The Acadiana Advocate 08-18-2025

Celebrating alongand fulfilledlife

Oneofthe last living WWII deathmarch survivors, Lafayetteman honoredon104th birthday

BY JOELTHOMPSON |Contributing writer

Clouds threatenedrain Friday afternoon, but it didn’tstop friends, family and Purple Heart veterans from honoring the 104thbirthdayof World WarIIveteran Jim Bollich of Lafayette.

With American flags adorningboth sides of his walker,Bollich showed an attentiveness and alertness to hissurrounding that defied hisadvanced age.

He cracked jokes alongside Louisiana Speaker of the House Phillip DeVillier, who presented Bollich with an official expression of commendation, and stood up to salute the active-duty Marines and Purple Heart veteranswho drove by his house as part of acar parade organized by the Acadiana chapter of the Military Order of thePurpleHeart.

The atmosphere wasa starkcontrast to the one he faced 83 years earlier. Bollich spent his 21st birthday inside aJapanese prison camp in Mukden, Manchuria. It’s also where he would spend his 22nd birthday.

Militaryveterans salute WorldWar II veteran James Bollich as he celebrates his104th birthdayonFridayathis home in Lafayette.

And his23rd. It would be on the same day as his 24th birthday,Aug. 15, 1945, that Russianforcesliberated thecamp where he was held. While in captivity,Bollichparticipatedinthe Bataan Death March, in which morethan 70,000 American and Filipino soldiers were forcibly transferred withlimited rations.

The march is infamous for having killed many of thesoldiers forced to embark on it. Bollich credits his survival to hunting skills he learned growingupinthe smallLouisiana town of Mowata. Whenhereturned to rural Acadia

“Keeping active,both physically and mentally,are the keys to living along andfulfilling life.” JIMBOLLICH, 104-year-old WorldWar II veteran and Bataan Death March survivor

BY MIKESMITH |Staff writer

Twoboats slide offthe back of theirmothership and into the Gulf’s green waters. Then the real work begins.

With waves rocking them, the boats begin to separate, unspooling anet bigger than five football fields as they motor in opposite directions to form acircle. Hundredsofpelicanshover,hoping fora free meal

When the net is set, yellow floats along its perimeter bobbing on thesurface, themen on the boats close it off and haul it back, bringing small, silvery fish with it.

“You’vegot alittle fish in thenet,” said Shane Treadaway,who oversees the operations, as he watches from aseparate boat nearby,speaking of what wasprimarily intended as ademonstration for visiting journalists rather than an actual attempt to catch menhaden.

Later, the menhaden, or pogies, will be pumped onto amothership about 170 feet long, for the trip back to thedock. There,they’ll be shuttled through pipes into aplant that runs them through

Jeff Crouereworks behind the scenes forCassidy opponent

BY TYLER BRIDGES |Staff writer

Jeff Crouere delights in bashing former President Joe Biden and “woke” Democrats during his daily talk radio show on WGSO-990 AM in New Orleans. But the conservative commentator aims many of hissharpest words at afellow Republican: U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,who is running forathird term “Thatguy is thebiggest fraud in theSenate,”Crouere said on the airWednesday. “He’sgot to be defeated.” Called “Ringside Politics,” Crouere’sshow airs on weekdays from 7a.m.to 9a.m. and again from 6p.m. to 7p.m. In between,

Serbian leader vows tough reply to protests

BELGRADE, Serbia Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday announced tough measures against anti-government protesters following days of riots in the streets throughout Serbia that have challenged his increasingly autocratic rule in the Balkan country

Thousands of people defied Vucic’s threat of a crackdown and protested later on Sunday in various Serbian towns, including the capital Belgrade Shouting “Arrest Vucic,” the protesters demanded that all those detained in the past days be released. No incidents were reported. In one of his frequent TV addresses to the public, Vucic accused the anti-government demonstrators of “pure terrorism” and reiterated his claims that months of persistent protests against his rule have been orchestrated in the West and aimed at destroying Serbia.

“Our country is in grave danger, they have jeopardized all our values, normal life, each individual,” Vucic said, alleging an elaborate scheme that would eventually install “anarcho-leftist” authorities in the future. He did not offer any concrete evidence for his claims.

General Zod actor Terence Stamp dies

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAHMOUD ILLEAN

Israelis protest over war in Gaza

Demonstrators demand deal to free hostages

BY SAM METZ, NATALIE MELZER and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

hardening Hamas’ position and delaying the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of Oct 7 will be repeated,” Netanyahu said, referencing the Hamas-led attack in 2023 that killed some 1,200 people and sparked the war

Shooting in crowded N.Y. club leaves 3 dead

By The Associated Press

NEWYORK A club shooting in the New York City borough of Brooklyn early Sunday left three people dead and nine others wounded in a year of record low gun violence in the city Investigators believe up to four shooters opened fire at Taste of the City Lounge in Crown Heights after a dispute just before 3:30 a.m. The violence appeared to be gang-related, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters.

There were no immediate arrests At a news briefing, Tisch called the killings “a tragic, senseless act of violence.”

The crime is the second mass shooting within weeks in New York City during a year that has otherwise seen declining gun violence. On July 29, a man stalked through a Manhattan office tower with a rifle, wounding one person and killing four others. A New York City police officer was among those who died. Those wounded Sunday were being treated at hospitals for injuries that are not life-threatening, Tisch said The ages of the victims range from 19 to 61. A 19-year-old man died at the scene and two other men ages 35 and 27 — died after being transported to a hospital.

Pakistan defends flood response after over 270 people killed

BY MUHAMMAD SAJJAD and RIAZ KHAN Associated Press

Stamp

LONDON Terence Stamp, the British actor who often played the role of a complex villain, including that of General Zod in the early Superman films, has died. He was 87. His death on Sunday was disclosed in a death notice published online, prompting a wave of tributes from and an array of fans and those close to him within the industry, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, better known as Bafta.

The London-born Stamp started his film career with 1962’s seafaring “Billy Budd,” for which he earned nominations for Oscar and Bafta awards. Stamp’s six decades in the business were peppered with highlights, including his touching portrayal of the transsexual Bernadette in 1994’s “The Adventure of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” the second of his two Bafta nominations.

But it will be his portrayal of the bearded Zod in 1978’s “Superman” and its sequel “Superman II” two years later that most people associate with Stamp As the Kryptonian arch enemy to Christopher Reeve’s Man of Steel, Stamp introduced a darker, charming and vulnerable — more human — element to the franchise, one that’s been replicated in countless superhero movies ever since.

Pope celebrates Mass for homeless people

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy Pope Leo XIV spent the last Sunday of his summer vacation with several dozen refugees, homeless and poor people and the church volunteers who help them, celebrating a special Mass for them and inviting them into the Vatican’s lakeside estate for a lunch of lasagna and roast veal.

Welcoming them for the luncheon, Leo said he was happy to “break bread” with them “in such a beautiful place that reminds us of the beauty of nature of creation, but also makes us think that the most beautiful creature is the one created in the likeness, in the image of God, which is all of us.”

The guests included around 110 people cared for by the local Caritas church charity, and the volunteers who run the diocese’s shelters, clinics and social service offices. Many had attended Mass with him in the nearby St. Mary sanctuary of Albano.

In his homily Leo celebrated the “fire of charity” that had brought them together “And I encourage you not to distinguish between those who assist and those who are assisted, between those who seem to give and those who seem to receive, between those who appear poor and those who feel they have something to offer in terms of time, skills, and help,” he said.

JERUSALEM Israeli protesters demanding a deal to free hostages in Gaza attempted to shut down the country Sunday in one of the largest and fiercest protests in 22 months of war Organizers, representing the families of hostages, asserted that hundreds of thousands of people took part.

Frustration is growing in Israel over plans for a new military offensive in some of Gaza’s most populated areas. Many Israelis fear that could further endanger the remaining hostages. Twenty of the 50 who remain are believed to be alive

“We live between a terrorist organization that holds our children and a government that refuses to release them for political reasons,” said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is held in Gaza

Even some former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs now call for a deal to end the fighting.

Protesters gathered at dozens of places including outside politicians’ homes, military headquarters and on major highways. They blocked lanes and lit bonfires.

Some restaurants and theaters closed in solidarity Police said they arrested 38 people

One protester carried a photo of an emaciated Palestinian child from Gaza. Such images were once rare at Israeli demonstrations but now appear more often as outrage grows over conditions in the territory after more than 250 malnutritionrelated deaths

An end to the war does not seem near Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is balancing competing pressures including the potential for mutiny within his coalition.

“Those who today call for an end to the war without defeating Hamas are not only

The last time Israel agreed to a ceasefire that released some hostages earlier this year, far-right members of his cabinet threatened to topple Netanyahu’s government.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Sunday’s demonstrations “a bad and harmful campaign that plays into Hamas’ hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and attempts to get Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardize its security and future.”

The new offensive would require the call-up of thousands of reservists, another concern for many Israelis.

Hospitals and witnesses in Gaza said Israeli forces killed at least 17 aid-seekers on Sunday, including nine awaiting U.N. aid trucks close to the Morag corridor Hamza Asfour said he was just north of the corridor awaiting a convoy when Israeli snipers fired, first to disperse the crowds He saw two people with gunshot wounds.

“It’s either to take this risk or wait and see my family die of starvation,” he said.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the Israeli-backed and U.S.supported distribution points that have become the main source of aid since they opened in May, said there was no gunfire “at or near” its sites, which are located in military-controlled areas.

An Israeli strike targeting a group of people in the Bureij camp in central Gaza killed three, according to Al-Awda hospital, which received the casualties.

Israel’s military did not immediately respond to questions.

Israel’s air and ground war has killed more than 61,900 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children.

Erin weakens to Category 3 as forecasters await northward turn

BY IVELISSE RIVERA Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 hurricane Sunday as its outer bands continued to lash the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with heavy rains and tropical-storm force winds.

While Erin’s maximum winds diminished, the storm’s overall size grew and forecasters issued tropical storm warnings for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast Bahamas.

The storm wasn’t expected to directly impact the U.S. East Coast, but by doubling or tripling in size it could bring rip currents all along the coast. Gusty winds and flooding tides could wash out parts of the highway that connects the North Carolina Outer Banks by midweek, the National Weather Service said.

Bermuda could have similar conditions as Erin is forecast to turn to the north and then northeast, forecasters said.

Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, reached Category 5 status Saturday with maximum winds of 160 mph before weakening.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds were 125 mph late Sunday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The winds decreased as the storm went through internal changes. Erin is expected to remain powerful for the next several days and is likely to strengthen

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Vehicles traverse a flooded road on Sunday in Naguabo, Puerto Rico, as Hurricane Erin brings rain to the island.

again, forecasters said.

“You’re dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It’s a dangerous hurricane in any event,” said Richard Pasch of the National Hurricane Center

Erin’s center was about 235 miles northnorthwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and 200 miles east of the Grand Turk Island, moving west-northwest at 13 mph.

The rain and winds from the outer bands of the storm left about 147,000 customers without power Sunday morning in Puerto Rico, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power on the island. The weather canceled more than 20 flights, officials said.

Swells were also expected to affect portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands during the next couple of days, forecasters said.

BUNER, Pakistan Rescuers recovered dozens more bodies from the rubble of collapsed homes in a northwestern district of Pakistan, bringing the death toll to at least 274, as authorities defended their response to the flooding and said they did not need any foreign help at this point.

Heavy rains and flooding also killed dozens of people in neighboring Kashmir Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for Pakistan’s emergency service, said 54 bodies were found in Buner, a mountainous area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where torrential rains and cloudbursts triggered massive flooding on Friday Suhail said villagers remain missing, and search efforts are focused on areas where homes were flattened by torrents of water that swept down from the mountains, carrying boulders that smashed into houses like explosions.

Authorities have warned of more deluges and possible landslides between now and Tuesday, urging

local administrations to remain on alert. Higher-thannormal monsoon rains have lashed the country since June 26 and killed more than 600. In India-administered Kashmir, located across Pakistan’s northeastern border, rains triggered more flash floods in two villages in the Kathua district, killing seven people, officials said Sunday Rescuers in Chositi village are still looking for dozens of missing people after the area was hit by flash floods last week during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. At least 60 people were killed, and some 150 injured. Over 300 others were rescued. Residents in Buner have accused officials of failing to warn them to evacuate after torrential rain and cloudbursts triggered deadly flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method in remote areas. The government said that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour in Buner was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be alerted.

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European leaderstojoinZelenskyy formeeting

Trump, Ukrainian presidenttomeet in Washington

BY SAMYAKULLAB and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine European and NATO leaders announced

Sunday they willjoin President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington to present aunited front in talks with President Donald Trump on ending Russia’swar in Ukraine and firming up U.S. security guarantees now on the negotiating table.

Leaders from Britain, France, Germany,Italy and Finland are rallying around the Ukrainian president afterhis exclusion from Trump’ssummit on Friday with RussianPresident Vladimir Putin. Their pledge to be at Zelenskyy’sside at the White House on Monday is an apparent effort to ensure the meeting goes better than the last one in February,when Trump berated Zelenskyyina heatedOval

Office encounter

European CommissionPresidentUrsulavon der Leyen, right, and Ukraine’sPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy talk to the media Sunday at European Union headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

“The Europeansare very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated and so theywanttosupportMr. Zelenskyy to the hilt,”said retired French Gen. Dominique Trinquand, aformer headofFrance’s military missionatthe UnitedNations.

ing and equipment to secure any peace.

“Weneed acredible format for the Ukrainian army, that’sthe first point, and say —weEuropeansand Americans— howwe’lltrain them, equip them, and finance this effort in the long-term,” the French leader said.

The European-drafted plans also envisionanallied force in Ukraine away from the front lines to reassure Kyiv that peacewill holdand to dissuadeanother Russian invasion,Macron said. He spoke after anearly two-hour video call Sunday withnationsinEuropeand further afield —including Canada, Australia and Japan— that are involved in theso-called“coalitionof the willing.”

Leyen said earlier at anews conference in Brussels with Zelenskyy that “we welcome President Trump’swillingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine.And the ‘coalition of the willing’ —including the European Union —is ready to do its share.” Macron saidthe substance of security guarantees will be moreimportantthan whether they are given an Article 5-type label.

“A theoretical article isn’t enough, thequestionisone of substance,” he said. “We must start out by saying that the first of the security guarantees forUkraine is a strong Ukrainian army.”

It “was the first time we

“It’s apower struggleand apositionofstrength that might workwith Trump,”he said Putin agreed athis summit in Alaska with Trump that the U.S. andits European allies could offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’scollective defensemandate as part of an eventual deal to endthe 31/2-year war,special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview Sunday on CNN’s “Stateofthe Union.”

had ever heard theRussians agree to that,” said Witkoff, whocalled it “game-changing.”

Later,French President EmmanuelMacron said the European delegation will ask Trump to back plans they drafted tobeef-up Ukraine’s armedforces— already Europe’slargestoutside of Russia —with more train-

The“several thousand men on the ground in Ukraine in the zone of peace” would signal that “ourfates are linked,” Macron said.

“This is what we must discuss with the Americans: Who is readytodowhat?” Macron said. “Otherwise, I think the Ukrainians simply cannot accept commitments that are theoretical.”

European Commission President Ursula vonder

Along withVon derLeyen andMacron, BritishPrime Minister KeirStarmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President AlexanderStubb also said they’ll will take part in Monday’stalks, as will secretary-general of theNATOmilitaryalliance, Mark Rutte. The European leaders’ support could help ease concerns in Kyiv and in other European capitals that Ukraine risks being railroaded into apeace deal.

WitkoffsaysPutin agrees to allowsecurityguaranteesfor Ukraine

BY JILL COLVIN Associated Press

NEW YORK Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump that the United States and itsEuropean allies could offer Ukrainea securityguarantee resembling NATO’scollective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the war, aU.S. official said Sunday Trumpenvoy Steve Witkoff,who took part in the talks Friday at amilitary base in Alaska, said it “was

the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that” and called it “gamechanging ” “Wewere abletowin the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons whyUkraine wants to be in NATO,” Witkofftold CNN’s“State ofthe Union.” Witkoff offered few details on howsuch anarrangement would work. But it appeared to be amajor shiftfor Putinand could serve as aworkaround to

hisdeep-seated objection to Ukraine’s potentialNATO membership, astepthat Kyiv has long sought. It was expected to be akey topic Monday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and major European leadersmeet with Trump at the White House to discuss ending the 3½-year conflict.

“BIG PROGRESSON RUSSIA,” Trump said Sundayonsocial media.“STAY TUNED!”

Article5,the heart of the 32-member transatlantic militaryalliance, says

an armed attack againsta member nation is considered an attack against them all. What needed to be hammered out at this week’s talkswerethe contours of any security guarantees, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whoalsoparticipated in the summit. Ukraine andEuropean allies have pushed theU.S. to provide that backstop in any peace agreement todeter future attacks by Moscow “How that’sconstructed, what we call it,how it’s

built, what guaranteesare built into it that are enforceable,that’swhatwe’llbe talking aboutoverthe next fewdayswithour partners,” RubiosaidonNBC’s “Meet the Press.” It was unclear,however, whether Trump had fully committed to such aguarantee. Rubio said it would be “a huge concession.”

The comments shednew light on what wasdiscussed in Alaska. Before Sunday U.S. officials hadoffered few details even as both Trump and Putin said their

meeting wasasuccess.

Witkoff also said Russia had agreed to enact alaw that it would not “go after anyother European countries and violate their sovereignty.”

“The Russians agreed on enshrining legislatively language that would prevent them from —orthatthey would attest to not attemptingtotakeany more land from Ukraine after apeace deal,where theywould attest to not violating any European borders,” he saidon “Fox News Sunday.”

Airlinesuspends restart

BY ROBGILLIES

per day during the peak summer travel season

TheCanadaIndustrial Relations Board ordered airline staff back to work by 2p.m. Sunday after the government intervened and Air Canada said it planned to resume flights Sunday evening. Canada’slargest airline

now saysit will resume flights Monday evening. Air Canadasaidinastatement that theunion“illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy adirection fromthe CanadianIndustrial RelationsBoard.”

“Our members are notgoingback to work,” Canadian Union of Public Employees nationalpresident Mark Hancock said outsideToronto’s Pearson International Airport. “Weare sayingno.”

Hancock ripped up acopy of theback-to-work order outsidethe airport’s departures terminal where union memberswerepicketing Sunday morning. He said they won’t return Tuesday either Flight attendantschanted “Don’tblame me,blame AC” outsidePearson

“Like many Canadians,

the Ministerismonitoring this situation closely. The Canada Industrial Relations Boardisanindependent tribunal,”JenniferKozelj, a spokeswoman forFederal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said in aemailed statement Hancock saidthe “whole process hasbeenunfair” and saidthe union will challenge what it called an unconstitutional order

Less than12hours after workers walked off the job, Hajduorderedthe 10,000 flight attendants back to work, saying now is not the time to take risks with the economy andnotingthe unprecedented tariffs the U.S. hasimposed on Canada. Hajdu referred the work stoppage tothe Canada Industrial RelationsBoard. Air Canada operates about 700 flights per day

he takes on a very different role by serving on the state payroll as communications director for Treasurer John Fleming who is one of three Republicans challenging Cassidy

On WGSO, Crouere doesn’t tell listeners that he works for Fleming, a job he has held since March 2024. Nor does Crouere note that he’s interviewing his boss when Fleming appears on his show once a month to discuss his work at the treasury and to criticize Cassidy

‘The lines are blurred’

One person who questions that arrangement is David C. Bellinger who listens to Crouere virtually every day and frequently called his show to joust as “the flaming liberal,” until, he said, Crouere stopped putting him on the air several years ago.

“I believe that it’s a disguised effort by Fleming to put Crouere on the state payroll to do paid political commercials for him,” Bellinger said. “It’s a de facto campaign ad at taxpayer expense, which I believe is a violation of federal campaign law.”

Over nearly three decades, Crouere has made a name for himself as one of the most prominent conservative commentators in metro New Orleans. During that time, he has worn many hats. He has done his daily radio show, had a TV program, written political columns, managed the campaigns of Republican candidates, organized right-wing rallies and recall efforts, and hosted the bimonthly “Politics with a Punch” panel with media personalities, elected officials and comedians.

Crouere is now facing questions of whether he’s wearing one hat too many because he regularly attacks Cassidy on his radio show in the morning and at night, and works during the day as a state government employee for Fleming with a $125,000 annual salary

“I’ve always told my students to avoid conflicts where possible, but at least let them know about the conflict,” said Lou Day, who taught media ethics at LSU’s Manship School before retiring in 2016. “You should let the audience know you’re wearing two hats.”

Crouere said he doesn’t disclose his role with Fleming because he believes his audience already knows of his work for the treasurer

“I’ve mentioned it so many other times,” Crouere said during a recent hourlong interview “I’m not trying to hide that. People know that I’m working for him. They know that I favor him. That’s not a secret.”

Crouere added that he does not promote Fleming’s Senate candidacy when he is on the state payroll.

CELEBRATING

Continued from page 1A

Parish following the war, he was greeted with unpleasant news. When stopping at a barbershop on the way back home, Bollich discovered through an old copy of the local paper that his brother had been killed in action. Many in the community feared that he had met the same fate, after his capture several years prior The effects of Bollich’s imprisonment would linger with him for years, as he suffered from severe trauma-inflicted nightmares. He would find relief through his academic studies — funded by the re-

Fleming said he’s done nothing wrong.

“While he’s an employee of the Treasury, he has to abide by all the guidelines and responsibilities of the office,”

Fleming said. “He can only speak on matters about treasury But outside of his work hours, I have no control of what he says.”

Crouere also faces longstanding questions of whether candidates who air ads on his show then receive favorable mention during his broadcasts. Like other hosts, he buys airtime from the station and finds advertisers to cover his costs.

Crouere said he doesn’t favor candidates who pay him to advertise on his show

Len Apcar, a former New York Times editor who teaches at LSU’s Manship School, said Crouere’s dual roles reflect the new media landscape, where people in politics often serve as commentators.

“The lines are blurred, and they’re not understood by listeners,” Apcar said. “He’s clearly a commentator and a promoter on what he considers to be his own time on behalf of Fleming and against Cassidy.”

The Cassidy campaign declined to comment on Crouere.

Crouere has many fans in conservative circles, particularly in Jefferson Parish, where he lives.

“The Home Defense Foundation owes a giant debt to Jeff Crouere, who has been very generous with his time and talent helping our civic group advocate for the rights of law-abiding taxpayers,” said Michael Weinberger, the group’s founder “While oth-

cently passed GI Bill — in geology, which would become a lifelong passion.

After graduating from the Southwestern Louisiana Institute in 1948, Bollich would go on to receive a master’s degree in geology from the University of Wyoming, as well as a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct geological research in Australia, something he considers to be one of his life’s greatest highlights.

Bollich worked for many years in south Louisiana’s oil and gas industry eventually becoming a senior geological consultant for Tenneco Oil Co. before his retirement in 1986 Over his lifetime, Bollich has written 12 books focusing on topics such as geology as well as his military

STAFF

Jeff Crouere speaks on his radio show, ‘Ringside Politics,’ at the WGSO-990 AM station in New Orleans on July 29.

ers talk the talk, Jeff walks the walk. He is a true friend of the ordinary citizen.”

The Home Defense Foundation’s webpage includes a photo of Fleming between Crouere and Weinberger to commemorate Fleming’s speech to the group in May

The photo identifies Crouere as “WGSO president,” with no mention of his work for the treasurer

A busy schedule

Most of the time, Crouere said, he does his radio show from home, while commuting to or from Baton Rouge or from an apartment in Baton Rouge that he rents.

But on a recent Tuesday, Crouere walked into WGSO’s studio on Carondelet Street in the Central Business District to broadcast his show It was just before 7 a.m., and he had just concluded his weekly appearance by phone on another conservative radio program, hosted by Brian Haldane, at Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.

“I need to wake up,” Crouere said, as he set down an iced coffee and a muffin. Crouere keeps a busy schedule. In addition to his work as an unclassified state employee for Fleming, he spends three hours on WGSO five days a week, writes a weekly column, records a weekly TV program and manages WGSO as the station’s president and chair of its board. In April 2024, Crouere put together the investors who took over the nonprofit radio station from its previous owner He said he doesn’t draw a salary from WGSO because of the station’s precarious finances.

“Being that I have been doing this so long, it doesn’t take

me as long as other people who are unfamiliar with the (radio) business,” Crouere said during the interview “I’m able to do it on off-hours and on weekends. It’s been a challenge, but I’ve been able to make it work so far.”

He said he takes personal time for non-Fleming work he does during the workweek.

When he begins his day on the air, Crouere normally plays audio clips of something Trump said the day before, followed by laudatory comments about the president — or of something a Democrat said followed by Crouere ridiculing the Democrat.

In Crouere’s view, Biden and Democrats stole the 2020 election from Trump, the men and women who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, deserved to be freed findings by the CIA and the FBI that Russia tried to influence the 2020 election are “a hoax,” and Biden suffered from dementia throughout his presidency

“Truth is their enemy,” he said of Democrats and liberals during a recent program. (He calls The TimesPicayune | The Advocate “a liberal rag.”)

A long record in politics

Crouere, who is about to turn 62, grew up in New Orleans and, after graduating from Vanderbilt University first worked as the alumni director and chief fundraiser for De La Salle High School, his alma mater In 1995, tired of the crime problem in New Orleans, he made his first and only run for elected office by challenging then-state Rep. Mitch Landrieu’s bid for reelection. Crouere won only 26% of the

service. He started a family as well, having two daughters, Sally and Melinda, with his now-deceased wife, Celia, whom he met during his time as an instructor in a mineralogy lab at the University of New Mexico. Even at 104 years of old,

Rep Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, right, presents James Bollich with a proclamation during a celebration of Bollich’s 104th birthday on Friday.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD

BOWIE

Bollich is still thinking about ways to give back to those around him. Earlier this year, he donated fossils of a prehistoric marine animal called a trilobite to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette School of Geoscience. The fossils represented the fulfillment of

vote in a district that favored the Democratic candidate.

Crouere impressed party leaders by taking on Landrieu, became president of the Greater New Orleans Young Republicans and was then named executive director of the Louisiana Republican Party a post he held for a year

Crouere began his radio career in 1999 on WTIX-AM.

On his show in July 2002, Crouere gave airtime to callers and guests who accused then-U.S. Rep. David Vitter of frequenting prostitutes, a scandal that would ultimately thwart Vitter’s ambition to be governor in 2015. Vitter didn’t run for reelection to the Senate the following year

Crouere moved to WGSO in 2007 and has been there ever since. (This reporter has appeared occasionally on his radio and TV programs and on the “Politics with a Punch” panel.) He says he has interviewed over 25,000 guests during his career, including former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Mike Pence and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Crouere is not as bombastic as Moon Griffon, the conservative talk show host based in Lafayette, who insults politicians and newsmakers and talks over guests when he doesn’t agree with their views. After taking over WGSO in April 2024, Crouere gave the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. spot on the station to Griffon’s syndicated program.

Nielsen ratings show that Crouere has a small audience, about 1,000 listeners during the week. An unknown number of additional people listen to his podcast online.

“He’s a legend in New Orleans,” said Woody Jenkins, an archconservative former state representative from Baton Rouge who overlapped with Crouere for several months in Fleming’s office in 2024.

State Rep. Joe Stagni, however, remains sore with Crouere for working for an effort in 2022 to recall him for voting against an antitransgender sports measure. “I think he engages in unethical and questionable business practices seeking opportunities for a quick profit regardless of the true facts or data,” said Stagni, R-Kenner State campaign finance records show that Crouere’s company, Pelican Consulting,

a lifelong dream for Bollich.

“I was always disappointed that I never found a trilobite fossil when I was doing geological field work,” he said.

“For Father’s Day in 2019, my oldest daughter and her husband took me to U-Dig Fossils in western Utah to crack rocks in a shale quarry There were trilobites everywhere in those rocks The ones we found were around 520 million years old.”

The fossils are on display on campus in Hamilton Hall.

Bollich continues to leave an impression on those around him. Robert Crowley, who served as state commander for the Louisiana chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart for seven years, is one of those people.

has been paid $122,000 since 1999 for consulting and political advertising. Gov Jeff Landry appeared frequently on Crouere’s radio show when he was attorney general but rarely during his 18 months as governor Landry did appear solo on Crouere’s “Politics with a Punch” program at the Quarter View restaurant in Metairie in November But Crouere upset the governor’s team in May when he aired wild speculation by Fleming that Landry had cut a deal with U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, to back her running for the Senate, and if she won, she would resign in two years to allow him to replace her

“It’s really unbelievable you’re giving that airtime,” Kate Kelly, Landry’s communications director, texted to Crouere. “I guess everyone needs some entertainment. Unsure why you’d think I would want to put governor on your show after this charade.”

Crouere shared the text with the newspaper A Cassidy foe

Crouere seems to reserve his harshest comments about a Republican for Cassidy, who upset many conservatives by voting to convict Trump for inciting the rioters on Jan 6. Critics note Cassidy had just been reelected the preceding November with Trump’s endorsement. Conservatives now call Cassidy a “Republican In Name Only,” even though the senator has otherwise voted with Trump more than 90% of the time.

“This guy has got to go,” Crouere said of Cassidy in November. “That will be my foremost political mission over the next few years. He’s a horrible RINO. He’s lied to us about his true beliefs We’re going to elect a good person there, and it’s not going to be him.”

Crouere said he would like to have Cassidy on his program in the coming months.

“I’ve always had a show where I want everyone on,” Crouere said during the interview “But I have to be honest with people as to who I favor I favor Dr Fleming. It’s not a secret. I do hope and expect to have other candidates on the air I want to give them a fair chance.”

Staff reporters Sam Karlin and Blake Paterson contributed to this article.

Crowley had only one word to describe Bollich: “Humble.” Crowley went on to say, “You would never know just talking to him that he went through all of that. For him to come back, get his degree and start a family it’s truly remarkable.”

Bollich doesn’t dwell too much on his time in captivity too much these days instead focusing on the time he has left. He has continued to engage in multiple hobbies throughout his retirement, including oil painting and woodworking.

Reflecting on his longevity, he offered simple advice: “Keeping active, both physically and mentally, are the keys to living a long and fulfilling life.”

an elaborate process to create oil and fish meal for uses that include food for animals and aquaculture.

It is far from the idyllic vision of south Louisiana fishing held by generations of anglers. Not even Treadaway, an Empire native who is now vice president of operations for Westbank Fishing, would argue that point

It is an industry, one that creates jobs, tax revenue and wealth. And, let there be no mistake, lots of controversy, too.

Louisiana’s menhaden boats have long been the subject of scrutiny from recreational anglers and charter captains, who accuse them of worsening population declines for the coveted redfish, among other sins. The companies involved have pushed back vigorously, highlighting their economic contributions and pointing to the far higher catch by sport fishermen for speckled trout and redfish

A recent study has shed some light on the debate by quantifying the industry’s bycatch, or fish caught by accident besides menhaden. The companies are holding it up as proof that concerns over their operations are overblown — an argument bolstered at least in part by findings from the state’s fisheries biologists

But that is far from the end of the discussion. Recreational fishing organizations are highlighting what they see as troubling details in the study and signaling further battles ahead Some are pushing for an expansion of restrictions that took effect last year keeping menhaden boats a minimum of a half-mile offshore for most of the coastline.

The industry says that would put them out of business, arguing that the existing buffer zone has already taken a chunk out of their bottom lines.

Only about 8 inches long on average, the fish have taken on outsized importance Though not eaten by anyone here, they are the Gulf’s largest commercial fishery bringing in around 500,000 metric tons annually over the past decade.

“At least now they have numbers to talk about in a comprehensive way,” said Scott Raborn, president of LGL Ecological Research Associates, the firm that carried out the bycatch study on behalf of the state.

“Before they had to make some assumptions that they had no way of validating to come up with numbers. And we sort of removed those assumptions,” Raborn said Fish refinery

The Westbank Fishing operation and related Daybrook processing plant in Empire is essentially a fish refinery, with warrens of pipes and machinery that transform the humble pogies.

In addition to the boats the operation includes Cessna spotter planes that assist in finding schools of fish. When one of the boats returned to the dock on a recent day, workers suited up in waterproof overalls and face coverings to climb above the hold, where about 200 tons of fish awaited. They used a hose to push the mounds of oily fish toward the pipe that delivers them to the nearby plant.

Next to the plant is a warehouse where much of the finished product is stored: tall piles of fish meal ready to be shipped. Westbank President Francois Kuttel is eager to show off the company’s operations, saying there is nothing to hide. Much is

at stake.

A series of high-profile spills involving hundreds of thousands of fish drew further scrutiny to menhaden boats a couple years ago, which helped lead to the enlarged buffer zone.

Kuttel said the industry has voluntarily upgraded to costlier, far stronger nets that have greatly reduced those risks. Conservation groups argue the buffer zone has been key in reducing those incidents.

The companies have also standardized the use of improved excluder devices that keep many larger fish — including redfish — from being sucked up into the

hoses. It is working toward further improving the excluders, which Kuttel said has the potential to keep lots more redfish alive.

He said the industry is well below overall bycatch limits required by the state, and highlights the buffer zone extends further in sensitive locations, such as three miles off Grand Isle. The boats include mapping devices that notify captains where they are in relation to the buffer

“It employs 800 people directly, 2,000 people indirectly, and those are in jobs that are paying materially higher than the average for Louisiana, in areas that Louisiana needs those jobs created,” Kuttel

Crews process a boat full of menhaden in the hold of a boat as it returns to the dock at Westbank Fishing in Empire on July 1.

said of the industry as a whole.

But conservation groups and recreational anglers argue that, while legal, the bycatch numbers are still high and concentrated along Louisiana’s already fragile coast.

“I think it’s well within the rights of people who pride themselves on conservation of this resource, and the recreational fishermen who have invested a lot in pursuing these fish for them to be upset about some of these numbers,” said Chris Macaluso, of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

Disappearing habitat

The Gulf menhaden industry almost entirely takes place off Louisiana. Other Gulf states, more dependent upon beach tourism, have tighter restrictions on the industry Louisiana’s Mississippi River-nourished coastal environment also provides ideal habitat for menhaden.

Three plants process the fish, two in Louisiana, in Empire and Abbeville, and in Moss Point, Mississippi. Federal law prohibits the fishing fleets from being controlled by foreign companies.

Kuttel’s Westbank Fishing is a separate company with no common employees, from the plant where it delivers its fish, which is Daybrook, also based in Empire. Daybrook is owned by South Africa-based Oceana Group, where Kuttel was formerly CEO.

Kuttel, who followed his father

into the business, was born in South Africa but has been a naturalized U.S. citizen for around 35 years. Studies show that the Gulf menhaden population is healthy — not overfished or in the process of becoming so. They play a role in the food chain for other marine life, though perhaps not as large as some have asserted, said Robert Leaf, a University of Southern Mississippi fisheries scientist who has studied the subject.

Key findings of the recent bycatch study included:

n The industry’s total bycatch by weight was 3.6%, below the 5% limit in state law

n Total redfish killed as bycatch in 2024 was around 30,000. As a comparison, the number of redfish caught and kept by recreational anglers in the same year was an estimated 791,000, not counting throwbacks that later died.

n Total speckled trout bycatch was estimated at 240,000. Recreational catch was around 2.8 million, not counting throwbacks.

n Total croaker bycatch was 81 million, white trout 25 million and white shrimp 5.7 million.

n Redfish blocked by excluder devices from being sucked up into the hoses allowing them to be released from menhaden nets — had a high rate of survival, around 83%.

The state’s fisheries biologists sought to put those numbers into context by extrapolating over a 10-year period from 2015-24. They found that redfish killed by the menhaden industry during that time accounted for 9.9% of the total by weight, with the rest attributed to recreational anglers. As for speckled trout, the amount killed by the menhaden industry represented 2.7% of the total by weight.

One point conservation groups hammer home is that the redfish killed by the menhaden industry are essentially all spawning-age fish, or “bull reds,” which are now illegal for recreational anglers to keep.

Asked whether that posed a particular problem, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said redfish live to around 40 years old and move offshore by age 5, meaning the ages of those killed by the menhaden industry would be spread throughout that span.

Regarding croaker and white tout, it said sampling has not turned up signs of “unsustainable declines.” Further, it said menhaden white shrimp bycatch amounts to less than 1% of annual landings. The department plans to use the updated numbers in its assessments moving forward.

Lifelong anglers are concerned the entire picture is not being taken into consideration. Ryan Lambert, a 47-year charter captain based out of Buras, said Louisiana’s land loss crisis has already robbed its fish populations of nursery habitat The pogy industry is adding further pressure, he said.

“You’re destroying the estuary, and it can’t hold it anymore,” said Lambert. “We can’t take that much out of it because it’s not reproducing, because we lost the estuary due to coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion.”

Treadaway while headed back from the recent trip on the water to view pogy operations, said jobs are at stake.

“If the science tells us we’re doing something wrong, then OK, push us offshore,” said the 53-yearold, himself a longtime recreational fishermen. “If the science says everything’s fine, leave us alone.” Email Mike Smith at msmith@ theadvocate.com.

Landry touts La.’s economic growth

LegisGator talk also highlights new Calcasieu I-10 bridge

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry told hundreds of southwest Louisiana residents on Friday to look into the economic growth in the state.

“I’ve been lucky enough to travel around this country, and I’ve seen the progress and the economic opportunity that has blessed so many other states while we have waited,” Landry said. “I want you to know we don’t wait anymore. “Today, the world gets to see us as who we are, as the people who never quit and never quit trying, as the people who never say it can’t be done, as the people who find a way where there is no way, as the people who always have a kind word at their table, as the people who get to share a culture of hard work and humility that is our greatest asset.”

14 schools awarded safety grants

BY CHARLES LUSSIER and ASHLEY WHITE Staff writers

Fourteen schools in the Acadiana area recently received more than $500,000 in state grants to upgrade security on their respective campuses, including the installation of security cameras and mass communication systems.

The grants program, now in its third year, has awarded $5 million each year to cover physical improvements to campuses, such as new doors or fences, updating emergency plans and better training for staff. The latest 117 awards, announced in July were selected from 575 applicants.

The grants are given out each year by the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools. The center, which opened in 2023, was created by the state Legislature in the wake of the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 21 people and injured 17 more. The center is part of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Schools winning grants will be reimbursed for eligible costs They have to complete projects within a set amount of time, usually about 12 months.

Across Acadia, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry and St. Martin parishes, 14 schools were awarded grants.

In Acadia Parish, the following

schools received funding:

n North Crowley Elementary: $50,000 for classroom locks, security cameras, lighting and security film

n Ross Elementary: $50,000 for classroom locks, security cameras, lighting and a mass communication system

n Crowley Middle: $50,000 for classroom locks, security cameras, lighting and security film

n Iota Middle: $50,000 for classroom locks, security cameras, lighting and access control

n Crowley High: $50,000 for classroom locks, security cameras, lighting and a mass communication sys-

tem

n Midland High: $50,000 for classroom locks, security cameras, lighting and security film

n Rayne High: $50,000 for classroom locks, security cameras, lighting and a mass communication sys-

tem

In Iberia Parish, the following

schools received funding:

n Iberia Middle: $30,227 for security cameras

n New Iberia Senior High: $49,782 for security cameras

In Lafayette Parish, the following schools received funding:

n St. Cecilia Catholic: $50,000 for

Landry was the keynote speaker at the Chamber SWLA’s LegisGator Luncheon at L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles. The governor said southwest Louisiana is seeing many new developments and improvements. With the oil and gas industry continuing and changing, Landry said the region is following the growth with LNG and blue ammonia facilities becoming more prevalent in the area.

Landry also highlighted the new Interstate 10 Calcaiseu River bridge, which the area has needed for 30 years and is being built. He said every southwest Louisiana community member is a stakeholder in the bridge.

“There is not a deal like what y’all got anywhere in Louisiana. In fact, there’s not a deal in the world like what y’all have,” Landry said. “Once

built, once paid for, this area, will receive 50 cents on every dollar that comes off that bridge that you get to put back into infrastructure in the entire Imperial Calcasieu area.” While he highlighted growth in southwest Louisiana, Landry said the rest of the state is seeing improvements as well. ”I want you to know it’s always great

That’s how they roll

ABOVE: Wesley Lemoine, 10, prepares to roll a bowling ball during Bowl for Kids’ Sake on Saturday at Rock ‘N’ Bowl in downtown Lafayette. The fundraiser benefitted Big Brothers Big Sisters Acadiana.

RIGHT: Harley Carmouche, 10, rolls her bowling ball.

Ex-Abbeville man convicted of child porn charges

presented in court. The investigation began in December 2021 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Onemore person deserves credit for Camp Tiger’s success

As aretired LSU Medical Centerprofessor, Iwas pleased to read Marie Fazio’sexcellent article on Camp Tiger in the June 29 newspaper.The longevity of this project is remarkable, as is the number of kids it has helped. Kudos to all those medical students and faculty who have participated in this annual event.

Iwould just liketocorrect one omission in the article. Dr.Joe Delcarpio, former dean of students, was closely involved early on and for 30 or so years,most of them as the Camp Tiger faculty adviser.Hewas instrumentalin promoting this event and advising the medicalstudent participants Again, thanks to the newspaper for recognition of this important communityproject and sincere thanks to Dr.Delcarpio for his contributions.

JEFFREY D. GREEN Metairie

Areader’sregret over vote forTrump

My friends, we have been deceived. Many of us voted in November for the person who said he would bring down prices. Inflation was too high then, buthe would “fix it.” And we believed him. That was then, this isnow The price Ipaid for coffee beans in April was $8 per pound —expensive, but my husband needs his coffee. Yesterday,the same one pound of coffee cost me $11! Thatisa 37% increase in cost in just four months. Isimply cannot afford this. Today,Iwanted to order a Christmas ornament, but thedealer tried to charge me a“North Pole tariff.” Iamnot kidding!No ornament for me. Frankly,Iamvery disappointed and wish Icould have my vote back.

DONNA HOWLAND Covington

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

AREWELCOME.HEREARE

YOUR VIEWS

Loyaltytestlikelytosinkone of state’smosteffective legislators

U.S.Sen.Bill Cassidy continues to shine in comparison to our other Republican representatives, namely U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, U.S.Sen.John Kennedy and House Speaker MikeJohnson, in actually proposing and gettinglegislation passed that not only benefits ourcountry,but Louisianainparticular They all pale in comparison tohim.The passage of his HALT Fentanyl Act is yet the latest example of the merits of Cassidy However,thanks to theLouisiana Republican Party’scensure due to his support of the impeachmentofDonald Trumpduring Trump’sfirst term, Cassidy’schances of beingable to continue to help Louisianaresidentsare almost nonexistent. Cassidy voted according to his moral conscience thatday andnot “blind loyalty,” and now he must be

removed from office according to the GOP. Ithink it’s past time for theGOP,and particularly the Louisiana GOP, to be moreconcerned about choosing individuals whoactually help improve our quality of liferather than the “loyalty no matter what” requirementthat’s now their operational mode. But Iamnot naïveenough to believe that will ever happen within our political system So, Iwould like to thank Cassidy forall his dedication to serving thecitizens of Louisiana and hope that Iamwrong abouthis future. We,asvoters, have achance to let him continue. We need doers, not minions. Please consider this, for Louisiana has benefited and needs Cassidy JIM ANDERSON Ponchatoula

Executionisnot thekindofclosure that many families of victimsneed

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill hasrepeatedly argued that executions are necessary for closure for those who have lost abeloved person as aresult of murder or homicide. She is highly qualified to speak as both an attorney and attorney general. I do question her qualifications to speak about thanatological (death, dying and bereavement)issues. Iamaboard-certified fellow in thanatology(Association of Death Education and Counseling), author of “Mending the Torn Fabric,” 18 articles in refereed journals and 10 chaptersinedited books/encyclopedias ondeath, dying and bereavement. Iam notawareofanything in thethanatological literature that supports her position. In myexperience withpersons who have experienced the horrendous death of aloved one, intense anger at the perpetrator is common. Thebereaved may want to personally hurt orevenkill theperson who killed their loved one. This usually subsides when the perpetrator is sentenced tolife imprison-

mentwith no possibility of parole. Their focus can then turn from theperpetrator to thedifficult task of learning to live in aworld without their loved one. Asentence of execution delays this transition.The focus remainsonthe perpetrator, not thegrief work. The long years between thedeath and execution are devastating. On that, Iagree withMurrill. The execution itself, however,does not end the trauma. The decision to witness theexecution or not is a difficult one. Iremember one father in particular who felt compelled to do so. He felt he owed it tohis son, and, tosome degree, theprosecutors. The execution gave him no relief. It traumatized him once again. He never recovered from what he witnessed. Murrill, please do not place ajustification for execution on theshoulders of those who have suffered so greatly.They do not deserve this

SARAH BRABANT Lafayette

Cutting Department of Education will hurt students

Last month, the SupremeCourt ruled that President Donald Trump could follow through with his executive order to dismantle the Department of Education.

This meansthere will be significant cuts to funding forpublic education. If this process continues, the impacts will be evident across communities nationwide, particularly in communities of poverty where schools are already underfunded.

In NewOrleans, we know all too well that our school system has been segregated by class and race. Awhopping 77% of New Orleans public school students receive free or reduced lunch, including me. As ahigh school student, Iworry that the funding cuts will result in an even larger disparity in our local education.

Students are our future, and with cuts to education, New Orleans youth, living in poverty or otherwise, will lose their access to their future. Additionally,these funding cuts will result in the firing of thousands of teachers, leaving them unemployed and their families in financial despair.With the teacher shortage already severe, families are noticing the lack of qualified teachers in our schools.

This defunding will deepen and institutionalize the teacher shortage, resulting in an education deficit. Louisiana is currently ranked 32nd in education, and Ifear that rating will decrease as our education system loses funding.

Iurge you to speak out about this ruling in the newspaper,asitwill impact Louisiana heavily.Thousands of Louisianans look to this newspaper forcritical information in all areas. Members of our community must be educated on this issue so that they can know how it will affect them and their families.

TO SEND US ALETTER SCAN HERE

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.

Ruling outlines problemwithTen Commandments in schools

In response to aletter on July 21 regarding“What the Fifth Circuit missed on the TenCommandments law,” I’d like to remindreaders that this law was an attempt to place the TenCommandments in the classroomsofLouisianapublic schools. While it makessense to place theTen Commandments, Bible verses or whatever other religious material you’d like to share within your privateschools, churches and CCD classes, public schools are free from religious material from any religion.

If you would like to have your children hear about God during class time, send them to one of themany private schools. If

you’dlike to talk about God at school, teach at one of the many private schools. That option is yours. If you’d like to encourage children to be kind to others, it is quite teachable and emulatable without including your preferred framework of religion.

To assume that people cannot possess qualities of kindness and love without being inundated with unwelcome proselytizing and evangelizing is quite condescending and self-serving. It was mentioned that a student pointed out that “in China, we obey thelaw out of fear of our government.” To not have thechoice to attend anonreligious,

also knownaspublic, school, we would then be living under the control and fear of our government, would we not?

The separation of church and state, as outlined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, allows people to gather and create their own schools and places of worship, while protecting each public student from having to tolerate religious beliefsimposed upon them by our government. Quite simply,the Fifth Circuit got nothing wrong on the TenCommandments law.They got it right.

RENEE DRESCHER NewOrleans

COMMENTARY

BACK TO SCHOOL

Kids are heading back to school to meet their teachers,see their friends andget started with an exciting newyear of learning!

So,what’sgoing on in this cartoon? youtellme. Be witty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky—justtry to keep it clean.There’snolimit on the numberofentries. Thewinning punchline will be lettered into the word balloon and runonMonday,Aug. 25 in our print editions and online. In addition, the winnerwill receiveasigned print of the cartoon along witha cool winner’sT-shirt!Somehonorable mentions will also be listed

To enter,email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com

All entries mustinclude your name, homeaddress and phone number. Cellnumbers are best.

Thedeadline for all entries is midnightonThursday.

Good luck with this homework,everyone! —Walt

Betweenstories andsteam

Culturemustbepasseddownasitgetsbetterwithtime

Areparents whodon’t vaccinatetheir children guilty of abuse?

In 2008, Madeline “Kara” Neumann, age11, diedofdiabetic ketoacidosis in Wisconsin. Herparents treated hersymptoms with prayerinstead of medical care. The daybeforeshe died, Kara could no longer talk while suffering terrible stomach pains. Yether adults still wouldn’ttake hertoadoctor.AWisconsin jury convictedthe mother of reckless homicide.

This is oneofseveral famous cases involving parents charged with murder for denying their children medical treatment thatcould have saved their lives. Past exampleshavegenerally pitted the right to hold certain religious beliefs against the obligationtoprotect children. The judgments almost always went against the caregivers —and the idea that parents have the right to do with their children as theywish.

Whena child diesofstarvation in a slum because the parents were cruel or just crazy—noreligious excuse given —theyget draggedoff in handcuffs. Not so when childrendie of measles because parents deniedthema two-second jab in the arm, explaining that they don’tbelieve in vaccines.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the crackpot President Donald Trump put in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services,covershis rear by insisting that he’s notstopping anyone from taking vaccines. He andfellow“skeptics” are just calling for“vaccine transparency and safety” while undermining the public’s trust in both.

Iwasn’traised by algorithms or AI. Iwas brought up on catfish grease, folded prayer hands and the kind of wisdom you can’tGoogle. My culture wasn’tonTikTok, it was on the porch, in thekitchen, in the fields and in the hush of amother’sknowing glance. Down south, culture isn’t acostume or weekend hobby.It’sliving,breathing tradition. It’sthe slow stir of awooden spoon in collard greens, thepop of hot oil andthe sound of your grandmama humming atune older than the house itself. You don’tdownload that kind of culture. Youinherit it, like your uncle’soveralls or the family’s secret cornbread recipe. Nowadays, the world is moving faster than a squirrel in church. Folks are trading stories for status updates, memories for memes. Everyone’s chasingwhat’s next withoutpausing to hold on to what’s been. And don’tget me wrong,I love a good gadget. But culture?Real culture? It don’tcome with acharging cord. My grandmama Celestine, now that woman had her Ph.D. in passingthings down. Not on paper,but in spirit. She taught with her hands, herlaughter, hersilence. When Iwas little, Iwasn’t off chasing footballsorplaying video games. Iwas in the kitchen, watching hershell peas and tell stories with everypop of the pod.

That’swhere the good stuff was, between the stories and the steam We live in atime when culture is beingfast-forwarded, clipped, filtered and forgotten. We’re so plugged in,we’ve disconnected from the stuff thatreally matters. Thekindoflessons that don’t come withlikes or follows but stay with youwhen the Wi-Fi’s down andlife gets real.

And let me tell you, culture isn’tjust about race or region. It’sabout roots. It’s what reminds you whoyou are when the worldistrying to tellyou who to be.It’sa mapdrawnbythe handsof those who came before you, so you don’t getlost chasing things that don’t feed your soul. My mama, Marva, didn’t have time forfoolishness. She was alwaysmoving, working, managing, parenting. But when she spoke, you listened.She didn’t need amicrophone to fill aroom. Her words had weight because they were built from generations of knowing bet-

ter.And she passed that down to me, notinlectures, but in how she moved throughthe world with grace, strength andaside of sass. Youknowwhat thereal tragedy is? We’reraisingageneration that might notknow howtomakeameal from scratch, fix something with their hands or tell astory without looking down at ascreen.Culture is getting thinner,watered down. It’s turning intoahighlight reel instead of away of life.

I’veseen kids eat microwaved everythingand not know what cornbread even tastes like. I’ve watched young folks scroll past history like it’soptional. Andthatscares me. Because when we forget to pass down culture, we leave our future starving for substance. Youcan’traise awellfed spirit on nothing but fast facts and quicker distractions. Yougotta pass down soul. Rhythm Patience.History. Culture is not just what you do, it’s howyou do it. It’show you greet your neighbor,how you tell ajoke, how you survive hard times with humor and hope.It’sfamily reunions that start with prayer and end with dance. It’sknowing where you come from so you don’tget lost chasing where you’re going. The problem is, we’ve confused informationwith wisdom. One’squick and easy;the other takes time. Andculture —real, nourishing culture —takes time.It’sslow-roasted. It’spassed down through hands and hearts, not downloads anddata. I’m not saying we need to liveinthe

past.I’m saying we need to carry the best of it withus. We need to raise kids who know how to FaceTime butalso how to face time with their elders. Kids who can code and cook. Who know their rootsand their worth.

So yeah, go ahead and snap your selfies. But also sit with your granddaddy and ask him about that scar on his hand. Watch your auntie make that sweet potato pie from scratch. Listen when your mama says, “This is how we used to do it.” Because there’sgold in those stories. There’sstrength in that old skillet. Youwant real confidence? It comes from knowing you’re part of something bigger than just yourself. That you belong to aline of folks who madeit through worse and still laughed loud, danced harder and passed thebiscuits like they were love.

So in aworld that wants everything now,remember this: Some things get better with time. Culture is one of them Butonly if we pass it on.

Hold on to your culture like it’sthe last jar of peach preserves on the shelf Share it.Celebrate it. Let it rise like bread in awarm kitchen. Because when all is said and done, culture is what keeps us full when everything else runs out.

Andbaby,Iain’tnever met aphone that could do that.

Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar,anative of New Orleans, is the author of the upcoming book “Provisions for Your Thoughts: Chronicles and Inspirations.

“Bobby” hasrolledbackgovernment support for mRNA vaccine research, canceling 22 projects for tools to fight respiratory virusessuch as COVID and the flu. No newprojects will be started. This technology could be used to treat or cure cancer andotherdiseases.

Kennedy has no scientific background andevidently suffers fromhis ownmentalconfusion. He’s said batso things like Lyme diseaseis“highly likely amilitarily engineered bioweapon.”’

He hasnever openly promoted violence against vaccine scientists. More cleverly he’s telling unstable people to question whether widely used vaccines could hurt them. He haslinkedlife-preserving vaccinestoautism in children —and hired avaccine foewho practiced medicine in Maryland without alicense to study the matter His department is no longer recommending the COVID vaccine forhealthy young children. Howmany children may die as aresult? We already know that from September2023 through August 2024, about152 children died from COVID. Howmanymoreperishedwithout the diseasebeing reported we cannotknow.

The lunatic who attacked aCenters for Disease Control andPrevention building, killing apoliceofficer,claimed that the COVID vaccine had made him sick. Where did he getthat idea? It seems no coincidencethatthis assault took place in the summerof2025. Can you envision the medical researchershaving to barricade themselves in their offices?

Hasthe public becomesodazed by political chaos thatit’snot up in arms over government actions thatcould cost millions of lives? During the pandemic, nearly aquarter-million Americans talked outoftaking the COVID vaccine died unnecessarily from the disease.

This is more harmful than the religious beliefs thatmiracles can cure anything. Theyskirt ratherthanfight science. Kennedy andcompanydistort it, putting a scientific veneer on dangerous misinformation. And theyare backed by acreepy pack of influencers.

Whatgrown-ups do with their lives is notthe great concern here. Rather,we should find shock in having agovernment actively promoting ignorance at the cost of children’slives. Parents who do not protect their chargesbelongbehind bars. Never mind their claiming good intentions. That’swhatchild abusers do while insisting theywerejust disciplining unruly kids.

It may take amasstragedy to move responsibility where it belongs. We seem headed for one.

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

NewOrleans mayorexpectedtodrawback

FBIannounced indictment Friday

BYTYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

up trash in the FrenchQuarter andthe Downtown Development District.

Three of her senior aides even disclosed to theCity Council last month that Cantrell had agreed to keep IV Waste working on its emergency contract but then surprised them by favoring another company instead

Remaining priorities?

With just months left in hersecond andfinal term, and engulfed now by acriminal indictment issued Friday,New OrleansMayor LaToya Cantrell’snear-decadelong leadership of city government may be over for all practical purposes. Any progress on projects and initiatives in New Orleans will come throughthe efforts of others, say CityCouncil members, business leaders and neighborhood activists.

They say they expect the mayor to concentrateonher legal battles in the comingweeks and months, stay mostly outofpublic sight and do little to promote the remaining itemsonher agenda.

Other elected officialsare likely to steer clear of Cantrell, who seems to have few remainingpolitical allies.

“When you’re alame duck, there’svery little you can do productively,” said GaryClark, a political science professor at DillardUniversity.“And nowshe becomes the lamest of lameducks.”

As Clark and multiple City Council members pointed out Friday’sindictment doesn’t mean the mayor has committed any crimes. Shestill has the right to prove her innocence and haspreviously denounced the federal investigation as racially motivated.

But political insiders saythat Cantrell, under alegal cloud for more than ayear and withdismal approvalratings,already seemed to be making fewvisible moves to achieve lasting progress ahead of her term ending in January

Her public activities of late have mostly consisted offights with aCity Council thatseems to have little respect for her views In recent weeks, the council members have overturnedher effort to block arevamp ofthe City Attorney’sOffice and seen ajudgeside with them over Cantrellrelatedtohow much money the city should collect from oilfield land under the Wisner Trust. The council has also stymied aplan she supported over which contractor wouldpick

Normally,a mayor hitting the final stretch of her term would be focused on finishing several legacy projects.But political insiderssaid theycouldn’t identify the mayor’sremaining priorities.

Arequest to have Cantrell or someone from her administration outline the priorities in an interviewelicitedonly anewsreleasethatspelled out themayor’s achievementsduring hertenure.

Andina statement lateFriday Cantrell’sadministration said her attorney was reviewing the indictment and had no comment on it yet.

Cantrell has limitedher public appearancesfor months,usually having aidesshield herfrom the presswhenever shedoesappear City Council members say they have hadlittlecontact with her lately,though she appeared last week at the grand opening of the first Trader Joe’sinNew Orleans, where she posed for photoswith employees and clapped along to aband

“The big question right nowis, will the mayor continue her duties as normal and be publicly available or,under the advice of counsel, will themayor shield herself from public scrutiny?”

council member Joe Giarrusso IIIsaid.“That question will be answered quickly with all the Katrinaeventscoming up.”

He notedthatthere will be Katrina events daily during the weekof the storm’s20thanniversary

“There hasn’tbeen achecklist of issues they wanttoaccomplish when theyleave,”saidOliver Thomas, who represents New OrleansEastonthe council and is running to replace Cantrell in thisyear’smayoral election.

And City Council Vice President Helena Moreno said she’s alsocontinuingtoact as acouncil watchdog. She’salso running for mayor,along withstate Sen. Royce Duplessis.

Cantrell can point to some accomplishments

She waspartofthe team that pulled off successful prepara-

tions forthis year’s SuperBowl. Violentcrime begandropping in late 2022 and has continued the trendunderpolice Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, who was chosen for the jobbyCantrell in September2023. In 2024, NewOrleans hadonly 144 homicides, about half the number in 2022. The tally so far thisyear is 82, according to Rafael Goyeneche, presidentofthe Metropolitan Crime Commission. Government carrieson Amid apotential leadership vacuum in the Mayor’sOffice, city officials, outsidegroups and business owners say they are continuing their work to move NewOrleansforward.

“It’s been verygratifying to seeCityHallworkers anddepartment heads performtheir workvery vigorously,” said Gregory Rusovich, ashipping executive who has chaired numerous city boards.“It’sa credit to the New Orleans spirit that we’re notletting herissues cloud our efforts and thesuccess of thecity.”

TheSewerage &Water Board

NOPD turnstoa marketingfirm

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

The New Orleans Police Department hasinked acontract with alocaladvertising agency to helprecruitnew officers as part of the agency’syearslong effort to increase its ranks, SuperintendentAnne Kirkpatrick confirmed Thursday Brand Society,the firm behind New Orleans &Co.’s2024tourism campaign, will workwith the departmenttohighlight unique aspects of both the city andthe job,Capt. Gwen Nolan said “Wedid work up agood strategic plan to advertise our diversity,” said Nolan. “And how awesome New Orleans is compared to all theother policedepartments. …You haven’texperienced MardiGras untilyou’ve had an NOPD Mardi Gras.And you haven’t worked amurder like aNOLA murder.” Nolan was named head of re-

GRANTS

Continued from page1B

n Westminster Christian Academy Lafayette: $50,000 for fencing and gates, and security cameras In St.Landry Parish, the following schools received

ECONOMY

Continued from page1B

potential of Louisiana for decades now and is actually doing something aboutit, Landry said. “It’sapart of the state that I’ve consistently said is the one bright shining spot in our state, but not anymore.”

cruitmentearlier thisyear,and she’s been researching firmsto craft amarketing planfor adepartment that’sheavy on benefits but light on manpower.Staffing hashovered at around 900commissioned officers since 2023, and the department has upped starting salaries andenlistment bonuses to helprecruit.

Michael Hecht, president of GNO Inc. and spokesperson for TheNOLA Coalition,laudedthe move. In addition to creating a plan to tackle crime,The NOLA Coalition craftedits ownNOPD staffingand retentiondashboard, though thegroup wasnot involvedinthe hiring decision.

“I thinkitisa necessary and goodidea that NOPD hires atopflight marketing firm,” Hecht said. “This is acompetitive market where we are not only competing with otheroptions in New Orleans, butweare further competing with other policedepartments aroundthe country.And

funding: n Academy of the Sacred Heart: $46,290 for access control n Westminster Christian Academy: $50,000for doors, security cameras and aPA system In St. MartinParish, the following school received funding:

Landry saidthat while southwest Louisianaisstill “a great bright shining spot,” now there are others around thestate. From asteel mill comingto Ascension Parish andMeta’s artificial intelligence data center planned forRichland Parish, Landry said thestate has been seeing continued growth in the past 36 months. Specifically,hesaidstate

we have to getthe message out.

NOPD’sranks began asteep declinein2019, hitting arecord lowof893 commissioned officers in August 2023, according to the city’sstaffing dashboard.That month, interimSuperintendent Michelle Woodforklaunched recruiting events at the Baptist Theological Seminary and set an ambitiousgoaltorebuild the forceto1,200 officers.

Around the same time, the New OrleansPoliceand Justice Foundation —anonprofit that had managedthe department’s employment advertising fora decade—returnedthatresponsibilitytoNOPD. Kirkpatrick hassince reinstated the department’sjob postings on Indeed. com, which had lapsed during the handoff, though shenotesthe platform is “very expensive.”

“Werealize (Indeed) is really the biggest player in town,”Kirkpatrick said. The department haslaunched

n St. Bernard School: $49,423 for security cameras

TheCalcasieu Parish Alternative Site and Johnson Bayou High SchoolinCameron Parish received funding. Both are public schools.

The largest school district in the state, Jefferson Parish Public Schools, landed the most grants, 13.

has gone from 31st in the nationineconomicoutlook to 18th. He also stated that Louisiana has a450% increase in potentialnew business and hashad a127% increasein job opportunities. “The questionis, can we continue the momentum?” Landry said. “I will tell you that the answer to that is yes, but only if we’re willing to embrace new opportunities.”

is installing smart meters aimed at addressing longtime complaints about inflated monthly bills and has taken control of cleaning catchbasinsfromthe Department of Public Worksunderabill sponsored by state Sen. Jimmy Harris, D-New Orleans, andsigned intolaw by Gov. Jeff Landry

Last month, the City Council approvedusing $20million of city funds, over Cantrell’sobjection, for Tulane’s $650 million retrofitofthe oldCharity Hospital, closed since Katrina.

Developers are turning vacant land justupriver of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center into offices, condos and apartments, thanks in parttomassive taxpayer subsidies. The Audubon Nature Institute is also working to turn the Governor Nicholls wharves at the downriver endofthe French Quarter into aparkthat will connect the Moonwalk with Crescent Park.

Plans to turn the old Six Flags amusement parkinNew Orleans East into the Bayou Phoenix complexare alsoadvancing, said

project leader Troy Henry. Jennifer Avegno,the city’s healthdirector,isoverseeing three new programs aimed at reducing crime and helping the city’smost vulnerable residents Rick Hathaway,the director of the Department of PublicWorks,and AnthonyDavis, thedirectorofcodeenforcement, arecontinuing their work to rebuild their depleted agencies Brenda Hatfield oversaw the city’sworkforce under then-Mayor RayNagin while news stories swirled about his legal troubles. Afterhis term ended, Nagin was indicted and convicted on briberycharges

“They have to chin up and get theirwork done,” Hatfieldsaid of cityemployees. “They have to know they’rebeing watched by the public, the people they’re serving.”

Staff reporter BenMyers contributed to this report. Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

30 digital billboards throughout town and is revamping itswebsite andsocial media to attract a younger audience. Capitalizing on the success of A&E’s “Homicide Squad New Orleans,” now in itssecond season, NOPD will offer aQ&A with theshow’s detectives at next week’s recruiting event from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Baptist Theological Seminary,3939 Gentilly Blvd. “It givesthe outside world a betterlook as to what we do and how we handle investigations,” said homicide detective Maggie Darling, who makes appearances on the show

Kirkpatrick said the 33 recruits in NOPD’snew academy class, which launches Monday,along with five lateral transfers —four fromLouisiana departments and onefrom New York —show that recruitment effortsare gaining traction. Though bolstered staffinghas

remained the most elusive of her three stated goals for the NOPD —the other two were to tamp downcrime and exit federal oversight —Kirkpatrick maintains she won’tcompromise on quality “Wewon’tlower standards here,” Kirkpatrick said. “If anything, we’regoingtoraise standards.”

UL LB Williams readyfor next level

ArizonaState transfer expectingtobemore productive this season

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

While many areas of the UL’s roster includequestionmarks because of alack of playingexperience, that’snot the case at outside linebacker.

Pairing redshirt sophomore Ashley Williams with redshirt senior Cameron Whitfield puts this group’spotential at an all-time high.

“I’ll say with this year coming up, it’smore of just playingfast and knowing what the offense is doing as well and what your jobis on the defense,” Williams said. “We’re talkingabout playing fast.”

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound transfer from Arizona State accountedfor 17 tackles and 2.5 stops behind the line last season, butisexpecting much more production this season

“With my personal improvement, I’ll say with the pass rush game first,” Williams said. “Coach G(Mike Giuliani) is making a big emphasis with dominating the pass rush and also the tight ends in six-technique as well.” Whitfield also sees more input in stopping the run as well.

“I think in the spring, excelled and stopping to run alot more than we didthis past season,” Whitfield said. “Even withthe outside linebackers, that’sa keyemphasis this year,giving us different ways to get into the backfield and get to the quarterback.”

LB coaching styles

To some fans, linebacker is linebacker. The skill sets necessaryto playoutside linebacker are very different than what’s requiredtoplay inside.

And on UL’s defense,the personalities of the two coaches arequite different as well. It doesn’ttake verylong to recognize inside linebackers coachScottStokerasanoldschool coach.

ä See UL, page 3C

the Aug. 30 season opener against Rice.

HEATING UP

on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome.

QB battle continuesasRattler leadslaterally to tieJaguars

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Tyler Shough got the startfor the New Orleans Saints, but Spencer Rattler finished.

Leading thesecond-team offenseafter starting last week,Rattler engineered three scoring drives, including agame-tying touchdown drive in theclosing minutes of Sunday’spreseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which finished in a17-17 draw

ThreeofRattler’sfive drivesendedwith points on the board, and he nearly had afourth: Rattler threw ared zone interception in the fourthquarterwhenreceiverMason Tipton gotcaughtupintraffic anddid notrun through his slant route.Jaguars defensive back Keni-H Lovely jumped the pass and picked it off with 4:32 remaining.

Despiteranking,Swinney’s Tigers area work in progress

Skepticism is the watchword forLSU’s seasonopeneratClemson, andnoone has to inventreasons forit.

“That’sabig momentand opportunity forhim to have that great drive going down thefield,” coach Kellen Moore said. “You throwaninterception and have to respond, and Ithought he responded really,really well.”

Rattler and the Saints took over at their own 18-yard line trailing 17-9 with 2:39 remaining. After the 2-minute warning, Rattler madeakey fourth-downconversion by hitting Tipton for 16 yards to movethe chains. He used his legs for an 11-yard scramble thatgavethe Saints a new set of downs. Then he madeabrilliant throw to Tipton on acorner route foragain of 26.

Andwith27seconds remaining, Rattler ripped athrow to Dante Pettis downthe leftsideline. Pettis skipped out of atackle and waltzed into the end zone, leaving the

See SAINTS, page 3C

The Tigers have dropped five straight season openers since 2019. They’re 0-for-this-decade. The fact that LSUisranked No. 9inthe preseason polls does little to improvethe outlook since Clemson is ranked No. 4and will be playing on its home turfthe night of Aug. 30 (6:30 p.m., ABC). Those Tigers are currently a4-point favorite,justifiable against an LSU team trying to work offensively behind arebuilt line and trying to integrate alarge group of newcomers at ahost of key positions.

Scott Rabalais

You’ve heardall the reasons to question theability of Brian Kelly’skrewe togointo that other Death Valley —Death Valley Jr., as heput it —and pull off what would be a mild but definitive upset All that said, LSUisnot playing thePhiladelphiaEagles in this opener.Clemson has its question marks, too. Hereare seven reasons for LSU to be optimistic it will return home to itsDeath Valley 1-0:

1. Poor rushingdefense

Clemson returns apair of preseason All-ACC defensive linemen in TJ Parker andPeter Woods, but they were part of a defensethat was woeful against the run in 2024. Clemson ranked 85th in the FBSand 16th in the 17-team ACC, allowing 160.6 yards per gameonthe ground. The Tigers

surrendered 210 or more yardsrushing five times in 2024, including 288 to The Citadel and 292 against Texas in their College Football Playoff matchup. Clemson was also 69th in total yards allowed last season (374.1 ypg) and 49thnationally in points per gameallowed (23.4 ppg).

2. Newdefensive coordinator

Not surprisingly,all these poor defensive statsled Clemson coach Dabo Swinney to jettison defensive coordinator WesGoodwin, whoreplaced Brent Venables when the latter became coach at Oklahoma in 2022. Swinney brought in highly respected PennState defensive coordinator TomAllen to take Goodwin’splace. Similar to second-year LSUDCBlake Baker,who ledhis unit from woeful in 2023 under Matt House

ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

Scheffler rallies for fifth win of year

BY DOUG FERGUSON

Associated Press

OWINGS MILLS, Md. Scottie Schef-

fler erased a four-shot deficit in five holes and then delivered a haymaker on the daunting par-3 17th by chipping in from 82 feet for birdie that carried him to victory Sunday in the BMW Championship for his fifth PGA Tour title of the year Scheffler closed with a 3-under 67 for a two-shot victory and became the first player since Tiger Woods (2006-07) to win at least five times on the PGA Tour in consecutive years.

Robert MacIntyre didn’t make a birdie until the 16th hole but stayed in the game after losing his big lead, mostly when Scheffler began missing short putts. MacIntyre pulled within one shot of the lead going to the 17th, the toughest hole at Caves Valley, with a back right pin on a crispy green that sloped to the right toward the water Scheffler went just left in the rough, the ball sitting up nicely but the shot still scary

He landed it some 60 feet short and watched it trickle, and then roll, and then slow again until it

shots in another extraordinary season. MacIntyre, who made 18 birdies in the first 45 holes of the tournament, made only two over the last 27 holes. He shot 73. It’s not over for Scheffler, who leads the 30 players who advanced to the Tour Championship at East Lake with a chance to become the first repeat FedEx Cup champion since the series began in 2007.

All 30 players at East Lake can win the $10 million first-place check The field includes Harry Hall, the only player who played his way into the top 30 on Sunday and even that was tense. Hall made bogey on the par-5 16th — the easiest hole on the course — and then went long and left at the 17th. He also chipped in for birdie and was safe going up the 18th.

spite making four bogeys on the back nine and feeling as though he had blown it.

MacIntyre squandered a big chance, too.

He showed plenty of grit on Saturday playing in the final group with Scheffler But on the opening hole, Scheffler drilled his drive down the middle and hit to 6 feet for birdie, while MacIntyre missed the fairway and a 6-foot par putt. It was an early statement.

MacIntyre missed another fairway at the second and made bogey. He went from the fairway to a bunker on the short par-4 fifth, a two-shot swing when the Scotsman failed to get up-and-down for par and Scheffler made birdie. And then, Scheffler took the lead with a wedge to 6 feet for birdie on No. 7.

Nuss, Brasher earn gold at Manhattan Beach Open

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — Former LSU standouts and Olympians Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher repeated as AVP Manhattan Beach Open champions on Sunday The top-seeded duo defeated No. 2-seeded Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft 2-1 (15-21, 21-18, 15-13) for the title. Nuss led with 19 kills, and Brasher had 3 blocks. Powerful servers Cannon and Kraft logged 4 aces apiece. In the semifinals, Brasher and Nuss cruised past 19th-seeded Kennedy Coakley and Ashley Pater 2-0 (23-21, 21-11).

Established in 1960, the AVP Manhattan Beach Open features the biggest draw of the season and the highest stakes.

Akie Iwai wins in Portland, joins twin as rookie champ

PORTLAND, Ore. — Akie Iwai joined twin sister Chisato as a rookie LPGA Tour winner Sunday at Columbia Edgewater, closing with a 6-under 66 for a four-stroke victory in The Standard Portland Classic.

Akie Iwai, 23, capped the bogeyfree round with birdies on the final two holes, running in an 18-footer on the last before Chisato rushed on the green and sprayed her with champagne.

She had second-place finishes in Thailand in February and Los Angeles in April, then watched her sister win at Mayakoba in May in Mexico. On Sunday, Chisato Iwai shot a 64 to tie for third, five strokes back.

The winner finished at 24-under 264 on the tree-lined course.

Rahm wins LIV points title, falls in a playoff to Munoz WESTFIELD, Ind. — Jon Rahm successfully defended his LIV Golf season points title Sunday without winning an event all year, closing with an 11-under 60 before losing a playoff to Sebastian Munoz on the first extra hole in the Indianapolis event.

Munoz won two days after becoming the first player to shoot 59 with a double bogey The Colombian player —with Rahm hitting balls on the driving range — birdied the final two holes in regulation for a 65 to match Rahm at 22 under at The Club at Chatham Hills. Rahm took the season points title from Joaquin Niemann, a five-time winner this season. Niemann shot a 66 to tie for fourth at 17 under, his first top-10 finish of the year that he didn’t win.

dropped into the cup.

“It looked good when it landed, looked good when it was rolling, and it was nice to see that one go in,” Scheffler said.

MacIntyre could only look at him and stare at the world’s No. 1 player making other-worldly

Rickie Fowler was on the verge of getting back to East Lake only to twice miss the green from the fairway on the back nine, leading to bogey on the 14th and double bogey on the 15th, and knocked him out of the top 30.

Fowler finished with a 5-foot par putt — had he missed, Michael Kim would have been in the Tour Championship. Instead, the 30th spot went to Akshay Bhatia, de-

It looked like it would be a runaway at that point as Scheffler never seemed to miss — except when he had a chance to extend the lead. He missed birdie chances of 5 feet at No. 8 and 8 feet at No 10 He botched a simple upand-down at the 12th and threeputted from 18 feet on the 14th.

And then came one chip on the 17th, a knockout punch.

Dillon equals an Earnhardt feat with win at Richmond

BY NATE RYAN Associated Press

In his playoff-clinching victory at Richmond Raceway, Austin Dillon shared some NASCAR history on the venerable short track with the most famous driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet.

Dale Earnhardt, the late seventime Cup Series champion who amassed 76 victories in a Hall of Fame career, was the last Richard Childress Racing driver to win consecutive Cup races at the 0.75mile oval in Richmond, Virginia until Dillon did so Saturday night.

The comparisons to Earnhardt and whispers of nepotism have dogged Dillon since the grandson of team owner Richard Childress was tabbed 11 years ago to drive the car number synonymous with a NASCAR icon.

“I could win 50 races, and they’ll say my grandpa gave me the ride,” Dillon said with a smile. They’re not wrong. He did. He did a great job putting me in it. Hopefully, I’m paying off on his investment at some point.” Richmond was only his sixth victory in 433 Cup starts, but Dillon said snapping a 37-race winless streak was “one of the best because it was pretty much a butt kicking.” He led 107 of 400 laps, including the final 49, and cruised to a 2.471-second victory over Alex Bowman.

Dillon never led for more than 35 laps in any of his previous Cup wins. He won the 2018 Daytona 500 by leading only the last lap after knocking Aric Almirola aside two turns from the checkered flag Last year’s win at Richmond was his most controversial as Dillon wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap, and NASCAR consequently revoked his playoff eligibility There was no such drama Satur-

day, when Dillon cleanly outdueled 2023 Cup champion Ryan Blaney just before his final pit stop.

“Anybody that says Austin doesn’t deserve to be at this level, look at the 30 or 40 laps he raced side by side with Ryan Blaney,” said Richard Boswell, Dillon’s crew chief. “He raced door to door with a Cup champion He beat him. Yeah, we need to run better We need to be more consistent. But anybody that says he just can’t do

it is not looking at the facts.” The statistics are less convincing about Dillon’s championship chances.

Richmond was the first top-five finish in 25 races this year for Dillon, who is ranked 25th in the points standings and in the Cup playoffs for the sixth time in 12 seasons. He has won championships in the Truck and Xfinity series, with 22 victories across NASCAR’s top three national circuits.

“Austin has earned his way,” Childress said. “He won races in everything he’s ever driven. They’re going to give you criticism because he is my grandson. But we take it. It’s just the way life is. You can’t be burdened down by what people say Do what you do and move forward. He’s won his share.”

Dillon, 35, said he cried last year during RCR’s unsuccessful appeal of the NASCAR penalty that took him out of the playoffs, noting he legitimately had passed Hamlin and Logano before a late caution erased a comfortable lead. The Richmond repeat validated Dillon’s belief that he belongs in NASCAR’s premier series.

“I think I get the credit I deserve,” he said. “I have some loyal fans We’re kind of like a fighter

We don’t go away I think a lot of people think that guy is going to go away at some point. I like that underdog mentality a little bit.”

Statue of Bird is unveiled at Climate Pledge Arena

SEATTLE Shortly before a bronze statue of Sue Bird was unveiled outside Climate Pledge Arena, an onlooking fan chimed in during a brief moment of silence.

“You’re the GOAT, Sue!” It’s easy for Seattle fans to think so. On Sunday, she became the first player in WNBA history to have a statue erected outside of a team’s home arena.

“There’s just not a lot of women that are honored in this way,” Bird said. “I’m really proud to be in the same breath as the greats that have come through here, but even more proud to be the first WNBA player.”

Bird’s 8-foot, 650-pound statue depicts her scoring a layup, which she said was a nod to how she scored both her first and final baskets in the WNBA.

Browns starting QB likely to be decided this week

CLEVELAND Coach Kevin Stefanski is expected to announce this week the Browns starting quarterback for the Sept. 7 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns were off on Sunday after their 22-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Joe Flacco has not played in either preseason game but has seen most of the first-team snaps throughout camp.

Kenny Pickett has been limited the past couple of weeks after suffering a hamstring injury on July 26. Shedeur Sanders missed the second day of joint practices against the Eagles and did not play in the game after suffering an oblique injury last Wednesday Dillon Gabriel, who did not play in the preseason opener at Carolina on Aug. 8 because of a hamstring strain, played the first half against the Eagles.

1

SPENCER RATTLER’S CASE FOR QB1

Rattler outplayed Tyler Shough in the ongoing competition for the starting quarterback job, leading three scoring drives in five second-half possessions, including a game-tying touchdown drive in the final seconds The second-year quarterback was mobbed by teammates afterward a telling sign, perhaps. Rattler completed 18 of 24 passes for 199 yards, a touchdown and an interception Shough was 9 of 12 for 66 yards — but he produced just one field goal in four first-half possessions marred by shaky offensive line play and a big drop by Chris Olave

SAINTS

Saints down 2.

THE O-LINE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

2

No matter the quarterback, the Saints need better offensive line play for a chance at success. Playing most of the first half behind what figures to be the starting unit sans center Erik McCoy, Shough was sacked twice and pressured often in 14 drop-backs The line also allowed several sacks in a joint scrimmage against the Rams and five sacks in last week against the Chargers.The rushing attack wasn’t much better The Saints rushed for a meager 35 yards on 12 carries in the first three quarters.

3

TIPTON CONTINUES TO SHINE

Another game, another explosive play by Mason Tipton.

The speedy receiver’s diving 45-yard catch on a bomb from Rattler was the Saints’ biggest play and helped set up a Charlie Smyth field goal.Tipton, who had a 54-yard touchdown catch against the Chargers, also drew a 45-yard pass interference penalty against Christian Braswell to set up another field goal. He finished with a game-high six receptions and 100 yards and has emerged as a viable third receiver option behind Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

Jeff Duncan

On the ensuing 2-point conversion, the Jaguars called what Rattler described as the “perfect defensive call” for the play the Saints were running. Jacksonville sent seven defenders back into a zone coverage, clogging all of the passing lanes until Rattler saw a path to the pylon.

“That’s like a go-to 2-point play,” Rattler said. “They played it perfect. Down there you’ve got to extend and scramble, and they kind of let me leak out. Saw the edge and just hit it.”

He beat defensive tackle Keivie Rose in a footrace to the end zone to tie the game. On the drive, Rattler completed seven of his eight passes for 76 yards and a touchdown while also making the two plays with his feet.

The Saints nearly had an opportunity to steal the win in the exhibition when rookie safety Jonas Sanker intercepted the ball on the final play; because he was tackled out of bounds at Jacksonville’s 24yard line with no time remaining, the game officially ended in a tie.

Rattler finished the game 18 of 24 for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception — a decided improvement over his first preseason performance, when he took three sacks, lost a fumble and averaged just 4.8 yards per attempt.

“Coming into this week we wanted to be a little more aggressive,” Rattler said “I wanted to be a little more aggressive Play free. Play my style of ball within the offense and just get it to the playmakers.”

While Shough didn’t exactly regress from Week 1, there wasn’t the same marked improvement on his end.

There were moments from Shough’s first start as the Saints quarterback that showed why the team is considering him for the big job when it opens its season against the Arizona Cardinals next month. But some of the lows tempered the excitement of the highs.

Shough directed four drives while playing the entire first half against the Jaguars One of those drives looked fantastic, while the other three combined to net 3 offensive yards and three punts

Continued from page 1C Saints quarterback Tyler Shough looks to make a pass under pressure from Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker on Sunday.

The Jaguars sacked Shough twice and forced an ugly intentional grounding penalty that killed Shough’s opening drive. He finished the contest completing 9 of his 12 passes for 66 yards with an 87.5 passer rating before yielding to Rattler for the second half.

On the positive side Shough showed off the arm that some considered the best in the 2025 quarterback class with his one scoring drive.

Hisbestthrowofthedaywentfor 28yardstotightendTreytonWelch, who got a half-step on a linebacker in coverage on a deep over route.

Standing in a clean pocket, Shough delivered a precision strike to Welch, dropping his pass just over the linebacker’s helmet and allowing his teammate a chance to make a tremendous catch.

Shough passed on a similar play in last week’s game and learned from the experience.

“I felt like I could have maybe thrown it (last week); took a sack on it,” Shough said. “Kind of had a similar look and ripped it So it was good to kind of learn from that and kind of bounce back, continue to grow from it.”

Welch hauled it in, converting a first-and-20, and Shough appeared to dial in. He connected on his next four passes, all of them short rhythm throws. He moved the chains by hitting Rashid Shaheed for 6 yards on third-and-4.

That drive stalled, but it wasn’t because of Shough: Facing a third-and-7, Shough saw Olave break free to the far right side of the formation. Shough threw a perfect strike to Olave on the sideline that would have given the Saints a new set of downs, but Olave dropped the pass.

The difference between that drive and the other three was mostly defensive pressure. Shough took a sack and was penalized for intentional grounding on back-toback plays on the opening drive, and his pocket collapsed around him on his final play, with four Jaguars defenders converging on him for a drive-killing sack.

The Saints will close the preseason next week, and Moore isn’t yet committing to naming a starter before then

“Sooner always is better, but these guys are competing, and they’re giving us everything we can ask,” Moore said. “And so we’ll continue to evaluate.”

Continued from page 1C

“If you make a good play, you may get a nod and maybe a little smile,” linebacker Jake St. Andre said with a laugh “That’s about it, that’s the best you can get out of him.” And no, St. Andre isn’t complaining, simply telling it like it is.

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

to tolerable in 2024, Allen can be expected to improve Clemson’s defense. But in a season opener, it’s LSU, which returns its offensive and defensive play callers in Joe Sloan and Baker, that has the advantage. Allen will probably toughen up Clemson’s defense in time, but in Week 1 may be too early for that.

3. 0-for-SEC

Clemson went 7-1 in the ACC this past season and also won the conference title game against upstart SMU. But against the

Bubble watch: Five players make their case for a Saints roster spot

BY MATTHEW PARAS and LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

With the Saints sitting their entire starting defense and a few key offensive starters in Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, that created an opportunity for those on the bubble to step up and make their case to secure a roster spot.

And several players took advantage of the extended playing time. Let’s take a look at what the performances might mean for the 53man roster when cuts have to be made later this month:

TREYTON WELCH, TIGHT END: Quarterback Tyler Shough threw a deep ball where only Welch could get it, and the tight end delivered with an impressive 28-yard contested catch. The moment was big for Welch, who is fighting for one of the spots behind starter Juwan Johnson Coach Kellen Moore recently said Taysom Hill (knee) and Foster Moreau (knee) aren’t close to practicing yet, so that increases Welch’s chances of making the roster But if the Saints keep only three tight ends, and assuming Johnson and Jack Stoll are ahead of him, Welch will have to beat out seventh-round rookie Moliki Matavao, journeyman Michael Jacobson and Seth Green Sunday’s performance might have helped him.

ISAIAH STALBIRD, LINEBACKER: Stalbird is a standout on special teams and he made another impact on punt coverage against the Jaguars by absolutely whacking AustinTrammell at the point of catch. The Saints have a history of keeping players whose main job is to contribute in that area

— see safety J.T. Gray — and so could Stalbird be the next to do so?

If the Saints keep five linebackers, he’ll likely have to beat out Nephi Sewell and Jaylan Ford for the last spot. Sewell and Ford are also known for their special team contributions making it a tough choice. Still, Stalbird played 83% of the team’s special team snaps last week against the Chargers, so he’s getting a long look by the coaching staff.

KENDRE MILLER, RUNNING BACK: On the surface, Miller’s final stat line of 21 yards on six carries was nothing special. But it was good to see the second-year back run hard. He had a 13-yard gain on third down and had another long carry negated by a holding penalty

Just as notable was Miller’s usage. He was the Saints’ starting running back with Alvin Kamara resting, and took most of the snaps during his three drives. Early in camp, Miller was occasionally third or fourth in the pecking order Lately,

he’s been the consistent back behind Kamara — a good sign that his job won’t be in jeopardy

JAYLAN FORD, LINEBACKER: Up until Ford’s interception on Nick Mullens, the Jaguars quarterbacks had been dicing the Saints defense as they had completed 21 of their first 26 passes. But Ford, a 2024 fifthround pick out of Texas, made a big play to force a turnover As previously mentioned, Ford is in the mix in a tight linebacker battle. But he has now stacked two solid weeks in a row — something he rarely did in his injury-plagued rookie season.

MASON TIPTON, WIDE RECEIVER: Increasingly, Tipton does not look like he’s on the bubble. But the second-year wideout had another excellent day, drawing a 45-yard pass interference penalty and hauling in a 45-yard pass from Spencer Rattler The explosives came one week after he secured a 54-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Resting starters

For the second straight week, the Saints dressed out their entire healthy roster for pregame warmups but chose to sit key veterans once the game started.

On offense, veterans Erik McCoy, Kamara, Johnson and Brandin Cooks did not play

Perhaps because rookie quarterback Shough was starting, the Saints did send receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed out for the first series.

Defensively, New Orleans rested almost its entire starting 11, with edge rushers Chase Young, Carl Granderson and Cam Jordan, defensive linemen Bryan Bresee and Davon Godchaux, linebackers Demario Davis and Pete

Werner and defensive secondary players Kool-Aid McKinstry, Justin Reid and Julian Blackmon all staying safe on the sidelines. The following players did not dress out for Sunday’s preseason game: Alontae Taylor (groin), Trevor Penning (turf toe), Terrell Burgess, Devin Neal (hamstring), Gray (hamstring) and Jasheen Davis. Tight ends Moreau (knee) and Hill (knee), who are still on the Physically Unable to Perform list, also continued to sit out. Hunter held out

Saints fans who hoped to catch a glimpse of Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter will have to wait. Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, did not play against the Saints for Week 2 of the preseason as he deals with what Jacksonville is calling an “upper body” injury Known for his ability to play both sides of the ball, Hunter played 11 offensive snaps and eight defensive snaps in the Jaguars’ preseason opener He caught two passes but did not record a defensive statistic. Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns while also recording four interceptions for the University of Colorado last season.

Odds and ends

Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the pregame Who Dat chant For those who love the 504, Sunday’s game against the Jaguars was the 504th NFL game played in the Superdome: 384 regular-season games, 98 preseason games, 14 Saints playoff games and eight Super Bowls.

value when it’s too close to call.

“He’s tough on us and he holds us to a high expectation and a high standard for when we do mess up,” St. Andre said of Stoker “It’s not anything any of us take personally because he wants us to be the best football players we can be.” Perhaps even his players don’t know Stoker was a star quarterback at Northwestern State in the 1980s, leaving as the Demons’ alltime leader in passing yards.

Southeastern Conference it was a much grimmer picture. Clemson got plastered 34-3 in the season opener against Georgia in Atlanta, lost 17-14 at home to bitter in-state rival South Carolina and then lost 38-24 at Texas in the first round of the CFP Past performance does not presage future results, of course, but the fact is Clemson did not beat anyone in 2024 regarded as highly as LSU is this season. Clemson’s best win was SMU, 34-31, a team that made the CFP but finished 13 in ESPN’s postseason power rankings. Clemson’s losses were to No. 7 Georgia, No. 12 Louisville (33-21), No. 15 South Carolina and No. 2 Texas.

Meanwhile, outside linebacker coach Mike Giuliani is a young coach full of energy and enthusiasm.

Easy is not always best When it comes to position battles in camp, UL coach Michael Desormeaux wants obvious answers. For a coach who cares deeply about his players, those virtual dead heats can be tough emotionally

Desormeaux also realizes there’s

“He’s a great coach, and he’s going to make sure he’s doing the right things,” Williams said of Giuliani. “And if you do something bad, I mean, he’s going to let you know. But for the most part, he’s a great coach, a great person to be around, and he’s going to make sure that you’re going to be good.”

4. Is Cade Klubnik all that?

Like LSU with Garrett Nussmeier, Clemson returns a highly regarded veteran quarterback in Klubnik. He completed 63% of his passes this past season for 3,639 yards with 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He also rushed for 463 net yards and seven TDs. In Clemson’s four losses, however, Klubnik’s passing was more pedestrian. Against Georgia, Louisville South Carolina and Texas he threw four TDs and three interceptions combined.

5. Trending under In 2021, Clemson was preseason

No. 3 in the AP poll and finished No. 14 with a 10-3 record. In 2023, Clemson was preseason No. 9 like LSU and finished No. 20 with a 9-4 mark. Not failing seasons by any means, but enough to make you doubt that Clemson will live up to this year’s lofty expectations.

6. Running game worries Klubnik is by far Clemson’s top returning rusher, with Phil Mafah (1,115 yards in 2024) having moved on. The Tigers’ current projected starting running back is Adam Randall, a converted receiver who had four carries a year ago. His backup is Gideon Davidson, a highly regarded freshman but still someone mak-

“Yeah, it’s easy when one quarterback just plays really good all the rest of them play bad or one running back does it all right, and the other one’s not playing very well,” he said. “But that’s not the best for our team. The best is when they’re both playing at a really high level, and you really got to try to split hairs to figure out who’s playing the best.”

ing his first collegiate carries next week.

7. Punter problems

Less than two weeks from the LSU game and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has yet to pick a punter between Jack Smith, Robert Gunn and Will McCune. All three possess boom or bust legs, kickers who could pin LSU deep or boot a dying duck to give LSU great field position in a tight game. “They can launch it 60” yards, Swinney said recently “They can also shank it 20. Right now, I’d have to pray about it, put their names in a hat and ask God to pull out the right one for me on game day.”

SS

SS

PAST

PROJECTED STARTERS

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Erath

What we know

The 2024 season was a series of high and lows for Erath. The high came as the Bobcats finished 8-1 in the regular season and claimed the No. 2 seed in the non-select Division III playoffs.

The low came as Erath dropped its only playoff game as it was stunned in the second round by Loreauville, a team the Bobcats beat in the regular season.

“It was a disappointing way to lose,” Erath coach Eric LeBlanc said. “We played well all season and were playing well going into the playoffs but came up short in the postseason.”

Fast forward one year and the 2025 version of Erath will look a little different.

“We lost about half of our offensive starters and half our defensive starters,” LeBlanc said. “But many of the new starters have significant playing time, so it’s not like we are going to have a brand new team out there.”

COACHES

Head coach: Eric LeBlanc (34-35).

Assistant coaches: Jamal Bell (WR), Jonathan Bouillion (DC/S), Jacob Broussard (RB),Tucker Derise (LB), Ian Harrington (WR), Bryan Parker (DL),Tommie Pillette (OLB),Trey Price (CB), Johnny Trangmar (OL), Chris Turner (TE).

The main player coming back is senior quarterback Jack Landry

“We really made a lot of progress last year with his reads and his throws” LeBlanc said. “I expect that he is only going to be better this year.”

Talen Landry steps into a leading receiver role for the Bobcats in 2025.

“He is really good and talented” LeBlanc said. “He is going to be a hard player for opposing defenses to contain.”

What we don’t know

Erath has two big question marks: How will the new starters react when the games start, and how will last season’s loss in the playoffs affect the team?

“You never know what is going to happen when you have new starters in the lineup,” LeBlanc said.

“They can be great players or they can struggle.

“As a staff, we feel that they will turn out just as good as the players they replace.”

The Erath coach also feels there won’t be a hangover from last year

“We’ve talked to them about it from the beginning of the offseason,” LeBlanc said “We think that they know all about last year, and they want to make up for it this year.”

How we see it

That Erath had a disappointing 2024 season is not in question. The Bobcats did just about everything right in the regular season but couldn’t find the magic in the playoffs

The Bobcats lost many of their top players in the offseason, but with Landry and some top receivers returning, Erath can still be a dangerous team to face.

It might not be a No. 2 seed at the end of the regular season, but it should give teams fits in the postseason.

Neal McClelland

Jack Landry

QB, 6-3, 200, Sr.

“He exceeded my expectations last year and is really ahead of where I thought he would be going into this year,” LeBlanc said.

“He has really gotten better at making the right reads and getting the ball to the receivers. I think that he is going to really be a standout player this year and is going to open a lot more eyes to what he can do.

Talen Landry

WR, 5-11, 160, Sr.

“I think that he was really underrated last year,” LeBlanc said.

“He really came into his own and is a player that is going to handle the ball a lot for us this year.”

Aiden Bourque RB/SS, 5-10, 190, Sr

“Solid player running the ball for us and one of our returning starters in the secondary,” LeBlanc said.“Not afraid to cover the field and deliver the hit on the defensive side.”

Third Quarter NO_FG Smyth 23, 11:07. NO_FG Smyth 40, :17. Fourth Quarter NO_Pettis 20 pass from Rattler (Rattler run), :21. A_70,038. JacNO First downs 21 18 Total Net Yards 337

Sacked-Yards Lost 0-0 2-17

Punts 4-38.0 4-46.5

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0

Penalties-Yards 4-61 6-57

Time of Possession 28:48 31:12

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Jacksonville, Tuten 10-35, Etienne 3-24, Allen 2-18, Jackson 5-9, Bigsby 2-6, B.Thomas 1-2, Cephus 1-1, Mullens 1-1, Lawrence 1-0. New Orleans, Jones 4-29, Miller 6-21, Rattler 3-19, Edwards-Helaire 4-12 Yarns 2-4, Akers 2-2. PASSING_Jacksonville, Mullens 14-17-1112, Lawrence 8-10-0-76, Wolford 3-7-0-30 Henigan 1-3-1-23. New Orleans, Rattler 1824-1-199, Shough 9-12-0-66. RECEIVING_Jacksonville, Trammell 4-27, Allen 4-24, Long 2-32, Strange 2-22, Irwin 2-21, Washington 2-19, Cephus 2-14, B.Thomas 2-8, Morris 1-23, Bigsby 1-19, Bowman 1-10, Etienne 1-8, Singer 1-8, Tuten 1-6. New

Tipton 6-100, Pettis 4-57, Shaheed

Akers 3-11, Welch 2-30, Edwards-Helaire

Jacobson 2-12, Olave

Angels (Mederos 0-0), 8:38 p.m. Cleveland (Williams 7-4) at Arizona (Gallen 9-12), 8:40 p.m. San Francisco (Ray 9-6) at San Diego (Cortes 1-1), 8:40 p.m.

Jahlil Charles LB/RB, 5-10, 180, Sr LeBlanc describes Charles as “another tough running back for us and a hard hitter on the defensive side.” In addition to help on offense, Charles has the ability to cover a lot of ground on defense.

Kaiden Viator OT/DE, 6-0, 250, Sr. “One of our best returning linemen on both sides of the ball,” LeBlanc said.“He can open holes for our running backs on the offensive side and plug up the holes and get to the quarterback on the defensive side.”

DON’T FORGET TO WRITE

STAFF PHOTOSByJAN RISHER

Onestate still flying underthe radarasthe deadline loomsfor 2025

Postcard Project

BY JANRISHER | Staff writer

Even with the Postcard Project, sometimes thereare glitches in thesystem. Somehow,in the jumbleofhundreds of postcards received, amistake hasbeen made.Inthe joyofreceiving apostcardfrom Delaware, thestate we believed to be our last state in 2025, we realizedthat West Virginia is still notonthe board.

The2025 Postcard Project ends on Sept. 1, and there is still time for all 50 states to be represented. If you are visiting West Virginia or have friends or family there, please ask them to send apostcard to:

JanRisher,The Advocate,10705 Rieger Road, BatonRouge, LA 70809.

Meanwhile,we’ve received so manyother lovely postcards —likethe one fromFargo,North Dakota, fromMiriamKolwe in Lafayette. She wrote, “What aneat downtown Fargohas! We enjoyed quaint streetsand yummy restaurants. We drove over fromMinneapolis (about 200 miles) and loved seeing more of thiscountry and to checkoff North Dakota!”

ä See POSTCARD, page 6C

Thebiggest revealsofTaylorSwift’s podcast debut

BY JAMI GANZ Newyork Daily News (TNS)

Taylor Swift’stwo-hour podcast debut,onboyfriend Travis Kelce’s “NewHeights,” was chock-full of sweet nothings and tales fromthe stars’ love story as well as other peeks behind the curtain of the world’sbusiest showgirl. The highlyanticipated episode of Kelce’spodcast with big brother Jason dropped last week. Here are the biggest revela-

tionsshared by the35-year-old Grammy winner outside of announcing her12th studio album, “The Life of aShowgirl.” Professional Easter eggs only Swifties know all too wellthat the “cardigan” crooner has apenchant for dispensing clues to fans through everyavailableavenue —beitday-to-dayfashion, lyrics and music videovisuals.But, contrary to the hopes of Swift’s ardent fans, she clarifiedthat

she’ll only ever lay so-called Easter eggs to refer to musicorother projects, never her personal life. She did confirm that theorange door she walked through on the last night of the Eras Tour was indeed anod to the color scheme of “The Life of aShowgirl.” Swift recordedher upcoming album between Eras Tour shows. Swift didn’tcome outofher hiatus to record her upcoming

ä See SWIFT, page 6C

Should Iask my primarycare physician foracognitive assessment during my physical exam?

According to aMarch 2019 report by the Alzheimer’s Association, 82% of seniors believe it is important to having their thinking and memory checked and nearly all primary care physicians, 94%, consider it important to assess all patients age 65 and older forcognitive impairment.

However,though there is the understanding between both seniors and primary care physicians about the value of early cognitive testing, the report found that just one in seven seniors (16%) reveal that they receive regular cognitive assessments formemory or thinking issues during routine health exams. This is very low in comparison to other routine tests that are normally given, the report showed, such as blood pressure (91 percent), cholesterol (83 percent), vaccinations (80 percent), hearing or vision (73 percent), diabetes (66 percent) and cancer (61 percent).

“While it’sencouraging to see that the vast majority of seniors and physicians understand the value of brief cognitive assessments, we’re still seeing asignificant gap in those that actually pursue, perform or discuss these assessments during routine exams,” said Joanne Pike, chief program officer forthe Alzheimer’sAssociation. “Early detection of cognitive decline offers numerous medical, social, emotional, financial and planning benefits, but these can only be achieved by having aconversation with doctors about any thinking or memory concerns and through routine cognitive assessments.”

Seniors are not always quick to discuss any cognitive impairment with their physicians. The Alzheimer’sAssociation’ssurvey report found that while half of all seniors are aware of changes in their ability to think, understand or remember,only 40% have ever discussed these concerns with their doctor.Itseems seniors are relying on their doctor to recommendcognitive testing as 93% of seniors in the report trusted that their doctor should be the one initiating the assessments. However,this is not the case. Fewer than half,or47%, of primary care physicians stated that it is their standard practice to assess all patients ages 65 and older forcognitive impairment. Just 26% of seniors reported having aphysician ever ask them if they had any concerns about cognitive deficits without seniors bringing up the subject first.

“The findings indicate there are missed opportunities for seniors to discuss cognitive concerns and problemsinthe exam room,” said Pike. “We hope the report will encourage seniors and physicians both to be moreproactive in discussing cognitive health during the

Walking pneumoniacalls forthoroughdiagnosis

Dear Doctors: Can adoctor rule out walking pneumoniajust bylistening to your chest? My daughter andhusband both have pneumonia, and Ihave been feeling weird. There’snocough or fever, and my oxygen is at 99% saturation, so the doctor said I’m fine. But it’s days later and my chest still hurts, and Istill feel tiredand breathless. What can Idotobe taken seriously?

Dr.Elizabeth Ko Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

Dear reader: Your letter contains two important questions —one about health and one about health care. We’ll begin with your first question about pneumonia. This is an infection that can occur in one or both of the lungs. It affects the millions of tiny and fragile air sacs, known as alveoli, that deliver oxygen to the bloodstream. Thesource of the infectionisoften bacterial, but canalsobeviral,fungal or environmental.

POSTCARD

Continued from page5C

Travis Cosban wins the prize this year for sending postcards from so many exotic places. Thus far this summer,we’ve received his postcards from Istanbuland Malaysia. Most recently, he has sent one from Borneo, saying, “I made it to Borneo after the longest travel day of my life. Postcards are unsurprisingly hard to come by.Wehave seen more leopard cats and pygmy elephants than postcards. Our leech count is also higher! The trip has been amazing though and we are excited to have seen all the things we wanted before many may be lost to deforestation. P.S. Malaysian durian fruit is stronger/worse than that of Thailand.”

From Nashville, Cliff Sutter,ofMetairie, wrote: “Safely made it to Nashville. Enjoyed the Grand Ole Opry and was amazed at the honky tonks along Broadway.”

From Recanati, Italy

Zoran Allen, an LSU student, wrote in abeautiful script: “Hello, Jan, I’ve come to learn about your Postcard Project through my uncle, aregular reader of The Advocate. Ihope this finds you well. IamanLSU student studying abroad for one month in the small Italian town of Recanati, learning language and culture at the immersion school here. Que, la vita edolce elenta, eilcaffe eabbondante!”

Taiga and Alasdair Lee sent ashort and sweet message from New Hampshire, while Bill Kipf hiked to the top of Mt. Washington and to find aplace to hand-stamp and mail apostcard. He wrote: “Here you go! From the top of Mt. Washington after our nice little hike from the bottom —your postcard from New Hampshire. Good luck on your collection. Geaux Tigers!”

Don Gandolini and Lisa Sirgo sent abeautiful post-

SWIFT

Continued from page5C

album. Rather,she reunited with “Red” and “1989” collaborators Max Martin and Shellback in Sweden amid the European leg of theEras Tour to do so. Swift confirmed that it was an “electric” time in her life —probably as much to do withthe record-breaking tour as her then-nascentrelationship with Kelce —and the album reflects just that.

Parentsbothrecovering

Both Scott and Andrea Swiftare nicelyrecovering from what Swift joked were “upgrades” this summer

The pop star’sfather underwent aquintuple bypass and is sprightly as ever —even if

ASSESSMENT

Continued from page5C

When someone has pneumonia, the alveolifill with fluid or pus. This causessymptomssuch as a cough that can produce mucus, fever,chills, shortnessofbreath, chest discomfort and exhaustion. It’salsopossible for amild case

of pneumonia to be asymptomatic. That means that although the infection is present,the visible or measurable signs of the disease are not. The medical term for this is atypical pneumonia, commonly called walking pneumonia.

Becausethe symptoms of walking pneumonia can be subtle, it can be difficult to diagnose. The classic wheezing and crackling breath sounds associated with a moreseverecaseofthe illness are notalways present.Sotoanswer your question, no, walking pneumonia can’tbedefinitively ruled out based only on the absence of breath sounds. Additional diagnostic clues that doctorsoften look for include shortness of breath, fatigue and asensation of tightness

Navajo rugs, Mongolia, Borneo and Kentucky postcards for the2025 Postcard Project

card from Hawaii, handstamped and postmarked from the Waikiki Station. She writes,“Aloha, Celebratingretirement and 23 years of marriage! Enjoyingthe wonders ofthe islands —Oahuand Maui. So much gratitude forthe opportunity to experience the beauty and people!” Steve Achordsentmultiple postcardsfromKansas. On the secondone,he wrote: “Kansas is abeautifulstate, and to everyone whojust drives across the state on I-70 and remarks howboring Kansas is, Isay, ‘Get off the interstate and discover,explore andenjoy Kansas.’ IloveKansas, but my heart will always be in my native Louisiana. I’m a bayou boyfromPatterson (home of my friendDalton Hilliard). My family is in Louisiana so Ireturn home oftenfromhere andcheer on our LSUTigers.”

Delaware State Rep. Debra Heffernan wanted to be sure theFirstState made it on the mapwith the 2025 PostcardProject,soshe sent multiple postcards. On one, shewrote, “Greetings from Delaware! We love NOLA and visit afew times ayear Delaware is thelowestlying state and the secondsmallest. We are theFirst State.”

From Mongolia,Penny Millerwrote: “Mongolia is off thebeaten pathsoI hope this adds to your collection.

he did spend crucial recovery hours FaceTiming friends instead of sleeping, per the doctor’sorders —while her mom got aknee replacement and is similarlyonthe mend, though maybe with less zest.

Living together

Swift and theKansas City Chiefs tight end, also 35, repeatedly referred tohearingeach other from across the house or theotherroom, including when Swiftfinally regained the masters of her first sixalbums. Sherecalls the Super Bowl champ was playing video games when she called out for him,announced the happy news and collapsed into hisarms.

Thebattlefor themasters

Swift detailedthe intricacies of trying to buy her

for cognitive deficits was driven byreports of symptomsfrom the patient, afamily member or caregiver.Physicians indicated that the primary factors in thedecision not to assess cognition was due to lack of symptoms or complaints from the patient, lack of time during patientvisit, andgeneral

Itshigh altitude and dry climatemake it so different from Baton Rouge,but the people are just as friendly.”

DruTroescher,ofBaton Rouge,isa frequent postcardcontributor.She wrote from Georgia: “I livedin Georgia from 2000 to 2015. Moved there for theautumn leaves and to teach science. Joined abook club to make friends. Istill belong to the club and visit when Iam able to.Wejust met and had agreat timeataThai restaurant. We read, ‘The Secret WarofJulia Child.’”

From the HubbellTrading PostinArizona,Gretchen Cowman wrote: “Greetings from theNavajo Nation. One of my colleagues sharedinformation about the PostcardProject. Sounds fun! Iamhereon afour-monthworkassignment and thought you might enjoy seeing these beautiful Navajorugs. This is aspecial partofthe country.”

From Kentucky, Nancy, Win, Will and Alex Stephens wrote, “Greetings from Brenda Stephens’ Kentucky family! Stephanie let us know that Kentucky wasn’t yet represented, so we had to fix that and send ahearty Go/Geaux Cats down to LSUcountry!”

While all postcards are still welcome, we are calling West Virginia loud and proud to help makethe 2025 PostcardProject complete.

masters, ayears-long plight that usedtobeadaily “intrusive thought.”

Though not necessarily a priority forall artists, Swift said procuring full ownership hasalways been agoal of hers andnow that she finally achievedthatearlier thisyear —thanks to her mom and brother appealing to the venture capitalfirm, Shamrock —she’sgrateful every day

Sourdoughbread blogs

The pop superstar revealed that she hasanew baking obsession about twice ayear Now in the thickofadevotion to sourdough bread,Swift confessed that she lurks on blogsdevoted to it —one upsidetothe internet she’llconcede while saying shelargely stays off social media and never reads her DMs.

patient resistance.

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.” She hosts“The Memory Whisperer.” Emailher at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

or heaviness in the chest. Diagnosis of atypical pneumonia may include X-rays to check for fluid buildup and lab tests to trytoidentify the pathogen. If thecause is bacterial, doctors will prescribe antibiotics. People often begin to feel better several days after beginning antibiotics. However,full recovery can take anywhere from several weeks to morethan amonth. It is importanttofinish the full course of antibiotics that have been prescribed. Because the inflammation and fluid in the alveoli reduce theoxygen availabletothe body, it is also important to take it easy during this time. Andnow forthe health care part of yourletter.We’re very sorry you felt your doctor did

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday Aug. 18, the 230th day of 2025. There are 135 days left in the year

Todayinhistory

On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment tothe Constitution, guaranteeing American women’sright to vote, was ratified as Tennessee becamethe 36th statetoapprove it.

Also on this date:

In 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Island colony (in presentday NorthCarolina), returned to Roanoke after nearly three years abroad only to find thesettlement deserted; the fate of the “Lost Colony” remainsa mystery

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued his Proclamation of Neutrality, aimed at keeping the United States out of World WarI

In 1958, Vladimir Nabokov’snovel “Lolita” was published in theUnited States.

In 1963, James Meredith becamethe first Black student to graduatefrom the

not take your concerns seriously.This kind of breakdown in communication can leave you confused, frustrated and worried about your health. Worst of all, you can be leftwith an unresolved medical concern. It’s an important issue and has been a recurring topic in reader letters over the years. We will address it again in an upcoming column and will include strategies that have helped people get the mostout of their medical visits.

Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla edu, or write: Ask theDoctors c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

TODAYINHISTORY

University of Mississippi.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, NewYork, wound to aclose after three nights with amidmorning set by Jimi Hendrix.

In 1983, HurricaneAliciaslammedinto the Texas coast, leaving 21 dead andcausing more thana billiondollars’ worth of damage.

In 2004, in Athens, Paul Hammwon the men’s gymnastics all-around Olympic gold medal by the closest margin ever in the event; controversy followed after it wasdiscovered that a scoring error cost Yang Tae-young of South Korea the title.

In 2005, ajudge in Wichita, Kansas, sentenced BTK serial killer Dennis Rader to 10 consecutive lifeterms, the maximum the law would allow

In 2014, Missouri Gov.Jay Nixonordered theNational Guard to Ferguson,a suburbofSt. Louisconvulsed by protests over the fatal shooting of aBlack 18-yearold, Michael Brown.

Today’sbirthdays: Actor-

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Choose how you use your assets to get ahead. Reach out to people who share your concerns. A change will lead to new connections. Let experience be your guide in situations that reveal both promise and obstacles.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Be aware of a change in your expenses. It's best not to ignore what's happening around you. Be generous with your time, and opportunities will come your way.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Attend a seminar or research a hobby that interests you Discovery plays a crucial role in shaping your future. Don't let temptation take hold or indulgence get the better of you.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) It's what you accomplish that counts. Be open and objective when dealing with outside influences. Emotions, money and agreements will clash if honesty and discipline aren't prevalent.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take control, state facts and offer solutions, and you will become the person everyone else looks to for help. Live up to your promises, do the best job possible and enjoy the rewards.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Those who embrace beliefs that oppose yours will draw your attention, which can be eyeopening as well as disappointing. Keep an open mind, but don't hesitate to state the facts when you don't agree with someone.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Say what's on your mind. Negotiate until you get what

you want, and don't take anything or anyone for granted. A change at home appears promising and is likely to lead to improved relationships.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Emotional matters will require discipline and restraint. Patience and timing are crucial if you want to emerge victorious. Love and romance, along with personal gains, are prevalent.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) If you stretch beyond your means, domestic issues will develop. Change begins with you, so don't let anyone alter your plans. Anger serves no purpose; remain calm and in control.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself for now. Observation is your best friend and will show you the way forward if you are patient. Trust your judgment.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Take time to research the possibilities, and you'll discover that you have more options than you initially thought. It's time to live life your way. Happiness is your responsibility.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Too much of anything will cause a problem. Rethink your strategy, eliminate what you do not need and carry on with confidence. Establish guidelines to ensure your plans unfold smoothly.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Saturday’s PuzzleAnswer

By PHILLIP ALDER

In “The Nine MasterKeys of Management,” Lester R. Bittelwrote, “Good plans shapegood decisions.That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreamscometrue.”

When you are the declarer, good plans will often help to make aclear-cut dream —bringing home the contract —come true. To do that, you do not need nine keys; five are sufficient: Track your tricks (count losers and winners), Read thelead, auditionthe Auction, anticipate possible Dangers, and watch your Entries.

Let’s start with track your tricks and read the lead. HowshouldSouth play in fourhearts after West leads thespade 10 around to declarer’sbareace?

Although South has only 12 high-card points, his hand is worth ajump rebid. This typically promises seven winners, whichhishandhas:onespade,fivehearts and one club.

Southhas four losers: onediamond and three clubs, though he seems to have 10 winners: two spades, seven hearts and one club.

However, here, if declarer drawstwo rounds of trumps ending on the board and discards, say, thediamond nine on the spade king, he goes down. West ruffs, and later South concedes three clubs.

When theopening lead is aspot card in dummy’sfirst-bidsuit,itwillusuallybea singleton. Declarer shouldimmediately cash theclub aceand play another club (or duck the first round of clubs). Eastdoesbesttowin,cashthediamond ace, and lead aspade. Yes,shifting to a trump stops an overtrick, but hereSouth might carelessly ruff low, allowing West to overruff and play atrump. Use “trade”toimprove your play our theme thisweek. ©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles

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

Previous answers:

word

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

wordsare not

toDAy’s WoRD MAscots: MASS-kots: Persons, animals or objects adopted by groups as symbolic figures.

Average mark 14 words

Time limit 20 minutes Can you find 18 or morewords in MASCOTS?

sAtuRDAy’s WoRD —GLIssADE