The Acadiana Advocate 09-03-2025

“When

providers don’t have the staff they need, classrooms remain closed, families stay on waitlists, and young children miss out on important learning opportunities.”

LIBBIE SONNIER, CEO for the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children

La. child care centers struggle to stay afloat

8 in 10 of 728

able to operate their business over the next six months due to rising costs.

Operating costs rising, survey finds

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Louisiana’s early child care providers are struggling to keep their doors open amid rising operating costs, according to a new survey that could spell trouble for a state where thousands of families lack access to affordable child care.

About half of providers said their monthly revenues don’t always cover their expenses, according to an

online survey conducted in June by the advocacy group Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. Nearly 8 in 10 of 728 respondents said they worry about being able to operate their business over the next six months.

The providers cited rising costs of food, cleaning and classroom supplies and insurance, with premiums increasing by an average of more than $7,000 last year, the survey found At the same time, the Louisiana Legislature has cut early childhood funding, resulting in the loss of 720 state-funded seats in 2024.

Now, many child care providers are struggling to keep their services high quality and affordable, said Shannon Johns, owner of Cenla

Christian Childcare Centers, which operate six centers throughout the state. With “insurance and operating costs climbing so quickly we cannot afford to pay the wages that our high-quality teachers truly deserve,” she said during a recent webinar on the survey results. “While another tuition increase might help, it would put already struggling families into an even worse position.”

Louisiana has a child care shortage, with more than 100,000 children lacking access to affordable or quality child care, according to the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children.

ä See CENTERS, page 4A

fights promotion of COVID-19 vaccine for kids

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Acadiana, is urging his colleagues to ban funding to organizations that promote the COVID-19 vaccine for kids.

“I urge the subcommittee to protect our children and adolescents by prohibiting federal funding to state health departments and national associations that promote the COVID-19 shot,” Higgins wrote in a letter Saturday to the House Appropriations subcommittee that is working on a bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year that begins October 1. Higgins’ letter expands on a statement he made

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

An ethics complaint has been filed against Lafayette Public Library board member Robert Judge alleging he continues to raise money to pay his legal fees associated with a lawsuit after the lawsuit was settled and his legal fees were paid by Lafayette Consolidated Government.

Judge

Melany Champagne, of Lafayette, filed the complaint with the Louisiana Ethics Administration. Judge did not return messages Tuesday seeking comment.

Fast internet will reach rural La. under revamped rules

Some communities feel left out

BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer

Fast, fiber internet is coming to Buras in Plaquemines Parish, fulfilling a federal grant aimed at bringing high-speed connections to more rural areas But after a rewrite of rules for the program, fiber internet no longer being planned for Lake Providence, in the state’s northeast corner In August, the state Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity released the new awardees of a highly anticipated, highly debated federal grant program meant to fuel broadband availability across the country Most

of the $499 million headed to Louisiana will go to fiber companies including Cajun Broadband, the homegrown company set to build in Plaquemines and several other areas.

The Trump administration rewrote the rules for the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment grant program earlier this year Some internet companies and activists feared that rural Louisiana residents would be left with few options beyond satellite service already available. And while some areas will now see satellite services instead of fiber, it’s only a small slice of overall funding. SpaceX, the company expected to benefit from that rewrite, will receive just $7.7 million of Louisiana’s grant allocation, or 1.5%.

The state’s draft plan still needs approval from the National Tele-

communications and Information Administration.

Cajun Broadband, based in Broussard, will get $18.2 million to bring fiber to 4,000 locations. That’s less than the $26.2 million it would have received before the program’s revamp because the company, knowing that its previous winning bids were now public information, lowered its bids this time around “to protect ourselves,” co-founder Chris Disher said.

“The goal of it was to save the government money, and it did,” Disher said “And we can still build what we want to.”

In addition to rural Plaquemines, Cajun will be running new fiber in North Vermilion and West St. Mary, Disher said. The Louisiana

BRIEFS

Man charged with murder after prank HOUSTON Police have charged a Houston man with murder in the fatal shooting of an 11-yearold boy who knocked on the door of a home and ran away as a prank, police said Tuesday

The 42-year-old man, identified by authorities as Gonzalo Leon Jr was taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail in Houston early Tuesday On local property records, Leon matches the name of the owner of the home where police say the boy knocked on the door Court records did not list an attorney for Leon to comment on the allegations.

The boy, Julian Guzman, and a cousin had been attending a birthday party Saturday night when they “became bored and wanted to ring doorbells, or play ‘ding dong ditch,’” according to a probable cause affidavit. The prank commonly called “ding dong ditching” involves ringing a doorbell or knocking on a door and fleeing before someone inside opens the door Police departments around the country have issued public service announcements in recent months warning people that such actions aren’t funny but dangerous.

Iowa senator won’t seek 2026 reelection DES MOINES, Iowa — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said Tuesday that she will not seek reelection next year, confirming in a video post on social media that she will retire after months of speculation about her plans. Ernst’s departure opens up a Senate seat in the state known for its long-serving incumbents. Ernst was first elected in 2014 to the open seat previously held by Tom Harkin, a Democrat who served for 30 years. Republican Chuck Grassley, Iowa’s senior U.S senator, was first elected to the Senate in 1980.

Her announcement Tuesday followed reports last week that she was expected to announce her retirement in September In a video, Ernst cited her aging and growing family as a reason for opting out of a reelection bid.

“This was no easy decision,” Ernst said. “I never imagined this farm girl would have the opportunity to serve as a lieutenant colonel and then a United States senator.”

It is another unexpected retirement for Senate Republicans as they work to maintain their majority in the chamber with Ernst joining Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, who turned down a reelection bid after clashing with President Donald Trump. West Point restores Gen. Lee’s portrait

A painting of Gen. Robert E. Lee dressed in his Confederate uniform is back on display in the West Point’s library, several years after the storied academy removed honors to the Civil War military leader.

There also are plans to restore a bust of Lee that had been removed from a plaza at the U.S. Military Academy, and a quote from Lee about honor that was removed from a separate plaza is now on display beneath the portrait, an Army spokesperson said Tuesday The items were removed to comply with a Department of Defense directive in 2022 that ordered the academy to address racial injustice and do away with installations that “commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy The Pentagon’s decision to rehang the portrait, which shows a Black man leading Lee’s horse in the background, was first reported by The New York Times. It had been hanging in the library since the 1950s before it was placed it in storage.

The actions at West Point come as the Trump administration restores Confederate names and monuments that had been removed in recent years.

“At West Point, the United States Military Academy is prepared to restore historical names, artifacts, and assets to their original form and place,” Rebecca Hodson, the Army’s communications director, said in a statement. “Under this administration, we honor our history and learn from it we don’t erase it.”

Space Command to move to Ala.

Trump says it will leave temporary headquarters in Colo.

BY SEUNG MIN KIM and KIM CHANDLER Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that U.S Space Command will be located in Alabama, reversing a Bidenera decision to keep it at its temporary headquarters in Colorado. The long-expected decision from Trump caps a four-year tug of war between two states and opposing administrations about where to locate U.S. Space Command, an intense fight because the headquarters would be a significant boon to the local economy. Alabama and Colorado have long battled

to claim Space Command, with elected officials from both states asserting their state is the better location.

“The U.S. Space Command headquarters will move to the beautiful locale of a place called Huntsville, Alabama, forever to be known from this point forward as Rocket City,” said Trump, flanked by Republican members of Alabama’s congressional delegation, from the Oval Office on Tuesday “We had a lot of competition for this and Alabama’s getting it.”

Trump said Huntsville won the race for the Space Command headquarters, in part, because “they fought harder for it than anybody else.”

GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor of Alabama, said Huntsville is the “perfect place” for the headquarters and suggested it be named after

Trump. And Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt, who stood next to Trump during the announcement, thanked Trump for “restoring Space Command to its rightful home.”

“The Biden administration chose to make this political,” she said. “What we want to do is put the safety and security of Americans first. We want to make sure our American war fighter is put first.”

U.S. Space Command said in a statement on X after the announcement that it “stands ready to carry out the direction of the President following today’s announcement of Huntsville, Alabama as the command’s permanent headquarters location.” Its functions include conducting operations like enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and providing warning of missile launches.

Rescuers race to find Afghan quake survivors

Death toll passes 1,400

By The Associated Press

JALALABAD, Afghanistan The United Nations warned of an exponential rise in casualties from a major earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, as the Taliban said the death toll passed 1,400 on Tuesday with more than 3,000 people injured.

The figures provided by Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid were just for the province of Kunar Sunday night’s powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck several provinces, causing extensive damage. It flattened villages and trapped people under the rubble of homes constructed mostly of mud bricks and wood that were unable to withstand the shock.

Rough terrain is hampering rescue and relief efforts, forcing Taliban authorities to air-drop dozens of commandos to evacuate the injured from places where helicopters cannot land.

Aid agency Save the Children said one

of its teams walked for over 12 miles to reach villages cut off by rock falls, carrying medical equipment on their backs with the help of community members.

An aftershock of 5.2 close to the epicenter of Sunday’s quake rattled the area on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey There were no immediate reports of damage.

Indrika Ratwatte, the U.N.’s resident coordinator for Afghanistan, said rescuers are scrambling in a “race against time” to reach the mountainous and remote area hit. In a media briefing in Geneva Tuesday, he warned of a surge in casualty numbers.

“We cannot afford to forget the people of Afghanistan who are facing multiple crises, multiple shocks, and the resilience of the communities has been saturated,” Ratwatte said, while urging the international community to step forward.

“These are life and death decisions while we race against time to reach people,” he said.

It is the third major earthquake since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

Graham Greene, actor best known for ‘Dances with Wolves’, dies at 73

BY MARIA SHERMAN Associated Press

NEW YORK — Graham Greene, a trailblazing Indigenous actor whose long and successful career on the big and small screen included an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Kicking Bird in “Dances with Wolves,” has died. He was 73. Greene died Monday in Stratford, Ontario, after a long battle with an unspecified illness. Variety first reported the news on Monday night. A representative for Greene did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

Born in June 1952 in Ohsweken, Ontario, on Canada’s Six Nations Reserve, Greene worked as a draftsman, high steelworker, welder and carpenter before becoming an actor in the 1970s, beginning with the 1979 Canadian drama series “The

in 1994’s “Maverick,” 1995’s “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” 2012’s “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” and 2017’s “Wind River.”

Great Detective” and 1983 film “Running Brave.”

He is best known for his landmark role as Kicking Bird in the 1990 film “Dances with Wolves.” Greene’s 1991 Oscar nomination was one of 12 the movie earned. It won seven, including the top prize of best picture and best director for Kevin Costner Greene also starred as Arlen Bitterbuck in the 1999 Tom Hanks project, “The Green Mile.” Greene had a storied career, also appearing

He also acted in many critically acclaimed television programs, including “Reservation Dogs,” “1883,” “The Last of Us” and “Tulsa King.” In 2000, Greene’s “Listen to the Storyteller” won a Grammy for best spoken word album for children.

He also starred as elder Chief Rains Fall in the massively popular 2018 video game “Red Dead Redemption 2.” He was also nominated for an Independent Spirit award for the 2002 film “Skins,” which documented life on the Lakota Sioux reservation. Greene broke barriers for Native actors, demonstrating through his singular talent that Indigenous stories should and must be told by them.

Huntsville, Alabama, nicknamed Rocket City, has long been home to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command is also located in Huntsville, which drew its nickname because of its role in building the first rockets for the U.S. space program.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said about 1,400 Space Command jobs will transition to Redstone Arsenal over the next five years.

“This decision is not about what’s best for Huntsville it’s about being mission-focused,” said Battle.

“The decision to locate U.S. Space Command at Redstone ensures our nation is prepared to meet growing challenges in space. Huntsville is ready with our experienced workforce, resilient infrastructure and deep commitment to national defense.”

Judge set to hear Boeing crash case

BY LISA LEFF and RIO YAMAT Associated Press

Families who lost loved ones in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners may get their last chance to demand the company face criminal prosecution Wednesday That’s when a federal judge in Texas is set to hear arguments on a U.S. government motion to dismiss a felony charge against Boeing.

U.S. prosecutors charged Boeing with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with the crashes that killed 346 people off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia. Federal prosecutors alleged Boeing deceived government regulators about a flight-control system that was later implicated in the fatal flights, which took place less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019.

Boeing decided to plead guilty instead of going to trial, but U.S. District Chief Judge Reed O’Connor rejected the aircraft maker’s plea agreement in December O’Connor, who also will consider whether to let prosecutors dismiss the

conspiracy charge, objected to diversity, equity and inclusion policies potentially influencing the selection of an independent monitor to oversee the company’s promised reforms. Lawyers representing relatives of some of the passengers who died cheered O’Connor’s decision, hoping it would further their goal of seeing former Boeing executives prosecuted during a public trial and more severe financial punishment for the company Instead, the delay worked to Boeing’s favor The judge’s refusal to accept the agreement meant the company was free to challenge the Justice Department’s rationale for charging Boeing as a corporation. It also meant prosecutors would have to secure a new deal for a guilty plea.

The government and Boeing spent six months renegotiating their plea deal. During that time, President Donald Trump returned to office and ordered an end to the diversity initiatives that gave O’Connor pause.

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Judge: Trump illegally deployed troops to L.A.

President can’t create a national police force, ruling says

BY OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press

er cities across the country, including Oakland and San Francisco, and that raises concerns they are “creating a national police force with the President as its chief.”

les.”

SAN FRANCISCO A federal judge ruled Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s administration “willfully” broke federal law by sending National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area in early June after days of protests over immigration raids In the 52-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco noted Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have stated their intention to deploy National Guard troops to oth-

Breyer did not require the 300 remaining soldiers to leave but pointed out they received improper training and ordered the administration to stop using them “to execute the laws.” The order that applies only to California will take effect Sept. 12.

The White House indicated the government plans to appeal.

“Once again, a rogue judge is trying to usurp the authority of the Commander-in-Chief to protect American cities from violence and destruction,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.

It was unclear if the order could set a precedent that could impact plans by Trump, who has discussed National Guard deployments in Democratic-led cities like Chicago, Baltimore and New York. Trump

has already deployed the guard as part of his unprecedented law enforcement takeover targeting crime, immigration and homelessness in Washington, where he has direct legal control over the District of Columbia National Guard.

Breyer said in his ruling that the Trump administration used troops for functions that were barred by their own training materials, refused to “meaningfully coordinate with state and local officials” and “‘coached’ ” federal law enforcement agencies on the language to use when requesting the Guard’s assistance.

He said the government knew “they were ordering troops to execute domestic law beyond their usual authority” in using “armed soldiers (whose identity was often obscured by protective armor) and military vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockades, engage in crowd control, and otherwise demonstrate a military presence in and around Los Ange-

law enforcement intervention to

opposition from state and local

Trump to order intervention in

Chicago and Baltimore

Leaders say they oppose plan

BY WILL WEISSERT and SOPHIA

TAREEN

Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will direct federal law enforcement intervention to combat crime in Chicago and Baltimore, despite staunch opposition from elected leaders and many residents in both cities.

Asked by reporters in the Oval Office about sending National Guard troops to the nation’s third-largest city, Trump said, “We’re going in,” but added, “I didn’t say when.” “I have an obligation,” the president said. ”This isn’t a political thing.”

Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, scoffed at the notion of sending military troops and federal agents into Chicago, reiterating Tuesday that federal intervention was not required or wanted. Trump has already sent National Guard troops into Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., where he’s also federalized the police force. He has said he plans similar moves in other Democratrun cities even as a federal judge on Tuesday deemed the California deployment illegal.

The president praised

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser for working with federal forces, but repeated his criticism of Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat

Trump said he’d love to have Pritzker call and say “Send in the troops” — even though the two-term governor has repeatedly said he won’t be doing that

“If the governor of Illinois would call up, call me up, I would love to do it,” Trump said. “Now, we’re going to do it anyway We have the right to do it.”

Pritzker deemed Trump’s comments to call him for help as “unhinged.” The two have been locked in an escalating war of words for days as Trump called Chicago “the world’s most dangerous city” earlier Tuesday

“No, I will not call the president asking him to send troops to Chicago,” Pritzker said Tuesday at a news conference with Johnson and other leaders. “I’ve made that clear already.”

The state received its first contact about federal intervention on Saturday when the head of the Illinois State Police got a call from Gregory Bovino, chief of the Border Patrol’s El Centro, California, sector, saying immigration agents would come to Chicago, according to Pritzker Pritzker urged the public not to let the presence of federal agents spark ten-

sions in the city but asked residents to look out for neighbors, and to film interactions with federal agents and share them publicly

Recently, the Trump administration has renewed interest in the city’s daily crime log, including using a spate of shootings during the Labor Day weekend as justification for increased military presence.

Chicago’s homicide rate is 21.7 per 100,000 residents in 2024, according to analysis of federal crime data by the Rochester Institute of Technology It cites seven other major U.S. cities — St Louis, New Orleans, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Indianapolis and Richmond, Virginia — with higher rates.

Trump also said Tuesday that he has an “obligation to protect this country, and that includes Baltimore.” Local officials there have joined Democratic Maryland Gov Wes Moore in similarly opposing federal law enforcement intervention.

A spokesperson for Moore said deploying the National Guard was “theatrical and not sustainable.”

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott listed some of the city’s recent accomplishments in curbing gun violence. Scott has repeatedly accused the president of using racist rhetoric and targeting Black-led cities like Baltimore and Chicago.

Breyer barred troops from such actions, including making arrests, searches, acting as informants and collecting evidence. California sued over the deployment of troops, saying it violates the Posse Comitatus Act, a 1878 law that prohibits military enforcement of domestic laws. Lawyers for the Trump administration argued the Posse Comitatus Act doesn’t apply because the troops were protecting federal officers, not enforcing laws, and that the president had the authority to call on the troops.

when the president is otherwise unable “to execute the laws of the United States.”

The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration’s mass deportation efforts.

Trump federalized members of the California National Guard under section 12406 of Title 10, which allows the president to call the guard into federal service when the country “is invaded,” when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government,” or

BY STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday publicly posted the files it has received from the Justice Department on the sex trafficking investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

The folders contained hundreds of image files of yearsold court filings related to Epstein and Maxwell. They also contained video files appearing to be bodycam footage from police searches, as well as law enforcement interviews with victims with their faces obscured.

The Justice Department released the files to the committee in response to a subpoena, but the files mostly contain information that was already publicly known. Still, pressure is growing in Congress for lawmakers to act to force greater disclosure in the case.

House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to quell an effort by Democrats and some Republicans to force a vote on a bill that would require the Justice Department to release all the information in the socalled Epstein files, with the

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in response, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd.

Democratic Gov Gavin Newsom said in a statement the court sided with democracy “No president is a king — not even Trump — and no president can trample a state’s power to protect its people,” he said.

delayed for these ladies for so very long,” said Johnson, R-La., after he emerged from a two-hour meeting with six of the survivors.

“It is inexcusable And it will stop now because the Congress is dialed in on this,” he added. But there are still intense disagreements on how lawmakers should proceed. Johnson is pressing for the inquiry to be handled by the House Oversight Committee and putting forward a resolution that directs the committee to publicly release its findings.

exception of the victims’ personal information.

Acting quickly, lawmakers pressing for the full release of the so-called Epstein files launched a campaign for the House to take up their bill. Meanwhile, Johnson and a bipartisan group of lawmakers met with survivors of abuse by Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

“The objective here is not just to uncover, investigate the Epstein evils, but also to ensure that this never happens again and ultimately to find out why justice has been

The files released Tuesday included audio of an Epstein employee describing to a law enforcement official how “there were a lot of girls that were very, very young” visiting the home but couldn’t say for sure if they were minors.

Over the course of Epstein’s visits to the home, the man said more than a dozen girls might visit, and that he was charged with cleaning the room where Epstein had massages, twice daily Some of the interviews with officers from the Palm Beach Police Department date to 2005, according to timestamps read out by officials at the beginning of the files.

Trump dismisses health rumors after days without public events

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Sometimes it feels like barely an hour can go by without hearing from President Donald Trump. So when he didn’t appear for one day, then two, then three, speculation started to swirl online about his health.

Not even a few glimpses of the president visiting his golf course over the weekend were enough to stanch the social media rumor mill fueled by political opponents. Trump was asked directly about it Tuesday at his first public event in a week.

“How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead?” asked Fox News’ Peter Doocy “Did you see that?”

“No,” the 79-year-old Trump responded flatly The senators and administration officials gathered around him for the Space Command headquarters announcement shifted their weight and smiled.

The president said he wasn’t aware that people were wondering if he had died, but he had heard there were concerns about his health.

“I knew they were saying, like: ‘Is he OK? How is he feeling? What’s wrong?’” Trump said, calling the speculation “fake news” and saying he “was very active over the weekend.”

Recently, Trump has been seen with bruising on the back of his right hand, sometimes poorly concealed with

makeup, and swelling around his ankles.

The White House has said Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which means veins in the legs can’t properly carry blood back to the heart, causing it to pool in the lower legs. It’s a fairly common condition for older adults.

As far as the bruising, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it’s from “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin,” which Trump takes regularly to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Trump pointed out Tuesday that he gave a few interviews during the days when he wasn’t appearing publicly, plus he was posting on Truth Social.

lastmonth specifically targeting the New Orleans Health Department, which posted on social media amessage from the American Academy of Pediatricsrecommending childrenget vaccinated.

The Lafayette Republican’sposition is in line with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr Kennedy last week proposed standards that limited eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinationsthis fall. Those include restrictions for those under the age of 5years, whocan qualify only for the Modernavaccination and only when the child has aspecific underlying condition.

Kennedy’snew regulations require aphysician’srecommendation, rather than just showingup at pharmacies. Those getting the inoculation without adoctor’ssayso would have to pay for the shot, which costs about $140 each.

President Donald Trumpasked on social media Monday for pharmaceutical companies to “justify thesuccess of theirvarious Covid Drugs. Many people thinkthey are amiracle thatsaved Millions of lives. Others disagree! With CDC being rippedapart over this question, Iwant the answer,and Iwant it NOW.”

Trump’sfirstadministration orchestrated “Operation Warp Speed,” which pausedsome regulations and issued emergency federal grants to fast-track development of the vaccines that are creditedwith ending the pandemic.

Trump continued that drug companies should “showmeGREAT numbers and results, but they don’tseem to be showing themto many others. Iwant them to show themNOW,toCDC and the public, andclear up this MESS, oneway or theother!!!”

Meanwhile, Higgins, afive-term representative, on Friday wrote House Speaker MikeJohnson,RBenton, that he intended to with-

CENTERS

Continued from page 1A

Early childhood education helps prepare children for school, and it’scrucial to the state’seconomy.Parents without child care are more likely to miss work, quit their jobs or shy away from pursuing higher education, advocates say Yetproviders are unable to keep up with the demand for affordable care,with nearly two-thirds who responded to the survey reporting having waitlists.

One reason is high staff turnover,which providers attribute to low pay Louisiana’searly education teachers, who often hold advanced degrees and work longhours,earned an average annual salary of $28,000 last year —nearly half what the state’sK-12teachers made, the report found.

“When providers don’t have the staff they need, classrooms remain closed, families stay on waitlists, and young childrenmiss out on important learning opportunities,” said Libbie Sonnier, CEO for the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children.

Another reason that providers can’tserve more children is that many families can’tafford tuition.

“My Republicancolleagues have chosen an alternate path for theCommittee that Ihelped to build, apath more in alignment with the less conservative factions of our Conference, factions whosecoreprinciples are quite variant from my ownconservative perspective on keyissues likeamnesty,ICE operations, and opposition to the surveillancestate.”

U.S. REP.CLAyHIGGINS, R-Lafayette

drawfromthe HomelandSecurity Committee, where he ran unsuccessfully to be chair

“My Republican colleagues

have chosen an alternate pathfor theCommittee that Ihelpedto build, apath more in alignment with theless conservative fac-

tionsofour Conference, factions whose core principlesare quite variantfrom my own conservative perspectiveonkey issueslike amnesty,ICE operations, andopposition to the surveillancestate,” Higgins wrote. It was during aNovember2023 Homeland SecurityCommittee hearingthat Higginsaccused thenFBI Director Christopher Wray of sending federal agents to pose as Trump supporters andentrap what he called an otherwise peaceful group that entered the U.S. Capi-

tol on Jan.6— theday Congress was going through the ceremony of officially naming Joe Bidenthe winner of the2020presidential election.

Higgins always claimed to have irrefutable evidence but never shared any publicly except for photos of empty vans that he called “ghost buses.” Higgins also is amemberofthe HouseOversightand Government Reform Committee and of the House Armed Services Committee.

Childcarecosts an average of $14,000 per childa year, which is unaffordablefor many families,according to the report. Meanwhile, thousands areonthe waitlist for state tuition assistance through Louisiana’sChild Care Assistance Program. JenniferStevenson, owner of Garden of KnowledgepreschoolinWashington Parish, saidher enrollment has declinedasfamiliesstruggle to pay tuition withoutpublic assistance. The shrinkingenrollment also puts financial pressure on thepreschool, Stevenson added.

“This is not only delaying accesstocarefor family,” shesaid,“but also prevents providers fromfilling open seats and bringing in needed tuition revenue.”

Lawmakers havemade some moves to make child care more accessible.

Earlier this year,the state Legislaturereauthorized Workforce Child CareTax Credits,which offersatax break to familieswho enroll their young children at stateapproved facilities,and expandedaccess to earlychild carefor working parents. Thereportsaysstateofficials can do moretoease the earlychild care shortage, including expanding high school trainingand certification programstoinclude earlychildhood education credentials to increasethe numberofeducatorswho choose to go intoearly child care, andimproving compensation forteachersby offeringthemassistance program eligibility and implementinga wagescale that better compensates them for their experience. Thereport also calls for sustainable, long-term fund-

ing solutions for early child care.But obtainingthat funding could provedifficult State lawmakers cut$9 millionfor early education in 2024. TheLegislature is also seeking to use three education trust funds to raise

public school teachers’ pay, which would further reduce earlyeducation funding by about $10 million annually

If that happens, the Louisiana Policy Institute forChildren previously warned it could result in an additional

1,600childrenlosingtheir early education seats.

“Without relief,” said ShannonJohns,the child care center owner,“we do risk losing the very teachers and families who make early learning possible.”

Local Fiber Consortium,the program’sbiggest awardee, will receive $378 million to extend fiber to 68,500 homes and businesses. But one area that had expected fiber saw things flipunder the tweakedgrant program: Lake Providence.

Last year,Conexon,which builds fiber internet networksinrural areas, had beenpicked to connect thesmall city in EastCarrollParish with a$6.2 million grant. Conexon has history in the area: With the help of an earlier stategrant program, known as GUMBO, the company brought 325 miles of fiber to 1,400 households and businessesoutside of town.

But this month, Conexon learned that SpaceX had won broadband grant funding there. Starlink, operated by SpaceX, is already available in Lake Providence. It’sunclear how SpaceX plans to use the $150,000 it received for the area. Aspokesperson did not respond to an email last week. But many residents who envy their rural neighbors’ fiber internet said they’re disappointed “We’re backtosquare one,”said Wanda Manning, aretired teacher who, with the nonprofit Delta Interfaith, has beenpushing for faster,cheaper internet. “I think it’sworse than square one. Manning was “blessed”tohave Starlink afew years back, thanks to agrant aimed at students and educators, and it worked well. But whenthatgrant ended, shebalked at the service’s$120-a-month price tag. “It’snot the internetweneed in this town,” she said.

Conexon will still build networks in other parts of the state and the country.Inthe grant’sfirst iteration, the company was awarded about $65 million in Louisiana. Under the new draft plan, it will get $9.3 million. The company will be OK, said coCEOJonathanChambers.But the residents of East Carroll Parish? After three or four years of effort, “theywill receive no investment no job creation, no infrastructure.” He criticized state and federal leaders for leaving “the most rural and poorest part of the stateof Louisiana in acomparative disadvantage to the rest of the stateand the rest of the nation.

LIBRARY

Continued from page1A

Another ethics complaint was filed against Judge in June for raising moneyfor his legal defense and for stopping the libraryboard from entering into an executive session to consider settling the federal lawsuit.

In July,the library board andLafayette Consolidated Government settled a2023 federal lawsuit filed by the co-foundersofLafayette Citizens Against Censorship alleging Judge, when he was board president, and his successor stifledfree speech during board meetings with policies and having paid off-dutylaw enforcement officers remove speakers whose statements criticized Judge and the board. Champagnealleges in the ethics complaint that Judge startedthree online fundraisers with agoal of $450,000topay forhis legal

“It’sabetrayal and agoddamned shame,” he said.

Differentinternetspeeds

Fibercables, installed underground, consistently meet the Federal Communications Commission’sbroadband requirements of 100megabitsper second fordownloads and 20Mbps for uploads.

This summer,a nationalspeed analysis foundthat just 17.4% of Starlink users got speeds consistentwiththose minimum requirements.

Thatstudy,by Ookla, aprivate research company,showedthat Louisiana users fared even worse: Just 9% of thestate’sStarlink users got those speeds. SpaceXarguesitshould have gotten more funding than it did.

defense. Judge’s GoFundMe fundraiser,which he titled “PersecutedChristian man through lawfare needs help,” hasbeen deactivated. Champagne’sethicscomplaintsays two others —GiveSendGo and LifeFunder —remain active. Both were activeasof Tuesdaymorning. Judge raised $7,620 throughLife Funder,inwhichhecategorized his accountunder “PersecutedChristians.”

Thelast donationappears to have been $500 on July 7 from an anonymous donor An entry from an anonymous person Aug. 12 shows no monetaryvalue.

Judge’sGiveSendGo account, which raised $900, was still active as of Tuesday morning. Thelast donation was$100 given anonymously two months ago. Champagne alleges Judge violated thestate ethics law which prohibits public servants from solicitingpersonal donations or accepting things ofvalue, particularly

In aletter to the state broadband office, firstreported by PCMag the company argues thatit“applied to servevirtually allBEAD households for less than $100 million dollars. As such, Louisiana’s proposal includesover $400 million dollars in wasteful and unnecessary taxpayer spending.”

But fiber internet companies argue that their service is faster and morefuture-proof. In itsdraft finalproposal for broadband grant funding, the state broadband office’sExecutive Director Veneeth Iyengar touted thefact that 82% of awards will go to Louisiana-based providers. “Weare notonly closing the digital divide but strengthening our local economy,” he wrote. “These investments willunlock

unprecedented opportunities for economicdevelopment,education andexpanded healthcareaccessin every corner of our state.”

Starting small, expanding CajunBroadband was the first companyinthe state to start and finishabuild using aGUMBO grant,its co-CEO Disher said. But the company started small —with “an antenna in atree.” In 2017, frustrated with his family’s AT&T internet connection, Disher started renting fixed wireless internet services offofcelltowers. Oneneighbor wanted in, then another.Now,the company provides internet across Acadiana, in a donut-like shape surrounding Lafayette.

The broadband grantfunding

will allow the company to expand further,including into rural Plaquemines.

Bobby Thomas works in Belle Chase,where “internet service is tremendous,” he said. “Lightning in abottle.”

But each night he returns home to Buras: “Ugh, back to this.” Thomas hasa smart TV he can’t use.The ideaofNetflix excites him. Still, as executive director of the Plaquemines Association of Business and Industry,hesaid he’smore focused on the economicpossibilitiesfiberinternet could bring to the lacy reaches of the parish.

Slowservicehas been “a barrier,”hesaid, “forbusinesses expanding or new businesses relocating.”

if they have or hope to obtainacontract or business relationship withthat person or his organization.

She listed three men who made donations to Judge They have attended and spoken at library board meetings, Champagne wrote, trying to influence theboard’s decisionsoncensorshipand stopping the library system’s affiliation with the American LibraryAssociation.

Most of the onlinedonationsweremadeanonymously,Champagne said.

Judge has been acontroversial figure on the volunteer library board since he wasappointed by the Lafayette Parish Council in 2021. Judgeled thecharge to bring conservativevalues, touted by Gov.Jeff Landry,tothe public library system, suchaspushing to removeLGBTQ+ themed books from the young adult section.

His term on the board expires Sept.30. Judge did not seek asecond term.

Board facing $7.9M deficit

Shortage fueled by population loss to charterschools

BY STEPHENMARCANTEL Staff writer

The St. Landry Parish School Board is facing a$7.9 million budget shortfall, despite efforts to reduce costs.

The board will meet Thursdayinanattempt to wrangle in abudget driven mainly by increased payments to agrowing number of charter schools and continued decline of the student population.

Superintendent Milton Batiste III said it is ultimately up to his board to find the best way to balance the budget, stopping short of directlycallingfor staffcuts.

“Westill have to continue to makesure that ourstaff population aligns with our student population,” Bastiste said. “I can’tspeak on it because it’sa board decision, butIdoknow we have to continue to have future planning conversations. Whether that’ssome consolidationwith building or schools, or there’ssomeconsolidation of staff.” In February,the boardvoted in favor of closing schools plagued with declining populations. The district projected that the move would saveit around $2.5 million ayear.Batiste, who was told by state officials told earlier this year that his parish operates too many schools, hinted at the February meeting that continued discussion of consolidations and closures was likely if student population numbers didn’timprove. Any savingsinresponse to those discussionswerewiped out by increased payments the district is required to make to charter schools. From last school year to now,payments to charter have ballooned by 128%, costing the district more than aprojected $8.9 million. Charter schools have led to a sharp decrease in student population. The area was already expected to lose around 300students yearly,Bastistesaid. It’sbeen something St. Landry Parish and otherdistricts in thestate have been struggling withfor nearly the past two decades due to the growth in private and parochial schools, expanded schoolofchoiceoptions andthe rise of homeschooling.

UP FORGRABS

Patronspurchase playtokens at the front counter at GotchaClawMachine Arcade. Gotcha uses atokenbased system, with games costing between one and threetokens each.

BY JA’KORIMADISON Staff writer

Acadiana recently saw the opening of its first Japanese-inspired arcade, Gotcha —aclaw-machine arcadewithprizes from collectible figures and anime characters to gaming consoles and tech gear

The name Gotcha represents that instantwhena player grabs aprize andproudly shouts,“Got it!” For owner Chen Xiaoling, it reflectsboththe thrill of grabbing andthe satisfaction of being able to takethat prizehome.

Thearcade officially opened Friday at 4701 Ambassador Caffery Parkway andbusiness has been

steady since day one, according to staff. FrontdeskworkerAimme Ponthieux said most guests have been eager to try outthe arcade’s trade-in system. Gotcha uses atoken-based system, with gamescosting between oneand threetokenseach.Token packages startat$10 for12tokens,going up to $20for 30,$50 for 80, and$100 for 170. Machinesvaryindifficulty Some of themachinesare designedfor easywins thatyounger players can enjoy,while others offeratougherchallenge withpremium prizes.

ä See ARCADE, page 4B

Sheriffasksparishto increase jail funding

Proposed budget wouldcut allocation by $1.4 million

BYCAMDEN DOHERTY camden@thecurrentla.com

Sheriff MarkGarberand his jail’swarden, Maj. Kenny Benoit, appealedtothe Lafayette Parish Council on Thursday formore funding, after budget proposals by Mayor-President Monique Boulet’s administration and the City Councillooked to cut jail funding by roughly $1.4 million.

In July,the city-parish attorney justified the removalof$375,000 in jailfunding from the parish budget,citing state law regarding inmate costs, and the citysubsequently cut $1 million from the sheriff’s capitalexpensesduring thebudget process. Garber and Benoit acknowledgedthatwhile Lafayette Consolidated Government is following

ä See JAIL, page 4B

Manarrestedinfatal shooting in Arnaudville

Aman was arrested following a deadly shooting over the weekend in Arnaudville.

Hayden Boudreaux, 22, faces one count of second-degreemurder in connection with aSaturday shooting thatleft one mandead, according to an Arnaudville Police Department announcement. The victim, identified as Nathan Powell, died in the hospital after he was shotinthe neck twice, allegedly by Boudreaux. Police responded about 6:30 p.m. to reports of ashooting at Tiger Touchdown at 398 Main St.inArnaudville.

Upon arrival,policelearned that Boudreaux entered the video poker room whenafight began a few minutes prior to the shooting. During thefight,Boudreaux allegedly pulledagun out of his pocket and shot Powell twice before fleeing the area. AcadianAmbulance transported Powell to OpelousasGeneral Hospital, where he died of his injuries.

St. Landry Parish sheriff’s deputies and the Louisiana State Police located and arrested Boudreaux about 7:30 p.m Deputies booked Boudreaux at the St. Landry Parish jail. His namedoes not appear on current rosters.

Privatedonors help Amistad Research Center carryon

The Amistad Research Center‘s executive director Kathe Hambrick did something she didn’twant to do earlier this summer: She told half of her staff she couldn’tafford to keep themon.

Fortypercent of the internationally recognized center’s$1.5 million budget waswiped out when the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences notified Hambrick thatthe Amistad’s grants had been terminated.The reason wasnot specified,but the decisionbythe federal agency that provides library and museum grants wasin sync with President Donald Trump’saim to end support for groups, organizations and programs that reflect the experiences and history of underserved and underrepresented communities.

The cuts wenttothe heart of theAmistad Research Center’smission.Named forthe ship on which kidnapped Africans bound forslavery revoltedin1839, the center,whichishoused at Tulane University,holds amassive archive documenting the experiences of African American and other minoritygroups in theU.S., from paintings by acclaimed artist Jacob Lawrence to the records of the LouisianaCoalitionAgainst Racism and Nazism, which exposedthe history of politician and former Ku KluxKlanleader David Duke. Hambrick quickly set about saving the center’swork.

Separate from its mainwebsite, she created a “Save Black History” companionsite to drawattention to the center’sfinancial plight.

It turnedout that help arrived quickerthan Hambrick could have imagined.Inlessthan three months, the center raised more than $1.6 million, and fiveofthe seven laid-off employees have been rehired. In arecent statement,the executive director expressed herappreciation.

“Because of this generosity andsupport, Amistad’sstaff can continueits mission of making the stories and voices of marginalized groups available to the public whiletrainingthe next generation of preservation professionals,” she wrote.

The Andrew W. MellonFoundation made a three-year commitment, promising$750,000 for generaloperatingneeds.The Getty Foundation made atwo-yearpromiseofatotal of $275,000 to help with operations and save thepapersand works of sculptor RichmondBarthé, master artist Elizabeth Catlett, cartographer LouiseJefferson andvisualartist Senga Nengudi through its Black Visual Arts Archivesinitiative. About 300 individuals and group donors contributed smaller donations of $5 to $100,000. Noting the “difficult environment in which all of our organizations are operating,amid increasing challenges andattacks fromthe current administration in Washington, D.C.,” Hambrick told the center’sbenefactors that their “commitment to stand withAmistadduring this critical time speaks volumes.”

The Amistad Research Center startedat Fisk University in Nashville, moved to Dillard University thentoTulane. Throughout, it has continued to be aplace where academics, researchers, scholars and citizens have visitedto dig deeper into our American history It deserves continued support

HERE

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

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

Recently Iread aletter sent in by Adrian Bruneau.

Onething that caught my attention was that he said theleft was tearing down statues of our founders and rewriting history through the lens of grievance. I’m going to pose aquestion to Bruneau and any others who hold that point of view: Would you rather that we ignore our founders’faults and issues and paint them as perfect beings?

Washington owned slaves. Lincoln believed African Americansweren’t equal to whites. FDR put over 100,000 Japanese Americansininternment camps. Pretending that these things didn’thappen doesn’tmean that they didn’t.

Butarecent executive order has declared that exhibits under theDepartmentofthe Interior that “inappropriately disparage Americanspast or living” are to be removed. This now

In Rich Lowry’scolumn on gerrymandering, he gives an example of a Democrat gerrymander.Hedoesn’t point out that in 2021 Democrats proposed abill that would have eliminated gerrymandering for purely political advantage.

It provided clear guidelines for courts to use to identify district divisions created solely for partisan purposes. It would also have provided

Thanks for your continued coverage of the abominable death, destruction and devastation in Gazaand Israel.

As youreported, as of Aug. 6, this has continued for morethan 22 months.In Israel, an estimated 1,139 people were killed and 250 taken hostage in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack in addition to other Israelis killed sincethen. And over 61,000 Palestinians have died, many by starvation when food and other relief suppliesare at their doorstep.

Iaffirm theright of thestate of Israel to existinpeace and to defend itself. I alsoaffirm theright of astate of Palestine to existinpeace and defend itself. IamaChristian. With many others, Iabhor thecontinuing mutual destruction and annihi-

meansthat morethan adozen references to slavery are in danger of being removed from Independence National Historic Park, with the supposed objectiveofrestoring “truth and sanity.” Not only this, but mentions of queer and transgender people wereremoved from theNational Park Service’s Stonewall website. History is being rewritten as we speak

Yetasignificant number of people (including Bruneau) act as if an honest and critical view of leaders and figures who made questionable decisions is completely unreasonable.Teaching kids that the best of us are still human is good for them. We have to accept our founders, flaws and all. By erasing and censoring our past mistakes we’re setting our country up to repeat those very mistakes that we’ve tried to forget. EMMETTMURPHY Baton Rouge

courts the power to reject those divisions. That bill didn’tget far, but it shows that Democrats were willing to give up political gerrymandering. Now Republicans are outraged that states led by Democrats wanttofollow Texas’ lead and redraw their own maps. SeemstomeTexas Gov.Greg Abbottstarted theball rolling.

ANDREWGALLIEN Harahan

lation of thepeople of Israel and Palestine.Ibelieve that The God of Abraham creates all human beings and declares each one to be good. Ibelieve that God loves everyone God gives birth to. As a Christian, Ibelieve that this applies to one’senemies as wellastooneself. God led Moses and his people out of slavery intothe desert and fed them manna from heaven. At Meribah, God gave the people water to drink. Jesus fed thousands of people. Ibelieve that it grieves theCreator –asitgrieves so many of us –that starvation is being used as as tactic of politicsand war. Idonot have apolitical solution to this abomination. But it must stop.

RICHARD SAXER NewOrleans

The U.S. 90 bridges at the Louisiana/Mississippi state line have been shut downfor way too long. At first, it was believed that it would only be fortwo years, but that deadline has passed with no immediate plans for reconstruction. One wonders if the problem of delayed reconstruction is with Mississippi or Louisiana or both. Many people are frequent travelers from the NewOrleans area to eastern Gulf states forweekend beach trips or vacations. Itravel frequently from Metairie to Pensacola and back. This trip is usually about 3.5 hours using Interstate 10. Many times, there are accidents or roadwork that reduces lanes to one. Traffic backsupfor miles.

My trip last week was six hours due to an accidentonthe high bridge at the Louisiana/Mississippi state line. The alternate route, U.S. 90, that would relieve such congestion, remains closed. This bridge is so important in times of hurricane evacuation and necessary forthe restoration of the economy of the businesses located in the area.

Let’sput our state representatives and the governors in acouple of the traffic jamsand see what happens. FRAN WISEWAN Metairie

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy et al. are wrong to concur with the president’s overreach in firing the commissioner of Labor Statistics and, worse,are in arace to the bottom to supplicate for an endorsement. The bureau generates its job numbers by reviewing past data and current trends, and the Trump tariff “policy” of wild swings, phantom deadlines and governing-bygrievance takes an imperfect science and injects an unprecedented degree of uncertainty into the process. Our commander-in-chief is knocking over the water glass and asking whythe table is wet.

TAYLOR LORIO Metairie

Skepticismiscalledfor as LSUarena deal progresses

Of the 21 museumsunder the umbrella of the Smithsonian Institution, one in particular seemsrecently to have rubbed President Donald Trumpthe wrong way

“The Smithsonian is OUTOFCONTROL,” Trumpfulminated in asocial media postTuesday,“where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been —Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.”

Maybe LSU does need anew $400 million arena. Maybe the best way to build it is in apublic-private partnership with Oak View Group.Maybe they’re the only ones capable of building, funding and operating the arena. Maybe the only way to get this offthe ground is to offer $100 million or more in financial incentives from Tiger Athletic Foundation and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Maybe negotiating over further incentives funded by sales tax in thearena district is also necessary

And maybe, just maybe, anew arena will be a“catalyzing” development for the city of BatonRouge that will not only generate new convention business butboost the city’slive-event profile and help persuade more youngpeople that Baton Rouge is worthsticking around in after graduatingfrom LSU or Southern.

Maybe all of those things are true. That’scertainly the sales pitch being offered by awide range of proponents, including leaders from TAF, FMOL, Visit Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and the Baton Rouge AreaFoundation, all of whom sat down with this newspaper’seditorial board last week.

And let me say this: LSU definitely needs anew arena. The PeteMaravich Assembly Center is obsoleteand insufficient for big time athletics. Andifwe know anything about thisnew era of

collegesports, first-rate facilities are amust

Butunlike Shaquille O’Neal, who very publicly announced his investment in the new arena, I’m not sold. I’m notwillingtogrant all those “maybes.”

Iamalso not ready togoasfar as East Baton Rouge Republican Party chairman WoodyJenkins, who called the plan a“scam” and “corrupt.”

Idothink adose of skepticism is healthy, myself included.

Lest we forget, LSU stands for Louisiana State University.It’sthe very essence of apublic entity and the brand is one that manyLouisianans —myself certainly included —hold very dearly

Yetinthe plans for anew arena, aprivate organization,TAF,was negotiating on behalfofthe universityand by extension, the people of Louisiana.

TAFsaysthat originally,there were 19 potential developers, alist that was whittled to 12-14, then six, then two. TAFdenied public records requests from this newspaper for documents related to those other firms or about the process. In theend, they only named the two finalists. Then the second, ASM Legends, dropped out.

Oak View Group is the only company that can do this project, its proponents argue. This makes it look less like good business, as proponentsinsist,and morelike old-style Louisianapolitics.

When Oak View founder and former CEO TimothyJ.Leiweke was indicted on acharge ofbid-rigging in Texas, it just solidifiedthat image even if that’s unfair.The indictment has nothing to do with theLouisiana project, Leiweke insists he’sinnocentand he plans to

fight thecharges, we are told. ButweinLouisiana have seen this story before. Ourcynicism is justified Andthen there are thetens of millions of dollars in incentives that could flow to Oak View Group. According to adraft of theterm sheet from last fall, TAFwould pay Oak View $30 million over the first 10 years of the deal and then $40 million over years 11-20. In addition, $40 million from the$50 million, 10-year naming rightsdeal from Franciscan Missionaries of OurLady would also go to Oak View Group. Somesimple math makes that $70 million in the arena’sfirst 10 years from those two entities. Andatleast $110 million in the first 20 years. To be fair,that’s not public money per se,but given thenumber of folks beholden to TAFfor their LSU tickets or who rely on FMOL medical care, it feels like it. Throw on top of that the potential thatsome of the one-cent sales tax planned for thearena district may also be funneled back to Oak View Group, and that number grows even more. Of course, all of those elements are still being negotiated before afinal termsheet is hammered out. Butstill, that’sa lot of sweetener for what, it seems, should be aprofitable venue. Perhaps these elements will be better explained in the coming months and my concerns will be mollified.I’m open to that. Butinthe meantime, we should remain dubious. After all, we’re from Louisiana. We’ve earned it

Faimon A. RobertsIII can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com.

Mercy me. Imagine that! A museum dedicated to African American history and culture that dares to include someexhibits about slavery If you haven’tseen the real thing —and I have been back with friends and relatives more times than Ihave kept count —the experience is nowhere near as gloomyasthe president recollects. They even have Chuck Berry’sred Cadillac Eldorado on display,speaking of “success” and “brightness.”

Well, hard as this may be to believe, the president’sdescription of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture falls woefully short of accuracy especially in comparison to his remarks at the museum’s opening in 2017.

“I’m deeply proud that we now have amuseum that honors the millions of African American men and women whobuilt our national heritage,” he said, “especially when it comes to faith, culture and the unbreakable American spirit....”

“And it really is very,very special. It’s something that, frankly,ifyou want to know the truth, it’sdoing so well that everybody is talking about it.”

Ah, what adifference eight years make!

The president’srecent comments came a week after the White House sent an ominous announcement to the Smithsonian: its museums would be required to revise any content that the administration finds problematic in “tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals” —and they have 120 days to do so. Black Americans are not the only folks whose depictions are receiving special scrutiny.For example, apainting of refugees at the U.S.-Mexico border that was afinalist in acontest at the National Portrait Gallery,another Smithsonianaffiliated museum, wassingled out for denunciation.

Donald Trump’sallegedfascist crackdown is finally here—federal troops are on the streets of major U.S. cities with almost certainly more on the way

First, they came for Los Angeles, then, for Washington, D.C., and next, if reportsare to be believed, Chicago.

There’snodoubt that Trump loves the optics and sense of strength that comes with deploying the National Guard to U.S. cities, while many of his political enemies love the thrill of decrying the arrival of the dystopia they’ve always warned about.

The Guard troops obviously aren’t Trump’sequivalent of Mussolini’s squadristi or Hitler’sbrownshirts brawlers and enforcers operating outside the law to crush apolitical party’s opponents. They are awell-trained, entirely lawful military force that isn’tengaging in street fights or arresting dissidents. The Guard’srole has, mostly, been to stand in front of federal buildings and other public landmarks. In Washington, D.C., they walk along Metro platforms andgenerally make themselves visible (they are often seen drinking coffee and taking photos with tourists).

In short, they’ve been abenign presence, although still apolitical flashpoint. For Trump, the Guard deployments are an emblem of the restorationof public order.Nothingsays the lawman

isback in town quitelike Humvees parked in front of Union Station and camouflaged federal troops walking the streets. That thetroopsare overkill makes them even more potent as asymbol —Trump really means it.

Thatthey generate areaction from his opponents is even better, since it promptsthem into attacking atoken of lawfulness in places that suffer from endemic disorder

So, Trump feels an urge to take the show on anational tour,withthe Windy City or perhaps Baltimore as the next stop. This is abad idea. D.C. and L.A. present unique circumstances not replicated in other cities.

Legally,D.C. is an easyquestion

Although Congresshas granted D.C. home rule, the federal government has plenary power over the district. Thepresident of theUnited States has direct authority over theD.C. National Guard, and can also take control of the city’spolice department. Constitutionally and legally,Trump is on solid ground. Since D.C.has aunique statusand the feds have taken over thepolice department,therehas been useful collaboration between the federal and local law-enforcementofficials. (The early returns have been encouraging, with the city seeing amoderate dip in crime.)

None of this would apply to Chicago or Baltimore. The federal government has no special roleingoverning them,

and politically hostile mayors would maintain full control of theirpolice departments. The emphasis would surelybeonresistance to unwelcome federal intrusionsrather than reluctantcooperation.

Now,this was true in L.A., as well, but theriotsand obstruction of federal immigration enforcement there gave Trump theauthority to federalize members of the California National Guard and protect federal assets. Unless similar unrest breaks out in Chicago or Baltimore, Trump is going to have to stretch for alegal justification for deploying theNational Guard, and risk ahigh-profile legal reverse.

Regardless, the National Guard has limited utilityasapolice force. Its bootsonthe ground can createasense of asafer environment, and perhaps, at the margins, free up local police resources for other duties. But what places like Chicago need is moreintensive policing in high-crime areas. The National Guardisnot going to nor should it —become de facto cops making gang and drug arrests in the Southand West Sides of the city.(The FBI and DEA, on the other hand, could actually help).

At theend of the day,thereisno easy cure for the flagrant misgovernance of cities likeChicago. It is a long-term, deep-rooted ideological and political phenomenon that won’tbe easily reversed, whether the troops in camouflage show up or not.

Rich Lowry is on X@RichLowry

“Refugees Crossing the Border Wall Into South Texas,” a2022 work by painter Rigoberto A. Gonzalez, showsafamily in flight from some unseen peril, scaling awooden ladder at what appears to be Trump’s“big, beautiful wall” at the U.S./Mexico border It maybeart to you or,atleast, to me. But to the art critics whostaffthe “Official White House Rapid Response account” on X, this was nothing morethan “the perfect example of what President Trumpmeans when he says the Smithsonian is ‘OUTOFCONTROL.’ “ Art, like history,must never stir troubling thoughts or any critical impulses in ourheads. To go back to Trump’soriginal condemnatory post on Truth Social: “This Country cannotbe WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE. We have the ‘HOTTEST’ Country in the World, andwewant people to talk about it, including in our Museums.”

It’snot just our national museums thatare “out of control.” Those were the words Trump used to describe crimeonthe streets of Washington D.C. to justify ordering the District’sNational Guard to police the nation’scapital, subsequently joined by guardsmen from Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia,all of which have Republican governors.

Someofmylocal media colleagues soon discovered that manymembers of the guard came from cities that happened to have higher crime rates than the District, where officials and media have been reporting athree-year decline in violent crimes.

Somemembers of Team Trumpaccused the city of reporting “rigged” numbers, much like the president attributed recent reports of weakness in the job market to “rigged” data, and then fired the Senate-confirmed Bureau of Labor Statistics official responsible forcomputing those numbers each month.

Washington, Trumpclaimed in an announcementonAug. 7, wasonthe brink of “complete andtotal lawlessness.”

But, from my vantage point, the streets were notably quiet, if you look past the unusually high number of Humvees and guardsmen, resembling an authoritarian takeover Fortunately,the resemblance to apolice state has not been totally debilitating. If you can standthe seasonal heat, Istill recommendthe city to tourists, especially the great museums. Even President Trumphas declared the city to be “safeagain.”

Email Clarence Page at clarence47page @gmail.com.

Adding to the excitement, some machines are marked with stickers indicating that prizes can be exchanged for Gotcha chips These chips can then be redeemed for higher-value rewards — for example, trading a plush toy for a Labubu figure.

“When I was younger, I’d play claw machines, but this one is totally different,” Ponthieux said. “People walk in and they’re shocked at how unique the place looks.”

Chen, a Maurice native now living in Lafayette, said that was exactly his goal. After visiting family in Tokyo in 2023, he was inspired to bring a piece of Japanese arcade culture back to Acadiana.

When guests first walk in, they’re greeted by neon-lit machines, KAWS-inspired characters throughout the arcade and an 8-foot-tall photo wall decorated with more than 100 plush animals that has already become a hot spot for selfies and group photos.

Since opening day crowds have lined up to

DEFICIT

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A new charter school, Helix AI and Medical Academy, opened recently in the parish and will siphon even more students, resulting in an expected loss of around

JAIL

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test their luck. In just the first four days, social media posts showed two players who walked away with a PlayStation 4. “In Louisiana, I noticed most places you can spend a couple hundred dollars and leave with nothing,” Chen explained. “Here, you can have fun and you can actually bring something home.”

600 to 700 students this year, marking a huge hit to a district hovering around 11 500 students. It may paint a dire picture of hollowed-out public schools, but Batiste said he believes that an equilibrium between public and charter schools will be met.

the letter of the law, the lack of an increase in required funding since the 1990s has put the sheriff in a tough position when it comes to maintaining the jail and taking care of inmates. “(The jail) was insufficient at the time it was constructed, and now it’s over 40 years old,” Garber told the Parish Council. “That presents maintenance challenges, and that presents operation challenges.”

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An investigation is ongoing.

Victim in Eunice shooting identified

Police identified the victim in a deadly shooting that occurred in Eunice on Sunday night.

The 18-year-old victim was identified as Frederick Stevens Jr., according to Eunice Police Chief Klye LeBouef.

No arrests have been made in the shooting, and police said they are still running down several leads on potential suspects.

The shooting occurred about 10 p.m. Sunday, shortly after police received reports of six people in hoodies, armed with firearms were walking on Perrotti Street toward Fuselier

Unlike typical American claw machines, which mostly feature plush toys, Japanese-style machines often highlight collectibles and anime figures.

Chen said he wanted to merge the two styles, creating an arcade where every player has a chance to win. The response so far has been enthusiastic, Chen

“That’s my biggest perspective on this. We just have to make sure and stay ahead of it. You know we have 12,000 students, our staff needs to look like a staff that supports 12,000 students. If we have 9,000, our staff needs to look like a staff that supports 9,000 students,” Batiste said.

Parish Council member Bryan Tabor proposed three separate general amendments to address these needs. The first was to replace the $1 million cut by the City Council with the same amount from the parish’s courthouse complex balance, an account used to fund the jail in the past. The remaining two amendments add $1.03 million from the same fund to two Sheriff’s Office budget

Street.

Upon arrival, police found Stevens dead in the 200 block of Fuselier Street, killed from an apparent gunshot wound to the upper torso. Reports suggest several shots were fired in the area.

An AR-15 style pistol was found at the scene. No bullet casings have been recovered

Police are still determining whether the attack was targeted

An investigation is ongoing.

Sunset couple accused of cruelty

St. Landry Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested a Sunset couple for cruelty to a person with Down syndrome. Benjamin Michael Lagrange, 48, and Kendall Lanclos Lagrange, 34, both face charges of cruelty to a person with infirmities, according to a St. Landry

Parish Sheriff’s Office announcement.

The arrest came after deputies received reports from the Louisiana Department of Health alleging that the two physically abused a 22-year-old female diagnosed with Down syndrome.

The two do not appear on St. Landry Parish jail rosters.

Anyone with additional information about the crime is encouraged to call the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office at (337) 948-6516.

Weekend shooting in New Iberia injures 1

A shooting over the weekend in New Iberia left one person injured.

Police responded to reports of shots being fired in the area of South Hopkins Street and Robertson Street about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a New Iberia Police Department statement.

said. The plan is to open more locations in Baton Rouge, Shreveport and New Orleans. “Lafayette deserves this. It’s a new concept and were excited to bring it to them first and to expand,” Chen said.

Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

No new charters are currently planned for the parish, Batiste said.

Stephen Marcantel writes for The Acadiana Advocate as a Report for America corps member Email him at stephen. marcantel@theadvocate. com.

line items: jail overflow and a new line item for the cost of maintenance deputies. As the sheriff notes, making repairs with internal staff saves money over time. No Parish Council members objected to the amendments, and the budget amendments will now go to a final vote Sept. 11.

Shortly after officers were notified of a gunshot wound victim in the 200 block of Prairie Avenue.

The unidentified victim was taken to a local hospital in Lafayette and is considered to be in stable condition.

The incident is believed to have occurred in the 600 block of South Hopkins Street and resulted from an altercation.

An arrest is expected soon, according to the department.

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POWERBALL: 8-23-2540-53 (5) Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

Obituaries

Broussard, Delores C.

Delores C. Broussard, 77. Visitation will be at Fountain Memorial Funeral Home on September 3, 2025, from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm and resumes on September 4, 2025, from 8:30 am until the Liturgy of the Word at 11:00 am. Online obituary andguest book may be viewed at www.fountainmemorialfun eralhome.com. Fountain Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, 1010 Pandora St. 337-981-7098 is in charge of arrangements.

Jeansonne, Dr. James Louis 'Jim'

James Louis Jeansonne, "Jim" to family and friends, was our beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle andfriend. He passed away, at the age of 75, on August 30, 2025, surrounded by his family.

Born September 10, 1949 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jim lived alife defined by strength,generosity and quiet sensitivity. Well-read and deeply curious, Jim found joy in history, literature andall things of nature. He loved spending time in the woods, whether hunting or simply observing and nurturing all of God's wondrousgifts blossoming at his farm in Norwood, Louisiana. He was a curious amalgamation of the eclectic -a "modern Renaissance man"; he enjoyed scuba diving, travel and an appreciation of a vibrant music spectrum that ranged from Randy Travis to The Rolling Stones, classical music and everything in between. His family will always remember him for his sharp mind, kindheart and calm presence. He knew when to fold another into his embrace, sharing their sorrows or magnifying their joys. He was large in frame andinheart. Jim graduated from Broadmoor High School, earned aBachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University in 1972 and then went on to graduate as aDoctor of Dental Surgery from LSU in 1976. Following his graduation, Jim served active duty as aCaptain in the United States Army, stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, from 1976 to 1979, carrying the values of patriotism and servicethroughouthis lifetime.

In 1979, Jim launched his dental practice in Gonzales, Louisiana—a career he carried forward with compassion,skill and passionate dedication until retiring in 2025. His passion for his profession led him often to remark "I loved my work; Ihave never felt that I'worked' aday in my life. Every day was ajoy." That dedication and drive was

towards his degrees with lodge Feliciana #31 when he passed. He is survived by Kathy, his lovingand faithful wife of 43 years and his children, Stephanie Marie Jeansonne and her husband Billy Tullier, James Robert Jeansonne and his wife Paige, and Katie Jeansonne Maxwell andher husband Jack; his grandchildren,Pilot, Ronin, Freya, Maudie James and Cannon, who affectionately called him "the Dude" (AKA: "the most awesome Dude"); his siblings, Wendy Anne Jeansonne and her husband Dave Dargo and Stephen Prince Jeansonne andhis wife Nancy; numerous nieces and nephews; and many other loved ones, including his beloved four-legged furry side-kick "Buddy." He is preceded in death by his parents, Robert Louis Jeansonne andSylvia Anne Hernandez Jeansonne. While Jim treasured his relationships with many special people, Drexell Boggs, Chris Reily and Dr. Chad Spillers held cherished places in his heart. With each, manyyears of shared professional and recreational endeavors forged unbreakable bonds of brotherhood. Jim's drinkofchoice was bourbon or whiskey over severely crushed ice, which he referred to as a "snow cone." It was integral to toasts of "to the family" when loved ones gathered and it consistently kicked off arousing game of spades and other shared moments of good company. In time, the family will hold two memorial celebrations in honor of Jim: one at hishome in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and another at his home in Norwood, Louisiana. Dates and times for these celebrations will be announced. In the meantime, we know that each of us now have stewardship over the gifts that Jim has shared; it would put a smile on his facetoknow that you took aleisurely walk in nature, preferably with abeloved family member or friend andperhaps afurry friend, and that you just inhaled the beauty that is God's most generous gift to eachofus -seize it. Hug yourloved ones. Tell them what is in your heart. He would be honored to know that you thought of him as you drank in these things. Jim's family would like to thank his entire care team at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for their compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation,inhonor of his lifelong commitment to service and community.

SPORTS

Cajuns defenseready to shoulder bigger load

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The notion was mentioned afew times before UL’s 14-12 seasonopening loss to Rice.

The idea is thatthe Cajuns defense may have to carry the offense early this season after the roles were reversed forpart of last season.

good things.

“You love the physicalitywe playedwith,” coachMichael Desormeauxsaid abouthow the defensefared inthe first game.

Analyzing how the defense played against Rice is atricky exercise.The Owls’ triple option offense is difficult to prepare for and doesn’ttranslate to stopping many other offenses.

Throw in the possibility UL may be without starting quarterback Walker Howard for a7 p.m. Saturdayshowdown against old rival McNeese State, and the defense may have even more pressure this week

Still, Desormeaux saw some

“Weheld the point,”hesaid.“We didn’tget pushedaround. In the first half, we didn’tmakea bunchofplays in the backfield like we did in the second half. In the second half, we got offblocks andwewereplaying up thefield —getting TFLs and doing things that gotthemoff track.”

After giving up 12 first downs and 180 totalyards in the first half, theULdefense limited Rice to totals of 18 first downs and 251 yards.

Owning ‘mistake’

Foskey latest in long lineofSaints’ misses

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Time was of the essence for

Brian Kelly toward the end of the first half Saturday against Clemson.

With 15 seconds left before halftime, the LSU coach elected to go for it on fourthand 2 at the Clemson 12-yard line instead of settling forthe short field goal that would have cut the LSU deficit to 10-6.

It was an aggressiveapproach, one that LSU’s analytics model would have supported in atypical fourth-and-2situation in the red zone. But with only one timeout at his disposal and seconds remaining in the half, Kelly,withsomeperspective,said he made the wrong decision.

“The mistake that Imade on thatisthat we didn’thave enough time on the clock to get in fourplays,” Kelly said LSU didn’tpick up the first down anyway,aswide receiver ChrisHilton fumbled Garrett Nussmeier’sscreen pass. Even if Hilton had held onto the ball, he would have fallen short of the sticks Kelly uses analytics to help informhis decisions in fourthdown situations. Hisuse of analytics has been afactor in why he’s been more aggres-

sive than someinkeeping the offense on the field.

Still, the numbersgiven to him late in the first half on Saturdayhad factored in the amount of time left in the half. Kellyalsousedhis final timeout beforethe snap.

“Even if we got it with only onetimeoutand timeleft on theclock,itwould not have given us themaximumopportunity on that go,” Kelly said. “Sothatwas amistake on my part. We should have kicked the field goal in that situation.”

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

When Devaughn Vele found out he wastradedtothe Saints last month, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton told the widereceiver many of the samethings he would later say publicly The coach told him how hard of adecision it was to make. Payton andgeneral manager George Paton wished him thebest, Vele said. “At the end of the day,Iunderstand it’sa business,”Vele said. “It’s no hardfeelings,

nothing like that. Just understanding I’vegot to adjust and to contribute where Ican.”

The Saints will need him to contribute right away.After New Orleanstradeda2026 fourth-round pick and 2027 seventh-round pickfor the 27-year-old, Vele’sskill set specifically could be avaluable assetagainst theSaints’ first opponent of the season. Few teams love to disguise exotic pressuresand formations quite like the Arizona Cardinals,requiring quarterbackstomake quick decisions. On Monday,Saints

coach Kellen Moore noted the stress the Cardinals defense putsonanoffense,fromthe flexibility of theirsafetiesto thefive-man “penny” fronts along thedefensive line. In Denver,Veleemerged as asafetyvalve —and his 6-foot-5 size gives quarterbacks abig blanket when in danger

“There’salot of things Itry to focus on alot to improve my game,” Vele said. “I know people see (mysize) as an asset, so we’re goingtotry to utilize that as muchasIcan, but at thesametime, I’mjust willing to work.” Oneofthe moreinteresting

The Saints’ decision to cut edge rusher Isaiah Foskey last week raised eyebrows and fueled wild discussions about his infamous place in the club’sdraft history Foskey never cracked the starting lineup and failed to record asingle sack in 27 career games. His best contributions were on special teams. Not what the Saints expected when they selected him with the No 40 overall pick in the 2023 draft. That no NFLteam has taken a flyer on him yet is telling. To be fair,Foskey was drafted to fit adifferent schemeand the 2023 draftlooks like adecidedly weakone. Few of the secondrounders that year have madean impact in the league, with tight end Sam LaPorta and safety Brian Branch being the exceptions. Still, there’snosugarcoating it. Foskey was amiss —and abig one, given previous swings and misses on Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner Still, Foskey is farfrom the biggest bust in Saints’ history In fact, he wouldn’teven rank in the top 10, which says something about the Saints’ ignominious drafthistory Let’stake alook at the list of infamous draftpicks:

No.10: FB-LBLes Kelley

1967, R1 (No. 26): Future Hall of Famers Willie Lanier and Lem Barney were still on the board, but the Saints decided to go for the burly Alabamafullback-linebacker with the first draftpick in franchise history.The dubious decision would haunt the Saints and set the tone forthe club’sgrim early seasons.

Kelly battled the measles and aknee injury as arookie and played in just twogames. He moved to linebacker ayear later and started just one game. He was cut in 1969. His career production: one interception and one kickoffreturn for20yards.

No.9:DTKevin Hardy

1968, R1 (7): An asterisk applies here because Hardy never played adown forthe Saints. He was sent to the San Francisco 49ers by NFLcommissioner Pete Rozelle

2

UL ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

Brooks was on his way up from the start

Former UL star was a ‘triple-threat player’

Editor’s note: This is part of a series leading into Friday’s UL Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

BY DAN MCDONALD

Contributing writer

It didn’t take long for his teammates to realize Kevin Brooks was special.

“I remember showing up at Bourgeois Hall when we all got into town and had our first practice,” said former UL standout point guard Eric Mouton. “We had some dudes in that class, but it took about 15 minutes to realize that when the season rolled around, he’s going to be option No. 1.”

“We’d connected some in AAU basketball,” said fellow Ragin’ Cajun star Aaron Mitchell, “but when you saw him in that setup, with a lot of good players, he was a different animal. He was one of the very few guys that you could see at an early age that he could go to the next level.”

Coach Marty Fletcher, then entering his second year, knew that the White Castle native was a special player, to the point that he “hid him” early in the 1987-88 season.

“We were hosting the Louisiana Classics,” Fletcher said, “In the first round we played Belhaven College, and Georgia played a very good Southern team led by Avery Johnson in the nightcap.

“The next night we played Georgia in the championship game. I knew (Georgia coach) Hugh Durham well through Nike and I wanted to set him up for that championship game. Kevin had a little bit of a sore ankle so we didn’t play him the first night against Belhaven.” UL won that game 89-78, but one night later Brooks made his collegiate debut, and 24 points later, the Cajuns had rocked the Bulldogs, 86-68.

Kevin Brooks was a three-time first-team all-conference performer for the Ragin’ Cajuns from 1987-91.

his career and was a picture of consistency, averaging 20.7, 20.1 and 20.2 points in his final three seasons. Just as impressive, he shot 56.5 percent from the field as a freshman after that debut against Georgia, and was also consistent there – 52.5, 49.9 and 50.7 from the floor in a career that included 147 3-point baskets.

“He could bring it up the floor, he could shoot the perimeter he could create for himself and create for others,” said Mitchell, who is also coaching internationally after a long overseas playing career “Because of that, he could play multiple positions. He was like a taller Scottie Pippen. He was definitely a rare breed.”

Recently named to the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame Brooks was honored for that early impact as both the state and American South Conference Freshman of the Year He went on to earn three-time first-team honors in the American South — the precursor to the Sun Belt Conference — and was a four-time All-Louisiana selection.

“Kevin was a triple-threat player, great shooter, ball handler and an excellent passer He could also drive and finish, especially the reverse windmill dunk,” Fletcher said. “He was an offensive juggernaut, but he also kept everyone involved. He was such a humble guy, cool as a cucumber, but you could tell he always rooted for his teammates, and they all rooted for him.”

Brooks also wasn’t above stepping up for a teammate.

“We were rooming together one year, and we were playing McNeese,” Mouton said. “I tended to get under people’s skin, and I took an elbow across the chin from one of their players. Before I could get up, Kevin was in his face and they didn’t want to mess with him. He was cool, but he wasn’t going to let anyone push his point guard around.”

Power out at Penske, will not return for 18th season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Will Power, the consummate company man who won two IndyCar titles and the Indianapolis 500 for Roger Penske, will not return to Team Penske for an 18th season. The long-expected announcement was finally made Tuesday, two days after the season finale, and nearly a year after speculation began that Power would not be renewed when his contract expired as the team eyed a younger driver Power turns 45 at the start of next season.

Power with 45 career victories, ranks fourth on the all-time IndyCar wins list behind A.J. Foyt (67), Scott Dixon (59) and Mario Andretti (52). He passed Andretti as the greatest qualifier in series history

Basketball Hall of Famer Raveling dies at age 88

George Raveling, a Hall of Fame basketball coach who played a role in Michael Jordan signing a landmark endorsement deal with Nike, has died. He was 88.

Raveling’s family said Tuesday in a statement that he had “faced cancer with courage and grace.” Raveling, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, had a career record of 335-293 from 1972-94 at Washington State, Iowa and Southern California. His success at those programs landed Raveling on the U.S. Olympic basketball staffs in 1984 and 1988.

Jordan was on the 1984 team, and Raveling helped persuade him to sign with Nike. He introduced Jordan to Sonny Vaccaro at Nike, which helped lead to a contract that gave Jordan his own brand, made him millions and changed the athletic apparel industry

WNBA star Clark better, not cleared for contact

PHOENIX Caitlin Clark is improving but still hasn’t been cleared for contact drills during practice. With only a week left in the regular season, the Indiana star participated in full-court drills without defense during a shootaround before the Fever faced the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night.

Brooks was a first-round NBA draft choice (18th overall) and played three years with the Denver Nuggets before a 10-year international playing career that had its final years in Australia’s National Basketball League. After becoming one of that country’s most respected players in a career that ended in 2005, he began coaching “down under” and has been in that role on all levels — from youth to the highest professional level — for two decades.

“His first collegiate game against an SEC foe,” Fletcher said. “That was the beginning, and he never stopped scoring points after that.” Brooks wound up averaging over 20 points a game in a season three times, something only the legendary Bo Lamar accomplished in a Cajun uniform More than a third of a century after his final college game, he still stands fourth in UL history with 2,294 points, and he’s also one of only two players in Cajun history with 2,000 career points and 700 career rebounds.

But before all that, he spent much of his time wowing Cajundome crowds in a four-year UL career “There’s a reason I left UL in the top five in career assists and Aaron left No. 1,” said Mouton, now the analyst for UL’s ESPN+ broadcasts. “It was because of guys like Kevin Brooks. To me, he was the original Kevin Durant long, shifty, great shooting touch, great handles, could defend and block shots, and on offense, he was just a walking bucket.”

Brooks averaged 19.8 points in

“He was from a small school like me,” said Mitchell, “and that makes you appreciate the little things. He had some big offers, but we had a lot of local guys, and I think we all bonded really well.”

Those teammates all gathered at Fletcher’s house to watch the draft, and it didn’t take long.

“A former player of mine was an NBA coach, and I got the phone call that said your guy is going next,” Fletcher said. “I told everybody to stand up because I had a feeling that Kevin was going to go next. And his name was called and we’re all jumping up and celebrating, I jumped up and high-fived the ceiling fan. Yeah, I took blood for Kevin that night.”

Alcaraz, Pegula reach semifinals of U.S. Open

BY STEPHEN WHYNO Associated Press

NEW YORK Carlos Alcaraz finger-wagged the crowd, beat Jiri Lehecka to the net and cruised into the semifinals at the U.S. Open. The second-seeded Spaniard beat Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, making some highlight-reel shots and putting his hand to his ear afterward to encourage more cheers from fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It’s his first hard-court semifinal appearance at a major since winning his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in 2023.

“I kind of met the Grand Slam version of Carlos,” Lehecka said. “He just showed that he is one of the contenders, for sure. Everyone knew that, and he proved that.” Alcaraz is just 22 years old and is in the semifinals at a major for the ninth time. Only Rafael Nadal with 10 has more before turning 23. Next up for Alcaraz is either Taylor Fritz or Novak Djokovic, who knocked him out of the Australian Open in the quarterfinals. Alcaraz would supplant Jannik Sinner whom he lost to in the Wimbledon final and beat in the French Open final — atop the rankings if he wins the U.S Open for a second time.

“It’s really difficult not to think about it,” Alcaraz said. “Every

Carlos Alcaraz returns a shot to Jiri Lehecka during the quarterfinal round of the U.S Open on Tuesday in New york. Alcaraz won the match, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

time that I step on the court, I am trying not to think about it. If I think about the No. 1 spot too much, I think I’m going to put pressure on myself, and I just don’t want to do that.” Before facing Fritz or Djokovic on Friday, Alcaraz plans to play golf Wednesday with 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia. He thinks his countryman owes him more than a few strokes.

“He has to give me at least between 10 and 15 shots,” Alcaraz said. “It’s going to be great. I’m not that good, Sergio, come on.”

On the women’s side, Jessica Pegula broke through her quarterfinal wall again at the U.S. Open, defeating Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-3 to get to the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament for just the second time in her career She failed to advance into the semis in her first 22 main draw appearances at a major before reaching the final at Flushing Meadows a year ago, when she lost to Aryna Sabalenka. They’ll meet again in the semifinals on Thursday after Sabalenka advanced in a walkover when Marketa Vondrousova with-

drew because of injury

“My biggest accomplishment last year was just getting past the quarterfinals,” Pegula said. “Now I can say I’ve done it twice.”

Pegula, who was eliminated in the fourth round at the Australian Open, the third round at the French Open and the first round at Wimbledon, is the first woman to make back-to-back U.S. Open semifinals without losing a set since Serena Williams from 201114. Pegula, 31, is seeded fourth at the U.S. Open and aiming for her first Grand Slam championship. She and No. 8 Amanda Anisimova are the only Americans left in the women’s singles field. Williams, Fernandez fall in women’s doubles quarterfinals

Venus Williams’ first Grand Slam tournament in two years ended when she and Leylah Fernandez lost in the women’s doubles quarterfinals to the top-seeded duo of Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-2.

When the match finished after 56 minutes in Louis Armstrong Stadium, Williams smiled as she walked to the net to shake hands with Siniakova, then hug Townsend. Thousands of spectators rose to give Williams a standing ovation; Townsend and Siniakova then joined in, applauding for Williams.

Coach Stephanie White told reporters that the second-year guard had been limited to shooting drills and individual work. She said she hopes Clark will return before the end of the season. Indiana entered Tuesday seventh in the standings, battling for a postseason spot. Clark has been sidelined with a right groin injury since July 15 and Tuesday night’s game was the 19th in a row she has missed.

Mizzou QB out indefinitely; kicker is out for season

Missouri will be without backup quarterback Sam Horn for “an extended period of time” because of an injury, Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said Tuesday and kicker Blake Craig will miss the rest of the season after tearing an ACL.

Horn had been in a competition with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula to be the starting quarterback, and both were expected to play in last week’s opener against Central Arkansas. But Horn injured his right leg in the first quarter on a designed run, and that left Pribula to play most of the way in a 61-6 rout of the Bears.

Pribula was 23 of 28 for 283 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 10 times for 65 yards and two more scores.

WR Davis is rejoining Bills as part of practice squad

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y The Buffalo Bills are bringing back another familiar face by agreeing to a deal with Gabe Davis that adds the receiver to the team’s practice squad.

It’s uncertain when Davis will be cleared to play The 26-yearold receiver who spent his first four NFL seasons with Buffalo, is recovering from a torn meniscus in his left knee after he got hurt in mid-November, ending his one season in Jacksonville.

Davis had 20 catches for 239 yards and two TDs for the Jaguars. He was released in May despite having two years remaining on a $39 million, three-year contract.

Davis is the latest former Bill to return, joining safety Jordan Poyer and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips.

Kellyagreeswithincompletioncall, notrule

BY REED DARCEY and SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writers

In the second half Saturday against Clemson, LSU receiver

LSU notebook

Barion Brown appeared to haul in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Garrett Nussmeier Then officials reviewed theplayand ruled that Brown had not completed the process of the catch as he dove across the Clemson end zone’s front pylon. The decisionsparked an officiating controversy that stole some attention away from the Tigers’ 17-10win.

Coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday he thinks theofficialsmadethe correctcall, but he does wanttotweak the rule.

“The rule was applied correctly by the letter of it,” Kelly said. “But rules are made to be changed, and so hopefullydown the road,Ithink there’ll be some changes in the way that is looked at. But the crew administered the protocols andprocedures theright way on that play.”

Kelly said he had what he described as an “extremelyproductive” conversation about theruling with John McDaid,the SEC coordinator of football officials.

Kelly also compared theplay to the 2-yard touchdown run that running back Caden Durham scored

BUST

Continued from page1C

as punishment for the clubillegally signing tight endDave Parks before free agency was implemented. Hardy went on to play for three teamsand never made amark. He was arotational player andfinished his five-year careerwith five sacks and 12 starts. Not the way you want to rebound from the whiff on Kelley ayear earlier

No.8:GRoyce Smith

1972, R1 (8): Smith started 10 games as arookie but fell out of thestarting lineup in Year 2and was traded to the Falcons in 1974.Worse, the two players taken directly after Smith —tight end Jerome Barkum and linebacker Jeff Siemon started for 10 seasons and became Pro Bowlers.

No.7:LBRickMiddleton

1974, R1 (13): Middleton was supposedtobethe face of the Saints defensebut he never developed into an impact player.Hestarted just one season and madehis greatest contributions on special teams. He was dealt to the Chargers after two years. The Saints took the wrong Ohio State linebacker.One pick after their selection of Middleton, Denver took Randy Gradishar,afranchise cornerstone and future Hall of Famer

No.6:DTJohnathan Sullivan

2003, R1 (6): Sullivan was adisaster from the start. He reported late to camp and showed littleinitiativeotherthan at the buffet line. In three quiet seasons,Sullivan started just 16 games andrecorded 78 tackles, 1.5 sacks and aforced fumble. The Saints traded him to the Patriots in 2006 for abackup receiver.The Patriots waived him four months later

The decision to draft Sullivan was compounded by the price they paid to trade up with Arizona to select him —two first-round picks and a second-rounder —and the fact that theVikings selected future All-Pro defensive tackle Kevin Williams three picks later.Arizona used the second-round pick to select future star receiver Anquan Boldin. The 2003 draft was truly aboomor-bust proposition. Six of the top 10 players selected went on to be multitime Pro Bowlers. Four —including Sullivan, receiverCharles Rogers and quarterback Byron Leftwich —failed to makeanimpact and were out of the league after afew seasons

No.5:DEJoe Campbell

1977, R1 (7): The Saints raved about

LSU quarterbackGarrett

on Saturday.Durham, Kelly pointed out, extended theball over the plane of the goal line, thenlost possession as he fell to the ground. That play was aclear touchdown, but Brown’swas not.

“A runner doesn’thave thesame burden as awide receiver,” Kelly said. “There is conversationabout howwecan makethis cleaner,for sure, because clearlyfrom acommon sense standpoint,that (theincompletion) doesn’tmake much sense.”

On the ABC broadcast, ESPN rulesanalyst Matt Austin saidhebelieved officials shouldhaveruled

theplay atouchdown.

Hill fractureshand

LSU transfer wide receiver Destyn Hill fractured his left hand Saturday,Kelly said on Tuesday Hill —aredshirt sophomore from Florida State who prepped at Edna Karr— underwent surgery on Monday to haveaplate inserted in his injured hand. Kelly said Hill is expected to missonly one game. “He’llbeout thisweek,” Kelly said. “Wethink that we can get him in aposition where next week he can be in alimited capacity for

us.So, the plate stabilizes it to the point where we can put acaston it that allows him to function as a wide receiver.” Hill played onlytwo snaps in the win over Clemson, according to ProFootballFocus.LSU rotated six receivers in and out of the offense. Zavion Thomas led the group in snaps (44), but AaronAnderson earned the most targets, receptions and yards. He caught six passeson eight targets for99yards. As afreshmanatFlorida State, Hill tallied six receptions for 87 yardsacross the 10 games he played. He satout his entire sophomore season withaninjury,then transferred to LSU in December Nussmeier’sHeisman odds Nussmeier began the season in a tie with Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik forthe second-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy Then he guidedLSU to aroad win over Clemson on Saturday, helping his team snap astreak of season-opening losses and earn one of the most impressive victories of theyear’sfirst full slate of college football games. Now Nussmeier is thebetting favoritetowin the Heisman, according to the latest odds at Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel. Someofthe quarterbacks behind him are South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers,Miami’s CarsonBeck,Okla-

homa’s John Mateer and Georgia’s Gunner Stockton.Klubnik, Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith —three of thepreseason favoritesfor the award —saw their odds diminish after shaky performances.

Nussmeiercompleted 28 of 38 pass attempts for232 yards anda touchdown against Clemson. The LSU defense limited Klubnik’soffense to only 261 total yards. LSUinthe polls

LSU didn’tjust climb in the national pollsafter Saturday’svictory at Clemson, the Tigers made a huge leap to their highestranking under Kelly

LSUmoved up to No. 3inThe Associated Press Top25poll. It’s the highest ranking forthe Tigers since they finished the 2019 season at No. 1.

LSU’s previous high under Kelly wasNo. 5late in the 2022 season andinthe 2023 preseason rankings.

The Tigers were behindOhio State and Penn State in the AP poll with 1,514 points and threefirstplace votes. Penn State had 1,558 points and No.4Georgia had 1,410 points.

LSU opens its home schedule Saturday against Louisiana Tech in Tiger Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. andwill be streamed on ESPN+.

Campbell’s meanstreak when they selected himwith theNo. 7 overall pick out of Maryland. What they didn’tknow was that it didn’t have an off switch. Hisemotional outbursts led to countless fights, penalties and sideline eruptions at games.

Campbellrecorded eight sacks in 31/2 seasons before he was traded to the Raiders fivegames into the 1980 campaign

No.4:OG Kurt Schumacher

1975, R1 (12): The Saints took Schumacher onepick after the Rams selected guard Dennis Harrah, who started 144 games and went to six ProBowls. Schumacher started 16 gamesand wasout of theleague after fouryears.

No.3:WRLarry Burton

1975, R1 (7): If the Schumacher pick wasn’t bad enough, theSaintsdoubledtheirwhammy byreaching for Burton five picks earlier in Round 1. TheSaints hadn’thad atrue No. 1receiver since they traded Ken Burrough in 1971. The little-known Burton was an Olympic track standout with sprinter’sspeed. Unfortunately,hecouldn’tcatch or stay healthy. He was injured for much of his career and caught just 35 passes in three seasons. In 1978, he waswaived andwas out of footballtwo years later In reachingfor Burton and Schumacher,the Saintsbypassed

on theoutside in college.

Continued from page1C

decisions for the Saints coaching staff will be where exactly to lineupthe secondyear wideout. In Denver,the Broncos discoveredVele could thrive from theslot —where he played 62.5% of his snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. But the slot was anew adjustment for Vele last year after playing

Moorehas saidhesees Vele as capable of playing any of the three receiver spots. During training camp, before Vele’sarrival, Moore mixedand matched who he chose toplayfrom the slot. Sometimes,Moore went with Chris Olave, theteam’s No.1 receiver.Onotheroccasions, he’d gowithBrandin Cooks. In some instances, he’d forgo awide receiver and have tight end Juwan Johnson line upthere

and failed to record asingle stat. He was out of the league in three years. Jeffires and Barton, meanwhile, wentontostellar careers. Each wasaPro Bowler and All-Pro. No.1:P-PKRussell Erxleben

Continued from page1C

several future Pro Bowlers, including Harrah, Gary “Big Hands” Johnson, Russ Francis andLouis Wright

No.2:DEShawn Knight

1987, R1 (11): The Saints were prepared to select Purdue cornerback Rod Woodson with the No. 11 pick, but theSteelerstook him at No. 10. The top three players on the Saints’ board were receiver Haywood Jeffires, tackle Harris Barton and defensive end Shawn Knight. The Saints took Knight. Howbad was Knight? He reported to training camp late and fell out of favor with the coaching staff. After his rookie season, the Saintstraded him to Denver.Inthree career NFL seasons, he started just one game

But the coach hasa history of deploying abigger receiver from theslot, when he has the option. As the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023, Moore utilized Keenan Allen—still afull 3inchesshorterthan Vele —asago-to target from the slot, with 58% of his snaps coming from that area.

“It’sthe same reason we talk about tight ends and beinga quarterback’s best friend —there’sbig guys,

1979, R1 (11): The pick that will live in infamy Head coach Dick Nolan fell in love with the strong-legged Texas kicker-punter while coaching the Southteam at the Senior Bowl. Against the wishes of personnel director Harry Hulmes, he madehim thesecond-highest drafted punterkicker in NFLhistory Erxleben was abust from the start. He complained about back and leg problemsduring training camp and was beaten out forthe starting kicker job by Rich Szaro. In his first game, his desperation pass after an errantsnap was intercepted forthe game-winning touchdown in an overtime loss to thearchrival Falcons. In his second season, he missed a potential game-tying 34-yard field goal attemptina26-23 homeloss to the49ers. He converted only 4of8 field goals in five seasons. In the38drafts since the Saints’ dubious selection, only one specialist has been selected in Round 1 (Sebastian Janikowski, Raiders, 2000).

Email JeffDuncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.

there’scatch radius, there’s alittle bit of an ability to play withyour body and box people out in contested catchsituations,”Moore said. “Those guys show up a little bit more in the middle of the field.” As arookie, Vele showed up when calledupon. Of his 41 catches,26resulted in a first down —and 12 of those came on third or fourth down. All three of his touchdowns wereinthe red zone.

Interestingly,two of his scores came when he was lined up on the outside —including one ridiculous catch thatsaw the rookie secure the ball afterthree other players bobbled it.

“CoachPaytonand alot of the guys trusted in me, andwhenmyopportunities came, Ihad to make sure I made the most of them,” Vele said.

EmailMatthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate.com

Kelly’serror cost LSU potential points, but it didn’tcosthis team the game. LSU shut out Clemsoninthe second half en route to a17-10 victory on the road.

“Our preparation allowed us to playwith great composureonthe road in averyhostile environment,” Kelly said. “Wecompeted on every play, butmostimportantly,weplayed with great confidence. Our guys believed going into the gamethat they were going to win the gameregardless of thesituation.” LSU’swin improved it to 1-0 forthe first time since 2019, and it was the defense that led theway, holding Clemson to 261 totalyards and 31 yards on the ground. In the secondhalf, thehosts were limited to just 12 yards rushing and lessthan 10 minutes of possession time.

“Interms of how you play team defense, you first have to have apassion,” Kellysaid, “because you’ve got to run, hit, you’ve got to get excited, but then you’ve got to do your job, not somebody else’sjob. Andwe had alot of that going on at times, and we’llcontinue to build on that.”

Thestellar defensive performance in thesecond half was amajor factor in why,unlike earlier in the game, Kelly decided to take amore conservative approach and punt the ball away on fourth and 5atClemson’s 40-yardline with 5:04 left to play

“Analytics would have had us going for it at that time,” Kelly said. “But Iloved theway our defense (was playing).”

Aproduct of Kelly’s aggressiveness on fourth downsince arriving in Baton Rouge has been becauseofthe quality,or lack thereof, of the LSU defense.

Theunit’sstruggles over the lastfew seasons resultedinKelly havingtoleanonhis offense more in those riskier situations

ButSaturday’sperformance proved there’sa strong chance the LSU defensein2025 will be a lot more reliable. And if the unit ends up becoming astrength, that will change the way Kelly viewsfourth downs later this year LSU

SCOREBOARD

F.

n L.A. Angels at Kansas City,n Athletics at St. Louis, n N.Y. Yankees at Houston, n BaltimoreatSan Diego, n TexasatArizona, n Wednesday’s Games N.Y. Mets (Holmes 11-6)atDetroit (Mize 12-5), 12:10 p.m. Texas(Leiter 9-7) at Arizona (Gallen 10-13) 2:40 p.m. Baltimore(Povich 2-7) at San Diego (Cortes 2-3), 3:10 p.m. Toronto (Bieber 1-1) at Cincinnati (Littell 9-8), 5:40 p.m. Cleveland (Allen 7-10) at Boston (TBD), 5:45 p.m. Seattle (Kirby8-6) at TampaBay (Houser 7-4), 6:35 p.m. Chicago White Sox(Gómez 3-2) at Minnesota (Matthews4-4), 6:40 p.m. L.A. Angels (TBD)atKansas City (Bergert 2-1), 6:40 p.m. Athletics (Springs 10-9) at St. Louis (Liberatore6-11), 6:45 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (Warren 8-6) at Houston (Alexander 4-1), 7:10 p.m.

n BaltimoreatSan Diego, n TexasatArizona, n Wednesday’s Games

(Pérez 6-4) at Washington (Parker 7-15), 12:05 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Holmes 11-6)atDetroit (Mize 12-5), 12:10 p.m. Texas(Leiter 9-7) at Arizona (Gallen 10-13) 2:40 p.m. Baltimore(Povich 2-7) at San Diego (Cortes 2-3), 3:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Ohtani 1-1) at Pittsburgh (Ashcraft 4-2), 5:40 p.m. Toronto (Bieber 1-1) at Cincinnati (Littell 9-8), 5:40 p.m. Atlanta (Elder 5-9) at Chicago Cubs (Horton 9-4), 6:40 p.m. Philadelphia (Nola 3-7) at Milwaukee (Quintana 10-5), 6:40 p.m. Athletics (Springs 10-9) at St. Louis (Liberatore6-11), 6:45 p.m. San Francisco(Ray10-6) at Colorado (Márquez 3-12), 7:40 p.m. College football Monday’s Games TCU48, North Carolina 14 FCSTop 25

CAJUNS

“There were alot of things to build off of, particularly the way the front played and the waywe tackledprettymuchasa group in the second half,” Desormeaux said. One of the big question marks coming into the season was replacing leading tackler K.C. Ossai, who recently was added to the Houston Texans practice squad.

The two leading tacklers for UL on Saturday were linebackers Jaden Dugger and Terrence Williams with 10 and eighttackles, respectively

“It felt natural, but there’sjust alot of little thingsthat Ifeellike Ican getbetter at,”Duggersaid about his first game of theseason “Butyou know that’s going to come with experience. It was good toget the first in-game action to seethe pace.” The third-leading tackler was another first-year starterinsidein Jake St. Andre with six stops.

“Our defenseisuptothat challenge,” Desormeaux said.“We’ve gotsomeguysout there that they play reallyhard.They’re really good players. When youget challenged,you rise to the occasion.”

Another player who stood out on film wassafetyTyree Skipper.

“He was flying around,” Desormeauxsaid.“Imean,he’s throwinghis body around, making playsand justbeing really physical. His leadership on the sideline waselite. Even after the game Sunday,his leadershipand the way he doesitand the way he plays, it just means awhole lot.”

Another good sign was the halftime adjustment to combat the Rice rushingattack.

“Weadded some trainingcamp calls that we haven’tpracticed all week and that was able to help us, too,” said Dugger,who said thedefense was challenged at halftime to change the game’smomentum.

Another good sign is theULdefensemade astopinthe red zone afterbeing the first defense since 2008 —when the NCAA statistics began charting suchthings —toallow opposing offensestoscorein100% of

U.S.

Center New

Purse: $31,620,000 Surface: Hardcourtoutdoor Results TuesdayfromUSOpen at USTABillie Jean King National TennisCenter (seedings in parentheses): Men’s Singles Quarterfinals Carlos Alcaraz (2), Spain, def. JiriLehecka (20),Czechia, 6-4, 6-2,6-4. Women’s Singles Quarterfinals Jessica Pegula (4), United States,def. BarboraKrejcikova, Czechia, 6-3, 6-3. Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and Erin Routliffe (3), New Zealand, def. Timea Babos, Hungary,and Luisa Stefani (11),Brazil, 0-6 6-4, 6-4. Transactions

MajorLeague Baseball American League

CHICAGOWHITE SOX—Recalled LHPBryan Hudson from Charlotte (IL). Optioned LHP Cam Booser to Charlotte. DETROIT TIGERS —Recalled RHPSawyer Gipson-Long from Toledo (IL)

KANSAS CITY ROYALS —Activated CCarter Jensen. TORONTOBLUEJAYS—Selected the contractofLHP Ryan Borucki.Optioned LHP Easton Lucas to Buffalo(IL). Recalled RHP Robinson Pina from Buffaloand placed him on the 60-day IL. National League

ATLANTABRAVES —Selected the contractof LHP HaydeHarris from Gwinnett (IL).Designated RHP Wander Suerofor assignment.

CINCINNATI REDS —Selected the contract of LHP Reiver Sanmartin from Louisville (IL). Optioned LHP Sam MolltoLouisville. Designated LHP JoeLaSorsafor assignment.

COLORADO ROCKIES —Claimed RHP Roansy Contreras off waivers from Baltimore. MIAMI MARLINS —Sent RHP Janson Junk to Jacksonville (IL) WASHINGTONNATIONALS —Agreed to terms with CJorge Alfaroonaone-year contract. Optioned CC.J.Stubbs to Rochester (IL).TransferredC Drew Millas to the 60-dayIL. FOOTBALL National FootballLeague ARIZONA CARDINALS —Signed LB Jared Bartlett to the practice squad. Released OL RoyMbaetekafromthe practicesquad. Granted DL Denzel Daxon international practicesquad exemption. CLEVELAND BROWNS —Released RB Pierre Strong from injured reservewithaninjury settlement. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS —Released DT JahvareeRitzie from the practice squad. PITTSBURGH STEELERS —Released WR Robert Woods from the practice squad. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS—Signed GSataoa Laumea, DE Jalan Gaines and DT Anthony Campbelltothe practice squad. Release RB Damien Martinez,OTAmari Knight and CB Shemar Jean-Charles from the practice squad. WASHINGTONCOMMANDERS —Signed G Darrian Dalcourt to the practicesquad.

their red-zone trips last season.

“Like, that was terrible,” Dugger said about the stat from last season. “That was abig goal on defense. So we knew we needed abig stand to stay in the game. Ascore and it’sa two-possession game.

“So we hadtobuckledown and just run ourcalls andjusttrust each other on defense. That’s what we did.”

Despite Rice running the triple option, the UL passrush scratched outtwo bigsacks to force punts Theunit’saggressiveness in the backfieldcould increase as the season progresses.

Desormeaux hopes not quite as much is asked of thedefense against the CowboysonSaturday, but Dugger realizes it’s possible.

“Wehave to have theoffense’s back at all times,” Dugger said. “How many times last year we allowed so many pointsand they took us to victory.Sowetoldthe offense we had them. We tried our best.Wecame up short, but everythingisgoing to be good.”

LafayetteRenaissance honorsteenkilled in Marchshooting

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

For Valerie Batiste,who loves the game of football, Friday nights watching the Lafayette Renaissance Tigers was more than just agame. It was afamily affair

Batiste had the luxury of watching her daughter Alaya Christian workasateam trainer, while cheering on her twins Kamren and Karly Benton. Kamren plays defensive back for the Tigers, and Karlyisamember of theLRCHdance team.

“Weenjoyed it. Some families don’tagree on an activity or a moment because everybody has different interests and stuff,” Batiste said. “But having all of us at thefootball game,all of us interested in the samething —itwas ablessing. That was one of the moments we were always excited about because we knewwegot to see everyone do what they loved.

“It was special,” Kamrensaid of Friday nights at the football field. “Knowing that we could all be at one place at onetime watching each other do what they love, it was great.”

This year,Friday nights are going to be different.

Anddifficult.

Because the “family affair” that was game day is going to be missing amember of the family In March, Alaya —who would have been asenior this year was killed during ashooting in Mamou on Mardi Gras.

Attending the Tigers scrimmageand jamboree without Alaya was heart-wrenching.

“I am normally seeingall three of my kids down there,” Batiste said “So,itwas very,very hard. Istood on the side of thebleachers, andI actually cried for awhile. But Imanaged to getthe strengthtogoup(into the stands)oncetheystarted playing But Istarted cryingagain,because I didn’tsee aface that IknowIwould see everygame.”

Karly,asophomore, says it was “weird andhard” attendingthe scrimmage andthe jamboree without seeing her sister on the sidelines.

“Tonot see aperson who is always there, yeah, that was hard,” Karly said. “Itwas emotional.”

‘Heartbeat of theschool’ ThelossofAlaya hasbeenfelt beyond the family’shousehold.

In addition to beinga football trainer,Alayawas also in Beta Club and Student Council, as well as amember of the Tigers softball team.

“She was the heartbeat of the school,” Tigers athletic director Lesley Hansen said.“Alaya was averyspirited person. All the teachersand staffknewher and loved her.Alaya was the essence of our school.The hallways are moredim without her light.” Although she is gone, Alaya is far from forgotten at LRCH. The Tigers football team is dedicating this season to Alaya, which means so much to her family

“I was definitely surprised and shocked when Ifound out theteam washonoring Alaya,” Batiste said. “Alaya had been with the football team as atrainer for afew years, and she really took them all as

brothers. I’m so honored they are doing it because they arehelping to keep herlegacy alive.” Hansen was equally thrilled when she learned about what the football program had planned.

“Honoring Alaya’slegacy is incrediblytouching,” Hansen said.

“She had been excited forher senior year sinceshe wasinthe fifth grade.She was very goal-oriented and very mature. It hurts to know that she won’tbehere in her physical self at graduation.”

Kamren, who is also honoring his sister by wearing apink sticker on the back of his helmetthat says “#layway,” which was one of Alaya’shashtags on social media. He also surprised hismom and sister when he changed hisjersey number from 18 to 25, which wasAlaya’ssoftball number

“I knowthe impactthatshe had on this school,”saidKamren, whose Tigers will open theseason at 7p.m. Friday when they play host to Prairieville.“Everyone here really appreciated her,soIwanted to make sure that Irepresented her.”

“He told me he wasn’tkeeping No. 18 this year,but he wouldn’t tell me whathis new number would be,” Batiste said. “He said it was going to be asurprise. I asked if it wasgoing to be No. 17 because when she passedaway, her hashtag was #forever17. But he told me no.” Kamren revealed his new jersey number during the team’smedia day when he had his teammate andcousin Jacourey Duhon get hismom andsister on avideocall.

“His cousin calledmeand said, ‘Tee-Val,look,’”Batiste recalled.

“He then flipped the camera and when he flippedthe camera, Kamrenhad theNo. 25 jerseyon, and he was holding Alaya’sNo. 25 softball jersey.Ijust started crying.” Keepingher memory alive

Although Fridaynights, which had been asource of happiness for the family,will at times serve as areminderoftheir painful loss, Batiste andher childrenare determined to push through as they believe Alaya would want them to.

“Weare going to continue to talk abouther,” Kamrensaid. “We’re going to continue to post about her on social media so that she is always remembered. We want everyone know that Alaya wasa special person. She will neverbe forgotten.”

In addition to the football team and Kamren’sactions, Batiste and Karly said Alayawill be remembered not only thisyear,but every year moving forward. Alaya will be recognized during seniornight on Oct. 17, at graduation in May, and will have ascholarship presented by theschool in her honor annually

“The school will honor Alaya everyyear by awarding a$1,700 scholarship,” Batiste said. “The scholarship will be giventoasenior student that followsthe lead set by Alaya. After graduation, there will be agraduation picture of Alaya, and she will be having a graduation dinner,aswell.”

“I miss her.She was literally a piece of my heart,” Karly said. “She wasmyworld.Mybest friend. To think about how she’s not here, it’sjust hard.This was her senior year.So, every single thing the seniors have,she will be there.”

24/7

THE BEST THINGS WE ATE THIS WEEK

Fill up a plate with this week’s picks

Staff report

Pasta Rustico at Nino’s n Nino’s 7512 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge

A classic, filling, rich dish at Nino’s was just what was in store on a rainy afternoon in Baton Rouge. The Pasta Rustico had so much depth and earthiness in its flavors. The freshly made, tubed pasta was covered in creamy, delectable mushroom sauce. The extra sprinkles of Parmesan and lightly dressed arugula over the top of the dish added salinity and green freshness. While the dish has an option of adding protein, the pasta and accompanying sauce is dense enough to stand alone. But, if needing a bit of something extra, I would recommend the chicken.

— Margaret DeLaney, health coordinator

Fried chicken buffet at Rascal’s n Rascal’s Cajun Restaurant, 2181 Mire Highway, Scott

It’s hard to beat a good Cajun buffet. One price and unlimited servings? Sign me up. Faced with piles of rice dressing, creamy red beans and heaps of golden fried chicken, I expected to leave happy and perhaps a little overfull — but what I got actually blew my mind a little bit. The rice dressing was among the best I’d ever had, and the red beans and rice had an inimitable flavor that made me want to meet the chef. The fried chicken, which is offered on the buffet on Sundays, Thursdays and Saturdays, was tender and crispy and delectably seasoned, and somehow avoided greasiness. I did go back for a medley of sides, including green beans, corn and mashed potatoes, intending to try a bite of each — but ate most of the plate.

Dessert was the same story

The peach cobbler and banana pudding on offer this Saturday night has been on

ä See BEST, page 6C

is on vacation.

Her Bon Vivant column will return next week.

A NEW ERA

Magnolia Pantry cuts ribbon in historic downtown Sans Souci building

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

The little red Sans Souci building in downtown Lafayette is likely the area’s oldest commercial building, dating back to the early 1840s when it was an inn.

Over the years, the clapboard house has also housed a post office, a newspaper, a restaurant, a market, a fine arts and crafts guild and other businesses that have contributed to the neighborhood’s vibrancy Now it’s a pie and tea shop a delicious new era in the life of this approximately 178-year-old building.

This week, Korey Champagne and Alexis Badon officially cut the ribbon to Magnolia Pantry, a combination of their individual businesses, Acadian Slice Pies and Magnolia Moon Herbals. Champagne and Badon had each been selling their products for years at area markets and festivals, and they joined the brands in order to present a stronger application in the One Acadiana Small Business Challenge. The challenge presented an opportunity to win a lease in the Sans Souci building, $100,000 in capital and training and consulting support to the retail, food/ beverage, or creative business that won the contest.

Magnolia Pantry won the challenge in early 2024, and a year and a half later, Champagne and Badon are at home in their fully renovated shop and cafe space at 219 E. Vermilion St., which has seen a steady flow of traffic since the soft opening on Aug. 3

They’ve already expanded their menu offerings of sweet and savory pies, quiches, hot teas and popular frozen herbal drinks to include cocktails Magnolia Pantry’s cocktail menu, which debuted on Aug. 23, includes a frozen lavender margarita, a cherry mint julep, a grapefruit basil paloma and other intriguing options that contain fresh infusions of fruit and herbs.

See MAGNOLIA, page 6C

Magnolia Pantry restaurant has already expanded its menu offerings of sweet and savory pies, quiches, hot teas and popular frozen herbal drinks to include cocktails.

A ribbon-cutting is held Thursday at the new Magnolia Pantry restaurant in the old Sans Souci building in Lafayette.

Whowillclean up this coffee?

Andthat was the end of the story —a coffeesplashed stairway floor for everyone totry to tiptoe around.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Dear Miss Manners: Ilive in afour-family apartment building in amiddle-class neighborhood. All of the tenants are very nice people, but the landlord is notoriously unresponsive. Ilive on the second floor,and the young lady in the apartment next door to me has everything delivered to her. We share acommon front stairway

The other day,adelivery was made to her front door (a few feet from mine) from alocal coffee shop. From the trail of evidence left by the delivery person, the lid of the coffee cup must have come loose on the front porch, then the drink spilled through the foyer and up two flights of stairs, terminating at her door It was amess. The coffee must have been an extra-large with milk and sugar

My neighbor told me about the spill, that she had apprised the landlord of the mess needing to be cleaned up,and that she had left bad feedback for the delivery person.

Continued from page5C

my mind ever since, and I already can’twait for my next visit. If you give Rascal’satry,you’ll probably end up feelingthe same way

—Joanna Brown, staff writer ChickenMarsala and pastavodka at Di Gulio’s n Di Giulio Brothers Italian Cafe, 2903 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge

If there’sone thing about Di Giulio’sthat you can count on, it’sagood meal. On abusy Friday evening we called up the Italian cafe and asked if theyhad a table for six available. The manager said, “Yes, if you can make it here in 7minutes, I’ll hold it for you.” And boy did we make it

The next hour of dining was spectacular,with a great wine list, abustling crowd and friendly atmosphere. Opened since1987, the restaurant has never lost its traditional sense of Italian wonder and lifestyle. Iordered the chicken Marsala, adecadent,

How should Ihave handled this situation, and who do you think should have been responsible for cleaning it up: the delivery service? The landlord? My neighbor? Other?

Gentlereader: Your neighbor should have cleaned it up, or the building management could have, if theyhave regular arrangements for such things —although it sounds as if theydonot Butif this goesonmuch longer, Miss Manners is going to come over and clean it up herself, if only to put an end tothe discussion. Even if this was an extra-extra-large coffee, we are not talking about a Superfund site.

Dear Miss Manners: Iwas in asubway station waiting for my train, standing near acolumn, when agentleman emerged from the other side of the column. I was instantlyface-to-face with this man, whose face was missing most of its features, presumably as a result of some trauma.

Iamsorry tosay I gasped. Very audibly We continued towait for the train, and Ididn’tknow what to do. Istood there

silently,smiling in what I hope was afriendly manner

Ican only plead that thegasp was completely involuntaryand reflexive. Should Ihave apologized? At thetime, Ithought doing so would just make thesituation even more awkward.

Iwas honestly at aloss as to how to remedymy poor behavior.This happened some time ago, but Ihave been bothered by it ever since.

Gentle reader: That is understandable, but Miss Mannersbelieves that you can stop now

Yourecognize that your reaction was involuntary that you felt sorry,and that drawing too much attention to it would have made things worse. The correct response would have been, “I’m so sorry;you startled me!” suggesting that youwould have had an identical reaction to any visage at equally close range.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

BROWN

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA

Aplateoffried chicken,red beans and rice and rice dressingfrom Rascal’sCajun Restaurant in Scott

hearty and full-bodied mushroom sauce over perfectly cooked chicken, with asideofspaghetti. Top tip: ask for amix of both

red and white sauces on thepasta, it’sa whole new world of flavors.

—Margaret DeLaney, healthcoordinator

Living canenjoy funeral flowers

MAGNOLIA

Continuedfrom page5C

“Most of Alexis’sdrinks are like mocktails already,” Champagne said of the shop’s cocktail list.“She had been scheming about some of these cocktails for awhile, andthey’ve been really well-received.

“It’sbeen really niceto not only see new people downtown but alsoold customersand friends that have supportedusatdifferent festivals, events, thefarmers market. Now they can comeinanytime they wanttoget the things they were only able to find before at aSaturday market.”

With anew patio, comfortable seating, an abundance of light and plant life and delicious items forsaleatthe counter, the historic building feels fresh, sturdy and inviting. According to AlexLazard, executive director of the Lafayette Public Trust FinanceAuthority, theSans Soucibuilding hasalways been “a beacon in thecommunity.”

“It has always represented what Lafayette could be, and what we could do if we come together.Our only thingleft to sayis, enjoy the space,” Lazard saidduring ribbon-cutting,

alongside representatives from organizations that supported the Small Business Challenge, including One Acadiana, Downtown Lafayette,LPTFA, Lafayette Economic Development Authority,Opportunity Machine, University of Louisiana at Lafayette andthe Small Business Development Center LPTFA owned and managed theSansSouci building as acommunity asset for the past decade before passing ownership back to downtown Lafayette at the conclusion of Magnolia Pantry’smove to the space.

District5City Council member Kenneth Boudreauxalsoshowedhis support at theribboncutting on behalf of the Downtown EconomicDevelopment District.

“This is momentum building,” he said. “This is the beginning of greatness fordowntown. This is aplace where people can comeand leave better than they arrived. Ican’t wait to continue to enjoy this space day after day, week afterweek andyear afteryear.”

It’s not theend of development forthis block of East Vermilion Street, which has seen recent philanthropicinvestment for the playground at Parc Sans Souci. The old Don’s Seafood building was de-

TODAYINHISTORY

molished in thespring to make room forthe 83-room Hotel Lafayette and attached BayouTecheBrewing barand restaurant, which is sure to exponentially increasecommercial activity downtown once the hotelopens. Thebathrooms in the Vermilion Street parking garage will also be renovated, Boudreaux said. For Badon andChampagne, this whirl of activity is the realization of their dream. From running businesses out of their homes to working the market beat, their tenacity paid off— and their new space represents awaveofnew possibilitiesfor the future. “After nine years, Ihad actually decided that it might be time for me to quit,” said Badon, smiling over thecrowd of people gathered to celebrate Magnolia Pantry’sofficial move-in. “Thatweek was when Korey cameupand asked me to join acompetitionwith him. It wasperfect timing.

“I had looked at this building for years and laughed at myself, thinking Iwould neverget to be here.And here we are. Ihave nothing but gratitude.”

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

Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: MarthaD in Southfield, Michigan, missed the point about flowers at a funeral in a recent column of yours. Of course, the dead person can’t “appreciate the beauty,” But familyand friends are comforted by the fragrant, lovely gestures of sympathy! —Lisa N., in Idaho

Lisa, yes, this is true. I also enjoy sending aplant or flowers to people while they were alive. If Iwent to visit someone and stayed at their home, Ialways sent flowers, which Iarranged to have delivered after my departure with anote thanking my host and/or hostess.

Ihoped it would remind them of the nice time we enjoyed and thank them for their hospitality.Itwas just intended as anice thing to do in addition to my hostess

gift —Heloise Soot stains

Dear Heloise: We have anold fireplacefrom1965 that is made of porous split-faced blocks. Over the years, the fires have depositedsoot on theblocks, and Ican’tclean it. Ihave tried commercial brick cleaner,trisodium phosphate, andsalt mixtures to name afew treatments. Ireally don’t want topaint it or resurface the fireplace because if it was clean,it would be beautiful. Any suggestionsonhow to clean the blocks?

—Terry,inCalifornia Terry,Iconsulted with a builder,and here washis suggestion:

n Use adropcloth, heavy rubber gloves, andeye protection. Always test solutions first on asmall area.

n There is a“soot sponge” that somehardware stores carry,oryou might findit online.

n First, try baking soda mixed with vinegar and alit-

tle water,then go to town on thesoot with ahard-bristled brush. Rinse.Always start at the top and work your way down.

n Trytrisodium phosphate again. Follow the instructions on the container and leaveonfor about20minutes before rinsing it off. While these stepsmay help, you may have to repeat them to get theresults you want.And thestain may have worked itsway into theareasodeeply by now that you might have to live with ashadowy stain there. —Heloise Double duty

Dear Heloise: For adry,disposable clothsweeper,you can get double use out of your dry sweeping cloths. Instead of disposing of the cloth after using it, turn it over,reinsert it, and use the other side. —LauraB in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, Sept.3,the 246thday of 2025. There are 119 days left in theyear

Todayinhistory: On Sept.3,1783, representatives of the United States and Britainsigned theTreaty of Paris, which officially ended the RevolutionaryWar and recognized U.S. sovereignty

Also on this date: In 1861, during theCivil War, Confederate forces invaded theborder state of Kentucky,which had declared its neutralityin theconflict.

In 1894, the United States celebrated the first federal Labor Day holiday In 1935, SirMalcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile more than 300 mph, speeding across the Bonneville Salt Flatsin Utah.

In 1939, Britain, France, Australia andNew Zealand declared waronGermany,two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland; in aradio address, Britain’sKingGeorge VI said, “With God’shelp, we shall prevail.”

In 1943, Allied forces invaded Italy during World WarII, the same day Italian officials signed a secret armistice with the Allies.

In 1976, America’sViking 2landertouched down on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the redplanet’s surface.

In 1999, aFrenchjudge closed atwo-year inquiry into the car crashthat killedPrincessDiana, dismissing allcharges against nine photographers anda press motorcyclist, andconcluding the crashwas caused by an inebriateddriver.

In 2019, Walmart said it would stopselling ammunitionfor handguns and short-barrelrifles, and the store chainrequested thatcustomers notopenly carry firearms in its stores; the announcement followed ashooting at a Walmart store in Texas thatleft22people dead. Today’sbirthdays: SingermusicianAlJardine (The Beach Boys) is 82.Actor Valerie Perrine is 82. Filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunetis72. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The SexPistols) is 70. Actor Steve Schirripa (TV:“The Sopranos”) is 67. Author MalcolmGladwell is 62. ActorCharlie Sheen is 60. Filmmaker Noah Baumbach is 56. ActorGarrett Hedlund is 41. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White is 39. Modelactor Kaia Gerber is 24. ActorJack Dylan Grazer is 22.

VIRGo (Aug.23-sept. 22) Take pleasure in who you are, what you've done andwhat you still wanttoachieve.Refuse to let inconsistency be your demise or outsiders confuse you. Do your research and make things happen yourway

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Sitbackandrefuse to letyour emotions or temper escalate. Look for peace and tranquility in places that bringyou joy. Stickclose to home or find your comfort zonewherever you are.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-Nov. 22) Alittle charm will go along way. Focus on your talents, skills andgoals,and youwilldiscover the best approach to accomplish tasks to your specifications andwithoutinterference.

sAGIttARIus (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) You'll crave change, but don't take on more than you can handle. Listen to what others say, but only commit to what's feasible. Don'tbelieveeverything you hear, and getwhat you want in writing.

cAPRIcoRN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Actinginhaste will backfire. Achange in your routine willjump-startyourmindandencourage you to expand your awarenessregarding matters of concern.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Keep pushing forwarduntil you are satisfied with the results. You have plenty to gainifyou adjust your home environment to suit your needs better. An unusual marketing strategy will pay off.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Be aleader, not afollower. Problems with someone you interact withwill inevitably arise, alter-

ingyour feelings aboutcontinuing the relationship.Takeatimeout andrethink your next move. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Exerciserestraint whenitcomestotryingtoproveyourself to unworthy people. Your best returns will come from spending moretimeon perfectingyourself,yourimageandyour skills. Afinancial shift is within reach tAuRus (April 20-May20) Intellectual activitiesand eventswill be your platform to shine. Summarize your talents andobjectives andupdate yourresume. The time to push your waytostardom is now.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Achangeinmindset due to adverse events will hold you back. Create your scenario instead of becomingpart of someoneelse's goal. Replace what isn't working with what will.

cANcER(June 21-July 22) An optimistic attitude will pave the waytonew beginnings.Put your energyinto transformation,not angerand regret. Getupand go and make things happen, and you'll discover somethingorsomeone special.

LEo(July 23-Aug. 22) Put pressure where it will help you gain access to what you want,and don't look back. Refuse to let technicalities stand between you and your dreams. Take care of legalities, rules andregulations quickly

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

Celebrity Ciphercryptograms are created fromquotations by famous people, past and present. Eachletterinthe cipher stands foranother.

toDAy'scLuE: KEQuALsP

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER

Baroness EdithClaraSummerskill, who was aLabour Party member of British Parliament from1938 to 1961, said, “Nagging is the repetition of unpalatable truths.”

That does not applytonagging in bridge classes, where the teacher is repeating truthsabout thegame. Look at the South hand in today’s diagram.With 22 points, agreat five-card suit and all of those prime cards, it easily qualifies for atwo-clubopening bid. But after North responds two diamonds,the negative responseusually madewith0-7 points, what should South rebid?

While you are thinking aboutthat, suppose South ends in three no-trump. WhathappensafterWestleadseitherthe spade four or the heart king?

Abasic rule of bidding at the game-level is to aimfor no-trump, notfor aminor When this deal was played, South rebid three clubs instead of twono-trump abad error. It got worse when North passedout three clubs, aforcing bid!

Over two no-trump, North would have used Stayman to trytofind a4-4 spade fit before settling into three no-trump. It would be normalfor West to lead the spadefour.SouthcapturesEast’s10with hisking, cashes thediamond ace, and continues with the diamondjack.Here, East hastowin and can do no better than to cash his spade queen andplay another spade to holddeclarer to 10 tricks. However, if West is psychic, he will lead the heart king. ThenSouth cannot make his contract.Declarer would rue the lack of the club 10 on the boardasan entry for the diamond finesse. ©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

INstRuctIoNs: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD DIstREss: dih-STRES: Pain or suffering affecting the body or mind.

Average mark 25 words

Time limit 35 minutes

Canyou find 31 or more words in DISTRESS?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —BEAcoNs

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

US stocks sink under bond market pressire

Wall Street sank on Tuesday as rising pressure from the bond market pulled U.S. stocks further from their records.

The S&P 500 fell 0.7% for its worst day in a month after paring a loss that earlier reached 1.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 249 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite lost 0.8% All three are still relatively close to their recently set all-time highs.

Big Tech companies led the market lower They’ve been soaring for years on expectations that they’ll continue to dominate the economy, but they have also shot so high that critics say their prices have become too expensive. Nvidia, whose chips are powering much of the world’s move into artificial-intelligence technology, fell 2% and was the single strongest force pulling the S&P 500 downward. Amazon sank 1.6%, and Apple dropped 1%.

The overall stock market felt pressure from rising yields in the bond market, where the 10year Treasury yield climbed to 4.27% from 4.23% late Friday When bonds are paying more in interest, investors are less willing to pay high prices for stocks

Longer-term bond yields are on the rise around the world, in part because of worries about how difficult it will be for governments to repay their growing mountains of debt.

Disney to pay $10M data collection fine

The Walt Disney Co. will pay a $10 million fine to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit alleging it allowed personal data to be collected on kids under 13, violating federal law

The FTC said Tuesday Disney violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which requires kidoriented apps and websites to get parents’ consent before collecting personal information of children under 13.

According to the complaint, Disney failed to properly label some videos that it uploaded to YouTube as “Made for Kids.”

The mislabeling allowed Disney, through YouTube, to collect personal data from children under 13 viewing child-directed videos and use that data for targeted advertising to children, the FTC said. That’s because, since the videos weren’t labeled as being for kids, they included targeted advertising.

Representatives for Disney did not immediately return a message for comment.

Google, the parent company of YouTube, agreed to pay $170 million in a similar settlement in 2019

Nestlé dismisses CEO after an investigation

Swiss food giant Nestlé said Monday it dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate.

The maker of Nescafé drinks and Purina pet food said in a statement the dismissal was effective immediately An investigation found the undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate violated Nestlé’s code of conduct.

Freixe, who had been CEO for a year, will be replaced by Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive.

“This was a necessary decision,” said Chairman Paul Bulcke “Nestlé’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company.”

The company didn’t give any other details about the investigation.

Freixe had been with Nestlé since 1986, holding roles around the world. When Nestlé revamped its geographic structure in January 2022, Freixe became CEO of Zone Latin America.

In August 2024, he was tapped to replace then-CEO Mark Schneider in the top role, and started Sept. 1, 2024.

Google avoids breakup in monopoly case

Judge orders other changes in landmark ruling

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP technology writer

SAN FRANCISCO A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a shake-up of Google’s search engine in a crackdown aimed at curbing the corrosive power of an illegal monopoly while rebuffing the U.S. government’s attempt to break up the company and impose other restraints.

The 226-page decision made by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., will likely ripple across the technological landscape at a time when the industry is being reshaped by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence including conversational “answer engines” as companies like ChatGPT and

Perplexity try to upend Google’s long-held position as the internet’s main gateway

The innovations and competition being unleashed by generative artificial intelligence, or “GenAI,” have reshaped the judge’s approach to remedies in the nearly five-year-old antitrust case.

“Unlike the typical case where the court’s job is to resolve a dispute based on historic facts, here the court is asked to gaze into a crystal ball and look to the future Not exactly a judge’s forte,” Mehta wrote.

Investors seemed to interpret the ruling as a relatively light slap on the wrist for Google, as the stock price of its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., surged nearly 3% in extended trading. The judge is trying to rein in Google by prohibiting some of the tactics the company deployed to drive traffic to its search engine and other services

But Mehta stopped short of ban-

ning the multi-billion dollar deals that Google has been making for years to lock in its search engine as the default on smartphones, personal computers and other devices. Those deals, involving payments of more than $26 billion annually, were one of the main issues that prompted the judge to conclude Google’s search engine was an illegal monopoly, but he decided banning them in the future would do more harm than good.

Partially because he is allowing the default deals to continue, Mehta is ordering Google to give its current and would-be rivals access to some of its search engine’s secret sauce — the data stockpiled from trillions of queries that it used to help improve the quality of its search results.

The judge also rejected the U.S. Justice Department’s effort to force Google to sell its popular Chrome browser, concluding it was an unwarranted step that

“would be incredibly messy and highly risky.”

Allowing the default search deals to continue is more than just a victory for Google. It’s also something that Apple, which receives more than $20 billion annually from Google, and the beneficiaries of the payments urged Mehta to maintain.

In hearings earlier this year, Apple warned the judge that banning the contracts would deprive the company of money that it funnels into its own innovative research.

The Cupertino, California, company also cautioned that the ban could have the unintended consequence of making Google even more powerful by pocketing the money it had been spending on deals while most consumers will still end up flocking to Google’s search engine anyway Neither Google nor the Justice Department immediately responded to requests for comment.

BLOCKBUSTER SPLIT

After creating one of the biggest food companies on the planet, Kraft Heinz to break into two companies

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN and MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP business writers

NEW YORK Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after a merger of the brands created one of the biggest food manufacturers on the planet.

One of the companies, currently called Global Taste Elevation Co., will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese, Kraft Heinz said Tuesday The other, currently called North American Grocery Co., will include slower-selling brands like Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer Kraft Singles and Lunchables.

The official names of the two companies will be released later

Kraft Heinz said in May that it was conducting a strategic review of the company, signaling a potential split It expects the transaction to close in the second half of 2026.

When the company formed in 2015, it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale. But shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking out healthier options.

Kraft Heinz and other food producers have tried to follow those trends. In 2021, Kraft Heinz sold both its Planters nut business and its natural cheese business, vowing to reinvest the money into higher-growth brands like P3 protein snacks. But the company continued to struggle.

Kraft Heinz’s net revenue has fallen every

year since 2020, when it saw a pandemicrelated bump in sales. In April, Kraft Heinz lowered its full-year sales and earnings guidance, citing weaker customer spending in the U.S. and the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“Kraft Heinz’s brands are iconic and beloved, but the complexity of our current structure makes it challenging to allocate capital effectively, prioritize initiatives and drive scale in our most promising areas,” Executive Chairman Miguel Patricio said in a statement. The path to the merger of Kraft and Heinz began in 2013, when billionaire investor Warren Buffett teamed up with Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital to buy H.J. Heinz Co. At the time, the $23 billion deal was the most expensive ever in the food industry 3G was also behind the formation of Restaurant Brands International a merger of Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes — and Anheuser-Busch InBev It’s known for strict cost controls and so-called zero-based budgeting, which requires all expenses to be justified each quarter

The deal was intended to help Heinz, which was founded in 1869 in Pittsburgh, expand sales of its condiments and sauces on grocery store shelves. Heinz’s new owners also set about cutting costs, laying off hundreds of workers within months.

At the same time Kraft, based in Chicago, sought for a partner after a 2011 split from its snack division, which became Mondelez

International.

In 2015, Buffett and 3G decided to merge Heinz with Kraft The merger created the 5th largest food and beverage company in the world, with annual revenue of $28 billion. Buffett and 3G each contributed $5 billion for a special dividend for Kraft shareholders.

At the time, the prevailing attitude was that the bigger the conglomerate, the more companies would save through sharing services like accounting, said Russell Zwanka, an associate professor of food marketing at Western Michigan University

But even at the time of the merger, many consumers were shifting away from the kinds of highly processed packaged foods that Kraft sells, like Velveeta cheese and Kool-Aid. The push to remove artificial flavors and dyes added further costs.

“The customer has become much more diligent in what they’re buying, and so it’s making it more difficult to allocate your resources properly,” Zwanka said.

In 2019, Kraft Heinz slashed the value of its Oscar Meyer and Kraft brands by $15.4 billion. Many investors blamed the company’s leadership, saying its zeal for costcutting was hurting brand innovation.

Buffett told CNBC Tuesday that he’s disappointed that Kraft Heinz decided to go forwarded with the split, which will cost the company $300 million and take a year to complete. He’s also frustrated that shareholders won’t get a vote on the move.

BY MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writer

Artificial intelligence chatbot makers OpenAI and Meta say they are adjusting how their chatbots respond to teenagers asking questions about suicide or showing signs of mental and emotional distress.

OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, said Tuesday it is preparing to roll out new controls enabling parents to link their accounts to their teen’s account.

Parents can choose which features to disable and “receive notifications when the system detects their teen is in a moment of acute

distress,” according to a company blog post that says the changes will go into effect this fall.

Regardless of a user’s age, the company says its chatbots will attempt to redirect the most distressing conversations to more capable AI models that can provide a better response.

The announcement comes a week after the parents of 16-yearold Adam Raine sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT coached the California boy in planning and taking his own life earlier this year Jay Edelson, the family’s attorney on Tuesday described the OpenAI announcement as “vague

promises to do better” and “nothing more than OpenAI’s crisis management team trying to change the subject.” Altman “should either unequivocally say that he believes ChatGPT is safe or immediately pull it from the market,” Edelson said. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, also said it is now blocking its chatbots from talking with teens about self-harm, suicide, disordered eating and inappropriate romantic conversations, and instead directs them to expert resources. Meta already offers parental controls on teen accounts. A study published last week in the medical journal Psychiatric Services found inconsistencies in how three popular artificial intelligence chatbots responded to queries about suicide.

The study by researchers at the RAND Corporation found a need for “further refinement” in ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude The researchers did not study Meta’s chatbots. The study’s lead author, Ryan McBain, said Tuesday that “it’s encouraging to see OpenAI and Meta introducing features like parental controls and routing sensitive conversations to more capable models, but these are incremental steps.”