Exemptions, catch-up efforts propel students in reading
Lead teacher and literacy coach Lori Robertson speaks to students last month during the summer program
J.B Nachman Elementary School in Alexandria. For third graders, it was their last chance to improve their reading scores — if they didn’t, they could be held back.
Few third graders expected to be held back because of scores
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Lori Robertson knew the stakes were high.
Under a new Louisiana law, the third graders she taught this summer at J.B. Nachman Elementary School in Alexandria would have to pass a reading test or be held back.
Yet Robertson, a 30-year veteran educator and the school’s literacy coach, exuded calm one morning last month as her students practiced the skills they’d soon be assessed on.
One girl read aloud into a toy telephone, seeing how many words she could read correctly in one minute. Nearby, a boy read nonsense words like “soke,” a test of whether students can sound out unfamiliar words.
Robertson asked a quiet third grader named Kingston to spell words like “horn” and “corn,” in which the letter R changes the vowel sound. When she challenged him to turn “corn” to “cork,” he wrote the new word correctly “This just lights my fire,” Robertson beamed.
In the spring, nearly 1 in 4 Louisiana third graders failed to earn the minimum reading score required by the new law to advance to fourth grade, putting thousands at risk of retention. Over the past month, educators like Robertson raced to give those struggling readers a final push
Lafayette triple murder suspect found competent to stand trial
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Chad Credeur accused in the April 2024 murders of three people in Lafayette, including a popular university professor, has been deemed competent to stand trial Credeur, 43, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the April 11 2024 shooting deaths of Elizabeth Reames, 46, Brandon Touchet, 45, and Eric Green, 49 The three were found inside Reames’ apartment in a complex at 701 South College Road in Lafayette.
A 15th Judicial District Court judge earlier this year ordered the appointment of a sanity commission to examine Credeur to determine if he
Changes made to La. ethics laws
Supporters tout protection for public officials while critics worry about safeguards being eroded
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Gov Jeff Landry and the Legislature have changed how the Louisiana Board of Ethics operates, adding new rules to how it investigates allegations of conflicts of interest, nepotism and other forms of corruption.
Supporters say they are protecting public servants against frivolous investigations over dubious allegations of ethical misconduct and ensuring those who face investigation are afforded basic due process.
But critics worry the new laws chip away at safeguards Louisiana put in place in response to the state’s long history of government corruption.
At its monthly meeting Thursday two members of the Louisiana Board of Ethics raised concerns that the changes could undermine the board’s power and independence. La Koshia Roberts, the longest serving member, argued they will quickly render the ethics board “nonessential” and ultimately lead it to become “extinct.”
The new rules could deter people from coming forward with complaints, leaving the board in the dark about problems it would otherwise address, she said.
The Board of Ethics enforces ethics and campaign finance laws It can undertake investigations into potential violations in either area as well as file formal charges against someone when it has evidence a law was broken.
The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana also argues the new laws “continued to whittle away at sunshine in government.”
However, the changes did avoid “severe damage to our ethics code,” said PAR President Steven Procopio, who said lawmakers heeded many of his organization’s concerns and recommendations.
before they took a retest that would determine their placement this fall and could very well shape their educational trajectory But despite many parents’ fears, it’s likely that many of those targeted
Rep. Beau Beaullieu, a Republican from New Iberia who chairs the influential House and Governmental Affairs Committee, sponsored House Bill 674, which changed the ethics code. Beaullieu has said some of the board’s investigations have been “egregious” and led some under
Death toll in Texas flooding tops 100
Officials vow to address weather warnings
BY JIM VERTUNO, NADIA LATHAN and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
KERRVILLE, Texas The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps,
searchers have found the bodies of 84 people, including 28 children, Kerr County officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warn ings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke only
ä Flooding from Tropical Storm Chantal forces dozens to flee N.C. homes. PAGE 2A
ä See FLOODING, page 6A
Beaullieu
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
at
A paraprofessional works with third graders during the summer program at J.B. Nachman Elementary School.
READING, page 4A
ä See ETHICS, page 4A
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ELI HARTMAN
First responders carry out search and rescue operations near the Guadalupe River on Monday in Ingram, Texas.
Ousted librarian steps back in national role
NEW YORK The former librarian of Congress abruptly fired by President Donald Trump has found a new position with the country’s largest philanthropic supporter of the arts. The Andrew W Mellon Foundation exclusively told The Associated Press that Carla Hayden will join the humanities grantmaker Monday as a senior fellow whose duties will include advising on efforts to advance public knowledge through libraries and archives
Troops descend on MacArthur Park
Flooding forces dozens to flee N.C. homes
The yearlong post places Hayden back at the center of the very debates over American culture that surrounded her dismissal. The White House ousted Hayden, the first woman and the first African American to hold the title, after she was accused of promoting “radical” literary material by a conservative advocacy group seeking to squash Trump opposition within the federal government.
Manager confirms
beloved hotel burned
PORT-AU-PRINCE,Haiti — Haiti’s once-illustrious Grand Hôtel Oloffson, a beloved Gothic gingerbread home that inspired books, hosted parties until dawn and attracted visitors from Mick Jagger to Haitian presidents, was burned down by gangs this weekend.
Hundreds of Haitians and foreigners mourned the news as it spread across social media, with the hotel manager confirming the fire Monday on X. Even though gang violence had forced the hotel in Haiti’s capital, Portau-Prince, to close in recent years, many had hoped it would reopen.
“It birthed so much culture and expression,” said Riva Précil, a Haitian-American singer who lived in the hotel from age 5 to 15 In a tearful phone interview, Précil recalled how she learned to swim, dance and sing at the Oloffson.
Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron leaving Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron said Monday that he’s leaving the band after nearly 30 years.
The 62-year-old Cameron announced his departure in a social media post.
“After 27 fantastic years, I have taken my final steps down the drum riser for the mighty Pearl Jam,” Cameron said. “Much love and respect to Jeff, Ed, Mike and Stone for inviting me into the band in 1998 and for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, filled with friendships, artistry, challenges and laughter.” Cameron didn’t give a reason for his departure.
“Matt Cameron has been a singular and true powerhouse of a musician and drummer He has propelled the last 27 years of Pearl Jam live shows and studio recordings. It was a deeply important chapter for our group and we wish him well always,” Pearl Jam members said in a statement posted to the band’s social media accounts. He just finished a yearlong tour with the band in support of its 12th studio album, “Dark Matter.”
A story published in Sunday’s edition of The Advocate incorrectly stated the amount of National Institutes of Health funds awarded to Pennington Biomedical Research Center in 2024. The center received around $31 million that year The Advocate regrets the error CORRECTION Hayden
L.A. operation was close to immigrant neighborhood
BY TARA COPP and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press
LOS ANGELES Federal officers and National Guard troops fanned out around a mostly empty Los Angeles park in a largely immigrant neighborhood on foot, horseback and military vehicles on Monday for about an hour before abruptly leaving, an operation that local officials said seemed designed to sow fear
The Department of Homeland Security wouldn’t say whether anyone had been arrested during the brief operation at MacArthur Park Federal officials did not respond to requests for comment about why the park was targeted or why the raid ended abruptly.
About 90 members of the California National Guard were present to protect immigration officers, defense officials said.
“What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege, under armed occupation,” said Mayor Karen Bass, who showed up at the park alongside activists.
She said there were children attending a day camp in the park who were quickly ushered inside to avoid seeing the troops. Still, Bass said an 8-year-old boy told her that “he was fearful of ICE.”
The operation occurred at a park in a neighborhood with
large Mexican, Central American and other immigrant populations and is lined by businesses with signs in Spanish and other languages that has been dubbed by local officials as the “Ellis Island of the West Coast.”
Sprawling MacArthur Park has a murky lake ringed by palm trees, an amphitheater that hosts summer concerts and sports fields where immigrant families line up to play soccer in the evenings and on weekends. A thoroughfare on the east side is often crammed with food stands selling tacos and other delicacies, along with vendors speaking multiple languages and hawking T-shirts, toys, knickknacks and household items.
Among those who spoke with Bass were health care outreach workers who were working with homeless residents Monday when troops pointed guns at them and told them to get out of the park.
Photos show federal officers riding on horseback toward a mostly empty soccer field.
Heavily armed soldiers and other agents stood guard nearby alongside armored vehicles.
“The world needs to see the troop formation on horses walking through the park, in search of what? In search of what? They’re walking through the area where the children play,”
Bass said.
The operation in the large park about 2 miles west of downtown LA included 17 Humvees, four tactical vehicles, two ambulances and the armed soldiers, defense officials said. It came after President Donald Trump deployed thousands of Guard members and active duty Marines to the city last month following protests over previous immigration raids.
In response to questions about the operation in MacArthur Park, the Department of Homeland Security said in an email that the agency would not comment on “ongoing enforcement operations.”
Two defense officials told reporters that what happened at MacArthur Park on Monday was not a military operation but acknowledged that the size and scope of the Guard’s participation could make it look like one to the public. That is why the officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details about the raid that were not announced publicly The primary role of the service members would be to protect the immigration enforcement officers in case a hostile crowd gathered, one of the officials said.
“It’s just going to be more overt and larger than we usually participate in,” that official said.
Gaza war looms over Trump, Netanyahu meeting
BY TIA GOLDENBERG AND MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press
WASHINGTON Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump might look to take a victory lap this week after their recent joint strikes on Iran, hailed by both as an unmitigated success.
But as Netanyahu arrived at the White House for his third visit this year, the outwardly triumphant visit will be dogged by Israel’s 21-month war against Hamas in Gaza and questions over how hard Trump will push for an end to the conflict.
Trump has made clear that following last month’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran he would like to see the Gaza conflict end soon. The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu could give new urgency to a U.S. ceasefire proposal being discussed by Israel and Hamas, but whether it leads to a deal that ends the war is unclear
“The utmost priority for the president right now in the Middle East is to end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters ahead of the leaders’ private dinner
ASSOCIATED
After sharing dinner Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, is set to again meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss the war in Gaza.
Before departing for Washington on Sunday Netanyahu praised the cooperation with the U.S. for bringing a “huge victory over our shared enemy.” He struck a positive note on a ceasefire for Gaza, saying he was working “to achieve the deal under discussion, on the terms we agreed to.”
The prime minister met on Monday with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio before his dinner with Trump Netanyahu is slated to meet Tuesday with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“I think that the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance that result, which all of us hope for,” Netanyahu said. White House officials are
urging Israel and Hamas to quickly seal a new ceasefire agreement that would bring about a 60-day pause in the fighting, send aid flooding into Gaza and free at least some of the remaining 50 hostages held in the territory, 20 of whom are believed to be living.
Leavitt announced on Monday that Witkoff will travel later this week to Doha, Qatar, for ceasefire and hostage talks.
But a sticking point is whether the ceasefire will end the war altogether Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu says the war will end once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile — something it refuses to do.
Demonstrators, including hostage family members, gathered outside the U.S. Capitol before the leaders’ meeting to press for the release of all remaining hostages in any agreement.
“We cannot accept a deal for a partial release,” said Ilan Dalal, father of Guy Gilboa-Dalal. “A partial deal would mean that some of the hostages will stay in the tunnels for more time and this would be a death sentence.”
BY ALLEN G. BREED AP national writer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Floodwaters from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal swept a woman in her car from a rural road and forced dozens of people to flee their homes, officials in North Carolina said Monday
Parts of central North Carolina experienced hazardous conditions overnight including 3 to 8 inches of rain, according to North Carolina Emergency Management. Multiple water rescues were conducted in Alamance, Orange, Chatham and Durham counties overnight, and several areas have declared local states of emergency officials said.
About 120 roads were closed Monday across the state, but several major roads had reopened, including parts of Interstate 40 and 85 in Alamance County, according to Gov Josh Stein’s office.
An 83-year-old woman from Pittsboro was killed when her car was swept off a rural Chatham County road by floodwaters Sunday night, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Responding troopers found the submerged vehicle about 100 feet from the road, and the woman was found dead inside, officials said.
The Chapel Hill Fire Department and neighboring agencies completed more than 50 water rescues, many of them in areas where floodwaters entered or threatened to enter apartments, officials said. More than 60 people were displaced. After helping with rescues in Chapel Hill, the Durham Fire Department said in a social media post that its crews performed more than 80 more rescues in the Old Farm area.
Alesia Ray, 65, stood on a second-floor staircase at her apartment building in Chapel Hill for five hours, clicking a flashlight, until rescuers in a rubber boat got her out. Below her, floodwaters wrecked her home.
“It was really scary,” she said Monday as she and fiance Thomas Hux worked to salvage some of their belongings. “I’ve never experienced anything like that. I don’t want to go through that again.”
Several solid-waste trucks and police cars were also totaled from rushing floodwaters at a facility used to service local government vehicles in Carrboro, a town near Chapel Hill, the town’s public works director, Kevin Belanger said at a news conference Monday In Chatham County, authorities were searching for two canoers who went missing during the storm on Jordan Lake, according to a county sheriff’s office statement.
The Eno River crested early Monday at Durham at 25.6 feet, surpassing the previous record of 23.6 feet, according to the National Water Prediction Service’s website.
Federal agents ride an armored vehicle Monday at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles.
PRESS FILE PHOTO
Will Abrego Garcia make it to trial?
Justice Department attorney says U.S. set to initiate deportation proceedings
BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and BEN FINLEY Associated Press
GREENBELT, Md. — The U.S. government would initiate deportation proceedings against Kilmar Abrego Garcia if he’s released from jail before he stands trial on human smuggling charges in Tennessee, a Justice Department attorney told a federal judge in Maryland on Monday
The disclosure by U.S. lawyer Jonathan Guynn contradicts statements by spokespeople for the Justice Department and the White House, who said last month that Abrego Garcia would stand trial and possibly spend time in an American prison before the government moves to deport him.
Guynn made the revelation during a federal court hearing in Maryland, where Abrego Garcia’s American wife is suing the Trump administration over his mistaken deportation in March and trying to prevent him from being expelled again.
Guynn said U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement would detain Abrego Garcia once he’s released from jail and send him to a “third country” that isn’t his native El Salvador However, Guynn said he didn’t know which country that would be.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said trying to determine what will happen to Abrego Garcia has been “like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall.”
She scheduled a hearing for Thursday for U.S. officials to explain possible next steps if Abrego Garcia is released.
Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies when he was deported in March to a notorious megaprison in his native El
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
Jennifer Vasquez Sura, center wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, joins supporters rallying outside the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md where a hearing was scheduled Monday on returning him to Maryland
Salvador The Trump administration claimed he was in the MS-13 gang, although Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime and has repeatedly denied the allegation. When the Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia, it violated a U.S. immigration judge’s order in 2019 that shielded him from being sent to his native country The judge had determined that Abrego Garcia likely faced persecution by local gangs that had terrorized him and his family and prompted him to flee to the U.S.
Facing increasing pressure and a Supreme Court order the Trump administration returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S. last month to face federal human smuggling charges. The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop for speeding in Tennessee, during which Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with nine passengers without luggage.
Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty His lawyers told a judge that some government witnesses cooperated to get favors regarding their immigration status or criminal charges they were facing.
They’ve also accused the Trump administration of bringing Abrego Garcia back “to convict him in the court of public opinion” with the intention of deporting him before he can defend himself at trial.
A federal judge in Nashville, Tennessee was preparing to release Abrego Garcia, determining he’s not a flight risk or a danger But she agreed to keep Abrego Garcia behind bars at the request of his own attorneys, who raised concerns the U.S. would try to immediately deport him.
In court documents, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers cited “contradictory statements” by the Trump administration For example, Guynn told
Xinis on June 26 that ICE planned to deport Abrego Garcia, though he didn’t say when.
Later that day, DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin told The Associated Press that the Justice Department intends to try Abrego Garcia on the smuggling charges before it moves to deport him.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson posted on X that day that Abrego Garcia “will face the full force of the American justice system — including serving time in American prison for the crimes he’s committed.”
Abrego Garcia’s attorneys asked Xinis to order the government to take him to Maryland upon his release from jail, an arrangement that would prevent his deportation before trial. Abrego Garcia lived in Maryland for more than a decade, working construction and raising a family
Xinis is still considering that request. Guynn told the judge on Monday that she doesn’t have the jurisdiction to decide where Abrego Garcia would be detained.
Xinis responded by asking why she couldn’t order an “interim step” to ensure that Abrego Garcia isn’t “spirited away again.”
Anrew Rossman, an attorney for Abrego Garcia, said he should be given notice and an opportunity to challenge his removal in court.
“That’s the baseline of what we’re asking for,” he added.
Meanwhile, Xinis denied the Trump administration’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit over Abrego Garcia’s mistaken deportation.
The government had argued the litigation was moot because it returned him to the U.S. Xinis said “the controversy” isn’t over simply because he’s back.
11 dead in Kenya protests
BY SIMON MARKS and DAVID HERBLING Bloomberg News (TNS)
At least 11 people were killed in violent clashes between Kenyan police and protesters demanding the removal of President William Ruto.
In addition to the fatalities, 63 people were injured and 567 arrested, the police said Monday on X.
The protests held to commemorate the July 7 marches that marked the beginning of multiparty democracy in the East African nation 35 years ago, took place in nearly half of Kenya’s 47 counties, with looting reported in at least six, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said.
Police used teargas and water cannons to disburse crowds that had lit bonfires at several flash points on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi The normally bustling streets were deserted and many storefronts were soldered shut as workers and traders stayed away because of fears of violence.
Learning activities were disrupted nationwide, and hundreds of passengers were stranded as police erected roadblocks on major roads to deter movement.
“The commission received distress calls from patients unable to access health facilities due to road closures,” KNCHR said. Monday’s protests come almost two weeks after others in which 19 people were killed, businesses looted and buildings torched.
Health groups sue Kennedy over vaccine policy change
BY MIKE STOBBE AP medical writer
NEW YORK A coalition of doctors’ groups and public health organizations sued the U.S. government on Monday over the decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association and four other groups — along with an unnamed pregnant doctor who works in a hospital — filed the lawsuit in federal court in Boston.
U.S. health officials, following infectious disease experts’ guidance, previously had urged annual COVID-19 shots for all Americans ages 6 months and older But in late May, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr announced he was removing COVID-19 shots from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women.
Many health experts decried the move as confusing
and accused Kennedy of disregarding the scientific review process that has been in place for decades — in which experts publicly review current medical evidence and hash out the pros and cons of policy changes.
The new lawsuit repeats those concerns, alleging that Kennedy and other political appointees at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have flouted federal procedures and systematically attempted to mislead the public.
The lawsuit also notes recent changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Kennedy, a leading antivaccine activist before becoming the nation’s top health official, fired the entire 17-member panel this month and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices.
Doctors say Kennedy’s actions are making their jobs harder — with some patients raising doubts about all kinds of vaccines and others worried they will lose access to shots for themselves and their children.
“This is causing uncertainty and anxiety at almost every pediatric visit that involves vaccines,” said Dr Susan Kressly president of
the American Academy of Pediatrics.
And it’s happening after U.S. pediatric flu deaths hit their highest mark in 15 years and as the nation is poised to have its worst year of measles in more than three decades, she added.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said Kennedy “stands by his CDC reforms.”
Also joining the suit are the American College of Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
The pregnant doctor who is listed in the lawsuit as “Jane Doe,” works at a Massachusetts hospital. She had difficulty getting a COVID-19 vaccination at a pharmacy and other sites and is concerned the lack of protection will endanger her unborn child, according to the lawsuit.
The suit was filed in Boston because the unnamed doctor and some others in Massachusetts are among those have been affected by Kennedy’s change, said Richard H. Hughes IV, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs.
The state has figured repeatedly in U.S. public health history
In 1721, some Boston leaders advocated for an early version of inoculation during a smallpox outbreak. Paul Revere was the first leader of
Boston’s health commission. And a legal dispute in Cambridge led to a landmark 1905 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld states’ rights to
compel vaccinations.
“We think it is significant and very meaningful” that the case is happening there, Hughes said.
Kennedy
third graders won’t ultimately be held back. A significant number will qualify for exemptions, including if they have dyslexia or other disabilities while others improved their scores due to the hard work of teachers like Robertson
For example, in Rapides Parish, which includes Alexandria, about half of the third graders who were at risk of being held back qualified for exemptions, district officials said. A third of the remaining students earned the minimum passing score after retesting Statewide data won’t be available until next month, but officials anticipate that relatively few students will be held back due to the law, which took effect last school year.
“I expect it to be pretty low,” said Jenna Chiasson, the Louisiana Department of Education’s deputy superintendent of teaching and learning.
To critics, requiring even a small number of 8-year-olds to repeat third grade puts too much weight on a single assessment and could demoralize those students On the flip side, skeptics might argue that retaining just a fraction of targeted students undermines the intent of the law to ensure that children master basic reading skills before moving to the upper grades.
But the policy’s proponents say its real power comes from channeling attention and resources to struggling readers who might otherwise fall through the cracks. That view is backed by recent research that found students’ reading scores rise when they are flagged for retention — even if they aren’t held back — suggesting it’s the extra support that mat-
ETHICS
Continued from page 1A
investigation to feel they were guilty until proven innocent.
He said he committed to ensuring greater fairness and due process for Louisiana residents who could find themselves subject to a board investigation.
“I think we were successful, and I think the people of Louisiana are going to benefit from having a fair and judicious ethics system,” he said.
Stephen Gelé, an attorney who played a key role in crafting some of the changes, said the board “plays a crucial role” in enforcing laws. But the new laws, Gelé says, “provide clear procedural safeguards” that ensure those being investigated have “due process rights guaranteed by the Louisiana and United States Constitutions.” Gelé is representing Landry in charges filed by the board over failing to disclose complimentary private airfare he received to a conference in Hawaii in 2021 when he was attorney general.
Under the new law, the board must follow more stringent protocols when considering formal complaints of alleged ethical misconduct and in investigating those allegations
The 15-member board must now have a two-thirds vote that there is probable cause a law was broken before it can proceed with an investigation. Should the board issue a subpoena as part of an investigation, it can now only do so if “the importance of the information sought outweighs the burden of producing the information.”
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is competent to assist in his defense Reports by Lafayette psychologist Shannon Sanders and New Orleans psychiatrist Joshua Sanderson were filed under seal in court on June 12. Court records indicate the two determined Credeur is competent to stand trial. Judge Kristian Earles previously set a trial date for Monday and the case remains on the trial docket, according to court records. The District Attorney’s
ters most.
“The additional effort, the extra interventions, the level of specificity that educators are paying to individual students and their needs,”
Chiasson said, “that’s a direct result of this legislation.”
Passed by the state Legislature in 2023, the third-grade law is part of a sweeping set of laws and policy changes meant to overhaul how Louisiana students learn to read.
Over the past five years, elementary school teachers have been trained in the “science of reading,” a research-based approach that emphasizes phonics; schools started assessing students’ reading skills every few months and flagging struggling readers for extra help; and the state launched intensive tutoring in schools and provided vouchers for private tutoring. State officials, who credit the policies with driving Louisiana’s recent rise in national education rankings, say students now receive consistently high-quality reading instruction.
“I do not think it would have been fair to a kid five years ago” to retain struggling readers, said state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley But today the state has “a really robust system that prepares students for success by third grade.”
Louisiana’s new literacy policies, including third-grade retention, are modeled on changes Mississippi made that led to dramatic reading gains. Kymyona Burk, who oversaw the reforms as Mississippi’s former state literacy director, said the aim was to ensure all students are on track by the end of third grade.
“Retaining kids is not the goal,” said Burk, now a senior policy fellow at ExcelinEd, an education advocacy group. Rather, the retention law “changes adult behavior” by creating “this sense of urgency
The subject of the investigation is also allowed to ask a district court to block or limit a subpoena from the board.
The subject of the investigation will also be provided with a copy of any subpoenas or requests for information, as well as any responses to those requests.
Alfred “Butch” Speer, a member of the board, said Thursday that if the board requests information from someone who made a confidential complaint, the new procedures risk revealing that person’s identity to the person under investigation.
David Bordelon, the board’s general counsel, replied that ethics staff will work to develop procedures to keep that from happening.
Under the new laws, at the conclusion of an investigation, the respondent will now get a copy of a final report of the investigation, have a chance to address the board directly over the allegations, and be reminded of having a constitutional right to counsel and to not incriminate oneself.
The board can now only file formal charges for ethics law violations with a twothirds majority vote.
Once the board’s charges are filed with the Ethics Adjudicatory Board, the administrative panel that handles the formal legal proceedings, the person accused gets a copy of all the evidence gathered during the investigation and has a chance to file an initial response.
Bordelon on Thursday told board members that, if ethics staff find that the new rules dampen investigations, he’ll work with them and the Legislature to rectify that.
Roberts, however, said she is not “optimistic” that the Legislature will be willing to work through issues that
Office indicated it will not seek the death penalty in the case. Credeur was friends with the three victims, whose bodieswerefoundafterTouchet’s family asked law enforcement officers to conduct a welfare check when they had not heard from him for a while, police said. Touchet also lived in the apartment complex. Green was a popular University of Louisiana at Lafayette professor When the bodies were found in Lafayette, Credeur was in police custody in Jefferson Davis Parish on unrelated counts of criminal trespass, drug possession and possession of a firearm
“The additional effort, the extra interventions, the level of specificity that educators are paying to individual students and their needs, that’s a direct result of this legislation.”
JENNA CHIASSON Louisiana Department of Education’s deputy superintendent of teaching and learning
and accountability.”
Louisiana is one of nearly 20 states with such laws, according to ExcelinEd, which endorses thirdgrade retention policies. Because the laws tend to include generous “good cause” exemptions, often few students end up being held back, according to a recent study led by researchers at the University of Michigan. For example, 60% of third graders in Tennessee were flagged for retention in 2024 due to low reading scores, but only 1.2% were held back. In Michigan, where less than 1% of third graders were retained, the researchers found that students’ scores improved even if they weren’t held back. Due to the law, struggling readers received all-hands-on-deck support that continued even if they were promoted to the next grade.
Under Louisiana law, any student who scores below grade level on a reading-skills test called DIBELS, which students in grades K-3 take three times a year, must receive tutoring or other support. Students who still score in the lowest level on DIBELS by the end of third grade can be held back if they don’t qualify for an exemption or improve their scores on a retest. Those students must be screened for dyslexia and get extra help, along with students who are promoted to fourth grade due to an exemption. (The retention
arise, based on past criticism of the board by some lawmakers.
Procopio said that an earlier version of the bill would have made the decision to undertake an investigation a “logical impossibility.” Lawmakers shelved a proposal requiring the board to consider if “it would more likely than not” find the law had been broken — even before having the chance to gather evidence.
“If the Board of Ethics would have chosen to follow the law, then they honestly would never have to do an investigation,” he said. “That would have been a death blow.”
As the legislations stands, Procopio said he’s worried that investigations could be delayed or hampered under the new subpoena rules. But he also said new reporting requirements on the board’s investigations and subpoenas should give insight into that question. Outside of ethics investigation procedures, the bill made other changes to the ethics code:
n Expands the distance state lawmakers can travel to include anywhere in North America and U.S. territories when they are giving a speech and have food, transportation and lodging costs paid for by someone else.
n Expands the distance lawmakers can travel for “informational” or “educational” purposes to include anywhere in the U.S. and its territories and have travel costs paid for by someone else.
n Defines how public officials should value complimentary private airfare they receive on financial disclosure forms.
n Clarifies that public school educators who get paid for work at their school that’s in addition to teaching
in the presence of controlled dangerous substances.
At the time of his arrest on April 12, 2024, the victims’ IDs and some of their personal belongings were in Credeur’s possession, according to police reports. He had scratches and cuts on his face and neck.
He faces additional charges, including battery on a Jefferson Davis Parish correctional center employee and attempted seconddegree murder in the July 2020 shooting of Cyrus Daniel Orgeron during an argument in Lafayette.
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.
law only applies to students in traditional public schools, not charter schools.)
Based on preliminary data that five school districts shared with The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, the number of third graders who will be retained could be quite low In St. Tammany Parish, 16% of third graders initially faced retention, but only 4% remain at risk after exemptions and retesting. In St. Charles Parish, 14% of third graders were flagged this spring, but only 1% now face retention.
St. Charles Parish schools Superintendent Ken Oertling said the new law has been good for third graders.
“Any time you’re focusing on a specific group of students,” he said, “then of course you’re going to devote more attention, more resources to them.”
Not everyone is convinced that retaining struggling students is the best approach.
Louisiana enacted a similar policy in the early 2000s, requiring fourth and eighth graders to reach a benchmark on state tests to move to the next grade. The share of Louisiana students who had to repeat a grade soared high above the national average, and a 2017 study found that fourth grade boys who were held back faced higher odds of dropping out of school. The state eventually ended the policy
“When you retain a child, that’s a leading indicator of high school dropouts and them not being successful,” said Kerry Laster, a former literacy director in the state education department. “That disturbs me.”
Other critics note that holding back students is expensive, equivalent to an extra year of schooling, and can dampen students’ self-esteem and motivation Still others say students with serious reading difficulties need help sooner A re-
duties aren’t in violation of ethics rules.
n Allows athletic trainers who work at public schools to be compensated for that work by a private entity
n Allows Louisiana Racing Commission members or the executive director to own a racehorse that participates in races licensed by the racing commission.
n Requires high-level public officials to file annual
cent study found that most struggling third graders in Louisiana entered kindergarten with deficits.
“To me, that says identify them early intervene early,” said Lindsay Weixler, who directs the Early Childhood Policy Research Lab at Tulane University and helped conduct the analysis.
Parent Kiara Jolla has mixed feelings about the new law
After her third grader was flagged for low reading scores last fall, his Baton Rouge school sprang into action, developing a support plan and providing him with small-group lessons and tutoring. Jolla also used a state voucher to send him to private after-school tutoring.
The remediation exhausted her son, and Jolla wished the interventions had started years earlier But she also felt the law spurred the school to vigorously address her son’s needs, resulting in steady gains that allowed him to advance to fourth grade.
“For him, it was a big confidence booster,” she said.
The new law seemed to galvanize educators in the Rapides Parish school system and J.B Nachman Elementary School, who regularly monitored third graders’ reading progress and strategically filled in gaps.
A battalion of educators — literacy coach Lori Robertson, classroom aides, even the librarian and music teacher worked with small groups of students during a daily reading-support period. This summer, district staffers used DIBELS data to plot the focus of each day’s literacy lesson down to specific letter combinations.
The result: Third graders made “tremendous growth,” even before the final push this summer, Robertson said.
“It’s amazing what you can do in a year,” she said.
financial disclosure statements electronically
n Requires the Board of Ethics to produce monthly reports on the number of subpoenas issued and twiceyearly reports with aggregate data on complaints, investigations, fines it imposes, types of violations, charges filed and judgments.
Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said lawmakers were worried it would have had a chilling effect on ethics enforcement. Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse. pfeil@theadvocate.com.
Another proposal the Legislature considered during the session, House Bill 160, ultimately died in the final weeks of the legislative session. It would have prohibited the filing of anonymous or confidential ethics complaints.
FLOODING
Continued from page1A
hours after the operatorsof Camp Mystic, acentury-old all-girls Christiansummer campinthe TexasHillCountry, announcedthat they lost 27 campers and counselors to the floodwaters.
Meanwhile,searchand rescue teams carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipmentto untangle treesand wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers coveredinmud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleaktask.
With additional rain on theway,more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of centralTexas. Authorities saidthe death toll was sure to rise.
The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after awall of water slammed into cabins built alongthe edge of the Guadalupe River
The raging flash floods among thenation’sworst in decades —slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak Friday pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tentsand trailers and dragging them formiles past floating tree trunksand cars. Some survivorswere found clinging to trees.
Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks
The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country —avolleyball, canoes and afamily portrait.
Nineteen deaths werereported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, TomGreen and Williamsoncounties, according to local officials. Among those confirmed dead were 8-year-old sisters from Dallaswho were at Camp Mystic and aformer soccer coach and his wife who were staying at ariverfront home. Their daughterswere still missing. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would
be investigating whether enough warningswere issued and why somecamps didnot evacuateormove to higher groundinaplace long vulnerabletoflooding that some local residents refer to as “flash flood alley.”
That will include areview of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of thechallengesis that many camps andcabinsare in places with poor cellphone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice
“Wedefinitely want to dive in and look at all those things,”hesaid. “We’re looking forward to doing that once we can get the search and rescue complete.”
Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather At leastone movedseveral hundredcamperstohigher ground before the floods.
Sen. TedCruz, aTexas Republican, said recent government spending cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the NationalWeather Service did not delay any warnings
“There’sa time to have political fights, there’sa timetodisagree. This is notthat time,” Cruz said. “There will be atime to find out what could been done differently.Myhope is in time we learn some lessons to implement the next time there is aflood.”
Theweather service first advised of potential floodingonThursdayand then sentout aseries of flash floodwarningsinthe early hoursofFriday before issuing flash flood emergencies —arare step that alerts the public to imminent danger Authoritiesand elected officials have said they did notexpect suchanintense downpour, the equivalent of monthsofrain.Some residentssaidthey never received any warnings.
President DonaldTrump, who signed amajor disaster declarationfor Kerr County and plans to visit the area, said Sunday thathedoes not plan to rehire any of the
federal meteorologists who were fired this year
“This was athing that happenedinseconds. Nobody expected it,” thepresident said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said local and federal weather services providedsufficient warnings.
“That was an act of God. It’snot the administration’s fault that theflood hit when it did, but therewere early and consistent warnings,” Leavitt said.
More than threedozen people were unaccounted for acrossthe state and more couldbemissing,Gov Greg Abbott saidSunday Searchand rescuecrews at onestagingareasaid Monday thatmorethan 1,000 volunteers hadbeen directed to Kerr County Reagan Brown said his parents, in their80s,managed to escape uphill as water inundated theirhome in thetown of Hunt
When the couple learned that their 92-year-old neighborwas trappedinher attic, they wentback and rescued her
“Thenthey were able to reach their tool shed up higherground, andneighbors throughout theearly morning began to showup at their tool shed, and they all rode it out together,” Brown said.
Elizabeth Lester,amother of childrenwho were at Camp Mystic and nearby Camp La Junta during the flood,saidher young son had to swim out his cabin window to escape. Her daughterfledupthe hillsideasfloodwaters whipped against her legs.
JanRisher
LOUISIANA AT LARGE
Join food bank challenge
I’ve done alot of volunteering through theyears, but Imust say my time at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank last week was one of the most user-friendly volunteer experiences ever
Talk about having an effective system!
Other organizations that need volunteers could learn alot from the experience. Ihighly recommend signing up online at volunteer.brfoodbank.org/volunteersign-up? and giving it atry
First, Ichecked in at akiosk and then entered alarge warehouse to find avariety of tasks from making boxes, to sorting food,to filling boxes.
Mark Walker,the food bank’s volunteer manager, went beyond justmanagingthings. He was also the DJ and had aboom box playing upbeat music, which was not too loud, but just right —finding the right music for adiverse crowd and keeping everyone happy with the volume is agift in itself.
Steadfast volunteers whoshow up almost daily wore red T-shirts and helped lead the effort
The efficiency of the 28 people volunteering on aThursday morning was impressive. Asmall group of high school and college students assembled500 boxes.
Iworked with students and volunteers from OmniCable tofill boxes with cans of green beans. Each box neededto weigh between 35 and 40 pounds. Figuring out the math was easy,and the process was oddly satisfying— though Idid fill my firstbox too full. Never fear
The kind Amir Jaffar,arising junior and premed student helped me take it to the scale. I didn’tmake that mistake again
Brian Hightower,chief development officer,gave me atour of the giant facility,including the refrigerator,freezer,locally grown fresh produce, disaster relief, dry storage and the room where they package rice and beans, which they sell at alow price to food banks across the country High school student Eli Miller, ajunior at St. Michael’s, worked with Dexter Ricard Jr., asophomore at Southern Lab, and Ja’Van Williams, asophomore from Madisonville,tobuild boxes.
“I think volunteering is importantbecause Iwant to be ahelping hand in the communityany way Ican,” Ricard told me when Iasked why he was volunteering. “I know some people aren’tasfortunate as others, so Iwant to be a part of the helping.”
He’sright on all counts.There is agrowing sense of urgency at food banks. The number of people who need food is increasing Be like Dexter.Beapart of the helping. The ongoing 100item Food Challenge encourages people across Louisiana to donate food to any food bank. The 100item Challenge lasts for 100 days and runs through Oct.6
It’ssimple: We ask readers, as individuals or groups, to donate a specific list of 100 items (in total) to their local food banks.
Here’sthe list:
n 10 cans of tuna
n 10 jars of peanut butter
n 10 bags of dry beans
n 10 cans of canned meat
n 10 cans of
n 10 cans
n 10 cans of
n 10 bags or
n 10 cans of
n 10 boxes of
The 100 items in the challenge add up to about 82 pounds. Ioriginally imagined tracking aspecific number of tons donated. However,with so many food banks involved —and no way to tag which donations arepart of the challenge —itjust isn’tpossible. And the truth is, it really doesn’t matter,does it? The important
Board rejectsdefenders’ appeals
5challengednonrenewalofcontracts
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
ALouisiana board on Monday narrowly rejected appeals from five topparish public defenders whosought tokeep theirjobs after thestate public defender said he would notrenewtheir contracts.
In a5-4 vote, the LouisianaPublicDefender Oversight Board sided with State Public Defender RémyStarns, agreeing that the nonrenewalsdid notconstitute terminations and that the district chiefs thereforedid not have the right to appeal.
Rick Schroeder,anattorney for thechiefs, said they are considering taking the case to court.
“I have to get approval from my clientsto saywhatthe next steps will be, but the potential next step
includes adeclaratory judgment and damages action in state court and acivil rights action in federal court,” he said. “Those are thetwo that we are reviewing.”
The defenders’ contracts ended July 1. Starns,who could not immediately be reached for comment, hasreplaced them with interim chiefs.
The five public defenders whose contracts were not renewed are:
n Trisha Ward, of Evangeline Parish
n Michelle AndrePont, of Caddo Parish n Brett Brunson, of Natchitoches Parish
n DeirdreFuller,ofRapides Parish
n John Hogue, of East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes
Starns clashed with those defenders during several policy de-
Staff report
bates, including last year when he supported abill in the Legislature that gave him morepower over the public defense system.They also opposed a com pensati on plan he proposed thatwould have cutsome districtchiefs’ salaries by tens of thousands of dollars.
In February,he sent the five chiefs letters saying their contracts would not be renewed. They appealed to the board, arguing they were fired without cause andinviolation of state law,and thatStarns’ decision was retaliatory
Starns argued that the board did not have the authority to change his decision because he simply let contracts lapse instead of terminating the defenders.
The interim public defenders
Starns appointed include Christopher Ludeau in Evangeline Parish, Mary Harried in CaddoParish, James Calhoun in Natchitoches Parish, ChadGuillotinRapides Parish andPamelaGrady in East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes.
The five board members who sided with Starns were all appointed within the past month after aslewofprevious members resigned. The newmembers include Stephen Dwyer and Jeffrey Hufft, who were appointed by Gov.Jeff Landry, along with Mary Devereux, aLouisiana Supreme Court appointee.
Kevin Landreneau,named to the board by Senate President Cameron Henry,and Medlock Harbison, appointed by House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, also votedwith the winning side.
downtown Lafayette.
RED, WHITE &
ABOVE: Patriotic dancers keep time with theLost Bayou Ramblers.
RIGHT: Attendees are treated to a fireworksshow.
Lafayette TV stationKATC will be sold to Gray Media in an agreement between Gray and Scripps to swaptelevision stationsacrossfive mid-sized and small markets. The goal of the swap is the creation of new duopolies for each group, according to anews release from Scripps. Gray will acquire Scripps’ KATC (ABC) in Lafayette and WSYM (Fox) in Lansing, Michigan. The acquisition of WSYM will create aduopoly in Lansing, where Gray owns WILX (NBC), andthe acquisition of KATC will complement Gray’sstrong pres-
BOOM
ence in theSoutheast, including all other markets in Louisiana, according to therelease.
“Weare verypleased to be executing asuccessfulset of station swaps with Scrippsthat brings great valuetoboth companies,” said Gray President and co-CEO Pat LaPlatney.“We anticipate expanding the news staff and hoursoflivelocal newscastson both stations soon after closing the acquisitions.”
Scripps will acquire Gray’s KKTV (CBS)inColorado Springs, Colorado, where Scrippsowns KOAA(NBC); KKCO (NBC) and low power station KJCT-LP(ABC) in Grand
Junction, Colorado; andKMVT (CBS) and low power station KSVT-LD (Fox) in Twin Falls, Idaho, whereScripps owns low powerstation KSAW-LD (ABC).
Theseacquisitionsbolster Scripps’ already strong regional presence in the West, where it owns and operates television stations across Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Utah,Arizona, Nevada andCalifornia, according to the release
“These new stations will allow Scripps to expand upon our local sports and news strategies in keygrowth geographies for us,” saidScripps President and CEO Adam Symson. “Theresulting
efficiencies willallowustofurther investinour connection to ourcommunities,offering even richer coverage of these neighborhoods and regions.”
The swapinvolves the even exchange of comparable assets. In particular,the consideration for each transaction is the performance of theother transaction As aresult,neither company will paycashconsiderationto the other Grayand Scripps anticipate closing both sides of the swapsimultaneously in the fourth quarter of this year following receipt of regulatory and other customaryapprovals
STAFFPHOTOSByBRAD BOWIE
The Good Dudes performs during Lafayette Starsand Stripes on Friday at Parc International in
Starns
ä See BOARD, page 4B
The scenes out of Texasoverthe weekend were all too devastatingly familiar to many Louisianans: Houses wiped off their foundations. Mangled cars andtrees lying in a wrecked landscape. And the water —everywhere the water,even in places it should not be.
More than 80 people are confirmed dead in flash flooding along the Guadalupe River that began Friday night in central Texas. Dozens more are still missing in one of the deadliest floods in the last 100 years. Our hearts go out to the residents of our neighboring state. We were glad to see that the Officeofthe StateFire Marshal sent aspecial team from Baton Rouge, Zachary,West Feliciana, East Side and Shreveport fire departments to Texas on Saturday to assist in recovery efforts.
We know that Louisiana and its residents stand ready to help our neighbors in any way we can in the coming days, weeks and months. We will always remember the kindness of Texansasweapproach the 20thanniversary of Hurricane Katrina in August —withHouston’s Astrodomebecoming amassive shelter and other cities around the statetaking in evacuees from the storm.
Texans stood with us then, and many times overthe years, as Louisianans experienced natural disasters, Texanshave been among the first to offer shelter and support.Weare glad to return the favor
As the names and the stories of the victims become known, we also grieve with those affected. The young girls who were experiencing the wonders of Camp Mystic, the families who were enjoyingaFourth of July break in the beauty of Texas Hill Country —all of those lost are going to be in our prayers for along time.
We know that Texans are in just the first stagesofthis tragedy,with shock and disbelief mingled with mourning for the lives lost. We know there is along road ahead torecovery and healing. We alsoknowthere are many questions everyone wantsanswers to. Allthat will come in time. However,wedowant tosay in this moment that we hope this tragedy will lead to renewed support for the systems we’ve devised over the years to help prepare for and respond to natural disasters.
We all rely on the work of the trained scientists and researchers at theNational Weather Service andthe NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We all are vulnerable to increasingly extremeweather events caused by climate change that grants funded by the National Science Foundation aimed to study We all need aFederal Emergency Management Agency that can be there quickly on the ground with aid when all seems chaotic.
Alongthe Gulf Coast, when tragedies like these occur,it’sa given we’ll band together to help one another.But we also need to rememberthat as anation we arestronger when we recognize our shared interests and humanity
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE
HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
Pharmacists,physicians, physical therapists, surgicalassistants, nurses, surgeons, EMTs and paramedics, and hospital staff —in2019, there were over 22 million jobs in health care in theUnited States, and abig chunk of that is thanks to Medicaid and Medicare patients. Healthcare is on track to provide 24% of new jobs, some1.6 million between now and 2033. These job creators need our politicians’ support Government at all levels is always trying to create jobs by giving businesses tax breaks worthbillions, but why not support thesolid and necessary jobs for health care?
Congress and some Louisianapoliticians ignore health care jobs. Then they give space flight programs billions of dollars to go to Mars, launch afew elites into space or to blow up giant rockets. Ourstate leaders spent $300 million to send theNational Guard to help Texas at the border Leadersshould know how manyand how good thejobs the spending will
create. Get off the political stage and support these good jobs. We should preserve what we alreadyhave. Medicaid and Medicare provide jobs and accessible hospitals in rural communities, jobsthat make forabetter life and spin up new enterprises. American politicians love supporting big business and billionaires, wellbefore any jobsare created A200-bed hospital typically employs nearly 1,000 people. In 2025, 84% of hospitals are community hospitals, andabout 58% are nonprofit; 24% are investor-owned, and 18% are government-owned, according to the American Hospital Association. Could that be thereal issue?Politicians take care of thefat catsbecause they give them money There’splenty to support jobs. Healthcare jobs and the economic impact at the local level are important across the country
G. PAUL MARX Lafayette
Forthe first time,the Catholic Churchhas an American-born pope,Leo XIV In arecentarticle about the pope,hementions serving and attending the 6:30 a.m. daily Mass. His memory triggered my memoriesofserving as an altar boy at age5.Our parish had an elderly priest, FatherBarbier,who did the daily 5:30 a.m. Mass. Thatearly beginning of serving as an altar boycontinued through my eighth grade year at St. Philomena Elementary School in Labadieville. Thatwas the cut-off point for serviceasanaltarboy
Imagine this:Apresident establishes apersonal security force to round up, detain and guard “enemies of the administration.” No courts. No oversight. No due process —just absoluteloyalty to theleader
Would you report for duty?
It sounds unthinkable, yet we see theseeds of it today.Armed “volunteers” stand watch at polling places, searching for fraud that does not exist. Militias train for “war” on American soil against their political opponents. Federal agencies likeICE have called immigrants to hearings under legal pretenses, then arrested and deported them on the spot. These are not acts of loyalty to theConstitution —they are loyalty to political power
Toomany Americanshave forgotten that true patriotismmeans loyalty to therule of law,not to apersonality When people start defending aleader above the law,itisonly ashort slide to justifying thearrest,silencing or even elimination of that leader’sopponents. History warns us. In 1930s Germany,
men volunteered for theSSbecause they were deceived by Hitler’smagnetism and warped interpretation of how thedemocratic institutions of the Weimar Republic hadfailed. In 1970s Chile, Pinochet’ssecret police detained, tortured or disappeared thousands in thename of protecting the regime. In bothcases, distrust of the political system,coupled with blind loyalty to aleader,led to systematic efforts to eradicate political opposition. We have arepublic, designed to withstand unpopular ideas through ballots, free speech and the peaceful transfer of power.The Constitution even gives us apeaceful path to fix what we dislike: amendments. Apresident is a temporary steward of these freedoms —never aking. So if you are ever asked to help identify,detain silence the “enemies” of a president,think carefully.That is the road totyranny
BRIAN
HANLEY Baton Rouge
The Catholic church is filled with rituals, some dating back over 2,000 years. And, the duties we performedasaltar boys serving at Mass arevivid memories today, over 80 years later Irecently triedtotally how many Masses I’ve attendedduring my altarboy years. Considering my time serving at weddings andfunerals, Sunday and daily masses, I’ve estimated the totalat nearly 1,000. Sincethen, the numberisabout 60,000.
Pleasedon’t take this as a “bragging moment.” Millions of Catholics attend Mass far more oftenthanIhaveattended. Ishare the numbertoillustrate that, as Catholics, we love attending Mass. It’sour connectiontoJesus, especially if we also receive the Eucharist.
If you areCatholic and don’t regularly attend Mass, why not increaseyournumbers so youcan rekindle the joya Mass brings to your life?Itcan be alife-changing experience to interact with Jesus during Mass.
BILLYARCEMENT Prairieville
Washington Parish Sheriff Jason Smith, on the job for one year as of July 1, doesn’tlike the word “progressive.” And why should he? He’s aRepublican sheriffinavery conservative parish. Progressive is adirty word there, applied to the likes of New York Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the liberal firebrand. When Iasked him if it applied to him, he grimaced. “Please don’tuse that word,” he said. Ididn’t comeupwith it, though. It came from one of his captains, a Washington Parish native and longtime deputy who, when Iasked him to describe what working for Smith was like, said “refreshingly progressive.”
That term is not one you expect to hear in places like the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office. Iasked the captain what he meant. It had nothing to do with being conservative or liberal, the captain said. Rather,Smithis turning law enforcement in the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office “from a political occupation to aprofessional one.” Smith certainly wouldn’tbecalled aliberal firebrand. Or aliberal anything.Inaddition to being aRepublican, he’saformer Marine Corps officer who earnedthe Silver Star for hisactions duringintense fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. Hismilitary bearing is still very much evident. Butwhat he’sdoing in Washington Parish is progressive in the most basic sense: He’strying to move the office forward. And by doing so, he may be creating amodel for other officials, especially sheriffs, to balance fiscal responsibility and improving the qualityofservice.
Nowhere are Smith’sefforts more apparent than in the jail kitchen.
The day Iwas there, trustees charged with cookingwere slicing apples and making salad to serve withthe inmates’ lunch. Before Smith took over,inmates —who are mostly awaiting trial and thus haven’tbeen convicted —got premademeals that were more costly and less nutritious. Thekitchen was only used to prepare meals for staff.
Now,meals for those incarcerated there are made in-house. They include fresh fruits and vegetables. Supplies come from the local salvage grocer, whodonates things he can’t sell. In other words, inmates are getting better,more nutritious meals, and theoffice is saving money.It’spart of what Smith calls fulfillinghis “moral,
legaland constitutional responsibility” to the inmates and thetaxpayers of Washington Parish. That’sprogress.
Outside the kitchen, other changes are evident
Smithhas had thefloors waxed, the halls painted and new lightsinstalled.
Thejail’soutside areas, once littered with trash and used as ad hoc storage, have been tidied up and will soon be used for outdoor group visitation.
That’s not to say theWashington ParishJail is some breezy retreat on the Bogue ChittoRiver Its blocks are busting at the seams —“the most overcrowded jail in the state,” Smith says. The day Iwas there, the jail housed 252 inmates, far beyond its official 144-inmate capacity. The air conditioning in one unit wasn’tworking.
Because ofthe space issues, some inmatesare sent to other prisons around the state, somethingthat costs theparish extra money
Theparish needs anew jail, but it’s atough sell because nobody —especially notparish government, which is constitutionally required to provide thejail —wants to spend the millions it would cost to build one.
So Smithhas to make do with what he has.
Outside of the jailwalls, Smith is working to upgradethe responsiveness and approach of his deputies
To do that, he has established district stationsaroundthe parish, each headed by acaptain. He has moved thedispatch operations,which were in acramped corner of the jail offices, to astate-of-the-art communications office in thecenter of the parish. He has instituted physical fitnessstandards. He has begun training deputies on modern policing and de-escalation. Smithsays he wants to “create a culture” in which all of the deputies and employees have bought in and are held to high standards.Some of his ideals areborrowed from his stint in theMarine Corps, others come from different agencies and leaders. What Smithisdoing is moving the agency forward. That’sprogress. And Smith, as much as he may hateit, is a progressive. It would be ashame if calling him that makes what he’sdoing bad in some people’seyes.The foundations of Smith’sprogressivism—discipline, professionalism and respect —are not political terms. They don’tbelong to “conservatives” or “liberals.” We shouldn’tallow them to be hijacked, for good or for ill, by either side. Smithissimply doing what residents deserve. Louisianacould use more progressivism likethat
Faimon A. RobertsIII can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com.
It seems bizarre, in the year of our Lord 2025, to be debating whetherthe government should run the grocery stores. History has thoughtfully answered this question with multiple experiments, from the old Soviet Union to modern-day Venezuela. The answer is: “No! Absolutely not! Are you crazy?”
Elon Musk warned that if Republicans passed their big domestic policy bill, he would form anew “America Party” to primary those whovoted for it. He doesn’tneed anew party. He hashis old one,the Democrats. Many Democratshave grown to intensely dislike Musk,and they have their reasons.His prancing around with achain saw as he gleefullyfired thousands of valued federal employees wasugly.But his most damaging act wasspending nearly $300 million to get DonaldTrump reelected. As it happens, the rightdoesn’t like Musk, either.Trump’sserialabuse of him is something to behold. When Musk opposedhis “bigbeautiful” bill, Trump let loose on Truth Social. “Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head backto South Africa,” Trump bellowed. “No more Rocket launches,Satellites, or Electric Car Production BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!” Look, Musk is aweird guy. He’s been agenius at building new companies, making him the richestperson on earth. But his understandingofhuman behavior is sketchy, especially with a personality as diabolical as Trump’s. By putting Musk at the head of DOGE, Trump made him the fall guy forunpopular budget cuts.
Alongtime Democrat, Musk was
turned off by the woke thing. It’strue that Democrats let some activists’ obsession with transgender issues and use ofpronouns get out of hand. The reality is that most Democrats aremoderate.
case, areturn to the environmental fold —which theeccentric Musk could pull off —would become aspectacular turnaround.
If Musk wants to exert power in primary races, he’d have moreimpact in Democratic primaries. Removing fringe leftists from the national stage woulddoaworld of good for Democrats,helping the party regain control of Congress.
In sum, Muskcould use his smarts, moneyand controlofXtosupport the Democratic mainstream.
Trumphas argued that Musk is angry because the bill ends federal subsidies for electric vehicles.Why theman who built up Tesla went over tothe anti-EV sidemystifies to this day.But Trumpwas correct in noting that “Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that Iwas strongly against the EV Mandate.” Fact check time: ThereisnoEV mandate,never was.The subsidy was to encouragepeople to buy EVs. No onehad to. It was also to help domestic automakers compete in aworld that is rapidly moving to electric vehicles Musk’sassociation with Trumphas trashed Tesla sales in this country and in Europe. Areconnection with the worldwidecampaign for green energy could makeTeslas cool again. In any
Musk’sdescription of the massive bill as “the biggest debt increase in history” is accurate. It’sodd how little Americansrecognize that Democrats have been better at controlling deficits and growing theeconomy than Republicans.
Democrat Bill Clinton was theonly president to balance thebudget in over half acentury.Republican George W. Bush ran through thesurpluses, leaving Barack Obama with the Great Recession and adeficit of nearly $2 trillion. (This and the numbers that follow are in today’sdollars.) By his last year, Obama brought deficits down to $759 billion.
Trumpinhis first term oversaw an almost $1 trillion deficit before COVID, almost $4 trillion in his last year.Joe Biden brought deficitsdown to $1.87 trillion byhis last year —and that was after big investments in America’sinfrastructure and chip manufacturing. Today’sbudget monstrosityisprojected to increase budget deficits by roughly $4 trillion over the next decade. Musk should return to theDemocratic Party,and Democratsshould welcome him.
Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.
But here is Zohran Mamdani, the winnerofNew York’sDemocratic mayoral primary,suggesting that the city needs a“public option” for groceries: five pilot stores, one in each borough, to help bring prices down and provide oases in the city’s“food deserts.” Mamdani wants to socialize the means of consumption. Noristhere any reason to think the government can make the food in its stores more affordable than what’savailable privately.The idea of apublic option is drawn from left-wing health care advocacy.Though I’m skepticalit would work, at least you can argue the health care sector has serious market failures thatthe government might be able to solve. The grocery business, by contrast, is one of the most hypercompetitive and efficient parts of our economy, with profit margins that have historically averaged around 1% to 3%.
Even saving NewYorkers that percentage would be achallenge, because it’sreally hard just to break even in the grocery business. It takes extensive experience and arelentless focus on implementation to keep the right stock on the shelves, to prevent theft while providing attractive and easily accessible displays, to cultivate workers who provide excellent customer service, and to keep spoilage down to acceptable levels.
Even Amazon, with one of the best logistics operations in the world, hasfaced challenges trying to enter the brick-and-mortar grocery market. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Post.) Why would the government do better? Because it will save money by buying in bulk? A five-store chain has less negotiating power than Whole Foods. What’sthat Ihear from the back? They can save on rent by parking stores on city-owned land? My friend, let me introduce you to the economic concept of opportunity costs: A“free” location isn’tactually free if it means forgoing money you could have collected by leasing it, not to mention the tax revenue you’ll lose by substituting acity operation for asuccessful business. Now let’sadd in the factors that could drive the city’scosts well above those of private stores, like civil service salaries and onerous government procurement rules. It seems as though the only waythe city can outcompete private grocers is by selling at aloss, which would harm the private sellers, give richer New Yorkers asubsidy they don’tneed and createblack markets where people resell their subsidized groceries. It would cost the city alot of money that could have been spent on more useful projects. The best you can say about any of this is that Mamdani might not really mean it. It’sjust something that sounds great in aTikTok video In fact, that’sthe best you can say about many of his policy proposals: the rent freeze that will distort New York’salready grossly misshapen housing market, the free buses that would open up a$700 millionhole in the transit authority’s budget, the stiff tax increases that risk an exodus of higher-income taxpayers who pay the bulk of the city’sincome taxes. Indeed, that’sahope I’ve heard expressedsurprisingly often —surprising, Imean, givenhow clear Mamdani is about his distaste forcapitalism. He’snot just playing asocialist for the cameras; he clearly means every word of it. Nonetheless, I’ve seen center-left people suggesting that once the campaign is over and reality kicks in, he’ll focus on delivering good services,not pie-in-the-sky dreams of aworker’sparadise. There’ssomething to that, given that the City Council and/or the state legislature would have to sign off on many of his proposals. That would seem to leave some of them already deadinthe water —I’m skeptical Albany would authorize an extra $30 billion of borrowing to build affordable housing —and others, such as the free buses, unlikely at best.
On the other hand, the rent freeze, one of Mamdani’smost destructive policies, would be well within his powers, because the mayor appoints the members of New York’sRent Guidelines Board. And surely it matters that his instincts tend toward meddling in markets that are already working well, just as it mattered that Donald Trump wasirrationally obsessed with imposing tariffs on our trading partners. Youcan argue, as Trump’ssupporters did, for taking him “seriously,but not literally.” But in the hands of acharismatic zealot, seriously bad ideas have away of becoming literally awful realities.
MeganMcArdle in on X, @asymmetricinfo.
Faimon Roberts
Froma Harrop
ega McArdle M n
STAFF FILEPHOTO
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Colonel Jason Smith, nowthe sheriff of Washington Parish, is recognized duringa2023 Veterans Dayprogram at Franklinton Junior High School.
LSUcoach’s legamputated afteraccident
Hermothersays surgerywent smoothly
BY RASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writer
An LSU strength and conditioning coach had partof her leg amputated Sunday after ajet ski accident on the Fourth of July,according to social media posts Katie Guillory,also aformer LSU softball outfielder, lost her left leg from the knee down. The amputation had to be performed after
doctors couldnot restore bloodflow to herlower extremityafterthe incident, hermother,Cindy Guillory, posted onFacebook, accompanied with aphoto ofKatie Guillory in ahospital bed
“Please keepher in y’all prayers,”she said. Cindy Guillory kept friends and familyupdated after the amputation surgery onSunday
“Katie’s surgery went smooth, as thedoctor predicted,”she posted. “She was in severe pain after the surgery,but they were able to do an additional block. She is resting comfortably
rightnow.Thanksfor allthe concerns, well wishes and prayers.”
As the support on social media begantopour in, Katie Guillory left asimple message in an Instagram story on Sundaynight “Unbelievable support,” she said. Katie Guillory played softball for the Tigers from 2009-13. For her first three seasons, she was primarily apinchrunnerfor LSU As asenior,she stepped to theplate more often and hit herfirst career home run against North Dakota State. She has been an assis-
tant strength and conditioningcoach forLSU gymnastics andbeach volleyball for three years. Before returning to her alma mater,Katie Guilloryworked at theUniversity of Illinois and Liberty University ALafayette native, Katie Guillory went to Carencro High School. The family has not said wherethe jetski accident occurred or if anyone else was injured.
Email Rashad Milligan at rashad.milligan@ theadvocate.com
Slainpolicecaptain wasunder investigation
Authorities:
Suspecthad relationship with victim
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
TheSt. Gabrielpolice captain found stabbed to death in his home Sunday was in an “on-and-off domestic relationship with the suspect and was suspected of corruption, authorities said Monday Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi said he had asked the Louisiana Attorney General’sOffice to in-
RISHER
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part is helping others
vestigate Devin Boutte on allegations of corruption 10 days before hisdeath. He declined to give more details.
Astatement fromAttorneyGeneral Liz Murrill confirmed that allegations of police corruption had been brought to heroffice.
“The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation had recently opened an investigation into policecorruption in St. Gabriel upon referral from Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi,” thestatement said. “That matter hasnow been closed and returned to the Sheriff for ahomicide investigation.”
Boutt ew as fo un d stabbed to deathearly Sunday morning in his St
ST.GABRIEL
Gabriel home on Legion Drive. Warren Mitchell III, 25, also of St.Gabriel, was booked Sunday afternoon on acount of seconddegree murder,according to arelease from theIberville Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Mitchell admitted to striking andstabbing Boutte multiple times, according to anaffidavit of probable causefromthe Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives found crystal meth and other drugs inside thehome, Stassi told WAFB. He said Mitchell toldinvestigators Boutte suppliedhim with drugs
to sell and for his personal use.
Mitchell was arrested in June in the robbery of astore,according to Iberville court records. He had an outstanding arrest warrant for failuretoappear regarding aseconddegreebattery chargein 2023.
The homicide investigationisongoing, Stassi said.
LOTTERY
Obituaries
Daigle, Melba AnnPierret
AMass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 3:00 PM at St Mary, Mother of theChurchinLafayette for MelbaAnn Pierret Daigle,age 89, whopassed away on Friday, July 4, 2025 at OurLady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center Thefamilyrequeststhat visitation be observedat theChurchonThursday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, with arecitation of the Holy Rosary at 2:00 PM Intermentwill be held in Holy Mary Mother of God Cemetery in Lafayette. Reverend Cedric Sonnier, Pastor of St.Mary, Mother of theChurch, will be theCelebrant of the Funeral Mass and will officiate theservices. Survivors include her daughter, Kathy Daigle; andher niece, RaneRiche Sills.
Shewas preceded in death by herhusband, Garland Daigle; herson, Robert Daigle;her parents, J.G. Pierretand Rose Whittington Pierret; and hersister,YvonneRiche
Melbawas agraduate of Lafayette High School, andreceivedher nursing degree from Southwestern Louisiana Institute.During herlong dedicatedcareer, sheworkedasanLPN for CharityHospital, then as a private duty nurse,and retiredfromUnited Blood Services. Sheservedas
secretary for 2yearsfor theThird District of LPN's. Herhobbiesincludedtravel,playingbingo, line dancing,and she wonnumerousgold andsilver medals at the Senior Olympics in thepistol and rifle competition View theobituaryand guestbook online at www.mourning.com
Iencourage you to contact your local food bank and give volunteering atry While you’re at it,see if you can find some friends to helpdonate the100 items. Youcan drop off theitems when you volunteer Whether it’s100 cansor just one, your contribution matters. Show up. Chip in Be like Dexter.Beapart of the helping.
EmailJan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.
FOOD BANKDROP-OFF SITES
n Greater Baton RougeFood Bank: 8a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Mondaythrough Thursdayand from 8a.m. to 11 a.m.Friday at 10600 S. ChoctawDrive, Baton Rouge
n Foodbank of Northwest Louisiana: 8a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
n NorthShore Food Bank: 9a.m. to noon, Monday,Tuesday andThursdayattheir Community Donations door facing West 29th Ave., Covington
n Second Harvest Food BankAcadiana: 8a.m. to 3p.m.
Mondaythrough Fridayat215 E. Pinhook Road,Lafayette
n Second Harvest Food BankHouma: 8a.m. to 3p.m.
Mondaythrough Friday, 223 S. Hollywood Road, Houma
n Second Harvest Food Bank LakeCharles: 8a.m. to 3p.m.
Mondaythrough Fridayat2309La. 397,LakeCharles
n Second Harvest Food Bank New Orleans: 8a.m. to 3p.m.
Mondaythrough Fridayat700 Edwards Ave.,Harahan
BOARD
Continued from page1B
Frank Thaxton, Adreijia Boutte, Paul deMahy and Phyllis Keaty all voted to overrule Starns. All four members have been on the board since it was reconstituted last year Landry appointed deMahy and Keaty,and he picked Boutte off alist of nominees from the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the PublicDefenderAssociation of Louisiana. The stateSupreme Court appointed Thaxton. Adebateovercontracts At the cruxofMonday’s debate over the former defenders’jobswas whether statestatute protected them from being fired without good cause. During the meeting, the defenders argued the nonrenewalswereillegal, citing astate statute that says: “In an effort to maintaincontinuity of public defender services in each judicial district, anyperson servingasthe district public defenderofajudicial district shall continue to contract with the office and serve as the district public defender of that district.” They also cited quotes from legislatorswho indicated thatthe statute
governing the statepublic defender was written to protect local chiefs from arbitrarilylosing their jobs.
“Wedonot seek more than thelaw provides,” Fuller said. “Muchtothe state public defender’s chagrin, you have the authority and theobligation to follow the law.
But ChristopherWalters, deputy executive counsel forLandry, argued state statute did notgivethe board the authority to intervene. He contended that,when legislators overhauledthe public defense system in 2024, they only intended to protectthe current public defenders’ contractsfor ayear, citing quotes fromhearings at that time.
The AttorneyGeneral’s Office alsooffered anopinionthat the nonrenewals didnot constitute terminations, which TomJones, director ofthe office’s civil decision, defended Monday “If you’re terminated yeah,you get ahearing …but nowhere in those statutesdoes itsay that anybodyisentitledtoa hearing when the contract expires,” Jones said “Who in theworld would think that acontract lasts forever?”
EmailMeghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com
PUBLIC NOTICE
Requestfor Proposals ST.FRANCIS MISSION CHAPEL REPAIR & RENOVATION PROJECT THESOCIETY OF THE ROMANCATHOLIC CHURCH OF THE DIOCESEOFLAFAYETTE INC.(DOL) DOLisrequestingpro‐posals to provideprofes‐sional Construction ser‐vicesfor St.Francis Chapel locatedat3074 LA-319 Franklin,LA70538. Therewillbea manda‐tory Pre-BidMeetingon June 30th2025, 10:00 PM CDT at St.Francis Chapel Proposalsare dueno laterthan July 23rd2025, 3:00 PM CDT. Fora copy
functionsand intrinsic values of theex‐istingAnselmCoulee Floodway: Thealternativesidenti‐fied andevaluated con‐sistedofthe No Action Alternative andeight al‐ternativesfor thepro‐posed action.The alter‐natives arelistedand
verts as theinfluent to the detentionponds which include flap gates for backflow prevention •Install a4’x4’ drainage control structurewith three 8” orificesinthe pondthatconnectsto a 24” outfallpipe, including a flap gate forback flow prevention, that will dis‐chargebacktothe chan‐nel This alternativeprovided moderatewater surface elevation reduction, ben‐efiting theAnselm CouleeFloodwayand the nearby flooded homes. Whilethisalternative providedsomebenefit, the cost of the27.97 acres exceeded thebud‐geted right-of-way acqui‐sition. Thecostofthe propertydid notprovide the hydraulicbenefitthat would justifythisalter‐nativeasreasonable. Therefore,thisalterna‐tivewas eliminated due tothe evaluation of net benefits associated with achieving thegoals of the LouisianaWatershed Initiative Program. 4. Alternative#4 •Construct adetention pondwitha totalareaof 19.35 acreswitha depth of16’ •The location of the pondis30° 6'23.95"N, -92° 1'31.73"E. •Install erosioncontrol along the3:1 side slopes ofthe detentionpond. •Install 4-48” RCPcul‐verts as theinfluent to the detentionpond, which include flap gates for backflow prevention •Install a4’x4’ drainage control structurewith three 8” orificesinthe pondthatconnectsto a 24” outfallpipe, including a flap gate forback flow prevention, that will dis‐chargebacktothe chan‐nel This alternativeprovided moderatewater surface elevation reduction, ben‐efiting theAnselm CouleeFloodwayand
a 24” outfallpipe, including a flap gate forback flow prevention, that will dis‐chargebacktothe chan‐nel This alternativeprovided moderatewater surface elevation reduction, ben‐efiting theAnselm CouleeFloodwayand the nearby flooded homes. Whilethisalternative providessomebenefits the property ownerisnot interestedinselling the property.
6. Alternative#6 •Construct adetention pondwitha totalareaof 25.67 acreswitha depth of16’ •The location of the pondis30° 6'23.95"N, -92° 1'31.73"E. •Install erosioncontrol along the3:1 side slopes ofthe detentionpond. •Install 4-48” RCPcul‐verts as theinfluent to the detentionpond, which include flap gates for backflow prevention •Install a4’x4’ drainage control structurewith three 8” orificesinthe pondthatconnectsto a 24” outfallpipe, including a flap gate forback flow prevention, that will dis‐chargebacktothe chan‐nel This alternativeprovided moderatewater surface elevation reduction, ben‐efiting theAnselm CouleeFloodwayand the nearby flooded homes.
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LOUISIANA
SPORTS
Is corner covered?
BY MATTHEW PARAS
Staff writer
At this point last year,cornerback was astrength for the New Orleans Saints.On paper,itwas arguably the team’sdeepest position.
That’snot the case anymore.
Marshon Lattimorewas tradedtoWashington in November.Paulson Adebo signed with the New York Giants inMarch.And the Saints appear to be relyingonyouthto take astep forward in 2025.
New Orleans drafted Louisville cornerback Quincy Rileyinthe fourthround
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
With former UL pitching coach Gunner Leger headed to Southern Mississippi after resigninghis position in Lafayette, the Ragin’ Cajuns have settled on their new pitching coach in Taylor Sandefur from Marshall.
Sandefur has beenthe pitchingcoach of theThundering Herd since June 2022. He helped Marshall enjoy its best season in theSun BeltConference in 2025with a33-26 campaign, including a2-2 showing in theleague tournament.
and signed veteran Isaac Yiadom to help offset the departures. And it’s banking on AlontaeTaylorand Kool-AidMcKinstry to dramaticallyimprove under new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley
Is it arisky bet? Perhaps. But as talented as the Saints were at cornerback in 2024, theunit struggled. New Orleans gave up the sixth-most passing yards last season, andthe explosive playsallowed were hard to ignore. This was aunit that neededsome change after how last year unfolded.
Those two winswere both over the Cajuns —10-4and 1713 —and thetwo losses came against national runner-up Coastal Carolina —4-2 and 6-1. The Herd’spitching staff had a5.09 ERA for the season with opponents batting .254 with 421 strikeouts in 5072/3 innings. In 2024,Marshall had a6.09 ERA with opponents hitting .273 with 479 strikeouts in 419 innings. In his firstseason in Marshall the year before that, the Herd had a6.66 ERA with 468 strikeouts in 4661/3 innings Sandefur went to Marshall after four seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordina-
tor at his alma mater Western Carolina,where he graduated in 2014. In his final season there Sandefur’sstaff struck out the second-most batters in program history with506. As aplayer at Western Carolina, Sandefur began as aweekend starter, but injuries forced him to becomeaposition player and he hit .310 with a.444 onbase percentagewhile helping the Catamountswin Southern League titles in 2013 and 2014. Sandefur takes over apitching staff thatstruggled ayear ago because of acombination of poor pitching and sloppy defense. UL pitchers struggled to
a5.53 ERA, allowing 539 hits, 252 walks, 88 hit batsmen and striking out 460in5022/3 innings
Opposing hitters batted .271. Defense was also an issue for theCajunswith57unearned runs compared to 40 in 2024. The UL pitchingstaffwas much better twoyears ago with a4.48ERA while helping UL winthe Sun Belt regular-season crown.
Sandefur takesovera staff scheduled to bring back ace southpaw Chase Morgan and mainstay Andrew Herrmann.
EmailKevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com
BY RONALD BLUM AP sportswriter
Now comes the U.S. national team’sversion of “Survivor.”
Having expanded his player pool during aCONCACAF Gold Cup that ended with a2-1 loss to Mexico in Sunday’sfinal, coach Mauricio Pochettino has eight friendliesleft from September through March to evaluate players to pick for theWorld Cup.
“All the American players have thepossibility,” Pochettino said. “Weneed to analyze every single player,see the circumstances, thesituations, performance, fitness level.” AfteraCONCACAF Nations League flop withhis Ateam in March, Pochettinohad largely a
Bsquadfor theGoldCup. Star Christian Pulisic wanted vacation time;Yunus Musah opted out for an undisclosed personal reason; Weston McKennie, TimWeah and Gio Reyna were forced to be with their teams at the Club World Cup; Antonee Robinson and Folarin Balogun werehurt; and Sergiño Dest was regaining fitness.
Defender TimReam and Tyler Adams were the only holdovers in thelineupagainst Mexico from thestartersinthe 2022 World Cup second-round loss to theNetherlands.
Players who boosted themselvesduring the GoldCup includedgoalkeeperMattFreese,
BY RODWALKER Staff writer
Afew years from now when the New Orleans Pelicans’ 2025 draft class is evaluated, mostofitwill depend on how first-round picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen pan out.
Micah Peavy, thePelicans’secondround pick, wants to make sure he’s a part of that conversation, too.
The 6-foot-7 guard out of Georgetown knows exactly on which end of the court he likely will makehis mark.
“A lot of guys don’tlike playing defense,” Peavy said. “I love it. Idon’tlike being scored on. Idon’tlikethe other team getting buckets. So Itake pride in that.”
Peavy hasn’ttaken long to show his knack forplaying defense.
“Micah is areally good defender,” said Pelicans Summer League coach Corey Brewer.“Youcan tell that he loves to play defense and he plays hard. For us around here, that’sabreath of fresh air and we are happy to have him.”
The Pelicans are so happy to have him thattheysignedPeavytoadeal Monday morning reportedly worth $8.7 million over four years, according to HoopsHype.com
“It meansalot,” Peavysaidabout signing his first NBAcontract. “I’ve been waiting on this my whole life.”
Now Peavy,who turns 24 next week, is waiting to show what he can do in the NBA. He gets his first chance Thursday in Las Vegas when the Pelicans play the Minnesota Timberwolves in their Summer League opener Peavy has watched plenty of Summer League action in the past, particularly his stepbrother Anthony Black who plays forthe Orlando Magic. So he knowswhat thesegames can mean to aplayer
“I’ve watched it alot the past couple of years because Iknew Iwas going to get to this point,” Peavy said. “I see alot of guys separate themselves, notjustby scoring but by playing defense and the little things, and Ican’twait to do that as well.”
Defense always has been athing for Peavy,who has been around basketball his entire life. His father David coached him at Duncanville High in Texas and instilled adefensive mindset.
“That’swhat he preaches,” Peavy said. “My dad didn’tlet anything go. I hadtoplayhard at alltimes. Icouldn’t take badshots. So Ithinkthat’shelped me alot to gettothis leveland playing the right way andplaying hard at all times.”
Peavy, whosecollege career also includedstops at TexasTech andTCU, isn’ttoo bad on the offensive end, either He averaged 17.2points, 5.8rebounds and3.6 assists this past season for Georgetown. He shot 40% on 3-pointers. If he can continue that success on 3-pointers, it will bolster he chances of gettingvaluableplaying time in the league.It’ll just addtowhat he brings to the table on the other end.
“He can guard multiple positions 1 through4,” Brewer said. “Then when youhavethe size thathehas,that’s good. He wants to play defense. Sometimes, playing defense isn’tabout how good youare. It’s about the want. If a kid wants to play defense, he is going to play along time. Trust me.”
FILEPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Washington Commanderswide receiver TerryMcLaurin scores
cornerbacks Alontae Taylor,left, and Kool-Aid McKinstry, right, defend during agame at the Caesars Superdome on
Djokovic’s push for No. 25 alive
BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer
LONDON Right before Wimbledon began, Novak Djokovic declared it was the tournament that gave him the best chance to claim an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles trophy Made sense, really, given that he’s won seven titles there already and reached the past six finals.
For one uncharacteristically unsteady set in the fourth round Monday, it sure didn’t look as if that would happen this year. Djokovic, though, turned things around and avoided what would have been his earliest exit at the All England Club since 2016, coming through for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 11th-seeded Alex de Minaur at Centre Court.
With eight-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer sitting in the front row of the Royal Box, very little went right at the outset for the 38-year-old Djokovic on the grass below during a breezy afternoon with the temperature in the 60s, a week after matches were contested in record-breaking heat.
“A lot of challenging moments for me,” Djokovic said right after the win, then later called it a “big, big relief” not to get pushed to a fifth set. He trailed 4-1 in the fourth before taking the last five games and 14 of the final 15 points.
“Lifted his level,” de Minaur said of Djokovic, “big-time.”
Djokovic’s bid for an eighth Wimbledon title and 25th Grand Slam singles trophy overall will continue against No. 22 Flavio Cobolli of Italy Cobolli reached his first major quarterfinal with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3) victory over 2014 U.S. Open champion and twotime major runner-up Marin Cilic No 10 Ben Shelton improved to 3-0 against Lorenzo Sonego at majors this year by beating him 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 7-5. Shelton’s first Wimbledon quarterfinal will come against No 1 Jannik Sinner, who moved on despite a painful right elbow and a two-set deficit when No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov quit because of an injured chest muscle.
Against de Minaur, Djokovic made mistake after mistake, double-faulting four times in the first set alone.
Djokovic lost five of his first seven service games against de Minaur a 26-year-old Australian who accumulated 19 break points in all.
Djokovic made 16 unforced errors in the first set alone.
All in all, Djokovic was discombobulated, chalking it up afterward to nerves and a swirling wind. He rushed between points
He reacted to flubbed shots by rolling his eyes or shouting and glaring in the direction of his guest box or putting his arms wide as if seeking explanations from someone, anyone.
At changeovers, he placed an ice-filled towel — usually wrapped around necks by players in steamy conditions on his stomach, which he complained about during his first-round victory last week But afterward, Djokovic dismissed the significance of that.
A loss would have been Djokovic’s soonest at Wimbledon since he was eliminated in the third round
by Sam Querrey
nine years ago.
Since winning his men’s record 24th major title at the 2023 U.S. Open, Djokovic has come close to raising his total. He was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon last year — the second consecutive time they met in the final, with the results the same — and departed each of the first two Grand Slams of 2025 in the semifinals.
No man as old as Djokovic is now has won a major championship. He keeps showing why it’s not preposterous to think he could.
“I didn’t have many solutions, to be honest,” Djokovic said, “but I just reset myself in the second.”
By the end, it was almost as though de Minaur was resigned to defeat, knowing he’s only the latest — and perhaps not the last
— opponent to succumb to a surging Djokovic. “I mean,” de Minaur said “he’s been pretty good in big moments for a very long time.”
Also on Monday, No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, an 18-year-old Russian, became the youngest player to reach the women’s quarterfinals at Wimbledon since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007, beating No. 10 Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-3. Andreeva next meets Belinda Bencic, who defeated No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Iga Swiatek, a five-time major champion who is seeded No. 8, was a 6-4, 6-1 winner against No. 23 Clara Tauson and will play No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova, who advanced to her first major quarterfinal with a 7-5, 7-5 victory against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Sinner’s injured foe retires while up two sets
BY HOWARD FENDRICH
LONDON Jannik Sinner advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals despite hurting his right elbow in a fall and dropping the first two sets Monday night, because his opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, had to quit with an injured pectoral muscle. The No. 1-seeded Sinner hadn’t dropped a set in the tournament until falling behind No. 19 Dimitrov 6-3, 7-5 But at 2-all in the third set, Dimitrov stopped playing. It’s the fifth consecutive Grand Slam tournament where the 34-year-old Dimitrov failed to complete a match. He also did it at the Australian Open in January and the French Open in May, plus last year’s Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
“He’s been so unlucky in the past couple of years. An incredible player A good friend of mine, also. We understand each other very well, off the court, too,” Sinner said. “I hope he has a speedy recovery.”
On the last point against Sinner, Dimitrov served and immediately clutched his chest with his left hand. He took a few steps and crouched, before sitting on the grass. Sinner walked over to that side of the court to check on him. “My pec,” Dimitrov told Sinner Dimitrov — a three-time major
he went down with an
semifinalist, including at Wimbledon in 2014 — then went to the sideline, sat in his chair and was checked by a trainer and doctor As Dimitrov talked with them, Sinner knelt nearby After a delay of a few minutes, Dimitrov
walked toward the locker room with the medical personnel. Soon, he reemerged and said he couldn’t continue.
“I don’t take this as a win, at all,” Sinner said. “This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness
Miami Heat acquires Powell in 3-team trade
The Miami Heat has acquired Norman Powell, while John Collins is going to the Los Angeles Clippers, and Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson are headed to the Utah Jazz as parts of a three-team trade that was completed Monday Powell averaged 21.8 points last season for the Clippers and is a career 40% shooter from 3-point range. Collins averaged 19 points in 40 games for the Jazz last season, while Love averaged 5.3 points in 23 games with the Heat. Anderson averaged 6.7 points in 25 games after being traded to Miami. Powell figures to give Miami much-needed scoring and shooting, and Love likely will be a Hall of Famer when his playing days end. Anderson is joining his sixth team, and Collins has averaged 16 points per game in eight seasons.
Magic, Banchero agree on a five-year extension
Paolo Banchero has checked a lot of boxes since joining the Orlando Magic.
He won rookie of the year, has been an All-Star and helped the team make the playoffs twice.
Banchero now has agreed to the richest contract in Magic history, a five-year extension that is worth $239 million and could reach about $287 million should he become eligible for a supermax deal, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Monday
Banchero was the rookie of the year in 2022-23, living up to his billing after being the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft.
He was an All-Star in his second season and was well on his way to that again last season before an early-season oblique injury
Astros put first baseman Walker on paternity leave
The Houston Astros placed first baseman Christian Walker on paternity leave Monday before the start of a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians. Walker, who is in his first season with the Astros, is batting 231 with 12 homers and 45 RBIs. He’s heated up recently after a slow start and has hit .429 with two homers and eight RBIs in six games this month.
The AL West-leading Astros recalled outfielder Kenedy Corona from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his spot on the roster The 25-yearold Corona is hitting .228 with six homers and 28 RBIs in the minors this season.
Also Monday, right-hander Jordan Weems cleared waivers and elected free agency
for all of us.”
Two hours earlier, it was Sinner down on the ground and seemingly in trouble. He was hurt in the opening game, when his foot gave out from under him and he slipped and fell behind a baseline, bracing his fall with his right hand while still holding his racket.
During a medical timeout while trailing 3-2 in the second set, Sinner winced as a trainer massaged the elbow Sinner’s coaches, Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, looked on from their box with concern.
Sinner was given a pill to take and play resumed. He frequently shook his right arm or rubbed his elbow between points.
Sinner entered Monday having lost a total of just 17 games in the tournament, tying the record for the fewest in the Open era by man at Wimbledon through three completed matches.
Right after he fell behind by two sets against Dimitrov, the match was paused so the stadium’s retractable roof could be closed because of fading sunlight. The 23-year-old Italian is a three-time Grand Slam champion who will play No. 10 Ben Shelton of the United States for a berth in the semifinals. Sinner leads the head-to-head series 5-1 and has won their past five matches, all in straight sets, including at Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open this year
Merlier wins third stage of the Tour de France Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the crash-marred third stage of the Tour de France in a photo finish and Mathieu Van der Poel kept the yellow jersey on Monday Defending champion Tadej Pogaar and two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard — the main contenders — finished safely as they rolled in together with the main pack. But Stage 1 winner Jasper Philipsen abandoned after he broke a collarbone in one of the early crashes.
When the sprinters turned for home into a strong headwind, several crashed near the line at top speeds of 40 mph. Merlier just got the front of his wheel in front of Italian Jonathan Milan as they lunged to the line. German rider Phil Bauhaus was third.
British Open adds Potgieter, Campbell among alternates Aldrich Potgieter and Brian Campbell won PGA Tour events the last two weeks, and it wound up getting them into the British Open next week at Royal Portrush.
The Open has a 156-man field, and it became clear two weeks ago that it would have only 150 players who either qualified or met the various exemption criteria.
The Open uses this week’s world ranking for an alternate
Potgieter was
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG
Italy’s Jannik Sinner, left, checks on Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov after
injury during their men’s singles match at Wimbledon in London on Monday. Dimitrov was forced to retire up two sets.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts as he plays Australia’s Alex de Minaur during a men’s singles match at Wimbledon in London on Monday.
Saints delegation heads to Paris to bolster ties
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
A contingent from the New Orleans Saints that will include owner Gayle Benson and All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis are traveling to Paris this week to promote the club’s visibility in France.
The NFL granted the Saints international marketing rights in France as part of its Global Markets Program, announced in the summer of 2023. When that partnership was announced, Benson said in a statement that “New Orleans and France have enjoyed a unique cultural connection for centuries and we are excited about working with the NFL and our partners in France to grow the game of American football.”
This trip is designed to strengthen the connection between the team and its fans abroad, as well as making brand inroads with local officials, media and influencers. The team’s delegation will attend a series of events starting Thursday
SAINTS
Continued from page 1C
Best case
There are two main reasons for optimism with this group — potential and the new scheme Taylor and McKinstry have shown promise and are still young enough to believe that there’s room left to grow McKinstry, in particular, stood out during mandatory minicamp with a good feel for disrupting passes. Taylor seems best suited for the slot, and the Saints have put him there primarily this offseason.
Over the last seven weeks of the season, when Taylor and McKinstry were healthy and starting across from each other, the Saints gave up 229.9 yards passing per game which was actually better than when Adebo and/or Lattimore were available during weeks 1-8 (249.1). The nearly 20-yard difference was enough to make the passing defense slightly below average (20th) instead of bottomof-the-league bad.
Staley’s scheme may help matters. McKinstry made a point to note how he, Taylor and Yiadom have played in similar systems before, whether that was college (McKinstry Taylor) or the pros (Yiadom). Expect the Saints to deploy a match-based zone defense, one that relies more on vision than physicality
The amount of zone the Saints could run next season might be striking compared to previous seasons. While it was a misnomer to say former coach Dennis Allen didn’t like zone he still ran it 60.6% of the time after taking over for Sean Payton — the Saints ran the fourth-highest amount of man-to-man coverage from 2022-24.
SOCCER
Continued from page 1C
right back Alex Freeman, midfielders Malik Tillman and Sebastian Berhalter, and forward Patrick Agyemang.
“Guys have stepped up who were maybe taking a back seat previously, not that they’re quiet mice and they just sit there and listen to everything,” said Ream, the 37-year-old who captained the U.S. against Mexico.
Pochettino has 10 wins and six losses since replacing Gregg Berhalter last fall. A segment of the team’s fan base was discouraged by last year’s first-round elimination at the Copa America, this year’s Nations League and a fourgame losing streak entering the Gold Cup, the team’s longest skid since 2007 Crowds that rooted overwhelmingly for Guatemala in the semifinals and Mexico in the final caused Pochettino to implore the American fan base to support its national team.
“I think it would have been different if we would have played in two stadiums, the other way around, both against Guatemala in St. Louis — 90(%) to 10 for USA, and today, instead of 70,000 — I’m not saying 70, but 60 or 50,000 of our people supporting us,” he said Sunday “But, well, this is what we have to deal with.” Even after Freese’s emergence, the American goalkeeper pool is its weakest since the 1980s. Matt Turner has failed to establish himself with a top-tier European team, just like Zack Steffen. And given a chance to regain the starting spot after returning to Major League
and culminating in a Bastille Day river cruise Monday
Davis is scheduled to attend every event on the Saints’ behalf, which will begin with a happy hour meet-and-greet with fans at the New Orléans Saints Cafe, and include a trip to the U.S. Embassy in Paris as well as a flag football clinic in tandem with the Fédération Française de Football Américain.
Benson will join the trip later in the week to attend a Paris Musketeers game.
Earlier this year, the Saints announced a strategic partnership with the Musketeers, who play in the European League of Football, through which the team hopes to grow the American game while also increasing its own brand visibility in France.
Benson and the rest of the delegation are expected to attend the team’s game this Sunday against the Vienna Vikings, at which the Saints are expected to launch a team-branded boys and girls flag football program in coordination
between Louisiana and France to help foster a relationship that can be beneficial to Louisiana and the New Orleans community
Benson intends to leverage her status as an NFL owner to help bring some of this about.
“(Mrs. Benson) is our best ambassador and her work with the NFL International committee allows her to not only promote the New Orleans Saints but economic development for our state,” Saints senior vice president of communications Greg Bensel said in a statement. “Her presence in Paris for this game demonstrates her commitment to building relationships beyond our region.
“During her visit, she will meet with top French CEOs, politicians, cultural leaders and ambassadors with one goal in mind: promoting the state of Louisiana and the city New Orleans.”
with the Musketeers.
The hope is that the visit and, writ large, the exclusive market-
ing rights to France — goes beyond the scope of football, emphasizing the long-standing connection
When Staley was with the Los Angeles Chargers (2021-23), the Chargers ran zone coverage 67.1% of the time. That put him more in the middle of the pack, but it’s still a notable enough difference to wonder whether the philosophy change will benefit this secondary The ceiling of this group could
come down to the third cornerback spot. The Saints used Riley and Yiadom on the outside during the first-team reps across from McKinstry (with Taylor inside), and those two figure to compete for the job ahead of the regular season. But New Orleans is still asking a lot from whoever emerges.
Soccer, Steffen got hurt ahead of the Gold Cup. Richards and Ream are the strongest of the central defenders, and Dest and Robinson the top choices at outside back with no clear No. 2s. Midfield has the most depth and no one has seized the striker position.
Ex-players, including Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard, have criticized the current player pool’s dedication. Speaking late Sunday, Adams acknowledged “so much noise outside of what we were doing on the field” heading into the tournament.
“I told every single player after the game how proud I was just of the growth of every single individual,” Adams said.
He said the positive culture Pochettino established over five weeks together has to be maintained for friendlies against South
Korea on Sept. 6 and Japan three days later
“I think it has to translate right away or I think Mauricio just probably won’t call people in,” Adams said “The culture that we have, it doesn’t matter who you are. If it’s guys here that played well, if it’s guys coming back into the group, if you’re coming back from injury, just whatever it is, the culture and the emotion is the first thing that he wants to see.”
There also will be a pair of friendlies in each of October, November and March, a possible January training camp mostly for MLS-based players, then two preWorld Cup send-off games in early June.
“The most important thing is to have our heads up,” Pochettino said. “I have no doubt that we are going to be really, really competitive and going to be very difficult for the opponent.’
Can Riley really be counted on as a fourth-round rookie? Can Yiadom be a reliable starter after spending most of his career as a backup?
The wild card in all of this is Asante Samuel Jr The former Chargers cornerback visited the Saints this offseason and remains unsigned.
PELICANS
Brewer believes in Peavy More importantly, Peavy believes in himself. Especially when it comes to locking up op-
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.
Though there are health questions — he’s coming off neck surgery — Samuel would elevate the talent at this position. Under Staley, the 25-year-old played primarily as an outside cornerback meaning he’d likely play across from McKinstry
Worst case
The Saints have invested meaningful draft capital in Taylor and McKinstry, taking both in the second round. The worst-case scenario for the Saints is that neither can hold up in pass coverage.
Despite Taylor’s versatile skill set, it was alarming the way teams went after him a year ago. According to Pro Football Focus, the 26-year-old was targeted 110 times in coverage trailing only Denver’s Ja’Quan McMillian. And the results weren’t good for New Orleans. Taylor gave up a leaguehigh 998 yards on 79 catches. His struggles on the outside were particularly surprising since he previously was adamant he felt more comfortable there than on the inside.
Even if Taylor bounces back, opposing teams may go after Riley or Yiadom. That spot is a far greater concern at the moment. The track record for rookie cornerbacks becoming a net positive from Day 1 isn’t promising, especially for those picked in the mid-rounds. Although Yiadom has held up when asked to start, the Saints probably prefer to use him as a depth piece. The secondary could bottom out again if the corners don’t take a leap.
A prediction in 10 words or less Saints sign Samuel but still struggle in coverage.
Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com
ponents, which is what he wants to show in Summer League play
“I’m a dog,” Peavy said. “I make winning plays. I want to guard the best player on the court.”
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Saints cornerback Isaac yiadom breaks up a pass intended for Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton in the first half on Dec. 31, 2023, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J PHILLIP
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Saints head coach Kellen Moore, left, poses with Saints owner Gayle Benson and general manager Mickey Loomis during a news conference at the Saints’ practice facility on Feb 13. Benson is heading to Paris to strengthen ties between the Saints and France.
TIGER, LSUPURPLE ANDMORE
5 tips to optimize your fig harvest
The figs are green, plump and plentiful.
Yes, it’sfigharvest season in Louisiana, and time to use the delicious, nutritious fruit in preserves, baked treats and other goodies. Most figs will ripen in early July in Louisiana. This can vary,however,depending on afew factors.
“Usually,north Louisiana is a little bit later than we are here in south Louisiana, but that’s not always the case,” said LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg. “Sometimes, rain and cloudy weather willslow down the ripening in some partsof the state. Also, it depends on what type of winter you may have had.”
This past winter was harsh, bringing extended freezes and even snow to Louisiana. Many fig trees suffered in these chilly conditions. Here’sthe good news: Figs produce fruiton new growth, so winter-damaged trees can still yield adecent crop for you this summer
LSU AGCENTERPHOTO By OLIVIA
Some figs, like LSU Purple, turn adark color as theyripen
With peak fig season here, Stagg offers thesetips fora successful harvest:
n Check trees daily.Figs can ripen —and become overripe —quickly.Remember that birds are likely carefully watchingyour trees, and they may beat you to the ripe figs!
n Pay attention to color changes. The fruit of some common Louisiana fig cultivars darkens as it ripens.LSU Purple figs, for instance, display aglossy,dark purple hue when ripe. Tiger figs develop prominent stripes while ripening; they fade oncethe fruit matures.
n Look for drooping figs. Some figs droop downward when ripe.
n Touch the fruit. Not all figs show obvious signs of ripening. Some, including the popular LSU Gold cultivar,remain greenthroughout much of the process, taking on ayellow tinge onlyatthe last minute. This makes it hard to tellwhen they are ripe, so you’ll need to gently squeeze these figsto check whether they’re readyto be picked.
“A ripe fig should feel sort of like aripe avocado,” Stagg said. “It should depress alittle bit, but not too much, but also not be too firm.”
ä See FIGS, page 6C
RAISING THEBAR
BYCOLETTE DEAN Contributingwriter
ABaton Rouge interior design firm was recently named “one of thebest in the country” by anational magazine.
House Beautiful, an interior decorating magazinefocused on home design andthe domesticarts, selectedTiekByday as one of the“next wave” designers in its2025 May/June issue.
“Meet this year’sclassofrising design stars who have grabbed our attention with theircreativity,skill andhustle. These visionariesare redefining what makes ahome both beautiful and meaningful,” according to themagazine.
Tiek Byday includesinteriordesigner mother-daughter duo Cindy and BridgetTiek, and architectHance Day
Hughes. Hughes’ BYDAY architecture
firmand Tiek &Co. merged in 2023 and have workedacross arange of custom residential, commercial andhospitality projectssince then. In Baton Rouge, they were thedesigners forThe Colonel’sCluband Tsunamiand areworking on the revival of Fleur De Lis Pizza in Mid City.
The firm joined acoveted list spotlighting the top emerging talent in architectureand interiors.
“It was such an honor to be included with designers from all over the country,”Cindy Tiek said. In early June,the trio waswhisked away for atwo-dayprograminthe heart of New York City.Theyenjoyed awelcome dinneratJean’sand programs at Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
Tiek ByDay designed this porch, with stylingbyJo Gremillion.
PROVIDED
PHOTO By JACQUELINE MARQUE
McCLURE
‘Ladies first’ doesn’tapply everywhere
Dear Miss Manners: Iamagentleman who strives to live amannerly life. In that regard, when riding public transportation, I offer my seat to ladies who are standing. Ialso wait for ladies to leave an elevator before me. Now that Iamwell beyond retirement age, does that change any expectations and norms? When, if ever,doIkeep my seat and allow youngermen the privilege of offering their seat to the fairer sex?
Gentle reader: First, pleaseget off those elevators when you are in front, instead of creating confusion by trying to standback in favor of any ladies who are behind you. “Ladies first” never
By The Associated Press
applied there. Foryourhabit of yielding seats, Miss Manners commends you, and hopes that ladies alwaystreat the gesture graciously, whether or not they accept. But it is not only your agethat has changed; our system of precedence is in flux. Gender is becoming less of afactor,as it can do damage in the workplace, where deferring to colleagues as ladies undermines their professional identities. There, precedence should be determined by thejob’s hierarchy
Andinsociety at large, age is becoming more of afactor
Shouldayounglady offer you a
TODAYINHISTORY
Today is Tuesday,July 8, the 189th day of 2025. There are176 days left in the year
TodayinHistory:
On July 8, 2018, diversrescued four of the 12 boys who had been trapped in aflooded cave in northern Thailand with their soccer coach for more than two weeks. (The remaining eight boys and their coach were rescued over the next two days.)
Also on this date:
In 1776, Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, outside the State House(now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia In 1853, an expedition led by Commodore Matthew Perryarrived in Edo Bay,Japan,onamission to seek diplomatic and trade relations with the Japanese.
In 1889, the first issue of The Wall Street Journal was published.
In 1947, aNew Mexico newspaper,the Roswell Daily Record, quoted officials at Roswell Army Air Field as saying they had recovered a“flying saucer” that crashed onto aranch; officials then said it was actually aweather balloon.
In 1950, President Harry S Truman named Gen. Douglas MacArthur commander in chief of United Nations forces in Korea. (Truman would fire MacArthur for insubordination nine months later.)
In 1972, the Nixon administrationannounced adeal to sell $750 million in grain to theSoviet Union. (However,the Soviets were also engagedinsecretly buying subsidized American grain, resulting in what critics dubbed “The Great Grain Robbery.”)
In 2000, Venus Williams beat Lindsay Davenport for her first Grand Slam title, becoming the first Black female champion at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1958.
In 2010, the largest spy swap
FIGS
Continued from page5C
n Harvest ripe figs before it rains. If rain is in the forecast or you see apop-up afternoon thunderstorm heading your way, go ahead and pick your ripefigs They tend to splitand sour when they become wet. This also is the time of year for diseases to show up on fig trees. The most common, fig leaf rust, causes brown spots to form on leaves. Fortunately,Staggsaid, rust will not affect the quality of the harvest, and it typically does not warrant treatment. If you want to apply afungicide toaddress the issue, wait until after harvest. Youcan limit the spreadofrust andother problems by raking up
COFFEE
Continued from page5C
family are globaltravelers. They noticed the popularity of crepe cuisine around the worldand knew they had to bring the luxuriousdelicaciestothe Prairieville/ Gonzales area.
“I saw that we were missing one in Gonzales,” Badawi said. “We needed something like this. Ilike crepes and waffles and sweets, so we kept training for it to see how we could do it.” To ensure authenticity,Badawi hadacrepier from Paris come
seat,Miss Manners hopes you will also respond graciously
This is not to say that the gentlemanliness you practice should be abandoned —much less condemned, as is done by some. Tradition has its place, and these gestures add grace to society. So theshort answer is: Keep offering seats to ladies if you don’t mindstanding; if you do mind, then stay seated. Dear Miss Manners: Iattended a concert at our church, which has an excellent endowed music program.The concert was an organ and poetry recital, about 40 minutes in duration.
About 15 minutes in, Ibecame aware of askritching sound that didn’tstop.Ilooked in the pew behind me andawoman was sit-
between the U.S.and Russia since the Cold Warunfolded as 10 people accused of spying in suburbanAmerica pleaded guilty to conspiracy and were ordered deported to Russia in exchangefor therelease of four prisonersaccused of spying for the West.
In 2011, the 135th andfinal space shuttle mission began when space shuttle Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center
In 2021, President Joe Biden said the U.S. military operation in Afghanistanwould endon Aug. 31; in aspeechinthe White House East Room, Biden made an impassioned argument for exitingthe nearly20-year war withoutsacrificingmore America lives, but acknowledged that there would be no “mission accomplished”moment to celebrate.
In 2022, former Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe was assassinated on astreet in western Japan by agunman who opened fire on him from behind as hedelivered acampaign speech.
Today’sBirthdays: Actor Jeffrey Tamboris81. Drummer Jaimoe Johanson (The Allman Brothers Band) is 81. Actor KimDarby is 78. Children’smusician Raffi is 77. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puckis76. Actor Anjelica Huston is 74. Writer Anna Quindlen is 73. Author and politicianMarianne Williamson is 73. Pro Football HallofFamer Jack Lambert is 73. Actor Kevin Bacon is 67. SingerJoan Osborne is 63. Actor LeeTergesen (TV:“Oz”) is 60. Actor Billy Crudup is 57. Actor Michael Weatherly (TV:“NCIS”) is 57. Musician Beck is 55. Actor Kathleen Robertson is 52. Christian rock musician Stephen Mason (Jars of Clay)is50. Actor Milo Ventimiglia is 48. Actor LanceGross (TV:“TylerPerry’s House of Payne”) is 44. Actor SophiaBushis43. Actor Maya Hawkeis27. Actor Jaden Smith is 27.
fallen, diseased leaves and by watering trees at ground level rather than from overhead. Speaking of watering, be sure your trees are getting adequate water to help them survive the hot summer and be as fruitful as possible.
over to train the owners, who then trained thestaff. Badawi said his favorite items on the menu are the Crepe’resso Mousse, which is made using a houserecipe that uses Ferrero Rocher chocolate, and the affogato, which is vanilla ice cream with espresso. Crepe’resso isopen7 a.m. to 9p.m. Monday through Thursday and7 a.m. to 10p.m. Fridayand Saturday.For more information anda peek at the menu, visit creperesso.com or instagram.com/ creperesso.
Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.
tingthere filing her nails with an emery board.
Itried to get her attention but she would not look at me. I reached back andtapped her knee, which startled her and madeher angry.I asked her to please stop filing her nails, which she did.
At theend of the concert, she asked my nameand informed me that if Iever touched her again, she would callthe police and press charges on me for assault. I said “please do.” She had already ruined theevent for me. She madeacommotion as she left, which was noticed by others. Should Ihave done something different?
Gentlereader: Tapped her on the shoulder,not the knee.
No,wait. Youshould not be touching strangers at all, unless you are rescuing them from imminent danger.Besides, it would be difficult to reach ashoulder in the pew behind you. And it is difficult, Miss Manners admits, to reach adetermined scofflaw.Ifnochurch authority wasavailable during the incident, it might still be worth reporting in the hope that efforts will be made to restore proper behavior
Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite,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.
Don’tlet strawberries spoil
Dear Heloise: We love fresh strawberries at our house, but frequently afew of them spoil in thecontainer before we can use them all. We discovered away to help prevent this: When you bring them homefrom thegrocery store, place them in abowl and add water with acouple of tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in it to just cover the berries. Stir them alittle to make contact throughout, let them sit
for about 10 minutes, then rinse. Patthem dry (wet strawberries spoil much faster) and put them in the fridge. We almost never have rotten strawberries anymore. —Brenda Claassen, in Lincoln, Nebraska
Budgetingquestion
Dear Heloise: In answer to Meg A., in Michigan, about some good hintsonbudgeting, may Ioffer what has worked much better for me for over 70 years? When
Ishared this advice with my grandson, he later told me that it wasthe best advice he had ever received. When faced with an impulse buy,ask yourself this question: How manyhours am Iwilling to work to acquire this product? If you are not willing to work acertain amount of hours forthe item, you don’tneed it. —Dale Hardin, La Habra, California
Send ahinttoheloise@heloise com.
Continuedfrom page5C
and Kravet,ahomefurnishings company that distributes fabrics, furniture,wallcoverings, trimmings, carpetand accessories. Kravet also ownsLee Jofa and Brunschwig &Fils. The second night was acocktail reception in The Gallery at 200 Lex at theNew York Design Center
To be considered forthe honor, whichTiekByday shared with 18 other firms nationwide, there was no application or contest entry
“Wehavebeen featured in several Hearst publications, and each onehas adifferent mission statement. Our Louisiana Lake House was featured in Veranda Magazine andMother’sLounge in Elle Décor.Wedosuch varied work, so that may have been the appeal,” Hughes said.
BridgetTiek said thatversatility is one of their strengths, which she attributestospending time upfront with each client.
“Wethoroughly interview each client before starting work, often extracting necessary information. Usually,mostpeople have something in mind, but it is very difficult for some people to express themselves,soweuse alot of imagery,” she said.
BridgetTiek did warn about leaning toomuch on sites such as Pinterest for design inspiration,asalgorithms can limit design suggestions.
The Baton Rouge team said they were delighted to network with other designers and explore the varied businessmodules. They agreed to stay in touch with Zoom meetings, whichHughesspearheaded.
“Wewere theonly firm from the Deep South, and we specialize in hospitality,”helaughed.
Cindy Tiek said therewas acommonality among the designers in emerging trends.
“The one thing that was univer-
scheduledseminars and create a space fordesigners to viewinterior details and make purchases,” Hughes said. To view the House Beautiful ar-
“Weintendfor it to be aplace for our clients and for the public to use by appointment. We aim to offer
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Hints from Heloise
LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE Monitor figs carefully in July,asthe fruit can become overripe quickly
PROVIDED PHOTOByJACQUELINE MARQUE
The Colonel’sClub in Baton Rougewas one of Tiek Byday’s projects, which also include Tsunami
PROVIDED PHOTOByKIM MEADOWLARK
The team behind Tiek Bydayis, from left, architectHanceDay Hughes, interior designer Bridget Tiek and her mother,interior designer CindyTiek.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Embrace a challenge without revealing your next move. Asecretive approach will give you the leverage yourequire to get things done your way. Ownthe floor instead of sharing.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Find events and activities that take your mind off your troubles, but remember to respect your budget. Distancing yourself from aggravations will help you resolve lingering issues
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Window shop, butdon't go into the store. It's timeto rethink your lifestyle,considerwhat's essential and discard what's taking up space mentally,physically andemotionally.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Hands-onlearning is the best; it will change your perspective, direction and dreams. Refuse to letanyone pressure you intomaking achoice that is better for them than it is foryou.
ScORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Plan carefully before youtry to navigate your way forward. Preparation is everything when dealing with relationships, makingdeals and budgetingfor whatyou want.
SAGIttARIuS(nov. 23-Dec.21) Apply your energy to something worthwhile. If you let tensionbuild, you will waste your energy fightingano-winsituation.
Instead, consider how youcan physically enforce positive change.
cAPRIcORn (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Use your energy wisely,ponderthe logistics of
your actions and proceed withdignity and gain ground. It's allinthe wayyou handleothers; diplomacy is everything.
AQuARIuS (Jan.20-Feb.19) Look for innovativewaystorelax and save money. Investing in your skills and home and honing your abilitytobalance work and play will pay off.
PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Keep situationsinperspective. Maintaining a calm state of mind andaneasygoing outlook will help younavigate obstacles. Refuse to let what others do or saymake you angry.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Tallyupwhat things costand considerhow to handle mismanaged funds or jointventures. Whenuncertainty sets in, askanexpert and initiate change to avoidloss.
tAuRuS (April 20-May 20) Do it yourself. Signing up for something or bingeing on something unnecessary will tempt you. Look at thebig picture,consider what's essential to reach your goal and eliminate what's disposable.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Do things yourself. Don't overload yourself withduties or distractions. Focus more on saving time and money instead of casting your fate to the wind and letting things spin out of control
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, past and present.Eachletter in the cipher stands for another
tODAy'S cLuE: HEQuALS F
CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe
And erneSt
SALLYForth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
LAGoon
bIG nAte
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’sPuzzleAnswer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
By PHILLIP ALDER
Peter Thomson, an Australian golfer who won the British Open five times, said,“Every tournament has its climax, its winning moment. If you’re not watchful, you will missitand lose your best chance.”
Abridge deal oftenhas its winning moment. If you’re not watchful, you will err andgodowninyour contract or fail to defeat the declarer. In this deal, South is in five clubs. West leadsalow heart, East winning with his king and (best) continuing withthe heart ace. How can South prevail?
After South’s strong artificial opening andNorth’s weak artificialresponse, the bidding was natural. East thought about sacrificing in five hearts, but wasdissuaded by the unfavorable vulnerability. (Five hearts doubled shouldcost 500.)
Declarer seems to have 11 easy tricks: one spade, five diamonds and five clubs. However, to getfive diamond tricks, South must draw trumps, unblock his ace andkingofdiamonds, and get to the dummy. Whatishis dummy entry? It is the clubeight. ButifSouth ruffs the secondheart in the dummy, thatwill be thelosingmoment, destroying that entry whenthe trumps break 3-1, not2-2 Instead, declarer should discard aspade from the boardattrick two.
If East continues with athirdheart, South’sprettiest play is to ruff with his club nine, draw trumps,cashthe top diamonds, overtake the club seven with dummy’s eight,and run the diamonds. Alternatively, South can ruff low, pitch asecond spade from the board, draw trumps,cash his two diamonds and spadeace,and enterthe dummy with a spade ruff.
EachWuzzle is aword riddlewhich creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOONGOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
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’SWORD LIAISOnS: lee-A-zons: Close bonds or connections.
Average mark 12 words
Time limit 20 minutes
Canyou find 19 or more words in LIAISONS?
yEStERDAy’SWORD —ASSERtS
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer today’s thought
Bridge
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
hidato
mallard fillmore
OPEC+ to boost oil by 548K barrels
Eight members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries say they will boost production by 548,000 barrels per day in August in a move that could further reduce gas prices this year
The group that includes Saudi Arabia and Russia made the decision at a virtual meeting Saturday They cited a “steady global economic outlook” and low oil inventories.
Oil prices spiked sharply last month during the bloody, 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran but then tumbled back down as the U.S. helped broker a peace deal after dropping bombs on three of Iran’s key nuclear sites.
Saudi Arabia holds significant influence in OPEC+ as the dominant member of the OPEC producers’ cartel, and Russia is the leading non-OPEC member in the 22-country alliance.
Along with Saudi Arabia and Russia, the group that met Saturday is made up of Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman.
A statement said the new measures were in accordance with a December decision to put off increasing production at that time, but gradually increase it by 2.2 million barrels per day over an 18-month period starting in April and ending in fall 2026. The delayed ramp-up reflected weaker-than-expected demand and competing production from nonallied countries.
Wall Street falls with Trump’s new tariffs
Stocks on Wall Street closed broadly lower Monday as the White House stepped up pressure on major trading partners to make deals before punishing tariffs imposed by the U.S. take effect.
The S&P 500 fell 0.8% for its biggest loss since mid-June. The benchmark index remains near its all-time high set last week.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back 0.9%. The Nasdaq composite also finished 0.9% lower, not too far from its own record high.
The losses were widespread Decliners outnumbered gainers by nearly 4 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Monday’s market sell-off came on the first day of trading in the U.S. after a holiday-shortened week. Nearly all of the sectors in the S&P 500 index closed in the red, with technology financial and consumer-related stocks among the biggest weights on the market. Apple fell 1.7%, JPMorgan Chase dropped 1.4% and Home Depot slid 1.1%. Molina Healthcare fell 2.9% after the insurer lowered its profit guidance due to rapidly accelerating costs.
Shares of Tesla stock continue to slide
Shares of electric vehicle maker Tesla tumbled 7% as the feud between CEO Elon Musk and Trump reignited over the weekend.
Musk, once a top donor and ally of Trump, announced that he was forming a third political party in protest over the Republican spending bill that passed late last week.
In a social media post Sunday, Trump said that the billionaire owner of SpaceX, Tesla and X had gone “off the rails” in recent weeks. Since hitting an all-time high of $479.76 on Dec. 17, Tesla shares have lost about 40% of their value. Investors fear that Musk’s companies, which receive significant subsidies from the federal government, could suffer further if his feud with Trump continues to fester “With the autonomous future ahead and the AI Revolution in full force Musk/Tesla do not need to keep poking the bear as Trump can create more hurdles for Musk/Tesla/SpaceX over the coming years if this political battle gets nastier heading into mid-terms in 2026,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to clients late Sunday
BY BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technology writer
Less than a month after extending a deadline to ban TikTok for the third time, President Donald Trump told reporters late Friday night that, “We pretty much have a deal,” on TikTok — but he did not offer details.
The details and timing of a potential deal are not clear TikTok did not immediately respond to messages for comment on Monday
Emarketer analyst Jeremy Goldman said while TikTok is “reportedly planning” a U.S. version of its
app to comply with legal restrictions, the platform — if it launches without the original TikTok algorithm — “risks losing the very personalization that drives user engagement.”
In other words, TikTok just isn’t TikTok without its algorithm.
“And getting millions to download a new app is no small feat, to say the least,” Goldman added.
Though he has no clear legal basis to do so, Trump has continued to extend the deadline for TikTok to avoid a ban in the U.S This gives his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership.
It is not clear how many times Trump can — or will — keep ex-
tending the ban as the government continues to try to negotiate a deal for TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance. While there is no clear legal basis for the extensions, so far there have been no legal challenges against the administration. Trump has amassed more than 15 million followers on TikTok since he joined last year, and he has credited the trendsetting platform with helping him gain traction among young voters. He said in January that he has a “warm spot for TikTok.”
For now, TikTok continues to function for its 170 million users in the U.S. Tech giants Apple, Google and Oracle were persuaded to continue to offer and support the app, on the promise that Trump’s Jus-
tice Department would not use the law to seek potentially steep fines against them.
Americans are even more closely divided on what to do about TikTok than they were two years ago.
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that about one-third of Americans said they supported a TikTok ban, down from 50% in March 2023. Roughly one-third said they would oppose a ban, and a similar percentage said they weren’t sure.
Among those who said they supported banning the social media platform, about 8 in 10 cited concerns over users’ data security being at risk as a major factor in their decision, according to the report.
Japan, South Korea
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Monday set a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Laos, Myanmar and Tunisia, all of which would go into effect on Aug. 1. Trump provided notice by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the various countries. The letters warned them to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would further increase tariffs.
“If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge,” Trump wrote in the letters to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jaemyung.
The letters were not the final word from Trump on tariffs, so much as another episode in a global economic drama in which he has placed himself at the center His moves have raised fears that economic growth would slow to a trickle, if not make the U.S and other nations more vulnerable to a recession. But Trump is confident that tariffs are necessary to bring back domestic manufacturing and fund the tax cuts he signed into law last Friday
He mixed his sense of aggression with a willingness to still negotiate, signaling the likelihood that the drama and uncertainty would continue and that few things are ever final with Trump.
Imports from Myanmar and Laos would be taxed at 40%, South Africa at 30% and Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Tunisia at 25%.
Trump placed the word “only” before revealing the rate in his letters to the foreign leaders, implying that he was being generous with his tariffs.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated at a news briefing that similar letters to approximately four other countries also would be issued Monday Following a now well-worn pattern, Trump plans to continue sharing the letters sent to his counterparts on social media and then mail them the documents, a stark departure from the more formal practices of all his predecessors when negotiating trade agreements. The letters are not agreed-to settlements
It’s been
BY JENNIFER MCDERMOTT Associated Press
Submerged in about 44 yards of water off Scotland’s coast, a turbine has been spinning for more than six years to harness the power of ocean tides for electricity a durability mark that demonstrates the technology’s commercial viability. Keeping a large, or grid-scale, turbine in place in the harsh sea environment for that long is a record that helps pave the way for bigger tidal energy farms and makes it far more appealing to investors, according to the trade association
but Trump’s own choice on rates, a sign that the closed-door talks with foreign delegations failed to produce satisfactory results for either side. Leavitt said that Trump was by setting the rates himself creating “tailormade trade plans for each and every country on this planet and that’s what this administration continues to be focused on.”
Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute who formerly worked in the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, said the tariff hikes on Japan and South Korea were “unfortunate.”
“Both have been close partners on economic security matters and have a lot to offer the United States on priority matters like shipbuilding, semiconductors, critical minerals and energy cooperation,” Cutler said “Moreover companies from both countries have made significant manufacturing investments in the U.S. in recent years, bringing high-paying jobs to U.S. workers and benefiting communities all around the country.”
Trump still has outstanding differences on trade with the European Union and India, among other trading partners. Tougher talks with China are on a longer time horizon in
Ocean Energy Europe Tidal energy projects would be prohibitively expensive if the turbines had to be taken out of the water for maintenance every couple of years.
Tidal energy technologies are still in the early days of their commercial development, but their potential for generating clean energy is big. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, marine energy, a term researchers use to refer to power generated from tides, currents, waves or temperature changes is the world’s largest untapped renewable energy resource.
The MeyGen tidal energy project off the coast of Scotland has four turbines producing 1.5 megawatts each, enough electricity collec-
which imports from that nation are being taxed at 55%.
Trump has declared an economic emergency to unilaterally impose the taxes, suggesting they are remedies for past trade deficits even though many U.S. consumers have come to value autos, electronics and other goods from Japan and South Korea
The constitution grants Congress the power to levy tariffs under normal circumstances, though tariffs can also result from executive branch investigations regarding national security risks.
It’s unclear what he gains strategically against China — another stated reason for the tariffs by challenging two crucial partners in Asia, Japan and South Korea, that could counter China’s economic heft.
“These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” Trump wrote in both letters.
Because the new tariff rates go into effect in roughly three weeks, Trump is setting up a period of possibly tempestuous talks among the U.S. and its trade partners to reach new frameworks.
tively to power up to 7,000 homes annually On Thursday the Swedish company SKF announced that its bearings and seals on one of the turbines had passed the 61/2-year mark without needing unplanned or disruptive maintenance. It has been working closely with the industry for a decade on design and testing. Achieving six years in the water with constant operations is a “very significant milestone” that bodes well for the future of tidal energy, said Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe. Scotland and the United Kingdom are global leaders in tidal energy
The MeyGen site, operated by SAE Renewables, has been sending electricity to the grid for about eight
years. There are very few tidal energy projects generating electricity continuously Most have been tests and demonstrations, said Andrea Copping, an expert in marine renewable energy development. Copping said there are still large hurdles to overcome before tidal energy can be adopted more widely such as dealing with regulatory issues, potential environmental effects and conflicts with other ocean users. Still, the Scotland project seems to have addressed the question of whether the turbines can last in seawater, added Copping, a distinguished faculty fellow in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington.
