves with their own plans for dominance. Are we following a false piper into a forest of self-perdition?

JOHN BERRY Baton Rouge

What have we done? “We” are the voters of Louisiana. We have elected and entrusted our public officials (the governor, attorney general, federal and state senators and representatives, mayors and parish officials) to pursue and safeguard our health, safety and prosperity, enforce the law and uphold our freedoms guaranteed by the state and federal constitutions. As a result of our vigilant press, we are now learning that our elected public officials have signed NDAs (nondisclosure agreements) with the most powerful corporations in the world behind our backs, negotiated a massive sale of public lands, waived environmental laws and, through legislation passed without the disclosure of the secret negotiations, guaranteed corporate immunity from being held accountable for damage to our persons and property. And, of course, our officials have exempted these wealthiest of the wealthy from paying property taxes. All without notice to the voters. All without input from the voters. Rather than challenge and/or debate the merits of spaceports and data centers, our representatives and officials have signed NDAs, abdicating their duty to represent and inform their constituents on these most essential governmental matters. And now, based on these confidential deals, it appears there is no turning back. What have we done?

MARK GOLDSTEIN Mandeville

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COMMENTARY S.C. turns into historic Senate race COLUMBIA, S.C. — The late Lindsey Graham must be giddy in paradise. His beloved sister, Darline Graham, won a Republican primary runoff for his soon-to-expire Senate seat, defeating U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, whose noteworthy liability was supporting former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley in the 2024 primary against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. Trump is an elephant when it comes to politics. He remembers his enemies, nurses grudges for long periods and seeks retaliation. Trump’s loyalty calculus apparently doesn’t allow credit for Norman’s willingness to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Trump’s reinvention of Kathleen Darline Graham from a Parker relatively unknown state employee into an overnight U.S. Senate candidate is the stuff of political legend. The president not only supported Republican Gov. Henry McMaster’s decision to appoint her as a placeholder through the remainder of her brother’s term; he also lobbied her to run for the six-year seat. Lo and behold, she accepted his challenge and was camera-ready in no time. She immediately brought to mind the erstwhile Republican governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, who was plucked from the moose-hunting fields and dramatically injected into then-Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign as his running mate. Like Palin, Graham has an authentic down-home appeal and relates to people at the kitchen table. But also like Palin, she wasn’t ready for the national stage. When she flubbed the much-discussed question about whether Taiwan and the South China Sea were important to national security, saying that she wasn’t well versed on the subject, the political commentariat probably thought she was doomed. Obviously, not so. Not surprisingly, Trump has accepted credit for Graham’s victory. A Trump-affiliated super PAC spent almost $800,000 on her campaign. And he swept into Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a rally, telling the crowd: “Pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot.” Even so, I wouldn’t give Trump all the applause. Keep in mind that Norman had recently been rejected by Republican voters when he sought the nomination for governor. And Graham won

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MEG KINNARD

Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., speaks with reporters following a candidate event for hopefuls vying in a special Republican primary to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on November ballots. narrowly, with 52.5% of the vote in the primary runoff against Norman. Most of the credit goes to the candidate. Perhaps counterintuitively, if you’re not from around here, the smartest thing Graham did was to answer that foreign policy question with candor and without apology. Her simple, direct response was sincere and rang true to her audience. “I’m just going to be honest,” she said, adding that national security “is not my thing.” But, really, why would it be at this point? Graham had barely buried the brother who helped raise her and was rushed to her swearing-in ceremony before she’d had time to grieve. Her mere presence under such pressure is a marvel. Many, if not most, people recognized themselves in her response to the South China Sea question. Sometimes admitting that you don’t know the answer to a question can earn a candidate as much credit as a pitch-perfect response would. One can learn. What matters more to everyday folks trying to make ends meet is character and honesty, a truth that only magniﬁes the mystery of Trump’s grip on South Carolina. No doubt, Lindsey Graham could have explained it. He also could have delivered a dissertation on the Taiwan matter, while possibly making us laugh. We shall miss that. His death was a blow to MAGA world and to Trump, who could

count on his golfing pal to carry the torch in most cases. Lindsey Graham’s friends also attest to the times he tried to steer the president away from some of his more dangerous impulses. The newly appointed senator probably won’t be much help in this regard. Finally, from the department of buried leads, South Carolina now has two women vying for a Senate seat. By November, Darline Graham might be more familiar with the issues and, indeed, ready for prime time when she faces Democratic challenger Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who also has never held elective office. Graham is already putting up her dukes, saying that Andrews is “the most radical liberal ever nominated for a statewide office by the South Carolina Democratic Party.” Democrats, meanwhile, tell me they’re celebrating Graham’s win against Norman, saying they believe Andrews will destroy her in a debate. Andrews’s internal polling before the longtime senator’s death found her trailing him by just three points. Whatever happens, South Carolina voters will elect a woman to the Senate for the first time in its history — an overdue correction Lindsey Graham likely would applaud. Kathleen Parker is on X, @kathleenparker.

Thank you, Dolly Parton, for your music, good humor and public service preparing to leave her working partSince imitation is the sincerest form of ﬂattery, I am told, I was not nership with fellow country star Porter surprised to hear Dolly Parton say in Wagoner. an interview that she once entered a Although many think of the powerful “Dolly Parton lookalike” drag queen love ballad as a world-class break-up contest in Los Angeles unannounced — song, both Parton and Wagoner denied and lost. there was any romance involved Parton, who died last month in their writing partnership. at age 80, enjoyed telling that Dolly actually was married to story, which illustrated, among Carl Dean for an impressive 59 other things, that it wasn’t alyears until he died in 2025. She wrote more than 3,000 ways easy to be Dolly, even for songs in her career, which she Dolly. Clarence described as starting with a tune “Nobody applauded,” she said Page she composed at age 5. in a May 2025 radio interview, Dolly was the salt of the earth. “like a little trickle that was This quality shone in her songwriting probably David, my hairdresser.” and in the way she lived her life. It’s Go ﬁgure. Maybe she looked too not surprising she had fans in every much like the real thing for anyone to walk of life and in every corner of the believe she really was. earth. Either way, that little story tells us Among her many memorable artisa lot about Dolly. She was more than merely tolerant of different people, her tic collaborations was one with the fans will say. She was welcoming. Black South African a capella group The “Queen of Country,” as many Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the called her for her musical talents, won mid-1990s. Together they covered Bob me over with her soulful voice and inDylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and Cat Stevens’ “Peace Train,” the latspired storytelling in song and verse. She also showed impressive skills as ter of which she included on her 1996 an actress, businesswoman, fashion album “Memories.” She later invited icon and philanthropist, all without the group to perform at Dollywood. losing any of her engaging down-home Sibongiseni Shabalala, a member of wit, grace and charm. the group and the son of its founder, And she never forgot where she expressed his condolences to Parton’s came from, as the old saying goes. family. In fact, that’s where she got some of “This terrible death is not only for her best material, as the fourth of 12 them but for the world as well,” he told children growing up in a tiny cabin in BBC World Service. “She was beautiful rural Tennessee, now reproduced in an outside as well as within.” exhibit at Dollywood, her amusement Back here in the USA, my respect for park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dolly got a huge boost when we AmeriMy appreciation for her was renewed cans were locked down during the COwith Whitney Houston’s super-hit “I VID-19 pandemic. Will Always Love You,” popularized As many Americans felt near on the soundtrack of the 1992 thriller panic, wondering what would happen “The Bodyguard.” next, Dolly Parton stepped up and Parton wrote the song as she was announced a $1 million donation to

Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help expedite development of the Moderna vaccine, which at least one correspondent suggested renaming it “the Dolly.” And if her legacy is to be remembered for anything besides good music, I would vote for the Imagination Library, a program that Parton began in 1995, inspired by her father, who couldn’t read. The program mails a free book each month to millions of children from birth until age 5. Thanks to corporate and nonprofit partnerships, as well as grants from state governments, the Imagination Library has distributed more than 300 million free books. Parton was a trailblazing philanthropist in other ways as well. When wildfires struck communities in the Great Smoky Mountains in 2016, she wrote monthly $1,000 checks to families made homeless. The emergency aid, as the New York Times commented, “distinguished her as one of pop culture’s most prolific philanthropists.” Other rich people started funneling their charity through her foundation. It’s worth pondering that Parton focused so much of her charity on helping children and families, despite not having children of her own. In that sense, dear Dolly reminds me of one of my favorite grade school teachers, who told our class she didn’t need to have children at home since she was happy to have all of us. Perhaps Dolly felt that way, too. She will be missed and, as we should tell all conscientious schoolteachers, we thank her for her service. Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@gmail.com.

The addled college football cartel Big-time college football’s season began on Saturday. Before the other professional league, the NFL, becomes a distraction, consider three propositions. Football is a mistake. Bodies, and especially brains, are not built to withstand its repeated collisions. Culturally, college football scratches the human itch for tribalism, which America’s ethos of individualism fortunately discourages. And big-time football attached to higher education is, suddenly, educational. It is teaching us two reasons the federal government grows: Many people demand this. And so, too, do society’s big battalions, when distressed. A discombobulated cartel — the college football industry — needs Congress’s help restoring order afGeorge ter the sudden emancipation of the working class: the players. Will It is unlikely that fans’ enthusiasm for football will be dampened by The New York Times report that at least 1 in 4 NFL players might expect to eventually suffer neurodegenerative brain disease (which can include impaired cognition, mood swings, erratic behavior, addiction, even suicide) as a result of the game’s kinetic energies. Up to five years of college football are now permitted for players by the NCAA’s new rules. That time is probably enough to put at risk even players who do not graduate to the NFL. Recently, the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences discovered a limit to their permissiveness: They are trying to stop LSU — a rogue football program, akin to North Korea — from recruiting two players who had suited up for NFL preseason training but wanted to return to college. There, the money is more certain, and sometimes better. Eligibility rules can, however, be made ever more permissive by those who write them. The writers are universities and sports conferences who are in a financial arms race. But arms control might be coming from Congress. College athletic departments have become entwined with money-raising “collectives” through which donors finance on-field success. This, say some industry participants, can require $5 million (at least) annually for quarterbacks who direct $40 million rosters. For elite football programs, success means surviving deep into the playoffs. These began in the 2014 season with four teams, then in 2024 expanded to 12. They might soon include 24 teams. Otherwise, fans of teams that lose, say, a third regular-season game will lose interest, the exercise having become pointless with the playoffs out of reach. But even at just 12, there can be mismatches: Sports are meritocratic, and unless players’ freedom is circumscribed, merit will move toward the highest bidders. Under today’s almost-no-rules regime, the strongest few get stronger faster than their pursuers. Pity the University of Arkansas, a pursuer. Arkansas is home to Tyson Foods and Walmart, but has the nation’s fourth-lowest median household income. The Athletic’s Seth Emerson reports that the school’s athletic director says: “We have per capita, I think, the greatest depth of billionaires of any state in the country, but per capita, we have kind of the shallowest pool of millionaires.” Can Arkansas compete with, say, Georgia and Florida? It cannot, without help from Congress. Athletes exercising free agency through the “transfer portal” is a recipe for the supremacy of the few financially fittest football programs. Congress might ride to the rescue of the many by mandating competitive balance in the form of a nationwide spending cap covering all sports at each school. This is part of the Protect College Sports Act drafted by Ted Cruz of Texas and Maria Cantwell of Washington, Republican chair and ranking Democrat, respectively, on the Senate Commerce Committee. Before becoming finicky about Congress surely having bigger fish to fry — wars, deficits — acknowledge two things. College football certainly is interstate commerce. And more people care about it than about the Iran war. If players are generating many millions for schools, are they employees of their institutions? If so, is collective bargaining next? One certainty is that the cloying vocabulary of “student-athletes” and “amateurism” has been retired. The college sports cartel flourished for a century in what was, for it, an Edenic paradise: Profits from broadcasting soared; labor cost the cartel approximately nothing. Now, however, it is in the interest of a majority of schools, players and fans to limit the players’ pay and free agency in order to protect competitive balance. Beneath the roar of stadium crowds, you might soon hear a sigh of contentment from the college football cartel as it is resuscitated by Congress. Take such satisfaction as can be had from this evidence that Congress can fix, sort of, something. Email George Will at georgewill@washpost. com.

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6B ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

TODAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

An afternoon thunderstorm

An afternoon t-storm; humid

Humid with a thunderstorm

Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm

A couple of morning showers

Humid with a few showers

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

94° 78°

LOW

HIGH

91° 78°

LOW

89° 77°

Beaumont 93/76 Port Arthur 94/76

Baton Rouge 95/74

Lake Charles 94/78

New Orleans 94/78 Houma 91/74

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

Hattiesburg 99/73

Alexandria 97/73

Lafayette 94/76

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

LOW

91° 76°

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 47 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

New Orleans through 5 p.m. Sunday

Jackson 99/74 Many 96/72

HIGH

90° 77°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 99/75

-0s

LOW

Monroe 101/73

Shreveport 100/75

-10s

HIGH

90° 76°

While there are showers and storms in the forecast for today, the heat is our biggest issue with the weather. In fact, a heat advisory has been issued for most of southeast Louisiana. Expect a partly cloudy, hot and humid day with a few scattered storms. While the temperatures are expected to rise to the low to mid-90s, when you factor in the humidity, heat index values could rise to 110 or higher. Most of us are under a major heat risk, so take breaks, stay hydrated and wear sunscreen.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today NEW

SEP 10

City

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Las Vegas

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

91°/75° 90°/75° 93°/75° 98° in 2019 63° in 1984

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

5:27p 11:02a 4:12a 6:49a 7:14a 6:26a 8:22a

FT.

SEP 18

87 98 79 79 80 100 90 95 94

TODAY Lo

71 76 63 65 65 81 62 77 77

FULL

LAST

SEP 26

t t s c pc s t t s

OCT 3

87 99 80 84 86 101 86 95 99

TUE. Lo

74 76 64 67 73 80 57 77 79

LOW

0.72” 2.14” 1.29” 46.43” 47.14”

FT.

HIGH

0.9 4:31a 0.0 2.0 11:08p 0.0 2.3 6:19p -0.1 2.2 10:35p 0.1 1.7 6:36p 0.0 2.0 4:51p 0.0 2.0 7:38p 0.1

6:41 a.m. 7:16 p.m. 2:43 a.m. 5:09 p.m.

FIRST

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

FT.

---------------

LOW

---------------

FT.

---------------

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 8:41a Tuesday 9:32a Wednesday 10:20a Thursday 11:06a Friday 11:52a Saturday 12:17a Sunday 1:06a

pc t s pc s s t t pc

City

Los Angeles 92 Miami 92 Nashville 92 New york City 79 Philadelphia 81 Phoenix 106 St. Louis 87 San Francisco 77 Seattle 67

2:26a 3:18a 4:07a 4:54a 5:40a 6:28a 7:17a

TODAY Lo

75 78 71 63 62 86 66 57 52

GOOD

9:10p 9:59p 10:45p 11:30p 12:15p 12:39p 1:29p

pc t pc s s pc s s pc

94 90 94 82 84 109 95 81 73

2:56p 3:46p 4:32p 5:18p 6:03p 6:50p 7:40p

TUE. Lo

77 80 72 66 68 88 76 64 54

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

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

SUN. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

-1.23 23.59 26.66 12.23 6.29 4.97 3.29

-0.41 -0.93 -1.24 -0.92 -0.66 -0.36 -1.09

12.20

-0.67

-1.54

+0.01

18 29 8

-1.19 10.01 2.37

none +0.08 -0.03

13 15

1.52 0.82

-0.15 +0.09

47 34 29 20 12 6

10.52 7.61 5.72 5.47 3.80 2.09

-1.20 -0.42 -0.53 -0.25 -0.10 -0.01

data as of 7 a.m. Sunday

pc t c s s s s s pc

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

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in a 42 Playof “Th Staff writer wide in the perDid season ended The perfect ter? W table that fect place. almost inevi pionship ficia ed seem It cham h national the winn LSU’s fourt in New Orleans, in touc the would be won Superdome, where Mar Mercedes-Benzands of hometown voic- nigh est sound of thous the stadium’s deep fron into es boomed “ for years to spe chambers. s will echo Those voice of the night No. 1 LSU the e ory d wn

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OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

SPORTS

N O L A.C O M

M o n d ay, S e p t e M b e r 7, 2026

1Cn

FILM REVIEW

ON THE

PROWL

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU defensive end Jordan Ross engulfs Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds for a sack in the third quarter on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

Dismal Tulane offense needs quick ﬁx BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

As Tulane took the field on Saturday against Duke at Wade Wallace Stadium, defensive back TJ Smith executed a cartwheel and a perfect backflip, sticking the landing. Unfortunately for the Green Wave, his acrobatic feat proved to be the highlight of an ugly 17-3 loss. Although the defensive mistakes are easily correctable, the offense has some soulsearching to do to ensure its miserable performance does not become a weekly reality. Tulane failed to score a touchdown for the first time in seven years. The Wave could not run, could not block, could not hold on to the ball in the passing game and could not stop committing penalties on a day when the offense drew the same number of flags (10) as it picked up first downs. “It was just a lot of self-inflicted wounds,” coach Will Hall said. “It was a sloppy game, and Duke played way less sloppy than we did. Offensively we’re gonna get this fixed, and it’s gonna get fixed quickly.” The penalty breakdown was six false starts, three holds and a chop block — several of them coming at critical times. Left tackle Dominic Steward moved early on the second series, turning a second-and-4 into a second-and-9 and leading to a three-and-out. Center Gavin Marks was called for holding seven yards past the line of scrimmage when Johnnie Daniels popped a run for 20plus yards that would have put the Wave in the red zone during the third quarter. On Tulane’s next series, right tackle

ä See TULANE, page 3C

How Baker’s LSU defense dismantled Clemson in statement win BY JON BLAU

Staff writer

LSU knew what was coming. Clemson had no one but quarterback Christopher Vizzina in the backfield. LSU safety Dashawn Spears appeared to want to stay in the tackle box with linebackers TJ Dottery and Whit Weeks, but Dottery pointed him toward the opponent’s No. 3 receiver. LSU’s defense stretched out like an accordion to cover up a spread formation, leaving only a split second between Dottery’s final command and the snap. His eyes quickly found his target, as they seemingly would all night. Clemson revealed its hand. Perhaps the speediest player on the field, running back Chris Johnson, was motioning toward Vizzina at the snap. Dottery barrelled toward the line, refusing to allow a jet sweep to get outside of him. Edge defender Jordan Ross kept tabs on Vizzina on the off chance he kept the ball.

A smothering commenced. Dottery chased Johnson like a cheetah in pursuit of a gazelle. Johnson cut inside, and Ross, Weeks and safety Ty Benefield came in for the kill. All night, Clemson was allowed no refuge. In a masterclass of defense from play-caller Blake Baker and his proteges, the most shocking of statistics flashed on ESPN’s broadcast early in the third quarter. LSU had 232 rushing yards. Clemson had minus-5. How did Baker’s defense impose their will so thoroughly? Let’s flip on the tape and sort through the chaos LSU’s defensive coordinator created.

Dropping the defensive ends One of the expectations coming into this season was Baker wouldn’t need to bring as many blitzers because transfer additions Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross would allow him to get more of a rush with his front four. In the opener, Baker brought four quite often.

ä See LSU, page 3C

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Tulane coach Will Hall, center, calls to his players during practice on Aug. 11 at yulman Stadium.

ROUNDTABLE

Realistic expectations for Saints, QB Shough this season BY JEFF DUNCAN, LUKE JOHNSON, MATTHEW PARAS and ROD WALKER Staff writers

The New Orleans Saints are a week away from starting the season. After watching training camp and seeing Kellen Moore and his staff trim the roster to 53 players, it’s now time for the real games to begin. Before they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions in the opener next Sunday, The Times-Picayune Saints’ coverage team gathered around the roundtable to discuss what we’ve learned and what we expect in 2026.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough talks to teammates during a drill at training camp on Aug. 6 at the team’s practice facility in Metairie.

Q: WHAT WAS THE MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE FROM TRAINING CAMP AND THE PRESEASON? Luke Johnson: The run game was truly a disaster last season, which was disappointing given the investments the team had made in the offensive line and Kellen Moore’s track record as a play-caller. I think that will be different this season. Based on what I saw in the lead-up to the season, Travis Etienne

and David Edwards look like real difference-makers. Even a middle-of-theroad ground attack will make a world of difference for this offense, and I think they’ll get there. Matt Paras: All three rookie wide receivers look ready to contribute. Before Tyson suffered his hamstring injury, the ﬁrstrounder gave people plenty of reasons to be excited and could be a real differencemaker when healthy. But it was also surprising to see how rookies Bryce Lance and Barion Brown seemed to meet the moment, especially once Ja’Lynn Polk retired and Tyson went down. Rod Walker: Replacing key pieces like Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor isn’t easy. But the acquisition of Kaden Elliss to plug in the hole left by Davis and moving Jonas Sanker to the star position to replace Taylor have been huge moves. The defense looks even faster in Year 2 under Brandon Staley. Chase Young looks on track to have a dominant season, and this unit has a chance to be really special. Jeff Duncan: I was pleasantly surprised

by the quick development of Lance and Brown. We all expected Jordyn Tyson to make an impact. But Lance and Brown were revelations as mid-to-late-round draft picks. Because of Tyson’s hamstring injury, both might see the ﬁeld early this season. Time will tell if their success in camp will translate to the regular season, but both have shown ﬂashes. Q: WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT? LJ: The non-Tyson version of this answer is pretty straightforward: We did not get a chance to see a single starter play a snap in the preseason. That may prove to be a genius move by the time the games start to play out — only two true starters will miss Week 1 because of injury. But it’s also opening the door for some pretty easy criticism of Moore and his staff if the Saints get off to a sluggish start against two of the better teams on their schedule in Detroit and Baltimore. MP: I have serious questions about the

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

2C ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV

AUTO RACING 11 a.m. NHRA: U.S. Nationals 1 p.m. NHRA: U.S. Nationals CFL 1:30 p.m. Toronto at Hamilton 5 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary COLLEGE FOOTBALL 6:30 p.m. SMU at Florida St. COLLEGE GOLF 8:30 a.m. Folds of Honor Collegiate

FS1 FOX CBSSN CBSSN ESPN GOLF

3:30 p.m. Folds of Honor Collegiate GOLF MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER 6 p.m. Georgetown at Maryland BTN WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL 3 p.m. Penn St. at DePaul ESPNU FIBA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 7:15 a.m. Nigeria vs. France TRUTV 10:30 a.m. Japan vs. Spain TRUTV 1:30 p.m. U.S. vs. Czech Republic TNT HORSE RACING 11 a.m. Saratoga Live FS2

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

MEN’S LACROSSE Denver at Utah MLB 12:35 p.m. L.A. Angels at Boston 4:10 p.m. Washington at San Diego 7:10 p.m. St. Louis at San Francisco 10 p.m. Toronto at Athletics (JIP) WOMEN’S SOCCER 7:45 a.m. North Korea vs. Portugal TENNIS 10 a.m. U.S. Open 6 p.m. U.S. Open 2 p.m.

ESPN2 MLBN MLBN NBC MLBN FS2 ESPN ESPN2

U.S. OPEN

Sabalenka, Alcaraz reach quarterfinals BY STEPHEN WHYNO

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Defending champions Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz are back to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, and they made it look easy. The top-ranked Sabalenka solved some early struggles holding serve and overpowered Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday. Alcaraz also advanced in straight sets, beating Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the second match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I’m happy with that performance,” Alcaraz said. “I played my game. I tried to play my style. Tommy’s such a talented player. His shots are pretty dangerous and it’s sometimes pretty difficult to control the ball when it comes to you, so I just tried to be ready.” Townsend broke Sabalenka three times in her first four service games as she looked to spring the upset. Sabalenka found a groove, regained her confidence and did not lose another point after falling behind 3-1 in the second set. “I love matches like that because it was really challenging,” Sabalenka said. “Going through tough challenges and overcoming those challenges, it definitely gives you strength and really strong belief that you can do it.” This was the first meeting between Sabalenka and Townsend, who gave her opponent fits in the first set but struggled to find her own rhythm. “This was the most comfortable and confident I’ve ever been playing against a No. 1 player in the world,” Townsend said. “From the beginning, I felt like I belonged. From the beginning, I felt like I was right where I needed to be. I still feel that way.” Next up for Sabalenka is Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova, who needed six match points to get past Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. “I played a couple of matches against her in the past, which also wasn’t the easiest matches,” Sabalenka said of Noskova. “Re-

Associated Press

BERLIN — Jackie Young scored 10 points and the U.S. survived its toughest test in the women’s basketball World Cup in two decades with a 55-52 victory over Italy on Sunday. The U.S. has won 32 straight World Cup games dating back to a loss to Russia in the 2006 semifinals. Only one team had come within single digits of the Americans during this run, when Australia lost by eight points in 2010. The Americans (2-0) had to work hard for the victory, putting up the lowest point total in a preliminaryround game since 1971, when they had 51 against France. The U.S. trailed 50-48 with 4:29 left before going on a 7-0 run. Breanna Stewart, who missed her first eight shots, scored her first basket of the game to put the Americans up 51-50. Young then hit a layup after the U.S. got an offensive foul against Italy on its next possession. The Americans got another defensive stop and Chelsea Gray hit a jumper to make it a five-point game. Matilde Villa scored to get Italy back within three with less than a minute to go. The U.S. had a couple of chances to make it a two-possession lead but couldn’t convert. Italy (1-1) had one last chance to tie it, but Cecilia Zandalasini’s 3-pointer was off at the buzzer. Italy’s 2-3 zone defense cause the U.S. fits on offense. The Americans couldn’t get into any

Former LSU beach volleyball All-Americans Kristen Nuss Cruz and Taryn Kloth Brasher are on top again, winning the AVP League Championships on Sunday in Chicago. Competing as the Austin Aces team, the 2024 U.S. Olympians were seeded second and won their semiﬁnal on Sunday over the thirdseeded Miami Mayhem (Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft) 15-8, 15-9. In the championship match, they defeated the top-seeded Palm Beach Passion (Melissa HumanaParedes and Brandie Wilkerson), 15-10, 15-12. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson were the 2024 Olympic silver medalists in Paris. The win for Cruz and Brasher comes after their third straight victory this past month in the prestigious Manhattan Beach Open. They are ranked No. 2 in the world beach volleyball standings.

Giants sign QB Winston, LG Runyan to extensions

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Taylor Townsend during the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Sunday in New york. ally aggressive style of the game. Serving really well, playing super fast. You’ve got to stay really low to be able to handle that power and energy.”

Alcaraz cruises Playing his first tournament following a four-month absence because of a right wrist injury, Alcaraz said last week he would not be coming back if he could not play like his usual self. The 23-year-old Spaniard has made good on that so far, dropping just one set through four rounds. Alcaraz dictated play on the way to extending his Grand Slam winning streak to 18. When Paul was making things interesting in the third set, Alcaraz set up match point by hitting a shot so perfectly in bounds that it left actor Matthew McConaughey in disbelief, along with many others in the crowd. Asked if he thinks he is back to form, Alcaraz responded, “I think so.” The U.S. Open is bringing that

out in him. “I’m just trying to enjoy my time on the court,” Alcaraz said. “It doesn’t matter that I was out four months and a half. Every time that I come here, I play my best.”

Americans make statement Townsend and Paul were among the 10 Americans to reach the men’s and women’s round of 16. That is the most in the fourth round at any Grand Slam in nearly a quarter-century, dating to the 2002 U.S. Open, when there were 11. The ﬁve U.S. men — Paul, Ben Shelton, Learner Tien, Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen — are the most at a major since eight in 1995 at Flushing Meadows. “American tennis has been on the up and up for many years now,” Townsend said. “There have been a really consistent chunk of players — Jess, Coco — (who) have been at the top and inside the top ﬁve for the last, I

don’t know how many years. Ben, Frances, Tommy, Taylor: It’s just such a great group of men, as well.” At 20, Tien is the youngest American man in the U.S. Open fourth round since Andy Roddick in 2002. Tiafoe knocked off seventh-seeded Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (6) to improve to 10-0 in his career at Louis Armstrong Stadium, which he called “the people’s court.” Michelsen beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-4. Michelsen and Tiafoe will meet in the quarterﬁnals Tuesday, guaranteeing an American man in the semiﬁnals. No U.S. men’s player has won a Grand Slam since Roddick in New York in ’03.

Night matches Shelton, the No. 8 seed, was set to face Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday night at Ashe, followed by fellow American Emma Navarro against Anna Kalinskaya.

Young leads gritty U.S. escape over Italy BY DOUG FEINBERG

LSU beach volleyball alums nab another big win

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WORLD CUP rhythm and shot 29% from the field, including going 1 for 12 from 3-point range. The Americans, who led 30-24 at halftime, saw Italy go on a 11-2 run to start the third quarter and trailed 35-32 before finishing the period up 42-39. Italy, which lost to the Americans by 34 in a tournament qualifier in March, wouldn’t go away and was up 50-48 in the fourth quarter before the Americans’ final push. Zandalasini scored 14 points to lead Italy, which is making its first World Cup appearance since 1994. CHINA 74, CZECH REPUBLIC 70, OT: China needed overtime to beat the Czech Republic. Han Xu scored 22 points and drew China level at 53-53 in the final quarter after her team had trailed for most of the game. Eliška Joklová put the Czechs 64-59 up with 27 seconds left only for Luo Xinyu to respond with a 3-pointer and Yang Shuyu to level at 64-64 with 3 seconds to go – after Joklová missed two free throws. There was still time for Joklová to miss another chance to clinch the win. Yang also completed the scoring in overtime for China, which failed to get the most from 7-foot3 Zhang Ziyu. The 19-year-old sensation could only score three points in her second game after 13 on her World Cup debut against the United States on Friday.

NEW YORK — The New York Giants took care of some contract business on Labor Day weekend ahead of the start of the season, signing backup quarterback Jameis Winston and starting left guard Jon Runyan to two-year extensions. Winston is receiving $13 million and Runyan $22 million, according to a person with knowledge of the moves. The extensions provide salary cap ﬂexibility and save space this season while keeping a pair of respected veterans under contract through 2028. Winston, 32, was going into the second of a two-year, $8 million deal. Runyan, 29, has spent the past two seasons starting for New York after playing his ﬁrst four as a pro with Green Bay.

NFL, Goodell agree on 4-year contract extension

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has agreed on a fouryear contract extension that runs through the 2030 league season, ending on March 31, 2031. The NFL’s Compensation Committee notiﬁed the full ownership of the agreement on Sunday. In a memo sent to owners that was obtained by The Associated Press, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said: “We believe we are very fortunate to have Roger at the helm for the next four years.” Kraft is the chairman of the league’s compensation committee. Financial terms of Goodell’s new contract weren’t immediately known. He reportedly earned $63.9 million for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

GB&I pulls off rally to win back Walker Cup from U.S.

COUNTY CLARE, Ireland — Connor Graham and Josh Hill each won the 18th hole in the final two matches Sunday at Lahinch as Great Britain & Ireland capped off a stunning comeback against the Americans to win the Walker Cup for the first time since 2015. Graham birdied the last two holes to earn a precious halve against 17-year-old Miles Russell. It came down to Hill, all square in his match with 18-year-old Tyler Watts, his Tennessee teammate. Hill hit a long bunker shot to 3 feet and holed the birdie putt for a 131/2121/2 victory. The Americans were loaded with seven of the top 10 players in the world amateur ranking. They still lead the overall series 40-10-1. Next up for GB&I is to try to win the Walker Cup away from home for the first time since 2001.

Antonelli wins Italian GP in an epic comeback

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EBRAHIM NOROOZI

Sara Madera of Italy shoots over Napheesa Collier of the United States during a Women’s World Cup match on Sunday in Berlin.

MONZA, Italy — Kimi Antonelli took a big step to becoming the youngest champion in Formula 1 history with a fightback for the ages at his home grand prix on Sunday. Antonelli stormed to victory at the Italian Grand Prix, despite starting 19th on the grid. It took the Mercedes driver fewer than 17 laps to fight his way to the front. The rest of the race was spent tussling with teammate and title rival George Russell for the lead. Antonelli passed him for the final time with three laps remaining, going on to become the first Italian to win at Monza in 60 years. “Oh my God ... It feels like a dream,” Antonelli said on team radio after crossing the line.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ 3C

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Nearly flawless run game key to LSU romp Tigers produce eye-popping stats: ‘It was amazing’ BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Jordan Seaton got carried away. Plowing a Clemson defender into the Clemson bench after the whistle had blown wasn’t the wisest of choices, but who could blame Seaton if he was overzealous? It had been 10 months since the Colorado transfer had last played a snap, and that was before a lightning delay pushed Saturday’s opening kick between LSU and Clemson back two hours. Nevertheless, it was a 15-yard penalty against LSU’s star left tackle in the second quarter after LSU had already picked up a ﬁrst down. It was a rare setback in what eventually turned into a 51-10 shellacking for LSU over Clemson. A demolition that happened, in large part, thanks to the running game. “It was great. I feel like you (saw) what we did out there,” running back Dilin Jones said after LSU’s offense put up 644 total yards, including 507 yards in three quarters. “It was amazing.” After an incomplete pass preceded Seaton’s penalty, quarterback Sam Leavitt scrambled for a ﬁrst down. A completion to wide receiver Winston Watkins follow-

ing Leavitt’s run put LSU inside the Clemson 35-yard line before Leavitt ran for 18 more yards over the next two plays and found the end zone to give LSU a 31-3 lead. LSU finished Saturday’s game with 309 rushing yards and averaged 5.3 yards per attempt. But those numbers only tell a fraction of the story. LSU had more rushing yards in the first half (213) than it garnered in all but one game (237 yards against South Alabama in 2024) over the last two years of Brian Kelly’s tenure. Leavitt ran for 100 yards and two scores, and Jones rushed for 91 and added a touchdown of his own. Watkins even had a 14-yard carry in the first quarter. And those were only their halftime stats. Leavitt and Jones combined to finish with 226 rushing yards, averaging 6.5 yards on the ground on 35 attempts. “I never come into the game with that expectation, whether I’m going to run more or not; it’s just what happened,” Leavitt, who had 12 rushing attempts, said. “When running lanes open up, and it’s the best play at hand, I’m going to take it and take care of my body.” LSU aired it out more in the second half. Leavitt threw for 107

yards in the third quarter alone. But unlike LSU’s offense under Kelly and ex-quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, the offense’s success started on the ground. “We’re still going to have to improve, but the guys played well together, they seemed to move well together,” LSU coach Lane Kiffin said. “You didn’t have a lot of negative plays, which is really critical to not get behind the sticks.” LSU was dominant upfront despite starting two transfers (Seaton and Aliou Bah) and a fifth-year senior making his firstever start (Bo Bordelon) on the offensive line. Tight end Trey’Dez Green, center Braelin Moore and right tackle Weston Davis were LSU’s only returning starters who started on Saturday, and yet LSU’s run game operation was nearly flawless from start to finish. LSU’s leading rushers from a season ago — running backs Caden Durham and Harlem Berry — didn’t see the field until the fourth quarter when LSU had taken a 44-3 lead. After Leavitt and Jones, UCF transfer Stacy Gage was LSU’s third leading rusher with 33 yards on eight carries, a respectable 4.1 yards per attempt. “The guys up front, they know exactly what to do, how to block

STAFF PHOTO By PEARL SPURLOCK

Clemson defensive end Will Heldt, center, attempts to tackle LSU running back Dilin Jones, right, on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. it,” Jones said. “I trust them.” LSU trotted out an offense against Clemson that had almost no experience playing together — while operating under a brand-new offensive coaching staff — and steamrolled an ACC team that was nearly ranked in the AP poll and entered the season as a contender to make the conference championship game. So if Saturday’s Tiger-on-Tiger

demolition was exhilarating for LSU fans — especially given the circumstances and after two seasons of inept rushing attacks under former offensive coordinator Joe Sloan — just imagine how giddy Seaton must’ve been as he deposited that orange jersey back to his bench. Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@ theadvocate.com.

Transfers deliver big plays for Longhorns in opener BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker talks into his headset during the third quarter of a game against Clemson on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. Baker’s revamped defense easily dismantled Clemson in its season-opening win.

LSU

Continued from page 1C It was just never clear to Clemson which four it would be. Ross and Umanmielen both dropped on a third-and-6 with just over 2 minutes left in the first quarter. They had rushed upfield on the previous two snaps. Vizzina was completely unaware Ross had dropped in front of star receiver Bryant Wesco, who crossed the middle on a slant and was about to use tight end Christian Bentancur crossing on a slant to pick a defender. Vizzina was very much aware Weeks, who blitzed alongside Dottery, was flying toward his face. He threw to Wesco off of his back foot, which went right to Ross, who then went 30 yards to the house to make it 17-3. There were multiple other instances Saturday in which Umanmielen and Ross dropped into coverage and looked comfortable doing it. But there were also times Ross, who stands 6-foot-5, 254 pounds, lined up at defensive tackle on the same side as Umanmielen, presenting a unique threat with their combined quickness off the snap. Ross, who had five tackles for loss in two seasons at Tennessee, had a pair in his LSU debut. Baker is off to a good start with the former five-star prospect.

Creative blitz designs

fensive tackle Deuce Gerald widened his rush to engage Clemson right tackle Easton Ware. Weeks slithered through the gap they opened. Baker threw this double linebacker blitz at Clemson a handful of times. Whether it was Dottery or Weeks leading the way, one always seemed to ﬁnd the quarterback. Adding to the unpredictability were occasions when Baker put seven men at the line of scrimmage, including safeties Beneﬁeld and Spears alongside each other. Baker was unafraid to bring them, or just drop both to cut off a hasty hot read. Vizzina and his freshman backup, Tait Reynolds, were indecisive all night.

Winning one-on-one matchups Baker put on display why he was a head coach candidate in the offseason and why LSU coach Lane Kiffin wanted to retain him. At the same time, he just might have more “dudes” on this defense who can win one-on-ones. Along with Ross’s strong debut, redshirt junior Dylan Carpenter walked back Clemson offensive tackles on multiple plays. Cornerback DJ Pickett was strong in run support. Benefield was in on more plays than his three tackles and one pass breakup suggest. Umanmielen had a pair of sacks, and one of them came on a three-man rush. He widened Brayden Jacobs with his speed, then ducked inside on a swim move. Umanmielen was phenomenal according to Pro Football Focus metrics, “winning” on just over 46 percent of his pass-rush snaps. There’s room for skepticism because Clemson’s inexperienced offensive line seemed overwhelmed and their quarterbacks unprepared. A larger sample size is needed to draw definitive conclusions. But there was no doubt Saturday which team was better. And LSU’s defense was the best 11 on the field.

As mentioned above, Dottery and Weeks blitzed on Ross’s pick-6, which attacked an obvious weak point in Clemson’s line. The visitors were not only down right tackle Collin Sadler, but Clemson also started a redshirt sophomore with 130 career snaps, Ronan O’Connell, at right guard. Harris Sewell just switched to center. Elyjah Thurmon, injured two years running, was to Sewell’s left. On the Ross touchdown, Dottery led Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@ the way, occupying O’Connell while de- theadvocate.com

AUSTIN, Texas — The big group of Texas transfers brought the big plays and the big violence to their burnt orange debut, a romp over Texas State. The No. 5 Longhorns will want more of that next Saturday against No. 1 Ohio State. Wide receiver Cam Coleman caught Texas’ first touchdown of the season from New Orleans native Arch Manning, then added a second in the second half. Hollywood Smothers set up the first TD with a 45yard run on the Longhorns’ ﬁrst play. Raleek Brown ran for two touchdowns. And linebacker Rasheem Biles forced a fumble and had an interception. Texas made a big push in the transfer portal to upgrade at key positions after missing the College Football Playoff last season. It was done with an eye toward what comes next: a Week 2 showdown with the Buckeyes. Ohio State has gotten the best of Texas in recent years. The Buckeyes won a CFP

semifinals matchup in 2024, and beat Texas again in the 2025 season opener. “The new faces showed up,” Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said after the opening victory. Sarkisian expected nothing less. He brought in the offensive firepower to build a big-strike unit around Manning. Biles is the lynchpin for the defense. Coleman and Biles are preseason AllAmericans. Sarkisian had noted in the offseason that Texas let some trusted veterans leave because the program felt like it could find better players. Overall, Texas brought in 22 transfers. Coleman, who transferred from Auburn, and Biles, who came from Pitt, were two of the most coveted players across college football. Smothers, who transferred from N.C. State, brings an explosiveness Texas hasn’t had in the backfield since Bijan Robinson in 2022. Brown was all-conference in the Big 12 at Arizona State last season. Manning appreciates the new level of talent. “I liked how we got a lot of guys involved,” he said. “We have a lot of playmakers who

TULANE

Continued from page 1C Ryan’s Mickow’s hold wiped out a thirddown completion that would have moved the chains. An 8-yard pass on the ﬁrst play of the following series was negated by a chop block call, leading to another punt. “It was extremely frustrating,” Marks said. “We can’t get down after a bad play. We have to keep the energy up, keep motivating each other and let this determine us. We will be so much better. We will practice hard. This loss will be addressed, and you will see a new team come Saturday.” Tulane was without two starting offensive linemen in center John Bock, who could return from a foot injury for the Sept. 12 home opener against South Alabama, and left guard Elijah Back, who likely will be out a good while longer. Hall said Steward, who was responsible for two of the false starts, played at less than 100% after tweaking a knee in practice on Wednesday. “He gutted it out and played because he’s a tough guy,” Hall said. “We were down two-and-a-half starters, but that’s no excuse. We’ve got to play better than we did. We’re disappointed as a whole program with the performance we put on the ﬁeld, particularly with the things we can control.” Maybe the most costly mistake was wide receiver Destyn Hill’s fumble at the end of

can do everything.” Wide receiver Ryan Wingo likes it, too. He led Texas with seven receptions for 121 yards and had a touchdown Saturday. “That dude is good,” Wingo said of Coleman. “And, yes, he’s a luxury for sure. We’ve got a lot of tools.” Biles can seemingly do everything himself on defense. Against Texas State, he crashed into ball carriers and chased receivers. On the fumble he caused, Biles used a short punch to knock out the ball that teammate Graceson Littleton scooped up for a 59-yard TD. “He’s a violent player,” Sarkisian said. “The play he made to cause that fumble was elite. He has those instincts about him.” Said Biles: “It was a telephone booth type of tackle: just me and him. I punched at it.” Biles’ interception in the second half also set up a Texas touchdown. After the interception, Biles ran toward Texas’ massive live steer mascot, Bevo, in his pen. “That’s what everybody says to do: Get an interception, go straight to Bevo,” Biles said.

a 39-yard catch-and-run into the red zone on the third play of the second half. That play, plus dropped passes from running back Jaylin Lucas and Anthony BrownStephens were unexpected. “We had a lot of players who had shown to be good leading up to this and weren’t themselves today,” Hall said. “That’s on me as the head coach.” Hall’s most important decision this week will be picking a quarterback. The coaches’ trust in fifth-year senior Zeon ChrissGremillion lasted all of one scoreless half. His final four passes in the second quarter were a batted ball, a throw that deflected off the back side of a lineman and two bubble screens that lost 1 and 3 yards.” Hall replaced him with Kadin Semonza at the start of the third quarter. Although he praised Semonza’s performance, he did not commit to a change moving forward. “I’ve got to watch the tape and we gotta go to practice,” Hall said. “We have to practice and we have to practice better.”

Lagniappe The last time Tulane failed to score a touchdown in an opener was in another trip to North Carolina — a 7-3 loss to Wake Forest in 2016 that was former coach Willie Fritz’s debut game. … South Alabama won its opener against Southeastern Louisiana 39-14. … Receiver Zycarl Lewis left with a right leg injury after being tackled at the end of a 28-yard gain that set up the Wave’s lone points. He could not put any weight on the leg as trainers helped him off the ﬁeld.

4C ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Longtime WWL radio sports Proud Mora revels in personality Detillier dies at 65 son’s coaching debut BY PAT GRAHAM

BY JEFF DUNCAN

AP sportswriter

Staff writer

Mike Detillier, a veteran sports media personality and the co-host of SportsTalk on WWL-AM 870 radio, died Sunday, station ofﬁcials announced Sunday. He was 65. Detillier was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had been off the air in recent days. “It’s so sad,” said Bobby Hebert, who worked with Detillier at WWL for the past several years. “Mike was a good friend and was like a brother to me. It’s heartbreaking. This really hurts.” A native of Lafourche Parish, Detillier rose to local prominence as the editor and publisher of Mike Detillier’s NFL Draft Report, which he launched in 1985. He made regular appearances on Sports Talk during Buddy Diliberto’s tenure as host, then joined the station as a college and pro football analyst. In July 2021, he transitioned from longstanding guest analyst and ﬁxture on Monday’s Second Guess Show to fulltime co-host. “The New Orleans Saints organization is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of WWL Radio host Mike Detillier,” the New Orleans Saints said in a statement. “A proud son of Louisiana, Mike was widely respected as a gifted football analyst, a trusted guide

FILE PHOTO By GRANT THERKILDSEN

Guest speaker Mike Detillier discusses the upcoming football season at the Annual Fan-Up luncheon by Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 30, 2023, at the Harbor Center in Slidell. Detillier died on Sunday. through the NFL Draft, and an exceptional family man. Beyond his incredible contributions to the game, he was above all a true gentleman and a dedicated family man. Saints gamedays at the Caesars Superdome, training camp practices, and press conferences simply will not be the same without his presence. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his immediate family and to the community of devoted listeners who considered him a friend over the

airwaves.” A veteran sports journalist who worked in various capacities at newspaper, radio and TV outlets throughout south Louisiana, Detillier was a former fullback and linebacker at Central Lafourche High School. He also spent 29 years in the engineering world, studying aquatic engineering at Louisiana Tech and Sacramento State, and eventually worked as an engineer for the state of Louisiana.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The 91-yearold coach soaked in the scene from the back of the room as he wore a Colorado State hat and matching shirt. For more than three hours on Saturday night, Jim E. Mora watched his son’s coaching debut for the Rams through the dual lens of a father and longtime coach. The dad in him couldn’t have been more proud as Jim L. Mora led the Rams to a 35-13 win over Wyoming. The coach in him, though, felt nervous and uneasy at times before Colorado State pulled away in the second half. Once a coach, always a coach. “I was really worried today,” the father said after the game, “until all that good stuff happened.” Which he knew it would because he knows his son, who takes after his father. The younger Mora followed in his father’s footsteps, learning lessons and tips from him, before branching out. They constantly talk about all things football. Between the two of them, they’ve been a head coach for north of 500 games on the college and pro levels. That’s not even counting all those games as an assistant coach, defensive coor-

dinator, grad assistant, quality control coach, consultants or any other football job. Just as head coaches. The son: NFL head coaching stints with Atlanta and Seattle, along with NCAA jobs at UCLA, UConn and now Colorado State. The father: NFL head coaching tours with New Orleans and Indianapolis — including one iconic “Playoffs?” rant — along with a USFL job with the Philadelphia/ Baltimore Stars and at Occidental College. “He works hard at coaching. He’s smart. He knows the job,” the father said. “He knows what he needs to do to be successful. He is a good coach for the players to play for. He’s very demanding.” All traits that the younger Mora just so happened to inherit from dad. Which is why it meant so much for the son to have family at the game and attend his postgame news conference. “This family’s played a lot of football, been involved in a lot of football,” said the son, who arrived at Colorado State after a four-year run at UConn. “These are special moments where you get to walk in here and see your mom and your dad and your wife and your kids and their spouses and your cousins and your best friends. It’s awesome. It’s unique, it’s rare, it’s humbling.”

RB Robinson Jr. lifts St. Augustine in return from injury Son of former Saints CB accounts for 2 touchdowns in win

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE

Staff writer

St. Augustine senior Patrick Robinson Jr. could have cried when he ran for a touchdown in the first quarter against McDonogh 35. And yet, he didn’t. “I had to keep that dog in me,” said Robinson, whose father is former New Orleans Saints cor-

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C Saints’ depth at corner. Martin Emerson could end up being a nice under-the-radar find from free agency, but I can’t shake the way the Los Angeles Rams went after him in the preseason. The Saints need Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley to stay healthy. It could get dicey quick without them. RW: I’m not sure if disappointment is the right word, but the slew of injuries is a bit concerning. It started with Bryan Bresee tearing his ACL the first day of camp, and the injury bug just never let up. Even the always reliable Cam Jordan is missing time with a hamstring injury. The running back room was decimated by injuries. Most of the Saints draft class has missed time at some point. Injuries are a part of the game, but there seemed to be more than normal this year. Moore should be hoping that the Saints got theirs out the way early. JD: The pass protection from the offensive line was glaringly shaky at times during joint practices. I expected more from this unit, especially with the addition of Edwards and the return of Erik McCoy. Q: WHAT PLAYER WHO WASN’T ON THE ROSTER LAST SEASON WILL HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT THIS SEASON? LJ: I love what I’ve seen out of Etienne, and I think the Saints are going to feed him the ball, so statistically he’s the answer. But the Elliss signing has a chance to be really fun on the defensive side of the ball. It’s not a onefor-one replacement of Davis — Elliss brings a truly unique skill set that Staley is going to find a way to maximize, especially when it comes to adding some juice to their pass rush. Davis was still a very good player for the Saints at 36 years old last season, but Elliss will give them a new dimension. MP: If he only misses four games, Tyson would be my pick. He’s not only the perfect complement for Chris Olave, but their overlap in terms of skill sets will put defenses on their toes. Now, can he still make an impact if his absence is seven games instead of four? I’m willing to take that risk.

nerback Patrick Robinson Sr. In his first game back from a knee injury that caused him to miss an entire season, the shifty and powerful running back accounted for two touchdowns, one rushing and one passing, in St. Augustine’s 46-0 victory Saturday at Tad Gormley Stadium. Robinson (5-foot-8, 175 pounds) ran 8 yards for a touchdown on St. Augustine’s third play from scrimmage. He followed later with a halfback option pass to senior receiver Derrick Bennett for a 7-yard touchdown. He ﬁnished with six carries for 64 yards, plus

And so were the Saints. RW: Etienne is the obvious answer. But I’m going with the rookie Brown here. He was drafted mostly for what he can do on special teams. He’ll have a big impact there. But he showed time and time again throughout camp that he can make some splash plays hauling in passes. He played under the bright SEC lights at Kentucky and LSU, so the moments won’t be too big for him. Getting a guy in the sixth round who can help on both special teams and as a receiver could make Brown one of the steals of the draft. JD: Elliss has replaced Davis in the middle of the Saints defense, and the unit hasn’t missed a beat. In fact, he’s a better pass rusher than Davis at this stage of his career and has helped to ﬁll the leadership void created by Davis’ departure. I will not be surprised if Elliss ﬁnishes second on the team in sacks behind Young. Q: IT ALL STARTS AND ENDS WITH TYLER SHOUGH. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR HIM IN YEAR 2? LJ: I expect him to force people to pay attention to him. It has been odd to hear or read some of the commentary from outside New Orleans about Shough’s rookie season. Despite the team’s successes down the stretch, the Saints were largely irrelevant on the national stage, and I think that caused some to underestimate Shough’s hand in pulling the team out of its spiral. This should be the season the rest of the football-watching public gets to really know Shough. MP: Luke is on it. From a national perspective, Shough has the chance to make the Saints relevant in a way that they haven’t been since Drew Brees retired. I think there will still be some inconsistencies — can he cut down on the high number of sacks he took as a rookie? — but his highs will put people on notice. And if he does that, the Saints have a real shot at winning the division. RW: A second-year quarterback with just nine starts under his belt is going to have some rough moments along the way. But the good will outweigh the bad, especially if the revamped offensive line can give him the time he needs to operate. There are

the touchdown pass. “I almost wanted to cry,” Robinson said. “It’s a whole year of missing football. I’ve been working for this. My linemen making it easy for me to get in there. It felt great.” Robinson tore the ACL in his left knee during practice just weeks before the 2025 season began. The injury kept him from playing as St. Augustine advanced to the state ﬁnals for the ﬁrst time since 1979. “He’s been through so much,” St. Augustine coach Robert Valdez said. “For an entire year, he wasn’t part of that season. I’m happy he’s back and playing.”

St. Augustine (1-0) scored five touchdowns rushing and one passing on Robinson’s halfback option play. The other touchdown came on Kyler Nelson’s interception return when the McDonogh 35 punter got hurried and threw the ball forward. Overmatched from the start, McDonogh 35 (0-1) had six turnovers with ﬁve interceptions and one lost fumble. A blocked punt recovered inside the 1-yard line set up the ﬁnal St. Augustine touchdown. Co’Hann Davis ran for two touchdowns. Kh’lil Lewis and Miguel Whitley each ran for one.

Quarterback Jaelle Noble was 11of-21 passing for 176 yards. He ran ﬁve times for 30 yards. Armon Allen intercepted two passes. Louis Brown and Payton Thomas each picked off one pass. Of great concern for Valdez were 12 penalties for 130 yards. But most pleasing for the coach was Robinson’s return. St. Augustine will play next on the road against Destrehan. “The kid is phenomenal,” Valdez said. “I’m glad to have him back and get the jitters out and all that. He gives us another element to our offense.”

JD: The Saints’ running game has to improve, or Shough will be forced to play hero ball every week and that won’t cut it. You can’t be one-dimensional on offense in this league. Etienne should be an upgrade in the backfield, but I’m still not convinced this aspect of the team is that improved. I’m in “Show Me” mode until proven otherwise. Q: THE SAINTS HAVEN’T MADE THE PLAYOFFS SINCE THE 2020 SEASON. WILL THAT DROUGHT END THIS SEASON? WHY OR WHY NOT? LJ: Yes, because the Saints have pretty dramatically improved their offensive talent, their defense is still good enough to cause some headaches and their schedule and division are favorable. It’s a bit risky to go out on a limb and STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD say this because so much of what should drive their success is new, Saints wide receiver Barion Brown runs a drill during training camp on but the quarterback and the head July 29 at the team’s practice facility. coach are the two most important factors, and I believe in both to this offseason. Defense may win get it done in a watered-down still national media members NFC South. who mispronounce Shough’s last championships, but good offensMP: Yes. Outside of the areas name. Expect that to change this es win games (of the 14 teams to make the playoffs last year, only that the Saints addressed in the season as Shough makes a giant three ranked outside the top half offseason, the NFL always sees Year 2 leap. a team go from worst to first in of the league in scoring). New JD: Shough is poised for a their division, and New Orleans Orleans won’t compete for anybreakout year if he can stay is as good a candidate to accomthing meaningful if it’s hovering healthy. He looks more confiplish that. It won’t happen without around 18 or 19 points per game dent in his second season and Shough making another jump, again this season. has taken command of the team but that might have already hapMP: The defense can’t regress. and locker room. He needs to pened. The quarterback has been The Saints ranked third in defentake the next step and show he lights out since joint practices sive EPA over the last half of the can lead the team against qualseason, but the quarterbacks they started last month. ity competition. If he does, the RW: If you had asked me this faced included Bryce Young, Kirk Saints should challenge for the two months ago, I probably Cousins, Tua Tagovailoa, Brady NFC South title and playoff Cook, Cam Ward and a banged-up would have said no. But I’ve berth. We’ll know a lot more Baker Mayfield. That said, I don’t seen enough since camp started about Shough after the first two to think the Saints have enough think their improvement was a games of this season. firepower to win what will once fluke. And while Luke is right about the offense, the defense has again be a weak division. The Q: THE OBVIOUS ANSWER TO THIS ONE Saints and Bucs will be battling a chance to be this team’s best IS SHOUGH STAYING HEALTHY. BUT OTHER for the NFC South crown. Origistrength. That can carry them to THAN THAT, FILL IN THE BLANK. nally I thought the Falcons would wins even if the offense hovers IN ORDER FOR THE SAINTS’ SEASON TO be in the mix, but they haven’t BE A SUCCESS, _____________________ around average. figured out their quarterback RW: The pieces are there. They ____________. situation. The Saints have, which just all have to stay healthy. ReLJ: Kellen Moore’s secret sauce is why I have them edging out moving Shough from the equahas to be a hit. The Saints went tion, there are a few more players Baker Mayfield and the Bucs for out and hired Moore because he the division title. who have to stay healthy for the has been one of the NFL’s best JD: I guess I’m the lone disteam to be good. McCoy is the offensive minds for the better senter here. While I’m high on part of the last decade. Year after most obvious one for me. The Shough and think the Saints will Saints are so much better when year, Moore delivered some of be improved in several areas, the the NFL’s most consistent and ex- McCoy is at center than they are roster still is precariously thin at when he’s not. I’d also put Olave plosive offenses. That was never certain spots, including corneron the list of players they can’t really true last year, even when back, defensive tackle and redo without. I’m confident in the Shough was playing good ball toceiver. Any more injuries to those defense. Improvement in the ward the end of the season. That can’t be the case in 2026, especial- running game could be the differ- positions and the Saints could be scrambling. This team’s arrival ence in the unit going from good ly considering the resources the feels like a year away. to great. Saints poured into their offense

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ 5C

AFC PREVIEW Houston’s ﬁrst hurdle on way to Super Bowl goal? Taking the AFC South title BY TERESA M. WALKER AP pro football Writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix throws against the Green Bay Packers during the first half of a preseason game on Aug. 21 in Denver.

Power shift: Nix signaled a new AFC West era BY ARNIE STAPLETON

AP pro football Writer

The Denver Broncos ended the Kansas City Chiefs’ nine-year reign atop the AFC West last AFC West season, yet Patrick Mahomes sensed his team’s stranglehold on the division loosening just a bit way back in mid-November 2024 when he was on his way to a third consecutive Super Bowl. The Chiefs had just blocked a game-winning field-goal attempt as time expired to preserve a stunning 16-14 win over Denver. Mahomes approached Broncos coach Sean Payton during the postgame hugs and handshakes and delivered a simple message: “You’ve got one.” As in a franchise quarterback. Bo Nix had just methodically and calmly driven the Broncos into field-goal range only to watch linebacker Leo Chenal break through the line to block Wil Lutz’s chipshot field-goal try. Nix and the Broncos recovered to reach the playoffs that season, but they were bounced by Buffalo in the wild-card round while the Chiefs reached the Super Bowl only to fall short of a three-peat with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Nix blossomed last season when he led the Broncos to a 15-4 record, their first division crown in a decade and a trip to the AFC championship game, which he missed after breaking his right ankle on Denver’s game-winning drive in overtime against the Bills in the divisional round. Nix tied Russell Wilson’s record for most wins in his first two NFL seasons with two dozen, joining Mahomes and the Los Angeles Chargers ‘ Justin Herbert among the league’s accomplished quarterbacks. The Raiders changed coaches and quarterbacks this season with Klint Kubiak taking over for Pete Carroll as head coach and QB Geno Smith giving way to free agent

Kirk Cousins and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. While Herbert was banged up last season, it’s Nix (ankle) and Mahomes (knee) who are coming off surgeries in 2026 and they’ll square off on Sept. 14 in a marquee Monday night matchup at Arrowhead Stadium to top off the NFL’s opening weekend.

Denver’s daunting stretch The Broncos face a harrowing sixgame stretch to open the season. After traveling to Kansas City, they’ll host the Jacksonville Jaguars, who thumped them last year 34-20 in Denver to snap the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak, and the Los Angeles Rams, who added Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald to a dominant defense. Then, they visit the San Francisco 49ers and the Chargers before returning home to host the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. “It’s football, bro,” said Broncos second-year rising wide receiver Pat Bryant. “I’m a competitor. I love going out there. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. Having a schedule like that, coming out strong, I mean, it’ll help build us a team. “Playing those great teams, it challenges us and at the end of the day we’re up to the challenge,” Bryant added. “I love it. I like going out there and competing mano a mano. Six great teams with a lot of great players will allow us to go out there and show off what we’ve been through this training camp.”

Missing Mahomes Mahomes, who tore two ligaments in his left knee last December, didn’t play in the preseason, the ﬁrst time the two-time MVP has gone through a full scheduled exhibition season without appearing in a game. “It’s the amount of time they’ve said from the beginning, that if I did everything the right way, I would be ready to play Week 1,” Mahomes said. “I’m someone, if

you put (a target) in front of me, I want to go out and get it and maximize every single opportunity, every rep in the weight room, every hour that I can spend in the building to get my body right.” If the past is any indication, watch out. Mahomes had one of the best seasons of his career the previous time he didn’t play in any tuneup games. After the NFL canceled the preseason in 2020 amid the pandemic, Mahomes threw for 4,740 yards with 38 touchdowns with only six interceptions as Kansas City went 14-2 and beat Buffalo for the AFC championship, before losing to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.

Safeguarding Herbert If the Chargers are to win their first division crown since 2009 when they were still based in San Diego, or break through with a playoff victory after back-to-back 11-win seasons under Jim Harbaugh, they’ll have to do a better job of protecting Herbert. He was pressured a league-high 183 times last season, and after getting Pro Bowl tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back healthy, the Chargers lost veteran center Tyler Biadasz to a season-ending knee injury this summer after signing him away from Washington. The Chargers are hoping former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, their new offensive coordinator, helps keep Herbert upright by bringing his speed-based schemes and high-ﬂying attack to L.A. Herbert absorbed the most hits and sacks of his six-year career last season, so McDaniel is putting a premium on quick throws to keep him out of harm’s way. The Chargers will really be put to the test in Weeks 5 and 18 when they face Denver’s daunting defense that has led the league in sacks each of the past two seasons. The Broncos have a combined sack differential of plus-84 over that span, leading the league by a wide margin.

AFC East led by Patriots, Bills eyeing Super Bowl run BY DENNIS WASZAK JR. AP pro football Writer

It’s like old times again for the New England Patriots, who are being pursued by everyone else in the AFC East. It’s a position the franchise knows all too well, having a nearly twoAFC East decade reign — 17 division titles in 19 years — before Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills won ﬁve in a row. A playoff run all the way to the Super Bowl last season behind second-year quarterback Drake Maye has raised expectations for the Patriots and provided the Bills, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins a clear target. “We are the team that’s being hunted,” Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones said. “And we have to wear that chip on our shoulder every time that we get out there.” And it’s not just about the AFC

East for Mike Vrabel’s Patriots, who look to be one of the favorites — along with the Bills — to again come out of the conference and get to the Super Bowl. That was the case for Allen and Buffalo the past six years, but they couldn’t get over the playoff hump. The Bills ﬁred Sean McDermott and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who’s the NFL’s youngest head coach at 36 and is immediately charged with a Super Bowl-or-bust task. “I think the simple thing is we don’t want to hit the wall, we want to run through it,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “So the mindset is run through the wall that we know is there instead of hitting it. You know, don’t let the wall hit you. You hit the wall and go through the walls. “And then the other side, as we know, is that Lombardi Trophy.” For the Jets and Dolphins, though, a return to respectability is the sim-

ple but massive goal in what appears to be a top-heavy AFC East. “We’re still turning that ship,” New York coach Aaron Glenn said. “We’re still turning it, but I like exactly where we are.”

Bills have several new faces Allen is in his prime at 30 and he’s got a new big-play playmaker after the Bills acquired DJ Moore from Chicago in March. While the offense, which includes defending NFL rushing leader James Cook, expects to be productive as usual, the defense is where the question marks are. And ﬁrst-time coordinator Jim Leonhard will try to improve a unit that will have at least ﬁve new starters. “I think that the standard here right now is winning,” safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said. “Championships and winning. Everybody understand what’s going on. We’re too good of a team to fall short. It’s as simple as that.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Houston Texans are the only NFL team never to play in a conference championship game and one of only four still waiting for the first Super Bowl berth. Even more painful? The Texans have lost in the divisional AFC South AFC round each of the past three years and are 0-7 in that round all time. That makes the goal for the Texans’ 25th season as an NFL franchise obvious. Super Bowl or bust. “That’s something that we’re striving for, something that’s never been done in the city,” Houston All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said. First, the Texans want to win the AFC South title for the third time in four seasons. Houston finished second in 2025, shaking off an 0-3 start to go 12-5. Jacksonville won the AFC South for the second time in four seasons with new coach Liam Coen. Jacksonville is fighting history of its own. The Jaguars went 13-4 last season but haven’t put together back-to-back 10-win seasons in 27 years. That’s also the most recent time this franchise made consecutive playoff appearances. The Indianapolis Colts placed their future on Daniel Jones hoping for the quarterback who had the best start of his career before tearing his right Achilles tendon Dec. 7 at Jacksonville. The Tennessee Titans play their final season at Nissan Stadium before moving into the new Nissan Stadium next door in 2027. The Titans have cycled through general managers and coaches with Robert Saleh the team’s third different coach in four seasons of losing. All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons has a simple goal. “It’s been four years since I’ve been to the playoffs,” Simmons said of Tennessee’s last trip after the 2021 season. “I want that feeling again.”

Texans’ hopes rest on their QB Houston has every reason to think Super Bowl with Anderson leading a defense that that allowed the fewest yards in the NFL last season and second-few-

est points per game. The Texans made Anderson the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history in April after he had 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. They also gave linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair a t hree-year extension after his first Pro Bowl berth. Then they signed Jadeveon Clowney, or as Al-Shaair put it: The rich get richer.” C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in 2023, has helped the Texans reach the playoffs each of his first three seasons. But he was intercepted four times in the Texans’ divisional loss to New England, and Houston picked up his fifth-year option to buy time for an extension that once seemed inevitable. The Texans also had to trade for Kayshon Boutte after wide receiver Jayden Higgins tore an ACL.

Jacksonville defending division The Jaguars ﬂipped from 4-13 to 13-4 in Coen’s first season, which ended with a wild-card loss. Trevor Lawrence threw for 4,007 yards and a career-high 29 touchdowns. He also has Travis Hunter back from the right knee injury that ended his rookie season even if Hunter is likely to play more at cornerback. Jacksonville let running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Devin Lloyd leave in free agency. That leaves the Jags leaning on Chris Rodriguez and Bhayshul Tuten boost a run game that ranked 27th in the NFL with 4 yards a carry. Drafting Hunter kept Jacksonville out of the first round of the April draft, then the Jags made blocking tight end Nate Boerkircher the 54th pick overall. The Jags’ big offseason signings included extensions for tight end Brenton Strange, long snapper Ross Matiscik and edge rusher Travon Walker.

Pros back in Tennessee Saleh brought former Giants head coach Brian Daboll and former Jaguars coach Gus Bradley with him to turn the Titans back into a competent franchise after going a combined 6-28 the past two seasons. The Titans also had the NFL’s biggest spending spree in March to add talent to a young roster.

Three new coaches in as the AFC enters a new era BY NOAH TRISTER

ished first when Baltimore’s Tyler Loop missed a field goal on the final play of their matchup in The last play of the 2025 regu- Week 18. lar season determined the winner Reunited of the AFC North. Then Baltimore and Pittsburgh There’s symmetry everywhere — the two teams playing in that you look in Pittsburgh this seagame — soon entered new eras. son, from McCarthy coaching his Gone a r e hometown team to his reunion coaches John with Rodgers, who opted to run it AFC North Harbaugh and back with the coach he won a SuMike Tomlin. per Bowl with in Green Bay well The former spent 18 seasons with over a decade ago. the Ravens, the latter 19 at the The Steelers upgraded the roshelm of the Steelers. Jesse Mint- ter around the four-time MVP, er and Mike McCarthy took over trading for wide receiver Mithose jobs, part of an offseason chael Pittman, selecting former in which three of the division’s Alabama pass catcher Germie four coaching positions changed Bernard in the draft and signing hands. Cleveland replaced Kevin running back Rico Dowdle in free Stefanski with Todd Monken. agency. A few more points might go a “It’s a day-by-day process. We’re not going to win because long way for a franchise that has we’re the Ravens. We’re not go- spent most of the past 10 years ing to win because we have X, squeaking into the playoffs by Y, Z players. We’re not going winning a bunch of taut, low-scorto win because I’m the coach,” ing games under Tomlin. Minter said. “We’re going to The defense is highly compencreate our success based on sated and still disruptive, if also the standards that we create, aging in certain spots with edge the process that we go through rusher T.J. Watt, defensive back every day.” Jalen Ramsey and defensive Although there were changes tackle Cam Heyward in their at the top, all four AFC North 30s (or well into their 30s in Heyteams do have a certain degree ward’s case). of familiarity at quarterback. Lamar Jackson and Joe Bur- Up the middle row return for the Ravens and As usual, Jackson’s health is Bengals. Aaron Rodgers chose the key in Baltimore. He missed to come back to Pittsburgh. four games last season and Cleveland has decided to start looked out of sorts in several Deshaun Watson, who is in his others. fifth season with the Browns, But questions at the line of although he hasn’t played since scrimmage remain. The Ravens an Achilles tendon injury in lost star center Tyler Linderbaum 2024. to free agency and already lost Only one team in the division one possible replacement when made the playoffs last season. Danny Pinter went down with a That was Pittsburgh, which fin- leg injury. AP sportswriter

6C ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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SCOREBOARD Odds

Texas Tech 33, Abilene Christian 10 Tulsa 24, Oklahoma St. 10 UTSA 45, UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros 16 West Florida 42, Cent. Arkansas 14

Sports Betting Line NFL Wednesday

FAR WEST

FAVORITE OPEN at SEATTLE 4½

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3½ (44½) New Eng

FAVORITE OPEN at LA RAMS 3½

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3½ (48½) San Fran

FAVORITE OPEN at TENN 2½ at DETROIT 7 at JAX 7½ Chicago 2½ at CIN 3½ at PITT 3 Buffalo 1½ Baltimore 3½ at MINNESOTA 1½ at PHILA 4½ at LAS VEGAS 3½ at CHARGERS 10½ Dallas 2½

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 1½ (39½) NY Jets 7 (49½) New Orlea 7½ (40½) Cleveland 2½ (47½) at CAR 3½ (50½) Tampa Bay 3½ (41½) Atlanta 1½ (44½) at HOU 3½ (47½) at IND 1½ (46½) Green Bay 4½ (44½)Washington 3½ (40½) Miami 10½ (46½) Arizona 2½ (48½) at GIANTS

Thursday Sunday

Monday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at KANSAS CITY2½ 2½ (43½) Denver

College Football Monday FAVORITE SMU

MLB

OPEN 2½

TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 3 (53½) at FSU

Monday

American League FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at BOSTON OFF LA Angels at BALTIMORE OFF Cleveland at DETROIT OFF Minnesota at ATHLETICS OFF Toronto National League FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at PHILA OFF Atlanta at MIAMI OFF N.Y Mets at MILWAUKEE OFF Chicago Cubs at SAN DIEGO OFF Washington at SAN FRAN OFF St. Louis at LA DODGERS OFF Cincinnati Interleague FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at KANSAS CITY OFF Arizona

LINE OFF OFF OFF OFF LINE OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF LINE OFF

Pro basketball WNBA Glance EASTERN CONFERENCE x-Atlanta x-Indiana x-New York x-Washington Chicago Toronto Connecticut

W 26 26 24 24 15 11 10

L 14 14 16 16 25 29 30

Pct .650 .650 .600 .600 .375 .275 .250

GB — — 2 2 11 15 16

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

W 31 29 27 24 16 15 14 8

L 9 11 13 16 24 25 26 32

Pct .775 .725 .675 .600 .400 .375 .350 .200

GB — 2 4 7 15 16 17 23

WESTERN CONFERENCE

x-clinched playoff spot Saturday’s Games No games scheduled.

Sunday’s Games

No games scheduled.

Monday’s Games

No games scheduled.

Pro football NFL Glance Wednesday’s Games

New England at Seattle, 7:20 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

San Francisco vs L.A. Rams at Melbourne, VIC, 7:35 p.m.

Sunday’s Games

Atlanta at Pittsburgh, noon Baltimore at Indianapolis, noon Buffalo at Houston, noon Chicago at Carolina, noon Cleveland at Jacksonville, noon N.Y. Jets at Tennessee, noon New Orleans at Detroit, noon Tampa Bay at Cincinnati, noon Arizona at L.A. Chargers, 3:25 p.m. Green Bay at Minnesota, 3:25 p.m. Miami at Las Vegas, 3:25 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m. Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 7:20 p.m.

Monday’s Games

Denver at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m.

College Football Major Scores Saturday’s games EAST

Army 59, Bryant 3 Colgate 35, Holy Cross 10 Lehigh 45, Georgetown 14 Maryland 62, Hampton 0 Monmouth (NJ) 31, Sacred Heart 24 Navy 42, Towson 15 Penn St. 45, Marshall 0 Pittsburgh 59, Miami (Ohio) 14 Richmond 28, Howard 21 Robert Morris 29, W. Virginia St. 9 Stonehill 21, New Haven 3 Syracuse 66, New Hampshire 3 Temple 38, Rhode Island 14 Uconn 56, Lafayette 7 Villanova 17, Bucknell 16 Wagner 31, S. Connecticut 7 West Virginia 31, Coastal Carolina 24

SOUTH

Alabama 48, East Carolina 10 Alabama A&M 38, Miles 23 Alabama St. 34, Lane 0 Appalachian St. 55, Maine 3 Auburn 17, Baylor 16 Duke 17, Tulane 3 ETSU 48, Tusculum 14 Elon 38, Davidson 0 Florida 66, FAU 21 Georgia 63, Tennessee St. 3 Georgia Southern 31, Charleston Southern 0 Grambling St. 48, Central St. (Ohio) 26 Jackson St. 66, Edward Waters 14 Jacksonville St. 49, E. Kentucky 7 James Madison 20, Liberty 13 Kentucky 45, Youngstown St. 13 LSU 51, Clemson 10 Louisiana Tech 80, Northwestern St. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette 38, Lamar 7 McNeese St. 52, Texas Wesleyan Rams 0 Memphis 42, Arkansas St. 24 Mercer 62, Presbyterian 3 Middle Tennessee 38, Murray St. 14 Mississippi St. 62, Louisiana-Monroe 13 NC Central 27, Elizabeth City St. 6 Old Dominion 31, Norfolk St. 10 South Alabama 39, SE Louisiana 14 South Carolina 57, Kent St. 0 South Florida 19, FIU 9 Southern Miss. 49, Alcorn St. 3 Southern U. 34, Kentucky St. 15 Stetson 45, Webber International Warriors 10 Tennessee 56, Furman 9 Tennessee Tech 24, Chattanooga 9 The Citadel 43, Charlotte 41, 3OT Troy 24, Sam Houston St. 21 UT Martin 42, Chicago State Cougars 7 Vanderbilt 28, Austin Peay 9 Virginia Tech 73, VMI 3 William & Mary 22, Delaware St. 15 Wofford 17, Gardner-Webb 13

MIDWEST

Cincinnati 34, Boston College 15 Illinois St. 41, W. Illinois 10 Indiana 52, North Texas 16 Iowa 40, N. Illinois 0 Iowa St. 38, SE Missouri 10 Kansas St. 71, Nicholls 3 Michigan 13, W. Michigan 12 N. Dakota St. 38, Fordham 0 Nebraska 49, Ohio 21 North Dakota 62, St. Thomas (Minn.) 26 Northwestern 34, S. Dakota St. 18 Ohio St. 56, Ball St. 3 Tarleton St. 20, Bowling Green 13

SOUTHWEST

Arkansas 31, North Alabama 14 Houston 33, Oregon St. 20 Rice 31, Houston Christian 3 Stephen F. Austin 44, East Texas A&M 7 Texas 59, Texas State 7 Texas A&M 50, Missouri St. 0

US Open Results

Fourth Round Carlos Alcaraz (2), Spain, def. Tommy Paul (20), United States, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

Women’s Singles

Men’s Doubles

A—102,321.

CLEM LSU First downs 8 38 Total Net Yards 145 644 Rushes-yards 26-40 58-309 Passing 105 335 Punt Returns 0-0 0-0 Kickoff Returns 3-65 1-18 Interceptions Ret. 1-1 1-30 Comp-Att-Int 14-22-1 22-36-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 4-19 0-0 Punts 10-40.4 2-28.5 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards 5-41 6-75 Time of Possession 23:51 36:09 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING—Clemson, Green 4-21, Davidson 7-20, Eziomume 1-11, Vizzina 5-4, Chr.Johnson 3-0, Wesco 1-(minus 7), Reynolds 5-(minus 9). LSU, Leavitt 12-113, D.Jones 23-113, Gage 8-33, Clark 4-23, Watkins 1-14, Wilson 1-9, Berry 4-9, Longstreet 1-3, Durham 3-3, (Team) 1-(minus 11). PASSING—Clemson, Vizzina 10-16-1-83, Reynolds 4-6-0-22. LSU, Leavitt 16-28-1-230, Clark 5-7-0-72, Longstreet 1-1-0-33. RECEIVING—Clemson, Moore 4-31, Wesco 2-29, T.Brown 2-11, Preston 1-25, T.Smith 1-6, Sellars 1-4, Burroughs 1-1, Patt-Henry 1-1, Bentancur 1-(minus 3). LSU, Watkins 7-110, T.Green 4-58, Wilson 4-35, Wright 3-70, J.Harris 1-32, Barber 1-15, Jayc.Brown 1-14, D.Jones 1-1. MISSED FIELD GOALS—LSU, Starzyk 48.

Duke 17, Tulane 3

Tulane 0 0 0 3 — 3 Duke 7 3 0 7 — 17 First quarter DUKE — Sheppard 9 run (Salas kick), 5:07. Second Quarter DUKE — FG Salas 22, :00. Fourth quarter TUL — FG Courville 37, 13:37. DUKE — Sheppard 14 run (Salas kick), 6:44. TUL DUKE First downs 11 20 Total Net Yards 270 381 Rushes-yards 26-54 49-250 Passing 216 131 Punt Returns 2-12 4-5 Kickoff Returns 1-24 0-0 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 17-31-0 13-29-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 3-20 0-0 Punts 7-45.0 4-54.25 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1 Penalties-Yards 15-109 8-41 Time of Possession 25:09 34:51 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — Tulane, J.Daniels 8-31, Turner 4-15, Chriss-Gremillion 6-7, Lucas 3-3, K.Semonza 5-(minus 2). Duke, Sheppard 35-227, Campbell 10-25, Mahan 2-8, (Team) 1-(minus 1), Eget 1-(minus 9). PASSING — Tulane, K.Semonza 11-22-0-152, Chriss-Gremillion 6-9-0-64. Duke, Eget 13-270-131, (Team) 0-1-0-0, Mahan 0-1-0-0. RECEIVING — Tulane, Hill 5-79, BrownStephens 4-16, Richardson 2-29, Turner 1-44, Z.Lewis 1-27, C.Semonza 1-11, Mitchell 1-8, Lucas 1-5, Mmahat 1-(minus 3). Duke, Burton 3-38, Campbell 3-22, Sheppard 3-19, Hasley 2-36, Moore 1-11, Taylor 1-5. MISSED FIELD GOALS — Tulane, Courville 43. Duke, Salas 32.

Golf Omega European Masters At Crans-Sur-Sierre Golf Club Crans-Montana, Switzerland Purse: $3.3 million Yardage: 6,830; Par: 70 Final Round

-18 -18 -17 -16 -16 -16 -16 -16 -15 -15 -14 -14 -14 -14 -12 -12 -12 -11 -11 -11 -11 -11 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -9 -9 -9 -9 -9 -9 -9 -8 -8 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -2 -1 +1 +1 +2 +3

Second Round Harri Heliovaara, Finland, and Henry Patten (1), Britain, def. Jan-Lennard Struff, Germany, and Matteo Arnaldi, Italy, 7-5, 6-2. Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, Argentina, def. Petr Nouza, Czechia, and Neil Oberleitner, Austria, 7-6 (7), 6-3. Brandon Carpico and Nikita Samuel Filin, United States, def. Marcelo Melo, Brazil, and John Peers, Australia, 3-6, 7-6 (0), 6-4. Edouard Roger-Vasselin, France, and Hugo Nys (12), Monaco, def. Evan King, United States, and N. Sriram Balaji, India, 6-4, 7-5. Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash (9), Britain, def. Adam Pavlasek and Patrik Rikl, Czechia, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Lucas Miedler, Austria, and Marc Polmans (13), Australia, def. Alexander Erler, Austria, and Robert Cash, United States, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Women’s Doubles

Second Round Tatjana Maria, Germany, and Zeynep Sonmez, Turkiye, def. Aleksandra Krunic, Serbia, and Anna Danilina (3), Kazakhstan, 1-6, 6-5, ret. Andreja Klepac, Slovenia, and Eri Hozumi, Japan, def. Asia Muhammad, United States, and Fanny Stollar (16), Hungary, 6-4, 6-4. Nicole Melichar-Martinez, United States, and Cristina Bucsa (6), Spain, def. Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden, Britain, 6-2, 6-2. Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Jelena Ostapenko (4), Latvia, def. Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spain, and Marie Bouzkova, Czechia, 6-1, 7-6 (4). Zhang Shuai and Xinyu Jiang (7), China, def. Zhaoxuan Yang, China, and Eudice Chong, Hong Kong, China, 7-6 (6), 6-1.

Soccer MLS Glance Eastern Conference Nashville Inter Miami CF Chicago New England Charlotte FC Cincinnati New York City FC Orlando City Philadelphia New York Toronto FC D.C. United Columbus Atlanta CF Montréal

W L T Pts GF 16 2 5 53 47 12 4 7 43 58 11 6 5 38 43 11 8 4 37 37 10 7 6 36 40 8 7 7 31 49 7 8 8 29 36 8 11 4 28 38 7 10 6 27 36 7 10 6 27 32 5 7 11 26 36 5 7 10 25 28 6 12 5 23 34 6 13 4 22 27 5 12 6 21 30

Western Conference

National League

East Division

Tampa Bay New York Boston Toronto Baltimore

W 85 81 79 72 69

L 57 61 65 72 75

Pct .599 .570 .549 .500 .479

GB — 4 7 14 17

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

W 85 80 72 67 65

L 58 63 72 77 78

Pct .594 .559 .500 .465 .455

GB — 5 13½ 18½ 20

Chicago Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

W 74 73 68 65 64

L 68 71 74 78 80

Pct .521 .507 .479 .455 .444

GB — 2 6 9½ 11

Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati

W 88 81 71 71 69

L 56 63 72 73 74

Pct .611 .563 .497 .493 .483

GB — 7 16½ 17 18½

Houston Texas Seattle Athletics Los Angeles

W 73 70 66 57 54

L 71 73 77 86 89

Pct .507 .490 .462 .399 .378

GB — 2½ 6½ 15½ 18½

Los Angeles Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado

W 85 76 74 59 55

L 57 68 68 85 87

Pct .599 .528 .521 .410 .387

GB — 10 11 27 30

West Division

Saturday’s Games

Fourth Round Aryna Sabalenka (1), Belarus, def. Taylor Townsend, United States, 6-4, 6-3. Linda Noskova (6), Czechia, def. Marta Kostyuk (11), Ukraine, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.

Clemson 3 0 0 7 — 10 LSU 17 14 13 7 — 51 First Quarter CLEM—FG Hauser 49, 13:28. LSU—FG Starzyk 49, 10:16. LSU—D.Jones 1 run (Starzyk kick), 3:36. LSU—J.Ross 30 interception return (Starzyk kick), 2:07. Second Quarter LSU—Leavitt 8 run (Starzyk kick), 7:54. LSU—Leavitt 13 run (Starzyk kick), 1:10. Third Quarter LSU—Watkins 32 pass from Leavitt (Starzyk kick), 8:21. LSU—D.Jones 12 run (pass failed), 3:24. Fourth Quarter LSU—Wright 30 pass from Clark (Starzyk kick), 6:43. CLEM—Eziomume 11 run (Hauser kick), 3:13.

American League

Central Division

Sunday

Men’s Singles

No. 11 LSU 51, Clemson 10

x-T. Lawrence $548,226 64-63-73-62—262 P. Casey $354,735 67-64-63-68—262 Harry Hall $203,166 65-68-67-63—263 A. Ayra Fanegas $117,64364-68-66-66—264 A. Hidalgo $117,643 70-63-67-64—264 F. Laporta $117,643 67-67-65-65—264 E. L-Chacarra $117,643 65-67-65-67—264 B. Wiesbrgr $117,643 69-68-63-64—264 J. Girrbach $68,367 70-63-67-65—265 Matt Wallace $68,367 68-66-66-65—265 Nacho Elvira $54,016 67-62-68-69—266 R. Højgaard $54,016 68-66-66-66—266 J. Lagergren $54,016 66-66-68-66—266 Patrick Reed $54,016 66-67-67-66—266 A. Halvorsen $45,471 69-66-68-65—268 Antoine Roznr $45,471 66-67-67-68—268 M. Steinlechnr $45,471 66-68-63-71—268 T.Clements $38,827 64-68-67-70—269 H.-Tng Li, China $38,827 67-68-68-66—269 Marco Penge $38,827 68-68-68-65—269 Tom Vaillant $38,827 69-68-67-65—269 E.Van Rooyen $38,827 67-67-63-72—269 F. Biondi, Brazil $32,571 67-67-69-67—270 D. Bryant $32,571 66-66-70-68—270 R. Cabrra Bello $32,571 66-65-69-70—270 R. Langasque $32,571 68-67-65-70—270 K. Nakajima $32,571 67-63-69-71—270 B. Stone $32,571 69-63-69-69—270 A. Wu, China $32,571 63-68-70-69—270 Thomas Detry $25,799 68-64-70-69—271 Ryan Gerard $25,799 69-68-65-69—271 Calum Hill $25,799 68-67-67-69—271 Casey Jarvis $25,799 67-69-66-69—271 Z. Lombard $25,799 69-68-66-68—271 David Puig $25,799 66-67-67-71—271 Sergio Garcia $25,799 70-63-72-66—271 Jeremy Paul $21,929 65-64-72-71—272 Jack Yule $21,929 65-69-69-69—272 I. o Gutierrez $19,672 66-71-67-69—273 Sean Crocker $19,672 73-64-64-72—273 Joost Luiten $19,672 67-69-73-64—273 S. Mazzoli $19,672 67-70-69-67—273 E. Molinari $19,672 71-63-69-70—273 A. Del Rey $16,447 67-69-69-69—274 M. Elvira $16,447 66-70-67-71—274 Dylan Frittelli $16,447 71-65-69-69—274 Adrian Meronk $16,447 66-68-68-72—274 Danny Willett $16,447 69-66-65-74—274 Joshua Berry $13,544 67-68-71-69—275 Quentin Debove $13,544 68-67-69-71—275 Yurav Premlall $13,544 68-67-71-69—275 F. Zanotti $13,544 68-67-72-68—275 K. Aphibarnrat $11,206 70-67-72-67—276 J. Kruyswijk $11,206 67-66-73-70—276 David Law $11,206 70-67-68-71—276 D. Van Driel $11,206 69-68-69-70—276 U. Coussaud $9,836 66-69-75-67—277 Nathan Kimsey $9,836 71-65-69-72—277 Niklas Lemke $9,836 65-70-71-71—277 Guido Migliozzi $9,836 68-69-69-71—277 Gregorio De Leo $8,546 70-63-74-71—278 J. Trey Schaper $8,546 67-69-72-70—278 M. Schneider $8,546 70-67-72-69—278 Yanhan Zhou $8,546 70-67-72-69—278 R. Rptto Taylor $7,740 66-69-77-67—279 S. Sharma $7,256 64-68-74-75—281 Mike Toorop $7,256 70-67-74-70—281 Michael Hollick $6,772 69-68-72-73—282 S. Soderberg $6,450 71-64-75-73—283 Louis De Jager $6,127 69-66-77-WD

Tennis At The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center New York Purse: $5,438,400 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Results Sunday from US Open at The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (seedings in parentheses):

Air Force 34, Duquesne 0 Arizona 35, N. Arizona 7 Arizona St. 70, Morgan St. 7 BYU 63, Utah Tech 7 Cal Poly 24, Cent. Washington 17 Colorado St. 35, Wyoming 13 E. Washington 34, N. Iowa 24 Idaho St. 29, Utah St. 17 Montana 45, Drake 10 Montana St. 51, Butler 24 Nevada 49, W. Kentucky 14 New Mexico 38, Cent. Michigan 7 New Mexico St. 51, Mercyhurst 14 Oregon 34, Boise St. 27 S. Utah 47, Weber St. 42 Sacramento St. 52, MVSU 0 San Diego St. 53, Portland St. 20 South Dakota 38, N. Colorado 23 UC Davis 49, San Diego 17 UCLA 45, California 24 UNLV 21, Hawaii 6

(x-won on fourth playoff hole)

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

GA 17 43 32 29 32 51 31 54 39 46 42 36 39 40 48

W L T Pts GF GA Vancouver 13 5 4 43 49 21 Houston 12 7 4 40 30 26 Los Angeles FC 10 7 7 37 38 24 FC Dallas 10 6 7 37 45 40 St Louis City 10 6 7 37 36 31 San Jose 10 8 5 35 40 34 Colorado 10 12 1 31 31 31 Portland 9 10 4 31 44 43 San Diego FC 8 9 6 30 40 34 Real Salt Lake 8 9 5 29 36 35 Minnesota United 7 8 8 29 34 37 LA Galaxy 7 9 8 29 30 36 Seattle 7 9 6 27 24 29 Austin FC 6 10 7 25 29 42 Sporting Kansas City 4 16 3 15 23 58 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Friday’s games

Nashville 0, New York City FC 0, tie

Saturday’s games

Houston 0, Charlotte FC 0, tie Columbus 3, Colorado 0 Orlando City 1, San Diego FC 0 Philadelphia 2, CF Montréal 0 Chicago 4, Toronto FC 4, tie San Jose 1, Austin FC 1, tie FC Dallas 4, Sporting Kansas City 3 New York 0, Seattle 0, tie Atlanta 2, Miami 2, tie LA Galaxy 2, New England 1 Los Angeles FC 2, Real Salt Lake 2, tie D.C. United at Cincinnati ppd. Portland 5, Minnesota 4 St Louis City 3, Vancouver 1

Detroit 6, Cleveland 0 L.A. Angels 6, Pittsburgh 1 Toronto 4, Kansas City 3 Tampa Bay 6, Texas 3, 10 innings Minnesota 6, Chicago White Sox 4 Boston 5, Baltimore 0 N.Y. Yankees 5, San Diego 1 Arizona 4, Houston 3, 10 innings Athletics 6, Seattle 2

Central Division

West Division

Saturday’s Games

San Francisco 9, N.Y. Mets 5 Chicago Cubs 6, Miami 5 Philadelphia 4, Atlanta 2 L.A. Angels 6, Pittsburgh 1 Cincinnati 5, Milwaukee 3 N.Y. Yankees 5, San Diego 1 Arizona 4, Houston 3, 10 innings Colorado 10, St. Louis 7 L.A. Dodgers 6, Washington 5

Sunday’s Games

Pittsburgh 1, L.A. Angels 0 Boston 3, Baltimore 1 Cleveland 3, Detroit 2, 10 innings Kansas City 6, Toronto 1 Arizona 3, Houston 2 Texas 8, Tampa Bay 6 San Diego 4, N.Y. Yankees 3 Seattle 2, Athletics 0. Minnesota at Chicago White Sox, n

Cincinnati 12, Milwaukee 8 Atlanta 5, Philadelphia 4 Pittsburgh 1, L.A. Angels 0 N.Y. Mets 4, San Francisco 2 Miami 10, Chicago Cubs 3 Arizona 3, Houston 2 St. Louis 10, Colorado 8 San Diego 4, N.Y. Yankees 3 Washington at L.A. Dodgers, n

Monday’s Games

Cleveland (Cantillo 9-8) at Baltimore (Rogers 9-9), 12:35 p.m. L.A. Angels (Rodriguez 4-6) at Boston (Sandoval 1-4), 12:35 p.m. Arizona (TBD) at Kansas City (Cameron 9-8), 1:10 p.m. Minnesota (TBD) at Detroit (Melton 7-4), 2:10 p.m. Toronto (Cease 10-5) at Athletics (Lopez 6-4), 9:05 p.m.

Monday’s Games

Atlanta (Elder 8-8) at Philadelphia (Luzardo 13-5), 12:05 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Tong 1-1) at Miami (Pérez 7-10), 12:10 p.m. Arizona (TBD) at Kansas City (Cameron 9-8), 1:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Boyd 8-3) at Milwaukee (Gasser 4-5), 1:10 p.m. Washington (Dion 1-1) at San Diego (Vásquez 10-6), 4:10 p.m. St. Louis (TBD) at San Francisco (Webb 8-8), 7:10 p.m.

WILD CARD GLANCE American League New York Boston Cleveland Toronto Texas Baltimore Minnesota

W 81 79 73 72 71 69 68

L 61 65 71 72 73 75 74

National League Pct .570 .549 .507 .500 .493 .479 .479

WCGB +9 +6 — 1 2 4 4

Chicago Philadelphia Arizona San Diego Miami St. Louis

W 81 80 76 74 72 72

L 63 63 68 68 72 72

Pct .563 .559 .528 .521 .500 .500

WCGB +5 +4½ — 1 4 4

BOX SCORES San Diego 4, N.Y. Yankees 3 New York

San Diego

Seattle 2, Athletics 0 Athletics

Seattle

ab r h bi ab r h bi Rice dh 4 0 0 0 Tatis rf 4 1 11 Bellinger lf 4 1 1 0 Cronenworth 2b41 1 1 García 1b 3 0 1 0 Machado 3b 3 1 1 1 Gldshmdt 1b0 1 0 0 France 1b 3 0 00 Jones cf 3 1 1 1 Merrill cf 3 0 00 Chisholm 2b3 0 1 0 Campusano c 3 1 2 1 Rosario ph 1 0 1 1 Harris lf 3 0 10 Caballero 2b0 0 0 0 Bowen lf 0 0 00 Domínguez rf40 1 0 Bogaerts ss 3 0 00 Lombard ss 4 0 1 0 Salas dh 3 0 00 McMahon 3b4 0 0 0 Wells c 2 0 0 0 Totals 32 3 7 2 Totals 29 4 6 4 New York 000 000 030 — 3 San Diego 300 000 10x — 4 E_Domínguez (2), Morejon (1). DP_New York 0, San Diego 1. LOB_New York 7, San Diego 2. 2B_Lombard (2), Jones (11). HR_Tatis (20), Cronenworth (5), Machado (26), Campusano (7). IP H R ER BB SO New York Cole L,8-8 7 6 4 4 0 3 Schreiber 1 0 0 0 1 0 San Diego King W,10-9 6 4 0 0 3 3 Rodriguez H,12 1 0 0 0 0 2 Morejon 1 3 3 2 1 1 Miller S,33-35 1 0 0 0 1 3 ABS Challenge_Lombard (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Cole (Ball-Overturned to Strike). Umpires_Home, Alan Porter; First, Jim Wolf; Second, Roberto Ortiz; Third, Alex MacKay. T_2:26. A_41,061 (40,222).

ab r h bi ab r h bi Bolte cf 4 0 1 0 Arozarena lf 4 0 20 McNeil 1b 4 0 0 0 Canzone rf 4 1 10 Gelof 3b 4 0 0 0 Rodríguez cf 4 1 1 0 Butler rf 3 0 0 0 Raleigh dh 3 0 11 Cortes lf 3 0 0 0 Crawford ss 4 0 11 Muncy dh 3 0 0 0 Naylor 1b 3 0 10 Walton 2b 1 0 0 0 Wilson 3b 2 0 00 Williams ss 3 0 0 0 Montes ph 1 0 00 Serven c 3 0 0 0 Young 2b 0 0 00 Arroyo 2b 3 0 00 Rodden 3b 0 0 00 Pereda c 3 0 00 Totals 28 0 1 0 Totals 31 2 7 2 Athletics 000 000 000 — 0 Seattle 000 200 00x — 2 LOB_Athletics 3, Seattle 6. SB_Bolte (16). IP H R ER BB SO Athletics Jump L,6-10 4 6 2 2 0 7 Johnson 2 0 0 0 0 4 Blewett 1 0 0 0 0 1 Tur 1 1 0 0 1 1 Seattle Woo W,11-9 8 1 0 0 2 9 Muñoz S,25-34 1 0 0 0 0 1 ABS Challenge_Butler (Strike-Conﬁrmed); Wilson (Strike-Conﬁrmed); Woo (BallOverturned to Strike); Butler (StrikeOverturned to Ball). Umpires_Home, D.J. Reyburn; First, James Hoye; Second, Sean Barber; Third, John Libka. T_2:26. A_36,867 (47,929).

Texas 8, Tampa Bay 6

Arizona 3, Houston 2

Tampa Bay

Arizona

Wednesday’s games

Orlando City at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m. Columbus at D.C. United, 6:30 p.m. Charlotte FC at CF Montréal, 6:30 p.m. Nashville at Toronto FC, 6:30 p.m. Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 6:45 p.m. New England at New York City FC, 7 p.m. Colorado at Austin FC, 7:30 p.m. Miami at Chicago, 7:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake at Houston, 7:30 p.m. FC Dallas at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. New York at Los Angeles FC, 9:30 p.m. St Louis City at Portland, 9:30 p.m. San Jose at San Diego FC, 9:30 p.m. Sporting Kansas City at Seattle ppd. LA Galaxy at Vancouver, 9:30 p.m. Saturday, September 12 Charlotte FC at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m. New York at Columbus, 6:30 p.m. Atlanta at D.C. United, 6:30 p.m. Nashville at Miami, 6:30 p.m. Toronto FC at Orlando City, 6:30 p.m. Portland at FC Dallas, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles FC at Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. Minnesota at St Louis City, 7:30 p.m. CF Montréal at Colorado, 8:30 p.m. New York City FC at Real Salt Lake, 8:30 p.m. Seattle at LA Galaxy, 9:30 p.m. Houston at San Jose, 9:30 p.m.

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Recalled RHP Anthony Nunez and RF Rece Hinds from Norfolk (IL). Placed CF Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Sept. 5. Designated RHP Albert Suárez for assignment. BOSTON RED SOX — Recalled OF Nate Eaton from Worcester (IL). Placed CF Ceddanne Rafaela on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Sept. 3. CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Recalled C Edgar Quero from Charlotte (IL). Placed LF Tommy Pham on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Sept. 3. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS — Recalled RHP Franco Aleman from Columbus (IL). Optioned RHP Austin Peterson to Columbus. DETROIT TIGERS — Reinstated LHP Brant Hurter from the 60-day IL. Optioned LHP Andrew Sears to Toledo (IL). Transferred CF Matt Vierling from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. HOUSTON ASTROS — Recalled RHP Miguel Ullola from Sugar Land (PCL). Optioned RHP Kai-Wei Teng to Sugar Land. SEATTLE MARINERS — Selected the contract of SS Michael Arroyo from Tacoma (PCL). Optioned 3B Patrick Wisdom to Tacoma. Transferred RHP Nick Davila from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Recalled DH Adrian Del Castillo from Reno (PCL). Designated LF Max Kepler for assignment. CINCINNATI REDS — Reinstated RHP Graham Ashcraft from the 60-day IL. Designated LHP Sam Moll for assignment. LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Sent RHP Edwin Díaz on a rehab assignment to Oklahoma City (PCL). NEW YORK METS — Recalled RHP Tobias Myers from Syracuse (IL). Optioned LHP Jefry Yan to Syracuse. PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Recalled 2B Ronny Simon from Indianapolis (IL). Optioned 3B Nick Yorke to Indianapolis. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Recalled LHP Cooper Hjerpe from Memphis (IL). Optioned RHP Hancel Rincon to Memphis.

Texas

ab r h bi ab r h bi Y.Díaz dh 5 1 2 1 Duran cf-3b 5 1 31 Aranda 1b 4 0 2 1 Seager ss 5 1 11 Palacios 2b 0 0 0 0 Foscue 2b 4 0 12 Caminero 3b2 0 0 1 Lopez 2b 1 0 10 Vilade 2b-1b2 0 0 0 Nimmo rf 5 0 10 Hicks ph 1 0 0 0 Langford lf 2 1 00 Simpson lf 5 2 2 0 Burger 1b 4 3 23 DeLuca cf 5 0 2 1 O’Hoppe dh 3 2 20 Mateo ss 4 1 0 0 Pederson ph 0 0 0 0 Mesa rf 4 1 1 1 Cauley pr-dh 0 0 0 0 Fortes c 3 1 0 1 Jansen ph-dh 1 0 0 0 E.Díaz c 3 0 11 Freeman 3b 1 0 00 Carter ph-cf 3 0 00 Totals 35 6 9 6 Totals 37 812 8 Tampa Bay 040 100 100 — 6 Texas 010 420 01x — 8 E_Mateo 2 (6), Freeman (2), Williams (). DP_Tampa Bay 0, Texas 1. LOB_Tampa Bay 9, Texas 11. 2B_Aranda (23), Foscue (12), Lopez (4). HR_Burger 2 (25), Seager (15). SB_Simpson (39), Langford (11). SF_Aranda (8), Caminero (3). S_Fortes (5), E.Díaz (3). IP H R ER BB SO Tampa Bay Seymour 3 5 4 3 1 2 2 Kelly ⁄3 1 1 0 0 1 Matz L,5-5 BS,1-2 1 3 2 2 1 1 Legumina 1 1⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 Johnson 1 0 0 0 1 2 Sulser 1 2 1 1 1 1 Texas Gore 3 6 5 5 3 1 Williams W,1-0 2 0 0 0 1 0 Silseth H,15 1 0 0 0 0 1 Alexander H,12 1 2 1 1 0 1 Latz H,3 1 1 0 0 0 1 Junis S,6-7 1 0 0 0 0 0 Seymour pitched to 3 batters in the 4th, Matz pitched to 5 batters in the 5th, Gore pitched to 2 batters in the 4th. ABS Challenge_Caminero (StrikeOverturned to Ball); Simpson (StrikeConﬁrmed); Carter (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Fortes (Strike-Conﬁrmed); Alexander (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Latz (Ball-Overturned to Strike). Pitch timer violations_Gore (pitcher); Sulser (pitcher). Umpires_Home, Derek Thomas; First, Lance Barksdale; Second, Ryan Wills; Third, Will Little. T_3:07. A_33,285 (40,000).

Houston

ab r h bi ab r h bi Perdomo ss 1 0 1 0 Peña ss 4 0 00 Tawa 1b 3 0 1 0 Alvarez dh 5 1 11 Marte 2b 4 1 1 0 Paredes 3b-1b 3 0 0 0 Moreno dh 4 0 1 0 Altuve 2b 4 1 30 Arenado 3b 4 1 1 2 Walker 1b 3 0 10 Carroll rf 4 1 2 0 Allen pr-3b 0 0 00 Troy lf 2 0 0 0 Velázquez lf 3 0 00 Nootbaar ph1 0 0 0 Wade ph 1 0 11 Wdschmdt lf0 0 0 0 Meyers lf 0 0 00 McCann c 3 0 1 1 Varsho cf 3 0 00 Vargas 1b-ss4 0 1 0 Smith rf 3 0 00 Lawlar cf 3 0 0 0 Trammell ph-rf 1 0 0 0 Vázquez c 3 0 10 Diaz ph 1 0 00 Totals 33 3 9 3 Totals 34 2 7 2 Arizona 012 000 000 — 3 Houston 100 000 010 — 2 LOB_Arizona 7, Houston 9. 2B_Carroll (30), Moreno (31), Altuve (20). HR_Arenado (22), Alvarez (38). SB_Varsho (12). SF_McCann (1). S_Troy (1). IP H R ER BB SO Arizona Rodriguez W,15-5 6 3 1 1 2 6 Morillo H,18 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 Garcia H,16 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 Loáisiga H,9 1 3 1 1 0 2 Ginkel S,3-4 1 0 0 0 0 3 Houston Lambert L,8-8 7 7 3 3 0 6 Ullola 1 1 0 0 0 1 Abreu 1 1 0 0 0 1 HBP_Lambert 2 (Perdomo,Lawlar), Rodriguez (Paredes), Morillo (Peña). ABS Challenge_McCann (Strike-Confirmed); Walker (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Vargas (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Lambert (Ball-Confirmed); Smith (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Ullola (BallConfirmed). Umpires_Home, Edwin Jimenez; First, Erich Bacchus; Second, Chris Segal; Third, Laz Diaz. T_2:53. A_39,478 (41,000).

– SINCE I837 –

LIVING

N O L A.C O M

M o n d ay, S e p t e M b e r 7, 2026

1dn

Symbol of culture

The Oscar statuette is Hollywood’s ultimate recognition, full of lore, mysteries and rules STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

Emerson Bell’s sculpture, ‘Unity and Destiny of Children,’ stands in BREC Expressway Park beneath the Interstate 10 and 110 split in Baton Rouge. The abstract piece was created with ancient human undertones and represents ‘generations of children seeking higher consciousness.’

SOARING ABOVE

BY ROBIN MILLER

tiny for Children,’” said Randell Henry, professor of art at Southern University. “He and I were friends, and I remember when he When Watson reader Christy was making this.” Jarreau approaches the point Henry, standing in Expressway where Interstate 110 splits into Park, squints his eyes in the AuI-10 West and I-10 East in Baton Rouge, the first question that gust afternoon sun while gazing comes to mind is, “What is it?” foltoward the top of the sculpture’s 26 feet. Well, it actually stands a lowed by a second, “How did it get couple of feet higher these days. there?” “It experienced some damage The interand was restored a few years state forms ago,” Henry said. “When they rea kind of triangle at that stored it, they mounted it on these point, and rising not quite from concrete pillars.” the center is what appears to be a He points to the individual piltotem-like structure. lars beneath each of the sculp“It has what looks like a cresture’s three legs. Photos in arcent moon at the top,” Jarreau chived editions of the newspaper said. “And it looks like it’s made of show the sculpture’s legs making FILE PHOTO direct contact with the ground, concrete. So what is it, and where did it come from?” which was the way Bell built the Late Baton Rouge artist Emerson piece in the park. Bell, who created the sculpture An oddity An April 10, 1977, a feature ‘Unity and Destiny of Children.’ He story in the newspaper features The object’s mystic presence bephotos of Bell shaping rebars and neath the interstate is an oddity in built the sculpture on location in BREC Expressway Park in 1977. wire mesh to create the the sculpthe same sense as the black slate monoliths in Stanley Kubrick’s ture’s abstract form. He bypassed classic 1968 film, “2001: A Space mounting it on a pedestal, opting mark created by a noted Baton Odyssey.” It’s definitely there, but Rouge sculptor, it does belong. instead to have the sculpture it doesn’t seem to belong. “It was made by Emerson Bell, ä See CURIOUS, page 2D Yet, as an authentic city landand it’s titled, ‘Unity and DesStaff writer

‘THIS IS TRUE INCLUSION.’

Tandem bicycle club leads blind riders to new feats Associated Press

QUITO, Ecuador — Franklin Ochoa says that since losing his eyesight 16 years ago, he has started to take on new adventures that he hadn’t thought of when he could see, and it’s all thanks to a bicycle club. Every Sunday, a group known as the Ciegocleta meets in Ecuador’s capital city of Quito to ride tandem bikes that are steered by volunteers who can see, but ped-

aled by blind riders. Ochoa, 44, is one of the group’s most active members and he’s taken his passion for riding well beyond the streets of Quito. Recently, he completed a 620-mile tandem bike ride that spanned much of Ecuador. “When I arrive on a bike in a new city I feel like shedding tears of happiness,” Ochoa said. “I love speed and I always tell my guide

ä See BICYCLE, page 2D

AP movie writer

LOS ANGELES — I’d like to thank the Academy for the Oscar. Yes, the awards might have been a mere afterthought in Louis B. Mayer’s dreams for “the Academy” — part PR ploy to persuade the public that Hollywood was not a den of sin and scandal, part consolidation of power by a group of producers bucking unionization efforts. Yes, no one knows exactly who is responsible for the name “Oscar” (though Academy librarian Margaret Part of an Herrick is occasional said to have series from nicknamed The Associated the statue afPress on ter her uncle). America’s And yes, freedom they often get it very wrong. Let’s not forget that “Citizen Kane” and “Brokeback Mountain” lost best picture, that “Crash” and “Green Book” won, that “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Do the Right Thing” and “Hoop Dreams” weren’t even nominated and that David Lynch never received a competitive Oscar. Sometimes they get it right, too (see: “One Battle After Another”). Like many things about the business of making movies in America, the Oscars are full of contradictions. It is at once an undeniable honor — the most recognizable award one can receive for making movies — and a manifestation of everything that’s rotten in moviemaking, with egos, money and power tipping the scales over merit. But since the first awards were handed out in 1929 in a ceremony that took all of 10 minutes, the Oscars have become a cultural bellwether and a billion-dollar cottage industry — the culmination of an “awards season” supporting consultants, pundits, publications, stylists, stagehands and dreamers. The value of an Oscar is both everything and nothing. The statue itself is relatively modest. Studios shell out tens of millions on awards campaigns. For some lucky winners, bigger paychecks can follow. Still, it’s hardly a guarantee of a better life or career. And the resale market is complicated. If you won your award after 1951, neither you nor your heirs may sell or even dispose of the statue without first giving the Academy the option to purchase it for $1. Oscar’s popularity has fluctuated across the years. Not just with viewers, who have tuned in and out since the first broadcast in 1953. In 1969, a 22-year-old Candice Bergen raised her hand to help recruit a younger class of Academy members, like Dennis Hopper. In 2015, a tweet, #OscarsSoWhite, started another membership revolution. Critics have been crying irrelevance since its earliest days. Still, we watch. Complaining about the Oscars is, after all, its own pastime.

AMERICA @ 250

This totem-like structure has stood beneath the interstate in Baton Rouge since 1977. What is it?

BY GONZALO SOLANO

BY LINDSEY BAHR

A volunteer with the Ciegocleta, left, guides a visually impaired participant on a tandem bicycle in Quito, Ecuador, on Aug. 30. AP PHOTO By DOLORES OCHOA

Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.

2D ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

lll

Magnesium is crucial to good health Dear Doctors: I am told that magnesium is very important, and that it can help with sleep and also with anxiety. Is that true? I struggle with anxiety, and a lot of times it keeps me from falling asleep. I’m interested in trying a supplement but not sure how it works. Dear Reader: You’re absolutely right that magnesium is crucial to good health. It plays a role in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate metabolic processes throughout the body. These include nerve and muscle function and controlling blood sugar and blood pressure. It also plays a role in protein and DNA synthesis and skeletal development. In fact, it would be easier to say what the mineral doesn’t do in the body than to list what it does. Magnesium is an essential nu-

CURIOUS

Continued from page 1D organically jut from the ground. Once the shape was in place, Bell covered the wire mesh with oriental stucco sand and a mixture of cement.

Built on location

Dr. Elizabeth Ko Dr. Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

trient. It’s a chemical substance the body needs to function, but the body can’t produce it on its own. That means we have to get magnesium through what we eat. However, estimates suggest that up to half of us don’t get the recommended minimums for the mineral. Certain health issues can also increase the risk of magnesium deﬁciency. Digestive problems such as Crohn’s or celiac dis-

The sculpture’s totem appearance also was purposeful with Bell saying he created it with “ancient human overtones, as well as African overtones.” “I felt, as a sculptor, this was my unique time to introduce this to my hometown — my heritage,” he said. Bell died at age 74 on April 13, 2007. He was born in Baton Rouge in 1932, and though he was not formally educated in the arts, he gained his knowledge through artist associations and practice. “He would always stop by my studio and sit and talk about art,” Henry said. “He also visited Southern University from time to time to visit with (sculptor) Martin Peyton, and he was great STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER friends with Alvin Batiste.” Batiste was a renowned Emerson Bell said the sickle jazz musician who also shape at the top of his taught at Southern Universculpture, ‘Unity and Destiny sity’s Alvin Batiste Jazz for Children,’ is ‘a figurative Institute. “Emerson played the representation of a bird, ﬂute, and he would often which is free.’ Bell was 44 play jazz with Alvin Bayears old when he created tiste,” Henry said.

Which answers Jarreau’s second question. The sculpture wasn’t built in a studio and moved to the park — Bell built it on location. He was 44 years old at the time. The year was 1977, and Bell had been awarded funding by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Louisiana State Arts Council, the Mayor’s Ofﬁce of Youth Opportunity and the Baton Rouge Parks & Recreation Commission. But the idea for Bell’s piece began taking shape in 1976, when he was the artist-in-residence for the Expressway Park Summer Enrichment program. “The children would ask him when he was going to do something big,” a 1977 newspaper article states. “Unity and Destiny for Children” was his response to their question. All of the agencies involved in funding the project are listed on a brass plaque installed beneath the sculpture. The project was sponsored by the Arts & Humanities Council of Greater Baton Rouge, now known as the Arts Council of Baton Rouge. However, the plaque isn’t visible to drivers zooming by on the interstate, and many may be too focused on their destinations to notice.

where a left turn onto South Boulevard leads directly to Expressway Park. A picnic table and tennis court stand on the right side of the road, and the sculpture stands tall on the left side. Parking is available in a small lot beside the picnic table, and trafﬁc is minimal. From there, walk across South Boulevard and look up. The sculpture will take on a more three-dimensional identity, its appearance changing on each of its three sides.

How to get there

Higher consciousness

But if the trafﬁc slows to a standstill, as often happens around rush hour, the sculpture attracts wandering eyes. For those who are curious, the easiest route for a closer look is to turn either left or right off North Boulevard at First United Methodist Church onto T.J. Jemison Boulevard. The street’s name will change to East Boulevard where the Baton Rouge Greenway begins, and it’s from East Boulevard

In the 1977 article, Bell described the piece as “generations of children seeking a higher consciousness, with three entrances for the children to walk through, and seven slats protruding from the higher portions of the sculpture representing ‘steps in life.’” Though some viewers have mistaken the ﬁgure at the top for a crescent moon, Bell said “the sickle-shaped top of the work is a ﬁgurative representation of a bird which is free.”

BICYCLE

Continued from page 1D to let go of the brakes.” Ciegocleta, whose name comes from the Spanish words for blind and bicycle, was founded 19 years ago by Miguel Ramos, a resident of Quito who built his own tandem bikes. He used them during the ciclopaseo, a weekly event in which the city bars cars from many avenues and turns them over to bike riders and joggers. Ramos built the tandem bikes so he could ride the ciclopaseo with his children. But one day, one of Ramos’ children couldn’t go, so he decided to invite a blind neighbor to ride with him. That became the first of many more outings, in which volunteers using tandem bikes, or even bikes with three or four seats, lead people who are visually impaired.

ease can cause this. Other causes could be metabolic disorders such as poorly controlled diabetes, alcohol dependence or eating lots of ultra-processed foods. It’s true that magnesium can play a role in sleep and mood. That may be why the mineral is having a moment on social media. Unfortunately, there’s limited and mixed evidence that taking a magnesium supplement can improve sleep or ease anxiety. A study published in 2017 suggested that magnesium supplements may ease symptoms of mild or moderate depression. Participants also described reduced anxiety. However, the sample size of the study was quite small, with just 112 adults. It also lacked a placebo as a control. Reviews of studies that focus on magne-

the sculpture on location in BREC Expressway Park in Baton Rouge in 1977.

“This is true inclusion,” Ramos said. “We have blind people who are now enjoying cycling without any limits.” Before heading out to the streets on Sundays on the bikes provided by Ciegocleta, blind people receive some security tips, while volunteers ride on the back of a bike with their eyes covered, to get a sense of what their visually impaired counterparts will experience. The Ciegocleta group has 150 members, though only about 30 show up to ride on a given Sunday. Ximena Lozano, a 54-yearold psychologist who was born without sight, says she has been part of the bicycle club for the past 14 years. Lozano says that when she was younger she spent too much time at home reading, writing or surﬁng the web. The bicycle club gives her a reason to be outdoors, she said, and “experience freedom.”

Artist-in-residence Bell eventually would be named the East Baton Rouge Parish School system’s ﬁrst National Endowment for the Arts’ artist-inresidence teacher, and his paintings would land in the permanent collections of the LSU Museum of Art and New Orleans Museum of Art, among others. Back in the park, Henry walks around his friend’s sculpture, taking in every part of the piece. “Do you see the round holes up there?” he asked, pointing toward the top. “He said those are portals that children pass through in life, and the sculpture is tall, because he wanted the children to reach high.” And once they reached the bird at the top, they would soar away from noisy trafﬁc of the interstate into a bright future. Have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

According to Ecuador’s government, around 56,000 people in the country are visually impaired, and while blind people have been able to ﬁnd work with increasing success, their inclusion in sports is still a work in progress. José Paéz, one of the volunteers at Ciegocleta, said he joined the club after his father-in-law quickly lost his sight due to disease, and brought him to the free rides to help him overcome depression. “At first it felt scary to lead a blind person on a bike,” he said. “Keeping a (tandem) bike balanced and sustaining the rhythm is not as easy as when you use a regular bike.” Franklin Ochoa says that his next challenge will be to undertake a ride from Ecuador to Mexico. Through the club he has found a partner willing to join him on the adventure, which can take several months.

sium’s effect on anxiety conclude that while the data suggests an easing of symptoms, the results are inconclusive. The idea that magnesium can ease insomnia has slightly better support. What is clear is that getting enough magnesium in the diet is crucial to good health. Adult women need 310 to 320 mg per day. Adult men should aim for 400 to 420 mg per day. Good sources include spinach, Swiss chard, pumpkin seeds and almonds. Black beans, quinoa, avocados, green peas, milk, yogurt and dark chocolate are also good sources. Magnesium supplements are widely touted on social media, but approach them with care. Taking too much can cause side effects such as diarrhea, nausea and abdominal discomfort. Very

high doses can cause low blood pressure, muscle weakness and irregular heartbeat. The National Institutes of Health sets the upper limit for magnesium from supplements at 350 mg per day. This is in addition to dietary sources of magnesium. People with impaired kidney function should be especially careful about daily dosage. Anyone planning to take a supplement should seek guidance from a registered dietitian or their healthcare provider. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

Resetting ornery coffee maker required to bring donuts Dear Heloise: I have a coffee maker that uses coffee to the office for the whole group on their birthday. pods. The descale light You just have to buy docame on, and no matter how many pots of water nuts once a year, and you and vinegar I put through get to eat free donuts on it, it wouldn’t function. So, everyone else’s birthday. I went on the internet. The While healthier celebrasuggestion was to tory fare is probturn the machine ably better these off and press the days, one must 6-cup and 8-cup butadmit that this is a stupendous office tons together. Then, birthday system. — when the descale Jim R., in Houston light comes back Hints from Jim, you’re right; on, you just press Heloise this is a good office the K button. It birthday system. bubbles and eventually shuts itself off. Now it Although donuts may works! Who knew? Thanks seem like a fun idea, some of your co-workers for the hints. — Ed B., in Camight have been more marillo, California appreciative of fresh Office birthdays fruit. Bananas are usually inexpensive, or you could Dear Heloise: During my first corporate job decades get whatever’s in season. At least fruit is healthier ago, when I reported to and kinder to everyone’s work on the first day and waistline. — Heloise was introduced to my new co-workers, I was startled Removing wrinkles when I was asked numerous times: “When’s your Dear Heloise: You had a hint birthday?” In due time, I for removing wrinkles got instructed that in our from clothes with a dryer, department of 20 employbut I’ve forgotten the steps involved. Could you reees, each employee was

mind us all how it’s done? — Linda, in Victoria,Texas Linda, to remove wrinkles in clothes, place them in a dryer with a damp hand towel (damp, not wet) for a few minutes. Then remove them immediately when they’re dry. — Heloise

Toothpaste tabs Dear Heloise: After years of feeling like I’ve betrayed my mother, who was raised during the Depression, I started looking for ways to use toothpaste and travel with it that didn’t involve those darn tubes! Guess what? You can buy several brands of toothpaste tabs with or without ﬂuoride and without sodium lauryl sulfate, which can be harmful to the mouth. I carry tabs in my makeup case along with a toothbrush when I travel! No more mess from tops ﬂying open or from using a plastic bag, which can be messy as well. — Linda P., via email Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

Reader comes for queen, misses determination to live your Dear Miss Manners: You life by the “rules” set down are a very stupid person by tradition and custom, if you truly believe that and I strongly sugwearing white shoes after Labor gest that in the Day is a breach of future, you give “etiquette.” It really actual advice on imdoesn’t matter what portant matters of color your shoes manners instead of are, especially after this rubbish. Judith a speciﬁc date or Do tell me, if you Martin actually have a reatime. It is completeMISS ly appalling that son, why it is offenMANNERS anyone would live sive to the general by these rules you public for one to so vigorously advocate for. wear white shoes except in I do believe that there summer. are some manners which Gentle reader: Yes, there is are crucial for everyday a reason: It drives people life. Yet there are some like you crazy. that are just completely And poor Miss Manners, absurd and pointless. whose onerous life’s work I am horriﬁed at your it is to try to persuade

people to treat one another decently, needs a bit of harmless amusement now and then. The rule also exists because, for some less literalminded people, fading little folk customs — such as this one, marking the seasons — lend charm to an otherwise amorphous era. 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

foreigners from China involving clashes with a multinational force that inToday is Monday, Sept. 7, the 250th day of cluded troops from Japan, 2026. There are 115 days Russia, Britain and the left in the year. U.S., ended with a protocol Today in history: calling for reparations to On Sept. 7, 1940, Nazi the foreign powers. Germany began an intense In 1921, the first Miss bombing campaign of Brit- America Pageant was held in Atlantic City, New ain during World War II Jersey. with an air attack on LonIn 1943, a fire at the Gulf don; known as The Blitz, the eight-month campaign Hotel, a rooming house in Houston, claimed 55 lives. resulted in more than In 1963, the Pro Football 40,000 civilian deaths. Hall of Fame opened in Also on this date: Canton, Ohio, and enshrined In 1813, during the War its first 17 members. of 1812, the Troy (New In 1977, the Panama York) Post newspaper Canal Treaty, which called first used the term “Uncle Sam” to refer to the United for the U.S. to turn over control of the waterway to States; the nickname was linked to a local meatpack- Panama at the end of 1999, was signed in Washington er, Samuel Wilson, who by U.S. President Jimmy supplied the U.S. Army Carter and Panamanian with beef. leader Omar Torrijos. In 1822, Prince Regent In 1986, Bishop Desmond Pedro of Braganza declared Brazil’s independence from Tutu was installed as the Portugal (Portugal formally first Black clergyman to lead the Anglican Church recognized Brazil’s indein southern Africa. pendence in 1825). In 1996, rapper Tupac In 1901, the Boxer RebelShakur was shot and morlion, an attempt to expel

tally wounded on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later. In 2005, police and soldiers went house to house in New Orleans to try to coax remaining residents into leaving the city shattered by Hurricane Katrina. In 2021, El Salvador became the ﬁrst country in the world to make Bitcoin legal tender. Today’s birthdays: Singer Gloria Gaynor is 83. Actor Julie Kavner is 76. Rock singer Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) is 75. Actor Corbin Bernsen is 72. Actor Michael Emerson is 72. Pianist-singer Michael Feinstein is 70. Singer/songwriter Diane Warren is 70. Actor J. Smith-Cameron is 69. Actor Toby Jones is 60. Actorcomedian Leslie Jones (TV: “Saturday Night Live”) is 59. Actor Tom Everett Scott is 56. Actor Shannon Elizabeth is 53. Actor Oliver Hudson is 50. Actor Evan Rachel Wood is 39. Olympic gold medal swimmer Ariarne Titmus is 26.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ 3D

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zodIAC VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) A change will require more thought. Address the issues that can stand between you and what you want. Facts and the cost necessary to enjoy your pursuit need to be in place before you begin your journey. LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Emotions and professional choices will clash. Step back from whatever situation you face and give yourself a chance to breathe and observe. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) If you turn everything you encounter into a learning experience, you'll gain momentum and insight into how and what to do next. Emotional journeys may not be welcome, but they will help you. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Listen, but don't jump on demand. Dig deep and get the lowdown. See what is necessary to participate in someone else's plans. Don't feel compelled to help when you have your own dreams to conquer. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Being organized will help you. Refuse to let what others say or do interfere with your plans. Take care of your concerns before you extend help to others. Researching will save you from mistakes. AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) How you earn your living or improve your qualifications to gain financial stability looks promising. Make decisions for the right reasons; if you allow emotions to interfere with common sense, you will falter. PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Plan to get moving. Whether it's a social event, an outlet

or just trying to get back in shape, having the right mindset and discipline will be necessary if you hope to achieve your goal. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Turnyourdreams into a reality. Use your imagination and discipline, and participate in events that connect you to people who can be helpful. Refuse to let disappointment or anger set in. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Choose the power of thought over action. Taking on too much will cost you. Misdirected emotional energy will leave you in an awkward position. Don't back yourself into a corner. GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Change begins with you. Improve your qualifications. By learning something new or developing a skill you enjoy using, you will gain the confidence to branch out and do your own thing. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Keep busy in order to avoid disputes. Having a negative attitude will stifle your ability to get things done. Walk away from people trying to control you. Use your voice constructively. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Proceedwithcaution. The wrong move will lead to illness, injury or an emotional dispute. Concentrate on becoming the best version of yourself instead of trying to change others. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: E EQuALs I

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

4D ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

CurTiS

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

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

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La TimeS CroSSword

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ 5D

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Bridge By PHILLIP ALDER In his “Comic Dictionary,” Evan Esar defined a zoo as an excellent place to study the habits of human beings. This week, we are going to study some of the bad habits of bridge players and try to cure them. First, we will start with declarer play. South is in three no-trump. What should he do after West leads a fourth-highest heart four and East plays his eight? South starts with six top tricks: two spades, two hearts (given the first trick) and two diamonds. He must work on clubs to get the extra winners. However, the defender with the club ace will not take the first round of the suit, but the second. Then South will need a dummy entry to get to the three club tricks. And what is the only entry? It has to be in hearts. But if South makes the habitual play at trick one of winning cheaply with his heart jack, he won’t see the dummy again. South must take the first trick with his heart ace. Then, after driving out the club ace and winning East’s probable spadejack shift, South can lead a low heart to force an entry to the dummy. Get into the habit of playing slowly at trick one. Lastly, how would East know to take the second, not third, round of clubs? West gives his partner a count signal

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

in clubs. Here, with an odd number, he plays his lowest club first. Alternatively, if he had a doubleton club, he would play high-low. Note that if East ducks two clubs, South can shift to spades and take three spades, two hearts, two diamonds and two clubs. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD = gOOD aFTErnOOn

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD — onEtIME: WON-time: Occurring only once; former.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 16 words Time limit 20 minutes Can you find 21 or more words in ONETIME? sAtuRDAy’s WoRD — REALIty rail rale rate real realty relay relit rely retail rile rite

earl early aery airy alert alit alter arty lair laity late

later layer liar lite liter lyre irate tail tale tare teal

tear tearily teary terai tier tile tiler tire trail tray trey

trial yare year

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 Who are you choosing to serve? It will not only effect you but also your family. G.E. Dean

6D ✦ Monday, September 7, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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Scrabble GramS dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

jump Start

For more information on tournaments and clubs, email naspa – north american sCraBBlE players association: info@scrabbleplayers.org. Visit our website: www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com.

Get fuzzy

Hasbro and its logo sCraBBlE associated logo, the design of the distinctive sCraBBlE brand game card, and the distinctive letter tile designs are trademarks of Hasbro in the United states and Canada. ©2021 Hasbro. all rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content agency, llC.

ken ken

animal crackerS

DuStin

InstructIons: 1 - Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 - The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

Wallace the brave

Drabble

WiShinG Well breWSter rockit

luann

HErE is a plEasanT liTTlE gamE that will give you a message every day. it’s a numerical puzzle designed to spell out your fortune. Count the letters in your first name. if the number of letters is 6 or more, subtract 4. if the number is less than 6, add 3. The result is your key number. start at the upper left-hand corner and check each of your key numbers, left to right. Then read the message the checked figures give you.

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LOUISIANA PUBLIC FACILITIES AUTHORITY On motion of Trustee Songy, seconded by Trustee Valliere, the following resolution was adopted: RESOLUTION A resolution making certain findings with respect to and authorizing the issuance of not exceeding $40,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Louisiana Public Facilities Authority Revenue Bonds (Hynes LSU New Orleans Charter School Project) in one or more series, on a taxable or tax-exempt basis; approving the form and authorizing the execution and delivery of a Trust Indenture, a Loan Agreement and a Bond Purchase Agreement for the Bonds; ratifying the publication of a Notice of Sale of Bonds and a Notice of Public Hearing; authorizing the execution of other documents in connection therewith; authorizing the officers and trustees of the Authority to do all things necessary to effectuate this resolution; and providing for other matters in connection with the foregoing. WHEREAS, the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (the “Authority”) is a public trust and public corporation of the State of Louisiana (the “State”) created and existing pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2-A of Title 9 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended (the “Act”), and is authorized and empowered by law, including particularly the provisions of the Act, to issue its revenue bonds for the purpose of financing, acquiring, constructing, purchasing, equipping, maintaining, installing, leasing, subleasing, holding, extending, enlarging, remodeling, storing, operating, repairing and administering educational services and facilities; and WHEREAS, the Authority adopted a resolution on May 13, 2026, authorizing the execution of a preliminary agreement between the Authority and Friends of Hynes, a Louisiana nonprofit corporation (the “Borrower”), authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds in one or more series, on a taxable or tax-exempt basis pursuant to the Act and authorizing the form of and publication of a Notice of Sale of Bonds and a Notice of Public Hearing; and WHEREAS, the State Bond Commission (the “Commission”) on July 16, 2026, granted its approval of the issuance by the Authority of its revenue bonds in the aggregate principal amount of not exceeding $40,000,000 in one or more series; and WHEREAS, the Borrower leases certain land located at 1901 Leon C. Simon Drive, New Orleans, Louisiana 70122 (the “Existing Land”) pursuant to that certain Contract of Lease, dated as of October 26, 2021 (the “Original Ground Lease”) between the Borrower as lessee and the Board of Supervisors of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (“Ground Lessor”) as lessor and successor in interest to the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System; and WHEREAS, the Borrower previously incurred $25,652,000 of indebtedness on February 7, 2023 (the “Outstanding Indebtedness”) for the purpose of constructing, renovating and equipping certain facilities (the “Existing Facilities”) located on the Existing Land and operated by Hynes Charter School Corporation (the “Operator”) as the Hynes LSU New Orleans Charter School, a kindergarten through eighth grade, tuition free, public charter school (the “School”); and WHEREAS, the Operator leases the Existing Land and the Existing Facilities pursuant to that certain Commercial Lease Agreement dated as of February 7, 2023 (the “Original Facilities Lease”) between the Operator as lessee and the Borrower as lessor; and WHEREAS, the Borrower has requested that the Authority issue in one or more series not exceeding $40,000,000 Louisiana Public Facilities Authority Revenue Bonds (Hynes LSU New Orleans Charter School Project) Series 2026 (the “Bonds”) for the purposes of (i) refinancing the Outstanding Indebtedness, (ii) paying costs for the design, construction, and equipping of additional facilities (the “Additional Facilities”, and together with the Existing Facilities, the “Facilities”) to be located on certain additional contiguous land (the “Additional Land”, and together with the Existing Land, the “Land”) for the School (together with (i), the “Project”), (iii) funding one or more reserve funds, if necessary, and (iv) paying the costs of issuance of the Bonds, pursuant to a Trust Indenture (the “Indenture”), between the Authority and Hancock Whitney Bank (the “Trustee”), the proceeds of which Bonds are to be loaned to the Borrower pursuant to a Loan Agreement between the Authority and the Borrower (the “Loan Agreement”); and WHEREAS, the Borrower and the Ground Lessor will enter into an amendment to the Ground Lease (the “First Ground Lease Amendment”, and together with the Original Ground Lease as they may be amended from time to time, the “Ground Lease”) in order to add the Additional Land to the Ground Lease; and WHEREAS, the Borrower and the Operator will enter into an amendment or an amendment and restatement to the Facilities Lease (the “Facilities Lease Amendment”, and together with the Original Facilities Lease as they may be amended from time to time, the “Facilities Lease”) in order to add the Additional Land and the Additional Facilities to the Facilities Lease and the Operator will have a leasehold interest in the Project pursuant to which it will make rental payments; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the Loan Agreement, the Borrower will agree to make payments in an amount sufficient to make timely payments of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Bonds and to pay such other amounts as are required by the Loan Agreement; and WHEREAS, all requirements of the Commission evidenced by its rules and regulations, including but not limited to notice to local legislators, have been complied with; and WHEREAS, the Authority is authorized under the provisions of the Act and other constitutional and statutory authority to issue and sell the Bonds for such purposes and the Authority has determined that it is most advantageous to the Authority and necessary for it to issue its revenue bonds as hereinafter provided for such purposes; and WHEREAS, the Authority has determined that the issuance and sale

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WHEREAS, all consents and approvals required to be given by public bodies in connection with the authorization, issuance and sale of the Bonds as authorized by the Indenture and as required by the Act have been or will be secured prior to the delivery of the Bonds; and WHEREAS, Equitable School Revolving Fund, LLC (the “Purchaser”), proposes to purchase the Bonds in accordance with the terms of a bond purchase agreement by and among the Purchaser, the Borrower, the Operator and the Authority (the “Bond Purchase Agreement”) with respect to the Bonds; and WHEREAS, the Authority now desires to fix the details necessary with respect to the issuance and sale of the Bonds, to authorize the execution and delivery of the Loan Agreement, the Indenture and the Bond Purchase Agreement, to ratify the publication of a Notice of Public Hearing and a Notice of Sale of Bonds, to authorize the sale of the Bonds, and to provide for the execution of certain instruments, documents and certificates in connection therewith; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority that: SECTION It is the public purpose and within the power and authority vested in the Authority under the Act to provide funds for the financing of the Project through the issuance of the Bonds as limited and special revenue obligation bonds of the Authority. The financing of the Project through the issuance of the Bonds will foster and be in furtherance of the objectives of the Act by providing for and assisting in furthering the educational purposes of the State and its inhabitants. SECTION The Authority hereby authorizes the issuance of the Bonds as Louisiana Public Facilities Authority Revenue Bonds (Hynes LSU New Orleans Charter School Project) with an appropriate series designation for the purposes of (i) refinancing the Outstanding Indebtedness, (ii) paying costs for the design, construction, and equipping of the Additional Facilities to be located on the Additional Land for the School, (iii) funding one or more reserve funds, if necessary, and (iv) paying the costs of issuance of the Bonds. The Bonds shall be issued in the total aggregate principal amount of not exceeding $40,000,000 and shall be issued as fully registered bonds in the denomination of $100,000 or any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof, shall mature not later than thirty-five years, and shall bear interest at a fixed rate not to exceed 6.5% per annum on a tax-exempt or taxable basis, all as set forth in the Indenture. SECTION The Authority hereby authorizes the sale of the Bonds to the Purchaser pursuant to the terms of the Bond Purchase Agreement to be entered into by and among the Purchaser, the Borrower, the Operator and the Authority. The sale of all or a portion of the Bonds to the Purchaser at a price of not less than 90% of the principal amount thereof (inclusive of Purchaser’s fee in an amount not exceeding 3% of the principal amount thereof) is hereby approved. SECTION The form, terms and provisions of the Indenture and the Loan Agreement are hereby approved in substantially the same form as submitted to the Authority and filed with the official minutes of the Authority, all of the provisions of which are hereby made a part of this resolution, with such additions, omissions and changes as may be approved by bond counsel to the Authority and special counsel to the Authority. The Chairman or Vice Chairman and the Secretary-Treasurer or an Assistant Secretary of the Authority be and they are hereby authorized, empowered and directed to execute the Indenture, the Loan Agreement and the Bond Purchase Agreement for, on behalf of and in the name of the Authority, in accordance with the provisions and requirements of the Act. The Bonds are issued under and secured by the Indenture which provides a complete description of the pledged property and revenues constituting the Trust Estate, as defined in the Indenture (which includes, among other things, all of the Authority’s rights, title and interest in and to payments under the Loan Agreement and a leasehold mortgage on the facilities and assignments of leases and rents by the Borrower in favor of Hancock Whitney Bank (the “Mortgagee”)), the nature and extent of the security, a statement of the terms and conditions on which the Bonds are issued and secured; the rights, duties and obligations of the Authority, the rights, duties and immunities of the Trustee, and the rights of the owners of the Bonds. The Bonds are hereby expressly authorized to be signed by the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Authority, said signatures shall be attested by the signature of the Secretary-Treasurer or an Assistant Secretary of the Authority, and the signatures of the Chairman or Vice Chairman and Secretary-Treasurer or Assistant Secretary may be evidenced by their facsimile signatures. The Bonds are limited and special obligations of the Authority and do not constitute or create an obligation, general or special, debt, liability or moral obligation of the State or of any political subdivision thereof, within the meaning of any constitutional or statutory provisions whatsoever, and neither the faith or credit nor the taxing power of the State or of any political subdivision thereof is pledged to the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or the interest on the Bonds. The Bonds are not general obligations of the Authority (which has no taxing power and receives no funds from any governmental body), but they are limited and special revenue obligations of the Authority payable from the income, revenues and receipts derived or to be derived from payments made pursuant to the Loan Agreement and the Borrower’s lease of the Project to the Operator, and are further secured by the Multiple Indebtedness Leasehold Mortgage, Assignment and Pledge of Leases and Rents and Security Agreements by the Borrower in favor of the Mortgagee. SECTION The Authority hereby ratifies the publication of (i) the Notice of Public Hearing on the website of the Authority on July 30, 2026, and (ii) the Notice of Sale of Bonds in The Advocate and The Bond Buyer on August 3, 2026. SECTION The Chairman or Vice Chairman and SecretaryTreasurer or Assistant Secretary of the Authority shall have prepared

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of the Bonds and the use of the proceeds thereof as described herein will be in furtherance of the public purposes intended to be served by the Act; and

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and shall execute for and on behalf of the Authority the Bonds, and shall deliver the same to the Trustee for authentication. The Trustee shall, upon authentication of the Bonds, deliver the same in one or more series to the Purchaser in accordance with the Indenture and the Bond Purchase Agreement and shall receive from the Purchaser for the account of the Authority the purchase price and shall hold the proceeds of the Bonds in the funds and accounts as prescribed in the Indenture. The Trustee is hereby requested and authorized to authenticate the Bonds. SECTION The Chairman or the Vice Chairman and the Secretary-Treasurer or an Assistant Secretary of the Authority are hereby further authorized and directed, for and on behalf of the Authority, to accept, receive, execute, seal, attest and deliver all such documents, certificates and other instruments as are required, necessary, convenient and appropriate in connection with the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Bonds, the Indenture and the Loan Agreement, including, but not limited to, the Tax Regulatory Agreement by and among the Authority, the Trustee, the Borrower and the Operator, and to take such further action as may be required by the Commission or bond counsel to the Authority or special counsel to the Authority or appropriate or required by law in connection with the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Bonds. Said officers are hereby further authorized and directed to approve for, on behalf of, and in the name of the Authority any changes, additions or deletions in any of the documents, instruments or certificates referred to in this resolution, provided that all such changes, additions or deletions, if any, shall be approved by bond counsel to the Authority and special counsel to the Authority and shall be consistent with the authority provided by the Act. The signatures of the said Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary-Treasurer or Assistant Secretary upon such documents set forth above, or as may be otherwise required for or necessary, convenient or appropriate to the financing described in this resolution, are deemed to be conclusive evidence of their due exercise of the authority vested in them hereunder. SECTION The Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Authority are hereby further authorized to take such action as is necessary, on the advice of bond counsel to the Authority or special counsel to the Authority, to effectuate and implement this resolution including the publication hereof as required by the Act. SECTION By virtue of the Authority’s application for, acceptance and utilization of the benefits of the State Bond Commission’s approval, the Authority understands and agrees that such approval is expressly conditioned upon, and further understands, agrees and binds itself, its successors and assigns, to full and continuing compliance with the “State Bond Commission Policy on Approval of Proposed Use of Swaps, or other forms of Derivative Products, Hedges, Etc.,” adopted by the Commission on July 20, 2006, as to the borrowing and other matters subject to the approval, including approval under said Policy of the implementation or use of any swaps or other products or enhancements covered thereby. SECTION This resolution shall be published one time in the official journal of the Authority. SECTION

This resolution shall become effective immediately.

This resolution having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows: Member

Yea

Ronald H. Bordelon

Nay

Absent

Abstaining

Craig A. Cheramie

David W. Groner

Casey R. Guidry

Dannye W. Malone

Heather C. Songy

Matthew T. Valliere

This resolution declared adopted on this 12th day of August, 2026. (Other items of business not pertinent to the foregoing resolution and the documents mentioned therein may be found in the official minutes of the Board of Trustees of the Authority.) Upon motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried, the meeting was adjourned. I, the undersigned, do hereby certify that I am an Assistant Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (the “Authority”), a public trust duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Louisiana, and as such Assistant Secretary I have access to all records of the Authority. I do hereby further certify that at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Authority duly called, held and convened, according to law, on August 12, 2026 a quorum being present and voting thereon, the above and foregoing Resolution was unanimously adopted and that said Resolution is a full true and correct copy of the said Resolution as it appears on the records of the Authority; that the same has not been revoked or amended and is now in full force and effect. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and attached the seal of the Authority this 12th day of August, 2026. LOUISIANA PUBLIC FACILITIES AUTHORITY

[SEAL]

By:

/s/ Patricia A. Dubroc Assistant Secretary

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