The Times-Picayune 08-18-2025

Cantrell indictment joltscity

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE and JAMES FINN Staff writers

Kevin Green walked his dog near the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline Sunday morning and, like many residents of New Orleans this weekend, thought about the squandered promise of Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

Aneighborhood activist-turned

anti-establishment pol cian, Cantrell once seemed likeabreath of fresh for New Orleans, sai Green, aretiredpoliceo ficerwho grew up in Gert Town and the Lower Ward. She wassomeone whowould“speak her mind” about problems in the city whether people wanted to hear it or not.

“I thought she was arely good personatfirst,” Green said as dogParker iffed around. “Butwith decisions you make, conquences come behind m.”

Twodaysafter afedal grandjuryhanded up an 18-count indictment against Cantrell and herformer bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie,New

Orleanians from allparts of the city were left to contemplate her eight years as mayor and the scandalthat’sessentially endedher second term.

In interviews around the city this weekend, residents expressed amix of outrage over the alleged crimes and disappointment with a city government long plagued by mismanagement. Somemocked themayor andVappie, others ex-

Newdatasheds lighton La.menhaden fishing

STAFF PHOTOSByCHRIS GRANGER

Westbank Fishing boatsare loaded with menhaden in the Gulf off the coast of Louisiana. Louisiana’smenhadenboats have long been scrutinized by recreationalanglers, butthe industryhas pushed back, highlighting itseconomic contributionsand pointing to sport fishermen’sfar higher catchoftrout and redfish.

Controversialpogyboats long scrutinizedbyrecreationalanglers

BY MIKE SMITH |Staff writer

Twoboats slide off the back of their mothership and into the Gulf’sgreen waters. Then the real work begins. With waves rockingthem, theboats begin to separate, unspooling anet bigger than five footballfields as they motor in opposite directions to form a circle.Hundredsofpelicanshover,hoping for afree meal.

When the net is set, yellow floats along its perimeter bobbing on the surface, the men on the boats close it off and haul it back, bringingsmall, silvery fish with it.

“You’ve got alittle fish in thenet,” said ShaneTreadaway,who oversees the operations,ashewatches from a separate boat nearby,speaking ofwhat was primarily intendedasa demonstration for visiting journalists rather than an actual attempt to catch menhaden Later,the menhaden, or pogies,will be pumped ontoa mothership about 170 feet long, for the trip back to thedock. There, they’ll be shuttled throughpipes into aplant that runs them through an elaborate process to create oil and fish meal for uses that include food for animals and aquaculture.

Westbank Fishing employees pull in their giant nets as they catch menhaden in the Gulf on July 1.

It is farfromthe idyllic visionof southLouisiana 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, taxrevenue and wealth. And, letthere be no mistake,lots of controversy,too.

ä See MENHADEN, page 6A

pressed somesympathyfor them. There was also skepticism over whatsome sawasthe federalgovernment charging the mayor for little more than engaging in an affair Friday’sindictment —a44-page document accusing Cantrell of carrying on an amorous relationship with Vappie, traveling the world with himonthe taxpayers’ dime andthenconspiring to coveritup —sealed her fall from grace, said Green and others.

ä See CANTRELL, page 5A

Radio host faces scrutiny over statejob

Jeff Crouere works behind thescenesfor Cassidyopponent

BY TYLER BRIDGES |Staff writer

Jeff Crouere delights in bashing former PresidentJoe Bidenand “woke” Democrats during his daily talk radio showon WGSO-990 AM in NewOrleans. Butthe conservative commentator aims manyofhis sharpest words at afellow Republican: U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is running for athird term “Thatguy is thebiggest fraud in the Senate,” Crouere said on the air Wednesday.“He’sgot to be defeated.”

Called“Ringside Politics,”Crouere’s show airs on weekdays from 7a.m.to 9a.m.and againfrom6 p.m. to 7p.m.In between,hetakes on averydifferent role by serving on the state payrollas communications director forTreasurer JohnFleming —who is oneofthree

ä See CROUERE, page 7A

BY JOSEPH CRANNEY |Staff writer

GOLDEN MEADOW On Michelle Lafont’s first day as the newly elected police chief of this tiny speed-trap town and shrimping community on the waytoPort Fourchon, the door of her Town Hall office wouldn’t budge. You’ve got to be kidding me, she thought. Her predecessor,former Golden Meadow Police Chief Troy Dufrene, had locked thekeysinside theofficeafter losing the November 2024 election by an excruciating nine votes, she said. That wasn’tall.

Investigatorssay previous electedofficial deleted recordsafter loss ä See CHANGE, page 4A

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

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

other areas in the Gaza Strip.

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

The Associated Press

By

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 warn of storm’s growth

BY IVELISSE RIVERA Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Erin weakened to a Category 3 hurricane on Sunday, its outer bands lashing the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, as forecasters warned of a growing risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents along the U.S. Eastern seaboard during the week from what is expected to become a very large hurricane.

While Erin’s maximum winds diminished Sunday, its overall size kept growing as forecasters issued tropical storm warnings for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast Bahamas. The hurricane’s outer bands pelted parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical-storm winds during the day

The storm wasn’t expected to directly hit the U.S. East Coast, but by doubling or tripling in size its impacts threatened the North Carolina Outer Banks, the thin, low stretch of barrier islands off the mainland, that juts far out into the Atlantic, Dare County emergency officials said in declaring a state of emergency They ordered an evacuation of Hatteras Island starting Monday Several days of heavy surf and high winds and waves could wash out parts of North Carolina Highway 12 running along the barrier islands that are a popular vacation destination, the National Weather Service said.

The center of the storm is forecast to stay at least 200 miles from the Outer Banks but will also bring riptides all along the East Coast, officials said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

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

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 an exceedingly dangerous Category 5 status Saturday with maximum winds of 160 mph before weakening. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were 125 mph Sunday afternoon, 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 expected to strengthen somewhat over the next 48 hours as it grows, forecasters said Sunday afternoon.

Erin’s center was about 310 miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and 155 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk Island, moving west-northwest at 13 mph. On the forecast track, the core of Erin was expected to pass to the east and northeast of the Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas overnight and on Monday

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.

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

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.”

“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.

“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

It “was the first time we

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

Airlinesuspends restart

BY ROBGILLIES

around the world 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 Board is an independent tribunal,” Jennifer Kozelj, aspokesperson for Federal JobsMinisterPatty 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

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.”

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The day after Dufrene lost, state criminal investigatorssay he begandeleting computer records pertaining to the Police Department’scitations, callsfor service,theft complaints and warrants. He also deleted administrative records likepayroll sheets andfuel reimbursement reports, investigators said.

Dufrene continued doing so throughout his remaining 55 days in office —jeopardizing some 12 years’ worth of records, according to the Louisiana AttorneyGeneral’sOffice.

Dufrene later apologized for his actions, explaining that he “felt the data belonged to him,” an investigator wrote. He wasarrested Aug. 6oncharges of computer tampering, injuring public records and malfeasance —all felonies.

Lafont believes Dufrene had personal motivations, pointing to aconfrontation at acommunity event shortly after Lafont launched her campaignlast year.Dufrene raised his voice and demanded to know if she was running againsthim, Lafont said.

“You can’tdomyjob,” Dufrene said, accordingto Lafont. “You can’tdoa better job than me. Youhave no experience.”

“I can,” Lafont replied At his Golden Meadow home, Dufrene referred a reporter to his lawyer,New Orleans-based attorney Brian Capitelli, whosaid Dufrenehas “voluntarily cooperated with the attorney general’sinvestigation.”

“Former Chief Dufrene createdafew custom programs for use by the Golden Meadow Police Department under his term,” Capitelli said. “Prior to vacating the office, he did not delete underlying data from the Golden Meadow Police Department, and he looks forward to continuing to cooperate with this investigationand defend his actions, as necessary.”

Dufrene has not yet entered apleainthe case. His arrest capped an unusually contentious era atop the five-person Police Department, whose notoriety has typically been limited to its officers’ aggressive enforcement of speedlimits along GoldenMeadow’s state highway Dufrene, 55, also aformer member of the Lafourche Parish School Board, was appointed by the Town Council in 2021toreplace aformer chief who resigned after the town settleda federallawsuit that accused the previous chief of excessive force.

Violent crime is virtually nonexistent in Golden Meadow,which has apopulation of around 1,600, according to crime data reported to the Louisiana Commissionon Law Enforcement. The Police Department —which responds mostly to complaints of vandalism and other misdemeanors —averaged 15 arrests ayear from 2022 to 2024, the data shows.

But Dufrene faced occasionalcomplaints about his work ethic and sparred with Golden Meadow’s powerful Mayor Joey Bouziga, who has held that office for 26 years.

In replacing Dufrene, Golden Meadow votersselected Lafont, a53-year-old middleschoolteacher who hadnorecent experience in lawenforcement: She spent two years as aLafourche Parish sheriff’s deputyin themid-’90s. Herhusband is aveteran officer with the local harbor police.

Lafont is Golden Meadow’s first female police chief in the department’s75-year history,and one of just afew femalechiefsinLouisiana.

Lafont declined to discuss details ofDufrene’sactions, pending hiscriminal case.

Reportsdeleted

Butshe said she discovered something was wrong on her first day in January, when shetried to open a computer programtoenter payroll information. The screen was blank. She contacted theLafourcheParish Sheriff’s Office, which oversees areport management program that the sheriff shareswith Golden Meadow police.

Thesystem contains “modules,” pertaining to incident reports, trafficcitations, arrests, misdemeanor summons, payroll, fuel reimbursements andother data,according to state investigators.

When the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation took over thecase, investigators identified“over 30 reports/

modules” belonging to Golden Meadow policeorLPSO that had been “deleted/deactivated” by Dufrene.

Dufrene told an officer whoworked underhim that the department would have to “memorize anything they needed”after he was gone, an investigator wrote.

Eventually,ITworkersfor theprogram’s software company were able to recover someofthe records, though no oneinvolved hasbeen willing to say how many,or share more details of what wasinsidethem.The company billedLPSO $4,680 for its work,according to the investigation.

It’sunclear what effect, if any,Dufrene’sactions have had so far or will have in the future on any pending criminalcases in GoldenMeadow TheLafourche Parish District Attorney’sOffice declined to comment.

Though Dufrene is facingthreefelony charges, they’re nonviolentoffenses and he does not appear to have anycriminalhistory It’s unlikely thatthe charges would result in prison time if he were convicted, said Rafael Goyeneche, president of the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission.

“Nonviolent first offenders,for felonies,donot get sent to the penitentiary,” Goyeneche said. “If he is convictedofany of those, or all of thosefelonies, it’s

in 2024.

“He was just anormal guy,” Lorraine said. “But things do happen.”

Things cametoahead in aJanuary 2024 town council meeting when —after Dufrene complained about the cost of installing adoor at Town Hall— Mayor Bouziga interjected In an exchange uploaded to YouTube, Bouziga accused Dufrene of overseeing a“toxic environment” in the workplace, without going into details.

“This townisnot protected under your leadership in thePoliceDepartment,” Bouziga said, slamming his fist on the table

“It’snot protected,” Bouzigarepeated, as the back-and-forth continued, with Bouziga andanother council memberaccusing Dufrene of neglecting to do anypatrols himself.

she saidinaninterview.

“We’re atight, close-knit community.Wework together.” Lafonthad thesupport of Bouziga andTom PitreIII, awell-known local businessmanwho knocked on doors with Lafont. Lafont’s husband fashionedwooden frames for her campaign signs in their garage. The nightofthe election, Lafont expected to win, she said. She didn’texpect it to be so close. After789 votes were cast, Dufrene received390. Lafont received 399.

Hands-on chief On arecentafternoon, the wall of Lafont’soffice was bare but forthe four hooks that Dufrene leftnailedinto the drywall. One framed photo, agiftfrom Lafont’s 19-year-old daughter,is hanging.

It shows Lafont, adaughter of aLafourche Parish crab fisherman, being sworn in at Lafourche Landing,a restaurant acrossthe street thatservessoft-shell shrimp trawled by local anglers.

Theceremonywas overseen by Louisiana Supreme Court ChiefJusticeJohn Weimer, afriend of Lafont’s from Thibodaux.

On herdesk is astack of herdepartment’scitations andanaward from theLafourche Parish school district for“Middle School Teacher of the Year” for the 2024-25 school year.Alive policeradio sits silent.

probablya 99.99%chance that he will get (probation).”

‘Not protected’ To DanielLorraine,who hasrepresented Golden Meadow on theLafourche ParishCouncil for morethan 40 years, Dufrene seemed to have done afair job as chief by the end of his first term

Lafontdecidedtorun afterwatching the video. She wastired of the political infighting and promised to be amorevisible chief who personally handledpatrols.

“This cannot keephappening,” she thought as she watched it. “This is not the town Iwas raisedin.”

“This is Golden Meadow,”

“Mostofthe time, it’s pretty quiet,” Lafontsaid. “Some days we go without handling asingle complaint,” Lafont said. Still, Lafont said she’s taken ahands-onapproach to the job. She spent aweek doing ride-alongs with her officers, beginning at 12:15 a.m. on Jan.1,the morning she took the job. She completed six days of Police Academytraining in April, arefresher course fromwhenshe received certification as asheriff’s deputy in 1994. She said she’scontinued to handle in-personpatrols since. Andatthe startof the school year earlier this month, she added anew duty—crossing guard, at the school where she used to teach

‘Sounds lovely’

As they sweated through the midday heat on a stoop in the 7th Ward on Saturday, Jerydean Smith, Kenishia McKee and Shantel Warren processed their disappointment with the city’s political leaders as New Orleanians often do — with a joke.

“I’m trying to go to Paris, that sounds lovely,” said McKee.

“I wish she had told me — we all could have gone on a girls trip,” said Warren. But the compounding struggles impacting their neighborhood, and politicians’ failure to address them, were really no laughing matter, McKee said.

“With everything going on, she shouldn’t be taking trips to Africa, Paris, none of that,” said McKee “She’s been living off of us.”

“We’re dealing with poverty killings, the teenagers were just out here shooting at each other,” said McKee, motioning down the street toward where a triple shooting on Tuesday killed two, including a 17-year-old boy The $70,000 that Cantrell and Vappie allegedly spent on meals, alcohol and travel, including visits to Scotland and a Napa Valley California, winery for a wine tasting, could have been used to build a community center, or fix potholes, or provide housing for people experiencing homelessness, said McKee.

“Think about how many beds they could have bought with $70,000,” said McKee, who had been homeless on and off for years before moving into an apartment across the

street from Smith in April.

Attorneys for Vappie and Cantrell have both declined to comment on the indictment. Michael M. Simpson, the acting U.S. attorney for the New Orleans-based Eastern District of Louisiana, has said the investigation into Cantrell is ongoing.

Warren, who is homeless and staying with Smith, said she had high hopes when Cantrell took office that she “was going to be about us, was going to be trying to help us.”

Seeing another New Orleans leader subsumed by scandal had broken their faith in government, Warren and McKee said.

“We can vote all we want, I don’t do that anymore,” said McKee.

“No, you’re not catching me behind the curtain or anything anymore,” said Warren.

A few miles away under the shade of an oak tree on Magazine Street, Ron Duplessis, an Uptown resident, said that beyond holding Cantrell accountable for alleged “brazen” abuse of her office, he was hopeful that the charges would mark a new, more effective chapter at City Hall.

As he waited for his Dreamsicle sno-ball at Imperial Woodpecker SnoBalls on Saturday afternoon, Duplessis said he had faith in the City Council to keep the city running as Cantrell presumably takes a lower profile for the remainder of her term.

In fact, Duplessis said a mayor distracted by her criminal case might lower the temperature on a series of ongoing legal battles between her and the council. He believes those fights have distracted the city’s leaders in recent months.

Cantrell has long been known as a fighter and

political and legal experts project she is unlikely to resign as she battles the criminal case.

“I think she’s going to finally just get out of the way,” said Duplessis, who owns a manufacturing company “(The council) is going to step up and run this city, and it’s going to be a better place for it.”

Skepticism

Other New Orleans residents, though, said they were skeptical of how the indictment would actually benefit city residents.

“To me, it doesn’t matter, because she doesn’t have that long in there,” Stacey Schexnayder said as she bought pineapple-flavored shots at a makeshift stand on Claiborne Avenue, on the edge of the 7th Ward neighborhood where she’s lived all her life.

Schexnayder, who operates her own food truck, said she believed the charges against Cantrell were disproportionately harsh for the alleged crimes at hand.

“Everybody’s sexing in the office,” said Schnexnayder “What they’re doing to her is crazy you have a person running this country with worse charges.

“If you’re going to target them, target them all.”

Schnexnayder said Cantrell was unfairly targeted because she is Black and a woman.

In a city with a fraught history of public corruption, Green, the retired policeman, said he hopes the indictment will encourage more scrutiny over public officials’ conduct.

“Maybe people will watch the city a lot closer,” he said. “Things might improve.”

Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

“With everything going on, she shouldn’t be taking trips to Africa, Paris, none of that She’s (Cantrell) been living off of us.’

Kenishia McKee, 7th Ward resident

“I thought she was a really good person at first. But with decisions you make, consequences come behind them.” KEVIN GREEN, New Orleans resident

By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi|

This articleisbrought to youbyLCMCHealth.

Rebuilding ‘The City That Care Forgot’has not been astraightforward task.Inthe aftermath of HurricaneKatrina,Charity Hospital,a major centuries-oldfixtureofNew Orleanshealthcare, remained inoperable duetothe damage sustained to itsdowntownbuilding, whichwas builtin1939 andcontained nearly 3,000 beds,makingitone of thelargest hospitalsinthe countryatthe time

schoolsinthe area,and we have arichhistoryof doingso. That legacy continuestoimpactour state andour region.”

ThePendleton Memorial MethodistHospital, whichservedthe NewOrleans East,Gentilly, and Lower NinthWardneighborhoods wasevacuated from therooftop whilst flood waters stagnatedafter thestorm. Thepermanent closureofThe Methodist Hospital left avoidinthe NewOrleans East area for approximately88,000New Orleanians whowould have to traversea bridge to gettohealthcareineither directionfor nearly adecadeafterwards. “Community memberswho returned to rebuild theirlives in NewOrleans East wouldhearanambulanceand be concernedthattheir friend, neighbor, or colleaguemight notsurvive the25-minute drive to thenearest hospital,” said Dr.TakeishaDavis, ChiefExecutive Officer(CEO) &President of LCMC Health’s NewOrleans East Hospital FollowingHurricaneKatrina,therewasmuchthat needed to be restored,but with ahealthcaresystem that wasasbatteredasthe people whoneededits services,the morale to move forward wasdifficult to muster at times.

“It’sbeena windingjourney.I wasatCharity Hospital for Katrina,”saidDr. PeterDeBlieux, the AssistantDeanofAdvancedLearningand Simulation at LSUHealthNew OrleansSchoolofMedicine. Dr.DeBlieuxalsoservesasa clinician at LCMC Health’s University MedicalCenter(UMC) in both theIntensive Care Unit andEmergency Department “Whenthe CharityHospitalbuildingonTulane Ave. wasbuilt in the1930s,itwas considered the finest medicalfacilityinthe world,”Dr. DeBlieux said.“When that facility opened,the community collectively asked, ‘Willwebewelcome inside thosedoors?’

Theanswer wasand is still, aresounding‘yes’

From parkinglotstothe Convention Center,from aLordand Taylor departmentstore to theinterim LSUhospital, Dr.DeBlieuxwitnessed each step of CharityHospital’stransformationintoUniversity MedicalCenter. In 2015,a decade afterHurricane Katrina, the1.1-billion-dollarfacilitythathouses UMCoperationswas opened, anda newbeacon of hope andhealing wasbornfor thecityofNew Orleans. UMCnow celebrates 10 yearsofserving thecity’spopulation. “The spirit of Charity’smission to provideexcellent healthcare forall hasremainedthe same.It’s amission that datesto1736, andit’sproudly alive today,”saidDr. DeBlieux.“Thesealfromthe floor of CharityHospitalwas reproduced andplacedinthe newUMC facility,and theart hearkens to ourhistory It’s an importantreminderfor ourcommunity and ourstaff.Itiswho we areand what we areabout.” Today, UMCservesasthe only American Burn Association(ABA)-verified Burn Center in theGulf South, andcombinedwiththeir Level1Trauma Center,UMC is regarded as aregionalasset.The nearestfacilitiesthatserve in similarcapacitiesare in Galvestonand Tampa. UMCisalsorecognized for itsBehavioralHealthCenter, theNeurocritical Care Unit,and for itsacademicpartnershipswith LSUHealthNew OrleansSchoolofMedicineand Tulane University School of Medicine “We’ve grownand developedprogramsand processesthathavestrengthenednot only our clinicalmission,but ouracademicmission,aswell,” Dr.DeBlieuxsaid. “Wepartner with thetwo medical

Themindset of providinghealthcarefor allthose whoare in need extendsbeyondthe hallsofUMC andhas touchedthe farreaches of theNew Orleans metropolitan area as thehealthcarelandscape has experiencedrenewal.The LCMC Health system wasestablished in 2009,aswhatwas then known as Children’s Hospital NewOrleans,now Manning Family Children’s,partnered with TouroInfirmary. Throughout the2010s,LCMCHealthcontinued to developpartnershipswiththe StateofLouisiana andthe City of NewOrleans,and together,these agencies have pavedthe wayfor astate-of-the-art, interconnected healthcare system to emerge “Withthe academic partnerships andpartner hospitalsacrossthe GreaterNew Orleansarea, we cantruly providefor thecommunity’s health needs,”saidDr. John Heaton,the Presidentand ChiefMedical Officerfor LCMC Health.“Thesky’s thelimit as we areforging this team of hospitals into an integrated health system.” Anotherimportant homecoming moment forNew Orleanshealthcarewas thefoundingofthe New OrleansEastHospital(NOEH)in2014. NOEH was constructedonthe campus of theformerPendleton Memorial MethodistHospitalwhere homage is paid to thelegacyofcommunity care that wasanessential part of NewOrleans East before HurricaneKatrina “For nine years, therewas no hospital in thearea Everythingwas destroyedineastern NewOrleans Gentilly,the LowerNinth Ward,” said Dr.Davis “The abilityfor LCMC Health,inpartnership with theCityofNew Orleans, to bringbackhealthcare in thearea,and to bringitbackina waythathonors thehistory of thehealthcarethatwas therebefore, wasa significant milestone. NewOrleans East Hospital nowprovidessurgical services,strokecare, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services,maternalfetal medicine care,patient education, andsocialservicesinbothinpatientand outpatient environments. Thehospitalcontains a 21-bed EmergencyDepartment, andin2017, NOEH opened theRhesa &Alden J. McDonald Jr.and Sue Ellen& Joseph C. CanizaroDiabetesCenter.

“Bringingthe hospital back helped thecommunity to return andtrust that they couldrebuild theirlives in NewOrleans East,” Dr.Davis said.“If youhave great healthcare,suchasa hospital,itisa herald of economicdevelopment andworkforce development. BoththeUMCandNOEHfacilitieswereconstructed withaninformedandever-presentfocusonmeasures to enhanceand protectagainst future emergency circumstances andnatural disasters. Thepartnered hospitalshavefortifiedconstructions

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 halfmile 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 Fran-

livers 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.

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.

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 47year 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.

cois 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 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 de-

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

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

“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.

Republicans challenging Cassidy

On WGSO, Crouere doesn’ttell listeners thathe works for Fleming, ajob he has held since March 2024. Nor does Crouere note that he’sinterviewing his boss when Fleming appears on his show once amonth to discuss his work at the treasury andto criticize Cassidy

Over nearly three decades, Crouere has made aname for himself as one of the most prominent conservative commentators in metro New Orleans. During thattime, he has worn many hats.Hehas donehis daily radio show, had aTV program, writtenpolitical columns, managed the campaigns of Republican candidates, organized right-wing rallies and recall efforts, and hosted the bimonthly “Politics with aPunch” panel with mediapersonalities, elected officials and comedians.

speak on matters abouttreasury.But outsideofhis work hours, Ihavenocontrol of what hesays.”

Crouerealsofaces longstanding questions ofwhether candidates whoair adson his show then receive favorablementionduringhis broadcasts. Like other hosts, he buys airtime from the station andfinds advertisers to cover hiscosts.

Crouere said hedoesn’t favor candidates who pay him to advertise on hisshow Len Apcar,a former New York Timeseditor who teaches at LSU’s Manship School, said Crouere’sdualroles 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 acommentator anda promoter on whatheconsiders to behis own time onbehalf of Fleming and against Cassidy.”

The Cassidy campaign declined to comment on Crouere.

salary fromWGSObecause of the station’sprecarious finances

career in 1999 on WTIX-AM.

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

“I’vealwaystold my studentstoavoid conflicts where possible, but at least letthemknow aboutthe 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 twohats.”

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 arecent hourlong interview.“I’m not tryingto hide that. People know that I’m working for him. They know that Ifavor him. That’s notasecret.”

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

‘The lines areblurred’

One person who questions thatarrangement is David C. Bellinger,who listensto Crouere virtually every day and frequently calledhis show to joust as “theflaming liberal,” until, he said, Crouere stoppedputting him on the air several years ago.

“I believe that it’sa disguised effort by Fleming to put Crouere on the state payroll to do paid political commercialsfor him,” Bellinger said. “It’sadefacto campaign ad at taxpayer expense, which Ibelieveis aviolation of federal campaign law.”

Fleming said he’s done nothing wrong.

“While he’sanemployeeof the Treasury,hehas to abide by all the guidelines and responsibilitiesofthe office, Fleming said. “He can only

Crouere has many fans in conservativecircles, particularly in Jefferson Parish, where helives.

“The HomeDefense Foundation owes agiant debt to Jeff Crouere, who hasbeen very generouswith his time and talent helping our civic groupadvocatefor the rightsoflaw-abiding taxpayers,” saidMichael Weinberger,the group’sfounder

“While others talk the talk, Jeff walks thewalk. He is a true friend of theordinary citizen.”

The HomeDefense Foundation’swebpage includes aphoto ofFleming between Crouere andWeinberger to commemorate Fleming’s speech to thegroup in May. Thephoto identifiesCrouere as “WGSO president,” with no mention of his work for thetreasurer

Abusyschedule

Most of the time, Crouere said, he does hisradio show from home,while commuting to or from Baton Rouge or from an apartmentinBaton Rougethat he rents

But on arecentTuesday, Crouere walked intoWGSO’s studioonCarondelet Street in the CentralBusiness District to broadcast hisshow.

It was just before 7a.m., and he had just concluded his weeklyappearance by phone on another conservative radio program, hosted by BrianHaldane, at Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.

“I need to wake up,” Crouere said, as he set down an iced coffee andamuffin.

Crouere keeps abusy schedule.Inadditionto his work as an unclassified stateemployee for Fleming, he spends three hours on WGSO five days aweek, writes aweekly column, recordsaweekly TV program and manages WGSO as the station’spresidentand chair of its board. In April 2024, Crouere put together the investors whotook over the nonprofit radio station from its previous owner He said he doesn’tdrawa

“Being that Ihavebeen doing this so long, it doesn’t take me as long as other people whoare unfamiliar with the(radio) business,” Croueresaid during the interview.“I’mable to do it on off-hours and on weekends. It’s been achallenge, but I’ve been able tomake it work so far.”

He said he takes personal time fornon-Fleming work he does during theworkweek.

When he begins his day on theair,Crouere normally plays audio clips of something Trump said the day before, followed by laudatory comments about the president —orofsomething aDemocrat said, followed by Crouereridiculing the Democrat.

In Crouere’sview, Biden andDemocrats stole the 2020 election from Trump, themen and women who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, deservedtobefreed, findings by theCIA and the FBI that Russiatried to influence the2020 election are “a hoax,” and Biden suffered from dementia throughout his presidency “Truthistheir enemy,” he said of Democrats and liberals during arecent program.(He calls The TimesPicayune |The Advocate “a liberal rag.”)

Alongrecordinpolitics

Crouere, who is about to turn 62, grew up in New Orleansand, after graduating from Vanderbilt University, first worked as thealumni director and chief fundraiser for De La Salle High School, his almamater

In 1995, tired of thecrime probleminNew Orleans, he made his first andonly run for elected office by challenging then-state Rep Mitch Landrieu’sbid for reelection.Crouere wononly 26% of thevote in adistrict thatfavored the Democratic candidate.

Crouere impressed party leaders by taking on Landrieu, becamepresident of the Greater New Orleans Young Republicans and was then named executive director of theLouisiana Republican Party,apost he held for ayear Crouerebegan his radio

On his show in July 2002, Croueregave airtime to callers andguests whoaccused then-U.S.Rep.David Vitter of frequenting prostitutes, a scandal that would ultimately thwart Vitter’sambition to be governorin2015. Vitterdidn’t run for reelection to the Senatethe following year Croueremoved to WGSO in 2007 and has been there ever since. (This reporter hasappeared occasionally on his radio and TV programs and on the “Politics witha Punch” panel.) He says he has interviewed over 25,000 guests during hiscareer, 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’tagree withtheir views. After taking over WGSOinApril2024, Crouere gave the9 a.m. to 11 a.m. spot on thestation to Griffon’s syndicated program.

Nielsen ratings show that Crouere has asmall audience, about 1,000 listeners

during the week. An unknown number of additional people listen to his podcast online.

“He’s alegendinNew Orleans,” said Woody Jenkins, an archconservative former state representative from Baton Rouge who overlapped with Crouere for severalmonthsinFleming’s office in 2024.

State Rep.Joe Stagni, however,remains sore with Crouere forworking foran effort in 2022 to recall him for voting against an antitransgender sports measure.

“I thinkheengages in unethical and questionable business practices seeking opportunities for aquick profit regardless of the true factsordata,”saidStagni, R-Kenner

State campaign finance records show that Crouere’s company,Pelican Consulting, hasbeen paid $122,000 since 1999 for consulting and political advertising.

Gov.Jeff Landry appeared frequently on Crouere’sradio show when he was attorney general but rarely during his 18 months as governor.Landry did appear solo on Crouere’s“Politics with aPunch” program at the Quarter View restaurant in

Metairie in November

But Crouere upsetthe governor’steam in Maywhen he airedwild speculation by Fleming that Landry had cut adeal with U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-BatonRouge, to back herrunning for the Senate, and if she won, she would resign in twoyears to allow him to replace her “It’sreally unbelievable you’re giving that airtime,” Kate Kelly,Landry’scommunications director,texted to Crouere.“Iguess everyone needs some entertainment. Unsure why you’d think Iwould want to put governor on your show after this charade.”

Crouere shared thetext with the newspaper

ACassidy foe

Crouereseemstoreserve his harshest comments about aRepublican for Cassidy,who upsetmany conservatives by voting to convict Trumpfor inciting the rioters on Jan. 6. CriticsnoteCassidy hadjust been reelected the preceding November with Trump’s endorsement. Conservatives nowcallCassidya“Republican In Name Only,” even though the senator has otherwise voted with Trump morethan 90% of the time.

“Thisguy hasgot to go,” Crouere said of Cassidy in November.“That will be my foremost political mission over the next few years. He’sahorrible RINO.He’s liedtousabout his true beliefs. .We’re goingtoelect agood 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 ashow where Iwanteveryoneon,” Crouere said during the interview.“ButI have to be honest with people as to who Ifavor.Ifavor Dr.Fleming. It’s notasecret. Idohope and expect to have other candidates on the air.I want to give them afair chance.”

Staff reportersSam Karlin and Blake Paterson contributed to this article. Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

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Causeway chief: Taller railings saving lives

$100M project credited with reducing crashes

BY HANNAH LEVITAN Staff writer

In May 2013, 24-year-old Mat-

thew Myer was driving his Dodge Avenger on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway when another vehicle hit his car, jolting him toward the line of metal beams separating road from water In mere seconds, his sedan mounted the bridge railing, struck a pole and plunged into the lake. Somehow, the Folsom native survived — suffering no injuries, according to Times-Picayune reports — by clinging to a spare tire that had popped to the surface. But others haven’t been as lucky Myer’s crash was the ninth in 19 years to end in the water, and Causeway General Manager Carlton Dufrechou knew there would be more.

Slidell asks what should replace mall

Meeting gathers input on future of site

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

A group of 75 or so people gathered Aug. 13 in Slidell, lured in by a simple question: What should go in the spot where the beleaguered North Shore Square Mall now sits?

Think big, one of the discussion moderators, Keith Espadron of the St. Tammany Economic Development Corporation, told the group.

“If you could dream your dream.”

The answers were all over the place. A film production facility A trade school or college campus An entertainment district.

“Indoor sports. It’s hot outside,” one person said.

“Laser tag — that’s fun,” a teenaged girl said. “Or Go-Karts. Stuff like that.”

Don’t forget the adults, another woman said. “They would love to have soft music, dinner and dancing.”

“A Great Wolf Lodge They have a humongous indoor water park,” said a different woman, prompting at least one person in the audience to nod appreciatively and say under her breath, “I could totally go for some time at a humongous water park.”

Other ideas were throwaways

“I guess we could make the world’s largest Buc-ee’s,” one man said, drawing laughs and applause

“Make it a 54-acre organic farm,” another man said, adding, “That was a joke.”

The gathering at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium was part of a study commissioned by the city of Slidell and the St. Tammany Economic Development Corp. to determine the best way to put the 54-acre mall site back into commerce. The consultant, Colliers, expects to report some of its findings later in the fall.

While the session might have seemed to some like an academic exercise, it came a day after Slidell City Council members, acting in their capacity as officers of the Northshore Square Economic Development District, authorized Mayor Bill Borchert to enter into a letter of intent to purchase the mall from Morguard, the Canadian company that owns it. Council members also approved a 1% sales tax on purchases made at stores inside the district and a 2% hotel occupancy tax in the district. The taxes run through September 2075. The 621,000-square-foot mall opened at the high-profile location on Northshore Boulevard just off Interstate 12 in 1985 and quickly became a regional shopping hub. But it now has only two open stores: the popular Dillard’s clearance center and At Home, a chain that recently filed for bankruptcy Borchert said the city and

The key issue was a 5-inch difference in height between the bridge’s northbound and southbound spans, Dufrechou realized. The next day, he wrote a memo to the commissioners advocating for taller rails on the southbound bridge.

“I realize our attorneys will rightfully fry me for saying this, but the southbound bridge is the problem,” he said over email.

The crash sparked an uphill battle to keep cars from going overboard along the world’s longest continuous bridge over water In 2017, after several years of design testing, the Causeway Commission finally began a $100 million project to retrofit the south bridge with higher rails and add 12 segmented shoulders on both bridges.

Five years after its completion, Dufrechou said the impact is undeniable: adding two steel railings to the bridge’s concrete wall barriers and additional shoulder room has

made the difference between life and death no vehicles have gone overboard.

Before, the bridge saw around three vehicles go into the water every two years, according to Dufrechou.

Based on the average number of over-the-railing crashes before the rail’s installation, Dufrechou estimated they have saved around five lives so far As for on-bridge incidents, crashes have dropped

‘We have not given up hope’

Search continues in N.O. East for missing nonverbal boy

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

Relatives, friends, community members and strangers continued to comb the streets of Village De L’Est on Sunday in search of Bryan Vasquez, a nonverbal 12-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who disappeared from his home early Thursday morning.

Some rode all-terrain vehicles through the New Orleans East neighborhood, handing out missing person

fliers that had been translated in Spanish, English and Vietnamese. Others walked through the heat and high grass alongside waterways choked with weeds and water hyacinths, looking for any trace of the boy

Meanwhile, his mother, Hilda Vasquez, 34, and others anxiously kept vigil at the community’s search headquarters set up outside her home in the 5300 block of Beaucaire Street, under borrowed tents and tables.

“I want my child. He is my life,” Vasquez said as she tearfully clutched his anti-seizure medication, which she said he hasn’t taken in four days.

Volunteers have been searching from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day since Bryan disappeared, stopping only

NOPD turns to ad firm for hiring help

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

The New Orleans Police Department has inked a contract with a local advertising agency to help recruit new officers as part of the agency’s yearslong effort to increase its ranks, Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick confirmed Thursday. Brand Society, the firm behind New Orleans & Co.’s 2024 tourism campaign, will work with the department to highlight unique aspects of both the city and the job, Capt. Gwen Nolan said “We did work up a good strategic plan to advertise our diversity,” said Nolan “And how awesome New Orleans is compared to all the other police departments You haven’t experienced Mardi Gras until you’ve had an NOPD Mardi Gras And

you haven’t worked a murder like a NOLA murder.” Nolan was named head of recruitment earlier this year, and she’s been researching firms to craft a marketing plan for a department that’s heavy on benefits but light on manpower. Staffing has hovered at around 900 commissioned officers since 2023, and the department has upped starting salaries and enlistment bonuses to help recruit.

Michael Hecht, president of GNO Inc. and spokesperson for The NOLA Coalition, lauded the move. In addition to creating a plan to tackle crime, The NOLA Coalition crafted its own NOPD staffing and retention dashboard, though the group was not involved in the hiring decision.

“I think it is a necessary and good idea that NOPD hires

ä See NOPD, page 2B

because of the lack of lighting in the neighborhood and clouds of mosquitos that fill the air at dusk, according to Christiane Rosales-Farjardo, a resident and community activist with El Pueblo NoLa who was translating for Vasquez.

“We have not given up hope,” Rosales-Farjardo said. “We will continue and continue and continue until he is found.”

Hilda Vasquez has lived in Village De L’Est for 15 years, and many residents know her son. But she and her family of four children, including a newborn, relocated to the Beaucaire Street home about three weeks ago,

Judge rejects plea deal for alleged leader of gang

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

An alleged leader of a violent Central City drug clan has a new trial date after a federal judge in New Orleans rejected a plea deal reached last year with prosecutors in a sprawling racketeering case. Tim “T-Mal” Jackson, 36, an accused ringleader for “Byrd Gang,” is now the last of 10 defendants in a case centered on a bloody feud with the rival “Ghost Gang.” Jackson formally withdrew guilty pleas to three federal charges and U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo last week set a Nov 17 trial date. Under the scrapped deal, Jackson was to serve a little more than 10 years in prison, on top of nearly 10 years he’s serving now on a federal conviction for gun and drug crimes. But Milazzo balked. Jackson’s attorney, Aris Cox, declined to comment this week. A prosecutor last year de-

scribed Jackson, who is confined to a wheelchair from a shooting, as Byrd Gang’s “most prolific” dealer in heroin fentanyl, crack cocaine and marijuana. In a document filed in connection with his negated guilty pleas, he admitted to being a drug dealer and gunman for the group. Jackson confessed to numerous heroin sales and to arranging the 2016 murder of Javon “Tokyo” Johnigan, a rising rapper from the former Calliope. Jackson “feared that the rival group from the Calliope Projects would get stronger if one of their associates hit it big as a rapper and got rich,” the document states. He directed three gunmen “to travel to the Calliope Projects and murder Johnigan, which they then did.”

Those admissions are off limits for prosecutors now that Jackson has withdrawn his guilty pleas to

Rosales-Fajardo said. Their former home was near the Village De L’Est playground. Bryan would often sneak away but always headed right to the playground, Rosales-Farjardo said. Neighbors there knew to bring him home.

In their new house, Vasquez had not yet had time to install the alarm systems and other security measures that she had in place to keep her son safe, Rosales-Fajardo said She did lock an iron security gate at her front door at night. But Bryan left the residence using a window in his bedroom.

Vasquez and Rosales-Fajardo said they believe he was feeling cooped up inside the house after the move, unable to return to school because the special needs bus route he required had not yet been set up.

“He just wants to run. He loves water He loves climbing on anything. He loves school buses,” Rosales-Fajardo said.

Redirecting resources

Local, state and federal agencies joined the search for the boy on Friday and Saturday, using dogs and sending up helicopters and drones.

But after as the search hit the 72-hour mark, New Orleans police announced Sunday that the department will be redirecting resources and transitioning the investigation to its Special Victims Division, which handles missing and vulnerable juveniles. While police said the number of active field resources will be scaled down, officers will continue canvassing the neighborhood and fol-

NOPD

Continued from page 1B

a top-flight marketing firm,” Hecht said. “This is a competitive market where we are not only competing with other options in New Orleans, but we are further competing with other police departments around the country And we have to get the message out.”

NOPD’s ranks began a steep decline in 2019, hitting a record low of 893 commissioned officers in August 2023, according to the city’s staffing dashboard. That month, interim Super-

CAUSEWAY

Continued from page 1B

precipitously, he said.

“The stats tell the story. Crashes are down by a third,” he said Built for sedans, not SUVs At 25 inches tall, the Causeway southbound bridge’s original railings built in 1956 were not made to withstand heavy impact. Back then, engineers had little reason to focus on rail height as vehicles had yet to reach modern SUV and truck heights.

“Back when the first Causeway bridge was built, the style of vehicle was very heavy, very low center of gravity, very close to the pavement, so you didn’t need a parapet that was tall,” said Norma Jean Mattei, former president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“Now, we’re in a very different era when it comes to cars,” Mattei said. “The center of gravity is getting higher and higher.”

Thirteen years later, when engineers were building the bridge that became the Causeway’s northbound span, design standards had changed and recommended railing heights were increased to 31 inches, Dufrechou said.

“It’s only 6 inches of difference, but what we’ve found over time is the northbound bridge had, over its history, two overboards, and the southbound bridge had 17,” Dufrechou said.

Vehicles began going over the southbound span in the 1990s, when, suddenly, the bridge was laden with SUVs and pickup trucks. Crashes involving heavier, taller vehicles traveling at high speeds were contingencies the 1950s-era bridge was never built to address.

Funding the change

Altering the decades-old bridge came with significant engineering, funding and political hurdles Legislators didn’t like it, Dufrechou said and many local officials thought throwing support behind

lowing leads.

“The search is still ongoing,” said New Orleans Police Detective Mario Bravo, who is now leading the investigation.

Bravo and the Vasquez family urged residents in area to check their backyards, look in sheds and under houses. Authorities also asked that residents review their surveillance video starting around 5:30 a.m. Thursday Investigators are desperate for any clues on the direction in which Bryan was headed. Bryan is described as being about 5 feet 1 inch tall. He weighs about 86 to 100 pounds and was last seen wearing an adult diaper, though he may now be unclothed. He has brown eyes and black hair

intendent Michelle Woodfork launched recruiting events at the Baptist Theological Seminary and set an ambitious goal to rebuild the force to 1,200 officers.

Around the same time, the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation — a nonprofit that had managed the department’s employment advertising for a decade — returned that responsibility to NOPD. Kirkpatrick has since reinstated the department’s job postings on Indeed. com, which had lapsed during the handoff, though she notes the platform is “very expensive.”

“We realize (Indeed) is really the biggest player in town,”

Though he does not speak or understand English or Spanish, he responds to his name, “Bryan V.” Rosales-Fajardo explained that teachers added the initial when calling for him because there’s more than one Bryan at his school.

Vasquez believes her son is still alive. Bryan, she said, will look for food, whether it’s discarded on the ground or in a garbage can. He will drink water, whether it’s in a puddle or a bottle on the ground.

“I don’t feel, as a mother, that something has happened to him,” said Vasquez, who suspects that someone may have taken the boy

“If you have him and you kept him, and you’re worried, my son

Kirkpatrick said. The department has launched 30 digital billboards throughout town and is revamping its website and social media to attract a younger audience. Capitalizing on the success of A&E’s “Homicide Squad New Orleans,” now in its second season, NOPD will offer a Q&A with the show’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 gives the outside world a better look as to what we do and how we handle investigations,” said homicide detective Maggie Darling, who makes appearances on the show.

doesn’t speak. He won’t be able to say who you are. Just return him safe,” she said.

The continued community search for Bryan is being organized from the intersection of Beaucaire and Lemans streets.

The community welcomes all volunteers, including those with boats to help search waterways. Donations are also welcome. Money is being used to buy ice, water and fuel for those who are searching.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Bryan is asked to call 911 or the New Orleans Police Department at (504) 821-2222.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

Kirkpatrick said the 33 recruits in NOPD’s new academy class, which launches Monday, along with five lateral transfers — four from Louisiana departments and one from New York — show that recruitment efforts are gaining traction.

Though bolstered staffing has remained the most elusive of her three stated goals for the NOPD — the other two were to tamp down crime and exit federal oversight — Kirkpatrick maintains she won’t compromise on quality “We won’t lower standards here,” Kirkpatrick said. “If anything, we’re going to raise standards.”

William Williams, a research engineer with Texas A&M, looks over a steel bridge rail that held firm under 26,000 pounds of pressure — but the concrete wall under it cracked — during a test on July 9, 2014, as part of a study to upgrade the southbound span of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway with crash-resistant steel rails.

such an expensive project would be “political suicide.”

Months after proposing added shoulders and railings, Dufrechou said the commission struggled to find the money for what they estimated would be a $100 million project

“The bottom line came down to, no matter who we talked to — whether it was federal, Sen. (Bill) Cassidy’s folks, Mr (Steve) Scalise, the state folks — all came back (saying) that you’re going to have to do this yourself,” Dufrechou said.

The commission, instead, turned to the St. Tammany and Jefferson Parish councils to borrow up to $133 million for the project.

To pay off their debt, the commission would need to increase tolls for the first time since 1995, so they surveyed 100 commuters to gauge how much they would be willing to pay

“Everybody wanted it, nobody wanted to pay for it,” Dufrechou said.

The commission eventually settled on adding $1 for toll-tag cus-

tomers and $2 for cash customers, bringing the tolls up to $3 and $5, respectively The move proved unpopular, and one northshore group, St Tammany’s Republican Parish Executive Committee, campaigned against the proposed toll hike to fund the plan, calling it “nothing more than a tax increase,” according to a TimesPicayune report. In spite of the pushback Dufrechou said the commissioners recognized the political fallout that wasboundtofollowbutunderstood the stakes were higher than public approval.

‘Saving lives’

Four years after Myer’s crash, the commission began installing a 21-inch, stainless steel double rail designed by Texas A&M’s Texas Transportation Institute that could be added to the existing concrete parapet, raising the southbound span’s railings to 46 inches. They also added a new series of “safety bays,” shoulder areas on both bridges, that allow drivers more room in case of an

Continued from page 1B

Morguard have negotiated a price, $13 million, but that more due diligence lies ahead before a purchase agreement can be formalized. The Dillard’s store and a storage facility on the mall site have different owners, so the city will also have to negotiate with them, officials said.

For years, Slidell officials have lamented the state of the mall, watching as store after store closed and as the mall’s interior was eventually locked up tight Earlier this year, the city contracted with Colliers to help it determine the best use for the mall.

Even without the results from the study, Chris Masingill, who heads the St. Tammany Economic Development Corp., said the only way the city can be sure to have control of any redevelopment is to own the site.

“It’s fundamentally the right strategy,” Masingill said. “They literally have the chance to take control of their own economic development future.”

From the start of the Aug. 13 idea session, it was clear that residents on hand still mourn the mall. A common theme: The mall gave people something to do, and without it, there’s a void.

“It’s been depressing to watch the mall become what it’s become,” said Casey Smith, who remembers hanging out at the mall in its heyday

“Maybe we just need an old-fashioned game room for Gen Xers,” she added. “Like in the ‘90s.”

Ryan Wilkes was more direct.

“The thing that stands out is there’s nothing to do here,” he said, adding his voice to those seeking some type of entertainment venue.

But while the ideas flowed freely, a few in the crowd wondered if the city is moving too quickly

Rick Franzo, a Slidell resident and president of the Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany group, asked if the city essentially agreeing on the purchase before the consultant’s study is done is “putting the cart before the horse.”

“What are we actually buying?” Franzo asked, noting that the city would take on a lot of debt to make a purchase.

Pressed by the moderators to keep on the topic of alternative uses, Franzo did say he thinks a small retirement community might be a good fit for the site.

City officials say the money for any purchase would come from bonds backed by the revenue from the Northshore Square Economic Development District taxes. The state Bond Commission would have to approve the issuance of any bonds, Borchert said.

City officials say they want something at the site that will create jobs and drive economic development. One thing seems certain: The city doesn’t plan to reopen it as a shopping mall.

“The city will not be in the retail business,” Borchert said. “I can promise you that.”

And that will come as bad news to at least one person at the brainstorming session.

“I’m all for the mall staying the mall,” she told the consultants. “Don’t you know I love to shop?”

JUDGE

Continued from page 1B

racketeering and drug and gun conspiracies.

It was part of a package deal that included guilty pleas as well from five co-defendants. Court records show those deals remain intact.

emergency

The changes took around two years to fully install.

Despite being hit over 50 times since the rail installation, no vehicles — over half of which were SUVs and pickups have gone overboard since.

Though the commission has considered making additional improvements to the northbound span, Dufrechou said the extra changes would not be economically feasible nor as drastically necessary

“On the southbound, you were 10 times more likely to go over, so that was the reason to do southbound only,” he said.

To add the same steel railings to the northbound lanes, the commission estimated it would cost $40 million, and they didn’t want to subject commuters to another increase.

But so far, the cost of the southbound bridge’s improvements has paid dividends for commuters along the highly trafficked span.

“The bottom line is the new rails are saving lives,” Dufrechou said.

A jury in April convicted three other defendants in the case — Terran Williams, Javonta Doleman and Tyrone Bovia — over an infamous 2017 gun attack that left alleged rivals Wynston “Baby Ghost” Jackson and Lawrence Williams IV dead outside an Edna Karr High School basketball game. Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson’s office did not respond to a request for comment It wasn’t the first time Milazzo, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, declined to sign off on a plea agreement in which a set sentence was attached to the deal.

In 2016, Milazzo turned down a nineyear prison term that prosecutors confected with lawyers for former Saints standout and serial rapist Darren Sharper The sentence doubled to 18 years. Sharper remains imprisoned in Ohio, records show

LOTTERY SATURDAY,AUG. 16, 2025 PICK 3: 4-3-4 PICK 4: 1-4-5-7

Burch, Dianne Garrison,Asia GelpiJr.,James Jones, Paula Prejean,Thomas Walsh, Fonda EJefferson

Garden of Memories

Burch, Dianne NewOrleans

Lake Lawn Metairie

Walsh, Fonda West Bank

Robinson FH

Garrison,Asia

Jones, Paula

Prejean,Thomas

Obituaries

Burch, Dianne Rogers

Dianne Rogers Burch, age 83, passed away peacefullyathomeonthe evening of August 8, 2025

She wasbornonApril 29 1942 in Collins, MS.She graduated from Tay‐lorsville High School where she played basketball and was also acheerleader After graduating,she moved with friendstoNew Orleans,LAwhere shemet her husband WoodyBurch Theyraisedthree children inRiver Ridge, LA.After her husband died,she moved toCarriere, MS where she built herhomeinthe HideA-Way Lake community Years latershe returned to River Ridgetobecloserto her family. When her healthbegan to decline she livedwithher daughter inHarahan,LAuntil she passedaway. Dianne wasa secretary at Riverside Church for15years andan administrativeassistant for theDepartmentof AnesthesiologyatOchsner Medical Center.Whenshe lived in Carriere,MSshe was asecretary forDun‐gan Engineeringin Picayune,MS. Sheenjoyed painting, gardening, travel‐ing andsnowskiing. Her favoritetravels were to the HolyLandwithher church group.Dianne wasanavid quilter for22years,travel‐ing to quiltshows out of state andattending quilt‐ing retreats with her friends.She sewedquilts for herfamily, foster chil‐dreninCASA, Quilts of Valor forveteransand ser‐vicemembers,disaster victims andanimalshel‐ters. Dianne hada strong, kindand caring soul,she willbemissedbyall who knewand lovedher.She leavestocherish hermem‐ories,her daughters, San‐dra BurchDennisand Re‐genia BurchHieb(Todd) granddaughter Megan CantilloSantangelo (Christopher),sisterFaye Rogers Marley,and brother Malcolm Rogers.She is alsosurvivedbynephews ColeMarleyand Tyler Rogers,and nieceGinny Rogers Brady. Shewas af‐fectionatelycalled Granny”byher sixgrand‐children, Alexis,Heather, Megan,Dorrance, Barrett, and Gabriella, andsixteen great-grandchildren,Cale, Hayden, Sophia,Kyla, Jay‐den,Kaia, Simeon, Mackenna,Carter, Nevaeh Jillian,Reese, Colbie,Lyrik, Zanderand Jerzey.She is precededindeath by her son DavidBurch,husband WoodyBurch,Sr.,mother GenevaMyers,fatherB.R Rogers,stepson Woody Burch,Jr.,and herbeloved dachshund Daphne.The familywould like to ex‐press theirsincere grati‐tudetothe HeartofHos‐picestaff fortheir wonder‐ful,compassionate care Relatives andfriends are invited to attend avisita‐tiononThursday, August 21, 2025, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm,atGardenof Memories, 4900 AirlineDr., Metairie, LA 70001. Aser‐vicewillimmediatelyfol‐low at 12:00 pm in thefu‐neral home chapel

Asia Rene Garrison,27 years old, passedawayon Saturday, August 9, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She wasa proudgraduate and abeloved volunteerof‐fice-aide of Belle Chasse HighSchool.She wasan entrepreneurwithtop notch salesability.Asia was baptized at theage of 14years oldatSt. Peter MissionaryBaptist Church pastoredbyRev.Darnell Smith,Sr. Shewas in the youth andseniorchoir,at‐tendedbible study, Sunday school andVacationBible School.She is survived by her four leggedson,Prince, motherChristy Lynn Garri‐son,fatherAnthony Garri‐son,sisterShanbriel (Clifton) Bartholomew, nephewMarkhiBartholomew, nieceCaylie Bartholomew,Aunt Bertha Barthelemy, “favoritecousin”RhondaKay Williams, bestfriends Justin Huck‐abay& NajewahAbukhalil and ahostofaunts, un‐cles, cousins, familyand friends.Asiaisprecededin death by hergrandparents: RuthieMae Jones, Eddie Williams,Oscar Garrison, Sr. andVeraldine Garrison Asiawas ashining lightin the livesofall who hadthe privilege of knowingher Her journeyonthisearth was definedbylove, com‐passion,and an unwaver‐ing faithin God. Shelived withgrace,strength, anda heart open to all. Herpass‐ing haslefta deep void in the hearts of herfamily, friends,and themanyoth‐ers whose livesshe touched.Aswe mournher losswealsocelebrate the beautyofher life,the joy she brought, thekindness she gave so freely and the lasting impact shemade oneveryonearound her. Weask that youremember Asiathe wayshe lived. Rel‐ativesand friendsofthe familyare invitedtoattend the funeralservice on Monday, August 18, 2025 at RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home 9611 LA-23, Belle Chasse LA.The visitation willbegin at 8:30AM fol‐lowed by a10AMservice Dr. DarnellSmith Sr.ofthe St. PeterMissionaryBap‐tistChurch will officiate. Entombmentwillfollowin Our Lady Of Good Harbor CemeteryinBuras LA.Fu‐neral planning entrustedto RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home(504) 208-2119. For onlinecondolences please visit www.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com

Jr.,James Joseph

"In the heartofNew Orleans,under Louisiana's sky, James JosephGelpi, Jr was born, the appleof their eye. In 1946,Jimmy's journey began; Maytwenty -fourthof'25,heleftin God's Hand. Afighter in essence, with couragesogrand,He servedinthe AirForce, a protector of our land. To Singapore's shores, his journey did steer,Where most of his life's work wouldappear. Jimmy's lineagewas proud, afamilysovast, With siblings andchildren whoselove will forever last.His parents, JamesSr. and Dorothea, predeceased, Theirlove and their values in himnever ceased Johnny, Barbara, Frank, and Maggie,too, Steve Tommy, Ted, and Bob—his crew. And with Joey, his bookend, lovingly called, ThisGelpi familyalways stoodtall. Togetherwith Louisiana Mei, his cherished daughter's name, In herbright eyes,his spark remains aflame. Aunt Mary Jane and manymorekin than could be listed, Cousins, nieces,nephews,and friends, love never resisted. Throughlife'scomplex tapestry, he wove his thread,His thoughtsand theoriesnever minding to spread.The musiche loved, the chillhepossessed,The connection he had with New Orleans Jazz

Fest Cancermay have claimedhim, buthis legacy's clear, He walked with agrace that dreweveryone near. Aman of the world,yet ason of the South, Kind words and warm smilesalways sprung fromhis mouth. Now, as we remember theman that he was, Let's celebrate his life,and to that letuspause, Forthe journey of Jimmy, Jr.was more than hisend,Hewas abrother, afather, aveteran, afriend As stars abovethat twinkle in thenight,He, too, now shines withcelestial light.So, here is to Jimmy, may he rest in peace, Alife well-lived; his trek complete."

James J. Gelpi, Jr 10/12/1946 -05/24/2025

Jones, PaulaJoAnn Martin 'Frizz

PaulaJoAnn Martin

Jones wasbornonMay 7, 1951 to RevRobertP Martin Sr. andEuniceCrawford Martin. Shewas affection‐ately knownasFrizz.Paula transitionedfromher earthly home to herheav‐enlyhomeonSunday, Au‐gust10, 2025. Shewas alife longproud resident of Al‐giers La.She accepted Jesus Christ as herLord and Savior at averyearly age.She wasbaptizedat Algiers Church of Godin Christunder theleadership ofRev.PrinceKaywood Sr She waseducatedthrough the OrleansParishPublic School system.Paula was a proudgraduateofthe L. B.Landry(Buccaneers) class of 1969. Shefurthered her educationatSouthern UniversityofNew Or‐leans(SUNO),where she earnedher certification as a Paraprofessional.Her passion forhelping allchil‐dren, allowedher to dedi‐cate20years in theOr‐leans Parish School system teachingspecial needs childrenand 10 years teachingPre-K.Her stu‐dents bought heranabun‐dantamount of joy. After retiringfromOrleans ParishSchools, to fulfill her passion of helpingchil‐dren, sheworkedfor the AssociatedCatholicChari‐tiesGrandparentsPro‐gram. Herstudentsadored her so much,theyaffec‐tionately called her“MAW MAW JONES”.Paula was the proudmotherofone daughter, JacintaR JonesHagan (MartinSr.). She was thelovinggrand‐motherof-DestinyM Hagan,MartinHagan Jr Marquan J. Haganand Marquelle JHagan.She was theadoring great grandmother of six. Paula was also thegodmother of Broderick LaMothe. Paula had an exuberantand vi‐brant energy that everyone gravitatedto. Shenever met astranger. Shewould talktoanyoneany where atany time.She waspas‐sionate andveryinvolved inher grandchildren schoolingand extracurric‐ularactivities. Herperson‐ality allowedher to estab‐lishand sustainlifelong friendships with Joyce Haynes-Jones, Sharon James,Debra Reddix and the late RosellaRoss Brown. Paulamemories willbecherished by her daughter-JacintaJ.(Mar‐tin)Hagan,father-Rev RobertP.MartinSr.,broth‐ers Dave Hunter Sr Joseph(Deborah) Hunter, Dr. Robert (Kathleen)Mar‐tin Jr., of GrandRapidsMI. DonaldMartinSr. and HowardP.Martin, sisters, Brenetta M(Joseph Sr.) Ch‐eneau,ofArcadia LA ReginaM (George) Mullen, ofArtesia NM,and surro‐gatesisterClaudette Tull Her memory will also be cherished by hergrand‐children, greatgrandchil‐dren, nephews, great nephews,nieces, great niecesand cousins. She was preceded in deathby her mother,Mrs.Eunice CrawfordMartin, sisterMarie C. Neviland nieceCatrina C. Tanner.Relatives and friendsofthe family are invitedtoattend the funeralservice on Wednes‐day,August20, 2025 at St JosephBaptist Church lo‐cated at 1100 OdeonSt., NewOrleans LA.70114. The

visitation will beginat 8:30AMfollowedbya 10AM service.Rev.David Perry and Rev. Hanson Broussard willofficiate. Funeralplan‐ningentrusted to Robinson FamilyFuneralHome(504) 208-2119. Foronlinecondo‐lencespleasevisit www robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Prejean, Thomas Patrick

Thomas PatrickPrejean, age 55, wascalledhometo bewiththe Lord on Sun‐day,August10, 2025, at his homeinBelle Chasse LA Hewas born on March15, 1970 in NewOrleans Louisiana.Thomasissur‐vived by hisbestfriend and wife of 25 yearsTonya ConnorPrejean.Heisloved hereonearth by hisfather Early B. PrejeanSr.,sister Sue AnnBruce (Gus), and daughters Alyssa Prejean, Ali Theriot(Brock), McKenna Prejean, and McKaela Prejan.Heisalso survivedbymanynieces, nephews,cousins,and friends who he loved dearly. He wasprecededin death by hismotherHar‐riet“Susie” Thomas Pre‐jean, andhis brothers Early Prejean Jr andKeith Pre‐jean. Relativesand friend ofthe familyare invitedto attendthe funeralservice onSaturday, August 23, 2025 at CornerstoneChrist‐

ianChurch,located at 6550 Lapalco Blvd., Marrero, LA 70072 Thevisitationwill start at 10:00 a.m. followed byan11:00 a.m. serviceof‐ficiated by Pastor Jason. In lieuof flowers, please makea donation to Cor‐nerstoneChristian Church Funeralplanningentrusted toRobinsonFamilyFuneral Home(504) 208-2119. For onlinecondolences,please visit www.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com.

Walsh,Fonda Chambers

In loving memory Fonda Walsh, the belovedwife of Robert Walsh Sr.has passed away on August 13, 2025. She fell asleep in death at theage of 79. She wasbornonFebruary 28, 1946, in Gatesville,Texas. Shewas preceded in death by herparents Bernice E. Chambers andPauline Chambers. Sheleaves to cherish hermemory herhusband, of 34 years, Robert Walsh Sr.; herstepsons, Robert Walsh Jr,Kevin Walsh, Joseph Walsh (Nola), and DanielWalsh (Elaine). She is also survivedbyher brother, JerryChambers (Diane); niece,Lacey Chambers Crawford (Brent);and nephew,Cody Chambers. SheisGreat Aunt to: McKenzie, Carter andAaron Crawford

Grandmother to: Lauren, Julie, Marianne,Genevieve, Jordan,Maci, Taylor Brennan,Trevor,Kaden, Mia, Jacob,and Jesse. Great-Grandmother to: Alco,Evieana, Noah,Liam, Leif,Azalea, Aubrey, Brooks, Gianna, Aria, Everly, Rowen, Ember, William, Skylar, andDestin. Fonda wasdevoted to herhusbandsince theday they met. Theyworked sidebysideatthe family businessand spent every moment together. She grew up ridinghorsesand lovedher cherished dogs shehad throughout her life. Shegave generously to people that needed her help or just as agift knowingitwas something you liked. She had agreat smilethatpeople noticed rightaway. Shewas avery devotedwife ,lovedand appreciated andwill surely be missed. Avisitation willbefrom 9:30 to 11 am Wednesday, August 20,2025, at Lake LawnMetairie Funeral Home in NewOrleans,LA. Thefuneral service will followat11aminthe chapel. Burial will be in St.Lazarus of BethanyMemorial GardensinCovington,LA. Condolencesmay be expressed at www.lakelawn metairie.com.

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

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.

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 Forecast

SPORTS

Rattlerwins Round2, butQBrace remains undecided

As season opener looms, decision needstobemade

HEATING UP

The good news for the NewOrleans Saints is they rallied in Sunday’spreseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars fora 17-17 tie. The bad news is the race for thestarting quarterback job looks to still be tied,too. Twopreseason games in, and it’s stilltoo closefor KellenMoore to call Rookie Tyler Shough won Round 1last week against the Los Angeles Chargers. Spencer Rattler,in his second season,foughtback to winRound2 against the Jags.

“All the QBs aren’tmaking this easy,” Moore said “They are all doing areally good joband all having theirdays and taking advantage of opportunities.”

Round3,Saturday’spreseason finale against the Denver Broncos, could decide it all. Ideally,Shough or Rattler would have separated themselves by now andbeen named the starter Time is ticking.

NFL games are won by quarterbackplay. Unfortunately,weare threeweeksaway from the Sept. 7regular season opener againstthe Arizona Cardinals, and the Saints stillhaven’tquite figured outwho theirs will be The moment right after thegame is way too soon for Mooretoassess Sunday’sQB play.He’ll have abetter idea in thenext fewdaysashereviews thetapeofa game that left you probably taking the underon the 41/2 wins the Vegas oddsmakers have setfor this season.

“Film will be an importantaspectofthis thing,” Moore said. “We’ll see how everything progresses leading into thisweek.”

Maybe Moore will see enough on film to name aWeek 1starter before Sean Payton

ä See WALKER, page 5C

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler runs into the end zone for a2-point conversion to tie the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome.

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

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

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).

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

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

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 5C

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

string strain, played the first half against the Eagles.

THE VARSITYZONE

FOOTBALL PREVIEW n DISTRICT 10-1A

RiversideQBthriving

BY SPENCERURQUHART Staff writer

It’snosurprise that BrockBourgeoisis oneofRiverside’stop baseball players, but he has become akey piece on the football field, too

Bourgeois grew up playing baseball, with his dad having played at Louisiana College. TheRiverside senior is nowa multisport standout and is entering his third season as the Rebels starting quarterback while maintaining akey role on the baseball field as the starting shortstop.

In 2023, Bourgeois won the quarterback competition at Riverside as a sophomore.Hehelped guide the Rebels to their first state championship appearance since 2016 in his first year starting under center

“I think experience is the key thing that (Bourgeois) brings to this group,” coach Lee Roussel said. “He’sseen allthe coverages, he’sseen allthe fronts. Froman experience standpoint and aleadership standpoint,he’sbeenthere and done it He’swon abunch of gamesasour starting quarterback, and Ithink the other guyson offense feed off of that.”

Bourgeois, listed at 6feet and175 pounds, completed66percentofhis passes for 1,366 yards and 19 touchdowns last seasonand hasworked on becoming more of a threat with his legs

Bourgeois’ passing numbers might increase thisseason with Riverside returning multiple starting wide receivers.

“I like leading the offense,”Bourgeois said. “I’ve beendoing it for the pastthree years, and Ireally enjoy it. I’m apocket passer, but I’ve been working alot with running and getting my speed up to where Ican get out of the pocket sometimes.

“We’ve got abig receiver room. They’re all sophomores but have been playing for two or three years now.Itrust themwith the ball. My job is to just getthemthe ball andlet them make it work.”

Riverside’sskill players are led by sophomore wide receiver Kenric “Boogie” Johnson, who caught 42 passes for 397yards and five touchdowns last year and had 497 rushing yards andseven touchdowns on 45 carries.

LOOKING BACK

1. Riverside Last year: 8-3 overall (reached quarterfinals),4-0 in district

2. St. Martin’s Last year: 9-3 (second round),3-1

3. West St. John

Last year: 7-4 (second round),2-2

4. Varnado

Last year: 7-4 (second round),2-2

5. CrescentCity Last year: 3-8 (first round),1-3

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

AhmadCage

OL/DL |Riverside

The returning All-State selection at nose tackle is notedfor his quickness offthe line of scrimmage.“He can runwith the skill guys and win those races,”coach LeeRoussel said about Cage’s 10-yardsplit time. Kalon Gardner

RB |West St. John

The topreturning rusher (1,100 yards) in the district is poised for abreakout after theAllStateduo of Harlem Berry (St.Martin’s) and Dedric Lastie (Riverside) movedontoLSU and Nicholls State, respectively

Kenric Johnson

WR/CB| Riverside

Nicknamed“Boogie,”the two-waystandout at wideout and cornerbacknever cameoff the field as afreshman.He accounted for13touchdowns on offense while also playingWildcat QB

DonnyLawrence

QB |St. Martin’s

The big-bodied (6-foot-3,205 pounds) newcomer from BrotherMartin is described as aphysical rusherwiththrowing ability. “A Taysom Hill type,”coach KevinDizersaid of Lawrence,who did not playlast season because of LHSAA transfer rules.

Gabe Savarese

LB |St. Martin’s

The experiencedSavarese (98 total tackles last season) has been astarter since the beginning of his freshmanseason, making him the key playerona unit that returns eightstarters.

FIVE THINGSTOKNOW

1. Riverside, astate quarterfinalistlast season, has not lost adistrict game in three seasons.TheRebels will remain astrong state contender after reachingthe LHSAA Division IV state finals in 2023.

“When nothing is going right, (Bourgeois) is going to come to the sideline and get us going,”Johnsonsaid. “If we’re doing something we’re not supposed to be doing, he’sgoing to come get on us and get us going. The (senior) leaders bring the energy to practice.”

“It’sgoing to be hardtofill thegap behind (Lastie), but I’m going to be able to do it and set thestandard where it’ssupposed to be.”

Bourgeois’ leadership and on-field skills were praised by Roussel and Riverside baseballcoach Jade Falgoust.

“If youplay those two positions (quarterback and shortstop), alittle more is expected out of you,”Falgoust said. “Brock’s one of those guys you can lean on.Hehas that maturity level as asenior.”

Bourgeois and the rest of Riverside’sseniors have steppedupas leaders in place of arecently graduated senior classthat includedAll-State running back Dedric Lastie.

Roussel, Falgoust and therestofRiver-

side’scoaches work to accommodate multisport athletes like Bourgeois.

“I thinkwe’re all on thesame page about multisport athletes,” Rousselsaid. “Weencourage our players and our young kids to play multiple sports. (Bourgois) is areally good player in both(baseballand football), and he’s gotthe mental toughness to be able to handle both.”

Bourgeois remains open toplaying either football or baseballincollege but is currently focused on his senior goals.

Iwanttobreak my personal records,” Bourgeois said. “I thinkthat we’ve got agroup that Ican do that with.Iwant to make it back to the Domeand win it this time. That’sour goal in thelocker room.”

Riverside reached theDivision IV select quarterfinals last season andwent8-3 and 4-0 in district.The Rebels open the2025 season at homeonSept. 5against Class 5A Terrebonne.

MLBNOTEBOOK

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Philadelphia Phillies pitcher AaronNola’sfirst start after returning from the injured list didn’tlast long.

Third baseman AlecBohm, meanwhile, made abig contribution in his first game back

Nola allowed six runs in 21/3 innings in Sunday’s11-9 victory over theWashington Nationals, astart that ended when sevenconsecutive batters reached safely

“I scattered acouple of hits and it just kind of unraveled alittle bit,” the right-hander said. “They found some holes.”

The former LSU standout struck outfour in his firstmajor league

outingsince May 14

Nola wasone of the majors’ most durable pitchersentering the season, making at least 32 startsand throwing at least 1802/3 innings in eachof the last six fullseasons. But asprained right ankle and fractured rib cost him three months this season.

His returnbecame even more significant Saturday when Philadelphia placed ace ZackWheeler on theinjured list with ablood clot in his right arm. Nola already had beenscheduled tostartafter making threeminor league rehabilitation appearances, though thePhilliesscrapped theirplans to usea six-man rotation. Nola gaveupLuisGarcía’sleadoffsingle in the first inning, then

appeared to settlein. He retired thenext seven batters as Philadelphia built a6-0 lead. TheNationalsstitched together three consecutive singles in the third, the last by CJ Abrams to score arun. That ledtoamound visit from pitching coach Caleb Cotham,but Nola then walked Paul DeJong before giving up Daylen Lile’stwo-run single and Dylan Crews’ two-run double. José Tena followed with a tying double to end Nola’sday Nola allowed seven hits while throwing 53 pitches. His ERA rose to 6.92.

Astros SLUGGER ALVAREZTOSTART REHABAS-

SIGNMENT ON TUESDAY: Houston As-

2. The Rebelsreturnsenior QB Brock Bourgeois forhis third season as astarter making him one of the more seasoned signal-callers in the NewOrleans area.On defense is senior safetyJace Trosclair,a third-year starterback froma shoulderinjury last season. Senior RB Jayden Obiekweis an All-District transfer fromEast Jefferson.

3. West St. John showedgood improvement in the firsttwo seasons with Derron Thomas as coach, goingfromtwo winsin2023 to seven winslast season, including one in theplayoffs. Senior Chance Bovie(sixTDcatches, five INTs) is aproductivetwo-way player. Junior QB AchtionBarnes is aZacharytransfer

4. St.Martin’sismost experienced in the receiver/defensiveback positions with twowayseniors Kain Oddo and TylerPenny and juniors Kade Vinju and CooperWakefield.

5. Riverside will open districtplayinWeek 6 against St.Martin’s,but don’tbesurprised if West St.John also challengesfor thedistrict title.West St.John faces Riverside in Week 7 and St.Martin’s in Week 8.

trosslugger Yordan Alvarez will begin arehabilitation assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday,moving him closer to a return after sitting outfor more than three months. Alvarezhas been outsince May 3with asmallfracture in his right handthatwas initially diagnosed as amusclestrain. Astros managerJoe Espada said Alvarez would need “a few games before joining our club” but when pressed about exactly how many games or at-bats theleft-hander would need,hedeclined to give further details. Espada said Alvarez would serve as the team’sdesignated hitter Tuesday

The return of Alvarez would be amajor boosttothe Astrosasthe postseason approaches after he ledthe team in battingaverage (.308),homeruns(35)and RBIs (86) last season.Houstonentered Sunday leading the AL West with a11/2-gamelead over theMariners. The 28-year-old Alvarez hit .210 with three homers and18RBIsin29 games this season before hisinjury Rangers FIRST BASEMAN BURGER TO HAVE TESTS ON SORE LEFT WRIST: Rangersfirst basemanJakeBurgerisheaded home to Texasfor tests on hissore left wrist and will miss at least two or three games, manager Bruce Bochy said.

SAINTS PRESEASON

THREE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM SAINTS’ PRESEASON TIE VS. JAGUARS

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

2

THE O-LINE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

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.

‘Everything we want’

OL Simpkins has ‘answered the bell’ for Saints

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Technically, Torricelli Simpkins did not play as much in Sunday’s 17-17 tie against the Jacksonville Jaguars as he did in last week’s preseason game. After playing 97% of the offense’s snaps in his debut, the New Orleans Saints rookie offensive lineman was pulled from the lineup with just under three minutes left Instead, he’d settle for playing 50 snaps — still good for 84% of the unit’s total.

Simpkinssaidthesubstitutioncame as a surprise to him. He was ready to play the whole game, if need be “I think we’ve built a trust,” Simpkins said, referring to the coaching staff “They know that I’m going to give it my all no matter how long I’m in there.”

With the Saints resting center Erik McCoy in the preseason, coach Kellen Moore has turned to a little-known, undrafted free agent out of South Carolina who has made a strong impression over the last few weeks Simpkins’ rise correlated with the Saints moving him from guard to center, a shift that didn’t happen until weeks into training camp. But Simpkins more than welcomed the change. Though he played guard with the Gamecocks, center was his natural position, his “first love.”

He primarily played there during his three years at North Carolina Central, the historically Black college where Simpkins began his college career Since then, Simpkins has not only excelled on the interior, but he has also helped the Saints withstand a season-ending injury to backup Will Clapp. Simpkins played as much as he did last week because Clapp unexpectedly went down just two snaps into the game. This week, Simpkins played as much as he did because the Saints’ coaching staff likes what they’ve seen out of the 6-foot-5, 312-pound lineman.

“The most important thing is his play style,” Moore said. “We love how physical he plays, how aggressive he plays. It’s not all perfect It’s not expected to be perfect at this stage of his career, but his play style is everything we want.”

The Saints, it seems, want offensive linemen who will knock one opposing defensive lineman to the ground and then proceed to hunt another on the same play — as Simpkins did against the Chargers. The Saints want linemen who shove the oncoming rusher to the dirt, even if it means getting down and dirty himself, as Simpkins did on a block to protect Tyler Shough.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

Saints down 2. 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

Saints guard Torricelli Simpkins reacts after a play during the second half of a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at

SAINTS REPORTEDLY TRADE DT SAUNDERS

The Saints traded Khalen Saunders to the Jaguars late Sunday, according to an NFL media report. In return, the Saints are getting veteran offensive lineman Luke Fortner, whom the Jaguars selected in the third round of the 2022 draft.

Saunders started Sunday’s preseason game at nose tackle in place of Davon Godchaux, whom the Saints held out. He did not record a statistic.

The Saints initially signed Saunders to a three-year, $14.5 million contract prior to the 2023 season. He appeared in 30 games for the Saints over two seasons, during which he provided several memorable moments.

He lost grip on his starting role, though.

The Saints traded for Godchaux this offseason and transitioned to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. Saunders was serving as the team’s backup nose tackle. Luke Johnson

The Saints, it seems, want players who “want blood on every play” — a phrase Yahoo Sports’ Nice Tice used to describe Simpkins. Aggression? Simpkins knows about aggression. It was necessary, he said, growing up in Aiken, South Carolina. The oldest of six children, Simpkins would go outside and play tackle football — “no pads on,” he said against his cousins.

“Where I grew up, you want to play hard, because guess what?

If you don’t play hard, the person across from you is going to play hard, and he’s going to try and embarrass you,” Simpkins said. “I feel like the way I grew up with my family, we were always tough on each other

“We were always trying to make

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

each other be strong, be tough. So I always just took that into the field.” Simpkins has also shown that he’s smart.

The 23-year-old said he likes playing center because it slows the game down for him. He has to scan the field and recognize the defense. And he has to communicate any possible protection adjustments to the quarterback and the rest of the offense. Playing center, he said, makes him feel like a leader like he’s a second quarterback on the field.

The NFL, too, has been different in terms of his responsibilities. Simpkins said he’s had to be more attuned to what the safeties are doing before the snap, as well as what kind of front the defensive line is in. He said he’s found there’s a lot more variety of looks fronts he had only previously recognized from EA Sports’ Madden video game.

Smiling, Simpkins said he’s a bit of a “gamer,” and defenses are employing the same fronts that he’d call in the video game.

“I’m super-impressed with him,” Shough said noting Simpkins’ switch to center has allowed the lineman to “hit the ground running” and stay in the lineup. “I couldn’t be more proud of him. He stepped up in a big way And I think he’s going to have a really long career, especially (at) that position.

“He’s kind of answered the bell.”

The goal for Simpkins, of course, is to make the Saints’ 53-man roster Hesaidsecuringaspotwould“mean everything,” adding he’s worked his whole life for that moment.

Each day, that increasingly has looked more and more like a formality

“When I see somebody running around, I try to go hit them as hard as I can,” Simpkins said. “So they don’t do it again.”

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.

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. His best throw of the day went for

TIPTON CONTINUES TO SHINE

3

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

SAINTS NOTEBOOK

Bubble watch: Five players making a case for 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 53-man 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 — andhemadeanotherimpactonpunt coverage against the Jaguars by absolutelywhackingAustinTrammellatthe pointofcatch.TheSaintshaveahistory of keeping players whose main jobistocontributeinthatarea see safetyJ.T.Gray—andsocouldStalbird 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

28 yards to tight end Treyton Welch, who got a half-step on a linebacker in coverage on a deep over route. Standing in a clean pocket, Shough deliveredaprecisionstriketoWelch, 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

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 fifth-round 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.

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.

because of Shough: Facing a thirdand-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-to-back plays on the opening drive, and his pocket collapsed around him on his final play, with four Jaguars defenders converging on him for a drivekilling 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.”

Bigmoney,samepowerhouses in newera

BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press

Headline afterheadline during the offseason spoketo the samereality for college football: Millions of dollars are headed directly into the pockets of players and only programsthatcan nimbly recalibrate and replenish theirresources willsucceed Now,with preseason camps winding down and opening kickoffs approaching, adifferentrealityhits: The more thingschange, the more they stay the same.

The preseason AP Top25 for 2025 could have just as easily come from 1975. The first official season of revenue sharing between schoolsand their players in the new name, image and likeness era of college sports is sortingprograms into familiar categories.

The first includes collegefootball’sbiggest brands, which are again dominating the list of favorites: No. 1Texas, No. 2PennState, No. 3Ohio State and No. 4Clemson.

Second are teams we’ve talked about over the past few decades that are usingmoney and celebrity coaches to elbow their way into the conversation: Colorado, North Carolina and No. 23 Texas Tech.

And then there are those who see the second year of the12-team playoff and adifferentplaying field created by revenuesharing and think they mightbeable to fashion aturnaroundnot unlike No.20Indiana’sworst to (almost) first resurgence last year: Pick a name, any name, but agoodstarting point might be UCLA (now with star QB Nico Iamaleava) or Virginia.

Jeffrey Kessler,the attorney whohelped broker themassive legal settlement that compelled virtually all schools eligible for the playoff to share millions with their athletes, says these times remind him of the early 1990s, when the NFL introduced unrestrictedfree agency and the salarycap

“It’sabig change,” Kessler said.

“But Ithink the system will adapt and the better-managed athletic departments will do well, as they always do. And athletic departments that are poorly managedwon’tdo so well, and probably didn’tdoso well in the old system, either.” Heismanwatch equals championship watch

Pay or no pay,one thing hasn’t changed in college football or any sport: Great players win games.

It’s no bigsurprise, then,to see Texas at the top of almost everyone’swatch list.Leadingthe Longhorns is Arch Manning, the sophomore quarterback with the reported $6 million-plus NILdeal.

“For Arch, he grew up in this era of seeing high-level football,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “He’swatched Super Bowls. He’s watched gold jackets getting put on. He’sbeen to playoff games. He’s

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

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

3. 0-for-SEC

Clemson went 7-1 in the ACC thispast seasonand alsowon the conference title game against upstart SMU. But against the Southeastern Conferenceit was amuch grimmer picture. Clemson got plastered 34-3 in the season opener against Georgia in Atlanta, lost 17-14 at hometobitter in-state rival South Carolina and then lost 38-24atTexas in the first round of the CFP.Past performance does not presage future results, of course, butthe fact is Clemson didnot beat anyone in 2024 regarded as highly as LSU is this season. Clemson’s best win was SMU, 34-31, ateam that made the CFP but finished 13 in ESPN’spostseason power rankings. Clemson’slosses were to No. 7Georgia, No. 12 Louisville (33-21),No. 15 South Carolina and No. 2Texas.

4. Is Cade Klubnikall that?

Like LSU with Garrett Nussmeier,Clemson returns ahighly 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

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Quarterback NicoIamaleava,who has transferred from Tennessee to UCLA,rolls outtopass against AlabamaonOct. 19 in Knoxville, Tenn. The Bruins are looking to Iamaleava to help improve their fortunes this year

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Ohio State receiverJeremiah Smith celebrates after scoringagainst Notre Dame during the national championship game Jan.20inAtlanta. Smith and Buckeyes QB Julian Sayinare in the Heisman mix.

been recruited at the highestlevel as theNo. 1player in the country.”

It doesn’talways work out, but thereare plentyofschools where aplayer with hopes of winning the Heisman Trophy also will have alegitimate chance to winthe CFP

Besides Manning, other favoritesinclude receiverJeremiah Smith, whose success with defending champion Ohio State figures to depend alot on whether theBuckeyes’ next quarterback, Julian Sayin, who is also in theHeisman mix,isasgood as advertised. ClemsonQB CadeKlubnikis amongthe favorites, as are the Tigers fora repeat title in the ACC. Quarterback Drew Allar is in his fourth season at Penn State, where the Nittany Lions are expected to face Ohio Statefor theBig Ten title (TheyplayNov.1,and coach James Franklin is 1-10 against the Buckeyes).

Meanwhile, LSU appears to be only asecondary threat to Texas as Georgia andAlabama are in the SEC, but Garrett Nussmeier is in that Heisman mixand can stay there with agood performance against Klubnik and Clemson on Aug. 30.

Is thehypemachine same as thewin machine?

Nobody has defined this new era of NIL as much as Colorado coach Deion Sanders. Sanders brought his unapologetic swagger to aprogram that had been in thedumps for decades He made the Buffaloes relevant, producing TV ratings, celebrity sightings, aHeisman winner in Travis Hunterand maybe the most talked-about player in thesport in his own son, Shedeur Winning? That was another thing.Deion Sanders is 13-12 over his two seasons, and now that Hunter and Shedeur are gone, the only big expectations for CU are coming from Boulder

“The nextphase is we’regoing to win differently,but we’re going to win,” Sanders said.

Another celebrity coach,Bill Belichick,will start answering the question of whether fans and wins will follow him to North Carolina.

The73-year-old coach said he was building an NFL-style program —meaning everything he does, from nutrition to training to, yes, contracts, will look more like

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By

Clemson head coachDaboSwinney calls out to his players during a game against SouthCarolina on Nov. 30 in Clemson, S.C. LSU will face Clemson in their season opener on Aug. 30

Clemson’sfour losses, however Klubnik’spassingwas more pedestrian. Against Georgia, Louisville, South Carolina and Texas he threwfourTDs and three interceptions combined.

5. Trending under

In 2021, Clemson was preseason No. 3inthe AP poll andfinished No. 14 with a10-3 record. In 2023, Clemson was preseason No.9like LSUand finishedNo. 20 witha 9-4mark. Not failingseasonsbyany means, but enough to make you doubt that Clemson will live up to this year’slofty expectations.

6. Runninggameworries

Klubnik is byfar Clemson’stop returningrusher,with Phil Mafah (1,115 yards in 2024) having moved on. The Tigers’current projected starting running back

is Adam Randall, aconverted receiver who had four carries a year ago. His backup is Gideon Davidson, ahighly regarded freshman but still someone making his first collegiatecarries next week.

7. Punter problems Lessthan two weeksfrom the LSUgame and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has yet to pick apunter between Jack Smith, Robert Gunn and Will McCune. All three possess boom or bust legs, kickers who could pin LSU deep or boot adying duck to give LSUgreat field position in atight game. “They can launch it 60” yards, Swinney said recently “They can alsoshank it 20. Right now,I’d have to pray about it, put their names in ahat and ask God to pull out the right one for me on game day.”

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByDAVID ZALUBOWSKI Colorado coachDeion Sanders looksonasplayers takepartindrills during practice on ThursdayinBoulder,Colo. Sanders has brought excitement to the program, but wins haven’t been easy to come by

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByERIC GAy

TexasquarterbackArch Manning throws during apractice in Austin, Texas, on July 30. All eyes will be on Manning and the top-ranked Longhorns this season.

thepros.

Over in Lubbock,Texas,the Texas Tech athletic program has never beenafraid to swing big.

The program that gave us swashbuckling coach Mike Leach and Super Bowl quarterback Patrick Mahomes is being bankrolled by the billionaire head of its board of regents, Cody Campbell, who now has the school’s footballfield named after him Texas Tech has made aseries of high-profileand expensiveplayer signings —some for high schoolers who haven’tarrived yet —and is estimated to be spending more on NIL than any program in the country besides Texas.

“I know there’sa lotofexpectationsonthis team,”saidcoach Joey McGuire. “Welook at it as opportunities.” Do newpayrollsmeaneven footingfor everyone?

The new world of revenue sharing and an expanded playoff does give morereason forhopeacross thecountry.When searching for blueprints of how that can work, most long-suffering programs will

WALKER

Continuedfrom page1C

brings his Broncos to town. I’dgive aslight edge to Rattler right now, but that’smore of a“Whathave you done for me lately?”decision based on Sunday’slate drive

The Saints didn’tfind the end zone Sunday until 21 seconds remained in the game, when Rattler capped off an 82-yard drive with a20-yard pass to Dante Pettis. It was just the Saints’ second touchdown in their twotune-up games.

Each quarterback had his one big highlight Sunday Shough threw afirst-half strike to Treyton Welch, whomade a SportsCenter Top10-caliber grab.

Rattler connected with Mason Tipton for a45-yard reception. Neither quarterback was consistent enough to drive the final nail in thecoffinofthis ongoing quarterback battle, though.

If you had to declare awinner for Sunday,itwould be Rattler, despiteafourth-quarter interception that looked just as bad as theone Shough threw the week before.

Oftentimes,you have to look beyond the completions and interceptions on the stat sheet.

Forexample,Tipton —the targeted receiver on the interception —took all of theblame on that play.

“There is no waythe DB is supposed to make that play,” Tipton said. “I’ve got to run through that slant so he can’teven makethat play.The bottom line is, he beat me to the ball and that can’thappen.”

Rattler responded and marched theSaints downthe field fora score. He then used his legs to tie it when he ran in forthe two-point conversion.

look to Indiana. The Hoosiers were an also-ran for decades. Then coach Curt Cignetti arrived, brought 54 new players from thetransfer portal andturned Indiana into awinner overnight. It was aremarkable turnaround thatran counter to therealities seen in these stats:

n There are70teams that make up thePower Fourconferences, plus Pac-12 leftovers Oregon State and Washington State.

n Since 2000, 36 of those teams have captured atotal of 137 outright or shared league titles won between thefive largest conferences.

n Of those137 titles,92(67%) have been captured by 10 programs that have won five or more. The other 26 have combinedtowin 45.

n That leaves 34 programs (48.5%)thathaven’t won any. In the NFL over the same period, only 10 teams (31%) have failed to reach the Super Bowl. Those numbers reflect how hard it is to break through in big-time college football but also the size of the glass ceiling that could be shattered in this new era of college sports.

“That wasabig momentand opportunity forhim to have that great drive going downthe field,” Moore said. “Tothrow that interception and have to respond, he responded really well.”

Last weekinthe loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, it was Shough responding from an interception and leading atouchdown drive. Regardless of whowins the job, you should expect both quarterbacks to go through their growing pains this season, especially with the waythe offensive line has looked in the preseason.

Offensive line play,which looked on paper like it was going to be ateam strength, has been underwhelming thus far. Erik McCoy,the glue that holds the O-line together,hasn’tplayed in either preseason gameas Moore sits him out. Trevor Penning is nursing atoe injury.Also, Alvin Kamara —who makes everything easier foreverybody has yet to play in the preseason. Shough completed 9of12 passes for66yards Sunday.His numbers would have been better if not foradropped pass by Chris Olave that would have been a24yard gain to extend adrive.

If Olave makes that catch to extend the drive, who knows what kind of day Shough would have had?

Rattler,meanwhile, completed 18 of 24 passes for199 yards. Moore, much like the Saints’ fan base, wishes this race would have been decided by now “Sooner is always better,” Moore said. “These guys are competing, and they are giving everything that we can ask. We will continue to evaluate.”

Rattler finished Sunday’sgame on ahight note. Now if he or Shough would just have astrong finish to this quarterback competition.

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 2D

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 2D

Should Iask my primarycare physician foracognitiveassessment 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?

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

POSTCARD

Continued from page1D

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 page1D

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 page1D

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

bloodstream. Thesource of the infectionisoften bacterial, but canalsobeviral,fungal or environmental.

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

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

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.

Guilt, griefand grownkids

Dear Annie: LastOctober, my son and Ibought a homewith apool. My fiancé’sson, who had not visited his father in years, offered to drive themoving truck. My fiancé could not lift much due to a shoulder injury, but his son helped unload afew items. After themove, they visited once, and Iwelcomed them with food and hospitality. That was the last time they came, even though we continued visiting them.

Fastforward 10 months. My fiancé’shealth has declined. During arecent emergency room visit, the doctors found an enlarged aortic artery.Around the sametime, Ireceived a textfrom his daughter-inlaw.She did not ask about his health. She just wanted to know if they could come swimming.

When my fiancé needed pre-op testing, Icould not take him due to work. His son reluctantly agreed, but while we were talking about it over the phone, he cut short our conversation and snapped, “You need to get the (expletive) off the phone. Ineed the GPS.” Iwas shocked. Ilater sent him aheartfelt message expressing my disappointment and concern about how disconnected he has been from his father His only reply was, “Whatever.You are too much. Just leave me alone.”

NowIhave told my fiancé Iwill handle all future appointments, but Iwant no further involvement with his son or daughterin-law.This has upset him, but Ihave reached my emotional limit. Ifeel used,

unsupported and drained. Why do Istill feel like Ihave done something wrong? —Protecting My Peace Dear Protecting My Peace: You have done nothing wrong. Youhave shownupwith love, loyalty and care when it mattered most. What you are feeling is not guilt; it is grief over being unsupported and mistreated by people whoshould have stepped up. Setting boundaries with your fiancé’sson and daughter-in-law is not selfish. It is necessary.Their behavior has been thoughtless at best and cruel at worst. Youare protecting your peace so you can continue to care foryour fiancé without added stress. Stand by your decision. Youare not the problem Youare the strength holding everything together Send yourquestions forAnnie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

What canIeventalkabout?

Dear Miss Manners: Iunderstand that we shouldn’t talk about religion, nor about politics. Now it’sfood that’sverboten.

Sports? Please, no!

Travel plans or trip reports? Yawn. Healthconcerns? Yech.

ple whoseopinions may be different from yourown

Bragging/complaining about children/other relatives/ neighbors/jobs? Snore Favorite movies/TV shows/news sources?

Hobbies?

Dear Miss Manners: In ahistorical novel Iwas reading, a young womanwas widowed, and she was bemoaning that she would have to wearonly pearls no diamonds. Was that really athing at one time?

New cars or other bigticket purchases? Reminiscing about college/high school experiences?

Gossip? Especially about strangers?

Pleaseprovide alist of approved topics.

Gentle reader: Sure. Just as soon as you provide Miss Manners with alist of topics on which you are prepared to have acivil and respectful give-and-take withpeo-

Gentle reader: Yes. Mourning, which would last at least twoyears for awidow,proscribed any jewelry except pearls and black onyx, with the only gold permitted being the wedding ring. Everything wassupposed to be matte, so even clothing madeof shiny material wasnot supposed to be worn.

Ridiculous, you say?

Well, ridiculously exaggerated. Perhaps only in novels were ladies condemned to dowdiness in tribute to someone of whom they mayhave been only too delighted to be free.

Now, expressing mourn-

TODAYINHISTORY

ByThe 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 the United States.

In 1963, James Meredith becamethe first Black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York, 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 was discovered that a scoring error cost Yang Tae-young of South Korea the title.

ing though appearance has pretty much been dropped. Many people do not even wear black to funerals, much less afterward —unless it is to weddings. But visible mourning did serve apurpose. At the funeral, it indicated respect forthe deceased. And in later stages, it warned others that the wearer’sstate waspossibly fragile. As quaint as it seems, Miss Manners would think amodified version would be useful nowadays as protection against sidewalk therapists, with their unsolicited demands that the bereaved quickly achieve “closure.” Dear Miss Manners: Why do so manypeople, mostly young, feel the need to stick out their tongue when apicture is being taken of them?This is not very photogenic, and in fact ruins the picture!

Gentle reader: That is why. Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite www.missmanners.com.

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 Nixon ordered theNational GuardtoFerguson,a suburbofSt. Louisconvulsed by protests over the fatal shooting of aBlack 18-yearold, Michael Brown. Today’sbirthdays: Actordirector Robert Redford is 89. Actor Carole Bouquet is 68. Actor Denis Leary is 68. Actor Madeleine Stowe is 67. ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff is 64. Actor Edward Norton is 56. Actor Christian Slater is 56. Actor Kaitlin Olson is 50. Actor-comedian Andy Samberg is 47. Artist-model

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) Toomuchofanything 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. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of thesudoku increases from monday to sunday.

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 game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are

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

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

ken ken

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

WiShinG Well

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