The Times-Picayune 08-25-2025 by The Advocate

‘A WIN-WIN FOREVERYBODY’

Ayearafter newTreasureChest opens, revenueisway up forcasinoand Kenner

BY LARA NICHOLSON |Staff writer

For Mary Rose Christopher,the Treasure Chestisher “happy place.”

The 82-year-old Metairie resident visits the gambling hot spot three times a week, logging up to eight hours on the slot machines each time. She’sfrequented the casino since it openedin 1994, and was among the ﬁrstcustomers to board the Treasure Chest’s former riverboat venue.

Three decades later,Christopher still loves the staff and the casino —even if it’sharder to ﬁnd an empty slot machine now that the Treasure Chest is on land.

“If you go there after 5o’clock, you can’t getamachine thatyou wantbecause it’ssocrowded,” Christopher said.

TheTreasure ChestCasinohas seen major growth since openingits larger, $100 millionland-based casinoinJune 2024, with no sign of letting up. In the

year since its opening, the casino has collected an average gross revenue of $12.6 million per month, about 82% higher than theyear before, according to gaming revenue reports by LouisianaState Police.

The casino’saverage patronage also nearly doubled during thatperiod, with about89,000 customersvisitingeach month compared to about47,000 the

ä See CASINO, page 6A

Community ralliesaround detainees

2caughtin ICEsweep helped rebuildpost-Katrina

BY JAMES FINN |Staff writer

The cousins fled Guatemala’srural highlands, seeking stability in the United States. They found it in a city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Arriving in NewOrleans after thestorm,Abner Uriel GomezVelasquez andEver Eliseo Velasquez Fuentes found jobs in the boomingindustry Spanish speakers came to call “reconstrucción” —the backbreakingwork of ripping mold-infested flooring, sodden drywall and fried appliances fromflooded homes, and then, eventually,rebuilding them. At leastinthe short-term,whena lack of electricity,

ä See WORKERS, page 6A

Candidates weighin on fixing S&WB

BY BEN MYERS |Staff writer

The mayoral election comes at acritical juncture forthe New Orleans Sewerage & WaterBoard, as agency ofﬁcials warn the board’sdistressed infrastructure and uncertain funding pose threats to public safety As election season shifts into high gear the S&WB hasalso tapped anew executive leader,RandyHayman, whotookoverlast month for former chief Ghassan Korban after anational search overseen by Mayor LaToya Cantrell. The new mayor and executive director will join in an arranged marriage with enormous implications. The mayor serves as the board president,appointsnine of the10other board members and acts as theexecutive director’s de facto boss. Together,they will oversee the S&WB’s strategy forpitching newrevenue sources,restoring neglected catch basins, tackling abillion-dollar drainage maintenancebacklog and replacing lead water pipes.

Hayman’simmediate tasks include seeing twoofKorban’ssignature projects to the ﬁnish line. Acitywide water meter replacement

ä See CANDIDATES, page 7A

Longtime N.O. educator celebrates 85th birthday

Crierhas taught students life skills since1964

BY MARIE FAZIO |Staff writer

When agroup of students ﬁled into the McDonogh 35 High Schoollibrary one recent morning, Sylvia Crier snapped into action just as she has forthe past six decades. “I didn’thear agood afternoon,” said Crier,the school librarian who turned 85 thismonth.“Y’all know better than that.”

“Hi Ms. Crier, happy birthday!” rang achorus of voices “Happy birthday, queen,” one student added. Another reﬂexively pulled up his sweatshirt to show that his shirt was tucked in.

Crier has worked in New Orleans schools forover 60 years —likely one of the longest tenuresinthe district’s history. When she started teaching at Alfred C. Priestley Junior High School in 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson was

ä See CRIER, page 5A

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

The Treme Brass Band plays during apre-openingevent for the Treasure Chest’snew land-based casino at theend of Williams Boulevard near LakePontchartrain in Kenner on June 5, 2024.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

The Treasure Chest Casinoisseen in Kenner on Aug. 14.

Duplessis Moreno Thomas

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

The Rev. Augustine DeArmond,back left, standswith the family of Abner Uriel Gomez Velasquez —his wife, Olivia,and kidsOliver,6,Axle, 12, and Kalany, 4—onFridayatSt. AnthonyofPadua Church in NewOrleans.

Crier

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

‘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.

ASSOCIATED 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.

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.

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

CANADIAN PRESS PHOTO By SEAN KILPATRICK

Adler

Smoke billows Sunday after Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, yemen.

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Pentagon says some Guard units in D.C. carrying guns

Trump threatens more cities with deployments

BY JONATHAN J COOPER and LEAH ASKARINAM Associated Press

WASHINGTON Some Na-

tional Guard units patrolling the nation’s capital at the direction of President Donald Trump have started carrying ﬁrearms, an escalation of his military deployment that makes good on a directive issued late last week by his defense secretary

A Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly said some units on certain missions would be armed — some with handguns and others with rifles. The spokesperson said that all units with firearms have been trained and are operating under strict rules for use of force.

An Associated Press photographer on Sunday saw members of the South Carolina National Guard outside Union Station with holstered handguns.

A statement from the joint task force that has taken over policing in the nation’s capital said units began carrying their service weapons on Sunday and that the mili-

Wildfires expand in Oregon, California

BY TAMMY WEBBER

Associated Press

Wildfires in California wine country and Central Oregon grew overnight, prompting hundreds of evacuations as firefighters sought to contain the blazes Sunday 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 were ordered 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 LakeNapa Unit.

More than 1,230 firefighters backed by 10 helicopters were battling the fire, which began Thursday after a week of extremely hot weather The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Residents of the Western United States have been sweltering in a heat wave that hospitalized some people, with temperatures forecast to hit dangerous levels throughout the weekend in Washington, Oregon, South-

tary’s rules say force should be used “only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.” It said the force is committed to protecting “the safety and well-being” of Washington’s residents.

The development in Trump’s extraordinary effort to override the law enforcement authority of state and local governments comes as he is considering expanding the deployments to other Democratic-led cities, including Baltimore, Chicago and New York

Earlier Sunday, the president 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.’” He earlier said he was considering deploying troops to Chicago and New York.

Thousands of National Guard and federal law enforcement officers are now patrolling the district’s streets, drawing sporadic protests from local residents. 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 home-

ern California, Nevada and Arizona.

Clay said the weather has moderated since the fire broke out, with Sunday’s high expected to be 94 degrees. But humidity levels were expected to drop amid increasing winds later Sunday afternoon.

“That’s been a driving factor in the afternoons since we’ve seen the ﬁre activity pick up for the last three days,” Clay said, adding that “support from all up and down California has been critical to our efforts.”

The ﬁre began in the same area as the much larger Glass Fire in 2020, which crossed into Sonoma County and eventually burned about 105 square miles and more than 1,500 structures.

That fire was driven by wind, while the current ﬁre is fueled mainly by dry vegetation on steep slopes — some of it dead and downed trees left over from the Glass Fire and some of it grass and brush that grew back and then dried out

again, said Clay In Oregon, the Flat Fire in Deschutes and Jefferson counties had grown to almost 34 square miles, with about 4,000 homes under various levels of evacuation notice, including 1,000 with orders to leave immediately, according to the state Fire Marshal’s Ofﬁce.

Firefighters were able to cut containment lines and continued to suppress fires in some residential areas. However, they faced significant challenges Sunday with difficult terrain, low humidity and triple-digit temperatures in some areas, officials said.

Some homes have burned, and ofﬁcials said they were working to conﬁrm the status of structures.

The area is in a high desert climate, where dried grasses and juniper trees are burning and ﬁre is racing through canyon areas where it’s challenging to create containment lines, said Jason Carr, Deschutes County sheriff’s spokesman.

lessness 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 cor-

ners 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.

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

BY HILLEL ITALIE AP national writer

NEW YORK 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 Wal-

lace 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 sevenfigure 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.

Boxer awaits trial over cartel ties in Mexico

By The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. was released Sunday from a prison in northern Mexico where he 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 cartels and illegally trafﬁcking arms into Mexico.

Chávez was released after a judge in the northern Mexican city of Hermosillo said he wouldn’t have to remain in custody while awaiting trial, but that he was prohibited from leaving Mexico, a federal agent told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly The judge also set a threemonth period for further investigation into the case.

Chávez’s lawyer Rubén

Fernando Benítez Alvarez has described the claims against his client as “speculation” and “urban legends.”

Chávez was detained in the U.S. in July after a high-proﬁle match against American Jake Paul in Los Angeles. Mexican authorities had an order out for his arrest since 2023, but Mexico’s president said authorities hadn’t yet detained him because he was mostly in the U.S.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA Homeland Security Investigations agents patrol Saturday on the National Mall in Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NOAH BERGER

A firefighter battles the Pickett Fire on Saturday in the Aetna Springs area of Napa County, Calif.

president, the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing and the invention of the internet was still decades away A lot has changed since then. But not Crier

“The Crier you see is the same Crier we had in the ’80s,” said Terri Peyton, a 1982 graduate of Warren Easton High School, where Crier taught a range of courses from civics to manners.

“And just as fashionable,” added Belinda Rodriguez, another Warren Easton alum

Last week dozens of Crier’s friends, family and former students and colleagues gathered at the McDonogh 35 library to celebrate the longtime educator’s birthday her 61st year in New Orleans schools and a clean bill of health after battling breast cancer. Well-wishers handed her balloons, handmade cards and a ripe soursop, a fruit believed to aid in cancer recovery

At the end of the school day, the entire student body gathered in the gym where they played a few rounds of “Crier trivia” and a group performed a “Boots on the Ground” line dance in her honor Crier wore all pink, including a bedazzled baseball cap featuring the number 85, to mark the occasion.

“I’ve had a very, very good life,” she said.

Longtime educator

Crier’s teaching inclinations started in childhood.

As a youngster, she accompanied her grandmother to the one-room schoolhouse in Athens, Georgia, where she taught during the era of legal segregation.

“I used to watch her and I said, ‘That’s what I want to be,’ ” she said. “I like to inspire, I like to motivate and I think I’ve done a good job of doing that since 1964.”

She attended Tuskegee University, where she met

Sylvia Crier, librarian at McDonogh

“I’ll

SyLVIA CRIER, librarian at McDonogh

her husband, who is now deceased. In 1964 they moved to New Orleans, where she began teaching at Priestly and then Alfred Lawless Junior High. When she tired of getting stuck in bridge trafﬁc or by a stalled train blocking her drive to the Lower 9th Ward, she applied to transfer to Alcée Fortier High School, a former school in Uptown.

Instead, she was dispatched to Warren Easton in Mid-City She was one of a handful of Black teachers sent to the school after the federal government threatened to withhold funding if at least 10% of the staff was not White. Though some White teachers shunned their new Black colleagues, the White students rallied behind them, Crier said. Crier worked at the school until Hurricane Katrina,

when she was forced to evacuate the city The aftermath of the storm, which included the mass ﬁring of New Orleans’ public school teachers, is still painful to recall.

“I lost everything I had,” she said.

With the school system in disarray, she took a job with FEMA inspecting trailers across the state. She said she might have stayed in that role had she not received a fateful call: McDonogh 35 was reopening and the principal desperately needed teachers.

‘Preparing us’

Teaching in New Orleans today looks a lot different than when Crier started her career more than half a century ago.

Computerized smartboards and white dry-erase boards have replaced the old green chalkboards. The typewriters Crier remembers Warren Easton staff using were long ago exchanged for laptops, which students today carry in their backpacks. And the old New Orleans school district was converted after

Yet Crier’s style has remained consistent through the years.

Payton and Rodriguez recalled Crier patrolling the halls of Warren Easton making sure students’ shirts were tucked in and ID cards were around their necks, a practice she continues today when McDonogh 35 students enter the library

She still takes it upon herself to teach students life skills. Sometimes she has them sit in her chair and answer the phone using a handwritten script: “Hello you’ve reached the McDonogh 35 library This is -. How may I help you?”

“They call me old school, but that’s the way I was raised,” Crier said “No one comes in the room without saying, ‘Good morning.’” If they do, she sends them out to try again.

She keeps soap in her ofﬁce to help students freshen up their uniforms. And she hosts a lunchtime library club where students tutor

each other and participate in community service, such as reading to seniors at a nearby nursing home.

“She’s preparing us for the real world,” said sophomore Cammeryn O’Neal, whose parents Crier also taught.

Recently someone stopped him while he was wearing his 35 uniform in a Walgreens. They wanted to know if he knew Ms. Crier

“She’s just known around the city,” he said. Senior Makayla Washington said Crier is the school’s grandmother and “the glue” holding everyone together After Crier retires, she doesn’t plan to slow down. She hopes to jump out of a plane and walk the Appalachian Trail. When will she end her more than six-decade-long career?

“Whenever I’m ready,” she said.

“I’ll keep going as long as I keep inspiring,” she added, “and God wakes me up in the morning.”

CASINO

Continued from page 1A

year prior

It’s a signal of Laketown’s growing success as the parish begins development on its new amphitheater and the city pursues more capital projects thanks to almost $5 million in taxes the casino is expected to generate over the next ﬁscal year

“The Treasure Chest powers the City of Kenner,” said City Council member Joseph LaHatte, who represents Laketown.

Boyd Gaming Corp., the casino’s Nevada-based owner, declined to comment.

Statewide, Louisiana’s 15 riverboat casinos saw a 5% increase in gross revenue for the ﬁscal year ending June 30 compared to the year before.

In with the new

Kenner Mayor Michael Glaser placed the first bet

Continued from page 1A

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 40year New Orleanian, born in Guatemala, who attends church with one of the men at St. Anthony of Padua in Mid-City, 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 immigration dragnet.

Federal agents arrested the men, who have no criminal records, while they worked a construction job together near Lafayette on June 12 with two other St. Anthony parishioners, church leaders said They are awaiting deportation at the Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center, accused of entering the country illegally on their way to New Orleans after Katrina.

As the city girds for the landmark storm’s 20th anniversary this month, the arrests have highlighted immigrants’ foundational roles in rebuilding.

Demand for workers so outstripped supply after the storm that the Bush administration suspended rules requiring employers to verify workers’ immigration status. A 2006 survey of construction workers in the city found half were Hispanic, and half of those were here illegally And New Orleans’ Latino population grew by 71%, to 103,000 residents, between 2000 and 2013, according to census data. A precise number of Katrina construction laborers who remain in New Orleans is difﬁcult to tally But under

last year at the new landbased casino: $100 on the blackjack table, which was lost to the house in a matter of moments. Surrounding him were 900 slot machines and 32 table games across the 48,000-square-foot gambling hall.

The new building twice the size of its ﬂoating predecessor, also features a convention space, 1,700-space parking lot and four new restaurants, including Kenner’s only steakhouse, Alder & Birch. The entire property stretches across one floor unlike the riverboat’s three stories.

“Now it’s got that whole experience piece to it. It’s not just tables and slots,” Glaser said. “And now that you can pull up and walk in, it’s a lot more convenient than busing from a parking lot to a casino boat.”

He added that outside of gamblers, local organizations have been booking meetings and galas in the

said last year

‘Win-win’

Kenner will get its own windfall of cash from the Treasure Chest’s growth, too, as officials anticipate $4.8 million in tax revenue coming in over the next ﬁscal year a 77% increase from the year before.

On top of that, the City Council approved an additional $150,000 for each member’s discretionary fund last June in an override of a veto by Glaser

LaHatte said he plans to spend his money on street repairs and infrastructure improvements around Laketown.

trict Council member Arita Bohannan spearheaded the construction of a $14 million amphitheater on Lake Pontchartrain’s shoreline, with a seating capacity of over 10,000.

Kenner police turned a former lighthouse into a new police station with 10 officers to curb “mischievous activity” and in response to projected growth.

And the city is on the lookout for the right developer to take over the site where the Treasure Chest riverboat once sat, like a restaurant. For Mary Rose Christopher, she’s just glad she can ﬁnd a parking spot at the casino without much trouble.

event spaces, and elected ofﬁcials have held fundraisers in its restaurants. Christopher said she’s visited every restaurant with her husband.

“They are all delicious,” she noted.

Smoking is still allowed inside, but the new venue has higher ceilings and better ventilation, casino ofﬁcials

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” he said. Alongside those improvements, Kenner officials hope to turn Laketown into an entertainment hub for the region, despite decades of unsuccessful attempts to develop the land.

Jefferson Parish 4th Dis-

Trump, whose administration has often detained immigrants accused of no other wrongdoing, lawyers and advocates have identified numerous Katrina workers apprehended by ICE. They include a man deported to El Salvador following a May worksite raid at a marquee New Orleans anti-flooding project.

The White House’s immigration strategy has driven up deportations. Yet it has not been applied evenly: Outcry from community members and Republican lawmakers has led some detainees to be released, while others remain in jail or face deportation. Supporters of Gomez Velasquez and Velasquez Fuentes have petitioned for a measure of that relief, citing their contributions to New Orleans in letters to their Congress members.

Spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not respond to multiple inquiries about Gomez Velasquez and Velasquez Fuentes’ cases.

The Trump administration has vigorously defended its agenda.

After the May New Orleans raid, an ICE spokesperson said the agency’s worksite enforcement aims

to “deter employers who hire unauthorized workers” and to “promote self-compliance in the business community.” The raids, they said, “protect employment opportunities for the nation’s workforce.”

A New Orleans story

The cousins each crossed the U.S border with Mexico on their way north from homes in Guatemala’s verdant but impoverished San Marcos province. They entered “without inspection,” said Sue Weishar, a St. Anthony’s volunteer Velasquez Fuentes came to New Orleans in 2006, and Gomez Velasquez followed in 2008.

They continued their construction careers — both became skilled caulkers after the rebuild 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 a prayer group at St. Anthony, his home church. Velasquez Fuentes’ 16-yearold stepson was conﬁrmed there

Both men were unable to secure residency status be-

cause they did not qualify for many visa programs, such as those for relatives of adult citizens, people of certain professions and crime victims, church leaders said. They have not been accused of any other offenses.

“Our church recognizes that a country has the right to regulate its borders,” the Rev Augustine J. DeArmond, St. Anthony’s pastor, wrote to the judge handling Gomez Velasquez’s case.

“Our responsibility is also to act with justice and mercy.

On a recent Monday, about two dozen parishioners lined the church’s pews to pen letters calling for the men’s release. They asked the men’s families to describe how their detentions have upended their lives.

“I’ve never been separated from him for so long,” Axle, Gomez Velasquez’s 12-year-old son, said of his father as he fought back tears. “I miss him taking me to church and soccer I want him to come home.”

A few reversals

Amid Trump’s crackdown, backlash from constituents and intervention from Republican lawmakers have reversed some detainees’ fortunes.

The children of Abner Uriel Gomez Velasquez and Ever Eliseo Velasquez Fuentes sit inside St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Orleans. The two men who helped rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina were recently detained by agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA

GERMER

Plainclothes agents arrested Mandonna Kashanian, an Iranian citizen who has lived in New Orleans since 1978, while she gardened outside her home in June. A flood of letters to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, RJefferson, spurred the congressman to push for her release. Scalise later said Kashanian’s case shows a need to overhaul systems for processing immigrants without legal status who otherwise follow the law Paoula Clouatre, a Mexican citizen married to a U.S. Marine veteran, spent two months in ICE custody after her arrest at a citizenship appointment earlier this year U.S. Sen. John Kennedy’s ofﬁce helped secure her release last month.

Weishar, the church volunteer, said Gomez Velasquez and Velasquez Fuentes’ supporters have written to Scalise and U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, pleading for similar outcomes in their cases. Gomez Velasquez lives in Carter’s district, Velasquez Fuentes in Scalise’s. Carter declined to comment on specific cases involving his office but said he would “continue to work with everyone who reaches out to my office with con-

“You will always get a parking place,” she said. “If you’re a good player, they’ll treat you good. If you have a complaint, they’ll ﬁx it. They are all wonderful.”

Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate. com.

cerns about their loved ones detained by ICE.” Scalise’s ofﬁce did not respond to an inquiry about the cases.

Of the two other St. Anthony’s congregants arrested in the Lafayette operation, one, Angel Fernando de Leon Velásquez, has already been deported. His uncle, Abilio Efrain de Leon Velásquez, is set to be deported in four months, church leaders said. Katrina workers detained Trump’s administration has ramped up raids at worksites in recent months

In May, agents arrested 15 people at the New Orleans ﬂood mitigation site known as Mirabeau Water Gardens. Three weeks later, 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, a New Orleans-based advocate who helped coordinate resources to send detained workers’ families One of them was Miguel Vindel, who came to New Orleans from El Salvador two months before the storm, helped rebuild, then became a leader of Congress of Day Laborers, a labor rights group. Vindel was deported to El Salvador said Taber, who has remained in contact with him.

As he starts his sophomore year of high school, Velasquez Fuentes’ stepson, Anderson, took a job delivering food for seven hours each evening to make up for some of his father’s lost income.

“It will be really hard to keep this job when school starts in about a week,” he said, “but I have to help my mom pay the bills.” Anderson’s half-sisters frequently cry for their father he said.

“I am worried I have to take care of them,” he said, “but I do not know how to do this.”

Email James Finn at jﬁnn@theadvocate.com.

Kenner Mayor Michael Glaser makes

blackjack table during a pre-opening event for the Treasure Chest’s new land-based casino at the end of Williams Boulevard near Lake Pontchartrain in Kenner on June 5, 2024.

is seen as the solution to inaccurate bills and,ofﬁcials hope, the key to building public trust. And anew power complex aims to keep drainage pumps working during heavy rainstorms.

Both projects are expected to be largely complete by year’send, but neither is a cureall.

Billing consistency may soothesome of the most heated outrage directedat theS&WB, butboil-water advisories, street flooding and broken mains arestill commonplace.The power complex maystabilize electricity for drainage pumps, but Korban, before leaving in May,frequently raised alarms aboutthe condition of the drainage systemand its ability to handle climate change-fueledrainstorms.

Hayman, formerlythe PhiladelphiaWaterDepartment commissioner,has been on the job for only two weeks. In interviews, the three leading candidates— state Sen.RoyceDuplessis, City Council Vice President Helena Moreno and District Ecouncil member Oliver Thomas —saidthey would give Hayman achanceto perform.

Thecandidates also discussed the S&WB’sgoverningstructure —often maligned by critics —ideas for funding the agency,and plans forengagingstate lawmakers, who in recent years have not looked favorably on S&WB fundingrequests.

Agency funding

Thomas and Duplessis said they would evaluate Hayman’s performance with metrics tied to boil-water advisories, customer complaints and other measurable statistics. Moreno said she would insist Hayman improve S&WB communication with the public and local ofﬁcials

Thomas,Moreno and Duplessis each stressed rebuilding public trust, especially since voters next year will be asked to renew aproperty tax that makes up nearly one-third of the S&WB’sannual drainage revenue.

S&WB ofﬁcials say losing the tax would severely compromisebasic infrastructure maintenance.They also warn that keeping the tax still doesn’tleave enough for critical repairs and upgrades, not to mention 72,000 catch basins the agency took over this yearafter decades of City Hall neglect.

“The agency does need money.They need additional dollars.The problem is that the public doesn’ttrust the Sewerage &Water Board,” Moreno said.

Morenowouldmove S&WB board meetings to the City Council chamberfor easier public access. Thomas would hold town hall meetingswith Haymanand other S&WB officials to discuss “the good, the bad and the ugly.” Duplessis would personally make the argument to renew the tax. With pressure building for new revenue, the S&WB

PHOTO PROVIDED

is hoping it will come from tax-exempt property owners who don’t pay drainage millages. Theagencyisnow working on astormwater fee proposal thatall property owners wouldpay while —somehow —avoiding increased burdens on nonexempt propertyowners, perhapsthroughcredits on annual tax bills

The long-discussed stormwater fee is controversial.

Critics worry it will inevitably be adoubletax or unfairly applied. Themayoral candidates generallysupport thefee, but they differ on howand when to adoptit, and how to managethe new revenue Thomas has supported the nonprofitWater Collaborative’sindependent stormwater fee proposal,but he said public conﬁdence to advance it “isn’tthere yet.”

“I thinkpeoplewanttosee us operate better with what we have,” Thomassaid Duplessis said astormwaterfee is ultimately necessary,but said the S&WB should build support among thecity’suniversities, churches and other tax-exempt property owners.

“It’ssomething that we need to act on. But Ithink theway youbuild trustisto try to bring as many people to thetable as possible, especially those entities who are going to be impacted,” Duplessis said. Moreno,who hascalled for afee in campaign appearances,saidshe believesitcan be fairly structured to address critics’ concerns. She would give the City Council control of new revenue, with S&WB requests to use it evaluated by the Council Utilities Regulatory Ofﬁce.

“I’mhoping with that level of scrutinythat the voters of New Orleans would approve this type offee,” Moreno said Governance

The S&WB says it needs a minimum of $25millionannually to clean the catch basins, but theCantrelladministrationponiedupjusthalf that amount this year,mostly from one-time sources. That illustratesapotential conﬂict in the mayor’srole on the S&WB governing board. As board president,the mayor is theS&WB’smost important cheerleader.As City Hall’schief executive, the mayor doles out limited funding to variousdepartments,inevitably picking winners and losers.

Thecandidates all saidthe S&WB’sannual costestimate

needsindependentveriﬁcation,but they alsoagreed City Hall is responsible for coming up with the money, either through cityfunds or state and federal partnerships.

“If you’re mayor of this city and president (of the S&WB), you’re responsible for every damn thing that affects thecitizens,”Thomas said.

Morenosaidthe board should elect its own president, and will consider appointing someone to ﬁll her spot on the board. She said she is open to other ways to reduce the mayor’sinﬂuence, so long as theboard remains composed of New Orleans residents.

“I’vealwaysthought that was areally tricky spot to be in, the way that it’sbeen set up,” Morenosaid,referring to themayor’s dual role.

Duplessissaid he doesn’t seea conﬂictinthe mayor’s dual role: He saidthe S&WB is like anyother department the mayor must steer through sometimes-competing funding requests.

Duplessis alsodismissed other concerns,voiced by the Bureau of Governmental Research and others, that the board structure creates “a misalignment between operational control andfunding responsibility,”asthe BGR has put it

“There’s no evidence to suggest that changing the boardstructure will lead to necessary changes,” Duplessis said. “This really boils down to thefact that we have a300-year-old cityworking on asystem that wasbuilt over acenturyago.”

Thomas saidthe next mayor needstofocusonthe basics of governance before toying with major changesto the S&WB governing structure.

“What you wantisstabilization, delivery of service andimproved consumer conﬁdence,” Thomas said.

The candidates also shared other ideas for improving infrastructure, both within the S&WB and overall. Moreno would spearhead aregional water treatment plant to protect against saltwater intrusion. Thomas would make sure the sewer system isn’t overlooked. Allthreecandidates would fully staff the public worksdepartment andrelyless on outsourced project management.

“Weblow alot of money on projectmanagers,”Duplessissaid. “Thereisa need and aplace for project management, but we have to be better about how we spend.”

STAFF FILE PHOTOByDAVID GRUNFELD

ASewerage& Water Board water mainbrokeatthe corner of Cohn and Audubonstreets, flooding several streets in the neighborhood south of Claiborne Avenue on April 9, 2023.

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Roseland facility cited in past

State Police said fire 90% contained

BY LARA NICHOLSON and DAVID MITCHELL Staff writers

Two days after an explosion at Smitty’s Supply Inc. in Roseland forced an evacuation of nearby residents and blanketed the area in black, oily soot, authorities said they were still trying to get the ﬁre under control.

The fire was 90% contained Sunday afternoon, unchanged from the night before despite the arrival of additional resources and specialized heavy machinery overnight, State Police said in an update issued just after noon.

A containment berm was being installed around the site to prevent any runoff of hazardous materials, and recovery operations were expected to continue through the day, authorities said. Response crews also began removing structural debris and addressing “covered hotspots,” areas of smoldering fire that could be buried beneath rubble or debris. The mandatory evacuation of all residents within one mile of the plant remained in effect Sun-

SHOCKING VIEW

day afternoon and no injuries or deaths had been reported, State Police said. Tangipahoa Parish schools Superintendent Melissa Stilley said Sunday afternoon that Roseland Elementary School would remain closed on Monday Roughly 960 residents had to evacuate the rural town of Roseland, located along U.S. 51 just north of Amite City, after an explosion erupted from the Smitty’s automotive lubricant manufacturing plant on Friday afternoon. Among those to evacuate includ-

ed the students of Roseland Elementary and former Gov John Bel Edwards. A column of black smoke extended into the skies as the blaze roared at the 20-acre plant and first responders spent hours extinguishing the flames. Days later, even as ﬁreﬁghters tamed much of the

and smoke, a chemical smell permeated many nearby Tangipahoa Parish communities, and an unidentified

Bail set for bridge shootout suspect

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

a drive-by shooting on the Crescent City Connection last month a gunbattle that left his brother dead and another man wounded — is being held on a $1.5 million bail. Jawuan Riley, 25, was booked on one count of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted second-degree murder in connection with the July 27 killing According to an arrest warrant afﬁdavit, Riley was riding in the passenger seat of a Nissan Altima driven by his brother, 27-year-old Vincent Robertson, when both men began shooting at a Porsche traveling westbound on the bridge. Police said the brothers were “stalking” the occupants of that car — a woman and two men — and opened ﬁre with 9 mm handguns as a Cadillac driven by a friend of the

Officials challenged feds to rebuild N.O. post-Katrina

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Hurricane Katrina ransacked the lives of more than 1 million people in metro New Orleans 20 years ago. The storm caused so much devastation that then-U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert questioned whether New Orleans even ought to survive. Against this backdrop, thenGov Kathleen Blanco and thenNew Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin

each created a board to try to ﬁgure out how Louisiana and New Orleans could not only survive but come back stronger with badly needed federal aid.

That work was recalled Saturday night at a reunion of members and staffers of those two blueribbon committees, the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, as well as three former members of Congress from the time. Today, of course, restaurants are thriving throughout metro New Orleans. In January, the city hosted a Super Bowl that won kudos far and wide. Millions of visitors come to visit the French

Andy Kopplin, former executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, visits with guests during a reunion Saturday at The National WWII Museum following panels discussing Hurricane Katrina recovery

Benjamin Franklin High ranked No. 1 in Louisiana

School listed among nation’s top 100

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

Benjamin Franklin High School, a selective-enrollment charter school in New Orleans, took the top spot in U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of Louisiana’s best high schools and made the list of the best schools nationwide.

Ben Franklin was the only Louisiana school to make the report’s list of the top 100 schools in the U.S., coming in at 99th place It

also was ranked 24th in a list of the country’s top charter schools.

“This is an incredible milestone for the Ben Franklin community and it’s also an important milestone for New Orleans and Louisiana,” said Benjamin Franklin High School CEO Alex Jarrell “Our city and state’s future hinges on having top schools preparing students and as a driver of economic mobility.”

The rankings consider students’ scores on state tests, the academic performance of students in underserved demographic groups, students’ participation and performance in Advanced Placement and Inter-

national Baccalaureate classes, and the school’s graduation rate. On a 100-point scale, Ben Franklin High School scored 99.45. According to the school’s scorecard, 91% of Ben Franklin students took at least one AP exam, 78% passed at least one AP exam and the graduation rate exceeded 95%. Seven students earned perfect scores on the ACT and 31% of students earned a 30 or higher on a 36-point scale. NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Fateama Fulmore said in a statement that the ranking was a “reﬂection of the hard work and dedication of its students, educa-

tors, staff, and families.

“At its heart, Franklin’s success is about students achieving at their highest level, and that’s what we want for every child in every school across our district.” As a selective admissions school, students must pass an academic exam and meet a minimum GPA to be admitted. About 61% of Ben Franklin students are non-White and 32% come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, compared with about 92% non-White students across all New Orleans public schools and 82% of all students who are economically disadvantaged.

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

A 30-second time exposure captures traf

whizzing by Saturday on Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans as lightning strikes over Lake Pontchartrain.

STAFF PHOTO

JOHN McCUSKER

1 dead in Quarter gunfire

Staff report

One man was killed in a French Quarter shooting early Sunday morning, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Ofﬁcers were called at 3:12 a.m to the 600 block of Iberville Street, where they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds.

Paramedics transported him to a hospital, where he later died, police said Investigators said the victim had been in an argument with the shooter when gunﬁre erupted.

Police did not immediately release more information but said the shooting remains under investigation

Vehicles, trailer homes ignite at scrapyard

Staff report

Fireﬁghters battled a ﬁre Saturday night at a New Orleans East scrapyard after several scrap vehicles and trailer homes ignited

The New Orleans Fire Department responded at 7:50 p.m. to the blaze at 9301 Old Gentilly Road. Flames quickly spread as firefighters attempted to find the source of the fire through rain, darkness and scrap vehicles blocking the facility’s entrance.

BAIL

Continued from page 1B

victims traveled alongside them. Investigators later determined that Riley and Robertson “had a motive to shoot in retaliation for a 2019 homicide,” court records show During the exchange, a 31-yearold man in the Porsche’s back seat was shot in the arm. The Cadillac’s driver ﬁred back at the brothers with a .40-caliber handgun in an attempt to shield his friends. Both the Porsche and Cadillac crashed on the bridge. Robertson exited the bridge and drove the Altima to a nearby Gretna address, where police found

Continued from page 1B

Quarter every year and sample the region’s unique food and culture. But in the immediate aftermath of Katrina, remembered then-U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, R-Shreveport, “The speaker of the House — whose name I won’t say but you can Google it — said, ‘Why should taxpayer dollars be spent to rebuild a city shaped like a bowl that’s under sea level?’ That’s what we started with. There were a lot of people in Congress who thought, ‘Why should we spend money to rebuild New Orleans? It’s just going to happen again.’”

But Blanco and Nagin, both Democrats, were undeterred.

Each one formed a committee with prominent Democrats and Republicans “and people we didn’t even know what their party afﬁliation was,” as Kim Boyle, a New Orleans attorney and member of both committees, put it Saturday night Also serving on both committees was Boysie Bollinger, a shipbuilder and prominent Republican. Blanco chose longtime Xavier University President Norman C. Francis to chair the Louisiana Recovery Authority, with veteran journalist Walter Isaacson serving as the vice chair Francis “was in it but not of it,” said Rod West, who served as president of Entergy New Orleans and as a member of the Bring New Orleans Back Commission “He had an understanding of the economics of the region, the socioeconomics, the demographics of the region. He was in a leadership position that was safe because it was academia.

ROSELAND

Continued from page 1B

oily substance coated many of the cars and homes surrounding the plant, leading to health and safety concerns.

over continued alleged offsite contamination, state and federal papers say

Response and recovery efforts

Officials said at least two nearby hydrants were inoperable, causing the Fire Department to dispatch water tankers to the scene. Firefighters located the burning vehicles and trailers about 30 yards away from the salvage yard’s entrance. A total of 24 Fire Department units and 62 firefighters had the fire under control by 9:38 p.m., officials said. No injuries were reported, and the cause is being investigated.

him suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He later died at University Medical Center

Detectives interviewed Riley, who claimed he didn’t know why his brother had started shooting, documents state. However, police found casings from two different firearms in the Nissan, and witnesses said two men had fired. Riley turned himself in at Central Lockup on Tuesday, hours after the New Orleans Police Department issued a wanted bulletin for him.

Magistrate commissioner Peter Hamilton set Riley’s bail at $1.5 million at a Thursday hearing in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. If convicted of seconddegree murder, Riley faces life in prison.

Several questions remained unanswered Sunday, including what caused the blast, what materials caught ﬁre, and what health and environmental impacts the explosion will have on the surrounding area in the future.

Past incidents

Smitty’s blends and distributes oil and other lubricants under the Super S, Shell, Quaker State, Castrol, Exxon, Valvoline and many other brand names. It also provides contract oil, lubrication and treatment product manufacture

The facility, which has 20 separate tank farms, also makes its own plastic bottles for products such as motor oil and manufactures grease. It has the ability to store 8.7 million gallons of flammable liquids and chemicals.

Though it is a mile from an elementary school, it isn’t required to obtain a state air permit because its emissions are too small, state regulatory papers say But, going back more than a decade, the facility has been the focus of scrutiny from state and federal regulators over spills of various chemicals and worker safety problems sometimes tied to spilled materials. There have also been odor complaints and lawsuits from one neighbor

Boysie Bollinger, left, and retired Adm. Thad Allen visit during a reunion at The National WWII Museum on Saturday of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and Bring New Orleans Back Commission, both groups involved in helping restore post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.

All of us coming from different vantage points were often pitted against each other, not that we were friends or enemies, but our respective interests were sometimes competing and knowing that the LRA had to be the referee, you needed someone, like in an arbitration, all sides had conﬁdence in. He was the one voice that the governor knew, no matter how vitriolic the language talk when Dr Francis got up to speak, his voice was trusted.” As Boyle noted, “While he was leading the LRA, he had lost his own home (in Gentilly).”

The recovery authority had the greater mission. It took the lead role in providing evidence to congressional leaders that Louisiana needed tens of billions of federal dollars to fortify the broken levee system, allow people to rebuild

their homes and repair damaged roads and bridges, said Andy Kopplin, who was appointed by Blanco to serve as the group’s executive director

Once the money was secured, the group then had to direct it to the most pressing needs as the region slowly recovered, Isaacson said.

Then-U.S Sen. Mary Landrieu recalled being told by Federal Emergency Management Agency ofﬁcials that they would give New Orleans only enough money to replace the previous school system — a school system that Landrieu remembered being built to serve a segregated city.

“I need you to give me one check,” she said she told the ofﬁcials. “They said, ‘We can’t do that It’s against the law.’ I said, ‘Good for you. I am a United States senator, and I pass

In January 2022 and again in April 2024, Smitty’s reached settlements with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to pay $285,000 combined to dispatch a variety of allegations going back to late 2011. They included improperly burying waste; oil as well as water with oily sheens and oil-stained absorbent pads being drained or dumped into local ditches; sheens in the Tangipahoa River; failing to have up-to-date plans for runoff control; exceeding discharge limits; and many other allegations. Under the standard terms of such deals, Smitty’s admitted no fault.

Since the settlements, the company has continued to be the source of odor and spill complaints and has a pending enforcement review from DEQ. Between 2017 and 2021, the company also amassed a little more than $58,000 in ﬁnes from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration over worker safety concerns that injured two and killed one. State troopers declined to speculate on what role, if any, the facility’s workplace conditions and spotty record for spills may have played in the blaze. Environmental records indicate no previous ﬁres have been reported since August 2011. Attempts to reach Smitty’s management for comment have been unsuccessful.

laws.’”

Working with others, Landrieu secured $1.8 billion to rebuild New Orleans’ school system.

“That’s the kind of determination that our congressional delegation had at that time,” Landrieu said. “We did not accept the rules and regulations. If it wasn’t working for us, we changed it to make it better.”

Blanco, despite the opposition of the teachers union, which was part of her political base, supported the effort to have New Orleans move to an all-charter-school system, which allowed parents to decide where they wanted to send their children.

Blanco was pilloried in the weeks and months after Katrina, with critics saying she was weak and indecisive. Blanco’s popularity tanked, and she decided not to run for reelection in 2007.

The group that worked with her closely after the storm said she didn’t receive credit for achievements.

Then-Gen. Bennett Landreneau, who headed the Louisiana National Guard, told of how Blanco on the day after the storm visited the Superdome, the temporary home of tens of thousands of people who couldn’t evacuate. But the power was out, the toilets were backed up, part of the roof had been torn off and it was sweltering hot.

“She walked into the crowd at the Superdome,” Landreneau said. “There were no cameras. No reporters. That’s the way she wanted it. She just mingled with the crowd and talked with them about the plans to evacuate the Superdome and the work that was being done to provide shelters.”

Tim Coulon, the former Jefferson Parish president who chaired the Superdome Commission at the time

Local, state and federal agencies worked throughout the weekend to battle the potential effects of pollution By Sunday afternoon, crews had deployed about 1,900 feet of containment boom in the Tangipahoa River, which flows to Lake Pontchartrain, and 100 feet in a nearby drainage ditch, with eight airboats supporting recovery, State Police said.

Two frack tanks containing a total of 900 barrels of ﬂuid had been recovered as of Sunday afternoon.

Ofﬁcials with the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement that 18 employees and contractors were assisting with the response alongside aircraft used for monitoring.

Air monitoring since Friday night had shown “either non-detectable readings or levels well below health-based or actionable thresholds,” State Police said, though other communities who have been hit by lubricant plant fires have seen a gap between ofﬁcial readings and what residents experienced.

Officials with the DEQ conﬁrmed Sunday plans to deploy a mobile air monitoring lab to Roseland. Air quality data collected via the lab will be available on DEQ’s website in real time, ofﬁcials said.

Sightings of impacted wildlife can be reported to a hotline at (832) 514-9663 Authorities urged the public not to handle wildlife directly Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate.com.

of the storm, said Blanco issued an executive order that expedited the Superdome’s reconstruction.

A year later Steve Gleason blocked a punt, and the Saints went on to win their ﬁrst game back at the Superdome.

U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, RTexas, then a White House ofﬁcial assisting in the recovery, said President George W. Bush deserved credit for promising to provide the federal dollars needed to rebuild the levees and coming through with the money Isaacson remembered how Laura Bush, after hearing during a visit to New Orleans that St. Bernard Parish still didn’t have electricity, interjected, “George, George, wait a minute. They don’t have the electricity back on. So how can they do anything?” Her husband told his aides to ﬁnd a way to get the power turned on again.

In all, Louisiana received $68 billion in federal money, Kopplin said, adding that it was the highest amount ever for a state per capita following a hurricane.

Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Smoke fills the air over a house on Pleasant Grove Street at U.S 51 as the sun sets on Friday in Roseland

PROVIDED PHOTO By NEW ORLEANS FIRE DEPARTMENT

New Orleans firefighters battle a blaze at 9300 Old Gentilly Road on Saturday.

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

OscarFrederick Breaux diedonSunday, August 17, 2025 at ChateaudeNotre DameCommunity Care CenterinNew Orleansat the ageof84. Mr.Breaux was born on September10, 1940 to thelateSheldon J., Sr. andAntonia Ingraham Breaux. He leaves to cher‐ish precious memories,his children, Oscar, Jr., Lawrence, Sr.and Simone Scott (Curtis); grandson Lawrence, Jr., four siblings, a host of nieces,nephews other relativesand friends. A Celebrationservice hon‐oring thelifeand legacy of the late OscarF.Breaux willbeheldinthe Chapel of Charbonnet Labat

GlapionFuneral Home 1615 St.PhilipStreet,New Orleans,LA70116 on Tues‐day,August26, 2025 at 10 am. IntermentRestHaven Cemetery. Visitation 9am inthe Chapel.Pleasesign onlineguestbook at www charbonnetfuneralhome. com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors,(504)581 4411.

preceded in deathbyher parents, ElsieRamagos Richard and JosephLee Richard, allnativesofNew Orleans, theirlineage going back generations. Terryissurvivedbyher brother, LeeJoseph Richard, sister-in-law, Irene BakerRichard, her godchild,Annette Brewer, and ahost of "special" nieces and nephews, Thomas "Toby" Dempsey (Pamela), Logan F. Dempsey, Quinn T. Dempsey, Ashley P. Dempsey, Dylan T. Dempsey, and Meghan D. Crosby(Lee Crosby, Jr.)

Terrywas adevout Catholicwho attended Catholic schools from kindergarten throughhigh schoolatSt. Anthony of Padua Elementary School and Cabrini HighSchool. She then attended LSUfor several years. Due to her happy, friendly personality,Terry madelifelong friends during those schoolyears going allthe way back to kindergarten.

Following her years at LSU, Terry went to workfor Haase ConstructioninNew Orleans. Whenthe oiland

gas industry began revving up,she started acareerat ShellOil Companyasan Information Management Tech whereshe spent the rest of herworkingyears untilretirement. Needless to say, she made even more friends. Terryvalued all hermanyfriendships andfound such joyintheir conversation andlaughter.

As alifelongparishioner of St.ClementofRome Catholic Church,she was recognized for hermany services. She was especially devotedtothe Blessed Mother Maryand Father Seelos. They broughther peace andcomfort throughout herlife.

Thefamilywould like to express theirdeepestappreciation to thedevoted doctors andnurses at East JeffersonHospital LCMC.

Relativesand friends are invited to attenda memorial service on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at Lake LawnMetairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd.New Orleans, LA. Visitationwill begin at 10:00 AM with Mass to be held at 12:00 PM,celebratedbyFather

JoeKraft of St.Clementof Rome, accompaniedby Deacon UrielDurrof CabriniHigh School. Areceptionwillfollow at the Lake LawnEvent Center Inurnmentwill be private at alater date. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made to The American Heart Association,CabriniHigh School, or anycharity of your choice To view or sign the online guest book, visit wwwlakelawnmetairie.co m

Frederick

TerryAnn Richard passed away unexpectedly on August 9, 2025. She was

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

Pre-K studentsmovetoamusic school celebration, at Truman Early Childhood

Center in Lafayette.

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

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

Letter writemisunderstood Jesus’ message

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 Pierre Part

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

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Education

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.

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 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

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.

Kathleen Parker

ega McArdle M n

NewOrleans Forecast

Arethese Saints here to stay?

Projecting whowill make NewOrleans’53-manroster

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 on

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

running back

Family,coaches,competition

WhenBarbara Adams thinks abouther son, the ﬁrst person who comes tomind is her grandfather

Expectations

BYGUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

Considering eight starters are gonefrom 2024, expectations inside and outside the program are extraordinarily high forthe Tulane defense. While the offense could endure some growing pains withnew starters at every skill position, the combination of keyholdovers and impact transfers on the other side of the ball make the Green Wave the consensus favorite to winthe American Conference. Assuming aportal-dominated, talented, deep front four meshes quickly, this could be the stingiest defense at Tulane in along time.

Joseph Adams —the man Barbara credits for helping raise herand herson —was draftedinto the Army at age 17 and servedinWorld WarII. As aformer staff sergeant, Joseph wouldtellhis great-grandson, Tyree, stories of his time in themilitary and overseas.

But war is notwhatlinks herson with his greatgrandfather,who died in 2020.

“It’sscary.Hehas my grandfather’spersonality,” Barbara said. “Heacts like my grandfather all the way around.”

Reserved. Humble.A homebody.All similarities linking herson with hergrandfather,the latter teaching the former the importance of a strong work ethic.

tion against Clemson in Memorial Stadium (6:30 p.m., ABC). It’samoment Tyree spent years working toward, but he didn’tget there alone.

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

TheAdams family

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 ingrained within his soul. Tyree grew up in Marrero and not New Orleans— he wasn’teven2 monthsold when Hurricane Katrina demolished their house in NewOrleans East. But to him, NewOrleans is home.

“Mygrandfatherinstilled alot of good qualities in Tyree,” Barbara said. “He still maintains that to this day.”

Tyreewillcarrythesecharacteristicsontotheﬁeld as the starting LSU left tackle on Saturday,the night he makes his ﬁrst career regular-seasonstart at the posi-

“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

Here is aposition-by-position breakdown: Defensiveend/bandit

Starters: Gerrod Hendersonatend,Mo Westmoreland at bandit

Backups: Eliyt Nairne at end, JordanNormanatbandit

Analysis: Less than aweek beforethe opener against Northwestern, the depth chartremains ﬂuid because of the unusual depth. Coach JonSumrall expects10linemen to play regularly in arotation that should keep everyone fresh. Westmoreland, coming off back-to-backyears with71/2 sacks at TexasEl Paso, isthe leader of agroup of rush end/ outsidelinebackers (bandit in theWave’s terminology) who should be more productivethan lastseason’sgroup. Norman (South Alabama), Harvey Dyson (Texas Tech) and holdover Jah’rie Garner all mayget time there. The starting end could be Henderson,

asurprise last season, 2024 sacks leader Kameron Hamilton or Nairne (Liberty) who also can play inside, which is where Hamilton practiced primarily the past twoweeks. Defensivetackle/nose tackle

Starters: SantanaHopper,Tre’Von McAlpine

Backups: Hamilton, Elijah Champaigne

Analysis: Hopper, an AppalachianState transfer (five sacks, two forced fumbles in 2024) has drawn consistent raves as an offense wrecker from teammates and coaches. McAlpine, a305-pound Texas Tech import,ishard to move at the nose. Behind them will be arotating cast potentially including UAB transfer Derrick Shepard, Southern Miss transfer Armondous Cooley, holdover Elijah Champaigne andHamilton or Nairne depending on where they line up.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE Tulane linebacker Sam Howard catches the ballduring adrill at practice on Fridayat yulmanStadium.

MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

6p.m. Michigan St. at Pittsburgh ACCN

WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

7p.m. Wake Forest at Mississippi St. SECN

WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

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

9p.m. Cinc. at Dodgers/Detroit at A’sMLBN MEN’SSOCCER

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

2p.m. Liverpool at Newcastle United USA SOFTBALL

8p.m. Texas A&M vs. MinnesotaBTN MLB 5:30 p.m. Tampa BayatClevelandFS1

5p.m. Team Netz vs.TeamRicketts 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

Fleetwood wins Tour Championship

Englishgolferwins his firstPGA Tour title, takesFedEx Cup

BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

ATLANTA— TommyFleetwoodof Englandended asummer of heartache 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 help at the start when Patrick Cantlaybegan bogey-double bogey and could never catch up. Scottie Schefﬂer hit his opening tee shotout-ofbounds and still was athreatuntil atee shot into the water ended his hopes on the 15th. Through it all, Fleetwood held his nerve. He closed with a2-under 68 for athree-shotvictory 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 victorycame with twotrophies—the FedEx Cup and the “Calamity Jane” rep-

licaputter for the Tour Championship.

Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley was within one shot of the lead on the front nine but wound up with a70totie for seventh. He now has to decide whethertouse one of his six captain’spicks on himself. He announces his picks Wednesday.

Butthis day,this moment, belonged to Fleetwood, enormously populararound the world for copingwith 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 strongestcircuit. 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 for double bogey on the second and suddenly was four 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 was the 218yard 15th to apeninsula green, where Fleetwood went in the water Saturday andmadedouble bogey. This time he managed abogey and didn’tmiss 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 downthe stretch this year Blaney closedNASCAR’sregular season with aflurry,winningat 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 enginetrouble. “I’d sayhalfthose

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.

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

by far. Blaneymadeup12spots over thefinal two laps 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 was equally stout the following year,finishing second,first and second in the finalthreeeventsand gotedgedby Logano in the finale

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.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

Ryan Blaneycelebrates after winning aNASCARCup Series race at DaytonaInternational SpeedwayonSaturday in Daytona Beach, Fla.

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By MIKE STEWART

Tommy Fleetwood holdsthe championship trophyafter the final round of the Tour Championship on Sunday in Atlanta.

U.S. men off to strong start

Fritz, Shelton put on dominant displays in first-round wins

BY HOWARD FENDRICH Associated Press

NEW YORK There’s a larger contingent of Americans in the U.S Open men’s bracket than at any time in the past quarter-century Might be the best crop in nearly that long, too, and two of the leaders — Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton — got the tournament started on Sunday with dominant performances.

Shelton, the No. 6 seed and twice a Grand Slam semifinalist, needed just 2 hours, 7 minutes to get past qualifier Ignacio Buse of Peru 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the first contest in Arthur Ashe Stadium on the event’s debut of a Sunday start instead of Monday

Fritz, the No. 4 seed and the runner-up to Jannik Sinner at Flushing Meadows a year ago, needed about 10 fewer minutes to move on with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 victory over yet another U.S. man, Emilio Nava, a wild-card entry, at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

In all, there are 23 men from the host country in the ﬁeld, the most since the same number were in the draw in 1997 at what Fritz called “the most important tournament for us Americans all year.” There are 25 U.S women, which is less of a milestone for a group that regularly produces Grand Slam champions and ﬁnalists.

“I do think the competition among all of us,” Fritz said about the men, “pushes all of us and gives us motivation to be better.”

They’re all chasing the same prize: the first Grand Slam singles trophy for an American man since Andy Roddick triumphed in New York in 2003. That’s quite a ways away at this point, though, especially considering that Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz have combined to win each of the past seven major titles.

“As soon as you start looking ahead of yourself, you stumble over your own feet,” said Shelton, who lost to Sinner in the Australian Open semiﬁnals in January, to Alcaraz in the French Open’s fourth round in June and to Sinner in the Wimbledon quarterﬁnals in July

“This is the one, for sure,” Shelton said about the U.S. Open, where he reached the ﬁnal four in 2023. “This is the pinnacle of tennis for me, what I dreamed about when I was a kid.”

He produced some highlightworthy moments Sunday while accumulating more than twice as many winners as Buse, including one swerving, around-the-post forehand that looked very much like something his idol — another lefty, by the name of Rafael Nadal

— used to do.

Shelton won the point on 26 of 33 trips to the net and saved all five of Buse’s five break chances. Fritz, similarly, went 13-for-14 at the net and swept aside all four break points he faced, buoyed, he said, by “the confidence that I know I’ve played well here before.”

Little League

Las Vegas, Nevada,

Taiwan shuts out Nevada to win Little League WS

BY ALEXANDRA WENSKOSKI and AMANDA VOGT Associated Press

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT Pa It might not have been perfect, but for Taiwan, it was still pretty great Lin Chin-Tse retired the first 13 batters he faced and allowed just one hit in ﬁve innings as Taiwan beat

the air as the team piled in front of the mound

Emma Raducanu won a match in New York for the ﬁrst time since she claimed the 2021 U.S. Open title, eliminating Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2. No. 1 seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 7-5, 6-1.

Alexandra Eala became the first woman from the Philippines to win a match at any Grand Slam tournament, overcoming a 5-1 deficit in the final set. She also got help from a video review that flustered her opponent during a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) victory over No. 14 seed Clara Tauson. In evening play, Novak Djokovic improved to 19-0 in the first round, battling through some leg troubles to beat Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Djokovic had his hands on his knees multiple times in the second set and received treatment on his right big toe after it. But after having his serve broken in the first game of the third set, he won the next five games to regain control. Jessica Pegula, the 2024 runnerup, was to face Mayar Sherif in the last match in Ashe late Sunday Venus Williams is slated to make her return to Grand Slam tennis after a two-year absence, meeting 2023 French Open finalist Karolina Muchova on Monday night. The 45-year-old Williams is a seven-time major singles champion Others on the Day 2 program include Alcaraz against bigserving American Reilly Opelka, Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and two-time U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe.

Players divided on U.S. Open’s Sunday start

Extra day nets more ticket sales and prize money, but throws off some players’ rhythm

BY HOWARD FENDRICH Associated Press

NEW YORK Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova made clear they didn’t love the idea of starting a Grand Slam tournament on a Sunday instead of a Monday when the French Open was the ﬁrst to do it nearly 20 years ago and they were on the schedule for the new earlier Day 1.

Now that the trend has reached the U.S Open this year, not every current player is exactly a proponent of the switch, either even if the crowds were gathering onsite Sunday morning before the start of competition.

“I hate the Sunday start,” said Jordan Thompson, an Australian who’s been ranked as high as No. 26 in singles and No. 3 in doubles “Tournaments don’t start on Sunday; they ﬁnish on Sunday Pretty sure no player would like (it), particularly me.”

Alas, Thompson was scheduled to face Corentin Moutet on Sunday — but did manage to win in four sets — as things got going at Flushing Meadows, where there will now be 15 days of singles competition instead of 14, and there’s little doubt that more money from all sorts of sources was part of the calculus behind the change.

“I’m not really a fan of it. I don’t know why they had to make it even longer Well, I know why they did it — they get to sell tickets for an extra day,” said 2024 U.S. Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, this year’s No. 4 seed, who was due in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday night to play against Mayar Sherif. “I’m not really for it. I don’t think a lot of the players were for it, especially those who play the week before a Slam. It makes everything a little longer and a little harder I don’t think a lot of players want that.”

Pegula cited this move by the U.S. Tennis Association which followed the French Tennis Federation’s decision to begin on Sunday in 2006, and the Australian Open’s move to do the same in 2024 — as an example of her sport’s repeated failure to ask for, or follow up on,

athletes’ input. Wimbledon is now the lone major that starts on Monday

“A lot of times, they ask for player feedback and when we do (respond), they don’t listen to anything we say,” said Pegula, one of 20 players who signed a letter in March sent to the people who run the Grand Slam events to ask for better communication, more contributions to player welfare and a higher share of revenue. “The way they go about announcing these things, sometimes players aren’t aware.”

This also comes at a time that players have complained about the recent shift to longer nonSlam tournaments that last more than a week.

Those in charge of tennis point to higher prize money that comes from those extended tournaments and changes such as the extra day have coincided with increases in prize money, which is up to a record $85 million, including $5 million to each singles champion, at the U.S. Open.

USTA spokesman Brendan McIntyre said adding a 15th day of singles not only can “provide more fans the opportunity to see main draw singles competition in person, but also gives fans around the globe the opportunity to watch (on television) on a weekend day and night.”

No. 6 seed Ben Shelton was the opening act in Ashe at noon on Sunday, and said before his 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Peruvian qualiﬁer Ignacio Buse that he understood why tournaments would want an extra weekend day of ticket sales — and he was pleased to be on the side of the men’s draw that went ﬁrst.

Still, there are players, such as Thompson, two-time U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe or Matteo Arnaldi of Italy, who said it’s a mistake to set things up so someone who makes a tournament debut on Sunday and wins wouldn’t play again until Wednesday, a change to the every-otherday rhythm at the Slams “I mean, I get it,” Tiafoe, an American who is seeded 17th and plays his ﬁrst match Monday, said about the Sunday opening. “Why not? If you can make money on a day and get the guys out there, and we’re already all here anyway (on what used to be) kind of a dead day it’s not a bad thing. But the two days off that early in a Slam? It’s a little weird.”

Raleigh sets HR record for catchers

Mariners slugger hits Nos. 48, 49 to pass Perez’s 2021 total

BY ANDREW DESTIN Associated Press

SEATTLE Seattle Mariners slug-

ger Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 48th and 49th home runs on Sunday against the Athletics, setting a single-season record for catchers and passing Salvador Perez’s total with the Kansas City Royals in 2021.

Raleigh’s record-breaking home run also marked his ninth multihome run game of the season, passing Mickey Mantle (eight for the 1961 New York Yankees) for most multi-home run games by a switch-hitter in a season in major league history The overall record is 11 multi-home run games in a season.

to 1981. When Chen Yi-Reng caught a fly ball in left field to end the game, Taiwan’s gloves went flying into

“We’re really happy that we have a chance to recapture the championship,” manager Lai Min-Nan said. Lin, a 5-foot-8 right hander, also smashed a three-run triple in Taiwan’s ﬁve-run ﬁfth. The 12-yearold from Taipei hit more than 80 mph with his fastball multiple times during the tournament; to batters it looks much faster because the plate in this level of baseball is only 46 feet (14 meters) away His velocity appeared much the same on Sunday Garrett Gallegos broke up the perfect game with a single into left field in the fifth inning but was caught in a double play when Grayson Miranda lined out to second base.

The switch-hitting Raleigh, batting from the right side, homered off Athletics left-handed starter Jacob Lopez in the ﬁrst inning to make it 2-0 and tie Perez. Raleigh got a fastball down the middle from Lopez and sent it an estimated 448 feet, according to Statcast. It was measured as the longest home run of Raleigh’s career as a right-handed hitter In the second inning, Raleigh drilled a changeup from Lopez 412 feet. The longballs were Nos. 39 and 40 on the season for Raleigh while catching this year He has nine while serving as a designated hitter Perez hit 15 home runs as a DH in 2021, and 33 at catcher Only four other players in big league history have hit at least 40 homers in a season while pri-

marily playing catcher: Johnny Bench (twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza (twice). Bench, Campanella and Piazza are Hall of Famers. Raleigh launched 27 homers in 2022 then 30 in 2023 and 34 last season Should he continue at his powerful pace, Raleigh could become the ﬁrst American League catcher to lead the major leagues outright in home runs. A ﬁrst-time All-Star at age 28, Raleigh burst onto the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIRSTy WIGGLESWORTH

Ben Shelton shouts after defeating Ignacio Buse during the first round of the U.S. Open on Sunday in New york. Shelton is the No. 6 seed in the tournament.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GENE J PUSKAR Taiwan baseball team players celebrate after winning the

World Series Championship game against

in South Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh waves his helmet to the crowd during

Nnadi returns to Chiefs in trade after stint with the Jets

BY DENNIS WASZAK JR. AP pro football writer

Derrick Nnadi is heading back to the Kansas City Chiefs after a brief stay with the New York Jets.

The Chiefs agreed to re-acquire the defensive tackle Sunday from the Jets with New York also trading a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2027 draft to Kansas City for a conditional sixth-rounder that year, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn’t yet announced the trade. ESPN ﬁrst reported the deal.

Nnadi signed a one-year contract worth $1.4 million with the Jets in March after he played his ﬁrst seven NFL seasons in Kansas City He had a mostly quiet training camp for New York and was expected to be among the Jets’ cuts after they traded for defensive line help during the week by acquiring tackles Harrison Phillips from Minnesota and Jowon Briggs from Cleveland.

Nnadi played 29 snaps in New York’s preseason ﬁnale against Philadelphia on Friday night, an indication that his spot on the roster was tenuous as most starters and established backups sat out. Kansas City was also in the market for an interior defensive lineman, so the Chiefs reunited with a

Philadelphia Eagles running back Keilan Robinson carries against New york Jets defensive end Kingsley Jonathan and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi in the first half of a preseason game on Friday in East Rutherford, N.J Nnadi was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday

familiar face. The 29-year-old Nnadi was a run-stuffing presence who helped the Chiefs win three Super Bowls since being drafted in the third round out of Florida State in 2018. He has played nose tackle and

defensive tackle in 115 career regular-season games, including 87 starts, and played in 15 postseason games. Nnadi has five career sacks, 233 tackles, eight quarterback hits and one interception. He also has one postseason sack.

Stefanski defends handling of Sanders after preseason ﬁnale

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

CLEVELAND — Coach Kevin Stefan-

ski defended his handling of Shedeur Sanders’ development after the Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback struggled in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams.

Stefanski addressed claims that he was deliberately hindering Sanders’ progress, particularly after replacing him with Tyler Huntley, who led the game-winning drive.

“I don’t concern myself with outside types of things, but I’m committed to his development just like all of our rookies,” Stefanski said. “We’ll continue to focus on getting our guys better, and that’s what we’ll stay committed to, and that’s what’s important to me.” Stefanski was criticized for not letting Sanders attempt a potential game-winning drive in the final two minutes, as well as for playing the ﬁfth-round pick in the second half, when both teams played their third- and fourth-string units.

The Browns went three-and-out on four of ﬁve series with Sanders under center. He completed 3 of 6 passes for 14 yards.

Sanders suffered an oblique injury Aug. 13 during a joint workout with the Eagles. He said it was

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

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.

Sanders waived by Bucs after punch

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

TAMPA, Fla. — Shilo Sanders was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, less than 24 hours after he was ejected from a preseason game for throwing a punch, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Sunday

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced its cuts. Sanders, the son of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, was battling for a roster spot after going undrafted out of Colorado, where he played for his father He was also penalized for pass interference earlier in Tampa Bay’s 23-19 loss to Buffalo on Saturday night. “You can’t throw punches in this league. It’s inexcusable. They’re

gonna get you every time,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. “You gotta grow from that.” The Buccaneers could still add Sanders to the practice squad if he doesn’t get claimed off waivers by another team.

Sanders, a hard-hitting and playmaking safety at Colorado, had an impressive debut for the Buccaneers in the preseason opener But he had strong competition to make Tampa Bay’s roster Sanders was engaged with Zach Davidson for a few yards, pushing and shoving each other He was immediately ﬂagged after throwing a punch that sent him to the locker room.

It was a tough Saturday for both of the sons of “Coach Prime” in the preseason. Shedeur Sanders, a ﬁfth-round pick by Cleveland, was 3 of 6 for 14 yards and took ﬁve sacks.

tender but not a factor

Joe Flacco, who will start the Sept. 7 opener against Cincinnati, could empathize with Sanders having a rough game.

“That’s part of being a rookie. You’re going to get thrown into situations that maybe you don’t think are ideal,” Flacco said. “It’s part of what makes a football player, is learning how to deal with those situations and learn from them.”

Among the reasons Sanders dropped to the 144th pick were his footwork and repeated errors One example was when he took a 24-yard sack early in the fourth quarter

It turned out to be a rough weekend for Sanders and his brother in preseason games.

Along with Shedeur’s struggles,

Shilo Sanders was ejected in Tampa Bay’s game against Buffalo and was reportedly waived on Sunday

Huntley came in with 2:03 remaining and drove Cleveland 46 yards in six plays, culminating in Andre Szmyt’s 37-yard ﬁeld goal as time expired in a 19-17 victory over the Rams.

Huntley, who started ﬁve games for Miami last season, was signed Aug. 5 after injuries depleted the Browns’ quarterback depth The six-year veteran was the only Cleveland QB to play all three preseason games but was among 21 players released Sunday as the

Browns trimmed their roster to 53.

“We just felt that if we could get him some action in that last game, we were going to do that. He’s done a really nice job for us over the last few weeks and just put him out there,” Stefanski said of Huntley

Cameras caught Sanders frustrated on the Browns’ sideline after being told he was done for the day He asked to return, but Stefanski shook his head, adding to the controversy “I think all of our guys are extremely competitive and want to be out there for every play So, I never want a player to be less competitive,” Stefanski said.

Sanders completed 17 of 29 for 152 yards and two touchdowns in two games. He will now work as the scout team quarterback, practicing against the Browns’ firstteam defense.

“I’m happy I get to go against the ﬁrst-team defense every day in practice now I get to sharpen my craft and do everything I can to be the best player,” he said.

General manager Andrew Berry told NFL Network after Saturday’s game the Browns are comfortable keeping four quarterbacks.

“Honestly, it’s not much of a decision for us. We have a room that we like all the guys in there,” he said. “We don’t really see that as a problem. We more see it as an opportunity.”

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.

Vikings sign QB Wentz to back up McCarthy

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

Carson Wentz is back in the NFL and Sam Howell is on the move again. The Minnesota Vikings have signed Wentz to back up quarterback J.J. McCarthy and traded Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles. The reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles are sending a 2026 ﬁfth-round pick and 2027 seventh-rounder to Minnesota for Howell and a 2027 sixthrounder

Wentz, who spent last season backing up Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, was the No. 2 overall pick by the Eagles in 2016. He ﬁnished third in NFL MVP voting the following season but tore his ACL in December and watched Nick Foles lead Philadelphia to its ﬁrst Super Bowl victory Wentz started for Indianapolis in 2021 and Washington in 2022. He was a backup with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. McCarthy was selected 10th overall in the 2024 draft but sat

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

out his rookie season with a knee injury while Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record. The 32-year-old Wentz is 47-461 as a starter He has completed 62.7% of his passes for 22,410 yards, 153 touchdowns and 67 interceptions with an 89.3 passer rating.

Wentz is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season without any wide receiver on his team reaching 500 yards receiving. He did that in 2019, leading the Eagles to an NFC East title. Howell replaced Wentz as the starting QB for the Commanders in 2023. He played behind Geno Smith in Seattle last year before going to Minnesota. Howell joins Tanner McKee behind Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. The Eagles also currently have Dorian Thompson-Robinson and rookie Kyle McCord. Howell, a ﬁfth-round pick in 2022, is 5-13 as a starter He has completed 62.6 of his passes for 4,139 yards, 22 TDs and 23 interceptions with a 77.5 passer rating.

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. Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints wide receiver Dante Pettis reaches for the ball in front of Denver Broncos cornerback Micah Abraham in the second half of a preseason game on Saturday at the Caesars Superdome.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FRANK FRANKLIN

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRIS O’MEARA Shilo Sanders signs autographs for Buccaneers fans during Back Together Weekend on July 27 in Tampa, Fla. Sanders was waived by the team Sunday after he was ejected from a preseason game.

TULANE

Continued from page 1C

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR GREG GAS-

PARATO: “There’s a lot of competition in that (defensive line) room every day If you don’t show up, you’re not going to run with the 1s or even the 2s the next day That’s motivating the guys, and the game is starting to slow down for them where they can use their God-given abilities.”

Linebacker

Starters: Sam Howard, Dickson

Agu Backups: Makai Williams, Chris Rodgers

Analysis: Even without graduated leading tackler Tyler Grubbs, the Wave is loaded here Howard who had 63 tackles and ﬁve fumble recoveries in 2024, leads the group. Agu (34 tackles as a backup) and Rodgers (26 tackles) both are impact-starter quality with superior athletic ability Williams is one of the most improved players on the roster After using primarily a three-man rotation at this spot the past two years, Tulane will go four deep this time.

SUMRALL: “You’re not going to ﬁnd aharderworkerthanSamHoward. He’s one of the most serious dudes I’ve been around. He’s on a different level. He’s just driven He’s a greatexampleforeverybodyinour program, including myself.”

Cornerbacks

Starters: Jahiem Johnson, E’Zaiah Shine

Backups: Jayden Lewis, LJ Green

Analysis: This is the only position on defense with unproven players. Jahiem Johnson, a ﬁrst-teamer since early in spring practice, made four tackles last season. E’Zaiah Shine, who received the most reps with the ﬁrst unit recently, was redshirted and did not play at all. Lewis, locked in a close competition with Shine had six tackles at nickelback a year ago. Experienced transfer cornerbacks Green, a starter at Troy in 2024, KC Eziomume, who played previously at Albany and

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Alabama A&M, and Isaiah Wadsworth (Wofford) lend depth.

GASPARATO: “They (Johnson, Shine and Lewis) are light years away from last year Their comfort level is night and day different. Now they can focus on using their athleticism and the tools that they have. They can play fast now.”

Safety/nickelback

Starters: Javion White at nickelback, Bailey Despanie at strong safety, Jack Tchienchou at strong safety

Backups: TJ Smith at nickelback, Kevin Adams at strong safety

Joshua Moore at free safety

Analysis: Despanie and Tchienchou, who combined for 102 tackles last season, give the Wave a solid presence at the back end. Despanie is a team leader with two years of starting experience. Tchienchou did everything but start in 2024. Adams added 40 tackles as a reserve redshirt freshman — the ﬁfth highest total on the team. Moore, another youngster gained valuable experience. Tulane is legitimately two deep in quality here. White, who showed promise last year, and Smith, a ball hawk in practice, will split time at nickel.

SUMRALL: “Bailey Despanie is so steady and consistent. He’s a great leader, a great teammate and practices with great energy, effort and toughness. He’s the old gray-haired guy in the back. This is his program. This is his team.”

Special teams

Kicker: Patrick Durkin

Punter: Alec Clark

Long snapper: Jason Arredondo Holder: Clark

Analysis: Clark was solid at Marshall last season. Durkin, the victim of some shaky holds when he took over late last year, has looked much better in practice but still needs to prove his reliability in games.

SUMRALL: “Alec Clark has been very steady as the holder Jason Arredondo has been doing a nice job snapping. Durkin’s been kicking it really good. Every day that we’re out here he’s been 6 of 7 or 7 of 8 (on ﬁeld goals).”

LSU

Continued from page 1C

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 baby 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

LSU awards No. 18 jersey to quarterback Nussmeier

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier

will wear LSU football’s coveted No. 18 jersey this season in his second year as a starter

No signal-caller has worn that number since 2003, when Matt Mauck led the Tigers to their ﬁrst national championship of the modern era. Since then, coaches have passed the number on to team leaders, making it a tradition that signiﬁes a player with high character Nussmeier a Lake Charles native, has played at LSU all five seasons of his career Last year, he took over the starting quarterback role for Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and led the Tigers to nine wins, including a Texas Bowl victory over Baylor He completed 64% of his passes for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns.

No first-year LSU starter has ever thrown for more yards, completed more passes or tossed more touchdowns than Nussmeier did in 2024.

The ﬁfth-year senior has encountered several chances to leave Baton Rouge during his collegiate career In 2021, LSU ﬁred Ed Orgeron, the coach who recruited him. Then coach Brian Kelly landed Daniels out of the transfer portal and named him the starting quarterback ahead

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,” thanks in part to his measured 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 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,

BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer

It was an exercise in corporate branding that wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow in most pro sports. In college sports, it bordered on revolutionary.

In a full room of reporters, boosters and executives, the University of South Carolina delivered the news that it was bringing on a new sponsor that would put its logo on the football field for Gamecocks home games, starting Sept. 6 against South Carolina State.

The deal with a machinery company was the centerpiece of a partnership that, Gamecocks athletic director Jeremiah Donati explained, represented the “largest single financial investment into our athletics department in our history, which will help us shape the future of our programs and our university for years to come.”

In a nod to the new realities of college sports, the NCAA just 14

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

of the 2022 season, forcing Nussmeier to wait two more years for another shot at the top job. That chance arrived in 2024, and Nussmeier could have used his first season as a starter as a springboard into the NFL draft. But he decided instead to return for his fifth season of collegiate eligibility, boosting LSU’s chances of earning a spot in the College Football Playoff and competing for its fifth national championship.

If Nussmeier throws for 3,343 yards this season, then he will become the Tigers’ all-time career passing yards leader, moving ahead of Tommy Hodson, who collected 9,115 yards from 1986-1989. In 2024, running back Josh Williams and linebacker Greg Penn wore No. 18.

A new reality for college sports

months ago lifted a decades-old restriction on branding on the ﬁeld of play

It opened a new financing stream for universities that are sharing up to $20.5 million in revenue with their players over the next year while also doling out millions more in scholarships in an industry reshaped by the multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement that has turned college sports into something that looks more like the pros.

Not everyone is seeing money walk through the door Just last week, the board Virginia Tech received a bracing message from athletic director Whit Babcock: Without an inﬂux of around $44 million to bring the sports budget to $200 million, the Hokies would keep falling behind.

“If we don’t radically leap forward now,” Babcock said, “we’re likely sealing our own fate for years and generations to come.”

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 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 Camp-

Field branding is part of a bigger set of tools that schools are using to try to stay competitive; often those tools involve asking students, fans and the public to pay more.

Ticket and concession prices

These have been couched in lots of different ways, but bottom line, it’s going to cost more to attend games at many schools.

Tennessee was among the ﬁrst to introduce what it called a “talent fee,” which was a 10% surcharge on all athletic tickets.

Multiple Big Ten teams have increased student season ticket prices for football. Arkansas added a 3% “Student-Athlete Scholarship Enhancement Fee” to concessions sold at its sports events in what athletic director Hunter Yurachek told fans in a letter was a “small but meaningful way” to support athletes.

Nebraska, for the ﬁrst time, will be selling beer to fans in general seating.

bell was the face of the LSU offensive line.

He was the starting left tackle from the moment he stepped on campus, becoming a Freshman All-American before he was a second-team 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.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Tulane cornerback Jahiem Johnson, right runs a drill during practice on Friday at yulman Stadium

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier runs the ball during a game against Alabama on Nov. 9 at Tiger Stadium.

your ONLINE

SE ARCHES

mightbe BI ASED fr om thestart.A Tulane pr ofes sor ST UDIE D the RE ASON.

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.

BYJUDYBERGERON Staff

Louisiana singer Jourdan Blue’s nextstop is “America’s Got Talent’s” Season 20 semiﬁnals. Meanwhile, Louisiana’s Eyrie Dance and Tumbling dance team will return to the show on Tuesday night to viefor their spotin the semi-ﬁnals. Their preciselyexecuted energetic audition on July 8’s“AGT” episodedrewa

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 the first installment of quarterfinals, which beganon

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

PROVIDED PHOTO By TRAE PATTON/NBC

ä See SEARCH, page 2D

Howdoyou makearoux?

Eugina Leung

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

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.

The EDT dance team from NewOrleansperforms high-flying flips, deathdrops and adynamic routine on ‘America’sGot Talent’ on July 8.

‘TALENT’

Continued from page1D

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 page1D

Let’sbegin with abasic explanation of your study

Themainidea is:How do people actually search? Our research basicallyshows that when people are looking up information online, whether on Google or ChatGPT or eventhe new AIpoweredsearch engines, they often pick search terms that reﬂect what they already believe, alot of timesnot even realizingit. And because today’ssocial algorithms are designedto 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 research have for readers?

Ithink it will be good if this research encourages thereaders to be more critical of search results, especially on more complex topics. So theymight ask themselves, “Hey,amI actually 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’sa button called “I’m FeelingLucky.” Andsointhis research, we thought that it would be good to actually havesomething similar, but instead havea “Search Broadly” button, so if you clickonthat button, you can be exposed to a broader perspective.

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 that you think alot of people would welcome this opportunity to getmore data. Yes, we did have apre-test, and we found that at least 70%or80% 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,onthe influence of technology on consumer judgment, right? So what are you seeing in this space right now?

Ithink there’sstillalot 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 focus on research thatwill last,even if the technology changes. And what do you recommend readersdobased on this info? What else

Nothingconvenient aboutrudebehavior

Dear Miss Manners: Iwas at aconvenience store, with my arms full of groceries. There were three tall young men standing near the register in agroup, and Iasked if they were in line. They said yes and lined up. When I thought they were ﬁnished, Iplaced my items on the counter and moved forward to thecredit card reader,accidentally bumping into one of the men. He turned to me and said: “Well, you’re in ahurry, aren’tyou?”

lethal. But not so fast. What about you?

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 every search. 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 stock go up?” And if you search that way,you’ll see all the positiveinformation of whyApple stock is goingup. 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. Arethereany search platforms or AI tools that you recommend peopleuse? Notnecessarily onethat Iwould recommend.I recommend people to actually be more critical,whichis 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

Didyou apologize forbumping into him?Ifnot, his remarksounds as if it could have been merely aprompt to do so.

Dear Miss Manners: A close friend of over 30 years recently lost her husband and decided to moveback to her home state to be near her family

His manner was aggressive and his expression was hostile. Ijust stared at him, taken aback. What should Ihave said or done? Iactually thought there was achance he might strike me.

Gentlereader: So should you have provoked them?

Miss Manners would not thinkthat you wanted to get intoascufﬂe with a gang of what you believe to be rude and potentially violent men.But apparently manydo. Miss Manners often hears about checkout lines turning volatile, if not

She moved before selling her house here, which she and her husband had loved. She has now listed the house, but it has had very fewviewings, and no offers. Ihappen to be downsizing and am moving soon. I’mvery lucky that my house sold quickly My friend seemstobe angry with me. She told me that my contract wasabad one —one she would never have accepted. Our houses are very different: Mine is small, and obviously sold foramuch lower price. I’ve never mentioned the price, but it wasposted online with pictures, and I know she’sseen those. When Ispeak to her or

text her,I refrain from talking about myself.I ask about her,her new house (she says she hates it), her vegetable garden, her pets, her family or anything new.I get brief answers on the phone and no response to texts. Idon’tknow how to go forward, and Ihate to give up this friendship. Iknow she’sstill grieving her recent loss and Iwould like to be supportive.

Gentle reader: It is not easy to be supportive of someone whose misfortune takes the form of attacking her supporters. Youare kind to keep trying, and fortunate to be able to do this at adistance.

Miss Manners has never cared forthe idea that grief gives one license to cause grief forothers. If you are able to persevere, perhaps your friend will someday recognize your kindness and appreciate your friendship. But it would be understandable, if unfortunate, if her anger persists until you feel you have to give up.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners.com.

Dear Annie: Ineed advice on how to deal withaformer ﬁancé. We dated for nearly ayear before gettingengaged, but theengagement lasted only afew months. Once we were engaged, he began laying down expectations for our future: dinner on the table at 5, how manychildren we would have, even which promotions I should turn down at work. Iamahealth professional with two graduate degrees, and our outlooks on life could not have been more different.Iended theengagement At thetime, he told me Iwould regret it. Inever have, not for asingle moment. Ihave been happily married for over 30 years. He eventually married as well, but Irecently learned his wife passed away six years ago. Over the past two years, Ihave started

ByThe Associated Press

Annie Lane DEAR ANNIE

seeing him around town, at the grocery store, at church. He stares at me in away that makes me deeply uncomfortable. When we cross paths, Isay apolite hello and moveon, but he deliberately walks in front of me or lingers nearby so Iwill notice him.I have no interest in reconnecting. He is 67, and Iam 70. Iknow he has family twohours away where his parents and wife are buried. Icannot help but feel unsettled by his presence. Iwant to makeitclear that this is over and there is nothing to discuss. How can Isend that message ﬁrmly but respectfully? —ItIsOver Dear Over: Youhave every right to feel unsettled. Your former ﬁancé may be lonely or nostalgic, but that does not give him permission to makeyou uncomfortable.

TODAYINHISTORY

Youended that relationship decades ago and moved on with your life. A simple hello is morethan enough. Youdonot owe him conversation, closure or curiosity If his presence begins to feel intrusive or persistent, you have afew options. Keep your distance when possible, and if he tries to approach you directly, look him in the eye and say,“Please respect my space. Ihave no interest in reconnecting.” Youdonot need to explain or justify yourself Should the behavior escalate or continue, do not hesitate to speak with apastor,store manager or even law enforcement. Being polite does not mean tolerating discomfort. This chapter closed a long timeago. It is perfectly ﬁne to keep it that way Sendyour questions forAnnie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

Skerritt

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

ANXIETY

Continuedfrom page1D

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

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 Aaliyahwas killedwith eight others in aplane crash in theBahamas; shewas 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 more than adecade, made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas, with 130 mph sustained 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.

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Tom

and cause strain. Additionally,affected individuals oftentimes 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 when dealing 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.

PROVIDED PHOTO By TRAEPATTON/NBC

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 Priest) is 74. Musician Elvis Costello is 71. Film director TimBurton is 67. Country musician Billy Ray Cyrus is 64. Actor Blair Underwood is 61. NFL Hall of Famer Cornelius Bennett is 60. DJ Terminator X(Public Enemy) is 58. Singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) is 58. Television chef Rachael Ray is 57. Country singer Jo Dee Messina is 55. Model Claudia Schiffer is 55. NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison is 53. Actor Alexander Skarsgard

VIRGo(Aug. 23-sept. 22) Allocateyour dollarstosomething that contributes to personal growth. Akind or romantic gesture can lead to asense of responsibility andsecurity,helping you 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 buildingwealth and fostering ahealthy lifestyle.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Live,learn and experience pastimesthat help you growemotionally. Letyour physical needs come front and center.Everyone has aright to freedom of thought.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Tidy up loose ends first,and you'llexperience an attitude shift that will enhanceyour day. Acommitment to someone special will lead to plans that requireabudget 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 youor trytotake ownership of something that belongs to you.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You're on the path to growth and gain. Review your options, set abudget and be relentless in your questtoexcel. Personal and professional improvements arewithin reach

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

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

ARIEs (March21-April 19) Draw on your resources for facts and solutions. A shiftinhow youinvest and earn aliving is apparent. An unexpected event will turn into ablessing in disguise.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Look forthe 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) Setyourself up for success. Mingle, networkand market yourself by offering your skills and experience to those you want or need to impress. Explore and express your 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 gain if you are open to suggestions, use your creativity to expand your interests, and welcomesuggestions, changes and contributions

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

cLuE:F EQuALsW

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

Sudoku

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

Saturday’sPuzzleAnswer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Jackie Robinson said,“Popflies, in a sense, arejust adiversion for asecond baseman. Grounders are his stock 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.

Southisinfour hearts. West leads a fourth-high club four: three, ace, five. Howshould East continue?

South opened with aweak two-bid, showing adecent six-card suit and some 6-10 high-card points. North knew that therecould be fourlosers, but maybe the defenders would err or there would be 10 top tricks. It pays to push for game because the bonus for success is so huge.

East should ask himself where four defensive tricks might come from. He can see two: the club ace and heart king. Westcannothavethespadeaceandking, because he would have led the ace, not a club.So, Eastmusthope for one spade, oneheart and 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 only the spade king,East mustshift to that suit at trick two. Andheshould lead theeight or six, high to deny an honor. Here, this leaves South with no chance. But if East plays back aclub —returning your suit, partner—the contract makes. Declarer will be able to draw trumps and discard his spade loser on dummy’s fourth diamond. ©2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1.

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

Averagemark 15 words

Time limit 30 minutes

Can you find 17 or more words in COVETOUS?

sAtuRDAy’s WoRD— ZooPHytEs

today’s thought

Jesus looked round about, and said to his disciples, How hardlyshallthey that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:23

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield B.C.

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from theletters in each row. add pointsof each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus “Blanks”used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in theOfficial sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition. For more information on tournamentsand clubs, emailnaspa –northamerican sCraBBlE playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit ourwebsite:www.scrabbleplayers.org.For puzzle inquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com Hasbro andits logo sCraBBlE associated logo,the design of thedistinctive sCraBBlE brand game card, and the

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

WiShinG Well

HErE is aplEasanT liTTlEgamEthat will give you amessageevery day.it’s a numerical puzzle designed to spell outyourfortune.Count the letters in your firstname. if thenumber of letters is 6ormore, subtract4.ifthe numberislessthan 6, add 3. Theresult is your key number. start at the upperleft-hand corner andcheck each of yourkey numbers, left to right. Then read the messagethe checked figures give you

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe iS roSe

animal crackerS

DuStin

Drabble

Wallace the brave breWSter rockit

luann

3t $229

2Bds/1Ba.$1095 2300 N. BroadSt.,1Bd/1Ba.........$1236 6126 Baccich St 2Bds/1.5Bas...$1250 2503 S. DorgenoisSt, 2Bds/1Ba.$1300 1927 Painters,3Bds/2Bas...........$1500 1221 N. Miro #1 (Sec 8Ok) 2/1..$1600 1223 N. Miro,5Bds/2Bas.............$3000 6131 Eastover,5Bds/2Bas..........$5000 821-1858 *822-8432 *427-4646 CARROLLTON 4329 HollygroveSt. WaterPd#F1Br $800 #A 2Br$900/mo 504-421-9772 ALGIERS 3Br2Ba,LR, Kitc,Electric& Gas, Stackablew/d hkups. 504-366-1684

BANNEKERSOIL REMEDIATION Advertisementfor Bids Sealed bids will

re‐ceived by Banneker

until 1pmCentral Time on September16, 2025 mailedordelivered to: GCHP,1626A Oretha Cas‐tleHaley Blvd,New Or‐leans, LA 70113 Bids for Banneker Soil Remedia‐tion Project. Bids may also be submittedonline through www.centerl inebidconnect.com Allbidswillbead‐dressedtoGCHPProject ManagerJenga Mwendo with thesubject line: “BannekerSoilRemedia‐tion Project: [Contractor Name]Bid”. TheTechni‐calPlans andSpecifica‐tionshavebeen prepared by:Leaaf Environmental. Bids received after the abovetimewillnot be accepted. Anypersonrequiring specialaccommodation shallnotifyBanneker LLC, throughthe Project Managerbyemail at mwendo@gchp.net, with “BannekerBid”inthe subjectlineand ade‐scriptionofthe typesof accommodationsre‐quired notlessthan seven(7) days before the bidopening Bids shallbeaccepted from Contractorswho arelicensedbythe state in which theProject is lo‐catedfor theclassifica‐tion of theWorkspeci‐fied herein.Nobid may b i hd f

y bewithdrawn for ape‐riod of forty-ﬁve (45) days after receiptof bids,exceptasallowed by requirements of state law. Thesuccessfulbidder shallberequiredtofur‐nish theOwnerwith a performancebondfor 100% of thecontract amount priortothe is‐suance of acontractto performthe work APre-bid Conference will be held on Thursday Sep‐tember 9that1:00PM Centraltimeat701 S. Up‐land Avenue,River Ridge, LA 70123. Anybidssub‐mitted by abiddernot in attendance forthe en‐tirety of thePre-bid Con‐ferencemay be rejected by Banneker LLCwithout beingopened. Thebidding documents, consisting of drawings speciﬁcationsand other Contract Documentsfor theProject,are available at: www.centerlinebidco nnect.com Anyhard copies required by the bidder will be at

QUARTER

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AptHomes and

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g y encouraging contractors who receivestate con‐tracts to usegood-faith effortstoutilize such certiﬁed entities in the performanceofthose contracts. NOPB desirestoachieve to thegreatest extent possible, commercially meaningful anduseful participationbyEBEs. By providingequitable op‐portunitiesfor EBEs NOPB derivesmultiple beneﬁts,including con‐tributingtothe economic vitality of ourcommuni‐ties andensuring a broaderselection of competitivelypriced goodsand services

Biddersshouldpresent a responsibleplanthat provides forparticipation of qualiﬁed EBEs.Bidders should clearlystate EBE participationgoals and theirplanfor implemen‐tation of thesamein theirbid.Bidders should also includeinformation relative to theparticipa‐tion levels Bidder has managedonother prior projects

Participationshall be counted toward meeting thecontractgoals only by business entities cer‐tiﬁeddesignatedinthe Program. Thedirectpar‐ticipation goalcan be achieved throughdirect ownership, jointventure participation, owner/op‐erator agreements,or sublease agreements for i i i i

FOCISSTREET $2,850/Mo 3bdrm/ 2+1/2bathTownhome w/ dbleatt'dgarage. Huge Living Rm w/ frplc& French doorsoverlookingcourtyard.Dbl.walk-in closets. JettedTub +sep shower SandyWard* 504-259-2616. Re/Max Living *504-475-1011. Ea

g operations. Participation shallinclude work oppor‐tunities in planning,de‐velopment, construction andoperation of thePro‐ject NOPB accepts thefollow‐ingcertifications: (1)the SLDBEprogram runby theCityofNew Orleans, (2)the stateof Louisiana’sDepartment of Economic Develop‐ment’s SBEHudsonIni‐tiativeprogram,(3) The LouisianaUnified certifi‐cation Program,or(4) theFederal Smallbusi‐ness Enterprise Program. Bids shallinclude evi‐denceofacurrent certi‐fication

NOPB CONTACT: Bidders must submit Questions viaemail to nopbpro‐curement@railnola.com by Tuesday, August 29, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. CDT. As necessary, addendato this ITBwillbeissuedto allbidders receivingthis ITB. Questions, answers, andall formsrequired will be posted on Central Bidding at www.central bidding.com.

BIDSUBMISSION: NOPB will accept electronic bids at www.centralbidd ing.comuntil 11:00 a.m. CDTonSeptember 9, 2025 the(“Bid Submis‐sion Deadline”).Any bid received after theBid Submission Deadline will notbeconsidered.

tiative. TheRFP maybe accessedathttps:// discovery.ariba.com/rfx/ 23383870 No proposalswillbecon‐sideredafter thedate andhourspeciﬁed.The rightisreservedtoreject anyand allproposals andtowaive anyinfor‐malities TomKetterer Director of StateProcure‐ment Phone(225) 342-8010 155219-AUG25-1T $ Bids must be submitted electronically at www centralbidding.com For anyquestions relating to theelectronicbidding process, please call Cen‐tral Biddingat225-8104814. Thebiddermustat‐tach acompleted and signed digitalcopyofthe BidForm, Proof of Au‐thorityand anyother documentsrequiredin theBidding Documents. TheNOPBshall notbere‐sponsibleifabiddercan‐notcompleteorsubmit an electronic bid. Bidders shallberesponsible for receivingconﬁrmation that thebid wassuc‐cessfullydelivered prior to theBid Submission Deadline BIDOPENING:Immedi‐atelyfollowing theBid Submission Deadline bids will be opened in ac‐cordance with thebid documents. 153539-AUG13-20-25-3T $187.14

OLDMETAIRIE

METAIRIE

Allpersons firms, corpo‐rationsorother legalen‐tities assertingclaims with respecttowhich the Complaintseekslimita‐tion and/or exoneration areadvised to file their respective claims under oath with theClerk of Courtatthe United States District Court‐housefor theEastern District of Louisiana, 500 PoydrasStreet,Room C151, NewOrleans Louisiana70130, andto serveonthe attorney for Complainant, Alan J. Meche, Allen& Gooch, 2000 KalisteSaloom Road,Suite 400, Lafayette,Louisiana 70508, acopythereof,on or before the1st dayof November,2025, or be defaulted.Personal at‐tendance is notrequired. Anyclaimantdesiringto contesteitherthe right of exonerationfromor theright to limitation of liabilityshall file and serveananswertothe