The Times-Picayune 09-04-2025

NewOrleans policeOfficer BronsonGettridge, left, shakes handswith aNational Guard soldierashedistributeslunch contributed by local restaurant Felipe’sTaqueria to those protecting the French Quarter ahead of theSuper Bowl in February.

Trump floats sending GuardtopatrolN.O.

Remarkslatestinclashes with majority-Democraticcities

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Sparking strong local andstate reactions, President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that he could send federal agentsand National Guard troops to patrol New Orleans, part of a series of intervention threats the president has levied against Democratic-led cities. If the Republican president follows through, it would make New Orleans the firstDemocratic city in aRepublican-led statetobecomea targetof Trump’swidening bid to flex federal power in Democratic enclaves. Crime is on adecline in thecity, data shows.

“We’re making adetermination now: Do we go to Chicago, or do we go to

aplace like New Orleans, where we have agreat governor,Jeff Landry, whowantsustocome in and straighten out avery nicesection of this country that’s become quite tough,quite bad,”

Trump told reporters while meeting in the OvalOffice with Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

Trump’sremarks werewelcomed Wednesday by Landry,aRepublican who has intervened in the city’saffairs in varied ways since his 2024 inauguration, including by sending State Police troopers to patrol thecity’sstreets

“Wewill take President Trump’shelp fromNew OrleanstoShreveport,” Landry, aconservative Trumpally,responded in apost on X.

ä See GUARD, page 4A

‘Louisiana Lockup’ planned at Angola

Landry,Trump officials unveil ICEdetention center

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Flankedbyseveral topleadersofPresident Donald Trump’sadministration, Gov Jeff Landry on Wednesday unveiled plans to opena new ICE detention center on the grounds of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

Officials said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility would in the next few months have the capacity to hold over 400 people as state leaders seek to assist in Trump’snationwide campaign to ramp up immigration arrests and deportations. There were already 51 there as of Wednesday,and 208 would be held there by the middle of the month, they said.

“This facility is fulfilling the president’s promise to makeAmerica safeagain,” Landry said.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi andICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan,who previously served as Louisiana’sWildlife and Fisheriessecretary,joinedLandryatAngola on Wednesday to announce the opening of what theycalledthe “Louisiana Lockup.”The center’s official name is Camp 57 because Landry is the57th governor, a Landry spokesperson said. Landry said the prison would house “the worst of the worst” ICE detainees, listing a litany of violent crimes he said were committedby“illegal criminal aliens.”

ä See ANGOLA, page 4A

“We’re making a determination now: Do we go to Chicago,or do we go to aplace like New Orleans, where we have agreat governor,Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out averynice section of this countrythat’sbecomequite tough, quite bad.”

PRESIDENT DONALDTRUMP

Afterrocky start, newSuperdome vendor promises improvements

ASMGlobal replaced Sodexo in July

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

Afterarocky preseason debut, the new concessions operator at the CaesarsSuperdome is promising abetter experience for Saints fans as Sunday’sregular season home opener against the Arizona Cardinals nears. Legends Hospitality,which took over the Superdome’s exclusive food and beverage contract in July after Sodexo’s25-year run,

faced awaveofcomplaintsduring the Saints’ first preseason home game against theJacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 17. Theissues included slow service and poor food quality,and were particularlynoticeable in the high-priced suitesthat ring the Dome, according to people who attended the game —prompting awritten apology to suiteholders from Legends.

“Clearly,wedid notmeet your expectations yesterday,nor did we come close to the high standardsweset for our company,” wrote Legends’vice president of hospitality Lauren “Fitz” Fitzmor-

ris the day after theJaguars game.

Shesaid Legends wanted to “sincerelyapologize” andhad learnedimportant lessons from thedebacle,promising improvements.

Thoughitwas only apreseason outing, the first chance to see the Saints at home undernew coach Kellen Moore drew anear-capacity crowd of just over 70,000. Some fans who received catering service in the 165 exclusive suites complained of long delays andpoor-quality food.

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

U.S. Rep. JuliaLetlow,R-Baton Rouge,onWednesday ruled out applying to be the next president of LSU, ending widespread speculationjust as the search to replace former President William Tate is gearing up.

ScottBallard, who is chairing thesearch,saidhe hopes the university will announce Tate’s replacement before Thanks-

giving and, addressing amatter of muchspeculation, said Gov.Jeff Landry hasn’texpressed to him apreference for who that person should be.

In herstatement, Letlow answeredone questionabout herfuture but left another unanswered: Will she join the three other Republicans challenging U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, in his campaign forreelection?

“For now,I need to stay focused on the 5th” Congressional District, which includes LSU,Letlow told host Brian Haldane on Baton Rouge radiostation 107.3. “There’s so muchmore good work that can be accomplishedfor the university right here in D.C.”

U.S. government sued over Maine shooting

LEWISTON, Maine Survivors of Maine’s deadliest mass shooting and relatives of victims sued the federal government Wednesday, alleging that the U.S Army could and should have stopped one of its reservists from carrying out what they call “one of the most preventable mass tragedies in American history.

Eighteen people were killed Oct. 25, 2023, when Robert Card opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar and grill. An independent commission appointed by Maine’s governor later concluded that there were numerous opportunities for intervention by both Army officials and civilian law enforcement as Card’s mental health deteriorated. He was found dead by suicide two days after the shootings.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court on behalf of more than 100 survivors and victims’ family members, accuses the U.S. government of negligence, saying its conduct “directly and proximately caused the mass shooting.” It alleges that Army officials and others “failed to act reasonably, broke the promises they made to Card’s family and their community violated mandatory polices, procedures and disregarded directives and orders.”

“By March 2023, the United States and its personnel knew Card was paranoid, delusional, violent, and lacked impulse control. The Army knew he had access to firearms. The Army promised to remove his guns but did not fulfill that promise,” the lawsuit states. “Worse, through its acts and omissions, the Army withheld information and actively misled local law enforcement, thereby preventing others from intervening and separating Card from his weapons.”

Judge orders immediate redraw of Utah map

A judge has ruled that Utah lawmakers must proceed with redrawing the state’s congressional district map right away pointing to Texas and California in rejecting their argument that the job can’t be done in time for the 2026 midterm elections.

Utah lawmakers were wrong to disregard an independent commission’s map in drawing one that has been used for the 2022 and 2024 elections, Salt Lake County District Judge Dianna Gibson ruled Aug. 25.

The map did away with a district in the Salt Lake City area that has swung between Republicans and Democrats in favor of a map where four districts, each with a piece of the urban corridor have been won by Republicans with wide margins.

On Tuesday, Gibson denied state lawmakers’ request to keep her ruling from taking effect, rejecting their argument that her one-month deadline to adopt a map that complies with voterapproved standards is too short. In 2018, Utah voters narrowly approved a ballot initiative that created a commission to draw boundaries for Utah’s legislative and congressional districts.

Two years later, the state Legislature repealed the initiative and turned the commission into an advisory board they proceeded to ignore. The state Supreme Court rejected the law, ruling lawmakers have limited power to change laws passed by voters

Judge reverses Harvard cuts

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

BOSTON A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to reverse its cuts of more than $2.6 billion in research funding for Harvard University delivering a significant victory to the Ivy League school in its battle with the White House.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled the cuts amounted to illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of the Trump administration’s demands for changes to Harvard’s governance and policies.

The government had tied the funding freezes to Harvard’s delays in dealing with antisemitism, but the judge said the university’s federally backed research had little connection to antisemitism.

“A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that (the government) used antisemitism

as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” Burroughs wrote.

The ruling reverses a series of funding freezes that later became outright cuts as the Trump administration escalated its fight with the nation’s wealthiest university

The administration also has sought to prevent the school from hosting foreign students and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status in a clash watched widely across higher education.

The restoration of federal money would revive Harvard’s sprawling research operation and hundreds of projects that sustained cuts. But whether Harvard actually receives the federal money remains to be seen. The government plans an immediate appeal, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said in a statement, calling Burroughs an “activist Obama-appointed judge.”

“To any fair-minded observer, it is clear that Harvard University

failed to protect their students from harassment and allowed discrimination to plague their campus for years,” Huston said. “Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars.”

Harvard’s research scientists said they had been watching the case closely, but feared their funding would not be restored any time soon.

“Many of us are worried that the federal government is going to appeal this decision or find other ways to obstruct the delivery of research dollars, despite the judge’s clear statement that the funding terminations were illegal,” said Rita Hamad, director of a center that researches the impact of social policies on health.

Beyond the courthouse, the Trump administration and Harvard officials have been discussing a potential agreement that would end investigations and allow the university to regain access to federal funding. President Donald

Famed streetcar in Lisbon derails, killing 15 people

BY BARRY HATTON Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal A picturesque elec-

tric streetcar that is one of Lisbon’s big tourist attractions derailed Wednesday, killing 15 people and injuring 18 others, emergency services said.

Five of the injured were in serious condition and a child was among the injured, the National Institute for Medical Emergencies said in a statement. An unknown number of foreigners were among the injured, it said.

Authorities called it an accident, the worst in the city’s recent history and it cast a pall over Lisbon’s charm for the millions of foreign tourists who arrive every year

The yellow-and-white streetcar, which is known as Elevador da Gloria and goes up and down a steep downtown hill in tandem with one going the opposite way, was lying on its side on the narrow road that it travels along.

Its sides and top were partially crumpled, and it appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends. Parts of the vehicle, made mostly of metal, were crushed.

Eyewitnesses told local media that the streetcar careened down the hill, apparently out of control. One witness said the streetcar toppled onto a man on a sidewalk Carris, the company that operates the streetcar, said scheduled maintenance

had been carried out.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa offered his condolences to affected families, and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas said the city was in mourning. “It’s a tragedy of the like we’ve never seen,” Moedas said.

Portugal’s government announced that a day of national mourning would be observed on Thursday “A tragic accident caused the irreparable loss of human life, which left in mourning their families and dismayed the whole country,” it said in a statement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sent her condolences. “It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous Elevador da Gloria,” she wrote in Portuguese on X

The cause of the accident was not immediately known. It reportedly occurred at the start of the evening rush hour, around 6 p.m. Emergency officials said all victims were pulled out of the wreckage in just over two hours.

An investigation into the causes will begin once the rescue operation is over, the government said.

The streetcar technically called a funicular, is harnessed by steel cables and can carry more than 40 people, seated and standing. It is also commonly used by Lisbon residents. The service up and down a few hundred yards of a hill on a curved, traffic-free road was inaugurated in 1885.

It is classified as a national monument.

4 sentenced in Milwaukee hotel dogpile death

BY TODD RICHMOND Associated Press

MADISON,Wis. A judge sentenced four former Milwaukee hotel workers accused of killing a man in a suffocating dogpile to a mix of probation and time served Wednesday, sparing them any more time behind bars Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Swanson handed down the sentences in D’Vontaye Mitchell’s June 2024 death during a series of hearings that lasted all day The judge ordered former Hyatt security guard Todd Erickson to serve two years in prison but stayed the sentence and placed him probation for two years. Another former security guard, Brandon Turner, got a year in prison but Swanson stayed that sentence, too, and placed him on probation for a year. Former bellhop Herbert Williamson

was sentenced to 10 days in jail with credit for 10 days already served. Former front desk worker Devin JohnsonCarson was ordered to serve four days in jail with credit for four days already served.

Attorneys for Erickson, Turner and Williamson didn’t immediately return messages. Johnson-Carson’s attorney Craig Robert Johnson, said in an email to The Associated Press that the sentence was appropriate given that Johnson-Carson was trying to protect hotel guests and staff and never intended to seriously injure Mitchell.

According to investigators, Mitchell ran into the Hyatt’s lobby and went into the women’s bathroom Two women later told detectives that Mitchell tried to lock them in the bathroom. Turner pulled Mitchell out of the bathroom and together with a guest dragged him out of the lobby onto a

hotel driveway Turner, Erickson, Williamson and Johnson-Carson struggled with Mitchell before taking him to the ground and piling on top of him.

Hotel surveillance video shows Johnson-Carson holding Mitchell’s legs while Erickson, Turner and Williamson held down his upper body They kept him pinned for eight to nine minutes. By the time emergency responders arrived, Mitchell had stopped breathing.

A medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, finding that Mitchell’s immediate cause of death was suffocation and toxic effects of cocaine and methamphetamine.

Prosecutors initially charged all four employees with being a party to felony murder Turner and Erickson both pleaded guilty to that count. Williamson and Johnson-Carson pleaded guilty to a reduced count of misdemeanor battery

Trump has said he wants Harvard to pay no less than $500 million, but no deal has materialized. Harvard’s lawsuit accused the Trump administration of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a series of demands in an April 11 letter from a federal antisemitism task force. The letter demanded sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions. It was meant to address government accusations that the university had become a hotbed of liberalism and tolerated anti-Jewish harassment on campus.

Trump officials moved to freeze $2.2 billion in research grants the same day Harvard rejected the administration’s demands. Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared in May that Harvard would no longer be eligible for new grants, and weeks later, the administration began canceling contracts with Harvard.

‘Ketamine Queen’ pleads to selling Perry fatal dose

BY ANDREW DALTON and ITZEL LUNA Associated Press

LOS ANGELES A woman branded as the “Ketamine Queen” pleaded guilty Wednesday to selling Matthew Perry the drug that killed him, becoming the fifth and final defendant charged in Perry’s overdose death to admit guilt.

Jasveen Sangha pleaded guilty to five federal charges, including providing the ketamine that led to Perry’s death. Sangha stood in court Wednesday next to her attorney, Mark Geragos, as she repeated “guilty” five times when U.S. District Court Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett asked for her pleas. Before that, she answered “yes, your honor” to dozens of procedural questions, hedging slightly when the judge asked if she knew the drugs she was giving to co-defendant and middleman Erik Fleming were going to Perry Making good on a deal she signed on Aug. 18, Sangha pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises,

three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.

Sangha, a 42-year-old citizen of the U.S. and the U.K., admitted to selling drugs directly to 33-yearold Cody McLaury, who died from an overdose in 2019. McLaury had no connection to Perry Prosecutors agreed to drop three other counts. The final plea deal came a year after federal prosecutors announced the indictments in Perry’s Oct. 28, 2023, death after a sweeping investigation. Sangha is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 10. She could get up to 65 years in prison.

Sangha and Dr Salvador Plasencia, who pleaded guilty in July, had been the primary targets of the investigation. Three others — Dr Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa and Fleming pleaded guilty in exchange for their cooperation. Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home by Iwamasa, his assistant. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine was the primary cause of death.

Fla. planstoend childhoodvaccine mandates

BY CURT ANDERSON Associated Press

ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. Florida plans to become the first statetoeliminate vaccine mandates, alongtime cornerstone of public health policy for keeping schoolchildren and adults safe from infectious diseases.

ment,said at anews conference in Valrico. “They don’t have theright to tell youwhat to put in your body Take it away from them.”

whichnot only impacts those families but also the local economy.”

Vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives globally over the past 50 years, the World Health Organization reported in 2024. The majority of those were infantsand children.

Florida’splan to end vaccine mandates “would undermine decades of public health progress.”

state that’sdone as much as Florida. We want to stay ahead of the curve,” the governor said.

StateSurgeon General Dr.Joseph Ladapo, who announced the decision Wednesday,cast current requirements in schools and elsewhere as “immoral” intrusionson people’srights that hamper parents’ ability to makehealth decisions for their children.

“People have aright to make their own decisions, informed decisions,” Ladapo, who has frequently clashed with the medicalestablish-

Florida’smove, asignificant departure from decades of public policy and research that hasshown vaccines to be safeand the most effectiveway to stop thespread of communicable diseases,especially amongschoolchildren, is anotable embrace of theTrumpadministration’spublic healthagendaled by Robert F. Kennedy Jr alongtime anti-vaccineactivist.

Dr.Rana Alissa, chairofthe Florida Chapterofthe American Academy of Pediatrics, saidremoving vaccines puts students and school staff at greater risk.

“When everyone in aschool is vaccinated,itisharder for diseases to spread and easier for everyone to continue learning and having fun,” Alissasaid in an email.

“When children are sick andmiss school, caregivers also miss work,

In Florida,vaccine mandates for child day carefacilities and public schoolsinclude shots for measles, chickenpox, hepatitis B, diphtheriatetanus-acellular pertussis, polio andother diseases,according to the state HealthDepartment’s website Ladapodidn’tgive atimeline for thechanges but said thedepartment can scrapits own rulesfor some vaccine mandates,though otherswould require action by theFlorida Legislature. He did not specify any particularvaccines but repeated several times that the effortwould end “all of them. Every last one of them.”

TheAmericanMedicalAssociation issued astatementsaying

“While there is still time, we urge Florida to reconsider this change to help prevent arise of infectiousdiseaseoutbreaksthat put health and lives at risk,” said Dr.Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, an AMA trustee.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor,aDemocrat whose district is in the Tampa Bayarea, said in astatement that “immunizations are key to along, healthy life freefromseriousillnesses. This misguided announcement likely will raise costs and complicate easy access.”

UnderRepublican Gov. RonDeSantis, Florida resisted imposing COVIDvaccinesonschoolchildren during the pandemic, requiring “passports” forplaces that draw crowds, school closures and mandates that workers get the shots to keep their jobs.

“I don’tthink there’sanother

DeSantis also announced the creationofastate “Make AmericaHealthy Again” commission Wednesdaymodeled after similar initiatives that Kennedy established at the federal level.

The commission would look into suchthings as allowing informed consent in medical matters, promoting safe andnutritiousfood, boosting parental rights in medical decisions about their children and eliminating “medical orthodoxy thatisnot supported by the data,” DeSantis said.

The commission’swork will help inform alarge “medical freedom package” to be introduced in the Legislature next session, which would address thevaccine mandates required by state law and makepermanent the recent state COVIDdecisions relaxing restrictions, DeSantis said.

3statesformhealthallianceinrebukeofadministration

Governorsbelieve Americans’ health andsafetyatrisk

BY MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press

SEATTLE The Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon and California announcedWednesday that they created an alliance to safeguard health policies, believingthe Trump administration is putting Americans’ health and safety at risk by politicizing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Themovecomes with COVID-19 cases rising and as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.has restructured and downsized the CDC and attempted to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientificresearch.

Concerns about staffing and budget cuts were heightened after the White House sought to oust the agency’s

Washington state Health Secretary Dennis Worsham said public healthisabout prevention —“preventing illness, preventing the spread of disease, and preventing early,avoidable deaths.”

“Vaccines are among the mostpowerful tools in modernmedicine; they have indisputably savedmillions of lives,” Oregon Health Director Sejal Hathi said. “But when guidance about their use becomes inconsistent or politicized, it undermines public trust at preciselythe momentweneed it most.”

runstates that pushed unscientificschool lockdowns, toddler maskmandates, and draconian vaccine passports during theCOVIDera completely eroded the American people’strust in public health agencies.”

BY MATT BROWN and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON The House rejected aresolution to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., and remove her from acommittee that oversees immigration and national security as she faces federal charges stemming from a visit to an immigration detention facility

director and some top CDC leaders resigned in protest.

“The CDC has become a politicaltool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideologythat will lead to severe health consequences,” the governors said in ajointstatement.

“The dismantlingofpublichealthand dismissal of experienced and respected health leadersand advisers, alongwith the lack of using science, data,and evidencetoimprove our nation’shealth are placing lives at risk,” California State Health Officer Erica Pan said in thenews release.

being read, some Democrats were incensed.“Liar,”some shouted; “Shame,” yelled one Democratic lawmaker ManyRepublicans streamed outofthe chamberbefore thevote concluded. Democrats cheered and hugged at the finaltally’s reading. “The censure attempt against mehas failed.Rightfully so. It was abaseless, partisan effort to shut me up,” McIver wrote on social mediaafter thevote.

forcibly grabbedanHSI officer.The resolution also saidbodycameraand other video evidence supported the allegations made in the federal indictment.

The partnership plans to coordinate health guidelines by aligning immunization plans based on recommendations from respected national medical organizations, said ajoint statement from Gov. BobFerguson of Washington, Gov.Tina Kotek of Oregonand Gov.Gavin NewsomofCalifornia.

U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services spokesman AndrewG.Nixon shotback in astatement Wednesday that “Democrat-

He said the administration’sAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices “remains the scientificbody guiding immunization recommendations in this country,and HHS will ensure policyisbased on rigorous evidence and GoldStandard Science, not the failed politics of the pandemic.”

Meanwhile,publichealth agencies across the country have started taking steps to ensure their states have accesstovaccinesafterU.S. regulators came outwith new policies that limited access to COVID-19 shots.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s health department said last week it is seeking advice from medical experts and itsown ImmunizationAdvisory Committee on COVID-19 vaccines and other

immunizations for the fall respiratory season. TheNew Mexico DepartmentofHealth said it would workwiththe state’sBoard of Pharmacy to remove barriers and allow access to COVIDvaccines at pharmacies across the state. On Wednesday,Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at hisrequest, the State Board of Pharmacy voted to protect access to COVID-19 vaccines for those most in need and make it available at CVS pharmacies across the state. Last month, public officials from eight Northeast states metinRhode Island to discuss coordinating vaccine recommendations. The group includedall the New England states exceptfor New Hampshire,aswell as New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Massachusetts Gov.Maura Healey,aDemocrat who hasbeen critical of federal cuts to public health funding and restrictions on vaccines, said her state was leading the bipartisan coalition.

Trumpadministrationagreesto restorehealthwebsitesand data

BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

stop using theterm“gender” in federal policies and documents.

The administration saw it as amovetoend thepromotion of “gender ideology.”

The House voted 215-207 to table the measure, asign that some were uncomfortable moving forwardwith censure while McIver’scase is stillpending in the courts. Atrial in her case has been scheduled for November

Democratic lawmakers unanimously voted to table theresolution, whichwas sponsored by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette. Five Republicans joined them and two others voted present. As the resolution was

Republicanssought to punish McIver for aconfrontation with federal law enforcement during acongressionalvisit to anew immigrationdetentionfacility in Newark, N.J. McIver has pleaded not guilty to federal charges accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outsidethe facility

The censure resolution recounted howMcIver is alleged to haveinterfered with Homeland Security Investigations officials’ ability to arrest an unauthorized visitor. It said she is alleged to have slammedher forearm into the body and

Higgins said he would not have moved forward with the resolution if McIver had withdrawn from the Homeland Security panel pending aresolution of the federal charges against her He said it wasa conflictfor hertoserve on apanel with oversight authority over the agencies at the center of her criminal investigation.

“Wedidn’texpect it to fail. We knewitwould be close, but it’s quitedisappointing,” Higgins said.

Democrats retaliatedjust hours before theMcIver votewith theintroduction of acensure resolution against Rep.Cory Mills, R-Fla., who has been accused by abeauty pageanttitleholder of threatening toreleaseintimate videos and privateimages of her after she ended theirromantic relationship, accordingtoareport filed with law enforcement. Mills has denied theallegations.

1,040HHS workerswantRFK Jr.out

BYBRIAN NIEMIETZ

Newyork Daily News (TNS)

More than 1,000 past andpresentHealth and HumanService workers signed apetition calling for the resignation of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr

The dissatisfied health care professionals addressedtheir “Enough is Enough” request to Kennedy and Congress asking the latter to appoint anew HHSleader should the current one choose to remain inhis position “Our oath requiresusto speak out when the Constitution is violated and the American people are put at risk,” the petition published online Wednesday reads. “Thus, we warn the president, Congress, and the public that Secretary Kennedy’sactions arecompromising the health of this nation, and we demand Secretary Kennedy’sresignation.”

The 71-year-old Trump administrationappointee’sposition on medical issues including vaccines alarmed many in the medical

community before theactivistwas swornin to lead theHHS in February.

The 1,040 Kennedy criticscite his refusaltobebriefed by “well-regarded CDC experts on vaccine-preventable diseases” amongtheir reasons for demanding his dismissal.

He’salso blamed for facilitating the departures of medical experts including Senateconfirmed CDCDirectorDr. Susan Monarez and “appointing political ideologueswho pose as scientificexperts.”

Those who signed the petition include workers with ties to the Administration for Children and Families,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.Food and DrugAdministration, National Institutes of Health and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency

HHS responded to Wednesday’spetition with astatement claiming the CDChas been “broken for along time” and vowed to fixit.

NEWYORK Federal officials have agreed to restore health- and science-related webpagesand data under to alawsuit settlementwith doctors groups and other organizations who sued.

Thesettlementwas announced this week by the lead plaintiffs in the case, theWashington State Medical Association.

Soon after President Donald Trump’sinauguration, federal health officials deleted or removed information on arange of topics including pregnancyrisks, opioid-use disorder and the AIDS epidemic.

The move was made in reaction to aTrump executive order that told agencies to

Doctors, scientists and public health advocates sawit as an “egregious example of government overreach,” saysDr. John Bramhall,the organization’spresident, said in astatement.

“Thiswas trusted health information that vanished in ablink of an eye,” Bramhall said.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to restore morethan100 websites and resources to the state they were in, said Graham Short, aspokesperson for the Washingtonstate doctors’ group.

Thecasewas filedinfederal court in Seattle.The plaintiffs include, among others, the Vermont Medical Society,the Washington State NursesAssociation and the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care.

The defendants included U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.and federal health agencies and officialswho work underhim Federal officials responded to questions about the settlement with this statement: “HHS remains committed to its missionof removing radical gender and DEIideology from federal programs, subject to applicable law,toensure taxpayer dollars deliver meaningful resultsfor the American people.”

Trump has sent troops to two other majority-Democratic cities — Los Angeles and Washington, D.C And he has threatened to send them to Baltimore and Chicago. Local and state Democratic leaders there have fought the dispatches and have argued that federal resources would be better spent elsewhere. California, meanwhile, has sued, challenging the president’s right to intervene at all.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who is under federal criminal indictment brought by Trump’s Justice Department, in a statement did not critique the proposal. Instead, the mayor’s administration and the New Orleans Police Department praised past partnerships between the state and the federal government, including after the New Year’s Day vehicleramming attack on Bourbon Street earlier this year

“We have consistently worked with our federal partners, including collaborations with the Louisiana State Police,” the statement read. “This collaborative approach has been instrumental in our ongoing success in reducing crime.”

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, who represents New Orleans and Baton Rouge and who is one of two Democrats in Louisiana’s six-member congressional delegations, swiftly condemned the proposal, calling on Trump to use federal powers in different ways that Carter said would bring more meaningful change than the

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The detainees will be held in a building once known as Camp J, where inmates who broke the rules were kept in solitary confinement.

The building was shuttered in 2018 amid safety concerns, but Landry signed an emergency declaration allowing the state to skip regular bidding processes and swiftly renovate the building.

The cells have been refurbished and have air conditioning, said Kate Kelly, a Landry spokesperson.

The federal government approached Landry about the need for more detention space for ICE, and “he offered us a solution,” Noem said. “Louisiana is one of several states that have been stepping up to help solve these problems,” she said.

Angola was chosen in part because of its notorious reputation, in an effort to convince people to selfdeport, she said.

Immigration crackdown Trump and Republicans have made halting illegal immigration a top priority, dramatically increasing funding for ICE and tasking it with ramping up arrests and deportations.

Under Landry, a Republican and a vocal supporter of Trump’s immigration agenda, the state has taken a more active role in that crackdown.

State Police recently entered into a partnership with the federal government that gives them more power to help carry out immigration laws; Landry has urged local law enforcement agencies to do the same.

Home to a cluster of ICE detention facilities, many of which are privately run, Louisiana already plays a key part in immigration enforcement. Now, the governor is taking the state’s involvement further by

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“The pizza was like Play-Doh and the wings were burned to the bone,” said an attendee who was in a suite for the Jaguars game. He didn’t want to be quoted by name as he was a guest of a company leasing the suite and wasn’t authorized to speak

Some ordinary ticket holders also faced long lines at the nearly 100 fixed and mobile concession stands around the stadium, and complained of poor quality wings, nachos and the near absence of local food options, according to the organizer of one of the Saints’ fan clubs, who didn’t have authorization to be quoted by name.

“Guess the true test will be this Sunday,” the fan club organizer said via text.

A new vendor’s first day

Legends, headquartered in New York City is owned by a private equity group and counts Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the New York Yankees organization as minority stakeholders

The stadium completed its takeover of ASM Global last year, creating one of the world’s largest venue and hospitality groups ASM and a local predecessor company have run the Superdome for the state of Louisiana since 1977.

president’s plan. Other Democrats also offered loud criticism

“Militarizing the streets of New Orleans is not a solution. Period,” Carter said in a statement.

A Trump spokesperson, Steven Cheung, did not respond to a phone message seeking additional details about the plan.

N.O. crime has fallen

Crime in New Orleans plummeted in recent years after a surge in violence during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2025, the city is on pace to log a historic, 50-year low in murders

a remarkable reversal that law enforcement officials and outreach workers attribute to better community interventions, national trends and a flood of concern and cash funneled to anti-violence efforts in cities nationwide.

Relative to this point in 2022, when New Orleans’ violent crime wave peaked, carjackings in the city are down 81%, robberies are down 59%, auto thefts are down 34%, shooting incidents are down 63%, vehicle burglaries are down 70% and homicides are down 64%, according to data tracked by Jeff Asher, a New Orleans-based crime analyst.

Asher said that National Guard soldiers “not law enforcement.”

When National Guard troops entered New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, they provided services such as humanitarian support and a deterrent to would-be looters, rather than crime-fighting know how, he recalled.

“There are all sorts of ways that the city could use help from the fed-

establishing an ICE detention center on the grounds of Louisiana’s largest prison, which houses the state’s highest-security inmates

Earlier this summer, Florida, led by Republican Gov Ron DeSantis, speedily turned an isolated airfield in the Everglades into a detention center called “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Praised by Republicans as an effective tool in Trump’s immigration crackdown, Alligator Alcatraz was built to hold several thousand people. Trump and Florida officials said it would house only detainees accused of serious crimes.

But the Miami Herald reported that hundreds of people held there faced no criminal charges Detainees also told news outlets they were fed worm-infested food, and that malfunctioning toilets flooded the floors with fecal waste. Officials disputed those accounts.

A federal judge recently ordered Florida to shut down Alligator Alcatraz after environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe sued over the facility, arguing it threatened sensitive wetlands.

DeSantis has vowed to open a new detention facility called Deportation Depot.

Critics have argued these facilities are publicity stunts.

In a statement, Bill Quigley, the former director of the Law Clinic and the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University New Orleans, said he feared Louisiana’s new facility was a “continuation of performative detention like the Alligator Alcatraz” that was “made for TV.”

Over 7,000 migrants are already held in nine ICE detention facilities across Louisiana, Quigley said.

He also worried housing migrants at Angola would make it especially difficult for them to visit with their attorneys.

As of June 29, about 70% of detainees had no criminal convictions, The

Legends was chosen by ASM to replace Sodexo as the Superdome concession provider after a process that involved a consultant’s report on the relative merits of the two firms.

The seven-member Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District board — known as the Superdome Commission — approved ASM’s move in June.

Promises of better service

The Superdome suites, which typically offer a host of different food and beverage options, were a primary focus of the recently completed $560 million stadium renovation.

Saints President Dennis Lauscha described the upgraded suites as the “engine” for generating revenue to help pay off the $300 million renovation bonds issued by the state to help fund the project.

The suites typically cost from $10,000 to $30,000 per game to lease, depending on size and importance of the event. Leasing a suite for a full season can cost $1 million or more, depending on size, location and other options like corporate branding, according to specialist stadium suite brokers.

Under the lease agreement, the Saints receive 42% of all concession revenue generated at the stadium It is not clear what led to the poor service and food quality last month When it took over the contract in July, Legends said it

eral government,” he said. “But deploying a bunch of National Guardsmen to stand around downtown is not it.”

Since Landry’s inauguration in 2024, New Orleans’ crime-fighting strategy has been driven in part by the governor’s own deployment of a unit of Louisiana State Police troopers to the city known as Troop NOLA. Though initially controversial, it has won support from some local leaders who hail it as part of the city’s broad approach to tackling crime.

Also praised locally were efforts of National Guard troops who trekked to New Orleans after the terrorist attack in January for major events such as the Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras, when the city received a designation on a federal risk assessment that afforded it extra federal support.

Cantrell officials lauded that collaboration on Wednesday The mayor is set to be arraigned in federal court Wednesday on charges that she pursued a romantic relationship with her bodyguard on the taxpayers’ dime.

In at least one other instance, Trump’s Justice Department has dropped corruption charges against a Democratic mayor who worked with the president to carry out his agenda — New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was up for reelection and who later agreed to assist with the president’s immigration policies. Cantrell is term-limited.

Politicians react

Trump on Wednesday said his past interventions have curbed crime in

Associated Press reported, citing ICE statistics. Roughly half of all detainees also had no criminal charges, according to the report.

Where the building was

The new detention center will be established in a once-notorious section of Angola known as Camp J, formerly used to punish state prisoners who broke the rules by putting them in solitary confinement. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections closed Camp J in 2018, citing safety concerns and a push to reduce the use of solitary confinement

State officials said dozens of weapons were found there during the first seven months of 2017; 85 corrections officers assigned there left within a year; and Camp J’s locks malfunctioned, allowing inmates to jam cell doors and circumvent security checks.

Criminal justice advocates also condemned the conditions at Camp J as being overly harsh.

Officials say they have overhauled the facility Sheahan, ICE’s deputy director and the former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said it would have a law library and places for detainees to meet with their attorneys.

The detainees would be isolated from Angola’s general population Landry said. He did not answer a question about whether the facility was still set up for prisoners to be in solitary confinement.

In July, Landry signed an executive order meant to speed renovations at Camp J, a hint the prison wing would reopen. The order, which suspended procurement and public bidding rules for the repairs, said the state needed to ready the unit because Angola lacked the bed space to house violent offenders who would be transferred there.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

expected to rehire essentially all of the 880 staff that had been employed by Sodexo. Legends spokesperson Stacey Escudero referred to the letter from Fitzmorris and declined to comment further ASM Global general manager Evan Holmes made a brief reference to the issues at the Superdome Commission’s last meeting on Aug. 27, noting that “we had some opportunities for improvement after the first game.” ASM declined to comment further

In response to complaints from the Jaguars game, Saints spokesperson Greg Bensel said that the organization “learned about the issues facing Legends at the Jacksonville game as they were happening” and “immediately worked with them to help mitigate as best possible the issues that they were facing.”

“A positive experience on gameday for all of our fans and our suite holders is extremely important,” Bensel said.

He said everyone worked diligently ahead of the second and final preseason home game against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 23.

“By all accounts, food service and delivery both in the stadium and the suite level was significantly improved,” he said. “We look forward to and are confident that Legends will deliver even better service to our fans when we open the regular season.”

Washington and Los Angeles. He argued he would bring similar results to New Orleans.

“So, we’re going to be going to maybe Louisiana, and you have New Orleans which has a crime problem,” Trump said. “We’ll straighten that out in about two weeks. It’ll take us two weeks, easier than D.C.”

His announcement came days after a federal judge ruled that the deployment of National Guard soldiers and U.S Marines to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests there violated the law CBS News reported Wednesday that federal grand juries have rejected at least four attempts by federal prosecutors to charge people arrested during Trump’s crackdown in California.

And in Washington last month, a federal jury declined to bring charges against a man prosecutors had accused of throwing a sandwich at a federal agent.

A series of Democratic political candidates and local officials joined Carter in condemning Trump’s idea Wednesday, calling it an incursion into a city that has made vast strides on its own and by working with state and federal agencies — in tamping down lawlessness.

“President Trump’s suggestion that he may deploy federal troops to New Orleans is reckless politically motivated, an abuse of presidential power, and a betrayal of our Constitution,” said state Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, who is running for mayor “Our residents deserve safety and stability, not to be used as pawns in partisan theater.”

That Trump’s deployments have

LETLOW

Continued from page 1A

Letlow said, “It has been humbling, to say the least, to be considered,” but that “now is not the right time to pursue the presidency of LSU.”

Haldane did not ask Letlow about her intentions for the Senate, and Letlow declined an interview request from The Times-Picayune | The Advocate after being told she would be asked that and other questions about her political future Political insiders have been discussing Letlow’s plans for weeks because of her academic background — she was a top official at the University of Louisiana at Monroe before her husband’s death in 2020 prompted her to run for Congress — and the positive reviews she’s received during her four years in Washington, D.C.

“I think she is brilliant as it relates to higher ed,” Ballard said, adding that he guessed “family and politics played a role in what was best for her I thought it was 50/50. She didn’t consult me.”

Letlow, who is from the Monroe area, recently moved to Baton Rouge with her two small children. She is expected to run for reelection if she doesn’t give up her seat to run against Cassidy Search ramps up

In the meantime, the outside firm hired by LSU’s Board of Supervisors began accepting “inquiries” last week, said Christel Slaughter, the CEO of SSA Consultants in Baton Rouge, after placing job postings on the websites for the Chronicle of Higher Education and higheredjobs.com.

Slaughter said potential applicants are posing questions and, in some cases, providing cover letters, résumés and references. SSA will forward the top applicants to the search committee chaired by Ballard, who owns PJ’s Coffee with two of his brothers. Ballard also chairs the LSU Board of Supervisors.

The presidential search committee has met once and will gather next on Oct. 1, Ballard said.

He said the 19-member search committee — which includes seven of the 16 members of the LSU board — will issue a recommendation to the full LSU board

“By the middle of October, we should have the names and narrow it down to five four or three,” Ballard said. After that, Ballard added, the finalists will meet with the university’s 13 Boyd Professors, “who have attained national or international distinction for outstanding teaching, research, or other creative achievement,” according to LSU’s website The finalists also will meet separately with senior university staff.

The presidential search members will attend those two meetings and seek the views of Boyd professors and senior staff afterward.

“I’m looking for someone who has previous experience in high-

targeted only cities led by Democrats suggests the president’s approach is driven by political bias rather than public safety, City Council Vice President Helena Moreno said. “There are many cities with mayors aligned with this president whose crime issues are severe, but they’re not targeted,” said Moreno, who is also running for mayor “That clearly shows that this is about scare tactics and politicizing public safety.”

District E City Council member Oliver M. Thomas Jr said in a statement that New Orleans is accustomed to National Guard units patrolling the streets in support of the city after hurricanes and during Carnival, but Trump’s suggestion is something altogether different.

“The message this sends is that this is being done to our people, not with us,” he said

“What we need more of are those kinds of resources, funding, training, and support for our local police, not federal troops sent in to control our communities,” he said State Attorney General Liz Murrill and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, praised the plan. So did U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, who called it a short-term solution and not a partisan issue.

“The National Guard in Washington, D.C., demonstrated that more uniforms on the street, whatever the color of the uniform is, makes our community safer,” Cassidy said. “It is not a long-term solution, but this gives us a chance to demonstrate that it is just as true in Louisiana as it is in Washington, D.C.”

er ed,” Ballard said. “It would be awesome if they had previous experience in the real world as well. I’d like someone who can fundraise — raising money is a big part of being president today — and understands (Washington) D.C I’d like someone who has experience working with endowed professors. I hope that person understands our culture not only in Louisiana but across the SEC and our flagship-type schools.”

Political insiders have been saying in recent weeks that Wade Rousse, who has been president of McNeese State University since April 2024, has the inside track. The insiders believe he’s the favorite of Landry and Lee Mallett, the vice chair of both the LSU board and the search committee, who is close with the governor.

“Wade is a smart person,” Ballard said. “I know him from higher ed. If he chooses to apply, he should be looked at closely He’s had a phenomenal career I would not say he has an inside track. He’ll be given a fair shake like any else.”

Ballard added that he has not discussed any candidates with Landry Mallett, who was originally appointed to the board by thenGov. Bobby Jindal and was reappointed by then-Gov John Bel Edwards and then Landry, said news accounts that he is supporting Rousse are incorrect.

“He’s done a fabulous job at McNeese State, but it’ll be up to him to prove himself among all the candidates,” Mallett said.

“My main objective is I want to get someone from Louisiana. I don’t understand why we have to think we have to bring someone from out of state. Then we have to teach them the culture and teach them the politics.” Ballard said he would leave questions about changing the responsibilities of LSU’s president to Tate’s successor including possibly dividing those responsibilities between two jobs. LSU previously had a system president and a chancellor in charge of the main Baton Rouge campus.

Letlow mum on Senate run Now that Letlow has ruled out trying to replace Tate, the time is drawing near for her to make a decision on whether she’ll run against Cassidy and the other candidates who have already declared.

Candidates have to qualify for next year’s elections in midJanuary Plans by Landry to call a special legislative session beginning on Oct. 23 could complicate Letlow’s timetable, because that session will redraw Louisiana’s six congressional districts in anticipation of a Supreme Court ruling that could invalidate the current congressional map.

For now, Cassidy’s challengers are: Treasurer John Fleming; state Sen. Blake Miguez, of New Iberia; and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, who represents suburban New Orleans.

Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

China uses parade to display military strength

BY KEN MORITSUGU and HUIZHONG WU Associated Press

BEIJING China showcased its military might in a parade Wednesday marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II as it seeks to wield greater influence on the global stage.

Leader Xi Jinping, speaking before the parade, paid tribute to Chinese veterans of the war Since coming to power in 2012, he has sought to build China into a country that cannot be bullied and is strong enough to stand up to foreign powers.

“The Chinese people are not afraid of violence and are self-reliant and strong,” he said.

The Chinese military showed off aerial and underwater drones, hypersonic missiles and fighter jets and bombers in a 90-minute event attended by the leaders of about two dozen countries, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

The splashy commemoration of the anniversary is a way to boost support for Communist Party rule by showing the progress made by China. The country was a major front in the war and millions died during Japan’s invasion. Xi, who has been position-

Military personnel take part Wednesday in a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender held in front of Tiananmen

ing China as a stabilizing force in an unstable world, said humanity must choose between peace and war and dialogue and confrontation

“The Chinese people’s rejuvenation cannot be blocked, and the noble goal of the peaceful development of human civilization must triumph,” Xi said at the end of his speech An analyst at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore said the turbulence in U.S policy is an op-

portunity for China.

“This is the right time for China to announce its arrival on the stage, to be a security guarantor, to fill the political, economic, military, diplomatic vacuums,” said James Char, an assistant professor in the China Program.

Highlights of the weaponry in the parade included the AJX002 underwater drone, a long, black, tube-shaped craft that looks like a narrow submarine with a rear propeller

Other weapons that got attention were hypersonic missiles designed to take out ships at sea and a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-61, which could carry nuclear warheads to distant targets.

The hypersonic weapons are of particular concern to the U.S. Navy, which patrols the western Pacific from its 7th Fleet headquarters in Japan.

The ceremony began with an 80-gun artillery salute,

followed by the national anthem, the “March of the Volunteers,” a song composed in 1935 during the early years of resistance against invading Japanese forces.

As the parade got underway, U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that the big question is whether Xi will recognize the contributions of Americans who fought in the war

“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” he added.

The U.S. eyed the gathering of the three leaders warily, as well as a 10-nation summit meeting in China on Monday that brought together Xi, Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro also took issue with “the three leaders who don’t follow and go against international law” appearing together in the parade.

“That’s intimidation. For me, that’s a threat specially to smaller nations,” he told reporters in the northern Philippine mountain resort city of Baguio, where U.S and Philippine officials commemorated the anniversary

Xi’s remarks did not mention the U.S. by name but expressed his gratitude to foreign countries that helped

China resist the Japanese invasion.

Putin and Kim, who later held talks in Beijing, flanked Xi as they made their way to the platform overlooking Tiananmen Square. They paused to shake hands with five WWII veterans, some older than 100. Asked about Trump’s social media post, Putin told reporters that “the president of the United States is not without a sense of humor,” but sought to assure that “over these four days, during negotiations of all kinds, both in formal and informal settings, no one has ever expressed any negative judgments on the current American administration.”

The event began with troops marching in rhythmic lockstep, their boots echoing off the pavement, to be reviewed by Xi, who heads China’s military as chairman of the Central Military Commission. Xi rode the entire length of their formations in a classic black limousine. He stood up through the vehicle’s sunroof with four microphones lined in front of him and greeted flanks of personnel as he passed them and rows of armaments and military vehicles.

They shouted back mottoes in unison, such as “We serve the people.”

‘Epstein files’ controversy continues in Congress

Pressure continues to mount for release

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON — As pressure continued to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, got a show of support Wednesday from Republicans who agreed that a House committee has the issue covered, so a vote by the full House is unnecessary

The imbroglio over the accused sex trafficker of underage girls threatens to stall congressional efforts to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month.

The largely symbolic measure pushed by Johnson passed as part of a rules package on a 212-208 party-line vote Wednesday afternoon.

The two Democrats in the Louisiana delegation — Rep. Troy Carter, of New Orleans, and Rep. Cleo Fields, of Baton Rouge, voted against the resolution. All four Republicans voted for it: Johnson, of Benton; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, of Jefferson; Rep. Clay Higgins, of Lafayette; and Rep. Julia Letlow, of Baton Rouge.

The resolution calls on the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee to continue its investigation into the federal handling of the materials gathered during investigations into the late financier, who was friends with a number of powerful men, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.

The committee released Tuesday 33,295 pages of redacted documents — only a small percentage — but most of that information already had been made public.

Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said more information would be released after the panel has the opportunity to vet the documents and ensure that victims’ identities are protected.

Johnson and the White House have been maneuvering to smother a bipartisan effort led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to circumvent House leadership and force the release of material related to the Epstein investigation.

Trump called the issue a “Democratic hoax.”

Johnson said he and Trump want transparency But “it has to be done in the right way,” he added.

Epstein’s victims.

“There are hundreds and hundreds of other women, some of them recruited and groomed as minors, as young as 13 years old, who do not want their identities to be known,” Johnson said.

Survivors add to the pressure

Meanwhile, a number of Epstein’s victims rallied outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to tell their stories, excoriate Trump and other political heavyweights, and demand the immediate release of the materials.

“Women’s voices will not be marginalized,” said Annie Farmer, of Austin, Texas, who said she was enticed by Maxwell and forced to have sex with Epstein as a teenager

Massie criticized Johnson and Trump for tucking the resolution into a procedural vote and encouraging representatives not to sign the Massie-Khanna petition that would circumvent leadership and force a floor vote.

Republicans now want to use it as a political football against the Democrats,” Massie said.

Johnson said the Massie-Khanna resolution was poorly written and wouldn’t protect the identities of

“They’re also going to be too clever by a half by putting his version of the Epstein resolution inside of the rule so they can get Democrats to vote against it. The

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a child for prostitution. He died by suicide in August 2019 before he could be prosecuted on additional accusations that he trafficked dozens of young girls. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was found guilty of sex trafficking minors in December 2021 and imprisoned for 20 years in June 2022. Epstein was rumored to have procured underage girls for celebrities, such as Prince Andrew, who denied he did anything improper but was suspended from royal activities because of the allegations. Before being reelected, Trump and his allies fueled conspiracy theories that former President Joe Biden’s administration purposely hid the Epstein documents to protect the elite. When Trump became president, his administration, in an unsigned memo, determined that much of those accusations were unfounded and moved not to release the documents.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

Trump spent congressional recess filling out loaded to-do list

BY JOHN T. BENNETT CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON Donald Trump had the Washington stage to himself while Congress took a summer sojourn, but lawmakers return to a thick playbill — largely written by the president.

White House officials said in July, after Trump signed Republicans’ massive tax and domestic policy measure on Independence Day that the president had not refilled his to-do list for Congress. In the weeks after Trump made the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” the law of the land, he pivoted to his global trade war, Texas flood relief efforts and a list of thorny foreign conflicts as he seeks the Nobel Peace Prize. But Trump’s congressional wish list has filled out as lawmakers return this week from their annual summer recess.

“We’re having a lot of victories,” Trump said on Aug. 21 while visiting law enforcement officers and National Guard troops carrying out his federal policing takeover in the District of Columbia.

“We’re going to make Washington, D.C., great again

We’re making our country great again The country is very close to being great. When they say it’s the hottest country in the world, they mean it,” he

said. “And this capital is at a level that you haven’t seen in a long time.”

One GOP source close to Trump world said there are a number of things the president “definitely wants to get done this year because he knows 2026 will be about the state of the economy come that time — and he desperately wants to keep control of the House.”

G. William Hoagland, a former GOP aide to thenSenate Majority Bill Frist of Tennessee, noted Congress will quickly become consumed with trying to craft a compromise spending measure that would avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month. From there, “with this POTUS, his agenda is impossible to determine one month ahead let alone three months ahead,” Hoagland said in an email of Trump’s unpredictability.

Trump on Monday, however, signaled that he intends to continue his breakneck pace of taking actions without worrying too much about how the GOP-controlled House and Senate might react when he announced he intends soon to change the name of the Department of Defense back to the Department of War.

“We’re just going to do it.

I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

The president’s end-ofyear to-do list for lawmakers, sources noted, could still change, depending on the mercurial Trump’s priorities — which typically are tied to his own perceptions about his political standing. Shutdown showdown

Trump took the blame in the polls during and following a first-term shutdown that spanned late 2018 and early 2019. Aides at that time said he had learned a tough lesson about voters typically seeing one of the main functions of a sitting president as keeping their government running.

Fast forward six years and Trump again is expected to have to negotiate with House and Senate Democratic leaders to secure enough votes for some kind of shutdownaverting measure.

“He wants to fund the government,” the GOP source said. “This president feels like he’s got the economy humming, and a shutdown could change that — or make people feel like it has. And because we know it takes seven or eight months for voters to actually feel things that affect the economy, a shutdown right now could hurt Republicans in 2026.”

Hoagland said he sees “Congress entangled in a continuing resolution, appropriations, and a shutdown” threat for much of the fallwinter session. That annual

spending drama could have multiple acts, if lawmakers and the White House punt funding a few weeks or a month at a time before passing a longer-term measure before or after the holidays.

D.C. crime bill

Trump used lawmakers’ absence to take over policing inside D.C., even though violent crime levels have returned to pre-spike levels.

“I wonder if the president will ask for an extension of the 30 days federal takeover of D.C. police and security,” Hoagland said, noting doing so could take up valuable floor time and distract lawmakers from other issues: “That would create a lot of attention — and further complications for the legislative calendar.”

Trump said during recess he wants Congress to send him a D.C. “crime bill” that revokes some policies, like so-called cashless bail, and provides the executive branch $2 billion to fight crime and make the District “clean.”

“We (will) have no problem getting that money That money will come out of Congress. I think it’ll be even bipartisan. I would imagine Democrats would vote for that one,” Trump said Aug. 22.

Security measures

Expect the White House to push for the annual Pentagon

policy bill, likely a full-year Defense appropriations measure and possibly more funding for Trump’s hardline immigration policies.

“If you look at everything the president ran on in 2024, and really in 2016, they can be boiled down to two things: prosperity and security,” said the GOP source, granted anonymity to be candid. “So that means he’s going to be really insistent that Congress doesn’t play games and funds the military, funds more border security and funds immigration enforcement.” Trump’s picks “Confirmations, confirmations and confirmations.” That is how the GOP source put it when asked about the bulk of the year’s remaining Senate floor time: “Trump is pissed Republicans are not being allowed to do more confirmations by voice vote, which has been the custom.”

Hoagland said “the Senate will still be tied up with nominations throughout the fall.”

Noticeisherebygiven pursuant to Article7, Section23(C) of theLouisiana Constitution andR.S.47:1705(B)thatapublichearing of SoutheastLouisianaFloodProtectionAuthority– East on behalf of theOrleans LeveeDistrictinOrleansParishwillbeheldatitsregular meetingplace at theFranklinAvenueAdministrativeComplex,Meeting Room 201, 6920 Franklin Avenue,New Orleans, LA on Thursday,October16,2025at10:00a.m.toconsider levyingadditionalorincreased millagerates withoutfurthervoterapprovaloradoptingthe adjusted millagerates after reassessment and rollingforwardtoratesnottoexceedtheprior year’smaximum. Theestimatedamountoftax revenues to be collectedinthe next year from anincreasedmillagerateis$62,784,513.76and theestimated increase in taxesattributableto thismillageincreaseis$7,617,990.58.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Newsmax files antitrust lawsuit against Fox

NEW YORK The conservative news network Newsmax filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday saying Fox has sought to maintain its market dominance through intimidation and exclusionary business practices designed to stifle competition.

Fox has sought to block television distributors from carrying Newsmax or minimize its exposure, pressured guests not to appear on the rival network and hired private detectives to investigate Newsmax executives, said the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in south Florida Newsmax seeks a jury trial.

Newsmax, which has operated since 2014, is attacking Fox News at perhaps its most popular point: the cable network’s opinion programming has consistently beaten broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC in prime time over the summer months Its rivals pointed at a series of hardball business tactics in the complex world of television distribution. Fox’s success enables it to charge distributors “outsized” fees to carry the network, and it tries to force distributors either not to carry competitors who seek access to conservative viewers or make it hard to find them. Fox has also tried to deliberately block Newsmax from growing platforms like Hulu, Sling and Fubo, the complaint alleged ConocoPhillips to lay off 25% of its workforce

NEW YORK Oil giant ConocoPhillips is planning to lay off up to a quarter of its workforce, amounting to thousands of jobs, as part of broader efforts from the company to cut costs.

A spokesperson for ConocoPhillips confirmed the layoffs Wednesday noting that 20% to 25% of the company’s employees and contractors would be impacted. ConocoPhillips currently has a global headcount of about 13,000 meaning that the cuts would impact between 2,600 and 3,250 workers.

“We are always looking at how we can be more efficient with the resources we have,” a ConocoPhillips’ spokesperson said via email, adding that the company expects the “majority of these reductions” to take place before the end of 2025. News of the coming layoffs was first reported by Reuters, with anonymous sources telling the outlet that CEO Ryan Lance detailed the plans in a video message earlier Wednesday In that video, Reuters reported, Lance said the company needed “fewer roles” while he cited rising costs.

C-SPAN reaches deal with YouTube, Hulu

NEW YORK C-SPAN said Wednesday that it had reached a deal to have its three channels air on YouTube TV and Hulu’s live television feed, ending a dispute that had led to a revenue squeeze for the public affairs network in the cordcutting era. The network said the streaming services would pay the same fee as cable and satellite companies, roughly 87 cents a year per subscriber, and that CSPAN would continue its no-advertising policy on television Congress involved itself in the issue, passing a resolution this spring calling on the services’ parent companies Alphabet for YouTube and Disney for Hulu — to add C-SPAN to their programming. Because congressional sessions and hearings represent a big portion of C-SPAN’s programming, the politicians faced diminished airtime without a deal. At its peak a decade ago, CSPAN was seen in some 100 million homes with television. The number of homes paying for TV has since dropped to some 70 million, with roughly 20 million of those consumers now getting television through services like YouTube and Hulu and they weren’t showing C-SPAN.

Markets steady as tech stocks rise

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK Wall Street steadied on Wednesday after Alphabet and other technology stocks rallied. It also got some relief from easing pressure from the bond market, where the latest discouraging report on the U.S. job market bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates soon to support the economy

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% to

break the two-day losing slide it had been on since setting its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 24 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1%.

Google’s parent company was one of the strongest forces lifting the market and jumped 9.1% after avoiding some of the worst-case scenarios in its antitrust case. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a shake-up of Google’s search engine but did not force a sale of its

Chrome browser Also helping to steady Wall Street was a calming bond market. A day earlier, yields climbed worldwide on worries about governments’ abilities to repay their growing mountains of debt, as well as concerns that President Donald Trump’s pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut short-term interest rates could lead to higher inflation in the long term. On Wednesday, Treasury yields retreated following the latest

report on the U.S. job market to come in weaker than expected.

The 10-year Treasury yield fell to 4.22% from 4.28% late Tuesday, for example.

The report showed that U.S. employers were advertising 7.2 million job openings at the end of July, fewer than economists had forecast.

The number bolsters the sense on Wall Street that the job market may be ossifying into a low-hire, low-fire state.

ROBOT REVOLUTION

Auto workers are being retrained for automation improvements

BY SUMMER BALLENTINE and LUKE RAMSETH The Detroit News (TNS)

General Motors Co. worker Annie Ignaczat spent years walking in circles on concrete factory floors, assembling the same parts and counting down hundreds of pieces she and her co-workers needed to finish before lunch.

“You’re doing the same movement hundreds, if not thousands, of times every day for the week,” Ignaczat said. “It wears your body down.”

Work at GM’s Parma metal plant near Cleveland, Ohio, was monotonous, she said, and the risks of knee and shoulder replacements caused by the stress of repeated movements were well known.

Over time, Ignaczat watched the facility become more automated, adding new robots to complete the same tasks that she once performed. She didn’t immediately see another option for herself until co-workers urged her to join a GM apprenticeship program at the carmaker’s Technical Learning Center in Warren.

“I used to do a job that a robot does now,” she said. “But now my new job being in the trades, I service the robot So when the robot breaks, that’s what I work on.”

Automakers, including GM, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis NV, often point out how robots are used to increase safety ergonomics and product quality But experts say another benefit of robots for automakers is keeping labor costs down, meaning fewer jobs for humans.

“You’re going to see lots more automation because assembly labor is expensive,” said Dan Hearsch, global co-leader of automotive and industrial practice at the consulting firm AlixPartners.

The auto industry first adopted robots in the factory back in 1961 with a machine called Unimate that was installed in a New Jersey GM plant.

Now, all types of robots can be found in auto plants, shaping sheet metal and parts, welding together bodies and painting. And there are signs that higher levels of automation are coming even in the car’s final assembly process, which has been notoriously tough to automate due to its complexity and moving lines.

Take Ford, which last month announced a $2 billion investment in its Louisville Assembly Plant to build a new $30,000 electric pickup truck. The factory — which Ford says will be its most automated in the world will include three streamlined sub-assembly lines that incorporate robots and artificial intelligence features. The new system will limit the number of difficult maneuvers that employees must perform to install parts.

The plant is expected to require about 40% fewer workstations and 600 fewer workers to keep running than are currently needed to build gas-powered SUVs, though the car-

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Golf caddies, blackjack dealers and house painters are among the jobs covered under the Trump administration’s preliminary list of occupations not required to pay income tax on their tips under Republicans’ new tax cuts and spending bill. A bit more unexpected? Podcasters and social media influencers will also be excluded from forking over a portion of their tips, accord-

maker said those extra employees will be able to find work at another facility

“What this does is, in the final (assembly) where typically you’re in the low single-digit percentages in automation, we’re substantially higher than that,” said Bryce Currie, Ford’s vice president of manufacturing for the Americas, of the revamped plant.

Another example is Hyundai Motor Co. The Korean automaker recently opened a Georgia factory to build EVs; it says the facility uses more than 1,000 robots and automated guided vehicles that will, when fully staffed, eventually work alongside more than 8,000 humans. Among them: robotic dogs named Spot that conduct quality control tasks.

The company said last week it will set up a new robotics innovation facility in the United States to develop and produce additional robots for its factories.

GM says beyond adding robots to handle repetitive or heavy tasks, it is integrating automation features in the product development phase, and as it checks for defects.

Ed Duby, who heads propulsion systems for the Detroit automaker said the company now uses imaging tools often found in health care to analyze issues in batteries or engine parts, rather than workers needing to carefully take them apart. Those images can then be paired with machine learning to more quickly identify defects on other components.

Tariff effect

Robot installations by automakers in the United States were up 11% last year, according to the International Federation of Robotics. In North America, automakers and suppliers bought almost 9,000 robots in the first half of this year — an increase from last year and accounting for about half of the robots purchased across all industries, according to

data from the Ann Arbor-based Association for Advancing Automation.

Still, analysts and executives said the robot market’s growth is being temporarily held back by uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s tariffs as well as a pullback in EV investments.

In theory, higher tariffs mean auto companies will need to shift more of their manufacturing to the United States, and that will mean building more automated factories to save money on the higher cost of labor But Hearsch said companies are still holding off on these big decisions, as they continue to wait and see how Trump’s tariffs play out and which levies will remain in place long-term.

Any companies looking to make a quick move stateside to avoid tariffs aren’t likely to be buying up lots of new robotics and other equipment, he said, but rather shifting their existing production line from another country to a building in the United States.

In the longer run, though, robot companies that serve the auto industry expect to capitalize on Trump’s reshoring push — even as some of their own imports are hit by higher tariffs that include 50% levies on steel and aluminum.

“The high cost of labor is on everybody’s mind,” said Ed Marchese, head of automotive at ABB Robotics, which has its U.S. factory in Auburn Hills. “So as companies look to reshore, the question is, how am I going to be competitive? At the end of the day, take the tariffs away, take all the other political stuff away, anybody producing in this country still has to be globally competitive.”

He expects automakers and suppliers to have more clarity by the end of the year and that will mean a rise in robot sales. “Robots are coming — we have faith in the market,” Marchese said during a tour of the company’s Michigan factory earlier this summer

ing to the list released Tuesday by the Treasury Department.

The provision in the law signed by President Donald Trump in July eliminates federal income taxes on tips for people working in jobs that have traditionally received them It’s temporary and runs from 2025 until 2028. It applies to people who make less than $160,000 in 2025. The Yale Budget Lab estimates that there were roughly 4 million workers in tipped occupations in 2023, which amounts to roughly 2.5% of all jobs.

The administration was required to publish a list of qualifying occupations within 90 days of the bill’s signing. The full list of occupations is located on the Treasury Depart-

ment website. They are broken down into eight categories, including beverage and food service; entertainment and events; hospitality and guest services; home services; personal services; personal appearance and wellness; recreation and instruction; and transportation and delivery Among other jobs exempted from tax on tips are sommeliers, cocktail waiters, pastry chefs, cake bakers, bingo workers, club dancers, DJs, clowns, streamers, online video creators, ushers, maids, gardeners, electricians, house cleaners, tow truck drivers, wedding planners, personal care aides, tutors, au pairs, massage therapists, yoga instructors, cob-

blers, skydiving pilots, ski instructors parking garage attendants, delivery drivers and movers.

A report from the Budget Lab shows that the effects of the law would be small, given that tipped workers tend to be lower income. More than 37% of tipped workers, or over one third, earned income low enough that they faced no federal income tax in 2022.

“The larger and far more uncertain effect would stem from behavioral changes incentivized by the bill, such as substitution into tipped employment and tipped income, which would increase the bill’s overall cost,” states the report, which was written by Ernie Tedeschi, the director of economics at the Budget Lab.

Vance meets with families of shooting victims

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI and MARK VANCLEAVE Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS Vice Presi-

dent JD Vance on Wednesday met with families and victims of a deadly shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, and heard a heartfelt plea for action from at least one of those families.

Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, visited the Annunciation Catholic Church one week after an attacker opened fire during the first Mass of the school year for students of the nearby Annunciation Catholic School.

According to Vance’s office, the vice president and second lady Usha Vance met privately with family members of victims, the pastor of the parish and the school principal. They included the parents of the two children who died, Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, and families of some of the 21 people who were injured

The couple also visited the church sanctuary, where the shootings took place, to pay their respects to the victims and their families, and laid bouquets at a memorial outside. They paused to read messages chalked on the church steps, includ-

Safety.” Another referred to comments by Pope Leo on Sunday, “Listen to the Pope, End the Pandemic of Arms.”

“It keeps happening over and over and over and nothing changes,” said Kacie Sharpe. Her 8-year-old son, Trip, considered Fletcher his best friend, and was sitting nearby when he was shot and killed. “And it’s the most helpless feeling in the world to know that you can’t send your kids to school and have them be safe.”

ing. “God Heals The Broken Hearted,” “We Love you,” and “Show Love.”

“I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did,” Vance told reporters.

The Vances also went to Children’s Hospital, where several victims were treated, and met Lydia Kaiser, who is recovering from surgery Her parents urged Vance to use his position to find real solutions to gun violence

“We disagree about so many things,” her father,

Harry Kaiser, a gym teacher at the school, told reporters, reading from a letter he wrote to Vance. “... But on just this one issue of gun violence, will you please promise me — as a father and a Catholic that you will earnestly support the study of what is wrong with our culture that we are the country that has the worst mass shooter problem?”

The parents did not take questions. But mother Leah Kaiser cited a proverb quoted by Principal Matthew DeBoer and many others in the days since the shootings, “When you pray, move your feet.” It’s an expression of the idea that thoughts and prayers are not enough.

“Vice President Vance, you have enormous authority,” she continued. “Please

use this moment to move your feet and transcend our political divides to promote peace and unity and hope.

This is what the people of the United States will hold you accountable to.”

Some family and neighbors gathered nearby as the Vances arrived at the church, holding signs calling for bans on assault weapons. One read, “Pro-Life = Pro-Gun

Vance later declined to weigh in on how Minnesota lawmakers or Democratic Gov Tim Walz should respond to the tragedy, including the governor’s stated intention to call a special session of the Legislature to address gun and school safety “I would just say, take the concerns of these parents seriously,” Vance told reporters. “I think all of us, Democrat, Republican and independent, want these school shootings to happen less frequently Hopefully there’s some steps that we can take to make that happen.”

The meeting at the church lasted roughly an hour and 45 minutes. As Vance left, his motorcade rolled past a few dozen protesters, several holding signs saying, “Hate Won’t Make America Great.”

Chicago prepares for National Guard troops, ICE agents

BY SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press

CHICAGO Chicago community leaders forged ahead Wednesday with preparations for the influx of National Guard troops and immigration agents the city is expecting, advising residents about their rights and organizing protests with fresh urgency.

Details about the operation are scant, but President Donald Trump has amped up the rhetoric about crime in the nation’s third-largest city, saying an immigration crackdown and National Guard deployment are planned despite the objections of local leaders and a federal court ruling that a similar deployment in Los Angeles was illegal.

The preparations seem familiar in the Democratic stronghold that’s often found itself in Trump’s crosshairs.

Still, leaders of schools, churches and community groups — particularly in the city’s immigrant enclaves and Black and Latino neighborhoods — say there’s increased gravity and coordination in preparing for the expected troop deployment and its accompanying deluge of attention

Protesters say they’re ready

Even without knowing what will unfold, Chicago’s energetic activist networks circulated “emergency protest” schedules, vowing

to demonstrate within hours of federal intervention.

Organizers from immigrant rights groups, unions, clergy and anti-violence organizations said they’re working together more than ever

“We have a stronger broader movement preparing to mobilize,” said Lawrence Benito, head of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “People still have to go about their lives. We’re making sure folks are prepared and we’re ready to respond.”

Immigrant communities have been on high alert since Trump took office for the second time in January and kicked off a nationwide immigration enforcement operation in Chicago.

Activists say they’ve already offered countless know-your-rights training sessions and have added hours for a hotline where people can report immigration arrests.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently signed an executive order reiterating the city’s longtime sanctuary policies, which bar local police from coordinating with federal immigration agents.

Trump’s plans for Chicago

Trump signaled this week that he’s ready to order federal authorities to mobilize and combat crime in Chicago despite the objections of Johnson and Illinois Gov JB Pritzker. Trump hasn’t given a timeline

for the Chicago operation, and he muddied the outlook again on Wednesday by suggesting New Orleans as the next possible location.

Trump’s administration indicated that it would soon expand immigration operations in Chicago, and the Department of Homeland Security requested limited logistical support at the Naval Station Great Lakes outside the city

The administration deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his unprecedented law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C., where he has direct legal control His administration plans to appeal the California deployment ruling.

Wednesday on X. Later in the day, he told reporters his office had not received any additional information from the federal government. There has been little outward support for Trump’s plans in Chicago, with only a handful of Republicans and conservative leaders saying they’d welcome the intervention.

Worries in Black neighborhoods

Worries are also high in many of the city’s Black neighborhoods, where organizations have been busy advising residents about what their rights are should they interact with law enforcement. Dozens of Black churches plan to take part in “Resistance Sunday” this weekend, to disseminate information about legal rights during traffic stops and other encounters.

Trump has often singled out Chicago and other Democrat-led cities. Recently, his administration started playing up the city’s daily crime log, including using shootings over Labor Day weekend as justification for sending in troops.

“I want to go into Chicago and I have this incompetent governor,” Trump said Wednesday He and Pritzker have traded barbs for days about the issue.

“I can’t live in a fantasy land where I pretend Trump is not tearing this country apart for personal greed and power,” Pritzker posted

Echoing a trend in other major U.S. cities, Chicago’s violent crime has dropped significantly overall, though it remains a persistent issue in parts of the city Mexican Independence Day Chicago is home to a large and thriving Mexican community, and the threat of the troop deployment and immigration crackdown has put a damper on Mexican Independence Day celebrations planned over the next two weeks.

Organizers acknowledged the threat of immigration arrests might keep some people at home, but they’re boosting security measures and inviting more allies. It’s a similar tactic that activists tried for annual May Day protests, when fears about public gatherings were also high.

Teresa Fraga, who is organizing an event in the city’s heavily Mexican Pilsen neighborhood, said the event has hired more security, lawyers and neighborhood patrols.

“It’s a dark cloud that is hanging over our heads,” she said.

“We need resources, not troops,” said the Rev Marshall Hatch, a prominent civil rights activist. “We’re not interested in this charade of troops.” Johnson and other Black mayors have called Trump’s targeting of Democratic cities racist. City schools prepare Chicago’s public school system suggested that families create phone trees to quickly share information and organize walk-toschool groups to “provide safety in numbers.”

“We know that the potential of increased federal presence is creating anxiety and fear about safety at school and safety within the broad community,” Chicago Public Schools wrote in a letter to parents. Members of the Chicago Teachers Union planned to distribute materials at schools with tips on legal rights and creating a buddy system on the school commute.

House votes to establish subcommittee to reinvestigate Jan. 6

BY JUSTIN PAPP

CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON A select subcommittee to continue a Republican-led reinvestigation of the events around Jan. 6, 2021, has officially been given the green light.

It’s been a long time coming for Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who helmed a similar subpanel under the House Administration Committee last Congress and lobbied leadership for a new venue in the 119th. Roughly eight months after Loudermilk and Speaker Mike Johnson announced their intentions to form the subcommittee — and after prolonged negotiations he’s finally cleared to get to work No roster for the subcommittee has been announced but Loudermilk said Wednesday he had plans to meet later that afternoon with the speaker’s office and expects to be up and running “very quickly.”

“It’s like deer hunting. The fun ends when you pull the trigger Now you’ve got to clean the deer Now the work begins,” Loudermilk said outside the House chamber following the vote. “I want to be able to get to the truth, find out where the failures were, and let’s fix them.

That’s all we’re asking.” House leaders tucked the resolution creating the sub-

panel, which will operate under the Judiciary Committee, into a rule teeing up the fiscal 2026 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill and other measures, avoiding a standalone vote on the highly controversial Jan. 6 subcommittee The House voted on party lines in favor of the rule, authorizing the subcommittee in the process through a tactic known as “deem and pass.” The panel will consist of five Republicans appointed by Johnson, R-Benton, and three Democrats appointed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and is instructed to publish a final report at the end of the 119th Congress, according to the resolution Democrats have panned Loudermilk’s efforts around Jan. 6 as a thinly veiled attempt to redirect blame for the attack and exonerate President Donald Trump, who fueled conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. They’ve pointed to the fact that Loudermilk was investigated by the Democrat-led Jan. 6 select committee in the 117th Congress for allegedly leading a reconnaissance tour the day before the attack, though Capitol Police cleared him of wrongdoing.

“I confess that I’m delighted to hear our Republicans colleagues are going to carry out another self-inflicted

political wound by creating a nationwide televised opportunity to review their ongoing complicity with, and apologetics for, violent insurrection and Donald Trump’s sinister attempt to overthrow a presidential election,” House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in July, after Loudermilk introduced the resolution to form the subcommittee.

The announcement of plans for the new subcommittee earlier this year came directly on the heels of Trump’s decision to pardon most Jan. 6 defendants. Since then, the government agreed to a nearly $5 million settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, a rioter who was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer during the melee. Loudermilk, as chair of the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee in the 118th Congress, led the charge to publish Jan. 6-related security footage online He produced a report and documents clearing his own name. And he took aim at Liz Cheney, the former Wyoming Republican lawmaker who sat on the Jan 6 Select Committee and has become a vocal Trump critic.

In a final report released in December, Loudermilk recommended that Cheney should be investigated by

the FBI for her handling of witnesses. Cheney at the time described the findings as “a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth,” adding that “no reputable lawyer, legislator or judge would take this seriously.”

Despite accusations of whitewashing, Loudermilk said he’s not out to rewrite history Loudermilk said he wants to better understand the politics that may have led to a delay in calling the National Guard to assist law

enforcement during the attack. He also wants to look closer at the confidential informants the FBI has acknowledged were in the crowd that day and how intelligence agencies missed warnings about the attack.

Wildfire devastates historic Calif. gold mining town

BY NOAH BERGER and SARAH BRUMFIELD Associated Press

CHINESE CAMP, Calif. — One of nearly two dozen fires burning across Northern California on Wednesday scorched homes in a Gold Rush town settled in the 1850s by thousands of Chinese miners who had faced discrimination and were driven out of a nearby camp.

The quick-moving fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills threatened the few remaining historic structures in Chinese Camp, forced the evacuation of its roughly 100 residents and closed a highway that’s a main route between San Francisco and Yosemite National Park.

It’s not clear yet whether the town’s handful of Gold Rush era structures including an old post office built in 1854 were damaged in the fire that erupted Tuesday and continued burning without any containment.

A shuttered Catholic church dating back to 1855 appeared to have survived the flames. The town’s general store where tourists could pickup supplies and

A firefighter battles the 6-5 Fire burning through the

County Calif., on Tuesday.

see historic artifacts also seemed to be intact But on some lots, all that remained were charred brick walls and scorched trees.

A large number of lightning strikes early Tuesday set off at least 22 fires that have burned about 20 square miles in Calaveras, Tuolumne

and Stanislaus counties, said Emily Kilgore, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the state’s chief fire agency

The fires are spread across the region about 120 miles east of San Francisco. There have been no reports of inju-

ries, but several structures were destroyed in two of the fires, Kilgore said Wednesday. Damage assessments have not been completed.

“There still may be fires that haven’t been discovered yet,” Kilgore said, warning that more evacuations may be necessary Temperatures

were expected to be in the 90s over the next few days with little rain in sight.

Strong winds were adding to the challenge as the flames strengthened in areas filled with dry, tall grass and brush, CalFire said.

The largest of the fires crossed 10 square miles around Chinese Camp, where at least five homes burned.

During the first hours, residents moved tree branches and shoveled sand onto flames in a desperate attempt to stop them from spreading until firefighters arrived. A recreational vehicle on the property was damaged.

Chinese Camp, now a crossroads for tourists traveling to Yosemite, flourished in the 1850s as a stagecoach stop and supply hub for mining camps during the Gold Rush.

Thousands of Chinese came to California during the Gold Rush and faced persecution that included an exorbitant Foreign Miners Tax designed to drive them away from mining It was a time when Chinese people all across the state faced widespread discrimination.

The town grew as the Chi-

nese miners arrived after being thrown out of a nearby camp by European miners who didn’t want any competition and discriminated against the Chinese. Originally called Camp Washington, its name was soon changed to Chinese Camp to reflect the thousands of new settlers. But within three decades, most of the Chinese residents had moved away, the last two leaving in the early 1920s, said Stephen Provost, who recently wrote “Chinese Camp: The Haunting History of California’s Forgotten Boomtown.”

The saloons, temples, stables and homes built by the Chinese have long been gone too, he said.

But some structures built by European settlers in the 1800s could still be found, including a saloon, a boarding house and a few old residences, said Provost.

“It was like a town that had been trapped in time,” he said recalling his first visit. Now he is anxiously waiting for news about what’s left. “These are places that are personal to our hearts,” Provost said. “We got there just in time.”

BY AAMER MADHANI, MATTHEW LEE and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Wednesday justified the lethal military strike that his administration said was carried out a day earlier against a Venezuelan gang as a necessary effort by the United States to send an unmistakable message to Latin American cartels.

Asked why the military did not instead interdict the vessel and capture those on board, Trump said the operation would cause drug smugglers to think twice about trying to move drugs into the U.S.

“There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people, and everybody

fully understands that,” Trump said while hosting Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House. He added, “Obviously, they won’t be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, ‘Let’s not do this.’”

Tuesday’s strike was an astonishing departure from typical U.S. drug interdiction efforts at a time when Trump has ordered a major Navy buildup in the waters near Venezuela.

Later Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that such operations “will happen again.”

Rubio said previous U.S. interdiction efforts in Latin America have not worked in stemming the flow of illicit drugs into the United

States and beyond. “What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them,” Rubio said on a visit to Mexico.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on “Fox & Friends” that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was running his country “as a kingpin of a drug narco-state.”

Hegseth said officials “knew exactly who was in that boat” and “exactly what they were doing.” But the Republican administration has not presented any evidence supporting Trump’s claim that operators of the vessel were from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and were trying to smuggle in drugs.

“President Trump is willing to go on offense in ways that others have not seen,” said Hegseth, who declined to detail how the strike

was carried out.

Trump and administration officials have repeatedly blamed the gang for being at the root of the violence and illicit drug dealing that plague some American cities.

The president on Tuesday repeated his claim — contradicted by a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment — that Tren de Aragua is operating under Maduro’s control.

In announcing the strike, Trump said the operation, which he said killed 11 was carried out in international waters. He also noted that the gang is designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization.

Unlike its counterparts from Colombia, Brazil and Central America, Tren de Aragua has no largescale involvement in smuggling

cocaine across international borders, according to InSight Crime, which last month published a 64page report on the gang based on two years of research.

“We’ve found no direct participation of TdA in the transnational drug trade, although there are cases of them acting as subcontractors for other drug trafficking organizations,” said Jeremy McDermott, a Colombia-based co-founder of InSight Crime, referring to the Venezuelan gang by its initials.

“It is almost impossible today to determine who is TdA and who is not,” said McDermott “Deportations and statements from the United States suggest that TdA is now being used as a catch-all description for Venezuelan criminals acting abroad.”

‘EVERYTHING

IS GONE’

Dozens of residents displaced, several hurt in raging New Orleans East apartment fire

BY MARCO CARTOLANO and KASEY BUBNASH Staff writers

Ojo Arafin was getting dressed for work in his apartment early Wednesday when a neighbor knocked on his door and told him to run for his life. His complex in New Orleans East was on fire, and it was spreading fast

The 33-year-old grabbed his phone and bolted.

Outside, Arafin joined a crowd of tenants, some without shoes and others still in their pajamas, who stood in the brutal heat for hours as dozens of firefighters worked to battle a raging fire at the Gentilly Ridge Apartments

In a state of panic, Arafin watched as the building in the 6000 block of Chef Menteur Highway burned, wondering if he’d ever gotten around to buying renters insurance. All his important documents were still inside the apartment where he’d lived for about two years.

“We don’t know what is going to happen to us,” he said. “I don’t know where to sleep.”

It took firefighters nearly four hours to douse the blaze, which damaged more than half the building’s 115 units, injured at least five people and displaced roughly 100 residents.

New Orleans Fire Department Capt.

Edwin Holmes said he personally contacted the American Red Cross to assist those who lost everything.

Every apartment complex is going to have a problem,” Holmes said “If a fire is on the second floor of the apartment complex it can get into the attic area and it has a tendency to spread. That’s what happened here.”

Holmes said firefighters arrived on scene at 6:25 a.m. to find the second floor of the building engulfed. The fire spread quickly from the west side of the complex to the east side through the common attic space, forcing firefighters to call for backup several times, he said.

Dog rescued from culvert

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

City records show the Gentilly Ridge Apartments have been cited for numerous violations over the years, many stemming from issues with unpermitted work and failures to adequately maintain the property Complaints have ranged from overgrown lots, issues with its dumpsters rodents and multiple fires going back to 2012, including a fire in 2021 that displaced dozens of residents.

See FIRE, page 2B

Old Jefferson residents drop lawsuit

Filing sought to stop new hospital

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

A local neighborhood association has withdrawn a legal complaint against the Jefferson Parish Council to halt the new Ochsner Health Children’s Hospital after deciding they didn’t have a strong enough case to move forward.

Almost a year after the council gave Ochsner the go-ahead to construct a stand-alone children’s hospital building, the Old Jefferson Community Association pulled its lawsuit against the parish alleging that it unlawfully approved the health system’s zoning application although the association’s attorney says residents still want a seat at the table when it comes to future negotiations between the parish and Ochsner “We look forward to ongoing engagement with the Old Jefferson Civic Association and to bringing

ä See LAWSUIT, page 2B

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Believe it or not, the start of the 2026 Mardi Gras season is just five months away When Feb. 6 arrives, the first float parade to hit the streets will be the Krewe of Oshun, which may have a new role in New Orleans’ Carnival celebration.

During a news conference at Mardi Gras World on Wednesday, the new captain of Oshun, Gian Durand, said that the 30-year-old krewe plans to allow children as young as

See OSHUN, page 2B

Woman shot in confrontation with JPSO pleads not guilty

Authorities say she pointed weapon at officers

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

The

in the

fired before the

wasn’t occupied, and the

according to authorities Based on the information provided by witnesses, deputies identified Robin as the SUV’s owner and began searching the area. They found her about 2:15 p.m. in the Dollar General’s parking lot. Deputies tried to speak with her as she sat behind the wheel of the vehicle. Robin is accused of reaching for an object that looked like a handgun, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Man shot on Interstate 10 in Metairie, JPSO says

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s

Office is investigating after a man was shot while in a vehicle on Interstate 10 in Metairie on Wednesday afternoon, according to authorities.

The victim was taken to University Medical Center and is listed in critical condition, said Sgt. Brandon Veal, spokesperson for the department.

The shooting reportedly occurred around noon on I-10 near Bonnabel Boulevard, though investigators can’t yet say whether the victim was driving eastbound or westbound, according to Veal.

It’s also not clear whether the victim was driving or was a passenger when he was shot.

The gunfire came from someone

riding in another vehicle, Veal said.

While shootings on the interstate are uncommon in Jefferson Parish, neighboring New Orleans saw a spike in gunfire on the city’s highways beginning in 2019. Violence on I-10 in Orleans Parish peaked in 2022 with at least 30 people shot, seven fatally, before the number of interstate shootings dropped in 2023 along with the overall rate of gun violence.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office investigations bureau at 504-364-5300. The public can also call Crimestoppers at 504822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-9037867. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an indictment.

Missy Wilkinson and John Simerman contributed to this report.

DOG

Continued from page 1B

in a nearby location, but there was no sign of the dog.

“We were frantically searching,” Gorney said. “I was just baffled.” Monday turned into Tuesday, and still no Meatball sighting. Then, Gorney said, there was a bark and what sounded like an echo.

Meatball had made his way into a long culvert near the Gorney’s home that empties into a bayou. But he couldn’t find his way out and Gorney couldn’t see him deep inside the huge metal drain pipe.

“We didn’t know how to get him,” Gorney said.

The family started making phone calls, eventually dialing the Lacombe-based St. Tammany Fire District No. 3. Firefighters responded, as well as workers from St. Tammany Parish’s Public Works Department.

“When we first arrived, we heard a few faint barks, so we knew he was in there,” said Jordy Johnson, a firefighter

The searchers debated a few different ways to reach the dog, but eventually decided they’d have to

GUILTY

Continued from page 1B

In cellphone video recorded by a passerby, Robin is seen pointing the weapon through her cracked driver’s side window She did not lower the weapon despite being ordered to do so by deputies.

After several minutes Robin got out of the SUV with both arms raised. The weapon was in her right hand, according to the video. She then points the gun across the SUV, toward a deputy who is standing behind a Sheriff’s Office

LAWSUIT

Continued from page 1B

new neighborhood amenities to Old Jefferson, including a pocket park at the corner of Deckbar and River Road,” Emily Arata, Ochsner vice president of community affairs, said in a statement. At the center of the conflict is Ochsner’s 343,000-square-foot Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children’s Hospital, which is being built atop Betz Avenue on the site of former parking lots and hospitalowned houses.

Disgruntled neighbors complained that Ochsner’s footprint was growing much too big for the residential area surrounding it, and

FIRE

Continued from page 1B

Most recently, the owner, CPM Property Holdings LLC, was cited for failing to register the complex with the city’s Healthy Homes Initiative, which requires landlords maintain apartments to basic standards. In a 2024 letter addressed to Keith Crawford, of CPM Property Holdings LLC, the city warned that the company’s failure to comply could result in a $1,000 fine. An inspector renewed the violation on Wednesday shortly after the latest fire was brought under control.

Filings with the Secretary of the State’s Office list Crawford as the principal agent for both CPM Property Holdings and a company called Downman Holdings LLC. Attempts to reach him for comment were not successful.

“I’m on the streets and I’ve been displaced again,” he said.

Several tenants said Wednesday they thought the blaze started in the laundry room on the second floor. Demetria Dennis, 36, lives in a unit close to the laundry room and said her boyfriend went back into the burning building to save her cat, Moe, after they first left the smoky apartment in a panic. As she spoke, she pointed out her unit and noted the flames erupting from its roof.

Her boyfriend and her cat made it out safe. But it’s unlikely much else will.

“I don’t know what to do,” Dennis said. “Everything is gone.”

Firefighters rescued several other pets from the building, and all residents were evacuated, according to fire officials.

A ‘long-term need’

New Orleans City Council member Eugene Green said Wednesday that a number of the tenants who were living at the Gentilly Ridge Apartments were previously homeless and had worked with UNITY of Greater New Orleans to find housing there. Green was among several city officials who responded to the scene, including council member Oliver Thomas. Green said the city was setting up a temporary shelter in the gymnasium at Joe W. Brown Park for residents, and was working to identify additional resources to assist victims. He also encouraged local agencies and church leaders to step in and do what they could.

take the long trip into the culvert.

Johnson estimated it at around 1,000 feet.

“It wasn’t a crawl, really, more of a duckwalk,” Johnson said with a laugh. “My quads were burning.”

Though blind and deaf, Johnson said Meatball seemed to sense his rescuers were at hand. They found the pup in several inches of water

He was soaked and shivering, Johnson said.

“When we finally got him out I actually put him in my shirt,” Johnson said. “He was shaking.”

Johnson said the rescue operation took several hours, stretching beyond dusk Tuesday. “We were getting eaten up by insects — we call ‘em ‘flying vampires,’” he said with a chuckle.

Gorney said his family is grateful.

Tuesday marked the second rescue of Meatball’s life. Gorney’s daughter found him wandering around Lakeview years ago and took him in. He’s lived in Lacombe for a decade since then.

“My daughter asked us to keep him for a weekend,” Gorney said.

“Well, that turned into 10 years.”

Meatball was resting Wednesday after his big adventure.

“He sleeps a lot these days,” Gorney said with a laugh.

pickup. Two deputies open fire, striking Robin several times, according to authorities.

Investigators later determined the weapon as a realistic-looking air pistol, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Robin was taken to a hospital in stable condition. After being treated at a medical facility while still in custody, Robin was transferred to the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel, according to court records. No details were immediately available about why Robin was being held in a state facility Bail was set at $200,000.

that the new plan would worsen preexisting traffic and drainage issues for homeowners.

Ochsner hosted several public meetings for neighborhood input on the plan and spent months negotiating a deal with Jefferson Parish council member Deano Bonano in which the pediatric hospital and adjacent parking garage could move forward so long as Ochsner also built a 30,000-square-foot park and underground water storage as well.

More importantly, Ochsner signed an agreement with the parish vowing not to purchase any more homes in the area.

The council ultimately approved Ochsner’s zoning application in October 2024, despite continued ardent opposition from neighbors.

“To ensure we addressed commu-

‘Everything is gone’ It was about 7 a.m. when 67-year-old Donald Gerard smelled smoke and was warned by another tenant to evacuate. Then he saw the fire spreading. Gerard moved into the building about three months ago after a stint at a homeless shelter

OSHUN

Continued from page 1B

other float riders, not counting the truck parades that conclude Carnival on Fat Tuesday In other krewes, children can serve as maids and pages. But, Durand said, in future Oshun parades any child will be able to be a float rider, if accompanied by adults. Everyone, she said, will be part of the “royal family.”

Mardi Gras is for people of all ages, Durand said in an interview Tuesday “We want to show it’s a family time of year.” The first weekend of the city’s official Mardi Gras season could eventually become a “family weekend,” Durand said.

Float builder Barry Kern said that he’s “not aware” of any other New Orleans float parades that include child riders who are not part of the royal court He said he thinks “it’s a great idea.”

“Basically, you’ll be training these kids to be the next generation of Mardi Gras,” Kern said.

To help shepherd the krewe in its new direction, Durand introduced a new board of directors on Wednesday and revealed the 2026 king and queen, artist Terrance Osborne and wife Stephanie Osborne. The krewe’s 2026 theme will be “30 Years of Divine Radiance.”

The Oshun parade, named for the Yoruba goddess of love, will start at 5 p.m. in 2026, earlier than usual, to accommodate the ever-lengthening Cleopatra parade that follows.

nity concerns and minimized neighborhood impact, we partnered with Jefferson Parish to sign a robust, legally enforceable Cooperative Endeavor Agreement,” Arata said.

Old Jefferson Community Association attorney Justin Schmidt said the group should have been a party to the agreement, and that they hope they can work their way into the contract now that litigation is no longer pending.

“By not including the neighbors in the agreement, they don’t have a right of action against the parish or against Ochsner,” Schmidt said.

“They are looking at each other and saying, ‘What’s to stop a future council from just rolling over us again, and next thing we know we have big hospital buildings next to our homes?’”

Four people were treated for injuries, according to New Orleans EMS, including a child with respiratory symptoms and an adult who were taken to Ochsner Medical Center’s main campus. One firefighter was also treated for exhaustion before returning to duty according to NOFD.

NOFD officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

“We’re working as if it’s going to be a long-term need,” Green said. The Fire Department asked the public not to bring donation items to the complex or the gymnasium, but to make financial contributions electronically at or mail them to Southeast Louisiana Red Cross at: 2626 Canal St., New Orleans, LA 70119. Sophie Kasakove contributed to this report.

Email Marco Cartolano at marco.cartolano@theadvocate. com.

On Tuesday, Durand announced that Oshun is in negotiations with Kern Studios the owners of Mardi Gras World — to produce the krewe’s 2026 parade. Kern said his company is “in discussions and hope to be” Oshun’s float builder in 2026

The future of Oshun had been in doubt recently when its former float builder Rizzuto and Co., accused the krewe of failing to pay for last year’s parade and failing to honor a contract to produce future parades. In July, the Rizzuto company sued Oshun for $130,000. After Oshun’s 2025 parade, company owner Jack Rizzuto claimed he had not been paid for providing the krewe’s floats. He arranged to become captain

The civic group requested the dismissal of their lawsuit on Aug. 14 from the 24th Judicial District Court after obtaining vital documents that the lawsuit had originally claimed were missing from the zoning application, such as a traffic study or final schematics, Schmidt said. The complaint, filed in November 2024, alleged that without those materials, the council’s approval was unlawful.

The group had to file the lawsuit before getting the documents to meet the 30-day appeals window, he said, but later decided they didn’t have a strong enough case to move forward in court.

“There was nothing cloak and dagger,” Schmidt said. “I advised that based on a full review of the record that is now available to us,

of Oshun in what he said was a last-ditch effort to ensure the survival of the cash-strapped parading group, and to see to it that he would eventually be paid what he was owed.

But in June, Durand, the owner of a home health care company and a nonpracticing lawyer, claimed control of the krewe. In 2025 Durand reigned as the first Black queen of the ALLA parade, but she left the organization thereafter.

Rizzuto said that his company has no plans to drop the lawsuit against Oshun. The first court hearing is expected to take place in early October, he said.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com.

I don’t think there is enough to trump the council’s police powers (and) override the approval on this.”

Bonano said the groups can all “start anew” with discussions now that the lawsuit is dismissed.

Bazile Sr., Ronald BerryJr.,Benjamin Carstens,Kelli Cousin,Andrew Day, Jimmie Dupaquier Sr., Kenneth

Flynn,Audrey

Ingram,Margaret

Johnson Jr., Herbert Mancuso,Ann

Manuel, Tiffany

Price, Solveig

Raiford, Jeffrey

Robinson, Ronnie

SegraveJr.,Walter

Sincere, Margaret

Sylve, Lloyd

Thomas Sr.,Anthony

Ussin-Bazzle, Evangelina

Watt,Adam EJefferson

Garden of Memories

whenState side stayed withGovernmentservice and successfully retired fromthe United States PostOffice after20+ years.Ronaldissurvived byhis former-wife Leah Bazile, twochildren, RonaldBazile Jr.and Ter‐enceBazile; one grand‐child,AsiaAlvarez Bazile; two sistersWanda Hewitt and Kathleen Green; one brother GregoryBazile. Alsocherishinghis memo‐riesare ahostofnieces, nephews,cousins,veter‐ans,colleagues, andmany dearfriends.Greeting Ronaldonhis arrivalare his parents, Adam Bazile and MildredBazile,his son Isaac Bazile,his sister Ernestine Keith, brothers DwightBazileand Vincent Bazile. Relativesand friends of thefamily, also Priestand parishioners of St. KatharineDrexel Catholic Church areinvited toattendthe Mass of Christian Burial on Thurs‐day,September 4, 2025 at St. KatharineDrexel Catholic Church,2015 Louisiana Avenue,New Or‐leans,LA70115 at 10:00

a.m.Visitation from 9:00

a.m.until 10:00a.m.Fol‐lowed by IntermentonFri‐day,September 5, 2025 at Southeast LouisianaVet‐eranCemetery, 34888 GranthamCollege Road Slidell, LA 70460 at 9:00

a.m.You maysign the guest book on http://www gertrudegeddeswillis.com. Gertrude Geddes WillisFu‐neral Home Inc.,incharge (504) 522-2525.

daughter KelliElise Carstens, age 55, told her Doctor "She was tired, She had enoughand wanted to go home with Her Lord" following lung cancer returning in avery aggressive form.

Kelliwas born on November 17, 1969, to her loving parents Carole ShawCarstens and Frederick ACarstens Jr. When Kelliwas born her older sister Karen wasterminallyill with leukemia and Karen told everyone Godwas giving hera new baby sisterfor Christmas. Karen lovedholding Kelli whilerocking her to sleep

Kelliloved to dance and attended Jean Shane PatrickDance Studio for16 years and was in training to teach dancing.Asa younggirlshe belonged to GirardPlayground playing allsports,but then found cheerleadingfor games and it became her first love.She also was amemberofthe YMCAwhere she earned"fish" status and went on to win many trophies swimming at meets for theBeach Club in Metairie and Broadwater Beach in Biloxi.She also enjoyed water skiing in BayStLouis.

La.Visitationwillbegin at 9:00a.m.Interment:Mt. OlivetCemetery. Arrange‐ments by D.W. Rhodes Fu‐neral Home,New Orleans, La. Please visitwww.rho desfuneral.comtosignthe onlineguestbook.Funeral can be live streamed at www.facebook.com/D.W RhodesFuneralHome/live

DupaquierSr.,Kenneth Joseph 'Ken'

Dupaquier Sr., Kenneth Berry Jr., Benjamin 'Ironman'

Flynn,Audrey

Leitz-Eagan

Price, Solveig NewOrleans

Charbonnet

Johnson Jr., Herbert

DW Rhodes

Day, Jimmie

Estelle JWilson

Sincere, Margaret

Gertrude Geddes

Bazile Sr., Ronald Thomas Sr.,Anthony Ussin-Bazzle, Evangelina

Watt,Adam

Greenwood

Ingram,Margaret

Lake Lawn Metairie

Carstens,Kelli Cousin,Andrew

Mancuso,Ann River Parish

HC Alexander

Raiford, Jeffrey St Tammany

Honaker

SegraveJr.,Walter West Bank

Robinson FH

BerryJr.,Benjamin Manuel, Tiffany

Sylve, Lloyd

Obituaries

BazileSr.,RonaldPeter

Ronald PeterBazile,Sr. age 82, wasbornonApril 16, 1943. He wascalled homeonThursday, August 21, 2025. He wasa resident ofDallas, Georgia, Baton Rouge,Louisiana,Detroit Michiganand anativeof New Orleans, Louisiana. Ronaldwas employed with Parke Davis& Co in their accounting department and wasa graduate of SouthernUniversity. He en‐listedinthe Army and foughtbravely in Vietnam. His actionsoverseasand in combatearnedhim theSil‐verStarfor Valor. Ronald,

Benjamin Berry Jr (IRONMAN) enteredeternal restonAugust23, 2025, at Ochsner MedicalCenterWestbank. Benjamin Berry Jr. wasbornonSeptember 16, 1933, to theunion of BenjaminBerry Sr.& Is‐abella Berry. Benjamin Berry Jr wasbaptizedatan early @SecondBaptist Church by RevEarlGreen BenjaminBerry Jr.gradu‐ated from L.B. LANDRY HIGHSCHOOL. Benjamin servedinUSNavy, Chief Seaman, andBayou Coun‐try Club until retirement BenjaminBerry Jr is pro‐ceeded in deathwithhis parents:BenjaminBerry Sr & Isabella Berry. (4)grand‐childrenLesleyBerry Jr, Lonnie BerryJr, JayBerry and Marvin Armstead.Ben‐jamin leaves to cherishhis memories(7) children:Les‐ley BerrySr, Benjamin Berry III (Cynthia), Lonnie K,Wendy Henry(Louis) Cindy B Leblanc, Demetruis,Bella Berry with formerwifeEloiseR Berry 20grandchildren,24great grandchildren,4 great great grandchildrenand a hostofnieces, nephews, cousins,and otherrela‐tives and friends. Rela‐tives,friends of thefamily, Pastors,Officers,U.S Mili‐tary, Second Nazarene Baptist Church,Jesus is Lord, MorningStarMis‐sionary BaptistChurch, SecondBaptist Church and all neighboringchurches, Federal Protection Service, Cox Communication, OdesseyHouse of L.A.,TAZ TruckingCompany areall invited to attend theCele‐bration of Life on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Robinson Family Funeral Home, 9611 La -23, Belle Chasse,LA70037. Thevisi‐tationwillbegin at 8:30 a.m,and theservice will begin at 10 a.m. Inturment willfollow at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Ceme‐teryinSlidell, Louisiana. Funeralplanningentrusted toRobinsonFamilyFuneral Home, 9611 LA -23Belle Chasse,LA70037 (504) 208 - 2119. Foronlinecondo‐lencespleasevisit www robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

On August 29, 2025,with great sorrow, our beautiful

Kellienjoyed Easter Sundays most of all. We had agroup of at least 20 friendsand family go to Sunday Brunch at the Royal Sonesta annually in theFrench Quarter, then walk down to theriver and drink Captain Alexanders and enjoy theJazzBands. She lovedthe many family seafood boilsather aunt Carolynand uncle Deets house with her cousins. She enjoyed Christmas Holidaysand themany luncheons she and her mother attended.The Saintswere her team and she was always ready for Sunday dinner and agood Saintsgame.

Kelliisa member of Mt OliveLutheran Church, was educated at St John Lutheran School, graduated fromAtonement Lutheran 8thgrade.After graduating fromGrace King High School she secured aposition withHarry Connick'sadministration in NewOrleans. Following that position Kellibecame alegalsecretary at the Galloway Johnson Law Firm. Her last positionwas at AllAmerican Personal Care where she cared for specialneeds clients which was very rewarding to her. Kelliwas aquiet, gentle and thoughtful person and wouldlend ahelpful hand wherever needed Kellihas many family members waiting to greet her at her fathers' home. Predeceased are her older sisterKaren Edra Carstens, her grandparents Lucille Krieger Carstens and Frederick Carstens Sr, GertrudeKrumm Shaw and Edward WShaw, auntsand uncles Carolyn Carstens Cyrus and JosephCyrus, Robert Carstens, Shirley ShawSchwebeland Elroy CSchwebel Sr, cousins Elroy CSchwebel Jr and Shelley Cyrus. Kellileaves behind to remember, in grief and love her parentsCaroleand Fred,her brothers Kevin Edward Carstens, Scott Frederick Carstens and wife Triciaand Godson Ashton, her cousins CynthiaGalland, whom she called nanny, and her husband Manual Galland, son Manny Jr and Trey, Mellissa and SidMayeau Suzetteand Billy Page, Kerry Cyrus, Lori and Mike Majeau and allthose who knew and lovedher as much as we do Kelli's family would like to acknowledge themany doctors, nurses and personnel at UMC who treated and cared forher since her journey began. She was treated withdignity and kindnessand we thank everyonefrom thebottom of our hearts. Relatives and friends are invited to join us in attending her funeral service at Mount OliveLutheran Church, 315 Ridgelake Dr., Metairie, La. on Saturday September 6, 2025. Visitation willbefrom 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM with aChurch Service from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM with a Reception from1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.Interment willbe privatefor family only. Please considerdonations to Mt OliveLutheran Church.

Andrew"Andy" Joseph Cousin, 77, passed away peacefully on themorning of August 20, 2025, surrounded by his loving family at East JeffersonGeneral Hospital. Andy was born on April 23, 1948. He attended Archbishop RummelHighSchool and later proudly served his country in theU.S.Army beforebuilding alongcareer as adedicated business owner. Aman of many passions, he especiallyenjoyed huntingand traveling,pursuitsthat reflectedhis adventurous spirit and love of the outdoors. Aboveall,Andywas devoted to hisfamily.He especiallycherished his role as "Paw Paw" and delighted in spending time with his grandchildren. Whether playing,laughing, or simply being present, he lovedevery moment he couldshare with them. Andy was also known for his quietgenerosity.His compassion and willingness to help others were hallmarksofhis character. Andy is survivedbyhis loving wife of 51 years, Linda CrustaCousin; his children Michael Cousin, Christi Cousin (Richy Farah), and MatthewCousin (Brandi); and hischerished grandchildren Sophia Cousin, Miles Cousin, OliverFarah, Alexander Farah, and MasonCousin. He is also survivedbyhis siblings Cornelius Cousin(Carol), Joyce Cypert and Philip Cousin, mother-in-law ShirleyCrusta Leblanc, brothers-in-law Richard Crusta(Charlotte),Thomas Crusta(William), David Crusta(Marlene), along with many nieces, nephews, and extended family.Hewas preceded in death by his parents, Cornelius and Eunice Cousin; his brother Joe Cousin, father-in-law Cosmo Crustaand his brother-in-law Robert Crusta, Sr.Those who knew Andy willremember himfor his strongwork ethic, hisdevotiontofamily,his generous spirit, and hiswarm, steady presence.Heleaves behind a legacy of strength,loyalty, and love that willbe deeplymissed. The family wouldliketogivespecial thanks to thenurses on the7th floorofEast JeffersonHospitalfor their loving support. Relatives and friendsare invited to attend amemorialservice forAndyonSaturday, September6,2025, held at Lake Lawn Metairie FuneralHome, 5100 PontchartrainBlvd.New Orleans, LA.Visitation will be from 10:00am until the servicebegins at 12:00pm.

JimmieRee Day, age84, was called home on Au‐gust21, 2025. Shewas born inVaughn, MS,but wasa lifelongresidentofNew Orleans,La. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyparents, Sam andAnnieBellDay;5 siblings, Gladys Robinson MckinleyDay,Mary (James) Day, Barbara (Prosper) Videau andMil‐dredDay,daughter, Anna Marie Dayand son, Marvin Day.She leaves to cherish her memories 3children, Wayne (Marnita)Day,Cor‐nel (Donna)Day andGer‐mainRoyal.7 grandchil‐dren, NadiaDay,Brandon (Porsha)Day,Solomon (Jessica) Day, Brionna Day, Taylor(Victor)Olowu, Gabrielle Royal, Gisselle Royal;3 great-grandchil‐dren, Jade Day, Eliana Day and Zayn Day; 2siblings Melvin(Carolyn) Day, Betty (Herman)Jones;and a hostofnieces, nephews, other relativesand friends ofthe family. Tulane Uni‐versity andTotal Commu‐nityAction(TCA) Inc. are all invitedtoattend her celebration of Life Service onFriday, September5 2025, 10:00 a.m. at D.W. RhodesChapel, 3933 Wash‐ington Ave.,New Orleans,

Kenneth“Ken” Joseph Dupaquier,Sr.,age 85 passedawayonAugust28, 2025. He wasprecededin death by hiswifeof65 years,Gayle Anna Held Du‐paquier,his parents, JosephA.and Lella Ford Dupaquier,brother,Joseph C.Dupaquier andgreat granddaughter RileighEliz‐abeth Dupaquier. Kenwas a native of NewOrleans Louisiana anda longtime residentofMetairie, Louisiana.Heissurvived byhis sister JanisDu‐paquier andhis threechil‐dren, Gina DupaquierFort‐ado (Dwayne),GidgetDu‐paquier Villarrubia, and Kenneth J. DupaquierJr. (Nadine). Kenisalsosur‐vived by sevengrandchil‐dren: BrandonSullivan (Kelly), Wesley Sullivan Kelly Johnston,SeanJohn‐ston, Brooke Villarrubia Pittman (Matthew), Blake Villarrubia (Jill), Jessica Dupaquier Malbrough (Stephen);and nine greatgrandchildren:Lacey Verbest,TaylorVerbest, KenzieSullivan, Kailey Sul‐livan,JosephPittman,Han‐nah Pittman,Juliette Villar‐rubia,MarshallVillarrubia, and Eloise Malbrough. Ken was agraduateofJohn McDonoghHighSchool and LoyolaUniversityofNew Orleans.Hewas aveteran ofthe United States Air Force home basedin Homestead,Florida with tours of duty in North Africa, Bermudaand Greenland.Uponhis dis‐chargefromactiveduty, he joinedthe NewOrleans Po‐liceDepartment(NOPD). Herosetothe rank of Cap‐tainwithassignments to JuvenileDivisionand the Reserve Division.Ken re‐tired from theNOPDfol‐lowing24years of service after receivinganoffer fromTulaneUniversityto serve as Director of Tu‐lane’sDepartmentofPub‐lic Safety andservedin thatcapacityuntil hisre‐tirement22years later. He was amemberand past vice-presidentofthe Fra‐ternalOrder of Police,Cre‐centCityLodge #2,past treasurer of theFOP Louisiana StateLodge and a past member of theIn‐ternational Associationof CampusLaw Enforcement Administratorsserving on the association’sprofes‐sionaldevelopment com‐mittee. Kenwas amember ofKennerPost377 of the AmericanLegion. He was devoutinhis faith anda parishioner of OurLadyof DivineProvidenceCatholic Church.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe funeralservices onSaturday, September6 2025, at Garden of Memo‐riesFuneral Home,4900 Airline Drive, Metairie Louisiana 70001. Visitation willbegin at 11:00 AM,with a Catholic Mass following at1:00PM. In lieu of flow‐ers,pleaseconsiderdonat‐ing in Ken’smemorytothe New OrleansFraternal Order of Police Family Fund atFOPNO.com

Audrey Louise Oubre Flynn passedawaypeace‐fully on Friday,August29, 2025, at St.Margaret’sin New Orleans, Louisiana. She was104 yearsold.Her passing fell on the20than‐niversary of HurricaneKat‐rina. It wasa fitting re‐minderofthe resilience and spirit shesharedwith the city sheloved.Audrey was born on January5, 1921, in Reserve, Louisiana. Shewas thedaughterof

Lise andWalterOubre.Her birth came just threeyears after theend of WorldWar I. Shegraduated from the Hotel Dieu School of Nurs‐ing in 1942 andwentonto dedicatefourdecades of her life as aregistered nurse at both HotelDieu (Head Nurse) andBaptist Hospital. Afterretiring, Au‐dreycontinued herlifelong commitmenttoservice by volunteeringatNew Or‐leans City Hall formore than30years.Audreywas precededindeath by her parents,her sisters Dorothy andMillicent,and her brotherIvan. Sheis survivedbyher children, Michael Ivan Flynn(Lynn) and BarbaraAnn Flynn; her grandchildren,Charlotte Lawrence(Andy), Michael Flynn Jr.(Savannah), and LelandFlynn; andher great-grandchildren,An‐drewand William Lawrence. Sheisalsolov‐ingly remembered by many niecesand nephews. The familywould like to extend a specialthank youto Monique Martin,Shauntel Brown andStMargaret’s for theircareofAudrey. Friends andfamilyare in‐vited to attend thevisita‐tionatSt. Rita’s Church 2729 LowerlineSt. in New Orleans on Friday,Septem‐ber 5, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., witha FuneralMasstofol‐low at 10:00 a.m. Burial will beprivate.Inlieuof flow‐ers,memorialcontribu‐tions maybemadeinher honor to ARCofNew Or‐leans,925 S. LabarreRd., Metairie, LA 70001. To order flowersoroffer condo‐lences, please visitwww gardenofmemoriesmetairi e.com.

Ingram,MargaretRodick

Margaret Rodick In‐gram, 84, of Meaux, Louisiana,passedaway peacefully at herhomeon August30, 2025. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Margaretwas thedaughter ofthe late ChristianDiet‐richRodick, Jr.and Marie RuthGunn. Shewas also precededindeath by her stepmother, Winnie Lee Mullins;her stepfather FredAnepohl;her brother, Christian Dietrich Rodick III; andher great-grand‐daughter, Lily Beth Lazarus.She is survived by her son, JamesMonroeIn‐gram, III, andhis wife,Gini Marie Melancon;her grandchildren,Whitney Elizabeth Granier, Sadie Leigh GranierLandry (Beau), andSydneyJene' Ingram;and hergreatgrandchildren,Luke Lazarus,BeauLazarus,Jay‐den Windmon, Adeline Landry, MyaLazarus, Rowen Landry,and Riley Landry. Margaret earned her master's degree in Special Educationand ded‐icatedher career to teach‐ing pre-kindergarten and elementarystudentsinthe New OrleansPublicSchool System. Shewas adevoted memberofthe Deutsches Hausfor 57 years, where she enjoyedfellowshipand celebrating herGerman heritage. In herleisure,she found joyinreading,col‐lecting steins,and gather‐ing MardiGrasdoubloons. She wasa devoted Catholic throughout her life. Amemorialservice in her honorwillbeheldon Saturday, September6, 2025, at Greenwood Funeral Home, 5200 CanalBlvd. New Orleans, Louisiana. Visitationwillbefrom9:00 amtill 11:00 am,witha massstartingat11:00 am Inurnmentwillfollowat Greenwood Cemetery.We inviteyou to shareyour thoughts, memories,and condolences online at www.greenwoodfh.com

theTreme Community (6th Ward).Hewas educated in the OrleansParishSchool Systemand worked as a pipefitter formorethan20 years."Sam" leaves to cherish precious memo‐ries, hiswifeYakeenaScott Johnson; children Sandy (Kenneth)Dominick, Herbert andSametria Robair, RukeeneJones, Keenan andHeron John‐son;siblings, Jeanne Bar‐row,Sabrina (Ronald) Smith,Gregory(Elesha) and Shelly Amos;twelve grandchildren anda host ofnieces, nephews, cousins andfriends.Rela‐tives andfriends;Staff of E & TConstruction, BohBros, NOPD, USPS,MCCNO and members of TheMonday Night Football Club arein‐vited to attend thefuneral A Celebrationservice hon‐oring thelifeand legacy of the late Herbert"Sam" Johnson,Jr.,willbeheldin the Chapel of Charbonnet Labat GlapionFuneral Home, 1615 St.Philip Street, NewOrleans,LA 70116onSaturday, Sep‐tember6,2025 at 11 am.In‐terment Private. Visitation 9 am in thechapel. Please signonlineguestbook at www.charbonnetfuneralho me.com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504)581 4411

Ann Ray Galiber

Mancuso passed away on August 30, 2025, at the age of 90. She was born on November 16, 1934, in New Orleans, Louisiana.She worked as abeauty consultant forMax Factor and makeup artist for D.H. Holmes. Then she went on to own and operate Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, a dog grooming business, for many years.She painted beautiful watercolors inspired by nature, especially birds and florals. Ann loved to laugh and hada profound zest for life, cherishing time with her friends and her pets- particularly her adored Yorkie, Chaos.She took pride in the long and interesting life she lived and embraced her time on Earth with gratitude and joy. She was amember of the sharing program at her parish of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. Ann was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 55 years, John Peter Mancuso; parents, John Joseph Galiber, Sr. and Julia Janin Galiber Pinero; sister, Enola G. Steinwinder; and brothers, Ealous Anthony Galiber and John Joseph Galiber, Jr. She leaves behind many neighbors and friends to mourn the loss of this stylish and unforgettable character. Although Ann is gone, she certainly won't be forgotten.

Gratitude is extended to Peristyle Residences and Interim Hospice for their care during the end of Ann's life.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the graveside services at Metairie Cemetery, 5100 PontchartrainBlvd in New Orleans, on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at noon. If you'd like to join, please stop by the funeral home prior to the burial and ask for amap for the property location. In lieu of flowers, please consider adonation to ano kill animal shelter. To view and sign the family guestbook,please visit lakelawnmetairie.com

Manuel, TiffanyLynette

Manuel, Sr.Tiffanywas a devoted loving mother to her children Avante Manuel(Aaliyah),Bray‐onte’ Manuel,BrazilDun‐can,TaraisAutmon, and Brandon Turner.She was the sister of Jerry Manuel, Jr. andthe late Tera Lynn ManuelAutmon. Tiffany had 1grandsonAmir Manuel, whomwas the appleofher eye. Tiffany was thegodmother of Sean Jones, Jr., Semaj Buckley,Deondre’Deal, and Nayeli Turner.She was precededindeath by her father, hersister, her grandparentsRichard and AngelineJones,George and PearlieManuel, and several auntsand uncles The family wishes to ex‐press theirsincere grati‐tudetoOchsner Transplant Team, OchsnerLVADTeam, nursesinthe SICU andICU ofOchsner Hospital Main Campusand FreseniusKid‐ney Care Dialysis Center Amite,LAfor theexcep‐tionalloveand care given toTiffanyduringher ill‐ness. We wouldalsoliketo extendour love andgrati‐tude to everyone who helpedtoprovide care and comfort during Tiffany’sill‐ness. Relativesand friends ofthe family, also Pastor, officers andmembers of Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church of Arcola and Zion Hill Christian Church of Boothville,LA are invitedtoattend the funeral serviceat11:00 AM onSaturday, September6, 2025, at Mt.CanaanM.B.C ofArcola, 15727 Hwy. 10 Roseland, LA 70456, Rev. JohnSmith officiating. Visi‐tationwillbefrom9:00AM until servicetime. Inter‐ment: Mt.Canaan M.B.C. Cemetery. Arrangements byRobinsonFamilyFuneral Home, 9611 LA 23,Belle Chasse,LA70037, (504)-208-2119. DuetoHwy 51roadclosure please use directionsbelow:Direc‐tions to Mt.CanaanM.B.C ofArcolavia LA-16. Take exit46Amite –Montpelier. Turnright onto Hwy16for 3.7 miles. Turn left onto LA1054 Wfor 3.9miles.Turn lefttostayonLA-1054 W for 1.6miles.Turnleftonto LA-10 Wfor 1.3miles and the church will be on the right.For online condo‐lencespleasevisit www robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Price, Solveig NedlandPedersen

SolveigNedland Peder‐sen Price, knownasSolie Mom,Nanaand Aunt by familyand friendswho loved her, passedfromthis lifetoHeavenonAugust 30, 2025, at theage of 99 years and25daysand is now with George her beloved husband of 71 years,who preceded herin death on August 12, 2020 Solie wasborninthe city ofNew Orleans, LA on Au‐gust5,1926, thedaughter ofthe late Olaf Nedland Pedersenand EllenAske‐landofStavanger,Norway. She wasthe youngestof seven siblings:OlafJr. Lars, Einar, Ellinor, Jan, and Haral,who allpreceded her in death. Solie’spar‐entssettled in New Or‐leans after Immigrating fromNorwaytoNew York withher threeoldest brothersonNovember26, 1911. Solie hada wonderful fun-filledchildhood where she metmanylife-long friends.Withsix siblings there wasalwaysplentyto do. Soliegraduated from Eleanor McMain High School during WWII, and afterwards, attended Soule’BusinessCollege, thenworkedasanexecu‐tivesecretary at WDSUin New Orleansuntil shemar‐ried. As aproud Norwegian American, sheloved partic‐ipating in celebrations held atthe Norwegian Sea‐man’s Church which herfa‐therhelpedestablish.She was beautifulinher tradi‐tionalNorwegian Hardan‐ger costume. In 1949, Solie married theloveofher life GeorgeF.Price,Jr. To‐gethertheyestablished a large family that continues togroweachyear. Solie was alovingmotherand homemaker who raised her childrenwithgreat pride, while George (a Merchant MarineCaptain)was at sea for months at atime. They loved entertaining family friends andtheir extended familiesattheir home every holiday, especially New Years’ Eve. Solie (Nana) kept acalendar withfamilyand friends’ special days on it and madesure it wascurrent anduptodate. Everyone’s

birthday or anniversary meant acard, phonecallor a text from Solieand George(Nana andPopie) was assured. Solieissur‐vived by sevenchildren: Carolyn PriceJennings, GeorgeF.Price III(Jackie), RobertWayne Price(Debi), Kenneth MichaelPrice (Karan),JohnRichard Price (Kim),James ScottPrice (Claudia),Jan Nedland Price Wahlen (Eric);18 grandchildren,46greatgrandchildren,and 3greatgreat grandchildren. Solie was also preceded in death by ason-in-law, Gary Jennings; agrandson, Chris Beard, andtwo greatgrandchildren,AmarisRu‐valcaba,and Victor George Price.A CelebrationofLife willbeheldonSaturday, September 6, 2025, at LeitzEagan FuneralHome, 4747 VeteransBlvd. in Metairie, LA. Visitation will beginat 11:00 am followed by the funeralservice at 1:00 pm IntermentwillbeinGarden ofMemoriesCemetery, 4900 AirlineDr. in Metairie, LA. In lieu of flowers, dona‐tions canbemadetoSt. Jude’sChildren’sHospital (www.stjude.org).The fam‐ily invitesyou to share yourthoughts, fond memo‐ries, andcondolences on‐lineatwww.leitzeaganf uneralhome.com.

JeffreyDavid Raiford, a residentofLuling, LA., passedawaypeacefully at home, at 68 yearsold from pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer.Hewas sur‐rounded by hislovingfam‐ily in prayer as he entered his heavenly home.Jeff was born andraisedin Norco,LA.,was agraduate ofDestrehan High School where he played baseball, football, andwas aproud memberofthe 1973 Foot‐ballState Championship Team. He brieflyattended Louisiana StateUniversity beforeleaving to pursue familylifewiththe flame and love of hislife, Becky Raiford.Heisprecededin death by hismother, Ivale Champagne Raiford, fa‐ther, George Bernard Raiford Sr., andbrothers Patrick Raiford, George Raiford Jr., andMatthew Raiford,Sr. He is survived byhis adoringwife, Becky LeBlanc Raiford, daugh‐ters, Jennifer RaifordRose (James“Jimmy”), Jessica Raiford,Elizabeth Raiford (Emily),and hisbeloved granddaughters, Madison Raiford Rose,IsabellaRose and JudahGuidry. He is alsosurvivedbybrothers Michael Raiford(Sherry), Timothy Raiford(Jeanne), Albert“Rock”Raiford (Karen),and by thewifeof deceasedbrother,Patrick Ann Trepagnier Raiford. Jeffrey wasblessedwith manyfamilyand friends. Jeffrey wasa manwithex‐traordinary talent;never falling shortinsharing those giftswithGod’s chil‐dren. He spread theword ofChristasa religion teacher with Holy Family Catholic Church,and passedonhis gift forath‐letics, having coachedall three daughters’ softball teams fornearly fifteen years.Jeffwas agiftedavi‐ation planebuilder and flyer. He spentmostofhis freetimebuildingmodel aircraftsthathewould later flywithhis friendsof the Crescent City Radio Club. Jeff lovedhis work, spendingoverforty years inplant operations at mul‐tiple facilities.His career began at ShellChemical Company in Norco, La., withseveral stopsalong the way, his finalposition being atechnicianwith Nalco Water; thebestwork familyheeverhad.The familywould like to thank Heart of Hospicefor allthe care andcompassionthey

showed Dad, especially Kristen Wolfe, hispersonal nurse.Relatives and friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend theFuneral MassatHolyFamily Catholic Church,155 Holy FamilyLane, Luling,LAon SaturdaySeptember 6, at 11AM. Visitation will begin at9:30AM. Intermentwill beinSt. CharlesBorromeo Cemetery. Memorial dona‐tions maybemadetoSt. Charles Borromeo Church orSchool.A celebrationof lifegathering will be at Or‐mondPlantation- theCar‐riage House, 13786 River RoadinDestrehan,LAim‐mediately followingthe burial.

Ronnie Rene Robinson was called to his Heavenly Home on Monday, August 25, 2025. Ronnie, affectionately known as Dad,Daddy or Coach, was born on October 2, 1945, to the unionofColumbus Robinsonand Everlina HynesRobinsonand the grandsonofthe late Cora Hynes and HenryMartin. Ronnie was agraduateof JosephS.Clark Sr. High, Class of 1963 and agraduateofDillard University where he received a Degree in Physical Education. Executive Director at St.Marks CommunityCenter before hisretirement and was the Owner of Southshore Management LLCand Robinson'sVIP Transportation.Ronnie was amember of the New Orleans musical group The Baronsand amember of thePhi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He leavesto cherish his memory 3children,RaeganRene Robinson, Lori Robinson Payton (Justin) and Tyler Rene Robinson; 3grandchildren, PhoebeRichard, Jaylen and Leia Payton; 2 siblings, Connie Robinson Seymour(James) and Larry Robinson, Sr.; 1 niece, Courtney Seymour Thompson (Omar); 1 nephew, LarryRobinson Jr.; longtime companion, Sandra M. Daveand ahost of otherrelativesand friends. Relativesand friends are invitedtoattend his CelebrationofLife Service on Friday, September 5, 2025, 10:00AMatProfessional Funeral Services Inc. 1449 N. Claiborne Ave.,NOLA 70116. Visitation 9:00AM until service. Interment Mt.OlivetCemetery.

SegraveJr.,Walter Joseph

Walter Joseph Segrave, Jr.,passedawayathis homeinDiamondhead,MS onWednesday,August6, 2025. He was91years old. Walterissurvivedbyhis son,WalterJosephSeg‐rave, III, hiswife, Diane Williams Segrave, andtheir two children,WalterAustin Segrave andEthan James Segrave.Walterisalsosur‐vived by hisdaughter, Karen SegraveMcCalland her husband,Michael Dean McCallofSherwood Arkansas. Walter is also survivedbynumerous niecesand nephews, other familymembers andclose friends.Walterwas pre‐cededindeath by hiswife

of 64 years, MarieLouise Boyle Segrave, hisson Matthew Paul Segraveand his four siblings;Audry Domecq, Joan Munch, WilliamA.Segrave and Francis B. Segrave. Born on June 6, 1934 in Queens New YorktoWalterand Sophie Larmann Segrave, Walter and hisfamilymoved to New Orleans, Louisiana whenhewas ayoung boy. Waltergraduated from HolyCross High School and attended Tulane University for abrief period of time In January1955, he joined the United States Navy which beganhis nearly 30 career of servinginthe military. In addition to serving in theNavy, Walter alsoservedinthe United StatesAir Forceand the UnitedStatesAir ForceRe‐serve untilhis retirement onJune 6, 1994. In hiscivil‐ian career,Walterwas em‐ployedbyNew York Life In‐surance Companyfor more than20years.Walter deeply lovedand wasdedi‐cated to hisfamilybeyond anythingelse. Walter also loved beingonthe water. Hespent much of hisfree time fishing, shrimping, and crabbing.Duringfoot‐ballseason, Saturday nightswerededicated to watchingTulaneGreen WaveFootball. Walter also enjoyed beingaround peo‐ple.Withhis outgoing per‐sonality, he nevermet a stranger. He couldwalk intoa room full of people henever metand walk out withnew friends. Walter and hislatewifeMarie alsoloved to travel.For over52years,Walterand Marie traveled extensively throughoutthe countryin various recreation vehi‐cles. In 1995, they pur‐chasedtheir first Airstream,the firstof three. They joined the Wally Byam CaravanClub Internationalwhere they met,and traveled with, friends from around the country.Walterwas also president of theLouisiana Airstream Club from 20002001 andheservedas Trustee multiple times. As members of WBCCI,Walter and Mariecrisscrossedthe UnitedStatesdozensof times with theirbeloved dog Tashavisitingevery state multiple times, in‐cluding Alaska.Theyhave alsovisited everyprovince inCanada, theYukon Terri‐tory, includinga trip to the ArcticCircle. Walter will be greatly missedbyhis fam‐ily andfriends.Funeral ser‐vices areFriday, Septem‐ber 12, 2025 at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in PassChristian,MS, 9062 KilnDelisle Rd., Pass Chris‐tian, MS 39571. Visitation willbegin at 9:00 am fol‐lowed by theFuneralMass at11:00 am.Interment will followat1:30p.m.atthe BiloxiNationalCemetery, 400 Veterans Ave.,Biloxi, MS39531. Please visit www.honakerforestlawn. comtosignguestbook ArrangementsbyHonaker Funeral Home,Inc Slidell, LA.

Margaret E. Sincereen‐tered into eternalreston August23, 2025 at herresi‐dence.She was87years old.Daughterofthe late EdwardSincere,Sr. and FlorenceTurnerSincere Sisterofthe late Edward Sincere Jr Armond Sin‐cere, RichardSincere and JosephSincere Sr., sisterin-lawofthe late Gwen Sin‐cere. Devotedauntof Marva (Myra) Pugh,Mary Pugh, Lisa Pugh,Joann Alexis, Mary Pugh,Velva Ayad, BrianSincere,Lynnar Jones,and thelateVernon Sincere.Devoted friend of GwenHonore. Also sur‐vived by ahostofother niecesand nephews, great nieces, greatnephews, cousins andfriends.She retired after 40 yearsfrom Baptist Hospital.Relatives and friendsofthe family are invitedtoattendthe Funeral Mass of Christian BurialonFridaySeptember 5,2025 for10:00 a.m. at St Katharine Drexel Catholic Church,2015 Louisiana Ave., NewOrleans,La. 70115. Visitation:9:00a.m until 10:00 a.m. (Mass time).FatherLambert A. Lein, SVD. Interment: St Vincent #2 Cemetery,1950 SoniatSt. NewOrleans,La. 70115. Arrangements en‐trusted to Estelle J. Wilson Funeral Home,Inc., 2715 Danneel St.NOLA70113. In‐formation:(504) 895-4903 Tosignonlineguest book pleasevisit www.estelle jwilsonfh.com

Lloyd Christopher'Doddy'

It is with greatsorrow and heartachethatwean‐nouncethe passingof Lloyd Christopher"Doddy" Sylve on Thursday,August 21, 2025, at hishomein Buras LA.Hewas 75 years old.Doddy wasbornon August17, 1958 in NewOr‐leans LA.toLumaand Jeanette Sylve. As avet‐eranofthe United States Air Force, he served his country proudlywithdig‐nityand respectduringthe Vietnam War. Doddywas the proudfatherofDionne, Nina, LloydJr. andChristo‐pherSylve.Grandfather of Danica, Darian,Lil Timmy, Alaina, Caiden,Kaylanand Kylee. Greatgrandfather of Cody, Chaz,Bentley,Cole, Chance, Carter andDasian. Brother of Sandra andEd‐mondSylve.Heisalsosur‐vived by nieces,nephews cousins,other relatives andfriends who will miss

OUR VIEWS

Football’s welcome return is achanceto be part of the community

This week marks the full launch of oneof the most important periods of thecalendarfor many Louisianans:football season. And it can’tcome too soon

The advent beganinearnest this past weekend with the first full slate of collegefootball We cheered along with many Louisianans to see LSU travel to South Carolina and remind Clemson’s(alleged) Tigers thatthe real Death Valley is along the Mississippi, not nestledinthe Palmetto State

We were also buoyed by Tulane’sdomination at home of Big 10 team Northwestern, especially after the Wildcat brassdeclined Tulane’s request to wear white uniforms as away to honor their2005 team, which had itsopener delayed by Hurricane Katrina. That year’steam ended up playing its opener against Mississippi State in Shreveport.And they wore white Northwestern representatives said therequest came too late for them tohonorit, but Tulane coach Jon Sumrall was able to use Northwestern’srefusal as motivation to help propel his team to abig win over amajor conference opponent.

“Don’tdisrespect the cityof New Orleans,” he said after the game. Around the state, othercolleges and universities also got their seasons off to astart, with mixed results. But more important than the wins and losses is the way football season brings so many of us together tosit and watch andunite to cheer on the Tigers and Jags, Wave and Cajuns,Bulldogs andCowboys, Lionsand Colonels, among others.

That expressionofcommunitywill expand on Thursday and Friday nights, when manymore Louisianans will brave humidity,mosquitoes andsoggy nachos to watchthe opening week of the high school football season.FromOak GrovetoEdna Karr,South Cameron to Plain Dealing, fans from around the state willcongregate in bleachers to support thekids on the field. And notjust the football players, but the cheer team members, dancers and band members whoeach get achance to show off what weeks or months of off-season work haveproduced Of course, on Sunday,the Saints will open the season against the Arizona Cardinals. Prognosticators have not been kindtothe Saints’ chances this year,but they have never questionedthe fans’ devotion or the team’s importancetothe SouthLouisiana community In these days of noise-canceling earphones and smart devices,too often we shutout the folks around us and turn ourattention to the virtual world. Football games,especially in those smaller venues, pull us out of that. They force us, at least for ashort time, tolive in the moment, to cheer and groan alongsideour fellow Louisianans. And now that theseasonishere again, thisannual ritual begins anew We canall celebrate that.OrDat,asthe case maybe.

UNOpresident making movesthatbenefit students

Much has been said about UniversityofNew OrleansPresident Kathy Johnson’sdecision to reduce adjunct positions and reassign teachingduties to full-time faculty.Some claim these changes will harm students.I strongly disagree.

This plan will not diminish thestudent experience. Instead, it introduces long-overdue accountability for tenured faculty, someofwhom arenot meetingexpectations in teaching or research. The president is simply askingfaculty to fulfill the full scope of their paid responsibilities.Why should junior facultygive 100% workload effort while senior faculty coast by with 50% for the same paycheck?

Tenured facultyare expertsintheir fields, and they provide students a deeper,more stable educational experience than adjuncts alone. That’swhat studentsdeserve. Those protesting theloudest are thefaculty now being asked to carry afair share of the workload. Rather than weakening education, this move ensures all faculty contribute meaningfully to UNO’smission. Contrary to thefaculty senate’s

claim, President Johnson has been clear: Faculty receive workload credit not just for teaching, but also forlegitimate(community) service and research that benefits the university

This moveisalso about financial responsibility. Taxpayer dollars should support auniversitywhere performance aligns withcommunity needs. Moreover,the community should be up in arms that they paysome faculty for 50% effort. For too long, UNO has operated with an inverted faculty structure, where senior faculty greatlyoutnumber junior faculty. That’sunusual and unsustainable. Junior faculty support this realignment because it brings stability, fairness and aclear future forUNO President Johnson didn’tcreate this crisis, but she’sleading us through it. She deserves support forputting studentsand institutional health first. The public needs to hear from junior faculty,the future of UNO, so these changes are seen for what they are: strategic reforms, not reckless cuts.

DAVID PODGORSKI associate professor of chemistry, UNO

Thank you Mike Smith forthe great article regarding Ryne Sandberg. He wasmyabsolute favorite Cubs player back in the ‘80s when my brothers and Iwatched the Cubs on WGNinNew Orleans. My brother emailed me about Sandberg’spassing. I’mstill aCubs fan, but like Mike, Idon’tfollow the gamelike I used to.

However,I know all the Cubs fans were ecstatic when the Cubs wonthe World Series back in 2016! Ipromptly bought abig Cubs flag and flew it proudly in front of my house in New Orleans remembering all those great afternoons spent watching them on WGNwith my brothers!

VIRGINIA HEBERT NewOrleans

Topgolfneeds to find anothercourse

This is in response to the Aug. 5 article stating that Topgolf may now be allowed to moveforward with construction near the Convention Center NewOrleans needs Topgolf like it needs morepotholes, another term forLaToya Cantrell, aDirty Birds championship or moremosquitoes! One virtual golf spot in the New Orleans area is enough.

ERICKOBROCK Algiers

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

In response to your May 28 “Our Views” editorial suggesting we unite behind theLouisiana International Terminal plan, Iassumenone of the staff who composed the editorial live in St Bernard. Plaquemines Parishwants this project, but thepeople of The Parish do not.This community has worked for two decades to improve thequalityof life. Now,it’sbeing threatened withan ill-conceived, unnecessary plan.

In May,this paper reported that one of the port’slargest operators (MSC) is bypassing its route here for Mobile and Houston. So, building this terminal makes no sense. Andifbuilt,there is no promise of benefittoSt. Bernard just moretrafficand pollution, more damage toour roads, and adecrease in our public safety To help force theproject down our throats, the governor appointed Michael Hecht to lead thecharge even as NewOrleans’ infrastructure crumbles,

potholes swallow cars, its prisoners escape, and its climate forbusiness is difficult.Infact, in acover story in this paper July 14, entrepreneur Robert Thompson called theNew Orleans business environment the toughest he has ever had to deal with and because of it, “we had to step away.” Maybe Hecht and GNO Inc.could focus their efforts on the city that care forgot and leave St. Bernard in the hands of those elected to lead and protect it.

St.Bernard united after Katrina to bring thecommunity,the schools and its people back. Now,weare threatened by another disaster —the Port of New Orleans. Those wholive in and love St. Bernard do not wantthis project. Those who favoritare people who don’tlive here, have selfish, financial interests or are pawnswho have been promised positions, power or patronage by theport. We say,“Hecht no!” CHRISTIAN WITT Arabi

Planned Parenthood should neverhave gotten taxdollars

Thedecision of Planned Parenthood to close is something that is to be applauded, but not because of the services that will go away,but because of the cutting of our tax dollars that went to them All they need to do is to get donations from private sources if they want to keep their doors open. I would have no problem with that, as I’msure mostothers would not also. Just don’tprovide our tax dollars to Planned Parenthood as afunding source forthem to provide their services.

PAUL J. HOGAN Des Allemands

N.O. City Councilbetrays ourTrust

Legal cases can involvedizzying complications. Regarding aNew Orleans case involving millionsofdollars for public benefit, however,let’s cut through reams of court filingsand simplify the analysis

Remember those basic logic problems we learned in junior high school? If A=PDF and PDF =XYZ,thenAwill equal XYZ, alwaysand forever

Well, the New Orleans case features asimilar, legal-affairs corollary to that arithmetic.

Imagine if D(for “Donor”) dies and bequests valuable propertytoNfor 100 years, to use for variouspublic goods, but H files suit to saythatby unambiguous law,half of D’smoney belongs to H. Recognizing that thelaw appears overwhelminglyinH’s favor, Nand Hreach an agreementwhereby H’sportion “shall be forever” 40% of that bequest.

Nsigns off on the agreement and passes aresolution accordingly,duly signed by N’sexecutive. Ajudge enters adecision confirmingthe dealas legal and final. The good intentionsof the bequest remain in force, but the old terms are superseded bythe new agreement that, unlike theoriginal, actually complies with state law

Thus, if H’sinterest =40% “forever,” then H’sinterest =40% even afterthe original 100 years of the bequest runs out. Unless the worldendsafter 100 years,forever does not equal merely 100 years. Forever is greater than 100 years: simple arithmetic.

So far,I’ve avoided real names so as to emphasize the neutral principles involved. Those principles always apply By now,some of you will recognize the subject here as the Wisner Trust,a massive 1914 southern Louisianaland donation for philanthropic purposes courtesy of aman named Edward Wisner.Inrecent years,revenuefrom the Trust has provided an averageof some $2.5 million annually tothe City of New Orleans (“N”inmyformula) for various charities, about $850,000 each to Tulane and to LSU’sMedical Center,and about $80,000 for theSalvation Army —ontop of the trust’s own, direct philanthropic endeavors. The city,Tulane,Charity Hospital (now subsumed within LSU),and the Salvation Army all were named by Edward Wisner in 1914. Wisner’swidow, though, was by law joint owner of all his property,and she andher children had no other source of income. As heirs (see “H” in the formula above), they

The Wisner Foundation land in Port Fourchon encompasses 38,000 acresand 9.5 milesofbeach along the Gulf.

sued and then reached the settlement for 40% of thetrust —all while keepingthat 40% within theTrust itself. That way,the income derived from the trust could be used beneficently,asMr. Wisner intended.

Yes, Wisner wrote that the City of New Orleans would control the trust after 100 years, meaning in 2014. The heirs, though, argue persuasively that thesubsequent agreement, signed in 1929 andratified by thecity and a court within another year,negated that 100-year window.Asnoted above, the specificwords of the 1929 agreement made it apply “forever.” The heirs now number in the many dozens and include religiousinstitutions and other charities to whom some heirs assigned their rights

Either way,since 1930, the Wisner Trust hasproduced copious millions of dollarsfor aplethoraofpublic benefits They include wide arrays of projects to bolster wetlands and wildlife preservation. Left undisturbed, the Trust is a win-win for everybody

TheCity Council, though, wants it all.

Notwithstanding the 1929 agreement which the City Council and mayor both officially adopted and which ajudge ratified,the council now contends, via linguistic jujitsu, that the 1929 agreement confersnot ownership rights to other parties but merely rightsto revenues,and only through 2014 rather than “forever.”

In May,Orleans Parish Civil District

Court Judge Kern Reesesided with the council, but thetrust and other beneficiaries appealed to Louisiana’s4th Circuit Court. Later,during an Aug. 5 hearing in arelated case, Reesemade pointed and puzzling commentssuggesting uncertaintyabout his own, earlier ruling. Suddenly,statements from theCity Council devolved from triumphant crowing toconditional messages about what its interests will be even “should it lose in litigation.”

The change in toneistelling.

Meanwhile, thecouncil also reached agreements to buy out LSU’sand Tulane’sinterestsinthe Trust —while controversially canceling aslew of grantstocharities in order to afford thebuyouts—but last Thursday, Mayor LaToyaCantrell vetoed the LSU deal. The council can override her veto, but either way,Trust issues arefront and center.Meanwhile, the council for four years has used taxpayer dollars to pay lawyer fees of at least $250,000 annually to conduct this litigation.

Here’sa better idea: Why can’tthe council leave well enough alone? Or why can’tthe Trust and the council submit to mediation towardequitable compromise? Stop the endless, wrongheaded lawsuit.Come to an agreement —and keep agood thing going, to benefitall of southernLouisiana.

Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

Mamdaniunderstands neither economicsnor NewYorkCity

Why do the world’spoor make abeeline for New York City? It is nowhome to over 3million immigrants,the largestinflux coming from the Dominican Republic, China, Jamaica, Mexico, Guyana, Ecuador,Bangladesh, Haiti and India. How can these overwhelmingly poor new arrivals stay if no one can afford to live there?

Answer: They crowd into small apartments and work their tails off.

They’re largely there because there’smoney to be made. Like it or not, rich people have the money and spend it in thecity. That’swhy the creative class also gravitates to New York. The rich can afford to patronize the theater and the arts. Which brings us to mayoral candidate ZohranMamdani andhis family Hisfather was aprofessor in Uganda andhis mother a filmmaker. BothofIndian descent, theymoved to New York, where his father became director of ColumbiaUniversity’sInstituteof African Studies.Columbia became arich elite institution thanks to thewealthy NewYorkers who since the Gilded Agehave bestowed theuniversity with large gifts.

Zohran Mamdani lied on his college application to Columbia aboutbeing “Black or African American.” He thus took aspotintended forthe Black descendants of slaveryand JimCrow. Perhaps the public City CollegeofNew

York wasn’tgood enough for him. The Mamdanis were never your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. AndZohran was hardly theonly privilegedkid to accessorize with Socialist ideology.But modernDemocratic Socialists in Europe would regard hisviews as naive. They are certainlyforeign to thechurn of the New York economy Take Mamdani’sidea of city-run grocery stores. They would compete with thebodegas now largely operated by Dominicans, Yemenis andother Middle Eastern immigrants. These little stores are theeconomic ladder on which generations of New Yorkers have climbed out of poverty andinto themiddle class. Their proprietorsput in brutal hours, working harder than mostany public employee would Mamdani, meanwhile, has never run alemonadestand. New York’s Social Democratsrevere Sweden forits widesocial safety net. “I don’tthinkweshould have billionaires,” Mamdanisaid, perhaps unaware that Sweden has morebillionaires per capita than the United States does. The rich in Sweden makethe social welfare system possible. Youcan’t have one without theother Mamdani has plans to raise taxes on city residents making morethan $1 million. Wealthy New Yorkers already pay some of the highest combined in-

come taxes in the country

The richest 1% of residents pay nearly 48% of all New York Citypersonal incometax. That’supfrom 40% in 2019. This doesn’taccount for the propertytaxes on their co-ops, condos and brownstones. Nor the high sales taxontheir luxury purchases and dining at the restaurantsthat employ immigrants, command of English not required.

Mamdani’svow to raise taxes on “richer,whiter neighborhoods” is hardly arecruiting tool for willing taxpayers. None of the inhabitants needs apassport to lower their taxes by moving elsewhere.

Housing is very expensive, but Mamdani’splan for extending rent control over afraction of New York’srentals, his among them, would discourage the building of new units. This is aproblem of supply and demand. There are ways to ease the housing burden, but New York will always be an expensive address. Without adoubt, the city is home to somestarkcontrasts between the rich and poor,but it also offers aconveyor belt between the two groups. Many who take the ride out of poverty leave thecity for the suburbs.

That’sthe way it’s always been. Mamdani understands neither economics nor New York City.

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

About 70%ofthe nation’spublic schoolteachers belong to aunionoremployees’ association. The two largest teachers unions, the NationalEducation Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), togetherrepresent about 4.7 million members. Politically,according to a study by Pew Research, about 58% of public school K-12teachers identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party,compared to about 35% who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party Last year,NEA President Rebecca Pringle told aPhiladelphia public radio station that her organization’smembership is “nearly evenly split betweenDemocrats, Republicans andindependents.” Whetherthat is true or not, we’ve known for alongtime that the union’sleadership does not reflectthe diversity of its membership; it donates the vast majority of the organization’smoney to liberal, progressive and Democratic causes and candidates. Anew compilation of data shows just howmuch.

Defending Education is agroup that says it seeks to free schools “fromactivists imposing harmful agendas” and to fight indoctrination in classrooms and on campus to promote the reestablishment of aquality,non-political education for all students.” Recently,itreleased an accounting of $43,524,125 donated to left-wing causes by the NEA and AFT in two years, from July 1, 2022, to July 30, 2024.

Starting with the biggest numbers, the NEA contributed $9.5 milliontoState Engagement Fund, an organizationthat in turn parcels out the money amongprogressive groups. NEA also contributed $6.95 milliontothe For Our Future Action Fund, a liberal political action committee focused on electing Democratsinthe key statesofMichigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Florida. AFT contributed an additional $2.35 milliontothe fund, for atotal of $9.3 millionbetween the groups for Democratic candidates in those states.

The money,ofcourse, camefrom the dues of teachersbelonging to the unions.

The NEA gave $2.415 milliontoagroup called Protect Our Schools KY,anorganization that fights Republican education reforms in the Bluegrass State.NEA gave $620,000 to the Democracy Alliance, another left-wing pass-through that distributes money to progressive groups.

The NEA gave $500,000 to the Hopewell Fund, $500,000 to the Color of Change.org Education Fund (AFT gave another $100,000); $500,000 to Defend Our Constitution (AFT gave another $150,000); $500,000 to the Centerfor American Progress (AFT gave another $200,000); $500,000 to Future Forward USA Action (AFTgaveanother $250,000); and $645,000tothe State PowerAction Fund.

To take one example, if you haven’theard of the Hopewell Fund, it is anonprofitassociated with Arabella Advisors, anotorious “dark money” network for Democratic causes. (The nation’slargest charity,the Gates Foundation, recently cut ties with Arabella Advisors.) The Hopewell Fund, according to the monitoring group InfluenceWatch, “primarily exists to sponsor anumber of ‘fake’ groups: websites designed to look like standalone nonprofits [that] typically exist to effect an issue advocacy campaign pushing left-wing policies and maydisappear after the campaign is finished.”

If you did not recognize Future Forward, it was the biggest politicalaction committeefor the Joe Biden presidential reelection campaign, and after Biden withdrew,the Kamala Harris presidential campaign.

Defend Our Constitution, for its national-sounding name, is actually an Alaska group dedicated to stopping Republicaninitiatives in that state.

AFT gave $1.6 milliontothe House Majority PAC, which seeks Democratic control of the House, and $1.25 milliontothe Senate Majority PAC, which seeks Democratic control of the Senate.

AFT gave $870,000toagroup called Red Wine & Blue, which is involved in lots of left-wing political causes. AFT gave $100,000, and NEA gave $85,000, to Al Sharpton’sNational Action Network, whichis involved in promoting Al Sharpton.

NEA gave $30,000 to GLSEN, whichused to be known as the Gay,Lesbian, Straight Education Network, but nowjust goes by GLSEN. NEA gave $60,000 to the LGBT organization Human Rights Campaign, and $29,250 to something called GenderInclusivity LLC, whichappears to refer to a company called GenderInc., which says it seeks to “create agender-sensitive and inclusive environment supportive of the transgender community.” The Defending Education report includes many otherlefty organizations to whichthe nation’stop two teachers unions have contributed. And the $43,524,125 listed in the report is notthe entire amount the unions spent on political and ideologicalcauses.

But youget the idea. The report is not asurprise, andthis kind of spending hasbeen going on for years. Still, it is stunning to confront the hyperpoliticized priorities of unions that are supposedly devotedtoeducation.

Email Byron York at byork@washingtonexaminer com.

with meteorologist DamonSingleton

Well, expect amostlysunnyand hot daywith alightbreeze. It feelspretty decentoutside. Thedew pointtemperatures remainpretty low so the airisniceand dry, eventhough it’shot. TheUVindex remains very high. Temperatures will risetothe lowtomid-90s this afternoon. Mostofuswill remaindry,but there is asmall chance of seeing afew isolated showersor storms.Weare almost at the height of hurricane season and with that, we re watchingthe Atlanticveryclosely fortropical development

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himdearly. He was pre‐ceded in deathbyhis par‐entsLumaand Jeanette Sylve.Relatives andfriends ofthe familyare invitedto attend thememorialmass onSaturday, September6, 2025 at St.Patrick Catholic Church locatedat28698 LA-23, Port Sulphur LA 70083 at 11AM.Prayerand rosaryservice will be held between 9AMand 10:45AM. FatherLawrencewilloffici‐ate.Inurnment with mili‐taryhonorswillfollowthe massinBarthelemyCeme‐teryinDiamond LA.Fu‐neral planning entrustedto RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home(504) 208-2119. For onlinecondolences please visit www.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com

Anthony"Tony"Nathan ThomasSr.,age 70, was bornonFebruary17, 1955 inNew Orleans, LA.He passedawayonFriday, Au‐gust22, 2025 in Pensacola, FLsurroundedbyfamily. Hewas agraduateofMc‐Donogh 35 High School c/o 1973, andfurthered hised‐ucation at theUniversityof New Orleansstudyingac‐counting. Anthonywas alsoa passionate photog‐rapherand accountant.Re‐maining to cherishAn‐thony's memory is his spouseLariThomas, his childrenAnthony N. ThomasJr.,Ariel Thomas and Kristen Thomas; grandchildDevante Thomas; GodfatherofAn‐gelique Holmes andLamar Edwards;2 sisters, Anna Lee Thomas and An‐toinette Wells; he wasalso survivedbya host of nephews,nieces, cousins, and friends. He waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis par‐entsAndrewand Lula Hill Thomas, andsiblingsLarry Thomasand Lorraine Ed‐wards. Family andfriends

Ussin-Bazzle,Evangelina

Evangelina UssinBazzle, age 77 wasbornonDecem‐ber 17,1947 in New Orleans Louisiana,entered into eternal rest on Friday,Au‐gust22, 2025. Shewas a graduateofWalterL Cohen HighSchool,Stevensons Academy of Cosmetology and received herMasters ofSocialworkfromSouth‐ern University at NewOr‐leans.She wasalso, the ownerofMyPurpose Com‐munity Services locatedin Slidell, Louisiana. Evan‐gelinawas theloving motherofRaymond Ussin, Jr. Devotedand aloving grandmother to Raymond III, Kaieaisha, Atiya, Tevin, Jada, andShane.She was precededindeath by her husband Berald Bazzle; her parents Robert JohnsonSr; and Amelia Scie Johnson; and herdaughterVantrice UssinMitchell. Relatives and friendsofthe family are invitedtoattend the Celebration of Life Service onSaturday, September6, 2025 at GreaterLittleZion Baptist Church,5130 ChartresStreet, New Or‐leans,LA70117 at 11:00 a.m.Visitationfrom 10:00 a.m.until 11:00a.m.Fol‐lowed by Intermenton Wednesday,September 10 2025 at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Ceme‐tery, 34888 Grantham Col‐lege Road,Slidell,LA70460 at 10:00a.m.You maysign

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Woodland’s climbup CB ranks illustrates LSU’sdepth

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

When it lined up for its first snap of the season, the LSU defense contained asurprise. It had not given one of its first-team cornerback spots to the incumbent starter, the prized five-star freshman or thethirdyear transfer it plucked fromaSoutheastern Conferencerival

The job belonged to PJ Woodland,the true sophomore who joined the No. 3Tigers (1-0) last seasonasalightly recruited, undersized three-star prospect.

ä La: Tech at LSU 6:30 P.M.

SATURDAy,ESPN+

Whystart Woodland against Clemson? Why start him over more experienced LSU corners?

“Well,heearned it,”

coach Brian Kelly said Wednesday In doing so, Woodland jumped two orthree rungs up the cornerback ladder that LSUused to begin preseason practices, proving the Tigers have more depth in the secondarythan they’ve ever had in Kelly’sfour-year tenure.

Virginia Tech transfer Mansoor Delaneis still at the top of the depth chart, as expected,and freshmanDJPickett is rotating in. But junior Ashton Stamps and Florida transfer Ja’Keem Jackson are, as of the opener, relegated to the sideline. Neither played a single snap againstClemson Woodland logged51snaps,according to Pro Football Focus, and Pickettplayed33.

That action was the first extended playing time of their careers, andtheyeach played tight coverage against the Clemson wide receivers.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubniktargeted wideoutsthey werecovering just six times on Saturday,per PFF,and completed only three passes for 37 yardswhenhedid Woodland even led LSU with five tackles, one of which was an early third-downsack that dropped Klubnik 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage, ending Clemson’s first drive of the game.

“We’re gonna play the guys that, obviously,give us the best chance to win,” Kelly said. “It’sdepth. It’scompetition.We likethe

ä See LSU, page 3C

SPORTS

Similarities hard to ignore betweenold,new Saints head coach, butMoore leansintobeing himself

PAYTON

CL ON E?

Hours beforethey stood on oppositesidelines for apreseason game lastmonth, Sean Payton andKellen Moore greeted each other andtook afew minutes to chat. Their conversation centered on thetrade they had made days earlier,when Payton and theDenver Broncos sent wide receiver Devaughn Vele to Moore andthe New Orleans Saints.

Themeeting also was aglimpseinto the Saints’past and present

Inside the Caesars Superdome, where themen stood, no coach has delivered more victories and more hope —tothe city of New Orleansthan Payton, theformer Saintscoach whose reign lasted 15 years. Then there’sMoore, the firstyear coach tasked with reviving thefranchise comingoff its worst season since 2005, the year before Payton’s arrival. The parallels between thetwo areunavoidable. Moore, like Payton when the Saints hiredhim,isa firsttime head coach known for his offensive intellect.Moore, like Payton,worked for the Dallas Cowboys —though in Moore’scase, that was his first play-calling gig before stops with theLos Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles.And Moore, like Payton then, is young but still old

enough to have been in themix forhead coaching jobs before landing with the Saints.

Moore started hearing the comparisons well before the Saints hired him, and the 37-year-old even joked that general manager Mickey Loomis “might have atype”athis introductory news conference, given the executive hired Payton, too.

But is Kellen Moore the next Sean Payton?

He doesn’t have to be as he prepares forthe noon Sunday season opener againstthe ArizonaCardinals in theDome.

“You have to be your authentic self,” Moore said. “IfI become some raging screamer,the guys are going to look at me like I’manidiot.”

ä See SAINTS, page 5C

Tulane dismissestrapscenariovs. South Alabama

BY GUERRYSMITH Contributing writer

Thelast time Tulane headedtoMobile, Alabama, it christenedHancock Whitney Stadium with acome-from-behind 27-24 victoryagainst South Alabama after trailing 24-13 at the start of thefourthquarter Five years later,anentirely different rosteristreating theJaguars with allthe seriousness they deserve, dismissing any notion of atrap game between the opener against Northwestern and the heavily anticipated Sept. 13 return of formerGreen Wave quarterback Darian Mensah withDuke

“Every time we step on the field, there’s astandard that we play to,” co-captain linebackerSam Howard said. “It doesn’t matter the opponent or where we are going. We can line the ball up in the parking lot, and we have to meet that standard every singleday It’safaceless opponent every week. There’s

ä Tulane at South Alabama 6P.M. SATURDAy,ESPN+

no suchthing as atrap game. We don’teven knowwhat that means.”

The two teams won theiropenersindifferentways. Tulane jumped out to a20-3 halftime lead on Northwestern and cruised the rest of the way.South Alabama struggled for three quartersagainstFCS opponent Morgan State, which last finishedwith awinning record in 2014, until pulling away 38-21.

None of that matters to coach Jon Sumrall, who pointed out the Jaguars had reached as many consecutive bowl games (three) as theWave. They went 10-3 in 2022 and nearly upended Sumrall-coached Troy, losing 10-6inagame that ultimately decided the Sun BeltWest race.

“Itwillbea really challenging gameon the road, and our guys have to be readyto

travel well and be prepared,” he said. “I great regional game. Theseguys have of good players.” MajorApplewhite, whowas theSouth bama offensive coordinator when Sum was at Troy,took over as head coach last y He is 1-0 against Tulane, havingguided H ton to a48-17 home win in November 2018 was alow point in the Willie Fritzera Sumrall expects theSouth Alabama fense to be areal test withplenty of pass option stuff, play-action shots and ble moves in search of big plays under c dinator Paul Petrino. The player to watc running backKentrel Bullock, who rus for 832 yards (5.5 yards per carry)and en touchdownslast seasonbeforehavi career-high23carries for127 yardsand scores Saturday Bullock gained 28 yards on seven attem

Tulane LB Sam Howard STAFFFILE PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

’s a lot laall ar ushat ofunouoris ed evga wo pts outh Alabam

ä See TULANE, page 3C

On TV

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Anisimova upsets Swiatek

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

NEW YORK AmandaAnisimova

upset Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-3 in the U.S. Open quarterfinalsWednesday,less than twomonths after losing to the six-time GrandSlam champion in the Wimbledon final by a6-0, 6-0 score.

The No. 8-seeded Anisimova reached her third major semifinal and first at Flushing Meadows.

“Tocome back from Wimbledon like that is really special to me,” said Anisimova, a24-year-old who was born in New Jerseyand grew up in Florida. “I feel like Iworked so hard to tryand turn around from that. Today is really special.”

The powerful strokes and poise she displayed in Arthur Ashe Stadium against No.2 Swiatek —the 2022 U.S. Open champion —were such astriking contrastto what happened at the All England Club’sCentre Court on July 12

That title matchlastedjust57 minutes,and Anisimovaonly managed to win 24 points that day,a total she eclipsed about midway through the first set this time

“Everybody knows how Amanda can play. Yeah, shedidn’tplay well in Wimbledon,” said Swiatek, a24-year-old from Poland,“but it’snot like she’salways going to do the same mistakes or feel the same.”

Anisimova cried during her runner-up speech during the trophy ceremony at Wimbledon; on Wednesday,she was all smiles while addressing thousands of supportive spectators who kept interrupting her on-court interview with cheers.

“Playing here is so freaking special,” Anisimova told them, and I’ve been having the run of my life here.”

On Thursday,Anisimova will try to reach asecond consecutive major final.

She’ll facefour-time GrandSlam champion Naomi Osaka —who eliminated Coco Gauff on Monday —after the No. 23 seed beat No. 11 Karolina Muchova 6-4,7-6 (3). After one game againstSwiatek in the quarterfinals Wednesday Anisimova might have been forgiven for thinking, “Oh,no. Not this again.”

That’sbecause Anisimova served first and got broken immediately when she lost three points in arow by missing forehands —one into the net, one wide, one long. But Anisimova broke rightback andsoonwas theone dictating points with her strong, flat groundstrokes that wound up contributing to 23 total winners, 10 more than Swiatekaccumulated. Anisimova also playedquite cleanly, making just 12 unforced errors. “She moved better,she played better,” Swiatek said, comparing

this match to the one at Wimbledon. “Everything was different.”

Swiatek’s serve was problemat-

ic: She only put in 50% of her first serves and was broken four times.

“I couldn’twin today’smatch playing like that, serving like that,”Swiatek said, “and with Amanda being so aggressive on the returns.”

In the second set, Anisimova fell behind early again, this time 2-0. But she again regrouped and quicklygained theupper hand

Swiatek was the one looking increasinglyfrustrated, shaking her head or slumping her shoulders between points, spreading her arms wide and looking to her coach for advice, and leaning back in her changeover chair as if pondering what,exactly, she could do differently

When Swiatek double-faulted to trail 5-3 in the second set, that allowed Anisimova to serve out the victory

“From the get-go, Iwas trying to fire myself up,” Anisimovasaid

“She is oneofthe toughestplayers I’ve ever played. Iknew Iwas goingtohave to digdeep.”

Auger-Aliassimeprevails

Felix Auger-Aliassime gotpast

Alex de Minaur4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5, 7-6(4) at theU.S. Openacross 4 hours, 10 minutes on Wednesday to reach his second Grand Slam semifinal—and second at FlushingMeadows.

TheNo. 25-seeded Auger-Aliassime’sonly other trip to the final fouratamajor came in New York in 2021 at age21.

“Fouryears ago. It feels like more,” saidAuger-Aliassime, who advanced backthenwhen Carlos

Alcarazstopped playing in the quarterfinalswith an injuredleg muscle.

“It was atough couple of years.”

Auger-Aliassime, who is Canadian, will meet No. 1Jannik Sinner or No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti on Fridayfor aberthinthe championship match.No. 2Alcaraz faces No. 7Novak Djokovic in the other semifinal.

“It’snot over.There’sstill some tennistoplay andthe biggestchallenges areyet to come,”AugerAliassime said.

“That’swhat Ilive for.That’s what Itrain for He hit 22 aces and finished with atotalof51winners to the 29 for de Minaur,who dropped to 0-6 for his career in Grand Slam quarterfinals.

“Right now I’m looking at this like awastedopportunity,”said de Minaur.“It’stough.”

Auger-Aliassime wasone point from trailing two sets to none when de Minaur led 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker.But AugerAliassimeerasedthatset point witha 120mph ace. That began a run in which he grabbedfour of five points to even the contest at aset apiece.

“Just alot of nerves today,during the whole match. Itwasn’t pretty at all times,” Auger-Aliassime said during hison-courtinterview in Arthur Ashe Stadium

“I waswilling to dig really deep anddoeverything Ican to stand here, right now.”

This is the first timeAuger-Aliassime has eliminated three seeded players during asingle major, adding this victory over No. 8de Minaurtowinsagainst No.3Alexander Zverev in the thirdround

andNo. 15 Andrey Rublev in the fourth.

Djokovic survives Tuesday Novak Djokovic is 38 and trying to conquer ayounger man’s game as he heads into the U.S. Open semifinals on Friday.It’sbeen two yearssince hismostrecentGrand Slam title.

Lastseason was his first without earning at least one since 2017. AndDjokovic is clear that, at this point in his career,those big trophiesfrom thesport’sfourbiggest eventsare all he really cares about.

At this year’sthree other majortournaments, he exited in the semifinals, twoafter getting hurt: quitting at the Australian Open because of atornhamstring and clearly limited at Wimbledon by an injured groin muscle.

He hadn’tcompeted anywhere since leaving the All England Club in July until arriving at Flushing Meadows.

Djokovic faces No. 2Carlos Alcaraz, 22, next afterreaching a53rdmajor semifinal and 14th by eliminating No. 4seed Taylor Fritz,27infour sets Tuesday night

NowthatDjokovicisbackinthe finalfourinNew York, he wins thisand a final on Sunday against No. 1Jannik Sinner,23, could await,ifthe defending champion beats Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals and whoever his semifinal opponent is.

Djokovic currently owns nearly everyrecord of anysignificance in men’s tennis, including 24 major championships, 37 major final appearances and themost weeks at No. 1inthe rankings.

McIlroyturns ablind eyetowardhostility

ByThe Associated Press

STRAFFAN, Ireland RoryMcIlroy watched Novak Djokovic handle boisterous spectatorsduring a win at the U.S. Open and is ready to follow the tennis star’slead at the Ryder Cup held in the United Statesthis month.

Ahostile and partisan crowdis settogreet McIlroy and the European teamatBethpage Black for the Sept. 26-28matches as the Americans look to regain the cup two years after losing in Rome.

Djokovic had to deal with asimilar environment during his U.S. Open quarterfinal matchagainst home favorite Taylor Fritzand handled it well, even blowing kisses at one point to the fans rooting against him.

McIlroy liked what he saw from Djokovic, whogaveEurope’s golfersamotivational speech intheir team room beforethe victory at the 2023 Ryder Cup about dealing with high-pressure moments.

“He’sbeen the best at handling that,” McIlroysaid Wednesday at the Irish Open, being staged at The KClub —the venue of

the2006 Ryder Cup —this week.

“He’shad to deal with it his whole life, whether it’s playing against an American in New York or playing againstRoger (Federer) or Rafa (Nadal).

“He came and spoke to us alittle bitabout that stuff last time in Rome. Somaybetaking aleaf out of hisbook and channeling that energy the rightway.But again, all we can do is control our reaction and our emotions to it.Ithink the less we playintoit, the better it is forus.”

Theexperience of Rome should comeinhandyatBethpage fora European team finalizedMonday —showing just one change twoyears on, withRasmus Hojgaard qualifying automatically to be the only rookie in the 12-man roster McIlroy,who will be competing in his eighth Ryder Cup, used RobertMacIntrye —a rookie in Rome and now aregular contender for events on thePGA Tour —asan example to back up his belief that “pretty much everyplayer on the team is more accomplishedthan what they were two years ago.”

Tour

The Northern Irishman believes Europe has a“wonderful opportunity” to win aRyder Cup on the road for the first time since 2012.

“They have avery strong team,” McIlroy said of the Americans.

“They’re going to have apretty raucous crowd on their side and

on agolf course that alot of them know pretty well from previous tournaments there.

“Somake no mistake, we know we’re up against it and we know we’ve got atall task on our hands, but Ilove the team that Luke has assembled.”

Pelicans add two new playerstothe roster

The NewOrleansPelicans announced Wednesday thesigning of two players, center Garrison Brooks and forward Jalen McDaniels. The signing of McDaniels previously had been reported.

The6-foot-10 Brooks played at North Carolina before transferring to Mississippi State. After going undrafted in 2022, he started in the GLeague withthe WestchesterKnicks, New York’s affiliate. Brooks also played on thePelicans’ Summer League team in 2023. McDaniels played his first 31/2 seasons with the Charlotte Hornets before being tradedtothe Philadelphia76ers in his fourth season.Lastseason, McDaniels signed a10-day contract with the Washington Wizards. He is averaging 6.7points and 3.3 rebounds in his career

Boston rookie to miss restofseason from injury

Red Soxrookie Roman Anthonyis expected to missthe rest of the regular seasonafter he wasplacedon the 10-day injured list on Wednesdaywitha left oblique strain.

The 21-year-old Anthony departed Tuesday’s11-7 victory over Cleveland after striking out in the fourth inning.AnMRI revealed theextent of the injury.There is no timetable for Anthony’sreturn, but manager Alex Cora saidplayers are typically sidelinedfor four to sixweekswith this kind of oblique issue.

Entering Wednesday’saction, Boston was 21/2 games back of AL East-leading Toronto.Anthony,one of baseball’stop prospects, made his major league debut on June 9. He is batting .292 witheight homers and32RBIsin71games with theRed Sox.

WR Meyerssays his trade requestdenied by Raiders Las Vegas wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said theRaidersturned down his trade request and he didn’tknow what his future looked like with the organization.

Meyers, who turns 29 on Nov. 9, requested atrade last weekwhen he andthe club failed to reachan agreementona contract extension. He enters the final season of a three-year,$33 milliondeal.

Meyers comes off his first 1,000yard season. He caught 87 passes in 2024 for 1,027 yards andfourtouchdowns. Meyers wasthe only NFL receiverwithatleast 85 targets andnodropped passes. Butrather than hold out or attend but not participate in practices, Meyers has continued to work with his teammates as they prepare for Sunday’s season opener at New England.

Jets O-lineman has injury before seasonopener

New York Jets right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker has an arm injury that could sideline him forthe season opener and perhaps longer The offensive linemanwas listed Wednesday on the team’s injury reportasnot participating in practice with atriceps issue.

Aperson withknowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Vera-Tucker wasinjured The news came just four days before the Jets open their season against Pittsburgh. The Athletic first reported that Vera-Tucker was dealing with apotentially serious injury.ESPN reported VeraTucker hasa torntriceps— the same injury that cut short his2022 season —and could need surgery, but theoffensive linemanwas seeking asecond medical opinion.

NBA opens investigations on Clippers, Leonard deal

The NBAsaid Wednesday that it will investigate if a$28 million endorsement contract between Kawhi Leonard anda Californiabased sustainability services company allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to circumvent league salary cap rules, following areport by journalist Pablo Torre. The probe will focus on ties among Leonard, the Clippers and acompany called Aspiration Fund Adviser,which filed forbankruptcy this year

It listed several creditors at that time, among them the Clippers, who wasowed$30 million, anda companycalled KL2 Aspire LLC that was owed $7 million.

Leonard is listed as the manager of that company in California filings. KL is his initials, and 2ishis jersey number

Big-play mentality

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Roman Larre would like nothing more than to start the football season the same way he did last year, when the Jesuit wideout caught a long pass from quarterback Taylor Norton and ran the rest of the way to the end zone.

That was the first play from scrimmage, a 67-yard catch and run that resulted in a touchdown

Larre ended that breakout season as an all-district performer in the Catholic League, selected as a kick returner whose receiving ability also made a big impact.

“I was expecting to step up because I put in a lot of work over the summer,” Larre said.

The work paid off with 47 receptions for 1,098 yards and 11 touchdowns for a team that won seven games and reached the second round of the LHSAA Division I select playoffs.

Now a senior the 6-foot-2 180-pound Larre will begin his final high school season on the road against Dallas Jesuit, the same team that allowed the long touchdown on the first play when the teams met last season at Tad Gormley Stadium.

Larre scored that touchdown on a play when he was split wide to the left side of the formation. Another receiver ran a curl to draw the safety toward him while Larre sprinted by the last defender leaving him wide open to catch the long pass.

Jesuit had practiced that play all week with the plan to call it on the first play from scrimmage.

“That was amazing,” said Larre, who showcased his big-play ability that night with five receptions for 247 yards. “Every catch felt like I was running for like 40 yards.”

For Larre, whose father Joe played defensive end on two state championship teams at John Curtis in the early 1990s, the decision to attend Jesuit meant going to a school with several of the same

LSU

Continued from page 1C

way (Woodland) was consistent in his performance in camp, and that led him to the starting position.”

Kelly said after LSU’s sixth preseason practice that he also liked the fact Woodland now is around 12-15 pounds heavier than he was during his freshman season. The added weight has helped him improve as a tackler Before, Kelly said, he was a little too light to push for a larger role in the secondary

Now Woodland can start, especially because LSU trusts him to play on both the outside and inside. Against Clemson, according to PFF, the Tigers lined him up wide on 33 snaps and slid him over the slot on nine.

“He’s a very smart player,” Kelly said about Woodland on Aug. 5, “so we can move him around.”

Now the odd man out is Stamps, the former Rummel star who

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Thursday’s

baseball teammates he had since he was 8 years old.

Those baseball teammates also won a youth flag football tournament hosted by the New Orleans Saints, and his success in the flag game caught the attention of Jesuit coach Ryan Manale, who encouraged Larre to try his hand at the tackle version when he enrolled at Jesuit for eighth grade.

“He’s been a solid receiver now going all the way through to his senior year,” said Manale, who remembered how Larre showed some flashes the first time he went one on one in practices before his eighth-grade season.

Larre, who also plays baseball for Jesuit, earned playing time as a freshman and became a starter at receiver and punt returner as a sophomore.

“We’re excited to see what his senior year is going to bring,” Manale said as he noted how Larre has “been working on developing his game” by improving his blocking and catching short- and medium-length passes in traffic.

The Blue Jays have several experienced players at the skill posi-

“It will be closely contested all year, and that competition is the big difference in this program in that it drives consistency day in and day out because you know if you don’t have that consistency, you won’t be a starter.”

BRIAN KELLy, LSU coach

started 17 games across the first two seasons of his career He and Woodland enrolled at LSU in similar positions. In 2023, Stamps was a three-star recruit, slotted well outside the top-500 prospects of 247Sports Composite rankings. He played an important role as a freshman anyway The LSU secondary was that thin on talent

— one of the key reasons why its defensive struggles derailed the 2023 season Now the Tigers have a deep, talented group of corners. They have

tions. Others include junior Ja’ir Burks, a state champion hurdler along with senior running back Gavin Palmisano and junior receiver Calvin Magee. Norton, a senior, is a second-year starter at quarterback.

“It’s amazing to watch him,” Joe Larre, an assistant offensive line coach at Jesuit, said about his son. “He doesn’t draw any attention to himself. He is who he is.”

Larre’s parents both underwent cancer treatments in recent years, Joe Larre said. The family also lived for a year in a trailer in front of their house as it underwent repairs following a tornado during Hurricane Ida in 2021.

“Football and baseball have been a great outlet for dealing with all that,” Joe Larre said.

Roman Larre has shown that he can make big plays while catching the football. His focus this season is to become more of an all-around player at his position while helping Jesuit advance deeper into the playoffs.

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

veterans such as Delane, Stamps and Jackson, and younger players such as Pickett and Woodland. All of them can play significant snaps on a defense that helped LSU make a strong statement in the season opener

Stamps may find his way into the rotation later in the season, Kelly said. But for now, he’s running behind Woodland, the sophomore who rode a strong preseason camp into a rise up the depth chart — and a starring role on a defense with a much stronger secondary

“It’s hotly contested,” Kelly said. “We’ve got great depth, and all those guys are extremely capable players.

“It will be closely contested all year, and that competition is the big difference in this program in that it drives consistency day in and day out because you know if you don’t have that consistency, you won’t be a starter.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

TULANE

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against Tulane in 2021 when he played for Ole Miss. Sumrall said he tried to recruit him to Troy out of the transfer portal at the end of 2022, adding that then-Rebels assistant Derrick Nix labeled him as an NFL talent.

“He is fast and he’s physical, a 4.4, 40 guy,” Sumrall said. “He’s an SEC back. You have to bring it on contact with him. We are going to have to gang-tackle and get 11 hats to the football.”

Holdover quarterback Bishop Davenport, a 2024 reserve who won a three-way competition in preseason camp and completed 12 of 14 passes for 166 yards against Morgan State, will have to contend with a Tulane pass rush that sacked Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone three times while pressuring him consistently Tulane rush end Harvey Dyson beat his man for an easy strip-sack

Sam

during a scrimmage on Aug. 16 at yulman Stadium.

on the defense’s first snap of the season.

“The defensive front really controlled the line of scrimmage,” Sumrall said. “We kept them off schedule, got them into longer down and distance, and once we got into pass situations, we didn’t have to send a ton of pressures and were able to get a really good rush with four guys.”

Dyson added that it was nothing new

“This has been going on since January,” he said. “We’ve been putting in the work. It didn’t just start in camp.”

Ever the motivator, Sumrall reached back to his assistant days at Troy for an example of South Alabama’s toughness. A game after stunning LSU 24-21 at Tiger Stadium in 2017, the Trojans lost to the Jaguars 19-8.

In Sumrall’s world, overlooking an opponent is not an option.

“That’s every week,” Tulane wide receiver Omari Hayes said. “Every week we want to go 1-0 and not look too far ahead.”

Eagles insist championshipisbehindthem

Sirianni wantsfresh startinopener againstDallas

BY DANGELSTON AP sportswriter

PHILADELPHIA NickSirianni is the son of ahigh school football coach, using what he learned from his dad into his own successful coaching career, first in college, then eventually in the NFL.

Sirianni is abit of acoaching lifer,and knows intricate details about the game. So it seemed abit implausible when the Philadelphia Eagles coach confessed this week that he did not know the team was set to unveil itsSuper Bowl championshipbanner in apregame ceremony ahead of the NFL season opener against Dallas on Thursday night.

The more educated guess is that while Sirianni surely knows there’salready enough hype and excitement around the game the Eagles asked fans without tickets to not come to the stadium complex to avoid traffic headaches —healso wants to avoid any kind of reminder of last season’schampionship. Shut the door on 2024. On to the Cowboys.

“The city and everybody has been talking about it,” wide receiver A.J.Brown said. “This buildinghas been locked in.We put that to bed long ago.We’rejust ready to go. That’sover with.”

The Eagles have not only struck theword “repeat,” from theirvernacular,Sirianni saidthe Eagles won’teventake the fieldfor the ceremony —anot uncommon practiceinthe NFL.

Oh, but take alook around and more than abanner will show why the Eagles areagaina betting favorite (7-1, per BetMGM Sportsbook) to win another Super Bowl. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley.Brown and DeVonta Smith. Jalen Carter and Cooper DeJean.

Theyare some of the best— if not, the best (Barkley was voted No.1inthe NFLTop 100list) players at theirpositions and largely responsiblefor two trips to the SuperBowl in the previous three seasons.

While the Eagles have stockpiledtalent, the Cowboys are set to playtheir first regular-season game since they traded star edge rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bayaspartofa deal for two firstround draft picks. The Cowboys missedthe playoffs in what ended up being Parsons’ final season with the team that drafted him 12th overall in 2021. Part of the reason for the team’sstruggles was the hamstring injurythat sidelined quarterbackDak Prescottfor half of the season. Each ofthe NFC East rivals are ready to move on from something. But theEagleswillgladlytake the challenge of trying to win another Super Bowl against aCowboys team stilldigesting another complicated move under owner Jerry Jones.

“What Igot fromthe feel of thelocker room,I don’tthink there was needed, atalk, or liftingguysupoverthe divorce, or feeling down about themselves, or aboutthe situation,” Prescott said. “If anything, Ihopeitwas a wakeup call to some of the guys, right?Thisisfor our life, andevery day you come in here and you approach it like it is for your life. The locker room has seemed upbeat. The pingpong gameshave still been going on, and we’re focused on Philly.”

He’llbewatching

While the Eaglesare sitting out the bannerceremony,Dallas receiverCeeDeeLambsayshe will make apoint of watching the Eagles’ title celebration =It burns alittle deeper for a rival, andLamb’sresponseisanother reminder that one of these twoteams has finished first in the NFCEasteight ofthe past nine seasons.

Thedifference is, the Eagles have two Super Bowl titles in that

span.The Cowboys have a2-5 postseason record

“I’m going to watch it.I’m going to watch it,” Lamb said. “Shout outtothem, because I’vestill got brothers over there. It’snot really anything personal, but it’s something that I’m chasing.”

Pressed on whyhewanted to watch, Lamb said,“Uh,motivation.Motivation.”

Gettinghealthy

Theopenerwill be thefirst snaps sincethe Super Bowl for thebulk of the Eagles starters. Hurts, Barkley,Brown and Smith were among the firstteamers whosat outthe preseason games. Brown, though, also missed asignificantamount of practice time in trainingcamp with ahamstring injury.Brown missed three games last season with ahamstring issue —the Eagles losttwice without him. Brown has 261 catches for4,031 yards and 25 touchdowns in three

PRESS PHOTO By PHELAN M. EBENHACK

ASSOCIATED

Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos divesfor extra yardageasAlabama defensivebackZavier Mincey makes the tackle during agame on SaturdayinTallahassee, Fla.

No.21Alabama lookstostep up intensityafter loss in opener

BY KENNINGTON LLOYD SMITH III Associated Press

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Of all the things that went wrong for Alabama in its season-opening loss at Florida State, this stood out: a lack of effort.

It was evident when the Crimson Tide evaluatedthe 31-17 setback in Tallahassee.

“A lot of coaches (are) fed up,” tight end Josh Cuevas said. “But it’sjust kind of how it’sgoing to be for the rest of the season.”

No. 21 Alabama, with its lowest ranking in 17 years, is trying to step up its intensity and hustle during practice this week before hosting Louisiana-Monroe onSaturday.It’sall about reclaiming the“Bama standard.”

The Tide didn’tcome closetoit against the Seminoles, and players don’thave to look far to find clips showing them loafing at times and getting outmuscled on nearly every play

“Everybody sees it watching film,” linebacker QuaRussaw said. “Everybody’snot running to the ball. We addressed that at practice. Coaches are on our tail about getting to the ball and finishing with the ball carrier the right way.” Where does Alabama go from

here?The Tide held aplayersonly meetingbeforepractice Sundaytoaddress issues. Perhaps the most perplexing part of the performance: Alabama is aveteran team with15returning starters and only twounderclassmen in the starting lineup. Given that, players are confidence a turnaround is imminent.

Several veteran leaders spoke up, including receiver Germie Bernard, center Parker Brailsford, linebacker Deontae Lawson, offensive tackle KadynProctor and quarterback Ty Simpson.

“We’re goingto allow ourplayers to getit fixed,” defensive coordinatorKaneWommack said “Certainly there was enough blame to go around. Youcan point to every position on the fieldthat had issues in termsofnot executingatthe levelthey’re capableof and not playing with the passion, energy and effort thatwehave established here already.Those are thingswe’re going to allow guys to get fixed.”

Getting to the why of the performance is another part of the process.

Coaches andplayerswere unified in saying they feltthe preparation wasstrong, but the execution wasn’tuptopar

Given that Alabama is 5-5inits

last 10 games, it seemstobeleaning towardatrend. The biggest message from staff to players is to just playfree. “I wouldn’tsay it’s the pressure,” Russaw said. “I feel like it’s more of guys trying to do their jobs anda little scared to mess up. We’ve got guys all over theteam athletic-wise who can just have fun. That’s all the coaches aretrying to get us to do. Just be ourselves. No matter the call, the scheme, no matter what, just flying around having fun.”

Coach Kalen DeBoer’smessage Mondaywas to “cut it loose,” meaning block out the outside noise and play theright way Alabama has back-to-back home games against ULM andWisconsin, followed by abye week anda trip to No. 4Georgia on Sept 27.

“These guys, they’re great kids. They wantitbad,” DeBoer said. “It’sjust showing them. Alot of times, they already know. And making sure that we continue to be intentional. That’saword that Iuse alot and it’sgoing to be something Iuse alot more this week again. Just be intentional on what we’re trying to accomplish with qualityreps and make sure that everyrep is done at ahigh level, from theeffort to theexecution.”

seasonswith the Eagles. Brown said he “feels great” and wasready to go against Dallas.

“I stayed up to beat with the plays,”Brown said.“Iwas working my mind more thanthe physical (part) during camp.” Smith, whotopped1,000 yards receiving in 2022 and 2023, also battled groin and back injuries during camp, leaving few reps together for the first-team offense.

“That’snothing to worry about,” Brown said.

Three-time Pro Bowloffensive lineman LandonDickersonrequiredmeniscus surgery on his right knee after getting hurt in the preseason. He missed practice on Monday with abackinjury,but reportedly returnedtopracticeon Tuesday

ThenewestCowboy

In addition to the two first-round picks, Dallas acquired defensive tackle Kenny Clark in the Parsons deal. The Cowboys weren’tvery

ä Cowboys at Eagles. 7:20 P.M.THURSDAy,NBC

good at stopping the run when Parsons was disrupting opposing quarterbacks.

Theythought if theyweregoing to give up astaredge rusher, they were going to shore up the middle of their defensive line.

It appearsDallaswill getits first look at Clark against Barkley’s Eagles.

The question is, how much of a look with just aweektomakethe transition after spending his first nine seasons, andone more training camp with the Packers.

“I’m gonna try to learn the playbook as fast as Ican, so Ican just play as fast possible,” said Clark, athree-time Pro Bowlerwho was limitedlastseasonbya toeinjury.

“I’minshape.I’vebeen practicing in Green Bay.Sowhether it’s30 plays, 50 plays, 20 plays, whatever it is, I’m going to be able to play.”

Etiennebrothersplay on oppositeteams for 1sttimesince childhood

BY MARK LONG AP profootball writer

JACKSONVILLE,Fla.— Travis and Trevor Etienne have to go back to their childhood to find agame in which they were on opposing teams. Even then, they were merelyplaying forfun. The brothers will have more at stake Sunday in Jacksonville. The Etiennes, both running backs who were born 51/2 years apartinJennings, Louisiana,will square off for the first time at any competitive levelwhenTravis andthe JaguarshostTrevorand theCarolina Panthers during the NFL’s opening weekend. They arethe NFL’snewest brotherly rivalry,joining adistinguished list that includes Bosa, Cook,Diggs, Harbaugh, Kelce, Manning, Pouncey,Sharpe and Watt siblings.

Travis Etienneisenteringthe finalyear of his rookie contract, making thisgame essentially the first of manyauditions before free agency in March. Trevor,meanwhile, is beginning his rookie season after Carolina drafted him in the fourth round in April.

“I want him to have the best game ever,” Trevor said. “They just can’twin. That’sit.” Travis and Trevor spent part of theholiday weekend together in Jacksonville andreminisced about theiryouth andtheirpaths to the NFL.

“I feel likeit’salreadya dream come true, but it’sgoing to be a surreal moment,” Travis said.

“It’ssomething that me andhim kind of joked about, laughedabout growing up as kids. But we always knew it could happen.”

Traviswas astar at Clemson, finishing his college career as theAtlantic CoastConference’s all-time leading rushing (4,952 yards). Jacksonville drafted him 25th overall in 2021. But his professional career has been filled withups and downs.

He sustainedaLisfrancinjury to his left foot as arookie and missed the entire season. He returned the following year and notchedthe first of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He scored 17 touchdowns in those two years, but he averaged

acareer-low 3.7 yards acarry in 2024 and found the end zone just twice. Now,he’sonhis third head coach,inhis thirdoffense and having to compete fortouches with Tank Bigsby and two rookies: Bhayshul Tuten from Virginia Tech and LeQuintAllenJr. from Syracue. And with Etienne in the finalyearofhis contract, no one would be surprisedtosee the Jaguars part withhim at the trade deadline in early November

“In reality,Ifeel like it’sthe biggest season of my career because it’s thenextone,” Travis said. “I just have to attack it like that and understandthatifI don’tgoout there and produce, then where are we going to be?

“For me,it’sjust attacking each and every day.Myresults rely on my daily habits, so just coming in here and working eachand every day,let that take care of itself, and then therestisgoing to take care of itself. Ireally can’tworry about the end result.”

Trevor ended his college career at Georgia after spending his first two seasons at Florida, just a90-minute drive from Jacksonville. He totaled 2,072 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground with the Southeastern Conference rivalsdespiteconstantly sharing carries.

He’llopenhis NFL career playing behindChubaHubbard in Carolina. But it starts in afamiliarplace, at EverBankStadium. Trevor playedthreegames in his brother’shome stadium, winning once.

He’spart of aCarolina offense that expects to makestrides in coachDaveCanales’ second season. Canalesreturned much of his staff, including running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, who worked with Travis forthree seasons (2021-23) in Jacksonville, and hopes last year’slate-season surge carriesoverwith quarterback Bryce Young, Hubbard, young receivers Xavier Legetteand Tetairoa McMillan, and an upgraded offensive line.

Trevor is counting on it —along with having family bragging rights until their next matchup. “I can’t wait,” Trevor said. “I’m excited about this one.”

Rattler understands why he’s not a captain

BY MATTHEW PARAS and LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

There have been 27 NFL teams that have named captains for the 2025 season.

Of them, the New Orleans Saints are the only club whose starting quarterback was not chosen

The Saints did not select SpencerRattler as a captain when players voted on the honors Monday, but the second-year quarterback said he was not disappointed about the vote. The Saints named eight total captains — three on offense, three on defense and two on special teams.

“I’m not looking too deep into that,” Rattler said. “The guys we have on the offensive side are very experienced, great vets on our team, very deserving of it. I think we picked the right guys.”

SAINTS

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Searching for Sean?

Sitting in his office, Loomis let out a small laugh after he answered the question posed to him: Does he have a type?

The general manager said he doesn’t know What he does know is that he didn’t go into the Saints’ coaching vacancy with the intention of finding a Payton clone. He noted he interviewed offensive and defensive coaches. Loomis said he found the pool of candidates to be the strongest of the three coaching searches that he’s conducted.

But Loomis didn’t shoot down the similarities.

He said there are “natural comparisons” between Moore and Payton, from their coaching backgrounds to their days as college quarterbacks Loomis said there’s a lot of overlap in the things that they talk about as well. He said he even thinks the two look “a little bit alike.”

“Look, Sean’s the standard for the Saints,” Loomis said. “... So everyone, no matter who it is, is going to be compared to him. It’s not a bad thing.” Dennis Allen, Moore’s predecessor, can attest to those comparisons. The Saints promoted Allen from defensive coordinator to head coach after Payton’s resignation in 2021 in an attempt to maintain continuity, but he was unpopular with the fan base and fired midway through his third season. Darren Rizzi, who took over in the interim, wasn’t seen as much of a direct link to Payton, but he still was part of the previous staff.

The Saints’ lack of success in recent years is why many wondered whether Loomis needed to completely move on from the Payton era for the franchise to have a fresh start this offseason.

This narrative always seemed to baffle Loomis. Didn’t the Broncos and the Detroit Lions launch two of the more successful rebuilds of late? Each of those franchises held ties to Payton or his assistants, Loomis pointed out at the end of the season. Loomis said he’d be concerned only with finding the best candidate for the job.

“You could do a lot worse than trying to emulate Sean Payton,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. “The NFL truly is a copycat league. I wouldn’t blame Mickey for leaning into the similarities, if that’s what he did.” Still, there are plenty of differences between the two especially in their personalities. Payton is a Bill Parcells disciple and had the fiery persona to match. Moore is more even-keeled after watching his dad coach high school football in their small hometown of Prosser, Washington.

The situations the men stepped into aren’t nearly the same, either Payton was tasked with taking over a franchise whose city had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but he had at least successfully recruited Drew Brees to be the team’s starting quarterback. Moore has a far less definitive answer at the position: Second-year QB Spencer Rattler beat out rookie Tyler Shough to start the season Loomis was drawn to Moore nonetheless. During the interview process, the general manager was struck by Moore’s intentionality Every answer, Loomis recalled, had a well-layered reason behind it. The answers felt genuine, no matter the topic. The Saints, for instance, held part of training camp in California because Moore brought up the idea as a way of building team chemistry over the course of a long season, Loomis said. Moore also brought up the ways he’d go on to incorporate team-bonding activi-

On offense, the Saints selected wide receiver Brandin Cooks center Erik McCoy and running back Alvin Kamara On defense, defensive end Cam Jordan, safety Justin Reid and linebacker Demario Davis earned the honors Long snapper

Zach Wood and kicker Blake Grupe rounded out special teams.

Coach Kellen Moore said he “didn’t make much” of players not including their starting quarterback. The Saints held a lengthy quarterback battle this summer, with Rattler beating out rookie Tyler Shough for the starting job

Moore, who said he believes players have confidence in the quarterbacks, said the votes reflect the team’s veteran leadership and experience of the group.

“Spence has done an awesome job,” Moore said. “I don’t think you need a C to lead.”

Players who are named captain wear a “C” logo on their jerseys for the season.

Taylor returns Moore said earlier this week that he was optimistic several injured players would return to practice ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. When the Saints took the field Wednesday, the coach got his wish.

Cornerback Alontae Taylor returned to practice for the first time since injuring his groin Aug. 8 while the Saints were in Irvine, California, for training camp Along with Taylor, safeties Julian Blackmon (undisclosed) and Jordan Howden (oblique), and defensive tackle Khristian Boyd (hand) also participated in the session after missing part of last week.

Taylor was listed as limited.

“I’m way ahead of (schedule),”

Taylor said. One notable absence was guard

Trevor Penning The fourth-year offensive lineman has been out since Aug. 10 with a turf toe injury, an ailment that carried a recovery timeline of four to six weeks.

The Saints also saw defensive end Chase Young limited after he suffered a calf injury during practice.

“He just had a little something,”

Moore said.

If Taylor is unable to go Sunday, the Saints likely would rely on veteran Ugo Amadi

Palmer reps

The last time Trey Palmer played in the Caesars Superdome, he caught a touchdown pass.

The thing is, he did it in a visitor’s uniform. He’s looking forward to doing that for the home team this time around.

ties, such as the team’s afternoon at a paintball course.

“Here’s what I like about him:

He’s open-minded,” Loomis said.

“He’s not looking for and Sean’s the same way — he’s not a guy who thinks he has every answer, particularly early on. He likes having opinions and likes dissent. We grow from that.”

Creating a culture

Charlie Smyth knew to keep it brief this time.

After an August practice in which the kicker nailed a 58-yarder to win the simulated game, Moore told the Ireland native to break down the team’s huddle. It was only the second time Smyth, who didn’t start playing football until August 2023, had been given such a task and he caught flak for his first speech.

“IrememberIdidoneatthe(International Player Pathway program) and the boys were like, ‘Is this a novel or whatever?’ ” Smyth said.

Smyth appreciated Moore’s invitation. To Moore, it was a small way to praise the second-year kicker’s progress after an admittedly rough start to training camp.

“I think it really is a cool example of development in our league,”

Moore said. “Charlie, he’ll be probably the first one to tell you that the start of training camp wasn’t great He was missing more than he made for a couple days, and he just kept going for it.”

This, to Moore, is culture.

He is not the kind of football coach who stands at a lectern pounds his fist and goes on and on about the importance of culture. Moore, like Loomis, views the term as a misnomer Culture is the result of creating an environment that allows every player and every coach to be their best, he said.

The approach is also why Moore wasn’t determined to make changes for the sake of change.

Moore wanted to understand what the Saints already had in place, adding that he recognized there was a “lot of good here.” He opted, for example, to keep some of the key messaging from the Payton era — including the “Compete Street” signs installed in 2015 at the team’s practice facility

“We’re going to lean into competition, because that’s part of the NFL,” Saints director of sports science Ted Rath said. “You have to compete now We can do it in a healthy manner We’re going to build upon those things and continue to keep that competitive edge.”

Instead, Moore has focused on blending all parts of his background to put his imprint on the Saints.

His assistants can recognize the influences. Rath said the flow of the

Saints’ schedule — aimed at optimizing efficiency — can be traced to Jim Caldwell’s days in Detroit, when Rath was an assistant strength and conditioning coach and Moore was a backup quarterback.

Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, once Moore’s boss as head coach of the Chargers, ran the same kind of “call-it” periods of unscripted plays in Los Angeles that Moore frequently utilized in training camp here.

“He tries to perfect that (borrowing),” said Saints senior offensive assistant Scott Linehan, who also overlapped with Moore in Detroit and Dallas. “He takes those pieces, logs that away and says, ‘I’m going to use that someday.’ It might be something from 12 years ago.”

The pieces extend to the building’s aesthetics. Outside the Saints’ locker room,Moorehadthearearemodeled so that the right side of the hallway would pay homage to the Saints’ past andtheleftsideofthehallwaywould recognize the Saints’ future.

On the right side of the hallway, there are decals featuring franchise legends their positions and the years they played for the franchise through the decades. On the left side of the hallway, there are the core values — big, bolded type that shows Moore’s vision for the Saints, backed up by photos that capture the moments.

There are five core values down the left side: takeaways, play style, team fundamentals, situational masters and ball security Each value also has key components written out, such as “smart fast physical.”

Moore got the idea after seeing the Eagles and the Golden State Warriors execute similar concepts.

Moore is quick to get the walls updated with relevant examples: Less than two weeks after Jonas Sanker’s game-tying interception in the preseason, a decal of the rookie was put up near the takeaways section.

It took Sanker by surprise.

“It’s awesome,” Sanker said. “They emphasize it all the time.”

Unexpected challenges

When he meets with candidates in person, Loomis likes to toss out hypothetical scenarios to see how they would react.

But nowhere in the interview did Loomis ask, “What if your starting quarterback suddenly retires?”

Not even the Saints could have seen that coming.

“Mickey and I had some fun conversations there for the first few months,” Moore said with a grin.

“A couple of times where we’d joke, ‘You wanted to be a head coach in the NFL? Here we go.’ ”

Derek Carr’s retirement in May because of a shoulder injury marked the stunning conclusion

The New Orleans Saints claimed Palmer a Kentwood native off waivers last week after he was let go by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s safe to say he is excited to be back in the boot.

“I’m home,” Palmer said “I’m home, baby!” Palmer began his college career at LSU before transferring to Nebraska, where he flourished.

The Buccaneers selected him in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, and he carved out a role, catching 39 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns — two of which came against New Orleans.

But when the Buccaneers waived Palmer on cut day this summer, he didn’t know what to expect next.

“I was just sitting there waiting patiently,” Palmer said. “It was God’s plan, and God told me to come back home.”

good jobs, he said.To Payton, the New Orleans front-office structure and ownership make the Saints a good NFL job.

“Generally, you’re going somewhere that’s broken and you’ve got to fix it quick,” Payton said. “I think Kellen has that calmness about him. And I think there’s a uniqueness to that city, that maybe’s not for everyone, but I think he’ll do well there.” Moore and Payton know what it’s like to wait for the right job. Before theSaintshiredthem,bothmenwere part of the league’s annual coaching cycle. Moore was linked to head coaching jobs as early as 2021, when he interviewed by the Eagles. He was later a finalist in the Miami Dolphins’ 2022 coaching search. Payton turned down the Oakland Raiders in 2004 after Parcells and others persuaded him to stay in Dallas. For Moore, each rejection was an opportunity to refine what he needed to work on. Before the Super Bowl, Moore admitted he was too pass-happy as a play-caller earlier in his career

of a months-long saga that saw Carr disclose in late March he was hurt, with the quarterback and the Saints trying to determine the severity of the ailment.

During that time, Loomis said he never saw Moore panic; instead, he pivoted to find a solution. The team’s scouting of college quarterbacks “intensified,” Loomis said, but work already had been underway given Carr’s age (34).

“Different coaches react differently to — I think all eventually are going to attack the problem, but how they react initially can be different,” Loomis said.

Moore’s tendency to attack the problem is nothing new When Linehan served as the Lions offensive coordinator in 2012-13, he noticed how Moore, a third-string quarterback, would study TV copies of games to steal defensive signals, and then he’d share those observations with the rest of the room. Linehan could tell Moore thought like a coach

In 2016, with the pair now in Dallas, Linehan started to expand Moore’s responsibilities when the quarterback was out for the year with a leg injury At first, Linehan had Moore compile the defensive signals just as he did in Detroit. But one week, Linehan asked Moore to put together clips from the red zone. Another week, Moore’s task was two-minute situations. The work got to the point where Linehan had Moore start presenting the information to the rest of the quarterbacks in the room.

“You could tell he was on the fast track,” Linehan said. “He wasn’t promoting himself. He was just working behind the scenes, getting himself ready (to become a coach).”

In 2018, Moore made the decision to retire once the Cowboys offered him a job to coach the team’s quarterbacks. By 2019, he became the offensive coordinator after Linehan was fired.

Moore spent five years as an assistant in Dallas. Of all his NFL experience, the time perhaps best prepared Moore for the realities of losing a starting quarterback on the fly The Cowboys lost starter Dak Prescott twice in Moore’s tenure, once for most of the year in 2020 and again for the first five games in 2022. When Moore thinks of Carr’s retirement these days, he said he thinks of a sign that Jason Garrett used to hang in the Cowboys’ training room: The only thing that matters is what we do now Carving his path

At the NFL owners’ meetings this past spring, Payton said Moore will do well leading the Saints. There are impossible jobs and

It’s fitting, then, that his first job comes after he designed an Eagles offense that ranked second in rushing en route to winning the Super Bowl.

Rath was part of the Eagles’ hiring committee in 2021 when Philadelphia hired Nick Sirianni instead of Moore Though Philadelphia went in a different direction, the sports science director recalled how Moore “crushed” the interview and how evident it was he’d be a head coach one day Then the Eagles brought on Moore as their coordinator last season.

Rath said Moore’s growth since then has stemmed from his changes of scenery

“Experiencing new organizations and different methods, that’s a blessing in this business,” he said. Moore now gets to run the show in New Orleans. So far, players have embraced his approach. The vibes are always high in scenarios like these, but this offseason, long snapper Zach Wood and tight end Juwan Johnson remarked that this was the best it has felt in a long time.

The two are also part of the handful of players left who experienced the team’s success under Payton.

“With Sean here, he was very aggressive and (had an) assertive personality,” Wood said, bringing up Payton unprompted. “Kellen is laid back. Just himself, which I think everybody appreciates when somebody can get up in front of a room of a bunch of guys who think they’re alpha males and lead a team and not try to be anybody but yourself. Because people can usually see right through that.

“With Kellen, he’s super genuine up there.”

The mood can change if losses start to pile up. As high as those within the Saints are on Moore, New Orleans is still widely expected to be one of the NFL’s worst teams. Challenging times may lie ahead.

But they did for Payton, as well. Because the Saints took the league by surprise with an NFC championship game appearance during the 2006 season, it is to forget now that Payton’s teams went 7-9 and 8-8 over his next two seasons.

“One thing that happens is (people) are going to talk about Sean like the Sean that left here and was here for 15 years,” Loomis said. “But you should be comparing (Moore) to the Sean that was here in Year 1 and 2. He evolved and was different in the mid and latter part of his career than he was at the beginning of his career.

ButLoomisisconfidentthe37-yearold Moore is the right man for the job, just as he was once confident about a 42-year-old quarterbacks coach who just needed a chance. Is Kellen Moore the next Sean Payton? All he has to do is be himself.

ManUp

Geauxget screened

Free prostatecancer screening event withRickeyJackson, BobbyHebert, and other football legends

Saturday,September6 9am–Noon

East JeffersonGeneral Hospital Esplanade 1ConferenceRoom Free parking in Hudson Garage

Join us foraFREE men’s healthevent at East Jefferson General Hospital. The first 100 eligible men will receive afreePSA prostate bloodtest.

Attendees can:

•Meetand havepictures taken with Rickey,Bobby, and other NFL legends

•Hear Rickey’s personal testimony about his prostatecancer diagnosis andrecovery

Spaceislimited.Registertoday.

•Enter adrawing to win memorabiliasigned by Rickey and other former players

•Learn about other men’shealth topicsfromthe experts at LCMC Health TulaneUrology

Scan the QR code or visit ejgh.org/manup

Zucchini, delicate leeksthe starsof carbonara

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Tribune News Service (TNS)

Pasta Carbonara,with its rich and creamy sauce, is a classic Italian favorite. This light twist brings afresh,seasonal touch to the traditional dish.

Iprepare it using tender zucchini and delicateleeks,adding sliced mushrooms for asatisfying, meaty texture. The flavors are brightened withfragrant fresh basil whileParmesan cheese adds asavory finish.It’s aquick, easy,vegetarian dish, bursting with freshness.

HELPFUL HINTS:

n 3teaspoons minced garlic can be used instead of garlic cloves

n Any type of long pastasuch as spaghettican be used

Vegetable Carbonara

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

3ounces fettuccine

2teaspoons

3cups sliced leeks, green and white parts

2cups zucchini squash cut into ¼-inch pieces 1cup diced onion 6crushed garlic cloves

2teaspoons dried oregano

and

2tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring alarge saucepan ¾ filled with water to aboil. Stir in the pasta and boil for 10 minutes, taste to make surethe pasta is cooked but firm; add 2more minutes if necessary.

2. Remove ½cup of cooking water to abowl and set that aside. Drain therest of the pasta.

3. Heat the oil in alarge skillet and add the leeks and zucchini. Cook for 4minutes and add onionand garlic.Saute 6to7minutes. Add the oregano andstir to combine with the ingredients.

4. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet.Toss welltocombine all ingredients. Stir in the mushrooms.

5. In asmall bowl, whisk the egg and cream together.Pour into the skillet and toss again. Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to make asmooth sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Dividebetween two dinner plates and sprinkle basil and parmesan on top.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 520 calories (36 percent from fat), 20.9 gfat (9.4 gsaturated, 6.3 gmonounsaturated), 131 mg cholesterol, 18.3 gprotein,70.0 gcarbohydrates, 7.7 g fiber, 182 mg sodium.

Howdoyou create asimpleand satisfying fish dish that’s difficult to mess up?The secret is foil packets

One of my favorite childhood memoriesinvolves riding down St.Charles Avenue in my Dad’snew company car to get ice cream. Life was good in our brandnew fancy tan Oldsmobile. It was not thebest-looking car, but it came withafreecassette tapeofWillie Nelson’s1978 album “Stardust.” Ican still picture riding with thesunroof open under live oak trees and hearing the slow somberopening notes to “September Song.” The lyrics and melody capture thefeeling when another summer ends and fall begins. The whole album is great and it makes cooking and cleaning more fun. The shorter days and busier schedules of September call for easy weeknight meals. This recipefor baked white fish seasoned with green onions, ginger and bok choy is simple and satisfying. Ihave heard from alot of people that they do not feel confident cooking

ä See FISH, page 2D

Foraquick meal,try whipping up ahealthful grainbowl

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Tribune News Service (TNS)

Have you thought about eating more whole grains? We keep hearing they’re good for us. Ifound abox of bulgur wheat in my pantry and thought this would be perfectfor aquick meal using awhole grain. Bulgur,sometimes called bulghur,iswheatkernels that have beensteamed, driedand crushed.For this dinner they only need to soak in hotwater for 20 minutes. Istart soaking them while gathering my other ingredients. Store bought hummus, crumbled feta cheese and vegetables complete this deliciousand easy,quickdinner.

Ginger White Fish and Bok Choy

Serves 4. Cooking supplies needed: rimmedbaking sheet and tinfoil.

4tablespoon soy sauce

2tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1tablespoon honey

4babybok choy (cut stem and clean and separate leaves)

4(5-6 ounce) red snapper fillets (substitute: cod, halibut or sea bass) 1teaspoon salt (divided) 1teaspoon pepper (divided) 10 green onions (white parts sliced thin; save some for garnish) 1piece of fresh ginger (peeled and sliced into thin sticks)

1⁄3 cup of cilantro (chopped and divided)

1. Preheat the oven to 425F

2. Place 4 large sheets of heavy tin foil (approximately 12 inches-by-14 inches each) on abaking sheet to wrap each fish fillet.

3. Make the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, add the soysauce,rice wine vinegar,sesame oil and honey whisk together untilthe honey incorporatesinto the sauce.

4. In thecenter of each piece of tin foil, place about 5leaves of baby bok choy,add one fish fillet on topofthe leaves. Season each fish fillet with salt and pepper,then top with theslicedgreen onions and fresh ginger

5. Bend the tin foil up on all sides of each fish fillettoform abowl shape; pour one tablespoon of

Yields 2servings. RecipeisbyLinda Gassenheimer

theprepared sauceoverthe fish. Close the tin foil at the top, completely sealing the fish, vegetable and saucewithin apacket.Be very careful to seal the tin foil so that the sauce stays in the foil packet.

6. Arrange each packet on the baking tray.Add the tray of fish to the oven and bake forabout 15 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven. Let sit 1minute. Carefully open the packets(don’tburn yourself) fromthe top so that you do notspill thesauce. Remove the fish onto aplate with aspatula. Add the bok choy.Pour the sauce from the packets over the fish. Use the freshly cut cilantro and reserved greenonionstogarnish. Serve with rice.

Mediterranean Grain Bowl

1. Place bulgur wheat in a medium-size bowl and add hot water to cover.Let stand for 20 minutes and drain.

2. Place dressing in asmall bowl. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Addtothe dressing and toss.

and

Just parkouraroundthe hallwayconversations

Dear Miss Manners: Iama college student who lives in the dormitories on campus. The hallwaysare average-sized —about 5 feet wide —and arenever crowded, though residents often have conversations in the hall. Often, two or more people will be leaning on opposite walls, making it impossible to go around the conversation. Ialways walk through the opening, which is wide enough to go through without comingincontact witheither party,and Isay “excuse me” to bothfor interrupting them. Is this properetiquette,oris there amore polite way to go down the hall?

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Gentle reader: Your solution is proper.But it doesleave Miss Manners racking her brains for any other possible solution that wouldnot involve climbing gearorcoming into closer contact withthe floor than might be desirable. Dear MissManners: Iwas alwaystaught that one’s bread plate is placed to the left. Whenever Iamwith a largegroup at atable at a wedding (or another function), at leastone person always takesthe bread platetotheir right. Their neighbors then follow suit, eventually meeting theside of the table using the left plate, leaving someone withoutone. Iusually just quietly go without

Vigilanceatall times

Dear Heloise: An article about purse safety just appeared in this week’sSt. Louis Post-Dispatch. Awoman came out of the grocery store, placed her grocery bags in her car, put her purse in thefront seat, and walked only a few steps to the rack to return the cart. As she was doing so, avery polite man stopped her to ask if she knew the name of avet nearby as he had asick dog. After avery brief conversation, she returned to her car and drove home only to discover her purse wasmissing. Obviouslythe man had an accomplice whoremoved her purse from the unlockedcar in seconds. Be warned! Do not leave your car unlocked evenif it’sjust to return your cart. —Francesca R., via email

Unique gift wrapping

bread if I’mthe stranded guest, andIdon’treally get upset by it. Butthis seemslike such abasic element of table manners that I can’tbelieve so manypeople don’t know it Can you please weigh in, just for public education, assuming I’mright?

Gentlereader: Youare right.The good news is that most dinner tables are not flush to thewall. If diners are evenly spaced around theedges, then once everyone has, incorrectly,grabbed the platetothe right,the unused platewill be found to your right Allthat will then remain will be to clear space to the left for your plate —and seeing if there is any butter left.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave aneighbor who texts me on afairly regular basis, asking me for all kinds of different things —usually food items. She is not poor; she seemstogo out multiple times aday and has delivery trucks at her house daily Iamnot sure whyshe can’tmake her own grocery runs, as we live very close to multiple stores. If Irespondthat Idon’thave whatever she is looking for, she usually replies, “That’sOK, I found something else to use,” as if it is my fault she doesn’thave somethinginher house. It is very irritating, to say the least! This is aneighbor who,when she is out of thehouse, is more interested in herphone than in talk-

ing to my husband or me. Ihave blocked her in thepast, but Iam notsurethis is theright thing to do Gentle reader: What she is doing only works if you are responding “in real time” —asone apparently says these days —which is not yet arequirement of being a good neighbor If you take along time to respond to these texts, she will stop sending them

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

that is special to recipient! —Judi B.,inGreen Valley,Arizona Judi, this was an old Heloise hint andone my mother andIloved!It’sespecially fun to use amap when wrappinga wedding gift if youcan find oneof where the couple plans to honeymoon. —Heloise By hook orbycrook

Dear Heloise: Icarry a large plastic hook with me in my purse.Itcomes in handy in apublic restroom to hang my bagon. Many stalls don’tprovide hooks. Andwhen I’m finished, I pull thepaper down off the roll for thenextpatron.This is abig courtesy —Ellen M., in New Jersey

Nailed it

Dear Heloise: Old or outdated maps are great for wrapping paper! Thrift stores often have themfor aquarter or less. It is especially fun if you can wrap agift with amap from an area

By The Associated Press

Dear Heloise: Isecuresmall nails to my hammerwith arubber band so that they are conveniently there whenIneed to hang apicture.No moresearching for nails! —Letty R., in San Antonio

Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

TODAYINHISTORY

with East Germany.

Today is Thursday,Sept. 4, the 247thday of 2025. There are 118 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Sept. 4, 1949, more than 140 people were injured following aperformance by singer Paul Robeson in Peekskill, NewYork, as an anti-Communist mob attacked departing concertgoers. Also on this date: In 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers underthe leadership of Governor FelipedeNeve.

In 1944, during World WarII, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium. In 1957, Arkansas Gov.Orval Faubus ordered ArkansasNational Guardsmen to prevent nine Black studentsfrom entering all-White Central High SchoolinLittle Rock.

In 1972, U.S. swimmerMark Spitzbecame the first to win seven medals at asingleOlympic Games, winning aseventhgold at the Munich Olympics in the 400-meter medley relay In 1972, the longest-running gameshow in U.S.history,“The Price is Right,” debuted on CBS In 1974, the United Statesestablished diplomatic relations

FISH

Continued from page1D

fish. Well, this fish recipe comes together in minutes and it is hard to mess up. The use of tin foil packets steams the fish and seals in the moisture and flavor of the vegetables. Iservedthis dish over rice and toppeditwith crunchy green onions and cilantro. Learning to cook fish in afoil is agame changer,because once you understand the method with one fish you can use it with many others.This method of cooking comes from aclassic French dish called poissonenpapillote, which means fish in paper or parchment to make asealed pouch. Using aparchmentpaper packet or atin foilpacket creates aclosed environment that steams the fish and melds all the flavors within the packet together.The result is moist delicious fish and asauce that you can use to pour overaside of rice. Iused red snapper,but halibut,

In 1998, Google was founded by Stanford University Ph.D. students Sergey Brin and Larry Page. In 2016, elevatingthe “saint of thegutters” to one of theCatholic Church’shighesthonors, Pope Franciscanonized Mother Teresa, praisingher radical dedication to society’soutcasts and hercourage inshaming world leaders for the “crimes of poverty they themselves created.”

In 2018, the SenateJudiciary Committee began confirmation hearings forfuture Supreme Court Justice BrettKavanaugh on aday that saw rancorous exchanges between Democrats and Republicans. Today’sbirthdays: Golf Hall of Famer RaymondFloyd is 83. Golf Hall of FamerTom Watson is 76. Actor Lawrence HiltonJacobsis72. Actor Khandi Alexander is 68. Actor-comedian DamonWayansSr. is 65. Baseball Hall ofFamer Mike Piazza is 57. DJ-musician-producer Mark Ronson is 50. Actor WesBentley is 47. Actor Max Greenfield is 46. Singer-actor Beyoncé is 44. Actor-comedian Whitney Cummings is 43. Actor-comedian Kyle Mooney (TV:“Saturday NightLive”) is 41.

cod andsea bass would all work well with this recipe. To boost the flavor,Iincludedsoy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesameoil which created an Asian flavor profile.

Ihappened to havea container of black rice in my pantry,soI decided to use it withthis fish dish. Black rice is also called “forbidden rice.” It was given this name because in ancient China, it was rarer than white rice andreserved for royalty These days we can find it on the shelves in most local grocery stores. When Isee it, Ibuy abag becauseit reminds me of my mother-in-law,Mae Faul. The first time shehad “forbidden rice” was at my house. She joked with me aboutserving what sounded likea wicked grain. Food memories are as precious as an old songthat transports and remindsusofgood times.

Liz Sullivan Faul is aregistered

dietitian nutritionist who enjoys cooking and sharing meals with herfriendsand family

TIME TO SAVOR THESUMMER

BY BETH DOOLEY

TheMinnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

Corn, sweet and tender,isin joyful high season. There’slots of it, and it’seasy to find, easy to love. The best way to eat corn is straight off the cob, dripping with butter and showered with coarse salt …orgrilled to roasty, caramelized perfection and slathered with spicy lime mayo. Buthurry,the season for corn is now.Enjoy it by the bushel before it fades intoa hazy memory. Make sure thecorn is local and fresh. Look for plump, dark green husks that are heavy in thehand. This means theear is mature and the

kernels are theproper size.

(Pleasedon’tpeel back the husk to check the interior.)

In our home, we eat cob after cob, night after night, until sometime near mid-August, when we’re ready foranother approach. Corn and tomato salad? Creamed corn?Corn chowder? Succotash? Better yet,savory corn pancakes. Studded with sweet corn kernels, garden herbs and a kick of chili crisp, these are not your breakfast pancakes. They’re morelike cornbread with alovely crisp, crusty edge. The batter of cornmeal adds texture, flavor and crunch; browned butter adds a dark, nutty touch. These are just as delicious

withfresh raw corn cutstraight from the cob as they are with leftover corn from last night’s barbecue. Whether grilledor steamed, you’llwanttouse up that corn. Youcould also stir intothe batter shreddedCheddarorParmesan cheese, alittle choppedham or cooked bacon forheft. Topthese withpeppers andcherry tomatoes that have been roasted to turn jammy, tangy andsweet.Fresh tomato salsa andadollopofsourcream also would be lovely Corn and tomatoes are the season’sperfect partners. Served as asubstantial side dish to roasted or grilled chicken or as alight dinner, this pair shines with summer’s pizazz.

SavorySweet CornPancakes with Jammy Tomatoes and Peppers

Makes 1dozen (3-inch) pancakes,serving about 4to6.Studded withsweet, tender corn kernels andfragrant garden herbs, these pancakes aretopped with jammy tomatoes and peppersfor a tasteofsummer on aplate. Youcan make the batter several hoursinadvance, hold in acovered container in therefrigerator,and cook rightbefore serving.

JAMMY TOMATOES,PEPPERS:

or

1. To makethe jammy tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. In alarge bowl, toss the tomatoesand peppers withenoughoil to generously coat.Spread outon abaking sheet in one layer.Season with saltand pepper.Roast until thetomatoes begin to split and the peppers become very tender. Remove, top with the chopped basil, and cover to keep warm.

3. To makethe sweet corn pancakes: In asmallsaucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.Stirand watch as it becomes foamy, then begins to smellnutty golden and starts to brown, about 4 to 5minutes 4. Remove from the stove and set aside.

5. In alarge bowl, stirtogether the cornmeal, flour,baking powder and salt.Inaseparate medium bowl, whisk together the browned butter,buttermilk,chili crisp and

eggs. Fold this into the dry ingredients until no dry streaks of flour remain. Fold in the corn kernels and herbs.

6. Film alarge skillet or griddle withalittle oil andset over medium-high heat. Ladle about ¼cup of the batter onto the griddle, spreading it out with aspatula, repeating withasmanyasyou can fitontothe pan.

7. Cook undisturbed until the edges of the pancakes begin to set and bubbles start to break the top surface, about1½to2½minutes. Carefully flip the pancakes witha thin, flexible spatula and cook on asecond side until golden brown and set, about 2minutes longer Transfer to awire rack and set in arimmedbaking sheet in awarm oven while you cook the remaining pancakes.

8. Serve topped withthe jammy tomatoes and peppers.

skillet

VIRGo (Aug.23-sept. 22) Address your to-do list. Do the legworkyourself, rather than relying on others. Changing howyou earn aliving won't turn out as planned. When in doubt,take apassand look for other outlets

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Making time to participateinupliftingpastimes will alsolead to new friendships and plans thatblend businesswith pleasure. A lifestyle change, move or reunion is encouraged,and romance is prevalent

sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Take notes, get your facts straightand refuse to let emotions interfere with commonsense. Refusetolet anxiety and indulgence disrupt your day. Apositive attitude and disciplinewill promote success.

sAGIttARIus (nov.23-Dec. 21) Process your financial situation. Refuse to let minorsetbacksorinterference weigh youdown when an unexpected change can help you turn the next page and carry on withstrength and courage.

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Simplify instead of intensifyingsituations. If you dwell on matters you cannot control, you are wasting time and energy that can lead to success. Change begins withyou

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Do it. Stop waiting forsomeone to go first when you have the wherewithal to fine-tune what comes next to your liking. Limit spending to ensure you don't go over budget

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Don't grapple unnecessarily.Open adialogue with

those who rely on you, and establish boundaries to protect yourselffrom potential harm. Take control, and you will get your way.

ARIEs(March21-April 19) Socializing will lead to chance meetings with peoplein apositiontohelpyou reach your aspirations. Romance and personal improvement are prevalent.Bebold, brave and proactive

tAuRus (April 20-May20) Close thedoor on those who take more than they give and consider your needs. Take charge of your life and incorporatemore of the pastimesthat bring you joy.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Raisingyour profile and eliminating mediators will support your objective and convince onlookers that you have more to offer. Upgrade your look to suit your goal, and you will impress someone special CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Opportunity knocks; send out resumes, set up interviewsorget together with someone who can participate in your plans. Take the high road, and you'llget positive results LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Rev up theengine andhead in adirection that shows promise. What you discover will change how you approach thoseinapositiontohelp you and how you can manipulateyour status into something tangible.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature,isnot basedonscientific fact. ©2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

cryptograms are created from quotationsbyfamous people, pastand present. Each letter in thecipher stands for another.

CLuE: sEQuALs V

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers Theobjectistoplace the numbers 1to9inthe empty squaressothat each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty levelofthe sudoku increasesfrom monday to sunday

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER

Groucho Marx said, “I’m not feeling verywell—Ineedadoctorimmediately. Ring the nearest golf course.”

Before we gettothe relevance of that, look at thefull deal andauction.Whatdo you think about the various calls?

Here is agood guideline: If your hand is notstrongbut has along suit,show it immediately. In this case, East should have opened fourhearts. Similarly, after theone-heartopening,Southshouldhave overcalledwith three spades.

West was right to make anegative double, promising length in both minors

Then,ifEast, with scantdefensive values, was going to bid four hearts over three spades, she should have bid it over twodiamonds. Do not give the opponents afielder’s choice —todoubleortobid higher. And South should have passed four hearts around to North, who would havebeen happy to double

Four hearts should go down two. South leads the spade ace, then shiftstoher singleton diamond. North takes two tricks in thesuitand leadsthe diamondthree, suit-preferencefor clubs. South ruffs andswitches to aclub. North wins with the ace and plays anotherdiamond. East can ruff high, but must lose onemore trick to North’s heart king.

Four spades can be made. West leads his singleton. Easttakes two heart tricks, thendoes best to lead hertrump (but would probably play another heart). South wins with her ace and cashes the king. Eventually, South must guessto lead the club queen from her hand to pin East’s jack ©2025 by nEa,inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

Each Wuzzleisaword riddle which 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,”

your burden on theLord, and he shall sustain you: he shallnever suffer therighteous to be moved.” Psalms 55:22

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from the letters in each row.add points of each word using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus “Blanks” used as any letter havenopoint value. all the wordsare in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) withoutrepeating. 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes called cages must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages withthe number in the top-left corner.

WiShinG Well

HErE is aplEasanT liTTlEgamEthat will

numericalpuzzle designed to spell out

the number of letters is

is your keynumber. start at theupper left-hand corner and

bers, left to right. Then read

Tap’ gets theband back together forone last gig.

Vivid, geometricpaintings draw on motifs from jazz music page 3

don’tmiss don’tmiss don’t miss atribute to ellismarsalisjr.

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestrahonors the lifeand legacy of thelate, legendarymusician at 8p.m. Saturday with thepremiere of anew work and performances by Branford, Delfaeyo and Jason Marsalis at theOrpheum Theater.Maestro Matthew Kraemer conducts the symphony with worksby Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, and Wynton and Eills Marsalis as well as Roger Dickerson’s “Haven Sketches”with BranfordMarsalis on saxophone. Tickets start at $54. lpomusic.org.

food truck festival

curtaincallball sala street fest

Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré celebrates in abig way at 6:30 p.m. Friday with an “overture” includingcocktails and culinary craft from Tableauthen segues intoamusical performance in the historic French Quarter playhouse, 616 St.Peter St., including members of the summerworkshopYoung Conservatory students. Mark Romig will lead aspirited live auction to coincidewiththe silent auction. Tickets start at $150. lepetittheatre.com.

Westwegopacks the 400 block of Sala Avenue with music, food trucks, crafts and morefrom 1p.m. to 6p.m. Saturday.Therewill be kids activities as well, including face painting and inflatables. And don’tmiss thecar show on the way.facebook. com.

cookingfor acause

Rollover to Slidell for more than25food trucks set up from 11 a.m. to 6p.m. Saturday at the Harbor Center,100 Harbor Center Blvd. In addition to culinary creations from tacos and barbecue to seafood and more, there will also be music, arts and crafts vendors, aKids Zone and more. Admission is free. harborcenter.org.

Billed as “A Fundraising Fête in the Name of Food,” theNew Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute nosher combines an online auction with an in-person soiree with food, cocktails and entertainment. The benefitstarts at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at 725 Howard Ave. in New Orleans (the auction is online now);proceeds help fund the center’s education and programs for learners of all levels,withproceeds matched by the GoldringFamily Foundation. Tickets start at $75. nochi.org.

art art art

Vivid, geometricpaintings draw on quilts andjazz

ARTBEAT

In this series, Lagniappe presents works from the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art, with commentary from acurator.

BY ANNE COLLINS SMITH Contributing writer

WilliamT.Williams’ works of art arecelebrated for their large-scale,vibrant, colorful and geometric compositions. Central to the visualfeastare the large concentric circles and undulating, intersecting lines in his paintings, akin to what is knownasa “diamond in the box” pattern. This recurring motif in Williams’ works echoes the prevalent shape incorporatedinquilts made by womeninhis North Carolina community during his childhood.

The diamond is also a metaphor for the use of confined spaces as alaunching point from which to createabstractworks, whether aquilt or apainting, that is accessible to various audiences and resonates widely

Of equal and further influence on Williams’ oeuvre is jazz music and its improvisational qualities.

Williams said his work as an abstract painter involves struggling withanidea and committing to creating artworksthat have thepower and responsibilitytocommunicate across cultures.

PROVIDED PHOTO By SESTHASAK BOONCHAI

William T. Williams’ painting ‘Sister of the EasternStar,’ 1970, is on view at the NewOrleans Museum of Art.

Williams exemplifies how his art is rooted in adiverse range of influences,traditions and sophistications, encompassing both rural and urban, as well as the

minimal and expressive, and familialand abstract.

Anne Collins Smith is chief curator at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

ABOUTLAGNIAPPE

The Lagniappe section is publishedeach Thursday by The Times-Picayune | The NewOrleans Advocate. All inquiriesabout Lagniappe should be directed to theeditor.

LAGNIAPPE EDITOR: Annette Sisco,asisco@ theadvocate.com

COVERDESIGN: Andrea Daniel

CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS:

Victor Andrews, Mike Scott, KeithSpera

GETLISTEDIN LAGNIAPPE

SubmiteventstoLagniappe at least two weeksinadvance by sending an email to events@ theadvocate.com.

ON THECOVER

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer getthe band back together in theNew Orleans-shot mockumentary sequel

‘This is Spinal TapII: The End Continues.’ Provided photo. Movie writer Mike Scott lists films to look forwardtofor fall. Page 6

music music music

Very few touring bandsare in New Orleans the week of Sept. 4, buta couple of touring comics will pass throughtown.

‘A TRIBUTETOELLISMARSALISJR.’WITHTHE LPOAND BRANFORD,DELFEAYOAND JASON MARSALIS

SATURDAY,ORPHEUM THEATER

Three of the late jazzpianist EllisMarsalis Jr.’s musician sons will jointhe Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday for “A Tribute to Ellis MarsalisJr.”atthe Orpheum Theater.Saxophonist Branford Marsalis, trombonist DelfeayoMarsalis and drummer/vibraphonistJason Marsalis will both honor their father andraise money forthe LPO’s educational andcommunityoutreach initiatives.

The programincludes “Swing Symphony” by another Marsalis brother,Wynton(who will not perform) and Ellis Marsalis’ “The Fourth Autumn.” The evening openswithLeonard Bernstein’s“Prelude, Fugue andRiffs for Solo Clarinet andJazz Ensemble.”

It continues with theworld premiere of renowned NewOrleans composer Roger Dickerson’snew orchestral work “Haven Sketches” with Branford on altosaxophone. Theshow concludes with Duke Ellington’s“Martin Luther King,” featuring Branford, Delfeayo and Jason withthe LPO.

Tickets for “A TributeToEllis Marsalis Jr.” at the Orpheum start at $45plus fees. Sponsorships are also available.

KEVINLOUIS &THE PALM COURTJAZZ BAND

FRIDAY,SNUG HARBOR JAZZ BISTRO

For manyyears, trumpeter Kevin Louis, aSt. Augustine High School and New OrleansCenter for Creative Arts alumnus who went on toearn degrees in jazz performance from Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and Queens College in New York, led the Friday night band at the Palm Court Jazz Café. The Decatur Street nightspot,which evoked asaloon of the early 20th century,served up traditional New Orleansjazzand food under the auspices of host Nina Buck. Meanwhile, Nina’shusband, George Buck, released

1,400 recordings of traditional jazz and other genres through Jazzology,GHB andhis other record labels. George Buck died in 2013 and Nina Buck, now in her 80s, closed the Palm Court in summer 2024. But Louis and other Palm Court alumni continue to keep the music alive. In 2024, Kevin Louis &the Palm Court Jazz Band featuring vocalist Yolanda Robinson released “Last Chance to Dance,” anewly recorded selection of favorites from the Palm Court. On Friday,Louis and the band will reunite at 7:30 p.m.and 9:30 p.m.atSnug Harbor Jazz Bistro on Frenchmen Street, just afew blocks from the former home of the Palm Court. Tickets are $35.

OTHERNOTEWORTHYSHOWS

THURSDAY

,the eight-piece, horn-heavy funk-rock band whose perform in mummy costumes, hits the Joy Theater.

ississippi and New Orleans, TonyaBoyd-Cannon is apowwho draws on R&B, gospel, jazz, funk and more. She the top20during the eighth season of NBC’ssinging competition “The Voice” and spends much of her time educating the next generation of musicians and singers. She’ll perform at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro at 7:30 p.m and 9:30 p.m.Thursday,backed by CalebArmstrong,Max Moran, Herlin Riley and DarinThomas.Tickets are $30.

music music music

THURSDAY (continued)

The Broadside’s indoor Pavilion venue hosts the eighth annual “Music For Mental Health Benefit Concert.” Presented by The Borders Foundation and Third Coast Entertainment, it features Sky Choice, Jason Davey, Mike Doussan,Teena May and Dusky Waters performing stripped-down versions of their songs and sharing stories in a “writer’s round” format. Proceeds benefit The Brett Thomas Doussan Foundation. Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 advance, $20 at the door, plus fees.

Modern jazz pianist David Torkanowsky holds down the weekly 6 p.m. “Booker Sessions” James Booker tribute at the Maple Leaf Bar ($10). Then at 8 p.m., legendary drummer Johnny Vidacovich is backed by keyboardist Kyle Roussel and bassist Grayson Brockamp Tickets are $15 advance, $20 day of show.

FRIDAY

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears headline Tipitina’s, with Gitkin opening at 9 p.m.

Tickets are $25.

Comedian Steven Ho’s “Is It An Emergency” tour visits the Joy Theater; tickets start at $46.

Black Joe Lewis

The members of BeauSoleil, global ambassadors of finely wrought Cajun music for 50 years and counting, have released more than two dozen albums along the way. They stop at Chickie Wah Wah on Friday Showtime is 9 p.m.; tickets are $20 plus.

Old-school blues singer and guitarist Little Freddie King plugs in at d.b.a. on Frenchmen Street from 6:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.

Contraflow faithfully recreates arena rock from the 1980s at Rock ’N’ Bowl. Tickets are $12.

SATURDAY

The Honey Island Swamp Band evokes the Radiators cross-bred with the Allman Brothers Band. Catch the HISB on Sat-

urday at Tipitina’s; HollyRock opens the show at 9 p.m. Tickets are $17.

The music of southwest Louisiana returns to Chickie Wah Wah thanks to “A Creole Evening” featuring T Marie & Bayou Juju as well as Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes & the Louisiana Sunspots Show up at 7:30 p.m. for a 45-minute group dance lesson; the bands start up at 8:30. Advance tickets start at $20, door tickets are $27, plus taxes and fees.

New Orleans jazz clarinetist Dr. Michael White stages a birthday tribute to early jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden at Snug Harbor at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $40.

Long-running cover band the Topcats recreates hits from across the decades at Rock ’N’ Bowl ($12).

SUNDAY

Comedian Louis C.K. brings his “Ri-

diculous” tour to the Saenger Theatre. Tickets start at $49 plus taxes.

Modern jazz pianist and composer David Torkanowsky teams up with saxophonist Amari Ansari, who has backed the likes of Stevie Wonderand the Temptations, at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Snug Harbor. Tickets are $20.

MONDAY

Meters bassist George Porter Jr. does a 7 p.m. set at the Maple Leaf backed by Mike Lemmler on keys and Terrence Houston on drums, plus guitarist Chris Adkins Tickets are $15 advance, $20 day of show.

TUESDAY

It’s Latin Night at Rock ’N’ Bowl with Javier Olondo & Asheson Tickets are $12.

WEDNESDAY

New Orleans singer Barbara Shorts & Blue Jazz play a free set at Snug Harbor at 5 p.m. Trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra take over the Snug stage at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; tickets are $40.

Scene setters

From

blockbusters

to award season hopefuls, 7 movies (plus a little lagniappe) to cozy up with for fall

BY MIKE SCOTT

Contributing writer

Brace yourself. Hollywood is turning it up to 11

With summer almost behind us and the holidays dead ahead, it’s time for the eclectic movie magic of autumn, when late-arriving crowdpleasers light up screens alongside the earliest of award-season hopefuls.

With Labor Day serving as the traditional starting pistol to the fall season, things get started in earnest next week with the locally shot “Spinal Tap” sequel. From there, it runs straight through to the arrival of John M. Chu’s “Wicked” followup, ushering in the holiday movie season a week before Thanksgiving.

Squeezed in between are all manner of cinematic hopefuls.

To help sort through it all, here are seven films due in the next two months that caught this movie critic’s eye, along with a few “Plan B” picks for those who like options to go with their popcorn. Just keep in mind that all release dates are subject to change.

But, hey. Enough of my yakkin’. Whaddya say? Let’s boogie!

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson goes back to his grappling roots to portray MMA fighter Mark Kerr in director Bennie Safdie’s sports biopic ‘The Smashing Machine.’

Oscar Isaac is Dr. Victor Frankenstein in director Guillermo del Toro’s retelling of the classic monster tale.

‘SPINAL TAP II: THE END CONTINUES’

Bleecker Street

In theaters Sept. 12

Ariana Grande reassumes the crown of Glinda — a role that earned her an Oscar nomination for supporting actress earlier this year — in director John M. Chu’s big-budget fantasy sequel ‘Wicked: For Good.’

Forty-one years after crafting what is widely acknowledged as the mother of all mockumentaries, “This is Spinal Tap” director Rob Reiner puts the band back together — Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer — for a New Orleans-shot sequel. Boasting appearances from Paul McCartney, Elton John and Garth Brooks, it centers on a head-banging reunion concert, which, in a nice bit of local referential humor, unfolds at the University of New Orleans’ Lakefront Arena, that onetime epicenter of arena rock.

Plan B picks for comedy: director Derek Cianfrance’s “Roofman” (Oct. 10; Paramount); writer-director-ac-

tor Aziz Ansari’s “Good Fortune” (Oct. 17; Lionsgate); Roald Dahl’s “The Twits” (Oct. 17; Netflix).

‘FRANKENSTEIN’

Netflix

Limited theatrical release Oct. 17, begins streaming Nov. 7

A year after Robert Eggers gave us his visually stunning version of “Nosferatu,” another visionary filmmaker — Guillermo del Toro, this time — delivers an artful take on Mary Shelley’s iconic story of man’s hubris, starring Oscar Isaac as the titular doctor and Jacob Elordi as his monstrous creation. Plan B picks for horror: the Jordan Peele-produced “Him” (Sept. 19; Universal); “The Strangers — Chapter 2” (Sept. 25; Lionsgate); “Black Phone 2” (Oct. 17; Universal).

ä See MOVIES, page 8

Rose Byrne stars in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick you.’

MOVIES

Continued from page 7

‘ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER’

Warner Bros.

In theaters Sept. 26

The critically revered Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood”) teams up with a heavy-hitting cast including Leonardo Di Caprio, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro for an actionthriller about a group of ex-revolutionaries who reassemble for a rescue mission. Warner Bros. opted to hold this one back from the film festival circuit to control the film’s buzz, but we’ll finally see what’s in store when it lands in IMAX (a first for Anderson).

Plan B picks for award season: Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt” (Oct 10; Amazon MGM); Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia (Oct. 24; Focus Features); Jennifer Lawrence’s “Die, My Love” (Nov. 7; Mubi); George Clooney’s “Jay Kelly” (Nov 14; Netflix).

‘THE SMASHING MACHINE’

A24

Begins theatrical rollout Oct. 3

“Oscar-nominated actor Dwayne Johnson”? It could happen, thanks to the wrestling icon’s performance in writer-director Bennie Safdie’s MMA drama chronicling the career of pugilist Mark Kerr In addition to expert fight sequences, with Safdie behind the camera, we can expect a deft but compelling blend of emotion and gritty intensity.

Plan B picks for hard-hitting drama: Paul Greengrass’ “The Lost Bus” (Sept. 19; AppleTV+); Daniel Day-Lewis in “Anemone” (Oct. 3; Focus Features); director Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite” (Oct. 24; Netflix).

‘TRON: ARES’

Disney

In theaters Oct. 10

Forty-three years after the original “Tron” and 15 years after its first sequel, Disney reboots the grid for a stand-alone sequel starring Jared Leto as a personified artificial intelligence program that enters our real world. (And yes, Jeff Bridges returns to play Kevin Flynn a third time.) If director Joachim Rønning’s film can intelligently harness his intriguingly timely con-

From left, Nigel Tufnel, David St.

and Derek

— better known as Christopher Guest, Michael

and Harry Shearer — get the band back together in the New Orleans-shot mockumentary sequel ‘This is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.’

cept, the series might finally amount to more than its dazzling visuals.

Plan B picks for thrills: Stephen King’s “The Long Walk” (Sept. 12; Lionsgate); Shane Black’s “Play Dirty” (Oct. 1; Amazon MGM); Keira Knightley’s “The Woman in Cabin 10” (Oct. 10; Netflix); the sci-fi sequel “Predator: Badlands” (Nov. 7; 20th Century Studios); Edgar

Wright’s “The Running Man” (Nov. 17; Paramount).

‘IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU’ A24

Begins theatrical rollout Oct. 10

Don’t be distracted by the appearance of His Silliness Conan

The artificial intelligence characters of ‘Tron’ make the jump from the digital realm to the physical world in the sci-fi sequel ‘Tron: Ares.’ PROVIDED PHOTOS

O’Brien in a dramatic supporting role

The real star of writer-director Mary Bronstein’s film is Rose Byrne, playing a mother and wife whose family life is slowly unraveling — and whose performance earned the prestigious Silver Bear at February’s Venice Film Festival — in a film that balances darkly comedic undertones with an emotional wallop.

Plan B picks for arthouse cinema: Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon” (limited rollout begins Oct. 10, widening nationally Oct. 24; Sony Pictures Classics); Scarlett Johansson’s “Eleanor the Great” (Oct. 26; Sony Pictures Classics); Rami Malek and Russell Crowe’s “Neuremberg” (Nov. 7; Sony Pictures Classics).

‘WICKED: FOR GOOD’

Universal

Nov. 21

Elphaba and Glinda (Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande) finish what they started in this big-budget conclusion to John M. Chu’s pre-Dorothy “Oz” tale, which comes on the heels of last year’s Oscar-nominated “Wicked” and which is based on the blockbuster stage musical of the same name.

Plan B picks for crowd-pleasing cinema: “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (Sept. 12; Focus Features); director Kogonada’s fantasy romance “A Big, Bold Beautiful Journey” (Sept. 19; Columbia); “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” (Nov. 14; Lionsgate).

food food food

Copper Vine’s tablesidetuna tartareis worth thesplurge

Happy hours typically bring me joybecause Ilove an inexpensive small bite, drink deal andgoodcompany. But at this Central Business Districtspot downtown, one of their tableside appetizers is so good that it achieves my peak level of happy hour happiness.

Ever since I first tried Copper Vine Restaurant&Inn’stuna tartare dish in June for the New OrleansWine& FoodExperience, it has had me in achokehold.

Review Chelsea Shannon

Chef Amy Mehrtens added the tuna tartare to theappetizer menu aheadofthe NOWFE CulinaryAwards, at which the dish snagged the gold inthe cold seafood category.

Theserver brings theingredients— asmoked tomato vin, smashed cucumbers, acaper salsa verde, tobiko andtuna —and combines at the table, servingitwith abowl of housemade kettle chips as the delivery system. There’ssomething about watching this one portion of theprocess that brings such joy andpreparesyourbrain to eat this dish.

The tobiko will pop in your mouth to accompany the tangy flavor profile of the dish.

The other menu items on thebrunch, lunch, dinnerand happy hour menus are great andIamdelightedtopick them, but aspecial place in my heart, really my stomach, is reserved for thetuna tartare.

Email Chelsea Shannon at cshannon@theadvocate. com.

COPPER VINE RESTAURANT

&INN, 1001 PoydrasSt., NewOrleans Happyhour: 3p.m.to6 p.m Mondaythrough Friday

gameday gear

stages stages stages

sky in the Pie

‘Waitress’ serves up lessonswithaslice of life at Jefferson Performing Arts Center

Strong themes abound in productions around the metro area in the coming days as threedifferent companies mount showsfor afrenetic fall of theatricalenticements.

SongstressSaraBareilles, Grammy winner and Tony nominee, made the successful move to the stage whenshe pennedand later starredin “Waitress,” the musical based on Jessie Nelson’sbookabout apie baker and waitress whoends up being asurvivoraswell.

The subject of the showisnomeringueladen confection, with topics suchasabuse, unwanted maternity andmore than acouple of marital indiscretions. But Bareilles’music carriesthe showtothe tempting finale whenthe lead, Jenna, finds the most important ingredient: courage.

JeffersonPerformingArts puts onthe the sliceofcontemporary Broadwayfor six performances at the JeffersonPerformingArts Center in Metairie.

“’Waitress’ is astrong-female-centric show with agreat contemporarypop/country score,” said directorLeslie Castay.“This very funnyand heartfelt musical celebrates friendship, motherhood andempowerment.”

Castay saidthe crafting of the show lends to the attraction.

“I love the method ofstorytelling that the show employs, using the ensemble and an onstage six-piece band to further the plot andbring the maincharacter’sinner thoughts anddecisionstolife,” she said.

“Anyonewho hasever struggled with feel-

ings of helplessness will relate to Jenna’s struggle to break free from difficult circumstances,” thedirector said. “It’s an adult musical thatdeals withveryreal characters finding their true path despite the mistakes theymake.

“And theactorsare actually making and serving pie onstage. What’s not to love?”

Meredith Owens takes the lead as Jenna, withChase Kamata and Whitney Mixon as Dawn and Becky, respectively.Matthew Welch is Jenna’shusband, Earl, and Jake WynneWilson is Dr.Pomatter.Other cast includes ScottSauber,Wayne Gonsoulin, Nathan Parrish, KeriPalmer, Dana Reminsky,Linden Uter,Ella Thorkelsdottir,Alex Goehring, Landan Buzbee, KeitaKawahara, Caldio Venacio, Ryan Kelly-Moore, Michael BreathJr.,Benjamin Benigno,MadisonFry,Emily Bagwill and Rachel Abbate.Ainsley Matich is the music director and Blake Coheley is the choreographer

That’s awrap

The Tennessee WilliamsTheatre Co. closes its 10th season with atwo-person show from theplaywright about siblings who improvise aplay

“Out Cry: The Two-Character Play” opens Wednesday at theLower Depths Theatre in Loyola University’sMusic and Communications building. In atwisted take on lifeimitating art(as Williamsdoes so well), thebrother and sister (Tracey E. Collins as Claire and Kyle Daigrepont as Felice) phase in and out of character and reality as the lines between theater andreality blur and unravel.

The show is at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2p.m. Sundays, Sept. 12-21, at 6400 Airline Drive. Tickets start at $30. Visit jpas.org.

“No onedoes disturbing and touching like Tennessee Williams,” director Beau Bratcher said. “Nowadays, when morepeople are feeling lonely and isolated, this play is a reminder to check in on the people in your life.”

The show is at 7:30 p.m.Wednesdays through Saturdays and 3p.m. Sundays through Sept. 21. Tickets start at $28. Visit twtheatrenola.com.

stages stages stages

Class is in session

Some students and teachers develop relationships that stretch beyond the days of class. A treasured teacher, a favorite professor or a honored tutor can have a lasting impact on life.

This was the real-life cast of Brandeis University sociology professor Morrie Schwarz. But how it came about is the subject of a skillful onstage duet and a bestselling autobiography by Mitch Albom.

“Tuesdays With Morrie” runs Sept. 12-21 at Mandeville’s 30 by Ninety Theatre Albom, a sports journalist, catches a television program about his former professor, who is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a terminal neurodegenerative disorder. A visit turns into a weekly reunion that morphs into a final lesson on the meaning of life.

Lance Nelson takes the role of the journalist and Chris Aberle is Morrie, with Jason Leader as director for the show

The show is at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays at the playhouse, 880 Lafayette St. Tickets start at $20. Visit 30byninety com.

In production

“DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER”: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 21; Playmakers Theater, 19106 Playmakers Road, Covington. Countryside romp of mistaken identities, mixed-up mistresses and a lot of fun as a planned rendezvous of a man and his mistress, complete with a Cordon Bleu chef, goes askew when his wife and his “alibi” descend as well. Tickets start at $15. bontempstix.com.

“MS. HOLMES & MS.WATSON — APT. 2B”: 7:30 p.m Thursdays through Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through Sept. 14; Marquette Theater, Loyola University, 6363 St. Charles Ave. Crescent City Stage performs playwright Kate Hamill’s take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s traditional characters and propels them into the present with a fresh take on Sherlock and Dr. Watson, both in terms of time and gender post-COVID and their efforts to solve a mystery, coexist and survive and thrive in a new world after the pandemic. Special nights, including cast talkbacks, ladies’ night and date night, are planned. Tickets start at $12. crescentcitystage.com.

“THE WIZARD OF OZ”: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Slidell Little Theatre, 2024 Nellie Drive. Based on the classic book and movie, the musical has Dorothy and her trio of friends roaming through the magical land in search of the Wicked Witch of the West, hoping to get their hearts’ desires from the allpowerful (?) wizard. Tickets start at $25. slidelllittletheatre.org.

Email Victor Andrews at vandrews@ theadvocate.com.

Dance festival attracts global talents for performances, classes and panels

Staff report

Performances, classes and film will merge for the third annual International Dance Festival New Orleans on Thursday through Sunday at three spots in the Crescent City.

The festival, founded in 2023 by BODYART Dance, will feature a global slate of performers in contemporary dance and local work that organizers describe as “a vibrant celebration of movement, culture and community.”

The mission hopes to “foster cross-cultural creative exchange across the Gulf South.”

Joining local talent are dancers from France, Lebanon, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Brazil, Mexico and Dominican Republic.

Masterclasses guided by featured artists will be held during the day at Tulane University in the Department of Theatre and Dance, 215 McWilliams Hall, on the Uptown campus. Performances and panels will be taking the stage at the New Marigny Theatre, 2301 Marais St. The Dance Film Festival will be Saturday at the Broad Theatre, 636 N. Broad St. A workshop will also be held at the Pitot House, 1440 Moss St.

Ticket prices vary per activity, with some events free. For information, visit idfnola.com.

The schedule and locations are:

Thursday

n Opening performance and artist mixer (New Marigny Theatre)

Friday

n Dance for camera workshop (Pitot House)

n Installation performance (New Marigny Theatre)

n Mainstage performances (New Marigny Theatre)

n Louisiana Dance Alliance reception (New Marigny Theatre)

Saturday

n Masterclasses (Tulane)

The International Dance Festival New Orleans runs Thursdays through Sunday at various locations in the city, including Tulane University, the New Marigny Theatre, Pitot House and the Broad Theatre.

Jeremy de’jon Guyton, of Los Angeles, will be one of the featured participants in the International Dance Festival New Orleans.

n Dance Film Festival (Broad Theatre)

n French artist panel (New Mari-

gny Theatre)

n Mainstage performance (New Marigny Theatre)

Sunday

n Masterclasses and artist panels (Tulane)

Scheduled local performers and teachers include Amalia Najera, Madeline Lorio and Chloe Roberts plus Nicole Curtis, of Lafayette. Also appearing will be Charlemagne Kevin Kabore (Burkina Faso), Evelyn Tejeda (Dominican Republic), Kayla Farrish (New York), Diogo de Lima (Brazil), Claire Olberding (Portland, Oregon), jeremyde’jon guyton (Los Angeles) and Patricia Solorzano (Mexico).

Featured film artists include Gretchen Erickson, of New Orleans; with Rosie Trump, of Nevada; Charli Brissey, of Michigan; and Barbara Caridad Meulener, of Florida, with Derrick Belcham (Ireland), Monica Szpunar (Poland), Filipe Faria (Portugal), Ghaliah Conroy and C.J. Roxas (the Netherlands), Nejle Yatkin (France) and Rebeca Becerra Cusi (Mexico).