The Acadiana Advocate 08-12-2025

‘IT’S WORKING’

U.S. Secretary of Education McMahon praises gains in reading scores in Louisiana during visit to BR school

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited a Baton Rouge elementary school on Monday morning to praise Louisiana’s improved reading scores, her first stop on a cross-country tour as the Trump administration pushes to dismantle the Department of Education and grant more educational authority to the states.

McMahon said during a stop at the Jefferson Terrace Academy that she embarked on the “Returning Educa-

tion to the States” tour to collect best practices that have shown educational success With Louisiana’s unprecedented improvement in national rankings, the state seemed a natural starting point, she said.

State Superintendent Cade Brumley, East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent LaMont Cole, Baton Rouge Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and other officials toured classrooms Monday morning at the East Baton Rouge Parish public school with McMahon, the former head of World Wrestling Entertainment and

the administrator of the Small Business Administration in President Donald Trump’s first term. McMahon watched intently as Melanie Arceneaux’s first grade class sat cross-legged on the carpet and broke down words that use a “short A” sound. Following Arceneaux’s lead, the group spelled out C-A-T, tapping on each letter sound with their fingers before writing the word.

“It’s just like being back in first grade,” McMahon said as she walked

ä See WORKING, page 4A

La. sues firm hired to fix orphan wells

Filing alleges leaders drained money ‘for personal gain’

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Louisiana is suing a company it had tasked with plugging orphan oil and gas wells, alleging its leaders engaged in “self-dealing” with the help of a former state official who oversaw them. The lawsuit, filed Friday in the 19th Judicial District Court, asks a judge to issue a temporary restraining order preventing the Louisiana Oilfield Restoration Association and its

ä See WELLS, page 4A

An orphaned and

Lafayette City Hall project on hold

First phase of administration building overhaul restarting after funds pulled from budget

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Money for the first phase of a $17.5 million proposed renovation of the Lafayette Consolidated Government administration building has been removed from the proposed 2025-26 budget. City Council Finance Chair Kenneth Boudreaux, with no objection from other council members, removed $5.5 million from the budget that the administration requested for City Hall, returning the funds to a bond reserve account. He left the line item in place so funding can be transferred after additional discussions and input from council members and the public. Boudreaux said at Thursday’s budget review meeting the council is not abandoning the project but restarting it with more communication and outreach.

In July, Mayor-President Monique Boulet distributed a news release and renderings of the proposed renovation which would include moving the City Hall entrance to University Avenue, replacing with a staircase escalators left over from the time the building was a Sears store and adding more public meeting space separate from

Trump taking over Washington police

D.C. officials question move, say crime is already falling

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Monday he’s taking over Washington’s police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard in the hopes of reducing crime, even as city officials stressed crime is already falling in the nation’s capital.

ä

Ousted FDA vaccine chief returning WASHINGTON A Food and Drug Administration official is getting his job back as the agency’s top vaccine regulator less than two weeks after he was pressured to step down at the urging of biotech executives, patient groups and conservative allies of President Donald Trump. Dr Vinay Prasad is resuming leadership of the FDA center that regulates vaccines and biotech therapies, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement

Monday Prasad left the agency late last month after drawing ire of rightwing activists, including Laura Loomer, because of his past statements criticizing Trump. A longtime a critic of FDA’s standards for approving medicines, Prasad briefly ordered the maker of a gene therapy for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy to halt shipments after two patient deaths. But that action triggered pushback from the families of boys with the fatal condition and libertarian supporters of increased access to experimental medicines.

Prasad’s decision to pause the therapy was criticized by The Wall Street Journal editorial board, former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and others. The FDA swiftly reversed its decision suspending the therapy’s use.

Loomer posted online that Prasad was “a progressive leftist saboteur,” noting his history of praising liberal independent Sen. Bernie Sanders.

But Prasad has had the backing of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr

Appeals court nixes Maine election law

PORTLAND, Maine Maine can’t enforce a voter-approved foreign election interference law that a federal appeals court said likely violates the Constitution by limiting political donations.

Voters overwhelmingly approved a ban on foreign governments and companies with 5% or more foreign government ownership from donating to state referendum races. The law is one of a handful around the country that attempt to limit foreign influence on U.S. elections.

The law has been on hold pending federal lawsuits from utilities companies and media organizations that raise constitutional challenges about it. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said in court papers in July that it affirmed a lowercourt ruling that the law likely violates the First Amendment.

“The prohibition is overly broad, silencing U.S. corporations based on the mere possibility that foreign shareholders might try to influence its decisions on political speech, even where those foreign shareholders may be passive owners that exercise no influence or control over the corporation’s political spending,” Judge Lara Montecalvo wrote.

Summer’s best meteor shower peaks soon

WASHINGTON Summer’s most dazzling meteor shower, the Perseids, peaks early Wednesday At the same time, Venus and Jupiter will converge in the sky — overlapping like a very bright star

If your focus is the meteor shower, it’s worth knowing that this year a bright moon will dampen viewing during the predawn peak, so some experts recommend waiting a week or so to glimpse shooting stars against a darker sky The Perseids “are an incredible meteor shower,” said Thaddeus LaCoursiere, planetarium program coordinator at the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota. Under dark skies with no moon, the Perseids can produce between 60 to 100 meteors per hour, he said. Since the moon will be around 84% full during the peak, skywatchers might expect between 10 to 20 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society

“This year I’m actually recommending that people go out a little bit later” — a week or so past the peak when the moon will not be as bright, LaCoursiere said.

Viewing of the Perseids lasts until August 23.

STAFF PHOTO By OHAD ZWIGENBERG

Journalists, aid-seekers killed in Israeli strikes

Australia backs Palestinian statehood

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAM METZ and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces

killed at least 55 people across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Monday, including a well-known journalist Israel said was a militant as well as people seeking humanitarian aid, according to local health officials.

Hospital officials reported at least 34 people were killed on Monday, not including journalists who were slain in a tent shortly before midnight

More than 15 people were killed while waiting for aid at the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza, said Fares Awad, head of the ambulance services in northern Gaza.

Israel’s military did not immediately respond to questions about the deaths.

Earlier on Monday, it said air and artillery units were operating in northern Gaza and in Khan Younis, where resident Noha

Abu Shamala told The Associated Press that two drone strikes killed a family of seven in their apartment

Among the dead were at least 12 aid seekers killed by Israeli gunfire while trying to reach distribution points, or awaiting aid convoys, according to officials at two hospitals and witnesses.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its Saraya Field Hospital received about 30 injured from the Zikim area. Al-Shifa hospital received five bodies and over 70 wounded, said Mohamed Abu Selmiya, the hospital’s director

Relatives said casualties included children and an infant. Witnesses to gunfire near the Morag corridor said they saw barrages of bullets and later dead bodies, describing the grim scene as a near-daily occurrence

Witnesses who were among the crowds in central Gaza, the Teina area and the Morag corridor said that Israeli forces had fired toward the crowds.

“The occupation (forces) targeted us, as they do every day,” said Hussain Matter a displaced father of two who was in the Morag corridor “Out of nowhere, you find bullets from everywhere.”

Aid seekers were killed from nearly 2 miles to just hundreds of yards from sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Nasser and Awda hospitals

The United States and Israel support the American contractor as an alternative to the United Nations, which they say allows Hamas to siphon off aid. The U.N., which

has delivered aid throughout Gaza for decades when conditions allow denies the allegations.

The latest deaths raise the toll to more than 1,700 people killed while seeking food since the new aid distribution system began in May, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry

U.N. agencies generally do not accept Israeli military escorts for aid trucks, citing concerns over neutrality, and its convoys have come under fire amid severe food shortages.

The deaths came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called reports about conditions in Gaza a “global campaign of lies,” and announced plans to move deeper into the territory and push to dismantle Hamas.

Five more Palestinians, including a child, died of malnutrition-related causes in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said.

Israel increased the flow of supplies two weeks ago amid such concerns.

Israel’s military targeted an Al Jazeera correspondent with an airstrike Sunday, killing him. The strike killed a total of eight people, including six journalists and two other civilians, according to Shifa Hospital. Press advocates described the attack as a brazen assault on those documenting the war

The network said that along with its correspondent, four others of the slain journalists also worked for Al Jazeera.

The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the strike. It came less than a year after Israeli army officials first accused correspondent Anas al-Sharif and other Al Jazeera journalists of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, an allegation that Al Jazeera and al-Sharif have previously dismissed as baseless.

Al Jazeera called the strike a “targeted assassination” while press freedom groups denounced the rising death toll facing Palestinian journalists working in Gaza. Mourners laid the journalists to rest in Gaza City.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday added his country to a list moving toward recognition of a state of Palestine, along with France, Britain and Canada. He said his government’s decision aimed to build momentum toward a two-state solution, which he called the best path to ending violence and bringing leadership other than Hamas to Gaza.

“The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears,” he said. “The Israeli government continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid, food and water to desperate people, including children.”

Blasts at U.S. Steel plant in Pa. leave 1 dead, 1 missing, 10 hurt

BY MARC LEVY, GENE PUSKAR, MICHAEL CASEY and PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press

CLAIRTON, Pa. — Explosions at a U.S. Steel plant that shook the ground near Pittsburgh left one dead and sent at least 10 to hospitals Monday, with emergency workers still searching the badly charred rubble hours later for a missing worker officials said.

One worker was pulled from the wreckage hours after the explosions sent black smoke spiraling into the midday sky in the Mon Valley, a region of the state synonymous with steel for more than a century Allegheny County Emergency Services said a fire at the plant started around 10:51 a.m. A search and rescue effort was still active on Monday afternoon and officials said they had not isolated the cause of the blasts

The explosions sent a shock through the community and led to officials asking residents to stay away from the scene so emergency workers could respond.

“It felt like thunder,” Zachary Buday, a construction worker near the scene, told WTAE-TV Shook the scaffold, shook my

chest, and shook the building, and then when we saw the dark smoke coming up from the steel mill and put two and two together, and it’s like something bad happened.”

At a news conference, Scott Buckiso, U.S. Steel’s chief manufacturing officer, did not give details about the damage or casualties, and said they were still trying to determine what happened. U.S. Steel employees “did a great job” of going in and rescuing workers, shutting down gases and making sure the site was stable

Buckiso said the company, now a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Steel Corp., is working with authorities. He also said search teams were still looking for one person who was missing. They think they know the general location of that person, but weren’t sure, he said.

“Obviously, this is a tragedy that we want to understand,” Buckiso said. Allegheny Health Network said it treated seven patients from the plant, and discharged five within a few hours. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said it is treating three patients at UPMC Mercy the region’s only level one trauma and burn center

Judge won’t release Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury transcripts

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

NEW YORK Transcripts of grand jury testimony that led to sex trafficking charges against Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell shouldn’t be released, a judge ruled Monday in a stinging decision suggesting the Trump administration’s real motive for wanting them unsealed was to fool the public with an “illusion” of transparency

U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer said in a written decision that federal law almost never allows for the release of grand jury materials and that making the documents public casually was a bad idea.

The judge also belittled the Justice Department’s argument that releasing grand jury materials might reveal new information about Epstein’s and Maxwell’s crimes, calling that premise “demonstrably false.”

The decision was a blow to President Donald Trump, who had called for the release of transcripts as he seeks to dispel rumors and quell criticism about his long ago involvement with Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019. Trump campaigned on a promise to release files related to Epstein, but was met with criticism — including from many of his own supporters — when the small number of records released by his Justice Department lacked any real bombshells.

In his ruling, Engelmayer wrote that after privately reviewing the grand jury transcripts, anyone familiar with the evidence from Maxwell’s 2021 sex trafficking trial would “learn next to nothing new” and “would come away feeling disappointed and misled.”

“The materials do not identify any person other than Epstein and Maxwell as having had sexual contact with a minor They do not discuss or identify any client of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s. They do not reveal any heretofore un-

known means or methods of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s crimes,” Engelmayer said. He said the materials also don’t reveal new locations where crimes occurred, new sources of Maxwell and Epstein’s wealth, the circumstances of Epstein’s death or the path of the government investigation. The best argument to release the transcripts might be that “doing so would expose as disingenuous the Government’s public explanations for moving to unseal,” Engelmayer wrote.

“A member of the public, appreciating that the Maxwell grand jury materials do not contribute anything to public knowledge, might conclude that the Government’s motion for their unsealing was aimed not at ‘transparency’ but at diversion aimed not at full disclosure but at the illusion of such,” he said. Another federal judge is weighing whether to release transcripts from the separate grand jury proceeding that led to Epstein’s indictment.

Florida lawyer Brad Edwards, who has represented nearly two dozen Epstein accusers, said he didn’t disagree with the ruling and most wanted to protect victims “The grand jury materials contain very little in the way of evidentiary value anyway,” he said. Maxwell, Epstein’s exgirlfriend, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse several underage girls. Her lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, declined comment. The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment. The Epstein saga has again become a national flashpoint years after Epstein served jail time and registered as a sex offender after pleading guilty to Florida prostitution offenses in a 2008 deal that let him avoid federal charges then.

Trump raised questions about Epstein’s death, and Trump allies stoked conspiracy theories that dark secrets were covered up to protect powerful people.

Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COMor337-234-0800 News Tips /Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM

Obituaries: 225-388-0289• Mon-Fri9-5; Sat10-5;ClosedSun

Advertising Sales: 337-234-0174•Mon-Fri 8-5

Classified Advertising: 225-383-0111• Mon-Fri8-5

Subscribe: theadvocate.com/subscribe

E-Edition: theadvocate.com/eedition Archives: theadvocate.newsbank.com

Trump suggests he’ll know quickly if Putin wants deal

BY WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON President

Donald Trump said Monday that he expected to determine mere moments into his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week whether it would be possible to work out a deal to halt the war in Ukraine.

“At the end of that meeting, probably the first two minutes, I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,” Trump said at a White House news conference that he called to announce plans for a federal takeover of Washington’s police force to help combat crime.

He said he thought Friday’s sitdown with Putin in Alaska would be “really a feel-out meeting.” Trump added that “it’ll be good, but it might be bad” and predicted he may say, “lots of luck, keep fighting. Or I may say, we can make a deal.”

Putin wants to lock in Russia’s gains since invading Ukraine in February 2022 as Trump presses for a ceasefire that has remained out of reach.

Trump’s eagerness to reach a deal has raised fears

in Ukraine and Europe about such an agreement favoring Russia, without sufficient input from Ukraine. Trump has alternately harshly criticized both leaders after promising — and so far failing — to swiftly end the conflict.

Trump on Monday ducked repeated chances to say that he would push for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to take part in his discussions with Putin, and was especially dismissive of Zelenskyy and his need to be part of an effort to seek peace

He said the Ukrainian president had been to “a lot of meetings” without managing to halt a war that Russia started Trump also noted that Zelenskyy had been in power for the duration of the war and said “nothing happened” during that time. He contrasted that with Putin, who has wielded power in Russia for decades

Trump said that, after his meeting with Putin, “The next meeting will be with Zelenskyy and Putin” but it could also be a meeting with “Putin and Zelenskyy and me.”

European allies have

pushed for Ukraine’s involvement, fearful that discussions could otherwise favor Moscow

To that point, Trump said he would call Zelenskyy and European leaders after his discussion with Putin to “tell them what kind of a deal — I’m not going to make a deal. It’s not up to me to make a deal.”

Trump spent the early part of his administration decry-

Police say 3 killed in shooting at Target in Austin, Texas

Suspect has been detained

BY NADIA LATHAN Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas A gunman opened fire Monday in the parking lot of a Target store in the Texas capital, killing at least three people, then stole two cars during a getaway that ended with police using a Taser to detain him on the other side of the city, authorities said.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspect is a man in his 30s with “a mental health history.” Davis said the suspect fled the scene in a stolen car, wrecked that car then stole another from a car dealership He was captured in south Austin, where he was taken into custody, she said during a news conference. She said responding officers found three people who had been fatally shot in the Target parking lot. “This is a very sad day for

Austin It’s a very sad day for us all and my condolences go out to the families,” she said. Davis said she had no information to release about the victims.

Austin-Travis County Emergency Medcial Services Chief Robert Luckritz said two people were pronounced dead at the scene and one person was taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead. He said another person was treated on the scene for unrelated injuries.

Heat wave scorches parts of Europe

BY THOMAS ADAMSON

Associated Press

PARIS A heat wave gripping parts of Europe sent temperatures over 109.4 degrees in southern France and the Western Balkans on Monday, fueling wildfires, triggering top-level weather alerts and forcing evacuations in several countries across what scientists warn is the world’s fastest-warming continent. Fires burned in France’s Aude wine region, along Bulgaria’s southern borders near Montenegro’s capital and coast, and in Turkey’s northwest — and Hungary recorded record-breaking weekend temperatures 2025 is predicted to be the second- or third-warmest year on record, according to the U.K.-based Carbon Brief. The extreme heat in Europe fits that global pattern — but the continent is heating far faster than the

rest of the world.

Land temperatures have risen more than 4 degrees above preindustrial levels, nearly twice the global average, intensifying heat waves and driving record fire seasons With major outbreaks in Spain, Portugal and deadly blazes in Greece since late June, the burned area is already far above the seasonal norm.

On Monday, the French national weather authority, Météo-France, placed 12 departments on red alert, the country’s highest heat warning, anticipating exceptional heat stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean plains. Forty-one other departments were under lower-level orange alerts, as was the neighboring microstate of Andorra, between France and Spain. Across the English Channel, the U.K.’s Met Office expects the country’s fourth

heat wave of the summer to peak around 90 in London on Tuesday. The U.K Health Security Agency issued a yellow health alert for older adults and those with medical conditions.

Montenegro reported wildfires near the capital Podgorica and along the Adriatic coast, prompting urgent appeals for help from neighboring countries. Families were evacuated from an area north of the capital as army units worked to protect the ruins of the ancient city of Duklja.

Fires also burned above Canj, a popular coastal resort.

Bosnia’s southern city of Mostar reached 109, while Croatia’s Dubrovnik hit 93 in the morning. In Serbia, farmers on Suva Planina mountain renewed appeals for emergency water supplies for livestock after streams and ponds dried up.

ing Zelenskyy, even suggest-

ing he was a dictator because his country has not held elections during the war Zelenskyy was hounded out of the Oval Office in February after Trump and Vice President JD Vance suggested he hadn’t been grateful enough for U.S. support More recently, Trump has expressed frustration with Putin that Russia hasn’t appeared to take a push for a

ceasefire more seriously, and softened his tone toward Zelenskyy His comments Monday suggested he might have had another change of heart.

“President Putin invited me to get involved,” Trump said. He noted that he thought it was “very respectful” that Putin is coming to the U.S for Friday’s meeting, instead of insisting that Trump go to Russia.

“I’d like to see a ceasefire.

I’d like to see the best deal that can be made for both parties,” Trump said. The president repeated that any major agreement could involve land swaps, without elaborating. He had threatened Moscow with more economic sanctions if more isn’t done to work toward a ceasefire, but suggested Monday that, should Friday’s meeting be successful, he could see a day when the U.S. and Russia normalize trade relations.

Putin is expected to be unwavering in his demands to keep all the territory his forces now occupy and to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, with the longterm aim of returning it to Moscow’s sphere of influence. Zelenskyy insists he will never consent to any formal Russian annexation of Ukrainian territory or give up a bid for NATO membership. Putin believes he has the advantage on the ground as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russian advances along the 600-mile front. On the front lines, few Ukrainian soldiers believe there’s an end in sight to the war

Colombian senator and presidential hopeful dies 2 months after shooting

BY ASTRID SUÁREZ Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia A Colombian senator and presidential hopeful whose shooting at a political rally in June recalled some of the darkest chapters of the country’s drug-fueled violence died Monday

The family of Miguel Uribe Turbay said the politician died at a hospital in the capital, Bogota. Uribe, 39, was shot three times, twice in the head, while giving a campaign speech in a park and had since remained in

an intensive care unit in serious condition with episodes of slight improvement.

“Rest in peace, love of my life. I will take care of our children,” his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, wrote in a social media post confirming his death. “I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you.”

A teenage suspect was arrested at the scene of the June 7 attack in a workingclass Bogota neighborhood. Authorities later detained several other people, but they have not determined who ordered the hit or why

The shooting, which was caught on multiple videos, alarmed Colombians who have not seen this kind of political violence against presidential candidates since Medellin drug lord Pablo Escobar declared war on the state in the 1990s. Uribe’s own mother, wellknown journalist Diana Turbay, was among the victims of that period. She died during a police rescue after being kidnapped by a group of drug traffickers led by Escobar seeking to block their extradition to the United States.

out of the room.

During a discussion with state education officials following the classroom visits, McMahon praised Louisiana’s recent literacy gains, which Brumley attributes to the state’s implementation of Science of Reading training for teachers and rigorous tutoring programs.

After long being stuck at the bottom of the pack, Louisiana made unprecedented reading improvements on a national test known as “the nation’s report card,” jumping from 49th place five years ago to 32nd this year Fourth grade students jumped from 42nd place in 2022 to 16th place in reading last year “It’s working,” McMahon said. “It’s incredibly important to get out and see what is happening in our states. Across the board, let’s take best practices. Let’s put together tool kits so that we can distribute that information to our states.”

Jefferson Terrace, a “D”-rated school, has implemented the new reading initiatives The school, which improved from an “F”rating the year before, was highlighted by the district in January for starting a program of “high dosage tutoring,” giving students 120 minutes of focused tutoring each week.

McMahon’s tour took place as the Trump administration continues its effort to break apart the Department of Education. Trump, making good on a campaign promise, issued an executive order in March calling for the federal department to be dismantled.

Conservatives have long attacked the agency, which Congress established in 1979, calling it federal overreach and saying it has failed to improve student outcomes.

good resource and a good friend.”

McMahon also reiterated her vision to rid the Department of Education of “bureaucratic red tape.” She said the Trump administration hopes to shift to a “block funding” approach that allows states to decide how to spend federal funding dollars.

“If the secretary and her team are able to move to more formulaic funding,” Brumley said, “then I feel we can align those dollars to the priorities we have in Louisiana, such as early childhood education, Science of Reading, foundational math, redesigning these high schools and school choice.”

Emphasizing that major federal school funding, such as IDEA and Title funds, would still be allocated to states through other means if the Department of Education was dismantled, McMahon acknowledged that some programs could get a “haircut.”

Trump’s recent budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 called for a $4.5 billion reduction to federal grant programs for homeless students, rural schools and after-school programs.

McMahon said that while “reducing the bureaucracy and regulatory environment” will make it less expensive to implement the programs, “there’s some opportunity to look at whether all the programs that are part of those grants are necessary and are good ones.”

When asked whether states would have less oversight and accountability without the Department of Education, Brumley said that states would still be held to federal laws.

WELLS

Continued from page 1A

directors from getting rid of business records or spending funds as the state seeks to recover money from the company Louisiana terminated its deal with LORA after an audit and a financial review of the company raised questions about its spending including facilitating a $700,000 “bridge loan” to help the state official buy a house. The lawsuit states LORA misrepresented its finances; it failed to plug most of the wells for which it was responsible or pay the state to do so; and it collected unauthorized late fines from operators who failed to pay their fees when it should have reported those operators to the state It also lacked financial controls, breached its fiduciary duties and collected more money in administrative expenses than was allowed, misusing funds that should have gone to plugging orphan wells, the state has argued.

LORA has gone 10 weeks without fulfilling the state’s request to provide a full accounting of its funds and spending, according to the lawsuit.

“As a direct result of the Defendants’ activities, the State of Louisiana and its citizens have been and continue to be harmed in a manner that money damages cannot adequately compensate,” the lawsuit states. “Every day of delay is another day that Louisiana orphaned wells are left unplugged, putting Louisiana’s environment and the lives, property, and ‘health, safety, and welfare’ of the citizens of Louisiana further at risk.”

LORA has made a $5 million partial payment to the state, the lawsuit states, but Louisiana has been unable to determine the full extent of damages.

“LORA is proud of the work it did to plug orphan wells in Louisiana,” David LaPlante, a spokesperson for LORA, said in a statement. “LORA understands that the current administration has different plans for addressing orphan wells.

LORA is winding down its operations and will respond to the State’s allegations through the legal process.”

LORA was set up in 2019 to deal with the long-standing

She has said that eliminating bureaucratic bloat at the department would allow more money to flow to schools and that transferring “educational oversight” to states would promote local autonomy and decision-making

Brumley has endorsed Trump’s call to abolish the department, arguing that education decisions

McMahon was tasked with carrying out Trump’s plan — what she called the agency’s “final mission.”

should be made locally He said he also supports removing restrictions from federal grants that specify how the money can be used, such as to support homeless students or English learners, and allowing states to decide how to spend the money In an interview after the school visit, Brumley said his relationship with McMahon “positions Louisi-

ana very well to be able to do the things that we need to do for our students.”

McMahon said she calls Brumley to “bounce ideas off him” and ask how initiatives would play out in Louisiana.

“I value his opinion, I value what’s being done in Louisiana,” McMahon said. “I’m very happy that I can be able to have him as a

While Congress would likely need to approve the Education Department’s complete elimination, the Trump administration has already started downsizing it, cutting half of the agency’s staff and shrinking the divisions that collect educational data and enforce civil rights laws.

Staff writers Patrick Wall and Charles Lussier contributed to this report.

“LORA is proud of the work it did to plug orphan wells in Louisiana. LORA understands that the current administration has different plans for addressing orphan wells. LORA is winding down its operations and will respond to the State’s allegations through the legal process.”

DAVID LAPLANTE, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Oilfield Restoration Association

problem of “orphan” oil and gas wells. A well can become orphaned either when its operator abandons it without plugging it, or when the operator stops maintaining the well in accordance with state regulations Louisiana has some 4,971 orphan wells, which pose public health and environmental hazards.

LORA collected fees from well operators in exchange for “financial security,” meaning it would take responsibility for wells if their operators went out of business — either by plugging the well itself or by paying the well’s promised financial security amount to the state. But the lawsuit states the arrangement had red flags from the start.

It alleges that Johnny Adams, a former senior attorney and assistant commissioner for the Office of Conservation, had a preexisting relationship with Van Mayhall III, LORA’s president. Yet Adams “was extensively involved in and greatly influenced” the creation of LORA’s cooperative endeavor agreement, which “greatly favored LORA, while prejudicing the state,” the lawsuit states. It is unclear just how much control Adams had over LORA’s arrangement with the state. An advisory opinion issued by the state ethics board last year said it was the conservation commissioner who controlled the contract. Adams sought that opinion to see if Arkus Management Services could employ his daughter. In addition to Mayhall, Adams also had preexisting personal relationships with LORA’s four other directors, dating back to at least 2012, according to the lawsuit. It lists those directors as Jacob Dickinson, Andrew Berthelot, Phillip Marchiafava and

Lance Chad Lott Sr

All four men, along with Mayhall and Adams, are named as defendants in the lawsuit, along with a host of companies linked to LORA’s directors. They include Arkus, Chromos Wealth Solutions, the LORA Foundation and Willow Lake Well Services.

State business records and federal tax filings show that at least one of LORA’s directors manages each one of those entities, except for Willow Lake Well Services, which is managed by Arkus.

LORA paid management fees to Arkus, and it paid investment fees to both Arkus and Chromos, the lawsuit states.

LORA first fell into the spotlight in October, when news broke that East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies were investigating Adams for possible malfeasance in office. A subsequent state review of LORA found the company had, through Chromos, loaned Adams $780,000 to buy a house.

John McLindon, Adams’ attorney has repeatedly emphasized that Adams dealt with Chromos, not LORA.

“All I can tell you is John borrowed money from a company called Chromos. What happened between Chromos and LORA, we have nothing to do with that,” McLindon said.

The money was a bridge loan that Adams paid off in full, with interest, early, McLindon said.

“I don’t know why they left that part out of the lawsuit,” McLindon said.

He contended the lawsuit has little to do with his client.

“Ninety-nine percent of the lawsuit doesn’t apply to Johnny The documents that they ask that he not dispose of, he already turned them over,” he said.

LORA, meanwhile, issued a filing opposing the state’s request for a temporary restraining order The filing disputes the state’s allegation that LORA breached its cooperative endeavor agreement, arguing instead that the state itself violated the agreement.

It states LORA distributed its funds appropriately

The filing notes that in 2023, Mayhall, LORA’s president, sent a letter to the state with suggestions for how to improve the agreement to “better serve the State’s interests and LORA’s dual mandate to provide low-cost

financial security for opera-

tors and to plug and abandon orphan wells.”

LORA plugged many orphan wells for which it was not responsible, the filing states, adding that the state requested that LORA plug

such wells.

Marchiafava, one of the individual defendants in the lawsuit, declined to comment. Mayhall, Dickinson, Berthelot and Lott either did not respond to requests for comment or could not be

reached. No criminal charges have been filed in the case, according to officials. Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.

Continued from page1A

homeless encampments.

“We’re going to take ourcapital back,” Trump declared, adding he’d also be “getting rid of the slums.”

ForTrump, theeffortto take overpublicsafety in Washington reflects an escalation of hisaggressive approach to law enforcement. The District of Columbia’sstatus as acongressionally established federal district gives him aunique opportunity to pushhis toughon-crime agenda, though he has notproposedsolutions to theroot causes of homelessnessorcrime.

Attorney General Pam Bondi will assumeresponsibility for Washington’sMetropolitanPolice Department, Trump said, as he also railed againstpotholes and graffiti in the city and called them “embarrassing.” The presidentdid not provide atimeline for thecontrol of the police department, but he’s limited to 30 days under statute unless he gets approval from Congress. As Trump spoke,demonstrators gathered outside the White House to protest his moves. Andlocal officials rejected the Republican president’sdepiction of thedistrict as crime-ridden and called hisactions illegal.

“The administration’sactions are unprecedented, unnecessary,and unlawful,” DistrictofColumbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said. “There is no crime emergency in theDistrictofColumbia.” Schwalb, aDemocrat,saidviolent crime in the district reached historic 30-year lows lastyear and is down an additional 26% this year Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said she would follow the law regardingthe “so-called emergency even as she indicated that Trump’s actions were areason why the District of Columbia should bea state with legal protections fromsuch actions.

PROJECT

“While this action today is unsettlingand unprecedented, Ican’t say that given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we’re totally surprised,” Bowser said.

The president dismissed the idea Washington needed to enlarge its 3,500-officer police force, even as he seeks to have more armed personnelgoing through thecity with the goal of reducingcrime.

“What you need is rules and regulations, and you need the right people to implement them,”he said.

Trumpinvoked Section740 of the District of Columbia Home RuleAct in an executive order to declare a“crime emergency” so hisadministrationcould takeover thecity’spolice force. He signed adirectivefor Defense Secretary PeteHegseth to activatethe National Guard

While Trumphas portrayed himself as afriend tolaw enforcement

and enjoyed the political backing from many of their groups, he pardoned or commuted the sentences of the 1,500-plus people charged withcrimes in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, including people convicted of assaulting police officers.

About 500 federal law enforcement officers are being tasked with deployingthroughout the nation’scapital as part of Trump’s effort to combat crime, aperson familiar with thematter told The Associated Press.

More than 100 FBI agents and about 40 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are among federal personnel being assigned to patrols in Washington, the person briefed on the plans said. TheDrugEnforcement Administration,Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Marshals Service are contributing officers. The personwas notauthorizedto

publicly discuss personnel matters and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.The Justice Departmentdidn’timmediately have acomment Monday morning.

Bowser,aDemocrat, has previously questioned the effectiveness of usingthe National Guard to enforce city laws andsaid thefederalgovernment could be far more helpful by funding more prosecutors or filling the 15 vacanciesonthe D.C. Superior Court,someofwhich have been open for years.

Bowser cannotactivate the National Guard herself, but she can submit arequest to the Pentagon.

“I just think that’snot the most efficient use of our Guard,” she saidSunday on MSNBC’s“The Weekend,” acknowledging it is “the president’scall about how to deploy theGuard.”

Bowser noted that violent crime in Washington has decreased since arise in 2023. She stressed during

aMondaynews conference that she believed Trump’sviewsofthe city wereshaped by the “challenging times” of the coronavirus pandemic, when he faced protests and crime spiked as the country began to recover from the outbreak.

Trump has emphasized the removal of Washington’shomeless population, though it wasunclear where the thousands of people would go,and he did notgivedetails at his news conference Monday

“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote Sundayina social media post. “Wewill give you places to stay, but FARfromthe Capital. The Criminals, you don’thave to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”

Jesse Rabinowitz, an advocate forhomeless people, called Trump’splan “fascist” and a “waste” of resources. He saidthe movewasn’tabout safety “Itisabout power,and it is about fascism andauthoritarianism,” said Rabinowitz, thecampaign andcommunication director for the National Homelessness Law Center.“If DonaldTrumpwanted to keep D.C. safe, he would fund housing and support. Instead, the Republicans just gutted health care, and they’re passingthrough abudget that will makehomelessness worse. They do notcareabout helping people.”

Police statistics show homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this timein2024. Overall,violent crime is down26% compared with this timeayear ago. The president hascriticized the district as full of “tents, squalor filth, and Crime,” and he seems to have been setoff by the attack on EdwardCoristine,among the mostvisible figures of the bureaucracy-cutting effort known as the Department of GovernmentEfficiency.Police arrested two 15-year-olds in the attempted carjacking and said they were looking forothers.

JanRisher

Alushgreen tourist attraction

Houmas House’s 70-year-old owner seeksbeautyatsite

Back in 2003, Kevin Kelly bought Houmas House on the Mississippi River in rural Ascension Parish. Shortly after the purchase, he held agrand affair to launch his endeavors to turn the plantation into amajortourist attraction.

If the 4,000 or so people who attended came for ashow,they got one, Kelly explained Friday morning, sitting in the driver’s seat of agolf cart in front of the massive home built in 1829. As he talked, guides in period dress occasionally sauntered across the porch with tour groups following, as Kelly,70, pointed outkey spots of thatday long ago. He had promised aspecial ceremony back in 2003 —the invitation said “paws” insteadof “pause,” adetail that many assumed wasatypo. It was not. When the masses gatheredon the front lawn, they proceeded to witness the spectacle of Kelly’s two beloved DutchLabradors, Grace and Sam, getting married. The groom arrived in an 1828 Houmas House hunting carriage pulled by four horses through the stately oaks. The bride followed in Cinderella’scarriage drawn by Belgian Draughts. Kelly was looking for publicity —and he got it.

Notahistory buff

The spectacle should have been asign that Kelly was not interested in playing by any rulesthat went with owning ahistorical plantation.

He is not ahistory buff.

He is simply interested in pretty In the 23 years since he bought the place, Kelly has set about to make the home and gardens as pretty as possible —and he has gone to elaborate lengths to do so. The result? Plenty of pretty And plenty of criticism, too.

“I made ajoke one time about 15 years ago that Iwant Houmas House to be the Disneyland of plantations,” he said. “All Imeant by that was Iwantedtobea place where people vacation and spend their money happily,because God knows Disney is way too expensive for anybody.Still, they go to Disney.”

Kelly wanted people to have a similar,positive experience at Houmas House.

“My story has never been about slavery and our dark history,” he said. “It’snot an interest of mine Most people who do not like Houmas House say that it’sbecause Idon’ttell the story of slavery here. So then, Iopened the Great River Road Museum (on the grounds) —and Itell the story of slavery there.”

He thinks the story of slavery can be told in one place or the other

“But you don’tneed to tell it in both places,” he said.

Kelly says he understands how much some people feel negatively toward plantations, but he thinks the feelings aren’t completely fair.After all, he says, other places werebuilt using slave labor and they are still celebrated —including the White House and many of the mansions in New Orleans.

First-gradeart appreciation

Kelly made his money largely in warehouses and real estate in New Orleans. He bought his first warehouse in 1983. Over the next 30 years, he went from owning a 50,000-square-footwarehouse to

Fire captainincooking show finale

Lafayettenativeclinches spot with staple Cajundish

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Coby Bailey,afire captain from Lafayette,has made it through five rounds of “TheGreat American Recipe” so far

The PBS show pitsAmerican home chefs against each other as they demonstratethe dishes that mean the most to their communities andfamilies. For Bailey, that’sthe good Cajun cooking that he learnedfromhis mother and grandmother On Friday’s episode, he secured hisspotinthe cooking show’sfinal episode with an “heirloom recipe.” For Cajun families accustomed to living life close to nature, that would have to be a sauce piquante— oneofthose

dishesthatelevates wild game and makes for adelicious communal meal around the black pot

Bailey’s alligator sauce piquante, preparedwith smoked sausageand Gulf shrimp and served with creamy grits, impressed thejudges enough topropel him to thecompetition’sfinal round, with chefs WaigalSafi,of SanDiego,and RexAlba,ofColumbus, Ohio.

“When the judgeswere deliberating on whowould make it to the final, Rexwas like, ‘It’smeor you,’”Bailey said. “I screwed up thepralines, so Ithought it was me. And then when they called Rex, Iknew for sure Iwas out so Iwas shocked when theycalled my name.

Bailey said he isn’tsurprised, however,that Cajun cooking has been received so well thus farby thejudges. “I think we have the best food in the world,” he said.

Bailey,who also produces aCaptain Coby line of Cajun seasoning, is aLafayette Fire Department captain and U.S. Navy veteran. He has been gathering with friends and family for awatch party at the Yard Goat in Lafayette each Friday from7 p.m. to 9p.m., wherehundreds of people cheer on his success.

“Everything’sbeen crazy There’sbeen tremendous support,” Baileysaid. “I’ve been enjoyingall of it.”

“The Great American Recipe” finale will airat8 p.m. Fridayon PBS andonline.

SPIT TALK

ABOVE: FrankiePalermo, left, takes histurn in awatermelon seedspittingcompetition on SaturdayatCajun Harley Davidson in Scott. Daniel Gary, right,was Palermo’ssole competitorinthe contest.

LEFT: Contestants Palermoand Garyreload between turns.

Heavyrainforecast forsouthwest La.

BY COURTNEYPEDERSEN Staff writer

As adisturbance moves acrossthe northwest Gulf into Texas, theNational Weather Serviceoffice in Lake Charles is expecting an increaseinrain chancesfor southwest Louisianathrough the middle of the week. Asurge of deepermoisture is expected tomove around adisturbancethat’smovingacross thenorthwestGulf, according to aforecast. Themoisture is forecast to moveintoportions of central and southern Louisianathrough Wednesday,creatingarisk for heavy rainfall. “A very moist air mass will

gradually moveintothe area (Monday) andlingerthrough the first half of thisweek,” the forecast states. “Deep moisture will work into thecoastal areas (Monday) with torrential downpourspossible, which could lead to flash flooding generally south of Interstate 10.”

National Weather Service Lake Charlessenior meteorologist Andy Tingler said rain chances are higher through midnight Wednesday.

“Scattered to numerous storms areforecast through the first half of the week with forecast rainfall amounts generally less than 1.5 inches,” Tingler

Internet provider relocatestohistoric

LemoineBuilding

Staff report

LFT Fiber, Lafayette’s publicly owned internet provider,has completedits relocation to the historicLemoine Building at 214 Jefferson St. in downtown Lafayette, bringing theentireLFT Fiber team under one roof

heart of downtown Lafayette, the location provides an excellent environment for growth and collaboration, according to the statement. “Weare thrilled to move LFT Fiber into downtown, bringing our entire team together under one roof,” LFT FiberDirector Michael D. Soileau said. “We will finally have allfunctional areas of the business together to collaborate and innovate for our customers and employees. This new customer service centerwill notonly enhance the experiencefor ourcustomersbut also providea vibrantdowntown environment for ouremployees to participate in andenjoy. We LFTFiber

The new customer service center is designed to improve theoverall experience forcustomerswhile creating avibrant work environment for employees,autility spokesperson said in astatement. Situated in the

See

OPINION

No better time to be back to school in La.

At the start of the school year,there’salways afeeling of newness. The hundreds of thousands of K-12 studentsreturning tothe classrooms acrossLouisiana this monthlikely have new backpacks and notebooks. They’re sporting new shoes and freshly cut hair.Their teachers, too, are ready with new books and lesson plans.

But this year,more than ever,feels like a new day for education in our state. After jumping from 42nd to 16th in the country in fourth grade reading since 2022onthe National Assessment of Education Progress, or NAEP, state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said he wants to bring the same level of focus to math instruction this year.Indeed, the pace of education reforms pushed by Brumley and state leaders has been as strategic as it has been ambitious. Instead of expecting big changes everywhere all at once, they have set specific goals and given educators the tools they need to meet them, making standards more stringent along the way.That’s arecipe for success. It’snowonder then that more states are lookingtoLouisiana as an example of how to innovate in education. And it’s fitting that U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon kicked off her “Returning Education to the States” tour at Jefferson Terrace Academy,aBaton Rouge elementary school, on Monday

While we haveconcerns with the administration’sstated goal of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, we are glad that McMahon acknowledged the success Louisiana has had. We wouldbealittledismayedif, just as Louisiana students are climbing the national rankings, those measures get less emphasis in the future.

Private and parochial schools, which serve more than 110,000 studentsacross the state, are also part of the picture. This year,the state invested in the LA GATOR scholarship program in an attempt to give more students in failing schools access to other options.

We know that many hoping to attend private schools were disappointed that the program did not fund more scholarships. However,we believethe Legislature was wise to seewhat demand there is in this first year and expand it when funding sources are clearer

We recognize there are challenges on the horizon with declining enrollment at both public and private schools as thestate loses population, prompting some tough discussions about schoolclosures. Also concerning is the rise of unregulated and often unstable nontraditional schools, which are increasingly luring homeschooling parents. Despite this, we are bullish on education in Louisiana.

If the state is to solve its long-festering issues, we have to invest in the talents of each new generation of students. We haven’talways done that well, but those attending Louisiana schools this year will experience agolden era that generations past can only envy.Weurge them to make the most of it.

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

Irecently wrotetoour twosenators requesting the continued funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPBprogramming has brought us Sesame Street, Mr.Rogers and Ken Burns’ great historical documentaries, besides the best of the BBC’s drama, mysteries and classic programming.

To his credit, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy did respond to me. Unfortunately Kennedy did not see such benefitsas sufficient for his support. After stating his concern that“ablatant bias of the media outlets such as NPR threatens the integrity of our media,” the senator amazingly sidetracked ontoaclassic antisemitic trope by warning me thatAmerican George Soros’, aHungarian-born Jew,“recent purchase of several hundred radio stations in Louisiana threatens the integrity of our media,” implying a sinister threat from Soros to our communities. The actual factsare that Soros Fund

Contrarytowhat letter writer Thomas Shepley wrote, Mandonna Kashanian did commit one serious crime, admitting marriage fraud at leastonce, confirmed by the5th U.S Circuit CourtofAppeals.Marriage fraud is punishable by up to five yearsimprisonment and a$250,000 fine (a seriousfelony).

She came into the U.S. in 1978 on a student visa. She made adefensive asylum requestwithanoutstanding deportation order.Itwas denied in partbecause of her sham marriage, afelony.She appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals,which turned her down and then to the 5th Circuit in New Orleans, which affirmed the BIA ruling.

The letter writer’s assertion that Kashanian lived in the U.S. for nearly 50 yearsand committed no crime

Iwonder what our leaders in Washington were thinking when they chose to pass thenew budget bill.

How can you even think of cutting major funds for healthcare and education while increasing funding for defense spending? There should have been an increase in funding for Med-

bought Audacy Inc. in Chapter 11 reorganization in Texas in February 2024. Of the 220 Audacy radio stations acquired, there are only five radio stations located in Louisiana, all in New Orleans, not “several hundred.” Kennedy has been featured on occasiononRupert Murdoch’sFox News. Could the senator’s anxiety arise from displeasing his overlord, our president, or even the greater influencer the Australian-born Rupert Murdoch?

One might ask how evil George Soros is. The 95-year-old Soros has alifetimephilanthropy of more than$32 billion, withhis donations focusing on democracy and human rights. In contrast, since 2008, Rupert Murdoch’sphilanthropy has been minimal.

Are our senators’ ability to see the factssoobscured by partisan politics thatthey are afraid to decide on their own? Ithink most of us know JOHN NACKLEY Baton Rouge

is false.

It’salsofalse that Kashanian was kidnapped (She was arrested upon a federal deportation order issued by afederal immigration judge.) and false that agents displayednoidentification (badge and commission were displayed.)

What is morally wrong is the calumny,pejorative and reprehensible comments heaped uponafederal law enforcement agencythatisdoing itsdutyinprotecting the public.

This letter in no way is meant to disparage Kashanian, as in the evidence Ihave seen,she is indeed a good person.However, it is both possible for one to be agood personand, at times, engage in bad or illegal conduct.

JOE IAFET Metairie

icaid, as well as education, and less for weapons. Maybe if someofour leaders were in the shoes of the many Americanswho will lose their coverage, then Ithink thevotes would have been different

VINCENT YOUNG Baton Rouge

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter brought Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., Nanette Barragán, DCalif., and Robin Kelly,D-Ill., to New Orleans to discuss the harmful impacts of the budget reconciliation law.While the panel did agreat job explaining how the bill hurts health care access in Louisiana, they failed to offer any solutions. They encouraged the audience to spread the word ahead of the next election about how Republicans hurt us, but they failed to articulate whatDemocrats will do if they take back power. When asked directly if they would support Medicare forAll, Carter and Jeffries couldn’tcommit. His other distinguished guests remained quiet. If Democrats wanttoundo the horrors that TrumpRepublicans are doing in Washington, they need to offer solutions, not just complaints. One smart and compassionate solution would be asingle-payer system that provides health care based on patient need, not on profit. Ihope Carter pushes Democratic leadership to publicly and enthusiastically back Medicare forAll. HUEYFISCHERGARCÍA NewOrleans

Opinions lead to musings on issues of theday

The letters to you on July 12 sparked interest and inspired my comments. The ideas proposed for asensible immigration solution presented agreat outline.

Next, that universities are more liberal is understandable. While they should be aplace for lively discussion, rioting, intimidation and aggressive behavior must not be allowed.

Iagree that President Donald Trump can be labeled reactionary.Ibelieve that being reactionary is called for to correct movements, themselves reactionary,that were contrary to the good of our country And to the point of some citizens not being aware of blessed law enforcement, to that Iamdisappointed. For one to act outside of acceptable and proper protocol is inexcusable.

Being agood citizen does not necessarily require aword-for-word memory of cherished words from our civics class, but it does require an understanding of those ideals. Hopefully,wecan cometogether with respect and work to build anation for all of us.

JEAN HAYDEL River Ridge

Donald Trumpshouldget

hisnew census —in2030

Donald Trump wants anew census.

If, by this, he means asnap-census before the scheduled 2030survey,he’s demanding that the federal government undertake agargantuan task with minimal planningand no discernible source of funding. In statistical terms, it’d be like launchingD-Day after amonth’s preparation.

If the WhiteQueen believes six impossible things before breakfast, that the Census Bureau could pull this off would qualify as one of them

The agency couldn’tevencompetently conduct the last regularly scheduled census in 2020.

Given that conducting thecensus is acore function of the federal government —indeed, mandated by the Constitution —itisoutrageous thatthe last survey missed so badly.It undercounted Florida and ahandfulofother Red states(as well as Illinois) and overcounted New York and anumber of Blue states (plus Ohio andUtah)

Because the apportionment of congressional seats depends on population as determined by the census, these were highly consequential errors that can’tbeallowed to happen again There’snolegal mechanism for fixing it,though. We just have to do better in 2030. Trump is also, understandably,chagrined that illegal immigrantsare included in the census and declares that, going forward, they “WILLNOT BE COUNTED.” Here he’s goingtorun smackinto the relevant legal texts

Article1 Section 2ofthe Constitution refersto“the Whole Number of free Persons,” while the 14th Amendment says “the whole number of persons in each State.” In similarfashion,the U.S. code calls for a“tabulation of total population by States.”

So it’shard to see how illegal immigrants can be excluded from the count. As it happens, they don’tseemto have much of an effect on thepartisan breakdown of congressional seatsone wayorthe other.Althoughthe highest number of illegal immigrants live in California, they are spread around the country,and there are also large num-

bers in Texas andFlorida.

Achange that Trumpwanted in the 2020 censuswas the inclusion, once again,ofacitizenship question. This is highlyrelevant information that it’s entirely appropriatetoask.

There was along period from the 19th century through 1950 when the survey had acitizenship question. Then,it was relegated to the so-called “long form.” Finally,the long form itself was axed after 2000.

Now,it’sconsidered ascandal to even think about reviving thequestion. Trump’sproposal to ask thequestion on the2020 census encountered stiff resistance andthe SupremeCourt squashed it. By the way,non-citizens do have a notable impact on congressional apportionment. Recent research by theCenter for Immigration Studies found that all immigrants (naturalized citizens as well as all other categories of immigrants) shifted 14 congressional seats to Democratic states on net in 2020.

Non-citizensalso distort the composition of congressional districts. Accordingtothe study,there are thesame number of citizens in the 13 congres-

sional districts with thehighest share of non-citizens as in the 9districts with the lowest share of non-citizens. In other words, thecitizens in those 9 low-immigration districts get 4fewer representatives than the citizens in the 13 high-immigration districts.

It’sone man,one vote—with an asterisk To takeanexample from Texas, the Democratic-held 33rd district, where non-citizens are nearly 30% of the population, has 208,000 fewer voting-age citizens than the Texas 21st district. So thecitizens in the 33rd district have marginally moreclout and representation,thanks to apopulation tilted toward those who can’tvote. Ultimately,the way todiminish these effects is to reduce thelevel of immigration. Early indications are that there has been alarge exodus of illegal immigrants sinceTrump’selection, and theU.S. will have net negative migration for the first time in ahalf century If Trumpwants to fully capture the changes he’seffecting in immigration policy,heshould indeed want anew census —in2030.

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry

No easy waytostoplooming debt disaster

Successful democracies endanger their success because of the complacency success breeds. They solve problems only when lashed by necessity: Britain considered Winston Churchill aCassandra —until the German army reached the English Channel ports. In the 1960s, Americans realized they could not have domestic tranquillity without new civil rights laws. Today’scrisis of the nation’s fiscal trajectory elicits apeculiar optimism: Necessity,inthe form of the exhaustion of theSocial Security trust fund, will lash Congress into reforming two entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare) that are driving the nation’sindebtedness.

in goldbullion. FDR abrogated those clauses. Although theSupremeCourt upheld (5-4) his power to do this,it was, Mankiw says, “without doubt” a default.

Remember when then-candidate Donald Trump said during an Iowa campaign rally in 2016 that he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody,and I wouldn’tlose any voters, OK?”

Iquickly put that aside as just another example of the New Yorker’soutlandish braggadocio, but like other political observers, Ihave since been impressed by Trump’sseeming wall of invulnerability to scandal.

However,asthe Jeffrey Epstein scandal boils up around our ears, Ihave begun to notice some cracks.

The difference is apparent as new questions arise about Trump’srelationship with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in jail awaiting trial on charges that he hadsextrafficked teenage girls.

Instead of calming the waters, demands from skeptical corners of the public have ledtomore curiosity,particularly from Trump’smost deeply committedMAGA (“Make America Great Again”) base of supporters.

The irony for Trump is the fervor of the conviction that Epstein’scrimes are the rottencore of the U.S. political power structure.It’sabelief that Trump and his surrogates promoted when they suggested that Epstein’spolitical associates were Democrats. It was one of arich arrayof conspiracy theories that Trump has usedtowhip up his populist movement.

The MAGA faithful have clung to Trump throughout the many tribulations of his first term and interregnum: the impeachments, the failed insurrection at the Capitol, the stolen documents investigation and sexual assault lawsuit.

But that steadfast support seems to be weakening. For example, recent polling from CBS News and YouGov found nearly 90% of Americans —including 83% of Republicans —think the Department of Justice should release all the information it has regarding the case against Epstein. That’sthe opposite of what Trump, already busy with trade talks, warfare in the Middle East and other challenges, wants to talk about now

After the Wall Street Journal report described arisque drawing that Trump wassaid to have sent to Epstein decades ago, Trump sued the paper,its owner and reporters. Add to that the Journal’sreport that Trump was informedthat his name appeared in the Justice Department’s investigation of Epstein, and it should be no surprise that Americans on all sides of the political spectrum have questions.

Youcould even say that the Epstein scandal has led to one of the most unified moments in recent political history —unified, that is, against Trump’shandling of the mess.

The discontent shows up in the ranks of his own party,which has been abig source of strength. For example, apoll from Quinnipiac University found that only 40% of Republicans approve of Trump’shandling of the release of the files on Epstein, while more than athird of them (36%) disapprove.

This optimism is delusional. To understand why,read arecent lecture on “The Fiscal Future” by Harvard economics professor and former chair of President George W. Bush’sCouncil of Economic Advisers, N. Gregory Mankiw

There are, he says, five waysto“stop this upward trajectory” of debt: extraordinary economic growth,government default, large-scale money creation, substantial cuts in government spending and large taxincreases. The probability of each is low

Extraordinary growth?The internet managed to “revolutionize” work and leisure without igniting extraordinary economic growth. Cominginnovations (e.g., artificial intelligence, biotechnologies) will be life-changingbut are unlikely “to establish an entirely new growth path.” Government default? The United States “is not immune to thepolitical and economic forces thatcan make defaultanattractive option.” When Franklin D. Roosevelt took the nation off the gold standard,manyU.S bonds had clauses ensuring their value

In 2016, candidate Donald Trump, in an exchange with areporter,was asked how he would handlethe national debt.He answered: “renegotiate” it. “You go back andyou say hey,guess what, the economy crashed, I’m going to give youback half. Trump, Mankiw notes, has shown “that he is willing toexpand the Overton Window (therange of policies and arguments deemed acceptable in political discourse).Remember this exchangethe next time someonesays that adefault on U.S. government debt is unimaginable.”

Large-scalemoney creation? This would be intended to fuel inflation, which is aslow-motion repudiation of debts. Bondholders are paid back in dollars worthmuch less than those they used to purchasethe bonds. Substantial spending cuts? Remember Elon Musk’sU.S. DOGE Service. Itsrole in thefirings of federal workerswas entertaining theater,but compensation for civilian government employees is only about 4% of the government’sbudget.Mankiw: “Federal civilian employees made up about 4.5% of theeconomy’stotal nonfarm employment in the 1950s. Today,it’sunder 2%.” Significant spending cuts can only comefrom Social Security and health programs. Good luck. Large tax hikes? Closing the fiscal gap between outlays and revenue would require, Mankiw estimates, increasing overall tax revenue 14%. Economically,this is, he says, “entirely feasible.”But politically? Mankiw: “There is now abipartisan consensus about acentral tenet of tax policy.The

Republicans don’twant to raise taxes on anyone (except universities with large endowments). The Democrats want to raise taxes only on the richest 1%. So, thetwo parties essentially agree that 99% of Americansshould not have to endure higher taxes.”

Today’snational debt is an immense intergenerational transfer of wealth from unborn future Americanswho will inherit the debt obligations to today’sconsumers of government goods and services. The political class is moreunited by class interest than it is divided by ideology.Politicians and their constituents enjoy having huge deficitsthroughout thebusiness cycle. Mankiw believes alarge tax increase is “inevitable,” and he recommends a value-added tax,which mostnations have. He warns: “Change might occur only when the bond market loses faith in American political institutions.”

Optimists believe change will come soon. The reform-forcing event supposedly will occur by 2033, when Social Security’strust fund will be exhausted: Without reform, benefits will be cut morethan 20%. Butthat happening is not believable. With just afew words, thelaw can be amended to say that Social Security’srevenue shortfall will be filled withgeneral revenue, which meansenlarging thenow-constant borrowing binge. Those amending thelaw will dismiss worries that thebond market will demandmuch higher interest rates.They will reassuringly say this has not happened during decades of promiscuous borrowing. Mankiw,however,reminds us of an axiom:“In economics, things takelonger to happen than you think they will, and then happen faster than you thought they could.”

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

Quite frankly,ifI were advising Trump’scampaign, ahighly unlikely possibility,Iwould make arecommendation to whichIamconfident he would notlisten: Stop talking so much.

Sure, he can’tseem to help himself. Anyone who hasbeen in apress pool covering Trump will tell you that the manloves the sound of his own voice.

But this time, Trump’scritics in the media are not only coming from the center and left. Some of Trump’susually loyal supporters have been outraged by the possibility that Team Trump is holding out on them or outright misleading them.

For example, many were disappointed after the Justice Department said Epstein did not leave behind a“client list,” contradicting anarrative that has been amainstay on the right’s conspiracy theorists’ circuit. AttorneyGeneral Pam Bondi suggested in February thatthe list was on her desk, although she later explained, unconvincingly to many,that she wasreferring to the overall case file.

Plus, she said DOJ staff were sifting through a“truckload” of previously withheld evidence But the Justice Department ultimately decided not to disclose any more material on the case.

In mid-July,influential Trumpistas suchas Tucker Carlson, Laura Loomer and Steve Bannon were huffing and fuming over the lack of transparency,and some observers wondered whether anger over Epstein would divide the MAGA faithful.

Well, Iwouldn’tbet on it. Democrats and others on the left still have alot of work aheadto get their own acts —and activism —together. But whenIsee Trump scurrying around to put out fires in his own MAGA movement, I can’thelp but wonderhow long he can reunite a movement that seems increasingly divided by the array of fears and paranoid notions of which he never seems to get enough.

Email Page at clarence47page@gmail.com.

Daughtersmourn father,hopetospreadawareness

thebacteria came from his trailer,which he had recently used to launch aboat in water

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Last month, Basil Kennedy scrapedhis leg on atrailer parked outside his home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He rinsed thecut with hydrogen peroxide and pressed on aBand-Aid. Three days later,the 77-year-old wasinthe emergency room,vomiting with afever. His symptoms escalated —his blood pressure droppedand lab results showed high levels of lactic acid, awarning sign of impendingsepticshock.

Doctors later found the culprit was Vibrio vulnificus: arareand potentially deadly bacteria found in brackish, warm coastal waters. The infectionoften occurs when open wounds come in contact with contaminated waterorshellfish. So farthis year,32people across the Gulf Coast have contracted it,and eight have died, accordingtothe Louisiana Department of Health But Kennedy’scasewas different —hedidn’tenter water after cutting his leg, his daughter Kay KennedyRegimbalsaid.Instead,

Afterreceivingtreatment from hospitals in Bay St. Louis andNew Orleans, including two surgeries to removeskin tissue, Kennedy died on July 21 of organ failure caused by theinfection, Regimbal said. Regimbal and hersister Rebekah Kennedy said their father’s case underscores awidespread misunderstanding of howVibrio vulnificus can be contracted.

People with open wounds should be cautious when swimming in brackish or warm coastal waters or handling raw seafood, particularlythose with weakenedimmune systems. Vibrio can also be contracted by eating raworundercooked seafood

Some Vibriovulnificusinfections

leadtonecrotizing fasciitis —asevere bacterial infection that kills the flesharound an open wound, whichiswhy it is called a“flesheating” bacteria, health officials said.

“There doesn’t needtobea fear of the water,” Regimalsaid.

“There needs to be an education andaknowledge of if youhavea cut, if you potentiallycould have been exposed, if thereisa risk,

said.

how to handle it and what todo.”

Thenotionthatthe infectionmay makepeople fear the water is personalfor Regimbaland Rebekah Kennedy,whose happiest memories are of tubing and fishing with their father on his sailboat.

Basil Kennedy’slifelong love for thewater never dwindled, even in retirement,whenheand his wife took atransatlantic cruisefrom England to Miami and boated through Canada.

2023, he, his wife and Rebekah Kennedy took atrain acrossEuropeand made briefstopsinLondon, Paris and Amsterdam.

But most of all, Basil Kennedy lovedhis home:Hancock County, Mississippi.

Rebekah Kennedy noted how “he always wanted to give back to the community,” including his hometown of Waveland, where he served in the city’syacht club and co-founded the Waveland Ground ZeroMuseum to help commemorate the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“He was happy.Hewas resilient. He hada servant’sheart,” Rebekah Kennedy said, describinghim as “the lifeofthe party.”

Regimbal and Rebekah Kennedy hope theirfather’sdeath helps spread awareness and education aboutVibriovulnificus, without instilling fear of water

“My dadwould be devastated,” Regimbal said, “to hear that people fear his mostfavorite thing in the world.”

“All of our favoritefamily memories are on the water,” Regimbal

When he wasn’t sailing,Basil Kennedy traveled the world. In

If you notice symptoms of Vibrio after being near water or seafood, such as diarrhea, vomiting, fever or skin lesions, seek immediate medical attention.

‘My storyhas neverbeen about slavery and our dark history,’Kevin Kelly said. ‘It’snot an interest of mine. Most people whodonot likeHoumas House saythat it’sbecause Idon’t tell thestoryofslavery here. So then, Iopened theGreat River Road Museum (on the grounds) —and Itell the storyofslavery there.’

RISHER

Continued from page1B

owning3.5 million square feet of warehousespace— much of which hasforeign trade zone status.

He is aproduct of New Orleans but has been amazed how much he likes the quiet of Houmas House —enough to build multiple restaurants and abar so he could enjoy evenings much like he did in New Orleans.

He says it was his early education that planted the seed for pretty things.

“I went to aprivate school in the Gentilly area. And at that private school, in first grade, they taught you fine arts,” he said. “You take aclass, and they show you the great paintings in the Louvre, andthey taught you about them. And all I can imagine is from that class, the seed got planted.”

He went to high school at Brother Martin and on to graduate from Loyola, where he rarely went to

class. Instead, he explains that he sat with various friends near the snack baroncampus and played spades —every day. He went to class only on test days

“I can ace amultiplechoice test on any subject matter at all,” he said. “There’sone realisticlooking answer,and there’s three stupid answers, and youcan look at it and tell.”

These days, he lives upstairsinone ofthe bedrooms at Houmas House Each day,he hastobeup and out of hisroomfor the tours to start by 10:30a.m

He’sgiven some thought to his legacy.He hasno children.

He doeshaveaniece and nephewwho he planswill inherit everything. He has set up afoundation that owns his River Road Museum. Whenhe dies,Houmas House andGardens will go to the foundation —and only at that point will he allow it to apply for ahistorical landmark designation Until then, Kelly says, he

Kevin Kelly,owner of Houmas House, made his moneylargely in warehouses and real estate in New Orleans. He bought his first warehouse in 1983.

plans to continue making Houmas House and gardens justthe way he likes it —lavish, colorful and ready for awedding.

For Kelly,it’sall about the show. Pretty will always come first.

Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

RAIN

Continuedfrom page1B

said. “However,the reasonable highest amounts will be between 1and 3 inches.”

“The subtropical ridge is expected to build in by theend of theweek,”the forecast states. “This will providefairly typicalsummertime weatherconditions.”

This typical summertime weather includes hot and humid days and muggy nights,along with scattered showers and

As farasdaily rainfallchances go for Lake Charles, the area has a 75% chance on Tuesday, 65% on Wednesday,and 60% on both Thursday andFriday.The forecast showsa40% chance of rain over the weekend.

LFT

Continuedfrom page1B

look forward to building stronger connections with ourcustomers and contributing to the downtown community.”

The secondfloor is dedicated to the marketing department, engineeringand finance,while the thirdfloorfeaturesa new customer service center alongside the operations team.

thunderstorms mainly in the afternoon. The forecastdaily max heat index forLake Charlesis103 degrees Tuesday,98degrees Wednesday,101 degrees Thursday,103 degrees Friday,105 degrees Saturday and 106 degrees Sunday

Email Courtney Pedersen at courtney.pedersen@ theadvocate.com.

SPORTS

UL eyes breakout season from Wade

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

A year ago, UL offensive coordinator Tim Leger wasn’t shy about declaring how high of a ceiling wide receiver Lance LeGendre had going into his final collegiate season, despite humble statistics to that point in his career

pi state championship in the 100 meters at 10.51 (seconds),” Leger said. “The guy should dominate this league.”

That’s setting a high bar for the sophomore from Jackson, Mississippi, but not one Wade is running away from.

a development thing and working on my time management skills and things like that. So it’s time for me to just step up and take my place.”

Part of the delay in Wade’s production was because he wasn’t a full-time receiver in high school when he also played linebacker

and when to do certain things, when to take this release against what’s leverage and just play with speed so I was thinking a lot,”

Wade said. “My first couple years, but now I’m able to play faster because I know way more than what I did coming in.”

On the day before August camp began this season, Leger revealed another receiver ready for a breakout season. “KeDarius Wade is (6-foot-4), 200 pounds and won the Mississip-

“It really drives me and motivates me because they’re seeing something in me that most people probably don’t see, so it’s my business to show them what I can do,”

“My first couple years (at UL) has really been a struggle so far as developing as a receiver,” Wade said. “Mainly in high school, I played a lot of defense, too.”

It’s also the natural progression of many high school receivers on the Division I level.

Of course, there are other obstacles in the way of progress For instance, Wade battled an injury in the spring.

“He had a hamstring injury, lower hamstring injury, and it kind of hampered him all spring,” Leger said. “Credit to him, he tried to push through and play

Cajuns WR has size, speed to have big year ä See WADE, page 3C

Wade said “Coach Leger took a chance on me, moved me to receiver, and it’s just been more of

“Yeah, learning the different techniques and when to do this

21ST CENTURY’S BEST

19,

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

If you put the best LSU football players from the past 25 years on one team, what would the starting lineup look like?

Well, we tried to answer that question.

From 2000-24, LSU won three national championships and five Southeastern Conference titles. It produced two winners of the Heisman Trophy, 46 first-team AllAmerica selections and 30 first-round NFL draft picks.

But with a limited number of spots on offense, defense and special teams, not everyone could make the hypothetical starting lineup.

In selecting the team, we considered what the players accomplished at LSU, how they influenced team success, individual honors

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Once Garrett Nussmeier saw single coverage and noticed that receiver Barion Brown had

LSU observations

and their production throughout their college career Five former LSU players from the era — none of whom made the list — were consulted for their thoughts.

It was difficult to choose among some of the best players in school history, but ahead of the 2025 season, The Advocate made an All-Quarter Century Team to look back on what has been the most successful era in LSU football history

Quarterback

JOE BURROW: In 2019, Burrow led LSU to an undefeated national championship season by directing the most prolific offense in college football history. He won the Heisman Trophy by the widest margin ever becoming LSU’s second winner of the award — and he set multiple records, including the NCAA mark for single-season yardage.

Joe Burreaux turned into a Louisiana icon.

Also considered: Jayden Daniels

Running back

LEONARD FOURNETTE: A consensus first-team All-America selection in 2015, Fournette finished his career fourth in LSU history with 3,830 yards rushing — even though defenses knew LSU wanted to run the ball. Despite being limited by an ankle injury his junior year, Fournette was the fastest player in LSU history to reach 3,000 yards.

Also considered: Jeremy Hill, Joseph Addai and Clyde Edwards-Helaire Wide receiver

JA’MARR CHASE,JUSTIN JEFFERSONAND JOSH REED: Even though he played only two seasons at

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier showed his pinpoint accuracy in Monday’s practice, leading a

right there. Nussmeier just placed it where only Brown could catch it, giving him a chance to connect on a long touchdown pass thrown from outside of the red zone. There wasn’t much the defense

could do.

“(Nussmeier’s) a pain in the

stopped runs behind the line of scrimmage. It’s also

fought through an offensive line with four new starters to earn sacks, but only when it’s teamed up with the secondary to force Nussmeier and the LSU quarterbacks to spend too much time in the pocket. Monday’s session showed that the LSU offense can win the day when it moves quickly

The Tigers have enough receivers who can create separation on their routes. They also have a quarterback who knows the offense well enough to make the right reads and get the ball out quickly Nussmeier has even mixed in a few scramble runs, such as the one he broke off on

BY MATTHEW PARAS and LUKE JOHNSON Staff writers

IRVINE, Calif. — The Saints have one preseason game in the books. After Sunday’s 27-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the coaching staff now gets a full game of tape to dissect, break down and pick apart the quarterback competition — and so much more.

And so do we. With beat writers Luke Johnson and Matthew Paras still out west for training camp, the two took a moment to ponder some questions from the team’s first exhibition game of the year Did QB competition change?

Luke Johnson: If we’re talking a full picture, then it changed only a few degrees for me: I think the gap between the two still exists, but it is closing. Tyler Shough continued the upward trajectory that we’ve seen out of him in the last week of training camp as he has gotten more comfortable operating Kellen Moore’s system. Although he’s improved, Shough is by no means a finished product. There’s more to tap into — and the Saints also must be willing to live with mistakes. I still feel the same about Rattler too: He’s a good, functional athlete who can operate an NFL offense. I just don’t know if an offense can operate at a consistently high level with him.

Matthew Paras: Yes, it did. Shough might not quite be the favorite to win the starting job, but he did well enough that Moore should start him in next week’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Shough’s growth has been evident lately and he told reporters that he feels he’s building momentum. The Saints need to let that play out.

Biggest concern after game?

Johnson: Let’s just paint with a broad brush and say the rushing attack. The offensive line injuries are a concern, but the Saints had four of their five regular starting linemen out there early against the Chargers backup defense and couldn’t get anything going. We haven’t seen many explosive runs during training camp, but that’s always been couched by the fact that there’s no tackling in training camp. Take out the five QB runs Sunday, and the other 15 carries went for 29 yards.

Paras: While we don’t know the severity with some of the injuries that happened against the Chargers, it could be a huge problem for New Orleans if Trevor Penning has to miss time. Imagine saying that a year ago. Heck, even two months ago. The Saints retooled their offensive line this offseason, but their depth

6p.m. Minnesota at N.y.yankeesMLBN

6p.m. PWBA: Tour Championship CBSSN MLB

6p.m. ChicagoCubsatToronto TBS

9p.m. S.D.at SanFran./DodgersatAngels MLBN MEN’S SOCCER

1:55 p.m.EFL: IpswichTown FC at BromleyCBSSN

TENNIS

10 a.m. Cincinnati-ATP/WTAEarly Rounds

6:30

Familiar NFLfaces findnew places

Carroll, Rodgers amongthose who foundnew teams

BY ROBMAADDI

Associated Press

Aaron Rodgers joined Pittsburgh. Davante Adams went to Hollywood. Cooper KuppisinSeattle. Russell Wilson’slatest stop is the Big Apple. But the most veteranface in anew place this NFLseason is 73-year-oldPeteCarroll on the sideline in Las Vegas. Carroll is leading the Raiders after aone-year hiatus fromcoaching following 14 years with the Seahawks.

Rodgers and Wilson are the most notable quarterbacks who changed teams. Geno Smith,Sam Darnold, Justin Fields and Jameis Winston also found new homes.

Several star wide receivers joined Adams and Kupponthe move,including DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, Stefon Diggs and George Pickens. On the defensive side, Super Bowl standouts Josh Sweat and Milton Williams cashed in after helping the Philadelphia Eagles dominate Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Teammate Darius Slay also moved on. Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick swapped teams. JonathanAllen, Grady Jarrett, Joey Bosa,Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw arewearing new uniforms

Here are 25 of the top players on new teams:

AaronRodgers

The four-time MVP chose to extend his career with the Steelers after two disappointing seasons with theNew York Jets.Rodgers, 41, had the worstrecord of his career last season, going5-12. But he still threw for 3,897 yards with 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a90.5 passer rating.The Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin are hoping Rodgershas one more run in him to help them overcome their recent playoff failures.

RussellWilson, Jameis Winston

The10-timePro Bowl QB is on his fourth team in five seasons. Wilson started 6-1 in Pittsburgh last year,but the team lost five straight to end the season. Wilson had 2,482 yards passing, 16 TDs, five picks and a95.6 passer rating in 11 games in the regularseason He signed with the New York Giants, who also added Winston and then drafted QB Jaxson Dart in the first round.

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

SteelersquarterbackAaron Rodgers, right, and quarterback

camp in Latrobe, Pa., on July 30. The 41-year-old

Carroll reunited with Smith in LasVegas following atrade with theSeahawks. Smith, atwo-time Pro Bowl pick, gives the Raiders stability at QB.

SamDarnold

After abreakout year in Minnesota, Darnoldcashed in with theSeahawks in free agency.He threw for 4,319 yards, 35 TDs, 12 picks and a102.5passer rating while going 14-4 with the Vikings.

Justin Fields

The No. 11 overall pick in 2021 by Chicago showed promise in Pittsburgh, going 4-2insix starts. He’ll get an opportunitytoprove himself with theNew York Jets.

DavanteAdams

The three-time All-Pro went fromLas VegastoNew York last season and back to the West Coast with the Los Angeles Rams Adamshad 85 catches for 1,083 yards and eight TDs last season.

Cooper Kupp

The Seahawks traded Metcalf and signed Kupp, the 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP.Kupp hasn’t played afullseason since’21 but had 67 receptions for 710 yards andsix TDs in 12 games in 2024.

DK Metcalf

Before Rodgers officially signed with theSteelers, they gave him a No.1 receiver. Thetwo-timePro

remains abig concern. That could be said about most teams,but it’sespecially glaring here. Dillon Radunz definitely looks better suited for guard than tackle, which puts swing tackle high on the list of priorities. Hottesttakeorbiggest overreaction?

Johnson: Matt toldmetomake it spicy,so here we go: I’m back on theCharlie Smyth hype train. This has been an unfortunately rough training camp for the Irishman, who acknowledged recently thatsomething has been off. He missed several field goal attempts during ascrimmage Friday,afew of which were from extra-pointrange.But he drilleda50-yarder against theChargers with plenty of room to spare,and Idofeelit’sgoing to click for him eventually —itjustwon’t be here. Blake Grupe was great last year, and he’sbeen better than great in training camp. My original take that Matt flaggedfor cowardice: Tyler Shough will be the starter sooner ratherthan later

Paras: I’m ready to give Alvin Kamara the Saquon Barkleytreatment, andI’m only half-kidding.Kamara mightnot beable to withstand aworkload of 345 carries like Barkley did last season when Moorewas the Eagles’ play-caller.And Kamara hashistorically shown to be more effectivewhenhe has acomplement to providethat1-2 punch. But none of the running backs were very inspiring against the Chargers withKamara resting. More broadly, the Saints probably won’t win many games running only 15 timesper game. The team’srun-pass ratio wasskewed by the team’sneed to evaluateits quarterbacks, but come the regular season, it’sKamara time.

Bowl pick had66catches for992 yards and fiveTDs in 15 games last season for Seattle.

DeeboSamuel

The Washington Commanders gave Jayden Daniels another playmaker,acquiring Samuel from San Francisco.

Stefon Diggs

Coming off atorn ACL, thefourtime Pro Bowl wideout headed to New England to give Drake Maye atop option.

George Pickens

TheDallas Cowboysacquired the mercurial Pickens fromPittsburgh to team with CeeDee Lamb and bolster Dak Prescott’soptions.

Laremy Tunsil

The Commanders got thefivetime ProBowl left tackle from Houstontoprotect Daniels’blind side.

JoeThuney

Atwo-timeAll-Pro guard, Thuney was dealt from Kansas City to Chicago, which revamped its offensive line.

Josh Sweat

Sweat turned 21/2 sacks in the SuperBowlintoa $76.4million deal from theCardinals.

Milton Williams

After getting two sacksinthe Super Bowl,Williams received a $104 million deal from the Patriots.

Darius Slay

The six-timePro Bowlcornerback stayed in Pennsylvania, goingfromthe Eagles to the Steelers.

JalenRamsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jonnu Smith

Pittsburgh also boosted itscoverage unit by trading forRamsey, the three-time All-Pro cornerback. TheSteelerssentFitzpatrick,a three-timeAll-Pro safety, to Miami in thetrade thatalso brought tightend Smith to Pittsburgh.

Jonathan Allen

After two Pro Bowl seasonsin eight years in Washington,Allen signed with the Vikings to boost the interior of their defensive line.

GradyJarrett

The two-time Pro Bowldefensive tackle joined Chicago after 10 seasons in Atlanta.

TalanoaHufanga, DreGreenlaw

An All-Pro safety in 2022, Hufanga left San Francisco forDenver.Sodid Greenlaw,the veteran linebacker

Joey Bosa

The five-timePro Bowl edge rusher signed with the Buffalo Bills after nine seasons with the Chargers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByERIC THAyER

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler fumbles as he is hit by Los Angeles Chargers linebacker

Caleb Murphyduring the first half of Sunday’spreseason game in Inglewood, Calif.

Were yousurprised by anythingSunday?

Johnson: Somethings Ithought I’dsee more of, given what we’ve seen in practice: Tyler Shough in the designed run game, Spencer Rattler going for an aggressive shot downfieldearly and maybe asplash play or two from rookie defenders Danny Stutsman and Quincy Riley.Instead, it was Rattler as arunner (22 rushing yards, ateam-high, which: woof), Shough making the aggressive downfield shots (hethrew two, connected on one) and it was aseventh-round rookie defender whocommanded my attention. Fadil Diggs, fresh off atwo-sack scrimmage, racked up

four tackles,asack and two tackles forloss. Paras: Iwas mildly surprised we didn’tsee the caliberofrun defense we’ve watched throughout camp, but onlybecause Ididn’trealizethat Davon Godchaux was on the“must preserve at all costs” list. Godchaux didn’tplay against the Chargers, andhis absence was felt. The Chargers rushed for 148 yards on 34 carries, though 48 of those yardswere from quarterback Trey Lance. With Godchaux, and also safety Justin Reid, Ifeel optimistic thatthe rundefense will improve this fall.

Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@ theadvocate.com

Clarkmaking progress in recoveryfrom groin injury

INDIANAPOLIS Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White said Monday that All-Star guard Caitlin Clark is progressing from an injured right groinbut still is not practicing.

Clark hasnot playedsince suffering the injury in the final minuteofan85-77 victory over Connecticut on July 15.

Team officials have already ruledher outofTuesday’s matchup againstrookie Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings.

There’sstill no timetable for when one of the league’s most popular players could return.

“No return to practice, she’s been able to get alittle bit moreof herfull-court running with allof herbodyweight,” White said following practice.

Yankees aceCole makes throws off of flat ground

NEW YORK Yankees ace Gerrit Cole took another step in his recovery from Tommy Johnsurgery on his right elbow by making 20 throwsoff flat ground on Monday

“It felt really good today,” Cole said before New York opened a three-game seriesagainst the Minnesota Twins at YankeeStadium. “I was fairly accurate and Ihad a good time.”

Cole beganhis throwing programfive months aftergetting an internal brace inserted into his elbow in an operation by Los AngelesDodgers team physicianDr. NealElAttrache.

The normal rehabilitation time is about14monthsand Cole had been building up to getting off flat ground for the past few weeks. Colesaid hisinitial progressing will last for afew months before he can offamound, andthen he will getshut down and expects a normal offseason.

Lions safety in concussion protocol after scary hit

ALLEN PARK, Mich. Detroit Lions safety Morice Norris, whowas taken off the field in an ambulance late in apreseason gamelast week, is in concussion protocol and doing well, coach DanCampbell said Monday “We’re going to take it nice and easy here to makesure he’sgood over the next 10 to 14 days and reassess,” Campbell said. “That’s good news.”

After spending Friday night in an Atlanta hospital followingthe exhibition gameagainst the Falcons, Norris flewback to Detroit on Saturdayand returnedtothe Lions’ facility on Sunday

“It was great, everybody was fired up to see him.It’sa breath of fresh air,” Campbell said.

Chiefs losesafety for season; cornerbacksits

ST.JOSEPH, Mo. Chiefs starting cornerback Jaylen Watson was placed in theconcussionprotocol and backup safety DeonBush lost forthe season to aruptured Achilles tendon in what proved to be a costly first preseason game for the Kansas City defensive backfield Watsonmissedmostofthe 2024 regular season after breaking his tibia and fibula in aWeek 7win at San Francisco. But after undergoing surgery,the fourth-year pro managed to make it back in time to help the Chiefsontheir playoff run. Bush has appeared in 24 games over the past three seasons in KansasCity. He spent his first six years in the NFLinChicago.

Spainreplaceswomen’s

coachwith Bermúdez

MADRID Spain’swomen’snational team is making acoaching change twoweeks after reaching thefinalofthe European Championship.

Montse Tomé will not have her contract renewed andwill be replaced by former player Sonia Bermúdez, the Spanish soccer federation said Monday

Another former Spain player, Iraia Iturregi, was named the team’s second coach.

The decisionwas made by the federation’sboard members after Tomé led Spain to the Euro 2025 final,which it lost to England in a penalty shootout on July 27.

Tomé replaced formercoach Jorge Vilda following the team’s WorldCup titlein2023. She led Spain to the title of the inaugural Women’s Nations League in 2024.

PreseasonAPTop 25 poll ataleoftwo Tigers

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

How valuable is the AP poll in 2025? Especially in aworld where the College Football Playoff exists?

Analysis

The value it holds is the debate it creates among college football fans and pundits alike. It’safun exercise, and isn’tthat the point of watching sports? To have fun?

I’m one of 66 voters on the AP football poll this season. It’smysecond year voting in the poll, and after getting my feet wet last year,Idecided to write aweeklycolumn to pair with my rankings this season.

My hope isn’ttoconvince every reader that my rankings are right and everyone who disagrees with me can take ahike. Instead, Iwant to shedsome light on the thoughtprocessbehind my decision-making eachweek.

Here’smypreseason AP poll coupledwithmy thoughts on ahandful of teams heading into this year

My preseasonAPballot

1. Clemson, 2. Penn State, 3. Texas, 4. LSU, 5. Alabama, 6. Ohio State, 7. Notre Dame, 8. Georgia, 9. Oregon, 10. Arizona State, 11. Illinois, 12. Oklahoma, 13. Texas A&M, 14. Kansas State, 15. Michigan, 16.Miami, 17. South Carolina,18. Texas Tech, 19. Iowa State, 20. Duke, 21. Baylor,22. Auburn, 23. Pittsburgh,24. SMU, 25. Indiana

Just missed: TCU, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Missouri

WhyClemson at No.1?

The marginsamong Clemson, Penn State and Texas at the top are extremely thin, butIlanded on the Tigers for afew reasons. They have more returning talent at critical positions in comparison to Texas. I prefer their quarterback, Cade Klubnik, over Arch Manning (Texas) or Drew Allar (Penn State), and they

CENTURY

Continued frompage1C

AP TOP25POLL

With this roster,there’s no reason LSU can’tmake the CFP

Rest of theSEC Texasismytop team in theSoutheastern Conference heading into 2025.

The Longhorns mayhave lots of new pieces on offense, but the defense is likely the best in thenation. Edge rusher Colin Simmons, safety Michael Taaffe, cornerback Malik Muhammed and linebacker Anthony Hill have returned.

I’m also cautiouslyoptimistic about Manning. His size,speedand strong feel forthe game should allow him to thrive in coach Steve Sarkisian’squarterbackfriendly offenseasafirstyear starter I’m higher on Oklahoma, Florida and Texas A&M than most of my colleagues in the poll.

enter theyear with the best defensive line in the nation, led by Peter Woods and TJ Parker It’s hard to bet against a team that’sbringingback a top-tier quarterback,multiple starters at wide receiver and major contributors on both lines of scrimmage. Clemson isn’t as talented as last year’sOhioState team, but theTigers have the best roster in collegefootball heading into 2025.

LSU’sranking LSU’s question marks along theoffensivelineleft coach Brian Kelly’ssquad a step below Clemson, Penn State and Texas, but there aren’tmany issues withthis roster once you get past the line UnlikeAlabama,Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgiaand Oregon, LSU won’t be breaking in afirst-year starter under center. Garrett Nussmeier cracked my preseason AP All-America ballot. The defense also will be improved, thanks to the return of linebacker HaroldPerkins and theNo. 1 transfer portal class in the nation.

LSU, Chase cemented himself as one of the best players in school history.Heset then-SEC singleseason receiving records for touchdowns (20) and yards (1,780) in 2019 to win the Biletnikoff Award. Chasewas thefirstwide receiver in LSU history to become a unanimous All-America selection

Another catalyst for the2019 offense, Jefferson holds an LSUsingle-season record with 111catches. He had 1,540 yards that year, the fourth-most in LSU history, and caught 18 touchdowns. His24 career touchdown catches are tied for the third-most behind Dwayne Bowe and BrandonLaFell—and four of them came in the first half of aCollege Football Playoff semifinal.

Reed set the standardfor LSU receivers for almost two decades Despite playing in arun-firstera, he had 3,001 yards receiving, now the second-most in LSU history behind Malik Nabers. In 2001, Reed caught 94 passes for 1,740 yards to win theBiletnikoff Award. He still has theSEC recordfor most catches in agame with 19 against Alabama in 2001. Also considered:Malik Nabers, Michael Clayton, Dwayne Bowe, Brandon LaFell, Brian Thomas and Odell Beckham Jr Tightend

MASON TAYLOR: Who can forget Taylor’scatch to beat Alabama on a2-point conversion in overtime as atrue freshman? But it’snot just that. Athree-year starter, Taylor became the most productive tight end in LSU history with 129 receptions for 1,308 yards and six touchdowns. He caught 55 passes his junior year,arecord for the most in one season by an LSU tight end Also considered: Richard Dickson Tackle

ANDREW WHITWORTH, WILL CAMPBELL: Whitworth was one of the best offensive linemen in LSU history He started 52 games over four

WADE

Continuedfrom page 1C

with toughness, but when you’re playing wideout withahamstring, it’s tough. So he didn’thave the spring we werehoping he would have, but we do need him to step up and put himself in position.”

Wade is convinced he’sready.Heremembers allthe instruction fromprevious years when his head was spinning, and he’s primed to put allthose learningopportunities into practice.

“It needs to become noticeable,” Wade said. “Because my freshman year,because coach Leger used to always get on me about having my short steps and not really just running routes tomyfull potential,but now it’slike, Ican really open up and run and I read thecoverages and Iknow what the DBs going to do before he even does it.

“So it’seasier for me to play faster with knowing the plays andthe concepts and how everything goes.”

Wade’s high hopesfor this season range beyond his personal progress.

“Wedefinitely have achip on our shoulders,” Wade said about the team. “Mostpeople doubt us because we lost alot —welost good players like Jake Bernard and Lance (LeGendre).But Jaydon Johnson is going to step in and he’sgoing to have agreat breakout year.Rob Williams is still here, great guy

The Sooners were dreadfulonoffense ayear ago, but alot of that had to do withhorrible injury luck. This season, theyadd John Mateer at quarterback —a clear upgrade over Jackson Arnold —and alsobring over hisoffensive coordinator from Washington State in Ben Arbuckle. California transfer Jadyn Ott was also an excellent spring addition at running back. Florida hasone of the mosttalented quarterbacks in the nation in DJ Lagway The Gators are also strong on both lines of scrimmage and have apotentially explosive receiving corps to pair with an experienced running back room. Ihad trouble finding reasons not to place this team in thetop 10. Texas A&M has alot returningfromlastyear’s squad. The Aggies remade theirreceiverroom,adding KC Concepcion (NC State) andMarioCraver(Mississippi State) out of the transfer portal. They also should have astrongrushing attack thanks to quarterback Marcel Reed’sathleticism and adeep running back room

years, and theonly time he missed practice was to attend graduation. Whitworth was atwo-time firstteam All-SEC selection. He led the team with 1,008 snaps during LSU’s2003 national championship season.

Aftertaking overatleft tackle duringhis first spring practices, Campbell went on to earn consensus All-America honorsin 2024 and be named atwo-time first-team All-SECselection. As a junior,hewas aco-winner of the SEC’sJacobsBlocking Trophy Campbellallowed only fivecareer sacks, and he was even awarded the No. 7jersey

Also considered: La’El Collins, Ciron Black Guard

STEPHEN PETERMAN, HERMANJOHNSON: Aconvertedtight endand defensiveend, Peterman turned into atalented guardhis sophomore year.Hestarted39games over thenextthree seasons, twice earningfirst-team All-SEC honors. As asenior on LSU’s2003 national championship team,Peterman received first-team All-America recognition. Johnson was 6-foot-7 and 386 pounds, and he could move. A starter on LSU’s2007 national championship team,Johnson appeared in 52 games and made 38 starts. He was atwo-time firstteam All-SEC selection andearned an All-America honor in 2008. Also considered: Trai Turner, Damien Lewis Center

BEN WILKERSON: Wilkerson became the startingcenter as atrue freshman and went on to start 41 games. He helped LSU win the 2003 nationaltitle.A year later,hewas a co-winner of the2004 Rimington Trophy, whichgoestothe nation’s best center.Healso was named a consensus All-American despite missing the last three games of theseason Defensiveend

MARCUS SPEARS,TYSON JACKSON: A three-year starter,Spears finished his careerwith 341/2 tackles for loss —the most by one LSU player

LSU

Continuedfrom page1C

Monday to pick up afirst down when no receivers were open.

“He’sa really,really good player,” Baker said of Nussmeier.“He’svery smart. He does aphenomenal job understanding coverage and how to look that coverage off.

“He’sdone areally,really good job this camp.”

Here’swhat else stood out from LSU’s10th practice of preseason camp, the entirety of which was open to reporters. JohnsonbackatRB?

LSUhas sophomore Ju’Juan Johnson listed as a quarterback, but on Monday he worked as arunning back in bothindividual drills and team periods.

The change comes three days after JT Lindsey —a freshman from Alexandria who was practicing in camp as the Tigers’ fourth scholarship running back —turned himself in to authorities after awarrant

this century— and 19 sacks. He returned an interception for atouchdown to help LSUwin the 2003 national title. His senior year,Spears was aconsensus All-American after he recorded nine sacksand 17 tackles for loss. Jackson was aforce on the edge at 6-5 and 290 pounds. He led the2007 national championship team with 15 hurries, and he even ranked second with 10 pass breakups. Jackson finished his career with27tackles for loss and 181/2 sacks. He was atwo-time second-team All-SEC selection who became the highest-drafted LSU defender

Alsoconsidered: Barkevious Mingo, Sam Montgomery,Danielle Hunter,Arden Key Defensivetackle

GLENNDORSEY, KYLEWILLIAMS: One of thegreatest players in LSU history,Dorsey won theLombardi Award, Outland Trophy,NagurskiAward andLottAward as a senior in 2007. He wasthe most important player on that championship team —while playinghurt through the second half of the season. Dorsey was the 2007 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and atwo-time first-team All-America selection. He waslater inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Williams wasn’tthe biggest defensive tackle at 6-2 and 295 pounds, but he knew how to be disruptive. Once he becameastarter midway through his sophomore year in 2003, Williams became a critical piece of the defensive line. He finishedhis career with 161/2 sacksand 26 tackles for loss. As a senior in 2005, he earned first-team All-SEC and All-America honors. Also considered:Chad Lavalais, Bennie Logan, Michael Brockers

Linebacker

DEVIN WHITE, BRADIEJAMES: After originally signing with LSU as a runningback,White turned into one of theprogram’sbest linebackers. He had back-to-back seasons with at least 123 tackles. In 2018, he earned consensusAll-America honors andwon theButkus Award making him the first LSUplayer to

Wade said there is great chemistry in the wide receivers room

“Everybody,there’s no probleminthe room,” he said. “Everybody wants to help each other out.”

“Shelton (Sampson) has agreat chance to come in and play.He’sballing. Rahji Dennis is going to step up. Charles (Robertson) too. Everybody’sready to go.”

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

was issued forhis arrest. He now faces acharge of accessory after the fact to second-degree murder,and he’ssuspended from team activities until the case is resolved.

Lindsey’ssuspension left LSU with three scholarship tailbacks. Johnson, a former Lafayette Christian Academytwo-waystar, might be the fourth.

The sophomore enrolled last season as adefensive back, but LSU moved him to running back early in the year after veteran John Emery suffered aseasonending knee injury.Then the Tigers added him to their quarterback room once the season ended largely so it could experimentwith wildcat packages. Now it appears that Johnson will begin his sophomoreyear as arunning back.

Long field goal try

LSU does not have a kicker competition as Damian Ramos is back as the starter

But in team drills Monday,the second-team of-

winthe awardfor thenation’s top linebacker James finishedhis career with 418 tackles,the second-most in LSUhistory.Hemade aschool-record154 in his senior year alone, when he receivedfirst-teamAllAmerica recognition. James was also atwo-timefirst-team All-SEC selection.

Defensiveback

PATRICK PETERSON, TYRANNMATHIEU, COREY WEBSTER, DEREK STINGLEY,LARON

LANDRY: The winnerofthe 2010 Bednarik and Thorpe awards, Peterson is arguably the best cornerback in LSU history.Heplayed in 39 games, starting 30 times, and finished his career with 135tackles, 22 pass breakups and seven interceptions. He also scored four touchdowns. He wasvoted aconsensus All-American in 2010. Even though he played for only twoyears, few players have ever generated the mystique of the HoneyBadger. Mathieucreated 14 turnovers, including 11 forced fumbles, and scored four touchdowns in 26 games. In 2011, Mathieu won theBednarik Award, was afinalist forthe Heisman Trophy andwas voted an unanimous first-team All-American. Websterwas not LSU’sfirst great cornerback, buthestarted the “DBU” tradition. Atwo-timefirstteam All-America selectionand two-time semifinalist forthe Thorpe Award, Webster ranks second in LSUhistory with16careerinterceptions. He had an NCAA-record 32 passes defended as astarter on the2003 championship team. Stingley was alockdowncorner as atrue freshman on the 2019 national championship team. He led the SEC with six interceptions and 21 passesdefendedthatseason to earnconsensus All-America honors. Limited by injuries, Stingley wasn’t as effective therestofhis career,but he still receivedfirstteam All-America recognition as a sophomore. Landry, a6-2 and202-poundsafety,was not afraid to hit. He made 315 career tackles—tiedfor the mostever by an LSU defensive back— and he ranks third in LSU history with 12 career intercep-

fense’sstalled drive gave coach Brian Kelly and his staffa chance to try something different. They lined up fora60-yard field goal with sophomore kickoff specialist Aeron Burrell as the kicker Alow snap foiled his kick, which landed in the end zone well short and wide right.

Kelly has said that Burrell may one day kick field goals forLSU.Monday showed that his first chance could come as soon as this season, perhaps when the Tigers are forced into long tries that stretch beyond Ramos’ range. Burrell has the stronger leg.

Injury updates

Receiver Aaron Anderson (knee) returned to practice Saturday for limited work. On Monday,hepracticed without restrictions for the first time since LSU opened camp. Transfer cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson leftMonday’ssession early after he appeared to sufferalowerbody injury in one-on-one reps against receivers. He spent the bulk of practice on an exercise bike.

tions and 40 career passes defended. He started as afreshman for Nick Saban. There were alot of worthy candidates forthis spot, butone former teammate summed up Landry likethis: “Hewas terrifying.”

Also considered: Morris Claiborne, JamalAdams, Grant Delpit, Eric Reid, Craig Steltz Kicker

CADE YORK: Is there amoreimpressive kick in LSU history than York’sgo-ahead 57-yarderthrough the fogatFlorida in 2020? He also made thesecond- and third-longest kicksinLSU history.Noone has been better from more than 50 yards, and York was pretty consistent, too. His career field goal percentage of .818 ranks third. Also considered: JoshJasper, Colt David Punter

DONNIEJONES: Jones still holds the record forthe longest punt in LSU history,an86-yarder at Kentucky in 2002. After starting for four years, he also hasschool records forthe mostpunts(233) andmost punt yardage (9,798) in acareer His career average of 42.0 yards per punt ranks eighth in LSU history

Also considered: Brad Wing Long snapper

REID FERGUSON: Afour-year starter, Ferguson was consistent throughout hiscareer.Heonly hadone bad snap, which happened as afreshmaninhis first home game. Ferguson played in 51 games at LSU. He is nowentering his ninth season with the Buffalo Bills. Also considered: Blake Ferguson All-purpose/return specialist

ODELLBECKHAM JR.: Beckham won the Hornung Award in 2013 as the most versatile player in the nation. He did alot of his work as a widereceiver,catching 59 passes for1,152 yards, but he also earned first-team All-America honors as akickreturner. Thatyear,heset asingle-season LSU record with 2,315 all-purpose yards. Also considered: Skyler Green, Trindon Holiday

Sept. 5

PAST FIVE YEARS

2024: 9-3

2023: 8-4

2022: 10-2

2021: 7-4

2020: 3-4

PROJECTED STARTERS

Offense

WR McCain Weaver (Sr.)*

WR Kollen Francois (Jr.)

WR Coby Broussard (Jr.)

TE Ashton Labit (Sr.)*

OT Esai Gonzales (Sr.)*

OG Landon Hebert (Sr.)

C Bricker Eskind (Sr.)*

OG Damire Mouton (Sr.)*

OT John Jackson (Jr.)

QB Parker Dies (Jr.)*

RB Justin Williams (Jr.)* Defense

DE Ethan Roque (Jr.)

DT Gavin Kern (Sr.)*

DT Levi Menard (Sr.)

DE Landry Kahler (Jr.)

LB Kaden Williams (Sr.)*

LB Shamar Broussard (Sr.)*

LB Jail Chadwick (Sr.)*

CB Cameron Allen (Sr.)*

CB Emmanuel Collins (Sr.)*

FS Gage Babineaux (Sr.)

SS Jonathan Armstrong (Jr.)

* Returning starter

COACHES

Head coach: Jess Curtis (155-39)

Assistant coaches: Josh LaBorde (DC), Zack Bertrand (OC), Neil Lowery (DB), Andre Boudreaux (QB/RB), Josh Lierman (DL), Brandon Monrose (WR), Mike Stelly (LB), John Babineaux (OL),Taj Lopez (WR), Culley Holden (OL), Brayden Guilbeau (K)

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Southside

What we know

The Sharks will run the ball with authority Parker Dies, a college baseball prospect, will be the primary quarterback after splitting snaps last year with senior Cruz Holden.

Coach Jess Curtis said the 5-foot-10, 170-pound junior — who has 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash will operate the Sharks’ triple-option offense behind three returning starters on the offensive line.

“Bricker Eskind is our emotional leader at center,” Curtis said. “He’s very physical and will spearhead the charge. Damire Mouton is a very athletic left guard. He could probably play running back.”

Left tackle Esai Gonzales has a clean bill of health after getting injured last year Senior Ashton Labit (6-0, 205), who ran for a touchdown in last year’s win over Madison Prep, moves from slotback to tight end.

RamonSingletonandJustinWilliamscombined for more than 2,000 yards rushing last year Singleton graduated, but Williams returns along with transfer Coby Broussard (5-10, 190), who can play slot or fullback in Southside’s flexbone.

The Sharks showed some creativity in the spring game, lining up in the I-formation with Williams at fullback and Broussard at tailback.

Southside rushed for 3,500 yards last year with slotback Kollen Francois (5-7, 150) averaging a team-high 7.5 yards per carry McCain Weaver, a returning starter at receiver, averaged 22 yards per catch.

“Francois and Williams were our lightning and thunder,” Curtis said. “Kollen has great hands and can take it to the house. I feel like we’re going to be justasphysicalandmaybealittlemoreexplosive.”

What we don’t know

Defensive coordinator Joshua LaBorde will plug in three new starters on the Sharks’ four-

man front. Tackle Levi Menard (6-1, 250) is a transfer, and junior end Landry Kahler (6-2, 215) is a great athlete who will be flanked by junior Ethan Roque (6-0, 210).

“Landry plays with tremendous effort and attitude,” Curtis said.

Cornerbacks Emanual Collins and Cameron Allen are both returning starters, while safeties

John Armstrong and Gage Babineaux are making their debuts. Curtis said Armstrong is the school’s best basketball player

“We’ve had great success in our secondary with guys who play basketball,” Curtis said.

How we see it

Southside, which is looking to make it past the third round and possibly further, took a quick lead in last year’s quarterfinal game at Ruston before the Bearcats roared back to win comfortably

Curtis, who won multiple state championships at Many High, has the luxury of a brand-new stadium, a welcome addition after playing home games outside of Lafayette Parish for years.

Southside’s quick-hitting offense is difficult to defend, as the flexbone isn’t seen elsewhere on the Class 5A level in Louisiana.

The backend on defense is stout with returning starters Kaden Williams, Shamar Broussard and Jaik Chadwick, who can play linebacker or safety Williams was a leader in tackles, while Broussard (6-0, 210) steadily elevated his play throughout last season.

“We’re trying to push this program as best we can,” Curtis said. “We made the quarterfinals and saw what it’s about. You see what it takes and come back and make sure you’re doing what it takes to get to another level.

“I think people are starting to know that when they play us, they’re getting a team that’s focused and physically prepared to play four quarters of football.”

Mike Coppage

SCOREBOARD

ASHTON LABIT

TE, 6-0, 205, SR.

A workout warrior in the weight room, Labit will seal the edge with his blocking He can catch the ball and is built like former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski, Curtis said.

PARKER DIES

QB, 5-10, 170, JR.

Though Dies didn’t throw the ball often, nearly half of his completions last season went for touchdowns. He averaged 6 yards per carry and will pass to receivers Devin Rudd, Ryan Sealy, McCain Weaver and Labit.

EMANUEL COLLINS

DB, 6-0, 170, SR.

The Louisiana Tech commitment, who primarily played safety as a junior, is listed as a cornerback on the depth chart. He intercepted three passes in 2024 and is a three-year starter

JUSTIN WILLIAMS

RB, 5-9, 195, SR.

The Sharks are developing a reputation for bruising running backs. Williams hits the hole with a vengeance and doesn’t need much of a crease to shake loose for big yardage.

GAVYN KERN

DT, 6-3, 265, SR.

Kern is the lone returning starter on a defensive line that held Madison Prep to negative rushing yardage and limited Lafayette High to less than 15 yards.Curtis described Kern as a brawler

(Skenes 7-8) at Milwaukee (Peralta 13-5), 6:40 p.m. Washington (Parker 7-12) at Kansas City (Wacha 6-9), 6:40 p.m. Colorado (Freeland 2-12) at St. Louis (Liberatore 6-9), 6:45 p.m. Arizona (DeSclafani 1-2) at Texas (Leiter 7-6), 7:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Sheehan 3-2) at L.A. Angels (Anderson 2-7), 8:38 p.m. San Diego (Cortes 1-1) at San Francisco (Ray 9-5), 8:45 p.m. Golf PGA Tour Statistics Through Aug. 10 FedExCup Season Points 1, Scottie Scheffler, 5,456. 2, Rory McIlroy, 3,444. 3, J.J. Spaun, 3,344. 4, Justin Rose, 3,220. 5, Sepp Straka, 2,783. 6, Russell Henley, 2,579. 7, Ben Griffin, 2,555. 8, Tommy Fleetwood, 2,433. 9, Justin Thomas, 2,395. 10, Harris English, 2,269. Scoring Average 1, Scottie Scheffler, 68.244. 2, Rory McIlroy

68.976. 3, Tommy Fleetwood, 69.597. 4, J.J. Spaun, 69.813. 5, Sepp Straka, 69.831. 6, Russell Henley, 69.844. 7, Harry Hall, 69.858. 8, Ben Griffin, 69.902. 9, Justin Thomas, 70.046. 10, Robert MacIntyre, 70.087. Driving Distance 1, Aldrich Potgieter, 327.4. 2, Rory McIlroy,

323.4. 3, Niklas Norgaard, 320.4. 4, Jesper Svensson, 320.2. 5, Nicolai Hojgaard, 319.6. 6, Michael Thorbjornsen, 318.3. 7, Rasmus Hojgaard, 318. 8, Kurt Kitayama, 317.8. 9, Will Gordon, 316.6. 10, Chris Gotterup, 316.4. Driving Accuracy Percentage 1, Paul Peterson, 73.87%. 2, Aaron Rai, 73.85%. 3, Ben Kohles, 72.33%. 4, Takumi Kanaya, 71.27%. 5, Collin Morikawa, 71.14%. 6, Andrew Putnam, 70.31%. 7, Joel Dahmen, 69.16%. 8, Brice Garnett, 68.70%. 9, Brandt Snedeker, 68.50%. 10, Lucas Glover, 68.08%. Greens in Regulation Percentage 1, 10 tied with .00%. Total Driving 1, Rico Hoey, 58. 2, Thomas Rosenmueller, 66. 3, Michael Thorbjornsen, 69. 4, Isaiah Salinda, 73. 5, Alex Smalley, 81. 6, Kevin Roy 86. 7, Kevin Yu, 96. 8 (tie), Ricky Castillo and Luke List, 99. 10, Kris Ventura, 101. SG-Putting 1, Harry Hall, .890. 2, Sam Burns, .862. 3, Taylor Montgomery, .854. 4, Rory McIlroy, .754. 5, Sam Ryder, .686. 6, Denny McCarthy, .657. 7, Cameron Young, .643. 8, Nico Echavarria, .630. 9, Brandt Snedeker, .558. 10, Jacob Bridgeman, .552. Birdie Average 1, Harry Hall, 4.55. 2, Scottie Scheffler, 4.5. 3, Justin Thomas, 4.47. 4 (tie), Kurt Kitayama and Jake Knapp, 4.42. 6 (tie), Keith Mitchell and Sepp Straka, 4.38. 8, Michael Thorbjornsen, 4.31. 9, 2 tied with 4.3. Eagles (Holes per) 1, Alejandro Tosti, 66.9. 2, Karl Vilips, 82.8. 3, Steven Fisk, 84.5. 4, Scottie Scheffler, 87.4. 5, Rory McIlroy, 90. 6, David Skinns, 93.3. 7, Sami Valimaki, 97.5. 8, Antoine Rozner, 99.8. 9, Kurt Kitayama, 101.5. 10, Jackson Suber, 102.6. Sand Save Percentage 1, 10 tied with .00%. All-Around Ranking 1, Scottie Scheffler, 188. 2, Keith Mitchell, 291. 3, Alex Smalley, 304. 4, Rory McIlroy, 331. 5, Kurt Kitayama, 332. 6, Sepp Straka, 335. 7, Kevin Yu, 342. 8, Kevin Roy, 343. 9, Nicolai Hojgaard, 367. 10, Jake Knapp, 368. LPGA Tour Statistics Through Aug. 10 Scoring 1, Jeeno Thitikul, 69.51. 2, Nelly Korda, 69.87. 3, Hyo Joo Kim, 70.02. 4, Angel Yin, 70.07. 5, Minjee Lee, 70.09. 6, Somi Lee, 70.27. 7, Miyu Yamashita, 70.38. 8, Rio Takeda, 70.42. 9, HyeJin Choi, 70.44. 10, Jin Young Ko, 70.48. Driving Distance 1, Polly Mack, 289.17. 2, Julia Lopez Ramirez 285.61. 3, Auston Kim, 282.65. 4, Emily Kristine Pedersen, 280.99. 5, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, 279.24. 6, Bailey Tardy, 278.72. 7, Bianca Pagdangnan, 277.9. 8, Madison Young, 276.28. 9, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, 274.82. 10, Fatima Fernandez Cano, 274.38. Greens in Regulation 1, Haeran Ryu, .77%. 2 (tie), Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Rio Takeda, .76%. 4 (tie), Megan Khang, Yealimi Noh and Jeeno Thitikul, .75%. 7, 4 tied with .74%. Putts per GIR 1 (tie), Jeeno Thitikul and Yahui Zhang, 1.72. 3 (tie), Minami Katsu and Yuka Saso, 1.73. 5 (tie), Ariya Jutanugarn and Hyo Joo Kim, 1.74. 7 (tie), Sei Young Kim and Angel Yin, 1.75. 9, 2 tied with 1.76. Birdies 1, Rio Takeda, 240. 2, Minami Katsu, 221. 3, Celine Boutier, 218. 4 (tie), Mi Hyang Lee and Minjee Lee, 217. 6 (tie), Ayaka Furue and Nelly Korda, 215. 8 (tie), Jin Hee Im and A Lim Kim, 210. 10, Somi Lee, 207. Eagles 1, Madelene Sagstrom, 11. 2, Mi Hyang

Simple stepsto remove dead, dying, diseased or damaged tree branches

If you find yourself needing to removeatreebranch, there’sa right and awrong way to do it. The wrong way can unnecessarily harm your tree —and even you.The right way gets rid of the problematic branch while keeping both you and the tree safe. So, where to begin? First, make sure the branch you want to remove really needs to go right now

Cutting off branches is stressful for trees, and that stress is only magnified in the hot summertime. That’swhy most trees —except fruiting and flowering species —should be pruned during late winter or very early spring.

If your goal is improved aesthetics or better airflow, hold off on pruning for now

But it’sOKtoremove thefour Ds —dead, dying, diseased or damaged branches —any time of year,said Damon Abdi, LSU AgCenter assistant professor of landscape horticulture. Abdi recommends using the three-cut method to remove these branches. This technique limitsdamage to the tree’s bark, which aids the healing process and promotes safety.Itinvolves making acut from underneath the branch and then from the top before cleaning things up.

LSU

Dead, dying,diseased and damaged tree branches can be removedany time of theyear

STEP 1

Notch the underside of the branch

At least 2inchesaway from the branch’sjunction witha larger limb or the trunk, make an upward cut from the underside of the branch. Don’tcut all the waythrough. Stop about a third to half of the way up

This notch plays an important role.

“When the weight of the branchstartstocollapse,it’s not going to peel the bark all the way down the tree, which is going to protect the tree andits long-term health,” Abdi said. The notch also makes it easier to predict where the branch will fall.

STEP 2

Makethe top cut

Place your saw on top of the branch 4to6inches downbranch from the notch. Cut downward until the branch snaps at the notch and falls to the ground.

STEP 3

Trim the stub

You’ll be left with ajagged stub at this point. Don’tcut the whole thing off. Trim just enough to give it aflat edge. “You want to give it plentyof space,”Abdisaid. “You don’t want it to be completely flush with the trunk.”

GENTLE GIANTS

BY HANNAH LEVITAN Staff writer

Louisiana’songoing heat wave has sentresidents racing to beaches along the Gulf Coast just in time for alucky few to spot packs of mobula rays, also known as “devil rays,” dappling the oceanfront.

Resembling asynchronized swimmer troupe, the diamondshaped creatures often travel in schools —glidingtogether as they look for plankton.

With their graceful, wing-like fins, they often leap andskimjustabove the water’ssurface, making aray sighting even moremesmerizing.

“These larger rays actually fly through water,and so they live more in athreedimensional space, much likebirdsdo,” Dr.Deby Cassill, integrative biology professor at theUniversity of South Florida, said.

Like sharks, Cassill said rays are constantly on themove looking for prey like crustaceansand are especially active near shores during thesummer months.

The Baton Rouge community is invited to reimagine the possibilitiesofPerkins Road near theoverpassfrom 9a.m. to 4p.m. on Aug. 16. “Perk Up Perkins” Demo Day is aone-dayevent that will temporarily transforma section of PerkinsRoad into asafer,morewalkable and morevibrant

Help!Someone mightoverhearhow oldIam!

Dear Miss Manners: WhenIam picking up aprescription,the druggist usually asks for my birth date, sometimes in front of other people. Must Isay the year? I bristle at this. Aren’tladies allowed to hide their ages? Isn’tthe name, date and month enough?

Gentle reader: Oh, please don’teven think that way Yes, the idea has long been prevalent that alady should be able to conceal her age. Do you know why? Because only nubile females were considered worthwhile —making it an embarrassment for women toage. Youapparently believe this, or you wouldn’tbefrettingthat

strangers picking up their own prescriptions mightoverhear your birthdate. Miss Mannersbegs you not to hang on to this humiliating idea.

Martin MISS MANNERS

Dear Miss Manners: I’m throwing asurprise 90th birthdayparty for my father —atruly wonderful and well-loved man. Iwant this celebration to feel intimate and meaningful, centered around his closest friends, beloved neighbors andfamily In tryingtodecide whom to invite, Itook asomewhat roundabout approach: I’d casually ask my dad, who is still unaware of the party,ifhe’d recently spoken

Reusinggreetingcards

Dear Heloise: Saved greeting cards are cluttering up my closets —Christmas cards, birthday cards, and Mother’sDay cards! I have shoe boxes full of them, but some of them Ican part with So, Icut out the images on Christmas cards and write “to” and “from” on the backs to make gift tags. This saves me from buying more gift tags and keeps some paper out of the recycle bin. Iuse birthday and other greeting cards the same way,and it is fun when the tag that gets cut from acard endsup on agift to the personwho sent me the card!

have beendoing thisfor over 40 years andrarely have bitter coffee. —Lynda D.,via email

Nightlight

with so-and-so. If he hadn’t, Itook it as asign that that person was not central tohis life at this time, and Ileft them off the guest list.

Here’swhere thingsgot tricky: Someinvited guestsasked to bring others, or suggested Iinvite additional people. Afew even informed me they had already told others about the party

To maintain themore intimate feel of themain event, Itold those gueststhat while the official party ends at 5, anyone they wanted to invite could stop by afterward. I let them know that there wouldn’t be another meal, but we’dhave beverages and snacks. Somepeople didn’teven ask they simply increased their RSVP numbers without explanation. I

wasn’tsure how to respond to this without sounding rude or ungracious, and I’mstill wrestling with whether Ihandled everything the right way Wasitinappropriate to suggest thatuninvited guests comeafter 5? Should Ihave just said “no” to adding more guests, even if it riskeddisappointing some people?

Am Iabad person for trying to prioritize intimacy over inclusion?

This party meanssomuch to me; Iwant it to be worthy of my father’swarmth and legacy.But I’m struggling with boundaries, expectations and etiquette.

Gentlereader: Of course the host is in charge of the guest list, and is justified in explaining that the list is closed. The polite way is to

express regret and say you hope to see those proposed guests on another occasion.

Butinthis case, MissManners suggests that youmean it —not just therejection, but thesubsequent occasion. “I’m sorry Ican’t accommodate those friends now,” youcould say,“but I’msure my father would love to see them.Why don’tyou getintouch withhim after this,and arrange another visit?”

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.

Weight changescause bodyissues

Ialso tape the top edge of the gift tag onto the package or gift bag so that it can be lifted up to show who gets the gift. Youcan also use apaper punch to makea hole for aribbon to slip through. —Charlotte Kelly,inChristiansburg, Virginia Cinnamon’s thetrick

Dear Heloise: Iread the letters in arecent column regarding bitter coffee. Many years ago, Iwas told by an Italian gentleman to use about one-fourth of a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to counteract the bitter taste. This smallamount does not affect the taste of the coffee. Just sprinkle it over the ground coffee before brewing! Cinnamon provides several health benefits. If you are acinnamonlover,you can addmore to flavor your coffee this way. I

Dear Heloise: Ireceived abook reading light that clips ontobooks. Ilove it. I recently found myself stuck in awheelchair for seven weeks. Iused this book lighttohelp me navigate aroundmy house at night. Iclippedittothe dresser drawer and to the wheelchair itself tofind my way to the bathroom. Even my physicaltherapist thought it was a clever idea. —Pat B.,via email Hiding abag in thecar

Dear Heloise: Iwent to arestaurant with friends andparked my vehicleonthe street. Ihad alargesoft-sided tote with me that Ididn’twanttocarry inside, but my bag wastoo largetohide under thefront seats of my SUV So,Ipulled up thefloorofthe cargoarea in the trunk, which exposed thespare tire. Ithenplaced my bag on top of the tire and replaced thefloor panel.While the fit was not perfect, it was impossible to tell this from outsidethe car.Ihad completepeace of mind!You can also putathintowel over the tire for cleanliness. Ilove yourhints. —D.J.F., in Houston

Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday,Aug. 12,the 224thday of 2025. There are 141 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Aug. 12, 2017, adriver sped into acrowd of people peacefully protesting aWhite nationalist rally in the Virginia college townofCharlottesville, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring more than adozen others. (The attacker,James Alex Fields, was sentenced to life in prison on 29 federal hate crime charges, and life plus 419years on state charges.) Also on this date:

In 1867, President Andrew Johnson sparked amove to impeachhim as he defied Congress by suspending Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton,with whom he had clashed over Reconstruction policies.(Johnson was acquitted by the Senate.)

In 1898, fighting in the SpanishAmericanWar came toanend.

In 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,home to the Indianapolis 500, first opened

In 1944, during World WarII, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., eldest son of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy,was killed withhis co-pilot when their explosivesladen Navy plane blew up over England.

In 1953, the Soviet Union conducted asecret testofits first hydrogen bomb.

In 1960, the first balloon communicationssatellite —the Echo 1—was launched by the United Statesfrom Cape Canaveral

In 1981, IBM introduced its first personalcomputer,the model 5150, at anews conference in New York.

In 1985, the world’sworst single-aircraft disaster occurred as acrippled Japan Airlines Boeing 747 on adomestic flight crashed into amountain, killing 520 people. Four passengers survived. In 1990, fossilcollector Sue Hendrickson found one of the largest and best preserved Ty-

rannosaurusrex skeletons ever discovered; nicknamed “Sue” after Hendrickson, theskeleton is nowondisplay atChicago’sField Museum.

In 1994, in baseball’seighth work stoppagesince 1972, playerswent on strikerather than allow team owners to limit their salaries.

In 2000, the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk and its 118mancrew were lost during naval exercises in theBarents Sea.

In 2013, James “Whitey” Bulger, the feared Boston mob boss who became one of the nation’s most-wanted fugitives, was convicted in astring of 11 killingsand dozens of other gangland crimes, many of them committed while he was saidto be an FBI informant. (Bulger was sentenced to life; he was fatally beaten at aWest Virginia prison in 2018, hours after being transferred from afacility in Florida.)

In 2022, Salman Rushdie, theauthorwhose writing led to deaththreatsfrom Iran in the 1980s, was attacked and stabbed in the neck by aman who rushed the stage as he was about togive alecture in western New York.

Today’sBirthdays: Investor and philanthropist George Soros is 95. Actor GeorgeHamilton is 86. Singer-musician Mark Knopfler(Dire Straits) is 76. Singer Kid Creole (Kid Creole and the Coconuts) is 75. Film director Chen Kaigeis73. Jazz guitarist PatMethenyis71. Actor Bruce Greenwood is 69. Basketball Hall of Famer Lynette Woodard is 66. Rapper SirMix-A-Lot is 62. Actor Peter Krause is 60. Tennis Hall of Famer PeteSampras is 54. Actor-comedian Michael Ian Black is 54. Actor Yvette Nicole Brown is 54. Actor Casey Affleckis50. Boxer Tyson Fury is 37.Actor Lakeith Stanfield is 34. NBA All-Star Khris Middleton is 34. Actor Cara Delevingne is 33. Tennisplayer StefanosTsitsipas is 27.

Dear Harriette: Iwas skinny for most of my life —uncomfortably so. Then Ihad my son, and Igained a lot of weight. It has been morethan 20 years, and Ihave yet to get back to aslim size. To be honest, Iamoverweight. Ifeel like Ihated how Ilooked when I was younger because Iwas toosmall, and now I’mshy about how Ilook because I’mtoo big. Yes, Isee that Ihave somebody-image issues, but Ineed to do something about my body today as I’m too big and I’ve been diagnosed with some health issues thathave come from carrying excess weight.How can Iget ahealthy mindsetabout my body and take the steps to lose the weight? —Weighty

DearWeighty: Ratherthan focusing on how you feel about how you look, first work with your doctor and possibly adietitian to createa plan to get your body healthy.This will involve changing your diet and moving your body.Ifyou are able

to commit to aregimenthatwill help you to lose weight,itislikely thatyou will start feeling better physically and psychologically Don’tstop there. Find atherapist whocan workwithyou on your self-esteem issues and help youget to the heart of your concerns. Onething Ihavelearned is that our bodies changeoverthe years. Ihave adopted the approach of making theeffort to thankmybodyfor all that it does formeand, in turn,making conscious choices to takebetter care of it.Little by little, this hashelped me to be kinder to myselfand more accepting of me as Iam.

Dear Harriette: Ihave afriend whose husband is going through ahard time. He has always been acurmudgeon,but it’sgetting worse thesedays. He has some healthissues that have exacerbated his negative behavior.I cringe sometimes when Ihear him talkingtohis wife, but she

seemstotake it in stride. She told me that it is part of her marriage vowstodeal with him however he is —for better or worse. Iget that, but it’shard to see someone being abusive to his spouse. He doesn’thit her,but he says disparaging things all the time. Do you think that people should stay married when they are suffering emotional abuse? Should Isay anything to her about this? —Uncomfortable Observer Dear Uncomfortable Observer: You cannot live your friend’slife forher,nor can you walkinher shoes. Youcan be supportive by being agood listener.Ifshe asks your opinion about something that she has experienced, tell her the truth. Don’t sugarcoat it. If it gets to the point where you feel uncomfortable being around the twoofthem,you can tell her that as well. Don’tabandon her,but limit your interaction with him

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

Searchingfor somethingmoreinlife

Dear Annie: Iama72-year-old widow,and mostdays, Ifeel like I’m simply fading into the background of life. Ilost my husband in 2018, and in 2023, Ilost my oldest son. The grief has taken a toll, and so has my health. Inow wear acolostomy pouch, and because of that, Irarely leave the house. I have no transportation of my own andrely on Uber for thefew trips Ican manage. Most days, it’s just me and the silence.

Idohave one living son, but he has chosen tocut ties with me. My only other family is aniece who lives in Georgia, while I’m in Michigan. We talk occasionally, but Istill feel very much alone. My doctors have said there’sa chance my colostomy could be reversed, but at myage and in my condition, surgery feels too risky So Ilive with it. And Ilive with thefear that this is it —that my

RAYS

Continuedfrom page5C

“This is the season to be finding them,” Cassill said, adding that it’s notuncommon to see giant manta rays off the Gulf Coast near St.Petersburg, Honeymoon Islandand St.Andrews FloridaState Park.

‘Puppies of thesea’

Thedevil ray’sname might be a little misleading, according to Dr Prosanta Chakrabarty,director and fishcurator of theLSU Museum of Natural Science, who instead likes to callthem “the puppiesofthe sea.”

There are twotypes of rays the mobula birostris and mobula hypostoma.

The mobula birostris, widely known as thegiant manta ray,isthe largest ray in the Gulf, according to Chakrabarty, adding thatthey can

PERKINS

Continuedfrom page5C

from 7a.m. to 9a.m.

n Street crossing demonstrations and live walk audits at 10 a.m. and 2p.m.

n ABLDG 5-sponsored, kid-powered lemonade stand from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. benefiting the Perk Up Perkins Fund.

n Free Gail’sFine Ice Cream

life is now just waiting. Ifind myself asking whyGod has kept me here. For awhile, I believed Iwas meantto care formyson, the one who lived with me and had many health problemsof his own.I prayed often for peace, even if it meant God taking me home. But Iamstill here. And now I wonder —for what? Ifeel invisible. Unwanted. Ican’timagine anyone wanting to be with an older woman who wears apouch on her stomach. Intimacy is off the table. Companionship feels out of reach. Am Imeant to just sit here, alone, waiting for the end? Or is there still something leftfor me somesmall purpose, someflicker of connection?

Idon’texpect miracles. Ijust want to know if anyone else has ever felt this way —and what they did to feel human again. Wondering

grow up to be well over 20 feet long.

“They are famous for jumping outofthe water and shocking people by their size, but they’re completely harmless.”

Themobula hypostoma is aconsiderably smallerray,measuring approximately 5feet in length.

“(The rays) are like an icon of gentle-naturedfishes,” Chakrabarty said, noting that rays belong in the same family as sharks.

But without atop fin, rays can bit more difficult to spot in the water,

kiddie cones while they last from noon to 1p.m.

n Chalk, lawngames, live art, music,the EBRParish Mobile Library and BREC on the Geaux activity zone forkids of allagesfrom 10 a.m. to 3p.m.

n Raffleand giveaway drawings forcustom“PerkUpPerkins”Tshirts, restaurant gift certificates, custom prizes and more. Theevent is madepossible through the support of AARP Louisiana, The Center forPlanning Ex-

Dear Wondering: My heart goes out to you. Youhave been through immense loss, and it is completely understandable to feel overwhelmed and alone. But please know your lifestill matters, and you do not have to face this pain by yourself Istrongly encourage you to reach out to alicensed therapist or grief counselor,ideally someone whocan meet with you virtually if leaving the house is difficult. They can help you process your grief,navigate your feelings of isolation and explore ways to reconnect with life. Youmight also look into local senior services or faith-based outreach programsthat offer companionship or virtual support groups. There are people out there whowant to help. Youjust need to take the first brave step. Send yourquestions forAnnie Lane to dearannie@creators com.

unless you see them jumping.

What to know if youspotthem Rays will wanderthroughoutdifferent habitats and ocean depths, but Chakrabartysaidsightings are morecommon in the Gulf’s deeper waters and further east from the end of the Mississippi River

“They sort of prefer clean water, so what’spouring outofthe Mississippi into the Gulf is generally not that,” Chakrabarty said.

That’sbecause of the DeadZone, alow-oxygenareathatdevelops along the coast every summer that often forces animals to venture into deeper waters.

It’snot uncommon for boaters to encounter the sleek animals, but it’sbest to leave themalone, Chakrabarty said. Their size maybeintimidating, but these rays don’tsting.

“Theyare gentle giants,” Chakrabarty said.

cellence, Tipton Associates, Little Rouge Hen, alongwitha coalition of localrestaurants, businesses and civic partners like Strong Towns, Baton Rouge Green, BREC andthe East Baton Rouge Parish Library.For more information and adetailed schedule, visit the event’sFacebook page. Youcan also sign the petition, volunteer or donate to support the event. For more information, visit the Perk Up Perkins: Demo Day page on Facebook.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Follow your heart and use your intelligence to navigate your way forward with confidence. Put your energy where it can work its magic and bring the return you crave.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) A change will make you feel uncomfortable, but don't hesitate if it's necessary. Take a deep breath and proceed with your eyes wide open, ready to make a difference.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Use your energy wisely. Refuse to waste time on nonsense you have no control over. A little ingenuity and discipline will ensure that you receive the acknowledgment you deserve.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Listen and observe, but when it comes to personal preferences, take the initiative to choose what's best for you. Feeling good about how you present yourself will change the dynamics of your conversations.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) You are in the zone and ready to achieve whatever you set out to do. Leave nothing to chance. Take control and see your dreams manifest into something concrete.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be careful what you wish for Be on the lookout for negativity, deception and false claims. Verify information and distance yourself from anyone or anything that appears dubious.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You're on the right track. Maintain the momentum

and keep your communication with key people open. Partnerships and progress will go hand in hand, providing you with plenty to work toward.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Refuse to let a change to your environment unnerve you or make you reluctant to voice your opinion. When in doubt, ask; don't be afraid to say no or move forward on your own.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Mixed emotions will permeate your day, leaving you uncertain about how to respond. Talks look promising and will help you keep whatever's festering from turning into a meltdown.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Believing in yourself and your abilities is the best route forward. Distance yourself from anyone who puts a damper on your day. Trust your instincts and lead the way.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Take hold of whatever change appeals to you, and don't look back. Walk away from situations that are damaging to your ego, reputation or the lifestyle you want.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Take stock of how you live and where you are heading. Honesty is necessary if you want to bring about positive change. Don't get wrapped up in someone else's plans. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By

Andrews McMeel Syndication

nea CroSSwordS

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

J.P. Morgan of banking famesaid, “A man always has two reasons for doing anything —agood reason and the real reason.”

Abridge player chooses abid for two reasons —todescribehis hand as accuratelyaspossible andtoreach the right final contract. Of course, they are symbiotic, one helping the other. However, sometimes it isn’t obvious what bidtomake. Look at theSouth hand. You open one spade, and partner responds two clubs. What would you rebid?

Acolumnist explained that with6-4 shape, opener rebids in hissix-card suit with aminimum, but showsthe sidesuit when he has extras. That is true only when the four-card suitisa minor. When it is amajor, opener always showsit. To rebidtwospadeshereinprincipledenies four hearts.

NowlookattheWesthand.Whatwould you lead against sevenhearts?

The writer gave abizarre auction before discussing the play in seven heartsafterWestleads alow club. South wins withhis queen, then shouldruffa spade,cashtheheartking,playaheartto his ace, ruff another spade, ruff aclubto establishthesuit,drawEast’slasttrump, and claim, the diamond ace being the entry to the club winners. He takes one spade, three hearts, one diamond, five clubs and the three ruffs.

Butwhy wouldWestlead aclub? Perhaps he hoped that East wasvoid in the suit.But if he had been, he probablywouldhave made aLightner Slam Double, asking for alead in the first suit bid by dummy.Adiamond lead defeats sevenhearts.Ingeneral,donotleadsuits bidbythe opponents

©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist. By

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters 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 wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD InFERRInG: in-FUR-ing: Deriving as aconclusion fromfacts or premises.

Average mark11words Timelimit 25 minutes Can you find 23 or morewords in INFERRING?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —DIALysIs

thought

he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was agreat calm.” Mark 4:39

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Stocks slip as Wall Street awaits update

U.S. stocks edged back from their record heights on Monday in Wall Street’s final moves before an upcoming update on inflation.

The S&P 500 dipped 0.3% after flirting with its all-time high, which was set two weeks ago, earlier in the day The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 200 points, or 0.5%, while the Nasdaq composite shaved 0.3% off its own record.

The highlight of this week for Wall Street will likely arrive on Tuesday, when the government will report how bad inflation was across the country in July

Economists expect it to show U.S. consumers had to pay prices for groceries, gasoline and other costs of living that were 2.8% higher from a year earlier, a slight acceleration from June’s 2.7% inflation

Inflation has remained above 2%, even if it has improved substantially from its peak above 9% three years ago. And the worry is that President Donald Trump’s tariffs could push inflation higher

That in turn is raising fears about a potential worst-case scenario called “stagflation,” where the economy stagnates but inflation remains high.

AOL to pull the plug on dial-up service

AOL will pull the plug and end its dial-up internet service after more than 30 years.

The ISP said it will discontinue dial-up — along with its memorable, high-pitched connecting noise and “You’ve got mail” greeting — and “associated software” on Sept. 30.

“AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet,” the company stated.

“This service will no longer be available in AOL plans As a result, on Sept. 30, this service and the associated software, the AOL Dialer software and AOL Shield browser, which are optimized for older operating systems and dial-up internet connections, will be discontinued.”

Free AOL email accounts and services will not be affected.

Roughly 163,000 households (about 0.1% of the nation’s household internet subscriptions) had dial-up as of 2023— the most recent year data available — according to the U.S. Census Bureau The 2019 census revealed that 265,331 people solely went online through dial-up.

The company said it would provide connectivity options based on location for customers still using the service.

America Online launched its dial-up service in 1991. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, America Online had more than 25 million subscribers in the U.S. The service was synonymous with the internet and became a mainstay in pop culture in movies like “You’ve Got Mail” and TV shows like “Sex and the City.” Paramount to be new home to UFC Paramount will become the new home to Ultimate Fighting Championship events across the U.S. next year, through a seven-year agreement announced with TKO Group on Monday Under the deal, Paramount will exclusively distribute the UFC’s full lineup of its 13 marquee numbered events and 30 “Fight Nights” on its streaming platform Paramount+ — with select numbered events also set to simulcast on CBS starting in 2026. It’s a shift away from the UFC’s existing pay-per-view model which Paramount and TKO say will allow the mixed martial arts programming reach more consumers nationwide. UFC events currently air on ESPN — which has offered tiered pricing for fans to view content across the sports network’s TV offerings and streaming platform ESPN+ since 2019

The Associated Press

NEW YORK Nvidia and AMD have agreed to share 15% of their revenues from chip sales to China with the U.S. government, as part of a deal to secure export licenses for the semiconductors.

The Trump administration halted the sale of advanced computer chips to China in April over national security concerns, but Nvidia and AMD revealed in July that Washington would allow them to resume sales of the H20 and MI308 chips, which are used in artificial intelligence development

President Donald Trump confirmed the terms of the unusual arrangement in a Monday news conference while noting that he

originally wanted 20% of the sales revenue when Nvidia asked to sell the “obsolete” H20 chip to China.

The president credited Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang for negotiating him down to 15%.

“So we negotiated a little deal. So he’s selling an essentially old chip,” Trump said.

Nvidia did not comment about the specific details of the agreement or its quid pro quo nature, but said it would adhere to the export rules laid out by the administration.

“We follow rules the U.S. government sets for our participation in worldwide markets. While we haven’t shipped H20 to China for months, we hope export control rules will let America compete in China and worldwide,” Nvidia

wrote in a statement to the AP “America cannot repeat 5G and lose telecommunication leadership. America’s AI tech stack can be the world’s standard if we race.”

AMD did not reply to a request for comment.

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on China, expressed concern over the deal.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member of the House Select Committee on China, said he would seek answers about the legal basis for this arrangement and demand full transparency from the administration.

“Our export control regime must be based on genuine security considerations, not creative taxation schemes disguised as national security policy,” he said. “Chip export controls aren’t bargaining chips, and they’re not casino chips either We shouldn’t be gambling with our national security to raise revenue.”

“There are questions about the legal basis for doing so,” he said “Export controls are a frontline defense in protecting our national security, and we should not set a precedent that incentivizes the government to grant licenses to sell China technology that will enhance its AI capabilities.” The top Democrat on the panel also raised concerns over the reported agreement, calling it “a dangerous misuse of export controls that undermines our national security.”

Evidence mounts that data centers share blame for high electric bills

States feeling pressure to act against Big Tech

BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers.

It’s not clear that any state has a solution and the actual effect of data centers on electricity bills is difficult to pin down. Some critics question whether states have the spine to take a hard line against tech behemoths like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta.

But more than a dozen states have begun taking steps as data centers drive a rapid build-out of power plants and transmission lines.

That has meant pressuring the nation’s biggest power grid operator to clamp down on price increases, studying the effect of data centers on electricity bills or pushing data center owners to pay a larger share of local transmission costs.

Rising power bills are “something legislators have been hearing a lot about. It’s something we’ve been hearing a lot about. More people are speaking out at the public utility commission in the past year than I’ve ever seen before,” said Charlotte Shuff of the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group. “There’s a massive outcry.”

Some data centers could require more electricity than cities the size of Pittsburgh,

BY BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press

Cleveland or New Orleans, and make huge factories look tiny by comparison. That’s pushing policymakers to rethink a system that, historically, has spread transmission costs among classes of consumers that are proportional to electricity use.

“A lot of this infrastructure, billions of dollars of it, is being built just for a few customers and a few facilities and these happen to be the wealthiest companies in the world,” said Ari Peskoe, who directs the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard University “I think some of the fundamental assumptions behind all this just kind of breaks down.”

A fix, Peskoe said, is a “can of worms” that pits ratepayer classes against one another Some officials downplay the role of data centers in pushing up electric bills.

Tricia Pridemore, who sits on Georgia’s Public Service Commission and is president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, pointed to an already tightened electricity supply and increasing costs for power lines, utility poles, transformers and generators as utilities replace aging equipment or harden it against extreme weather

The data centers needed to accommodate the artificial intelligence boom are still in the regulatory planning stages, Pridemore said, and the Data Center Coalition, which represents Big Tech firms and data center developers, has said its members are committed to paying their fair share.

But growing evidence suggests that the electricity bills of some Americans are rising to subsidize the massive energy needs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ford Motor Co will invest nearly $2 billion retooling a Kentucky factory to produce electric vehicles that it says will be more affordable, more profitable to build and will outcompete rival models. The automaker’s top executive unveiled the new EV strategy at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant, which, after producing gas-powered vehicles for 70 years, will be converted to manufacture electric vehicles. “In our careers, as automobile people, we’re lucky if we get to work on one, maybe two, projects that really change the face of our industry,” CEO Jim Farley told plant workers in Kentucky on Monday “And I believe today is going to light the match as one of those projects for all of us here.” The Big Detroit automakers have continued to transition from internal combustion engines to EV technology even as President Donald Trump’s admin-

of Big Tech as the U.S. competes in a race against China for artificial intelligence superiority

Data and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie published a report in recent weeks that suggested 20 proposed or effective specialized rates for data centers in 16 states it studied aren’t nearly enough to cover the cost of a new natural gas power plant. In other words, unless utilities negotiate higher specialized rates, other ratepayer classes — residential, commercial and industrial are likely paying for data center power needs.

Meanwhile, Monitoring Analytics, the independent market watchdog for the mid-Atlantic grid, produced research in June showing that 70% or $9.3 billion of last year’s increased electricity cost was the result of data center demand.

Last year, five governors led by Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro began pushing back against power prices set by the mid-Atlantic grid operator, PJM Interconnection, after that amount spiked nearly sevenfold. They warned of customers “paying billions more than is necessary.”

PJM has yet to propose ways to guarantee that data centers pay their freight, but Monitoring Analytics is floating the idea that data centers should be required to procure their own power In a filing last month, it said that would avoid a “massive wealth transfer” from average people to tech companies.

At least a dozen states are eyeing ways to make data centers pay higher local transmission costs.

auto industry say that electric vehicles are the future and there is no going back. The first EV to be produced by the revamped Louisville production process will be a midsize, four-door electric pickup truck in 2027 for domestic and international markets, the company said

ary changes on the production line led by the company’s founder, Henry Ford, when it began churning out vehicles from a factory more than a century ago. Farley said the changes will upend how electric vehicles are made in the U.S.