The Times-Picayune 07-31-2025

Courthalts Quartersanitationcontract

Ruling takesHenry Consulting outofthe runningfor now

BY BEN MYERS and JAMES FINN Staff writers

On the eve of ashowdown between two firms warring over the right to cleanNew Orleans’ French Quarter,the Louisiana Supreme Court has yanked Henry Consulting from the running, leaving IV Waste as the sole legal trashhauler in the area —for now

The high court ruled late Wednesday in favor of aFrench

Quarter restaurant owner and a propertyowner who argued that Mayor LaToya Cantrell arbitrarily terminated IV Waste’sexisting $6.2 million emergency contract andimproperly substituted Henry Consultingatagreater expense.

The court found plaintiffs Daniel Conwill and Maria Costopoulos “raised significant legal questions” about the $8.3 million Henry Consultingcontract, which Cantrell awarded withoutsoliciting bids.

The ruling overturned two lower court rulings that allowed Henry’s contract to proceed. Instead, IV Waste will continue to handle pickups in the French Quarter for at least thenext month at acost of $459,000, under anew contract with theFrenchQuarter ManagementDistrict.

The Cantrell administration will likely tap aseparate contractor to handle work in the city’sDowntown Development District, since

thecontract the court batted down covered both areas, city Sanitation Department Director Matt Torri said. Henry Consulting’sowner,Troy Henry,did not immediately return phone and text messages. Henry andsubcontractor Richard’sDisposal Inc. hadplannedtostart work Thursday But in an interviewwithWBOK Radio shortly after the court issued its decision, Henry acknowledged that the ruling meanthis firm would not be working in the French Quarter come Thursday.

He accusedthe Supreme Court of playingpoliticsbyfavoringIV Waste’semergency contract. “I’m very disappointed forthe 80-plusemployees whowere starting tomorrow,” he said. “My manager is having to communicate messages to them that as of 12:01 tonight —or, actually,asof 10 o’clock tonight —that that’snot going to occur.” IV Waste owner SidneyTorres IV on social media said Wednesday that his firm is “grateful that the

TopCantrelldeputy to exit City Hall post

Montañohas been with mayorsince Day1

GilbertMontaño, NewOrleans’ chief administrativeofficer whohas managed thecity’s day-to-dayoperations since MayorLaToyaCantrelltook office, announces hisdeparture during anewsconference at CityHall on Wednesday, accompanied by Cantrell.

BY BENMYERS and JAMESFINN Staff writers

GilbertMontaño, New Orleans’ chief administrative officer whohas overseen the day-to-day work of running city governmentsince Mayor LaToyaCantrell took office, is leaving City Hall, he said Wednesday Montaño’sdeparture fivemonths before the close of Cantrell’sfinal term caps aseven-year period in which heserved as thecity’smost senior official beneath the mayor. In that role, he shaped the administration’sspending priorities and balanced the city budget througha pandemic, massive federal aid injections and extreme inflation Montaño, 44, also helped steer the city through several crises, before and after thepandemic. The 2019 cyberattack on city servers crippled city government, and the Hard Rock Hotel collapse earlier that year —which killedthree construction workers —exposed severe shortcomings in the city’sability to ensure basic public safety. He is one of aselect few top

“I’m looking forward to my changeoflife, my changeof stress. This is a24-hour,sevenday-a-week job.I couldn’tcount how manyhours Iactually work,and it’sgoing to be anice changetocalmdown alittle bit.”

GILBERT MONTAÑO NewOrleans’ chiefadministrativeofficer

Cantrell aides who have remained in their positions since her 2018 inauguration.Montañotold TheTimesPicayune this week that he’sleaving the Mayor’sOffice as he weighs his professional options and that he will continueliving in New Orleans. “I’m lookingforward to my change of life, my change of stress. This is a24-hour,seven-day-a-week job,” Montaño said in an interview.“I couldn’tcount howmanyhours I actually work,and it’s going to be anice change to calmdown alittle bit.”

Montaño will depart at the end of August. Joseph Threat, adeputy

chiefadministrative officer overseeinginfrastructure,willbecomechief administrative officer for the rest of Cantrell’sterm. LaNitrah Hasan, a management consultant who works in the administration, will take Threat’s current job Montaño’sdeparture removes from CityHall araremember of Cantrell’sadministration who maintained open linesofcommunication with apolitically hostile City Council during the mayor’s scandal-ridden secondterm. In recent months,he also showed increasing willingness to break from Cantrell and other administration officials when questions arose over themayor’sdecisions. Cantrell saidWednesdayshe respectsdiffering opinions among her leadership team, andsaid Montaño is the longest-serving chief administrative officer in the city’shistory “Gilbert brought not only skill and discipline to the roleofchief administrative officer for thecity of New Orleans, but areal compassion and innovation, and again, adeep

Releasefrom Orleansjail called a ‘grave error’ Prosecutors

saymistakenexit of anotherfelonydefendant undetected formonths

BY JOSEPH CRANNEY Staff writer

Before the May jailbreak and last week’s mistaken release of 30-year-old Khalil Bryan, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’sOffice in December let anotherfelonydefendant outofthe jail amid a mix-up with hisbond paperwork, whichattorneys describedasanerrorthatwasn’tdiscovered for morethan four months.

The public wasnever notified about the earlier mishapinvolving 32-year-old David A. Jones, who OPSO released despite ajudge’sorder that he be held without bond, according to court documents.

The OrleansParish DistrictAttorney’sOffice didn’tknow Jones hadbeenlet outuntil April, shortly before his trial on charges of seconddegree kidnapping and child sex trafficking, according to aletter from District Attorney Jason Williams.

“Unfortunately,asofthe dateofthis

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

New Orleans’ regional flood protection agency hasgranted its police chiefa promotion that comeswitha largepay increase —henow has the highest salary at the agency —asGov.Jeff Landry’s allies carryout acontroversial overhaul there. Internal documents obtained by TheTimes-Picayunethrough apublic records request show that Superintendent of Police Joshua Rondeno nowearns $208,000 per year,nearly twice what his predecessor made, and has taken on expanded duties.

Harris won’t seek Calif governor post in 2026

LOS ANGELES Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not run for California governor next year leaving open the possibility that she could mount a third run for the White House in 2028.

“I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their governor. I love this state, its people and its promise. It is my home,” Harris said in a statement released by her office Wednesday “But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for governor in this election.”

Harris didn’t mention President Donald Trump directly in her statement, but said “our politics, our government, and our institutions have too often failed the American people, culminating in this moment of crisis.”

Trump signs order to justify tariffs on Brazil

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to impose his threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil, setting a legal rationale that Brazil’s policies and criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro constitute an economic emergency under a 1977 law

Trump had threatened the tariffs July 9 in a letter to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. But the legal basis of that threat was an earlier executive order premised on trade imbalances being a threat to the U.S. economy But America ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus last year with Brazil, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

A statement by the White House said Brazil’s judiciary had tried to coerce social media companies and block their users, though it did not name the companies involved, X and Rumble Trump appears to identify with Bolsonaro, who attempted to overturn the results of his 2022 loss to Lula. Similarly, Trump was indicted in 2023 for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election

The order would apply an additional 40% tariff on the baseline 10% tariff already being levied by Trump. But not all goods imported from Brazil would face the 40% tariff: Civil aircraft and parts, aluminum, tin, wood pulp, energy products and fertilizers are among the products being excluded

The order said the tariffs would go into effect seven days after its signing on Wednesday

Massive sea turtle returns to the ocean

JUNO BEACH, Fla. — A massive sea turtle that was found injured along the Florida coast in May following a boat strike was returned to the ocean Wednesday

The adult female, named Pennywise and weighing 302 pounds, was deemed healthy and strong enough to return to the wild after being treated by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s veterinary team in Palm Beach County, Florida, for the past few months.

After a short ride from the center, six volunteers hauled the turtle on a gurney down the beach as dozens of people captured the moment with cellphone videos and photos. The volunteers then gently laid her down on the sand and the turtle slowly crawled back into the Atlantic.

The center had to transport the turtle to a horse clinic for diagnostic imaging because she was too large to fit inside more common CT machines. It was there that the team discovered she was full of eggs With nesting season underway, Pennywise has the chance to lay her eggs and continue her vital role in the marine ecosystem.

Tsunami fears decline after earthquake

BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and AUDREY MCAVOY Associated Press

HONOLULU Fears of a devastating tsunami faded Wednesday for the U.S. and Japan after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, but new alerts along South America’s Pacific coast forced evacuations and closed beaches.

Warnings in the first hours after the 8.8 magnitude quake sent residents fleeing to rooftops in Japan and forced tourists out of beachfront hotels in Hawaii, snarling island traffic. In Russia, several people were hurt while rushing out of buildings, including a hospital patient who jumped from a window

Millions of people were told to move away from the shore or seek high ground because they were potentially in the path of the tsunami waves, which struck seaside areas of Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast but did not appear to cause any major damage.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the worst was over Later Wednesday, tsunami advisories for Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and Washington state were canceled but remained for parts of northern California where authorities warned to stay away from beaches and advised that dangerous currents should be expected through Thursday morning.

One of strongest recorded quakes

The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan in 2011 caused a massive tsunami and meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said initial reports showed Japan’s nuclear plants were not affected this time.

Wednesday’s quake occurred along the “Ring of Fire,” a series of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean. It was centered offshore, about 75 miles from PetropavlovskKamchatsky, Kamchatka’s regional capital. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.

Russia’s Oceanology Institute said tsunami waves of less than 20 feet were recorded near populated areas of the peninsula. Lava began flowing Wednesday from the Northern Hemisphere’s largest volcano in a remote area of Kamchatka, the Russian Academy of Sciences’ geophysical service said.

Around the Pacific Rim

Chile, a place highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, raised its warning to the highest level early Wednesday for most of its lengthy Pacific coast and began evacuating hundreds of people.

Colombian officials ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas while maritime traffic was being restricted. Ecuador canceled classes at schools in the Galapagos Islands as well as communities along the coast.

Coastlines of New Zealand — about 6,000 miles from the quake’s epicenter — were experiencing strong currents and wave surges.

Neb. plant explosion killed 2 girls and an employee

Fire at biofuel facility still going a day later

BY MARGERY A. BECK and CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press

FREMONT Neb Two girls were waiting for a relative to finish work at a Nebraska biofuel plant when all three were killed in a massive explosion that shook the town, officials said Wednesday The fire was still smoldering more than a day later and crews say they can’t safely enter the building’s unstable wreckage to recover the remains.

Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said at a news conference that the children were at the Horizon Biofuels plant ahead of a doctor’s appointment, and although he wasn’t sure of their exact ages, he believed both were under age 12. Dodge

County Sheriff Sgt Brie Frank later confirmed the three were family

The plant makes animal bedding and wood pellets for heating and smoking food, using tons of wood waste. Spellerberg said authorities believe Tuesday’s blast was likely a wood dust explosion in the tall elevator tower

“That’s really the only thing that makes sense,” Spellerberg said. He said Horizon Biofuels is cooperating “as far as I know.”

The company did not immediately respond to phone calls seeking comment

The top of the elevator tower was torn apart, exposing a mangled concrete-andrebar core. Metal siding on the building below was left crumpled and charred, while wisps of white smoke drifted into the air Wednesday despite rain overnight.

Spellerberg said fire crews were evaluating whether the whole facility might collapse, making it difficult to get inside as they battle the fire.

“It’s going to be very slow,” said Carl Nielsen of the city’s volunteer fire department. He said authorities do not have a timeline for when they expect to bring the bodies out.

The company has 10 employees, according to the Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

A 2014 fire at the building had damaged the electrical system but left the structure intact, according to reporting by the Fremont Tribune. Significant accumulations of wood dust particles can be a fire and explosion hazard, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Emily Anderson, who lives just blocks from the plant, said she heard “one really big boom” before police cars flooded in. “There were just huge plumes of very, very black smoke,” Anderson said. “It was scary.”

Brown University strikes agreement to resolve discrimination complaints

BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON Brown University on Wednesday announced a deal with the Trump administration to regain access to federal research funding and end investigations into alleged discrimination.

The Ivy League school agreed to pay $50 million to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island over 10 years as part of the agreement, along with other concessions in line with President Donald Trump’s political agenda. Brown will adopt the government’s definition of “male” and “female,” for example, and must remove any consideration of race from the admissions process. Brown President Christina Paxson said the deal preserves Brown’s academic independence. The terms include a clause saying the government cannot dictate curriculum or the content of academic speech at Brown.

The three-year deal has numerous similarities with one signed last week by Columbia University that the government called a roadmap for other universities.

Unlike that agreement, Brown’s does not include an outside monitor

The agreement with Brown restores dozens of grants and contracts that had been suspended during an investigation into Brown’s handling of allegations of antisemitism, including during pro-Palestinian protests on campus last spring. It also calls for the federal government to reimburse Brown for $50 million in unpaid federal grant costs.

The school said it will renew partnerships with Israeli academics and encourage Jewish day school students to apply to Brown. By the end of this year, Brown must hire an outside organization — to be chosen jointly by Brown and the government — to conduct a campus survey on the climate for Jewish students

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Brown’s deal ensures students will be judged “solely on their merits, not their race or sex.”

“The Trump Administration is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation’s higher education institutions,” McMahon said in a statement.

In northern California, tsunami activity continued Wednesday morning with waves of 3.6 feet in Crescent City, which has a history of tsunami disasters.

Even waves of just several feet high might pose a significant risk.

“It might only be 3 feet, but it’s a wall of water that’s 3 feet and spans hundreds of miles. Three feet of water can easily inundate inland and flood a couple blocks inland from the beach,” said Diego Melgar, director of Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center at the University of Oregon.

Limited damage in Russia

A video released by a Russian media outlet showed a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room.

Authorities on the sparsely populated Kuril Islands reported several waves flooded the fishing port of Severo-Kurilsk, the main city on the islands, and cut power supplies to the area.

Supervisor sold gunman the rifle used in deadly N.Y.C. attack, police say

BY JENNIFER PELTZ and DAVE COLLINS Associated Press

NEW YORK A man who killed four people at a Manhattan office building bought the rifle he used in the attack and the car he drove across country from his supervisor at a Las Vegas casino, authorities said Wednesday Shane Tamura, 27, fatally shot three people in the lobby of the building that houses the NFL’s headquarters on Monday before taking an elevator to the 33rd floor and killing someone else before ending his own life, according to police. In a note found on his body he claimed to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known at CTE, and accused the NFL of hiding the dangers of brain injures linked to contact sports.

Tamura’s supervisor at the Horseshoe Las Vegas legally bought the AR-15style rifle he sold to Tamura for $1,400, the New York Police Department said Wednesday On Tuesday,

police mistakenly said the supervisor had supplied only parts of the rifle used in the attack, including the weapon’s lower receiver Tamura, who played high school football but never played in the NFL, worked in the surveillance department at the casino. It wasn’t immediately clear if the gun sale was legal. Tamura had a history of mental illness, police said without going into detail.

The supervisor who sold Tamura the rifle hasn’t been charged with any crimes, said police. Authorities haven’t released the supervisor’s name, but they said he’s the person Tamura apologized to in the note found in Tamura’s wallet after he killed himself.

During a search of Tamura’s studio apartment in Las Vegas, investigators found psychiatric medication and a suicide note in which he said he felt his parents were disappointed in him and apologized to his mother, police said.

60 yearsafter itscreation, safety netfaces cuts

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

Trumphas begunto chisel back Medicaid andfoodstamps ASSOCIATED

WASHINGTON On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation into law that launched Medicaid, creating aU.S. health care safety net for millions of low-income Americansinwhat would become one of the crowning achievements of his domestic legacy Ayearearlier,hedid the same for food stamps, drawing on President John F. Kennedy’sfirstexecutive order for the development of “a positive food and nutrition program for all Americans.”

This summer,with the strokeof apen, PresidentDonald Trump began to chisel them back.

The RepublicanParty’sbig tax and spending bill delivered not just $4.5 trillion in tax breaks for Americans but some of the most substantial changes to the landmark safety net programs in their history.The trade-off willcut more than $1 trillion over adecadefrom federal health care and food assistance, largely by imposing work requirements on those receiving aidand by shifting certain federal costs ontothe states.

While Republicans in Congress argue the trims are needed to rightsizethe federalprograms that have grown over the decades and to prevent rising federal deficits, they are also moving toward a long-sought GOP goal of shrinking the federal government and the services it provides

“We’re making the first changes to the welfare state in generations,” House SpeakerMikeJohnson, R-Benton, said in arecent podcast interview

As the tax breaks and spending cuts law begins to take shape, it is unleashing anew era of uncertainty for the safety net programs that millions of people in communities across the nationhave grown to depend on, with political ramifications to come.

Bigsafetynet changesahead

Polling shows most U.S. adults don’tthink the government is over-

President LyndonB.Johnson uses the last of

spending on the programs. Ameri-

cans broadly support increasing or maintainingexistinglevels of funding forpopular safety net programs, includingSocial Security and Medicare, according to the poll from TheAssociated Press-NORC Center forPublicAffairsResearch

Local governments are scramblingto figure out howthey will comply with the new landscape, calculatingwhether they will need to raise their owntaxes to cover costs, trimbudgets elsewhere or cutback the aid providedto Americans.

“Thecuts are really big, they are really broad and they are deeply damaging,”said Sharon Parrott, president of theCenter for Budget and Policy Priorities,aresearch institute in Washington.

“The consequences aremillions of people losinghealth care coverage,” shesaid. “Millionsofpeople losing food assistance. And thenet result of that is higher poverty, more hardship.”

At thesame time, certain people who receiveaid, including parents of teenagers andolder Americans up to age 64, will have to prepare to work, engage inclasses or do community service for 80 hours a monthtomeet new requirements.

Alltold, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates10million more people will end up without health insurance.

Some 3million fewer people will participateinthe Supplemental

NutritionalAssistance Program, known as SNAP.

“Peopleare really concerned what this meansfor their fiscal health,” saidMarkRitacco, chief governmental affairs officer at the National Association of Counties which heldits annual conference the week after Trump signedthe bill intolaw

The organizationhad pushed senators to delay thestart dates for some Medicaid changes,and it hopes thatfurtherconversations withlawmakersinCongresscan prevent some of themfrom ever taking hold. At its conference, questions swirled.

“We’retalking about Medicaid andSNAP —theseare people’s lives and livelihoods,” Ritacco said. Health care,food aidtrimmed

Republicansinsistthe law is adhering to Trump’svow not to touch Medicaid as thechanges rootout waste, fraud and abuse. Amemo from the House GOP’scampaign armencourages lawmakersto focus on the popularity of its new work requirements and restrictionsonbenefitsfor certain immigrants.

“Those safetynets are meant for asmall population of people —the elderly,disabled, young pregnant women who are single,” Johnson said on “The Benny Show.”

He said the years since the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, came into law,“everybody goton

thewagon.”

“Allthese young, able-bodied, young men who don’thave dependents, riding the wagon,” the speaker said.

Medicaid then andnow

WhenPresident Johnsonestablished Medicaidalongside Medicare —the health care program for seniors —aspart of the Social Security Amendments of 1965, it wasmeant for low-income families as well as the disabled.

Anditquickly took off. Almost everystate signed on to participate in Medicaid by 1970, according to the KFF, an organizationfocusedon health policy.Itsoon wentbeyond covering its core population to include pregnant women,schoolage children and not just the very poor butalsothose with incomes just over the federal poverty limit, whichisnow about$15,650annually for asingle person and $26,650 for afamily of three.

In the15years since the Affordable Care Act became law under President Barack Obama, Medicaidhas grown substantially as most states opted to join the federal expansion. Some 80 million adults and children are covered.

While the uninsured population hastumbled, the federal costs of providing Medicaidhavealso grown, to more than $880 billion ayear

“There are alot of effects Med-

icaid has on health, but the most stark thing that it does is that it saves lives,” said Bruce D. Meyer, an economist andpublic policy professor at the University of Chicago who co-authored apivotal study assessing the program

Thelaw’s changeswillcertainly save the federal government “a substantial amount of money,” he said, but that will come at “substantialincreases in mortality.And you have to decide what you value more.”

Food stamps, which had been offeredtowardthe endofthe Great Depression but were halted during WorldWar II amid rationed supplies, launched as afederal program when Johnson signed the Food StampAct of 1964 into law Today,SNAP providesalmost $200 in monthly benefits perpersontosome 40 million recipients nationwide.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries,D-N.Y.,who delivered the longest speech in House history while trying to stallthe bill, said the changes will hurt households and communities nationwide. “Who are these people?” Jeffries said. “Ripping health care away from theAmerican people.The largest cuts in Medicaid in American history.Ripping food out of themouthsofchildren, seniors and veterans whoare going to go hungry as aresult of this one big, ugly bill.”

BY REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

WASHINGTON The agency responsible for carrying out PresidentDonald Trump’s mass deportations is launching arecruitingcampaigntoentice “brave and heroic Americans” to serve as newdeportationofficers, lawyers and investigators as thegovernment gearsup for amajor expansionof immigration enforcement thanks to arecent infusion of money from Congress.

The U.S. Immigration and CustomsEnforcement campaign, which rolled out late Tuesday,recalls recruiting posters from World WarIIwith images of Uncle Sam and the words “AMERICA NEEDS YOU ”There also are photos of Trump andtop homeland security officials with thewords“DEFEND THE HOMELAND” across theimages.

“Your country is calling youtoserve at ICE,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in anews release.

Homeland Security is promising up to $50,000 in signing bonuses, the potential for lots of overtime for deportation officers and other benefits such as loan repayment or forgiveness options

The package of tax breaks and spending cuts that Trump signed intolaw thismonth includes about $170 billion forborder secu-

rity and immigrationenforcement,spread out over five years. ICE is set to get $76.5billion, nearly 10 times itscurrent annual budget. Some $45 billion will go towardincreasing detention capacity.Nearly$30 billionisfor hiring 10,000 more staff so theagency can meet its goal of 1million annual deportations.

New hires include deportation officers responsible for tracking down,arresting and removing people whothe administration determines no longer have the right to remain in the United States.

Under the Republican president,those officers are high-profile roles, making arrests at immigration courts, in the streets and at businesses. They often arecriticizedby immigration activists andDemocratic lawmakers for wearing masks while carrying outtheir duties.

On the recruitment webpage,the link to learn more about applying to be adeportation officer showsaphoto of an armored vehicle rolling down astreetwith officers in military gear hanging onto the sides of the vehicle.

Thegovernment is also seeking criminal investigators and lawyerswho will prosecute immigration cases.

The agency said it will advertise at college campuses,job fairs and law enforcement networks, starting this week.

Federal Reserve keeps interest rate unchanged

Powell sticks with patient approach to cuts, brushing off Trump’s demands

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON Federal Reserve

Chair Jerome Powell gave little indication on Wednesday of bowing anytime soon to President Donald Trump’s frequent demands that he cut interest rates, even as signs of dissent emerged on the Fed’s governing board.

The Fed left its key short-term interest rate unchanged for the fifth time this year, at about 4.3%, as was expected. But Powell also signaled that it could take months for the Fed to determine whether Trump’s sweeping tariffs will push up inflation temporarily or lead to a more persistent bout of higher prices. His comments suggest that a rate cut in September, which had been expected by some economists and investors, is now less likely “We’ve learned that the process will probably be slower than expected,” Powell said. “We think we have a long way to go to really understand exactly how” the tariffs will affect inflation and the economy

There were some signs of splits in the Fed’s ranks: Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle

CHIEF

Continued from page 1A

In addition to serving as police chief, Rondeno now acts as an internal auditor in the mold of the federal Department of Government Efficiency reviewing agency spending and operations to root out what he considers inefficient expenditures.

It was not clear when Rondeno’s promotion went into effect. He was hired last year at a salary of $160,000. He previously served as the chief of the University of New Orleans Police Department.

Rank-and-file police officers at the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East have also received higher pay hikes than other workers, the documents show signaling a new emphasis on policing at the flood control agency

His pay bump makes him one of the highest-paid public officials in the New Orleans metro area.

Rondeno now outearns Port of New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll, who makes $175,000. Gov Landry earns around $130,000 per year Mayor LaToya Cantrell makes about $200,000.

“Compare me to someone who’s doing a good job,” Rondeno said in an interview “The mayor of the city of New Orleans is in turmoil.” New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick is one of the few public officials who makes more than Rondeno. She commands a nearly 900-officer department and makes $364,000 per year, according to the city’s civil service department.

Rondeno, meanwhile oversees a 50-officer police force that is charged with keeping the region’s flood control structures safe from vandalism, providing escorts during storms and policing New Orleans’ lakefront neighborhoods For that work, his predecessor earned $110,000 in 2023. But Rondeno said his responsibilities have expanded and described his pay increase as “not a raise” but rather a “job title change and significant increase in responsibilities.” His expanded role now includes the title of compliance officer in addition to police chief. That role involves auditing spending, monitoring vehicle use to ensure that staff are not using work vehicles for personal tasks and generally looking for ways to save the agency money, Rondeno said. He and outgoing board president Roy Carubba say they have saved the agency

Bowman voted to reduce borrowing costs, while nine officials, including Powell, favored standing pat. It is the first time in more than three decades that two of the seven Washington-based governors have dissented. One official, Gov Adriana Kugler, was absent and didn’t vote.

had been trading slightly higher Wednesday, went negative after Powell’s comments.

The choice to hold off on a rate cut will almost certainly result in further conflict between the Fed and White House, as Trump has repeatedly demanded that the central bank reduce borrowing costs as part of his effort to assert control over one of the few remaining independent federal agencies.

Powell has in the past signaled during a news conference that a rate move might be on the table for an upcoming meeting, but he gave no such hints this time. The odds of a rate cut in September, according to futures pricing, fell from nearly 60% before the meeting to just 45% after the news conference, the equivalent of a coin flip, according to CME Fedwatch.

“We have made no decisions about September,” Powell said.

The chair acknowledged that if the Fed cut its rate too soon, inflation could move higher, and if it cut too late, then the job market could suffer Major U.S. stock indexes, which

$2 million by slashing unnecessary contracts. The agency did not provide documentation that details the savings figure.

Landry announced Tuesday he was removing Carubba as board president and replacing him with Peter Vicari, a contractor from Gonzales. Vicari, who joined the board last month, said he didn’t know that Rondeno had received a raise.

Car ubba had been Landry’s hand-picked choice to serve as board president, but his brief tenure was tumultuous and led to board members resigning in protest. He will remain on the board

Rondeno and Carubba sought to implement sweeping reforms at the agency in the last year The governor has largely delegated oversight of the agency to his unofficial deputy in New Orleans, businessman Shane Guidry, who said he was not aware of Rondeno’s promotion

Carubba and Rondeno defended the recent steps, saying they reflect positive impact at the agency

“I’d be really disappointed if this isn’t a glowing tribute to what this man has done to improve this agency in the last year,” Carubba said Rondeno has taken on an outsized role at the flood agency compared to prior police chiefs Earlier this year Carubba sought to assign Rondeno duties that had been under the purview of the regional director, the top staff position there. That position has been vacant since Kelli Chandler resigned from the role last year

In February the board overrode Carubba and placed the director of engineering, Chris Humphries, in the interim regional director position At the time, Carubba called the board’s move a “coup.”

Raises across the agency

Rondeno isn’t the only staffer at the agency who has gotten a significant pay bump Executive counsel Kirk Ordoyne now makes $205,000 a year, up from $177,000 last year, giving him the agency’s secondhighest salary Rondeno said that Ordoyne gets additional pay beyond his salary that makes him the highest-paid, but declined to provide additional information.

In recent years, the chief engineer at the flood protection agency has been the highest-paid employee.

Last week, Carubba hired a new regional director, Louis “Jeff” Williams, who comes to the agency from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He will be paid $230,000, Carubba said, making him the highest-paid agency employee when he

“The markets seem to think that Powell pushed back on a September rate cut,” said Lauren Goodwin, chief market strategist at New York Life Investments.

Powell also underscored that the vast majority of the committee agreed with a basic framework: Inflation is still above the Fed’s target of 2%, while the job market is still mostly healthy, so the Fed should keep rates elevated. On Thursday, the government will release the latest reading of the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, and it is expected to show that core prices, excluding energy and food, rose 2.7% from a year earlier

Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Financial, says he expects the tariffs will only temporarily raise inflation, but that it will take most of the rest of this year for that to become apparent. He doesn’t expect the Fed to cut until December

Trump argues that because the U.S. economy is doing well, rates should be lowered.

But unlike a blue-chip company that usually pays lower rates than a troubled startup, it’s different for an entire economy The Fed adjusts rates to either slow or speed growth, and would be more likely to keep them high if the economy is strong to prevent an inflationary outbreak.

Earlier Wednesday, the government said the economy expanded

starts on Monday Chandler, the last regional director, earned $176,000.

Annual salaries for the entire agency appear to be up about $2 million yearover-year, from $14 million to $16 million, according to the agency records. The average salary rose about 6% year-over-year and the agency’s head count increased from 217 a year ago to 236 as of July 23.

Among the agency’s rankand-file, cops received larger raises than the rest of the workforce. The average pay for officers, excluding Rondeno’s salary, is up about $8,000 year-over-year, from $57,000 to $65,000. Across the entire agency, salaries are up just $4,000 year-overyear

Total spending on police salaries is up 40%, or $1 million, year-over-year

Guidry who helped bring Troop NOLA, a unit of the Louisiana State Police, to New Orleans to assist the city’s understaffed police force, has stressed that he hopes the flood agency’s cops will perform standard police duties, rather than exclusively protecting the levees.

“We don’t want officers watching grass grow,” he said previously Rebecca Mowbray, the president and CEO of the Bureau of Government Research, said the pay increases for agency police raised questions about its priorities.

“BGR had noticed this spring that the budget does include more money allocated for police,” she said. “I think the public should understand more about why these law enforcement budgets have gone up.”

Carubba emphasized that the increase in spending on salaries agencywide was the result of eliminating contracts and bringing work in-house.

For example, “by eliminating outside grass-cutting services, we’re hiring people internally,” he said.

Rondeno’s role expands Rondeno’s new job description states that he’s responsible for audits, investigating “contracting concerns” and protecting whistleblowers, among other tasks.

Rondeno appears to have taken on some of the responsibilities assigned to the regional director despite the board’s previous opposition to his doing so. Humphries, who had been serving as interim regional director, retired at the beginning of June.

The Times-Picayune requested an internal organizational chart that the agency said was used to approve time off requests. The agency denied the records

at a healthy 3% annual rate in the second quarter, though that figure followed a negative reading for the first three months of the year, when the economy shrank 0.5% at an annual rate. Most economists averaged the two figures to get a growth rate of about 1.2% for the first half of this year

The dissents from Waller and Bowman likely reflect jockeying to replace Powell, whose term ends in May 2026. Waller in particular has been mentioned as a potential future Fed chair Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan Chase, said in a note to clients this week that if the pair were to dissent, “it would say more about auditioning for the Fed chair appointment than about economic conditions.”

Bowman, meanwhile, last dissented in September 2024, when the Fed cut its key rate by a halfpoint. She said she preferred a quarter-point cut instead, and cited the fact that inflation was still above 2.5% as a reason for caution.

Waller said earlier this month that he favored cutting rates, but for very different reasons than Trump has cited: Waller thinks that growth and hiring are slowing, and that the Fed should reduce borrowing costs to forestall a rise in unemployment.

There are other camps on the Fed’s 19-member rate-setting committee only 12 of the 19 vote on rate decisions In June, seven

request, stating that “the public record you seek does not exist.”

Employees at the agency shared the chart with The Times-Picayune. It shows Rondeno at the top of an organizational structure, meaning that he is responsible for approving time off requests for other officials at the agency

That’s a task that Rondeno said was previously under the purview of the regional director Without one, that authority has fallen to him.

The internal organizational chart does not match

members signaled that they supported leaving rates unchanged through the end of this year, while two suggested they preferred a single rate cut. The other half supported more reductions, with eight officials backing two cuts, and two — widely thought to be Waller and Bowman — supporting three reductions.

The dissents could be a preview of what might happen after Powell steps down, if Trump appoints a replacement who pushes for the much lower interest rates the White House desires. Other Fed officials could push back if a future chair sought to cut rates by more than economic conditions would otherwise support.

Overall, the committee’s quarterly forecasts in June suggested the Fed would cut twice this year There are only three more Fed policy meetings — in September, October and December

When the Fed cuts its rate, it often but not always results in lower borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.

Some economists agree with Waller’s concerns about the job market Excluding government hiring, the economy added just 74,000 jobs in June, with most of those gains occurring in health care.

“We are in a much slower job hiring backdrop than most people appreciate,” said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at PGIM Fixed Income.

the agency’s official, public-facing structure, which is published as part of the agency’s emergency management plan That structure has Rondeno reporting to the board president alongside the other agency directors.

Carubba has stated repeatedly that Landry charged him with three tasks: Making sure no one floods due to storm surge, bolstering the agency’s police force, and implementing “good governance.” Guidry has described the third mandate as rooting out “waste,

fraud and abuse,” echoing terms used by the federal Department of Government Efficiency Rondeno’s promotion, in Carubba’s view, advances those mandates.

“We are better able to do our job. Our people are more motivated,” he said. “I, as the board president, chose to give (Rondeno) that title, which is unprecedented. And I did it because our mission is so critical.”

Email Alex Lubben at alex.lubben@theadvocate. com.

commitment to serving the city of New Orleans,” Cantrell said. Getting his start

Before coming to New Orleans, Montaño worked as chief of staff in city government in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He said he initially figured he would stay a few years and move on to another city management position elsewhere. But he formed an unexpected bond with the city, learning early that “if you hug and love this city, it’s going to hug and love you back.”

He didn’t expect the severity of the city’s historical governance challenges: shoddy infrastructure racial tension and friction with state government, to name a few “I underestimated the battles that would soon ensue,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to be so hard so, so hard — to do almost simple things.”

Montaño said his faith and sense of duty to the city compelled him to stay in the position, even as scorched-earth battles between the mayor and council members, competing agendas within the administration and a swirl of controversies around Cantrell have engulfed City Hall.

To navigate those conflicts, Montaño said he tried to build bridges while maintaining his independence. He played peacemaker when possible, staking out common priorities that warring executive and legislative branches could get behind. And when necessary, he publicly departed from the administration’s line, to say what he thought was right.

“I think that there’s too much of a presumption of, ‘If I win that means you have to lose,’” Montaño said, referring to relationships between the branches of government and also within the Cantrell administration. “I come from a perspective like, ‘We both can win.’ And I wish that was more thematic of the administration and the city.”

For the most part, Montaño managed to earn the confidence of both the mayor and her fierce critics on the council. Cantrell has regularly deferred to Montaño in public town hall meetings, and council members who worked closely with Montaño have praised his candor and trustworthiness.

“It’s pretty remarkable that he’s

been able to navigate somehow for seven years, having a straight line to the mayor and to the council. That could not have been an easy task,” said council member Joe Giarrusso, who has worked closely with Montaño on the city budget as chair of the Budget Committee.

Balancing act

The balancing act appeared to crumble over the last year, however, as Montaño appeared out of step with Cantrell and divisions within the administration became plain.

In November, Montaño joined Giarrusso in announcing a $90 million settlement in the Orleans Parish School Board’s lawsuit against the city The mayor and the chief financial officer, Romy Samuel, tanked the deal two months later, claiming the mayor hadn’t been informed of it and the city’s dire financial straits couldn’t accommodate it.

Montaño, who said he viewed the issue through a budgetary lens, later conceded he had no authority to commit the administration to a legal settlement that’s the city attorney’s job. But he and Samuel openly disagreed on the condition of the city budget, as council mem-

CONTRACT

Continued from page 1A

Supreme Court ruled on the facts and are excited to continue providing the people of New Orleans with the high level of service they expect and deserve in the French Quarter.”

The last-minute high court intervention heads off the spectacle of the two companies working the same job under different contracts. But Henry is still awaiting the fate of a separate, long-term contract for the same work he won last year through a competitive solicitation.

That contract is now tied up in a different court case, and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear arguments Aug. 5. The two cases over Henry Consulting’s emergency and long-term contracts are related, and both involve the balance of power between the city’s executive and legislative branches. But the actual legal questions are much different. Henry Consulting’s pending lawsuit accuses the council of usurping executive contracting authority Plaintiffs in the lawsuit over the emergency contract — along with Attorney General Liz Murrill, who filed an amicus brief — accuse Cantrell of abusing her emergency power IV Waste, which already services most of the city, was brought in on an emer-

gency basis in December after the City Council refused to sign off on Henry’s sevenyear, $73 million contract. Henry sued the council, claiming it has no legal role in city contracts, despite a 2022 ordinance giving the council signing authority on certain professional service contracts.

Judge Paulette Irons agreed with Henry and ordered the council to sign the contract, but the order is stayed while the council appeals. Cantrell announced in April she would terminate the IV Waste contract and move forward with Henry Consulting’s long-term contract, even though — for the moment it requires the council president’s signature to be valid That infuriated council members and many French Quarter residents and businesses who laud IV Waste’s services. State lawmakers empowered the French Quarter Management District, a state-created public agency, to hire its own vendor when the city doesn’t have a lawful sanitation contract in place.

Earlier this month, Cantrell issued a surprise emergency declaration and signed Henry to an $8.3 million emergency contract. Cantrell said the lack of a sanitation contract justified the emergency, again angering council members and others who accused Cantrell of declaring a false emergency to install her preferred contractor

bers accused the mayor of ginning up a financial crisis to suit her political needs.

The reality, as Montaño and Samuel eventually agreed, was somewhere in the middle of the polarized rhetoric: The city is facing real economic uncertainty in years ahead, not to mention a $70 million deficit this year, but it is nowhere near the verge of collapse, as Cantrell and Samuel had suggested.

Another split in an even more heated controversy came in April, when Montaño publicly disagreed with Cantrell’s decision to terminate IV Waste’s emergency sanitation contract for the French Quarter and Downtown Development District.

And just this month, Montaño — along with Threat and Sanitation Director Matt Torri told the council in a public meeting that Cantrell blindsided them by signing Henry Consulting to an emergency sanitation contract. The previous day, they claimed, Cantrell had agreed to extend the existing emergency contract with IV Waste after hearing their concerns about Henry Consulting’s readiness.

Montaño said there wasn’t much internal discussion after he and

An IV Waste employee pressure washes the sidewalk on Decatur Street in the French Quarter on July 21.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Cantrell, Henry and their lawyers blame the council for creating the emergency by failing to sign off on the long-term contract they say Henry rightfully won. They say he is entitled the to emergency contract while the long-term one is sorted out in court.

On WBOK Thursday, Henry said he remains “confident in our case” on the long-term contract. “We’ll have to battle them on a different front,” he said. “But we remain steadfast.”

Following the Supreme Court’s order, City Council President JP Morrell called on Cantrell to rescind her termination of IV Waste’s emergency contract with the city so that downtown areas outside of the French Quarter Management District may continue receiving sanitation services without interruption.

“If she does nothing, the FQMD Emergency contract kicks in and a significant part of downtown loses all of these services,” he said.

In a statement, Cantrell did not indicate whether she would consider rescinding the cancellation of IV Waste’s emergency deal.

“While the city respects the recent decision of the Supreme Court regarding trash collection in the French Quarter, we respectfully disagree with the court’s rationale,” Cantrell said.

Email Ben Myers at bmyers@theadvocate.com.

confusion has not come from us.”

“Confusion has come from other entities intentionally trying to distract,” Cantrell said.

Giarrusso said he and Montaño

“developed a rhythm” in working on the budget, but said Montaño didn’t click as easily with others in City Hall and has recently grown more isolated. Giarrusso said Cantrell hasn’t allowed Montaño the necessary authority to do his job, but he also said Montaño has struggled with the political nature of it.

“Gilbert never loved the inside game. He never loved having to do all the things with all the players,” Giarrusso said. “I think in a way that hurt some of the progress he wanted to make, because a lot of times you need people advocating for you inside and outside.”

Council member Oliver Thomas, who is competing with Moreno in the mayoral election, noted that Montaño was particularly close with Cantrell’s biggest nemeses on the council: Moreno, Morrell and Giarrusso. Thomas praised Montaño’s expertise on public finances, but stopped short when asked if he trusted Montaño.

the other officials disclosed their version of events leading up to the controversial emergency contract.

“We didn’t shift on what we thought from the beginning. So it was not unexpected that we would have kept the same position,” Montaño said.

‘Never loved the inside game’

Yet the episode was emblematic of what council Vice President Helena Moreno said are the administration’s unpredictable mixed signals, which she said has made it difficult to know who has the mayor’s ear

“He would think things were going in the right direction, whether it’s the School Board settlement or the sanitation contract, where it’s like things seem to be fine. And then next thing, they’re not,” said Moreno, who is running to replace Cantrell. “That was the very confusing part as well, the changing of her mind and then really throwing Gilbert under the bus.”

Cantrell has said she never agreed to the School Board settlement. Asked on Wednesday if the public disagreements risked creating confusion on the administration’s positions, Cantrell said “the

“I never got to that level of depth with him,” Thomas said. “It’s very difficult for me to trust people politically, when there were so many different people inside the administration that said so many different things.”

At least once, the swirling controversies of Cantrell’s second term personally ensnared Montaño Federal prosecutors last fall described a private electrical inspector accused of bribing Cantrell giving Montaño football tickets in an indictment of that inspector

Montaño was never accused of wrongdoing in the case. People close to a federal investigation of Cantrell have described the probe as losing steam.

Montaño said the episode was a painful experience emblematic of the challenges his years in city government threw at him. Still, he said he is leaving on good terms with both the mayor and the council.

“It’s so important as a man, a leader, a father, that I have perseverance and keep my head straight,” Montaño said. “You keep your head straight, you persevere. It’s not easy.”

Email James Finn at jfinn@ theadvocate.com.

Microsoft cloud revenue hits $75B

REDMOND Wash. — Microsoft said Wednesday that annual revenue for its flagship cloud computing platform rose 34% to $75 billion.

The Azure cloud business has been a centerpiece of Microsoft’s efforts to shift its focus to artificial intelligence.

The software giant said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit was $34.3 billion, or $3.65 per share, beating analyst expectations for $3.37 per share. It posted revenue of $76.4 billion in the April-June period, up 18% from last year. Analysts polled by FactSet Research had been looking for revenue of $73.86 billion Microsoft has announced layoffs of about 15,000 workers this year even as its profits have soared.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told employees last week the layoffs were “weighing heavily” on him but also positioned them as an opportunity to reimagine the company’s mission for an AI era.

Promises of a leaner approach have been welcomed on Wall Street, especially as Microsoft and other tech giants are trying to justify huge amounts of capital spending to pay for the data centers, chips and other components required to power AI technology.

European economy sees 0.1% growth

FRANKFURT Germany Europe’s economy barely grew in the April-June quarter as frantic earlier efforts to ship goods ahead of new U.S. tariffs went into reverse and output fell for the continent’s biggest economy, Germany.

Gross domestic product grew an anemic 0.1% compared to the previous quarter in the 20 countries that use the euro currency, the EU statistics agency Eurostat reported Wednesday Growth was 1.4% over the same quarter a year ago. And prospects are mediocre for the coming months, given the 15% tariff, or import tax, imposed on European goods in the U.S. under the EU-U.S. trade deal announced Sunday The higher tariff will burden European exports with higher costs to either be passed on to U.S. consumers or swallowed in the form of lower profits.

“With the 15% U.S. universal tariff likely to subtract around 0.2% from the region’s GDP, growth is likely to remain weak in the rest of this year,” said Franziska Palmas, senior Europe economist at Capital Economics.

Spire to buy Tennessee utility for $2.5 billion

ST LOUIS Gas utility company Spire announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to acquire the biggest investor-owned gas utility in Tennessee for nearly $2.5 billion. The deal is expected to close early next year and requires regulatory approval in Tennessee.

The move will give Spire control of Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of North Carolina-based Duke Energy Piedmont which will become known as Spire Tennessee after the deal closes serves more than 200,000 customers in the Nashville area.

Spire, based in St. Louis, said in a news release that the move “significantly increases” the scale of its gas business, with Piedmont operating nearly 3,800 miles of pipelines and serving “one of the fastestgrowing regions in the U.S.” in the Nashville metro area.

“This acquisition is a natural fit for Spire, allowing us to expand our core utility business and increase our utility customer base to nearly two million homes and businesses,” said Scott Doyle, Spire’s president and CEO, in the release. “We look forward to serving customers in the Nashville area.”

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

Strong second quarter charges U.S. economy

A worker works on the roofing structure of new home under construction in Richardson, Texas. America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rebounded after falling at a 0.5% clip from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

Reports suggests consumer uncertainty persists

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The U.S. economy expanded at a surprising 3% annual pace from April through June, bouncing back at least temporarily from a first-quarter drop that reflected disruptions from President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

Still, details of the report suggested that U.S. consumers and businesses are wary about the economic uncertainty arising from Trump’s radical campaign to restructure the American economy by slapping big taxes — tariffs on imports from around the world.

“Headline numbers are hiding the economy’s true performance, which is slowing as tariffs take a bite out of activity,” Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic wrote.

America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services rebounded after falling at a 0.5% clip from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday The first-quarter drop, the first retreat of the U.S. economy in three years, was mainly caused by a surge in imports — which are subtracted from GDP as businesses scrambled to bring in foreign goods ahead of Trump’s

tariffs. The bounceback was expected but its strength was a surprise: Economists had forecast 2% growth from April through June.

From April through June, a drop in imports — the biggest since the COVID-19 outbreak added more than 5 percentage points to growth. Consumer spending registered lackluster growth of 1.4%, though it was an improvement over the first quarter’s 0.5%.

Private investment fell at a 15.6% annual pace, the biggest drop since COVID-19 slammed the economy A drop in inventories — as businesses worked down goods they’d stockpiled in the first quarter — shaved 3.2 percentage points off second-quarter growth. A category within the GDP data that measures the economy’s underlying strength weakened in the second quarter, expanding at a 1.2% annual pace, down from 1.9% from January through March and the weakest since the end of 2022. This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending.

Federal government spending and investment fell at a 3.7% annual rate on top of a 4.6% drop in the first quarter Wednesday’s GDP report showed inflationary pressure

easing in the second quarter

The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge the personal consumption expenditures price index — rose at an annual rate of 2.1% in the second quarter down from 3.7% in the first. Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation rose 2.5%, down from 3.5% in the first quarter

On his Truth Social media platform, Trump heralded the GDP gain and stepped up his pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates: “2Q GDP JUST OUT: 3%, WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED! “Too Late” MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE. No Inflation! Let people buy, and refinance, their homes!”

Trump sees tariffs as a way to protect American industry, lure factories back to the United States and help pay for the massive tax cuts he signed into law July 4. But mainstream economists — viewed with disdain by Trump and his advisers say that his tariffs will damage the economy, raising costs and making protected U.S. companies less efficient. They note that tariffs are paid by importers in the United States, who try to pass along the cost to their customers via higher prices. Therefore, tariffs can be inflationary — though their impact so far has been modest.

Stocks fall as hopes weaken for interest rate cuts

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK Most U.S. stocks slipped on Wednesday after doubts rose on Wall Street about whether the Federal Reserve will deliver economy-juicing cuts to interest rates by September

The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1%, coming off its first loss after setting all-time highs for six successive days The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 171 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%.

Stocks felt pressure from rising Treasury yields in the bond market after the Federal Reserve voted to hold its main interest rate steady The move may upset President Donald Trump, who has been angrily lobbying for lower interest rates, but it was widely expected on Wall Street.

Trump on Wednesday announced a 25% tariff on imports coming from India, along with an additional tax because of India’s purchases of Russian oil, beginning on Aug. 1. That’s when stiff tariffs Trump has proposed for many other countries are also scheduled to kick in, unless they reach trade deals that lower the rates.

“The economy is in good shape, but it’s in an unusual situation,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said. He also said that the Fed will receive two months’ worth of data on inflation, the job market and other economic indicators before it meets again to vote on rates in September That could give the Fed more confidence that the risk of high inflation is no longer bigger than the risk of a weak job market, a combination that would prod officials toward lowering rates.

Powell’s comments drove traders to pare back bets on a cut in September They now see just a 45% chance of that, down from a nearly 65% probability a day earlier, according to data from CME Group. On Wall Street, Humana rose 12.4% after the insurer and health care giant reported stronger results for the spring than expected. It also raised its forecasts for profit and revenue over the full year Video-game maker Electronic Arts climbed 5.7% after likewise topping Wall Street’s expectations. Companies are under pressure to deliver solid profit growth. They need to in order to justify the big jumps in their stock prices during recent months, which has caused some critics to say the broad U.S. stock market looks too expensive. Starbucks slipped 0.2% after reporting a weaker profit than analysts expected as it tries to turn around its operations. The company is hoping to boost its performance through improved store operations and new products, including a cold foam protein drink.

There’s more to tech layoffs than meets the eye

BY MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writer

If you read the typical 2025 mass layoff notice from a tech industry CEO, you might think that artificial intelligence cost workers their jobs.

The reality is more complicated with companies trying to signal to Wall Street that they’re making themselves more efficient as they prepare for broader changes wrought by AI.

A new report Wednesday from career website Indeed shows tech job postings in July were down 36% from their early 2020 levels, with AI one but not the most obvious factor in stalling a rebound.

ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022 also corresponded with the end of a pandemic-era hiring binge, making it hard to isolate AI’s role in the hiring doldrums that followed.

“We’re kind of in this period where the tech job market is weak, but other areas of the job market

have also cooled at a similar pace,” said Brendon Bernard, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab. “Tech job postings have actually evolved pretty similarly to the rest of the economy, including relative to job postings where there really isn’t that much exposure to AI.” That nuance is not always clear from the last six months of tech layoff emails, which often include a nod to AI in addition to expressions of sympathy When he announced mass layoffs earlier this year, Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach invited employees to consider the bigger picture: “Companies everywhere are reimagining how work gets done, and the increasing demand for AI has the potential to drive a new era of growth for Workday.”

Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost explained that a need to shift resources to “accelerate investments” in AI was one of the reasons the company had to cut 1,350, or about 9%, of workers.

The “Why We’re Doing This” section of CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz’s announcement of 5% job cuts said the cybersecurity company needed to double down on AI investments to “accelerate execution and efficiency.”

“AI flattens our hiring curve, and helps us innovate from idea to product faster,” Kurtz wrote.

It’s not just U.S. companies. In India, tech giant Tata Consultancy Services recently characterized its 12,000 layoffs or 2% of its workforce, as part of a shift to a “FutureReady organization” that would be realigning its workforce and “deploying AI at scale for our clients and ourselves.”

Even the Japanese parent company of Indeed and Glassdoor has cited an AI shift in its notice of 1,300 layoffs at the job search and workplace review sites.

Microsoft has announced layoffs of about 15,000 workers this year, even as its profits have soared. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

told employees last week that the layoffs were “weighing heavily” on him but also positioned them as an opportunity to re-imagine the company’s mission for an AI era. Promises of a leaner approach have been welcomed on Wall Street, especially from tech giants that are trying to justify huge amounts of capital spending to pay for the data centers, chips and other components required to power AI technology

“It’s this sort of double-edged sword restructuring that I think a lot of tech giants are encountering in this age of AI, where they have to find the right balance between maintaining an appropriate head count, but also allowing artificial intelligence to come to the forefront,” said Bryan Hayes, a strategist at Zacks Investment Research. Google said last week it would raise its budget for capital expenditures by an additional $10 billion to $85 billion. Microsoft is expected to outline similar guidance soon.

correspondence, Mr.Jones has not been rearrested, and is presumably ‘on the run,’ ”Williams wrote in the April 8letter to SheriffSusan Hutson, which called his release a“grave error.” The letter wasobtained by TheTimes-Picayune. “I hope youwill take this opportunitytoreview your policies and procedures to ensure that nothing like this occurs again.”

Thesameday,ajudgeissueda warrant forJones’ arrest, according to courtrecords.Jones turned himself in on April 14,after 134 days passed since his release.

OPSO disputed that his release was amistake. In astatement

Wednesday, OPSO said Joneswas released on bond with anankle monitor and remained “in the continuous custody” of OPSO.

“He was nevermistakenly released,” OPSO said.“What occurredwas part of an internal cleanup of administrativerecords.

Specifically,the closure of oneof Mr.Jones’other case folders. Thisaction was taken for recordkeeping clarity and did not cause achange in his physical custody or legal status.”

OPSOaddedthat any suggestion of Jones’ mistaken release is “factuallyincorrect.”

In an interview,Jones’sown attorney,WilliamBoggs, acknowledgedJones’releaseasan“error,” addingthat “he shouldn’thave been allowed to bond out.”

Jones didn’t knowitwas amistake and surrendered himselfat acourtappearance“as soon as he wasmadeaware,” Boggs said.

Keith Lampkin, aDistrictAttorney’sOffice spokesperson, said thestate’sattorneys “witnessed (Jones) comingintothe courtroom from off the street,” and Boggs confirmedJones“wasnot being housed atthe jail.”His trial is now scheduled forAugust.

Sexcharges involved aminor

Jones’ felony kidnapping and sex trafficking charges stem from aSeptember 2018 arrest.Prosecu-

tors say they have hotel surveillancefootage showing Jones with a 13-year-old victim, who said Jones paid her for asex act.

“The victim was kept at the hotel with(Jones) wherein she was sexually abused and trafficked for several days,” prosecutorswrote in court filings. While out on bond in that case, Jones was arrested in May2024 andcharged with punching the motherofhis childinthe face, according to court documents. A judgethenrevokedJones’earlier

release, ordering he be held without bond on his felony charges.

Jones later picked up acontraband charge while in jail: Prosecutors say he wascaught with a 7-inch shank.

ButonDec. 2, after Jones posted abond on hiscontraband case, OPSO “erroneouslyreleased (Jones) on allcharges,” Williams said in his letter directed to OPSO, adding that the matter“reveals that remedial measures must be taken by your organization to imposeredundancies andsafeguards” around therelease of detainees.

‘Multiplefailures’

Hutsonisfacing anew round of questions after her apology and admission last weekthat OPSO accidentally released Bryan earlier in theday.Hewas supposed to be held on a$125,000 bond fora host of felony charges, including aggravated assault with afirearm Hutson blamed the Bryan mixup on “human error,” stating that Bryanshared asimilar namewith another detainee who was in line

forarelease.

Hutson’soffice hasn’treleased more details, and anumber of questions remain about how exactly Bryan wasallowed to slip by undetected.

Matt Dennis, who owns alongrunning ankle monitoring outfit, said the process for bonding out detainees at the jail can take hours and normally involves layers of safeguards.

Bond agents sign documentation verifying thedetainee’srelease. Jail processing staff fingerprint detainees on adigital scanner, which is supposed to flag any outstanding warrants or detainers. Street clothes and other property surrendereduponbooking arereturned.

And during each step, jail staff aresupposedtoscan adigital wristband worn by every detainee, Dennis said. The wristbands are cutoff only in the finalmoments before detainees walk outthe door, he said.

“You had to have multiple failures on multiple levels for this to happen,” Dennis said.

NewOrleans Forecast

Orleans Parish judge steps down

Derbigny drew scrutiny for slow court docket

BY JILLIAN KRAMER Staff writer

Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Darryl Derbigny, who has served on the bench for more than two decades and has presided over the court’s slowest moving docket, will retire Friday.

Derbigny submitted his resignation letter to the Louisiana secretary of state on Wednesday, ac-

cording to a copy of the notarized letter obtained by The Times-Picayune.

The letter, dated Wednesday, does not offer a reason for his retirement. He did not return a phone call Wednesday evening.

Derbigny’s departure comes after The Times-Picayune reported that his section — Section J — had the highest number of lingering homicide cases in the courthouse, as part of an extensive analysis of all homicide prosecutions over the last decade in Orleans Parish.

Homicide cases in Derbigny’s section take about twice as long to resolve from arrest to disposition as cases in the court’s fastest section, The Times-

Picayune found. Over the past year and a half, Derbigny has faced increasing scrutiny In May, the Louisiana Supreme Court quietly appointed retired Judge Calvin Johnson to preside over his section of court, after Derbigny stepped away without public explanation. That move followed a report by the Metropolitan Crime Commission which found Derbigny ranked dead last among the court’s 12 judges on three key efficiency measures The commission also

shed light on Derbigny’s bloated docket in 2008, the same year he won his first reelection. At the time, Derbigny derided the commission’s findings as “a snapshot in time” and “dated.”

After 10 incarcerated defendants escaped the city’s jail in June, state officials including Gov Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill said publicly they would push for judicial review of the court’s slowest-moving cases.

ä See JUDGE, page 2B

Grocer loses store closure suit

BY DESIREE STENNETT Staff writer

Revised ‘One Lake’ plan meets fierce opposition Corps proposes damming Pearl River to mitigate flooding

other parts of the project. While the plan has drawn praise from some in Jackson who see it as a boon for flood control and economic development, Louisiana residents at both this meeting, and one held in Slidell a year ago, have expressed worry about its impact in Louisiana State and federal representatives like U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, have weighed in. Gov. Jeff Landry, too, has called for the Corps to consider any “potential adverse impacts.”

The Corps is considering two plans, one with a lake and the other without. While the Corps maintains that neither plan would have any downstream effects in Louisiana, others questioned that claim at the meeting Wednesday.

Suspect in hit-and-run arrested

Man run over while lying in Metairie street

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

One week after a Kenner man died after being run over by a vehicle while lying on a Metairie street, authorities have arrested the alleged driver

Jacob April, 43, of Metairie, was booked Friday with hit-and-run involving a serious injury or fatality, said Sgt. Brandon Veal, spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office April is accused of being behind the wheel of a pickup truck that ran over 22-year-old Shawn Morgan at the intersection of Brockenbraugh Court and Claudius Street in Metairie on the morning of July 18, authorities said. Deputies were called to the scene about 6 a.m. to investigate a report of an unresponsive man. They discovered Morgan on the ground with visible injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. An autopsy determined that Morgan died of blunt force injuries caused by a motor vehicle, the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office said.

The Sheriff’s Office did not disclose how they identified April as a suspect in the case He was taken into custody at his home in Metairie, Veal said. April was released from the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna on Monday on a $100,000 bail.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

UL’s Savoie steps down after 17 years

Provost Hebert named interim president

BY MEGAN WYATT and ASHLEY WHITE Staff writers

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette‘s longtime president Joseph Savoie is stepping down from his role after nearly two decades leading the university, having overseen expansions of campus research, upgrades to campus facilities and a major fundraising campaign.

Savoie, the university’s sixth president, has led the school since July 2008 and will transition Friday into a new position as the university’s president emeritus. Mark Romero, the chair of the UL system Board of Supervisors, announced Savoie’s retirement on Wednesday during a board meeting.

“It’s been an interesting 17 years,” Savoie told the board after the announcement. “We’ve made some improvements. Hopefully, we’ve left the university in a better place than when we found it and got a solid foundation to continue to grow and develop.”

Savoie’s decision to step down has likely been in the works for weeks and comes on the heels of the departure of the university’s longtime vice president for administration and finance, Jerry Luke LeBlanc.

Savoie met July 2 in his office with Romero and UL system President Rick Gallot. While all three confirmed at the time that the meeting had taken place, they all denied that Savoie was leaving the university when a reporter reached out that day His term was not set to end until June 30, 2026, according to a Jan. 27 letter of appointment that noted a recent satisfactory evaluation by the UL system board.

Savoie’s compensation package included an annual salary of

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a written statement

Murrill

$510,500, housing on the UL campus and the use of a vehicle or a vehicle allowance of $1,000 per month. He’ll keep the salary in his new role of president emeritus, in which he’ll work on “strengthening external partnerships,” according to an email sent Wednesday across campus.

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to have served,” Savoie told the board “And hopefully I’ve still got a little bit of juice left in me.”

Jaimie Hebert, UL’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, was named interim president of the university during Wednesday’s board meeting.

“I am both humbled and confident in the task that I have ahead of me,” Hebert, a UL alum, told the board. “I’m confident because I believe to the core in the transformative power of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I’ve experienced it myself personally.”

After the board meeting, university staff and alumni lined up in front of Martin Hall and greeted Savoie and Hebert with a roar of cheers.

“It’s heartwarming and totally unexpected,” Savoie said. “We have a family environment here at the university among faculty and staff. That’s what families do for one another.”

Savoie said Hebert was “exceptionally prepared” to take over the university and that, as an alum, he “loves the place like the rest of us do.”

After stepping down from the presidency, Savoie said he’ll help with projects that include the current capital campaign and fundraising opportunities. He’ll also help with “whatever Dr Hebert and the board asks me to do.”

A UL graduate

UL employees received an email Wednesday afternoon with a letter from Savoie announcing his decision to step down.

“Higher education has changed immensely in the past two decades,” Savoie said in the letter.

“The expectations on colleges and universities are as great as they have ever been and meeting those

said it was spearheading the prosecution of 546 cases in New Orleans’ criminal court. She said she had worked alongside the Louisiana Supreme Court to find solutions to reduce the section’s caseload and its ripple effects in the court.

“This is just another piece of the puzzle when it comes to some of the issues” in New Orleans, she said, including those that contributed to the jail escape The Times-Picayune has repeat-

responsibilities to our community today and to generations that follow — requires new ideas and fresh approaches.”

Savoie is a UL alum, having attended the university in the 1970s and early 1980s, and has a background in educational leadership.

Under his leadership, UL earned the prestigious Carnegie R1 classification, which puts it among the top 5% of the nation’s research institutions. Research and development spending at the university increased by 193% between 2013 and 2021, according to the Higher Education Research and Development Survey

Savoie also oversaw significant enhancements to campus facilities, including the construction of a more modern student union.

Romero and Gallot lauded Savoie’s achievements Wednesday, with Gallot describing him as “a once-in-a-generation leader who has served his alma mater faithfully and well during a period of extraordinary change and challenge.” Romero told the board that Savoie had positioned the university to build on his momentum and thanked him for his service.

Savoie previously served as the state’s commissioner of higher education. He also was a cabinet member in the administrations of three governors M.J “Mike” Foster, Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal.

Savoie is the second high-profile figure to leave UL in the past three months.

LeBlanc, who also was appointed to his position as vice president of administration and finance in 2008, resigned in May His resignation came three weeks after a heated meeting of the UL system board during which Romero and other members questioned Savoie and LeBlanc about why UL had repeat findings in a March report from the Louisiana legislative auditor

The board also named an interim replacement for LeBlanc during the board meeting Wednesday, putting Edwin Litolff in the role of interim vice president of finance. Litolff previously served as vice president and chief financial offi-

edly sought information from the Louisiana Supreme Court about Derbigny’s leave of absence and its plans for his section The high court denied a public records request for the letter Derbigny sent requesting the temporary appointment, in addition to other records.

The Supreme Court has not responded to requests for additional appointments to Derbigny’s courtroom. Derbigny was first elected in 2002 to the criminal court, and is serving

Continued from page 1B

“I don’t have any issue with Jackson getting a lake, if they want a lake. I just don’t want it to affect us,” said state Rep Brian Glorioso, R-Slidell. “We don’t truly know what the effects are going to be downstream.”

Jessica Gauley, the owner of Honey Island Kayak Tours, didn’t buy that the projects would not affect Louisiana, saying she monitors water levels on the Pearl in Jackson every day to see what her workweek will be like.

More than a dozen residents spoke at the meeting at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium, with many calling for a study specifically on the area of the Pearl River south of Jackson.

Brandon Davis, a planning lead at the Corps’ Vicksburg District, said the Corps is not authorized to pursue such a study

The Corps’ assessment of the downstream effects of the projects is based on a hydraulic analysis that looked at inundation and sedimentation, Davis said. That was not a detailed analysis and did not look into issues like erosion, Davis said.

“I certainly do agree and understand the peoples’ concerns,” he said, but added that a study of the downstream effects would require additional authority and likely additional funding from Congress.

Four members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation, including Sen. John Kennedy, Sen. Bill Cassidy, as well as Scalise and Rep. Troy Carter noted the need for a study of the downstream effects in a letter to Corps in 2024. Kennedy and Cassidy, like Scalise, are Republicans. Carter is a Democrat.

Lake or no lake?

In addition to building a weir and a 1,556-acre lake, the Corps’ revised “D1” plan would also see the clearing and grubbing of 954 acres along the river for channel bank improvements and the construction of four levees to protect 705 homes and 40 industrial sites in the Jackson area.

cer for the UL system and, most recently served as vice president for finance and administration of the University of New Orleans during a financial crisis.

He told the board it was “a bittersweet moment” to leave UNO, which he said is now on the right track.

“It’s disappointing for me not to be able to continue that on and see that success go because there’s so much opportunity there,” Litolff said. “But to have the opportunity to come to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is an exciting opportunity, and I look forward to working with everybody there to do my best to make the institution better and to help in every way possible.”

Audits raised questions

Of the four findings of concern noted by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office for records for the 2023-24 fiscal year, two had been issues for four consecutive years.

One was a repeat finding for three consecutive years and one was a new problem.

The findings were related to the university’s late billing of grants and contracts and inadequate controls for personnel expenses related to research and development awards.

The audit also flagged improper documentation related to grants and untimely billing of costs to grants. Auditors noted in each finding that failing to comply with the proper protocol means the university risked not receiving the money it claimed it was owed.

In messages back to the auditor UL staffers largely blamed the findings on staffing shortages and turnover Savoie’s departure will leave Louisiana’s two largest universities looking for new leadership at the same time. LSU President William Tate announced in May that he was leaving to become president of Rutgers University

Email Megan Wyatt at mwyatt@ theadvocate.com and Ashley White at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com.

his fourth term, which would have ended in December 2026. Criminal District Court Judicial Administrator Robert Kazik, who signed the notarized letter as a witness, declined to comment Wednesday Criminal District Court Chief Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier did not immediately return a phone call Wednesday evening.

Email Jillian Kramer at jillian. kramer@theadvocate.com.

The other plan under consideration, known as “E1,” is largely similar to D1, but would not involve the construction of a weir or the lake.

Neither plan currently meets the Corps’ criteria of yielding positive net benefits. D1 has an estimated project cost of between $873 million and $917 million, while E1 would cost between $708 million and $753 million Congress has only appropriated $221 million for the project, according to Col. Jeremiah Gipson, commander of the Corps’ Vicksburg District.

Both plans would reduce flood damage by just under $20 million annually for the Jackson area, which has a recent history of devastating floods going back to 1979 and more recently in 2020. They would also create opportunities for RV and tent camping, fishing piers, boat ramps and parking, trails and wildlife viewing areas.

But both plans have also been criticized in Louisiana by environmental groups like Audubon Society, Louisiana Wildlife Federation and Healthy Gulf.

Some groups spoke at the meeting on Wednesday in favor of a third plan, known as “A1,” that was mentioned in the report, but that the Corps said it would not be considering any further because it did not sufficiently address flood risks in the Jackson area.

The A1 plan would not include the creation of the lake, but would instead build a 1.4-mile levee on the west bank of the Pearl River, and provide floodproofing for some residential and nonresidential structures. Some speakers argued the option could be further expanded.

“Seeing A1 screened out seems unconscionable and arbitrary,” said Lindsay Reeves, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity Reeves noted that the Pearl River is home to the Pearl River Map turtle and Ringed Sawback Turtle, which do not live anywhere else in the world, she said. “It could jeopardize them from continuing to exist.”

Davis said the Corps had found E1 and D1 would both likely adversely affect a handful of species in the Pearl River area, though E1 would not affect the turtles.

The public comment period is open until Aug. 18. By December the Corps plans to send its final environmental impact statement to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army Email Willie Swett at willie. swett@theadvocate.com.

LSU’sstudent food pantry receives $52K from shot contest

BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer

Nearly six weeks after LSUbaseball won the College World Series in Omaha, Rocco’sPizza &Cantina has come through on its end of theJell-OShotChallenge, donating $52,390 to the LSU Student Food Pantry in Baton Rouge. Rocco’sinOmaha,Nebraska, is afavorite among LSUfansand college baseball fanatics alike. The establishment charges$5per Jell-O shot in appropriate school colors,with$1.50 of each purchase going to support food insecurity efforts in each participating team’s town. The restaurantdonated a total $130,009 to eight programs and local charities across the country —with Raising Cane’sCEO and founder Todd Graves donating an additional $10,000 to be split among the recipients, according to Rocco’s Facebook.

This year,not only did the Tigers take home the World

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Cates ruled that Trosclair must payMoran $70,000 for damages and another $18,000 for the legal expenses Moran incurred throughout the case.

Attorneys for Moran Foods did not respond to questions about this closed case, about other pending cases over more shuttered locations Trosclair owned or about whether the company has any plans to bring Save ALot back to New Orleans. Trosclair also did not respond to arequest for comment.

The ruling is the latest legal blow in recent months for Trosclair,aGonzales native whose family has operated grocery stores in Louisiana for 20 years.

Ajudge ruled in June 2024 in favor of the ownersof ashopping center that housed the former Airline Drive Save ALot in Metairie, after they sued Trosclair’sbusiness for nearly $67,000 in unpaid rent.

Thetwo stores were among nine Save ALots in Orleans, Jeffersonand St.Bernard parishes that Trosclairpurchased in 2021 as the national discount grocer shifted away from store operations and into the licensed wholesale business. Trosclair vowed to remodel and rebrand the stores within two years, touting his family’s reputation at the Ralph’s Market and Butcher Boy stores they own in Gonzales, Donaldsonville and Plaquemine.

But ayear later,his landlords accused him of underpaying rent at several stores. And by July 2023, he stopped paying entirely at all the stores, including Almonaster,according to court records. Shortly after that, Trosclair abruptly closed thesites, prompting several lawsuits and evictions filed in the subsequent months. Trosclair has never responded to any of the lawsuits filed against him, courtrecords show.Cates ruled against him after he failed to appoint an attorney or mount adefense. He also managed to avoid aprocess server who last summermadesix attempts to reach him at severaladdresses.

Mounting lawsuits

The Almonaster Avenue building had long been owned by the Zuppardo family,owners of Zuppardo’sFamilyMarket on Veterans Memorial Boulevard. They filed the civil suit last March against Moran Foods, who signed onto the original lease, after Trosclair stopped paying rent and other bills in July 2023.

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Series title for the eighth time, but their fansonce again earned their place as Jell-O shot champions. In 2025, Tiger fans bought more than 52,390 gelatin shots during the 10 days of theCollege World Series.

That’s$261,950 spent on JellOshots.Rocco’scheck to the LSU Food Pantry represents one-fifth of that total.

In 2023, according tothe LSU Student Food Pantry, the campus-based foodservice processedmorethan 21,000 requests anddistributed 261,550 pounds of food to students in need.

BatonRouge celebrities including Olivia Dunne, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenesand Graves took part in the challenge.

PoliticianslikeGov.Jeff Landryand Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen also joined in on the competition. Landry bought 1,000 shots, although he apparently did not consume any of them.

Thecontest even inspired asimilar contest at St.James Place, asenior community in Baton Rouge.

Court documentsshow thatMoran and the Zuppardos reached adeal last year,but they do not detail the settlement terms.After thesettlement, theZuppardos agreed to droptheir suit against Moran,leaving room for Moran to go after Trosclair directly ButTrosclairhas so far ignored both the lawsuit andthe finaljudgment, which also says Trosclair is “ordered to provide Moran Foods full defense and indemnityagainst all claims asserted in this suit against Moran Foods,and for any such amount which Moran Foods may be liable to PlaintiffZuppardoReal Estate Co., LLC andfor all other reliefand damages in an amount reasonable in the premises.”

Beauty storecoming

When Trosclair stopped paying rent, the Zuppardos, who did not respond to arequest for comment, sold the building.

Aftersitting empty for morethan ayear,a new tenant is gearing up to reactivate the space, which shares ashopping plaza with aCiti Trendsdiscount clothingstore.

With the Save ALot sign still hanging overhead, acontractor working at the store on Wednesday said the location will soon become aHairKingdom Beauty Supply.The company owns anotherlocation on Read Boulevard inNew Orleans East.

The owner could not be reached on Wednesday, but secretary of state records show that Hair Kingdom Beauty Supply registered its business with the state at theAlmonaster location in May,and twoweeks ago that business filed apermit with thecity to addits sign at theAlmonaster address.

More of Trosclair’sformer stores have reopened with new tenants. Theowners of IdealMarket have alreadyconvertedone in Kenner to their brand and have plans to convert another one at Carrollton Avenueand Earhartinto another Ideal Market.Athird location on Airline Drivein Metairie also reopened as aRivers Market grocery store last year

EmailDesiree Stennett at desiree.stennett@ theadvocate.com

West Bank

Mothe

Adams, Elizabeth Guidry,Alcide Armstrong,Adline Robinson FH Barthelemy,Elmore Barthelemy,Elmore Bounds,Robert Gaines,Santana Bright,Kenneth

Brooks III, Henry

Broyard,Joyce Bryant-Jefferson, Susan Bunch, LaTonya Caldwell Sr., Kenneth Carraby,Tyrone

Chandler,Sherry Davis, Mary

Delahoussaye,Yvonne Gaines,Santana Guidry,Alcide Hall Jr., L. C. Hunt,Linda Jackson, Clara Johnson Sr., Robert Leary, Mary Reed,Lucy Rigdon, Sandra Scaffidi,Gail Smith,Doretha Szatsznajder,Marek Thomas,Delores Tousant,Alicia Ward,Amy WhitakerSr.,Todd EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Rigdon, Sandra

Neptune Society

Scaffidi,Gail

Richardson FH Smith,Doretha NewOrleans

Boyd Family

Bryant-Jefferson, Susan

Carraby,Tyrone

Chandler,Sherry

Johnson Sr., Robert Charbonnet

Bright,Kenneth

Obituaries

Adams, Elizabeth Marshall

ElizabethMarshall Alford Adams, lovingly known as "Marshall," died peacefully on July21, 2025, surrounded by her husband of 58 years, Nixon her children, and grandchildren. Her final hours were filledwith love, laughter, and thestoriesof thefamily she devoted her life to raising. Born in New Orleans, Marshallwas the eldest child of JacobEgloff and Margaret Treppendahl Alford.She spent her early years as aNavy"brat" during WWII, later becoming an AirForcewife and an Army mom. She graduated fromLSU with degrees in Journalism and English and was aproud member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, sharing that traditionwith her mother and eldest daughter. Marshall livedin Mandevillefor 46 years, where she built lasting friendships. Thoughcapableofmany paths, her greatest calling was motherhood—aroleshe embracedwith grace, strength,and unwavering love.Her family hopes everyone remembers her as astatuesque, blue-eyed blonde with abeautiful smile who spent her life taking care of her family. She is survivedbyher husband, Nixon; children Margaret Casey(Sean), Amy Adams, and Thomas Adams; grandchildren SarahKate and Eliza Casey, EthanHedgepeth, and MiaAdams; her brother Robert Alford (Cathy); and many belovedextended family members. In accordance with her wishes, no funeral or memorial servicewillbeheld. Her familyisprofoundly grateful forthe many kind expressions of sympathy and love already shared. She leavesbehind alegacy of grace, selflessness, and unwavering devotion—and afamily who willmiss her dearly. In lieu of flowers thefamily welcomes donations to eitherthe Northshore Humane Society or theSt. TammanyLibrary Foundation, twocauses that reflect Marshall's lifelong love foranimals and thewrittenword.

Hall Jr., L. C. Armstrong, Adline

DW Rhodes

Broyard,Joyce

Bunch, LaTonya

Caldwell Sr., Kenneth Delahoussaye,Yvonne

WhitakerSr.,Todd

Estelle JWilson

Tousant,Alicia

Gertrude Geddes

Reed,Lucy

Lake Lawn Metairie

Ward,Amy

Majestic Mortuary

Armstrong,Adline

Jackson, Clara Thomas,Delores St Tammany

Audubon

Leary, Mary

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strong (Queen)was born onNovember30, 1933, the daughterofthe late Dou‐glasBarconeyand Cecile WhittingtonBarconey, transitionedpeacefullyon July13, 2025 at theage of 91. Adline marriedCharles Armstrong,Jr. (d.) on Feb‐ruary 13, 1954 andthey wereblessedwith five chil‐dren: KarenMuscatello (Samuel d.), Charlene Bug‐gageWashington(Eddie), TammieHoward(Leonard, Sr.), CharlesIII, andRay‐mondSr. (Stephanie). Ad‐linededicated 33 years, until herretirement, as a certified nurse’sassistant atCharity Hospital.Itwas there sheearnedthe nick‐name"Queen".She was known by many names: Momma,Grandma,Aunt Adline, Ms.Adline, Queen and Queenie. Adevout Catholic anda lifelong memberofHolyGhost Catholic Church,she loved music,dancing,her New Orleans Saints,travelling asthe secretaryfor the ClubBaliTravelGroup, familytrips,and making craftsatthe Pace Senior Center. Afeisty91-yearold,AdlineBarconeyArm‐strongleftbehinda host of familyand friendstocher‐ish hermemoryincluding all of her five children,a beloved Sister,RubyNero (Clarence d.), sister-in-law, EvelynBrown (Ottisd.),11 grandchildren,27Great Grandchildren,15GreatGreat Grandchildren, 2 nieces, 1nephew, ahostof great nieces andnephews, a bonus son, abonus grandson, andmoreonthe way.Relatives andFriends ofthe Family,alsoPriest and Parishioners of St Katharine Drexel areall in‐vited to attend theMassof Christian Burial on Satur‐day,August2,2025 at 11:00am at St.Katharine Drexel2015 LouisianaAve NOLA70115. Visitation will begin at 10:00am.Inter‐mentinProvidenceMemo‐rialPark. Professional ArrangementsEntrusted to MajesticMortuaryService, Inc. (504) 523-5872.

Elmore “Romel”Barthelemy,age 81, passed awaypeacefullyinhis homeonFriday, July 25th, 2025, surrounded by the loveofhis wife,children and grandchildren. Elmore was born on July 21st,1944, inDiamond,Louisiana to the late Andrew Barthelemy andMelanie Barthelemy. He wasthe husband of Elta (Sylve) Barthelemyfor 58 years–togethertheybuilt alife rootedinfaith andlove, raising threechildrenand creatinga home filledwith joy andlaughter. In his early life,Elmorefaithfully servedthe Plaquemines Parishcommunity forover 45years as adedicated bus driver forbothSt. Jude and Port Sulphur schools. His commitment extended wellbeyondthe school system—onSundays,he willinglygavehis time to transport fellow parish‐ionerstoand from Mass, a quiet yetpowerfulreflec‐tionofhis enduring faith and love forhis commu‐nity. Outsideofhis service, Elmore embraced thesim‐

plejoysoflife. He hada deep passionfor duck huntingand spentcount‐lesspeacefulmorningsin the bayou, oftenalongside close friends. He also en‐joyed fishingand treasured the laughter andcompany those momentsbrought One of hisgreatestde‐lights, however, was spendingtimewithhis grandchildren.Whether sharing stories, sneaking ina soft-servedice cream treat,orpicking them up for an early-morningsnack atthe Donut Shop,Elmore was always present—mak‐ing ordinary momentsfeel special.His legacy liveson not only in thelives he touched butalsointhe memorieshecreated with those he lovedmost. El‐morewillbedeeply missed byhis loving wife,sons, grandchildren,greatgrandchildren,godchil‐dren, andall who knew and lovedhim.Heissur‐vived by hisdevoted wife Elta(Sylve) Barthelemy; his threebeloved sons: Keith Sr.(Colleen), Gregory Sr. (Demikia), andWadeSr. (Ketisha);ninegrandchil‐dren: Macy (Felix), Keith Jr.,Olivia, GregoryJr. (Alli‐son), Andrew (Ariana), Alexis, Wade Jr Daylan and Brayden. He also leavesbehindtwelvecher‐ished great-grandchildren. Heisalsosurvivedbyhis sister-in-lawsAngie Spencer (lateLeonSr.)and Birdell Jackson(Carnell), and hisbrother-in-laws An‐geloSylve Jr.(Mina), Nel‐son Sylve(Sylvia), and MarshallSylve (Lisa).El‐morewas preceded in death by hisparents,An‐drewand Melanie Barthelemy; hisbrother ClarenceBarthelemy; and two grandchildren. Rela‐tives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend the funeralservice on Sat‐urday,August2,2025 at the Saint PatrickChurch 28698 LA_23, Port Sulphur LA 70083. thevisitationwill begin at 9AMfollowedby an11AMMass. Father Lawrencewillofficiateand entombmentwillfollowin BarthelemyCemeteryIn Diamond LA.Funeralplan‐ningentrusted to Robinson FamilyFuneral Home (5040 208-2119. Foronlinecondo‐lencespleasevisit www robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Bounds, Robert G. 'Bobby'

Robert G. “Bobby” Boundspassedaway peacefully on Monday,July 21, 2025 at hishomein Madisonville, Louisiana surrounded by hisloving family. He was91. Bobby becamea member of the InternationalUnion of Ele‐vator Constructors Local 16in1954. During his44 yeartenurehewas adedi‐cated andaccomplished elevatortechnician. He alsoworkedinvarious cor‐porateroles towardsthe latteryears of hiscareer Hetruly lovedworking withhis handsand hada realpassion fortakingon any home improvement and refurbishing projects his motorcycle tripsall overthe United States and Canada, andwas an avid LSU Tigers sports enthusi‐ast.Bobby is survived by hiswife, LindaFrere

Bagnell Son

Adams, Elizabeth

EJ Fielding

Bounds,Robert Davis, Mary Honaker Szatsznajder,Marek

4B ✦ Thursday,July 31,2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ TheTimes-Picayune Bounds, who in hisown words is “one of God’sAn‐gelsand they don’tmake themany better.” He is alsosurvivedbytheir three sons, Mike Bounds(Gina), GregBoundsand Tim Bounds(Sheri),and also survivedbyhis grandchil‐dren, Morgan BoundsCole (Evan), BriannaBounds, Devin Bounds(Zuzanna), Megan Bounds,Jacob Boundsand Lauren Bounds and hisgreat-grandsons Charlie Boundsand Ben‐jamin Bounds. In celebra‐tionofBobby’s life,rela‐tives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend the Mass of Christian Bur‐ial on Friday,August1,2025 at11:00 am at St.Anselm Catholic Church,306 St MaryStreet,Madisonville, LAand thevisitation will begin at 9:00 am until ser‐vicetime. Intermentwill followinTheodore Dendinger Cemetery in Madisonville, LA.E.J.Field‐ing FuneralHomehas been entrusted with funeral arrangements. Please sign the guestbook at www.ejf ieldingfh.com

KennethWayne Bright transitionedpeacefully at Touro Hospital on Wednes‐day,July16, 2025 at theage of68. Kennethwas born on April 14, 1957 to thelate Irving,Sr. andKathleen Bright. He wasa lifelong residentofNew Orleans, LA. Kennethleavestocher‐ish hismemory, hissisters, Constance (Larry Sr.) Osumand Nora (Richard) Coxie of LaPlace, LA;broth‐ers,Irving, Jr.(Florese) BrightofPeoria, IL and Jerry Bright of LaPlace, LA; nieces, Bianca Osum, Christine LynchofLong Beach,CAand Annessah (Tyrone)WynnofDallas, TXand nephew,Larry,II (Terriet) Osum.Heisalso survivedbya host of nieces, nephews, greatnieces, great-nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. Kennethis precededindeath by his parents;brothers, Roderick and Tyrone Bright;and sis‐ters, JuanitaWardand JacquelineThompson. Family, relativesand friends areinvited to at‐tendthe Homegoing Cele‐bration honoring thelifeof Mr. KennethWayne Bright onFriday, August 1, 2025at The City of Love Church, 8601 Palmetto St NewOr‐leans,LAat11:00 a.m. Visi‐tationat10:00 am.Inter‐ment: Providence Memor‐ial Park Cemetery,8200 Air‐lineDr.,Metairie, LA Pleasesignthe online guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion Directors (504) 581-4411.

Henry (Hump) BrooksIII of New Orleans, La. entered into his eternal rest on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Henrywas bornonJuly 31, 1974 to Henry andAdeline Brooks. He spent most of his life in New Orleans, graduating class of 1994 from Francis T. Nichole's.Following graduation he had apassion for cookingsohe started his career in our own French Quarters Restaurants like Olde NawlinsCookery and ARC of New Orleans Janitorial. He eventuallyworked over 20 +years at Harrahs Casino on Canal St. Evacuating to Shreveport for Katrina were he met his lovely wife Sanda. Henry worked under the Horseshoe and Boometown casino's and Cheesecake Bistro temporarily and moved on to giving his full support and love to Copeland's Restaurant of Shreveport (71106) and Bodacious Bar and QofShreveport (71106). He shared his passion with hisfamily and friends always. Hump is preceded in death by his

grandparents Louisand Adele Norman aswellas Henry and Doris Brooks amongst other uncles, auntsand cousins. He is survived by his wife Sanda Brooks,his parents Henry and Adeline Brooks, sisters Neva (Tony) Hammond, Lynette(Bernard) Sutton, Joy Brooks, BrotherIsaac (Jessica) Brooks and Best Friends Albert (Kearston) Cado and Louis(Co Co) Henry ahost of nieces, nephews, great nephews and cousins and aplethora of friends turned family Celebration of lifeSunday, August 3rd.

Broyard, JoyceDionne

JoyceDionne Broyard entered into eternalrest onTuesday,July22, 2025 atthe ageof90. Wifeofthe lateAnthony Broyard, Sr., daughterofthe late Aure‐lia Demourelle-Dionne and the late Ernest Joseph Dionne,Sr.,motherofAn‐thony Raymond-Peter Bro‐yard, Jr., (Lori) andofthe latePamelaTheresa Bro‐yardand thelatePeter Raymond Broyard, Sister of the late Ernest Dionne,Jr., Geraldine Dionne St.Eti‐enne,and Ronald Anthony Dionne,grandmother to SaudiaBroyard,lateAn‐thony Raymond-Peter Bro‐yard, III andAliaBroyard Delmar(William).She is survivedby five greatgrandchildren anda host ofnieces, nephews, and other relativesand friends. Relatives,friends,and em‐ployees of Haspel Brothers, Deansgate Inc, andMasset and Company, Inc. Float Buildersand Decorators, CrescentBank, andCorner‐stone Caregivers arein‐vited to attend theFuneral ServicesheldonSaturday, August1,2025, at Rhodes FuneralHome, 3933 Wash‐ingtonAve,New Orleans, LA70125.Visitationwill begin at 9:00 a.m. followed byMassat10:00 a.m. Inter‐ment: Mount Olivet Ceme‐tery, 4000 Norman Mayer Ave., NewOrleans,LA 70122. Therepastwillbe heldat Lion’s Club of Metairie,1627 Metairie Road, Metairie,LA70005 from1:00pm to 3:00 pm ArrangementsbyD.W RhodesFuneralHome. Pleasevisit www.rhodesf uneral.comtosignthe on‐lineGuest Book

Bryant-Jefferson,Susan Magdelene

SusanMagdelene Bryant-Jeffersonwas born inNew Orleans, LA on May 13, 1928, to William Dou‐glasBryantand Alice LouiseSmith.Susan leaves tocherish memories two daughters,Alice Louise Jef‐fersonand June JeffersonRandolph; threegrandchil‐drenLaVergnePercy Ran‐dolph III, Tyron (Russell) Hudson-Winston, andDen‐ton (Jessica)Randolph; one godsonDarrinJay (Dwyla) Jourdonand ahost ofrelatives and friends. She is preceded in death byher parents, andher husband of 31 years, Den‐ton JacobJefferson.Family and friendsare invitedto attendthe Celebrationof LifeService on Friday,Au‐gust1,2025, for11:00 a.m. atTrinity United M.B.C., 3501 N.Claiborne Avenue New Orleans, LA 70117.Vis‐itation will beginat10:00 a.m.ReverendDamienL Dyson Sr officiating. Inter‐mentwillfollowatMount OlivetCemetery, 4000 Nor‐man MayerAve NewOr‐leans,LA70122. Guestbook Online: www.anewtraditi onbegins.com (504)2820600. Linear BrooksBoyd and DonavinD.BoydOwn‐ers/FuneralDirectors

LaTonyaSheree

Bunch,

LaTonyaShereeBunch was born on October6, 1959 to theparents of Richard A. LeeSr. andEdna Mae Lee. As ayoung woman raised in thelower ninth ward,LaTonya at‐tendedAlfredLawless Ele‐mentary andSeniorHigh School.She laterattended and received herhigh school diplomafrom JosephS.Clark.Through‐out herhighschool years, LaTonya wasnot only a member, butwas captain ofthe majorette team LaTonya furtheredher edu‐cationatDillard University where shereceiveda Bach‐elor'sDegreeinEducation Following in thefootsteps ofher dad, LaTonya'slife‐longcareer as an educator had alasting impact on the lives of many.Ifyou knew LaTonya,you knew she never meta stranger!Her presenceled to happiness, hopeand living theHigh Life. LaTonya, at theage of 28years old, meta tall, dark, andhandsomeman ThomasC.BunchJr. The two fell so deeply in love thattheymarried on July 29, 2000 where they vowed tospend therestoftheir lives together.LaTonya boreone female child, Monique Madding (Jessie Charles,Sr.), andwas the grandmother of MaKenzye Madding.LaTonya is the sisterofRichard A. LeeJr. JohnI.Lee Sr., andCheryl L.McNair. Touchedbyher spiritincludesa host of nieces, nephews, otherrel‐ativesand friends. Rela‐tives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend a FuneralMassofChristian BurialatResurrectionof Our Lord Catholic Church, 9707 Hammond St., New Orleans,LA70127 on Satur‐day,August2,2025 at 11:00 am. Visitation will beginat 10:00 am until 11:00 am.In‐terment:Mount Olivet Cemetery, NewOrleans LA. Arrangements en‐trusted to D.W. Rhodes Fu‐neral Home,3933 Washing‐ton Ave.,New Orleans, LA 70125. Please visitwww rhodesfuneral.comtosign the online guestbook share memories andcon‐dolenceswiththe family.

Caldwell Sr., Kenneth James

Affectionately knownas Pig Man, KC,Weezle, and Handsome, KennethJames CaldwellSr. wasbornon April 2, 1989, in NewOr‐leans,Louisiana.Heen‐tered eternalrestonSun‐day,July20, 2025, at 12:41 p.m surrounded by love and prayer.Heislovingly survivedbyhis mother Elder WarrineAllen of Killeen,Texas;his father Kenneth Caldwell (Lia Baham); hisdevoted part‐ner,Kimbrianne Gilmore; his belovedson,Kenneth James Caldwell Jr.; his bonus children,Layron Gilmore andKyMariCage; his brother, Ret. SFCHarold Allen andwifeRet.SSG La’CerishaAllen; hisbonus siblings, GlennDavis Jr (Kristin)and AerynDavis; his nephew,Aiden Betsill; nieces, ArielBaker and Mi’Yanna Brown; and great-nephew, AmariPay‐ton.Paternalauntsand un‐cles: Mary (David)Porter, Emma Caldwell, Kathy Caldwell, Anne PearlCald‐well, CharlesThomas(Bob‐bie)Sr.,William (Kim), and James Caldwell. Maternal auntsand uncles:Joann Malbrough,Marjorie(Ter‐rance)Barber, Frankie Williams,Francis (David) Seale,WalsdorfAllen Jr., WalterAllen (Mae), Ben Allen,WiltonAllen,Ken‐nethWilliams, andNelson Williams.Kenneth also leavesbehinda host of cousins,extendedfamily members,and dear friends who cherishedhim deeply Precededindeath by pa‐ternalgrandparentsJames and Amie Caldwell; uncles RobertCaldwelland John Caldwell. Maternal grand‐parents Joan Dell Allenand WalsdorfAllen Sr., and uncle Mark Allen. Though histimeherewas brief, the

impact of hisspiritwillbe feltfor generations. His memorywillcontinue to inspire andupliftall who wereblessedtoknowhim Relatives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend a FuneralService at D.W. RhodesFuneralHome, 3933 WashingtonAve., NewOr‐leans,LAonSaturday, Au‐gust2,2025 at 9:30 am.Vis‐itation will beginat9:00 amuntil 9:30 am.Inter‐ment: Mount Olivet Ceme‐tery, NewOrleans,LA. Pleasejoinusby Livestreamat9:20amby visitinghttps://www facebook.com/D.W.Rho desFuneralHome/live Please visithttp://dvnm io/ive168524 to sign theon‐lineguestbook,share memoriesand condo‐lenceswiththe family. Arrangementsentrusted to D.W.RhodesFuneralHome, 3933 Washington Ave.,New Orleans,LA(504) 822-7162 www.rhodesfuneral.com. Acknowledgements:The Caldwelland Allenfamilies extendtheir heartfelt thanksfor your prayers, love, andactsofkindness duringthistimeofsorrow. Yoursupport is acomfort thatwillnever be forgot‐ten.Special thanks to East Jefferson Hospital and staff, TokenofLuv Events AlmaBrumbly,Cordero Thomas, Pastor Jerry Darby-St. Joseph Baptist Church,PastorTerrance Reed–LighthouseMin‐istries NOLA,PastorLance Brown –Bible WayBaptist Church,PastorKevin Wil‐son –Jerusalem C.O.G.I.C. Suggested Attire:Shades ofWhite.“PeaceI leave withyou;mypeace Igive toyou.Not as theworld gives do Igivetoyou.Let not your hearts be trou‐bled, neitherlet them be afraid.”— John 14:27

Tyrone Carrabywas bornonFebruary7,1962, at Charity Hospital in NewOr‐leans,Louisiana to Beverly Carraby andthe Late Wardell Carraby. Tyrone was educated in theOr‐leans Public School System and wasa proudgraduate ofL.B.LandryHighSchool Class of 1980 andremained a proudsupporter of his AlmaMataand very active withthe L. B. Landry Alumni. Afterhighschool heenlistedinthe Marines. Helater went on to builda lifefullofpersonality,pas‐sion, andlove. He wasa formeremployeeof BaumerFoodsfor 12 years. Those who knew Tyrone willrememberhis humor his love fora good gather‐ing,and hisdeep loyaltyto those he loved. Let’snot forgethis aggravationhe calledeveryone“No Good and “Ugly” Lol. Hislegacy isone of joy, laughter and the kind of love that leaves aneverlasting imprinton everyoneittouches Thoughhemay be gone fromour sight, Tyrone will forever live on in our hearts. Unfortunately,on July19, 2025, Tyrone peace‐fully departed this life at Ochsner Hospital in Gretna, LA surrounded by Love. Left to honorhis memoryishis devoted wifeLosiram “Melissa” Carraby of 27 years, whom headoredendlessly. Ty‐ronealsoleavesbehindhis children: Karla(Bryant) McGowan,Latoyer Carter, Tyroneand Tyranza Claborneand stepchildren: Kesha andKevin Conner, and godfather of Ernesha Sam.Alsosurvivedbyhis siblings, who will forever carry hismemoryintheir hearts: brotherWardell “Keith” Carraby. andsis‐ters: Katrinaand Detris Carraby.Tyronewas a proud anddevoted grand‐fathertoall hisgrandchil‐dren. Hiscircleofloveex‐tendedtomanynieces, nephews,cousins,ex‐tendedfamilies,and life‐longfriends who cherished his genuineheart andgen‐erous nature.Hewas a memberofthe OldTimers BaseballClub, andLoved Football hisfavoriteteam isthe PittsburghSteelers. Tyronewas preceded in death by hisbrothersDar‐relland Ernest Carraby, sisterLaurieAnn Carraby and hisson Tyrane Claborne. Family and friends areinvited to at‐tendhis Homegoing Cele‐bration/FuneralService for 1:30p.m.onSaturday, Au‐gust2,2025, at TheBoyd FamilyFuneralHome, 5001 ChefMenteur Hwy.,NOLA. Visitationwillbegin at 12:30 p.m. Intermentwill followatMt. Olivet Ceme‐tery4000 Norman Mayer Ave.New Orleans, LA 70122. Thefamilywould

like to welcomeeveryone toEmbellish EventHall, 8700 Lake Forest Blvd,Ste 109 NewOrleans,LA70127 Guestbook Online:www anewtraditionbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors

Chandler,Sherry Dell Dandridge

Sherry Dell Dandridge Chandler87, enteredinto the realmofher Master peacefully at Capstone HealthcareEstates on Orem, in Houston, Texas July21, 2025. Thoseleftto cherish loving memories of Sherry are, daughter,Tiya Chandler; granddaughters Erika Barton,JaVon Sim‐mons; bonus grandson, EricBarton, Jr.; greatgrandchildren,Amar’e Landry, Demi Williams;sis‐ters; Rosemary Chandler, Helen Saverin; brother, Arthur Barnes;sisters-inlaw,Sarah Johnson, Ruth Jones,Shirley Chandler; spiritual daughter,MoniqueBourgeois,and ahost ofother relativesand friends.Familyand friends are invitedtoattend the Homegoing ServiceonSat‐urday,August2,2025, for 11:00 a.m. at St.Matthew MissionaryBaptist Church, 1826 ContiStreet,New Or‐leans,Louisiana 70112. Vis‐itation will beginat9:00 a.m.PastorLonzo L. Hamil‐ton,Sr.,Officiant. Entomb‐mentatStLouis Cemetery #3, 3421 EsplanadeAve, New Orleans, LA 70119 ServicesEntrusted to the CaringStaff of:The Boyd FamilyFuneralHome, 5001 ChefMenteur Hwy, New Orleans,LA70126. Guest‐book Online:www.anewtra ditionbegins.com(504)2820600. Linear Brooks Boyd and DonavinD.BoydOwn‐ers/Funeral Directors.

Mary Jane Davispassed awayonSaturday, July 26, 2025 after abrief illness. She wasbornonNovember 16, 1932 in JamaicaQueens, NYtothe late Patrickand MaryWright. Mary was married to herlatehus‐bandRobertDavis.She was thelovingmotherto LaurenDavis Toups(David) and BrianDavis (Sylvie) She wasthe loving grand‐motherofChristopher Toups (Olivia),OliviaToups and ElenaToups.She was the sister of thelateHarry, Vera, Frankand Patrick Wright. Sheissurvivedby numerousniecesand nephews.After graduating fromFordham University in New York shespent the majorityofher career working in humanre‐sources at theBardenCor‐poration. Shespent herlife devoted to herfamilyand the church.She traveled extensively with herhus‐banduntil hisdeath and celebratedlifewithher friends andfamily. Shere‐mainedveryactive, attend‐ing Book Club andRosary Club. Shewas adevout Catholic attendingchurch regularly.Relatives and friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend aMassof Christian Burial on Friday, August1,2025 at 2:00 pm fromStJosephAbbey, 75376 RiverRoad, St Bene‐dict, LA andthe visitation willbegin at 1:00 pm until service time at thechurch. IntermentwillfollowinSt JosephAbbeyCemetery. E.J.FieldingFuneralHome has been entrustedwith funeral arrangements Pleasesignthe guestbook atwww.ejfieldingfh.com

Delahoussaye,Yvonne

Marie

With graceand quiet dignity,Yvonne MarieDela‐houssayeentered into eternal rest on Wednesday, July23, 2025, at theage of 73. Born on March3,1952, inNew Orleans, Louisiana, she wasthe beloved daughterofthe late Richard Delahoussaye and Viola Lainez.Yvonne was the thirdoffourchildren, growing up in ahome filled withstrongfaith,laughter, and deep familybonds She wasprecededindeath byher grandparents Flo‐rence andAngeloLainez; her parentsViola L. and Richard Delahoussaye;her brother Albert J. Delahous‐saye; herauntsVirginia, Albertine Lainez,Verna Turner(Calvin), Teresa Brown (George);her uncles Angelo, Leo, Albert,and JosephLainezSr.;her niece KarlaJ.Boyd; andher great-nephewKarlG.Boyd. Lefttocherish hermemory and thankGod forthe time wehad areher loving sis‐ters, Joycelyn D. Boyd and Cynthia D. Mondy; her niece,Consuela“Connie” M.Taylor; hernephew, Alvin C. MerrittBoydIII (Dionne); hergreatnephew, AlvinC.Merritt BoydIV; Patricia V. Lewis and family; anda host of cousins,friends,and church familywho will for‐everrememberher grace, kindness, andradiant spirit. Rootedinher Catholic upbringing Yvonne wasbaptizedand confirmed at AllSaints Catholic Church,where she remaineda devotedmem‐ber throughout herlife. She faithfully served in the Altar Societyand Health & Wellnessministries, offer‐ing hertimeand compas‐sioninservice to others Her unwavering faith was botha guidinglight anda quiet strength.Yvonne was a proudalumnaofAll SaintsCatholicSchool (Classof1966) andSt. Mary’sAcademy High School.She builta mean‐ingfulcareer as acustomer service representative with South CentralBell/AT&T, where shewas knownfor her warmth andprofes‐sionalism.She also worked asa hotelnight auditor. A vibrant spirit with aplayful wit,Yvonne wasaffection‐ately knownas“Yanni”(in‐spiredbyher fondness for the artist)and “DivaII” by her sistersand nieceCon‐nie.She hada flairfor life whether reigning as Queen of theKrewe of NOMTOCorembracing her title as “CruiseQueen”on joyfulsea adventures.She had an eyefor beauty, findingjoy in photography, capturing serene outdoor scenes, andcollectingallthingsbutterflies. She cared lovingly forher para‐keetsand delightedinthe small wondersofnature. Familywas theheartbeat ofher life.She found hap‐pinessinsharing brunch dates,trading quick-witted one-liners, andtakingroad trips to spotslikeBuc-ee’s withher nieceand nephews.She hada sweet tooth forpastriesand desserts, alovefor bowl‐ing,and asoftspotfor classic black-and-white films. ACelebration of Life willbeheldonSaturday, August2,2025, at AllSaints Catholic Church,1441 Teche Street,New Orleans, LA. Visitation will beginat 10:30 a.m.,followedbythe FuneralMassat11:30 a.m. officiated by Reverend Fred Kaddu,SSJ.Interment: WestlawnCemetery, Gretna, LA.Arrangements are entrustedtoD.W RhodesFuneral Home,1020 VirgilStreet,Gretna, LA 70053. Please visitwww

rhodesfuneral.comtosign the online guestbook, share memories andcon‐dolenceswiththe family In lieu of flowers, thefam‐ily requests that Masses besaidinYvonne’s honor orthatdonations be made toAll Saints Catholic Church.Her presence gracedevery room.Her spiritwillliveoninevery laugh,butterfly, andmem‐ory we hold dear

Gaines,Santana M. 'Suckie'

SantanaM (Suckie) Gainesdepartedthislife suddenlyonMondayJuly 14,2025 at herhomein Baton Rouge, La.She was 52years oldand wasa longlifenativeofNorth Carolinaand aresidentof Harvey, La.Santana handedher life over to God where shewentto the water at Life Center Cathe‐dralFamilyLifeCenter, Marrero,La. Shealso be‐camea member of New CreationPraiseand Wor‐shiplocated in Hammond La. Shethe beloveddaugh‐ter of DannyC Gaines Sr and Sheila Swain. Devoted and loving Mother of Pas‐sionGaines, Kourtney (Darien)Allen and Daja’NeeDyer. Devoted grandmother of Arianna, Dakota, Amiyah,Kairo Zaire andCataleya. Sister ofDemetria, DannyJrand DamienGaines. Grand‐daughterofthe late Gerald and Eunice Gaines,and Evergreen Robertsand Bernard St.Ann Sr.God‐daughterofEarline and Anthony Duplessis. De‐voted friendsofRaven Gaines, Amanda Turner and LatriceSanders.She is alsosurvivedbya host of aunts, uncles,nieces, nephews,cousins and friends.Private servicefor immediatefamilywas held onWednesday,July30, 2025 at Robinson Family Funeral.Thanksfor allthe prayers andwellwishes.

Guidry,AlcideGabriel

Alcide GabrielGuidry wenthometobewiththe Lordatthe ageof97 on Saturday, July 26, 2025 After 72 yearsofmarriage tothe late DoloresBarrios Guidry, he is survived by his children ParisGuidry Chiasson(Jerry), Glenn PaulGuidry(Sandra), and RhondaGuidryByerly. His legacylives on throughhis beautiful granddaughters Jamie LeeChiasson, Jill ChiassonCantrelle,Casie GuidryHope, andCourtney Elizabeth Guidry.Further‐more, hisgreat-grandchil‐dren, Cadence, Josiah,& AddisonHope, Kassidy, Kelsey, &Camden Cantrelle,and Davey& Chloe Robeauxwillhonor him by keepinghis mem‐ory alive. Brothers andsis‐tersofour dearestAlcide include Gladys Guidry Savoie, Lawrence Guidry, Aline Guidry,Norman Guidryand remaining brother Clarence Guidry.A G.Guidry, whowas also lovinglyknown as “Lil Five” was an active member in his church andcommunity, bestknown forhis contri‐butions to Cornerstone Men’s Ministry,GoldenOp‐portunity Club,Alhambra, the 49ers DinnerClub, the Knights of Columbus Mar‐rero, Jamaican DanceClub, a member of Timberlane Country Club for20plus years,and thefounder and owner of La Maison Creole for over 40 years. He also servedhis countryasa corporalinthe U. S. Army duringthe Korean War. We knowthatA.G.has been unitedwithhis beautiful wifeinHeaven, andwewill alwayscherish thetime we had with himasthe patri‐archofour familyhereon thisearth.May he enjoy his eternalrewardwithour HeavenlyFather. The Guidryfamilyextends their most heartfeltgratitudeto

the incredible care givers ofA.G.and Dolores: Felix and Denise Ordoyne, Mary Fisher, Kitty Rando, and SandraPitre.You allhave truly been angels sent by God.Friends andfamilyare invited to attend afuneral service on Friday,August1 2025 at 1p.m.atCorner‐stone ChristianCenter, 6550 LapalcoBlvd.,inMar‐rero, LA.Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Interment willfollowimmediatelyat WestlawnMemorialPark, 1225 Whitney Ave.,in Gretna, LA.Pleasevisit mothefunerals.com to view and sign theonlineguest‐book.Inlieuof flowers, pleaseconsiderdonations inAlcide'shonor to St Jude'sChildren'sResearch atwww.stjude.org/donate ortothe Disabled Veterans ofAmerica at www.help. dav.org

Hall Jr., L. C. 'Man'

L. C. “Man”Hall, Jr., age 60and anativeNew Or‐leanian,gainedhis wings onTuesday,July22, 2025 at 11:30 am.L.C.was born on July9,1965 to thelateL.C., Sr. andOkanell Hall.He was educated in theOr‐leans parish school system and wasemployedby GlobalStaffing.Inaddition tohis parents, Mr.Hallis alsoprecededindeath by two siblings,Kathy M. Hall and Demond M. Hall;niece and nephew,Sharita D. Hall and KerryHall; sister and brothersinlaw,Chanette Cheneau-Hall, Julius Lewis and Tyrone Berryhill, Sr; great nephew,AdrianM Hall. He leaves to cherish his memory,two sons,Dar‐ron Alvin Dequairand Jovan L. C. Anderson;sib‐lings,Brian KeithHall, Car‐olynPicquit,DebbieLewis, Charlotte Hall of Denver, CO, Sheryl Hall,AnniseHall and KandyHall-Berryhill; grandson, Rakheem Ken‐ner;Goddaughter,Rodi‐anna King;twentyone niecesand nephews, twentythree greatnieces and nephews, four great great nieces andnephews the mothersofhis chil‐dren, Gertrude Anderson and Roycelyn Dequairand friend, Terrylyn Jefferson. Relatives andfriends;Pas‐tor and membersofSt. James MethodistChurch BiblewayMissionaryand SecondZion#1Baptist Churches;staff andem‐ployees of Global staffing Black Tie, CourtofTwo Sis‐ters, SupremeDevelop‐ment, Greenwood Ceme‐tery, Friendsofthe 6th Wardand others arein‐vited to attend thefuneral A Celebrationservice hon‐oring thelifeand legacy of the late L. C. "Man"Hall, Jr.,willbeheldatSt. James Methodist Church,1925 Ur‐sulines Ave.,New Orleans, LA70116 on Saturday,Au‐gust02, 2025 at 10 am.In‐terment Holt Cemetery Visitation9 am in the church.Pleasesignonline guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion Directors (504)581 4411.

LindaAnn St.Pierre Hunt passed away very peacefully on May17, 2025 at ShermanHome, Hospice of theValleyinPhoenix with her brother Raymond St.Pierre by herside. Lindacourageously battled cancer forthe past few yearsaswellasother health-related challenges. Linda'sfamily and friends expresstheir heartfelt gratitude to the compassionatestaff at Sherman Home forthe excellent careand support they providedher.Weare also deeplygratefulto Rose Medical Center in Denverand St.Joseph's Hospital fortheirexpertise and dedication. Thank you to allthe caregivers who helped us duringthisdifficulttime. Lindawas born May21, 1948, in NewOrleans, LA to RoyJoseph and Grace

Christian Burialat11:00

Costa St. Pierre. She graduated from RiverdaleHigh School in 1966 and then earned her RN in 1970 at Hotel Dieu School of Nursing.She earned aBSin nursing from William Carey Collegeand aMSin Nursing Administration from the University of Colorado. She also earned aMaster'sDegree in Business Administration from the Wharton School and wasawarded an honorary doctorate by Creighton University.

SurvivingLinda are her brother Raymond St. Pierre, hiswife Gloria, their children:RJ(Kate), Renee Phillips (Joel), Paul (Jenny), Philip;nieces and nephews: William, Sydney, Annabel,Matilda,Julia, Meredith, Grant, and Samantha, also her brother -in-lawDavidHunt, nephew Brandon and many other extended family members. Andshe is fondly remembered by so very many cherished friends and colleagueswho shared in much of her life and work.

Linda waspreceded in deathbyher parentsand her husband of 52 years, William(Bill) Hunt, III and her niece Gracie.

Linda'searlynursing career took her and Bill to Denver where she thrived as anurse, nurse supervisor, ultimatelytoChief Nursing Officer for the CatholicHealthcare Initiatives hospitals in Colorado.

In 1998 Lindaand Bill moved to Phoenix,AZ where Lindawas appointed theVPof Administrationfor St Joseph'sand shortly thereafterbecamePresident Since 2009 she has led the rebranded Dignity Health's Southwest Division, which is anchored by 11 outstanding hospitalsin Arizona and Nevada and includes numerous health care facilities and medical groups Herleadership helped BarrowNeurological Institute at St.Joseph'sto become an internationally recognizedleader in neurological research and care. Seeing theneed for a world-class transplant program,she established the Norton ThoracicInstitute, one of thenation'sleading centers forlung transplantation. She also played a critical role in thedevelopment of theCentral Phoenix regional campus of theCreighton University School of Medicine. Linda wasnamed division president when CommonSpirit Health wasformedin2019 by thealignment of Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives. Linda, oftendescribed as aleader with aservant's heart,has led with grace, purpose, and a forceful visionthroughout her career. Hermissiondriven devotiontoimprovingthe health of allpeople, especially to those who are vulnerable, while advancing social justice, has enriched thelives of thousands of individuals. She has served on several stateand national commissions to shapethe future of healthcare and medical education.She served on several boards and numerous committees including but not limited to Circlethe City,Fresh Start Women'sFoundation, and Dress forSuccess Phoenix She continued to stay engagedafter retiringin 2022. Herworkreceived local and nationalrecognition from awide spectrum of organizations.She was named one of theTop 25 WomeninHealthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine, and aTop 25 Most Admired CEOs by the Phoenix Business Journal. She wasgiven the Transformational Leader award by theArizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry,Outstanding Business Leader of the Year by the YWCA,and the Humanitarian of theYear.

Visitationwill be at Garden of Memories Funeral Home, 4900 Airline Dr., Metairie, 70001 on Saturday,August2,2025 starting at 9:00 AM followedbya Mass of

Park Memorial Cemetery andMausoleum

AM with inurnment in Garden of Memories Cemetery.Inlieu of flowers, please considera gift to theLinda HuntNurse Leader ScholarshipFund at St.Joseph's Foundation: www.SupportStJosephs.or g/LindaHunt or acharity of your choice.

JacksonSSF, Sister ClaraMae

Sister ClaraMae Jack‐son,SSF,the daughter of Mr. Clarence Jacksonand Mrs.BeatriceThomas Jackson,entered eternal lifeonSaturday, July 26, 2025. Shewas born on Feb‐ruary 2, 1941, in Opelousas, Louisiana.She was84 years old. Sister entered the Congregation of the Sisters of theHolyFamily onSeptember 8, 1960 madeFirst Vows on August 15, 1963, andPerpetual VowsonAugust15, 1969 SisterClara Maehad spent 64years as aSisterofthe HolyFamily. In herearly years as areligious,Sister taughtatseveral elemen‐taryschoolsinLouisiana: St. Benedict theMoore, Napoleonville;St. Joan of Arc,New Orleans; Christ the King,Belview;Immacu‐lateHeart of Mary, Lafayette;Marksville Catholic,Marksville; Our LadyofGrace,Reserve and Our Lady Help of Chris‐tians,Bastrop.After Sister Clara Maecompleted her studies at Xavier Univer‐sityinelementaryeduca‐tioninNew Orleans, she taughtatHolyFamilyin Lafayette,from1981–1983, St. Joan of Arc, NewOr‐leans,1983-86. Shespent one year at St.PhilipNeri inHouston,and ayear eachatSt. FrancisXavier inBaton Rougeand St Raymond in NewOrleans, witha return to St.Francis Xavierin1992-94. Minus two yearsinWashington, D.C.atHolyRedeemer School andthe five years, 2004-2009 as Pastoral Asso‐ciate in VillePlatte, Louisiana,SisterClara Mae lived andservedinvarious capacitiesinNew Orleans. Sisterservedinthe Dietary departmentand Pastoral CareatLafonNursing Fa‐cility, 1994-1998, at the motherhouse dietary, 19992002, St.JohnBerchmans, 2002-2004, motherhouse, in Fruitcake Ministry,20092010, LafonNursing Facil‐ity,Fruitcake andPastoral Care. Sister spentyears in the BakedGoodsMinistry. In lateryears whenas‐signedtoPrayerMinistry atthe motherhouse, Sister Clara Maeassistedwith food preparationfor spe‐cialoccasions/ Social Jus‐ticeCommittee andwill‐ingly helped with dishes Sisteralsoservedher reli‐gious congregation as local leader,local trea‐surer andvocationpresen‐ter/animator. Sister wrote thather outstandingvirtue is“Love forpeopleand serving thosewho need it most, children andsenior citizens.”Sisterhad apas‐sionfor “cooking, decorat‐ing,shopping, wrapping gifts andmakingfriends.” In memory,a couple sis‐tershavecommended Sis‐ter ClaraMae forbeing a strongsupport fortheir vo‐cations.Notably,Sister was adiehard NewOrleans Saintsfan.Ifshe were not inthe stands,she was cheeringand watching on tvwiththe biggest and brightest smile.Sister Clara Maewas preceded in death by herparents,one brother:Abraham Jackson and twosisters:Evange‐lineand Veronica Jackson. She is survived by onesis‐ter,Mrs.ElaineJones.Sis‐ter is also survived by her nieces, cousins, students friends anddearSisters of the Holy Family.Restin peace,SisterClara Mae! MassofChristian Burial willbeheldonThursday, July31, 2025, at theChapel ofthe Sistersofthe Holy Family on 6901 Chef

MenteurBlvd.,NOLA70126. Visitationbeginsat8:00 a.m.Wakeservicesbegin at9:15a.m.and Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m.Interment at St.Louis Cemetery# 2. Arrange‐ments entrustedtoMajes‐tic Mortuary 504-523-5872.

Johnson Sr., Robert Raymond

Robert RaymondJohn‐son Sr.passedaway peacefully on July 18, 2025 atthe ageof76. Alifelong residentofNew Orleans, hewas adevoted husband toAlidaJohnson,and a beloved father,grandfa‐ther, brother, andfriend. Robertservedasa medical technicianatthe VA and Charity Hospitalsand workedinsecurityatthe Superdome.A passionate martial artist,hetaught karatewithdisciplineand heart,mentoring many students. He wasalso deeply involved in theMa‐sonic community, serving asWorthyPatronof Charles Sullivan Sr.Chap‐ter #181, aproud member ofPlatter Temple #15and New Tuscan Lodge#5. A faithfulmemberofZion HillMissionaryBaptist Church,Robert’slovefor the Lord wasevident in all hedid.Heissurvivedby his wife Alida, sixchildren, manygrandchildren,sib‐lings,and ahostofloved ones. Family andfriends are invitedtoattend the Homegoing ServiceonFri‐day,August1,2025, for 11:00 a.m. at Zion Hill Mis‐sionary BaptistChurch, 1126 N. RobertsonStreet, New Orleans, LA 70116. Vis‐itation will beginat10:00 a.m.ReverendSydney Joshua, officiating. Guest‐book Online:www.anewtra ditionbegins.com(504)2820600. Linear Brooks Boyd and DonavinD.BoydOwn‐ers/Funeral Directors.

Mary BariaLeary,a cherished pillar of love and compassion, passedaway peacefully on July 26, 2025, inLacombe,LA, at theage of85. Born on September7, 1939, in Pascagoula,MS, she graduatedasthe Salu‐tatorian of herclass from

Wade High School in 1957. She attended Perkinston Junior College. Mary’s life was atestament to herun‐waveringChristian faith and herprofound dedica‐tiontoher familyand com‐munity. Mary wasgreeted inheavenbyher beloved parents,Mercedes ShampineBaria andEdgar Baria,and herdevoted husband,PaulLeary Sr., withwhomshe shared 65 years of cherishedmemo‐riesbeforehis passing. She leavesbehinda legacy of lovethrough hersister, Pa‐triciaLibby of Hurley,MS, and hersix adoringchil‐dren, KarenLeary,Laura Johnston(husband,Kerry), Paula Lutz,ReginaCox (husband,Ricky),Patty Torres(husband,Robert Jr.), andPaulLeary Jr.Her lifewas furtherenriched byher 14 grandchildren, Sheree(Cameron) Buccola Brittany (Marc) Coleman, Mandy Keene, Hayley (Joe) Marks,Kelly Johnston,Jor‐dan Lutz,Jonah Lutz, Madeline(Devin) Chauffe, McKayla Lutz,KristaCox, Tyler (Marissa)Cox, Caleigh Leary, Abby Leary, and Paul LearyIII, andthe joyouslaughterof22greatgrandchildren andone great-great-grandchild each of whomshe held dear. Mary’s commitment tothe well-beingofchil‐drenwas evidentinher ex‐tensive volunteer work withthe LacombeRecre‐ation BoosterClub, where she worked to ensured thatevery childhad the opportunity to play sports Her weekends oftenfound her at theheart of the community,working the concessionstand at the ballfieldwitha welcoming smile.Mary'spassion for helping others carriedover intoher professional life as a para professional in Spe‐cialEducation forthe St Tammany Parish School System. Herencourage‐mentand praise forher students’ achievements wereboundless, andher stories of theirsuccesses werea source of inspira‐tiontoall.Later in life Marybecameknown as "thefaceofthe HR depart‐ment" at theschoolboard office,where shetreated every visitorwithkindness and respect. Shewas the guiding lightfor many through theapplication process, always with a cheerfuldisposition that put others at ease.Above all,Mary’sgreatestjoy was her family. Awifeofpro‐found devotion,she and Paulsharedaninseparable bondthatwas builtonmu‐tualloveand ashareden‐joyment of time spentwith their family. Shetookim‐mense prideinbeing a mother, eagerlysharing thatshe wasthe mother of six with almost everyone she met. Herchildren, in turn, were just as proudto callher Mama,and they willforever treasure her selflessloveand deep de‐votionthatwas thecorner‐stone of herlife. Mary Baria Learylived alifethat was abeautiful tapestry of faith,family, andservice Her spirit,markedbya lov‐ing andgivingheart,will continuetoliveoninthe memoriesofthose who had theprivilege of know‐ing her. As we saygoodbye tothisremarkablewoman wecelebrate theenduring impactshe hasleftonher familyand community Mary’slifewas atrueem‐bodimentofthe scripture, "Well done,good andfaith‐ful servant."Her lightwill continuetoshine brightly through thelives of those shetouched.Relatives and

Step up andsupport public broadcasting

It’sbeen difficult to watch thefalloutinLouisiana from cuts to public broadcasting without asense of bewilderment. Howdid we get here? For ageneration at least, public broadcasters have been providing news andinformation to every corner of the state whilehelping to promote its culture around the world. The list of contributionsisbroad andvaried On television, Louisiana PublicBroadcasting’s newsmagazine, “Louisiana: TheState We’re In,” has been featuring newsmakersdiscussing critical issues since 1976.And WYES in NewOrleans has long been ashowcasefor documentaries on legends like Paul Prudhomme andIrma Thomas.

On the radio, New Orleans’ world-renowned WWOZ has been the go-to for broadcasts of Jazz Fest and other festivals for decades,and WWNO boosts local restaurantsand chefson “Louisiana Eats.” In Lafayette,KRVS’ Radio Acadie airs shows in LouisianaCreole thatare unique in the nation. Shreveport’s RedRiver Radioand affiliates feature the call-in show “Health Matters,” to answer anymedical questionslistenersmay have.And inBaton Rouge, WRKF’s“Talk Louisiana” givesresidents a chance dailytohear from movers and shakers at the Capitol

When Congress voted earlier this month to claw back $1.1 billion in fundingfor the Corporation forPublicBroadcasting, we heardall the reasons. Some feltthat National Public Radio, which provides content tolocal stations fora fee, was biased in its news coverage. Others felt that the government should not befunding radio and television stations at all.

But none of that changes how we feel about Louisiana public radio and television. Nowitis facing the daunting task of raisinghundreds of thousands of dollars to fill thefederalfunding gap. NPR gets about 2% of itsfunding from CPB, while many local stations, whichproduce showswe love, getaround 8% to 10% of their budgets from federal funds. Most of that goes to infrastructure like transmitters or generators, not NPR programming.

The urgency in the voices of station managers as they ask for publicsupport is real —but so is the determination. It’supto we who value all that Louisiana public broadcastinghas given us to step up.

At WWOZ, station manager BethArroyo Utterback outlined aseries of fundraisers in the coming months to help recoupsome of the $400,000 lost due to cuts

The station, which broadcasts New Orleans music 24/7, uses no contentfrom NPR. Utterback said asignificant portion of WWOZ’s funding from CPB went topurchase the rights to music and video featured on the radio and its website. In the days since thenewswas announced, the station has raised about$80,000 from donors around the country and world. It’s encouraging thatsomany have contributed so far,but much more isneeded. Our public broadcasters have lifted us up for so long. Now it’s our turn.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. 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

Ijoin countless others in celebrating Mandonna Kashanian’srescue from her two-week confinement in Basile. It took amonumental effort to free her by themany concerned community memberswho contacted Rep.Steve Scalise, CityCouncil member Joe Giarusso and former Mayor Mitch Landrieu to effect her release. Did ICE do theright thing in abducting and detaining Kashanian? Is New Orleansa safer,better place without people like her? Obviously not.Yet there are thousands of good people in our midst just like Kashanian —people who work hard, pay taxes and are wonderful neighbors, churchgoers and civic do-gooders. Can our communitymarshal thesamehuge effort to

help all these people? The actions by ICE hurt all of us by removingdecent, productive people from our city.The agents of ICEdegrade all of us by employing cruel and inhumane tactics to reach their daily body count.Unfortunately,President Donald Trump’sBig Beautiful Bill gave an enormous increase of funding to ICE and its activities. Our city can only expect an escalation of fear and population loss. We need all our engaged community members and politiciansnow.New Orleans must find a way to resist theforces that threaten our decency as apeople, our rich cultural diversityand our prosperity MIMI GROOME NewOrleans

According to a2024 state infographic, Louisianahas thehighest rates of drowning for children ages 1to14. In most parts of this state, water is apart of the community.Yet, children and adults in this state do not know how to swim or do not possess theknowledge they need to save themselves in awater crisis. Adults Iknow personally are afraid of the water and have no idea of what to do in aserious water crisis, other than to panic. New Orleansissurrounded by water.When will we determine it’s a good time to incorporate water safety instruction in school curricula?

How can the state turn this drowning statistic around? As aformer water safetyinstructor and swim coach, Ihave taught hundreds of children to swim and how to save themselves while working for theNew Orleans Recreation Department Commission

and through private swim lessons. Onething is certain: Panic can lead to certain death. Educating people about water safety is critical. No one needs to be acandidate forthe Olympics. We just need people to be prepared and not afraid. What if people in our area experience rapidly rising waters? Do we have aplan? Now is the time to understand how different bodies of water operate, how currents workand howtosave ourselves (and others) in water crises. Schools must include water safety instruction in the health and physical educationlessons. That would be astart. Water safety classes for adults should be apart of work requirements.Water safety instruction is practical and easy.Itsaves lives.

CHARLESEBROWN NewOrleans

Be respectful andstopthe fireworksmadness

Fireworks are illegal in thecityof New Orleans. Yet, every year,weeks beforethe Fourth of July and weeks after,fireworksare going off and it sounds like awar zone. Ihear dogs barking all night,and intothe early morning —only for it to start the next day!

Ican only imaginewhat someone suffering from PTSD’s, what their life mustbelike.

Iamwriting on July12, and the fireworks have not stopped. Will they stop when achild is severely burned? When achild blows afew fingers off? Believe me,this happens.Isaw it happen as achild. We can celebrate. However,please be respectful of your neighbors and theneighborhood.

ELAINE M. SCHILLER NewOrleans

Ionce worked in alocal law firm and watched as the company,aswell as its employees, struggled with the changing and increasing costs of private health care insurance. Nowa retired notary,I can share firsthand how grateful Iamfor Medicare Advantage and the importance this program holds forhealthy seniors like myself, as wellassomany of my former coworkers. Medicare Advantage offers its participants robust coverage of doctor visits, specialist care and prescription drugs. Preventative care and wellness programsare included at no cost, as well as transportation services forseniors whonolonger drive. Homecare is there foranyone whoneeds extra attention. And perhaps best of all, in our chaotic health care system,Medicare Advantage benefits are stable. I have confidence that costs and coverage won’t change on awhim With everything seniors offer to our businesses and communities, the least Congress can do is support ahealth care program like Medicare Advantage. Louisiana’scongressional leaders should fully support and protect Medicare Advantage.

DEE DEE KUSTEL NewOrleans

Idon’tknow if it is the NewOrleans Walk of Fame or Shame. Who suggested the mayor be one of the eligible candidates? She seemstohave turmoilfollowing her all over.Certainly she’snot helping the city grow WILLIEBROWN NewOrleans

On insurance, where do Louisianans send thebill?

Just giving ashout out to the governor and insurance commissioner on the great job they’ve done. Our auto insurance went from $282

PATRICK

La.gives moneytoSaudisbut

Thestate of Louisiana should not be spending $7 million to bring aLIV Golf tournament to New Orleans.And thestate Legislature should not have declined to hold asession to consider overriding Gov. Jeff Landry’svetoes of important local projects such as safety improvements for roads and bridges. And yes, there is aconnection between those two stories. Of the $7 million for LIV,$5million would be a“hosting fee” paid to LIV itself, meaning to LIV’s Saudi backers already basking in arguably ill-gotten wealth. All for atournament that, as ace sports columnistJeff Duncan convincingly explained, is not likely to do much goodfor the city and might evendetract from the health of thecherishedNew Orleans PGA tournament, the Zurich Classic,that next year will celebrate its 80th edition.

The state should not, despite Landry’srequest, pay $5 million to a “public investment fund” chairedby Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who the U.S. officiallyconcluded has ordered the murders of several innocents. Instead, it should be spending $4.2 millionfor safer accessto Parkway High School in BossierCity $105,000 to repairabridge in Metairie’sLafreniere Park, $685,000 for a sewer project in Minden and $20,000 for atutoring programinCrowley.(Or at least half of the latter,ifyou want the arithmetic to work exactly).

Those four projectswereamong 14 infamously vetoedbyGov.Jeff Landry without evena word of explanation —which is unusual, becauseall of Landry’sother vetoesinclude explanatory notes. The lack of explanation is telling: There are virtually no conceivable substantive justifications for those line-item vetoes, whichare universally seen as Landry’smethodofpunishing fellowRepublicans for failing to back himonanentirely unrelated bill.

All 14 projects originally were passed unanimously by both the state House and the state Senate. Any decent legislature —any legislaturewith the slightest appreciation for its own, independent authority as abody of duly elected representatives of distinct constituencies— would feel obliged to stand up for its own memberswho are unjustly targeted by the governor’s ire.

Thestate Constitution, after all, gives the Legislature the power to call itself backfor asession to consider overriding agovernor’svetoes.Ina state that already givesits governor

Niemann, center left, and others celebrate individual and team victories at LIV Golf United Kingdom at JCB Golf &CountryClub on Sunday in Rocester,England.

inordinately expansiveauthorities, the veto-override session is one of the only waysthe Legislature can guarantee the proverbial “checks and balances” of power that are the hallmarkofAmerican government. While veto overridesessions are historically rare, they actually should be parfor the course (no pun intended). Notably,the Republican legislature didhold three such sessionsinthe final term of Democratic Gov.John Bel Edwards. If legislativeRepublicans can muster theeffort against Edwards, there is no excuse for them abandoningtheir own Republican colleagues this time by failingtostand up to a governor of their own party Frankly,this is agrowing problem all across the country at all levels of government including Congress: legislatures forfeitingtheir coequal status in the constitutional design because they cower before themight of apresident, governor or mayor.Indoingso, they lose track of thehistorical basis of the distinctly American tradition of governmentwhich, againstkings androyal governors, rooted primary power in deliberative, representative assemblies. As aresult, every member of the Legislature —exceptfor the16Representatives (of 105) and 10 Senators (of 39)who did not vote against the veto-

override section —deservedly will have some explainingtodo. Why did they approve $5 million in what amounts to apolitical payoff to the Saudis, while opposing bridges and tutoring programs andpark improvements? Why paythe Saudis rather than paying forIberiaParish road improvements?Why the Saudis but not the Community CaregiversofNorthwest Louisianaor“training, substance abuse counseling, and career readiness” for at-riskyouth?

To legislate is to make choices.To legislate as an elected representative of, or delegate for,aparticular constituency is to assume an obligation to serve the justifiableneeds of that constituency.Tochoose not to choose at all, out of some misbegotten deference to agovernor, is to abdicate that obligation. When legislaturesdefer too often and too obsequiously to executive authority,representative democracy erodes and thepublicgood takes aback seat. By avoiding aveto-overridesession, legislatorsevade theirinstitutional duty.Bygiving $5 million to the Saudis, they failed their fiduciaryduty In combination,that’sanegregious double-bogey.

Quin Hillyer can be reached at quin. hillyer@theadvocate.com.

President Donald Trumpmet with reporters in Scotland Monday to tout his new trade deal with the European Union. Accompanied by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trumpheld court formore than an hour taking questions on trade, China, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and more.

Thomas Paine’spamphlet “Common Sense” galvanized support for the American Revolution. It mocked the English monarchy,calling hereditary succession “a degradation and lessening of ourselves” and “an imposition on posterity.” Were he still with us, Paine might weep at the sight of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.heading the Department of Healthand Human Services. President Donald Trump had two reasons to put this crackpot in charge of aworld-renowned medical powerhouse.

attorney general. Afew years later, Robert F. Kennedymoved to New York to claimaU.S. Senate seat. He established residency there aday or twobefore he declared his candidacy He was elected and amere three yearslater ran for president.

One was that “Bobby” was wellsuitedtotear down another revered American institution. Why would Trump want that? Ask ashrink.

The other is that he finds Bobby Jr entertaining. RFK Jr.plays a“Kennedy” —the windswept hair,the jawline, the three initials. He thus comes with off-the-shelf celebrity, which boosts airtime for his destructive misinformation.One can easily buy into Bobby’sown contention that his brain is worm-eaten. Intellectually,he’ssubdelta. Paine would shudder that media routinely refers to the Kennedy clan as “America’sRoyal Family.” Bobby is Exhibit Aatwhat could go wrong when public servants are elevated by reasonofbirth.

“The Kennedys” have always been amixed bag. In ascandalous act of nepotism, President John F. Kennedy made his brother,Bobby’sfather,U.S.

After RFK was assassinated, the Kennedys drove amovement to rename New York’s Triborough Bridge after what manylocals regarded as a carpetbagger.Itwas successful and has since served as a taxpayer-supported advertising for the Kennedy family ASenate seat should not be afamily heirloom, but when HillaryClinton gave up her Senate seat from New York to serve as Secretary of State in 2009, the Kennedys lined up. After all, Robert F. Kennedyhad held it, however briefly

His brother,Sen. TedKennedy from Massachusetts, championed John’s daughter,CarolineKennedy,asareplacement. He reminded Democrats that Caroline wouldbebacked by “theKennedy family’sextensive fundraising network.”

Ted’snephew,Bobby Jr., of the worm-hole brain, was saidtoalsobe eying the seat. (Then-Gov.David Paterson eventually gave thejob to Rep Kirsten Gillibrand.)

In 1969, Uncle Tedpleaded guiltyto fleeing the scene of afatal accident afterhedrove acar into apond. He and

ayoung aide had just left aboozed-up party in thewee hours. Leaving the aide to drown, Tedwalked amile and ahalf to achannel and swam 500 feet to Edgartown.Hereturned to his hotel and neglected to call police. In 2002, Tedjoined efforts to kill an offshore wind farm on Nantucket Sound. This was an environmentally needed project favored by 84% of Massachusetts residents. “Butdon’t you realize,” Tedexclaimed royally, “that’swhereIsail!”

It’snotable that the country that invented moderndemocratic rule would let itspoliticians claim some sort of nobility.

Rome’sinternational airport is named after agreat artist, Leonardo da Vinci. London’sairportiscalled Heathrow,after theformerly rural hamlet whereit’slocated.

In this country,hundreds of schools are named after John F. Kennedy Thereare JFK boulevards in Tampa, Houston andelsewhere. The name of Bobby’sfather graces public schools in Los Angeles,Albuquerque, Chicago and elsewhere. Andofcourse, the RFK signs confuseNew Yorkers who still think of theirbridge as the Triborough. We fought theAmerican Revolution to endthis sense of hereditary entitlement, the notion that children of politicians were born to rule. Sorry,Tom. We messed up.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

One subject that barely came up, about 50 minutes into the newsconference, wasthe dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Spoiler alert: No newswas made on that front.

If you follow things, you’re probably seeing alot of stories suggesting somesort of undefined scandal involving Trumpand Epstein, whowere friends in the 1990s and remained so until 2004, two years before Epstein wasfirst charged with acrime. You’re seeing it not because reporters have discovered new information to change the substance of what is already known, but because Democrats and their allies in the media hope that repetition of the story will bring downTrump’sapproval rating and perhaps shake loose somecurrently unknown, damaging revelation they hope exists.

At least so far, it’snot working, and anew poll showshow farDemocrats are falling short. In aWall Street Journal survey taken July 16-20, respondents consistently expressed moreconfidence in the Republican Party than the Democratic Party to handle key issues, and they expressed morepositive feelings toward Trump and Republicans than toward Democrats. First the favorable/unfavorable ratings. The poll found that 45% of those surveyed had a very or somewhat favorable impression of Trump, versus 52% whohad avery or somewhat unfavorable impression. For the Republican Party,the numbers were43% favorable versus 54% unfavorable, and forDemocratic Party,the numbers were33% favorable and 63% unfavorable.

The big newsinthat? The Democrats’ 33-63 rating —the worst forthe party since 1990. Indeed, the headline of the article was“Democrats Get Lowest Rating From Voters in 35 Years, WSJ Poll Finds.”

The poll suggests that Democrats’ current strategy,focused mostly on Trump-bashing, hasn’tpaid off in higher ratings. The reason: While manyvoters might not like Trumpand Republicans, or be ambivalent about them, they have less confidence in Democrats.

“On the whole, voters disapprove of the president’shandling of the economy,inflation, tariffs,and foreign policy,” the Journal reports. “And yet in each case, the new Journal poll found, voters nonetheless say they trust Republicans rather than Democrats to handle those sameissues in Congress.”

Start with Trump’sratings on handling issues. For the economy,the Journal found him at 44-53 —that is, with 44% approval and 53% disapproval. On the specific issue of inflation, he was44-55. On tariffs 40-57. On foreign policy,47-51.

Then look at the Republican vs. Democrat version of those questions. When asked which party is best able to handle the economy,39% said Republicans, while 27% said Democrats. On inflation specifically,38% said Republicans and 28% said Democrats. On tariffs, 37% said Republicans and 30% said Democrats. On foreign policy,39% said Republicans and 31% said Democrats.

The numbers suggest Democrats, whoare happy targeting Trumpfrom dawntill dusk, are not convincing voters they can do abetter job than the president and his party

That’swhere Epstein comes in. Much as they did from 2017 to 2019, when they accused Trumpofcolluding with Russia, manyDemocrats appear ready to makethe case against Trumpbased on the Epstein matter acenterpiece of their opposition to the president. Will that rile the voters? And morespecifically,will it makevoters angry in the absence of any powerful revelations about Epstein and continued accomplishments by Trump? Democrats appear to hope so. During this summer break, the Journal reports, Democrats “are hoping forarepeat of this spring’srecess, when angry voters flooded into town-hall meetings, heckling Republican lawmakers and challenging them to do moretopush back against Trump.”

Maybe so. But success changes things. And Trumphas had anumber of significant successes in his first six months in office, enough to satisfymany independent or on-the-fence voters that he is doing good things forthe country.Ofcourse, hard-core Democrats and their allies in the Resistance are apoplectic about Trumpbecause they are always apoplectic about Trump. What the new poll suggests is that forDemocrats, anger is just not enough. Byron York is on X, @Bryon York.Email him at byronyork@yorkcomm.com.

friendsare invitedtoat‐tenda visitation on Friday August1,2025, from 10:00 a.m.to12:00 p.m. at St MargaretMaryCatholic ChurchinSlidell, LA.A fu‐neral Mass will beginat noon.Following services, Marywillbelaidtorestin ForestLawnCemeterybe‐sidethe love of herlife, Paul. Memories andcondo‐lencesmay be expressed atwww.AudubonFuneralH ome.com

Reed,LucyR.

MissionaryDr. Lucy R. Reed,age 87, wasbornon May 31, 1938 in Hammond, LA. Shedepartedthis earthly home on Thursday, July24, 2025. Shewas a memberofLivingWordIn‐ternational Church under the leadership of Apostle Charles MarquezSr. Lucy was thelovingmotherof SharonBryant(Brederick) and MildredThornton (Phil). Shewas also sur‐vived by sixgrandchildren elevengreat-grandchildren and ahostofother rela‐tives andfriends.Lucywas precededindeath by her husband Ernest Earl Reed, and herparents Jack Rollins andLucyRollins Relatives andfriends of the family, also Pastor,officers and membersofLiving WordInternational Church are invitedtoattend the Celebration of Life Service onFriday, August 1, 2025, atLivingWordInterna‐tionalChurch,3143 Albany Street,Kenner, LA 70065 at 10:00 a.m. Visitation from 9:00a.m.until 10:00 a.m. In‐terment Providence Memo‐rialPark, 8200 AirlineDrive, Metairie, LA 70003. You may sign theguest book onhttp://www.gertrud geddeswillis.com. Gertrude GeddesWillisFuneral HomeInc., in charge (504) 522-2525.

Rigdon,Sandra Napolitano

continued from 82. Shewas the beloved wifeofthe late Joseph "Joe" Salvador Scaffidi Born inNew Orleans, Louisiana,Gailwas the daughterofthe late Joseph "Buddy" Philip Finn and the late Rita Claire Chappetta,and the stepdaughter of the late Garnette Hicks Finn. She was precededindeath by herson Samuel "Sammy JosephScaffidi;her sisters Barbara Ann Finn, Phyllis Ann Finnand Elizabeth "Betty"Kilian (the late Edward); and four unborn childrenlosttomiscarriage. Gailissurvived by her sisterEarlene Goens, and children:JosephPhilip Scaffidi,Gina Scaffidi Engel (Richard),Paul Edward Scaffidi (Kim), Mary Scaffidi Cahill (Warren). Shewas aproud grandmothertoCheriaScaffidi, GabrielleMonnerjahn (Mason), Jodi Scaffidi, Jamie Burpee (Alex), Ryan Paternostro, AustinEngel, Rocco Scaffidi, Kara Scaffidi,Angelina Chifici, Anthony Chifici,aswell as great-grandmother to eight great-grandchildren. Shealsoleaves behind many nieces, nephews, cousins and many cherishedlifelong friends Inher early years, Gail workedasa beautician at The Bird Cage Salon and laterproudlyearned her highschool diploma in 1991.She livedmost of her adultlifeinMetairie, Louisiana,whereher faith, communityand family wereatthe center of everything she did. Adevoted parishioner of St Angela Merici Church, Gail servedasa Eucharistic Ministerand an active memberofthe St. Vincent de Paul Society.She also volunteered forthe church's annual St Joseph'sAltar. Gailwas the past president of the Cleary Golden Age Club,a retreat captain at The CenacleRetreat House,a memberofthe Catholic Charismatic Renewal opening her home for prayermeetingsand helped to feed thehomeless for manyyears. Gail liveda life rooted in faith, service, and love for herfamily. Sheprayeddaily and asked God to use her as atool to spread his word. Agifted and passionate cook, Gail expressed her love through food,continuallyrefining herrecipes and proudly publishing acookbook in 2017 to leave as part of her legacy. Hertalents also includedbaking professional cakes, creating silk flower arrangements, embroidery and sewing- most notably making personalized quilts foreach of herten grandchildren.She loved to cook, have fun, play cards, be the life of the party, make memories, and make people laugh. Oneofher greatest gifts was making everyone feel welcome, loved and at home in her presence.

Sandra Napolitano Rig‐don passedawayonSatur‐day,July26, 2025. Daughter ofthe Late,EunicePoche Napolitanoand thelate, Lewis J. Napolitano.Sandra was preceded in deathby her belovedhusband of 40 years,Charles TerrellRig‐don.She is survived by her daughterMichelle Rigdon Ensley(Bryan),grandchil‐drenBenjaminCharles Willis andAshleyAlexan‐der Rigdon,siblings: Cheryl NapolitanoReichlin, Char‐lotte Napolitano Groth, Lynette Napolitano Mon‐tero, andElaineNapolitano Weber.Sandraalsoleaves behindmanylovingand caringfriends.Relatives and friendsare invitedto attend thefuneral services onFriday, August 1, 2025, atGardenofMemoriesFu‐neral Home,4900 AirlineDr. Metairie, Louisiana, 70001 Visitationwillbegin at 9:00 am, followed by aservice at11:00 am.A privatein‐terment will be held at a later date.Tooffer the familyonlinecondolences, orsend flowers, please visit,www.gardenofmem oriesmetairie.com

With greatsadness, we announcethe passingofa wonderful husband,Marek Andrzej Szatsznajder,age 73, on July 11, 2025. Loving husband to Annette Szat‐sznajder, sontoMarianna SzatsznajderofMelbourne, Australia,brother and brother-in-lawtoKrys (Barbara) Szatsznajder of Melbourne,Australia and brother-in-lawtoRaymond (Theresa) BlackieofCal‐gary, Alberta, Canada.Rel‐ativesand friendsofthe familyare invitedtoattend the memorial serviceheld onTuesday,August5,2025 atHonaker FuneralHome, 1751 GauseBlvd. West, Slidell, LA 70458. Visitation willbegin at 10:00 am with the servicebeginning at 11:00 am.Inlieuof flowers, memorialdonations would beappreciatedtoAmeri‐can HeartAssociationat heart.org or ArthritisFoun‐dationwww.arthritis.org

Family and friends are invited to attend aFuneral Mass on Wednesday, August 6, 2025,at12:00 PM at St. Angela Merici Church,901 BeverlyGarden Drive in Metairie, Louisiana.Visitationwill begin at 10:00AM. The Scaffidi Family welcomes you to share thoughts, memories and condolencesonline at https://neptunesociety.co m/obituaries/10405598 In lieuofflowers, donationsinGail's memory may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St Angela MericiChurch.

DorethaSmith departed thislifeonTuesday,July8 2025, at theage of 86 years old.She wasthe daughter ofthe late FrankSr. and Viola Anderson.The loving motherofDesiree Smith, EddieSmith,RhondaAnn Smith, SarahAnn Smith, and ShemetrisTaylor (Lester Sr.).She is also sur‐vived by four grandchil‐dren, four sisters, one brother,and ahostof nieces, nephews, otherrel‐atives, andfriends.A memorialservice will be heldonFriday, August 1, 2025, at 11:00 am at Oak‐landBaptist Church,825 Rev.Richard Wilson Dr., Kenner, LA 70062. Arrange‐ments entrustedto RichardsonFuneral Home ofJefferson,River Ridge, LA. www.richardsonfuner alhomeofjefferson.com

DeloresThomaswas bornJuly4,1960 to thelate Alvin J. Thomas,Sr. andLu‐cinda Thomas of NewOr‐leans,LA. Sheaccepted Christatanearly ageand was baptizedatMacedo‐nia BaptistChurch.Delores was educated in thepublic school system in NewOr‐leans anda graduate of WalterL.Cohen Senior HighSchool.She was unitedinholymatrimony tothe love of herlife, RobertThomas, on August 9,1986. To this loving union,three children were born– Robert Jr., Sherry, and KennethThomas. She was an amazingwife, mother, andgrandmother She oftengaveher children and grandchildrenwords ofadviceand admonished themtoalwaystrust in God.Her grandchildren wereher joy. Deloreswas a caregiver to many children and adults.She retired fromWalterL.Cohen Se‐niorHighSchool where she workedasa custodianfor 20years.She leaves to mourn herpassing three children: Robert Jr., Sherry, and KennethThomas; five grandchildren:Dajanique Thomas, Cody Thomas, Cynthia Thomas,Melody Oliver, andJahriqMike; one great-grandson:Chris‐tianThomas. Sheisalso survivedbyfoursisters: LucyLaBeau, Beatrice Thomas, Patricia Washing‐ton (Robert),and Jerry Henderson;two brothers: Alvin Jr.and Anthony Thomas; twobrothers-inlaw:RobertWashington and Lionel Thomas (Mary); two sisters-in-law:Mary Maysand Dianne Allen(Ed‐ward);her loving nieces and nephews, anda host ofrelatives andfriends Delores Thomas waspre‐ceded in deathbyher hus‐band: Robert Thomas,Sr.; parents:Alvin Sr.and Lu‐cinda Thomas;and sister: Cynthia Thomas.Relatives and friendsofthe family are allinvited to attend the celebration of life on Satur‐day,August2,2025, at 12:00 noon at Macedonia Baptist Church,2810 Erato St.,New Orleans, LA,70113 Visitationwillbegin at 11:00 am.Burialwillbepri‐vate. Pastor Robert Beard, Officiant. Professional arrangementsentrusted to MajesticMortuary(504) 523-5872.

Alicia (Licia)Sylvester Tousant,age 68 of NewOr‐leans,La. enteredeternal restonJuly25, 2025 at Ochsner MedicalCenter Westbank. Shewas born onDecember20, 1956 to the late Samuel Edward Sylvester Sr.and Pauline Sylvester.Aliciaattended L.B.Rabouin High School She worked forthe City of New OrleansHousing Au‐thority of NewOrleans TreasureChest Casino and SodexoFood Service. She married thelateDavid Tou‐sant. Sheissurvivedbyher 5 children:Calina(Roder‐ick), DavidJr. (Cierra) Tou‐sant, Travis (Marie Sylvester), Darren andTer‐rance Sylvester, 8grand‐children, Trequail (Cedrick) David III, Travis Jr Chance Makai,Makarri,Makaliand Daviel, (3)great grandchil‐dren, Amari, Cedrickand Marle Branch.Three sis‐ters: Margaret (Nathaniel) Hannah, Sharon Williams and SamenthiaCameron Fourbrothers: Kenneth (Claudette)Taft,Samuel (Gail), Anthony(Theresa) and Lemuel Sylvester. A devoted nieceRhonda Paceand ahostofother nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyher par‐ents, Samuel andPauline Sylvester,her husband David TousantSr.,siblings: EdwardBuckley,Jewel FayeBuckley,BrendaTaft Southern, Paulette Sylvester,Antoinette Sylvester,niece Dinan (TootsieRoll) Southern, nephews:Chris Sylvester, DeShawn Cameronand SamuelSylvester.Relatives and friendsofthe family are invitedtoattend the VisitationonFriday, Au‐gust1,2025 for10:00 a.m. atMount SinaiBaptist Church 1249 LeBoeufStreet Algiers,La. 70114. Celebra‐tionofLifeService will begin at 11:00 a.m. Rev. DudleyWatson(Pastor). In‐terment:Providence MemorialParkCemetery, 8200 AirlineDr.,Metairie, La. 70003. Arrangements by Estelle J. Wilson Funeral Home, Inc.,2715 Danneel St.,NOLA70113. Informa‐tion: (504) 895-4903. To sign onlineguest book,please visit www.estellejwilsonfh. com

"Into His loving arms she walked"

Amy Green Ward passed away peacefully in her sleep this weekwhilesurrounded by lovedones at theage of 99. Achildofthe depressionera, Amy was born at home in the Carrolton area of New Orleans as theonlychildof Charles J. and JosieH Green in 1926. She attended LafayetteSchool and graduated from Eleanor McMain High School in 1943. She mether future husband,Truman, on a blind date whilehewas a student at Tulane University attending Naval OfficerTrainingSchool. They marriedin1945 and moved to Lakeview in 1951, building one of thefirst homes in this new subdivision. There they raised their threechildren and liveduntil 2005 when Hurricane Katrina forced otherplans. They werefounding members of St.Luke's UnitedMethodist Church and stayed faithful members throughout theirlives. At St. Luke's, Amy became activeinthe United MethodistWomen, and served at thelocal,district, national, and globallevels. She rose to aleadership position on theBoardof GlobalMinistries in New York City. She dedicated her life to social and racial justice, participating in local ralliesinsupport of integrationand civil rights. She spokeatinternational symposia, afar cry from her humble beginning in theCarrolton area. Speaking from theheart, she deliveredmessagesof hope, grace, and love for allmankind. She served St.

Mark'sCommunity Center as aBoardmember for 18 years andreceiveda key to theCityofNew Orleans for herefforts. During their 71 years of marriage, Amy and Truman remained dedicated to eachother as well as friends andfamily. They enjoyedtravel, entertaining, gardening, andphysicalactivity. Duringtheir post-Katrina exile in Gonzales, LA, shemastered computers anddigital communications. In her memoir titled"Amy's Life andTimes" she recalled with startling detailsher life story. When reflecting backonher life shesaid "Godhas given me along walk in life. Hisgift of love anda loving family. Ihave stumbled alongthe way andmade mistakes. Ihope Ihave nottreated this gift too lightly. Ihave been greatly blessed." At the ageof96, she moved to Sunrise Senior Living whereshe spent theremainder of herlife. In addition to herparents, she waspreceded in death by herhusband, Truman LeeWard. Sheis survivedbyher loving familyincluding hersons, Gary L. Ward(wife Cindy), Dr KennethJ.Ward (wife Leslie), and daughter Sharon WardHagan (husbandJohn).Grandchildren include Geoffrey(wife Olivia), Blayne, Colin, Dr TimothyHagan andDr. KristenHagan (husband Dr.Thomas Leahy). Greatgrandchildreninclude Liam, Truman, andAugust. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, August 2, 2025 at Lake LawnMetairieFuneral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd.New Orleans, LA. Visitation willbeheldfrom 12 PM -2 PM witha service to begin at 2PM. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be sent to St.Luke's United Methodist Church 5875 Canal Blvd.New Orleans, LA 70124.

Mr.ToddWhitaker, Sr age 66, peacefully transi‐tionedtohis Heavenly homeinthe comfortofhis residence on Sunday,July 20, 2025, at 12:00 noon.He was anative-resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, and formerly livedinHous‐ton,Texas.Atthe time of his passing, he wassur‐rounded by thecaregiving and deep love of his fiancé, Karen R. Fields,ofReserve Louisiana;and hissister, Linda.Hewas born on April 30, 1959, theseventh and youngestchild of his beloved anddedicated mother, Mrs. Inez Haynes PaulWhitaker, who prede‐ceasedhim.Hewas nur‐tured in alovingand happy homewithhis siblings, Lois, Linda, Valdiner,Kelly Cathy,and Harry.Devoted fatheroflovingand dedi‐cated children:Terrill T. Banks,Sr.,(hisMother, Carlotta),NOLA; Todd Whitaker,Jr. (wifeand his dad’s daughter-in-love, Faran FoyWhitaker),(his mother, Lisa); Jessicaand Joshua Paul Whitaker (theirmother, Tweet), allof Houston,Texas.Lovingand caringgrandfather of Ter‐rillBanks,Jr.,NOLA, and ToddWhitaker, III (“Tre”) and Madison(“Maddy”), Houston,Texas.Toddwas a loving,kind, generous and faith-filled manwho worshippedatFirst Agape Baptist Church,where he was baptized by itsPastor, the Reverend EddieM Payne.Hewas also revered for hissweet,friendly, and humorouspersonality;and willbefondlyand forever missed/remembered by all who were blessedtoknow him.Asthe sole-ownerof his Pest ControlCompany, “Rest in Peace”,heserved his clientswithzeal, com‐petence,dedication, and gratitude.Toddreceived hisearly educationatSyl‐

vanie F. Williams Elemen‐tary, JamesDerham, Jr Highand Booker T. Wash‐ington, Sr.Highschools, Class of 1977. He received his professional training at Texas Southern University (“TSU”) in Houston, Texas. Wethank Godfor Blessing Todd, Sr., with afull, happy, productive, prosperous life withgood health -until he becameill.Itwas filled withthe immeasurable joysfrommulti-genera‐tions of loving familymem‐bers; life-longfriendships; incredible“Dominoes”and Saintsgames/parties sharedwithhis sons;sec‐ond-linedancing,where he tremendouslyenjoyed playing hisinfamous“Tam‐bourine “; Countless “Cal‐liope Projects”and B.T.W. Reunion Celebrations;and his work days at his beloved business, Rest-inPeace Pest Control!!Inad‐ditiontoToddSr.’s chil‐dren, grandchildrenand their parents, left behind to cherish hismemoriesand legacyofmutualloveand caringare thefollowing: his loyal, trulydevoted fiancé,long-term care giver andWhitakerfamily friend, KarenR.Fields; and her children,Angel,Isaac Jr. andMichael Fields, daughter-in-law,Anyee Fieldsand hergrandchil‐dren, BrooklynnTrawtick, IssacFields, Jr.and Prince Fields. Todd otherloved onesinclude:his otherlov‐ing andlong-term caregiver,his sister,Linda,and his othermutually-loved siblings, Kelly Whitaker Cathy Stewartand Harry Whitaker (‘Nette Banks); his beloved“Mother-inLove”,whomheaffection‐ately referred to as Bobbie, and herdaughters,Lisa and Troy Lynn; hisbrotherfriend, AnthonyBanks and the Banks’ relatives; lifelongfamilyfriend, Mr.Al‐bert(Al)Matthew,and a hostofloved nieces, nephews,churchmem‐bers, friends, cousinsand customers.Toddwas pre‐ceded in deathbyhis beloved mother andtwo sisters,LoisH.Payne (Justin)and Valdiner Whitaker;nephews,Ronald Whitaker,Sr. (Great)and Charles Payne(GreatGreat); auntsand uncles, Hilda Dobson,Harry James Haynes, Jr.(thelateJanie), Bernard Haynes (the late Dorothy), HenryHaynes (thelateAnn) andgrand‐parents,Harry James Haynes, Sr.(thelateRosia) allfromJeanerette,and PortArthur, Tex.;and close cousin, CharlesDobson. In‐vited to theFuneralSer‐vices forToddWhitaker, Sr.,are thefollowing:Rela‐tives andfriends of the family, alongwiththe Pas‐tors, Officers,and Mem‐bersofthe FirstAgape Baptist Church (Pastor EddieM.Payne), Fellow‐shipMissionaryBaptist Church (PastorMoses Gor‐don,III),Mt. Rock Mission‐ary BaptistChurch (Pastor Bernard Dyer), Saints Com‐munityChurch,Metairie, (PastorsWayne andKristi Northup), theRev.Isaac Stewart,the Rev. Reginald Cummins (RisingStar MBC); Staff andStudents atSt. AlphonsusSchool (Principal, Sr.Monica);Em‐ployees of Angels Care of Reserve,LA(Owner, Donice Rogers;Staff in theE.R., Oncology,PalliativeCare Departments at UMC, Touro andNew Orleans EastHospitals;APEXHos‐pice; andAcadian Ambu‐lance ServiceatFirst Agape BaptistChurch,3219 ThaliaSt.,NOLA70125 on Saturday, August 2, 2025, for 10:00 a.m.,Visitation beginsat9:00a.m.Pastor EddieM.Payne,Officiating. Interment: Mount Olivet Cemetery, NewOrleans LA. Professional arrange‐ments entrustedtoD.W RhodesFuneral Home,3933 WashingtonAve NOLA 70125. Please visitwww rhodesfuneral.comtosign the online guestbook, share memories andcon‐dolenceswiththe family.

SPACEEATER

Godchaux lookslikeperfect salvefor Saints rundefense’s woes

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The elements of an explosive vertical passing attack spent mostoflast season hiddeninside the LSU offense. The speed. The arm strength. The pass protection. It wasall there, but one injury kept it stunted until it was toolate. Now big-play wide receiver Chris Hiltonishealthy, andthistime,he’s notalone Garrett Nussmeiertested out his revamped,speed-centricoffense Wednesday, when the Tigers held their firstpreseason practiceofthe 2025 season —aquick tune-up session that lasted about an hour.The full-contact, padded practices are aways away, which means that firm conclusions are betterleftfor later in August.

One thing was clear almost immediately.

As Pete Werner tells it,the NewOrleans Saints defense probably should get penalized for too many men on the field when No. 92 is out there. No. 92 is Davon Godchaux,the Saints defensive tackle whois makinglife awhole lot easier for linebackers such as Werner “Helookslike there are two players, an extra D-lineman out there,” Werner said Godchaux, obtained in aMarch trade with the New England Patriots, could be the biggest acquisition this offseason. And not just because of his 6-foot-3, 330-pound frame.

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

While the Tulane offense is bereft of provenreturningplaymakers and aclear workinprogress, no such concerns greeted the defense Wednesday during the first preseason practiceat Yulman Stadium. Despite having only three starters back, optimismabout that side of the ball has reached dizzying heightsinside and outside of the program after adominant spring.

“I’ve never been more excited about an upcoming season,” sixth-year linebacker Sam Howardsaid. “I’m excited aboutthis defense and what we’veput in this offseason. I’m looking forward to it. Guys are going to fly around.” Athlon Sports magazine listed an American Conference-high four Tulane players on itsfirstteamall-league defense: Howard, linemen Kam Hamilton and Mo Westmoreland,and safety BaileyDespanie. Phil Steelerated the Green Wave either first or tied forfirst in theAmerican at defensive line, linebacker and defensive back.

The defense definitely is on an acceleratedpace fromthistime

12 monthsago.

More so for therun-stuffing strength that comes with that body

The Saints were one of the worst teams lastseason in stopping the run.

“Last year,weaddedfive guys in June thatstarted Game 1 because rightonthe jobI was slower recognizing our issue with how bad we needed to add some pieces to make thedefense whole,” second-year coach Jon Sumrall said.“It took us awhile to galvanize and find some cohesion. This year,wewere whole on defense much sooner,which bodes well for playing at ahigher level.”

Theconfidencestartsupfront, where tackle Santana Hopper (Appalachian State) and rush end Westmoreland (UTEP) rank amongthe top-five American transfers, according to Athlon Sports. Hamilton excelled after moving to endfrom tackle last season, tying for the team lead with 41/2 sacks. Another transfer, nose tackle Trevon McAlpine (Texas Tech), headsadeep group of returning players andnewcomers with potential upfront that numbers indouble figures.

“Inthe spring, theygavemea runfor my money,” saidthirdyear startingguard Shadre Hurst,who made the Outland Trophy preseason watch list.

“When you’ve gota D-line like

Opponentsgashed through the defense with ease, averaging 141.4 yards

“We’ve gotguys thatcan run,” coach BrianKelly said. In LSU’sfirst team drills of camp, Nussmeier completedtwo quick passes before he connected with Kentucky transfer Barion Brown on adeep touchdown. Brown ran asimple vertical route, using his high-end speed to gain asteponcornerback Ashton Stamps. The small window of separation waswide enough for Nussmeier, who pump-faked left and turned back right to loft aperfectly thrown pass to Brown in the endzone.

Later,ina seven-on-sevendrill, Nussmeier found Hiltonona deep fade pattern on thesideline. Hispasshad just the right touch, and Hilton angled back to grabit. Those plays weren’tavailable to LSU very oftenlastseason. Nussmeier completed only 36% of his passes that traveled at least20yards, and he averaged just 7.7 yardsper attempt —the 12thbest markamong SoutheasternConference quarterbacks.

If Nussmeier raises that average —like both Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels did in their second years as the LSU starter—then he canunlock a more dangerous version of the offense thatheled last season. Brown andHilton, alongside Oklahoma transfer wide

The New Orleans Saints easily could have had Jake Haener takehis share of first-team repsonTuesday when the team conducted awalkthrough instead of aregular practice. Coach Kellen Moore saidhis three quarterbacks in contention for thestarting job would rotate until Aug. 10’spreseason opener,and Tuesday’ssession was set to be Haener’s turn ButMoore and theSaints insist theyare taking Haener seriously in this competition. Andtheir actions backed it up Wednesday: TheSaints ran Haener with the first team for thesecond-padded practice of camp rather than trotting him out there aday earlier in aslow-paced, no-helmet setting.

Haener seized the opportunity He looked crisponaday when he threw acamp-high 16 passes in team drills.And it was agood thing for him that he was on top of his game: Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough were also sharp. The three appeared to have theircollective bestday of training camp so far

Here were the numbers:

Haener: 11 of 16 (24 of 34 overall) Rattler: 9of10(33 of 47) Shough: 3of5(20 of 35) Haener’sextended work

in

allowed him to gain ground on thenumberofpassattempts since he laggedbehind the others while working with the thirdteam offense. The 26-year-old found arhythm early whenhehit astreaking Chris Olave deep down thesideline.Helater navigated pressure in the pocket well, finding his checkdowns and throwing

Lions, Chargers kick off preseason

BY ROB MAADDI Associated Press

CANTON, Ohio Fifteen wins. No.1

seed Super Bowl betting favorites.

The Detroit Lions fell way short last season, going one-and-done in the playoffs after having the best regular season in franchise history

They still have a loaded roster stacked with talent and plenty of unfinished business.

The Lions kick off their quest for their first Super Bowl title when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night in the Hall of Fame game, which opens the NFL’s preseason schedule.

The Chargers are also coming off a season that ended with a loss in their playoff opener, a wildcard game against Houston. But it was a different vibe in Los Angeles, where Jim Harbaugh came in and led a six-win improvement. Harbaugh, who led Michigan to a national championship before leaving for the NFL, guided the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in his second season in 2012. Can he do it again with the Chargers? They haven’t won any titles since capturing the 1963 AFL championship.

Expectations are high for both teams, but it’s a long road to the Vince Lombardi trophy It starts in the exhibition opener, two days ahead of the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony

“It’s a new season, it’s a new beginning,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said as he enters his fifth season in charge. “You understand what that road looks like, and there’s going to be nothing easy about it. But I think it’s — every year you do this and you just realize, ‘Hey man, just get in.’ Win this division — that’s always going to be the goal. Find a way to win your division because now you’re automatically in and then once you’re in, it’s the matchup. And don’t worry about the — OK, maybe we have to go on the road, so be it, or if something happens

“You take your best unit, you put your best practice that you can together, find the guys that you’re going to use to try to go win that game and then let it ride. No, I’m still as enthusiastic as ever I know these guys are. There’s a price to

team faces Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers in the preseason Hall of Fame game Thursday in Canton, Ohio.

ä Chargers vs. Lions, 7 P.M.THURSDAy,NBC

be paid to get yourself back into the dance, back into the tournament, and that will never change, and if we let that slide at all, then we’re going to be sitting here at home in January, and that’s not what we want.”

Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Penei Sewell and the rest of Detroit’s star-studded offense won’t see any action against Los Angeles. Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen will play quarterback for the Lions as they battle to be Goff’s backup

Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ veterans also will watch from the sideline. Trey Lance will start at quarterback for Los Angeles. Lance, the 25-year-old third overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, is on his third team after stops in San Francisco and Dallas.

“He’s had a heck of a camp,” Harbaugh said “I just want to get Trey Lance game experience. With his career and then in college, he doesn’t have as much as

Rookie running back Omarion Hampton, selected by Los Angeles 22nd overall, and wide receiver Tre Harris, a second-round pick, are expected to play But Detroit’s top two draft picks, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and guard Tate Ratledge, aren’t scheduled to play

The game features the debut of Detroit’s two new coordinators. OC John Morton replaced Ben Johnson, who left to coach Chicago. DC Kelvin Sheppard took over for Aaron Glenn, who went to coach the New York Jets.

Arenas arrested on illegal poker game charges

LOS ANGELES Former NBA star

Gilbert Arenas was arrested Wednesday along with five other people, including a suspected member of an Israeli organized crime group, on suspicion of hosting illegal high-stakes poker games at a Los Angeles mansion owned by Arenas, federal prosecutors said.

All six defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of operating an illegal gambling business, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They were all scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

Arenas, 43, is also charged with making false statements to federal investigators, the statement said.

Chiefs place WR Worthy in concussion protocol

ST JOSEPH, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the concussion protocol Wednesday, one day after the second-year pro banged his head while trying to make a catch during training camp at Missouri Western State University Worthy is expected to be a big part of the Kansas City offense after a dynamic rookie season in which he took advantage of the long injury absences of Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice to put up some big numbers. He finished with 59 catches for 638 yards and six touchdowns, then had 19 catches for 287 yards and three more scores in three playoff games. Brown also missed practice Wednesday after hurting his ankle the previous day

Source: Bills CB Hairston has a sprained knee

most guys.”

Rookie DJ Uiagalelei, who signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent, is scheduled to play the second half. Veteran Taylor Heinicke will serve as the emergency third QB.

“I’ve said this before, it hurts to lose two guys that, man, have been here from the beginning, have a lot of trust and faith in,” Campbell said. “There’s a lot of communication that’s not even said because once you get to that, you understand each other A look, a nod, body demeanor says it all. And that’s just a little bit of what we have to gain together between myself, Johnny Morton and Shepp But that takes a minute, it takes time. We’ll get it, it’ll come. That’s what practice is about, that’s what preseason games early in the year, all of that. We’ll be good.”

NFL rule changes include kickoffs, OT

BY JOSH DUBOW Associated Press

The NFL’s one-year experiment with the new kickoff rule becomes permanent this season with a new tweak that the league hopes will lead to a bigger increase in the rate of returns.

The league also approved changes to the overtime rule, expanded replay assist and made a few other technical changes for this season that will first be on display starting with the exhibition opener Thursday night between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers.

The league experimented with the so-called dynamic kickoff in 2024 in hopes of more returns while also making the play safer. Owners voted in April to make the change permanent while moving touchbacks on kicks that reach the end zone on the fly from the 30 to the 35, which is expected to lead to more kicks in play and more returns. There was no change in the tush push play that Philadelphia used so successfully on the way to winning the Super Bowl last season Here’s an explanation of some of the new rules that will be in place. What’s new with the kickoff?

The league was mostly pleased with the experimental kickoff put in place for 2024 that led to the rate of kickoff returns increasing from a record-low 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8% last season, while reducing the rate of injuries on what had been the game’s most dangerous play The rule made kickoffs more like scrimmage plays by placing

the coverage players and blockers close together to eliminate the high-speed collisions that had contributed to so many injuries on the play The league said the rate of concussions dropped 43% on returns, with a significant reduction as well in lower-body injuries

The problem last season was many teams still opted to kick the ball in the end zone because the touchback wasn’t punitive enough. The average starting field position on a touchback was only 2.4 yards further than the average starting position after returns, which was the 27.6-yard line.

By moving the touchback to the 35, the league projects the return rate will rise to somewhere between 60% and 70%, with a similar increase in long returns, adding more excitement to the game.

How about onside kicks?

Teams will still need to declare their intention to try an onside kick because of the different formation. But a new change will allow trailing teams to try one before the start of the fourth quarter after Kansas City had to kick deep while down 28 points in the final minute of the third quarter in the Super Bowl.

Coverage players will also be allowed to line up 1 yard closer in hopes of increasing the rate of recovery from about 6% over the past three seasons to at least 10%.

How will overtime change?

The league approved a proposal to make the regular season overtime more like the postseason, with both teams getting a chance at a possession, even if the team

that gets the ball first scores a touchdown. The NFL added regular-season overtime in 1974, adding a 15-minute sudden death period that ended on any score. In 2010, the rule was tweaked to a modified sudden death that required an opening possession touchdown to immediately end the game instead of only a field goal. That was in effect in the regular season and the playoffs Overtime then was shortened for the regular season to only 10 minutes in 2017. A rule change in 2022 for the playoffs only gave both teams the chance to score even with a touchdown on the opening possession. Now that will be the case in the regular season, after the improved field position on kickoffs made winning in OT on an opening possession TD easier

According to Sportradar, six of the 16 overtime games last season ended on an opening-drive TD, which was the most overtime games ended on the first drive since the rule change went into effect in 2010.

In all, teams that won the overtime toss won 75% of the time last season, according to Sportradar, and have a .606 winning percentage in overtime since it was cut to 10 minutes.

The league kept the 10-minute overtime period instead of expanding it back to 15 minutes like was originally proposed by Philadelphia, which could lead to teams opting to go for 2 and a win if they match an opening-drive TD with one of their own since there might not be time for another possession.

Replay assist

The NFL expanded its replay assist system to overturn objective calls if there was “clear and obvious” evidence that a foul didn’t occur The calls could include facemask penalties, whether there was forcible contact to the head or neck area, horse-collar tackles and tripping. Replay also would be able to overturn a roughing-the-kicker or running-into-the-kicker penalty if video showed the defender made contact with the ball.

The league has been using replay assist in recent years to overturn obvious errors on aspects such as whether a pass is caught or where the ball should be spotted without the referee needing to stop the game for a review

The Competition Committee says there’s no interest in allowing replay assists to call penalties on plays missed by officials on the field.

Other changes

Referees will no longer use the chains to determine first downs, opting instead for a virtual measuring system. This won’t eliminate the officials who manually spot the ball and use chains to mark the line to gain. The optimal tracking system notifies officiating instantly if a first down was gained after the ball is spotted by hand.

There were some procedural rules changed in regard to injured reserve. Teams can place two players on injured reserve with the designation to return when rosters are reduced to 53 players instead of after

Buffalo Bills rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston is out indefinitely after the first-round draft pick was diagnosed with a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, a person briefed on the injury told The Associated Press on Wednesday No timetable was provided for how much time Hairston will miss. The injury opens the door for former LSU standout Tre’Davious White to begin the season as the starter White was the Bills’ 2017 firstround pick.

Pelicans sign McGowens to a two-way contract

The New Orleans Pelicans have added another player to their roster

The Pelicans agreed to a twoway deal with Bryce McGowens, according to an ESPN report. McGowens, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard, is entering his fourth NBA season. A second-round pick out of Nebraska in 2022, McGowens spent two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and this past season with the Portland Trail Blazers. He spent time on two-way deals with both organizations.

He’s averaged 4.8 points in 118 NBA games He started 21 games in Charlotte. On his two-way deal, McGowens will play with both the Pelicans and the G League affiliate Birmingham Squadron.

McGowens is the third player the Pelicans have signed to a twoway deal, along with center Hunter Dickinson and guard Trey Alexander

LSU gym adds Boise St. transfer to complete team

The LSU gymnastics program has completed its 2026 roster, announcing the signing of Boise State transfer Courtney Blackson. A native of Elk Grove, California, Blackson competed for the Broncos from 2021-24, then sat out the 2025 season in retirement. She has chosen to return to gymnastics, using a fifth season of eligibility to compete for the Tigers. Blackson was a two-time AllAmerican on vault and bars, finishing as national runner-up on the former event at the 2023 NCAA championships. She also competed at the 2024 NCAAs on uneven bars. Blackson was nominated for the AAI Award in 2024, given to the nation’s top senior gymnast, which went to former LSU All-American and new assistant

Evanssetssightsonrecord

BY ROBMAADDI Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. Mike Evans streaked into the secondary,cut outsideand leaped to catch aperfectpost-corner toss from Baker Mayfield Fans at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ indoor practice facility roared.

They’reused to Evans making all the plays, but No. 13 still manages to impress everyone watching.

The six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver makes it look so effortless the way he glides afterthe ball Hisroutesare smooth and precise, his hands soft. At 6-foot-5 and231 pounds, he has apowerful frame, and he can outmuscle defenders or outfinesse them when he needsto.

Evans is the only playerinNFL history to start his career with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Only Jerry Ricehad that many at any point. Evans isaiming for12ina row in ayear when the Buccaneers celebrate the franchise’s50th season. Thereare no signs the31-year-old isslowing down, and his team goals are bigger than his personal ones.

“I’m just happy that we have a really great team, and we’re using this training camp to put everything together to have oneofthe best seasons for the 50th,” Evans said Tuesday.“I’m excited to put on agreat show for y’all.” At aposition known for players

with look-at-me personalities

Tyreek Hill, Michael Irvin, Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson —Evans lets his performance do most of the talking. He’squiet,humble and community-oriented.Evans is afour-timeNFL Walter Payton Man of The Year nominee for the work he doesalong with his wife, Ashli, through their foundation, which empowers youth, encourages education and stands against domestic violence.

Evans joined the Buccaneers in 2014 as the seventh overall pick and has become one of the greatest players in franchise history Evans and Chris Godwinwere a bigreason why TomBradychose Tampa Bay in 2020, andthe Buccaneers ended upwinning aSuper Bowl that season

From catching passes from Josh McCown and Mike Glennon as a rookie to Jameis Winston toBrady to Baker Mayfield, Evans continues to produce. He has 836 career catches for12,684 yards and 105 touchdowns.

Evans missedthree games last season due to injury and didn’t reach1,000 yards until he caught a 9-yard pass on the final play of a2719 victoryover the Saints thatthe Buccaneersneeded to securetheir fourth straight NFCSouthtitle.

The reaction from Evans’ teammates and the fans after thatcatch showed howmuchhe’sloved.

“He always has (put the team

first),” Mayfield saidafterward.

“That’swhy you love him. That’s whyweappreciate having him. We’relucky to have him, and he’s underappreciated throughout the media, the league, and he’sone of one. He deservesthat.Obviously, yousaw thestadium erupt, the sideline erupt.You can tell how muchpeople care about him and whatthatmeans foreverybody around him.”

Some veteran playersare carefulabout mentoring young guys whowill eventually replace them. Not Evans. Or Godwin, for that matter The Buccaneers drafted wideout Emeka Egbuka in the first round outofOhio State. They selected TezJohnsonfrom Oregoninthe seventhround.

“It’sconstant. They’re just so fortunatefrom Tezto‘Mek’ (Egbuka) to Garrett(Greene) to be able to learnfrom them,” Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard said. “Wejusthad awalkthrough this morning, and we can coach it up, but Chris and Mike were coaching up the concept just as much as myself and (wide receivers coach) ‘B-Mac’ (Bryan McClendon) were. Andthat’sjust on the field— I can’timagine what they talk about off the field on how to be apro and howtoconduct themselves. They couldn’thave come into abetter environment forpeople to learn from.”

Rodgersleaning into possible final camp

Steelers quarterback finding camaraderie with teammates

TheAssociated Press

LATROBE, Pa.— This is not Aaron Rodgers’ first training camp Or his 10th. Or his 20th, for that matter Yetthe NFL’s oldestplayer seems to be rejuvenated by camp life with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’snot just the age of his new teammates, some of whom —such as 21-year-oldfirst-round pick Derrick Harmon —were toddlers when Rodgers was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2005 draft. It’s not just the chance to work closely with Steelerscoach MikeTomlin, whom he has admired from afar for years.

It’sall of it. From living in acollege dormitory at Saint Vincent College— something he hadn’t done since the Green Bay Packers stopped going to St.Norbert College during the COVID-19 pandemic —tobeing part of apractice with live hitting for the first time in at least adecade.

No, Rodgers wasn’tputting his 41-year-old body on the line during the initial full-contact session of the season on Wednesday —quarterbacks are still off limits —but he did get an up-close look at the kind of physical practice that Tomlin believes is vital, if increasingly uncommon, this time of year

“I haven’tbeenapart of atrue tackling period in along time,” Rodgers said about an hourbefore trotting down to swelteringChuck Noll Field in his white No.8jersey

Although Rodgers kepthis No.8 clean, he did find himself leaning into the competitive nature of things. During the “seven shots” drill —essentially aseries of 2-point conversion attempts by the offense —Rodgers found himself in the thick of things while taking

Correa brushes off talk of Astros trade

BY PHIL ERVIN Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS Carlos Correa said discussions about atrade from Minnesota back to Houstonbefore Thursday’sdeadline aren’t “serious,” but he didn’t rule outthe possibility of returning to the city where he won aWorld Series.

“That’s notsomething that’s, I don’tthink, serious right now,” theshortstop said after sitting out Minnesota’s 13-1losstoBoston on Wednesday with amigraine.

“We’ll see where everything goes, but my goal hasalways been to be here andwin here.”

The three-time All-Star hasa no-trade clause in the six-year, $200 millioncontracthesigned with the Twins in 2023, so he would need to sign offonany deal.Correa said he has been in frequent communication with Twins president of baseball operationsDerek Falveyand manager Rocco Baldelli and said he has “fullcontrol”overwhathappens between now and the Thursday deadline.

The Astros might be in need of an infielder,withthird baseman Isaac Paredes continuing to battleastrained hamstring. Correa, abeloved fixture in franchise history, led Houston to a2017 World Seriescrown andbatted .277 with 489 RBIsinseven seasons. Astros secondbaseman Jose

Altuve, who remains close with Correa, wasasked in Houston on Wednesday if he had heard about the possibility of him returning to the team

“Correa’saguy with alot of history here in Houston,” Altuve said. “He’s agreat player, great human being, greatteammate. So Ithink —ifanything (were) to happen, Ihope it’sthe best for him and forus.”

The 30-year-old Correahasn’t been quite the sameplayer since signing athree-year deal with Minnesotain2022.Correa opted out of that contract and agreed to join the San Francisco Giants, then theNew York Mets,but both deals werenegated after his physicals.

He re-signed with Minnesota, wherehehas hit .271 while battling several nagging injuries that have had him in and out of the lineup.

This is thefirst time in his career Correahas playedfor ateam in “sell” mode.

“I’vebeenhavinga lotofconversations with players and just trying to keep them focused on thethings that they can control andthe daily work thatwedo here,togoout thereand tryto wingames andwhatever happens happens,” Correa said. Correa also left Tuesday’sloss to the Red Sox with amigraine. An MRI on Wednesday revealed no serious concerns.

Phillies tradefor Twins hard-throwingDuran

TheAssociated Press

Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers fakes ahandoff to running back

Kaleb Johnson during practice in Latrobe, Pa on Tuesday.At41, Rodgers is the NFL’soldest player.

ahandful of live snaps withthe starters.

Hisfirst pass was swatted down by blitzing safety DeShon Elliott. Rodgers laughedinthe aftermath and even exchanged high-fives with Elliott before bothplayers made their way back to thehuddle. During the four-timeMVP’s secondattempt,hedeftlymaneuvered around the pocket before finding newly acquired tight end Jonnu Smith for aconversion.

The best-of-seven ended with perhaps Rodgers’ finest moment on the field so far during camp

Needing ascore to record a“win” forthe offense,Rodgersfloated a pass to theback corner of the end zone, where DK Metcalf made a twisting grab before tapping both feet down inbounds.

It hasn’tbeenthe crispest start to campfor theoffense in general, but Rodgers ishardly panicking.

“It’snot abad thing to get beat up alittle bit,”hesaid. “Sometimes youcan learn more from the failuresintrainingcamp than getting after it every single day.”

Rodgers, who signed with the Steelers in early June after spendingmonths weighing whether to

play in 2025, would like tohave the offense down pat by theend of the week but cautioned, “We’ll see.”

Progress on the field isn’tthe only thing Rodgers is workingon. Hissomewhatlatearrival,combined with the likelihood thatthis is his final season, meansthere isn’talot of time to build the kind of chemistry required to thrive once the games start to count. In that way,being away forcamp —aonce common practice now only done by ahalf-dozen teams has helped.

“I love thatwe’re out herein Latrobe.Ilove the opportunity for true camaraderie,” he said. “At nighttime, after meetings are done,guyshangout,you know, guys cometomyroom. Lastnight, Iwas in (linebacker Alex) Highsmith’sroom.Soit’spretty cool to seeeverybody hanging out the way they are. It’sa lot of fun.”

And it is still funfor Rodgers. There will be plenty of time in the future when hiscareer will be in his rearview mirror. He’snot quite there yet.

“For me, once it stops being fun, youshould probably hang it up,” he said.

CHICAGO The Philadelphia Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran on Wednesday,trading twotop prospectstothe MinnesotaTwins for thehard-throwing reliever Duran has16saves anda 2.01 ERA in 49 appearances this season, striking out 53 in 491/3 innings.

CatcherEduardo Tait andrighthander Mick Abel were shipped offtoMinnesota in the deal. Tait, 18,isbatting .255 with 11 homers and 57 RBIs across two minor league stopsthis year.Abel,23, made his major league debut in May. The 27-year-old Duran joins a Philly bullpenthatalsohas Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering. Closer José Alvarado was suspended for80 games by Major League Baseball on May 18 after apositive test for external testosterone. Duran’s100.2 mph average velocity forhis four-seam fastball is second to Mason Miller’s 101.1 mphamongthose whohave thrown 200 or more pitches. Duran has thrown 163 pitches of 100 mphormore, fourth-most in majorsbehind Miller,Seth Halvorsen and Daniel Palencia. It has been atough season for Minnesota, whichdropped to 5157 when it lost 13-1 to the Boston RedSox on Wednesday.Itcould look to moveacouple moreplayers ahead of Thursday’sMLB trade deadline.

Mets

TWOTRADESFORTIFY BULLPEN:The busy New York Mets remade the back endoftheir injury-depleted bullpen with two significant trades Wednesday, acquiringTylerRogers from SanFrancisco and Ryan Helsley from St. Louis. New York gave up six players for apairofright-handed relieverswho can becomefree agents in the fall. First, the Mets obtainedRogers from the fading Giants forpitch-

ers José Buttó and Blade Tidwell, alongwithminor league outfield prospect Drew Gilbert. Tidwell was at Triple-A Syracuse after making two starts and two relief appearances for New York this season. The deal came on the sameday Rogers’ twin brother,Taylor,was also traded, from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh in thethree-player swap that moved GoldGlove thirdbaseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Reds.

Hours later,New York landed Helsley from the Cardinals for threeminor leaguers:infielder Jesus Baez,right-handerNate Dohm andright-handerFrank Elissalt.

The 31-year-old Helsley, atwotime All-Star,is3-1 witha 3.00 ERA and 21 saves this season. He hasstruckout 41 andwalked 14 in 36 innings.

TylerRogersis4-3 with a1.80 ERA this season, using his drastic submarine delivery to great effect. The 34-year-old reliever has struck out 38 batters and walked only four in 50 innings, tying for the major league lead with 53 appearances.

Dodgers

OHTANI LEAVES MOUNDWITH TRAINER: In Cincinnati, LosAngelestwoway superstar Shohei Ohtani left the moundaccompanied by a trainerduring the fourth inning againstthe RedsonWednesday night.

Ohtani threw sixstraight balls —including two consecutive wild pitches —and, after aconference on themound, departed witha 2-0 count against Spencer Steer

The 31-year-old remained in the gameatdesignated hitter.He struck out looking against Reds starter Nick Martinez in thesixth inning.

It was Ohtani’sseventh mound start in his comeback from surgery on hisright elbow, which occurredafterthe 2023 season He didnot pitchatall lastseason.

Rookie CB Rileymakingplays earlyon

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Spencer Rattler saw receiver Bub Means deep downfield with astep on thesecondary,and he letitrip looking for abig play during aseven-on-seven period in Wednesday’s practice. But Rattlerunderthrew thepass just abit, and one of the more intriguing New Orleans Saints rookies made him pay Cornerback Quincy Riley,whomthe Saints selected in the fourthround of this year’sdraft, made up the ground between him and Meansin ablink to undercut Rattler’sthrow foraninterception.Riley now has two of the team’sfour interceptions in training camp, bothcoming off of Rattler That is what theSaintswereexpecting whenthey drafted him, coach Kellen Moore said “He finds the ball andheattacks the football. That’sone thing we sawonfilm coming into the draft process,” Moore said. “He’sa ball guy,that’swhat you need on the back end. Mistakes are going to happen, but when you create turnovers,those impact games.” Riley began his career at Middle Tennessee before finishing his last three seasons at Louisville. In his time with the Cardinals,hepicked off eight passes while breaking up 27. He currently has been working with the second-team defense, essentially operating as the team’s fourth cornerbackbehindfree agent signing Isaac Yiadom

“Wefeel like that (cornerback) group is competing at ahigh level,” Moore said.

TE injuriespilingup

Alreadytested by injuries to Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill,the Saints tight end room had afew more players go down Wednesday Juwan Johnson and Treyton Welch sufferedundisclosed injuriesthat

forced them to leave practice early,Moore said. Defensive tackle John Ridgeway also left early with an undisclosed injury “Nothing overly concerning

Despitecontractdispute,Hendrickson

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By KAREEM ELGAZZAR Cincinnati Bengalsdefensiveend Trey Hendricksongets set for asnap during agame against the Pittsburgh SteelersonDec.1 in Cincinnati.

PARAS

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shot to Rashid Shaheed just one play earlier.Haener tested McKinstry again immediately,and the completion helped set up a63-yard field goal attempt that Charlie Smyth missed.

Like the last time Haener received first-team reps, however, Rattler made sure he wouldn’tbe forgotten. Rattler,running with thesecond team, was nearly perfect in 11-on-11s, with his only incompletioncomingona short passthat running back Devin Neal arguably should have caught In seven-on-seven, Rattler did throw his third interception of camp when Quincy Riley picked off an underthrowndeep ball, but unlikehis previous turnover, Rattler did not appear to be bothered by it.

Instead, Rattler’soverall composureled to several flashy plays. Even before the interception, Rattler playedtothe crowd after anotable gain with his legs by nodding hishead to the fans and yelling, “Yeah!”on the sideline. After the turnover, Rattler bounced back withadazzling deep throw to Mason Tipton that resulted in atouchdown. Rattler also did something that Haener did not: He led the Saints to atouchdown driveduring the team’ssituational work, capped off by along run from running back Velus Jones With Haener and Rattler each showing out, Shough showed

flashes —albeit with amore limitedworkload. The rookie, for instance,did not get achance to run the Saints’ situational drill until thedevelopment period of practice near the end. (The Times-Picayune does notchart these passes toward the thirdstringquarterback’sstats since thesession is more controlled by coaches, andthe media is often escorted to conduct interviewswhen it takes place.)

But Shough demonstrated more of awillingness to be aggressive, something he’s avoided since camp began. Shough found Shaheed on acorner route with the wide receiver maintaining the completion through hard contact from cornerback Rejzohn Wright.Healso hit BrandinCooks near thesideline on atoughthrow, although the play wouldhave been called back for holding As campdevelops, it will be interesting to monitor whether Shough’sday was the start of letting it fly alittle more. That hasn’tbeen an issue for either of the otherquarterbacks, but then again, they also have more experience thanthe rookie Shough.

On Wednesday,all three quarterbacks ran arelatively smooth operation. The penalties were limited, and when there were incompletions,they tended to be the result of drops, smart throwaways or good plays by the defense.

TheSaintswill takethat kind of progress.

Email

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

there,” Moore said. “Those guys will take care of business, and we’llprobably communicate (Thursday) if there’s anything that will last beyond aday or so.” Those injuries left NewOrleans with three healthy tight

endsonthe roster: Jack Stoll, Michael Jacobson and rookie Moliki Matavao.Stoll seemed to stepupin Johnson’s absence, catching three passes in team drills —all from Jake Haener,who operated the firstteam offense Wednesday

As for how the Saints will proceed withlimited tight ends if theinjuriestoJohnson and Welchlinger, Mooredidn’tseem concerned.

“Sometimesyou just have to adjust some scripts if youdon’t havethe bodiesthere,you just playina little bit of adifferent personnelgroup,”Moore said.

Saints sign newOT

Afew days after releasing veteran offensive tackle Josh Ball,the Saints filled his roster spot by signing rookie tackle Jonathan Mendoza Mendoza was at practice Wednesday,wearing Ball’sformerNo. 79 jersey.The 6-foot-9, 310-pounderspent most of his college career at Yale before finishing at Louisville last season, where he was teammateswith fellow Saints rookies TylerShough andRiley.

Mendozahad aminicamp tryout with the Bills earlier this summer,but he wasunsigned prior to working out withthe Saints earlierthis week

He faces an uphill climb to make the roster.New Orleans has been lining up longtime swing tackle Landon Young and second-year pro Josiah Ezirim —lastyear’s seventhround pick—attackle with the second-teamoffensive line.

EmailLuke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

wantsto‘help’Bengals at camp

CINCINNATI Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals remain at odds when it comes to reaching acontract extension, but the AllProdefensive end felt it was more important to be with teammates as theyprepare for the upcoming season.

That is why Hendrickson was at his first training camp practice on Wednesday morning. Hendrickson was dressed in all black andwasn’twearing his No. 91 jersey,but he waskeeping a keen eyeonthe defense’sworkouts and was giving pointers to first-round pick Shemar Stewart

“If Ican help him in any way, that’smygoal for being here,” Hendrickson said after practice. “The plan was be here Day 1. Things transpired. Newshappened to me,and we just kind of makedecisions as we go.”

Hendrickson missed thefirst seven days andfive practices of camp, accumulating $350,000 in fines.Healsoreceived atotal of $104,768infines for not attend-

WALKER

Continuedfrom

rushing per game. Opponents were basically half way to afirst down (4.92 yards per carry) every time they ran theball. The Carolina Pantherswere theonly team in theleague worse than that in defensive yards per game and yards per carry

The Saints are counting on Godchaux to help fix that.

“My bread and butter is stopping therun,”hesaid.

Just seven practices into training camp, he’salready earned therespect of his teammates

“He’sa double-team eater,” center Erik McCoy said. “He’sa beast.”

Godchaux, aPlaquemine nativewho played at LSU, is entering his ninth NFL season. He recorded 67 tackleslast season, good enough for fourth among all defensive tackles.

He credits his success to his experience in the league,but that strength helps, too.

“I’m in Year 9, so Ithink it’s some of that oldman strength,” Godchaux said. “Just keeping it goingand just knowingdifferent techniques to stay dominant upfront. It’sreally about leverageand howtouse your leverage. Ifeel likeI’ve seen everything when it comes torun defense. Iknow theschemes and how teams are going to trytoattack.”

Godchaux showcased his physicality in Wednesday’spractice, fighting off aMcCoy block to

ing the three days of theBengals’ mandatory minicampinJune, according to the NFL’s collective bargainingagreement with the NFLPA.

When it comes to reaching an extension, Hendrickson said that “nothing’sreally changed.”

Both sidesremainfar offonthe amount of guaranteed money Hendrickson will receive, alongwith how much he gets during the early yearsofthe deal.Heisscheduled to earn $15.8 million in base salary this season and has acap number of $18.7 million.

Hendrickson led the league with 171/2 sacks last season, becoming the fourthplayer since sacks became an officialstatistic in 1982 to have two straight years withat least 171/2.His 57 sacks since joining the Bengals in 2021 are thirdmostinthe NFLover the past four seasons.

“This is theguy that hasthe most sacks over thepast twoyears. Production has value in this league Whenyou have aguy like that, you want to reward him,” quarterback Joe Burrow said. “He’sgoing to play abig part in the team this

season. Just to have him around makesa big differenceinthe energy around here. He brings an intensity that is very unique and so I think that’sgood forus.”

If the Bengals and Hendrickson can bridge the gap, it will complete atrifectaofsigning threeoftheir top players to lucrative extensions. In March, Ja’Marr Chase’s$161 million contract made him the highest-paidnonquarterback in the NFLatthe time, andTee Higgins’ $115 milliondeal made him oneofthe league’s top-10highestpaid receivers. Hendricksonisa valuable piece to adefense looking to improve with Al Golden in hisfirstseason as coordinator. The Bengals (9-8 last season)finished 25th in the leagueintotal defense(348.3yards allowedper game) andlostfour games last season in whichthey scored at least 30 points.

“Inthe shorttimeI’vebeenin these meetings, it’sbeen encouraging,” Hendrickson said about Golden. “I think he’savery wise coach. He’s been here before.Nothing but respect forhim andmoving forwardwe’ll see what transpires.”

halt running back Kendre Miller in his tracks on one play

Handling offensive linemen is theeasy part. Handling all the ticket requests when you’re now playing just 85 miles from family and friends is the hard part.

“Everybody wants tickets to thegames,” Godchaux said. “I can only give this amount every game. We can’thave 30 people at every game.”

Godchaux is figuring out how to disperse his allotment of tickets. Meanwhile, his teammates are figuring out how to play with him.Werner recalls arecent conversation he had with fellow linebacker Demario Davis.

“Man, with this D-line play,I don’teven know where my gap is sometimes,” Werner said to Davis. “I’m just fitting on the ball because they are doing so well upfront. To have aguy like that who can play two gaps is really good for our defense.”

Saints defensive tackleDavon Godchaux, center,goes up against the offensive line on Mondayin Metairie.

Godchaux is just as good for the locker room, giving the unit another veteran leader.After Sunday’spractice, afew of the other defensive linemen were headed to get some of the snowballs that were provided by the team. Godchaux brought that to ahalt and told them to save that until after they did their developmental session to end practice. They obliged, asign that Godchaux’svoice already holds weight among his peers. Now he wants to throw his weight around on the football field. His ability to do that can go along way in the Saints run defense improving.

“When you say D-line, you think tone-setters,” Godchaux said. “You think about guys coming to wreck some shop. Coming to make their lives a living ‘H’. I’m excited to set the tone and let people know that New Orleans Saints football is back.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Coming on strong

DL McKinley has gotten Kelly’s attention with his strength, maturity

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Preseason practices just began, but LSU coach Brian Kelly has been impressed by sophomore defensive lineman Dominick McKinley this offseason.

Kelly said McKinley has gotten stronger since the end of last year, enough so that the LSU weight training staff ran out of weights for him to use on his max squats.

“It was 650 pounds, max squat,” Kelly said. “And so I just throw that out to you as how powerful he is, and he’s such a great kid.

“He’s so grounded. He wants to get better every single day, and he has elite, you know, strength and numbers from that perspective.”

McKinley had seven total tackles and three sacks for the Tigers last season. He attended Acadiana High and was the No. 14 prospect in the nation in the Class of 2024 by 247Sports Composite.

OL Thomas out for month

LSU freshman offensive lineman and former four-star recruit Solomon Thomas will be out for a month with a foot injury, a source confirmed with The Advocate on Wednesday

Thomas was not spotted at LSU’s opening preseason practice Wednesday morning. He broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot, Kelly told WNXX, FM-104.5.

Thomas was the No. 41 overall recruit and the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in the nation in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. At 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds, Thomas was com-

LSU

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receiver Nic Anderson, are there to help him. The earliest returns are promising.

“You’ve got some depth there,” Kelly said, “but the real deal here is that we’re gonna get over the top of a lot of defenses with those two guys.”

Here’s what else stood out from LSU’s first preseason practice of the season. Reporters could view the full session which was split between the indoor facility and the outdoor fields.

Position battles

After practice, Kelly held up a notecard that listed every player and his number, then said he was still trying to figure out which number belongs to whom. The remark, though somewhat tongue-in-cheek, was meant to illustrate that LSU only has begun finalizing its starters for the season opener

“Let’s have a conversation that bears that in mind,” Kelly said The first-team offensive line Wednesday — from the left side to the right was redshirt sophomore Tyree Adams, redshirt sophomore DJ Chester, Virginia Tech transfer Braelin Moore, Northwestern transfer Josh Thompson and redshirt freshman Weston Davis. Chester is the only returning

LSU NOTEBOOK

mitted to Florida State before flipping to LSU.

Thomas was part of a freshman group that included four offensive linemen, including four-star recruit Tyler Miller four-star prospect

Carius Curne and three-star recruit

Brett Bordelon

Taking it slow

LSU junior wide receiver Nic Anderson did not participate in contact drills — 11-on-11 and sevenon-seven — but did fully dress for the opening day of preseason practices on Wednesday

Anderson is recovering from a July 11 car crash. Kelly said Anderson passed LSU’s concussion protocol and is set to take part in contact drills beginning Thursday

“He got into a little fender-bender,” Kelly said, “and so we wanted to make sure (he’s OK).”

Anderson was a limited participant in spring practices because of a balky hamstring. He was also sidelined for most of 2024 season with an injury. He transferred to LSU from Oklahoma this past winter Anderson had 798 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns for the Sooners in 2023.

“We didn’t want to get into a situation where, as you know, the medical issues with him at Oklahoma were real,” Kelly said at SEC media days earlier this month. “So, we just wanted to be careful with him.”

Zinn introduced at Rutgers

Former LSU deputy athletic director and chief operating offi-

starter, but he began camp in a new position — a fact that encapsulates the wide-open nature of the races for each of the five starting spots.

Almost all of the linemen on Wednesday’s second team, Kelly said, are competing for everydown roles. Paul Mubenga and Coen Echols will push for the top guard spots. Carius Curne and Bo Bordelon will battle for the firstteam tackle jobs.

“We have to evaluate them as a group of five and then individually who makes up that best five,” Kelly said. “So I think you’ll see some of that happen over the next couple of weeks.”

On defense, LSU rotated the starting safeties and the outside cornerback opposite Virginia Tech transfer Mansoor Delane. It also toyed with different combinations along the defensive line.

One team drill had Stamps at corner with NC State transfer Tamarcus Cooley and returner Jardin Gilbert at safety behind him. Another one later in Wednesday’s session had Houston transfer AJ Haulcy next to Cooley at safety, with sophomore PJ Woodland at corner Transfer edge rushers Patrick Payton (Florida State), Jack Pyburn (Florida) and Jimari Butler (Nebraska) each took first-team reps, as well as returning sophomore Gabe Reliford. Sophomore Ahmad Breaux took most of the

Aiming to keep what they have

Coaches race to master art of retention amid NIL, revenue sharing, portal challenges

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

Whether it was an ACC, SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 coach taking the podium at media days, one theme remained consistent: In an era where revenue sharing and NIL opportunities can swiftly steer athletes toward the transfer portal, programs across the country are racing to master the art of player retention. Its importance is clear to Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who has seen all but five players from his 2023 recruiting class leave for different programs.

“Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught,” Pittman said. “That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances, but you’d have to ask those guys.”

to be up for the challenge of trying to get Florida back to where it’s been before,” Napier said. “And I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to keep it together.”

cer Keli Zinn was introduced as the athletic director at Rutgers on Wednesday Zinn, who has been with LSU since 2022, followed former LSU President William F.Tate IV to Rutgers Tate’s tenure as LSU president ended in June.

“Keli Zinn brings the strategic drive, operational excellence and championship pedigree we need right now for Rutgers Athletics,” Tate said in a news release Wednesday “Her leadership style resonates deeply with Rutgers’ mission — competitiveness on the field, integrity in our practices and excellence in the student-athlete experience.”

Zinn’s responsibilities at LSU included oversight of LSU football and gymnastics. She also assisted LSU with its revenue-sharing efforts and helped organize the early stages of building a new basketball arena.

She arrived at LSU from West Virginia, where she was the deputy athletic director for the Mountaineers.

“Where there are challenges, there are also opportunities, and I look forward to working with our campus leaders, student-athletes, coaches, staff, donors and fans,” Zinn said in a news release, “to build on Rutgers’ strong tradition, amplify opportunities to support our athletic programs, maintain top-tier compliance and pursue excellence both on and off the field.”

Staff writer Wilson Alexander contributed to this report

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

first-team snaps at defensive tackle, with sixth-year senior Jacobian Guillory, sophomore Dominick McKinley and South Florida transfer Bernard Gooden rotating into the spot next to him. Back from injury

Both Harold Perkins (torn ACL) and Whit Weeks (broken fibula), as expected, are fully recovered from the serious injuries they suffered last season. Each linebacker logged a full practice Wednesday with the first-team defense.

Perkins manned the Star position the linebacker-defensive back hybrid role in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s scheme. Weeks started at inside linebacker next to his older brother, West Weeks. Guillory is back on the field too, 11 months removed from the torn Achilles he suffered in a game against Nicholls state.

Anderson, the Oklahoma transfer did not practice, but Kelly said he was in the final stages of clearing concussion protocol after he was recently involved in a “fender bender.” He’s expected to begin seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 work Thursday The only player not spotted at Wednesday’s practice was freshman offensive lineman and top-50 national recruit Solomon Thomas. He’s sidelined for a month, a source confirmed, with a foot injury Wilson Alexander contributed to this report.

More than 3,000 Bowl Subdivision players reportedly entered the transfer portal in the spring, which would average out to about 22 players per team. For the Razorbacks, 10 starters will be back and one of them is senior defensive lineman Cam Ball He has remained with Arkansas his entire career, a somewhat rare occurrence for an NFL hopeful these days.

“I’m just a loyal guy I’m loyal to the state of Arkansas; Arkansas has been loyal to me,” Ball said. Arkansas, like many schools, is also trying to scare up more money from donors as it faces the financial ramifications of the $2.8 billion House settlement. Last fall, the athletic director said the school needed some $12 million more annually to “be in the NIL game from a football perspective.”

Besides the money, the Razorbacks have to find talented players; Ball grew up in Atlanta, just barely within the regional footprint in which Pittman prefers to recruit.

“We have to go outside our state,” Pittman said. “In-state recruiting has changed over the last three or four years because of NIL. So you have to think about the talent — who it is versus what pay is expected. So that’s been a little bit more difficult in our state.” Pittman isn’t the only coach who wants prospects to be familiar with what their college experience will look like before making any life-changing decisions. Florida coach Billy Napier paints a clear picture of life in Gainesville, Florida, and the challenges and perks that come with it.

“We present our product in a way where we’re selling the degree, the alumni network, the Gator-made program, and you have

TULANE

Continued from page 1C

that, it’s going to be a really good defense.”

The linebackers look strong, too, even with the loss of leading tackler Tyler Grubbs. Howard, a former walk-on at Austin Peay who had 100-plus tackles for the Governors in 2023, was right behind him with 63 stops in his first year with the Wave. Dickson Agu ranked seventh on the team in tackles (34) without ever starting. Troy transfer Chris Rodgers appears ready for a big jump after making half of his 24 tackles in the final four games of 2024. The secondary returns its top three tacklers in Despanie and fellow safeties Jack Tchienchou and Kevin Adams, who are all safeties. The only potential concern is at cornerback, where untested redshirt sophomore Jahiem Johnson hopes to build on a promising spring, and LJ Green a full-time starter for Troy last season — arrived in the summer Javion White, who started two games in 2024, and Jayden Lewis, whom Sumrall said could play anywhere in the backfield, are strong candidates at nickelback. Last year, Tulane finished among the American leaders in multiple defensive categories but faded down the stretch. Memphis rolled

Florida’s 2023 recruiting class remains mostly intact, and from Napier’s perspective, hungrier than ever Compared to other SEC teams, the Gators have had more success with retention. Napier doesn’t think it’s a coincidence. “We told them when they came in, you know, look, it’s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows here. We’re in this thing for the long haul,” Napier said. “I think a lot of this is how you pitch it in recruiting. We’re going to continue to do that, and retention is more important than it’s ever been.” Coaches scrambling to prevent transfers and maintain consistency isn’t exclusive to the SEC. The approval of the House settlement is a double-edged sword when it comes to retention, and Power Four schools and beyond are feeling the effects. Third-party NIL deals are no longer the only negotiation tactic schools need to worry about.

Complex contracts are becoming common and legal risks grow for athletes and programs alike as college football increasingly resembles the pros. Some deals are being negotiated solely by athletes as young as 18.

As a senior, Louisville linebacker TJ Quinn is used to the process.

“I wouldn’t say I was nervous (to negotiate) because this is my third year of having to do that,” Quinn said. “You’ve got to kind of stand your ground with what you feel like is your worth. If you’re comfortable with their offer, then sign. Then you have some guys that’ll leave and go to schools to get more money and stuff. That was never really like a big pusher for me, to go out and get more money because I feel like I’m in a good situation here at Louisville.”

up 454 yards and 26 first downs in a 34-24 upset victory on Thanksgiving, and Army rushed for 335 yards in a 35-14 American championship game thumping a week later

Thanks to the key returners and the portal additions, the Wave does not foresee a repeat. Considering the group’s burgeoning belief, the key may be avoiding overconfidence.

“We just need to stay consistent and not ride on the high horse,” Despanie said. “We definitely are going to have games where we are going to be in a dogfight, so we have to go out there and be humble, stay on the same page and have each other’s back.”

Lagniappe

BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff, who arrived last week, was one of eight quarterbacks (six on scholarship) taking snaps Wednesday They will be made available for interviews Friday Senior wide receiver Tre Shackelford, a summer transfer from Washington State, had the play of the day with a twisting grab in the end zone while being blanketed by defensive back TJ Smith. As Sumrall indicated at American media days, tight end Ty Thompson practiced in a no-contact jersey as he recovered from knee surgery in the spring. The roster to open camp had 90 scholarship players and 25 walk-ons.

Dress success

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE | Staff writer

When my brotherand Iwere young, ourhouse was known as “thehealthyhouse” —or thehouse with no snacks. Since then,the internet has come up with a different name forit: an ingredient household, ahomethat hasnoready-to-eat foods or snacks, onlythe ingredientstomake food. By thetime Iturned10, mymom was deep into herorganic phase. Bologna sandwiches were banished from thekitchenand were replaced with broccoli salad

BY GRETCHEN McKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

As it turns out,though, the salad wasn’tsobad. In fact, it was surprisingly crave-worthy

This broccoli salad combines its namesake with cauliflower, green onions, Italian dressing, bacon, mayonnaise, cheese and spices to make something that is refreshing with abig crunch. This recipe may not be themost health-conscious, but adjustments can be made if necessary —the cheese can be taken out, and the mayonnaise replaced withavocado or olive oil.

The salad is also open to experimentation —adding croutons, sunflower seeds, dried cranberriesorpecans adds flavor and complexity. Justlike my family’sfruit saladrecipe, the flavors in broccoli salad develop over time, so it’sbestto let it sit for at least two hours in the refrigerator before serving. This dish translates well from one season to the next. It works just as well at asummer cookout as it does on aholiday buffet

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.

Broccoli Salad

Serves 6

2bunchesofbroccoli

1. Chop broccoliand cauliflower into alarge serving bowl. Add choppedblackolivesand greenonions.

2. Mix in Italian dressing, bacon, mayonnaise, cheese and cayenne pepper.Let the mixture chill in the refrigerator for at least 2hours, then serve.

NOTE: Topwith croutons, sunflower seeds, driedcranberriesorpecansif you desire.

BY BETH DOOLEY

Family feud:Comment sectionedition

Dear Miss Manners: Some time ago, one of my wife’snephews (a grown man in his 40s) came acrossanopinion Ihad writtenin adigital publication. He didn’tlike it, so he insulted me in the public commentary section. Ishrugged it off. The next day,hewent hunting online for another opinion of mine he didn’t like, and insulted me again so that all my familyand friends could read it. He was beyond vile. It took me agood 20 minutes to carefully construct astrong reply Idid not lowermyselftohis deranged level, keeping in mind that he was still my wife’snephew.I wantedall those who saw the in-

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

sult to also see my defense. However,whenItried to post my response, Icouldn’t, because he had deletedthe insult minutes after postingit. (Helater admitted his mom had told himtodelete it.) Idecided to take a screenshot of the whole interaction beforeitdisappeared, andthen Iposted it, with links, for his entire family to see.Iembarrassed him.

He did not apologize. His mother unfriended me publicly.Some family members criticized me with indirect comments. Everyone elsestayed silent, which hurt me morethan the cowardly indirect comments. No one stood upfor me, de-

Lemon StrawberryCrumb Bars

Serves 16. Recipe is adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com.

3cups all-purpose flour,spoonedand leveled

1teaspoon baking powder

½teaspoon salt

1cup unsalted butter,verycoldand cubed

1largeegg

1largeegg yolk

1cup packed light or dark brown sugar

2teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2cups chopped strawberries

2cups blueberries

1⁄3 cup granulated sugar

1½ tablespoons cornstarch

1teaspoon lemon zest FOR OPTIONAL GLAZE:

1cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1lemon)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom andsides of a9-by-13inchbaking panwith parchment paper,leaving an overhang on the sidestolift the finished barsout. (This makes cutting easier!)Set aside.

2. Make the crumble mixture for the crust and topping: Whisk flour,baking powder and salt together in alarge bowl.

3. Add cubed butter and using apastry cutter or two forks, cut in the butter until all the flour is coated and resembles pea-sized crumbles. (Iwhisked the ingredientstogether in afood processor.)

4. Whisk egg, egg yolk,brown sugar and vanilla together in a small bowl. Pour over theflour/ butter mixture and gentlymix together until the mixtureresembles moist, crumbly sand.

5. Use your hands if needed —the mixture comes together

BERRYBARS

Continued from page1D

fended me or even said they were sorry for theuncalled-for insults. That showed me I’m not part of this family.I’m not blood; Iam just thein-law they can’tstand. That’sfine withme. Ican’texpect thewhole world tolike me. Iended my relationships withall of them: No more time or money from me for holidays, weddings, baptismsorfunerals across the country with my wife. I’m done with them. My wife is hurt,but understands Iwas the one done wrong. I’m curious about your thoughts on the matter

Gentlereader: It is not Miss Manners’ habit to rank whose behavior was worse. But if she were to prioritize who appears most deserving of sympathy from

greatest to least, she would start with your wife,your sister-in-law, theother relatives, then yourself —and lastly, the nephew Etiquette generally seeks to repair damage such as that done by your nephew.But depending on thespecifics of what he said, that may never have been possible. Breaking up the family may have been theonly likely outcome. Nevertheless, you did lower yourself when you reposted the nephew’scomment after it was removed —and then wentona campaign of public humiliation. Youwere wronged, but once you piled wrongupon wrong, you put everyone else in an impossible situation.

Dear Miss Manners: How do Ipolitely and firmly convey to an in-

terested party that Imerely want to discuss business, and am not interested in meeting forcoffee or any other alone time that could be construed as romantic?

Ifeel that an abrupt “I do not drink coffee, but Iwill see you at the next official function” would not sufficiently discourage the interested party from inquiring further

Gentle reader: Perhaps not. But repetition will.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

easier with your handsthan a spoon.You will haveabout 6cups of thecrust/crumble mixture. Set 2cupsaside.

6. Pour the remainingcrumble mixture into the prepared pan andflatten down with your hands or aflat spatula to form an even crust.Itwill be alittlecrumbly —that’s OK. Set aside.

7. Make filling: In largebowl, mix strawberries,blueberries, granulated sugar,cornstarch and lemon zest together.Spoon evenly over crust.

8. Crumble the remainingbutter/flour mixtureontop and gentlypress down so it’s snug on the strawberry layer

9. Bakefor 45-50 minutes or untilthe top is lightly browned and the strawberry filling is bubbling on the sides. (My bars took about 55 minutes.)

10. Remove from the oven and place the panona wire rack. Allow to cool completely

11. If addingaglaze,whisk theglaze ingredients together anddrizzle on top of the bars (or youcan drizzle on individual squares).

12. Lift the cooled bars out usingthe overhang on the sides. Cut intosquares.

13. Cover and store leftover bars (with or without icing) at room temperature for up to 2days, in therefrigeratorfor up to 1week and in freezer for up to 3months (arrange in even layers between sheets of parchment). To serve frozen bars, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperaturebeforeserving.

visually appealing in adessert than

If you’re worried about the butter and sugar content, at least know this: Both fruits are fairly low-cal and packed with vitamin Cand other nutrients. Also, blueberries are famous for their high antioxidant content Be sure to allow the bars to cool completely on awire rack before slicing intosquares or they will crumble. The original recipe finished the bars witha simple lemon glaze, but Iserved them without.

Dear Heloise: Government and politics aren’tthe samething. All the “bickering” you hear and read is people spewing political opinions, someofwhich aren’tbased on any understanding of the Constitution.It’sfairly easy these days to learnabout thestructure of the United States government and the reasoning behind theform it takes under the Constitution.

I’d advise reading it and paying attention tothe amendments. If you really are interested, you can read someofthe Federalist Papers, which lay out thereasoning behind parts of the Constitution. By knowing how thegovernment is structured and how it works (or is supposed to work), it makes it easier to understand current political issues.

one feels. —Bonnie, via email DIYChristmas decor

Dear Heloise: Throughout the years, I’ve received somebeautiful Christmas cards. Isaved them because Ican’tbear to throw them away.Even the funny ones put asmile on aface during the hectic days leading up to Christmas dinner

This year,instead of giving gifts to friends and family,I bought very pretty frames (gold colored, silver,pearls, etc.) and framed the cards I’ve received through the years. Iwill give it to them to use as a Christmas decoration on acoffee table, shelf, lamptable, etc. —C.L. Reid, in Bakersfield,California Brownguacamole

Muchofwhatpeople read online, on TV,oronapodcast is opinion. It’spolitical “bickering,” andyes, it’s disturbing. Reading or hearing opinions doesn’t lead to understanding but rather just shows howsome-

Dear Heloise: Itried everything to keep my guacamolefrom turning brown, but nothing worked until I tried this: Putthe guac into acontainer, leaving space on top and at one side. Placesomechopped onion

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday,July 31, the 212th day of 2025. There are 153 days left in theyear

Todayinhistory

On July 31, 2012, at the Summer Olympics in London, swimmer Michael Phelpswon his 19th Olympic medal, becoming the mostdecorated Olympian of all time. (Hewould finish his career with 28 total Olympic medals,23 of them gold.)

Also on this date:

In 1715, afleet of Spanish ships carrying gold, silver and jewelry sank during ahurricane off the east Florida coast; of some 2,500 crew members, more than 1,000 died.

In 1777, the19-year-old Marquis de Lafayette received acommission as major general in the Continental Army by theSecond Continental Congress.

In 1919, Germany’sWeimar Constitution was adopted by the republic’sNational Assembly In 1945, Pierre Laval, premier of the pro-NaziVichy government in France, surrendered to U.S. au-

thorities in Austria; he wasturned over to France, which later tried and executed him

In 1957, the Distant Early Warning Line, asystem of radar stationsdesigned to detect Soviet bombers approaching North America, went into operation.

In 1964, the U.S. lunar probe Ranger 7took the first close-up images of the moon’s surface.

In 1971, Apollo 15 crew members David Scott and James Irwin becamethe first astronauts to use alunar rover on thesurface of themoon.

In 1972, vice presidential candidateThomas Eagleton withdrew from theDemocratic ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had received electroshock therapy to treat clinical depression.

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush andSoviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed the Strategic ArmsReduction Treaty (START I) in Moscow

In 2020, afederal appeals court overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, say-

pieces into the side area only and put an airtight lid on it. After about four days, it was perfect and delicious! Not brown-colored at all. —Charlotte, in Ventura, California Charlotte, Ihadn’theard of this one. Thanks forsharing! —Heloise No candles, please Dear Heloise: Ihaveread your column foryears—literally,asI am over 90 yearsold. Forover70 years, Iwas acook anda baker, andImadehundreds of cakes forbirthdays with candlesontop Times change,and candlesshould notbeonthe topofthe cake. On a cupcakeora cookie is fine but nota cake. One blowand others can get sick. Imadethe change yearsago —Harriet P.,inNorth Bethesda, Maryland Microwavedilemma

Dear Heloise: Microwave ovens do not heat food evenly.Letting the food stay in the microwave after cooking allows the heat to spread moreevenly —EarlB., in Ohio Sendahinttoheloise@heloise com.

ing the judge whooversaw the case didn’tadequately screen jurors forpotential biases. (The SupremeCourt reimposed the sentence in 2022.)

Today’sbirthdays: Jazz composer-musician Kenny Burrell is 94. Actor Geraldine Chaplin is 81. Former movie studio executive Sherry Lansing is 81. Singer Gary Lewis is 79. International Tennis Hall of Famer Evonne Goolagong Cawley is 74. Actor Michael Biehn is 69. Rock singer-musician Daniel Ash (Love and Rockets) is 68. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban is 67. Rock musician Bill Berry (R.E.M.) is 67. Jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan is 66. Actor Wesley Snipes is 63. Musician Fatboy Slim is 62. Author J.K. Rowling is 60. Actor Dean Cain is 59. Actor Jim True-Frost is 59. Actor Ben Chaplin is 56. Actor Eve Best is 54. Football Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden is 51. Country singer-musician Zac Brown is 47. Actor-producer-writer B.J. Novak is 46. Football Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware is 43. NHL center Evgeni Malkin is 39. NASCAR driver Kyle Larson is 33. Hip-hop artist Lil Uzi Vert is 30.

Yogurt Marinated GrilledChicken

Serves 4to6,but is easily doubled or tripled. Recipe is from Beth Dooley.This makes afine dinner paired with freshveggies and awonderful pitasandwich or pasta salad.

3clovesgarlic, minced

Zest of 2lemons

1cup plain wholemilk yogurt

¼cup minced fresh cilantro, plus more forgarnish

¼cup extra-virgin olive oil

2tablespoons za’atar

1teaspoon coarse salt

Generous pinch freshly ground black pepper

1to2¼pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

CHICKEN

Continuedfrom page1D

1. In alarge bowl, stir together the garlic, lemon zest, yogurt, cilantro, oil, za’atar, salt andpepper. Remove 1/4 cup of the yogurt mixture and set aside.

2. Add the chicken to the remaining yogurtmixtureand thoroughly coat thechicken.Coverthe chickenand refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

4. Remove the chicken and allow it to rest for5minutes. Slice and serve with assorted vegetables; drizzle with the reservedyogurt sauce andgarnish with chopped herbs.

3. Removethe chicken, shaking off any excess marinade and bring to room temperature while preparing the grill or broiler to medium heat. Cook thechicken,until onesideischarred, about 3to5minutes. Carefully flip the chickenand cook through, another 5 minutes. Thechickeniscookedwhen the internal temperature reaches 165 F on ameat thermometer

will notturnsoft or mushy

challenge is how to stock up for such sweet spontaneity. What to keep on hand? Grilled chicken breasts. Ilike to cook two or three times morethan we’ll eat for dinner that night. What’sleft gets tossed with pasta, stuffed into pitas, served over rice. Boneless chicken breasts cook quickly but can be trickyasthey can dry out Marinating thechicken in sea-

soned yogurt helps keep the meat juicy and tender when it hits the heat.Ifyou’re not afan of grilling or in ahurry,abroiler has the sameeffect. Youcan marinate thechicken for as little as 30 minutes or as long as overnight. This also works wonderfully on thighs, wings or the whole bird. Once you’veprepared the marinade, hold someback to pass as asauce. It hums withza’atar, fresh herbs, garlic and lemon zest, plus alittlebit of salttohelpthe meat retain moisture. The lactic acid in yogurt is gentlerthanvinegar or lemon juice, so thechicken

Of course the results depend on the quality of the chicken. Look forfree-range birds; thanks to their varied diet, the meat is flavorful and firm.I like to keep frozen chicken breasts on hand; they thaw out quickly,making last-minute prep easy Serve the chicken with whatever fresh veggies you have from the garden or farmers market —like sweet-sharp cherry tomatoes and crunchy cucumbers drizzled with the herbed yogurt. Don’tforget atoasted pita to sop it all up.

LEo (July23-Aug. 22) Your input will inspire youtorevisit what motivates you. Get backtobasics, adoptasmart lifestyleand engage in pastimes and activities that bring youjoy

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Takealong, hard look at yourself. Achange of attitude will come if youfeel good about how you look and whatyou can contribute. Develop aplan andimplement positive change.

LIBRA (sept.23-oct.23) Words matter, so choose yours carefully. Be quick to walk away fromtemptation or anyone trying to lead you astray. Offerhopeto others, but protect yourself.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Refrain from traveling to destinations that maypose problems due to weather or other disasters. Takeprecautions regarding partnerships. Trying to buy love or loyalty will lead to consequences.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Direct your energy according to your needs Useyourintelligence and offer suggestions,but refrain from providing hands-on help. Yourtime and effort should focusonself-sufficiency and personal care.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Expect to face restrictions that affect your relationships or your abilitytoapply your skills properly. Utilize your intelligence and farm out tasks that are beyond your capabilities.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Mixed emotionswill surface.Envisionthe out-

comebefore youbegin. Your attempts to improve will lead to professional opportunities andcompliments.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Spend more timeormoney on activities or things that help ease stress. Make your surroundings comfortableand distance yourself frompeople or situations that damage your confidence.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Refuse to let uncertainty weigh youdown or let someone's anger, distress or drama ruin your day. Remove yourself from unsavory situations andrely on your resources to help fill anyvoid

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Tidy up loose ends and take refuge in doing something that youenjoy.Refusetolet emotional misunderstandings develop when truth and transparency can eliminate such problems.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain if you embrace change witha smile andthe willingness to put in theeffort. You will discover arite of passageifyou are helpful andresourceful.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) You'llhave to draw the line, set boundariesand be clear regarding whatyou arewilling to do.You'll face accusations if youdon't do everything by thebook

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact ©2025 by nEa, inc., dist.Byandrews mcmeel syndication

Celebrity Ciphercryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.Eachletter in thecipher stands for another.

ToDAy's cLuE: LEQuALs o

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven 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’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Whatdid James Thurber believe is the one human achievement that made thelong tripupfrom allfours seem well advised?

Youhavetwofour-cardsuits.Theplayer on your left opens oneofanother suit, your partner makes atakeout double, and righty passes. Assuming youdonot have enough high-card power to jump or to cue-bid, which suit would you bid first?

The question is easy to answer if one suit is amajor andthe other aminor— youbid themajor.But what if they are bothmajors or both minors, like South’s hand in today’sdiagram? Which would you bid now?

The answer depends upon your pointcount. If youhavea weak hand, bid the lower-ranking. But if your hand is strong enough to bid twice,start with the higher-ranking. Then, if theauction continues and partner does notraise your suit, show theother suit on the next round.

In this deal, you should advance with onespade.West will make atakeout double, North will pass, andEast will run to twoclubs or twodiamonds.

Nowyou rebidtwo hearts as planned Northmight raise to three hearts or, likinghisgreatmajor-suitholdings,jumpto four hearts. If he bids only three hearts, you would like to raise to three-and-ahalf hearts!

wuzzles

The play in four hearts is easy, given thegreatfitandfriendlybreaks.Youwill lose two clubs andone spade. James Thurberthought that art made ourmovefrom allfours to upright walking welladvised. ©2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddle which creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or moreletters. 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 FEnTAnyL: FEN-teh-nil: Asyntheticopioidnarcotic.

Average mark 17 words

Time limit 35 minutes

Can youfind 26 or more words in FENTANYL?

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD —MARsHEs

mare

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letterword from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right.Finally, 7-letterwords get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5thEdition.

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

Formoreinformation on tournamentsand clubs, email naspa– north american sCraBBlE playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit ourwebsite:www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiriescontact scrgrams@gmail.com. Hasbro andits logo sCraBBlE associated logo,the design of thedistinctive sCraBBlE

and

WiShinG Well

HErE is aplEasanTliTTlE

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DBEOPPORTUNITY: YES(35%)

FEDERALFUNDED: No

RELEASED ON: July 17, 2025

DEADLINETORESPOND: August 12, 2025 PRE-BIDCONFERENCE: July 28, 2025 at 1:00 PM Datesare subjectto changesvia an adden‐dumpostedbythe Bu‐reau of Purchasing on h i li l

g theCity’s supplier portal If this solicitation is fed‐erally funded,prospec‐tive bidder/respondent must payparticularat‐tentiontoall applicable laws andregulations of theFederal government andthe Stateof Louisiana. HUDFunded Solicitation: Attentiontoprospective bidder/respondentis called particularly to the requirements forcondi‐tionsofemployment to be observed andmini‐mumwagerates to be paid under theContract (Davis-Bacon Act),Sec‐tion 3(LowIncomeResi‐dent Participation) of the Housingand UrbanDe‐velopmentAct of 1968, Section109 (Non-Dis‐crimination) of theHous‐ingand Community De‐velopmentAct of 1974, Section503 (Non-Dis‐

criminationAgainst Em‐ployees with Disabilities) andSection 504 (NonDiscriminationAgainst IndividualswithDisabili‐ties)ofthe Rehabilitation Actof1973, Segregated Facilities,Executive Order11246, andall ap‐plicable laws andregula‐tionsofthe Federalgov‐ernmentand Stateof Louisianaand bonding andinsurance require‐ments. TheCityofNew Orleans strongly encourages mi‐nority-ownedand women-ownedbusi‐nesses, socially andeco‐nomicallydisadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespond to this solicitation,orto participateinsubcon‐tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐tion TheBureauofPurchas‐

ingusescommodity codestonotifysuppliers of therelease of asourc‐ingevent andsubse‐quentmodificationsvia addendum.Notethatyou

partnership, limitedlia‐bility company, limitedli‐abilitypartnership,or otherlegal entity listed in themostcurrent busi‐ness recordson file with thesecretary of state. (b)The signatureonthe bidisthatofanautho‐rizedrepresentativeas documented by thelegal entity certifying theau‐thorityofthe person (c)The legalentityhas filedinthe appropriate recordsofthe secretary of stateofthisstate,an affidavit, resolution,or otheracknowledgedor authenticdocumentindi‐

of thecab Interior: Dark slateVinyl 40/20/40 seats AirconditioningCFC free AM/FMStereo/Clock oSpecificationsSWAB Unit: Body ModelARF-95Fiberglass Animal TransportBody, installedonChassis Color– White Freshair Blower,can be standalone,Tie-Inorin‐stalled. Bottom ofthe unittobe completely enclosed to reduce heat buildup‐around animal compart‐ments. Interior One-pieceanimalcom‐partments Smooth fiberglass fin‐ish– roundedcorners for easy clean-out Drainpan in frontof each compartment 6Animalcompartments 1storage unitcompart‐ment Freshair blowers– Dual fan installedinside blower hood ontop of thebodywithCFM air delivery Powerdrivenfresh air deliveredtoeachcom‐partment,NOT circulated to each compartment. oCompliance: Vehicles must comply with allrel‐evantfederal,state,and localregulations,includ‐ingthose relatedto envi‐ronmentalstandards safety,and accessibility. oWarrantyand Mainte‐nance: Providedetails on thewarrantyand main‐tenanceservicesoffered oDeliverySchedule: Ve‐hicle, fullywrapped, needstobedelivered andfully paid forbyDec 31st,2025 or unwrapped vehicleneedstobedeliv‐ered andfully paid forby Dec31st ,2025. 5. FederalFunding Re‐quirements Thepurchaseofthese vehicles is funded by fed‐eral grants.Assuch, the selected vendor must ad‐here to thefollowing fed‐eral requirements: oBuy AmericaRequire‐ments: Allvehiclesmust comply with theBuy AmericaAct,which man‐datesthatall manufac‐turedproductsare pro‐ducedinthe United States oDisadvantaged Busi‐ness Enterprise (DBE)Re‐quirements:Vendors are encouragedtoengage with DBEs.Provide infor‐mation onhow your pro‐posalsupportsDBE par‐ticipation oDavis-Bacon Act: If ap‐plicable,ensurecompli‐ance with wage rate re‐quirements as perthe Davis-BaconAct oAdministrativeRequire‐ments: Adherencetofed‐eral grantadministrative requirements,including procurementstandards andrecord-keeping. oSam.gov:Mustnot be debarred from doing business with thefederal government andorgani‐zation canbefound as such when searched on Sam.gov oConflictofInterest: must disclose anyactual or perceivedconflictof interest with theLASPCA or anyofLASPCAboard members, executive leadership,orpersons employedbyLASPCAin‐l d i f p y y volved inprocurement of this vehicle. o 6. ProposalSubmission Requirements Proposals must include: oCover Letter: Include a briefintroductionand summaryofthe vendor’s qualifications. oTechnical Proposal:De‐tailed description ofhow thevehicle specifications andrequirementswillbe met. oCostProposal: Detailed pricinginformation,in‐cludingany applicable taxes, fees,and delivery costs. oComplianceDocumen‐tation:Evidenceof com‐pliancewithfederal re‐quirements,including certifications, non-de‐barmentstatus, conflict of interest statement, andattestations. oReferences: At least threereferencesfrom previous clientswith similarvehicle procure‐ment projects 7. Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evalu‐ated basedonthe follow‐ingcriteria: oCompliancewithSpeci‐fications:How well the proposedvehiclesmeet thespecified require‐ments. oCost: Overallcost, in‐cludingpricing andany additional fees oVendorExperience: Relevant experience and qualificationsofthe ven‐dor. oCompliancewithFed‐eral Requirements:Ad‐herencetofederal fund‐ingrequirementsand regulations. oDeliverySchedule: Abil‐itytomeet thespecified deliverytimeline. 8. Submission Instruc‐tions Allproposals must be submittedbyAugust 10th, 2025, 2pmCST,to Anne Chapmanachap‐man@laspca.org.Late submissionswillnot be considered 8. Additional Information Forany questionsorre‐quests forclarification regardingthisRFP please contactAnne Chapmanatachapma@ laspca.org by July 31st ,2025. 9. RighttoReject TheLASPCAreservesthe righttorejectany or all proposals,towaive any informalitiesorirregular‐itiesinthe proposal process, andtonegotiate with anyorall qualified vendorstoensurethe best possibleoutcome forthe procurement process.

tractDocuments,Specifi‐cationsand Drawings) areavailable to Contrac‐tors whoare properly li‐censed in Louisianaorto bona fide suppliersof materialsand equipment forpurchaseand/orre‐view at theoffice of the Engineer forthe con‐( g tract, DDG (16564 East Brewster Road Suite101, Covington, LA 70433. Apayment of $250 in cash or checkpayable to theEngineer will be re‐quired foreachcomplete set of theBidding Docu‐ments. This paymentis refundable as provided in theLa.R.S.38:2212(D) PreBid Conference:A Pre BidConferencetodis‐cuss thescope of the projectand therequire‐mentsofthe Bidding and Contract Documentswill be held on August 19, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at the St.Charles Parish De‐partment of Public Works andWastewater, 100 RiverOaksDr.,Destre‐han, Louisiana. Atten‐danceofthe Pre-BidCon‐

ferenceis Mandatory. Each bidder must de‐positwithhis/her bid, security in theamount equalto five percent (5%) of thetotal bidin theformofa certified check, cashier’scheck or bidbond. If thebid is submittedelectronically anda certified or cashier’scheck is used forbid bond,thenthe ac‐tual checkshall be deliv‐ered to theST. CHARLES PARISH COUNCIL RECORDSOFFICE, Parish of St.Charles,15045 River Road,Courthouse3rd Floor,Hahnville Louisiana, 70057. Elec‐tronic bids shallcontain allthe same documents that arerequiredin a physically deliveredbid

ADVERTISEMENT FOR HYDROGEN FUELING BARGE NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS/SUPPLIERS

Sealed bids will be received on Thursday, August 28, 2025, until 10:00 a.m. CST at thePort of South Louisiana at theAdministrative Office, 1720 Highway 44, Reserve, Louisiana, 70084 or at www.centralbidding. com .Subsequent to receipt, the bid/bids will be evaluated by the appropriate party/parties and will be presented to thePort of South Louisiana for handlinginaccordance with theRevised Statutes of the Louisiana Public Bid Law Bid documents arepostedonhttp://www.centralbididng.com/. To view these, download, and receive bid notices by e-mail, you will have to registerwith Central Auction House (CAH).Vendors/Contractors have the option to submit theirbids and bid bonds electronically or by papercopy For information about theelectronicsubmittalprocess, contact Central Auction House at 1-866-570-9620.

Bids received prior to the time of the scheduled bid opening will be securelykept unopened. No bid received afterthe scheduled timefor opening will be considered

ProjectDescription:One non-self-propelled, doublehulled, and subdivided as shownonplans. Themid-body is subdividedinto five (5) main cargo tank pairs. The completedbarge shallbecertified by the UnitedStatesCoast Guard(USCG) for carriage of Methanol,aGrade C flammable liquid cargo, and to comply with applicable USCG Regulations in effect at thetime of contract signing. Thehullofthe vessel istobebuilt of steel using thelongitudinal system of framing. Decks aretohave straight sheer and camber as shownonContract Plans. Complete outfitting, piping, electrical,etc systemsare to be installed.

Thebarge shallbecapableofcarrying thefollowingGrade Cand lower liquids Thebarge shallbecapableofloadingat6,000 BBL/hr and dischargingat 1,000 gpm to asingle vesselor500 gpm to two(2) vesselssimultaneously

LASPCA 1700 MardiGrasBlvd NewOrleans,LA70114 achapman@laspca.org Thankyou foryourinter‐estinthisRFP.Welook forwardtoreceiving your proposal. 149680-jul15-31 $1,561

APumpHouse containing thegenerators and other system mechanical equipment shall be located above thefourth cargo tank pair.

An Office shall be located near amidships on thestarboardside of the vessel. Space shall be reserved at both ends of thevessel outside the deck containment for four(4) equipment lockers, each with afootprintof approximately 8’xl2’ generally as shown on Reference (A).

CHARACTERISTIC

of thebid

thesubmitting

name,Louisiana Contrac‐tors LicenseNumber, the St.Charles Parish Project Number,and theSt. CharlesParishProject Title. St.Charles Parish is an EqualOpportunityEm‐ployer.Weencourage all smalland minorityowned firmsand women’sbusinessenter‐

FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS The PORTinpartnership with the Louisiana Department of

Development (“LED”), has been awarded aU.S. Economic Development Administration (“EDA”) Grant under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Act, Build Back Better (BBB) Regional Challenge (referenced by CFDA Number 11.307 Public Worksand Economic Adjustment Assistance Program), EDA AwardNumber 08-79-05671, which will partially fund the Project to be delivered by Bidder to PORTpursuant to plans and specifications. Bidder will comply with all applicable local, state and federal law,regulations, executive orders,EDA policies, procedures, directives and the following:

Project Name:Port of SouthLouisiana Procurement of H2 the Future E-Methanol Hydrogen Fueling Barge Louisiana Department of Economic Development (LED) 23135-PC–Must adheretoall state rules and regulations included in the bid package. St.

ON THE CPCWEBSITE: WWW NOLA.GOV/CPC.YOU MAY ALSO SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTSTOTHE EX‐ECUTIVEDIRECTORIN ADVANCEBYMAIL(1300 PERDIDOSTREET,7TH FLOOR,NEW ORLEANS, LA 70112) OR EMAIL CPCINFO@NOLA.GOV.ALL WRITTENCOMMENTS MUSTBERECEIVEDBY CLOSEOFBUSINESSON THEMONDAY, EIGHT DAYS PRIORTOTHE HEARINGDATE. July 17, 31 and August 7, 2025 Robert Rivers ExecutiveDirector NOCP 8505 150320-jul17-31-aug7-3t $89.10

If youmeet thesecrite‐ria, youare eligible to submit aclaim under the settlement SETTLEMENT BENEFITS Eligible claimantsmay receivea paymentof $4,500.00 pervalid claim. To qualify, youmustsub‐mita properly completed CLAIMFORMbeforethe DEADLINEofAugust29, 2025. FINALDEADLINETOSUB‐MITA CLAIM To be considered forpay‐ment underthe settle‐ment: •You must complete and sign avalid claimform; and •Itmustbepostmarked by AUGUST 29, 2025, and mailedtothe Court-Ap‐pointedClass Counsel. FAILURETOSUBMITA VALIDCLAIM BEFORE THE DEADLINE meansyour claimwillbedismissed with prejudice, meaning youcannotpursueitin thefuture, andyou will notreceive anycompen‐sation FORMOREINFORMATION OR TO OBTAIN ACLAIM FORM ContactBeevers& Beev‐ers, LLP,Court Appointed ClassCounsel,at(504) 361-4287 PRIORtoAugust29, 2025. 151826-JUL31-AUG3-2T $556

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Ballin’s Ltdand Wm.B ColemanCo.,Inc

Pursuant to applicable Louisianalaw,noticeis hereby giventhatBallin’s Ltdand Wm.B.Coleman Co Inc.,Louisiana cor‐porationsformerlyen‐gagedinjoint business operations,havecom‐pleted acorporate reor‐ganization as of May30, 2025,which resulted in thefulland finalsepara‐tion of theirrespective business operations and assets

andFoundational PreparatoryAcademy 152028-JUL31-1T $59.10

Allpersons or entities having claims againstei‐ther Ballin’s LtdorWm. B. ColemanCo.,Inc.aris‐ingfromany business dealings or transactions occurringonorbefore May30, 2025 arehereby notified to presentsuch claims in writing, along with anysupportingdoc‐umentation, to thefol‐lowing address: Ballin’s Ltd Attn:Claims Administrator 725 St.James Street NewOrleans,LA70130 Claims must be received no laterthanthirty(30) days from thedateof this publication. Any claims notsubmitted by that date maybe deemed foreverbarred andneither Ballin’s Ltd norWm. B. ColemanCo. Inc. shallhaveany fur‐ther liabilitywithrespect thereto. 151040-JUL24-31-2T $316.80

Q p g theauction can besub‐mitted throughGovDeals portal or Prentice Mack‐yeon at pmackyeon@ swbno.org. 151715 July 31, Aug. 7, 2t $47.34

PUBLIC NOTICE

TheTownofGreece, NY is soliciting competitive bids forRuggedTechnol‐ogy,Ancillary Products & RelatedServices. Inter‐estedsuppliers must submit aproposalinac‐cordance with solicita‐tion documentsposted at www.coretrustpg com/public-sector/solicit ations Responsesmust be received by August 25, 2025 3:00 PM EST. 151637-JUL31-AUG7-2T $122.84

PUBLIC NOTICE

TheTownofGreece, NY is soliciting competitive bids forTechnology Ac‐quisition& Professional IT Services.Interested suppliersmustsubmit a proposal in accordance with solicitation docu‐mentspostedatwww coretrustpg.com/publicsector/solicitations Re‐sponsesmustbere‐ceived by August 25, 2025 3:00 PM EST. 151639-JUL31-AUG7-2T $122.84

NOTICE OFFICIAL NOTICE OF MONTHLYMEETINGof theREGIONALPLANNING COMMISSIONFOR JEF‐FERSON,ORLEANS PLAQUEMINES, ST BERNARD, ST.CHARLES ST.JOHN, ST.TAMMANY andTANGIPAHOA PARISHES andthe POLICY COMMITTEEofthe RE‐GIONAL PLANNING COM‐MISSIONFOR JEFFERSON, ORLEANS, PLAQUEMINES, ST.BERNARD,ST. CHARLES, ST.JOHN, ST TAMMANY,and TANGIPA‐HOAPARISHES.

Theregular meetings of the Regional Planning Commission andthe Pol‐icyCommittee of theRe‐gional Planning Commis‐sion forthe monthofAu‐gust 2025 will be held on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.

Allmeetings commence at 12:30 P.M. Allmeetings will be held at:

Regional Transportation Management Center 10 Veterans Boulevard 1st Floor Conference Room NewOrleans,LA70124 Forfurther information call (504) 483-8500. ADANOTICE: TheRTMCis ADAaccessible.

Forspecial accommoda‐tionsfor this meetingor foranyonewho requires an auxiliaryaid or ser‐vice foreffective com‐munication,ormodifica‐tionstopoliciesorpro‐cedurestoparticipate in this meeting, should con‐tact RPC’spublicout‐reachcoordinator,at 504-483-8513 or mgivhan@norpc.orgas soon as possible,but no laterthan48hours before thescheduled event. 152039-JUL31-1T $46.96 PUBLIC NOTICE LEGALNOTICEBYORDER OF THECOURT Acourt authorized this Notice.Thisisnot aso‐licitation from alawyer LOUISIANACITIZENSFAIR PLAN CLASSACTIONSET‐

It is anticipated that the consultant will be responsible for the following services to the Council: •Provide professional advice and assistance to the Council regarding thedevelopment of legislative solutions to reduce the risk of collapse of privately-owned structures, including analysis of past building collapses;

•Propose concrete legislative structures and programs to prevent further building collapses in this city whenever possible;

•Provide feedback as to any data required to undertake

of this Es‐

to be or not be in conflictwith the execution of the proposed scope of work. The Council shall be the sole arbiter as to any conflicts of interest and shall make the final determinationasto whether any potential or real conflict of interest exists.

Minimum Qualifications

Respondentsmust either be astructural engineer licensed to practice in the StateofLouisiana or a firm that employs such an engineer who will assist with the preparation of the work product contemplated by this solicitation.

Evaluation Criteria

Uponreceipt by the due date of responses to this request for qualifications, the Council’s staffselection review committee will evaluate all responses received based on the following criteriaaspermitted by CouncilRule 42:

1. Training and experience with type of task required;

2. Appropriateness of plan submitted;

3. Capability of contractor to provide staffing and support;

4. Knowledge of local conditions;

5. Ability to provide the work in the timeperiod required, as evidenced by past performance and current workload;

6. Involvement of members of disadvantaged groups at the professional level;

7. Whether the respondent has met, or demonstrated good-faith efforts to meet,the 35% DBE utilization goal applicable to City Council professional services contracts as morefully set forth in Section70-467 of the City Code.

8. Participationbypersons living and/or working in New Orleans at aprofessional level; 9. The need for continuity of services and/or

Proposal Submission

for certification of eligibility for acity contract or programshall contain the following statement: “It is agreed thatthe respondent or applicantwill abide by allprovisions of City Code §2-1120, including, but not limitedto, City Code §2-1120(12),whichrequires the respondent to provide the Office of Inspector General with documents andinformation as requested. Failuretocomply with such requests shall constitute amaterial breach of the contract.Insigning this contract,the respondent agrees thatit is subject to the jurisdiction of the OrleansParish Civil District Court for purposes of challenging asubpoena.”

Additional Information

The City of NewOrleansisnot liable for anycosts incurredbythe respondent prior to enteringinto aformalwritten contract.Any costs incurred in the preparation of the proposals, interview,orotherprecontract activity arethe responsibility of the

Main Library

219 Loyola Avenue (504) 596-2570

Algiers Regional Library

3014 Holiday Drive (504) 596-2641

Alvar Library 913 AlvarStreet (504) 596-2667

Central City Library

2020 Jackson Avenue,Suite 139 (504) 596-3110

Children’s ResourceCenterLibrary 913 Napoleon Avenue (504) 596-2628

Desire /FloridaSatelliteLocation 3250 Industry Street

East New Orleans Regional Library 5641 Read Boulevard (504) 596-0200

Cita Dennis Hubbell Library 725Pelican Avenue (504)596-3113

Rosa F. KellerLibrary and Community Center 4300 South BroadAvenue (504) 596-2660

Dr.MartinLuther King, Jr.Library 1611 Fats Domino Avenue (504) 596-2695

Milton H. Latter Memorial Library 5120 Saint Charles Avenue (504) 596-2625

Norman Mayer Library 3001 GentillyBoulevard (504) 596-3100

Mid-City Library 4140 CanalStreet (504) 596-2654

Nora NavraLibrary 1902 Saint Bernard Avenue (504) 596-3118

Nix Library 1401 South CarrolltonAvenue (504) 596-2630

REACH Center

2022 St.Bernard Avenue,Building C (504) 256-6983

Robert E. Smith Library 6301 Canal Boulevard (504) 596-2638 /nolalibrary @nolalibrary

vity tems king/ ities, to

ADULT EVENTS

NIXIESAND NIGHTGAUNTS: DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS*

Adults of all ages, experience the adventure,grandeur,and thrills of Dungeons andDragons tabletop roleplaying.

Register at nolalibrary.co/nixies beginning on July 19.

Saturday, August 2 from 1:30pm –4:30pm Nix Library

JOB1 CAREER RESOURCE

Meet with JOB1 Business and Career Solutions, aLibrary partner.Thisagency offers employment and training services to provideemployers with askilled workforce and to link jobseekers to employment.

Tuesday,August 5, 19 from 10am –2pm East New Orleans RegionalLibrary

Tuesday,August 12, 26 from10am –2pm Algiers Regional Library

TAKE CONTROLOFYOUR MONEYAND BOOSTYOUR FINANCIAL CONFIDENCE

Three freefinancialwellness events led by asavvyRegions BankAssociate. Get practical tips, real answers,and the confidence to makemoney movesthat actually makesense

Registrationencouraged but not required at nolalibrary.co/financial-wellness.

Tuesday,August 5, 12,19 from 5:30pm –6:30pm Norman Mayer Library

NUNEZCOMMUNITY COLLEGE RESOURCES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND NEXT STEPS

Chat with Nunez CommunityCollege to find out how,regardlessofyour education or professional experience,you can be on apath to ahigh-wage,high demand career

Tuesday,August 12 from 10am –12pm EastNew Orleans Regional Library

Wednesday,August 13 from 4:30pm –6:30pm East NewOrleans Regional Library

AUTHOR NIGHT AT HUBBELL LIBRARY: MADELAINEBRAUNERLANDRY

CARO GIOVANNI(DEAR JOHN)

Ablend of truth and fiction, this historical novelwas inspired by the World War II correspondence between Landry’s father, aU.S. infantryman, and awoman living in Mussolini’sItaly

Tuesday,August 12 from 6:30pm –7:30pm Cita Dennis Hubbell Library

rsday,August from 5:30pm –6:30pm Nora Navra Library

THEBLACK SCHOOLPRESENTS COLLECTIVEPOWER

COMMUNITYCONTROL THROUGH CREATIVE ACTIVISM

Sing and learn at aBlack Masking Indian song class ledbySpy Boy Walter, and explore creative activism witha process card game.

Saturday,August 16 from 10am–12pm REACH Center

JAPANESE BOOK BINDING

Learn to bind asimple,elegant notebook or sketchbook using a historical Japanese bookbinding method.All suppliesprovided.

Friday,August 22 from 11am–12:30pm Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Library

Wednesday,August 27 from 5pm –6:30pm Nix Library

SELF-PUBLISHING

WITH PRESSBOOKS

SONGWRITINGWORKSHOP WITH PAUL FAITH*

Calling allsongwriters! Bring awork in progresstodiscuss in anon-judgmental songwriting workshop lead by localsongwriter Paul Faith. Participants willshare their work and give eachother constructive feedback and encouragement.

Registertoshare asong at nolalibrary.co/songwriting beginning on August 14.You do notneed to register if you do notwanttosharea song.

Thursday,August 28 from 5pm–6:30pm Robert E. Smith Library

In this webinar,learn how to createa professional-quality e-book or print-ready book file using PressbooksPublic. This is ahybrid event conducted overZoom with both virtual and in-person access.

Register for theZoom meeting at nolalibrary.co/self-publishing.

Tuesday,August 26 from 5:30pm –6:30pm Algiers Regional Library

Areyou lookingfor your next read?

Want to findacommunity to talk about literature?The New OrleansPublic Library has a book club for you!

Visit nolalibrary.org/book-clubs to findyours!

lagniappe classic dog show don’t miss don’t miss don’t miss

The Pontchartrain Center goes to the dogs for four days when the Louisiana and Metairie Kennel Clubs stage their annual shows at Williams Boulevard and the lake. From Afghan hounds to wirehaired vizslas, the AKC event will have loads of pooches and vendors with canine-centric goodies and more. Judging starts at 8:30 a.m. Thursday through Sunday. facebook.com/Louisiana Kennel Club

For three days, the loveable Peppa and her brother will be making appearances at the Audubon Aquarium at the foot of Canal Street, Friday through Sunday at various times from 11:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Plus, a themed tea party, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is an optional treat with crafts, lemonade and frosted treats. The appearances are included in admission to the aquarium, with the tea an added $7 per child. audubonnatureinstitute.org

kindergarten kickoff

The Louisiana Children’s Museum in City Park has a helping hand for families entering the school experience with a day to prepare and celebrate at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. For the youngsters, activities will include loading up their backpacks, balancing lunch trays, writing their names and more, like story times and a chance to get on a bus and learn bus safety. Health screenings will also be available. lcm.org

summertime

fl

ea & vintage market

The Music Box Village hosts an inaugural event with vendors selling a variety of goods, from vintage clothing, electronics and housewares to canned goods and plants from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. There’s also a chance to have tarot cards read, braiding and more at the unique musical park at 4557 N. Rampart St. musicboxvillage.com

don’tmiss don’tmiss don’t miss

william shatner

The OG “Captain Kirk”beams into The Fillmore at Harrah’s Casino, 6CanalSt., at 7p.m.Friday for ashowing of “Star Trek II: The WrathofKhan.” Shatner will speak following the screening of what many considertobethe best ofthe original television series’ movie ensemble, released 43 years ago. Thefilm starred Shatner,Leonard Nimoy,Nichelle Nichols andRicardoMontalban as Khan. Tickets for the movie and talk start at $93. thefillmorenola.com

ABOUTLAGNIAPPE

The Lagniappe section is publishedeach ThursdaybyThe Times-Picayune |The New Orleans Advocate. All inquiriesabout Lagniappe should be directed to theeditor. LAGNIAPPE EDITOR: Annette Sisco,asisco@theadvocate. com

COVERDESIGN: Cassandra Brown

CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS: Victor Andrews, Will Coviello, DougMacCash, Chelsea Shannon

GETLISTEDIN LAGNIAPPE

SubmiteventstoLagniappe at least twoweeksinadvance by sending an email to events@theadvocate.com.

ON THECOVER

Photoillustration by Doug MacCash.Story by DougMacCashonPage 6.

food food food

SaintClairefeels like ahiddenNew Orleansoasis

Acharming new restaurant and bar has opened in Algiersona historic property surrounded by oak trees that feels like ahidden oasis just minutes from New Orleans

Influencers and foodies alikehave been flocking to Saint Claire, owned by longtime friends Cassi Dymond and Melissa Martin.

Martin,who also owns Mosquito Supper Club, said that she and Dymond havelong envisioned operatinga restaurant together over the course of their 15year friendship.

This dream restaurant, at thetime, would be an oasis for citydwellers, serving good food and incorporating aromantic elementthat wasn’tjust about romanticizing aloveinterest.

“Wesort of mused abouthaving a place in thecountry,and, you know, we thought that would be sort of on the northshore or even in Mississippi. But we always looked,and just kind of dreamed,” Martin said. “Wecame and saw this property, and itwas pretty clear immediately when we stepped foot on the grounds that we were going to do something here.”

At the end of acul-de-sac off Patterson Drive now standsSaint Claire, their vision that cametolife. After six months of renovations, Martin andDymond opened the first nightofservice on June 26.

Mainly using secondhandfurniture or handcraftedpieces from local artisans, Martin said they adorned the space to create an escape for alittle while.

“I create these romantic places because Iwant to go eat at these romantic places,”Martin said.

Evenwhenmoving aroundthe space, diners can catch glimpses of thekitchen, which Martin saidshe designed to incorporateaspects found in primitive kitchens, similar to whatpeople see in period pieces like “Downton Abbey.”

“I wanted the kitchen to just feel warm and homey,and Iwanted people to enjoy working in it.Ididn’twantit to be just like aclassic stainless steel box,” Martin said.

With roughly 4acres of landtowork with, Martin said they plan to hostpicnics and weddings in the future. There

Gnocchiisservedwith jumbo lump crab meat

could even be asmall farmwith chickens, sheep and vegetables.

“Wehave phases for this property, so hopefully we can roll out in phases, and yeah,develop it,” Martin said.

And for now,“phase open” is focused on food and drinks.

On thetable at SaintClaire

When it came to creating the menu, Martin said the first focus was to make food that she and others, including Mosquito Supper Club chef de cuisine Camille Cook, around her would want to eat.

“When we wrote the first menu, it was really just food we wanted to eat,” Martin said. “I asked alot of people, like, ‘Hey,what do you feel like eat-

ing?’”

Martin said that some of thedishes also incorporate items from theMosquitoSupper Club bar menu.

The dishes that Martin wanted to ensure were on the menu included the duck confit and rabbit rillettes,asthey were her personal favorites.

The care that the kitchen puts into thefood is tasted in each bite, whether it’sa piece of gnocchi that feels like acloud in your mouth or abite of smoked beetsthat might change the minds of vegetable cynics.

At each table, ataper stands waiting for diners to order one of the flavorful dishes from thekitchen or aclassic cocktail from the bar

Theproperty’sstoried history

The site of thenew restaurant has ahistory dating back to 1931, when it was part of the U.S. Quarantine Station in Algiers.

The government used thestation to house incoming shipmentsand crew membersasthey entered the U.S., quarantining them to prevent the spread of diseases. The majority of the buildings that housed thesick were located on the portion of the property closer to the river,while more inland were homes dedicated to the doctors and officers who attended to the quar-

SAINT CLAIRE

1300 Richland Road

Thursday4 p.m. to 9p.m.; Friday4p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday10a.m. to 2p.m. and 4p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday10a.m. to 2p.m. ClosedMondaythrough Wednesday. Phone: (504) 766-9316

antined individuals.

In the 1940s, the U.S. changed the purpose of the Quarantine Station into an internment camp. The governmenthoused detainees from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Italy, Japan and Germany,including Germans who fled to LatinAmerican countries. Roughly 80 Jewish peoplewere also interned at this site after fleeing Germany.

Many Jewish andanti-Nazi people who thegovernment interned were transferred to theNew Orleanssitein 1943 to protect them from known Nazi detainees, andthe site was known briefly as the“Camp of theInnocents” untilthe endofthe war,accordingtothe National Register of HistoricPlaces historicplaces form report submitted by Calhoun Preservation.

After WorldWar II, thesiteresumed operation as aquarantine facilityuntil the1970s, whenthe portion that had been used as adoctor’slodging, now occupiedbythe Saint Claire, wastransformed intothe Olaf Fink School for mentally challenged children

The U.S. Border Patrol later used the other buildings on theproperty,withone serving as apoliceoffice.

The school andother buildings were vacantin2020 andwere later soldto private ownership. In additiontoSaint Claire, abed andbreakfast on theproperty was approved by thecityin2024 andwill be built in thefuture.

Before thebuilding’sconstruction,the property was owned by theUrsuline Convent as part of alargeparcel of land in 1917, followingthe convent’s vacating of itssiteinthe French Quarter.The Ursuline Nuns soldthe property,and aportion of it went to George Mule in 1917, who then later worked withassociates, JohnLuizza andPeter Ciaccio, to create the Saint Claire Gardens development. This would later inspire the nameof the 2025 restaurant.

Email Chelsea Shannon at cshannon@theadvocate.com.

music music music

STOMPING GROUNDS

Louis Armstrong’s biographer to speak, play piano at 25th Satchmo SummerFest

BY WILL COVIELLO Gambit Weekly

Louis Armstrong’s virtuoso talents and charm earned him a singular place on top of the jazz world, as well as international fame and popularity, which can obscure his very humble beginnings.

He adored his mother, though she sometimes left him to take care of his younger sister for weeks at a time. She drank heavily and was arrested for prostitution. Armstrong has talked of standing up to bullies in his neighborhood, and for a while, he worked carting coal in Storyville, which inspired entertaining recollections in his autobiography.

But for all the hard knocks, he always thought of New Orleans as his home and wrote fondly about his young life.

“When you read his book, Louis tells everything with a wink and a smile: ‘Well, we were poor, but we were happy,’” said Ricky Riccardi, who this year released “Stomp Off, Let’s Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong.”

“At the same time, I am coming across arrest records and alcohol. It was definitely darker than the picture he paints. It was a scary, uncertain time: racism, hunger, poverty, the police. It’s all real, and it’s scary But Louis had his mother, he had Black Benny and Joe Oliver. He had this community that nurtured him, protected him and made sure that he emerged a great man and a great musician.”

Riccardi will discuss Armstrong and his mentor Joe Oliver at Satchmo SummerFest at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Aug. 2-3. The annual free festival features two music stages outdoors and one indoors, as well as panel discussions with talks about Armstrong’s life and music and related subjects.

The festival is marking its 25th anniversary. It was founded on roughly the centennial of Armstrong’s birth, though that is a subject of disagreement. Armstrong always said he was born July

Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers perform during the 2019 Satchmo SummerFest. The festival celebrates Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong with live local music, food and activities.

4, 1900, though scholars point to a birth certificate that says Aug. 4, 1901. Riccardi examines that and gives deference to Armstrong’s views of it in the book.

“Stomp Off” offers a lively chronicle of Armstrong’s youngest years and offers new insight about when he first learned to play music and who might have influenced him It details where he lived, in both the home of his grandmother, who was born into slavery, and with his mother, and the community that nurtured him.

“In ‘Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans,’” people got frustrated that he didn’t talk so much about the music,” Riccardi said. “He spends pages talking about Black Benny and Joe Oliver and pimps and gamblers and all that stuff. I think there was a reason for that. I think those were the people who allowed him to become Louis Armstrong.”

Riccardi is the director of research collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, New York. The son of an editor for Armstrong’s “Satchmo” autobiography gave the archives an original, unedited manuscript, which Riccardi used heavily for his book.

The picture is fascinating, with accounts of Armstrong in the rough Backatown neighborhood and at the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys, where he was sent a couple of times, most famously after shooting a pistol on New Year’s Eve. Armstrong quickly became the leader of the institution’s band.

Riccardi will discuss the book at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Jazz Museum

Riccardi also is a pianist, and he’ll play his first proper set at the festival. He’ll perform duets with Preservation Hall

Jazz Band leader and trumpeter Wendell Brunious at 2 p.m. Saturday at the museum.

The festival’s music lineup features traditional jazz and more. Saturday features Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Joe Lastie’s New Orleans Sound, Victor Campbell, James Andrews and the Sons of Satchmo, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Don Vappie and the Blue Jazz Band, Young Fellaz Brass Band and more.

Sunday has Kermit Ruffins’ tribute to Armstrong, John Boutte, Charmaine Neville, Kyle Roussel with Quiana Lynell and Erica Falls, Shamarr Allen with Cyril Neville and more.

There’s also a Jazz Mass and secondline parade Sunday. Visit satchmosummerfest.org for a schedule and full list of events.

art art art

STATE OF THE

HE ART

5 must-see highlights at the steamy, dreamy White Linen Night

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

You can bet the weather is going to be a bit warm during the Fidelity Bank White Linen Night soiree on Aug 2, but you can also be certain that the art is going to be way cool. With exhibits in more than 25 art galleries, museum and pop-up spaces, the event is a feast of chic, contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography and you name it Plus, ask anybody, it’s one great party. Just imagine a sea of elegant folks in snowy summer outfits sashaying in and out of the 20some classy galleries and museums on Julia Street and nearby Some attendees will be dressed to the nines, some will take a less-is-more approach. Either way, it’s a not-to-be-missed see-and-be-seen scene. Leslie-Claire Spillman, president of the New Orleans Arts District Association, said that based on cellphone tracking/AI technology, almost 37,000 people attended last year’s White Linen Night on Julia Street. Though some partiers travel from Houston, Lafayette and elsewhere for the event, Spillman said that the vast majority of attendees are local. Which, in her estimation, adds to the gathering’s uniqueness.

ä See WHITE, page 8

“From the Storms of Our Souls: The Art of Ron Bechet” at the Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St.

“Resonance” by Key-Sook Geum at Callan Contemporary, 518 Julia St.

No artwork is surer to be a crowd pleaser than the translucent traditional gowns created by this Korean sculptor Made of fine wire and crystal, Geum’s sculptures glint with light as they simultaneously cast gorgeously ghostly shadows.

PROVIDED

For those of us who sometimes seek a respite from the advances of AI and other high-tech image making, New Orleans-born artist/professor Ron Bechet provides a suite of decidedly old-school, supersized charcoal drawings. On the surface, his subject matter is the gnarled, fertile foliage of Louisiana. But symbolically, the images dive deeper into what curator Shana M. griffin describes as “the often-concealed narratives of Black life.” This is a big, enveloping bear hug of a show that you can easily get lost in. “From the Storms of Our Souls” closes after White Linen Night. Don’t miss it.

art art art

WHITE

Continued from page 7

Food, drink and music

The footprint of White Linen Night 2025 will be a bit smaller than in recent years when the party had expanded to St Joseph Street. This year, all WLN outdoor activities are concentrated between the 300 and 600 blocks of Julia Street

Look for two music stages, with Casme and Love Your Own Noise performing in the 300 block and DJ Mig in the 600 block, plus a parked party bus that will double as a third stage in the 500 block. High-tech visual artist Brennan Steele will also present animated video projection at Magazine and Julia streets, synchronized to music.

From its beginning in 1994, White Linen Night has been free. Drink sales from the cash bars in the street benefit the Arts District.

Supper and snacks are available from food trucks.

The fashion and party amenities aside, at its heart, White Linen Night remains a first-class art exhibition.

Fidelity Bank White Linen Night takes place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Aug. 2, in the 300-600 blocks of Julia Street, the 900 block of Camp Street and elsewhere. The event is free, with food, beverages and other amenities for sale. For a full list of events and locations, visit the Arts District New Orleans website.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@ theadvocate.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Doug MacCash.

“Songs of the Midnight Hour” at the Spillman | Blackwell pop-up gallery, 328 Julia St.

Look for the marvelous collage/painting by J. Cletus Wilcox, which reproduces vintage advertisements from the bygone Club My-O-My drag bar From the 1940s to 1970s, the audacious Metairie nightspot was the home of “The World’s Most Beautiful Boys in Women’s Attire.”

“In the Age of Anxiety” by Luis Cruz Azaceta at Arthur Roger Gallery, 432 Julia St.

Nobody’s better at illustrating the curse of living in interesting times than the Cuban-born expressionist master Azaceta. To achieve emotional complexity, he depicts dreadful circumstances with a playful style and the buoyant colors of a box of crayons.

Sasha Swan and Gabriel Flores mural

In the 600 block of Julia Street, the aerosol maestros will produce a live street art mural. Take a moment to watch, as they spontaneously create meticulous art with an unforgiving medium and make it look easy.

‘Oh, Hi!’ an incisive look at modern dating

BY KATIE WALSH Tribune News Service (TNS)

Dip a toe into any contemporary cultural anthropology, and it’s clear that the current state of dating (mostly for heterosexual people) is a mess

‘OH, HI!’

HHH1/2

MPA RATING: R (for sexual content/some nudity, and language)

RUNNING TIME: 1:34

HOW TO WATCH: In theaters Review

Men won’t commit, women’s standards are too high, dating apps are toxic, and no one is having any sex, according to the data.

It’s not looking good, but maybe all we need is a good old fashioned “come to Jesus” moment — some honesty, some catharsis and some forced vulnerability, by any means necessary

Writer/director Sophie Brooks imagines such a scenario in her incisive, insightful and very funny “Oh, Hi!,” which expertly toes the line between dating dramedy and thriller, in a self-contained story of relationship reckoning that takes place over the course of what starts out as a romantic weekend away.

Molly Gordon, who also has a story credit on the screenplay and produced the film, stars as Iris, a hopeful young woman on her way to an upstate New York vacation with her new boyfriend Isaac (Logan Lerman)

Wine, food, intimacy — it’s early days, but so dreamy and idyllic, nothing could possibly go wrong.

Isaac doesn’t quite get when she’s joking, and he hasn’t opened up that much, but he’s affectionate and deeply attentive.

Situation goes awry

However, all it takes is a spicy sexual encounter involving handcuffs to derail everything.

While he’s still chained to the bed frame, Isaac admits that the situation is just casual dating for him, not a relationship.

Hurt and horrified, Iris leaves him locked up as retribution, and after a night of frantic Googling, decides she’ll keep him there until they work out their issues and he realizes they should be together

The funny thing about Isaac — and the reason he remains chained

up — is that he can’t even commit when he’s afraid for his life, thereby becoming an active participant in his own captivity

Even as he’s attempting to placate and soothe the manic Iris, he’s unwilling to say anything that she might hold him to later.

Her bestie Max (Geraldine Viswanathan), who arrives to save Iris from this predicament with her boyfriend Kenny (John Reynolds), accurately diagnoses Isaac as a “soft boy”: He wants all the affection and intimacy of a relationship, but none of the commitment.

The price of freedom

Turns out a certain kind of man would rather be held captive than offer a sincere apology.

Their arguments come down to semantics and willful misunderstandings. Neither one of them wants to come off poorly, so they aren’t honest and forthright about their needs and wants.

Turns out, the kidnapping just might work, because they’re forced to let their guard down.

Brooks allows Gordon to display all of her unique charms as an actor, as the weird, sexy, unhinged and deeply relatable Iris.

As a filmmaker of unconventional relationship comedies (e.g., her first feature “The Boy Downstairs”), Brooks celebrates the quirky, prickly heroines who demonstrate thoroughly modern anguish about matters of the heart

As an actress, Gordon has cannily helped to create opportunities to inhabit characters that allow her to show off her distinctive sense of humor.

After breaking out in “Shiva Baby,” she co-directed and starred in the hilarious ensemble comedy “Theater

Camp,” and had a role on “The Bear,” but with “Oh, Hi!” she proves herself as a proper romantic leading lady She is as beguiling and vulnerable as our favorite rom-com heroines of yore, but lets her freak flag fly in a way that is utterly refreshing.

A comedy about the perils of dating

“Oh, Hi!” is a comedy about the perils of dating that involves S&M, nude witchcraft and a stomach-turning recipe for French toast.

And while it is sharply written, Brooks also helms the film with a stylish precision that utilizes the remote rental cabin setting to its fullest extent.

She lures us in with a dreamy romantic fantasy al fresco: sexy swims in the pond, reading in Adirondack

chairs, slow-dancing under a tree strung with fairy lights.

As the mood shifts, and Isaac is relegated to the bed, she emphasizes the claustrophobic architecture of the Shaker-style home with oddball tableaus and horror-style camera angles.

In this cautionary tale about rehabilitating a womanizer and tangling with a “crazy” woman, a dater might find humor, relief, or most importantly, recognition.

Brooks’ screenplay cuts to the quick, and she doesn’t romanticize it either

Both Iris and Isaac might not get what they want, but they get what they need: a little respect, and a whole lot of honesty, and in this dating world, that’s the most precious commodity of all.

stages stages stages

Localplayhousesput varietyonstage

‘The Crucible,’ ‘School of Rock:The Musical’ on tap

Witches and rock bandsand orphans ... oh my! It’saweek of wonder and excitement on local stages across the metro area, from the serious on the southshore to musical merriment at apair of north shore theaters.

Whichwitch hunt?

“The Crucible,” Arthur Miller’sriveting fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials,debuted in 1953, in the midst of the McCarthy hearings, and took the Tony Award for best play

Local theatrical ensemble Fat Squirrel stages the show opening Monday at Big Couch, 1045 Desire St. With the trials as a backdrop, the story looks at betrayal, consequences and how truth can often become avictim when hysteria takes hold. Andrea Watson, executive artistic director,also directs the show. Taking leading roles in the show are Emory Farber as Abigail Williams (the lead accuser), Jonathan Mares as Proctor and Anja Avsharian as his wife Elizabeth, central characters and victims of Williams’ treachery Other cast includes Saorise McCrossen, John Jabaley,Chasity Hart, Enne Samuel, Lauren A. Gauthier, Benjamin Adams, Maddie Fry,Mary Langley,Mary Pauley,Ken Pauley, Miles Hamauei, James Wright,Joe Signorelli, Clint Johnson, Becca Larkin, Benjamin Clement andRyan Bruce.

Theshowruns at 7:30 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays through Aug. 14. Ticketsstart at $25. Visitfatsquirrelnola. square.site

Classisin(jam) session

What happens when asubstitute teacher turns out to be an out-of-work rocker and makes his fifthgradeclass into aband?

“School of Rock: The Musical” takes awhole different look at music class.

AndrewLloyd Webber (“Evita,” “Phantom of theOpera”)and Julian Fellowes (“Downton Abbey,” “The Gilded Age”) penned themusic and the story based on the comedy movie

that starred Jack Black And30byNinetyTheatre in Mandeville is rocking and rolling with the show starting Aug.9-24. In thecomedy,Dewey Finn turns thestudentsofasnootyprivateschool from honor rollerstohard rock ’n’ rollerstocompete in the Battleofthe Bands,all withouttheir parentsorthe school administrators finding out. Hayden Kimball plays theteacher, with Christina Cross as the principal Rosalie Mullins,Robert Naumanas his roommate and bandmate Ned, and Kelli HebertasNed’sfiancé Patty Di Marco.

The studentsinclude Balke Bosley,

George Schafer,Choen Kampsnider, Kellar Godfrey,Helen Stone, Lily Cross, Amelia Meany,Madeline Tumbagahan, ZarriahColella-Minor,Trip Godfrey,Iris Barthels and Ella Berthelot. OthercastincludesLilly Vita, Darcy Gunn, Brayden Saglibene, Ella Kornfuhrer, Jessica Madden, Jolie Khoury,KarlHarrod, JessicaMinor, Christi Simoneaux, Matthew Godfrey andCeleste Celentano.

Ticketsfor the show start at $32. The theater is located at 880 Lafayette St. in Mandeville.The showruns Fridays andSaturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Visit 30byninety. com.

stages stages stages

Fun in the ‘sun’

As the song says, “The sun’ll come out” when the smiling faces of the orphans sing and dance their way across the stage at Cutting Edge Center for the Arts in Slidell when “Annie” opens Friday.

The hit Broadway show about the orphan Annie adopted by the billionaire “Daddy” Warbucks is packed with stage favorites, like “Tomorrow,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile” and “It’s A Hard-Knock Life.”

The show will run at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 24 at 767 Robert Blvd. in Slidell. Tickets start at $39. Visit cuttingedgetheater.com.

On stage this week

”CAROUSEL”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Dixon Hall, Newcomb Circle, Tulane University Summer Lyric Theatre wraps its season with the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic story of love, loss and redemption set on the Maine coastline and features some heady topics but is intertwined with iconic songs like “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “If I Loved You.” Tickets start at $31.50. liberalarts.tulane. edu.

”CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; Marquette Theater, Loyola University, 6363 St. Charles Ave. The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company’s version of the classic set on a prosperous plantation in the Mississippi Delta populated by Big Daddy and Big Mama Pollitt. Trouble is brewing as the wonderfully wretched family (with sons Brick and Gooper and their wives Maggie and Mae) keep secrets and circle like vultures amid Bid Daddy’s birthday and “successful” medical tests. Tickets start at $40. twtheatrenola.com.

Email Victor Andrews at vandrews@theadvocate.com.