The Advocate 09-08-2025

THE FORGOTTEN STORM

20 years ago, Hurricane Rita inflicted widespread suffering in southwest Louisiana in the wake of Katrina

BY MEGAN WYATT | Staff writer

Nicole J. Moncrief was caring for her wheelchair-bound mother and her two nieces as Hurricane Rita barreled toward their Lake Charles home 20 years ago.

Ahead of previous storms, none of which caused major damage, her mom was the one to secure the family home and evacuate everyone to safety. But those responsibilities fell to Moncrief, then 34, ahead of Rita.

While her family evacuated north, Rita’s winds ripped open the roof of their family home, destroying most of their clothing and furniture. Moncrief tried to salvage what she could. Her neighbors, friends and family were largely in the same predicament.

It’s been 20 years since the storm tore through southwest Louisiana but the anniversary observations for it have been much quieter than the commemorations for Hurricane Katrina. Those who experienced Rita said they always experienced it as a forgotten storm, overshad-

owed in the national media by the coverage of Katrina. Despite the lack of attention it got, the hurricane inflicted widespread suffering in southwest Louisiana.

“We were kind of calling it ‘Rita

Nicole J Moncrief’s home on V. E Washington Avenue in Lake Charles is pictured after Hurricane Laura ravaged the region in August 2020.

PROVIDED PHOTO

amnesia,’ ” said Mark McMurry, who served as Calcasieu Parish administrator in 2005. “All the national news was reporting on Katrina.”

ä See STORM, page 4A

“Even now, I still want to cry. All of your memories, the place we called home, your place of solace, it was gone and it wasn’t going to be there anymore. But if I had to reflect even further, the positive piece of it is that I am the house. I am the memories.”

NICOLE J MONCRIEF

New rules snarl COVID vaccine access in Louisiana

Pharmacies,

doctors, patients left navigating confusion

BY EMILY WOODRUFF | Staff writer

Louisiana is heading into respiratory virus season on the downswing from a busy summer of COVID-19, when wastewater samples showed some of the nation’s highest virus levels. But health officials caution that COVID-19 is unusual: Unlike flu or RSV, it typically peaks twice, once in summer and again around January That makes fall an ideal time to get a vaccine, especially because newly formulated shots protect against the latest strain. But this year new federal recommendations are complicating access. Few drugstores are carrying the vaccine in Louisiana right now, and patients are currently unable to walk in and get a shot, even if they qualify under the new rules.

That has left doctors fielding questions from patients and personal contacts alike, said Dr Margot Anderson, an infectious disease specialist at Manning Family Children’s Hospital.

“There’s a lot of unknowns for everybody, for the pharmacies, for patients, for doctors,” Anderson said. Most routine vaccines are available at pharmacies by design, because preventive wellness as opposed to seeking out care once you’re already

ä See RULES, page 5A

Judge’s

‘stolen valor’ behind recommendation for removal

Foxworth-Roberts went beyond ‘misrepresentations,’ commission says

BY ANDREA GALLO | Staff writer

Baton Rouge Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts’ repeated lack of honesty about her military service amounts to “stolen valor,” making it necessary that she be removed from the bench, according to a newly released recommendation from Louisiana’s Judiciary Commission.

Foxworth-Roberts has been under investigation by the commission for more than a year over allegations that she lied about the rank she attained in the military, the wars she served in and her military duties, which she touted to voters when they elected her as a district judge in 2020. The commission has also investigated whether Foxworth-Roberts reported a false burglary while she was campaigning that same year

ä See JUDGE, page 3A

Houthi rebels strike airport; Israel steps up Gaza City attacks

Airspace closed, flights halted according to the Israeli military

BY MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

multilayered

air defenses on Sunday and slammed into the country’s southern airport, the Israeli military said, blowing out glass windows, wounding one person and briefly shutting down commercial airspace.

The damage to Ramon airport appeared limited and flights resumed within hours.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike.

The attack follows Israeli strikes on Yemen’s rebel-held

capital that killed the Houthi prime minister and other top officials in a major escalation of the nearly 2-year-old conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group in Yemen. In Gaza City, the Israeli military on Sunday leveled another high-rise tower that

housed hundreds of displaced Palestinians and urged people to move south as it intensified its offensive on the city

Meanwhile, a breakthrough Israeli Supreme Court decision ruled that Israel was not providing Palestinian detainees in

ä Israel’s Supreme Court says Palestinian prisoners aren’t getting enough food. PAGE 2A ä See ISRAEL, page 5A

Powerball winners to split

$1.8 billion jackpot

DES MOINES,Iowa Powerball players in Missouri and Texas won the nearly $1.8 billion jackpot on Saturday, overcoming astronomical odds to end the lottery game’s three-month drought without a big winner

The winning numbers were 11, 23, 44, 61, and 62, with the Powerball number being 17.

The $1.787 billion prize, which was the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot in history, followed 41 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers. The last drawing with a jackpot winner happened May 31.

Each ticket holder will have the choice between an annuitized prize of $893.5 million or a lump sum payment of $410.3 million. Both prize options are before taxes.

Computer whiz declared first millennial saint

VATICAN CITY Pope Leo XIV declared a 15-year-old computer whiz the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint Sunday, giving the next generation of Catholics a relatable role model who used technology to spread the faith and earn the nickname “God’s influencer.”

Leo canonized Carlo Acutis who died in 2006, during an open-air Mass in St. Peter’s Square before an estimated 80,000 people, many of them millennials and couples with young children. During the first saint-making Mass of his pontificate, Leo also canonized another popular Italian figure who died young, Pier Giorgio Frassati. Leo said both men created “masterpieces” out of their lives by dedicating them to God.

“The greatest risk in life is to waste it outside of God’s plan,” Leo said in his homily. The new saints “are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”

The Turtles co-founder Mark Volman dies at 78 NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Mark Volman, a founding member of the 1960’s pop group The Turtles, whose hits include “Happy Together” and “Elenore,” died in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday after a brief, unexpected illness, according to his publicist, Ame Van Iden. He was 78. Volman was known for his exuberant stage presence and distinctive vocals. In a 1967 performance of “Happy Together” posted to YouTube, Volman wears bright orange and dances around with a French horn that he doesn’t appear to play, but does place on bandmate Howard Kaylan’s head. The Turtles broke up in 1970 during an acrimonious split with their label, and a contract clause would not allow the members to perform under their own names. So Volman and Kaylan reinvented themselves as the duo Flo & Eddie, earning a reputation for their humor and versatility They toured with Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, created background vocals for Bruce Springsteen, and wrote music for television shows like “Strawberry Shortcake.”

“Always funny always upbeat, and a spirited and inventive performer, we will miss him greatly,” Evan Cohen, Volman’s attorney and longtime friend, posted to Facebook. He wrote that Volman and Kaylan set an example by advocating for the rights of musicians in owning their recordings and band names. They eventually regained control of The Turtles’ music and name and began touring again.

Thousands bid farewell to Giorgio Armani

MILAN Thousands of admirers paid their last respects over the weekend to Giorgio Armani, remembered by Milan’s mayor as a “man of extraordinary elegance” who left an indelible mark on the city and the global fashion world. Armani died Thursday at 91 at his home in Italy’s fashion capital surrounded by loved ones having worked until his final days, according to his fashion house. One of his final projects was a runway show marking 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani brand which is due to close Milan Fashion Week later this month.

More than 15,000 mourners filed over two days through the Armani theater normally dedicated to previewing runway collections.

Israel’s high court rebukes officials

Government ordered to improve nutrition for Palestinian prisoners

BY NATALIE MELZER Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday ruled that the government has failed to provide Palestinian security prisoners with adequate food for basic subsistence and ordered authorities to improve their nutrition.

The decision was a rare case in which the country’s highest court ruled against the government’s conduct during the nearly two-year war

Since the war began, Israel has seized thousands of people in Gaza that it suspects of links to Hamas. Thousands have also been released without charge, often after months of detention.

Rights groups have documented widespread abuse in prisons and detention facilities, including insufficient food and health care, as well as poor sanitary conditions and beatings In March, a 17-year-old

Palestinian boy died at an Israeli prison and doctors said starvation was likely the main cause of death.

Sunday’s ruling came in response to a petition brought last year by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Israeli rights group Gisha. The groups alleged that a change in the food policy enacted after the war in Gaza began has caused prisoners to suffer malnutrition and starvation.

Last year, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the prison system, boasted that he had reduced the conditions of security prisoners to what he described as the bare minimum required by Israeli law

In Sunday’s ruling, the panel of three justices ruled unanimously that the state is legally obligated to provide prisoners with enough food to ensure “a basic level of existence.”

In the 2-1 ruling, the justices said they found “in-

dications that the current food supply to prisoners does not sufficiently guarantee compliance with the legal standard.” They said they had found “real doubts” that prisoners were eating properly, and ordered the prison service to “take steps to ensure the supply of food that allows for basic subsistence conditions in accordance with the law.”

Ben-Gvir, who leads a small far-right ultranationalist party, lashed out at the ruling, saying that while Israeli hostages in Gaza have no one to help them, Israel’s Supreme Court “to our disgrace” is defending Hamas militants. He said the policy of providing prisoners with “the most minimal conditions stipulated by the law” would continue unchanged.

ACRI called for the verdict to be implemented immediately In a post on X, it said the prison service has “turned Israeli prisons into torture camps.”

“A state does not starve people,” it said. “People do not starve people — no matter what they have done.”

Ukraine government building damaged in Russian attack

BY SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Russia hit Ukraine’s capital with drone and missiles Sunday in the largest aerial attack since the war began, killing four people across the country and damaging a key government building.

Russia attacked with 810 drones and decoys, Ukraine’s air force said, adding it shot down 747 drones and four missiles.

Associated Press reporters saw a plume of smoke rising from the roof of Kyiv’s government headquarters. It was not immediately clear if the smoke was the result of a direct hit or debris, which would mark an escalation in Russia’s air campaign, which has so far spared government buildings in the city center

The building is the home of Ukraine’s Cabinet and its ministers Police blocked access to the building as fire trucks and ambulances arrived.

Yuriy Ihnat, an air force spokesperson, confirmed to The Associated Press that Sunday’s attack was the largest Russian drone strike since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia also launched 13 missiles. Hits from nine missiles and 54 drones were recorded at 33 locations across Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

said that four people were killed and 44 wounded. He said he spoke on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron about the attack.

“Together with France, we are preparing new measures to strengthen our defense,” Zelenskyy said.

Marcon earlier on Sunday accused Russia of “striking indiscriminately” and said Moscow “is locking itself ever deeper into the logic of war and terror.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned the attack. “These cowardly strikes show that Putin believes he can act with impunity He is not serious about peace. Now, more than ever, we must stand firm in our support for Ukraine and its sovereignty,” Starmer said in a statement.

In the Ukrainian capital, the attack killed two people and wounded 20 others, according to city officials.

Those killed were a mother and her 3-monthold child, whose bodies were dug out of the rubble, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration. At least 10 locations in Kyiv were damaged, he added. Direct drone hits struck a ninestory residential building in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district and a four-story residential building in

President Donald Trump watches a match between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner at the U.S Open on Sunday in New york.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

Trump’s U.S. Open visit sparks boos, long security lines

BY WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

NEW YORK President Donald Trump was loudly booed at the men’s final of the U.S. Open on Sunday, where extra security caused by his visit led to lines long enough that many people missed the start of play, even after organizers delayed it. Wearing a suit and long red tie, Trump briefly emerged from his suite about 45 minutes before the match started and heard a mix of boos and cheers from an Arthur Ashe Stadium that was still mostly empty No announcement proceeded his appearance, and it was brief enough that some in the crowd missed it. Trump appeared again to more boos before the national anthem. Standing in salute, the president was shown briefly on the arena’s big screens during the anthem, and offered a smirk that briefly made the boos louder When the anthem was over, the Republican pointed to a small group of supporters seated nearby, then sat on the suite’s balcony to watch the match intently He mostly didn’t applaud, even following major points that energized the rest of the crowd as Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz bested Jannik Sinner of Italy Trump was shown on the big screen again after the first set ended, and elicited a roar of louder boos and some piercing whistles. He raised his left fist in salute as the noise continued in the stadium, which with a capacity of 24,000 is one of

the largest in tennis. The president later moved back inside the suite, where he was seen seated at a table with family members and appeared to be eating, but he was back in his seat shortly before match point. Cameras briefly flashed on Trump as Alcaraz celebrated, but his reaction to the conclusion was as muted as it had been throughout most of the match. This time, there was little crowd reaction, too. Organizers pushed the start of the match back half an hour to give people more time to pass through enhanced screening checkpoints reminiscent of security at airports. Still, thousands of increasingly frustrated fans remained in line outside as the match got underway Many seats, especially those in upper rows, stayed empty for nearly an hour

The Secret Service issued a statement saying that protecting Trump “required a comprehensive effort” and noting that it “may have contributed to delays for attendees.”

“We sincerely thank every fan for their patience and understanding,” it said. Trump attended the final as a guest of Rolex, despite imposing steep tariffs on the Swiss watchmaker’s home country The U.S. Tennis Association also tried to limit negative reaction to Trump’s attendance being shown on ABC’s national telecast, saying in a statement before play began: “We regularly ask our broadcasters to refrain from showcasing off-court disruptions.”

Darnytskyi district.

“I just have no more words left to express what I feel towards Russia,” said Olha, a 77-year-old Kyiv resident whose apartment was damaged. She didn’t give her last name. “Although I’m an ethnic Russian myself, from outside Moscow And I’ve never thought my people would be capable of this.”

Zelenskyy called for sanctions on Russia and for strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses.

“Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have started long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war,” he said. “The world can force the Kremlin criminals to stop killing; only political will is needed.”

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posted a video of herself inside the damaged government building, where she said a fire covering 8,600 square feet was put out.

“For the first time since the start of full-scale invasion, Russians struck our government headquarters in the center of Kyiv,” she said.

“It looks like Russia is not seeking peace and is not ready for negotiations. We call our partners to help close our sky Let’s strengthen sanctions against Russia. Let’s create the security guarantees system that will help stop the enemy,” she said.

Chicago churches urge calm resistance

City bracing for influx of federal agents

BY SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press

CHICAGO The Rev Mar-

shall Hatch Sr urged congregants of a prominent Black church on Chicago’s West Side to carry identification, stay connected to family and protest as the city readied for an expected federal intervention.

“You need to start telling people about your whereabouts, so you don’t disappear,” Hatch said during Sunday services at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church. “We’re not going to despair We’re not going to feel threatened. We’re not going to give up and give in to fascism and authoritarianism.”

As Chicago braced for an

JUDGE

Continued from page 1A

But the Judiciary Commission has now taken the extraordinarily rare step of telling the Louisiana Supreme Court that it should strip Foxworth-Roberts of her judgeship. The state’s high court has not removed a judge from office in 16 years

The last judge to get the boot was Jefferson Parish District Judge Joan Benge in 2009 after she was caught on FBI wiretaps during a corruption investigation into the 24th Judicial District courthouse called “Wrinkled Robe.” Benge did not face criminal charges in the case.

Since then, the Judiciary Commission has recommended less harsh sanctions for judges who have been arrested for sexual battery, barked expletives from the bench and abused their power to hold people in contempt of court.

Foxworth-Roberts’ behavior, however, rises to a level deserving of the strongest discipline, the Judiciary Commission wrote in court filings. The judge appeared before the commission in May to defend herself, answering questions and arguing that she should be allowed to stay on the bench

Those explanation s “strained the limits of credulity,” the commission found

“She was dishonest and misleading, failed to disclose or provide relevant information, and obfuscated the truth, as demonstrated throughout this recommendation,” it wrote

The Louisiana Supreme Court ultimately has the power to impose discipline and does not have to follow the commission’s recommendation In 2013, for example, the commission recommended that the high court strip the judgeship of Leo Boothe of Catahoula and

immigration enforcement crackdown and a possible National Guard deployment, churches across the city turned up their response from the pulpit. Some worked to quell fears about detention and deportation while others addressed the looming possibility of more law enforcement on the streets of the nation’s third-largest city.

President Donald Trump has threatened federal intervention in Democratic strongholds, most recently warning apocalyptic force could be used in Chicago to fight crime and step up deportations. He’s repeatedly cited the expected plans over fierce objections from local leaders and many residents who call it unnecessary and unwanted.

While fears have been high in immigrant circles since Trump took office the second time, the threat of more federal agencies and

Concordia parishes.

Boothe was accused of softening the sentence for a drug conviction in exchange for receiving incriminating information about a judicial rival The Supreme Court instead ordered a one-year suspension without pay.

‘Misrepresentations’

In Foxworth-Roberts’ case, the commission has seized on campaign advertisements that said she was a veteran of three wars Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan — and attained the rank of captain. But she was just 16 years old during Desert Storm and never reached the level of captain.

While Foxworth-Roberts did serve in the military, she was not deployed overseas, nor did she spend time in a combat role. Instead, she was a medical laboratory assistant who focused on blood grouping, collecting and processing, according to her military records

“Here, Judge FoxworthRoberts has gone beyond mere misrepresentations that misled the public: she created a campaign sign falsely stating she was a U.S. Army Captain, she paid for multiple campaign ads that repeated this lie (which also led to endorsements that repeated this lie), she falsely conveyed to voters that she was a combat veteran of three wars, and she lied to a police officer about where her car break-in occurred,” the commission wrote It also criticized her response to questions about advertisements in which the judge wore military gear describing herself as “no stranger to being on the front lines during the call of duty.”

When commission members asked her about the ads, “she digressed into a long, irrelevant narrative about how she was a victim to criminal activity while campaigning, in which she stated: ‘It’s hard to be out in the middle of an urban city or an inner

troops has also inflamed tensions, particularly in Black and Latino communities where trust in police is fragile.

Among the church attendees was Lester Burks, a 74-year-old U.S. Army veteran who said a military presence in Chicago would be threatening.

“I don’t want soldiers here,” he said. “They are trained to fight.”

Sanctuary cities targeted

Details on the expected intervention have been sparse, including its focus and when it’s expected to begin. Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that federal law enforcement action will come to Chicago this week. He also promised more worksite enforcement operations like the massive one at a Hyundai plant in Georgia.

“You can expect action in

city especially as a female, campaigning and you are constantly being met with danger or criminal activity.’”

The recommendation noted that several members of the Judiciary Commission served in the military, and that they appreciate the roles of other members who work as lab assistants and nurses. But they said they could not understand why FoxworthRoberts did not promote the service she performed, but instead used misleading words and images that gave the impression she was a combat veteran.

In her testimony, Foxworth-Roberts said that because she treated Gulf War veterans in the early 1990s at Walter Reed Medical Center, she believed she played a supporting role in Desert Storm.

Answers not credible

The commission also found Foxworth-Roberts untruthful about a burglary she reported while campaigning in 2020 in Baton Rouge She told police it happened in her driveway, but later told her insurance company that it happened miles away when her parked car was broken into as she campaigned. Foxworth-Roberts estimated that she had $40,000 worth of jewelry and other goods stolen from her car “In an apparent attempt to downplay the effect that her failure to disclose the correct burglary location could have had on the police investigation, Judge FoxworthRoberts also tried to muddle the facts during the hearing and before the commission,” the commission wrote. “She testified that her house was just ‘blocks away’ from the burglary location, despite earlier testifying and previously acknowledging that the distance was about three miles away.”

An attorney for FoxworthRoberts did not return a message Friday for this story Foxworth-Roberts’ attorneys

most sanctuary cities across the country,” he said.

The Trump administration has repeatedly targeted, and unsuccessfully sued, over Chicago’s sanctuary laws, which are among the strongest in the nation. His administration launched a nationwide immigration enforcement operation in the city in January

There is no official definition for sanctuary policies or sanctuary cities. The terms generally describe limits on local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE enforces U.S. immigration laws nationwide but sometimes seeks state and local help.

This time, the Department of Homeland Security plans to use a military base north of the city and has alerted leaders of another suburb that they’ll use a federal immigration processing center there for an opera-

previously told the Judiciary Commission that while the judge had committed failures in judgment, they were not failures of character

The commission ruled 11-2 in favor of recommending that Foxworth-Roberts be removed from the bench. It also recommended that she reimburse commission costs of more than $9,000.

The Judiciary Commission cited a California case in which Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patrick Couwenberg lost his robe. Couwenberg was accused of spreading a pattern of lies about his credentials, including that he was a Vietnam War veteran who received a Purple Heart In Benge’s case, the Louisiana Supreme Court said removal of an elected judge must be “not simply to punish an individual judge, but to purge the judiciary of any taint.”

tion that’ll potentially last 45 days. Meanwhile, Trump has said he might send National Guard troops to New Orleans before Chicago.

Trump has already deployed the National Guard into Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., where he’s also federalized the police force.

A federal judge has ruled the Los Angeles deployment is illegal.

“We don’t need another level of law enforcement and their presence to pretend they’re going to solve problems related to violence,”

U.S. Rep Danny Davis, a Democrat, said at a Sunday news conference with other Black elected leaders on the city’s West Side.

Most of Chicago’s nearly 3 million people are Black or Latino. New Mount Pilgrim is located in the city’s West Garfield Park neighborhood, a largely Black neigh-

borhood which has faced persistent crime and years of disinvestment, including five schools near the church that closed in 2013 as part of the largest mass public closure in U.S. history The church has often called for action against street violence even as Chicago’s rates of violent crime have dropped substantially in recent years as part of a national trend. Its large stained glass art installations depict the lives of slaves and memorialize Black people killed by violence. On Sunday, the church celebrated the groundbreaking of a nearby arts and activism center it said was part of the solution.

“We’re not calling for military, we’re calling for resources,” Hatch told congregants. “We know that there is a correlation between resources and violence.”

Livingston ParishLibrary

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Thedeadlinefor vendorstosubmitquestionswillbe September26,2025,at2:00p.m.CST.Questionsshould be submittedtothe contactpersonlistedinthe posted RFP.Answers to questionswillbepostedtothe USAC portal on September29, 2025. Thedeadlinefor vendors to submit proposalsisOctober 10, 2025, by 2:00 p.m. CST. Proposalsmustbeuploadedtothe linkinthe posted RFP

Allbiddersmustbeauthorizedresellers of products andservices requested. CompleteBidding Documents forthisprojectare availableinelectronicform. They maybeobtainedwithout charge andwithout deposit from EducationalConsultingAssociatesIncorporated by emailinglydia@ecserate.org. Allcorrespondence must be submittedinwriting.Printed copies arenot available. TheOwner reserves theright to rejectany andall bids forjustcause.Inaccordance with La.R.S 38:2212(B)(1),the provisions andrequirements of this sectionand thosestatedinthe bidding documentsshall notbewaivedbyany entity

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For Moncrief and others who lived through it, Rita was the first time they experienced firsthand the vulnerabilities of living in southwest Louisiana during hurricane season.

The storm uprooted trees, splintered utility poles, peeled roofs from homes and shattered windows. The days to follow were long and hot, filled with swarms of mosquitoes and limited access to water The nights were dark and quiet in an evacuated city that was without electricity

“I had to navigate where to start, what to do,” Moncrief said. “We had never had anything like it before, so it was a first. It was surreal because we evacuated several times prior, but nothing ever happened.”

‘Like a war zone’

Just a few weeks before Rita threatened southwest Louisiana, Moncrief and her neighbors watched on TV the horrors that unfolded in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

Moncrief, who works in human resources, had donated clothing and other essentials to Katrina evacuees staying at the Lake Charles Civic Center But the mass of evacuees who descended on Lake Charles would soon have to leave again as Rita approached southwest Louisiana.

It was a one-two punch for the state still reeling from Katrina while Rita strengthened to the strongest hurricane recorded in the Gulf.

Moncrief and her family headed to a friend’s house in Minden, about 30 minutes east of Shreveport, where Moncrief enrolled her nieces in school. They didn’t return to Lake Charles to assess the damage for about six weeks. They found their house full of mold, rain having poured into every room through a leaky roof. It would be another year before they could rebuild and move back.

Although Moncrief felt overwhelmed, she remembers the outpouring of help from church groups companies and other organizations that stepped in after Rita.

In a matter of weeks, she’d gone from sharing with other storm evacuees to being on the receiving end of donated laundry detergent and clothes.

Southwest Louisiana had largely been spared the worst effects of hurricanes for decades before Rita, and hadn’t seen a significant storm since Hurricane Audrey in 1957. With Katrina fresh in their minds, residents took the mandatory evacuation order seriously ahead of Rita.

Randy Roach, who was mayor of Lake Charles at the time, remembered trying to figure out where to spend the night as the storm approached. The sheriff offered Roach and City Hall staff space at the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center

The mayor slept for a few hours in an empty jail cell

vey the city and jot down a list of problems for his team to address. He soon ditched that plan after he couldn’t make it more than a few hundred yards down the streets.

“We’d have to go through somebody’s yard or take another street because there was so much debris and buildings and just damage in the streets,” he said.

The team instead focused on clearing major northsouth and east-west streets so emergency vehicles could travel. Restoring access to water was the next priority, and critical to keeping hospitals open. Roots from toppled trees had ripped through thousands of water and sewer lines across the city

“At that point, I realized how vital a water system is to a community,” Edwards said.

to be cautious while patrolling. Even with headlights, it would be easy for them to crash into a downed tree or utility pole without the usual lighting illuminating landmarks.

“I’ve lived here all my life,” Mancuso said “And I could go down the street and get disoriented because it was so dark.”

‘A paradigm shift’

While Katrina was the storm that initially overshadowed Rita, Hurricane Laura’s direct hit on southwest Louisiana in 2020 has also lingered over the region.

Both Rita and Laura left a wake of destruction.

Rita strengthened to a Category 5 in the Gulf but downgraded to a Category 3 by the time it made landfall near the Louisiana-Texas border Laura, on the other hand, made landfall as a Category 4 in Cameron Parish.

Rita had a higher storm surge on the coast, but the winds from Laura reached much higher intensity in Lake Charles.

Laura’s timing also coincided with a streak of other disasters, hitting while the country was still in the

throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. And six weeks after Laura, another hurricane hit southwest Louisiana. Hurricane Delta, a Category 2 storm, exacerbated the region’s struggle to recover after Laura.

Though Delta was a lower grade storm, roadside debris remaining from Laura flew through air, turning into projectiles while rainwater poured into blue tarped roofs.

In the eyes of many who experienced all of the storms, Laura was more destructive, but Rita was more of a shock.

“Coming back to Laura, it wasn’t as devastating as Rita,” Moncrief said. “It just wasn’t because you knew what could happen.”

They also learned how to accept help after Rita for the first time, she said. When her mother saw her doctor using a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program card at the grocery store after Rita, it was the first time she considered using her own. Her mother died in 2013.

“It was just a paradigm shift for everybody on how to navigate through this process,” she said.

‘I still want to cry’

While Moncrief’s family was able to rebuild after Rita, their house was a total loss after Laura. Moncrief still vividly remembers watching construction workers tear down the home she grew up in.

“Even now, I still want to cry,” Moncrief said, while fighting back tears. “All of your memories, the place we called home, your place of solace, it was gone and it wasn’t going to be there anymore.

“But if I had to reflect even further, the positive piece of it is that I am the house,” she added. “I am the memories. They don’t go away They stay with me.”

A streak of bad luck continued in Lake Charles after Laura hit. A freeze in February 2021 put additional strain on the storm-ravaged water system.

Just as Moncrief made

progress on rebuilding her home, floods inundated the region in May 2021. They washed away $15,000 of dirt work.

Moncrief decided it was time to move on and purchased a new home in a different neighborhood, though she stayed in Lake Charles. Despite the obstacles, community members say they found hope in the volunteers who descended on the community after the storms. About 5,000 volunteers showed up in the weeks after Laura while donations poured in from all 50 states and 10 countries.

The most meaningful donation after Laura for the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana came in the form of $3 cash without a return address.

“We’ll never know how valuable those $3 were to that person,” said Sara Judson, the foundation’s president and CEO. “But they cared about us in southwest Louisiana enough to wrap it up and get an envelope and a stamp and send it to the Community Foundation.” There were also moments of laughter in the days and months to follow — from the portable restroom that landed in the Judson family’s driveway, which they decorated and invited people to use during storm recovery, to the blue tarp capes donned by Mardi Gras royalty

Moncrief, who recently earned a doctorate in public policy credits her faith as the reason she’s been able to rebuild her life after both storms.

Still, she prays nearly every day that southwest Louisiana won’t face that kind of devastation again.

“I’m not going in with rosecolored glasses,” she said. “I’m going in with some lived experiences — some great, some not so great. But with any adversity I think that you’re only as prepared as you think you are. You just don’t know what you don’t know, right?”

Email

as the winds tore through the city in the early morning hours of Sept. 24, 2005.

He woke up to a city that had been torn apart

“There was debris everywhere,” Roach said. “It looked like a war zone.”

‘It was dark. It was quiet.’

As daybreak arrived, Mister Edwards, who was the city’s public works director hit the road.

“The wind was still so bad you couldn’t read a street sign,” Edwards said. “It was vibrating so bad, you couldn’t tell what it said.” Edwards intended to sur-

Southwest Louisiana leaders urged residents to stay away in the initial days after the storm as essential workers tried to bring critical infrastructure back online They implemented a “look and leave” plan that allowed residents and business owners to visit and assess damage without putting unnecessary strain on the region’s limited resources.

The nights immediately after the storm were dark and quiet.

“It was devastating and eerie in the beginning,” said Westlake Mayor Hal McMillian, who was parish president during Rita. “It was dark. It was quiet.”

Retired Sheriff Tony Mancuso warned his deputies

RULES

sick —needs to be as easy as possiblefor people to participate. Calling aroundfor availability and potentially paying out of pocket for the vaccine will discourage uptake. Anderson encourages all families to get the COVID-19 vaccine to prevent needing to see adoctor or serious illness, but says it’s achallenge for families who might be asked to pay $200 for it out of pocket.

Newrules

In prior years,COVID-19 shots were recommended for anyone 6months and older.Under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Foodand Drug Administration authorized updated COVID shots only for adults 65 and older and those with at least one health condition that puts them at higher risk for severe disease. For thefirst time, healthy youngerpeople will need aprescription to be vaccinated. In Louisiana, that change hascreated confusion. Loui-

siana pharmacy law allows pharmaciststogivevaccineswithout aprescription, as long as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committeeon Immunization Practices, or ACIP,recommends them. If the CDC removes or limitsits recommendation, pharmacists lose that authority,said Sara Al-Dahir,a vaccine researcher and clinical professor at Xavier University Adecision by ACIP is expected withina month, and it couldheavily influence whether drugstores carry theshotsand whether pediatricians will be able to give them to patients.

bothends”— unable to give vaccines without adoctor’s order,and oftenunable to bill insurerseven when one is written becausethey will not reimburse for someone who doesn’tqualify Independent drugstores also face logistical challenges.Former state Sen. Fred Mills, apharmacist in St. Martin Parish,said wholesalers require them to buy 10 vials at atime, at acost of about $1,100, with just afew weeks before expiration. Without health authorities encouraging vaccination, few people are asking for it.

No availability CVSsaid they will currently only administer shots with aprescription, though appointmentswere unavailable for any age group in Louisiana on their website Wednesday.Walgreens did not respond to questions about availability, but their website said aprescription was required in Louisiana, even for those whomeetrecommendations That leavespharmacists like Al-Dahir caught “on

“The demand has literally dried up,” Mills said. “You mightget twopeople that want it, and you end up eating eight of them.”

Health authoritiessilent

andAbrahamendedlongstanding mass vaccination efforts suchasflufairs. Recently,Abrahamcriticized the American Academy of Pediatricsfor their recommendations that all children ages 6months to 2years old be immunized for COVID-19.

Some of Louisiana’slargesthealth systems,including OchsnerHealthand LCMC Health, did not respond to que stions about whet her they are st ocking doses. Blue Cross Blue Shield, Louisiana’slargest insurer, did notrespondtoquestions about reimbursement.

At thesametime, Cassidy echoed calls fortransparency,citing President Donald Trump’sdemand last week forthe releaseofadditional vaccine data.

“Many people think they area miraclethatsaved millions of lives. Others disagree,” Trumpwrote on Truth Social. “I wantthe answer,and Iwant it NOW.”

its custody with enough food to ensure basic sustenance It ordered the state to “guarantee basic living conditions in accordance with the law” for the thousands of Palestinians in its detentionfacilities. Sunday’sruling, made in response to apetition by Israeli human rights groups alleging starvationamong Palestinians in thecountry’sprisons, marked arare instance of Israeli legal restraint on its own war policies that have drawn indignation and outrage abroad.

After Israel’skilling of Houthi PrimeMinister Ahmed al-Rahawi last Thursday,the militants vowed to escalate their attacks targeting Israel and merchant shipsnavigating the vital Red Sea trade route.

One of several Houthi drones launched from Yemen on Sunday slipped through Israel’ssophisticated defense system and crashed into the passenger terminal at the Ramon International Airport near the resort city of Eilat, the Israeli Airports Authority said, diverting flights over southern Israeland inflicting light shrapnel wounds on a63-year-old man. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group had fired eight drones at Israel to signal that the rebels “will escalate theirmilitary operations and not back downfrom their support for Gaza.” He warned that Israeli airports “are unsafe and will be continuously targeted.”

The Israeli military said it intercepted three Houthi

drones near Israel’sborder with Egypt andwas investigating why it failed to identify the fourth drone that struck Ramon airport as a threat.

The Houthis havestepped up their aerial attackson Israel in recent months, including by deployingwarheads withcluster munitions that scattersmallerbomblets over alarge area and can evade Israeli air defenses.

Saying that they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians, the Houthis began firing missiles and drones into Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel ignited the Israeli military’sdevastatingcampaign in Gaza. Hamas militants killed 1,200 people,mostly civilians,and abducted over 250 intheir assault on southern Israel Whilefrequent, the aerial attacks fromYemen have notcaused significantdamage in Israel.

Before Sunday’s assault, the most damaging Houthi attack was in May,whena Houthi missile struck near Israel’smain Ben Gurion Airport, promptinginternational airlinestocancel flights to TelAviv for months

The Israeli military said it razed another high-rise building in GazaCity on Sunday,shortly after military spokespersonAvichay Adraee ordered the evacuation of peoplefrom asevenstory building in asouthern Gaza City neighborhood and nearby tents. Al-Ra’iyaTower crumbled in aflash,its facadecascading down into a heapof rubble and sending peoplescramblingfor cover. Israel said the building targeted on Sunday had beenused byHamas forintelligence-gathering activities. Hamas denied the ac-

The Louisiana Department of Health didnot answer que stio ns about availability, guidance or cost Dr.Ralph Ab raham , the state surge on general, has often criticized the COVID-19 vaccine. Last year,LDH employees were forbiddenfrom promoting seasonal vaccines,

U.S.Sen.Bill Cassidy said the restrictions are already hurting vulnerable patients.

“There have been restrictionseffectively placed on access to COVID vaccines,” Cassidy said. “We’vegot to fix that problem.”

Dozens of studies have shown theeffectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Early clinical trialsdemonstrated high efficacy againstsymptomatic infection. As the coronavirusevolved, the drug was lesseffective, but still prevented severe illness and death. From late September2023 through August 2024, COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 107,000 hospitalizations and nearly 7,000 deaths nationwide.People who got the updated COVID-19 vaccine in fall 2024 had about a45% lower risk of being hospitalized with COVID-19 compared with people who weren’tvaccinated with that

version. ACIP is scheduled to review theCOVID-19vaccine on Sept. 18. Al-Dahir said she and her colleagues are exploring an amendment to Louisiana pharmacy regulationsthat would allow recommendations from other medical groups,suchasthe American Medical Association, to guide practice if federal guidance is lacking. Dr.NoraOates,a pediatrician at HalesPediatrics, said families are pressing her with questions she can’t answerdue to thelack of clarity “I just spoke with afamily whoiseagerly looking for the vaccine fortheir 3-yearoldbecausetheyhave an infant coming in twoweeks, andatthis point, this is a challenge,” she said. “Our patients deserverecommendations based on proper science.”

EmailEmily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.

cusation. It was unclear how many people hadbeen killed or woundedinthe attack

It’sthe third Gaza City high-rise leveledinasmany days as Israel rampsupits offensive to take control of what it portraysasHamas’ last remaining stronghold, urgingPalestinianstoflee parts of Gaza City foradesignatedhumanitarian zone in the territory’ssouth

Many Palestinians, exhausted from beingdisplaced multiple time during the war,haveoptedto stay putratherthanuproot themselves for jam-packed, increasingly unsanitary tent encampments that are unpreparedtohandle the influx. Others reluctantly fled even as past Israeliattacks on humanitarian zoneshave reinforcedthe feelingthat nowhere is safe in the enclave.

“Every time we movetoa place, we getdisplaced from it,” said Shireen Al-Lada’, who fled southfromeastern Gaza Cityafter her house in the once-bustlingurban neighborhood of Zeitoun was destroyed.

Officials at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital reported that Israeli strikes on aschoolturned-shelter andontents and apartment buildings killed at least13Palestinians,including sixchildren andthreewomen

The Israelimilitary said it was targeting militants near the school and had warned civilians to evacuate.

In central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospitalsaidithad received fivedeadbodies, including that of ayoung girl,after Israel struckagathering in the U.N.-administered Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli army did not immediately respondtoarequest for commentonthe strike

Inmate found dead at WBR jail

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

A criminal investigation is underway at the West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center after an inmate was found dead in an isolation cell Sunday morning, just days after he attacked another inmate. The death is the latest in a series of inmate deaths at the facility.

According to a Facebook release from the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, corrections officers found 26-year-old Nicholas Henderson unresponsive in his lockdown cell around 11 a.m. Sunday Henderson’s cellmate had first notified staff, who immediately attempted to administer first aid while waiting for medical personnel, the release says. Henderson was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of his death is pending an autopsy by the West Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office. Henderson was previously held with the rest of the facility’s general population until Friday, when he attacked another inmate. According to the Sheriff’s Office, that inmate is still being treated in a hospital for injuries suffered in the altercation.

After the incident, Henderson was booked with second-degree battery and transferred to a lockdown isolation cell, where he was held with another inmate. On the morning of his death, Henderson received his breakfast and showed no signs of medical distress, the release says.

Henderson’s death comes months after that of Jeremy Paul, an inmate who died at the detention center in August from a suspected drug overdose. In March, two inmates were charged in the death of another inmate, Ryan Moreau.

Sunday’s release says that in recent weeks, the Sheriff’s Office had conducted facility-wide shakedowns that resulted in multiple arrests and the removal of contraband An investigative team was assigned to the facility, and uniformed patrol deputies were to be assigned extra shifts to support correctional staff.

“Any loss of life in our custody is taken seriously We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation into this incident and continuing our efforts to enhance security measures inside our facility,” Sheriff Jeff Bergeron wrote. No further details surrounding Henderson’s death were immediately released.

Speeding

Corvette driver dies in crash, State Police say

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

Louisiana State Police are investigating a deadly crash in Ascension Parish, where a speeding Corvette on Saturday afternoon rear-ended another vehicle on Airline Highway

According to a State Police news release, around 3 p.m. Saturday, 59-year-old Jeffery Luquette, of St. Amant, was traveling north in his Corvette at high speeds when it rear-ended a Chevrolet Tahoe. The crash occurred near Airline Highway’s intersection with Pond Road in Sorrento.

State Police say the Corvette then careened off the highway and struck a tree. Luquette suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said The driver of the Tahoe suffered minor injuries as a result of the crash, the release added. Authorities do not believe either driver was impaired, but are obtaining standard toxicology samples. They emphasized that speeding and aggressive driving continue to be leading causes of fatal crashes.

METRO NEWS

Man accused of murder

Victim, 79, was his grandfather

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

A 25-year-old man admitted to shooting and killing his grandfather during an argument Saturday afternoon at their residence in Central, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. The victim was a retired police captain who had served with the Baker Police Department. Court records show that Nicho-

las Smith had been living at the home of his 79-year-old grandfather Danny Beck, since July Around 3:50 p.m. Saturday, Smith called 911, and admitted to shooting and killing Beck in the home on Crystal Drive in Central, authorities said.

Homicide detectives with the Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene, and learned that Smith and Beck had been having an argument over dinner According

to Smith’s arrest records, as the argument continued into Beck’s bedroom, Smith pulled out a gun and shot his grandfather multiple times, leaving him dead at the bedroom’s entrance.

After being transported to the Sheriff’s Office, Smith told investigators he had been living with Beck since July Smith also told police his grandfather did not pose a threat to him when he decided to shoot him, and added that after he killed Beck, he contacted family members before ultimately deciding to call police, arrest

records indicate.

Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn confirmed Beck had served as a captain for the Baker Police Department, but retired before Dunn began working there. Dunn said the two became friends later on, as Beck continued to support the law enforcement community throughout his retirement.

Smith was booked Saturday into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count each of firstdegree murder and illegal use of weapons.

‘If we don’t tell it, nobody will’

Descendants of enslaved gather for reunion

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

The spiritual guide Kalindah Laveaux tossed cleansing water on the ground outside the Allendale Cabin at the West Baton Rouge Museum, each pour a remembrance for the ancestors.

“We want to give honor to those who did not make it and passed during the journey, ashe,” she said, ending her blessings Sunday with the Yoruba concept of “amen.”

“We want to give honor to all of those who suffered, and to this we say never, never again, ashe.”

“Ashe,” the crowd called back.

Sunday’s ritual marked both a solemn occasion, as descendants of enslaved people from Allendale and Westover plantations reunited to tell stories and bless the cabin where many of their ancestors had lived during enslavement.

It was a celebratory moment, too a time to eat and drink, listen to gospel and blues music and commemorate the triumphs over adversity of those who came before.

“I’m so glad to see everybody coming together,” said Booker Washington, who lived on Allendale Plantation until he was 4 years old. “Everybody here hasn’t forgotten where they come from.”

The West Baton Rouge Museum hosted the Allendale-Westover Reunion to provide a space for reflection and healing, as well as give descendants a chance to share primary source materials with the museum for an ongoing project documenting the history of the community

Historian Shelton Berry spearheaded the initiative so the ancestors’ stories, often passed down orally and thus more likely to be lost over time, can be preserved. His journey with the Allendale-Westover community began after a failed petition in 2020 to remove the statue of Louisiana Con-

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

A 64-pound silver statue of Abraham Lincoln isn’t what one usually expects to find in a Southern plantation. But at the Houmas House, a 250-year-old Greek revival mansion situated on a former sugar cane plantation in Ascension Parish, it was an unexpected piece of charm visitors had come to love, said Kevin Kelly, a retired businessman who bought the property in 2003.

The 16-inch-by-10-inch solid silver statue, depicting Lincoln sitting on a bench in quiet contemplation, was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, made world famous for carving Mount Rushmore The story goes that a New Orleans oil magnate had received the statue from the renowned sculptor after donating $160,000 to one of Borglum’s fundraisers. To appease his angry wife, the rich oilman told her the statue cost only $1,200. After the man’s death, the widow set the statue out at a garage sale, asking for the same modest price.

Kelly, who built much of his wealth in New Orleans real estate, recognized a bargain, and the statue rested in the mansion for 22 years.

“When a husband lies to his wife,

federate Gov Henry Watkins Allen from the public square across from the West Baton Rouge Parish Courthouse.

When the Parish Council rejected the measure, he turned his attention away from Allen and toward the laborers who toiled on the former governor’s land. Sunday’s reunion was the culmination of five years of oral histories and research.

“History and the ancestors have a way of making things come full circle,” Berry said. “I never thought, one, that I would be at the museum telling this story, but two, planning a reunion five years later.”

‘No guilt and no shame’

Along with the dedication of the Allendale Cabin, attendees experienced live performances from the Arthur and Friends Community Gospel Choir and legendary Louisiana bluesman Kenny Neal.

The crowd clapped and sang along. Many wore bright yellow shirts containing the phrase “link to our past.”

his wife gets even,” said Kelly “People just remember that story, it’s a beautiful piece, everybody enjoyed it.”

But on Sunday when housekeepers arrived on the property at 8 a.m., Honest Abe had vanished. In his place sat shards of glass, broken from a nearby window just an arm’s length from the statue, which Kelly estimates is now worth between $80,000 and $100,000.

According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, whose property crimes detectives are investigating the incident, a smaller statue outside the mansion was used to break the window sometime after 7:30 p.m., when the last tour of the evening concluded. Kelly believes somebody or a group of people, then reached through the opening and somehow purloined the cumbersome relic no easy task but also not impossible.

“It’s not that large. It was easily done,” said Kelly As for bypassing security, Kelly noted that only a 4-foot fence separates the public from the front of the 10,000-acre estate. The mansion’s heat-sensitive motion detectors never activated during the burglary likely because it’s believed no one actually entered the house. A

“If you look around to the society today, what’s happening in the world, they’re trying to erase history,” attendee Stacie Tircuit said. “If we don’t tell it, nobody will. We have to be able to tell it and share it, so no matter if they take it out of the libraries or out of wherever, we know the truth.”

Kathe Hambrick who curated several permanent exhibits at the museum before joining the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, brought up the idea of “history is what it was” a phrase from an old student of hers. “We can’t do anything about it,” she said, but preserve that history and learn from it for the next generation.

“These types of exhibits should bring us closer as Americans so that we can discuss the history,” Hambrick said. “Museums are safe places for us to have discussions about race. I think that’s what you’re going to see here today, people having discussions in a safe place as neighbors with no guilt and no shame.”

pair of arms dangling through the window was evidently not enough to trigger the sensors.

A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office also confirmed cameras were not working the night of the heist. Kelly said a power outage had knocked them offline that night and they never reset. It was a job that would have otherwise appeared well executed if it weren’t for one misstep: The thieves abandoned the statue they used to shatter the window, which among other evidence, is now being analyzed for DNA, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

As the investigation continues, Kelly is hopeful his property will be returned, in part because selling a stolen, rare piece of history isn’t easy

“There aren’t many of these,” said Kelly “Honorable pawn and salvage shops are going to know this is a stolen item.”

He said someone could, in theory, melt the solid silver to sell as scrap.

However, the metal’s melting point of over 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit would present a substantial hurdle for the average thief.

As Kelly waits, he isn’t giving much heed to various rumors circulating on Facebook, suggesting the theft wasn’t the work of an ordinary

burglar

“I don’t suspect it to be an inside job. It was probably somebody who visited and liked the story,” said Kelly. “Hopefully they’ll wake up tomorrow morning and realize what they’ve done.”

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information about the statue’s whereabouts to contact them at (225) 6214636 or by texting 847411. Tips can be submitted anonymously Tips can also be sent to Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-STOP (7867) or online at www.crimestoppers225. com. To be eligible for a cash reward, you must contact Crime Stoppers directly

BatonRouge,LAora chari-

Stuart Jr., William Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBoulevard, at 11 a.m.

Wallace, Henry Parkview BaptistChurch at 11am Obituaries

Livers Jr., George Lee

George Lee Livers Jr ,a resident of Baton Rouge, passed away on August 28th. He was 99 years of age, born December 21, 1925. Georgewas one of our country's last living WWII veterans. George grew up in the east Texas town of Marshallwhere he graduated from high school whereupon he immediately enlisted to serve in the Army's Air Corps in November 1944. After training as aB-17 tail gun-

He survived 4 "Forced landings," one after being downed in the North Sea, and anotherin Poland where he was listed as MIA for over three months. He evaded capture and finally found his way through enemy territory to allied soldiers. He later returned to the 487th and then to the U.S. He was blessed to return home as only 25% of the Eighth Air Force survived the war.He

was reluctant to sharehis experiences of the war until much later on in life, which is now much appreciatedbyhis family. He was atrueherotous. George returnedtoEast Texas wherehereconnected with the love of hislife, Doris MarieBrooks. They carriedona long-distance relationship fora short period as Doris attended Texas Tech in Lubbock and heattended the University of SouthLouisiana in Lafayette. They weremarried on December 28, 1950 in Marshall, Texas and they moved to Dallas, Texas where he attended and receiveda degree from SMU. They welcomed ababy boy into the family, George L. Livers, IIIand shortly thereafter returned to Shreveport, LA formost of his remaining life. Once back in Shreveport, Mary Lynn Livers, "The appleof his eye" joinedthe family and theysettled into west Shreveport and wereactive members ofSt. Theresa'sCatholic Church. George was an employee of United Gas Pipeline Company in Shreveport from 1952until hisretirement in 1987.Georgewas a man of faith and quietly contributedinvarious ways in his church communitiesover the years. Whether serving as an usher, areader,ormaking visitsto"theold people" in nursing homes, he was there whenneeded. In addition, both Doris and George made whatever sacrifices necessarytoensure their kids received a catholic education. In 1975, he and Doris movedwith the company to Houston wherethey livedfor 20 years. It was here theyenjoyedavibrant life and enjoyedentertaining their niece and nephews as well as many LSUgrads from Mary's LSU days. Together they weregenerous and loved being around afun crowd of young people theyloved like their own. After both retired, they movedback to Shreveport in 1995 to reconnect with friends and to be closerto family (sisters Margie Whitehurstand Martha Wynn, and Bill Whitehurst, nephew).In2013,they movedtoBaton Rouge to be closer to theirdaughter. George was known to be a quietintellectual,with an impressive amount of "useless" knowledge that gave him the abilitytoanswermost of the questions on "Jeopardy". He also possesseda keen sense of h hi h h d li d

humor which he delivered with astraightface in a dryand understated manner. Georgewas an alltime favorite uncle, surrogate father, and loving friend to many. He sincerely demonstratedcare and kindness in allofhis significant relationshipsand showed all who knew him how to ageinplace with gratitude, kindness, acceptance, and grace. Georgeis survivedbyhis son, GeorgeLee Livers IIIof Manor, Texas;his daughters Mary Liversand Penny Frazier of BatonRouge. He was especiallyclose with his sister-in-law, Martha Wynn, nephews Bobby Wynn, John Wynn, and family,from Austin, Texas and niece MarySusan Wynn and sonEmmitt from Ft.Collins, Co,who loved their UncleGeorgetothe moonand back.They spent countless hours making theirway to Baton Rouge for frequent visits and lots of laughs.Inaddition, Georgeconsidered Stafford Johnsonone of his daughters and enjoyed the loyal friendshipsofour BatonRouge friends Nellie Gonsoulin, Nancy Gautreau, Adrienne Clark Allen, John and Karen Church, Lynne and Charles Stubbs. Our family also appreciates many friendswe haveall over thecountry, especially Nancy Quinn and Sue Goza, who have offered love and support throughout George's later years. He was preceded in death by his parents GeorgeL.Livers Sr, and Nellie HillofMarshall, Texas,and his wife of 66 years, DorisBrooks Livers. Visitation willbeobserved at SacredHeart Catholic Church on September 11, 2025 from 10:00 to 11:00. A mass of Christianburial willfollow at 11:00, celebrated by Father Josh Johnson. Interment will take place in Marshall, Texas at atime to be determined.The family wouldliketoexpress gratitude to themany wonderful staff at theHolly Court Assisted Living who took care of him, especially Veronica Murphy and MichelleRaymond,and Nurse SharonWalker. Also, thank youtoIngridHildago at Audubon Hospice for her loving, excellent care. For those wantingtohonor his life,pleaseconsiderdonating in his name to SacredHeart CatholicSchool, h i

ty of your choosing

(Wanda); 1sister, Linda Harris; anda host of other relatives andfriends.She was preceded in deathby her father,Richard LeeSr., mother, Thelma R. Lee, brother,RobertShannon, sister, Mary Lee, niece Demetrius Leeand grand‐son,Brandon Ordone.Visi‐tationwillbeheldon Wednesday,September 10 from10amuntil serviceat 11amatSaintsville C.O.G.I.C 8930 PlankRd. In‐terment will be in Southern MemorialGardens.Repast immediatelyafter burial at SaintsvilleC.O.G.I.C

Darsey,Jessie Slaughter FirstBaptistChurch at 11am Lee, Timothy LandmarkChurch of Christ, Montgomery,AL at 11am Stewart, Odres

Rebecca LeePierson,a residentofBaton Rouge, diedonTuesday,Septem‐ber 2, 2025 at age73. She leavestocherish memo‐riesofher from herhus‐band, ShermanPierson;3 daughters,ChernikaOr‐done(Taisean),Kisha James,and KarlaJones (Quinless);3 stepchildren KimberlyMcCoy,Christo‐pherMcCoy andJamar Pierson;ninegrandchil‐dren; 4great-grandchil‐dren; twobrothers, Richard LeeJr. andDonaldLee

OdresStewart was born to thelateRosetta Stewart on March21,1953 in Baton Rouge,Louisiana. Odres transitionedtohis heavenly home on Friday August 29, 2025.

Odres memories shall be forever cherished by his son Troy Mitchell Sr(Christina) andDaughter Emer DioneTurner (Ronald)ofBaton Rouge, La. six grandchildrenDeQuincy, DaVonte, andCiara Bell, Troy MitchellJr, Desmond Turnerand Jeriyielle Davis of Baton Rouge,La. six great grandchildrenBaton Rouge La. siblings are AngelGreen of Fresno Texas, Cotis Stewart of Kent Washington andTemetraThorntonof Baton Rouge,La. sister-inlaw Carolyn Stewart. Devotedfriend Viola Duncan. He wasprecededin death by motherRosetta Stewart, brotherOlander Stewart andgrandparents Willie andOdella Stewart 3uncles and3 aunts. Afuneralservice will be held at 11:00 AM on 2025-09-09 at Ministry of NewBeginnings, 5925 North Foster Dr

Congress hasthe powertostop judges from interfering on Ten Commandments laws

When our Founders drafted the Constitution, they intended that Congress would keep the judiciary as the “least powerful” branch of government and see to itthat judges “should be bound down by strict rules and precedentswhich serve to define their duty.” (Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 78). Accordingly,the Constitution in Article I, Section 8, states: “The Congress shall have power to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court.” Article III, Section1states: “The judicial powerofthe United States, shall be vested in one SupremeCourt, andinsuch inferior courtsasthe Congress may from time totime ordain and establish.” Section 2 states“with suchexceptions and under such regulations asCongress shall make.”

In summary,all federal courts except the Supreme Court were created by Congress, which defined their powers and proscribed what kind of casesthey can hear —and Congress can make exceptions to the types of cases the Supreme Court can decide.

Phyllis Schlafly’sbook, “The Supremacists,” points out the judicial misconduct takingplace all over the country where federaljudges have declaredthat thedisplay of the TenCommandments in public schools or buildings is unconstitutional “under thepretense that any mention of Godviolates the First Amendment, which states: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’”Importantly,she states, “the acknowledgment of God in the TenCommandments is not an ‘establishment of religion’— Congress has neverpassed alaw banning the acknowledgment of God —and that Congressshould pass alaw to clarify that the courts (federal and Supreme) do NOT have jurisdiction over public acknowledgment of God.”

Now it’stime for Congress to use its constitutional powers over thejudiciary to protect religious freedom under the First Amendment.

STEVE GARDES Lafayette

Nurse-midwives thekey to better maternal outcomes

Iread the recent piece on nurse-midwives in the Aug. 10 Healthsection with great enthusiasm.Inmy23years as acertified nurse-midwife, Ihave lived the responsibility,the joy,the heartbreak and the humbling privilege that comes with being “with women” (the literal meaning of the word midwife) Nurse-midwives are educated in two disciplines, nursing and midwifery,and must have aminimum of amaster’sdegree in nursing to take thenational certification exam. Though some CNMs attend births in clients’ homes, the majority of CNMs practice in hospitals and birth centers. Iinvite readerstoexamine thewealth of evidence demonstratingthe positive outcomes associated with nurse-midwiferycare.

There is alooming shortage of OB-GYN providers on thehorizon fueled by numerousfactors, including an aging provider workforce, decrease in interest to enter the field, rising malpractice actions and burnout related to long work shiftsand call hours. In addition to aworkforce shortage,

Louisianahas some of thepoorest maternal and child health outcomes in thecountry

Large areas of the stateare maternity care deserts, meaning women who need maternity care must travel long distances to see aprovider

Nurse-midwives can and should be part of the solution to thematernal-childhealth crisis in Louisiana. The World Health Organization released astatement in June endorsing the adoption and expansion of midwiferymodels of care globally.WHO’s guidance referenced theproven health benefits for both women and their babies when cared for by midwives

Twofairly new nurse-midwifery education programsinthe stateare answering thecall, educating nurse-midwives whowill serve Louisianacommunities and makea difference for mothersand babies across thestate. Thank you for enlightening the public about nurse-midwives andthe competent,skillful care we provide.

MICHELE COLLINS deanand professor,LoyolaUniversity New Orleans CollegeofNursingand Health

Thosecheeringthe closureofPlanned Parenthood clinicsknow notwhattheydo

It’ssosad to me that the governor and right-to-life groups are celebrating the loss of health care to 10,000 women in Louisiana. Where will these women go when peoplein Louisiana wait so long for medical care? Crisis medical centers that offer no professional medical services? It seems they should call themselves Right to Hate: thepoor,people of color,women withcancer andfamilies struggling with unintended pregnancies.

As aCatholic theologian, Iendorse the 40 years of compassionate care for people of all faiths that Planned Parenthood has provided.

Johnson’s constituents see hisbetrayalof Constitution

No one on the Republican side has the decency to do the right thing. The Louisiana delegation, with the exception of U.S. Reps. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans, and Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, will do anything President Donald Trumpsays to do.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, in particular claimstobea Christian, but he is willing to overlook all the dirty deeds that Trump has done, is doing and plans to do. Back in 2020, whenTrump ordered his supporters attack the U.S. Capitol, Johnson wastrying to get House members to sign some piece of garbage to try to overlook it and say Trump did nothing wrong whenheordered the attack on national television. Johnson says he is aconstitutional lawyer,but he does not seem to know anything about the Constitution. He comes back to Shreveport and expects us to say,“Great job” and “Weare proud of you.” Isay Johnson should be ousted and charged with being an accessory to trying to overthrow the government.

GENE ALI Shreveport

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

Just for therecord, Planned Parenthood of Louisianadid not do abortions, but they didnot judge women who were pregnant and whostruggled withvery personal decisions with their family and medical team.

With many recent news items about Entergy cutting power to about 100,000 people, Iwant to ask acouple of questions. It was stated that part of the problem was they had acouple of generators down and were not capable of bringing in enough power offthe grid. If this is the case, and withthem adding more solar and wind generation, how are they going to pull in power when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow?

It couldget interesting for operations needing stable power to get it from Entergy Places like medical and computer centers, many manufacturing plants and emergency

Icondemn the use of state money for thesupport of fake clinics withoutmedical care called crisis pregnancy centers. Iquestion aCatholic Church that pushes aGod of judgment and condemnation for half thepeople of Louisiana and uses its parishioners and pulpit to police love, compassionatesexuality and the health care of women. My God is an inclusive Godofjustice for all. Where did my church go? ROSALINDHINTON NewOrleans

first responders need stable power 24/7. Does Entergy have aplan to be able to cover the natural loss of supply from solar and wind?

They are planning to build three power plants in north Louisiana to supplythe AI data center.Will theyhave the abilitytobring in power if one of those units goes down (and theywill for maintenance if not forbreakage) so the AI center can continue operating uninterrupted? What impact will theloss of oneof these generators have on the local communitieswhen power is pulled from thegrid?

MICKEY CHRISTENSEN

Baton Rouge

The term “the banality of evil” is a philosophical concept coined by Hannah Arendt, aJewish philosopher after attending the trial of Adolf Eichmann, whosent millions of Jews to their deaths during World WarII. Arendt concluded that individuals can commit hideous acts due to afailure to engage in independent thought and moral reasoning. Iambothered that in today’sAmerica, we have normalized and desensitized individuals to acts of evil. When cruelties are rooted in everyday routines and policies, they may be perceived as “normal” or even necessary diminishing individual responsibility and moral awareness. We expect evil to have atail, horns and apitchfork, appear in red or slither on the ground. It’s farmore likely that it will look like your favorite uncle or your sweet grandmother It just might cover itself in platitudes like “equality,” “social justice” and the “common good.” It could even be aprominent member of your church or in government. The lesson is that ordinary people can do the wrong thing if they don’tstep up to the moral imperative of reflective thinking. This makes this process as much of aspiritual process as it is apolitical one. Questions that need to be asked are: Is there awillingness to challenge authority or question the status quo if it is believed to be leading to unethical outcomes?

Are injustice and harmfulbehaviors being spoken out against, or is one choosing to remain silent, thereby allowing them to persist?

Are the consequences of actions for others considered, or is the focus primarily on what Iamtold?

Is a“deep and compassionate fighting spirit” being nurtured to keep goodness alive, or is one becoming complacent in the face of injustice? Youneed to think foryourself in order to describe the reality you find yourself in, so that you can then resist it.

SISTERBETHMOUCH NewOrleans

COMMENTARY

FOOTBALL RETURNS!

Touchdown! We received 468 entries in this week’sfootball-themed Cartoon Caption Contest We had lots of punchlinesabout NIL and transfer portal deals,and abunch about bad refs (we all knowTHATpain!) Our winner crossed thegoalline with aconcept that wastruly off-the-wall andso very Louisiana! Well played, everyone.As always, when we have duplicate entries,and we always do, we pick theearliest sent in.Greatjob!Walt

JOEALFORD,BATON ROUGE: “They’re moving the TRANSFER PORTAL to theside lines!! NOW, the players canswitch teamsat HALF TIME!!”

PAMRIDER, BATONROUGE: “Ohboy,more opportunities to catch people on the‘Kiss Cam.’”

RICHARD SCHEGA, MANDEVILLE: “I haven’t seen the Statue ofLiberty playsince Knute Rockne was coaching.

LARRYDEBLIEUX, METAIRIE: “During half time, the transfer portal swapped the school mascots of these twoteams!”

JAYDARDENNE, BATONROUGE: “Unbelievable! The refs gotthe call right!”

KEVIN STEEN,CORPUSCHRISTI,TX: “This quarterback has thrown threeinterceptions in arow but at least he hasa TikTok famous girlfriend.”

VINCE CAPITANO,KENNER: “Whoa, doyou see that? Kellen Moore is in at quarterback.

DAVID DELGADO,NEW ORLEANS: “I thought streakers were athingofthe past.”

PHILLIP T. GRIFFIN, NEWORLEANS: “Now I’veseen it all —theyhaveanantenna on the football.

SHERI LINDSEY,BATON ROUGE: “Wait, did the referees finally call apenalty on the other team?”

RORY STEEN, DENVER, COLO.: “The first completion goes to afan in row6.”

MICHELE STARNES,KENNER: “Even the fans get flagged for excessivecelebration in thiscity!

JOHN WEGER, BATONROUGE: “The Saints aregoing all in for thisone! Pope Leois leading the Who Dat Chant.

KERIANNE STIEGLER,NEW ORLEANS: “TOUCHDOWN!This team has really come alivesince Coach replaced the Gatorade with pumpkin spice latte.

CHARLES SMITH, ST.ROSE: “Well, that’sa first, Fred. Local law firmscompeting to see whocan runthe most commercials during thehalftime.”

MARTHA STARNES,KENNER: “That pass waswobblier than aBourbon Street tourist at 2a.m.!”

JAMESTALLANT,WILMINGTON, N.C.: “Hey, look! Didn’t that used to be Alabama?”

ROBERTOMARAGONI, SAN JOSE,CA.: “That guy just put ketchup on his po-boy!!!”

STUART CLARK, LAFAYETTE: “Saints marching,Tigers roaring,Waverolling,Cajuns ragin’… football neversounded so good!”

BOBUSSERY, NEW ORLEANS: “They’re tied, butthe game is closer than the score would indicate.”

SAM JOHNSON, ZACHARY: “you knowI can’t believe this…instead of numbers the players are wearing aprice tag on their jerseys!!”

DAVIDM.PRADOS,METAIRIE: “Holy cow! That’sNick Saben wearing that Aflac duck suit!”

RICHARD MILLER, BATONROUGE: “It can’t be.The referees are getting astanding ovation!”

RALPH STEPHENS,BATON ROUGE: “A one-handed catch!!! And while he was signinganendorsement deal with the other hand!!!”

WILLIAM TAYLOR,THIBODAUX: “Wow,we’re in the booth next to MikeHossand Deuce McAllister.”

CHARLESSALEMI,BATON ROUGE: “Look, ahamburger,nachos and adrink cost more than the ticket for the game.

ToomanyAmericans goingtocollege

Autumn, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness (Keats),isalso when too many young Americans head to college, where too many of them will study too little under the undemanding supervision of faculty whoteach too little. Colleges illustrate the seepage of rigorfrom American life.

No matter what dictionary you consult, the definition of “emergency” is never “a chronic situation that the leader of acountry would like to address using powers not otherwise available to him.”

This, though, is how the Trumpadministration tends to define the term

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that the administration is considering declaring ahousing emergency, which would be its tenth emergency declaration at the national level, as wellasthe “crimeemergency” in Washington, D.C.

There is no doubt that the nation is suffering an affordability crisis in housing, although this problem isn’tthe result of exigent circumstances. Over time, we have chosen to constrict the supply of housing via awelter of zoning and environmental rules that makeithard to build.

Is this atravesty? Yes. Doesitcrimpthe American Dream? Yes. Should it be addressed? Yes, again (although it’smostly a state and local issue). Is it an emergency? No,not by any common understanding of the term

Anational emergency is British troops winning the Battle of Bladensburg and heading toward the White House in 1814. Anational emergency is Iranian radicals breaching the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and taking52U.S.diplomatsand citizens hostage in 1979.

Anational emergency is apandemic reaching our shores, killing the particularly vulnerable and sickening manymillions morein2020.

Agood rule of thumb is that anational emergency should be obvious, such that no Jesuitical or motivated reasoning is necessary.Inother words, if you have to convince people that an emergency exists, it’sapretty good sign that one doesn’t.

An emergency should also, by definition, be rare and of limited duration.

Trumpisn’tthe first president to honor these rules in the breach. As of last January, 2024, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which Trump used to justifyhis tariffs,had been used by presidents to declare 69 emergencies, 39 of them ongoing.

Surely,few Americans realized that they lived in acountry beset by so manysimultaneous emergencies. True to form,though, Trumphas pushed this power to its max

Since 1990, collegeenrollment has increased by 6million students (29%) Reasons for this include government tuition subsidies and“college foreveryone” rhetoric. And “degree inflation:” irrational requirements for job applicants.

Preston Cooper,then of theFoundation for Research on Equal Opportunity,reported in 2023 that applicants for a$35,600-per-year job drivingan Oscar Mayer Wienermobile (a 27-footlong motorized hot dog) had to have a bachelor’sdegree. In 2000, only 16%of prime-age workers earning $35,000 (in today’sdollars) had such degrees; by 2022, 24% did. In 1990, 9% of secretaries and administrative professionals had bachelor’sdegrees;today,33% do, andahigherproportion of joblistings require applicantstohave one.This “paper ceiling” is especially egregious in state and local governments, where 63% of those earning between $40,000 and $60,000 have bachelor’sdegrees or higher.Only 28% of such earners in the private sector do.

Arecent report from theBurning Glass Institute and the Strada EducationFoundation says 52% of recent college graduates are underemployed: in jobs notusing their college learning Meanwhile, there are 750,000 industrial jobs unfilled.

Frederick M. Hess and Greg Fournier of theAmerican Enterprise Institute document that “students spend farless time studying” than formerly.In1961, theaverage full-time student at afouryearcollegestudied 24 hours aweek; today,the figureis14hours. A2016 analysis based on data from theBureau of Labor Statistics showed that “the averagefull-time college student spent only 2.76 hours aday on all educationrelatedactivities” (classes, out-of-class studying), atotal of 19.3 hours per week The 2011 book“Academically Adrift” reported that first-year studentsspend 6.3 hours aweek doing assigned reading, part of atotal of 14.3 hours preparingfor classes, adecline of about 50% from afew decades earlier.Today,Hess and Fournier say,faculty tendtothink thefigure is just 4.9 hours preparing for classes. This,although only 40% of students hold jobs, down from 79% in the mid-1990s. Many studentsconsider writing a750word essay “long.” Although 64% of studentssay they devote “a lot” of effort to schoolwork, only 6% report spending more than 20 hours per week studying and doinghomework. In 2024, 74% of first-year studentsreported no reading assignmentlonger than 11 pages and no writingassignment longer than five pages. And51% of seniors said they had written nothing longer than 11 pages in their final year

But as effort declines, grades rise. Hess and Fournier say,“At institutions like Harvard and Yale, the mean GPAis 3.7 or higher,and 80% of grades areat least an A-minus.”

Economist Arnold Kling says that despite thelimited “natural demand” for collegeeducation (“students who are

excited by academic subjects”), graduate schools continue to churn out more PhDs (almost60,000 in 2022) than the growthofundergraduateenrollment justifies. So, artificial student demand must be stimulated.Kling says “colleges adapt by offering dumbed-down courses and grade inflation.”

Andbyteachers teaching less. Hess and Richard B. Keck, also of AEI, say light teaching loads have become badges of professional status —and require schools torely on teaching by graduate studentsorpart-time adjunct instructors. Tenured or tenure-track professors teach lessand less. Most are on nine-monthcontracts requiring them to teach 13 weeks in each semester,or26 weeks of the approximately 40 covered by thecontracts —often about 15 hours aweek each semester Instead of teaching,teachers chase grantsorparticipate in “publication inflation,”filling morethan 24,000 “scholarly journals.” This dilutes the quality of what is published —215,000 articles from 2015 to 2019 —most of them ignored.

The College Board, administrators of the SAT, says college applicants takingthe testwill no longer need to demonstrate comprehension of 500- to 750-word reading passages. Instead, the passages will be 25 to150 words, suited to theattention spans of young minds formed by browsing social media. The board says theabilitytocomprehend passages of “extended length” (the lengthofthis column, not “Middlemarch”) is not “an essential prerequisitefor college.” What worse can be said about higher education today? Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

The problem with ruling by emergency declaration is that it fundamentally distorts our constitutional system;ituses the excuse of an emergency to exercise powers that Congress never intended to grant the presidency forthe pursuit of loop routine policy preferences.

This is the issue in the tariffs case. Trump used anon-emergency —atrade deficit that has existed fordecades and that Trumphas inveighed against mostofhis adult life—to unlock apower to impose tariffs that doesn’t appear anywhere in IEEPA. The U.S. Court of Appeals, rightly,has balked and the case is inevitably headed to the SupremeCourt.

The tariffcase underlines the inherent instability of government-by-emergency If Trumphad used moreestablished and limited powers —or, even better,gone to Congress to pass his tariffs —there wouldn’t be alegal cloud around the tariff regime in which he is so personally and politically invested.

There will certainly be partisan retaliation. Whatever hesitance afuture Democratic president might have had about declaring, say,aclimate emergency will be drastically diminished by Trump’sprecedent. If it had any institutional self-respect, Congress would go systematically through the statute books and excise all but the very moststrict and necessary emergency powers. By and large, the presidency doesn’tneed any morediscretionary power.And, in a genuine emergency,Congress tends to act. In fact, it tends to be overly hasty and overly eager to embrace fashionable ideas. This is how we got the DHSand the Office of Director of National Intelligence after 9/11, when creating new departments and agencies seemed anecessary response to the threat of terrorism.

Regardless, it can’tbethat one of the most consequential questions in our carefully constructed constitutional system is whether the president decides to call something an emergency or not.

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry

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GAME OF INCHES

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnsonbreaks up apass in the endzone

season-opening game Sundayatthe CaesarsSuperdome.

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

For amoment, theNew Orleans Saints looked like they’d pulled off the improbable comeback to start the first game of the Kellen Moore era withabang Tight end Juwan Johnsonleapt high amid three converging Arizona Cardinals defenders. He twisted his body and snared thepass from Spencer Rattler,then absorbed ashot from Arizona’sAll-Pro safety Budda Baker His hands held onto the ball as gravity brought him back downtothe turf. Andthen, as he landed in the end zone, he lost control,and the Saints lost the opener 20-13 on Sunday at

Caesars Superdome.

“At the end of the day,Ididn’tmake theplay,” Johnsonsaid.

Theball squirted out of his grip with four seconds remaining, and New Orleans’ best shot at erasing a 10-point lead in the closing minutes slipped away.Rattler’s next pass on fourth-and-10from the 18-yard line sailed incomplete.

Sunday’s defeat was thefirst in a season opener by the Saints since the 2018 season, andwhileJohnson’s missed opportunity in the closingseconds was memorable becauseofthe situation, plentyofothers came away with dirty hands.

ä See SAINTS, page 4B

The New OrleansSaints had agolden opportunity Sunday Even moregolden than thejerseys they wore that matched theCaesars Superdomeend zones that they could only get into once.

The Arizona Cardinals were just thetype of opponent the Saintsneeded to give us a gauge on what the first season of the Kellen Moore era could look like.

The Cardinals were also just the right kind of opponent tosteal awin against, unlike some of the more daunting foes theSaints will see in thenext few weeks.

Butthis is agolden opportunity that slipped away,just likethe foot-

ball slipped away from the hands of tight end Juwan Johnson on what could have been agame-tying touchdown in the final seconds. Instead, the Saints fell 20-13 to the Cardinals.

Yeah, the Saints showed somefight, which is what you want to see in ateam with so manynew faces, including a37-yearold head coach hired in February If the Saints are going to be any good in Kellen Moore’sfirst season, though, they will need alot of things to go right. They can’tcommit just as many

ä See WALKER, page 5B

Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, lifts the championship trophy after defeating Jannik Sinner of Italy in the men’s singles final of the U.S Open on Sunday in New york.

By SETH WENIG

Alcaraz beats Sinner, wins U.S. Open

BY HOWARD FENDRICH Associated Press

NEW YORK So maybe the first

U.S. Open final between young, elite rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner wasn’t as long, riveting and dramatic as their matchup to decide the championship at the French Open Perhaps it wasn’t as seemingly meaningful and plot-driven as their showdown for the Wimbledon trophy.

Still, what the No. 2-seeded Alcaraz’s 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 6-4 victory over No. 1 Sinner on Sunday did do was significant. Alcaraz reasserted his superiority over the defending champion, wrested away the top spot in the ATP rankings and left tennis fans eager for whenever their next clash will come.

They are the first two men in the sport’s history to face each other in three consecutive Grand Slam finals within a single season “I’m seeing you more than my family,” Alcaraz joked during the

trophy ceremony, eliciting a grin from Sinner “It’s great to share the court, to share the locker rooms, everything ”

This 2-hour, 42-minute win gave Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain, leads over Sinner, a 24-year-old from Italy, of 10-5 in their headto-head series, 6-4 in total Grand Slam trophies, and 2-1 in U.S. Open championships.

The match’s start was delayed for about a half-hour while thousands of fans were stuck outside Arthur Ashe Stadium going through extra security because President Donald Trump sat in a sponsor’s suite.

Perhaps the extra wait got to Sinner. Right from the beginning, under a closed roof because of rain earlier in the day, he was outplayed by Alcaraz.

“You were better than me,” Sinner said. “I tried my best today. I couldn’t do more.”

This hard-court matchup followed Alcaraz’s victory over Sin-

ner across 5 ½ hours after erasing a trio of match points on the red clay at Roland-Garros in June, and Sinner’s victory over twotime reigning champ Alcaraz on the grass at the All England Club in July

They have combined to collect the past eight Slam trophies four each and 10 of 13. Novak Djokovic, the 24-time major champ eliminated by Alcaraz on Friday, took the other three.

Both Sinner, who had won his past 27 hard-court matches at majors, and Alcaraz offered glimpses Sunday of why they are so good, although it was rare that both were at a peak simultaneously Alcaraz, who ended up with twice as many winners, 42-21, was superb in the first, third and fourth sets; Sinner’s top efforts arrived in the second.

During his defeat at Wimbledon, Alcaraz was caught by a camera telling his team in Spanish: “From the back of the court, he’s much

better than me.”

Perhaps that’s why Alcaraz was aggressive Sunday with his sledgehammer of a forehand. Whenever the smallest opening presented itself, Alcaraz barged through with that shot, going big early in points, which often worked.

Sinner had dropped a total of one service game in his preceding three matches, although he dealt with an abdominal muscle issue in his semifinal. Sinner and one of his coaches said it was nothing serious, which might be right, but Alcaraz broke right away Sunday and five times in all.

Sinner made a tactical switch in the second set, going after Alcaraz’s backhand when possible. Paid off. Briefly

An hour and 20 minutes in, it was a set apiece, after Alcaraz ceded one for the first time all tournament, allowing Neale Fraser to retain his distinction as the most recent man to win every set he played at the event in 1960.

Fowles shares gratitude at HOF induction

Former LSU great thanks coaches

Gunter, Starkey

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Before Sylvia Fowles could speak on Saturday, she first had to fight back some tears and shake off some nervous jitters

Only then could the LSU women’s basketball great relay her Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech — a six-minute message of gratitude directed toward all the people who helped her shine on the high school, college, professional and international stages of basketball.

“I’m standing here tonight,” Fowles said, “because of the lifechanging people God has placed along my life.”

On Saturday, Fowles became the eighth LSU player or coach enshrined into the Naismith Hall of Fame. She was chosen on the first ballot, selected as part of a class that included other greats such as Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard

LSU reached the Final Four in all four seasons of Fowles’ collegiate career (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008). Today, the 6-foot-6 center is still the Tigers’ all-time leader in rebounds (1,570), blocks (321), career double-doubles (86), games played (144) and postseason games played (20). Her 2,234 career points rank fifth in program history In her speech, Fowles thanked everyone she encountered at each step of her career — from coaches teammates and executives to trainers, managers and agents. When she reached the chapter of her career she wrote in Baton Rouge, Fowles made sure to thank Sue Gunter the legendary LSU women’s basketball coach who

died in 2005. Fowles said she chose LSU because Gunter was honest with her during the recruiting process.

Gunter told Fowles, as the newly minted Hall of Famer recalled on Saturday, that she was a “good player” who could be a great player, but only if she worked hard. She didn’t promise her a starting spot, Fowles said. Instead, she had to work for it.

“See, that resonated with me,” Fowles said. “It reminded me of how I was raised. Nothing was ever given, but it was earned.”

Fowles, a native of Miami, also thanked LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, who coached both her and 2024 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Seimone Augus-

tus during his first tenure with the Tigers. Starkey attended the ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts. On Friday, he presented Fowles with her Hall of Fame jacket.

“Thank you for teaching me that there’s more to life than just basketball,” Fowles told Starkey

“You helped me understand who I am off the court counts and matters as much as it does who I am on it.” In the WNBA, Fowles played for the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx. She was a two-time Finals MVP, a four-time defensive player of the year and an eight-time allleague selection She was named WNBA MVP in 2017, a season in which she averaged 18.9 points

and 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting 66% from the field. Fowles also is shined on the international stage. She helped Team USA win gold in every Olympics from 2008-21. Only Diana Taurasi (six) and Bird (five) have won more gold medals than her In June, Fowles was enshrined into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Now after a quick, tearyeyed, gracious speech — she has officially joined Augustus, Gunter, Pete Maravich, Bob Pettit, Shaquille O’Neal, Van Chancellor, and Kim Mulkey as representatives of LSU in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

IN BRIEF FROM

Hamlin nabs 59th career win, 200th for Toyota MADISON, Ill. — Denny Hamlin won from the pole position at World Wide Technology Raceway playing the strategy perfectly to lead the final 25 laps in his series-high fifth victory this season. With his 59th career win, Hamlin advanced to the second round of the Cup Series playoffs and joined Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, who finished second. The No. 11 Toyota team called Hamlin to the pits for his final stop with 44 laps left, and he cycled to the front on a caution 15 laps later The Virginia native seized the lead from Brad Keselowski on the restart, delivering the 200th win in NASCAR’s premier series for Toyota.

Chase Elliott finished third, followed by Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano as playoff drivers swept the top five spots.

McIlroy wins Irish Open after eagle forces playoff

STRAFFAN, Ireland — It turned out to be a perfect homecoming for Rory McIlroy The Northern Irishman made a 28-foot eagle putt on the final hole to force a playoff, then sealed his second Irish Open win with a birdie on the third hole of the playoffs against Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren on Sunday McIlroy and Lagergren each shot 6-under 66s on Sunday They birdied the first two playoff holes, but Lagergren found the hazard with his approach shot on the third hole to open the door for McIlroy

“To do what I did earlier in the year and then to come home and win my national Open, no matter what happens for the rest of the year, that’s a pretty cool year,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy won the Masters earlier this year to complete a career Grand Slam.

Bjorn makes clutch putt, wins Champions event ST LOUIS Thomas Bjorn made a 35-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Cameron Percy on Sunday to win the Stifel Charity Classic for his first individual victory on the PGA Tour Champions. Bjorn closed with a 4-under 67 to match Percy who birdied three of the last four holes in regulation for a 64 at 12-under 201 at Norwood Hills Country Club.

On the par-4 18th in the playoff, Bjorn ran in the long putt, and Percy’s birdie try from slightly closer sped by the left edge.

The 54-year-old Bjorn won for the second time this year on the 50-and-over tour

Verstappen dominates in win at Italian Grand Prix

MONZA, Italy Max Verstappen claimed a dominant win at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of McLaren’s title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, after a dramatic start and end to the race. It was the first win since May for Verstappen – and only his third of the season — and capped a memorable weekend at Monza for Red Bull’s four-time world champion, who had posted the fastest lap in Formula 1 history at the track on Saturday to claim pole position. Norris was second, nearly 20 seconds behind Verstappen, to trim the gap to Piastri in the title race to 31 points, with eight races left. He had started the day 34 points behind the Australian driver who was not happy after he was ordered to let his teammate past toward the end of the race.

Germany gets first win in World Cup qualifying

MADRID Germany picked up its first win in Group A in World Cup qualifying on Sunday, thanks to second-half goals by Nadiem Amiri and Florian Wirtz in a 3-1 home win over Northern Ireland. Germany, which had opened with a 2-0 loss at Slovakia, next hosts Luxembourg in Sinsheim on Oct. 10. Also, Slovakia beat Luxembourg 1-0 to top the group with six points. In further action, Memphis Depay became the Netherlands’ outright all-time top scorer with two goals in a 3-2 win at Lithuania. Depay scored his 51st and 52nd goals for the Netherlands, surpassing the 50 scored by Robin van Persie, according to FIFA. Poland defeated Finland 3-1 at home with Robert Lewandowski among the scorers for the hosts.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Rodgers leads Steelers to comeback win

By The Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes in his Steelers debut, including two in a 50-second span in the second half, and Chris Boswell kicked a go-ahead 60-yard field goal with 1:03 remaining to lead Pittsburgh to a 34-32 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday

With the Steelers trailing the season opener 32-31, Rodgers got the ball against his former team with just over three minutes left and led the offense into Jets territory On fourth-and-11 from the 42, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin opted for a field goal try and Boswell easily made the kick.

The Jets, who lost in coach Aaron Glenn’s debut had a chance to drive for a potential winning field goal when they got the ball back with 56 seconds remaining. On fourth-and-3, Justin Fields connected with Garrett Wilson for what could’ve been a first down — but Jalen Ramsey smacked into the Jets receiver, who couldn’t hold onto the ball.

The 41-year-old Rodgers then just needed to take a knee to cap a successful return to the stadium he called home the past two seasons. He was 22 of 30 for 244 yards with TD passes to Calvin Austin III, Jaylen Warren, Jonnu Smith and Ben Skowronek.

COLTS 33, DOLPHINS 8: In Indianapolis, Daniel Jones ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and Indianapolis snapped the NFL’s longest active opening-day winless drought at 11 with a rout of Miami.

The Colts are 1-0 for the first time since 2013 and did it in Jones’ first game with the team. He went 22 of 29 for 272 yards, including a careerhigh 197 yards in the first half, as Indy scored on all seven possessions.

New defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo also had a splashy debut as the Colts came within 6 1/2 minutes of delivering their first shutout since December 2021.

COMMANDERS 21,GIANTS 6: In Landover, Maryland, former LSU standout Jayden Daniels threw for 233 yards and a touchdownn, Deebo Samuel scored in his Washington

debut, and the Commanders kept New York out of the end zone in a win.

Last seen allowing 55 points to Philadelphia in the NFC championship game, Washington’s defense had a much better time of it against the Giants. New York managed only 231 yards of offense and was particularly ineffective running the ball.

Daron Payne had a sack and batted down a third-down pass and the Commanders never let Russell Wilson look all that comfortable in his first start with New York. The Giants, who went 3-14 last season, showed enough on defense to suggest some improvement is possible. Washington didn’t score a point in the second half until Samuel’s 19-yard touchdown run made it 21-6 with 7:09 to play

RAIDERS 20, PATRIOTS 13: In Foxborough, Massachusetts, Geno Smith opened his stint with the Raiders

by throwing for 362 yards and a touchdown, rookie Ashton Jeanty rushed for his first career touchdown and Las Vegas rallied to beat New England in its season-opener

Tight end Brock Bowers had five catches for 103 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with a knee injury Jakobi Meyers added eight catches for 97 yards. Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce also added sacks to help give Pete Carroll his first victory as the Raiders’ coach. Las Vegas outscored the Patriots 13-3 in the second half. New England got within seven points on a 44-yard field goal by rookie Andy Borregales, but its ensuing onside kick rolled out of bounds.

New England was just 4 of 14 on third down in coach Mike Vrabel’s debut.

BENGALS 17, BROWNS 16: In Cleveland, Cincinnati’s defense came up with two second-half turnovers, including DJ Turner’s intercep-

Bucs ride 2 TDs by Egbuka to dramatic win over Falcons

BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

ATLANTA Another visit to Mercedes-Benz Stadium produced more lasting memories for Emeka Egbuka.

Only eight months after helping Ohio State win a national championship by beating Notre Dame, Egbuka grabbed the spotlight in his return to Atlanta for his NFL regular-season debut.

Egbuka caught two touchdown passes, including a go-ahead 25-yarder with 59 seconds remaining, and Tampa Bay recovered after losing the lead on a marathon drive by Atlanta to beat the Falcons 23-20 in a dramatic opening game Sunday

“You can’t get much of a better ball than that,” Egbuka said about Baker Mayfield’s touchdown pass in the final minute. “... Obviously, it feels great to be able to help my team win.”

Egbuka, the first-round pick, had four catches for 67 yards.

“He’s everything we thought since he’s been here,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. “He played with so much poise and Baker (Mayfield) played with so much poise.” Mayfield said his adjustment with Egbuka as another top playmaker for the Buccaneers has progressed “extremely quickly.”

“Just the way he carries himself,” Mayfield said. “... As you guys saw today, he’s the real deal.”

Following Mayfield’s 25-yard pass to Egbuka, Chase McLaughlin’s missed extra point gave the Falcons an opening to force overtime with a field goal.

Michael Penix Jr., who capped an 18-play drive by scoring on a 4-yard run for a 20-17 lead with 2:17 remaining, moved the Falcons into field goal position in the final minute. Younghoe Koo was wide right on the 44-yarder and his attempt wasn’t close.

“He missed it,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “I’m not going to sit here and pretend I can tell you about the technique and what happened with that miss. But we got to make those kicks. Those are very makeable kicks. We’ve got to lock in and get that done.” Koo was not present when the locker room was open for reporters.

Egbuka said the Buccaneer’s last-minute answer to losing the lead proves “that we’re resilient, that we play as a team.”

Mayfield completed 17 of 32 passes for 167 yards with three touchdowns.

The Falcons had two calls overturned with successful challenges while the Buccaneers’ defense was called for two personal fouls on roughing- the-passer calls on the Falcons’ marathon drive, which covered 91 yards and lasted 8 minutes, 46 seconds.

“It felt like an eternity,” Mayfield said about the long wait on the sideline for the offense to have another opportunity.

tion with 1:24 remaining, and the Bengals held on for a victory over Cleveland.

The Bengals playing their first game under new defensive coordinator Al Golden — got the huge plays on a day when the offense sputtered in the second half.

Cincinnati, which won an opener for the first time since 2021, also benefitted from new Cleveland kicker Andre Szmyt missing a pair of second-half kicks.

JAGUARS 26 PANTHERS 10: In Jacksonville, Florida, Trevor Lawrence threw a touchdown pass, Travis Etienne ran for 143 yards and Jacksonville beat Carolina to give their new regime a debut victory

Brian Thomas Jr also ran for a score for Jacksonville, which controlled both lines of scrimmage and kept Lawrence upright all afternoon.

The game was delayed 1 hour, 16 minutes because of nearby lightning strikes. The Jags led 10-3 when players and coaches headed to locker rooms and did much of the scoring after it resumed.

49ERS 17, SEAHAWKS 13: In Seattle, third-string tight end Jake Tonges caught a deflected pass for a touchdown with 1:34 remaining, and San Francisco rallied for a seasonopening win over the Seattle.

Tonges entered the game having never caught an NFL pass. He finished with three receptions in relief of injured All-Pro tight end George Kittle and came down with a 5050 ball from a scrambling Brock Purdy for a 4-yard TD. Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen got a hand on the ball, but it bounced off him and Tonges grabbed it. Jake Moody converted the extra point to put the Niners up by four a critical conversion given that he missed two field goals earlier Sam Darnold moved the Seahawks into position to win his debut with the franchise, hitting Jaxon SmithNjigba for 40 yards to the San Francisco 14. But on second down from the 9, Nick Bosa strip-sacked Darnold to put the game away BRONCOS 20, TITANS 12: In Denver, Bo Nix overcame three turnovers and Denver spoiled top overall draft pick Cam Ward’s debut with

a victory over Tennessee, winning despite a sloppy offensive performance and two key special-teams blunders.

Nix threw a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton to go with his two interceptions and lost fumble, and rookie running back R.J. Harvey’s 50-yard scamper set up J.K. Dobbins’ 19-yard TD burst up the middle that made it 20-12 midway through the fourth quarter Denver’s stingy defense held Ward to 12-of-28 passing for 112 yards with no touchdowns. Ward didn’t have an interception, but fumbled the ball away in the final minute. The Titans managed just 134 yards on 55 plays and went 2 for 14 on third down. Ward was sacked six times.

PACKERS 27, LIONS 13: In Green Bay Wisconsin, Micah Parsons’ arrival in Green Bay helped the Packers put their recent NFC North struggles behind them.

Jordan Love threw a pair of touchdown passes and Parsons had a sack in his Green Bay debut as the Packers delivered an exceptional defensive performance in a victory over Detroit.

Opening a season at home for the first time since 2018, the Packers beat the two-time defending NFC North champions after going 1-5 in divisional games last year RAMS 14, TEXANS 9: In Inglewood, California, Matthew Stafford threw for 245 yards and a touchdown while becoming the 10th quarterback in NFL history with 60,000 yards in the air, and Braden Fiske recovered a fumble forced by Nate Landman with 1:43 to play in Los Angeles’ victory over Houston. Puka Nacua had 10 catches for 130 yards for the Rams, who went ahead on Davis Allen’s TD catch on the opening drive of the third quarter. Neither team scored again in a choppy season opener Landman, the Rams’ new starting linebacker, punched the ball away from Dare Ogunbowale after C.J. Stroud drove the Texans inside the Los Angeles 20. Stafford then hit Nacua for a 24-yard gain on third-and-long to seal the Rams’ seventh victory in nine openers under coach Sean McVay

McCarthy’s time with the Vikings has arrived

BY DAVE CAMPBELL AP pro football writer

EAGAN, Minn. Nearly 18 years ago, as J.J McCarthy strolled out of Soldier Field after attending his first Chicago Bears game, his father stopped to buy them a program for a keepsake to mark their time together that far outweighed the home team’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The next visit to the old stadium for the McCarthy family will warrant more than a few more souvenirs.

With dozens of relatives and friends in the seats, putting aside their allegiance to the Bears, McCarthy will play in his first NFL game on Monday night for the visitors who just so happened to be the opponent he saw on that first live look at professional football as a 4-year-old kid.

ä Vikings at Bears. 7:15 MONDAy ABC/ESPN

team, whether it was sending him to defensive meetings for exposure to game plans on that side of the ball, sitting him down with the virtual reality video of Darnold’s reps in practice or oneon-one time with the head coach and resident expert on the position. Quarterbacks coach Josh McCown served as another invaluable resource.

Whenever he wasn’t in the training room rehabilitating his knee, McCarthy asked questions of anyone he could get an audience with, endearing himself to the players and staff and building the foundation for the leadership role he’s now fully immersed in.

On fourth down from the 4, Penix pump-faked and then took off on a run. Tampa Bay’s Calijah Kancey held Penix’s legs as the quarterback reached across the goal line before losing possession of the ball. A review confirmed the officials’ call on the field that Penix scored before losing the ball.

Atlanta successfully challenged an incompletion to tight end Kyle Pitts and a call that Penix was down before reaching the firstdown marker on another fourthdown run inside the 5. Following that challenge, the Falcons had a first down at the 1 but needed four downs before Penix scored with 2:17 remaining.

Vita Vea and Greg Gaines had roughing-the-passer penalties to extend Atlanta’s drive.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers answered quickly

“I mean, we were looking to go down and score,” Mayfield said of the decisive touchdown drive. “It wasn’t about getting a field goal to tie it.”

He’s not just suiting up, either The 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, whose debut was delayed by surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, will start at quarterback for a team with a Super Bowl aspiration stacked with Pro Bowl players at nearly every other position after winning 14 games in his absence last season.

“I just try to be completely present,” said McCarthy, who grew up in La Grange Park, a suburb less than 20 miles west of Soldier Field. “There’s going to be anxiousness, excitement and a whole lot of adrenaline, but at the end of the day that’s completely normal. It’s accepting those emotions, able to let go of them a lot quicker rather than try to deflect them and avoid them.”

While Sam Darnold thrived under coach Kevin O’Connell and his system, playing his way into a rich new contract this year with the Seattle Seahawks, McCarthy could only watch and learn.

It was hardly a lost season, though. The Vikings were particularly intentional about immersing McCarthy into every aspect of playing quarterback for this

New center Ryan Kelly, who came from the Indianapolis Colts, compared McCarthy’s composure and maturity to what he saw with veteran quarterbacks such as Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan. McCarthy was voted one of eight team captains this year, before taking his first snap.

“The whole organization holds him to a high standard, but it’s not nearly the standard he holds himself to,” Kelly said. “You rally around that because you know that he’s doing everything he can to be successful.”

The Vikings realize they’ll have to be patient this year, a unique scenario for a team in win-now mode in a daunting division that sent three teams to the playoffs last season with the last-place Bears bringing plenty of potential to join them behind new coach Ben Johnson.

But the Vikings, from the front office to the coaching staff and everyone in between, have done just about everything they could to help make McCarthy’s debut as smooth as possible. They’re not simply winging it with a quarterback who’s essentially still a rookie.

CARDINALS 20, SAINTS 13

Fuaga leaves game with knee injury

BY LUKE JOHNSON AND MATTHEW PARAS Staff writers

Already down one starter on the offensive line, the New Orleans Saints saw another leave the game in the second half Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

All the injuries prompted the Saints to make a trade on cutdown day, sending a future sixth-rounder to the Cowboys in exchange for Richards and a future seventh-round pick. The recent acquisition didn’t have much time to get acquainted with his new team before it relied on him.

It was Kamara’s 86th career touchdown and the 47th he’s scored as a member of the Saints in the Superdome. Kamara has scored more touchdowns in the Superdome than any other Saints player, with Marques Colston next on the list (38).

injury Boyd was listed on the injury report with a hand injury, but he was cleared to play after he participated fully over the last two days of practice. But the Saints chose to still sit the 2024 sixthrounder, who serves as a backup nose tackle.

27-46-0-214. RECEIVING—Arizona, McBride 6-61, Harrison 5-71, J.Conner 4-5, Reiman 1-10, Benson 1-6, Mi.Wilson 1-5, Z.Jones 1-4, Higgins 1-3, Dortch 1-(minus 2). New Orleans, Johnson 8-76, Olave 7-54, Shaheed 6-33, Cooks 3-26, Kamara 2-12, Vele 1-13. PUNT RETURNS—Arizona, Dortch 3-30. New Orleans, Shaheed 2-18. KICKOFF RETURNS—Arizona, Dortch 2-44, Demercado 1-29. New Orleans, Miller 3-88, Jones 2-40

TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS—Arizona, Baker 5-5-0, Thompson 4-4-0, Ma.Wilson 4-4-0, Melton 4-2-0, Campbell 3-2-0, Taylor-Demerson 3-0-0, Collins 2-2-0, Davis-Gaither 2-2-0, G.Williams 2-2-0, Stills 2-1-0, Browning 1-2-1, Burch 1-0-0, Collier 1-0-0, W.Johnson 1-0-0, Sweat 1-0-0. New Orleans, Werner 7-2-1, Davis 6-3-0, McKinstry 5-2-0, Granderson 5-11.5, Blackmon 4-3-0, Reid 3-3-0, Yiadom 2-2-0, Jordan 2-1-1.5, Godchaux 1-2-0, Shepherd 1-2-0, Taylor 1-1-1, Bresee 1-1-0, Rumph 1-1-0, Williams 0-1-0.

INTERCEPTIONS—Arizona, None. New Orleans, None. MISSED FIELD GOALS—Arizona, Ryland 46. New Orleans, Grupe 37.

OFFICIALS—Referee Scott Novak, Ump Mike Morton, HL Brian Sakowski, LJ Mark Stewart, FJ Terry Brown, SJ Don Willard, BJ Tony Josselyn, Replay Matt Sumstine.

Right tackle Taliese Fuaga suffered a knee injury in the third quarter and watched the rest of the game from the Saints’ bench. Fuaga was replaced in the lineup by recent trade acquisition Asim Richards Fuaga was not listed on the Week 1 injury report but he did miss some time in training camp with what was believed to be a minor knee injury It is not yet clear if the two injuries are related.

The Saints went into Sunday’s season opener with Dillon Radunz starting at left guard in place of Trevor Penning, who missed the opener with a turf toe injury suffered during the preseason.

New Orleans also lost several of its backup options, with Will Clapp, Nick Saldiveri and Landon Young all suffering season-ending injuries during training camp.

“(Richards) came in and did really well, especially in those twominute situations,” said center Erik McCoy “He and (right guard Cesar Ruiz) had great communication; they were passing off twists and games I thought for only being here two weeks, a week and a half, that he came in and he executed at a high level.”

AK 1,000

Alvin Kamara followed a crease in the Arizona defense off his right guard and scooted into the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown that gave the Saints a 7-3 lead in the second quarter It marked a little bit of history, too.

Kamara’s run was the 1,000th touchdown scored by the Saints in the Superdome.

This season marks the 50th season the Superdome has been used as the site of Saints home games.

Broughton inactive

Vernon Broughton was the first defensive player the Saints selected in the draft this past April, but the rookie defensive lineman was a healthy scratch ahead of the first game of the season.

Broughton, a third-round pick, was among the Saints’ inactives announced 90 minutes before Sunday’s kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals Instead of keeping Broughton active, the Saints elevated defensive lineman Jonah Williams from the practice squad.

The Saints were down three defensive linemen in total: Broughton, defensive tackle Khristian Boyd and pass rusher Chase Young — who was ruled out Friday with a calf

Broughton was the only member of the Saints’ 2025 draft class who won’t suit up for Sunday’s game The Saints had nine picks, with eight making the initial 53man roster But on Saturday, New Orleans signed seventh-round edge rusher Fadil Diggs from the practice squad.

Odds and ends

Former Saints left tackle Terron Armstead served as the team’s legend of the game, and he led the pregame Who Dat chant Making his 15th start in a Week 1 game for the Saints, Cam Jordan padded his franchise-record sack total on the third play of the game, bringing down Kyler Murray for an 11-yard loss. Jordan tacked on a half-sack in the second half to bring his career total to 123.

Referees penalized the Saints 13 times in Sunday’s loss, eight of which occurred before the snap The offense turned only one of its first three red zone trips into a touchdown. The reliable kicker who had an extraordinary training camp missed a 37-yarder. A defense that gave up too many explosive plays a year ago allowed gains of 45 and 52 yards that flipped the field and set up Cardinals scores And Moore opened himself up for questions in his first opportunity to manage the game when he declined to use any of his three timeouts as Arizona drained the clock on a touchdown drive at the end of the first half.

“A lot of mistakes in there that we’ve just got to clean up and put ourselves in a much better position to be successful,” Moore said Still, the Saints had a chance to pull off the miracle finish.

Defensive lineman Bryan Bresee sparked some momentum in the fourth quarter when he leapt over an offensive lineman to get his hand on a field goal attempt that would have put Arizona up 2310. After Bresee deflected it, the kick sailed harmlessly wide of the uprights. Bresee pulled off a similar play last year against the New York Giants, leaping over the line to block a kick and preserve a win

“Just give the offense as many chances as we could at the end,” Bresee said. New Orleans then took over and looked poised to cut Arizona’s lead to three. Rattler hit Johnson

down the seam for a gain of 21, then found recent trade acquisition Devaughn Vele on the sideline for a gain of 13 A 12-yard Rattler scramble pushed the Saints inside Arizona’s 5-yard line. The Saints drive stalled there. Moore could have opted to go for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal, but after a loss pushed them back to the 5-yard line, he opted to trust his defense to get another stop and he sent the field goal unit in. That faith was rewarded when Alontae Taylor came unblocked off the edge on a third-and-4 play, wiping out Cardinals quarterback

Kyler Murray for a 15-yard loss.

Taylor, who missed several weeks with a groin injury in the lead-up to Week 1, said that sack was a direct result of some lastminute film study Saturday night.

“We knew we needed to make a play,” Taylor said. “On the sideline, (defensive coordinator Brandon Staley) told us he was probably going to make that call. It’s just film study, knowing how (Murray) escapes the pocket; it came to fruition for me. He did exactly what I thought he was going to do. I beat him to the spot.” New Orleans took over at its own

42 after the 2-minute warning, and the offense went to work.

Rattler used his arm and his legs to push the Saints downfield. He converted a fourth-and-1 by hitting Rashid Shaheed for a 5-yard gain, then spiked the ball with 13 seconds remaining with the Saints in striking distance. But Rattler’s next three passes fell incomplete, including the nearmiss to Johnson.

Rattler beat out rookie Tyler Shough for the starting job this summer In his first start under Moore, he completed 27 of his 46 attempts (58.7%) for 214 yards.

He neither threw a touchdown nor committed a turnover, finishing with a 70.6 passer rating. Arizona routinely forced Rattler to settle for underneath throws, spending most of the game in a shell coverage that limited the Saints’ opportunities to take shots downfield with their speedy receivers. New Orleans had only one play of 20-plus yards Sunday Defensively, New Orleans largely kept the Cardinals in check. The Saints sacked Murray five times and mostly limited his gamebreaking running ability The Arizona quarterback completed better than 70% of his passes but only threw for 163 yards.

The big plays hurt, though. New Orleans took a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter when running back Alvin Kamara followed a seam in the Arizona defense to the end zone on an 18-yard touchdown run. The lead did not last long, though.

On the second play of the ensuing drive, Murray unleashed a deep heave down the right sideline for receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. who beat solid coverage by KoolAid McKinstry to haul in a 45-yard pass. That explosive play set up an eventual touchdown pass from Murray to Harrison Jr Arizona’s final score was entirely set up by running back Trey Benson, who tiptoed around a diving Justin Reid in the backfield and then found nobody on the edge Benson reeled off a 52-yard run that pushed Arizona to the Saints’ 30. The other four plays on that drive netted minus-3 yards, but Benson’s gain was enough to set up a 50-yard field goal.

CARDINALS20, SAINTS

THEY DIDN’T BOW DOWN

1

The Saints were six-point underdogs and played much of the game without injured starters Chase young,Taliese Fuagaand TrevorPenning,but they showedadmirable grit and made agame of itdown thestretch.TheSaints led for four minutes in thesecond quarter and were forced to playcatch-up for mostof thegame,but theybattled until the end. It wasn’t good enough to getKellen Moore awin in his head coaching debut, but there were some positivedevelopments for the Saints in defeat.

2

SPENCER RATTLER WASSOLID

The box score might not showit, but Spencer Rattler was solid in hisdebutasthe starting quarterback. He completed 27 of 46 passes for 214 yards. His passer efficiency rating was a meager 70.4, largely because of hisrelatively low 58.7 completion percentageand alackofbig plays Most importantly, Rattler commanded the offense with poise and avoided negativeplays. He did not throwan interception and was sacked just once.

ANALYSIS

3

TOOMUCHYELLOWFEVER

For the most part, the Saintsperformed fairly well in Game 1.The lone exception wastheir offensiveexecution.The Saintswerepenalized 13 times for 89 yards, with eight of thepenalties occurringonoffense.you expect the openertobealittle sloppy, but that’sway too many infractions, especially for an offense that lacks the big-play firepower to overcome it. Many of the penaltieswereprocedural mistakes by theoffense.This is an areathat will need to be addressed immediately going forward.

Moore showsgrowing painsindebut

First-year coachmakes curiouscalls during Saints opener

BY MATTHEW PARAS

Staff writer

At halftime of his firstgame as coach of the New Orleans Saints, Kellen Moore gave an answerthat left him open to ridicule.

The Saints had curiously not used any of their timeouts before the break. And by failing to do so, New Orleans was left with just 28 secondson the clock after the Arizona Cardinals’ four-anda-half-minute touchdown drive. It was an eyebrow-raising decision, one that wasimmediately questioned Moore’sinitial answerdidn’tsmooth over matters, either “Wewere justtryingto saveour timeouts as muchaswecould,” Moore told CBS. “They did agood jobofbleeding the clock and putting (themselves) in afavorable position. We didn’t get enough yards to playitout right there at the end of the half.”

Save our timeouts? For what?

It was acomment thatperhaps Moore wanted back, because when he met with reporters after the game, thefirst-yearcoach avoided using the phrase altogether when asked about the matter again.

Moore, the second time around, said he and his staff discussed the possibility but were content to letthe situation “play out” because the Cardinals also had their timeouts, and the Saintswere set to receive the ball again tostart the second half.

Moore may have better laid out his thought process, but the choiceitself still left alot to be desired in what ultimately turned out to be aone-score game.

Sunday’s20-13 loss to the Cardinals came down to awild, last-second sequence that saw the Saints’ potential game-tying rally come just short of the end zone.

It waseasytoimagine ascenarioin which thedramatics weren’t needed if the Saints, for instance, had better clock management in thefirst half. Or, if NewOrleans hadcut downonthe glaring 13 penalties that were almost afranchise record for aseason opener

Those reasons alone aren’twhy the Saints lost Moore’sdebut. But the margins matterinthe NFL, and Moore demonstrated noticeablegrowing pains in his first outing as ahead coach “We’re going to trustwhatKellen

Continued from page1B

penalties (13) as points, which wasthe case Sunday Blake Grupe can’tmiss38-yard field goals. They can’tlet every tight end they face this season have his way like Arizona’sTrey McBride (six catches, 61 yards) did.

And finally,Moore can’tmake the rookie mistake of mismanaging the clock like he did late in the first half. Throw all of that together, and it’seasy to see why the Saints lost aseason opener for the firsttime since 2018. The Saints entered Sunday with the longest active winning streak in season openers in the NFL. But that streak ended, while another one continued: This was the Saints’ fifth consecutive loss. Their last win was Dec. 8against the New York Giants, agamesealed nine months ago by aBryan Bresee blocked field goal. Bresee blocked another field Sunday that gave the Saints achance late. TheSaintsresponded by driving to the Cardinals’ 18-yard line, but Spencer Rattler’s pass on the game’sfinal play fell incomplete.

“I felt like we gave ourselves a chance,” Moore said. “Ultimately, it’snot good enough.Ultimately we are here to win football games

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Saints head coach Kellen Moore, center,watches aplayagainst the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of their game Sunday at the Caesars Superdome. Moore made some eyebrow-raising decisions during Sunday’s game

does,” quarterback Spencer Rattler said, adding, “There’sriskand reward to that (scenario). We trust in what Kellen is goingtodo. We knew we had the ball coming out (ofhalftime).…We trust in what coach is calling.” Moore shookhis head when asked if having ayoung quarterback like Rattler factored into his decision to play it conservatively near the end of the first half. Instead,the coach said he was “really close” to calling atimeout andwould havealso called one if Alvin Kamara’srun had gainedmoreyards before thehalf. Rattler said Kamara wouldhavelikely needed25-30yards to trigger atimeout. The running back gained 6, and the Saints let the clock expire,down 17-10.

On the broadcast, CBS’ broadcast crew started to openly question Moore’schoice once running back James Conner gained afirst down with 1:52 left.Ifthe next two plays —a 4-yard gain anda4-yard touchdown

We’ve got to compete and clean things up. Ilovethe effort. Ilovethe energy.Ilove howthe guys in the locker room played. We’vejust got to play better and clean it up.”

The Saints’opportunity at theend of the game willberemembered the most. But the opportunity they did NOT get in the first half shouldn’t be overlooked. Late in the first half, the Cardinals drove deep into Saints’ territory with two minutesleft. It was pretty clear they wouldscore (which they did). Mooredecidednot to usehis timeouts (he hadthreeof them) to give theSaints achanceto score before the half.Itwas aquestionable decision, especially considering the Saints hadwon thecoin tosstostartthe game and deferred. One of the mainreasonsteams defer is to try to getanextra possession at the end of the first half, knowing they also will getthe ball to start the secondhalf. Instead, the Saints took over with just 23 seconds left (as opposed to having aminuteplus if they had usedtheir timeouts) and ran the clock to go to halftime trailing 17-10.

“Wewere justtrying to save our timeouts as much as we could,” Moore told CBS at halftime. “They did agood job of bleeding the clock out and putting (themselves) in a favorable position. We didn’tget enough yards there to play it out right there at theend of thehalf.”

None of us know what the Saints

“Wewere just trying to save our timeouts as much as we could. They did agood job of bleeding theclock and putting (themselves) in afavorable position. We didn’tget enough yardstoplayitout rightthere at theend of thehalf.”

KELLEN

MOORE, Saints coach

unfolded exactly the same, theSaints could have gotten theball with roughly 1:30 left and atimeout still available to try and drive down thefield if Moore had called timeouts.

“Wecan play the rewind game alot; Iget that aspect of it,”Moore said. “... We had plentyoffootball ahead.”

Mooreseemed to be much more bothered by the Saints’ 13 penalties —their most in an opener since 1983. He called thema discipline issue,one thatstarted with him. Of the13flags, sevenwere against the offense. Six of the seven wereprocedural penalties, such as an illegal shiftorafalse start.

Kamara said he thought the tempo the Saints stressed contributed to the problem. Moore’soffense pushes the pace, but in hurrying up, Kamara said the urgency requires acertain amount of focus.

Three of theSaints’ penalties camein no-huddle situations.

“I’ll admit: Someofthose times, I wanted to getinthe huddlebecause I was like, ‘Man Idon’tfeellike we’re going to be able to get set correctly or get lined up correctly,’”Kamara said. “Therewerea couple timeswhere we’re going tempoand guys are running from lefttoright, trying to figure out where to line up.

“And you know,toget where you want to go, we’ve got to be precise on every single play,every single snap.”

Moore’semphasis on tempo, however,can also be seen as abright spot for the coach’s debut. The style fueled New Orleans’ near-comeback at the end of the game, and the offense’sbest moments Sunday camewhen it put the Cardinals on their heels. Rattler went13of16for 115 yards when using tempo. In someways, Moore’sfirst season will be about establishinganidentity forthe Saints. And on thatfront, it was encouraging Sunday that his team played with adistinct style and fought to the end.

But as afirst-time head coach, Moore surelyunderstandsthatevery choice every non-choice —ispicked apart. He was also questioned, for instance, on why he kicked afieldgoal on fourth-and-goal from 2:46 left whentrailing20-10.

There, Moore said he would have felt more comfortable going foritifthe Saints wereatthe 2- or 3-yard line instead of the5.Instead,hechose to cut it to aone-score game.

The decision wasupfor debate: ESPN’s analytical modelrecommended it as a“go” situation, finding atouchdownwould have boosted the Saints’ win probability to 6% instead of 4.3% with afield goal try

“The storyfor us is youcan’t beat yourself,” Moore said.

The story’sending might depend on how wellMoore learns on the job.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

to have seen the Saints get achance there, especially after seeing how well Rattler ran the 2-minute drill late in the game. Rattler showed promise after winning the starting job in training camp. He’sstill seeking his first win as astarter,though, after going 0-6 as astarter last season. But you can’tput this loss on him.

“Weshot ourselves in the foot too muchtoday,” Rattler said. “Wecut those penalties in half, Ithink we win this game.”

The road gets tougher for the Saints. After the 49ers come to town next Sunday,New Orleans travels to play the Seattle Seahawks and the Buffalo Bills. The Saints won’tbefavored in any of those three games. They weren’t favored Sunday either.But they almost stole one.

“Wehave to figure out away to win,” said defensive end Cam Jordan. “There are no excuses in this game. It’sagameofinches. Each and every finite detail means that muchmore. Ifeel terrible that we lost, because we had achance. That’s all we want is achance, an opportunity.”

would have done with an extra minute or so to close outthe half.Maybe they go down andatleast getafield goal. Maybe theyscore atouchdown. Or maybe the drive would have just fizzled out. But you wouldhaveliked

They had one Sunday.Agolden one. It’stoo bad they couldn’tmake the most of it.

Email RodWalkerat rwalker@theadvocate.com.

Receiver

off to a strong start

Brown an early bright spot for LSU offense

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

When LSU had its walkthrough period before its home opener against Louisiana Tech, there was one wide receiver who seemed poised to make an impact.

“You could tell that he was ready,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said.

That player was senior wide receiver Barion Brown, the Kentucky transfer who finished the Tigers’ 23-7 victory over the Bulldogs with eight catches for a teamhigh 94 yards. After the game, Brown received the game ball.

“(He) balled out,” Kelly said.

“That’s Barion Brown, and that’s what we expected from him, and I was so happy for him.”

Through his first two games at LSU, Brown has 13 catches for 119 yards. He also nearly made an acrobatic touchdown grab in the Tigers’ season-opener against Clemson, but the catch was ruled a drop after he bobbled the ball on his way to the ground.

Despite the incompletion, he still had five catches for 25 yards in LSU’s 17-10 win. In addition to his eight catches last Saturday, he also had a 15-yard rushing carry against Louisiana Tech.

Brown had accumulated more than seven catches in a game just once in his career before Saturday It was just the fifth time in his career that he had accumulated more than 90 receiving yards in a game.

“I was just out there having fun with my teammates,” Brown said Saturday Brown was brought in over the offseason to add more speed to the Tigers offense. Despite fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s big arm, LSU had trouble stretching defenses with deep passes last season.

With Brown, the return of a healthy Chris Hilton and Zavion Thomas, Kelly hoped LSU’s improved speed would overwhelm defenses and make it easier for Nussmeier to toss bombs downfield this season.

Brown’s longest target on Saturday was 19 yards. His average depth of target, according to Pro Football Focus, is 13.4 yards. The touchdown that was called back against Clemson was on track to be a 29-yard catch.

“I was just out there having fun, letting the game come to me, not worrying about the receptions or what I’m doing in the game,” Brown said Saturday. “I was just trying to put our team in the best position to win.” Brown hasn’t been the only LSU receiver who has excelled through two games, but the Tigers offense has been inconsistent over eight quarters of football LSU struggled to run the ball, and Nussmeier had multiple throws that were uncharacteristically inaccurate against Louisiana Tech. At Clemson, the Tigers had problems with finishing drives and making big plays downfield.

Brown and redshirt junior Aaron Anderson — who has a team-high 14 catches for 172 yards through two contests have done their part in helping the offense. The question that remains is whether enough of their teammates join them in boosting what has so far been an underwhelming LSU attack.

“Now we’ve got to make sure that that gets to everybody has the same amount of energy and confidence,” Kelly said, “that they can go out there and play like (Brown).”

Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@ theadvocate.com.

Kelly displeased with coaching effort

Lackluster win over La. Tech prompts sense of urgency

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Minutes after LSU surrendered

178 rushing yards to Nicholls State a year ago, Brian Kelly walked up to the podium and delivered a message that was not born out of frustration.

“I thought they played their tails off. They were physical,” LSU’s coach said after the Tigers struggled to dominate the Colonels in their home opener last season.

“You could tell how much it meant to those young men to play here in Tiger Stadium and have a chance to play LSU.”

LSU won the game 44-21, but it had been a poor performance against an inferior opponent, much like the lackluster outing

Kelly’s team had on Saturday against Louisiana Tech.

But this time around, instead of complimenting the opponent first or simply saying that LSU needed to improve, Kelly’s tone was markedly different.

He was frustrated, and he wasn’t afraid to show it after LSU’s 23-7 win over the Bulldogs. Within his voice lay a deep sense of urgency that wasn’t there a season ago.

“We didn’t coach well enough, and we didn’t play well enough tonight, and that’s not our standard,” Kelly said. “And so they’re disappointed in that they didn’t live up to that standard. They want to do it. They just didn’t do it tonight.”

Perhaps Kelly’s urgency stems from his confidence in his roster this season

After making numerous upgrades in the transfer portal and bringing back fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, junior linebacker Whit Weeks and redshirt junior linebacker Harold Perkins, Kelly has spoken like a coach who believes he has the talent necessary to make a deep run into January

“If I didn’t think we had the

players, I’d be in here giving you the Coach Kelly spin. I’d give you everything that I could come up with about how great we are,” Kelly said. “We’ve got better players on this roster.”

With a talent-rich team, Kelly, after the game, harped on LSU’s coaching as an aspect of its program that needed to improve. The Tigers had devised an effective game plan to take down Clemson on the road a week ago, but Kelly was vexed by how he and his staff couldn’t help their players as well as they could have against Louisiana Tech.

“We got outcoached in a lot of areas,” Kelly said. “Hats off to coach (Sonny) Cumbie and his staff at (Louisiana) Tech. They did a great job tonight.”

Among those points of irritation for Kelly was LSU’s rushing attack. The Tigers only averaged 2.8 yards per carry until freshman Harlem Berry broke off a 43-yard

carry late in the fourth quarter

“You’ve got to run the football,” Kelly said. “We didn’t run the football effectively tonight, and it made it difficult for us.”

But it wasn’t just LSU’s rushing attack that struggled against Louisiana Tech. Nussmeier also threw an interception and had an uncharacteristically high number of inaccurate throws.

Nussmeier’s receivers also dropped their fair share of passes, and his offensive line struggled at times with senior center Braelin Moore unavailable after he suffered a left leg injury on the first snap of the game.

“We’ve got to go back and figure out what was in our preparation, what was in our mindset when we took the field for this game that we couldn’t live up to that standard,” Kelly said. “And that’s what they’re trying to figure out right now.”

The lackluster showing didn’t

extend to LSU’s defense, which held Louisiana Tech to 154 total yards and just 12 first downs. Kelly said the unit played “pretty darn good.”

But LSU will need better fullteam efforts if it wants to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time under Kelly The Tigers showed they could play at that level against Clemson. The only question that remains is if they can consistently live up to that standard moving forward.

“This isn’t just, ‘Well, our coaches stink,’ or, ‘Our players stink,’” Kelly said “This is everybody collectively (not living) up to the standard that we have set here. And you can only do that when you believe that you have more, and we have more, and that didn’t show up tonight and that’s disappointing.”

Email Koki Riley at Koki. Riley@theadvocate.com.

Center’s status in question for UF; TE injured

BY KOKI RILEY and WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writers

LSU starting center Braelin Moore suffered a high ankle sprain Saturday night, according to multiple reports.

Moore suffered the injury to his left leg on the first play from scrimmage in No. 3 LSU’s 23-7 win over Louisiana Tech. He now enters the week questionable to play against Florida, according to On3. LouisianaSports.net first reported the news. Moore, a Virginia Tech transfer is a critical piece of LSU’s offensive line. LSU coach Brian Kelly said during preseason practice he believed the unit would play well this season even though it had to replace four starters, in part because Moore “sets up the rest of the group for success.”

On LSU’s first play against Louisiana Tech, Moore appeared to have his left leg pinned under a pile of tacklers. He went to the locker room for tests, and though he tried to snap the ball on the sideline, he did not return to the game. Moore later changed into a walking boot.

Moore, who won SEC offensive lineman of the week after LSU’s season-opening win against Clemson, was replaced by redshirt sophomore DJ Chester Chester started every game at center for LSU last season. Kelly said Moore would undergo an MRI on Sunday

Green to miss several weeks

LSU sophomore tight end Trey’Dez

Green is expected to miss multiple weeks with a knee injury he suffered against Louisiana Tech, sources with knowledge of the

situation confirmed Sunday to The Advocate.

Green went down Saturday night in the fourth quarter After being helped off the field, Green used crutches and wore a brace on his right knee.

Green did not suffer a seasonending injury, sources said, but the exact nature of his injury and a timeline for his return is unclear

247Sports reported Green “could be back in the next couple weeks.”

Kelly had no update on Green’s status following the game. He said Green would have an MRI on his knee on Sunday In Week 1 against Clemson, Green caught LSU’s first touchdown pass of the season. Green did not have a reception against Louisiana Tech after catching two passes for 17 yards last week.

Four turnovers are costly for Jaguars in loss

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Southern was on the wrong side of a scoring avalanche in the third quarter of Saturday’s 30-7 loss to Alabama State in Baton Rouge.

After it allowed Alabama State to score its first touchdown in the third quarter, the Jaguars were set for a productive drive as they trailed 13-7 at the 10:24 mark.

On second and 7 from their own 27-yard line, quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy was supposed to execute a routine handoff to his tailback, Trey Holly The rhythm was off and the exchange wasn’t clean, potentially due to a measure of indecision by McCoy, who sometimes pulls the ball back and runs himself. Nonetheless, the result was a fumble recovered by the opponent, who converted the turnover into a field goal.

On the first play of Southern’s next drive, McCoy coughed up the ball again after a strip tackle. The Hornets traveled 44 yards to the end zone, capping off a 17-0 blitz that ultimately spoiled the home opener, losing at A.W Mumford Stadium.

“The frustrating part is it’s a tight, tight ball game, and then all of a sudden, a bad play here, bad play there, what have you, and

now the game runs away from us,” coach Terrence Graves said.

“You can’t have two costly turnovers (in) back-to-back series hats off to them. They won the football game, but we had those guys tired. We had them. We were getting what we wanted, and then we just couldn’t finish.”

The mishaps from McCoy, who was named the starter due to Jalen Woods being in concussion protocol, nullified the superb efforts of the Southern defense that

denied Alabama State (1-1) the end zone until the 8:57 mark of the third quarter McCoy’s fumbles were bookended by interceptions. One in the first quarter was an overthrow in the end zone on fourth and 11 of the team’s first drive. The other was in the fourth quarter, where he threw an ill-advised pass into triple coverage from his team’s own 20-yard line with 9:38 left in the game. McCoy completed 14 of 29 passes for a season-high 160 yards, one

touchdown, two interceptions and two lost fumbles for Southern (12). He also rushed 11 times for 55 yards.

“Southern beat Southern today,” said wide receiver Cam Jefferson, who had two receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.

When Graves was asked if McCoy tried too hard to make plays, he said it happened at times and he had to trust the system.

“It was a situation where he was looking at one read and then he was gone,” the second-year coach said. “I get it. You’re a competitor the whole nine (yards), but you gotta stay within the framework of the scheme so that we can give ourselves a chance. And so he was trying, but you gotta trust the system. You gotta see it. You gotta carry it out.”

The second-half turnovers did more than just give Alabama State favorable field position to score. The giveaways exhausted the Southern defense, which had to trot back on the field quickly Limiting turnovers will help on both sides of the ball and will be the biggest priority for Southern as it looks ahead to its upcoming game at 9 p.m. Saturday against Fresno State in Fresno, California. Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.

Week 2of college football featured lopsided victories

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP sportswriter

Grambling State coach Mickey Joseph knew what was coming when his team facedNo. 1Ohio State. He expected arout. He was right. And his team had alot of company Saturday,aday like few others in college football history

As for Grambling State, it lost 70-0 to the defending national champion. And by day’send, there were eight games decided by 60 points or more —the most in asingle day in the AP poll era, which dates to 1936. Records show there were 11 such games on Oct. 2, 1920, like VMI’s 136-0 win over Hampton-Sydney and Texas A&M’s110-0 win over Daniel Baker

“It’snosecret,” Ohio State coachRyanDay said afterthe Grambling game Saturday.“This was not amatchup game.” No, it wasn’t. There was alot of that going around.

The other 60-point-or-more wins: No. 14 Florida Statebeat East Texas A&M 77-3,No. 21 Alabama beatLouisiana-Monroe 73-0, NebraskabeatAkron 68-0, No.6Oregonbeat Oklahoma State 69-3, Minnesota beat Northwestern State 66-0, UCF beat North Carolina A&T 68-7 and Washington beat UC Davis 70-10. Joseph went viral fora midweek interview in which he pointed out that Grambling’s bandcan hold its own with Ohio State’sband —but on the field, he knew it looked like amismatch.

“Weunderstand whatwe’re getting into. We understand what’sgoing to happen,” Joseph said during the week.“We understand it. It’snot balanced with the scholarships, it’snot balanced with what they have resourceswise and what we have resources-wise. We all know whywe’re playing the game.”

That reason: money In the longstanding tradition of bigger programs offering guaranteestosmaller programsfor being willing to play as what typi-

cally is ahuge underdog, Grambling State received $1 million from Ohio State for playing Saturday’sgame.

“It was agreat experience for my kids. It’sa greatmemoryfor them,”Joseph said. “Everybody can’tsay they played the No. 1 team in the country.”

Daytipped hiscap to Joseph afterward

“I’ve got alot of respect for coach,” Day said.“And Ithought theirteamplayedhardinthis game.Theywere outmatched, talent-wise, for sure. Ithink he expressed that. ButIgive them alot of respect for playing hard andplayingfor fourquarters, all the way to the end.”

According to Stats LLC, Saturdaywas the first daysince Sept 10, 2016, that threemajor college footballteams hadleadsof 48 or more points by halftime on thesame day.At halftime—yes, halftime —Minnesota led Northwestern State 59-0, Florida State led East Texas A&M49-0 and Texas Tech led KentState 48-0.

Those games stayed lopsided the rest of the way: Minnesota’s winwas cut shortbyweather, Florida State had seven TD plays of 35 yardsormore andTexas Tech prevailed 62-14.

Minnesota used 76 players.

“Mission accomplished,”Gopherscoach P.J. Fleck said.

“The score is what it is,” Northwestern State coach Blaine McCorkle said.“Youplaythese games, and sometimes these things get sideways in ahurry, but we didn’t do anything to help ourselves.”

There were other routs by halftimeSaturday.Alabama, smartingfrom aseason-opening loss to Florida State, led Louisiana-Monroe 42-0 at the break. No. 22 Tennessee led East Tennessee State 48-7 on its way to a72-17 victory UCF ledNorth Carolina A&T 40-0 aftertwo quarters, Florida Atlantic took a39-0 halftime lead and beat Florida A&M56-14, and Oregon led Oklahoma State 41-3 at the break

TheDucks didn’teven score in thefourth quarter

“It’sfun to win,”Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.“Tight games are alittle bitmore exhilarating.”

USFbreaksintoTop 25; LSUremains at No.3

By The Associated Press

The third week of the AP Top25 collegefootball poll showed Ohio State, Penn State and LSU retaining their slots as the top three teams as Oregon slid into No.4 andNo. 18 SouthFlorida ranked for the first time in sevenyears. The Bulls, who were eight spots outofthe Top25last week, became the biggest upward mover thanks to their 18-16 win over then-No. 13 Florida. That came after ahome win over then-No. 25 Boise State.

Top3unchanged

The Top25saw plenty of movement this week, but the topthree didn’tbudge after outscoring opponents by acombined 127-7. Ohio State remained No. 1after a 70-0 victory over GramblingState. Penn State overcame aslowstart to beatFIU 34-0 and remain at No 2, while LSU held firm at No. 3after a23-7 win over LouisianaTech USFrankedafter Floridaupset South Florida jumped into the AP Top25atNo. 18.

The list of unranked teamsto open aseason 2-0 with both wins coming against AP-rankedopponents is short:

1. USF did it this year vs. No. 25 Boise State and No. 13 Florida.

2. Oregon Stateopened 2012 with wins vs. No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 19 UCLA.

3. East Carolina managedthe feat in 2008 against No. 17 Virginia Tech and No. 8West Virginia.

4. And North Carolinastarted its 1976 seasonwith winsagainst No. 20 Miami (Ohio) and No. 18 Florida. USF,which visits Miamithis weekend,isbidding to become the fifth team to open aseason with threewinsoverranked opponents. Miami did it in 1987, Michigan in 1985, Iowa in 1960 andOklahoma in 1954

McMakinwants to call games‘forageneration’

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

As it faced LouisianaTech on Saturday, LSU was breakingina newpermanentpublic address announcer in Tiger Stadium for the first time since 1986. Now thejob belongs to state Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge. LSU hired him in lateAugustto fill thevoid left by Dan Borné,the longtime PA voicewho officially stepped down in July after health issuesforced him to miss the entire 2024 footballseason

“I’m notgoing to sayI wasnervous,” McMakin told The Advocate after LSU’s23-7win.“It was an excitementand ajoy to be up there.” Only three announcershave ever voiced gamesinTigerStadium since 1955. Late WAFB-TV meteorologist SidCrocker heldthe job for 30 years (1955-1985) before he passed themicrophone to Borné,

whotook over in 1986 andcalled games until 2023. Bill Franques the voice of Alex Box Stadium filled in for Borne over the years andtook over the job on an interim basis during the 2024 season. McMakin, 39,was elected representativefor District68in2023. He’s also afinancial advisor,insurance brokerand attorney who has worked as aplay-by-playcommentator on Catholic High football radio broadcasts andaPAannouncer for LSU volleyball matches and softball games. How did McMakin becomean announcer?

It all started when he was in third grade. Ayoung McMakin wasn’tmuch of adancer,hesaid, or asinger.Sohe’d narrate his church’sChristmas plays instead, arolethat inspired adecision to work as an emcee in high school and college. LSU hiredhim to its team of public address announcers in 2020.

Five years later,the university’sathletic department started asearch for anew public address voice in TigerStadium. LSU

received over 40 applications. Franqueswas amongthe finalists for the job. So, too, was gymnasticsannouncerMike Smith.

ButLSU settled on McMakin, the sonofformer Tigers’ baseball player Wally McMakin, whohas an undergraduate and law degree from LSU.

“I’ve been on that mic afew timesbefore doing spring games,” McMakin said, “so nerves were calm, but thenagain, Ifeltthe pressure of 100,000 people expecting to hear your voice to be loud andbeclear

“Thatwas the goal,and Ithink I accomplished that.”

McMakin also will call LSU men’sbasketball games this season, like Borné did from the 1980s to 2023. LSU has said it plans to honorBornéduringa home football game this year so he can officially pass the mic to McMakin. “I just want to make everybody proud,” McMakin said, “andhopefully do it for ageneration to come for many Tigerfans.”

ScottRabalaiscontributed to this report.

LSUfalls off topspotinAPpoll vote followinglacklusterwin

Clemsonout of top10

Preseason ranked No. 4Clemson hasyet to meet the expectations of poll voters. The Tigers fell to No. 8afteraclose loss to atalented LSU team in Week 1. CadeKlubnik led four scoring drives in the second half, carrying Clemsontoa 24-16 win after entering thegame as 31-point favorites, according to BetMGM. Oregon,Georgia swap spots Georgia andOregon swapped spotsinthis week’spoll. Oregon moved up twoplaces to No. 4inthe AP Top25after routing Oklahoma State 69-3. Georgia didn’t getquite the startKirby Smartenvisioned against FCS Austin Peay.The Bulldogs ultimately came out on top 28-6,

Koki Riley

Despitethe lack of marquee matchups acrossthe country, Week 2was filledwith even more surprises than Week 1in the world of collegefootball. Oklahoma dominatedMichigan. Florida gotupset by South Florida Arizona State couldn’tsurvive the cowbells in Starkville,falling to aMississippi State programin desperate need of abig win. Here’s where my AP poll vote stands following the second week of thecollege footballseason.

My AP poll afterWeek2: 1. PennState, 2. LSU, 3. Ohio State,4.Texas, 5. Oregon, 6. Georgia,7.Miami,8.Notre Dame, 9. Oklahoma,10. Illinois, 11.Clemson, 12. TexasA&M, 13.Michigan, 14. Alabama,15. Florida,16. Florida State, 17. TexasTech, 18. IowaState,19. Auburn, 20. South Florida,21. South Carolina,22. Tennessee, 23. Pittsburgh, 24. Arizona State, 25. Missouri Just missed: Utah,TCU,Georgia Tech,Indiana Anew No.1teamemerges PennState leapfrogging LSU andOhio State doesn’t seem logical on thesurface. All three teams won this week,and the Buckeyes did it in utterly dominant fashion. But upon furtherreflection and another week of football, I’dlike to amendmytrain of thought on these teams.

Irewarded Ohio State last week forits win over Texas by taking the Buckeyes over PennState, but my questions surrounding Ohio State’s offense remain (70pointsagainst

Gramblingdoesn’t persuademe much).

Don’tget me wrong, thewin overTexas wasimpressive. But giventhat theBuckeyeswere at home andfacing afirst-year starting quarterback,the victory hasagreater impact on the College FootballPlayoff picture than it does on howIfeel about Ohio State in this moment Dropping LSUdown anotch wasalittleeasier this week after its lackluster outing against Louisiana Tech.The Tigers’ issues running theballresurfaced on Saturday,and Clemson’s offensive issues againstTroythis week didn’tmakeLSU’swin in Memorial Stadium in Week 1 look anybetter What nowfor Florida, ASU?

Florida’sshocking loss to South Florida may notlook so badbythe endofthe year.With wins over Boise State andthe Gators, SouthFlorida appears to be the earlyfavorite to make the CFPamong theGroup of 5 schools. Oddly enough, theBulls probably have thebestrésumé in the country. But justbecause thedefeat wasn’tatotal embarrassment forFlorida,itdoesn’tmean it wasn’t costly. The Gators face LSU, Miami, Texas, TexasA&M andGeorgia in five of itsnextsix games.The Gators hadtowin on Saturday to feel confident heading into that stretch.Now,theymay be stuckfighting forbowl eligibility in coachBilly Napier’sfourth seasoninGainesville despiteassembling atalent-rich roster Arizona State’slosstoMississippi State wasn’t just abig deal forthe Sun Devils; it wasalso a huge loss forthe Big12. ASU was thefavoritetorepeat as conference champions after returning nearlyevery starter

from ayear ago. Therefore, losing to arguably theweakest team in theSoutheasternConference dealtatough blowtothe Big12’sslim chances of having twoteams in theCFP

Othernotes

Oklahoma took down Michigan by nine pointsonSaturday. But in reality, theSoonersdominated theWolverines. Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwoodwas held to a37.5% completion percentageand Oklahoma hadnearlytwiceasmany first downs as theWolverines. Theimpressive victory was enough formetopush Oklahomainto my top-10. Iwas already high on the Sooners heading intothe season,but my confidenceinthemonly grew after they took down an elitedefensive team Ihad afeeling theBaylor-SMU game would be ashootout, but Ididn’texpect theMustangs defensetofoldaseasily as it did at home. Missouri took SMU’s spot in thepollafter earning an impressive victoryoveranunderrated Kansas squad. Iowa State alreadyhas three wins,including twooverPower 4teams. ButKansas State’s strugglesand Iowa’s inept offensestill leavemewondering just howgood theCyclonesreally are. After ASU’sloss, you’d figurethattheir chances of winning theBig 12 are still as good as anybody’s. Illinois’dominant win over Duke left me abit perplexed. I was extremelyhigh on theBlue Devils after they addedTulane quarterback Darian Mensahthis offseason.The big win for Illinois shot theveteran team into my top-10.

Email Koki Riley at Koki. Riley@theadvocate.com.

LIVING

RushTok Backlash

Whysororitiesaren’tletting prospectspost

BY SAFIYAH RIDDLE

Associated Press/ReportFor America

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Kylan Darnell became an overnight celebrity in the TikTokniche thatdocuments the glitzy,ritualistic recruitment process for sororities. Asa 21-yearold rising senior fouryears later, she’s taking more of hersorority life offline.

Darnellhas untilnow been the embodiment of RushTok, aweeklongmarathonthathas teensat schools around the country meticulously documenting their efforts to landa cherished spot in asorority during the colorful, girly and enigmatic recruitment process known as rush week

Reactions to the content that once catapulted her to fame —depicting her life as aZetaTau Alpha member at theUniversityofAlabama —had become so negative that it was affecting her mental health,she said.

“This year it wasjustlikeawhole different level of hate,” Darnell said.

Citing aneed to protect prospects from harassment, many sororities have made similar moves, issuing

Participation often requires an eye-opening price tag

Afterspending sometimes tens of thousands of dollarsonoutfits, makeup and plane tickets, each of this week’s2,600 recruits paid$550 to participate. It’s non-refundable if theydon’tget picked. If accepted,they’ll payanaverage $8,400 asemester to live in the sorority house, or $4,100 if they live elsewhere, according to the Alabama Panhellenic Association.

adefacto banagainst talking to the press or posting on social mediaduring rushweek at Alabama, wherealmost 13,000 students participateinthe nation’slargest oncampus Greek life.

Acenturies-old tradition

Across thecountry,rushistypicallya 10-day eventwhere “prospective new members” try out sororitiesthrough rounds of activities prescribing astrict slate of outfits andetiquette. In the lead-up, girls often submit “social resumes” and letters of recommendation from sorority alums.

The pressure can be so intense that an industry of consultants now helps girls navigate the often mysterious criteria for landing a desiredsorority.Some charge up to $10,000 for months of services thatcan begin in high school.

Throughout rush, many events are invite-only.Atany point, girls canget adreaded call informing them they’ve been dropped —that asororityisnolonger interested in lettingthem join.Matchesare finally made on bidday as prospects rank topchoices and sororities makeoffers.

MorganCadenhead,now 20, gained suchanaudience on

Noisyelectronics on planes arebecominga bigissue

BY CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

What is meant by the “dementia stare”?

The dementia stare is acommon symptom of dementia characterized by ablank, unfocused gaze, often directed into space or at afixed point, with alack of engagement with the surroundings.

Known as glassy or gazed eyes, the vacant stare can be a result of cognitive impairment, sensory overload, or difficulty processing visual information. Additionally,itcan be away for affected individuals with dementia to try and communicate needs or express emotions when verbal communication is impaired.

Common causes of staring behavior include:

n Confusion and trouble interpreting their environment.

n Toomuch activity,noise or crowds overwhelming an individual with dementia.

n Anonverbal meansofcommunication, particularly in cases when verbal communication is hampered.

n Changes in eyesight which find it challenging to focus and comprehend visual information.

n Fixing on familiar individuals or objects to set off a recollection or sense of identification.

n Hallucinations whereby they stare at itemsorpeople they believe to be nonexistent.

n Sundowning, which is evening anxiety and restlessness associated with dementia.

n Possible illness.

Staring behavior in individuals with dementia may vary The disease has somephases when one finds moreofitthan others. Knowing the individual’shistory and dementia type helps loved ones and caregivers better grasp and handle this behavior

flights have risen 47% since 2020.

Older individuals may stare silently due to natural cognitive slowing down, visual or hearing restrictions, and emotional circumstances like loneliness or confusion. Aging may cause cognitive issues with processing speed and attentiveness. Prolonged silences could result from the need for moretimetounderstand the material and answer Problems with vision or hearing can also lead to staring. Seniors whofind it difficult to see or hear should fix their gaze to makesense of their surroundings or individuals. This can offset sensory shortcomings. loneliness, confusion and hopelessness, which may affect the behavior of an aged person. Loneliness and social isolation might lead to cognitive decline and alack of social interaction. Those with dementia may seem blank, trying to grasp their surroundings or conversations.

If an individual with dementia is staring, it is essential to stay calm and provide reassurance. Engage them with a friendly tone or questions to understand their feelings or thoughts. Redirecting their attention gently with an activity or movement can also be

Idealconditionsfor accurate bloodpressurereadings

Dear Doctors: Ihave read that for an accurate blood pressure reading, you should first sit in a comfortable chair withnotalking or distractions for at least five minutes. But my doctors all slap on acuff, ask questions the whole time, then exclaimthat Ihave high blood pressure. Ihavetoask for at least five minutes of quiet before areading.How do we convince doctors to change?

Dr.Elizabeth Ko Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

Dear reader: Adoctor’soffice is an artificial environment.Many people have fought throughtraffic, and perhaps for aparking space,before they even reach the door.Then, in the waitingroom they are left to manage theanxiety that can often accompanya medical visit. In our opinion,the blood pressure readings taken when someone firstsits down in an exam room,often while being quizzedabout theirmedical history,are likely to reflect that person’sblood pressureunder stress. That is why,inour own offices, we don’tmakedecisions about blood pressuremedication based solely on asingle office value. Youare correct about the optimalconditionsneeded to obtain an accurate blood pressure reading. In fact, they are used in the

SORORITY

Continued from page1C

RushTok despite being dropped that shecoveredmost of her tuition with income from social media. Then came the social costas she was slammed online for criticizing Greek life. Now the marketingmajor —featuredonLifetime’s “SororityMom’s Guide to Rush!” —said she’slooking for offline work.

Azealous TikTok following Afixation with rush was renewed whensororities resumed in-person recruiting after the pandemic.

Social media becameflooded with “outfit of theday”and “get ready with me”videosshowing sorority members andrecruits in well-lit rooms, sometimes flaunting exorbitantly priced designer wear or pieces purchased on Amazon, always preciselycurated.

Alabama’sGreek life got attention before, when itstraditionally White sororities racially integrated, accepting their first Black members in 2013. Targeted by protests following allegations of racial discrimination,the universityagreedwiththe Justice Department in 2016 to encourage diversity.Today,Black students outside of traditionally Black sororities and fraternities represent 2% of the total Greek membership, the university website says. Meanwhile, online attentionto rush has led to books, apolarizing

By The Associated Press

clinical studies used to arrive at standardized blood pressure ranges. As you mentioned in your letter,this includes sittingupright in acomfortable chair that supportsthe back. The arm needs to be supported at heart level with bothfeet flat on the ground. There should be aquiet resting period of at least five minutes before the test. Andbecause blood pressure fluctuates, multiple measurements,several minutes apart, are needed for an accurateresult. Additional factors that affect blood pressure include time of day,temperature and exercise. Blood pressureistypically highest in themorning and lowest at night.Blood vessels constrict in acold room, which can elevate blood pressure. Heat can do the opposite. The effect of exercise,

in which blood pressure rises as theheart works to send oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, continues foratleast 30 minutes after the exertion ends. Caffeine and tobacco raise blood pressure. So can certain medications, including over-the-counter pain relievers. Being dehydrated can cause blood pressure to dip. It is also important to use the correct cuff size. Acuffthat’stoo large can cause afalse low reading, while acuff that’stoo small can give results that are too high. Somepeople routinely have elevated readings in amedical setting, aresponse knownaswhite coat hypertension. In those cases, we advise bringing adetailed log of at-home values to share with thephysician.That information reflectsa pool of data collected

documentaryand the reality television series, widening the appeal of sororities in theSouthinparticular,accordingtoLorie Stefaneli, aNew York City-based consultant who flies to Tuscaloosa each year for rush.

Stefanelicoachesgirls from around the country,and about a

TODAYINHISTORY

Today is Monday,Sept. 8, the 251st day of 2025. There are 114 days left in the year

Todayinhistory

On Sept. 8, 1974, one month after taking office, President Gerald R. Ford granted a“full, free, and absolute pardon” to former President Richard Nixon forany crimes committedduring Nixon’spresidency

Also on this date:

In 1504, Michelangelo’stowering marble statue of David was unveiled to the public in Florence, Italy

In 1565, aSpanish expedition established the firstpermanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Florida

In 1664, the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam tothe British, whorenamed it New York.

In 1900, Galveston, Texas, was struck by ahurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people; it remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history In 1935, Sen. Huey P. Long, D-La., was fatally shot in the Louisiana State Capitol building In 1941, the 900-daySiege of Leningrad by German forces began during World WarII. In 1951, apeace treaty with Japan was signed by 49 nations in San Francisco. In 1957, Althea Gibson became the first Black tennis player to win the U.S. National Championships, now known as the U.S Open.

STARE

Continued from page1C

helpful. For example, suggest folding laundry or going fora short walk. It is crucial to connect with the person on afeeling level before redirecting their attention. Moreover, you could also suggest exercisessuch as short-term memory exercises,

In 1964, public schools in Prince EdwardCounty,Virginia, reopened after being closed for fiveyears byofficials attempting to prevent court-ordered racial desegregation.

In 1986, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” began the first of 25 seasons in national syndication. In 2016, California and federal regulators fined Wells Fargo a combined $185 million, alleging thebank’s employees illegally opened millions of unauthorized accounts fortheircustomersin order to meet aggressive sales goals.

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II, who spent more than seven decades on the British throne, died at age96; her then 73-yearold son became King Charles III.

Today’sBirthdays: Former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., is 87. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is 84. Civil rightsactivist Ruby Bridges is 71. Author Terry Tempest Williams is 70. Basketball Hall of Famer Maurice Cheeks is 69. Actor Heather Thomas is 68. Singer AimeeMannis65. Actor ThomasKretschmann is 63. Alternative country singer Neko Case is 55. TV personality BrookeBurke is 54. Actor Martin Freeman is 54.Actor David Arquette is 54. TV-radio personalityKennedy is 53. ActorLarenz Tate is 50.Singersongwriter Pink is 46. Actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas is 44. RapperWiz Khalifais38. MLB pitcherGerrit Cole is 35. Actor Gaten Matarazzo (TV:“Stranger Things”)is23.

cognitiverehabilitation exercises, exercises for dementia patients, and mental exercises for mild cognitive impairment

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.” She hosts “The Memory Whisperer.”Email her at thememorywhisperer@gmail com.

third of her clientsenroll at Alabama. She saysmany aredrawn by thevibrant depictions of sisterhood,showing femalefriendships that can ensure girls feel seen and supported.

“That’s thereason why alot of them want to go to Alabama, is becausetheysee it on TikTok,” Ste-

ELECTRONICS

Continuedfrom page1C

substandard headphones (named by 62%ofrespondents), followed by bright screens displaying inappropriatecontent (41%), and electronic toys with sound control problems(38%).

But whyare noisy electronics such aproblem? Howcan you know if your electronics are aproblem? Andwhat can you do if you’re confronted with anoisyseatmate? The solutionsare simple,but following the expertadvice isn’t. Whythere’s aproblem

Del Zotto isn’tthe only onewho has noticed an issue withloud electronics. Nick Leighton, host of the etiquette podcast “Were You Raised By Wolves?,”collects what he calls “etiquettecrime reports” from his listeners. And he’s noticed an uptick in reportsabout noisy headphones and other gadgets.

“Airlinesthatencourageyou to bringyourown device certainly makeiteasier to commit etiquette crimes,” he says. It’s true.A few years ago, some U.S.airlinesbegan to remove seatback entertainment devices, particularly on someshort-haul flights. Today, it’shard to find a passenger without atablet, phone, laptop and aheadset.

Well, sometimes the headset is optional.

The result is acacophony on every flight. Youhear beeps, pings, moviesoundtracksand that really irritating sound thelanguage learning appDuolingo makes when you answeraquestioncorrectly.Itisthe world’smost annoying sound.

All thenoise creates more stress forpassengers, which provokes more in-flight conflicts between passengers and crew members. So much for friendly skies.

But forevery etiquette crime, there is aconsequence. Del Zotto didn’twanttospend sevenhours listening tohis neighbor’sheadset.

So he lent him his extra headset

“He was very grateful,” he remembers.

AremyheadphonesOK?

The worst thing youcan do on a

over time, and we find it to be a morereliable index than asingle office-based reading.

Blood pressure is an important metricofhealth. We believe making medical decisions based on asinglereading is unwise. And though we don’thaveananswer abouthow to encouragesystemic change,weapplaud your approach of advocating foryourself. Patients feeling rushed are within their rightstorequest thesame environmental conditions in whichblood pressure standards were created Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

$58,000 it costs her annually to attend Alabamafrom out-of-state. Rush can be fun andhelp girls build confidence, but it’s also an “emotional rollercoaster,”especially for girls who feel they need to reveal themselvestoamassive audience, Stefanelisaid. Sheanswers phone calls at allhours of the night during rush week.

“I’m literally atherapist, I’m talking these girls downfrom a ledge,” she said.

Numerous incoming freshmen told The Associated Press this week that they were expressly prohibited from speaking with the media or even posting aboutrush at Alabama. Darnellsaidthe most selective “Old Row” houses will automatically drop prospects who do.

“Now alot of girls just come to the university to be influencers,” she said. “Itkind of gets in theway of sisterhood.”

Some incoming freshmen —including Darnell’s19-year-old sister Izzy,with avast social media followingofher own—havechosen to post anyway, satisfyinga demand that can reach millions of viewswithin days.

faneli said. Stop posting—orelse

If they gain enough followers to become social influencers, RushTokparticipants can earn ad revenue and brand deals. Darnell’s postsbrought her financial independence, morethan covering the

plane is listen to music or watch a movie without headphones. That’s aclear breach, not only of in-flight etiquette, but of airline rules. And there are no exemptions foryoung children who haven’tfigured out howtouse headphones. If they can’tuse headphones, give them a toy.Aquiet toy In terms of acceptable headphones, experts say anything with more than75% sound containment is good, butyou should aim for at least 90%.

Theleast leak-prone headsets are the Sony Pulse Explore Truly Wireless and the Moondrop Blessing 3, both in-ear headsets with perfect ratings. Oh, and if someonesitsnexttoyou withapairof HiFiMan Arya Stealth Magnets, you’regoing to hear everything. It’s the leakiest headset on the market. Youcan find afull list of modelsonRtings.com, aconsumer electronics site.

What should youdo?

So what if you’re seated next to apassenger who is violating several in-flight noise ordinances? Experts agree that you should give your seatmate the benefit of the doubt. Often, they don’teven know that their headphones are leaking noise.

Staycalm. Youmight feel like lashingout at the headphone scofflaw, but don’t, says Jodi RR Smith, who runs Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting. An escalation on the plane can be aserious issue for you and your seatmate, leading to an emergency landing and you being led off the plane in handcuffs. So pleasethink before you start browbeating the passenger seated next to you. “Remember,”she says, “somepeopleare just oblivious.” Readthe cabin. Find theright moment to approach the offending headphone-wearer. It might not be theperson making all the noise, notes etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall. “For example, if you think the parent looks approachable, discreetlyrequest they provide little Johnny with earbuds,” she says. Appeal to ahigher authority If the passenger refusestoaddress the problem, etiquette experts recommendthatyou privatelyask a flight attendant to intervene. After all, most airlineshaverulesabout playing loud music, and aleaky

Izzy Darnell —who wouldn’t share herchoices forsorority ahead of Saturday’sbid day said heroldersister’s acumenhas equipped her to navigate criticism andpotentially predatorybusiness deals. But she worries about how othergirls might handlethe fame and money

“I just fear what some girls will do because they think they have to,” Izzy Darnell said.

headset certainly qualifies. Don’t jab the flight attendant “call” button; instead, walk over to the galley when you can and ask. The crew members maybeable to move you to adifferent seat. Thomas Plante, apsychology professor at SantaClaraUniversity,says it comes down to respect. “Be mindful that the world doesn’trevolve around youand your needs,” he says.

OK,it’seasiersaidthandone Iwas on arecent flight from Dublin to Istanbul when apassenger behind me started playing a kids’ TV show at full volume—no headset. It wasaclear violation of the in-flight rules they deliver before takeoff. But then, the offending passenger wasatoddler Iprobably made every mistake in the book. Istarted by giving a disapproving look to the child. The kid couldn’ttakehis eyes off the episode of “Bobthe Builder.”Next, Igave Mom the evil eye. Nothing. This went on fora while. Ifelt my blood pressure rising slowly Kidsmay love watching “Bob the Builder,” but to adults, it’spure fingernails on chalkboard. Finally Icouldn’ttakeitany longer.I swiveled around and asked Mom if she could please find apair of headphones forher snowflake.

OK, Ididn’tuse the words “snowflake” —but the “please” sounded about as sincere as the parking lot guys at Disney World when they take your $30and say, “Havea magical day!” She complied. But Iwas ashamed of my behavior.Ishould have taken afew extra breaths before getting all bitchy with her.And I’m only saying this because Iknow that when it comes to noisy electronics, it’seasy to overheat. Don’t let that be you.

Christopher Elliott is an author,consumeradvocate, and journalist.Hefounded Elliott Advocacy,a nonprofit organizationthat helpssolve consumerproblems. He publishesElliott Confidential, atravel newsletter,and the Elliott Report, anewssiteabout customer service. If you need helpwithaconsumer problem, you canreach him here or email himatchris@elliott.org.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Do your part, volunteer, ask questions and make suggestions, and you can make a difference. A positive change in where or how you work is apparent.

LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct. 23) A change to your environment will give you the boost you need to follow your heart. Traveling, reconnecting with people from your past and reorganizing your time will change your mindset.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Be careful how you use your energy. Offer suggestions, but don't waste time elsewhere when achieving your goals is your focus. Review your relationships, set clear boundaries and strive for balance and equality.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Be wary of hype and people trying to manipulate situations to fit their needs. Now is not the time to be reckless; question everything, and don't be afraid to do your own thing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) An aggressive offer will require due diligence. Don't take on someone else's problem. Set a budget and be willing to walk away from a bidding war or a manipulative pitch.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Address domestic issues and shared expenses, and seek out innovative possibilities that could make your life easier. Home improvements that serve your needs will improve your mindset.

WonderWord

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) A change of scenery will offer insight into new possibilities. Network, be open to suggestions and prepare to find the most cost-effective and efficient way to accomplish tasks.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) You'll be challenged by people eager to compete with you. A unique approach will make it difficult for competitors to oust you from your position.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Pay attention to detail, and it will help you avoid situations that lack rules or regulations. Take care of personal business and keep up to date with what's trending.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Participating in events or organizations that interest you will require restraint. Sticking close to home and tending to unfinished business will lead to the best outcome.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Let your intuition take the lead, and you'll avoid mistakes. Choose personal growth over costly physical changes that may soothe your ego but deplete your assets

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) The more you do for yourself, the better off you'll be. Ask for proof of qualifications, references and costs. Be sure to get everything in writing.

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

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

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

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Josh Billings said, “As a general rule, if you want to get at the truth hear both sides and believe neither.”

Then what do you do? Take half of each? Weird! Bridge is full of “truisms,” but there always seem to be exceptions to these adages. However, this deal features one with a remarkable record of reliability What is it?

South is in three no-trump West leads the diamond king. What should happen, assuming West keeps plugging away at diamonds?

North’s takeout double was very light. South’s three no-trump promised 13-15 points with diamonds held and, in principle, denied a four-card major; it was a realistic choice.

AfterSouthduckedthefirsttworounds of diamonds, West could have shifted to clubs to defeat the contract. But that was hardlyobvious.Itwasnormaltocontinue with the diamond four, his lowest being a suit-preference signal for clubs. After declarer discarded a club from the dummy, what should East have thrown?

At the table, East pitched a heart. Now South ran the heart 10 and cashed her four heart winners.

What should East have thrown this time? East broke a key rule for a second time when she discarded a spade. That allowed South to take four spade tricks and nine in all.

East forgot to keep equal length with the dummy. While the board retained four cards in each major, East had to do the same, discarding clubs. Then three no-trump would have failed. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised 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.

today’s thought “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” Psalms 66:18

That the boardapproves the request 2025-2026 PupilProgression Plan

Motionmade by: Mr.Burke Fiscus

Motionseconded by: Mr.MatthewDaigrepont

Voting: Unanimously Approved

5. Adjourn

The Academics has been adjourn

Motionmade by: Mr.RonaldLeBlanc

Motionseconded by: Mrs.Teri Bergeron

Voting: Unanimously Approved

Non-Voting

Dr.Chandler

Clouatre, BoardMember •Mr. Ronald LeBlanc, BoardMember

•Mr. Matthew Daigrepont, BoardMember

•Mr. Michael Maranto, BoardMember

•Mrs. Teri Bergeron, BoardMember •Mr. Alden Chustz, President Aquorum was made. The following boardmembers wereabsent:

Dr.Atley Walker,Vice President

Ms. Sonceria Evans, BoardMember

Ms. Chareeka Grace, Boardmember

4. Agenda 1. Facilities Updates (Chad Fontenot) See attached Facilities Updates.

The chairman declared the flooropen for public comment Informational Item, No action Necessary

2. Consideration for Request to use the Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) process for the LES/PAHS Fieldhouse pending approval from the Senate/House Transportation, Highway,& Public Works Committee Dr.Smith went over the letter with boarditisalso attached to the agenda.

The chairman declared the floor openfor public comment

That the boardapproves the request to use the Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) process forthe LES/PAHS Fieldhouse pending approval from the Senate/House Transportation, Highway,&Public Works Committee.

Motion made by: Mr.Ronald LeBlanc

Motion seconded by: Mr.Alden Chustz

Voting: Unanimously Approved

5. Adjourn

The Facilities has been adjourned.

Motion made by: Mr.Ronald LeBlanc

Motion seconded by: Mr.AldenChustz

Voting: Unanimously Approved

Committee Meeting 07/08/2025 05:00 PM West Baton RougeParish School BoardOffice 3761 Rosedale Road Port Allen, LA 70767

Please silence allcellphones Attendance

Voting Members

Mr.Burke Fiscus, BoardMember

Mrs.Hayley Clouatre,BoardMember

Mr.RonaldLeBlanc, BoardMember

Mr.Matthew Daigrepont, BoardMember

Mr.Michael Maranto, BoardMember

Mrs.Teri Bergeron, BoardMember

Mr.Alden Chustz, President

Non-Voting Members Jessica Blanchard, ExecutiveSecretary

Dr.Chandler Smith, Superintendent Jared Gibbs, Supervisor of Business

1. Call Meeting to Order The chairman called the meeting to order

2. Pledge of Allegiance

Mr.LeBlanc led us in The Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call Jessica Blanchardconducted arollcall: The following boardmembers werepresent:

•Mr. Burke Fiscus, BoardMember

•Mrs. Hayley Clouatre,BoardMember

•Mr. RonaldLeBlanc, BoardMember

•Mr. MatthewDaigrepont, BoardMember

•Mr. Michael Maranto, Board Member

•Mrs. Teri Bergeron, BoardMember

•Mr. Alden Chustz,President

Aquorum was made:

The following boardmembers wereabsent:

Dr.Atley WalkerSr.,VicePresident

Ms.Sonceria Evans, BoardMembers

Ms.Chareeka Grace, BoardMembers

4. Agenda 1. Discussion on Millagesand Assessed Values from Chris Guerin, West Baton Rouge Assessor Chris Guerin, came to present about assessed values.

The chairman declared the floor open for public comment

Informational Item,NoActionNecessary

2. Receive andreview Head Start DirectorsMonthly Report. (Crystal Leon)

The boardmember review over the Head Start Directors Monthly Report

The chairman declared the floor open for public comment

Informational Item,Noaction necessary

3. Consideration of request for approval of themonthly expenditures and financial reports for May 2025 (Jared Gibbs)

Mr.Gibbs went over attached report

The chairman declared the floor open for public comment

That the boardapproves monthly expenditures and financial reports for May2025

Motionmade by: Mr.Alden Chustz

Motionseconded by: Mrs.Hayley Clouatre

Voting: UnanimouslyApproved

4. Approval of the Louisiana Compliance Questionnairefor the 2024-2025 Audit.(Jared Gibbs)

Mr.Gibbs went over the Louisiana ComplianceQuestionnairefor the2024-2025 Audit.

The chairman declared the floor open for public comment

That the boardapproves the Lousisiana Compliance Questionnaire for the2024-2025 Audit.

Motionmade by: Mr.Matthew Daigrepont

Motionseconded by: Mrs.Teri Bergeron

Voting: UnanimouslyApproved

5. Discussion of the 2025-2026 AnnualBudget (Jared Gibbs)

Mr.Gibbs went over Annual Budget Draft. We approve thisis August

The chairman declared the floor open forpubliccomment Informational Item,NoActionNecessary

6. Consideration of request to approve the 2025-2026 Extracurricular Supplement Schedule. (Dr. ChandlerSmith)

Dr.Smith went over the changes for the 2025-2026 Extracurricular Supplement Schedule. The changed arehighlighted in the attached document.

The chairman declared the floor open for public comment

That the boardapproves the 2025-2026 Extracurricular Supplement Schedule.

Motionmade by:Mrs. Teri Bergeron

Motionseconded by: Mr.Burke Fiscus

Voting: UnanimouslyApproved

7. Consideration of request to approve the 2025-2026 Stipend Pay Rates(Dr.Chandler Smith)

Dr.Smith went over thechanges in the attached document. The chairman declared the flooropen for public comment

Thatthe boardapproves 2025-2026 stipend payrates

Motion made by: Mrs. HayleyClouatre

Motion seconded by: Mr.MatthewDaigrepont

Voting: Unanimously Approved

8. Consideration of requestfor discussion and approval 20252026 Personnel Evaluation Plan. (BarbaraBurke) Only change is theorg chart

Thechairmandeclared the floor open forpubliccomment

Thatthe boardapproves the 2025-2026PersonnelEvaluation Plan

Motion made by: Mr.AldenChustz

Motion seconded by: Mr.Burke Fiscus

Voting: Unanimously Approved

9. Consideration of requestfor approval of revisionofjob description for DirectorofStudent Services (Barbara Burke and Hope Supple) Mrs. Burke andMrs. Supple went over

Thechairmandeclared the floor open forpubliccomment

Thatthe boardapproves therevision of job description for Director of Student Services.

Motion made by: Mr.MatthewDaigrepont

Motion seconded by: Mrs. Teri Bergeron

Voting: Unanimously Approved

10. Consideration to reclassify the DiverseLearners and Federal Programs Coordinator to Supervisor of Special Education job description (BarbaraBurke and Hope Supple) Mrs. Burke andMrs. Supple explainedtothe boardthatthis is a reclassification job description.

Thatthe chairmandeclared the floor openfor publiccomment

Thatthe board approvestoreclassifythe Diverse Learners and FederalPrograms Coordinaor to Supervisor of Special Education Job description.

Motion made by: Mrs. Hayley Clouatre

Motion secondedby: Mr.Burke Fiscus

Voting: Unanimously Approved

11. add item to agenda Thatthe boardadd an agenda itemtodiscuss theCityofPort AllenPurchasing Land from the School Board for NewSewage Treatment Plant Location (Mayor Pattan)

Thatthe chairman declaredthe floor open forpubliccomment

Approval to Add Agendaitemtothe Agenda

Motion made by: Mr.AldenChustz

Voting: Unanimously Approved

12. Discussionofthe city of Port Allen purchasingLand from the School Boardfor New Sewage Treatment Plant Location MayorPattan Mayor Pattanisaskingfor 9Acres for anew sewage treatment plant.Thisisfor discussion.

Thechairmandeclared the floor openfor publiccomment Informational Item, No Action Necessary

5. Adjourn Thatthe Financecommitteeisadjourned.

Motion made by: Mrs. Hayley Clouatre

Motion seconded by: Mr.AldenChustz

Voting: Unanimously Approved

MEETING MINUTES

the above QR

Attendance

Voting Members

with your phone to viewthismeeting agenda on your phone

Mr.Burke Fiscus, BoardMember Mrs. Hayley Clouatre, Board Member

Dr.AtleyWalker Sr Vice President

Mr.Ronald LeBlanc, BoardMember

Mr.Michael Maranto, BoardMember Mrs. Teri Bergeron,Board Member Mr.AldenChustz,President

Non-Voting Members Jessica Blanchard, Executive Secretary Dr.ChandlerSmith, Superintendent

1. Call to Order The chairmancalledthe meeting to order

2. Pledge of Allegiance Mr.Chustz ledusinThe Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call

•JessicaBlanchard conducteda roll call:

•The followingboard members were present

•Mr. Burke Fiscus, Board Member

•Mrs. Hayley Clouatre, BoardMember

•Dr. AtleyWalker Sr Vice President

•Mr. RonaldLeBlanc, BoardMember

•Mr. MichaelMaranto, Board Member

•Mrs. Teri Bergeron, BoardMember

•Mr. AldenChustz, President

Aquorum wasmade The followingboardmembers were absent: Ms. SonceriaEvans, BoardMember Ms. Chareeka Grace,Board Member Mr.MatthewDaigrepont

4. Approval of Minutes

Be it Resolved, That the approval of theminutesofthe RegularBoard Meeting held on June 18, 2025 be approvedaspresented. The Chairmandeclared the floor openfor publiccomment.

Motion made by: Dr.AtleyWalker Sr Motion seconded by: Mrs. Hayley Clouatre

Voting: Unanimously Approved

5. Superintendent’sReport

Dr.Smith went over attached report. $7500 Ds BusDonation 24-25

School Year The chairman declaredthe floor openfor public comment. InformationalItem, No Action Necessary

6. ReportfromCommunity Committees/Agencies

7. UnfinishedBusiness

Afteracool startwithlowsinthe 60s,temperatureswillrebound intothe upper 80s by the afternoon.That’sremarkable,considering that sunshine will dominate from startto finish on Monday.Another cool startisexpected Tuesdaywith lows reaching the mid-60s again. However, changes willcome after that.Aweakdisturbance will begin throwing moisture toward the region from east to west through the day.That means areas east will turnmuggysooner and have abetterchance of seeing aspotty showeronTuesday. Humidity will swing between muggyand more tolerable levels for the rest of the week.While the “comfortable”stretches won’t be as dryasMonday, the muggytimes should staybelowsummer standards.

8. Considerationfor Request touse theConstructionManager At Risk(CMAR) process forthe LES/PAHS Fieldhouse pending approval from the Senate/House Transportation, Highway, & Public WorksCommittee (FacilitiesCommittee Report7/8/25)

9. ConsiderationofRequest

to thehighest bid‐der,atPublicAuction WITHOUT Appraisement and accordingtolaw SidJ.Gautreaux,Sheriff EastBaton RougeParish ADVERTISED DATE August

DATE August 08,2025 September 08,2025 $237.23

SHERIFF'SSALE SuitNo: (17) 763388 U.S. BANK TRUSTNA‐TIONALASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FORLBDWELLINGSERIESV

entitledand

11 2025, andtomedirected, I didseize andwill, be‐ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m.onSeptember 10, 2025, viaanonlineauc‐tionsiteatwww bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales,offerfor saleatpublicauction the following described mortgaged property be‐longing to:STEPHANIE HOLLINS ONECERTAIN LOTOR PARCELOFGROUND, to‐getherwithall thebuild‐ingsand improvements thereon,situatedinthe ParishofEastBaton Rouge., State of Louisiana,inthatsubdi‐visionknown as Paulfor Ridge,SecondFiling, and designatedonthe offi‐cialplanthereof on file and of record in theof‐fice of theClerk and Recorderofthe Parish of EastBaton Rouge, State ofLouisiana,asLot 8, saidsubdivision,saidlot havingsuchmeasure‐ments anddimensions asare more particularly shownonsaidmap TERMSOFSALE:

SHERIFF'SSALE SuitNo: (17) 763702 LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVIC‐INGLLC vs BRIAN MICHAEL KELLY BatonRouge,LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge StateofLouisiana Acting under andby virtueofWritofSeizure and Sale issued outof the honorablecourt aforesaid,inthe above entitledand numbered cause,dated June 27 2025, andtomedirected, I didseize andwill, be‐ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m.onSeptember 10 2025, viaanonlineauc‐tionsiteat www. bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales,offerfor saleatpublicauction the following described mortgaged property be‐longing to:BRIAN MICHAEL KELLY That certainlot or parcel ofground,togetherwith all of thebuildings and improvementsthereon situatedinthe Parish of EastBaton Rouge, State ofLouisiana,inthatsub‐divisionknown as TAN‐GLEWOOD SUBDIVISION SECTION THREE(3),FIRST FILING, andbeing desig‐nated accordingtothe official mapofsaidsub‐division, acopyofwhich ison file andofrecordin the office of theClerk and Recorder forthe said Parishand State, as LOT NUMBER ONEHUNDRED FOURTEEN (114),said subdivision;saidLot measuring Seventy-five (75')feet on Rustling OaksDrive,bya depth between equallines of One HundredForty (140') feet;saidLot beingsub‐jecttoa Sevenand 5/10 (7.5')foot servitude along theeasterlyside line andacrossthe rear

SHERIFF'SSALE SuitNo: (17) 764104 LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVIC‐ING, LLCvsESTATEOF CARZETTE MARTIN BatonRouge,LA 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge StateofLouisiana Acting under andby virtueofWritofSeizure and Sale issued outof the honorablecourt aforesaid,inthe above entitledand numbered cause,dated June 17 2025 andtomedirected, I didseize andwill, be‐ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m.onSeptember 10 2025, viaanonlineauc‐tionsiteatwww bid4assets.com/EBR

BER SIXTY(60),said subdivision,saidlot hav‐ing such measurements and dimensions and being subjecttosuch servitudesasare shown onsaidsubdivision map. (the "Property") TERMSOFSALE: Cash to thehighest bid‐der,atPublicAuction WITHOUT Appraisement and accordingtolaw SidJ.Gautreaux,Sheriff EastBaton RougeParish ADVERTISED DATE August 08, 2025 September 08, 2025 $224.49 ignatedonplanof Marengo Plantation,C.B 37, E. 278, as 1st Lot15, measuring 2.20 chains by a depthbetween parallel lines to Common Road on which it measures 2.32 chainsand runningin depth to Section103 containingtwenty-five (25) acres. Together with all thebuildings andim‐provementsthereon,and all therights, ways and privilegesthereuntoap‐pertaining. 2. 1st Lot16onsaidplan measuring 2.20 chains front by adepth between parallellines to common roadcontainingtwentyfive (25) acres, 2ndLot 16 startingatSection 103 containing25acres,to‐getherwithall thebuild‐ingsand improvements thereon,and allthe rights, ways,and privi‐leges thereuntoapper‐taining LESSAND EXCEPT: Acertain tractorparcel ofland, together with all the buildingsand im‐provementsthereon situ‐atedinthe Parish of Iberville, designated on a Surveyentitled“MAP SHOWING THEREMOVAL OFTRACT A(1.045 AC.) FROMTHE EASTERNPOR‐TIONOFA LARGER TRACT OFLANDKNOWN AS LOTS15& 16 (DIVISION OFMARENGO PLANTA‐TION) FORJACKIELEJE‐UNE,SECTION 71, T7S, R9E,IBERVILLE PARISH LOUISIANA”preparedby Charles