The Acadiana Advocate 08-25-2025

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DocsharesLafayette’s keypost-Katrinarole

Volunteers provided services as evacuees came to Cajundome

BY JOANNA BROWN |Staffwriter

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans 20 years ago, it createdthe largest evacuation crisis in the nation’shistory

It is estimated that up to 150,000 people remained in the city when the storm hit and the levees broke. Around 30,000people sheltered in the Superdome before and afterthe storm, while some 20,000also sought help at theErnest N. MorialConvention Center,which had not been set up as ashelter at all.

The scale of thedisastercreated unprecedented challengesinemergency response. There was alack of everything, no way to get supplies,people or buses in or out of the city,and the Superdome’sroof had beendamaged in the storm. Shelterconditions deteriorated rapidly,exacerbated by fear that gripped evacuees and responders as rumors spread about looters, snipers, rapists and other criminals roaming the streets of New Orleans. Later,many of thoserumors would prove to be unsubstantiated. However,

TOP: The Cajundome is the subject of aPBS documentary, ‘CajundomeCity.’

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

ABOVE: The film has been described as one of the most uplifting stories to come out of Hurricane Katrina and depicts the staff,Lafayette medicalpersonnel, lawenforcement and volunteers whomobilized to help the 900 evacuees who arrivedatthe Cajundome in 2005 after the storm. STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRyAN TUCK

BELOW: Hurricane Katrina evacuees takerefugeinthe Cajundome on Sept. 19, 2005 STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRyANTUCK

Interim UL leader talks finances

Fiscal stability is apriority of theschool, Hebert says

BY ASHLEY WHITE |Staff writer

In his first address to University of Louisiana at Lafayette stakeholders, interim President Jaimie Hebert said the administration’s top twopriorities are fiscal stability andprocess efficiency

“Wehave to take this opportunity at this time of transitiontoget ourhouse in order,” he told faculty, staff and local leaders during the state of the university speech Thursday

Hebert

“Weunderstand our destination, but we need to get our course plotted properly.” Hebert was named interim last month afterPresident JosephSavoieannounced he wasstepping downafter leading the school for17years. Savoie now serves as the university’spresident emeritus.

During the state of the university address, Hebert spoke about the school’sfinances. He said the school has been spendingmorethanits revenues,anissue that can’tbeblamed on any one person. It’s an issuethataffects virtuallyany organization or company “that moves at the pace we’ve been moving,” Hebert said. He shared apie chart that showed universityrevenuesnexttoachart withexpenditures. Those charts did not include capital

BY JOANNA BROWN |Staff writer

Louisiana festivals are merchandising bonanzas. People like to hold onto their memories of good times, and pin and poster sales are hot at events like FestivalInternational de Louisiane or the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival. Everybody lovesapiece of art that both celebrates Louisianaand commemorates agreat weekend. The International Rice Festival, held each October in Crowley,isone

‘Sopranos’ star Jerry Adler dies at 96 NEW YORK Jerry Adler, who spent decades behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before pivoting to acting in his 60s, has died at 96. Adler died Saturday, according to a brief family announcement confirmed by the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York. Adler “passed peacefully in his sleep,” Paradigm Talent Agency’s Sarah Shulman said on behalf of his family No immediate cause was given.

Among Adler’s acting credits are “The Sopranos,” on which he played Tony Soprano adviser Hesh Rabkin across all six seasons, and “The Good Wife,” where he played law partner Howard Lyman. But before Adler had ever stepped in front of a film or television camera, he had 53 Broadway productions to his name — all behind the scenes, serving as a stage manager, producer or director He hailed from an entertainment family with deep roots in Jewish and Yiddish theater, as he told the Jewish Ledger in 2014. His father, Philip Adler, was a general manager for the famed Group Theatre and Broadway productions, and his cousin Stella Adler was a legendary acting teacher.

“I’m a creature of nepotism,” Adler told TheaterMania in 2015. “I got my first job when I was at Syracuse University and my father the general manager of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, called me (because) there was an opening for an assistant stage manager I skipped school.”

Nigerian military strikes free 76 hostages

ABUJA, Nigeria At least 76 hostages, including children, have been freed after Nigeria’s military targeted militants with precision airstrikes in the country’s northwest, local authorities said The airstrikes were launched on targets around Pauwa Hill, located in the Kankara area of Katsina state, in the early hours of Saturday, Nasir Mu’azu, the state’s commissioner for internal security, said in a statement. The air assault was launched in a manhunt for a notorious kidnapper.

The rescued hostages include some of those kidnapped during an attack on a mosque in Unguwan Mantau that led to the death of at least 50 people, the commissioner said.

“However it was regrettably noted that one child tragically lost his life during the ordeal,” Mu’azu said.

In recent months, there has been an uptick in attacks on communities in the northwest and north-central regions of Africa’s most populous country, where farmers often clash over limited access to land and water An attack last month in north-central Nigeria killed 150 people.

Fake officers killed in break-in attempt

Two men impersonating police officers were shot and killed while exchanging gunfire with homeowners, Texas police say The fake officers showed up to the door of a home on Houston’s southeast side at about 11 p.m Friday, the police department told KTRK.

They were in body armor and had badges around their necks, but were wearing ski masks to cover their faces — and they said they were serving a warrant, police told the station

The homeowners could see the men through a doorbell camera, police said, and didn’t trust them, KPRC reported.

“It’s just two people, and they’re masked up, and no police cars, no lights or anything like that. So, they immediately became suspicious,” police told the outlet. The homeowners wouldn’t let them in, police say and the men started shooting through the door, KHOU reported. The homeowners fired back, killing them both, according to police. Nobody else was hurt, police told the station.

PRESS PHOTO By OSAMAH ABDULRAHMAN

Israeli strikes targeting Houthis rock Yemen

BY SAMY MAGDY, MELANIE LIDMAN and SAM METZ Associated Press

CAIRO Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital on Sunday, days after the Houthi rebels fired a missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had launched at it since 2023

The Iranian-backed Houthis said multiple areas across Sanaa were hit, while the Houthi-run health ministry said at least four people were killed and 67 others were wounded. The rebels’ AlMasirah satellite television reported a strike on an oil company, and video on social media showed a fireball erupting there.

Israel’s military said it struck the Asar and Hizaz power plants, calling them “a significant electricity supply facility for military activities,” along with a military site where the presidential palace is located.

Sanaa residents told The Associated Press they heard explosions close to a closed military academy and the presidential palace. They saw plumes of smoke near Sabeen Square, a central gathering place in the capital.

“The sounds of explosions were very strong,” said Hussein Mohamed, who lives close to the presidential palace Ahmed al-Mekhlafy said he felt the sheer force of the strikes. “The house was rocked, and the windows were shattered,” he told the AP by phone.

The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months, saying they are attacking in solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.

Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, vowed to continue attacks on Israel, writing on social media that “our military operations supporting Gaza won’t stop, God willing, unless the aggression is stopped, and the siege is lifted.”

The Israeli strikes were the first to hit Yemen since a week ago, when Israel said it targeted energy infrastructure it believed was used by the rebels.

The latest strikes follow the Houthis’ claim of launching a newly equipped missile toward Israel on Friday targeting the country’s largest airport, Ben Gurion. There was no reported damage or injuries. Israel’s military said it fragmented mid-air after several interception attempts.

An Israeli Air Force official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, called Friday’s projectile a new threat a cluster munition, meant to detonate into multiple explosives on impact.

The use of cluster bombs makes interception more difficult and represents additional technology provided to the Houthis by Iran, the official asserted.

The official also said over 10 Israeli fighter jets carried out Sunday’s strikes.

Defense Minister Israel

Katz said in a statement that Israel continues to “impose an air and naval blockade,” without details.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in televised remarks that the rebel group is “paying a heavy price for its aggression.”

Houthi attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of global goods passes each year From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 commercial and naval ships with missiles and drones.

The rebels stopped the attacks during this year’s brief ceasefire in Gaza and later became the target of a weekslong airstrike campaign ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In May, the United States announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping, although the rebels said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

Last month, the Houthis said they would target merchant ships belonging to any company that does business with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality, as part of what they called a new phase of operations against Israel.

In May Israeli airstrikes hit the Sanaa airport in a rare daytime attack that destroyed the terminal and left craters in its runway At least six passenger planes were hit, including three belonging to Yemenia Airways, according to airport authorities.

Israel kills 4 Palestinians seeking aid near Gaza City, witnesses say

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and SAM METZ Associated Press

DEIRAL-BALAH,Gaza Strip Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinian aid-seekers traveling Sunday through a military zone south of Gaza City that is regularly used to reach a food distribution point, a hospital and witnesses said.

Gaza City is in famine after 22 months of war while Israel’s military moves ahead with a planned offensive to seize the city, perhaps within days. Israel’s defense minister has warned that the city of hundreds of thousands of people could be destroyed.

Al-Awda Hospital and two witnesses told The Associated Press the Palestinians were killed when troops opened fire on a crowd heading to a site run by the Israeli-backed U.S. contractor Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the Netzarim corridor area, hundreds of yards from the site.

“The gunfire was indiscriminate,” said Mohamed Abed, a father of two from the Bureij refugee camp. Abed and Aymed Sayy-

ad, another aid-seeker, said troops opened fire when a group near the front of the crowd pushed toward the site before its scheduled opening. Sayyad said he and others helped two people wounded by gunshots.

“This incident didn’t occur near our site nor as described,” the GHF said in an email The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported another eight malnutrition-related deaths Sunday, including a child. That brings the total number of malnutritionrelated deaths during the war to 289, with 115 of them children.

Palestinians by the thousands Sunday again trekked for the chance to grab a sack of flour or other food staples for their families.

At least 62,686 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the ministry including missing people confirmed dead by a special ministry judicial committee.

Of those, more than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 13,500

Moscow says Kyiv struck nuke plant

Ukraine marks Independence Day

By The Associated Press

Russia accused Ukraine on Sunday of launching drone attacks that sparked a fire at a nuclear power plant in its western Kursk region overnight, as Ukraine celebrated 34 years since its independence.

Russian officials said several power and energy facilities were targeted in the overnight strikes. The fire at the nuclear facility was quickly extinguished with no injuries reported, according to the plant’s press service on Telegram. While the attack damaged a transformer radiation levels remained within normal ranges.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said it was aware of media reports that a transformer at the plants had caught fire “due to military activity,” but hadn’t received independent confirmation. It said its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that “every nuclear facility must be protected at all times.”

Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack.

Firefighters also responded to a blaze at the port of Ust-Luga in Russia’s Leningrad region, home to a major fuel export terminal. The regional governor said approximately 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down, with debris igniting the fire.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted 95 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight into Sunday Russia fired 72 drones and decoys along with a cruise missile, into Ukraine over-

night into Sunday, Ukraine’s air force said. Of these, 48 drones were shot down or jammed.

The incidents occurred as Ukraine marked Independence Day, commemorating its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered remarks in a video address from Kyiv’s Independence Square, emphasizing the nation’s resolve.

“We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in security and peace,” Zelenskyy said, calling for a “just peace.”

“What our future will be is up to us alone,” he said, in a nod to the U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska earlier in August, which many feared would leave Ukrainian and European interests sidelined.

“And the world knows this. And the world respects this. It respects Ukraine. It perceives Ukraine as an equal,” he said.

U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg was in attendance at Independence Day celebrations in Kyiv, during which Zelenskyy awarded him the Ukrainian Order of Merit, of the 1st degree. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Kyiv on Sunday morning for meetings with Zelenskyy

“On this special day — Ukraine’s Independence Day — it is especially important for us to feel the support of our friends. And Canada has always stood by our side,” wrote Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff.

In a joint news conference with Zelenskyy, Carney said Canada will invest $1.5 billion in new military assistance for Ukraine to boost its army and provide urgently needed weapons.

The Ukrainian flag blows in the wind Saturday at the Independence Monument in Kyiv, Ukraine.

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wounded while seeking aid at distribution points or along convoy routes used by the United Nations and other aid groups, according to the Health Ministry

The Health Ministry does not say how many of the dead are fighters or civilians but says around half have been women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.

The world’s leading authority on food crises, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, said Friday that famine is occurring in Gaza City and could spread south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month.

Aid groups have long warned that the war and months of Israeli restrictions on food and medical supplies entering Gaza are causing starvation Israel has denied the existence of widespread hunger, calling reports of starvation “lies” promoted by Hamas.

Trump expands cities targeted for possible deployment

President targets Baltimore in spat with governor

BY JONATHAN J COOPER and LEAH ASKARINAM Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to expand his military deployments to more Democratic-led cities, responding to an offer by Maryland’s governor to join him in a tour of Baltimore by saying he might instead “send in the ‘troops.’”

Last week, Trump said he was considering Chicago and New York for troop deployments similar to what he has unleashed on the nation’s capital, where thousands of National Guard and federal law enforcement officers are patrolling the streets.

Trump made the threat to Baltimore in a spat with Maryland Gov Wes Moore, a Democrat who has criticized Trump’s unprecedented flex of federal power aimed at combating crime and homelessness in Washington. Moore last week invited Trump to visit his state to discuss public safety and walk the streets.

In a Truth Social post on Sunday Trump said Moore asked “in a rather nasty and provocative tone,” and then raised the specter of repeating

the National Guard deployment he made in Los Angeles over the objections of California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom “Wes Moore’s record on Crime is a very bad one, unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other ‘Blue States’ are doing,” Trump wrote, as he cited a pejorative nickname he uses frequently for the California governor “But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime.” Moore said he invited Trump

to Maryland “because he seems to enjoy living in this blissful ignorance” about improving crime rates in Baltimore. After a spike during the pandemic that matched nationwide trends, Baltimore’s violent crime rate has fallen. The 200 homicides reported last year were down 24% from the prior year and 42% since 2021, according to city data. Between 2023 and 2024, overall violent crime was down nearly 8% and property crimes down 20%.

“The president is spending all of his time talking about me,” Moore said on CBS’s “Face the Nation”

on Sunday “I’m spending my time talking about the people I serve.”

Trump is “spouting off a bunch of lies about public safety in Maryland,” Moore said in a fundraising email.

In Washington, where Trump is surging National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers, a patchwork of protests popped up throughout the city over the weekend, while some normally bustling corners were noticeably quiet. In some of the most populated areas, residents walked by small groups of national guardsmen, often talking among themselves. Videos of arrests and detainments circulated on social media.

Trump has said Chicago and New York are most likely his next targets, eliciting strong pushback from Democratic leaders in both states. The Washington Post reported Saturday that the Pentagon has spent weeks preparing for an operation in Chicago that would include National Guard troops and potentially active duty forces.

Asked about the Post report, the White House pointed to Trump’s earlier comments discussing his desire to expand his use of military forces to target local crime.

“I think Chicago will be our next,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, adding, “And then we’ll help with New York.” Trump has repeatedly described

some of the nation’s largest cities — run by Democrats, with Black mayors and majority-minority populations — as dangerous and filthy Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is Black, as is Moore. The District of Columbia and New York also have Black mayors.

The Rev Al Sharpton, speaking during a religious event Sunday at Howard University in Washington, said the Guard’s presence in the nation’s capital was not about crime:

“This is about profiling us.”

“This is laced with bigotry and racism,” he later elaborated to reporters. “Not one white mayor has been designated. And I think this is a civil rights issue, a race issue, and an issue of D.C. statehood.”

Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said there is no emergency warranting the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago.

“Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he’s causing families,” Pritzker wrote on X. “We’ll continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect Illinoisans.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city doesn’t need “a military occupation” and would sue to block one. He said there has been no communication from the White House about a possible military deployment.

Epstein accuser’s memoir to be released months after her death

BY HILLEL ITALIE

NEWYORK A posthumous and “unsparing” memoir by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, will be published this fall, publishing house Alfred A. Knopf said Sunday

“Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice” is scheduled for release Oct 21, the publisher confirmed to The Associated Press Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at age 41, had been working on “Nobody’s Girl” with author-journalist Amy Wallace and had completed the manuscript for the 400-page book, according to

Knopf. The publisher’s statement includes an email from Giuffre to Wallace a few weeks before her death, saying that it was her “heartfelt wish” the memoir be released “regardless” of her circumstances.

“The content of this book is crucial, as it aims to shed light on the systemic failures that allow the trafficking of vulnerable individuals across borders,” the email reads “It is imperative that the truth is understood and that the issues surrounding this topic are addressed, both for the sake of justice and awareness.”

Giuffre had been hospitalized following a serious accident March 24, Knopf said, and sent the email April

1. She died April 25.

“In the event of my passing, I would like to ensure that NOBODY’S GIRL is still released I believe it has the potential to impact many lives and foster necessary discussions about these grave injustices,” she wrote to Wallace. In 2023, the New York Post had reported that Giuffre had reached a deal “believed to be worth millions” with an undisclosed publisher Knopf spokesperson Todd Doughty said that she initially agreed to a seven-figure contract with Penguin Press, but moved with acquiring editor Emily Cunningham after Knopf hired Cunningham as executive editor last year

Giuffre had stated often that, in the early 2000s, when she was a teenager she was caught up in Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring and exploited by Britain’s Prince Andrew and other influential men. Epstein was found dead in a New York City jail cell in 2019 in what investigators described as a suicide. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in late 2021 on sex trafficking and other charges. Andrew had denied Giuffre’s allegations In 2022, Giuffre and Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement after she had sued him for sexual assault. A representative for Andrew did not immediately return the AP’s request for comment.

“Nobody’s Girl” is distinct from Giuffre’s unpublished memoir, “The Billionaire’s Playboy Club,” referenced in previous court filings and initially unsealed in 2019. Through Doughty, Wallace says she began working with Giuffre on a new memoir in spring 2021. Giuffre’s name has continued to appear in headlines, even after her death. In July President Donald Trump told reporters that Epstein had “stolen” Giuffre from Mar-aLago, his private club in Florida where she once worked. She had alleged being approached by Maxwell and hired as a masseuse for Epstein. Maxwell has denied Giuffre’s allegations.

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the fear that they created in the wake of the disaster caused delays in the humanitarian response.

Greg Davis was the Cajundome director at the time, and he did not want that fear to reach Lafayette.

People began to arrive in their own vehicles seeking shelter the day after the storm, and continued arriving by busloads for weeks as people were cleared out of New Orleans. For 58 days in late summer 2005, the Cajundome sheltered around 18,000 people displaced by Katrina on Aug. 28 and Hurricane Rita on Sept. 18.

“The news media at the time was doing nothing but depicting

looters and depicting the people of New Orleans as thugs, rapists and killers,” said Davis, who still speaks with emotion 20 years later remembering the people he and his staff helped in the wake of the hurricanes.

“I gathered my staff, and told them, we have a decision to make. We can be driven by compassion or driven by fear My staff were religious people. I just put it to them like this: ‘What would Jesus do?’ We all knew what the right choice was.”

Cajundome staff mobilized a response that later became part of national best practice on how to use sports arenas as megashelters. Davis would go on to author a manual on the topic for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the International As-

FINANCES

Continued from page 1A

funding used for buildings and maintenance.

About a third of revenue comes from tuition and fees and another third comes from state, federal and nongovernment grants, which Hebert said matches other universities like UL that have the prestigious Carnegie R1 research status.

The school spends about 60% of its operational budget on salaries and another 15% on travel, scholarships and other expenses that support students. That means about 75% of expenditures “are directly on people,” Hebert said.

To immediately address the issue, Hebert said the administration is going to work with budget managers to cut auxiliary and operational spending by 5%. It’s something that normally happens as a reactionary measure to balance the budget at the end of the

POSTER

Continued from page 1A

features details like a crown of rice, the scales of justice, one of the festival stages and a muted green and gold color scheme. There are dedications for two festival supporters who have passed on — a Falcon accordion for legendary accordion builder Randy Falcon, and Rayne police officer Noochie Credeur is represented as a silhouetted officer watching a stage that bears his badge number There are also several aspects of the poster that suggest contributions from artificial intelligence, according to social media commentators who have critiqued the work, based, in part, on its yellowtinged tint — which can indicate a warm-color bias in the training data of certain models. Today, there are several commercially available AI tools for generating images, like Midjourney which uses text prompts to create imagery as described by the user Zeppix, an artist who asked to be identified as “Cris” for this story, said that she’s incorporated AI into her projects since 2022. She described her specialty as mixed media using digital and hand-created works, incorporating tools like Photoshop, Canva and Midjourney. And with a background as a window artist, Zeppix’s work has a touch of the surreal. Her website features a wide range of stylized photography that shows the subject experiencing a fantasy — or maybe a mirage.

According to Cris, AI was used in the generation of several elements of the piece, particularly in the brainstorming stage with festival President Julian LeBlanc, who commissioned this year’s poster. She declined to reveal how those elements were used or manipulated in the current design, which she still plans to tweak before she has to submit the final version for print next week.

“I’ll get back into Photoshop, use my little pen and tablet and work on the rice a little more so people don’t think it’s wheat,” she said Cris said that she was honored to be asked to create this year’s poster as it’s an opportunity she had pursued for years through the official festival poster competition. Area festivals commission poster work in a variety of ways, but they often host juried competitions to give multiple artists a chance to be considered. Other times, they commission artists directly This year, the Rice Festival committee chose not to run a competition, giving Julian LeBlanc discretion to select an artist. LeBlanc, a retired administrative law judge for southwest Louisiana, is the 88th International Rice Festival president.

“Word got out that he was looking for an artist, and people that know that I paint, do art, do photography, they referred me,” she said. “He didn’t just instantly hire me. I met with him in person at the Rice Palace for coffee, and he explained what he wanted.

“We did not discuss how I was going to do it, he left it up to me to decide. I showed him different little ideas that I sketched down. He really wanted the scales of justice I thought I’d put a crown, like the scales of justice are crowned.”

As creator and client, Cris and

“We benefited from great leadership. We had families arriving in desperate situations We began to help them and gave them the utmost in human respect, and they gave to us what we gave to them. Decency and respect.”

GREG

DAVIS former Cajundome director

sociation of Venue Management. The story of their efforts can be seen in “Cajundome City,” a documentary directed by father-son team Chris Allain and Christopher Allain for Vidox. The film has been described as one of the most uplifting stories to come out of Katrina, as it depicts Cajundome staff, Lafayette medical personnel, law enforcement and volunteers going to great lengths to take care of the people who came to Acadiana. Feeding people would prove to

year, Hebert said Hebert said the university would not be cutting salaries.

“We are not in a crisis situation,” he said. “We have a challenge and it’s manageable. It’s manageable because of the people in this room.”

In addition to addressing the university’s finances, Hebert said the administration would focus on creating efficient processes. He said current inefficient processes have caused people to create workarounds, which have created

be less of a challenge than volunteers feared. The facility’s caterer stepped in when other organizations were not able to provide hot meals. In true south Louisiana style, the parking lot of the Cajundome filled with local cooks, with their barbecue pits and black pots. Through limitations, such as the Red Cross not being able to provide more complex medical care, the people of Lafayette filled in the gaps with an “ask for forgiveness instead of permission”

attitude, bringing in extra supplies, medicines, food and other essential help. According to Davis, Lafayette Police Capt. Ned Fowler also gave clear directives to his men as the evacuees arrived: “Assume everyone is a friend until they prove otherwise.”

“We benefited from great leadership,” said Davis. “We had families arriving in desperate situations. We began to help them and gave them the utmost in human respect, and they gave to us what we gave to them. Decency and respect.”

“Cajundome City” premiered on LPB in 2023 and is available to watch at pbs.org.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

a culture that “drives the fiscal instability challenge that we’re having to wrestle with.”

“We can fix the fiscal stability with some simple, manageable strategies,” Hebert said. “They have to be deliberate and we have to start now.”

“But if we don’t fix processes at the same time, we’re going to find ourselves right back in the same boat.”

Hebert said in September the university will host a community conversation that will allow the

LeBlanc would sit down together over several sessions and work out the details, from the poster’s color scheme to the amount of rice being weighed on the scales. But the story wouldn’t end there. In 2025, commercial art sits squarely at the intersection of AI backlash and artist rights. And when the poster was revealed last week, an entirely different conversation emerged.

Poster prompts backlash Lafayette artist Hannah Trahan creates stained glass works that she sells at local markets. Her mother, Pamela Powers, is an artist and a two-time award winner for the Louisiana Fairs and Festival poster contest

“Posters are made or commissioned to be entered yearly in this competition. AI art should not be entered against handmade works,” said Trahan, who was one of the first to start raising the alarm on social media about the poster and AI use

“The first thing I noticed that made me think it was AI was the tint. When you look at the fleur de lis on the bags, they’re a little warped, not right. And you can just

tell it’s an industrialized work it doesn’t have the human touch.”

Her posts led to outrage among other artists and creators, and before long, the International Rice Festival chose to limit comments on all posts concerning the work. However, they did respond to Trahan’s email, stating that the festival has not hosted a poster competition for many years, and the poster and artist are chosen by the festival president

“As seen this year this poster reflects two very important people whom the president wanted to showcase in his own way After the poster is created, the Board of Directors approves the design,” wrote Shanna Monk, Rice Festival coordinator, in an email to Trahan on Aug. 18.

“Our festival has worked with many different artists over the years who have created many types of posters including hand-painted and graphic artists utilizing computer programs. We do not limit the artist chosen to hand-painting as we believe there are talented graphic artists as well and we have received great posters from both entities.

“We hope this sheds light on our process. This poster took time and a lot of discussion to portray what the president asked, as do the posters every year no matter how they are created.”

Trahan said the official response feels dismissive of the issues at stake.

“Art is the main place we need that human touch,” she said.

“There’s a difference between graphic design, and using AI art that’s stolen from all the other artists in the world.

“It takes the whole community to understand that things like this are wrong, so we don’t get lazy and we can continue to fund and support creativity in each other.”

It is typically the case that when posters are commissioned directly the artist is given free rein in the materials and tools they use. That was true in this case, and it was also true over the seven or so years that Lafayette artist Tony Bernard drew the International Rice Festival poster Bernard began his prolific career as a billboard painter 40 years ago. He was an assistant and understudy to the legendary George Rodrigue

administration to go deeper into issues that matter most to UL faculty, staff and stakeholders.

“The months ahead will bring change, but it’s also going to bring possibility, guided by our strategic plan and its principles,” he said. “We have a strong foundation, a clear sense of who we are and the creativity and the determination about where we go next.”

Email Ashley White at ashley white@theadvocate.com.

for more than 20 years, and now has a celebrated career as a “Cajun pop” artist, with a body of work that includes painting hundreds of posters for festivals across the region.

“It’s sad that it’s come to this point,” he said.

“I’ve had people come to my studio and show me how they had AI create a Tony Bernard painting. Whatever, they did it as a joke. God gives me every idea I have, so I’m always ahead of the next person, so to speak but AI doesn’t have ideas. It only knows what you ask, and what it can grab from. My son, who’s an artist, put it perfectly — it’s art without a soul.” Are posters art?

Cris said she’s very proud of the work, and it reflects her desire to create something that hadn’t been done before. The Rice Festival and Crowley leaders have stood behind the poster, and many festival attendees and other commenters have said that they love it. Crowley’s mayor, Chad Monceaux, even stepped in with a now-deleted Facebook post where he wrote that “posters are not art” and should not be critiqued as such.

If posters aren’t art, there still remains decades of tradition behind local artists and festivals working together to create something that brings people joy Many people display those happy productions for years after the event, turning them into art. But Cris said that people don’t have to call her an artist if they don’t want to.

“People are calling it AI slop, but really, everything there has a reason behind it,” she said. “None of it was just thrown together The worst thing I did was maybe not making the rice not rice-y enough, but luckily, I get to fix that. Like any art people do, it’s not pictureperfect.

“People who said it’s so lackluster, soulless, boring — they really don’t understand that. A lot of heart, and hard work, and thought was really put into it.”

Lafayette artist Dusty Reed said that while he doesn’t think using AI was necessarily a good thing in this context, he did recently use it himself for an Acadiana-inspired artwork commissioned by a client. Reed was the artist for the 2024 Festival International poster, which was done in his noted “Cajun Picasso” style.

“I put a painting I had done a couple of years ago into ChatGPT, and asked it to change it up It did it. I did another prompt to create an image of a pelican, the Acadian flag and some musical notes, ‘in the style of Dusty Reed,’ to use as inspiration. When I showed it to two other artists, they both said, ‘it’s good. You’re gonna make it better.’”

He said that being asked to do a festival poster is a dream for any south Louisiana artist — because it’s a chance to reflect the culture, and a piece of hard-won validation in a field where opportunities to break out are hard to come by For Cris, it’s an opportunity she waited years to receive. She made the most of it, using the ideas that grabbed her and the tools at her disposal, AI generators included. Her poster is now the official emblem of the 88th International Rice Festival, with many more festivals, posters and celebrations to come.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

Wildfiresexpandin Oregon andCalifornia

BY TAMMY WEBBER

Associated Press

Wildfires in California wine country andCentral Oregon grew overnight, prompting hundreds of evacuationsas firefighters sought to contain theblazesSunday amid dry, hot weather

The Pickett Fire in Napa County had grown to more than 10 square miles and was 11% contained as of early Sunday,according to the California Department of Forestry &Fire Protection.

About 190 people wereordered to leave their homes, while another 360 were under evacuation warnings as the fire threatened about 500 structures near Aetna Springs and Pope Valley,said Jason Clay,spokesman for Calfire Sonoma Lake-Napa Unit.

More than 1,230 firefighters backed by 10 helicopters were battling the fire, which began Thursday after aweek of extremely hot weather

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Residents of the Western United States have been sweltering in aheat wave that hospitalized some people, with temperatures forecast to hit dangerous levels throughout the weekendin Washington, Oregon, Southern California, Nevada and Arizona. Clay said the weather has

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NOAH BERGER A firefighter battles the Pickett Fire on Saturdayinthe Aetna Springs area of Napa County,Calif.

moderated since the fire broke out, with Sunday’s high expected to be 94 degrees. Buthumidity levels were expected to drop amid increasing winds later Sundayafternoon.

“That’sbeen adriving factor in the afternoons since we’ve seen the fire activity pick up for thelast three days,” Claysaid, adding that “support from all up and downCalifornia has been critical to our efforts.”

Thefire began in the same area as the much larger Glass Fire in 2020, which crossed into Sonoma County andeventually burnedabout 105squaremiles andmore than 1,500structures. That firewas drivenby wind, while the current fire is fueled mainly by dry vegetationonsteep slopes —some of it dead and downedtrees left

over from the GlassFire and some of it grass and brush that grew back and then dried out again, said Clay In Oregon, theFlat Fire in Deschutesand Jefferson counties hadgrown to almost 34 square miles, with about4,000 homes under various levels of evacuation notice, including 1,000 with orderstoleave immediately, according to the state Fire Marshal’sOffice.

Firefighters wereable to cut containment lines and continued to suppress fires in some residentialareas. However,they faced significant challenges Sunday with difficult terrain, lowhumidity and triple-digit temperatures in some areas, officials said. Somehomes have burned, and officials said they were working to confirm the statusofstructures.

Boxerawaitstrial over cartel ties in Mexico

By The AssociatedPress

MEXICO CITY BoxerJulio

César Chávez Jr.was released Sunday from aprison in northern Mexico wherehe was sent in August after being deported from the United States. The boxer,son of Mexican boxing great Julio César Chávez, is awaiting trial on accusations of involvement with cartelsand illegally trafficking arms into Mexico.

Chávez was released after ajudge in the northern Mexican city of Hermosillo said he wouldn’thave to remain in custody while awaiting trial, but that he was prohibited fromleaving Mexico, a federal agent told The Associated Pressoncondition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.The judge also seta three-month period for further investigation into the case

Chávez’slawyer, Rubén Fernando Benítez Alvarez hasdescribedthe claims against his client as “speculation” and “urban legends.” Chávez was detained in the U.S. in July after ahighprofile match againstAmerican JakePaulinLos Angeles. Mexican authorities had an order out for his arrest since 2023,but Mexico’s president saidauthorities hadn’tyet detained him because he was mostly in the U.S.

Board upholds Youngsville officer’s firing

Attorney says man should have been given light duty

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

The Youngsville Municipal Police Civil Service Board recently upheld the termination of a city police officer

Former Youngsville police Lt. Lloyd Henry’s attorney, Joe Beck III, said they will seek a district

court appeal of Tuesday’s decision.

The officer who was fired in September, was expecting to return to light-duty work following a 2023 off-duty car crash in a police unit, in which he was injured and unable to work for 60 weeks.

Beck said Henry’s termina-

tion is discriminatory, claiming that other officers were allowed to return to work on light-duty detail in the past “One of our problems was everybody else was afforded this accommodation, except for Henry,” Beck said “The purpose of the civil service board is sup-

after

injury

posed to be to protect police officers from this kind of disparate treatment.”

Beck said several officers were produced who were allowed to return for light duty under Louviere and former Chief Rickey Boudreaux.

The Youngsville Municipal Police Civil Service Board did not reply to requests for comment.

Former interim Police Chief Cody Louviere told the board Tuesday that his department did not offer light-duty work to officers and said he fired Henry for exhausting sick leave, according to KLFY He added that the crash occurred while the officer was off-duty and using a police vehicle for an unauthorized errand.

PRESEASON FINALE

Grand jury indicts

man in mother’s death

Woman injected with meth, beaten

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

A St. Landry Parish grand jury formally charged an Opelousas man with first-degree murder in the death of his 65-year-old mother in late June.

Aaron Lloyd, 34, was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder Friday, according to a district attorney statement. The charge comes after Lloyd allegedly admitted to police

that he killed his mother. After the admission, police arrived at the Park Circle home in Opleousas to find the woman covered with trash bags and stuffed inside a trash can under the carport after Lloyd allegedly injected her with methamphetamines and beat her to death. Law enforcement, including the Opelousas Police Department and St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, worked together to locate Lloyd in Krotz Springs

“This is a deeply tragic and heartbreaking case that has impacted our entire community,” Opelousas Police Chief Graig LeBlanc said at the time.

ABOVE: London Koi performs the national anthem on Saturday before the New Orleans Saints host the Denver Broncos in the final preseason game at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

LEFT: Members of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard present the colors.

Community rallies around detainees who helped rebuild post-Katrina

2 caught in ICE sweep June 12 near Lafayette

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

jobs in the booming industry Spanish speakers came to call “reconstrucción” — the backbreaking work of ripping mold-infested flooring, sodden drywall and fried appliances from flooded homes, and then, eventually, rebuilding them.

At least in the short-term, when a lack of electricity fresh groceries and open schools spurred an exodus of locals, the men worked to make New Orleans livable again. “Many left,” said Giovanni Lopez, a U.S. citizen and 40-

year New Orleanian, born in Guatemala, who attends church with one of the men at St. Anthony of Padua in MidCity, a hub for local Hispanic families. “They were here. They entered those homes first.” New Orleans remains their home nearly two decades later

Now both men are confined to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in north Louisiana, caught in President Donald Trump’s

Second Amendment is not constrained by history

When people say the Second Amendment should be abolished because it was “written for muskets,” they’re ignoring both history and logic. If we applied that reasoning across the Constitution, we’d also have to toss outthe First Amendment because it was written before the internet, television and smartphones.

But that’snot how our rights work.

The Founders wrote the Bill of Rightstoprotect timeless principles, nottemporarytools.The Second Amendment guarantees the right to self-defense, not the right to own amusket specifically.Just as the First Amendment evolved to protect blogs, livestreams and podcasts, the Second naturally extendstothe modern firearms used for lawful defense today,including semiautomatic pistols, shotguns andARstyle rifles.

Let’snot forget who these men were. Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals and harnessed electricity.ThomasJefferson used amechanical writing machine —basically the firstautopen —to duplicatehis letters. These were visionariesand innovators, not men afraid of change. They understood that technology would evolve, and they wrote aconstitution designed to endure through that evolution. At the time the Second Amendment was ratified, repeating arms already existed.The idea thatthe Founders only intended to protect single-shot firearms is notjust wrong —it’sinsulting to their intelligence.

And what of today’sfirearms? AR-15s are not military weapons. They are modular,civilian rifles used by millions of Americansfor hunting, training, home defense and sport. Semiautomatic pistols arethe standard self-defense tool, just as muskets werein1791. The Constitution protects what is common, lawful and essential for afree people.

Technology has changed.Human nature has not. Americans still have the right to protect their lives and liberty.The Second Amendment didn’texpire with the flintlock. It lives on, because freedom still matters.

STEPHANIE O’ROURKE DesAllemands

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

AREWELCOME.HEREARE

YOUR VIEWS

If La.wants to succeed,invest in earlychildhood education

In my years of building businesses and serving this state, I’ve learned athing or two aboutbalancing abudget.Ifthere’sone thing my experience has taught me, it’sthis: You don’tcut your way to success, you invest in it. Gov.Jeff Landry’sLADOGE initiative promotesefficiency,accountability and fiscal discipline. Those are goals Ishare. However,wemust not confuse cutting costs with creating long-term value. Business leaders understand that you cannot simply cut yourway to profitability.Sustainable growthcomes from smart investments, particularly those that deliver long-term results. Thesame is true for our state and the public programsthat shape opportunity for generationstocome. Short-term savings cannot come at theexpense of long-term progress. Onearea of statespending worthy of investment is early childhood education. Highquality early learning for children from birthtoage 5provides thebuilding blocks forLouisiana’sfuture workforce. It gives

children the knowledge, tools and confidence they need to thrive in school andlife. It allows parents to fully participate in the workforce, supporting family well-being and fueling economic growth that benefits everyone. It also strengthens our economy by ensuring asteadypipeline of capable, well-prepared workers who are equipped to succeed in a modernlabor market. The positive returns realized across theboard by arobust early childhood education system are what led Nobel laureateeconomist JamesHeckman to say that early childhood education is the best investment astate can make. That is sound economic policy with lasting impact and government efficiency at its best.

If we want Louisiana to continue to competeand prosper,early childhood education must be recognized as afoundational pillar of the state’ssuccess. The cost of inaction, on theother hand, is far too great to ignore.

RICHARD LIPSEY founder,Lipsey’s Baton Rouge

Moderate Democratsmustswitch nowiftheywantsay in Senate race

On Aug. 1, all votersinLouisiana registered as Independentswereautomatically switched to No Party.This was due to anew lawresponding to the passing of the closed primary system in federal elections.Had the Independents notbeen changed to No Party,they would have been precluded from voting in either theDemocratic or Republican primaries. Votersregistered as No Party can votein eitherprimary As the next senator from Louisiana will almost certainly come from the Republican primary,the question moderateDemocrats shouldbeasking themselves is whether they arealso being disenfranchised by the closed primary.The answer is almost certainly yes. The incumbent senator,Dr. Bill Cassidy,has drawn several opponents from the right due to his voting of his conscience withregard

to Jan. 6and President Donald Trump. He wasevensanctionedbythe state Republican Party for his vote. So now,the more extreme membersofthe Republican Party are tryingto“primary” him. What canamoderate Democrat do to makesure that amoderate Republican like Cassidy isn’t“primaried” by the otherparty’smoreextreme elements?

Theeasyanswer is to switch to No Party todayand vote in theRepublican primary for Cassidy.Whether you like Bill Cassidy or not, he’sbetterthan thealternatives.

Don’tbedisenfranchised. Don’tlose your right to help determine who will represent Louisiana in theSenate. The choice is between areasonable Republican like Cassidy or an extremist.

TIMOTHY PUJOL Maurepas

Groupis changingthe hearts of hardened criminals

Katie Boudreaux of Gonzales wrote that we have an 80% repeat offender rate. That is avery old number.The 2024 report on the three-year rate was24.9%, which is downfrom the 2018 rate of 32%.

Our state has the highest incarceration rate in the country.Repeat this slowly: If we incarcerate more people than any other state, then we should have the lowest crime rate. We don’t. That means, “Lock them up and throw away the key” doesn’t reduce crime, it just helps politicians get elected and bankrupts the state.

Prisonseminaries.org has put over 30 seminaries in men’s prisons around the country and eight in women’sprisons. All done with no government money,just private donations. The seminaries give the samedegree to the inmate graduates as they give to regular divinity students.

The NewOrleans Baptist Seminary started teaching at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola several years ago, and the graduates weresent out two by twotothe five prison camps at Angola. Inmate assaults with weapons wentdown almost 80% in the first five years. Those statistics started the ball rolling.

But what do you do with the graduates? First Presbyterian in Baton Rouge, spearheaded by assistant pastor Whitney Alexander and a group of dedicated members, hired three former inmate preachers to start achurch in Melrose East. Two of the inmates werefeatured in a Vision Video movie, “Blessedness out of Brokenness.”

Most inmates firmly believe in survival of the fittest. They are fit and you are prey.Weare changing their worldview from hate to love, and it is working.

BOBDOWNING Baton Rouge

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US ALETTER SCAN HERE

Theletter to the editor published July 24 from Angele Givens of New Orleansclearly shows that some people have afalseknowledgeofJesusChrist. The Democratic Party has questioned thenecessity of emergency powers, calling the project an overreach and environmental risk. However,that is the government andnot Jesus. Romans2:13 states: “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but thedoers of the law who will be justified.”

Theillegal immigrants are not doers of the law.Infact, they are lawbreakers simply by being here in the United States illegally

Then also Romans13:1 states: “Let every person be subject tothe governing authorities.For there is not authority except from God, and those that exist havebeen instituted by God.

Plus, thegospel of Luke 20:25 states: “He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar thethings that are Caesar’sand to Godthe things that are God’s.’”

In today’sworld, it simply means obey the laws of the government and render to God those things that God commands us to obey MORGAN J. LANDRY

Quin Hillyer’scolumn recently focused on Jason Berry’swork, mentioning aforthcoming biography of James Carville and an unrelated documentary about jazz funerals, NewOrleans, Katrina and morethat will air on Louisiana public broadcasting stations. This prompted me to regret that he didn’tmention that LPB may not have the flexibility in the future to broadcast such culturally rich, historic and, need Isay it, educational programming after the current federal administration decided to defund the Corporation forPublic Broadcasting, Perhaps the state, constantly lamenting the loss of educated residents, might wish to makeupthe difference —one small step in trying to stem the outflow to greener pastures.

MARYANN STERNBERG Baton Rouge Louisiana should step up to support LPB

COMMENTARY

WINNER: Michele Starnes,Kenner

BACK TO SCHOOL

We received 615 entries in this week’sCartoon Caption Contest.We had some cleverones from students, some snarky onesaboutpolitics, and afew really off-the-wall approachesthat made the cut. Our winner’s punchlinewas short, funny and trulycaptured themoment.This wasafun batch! A+!Asalways, when we have duplicateentries,and we always do,wepick the earliestsent in.Greatjob —Walt

HARPER VICIDOMINA-MILLS (AGE10), METAIRIE: “This is gonna be younextyear!”

RICHARD ROBBINS,NEW ORLEANS: “I brought in acase of popcornkernels for a project. Ijust didn’t realize it would be this hot out!”

CHARMAINE CLEMENTS,CHALMETTE: “Does carrying this bookbag count as P.E. class?”

KERIANNESTIEGLER, NEWORLEANS: “Busy year ahead: Reading,writing, arithmetic, and chiropractic!”

MICHAEL B. RIEMER, JEFFERSON: “My folks thought the Bounce House at recess would makememore popular!”

ANN FENSTERMAKER, LAFAYETTE: “I have to write areportonSisyphus!”

DUKE RIVET,BATON ROUGE: “I knew I shouldn’t have told that fibabout belonging to Mensa!”

LYNN WISMAR, KENNER: “I thinkI’m gonna need abigger locker!”

DAVID PALMISANO,MARRERO: “Since cellphones arenolonger allowedinclass, I had to pack my hard copyof Google.”

PATRICIA MORRIS,NEW ORLEANS: “And

this is only for first grade!”

ANDRECODALLO (THIRD GRADE), SAMUEL J. GREEN CHARTER SCHOOL, NEWORLEANS: “I guess I’ll be doing class outside today—Ican’t fitmybag through the doors.

ADAM DARRAGH,NEW ORLEANS: “We’re anoscreen family.These are all encyclopedias.

ELTONLEBLANC, RIVER RIDGE: “I’ll be happywhen my laptop gets fixed.”

STEPHENVILLAVASO,NEW ORLEANS: “How am Igoing to getall this stuff into my HEAD!”

CAROLR.WEXLER,BATON ROUGE: “If kindergarten is this tough, what’s first grade going to be like?”

DONNA REUTER, METAIRIE: “I’mtraining forthe weightlifting team.

BOBJACOBSEN, BATONROUGE: “I signed up for that class on the History of New Orleans Political Corruption.”

MARIANO HINOJOSA, BATONROUGE: “It wasMom’sidea to buy up all the school suppliesbefore the tariffs kicked in.”

JULIECOLLINS,TALLAHASSEE, FLA.:

“Permission slips! Piles and pilesof permissionslips!”

WANDABRAUD,GONZALES: “you think I will geta seat to myself on the bus?”

CAROL NICHE, BATONROUGE: “I’mjust gladmyparents are BOTH orthopedic doctors.”

TIM JOHNSON, MOSES LAKE,WA: “Mom accidentally googled the supplies listfor the Navy Seals.”

STUART CLARK, LAFAYETTE: “I signed up for ‘Rock History’ wrongly thinkingitwas about music!

RORY STEEN, DENVER,CO: “you’re saying this goes… untilJune?”

MARIA SPANSEL THOMAS,METAIRIE: “Thisisthe last time Ioffer to carry the teacher’sschool supplies!”

BOBUSSERY, NEWORLEANS: “Thisisa lot of knowledgetoshoulder.

JOHN HANLEY, BATONROUGE: “For band we have to bring our owninstruments. I’m taking piano.

TOMMY OLSEN, GULF SHORES,ALA.: “The computer went down andnow we have to use these things called books.

Lawfarewarrior Trumphas eggonhis face

Pride is no impediment to President Donald Trump’slust for lawfare.Lately, Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress havetargeted California in aseries of ludicrous attempts to overthrow astate law,Proposition 12, aimed at minimizing cruelty to animals, in particular chickens.

Prop 12, or the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, passed in 2018, requires that any animal that is sold as food in California —including chickens, pigs and cows— be provided enough room to “lie down, stand up, fully extend its limbs, and turn around freely,” regardlessofwhere it is raised. Otherwise, it is bannedfromsale within the state.

the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act, which was arenamed version of the2013 King Amendment, Steve King’schange to theHouse Farm bill, which triedtoinvoke interstate commerce arguments to overturn laws that, theoretically,might affect the meat industry’sbottomline.

The White House claims that California’slaw has created too much redtape, causing egg prices to soar.Whetherthis is another Trump prevarication or mere ignorance, Ileave to you. But the reading public knows that egg prices soared after corporatechicken farms across the country suffered an outbreak of H5N1 (bird flu), likely exacerbatedby overcrowding, and were forcedtocull millions of chickens.

No chickens, no eggs.

The question springs to mind: Which does Trump hatemore, chickens or California Gov.Gavin Newsom? One might guess chickens, given the several attempts by Congress via BigAgtothwart California’shumane policies. Butsticking it to aDemocratic governor whois generous in his criticism of the president holds large appeal to Republicans. For its part, Congress has been relentless in its pursuitoflegislationthat would overturn Proposition12 and other laws like it. Lawmakers have introduced aseries of similar billswith different names. In 2023, Congress failedtopass

This bill died, thanks to opposition from small farmers and producers, as well as 16 House Republicans concerned about theinfluence of Smithfield Farms,which owns 25 percent of the pork in the United States —and is itself wholly owned by China. The specterofChina via Congress overturning democratically approved state laws, meanwhile, ought to jostle even MAGA die-hards from their Trump-induced trance. AHarvardstudy in July found that theanti-Prop 12 bill couldhave beenusedtoinvalidate more than 1,000 laws in the 15 statesthat have addressed animal confinement and farm practices.Yet this “zombie bill,” as one animal welfare opponent put it to me, persists in the119thCongress—now calledS.1326, the “Food Securityand Farm Protection Act.” Can’tsomeone put this retreadlegislationout ofits misery?

Still another case brought by the National Pork ProducersCouncil made it to afull hearingbeforethe court.The NPPCadmitted thatthe California law did notdiscriminateagainst out-of-state producers but argued that it nevertheless unconstitutionally controlled extraterritorial commerce. The court found this argument unpersuasive. As JusticeNeil M. Gorsuchwrote in his opinion: “While the Constitution addressesmany weightyissues, the type of porkchops California merchants may sell is notonthatlist.”

The Meat Institutehad argued that Prop 12 hurts families by increasing costs for producers and consumers, who will have to pay morefor their sirloins, veal chops and huevos. Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the institute, averred: “If this unconstitutional law is allowed to stand, California will dictate farming practices across thenation.” Now there’s abogey scenario to unnerve ared-capped Republican. Next thing you know,they’ll takeaway our pickled pigs’ feet.Itseemslikely that Trump’sfederal suit in California ultimately will meet the same end as all previous challenges to the state’s right to sell what it chooses.It’snotable that Republicans, having no interest in national uniformity when it comes to education, draw aline in the Mojave when corporate meat producers are asked to torture animals minimally during their brief, horrible lives.

The president is an unlikely champion (orenemy) of egg-laying chickens living in cramped quarters.

Aman who getsakick out of Alligator Alcatraz, wheremen arecaged like zoo animals,packed together 32 per cell, isn’tgoing to losesleep over how his Big Macsfind theirway to his TV tray. Or thathis pork chop on astick at the Iowa StateFair likely came from apig pulledfrom his mother’s two-by-sevenfoot gestation crate. Don’tbebothering the president of the United States about chicken housing.

From whereIsit,California and other like-minded states deserve an award, not apestering president waging lawfare in the same way he does everything else without empathy,conscience or perhaps even basic understanding.

Email Kathleen Parker at kathleenparker@washpost.com.

Afamous economist once remarked: “You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.” That epigram,issued by Robert Solowin 1987, became the subject of alot of debate among economists in the 1990s. Youdon’t hear those arguments so much anymore, because it’sclear computers have transformed American work.

Adecade later,another famous economist made asimilar observation about the internet —actually,aprediction: “By 2005 or so, it will become clear that the Internet’simpact on the economyhas been no greater thanthe fax machine’s.” That was Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman, who nowhas ahighly profitable email newsletter

We’re now hearing similar questions about artificial intelligence. If it’ssorevolutionary why don’twesee evidence that it’sreplacing workers? Why hasn’tittransformed productivity statistics? How can these companies earn back the massive amounts they’re spending building data centers and training models? Isn’tall the doomcasting and wishcasting aload of hype? Aren’tweinanAI bubble that’sgetting ready to pop?

The answer to that last question is yes, we’re possibly in abit of abubble, just as we were in an internet bubble in 1998, when Krugmanmade that prediction. Idon’twant to say bubbles are anormal response to a major wave of technological innovationthat makes it hard to tell what will work, or how muchthe things that work will be worth 10 or 20 years hence. But they’re an understandable response to that kind of uncertainty,as investors who are willing to bet on the future drive spending and valuations higherthan reality will ultimately sustain.

But then we’re back to the original question: If AI is so revolutionary,why isn’tit more visible in the statistics? Despite the oftrepeated claimsthat AI is displacing entrylevel workers, macroeconomic evidence of this phenomenon is dubious. Here are afew potential solutions to this mystery

One possibility is that AI is raising productivity,but many workers are using their extra time for leisure, rather than more work —a kind of “dark leisure” that doesn’tshowupin statistical data but still represents workers doing their jobs faster

Over time, however,expectations for productivity will change. Managers now understand how long apiece of work should take when you’re plugging asearch into Google rather than hunting down physical references. They’ll develop asimilar understanding as AI takes over writing many emails and daily reports, and demand commensurate increases in employee performance. Some of that “dark leisure” will go away and showup in higher productivity figures. Another reason we might notbeseeing immediate, large productivity improvements is that humans and machines are at the early end of the learning curve. When Iwas in college, Iworked as aclerk at afirm thatemployed two top-notch legal secretaries. Those women, both in their early 50s, had started their careers on typewriters and could type more than 100 words per minute with few mistakes. They had also acquired an effortless mastery of legal forms that allowed them to quickly translate alawyer’shandwritten notes into aflawless brief or filing. By the early 1990s, they were both using word processors, but how muchtime was that actually saving them? Some definitely,but the real productivity gains camelater,when lawyers could type documents directly into acomputer,much faster than they could dictate or write them out by hand, and firms didn’tneed to employ so many legal secretaries.

One further speculative possibility,intriguing but difficult to assess: When AI starts displacing workers, it may do so notjust at the entry level but outside the United States, as companies insource outsourced functions to machines. Finally,this technology is still too young to create the secondary and tertiary productivity gains we saw from computers and the internet. Young people won’tremember how transformative spreadsheets were,but the ability to easily record and analyze data on the desktop didn’tjust streamline alot of accounting jobs —itgave managers and investors tools to hunt for productivity gains throughout other departments and the rest of the economy. Ican’ttell you what kinds of similar opportunities AI might create, but I certainly expect there to be some. This is ultimately why so many people are willing to bet on AI. Their excitementmay be premature, but it’snot unfounded. And when atechnology is truly transformational, it’s probably safer to bet on premature optimism than to prematurely dismiss it out of hand. MeganMcArdle in on X, @asymmetricinfo.

immigration dragnet. Federal agents arrested the men, who have no criminal records,while theyworked aconstructionjob together near Lafayette on June 12 with two other St. Anthony parishioners,church leaders said They areawaiting deportation at the Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center, accused of entering the country illegally on their way to New Orleansafter Katrina.

As the city girds for the landmarkstorm’s 20th anniversary this month, the arrestshave highlighted immigrants’ foundational roles in rebuilding. Demand for workers so outstrippedsupplyafter thestorm that the Bush administration suspended rules requiring employers to verify workers’immigrationstatus. A2006 survey of construction workersinthe city found half were Hispanic, and halfofthose were here illegally. And New Orleans’ Latino population grewby 71%, to 103,000residents between 2000 and2013, according to census data.

Aprecise number of Katrina construction laborers who remain in New Orleans is difficult to tally But underTrump, whose administrationhas often detained immigrants accusedofnoother wrongdoing,lawyers and advocates have identified numerous Katrina workers apprehended by ICE. Theyinclude aman deported to El Salvadorfollowing aMay worksite raid at amarquee New Orleansanti-flooding project. The White House’simmigrationstrategyhas driven up deportations. Yetithas not beenapplied evenly: Outcry from community members andRepublican lawmakers has led some detaineestobereleased, while others remain in jail or face deportation. Supporters of Gomez Velasquez and Velasquez Fuentes have petitioned for a measure of that relief, citing theircontributions to NewOrleans in letters to their Congress members.

Spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security andICE didnot respond to multiple inquiries aboutGomez Velasquez and Velasquez Fuentes’cases.

The Trump administrationhas vigorously defended itsagenda.

After the May New Orleansraid, an ICE spokesperson said theagency’s worksiteenforcement aims to “deter employers who hire unauthorized workers” and to “promote self-compliance in the business community.” The raids, they said,“protect employment opportunitiesfor the nation’s workforce.”

ANew Orleansstory

The cousins each crossed the U.S. border with Mexico on their way north from homes in Guatemala’sver-

dantbut impoverished San Marcos province.They entered “without inspection,” said SueWeishar, a St. Anthony’svolunteer. Velasquez Fuentescameto New Orleans in 2006,and Gomez Velasquezfollowed in 2008.

Theycontinued their constructioncareers— bothbecame skilled caulkers— after therebuild ended. They married. Gomez Velasquez met his wife, Olivia, in 2008 at a streetcar stop; Velasquez Fuentes met his wife, Susana, in 2016 in Metairie. They had children,all U.S. citizens.

And they deepened their faith. Gomez Velasquez leads aprayergroup at St. Anthony,his home church. Velasquez Fuentes’ 16-year-old stepson was confirmed there.

Both menwereunable to secure residencystatusbecause they didnot qualify formany visa programs, such as those for relatives of adult citizens, peopleofcertainprofessions and crime victims, church leaders said. They have notbeen accusedof anyother offenses.

“Our church recognizes that acountryhas theright to regulate itsborders,” theRev.Augustine J. DeArmond, St. Anthony’s pastor,wrote to thejudge handling Gomez Velasquez’scase. “Ourresponsibilityisalsotoact with justice and mercy.”

On arecent Monday, about two dozen parishionerslinedthe church’s pews to penletters calling for the men’s release. They asked the men’s families to describehow their detentions have upended their lives.

“I’veneverbeenseparat-

ed from him for so long,” Axle, Gomez Velasquez’s 12-year-old son,said of his father as he fought back tears. “I miss himtaking me to church andsoccer.I want him to come home.”

Afew reversals

Amid Trump’s crackdown,backlash from constituents and intervention from Republican lawmakers have reversed some detainees’ fortunes Plainclothes agents arrestedMandonna Kashanian, an Iranian citizen who has lived in New Orleans since 1978, while shegardenedoutside her homeinJune. Aflood of letterstoHouseMajority Leader Steve Scalise, RJefferson, spurred the congressman to push forher release. Scalise later said Kashanian’scaseshows a need to overhaul systems for processing immigrants without legal status who otherwisefollow the law

Paoula Clouatre,a Mexican citizen married to aU.S. Marine veteran, spent two months in ICE custody after her arrest at acitizenshipappointment earlierthis year.U.S Sen. JohnKennedy’soffice helped secure herrelease last month.

Weishar, thechurch volunteer,said Gomez Velasquez andVelasquez Fuentes’ supporters have writtentoScaliseand U.S. Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans, pleading for similar outcomes in their cases. GomezVelasquez lives in Carter’sdistrict,Velasquez Fuentes in Scalise’s. Carter declined to comment on specific cases involving his officebut saidhewould “continue to work with everyone who reaches out to my office

with concernsabout their loved ones detained by ICE.”

Scalise’soffice didnot respond to an inquiry about the cases.

Of the twootherSt. Anthony’scongregantsarrested in the Lafayette operation,one,AngelFernando de Leon Velásquez, has already been deported His uncle,Abilio Efrain de Leon Velásquez,isset to be deported in fourmonths, church leaders said. Katrinaworkers deported Trump’sadministration has ramped up raids at worksites in recent months. In May,agents

arrested 15 people at the NewOrleans flood mitigation site known as Mirabeau Water Gardens. Three weekslater,agents detained 84 racetrack workers in southwest Louisiana.

Of those detained in the Mirabeau raid, “I would guess 75% had been here since Katrina,”said Rachel Taber,aNew Orleansbased advocate who helped coordinate resources to send detained workers’ families.

Oneofthem was Miguel Vindel, who came to New OrleansfromElSalvador twomonths before the storm,helped rebuild, then becamea leader of Congress of DayLaborers, alabor rightsgroup. Vindel wasdeported to El Salvador,said Taber,who has remained in contact with him

As he starts his sophomoreyear of high school, Velasquez Fuentes’ stepson, Anderson, took a job delivering food for sevenhours each evening to make up for some of his father’slost income.

“It will be really hard to keep this job when school starts in about aweek,” he said,“butIhavetohelpmy mompay the bills.”

Anderson’shalf-sisters frequently cry for their father,hesaid.

“I am worriedI have to take careofthem,” he said, “but Idonot know how to do this.”

Email James Finn at jfinn@theadvocate.com.

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Arethese Saints here to stay?

Projecting whowill make

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Now comes the tough part. With three preseason gamesand amonth of practices in the books, the NewOrleans Saints soon will have to trim their roster from 90 to 53 players ahead of Tuesday’s 3p.m. league-wide deadline.

This year’straining campfeatured several competitive battles at variouspositions. Who will the Saints keep? Let’sget into one final prediction:

Quarterback(3)

Spencer Rattler,Tyler Shough and Jake Haener: Haenerwas the odd man outinthe Saints’ starting quarterback competition as camp progressed, but he didn’tperform poorly enoughtocosthim arosterspot. And as tight as some of these other position battles are, it would be surprising tosee the Saints roll with only twoquarterbacks on the roster

Runningback(4)

Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller,Devin Neal,Velus Jones: Afterleaving Milleroff thisprevious projection, it’stime to do an about-face. Miller clearly has locked down theNo. 2 running back spot over thepast fewweeks, doing so by running hard andstringing togetherconsistent practices. He looks healthy and explosive. Thesecond-year back responded to the coaches’ apparent test early in camp.Asfor the fourth spot, Jones gets the slight nod over Clyde Edwards-Helaire. But that one is tricky sinceEdwards-Helaire might provide better pass protection.

Wide receiver (6)

Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Devaughn Vele, Brandin Cooks, Mason Tipton, Dante Pettis: The Saints’ acquisition of Vele leaves veteran Cedrick Wilson on the choppingblock. It wouldn’tbesurprising if he lands back

See SAINTS, page 3C

When Barbara Adams thinks about her son, thefirst person who comes tomind is her grandfather Joseph Adams theman Barbara credits for helping n —was drafted into the Army at n World WarII. As aformer staff uld tellhis great-grandson,Tyree the militaryand overseas. links herson with his greatd in 2020.

against ClemsoninMemorial Stadium (6:30 p.m., ABC).

It’samoment Tyree spent years working toward, but he didn’tget there alone.

th raise her andher so age 17 and servedi sergeant,Joseph wo stories of his time in But war is notwhat grandfather,who die “It’sscary.Hehas ity ” Barbara said. “ all the way around. Reserved Humble ties linking her son latter teaching the f strong work et My grand ties in Tyree, that to this d Tyreewillca as the starting he makes his first car Saints running back

mygrandfather’spersonal-

Heacts like my grandfather

.A homebody.All similariwith hergrandfather,the ormer the importance of a hic.

DL Baudoinhitting

BYKEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

There was atime when former Ascension Episcopal defensive lineman MaxieBaudoin didn’tknow if he’d be playing football during the 2025 season. He signed withTulane outofhigh school and it didn’tplay out as expected

The 6-foot-5, 272-pound Baudoinplayed in one game in 2022 and didn’t playatall ayear later,before transferring to UL Former Ascension Episcopalcoach Michael Desormeaux was aware of Baudoin. “I had agood relationship withhim,” Baudoin said of Desormeaux, whose Cajuns open the season against RiceonSaturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.“He recruited me in high school andhejust told me Icould come here and accomplish the goals Iwanted.”

“Hehas such agreat support system,” Barbara said. “Always has.”

TheAdams family

SEASON PREVIEW

father instilled alot of good quali” Barbara said. “Hestill maintains ay.” rrythesecharacteristicsontothefield LSU left tackle on Saturday,the night er regular-seasonstart at the position

Across the inside of Tyree’sleft bicep aretwo reminders of aplace he calls home.

Tattoos of the Superdome and the HueyP.Long Bridge signify the city that is ingrainedwithin his soul. TyreegrewupinMarreroand notNew Orleans —hewasn’teven 2months oldwhen Hurricane Katrinademolishedtheir houseinNew Orleans East. But to him, NewOrleans is home.

“Home is everything,” Tyree said. “My mom can come (here). She’s literally an hour away.”

The NewOrleans-inspired ink is anew addition to acollection of meaningful artthatpopulates hisarm.It’sa canvas thatpayshomagetohisgreat-grandfather,grandmother and

ä Rice at UL 6:30 P.M.SATURDAy,ESPN+

Afteroneyearofadjusting,Baudoinisready to be in the rotation on the defensive line.

“When he transferred fromTulane,hewas alreadykindofbangedupandinjured,”ULdefensive linecoach Dennis Thomas said. “His confidencewas alittle low.Hewas trying to figure out if he still was agood footballplayer

“Just to see him take strides and giving himthe confidence that he needed, and now he knows he can go out thereand perform at ahighlevel.That’sbeen huge seeing his growthfrom spring to now.”

These days, Baudoin is playing more on the edge, which gives him “the ability to use my speed more and my quickness, because I’m aquicker guy and I’mstrong.

MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

6p.m. Michigan St. at Pittsburgh ACCN

WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

7p.m. Wake Forest at MississippiSt. SECN

WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

5:30 p.m. Kansas vs. Penn St.BTN

8p.m. Texas A&M vs. MinnesotaBTN

MLB

5:30 p.m. Tampa BayatCleveland FS1

9p.m. Cinc. at Dodgers/DetroitatA’s MLBN MEN’SSOCCER

1:45 p.m. Torino at Inter Milan CBSSN

2p.m. Liverpool at Newcastle UnitedUSA SOFTBALL

5p.m. Team Netz vs.Team Ricketts ESPNU

7:30 p.m. Team Coffeyvs.Team Kowalik ESPNU TENNIS

10:30 a.m.U.S.Open, First Round ESPN

6p.m.U.S.Open, First Round ESPN

6p.m.U.S.Open, First Round ESPN2 WNBA

7p.m.Las VegasatChicagoNBATV

Tommy Fleetwood holds the championship trophy afterthe final round of the Tour Championship on SundayinAtlanta.

Fleetwood wins Tour Championship

Englishgolferwins

his firstPGA Tour title, takesFedEx Cup

BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

ATLANTA— TommyFleetwoodof Englandended asummerofheartache with the richest prize on the PGA Tour.Hewon the Tour Championship on Sunday for his first tour title to capture the FedEx Cup and its $10 million reward Fleetwood got plenty of helpat the start when Patrick Cantlaybegan bogey-double bogey and could never catch up. Scottie Scheffler hit his opening tee shot out-ofbounds and still was athreat until atee shot intothe water ended his hopes on the 15th. Through it all, Fleetwood held his nerve. He closed with a2-under 68 for athree-shot victory over Cantlay (71) and Russell Henley (69).

“I’ve beena PGA Tour winner for along time; it’sjust always been in my mind,” Fleetwood said. “A lot of close calls, but I’ve always enjoyed the challenge.” His first PGA Tour victory came with twotrophies—the FedEx Cup and the “Calamity Jane” rep-

Patrick Cantlayhits from the 16th tee during the final round of the Tour Championship.Cantlay finished tied for second withRussell Henley.

licaputter for the Tour Championship Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley was within oneshotofthe lead on the front nine but wound up with a70totie forseventh. He now has to decide whether to use one of his six captain’spicks on himself. He announces his picks Wednesday. But this day,this moment, belongedtoFleetwood, enormously popular around theworld for coping with so many close calls with arefreshing perspective and joy

for those who beat him.

An eight-timewinner around theworld, no stranger to big stages at the Ryder Cup or his silver medal at the Olympicslast summer, Fleetwood wasconstantly reminded about his failuretowin on golf’s strongest circuit He had ablast at East Lake, thousandsoffanssurrounding the green of a34-year-old from England, all of them chanting, “Tommy! Tommy!Tommy!” Fleetwood removed his cap looked to the cloudy sky and let

those longlocks flow as he let out ayell.

Finally,Fleetwood.

“This wasn’tthe mostcomfortable I’ve been,” Fleetwood said with asmile. “I feel like I’ve had a great attitude throughout it all. I’msohappy Igot it done.”

He started tied forthe lead with Cantlay,the FedEx Cup champion from 2021 searching for his first win in three years. He madebogey on thefirst,and then three-putted fordouble bogey on the second and suddenly wasfour behind. Cantlay never went away,however,and atwo-shot swing on the 10th —Fleetwood made bogeyfromthe leftrough, Cantlay made a5-foot birdie —narrowed the gap to one shot. The next three holes were pivotal.

Cantlay failed to get on the green from abunker on the par-3 11thand madebogey.Fleetwood birdied the next twoholes with wedgestothe 6-foot range,and Cantlaycould only match one of them.

The last big hurdle wasthe 218yard 15th to apeninsula green, where Fleetwood went in the water Saturday andmadedouble bogey. This time he managed abogey and didn’t miss astep the rest of the way in finishing at 18-under 262.

Blaney is thedrivertobeatafter winatDaytona

Driver movesinto fourth in CupSeries standingsheading into theplayoffs

BY MARK LONG Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. RyanBlaney

parked his car against thehighbanked outside wallatDaytona International Speedway and floored it, spinning his rear tires and sending plumes of smoke into the grandstands as fireworks lit up the sky It was aunusual celebration for the Team Penske star —he doesn’tusually do celebratory burnouts —and it might be the first of many down the stretch this year Blaney closed NASCAR’sregular season with aflurry,winning at Daytona and moving into fourth place in the Cup Series points heading into the playoffs. He will open the postseason next week at Darlington Raceway three points behind Denny Hamlin and six shy of co-leaders William Byron and Kyle Larson. And Blaney might just be the fa-

vorite to win it all, especially considering his past and his present. The31-year-oldBlaney notched hissixth consecutive top-10 finish with the Daytona victory,making himthe series’ hottest driver.

“I think it speaks volumes to how good we have been when we’ve finished races,” Blaney said, recalling seven events in which heeither crashed or had engine trouble. “I’d say half those

DNFs (Did Not Finish), we hada good chance of winningthe race or at least running topfive “Itjust shows that we’ve been running good through the races andthe stagesand maybe notgotten the finisheswedeserved But it’sbeen nicetohavethe last monthand ahalf kind of be just smooth andfor us to finish like I feel like where we should finish.” This onewas themost dramatic

Hendersonwinsathome in CPKC Women’sOpen

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario— Canadian starBrookeHendersonwon her secondCPKCWomen’s Opentitle Sunday, beating playing partner Minjee Leebya stroke for her first victory in morethan 21/2 years. Henderson closed with a4-under 68 at Mississaugua Golf and Country Clubtofinish at 15-under269. Lee, the Australian player ranked fourth in the world, had a68. Henderson broke atie for the lead witha6-foot birdie puttonthe par-3 14th. On the short par-4 17th, she followed Lee’s13-foot birdie putt with a12-footer of her own to keep the lead.

Aphrodite Deng, the 15-year-old Canadianamateur who was tied for second after an opening 66, had a73totie for20th at 4under

Cink beats Els in playoff to defend hisAlly title

GRAND BLANC, Mich. Stewart Cink successfully defended his title in The Ally Challenge forhis second PGA Tour Champions victory of theyear,beating Ernie Els with apar on the first hole of aplayoff Sunday Cink closed witha 4-under68, birdieing two of the last three holes, to match Els at 15-under 201 at WarwickHills.Els parred the final five holes in a69. The 52-year-old Cink won the Insperity InvitationalinMay in Texas, beatingRetief Goosen in aplayoff. He won eight times on the PGA Tour,topped by the 2009 British Open. Cink opened with a62and shot a71onFridaytoenter thefinal round astroke behind Els.

Rahm, Legion XIII win LIVGolf team final PLYMOUTH, Mich. Jon Rahm and LegionXIII outlasted Bryson DeChambeau andthe Crushersina playoff Sundayinthe LIV Golf League team final. LegionXIII ralliedtomatch the Crushers at 20 underatThe Club at Chatham Hills, with the Stinger squad from South Africa well back at 12 under in three-team final. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton each birdied the final twoholes of regulation, then ended the playoffwith apair of birdies on the second extraholeagainst DeChambeau and Paul Casey.Rahm madea6-footer and Hatton hadashort putt forthe deciding birdies.

Judge throws to bases for firsttime sincestrain

NEWYORK Nearly amonth after going on the injured list with aflexor strain in his right elbow, NewYorkYankees captain Aaron Judge took the next step in his throwing progression Sunday by briefly throwingtobases from right field.

There is still no timetable for Judge’sreturn to the outfield in a game.

by far. Blaneymadeup12spots over thefinal twolaps to beat Daniel Suarez, Justin Haley and Cole Custer in afour-wide finish. The come-from-behind victory kept all three of those contenders outofthe playoffs andlocked Alex BowmanofHendrickMotorsports into the16-car field. Bowman said afterward he owes Blaney “7 million beers.

“Oh, I’ll take 5million,” Blaney quipped while holding ahalf-empty red plasticcup between his legs. “I’ll save him some money …I’lltakethatoffer. Idoneed a refillifhe’sstill here.I canstart with one.”

Given how Blaney and Team Penske have performed in the playoffs over the past three years —the powerhouse team haswon three in arow,withJoey Logano’stwo titles sandwiched around Blaney’s2023 championship —noone should be surprised to see himswigging alcohol in victory laneafter the season finale at PhoenixRaceway in November Blaneyfinished first or second four times over the final six races in 2023 to claimhis first Cup championship. He wasequally stout the following year,finishing second,first and second in the finalthreeevents andgot edgedby Logano in the finale

The two-time AL MVP threw with alittle moreintensity about five hours before theYankees played the Boston Red Sox in the finale of theirfour-game series. Fielding fly balls hit by coach Luis Rojas, Judge threw to acutoff man behind second base and also continuedhis normalthrowing program Judge hasnot playedthe outfieldsince July 25, when he experienced difficulty throwing during a12-5 loss to Philadelphia.

Sharapova,brothersMike and Bob Bryan enter HOF

NEWPORT,R.I.— Serena Williams madeasurprise appearance at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, introducing “former rival, former fanand foreverfriend” Maria Sharapova for her induction late Saturday night.

Williams, a23-timeGrand Slam champion who will be eligible for her own enshrinement in 2027, drew gasps and shrieks from the crowd at the Newport shrine. “There are only afew players in my career who challengedmeto be theverybest, everysingletime we steppedout on the court,” Williamssaid. “Maria Sharapova was one of them.” The first Russian woman ever to reachNo. 1inthe rankings and one of 10 womentocomplete the career Grand Slam, Sharapova wasjoinedinthe Class of 2025 by dominating doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan. The twin brothers finishedtheir speech withone of their trademark chest bumps.

on the practice squad because of his run-blocking ability and previous time with coach Kellen Moore in Dallas Elsewhere, Tipton whom Shough labeled the “MVP” of camp — isn’t going anywhere, and Pettis lands a spot to serve as the punt returner

Offensive line (9)

Kelvin Banks,Trevor Penning, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz,Taliese Fuaga, Dillon Radunz, Landon Young, Luke Fortner and Torricelli Simpkins: Injuries already have been a concern for this group after they were absolutely decimated last year Penning is reportedly dealing with turf toe that could cause him to miss Week 1 and Fuaga is dealing with a knee injury, albeit one that Moore said was “nothing major.” Then in Saturday’s preseason finale, Young was carted off with an ankle injury so his status is uncertain The team traded for Fortner after Will Clapp’s season-ending foot injury Simpkins, meanwhile, is a nice story after impressing as an undrafted free agent.

Tight end (3)

Juwan Johnson, Jack Stoll,Treyton Welch: Every coach stresses competition. And if Moore means it, then that’ll be reflected in keeping Welch who joined the practice squad late last season — over seventh-round rookie Moliki Matavao. Welch not only stood out more in the preseason but the 24-year-old also has seen more playing time in practice. Note Taysom Hill (knee) and Foster Moreau (knee) won’t be ready for the start of the regular season, putting them on the physically unable to perform list.

Edge rusher (4)

Chase Young, Carl Granderson, Cam Jordan, Chris Rumph

Defensive interior (6)

Bryan Bresee, Davon Godchaux, Nathan

Shepherd,Vernon Broughton, Jonathan Bullard, Khristian Boyd: Goodbye, Isaiah Foskey The 2023 secondrounder’s impact has been little to none this summer despite the coaching staff giving him ample opportunities in the preseason. That’s been the story of his disappointing career Elsewhere, the toughest call on this roster might be whether to keep Bullard, Jonah Williams or a fifth edge rusher Williams and Bullard have both played for defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, but Bullard has gotten occasional work with the 1’s and played ahead of Williams in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Denver Broncos. But at the same time, would the Saints be better off using that spot on, say, seventh-round edge rusher Fadil Diggs? Decisions, decisions.

Linebacker (5)

Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Danny Stutsman, D’Marco Jackson, Jaylan Ford: This one was another doozy Similar to Welch’s case, Ford’s preseason performance could give him the edge over Nephi Sewell and Isaiah Stalbird two standouts on special teams. But Ford also excels in that area and was regarded as one of the best special-teamers coming out of the 2024 draft.

Cornerback (5)

Kool-Aid McKinstry,Alontae Taylor Isaac Yiadom, Quincy Riley, Ugo Amadi Safety (5)

Justin Reid, Julian Blackmon, Jordan Howden, Jonas Sanker J.T. Gray: Amadi beats out Terrell Burgess as the backup nickel/hybrid safety Burgess made a strong case for a roster spot, but an injury late in camp derailed his progress and when he returned, Amadi seemed to have a stranglehold on the spot. Amadi, too, is a very effective blitzer

Specialists (3)

Blake Grupe, Zach Wood and Kai Kroeger: If the Saints punter isn’t on the roster, that wouldn’t be a total shock For now, pencil in Kroeger over James Burnip.

CAJUNS

Continued from page 1C

“Coach Thomas helped me improve a lot. Stopping the run is probably the biggest thing also reading blocks and slips and double teams.”

During camp, Thomas said he’s seen Baudoin pick up on both positions and has done “really well.”

Another freshman

At the beginning of camp,

Desormeaux identified a few true freshmen who could potentially make an impact this season. It started with running back Darrell Smith, who battled redshirt freshman Steven Blanco for the third and fourth running back spots on the depth chart behind Zylan Perry and Bill Davis.

In the secondary, Cecilia’s Brent Gordon was mentioned early on as being ready to compete.

Offensive line coach Steve Farmer isn’t so sure he doesn’t have one of his own in his unit in Jakoby Isom.

mother, among others.

“Family is everything to him. He was raised like that,” Barbara said. “Family, that’s number one. If you don’t have family if you don’t come from a positive family, what do you have?”

Tyree grew up without his biological father, who died when he was 2 years old While Tyree’s mother worked as an office manager at a home health agency, his great-grandfather was there to help raise him.

Joseph would pick Tyree up and drop him off at school. They’d go to McDonald’s and watch TV Joseph would teach his great-grandson simple habits from a young age.

“He started teaching him how to go to the bathroom, that kind of thing,” Barbara said, “because a boy really needs a man to teach him how to go to the bathroom.”

Tyree also has his stepfather, Gerren, a younger brother, Gunnar, and twin younger siblings, Kaitlyn and Grayson. He also has a 10-monthold sister named Tiana.

Tyree is particularly close to Gunnar who was diagnosed with autism in April.

“He loves his little brother,” Barbara said “My baby had a hard time transitioning when Tyree left to go to college, because he felt like Tyree was leaving him. But every time he sees Tyree, he runs to him. Tyree picks him up. Tyree hugs him.”

Once this season comes to a close, Tyree has expressed interest in raising money to help spread autism awareness.

Getting a proper autism diagnosis for Gunnar was difficult. He was placed on a waiting list for 18 months before he was officially diagnosed The holdup meant that Gunnar couldn’t receive the assistance he needed at school.

Tyree turned to LSU to try to help get Gunnar his diagnosis, but there was only so much the school could do.

“I’m his biggest advocate,” Barbara said. “I had to push for that, to let them know this is hindering him, especially in school.”

On his left arm, Tyree has a tattoo acknowledging both his brother’s condition and his grandmother who was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was still living at home.

She is now in remission for “a couple of years,” but her disease wasn’t easy for Tyree to deal with.

“He would run home to check on her, make sure she didn’t need anything, different stuff like that,” Barbara said. “Even now, he’ll call her, he’ll check on her.”

Tyree always has been a caring person. Barbara calls him a “gentle giant,”thanksinparttohismeasured demeanor and calming personality

He’s turned into the person his great-grandfather hoped he’d become.

“I love him to death,” Tyree said. “. I know he’s an angel in heaven

Like Smith, the 6-foot-3, 320-pound tackle from North Shore High in Houston, Texas, graduated early and was at UL in the spring.

“He’s had a great camp,” Farmer said. “We’re really excited where he’s at. He brings a physical piece that’s unique as well. He’s a little bit of a shorter guy, compact — a strong physical player.”

Farmer said Isom has gotten some snaps with the first unit in camp and has solidified himself as a rotational option.

“He’s creating some question

right now, so he’s just enjoying each and every day.”

Coaches leading way Nick Foster’s favorite Tyree story probably isn’t one the LSU tackle is proud of.

When he was a freshman at St. Augustine High, Tyree was determined to be a defensive end. It was a position that was popular within the team, and he had no interest in being an offensive lineman.

“Nobody likes the offensive line,” saidFoster,hiscoachatSt.Augustine.

Tyree was hard-headed to the point where, one day at practice, he took it upon himself to be on defense despite being assigned to play offense. His actions led Foster to kick him out of practice.

“Barbara showed up and was like, ‘Get your ass on offense,’ “ Foster said. “ ‘Because whatever coach tells you to do, you do it.’ ” But one incident wasn’t enough to convince Tyree that his future was on the offensive line.

To show him how good he could be, Foster shared with Tyree highlights of San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams, who is an 11time Pro Bowler Foster also told Tyree how much money offensive linemen make in the NFL. Williams has earned nearly $200 million in his career, according to Spotrac.

What eventually convinced Tyree to fully invest in becoming an offensive lineman was the chance to compete with Cam East, a three-star recruit and an eventual Ole Miss commitment. East was a grade above Tyree and was receiving recruiting interest from schools around the country

“I really just told him, ‘If Cam could do it, you could do it better,’ “ Foster said. “So that was his whole thing, competing. That’s why I knew he was a competitor, because he wanted to be better than Cam.”

The competition helped fuel Tyree into becoming a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023. According to the 247Sports Composite, he was the No. 16 offensive tackle in the nation and a top-10 player in the state.

“He strongly disagreed with moving to the offensive line, and that helped me so much,” said Luis Figueroa, Tyree’s offensive line coach through his first three years at St. Augustine. “The kid’s been a blessing my whole life. He’s been one of the reasons why I’ve sought out the knowledge and put so many hours in, because I had to make sure when a kid did something like that, he was making the absolute right choice.”

The bond Tyree developed with Figueroa and Foster also played an integral part in his development.

Foster would drive Tyree to and from practices and workouts. Tyree would cut his grass and hang out with his son, Nicholas Jr “(Tyree’s) like my child,” Foster said. “... We are always in constant communication with each other.”

The connection between Foster and Tyree goes beyond just player and coach. Lately, Foster has needed Tyree to lend him a helping hand as he is in the midst of a

for us in a good way,” Farmer said.

“It’s not a situation where we have to let a young guy play It’s just that he’s played really, really well.”

The mental game

UL’s new kicker Tony Sterner saw everything Kenny Almendares did over the last two seasons to get to the level of winning the Lou Groza Award.

The first lesson he received from Almendareswashowtotreatpeople.

“It’s about just being a good friend and then also being a professional at all times. We also help

custody battle for Nicholas.

Throughout what has been a challenging situation, Tyree has helped keep his former coach’s spirits up.

“He always says stuff like, ‘I’m your child and you got me,’ “ Foster said.“And,‘No,no,no,don’tget down on it,’ and all this type of stuff.”

Like with Foster Tyree still has a close relationship with Figueroa. When he played under “Coach Fig,” Tyree was told to obey three rules.

1. Treat women with reverence. 2. No guns, no drugs and no stealing.

3. Treat people how you want to be treated.

If Figueroa’s players followed those commands, the football would “take care of itself.”

“Because if you’re living the right way,” Figueroa said, “you’re doing the right thing.”

Between Figueroa and Foster, Barbara couldn’t have asked for her son to be around better coaches.

“They believe in their players,” Barbara said. “When you tell them that you want to do something, that you want to achieve something, they take that and they run with it.”

Replacing a legend

For three seasons, Will Campbell was the face of the LSU offensive line.

He was the starting left tackle from the moment he stepped on campus, becoming a Freshman AllAmerican before he was a secondteam All-SEC selection as a sophomore and a consensus All-American last year, his junior season. His dominance led the New England Patriots to select him with the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft in April.

Without Campbell, a daunting task faced whoever replaced him. But for Tyree, it’s a challenge he’s prepared to take on.

“I think (Tyree) had the talent. He had the right traits coming in,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “He did a really good job of developing and being consistent, which has allowed him now to step in and be our starting left tackle.”

As he prepares to fill Campbell’s shoes, Tyree has also received some help from the man himself. Campbell has been in touch with Tyree during camp, even as he’s started his NFL career

“Will is like a big brother to him,” Foster said. “I hear the different things he talks about. It’s not just football, he talks to him about things off the field.”

Patience led Tyree to this moment. He sat behind Campbell and right tackle Emery Jones for two seasons. Instead of transferring and potentially earning playing time sooner at another school, he waited for his opportunity

Never once did he consider entering his name into the portal. He wanted to develop and learn from Campbell and Jones, but he also wanted to stay at home and be alongside the people who helped guide him to this moment.

“Nobody’s going to treat you like home,” Tyree said.

each other with our form. It’s a two-way street.” Then there’s eliminating the mental obstacles that overcome some kickers in the pressure moments.

“For me, I’m very simple,” Sterner said. “I feel like I take my three steps, I’m very quick with getting lined up. I tell myself, ‘See ball, kick ball give the nod to Hunter (Sims) the holder, and then just kick. In that moment, I just kind of, like, black out in a moment.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

Date

PAST FIVE YEARS

2024: 9-3

2023: 6-4

2022: 10-4

2021: 13-2 (state champions)

2020: 6-4

PROJECTED STARTERS

Offense

WR Cayden Lancelin (6-0, 185, So.)

WR Joshua John (5-8, 160, Jr.)

WR Jackilon Roberson (5-11, 170, Jr.)

OT Lloyd Vital (6-2, 225, So.)*

OG Jimmy Huynh (6-0, 280, So.)

C Ashton Mitchell (6-1, 300, Fr.)

OG Keiyon Reno (6-3, 290, Jr.)

OT Cayson Strokes (5-10, 235, So.)

QB Noah Antoine (5-10, 165, So.)

RB Caemon Crockem (5-10, 175, So.)

RB Lewald Vallot (5-10, 165, Jr.)

Defense

DE Chance Archangel (6-4, 145, So.)

DT Daylan Doucet (6-0, 255, Sr.)

DT Lenord Howard (6-2, 265, Sr.)*

DE Jason Domingue (6-0, 250, Jr.)

LB Bam Curl (6-0, 255, So.)

LB Trandin Benjamin (5-11, 195, Sr.)*

LB Makai Wells (6-0, 190, Sr.)*

CB Caleb Clement (6-0, 175, Jr.)

CB Jayden Dwyer (5-11, 170, Jr.)*

FS John Dauterive (5-10, 160, Jr.)*

SS Shadon Lee (6-1, 165, So.)

*RETURNING STARTERS

COACHES

Head coach: Ryan Antoine (90-78)

Assistant coaches: Randall Antoine (OC),Tyrunn Walker (DC) Josh Edison (QB), Deon Wiliams (RB) Edwin Pierre (OL), Marcel Winston (OL), James Wallace (DL),Tommy Balom (TE), Donald Lewis (LB), Damian Francis (DB), Jerald Hawkins

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Westgate

What we know

The Tigers offense will be unpredictable and unconventional. Coordinator Randall Antoine will have at least four players taking direct snaps from center in sophomores Noah Antoine, Brock Mitchell and Cayden Lancelin and senior Trandin Benjamin.

“We don’t have set positions,” said head coach Ryan Antoine, who won the 2021 Class 4A state title using a similar offensive method. “We don’t put a label of ‘quarterback’ on it. We have a lot of guys who will touch the ball first.” Noah Antoine and Mitchell are quarterbacks in the traditional sense. Lancelin (6-foot, 185 pounds) is ranked as the No. 1 sophomore in Louisiana, the No. 2 athlete and No. 63 player nationally by 247Sports. Benjamin, a Lamar commitment as an athlete, has a running back’s elusiveness.

“Mitchell is the X-factor,” Antoine said of the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder “He makes us good by doing so many things well His attitude and energy make us go. We can put him so many places. He’s selfless.”

The Tigers are young with more than 30 sophomores and freshman and a single-digit senior class. Sophomore running back Caemon Crockem is one of several Tigers who were ranked in Prep Redzone Louisiana’s top 50 players in his class.

A large receiving corps is made up of mostly underclassmen. Lancelin and Joshua John are projected starters along with junior Jackilon Roberson. The group also includes Rahim Alem (son of former LSU defensive lineman Rahim Alem), LJ Vallot and Jaxon Malvo. Armani Davis made the previously mentioned Top 50 list.

What we don’t know

Are the Tigers a year away from a potential stretch of greatness?

With so much young talent there seems to be little question that Westgate will be in the mix for

a state title the next two years. The Class 4A Tigers, who move down to Division II next season after battling the Class 5A behemoths in Division I for a stretch, have two of the nation’s top 101 sophomores in Lancelin and 6-foot-4 defensive end Chance Archangel. Starting strong safety Shadon Lee is another highly regarded sophomore.

“The biggest question mark is that we’re young on the line,” said Antoine, whose team was decimated by injuries the past two years with its top two quarterbacks getting injured early last season.

“The biggest thing is that if we’re healthy, we’ll have a great chance. The young kids have been playing together a long time. We had a real good camp and a real good summer We’re putting the pieces together.”

How we see it

The Tigers’ first five games are rugged with nondistrict contests against Lake Charles College Prep, Southside and Lafayette Christian and league clashes against Teurlings Catholic and St. Thomas More.

Southside (No. 19) is projected to have possibly its best squad ever LCA (No. 20), Teurlings (No. 21) and STM (No. 9) are also ranked in the state’s preseason Top 25 by Rivals.

Antoine has a tremendous coaching staff that includes former NFL players Tyrunn Walker and Jerald Hawkins, and Randall Antoine, who played running back at Houston.

A lot will depend on the Tigers’ health, their young players’ maturity and finding consistency at the quarterback position, which took a nosedive last year when starter Jaboree Antoine (an elite DB now at Miami), backup Bryant Leon (also a top receiver) and Noah Antoine all went down with injuries.

Mike Coppage

SCOREBOARD

Makai Wells LB, 6-0, 190, Sr.

The three-year starter is listed on Westgate’s roster as an athlete.Antoine predicts the twotime all-district selection will have a breakout season at linebacker, noting that the senior still has a great deal of untapped potential Trandin Benjamin LB, 5-11, 195, Sr. Last year, the jack-of-all-trades player scored eight touchdowns while racking up four interceptions, seven sacks, nine tackles for loss and a forced fumble. His junior rushing total of nearly 200 yards could explode as the Tigers lost workhorse Tavias Gordon to graduation.

Jackilon Roberson WR, 5-11, 170, Jr.

Among the leading returning receivers, Roberson should be targeted often in the downfield passing game. His skills helped the Tigers win St.Thomas More’s Air It Out seven-on-seven tournament over the summer QB Noah Antoine and the junior have good chemistry

John Dauterive

FS 5-10, 160, Jr.

The free safety qualified for the Class 4A state track meet in the 800 meters. He’s well-regarded by his head coach and will spearhead a speedy secondary that also includes state javelin qualifier Aryo Fleming Lenord Howard

DT 6-2, 265, Sr. The McNeese State commitment is a respected team leader who is ranked among the top 10 defensive tackles in the state. He’ll anchor a fourman front where each player is at least 6-foot and 250 pounds.

Mike Coppage

ADVOCATE.COM | Monday, august 25,2025 5Cn

OBY RACHELMIPRO| Contributingwriter

ne Tulane University professor has pinpointed yetanotherreason people are increasingly polarized: internet searchterms.

After studying nearly 10,000 participants on avarietyof subjects from gasprices to caffeine, Eugina Leung,anassistant professor at Tulane’sA.B.Freeman School of Business, has concludedwe need to reexamine the waywesearch forinformation.

Leung was the lead authorofastudyonthe waypeopleuse search terms, with results published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. We spoketoher about her researchinthis interview, which has been edited for clarity andlength.

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff

standing ovationfromthe audience and show judges. Blue, 23, of NewOrleans, learned the news of his advancement during the NBC talent competition’sresults show on Wednesday night. He joinsacts LightWire and Sirca Marea as thefirst three advancing contestants after

installment of quarterfinals, which beganon

ä See 'TALENT', page 6C

Louisiana singer Jourdan Blue, right, chats with ‘America’s Got Talent’ host Terry Crews after he learns America has voted him into the competition’s semi-finals.

What is separation anxiety in individuals with Alzheimer’sordementia and some tips and strategies to manageit?

Reluctance and fear of being separated from the individual’sprimary caregiver,or separation anxiety,isanormal, healthy response and occurs regularly in people with Alzheimer’sdisease or dementia. Many factors contribute to separation anxiety,including changes in acaregiver or household routine, illness, or from just being tired or over stimulated.

For the individual affected by Alzheimer’sordementia, the separation anxiety is magnified as the individual already feels personally “lost,” and losing or being separated from afamiliar caregiver can make them very unsettled and agitated. The thought of being alone, or even abandoned, greatly affects the person and can be a challenging circumstance for the primary caregiver

Somecaregivers are very challenged when their loved ones “shadow them,” meaning they are constantly under their feet, so to speak. The affected individual is not shadowing, or wanting to be with the caregiver all the time, purposely.The effects of the disease makethe individual react in such away that he/she trusts and needs that familiar person and thus, that person becomes the center of their world. It’s aform of reassurance and validity; a connection the affected individual relies upon forsecurity and quality of life. Without it, the affected individual soon becomes paranoid and afraid, and anxiety can produce behavioral outbursts or expressions. Affected individuals need to build trust in others, caregivers other than their primary caregiver so that the primary caregiver can have some space, or respite, from their loved one. The affected individual eventually growsto trust and rely upon these new caregivers in their lives. They can be family members or close friends or even aconsistent professional paid caregiver.Once trust is established, it will be easier forthe caregiver to get away when needed and not be shadowed so much by the loved one. Always redirecting the individual suffering from Alzheimer’sordementia is another way to reduce separation anxiety.Validate the affected individual’sexpressions of fear and anxiety and use a comforting and soothing tone of voice forreassurance. Find something that the loved one enjoys doing like taking awalk outside, working on apuzzle, gardening, painting, looking at photographs, listening to favorite music, etc. Pay attention to routine, as the morestructure in the day the affected individual enjoys, the less chance that anxiety will rise. Offerthe affected individual plenty of understanding and acceptance and never scold or ridicule the

Trythisway of scenting trashbin

Dear Heloise: Ifind that this hint helps, especiallyduring the hot months of the year.After blowing out asweet-smelling candle, Ipour the wax onto asheet of tinfoil in the sink and let it dry.Ithen divide it into pieces and put them in indoor and outdoor garbage cans. It really helps. Thanks for your workover theyears —S.C., in Lincoln, Nebraska

By The Associated Press

until his death in 1996.)

Hints from Heloise

Have ahandy list of meds

Dear Heloise: My husband has several drug prescriptions. Ityped alist into the computer so that we have arecord of his current medications and added a

datetothe list. If thedoctor changes thedosageoradds/ deletes adrug, it’seasy to updatethe list. Iprinted alist small enough to fit into hiswallet so that he can confirm the list with the doctors at hisappointments. The doctors and nurses appreciate alegible list to compare to their records. I foundakit at an office supplystore so that Ican laminatethe listhecarries in hiswallet. —Sue J.,inColorado Living trusts

Dear Heloise: Regarding the message from Frances A., in Lima, Ohio, your will suggestions wereperfect.(As

usual.) AfterIbought my house over 30 years ago, my parents suggested thatIdoa will. (I was alreadydivorced andhad ason.) So,Idid. Afew years later,my parentssuggested that I change the will to aliving trust because it avoids probate, saves time and remainsprivate. So, Idid this as well. My brothers and I had an easy timewith our parents’ living trust,and it comforts me to know that it will be really easy for my son when Ileave. Thank you so much for your (andyour mom’s) awesomecolumn —Debi G., in Stanton, California Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

EDT

routine on ‘America’sGot

‘TALENT’

Continued from page5C

Aug. 19. It was the first live show of the season —aswell as the firsttime America was able to vote for their favorites.

Blue wowed thecrowd and judges that night with his performance of the Calum Scotthit, “Biblical.” Jaws dropped when Blueconfirmed that he was dealing with astomach illness at the time.

“This means everything to me, andthere wasn’tanything that wasgoing to hold me back from that,” Blue said. LightWire, founded in Bra-

SEARCH

Continued from page5C

Let’sbegin with abasic explanationofyourstudy

Themainidea is:How do people actually search? Our research basically shows that when people are looking up information online, whether on Google or ChatGPT or eventhe new AIpowered search engines, they often pick search terms that reflect what they already believe, alot of timesnot even realizingit. And because today’ssocial algorithms are designed to give you the most relevant answers for whatever term you type, those answers would generally just reinforceyourthoughtsinthe first place. This makes it harder for people to discover broader perspectives What implications doesthis researchhavefor readers? Ithink it will be good if this research encourages the readers to be more critical of search results, especially on more complex topics. So they might ask themselves, “Hey,amIactually only seeing one side of this story because of the wayIsearched?” Another thing that Ithink would be an implication for the readers —Idon’tknow whether you notice, when you search on Google, there’sabutton called “I’m Feeling Lucky.” And so in this research, we thought that it would be good to actually have something similar,but instead have a “Search Broadly” button, so if you click on that button, you can be exposed to a broader perspective.

8.

zilby twobrothers, uses LED displays and light-updance suits to create worksofart Sirca Marea, atrapeze duo,includesMatias Cienfuegos of Spain and Micaela Leitner fromArgentina. Jourdan and the rest of the top 12 will return to compete Tuesday, Sept. 16,for oneof seven spots in the finale Fortheir July audition, 15 members of the EDT dance team,alsoofNew Orleans, performed high-flying flips, deathdrops and adynamic routine set to Ciara’s“Level Up”and “APT” by Rose and BrunoMars.

“I always hope every year that we’re going to see an act where you go, ‘That’s as good as it’sgoing to get,’ and that is oneofthoseaudi-

And soyou’re saying fromthe study thatyou thinkalot of people would welcome this opportunity to getmore data.

Yes, we did have apre-test, and we found that at least 70% or 80% of participants mentioned that they would be willing to use this feature if it existed.

We’ve always had, obviously,a problem with echo chambersasa society.But do you think technology in general, in this landscape,has contributed to that?

It is actually very interestingbecause Idothink AI has the potential to get peopleout of theechochamber. But Ithink the way that it is programmed now,it’s quite agreeableand it’s not likely to lead peopleoutside of their echo chamber,and sometimes it mightevenlead them to getintotheir rabbit hole.So Ithink technology is likeadouble-edged sword. …I see potential for improving welfare, but at thesame time,Ialso see potential for amplifying existingcollective biases that we might have.

You’ve done so much research in this area,on the influence of technology on consumer judgment, right? So what are you seeing in this space right now?

Ithinkthere’s stillalot to explore,because we’re still in the beginning ofunderstanding all the psychology of how people perceive technology,especially AI. Onethingthat Ithink is important when it comes to AI research and psychology is that the technology is movingreallyfast. AndI think to me, the mostimportant thing about AI research in this area is to try to focuson researchthat will last, even if the technology changes. And what do you recommend readers do based on this info? What else

Today is Monday, Aug. 25, the 237th day of 2025. There are 128 days left in the year

Todayinhistory

On Aug. 25, 1916, Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act, establishing the National Park Service as an agency of the U.S. Departmentofthe Interior to maintain thecountry’snatural and historic wonders and “leave them unimpaired for theenjoyment of future generations.”

Also on this date:

In 1875, Matthew Webb becamethe first person to swim across the English Channel, crossing from Dover,England, to Calais, France, in under 22 hours.

In 1928, an expedition led by Richard E. Byrd set sail from Hoboken, New Jersey,onits journey to Antarctica.

In 1944, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation during World WarII.

In 1948, Alger Hiss denied charges by Whittaker Chambers that Hiss was acommunist involved in espionage in theHouse UnAmerican Activities Committee’sfirst televised congressional hearing. (Hiss was later charged with perjury and sentenced to five years in prison, but maintained his innocence

ANXIETY

Continuedfrom page5C

tionsnow,genuinely,” judge Simon Cowell told the girls. “A lotofthe younger acts are coming in herewith real determination, which is fantastic for your life, by the way.Ifyou really want somethingand are prepared to put thehours in to tryand win, youwill win,that’sit. AndIlove that.”

AfterTuesday night’s show,fans canvote forthe dancers by visiting https:// agt.vote.nbc.com/orusing theNBC app.

“AGT” airs at 7p.m.Tuesdayand Wednesday on NBC, and also streamsonPeacock thefollowing day

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

can peopledotokindofun-bias their searches?

Iwould saybeing really aware of this, trying to really actively seek out broader information, really critically evaluate. Iknow that this is quite mentally costly, in terms of mental load to do it for everysearch. But to give an example. Let’s just say maybeI’m thinking about what Ishould invest in,likeApple stock. Ithink it’sanimportantdecision. For readers, when they are facing some important decisions, like some financial decisions like this, theycan askthemselves, “Hey,am Ionly searching because I believe in this stock, “Will Apple stockgoup?” And if you search that way,you’ll see all the positiveinformation of whyApple stock is going up. Butifyou search the opposite, “Will Apple stock go down?”You’ll see all the negative information also. So being really aware of that, especially when you’re searching formore complex topics,Ithink it’s really important. You’re the expert. Are there any search platforms or AI tools that you recommend peopleuse? Notnecessarily onethat Iwould recommend.I recommend people to actually be more critical, which is easier saidthandone, but more critical when they see the search results. If it’sa very important topic, Iactually do asearch using like ChatGPT andPerplexity, and alsoGoogle and Bing. Bing, Idon’t use as often,but sometimes Idofromtime to time, if it’sanimportant topic. Just to know that I’m not missing out on any information

In 1981, the U.S. spacecraft Voyager 2came within 63,000 miles of Saturn’s cloud cover,sending back pictures of and data about the ringed planet.

In 2001, R&B singer Aaliyah waskilled with eight others in aplane crash in the Bahamas; she was 22.

In 2012, Neil Armstrong, 82, whocommanded the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing and was the first man to set foot on the moon in July 1969, died in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey,the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in morethan adecade, madelandfall near Corpus Christi, Texas, with 130 mphsustained winds; the storm would deliver five days of rain totaling close to 52 inches, the heaviest tropical downpour that had ever been recorded in the continental U.S.

In 2020, two people were shot to death and athird was wounded as 17-yearold Kyle Rittenhouse opened fire with an AR-15style rifle during athird night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of aBlack man,Jacob Blake. (Rittenhouse, whowas taken into custody in Illinois the next day,said he wasdefending himself after the three men attacked him as he

tried to protect businesses from protesters; he was acquitted on all charges, including homicide.)

In 2022, regulators approved California’splans to require all new cars, trucks and SUVs to run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035. (President Donald Trumpsigned aresolution in June 2025 blocking California’splan, prompting acourt challenge by the state).

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Tom Skerritt is 92. Former U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Wright is 90. Film director John Badham is 86. Baseball Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers is 79. Rock musician Gene Simmons(Kiss) is 76. Rock singer Rob Halford (Judas

individual for the way they are feeling or acting. The environment can also causeanxietytoescalate if the surroundings for the affected person become unknown or are frequently changed, so changing care settings frequently can disorient the affected person and causestrain. Additionally,affected individuals of-

tentimes mirrortheir caregivers, and they can sense emotions of the familiar caregiver.These emotions can be transferable, so it is important for caregivers to maintain control over their own anxieties whendealing with their loved ones. If the affected individual senses the caregiver’sfrustration or distress as the caregiver is leaving, then that might signal to the individual that something is wrong, and it will escalate the situation and the anxiety

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’sadvocate and authorof“What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’sDisease.” She hosts “TheMemory Whisperer.” Email her at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

VIRGo(Aug.23-sept.22) Allocate your dollars to something that contributes to personal growth. Akind or romantic gesture can lead to asense of responsibility and security, helpingyou put your life into perspective.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Refuse to get caught up in someone's drama. Spare yourself grief, save your reputation and maintain your position. Focus your energy on building wealth andfosteringahealthy lifestyle.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov.22) Live, learn and experience pastimes that help you grow emotionally. Let your physical needscome frontand center. Everyone has aright to freedom of thought.

sAGIttARIus(nov.23-Dec. 21) Tidy up loose ends first, and you'll experience an attitude shift that will enhance your day. Acommitment to someone special will lead to plans that require abudget and research.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Gauge your time andthe requests others make, and refrain from taking on too much. Someone will take advantage of you or try to take ownership of something that belongs to you.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You'reonthe pathtogrowth and gain.Review your options, set abudgetand be relentless in your quest to excel. Personal and professional improvements are within reach.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Recognize when someoneisjealousoruses emotional manipulation to holdyou back.

Sometimes, the ones you least expect arethe ones youmustwatch outfor most. Keep your eyes open and protect your secrets.

ARIEs(March 21-April 19) Draw on your resources for facts and solutions. A shift in how you invest and earn aliving is apparent. An unexpected event will turn into ablessing in disguise.

tAuRus (April 20-May20) Look for the good in everyone and everything. A pessimistic or stubborn approach will lead to trouble. Life is about more than perfection or always getting your way.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Set yourself up for success. Mingle, network and market yourself by offering your skills and experience to those you want or need to impress. Explore andexpressyour thoughts.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Lead without force. Capturing the attention of those already on your team will help you build asolid foundation. Invest more in yourself, your skills and your dreams. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Draw on your resources and forge ahead with confidence. You have plenty to gainifyou are open to suggestions, use your creativity to expand your interests, and welcome suggestions, changes and contributions.

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, pastand present. Each letter in thecipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE:F EQuALsW

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squaressothat each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Jackie Robinson said, “Pop flies, in a sense, are just adiversion for asecond baseman. Grounders are hisstock in trade.” Forbridge players, “trade”ought to be their stock in trade. Last week, we looked at the“trade” acronym from the declarer’s point of view.However,thedefendersshouldalso usethesetools.Letusstartwithtrackthe defenders’ and declarer’s tricks. South is in four hearts. West leads a fourth-high club four: three, ace, five. Howshould East continue?

South opened withaweak two-bid, showing adecent six-card suit and some 6-10 high-card points. North knewthat there couldbefour losers, but maybe the defenderswould err or there would be 10 top tricks.Itpaystopush for game because thebonus forsuccess is so huge. East should ask himself wherefour defensivetricks might come from. He can see two: the club ace and heart king. Westcannothavethespadeaceandking, because he would have ledthe ace, not a club. So,Eastmusthope for one spade, one heartand two clubs. This means that West must be assumed to have the club king. If he also has thespade ace, anything will work. But if West has onlythe spade king,Eastmustshift to that suit at trick two. Andheshould lead theeight or six, high to deny an honor.

Here,this leaves Southwith no chance. But if Eastplays back aclub —returning your suit, partner —the contract makes Declarer will be abletodraw trumps and discard hisspade loser on dummy’s fourth diamond.

©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews

McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four

toDAy’s WoRD coVEtous: KUV-eh-tus: Having acraving for possession.

Average mark 15 words Timelimit30minutes

Can youfind17ormore words in COVETOUS?

sAtuRDAy’s WoRD —ZooPHytEs

thought

Jesus lookedround about, and said to hisdisciples, How hardly shallthey that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:23