The Advocate 08-19-2025

Trump says he’s arranging Putin, Zelenskyy meeting

President discusses war with Ukrainian leader, top European officials

BY SYLVIE CORBET, SAMYA KULLAB and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump says he has begun arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a pathway to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The president made the announcement shortly after speaking by phone with Putin on Monday as he hosted Zelenskyy and top European leaders to discuss his push to end the brutal war The talks came amid a significant measure of trepidation on the continent that Trump is pressing Ukraine to make concessions that will only further em-

bolden Putin.

“I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Trump said in a social media post soon after lengthy talks with Zelenskyy and the European leaders ended “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”

It was not clear if Putin has fully signed on to such talks.

Russia state news agency Tass cited Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov saying Putin and Trump “spoke in favor” of continuing direct

talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. Ushakov said they also discussed “the idea of raising the level of the direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations.”

Zelenskyy told reporters following the White House meeting that if Russia does “not demonstrate a will to meet, then we will ask the United States to act accordingly.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who attended the White House talks, added in an appearance on Fox News that “if Russia is not playing ball” on direct talks with Ukraine “the United States plus Europe will do more when it comes to tariffs and sanctions”

ä See TRUMP, page 4A

La. National Guard heading to D.C.

Governor says about 135 soldiers to assist in federal effort

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Louisiana is sending about 135 members of its National Guard to Washington, D.C., joining five other red states that have pledged

hundreds of troops to assist with President Donald Trump’s federal crackdown there.

Altogether, the states could more than double Trump’s initial deployment of 800 District of Columbia National Guard members to the city, potentially adding more than 1,100 more troops.

Gov Jeff Landry announced Monday that Louisiana would take part in the effort.

“We are a nation of law and

order Our capital is a reflection of our nation’s respect, beauty, and standards,” Landry said in a statement on the social media app X “We cannot allow our cities to be overcome by violence and lawlessness. I am proud to support this mission to return safety and sanity to Washington DC and cities all across our country, including right here in Louisiana.”

Judge tosses lawsuit over blocking on social media

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

residents who claimed

violated their First Amendment rights when she blocked them on the

media platform X, after one made an insulting and vulgar post over abortion laws, and another disagreed with a plan to start the school day with the Lord’s Prayer New Orleans resident Maya Detiege sued state Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews, a Democrat from Monroe, in February 2023, arguing that a post she made was protected political speech and that the senator’s social media account was a public forum subject to First Amendment protection, according to the lawsuit. In blocking users from her account, when the platform was still named Twitter, over a policy disagreement, JacksonAndrews violated Detiege’s constitutional right to free speech, the plaintiff argued. Jackson-Andrews, however, said in court filings that her social media posts didn’t count as official government activity — a view that U.S District Judge Donald Walter agreed with. Walter said the plaintiffs had not proven Jackson-Andrews “had actual authority to speak on the State’s behalf,” and thus didn’t have the right to sue over constitutional rights violations. The plaintiffs plan to appeal the decision, said Bruce Hamilton, a professor with the Tulane University Law School First Amendment Clinic who is representing the plaintiffs.

“We respectfully disagree with the judge’s interpretation of state authority in this case, Hamilton said. “Senator Jackson was clearly using and continues to use her social media platform to speak

See LAWSUIT, page 4A

James Maseno, of Grandlel, Md., right, takes a selfie with a District of Columbia Army National Guard staff sergeant outside the Union Station in Washington on Monday.

ASSOCIATED

RegionalDirector of Ruby Slipper

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Judge blocks FTC’s Media Matters probe

WASHINGTON A federal judge has issued an injunction preventing the Trump administration’s Federal Trade Commission from investigating Media Matters for America, the liberal media watchdog group that had alleged the spread of hate speech on X since Elon Musk acquired the social media platform.

U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L Sooknanan ruled Friday that the FTC’s probe of Media Matters, “purportedly to investigate an advertiser boycott concerning social media platforms,” represents a clear violation of the group’s freedom of speech.

“It should alarm all Americans when the government retaliates against individuals or organizations for engaging in constitutionally protected public debate,” Sooknanan wrote.

Even before the FTC got involved, Media Matters has been defending itself against a lawsuit by Musk following the organization’s November 2023 story that, following Musk’s purchase of the social media site once known as Twitter, antisemitic posts and other offensive content were appearing next to advertisements there.

Sooknanan said the injunction halting any FTC probe was merited because Media Matters is likely to succeed on its claim that the FTC is being used to retaliate against it for a critical article on a Trump supporter

2 officers killed in Utah shooting, authorities say

Two police officers responding to a domestic disturbance call were shot and killed in Utah and a man was taken into custody after bystanders persuaded him to drop the gun, authorities said Monday

The officers were identified as Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada, of the Tremonton Garland Police Department. A sheriff’s deputy and a police dog also were shot and wounded in their car as they arrived to help at a neighborhood in Tremonton on Sunday night. The deputy from Box Elder County was released from the hospital Monday and the dog was hospitalized in fair condition, police said.

“These officers are definitely heroes,” Police Chief Chad Reyes in neighboring Brigham City said at a news conference Monday morning.

When police respond to domestic disturbance calls, “we really don’t know what we’re walking into,” he said. “And they are one of the most dangerous events that we can be dispatched on.” Police received multiple 911 hang-up calls from a home in the city A single officer from the Tremonton-Garland Police Department arrived first and was speaking to someone at the home when the man came out with a gun, police said in a news release. Reyes said he believed the man lived at the house Hong Kong activists granted asylum

TAIPEI,Taiwan A Hong Kong prodemocracy activist and a former lawmaker who are wanted by the city’s authorities have been granted asylum in Great Britain and Australia, respectively Tony Chung, an activist who was imprisoned under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law, and Ted Hui, a former lawmaker who was facing trial for his role in anti-government protests in 2019, both announced over the weekend that they have received asylum in the countries where they now live. They are among dozens of activists on the run from Hong Kong authorities. Civil liberties in the city have been greatly eroded since Beijing in 2020 imposed a national security law essentially criminalizing dissent in the former British colony Both Beijing and Hong Kong have hailed the security law as bringing stability to the financial hub.

Hui, who fled Hong Kong in December 2020, is part of a group of overseas activists who are targeted by police bounties of up to $127,800. The former lawmaker is now working as a lawyer in Adelaide.

He announced on Facebook on Saturday that he and his family have been granted protection visas.

Hamas accepts Arab ceasefire proposal

Palestinian death toll passes 62,000 in Gaza

BY VICTORIA EASTWOOD, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

RAFAH, Egypt Hamas said Monday it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as Israel indicated its positions haven’t changed, while Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000.

U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the long-running negotiations that Washington has mediated as well. “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” he posted on social media.

Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire talks appeared to break down last month, raising the possibility of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which experts say is sliding into famine.

Plans to expand the offensive, in part aimed at pressuring Hamas, have sparked international outrage and infuriated many Israelis who fear for the remaining hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war Hundreds of thousands took part in mass protests on Sunday calling for their return.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said mediators are “exerting extensive efforts” to revive a U.S. proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, during which some of the remaining 50 hostages would be released and the sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest.

Abdelatty told The Associated Press they are inviting U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to join the ceasefire talks.

Abdelatty spoke to journalists during a visit to Egypt’s Rafah crossing with Gaza, which has not functioned since Israel seized the Palestinian side in May 2024. He was accompanied by Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, which has been largely sidelined since the war began.

Texas declares its measles outbreak over

BY DEVI SHASTRI AP health writer

The Texas measles outbreak that sickened 762 people since late January is over, state health officials said Monday

It’s been more than 42 days since the last new case was confirmed, meeting the threshold public health officials use to declare measles outbreaks over The last person to have an outbreak-related case got a rash on July 1, according to state data.

Two unvaccinated Texas children died of the virus earlier this year and 100 people were hospitalized throughout the outbreak, which spread to 37 counties. The outbreak and was linked to outbreaks in Canada and Mexico and other U.S. states.

The U.S. is having its worst year for measles in more than three decades, as childhood vaccination rates against the virus decline and more parents claim exemptions from school requirements. The U.S has confirmed 1,356 cases as of Aug. 5, according U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The nation’s third measles death was unvaccinated adult in New Mexico who died in March. West Texas was the nation’s measles epicenter for months. The virus started spreading there in close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite communities in Gaines County

Abdelatty said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had joined the talks, which include senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, who arrived in Cairo last week. Abdelatty said they are open to other ideas, including for a comprehensive deal that would release all the hostages at once.

Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told the AP that the militant group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators, without elaborating.

An Egyptian official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said the proposal includes changes to Israel’s pullback of its forces and guarantees for negotiations on a lasting ceasefire during the initial truce. The official said it is almost identical to an earlier proposal accepted by Israel, which has not yet joined the latest talks.

Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egypt State Information Service, told the AP that Egypt and Qatar have sent the Hamasaccepted proposal to Israel.

An Israeli official said Israel’s positions, including on the release of all hostages, had not changed from previous rounds of talks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been disarmed, and to maintain lasting security control over Gaza. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

Netanyahu said in a video addressing the Israeli public that reports of Hamas’ acceptance of the proposal showed that it is “under massive pressure.”

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians in the attack that ignited the war Around 20 of the hostages still in Gaza are believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from the war had climbed to 62,004, with another 156,230 people wounded. It does not say how many were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half the dead.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Vials of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine are displayed in February in Lubbock, Texas. Texas said Monday its measles outbreak has ended.

Even with that outbreak over, Texas will likely see more cases as the virus spreads worldwide, officials said.

At least 19 U.S. states have had measles outbreaks this year Across the border in Chihuahua, Mexico, an outbreak that started with a child who visited Gaines County has ballooned to 3,854 cases and 13 deaths. Another in Ontario, Canada, started in October, sickening 2,362 so far and killing one. And 1,762 have been sickened in Alberta, Canada.

Before the outbreak, most Texas doctors had never seen a measles case because of how uncommon it has become said Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner Jennifer Shuford. She credited testing, vaccination, monitoring and education with helping to end the outbreak.

“I want to highlight the tireless work of the public health professionals across the state who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses,” Shuford said in a statement.

Erin forces evacuations in North Carolina

Hurricane expected to stay offshore

BY BEN FINLEY and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

Hurricane Erin forced tourists to cut their vacations short on North Carolina’s Outer Banks even though the monster storm is expected to stay offshore after lashing part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday

Evacuations were ordered on some barrier islands along the Carolina coast as authorities warned the storm could churn up dangerous rip currents and swamp roads with waves of 15 feet. Tropical storm and surge watches were issued Monday for much of the Outer Banks.

Tourists and residents waited for hours in a line of cars at Ocracoke Island’s ferry dock — the only way to leave other than by plane.

“We definitely thought twice,” said Seth Brotherton, of Catfish, North Carolina, whose weeklong fishing trip ended after two days. “But they said ‘mandatory’ and that pretty much means, ‘get out of here.’”

Forecasters are confident Erin will curl north and away from the eastern U.S., but it’s still expected to whip up wild waves and tropical force winds along the coastal islands, Dave Roberts of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The storm intensified to a Category 4 with 140 mph maximum sustained winds Monday while pelting the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the southeast Bahamas, according to the center By Monday night, sustained winds had dropped some to 130 mph with Erin about 695 miles southwest of Bermuda and about 805 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras.

Government officials in the Turks and Caicos Islands said all services were

suspended on three of its islands and ordered residents there to stay home. Some ports also closed.

On North Carolina’s Outer Banks, coastal flooding was expected to begin Tuesday and continue through Thursday

The evacuations that began Monday on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke came at the height of tourist season on the thin stretch of lowlying barrier islands that jut into the Atlantic Ocean and are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. A year ago, Hurricane Ernesto stayed hundreds of miles offshore yet still produced high surf and swells that caused coastal damage. This time there are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds and waves could wash out parts of the main highway, the National Weather Service said. Some routes could be impassible for several days, authorities warned.

This is the first time Ocracoke has been evacuated since Hurricane Dorian struck in 2019, leaving behind the most damage in the island’s recorded history Tommy Hutcherson, who owns the community’s only grocery store, said the island has mostly bounced back. He’s optimistic this storm won’t be as destructive. “But you just never know I felt the same way about Dorian and we really got smacked,” he said. Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly Erin, the year’s first Atlantic hurricane, reached a dangerous Category 5 status Saturday with 160 mph winds before weakening. It is expected to remain a large hurricane into midweek.

Texas Democrats end walkout over redistricting

House members shadowed by police; California set to redraw own maps

BY BILL BARROW, TRAN NGUYEN and FERNANDA FIGUEROA Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas Texas Democrats who ended a walkout Monday found themselves shadowed by law enforcement officers to keep them from repeating the protest that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts and fulfill President Donald Trump’s desire to reshape U.S. House maps Republicans in the Texas House forced returning Democrats to sign what the Democrats called “permission slips,” agreeing to round-the-clock surveillance by state Department of Public Safety officers to leave the floor However, Democratic Rep Nicole Collier of Fort Worth, refused and remained on the House floor Monday night.

The Democrats’ return to Texas puts the Republicanrun Legislature in position to satisfy Trump’s demands, possibly later this week, as California Democrats advance new congressional boundaries in retaliation.

Lawmakers had officers posted outside their Capitol offices, and suburban Dallas Rep. Mihaela Plesa said one tailed her on her Monday evening drive back to her apartment in Austin after spending much of the day on a couch in her office. She said he went with her for a staff lunch and even down the hallway with her for restroom breaks.

“We were kind of laughing about it, to be honest, but this is really serious stuff,” Plesa said in a telephone interview “This is a waste of taxpayer dollars and really

performative theater.”

Collier who represents a minority-majority district, said she would not “sign away my dignity” and allow Republicans to “control my movements and monitor me.”

“I know these maps will harm my constituents,” she said in a statement “I won’t just go along quietly with their intimidation or their discrimination.”

The tit-for-tat puts the nation’s two most populous states at the center of an expanding fight over control of Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The battle has rallied Democrats nationally following infighting and frustrations among the party’s voters since Republicans took total control of the federal government in January

Dozens of Texas Democratic lawmakers left for Illinois and elsewhere on Aug. 3, denying their Republican colleagues the attendance necessary to vote on redrawn maps intended to send five more Texas Republicans to Washington.

Republicans now hold 25 of Texas’ 38 U.S. House seats. They declared victory Friday, pointing to California’s proposal intended to increase Democrats’ U.S. House advantage by five seats. Many absent Democrats left Chicago early Monday and landed hours later at a private airfield in Austin, where several boarded a charter bus to the Capitol. Cheering supporters greeted them inside.

Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows did not mention redistricting on the floor but promised swift action on the Legislature’s agenda.

“We aren’t playing around,” Republican state Rep. Matt Shaheen, whose district includes part of the Dallas area, said in a post on the X social media platform. Even as they declared victory Democrats acknowledged Republicans can now approve redrawn districts. Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu said Democrats would challenge the new designs in court.

Lawmakers did not take up any bills Monday and

2 gunmen among 3 killed in N.Y. bar shooting, police say

Search underway for another 2 assailants

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK Two of the three people killed in a bar shooting in the New York City borough of Brooklyn were among the four shooters who opened fire inside the building, the city’s police commissioner said Monday Jamel Childs, 35, and Marvin St. Louis, 19, both of Brooklyn, were seen on surveillance video arguing in the Taste of the City Lounge in Crown Heights shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. About 10 minutes later

St. Louis approached Childs and opened fire, and Childs and two other men fired back.

Both Childs and St Louis were shot multiple times and were pronounced dead at a hospital a short time after the shooting. The third man killed, 27-year-old city resident Amadou Diallo, was pronounced dead at the scene Authorities said Diallo appears to have been an innocent bystander

Two other men who also opened fire in the bar remained at large Monday, Tisch said, but she did not disclose further details about them. A possible motive for the shooting remains under investigation, but authorities have said it appears to be gang-related.

Tisch said Monday that Childs had a lengthy police record and is listed in a police database as a member of Folk Nation, which she described as a “violent gang” that “terrorizes Brooklyn” and is responsible for six shootings this year She said three people who survived the shooting also have ties to that gang, but St. Louis had no “relevant criminal history.”

Fourteen people were shot overall in the incident, but none of the survivors’ injuries are believed to be life-threatening, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday Investigators found at least 42 shell casings from 9 mm and .45-caliber weapons and a firearm in a nearby street following the shooting.

Judge weighs detainees’ legal rights at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida

BY DAVID FISCHER and MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

MIAMI — A federal judge on Monday considered whether detainees at a temporary immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades have been denied their legal rights. In the second of two lawsuits challenging practices at the facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” civil rights attorneys sought a preliminary injunction to ensure that detainees at the facility have confidential access to their lawyers, which they say hasn’t happened. Florida officials dispute that claim. The civil rights attorneys also wanted U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz to identify an immigration court that has jurisdiction over

the detention center so that petitions can be filed for the detainees’ bond or release. The attorneys say that hearings for their cases have been routinely canceled in federal Florida immigration courts by judges who say they don’t have jurisdiction over the detainees held in the Everglades. At the start of Monday’s hearing, government attorneys said they would designate the immigration court at the Krome North Service Processing Center in the Miami area as having jurisdiction over the detention center in the Everglades in an effort to address some of the civil rights attorneys’ constitutional concerns The judge told the government attorneys that he didn’t expect them to change that designation without good reason.

But before delving into the core issues of the detainees’ rights, Ruiz wanted to hear about whether the lawsuit was filed in the proper jurisdiction in Miami. The state and federal government defendants have argued that even though the isolated airstrip where the facility was built is owned by Miami-Dade County, Florida’s southern district is the wrong venue since the detention center is located in neighboring Collier County, which is in the state’s middle district.

The hearing ended without the judge making an immediate ruling. Ruiz suggested that the case against the federal defendants might be appropriate for the southern district, but the case against the state defendants might be better in the middle district.

were not scheduled to return until Wednesday Trump has pressured other Republican-run states to consider redistricting, as well, while Democratic governors in multiple statehouses have indicated they would follow California’s lead in response. Democratic California Gov Gavin Newsom has said his state will hold a Nov 4 special referendum on the redrawn districts.

The president wants to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of the midterms during his first presidency After gaining House control in 2018, Democrats used their majority to stymie his agenda and twice impeach him.

Nationally, the partisan makeup of existing district lines puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total House seats, only several dozen districts are competitive. So even slight changes in a few states could affect which party wins control.

Redistricting typically occurs once at the beginning of

each decade after the census. Many states, including Texas, give legislators the power to draw maps. California is among those that empower independent commissions, giving Newsom an additional hurdle.

Democratic legislators introduced new California maps Monday It was the first official move toward the fall referendum asking voters to override the independent commission’s work after the 2020 census.

The proposed boundaries would replace current ones through 2030. Democrats said they will return the mapmaking power to the commission after that.

State Republicans promised lawsuits.

Democrats hold 43 out of California’s 52 U.S. House seats. The proposal would try to expand that advantage by targeting battleground districts in Northern California, San Diego and Orange counties, and the Central Valley Some Democratic incumbents also get more left-leaning voters in their districts.

“We don’t want this fight, but with our democracy on the line, we cannot run away from this fight,” said Democrat Marc Berman, a California Assembly member who previously chaired the elections committee.

Republicans expressed opposition in terms that echoed Democrats in Austin, accusing the majority of abusing power Sacramento Republicans said they will introduce legislation advocating independent redistricting commissions in all states.

Texas Republican Gov Greg Abbott launched the expanding battle when he heeded Trump’s wishes and added redistricting to an initial special session agenda that included multiple issues, including a package responding to devastating floods that killed more than 130 people last month. Abbott has blamed Democrats’ absence for delaying action on those measures. Democrats have answered that Abbott is responsible because he effectively linked the hyperpartisan matter to nonpartisan flood relief. Abbott, Burrows and other Republicans tried various threats and legal maneuvers to pressure Democrats’ return, including the governor arguing that Texas judges should remove absent lawmakers from office. As long as they were out of state, lawmakers were beyond the reach of the civil arrest warrants that Burrows issued. The Democrats who returned Monday did so without being detained by law enforcement. The lawmakers who left face fines of up to $500 for each legislative day they missed. Burrows has insisted Democratic lawmakers also will pay pick up the tab for law enforcement who attempted to corral them during the walkout.

Barrow reported from Atlanta. Nguyen reported from Sacramento, California. Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.

on Moscow

Zelenskyy previously had said he wanted Russia to agree to a ceasefirebeforeany meeting betweenhimselfand Putin,but he said Monday that if theUkrainians started setting conditions, the Russians would do the same.

“That’swhy Ibelieve that we must meet without any conditions, and think about what developmentthere canbeofthis path to theend of war,” Zelenskyy said.

Earlier,Trump said during talks with Zelenskyy and the European leaders thata potential ceasefire andwho gets Ukrainian territory seized by Russia should be hashed out during aface-to-facemeeting between the warring countries’ two leaders.

“We’re going to let the president go over andtalk to the president and we’llsee how that works out,” Trump said.

That was ashift from comments Trump made soon after meeting Putin last week in which he appearedtotilt toward Putin’sdemands that Ukraine make concessionsoverlandseizedbyRussia, whichnow controls roughly onefifth of Ukrainian territory

Trump also announcedon Monday he would backEuropean securityguarantees for Ukraine as he metwith Zelenskyy and the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Finland,aswell as the president of the European Commission and the head of NATO. Trump stoppedshort of committing U.S. troops to acollective effort to bolsterUkraine’s security. He said instead that there would be a“NATO-like”security presence and that all those detailswould be hashed out withEU leaders.

“They want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it andwe’ll help them outwith that,” Trump said.

Zelenskyy saiddeep U.S. involvement in the emergingsecurityguarantees is crucial.

“Itisimportant that theUnited States make aclear signal, namely that they will be amongthe

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in furtherance of her official responsibilities.”

“X is the modern public square —our elected officials should not be allowed to blockusers from viewing and interacting withtheir social mediaaccounts because they express critical or dissenting points of view,”headded.

Jackson-Andrews on Monday said she is “thanking God” for therulingthatan“electedofficial’spersonal accountcannot be subjected to vile and racist state-

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Trump,who hasalso takenover Washington, D.C.’sMetropolitan Police Department, saysthe crackdown is necessary to get crime undercontrol in the nation’s capital. Critics argue the move is an unnecessary,authoritarianescalation and that Trump’sportraitof rampant crime doesn’tmatch re-

countriesthat will help to coordinate and also will participatein security guarantees for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

Speaking Monday before the White House meetings took place, Russia’sForeign Ministry rejected the idea of apossible NATO peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Such ascenariocould lead to furtherescalation and “unpredictable consequences,” ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned.

Trump’sengagement with Zelenskyy hada strikinglydifferent feel to their last Oval Office meeting in February.Itwas a disastrous moment that led to Trump abruptly ending talks withthe Ukrainiandelegation, andtemporarily pausing some aidfor Kyiv,after he andVice President JD Vance complained that Zelenskyyhad shown insufficientgratitude for U.S.military

ments.”

Detiege’sJune24, 2022, post came the day that the U.S. Supreme Court overturnedRoe v. Wade andafederal righttoabortion.

She wasresponding to apost from Jackson-Andrews noting that Roe v. Wade had been overturned and calling for support of “women and children from womb to tomb.” Jackson-Andrews opposes abortion and thatyear sponsored abill making changes to Louisiana’sabortiontrigger law, which immediatelybannedabortion when the Supreme CourtoverturnedRoe.

One ofthe social media posts

ality.According to the U.S. DepartmentofJustice, violent crime hit a 30-year low in D.C. last year

The Louisianatroopsplanned to leavewithin 24 hours, Lt. Col. Noel Collins,public affairs officer for the Louisiana National Guard, saidMonday evening. They arebeing sentinresponse to arequest from the White House, she added.

The movemakes Louisiana the sixthstate to add troopstoTrump’s efforts in D.C.Over the weekend,

assistance.

At thestartofMonday’smeeting, Zelenskyy presented aletter from his wife, Olena Zelenska, forTrump’s wife, Melania. Trump during theAlaska summithad hand-deliveredalettertoPutin from the U.S. first lady urging him to consider the children impacted by theconflict and bring an end to thebrutal 31/2-year war

Zelenskyy faced criticism duringhis February meeting from aconservative journalist forappearing in theOvalOfficeina long-sleeve T-shirt. This time he appeared in adark jacket and buttonedshirt. Zelenskyy hassaid his typically lessformal attire since the start of the full-scaleRussian invasion in 2022 is to showsolidarity with Ukrainian soldiers.

“We’ll see in acertainperiod of time, not very far from now,a week or two weeks, we’re going to know whether or not we’re go-

central to the case came from Detiege. It said: “I say this withall disrespect:burn in hell. Youdon’t care aboutwomen.You don’tcare aboutpregnant people. Youdon’t care aboutchildren. Youdon’t care abouteducation.I do notrespect allblack women. Some of you b***** are very dumb.”

Anotherplaintiff, Ponchatoula resident Dayne Sherman, joined the lawsuit several months after it was originally filed. JacksonAndrews blocked him from her account in 2013 after adisagreementover thelegality of abill she sponsored that year to allow public schools to start the day withthe Lord’s Prayer,according to court

West Virginia said it would deploy 300-500 troops;Ohio said it was sending 150; andSouth Carolina saiditwas sending 200.

AndonMonday,Mississippi and Tennesseejoined thatlist, pledging 200and 160 troops, respectively

Trump’sexecutive order launching the D.C. crackdown declared a “crimeemergency” in thecity

“The White House is in charge

TheMilitaryand our Great Police will liberatethis City, scrape away the filth, andmakeitsafe,

p pared byPublicWorks SupervisorShane Sar‐radet.There were 8.4 inchesofrainfallinthe

29-23-06.15N,Long.: 89-47-33.26W andPOELat.: 29-21-45.86N,Long.: 89-46-10.90W;LakeWash‐ingtonField.Description: Proposaltoinstall a4-

ing to solve this or is this horrible fighting going to continue,” Trump said.

European leaders arrived in Washington looking to safeguard Ukraine andthe continent from any widening aggression from Moscow Ahead of Monday’smeeting, Trump suggestedthatUkraine couldnot regain Crimea,which Russia annexed in 2014, setting offanarmedconflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion.

Zelenskyy in his own post late Sunday, responded, “Weall share astrongdesiretoend this war quickly andreliably.” He said “peace must be lasting,” not as it was after Russia seizedCrimea and part of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine eight yearsago and“Putin simplyuseditasa springboard for anew attack.”

European leaders suggested forging atemporaryceasefire is

filings. Louisiana Attorney General LizMurrill, whoseoffice helped represent Jackson-Andrews in thecase, celebrated the outcome, saying in astatement, “The First Amendment did notprohibit Sen. Jackson from blocking vile, personal, racistattacksonher social media pages.” Walter, afederal judge in the WesternDistrict of Louisiana nominated by President Ronald Reagan, in his ruling cited a2024 U.S.Supreme Court decisionin the case Lindkev.Freed.Thatcase dealt with asimilarissue with a city managerinMichiganwho postedpersonal and work-related

clean, habitable and beautiful once more,” Trumpwrote on social mediathe dayafter he issued theorder

In anews conferenceMonday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged the notion that Trump’stakeover was really aboutviolent crime.

“Nobody is againstfocusing on driving down any level of violence,” she said.“If this is really about immigration enforcement, Ithink the administration should makethat plain.”

not off the table. Following his meeting withPutin on Friday, Trump dropped his demand for an immediate ceasefire and said he would look to secure afinal peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine —asudden shift to apositionfavored by Putin.

At thestart of Monday’s meeting, the German and French leaderspraised Trumpfor openinga path to peace, but they urged the U.S.president to push Russiafor aceasefire.

“I would like to see aceasefire from the next meeting, which shouldbeatrilateral meeting,” said German Chancellor FriedrichMerz.

Trump, forhis part,reiterated that abroader,war-ending peace agreement between the two countries is “very attainable,” but “all of us would obviously prefer the immediate ceasefirewhile we work on alasting peace.”

information on asocial media account and blocked auser whowas critical of the city’spandemic response. In Lindke, the high court held that apublic official’ssocial media activity is considered official state government action if that official had“actualauthority to speak on theState’s behalf”and then “purported to exercise that authority when he spoke on social media,” Walter explained in his ruling. Walter said the Louisiana plaintiffs failedtomeet the bar set out in that case.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.

The White House has ordered D.C. policetocooperate withfederal immigration enforcement officers, though such cooperation would violate local laws.

“Wedon’thave any authority over theD.C.guard or any other guards, but Ithink it kind of makes the point that this is not about D.C. crime,” Bowser said when asked about other states sending troops to the city The AssociatedPress contributed to this report.

Kershaw, Young Nays:Daigle Absent:Chustz Toby FrugéofOwen& White, gave apresenta‐tiononthe Allene Street drainagestudy.Mr. Frugé ill b ki g y g will bemaking recom‐mendationsinthe near future, after doingmore modeling. Planning andZoning Committee: None FinanceCommittee: MayorRhodesnoted that the “BudgettoActual ComparisonReport” for June,isavailable for Council Memberstore‐view. Amotiontoauthorize Mayor Rhodes to sign a workorder forIworx Thisisusedfor spread‐sheets, text messages emails,and work orders tofollowthrough until completion. Motion by Council Member Tassin, secondedbyCouncil MemberYoung.Mayor Rhodesopenedthe floor for public comment Hearing no comments, the motion passedunani‐mously. Upon therecommenda‐tionofMayor Rhodes Council Member Ker‐shawmadea motion to nameBaxley& Associ‐atesthe Town of Brusly’s 2024/2025 Auditor; sec‐onded by CouncilMem‐ber Daigle.Hearing no comments, themotion passedwitha unani‐mousvote. PersonnelCommittee: Upon therecommenda‐tionofAssistantPolice Chief Southon, amotion tohireSharonMajoira as a part-timepoliceofficer atthe rate of $22.00 an hour, beginningtoday July14, 2025. Motion was madebyCouncil Member Tassin; seconded by il b i l y Council Member Daigle. Mayor Rhodes opened the floor forpubliccom‐ment. Hearingnocom‐ments,the motion passedwitha unani‐mousvote. Recreation Committee: None Police Committee: None Governmental Affairs Committee: Thereare 3SoftballTour‐naments scheduledat Alexander Park.The first one is BHSAlumnion July11thand 12th. The secondone is TheCarly JoMemorialonJuly18th and TheGillFoundation willbeAugust9th &10th. The Parish Provided the TownofBruslywith a LetterofNoObligationto sellalcohol at thetour‐naments.A motion to ap‐prove wasmadeby Council Member Daigle; secondedbyCouncil MemberYoung.Hearing nocomments, themo‐tionpassedwitha unani‐mousvote. TheLandmark& Heritage meetingisscheduled for July21st at 6:30 ConsiderationofVetoed Ordinances:None Hearing& FinalActionon Ordinances: None Introduction of Ordi‐nances: None Resolutions: None Police Department Re‐port: ThePoliceDepartment Reportfor themonth of June wasgiven by Assist Chief Southon. There were(21)AgencyAs‐sists,(4) Alarms,(1) Ani‐mal Problem, (3)Civil In‐cidents, (2)Damaged ( ) i g Property (6) Distur‐bances, (1)DUI,(2) Fires, (1) Forgery, (1)Fraud,(1) Harassment, (2)Litter‐ing/Dumping,(4) Med‐ical, (4)NoInsurance Tow,(1) OrdinanceViola‐tion, (2)Privacy Viola‐tions,(1) ProcessSer‐vice, (6)PropertyWatch (1) Public Peace, (6)Sus‐

‘Ketamine Queen’ to plead guilty in Perry case

Woman accused of selling fatal dose to actor

BY ANDREW DALTON Associated Press

LOS ANGELES A woman known as the “Ketamine Queen,” charged with selling Matthew Perry the drug that killed him, agreed to plead guilty Monday Jasveen Sangha becomes the fifth and final defendant charged in the overdose death of the “Friends” star to strike a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, avoiding a trial that had been planned for September. She agreed in a signed statement filed in court to plead guilty to five federal criminal charges, including providing the ketamine that led to Perry’s death.

In a brief statement Sangha’s lawyer Mark Geragos said only, “She’s taking responsibility for her actions.”

Prosecutors had cast Sangha, a 42-year-old citizen of the U.S. and the U.K., as a prolific drug dealer who was known to her customers as the “Ketamine Queen,” using the term often in news releases and court documents. She agreed to plead guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury

Perry

The final plea deal came a year after federal prosecutors announced that five people had been charged in Perry’s Oct. 28, 2023, death after a sweeping investiga-

tion. Sangha admitted in the agreement to selling four vials of ketamine to another man, Cody McLaury, hours before he died from an overdose in 2019 McLaury had no relationship to Perry Prosecutors will drop three other counts related to the distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of methamphetamine that was unrelated to the Perry case.

Sangha will officially change her plea to guilty at an upcoming hearing, where sentencing will be scheduled, prosecutors said. She could get up to 45 years in prison. The judge is not bound to follow any terms of the plea agreement, but prosecutors said in the document that they will ask for

Bolivia’s presidential election heads to runoff

BY ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press

LA PAZ, Bolivia Bolivia’s presidential vote is headed to an unprecedented runoff after Sunday’s election ended over two decades of ruling party dominance in the Andean nation. A centrist lawmaker from a prominent political family, Sen. Rodrigo Paz, and a rightwing former president, Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, will face off in October after a first round of voting knocked out candidates allied with the nation’s long-dominant Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party Paz, a former mayor campaigned with the slogan “Capitalism for all” — rejecting the statist policies of MAS while pitching a more inclusive approach to rescuing Bolivia from its worst economic crisis in four decades. He has promised to lower tariffs, reduce taxes and make small loans more accessible for entrepreneurs.

“Bolivia is looking for change, looking for renewal,” Paz told The Associated Press after his win. “The vast majority of people have expressed that desire for renewal — merchants, the self-employed, transport workers, the great majority of this country.”

Paz had been trailing in opinion polls for weeks But he gained unexpected traction as he teamed up with Edman Lara, a social media savvy ex-police captain with evangelical backing who was fired for denouncing corruption in the security services.

“We did not invest millions, we invested in the people’s trust,” Lara told local media on Monday, seeking to portray his ticket as a humble alternative to that of the wealthy right-wingers who poured exorbitant sums into campaigning. “ While others spent fortunes on posters and TV spots, we trusted in

the strength of the citizens and a message of unity.”

Paz secured a lead over Quiroga with over 32% of the votes cast Quiroga received just over 26%. Candidates needed to surpass 50%, or 40% with a 10-point margin of victory to avoid a runoff.

Bolivia holds the presidential runoff its first since its 1982 return to democracy — on Oct. 19.

“Now the ball is in the hands of the Bolivian people,” said leftist President Luis Arce, who will leave office following plummeting approval ratings reflecting popular frustration with his government’s mismanagement of the economy “Democracy has triumphed!”

The results delivered a blow to Bolivia’s hegemonic MAS party, which has governed almost uninterrupted since its founder, charismatic ex-President Evo Morales, rose to power as part of the “pink tide” of leaders who swept into office across Latin America during the commodities boom of the early 2000s.

Bolivia faces a return to belt-tightening. After years of alignment with world powers like China and Russia, it seems set to reconcile with the United States.

The official MAS candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, finished sixth with 3.2% of the vote

A candidate considered to be the party’s best hope, 36-year-old Senate president Andrónico Rodríguez, captured 8% of the vote.

During his almost 14 years in power, Morales expanded the rights of the country’s Indigenous majority defended coca growers against U.S.-backed eradication programs and poured natural gas profits into social programs. But the maverick leader’s increasingly high-handed attempts to prolong his presidency — along with allegations of sexual relations with underage girls — soured public opinion against him Discontent turned into outrage as Bolivia’s once-stable economy imploded under Morales’ protégé-turnedrival, President Arce.

Annual inflation rate has soared from 2% less than two years ago to 25% as of last month. A scarcity of fuel has paralyzed the country A shortage of U.S. dollars needed to pay for essential imports like wheat has crippled the economy As the crisis accelerated, MAS leaders traded blame.

A power struggle between Morales and Arce fractured the bloc and handed the opposition its first real shot at victory in decades, even as its uncharismatic candidates failed to unite.

20 states, D.C. sue government to stop immigration requirements on victim funds

BY CLAUDIA LAUER and MIKE CATALINI Associated Press

A coalition of attorneys general from 20 states and Washington, D.C., is asking a federal judge to stop the U.S. Department of Justice from withholding federal funds earmarked for crime victims if states don’t cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. The lawsuit filed Monday in Rhode Island federal court seeks to block the Justice Department from enforcing conditions that would cut funding to a state or subgrantee if it refuses to honor civil immigration enforcement requests, denies U.S. Immigration and Customs

Enforcement officers access to facilities or fails to provide advance notice of release dates of individuals possibly wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because of their immigration status. The lawsuit asks that the conditions be thrown out, arguing that the administration and the agency are overstepping their constitutional and administrative authority

The lawsuit also argues that the requirements are not permitted or outlined in the Victims of Crime Act, known as VOCA and would interfere with policies created to ensure victims and witnesses report crimes without fear of deportation. “These people did not ask for this status as a crime vic-

less than the maximum. She and Dr Salvador Plasencia, who pleaded guilty last month, had been the primary targets of the investigation. Three other defendants — Dr Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa and Erik Fleming — pleaded guilty in exchange for their cooperation, which included statements implicating Sangha and Plasencia.

Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home by Iwamasa, his assistant The medical examiner ruled that ketamine, typically used as a surgical anesthetic, was the primary cause of death.

Sangha presented a posh lifestyle on Instagram, with photos of herself with the rich and famous in cities around the globe. Prosecutors said she privately presented herself as a dealer who sold to the same kind of high-class customers.

Perry had been using ketamine through his regular doctor as a legal, but offlabel, treatment for depression, which has become increasingly common. Perry 54, sought more ketamine than his doctor would give him. He began getting it from Plasencia about a month before his death, then started getting still more from Sangha about two weeks before his death, prosecutors said.

Perry and Iwamasa found Sangha through Perry’s friend Fleming. In their plea agreements, both men described the subsequent deals in detail.

Fleming messaged Iwamasa saying Sangha’s ketamine was “unmarked but it’s amazing,” according to court documents. Fleming texted Iwamasa that she only deals “with high end and celebs. If it were not great stuff she’d

lose her business.” With the two men acting as middlemen, Perry bought large amounts of ketamine from Sangha, including 25 vials for $6,000 in cash four days before his death. That purchase included the doses that killed Perry, prosecutors said. On the day of Perry’s death, Sangha told Fleming they should delete all the messages they had sent each other, according to her indictment.

Her home in North Hollywood, California, was raided in March 2024 by Drug Enforcement Administration agents who found large amounts of methamphetamines and ketamine, according to an affidavit from an agent She has been held in federal custody for about a year None of the defendants have yet been sentenced.

Over 150 people still missing after flooding in Pakistan

BY RIAZ KHAN Associated Press

PESHAWAR, Pakistan

Anguished Pakistanis searched remote areas for bodies swept away by weekend flash floods as the death toll reached 277 on Monday, while one official replied to the lack of evacuation warnings by saying people should have built homes elsewhere.

A changing climate has made residents of northern Pakistan’s river-carved mountainous areas more vulnerable to sudden heavy rains.

More than 150 people were still missing in the district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after Friday’s flash floods. Villagers have said there had been no warning

broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method for alerting emergencies in remote areas. The government has said the sudden downpour was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be informed.

Emergency services spokesman Mohammad Suhail said three bodies were found on Monday. The army has deployed engineers and heavy machinery to clear the rubble.

On Sunday, provincial chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said many deaths could have been avoided if residents had not built homes along waterways. He said the government would encourage displaced families to relocate to safer areas, where they would be assisted in

rebuilding homes. Residents said they were not living near streams, yet the flood swept through their homes. In Buner’s Malak Pur village, Ikram Ullah, aged 55, said people’s ancestral homes were destroyed even though they were not near the stream, which emerged in the area because of the flood. He said large boulders rolled down from mountains with the flood. Pakistan has seen higherthan-normal monsoon rains since June 26 that have killed at least 645 people across the country, with 400 deaths in the northwest. The National Disaster Management Authority issued an alert for further flooding after new rains began Sunday in many parts of the country

tim. They don’t breakdown neatly across partisan lines, but they share one common trait, which is that they’ve suffered an unimaginable trauma,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J Platkin said during a video news conference Monday, calling the administration’s threat to withhold funds “the most heinous act” he’s seen in politics. The federal conditions were placed on VOCA funding, which provides more than a billion dollars annually to states for victims compensation programs and grants that fund victims assistance organizations. VOCA funding comes entirely from fines and penalties in federal court cases, not from tax dollars.

Wall Street holds as it nears record heights

Wall Street held near its record heights Monday, ahead of a week likely to be dominated by updates from the head of the Federal Reserve and from some of the biggest U.S. retailers. The S&P 500 barely budged and fell by less than 0.1%, coming off its first loss after setting an all-time high in three consecutive days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 33 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up by less than 0.1%.

Novo Nordisk’s stock that trades in the United States rose 3.7% after the Danish company said U.S. regulators approved its Wegovy drug as part of a treatment for a liver disease found in many overweight and obese people.

Soho House, a membership club with locations around the world, jumped 14.9% after announcing a deal where an investor group led by hotel-operator MCR would pay $9 in cash for its shares. Several of the country’s largest retailers, meanwhile, were mixed ahead of their profit reports that are scheduled for later in the week. Home Depot, which will report on Tuesday, slipped 1.2%.

Target rose 1.9% ahead of its report Wednesday, and Walmart added 0.7% before its report Thursday

They, along with companies like Estee Lauder and Ross Stores, could offer a look at how different types of U.S. households are holding up when the job market seems to have morphed into one where relatively few workers are getting fired but also hired.

Judges say digital ad tax violates free speech

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland’s

first-in-the-nation tax on digital advertising violated the Constitution, a federal appeals court says, because blocking Big Tech from telling customers about the tax violates the companies’ right to free speech

Supporters say Maryland needed to overhaul its tax methods in response to significant changes in how businesses advertise. The tax focuses on large companies that make money advertising on the internet such as Meta, Google and Amazon, who say they’re being unfairly targeted

The ongoing legal fight is being watched by other states that are considering taxes for online ads. Maryland estimated the tax could raise about $250 million a year to help pay for a sweeping K-12 education measure Maryland’s law says the companies must not only pay the tax but avoid telling customers how it affects pricing, with no line items, surcharges or fees, the appeals court said Friday in siding with trade associations fighting the tax.

MSNBC network to be renamed MS NOW

Changing its mind about keeping its name, the MSNBC news network said Monday it will become My Source News Opinion World, or MS NOW for short, as part of its corporate divorce from NBC.

The TV network, which appeals to liberal audiences with a stable of personalities including Rachel Maddow, Ari Melber and Nicole Wallace, has been building its own separate news division from NBC News. It will also remove NBC’s peacock symbol from its logo as part of the change, which will take effect later this year.

The name change was ordered by NBC Universal, which last November spun off cable networks USA, CNBC, MSNBC, E! Entertainment, Oxygen and the Golf Channel into its own company, called Versant. None of the other networks are changing their name.

It runs second in cable news ratings to Fox News Channel with personalities like Rachel Maddow Nicole Wallace and Ari Melber

Newsmax to pay $67M in lawsuit

Defamation case filed over election claims

BY NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press

DENVER The conservative network Newsmax will pay $67 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of defaming a voting equipment company by spreading lies about President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss according to docu-

ments filed Monday

The settlement comes after Fox News Channel paid $787.5 million to settle a similar lawsuit in 2023 and Newsmax paid what court papers describe as $40 million to settle a libel lawsuit from a different voting machine manufacturer, Smartmatic, which also was a target of pro-Trump conspiracy theories on the network.

Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis had ruled earlier that Newsmax did indeed defame

Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems by airing false information about the company and its equipment. But Davis left it to a jury to eventually decide whether that was done with malice, and, if so, how much Dominion deserved from Newsmax in damages. Newsmax and Dominion reached the settlement before the trial could take place.

The settlement was disclosed by Newsmax in a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange

Commission. It said the deal was reached Friday

“Newsmax believed it was critically important for the American people to hear both sides of the election disputes that arose in 2020,” the company said in a statement. “We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism.”

A spokesperson for Dominion said the company was pleased to have settled the lawsuit.

AN EV U-TURN

Republicans want to strip billions in federal funding for U.S. Postal Service

BY SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press

WASHINGTON A year after being lauded for its plan to replace thousands of aging, gaspowered mail trucks with a mostly electric fleet, the U.S. Postal Service is facing congressional attempts to strip billions in federal EV funding

In June, the Senate parliamentarian blocked a Republican proposal in a major tax-and-spending bill to sell off the agency’s new electric vehicles and infrastructure and revoke remaining federal money But efforts to halt the fleet’s shift to clean energy continue in the name of cost savings

Donald Maston, president of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, said canceling the program now would have the opposite effect, squandering millions of dollars.

“I think it would be shortsighted for Congress to now suddenly decide they’re going to try to go backwards and take the money away for the EVs or stop that process because that’s just going to be a bunch of money on infrastructure that’s been wasted,” he said.

Beyond that, many in the scientific community fear the government could pass on an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions that contribute to global warming when ur-

gent action is needed.

A 2022 University of Michigan study found the new electric postal vehicles could cut total greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 million tons over the predicted, cumulative 20year lifetime of the trucks. That’s a fraction of the more than 6,000 million metric tons emitted annually in the United States, said professor Gregory A Keoleian, co-director of the university’s Center for Sustainable Systems. But he said the push toward electric vehicles is critical and needs to accelerate, given the intensifying impacts of climate change.

“We’re already falling short of goals for reducing emissions,” Keoleian said. “We’ve been making progress, but the actions being taken or proposed will really reverse decarbonization progress that has been made to date.”

Many GOP lawmakers share President Donald Trump’s criticism of the Biden-era green energy push and say the Postal Service should stick to delivering mail.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said “it didn’t make sense for the Postal Service to invest so heavily in an all-electric force.” She said she will pursue legislation to rescind what is left of the $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act allocated to help cover the $10 billion cost of new postal vehicles.

Ernst has called the EV initiative a “boondoggle” and “a textbook example of waste,” citing delays, high costs and concerns over cold-weather performance.

“You always evaluate the programs, see if they are working. But the rate at which the company that’s providing those vehicles is

able to produce them, they are so far behind schedule, they will never be able to fulfill that contract,” Ernst said during a recent appearance at the Iowa State Fair, referring to Wisconsinbased Oshkosh Defense.

“For now,” she added, “gas-powered vehicles — use some ethanol in them — I think is wonderful.”

Corn-based ethanol is a boon to Iowa’s farmers, but the effort to reverse course has other Republican support. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, a co-sponsor of the rollback effort, has said the EV order should be canceled because the project “has delivered nothing but delays, defective trucks and skyrocketing costs.”

The Postal Service maintains that the production delay of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicles was “very modest” and not unexpected.

“The production quantity ramp-up was planned for and intended to be very gradual in the early months to allow time for potential modest production or supplier issues to be successfully resolved,” spokesperson Kim Frum said.

The independent, self-funded federal agency, which is paid for mostly by postage and product sales, is in the middle of a $40 billion, 10-year modernization and financial stabilization plan.

The EV effort had the full backing of Democratic President Joe Biden, who pledged to move toward an all-electric federal fleet of car and trucks.

U.S. seeks shipbuilding expertise from South Korea, Japan

Visit an effort to counter China

BY ALBEE ZHANG Associated Press

WASHINGTON American lawmakers are using a trip to South Korea and Japan to explore how the United States can tap those allies’ shipbuilding expertise and capacity to help boost its own capabilities, which are dwarfed by those of China.

Sens Tammy Duckworth, DIll., and Andy Kim, D-N.J., were in Seoul on Sunday before traveling to Japan, planning to meet top shipbuilders from the world’s second- and third-largest shipbuilding

countries. The senators want to examine the possibilities of forming joint ventures to construct and repair noncombatant vessels for the U.S. Navy in the Indo-Pacific and bring investments to American shipyards.

“We already have fewer capacity now than we did during Operation Iraqi Freedom” in 2003, Duckworth said. “We have to rebuild the capacity At the same time, what capacity we have is aging and breaking down and taking longer and more expensive to fix.”

Their trip comes as President Donald Trump demands a plan to revive U.S. shipyards and engage foreign partners. The Pentagon is seeking $47 billion for shipbuilding in its annual

budget. The urgency stems from the fact that Washington severely lags behind China in building naval ships, a situation raising alarms among policymakers who worry the maritime balance of power could shift to China, now the world’s No. 1 shipbuilder Duckworth, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said she hopes the trip could lead to joint ventures among the U.S military, American companies and foreign partners to build auxiliary vessels for the Navy and small boats for the Army Another possibility is repairing U.S. ships in the Indo-Pacific region.

The discussions, she said, will focus on auxiliary vessels, which are noncombatant ships such as fueling and cargo vessels that support naval and military operations. The Navy’s auxiliary fleet is aging and insufficient in numbers, she said.

The U.S. commercial shipbuilding accounted for 0.1% of global capacity in 2024, while China produced 53%, followed by South Korea and Japan, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A Navy review from April 2024 found that many of its major shipbuilding programs were one year to three years behind schedule.

“If we have to bring ships all the way back to the United States to wait two years to be fixed, that doesn’t help the situation,” Duckworth said.

Trump vows to change how elections are run

Constitution doesn’t give him that power

BY NICHOLAS RICCARDI and ALI SWENSON Associated Press

President Donald Trump on Monday vowed more changes to the way elections are conducted in the U.S., but based on the Constitution there is little to nothing he can do on his own

Relying on false information and conspiracy theories that he’s regularly used to explain away his 2020 election loss, Trump pledged on his social media site that he would do away with both mail voting — which remains popular and is used by about one-third of all voters — and voting machines some form of which are used in almost all of the country’s thousands of election jurisdictions. These are the same systems that enabled Trump to win the 2024 election and Republicans to gain control of Congress.

Trump’s post marks an escalation even in his normally overheated election rhetoric. He issued a wideranging executive order earlier this year that, among other changes, would have required documented proofof-citizenship before registering to vote. His Monday post promised another election executive order to “help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm elections.”

The same post also pushed falsehoods about voting He claimed the U.S. is the only country to use mail voting, when it’s actually used by dozens, including Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Similar complaints to Trump’s, when aired on conservative networks such as Newsmax and Fox News, have led to multimillion-dollar defamation settlements, including one announced Monday, because they are full of false information and the outlets have not been able to present any evidence to support them.

Trump’s post came after the president told Fox News that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in their Friday meeting in Alaska, echoed his grievances about mail voting and the 2020 election. Trump continued his attack on mail voting and voting machines in the Oval Office on Monday, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The announcement signals yet another way that Trump intends to stack the cards in his favor in the 2026 midterm elections, after he already has directed his attorney general to investigate a Democratic fundraising platform and urged states to redraw

their congressional districts to help the GOP maintain its majority in the House of Representatives.

Here’s a breakdown of Trump’s latest election post and why Congress is the one entity that can implement national election rules.

Trump for years has promoted false information about voting, and Monday was no exception.

He claimed there is “MASSIVE FRAUD” due to mail voting, when in fact voting fraud in the U.S is rare. As an example, an Associated Press review after the 2020 election found fewer than 475 cases of potential fraud in the six battleground states where he disputed his loss, far too few to tip that election to Trump.

Washington and Oregon, which conduct elections entirely by mail, have sued to challenge Trump’s earlier executive order — which sought to require that all ballots must be received by Election Day and not just postmarked by then. The states argue that the presi-

dent has no such authority, and they are seeking a declaration from a federal judge in Seattle that their postmark deadlines do not conflict with federal law setting the date of U.S. elections.

Trump also alleged that voting machines are more expensive than “Watermark Paper.” That’s a little-used system that has gained favor and investments among some voting conspiracy theorists who believe it would help prevent fraudulent ballots from being introduced into the vote count. Watermarks would not provide a way to count ballots, so they would not on their own replace vote tabulating machines.

While some jurisdictions still have voters use electronic ballot-marking devices to cast their votes, the vast majority of voters in the U.S. already vote on paper ballots, creating an auditable record of votes that provides an extra safeguard for election security

In his post, Trump also claimed that states “are merely an ‘agent’ for the Fed-

eral Government in counting and tabulating the votes” and must do what the federal government “as represented by the President of the United States” tells them to do.

Election lawyers said that’s a misrepresentation of the U.S. Constitution. It also flies in the face of what had been a core Republican Party value of prioritizing states’ rights.

Unlike in most countries, elections in the U.S. are run by the states. But it gets more complicated — each state then allows smaller jurisdictions, such as counties, cities or townships, to run their own elections. Election officials estimate there are as many as 10,000 different election jurisdictions across the country

A frequent complaint of Trump and other election conspiracy theorists is that the U.S. doesn’t run its election like France, which hand counts presidential ballots and usually has a national result on election night. But that’s because France is only running that single election, and every jurisdiction has the same ballot with no other races.

A ballot in the U.S might contain dozens of races, from president on down to city council and including state and local ballot measures.

The Constitution makes the states the entities that determine the “time, place and manner” of elections, but does allow Congress to “make” or “alter” rules for federal elections.

Congress can change the way states run congressional and presidential elections but has no say in the way a state runs its own elections. The president is not mentioned at all in the Constitution’s list of entities with powers over elections.

“The president has very limited to zero authority over things related to the conduct of elections,” said Rick Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Parts of Trump’s earlier executive order on elections were swiftly blocked by the courts, on the grounds that Congress, and not the president, sets federal election rules.

It’s unclear what Trump plans to do now, but the only path to change federal election rules is through Congress.

Although Republicans control Congress, it’s unclear that even his party would want to eliminate voting machines nationwide, possibly delaying vote tallies in their own races by weeks or months. Even if they did, legislation would likely be unable to pass because Democrats could filibuster it in the U.S. Senate.

Mail voting had bipartisan support before Trump turned against it during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election, but it’s still widely used in Republican-leaning states, including several he won last November — Arizona, Florida and Utah. It’s also how members of the military stationed overseas cast their ballots, and fully eliminating it would disenfranchise those GOP-leaning voters.

The main significance of Trump’s Monday statement is that it signals his continuing obsession with trying to change how elections are run. “These kinds of claims could provide a kind of excuse for him to try to meddle,” Hasen said. “Very concerned about that.”

BY ALEXANDRA OLSON Associated Press

NEW YORK A federal appeals court has upheld a law strengthening the rights of pregnant workers vacating a judge’s earlier order that had stripped those protections from Texas state employees.

The ruling was a victory for advocates of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a law that passed with bipartisan support in 2022 but quickly became embroiled in controversy over whether it covers workers seeking abortions and fertility treatments.

A federal judge last year blocked enforcement of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act for Texas state employees, ruling that its passage was unconstitutional because a majority of House members were not physically present to approve the law as part of spending package in December 2022.

In a 2-1 decision, the Fifth Circuit appeals court disagreed, finding that the law was properly passed under a COVID-19 pandemic-era Congressional rule allowing members to vote by proxy

to meet the quorum requirement.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act strengthens the rights of women to receive workplace accommodation for needs related to pregnancy and childbirth, such as time off for medical appointments and exemptions from heavy lifting. Its passage came after a decades long campaign by women’s advocacy groups highlighting the struggles of pregnant workers, especially those in low-wage roles, who were routinely forced off the job after requesting accommodations.

The Texas case differed from other lawsuits that have narrowly focused on federal regulations stating that abortion, fertility treatments and birth control are medical issues requiring protection under the new law The lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, instead took aim at the entirety of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, drawing opposition from Republican lawmakers including former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who defended the pandemic-era proxy voting rule.

Under the Trump administration, the Department of Justice has continued to fight Paxton’s lawsuit, which if successful, could help open the door to legal challenges of other pandemic-era laws passed by proxy Paxton’s office did not reply to emails seeking comment, and it was not clear whether he would appeal Friday’s ruling. The Justice Department declined to comment

“This is a big win for women’s rights. We are really happy to see that the Fifth Circuit agreed with us that the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was passed constitutionally and will continue to fight for the PWFA to stay legal,” said Inimai Chettiar, president of a Better Balance, an advocacy group that spearheaded the campaign for passage of the law

Texas state employees are not immediately protected, however because the appeals court ruling doesn’t become final for several weeks to give time for a possible appeal, Chettiar said.

Conservative officials and religious groups, meanwhile, have been largely successfully in challenging the reg-

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Hut 8 breaks ground on data center

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Hut 8 has broken ground on its

$2.5 billion artificial intelligence

data center in West Feliciana Par-

ish.

Miami-based Hut 8 is working with Entergy to prepare the substation and switchyard at its River Bend site, a 611-acre parcel off La. 964. Parish officials in January approved the project, which backers said will create thousands of construction jobs and more than 50

Man takes plea deal in double shooting

Old South BR home burglary left one dead

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

A man accused of shooting two people and killing one of them during the burglary of an Old South Baton Rouge home accepted a plea deal Monday David Franklin III, 31, entered best-interest guilty pleas to charges of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter connected to the March 2020 shooting that killed Keandre Wolf and left another man wounded.

Nineteenth Judicial District Judge Donald Johnson sentenced Franklin to 17 years in prison for the manslaughter count and tacked on another 15year sentence for the attempted manslaughter charge The judge suspended the balance of the 15year sentence, as part of the recommendations of the plea deal, and ordered Franklin to serve five years of probation after he’s released from prison He told Franklin that if he violates his conditions during the probationary period, he could be sent back to prison to serve out the 15-year sentence.

Baton Rouge police arrested Franklin on March 18, 2020, two weeks after the double shooting in the 1200 block of Pear Street. He was charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon His murder trial was set to begin next week, but prosecutors agreed to reduce the murder and attempted murder charges and dismiss the weapons count as part of the plea deal.

Franklin has remained locked up awaiting trial since his arrest. Johnson gave him credit for the 51/2 years he’s already spent behind bars.

Wolf’s mother and two sisters sat in court and watched as Franklin accepted the plea. The three women penned letters that victim’s advocates from the District Attorney’s Office read aloud in court.

“Seems like yesterday that our whole world was destroyed,” said Angela Wolf, the victim’s mother “You took my son, Keandre. A brother, an uncle, a nephew, a grandson. You took him from so many that loved him. It broke me physically, mentally and emotionally.” Keandre Wolf’s older sister, Enisha, described her slain sibling as a sweet, caring brother who missed out on the chance to get to know his nieces and nephews.

“You took a part of us,” she stated in her letter “This is

FELICIANA PARISH

technician and maintenance jobs.

The first phase of construction will produce two 450,000-squarefoot buildings, the first to be completed by the end of the year, the second to be completed before the end of 2026 An undisclosed tenant will equip the center with $10 billion worth of computers and other materials, Riley Trettel, the senior vice president of data center development, said in January

Kenny Havard, the president of West Feliciana Parish, said the data center will generate tax revenue that he hopes will enable the parish to lower taxes and raise pay for public servants in the future. His goal is to raise the parish’s quality of life, while adding walking paths and green spaces.

“It’s going to be life-changing for the whole community,” Havard said. The parish can levy property tax-

MAKING MEMORIES

ABOVE: Freshman Emily Langlois loads a cart with items for her room with help from several family members during the final day of LSU freshman move-in weekend on Sunday in Baton Rouge.

LEFT: Freshman Hayley Wiggins poses for a picture with her little sister Harper Wiggins and her aunt Meron Tilahon outside of West Hall.

Attorneys form group for young professionals

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

When estate planning attorney Hannah Keller started her career in Houston, each of her colleagues belonged to a group of financial planning professionals.

But after her husband’s job relocated her back to Baton Rouge, her options for a similar group were lacking With her office neighbor Riley Huntington, the duo formed The Red Stick Estate and Finance Council, where estate planning industry professionals can educate each other on industry topics, network and create camaraderie among estate planners in Baton Rouge. Huntington and Keller said the council provides a space for people in their mid20s to mid-30s in estate planning

that did not previously exist in Baton Rouge.

“There’s just not that many people around our age or even right above us that practice in this area,” Huntington said. She and Keller are both associate attorneys for Koch St Martin, a tax and estate planning law firm, and graduates of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Baton Rouge is home to one other estate planning association, the Baton Rouge Estate and Business Planning Council, which prohibits more than two partners from the same firm joining the group. Koch St. Martin’s two slots were already filled,

Amtrak’s Mardi Gras service has left the station

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

John Hilbert stood by the railroad tracks at the Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, station on a sweltering Gulf Coast morning, waiting

He was part of a small crowd of residents, travelers, tourism officials and city leaders gathered Monday to welcome the first passengers rolling in from New Orleans on Amtrak’s newest rail line. And though surrounded by official boosters of the region, Hilbert, who was meeting his friend, made as good of a pitch as anyone for what the new service could bring.

“I think (the Amtrak train) is going to expose people throughout the country to how beautiful it is, the Gulf Coast,” he said “There’s the gambling, there’s the beaches, there’s the environment, there’s the shopping.”

After dignitaries and members of the media gathered Saturday at the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal for speeches and a celebratory inaugural ride, Monday marked the official start of regular service on the Amtrak’s Mardi Gras line.

A train full of passengers departed New Orleans at 7:35 a.m. for stops in along the Mississippi Coast in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula before reaching the line’s terminus in Mobile. Each paid $15, the one-way fare for the trip.

The line won’t carry the masses of commuters that use Amtrak’s popular trains between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., each day: The inaugural ride carried 29 travelers on two regular passenger train cars and third car split between a cafe and business class.

But it was still a hot ticket, at least on the first day. The service was completely booked.

The trip marked the return of service to the region for the first time since before Hurricane Katrina Reviving the line took $278 million and decades of work from political leaders and civic boosters who

argued for the importance of connecting the Gulf Coast cities. From its name to its decor, the service aimed to celebrate the region’s arts and culture. In the Bay St. Louis station, mannequins donned Mardi Gras krewe costumes adorned with sequins and feathered headdresses near a papier-mâché cutout of Pete Fountain playing clarinet. Upstairs a museum is devoted to the work of Bay St. Louis folk artist Alice Moseley McKenzey Northington, the executive director of Hancock County Tourism Development Bureau, said she expects the service to draw more visitors to the Mississippi Coast because of its accessibility across multiple cities.

“Being able to showcase the people and businesses that make us us, I think, is really important,” said Northington, describing Bay St Louis as “an artist community.”

The service also comes amid a broader renewal in the waterfront city, especially in its Depot District, a thoroughfare that was ravaged by Katrina but has since been revitalized with new developments, including restaurants, fitness centers and vacation rentals.

Bay St. Louis has long been a favorite weekend getaway for New Orleanians and others from across south Louisiana, but Erin Bugbee who took the train from New Orleans to Bay St Louis, where she

owns property has noticed an in-

flux of visitors in the last few years.

“The Depot District has really grown so much in the last decade, so there’s a lot of commerce down here now. It’s just a fun place to come on the weekend and get out of the city,” said Bugbee, wearing a blue-striped railroad cap and Mardi Gras beads.

For the new service, Amtrak is projecting ridership of 70,000 in the first year Travel time between New Orleans and Bay St. Louis was expected to be about an hour and a half before the train continued on to Mobile. The inaugural trip ended up facing a delay due to freight traffic and pulled in to Bay St. Louis

a little before 10 a.m. But the riders were all smiles anyway as people waiting along the platform waved to greet them.

Once the train stopped, passengers wearing purple, green and gold poured out of the exit, including Shar Mansukhani, Hilbert’s friend who traveled from New Orleans to see him.

Mansukhani described the train’s atmosphere as “enthusiastic,” noting how the nostalgic form of transportation sparked camaraderie among the travelers and offered views of the coast. The station emptied within minutes and the train headed on its way to Mobile.

Vinton man accused of hijacking crane for joyride

Key fob led troopers to suspect

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

A 37-year-old Vinton man allegedly hijacked a crane sitting in a work zone on Interstate 10 and triggered multiple car crashes early Saturday morning. He left the key fob for his own truck in the crane’s operator cab, leading police to him, according to a news release from Louisiana State Police Troop D. Matthew Vincent, 37, was arrested and booked on multiple

HUT 8

Continued from page 1B

es from the center, but cannot collect taxes on the center’s computers and electronic equipment because of a 2024 law exempting data centers from equipment sales taxes

Hut 8 operates Bitcoin mining facilities and data centers at 15 sites across the U.S. and Canada. The company is named after the building where pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing created the machines that cracked the Enigma code during World War II. This enabled the Allies to intercept messages from the Germans, which in turn caused U.S. and British forces to win battles. The development of the data center is in line with the West Feliciana Parish Rural Development Plan, a 10-year plan adopted in 2021, to boost private development and streetscapes. Havard said other parishes in the state have been “chasing down” the development of subdivisions to grow but West Feliciana wants to remain rural and focus on “slow, sustained” growth through the data center

West Feliciana imposed a moratorium on large residential development in 2020 to allow time to pause and work on its development plan, which was lifted when the plan was adopted

“We don’t have to rely on rooftops,” Havard said. With the prospect of blooming tax revenue in the future, Havard said he believes the economic development from the data center could reverberate through the whole state.

“It could be the next oil boom if we play our cards right,” he said “It could turn Louisiana around.”

counts after State Police were called to investigate reports of vehicles hitting a construction crane on I-10 near La. 108 at 5:30 a.m. Saturday

The crane was positioned in the median with its cables hanging over I-10, which struck a passing vehicle. Three additional crashes followed the initial impact, causing two reported injuries, major damage to the crane, and significant property damage, as well as prolonged closure of the interstate.

During the investigation, troopers learned there was no construction work in progress during the time of the incident and that

PLEA DEAL

Continued from page 1B

something we will have to deal with for the rest of our lives. A pain that will never go away. We’ve just learned over these five years how to cope with it.”

Baton Rouge police seized a .40-caliber Glock from Franklin during a May 2019 traffic stop near Alsen Heights. Court records show he pleaded guilty to aggravated flight from an officer in that case in February 2020 and was ordered to serve three years of probation

The weapon officers seized during the 2019 traffic stop was the same gun that killed Wolf and wounded his friend 10

ATTORNEYS

Continued from page 1B

The Red Stick council consists of estate planning attorneys like Huntington and Keller, as well as financial advisers, certified public accountants and employees of charitable organizations. The co-founders said they want a diverse array of disciplines represented from the estate planning process, to forge connections between members for their clients.

“Having familiarity with the people you send your clients to is huge,” Keller said.

The group has had two meetings so far, the first in March and the second this month, and plans to meet every quarter Starting

the crane was not being operated by construction personnel.

Detectives with the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations Sulphur Field Office found a key fob for a Dodge Ram pickup inside the thenempty crane. They later found the truck in a field south of the interstate near the crash site.

Troopers identified Vincent as the truck’s owner and also found him nearby Vincent had allegedly driven his pickup into a field off La. 108 near I-10 and got stuck there Then, he abandoned his truck, crossed the interstate, unlawfully entered the crane, and manipulat-

months later.

According to arrest reports, Wolf was shot multiple times in the back and neck during the ambush. He was rushed to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, where he died. The other victim was shot in the shoulder and thigh but survived his wounds.

That victim told detectives he and Wolf were in a small apartment over a garage when two men burst into the residence to rob them One of the men was armed with a gun and sprayed multiple rounds at the two victims, according to arrest reports. Prosecutors said the surviving victim was unable to identify either of the robbers, but investigators tied Franklin to the crime through cellphone records that indicate he was in

with 15 attendees at the first meeting, composed of Huntington and Keller’s existing connections, the group has more than doubled to over 40 attendees at the second meeting.

“It’s something we were missing in our practice experience, and I think we felt that a lot of people felt that way So now it just keeps growing every time,” Keller said.

Benjamin Johnson, an associate wealth adviser for the Olivier Group, attended the council’s first two meetings and said the group can help its members stay ahead of industry changes

He said groups for young professionals can help members network and develop their careers.

“Being in a room of 30 emerg-

ed the crane boom over the westbound lanes of I-10, leading to the crashes.

Vincent was booked into the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center, charged with one count each of simple burglary, aggravated obstruction of a highway criminal mischief and pedestrian on the interstate.

He was also charged with two counts of negligent injuring and five counts of hit and run driving.

Detectives from the Louisiana State Police are still investigating the incident and are looking into the possibility of an accomplice.

As of Monday morning, Louisi-

the area at the time of the shooting The key piece of evidence was the murder weapon, which police had seized from Franklin months prior The Glock was later released to Franklin’s girlfriend, the registered owner of the gun. Shell casings recovered at the scene of the homicide matched the pistol’s ballistics.

Two weeks after the shooting, detectives found the gun stashed in a boot beside Franklin’s bed in his girlfriend’s home, prosecutors said. Franklin denied any involvement in the shooting, but couldn’t give investigators any solid answers.

“He’s been unable to answer as to why he was in possession of the firearm,” Assistant District Attorney Veronika

ing people in their fields can’t really hurt your chances of possibly getting in the room with one of their bosses,” he said.

Savannah Kelleher, a financial adviser for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, attended the first two meetings of the council to connect with younger estate planning attorneys. She discusses estate planning with all her clients and prefers to refer them to attorneys she is close with.

Most estate planners and financial advisers are in their 60s, she said, and when they retire, their younger clients may need to find another attorney Younger attorneys and advisers will then have to take on more clients from the retiring attorneys.

Kelleher said the age gap

ana State Police Troop C Trooper Henry Perez said there was no additional information.

Anyone who may have been in the area before this incident and observed suspicious activity is urged to contact State Police detectives. People can anonymously report information through the State Police’s online reporting system by visiting lsp.org and clicking on “Report Suspicious or Criminal Activity,” or calling the State Police Fusion Center Hotline at (800) 434-8007.

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

Gremillion said during Monday’s hearing.

Investigators identified 25-year-old Ahmed Muhammad as a second suspect in the fatal double shooting. Police said text messages showed he accompanied Franklin during the March 2020 robbery But before detectives could question Muhammad, he was gunned down one day after Wolf’s homicide in the same Old South Baton Rouge neighborhood. Muhammed was killed in a vacant lot in the 400 block of West Johnson Street — about a mile from where Wolf died.

Police have said no evidence linking the two shootings. Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

among those in wealth and estate planning may be a result of older clients seeking out attorneys and advisers closer to their age and the misconception that estate planning is only for old age.

“It’s not just about death; it’s about securing your wealth and planning for your future at all ages,” she said.

Charles

St.Alphonsus Catholic Church 14040 Greenwell SpringsRoad,at 11:30a.m

Obituaries

Barr Sr., Alfred Michael 'Mike

Alfred Michael "Mike" Barr Sr. passed away peacefully at his home in Baton Rouge, LA, surrounded by family, on August 15, 2025. Born on November17, 1940,inHarlingen, TX, to Wilbur Dean Barr and Ruth Margeva "Peggy"Barr Mike carried thespirit of a Texan allhis life. Mike graduated from the University of TexasatAustin in 1964 with adegree in Chemical Engineering. His career with Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporationspanned over threedecades.Moving to BatonRouge not only shaped his career, but also his life- here, he met and married the love of his life, Lily Diane McDonald, in 1966. Together they raised three children and were blessed with seven grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren. Mike was a devoted husband, father andgrandfather who loved spending time with his family and friends. He enjoyed grabbing coffee with friends,tending to his koi pond, and taking pride in his yard.Aproud Longhorn, he loved cheering on his alma mater. Known for his unmistakable, booming voice and hisgenerous spirit, he was always ready to help when someone was in need. He led his family with strength, wisdom and faith in God. Above all, Mike was afaithful servant of the Lord.Hewas an active member and deacon at FirstBaptist Church in BatonRouge for many years. His life was defined by hard work, devotion to family and friends, and love for his Savior, Jesus Christ. The Barr family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to @ Home Care of Louisiana, especially Glenda Emery, along with many others who provided care and support. They are also deeply thankful to Toni at Compassus Hospice for the compassion and guidance shown in his final days. Mike ispreceded in death by his parents, Dean and Peggy Barr; brother, Murray Barr; sister, Diane Heatley; son-in-law, Henry "Hank" Tourere; in-laws, Robert McDonald Sr. and Marie McDonald;brotherin-law, Robert McDonald Jr.; and nephew, Jason Foster. Mike is survived by his wife of 58 years, Diane Barr;children, Michelle Bordelon (Mickey),Tracey Tourere, and Alfred Barr Jr.; grandchildren, Jordan Keowen (Cameron), Trey Bordelon, David Bordelon (Bella), Rachael, Shelby, Madison, and Cole Tourere; great-grandchildren,Ireland and Reece Keowen; and ahost of other loving family members and many dear friends. Thoughhis voice may no longer fill the room, his wisdom, strength, and love he instilled will echo for generations. Visitation will be at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., BatonRouge,LA, on Thursday,August 21, 2025, from 12:30pm until the time of funeral services at 2pm. Burial will immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mike's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital@ www.stjude.org Familyand friends are invitedtosign the online guestbook at www.greeno aksfunerals.com

Hirschey, Kenneth Gabriel

Kenneth Gabriel"Ken" Hirschey Sr., 90, passed away peacefully on August 4, 2025, in BatonRouge withhis granddaughter, Ashlee Bueche,byhis side. Hewas born September14, 1934, in Beaumont, TX,to Scottie and Lula Fontaine Hirschey. Anative of Baton Rouge, Ken spentmany summers in Avoyelles Parish withhis grandparents, "Other Mama" and "Other Papa,"whom he loved dearly. After completing highschoolfrom St. Joseph's SeminaryCollege in St. Louis, he returnedhome and graduat-

ed from LSUwith adegree inCommerce. Ken proudly served in the U.S.Navyas aNaval Navigator before returning to Baton Rouge. He went on to own several businessesand built asuccessful career in home building and millwork, whereheremained active until his final days. He also servedasanLSU trackofficial underCoach Joe May. Kenloved gardening, westerns,country life,and was aman of deepCatholic faith. He is survivedbyhis wife of nearly 69 years, Shirley BertrandHirschey; children Kenneth Hirschey Jr.(Lynn), KarinGerace (Tom),Karl Hirschey,KonradHirschey, and Chris Hirschey (Claire); grandchildren: TommyGerace (Melissa), TabHirschey, Virginia Cook(Taylor), Ashlee Bueche (Mark), RachelWestphal (Brandon), Kelley Bravata(Nick), Eric Hirschey (Kelli),CarolineGardner(Kyle), Kiala Hirschey, Sydney Dickenson(John), and Cal Hirschey; his sister Janie Hollowell;brother Pete Hirschey(Alice); and sister -in-lawGayle Hirschey.He is also survived by 11 great -grandchildren, including the newest addition, Henry Grant Westphal,born just hours afterKen's passing. He was precededindeath by his beloved daughter Karole Hirschey,his brother Wayne Hirschey,parents Scottie andLula Hirschey, and histreasuredgrandparents.The family wouldliketoextend theirheartfelt gratitudeto the incredible nursing staff at THV3 at Our Lady of the Lake RegionalMedical Center in Baton Rouge, as well as the compassionate team at The Crossing at Clarity Hospice ofBaton Rouge,for the exceptional care and kindness they provided to Keninhis final days. At his request, his body was donatedtoLSU School of Medicine. A memorial mass willbe held at St.AgnesCatholic Church,749 East Blvd., Baton Rouge,onSaturday August23, 2025, with visitationat10:00a.m.and a LatinMassatnoon. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Holmes, Lucile Mai StaggYingling

LucileMai StaggYingling Holmes passed away on Friday, August15, 2025, at the ageof82. Shewas borninRayne, Louisiana to Truman and MarieStagg.

Lucileattended University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and worked as ateacher before marrying and startingher family. Shewas an active member of St. Andrew's UnitedMethodist Church. Sheenjoyed reading, tennis, playing bridge and traveling aroundthe world in her younger years. Her favorite holiday was Thanksgiving when she prepared afullmealto enjoy with her wholefamily. She loved spending time with her grandchildren. Lucilewas aloyal and devotedNew Orleans Saintsfan. Shecherished spending time with her friends at the Antioch Senior Center in her lateryears. Sheisprecededindeath by herparents;her husband,CharlieHolmes; and her sister,FranStagg. Lucileissurvivedbyher son, Craig Yingling(Laurie); her daughter, Chris Coulter(Jay);stepson, DustinHolmesand her grandchildren, Kristopher Yingling (Sharanya); Averie Lajaunie, StephenCoulter,and Lucy Coulter. Relatives and friends areinvited to attend the Funeral Service at St.Andrew's UnitedMethodist Church,17510 Monitor Ave in Baton Rouge on Saturday, August23, 2025, at 11:00a.m. officiated by Rev. DrewSutton. AVisitation willbeheld at the church beginning at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Resthaven Gardensof Memory. In lieuofflowers please make donations to St Andrew's United Methodist Church.

Family and friendsmay sign the online guestbook orleave apersonal note to the family at www.resthav enbatonrouge com

Ray Juneau, at theage of 83, peacefully passed away surrounded by his loving family on August 13, 2025. His favorite pastime was square dancing predominantly at Ozone Squares,Tammany Twirlers, Y-Knots,and Casual Corners. Ray also enjoyed working in his yard and garden. Ray was known for his baking and lovedsharing it with everyone.Above all, he was a family man who dearly lovedhis family time. Ray willbegreatly missed by all that lovedhim. Ray is survivedbyhis sons, Donovan Juneau (Roxie) and John Juneau; special friend,Kristin White;brother, Carl Juneau (Shirley); sister-in-law, CarolynBonfanti; brotherin-law,Sonny LeJeune (Margaret); grandchildren, Daniel Juneau (Mechelle) and Krystal Juneau; greatgrandchildren, AidenEdwards, Abby Juneau, CameronJuneau, and Avalea Thomas.

Ray is preceded in death by his wife, SharleenL Juneau; parents, Johnson J. Juneau and Rosa Guillory Juneau; sisters, Sarita Rosa Coughlin and Jeanie Theriot; and infant brother, John Juneau. In lieu of flowers,please donatetoSt. JudeChildren's Research Hospital in honorofRay Juneau. https://www.stjude.org/do nate/donat e-to-s tjude.html

Relatives and friendsof thefamily are invited to attend thevisitation at Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Home at 12012 Hwy 190 W Hammond,LA70401 on Wednesday,August 20, 2025, from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., visitation willfollow to thenext morning on Thursday,August 21, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. until thefuneral serviceat9:00 a.m. officiatedbyReverend Maggie Sullivan. Interment willbeat2:00 p.m. at St. Frances DeSales Cemetery in Echo,Louisianatobeofficiated by Father Dwight DeJesus.

OubreSr.,Robert Kim'Kimmie'

Son of thelate Joseph "Guy" Oubre Sr &Bernice Chaisson Oubre. Survived by:5 Brothers 1Sister (Nephews, Nieces, Cousins). Son RobertKim Oubre Jr, Wife (Rebecca Hymel Oubre), Granddaughter Wyatt Marie Oubre. Roper, Alfred

Alfred Roper, Jr born in Lutcher, LA and aresident of Gonzales, LA passed away on Thursday,August 14, 2025 at The Crossing at Clarity Hospice. Alfred was thelovinghusband of Regina Hurst Roperfor 60 years. They met as teens when Alfred fixed aflat tire forRegina.That daywas thebeginning of abeautiful life together. They have adaughter, Darlene Roper Waguespack who has threesons and daughtersin-law,Kye and Emily, Kadeand Alex, and Kory and Ashley. They havea son, Chad Alfred Roperand wife Sherry who havetwo daughters, Micah and Ryan. Darlene'ssons have also blessed them with threegreat grandchildren, Wyatt, Natalie and Ianand greatgrandbaby #4 on the way. Alfred is also survivedbytwelvesiblings: Maryann Lambert,Joyce and NJ Bourgeois, Barbara and RogerKramer, Rose and Kerry Melancon, Linda and Malcom Torres,Bibiana and NelwinWeber, Neil andRhondaRoper, JudeRoper, Dennis and Susan Roper, Kathleenand David Donaldson, Jacque Roper, Gerard and Mary EllenRoper,and brother-in -law AlvinHebert,his Goddaughter, AnnettePoche, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his loving parents, Alfred,Sr. and Stella Roper, his sister, Patsy Hebert, and brother-in-law, Donald Lambert In 1984, Alfred establishedAlfredRoper Contractor,Inc. and his legacy continues with Chad since

Alfred's retirement in 2017. He and Chad built beautiful custom homes together over many years. After his retirement,Alfredlooked forwardtogoing to Purpera Lumber most mornings for coffeewith hisfriendsthen spending much of hisdays either woodworking and building furniture in hisworkshop, beekeeping, or taking care of hisvegetablegarden. Nothing made himhappier than fishing and crabbing in Grand Isle with hiswife and family.Cruisingthe Grand Isle beachinhis golf cart with Regina and their dog, Lulu, was ahighlight. Over theyears, Alfred and Regina enjoyed traveling togetherwithhis siblings. He also looked forward to cooking jambalaya every year for Chad and Sherry's St. Patrick's Day parade partyinBaton Rouge. His grandchildrenknew they couldcount on him to be at their footballgames, baseballgames, soccer games, track meets and orchestra concerts. After reading his biblefirst thing every morning, Alfred lookedforward to texting bible verses to his twelvesiblings, even if it was 3:00 AM! His faith was strong, his heart was kind,hewas funny, and he had so much love to give.Alfred will be remembered and missed by so many. The visitation willbe held at Ourso Funeral Home in Gonzales on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.The visitation willresume on Thursday,August 21, 2025 at 9:00 AM until thefuneralserviceat11:00 AM celebrated by Rev. Tommy Pierce

David Michael "Mike" Rutledgea residentof Maringouin, La, passed away on August 15, 2025 at theage of 65. Mike worked as aplant manager at Oxbow Calcining International for45years before he retired. Mike enjoyed spending time with his family and lovedones, taking care of his neighbors, cooking and dotingonhis grandchildren. Mike was a devoted husband to his wife and best friend,"Ms. Kaye." He also enjoyed fishing, hunting, bird watching, spending time at his camp and traveling.He was agreat man to everyone,loved by many and always eager to help others.Mike is survived by his parents, Marjorieand David E. Rutledge; his wife and love of his life of 45 years, Kaye Rutledge; children,Datha Ortis (Timothy) and VirginiaHunt (Jerame); grandchildren, Rylee, Chyane,Brees, Chloe,Kylee,and Lance; his sister, Becky Young (Jimmy); and numerous nieces, nephews, and lovedones. Precededin death by his son, David KaymonRutledge. Agraveside servicewillbeheldat False RiverMemorialPark on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 11:00 am. The entombment willimmediately follow in the mausoleum.

JoeReece Salter, former Speakerofthe Louisiana HouseofRepresentatives passed away on Saturday, August 16, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana surrounded by his family. Born on August 13, 1943 in Many, LA,Salter grew up in Redland. He and his wife, Bettye,spent most of their livesraising their family in Florien, Louisiana where he served as adeacon and Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church.

After graduating from Northwestern Statein Natchitoches, LA,where he was amember of theBlue KeySociety and PhiKappa Phi, Salter became principalatFlorienHighSchool and heldthatpositionfor 11 years. As principal, he

initiated theconstruction of anew school building, FHS became stateaccredited, andheserved4 consecutive terms as president of theLouisiana High School AthleticAssociation.Salter wasappointed Assistant Superintendent of SabineParish Schools whereheservedfor 17 years. Joe's political career began in 1986 when he was electedtothe Louisiana HouseofRepresentatives, District 24, wherehe served a22year term, becoming House Speaker in 2004. Amongnumerous honorsduring hispolitical career,Salter wasa threetime recipient of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, LegislativeGolden Apple Award,named threetimes to the Louisiana Association of EducatorsLegislativeHonor Roll,and honored by a wide-ranginggroup of organizationssuch as the Louisiana CouncilonAging, Fleur de LisHealth Care, Louisiana Public Broadcasting,and the Louisiana Association of School Executives. He was inductedintothe LongPurpleLineand theHallofDistinguished Educatorsat NSUand theSabineParish Hall of Fame. In 2008, Speaker Salterwas inducted into theLouisiana PoliticalMuseum andHallof Fame. After term limiting out of thelegislature,Salter spent the next 4yearsat theState Department of Education as Director of Governmental Affairs. In 2012, Speaker Salterbecame ChiefofStaff for the Secretary of State, and he wasappointedtothe Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System.Speaker Salterleft theemploymentofthe Department of State on January 8, 2024 having amassed59yearsofwork in various fieldstobetter thegreat stateof Louisiana. Despite all themanyaccomplishments made by Joeasaneducator, politician andlocal community leader, nothingbrought himgreater joythan spendingtimewith family. He wasa devotedhusband, father,grandfather andgreat-grandfather. He lovedtogrill andhis family ate manya goodsteak cooked on hisbig redgrill on Saturday nights. Salterissurvived by his loving wife andchildhood sweetheartof60years, the formerBettye LillyofFlorien;two children, Amanda Marye Gibbs (Billy) of Florien andBrantley Reece Salter(Tammy) of Baton Rouge;fourgrandchildren: Hannah Gibbs Fontenot (Gage), Haylee Salter, Tyler Gibbs andRileySalter and twogreat grandchildren, Kendall Fontenot andAxel Fontenot.Hewas preceded in death by hisbrother Lamar Salter, andparents J. D. andLoucilleSalter. AMemorialService will be held on Friday, August 22nd at 2:00 p.m.,First Baptist ChurchBaton Rouge An additional Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, August 24th at 3:00 p.m.,First Baptist ChurchFlorien, LA. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be sent to the Louisiana Baptist Children's Home at 7200 DesiardSt.,Monroe, LA 71203.

Alfred JamesTaillon, aged 87, passed away at hishomesurrounded by lovedonesonAugust 17, 2025. Born on September 8, 1937, in NewOrleans, Louisiana, to ArthurSr. and BerthaAndersonTaillon Alfred wasa 1956 graduate of GonzalesHigh School, ownerofTaillon's Auto Parts anda dedicated Plant Operator at Ormet for 38 years. He wasa member of theArmyNational Guard andUSArmy Reserve. He lovedbeing at hiscampinBelle River fishingand spendingtime with hisfamily. When he wasn't fishing, you could findhim at thecasinoon Friday nights, frying fish for hisfamily, or fiddling in thegarage. To those he calledfamilyorfriend, or reallyanyone in need,he waswilling to give you anythinghehad and lend a helpinghand. Alfred lived hislifetothe fullest and spent it with thepeople he lovedthe most. He leaves behind hiswife of 68 years, Arlene GautreauTaillon hisdaughters ElindaTaillon (Clarence Brock) and Holly(Craig) Wolverton. Grandchildren Cody (Britne)Edmonston, Chase (Kelli) Braud, Jordy(Ashley) Poche,Morgan (Kaleb) Moran, Megan (Matthew) Simoneaux,Maya andAva Wolverton. He wasa proud Great Grandfatherto Cullenand LaneEdmonston,Landry and Norah KateBraud, andPresley andPayton Poche.Hewas acherished uncletoa host of nieces andnephews. He waspreceded in death by hisparents ArthurSr. and BerthaAnderson Taillon, a brotherGilbert Taillon, and beloved daughterTammy Marie Edmonston.The familywould like to send their heartfelt gratitude to Baton Rouge General Hospital, Baton Rouge General Rehab Center,Pinnacle Hospice Care, andMary BirdPerkins CancerCenter. Special thanks to his amazing doctors, Dr DanielLavie, Dr.PaulWalker,Dr. Boyd Helm, andDr. VinceCataldo for their compassion OursoFuneral Home will host awake andservice from 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2025, with internment immediately following at Hope Haven Cemetery in Gonzales. Pallbearers: Bernard Gautreau, Todd Kling, Chase Braud, Jordy Poché,BarryTaillon, and Craig Wolverton.

When youneed thenews. Wherever youreadthe news

Sickle cell disease breakthrough provides hope

Earlier this month, we learned 22-year-old Daniel Cressy would be the first person in Louisiana to receive agene therapy that promises to provide what patients and their families have long dreamed of —a cure for sickle cell disease.

Cressy’sjourney,asdocumented by reporter Emily Woodruff,isthe fruit of decades of research that will benefit thousands.

In Louisiana, there is ahigh prevalence of the disease per capita, and it disproportionately affects Blacks.

The life-changing nature of this breakthroughisevident when you know alittleabout the disease and patients like Cressy who have lived with it since birth. Sickle cell disease gets its name from agenetic mutationthat causes redblood cells, which are normally round, to be shapedlike acrescent, or sickle. As these mutated cells move through vessels, theycan become stuck, causing episodes of debilitating pain. For patients, this can mean weeks of not being to work, attend school or perform the essentialfunctions of life.

It can mean they have togive up on their dreams.Cressy,who aspires to become alicensed pilot, was denied medical clearance by theFederal Aviation Administration due to his sickle cell disease. He’shoping that will change after he completes the gene therapy It’snoeasy road. Just gettingthe green light to receive the therapy took 18 months. Then, there are potential risks and side effectsto confront. The therapy itself requires blood transfusions, stem cell collections and chemotherapy over several months.

Cressy is undergoing the process at Manning Family Children’s, and Woodruff’s reporting put aspotlight on the incredible teamwork of the medical staff there. After Cressy’s stem cells were collected, they were set to be shipped off to Scotland, where, in aprocess that seems like science fiction, scientistswill be able to edit his genes to address the mutation. The idea is that when the edited cells are returned to his body,they will help rebuild healthycells. We must not overlook that robust federal funding for basic scienceresearch is why we seebreakthroughs like this. NIH-funded studies of the human genome led tothe development of CRISPR, the gene-editing technology used here. While cuts to the National Institutes of Healthmay savemoney in the short run, improving lives like Cressy’sinthe long run is worth far more. And lastly,wemust face the tremendous cost of this therapy,morethan $1 million for a single patient, not counting hospital stays and other costs. Louisiana is lined up toget up to support from anew federal program called the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model to help Medicaid patients get these therapies. With roughly 3,000 Medicaid patientsinthe state who have sickle cell disease, clearly, more will need to be done. But for now,weare glad to see patients like Cressy and theirloved ones finally have areason tohope.

Proposal to bancoyote rehabignores real issue

Regarding theWildlife and Fisheriesproposaltostopcoyoterehab, the reason this issue has come about is the result of obscene andwasteful human behaviors thathave and aredestroying the environment We depend on nature. Nature doesn’t depend on humans. Naturewould be morestable if humans could become awareofour place in ahealthy environment.Humans seesuccess in pouring asphalt and concrete as far as we can. We arerunning animals and insects out of their natural environment.Wehave created and worsenedflooding. Louisiana continues to be astate saturatedwithcarcinogens in our water air and soil. We have become aviolent culturenot seen in other animals.I have never thought that humans are the

In response to Michael Barone’s piece on July 29 regarding thehistorical relationships between sitting and former presidents, his primary objective seems to be to put Barack Obama on alevel with Donald Trump in their respective approaches to guiding the nationthrough the constitutional change of presidential administrations.

In this attempt,heconflates the effortsoffederal intelligence agencies working to find out if and how aforeign government triedtoinfluence our national elections with the completely separate actions of Hillary Clinton’s election campaign, writing as if they wereall acombined effort.

The Steele dossier was apiece of opposition research conducted by a presidential campaign; it was not the product of federal agencies working

mostintelligent or spiritual beings. The rehabilitation of coyotes and othercreatures is essentialtomaintain ahealthy and stable ecosystem Hopefully,teacherswill use the coyote rehabcontroversy to create ateaching opportunity about respect for the environment.Ifkids don’tknow whatis in the environment,how will they know if it’smissing? Kids won’tunderstand the important role of all living things animals and plants— in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Why should they be concerned if theynolonger exist? We are the problem, not thecoyotes.Maybe arehab program needs to be developed for humans

GINGERFORD Baton Rouge

at the direction of the president. The agencies did find, however, that Russia tried, illegally,toinfluence our election —veryimportant information, Iwould contend, for our nationtounderstand and react to,nomatter who the intended beneficiary. Comparing the legitimate work of the agencies thatare charged with keeping our country safe and free with Trump’sefforts to try to retain power after clearly losing the 2020 election is insulting and does adisservice to the newspaper’sreaders.

While this may seem like aminor example of the current trend in historical revisionism,itiscritical to our country’sfuture that we call out every example as we worktoreverse that trend.

PATFORBES Baton Rouge

Johnsonadjourning Houseearly was misuse of power

DOGE should fire Speaker Mike Johnson for waste, fraud and abuse. Waste, because he single-handedly wasted taxpayers’ money by giving 435 members of Congress aday off simply because he didn’twant to do his job as Speaker of the House and provide oversight of the government. Fraud, because he did this just to benefit President Donald Trump, and not for the betterment of the United States.

Abuse, because he had the power to adjourn the House of Representatives and used it strictly for political reasons, and not for the betterment of the United States.

These are facts which cannot be denied.

Trumpwouldn’thave hadtoempower ICEif laws hadbeenenforced

When we see all of the ICEissues and blameour current administration forchaos, manydonot realize the real issue. What caused ICEto do what they are doing? When the past administration didn’tsecure the border and spent billions on illegal immigrants, the only right thing to do is reverse this situation. So those that blamePresident Donald Trumpfor the push to get the illegal immigrants out of the country should focus on the real cause. President Joe Biden ignored the lawsof our country.Trumpisenforcing them.AmIwrong?

RHETT BOURGEOIS Gonzales

GREG TENHUNDFELD Baton Rouge LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Iwas happy to hear thenews that DefenseSecretaryPete Hegsethisreturning the iconic Reconciliation Monument to Arlington National Cemetery It was wrong to takeitdown in the first place, particularly since it is agrave marker in acemetery. Sculptor Moses Ezekiel, themonument’screator,was buried at itsbasein1921. The sacred remains of several other men arealso present. It should never have been disturbed. It is shameful that any member of Congress or leader in government approved this desecration, especially conservatives and Southerners,who

ought to know better.The monument was dedicated in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson, who called it agreat “emblem of areunited people.” North and South alike wereoverjoyed to officially lay down arms against each other and commence anew era of goodwill. This development marks aturning point in theU.S. We are finished being tolerant of this wanton destruction of our history and shared memory.We seek the restoration of all historic symbols and monuments in our country and will not rest until this is achieved.

LESLIE ALEXANDER Lafayette

Lotterydoesn’t need to advertise

Can someone explain why the Louisiana Lottery is allowed advertise? It seems to me that the folks that want lottery tickets already know that tickets are available and will figure out if anew “game” is available. Advertising is expensive so that’s alot of money that could be going to the things that the lottery is supposed to support like education or maybe teachers pay

JACK MORGAN Baton Rouge

Arewe beginningto fiximmigration?

It’s with some discomfort that I consider the possibility that President Donald Trump’sradical immigration agenda will lead to better immigration policies. The discomfortcomes from the cruelty involved: the roughing up of good people who’ve been quietly working, the celebrations of brutal incarceration, the racially tinged rhetoric.

Hope comes in the form of changed perspective. Outside of agriculture, the existence of an illegalworkforce is no longer openly tolerated.

The chaos at the border is stopped. And aresultinglabor shortage may force leaders to adopt arational immigration program that legally admits theworkers we need. Such changeswould include legalizing the status of many otherwise law-abiding migrants now working without papers. Politicians from both parties have fordecades blocked reform. We can start with George W. Bush, who subscribed to aRepublican cheap-labor agenda. (A supportive cry from The Wall Street Journal was “Let there be open borders!”)

In 2004, Bush called for atemporary worker program that would “match willing foreign workers with willing employerswhen no Americans can be found to fill the job.” Little mention wasmade about what those willing employers were willing topay their workers.

In 2013, serious immigration reform cleared the Senate in abipartisan vote. It offered apathway to citizenship for

11 million undocumented immigrants, while requiring employers to check a national database for the right of new hires to work in this country.Itwas known as E-Verify Thepresident at the timewas Barack Obama. He pursued a muscular deportation program thatremoved illegal immigrant criminals. Obama clearly wanted to reassure the public that the bill wouldn’tbejustanother amnestywithout beefed-up enforcement. House Republicans brushed off the new policy while members of Obama’sown party condemned him as “deporter in chief.” Joe Biden seemed blind to theawful situationonthe border.Itwas political malpractice to believe that thesight of caravans of migrants charging overthe border wouldn’talarmthe American public. Never mind the need for labor.Toward the end of his term, Biden recognized the political damage the chaos was doing his party and fixed the problem. Calm came over the border before Trumpbecame president again, but it was too late for Bidentoget the credit he could have claimed.

Butsolving that problem without serious immigration reform has created new problems. For one thing, many undocumented workers pay into aSocial Security system that will not provide them benefits. These contributions boost the program’strust fund by billions of dollarsayear,accordingtoestimates, extending the fund’s

solvency Trump’saggressive deportation campaign has already resulted in a labor shortage andhurtconsumer spending, according to the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Immigrants’ spending power in 2023 is believed to have approached $300 billion. Then there’sinflation. The construction workforce is heavily made up of immigrants, many undocumented. Losing these workers will hit thesupply of housing, already too expensive for many Americans. That could cut economic growth by 0.4%.

Donald Trump could continue his campaign to replace solid government statistics with phony economic numbersmore to his liking. Butthere’sno hiding thecost of things from ordinary Americans. Who knows?Trump might force acceptance of higher immigration numbers. Recenthistory suggests that he still exerts mind control over many Republicans who formerly stood in theway of legally admitting more immigrants, let alonefixing thestatusof theundocumented.

Addthe tradewar to areduced workforce and you have higher inflation flashing in neon. Trump was happy to employ undocumented workers at his various businesses, so he maybeopen to letting some currently illegal workersstay.After all, he’sfull of surprises.

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

“There was astory about awoman who had been asked to christen aPortland yard ship but arrived too late; it had already been launched. ‘Just keep standing there, ma’am,’ she was told, ‘there’ll be another along in aminute.’” —Arthur Herman, “Freedom’sForge.” In February 1900, a20-year-old immigrant from Denmark arrived in New York, destitute of everything except his ambition to build bicycles. In Linz, Austria, that day,the son of Alois and Klara Hitler was 10. He became an aspiring but untalented artist who would find another career

Whenyouronlytool is ahammer, psychiatrist Abraham Maslow famously observed, all problems begin to looklike nails.

That nugget of wisdomcomes to mind as President Donald Trump implements his federal takeover of the District of Columbia’spolice force and the deployment of 800 National Guard, abig hammer against local crime problems in acity he described as “overrun by violentgangs, blood thirstycriminals, roving mobs of youth, drugged out maniacsand homelesspeople.”

Sayingthe troops will be armed and have the ability to conduct arrestsif needed,Trump promised to “have the crime situation solved in D.C.very soon.”

And that’sjust the beginning, he says, of awave of similar moves that he wants to implement in Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Oakland and other cities, in accordance withhis long-running war on urban crime.

“It has become one of themost dangerous cities anywhere in the World. It will soon be one of the safest!!!” Trump said of the nation’scapital in a recent Truth Social post, pledging action that will “essentially, stop violent crime in Washington, D.C.” Yet, not surprisingly,local reaction to this bizarre project has been mixed in the federal city.While the early days of the action were mostly peaceful, one Justice Department employee wasarrested for allegedly throwing asandwich at afederal law enforcement officer Sunday evening. Not nice.

According to the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’sOffice, theman who “forcefully threw” the wrapped hoagie at aCustoms and Border Protectionofficer was himself a(now ex-) employee of the U.S. Department of Justice, Sean Charles Dunn, 37. Dunn allegedly threw the sandwich after pointing his finger at the officer and shouting, “F*** you! Youf****** fascists! Why are you here?Idon’twant you in my city!” He was charged with “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and employees of the United States.” After being taken to the cop shop, according to the DOJ, Dunn admitted: “I did it. Ithrew asandwich.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi wasn’t goingtoput up with such nonsense. “If you touch any law enforcement officer,wewill come after you,” Bondi posted on XThursday

“This is an example of the Deep State we have been up against for

seven months as we work to refocus DOJ.”

Thoseofusoutside the MAGA movement might question how much of adisturbance of thepeace sandwich-throwing will cause.

ButTrump’scrackdown apparently was born on the heels of amore serious crime, an attempted carjacking.

Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, 19, rose to prominence as afeisty member of ElonMusk’sDepartment of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was put to work slashing the size of the federal bureaucracy after Trump came into office.

Coristine wasattacked andbloodiedinWashington’sLogan Circle neighborhood by agroupofteenagers trying to carjack him and afemale companion early in the morning on August 3. A15-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy were taken to juvenile detention, accused of the assault which, not surprisingly,outraged Trump, who said on Aug. 5, “somebody from DOGE was very badly hurtlast night.” He also shared aphotoofabloodied Coristine on TruthSocial, adding, “If D.C.doesn’tget its act together,and quickly,wewill have no choice but to take Federal control of the City.”

As apast victim of street crime myself, my sympathies go out to Coristine. I’m glad that acouple of suspects

were caught, and Ihope they are handled fairly

Butlocking up acouple of teens is only asmall partofthe larger longterm andshort-term challenges posed by problems as complex as big city crime. Idon’tbelieve in “coddling criminals,” as some conservatives might say.But Idobelieve in effective law enforcement and sensible crime prevention that can bring and maintain thesafe streets we all should be seeking. As agroupofprominent Washington religious leaderssaid in their joint criticism of Trump’sdrastictakeover of the District’spolice force, his typically hyperbolic rhetoric —calling thecity“overrun by violent gangs, blood thirsty criminals, roving mobs of youth, drugged out maniacs and homelesspeople” —could only make bad mattersworse in thefight against crime. As ajoint statementbyawideranging group of regional religious leadersput it,the offenses are serious but won’tbehelped by themilitary, “political theater” or fear-based governance.

No, when your only tool in fighting violence inflames moredivisions,you only invite more problems.

Email Clarence Page at clarence47 page@gmail.com

The immigrant and the Austrian never met, but their lives intersected in away pertinent to today U.S. military aid for Ukraine has been inhibited by this: Our nation, whichfaces global challenges from two near-peer adversaries, has chosen to nothave an adequate defense industrial base.

It was similarly unprepared in the late 1930s Then it chose to be as serious as the darkening world was. In his exhilarating 2012 book,historian Herman, now at the Hudson Institute, tells how the nation magnificently marshaled its talents for making things and saved civilization. By 1937, the Danish immigrant, WilliamKnudsen, had risen from the factory floortothe apex of the automobile industry as GeneralMotors’ president. On May 28, 1940, as France was falling, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called: “I want youtowork on some production matters.” That bland job description disguised Knudsen’s task of turning the Army,then barely larger than that of the Netherlands, and the rest of the U.S. military from asmall, somnolent andtechnologically stagnant force into an emanationof U.S. industrial might.

When, in 1940, FDR vowed productionof 50,000 planes ayear (the Army Air Corps then had about 1,700, most of them small and old), Hitler scoffed: “What is America but beauty queens, millionaires, stupid records, and Hollywood.” “He was,” Herman writes, “about to find out.” By 1945, American white-collar business executives and engineers, and properly valorized blue-collar workers, had produced two-thirds of all the Allies’ war matériel: 86,000 tanks, 2.5 milliontrucks, 286,000 planes, 8,800 naval vessels, 5,600 merchant ships, 434 million tons of steel, 2.6 millionmachine guns, 41 billionrounds of ammunition, etc. Working at frenziedpaces, often in hastily improvised workplaces with dangerous equipment and red-hot rivets, Herman writes, “workers in war-related industries in 1942-43 died or were injured in numbers twenty times greater than the American servicemen killed or wounded during those same years.” In 1939, the U.S. steel industry had its lowest capacity in 20 years, and the shipbuilding industry wasproducing four vessels amonth. But in late 1939, awoman who hadlived in Pittsburgh for most of adecade saw smoke billowing from nearby hills. She called the police, who said: “That’snofire lady.Them’sthe mills.” The giant was awakening. With the indefatigable Knudsen setting the tone and pace, in mere months, U.S. industrialists planted shipyards and steel mills on mudflats and empty fields. In four years, the Richmond yard near San Francisco launched 747 prefabricated ships.

Herman says this was the fruit of “spontaneous order”: “It was the most powerful and flexible system of wartime production ever devised, because in the end no one devised it.” This “industrial exuberance” sprang from the nimble adaptability of America’smarket economy Today,Vladimir Putin’saggression against Ukraine is rousing European nations fromtheir military slumbers. For example, Germany now has the world’sfourth-biggest defense budget and has loosened debt restraints for defense spending to become kriegstüchtig —war-ready, in the defense minister’sterminology

The United States is not ready.The Economist reports, “At current rates of procurement, it will take seven years to bring America’sammunition stocks back to where they were before military aid to Ukraine began.” In aWashingtonthink tank’s2023 wargamesimulating aconflict with China over Taiwan, the U.S. inventory of longrange missileswas exhausted in threeweeks. The Economist also reports that in 2022, just after Russia attacked Ukraine,Poland ordered “a big batch” of U.S. Abrams tanks from the Joint Systems Manufacturing CenterinOhio, whichsince 1942 has been the main U.S. factory for armored vehicles. America no longer makes completely new Abrams tanks. Instead, the JSMC “refurbishes stripped-back hulls and turrets from old models, whichare kept in storage in Alabama.” Refitting one tank takes about two years. Poland has yet to receive most of the Abrams tanks it ordered three years ago. Poland needs tanks. The United States needs a new Knudsen.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

Getting offensive

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

It’s hard to know what to expect from the LSU offense this year

There are plenty of reasons for optimism. One of the top quarterbacks in the country with Garrett Nussmeier A promising running back. Talent and depth at wide receiver and tight end. Take coach Brian Kelly at his word and the remade offensive line will be good.

But the offense has looked inconsistent in preseason practices While that could mean something about the defense, it has fed offensive concerns. Will the offensive line really hold up? Can the running game be more productive? How much will Nussmeier improve in his second year as a starter? Does LSU have a gamechanger on the outside?

What we do know at this point is who likely will be on the field Aug 30 in the season opener against Clemson. After 16 practices, here is a projection of the offensive depth chart.

Quarterback

Starter: Garrett Nussmeier (R-Sr.)

Backup: Michael Van Buren (Soph.)

Also: Colin Hurley (R-Fr.)

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Nussmeier has played well during the preseason. He has not put the ball in harm’s way as much as he did going into his first year as a starter. He also has scrambled at times, showing he may have addressed two of the things he needed to work on the most.

He even practiced Monday without a brace on his left knee for the first time since Kelly said he aggravated a preexisting case of patellar tendinitis on Aug. 6. With Nussmeier cemented as the starter, LSU has given Van Buren and Hurley time with the second-team offense Van Buren, who started eight games last season for Mississippi State, has been inconsistent as he learns a new offense, but he shows flashes of talent. It’s unclear whether he will have to miss any games with an injury to his throwing hand suffered Saturday in LSU’s scrimmage.

Running back

Starter: Caden Durham (Soph.)

Backups: Kaleb Jackson (Jr.) and Harlem Berry (Fr.)

Also: Ju’Juan Johnson (Soph.) and JT Lindsey (Fr.)

ä See OFFENSE, page 4C

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Throughout preseason practice, LSU consistently has used the same offensive line. There is a competition taking place at left guard, but the rest of the starters usually have remained the same for the past two weeks.

But Monday morning, freshman Carius Curne took reps at right tackle for the first time during a practice that was open to the media Curne, a top-100 recruit in the 2025 class, has spent most of the preseason as the second-team left tackle.

LSU opened the first 15 minutes of practice Monday Curne went with the starting offense as it worked through plays on air, and redshirt freshman Weston Davis was the backup right tackle.

Davis has been the starting right tackle throughout the preseason Davis, a four-star recruit in the 2024 class from Texas, played in four games last season with no starts. He later replaced Curne during a run-blocking drill Monday Curne has impressed teammates throughout offseason training. He’s listed at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds.

“The strongest freshman I have ever seen,” redshirt sophomore left tackle Tyree Adams said. “The strongest, the fastest. He’s been great. His

ä See FRESHMAN, page 4C

Nussmeier was voted secondteam quarterback; and senior Harold Perkins was named a sec-

the overwhelming first choice after throwing for 3,639

the

Brewers designated hitter William Contreras

Cincinnati. The

3-2,

Brewers bring to mind streaky 1987 team

BY NOAH TRISTER Associated Press

The Milwaukee Brewers have been the talk of baseball because of their recent 14-game winning streak. That run also gives us a chance to appreciate a particularly unusual big league season — the Brewers’ super streaky run through 1987.

It was those ’87 Brewers who won their first 13 games of the season, triggering the same free burger promotion by a local chain that went into effect when this year’s streak hit 12 That 13-0 start which included Juan Nieves throwing the first no-hitter in team history in win No 9 stood as the franchise’s longest winning streak in a season until this year’s Brewers surpassed it Saturday Milwaukee was 20-3 in 1987 before crashing back to earth with alarming quickness. May had

barely begun when the team lost 12 in a row The Brewers snuck in another losing streak of six games before the month was over — only to follow with an immediate sixgame winning streak.

It wasn’t just team streaks that made that season notable in Milwaukee. Hall of Famer Paul Molitor produced a 39-game hitting streak that year, a run that hasn’t been matched since.

By the time the season was over Milwaukee was 91-71, finishing third in the AL East in an era when you had to win your division to make the playoffs.

With Molitor and Robin Yount leading the way plus a few terrific seasons on the mound by Teddy Higuera — the Brewers of the 1980s never totally lived up to their potential after winning the American League pennant in 1982 In 1983, they went 8775, which was good for only fifth place in their seven-team division.

Nowadays Milwaukee is in the

NL Central and 87 wins is often good enough for at least a wild card. Of course, this year’s team can set its sights much higher Even after their winning streak was snapped Sunday, the Brewers are 33 games over .500. They need to go just 19-20 the rest of the way to set a franchise record with 97 victories.

Trivia time

The final out of Nieves’ no-hitter came on a spectacular play involving a pair of Hall of Famers.

Who were they?

Line of the week

In just his second week in the big leagues, Miami’s Jakob Marsee matched a franchise record with seven RBIs in a 13-4 rout of Cleveland on Wednesday night.

Marsee hit a three-run homer, a two-run homer and a two-run double.

Marsee, who made his debut Aug. 1, has 12 extra-base hits in

his first 53 at-bats. Comeback of the week Arizona was down by two with two outs and nobody on in the top of the ninth a 1.1% win probability, according to Baseball Savant. James McCann hit a solo homer, and after a hit batter and a walk, Ketel Marte’s three-run homer lifted the Diamondbacks to a 6-4 win over Texas on Wednesday That was the second straight day Marte put his team ahead with a ninth-inning homer

Honorable mention: Milwaukee’s 13th straight win came Friday night, when the Brewers trailed Cincinnati 8-1 after two innings. They had it tied by the end of the fourth and eventually won 10-8.

Trivia answer Baltimore’s Eddie Murray hit a fly ball to right-center field, and Yount saved the no-hitter with a diving catch for the final out.

Mariners catcher Raleigh closes in on Perez’s record

All-Star nears record of 48 homers in a season by a catcher

BY DAN GELSTON Associated Press

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa Cal Raleigh

autographed a toilet seat for one fan, along with the scores of baseballs and other parapherna-

lia “The Big Dumper” signed for shrieking Little Leaguers

Raleigh gave the kids a real treat hours later

The Seattle Mariners slugger socked his 47th homer of the season on Sunday to boost his major league lead and put him within striking distance of the season homer record for catchers set by Kansas City’s Salvador Perez.

“He continues to swing a really hot bat,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that.” Raleigh’s two-run shot in the seventh inning sent hundreds of Little Leaguers from around the globe cheering in delight to see one of the brightest stars in the MLB Little League Classic go deep. It didn’t help the Mariners much in defeat. The New York Mets beat the Mariners 7-3 and won the last two games of the three-game set. The Mariners are still in the

thick of the AL wild-card race and hope to gain ground during a three-game series in Philadelphia.

Raleigh could make catching history in Philly Perez hit 48 homers for the Royals in 2021.

“I think it’s been an incredible season for him,” Wilson said.

“But I think we knew what’s in there. He’s done a great job of bringing it out.” Raleigh put more than his prodigious power on display in the home of youth baseball’s biggest

weeks of the summer Raleigh’s chest protector featured a baseball card design of Mariners players and coaches from when they were kids. He breezed through the pregame clubhouse in a “Little Dumper” T-shirt gifted by some of the Little Leaguers. “You grow up wanting to come here as a kid. Get to do it as an adult now,” Raleigh told MLB Network before the game. “It’s really fun. Excited to meet the kids and hang out.”

Pelicans add seven-year veteran forward to roster

The New Orleans Pelicans are adding a small forward to their roster

The Pelicans have agreed to a deal with Jalen McDaniels, according to a report by ESPN. McDaniels is entering his seventh NBA season after being selected in the second round of the 2019 draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He is the older brother of Jaden McDaniels, a key player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jalen McDaniels played his first 3½ seasons with the Hornets before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in his fourth season. He signed with the Toronto Raptors the next season. Last season, he signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards. He is averaging 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in his career

Phillies ace has surgery for blood clot in arm

PHILADELPHIA Phillies ace Zack Wheeler had surgery Monday to remove a blood clot in his upper right arm, and the team says a timeline for his recovery remains unknown.

Manager Rob Thomson acknowledged the uncertainty, saying, “We don’t know,” when asked whether Wheeler would pitch again this season, or if the situation was career-threatening. The Phillies said Wheeler underwent a thrombolysis procedure by Dr Paul DiMuzio at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Wheeler 35, a three-time AllStar currently leading the majors with 195 strikeouts, was placed on the injured list Saturday.

Four-time Pro Bowl CB Howard signs with Colts INDIANAPOLIS New Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo already has a sense of what four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard brings to his injury-depleted secondary — even at age 32, even after a year out of football.

The Colts signed the two-time league interceptions champion Monday, giving Howard a chance to restart his career 18 months after being cut by the Miami Dolphins. “Last year, with the Bengals, we worked him out back in December, so we’ve seen him move a little bit and he looks good,” Anarumo said. “I just feel good about the athlete he is. Maybe you could look at it as his legs got a year off to rest. But one thing I know is his ball skills and those things, they don’t go away with time. And he still has those.”

Auburn to formally retire QB Newton’s No. 2 jersey

Raleigh’s power was always evident. He hit 27 homers in 2022, 30 in 2023 and 34 last season Now he’s on pace to easily top 50 homers and maybe more. There are only five other players in big league history who have hit at least 40 homers while primarily playing catcher: Perez, Johnny Bench (twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza (twice). Bench, Campanella and Piazza are Hall of Famers.

“He’s a guy that we knew all along coming up in the minor leagues that he had a pretty high ceiling,” Wilson said “What he does behind the plate and what he does now at the plate has been unbelievable. He’s carried the weight of both of those things and has done it very well.”

A first-time All-Star at age 28

Raleigh burst through on the national scene when he won the All-Star Home Run Derby He became the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title.

He’s the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr

Raleigh’s homer Sunday also gave him 102 RBIs this season.

He’s the first catcher to record back-to-back 100 RBI seasons since Piazza and the first American League catcher to reach that feat since Thurman Munson. Even more milestones await. Maybe even a playoff berth.

“He’s just become a better hitter,” Wilson said.

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn will retire 2010 Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton’s No. 2 jersey this fall, making him the fourth player in program history to receive the honor The ceremony will take place during Auburn’s home game against rival Georgia on Oct. 11. Newton will join Pat Sullivan (No. 7), Bo Jackson (No. 34) and Terry Beasley (No. 88) as former Tigers football players whose numbers are formally retired The jerseys of Sullivan and Beasley were retired following Sullivan’s 1971 Heisman Trophy season, and Jackson’s number was retired as part of Auburn’s football centennial celebration in 1992. No one has worn No. 2 at Auburn since Newton and the Tigers beat Oregon in the Bowl Championship Series national title game for the 2010 season.

Alcaraz wins Cincinnati Open after Sinner retires

CINCINNATI — Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Open title in a little more than 20 minutes on Monday after top-ranked Jannik Sinner was forced to retire because of illness during the first set. Meeting in the final for the fourth time this year and first since Wimbledon, Sinner fell behind 5-0 in the first set with nine unforced errors. He was seen with an icepack on his head during a break and retired after playing just 22 minutes. Sinner, who turned 24 on Saturday, was on a 12-match winning streak and had won 26 straight matches on hard courts. He was bidding to become the first player to win back-to-back men’s Cincinnati Open titles since Roger Federer in 2014 and ’15.

MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSUmen to play TexasTech

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

LSU men’sbasketballhas added achallenging opponent to itsnonconferenceschedule forthe 202526 season.

The Tigers will play Texas Tech on Dec. 7inthe US LBM Coast to Coast Challenge at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, the program announced Monday

This neutral-site game will be the first of adoubleheader that will also feature TCU vs. North Texas. Both games are expected to air on ESPN, but no time has beenset.

Texas Tech had a28-9 overall record and a15-5 recordinthe Big12lastseason.Theymade

the NCAA Tournament as aNo. 3seed and lost 84-79 to Florida, the eventual champions, in the Elite Eight. Texas Tech returns AP second-team All-American JT Toppin. The 6-foot-9forward averaged 18.2 points and 9.4 rebounds as asophomore.

LSU wasn’t selected to play in MarchMadness after going 1418 overalland 3-15 in the Southeastern Conference last season. Its three victories came against Arkansas, Oklahoma andSouth Carolina.It won those games by four,threeand 14 points.

Coach MattMcMahon, who is enteringhis fourth season,will have almost an entirelynew rosterwith only two returning forwards —redshirt junior Jalen

Reed andsophomore Robert Miller.Reed averaged 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, playingonlyeight games due to atorn right ACL. Texas Tech leads the all-time seriesagainst the Tigers 6-3. In the last matchup, the RedRaiders won 76-68 on Jan.28, 2023, in Baton Rouge. LSU hasalreadyannounced two other nonconference games so far.Itwill play at Boston College on Dec. 3and will have aneutralsitegame against Drake on Nov 28 in the Emerald Coast Classic basketball tournament.

TheSEC part of theschedule will be from Jan.3toMarch 7. The program also announced that it is expected to open the new season on Nov.5

EarlyLSU baseball foes areset for2026

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU baseball will begin its national title defense against Milwaukee and participate in the 2026 Jax College Baseball Classic in Jacksonville during the second week of theseason, coach Jay Johnson toldThe Advocate on Monday

The Tigers will open the year against Milwaukee for athreegame series at Alex Box Stadium before traveling to Florida to face Notre Dame, Indiana andCentral Florida in Week 2.

LSU returns home for the third weekend of the seasonto host Grambling, Dartmouth and Northeastern. TheTigers will notplay against Grambling and will instead face Dartmouth and Northeasterntwice overafourgame weekendslate.

In the week prior to thebeginning ofSoutheastern Conference play,LSU will face Sacramento State for athree-game seriesat Alex Box Stadium.

“Welike the Peak Events deal,” Johnson said,referring to the management company that organizesthe Jax College Classic

and Frisco College Baseball Classic, amongother tournaments. “I mean, you’reusually playing two regional teams.Two or threeregional teams in that.

“Northeasternhas been apower for along time, as good of ateam as you could play.(Sacramento) Stateisapremier winner on the west.”

Theremaining games on LSU’s schedulewill officially be announced in September,Johnson said. “(They’re)all good challenges for our team,” Johnson said, “all good RPI opportunities.”

Bigprize,big names foroverhauledU.S. Open mixeddoubles

Notall playersare happy aboutthe newchanges

BY HOWARD FENDRICH Associated Press

Grand Slam singles champions

suchasJannik Sinner,Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys will be playing for alittle extramoney —OK, alot of extra money,byany standard: $1 million to thewinning duo —and trying to get their hands on atrophy in theU.S. Open’soverhauledmixed doublestournament.

The best of thebest at doubles, meanwhile, arenot so excited aboutwhat oneoflast year’s mixedchampions in NewYork, Sara Errani, labeled “sad” and “nonsense” in an interview with TheAssociated Press. She and Andrea Vavassori, who’ll be defending their title, are the only true doubles team competing Tuesday andWednesdayatFlushing Meadows.

Ayear ago, onlytwo highly ranked singles players participated.

“It would be like if, at theOlympics, they didn’tlet the actual high jumpersparticipate, and instead hadbasketballplayers compete in the high jump because it’s more ‘interesting.’ If youwantto do that, Iguess you can, but you can’t awardthemmedals,”Errani said. “You can’thave aGrand Slam doubles (trophy) and not letdoubles players takepart. You’re excluding them from theirsport. It’s dishonest.”

The top seeds, based on their combined singlesrankings, are Jessica Pegula, the2024 U.S. Open runner-up, and Jack Draper,a semifinalist ayear ago. He’s on his third partnerafter OlympicchampionZheng Qinwen and former No.2Paula Badosa withdrewwith injuries. Their initialopponents might be themost-anticipated

pairing: five-time Slamchamp Alcaraz and2021 U.S. Open winner Emma Raducanu.

Other teams include Sinner and 10-timemajor doubleschampion Katerina Siniakova,Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Keysand Frances Tiafoe, Venus Williams andReilly Opelka,TaylorFritz andElena Rybakina, Naomi Osaka and Gael Monfils,Novak Djokovic andOlga Danilovic, andDaniil Medvedev andMirra Andreeva.

“It’sgoing to count as areal Grand Slam. The prize money is great,” said Fritz, the runner-up to SinnerinsinglesatFlushing Meadows ayear ago. “Weare 100% there to try to win it.” Said Tiafoe: “Seeing theprize money,everyone waslike, ‘We’re going, no matter what.’

What’sdifferent this year? Put plainly: everything. Thatincludes the top prize of $1 million ayear after Errani and Vavassori split $200,000.

Eventhe rulesare changing, with sets played to four games instead of sixuntilWednesday’s final, no-Ad scoring, and match tiebreakers instead of athird set. There are 16 teamsinstead of 32. The matches were shifted from thelatter stages of the U.S.Open, overlapping with singles, to before next Sunday’sstart of the main singles brackets. Half thefield is based on singlesrankings, andthe otherhalfwas simply chosen by theU.S.Tennis Association

That’show the singles stars got involved. It’s also why somesay thewhole thing is abit silly

Gaby Dabrowski, aCanadian who has two major championships in mixeddoubles and earned the women’sdoublestrophy at the 2023 U.S. Open,tried to get into the field with Felix Auger-Aliassime, but they were not among the USTA’swild-card selections.

“DoIthink it’s atruemixeddoubleschampionship? No.DoI think it could help thesport of doubles in the end? It could,” Dabrowski said, “but notifyou can’t have any doublesplayers playinit.”

Sanders adjusting to not coaching one of his kids

BY PAT GRAHAM

AP sports writer

BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders at-

tempted to play it cool about not coaching his kids — Shedeur and Shilo — this season.

“It’s easy,” the Colorado coach said in front of a room full of Buffaloes fans at a kickoff luncheon.

“Especially not having Shilo get on my last nerve.”

There were laughs from the audience before he quickly backtracked.

“It’s not easy,” Sanders said.

Not having a Sanders on the field is a rather new experience for the proud father/coach. He’s trying to take the next step at Colorado with a new QB trying to fill Shedeur’s shoes, a new safety replacing Shilo and a new, well, he’s going to need basically a pair of players to take over for Travis Hunter the talented two-way Heisman Trophy winner At quarterback, it’s either going to be Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter or highly touted freshman Julian Lewis.

“I feel like, wholeheartedly, this is a better football team,” said Sanders, whose team went 9-4 last season and earned an invitation to the Alamo Bowl.

Sanders is just getting to know some of his players after spending time away from the team this summer as he went through treatment for bladder cancer. While away, he relied on the experience of his veteran coaches, which includes defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, offensive boss Pat Shurmur and Pro Football Hall of Famers Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk. Former NFL quarterback/offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich also has been mentoring the signal-callers.

“I feel like our staff gets better and better and better every year,” Sanders said. “I feel like the roster gets better and better and better every year.”

Sanders’ goal this season is similar to a year ago — earn 100-yearold super-fan Peggy Coppom a bowl appearance.

This time, with a caveat

“We want to get Miss Peggy to a bowl game — and win,” Sanders said.

FRESHMAN

Continued from page 1C

development is going through the roof, and I feel like the sky’s the limit for him, and he can literally play all over the field.”

The rest of the offensive line was largely the same with Adams, center Braelin Moore and right guard Josh Thompson. Redshirt sophomore Paul Mubenga played left guard as the competition continued between him and redshirt sophomore DJ Chester, who was the backup center Monday Monday’s practice was the first since LSU scrimmaged Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers

OFFENSE

Continued from page 1C

Durham could have an All-SEC season if he gets enough blocking, but there are concerns behind him. Jackson needs to play better than he did as a sophomore, and Berry has to be ready to contribute as a freshman. With Lindsey indefinitely suspended, LSU is so thin that Johnson had to play running back again after moving to quarterback in the offseason. Durham could get a large workload.

Wide receiver

Starters: Chris Hilton (R-Sr.), Zavion Thomas (Sr.) and Aaron Anderson (R-Jr.)

Rotation: Nic Anderson (R-Soph.), Barion Brown (Sr.) and Kyle Parker (R-Soph.)

Also: Destyn Hill (R-Soph.), Jelani Watkins (R-Fr.), Kylan Billiot (RFr.), Phillip Wright (Fr.) and TaRon Francis (Fr.)

A clear WR1 has not emerged this year, and that may be fine because LSU has two full rotations that it trusts. Kelly described Hilton and Brown as “1A and 1B” in the vertical passing game. Aaron Anderson and Parker will play in the slot. Thomas, who has taken handoffs, can be used in multiple ways. And Nic Anderson is 6-foot-4 with a wide catch radius, making him an ideal target on third down Nussmeier has a lot of options.

Seaton, who’s a first-team All-Big 12 preseason pick. Miller leads a deep pool of receivers and Dallan Hayden hopes to ignite a rushing attack that averaged 65.2 yards per game, which was the worst among FBS teams

Colorado had more than two dozen players earn NFL roster spots in training camp, including 12 rookies.

“That’s another recruiting tool,” Sanders said.

The Buffaloes sold out of season tickets for a third straight year — and for only their 11th time in history

There’s been quite an economic impact, too, with the Visit Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau reporting that Colorado’s six home football games last season brought $93.9 million in direct economic impact and $146.5 million in total regional economic impact.

PRESEASON

Continued from page 1C

yards with 39 touchdowns and just six interceptions last season. Texas and Penn State, the top two teams in the AP Top 25 poll, each had three players selected for the first team. No. 1 Texas had one player from each level of its defense on the first team: edge rusher Colin Simmons, linebacker Anthony Hill and safety Michael Taaffe. No. 2 Penn State’s picks were running back Nicholas Singleton, offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane and defensive lineman Zane Durant. No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Clemson, No 6 Notre Dame, No 8 Alabama and Pittsburgh each had two players on the first team. The Southeastern Conference had 12 players on the 27-man first team determined by media members on the AP Top 25 voting panel. The Big Ten had seven players, the ACC four and the Big 12 two. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Florida center Jake Slaugh-

ter are returning first-team AP All-Americans.

Downs, whose late interception against Texas helped wrap up a College Football Playoff semifinal win for eventual champion Ohio State, starred as a freshman at Alabama two years ago and established himself as the nation’s top safety in his first season with the Buckeyes. He’s a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Downs was joined on the preseason-All-America first team by Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith. Slaughter a leading candidate for the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center, played 800 snaps in his breakout season for the Gators. He allowed just one sack and was among the highestrated run and pass blockers in the country, according to Pro Football Focus. Former Tulane running back Makhi Hughes, who transferred to Oregon in the offseason, made the second-team offense. The AP All-America team for this season will be released in December It will mark the 100th anniversary of the first team published in 1925.

Salter and Lewis have their own styles. Salter is a run-pass threat who’s been responsible for 66 TDs over the past two seasons. Lewis, who doesn’t turn 18 until September, threw for 11,010 yards over his career at Carrollton High School in Georgia. He also had 144 TD passes.

“It’s definitely been good just to have two guys in that room with that amount of talent level,” wideout Omarion Miller said. They will be protected by a line that includes left tackle Jordan

wore shoulder pads and helmets, so it was not a full-contact day

Linebackers Harold Perkins and Whit Weeks did not practice.

Weeks watched from the side with his helmet on while Perkins was not on the field. Weeks also did not practice Friday He suffered an ankle injury in the Tigers’ bowl game that required surgery, and Kelly said LSU did not want him to practice five days in a row until game week. Weeks was expected to practice fully during the scrimmage.

Backup quarterback Michael Van Buren did not participate. He mimicked drills from behind the quarterbacks, but he did not throw Some of the fingers on Van

Tight end

Starter: Bauer Sharp (R-Sr.) or Trey’Dez Green (Soph.)

Backup: Donovan Green (R-Jr.)

Also: JD LaFleur (Fr.)

With Sharp and Trey’Dez Green, LSU finally may be able to use 12 personnel. Sharp is the more consistent blocker of the two and has reliable hands Green is a mismatch in the passing game, especially in the red zone. He also is a willing blocker, but he needs to continue to develop that part of his game. At 6-7, he can have trouble getting leverage.

Left tackle

Starter: Tyree Adams (R-Soph.)

Backup: Carius Curne (Fr.)

After waiting for the past two years behind Will Campbell, Adams will become a full-time starter No one has challenged him for the job during the offseason. Curne has been the second-team left tackle for most of preseason practice.

Left guard

Starter: DJ Chester (R-Soph.)

Backup: Paul Mubenga (R-Soph.)

Chester and Mubenga continue to compete for the starting role, and Mubenga took first-team reps during a brief media-viewing period Monday morning. Chester has more experience, so we’ll give him the nod for now This could change before the season opener as the battle continues over the next two

All the national exposure is paying dividends with enrollment at Colorado reaching record highs this fall along with student retention. In addition, the enrollment of Black students is up 7.9% from a year ago.

The Buffaloes start the season by playing four of their first five games at Folsom Field, including the opener on Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech. The Buffaloes and the Yellow Jackets split the 1990 national title. They’ve never met on the football field.

Buren’s throwing hand were taped together

Meanwhile, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier did not wear a brace or sleeve on his left knee, which he had done since he aggravated a preexisting case of patellar tendinitis Aug. 6.

Redshirt junior defensive tackle Shone Washington, redshirt freshman cornerback Wallace Foster, freshman running back JT Lindsey and freshman offensive lineman Solomon Thomas also did not practice. Lindsey is suspended, and Thomas has a foot injury

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

AP PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS

weeks. Redshirt freshman Coen Echols is also in the mix.

Center

Starter: Braelin Moore (R-Jr.)

Backup: Chester

Though Chester pushed for the job in spring practice, Moore quickly established himself as the starter in preseason camp. Kelly has been impressed by him, even saying last week he thinks the offensive line will play well in part because Moore “sets up the rest of the group for success.” Chester, the center last season, is the backup.

Right guard

Starter: Josh Thompson (R-Sr.)

Backup: Coen Echols (R-Fr.) There has not been much competition at right guard, and now Thompson is in line to start. Though he was inconsistent in preseason camp, Thompson started 21 games over the past two years at Northwestern. He was credited with only two sacks allowed, both of which happened during the 2023 season.

Right tackle

Starter: Weston Davis (R-Fr.)

Backup: Curne OR Ory Williams (R-Fr.)

Things got interesting Monday when Curne got reps with the firstteam offense. It was the first time that reporters had seen Curne, a top-100 recruit, play right tackle this preseason. Still, Davis is the more likely option after practicing with the starters most of the offseason. After appearing in four games last year, he would make his first career start. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

LSU’svictoryoverOle Miss last season.

Rafflecan open doors to statesportingevents

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

Chris Thibodauxdidn’thave high expectations on that Sunday night last August when he tunedin to watch WWL-TV’s “4th Down on Four” for the drawing of the Premier Season Ticket Raffle.

Thibodaux is alot like most of us when it comes to raffles: He never wins things like this.

“I didn’teven have my ticket out,” Thibodaux said. “I was just watching to see that it wasn’tme so Icould just go to bed and move on with my life.”

Besides, he had bought only one raffle ticket just three daysbefore thedrawing. Then he heardsportscaster Doug Mouton call his name.

“I went nuts,” Thibodauxsaid. “My heart was pounding. Ifelt like Icould have run 5miles at midnight. It was nuts. Iwas so excited.”

Evenwhenheheard hisname, he wasn’tsure he actually hadwon

“I don’tknow if I’m theonly Christopher Thibodaux in the New Orleans area,” he said.

But it was indeed him who had just hit thejackpot of every Louisiana sports fan’sdreams.

The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation‘s PremierSeason Ticket Raffle offers one lucky fan thechance to win tickets to more than 500 of SouthLouisiana’s top sporting events. This year’sdrawing will be held Sunday.Only2,500 tickets will be sold at $100 each

Allproceeds from the annual raffle support the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation’s efforts to bringmajorsporting events—

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

end Bryan Bresee,defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and defensive end Nathan Shepherd have emerged as clear starters in the team’sbase 3-4 defense. None of the three played Sunday when the Saints rested their defensive starters,anindication they appear to have locked downtheir spots. Behind them, third-rounder Vernon Broughton is steadily in the rotation. Jonah Williams and JonathanBullard have familiarity with defensive coordinatorBrandon Staley,but is that enough for both to make the roster? Of those two, Williams appears to have gotten more consistent playing time, butit’sbeen Bullard whohas gotten occasional reps with the first team. If all three backups make it,that already gives the team six interior defensive linemen —and that’s before including abackup nose tackle. Who would fillinifGodchaux went down? Before Sunday’s trade, that appeared to be Saunders. Now? Khristian Boyd made astrong impression in the first preseasongamewhen he sacked Chargers quarterback Taylor

such as SuperBowl LIXlast February —toNew Orleans.

“It is one of the biggest fundraisers we have all year,” said Jay Cicero, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. ”It really helps support us to continue to attract major sportingevents to New Orleans. Those eventscreateaneconomicimpact and exposure that only these events can bring. It’s part of the annual puzzlenow anditreally helpsus.”

Thewinnerreceives two tickets to home gamesfor each of the following:

n New OrleansSaints 2025 regular season

n New OrleansPelicans 2025-26 regular season

n •LSU Tigers 2025 football season

n LSU Tigers 2025-26 men’sbasketballseason

n •LSU Tigers 2025-26 women’s basketball season

n LSU Tigers 2026gymnastics season

n LSUTigers 2026 baseball season

n Tulane Green Wave 2025 football season

n Tulane Green Wave 2025-26 men’sbasketball season

n Tulane Green Wave 2025-26

women’sbasketballseason

n Tulane Green Wave 2026 baseball season

n 2026 Zurich Classic —Best of theZurich classicpasses

n 2026 Allstate Sugar Bowl

n 2025 New Orleans Bowl —VIP passes

n UNO Privateers 2026 baseball season

n UNO Privateers 2025-26 men’s

Heinicke for anear safety.John Ridgewayisalsoabig, stout humanwhom the Saints were willing to tradeadraft pick for last year It seems unrealistictothink the Saints will keepseven interior defensive linemen —even if New Orleans keeps onlyfour edge rushers. In the last 10 years, theSaints neverhavekeptmore than 10 defensivelinemen on their initial 53manroster Though the Saintshavealot of sorting out to do before active rosters must be cut to 53 on Aug. 26, Saunders no longer was in the team’splans. Saunders, who took apay cut earlierthisoffseason, wasanawkward fit in thenew system. Staley hadthe 29-year-old playing nose tackle, but Saunderslacked the bullish size needed to plug holes against the run.The coachingstaff knewthis well before Sunday’s trade, which is why one of the Saints’ first moves of free agency was to tradefor Godchaux —a 6-foot-3, 330-poundrun-stuffer In Jacksonville, Saunders might fit in better under defensivecoordinatorAnthony Campanile. Despite his shortcomings against the run, Saunders was areliable rotation playeroverfour years for the Kansas City Chiefs. He started a good chunk of his twoseasonsin

WR Jeffersonfeeling better, returnstoVikings practice

BY DAVE CAMPBELL AP pro football writer

EAGAN, Minn. Justin Jefferson hasrejoined the Minnesota Vikings for practice after amild strain of his left hamstring kept himsidelined for 31/2 weeks.

Jefferson was on the field for thelight session Monday,the latestramp-up of his activitysince he sufferedthe injury during the second practice of training camponJuly24. He took part in individual drills but not full-team work.

Because Jefferson missed seven games with amore severe strain of his right hamstring during the 2023 season andconsidering his importance to the team,the Vikings have been extra cautious with his recovery.Coach KevinO’Connell said he didn’tbelieve Jefferson would have to adjust his routine moving forward, however as he takes part in “bitsand pieces”ofpractices this week and next.

“He’sdone such agood job with building his strength and doing thework with the medical team and the strength team that Ithink he feels like he’s pretty darn close and ready to go,”O’Connell said of the twotime All-Pro and former LSU receiver, whohas themost receiving yards in NFL history through aplayer’sfirst five seasons.

three games while he serves asuspension for violating the league’ssubstanceabuse policy.Their third receiver,Jalen Nailor,recently jammedhis hand andisona week-to-week timetable to return,O’Connell said.Hedeclinedtoaddress whether surgery was being consideredfor Nailor.

“We’re figuring out the best planofaction forreturn to playwill be,but Idofeel good aboutwhere we’reatwiththat,” O’Connell said.

basketball season n UNO Privateers 2025-26 women’sbasketball season

The deadline to enter this year’s raffle is Sunday at noon.Topurchaseaticket, visit www.gnosports.com/win.

Count Thibodaux among the ones who will be entering again. He’sstill on cloud nine from winning last year

“My favorite experiencewith the LSU footballtickets was the overtimewin against OleMiss,” said Thibodaux, who lives in Harvey.“Igot achancetostorm the field, whichyou probablyshouldn’t do. Andthen you had theZurich Classic ticketsand thosetickets were bad ass.”

Thibodaux, whowas already a Saints season-ticket holder,went to every Saints game and about 20 Pelicans games.Healso attended every Tulane football. He gave his LSUwomen’sbasketball tickets to friendsinBaton Rouge, andthey attended every game.

“It’salmost impossible to go to everything,”hesaid.

But he went to as many as he could. Lastyear was extra special because it included two tickets to theSuper Bowl.While this year’s prizedoesn’t include theSuper Bowl since it will be played in California, that doesn’t take away from everything else offered.

“It’sa once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity,” Thibodaux said. “Allthe different experiences that you get to do and you’re treated likeroyalty at all these events. Youget all the VIP perks and food, and it just makesthe experience thatmuch better.”

New Orleans.

The Saunders trade also affects the offensive line depth. Fortner,a 2022 third-round pick out of Kentucky, startedevery game for Jacksonville during his first two seasons. Although he was relegated to abackup role in 2024, the Saintssaw how important having aviable backup center could be when Erik McCoy missed most of last season because of injuries.

Fortner’sacquisition creates an interesting wrinkle for undrafted lineman TorricelliSimpkins. He seemed to really thrive when moved from guard to center,but does Fortner’s presence move Simpkins back to guard? That remains to be seen.Simpkins also could be the second-team guard andthird-team center.Either way, Simpkins hasimpressed the Saints —with coach KellenMoore saying the rookie’saggressive play style is all the team could want. Still, teams arealways searching for offensive line help. And theSaints’ depth upfront has been agiant question mark. Fortner might not be atotal solution, but he could provide help. It was atrade thatmade sense for theSaints.

Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com

TheVikings open the regular season on Sept. 8atChicago, and there’s never been any concern aboutJefferson being back to full strength on thefield forthe Monday night showcase against the NFCNorth rivalBears. Butthe waiting is sometimes the hardest part

“I wanttobeout here with the guys. Iwant to be playing football. Iwant to be in the mix,” Jeffersonsaid after practice. “It’sdefinitely tough at times mentally,but every day you’ve just got to focus on the things that you focus on and think about gettingtothe next stage.”

The Vikings will be without Jefferson’sprimary sidekick, Jordan Addison, for theirfirst

The upside to Jefferson’s absence has been increased opportunities for the rest of the wide receivers vying for spots, with one more opened by theseason-ending left knee injury that occurred for RondaleMoore in the team’sfirst exhibition game.

Rookie TaiFelton, the thirdround draft pick out of Maryland who’salsoontrack for a kickoff returner role, has arosterspotsecured.Beyondhim, the pool of competitors include fourth-year playerTim Jones, past practicesquadmembers Lucky Jackson, Jeshaun Jones andThayerThomas, andundrafted rookies MylesPrice and Silas Bolden.

“There’sobviously alot of guys whowouldn’tbehere if we didn’t see the talent, the skill sets, the ability,” O’Connell said. “I do feel good about the depth.”

Browns name Flacco winner of QB competition

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

After four weeks, JoeFlacco hasemerged as the winner of the Cleveland Browns’ four-way quarterback competition. TheBrowns announced Monday that Flacco will getthe start when the Browns host AFC North rivalCincinnati in the Sept. 7 opener Coach Kevin Stefanski indicated over the past week that decision wascoming. The Browns wereoff on Sunday after their 2213 victory over thePhiladelphia Eagles but had ateam meeting Monday

The 40-year-old Flacco beat outKenny Pickettand rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.Deshaun Watson is on the roster,but he is expected to miss the season because of injuries. “I think it is hard when you’re only getting acouple reps here and there because it goes back to you trysohard to be perfect, and then usually you end up hurting yourselfa littlebit.But thelast couple weeks, honestly it’sbeen pretty good for me,” Flacco said last week about the competition afterapractice againstthe Philadelphia Eagles. “I’ve got to get morereps and getcomfortable and feel like I’mdoing things at a pretty high level. So, Ican’tcomplain.”

Besides having 191 regular-season starts and going into his 18th season,Flacco was the only quarterback whohas not missed time during training camp because of an injury This is Flacco’ssecond stint with the Browns. He won the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023 as alate-seasonsigning after going 4-1 as a starter andaveraging morethan 300 yards passing per game as Cleveland made the playoffs for only the third time since its re-

turn in 1999.

Flacco has not played in the preseason games, but he has seen mostofthe first-team snaps throughout campaswell as getting plenty of workinjoint practices againstCarolina andPhiladelphia.

Flacco will see action Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams since Stefanski said the preseason finale will serve as adress rehearsal forthe starters.

“He’sthe same guy every single day.I think that’sone of the things youadmire about Joe is how he approaches his business,” Stefanski said about Flacco during last week’sjoint workouts against the Eagles. “He’sdone areally nice job in camp. He’salso done areally nice job just providing leadershiptothe quarterback room, to the offense and to the football team.”

Pickett wasconsidered to be Flacco’smain competition, but he has been dealing with a hamstring injury.Pickett— a 2022 first-round pick with Pittsburgh —isgoing intohis fourth season afterbeing acquiredin an offseason trade with Philadelphia.

Pickett is considered to be more athletic andcan make plays on the run, but he has not been a full participant in practicesince July 26.

Gabriel, who missed the preseason opener at Carolina on Aug. 8because of ahamstring strain, playedthe first half against the Eagles. In five series, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 143 yards. Sanders missedthe second day of joint practices against the Eaglesand did notplayin the game after suffering an oblique injury on Wednesday Sanders gotthe startagainst Carolina and completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two TD passes.

Stefanski was optimistic that Pickett or Sanders could return to practice sometime this week.

Okra is easy to grow, butthe harvesting’s tricky

Okra holds aspecial place in the hearts of many Louisianans. For some, it’sanessential ingredient in gumbo, and for others, it’s amust-grow crop in the summer vegetable garden. It’snowonder why —okrais tasty and nutritious. It’seasy to grow and prolific, even in intense heat.

GARDEN NEWS

“It is very tolerantofour hot summers,” said Clark Robertson, an LSU AgCenter horticulture agent in Livingston Parish. “It does well from June all the way up to frost.”

Most folks in Louisiana plant okra in AprilorMay and harvest the fuzzy,green pods throughout the summer and early fall.

But you can plant okra all the way through early August —so, if you hurry,you still have time to get acrop in the ground. It takes about 60 days after planting for okra to form pods, and you want to reach this milestone before our first frost, which often comes sometime in November.

If you already have okra in your garden and want to extend the life of these plants, you can cut them back to knee height in the next few weeks, then fertilize with alightapplicationofnitrogen or avegetable garden blend. This will rejuvenate the plants, encouraging them to keep producing pods into the fall.

LSU AGCENTERPHOTO

By OLIVIA McCLURE

Carefully monitor the size of developing okra pods. If you leave them on plants too long, they’ll become too tough to eat

Okra is amuch lower-maintenance crop than many vegetables, with few disease and insect problems. It is efficient at pulling the nutrients it needs from the soil, so it typically doesn’t need as much fertilizer as heavy feeders like tomatoes, eggplants andpeppers. An applicationof complete fertilizer at planting followed by alight application before plants begin production is plenty,Robertson said.

“In fact, too much nitrogen will cause it to do more vegetativegrowth and less fruit production,” he said. Check your garden daily for harvestable pods. They grow quickly,sothey can go from being tender to too tough and woody almost overnight. Use asharp knife or prunersto cut pods from plants.

“Harvest early and harvest often,” Robertson said. “You don’twant your pods to gettoo long.” The ideal pod size varies by variety.Some gardenerslike to harvest okra on the small side just to be safe. To tell whether apod is stilledible, squeeze it gently

“If it’snot giving, it’sgetting too tough,” Robertson said In that case,you can leave the pod on the plant. Allow it to turn brown and dry completely,then cut it off and break it open. You’ll have seeds to plant another okra cropnext year

Just don’tleave behind too many mature pods.

“One or two pods is fine, but if you leave too many,itwill decrease production,” Robertson said.

LIVING

BREAKING THEMOLD

Potteryistakingoff,withthe hobbyhelping to providea creative outlet,community

BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer

AT15 years old, Tina Uffordset hands on clay during ahighschool art class, and she knew instinctively that she wanted to keep doing it for therest of her life.

“These things (pottery and yoga) that aresoold thatI’ve probably done them before in otherlifetimes. Ididn’thave to seek it out. Ididn’thavetofindit; it found me,” Ufford said.“The makingof things, especially things that are gonna possibly outlive you, is just such adeep need.”

Ufford practiced her craft, and when shewas 25, shemoved to Baton Rouge to be close to family Back then, shesaid, LSU’sceramics department (andthe College of Art and Design in general) desperately needed repairand renovations, and therewasn’treally a waytomake aliving working full time in ceramicsinBatonRouge

Chelsie Gibson works withclayon her potterywheel during ameeting of the advanced potteryclass at BellyFire Studios in Baton Rouge

Instantcommunity

Thecollege has since renovated the building, and theceramics scene has flourished through the investment of artists, hobbyists and customers alike.

For Ufford and many others, ceramics is about community

Like many hobbies, it’sa way for newcomers tothe city to find their people. Once one finds aplace to do it, there’saninstant community

This hasn’talways been the case in Baton Rouge. Before LSU’srenovation (completed in 2023), there was alot of turnover.Ceramics

artists would comeintotownfor the ceramics program at LSU, or because their spouse got ajob in town, but after about three years, Ufford said, they’d leave.

“They bounced immediately as soon as they weredone with LSU,” she said. “There’snowhere to land. There’snowhere to put roots down andactually survive andthrive here.”

Ufford, now 50, credits her ability to make aliving in Baton Rouge to the fact that she also works in yoga and massage separate from her ceramics practice. Butthese days, themarket hasalso grown. Artists are able to sellatpop-upmarkets or events and connect with potential customers through social media. As art mediumsgo, clay is not as expensive as some,but there can be ahigh barrierfor entry due to the equipment required to fire and glaze the pottery. Local artsupply shops thatsellclay,like Southern Pottery, offer kiln space forrent, but having astudiowhere people can comeand try these things makes ahuge difference.

Youare exerting control over the claythrough precise movements, but it’s also an exercise of letting go of control. Becauseinthe earlystages —and even as you progress —the claykind of has amind of itsown.” DAVID

of BellyFire Studios

Freeform’s‘Love ThyNader’ stars MaryHolland Nader,GraceAnn Nader,Brooks Nader and Sarah Jane Nader

PHOTO By MARK SELIGER/DISNEy

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

There’sanew trailer for“Love Thy Nader,” adocuseries featuring Brooks Nader andher three sisters. The series will kick off withatwo-episode premiere at 9p.m. Aug. 26 on Freeform,and theentire season will stream Aug. 27 on Hulu. The four Baton Rougesisters —Brooks,MaryHolland, Grace Ann andSarah JaneNader,

daughters of Breaux and Holland Greene Nader —will be sharing their lives as the show chronicles theircareersand pursuitsof theirdreamsinthe glamorous world of fashion influencers in New York City “Growing up in such astrict Christian household, we had alot of rules,”Brooks Nader says in the trailer.“The most important rule: Take care of your sisters.”

Napkin rings: Notfor guests

Dear Miss Manners: Iamplanning to invite my daughter’sin-laws to aformal dinner.Iplan to host it the way my late almost-aristocratic motherwould have done60years ago: with fine china,starchedlinens,goodsilver, flowers, the lot. Iampartly (well, mainly) motivated by a few snobbish remarks dropped by my daughter’sfather-in-law

Agingdoesn’t have to be so bad

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

The thing is, Iwas raised to roll up my napkin after dinner and put it in my napkin ring, with my name engraved on it, for later use. But Icannot remember for thelife of me whether guests should find anapkin ring providedifthey’re only staying for one meal.

Gentle reader: If this gentleman is as pretentious as you say,he may well believe, as many now do,that silver napkinrings add aformal touch to atable. Andhe would be wrong. They do not belong at company meals.

Your mother used the napkin ringstolighten the load of the laundress (who, for all Miss Manners knows, may have been your mother herself). The family used their napkins at more than one meal, so it wasnecessary to distinguish whose was whose. Youwouldn’twant to be stuck with your brother’snapkin after he wiped jam all over it.

Dear Miss Manners: At my partner’sson’swedding, the first row had names taped on the chairs for assigned seating. For thefirst rowonthe groom’sside,the first seat was for the groom’smother, followed by the groom’sfather (mypartner), their daughter, the

groom’smom’s partner,then me. I’d never met thegent next to me (themom’spartner), so it felt awkward.But Imade the best of it and chatted him up —asking about his own children,asfolks usually enjoy talkingabout that. My partnerand his ex are polite andcordial to each other.They’ve been divorcedfor 20 years, and myunderstanding is that it was acrimonious, butthatthey eventually developed an uneasy truce. They shared custody of their children,who have long since been adults.

We had assumedwe’dsit togetherduring the ceremony,soit was abit of asurprise when the weddingplannertold us about the seating arrangementsabout half anhour prior. Of course, we just accepteditand made no protest. We hadnodesire to make waves at hisson’s wedding.

WasIwrong in feeling uncomfortable with this assigned seatingsituation? Ihid my feelings andcertainly won’t voice any complaints after thefact.Just wanted areality check. Do you thinkmydiscomfort was understandable?

Gentle reader: Yes. Instead, you should feel proud of yourself for handling an awkward situation graciously

Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www. missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@ gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO64106.

TODAYINHISTORY

oner exchange.)

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday,Aug. 19, the 231st day of 2025. There are 134 days left in the year

TodayinHistory

On Aug. 19, 2010,the last American combat brigade exited Iraq, seven years andfive months after aU.S.-led invasion markedthe beginning of the Iraq War.

Also on this date: In 1692, four men and one woman were hanged after being convicted of witchcraft at Salem in the Province of Massachusetts Bay; the story of one of the men, John Proctor,inspired ArthurMiller’splay “The Crucible.”

In 1807, Robert Fulton’sNorth River Steamboat arrivedin Albany, two days after leaving New York on its maiden voyage.

In 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia during the Warof1812, earning the nickname “Old Ironsides.”

In 1814, during the Warof 1812, British forces landed at Benedict, Maryland, withthe objective of capturing Washington, D.C.

In 1854, 31 U.S. soldiers were killed after one of the soldiers fatally shot Brule Lakota Chief Conquering Bear,sparking the FirstSioux War.

In 1909, Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted its first automobile race.

In 1934, German voters approved the vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler In 1955, torrential rains caused by HurricaneDiane resulted in severe flooding in the northeastern U.S.,claiming some 200 lives.

In 1960, atribunal in Moscow convicted American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers of espionage. (Although sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment,Powers was returned to the United States in 1962 as part of apris-

NADERS

Continued from page1D

Audiences know Brooks Nader fromher prolific modelingcareer and the mostrecent season of “Dancing With The Stars.” Thisseries introduces Mary Holland, thesecond oldest, who worked at Deutsche Bank in New York; Grace Ann, the third sister, whowas valedictorianofher high school and earned her master’sin public health; and Sarah Jane,the

Dear Heloise: Ijust read ahint in your columnabout the advantages of using acane. My mental responsewas, “Yes,yes, yes.”And this is also why I am no longer coloring my hair and letting it grow out to its now natural color of white. Some things about aging aren’tsoterrible. I have been using acane for well over ayear and have also happily discovered its manygood “side effects.” —Mary Wolfson, in Huntington Beach, California Medicalattention fordogs

In 1980, 301 people aboard Saudia Flight 163 died as the jetlinermade afiery emergency return to the Riyadh airport.

In 2013, SouthAfrican sprinter Oscar Pistorius was indicted in Pretoria, SouthAfrica, on charges of murder andillegal possession of ammunition for the shooting deathofhis girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his home on Valentine’s Day 2013; Pistorius maintained he’d mistakenher for an intruder.(Pistorius would be found guiltyof murder and sentenced to prison; he was released on parole in January 2024.)

Today’sbirthdays: Former tennis player &coach ReneeRichards is 91. Actor JillSt. Johnis85. AuthorJack Canfield is 81. Rock singerIan Gillan (Deep Purple) is 80. Former President Bill Clintonis 79.Actor Gerald McRaney is 78. Actor Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”) is 77. TipperGore, ex-wifeof former Vice President Al Gore, is 77. Rock bassist John Deacon (Queen) is 74. Actor-director Jonathan Frakes is 73.Political consultant Mary Matalin is 72.Actor Peter Gallagher is 70. Actor Adam Arkin is 69. Actor Martin Donovan is 68. Football Hall of Famer AnthonyMunoz is 67. Musician Ivan Neville is 66. FootballHall of Famer Morten Andersen is 65. Actor John Stamos is 62. Actor Kyra Sedgwick is 60. ActorKevin Dillon is 60. Country singer Lee AnnWomack is 58. Microsoft CEO SatyaNadella is 58. CountrysingerClayWalker is 56. RapperFat Joe is 55. Olympic goldmedal tennisplayer Mary Joe Fernandez is 54. Actor Erika Christensen is 43. Actor Melissa Fumero is 43. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis is 40. Author Veronica Roth is 37. Rapper-TV personalityRomeo is 36. Actor Ethan Cutkosky (TV: “Shameless”) is26.

youngest,who works as thehead of nonprofitand talent partnershipsatInfluencer SocialResponsibility.Inaddition to their“day jobs,” all thesisters are successfulmodels. Theshow will focus on the Naders’success as they juggle the social scene of Manhattan’selite and theincreased attention on their romantic lives. Judging by the trailer,it’sgoing to be quitea journey

Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

Hints from Heloise

belly,seizures, aloss of consciousness, atemperature of over 104 degrees, or asignificant, sudden change in personality, you’ll need to get to the emergency veterinarian. Lots of conditions can be helped if an animal gets medical attention as soon as possible. —Heloise In hotwater

Dear Readers: How do you know if your dog is sick? They can’t exactly come up to you and tell you, right?Ifyou see any of the following general health changes, such as excessive thirst, constipation,weakness, arunny nose, or scratching,makeanappointment for acheckup. If your dog is experiencing poor appetite, no energy,constipation, panting, whimpering, vomiting or diarrhea, you should go to theveterinarian as soon as possible. If your dog has more acute, serious symptoms, such as abloated

Dear Heloise: My motherin-law asked me to send you this hint.She has enjoyed reading your column in the St. Louis PostDispatch foryears. Ifound the best solution foropening jars: Set thejar in the sink and run hot water on the lid foraminute or so. Then dry off the jar.Presto, it opens easily! Youmay also use a rubber disc to open the lid if you want to. —Ruth R., in O’Fallon, Missouri Weekendstudies

Dear Heloise: Igraduated college in May and took abit of time off, but now it’stimetoget serious. I’m using my weekends to learn ordinary household things that admittedly Ishould have known by this time, but hey,better late

than never! These things include laundry,organizing the kitchen, cleaning and decluttering the other roomsinthe house, yard work, organizing my personal finances, and maintaining my car My dad taught me how to change atire and jump-start a car,and he even gave me atool kit to keep in the glove box! These lessons are as important to me as my college work. —Jeanette, in Arizona

GORP

Dear Heloise: Who remembers GORP? During our scouting days, it was“good ol’ raisins and peanuts,” but now it’smore! Oat, rice or bran cereal, dried fruits, candy-coated peanuts and chocolates, sunflower and other seeds —the possibilities are endless!

But there wasone rule in my family: No one was allowed to pull out all the candies, eat them, and leave the healthier components —ha! Quick, cheap, healthy and delicious snacks foreveryone! JenniferJ., in Houston

Sendahinttoheloise@heloise com.

POTTERY

Continuedfrom page1D

Enter David Rollins, who graduated in 2020 from LSU withplans to go to medical school but pursued entrepreneurship instead. Alittle over 2½ yearsago,hedecidedto buy what is nowBellyFire Studios, apottery studio on LeeDrive.

Thesedays,artistsand hobbyists are finding places like BellyFire to paintpre-made pieces,practice their craft, attend abirthday party/date night or learnsomething new. It’sa place in Baton Rouge where people can try pottery

Thestudiooffersclassesevery day of the week, and the communityisgrowing. This summer,BellyFire even opened a24-hour studio space, Mid-City Mud, where artists can work independently on their own projects

At an advanced class on aThursday in mid-August, people filed in, someonebrought snacks, and after ademonstration, they got to work. Some followed thedemonstration andtried to makeapumpkin, otherstried their hand at throwing something different, but theyall chatted like friends.

Ceramics as expression Forsome, ceramics is aformof expression. Becky Gottsegen, afigurative ceramicartist, has sculpted portraits andpolitical figures. In recent years, she’sstartedsculpting busts of exonerated menshe got in touch with through the Innocence Project New Orleans, anonprofit which works to free innocent people sentenced to life in prison and those servingunjust sentences. Through her work,she’sgotten to knowsome of theexonerated men andtalk to them.

“Their stories areunbelievable,” she said.

She hopes that her work, now featuring busts of 23 men who have served acombined 644 years for crimes they didnot commit, will draw attention to other in-

nocent people serving time for crimes they did not commit. Their stories are also shared in brief on theproject’swebsite.

Ghada Henagan, whoisfrom Lebanon, came to Louisiana to visit her brother in 2006.Inthe middle of hertrip, Israel bombed theBeruit airport, the airport was closed, and she unexpectedly found herselfrelocating to the BayouState Now,her ceramic work represents memories of the homeshe leftbehind: thewheat her family used to grow,the chickens they had and thebike she used to love riding.

Nowadays, she’s even made a connectionbetween someofthose things andher second homein Louisiana. Back in Lebanon, pelicans were shot needlessly while hunting was unregulated. Here, it’sthe state bird.

“It(herwork) evolves with my surrounding, my stories, my memories, everything,” she said. Lettinggoofcontrol

Regardlessofthe form andfunctionofthe work, working with clay is personal. Pottery is afull body experience which also engages the mind and spirit, Rollins said. Several customers have comeinunder

the recommendation of apsychologist. There are many lessons that one can learn at the wheel that has nothing to do with pottery

“You are exerting control over theclaythrough precise movements, but it’salso an exercise of letting go of control,” he said. “Because in the early stages —and even as you progress —the clay kind of has amind of its own.” Ceramics isn’teasy.Inthe advanced class, people whoset out to make pumpkins leavethe class with abowl.Bowlsthenbecome plates,and sometimespeople leave the class without keeping any of their pieces. Even the most carefully crafted pieces crack in the heat of the kiln.

Butclayisforgiving. Before it’s fired, even the smallest pieces can be gathered, rehydrated and recycled —whether it’sshaved off ameticulously thrown piece, a failedpot or just apiece that isn’t quite what one wanted to make. Most of the time, the ugliest creationscan be redeemed.The artists say that working with clay is aboutaccepting this reality.It’snot too late to makesomething beautiful, you just have to be willing to squish it and start over

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Refuse to let change hurt you financially. Generosity is your downfall. Focus on learning and engaging in discussions that offer options and unique ways to do some good at a price you can afford.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Who you associate with matters. Engage in open conversations and connect with individuals who have something valuable to offer in return.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Put your emotions on the sidelines before you engage in a contentious discussion. Make honesty and equality a necessary part of all your business and personal relationships.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Explore, expand and extrapolate what's most likely to help you get ahead. Networking and reconnecting with allies, old friends or former partners will encourage closure and pave the way for new beginnings.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Don't feel you have to pay for others when saving for a rainy day will put your mind at ease. Speak up, be the one to make a difference and choose to live life your way.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Indecisiveness will play a role in how your day progresses. When in doubt, take a closer look at what others are choosing to do, and it will help you avoid making mistakes or missing out on opportunities.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Stop dreaming and start initiating your plans. A moneymaking idea will pay off if you put muscle into turning your ideas into a reality. Take control of negotiations.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Concentrate on what's best for you. Give others the same opportunity you want for yourself. Love, romance and the chance to build a life that brings you happiness are within reach.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Take the creative path. Using your imagination will help you grow and nurture your desires. Too much, too fast will be your downfall. Slow down, wait and watch.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) It's what you do that makes a difference Talk is cheap, and misinformation will face opposition. Rethink your plans and follow your heart: Your life, your terms, your way.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Live, learn and replace what is no longer working for you. Act on what moves you visually, not on what others say or do. Work independently of those trying to upend your plans or control the outcome.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Honesty will be crucial if you want to make better choices. Protect against insult, injury and interference.

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

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: P EQuALs W

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

MarkTwainsaid,“Apersonwhowon’t readhasnoadvantageoveronewhocan’t read.”

Thatcanalsoapplytobridge.Theplayer who does not pay any attention to the opening lead has no advantage over the player whosees it but fails to work out what information it imparts.

Sometimesdeclarer can work out what to do just by analyzing theopening lead.

In thisexample, how should South play in three no-trump after West leads afourth-highest spadefive?

Thisissurelythe most commontwobid auction. It is truethat on this deal, three no-trump can be defeated if West is inspired enough to lead aheart,and five diamondscan always be made with agood guessinthe trump suit. Butifyou trytoget to five of aminor withtwo balancedhandsoppositeeachother,youwill be abig loser in thelong run. Go for the nine-trick game unlessyou aresure it cannot make.

Southstartswith seven top tricks:two spades, two diamondsand three clubs. Andifthe diamonds run, there is an overtrick waitinginthe wings. But if the diamonds are 3-0, who has the tripleton?

Read West’slead. How many spades didhestart with? Since South can see the two,three and four,West must have

ledfromexactlyafour-card suit.And if he is void in diamonds,hemusthave at least five hearts or five clubs and surely wouldhave ledfromthat suit —length rules in no-trump. So only East can be voidindiamonds. Declarershouldtakethefirsttrickand cash the diamond ace.

©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD sEnDAL: SEN-dul: Afine, rich silk chiefly used to make ceremonial robes and banners.

Average mark16words

Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 21 or morewords in SENDAL?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —MAscots

thought “you shall rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the oldman, and fear your God: Iamthe Lord.” Leviticus 19:32

REQUISITION 11297689 OFFICIAL PUBLIC NOTICE OF THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL OF THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE AND THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE

Notice is hereby given to all citizens of the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge and to all other interested persons, of the introduction at theregular meeting of the Metropolitan Council of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, held on August 13, 2025 of the proposed resolutions/ordinances, the titles of which areset forth hereinafter,and that public hearing will be held thereon by the Metropolitan Council at 4:00 P.M.,Wednesday,August 27, 2025, in the Council Chambers (Room348) on thethird floor of the City-Parish Governmental Building in this City,these proposed resolutions/ordinances being entitled as follows: RESOLUTION

Aresolutionapproving the issuance, sale and delivery of the Not to Exceed $12,500,000 Revenue Anticipation Note, Series 2025, of the St. George FireProtection District No. 2of theParish of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana; and othermattersrelating thereto. By St. George Fire Proteciton District No. 2.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the City Constable to enter into an Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreement with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sherifffor a sub-grant in the amount of $6030.00 through the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement from Bryne Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG grant) for the EBR Joint Warrant Task Force which is composed of EBR SheriffOffice and City Constable Office. The purpose of the Grant is to pursue felony warrants arrest during monthlywarrant sweeps performed by the Task Force. The grant is 100% funded through the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, with no matching funds required. By Constable. By Constable.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing settlement of the matter entitled “Kenya Messer v. Geico, et al, consolidated with Melissa Daigle v. Wesley Holton and the City of Baton Rouge and Niki Pace v. Wesley Holton and the City of Baton Rouge”, Suitno. 679,821 on the docket of the 19th Judicial District Court, in the amount of $250,000.00, plus court costs in the amount of $2,184.64, for atotal amount of $252,184.64; and appropriating $252,184.64 for such purpose. *This matter may bediscussed in Executive Session. (Attorney of recordisTracey T. Powell and Mark A. Vicknair.). By Parish Attorney RESOLUTION

Approving the levy and assessment, pursuant to La. R.S. 33:9038.76 E(2) (b), of the sales and use tax and hotel occupancy tax within the Louisiana State University Economic Development District, as established by the District’sBoardofCommissioners. By Councilwoman Carolyn R. Coleman.

ORDINANCE

Amending Title 9(Licensing and Regulation of Trades and Occupations), so as to add Chapter 25 (Private Booting and Immobilization). By Councilman Rowdy Gaudet, Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman, Councilwoman Jen Racca.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President, on behalf of the Baton Rouge Police Department,toenter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) with the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS). This CEA establishes terms for the reimbursement of BRPD personnel costs associated with furnishing aSchool Resource Officer to the EBRPSS for a school year of 2025- 2026. By Police Chief.

RESOLUTION

Authorizationfor the Mayor President and/or Chairman of the Airport Commission to execute Supplemental Agreement No. 1with Marrero, Couvillon &Associates, LLC for additional bidding services of the Airport Terminal HVAC Upgrades at the BTR Metropolitan Airport in an amount not to exceed $3,278. (Account No. 9800000100-5821000000-0000000000652800). By Aviation Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizationfor the Mayor-President and/orChairman of the Airport Commission to execute Amendment No. 2with WHLC Architecture for design services for entrance doors at the BTR Metropolitan Airport in an amount not to exceed $22,500.00. (Account No. 98000001065821000000-0000000000-652800). By Aviation Director.

RESOLUTION

Authorizationfor the Mayor-President and/orChairman of the Airport Commission to execute an Amendment to the United Cajun Navy lease agreement to add 29,204 sq. ft. to their existing lease of 26,000 sq. ft for atotal of 55,204 sq. ft. at arental rate of $25,301.83 per monththrough December 31, 2025, with aone (1) year mutual option to renew.By Aviation Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizationtoappropriate $1,300,000.00 from the Airport’scash account Capital Improvements (5810-0000-00-0000-0000-0000-000000100009) to be placed in the TerminalImprovementProjects (98000001065821000000-0000000000-652800), &(9800000118-58220000000000000000-652200) to fund TerminalPaging System and Ticket Counters/Furniture/Baggage Belt Renovations project (BS #008928). By Aviation Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizationtoappropriate

$1,900,000.00 from the Airport’scash account Capital Improvements (5810-0000-00-0000-0000-0000-000000100009) to be placed in the Airfield Improvement Projects (98000001155821000000-0000000000-653100), (9800000116-58210000000000000000-653100), (9800000109-5821000000-0000000000-653100), (9800000117-5822000000-0000000000-643500), &(98000001015821000000-0000000000-653100) to fund TAXILANE WIDENING (NW), 22R APPROACH THRESHOLD REPAIRS, TAXIWYA LIMA PH II, RADAR BUILDING DEMOLITION &N.AIRPARK UTILITY CORRIDOR project (BS #008927). By Aviation Director RESOLUTION

Authorizationfor the Mayor President and/or Chairman of the Airport Commission to execute Supplemental Agreement No. 4with Stanley Consultants, Inc. to provide Design, Surveying and Construction Administration Services for Taxiway LExtension andDecommissioningof Runway 4R –22L and Taxiway E, in an amount nottoexceed $741,197.06. (Contingent on adequate funding) (Account No. 0000000000-00000000000000000000-653100).ByAviation Director.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to accept an awardunder

RESOLUTION

Authorization for the Mayor-President and/or Chairman of the Airport Commission to submit and execute agrant application to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the Runway 22R ThresholdLight Rehabilitation-ReimbursableAgreement Project in the amount of $100,000.00; and authorization to accept and execute the grant agreement and allnecessary documents in connection therewith at the appropriate time. (Funding Source: Federal $95,000.00; State$5,000.00). By Aviation Director

RESOLUTION

Authorization for the Mayor-President and/or Chairman of the Airport Commission to submit and execute agrant application to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the New Taxiway L- Construction –Phase II Project in the amount of $23,301,197.00; and authorization to accept and execute the grant agreement and all necessary documents in connection therewithatthe appropriate time. (Funding Source: Federal $22,136,137.00; State $1,165,060.00). By Aviation Director

RESOLUTION

Authorization for the Mayor-President and/or Chairman of the Airport Commission to execute alease agreement with First ChoiceCouriers, LLC to lease a3,000 sq. ft.building located at 9210 C.E. Wolman Drive for warehouse space for aperiod of two (2) years at arental rate of $1650 per month /$19,800 per year.ByAviation Director

RESOLUTION

Authorization for the Mayor-President and/or Chairman of the Airport Commission to enter into aparking agreement with the Office of State Travel for state employees at arate of $8.00 per day,for aperiod of five (5) years, beginning August 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030. By Aviation Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor-President to enter into and execute grant agreements for subrecipients and developers awarded in the Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)inthe amount of $3,313,007 HOME Investment and PartnershipProgram (HOME),inthe amount of $1,268,060. Housing Opportunities for Peoplewith AIDS (HOPWA) in the amount of $2,254,865 and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG)inthe amount of $291,476.00 totaling $7,127,408 plus $570,000 estimated program income. By Mayor-President/Community Development Director.

RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor-President, on behalfofthe Office of Community Development, to executeanamendment to Contract No. 800006374 with Public Construction, INC.,between the City of Baton Rouge Parish of East Baton Rouge, increasing the contract amount by $83,000.00 for anew total not-to-exceed amount of $514,250.00, and extending the agreement expiration date to January 31, 2026. and authorizes the execution of all necessary documents. By Community Development Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor-President, on behalfofthe Office of Community Development, to executeanamendment to Contract No. 800006369 with Pen Construction Group, LLC between the City of Baton Rouge Parish of East Baton Rouge, increasing the contract amount by $83,000.00 for anew total not-to-exceed amount of $514,250.00 and extending the agreement expiration date to January 31, 2026. and authorizes the execution of all necessary documents. By CommunityDevelopment Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor-President, on behalfofthe Office of Community Development, to executeanamendment to Contract No. 800006337 with EDR Construction, LLC between the City of Baton Rouge Parish of East Baton Rouge, increasing the contract amount by $83,000.00 for anew total not-to-exceed amount of $614,250.00 and extending the agreement expiration date to January 31, 2026. and authorizes the execution of all necessary documents. By CommunityDevelopment Director

RESOLUTION

In the case of apresidential declaration of amajor disaster or emergency the Metropolitan Council of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge hereby authorizes awaiver of the land use regulations relative to applicable provisions of the Unified Development Code as wellasenforcement of all applicable provisions of Title 8A of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge in order to allow temporary housing in the form of mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and other temporary housing following adeclared State of Emergency pursuant to La. R.S. 29:726 (F)(3)(b)(iii)(aa) and La. R.S.29:726(F)(4) (Act 526, 2022); This waiver shall be effective for 12 months and applicable during apresidential declaration of amajor disaster or an emergency upon submission of the Parish’srequest to the State of Louisiana for assistance of the Expedited Temporary Housing Assistance (E.T.H.A.) Program. By Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor-President, on behalf of the Baton Rouge Police Department, to accept reimbursement costs in the amount of $134,223.00 for Officer Overtimeand Vehicle unit usage costs from the FY 2025 State of Louisiana Gulf Coast HIDTA grant funds. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is the appointed fiduciary and Baton Rouge Police Department is asub-grantee. This is acontinuation grant with no matching funds. By Police Chief.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute Supplemental Agreement No.2 to the contract with WTD Architecture, LLC for additional design services in connection with their contract for the New EMSStation No 9(RESTART),being City Parish Project No.21-ASD-CP-1447 in an amount not to exceed $9,400.00. (Account PS: 9105200004-4610 000000000000000-652300; GL: 4610-5200-20-5210-0000-0000-00000065200). By Building and Grounds Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President, on behalfofthe Office of Community Development, to execute an amendment to Contract No. 800005546 with East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority (EBRPHA) between the City of Baton Rouge Parish of East Baton Rouge, increasing the contract amount by $4,000,000.00 for anew total not-to-exceed amount of $4,716,200.00 and extending the agreement expiration date to December 31, 2026, and authorizes the execution of all necessary documents. By Community Development Director

RESOLUTION

Authorize the Mayor-President and/or EBROSCOtoexecuteacontract for engineering services with Bonton Associates, LLC,associated with the LSU Regional Pump Station, in an amount not to exceed $125,000.00 (Account No.5110-7700-40-7710-7700-0000-000000-653000-80820) By Environmental Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorize the Mayor-President and/or EBROSCO to executeacontract for engineering services with Forte &Tablada, Inc.,associated with LA Highway 30 Force Main Relocation, in an amount not to exceed $125,000.00 (Account No.80901-5110000003-OTHPR00011-653250) By Environmental Services Director ORDINANCE

Amending Title 9(Licensing and Regulation of Trades and Occupations) of the Code of Ordinances to add Chapter 25, TireBusiness to be effective September 1, 2025; and repealing all ordinances in conflict herewith and to provide the effect thereof. By Councilmen Darryl Hurst, Brandon Noel Rowdy Gaudet, Anthony Kenney and Mayor-President Edwards.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President on behalfofthe Division of Human Development &Services, Head Start Programs, to amend the contract with Clay Young Enterprises in the amount of $33,000 and not to exceed $66,000 for the provision of all media buys and authorizing the

State $50,000.00). By Aviation Director.

RESOLUTION

Rescinding anddirecting the Clerk of Court to cancel the NoticetoAttend recorded on December 30, 2025, at Original391 of Bundle 13349; andthe Decision andOrder recorded on May 20th, 2025, at Original183 of Bundle 13372 in the matterof“City of Baton Rouge vs. Jason Warren Murray” –Condemnation proceeding no. 11536 (8045 Brandon Dr.(MainHouse and Any Abandoned Vehicle)Lot 7, Jefferson Court Subdivision). Reason for rescission: Owner is clearing the violations. By CouncilwomanAdams.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an agreementbetween the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, on behalf of the Office of Community Development, andGrace House of Baton Rouge, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $70,000.00,with aterm beginning May 1, 2025, andending September30, 2026, andfurtherauthorizing the execution of allrelated documents. By Community DevelopmentDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an agreementbetween the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, on behalf of the Office of Community Development, andOne TouchMinistry,Inc in an amount not to exceed $70,000.00, with aterm beginning May 1, 2025, andending September 30, 2026, andfurtherauthorizing the execution of allrelated documents. By Community DevelopmentDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute aTemporary Construction Servitude Agreement, lease/closing documents,and anyand all documents in furtherance of this agreement, with 2493 Baywood, LLC, with the Parish Attorney’sOffice to prepare, review,and/orapprove allsuch documentation. This Temporary Construction Servitude is associated with MOVEBR EnhancementProject PerkinsRoad Overpass Enhancements, being City-Parish Project No. 23-EN-HC-0037, in an amount not to exceed $24,116.00. (Account No. 9217100105-4372.00000-0000000000651160).ByTransportation andDrainageDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute an agreementbetween the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, on behalf of the Office of Community Development, andComNetLLC.,inan amount not to exceed $70,000.00,with aterm beginning May 1, 2025, andending September 30, 2026, andfurtherauthorizing the execution of allrelated documents. By Community DevelopmentDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to accept agrantaward in the amount of $37,256,968under the Nationally Significant MultimodalFreight & Highway Projects(INFRA) program andenterinto aGrantAgreement with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Florida Boulevard Corridor Enhancementproject.ByTransportation andDrainageDirector

RESOLUTION

Returning the negotiated contract to Metropolitan council (as directed by resolution #58676) andauthorizingthe mayor-president to execute a professional service agreementwith Hundenpartners to serve as the cityparish owner’sadvisor for the Baton Rouge convention centerexpansion andheadquarters hoteldevelopment project. Service provider will define the project, establish a financing plan, anddevelop an implementation strategy during the contract term of two years in an amount not to exceed $1,160,000.00.ByOffice of the Mayor-President.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute the Entity-State Agreement with the State of Louisiana,Department of Transportation and Developmentinconnection with State Project No. H.016080, US 190 @Sharp Road Pedestrian Improvement per Baton Rouge Safe Routes to Public Places Program, Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana.By Transportation andDrainageDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute the Entity-State Agreement with the State of Louisiana,Department of Transportation and Developmentand the Baton Rouge Community College, in connection with State Project No. H.015207, Community College Drive SUP(BR), Baton Rouge, Louisiana.ByTransportation andDrainageDirector RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor-President to execute aContract for Construction Inspection Services of the Groom Road Phase 1(McHugh Rd to Plank Rd.) for services associated with MOVEBR Project for City-Parish Project No. 19-EN-HC-0035, in an amount not to exceed $615,372.00.(Account No.9217100076-4372.00000-0000000000-653100). By Transportation andDrainageDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor-President to execute aSupplementalAgreement to Contract No. 8000003533 for Construction Cost Services with GEMJKM Construction Consultants,LLC, for services associated with MOVEBR Capacity Project HooperRoad (Joor to SullivanRoad) LA 408 -City-Parish Project No. 08-TL-HC-0034, in an amount not to exceed $18,400.00.(Account No. 9217100039-4371 00000-0000000000651120).ByTransportation andDrainageDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor-President to execute an agreementbetween the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, on behalf of the Office of Community Development, andGrove CaresLLC.,inanamount not to exceed $70,000.00, with aterm beginning May 1, 2025, andending September 30, 2026, andfurtherauthorizing the execution of allrelated documents. By Community DevelopmentDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President, on behalf of the LeoS.ButlerCommunity Center,toexecute aCooperative Endeavor Agreementwith Empower Physical Therapy andWellness, to provide healthcareservices for the benefitofarearesidents, including physical therapy caretothe citizenry of the parish of East Baton Rouge. Empower Physical Therapy andWellness is to pay $500.00 per month to the LeoS.ButlerCommunity Centerfor the useof760 squarefeet of community center space. By Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute aSupplementalAgreementto Contract No. 8000003465 for AppraisalServices with AguilarConsultants LLC, for services associated with MOVEBR Capacity Project HooperRoad (Joor to SullivanRoad) LA 408 –City-Parish Project No. 08-TL-HC-0034, in an amount not to exceed $23,200.00. (Account No. 9217100039-4371 00000-0000000000-651120). By Transportation andDrainageDirector

includes PartAand the Minority AIDSInitiative in an amount of $2,486,318.00(1st Allocation -$835,746.00 –2nd Allocation -$1,229,369.00,3rd Allocation(Carryover)$132,161.00,