The Acadiana Advocate 09-14-2025 by The Advocate

MIZZOU MAULING

Missouri runningback Ahmad Hardy,right, runs pastUniversity of LouisianaatLafayette defenders duringthe secondhalf of Saturday’s game in Columbia, Mo.Former Sun Belt running back Hardy rushed for 250 yards andthree touchdowns as No. 25 Missouri pounded UL 52-10 at Memorial Stadium. TheCajuns ﬁnishedwithjust121 yards on offense, compared to 606 for the Tigers. It was UL’s worst defeat since a56-14 loss to Alabamain2018.

ä SEE COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE CAJUNS’ GAME. PAGE 1C

Heat deaths rise as region warms

BY SAM KARLIN |Staff writer

The heat set in before sunrise in Algiers. Outside his yellow brick home, Dornell Andersonventured into the stagnantAugust air,trying to ﬁnishyard work before the temperature became unbearable He mowed his lawn, facing the neighborhoodwhere he had spent his whole life, from playing footballinthe street to building afamily withhis wife Then aneighbor saw himcollapse. His wife, Sheila Borskey,felt her stomach drop when she got the phone call from the West Bank hospital where herhusband had gone from workingasa cook to being treated as apatient. She rushed to see him. Anderson,

Humidity makesitharderfor people to cool themselves,making Louisiana especially vulnerable ä See HEAT, page 4A

in NewOrleans in July

Historic cypressplank displayedat Capitolgoes missing

Whereaboutsof the1,200-year-old artifact is unknown

BY TYLER BRIDGES |Staff writer

An ancient, 20-footcypress wood boardthat held aprominent place at the State Capitol for decades has gone missing, and no one seemsto know where it is. Or at least no one is admitting it.

The board wascut from atree in Livingston Parish near LakeMaurepas that wasestimated to be 1,284 years old, according to words etched into the ﬂat plank.

Former House Speaker Clay Schexnayder said that, for 10 years, the board was on the wall of his district ofﬁce in Gonzales. But he said he leftitthere when his legislative career ended in January 2024.

The manager of St. John Properties, which handles the building where Schexnayder’sofﬁce waslocated, won’t discuss the matter All of this has deeply frustrated the family of WalterStebbins, who donatedthe red cypress board to the Capitol in the1950s anddiedin1961. “It’sa piece of history,” said JuliusMullins, aretired doctor in Baton Rouge whoisone of Stebbins’grandchildren. “Itwas amuseum piece on display forthe people of Louisiana.” It was apoint of pride forMullins andother family members every timethey visited the Capitol to admire theirgrandfather’shandiworkonawall in theground-ﬂoor breezeway underneath the building’ssteps.

ä See PLANK, page 7A

La.girls fell behind in math during COVID, but progressisbeing made

BYPATRICK WALL, ANNIEMA and SHARON LURYE Staff

writer and Associated Press

DESTREHAN During arecent group project in hereighthgradeengineering class, Charlotte Buccolatookcharge.Standing betweenthe two boys on her team, she silently arranged sticky notes on awall as the group tried, without speaking, to design asystem for making hot chocolate.

As thestudentsatHarry HurstMiddle School practiced the engineering design process andthe criticalskill of collaboration, the girls seemed to excel. They worked efﬁciently andcooperatively,offering their peerssupport.

“Yourdrawings are really good,” Charlotte told another girl when they were comparing designs. “Well done.”

Efforts to close the gapbetween boys and girls in STEM classes are picking up after losing steam nationwide during the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have extensive work ahead of themtomakeupthe ground girls lost, in both interest and performance.

ä See GENDER, page 6A

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Heat haze distortsCanal Street and streetcars during aheat advisory

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By L.G. PATTERSON

Taliban claim agreement on a prisoner swap

KABUL, Afghanistan The Taliban said Saturday they reached agreement with U.S. envoys on an exchange of prisoners as part of an effort to normalize relations between the United States and Afghanistan.

They gave no details of a detainee swap and the White House did not comment on the meeting in Kabul or the results described in a Taliban statement.

The Taliban released photographs from their talks, showing their foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, with President Donald Trump’s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler

On the issue of prisoners, Boehler “confirmed that the two sides would undertake an exchange of detainees,” the Taliban statement said. No information was provided on how many people are being held in each country who they are or why they were imprisoned.

Police fatally shoot man on Alabama highway

HOMEWOOD, Ala. — Homewood police officers shot and killed a man on a four-lane highway after ofﬁcers said he pointed a weapon at them, department ofﬁcials said.

The shooting happened Friday morning on Greensprings Highway, a busy stretch of highway just outside Birmingham

The Homewood Police Department said officers stopped a man on a bicycle in the middle of the road who was riding in and out of the four lanes, disrupting traffic Officers attempted to detain the man because of an outstanding arrest warrant, but they said he moved away from officers.

“The subject chambered a round into the pistol by pulling the slide to the rear and pointed the weapon at ofﬁcers, at which point they fired their duty weapons striking the subject,” department ofﬁcials wrote in a statement.

Police did not identify the man. The Alabama Attorney General’s Office is reviewing the shooting and has possession of ofﬁcers’ body worn cameras, the city police department said. Pool hall shooting kills 7 people in Ecuador

QUITO, Ecuador A shooting by a criminal gang at a pool hall in northern Ecuador killed at least seven people and left four others wounded, police said Saturday

The shooting occurred late Friday in the city of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, located 80 miles west of the capital, Quito, according to the local police commander, Col Olga Benavides, who attributed the attack to a “territorial dispute” between criminal gangs.

On Aug. 17 seven people were killed during a similar attack that also occurred at a pool hall in the same city One of those killed and two of the wounded in Friday’s shooting had criminal records for drug trafficking, criminal association murder and theft, according to a police report.

The vehicle allegedly used by the attackers was found burned in another part of the city, Benavides said.

Driver gets 20½ years for crash that killed 2

COQUILLE, Ore. The driver accused in a fatal crash earlier this year that killed an Oregon community college softball player and head coach has been sentenced to 20½ years in prison.

Johnathan James Dowdy, 33, was driving his pickup truck on April 18 when he crossed the center line and crashed into a bus with 10 members of the Umpqua Community College softball team, Oregon State Police previously said.

Head softball coach Jami Strinz, 46, who was driving the Chevrolet Express bus, and freshman Kiley Jones, 19, died. The eight others on the bus suffered moderate to serious injuries. Dowdy also was injured. He had pleaded guilty to multiple offenses including two counts of second-degree manslaughter, assault-related charges, driving under the inﬂuence of intoxicants and criminal driving while suspended or revoked.

Trump: Stop buying Russian oil

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

BASKING RIDGE, N.J President

Donald Trump said Saturday he believes the Russia-Ukraine war would end if all NATO countries stopped buying oil from Russia and placed tariffs on China of 50% to 100% for its purchases of Russian petroleum

Trump posted on his social media site that NATO’S commitment to winning the war “has been far less than 100%” and the purchase of Russian oil by some members of the alliance is “shocking.” As if speaking with NATO members, he said: “It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia.”

Since 2023, NATO member Turkey has been the third largest buyer of Russian oil, after China and India, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Other members of the 32-state al-

liance involved in purchasing Russian oil include Hungary and Slovakia. It’s unclear whether Trump would want to directly confront Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. That leaves uncertain whether the threats might actually lead to new tariffs or a ban on Russian oil purchases.

The U.S and its allies are seeking to show a ﬁrmer degree of resolve against Russia. At an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Friday, acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea said America “will defend every inch of NATO territory” and that the drones entering Poland “intentionally or otherwise show immense disrespect for good-faith U.S. efforts to bring an end to this conﬂict.”

Britain on Friday also took steps to penalize the trading of Russian oil, including a ban on 70 vessels allegedly used in its transportation. The United Kingdom also

sanctioned 30 individuals and companies, included businesses based in China and Turkey, that have supplied Russia with electronics, chemicals, explosives and other weapons components.

Trump in his post Saturday said a NATO ban on Russian oil plus tariffs on China would “also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR.”

The president said that NATO members should put the 50% to 100% tariffs on China and withdraw them if the war that launched with Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine ends.

“China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia,” he posted, and powerful tariffs “will break that grip.”

The U.S. president has already imposed a 25% import tax on goods from India, speciﬁcally for its buying of Russian energy products. He has placed in total a 50% tariff on India, though Trump has

indicated that negotiations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could help settle differences. Earlier this year, Trump hit Chinese goods with new tariffs totaling 145%, prompting China to respond with 125% import taxes on American goods. Taxes at that level were essentially a blockade on commerce between the world’s two largest economies, causing worries about global growth that led to negotiations that ratcheted down the tariffs being levied by both nations.

So that trade talks could proceed, America lowered its tariffs against China to a still-high 30%, while China took its rate to 10%.

In his post, the Republican president said responsibility for the war fell on his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy He did not include in that list Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion.

Fed governor Cook claimed 2nd residence as ‘vacation home’

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook referred to a condominium she purchased in June 2021 as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud.

Far-right activist’s protest in London draws

BY BRIAN MELLEY and JOANNA CHAN

Associated Press

LONDON — A London march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew more than 100,000 people and became unruly on Saturday as a small group of his supporters clashed with police ofﬁcers who were separating them from counterprotesters.

Several ofﬁcers were punched, kicked and struck by bottles tossed by people at the fringes of the “Unite the Kingdom” rally, Metropolitan Police said. Reinforcements with helmets and riot shields were deployed to support the 1,000-plus ofﬁcers on duty

At least nine people were arrested, but police indicated that many other offenders had been identiﬁed and would be held accountable.

Police estimated that Robinson drew about 110,000 people, while the rival “March Against Fascism” protest organized by Stand Up To Racism had about 5,000 marchers.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the nationalist and anti-Islam English Defense League and is one of the most inﬂuential far-right ﬁgures in Britain.

The march was billed as a demonstration in support of free speech — with much of the rhetoric by inﬂuencers and several far-right politicians from across Europe aimed largely at the perils of migration, a problem much of the continent is struggling to control.

“We are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture, you and we are being colonized by our for-

100,000

mer colonies,” far-right French politician Eric Zemmour said.

Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and owner of the X platform who has waded into British politics several times this year, was beamed in by video and condemned the left-leaning U.K. government.

“There’s something beautiful about being British and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain, initially a slow erosion, but rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration,” he said.

Robinson told the crowd in a hoarse voice that migrants now had more rights in court than the “British public, the people that built this nation.”

The marches come at a time when the U.K. has been divided by debate over migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded inﬂatable boats to arrive on shore without authorization.

Participants in the “Unite the Kingdom” march carried the St. George’s red-andwhite ﬂag of England and the union jack, the state ﬂag of the United Kingdom, and chanted “we want our country back.

U.K. ﬂags have proliferated this summer across the U.K. in what some have said is a show of national pride and others said reﬂects a tilt toward nationalism.

Supporters held signs saying “stop the boats,” “send them home,” and “enough is enough, save our children.”

At the counterprotest, the crowd held signs saying “refugees welcome” and “smash the far right,” and shouted “stand up, ﬁght back.”

The crowd at one point stretched from Big Ben across the River Thames and around the corner beyond Waterloo train station, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile.

Parallel rallies held in Serbia

By The Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia

Anti-government protesters and supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic held parallel rallies throughout Serbia on Saturday reﬂecting a deep political crisis in the Balkan country following more than 10 months of protests against the populist government.

Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party recently started organizing its own demonstrations to counter persistent studentled protests that have challenged the president’s ﬁrm grip on power in Serbia.

No major incidents were reported at the rallies held in a number of cities and towns with police separating the two

camps. Brief scufﬂes erupted in the capital, Belgrade, when riot police pushed away anti-government protesters as Vucic joined his supporters in a show of conﬁdence.

Vucic said that “people want to live normally, they don’t want to be harassed and want to be free.”

Vucic has refused a student demand to call an early parliamentary election. He has instead stepped up a crackdown on the protests, which have drawn hundreds of thousands of people in the past months. More than 100 university professors have been dismissed, while police have faced accusations of brutality against peaceful demonstrators.

President Donald Trump has sought to fire Cook “for cause,” relying on allegations that Cook claimed both the condo and another property as her primary residence simultaneously, as he looks to reshape the central bank to orchestrate a steep cut to interest rates. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.” Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing, the first time a president has sought to remove a member of the sevenperson board of governors.

Cook secured an injunction Tuesday that allows her to remain as a Fed governor The administration has appealed the ruling and asked for an emergency ruling by Monday, just before the Fed is set to meet and decide whether to reduce its key interest rate. Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has accused Cook of signing separate documents in which she allegedly said that both the Atlanta property and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, also purchased in June 2021, were both “primary residences.” Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, which has opened an investigation. Claiming a home as a “primary residence” can result in better down payment and mortgage terms than if one of the homes is classiﬁed as a vacation home. Fulton County tax records show Cook has never claimed a homestead exemption on the condo since buying it in 2021.

Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COMor337-234-0800

News Tips /Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM

Obituaries: 225-388-0289• Mon-Fri9-5; Sat10-5;ClosedSun

Advertising Sales: 337-234-0174•Mon-Fri 8-5

Classiﬁed Advertising: 225-383-0111• Mon-Fri8-5

Subscribe: theadvocate.com/subscribe E-Edition: theadvocate.com/eedition Archives: theadvocate.newsbank.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOANNA CHAN

A demonstrator stands on the head of the South Bank lion that sits on the side of the Westminster Bridge on Saturday during a Tommy Robinson-led Unite the Kingdom march and rally in London.

Students whosaw Kirk’s shooting reckon with grief

BY JESSE BEDAYN, HANNAH SCHOENBAUM, LINDSEY WASSON and RIO YAMAT Associated Press

OREM, Utah One student holed up in his housefor two days after witnessing Charlie Kirk’sassassination, nervous about going back to the Utah college campuswhere the conservative activist was shot. Another,unable to sleep or shake what she saw and heard, called her dad to come take her home.

As investigators spend the weekend digging deeper into suspect Tyler James Robinson before his initial court appearance Tuesday, students who witnessed Wednesday’sshooting at Utah Valley Universityare reckoning with trauma, grief andthe pall the killing hascastontheir community.

Robinson’sarrest late Thursday calmed some fears. Still, questions persist about the alleged shooter’smotive and planning,as well as security lapses that allowed aman with ariﬂe to shoot Kirk from arooftop beforeﬂeeing.

The university has said there will be increased security when classes resume Wednesday

In Robinson’shometown, about 240 miles southwestof campus, alaw enforcement presence wassignificantly diminished Saturdayafter theFBI executed asearch warrant at his family’shome.

Agray Dodge Challenger that authorities sayRobinson drove to UVU appeared to have been hauled away.

No one answered thedoor Saturday at his family’s

home in Washington,Utah, andthe blinds were closed

Thekilling hasprompted pleas for civility in Americanpolitical discourse,but those calls were not always heeded, and some people whohavecriticized Kirk in the wakeofhis death have been fired or suspended from their jobs.

On Friday,OfficeDepot saiditfiredaworker at a Michiganstore whowas seen on videorefusing to print ﬂyers for aKirkvigil andcallingthem “propaganda.”

At amakeshift memorial near Utah Valley University’smain entrance in Orem, people have been leaving flowers in tribute to Kirk. Cars looped nearby streets

Saturday, honking horns, flying American flags and displaying messages such as “Weloveyou Charlie,” “Charlie 4Ever” and“RIP Charlie.”

In the area where the TurningPoint USAco-founder was shot, acrew has begun taking down tents andbanners andscrubbing away reminders of the killing.

Student Alec Vera stopped at the memorial after ﬁnally leaving hishouse Friday night for adrive to clear his head. Vera saidhehad been in adaze, unable to concentrateand avoiding people, since watching Kirk collapse about30or40feet in front of him.

“I just kind of felt the need to come here, to be with ev-

Report:Colo. school shooterwas fascinated with mass shootings

BY COLLEEN SLEVIN

and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

DENVER Ateenager suspected in ashooting attack at asuburban Denver high school that left two students in critical condition appeared fascinated with previous mass shootings including Columbine and expressed neo-Nazi views online, according to experts. Since December,Desmond Holly,16, had been activeon an online forum where users watch videos of killings and violence, mixed in with content on white supremacism and antisemitism, the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremismsaid in areport.

Holly shot himself following Wednesday’sshootingat Evergreen High Schoolin Jefferson County.Hedied of his injuries. It is stillunclear how he selected his victims. The county was also the scene of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre that killed 14 people.

Holly’sTikTok accounts contained white supremacist symbols,the ADLsaid, and the name of his most recent account includeda reference to apopular white supremacist slogan. The account was unavailable Friday.TikTok said accounts associated with Holly had been banned.

Aspokesperson forthe Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the ADL’s findings or discuss its investigation into the shooting. The office previously said that Holly was radicalized by an unspecified “extremist network” but

released no details.

Tworecentsuspects in school shootings were active on theso-called “gore forum” thatHolly used WatchPeople Die, according to theADL. Holly appears to have openedhis account in the month in between shootings in Madison, Wisconsin and Nashville, Tennessee, theADL said.

Afew days before Wednesday’sshooting, Holly posted aTikTokvideo posing in asimilar way to how the Wisconsin shooter posed before killing twopeople in

December

He also postedvideos showing how he had made the shirt that was like one worn by agunman in the Columbine shooting, the ADL said.

“There is athrough-line between those attacks,” said OrenSegal, the ADL’ssenior vicepresident of counterextremism and intelligence. “They’re telling us there is athrough line because they are referencing each other.” Emails sent to Watch People Die seeking comment weren’treturned.

eryone, either to comfort or to be comforted, just to kind of surround myself with thosethatare alsomourning,” Vera said. One woman knelt, sobbing. Others stood quietly or spoke softly with friends. On the campus’perimeter,trees were wrapped in redribbons. Ahandful of cars remainedstranded in parking lots by students who left behind keys while fleeing theshooting. Onestudent

pleaded with an ofﬁcer to let him retrieve his bike from beyond the police tape and cracked asmile as the ofﬁcer let him through. The university said people can pick up their belongings early next week.

Marjorie Holt started crying when she brought ﬂowers to campus Thursday, prompting her to change her mind about returning to campus this weekend.

Hours after theshooting, the 18-year-old said she lay in bed, haunted by the horror she witnessed: the sound of asingle gunshot as Kirk answereda question and then, “I saw him fall over,I saw the blood, butfor some reasonitcouldn’tclick to me what happened.”

Unable to sleep because of apounding headache, nausea and the day’strauma, she called her dad, whobrought herhome to Salt LakeCity, about 40 miles to the north. Returning to campus, Holt said, is “going to feel like a terrible, like aburden on my heart.”

Vera said Kirk wasshot in the main campus gathering spot —where studentstake naps, meditate, do homework and hang out.

“Seeing it whenIgoback, Iwill be pretty uncomfortable at ﬁrst, knowing Ihave to walk past it each time, knowing what had just oc-

TAKING

curred here,” Vera said. Halle Hanchett, 19, astudent at nearby Brigham Young University,said she had just pulled her phone out to start filming Kirk whenshe heardthe gunshot followed by acollective gasp. Hanchett said she saw blood,Kirk’ssecurity team jump forward and horror on the faces around her.She dropped to the ground in the fetal position, wondering: “Whatisgoing on?AmIgoing to die?”

On Friday,she brought ﬂowers and quietly gazed at the area where the kickoff to Kirk’s“American Comeback Tour” had ended in violence. “The last fewdaysI’ve just, haven’treally said much, Ijust kinda like zone out, stare off,” Hanchett said,standingwithher ﬁancé as water fountains bubblednearby.“The memory, it just replays.”

She’spraying for the strength to move forward, she said, “and take it as: ‘OK Iwas here forthis. How can Ilearnfromthis? Andhow can Ihelp other people learn from this?’” Yamat reported from Washington, Utah, and St. George, Utah. Associated Pressreporters Sejal Govindarao in Phoenix, Nicholas Riccardi in Denver also contributed to this report.

From

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Amemorial for Turning Point USA CEOand co-founder Charlie Kirk is seen Saturday at Utah ValleyUniversity in Orem, Utah.

just 60 years old, had died of a heart attack.

The Orleans Parish coroner said his death was the result of heart complications exacerbated by the extreme heat. It was the 25th death in New Orleans that summer to be classiﬁed as heat-related.

Anderson was active and in good health, making his death surprising to his family He frequently roller bladed at the Terrytown skating rink where he was nicknamed “Tank.”

“He just was outside cutting grass for a little bit,” Borskey said. “It was just hot.”

Anderson’s death came near the end of a historically scorching summer in 2023, when Louisiana recorded an alarming number of heatrelated deaths: 86, the most on record.

That tally wasn’t a ﬂuke.

Deaths from heat are rising across Louisiana as the world warms.

Over the past ﬁve years, heat fatalities have soared across the state, climbing to an annual average of 45 per year That’s nearly four times the annual death rate over the preceding two decades, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the past two years, Louisiana has ranked third in the nation in heat-related deaths per capita, behind only Arizona and Nevada, according to an analysis of CDC data by The Times-Picayune | The Advocate.

There are no visceral remnants of heat waves unlike other disasters that are familiar to Louisiana. No spray paint on houses indicating the dead inside. No high-water marks. No blue roofs. It is a quiet disaster, and it is becoming deadlier New Orleans is particularly vulnerable. The city is projected to experience one of the largest increases in premature deaths in the nation because of heat, as climate change brings hotter temperatures.

Elderly people tend to bear the brunt of heat-related deaths: More than half of those who died from heat over the last five years in New Orleans were over age 65.

“Heat has an insidious onset,” said Dr Kevin Conrad, a primary care physician who published a medical journal article raising alarm bells about the scorching 2023 summer “It’s not like a hurricane. It doesn’t get the press and attention. It’s one of the major implications from climate change.”

Last summer, heat deaths remained much higher than normal, though they dipped from 2023 So far this year, deaths appear to have declined, as higher rainfall has eased temperatures, which were only slightly above normal for most of this summer Even amid the grim tally, the state is likely undercounting how many people are dying from heat, as heatrelated deaths can be subjective and depend on which coroner handles a case. For example, not all physicians or coroners will tie a heart attack back to the temperatures that brought it on.

“We know it’s an underestimation,” said Dr Peter DeBlieux, an ER physician and assistant dean at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans “You’re mowing the lawn, you have a heart attack, we’re going to say you were mowing the lawn and you had a heart attack.”

Tracking deaths

It’s impossible to track the true toll of heat in Louisiana

Data collection varies widely among coroners and health professionals around the state The Louisiana Department of Health, for instance, uses a different methodology than the CDC in tracking deaths. The Health Department tallied 91 total deaths in 2023, several more than the CDC counted.

volved people with no listed address, indicating possible homelessness.

Another problem that DeBlieux sees among lowincome patients is that they often lack access to air conditioning, in homes that may also have little air circulation.

And many elderly residents take medications that dehydrate them — the majority of heat-related deaths in New Orleans have been older people dying at home.

“This is going to get worse,” DeBlieux said.

“Those folks, the elderly and those people who have cognitive decline they’re going to be at great risk.”

Record-breaking summer

The EMS calls came in a steady drumbeat in 2023.

Winshan Johnson called her mother, Juvonda Johnson, on a Sunday that summer to catch up. They had a family reunion to look forward to, and her mom was in good spirits.

That same day Linda McMillian got a call from a friend of her father, saying he couldn’t reach him on the phone.

Her dad, Will Percy Reed, was a New Orleans Police Department officer for years, and had started working as a U.S. marshal in retirement to stay busy He met his former wife in the Desire public housing project. Reed was 78 and living in Gentilly, with central air conditioning and a big tree in the front yard.

But when McMillian arrived that sweltering Tuesday morning, she said the heat inside his home blasted her

“I opened up the door, the heat knocked me out,” she said. “It was that hot.” She found her dad dead, and the Coroner’s Office listed the cause of death as environmental hyperthermia — his body baking in the extreme heat She said the AC unit was running, but wasn’t working well enough to cool down the house.

McMillian, who lives in New Orleans, also has central air conditioning, but it can’t keep up in the summer It runs constantly, and her electric bill has shot up. After her father’s funeral, McMillian got the last electric bill for his home. The cost had soared.

“Older people are on ﬁxed incomes,” she said. “They’re running their AC units all through the day.”

A report from the New Orleans Health Department on the 2023 summer found that air conditioning problems helped explain several heat-related deaths of older people who died at home. Three deaths involved air conditioning units that were not turned on, and two more had no AC units at all. One had no power to the house and another had a broken AC unit.

And some epidemiologists say the most accurate way to track heat deaths is by analyzing the “excess deaths” during heat waves, which Louisiana ofﬁcials are not doing Some coroners say they don’t have a way of tracking heat-related deaths at all. State law only requires coroners to perform an autopsy in limited circumstances that don’t include heat, except in the case of a child.

Pathologists in the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Ofﬁce the only one in the state that’s nationally accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners have higher standards for investigating deaths than those in other parishes The Jefferson Parish ofﬁce, run by Dr Gerry Cvitanovich, often receives cases from 15 other parishes. But Jefferson pathologists say many of those don’t even have enough information to determine whether heat played a role. For instance, rural coroners who rely on Jefferson Parish for autopsies often don’t take liver temperatures or record ambient air temperatures that are vital for determining whether a death was heat-

related.

“A body may come in at 8 p.m. when this office is shut down, and sit in a cooler all night,” said Tim Genevay, director of forensic operations. “And when we get to it the next morning, it’s cool.”

‘Going to get worse’

The ﬁght to prevent deaths in the ﬁrst place is also rife with problems, and for residents of south Louisiana, the summer brings few reprieves.

Trees, for example, can help to cool temperatures by blanketing cities in shade.

Cities like Jacksonville, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; and Nashville, Tennessee have tree canopies blanketing between 47% and 63% of their cities, according to a reforestation plan by SOUL, a local nonproﬁt. New Orleans’ tree canopy covers just 18% of the city

And the tree canopy is disparate, with many wealthy neighborhoods enjoying lush forests and poorer areas barren with concrete according to data from a forestry nonproﬁt that tracks the nation’s tree canopy

Residents in Louisiana also use more electricity per capita than any state in

the country, making utility bills unaffordable for residents of the most impoverished state in America. Many people minimize their AC usage in the summer as a result, said several experts and residents particularly if they’re elderly and on a ﬁxed income.

And since last summer, when the city rolled out an ordinance requiring landlords to provide safe temperatures in bedrooms, renters across the city have ﬁled hundreds of complaints alleging that their units lack air conditioning.

High levels of humidity also make the heat particularly dangerous in south Louisiana. In drier environments, people cool themselves when sweat evaporates off their skin. But the dense humidity here means that moisture in the air prevents sweat from wicking making it impossible for many to cool off naturally

Researchers at LSU Health have found in preliminary studies that humidity levels may be rising in Louisiana along with temperatures. Climate Central, a nonproﬁt that studies climate change, found that nighttime temperatures have risen particularly quickly in recent decades locally, making it harder for people’s bodies to recuperate after the heat has beaten down on them all day

DeBlieux, the ER doctor said he suspects a number of factors are behind the rising toll of heat deaths.

Many of the heat-related patients he sees have used drugs, making them too disoriented to get out of harm’s way during heat waves. Others have behavioral health problems that put them at risk because those patients often venture outside or in hot places during heat waves.

About 1 in 10 heat-related deaths in New Orleans involved drug use since 2019, according to coroner records, and about 18% in-

Juvonda Johnson, 53, loved driving around town in her gray Nissan Maxima, listening to R&B and soul, often singing along. She raised a family in Gentilly, and Winshan said she was “like a mother to everyone,” even raising a cousin who lost her own mom.

But a few hours after they spoke, relatives arrived at Juvonda Johnson’s apartment in New Orleans East and found her still in her car in the parking lot. The car was off and the temperatures were scorching. Johnson had died of heat stroke.

It wasn’t clear to Winshan why her mother was in the car without AC, but she suspects her mother fell asleep.

That same day, 10 miles away, another woman died of heat stroke in a Hollygrove motel.

The two women were the first recorded victims of what would prove to be the deadliest summer on record for heat in Louisiana. It was only June.

Rain in the summer of 2023 was scarce, and drought and wildﬁres cropped up around the state, an unusual combination in one of the rainiest states in the U.S. Temperatures broke record after record.

Roland Williams was alone in a small house uptown, where he had become increasingly shut in since retiring from his maintenance job. His cousin, Velinda Newton, said Williams cut the cords on the window AC units, unwilling to pay increasingly high electric bills. He ran a fan to stay cool.

Paradoxically while Louisiana has some of the hottest summers in the U.S., a significant share of residents here don’t have air conditioning to begin with. Data from the federal Energy Information Administration shows Louisiana ranks in the middle of the pack among U.S. states for the share of people with air conditioning in their homes.

Louisiana ranks even lower in the share of people with central AC, which typically is better at cooling homes. Only 76% of residents have central AC, the same rate as South Dakota, where summer temperatures are much cooler Heat surged again in 2024 The heat ﬁnally broke in the fall of 2023. The cooling centers shut down and heat advisories tapered off. But the heat roared back last summer

Alvin Harsch mowed the lawn on an unusually hot August morning in 2024, like he always did. A neighbor asked if he wanted help, but he waved him off. The temperatures were climbing, but Harsch had insisted on cutting the grass regularly since he relocated from the Paciﬁc Northwest to New Orleans to live out his twilight years with his son, Lloyd. The 89-year-old was bright and energetic, despite heart problems that cropped up a couple years earlier He’d finished mowing the front yard of their house on an oak-lined street in Gentilly and was on the tail end of ﬁnishing the back. He took a break to lie down in the shade as the temperatures rose, with humidity making it feel like 102 degrees.

Newton arrived at the house on a Sunday and opened the door to ﬁnd her cousin dead, another victim of the heat.

Less than three weeks after Williams died, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a state of emergency, citing an “unparalleled ongoing crisis.” Calls to EMS had quadrupled. Fires burned in marshes east of the city

Lloyd Harsch had finally convinced his father to move to New Orleans in 2022. Lloyd Harsch quickly introduced him to Mardi Gras parades and king cake, and Alvin grew fond of parades in Jefferson Parish, where crowds were thinner Both men had spent their lives in the ministry and the house they shared was on the

campus of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Neighbors saw Alvin Harsch regularly working on the garden

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

People wait for the streetcar on Canal Street during a heat advisory on July 22 in New Orleans.

L Harsch

Sheila Borskey holds up a memorial for her late husband, Dornell Anderson, who died in August 2023 of heart complications exacerbated by extreme heat while mowing his lawn in New Orleans.

Heat deaths rising in Louisiana

Lloyd Harsch came home from work for lunch and called outfor his father,but there was no response. His wife, Jill Harsch,foundAlvin Harsch still lyinginthe shade in the backyard. His head was propped up on the fence, his legs crossed, as if taking anap. The red lawn mower sat idle next to him.

TheCoroner’sOfﬁce listed his cause of death as environmental hyperthermia.

Elderlythreatened

As heatworsens, older New Orleaniansare experiencingthe deadliest impacts.

When HurricaneIda knocked out the city’saging electric grid in 2021 and left residents without power for weeks, the majority of those whodiedwereover65. Over the course of that year,22 people died of heat-related illness. The trend has continued: all but one of the people who died from heat-related illnesses last year were over 59, and all but three died at home, coroner’srecords show

“Looking at fatalities, you can tell alot of these people are older people who are living alone and maybe don’t have air conditioning,” said Sarah Baker,climate and health ofﬁcer at the NewOrleans Department of Health, anew positioncreated in part to ﬁght the rising risk of extreme heat.

The standard advice during disasters is to check on your neighbors, Bakersaid. During heat waves, it is increasingly clear that’snot enough.

“I don’tthink people understand how quickly heat exhaustion canturn into heat stroke,” Bakersaid. “It’shappeningsoquickly that checking on them every day may not be good enough.”

majorimplications forwhen cities open cooling centers, howlongoutdoor workers toil in the heat and more.

But researchers at the University of CaliforniaBerkeley believe there’san errorinthe way the weather service calculates the heat indexwhenit’sparticularly hot and humid. An analysis by postdoctoral scholarYiChuan Lu on behalf of The Times-Picayune found that Louisiana experienced many days in 2023 when thereal heat index was higher than the ﬁgure used by theweather serviceand local ofﬁcials. Weather service spokespersonMarissa Anderson said the agency is aware of the work by Lu and his colleague, David Romps, and is

“evaluating ourheat forecast tools, includingheatindex,to identify areas forimprovements and to understand the strengths and limitations of potential modiﬁcations.” She pointed to anew index called HeatRisk, as well as wet bulb globe temperatures, which measure heat and humidity Solutions to the rising death toll have proved elusive in Louisiana and elsewhere. Local health ofﬁcials have focused heavily on spreadingawareness andencouraging people to check in on their neighbors, particularly if they’re elderly

But unlike the government response to hurricanes or flooding, there is no spigot of federal funding that ﬂows after aheat wave.And plans

to build infrastructure to cool down New Orleans, including tree planting, shade structuresand permeable surfaces, haven’tkept up with the rising risks.

Emma Herrock,spokesperson for the Louisiana DepartmentofHealth,said theagencyhas been working to increase awareness of heat deaths among coroners, and noted the 2023 death toll came afteranunprecedented summerofdrought and heat. This May,the agency published adocument giving guidance to coroners and other health professionalson howtoidentify andrecord heat deaths and is spreading the word at conferences.

Barry Keim,the former state climatologist whonow works at LSU Health Sciences Center,said another trend is particularly troubling: Minimum temperatures are rising fast. Thatmeanspeople aren’tcooling off enough overnight and giving their bodies abreak from the heat —particularlyiftheydon’t have adequate air conditioning. Thatcan put even more stress on people’sbodies, raising the risk of heat-related illness.

Keim andpublic health student Efrain Granados have been compiling decadesof hourly humiditydatatosee whether Louisiana’s climate is becoming more humid. Preliminary results indicate it is,althoughthe trend is particularly acute in cooler months.

“With temperatures goingupand humidity going up, theheat indexnumbers are getting pretty obscene,” Keim said. “You putthe two together,and it’saprettylethal combination.”

Email Sam Karlin at skarlin@theadvocate.com

Sources: SCIPP, BarryKeim, Efrain Granados

Aportrait of Alvin Harsch is placed in achair he used to sit in at his son’shomeinNew Orleans. Harsch died while mowing thelawninAugust 2024.

In the years leading up to the pandemic, the gender gap had nearly closed. But within afew years,girls lost all the ground they had gained in math test scores over the previous decade, according to an Associated Press analysis. While boys’ scores also suffered during COVID-19, they have recovered faster than girls, widening the gender gap.

In Louisiana, girls now slightly trail boys in math, after outperforming them before the pandemic.

As learningwent online, special programs to engage girls lapsed, and schools were slow to restart them.

Zoomschool alsoemphasized rote learning, atechnique based on repetition that some experts believe mayfavor boys,insteadof teaching students to solve problems in different ways, whichmay beneﬁt girls.

Lindsay Maxie, who teachesthe engineeringclassatHurst Middle School in asuburb outside New Orleans, said that small-group, hands-onprojects allow her female students to shine.

“Being able to collaborate with otherstudents really impacts their learning,” she said. “And that was something that kind of went away during COVID.”

Progress disrupted

In most school districts in the 2008-09 school year, boys had higher average math scores on standardized tests than girls, according to AP’sanalysis, which looked at scores across 15 years in over 5,000 school districts.It was based on average test scores for third through eighth graders in 33 states, compiled by the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University Adecade later,girls had not only caught up,they were ahead: Slightlymore than half of districts had higher math averagesfor girls. Within afew years of the pandemic, the parity disappeared. In 2023-24, boys on average outscored girlsin math in nearly nine outof 10 districts.

In Louisiana, girls’ math scores dropped the equivalent of 17% of agrade level during the pandemic, while boys improved15% of a grade level. By 2024, Louisiana boys were leading in math —the ﬁrst time they outscored girls in over a decade.

Aseparate study by NWEA, an education research company,found gaps between boys and girls in science and math on national assessments went from being practically nonexistent in 2019 to favoring boys around 2022.

Studies have indicated girls reported higher levels of anxiety and depression during the pandemic, plus more caretakingburdens than boys, but the dip in academic performance did not appear outside STEM. Girls outperformed boys in

reading in nearly every districtnationwide beforethe pandemic and continued to do soafterward “Itwasn’tsomething like COVID happened and girls just fell apart,” said Megan Kuhfeld, one of the authors of the NWEA study Effortslosttraction

In the years leading up to the pandemic,teaching practices shifted to deemphasize speed, competition and rote memorization. Through new curriculum standards, schools moved toward research-backed methods that emphasized how to think flexibly to solve problems andhow to tackle numeric problems conceptually

Educators also promoted participationinSTEM subjects andprogramsthat boostedgirls’confidence, including extracurriculars that emphasized hands-on learning and connected abstract concepts toreal-life applications.

Girls who were recruited for STEM classes and competitions often excelled, said Latrenda Knighten, a former math specialist in

the East Baton Rouge Parishschool system.

specialist in career education,said that even students whochoose to take

STEM classesoften pursue different pathways according to their gender: Girls are more likely to study health careers, while boys explore engineering.

“I’m still seeing those traditionalroles kind of play out,” said Seal, who works in St. Charles Parish public schools, whichinclude Harry Hurst Middle School.“We’restill ﬁghting that.”

Girls also mayhave been moresensitive to changes in instructional methods spurredbythe pandemic, said Janine Remillard, a matheducation professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Research has found that girls tend to prefer learning things that are connected to real-life examples, while boys generally do better in acompetitive environment.

“Whatteacherstoldme during COVID is the ﬁrst thing to go were all of these sense-making processes,”

she said.

Renewedcommitment

Like Louisiana as awhole, St. Charles Parish experienced aSTEM gender reversalduring the pandemic —one that has attracted little public notice. In 2019, itsgirls were ahead of boys by abouta quarter of agradelevel in math, according to the Stanford data. By 2024, its boys ledthe girls by asimilar amount. Nowthe district is taking steps that ofﬁcialsbelieve will spur STEM interest andachievement amongall students, including girls. One new program brings in employees from local energy companies, including Entergy and Valero, to teach science lessons. Last school year,engineersfromIMTT,aNew Orleans-basedliquidstoragecompany,demonstrated how to heat up vegetable oilsoitﬂows through copper tubing. The three engineers —including one whoisawoman —had once been students at Albert Cammon Middle School, wheretheygavethe lesson “They were able to come back andsay,‘We did it, y’all can do it too,’ ”said Seal, thecareer education specialist.

Meanwhile, STEM classes such as Lindsay Maxie’s “Engineering Essentials” are centered on collaboration and problem-solving, which appealstostudents like eighth grader Kamryn Patterson.

“It’snot boring,” she said recently as students designed systems for making hot chocolate. “You always have something to do.” Her classmate, BelleCassagne, saidteam projects like that foster learning.

“If we have questions, shesaid, “weask each other.”

Sharon Lurye reported from Philadelphia. Todd Feathers contributed reporting from New York. Email Patrick Wall at patrick.wall@ theadvocate.com.

“When the conditions are there,they step up to the plate,” said Knighten, who nowispresident of theNational Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Butlately, Knighten senses less of an appetite andfundingfor programs thattarget historically underrepresentedgroups in STEM, includinggirls and studentsofcolor.She also noticed some teachersabandon the newer, conceptual math practices during theupheaval of the pandemic

“Once they gotaway from it,” she said, “it was hardtoget some people to come back to what we know works.”

Bias againstgirls persists

Despite shifts in societal perceptions, abias against girls persists in science andmath subjects, according to teachers, administrators and advocates. It becomes amessage girls can internalize abouttheir own abilities, they say,evenata very young age.

Ronny Seal, acurriculum

CharlotteBuccola, center,and her eighth gradeclassmates work out alogic problem on theircomputers in an Engineering Essentials class at Harry M. Hurst Middle School in Destrehan on Wednesday

Teacher LindsayMaxie, from left, watches eighth grade students Kamryn Patterson, Charlotte Buccola and Kourtnee Hartwork on alogic problem in class at Harry M. Hurst Middle SchoolonWednesday.

They notedthatwords etchedinthe board said it was cut from acypresstree that was nearly 8feet wide and had sprouted in the year 652, or almost 1,000 years before Christopher Columbus set sail for America. A book on cypress trees says it wascut downbecauseit “had reached its maturity and, if permitted to stand longer,would havedeclined and degraded.”

At some point 15-20 years ago, Mullins went to the Capitol and discovered the board was no longer on thebreezeway wall. He calledstate museums across the state but came up empty Then,in2023, Mullins was startled one night while watching TV news to see an interview with Schexnayder —and the boardwas clearly visible directly behind him. By then, Schexnayder was the speaker of the House, overseeing all105 House members.

“I thought, ‘There’smy board!’”Mullins said. He enlisted the help of Jay Dardenne,a top ofﬁcialinthe administrationofGov.John Bel Edwards as the commissioner of administration.

Dardenne said he made several calls and was told that Schexnayder had it in his legislative ofﬁce in Gonzales.

“The representation to me wasthatClaysaidhewould return it,” Dardenne said.“It was clearly state property. There was never any representation other than that.”

At the time, Schexnayder was running to be secretary of state, while winding up atumultuous four yearsas speaker,about to be forced out of the House by term limits.

Schexnayder,aRepublican and one-time amateur carracer who owned an auto mechanic shop, was elected speaker in early 2020 by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans to edge out a moreconservative Republican. But under attack from conservatives for this alliance, Schexnayder shifted to the right partwayinto his term and developed afrosty relationship with Edwards, a Democrat.

He faced questions following a2022 newsreportthat he used taxpayer dollars to pay his stepsons for work to remodel the speaker’sapartment at the Pentagon Barracks next to the Capitol.

Schexnayder finished fourth in the October 2023 secretary of state’s election and endedhis 12-year run in the House in January 2024.

Schexnayder

“I don’tthink the speaker hasthe authority to just take things offthe wall,” Kleckley said. “There’saprocess.”

Reached recently, Schexnaydersaidhegot the cypress board from the Capitol in 2013 at the initiative of then-Speaker Chuck Kleckley,R-Lake Charles.

“He asked me one day if Irepresented one part of Livingston, St. John and St. James,” Schexnayder said. “He said, ‘Wehave the board from downstairs (in the Capitol), and it is from your district. We’d like to get it over there.’ They had it boxed and shipped to my office. They were doing some remodeling downstairs or something. Idid not request it. I’d have asked for the pirogue. That’s from my district as well.”

There’sapirogue, the boat famouslyused to navigate Louisiana swamps and bayous, in the ground-floor breezeway Kleckley,also reached recently,said he didn’tremember givingthe board to

When Schexnayder was about to leave theHouse at thebeginning of 2024,hesaid recently,a government propertymanager collected his desk, his computer and other items that belongedto the state. But theboard wasn’t on theinventory list, so Schexnayder said it remained on his wall when he departed. Schexnayder saidhemade no effort to alert anyone from the state to collectthe board.

Schexnayder’s district office was located in astrip mall onLa. 44, just south of the Pelican Point Golf & CountryClub.

Mullins said he called Schexnayderjustafter he left office, and theyspoke brieﬂy.Schexnayder,according to Mullins, said he would callhim back but didn’t Afew days later,Mullins drove to thestrip mall and found Schexnayder’sformer ofﬁce, suite205. It was locked. But Mullins had an employee with St. John Properties open the door,and he saw theboard on thewall, before being ushered out. Todd PeveymanagesSt. John Properties, according to thecompany’swebsite. He did not return four phone calls recently “Sorry,” Peveysaid in a

text, “but we have no comment on this.”

Who’sresponsible?

While thewhereabouts of theboard remain uncertain,it’salso not clear which branch of stategovernment owns it. That explains perhaps why no one in state government has madeapush to return it to theCapitol.

Officials at theDepartment of Agriculture, at the office of Cultural, Recreation and Tourism in the LieutenantGovernor’s Ofﬁce andatthe Secretaryof State’sOfﬁce —which does hold another long board from the same tree at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport all say it does notbelong to them.

MaidaOwens spent38 years working forthe state, including along stretch as the folk life program directorfor theLouisianaDivisionofthe Arts under the LieutenantGovernor’s Ofﬁce. Her programoversaw theartifacts in theCapitol breezeway —but not the cypress board, sinceitwas already in place when their first exhibit was installed there in 1985.

Owens, whose father covered statepolitics for The Associated Press during the1960s, was philosophical aboutthe board going missing. “I’ve heardofthis kind of thing before,” Owenssaid. “It’snot theﬁrst time, honestly.”

PROVIDED PHOTO

A20-foot-long cypress board that washarvested from atree believedtobemore than 1,000 years oldused to hang in the halls of the State Capitol, but has gone missing

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Abreezewayonthe ground floor of the Capitol houses artifacts Wednesday.

Schexnayder

Public skepticism of vaccines on the rise

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

There’s a reason certain lifethreatening diseases like polio, measles and whooping cough were essentially eradicated, public health experts say: vaccine mandates for schoolchildren

But a once-routine requirement is under attack due to rising public skepticism that accelerated during the pandemic and has been fueled by online misinformation and promoted by high-proﬁle ﬁgures, including U.S. Health

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In recent months, Kennedy has canceled millions of dollars in federal funding for mRNA vaccine research and ﬁred the members of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions committee that makes vaccine recommendations, replacing some members with people who have been critical of vaccines. On Sept. 3, Florida’s surgeon general said the state would do away with vaccine mandates, including for schools.

Louisiana still requires students to get a handful of vaccinations, including ones that protect against polio, measles and diphtheria.

But the state has one of the broadest exemption policies in the country, allowing parents to opt-out their children for medical, religious or philosophical reasons. In recent years Louisiana legislators have passed laws targeting vaccines, including one that requires schools to publicize vaccine exemptions to parents

Lately, the number of Louisiana families declining to vaccinate their children has skyrocketed, alarming public health experts.

The rate of families requesting vaccine exemptions for kindergartens reached its highest point in a decade during the 2022-23 school year, and it has continued to rise, with 3% of families requesting nonmedical exemptions last school year according to the CDC.

To make sense of the changes, the Times-Picayune spoke with Charles Stoecker, a health care economist at Tulane University who studies vaccine policy Stoecker discussed the recent rise in vaccine skepticism and argued that the decline in childhood vaccinations could seriously threaten public health.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Talk about vaccines that protect against pneumonia which you’ve studied.

Around 2000, we developed a version of pneumococcal vaccine that took a diphtheria-causing toxin — something that your body really reacts hard to — scooped out all the bad parts of it and put in something that looked like the stuff that causes pneumonia and that takes really well.

For adults, effectiveness might wane over time, but for kids, it’s almost magical. It’s nearly 100% effective against certain strains of pneumonia and seems to last for the duration of childhood. This was a huge step forward.

How did the development of that vaccine impact public health?

It’s cool to see how disease patterns in adults change when we

vaccinate the kids. When kids started getting this magic (pneumococcal) vaccine around 2000, adult levels became nearly undetectable for those strains.

We’re vaccinating the kids so kids can’t get the diseases from each other (But) even if you don’t have pneumonia, you may carry some of those bacteria around in your nose and you’re coming home to grandma. Since you have this vaccine, it’s not in your nose and you’re not breathing on grandma, and she can’t wind up in the hospital from pneumonia. And of course, it protects the kids themselves.

How has vaccine buy-in changed since the pandemic?

During COVID, a bunch of doctors’ ofﬁces closed and kids couldn’t get appointments, so we saw vaccination rates go down. We’ve bounced back up, but not quite to pre-pandemic levels. There’s something that fundamentally changed about people’s perceptions of the necessity of vaccines during COVID. I’m not sure exactly what that is, but it’s bad for public health.

Herd immunity is a patchwork quilt. State-level vaccination rates can hide a lot of heterogeneity

Pre-COVID, wealthy schools wouldn’t vaccinate their kids and would have lower vaccination rates and they’d have outbreaks of measles or pertussis and that’s where they were concentrated. Post-pandemic, state-level vaccination rates fell, but they don’t fall equally Some schools have lower vaccination rates than others. Why are school vaccine mandates effec-

tive?

The societal bargain we’ve struck is that we will educate your kids for free — through tax revenue but you don’t spend any money so your kids get an education and are able to make a better wage later Plus, you get free babysitting while they’re there and you can go to work.

In return, we require you to vaccinate your kids. You may not want to vaccinate your kids because it’s a pain to take them to the doctor or they get fussy or you have other concerns. But we know the vaccines are safe and effective.

This bargain started about 150 years ago and that’s about when we started to see these dramatic declines in infectious disease. It used to be that one-ﬁfth of kids died before they hit 5, and now it’s very rare to have a kid die before age 5.

How could policy changes, including doing away with vaccine mandates for school-

children, impact public health?

I think it’s rewinding our disease environment to a place we have not seen in 100 years. These diseases are not present of mind because we’ve done such a good job preventing their transmission largely through schoolbased vaccination programs. Not all vaccines are as great as pneumococcal some are less effective — and some kids can’t get the vaccines because they have cancer or something that makes it not recommended. (But) those kids that are vaccinated protect themselves, protect other kids and their parents and their grandparents. (Florida’s policy) is going to kick out that critical leg of protection. We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but we’ve seen what has happened when we haven’t had that leg. It’s hard to imagine that people won’t get seriously sick and possibly die because of these policies.

PROVIDED PHOTO By SALLy ASHER Tulane University professor and public health expert Charles Stoecker Ph.D

-D.Marshall

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Shutdown tied to GOPextending Obamacaretax credit

92,000 Louisianans rely on it

WASHINGTON —Whether the federal government shuts down operations in two weeks could hinge on Republicans agreeing to extend an Obamacaretax credit that helps about 300,000 working people in Louisiana buy health insurance.

If the Affordable Care Act’s“premium tax credit” expires Dec. 31, as it will without congressional action, health insurance policies will become so expensive that about 22 million Americans likely will drop their coverage, according to KFF,a nonpartisan organization focused on health policy research, in an analysis released Wednesday Premium prices vary depending on income levels, policies sought and myriad complex stipulations. As private insurance startssending out bills in October for next year,policyholdersonaverage aregoing to have to comeout of pocketabout $900 per month, 18% more if the tax creditsno longer exist, KFF estimates. That means about 92,000 people in Louisiana,probably more, will lose their health care coverage because they simplycan no longer afford it, said Jan Moller, executive director of Invest in Louisiana, Baton Rouge-based public policy analysts. These are workers and small businesses that earn toomuch to qualify for Medicaidinsurance but not enough to buy policies on the regular market.

“We’re talking about most of Tiger Stadium on aSaturday night

Higgins clashes with Democrats over crime

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette,clashed with Democrats during acommittee hearing Wednesday over President Donald Trump’sfederal intervention in Washington, D.C., calling them “elitist” —and one of them responded by calling him Trump’s “lap dog.” The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was preparing for aﬂoor vote on 14 bills that would give the federal government more power over the local city government The donnybrook began when Rep. Melanie Stansbury,D-N.M., questioned Republicans if they were pursuing these bills on Trump’s ordersbecause he was legally required to remove the National Guard from occupying partsof the city Wednesday night. Federal law enforcement helped local police conﬁscate guns and make arrests. Troops weredeployed at some Metro stations and in touristy areas.

whohaveinsurance now but who would no longer have insurance,” Moller said.

“The premium tax credits are acritical component of keeping coverage affordable for working Louisianans with low and moderate incomes.”

This whole extension issue, though, is difﬁcultfor Republicans. Premium tax credits expanded greatly as aCOVID pandemicmeasure during the ﬁrst administration of President DonaldTrump.

President Joe Biden added more funding to the credit to provide options for lower-income peoplebeingforced off Medicaid as thepandemic wound down. As aresult, thenumber of peo-

Stansbury questioned Republican Rep. John McGuire, who is from southern Virginia and came toCongress in January,on his bona ﬁdes for drafting legislationthat dealt with Washington residents.

Higgins scolded Stansbury “Your display demonstrates exactly this sort of elitist, arrogant tone thatAmericans across the country are going to recognize as the hallmark of your party,” he said.

That prompted Rep. Maxwell Frost,D-Fla., to ask Higgins: “Louisiana is the state with the second-highest rateofdeaths in this nation. Youare more likely to be shotonarandom street in your state than you are in Washington, D.C. So,myquestion is, where’syour bill for theoccupationofthe state of Louisiana to keep your people safe?”

Higgins answered, “I support my state, my sovereign state’s Legislature, which is doing everything it can topushback thecrime rate of the Democratcontrolled city.”

He apparently was referringto New Orleans. Baton Rouge and Shreveport also have high violent crime rates that far exceed national numbers —but both

ple buying healthinsurance poli-

cies subsidized by thepremium tax credits nearly doubled.

The Congressional Budget Ofﬁce says extending the tax credit will cost about $383 billion over thenext 10 years.

The extension proved too divisive, so it was set aside as Republicans negotiated among themselves over what would be included in Trump’sOne Big BeautifulBill Act. OBBBA features tax cuts that are going into effect now and changes that are expected to reduce Medicaid rolls after the 2026 congressional midtermelections.

The pressure of having to pass annual budget bills before Oct. 1 or seeing the government shut

of those cities have Republican mayors.

“You’re here becauseyou’rea lap dog to thepresident,” Frost said. Higgins demanded that Frost’s statementberemoved from the committee’srecord.

Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky recessed thehearing for afew minutes. Frost then withdrew his remark against Higgins

Cassidy blastsFlorida on school vaccines

Ending vaccine mandates for children, as Florida did Sept. 3, will lead to unnecessary deaths, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,who chairs theSenate’shealth committee, said Tuesday

“That’s abad decision, and within the year there will be children who are infected and children who die,” Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, told Louisiana reporters in anews conference over the phone.

Even some children who have been vaccinated might face problems from people who have not, he said.

In addition to preventing disease, widespread vaccinations creates herd immunity that preventsoutbreaks and safeguards vulnerable populations, such as immunocompromised people.

Achild who has been vacci-

down appears to be too good an opportunity forcongressional Democrats to pass up.

Republicansare seeking aresolution to continue government operations from Oct. 1toNov.20, thereby pushing off agovernmentshutdown until Thanksgiving. The House may vote on a “continuing resolution” to that effect as early as later this week.

Republican majorities in the House and Senate won’t get any help from Democrats unless the GOP agrees to include health care policy revisions, said Senate MinorityLeader Chuck Schumer,DN.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Schumer andJeffries want to alter the changes that led to deep

nated for measles, say,but also is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer is morelikely to run into someonewho hasn’tbeen vaccinated but had been exposed to somebodywho has measles “and they will die,” Cassidy said.

FloridaSurgeon General Joseph Ladapoand Gov. Ron DeSantis last week began the moveto change the state rules that require children to be vaccinated.

Ladapodescribed vaccine mandates as “immoral” and likened them to “slavery,” because thegovernment requirements infringe on parental rights and bodily autonomy Florida, like moststates, required children entering school to have been vaccinated for measles, polio, chickenpox, hepatitis B, and DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis).

SSA leader takes top Baton Rougejob

Christel Slaughter,a Baton Rouge consultant whose ﬁrm, SSA Consultants, was recently picked to lead asearch for LSU’s next president, will take over as EastBaton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ chiefadministrator,the mayor said in anews release Tuesday. Slaughter beganasapartner for SSA in 1983 andhas served as theﬁrm’sCEO since2018. In astatementTuesday, Ed-

Medicaid funding cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed into law without asingle Democratic vote. And they want to extend the Obamacare premium tax credits.

“Republicans have to come to meet with us in atrue bipartisan negotiation to satisfythe American people’sneeds on health care or they won’t get our votes, plain and simple,” Schumer said at a newsconference.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., whohas heard from acouple of his GOPmembers that they want an extension, early last weeksaid that’snot going to happen as part of the budget negotiations.

Louisiana’sRepublican congressional delegation has remained moot on extending the credits. Sen. Bill Cassidy,ofBaton Rouge, and Rep. Julia Letlow,ofBaton Rouge, forexample, say they are still studying the issue.

Once again, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, ﬁnds himself between Republican factions.

On the one hand, 11 vulnerable House Republicans ﬁled abill to extend the premium tax credits foranother year On the other,ﬁscal hawks are loudly against the idea.

Johnson told reporters Monday that “thoughtful conversations” were being had. On Tuesday,he acknowledged “a lot of opposition.” On Wednesday,hewas saying the House needed to approve acontinuing resolution. By the end of the week, Johnson noted forreporters that the extension doesn’texpire forthree moremonths. “Wehave time to ﬁgure it out,” he said.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

wards said he was impressed by herleadership abilities and understanding of government.

“As Acting CAO, Iknowher experience and leadership will be essentialtothe day-to-dayfunctions of ourofﬁce while we lead the search for apermanent CAO,”Edwards said. “I feel certain thatwe have chosen the right personfor this temporary leadership role.”

An LSU graduate,Slaughter also servesonthe LSU Foundation’sBoardofDirectors.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share my organizationalskills andexpertise with Mayor-President Edwards’ Administration,”Slaughter said in an emailedstatement. “I am grateful to be apart of this team andmanagethe search for anew leader.”

Davis servedasEdwards’ CAO sincethe mayor wassworn into officeinJanuary.OnMonday, Edwards announcedthat Davis would be moving into anew role in his officeaschiefefficiency officer

While transitioning into his newrole, Edwards’ ofﬁce said MondaythatDavis will oversee the search for his permanent replacement.

us as youmeetnew friends, explorenew opportunities,and enjoy aworry-freelifestyle.Here, youwillengage in exciting, adventurous, social,and enrichingactivities Ourapproachtoseniorcareis focusedonthe individualwants andneedsofevery resident we serve. Whatever your preferences, our gracious andcaringstaff is readytoaccommodate. We can’t wait to welcome youhometothe ultimate in comfort, care and support. Callustoschedulea tour or to learnmore.

Mark Ballard

CAPITOL BUZZ staff reports

Slaughter

Higgins

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, walks to the U.S. Capitol chamber after meeting withreporters on ThursdayinWashington.

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Every day, long-haul truckers and commuters pass through the George Wallace Tunnel, briefly slipping away from daylight and 40 feet underwater, until reemerging into downtown Mobile, Alabama.

Since opening in 1973, the twin tubes beneath the Mobile River have become a Gulf Coast landmark, particularly in the summer when drivers are traveling to Florida’s popular white sand beaches, like Destin and Pensacola.

On its busiest holiday weekends, over 10,000 vehicles pass through the tunnels that carry Interstate 10 travelers.

Road-trippers have even created a ritual for the 3,000foot stretch of road: holding their breath all the way to the tunnel’s end.

In an age of self-driving cars, the tubes are a reminder that old-fashioned transportation still captivates Americans. That is especially true in the South — where streetcars in New Orleans are both a valued local commodity and a place for impromptu social encounters, and where commuters wait for the new Amtrak train that rolls past marshes and rivers between Bay St. Louis and Mobile. But the George Wallace Tunnel is not the South’s ﬁrst underwater roadway only its best known

First in the South

Nearly three decades earlier, in 1941, Bankhead Tunnel — named after Sen. John Bankhead, who pioneered transportation development, especially in Alabama — also opened under the Mobile River Soon after its opening, the 1,147foot tubes were a success, earning hefty funds through tolls, trimming the cross-bay trip by 18 minutes and lessening trafﬁc snarls, The Times-Picayune reported, noting that it represents “a fine engineering feat and a wonderful aid to Gulf Coast travel.”

Within three years, a daily average of 1,300 cars were passing through Bankhead, several hun-

THE GULF COAST

ing company behind Bankhead, originally designed it to endure common natural disasters like hurricanes. But during the war, its purpose expanded to withstanding the threat of atomic bombs.

ﬁcials started considering the concept in 1947 and commissioned Palmer and Baker to create a plan for a tunnel underneath the Industrial Canal.

quickly to dim conditions.

Beyond safety concerns, many didn’t think it was possible to build underwater roadways in a deltaic region like the South.

“For years the people of the Deep South shrugged off the thought of having tunnels because they were sure you couldn’t build anything through the muck that is Louisiana’s channel beds,” TimesPicayune reporters wrote. Palmer and Baker engineers boldly rejected this, assuring it’s just as easy to build a tunnel in the South as in “New York or California or where-have-you.” But the Belle Chasse and Harvey tunnels showed that this was not the case.

Tubes in New Orleans area

Costing over $2 million, the Belle Chasse Tunnel was the ﬁrst to open in Louisiana in 1956. It was what Palmer and Baker called “the world’s first ‘automatic’ tunnel, requiring no maintenance or operating personnel,” according to The Times-Picayune.

Built between 1954 and 1957, the Harvey Tunnel was the ﬁrst underwater roadway to be authorized in Louisiana, costing the state $5 million. Within months of its opening, the tunnel made the area more desirable, with real estate agencies using it as a selling point in newspaper advertisements And the West Bank’s population did double afterward, hitting nearly 100,000 residents compared to 53,000 in 1943. Both closed decades later, in December 2023.

dred above its estimate. Reporters said this spike was likely due to Mobile being a major production site for weapon systems as the United States entered World War II. Palmer and Baker, the engineer-

The tunnel spurred politicians to advocate for underwater bridges in other southern cities and beyond.

Palmer and Baker eventually designed tunnels for Harvey and Belle Chasse. Later, it was commissioned to design trafﬁc tunnels in Cuba and Sweden, both of which never came to fruition, newspaper archives show Fear of underwater tunnels

But what did come to life, and stayed for decades, were the tubes in the New Orleans area. City of-

Members of the city’s levee board told The Times-Picayune that the project would resolve trafﬁc issues and add to city revenues by increasing the values of surrounding properties. But roadway tunnels in the South weren’t always viewed positively

Many drivers shunned roadway tunnels, fearing excess carbon monoxide from car exhaust and the concept of driving in the dark.

After designing Bankhead, Palmer and Baker proved these theories were wrong with ventilating systems and scientific experiments showing that eyes can adjust

The Harvey Tunnel’s closure was temporary, for a $53.7 million overhaul. But days later, the Belle Chasse Tunnel — nicknamed the Belle Chasse car wash did close permanently, with a history of leaks that exposed the fragility of the New Orleans area’s aging infrastructure.

That has left the Houma Tunnel, tucked beneath the Gulf Intracoastal Highway, as the only one operating in Louisiana.

Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

Plan drafted to send Guard to La.

Officials say no decisions have been made

BY JONAH MEADOWS, TYLER BRIDGES and MARK BALLARD Staff writers

State officials said Saturday that no decisions had been made on whether or how to deploy the National Guard to ﬁght crime in Louisiana cities, after national media said the Pentagon had drafted plans to deploy 1,000 troops in the state’s “urban centers.”

Dozens of La. solar projects scratched

Federal government moves to end tax credits

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

Proposed utility-scale solar projects were expected to generate 19 gigawatts of electricity for a power-hungry Louisiana.

But President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill and the 2027 sunsetting of tax credits for the industry have created an exodus and slashed that total to nine gigawatts, says Terrance Chambers, director of the Energy Efﬁciency and Sustainable Energy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette

About 40 projects slated to go online after tax credits are set to expire have been withdrawn. No reason has been given for the withdrawal.

“There were some projects that were sort of marginal, that the economic viability of the project depended on the tax credits,” Chambers said. “What I anticipate has happened was that those projects are the ones that were withdrawn.”

One gigawatt of electricity generated by solar panels can roughly power 100,000 homes in the state. If all 19 gigawatts were built, around 1.9 million homes could be powered by the renewable technology according to estimates by the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Under Trump’s bill, solar and wind projects must start construction before July 4, 2026, or be placed in service before Dec. 31, 2027, to receive tax credits. Previously, the industry had until the 2030s to begin construction under former President Joe Biden’s Inﬂation Reduction Act.

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, projects received a 30% tax credit for the buildout of zeroemission plants. Those credits played a significant role in the country’s growth of solar and wind energy In other states, projects and government leaders are looking at ways to fast-track their current projects before the deadline or face increased costs.

Louisiana has about 40 active projects, according to the Midcon-

ä See SOLAR, page 2B

That draft plan called for deployments to bolster law enforcement in multiple cities, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, if Gov Jeff Landry requests it, The Washington Post reported The undated memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary

Kristi Noem proposes keeping the troops under Landry’s control while funding the mobilization with federal dollars, the Post reported. Pentagon ofﬁcials conﬁrmed the accuracy of the documents but issued a statement saying they “should not be interpreted as policy,” according to the Post.

In interviews Saturday Louisiana ofﬁcials said the plans have

not reached the state level and no such deployment is imminent. The documents do not specify when troops would arrive, but they indicate a deployment would last until the end of September 2026.

Lt. Col. Noel Collins, a spokesperson for the Louisiana National Guard, said the agency had not received any orders related to the Pentagon plans.

“Just because the Pentagon’s working plans does not mean that that’s down to our level yet,” she

said. Shane Guidry, a New Orleans businessman who is one of Landry’s conﬁdants and point man for New Orleans issues, said “nothing is imminent” as far as he knew

A spokesperson for Landry’s ofﬁce declined to comment on “leaked or pre-decisional documents.”

The report on the Pentagon’s plan comes as President Donald Trump has mentioned in recent

Providing closure

‘No one is immune to grief’ when a pet dies

BY JOEL THOMPSON Contributing writer

Just over half of Louisiana households own a pet, and for their owners, the death of a pet can be nearly as traumatic as the loss of a family member or loved one.

Recent years have seen a rise in pet cremations and keepsakes as a means of helping grieving pet owners cope with the loss of a beloved companion Last year, the global pet funeral services market was estimated at $1.97 billion, and is expected to reach $3.75 billion by 2030.

According to Pet Loss Professional Alliance, almost 99% of pet funerals end in cremation. The total number of animal cremations nearly equaled that of human cremations in 2024.

Catherine Lemoine is the manager and owner of Pet Passages in Lafayette, one of several pet crematories operating in Acadiana. She says working in the companion animal industry has offered a window into how important it is to provide closure for pet owners.

“People, myself included, have such an intense bond with these animals,” Lemoine said. “An early experience I had was with cremating a boxer After the dog was cremated, there was a piece of metal left behind, and we didn’t know what it was. When the owners got ashes back, the ﬁrst thing they did was look for the metal that was apparently from a surgery the dog had. That was my ﬁrst taste on how important this can be for some people.”

Compared with human cremation, there are relatively loose regulations for animals, with no regulatory bodies or licensing agencies overseeing practitioners. A source of controversy in the industry’s infancy was how facilities would cremate multiple animals simultaneously in the same chambers While ashes do not spread during this process, some clients reported feeling

uncomfortable with the revelation that their pet was cremated with others.

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Owner Catherine Lemoine stands Tuesday at the Rainbow Road, a place for pet parents to place handmade remembrances of their pets at Pet Passages in Lafayette.

Pictures of clients’ pets are displayed in a window.

days that Louisianaisone of the places he is considering sending troops after doing so in Los Angeles and Washington,D.C. Last week, he mused that “we’re going to be going to maybe Louisiana,” and suggested that crime in New Orleans could be solved “in about two weeks.” In aFox News interview Friday,Trumpsaid Landry “wants us to go in,”and pledged to “fix” New Orleans in aweek and ahalf. In recent weeks, Trump hasshifted focus to Democratic-led cities in Republican-led states, with New Orleans and Memphis,Tennessee,among them.

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-NewOrleans,calledthe details reported by The Washington Post“deeply troubling,” but emphasized “this is not an official order —it’sa draft proposal that even the Pentagon says should not be interpreted as policy.”

“New Orleans is experiencing the lowest crime rates in decades.There is no ‘emergency’ that justifies militarizing our streets,” Carter said in a statement. “If the President truly wants to help, he should invest in recruiting and training more police

SOLAR

Continued from page1B

tinent Independent System Operator’sGenerator Interconnection Queue map Most of them are in early stages of study,Chambers said.

The projected 9gigawatts is ahopeful number, said Chambers, who expects around 5to7,with losses likely resulting from pushback from residents in project areas and agricultural interests. Despite the Trump administration labeling the technologyunreliable and expensive, solar remainsa cheap and quicklydeployable energy source, Chambers said. He believes solar will continue to be viable without subsidies.

“Policy,ofcourse, has an impact, andwesaw the impact,” he said. “But Ithink the economics are there, and so now it’sgoing to continue to happen.”

Louisiana is expected to addmorethan4,000 megawatts of solar energy capacity over the next five years, according to SEIA projections.

Meta’sLouisiana AI data center alone requires at least2,600 megawatts. The company has agreed to build 1,500 megawatts of solar power for the state, with additional energy for

CREMATION

Continued from page 1B

This led to operations like Lemoine’soffering private cremations aimed at easing those concerns.

Lemoine, whohas worked with animals since she was 17, spoke about other ways that animal cremationhas changedsince sheﬁrstbecame involved.

“When Ifirst started in the animal cremation industry,itwasn’tuncommon to receive remains in Ziploc bags,” she said. That’sno longer the case. Operations like Lemoine’soffer many of the same services that other funeral homes and crematories provide, complete with visiting rooms and awide selection of urns. Pet cremation services also handle adiverse selection of animals.Lemoine’slist of past clients includes hamsters,guinea pigs, bearded dragons, pigs, goats, sheep, pufferﬁsh, stingrays and even a sloth. “It just needs to have askeletal structure,” said Lemoine.

Lemoine opened up the Lafayette franchise of Pet Passages in 2023 in order to provide amore intimate

officers, strengthen our district attorney’soffice, and revive proven community policingefforts.” Violentcrimehas been on the decline in New Orleans after aspike in the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics show the city is on trackfor the fewest murders sincethe early 1970s.

In an interview on Saturday,Guidry saidthe administration appeared to be making plans for states where governors,who oversee National Guard troopsbased on their states, would approve of the deployments.

“My understanding is they are getting prepared for governors that want help,” Guidrysaid. “And they are also getting prepared for cities that need help. Trump has been real clear on TV that he’s coming to other cities. We’ll have to seewhat that is.”

Guidry argued that other Louisiana cities, not just NewOrleans, could use the federalhelp, given difﬁcultiesinkeeping police departmentsfully staffed.

“I cautionthose leaders out there that are so against that help, where those who do accept thehelp will shine with the voters,” hesaid.“I don’t care whoyou are: No one wants theirdaughter beatup, their mother-in-law carjacked.”

the facility coming from three gas-ﬁredplants In 2023, Louisiana’ssolar industry contributed over $440 million to the state’s economy,generated approximately $10 million in local tax revenue and supported5,100 jobs. The state has received atotal of $2.3 billion in solar investment, accordingtoSEIA. The staterisks losing out on the economicimpactof solar projects, to the tune of billionsofdollars’ worth of lost capitalinvestment, Chambers said. Residents in the affected parishes, however, have raised objections, pushing proposed projects back while governments considered rules, regulations andpossible bansonsolar farms.

Their concerns focuson land use of themassive solar projects, impacts to propertyvalues, thedegradation of rural life and agricultural land and the question of what happens to these projectsonce they runtheirlife cycle.

In August, NextEra Energywithdrew its plans to build a2,000-acre solar farm in Iberville Parish. Theproject would have added 175megawatts to the grid butfaced an uphill battlewhen it encountered local opposition.

BeyondLouisiana, Chambers said, Trump’smoves couldpose athreat to

experiencefor grieving pet owners, stressing thatwith the industry’srapid growth, it’simportant to avoid turning cremationinto an“assembly line.”

“It goes from being apersonableexperience, where you’retalkingonthe phone with the owner and they gettoknowthe connection between youand your pet, to acorporate, assemblyline experience that’sonly interested in streamlining the service. That’snot what our clients need,” she said. Proponents of pet cremation argue it offers somethingthatfor many pet owners is an essential part of thegrievingprocess and is an opportunity toprovide closure.

“When you lose ahuman, everyone understands. When you lose apet, you don’tget that …but for many people that petiswith them through so many ups and downs and all of life’s mistakes providing stability.…I’ve seen the most backwoods ‘Cajun’ menjust broken, sobbing over the loss of their hunting Lab, because that was abest friend. No one is immune to grief,” Lemoine said.

That sentiment was echoed by Janis Bourriage, who cremated her 10-yearold Germanshepherd

Al ex and ri aM ay or Jacques Roysaid his city’s efforts to reduceviolent crimehave paid off, with gun-related homicides down 60% since he took office. But Roysaid he’s been in contact withstate leadersabout additional help from “every available partner and resource,”noting manylaw enforcement agencies are struggling with recruitment andretention

“Withfocus,those resources could make areal difference and are welcome,” he said of Trump’s proposal. “WehaveCamp Beauregard next door.Our owncommunityguardsmen. We are luckyand blessed.

East Baton RougeParish Mayor-President Sid Edwards has said he is open to the ideaofaguard presence in thecapital city,but said in astatement “it is premature for me to comment on this matter as I’ve yet to hear anything about sending troops to Louisiana.”

“I will say that we are severely short of Law EnforcementOfﬁcers in Baton Rouge,” he added.

Staff writers Meghan Friedmann and Missy Wilkinson contributed to this report.

Email Jonah Meadows at jonah.meadows@ theadvocate.com.

American energy dominance during atime of rapidly growing energy needs and significant backlogs on traditional energy components such as turbines, with waitprojections up to seven years.

Nationally,the Trump administration’smoves could kill 81 gigawattsof newpower capacity by 2033, accordingtorenewable energyinvestment firm Segue Sustainable Infrastructure.

“We’re going to see less power put on thesystem,” said Sean Gallagher, the ﬁrm’s senior vice president of policy. “Less solar power,less wind power will be added to the U.S. grid in the next few years than would have otherwise. And this is at atime of rising electricity demand.”

Solar,headded, will be a large playerinthe American energymarket again due to its scalability and ability to be deployed quickly.Itseems the market agrees, because 96% of new energy capacityinthe countrywas generatedby solar,batteries and wind in 2024.

“Solar really is kind of the onlygameintownthatcan come in at scale over the next several years,” Gallagher said.

Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

named Bazinga following his sudden death.

“Wewere paralyzed with sadness,”Bourriage said. “Howdoyou burya 130-pound dog? (Pet cremation) was the bestdecision I could have made. …When Ipicked up hisurn and memorial items, the genuine care and concernwas evident.”

It’s testimonials like Bourriage’sthatgiveLemoine conﬁdence that services like hers are notsimply extraneous,but vital.

“I do still sometimes get people saying thatwhat we do is over the top. There’s the mentality that it’s ‘justa pet.’ But for the people we do it for,it’sabsolutely abig deal. At theend of the day you can’tbrush it aside. For so many people, thisisnecessary,” she said

LOTTERY

FRIDAY,SEPT.12, 2025

PICK 3: 3-8-8

Fred GeorgeWernerwas born March 28, 1947 in New Orleans and died on September 9, 2025 from a respiratorybattlewith ALS. He is survivedbyhis wife, Babette Vidrine Werner; his threedaughters, Cortney Werner, Conyers, Georgia, Quinn WernerKile(Lee) Houston, TX, BlairWernerGreen (Elliot) Lafayette;two stepchildren, Stan Spring (Guille)Austin, TX, and Courtney Spring Deveil (Jeremie) Bordeaux, France; and five grandchildren,Evelyn and Werner Green, Benicioand Octavio Spring,and Iris Deveil.He is also survivedbyhis brother, Paul Werner, New Orleans; hissisters, Peggy Werner, San Diego,CA, Catherine Werner, Denham Springs, and Nancy Leblanc (John), Baton Rouge. Fred was preceded in death by his parents, Georgeand Gretchen WernerofBaton Rouge; and hisfirst wife, Susan Cheek WernerofBaton Rouge. Fred always tried to live his life with thegoal of spending one thirdofhis life learning, onethird earning and one thirdgiving LEARNING -Atthe age of ten, Fred and his family moved to Atlantawhere he attended St. Anthony gradeschool. Fred was a Boy Scout and an Explorer Scout reaching therank of Life,a member of the Orderofthe Arrow and becoming aSenior Patrol leader. Later he attended St.Joseph HighSchool where he was arepresentative on theStudent Council,a member of the track team and the National HonorSociety. Upon graduationheattendedGeorgia State University in Atlanta for twoyears, theUniversity of Georgia fortwo years and finished at LSUwitha Bachelor of Science when his family moved to Baton Rouge. EARNING -Upongraduation fromcollege,Fred was employed first by Shell Oil Companyand then Florida Gas Explorationintheir accounting department in NewOrleans. However, Fred always wanted to havehis own business and narrowedhis choices down to adance club or a petshop because of his love fornightlife and animals. Hiswife toldhim that it was not going to be a dance club.So, he built and operated Critters pet shopinNew Orleans for twoyears before closing it and then was fortunate to obtaina position withE.F. Hutton as astockbroker, thesame occupation as his grandfather, GeorgeCrane. After spending ayear in NewOrleans, enticedbya 0/monthraise, Fred moved to Lafayettetoestablish a branch there. Fred was a successfuladvisor with E.F. Hutton formany years and became theLafayette manager. During histenure he was able to buildan eliteteamthatwas oneof themost profitable branchesfor E.F. Hutton in theUnited States. After a merger he moved to Legg Mason as manager of their branch and was able to replicate that success. WhenLegg Mason also went througha merger, Fred left thefirm and started hisown firm withhis business partner, David Daniel, and called it SummitFinancial.Their firm grew exponentially withseveral offices throughout Louisianaand resultedina fortyyear long successful career in theinvestment business. He enjoyed working with his many clients and cherishedthe long term friendships that developed.Fred was especially proudthat Barron'sWeeklychose Fred and his firm, Summit Financial,asone of theTop 100 Financial Advisory firms in America.

GIVING -Fred believed in giving to non-profits in the Lafayettearea, not only financially butofhis time. He firmlybelievedin Catholiceducationand served on theFatima School Foundationfor over 30 years as aboard memberand as apast president. During that time he was instrumental in the foundation'sassets growing significantly through donations and prudent investing.Heserved on the St.Thomas More School Foundationasa board

member andpast president for 17 years. He was abletoredirectthe foundation'sgoals toward fundraising to secure the school's financial security. Fred served as an original member of the committee establishingUnited Way of Acadiana's localfoundation andsettingguidelines for investingtheir assets. He also served on the MajorGift Cabinetsolicitingdonations for United Way. Fred wasa Moncus Parkboardmember for four years prior to the park opening, he wasableto help theparkobtainsubstantialdonations to begin constructionand also build anew bridge.Fredwas a member of the ULL Professional Advisors Committee andservedas past chairman assisting theUniversity in obtaining endowments. He was a Boy ScoutEvangelineArea committeemember for 2 years. Fred was a Lafayette TownhouseClub Board Member andPast Presidentfor 10 years. He wasactive in Mardi Gras in theKrewe of Troubadours for over 35 years and thoroughly enjoyedtheir annual pageant.Hewas amemberofthe Dukes committeeand was also aRoyal Duke fourtimes.His three daughters participated in theTroubadours ballas Royal Maids. Hisdaughter Cortneywas Queen Berengariaand hisdaughter Blairwas Lady Edith. Fred started Krewe D'Argent in 1997, with David Danieland the late, RonnieCalais. TheKrewe hasparticipated in the Queen's parade or Friday nightparade for the past 25 years. As ahobby, Fred waspassionate aboutthe unique sport of racing homing pigeonswhichhe didthe last 30 years of his life. He maintaineda large loft of birds at hishouse and letthemparticipatein races rangingfrom 100500 miles.Itneverceased to amaze himthatthe birds couldfindtheir way home from hundreds of miles away flying at 40-60 mph andarrive home the same day. He was Presidentofthe Lafayette RacingPigeon Cluband the Deep SouthCajun Combine anda one-timeBoard Member on theNational Organization, the American RacingPigeon Union(AU). It wasa truly fascinatingsport which Fred thoroughly enjoyed andsharedwith others throughout theU.S.and Europe. Shortlybeforehis death,Fredwas notified that he hadbeen selected for inductionintothe AU Member Hall of Fame for hisefforts on behalfofthe sport

Another hobby he enjoyed wasfreshwater fishinginLouisiana lakesand in thetrout streams of Arkansas. Fred was also passionate abouttraveling internationally and was fortunate to have visited over 30 countries. In retirementhis plan wastovisit many more countries, but due to his health, Spain wasthe only newcountry visited. Fredand his wife, Babette, spentmany wonderfulyearsattheir vacation home in Los Suenos, Costa Rica.Heenjoyed

learning about newculturesand thehistory of the placeshevisited. He had always been fascinated with theancient Egyptian culture andhis trip to Egypt andthe pyramids wasone of the highlights of histravels. Fredtruly believedthat God blessed himwitha very fruitful andprosperouslife. So,inspired by the philanthropy of his friend JimMoncus, Fred created theFredand Babette Werner FamilyFoundation to continue hischaritable giving in Acadianaafter his death Thefamilywishesto thank theTeam Gleason Foundation andKelly Viator; Hospice of AcadianaLauri Duke, Alyssa Verrettand every on call after hours nurse; CaregiversFency Allen, Gus Simon, Tenika Simon, AndreaPearce,Nina LaSalle and Ladacia Comeaux. In lieu of flowers, donations canbe made to Hospiceof Acadianaorthe Fred and Babette Werner Family Foundation AMass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, September 20, 2025 in Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church.Fr. Louis Richard will be Celebrantofthe Mass and officiate thefuneralservice Thefamilyrequeststhat visitinghours be observed at Delhomme Funeral Home -Bertrand on Friday, September 19, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM Personal condolences may be sent to thefamily of Fred Werner at: www.de lhommefuneralhome.com Fred Werner andhis familywerecared for and entrusted final arrangements to Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 BertrandDrive, Lafayette, LA. CopyrightDelhomme Funeral Homes, Inc. September 2025.

Werner,Fred

HEALTH CARE

mandatory. Th link is https:/ zoom.us/j/87360724814? pwd=9naFKDeF PTec05F8XGlBkf passcode is 251397. meetingwillbeatthe time of thebid opening, October9,2025 at 10 AM centraltime.

ScopeofServices: The work shallconsist of,but notlimited to,furnishing allmaterial, labor, tools, andsupervision forthe work outlined on the plansand specifications forthe Juvenile Deten‐tion Home Improve‐ments. Allworkshall be completedwithin365 calendarsdaysfromthe issuance of theNoticeto Proceed.The contractor shallalsopay Liquidated Damagesinthe sumof five hundreddollars ($,500) percalendarday beyond thecompletion date in which theworkis no complete beginning with the firstday beyond thecompletiontime. In accordance with LouisianaRS38:2212. vendorsmay submit theirbid electronically at thewebsite listed above. BiddingDocuments are availabletoviewonlyat thewebsite.Bidders may requestthe electronic bidpackage from Keirston St.Amant at kstamant@lafayettela govor337-291-8034. Bidderswishing to sub‐mittheir bidelectroni‐callymust firstberegis‐teredonlinewith Lafayette Consolidated Government as a poten‐i l li h b

mittingthrough themail as soon as available. Only abid bond,certiﬁed checkorcashier’s check shallbesubmitted as the bidsecurity. Electronic copies of both thefront andbackofthe checkor bidbondshall be in‐cluded with theelec‐tronic bid. Bids must be signedin accordance with LRS

with bid. Failuretosub‐mita CorporateResolu‐tion or Certificate of Au‐thoritywiththe bidshall be causefor rejectionof bid. Pre-orderedcopiesofthe biddingdocuments will be availableatthe Office of Purchasing locatedat 705 West University Av‐enue,Lafayette, Louisiana70502 upon paymentof$50.00 perset (NOTE: no cash shallbe accepted, only checkor moneyorder made payabletoLafayette Consolidated Govern‐ment). OrderedBid Docu‐mentsshall be available until twenty-four hours before thebid opening date. Questionsrelative to thebidding docu‐mentsshall be ad‐dressedtoKeirstonSt. Amantatkstamant@ lafayettela.gov Contractorsare re‐questedtoattend a mandatorypre-bid meet‐ing, which will be held on September24, 2025 at 10 A.M. at theJuvenileDe‐tentionHomesiteloca‐tion,located at 1613 Sur‐reyStreet,Lafayette,LA 70508. Each bidshall be accom‐panied by acertified check, cashier’scheck, or bidbondpayable to theLafayette Consoli‐datedGovernment, the amount of which shallbe

theU.S.Departmentof theTreasuryFinancial Management Servicelist of approved bonding companieswhich is pub‐lished annually in the FederalRegister, or by a Louisianadomiciled in‐surancecompany with at leastanA-Ratinginthe latest printing of theA.M Best’s KeyRatingGuide to writeindividualbonds up to tenpercent (10%) of policyholders’ surplus as showninthe A.M. Best’s KeyRatingGuide or by an insurancecom‐pany in good standing li‐censed to writebid bondswhich is either domiciledinLouisiana or ownedbyLouisiana resi‐dents. Thebid bond shall be issued by acompany licensed to do business in Louisiana. Thecerti‐ﬁed check, cashier’s check, or bidbondshall be givenasa guarantee that thebiddershall exe‐cute thecontract, should it be awardedtohim,in conformity with thecon‐tractdocuments within ten(10)days. No contractor maywith‐draw itsbid priortothe deadline forsubmission of bids.Withdrawalof bids thereafter shallbe allowedonlypursuantto LA R.S. 38§2214.C. Other‐wise,nobiddermay withdraw hisbid forat leastforty-ﬁve (45) days after thetimescheduled forthe bidopening of bids.Eachbid shallbe

MICHAEL R

FUSILIER, TY LANCE

GARBETT,FAITHARDOIN

GIBSON,CHARLES R

GIROUARD, RAYMONDJASON

GRANT, JAYMES MCKENIZE 102 GREBER, JOHN ANTON 103

RONALD

109 HALLIBURTON, NEBUCHADNEZZAR 110 HANNA, FARIDTALAAT

HARDING, LYNORE RASCHEL 112 HARGRAVE, KATHLEEN V

HARRISON, ROSE MARIE 114 HAYMAN,TAYLOR RENEE

HEBERT, COLTON JAMES

HEBERT, TERESA JANE

HEBERT, MATTHEW ADAM

HEBERT, JACE CHRISTIAN

HEBERT, JOSEPH EARL

HENRY, EVELYN C

121 HERBST,JAMES EDWARD

122 HERNANDEZ, CHRISTINA HEBERT

123 HERNANDEZ-FAJARDO, MAURICIO 124 HOANG, THYNGOC

125 HOUSTON,MARYB

126 HOWARD, JALONI TANA

127 HUGHES, MASON HOWELL

128 IORIO, ERICANTHONY

JACKSON, JAVON DARNELL

JACKSON, CICELY CATHERINE

JAMES, TAJH ANDRE 132 JAMES, DENZEL MCKINLEY

133 JASMAN,VASAKIEA DASHON

134 JOHNSON, KEIA

135 JONES, IAN ALTERMAN

136 JONES, KAYLA MARIE

137 JONES, RAYLONDA LASHA

138 JONES, WILDA MAE

139 JOSEPH, LAKEISHA J 140 JOSEPH, JOHN ALLEN 141 KENDRICK, YONGHUI

142 KERGAN, ELIZABETH ANN

143 KORAB, MAZEN 144 LAFOSSE, JOHN WILLARD

145 LANCLOS, JOSHUA ADAM

146 LANDRY, JOSHUAPAUL 147 LARUE, CHRISTOPHER E

LEBLANC,RHONDAB

LEBLANC,BRITTANYGYLES

LEBLANC,KIMBERLY 151 LEBLANC,KEITH M 152 LEBLANC,MARGARET W

LEE, EVELYN MARY

LEE, CARLA GUILBEAU

LEJEUNE, JOHN MURPHY

LEONGALDAMEZ, OMAR ANTONIO

LINN, PATRICK MICHAEL

LOUIS, DERICK JAMES

LOUVIERE, CHERYLLYNN

MACIVER, MEAGAN THEALL

MAJOR, CEDRICDEVONE

MALVEAUX, LAUREN ALYSE

MANN, SYDNEY ELIZABETH

MARCANTEL, WILLIAMPAUL

MARCELLO, CAROLINE GAYLE

MARSHALL, SHAQUINTAMICHELLE

THOMAS

MCADAMS, NICOLE

material paymentbonds in thefullamount of the contract as more fully definedinthe biddocu‐ments. No contractors maywithdrawhis bidfor at leastforty-five (45) days after thetime scheduledfor theopen‐ingofbids. Each bidshall be submittedonlyonthe bidformprovidedwith thespecifications. The successful contractor will be required to exe‐cute performanceand laborand material pay‐ment bondsinthe full amount of thecontract as more fullydefinedin thebid documents. Bids will be evaluatedby thePurchaser basedon thelowestresponsible andresponsivebid sub‐mitted which is also in compliance with thebid documents. The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause in ac‐cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. Contractorsorcontract‐ing firmssubmittingbids in theamount of $50,000.00 or more shall certifythattheyare li‐

190 MUFFOLETTO, SHELBY

NAQUIN, KADECOLTON

NARCISSE,JASON PAUL 193 NGUYEN, DUNG N

NILAND,NICHOLAS LAWRENCE 195 NUNEZ, THOMAS EDWARD

196 ORTIZ-MORENO, JERONIMO ADOLFO

197 PARKER, CATHERINE BYRD 198 PAUL, RONALD JACOLBY

199 PAYNE,JOYCE MARIE

200 PELLETIER, HOLDEN BENNETT 201 PEREZ-ORNELAS, FLAVIO 202 PILGRENE,ROBERTA 203 PLATT,RONNIE E

PLUNKETT,MATHEWTHOMAS

205 PORCHE,PEGGY RHODES

206 PORTER, BRIONNA LOUISE

207 PRADOS, DANA BROUSSARD

208 PRIMEAUX,GLENROY

209 PRIMEAUX,ADAMHAYWARD

210 RABALAIS, COLLEEN C 211 REESE, TAYLOR LASHAE

212 REYES, MICHAELM

213 RICHARD, SUSAN DALE

214 RICHARD, TABITHAMARIE

215 RICHARD, TYLER

216 RIDEAU,TIFFANY NICOLE STELLY

217 ROBICHAUX,KIMBERLYJORDAN

218 ROGER, WILERD ANTHONY

219 ROMERO, KRISTI L

220 ROMERO, COLBYPAUL

221 ROMERO, LESLIE ANN

222 ROMERO, TINA RICHARD

223 ROMERO, COREY JAMES

224 ROSABAL,ROSA P

225 RUBIN,ARIN JUAN

226 RUSHING, BONNIE BABIN

227 RUSSO, ISABELLA ALICIA

228 RYAN, WILLIAM JOSEPH

229 RYTLEWSKI, NICHOLAS RAY

230 SAM, JOUIELLE ANTHEAUS

231 SAUSEDA,ROY

232 SAVOIE, KYLEN ANGELLE

233 SAWVEL,CHRISTOPHER

234 SAYRIE,ARLINGTON

235 SCHEXNIDER, LEAMARIE

236 SENEGAL,SIDONIA SOLOMON

237 SENEGAL,ERIC J

238 SENEGAL,QUINNTIN MICHAEL

239 SENSIBAUGH, GREGORYP

240 SENSLEY, CAROL FRANCINE

241 SHARKEY, ERIN ELIZABETH

242 SIMON, DEVIN CORNELLE

243 SIMON, EARLINE MARIE

244 SION, COURTNEYJO

245 SMITH, MELVIN RICKEY

246 SMITH, NEVAEH ANGEL

247 SMITH, TWANA LAKISHA THERESA

248 SOLET, MAGANANN

249 SONNIER, SHELLEYLYNN

250 SPENCE,KIMBERLYDAVIDSON

251 SPENCER, KYLEIGH LYNN

252 STAKES, MARY K

253 STANISLAWEK, KAMILA BRONISLAWIA

254 STJULIEN, VENUS JAMES

255 SUIRE,KYLE PAUL

256 SWINNEY, PATRICK DAVID CLAR

257 TALBOT,CAROL

258 TATJE, DIANE P

259 TAYLOR, THAX JAMES

260 TAYLOR, TIFFANY DAILEY

261 THIBEAUX, OLYVIA CLAYRE

262 THOMAS, KYRSTEN ALESSE

263 THOMAS, ALEXANDER GEORGE

THOMAS, KIRIONNA ASHONNA

THOMAS, GERALDLEE

THOMAS, ERNESTCHARLES

TIFFEE, ARDEN SIERRA

TRAHAN, DONALD E

TURNER, JOHN

VALLOT,RONALD JAMES

VANVLEET,JAREDKEVIN

VAUGHN, RONALD JEROME

VELASQUEZMARTINEZ, FRANCISCO A

VENABLE,BRIAN JOSEPH

VICE, BRENTMICHAEL

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Federal help canimprove public safety in N.O.,but only if it’s real

The city of New Orleans has along and fruitfulhistory of working closely with other agencies to combat crime.

Joint task forces with federal agencies such as the FBI and DEA, cooperativeendeavors with neighboring jurisdictionsand the Troop Nola partnership with Louisiana State Police have bolsteredlocal efforts. Louisiana National Guardtroopshave been welcome during special events or following crises such as the terrorist attack on BourbonStreet.

But when it comes to theprospectofhastily sending federalized National Guard troopsinto New Orleans, we have serious concerns

We still don’tknow whether President Donald Trump will send the National Guard into the city,asTrumpdid in Washington, D.C. and now says he’ll do in Memphis, andisthreatening to do in Chicago, overthat state’sDemocratic governor’s strong objection. Here, he’dhave supportfor the surge from his Republican ally Gov.Jeff Landry,who is thearchitect of thesuccessful, well-planned initiativetosendtrained state troopers into the Democratic majority citytowork alongside theNew OrleansPolice Department.

Troop Nola’sarrival last year was initially met with some resistance, butisnow widelycheered by officials and residents across thespectrum. And it’slikely one of several reasons —along with some innovative strategies pursuedby NOPD —why the city’scrime ratehas turneda corner.Last year,police reported 6,085 crimes per 100,000 residents; that’s a23% dropfrom the previous five-year average, although it’sstill more than twice the national average Indeed,wewould welcome an expansion of Troop Nola, and believe manyNew Orleanians would too. But we doubt that suddenly sending in National Guard troops would help much National Guard members are neithertrained nor legally permitted to conduct many of the law enforcement functions thatprofessional officersdo.

Andwhile some might ﬁnd avisibleshow of force reassuring, the optics could well be double-edged. Having the National Guard in the city’sstreets could send thefalse messagethat crime is out of control, which would likelydiscourage people from visitinga citythatrelies on tourism as an economic driver What’smore, this is not thesort of duty that themembers of the Louisianan NationalGuard signed up for.Indeed, arecentWashingtonPost story recounted internal Guard assessments that “domestic mobilizations that are rooted in politicsriskdamaging Americans’ conﬁdence in themen and women who servetheir communities in times of crisis.”

We’re all for anything that will help,and certainly we’d welcome federal assistancetobolster theNOPD’swork. But we see theNational Guardproposal as apolitical play more than a serious strategy to make cities safer. Instead, we urge the presidentand the governortocontinue to work side-by-sidewith New Orleans ofﬁcials to keep thehard-wonprogress going strong.

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

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

TimKaine’s remarksspark debate

As aCatholic, Iapologize. For what? TimKaine.

At arecent Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee hearing, theVirginia senator and former vice-presidential candidatesaid, “The notion that rights don’tcome from laws and don’tcome from thegovernment, but come from the creator —that’s what the Iranian government believes.

devout Christians andIranian governmentoppression. He does, however, know that opposing the Trumpadministration is the way to future power in his party.

In Iran, Kaine says, thegovernment oppresses itscitizens “becausethey believe that they understand what natural rightsare from their creator.”

Kaine’snow-viral rant came as the Senatecommittee was considering the nomination of an assistant secretary of state for democracy,human rights and labor.Riley Barnes, the nominee before thecommittee, had madea bold move. He quoted the current Secretary of StateMarco Rubio, who recently emphasized “that all men are created equal because our rights come from God, our creator; not from our laws, not from our governments.”

Sen. Kaine probably doesn’teven believe his implicit comparison between

Oh,and what agift this was to Ted Cruz, theRepublican senator from Texas who sitsonthe samecommittee. What Kaine considers a“radical and dangerous notion,” Cruz said, “is literally the founding principle upon which theUnited States of America wascreated.” He went on to quote Thomas Jefferson: “Wehold these truths to be self-evident,that allmen are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

That Kaine was lying is alikely scenario given that in July,hecalled cuts to government spending on Catholic charities and other faith-based organizations gettingfederal money for immigration work as an “attack on the religious organizations so that they cannot do thework that their faith in their creator compels them to do.”

How convenient.Oppose our founding principles when it meansbeing anti-Trump, and thenembrace them for thesame reason. And in recent years, what have some of ourmost

contentious religious-liberty debates been about? Values from the sexual revolution. We already knew Kaine considered himself apro-abortion (legal and on-demand) Catholic. And this, by the way, is what Iwant to apologize to you about. As young people have been noticing, the sexual morality of the Catholic Church offers mercy and healing. Igo to confession. TimKaine might go to confession; he is certainly free to. But not only are we supposed to believe certain things —and stand up forthem in our public lives as wellasprivate ones —weare supposed to share them.Good newsand all. But in recent decades, fartoo manyCatholics have dismissed that which is inconvenient. In this mostrecent case, even that which is fundamental formore than just Catholics.

Sen. Kaine, revisit your remarks from the summer.The United States has agood thing going in its rootedness to God.Our identity can’tbein hating —orloving —President Trump. There’smore to life. And thanks be to God for that!

Email Kathryn Jean Lopez at klopez@ nationalreview.com.

Onequestion we get frequently is whether we can allow letter writers morespace than the 300-word limit Somewriters want torespond point by point to somethingthey read, and the word limit makes it hard to do that sometimes.

Somereaders also argue that opposing opinions should get equal space as the article or columns they are responding to.

While Iunderstand that logic, we have to set wordlimits on letters in order to get more of your views in print

Then thequestion arises, why not simply run longer letters or morelettersonline?

At times,for particularly hot topics, we have run collections of letters online that didn’tmake the print editions. Butwelike having letters appear in print because we know manyfrequent letter writers prefer reading the print edition.

We also accept submissions of guest columns, which run between 500-700

words. Guest columns are distinct from letters in that they don’tsimply respond to thenews but seek to give a unique perspective on atopic on which the writer has asingular interest or expertise. Guest column submissions can also be senttoour inbox at letters@theadvocate.com. We require the full text of the column, not just apitch, before deciding on whether to publish.

The letters section is one of themost popular parts of the Opinion pages, as readers wanttohear what other readers think. Twoyears ago, we expanded the letters to afull page on Monday

Earlier this year,webegan running letters on Saturday as well. Looking around at other news outlets, Iwould say that on average, we run morelettersfrom readers than most. And we will continue to look forways to feature your voices.

Ihave to say,though,that it’snot always the longest letters that make

the strongest arguments. Iamoften struck by the readers who, in twoor three sentences, can makeapoint that goes straight to the heart of an issue. That said, turning to our inbox, Ican give you the totals forthe weekofAug. 7-14. During that week, we received 80 letters.

The subject that generated the most comment wasn’tanews or politics story,itwas aguest column. We received 11 letters commending writer Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar’spiece, “Between Stories and Steam,” which talked about the importance of preserving culture. The large outpouring was rare fora guest column. After that, the indictment of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was ahot topic, prompting seven letters. Lastly, the National Guard deployment to help combat crime in Washington, D.C., was the subject of six letters.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPage Editor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

Arnessa Garrett

Kathryn Jean Lopez

COMMENTARY

Stop theblame game surroundingpolitical violence

Calm down, everybody.The murder of conservative organizer CharlieKirk is reasontorestrain impulses to political warfare, not to inﬂame them.

Quin Hillyer

When Louisiana’s own Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise was shot in 2017,the culprit was not thecollective political left or a“they,” but alone drifter whohated Republicans. When Democratic Rep.GabbyGiffords of Arizona was shot in 2011, The New York Timeseditorialized there was a“clear” and “direct” linkto former Alaska Gov.Sarah Palin’s PAC—but the culprit was not Palinor conservatives in general, buta paranoid schizophrenic ﬁxated on Giffords.

After former and soon-to-be President Donald Trump was shot inPennsylvania, conservative social media was full of accusations that “they,” the leftist bad guys had tried to kill him. Nonsense. Theshooter was aregistered Republican whotook conservativepositions in school classes, and he also had scoped outthe scheduleof Democratic President Joe Biden with apparent ill intent.

Likewise, conservatives weren’t collectivelyinany way responsible this summer for the murder of one Democratic Minnesota state legislator (and herhusband) and the wounding of another.Nor were they responsible when acrazed home invader beat the husband of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California literally within an inch of his life.

Nonetheless, Kirk himself said afterthe fact, in inﬂammatory fashion,that some “amazing patriot” shouldbail out Paul Pelosi’s attacker, while Trump fanned nasty right-wing rumors about theattack.But that doesn’tmean Kirk deserved to be killed, his wife widowed andhis toddlers left fatherless.

Conservatives rightly get upset when

Democrats repeatedly call Trump(and many othersonthe right)a“Nazi.” Yet extremely few prominent conservatives spokeout when Trumpcalled Democratic opponentKamala Harris a“Marxist, Communist,fascist,socialist” or said Biden’s White House was a“Gestapo.”

It wasn’tbasic conservative rhetoric that led to amass shooting at aBlack church, and it wasn’tbasic liberal rhetoric thatled to amass shooting at aconservative Christian school. Tworecent mass shootings by peopleidentifying as transgender don’t mean that everyone withsexual identity issues is alatent murderer —nomatter what messages were on thehateful shooter’sammunition. And speaking of using sexualityasa pretense,weinLouisiana of acertain age remember when then-District Attorney Jim

Garrisonfalsely and viciously tried businessman Clay Shaw for conspiring to assassinate President John F. Kennedy,largely by focusing on Shaw’shomosexuality Come on,people: Get agrip.Tell Republican Rep.Nancy Mace of South Carolina that Democrats absolutely do not “own what happened” to Kirk. Tell Republican Rep.Anna PaulinaLuna of Florida to stop repeating that Democrats “caused this.”

Stop electing people like this to Congress. Andstop electing Democrats, too, such as New York’sAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, if their ﬁrst response to almost any tragedy is to “connect the dots” to Republican rhetoric.

The examples could be endless, from bothsides. And thelessons should be obvious: Stop demonizing each other.Stop rushing to judgment. Tone down the rhetoric

—way down—but don’tblamethe rhetoric forthe evil act without proof.Stop the “groupthink.” Let law enforcement ofﬁcials work, and then blamethe individuals found responsible, without regard to their group identity

The only group identity that should matter is that we are Americans. Americans are better than this.

Iwrite this column on the very anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The ﬁreﬁghters whotrekked up the stairways of the towers that day didn’tcare whether they weresaving Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals. When passengers Mark Bingham,Todd Beamer and others counterattacked the hijackers of Flight 93, it didn’tmatter that Bingham was gay and Beamer was straight.

When President Ronald Reagan was victimized by an attempted assassin in 1981, it didn’tmatter that he was aRepublican when Democratic Speaker TipO’Neill kneeled and prayed at his bedside. When Scalise was shot, his Democratic Louisiana colleague Cedric Richmond wasthe ﬁrst congressman to rush to the hospital to be at his side.

When liberal Democratic senator Ted Kennedy was dying of brain cancer,conservative Republican Orrin Hatch spent considerable time with him.When Republican senator John McCain wasdying of brain cancer,Biden, then out of ofﬁce, madeaspecial trip to visit him

That is how our politics should operate. Meanwhile, to repeat: Kirk leaves behind ayoung wife and two very young children and manyfriends. Instead of assessing blameand vowing vengeance on an entire swath of Americans whohad nothing to do with his death, whycan’titbeenough just to insist on lawfuljustice while offering comfort to the bereaved?

Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

Blue AmericastartstoseparatefromRed America

It started quietly enough MAGA Republicans put lunatic RobertF.Kennedy Jr.incharge of theDepartment of Healthand Human Services. He’sforced top scientists to leaveand slashed research in cancer, autoimmune diseases and other health threats. Thanks to him, gettingthe updated COVID vaccine is harder for many and confusing for everyone.

In response, Democratic-run states now talk of settingup theirown “agency” to bypass the MAGA mess in Washington.

Health ofﬁcials from ﬁve New England states (New Hampshire opted out), New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvaniarecently met to discuss putting together their own vaccine recommendationsto

bypass thefederal government. This could be the startofsomething bigger Not longago, theright wing didmost of thehollering about a national parting of ways. There was constant braying that Blue America is thelandofcrime, lax morals andbumsfreeloading off the hardworking MAGA heartland. Afew years ago, the chair of theTexas Republican Party Allen West suggested forming a newunionof“law-abiding states,” by whichhemeant conservative ones. (That thebig cities in Texas areDemocratic might pose complications.)

Others on theright have toyed with actual secession talk. Some wentsofar as to make an implied threat, arguing that the Democratic states depend on the conservativefarm belt for food.

That’snot true, however

It happens that California is by

far America’sbiggest producer of farm products —fruits, vegetables and nuts. Oregon and Washington are not slackers in that regard. The swing states of theupper Midwest might have to choose sides. Do Wisconsin and theother dairy powers want to antagonize customers in their biggest marketsfor cheese, butter and milk?

Heartland agriculture, meanwhile, is dominated by commodity crops, such as corn, soybeans and wheat. These are major exports —and so good luck in Trump’strade war BlueAmerica going its own way is not new.When California approved arule in 2022 that would phase out the sale of new gas cars by 2035, 11 states joined it.They accounted for 40% of the U.S. auto market.

Want to hear an argument for secession? Listen toEric’s recent

harangue on “South Park”: “If liberals aresuch lazy moochers, then tell me, whyare 95% of the poorest counties in our country Republican? Why are 8of10 poorest states Republican? Why are red states the welfare states that always take morefrom the federal government than they pay in? Ithink we all know whothe lazy moochers are ...”

As for crime, there’sbeen much commentary of late on the murder rates in Republican-run states after Trump sent National Guard troops to quell “unrest” only in Democratic areas. In one of his mocking tweets, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote, “Alabama has 3X the homicide rate of California.”

As for running the nation’s— or half the nation’s—medical care establishment, Democratic states are well-positioned. They are already hometothe world’s

top four universities formedical research: Harvard, Johns Hopkins, University of California, San Francisco and Stanford. No. 5, the University of Pennsylvania, is in aswing state.

Fingers crossed here forno national breakup, but if it happens, let it be peaceful. There can be trade agreements and mutual defense treaties. There may be somecomplications involving the various “blue dots,” the Democratic districts around Omaha and the Texas big cities. It can all be worked out.

MAGAmay object to “progressive values.” No problem.Blue America feels the sameabout MAGAvalues. Again, no problem Goodpeople in both places —and bad people. Let’ssee how this all progresses.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.

DysfunctioninWashingtondriveslawmakers home

“My worst day as governor,” Joe Manchin often lamented, “was betterthan my best day as a senator.”

Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Michael BennetofColorado and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

across party lines.

The West Virginia Democrat spent acombined total of 20 years in those twojobs, so he knows what he’s talking about. And it’shard to argue withthe comment he made to Time’s Jon Meacham in 2014: “I know dysfunctional families that function better than the Senate does. It’s just crazy.”

The traditional career path in United States politics has been for state-based politicians, including governors, to seek anational platform. Adozenformerchief executives sit in the Senatetoday But the dysfunction in Washington that Manchin describes is driving asmall but signiﬁcant number of lawmakers to reverse that pattern, return home and run for governor Three senators have already announced their campaigns:

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the daughter ofaformer governor, says she’s“thinking about it ” They follow former senator Mike Braunwho waselected governor of Indianalast year

Noticeably,two popular Republicans, Gov.Brian Kemp of Georgiaand former Gov.Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, both rejected pleas from thenational partyto run for the Senate. Meanwhile, tworising stars among House Democrats, Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey,are bothleaving Capitol Hill and seeking governorships this fall.

Some politicianshave always preferred to beexecutives instead of legislators. After all, senators makespeeches, while governors make decisions. Life on Capitol Hill, however,has gotten much morefrustratingin recent years for any lawmakers whobelievetheir jobistobuild consensus,negotiate compromises andsolveproblems, especially

Donald Trumpdid not start that trend, but he has severely aggravated it,usurping congressional power by governing primarily through executive orders, not legislation. The few bills that have becomelaw passed on straight party-line votes. The legislative process, theforum where deals are brokered and lawmakers are players, has been virtually shut down.

Jessica Taylor,ananalyst for thenonpartisan Cook Political Report, says moresenators are running for governor than at any time in the last 90 years. “In this current political environmentthat we’re in, Ithink it just speaks tothe polarization,”she told NPR. “The Senateused to be theworld’sgreatest deliberative body,but alot of those people that worked across the aisle have retired or been defeated.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham,aSouth Carolina Republican, said he understood why fellow lawmakers like Mike Braun are headed home. In the Senate, he said, “It takes forever to get anything

done. Mike is moreofa business, action-oriented guy.”

Sen. Bennet of Colorado, who once served as superintendent of Denver’spublic schools, feels particularlystymied by gridlock on CapitolHill over public education As he told the education website The 74: “With respect to education policy at thefederal level, we’re at amomentwhere all there is is wreckage everywhere you turn.”

Onestark measure of the growing polarization in Washington: After lastyear’selection, only four statesnow have Senate delegations split among two parties, thelowest number since senators were ﬁrst elected by popular vote in 1913. As recently as 2011, 19 states elected lawmakers from rival parties. Butgovernors’ races are not quitesodivisive. Deep-red states like Kentucky and Kansas have Democratic governors, and blue bastions like Vermont and New Hampshire are led by Republicans. Andthat difference reﬂects the nature of agovernor’sjob.

“Being in the Senate is an honor, and it’sagood job, it’simportant. But Ijust think anybody you talk to who’sbeen agovernor and a senator is going to tell you, being governor is really the best job,” Republican Sen. John Hoeven, whoserved as North Dakota governor from 2000 to 2010 before winning aSenate seat, told NBC. “You’re the CEO. Youset your agenda. Youcan work to effectuate it. For all those reasons, I think that’swhy people, given a choice, would wantthat job ﬁrst.” Hoeven says there’saspecial bond among the former governors, from both parties, whonow serve on Capitol Hill. “By nature, governors are morebipartisan because you got to workwith your legislators to get something done,” he said. “You got to work with both sides.” In Trump’sWashington, that’s virtually impossible. In growing numbers, lawmakers are realizing that if they wanttowork with both sides, they have to go home.

Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Charlie Kirk speaks before he wasshot during an appearance at Utah ValleyUniversity in Orem, Utah,onWednesday.

Froma Harrop

Steve Roberts

Alookathow chess andfootballtranslate for Saints safety Reid, Page 6C

Unfriendly face blowsbyRagin’Cajuns

BY KEVINFOOTE

Staff writer

COLUMBIA, Mo. It wasn’tthatthe UL defense didn’tknow enough about Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy. After all, Hardy rushed for 172 yards as atrue freshman last seasonfor UL-Monroe against the Ragin’ Cajuns. But on Saturday behinda better offensive line and in abetter offense, UL had no answer for him whatsoever Hardy exploded for 187 yards and two touchdowns in the ﬁrsthalf topower the

No. 25 Tigers to a52-10 victory over UL at Memorial Stadium.

“That kid is special, you know,” UL coach Michael Desormeaux said.“We gota ﬁrsthand lookatitlast year,soweknew exactly what it was goingtobe. We missed quite a fewtackles,but he does that to alot of people

“Wetalked about you got to wrap up, runyourfeet,and yougot to gang tackle.I mean, you’ve got toget morehats to the ball than just one. Ithink he’sa special player.”

Hardy finishedwith 250 yards rushing and threetouchdowns,leaving the game with most ofMissouri’sfirst-team offenseafter thefirst scoring drive of the third quarter

“He’sadownhill (runner),” Desormeaux said.“All theoutside zone stuff that they run, the tracks thatthey run, he does agreat

Ex-Sun Belt RB dices defenseasMissourimakes UL airgamedisappear ä See CAJUNS, page 8C

LSUsafety Dashawn Spears celebrates in the end zoneafter catching an interception and running it back for atouchdowninthe second half against FloridaonSaturday at TigerStadium. LSUwon 20-10.

back DJ Lagwayﬁve times, including apick-six by sophomoresafety Dashawn Spearsthatgavethe Tigers atwo-score lead in the third quarter

BY WILSON ALEXANDER

Staff writer

If anything has become abundantly clear aboutthis LSU team through three games, it’sthat the defense can carry it. The No. 3Tigers struggled offensivelyagainSaturday night against Florida, but at least for another week, that did not enduphurtingthem. LSUbeatFlorida20-10 in frontofacrowd of 102,158 insideTiger Stadium. It interceptedFlorida quarter-

Thatendedupbeing enough because the LSU defense continued to play well, even after star linebacker Whit Weeks was ejected for targeting on Florida’s openingdrive and senior linebacker West Weeks left withacalf strain in the second half, forcing LSU to play their brother,true freshman Zach Weeks, throughout thefourth quarter LSU(3-0, 1-0 SEC) held Floridato79yards rushing, andthe Gators (1-2, 0-1) allbut abandonedthe run anyway.With Lagway having to carry the load, LSU capitalized on several bad decisions. Lagway,a sophomore making his ﬁrst SECroad start, had neverthrown more than two interceptionsina game. He ﬁnished

33-of-49 passing for287 yards and one touchdown. With Florida leading 3-0, Spears recorded the first interception after Florida crossed midfield on its second possession. Late in the first half,senior safety AJ Haulcy grabbed LSU’ssecond interception on apass over themiddle. It setupDamianRamos fora 45-yard field goal that gave LSU a13-10 lead at the break.

Midway through the third quarter,Spears stepped in front of aslant on third and 18 for his second interception. He avoided Lagway and stayed in bounds as he sprinted down the sideline, then raised apeace sign as he ran into the end zone forthe 58-yard score. The next two interceptions sealed the game as the LSU offense struggled to put it away.After completing

Tigers interceptGators five times, theirmostsince 2020 ä See LSU, page 3C

AP PHOTO By L.G. PATTERSON

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

Georgia defeats Tennessee in OT

By The Associated press

KNOXVILLE, TENN When No. 6

Georgia clawed its way back from three deﬁcits against No. 15 Tennessee on Saturday, coach Kirby Smart got the answer he was looking for “We feel our team has a certain identity,” Smart said after the Bulldogs’ 44-41 overtime victory “We’re not going to go down without a ﬁght.”

Josh McCray scored on a 1-yard run in to cap the win. Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) beat Tennessee (2-1, 1-0) for the ninth straight time with Nate Frazier setting up the winning score with a 21-yard run on Georgia’s ﬁrst snap in overtime.

“I feel almost like we have to apologize,” said Smart. “I don’t think that we should have won that game. I thought (Tennessee) outplayed us in a lot of ways.”

Max Gilbert kicked a 42-yard field goal to give Tennessee a 4138 edge in overtime. Tennessee had a chance to win in regulation, but Gilbert pushed a 43-yard field-goal attempt wide right just before the final whistle.

“It’s a series of one play that makes a specialist,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said “Sometimes your life gets showcased in a way where you get limited opportunities. That’s the life of being a kicker.”

Joey Aguilar threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a TD to lead Tennessee.

The Volunteers came from behind twice in the second half after jumping out to a 14-point lead in the ﬁrst quarter

“I started off in a groove, but those come and go,” Aguilar said. “In the middle (of the game), I was pressing a little bit.”

No 2 PENN STATE 52, VILLANOVA 6: In State College, Pennslyvania, Drew Allar threw for 209 yards and a touchdown and No. 2 Penn State got another near ﬂawless effort from its defense in a win over Villanova.

Nicholas Singleton ran for two touchdowns, Kaytron Allen added another, Trebor Peña caught a touchdown, and Ryan Barker kicked three field goals. Linebacker Tony Rojas had two sacks for the Nittany Lions (3-0) who came one play shy of posting back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1996. Penn State scored two firsthalf touchdowns against FCS Villanova but the Nittany Lions settled for a pair field goals by Barker and punted twice despite outgaining Villanova 252-69.

Singleton scored the game’s first points through the middle of Villanova’s defense for a 4-yard touchdown with 8:48 to play in the first quarter Barker turned a short field into a 45-yard field goal after a shanked Villanova punt early in the second. He added a 28-yarder two possessions later to make it 13-0. The Wildcats (1-1) were forced to juggle quarterbacks early Starter Pat McQuaide appeared injured when Rojas sacked him on Villanova’s opening possession. Tanner Maddocks took over, but each of Villanova’s next three chances ended in punts. McQuaide returned and went 7 for 15 for 27 yards and an interception.

No. 4 OREGON 34, NORTHWESTERN 14: In Evanston, Illinois, Dante Moore threw for 178 yards and a touchdown and Oregon opened Big Ten play with a win at Northwestern.

Dierre Hill Jr added a 66-yard scoring run and Jayden Limar and Jordon Davison had rushing touchdowns to help the Ducks (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) win their road opener The Wildcats (1-2, 0-1) forced an Oregon punt on the game’s ﬁrst drive but didn’t have much of an answer the rest of the game. The Ducks led 17-0 at the half after scoring on their next three possessions to improve

to 11-0 against conference foes since joining the Big Ten last season.

Oregon took advantage of the game’s first turnover — Bryce Boettcher’s interception of a deflected pass in the first quarter — into the first touchdown a few plays later when Limar ran in from a yard After a field goal Moore connected with Kenyon Sadiq for a 24-yard touchdown just before the half.

Hill’s long run midway through the third quarter on Oregon’s first play of the second half — and a short touchdown run by Davison later in the period turned the game into a rout.

Atticus Sappington added a pair of ﬁeld goals.

Preston Stone was 11 for 21 for 135 yards with two interceptions for Northwestern. Caleb Komolafe (53 yards) had a 1-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to avert a shutout and Dashun Reeder added a 79yard run on his lone carry in the ﬁnal two minutes

Klubnik was 15 for 26 for 207 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Wesco early in the second half to give the Tigers a 14-13 lead. Klubnik added 62 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

No. 19 ALABAMA 38,WISCONSIN 14: In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Ty Simpson threw for 382 yards and four touchdowns including two to returning star Ryan Williams, and Alabama overpowered Wisconsin for the second consecutive year

Simpson completed 24 of 29 passes, with two of his misses being drops by Williams and freshman Lotzier Brooks. Williams finished with five receptions for 165 yards after missing last week’s game because of a concussion.

Simpson who was equally solid last week against Louisiana-Monroe, joined Mac Jones (2020) as the only quarterbacks in school history to complete at least 80% of his passes and throw three TDs in consecutive games.

The Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd erupted as Williams took a screen pass and went 75 yards on the ﬁrst play of the second half. It gave Williams his first 100yard game since facing Georgia last September.

Bray Hubbard’s two interceptions led an Alabama (2-1) defense that held Wisconsin to 209 yards. The Crimson Tide notched four sacks

Danny O’Neil, subbing for injured Wisconsin starter Billy Edwards, completed 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards. His 41-yard TD pass to Jayden Ballard was one of the few highlights for the Badgers (2-1). Vinny Anthony II also returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score. No. 13 OKLAHOMA 42, TEMPLE 3: In Philadelphia, John Mateer threw for 282 yards and a touchdown and had a 51-yard rushing score and Tory Blaylock rushed for 100 yards and a pair of TDs to lead Oklahoma to a victory over Temple.

The Sooners (3-0) took a 25-0 lead in the ﬁrst half of a game

played in the home of the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles and essentially ran out the clock the rest of the game.

OU made a rare trip to the East Coast and boasted a solid turnout of fans even while the marching band stayed home — and crimson and cream were the primary colors among an announced crowd of 24,927 fans. Even with the solid OU turnout, that number failed the eye test — though the Sooners looked every bit a playoff contender as advertised.

Jovantae Barnes scored a 3-yard rushing TD on the opening drive and OU converted the 2-point conversion for the 8-0 lead. The Owls (2-1) made a nice defensive stand on the next drive, with a sack and a tackle for a loss that pushed the Sooners into a fourth-and-long. No problem for OU. Tate Sandell promptly kicked a 52-yard ﬁeld goal.

GEORGIA TECH 24, No. 12 CLEMSON

21: In Atlanta, Aidan Birr made a 55-yard ﬁeld goal as time expired and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets upset the Clemson Tigers.

With no timeouts left and the clock running with under 20 seconds to play, the Georgia Tech special teams squad sprinted onto the ﬁeld and lined up. And on fourth-and-3, Birr connected and the home crowd rushed the ﬁeld.

Quarterback Haynes King returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out of Georgia Tech’s Sept. 6 win over Gardener-Webb.

King was 19 for 27 for 216 yards and added 25 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter for the Yellow Jackets (3-0, 1-0 ACC).

King’s score and the 2-point conversion gave the Yellow Jackets a 21-14 lead.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik had an uneven performance in which he turned the ball over twice — one fumble and one interception. No. 24 AUBURN 31, SOUTH ALABAMA 15: In Auburn, Alabama, Jackson Arnold accounted for three touchdowns, including two rushing, and Auburn beat South Alabama.

The Tigers (3-0) enjoyed a balanced attack in their “White Out” game — all-white uniforms at home for the ﬁrst time in 15 years and finished with 195 yards rushing and 142 passing. Jeremiah Cobb continued to ﬁnd success in Damari Alston’s absence, rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown. Cobb has a career-high four rushing touchdowns through three games.

Cam Coleman reeled in the ﬁrst touchdown of his 2025 season, opening up the scoring for Auburn. Eric Singleton Jr had a team-leading six receptions for 65 yards.

South Alabama’s Bishop Davenport threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns but also had an interception. The Jaguars (1-2) had success moving the football and ﬁnished with 310 yards, but

Chicago Sky GM says Reese part of future WNBA star Angel Reese will be on the Chicago Sky’s roster “until I hear differently,” general manager Jeff Pagliocca said Friday

The Sky suspended Reese for the ﬁrst half of a game last week for comments deemed “detrimental to the team.” She questioned the franchise’s talent in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.

Reese did not take the court for the Sky after the announcement. The team listed her as dealing with a back injury for its final three games.

“Angel is an ascending young talent in this league who’s had two very, very good seasons here in Chicago,” Pagliocca said. “Obviously we went through what we did. I feel like we closed the chapter on it.”

The Sky (10-34) went 1-13 without Reese.

penalties, stalled drives and defensive miscues prevented the game from being tightly contested.

No. 23 MICHIGAN 63, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 3: In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Bryce Underwood passed for 235 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 114 yards and two more scores, leading Michigan to a victory over Central Michigan.

The Wolverines (2-1) and their freshman star bounced back from a lackluster performance in a loss at Oklahoma. Biff Poggi stepped in for suspended coach Sherrone Moore, who also will miss the school’s Big Ten opener next weekend at Nebraska. Underwood completed 16 of 25 passes, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to Semaj Morgan, in three quarters before watching the rest of the game from the sideline.

The Chippewas (1-2) nearly picked off Underwood’s first pass, then struggled to slow him down through the air or on the ground.

Michigan’s Justice Haynes had 104 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries. Jordan Marshall scored twice while running for 52 yards on 10 attempts.

The Wolverines scored at least two touchdowns in each quarter and had 616 yards of offense.

The Chippewas, who were held to 139 yards on offense, avoided a shutout on Cade Graham’s 22yard field goal late in the first half.

No. 7 TEXAS 27, UTEP 10: In Austin, Texas, Arch Manning had two ﬁrst-half touchdown runs while struggling through another poor passing game in Texas’ victory over UTEP

One of the preseason favorites for the Heisman Trophy Manning ran 2 yards for an early touchdown and had a 5-yard scoring run in the final seconds of the half for a 14-3 lead. But he also had 10 straight incompletions, threw an interception in the end zone and was briefly booed by the home crowd in the first half.

Manning has struggled to live up to his preseason hype after Texas (2-1) debuted at No. 1 before losing its season opener at Ohio State. He was 9 of 22 for 97 yards through three quarters with sidearm throws and overthrown receivers before tossing a short touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo early in the fourth. Texas smothered the Miners (1-2), holding UTEP to 259 total yards. The Longhorns have surrendered just four touchdowns this season.

No. 14 IOWA STATE 24, ARKANSAS STATE 16: In Jonesboro, Arkansas, Rocco Becht threw for 265 yards and had passing and rushing touchdowns as Iowa State escaped with a win over Arkansas State.

Abu Sama III ran for a 4-yard touchdown with 8:34 left to give the Cyclones (4-0) some breathing room after the Red Wolves had closed within 17-16. Carson Hansen rushed for 116 yards on 18 carries for Iowa State, and Sama had 69 yards on nine attempts.

Jaylen Raynor threw for 222 yards and rushed for 83 for Arkansas State (1-2), which had consecutive touchdowns nullified by penalties early in the fourth quarter and had to settle for a 40-yard field goal from Clune Van Andel — his third of the game — that got the Red Wolves within one.

Becht, who struggled in the third quarter, completed four passes for 57 yards in a drive capped by Sama’s touchdown run. The Cyclones were coming off an emotional 16-13 win over rival Iowa.

The Red Wolves kept it close in the ﬁrst half. Raynor’s 3-yard touchdown run gave Arkansas State a 10-9 lead with 39 seconds left in the half, the ﬁrst time Iowa State had trailed this season.

No structural damage detected for LHP Skubal

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had an exam that showed no structural damage after he felt some tightness on his left side Friday

“It’s all good news. The scan came back clean,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before Saturday’s game against the Miami Marlins. “So obviously, that’s great for us and great for him.”

The left-hander is expected to have his next post-start throwing day Monday

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner motioned to his dugout when he first felt tightness in the fourth inning of Friday night’s 8-2 loss to Miami. He departed after a brief conversation with Hinch and a trainer

He is 13-5 with a 2.26 ERA in 29 starts for the AL Central leaders.

Hull shoots 5 under for 1-shot LPGA lead

MAINEVILLE, Ohio Charley Hull shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over topranked Jeeno Thitikul after three rounds of the Kroger Queen City Championship. Hull birdied four of her final eight holes to post 16-under 200 at TPC River’s Bend, and she credited her straightforward mental approach.

“I just hit a ball and ﬁnd it and hit it again, you know what I mean? I think that’s the trouble with many golfers, overthinking,” Hull said. “It’s just a game. Hit a white ball at the pin.”

Thitikul, seeking to become the ﬁrst multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this season, shot 68. The Thai star won in May at Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey

Noren, Saddler knotted up at BMW PGA event

VIRGINIA WATER, England The European stars in line to compete in the upcoming Ryder Cup are being upstaged at the high-proﬁle BMW PGA Championship by a player who will be one of the team’s vice captains.

Alex Noren, a Swede who will be among Luke Donald’s ﬁve assistants at Bethpage Black, rolled in a 17-foot putt at No. 18 to complete a birdie-birdie-eagle finish and join Adrien Saddier in a tie for the third-round lead.

Saddier, a Frenchman ranked No. 120, birdied three of his last four holes for a 7-under 65 and Noren, the 2017 champion, shot 66. At 15-under 201, they were two strokes clear of Tyrrell Hatton, who shot 64 and was the best-placed of the 11 Ryder Cup players.

Brewers become first team to clinch playoffs

MILWAUKEE The Milwaukee Brewers have become the ﬁrst major league team to clinch a playoff spot this season. According to MLB, the New York Mets’ 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers on Saturday sealed at least a National League wild-card spot for the Brewers as they got ready to play Saturday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. The NL Central-leading Brewers own the best record in the majors. This marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons that the Brewers have qualified for the playoffs, though they haven’t won a postseason series since sweeping the Colorado Rockies in the National League division series in 2018. They had made a total of two postseason appearances from 1983-2017 before that.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton looks to throw a pass against Tennessee on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn.

Saints take ﬂyer, trade for injured WR Polk

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

The New Orleans Saints have made another trade for another wide receiver

The catch? This deal involves a player who will miss the entire 2025 season. The Saints have traded a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for wideout Ja’Lynn Polk and a 2028 seventh-round selection, a source with knowledge of the situation

conﬁrmed Polk is on injured reserve after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the preseason, but the Saints still made the trade to acquire a receiver who was picked in the second round in 2024. Polk, a 6-foot-1 wide receiver out of Washington, was selected just four picks before the Saints traded up to take cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry in 2024.

The deal marks the Saints’ third trade in the last month. The team also acquired wide receiver

Devaughn Vele from the Denver Broncos and tackle Asim Richards from the Dallas Cowboys in separate transactions. Polk gets a fresh start after a disappointing rookie season that saw the 23-year-old catch only 12 passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. He played 45% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps. New England changed coaching staffs in the offseason. New coach Mike Vrabel was unhappy over the way Polk’s injury was reported last month.

“I’d like to ﬁnd out where some of these (leaks) come from,” Vrabel said. “Some of these rats around here. So, we’ll ﬁgure that out.”

For the Saints, taking a chance on Polk is a long-term play. New Orleans appears content to let the wide receiver rehab and then see whether he can replicate some of the success he had in college. During his ﬁnal season at Washington, Polk had 69 receptions for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games. The Saints have used late-round

SCOREBOARD

(Valdez 12-9) at Atlanta (Wentz 5-6), 12:35 p.m. Kansas City (Cameron 7-7) at Philadelphia (Nola 4-8), 12:35 p.m. Baltimore (Suárez 2-0) at Toronto (Bieber 2-1),

New Mexico 35, UCLA 10 Saturday’s games

EAST Bucknell 35, VMI 28 CCSU 31, St. Francis (Pa.) 7 Delaware 44, Uconn 41, OT Delaware St. 36, Bowie St. 14 Howard 38, Morehouse 10 Lafayette 42, Georgetown 37 Lehigh 35, Duquesne 21 Marist 21, Wagner 10 Maryland 44, Towson 17 Oklahoma 42, Temple

pick swaps to take ﬂyers on players. Last year, the team sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Washington Commanders in exchange for defensive tackle John Ridgeway and a 2025 seventh-round pick. In August, the team sent a 2028 sixth-rounder to Dallas in exchange for Richards and a 2028 seventh-round pick. New Orleans also has spent the last few weeks addressing the wide receiver room. In addition to acquiring Vele, the team claimed Trey Palmer off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

a 65-yard pass to tight end Bauer Sharp, LSU was in the red zone early in the fourth quarter But after sophomore running back Ju’Juan Johnson fumbled, it was third and 27. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw an interception across his body, wasting a chance to attempt a ﬁeld goal.

Florida turned around and drove to LSU’s 39-yard line. But on third and 9, Lagway threw deep down the middle. He overthrew his target, and safety Tamarcus Cooley ran underneath the pass. After a three-and-out, freshman cornerback DJ Pickett recorded his ﬁrst career interception. It was the ﬁrst time that LSU recorded five interceptions in one game since playing Ole Miss in 2020.

LSU did get lucky at one point. A coverage bust that would have given Jaden Baugh a long touchdown

got called back by holding in the first quarter But LSU has not allowed more than 10 points in a game through three weeks. It held Florida to an average of 4 yards per carry when adjusted for sacks. It also recorded three sacks and five tackles for loss. LSU was not much better offensively than Florida. It ran for only 96 yards, and 51 of them came when sophomore running back Caden Durham finally broke free on the final drive. But LSU was able to protect the football more than Florida

The offensive issues appeared early LSU opened the game with three straight three-and-outs and averaged 1.8 yards per play through three drives. The Tigers couldn’t capitalize on Spears’ first interception, and even after starting their fourth possession on Florida’s 44-yard line, they settled for a 47-yard ﬁeld goal. As the LSU offense struggled in the beginning, so did Nussmeier He started 1 of 6, but then Nussmeier

(Latz

N.Y. Mets (McLean 4-1) 12:40 p.m. Arizona (Crismatt 2-0) at Minnesota (Ober 5-7), 1:10 p.m. St. Louis (Mikolas 7-10) at Milwaukee (Quintana 11-6), 1:10 p.m Tampa Bay (Houser 8-4) at Chicago Cubs (Imanaga 9-7), 1:20 p.m. Cincinnati (Lodolo 8-7) at Athletics (Morales 3-1), 3:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Glasnow 2-3) at San Francisco (Ray 11-6), 3:05 p.m. Colorado (Márquez 3-13) at San Diego (Darvish 3-5), 3:10 p.m. College football Major scores Friday’s games

EAST Syracuse 66, Colgate 24 MIDWEST Indiana 73, Indiana St. 0 SOUTHWEST Houston 36, Colorado 20 FAR WEST Arizona 23, Kansas St. 17

began to ﬁnd success as he attacked the middle of the ﬁeld. After the rough start, Nussmeier went 10 of 13 for 116 yards and a touchdown to Zavion Thomas over the rest of the first half.

Nussmeier completed only 56% of his passes (15 of 27) for 220 yards with one touchdown and one interception. LSU did not score in the second half, punting three times around Nussmeier’s interception. At some point, the LSU offense will need to step up more than it has through three games. The Tigers still have not scored 30 points They have one more tuneup against Southeastern Louisiana before going through the rest of the SEC schedule, so improvement will need to happen soon. But for another week, it didn’t matter. Once again, the defense was more than enough.

Incarnate Word 20 FAR WEST Idaho 20, Utah Tech 6 Middle Tennessee 14, Nevada 13 Montana 24, North Dakota 23 Montana St. 41, San Diego 7 Golf

BMW PGA Championship Par Scores Saturday At Wentworth Club Virginia Water, United Kingdom Purse: $9 million Yardage: 7,267; Par: 72 Third Round Alex Noren, Sweden 67-68-66—201 -15

Adrien Saddier, France 69-67-65—201 15

Tyrrell Hatton, England 69-70-64—203 -13

Viktor Hovland, Norway 67-66-71—204 -12

D. Fichardt, South Africa 67-70-68—205 11

Ludvig Aberg, Sweden 64-69-73—206 -10

Ewen Ferguson, Scotland 67-68-71—206 10

Matt Fitzpatrick, England 66-71-69—206 10

Harry Hall, England 68-71-67—206 -10

Aaron Rai, England 68-67-71—206 10

P. Reed, United States 69-68-69—206 10

Francesco Laporta, Italy 68-71-68—207 -9

Oliver Lindell, Finland 67-71-69—207 9

Guido Migliozzi, Italy 71-70-66—207 -9

Joaquin Niemann, Chile 72-70-65—207 9

A. Otaegui, United AE 67-71-69—207 9

Richie Ramsay, Scotland 66-69-72—207 -9

Kristoffer Reitan, Norway 72-68-67—207 9

Tom Vaillant, France 64-75-68—207 9

Laurie Canter, England 73-67-68—208 -8

Martin Couvra, France 68-71-69—208 8

J. Kruyswijk, South Africa 68-71-69—208 -8

Min Woo Lee, Australia 68-73-67—208 8

Hideki Matsuyama, Japan 68-64-76—208 8

T. McKibbin, Nrthrn Irelnd 69-70-69—208 -8

Marco Penge, England 68-69-71—208 8

E. Smylie, Australia 71-68-69—208 8

D. Van Driel, Netherlands 69-70-69—208 -8

E. Van Rooyen, S. Africa 72-70-66—208 8

Matt Wallace, England 69-73-66—208 -8

S. Crocker, United States 69-70-70—209 -7

Yuto Katsuragawa, Japan 67-73-69—209 7

Si Woo Kim, South Korea 71-70-68—209 -7

J. Lagergren, Sweden 66-71-72—209 7

Ke’von Johnson, Northwest

The senior running back was outstanding againstthe Rayne Wolves, rushing for 213 yardsand fourtouchdowns on 14 carries, while also catching twopassesfor 36 yards.

PREP REWIND

FIVE STARSOFTHE NIGHT

Andrew Viator,Teurlings

Viator dominated the Sam Houston Broncos’defense, hauling in six passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Rebels to a 46-14 victory

Cole Bergeron, St.ThomasMore

The Virginia Tech commitment completed 24 of 49 passes for 349 yards and twotouchdowns in the Cougars’ loss to Catholic High of Baton Rouge.

GAME OF THEWEEK

Parker Abshire, LafayetteHigh

The senior DB was agame-changer in the win overSt. Martinville.He hauled in the first twointerceptions of hiscareer.The first came in the final seconds of the first half,and the second securedthe win

Alex Munoz, Teurlings

Munoz completed 16 of 20 passes for317 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for54yards and anotherscore on nine carries to lead the Rebelstoa46-14 win over SamHouston.

LCAtopsCarencrotostayunbeaten

BRANDON COMEAUX

Contributing writer

In abattleofundefeated parish rivals, the Lafayette Christian Knights deliveredthe ﬁnal blow to edge the Carencro Golden Bears 41-38 in awild game on Friday night.

“Wehave alot of stuff to correct,” LCA coach Matt Standiford said. “Hats off to Carencro. They have areally good squad. I’m so extremelyproud of our guys and happy that they are reaping the beneﬁts of all of their hard work.”

The battle for the University Avenue trophy stays in LCA’s possession after the Knights were able to overcome their mistakes. Atouchdown pass from Braylon Walker to Kaden Ledet with less than30 seconds remaining clinched the victory TheCarencrooffense startedthe

game by marching down the ﬁeld for 6 1/2 minutes until the Knights tightened up inside the red zone andforced a29-yard ﬁeld goal by Matthew Latham.

TheKnightsquickly responded with a66-yardtouchdown run by Walker,their senior quarterback, giving LCA a6-3 lead afterthe twopoint conversion failed.

Carencro puntedonthe next possession, and Brayden Allenbroke loosefor a71-yard punt return for a13-3 Knights lead

Carencro struck backwhen sophomore quarterback Carson Gurzi ran it in from 11 yards out after LCA’s defense bailedthe Bears out of afourth-and-4 substitution penalty

The Bears took the lead with three secondsleft before halftime when Gurzi found the end zone to putthe Bears ahead 18-13 followingthe two-point conversion run

by juniorrunning back Cardaye Batiste.

The back-and-forth scoring continued when LCA opened the third quarter witha two-play drivethat featured sophomore running back Caiden Bellard’s 56-yard highlight reel run after Walkerwentdown with abrief injury

The Bears responded with a touchdown run of their own as Batiste scored from5yardsout to put Carencro back on top24-19 as the extra point attempt failed. Allen scored another sensational touchdown for the Knights, this time on a20-yard reception that featured him dragging defenders into theend zone. Down 26-24, Gurzi found senior wide receiver Chantz Babineaux over the middleand he raced 47 yards down to the1onthirdand-10. Thatset up a1-yard dive by Batiste that put theBears on

top 31-26.

Allenrespondedwith histhird touchdownofthe game as Walker connected withhim on the first play from scrimmagefor a66yard touchdownpass, giving the Knights a34-31 lead with 1:37 left in the third quarter

On theensuing drive, it appeared the Knightshad the Bearsstopped, butaspecial teamsmiscue following the Bears punt allowed Carencro to get the ball back after the ball touched an LCA player who was not able to recover it.

Carencro made LCApay when Babineaux took it 53 yards to the endzoneonanother third-and-10 pass play.Thatscore put theBears on top 38-34 with nearly ﬁve minutes togointhe game.

LCA responded with the knockout punch when Walker and Bellard ran the football at will against the Carencro defense and ate up

Southsidescoresroadwin over Westgate

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

It’sonly the second weekofthe football season, but Friday’s game between Southside and Westgate in New Iberia had aplayoff atmosphere

Twotalented teams whose campuses are separated by little more than afew miles collided in ahardhitting battle of highly touted Division Inonselect programs with Southside winning 34-20

“These guys were ready,” Sharks coach Jess Curtis said. “Wedidn’t play Southside football lastweek on both sides of the ball. Credit Notre Dame for that. The kids came out tonight and wanted to play aphysical brand of football against areally good team.” The Sharks (1-1) scored on the first play on a49-yard fullback dive from Justin Williams, who added two fourth-quarter touchdowns and ﬁnished with 156 yards on 28 carries (after rushing six times for 16 yards last week)

“Justin got back to doing what he does,” Curtissaid of the 5-foot9, 195-pound junior.“He’sgoing to move the chains for us.There’s notamore powerful runner in the state.”

Early in the second quarter, Parker Dies threw a75-yardtouchdown to McCain Weaver.The junior quarterback also rushedfor a63-yard score fora 21-6 lead in the third quarter beforeexiting due to awrist injury.Jayden Moncrieffe, whoﬁnished the gameasa precaution, threw a32-yard pass to Weaver and orchestrated two scoringdrives.

“Parker banged his wrist,” Curtis said. “We’re lucky to have two quarterbacks. Jayden has been chompingatthe bit. He dida really goodjob of cominginand running the offense.

“Wecan throw the football. We showed that tonight. Both the QBs are very good at running theoption

It’sa true triple option. We can hurt youwith whateveryou give us.”

After theSharks dropped asure

TD pass, Westgatemarched down theﬁeld to cut it to 14-6 on a2-yard run by Trandin Benjamin. In the second half,afumble in the red zone by theSharks gave Westgate the ball at itsown 2. On the next play, sophomores Noah Antoine andCayden Lancelin connected on a98-yardpass, andthe Tigers weredown only 21-12 in the third quarter withaload of momentum.

“This is aquarterﬁnal or deeper team,” Curtis saidofWestgate, which hasmany of thestate’stopranked sophomore players. “They have speed everywhere.Defensively,I was really impressed (by our effort). They have speed everywhere and can go off at any time.”

Although Southside got an interception from Emanuel Collins, the secondary hadtrouble guarding the WHS receivers.Jackilon Roberson caught four passesfor 114 yards. Lancelin hadtwo catches for 132 yards. Joshua John(49 receiving yards) returned apunt 37 yards to give theTigers great ﬁeld

positionatthe SHS 33, down by nine points. There were also several pass interference calls against the Sharks.

“Ourreceivers made some plays, but we had aturnover in the red zone anda couple of fumbled snaps,”Westgate coach Ryan Antoinesaid.“That’sour youth showingupinsomeareas.I’m notmad about it. Youknow you’re going to go through someofitwhen you’ve been coaching this long.”

In the second half, the Sharks begantotest theperimeter of the WHSdefense with handoffs to slotback Kollen Francois, whorushed for 77 yards on seven carries with back-to-back gains of 33 and 20 yards on ascoring drive thatput theSharks ahead 28-12.

the clock while getting closer and closer to the ﬁnal score.

“Meand him(Walker)havethis connection,” Bellard said. “We’re going to takeovertodowhatwe have to do forthis team.”

“It’samazing to block for those guys,” senior offensive lineman Torrey Landry said of Walker and Bellard. “Wemake them right, and they makeusright. If we missa block, he (Bellard) will run hard to get someextra yards. We’ve got each other’sback.”

It was aholding call inside the 5-yard line,though, that nearly stopped the Knights’ comeback attempt short as LCA faced afourthand-goal fromthe 16-yard line in the ﬁnal seconds.

“Ittook allofus,” said Allen, who playedwide receiverand defensive back for the entire game after another DB went down with an injury

PHOTOByBRAD KEMP SouthsideQBParker Dies and the Sharks offense flourished in aroad winoverWestgate on Friday

“Kollen Francois is speed,” Curtis said. “If youwant to pack the box to stop Justin, Kollen will hurt you out wide.” Brock Mitchell ran for an 11yard touchdown from the quarterback position in the fourth quarter for Westgate (1-1), which rushed for 60 yards on 29 carries as a team. Antoine passed for318 yards on 10 completions.

“I love thisatmosphere,” Ryan Antoine said. “It’searly in the year Youwant to play these games early in the year.Wegot atough LCA club next week. Ilove it.”

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Lafayette Christian quarterback Brayden Allen evades atackle by Carencro defensiveback Rontrell Woodsduring theKnights’ 41-38 win on FridayinCarencro.

Lafayette High defensive back Parker Abshire runs with the ball after making an interception against St. Martinville during their game at Lafayette High School on Friday. The Lions won 23-19.

KEMP

PREP REWIND

Lafayette defense shines in win over St. Martinville

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

It was the happiest of homecomings for the Lafayette High Mighty Lions, who were not only celebrating homecoming week but were returning to play on their home ﬁeld for the ﬁrst time in four years.

The Lions didn’t disappoint the raucous crowd, defeating the St Martinville Tigers 23-19 to improve to 2-0 on Friday

“This is a huge win for us,” Lions defensive back Parker Abshire said. “It’s homecoming, our ﬁrst game back on our ﬁeld and we’re playing against our former coach (Garrett Kreamer). Everybody did their job, and we were able to pull out the win.”

The victory required a total team effort, and the Lions defense led the way Despite the Tigers dominating time of possession, the Lions, led by Abshire and defensive linemen Claude Alexander and Javien Williams, kept the game close until the offense could ﬁnd its footing.

Abshire, who hadn’t played since tearing his ACL as a sophomore two years ago, recorded the ﬁrst two interceptions of his career while Alexander and Williams were disruptive forces early and often en route to recording two sacks each. Williams, who also had a handful of tackles, stopped the Tigers’ Khyrie Francisco in the end zone for a safety

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Lions coach Stephen Hearen said “St. Martinville is a good football team with a good offense. They did a great job of putting together some very long drives. But our defense showed a lot of grit and forced some turnovers.”

As for the performance of Alexander, Williams and Abshire, Hearen wasn’t surprised.

“Claude and Javien are both high-motor guys,” Hearen said.

“Parker’s interceptions were huge. He dropped a couple of them last week, and him hanging onto them this week made all of the difference.”

Abshire admits he was chomping at the bit to get back on the

ﬁeld after last week’s missed opportunities.

“It feels amazing to get those two interceptions,” Abshire said. “Unlike last week, I just saw it through my hands.”

Running back Xzaban Williams and receiver Jamieon Brown led the Lions offense. Williams rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, and Brown had a 31-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter Brown also broke loose for a 41-yard run on the Lions’ game-winning drive in the fourth quarter

The Tigers were led by Francisco, who completed 15 of 26 passes for 184 yards and two interceptions while rushing for 58 yards and three TDs on 23 carries. Kervin Fontenette had six receptions for 82 yards.

“I wanted to get an interception and get the win,” Abshire said. “Everything happened, just like I wanted it to. Now, we can go celebrate homecoming.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

SUMMARIES

Comeaux’s losing streak ends with thrilling victory

Spartans had lost 33 straight games before win over Patterson

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

The winning drought is over for the Comeaux Spartans. On Friday, the Spartans snapped their 33-game losing streak by defeating the Patterson Lumberjacks 34-30.

“Oh man, this feels so good,” Spartans coach Marquis Newsome said after the game. “God is good. God is great. God is amazing. These kids deserve this. I’m so happy for them, our coaches, our school and our community.”

Trailing 30-27 with 12 seconds remaining, the Spartans hoping for a miracle — ran some trickery with quarterback Sean Brinkhaus lined out wide. Once the ball was snapped, Brinkhaus came back behind the line of scrimmage to receive the pitch from Jaden Celestine and then hit a wide-open Iulian Pop in the middle of the ﬁeld for a 60-yard touchdown and the win.

“It was a reverse pass, and Pop was wide-open,” Newsome said. “It was the same play that we ran in the first half, and it was dropped. This time, Pop caught and scored.”

Spartans fans stormed the ﬁeld after the ﬁnal seconds ticked off the clock, breaking out into a celebration that included tears of joy

“I mean, everybody was in tears,” Newsome said. “The players, coaches and the parents were all in tears. We’re just so happy These kids are so deserving of this. They played a heck of a game.”

The win marks the ﬁrst for the Spartans since Oct. 22, 2021, when they defeated New Iberia 30-28. Newsome said what makes the

Zeno kick)

LRCA — Da’Marion Green 10 run (Zeno kick)

LRCA — Green 5 run (Zeno kick)

LRCA — Brenden Miles 3 pass from Brown (Zeno kick)

LRCA — Ashton Joseph 20 pass from Brown (Zeno

NotreDame First Downs 7 16

Rushing 35 164

Passing 152 133 Passes (C-A-HI) 5-20-3 9-13-0 Punts-avg Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0 Penalties-yards 0-0 1-5

win even more special is that the Spartans accomplished the feat with players who “want to be at Comeaux.”

“Our kids have been through so much,” Newsome said. “You’re talking about kids who have to worry about their school being shut down and seeing their friends having to transfer because of a rule. But these kids have shown they are capable of overcoming serious adversity They have stayed here and helped us build something special, and I’m so proud of each and every one of them.”

After telling his players how proud of them he was and reminding them that they showed grit and never gave up when things started going against them, Newsome ended his speech with something he has been waiting to shout for more than three years.

“How about them Spartans?” Newsome yelled as everyone afﬁliated with Comeaux cheered.

10-21-3 2-7-0

Punts-avg 6-32 1-30

Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-1

Penalties-yards 3-25 5-30

SCORINGSUMMARY Berwick 0 0 0 0 —0 Kaplan 14 14 14 7 49

6-40

SMSH 0 13 0 6 —19 LHS 0 7 7 9 —23 SMSH — Khyrie Francisco 1 run (Logan Bienvenu kick) LHS — Jamieon Brown 31 pass from Richmond Saunier (Adrian Mattellan-Gamboa

SCORINGSUMMARY VillePlatte 0 0 0 7 —7 NotreDame 14 21 7 0 42 ND — Drew Lejeune 1 run (Ty Savant kick) ND — Dallas Beslin INT return (Savant kick) ND — Brice Duhon 24 pass from Lejeune

STATE SCORES

STAFF FILE PHOTO

By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Comeaux running back Jaden Celestine and the Spartans defeated Patterson 34-30 on Friday.

SAINTS GAMEDAY

FOUR THINGS TO WATCH

SLOW DOWN MCCAFFREY

ROSTERS INJURY REPORT

OT Trent Williams (knee/rest)

FIX THE FLAGS

Nothing else written here will matter if the Saints don’t clean up the penalties they committed in the season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Saints were penalized 13 times, tied with the Tennessee Titans for most in the league Even worse eight of the flags were pre-snap penalties. That’s also the most in the league The obvious result of that is the Saints often found themselves in unfavorable down and distances It would make things so much easier for secondyear quarterback Spencer Rattler not to be in those situations.

Niners quarterback Brock Purdy will miss the game with shoulder and toe injuries. In addition, the 49ers placed tight end George Kittle on injured reserve because he’s dealing with a groin injury. But they still have versatile running back Christian McCaffrey. The Saints are very familiar with McCaffrey, who was in the same division when he played with the Panthers. McCaffrey had 142 yards (69 rushing, 73 receiving) last week against Seattle. The Saints can’t let him have a big game.

RETURN OF THE MAC With Purdy out, the 49ers will turn to Mac Jones at QB Jones is in his first season with the 49ers after playing last season with the Jaguars and his first three seasons with the Patriots. The Saints dominated Jones in both meetings they faced him when he was with New England. The Saints intercepted him five times in those two games, while Jones has thrown just one touchdown against the Saints They’ve also sacked him four times. He was sacked 12 times in his seven starts last season in Jacksonville and went

To Reid, football like a chess game

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

After Justin Reid arrives at the Caesars Superdome for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, he will go through the normal player checklist.

He will get into his New Orleans Saints gear, take the field and go through his warmup routine. He’ll head back to the locker room and take one final spin through his mental warmup, watching film of his opponent and walking through the game plan in his mind.

Before he walks through the tunnel for team introductions, he will shut all that off, pull out his cellphone and play a game of chess.

“It takes my mind off of the game so that I can relax and not get too hyped up before the game,” Reid said. “And then when it’s time to go outside, I can just lock right back in and play the game.”

The Saints signed Reid to a three-year, $31.5 million contract this offseason. They signed him because he’s a difference-making athlete with a championship pedigree, and because safeties play a crucial role in defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s scheme. They also signed him because he is a problem solver who can sort out offensive complexity as it is unfolding in front of him.

As if the ﬁeld was a well, you probably get the idea.

“What’s fun for me is, based on the setup — you can call it formation, whatever — of the chess board, you can kind of anticipate what your opponent is trying to do, right?” Reid said. “It’s like, ‘OK, they went with this opening,’ whether it’s a Sicilian or it’s a Scotch or whatever this is what their game plan typically is, right? So you can act accordingly

“You’re going to continue to move with your game plan, but you’re also going to do some in-between moves to make sure that you got whatever they’re trying to do, you got that protected and taken care of. Football is the same way.”

Most of the time, Reid plays chess on his phone. He said he plays anywhere

“It

from 10-30 games per day, sometimes up to 10-minute matches But he’ll keep things analog, too: He keeps a chess board in his locker at the Saints’ facility for when any teammates want to play

He’d welcome the challenge. The main reason Reid got into chess in the ﬁrst place, beyond being inspired by the TV show “The Queen’s Gambit,” was because he was whooped in a game by his former Texans teammate Phillip Gaines.

Ever since, Reid has taken lessons from American chess master James Canty, and his own rating is about 1,500, which puts him roughly in the 75th percentile among competitive players. What does chess have to do with football? Knights and rooks don’t weigh 300 pounds and move at you with vicious intent. But there is a correlation. At their cores, chess and football involve analyzing what is happening in real time and predicting future outcomes so you can put yourself in advantageous positions.

In that sense, Staley described Reid as a “multiplier” on the ﬁeld.

“When you get a safety that can do the things that Justin can do, it just enhances everybody’s ability on your defense,” Staley said. “He’s one of those rare impact players as a safety who doesn’t have to just impact the game physically He can impact the game mentally And I think he’s allowed us to play a lot of high-level football because of his experiences.”

That will come in handy after the Saints lost the other half of their starting safety tandem, Julian Blackmon, to what is likely a season-ending shoulder injury Reid now will line up alongside rookie Jonas

Sanker in the defensive backﬁeld.

Reid has been in Sanker’s position before. When he was a rookie with the Texans in 2018, he also was thrust into the starting lineup for a Week 2 game because of an injury in the Houston secondary

He understands he’s going to have to help Sanker adjust to the pro game, because that’s part of the reason the Saints brought him here in the ﬁrst place. His advice for the rookie is simple

“On the ﬁrst play, try and hit somebody as hard as you can to settle yourself in; then after that, just go play ball,” Reid said.

Defensive pass game coordinator Terry Joseph is coaching in the NFL for the first time this season after a long career in the college ranks. Having someone like Reid around has eased his transition to the pro game. Reid, Joseph said, always seems to try and sneak in a Level 5 question during a Level 2 coaching point. That matters on Sundays. Football is a dynamic game. Offensive play-callers are constantly trying to put defenders in conflict, where the wrong decision will open an avenue for a big play In Reid Joseph believes the Saints have someone comfortable making “a battlefield decision with confidence.”

It’s no mystery to Joseph that all the defenses Reid has been a part of have improved after he got there

“The work’s never done, because it’s like, ‘What if?’ ” Joseph said. “He likes to tackle all those different scenarios. He doesn’t want you to give him the answer, but give (him) the parameters (he) can work in if it does happen. As a coach, you love that.” Before the game Sunday, Reid will sit at his locker and quiet his mind with a game of strategy He will see potential outcomes as they’re unfolding and take the necessary steps to cut them off. Then he’ll don his helmet, run through the tunnel and look to do a version of the same thing on the ﬁeld.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, right, and safety Justin Reid celebrate Bresee’s field goal block during the second half at the Caesars Superdome last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

JUSTIN REID Saints safety on playing chess before games

San Francisco 49ers punterThomas Morstead punts during the first half of apreseason game against the Los AngelesChargers on Aug. 23 in Santa Clara, Calif.

‘THERE’S NO PLACELIKEIT’

Punter Morstead relishes anothergoin Superdome

Thomas Morstead still remembers walking offthe ﬁeld that January afternoon in 2021. The Superdome was mostly empty,which was the norm that season because of COVID. The game, aplayoff loss to theTampa Bay Buccaneers, wasDrew Brees’ ﬁnalgameina Saints uniform. And as far as Morstead knew, it may have been his last game in aSaints uniform, too.

“I didn’tknowwhat wasgoing to happen with me,” Morstead said. “I had adown year that year.”

Twomonthslater,the Saints released Morstead.It wasadecision that surprised many Saints fans in the same way Morstead’s onside kick in Super Bowl XLIV surprised the Indianapolis Colts. Morstead had become afan favorite in his 12 years in New Orleans, reaching alevel of adorationthat punters rarely attain.

Morstead, now in his 17th NFL season, currently plays with the San Francisco 49ers.

“One of the things Iwrotedown when Igot cutbythe Saints that Iwantedtoaccomplish wastoplay in the Superdome again at some point,” Morstead said. “I didn’tthink it would takemeﬁve years to do that, but here we are.”

Morstead and the 49ers (1-0) play the Saints (0-1) at noon Sunday.This will be Morstead’sﬁrst time setting foot in the Dome since that loss at the end of the 2020 season, thelast playoff game the Saints have played.

There were only 3,500 fans allowed in the Dome for that game. The decibel level was nothing compared to the roar of 70,000-plus that Morstead had grown accustomed to.

“It was just aweird sorta send-off,” he said. “Not that Ideserved asend-off. But it was just astrange thing.SoI’m looking forward to getting back in there.” Morstead is on his fourth different team since the Saints releasedhim. In addition to twostints with the New York Jets, he’s also played with the Atlanta Falcons and MiamiDolphins. There’sasayingoften heard around here that if you love New Orleans, it’ll love you back. Morstead’sseven games playing with the rival Falcons lethim know just how realthat saying is.

“When Isigned with the Falcons andpeople in New Orleans were still supportingme, Isaid ‘This is crazy,’ ”Morsteadsaid The only time Morstead played agame against theSaints was whenhewas with the Falcons late in the 2021 season in Atlanta

“It was super emotional,”Morstead said. “Everything was fresh at that point. Iknew 80% of the guys playing forthe Saints. This game Sunday will be emotional in adifferent way.Yeah, Istill know ahandfulofguys on the team,but it’smore about beinginthe city than the Saints.” New Orleans is still home to Morstead. All ﬁve of his kids were born here. He and his familystill live here when it’snot footballseason. He’ll have about 40 friends andfamily members at thegame Sunday

“It’ll be my ﬁrst time purchasing asuite,” Morstead said. He looks forward to seeingall of the security guards and usherswho usedtogreet him andwishhim good luckevery Sunday. Andof course, the fans.

“There are going to be lotsof10- and20-second hellos andbig hugs,”Morstead said. This won’tbeMorstead’s last trip tothe

STAFF FILEPHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Saints punter Thomas Morstead, left, and kicker WilLutz celebrate a53-yard field goal duringa game againstthe Seattle Seahawkson Oct. 30,2016, at the Superdome.

Dome. The guy who delivered one of the most memorable special teams plays in franchise history —the onsidekick dubbed “Ambush” will no doubt be inducted into the SaintsHall of Fame when he retires.

Well, if he ever retires. Morstead turns 40 in March. To help put that in perspective, Saints rookie punter Kai Kroeger was 7years old whenMorstead was drafted in 2009.

“He’sactually the ﬁrst punter Istarted watching when Igot into punting,”the 23-yearold Kroeger said. “Hewas my punting idol.

This is going to be asurreal moment, for sure, becausehe’sthe guy Ilooked up to. Half of my life I’ve been watching him and looking up to him. In thepunting world, we say he has the dream career.”

Twoyears ago, Morstead was apart of Kroeger’sbirthday gift. Kroeger’smom ﬂew himtoNew Orleanstoworkout with Morstead. They spent afew days punting footballs together on afootball ﬁeld near St. Catharine of Siena Catholic Church.

“He’sa talented kid, and I’mexcited for him,” Morstead said. “I thinkhehas achance to be really good.”

The Saints would welcome that. The punter position has been arevolving door since Morstead left. Kroeger is the fourth punter in ﬁve years. Morstead, meanwhile, just keeps on going.

He’sthe seventh-oldest player in theleague. His 256 games played rank thirdamong active players, behind only Arizona Cardinals defensiveend Calais Campbell (262) and Carolina Pantherslong snapper J.J. Jansen (261)

ForMorstead, game No. 257 is one he won’t forget. He’ll be back in thecity that is so near anddear to him.

“The simplest way to put it is, it’shome,” Morstead. “Wehavefriends that have turned into family there. There’snoplace like it. It’s aunique place. We’ve just hadsuch awonderful experiencethere.The place is just oneofa kind andhas turnedintoour home Ican’timagine seeing ourselvesanywhere else.”

Email RodWalker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PREDICTIONS

JEFF DUNCAN

SAINTS 18,49ERS 17: Alot of times in theNFL,it’snot whoyou play but when youplaythem. This game is aprime example. TheSaintsare catching the49ers at agreat time Thedefense andspecial teamseach will make abig play to deliverKellen Mooreand SpencerRattler their first NFLwins.

LUKE JOHNSON

SAINTS 21,49ERS 20: Idon’t feel greatabout this pick,but with the news that quarterbackMac Jonesis taking thespotofthe injuredBrock Purdyfor the49ers,Ithink afeisty Saints defensemakes life tough enough forhim forthe Saints to snag Kellen Moore’s firstwin as head coach.

MATTHEWPARAS

SAINTS 21,49ERS 17: Brocky

Purdy’sabsence is enough to swing this.Ifthe 49ersquarterback was playing, I’dpickthem. MaybeKyle Shanahan is enough of awizard to revive MacJones’career. ButI remember thedayswhenhehad C.J. Beathard andNickMullens at quarterback. Give me theSaints.

RODWALKER

SAINTS 20,49ERS 16: Theseteams have alternated wins over their last sevenmeetings. If that trend continues, it meansit’sthe Saints’ turn to win. Butthe Saints’13 penaltieslastweekconcern me.If they canclean up thepenalties,they have

Rod Walker

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GODOFREDO A. VÁSQUEZ

TIGERS 52,CAJUNS10

THREEAND OUT: KEVINFOOTE’S

PASSING WOES

1

Getting dominated 52-10onthe road by agood SEC team doesn’t mean awhole lot in this era, but the lack of apassing game is concerning.UL’spassing game was scaryinWeek 1(88 yards), gotscarier in Week 2(86 yards) and wasnonexistent in this game (4 yards).Sun Belt playbegins in twoweeks and the bridgeto an effectivepassing game seems waytoo far to reach in that shortaperiod of time

NOTSTOPPINGRUN

2

This one largely can be attributed to the Missouri offensiveline and its star running backAhmad Hardy, but the effortwas perhaps notsopoor for UL.Hardyhad 172 yards for ULMonroe lastseason against UL, and he gotto250 yards and three TDs by five minutes into the third quarter Saturday. UL probably won’t faceaback thatgood the restofthe season. But if the defense can’t stop the run, things could really getugly

3

CONFIDENCE LEVEL

Fewexpected the Cajuns to competewith Missouri, but the loss wasanother sign of overall inconsistency.The running game has stood out early this season. Even in this one, Zylan Perry brokeoff an 84-yard TD run. But howlong can that rushing attack prosper against Sun Belt defenses like JamesMadison and Troy without apassing game?Coach Michael Desormeaux and his staff have adaunting task ahead.

UL rUL running back Zylan Perrybreaks loose foran84-yard touchdown runduring the Cajuns’ road loss at No.25Missouri on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo

CAJUNS

Continued from page1C

job. He pressesit, and then he gets his foot in the ground andgets vertical.

“And he’snot just arun-through-atackle guy.You know,he’sgot tomake you miss, and he’s got the ability to run through arm tackles.”

The game couldn’thave been any uglier and was UL’s worstdefeat since a56-14 loss to Alabama in 2018.

In eightfirst-halfpossessions,Missouri scored fivetouchdowns, kicked afield goal, threw an interception and punted once After a39-yardtouchdownpassto running back Jamal Roberts gave Missouri a28-0 lead with 10:31 left in the first half, the Tigers were outgaining UL 266-4.

“It’sareally good team,” said Desormeaux, whoproclaimed Missouri good to enough to end the year as aplayoffteam. “Weknew truthfully theywere going to have to probably not play very well and we were going to have to start really fast. We were going to have to play really well. They started fast,theycame out ready to play. Ithink that’sa compliment to their coaching staff and to their kids, to get ready togoplay.”

At the half, Missourihad collected 20 ﬁrst downs and had a390-108 edgeintotal yards. Missouri ﬁnished the game with a 606-121 lead in yards. TheCajunswere1 of 11 on third down while the Tigers converted 9of13.

The Tigers rushed for 427 yards in the game. Even after Hardy took aseat, reserverunning backMarquiseDavis ran for 113 yards and atouchdown on 20 carries

“I feel like we are having issues, just things we normally don’tdo,” UL linebacker TerranceWilliams said. “It’s things we can control,tackling, making sure we’re in the right gap— most of the thingswe can control.”

The108 yards forULinthe ﬁrst half were almost exclusively because of a brief oasis of joy when runningback Zylan Perry broke loose on an 84-yard touchdown run to cut Missouri’slead to 34-10 with3:27 left in the second quarter.

“I heard my teammate say, ‘Uh, speed up,’ “Perry said, “SoIwas like,uh, Iknow somebody is coming.”

It was the ninth-longest run in school history

“I thought it was going to give us a spark, but it really didn’t,” Perry said.

Another bright spot in the ﬁrst half was linebacker Cameron Whitﬁeld picking off Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula atthe Missouri 22. The pick ended astreak of 76 passes withoutaninterceptiontostart the seasonfor Pribula.

The Cajuns turned that into a34-yard ﬁeldgoal by Tony Sterner

Missouri running back Marquise Davis, right, runs past UL’s Jaden Dugger during the second half of their game Saturday. Missouri won52-10.

An 11-yard sack by Trae Tomlinson helped force Missouri’sonly punt in the first half. The sack also seemed to disrupt Pribula’srhythm.Hecompleted only five of his next 12 passes to finish out the first half.

Thebiggest long-term issue for the Cajunsisthe passing game, which continuedtostruggle.

UL quarterback Daniel Beale was only 1-of-8 passing for 5yards, andthatcompletion was on theﬁrst snap from scrimmage to tight end Caden Jensen.

LunchWinﬁeld saw some action as well. He completed 1of6passes for minus-1 yard. Winfield hadtwo carries for 13 yards in theﬁrst half. It was UL’s worst game passing since 2016 against UL-Monroewhenthe Cajuns completed only 2of5 passesfor 0yards in a30-3 win over the Warhawks.

UL hadfourthree-and-outs in thefirst half andone four-and-out after a16-yard run by Steven Blanco accounted forone of the Cajuns’ three first-half first downs. The Cajuns finished with just four first downs. “This gameisover now,” Perry said. “Now we’re focusingonthe next game (at Eastern Michigan).”

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

No.25Missouri 52, UL 10 UL 0100 0— 10 Missouri 14 24 77 —52

First quarter MIZZ —Hardy 7run (Meyerkick), 8:26. MIZZ —Ma.Johnson 11 pass from Pribula (Meyer kick), 2:38. Second quarter MIZZ —Pribula 14 run(Meyer kick),14:18. MIZZ —Roberts 39 pass from Pribula (Meyerkick), 10:31. ULL —FGSterner 34,6:22

MIZZ —Hardy 71 run(Meyer kick),5:41. ULL —Perry 84 run (Sterner kick), 3:27. MIZZ —FGMeyer 22,:00

Thirdquarter MIZZ —Hardy 7run (Meyer kick),10:02. Fourth quarter MIZZ —M.Davis2run (Meyerkick), 7:02. A—57,321. UL MIZZ First downs 432 Total Net Yards121 606 Rushes-yards22-117 62-427 Passing 4179 Punt Returns 0-03-8 Kickoff Returns 4-48 1-22 Interceptions Ret. 1-10-0 Comp-Att-Int 2-14-017-24-1 Sacked-YardsLost2-142-18 Punts 9-44.0 1-45.0 Fumbles-Lost 0-01-0

Penalties-Yards 6-32 3-35 Time of Possession17:09 42:51 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING —UL, Perry 5-86, Blanco7-31, Winfield 2-13, Davis 6-1, Beale 2-(minus 14).Missouri,Hardy 22-250, Davis 20-113, Roberts 8-46, Haygood 4-12, B.Brown 1-5, Pribula 6-5, Zollers 1-(minus 4) PASSING —UL, Beale1-8-0-5, Winfield 1-6-0-(minus 1).Missouri, Pribula15-22-1-174, Zollers 2-2-0-5. RECEIVING —UL, Jensen 1-5,Dennis1-(minus 1) Missouri, Coleman 8-84,M.Johnson2-18, Manning 2-11, Roberts 1-39, Harris 1-20, Terry 1-9, Norfleet 1-2, Blood 1-(minus 4) MISSED FIELD GOALS —Missouri,Meyer 41.

Eleam’s injury trumps blowout

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

COLUMBIA, Mo.— As painful as it was to suffera 52-10 loss to No. 25-ranked Missouri on Saturday, none of theTigers’ touchdowns were as tough to swallow as the injury the Ragin’ Cajuns suffered in the game. Junior defensive back Maurion Eleam sufferedwhatwas called “a lower-body injury” during thesecondquarter.Itwas one of those injuries where the cart is outquickly and the concern reaches ahigh level.

“Anytime you see akid who’s on the ﬁeld like that with an injury,thatnature,it’sreallyhard,” coach MichaelDesormeaux said. Earlier in the game, it appeared Eleam had scored a touchdown.

On what turned outtobeMissouri’ssecond touchdown of the game, wide receiver Marquis Johnson fumbled the ball near the goal line.Eleam scooped it up andran 98 yardsfor an apparent score.

On thereplay, it wasdetermined Johnsonhad brokenthe planeofthe goal line fora 10yard touchdownreception. Eleam came to UL as awalkon from Neville High School and earned ascholarship in the offseason. He beganthe season as the starter at the “Star” position. “He’saformer walk-onwho has earned ascholarship and earned astart and role, so to see an injury like that it’s hard because you know everything that kid has put into it to be here,” Desormeaux said.

Eleam wastaken to theemergency room during the game, but Desormeauxsaidafterthe game Eleam would be able to return homewith the team “That’stough, man,” linebacker Terrence Williams said of the injury.“Aguy that works his butt offand comes to work every day withapositive attitude.Just prayers up forthat guy,man.” Richmond transfer Trae Tomlinson replaced Eleam andrecorded an 11-yard sack of Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula in the second quarter to forcethe Tigers’ only punt of the ﬁrst half Blanco again

It was declared before the season UL’s rushing attack would be atwo-headed monster this season with Bill Davis and Zylan Perry Butredshirt freshman Steven Blanco is starting to suggest otherwise.

“Steven is goingtoget somecarries every game,” Desormeaux said.“Iwouldn’t say it’sgoing to be equal thirds, but if he continues to produce, yeah, it very well could be. I mean, he’splaying really well, he’searned the right to continue to get more.”

There wasn’tmuchtosmile about after UL’s dismal offensive performance. Oneofthe few bright spots wasBlancowith31 yards on seven carries. That’s comingoff 69 yards and atouchdown in awin over McNeese.

“That’show it works, right?” Desormeauxsaid. “You just try to star in your role and you work really hard to earnmore. And he’sdoing agood job of earning more.”

Newstarters

The outcomeofthe game wasn’tmemorable,but oneaspect of Saturday’sloss will be for three ﬁrst-time Cajuns starters. Freshman cornerback Brent Gordon was astartingcornerback as reportedearlierinthe week Also gettingtheir firstcareer starts were juniorlinebacker Drenon Fite and sophomore left guard Matt Broussard Linebacker CameronWhitfield was going to play, butthe coaching staffchose to start Fite because they were hoping to limit Whitﬁeld’ssnaps witha minor injury Also, sophomore tackle

PROVIDED PHOTO By BENJAMINR.MASSEy/UL ATHLETICS

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By L.G. PATTERSON

LIVING

JameyBearb

uses thesame accordionhe inheritedfrom hisfatherat7

Jamey Bearb grew up with strict accordionrules. His dad, Cajun musician Ricky Bearb, demanded the accordion,handmade by pioneer builder Marc Savoy,sit aprecise position in its storage box. Even the shoulder strap had its designated place.

Seven-year-old Jamey could practice only in the room where the instrument was stored. Forty years later,heowns the accordion His father has abig smile.

“The day Igot that accordion was the ﬁrst time we played the (Breaux Bridge) Crawﬁsh Festival in 2022,” saidJamey Bearb, 48, who lives in Judice. “It’s50years old, but thatthing is in amazing shape. I’ve been playing on it ever since. Imade all ourrecordings withthat accordion.

“My dad said, ‘I know you would get that accordion eventually.But Iwant to see you enjoy it,’”hesaid.

The inherited accordion has brought Jamey Bearb another box full of Le Cajuns, annual honorsfrom the Cajun French Music Association. He and the 4Horses Cajun Dancehall Band claimed Best Accordion, Male Vocalist and Band of the Year honors. Their “Live at La Poussiere, Part 2,” recorded at the 70-year-old dance hall in BreauxBridge, won Best Traditional CD.

The awards further elevate the 4Horses all-star lineup, which includessteel guitar ace Richard Comeaux, who toured with the country band River Road. Drummer Kevin Dugas and bass player Brazos Huval are Grammy-nominated alumni of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. All came together as members of the award-winning High Performance band, but lost gigs as venues shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practice sessions in

ä See BEARB, page 4D

JameyBearb is amemberofthe 4Horses Cajun Dancehall Band

BY HANNAH LEVITAN Staff writer

UNEXPECTED ADVENTURES

Louisiana bouzouki player appearsinthe upcoming ‘Spinal TapII’ sequel

BY JOANNABROWN Staff writer

You might find this Lafayette-born singersongwriter playing a bouzouki on theback of acamelinthe Australian outback, performingatasession in Galway,Ireland, or embracing creativity in life and music in her New Orleanshome. Youcan alsofind Beth Patterson in therecentrelease of “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.” Patterson appearsina pub band sceneinthe mockumentary-stylecomedymusical, which is asequeltothe 1984 film “This is Spinal Tap.” The movie is set 40 yearsafter the original,and features stars ChristopherGuest, Michael McKean andHarry Shearer reprising their roles as members of heavy metal bandSpinal Tap, who aretraveling to NewOrleans fora(they hope) legendary reunion concert ANew Orleansfilm needs Loui-

sianamusicians,and Pattersonis uniquely positionedtoplayarole as an Irish pub band member. Her introduction to Irish music came young, via afriendship withCajunﬁddlerMitch Reed,who also shared aloveoftraditionalIrish folk bands like Planxty, De Dannan and The Bothy Band.

“I just fell in love with thesound,” saidPatterson.She later studied Irish musicand ethnomusicology at UniversityCollege Cork in Ireland, and became an accomplished

player of the bouzouki —a type of long-necked lute that originated in Greece andisverypopular with Irish folk musicians.

According to Patterson, “if you get an email that’slacking in detail and very,very cryptic, make sure to call that number. There’s areason emails like this don’treveal too much.

“I got an email about aﬁlm, something being ﬁlmed in NewOrleans,

ä See PATTERSON, page 4D

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Herman Fuselier

FILEPHOTO By SUSAN POAG Apair of wild green parrots roost in Metairie.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

BethPatterson is aNew Orleans-based singer-songwriter specializing in Irishmusic.The musician, whoisfrom Lafayette, appears in the pub band scene in the recently released film ‘Spinal TapII: The End Continues.’

Charles

Beth Patterson plays abouzoukionthe backofa camel in the outback of Australia.

Lake Isabel Farm ashort driveand open to thepublic

BY JOYHOLDEN Staffwriter

Crystal clearwater is hard to ﬁnd in Louisiana. Though the state is known for its many waterways, blue is not the color used to describe them. There is one out-ofthe-way spot, though, that challenges reality Lake Isabel Farm,at54254

Cavenham Road in Bogalusa, features ablue lake that’s about125 acres, 35 feet deep and amile long, and is now accessible to thepublic.

Located 143 miles from Lafayette, 89 miles from Baton Rouge, 19 miles from Covington and 57 miles from New Orleans, Lake Isabel Farm is aquick road trip with ahuge payoff —serene blue water among the pines. The lake, previouslya sand and gravel pit, was dredged over a15-year period to extract sand and gravelfrom the basin of the Bogue Chitto River to make concrete for local roads and hospitals Lake Isabel’sclear water is fed by natural springs possibly from the same aquifer knownfor historic healing springs in Abita.An outﬂow at the end of the lake keeps the water constantly circulating, and thelake’s sandy bottom acts as aﬁlter.

The water is unclouded and warm, but the temperature decreases as the depth increases —dropping 15 degreesatthe deepest part

Anthony Sedlak, aChicago native, purchased the more than400 acresin2021 and moved on-site in 2022 to begin repurposing the property from agravel pit to a travel destination. Sedlak says he has been paving the way by constructing roads on nights and weekends, building infrastructure with aneighbor to make Lake IsabelFarm

TRAVEL

happen. “This place is allabout having agood time, respecting the environment and tryingtoget peopleback in nature because we have such a beautiful state,” Sedlak said. WhileLake IsabelFarm is still under development, Sedlak hascreativeplans forthe mixed-use property. He is trying new ways to make people more comfortable, likebyinstallingcabanas, grills andpermanent restrooms—and comingin 2026, future vacation rentals andanevents center. Sedlak hasbeendeliberate andcarefulwith opening access to the public because he wants to make sure guests and development are impacting thewildlifeappropriately

He says the wildlife has actually become more active, including birds, ﬁsh and forest animals.

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

Things to know

ThejourneytoLake Isabel Farm includes adrive throughCovington and eventually aturn onto a winding gravel road.

Signs with directionsand greetings dot the road, including onethatreminds drivers that thelandisprivateproperty.Inorder to enter,visitors must have proof of online tickets purchased

in advance.

Whendriving upon the property,the blue water appears on the left and promises recreation andrelaxation.

Afew things to note when preparing for aday at Lake Isabel Farm:

n Packfor aday at the beach,including swimsuits, flotation devices,beach chairs, umbrellas, canopies,food anddrinks. Bring enough water.Glassisnot allowed.

n The lake is open for beach days on Saturdays andSundays.Attimes,other days of the week/holidays are added to thecalendar

n Turquoise beach chairs are available for lounging.

n Propane grills with gas and cookingutensilsare available for cooking.

n Kayaks and life vests areavailable,but visitors can bring their own.

n For restroom access, a

deluxe porta-potty with a sink is available.

n Fishing forbass and catﬁshisavailable.The ﬁshing area is on the opposite side of thelakefromthe beach Fishing poles must stay in the designated area.

n Three solar-powered cabanas for large groups are available, andinclude fans, furniture, shade and alarge ice chest with ice.

n There is no lifeguard on duty,somake sure to be prepared to swim at your own risk. Anyone who cannot swim must use appropriate flotation devices. Parents must supervise children swimming at all times There is adiving platform in the deeper water. Children on the diving platform must always be supervised by an adult whoisout on the platform with them

n There is abeach volleyball court.

Booking.comgoessilentafter promisingarefundfor

Ireserved ahotel on Australia’sGold Coast through Booking.com for afamily reunion, but they canceled my reservation because of overbooking.Booking com promised to refund the difference if Irebooked apricier room, so Ipaid an extra$655. After months of unanswered emails and failed phone calls, I still hadn’treceived the money Booking.com’scustomer service has gone silent, and Ican’treach anyone.What should Idotohold them accountable? —Frances Dooley,Jannali,Australia Booking.com should have honoredits promise to refund the $655price difference immediately.Under Australian Consumer Law,businesses must

n There is a3-mile walking track around the lake.

n No dogs/pets are allowed.

n Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by aresponsible adult. No exceptions. Sedlakasksthatall visitors keep Lake Isabel beautiful by cleaning up all garbage and being respectful of thenatureconservation areas that are being restored.

Reservinga visit

Visiting Lake Isabel Farm means packing and planning ahead of time. Tickets can only be purchasedonline andinadvanceatwww.tixtree.com/o/lakeisabelfarm Daily sales end two hours before close.

Ticketshavebeen selling out three weeks in advance, so check ahead and purchase spots wellahead of time. Be prepared to show tickets for all guests, as anyone on the property is required to have avalid ticket.

The reservation model is alittledifferentbecause guests are cappedat85 people perday to preserve comfort for guests and protect the natural beauty of the beach.

Prices vary according to holidayorseason, butcurrently,children under the ageof3 arefree, adult tickets are $47 per adult and child tickets (between three and 12) are $33. The price is all-inclusive and valid all day from 11 a.m. to 15 minutes after sunset.

To reserveacabana, the ﬁrst three groups each day who purchase at least 15 adulttickets in asingle order have priority.Some days,cabanas are open if there arenot threegroups of 15 people. For moreinformation, visit tixtree.com/o/lakeisabelfarm,@lakeisabelfarm on Instagram or Facebook, or call (985) 368-6662.

Email Joy Holdenatjoy holden@theadvocate.com.

fulﬁll guarantees made to customers. The company’sown policies also say it will cover costs if it cancelsareservation. Butmost importantly,you had Booking.com’spromisein writing.(Nice job in securing thispromise, by the way.)

Christopher Elliott

Youdid everything correctly: Youkept detailed records and followed up repeatedly.Always save correspondence like emails and screenshots—they’re critical evidence. If acompany ignores you, escalate yourcase to executives. I publish key contacts for Booking. com on my consumer advocacy site,Elliott.org. It’snot clear whyBooking.com

ghosted you, but this kind of thing is becoming morecommon. A company will make apromiseand then go silent, pretending it never had theconversation. Andthat leaves you in adifﬁcult position. Youcan drop thematter or you can take it to court.

Butdid Booking.com really promise you arefund? Ireviewed thepaper trail and it looks like thecompany used afew weaselwords in its “promise.”

“If you have any additional charges at the new place, please send us an invoice after your stay so we can look intoarefund for you,” arepresentative told you. “Wemay need to share this with theaccommodation in order to conﬁrm your claim.”

That’sa half-hearted promise. My recommendation would have been to seek clariﬁcation from Booking.com before proceeding with the new reservation. You want to make sure you’re covered. If not, you can always look for less costly accommodations.

In some consumer disputes, you can also ﬁle acredit card chargeback, but not in this case since Booking.com already refunded your ﬁrst hotel. It knowsthat your only option is to take it to court and for $655, Ithink the company also knows you’re unlikely to do that.

Awin for Booking.com? Not necessarily.You applied polite and persistentpressure. Isee that youcalled Booking.com,which

wasminimally effective. Writing is always better because you have apaper trail —proof that you tried to resolve this.

Remember,silence from customer service isn’tthe end. It’s just timetolevel up. Ireached out to Booking.com.Arepresentative conﬁrmed they’d “investigated” your complaint but would not elaborate on what went wrong. Booking.com issued afull refund of the extra $655 you had to pay Now that’swhat Icall awin.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,Sept. 14, the257thday of 2025. There are 108days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Sept. 14, 1901, PresidentWilliam McKinley died in Buffalo, NewYork, of gunshot wounds inﬂicted by an assassin eight days prior; Vice PresidentTheodore Roosevelt succeeded him, becoming the youngest-ever U.S. presidentatage 42.

Also on this date:

In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces under Gen. Winﬁeld Scott took control of Mexico City.

In 1861, the ﬁrst naval engagement since the start of the Civil Wartook place as the USS Colorado attacked andsank the Confederate private schooner Judah off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.

In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice, France, when her scarf became entangled ina wheel of the sports car in which she was riding

In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly ﬁlm star Grace Kelly,died at age 52 of injuries from acar crash the day before In 1991, the government of SouthAfrica, the African National Congressand the Inkatha Freedom Party signed anational peace pact.

In 1994, on the 34th day of astrike by players, Acting Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced the 1994 seasonwas over In 2001, Americans packed churches and public squares on aday of remembrance for the victims of theSept. 11 attacks. President George W. Bushprayed with his Cabinet and attended services at Washington National Cathedral, then ﬂew to New York, wherehewaded into the ruins of the WorldTrade Centerand addressed rescueworkers in ashowof resolve.

In 2012, fury over an anti-Muslim ﬁlm ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad sparkedviolent clashesacross theMuslim world.

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Walter Koenig (“Star Trek”) is 89. Architect RenzoPiano is 88. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 85. ActorSam Neill is 78.Country singer John Berry is 66. Actor Melissa Leo is 65. ActorFaithFord is 61. Film director Bong Joon-Ho is 56. Supreme Court justice KetanjiBrown Jackson is 55. Actor Kimberly WilliamsPaisley is 54. ActorAndrew Lincoln is 52. Rapper Nas is 52. Olympic gold medal middle-distance runner Hicham El Guerrouj is 51. Florida Gov.Ron DeSantis is 47. Chef/TV personality Katie Lee is 44.NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler is 36. Golfer Tony Finau is 36. Actor Emma Kenney is26.

Readerstheater

Tickets areonsale for the thirdplayinCité des Arts’ Readers Theater Series, focusing on plays from the classical theater. The third playwill be areading of “Pericles, Prince of Tyre,” by George Wilkins andWilliam Shakespeare—directedby Joe Riehl at 7p.m. Oct. 16, at Cité desArts, 109 Vine St., Lafayette.

Tickets are$10. Visit citedesarts.org/events/cite-desarts-readers-theater-periclesprince-of-tyre.

Seekingvolunteers

Volunteers aresought forthe 2025 Festivals Acadiens et Créoles from Oct. 10 to Oct 12. To prepare, avolunteer orientation is slated for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8, at the large coveredpavilion near the basketball courts in Girard Park. To sign up,visit festivalsacadiens.com.

At NuNu NuNu Arts&Culture Collective, 1510 Courtableau

Mr.Snobwas my father.Callme‘Dr.Snob’

Dear Miss Manners: The culture of my academic field is very casual. I’minterviewing for professorships at several places, and thefacultycommittees in the interviews —all “doctors” by title —invite me to call them by their first names. Having just completed my Ph.D., I’d like to ask them to recognize this, at least for the period of theinterview,by callingme“Doctor Name.” Is there away to request this with charm, flexibility and humility?

Gentle reader: Do you not want ajob?

Because asure way toavoid gettingone is to correct the interviewers. Especially,in this case, by suggesting that they —who all have doctorates themselves —should show you more respect because of your newlyminted degree.

Youalso seem to be unaware that there are colleges and universities at which the title of “doctor” is not used, out of the assumption that all the professors have Ph.D.s,soitishardly worth mentioning, let alone emphasizing.

Miss Manners suggestsyou study thedescription of the job for which you are interviewing. Does it mention “teaching thefaculty how to behave”?

Dear Miss Manners: When the bride’sparents pay for the wedding, should they not be able to invite at least half of theguests?

Ourdaughter has been engaged for almost two years and has ababy with her ﬁance. Now they want awedding, so we told them how much we could contribute. They have no money set aside, and his parents will contribute nothing. It seems that weddings have becomeoutrageously expensive, so they will need to have a small event (no more than 100 guests)

Ourdaughter has now told us

that since her ﬁance’sparents bothhave big families, they will get 70 invites, while the bride andgroom will be inviting 15 friends. Again, his family is not providing anything. The number of invitations left does not leave us room to invite ﬁrst cousins, or any friends unless we up the budget, which is not possible at this time.

Iguess Idonot think it’sfair that we will be providing food, alcohol and entertainment fora group of people we have never met and cannot include importantmembers of our family or close friends.

My husband says we gave them abudget and they can do whatever they want with it. I believe dividing the number of invitations evenly between families is the best choice.

Is there arule of etiquette that supports either stance?

Does Miss Manners have an opinion on this?

Gentle reader: It is not that the bride’sparents should be allowed to issue invitations to thewedding because they are

paying forit. Rather,itisthat they should be allowed to issue invitations because they are the bride’sparents.

But before you are too pleased with that answer,itis also true that bigger families require moreinvitations.

Miss Manners is not suggesting that you solve this conﬂict by throwing moremoney at it. Youneed only recognize —and teach your daughter —that people are moreimportant than lavish wedding accoutrements.

Therefore, the lists of people whoare important to each family should be madefirst, in order to plan the budget for the wedding —whether,for example, the reception is atea instead of dinner,orthe flowers are local instead of flownin from another continent.

Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners com or to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail. com.

Organize utensils in thedishwasherfor easy unloading

Dear Heloise: My wife and I read your hintsdaily,and you have some great ones! Here is somethingthat we do to speed up theprocess of unloading thedishwasher

When putting utensils intothe utensil holder to get washed, we group them together like forks in the front, spoons in themiddle, and knives in the back. It sure makesiteasy to unload when they are clean. —Mason Fairhope in Alabama

Sleeping with furryfriends

Dear Heloise: Dealing with pet furisongoing at my house. My Schipperke loves sleeping on my bed, and the feeling is mutual. Ikeep an old sheet on my bedspread to pull up at night forhair protection, but I also lovethe air settingonmy

Highway, Arnaudville,will open twoart exhibits, Charles Chaisson’s“Written in the Veil” and Ralph Schexnaydre’s “Blue Blue Blues.” The show runs through Nov. 2. Hours are10a.m. to 2p.m. Wednesdaythrough Sunday Admission is free. Visit nunucollective.org.

AnimalsinArt

The 31st annual International Exhibition on AnimalsinArts will open with areception at 4:30 p.m.Oct. 4, at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Skip Bertman Drive, LSU campus. Theexhibit will be on displayfrom8a.m. to 6p.m. every dayafter that throughOct.31. Admission is free. Formoreinformation, visit lsu.edu/vetmed/events/ animals_in_art.php.

At theOld Capitol

Louisiana’sOld State Capitol will open theexhibit “Vietnam Experience:50th Anniversary of the End of the War” on Sept. 27. Also, tickets areonsale for the museum’s annual

dryer.I’ve discovered that if I put my bedspread or anything with dog hair through theair settingbefore puttingitinto thewashing machine, much of thehair is removed. It makes for amuch cleaner wash. —Lolly F.,via email

It’s in thebag T

Dear Heloise: Iripen bananas, tomatoes and peaches in apaper bag on the kitchen counter This traps the natural ethylene gases that many fruits release and speeds up theripening process. —Carrie W.,inOhio

Watershut-off

Dear Heloise: We went on atrip and were gone for aweek. When we got home, we discovered that we had aleak from an upstairs toilet, which ruined all the wood ﬂoors downstairs and caused mold to grow in corners of our walls. This also required replacing someof thedrywall. Please warnyour

fundraising event, “Spirits of Louisiana,” this year celebrating the Old Capitol’s 175th anniversary.Individual tickets are$90. Visit secure. qgiv.com/event/spiritsoﬂouisiana2025/.

At LSUTheatre

Tickets areonsale for the LSU Theatre’s production of MaggieSmith’s “The Courtship of Winifred Edwards,” opening Oct. 2, in the Shaver Theatreinthe LSU Music and Dramatic Arts Building, DalrympleDrive,Baton Rouge. Tickets are$9-$22. Visit lsu. edu/theatre.

‘Overthe Top!’

Tickets areonsale for “Over the Top!,”the ﬁrst production in OperaLouisiane’s 2025-26 season,featuring three high-ﬂying sopranos Rainelle Krause, Kelly Curtin and Sarah McHan —singing to provewhich is the greatest diva. The performance will be at 3p.m.Sept. 28, at the Manship Theatreinthe Shaw Center forthe Arts, 100 Lafayette St Baton Rouge.

readers to shut off their water before taking atrip of aweek or more. Avalve is usually located out near the sidewalk. Joyce M., in Fayetteville,Tennessee

Charging your phone

Dear Heloise: If you want to charge your phone quickly, plug it into the wall, not aPC. Think about investing in a fast charger,but check your phone’smanual or the manufacturer’swebsite to see what’s required foryour makeof phone. It’s usually not necessary to turn your phone off while charging, but be sure to check your phone’smanual just to be certain. —JohnW., in Middletown, Delaware

Tubesfor enrichment

Dear Heloise: The local zoo accepts cardboard cores from toiletpaper and paper towels. They use them foranimal enrichment. The cores are ﬁlled with treats and sealed.

The keepers give them to various animals that then have to ﬁgure out how to open them to get their treats.Collecting and ﬁlling the cores, then watching the animals open them is afun project foryoung kids and an opportunity foryouth organizations forservice-project hours. —MargeB via email

Birthday registry

Dear Heloise: My family has developed a“birthday registry” of sorts. Since we are scattered all over the country,it’simpossible to know what aperson needs, wants, etc. So, we developed alist of things we’d like to have or things we need, and we discreetly email the list to those whoneed it. This has worked well, and people get the gifts they need and want! —Holly H., in Massachusetts

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

Forﬁve decades, Arthur Hardyhas been our neighbor,our guide, and the keeper of our Carnivalmemories. From his Gentillykitchen table in 1977 to receiving the key to the city in 2024,Hardytransformed himself fromaBrotherMartin band director into the manall about Mardi Gras. Hisannual guidehas reached over3million readers, but foruslocals, Arthur is family,the trusted voice whogetsitright,who rode with Rexafterdocumenting themfor decades, whostood with us throughthe police strikeof’79,Katrina’saftermath, and everymagicalmoment in between. This 112-page celebration bringstogether the stories onlyArthur could tell, ﬁlled with photographs thatcapturethe paradesyou remember,the krewesyou cheered for and the momentsthatmade youproud to be apart of Mardi Gras. Arthur Hardyhas preservedthe soul of what makesusNew Orleanians, making thisthe perfect holidaygift foranyone whobleeds the purple,green andgold of Mardi Gras. Booksship in time for holidaygift-giving!

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hints from Heloise

Employeeconsiders taking newjob offer

Dear Harriette: Irecently received ajob offer from another company that comeswith asigniﬁcantly higher salary than what I’m currently making. The role is in aﬁeld I’ve been wanting to move into for years, and while it’salittle intimidating, it genuinely excites me. When Itold my current employer about the offer,they surprised me by countering with araise that slightly exceeds the other company’soffer.Onpaper,itsounds like awin, but here’sthe problem: Idon’tactually enjoy my current job. I’ve stayed mostlybecause I have great relationships withmy co-workers. Iknow the systems inside and out, and it feels stable.

CURIOUS

Continued from page1D

From SouthAmerica to N.O.

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

Thework itself leaves me bored, unmotivated anddrained by the end of the day.Now Ifeel torn between taking aleap into something new that could be morefulﬁlling, or staying in acomfortable role for thesakeofsecurity and familiar faces. Should Ifollow my heart toward thenew opportunity or stick with the paycheck andstability Ialready have?

—Ata Crossroads Dear At aCrossroads: Is there any waythat your current company hasspacetocreate anew role for you? Since you have anew job offer with securitythere, why notspeak candidly to your boss? Explain that you feel you have outgrown yourcurrent job. You

ciousenough for agroup of up to 30 birds.

such astronghold in New Orleans remains amystery

Hailing from South America (mostly Argentina), Monk parakeets have dispersed across the United States —even settling in cities like New York and Chicago

Since they are one of the few parrotspecies that can withstand temperate-zone winters, monk parakeets arefound across North America, ﬂocking mostly to urban and suburban areas.

New Orleans is the only city in Louisiana that has monk parakeets, Erik Johnson, assistant professor at the LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources and ornithologist, said. Some speculate the birds escaped from acrate during a shipping mishap. Others believe the populations aredescendants of freed or runaway pets who learned to adapt to various climates.

But regardless of how the species arrived, there’snogetting rid of them, Audubon Zoosenior birdkeeper Regina Wiesepape said.

“They’re stuck here,” Wiesepape said. “They seem to do so well, Ithink we’d have them everywhere in the United States if they migrated.”

But they’re not amigratory species and likely never would have settled in urban areas without alittle help.

Today,they ﬁll the region’s niches left by extinct Caroline parakeets —the only parrot nativetoNorth America.

‘Uniqueasa parrot species’ Monk parakeets are unassuming in appearance—smaller than apigeon, with lime-green feathers and blue-gray heads. But what makes them unusualis their choice of habitat

“They’ll take overand nest a lot on electrical poles,” Wiesepape said.

Opting for infrastructure over trees, most Monk parakeet nests are intricatelybuilt and spa-

CHARLES

Continued from page1D

inspired by the monsters and derangedclowns of competitors’ worst nightmares.”

Speaking of nightmares

“I’m afraidofthe dark,”Charles confessed. “I can’tsleep without sometype of light on. It has tobe the TV or the room light itself. I don’tknow if you know the old Louisiana thing Kooshmaand all, so it’sone of those things.”

For those unfamiliar,Louisiana Cajun folklore describes Kooshma as an evil spirit thatis believedtobring on sleep paralysis, the inability to movewhile waking up. Nevertheless, Charles signed on for her second baking contest in three years. In 2022,she put her cake designingskills up against eight other contestants on Netﬂix’s“Is It Cake?”

On “Is It Cake?”, bakers create hyper-realisticconfections that look exactly like everydayobjects —with a$50,000 grandprize at stake. Charles, 44, didn’tgohome with the cash that time, but she has achance to win $25,000onthe Halloween show,providedKooshma doesn’tcome calling.

“This (competition) wasstrictly basedonHalloween andthe haunted house (in which theseriesisﬁlmed) and our Halloween creations,” she said. “So it wasn’t just cake. Youcan do apie, tarts and different desserts with dif-

appreciate their counteroffer,but what you want moreisa different type of opportunity. Find out if you can createanew role for yourself there at the newly offered rate or if there’s anything they can do to sweeten the pot. Youcan also let the other company know that your current employer countered with ahigher paycheck. Carefully negotiateto see if you can get abetter deal at thenew place. Just be careful not to be too pushy.Ultimately,you should go where you think you will be happiest. Dear Harriette: Iamnewly engaged. My girlfriend and Ihad been together for about two years before we decided to moveintogether,and it’s been almost three years since then. Ilove her dear-

ly,sonaturally aproposal felt like thenext step. If I’mbeing honest, though, alot of my friends and a few family members have not always been big fans of my fiancee. Someofthem feel that she is not friendly or welcoming and think that she’stoo territorial. They worry that because this is my first relationship, perhaps I’mjust excited about having someone. Now that we are in full wedding planning mode, I’mgetting alittle worried. It’shard to admit, but I thinkIamfeeling aslight case of cold feet. DidIjumpthe gun? Now that we’ve agreed to forever, I’ve been wondering moreabout thedynamicbetween my fiancee and my village. Can this workin thelong term? —Cold Feet Dear ColdFeet: Here’swhere pre-

marital counseling can be helpful. Recommendthat you two go to atherapist to talk through your hopes and dreamsfor the future. Be open and honest in the conversation with the therapist. Share what you love about your ﬁancee and what concerns you.

Outline your vision of the future and how it includes family and friends, and gain insight from her as to how she feels about that. The moreopen you can be during these sessions, the better you will both be able to assess your longterm compatibility

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o AndrewsMcMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

“If they can ﬁnd abig enough spot to nest, they’ll try to pack (themselves) in,” Erik Johnson, assistantprofessor at theLSU School ofRenewableNatural Resources andornithologist, said.

Most nestscontain around 10 birds, Johnsonsaid.

“They’ve survived hurricanes, they’vesurvivedﬂoods and disasters and they’re as resilient as thepeople are,” Johnson said.

Their nesting habits are part of the reason they’re able to live in cities across North America huddling among small colonies in thick, intricately-constructed, twig roosts.

“I’m sure the twigsand building humongous nests help insulate them during the winter months,” Wiesepape said.

Southern living in theBig Easy

Though monk parakeetshave madeNew Orleanstheir home, ﬂying overLake Pontchartrain and zigzaggingbetween AudubonPark oak trees, they’re still considered an invasive species.

“People lose pets all the time here, and I’m surethatthere are some that havemanaged to get out,but something aboutthe monk parakeetsseems to make them adapted for living here,”

Wiesepapesaid

Even though they’re ﬁlling some sort of niche, Wiesepape said, their current population is too small to have anegative impactonother species.

“It’sbeen awhile since anyone tried to generateanestimate,”

Johnson said

Fifteen years ago, birdwatchersestimated there were between 2,000 to 4,000 Monk parakeets in New Orleans.

Chances are, the population hasstayedthe same, Johnson said.

“It is exciting to hear them out,” Wiesepapesaid. “It’sthe closest we’ll get to seeing aparrot in North America.”

Do you have aquestionabout something in Louisiana that’s got you curious?Emailyour question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com.Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

ferent, elevated ﬂavors.”

The Carencro woman will be one of 10 bakers competingin challenges over seven episodes

The bottomthree bakers in most episodes will be forced to “bake for their lives” in ashowdownto see who will continue on in the competition Judges and Food Network personalitiesStephanie Boswell, Carla Hall and Zac Young will decide on the$25,000 winner. Victorious or not,Charles said she enjoyed her experience, especially the Food Network kitchen.

“It was really,really nice. I always lovegoing to thestudio kitchens, because they pretty much have everythingthat you can imagine to get your treats done in atimely fashion,” she said. “And then thedecorations, theygoabove and beyond, so they reallytook itover the top for the Halloween theme.”

Charles considers herself “a Halloween person,” leaning toward costume design as opposed to decking outher house in scary skeletons andthe like.

“My thing is always like the costume or the makeup, so Ilike to dress thepart,” she said. “A coupleofyears ago, Igot into (special effects) makeup, so pretendinglikemyfacewas cutopen andthen having blood come out or thingslike that.”

Job-wise, Charles juggles her home baking business and food truck,Nina Creole. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook,TikTok and Twitter

PATTERSON

Continuedfrom page1D

anditwas just aboutasvague as that. So Icalled the number,found outthere was apossibility of playing someIrish music in ‘Spinal Tap II,’ and completely and utterly lost my mind.

She said that the producer advised her to get agrip, because next there would be aZoom meeting with Christopher Guest,who also co-wrote the soundtrack for theoriginal and the sequel.

“My brain is wonderful at overthinking, andthatmight have saved me,because by thetime we had this meeting, Iwas too exhausted to start fan-girling. I would like to think Iplayed it cool, because Isimply said, ‘Mr.Guest, what can Idofor youand how much time have we got?’”

Guest askedher to gather local players for an audition tape, andPatterson workedwith atrio shehad played with at festivals, including Frank Bladen on the bodhrán (an Irish goat skin drum), Matt Rhody on the ﬁddle, andtin whistle player Pete Dawson,who also appeared as an Irish player in themovie “Sinners.”

Patterson said, “the piece of musicfor ‘SpinalTap’isnot atraditional piece; it’sone thatChristopherGuest wrote. He sentmethe demos, andwepracticed like crazy and made an audition video, and thevery next day,wegot an email saying, ‘It’sgreat. Here’swhenyou

BEARB

Continuedfrom page1D

Comeaux’sgarage became Facebook live shows. The 4Horses band was born when venues reopened. This quartet has no fiddle player,unusual for aCajun band and ironic for Jamey Bearb. He rose to prominence as afiddler and singer with avoice reminiscent of beloved Cajun crooner Belton Richard. Richard mixed poetic, French lyrics and an operaticlike voice, with arrangements flavored withswamp pop, country and early rock ’n’ roll. The sound has inspired him and

show up for ﬁlming.’”

Patterson’s musical explorations —she’sstudiedand played all over the world —are afacet of herabiding creativity and curiosity.Inadditiontoworking as afreelance bass player in everything from the bluestoheavymetal andLatinmusic, she’sknown to do things like introduceanelectric bouzouki in New Orleans horror-punk band, “The Tomb of Nick Cage.”

“OrI’ll occasionally put on awig andperform body comedy under thepseudonym,‘Bad Beth and Beyond,’”the musician said.

“I’ve never stuck to one thing because I’ve never had to, and it keepsmefrom getting bored, that’sfor sure.”

Patterson has been in NewOrleansoff andonfor 30 years now, and said she settled in the city afteralmost moving to Australia,before deciding to return to be with her now-husband, pianist Josh Paxton

She saidthat the myriad styles andinfluences found in NewOrleansand Louisiana are aconstant thread in her work —and those rootsshine through, even playing in far-off places like Galway,Ireland, whereafellowplayer once told her she had“alligators in her music.”

“Yep,that’sabout right,”she said. “But oneofthe other things about New Orleans that has inﬂuenced notjust my musicbut my decisions, is that it embraces absurdity.This is abig inﬂuencer in the paths I’ve chosen —the craving for the ridiculous. Thathas sustained me.”

countless Cajun singers. “I heardthese Belton songs all my life,” said JameyBearb, asinger sincethe age of 10. “It took me quite awhile to be comfortable thatIwas singing them well enough. That gave me ahuge respect for Belton. The songs that he did areveryhard to sing.” When Jamey Bearb is not performing, he repairs helicopter instruments and accessories, his ﬁrst and only full-timejob for25 years. He andhis wife Tiffany are parentsoftwo adult children. The 4Horses play Festivals AcadiensetCreoles in October in Lafayette. They maintain aﬁrstand third-Saturday schedule at La Poussiere and fourth-Saturday

To other Louisiana musicians forging apath in theirhome state andbeyond, Patterson says that persistence is key. According to her,work in Louisiana is getting hardertocome by,soshe travels often. This just leads to morefantastic and unusual opportunities, like when she had the chance to pick up (possibly) the world’sﬁrst cigar box bouzouki from acraftsmaninChincoteague Island, of “Misty” novel fame, when Patterson wasplaying agig in Norfolk, Virginia.

Conﬁdence is theother key.Ina business where pressure and cutthroat competition can be intense, Patterson has found success withoutsacrificingtotrends or demands.

“If Iwere to say anything to my youngerself, it wouldbe, ‘Don’t let anybody wreck your conﬁdence,’ she said. “Having asense of self will help you with everything. It will help you with your playing ethic. It will help you with the decisions you make. It will help you with your critical thinking. When people try to swayyou,orget one up on you, or rip you off, everything will follow if you have a strong sense of self.”

And now,after decades of chasing music across the globe, Patterson’s journey lands heronthe big screen —a Louisiana musician in a cult-classic sequel. For her, it’sjust another adventure in acareer that thrives on the unexpected.

Email Joanna Brownatjoanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

showsatthe Cajuns Event Center in Church Point. The band plans to continue to inject new lifeinto traditional Cajun music.

“The whole band and Iare good at taking the older songs and bringing new arrangements, new ideas to those great songs, with modulation, key changes,” Jamey Bearb said. “Wetake the songs to another level.”

HermanFuselierisexecutive director of theSt. Landry Parish Tourist Commission.Alongtime journalist covering Louisiana music andculture, he lives in Opelousas. His“Zydeco Stomp” show airsatnoon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7FM.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Beth Patterson, pictured here playinga bouzouki, has traveled extensively alloverthe world.

BETWEEN THEP WITHRICK BRAGG

‘Whatdoyou do fora living?’

Bestsellingauthortakes

BY JANRISHER Staff writer

With the television blaring in the middle of the day at his farm in Alabama,Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author Rick Bragg had to get to aplace where he could hear to talk on the phone.

“Mama puts the ghost of Jimmy Swaggart on the television,” he said. Bragg and his 88-year-old mom liveon afarm near Jacksonville, Alabama, with “two evil miniature donkeysand some terrible cats andsomestray dogs that somehow ﬁgured out they canalways get fed here,” he explained.

The last few yearshave been tough ones. Three years ago, they lostBragg’s older brother Sam. In May,theylost his youngerbrother Mark.

“All of Mama’speopleare all gone and so it’skind of me and her,” he said. “She can’tsee real good, butshe very much loves being alive and you know, she likes Swaggart because of themusic.” His mother still goes out to herﬁgtree three times aday to see if one of them has actually produced aﬁg. Bragg is still mourning his brother Sam, whohe says was the glue that held everything together.Hesays he’sspent much of the last four years in emergency rooms and ICUs.

“I’m deﬁnitely not whining because everybody goes through thisatacertain pointintheir life, unlessthey’re really fortunate,” he said. “Still, I’m really lucky,but I’m just grateful. Istillgot my mom.”

Between caring for his motherand wrangling donkeys, Braggtook time to answer questions about his life andwriting:

Are you in the room with your momwhen she’s watching the ghost of JimmySwaggart, and how do you handle that?

Sometimes Iam, sometimesI’m not Mom’s88, and I’m just grateful. Istill got her to talk to and haveher trytoexplainthe mysteriesoflife to me —which she’svery good at.

Is she really?

Now,sometimes Idon’tagree with the mysteries of her interpretation,but that doesn’tmatter.It’sworth it just hearing. Imoved home let me back up alittle bit.Igot Mama a40-acrefarm in the foothills of the Appalachiansoutside Jacksonville, Alabama. It started with cattle and big gardens and an orchard. As we have all gotten older,wehad to getrid of the cattle because she was scared of them when she walked down to her pond to feed her ﬁsh white loafbread. Nowwe have what we refer to as “the livestock.” Like, I’ll say,“Igotta go down andfeed the livestock.” Well, it’stwo miniature donkeys.

What are the donkeys’ names?

Oh, God. I’m ashamed of this.I didn’t name them. The male is Buckaroo, and the female is Mimi.

Now I’m curious as to who namedthe donkeys? There’sagreat story behindthis. When we bought the place, it was coveredin beautiful Hereford cattle. Ithoughtit was kind of an idyllic scene. There was thisred cedar cabin builtinto the side of aridge line —the same ridge line where my grandpa used to makeliquor We didn’town the land back then. He just used it to hide his still there. So my mother knew the land very well. Ihad gotten her akind of atraditional fourbedroom house on ahill—and she didn’t like it, she said, because it hadtoo many light bulbs. So Igot her this farm because it had land with it and room to do things.There were the cows, which again, justtickled me to death, because if you’rea writer and you go get on aplane andsome big old guy sits down next to you, likesome guy that works on pipeline or something, he sits down next to you andhesays, “What do you do for aliving?

Youdon’twant to tell himyou’re a writer.Igrew up with ashoveland apick handle in my hand. Idrovedump trucks.

I bailed hay. Idon’twant to tell some working guythat I’m awriter.They look at you likeyou said that you cut out paper dolls for aliving. When Ihad thecattle on the land, I could look at them and say,“Iraised bulls.” But one day,after we’ve been here three years, oneofthe bulls chased Mom when she went down to feed her ﬁsh. I’ve said before that we have theonly ﬁsh in thestate of Alabama with diabetes

But, anyway,Mamatold me Ihad to get rid of thecattle. So we had theguy who leased the land move them out,and we replaced themwithtwo miniaturedonkeys.

Well, youcan’t go to theairport and getonaplane and tell some big guy that you’reaminiature donkey rancher

At this point in theinterview,Bragg’s mother says, “It’sraining,” in the background.Hereplies, “It’s all right.Hold on just asec. Hold on just asecond. OK. OK, Mom. They’ll be OK. Thehorse feed will be allright. Yeah, it’s all right.”

Do you need to getthe horse feed?

No, it won’thurt it.It’sinplastic wrap bags

Back to the donkey names?

Anyway,there was aguy down in Fairhope who ran akind of arescue for these miniature donkeys. It’samazing how many there are out there.

Wasither idea or your idea forminiature donkeys? It was her idea. She said, “Hun, it’sso lonesomeout there in the pasture.”

And Isaid, “Yeah, Mom, maybe we should putsome cattle out there?”

Butshe didn’tthink that was funny,so we got theminiature donkeys. Ididn’t bother to ask how much they costbecause Ijust ﬁgured that you can buy your regular old jackass, afull-sized donkey, all day down here in thecountry for like $250. Then one about afourth that size should certainly be cheaper

Andthismight explain why Iama writer instead of athinker

How much does aminiature donkey cost?

$1,500. They’ve been around about 15 years or longer,and you know,they’re so damn cutethat you can’treally get mad at ’em

Do they have big personalities?

Well, yes and no. They bite, and they will eat your clothing —like acuff off your shirt or your shirt tail —they’ll eat anything.They ate all the webbing off our lawn chair and all the emblems off the side of my truck.

What kind of truck do you have these days, Rick?

Ihavethe best pickup truck in the world, and Iknow I’ll get trouble in Detroit for saying this,but Ihave aToyota Tundra 4x4, which quite frankly,Ihave to have here. Ihave to get in themud occasionally,but Ialso have to have something that Ican drive to my real job.

1. “The LetThem Theory by MelRobbins

How much time do you spend these days writing?

Ican say with astraight face that, for thepast three years, almost none, because Ihave been consumed with more important things.

I’ve still done my magazine stuff, and I have theﬁrst chapter and introduction of anovel done. I’mworking on that, but it’s so hard, you know?

And, I’m not one of those people that can put his laptop on his lap and write in acoffee shop or in ahospital or in aparking lot. Iguess I’m spoiled, but Ilike to sit down at the desk, where Ican see a tree through the window and think. Will Iget back to it eventually? Yes, Iwill. Because Idohave time, but that in itself is atragedy Yousaid you’re starting anovel.Are youawriter who has the wholenovel planned out before you start?

Oh yeah. Imean, obviously,Ilove those novelistswho say,“No, Ijust throw the characters out there and let them play.”

Right Ialways want to just get up out of my chair and slap thes*** out of them, you know? Butno, Iknow where it’s going to go. Obviously,that can twist and change, but Iknow how it’s going to end out. I’ll probably do one more nonﬁction book. Isaid Iwasn’tgoing to do any more books on family,which was met with the closest thing to aburn-him-at-the-stake response, because thepeople in those books have comealive for my readers.

Ihaven’ttalked about this anywhere before, but Iwas sitting theother day looking at my little brother’struck.It’sa FordBronco. It’s rusted and battered and rotting.

He drove it off arailroad trestle. I’m not making that up. He got drunk andran it into pretty much amillion fence posts. ButIbought that truck coming home from aNieman Fellowship at Harvard manyyears and decades ago.

Idrove it awhile, but Igave it to my brother Sam,and he drove it foryears. Then he gave it back to me, and Idrove it for years and years. Then Igave it to my little brother Mark, ’cause he needed it.

Andthen he drove it for years andtore it all to hell.

Butfor 40 years, it was the one thing we had in common —the only thing we had in common. AndIwas looking at it up there, and it’srotting and rusting. I thought that might be agood way to tie thebow on my books on family

My brothers represent adead and dying South. The one Iknew is over.The long-haired country boy era is over They’re different now

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

“I Just Wish IHad aBigger Kitchen” by Kate Strickler 3. “Unbreakable” by Vonda

“Don’t BelieveEverything YouThink (expanded ed.)” by Joseph

Mary Manhein is best knownfor founding LSU’s Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services Lab, which is famous forits forensic facial reconstructions that help identifyhuman remains. Since retiring from LSU 10 years ago, Manhein has authored several nonﬁction books about her career in forensic anthropology, co-authored abook about Louisiana’sendangered cemeteries and written several whodunits, including amystery series for young readers.

Manhein’smany years as aforensic scientist connected her with deep loss, asubject that shapes her writing but doesn’tdeﬁne it. Her ultimate concern is resilience, our power to answer abroken world with tenderness and ingenuity

That themerests at the heart of “A Call to Rowan,” Manhein’snew novella that follows13-yearold Marley Bledsoe as she navigates life in Rowan, a ﬁctional north Louisiana town adjusting to change after the Korean War. Manhein will discuss her novella at 3p.m. Sept. 28, at the Baton Rouge Main Library,7711 Goodwood Blvd. The program is free and open to the public, and copies of “A Call to Rowan” and Manhein’sother books will be available forsale. The novella is now on Kindle, and it should be available soon at local bookstores. She opens up her new workofﬁction, a quick read at 120 pages, with this: “Being 13 years old truly wasunlucky,Marley Bledsoe decided, as she felt the sand and gravel working their way up the thin soles of her worn, white sandals and into the small spaces between her toes. If she were afew years younger,she would be home right now,afew years older,and she would be gone.”

Manhein, whospent much of her childhood in small-town north Louisiana, knows this world well. She’skeen to the duality of lifeinatiny community,how it can be both aconsolation and acage.

As Manhein walks us through Rowan, with stops at its grocery store and boarding house, its post office and library,wetake pleasure in alandscape small enough to see at aglance. It’s afarm community ordered by seasons, where “thick, waist-high cotton contained small green bowls waiting to burst forth into thick, white bundles to be picked in the fall.” But the smallness of Rowan proves confining forMarley,asharecropper’sdaughter with an abusive father.Other dark souls shadow Manhein’sstory.Rowan, like Harper Lee’sMaycomb, is aplace where social intimacy brings everyone close, including those we’d rather escape. Escape, primarily through books, is another one of the novella’sthemes. There’sa subplot in which twoofthe locals read their waytoanew lifetogether,and Marley,who finds refuge in comic books and drugstore magazines, finds herself liberated by language, too. In placing us within anow-vanished time and place, Manhein has returned to her vocation —revealing the faces of the forgotten, and making us see them once again as ours.

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com

Danny Heitman

PHOTO By TERRy MANIER

Rick Bragg and hismom,Margaret Bragg, ‘The Best Cookinthe World.’

Doobie Brothers explainwhatsparked theirbiggest hits

BY JON BREAM

The Minnesota Star Tribune

(TNS)

This is hard to believe:

The core four of the Doobie Brothers, who have been togetheronand off since 1979, have never madean entirealbum together.Until now

Different members from co-founders Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons to later principals

Michael McDonald and John McFee —have come and gone at various times from the Rock &Roll Hall of Fame band.

This summer,the Doobie Brothers delivered “Walk This Road,” on whichthe core four played on an entire album for the ﬁrst time.

“It feels good,” said Johnston.“Having Mike on this one takes it to adifferent place. It’skind of like a new talent, if you will, and what it sounds like. Youget much more variety in the style because you’ve got Pat, Mike and myself doing the writing.”

Moreover,Grammy-winning producer John Shanks cowrote every song on the album—“anew way of doing things butit’skind of fun,” Johnston said. This year also saw Johnston, Simmonsand McDonald inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame for their Doobie Brothers’ catalog including “What a Fool Believes” and “Black Water.”

“I didn’tsee it coming and Idon’tthink any of us did,” Johnston said of the Songwriters Hall recognition. “It really was kind of humbling.”

And this honor feels different than being inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame, which happened in 2020.

“The Rock &Roll Hall of Fame is more about music and popularity,” Johnston

said. “The Songwriters is more about the qualityof tunesyou’ve written.”

Since Johnston’ssongwriting is in thespotlight this year,hewas asked to discuss what sparked some of his best-known songs.

‘Listentothe Music’ (1972)

“That was during the Vietnam Warperiod. Ihad been listening to this Englishphilosopher speaking at San Jose State(University). He was autopiankind of guy and that song was utopian in nature.

“My whole idea was people needed music

rather than politics to get along with other countries. Vietnam, China, the United States.Then Itook that a littlefarther to people in general. If you’d just lighten up and have agood time, it was utopian. It seems to work. I’m amazed how long that songhas hungin.”

‘Rockin’ Down the Highway’ (1972)

“It was feel-good time. Footloose, fancy-free running around the SantaCruz Mountains is probably where it came from. Iwas describing living life at thetime, Iguessyou could say.Ihad written the chord

changes acouple years earlier.Lyrically,itgot written in L.A.

“I had that songplaying with aband called South Bay Experimental Flash beforethe (Doobies)band was happening. Idon’t know that there’sany depththere. It was about having agood time, which was pretty important in those days.Ididn’t have alot of money,but Ihad a great time.”

‘LongTrain Runnin’’ (1973)

“It was ajam that we played for acouple years in clubs all over SanJose

andthe Santa Cruz Mountains. Imadeupthe words everynight.

“It could go on for 10 minutes. Teddy (band producer Teddy Templeman) hearditprobably when we were playing live at the Chateau.Hesaid, ‘You really should turn it into asong.’ We cutitdown in the studio but it still didn’t have anylyrics. He said, ‘It kind of reminds me about a train.’ So Iwrote the lyrics in about20minutes down in Amigo Studios. “The song hadlotsof different names. Ithink it was called‘Parliament.’ We were playing thatin1970, ’71, ’72. We ﬁnally recorded

in ’73. It gets abig audience response every time we play it.”

‘China Grove’ (1973)

“I starteditonacoustic (guitar) andIgrabbed (drummer andhousemate) JohnHartmanand we’d go downstairs where we used to practice. We cranked it up. Iput the amp on 10 and blazedand he was pounding the drums really hard.

“It’sanothertrack,which is notunusualfor me,that didn’thavelyrics. The lyricsgot written based on what Billy Payne was playing on piano.Imadeupthis whole thing aboutthe sheriff andsamurai swords and thatkind of stuff.

“Lateron, afterthe song hadbeen out, Iwas driving with acab driverinHoustonand he said: ‘Howdid youcome up with China Grove?’ Isaid, ‘Itwas just amake-believe song.’ He said, ‘There really is a China Grove,it’sjust outside of SanAntonio.’ Ithink what happened is Isaw the road sign in ’72 when we were touring in Winnebagos.

“It’sbasically nothing but an icehouse andafeed store.That’swhatthat town is. It’sprobably biggernow.I’ve neverbeen in the town itself. Ishould.”

‘The Doctor’(1989)

“I haditina band Iwas in calledBorderPatrol in the ’80s,and we (Doobies) didn’trecordituntil ’87. We hashedout the chorus with Charlie Midnight and Eddie Schwartz. Eddie came up with the idea of the doctor.Sowemarried thatwith lyricsand chord changesIalreadyhad and put on sort of apop chorus, for lack of abetter way to put it. It wasstill edgy and distorted andhad arock feel to it, but the chorus was kind of pop.”

BY ANDREWDALTONand

AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Associated Press

LOSANGELES Many Americans still want to thankthe academy,atleast alittle.

About half of U.S. adults say they’ve watched allor most of an awards show on TV or streaming in the past year,according to anew poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, while just over half say they’ve watched clips from an awards show

About 6in10say they’ve watched an awards show, clips or both in the last year

The results suggest that some vitality remains in the seemingly stodgy old tuxedo-and-gown world of the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, Tonys and Golden Globes, whose makers have fought to make them relevant when Americans have more entertainmentand engagement choices than ever.

Andtheycomeata moment when the Oscars and the Emmys have seen a short-term uptick in viewers after cultural shifts that brought ahuge long-term drop in people gathering around atelevision to watch an awards show together.

“These days, it’smore focused on the performances,” said Walter Hanley,69, who used to work in the music industry and stillwatches most music awards shows.

“Back in the ’70sand ’80s when Iwould attend regional Grammys in person,it was more about the awards —sound engineering and producers and that kindof thing.” Hanley thinks the pivot has helped awards shows keep up with the times. “You have to cater to what the viewers want,” he said.

The Oscars, which remain the most viewed and most engaged-with awards show, are coming off aﬁve-year high in viewers. Nearly 20 millionpeoplewatched “Anora” win best picture andfour other top trophies in March.

Butthat’sdown from the more than 55 million who watched “Titanic” win 11 in 1998, when awardsshows truly were the king of the world.

Some, like Christine Steingraber,64, watch most of theawards showsthatair on TV

The Oscars are her favorite, but she watches the Emmys and the Grammys, too, even when she’snot familiar with the showsorthe artists up forawards.

“It opens up another perspective as to whether I want to see that show or hear that artist,” she said.

Thebiggest awards shows —like the Oscars, theGrammys and the Emmys —havestreaming partners, buttheygener-

ally don’tappear thereuntil the following day.Bythat point,viral moments and winners’ reactionshave alreadybeen plastered online in short clips.

Thepoll suggests that awardsshows may be appealingtoa new generation

People underthe ageof 45 aremorelikely to say they havewatched both an awards show and clips in the past year,compared withpeople age 45 or older Meme-able moments like the “La-LaLand” fiasco or Will Smith’sslap at the Oscars or the hits and missesofGolden Globes monologueshaveshown the shows can still have life aftersocialmedia took over for TV for many

The surveyfound that the people who watched full awards shows largely overlap with clip viewers, although people are slightly more likely to say they’ve just watched clips rather thanjust watching shows. About 4in10say they haven’twatched clips or

shows.

Awards shows —whether they’reconsumed through clips or live viewing –are more popular among Black andHispanic adults than among whiteadults. About 7in10Black and Hispanic adults say they’ve watched clips or at least most of a showinthe past year,compared withjust over half of whiteadults.

Shows including the BET Awards and the Latin Grammys have reached moretargeted audiences, just as the MTV VideoMusic Awards became away to bring young viewers into the awards audience starting in the mid-1980s.

Rose Lucas, 77, says she usedtowatch theBET Awards becauseshe enjoyed theR&B and hip-hop performances.She enjoys music awards shows, but she doesn’ttypically watch thefull show live.She’s morelikely to watch short clips of performances the next day “I don’twatch any of them

live anymore. Idon’ttune in to them,” Lucas said. “(They are) too long. I’m notasinterestedanymore.”

Whenthe Emmys return on Sunday,all eyes will be on the winners —and the ratings.

The last Emmys gota muchbigger boost than its predecessor, held in January 2024 because of Hollywood’sstrikes —one of several challenges, including thecoronavirus pandemic and this year’swildfires that have thrown awards show norms out of whack.

Televisionhas,insome ways, overtaken movies as aprestige screen art, butthathasn’ttranslated into similar awards prestige. The Emmys audience is less than half that of the Oscars.

The long-term awards ratings decline closely tracks with real-time broadcast andcabletelevision view-

ing acrossthe board for virtually everything in the U.S. but football. And while there are dozensofawards shows each year,only ahandful have asigniﬁcantaudience. The poll found that about 3in 10 Americans said they had watched awards shows at least “several times” in the past year That could be aresult of Americanshaving more options thaneverinwhat to watch —and many being too busy to tune in. Inez Parker, 88,saidshe watches awards shows on live TV,and she expects she’ll tune into the Emmys this weekend. But she doesn’tstream the show again or watch clips after the fact —she’stoo busy for that. “I usually watch all of it,” shesaid. “I’ll watchitlive, and that’sit. Idon’twatch it again.”

TNS PHOTO By THEO WARGO

From left, Michael McDonald, Patrick Simmons, John McFee, and TomJohnston of the Doobie Brothers performonstage

duringthe 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction CeremonyatMarriott Marquis Times Square on June 12 in Newyork City

“How in the hell do you become amanufacturer of our size,with our service and reputation? Not by leadership, but by great people. Andwehavegreat people in Louisiana.”

MATT STULLER, CEO and founderofStuller Inc

ACUT ABOVE

La.jewelry makerquietly became largestinNorth America

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Sitting at workbenches in abrightly lit room in this Lafayette manufacturing facility,adozen jewelers put the finishingtouches on asteady stream of engagement rings. Each of the workers at jewelry maker StullerInc.’sheadquarters has their own task. Some handle sizing. Others engravings. Their goal is the same: Get thejewelry completed —and ready to ship to customers the same day it’s ordered.

The efﬁciency of amade-to-order operationiswhat allowed Stuller Inc. to growfrom aone-man operation into the largest jewelry manufacturer in North Americaand amajor economic force in south Louisiana.

“Weused to be very quiet,” said Matt Stuller, the company’sfounder andCEO,inarecent interview.“We didn’twant to tell people we had gold or diamonds. We didn’twant to promote what we did.”

Though it employs more than 1,500 people as the largest private, nonhealth care employer in Lafayette, many people in south Louisiana have never heardofit. That’sbydesign.

But recently,thatoutlook has changedasthe companyhas grown and faced competition locally for workers in an increasingly tight labormarket. Stullerisbeginning to embrace the spotlight, too. Last year,atGov.Jeff Landry’srequest, the CEO accepted aposition on anewly created board tasked with advisingLouisiana Economic Development on its strategy for attracting new businesses into Louisiana while also helping existing ﬁrms succeed.

See JEWELRY, page 2E

Startupincubator aims to grow state’sbiotech

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Formore than adecade, theNew Orleans BioInnovation Center has worked to make its portion of Canal Street something entirelydifferent from the retail corridor or hotel haven that it’sbeen for the last century

The nonprofit business incubator, focused on life sciences,serves as a launching pad for innovativecompanies dreaming up the medicinesand medical technology of thefuture.

While biotech hubs like Boston,San Francisco, San Diegoand RaleighDurham, NorthCarolina,are home to thousandsofstartups,somewith valuations in the billions,the New Orleans incubator has helped launch about 200 smaller-scale ventures since its inception.

But there are some signs of momentum.

Since June, three new biotech startups have signedleases for lab space at the incubator’s66,000-square-foot

headquarters. The San Diego-based biotech startup Informuta, founded two yearsago by two Tulane University Ph.D. recipients, is celebrating theopening of its BioInnovation Center lab this week.

Thecompany, which is developing high-tech toolstocombat antibioticresistant infections, is following in the footsteps of two similar ventures —Cleaved Diagnosticsand BekenBio —thatsignedleasesatthe nonproﬁt businessincubator afew months earlier Thesenew “freshmen”ventures arelooking to capitalizeonaffordable rent, grant-writing assistance, state tax creditsand other support provided by NOBIC and its partners. Otherdraws, the founders say,include the state’snine new federally backedinvestment funds,a friendly regulatory environment and potential partnerships with local universities and hospitals.

ä See BIOTECH, page 4E

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Founder andCEO Matt Stuller has grownStuller Inc. from aone-manoperation in Lafayette intothe largest jewelrymanufacturer in NorthAmerica.

Former Truman campus sold to localnonprofit

The former Truman Early Childhood Education Center has been sold to alocal nonproﬁt.

The Lafayette Parish School Board closed on adeal last week to sell the 12-acre property to SUN Community Housing Development Organization, anonprofit spearheaded by former council member Chris Williams,Elifin Realtyannounced.

SUN officials in asocial media post said they will convert the school into ahub for affordable housing, mixed-use development and community revitalization.

The deal comes afterschool ofﬁcials announced in October that it would lease the facility at 200 Clara St. to SUN.

Truman closed itsdoors in December 2023 when the facility moved to its new campus at University Avenueand West Willow Street. Builtin1959, theClara Street school served as ahistorical community cornerstonewhere several notable local ﬁgureswere educated, includingcouncil member Elroy Broussard, The Current reported.

FatPat’sgetspermit for south Lafayette location

AFat Pat’sKitchen will be built on the south side of Lafayette near Acadiana Mall.

Abuilding permit for the $2.6million restaurant at 6004 Johnston St. near the corner of Duhon Road was approved by Lafayette Consolidated Government.

The project will includearestaurant along with an adjoining space for afuture tenant. Chase Group Construction of Lafayette is the contractor

Details about the project is unknown. Efforts to reach the owners and FatPat’sofﬁcialswereunsuccessful.

Fat Pat’shas two locations in Lafayette and one eachinBroussard, Carencro, Breaux Bridgeand Lake Charles.

Smalls Slidersopens second Lafayette location

Smalls Sliders openedits second Lafayette location last week.

The Louisiana-based quick-serve restaurant held grand opening festivities when it opened Tuesday at 803 Bertrand Drive.

Smalls also includedCaroline’s Cookies owner Carolie Merryman, who debuted aSmallsCookie that sold Friday and Saturday with proceedsbenefitingHealing House. The company named Merrymana Smalls Town Hero.

Smalls Sliders waslaunched in 2019 in Baton Rouge by former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Walk-On’sBistreaux &Bar co-founderBrandon Landry. The restaurant has asimple menu: It servescheeseburger sliders cooked to order and wafﬂe fries. Therestaurants are builtout of shipping containers and primarily operate as drive-thru locations, although walk-up windowsand limited outdoor seating are available

Smalls Sliders opened its first Lafayette location at 4611Ambassador Caffery Parkway in 2023

Downtown clothingstore

Genterie changes hands

ThedowntownLafayetteclothing store Genterie SupplyCo. hasbeen sold.

An ownership groupled by Jacques Guillot, of Lafayette, bought the business and the 4,000-square-foot building at 408 Jefferson St. Guillot’sgroup also includes Trish Guillot, Alison and Glen Moores and Hollie White, records show

The seller was alimited liability company registered to agroup that includes Ross Fontenot, who operated the store since it opened in 2011.

Genterie firstopened at 210 E. Vermilion St. as amen’sclothing store. In 2014, it moved to its current location and began carrying women’sapparel.

Issued Sept. 3-9

Commercial alterations

OFFICE: 5419 Johnston St description, updates to Louisiana Lotteryofﬁce; applicant, AQ Studios; contractor, ArkelConstructors; $200,000

RETAIL: 3124 N.E. Evangeline Thruway,description, upstairs restroom; applicant and contractor, Simeral Properties; $45,000.

Newcommercial

RESTAURANT: 6004 Johnston St., description, new Fat Pat’s Kitchenwithportion to be futuretenant space; applicant, Ritter Maher Architects; contractor, Chase Group Construction; $2.7

million.

RETAIL: 6321 Johnston St., description, fueltanks for convenience store;applicant,AumillerPump Services and Equipment; contractor, Legends Development; $280,000.

Newresidential

104 CANAL ST.: Living-NStyle Design &Building, $176,375

314 ST.ESPRIT ROAD,CARENCRO: Andries Builders, $431,000

101 LAKEOAK DRIVE: DR Horton, $248,625.

103 LAKEOAK DRIVE: DR Horton, $295,250.

203 ED GUILBEAU ROAD, CARENCRO: C-THomes, $365,625

228 WAKLEYCOURT: DSLD

$274,250

120 ELMWOOD MEADOWS

High schoolers watch a demonstration of ajewelrysetting by Stuller Inc.at acareer fair at theCajundome Convention Center in Lafayette. STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

JEWELRY

DRIVE: DSLD,$436,625.

105 GARDEN MEADOWS DRIVE: DSLD,$436,625.

208 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD, $166,625.

207 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD

$166,625.

201 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD, $193,000.

203 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD

$166,625.

205 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD, $175,625.

210 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD

$157,625.

211 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD, $166,625.

209 TOWNSEND DRIVE: DSLD

$193,000.

102 CANAL ST.: Living-NStyle Design &Building, $176,375.

111 STEEP MEADOWS LANE: DSLD,$299,750.

205 GRANDOAK DRIVE, BROUSSARD: McLain Homes, $500,000.

234 VIAULET ROAD,YOUNGSVILLE: Oakside Builders, $530,413.

102 FIELD POINT LANE, YOUNGSVILLE: Andries Builders, $300,000.

102 FIELD POINT LANE, YOUNGSVILLE: Andries Builders, $238,500.

108 BRUGES LANE, YOUNGSVILLE: Hart Homes, $345,610.

203 BENSON GROVE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Andries Builders, $238,500.

204 BENSON GROVE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Andries Builders, $238,500.

300 HIGH POINT WAY, YOUNGSVILLE: Andries Builders, $238,500.

Fool’s Take:Fallen stock and boosteddividend

Fool’sSchool: Make these savvy 401(k) moves

Target (NYSE: TGT) is adividend powerhouse, having increased itspayout for54consecutive years, but thecompany has been struggling. Aturnaroundmay not happen this year,but if you believe that it will happen, youcan collect ahefty dividend payment while youwait. Target faces multiple challenges. Some, such as declining consumer confidence tied to uncertainty about the effects of theTrump administration’stariffs,are largely outside of itscontrol.But other issues are the result of the company’s own moves. Target has faced customer backlash after rolling back diversity, equityand inclusion efforts. Foot traffic has reportedly fallenfor several months in arow,includinga3.9% year-over-year drop forJune, per retail news outlet Retail Brew Target is changingupits leadership team.Ithas replaced theroleofchief strategy officer with agroupofexperienced insiders. ATarget veteran is now CEO. Thanks mainly to itsstock sinking over the past 12 months(it was down nearly 39% as of early September), the company’sdividend yield has been pushed up to arecent4.9. Meanwhile, the company continuesto generate solid profits. Itsstock is also valued attractively,withaforwardlooking price-to-earnings ratiobelow 13, well under itsfive-year averageof 16. (The Motley Fool ownsshares of and recommends Target.)

Continued from page1E

Amajor jewelrysupplier

Stullertold Forbes in a2023 article that thecompany books about$800 million in annual sales. He declined to provide updated numbers,saying, “We’re amuch larger andsizable company than what those numbers were.”

ThoughStullerdeclined to name his customers, he said they include most all jewelry retailers, from luxury brands to staples of suburban retail.

The company ships between 4,000 and 5,000 packages daily.It’s because of that trafﬁc that FedEx andUPS cargojets make daily tripsout of Lafayette’sairport,a service that isn’ttypical for acity of Lafayette’ssize but one that economic development officials say has helpedattract other businesses to the region.

‘Fairtrade’

Stuller Inc.’sbusiness is currently navigating one of itsbiggest opportunities, along with one of its biggest challenges.

President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on imports has caused retailers whobought jewelry fromcheapermanufacturersoverseas to look to domestic alternatives. As one of the few jewelry manufacturers left in the U.S Stuller Inc. has seen aboom. At thesame time,countriesthat previously restricted jewelry imports from the U.S. aredropping barriers.

“It is really the most amazing experience that I’ve ever had in business forgrowth opportunities,” Stuller said. Still, there are somematerials —like diamonds and gemstones —that Stuller Inc.can’t source domestically.The company also lost millions in potential revenue in Canada, the company’slargest

foreign market, after thecountry imposed its own 25% tariffon American goods, Stuller said.

Stuller,who describes himself as an advocate of “fairtrade” as opposed to “free trade,” said he supports efforts to rebalance America’strade relations, arguing thatitwas long past due for theU.S. to push back on trade barriers imposed by other countries

“The problem is Trump went overboard on it, and then he started trying to manipulate the countries,” he said.

He pointed to the Trumpadministration’sdecision last month to impose50% tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian oil. Nearly 90% of diamonds are cut in India. They’re now subject to the duty

“Everysingleday,we’re huddling trying to figureout, you know,what is thenew game for tariffs today,”Stuller said, comparing the current moment with uncertainty during thecoronavirus pandemic.

ButifAmerica wants fair trade, Stuller said, it’ll have to endure somepain to get there.

“I’m afan of Trump. He’s taking this stuff on that needs to be done butnever has, andwesufferand we beneﬁt from the consequences,” he said.

‘Bleedingedge’

Stuller,74, attributesmuchof hisown company’ssuccess to staying ahead of the curve.

He got his start in the industry as ajunior in high school working part-time after class for alocal jeweler,and during his senior year,openedhis ownbusinessin acorner of his dad’sorthodontic suite in Lafayette. In 1970, after one semester at theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette, Stuller dropped out tostartStuller Inc. and began traveling the state selling his wholesale jewelrylineto retailersout of his trunk.

His first innovation as abusinessmanwas simple: Be nice.

If youhave access to a401(k) plan at work,you should make themost of that powerful retirementsavings tool Here are sometips: n Be sure to participate each year n Contributeatleast enough each year to max outany available matching funds.Manyemployerswill match your contributions to somedegree —say,a50% match forupto6% of your salary.Soifyou earn $70,000, andcontribute6%($4,200) or more of your salary to your 401(k)account, your employerwould chip in an additional$2,100. That’sfree money,and an instant, risk-free 50% return n If youcan,contribute aggressively to your account. For 2025, the 401(k) contribution limit is $23,500, withanadditional $7,500 “catch-up” contribution allowedfor those 50 or older— totaling $31,000. Those age60 to 63 by theend of 2025 can contribute an extra $11,250 in 2025, foragrand total of $34,750. n Consider opting foraRoth 401(k) account,ifit’savailable. These accountsare funded withnoup-front tax break, but if youfollowthe rules, you(andyour heirs) can eventually withdraw money from the account tax-free.

n Don’tborrow from or cash out your account if youcan help it,asthat can shortchange your future, andyou may endupwithpenalties andtaxes due n Know that traditional 401(k)s (and IRAs) callfor required minimum distributions beginning at age73. Aquickonline search will turn up even more401(k)tips

He said most other wholesalers would act like “you were inconveniencingthem”when you called to place an order

Thecompany also ledthe way in offering same-day shipping, color catalogs instead of blackand-white and the ability to order via fax machine. (That option is still available.)

In the 1990s, Stuller Inc. began offering its customers the ability to request custom designs,aninvestment that haspaiddividends in recent years amid afad in “personalization,” Stullersaid. (The company has 1.7 trillion different designs on ﬁle.)

Stuller Inc.’slatest push is around howtoutilize artiﬁcial intelligence.

Over theyears, thecompany has amassed amassive amount of data on the preferences of its 35,000 customers. Stullerishoping AI can help sort through that datatoquickly come up with designs that suit speciﬁc tastes.

“Often we are on the bleeding edge of developmentrather than the leading edge,” Stullersaid, noting that it isn’tcheap.

LEDSecretary Susan Bourgeois saidStuller’ssuccess is the kind of story her agency is eager to tell about Louisiana, adding that she’s thankful he advocates quality of life issues, like litter abatement.

“He alwayswants to remind whoever is listening that you can’t decouple qualityoflife from quality of place and business policy and success,” Bourgeois said.

‘Great people’

When Stuller built the company’sheadquarters in 1980, the

building was 12,000 square feet and featured adrive-thru window

After several major expansions, the facility nowspans 600,000 square feet, and both guests and employees must go through multiple security checkpoints to enter

Anotherexpansionisahead, Stuller said. The company bought 8acres near its headquarters, where it will move parking so it can addonto its existing facility he said.

The hallway that cuts through theheadquarters runs almosta thirdofa mile andisdotted with windowsoffering apeek into how jewelry is made, from start to ﬁnish.

Through one window,artists worked with pen andpaper on newconcepts —nearly 3,000 productsare addedtoStuller Inc.’scatalog each year.Through another,designers in adimly lit computer labuse thecompany’s proprietary software to turn those sketches into 3D models.

There’sthe gemologist, analyzingthe colorand clarity of rubies and sapphires. Technicians pouring molten metal into molds. Bench jewelers setting stones.

Stuller attributes his company’s growthtohis location,and the people he’sbeen able to hire.

“How in the hell do you become amanufacturerofour size,with ourservice andreputation?” Stuller said. “Not by leadership, but by great people. And we have great people in Louisiana.

“We’re here and we’re going to stay here.”

Email Blake Patersonat bpaterson@theadvocate.com.

STAFFFILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK Stuller Inc., based in Lafayette, employs over 1,500 peopleand is the largest jewelrymanufacturer in North Americaand amajor economic force in south Louisiana.

Motley Fool

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Investment in $400B SpaceX a no-brainer for Angels

Founder says local startups can benefit from network’s access to opportunity

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

When Mike Eckert, a co-founder and former CEO of The Weather Channel, moved to New Orleans in 2013 to be closer to his new grandson, he found that the city had a lot of entrepreneurial activity but no formal angel investment group to support it.

Q&A WITH MIKE ECKERT

As a retired executive and investing veteran with time on his hands, Eckert decided to launch the Nola Angel Network

That was 2014. In the 11 years since, the group, now known as Gulf South Angels, has grown to more than 150 accredited investors across 18 states, including doctors, lawyers, executives and other wealthy individuals who are willing to bet on startup companies in hopes of a big return.

To date, the network has invested more than $28 million in more than 70 companies across a range of industries. Fourteen of those startups have been sold or merged with other companies. Four have gone out of business. The rest are still in business though haven’t produced any returns.

Earlier this week, Gulf South Angels announced a new investment — not in a small local startup but in SpaceX, Elon Musk’s $400 billion space company Eckert, now chair of the board of Gulf South Angels, says the network isn’t turning away from scrappy homegrown companies but is taking advantage of an opportunity for the network’s members that was too attractive to turn away

No. We can still do both. There is more early-stage startup capital in Louisiana today than ever before in history as a result of the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 and the program it set up that allocated money to states to help small businesses. That program created the State Small Business Credit Initiative, or SSBCI, to invest in startups.

(The federal program is administered through Louisiana Economic Development and designated roughly $90 million for equity investment in local startups and $23 million for small business loans.) We started one of these funds. Now, there are seven of them in Louisiana, and they are putting this money to work So, maybe there wasn’t money for startups in the past, but that is not true today And we continue to invest in Louisiana companies. We have invested in four Louisiana companies of the 16 total investments so far this year and we will continue to invest locally Does this SpaceX investment enhance the

In this week’s Talking Business, Eckert discusses how the investment deal came together and what it means for the future of Gulf South Angels. Interview has been edited for length and clarity

The recent announcement that Gulf South Angels had an opportunity to invest in SpaceX is interesting and unusual.Why is this significant?

It’s signiﬁcant because a local angel network had an opportunity to invest in SpaceX, a privately held company with a valuation of $400 billion. Usually, those kinds of opportunities are restricted to large private equity and venture capital ﬁrms. We were able to get in on it. So how did this deal come together?

SpaceX recently had a large fundraising round. Typically, when that occurs, there is a lot of demand for the round from the investment community so the company allocates a certain amount of capital for each investor

We, Gulf South Angels, have formed a deep relationship with a venture capital fund, Balerion Space Ventures. They’re a Texas-based VC ﬁrm that invests in space technology and we have done a number of deals with them — and have had some great success Well, Balerion was able to get into this SpaceX ﬁnancing round and allocated some for us. We jumped at the chance. How much did y’all invest? Half a million dollars, which is a

small amount relative to the allocation given to Balerion, which was somewhere between $25 million and $30 million. But what Balerion does is roll up all these allocations, and in turn, SpaceX rolls up all the allocations, so there is this waterfall effect. What is really fascinating here is that we are one of the few angel groups in the U.S. that has formed a relationship and become an investor in VC funds. Many angel groups strictly invest in local startups. We are getting in on bigger deals through VCs like Balerion.

I thought Gulf South Angels was formed to invest in local startups because angels were one of the key pieces missing from the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Does this sort of fly in the face of that?

Integrity in Motion.

As NorthAmerica’s leader in safe,reliablebulk liquidstorage,distribution, andvalue-added services,IMTTcustomers canalwaysexpect:

Safety First. We uphold thehighest standards to protectour people,products, andthe communities we call home

Timeliness& Trust. We keep ourpromises, deliver with precision, andmakea positive diﬀerenceinevery community we serve.

Innovation. We’reinvesting in agreener, cleanerfuture... leadingthe wayinreducing emissionsand creating low-carbon solutions.

Mike Eckert, a co-founder and former CEO of The Weather Channel, founded Gulf South Angels after moving to New Orleans in 2013 and recognizing a need for startup capital in the local market. Earlier this

South Angels announced a new investment — not in a small

The new leases are a sign of hope for supporters of the city’s small but scrappy biotech ecosystem. They say the city has the potential to become a haven for entrepreneurs despite a national political backlash against government-funded scientiﬁc research and a shortage of investment dollars that has made life more difﬁcult for these types of startups overall.

“New Orleans is tight-knit, and everyone helps each other,” said Informuta co-founder Kalen Hall. “Since we left, people have been asking us to come back. When thinking about where it made sense to set up a lab long-term, considering the expenses and regulatory hurdles in California, New Orleans was the ﬁrst place we thought of.”

Decades-old dream

NOBIC exists on the edge of the BioDistrict New Orleans, an economic development zone encompassing a 1,500-acre section downtown and in Mid-City that was conceived more than two decades ago by state lawmakers.

The district is also home to the $2 billion University Medical Center and Veterans Health Administration hospital complexes, as well as the abandoned Charity Hospital building. It lay dormant for several years before being resuscitated in 2018. In January, it received its first revenue from city sales taxes within its borders.

and private partners, according to Kris Khalil, the nonproﬁt’s executive director

So far, the district has brought in around $400,000, and it invested in murals, signage and landscaping before the Super Bowl. At a meeting last week, its board approved a plan to direct nearly $100,000 to NOBIC to provide grant-writing assistance to biotech startups in the city

NOBIC has about 30 tenants ranging from biotech startups and established software companies to the maker of $100 tubes of luxury toothpaste. After a ﬁnancial crisis in 2019, the incubator has been on ﬁrmer footing, covering roughly half of its nearly $3 million in operating expenses with rent and making up the difference with support from public

The state’s economic development agency said NOBIC has supported more than 200 companies creating more than 650 high-wage jobs, but the long and complex life cycle of biotech ventures means it often takes years to judge their success.

Neurotechnology company AxoSim, now 28bio, debuted in 2014 and has raised more than $15 million. It was initially planning to expand its footprint at NOBIC last year but moved to Metairie instead. Another company, Obatala, founded in 2017, has some space in NOBIC, but its seven employees also work out of a lab on the campus of the University of New Orleans, where several other biotech startups are located.

The most high-proﬁle startup to come through NOBIC that has had an “exit” an event that allows investors to cash in their shares — is Fluence Analytics, a startup from New Orleans that moved to Houston before being acquired in

2023 by Japan’s Yokogawa Electric Corp.

New ways to diagnose disease

Each of the three new biotech companies setting up labs in New Orleans is hoping to diagnose illnesses in new ways.

Informuta, led by Hall and Leo Williams, is developing devices that doctors can use to predict antibiotic resistance without having to send samples off to the lab. The company’s platform uses artiﬁcial intelligence to study the DNA of harmful bacteria.

Cleaved Diagnostics hopes to make devices that consumers can use to test themselves for early signs of illness. Its founder, Chandler Monk, said she’s trying to ﬁnd a new way to use the groundbreaking CRISPR gene-editing technology, which won its inventors a Nobel Prize in 2020.

Beken Bio, which is moving its headquarters from San Diego to New Orleans, is building diagnostic tools that look for “biomarkers” circulating in a patient’s blood to enable early cancer detection with the help of AI-powered data analysis.

to New Orleans, is building diagnosis tools aimed at early cancer detection.

“There’s an arms race in this world of liquid biopsies,” company founder Chris Millan said. “We

are part of the newest wave.”

Statistically speaking, all three companies face long odds as they try to turn their ideas into successful businesses, which is where NOBIC and its partners hope to lend a hand.

The incubator provides attractive rents and subsidizes applications for the federal grants that are the lifeblood of many biotech startups. It also connects entrepreneurs with potential funders and sometimes invests in them through its own BioFund.

NOBIC’s annual BioChallenge event, which Informuta won last year is designed to bring out-oftown founders to the city

“We introduce them to our local health systems, investors and academic research institutions to form collaborations,” Khalil said.

‘None of that when I started’

The city’s biggest biotech success story to date is Fluence, which creates tools to help petrochemical and pharmaceutical companies monitor the quality of their products as they make them.

Company founder Alex Reed, who now lives in the Pacific Northwest but still has some New Orleans-based employees, said the city’s biotech scene has evolved considerably since the days he was getting started. More investors and experienced founders have changed the landscape.

“There was none of that when I started,” he said.

The pool of new investors exists largely because of a Biden-era program that provides federal matching dollars to private investors who support entrepreneurs. The nationwide initiative, which is managed in the state by Louisiana Economic Development, could lead to $113 million in federal matching dollars over the next several years.

Despite the new tools in the toolkit, Reed said it’s hard for smaller markets like New Orleans to compete with established hubs, which is why leaders should focus on areas where the city has a competitive advantage

Looking to academic institutions like Tulane, which now has an innovation institute and birthed the technology that created Fluence, isn’t a bad place to start.

“There are so many good ideas sitting in labs,” Reed said. Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Menhaden Fisheries: FederalPolicy, Sustainability, and Coastal Economies

By Amanda McElfresh, amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Thisarticle is Brought to youbythe Louisiana CommercialFisheriesCoalition LLC. America’smenhaden ﬁshery is one of the greatsuccessstories of U.S. seafood production –arenewable, sustainably managed resource thatsupports thousands of jobs,fuels rural economies,and delivers essential products to globalmarkets. This longstanding industry,rootedfor generations along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts,often ﬁnds itself at the centerof debate –praised as amodel of science-based managementbysome, while questioned by othersconcerned about its ecological footprintand role in coastal economies

Whathappens in thesepolicy debates carries real weightfor the communities, small businesses, and working families whose livelihoods aretied directly to menhaden. From Reedville, Virginia,toMossPoint, Mississippi, and from Cape May, New Jersey,toEmpireand Abbeville, Louisiana, the ﬁshery forms the backbone of local economies.The industry supports not only ﬁshing crewsbut alsodock workers, plant employees,welders, mechanics,truck drivers, shipbuilders, and countlessvendors.

Menhaden aresmall, oily ﬁsh thatplaya big role in the U.S. seafood supply chain. They areprocessedintoomega-3-rich nutritional oils,high-protein feeds foragricultureand aquaculture, and pet food ingredients

Theyalsoserveascritical bait forlobster, crab,and other high-value ﬁsheries acrossthe country.Thankstothis versatile ﬁsh, U.S. processors areable to create valueadded products thatare exported around the world, bolstering American manufacturing and competitiveness.

AModel of Sustainable Fisheries Management

Both Atlantic and Gulfmenhadenfisheries aremanaged through science-driven frameworksdesigned to ensure ecosystem health and long-term viability. The Atlantic StatesMarine FisheriesCommission (ASMFC) and Gulf StatesMarine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), working alongside NOAA and state agencies, have implemented Ecological Reference Points and harvest caps to maintain predator-prey balance. Independent reviews back this up: The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the world’sleading authorityonsustainable seafood, has repeatedlycertifiedU.S menhaden as sustainably managed. Recent stock assessments confirm thatneither Gulf nor Atlantic menhadenpopulations are overfished or experiencing overfishing.

The menhadenindustry stands as a national model of howeconomic prosperity and ecological stewardship canthrive together.This provensuccessstory deserves to be frontand centerinevery regulatory discussion –local, state,and federal.

Evenwith strongstock assessments and international sustainabilitycertiﬁcations, differing views about menhaden’secological role and howbest to manageitcontinue to shape the conversation, creating uncertainty foranindustry that has operated forcenturies

Anchoring Coastal Communities

The numberstellthe storyofanindustry deeply wovenintothe fabric of coastal life:

•Louisiana: The nation’slargest producer Louisiana’sﬁshery accounts forover70% of U.S. landings –nearly one billion pounds annually –and supports morethan 800 direct jobs

•Mississippi: Aprocessing plantinMoss Pointemploys over 300 workersand anchorsa network of shipyards, trucking companies,and suppliers thatdrivethe regional economy.

•Virginia: In Reedville, home to theEast Coast’shighest-volume ﬁsh landing port,a single companysupports 260 jobs,aﬂeet of nine purse seine vessels,and spotterplanes Harvests in the ChesapeakeBay arecapped at lessthan half of historic levels

•New Jersey: Family-owned fishing operationsinCape Mayand southern ports provide bait forlobster and crab fisheries from MainetoAlaskaand forcrawfish farms throughout the Gulf

Although Louisiana’smenhaden ﬁshing season is limited to six months, theindustry sustains full-time, year-roundjobswith competitivewages and beneﬁts.Thesecareers support hundredsoffamiliesand areoften passeddownthrough generations,forming the backbone of manycoastal communities

Menhaden and the American Seafood Supply Chain

Discussions overmenhaden extend beyond biologyintoquestions of economics community stability, and food supply.The outcome of thesedebates influences not only fishing families and plantworkers but alsothe wider seafood chain and the rural economies it sustains Earlier this year,PresidentTrump issued an executiveorder to strengthen American seafood competitivenessand rebuildU.S seafood dominance. Menhaden fisheries exemplifythatvision. Theydemonstrate that American workers, using American vessels canharvest and processarenewable resource sustainably,all while supporting economic growth and food security.

AFishery Rooted in Science,Community, and Heritage Looking ahead, decisions about menhaden will rest with policymakerschargedwith weighing ecological stewardship,community livelihoods,and national seafood security. The ﬁshery’s long history of science-based managementoffersanimportantfoundation forthosechoices

This ﬁshery is arenewable public resource thathas sustained generations of ﬁshing families.Itisa source of pride for communities acrossthe Atlantic and Gulf Coasts,amodel of sustainabilityfor the world, and avital link in the nation’sfoodsupply chain. ForLouisiana and other coastal states, menhaden is morethan aresource –itisa cultural anchor,aneconomicdriver,and a thread connecting generations.Its futurewill be shaped by howscientists,communities and policymakerswork together to balance sustainabilitywith opportunity

Khalil

PROVIDED PHOTOS

co-founder Kalen Hall works in a lab The San Diego-based biotech startup Informuta, founded two years ago by two Tulane University Ph.D recipients, is celebrating the opening of its BioInnovation Center lab this week ‘New Orleans is tight-knit, and everyone helps each other,’

Chris Millan, founder of Beken Bio, conducts an experiment. The company, which is moving its headquarters from San Diego

LSUtouts gradsleading fast-growing businesses

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

The 15th annual LSU100, which recognizes the fastest-growing businesses either owned or led by LSU graduates, is out.

The exact company rankingson the list will be announced at aprivate event in November

LSU also released the Roaring20, alist of the 20 companies ownedor led by graduates that had the highest revenue.

In alphabetical order, the businesses on the LSU’sRoaring 20 are:

n Audubon EngineeringCo., Metairie, engineering, procurement and construction management

n B&G Food Enterprises,Morgan City,Taco Bell franchisee

n Block Cos., Gonzales, multifamily and commercial construction

n Danos, Gray,oil and gas services

n GrandIsle Shipyard,Galliano fabrication for the oil and gas industry

n HNTB Corp., Kansas City,Missouri, engineering and architecture

n ISCConstructors, BatonRouge, industrial engineering,construction and maintenance

n JP Oil Co., Lafayette, oiland gas

n Lemoine, Baton Rouge, construction and disaster services

n Lipsey’s, Baton Rouge,wholesale ﬁrearms sales

n Lyons Specialty Co., Port Allen, convenience store distributor

n MAPP,Baton Rouge, general contractor

n NewEdge Advisors, New Orleans, registered investment adviser

n Performance Contractors, Baton Rouge, general industrial contractor services

n Provident Resources Group, Baton Rouge, developer and operator of health care facilities, student housing and senior living

n PSC Group, Baton Rouge, transportation and logistics services

n Royal Automotive Group, Baton Rouge, automobilesales

n Sealevel Construction, Thibodaux, heavy civil construction

n The Newtron Group, Baton Rouge, electrical construction and instrumentation

n Turner Industries Group, Baton Rouge, industrial construction and fabrication

AudubonEngineering, B&G Food Enterprises, Block Cos., Danos, HNTB Corp.,ISC Constructors, JP Oil Co., Lemoine, NewEdge Advisors, Performance Contractors, ProvidentResources Group, PSC Group, Royal Automotive Group,Sealevel Construction, The Newtron Group andTurnerIndustriesGroup also made the 100 fastest-growinglist.

Othercompanies on thefastestgrowing list are:

n Alexander Contractor Services

n American Safety

n Answering Bureau

n Anytime Flooring

n Argent Financial Group

n ArkelConstructors

n August Events

n BC Restaurant Holdings

n Bear General Contractors

n BearProcessSafety

n Bronco Industrial Services

n Brousseau& Lee

n Cane River Pecan Co.

n Carter& Hatcher Consulting

n Connectly Recruiting

n Corporate Interiors of Baton Rouge (CI Group)

n Crescent Payroll Solutions

n Currency Bank

n DAAMedia +Marketing

n Daigrepont &BrianAPAC

n DDG

n Energy Pipe &Supply

n EnvironmentalScience Services

n Extreme Nitrogen

n Fairway Consulting andEngineering

n FitnessEvolved

n FourCorners Wealth Management

n Gatorworks

n Gauthier Amedee

n GregorySwitzer Architecture

n Gros Flores Positerry Architecture &Interior Design

n Haltzman Law Firm

n Hargrove Rooﬁng

n Highﬂyer Human Resources

n Immense Networks

n International Pumps and Parts d/b/a Industriﬂo

n Investar Bank

n ITinspired

n JH Operating Co.

n Joubert Law Firm

n KCPC Holding Company

n LaBorde Therapy Center

n LawOfﬁces of Howard EConday Jr

n Leblanc &Fresina Builders

n Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry

n Legacy Construction Group

n Loyd JBourgeois Injury &Accident Lawyer

n MANDATORYFUEL MANAGEMENT

n Mansﬁeld, Melancon, Cranmer &Dick

n Marex Services Group, n McClure, Bomar &Harris

n Mind Ruby Technologies

n Moran Consultants

n Moreau Physical Therapy

n Next Level Solutions

n Paciﬁca Engineering Services

n Paperless Environments

n Paystar

n Pearl Events

n Perrier Esquerré Contractors

n Red Bison Services

n Red River Bank

n Red

EmailTimothy

Beyond isn’taplace —it’samindset. Andit’sabeliefthathas poweredusfor over80years We areJones Walker LLP,aﬁrm driven by an entrepreneurialspirit, adeepsense of community, and aﬁerce determination to deliverexceptional serviceand valuefor ourclients

Since1937, ourﬁrm hasbeencommitted to workingwithcommunity leaders to developbusiness opportunitiesacrossthe state. We aresteadfast in continuing our dedicationtogobeyondinadvising clientsand supporting initiativesand organizations that make Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork

WilliamH.Hines,ManagingPartner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000 201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100

Gallagher: ALouisiana StoryofGrowth, Community andResilience

Gallagher,one of the world’slargestinsurancebrokerage,risk managementand consulting ﬁrms, has asigniﬁcantpresencein Louisiana, with arich history andadeep commitmenttothe local community. With roots in the statedatingback decades, Gallagher has grownintothe largest broker inLouisiana, providing awide array of services to businesses of allsizes acrossvarious sectors

“WhereIthink we areuniquelypositioned is thatwedon’t have that institutional mindset. We haven’talwaysbeen big.We’vealwayshad to be alittle morenimble, creativeand client-centric, said” Numa “Bumpy” Triche,regional president. “The result isthatwehavethe sizeand scale of anybody in the world, with robustdataanalytics and modeling capabilities. But our local operations arevery much integrated within the local market.”

Founded in 1927,Gallagher has expanded globally and reports $11.3 billion in total adjustedbrokerage andrisk managementrevenues in 2024 and amarket capitalization of $76.1billion as of January 30,2025.

Thecompanyhas aworkforce of nearly56,000 employees worldwide morethan 970officesglobally,and servesclients in over130 countries.

In Louisiana, Gallagher’s journeybeganwithanacquisition in Baton Rouge,which led to theestablishmentofofficesinNew Orleans and Monroe,Louisiana. Thecompanyhas strategically acquired local ﬁrms overthe years, integrating their employees and maintaining alocal focus. This growth has resulted in 18 officesstatewide and asigniﬁcant regional market share. Thecompanyhas grownits businessbyworking withpeople and organizations who sharecommon values and vision. “Gallagher has one of thelargest operations within ourSoutheastregion in terms of our footprint acrossthe stateand the various markets, Triche said. “Atthe same time, we arealwaysclient-focused, withthe people in the statebeing the ones who work with the local teams and businesses. People work with us because we provide awhite-glove service experiencewitheasyaccessibilitytoour team and our broader tools and resources. We have invested heavily in areas relatedtodata analysis and forensicaccounting in order to provide the technical and detailed support to our teams.Whatwedoisoffer ourclients access to global expertise tailored to their needs.”

As proud as Gallagher is of its growth,theyare prouder to have been able to maintainits unique culture. This cultureissummed up in 25 tenets called TheGallagher Way, aset of shared values thatemphasize ethics, integrityand aclient-centricapproach. These values were articulatedbyRobert E. Gallagher backin1984and have sinceguided the company’soperations and relationships. Keyprinciples include providing excellentrisk managementservices,supporting and respecting colleagues, pursuing professional excellenceand fostering open communication. Thecompanyculturevalues empathy, trust, leadership and teamwork, with astrong emphasis on treating everyone with courtesyand respect

Gallagher’s commitmenttoLouisiana goes beyond business. The companyhas alocalpresence, with employees deeply embedded in the community.

“Our employees see theirclients at church on Sundays,play golf with them on Saturdays,and go to lunch with them on Wednesdays,” said William Jackson, ExecutiveVicePresidentof Gallagher’s SoutheastRegion and leader of the NewOrleans operation and the region’s specialtyproducts.Our local connection is akey differentiatorfor Gallagher,combining the resourcesand capabilities of alarge global ﬁrmwith the personalized serviceofa communitybroker.

“Weteam up withlocalpartnerstomakeevery communitywejoin a morevibrantone.Fromfundraisersfor localcharities to crawﬁshboils and hurricane relief,our officesgivebacktothe peopleand places in whichwelive. As we grow larger,wemaintain close ties to the communities we serve.

Gallagher serves adiverse range of industries in Louisiana,including manufacturing, agribusiness, public sector,higher education, aerospace, energy,entertainmentand lifesciences. Thecompanypositions itself as athought leader when it comes to riskmanagementguidance on topics suchascyber risks, healthcare,marine construction AI, social inﬂation and other inﬂuences thatimpactinsurance claim costs, leading to higher premiums and impacting the insuranceindustry’srisklandscape.The team prides itself on providing expertiseand insights on keyindustries and currenteventsimpacting this region.

WILLIAM JACKSON ExecutiveVicePresidentSoutheast Region, Gallagher

Gallagher is poised forcontinued success in Louisiana,driven by its strong values, localfocus and expertise in keyindustries. Thecompany’s emphasis on client-centric service, combined with its global resources, positions it as atrustedpartner forbusinesses andindividuals seeking insurance, risk managementand consulting solutions.AsGallagher continues to grow and adapttothe evolving needsofthe market its commitmenttothe local communities remains acornerstone of its identity

LOUISIANA

BEATING THE ODDS

45-year-old Louisiana ovarian cancer survivor lifted weights during chemotherapy treatment

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

Toni Bessonet never thought it would be her

In 2023, after traveling to Europe for vacation, she lost weight rapidly One evening, Bessonet rested a hand on her hip. She could feel a spongy mass.

She asked friends and family. They weren’t concerned “I really didn’t think about it,” Bessonet said. “I really wish I thought about it a bit more. I regret that I wasn’t on top of it.”

A chance encounter with a friend on a walk — and a stop to pet the dog of an OB-GYN’s father — changed her life. She made an appointment that same morning and was preparing for a transvaginal ultrasound and blood work by 10 a.m. By 1 p.m., her doctor had called her back and told her to see an oncologist

Three days later, Bessonet was in the waiting room at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge to see Dr Renee Cow-

an, a surgical gynecologic oncologist. Gynecologic cancer is a disease in which cells in a

woman’s reproductive organs grow out of control. The ﬁve main types of gynecologic cancer are: cervical, ovarian,

uterine, vaginal and vulvar — fallopian tube cancer is a rare sixth type, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the National Cancer Institute, Louisiana has one of the highest rates of gynecologic cancers in the nation with more than 200 new cases of gynecologic cancers identiﬁed in the state each year

Common symptoms of gynecologic cancers include:

n Abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge is common for all gynecologic cancers except vulvar cancer

n Feeling full too quickly or difﬁculty eating, bloating and abdominal or back pain are common for ovarian cancer

n Pelvic pain or pressure is common for ovarian and uterine cancers

n More frequent or urgent need to urinate and/or constipation are common for ovarian and vaginal cancers.

n Itching, burning, pain or

MAYO CLINIC Q&A

Are backpacks hurting your kids’ backs?

have backpacks they like, I also want to make sure they have features that support their backs.What should I look for?

The backpack is as much a part of school life as homework, pencils and recess. Kids use backpacks to carry everything they need during the day and make a fashion statement. Unfortunately, the excess weight of supplies stuffed into an improperly worn backpack may lead to sore joints and muscles. As a new school year begins, follow these tips to help kids take a load off to keep their backs healthy: Students of all ages seem to carry heavier loads in their backpacks. They often tote a day’s worth of textbooks, a change of clothing for after-school activities, school projects and lunch. As a result, many parents have heard their school-age children complaining of back pain.

Overall, adults and children shouldn’t carry more than 15% of their body weight in a backpack. For a 60-pound child, that means a pack weighing less than 9 pounds. Even when worn properly your student may need to lean forward to compensate for extra backpack weight. This can affect the natural curve in the lower back. Extra weight also can cause a rounding of the shoulders and an increased curve of the upper back. As a result, children may experience back, shoulder and neck pain. When worn properly backpacks are the best way to carry things, especially for long periods of time. Backpacks should be worn using both straps. Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can cause a person to lean to one side to compensate for the uneven weight, causing a curve in the spine. Over time, this can lead to lower and upper back pain, strained shoulders and neck, and even functional scoliosis (curvature of the spine). Teenage girls are especially susceptible to scoliosis.

Tighten the straps so the pack sits high on your child’s back with the top of the pack about even with the shoulder blades. It also should be snug, so it doesn’t sway side to side while walking. When properly worn, the back and abdominal muscles support a backpack. These are the strongest muscles in the body, stabilizing the trunk and holding the body in proper postural alignment. Improper backpack use presents some dangers to young, still-growing joints and muscles. Urge your children to look past the color or design when selecting a backpack. These features can make a significant difference in

ä See SURVIVOR, page 3X ä See BACKPACKS, page 2X

AtOchsnerCancerCenterofAcadiana,webelievethateveryindividual’s journeywithcancerisunique.Withcompassionandexpertise,wecollaborate withyoutodevelopacomprehensivetreatmentplantailoredtoyourspeciﬁc diagnosis.Weunderstandthattheroadtoremissioncanbechallenging,but withusbyyourside,hopeandhealingconvergealongyourpath,and—inthe faceofcancer—youareneveralone.

Learnmoreatochsner.org/CCA

Toni Bessonet used ice packs on her fingers and toes to preserve her dexterity during her chemotherapy treatment.

PHOTOS PROVIDED By TONI BESSONET

Toni Bessonet, 45, lifted weights and exercised five times a week to keep herself fit while undergoing chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer

HEALTH MAKER

Nurse gains wisdom, friends working with seniors

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

Shawn Williams became a certiﬁed nursing assistant at a young age, with every intention of following a career in nursing. Her work took her all around New Orleans at a home health agency, traveling from house to house, taking care of elderly patients.

”I’d done it kicking and screaming,” Williams said. “But to my surprise, I fell in love with it.”

Through her work, Williams has met many seniors and touched many lives from diverse backgrounds and different age groups. Now, 33 years after starting her career, she still spends her days with elderly patients at PACE GNO, a Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly in the Greater New Orleans area.

PACE, sponsored by Catholic Charities, hosts daily activities for participants including jazz bands, ﬁeld trips, wellness care, nursing assistance, rehabilitation services and possibly even conversation over ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ episodes on television.

Although Williams has only been working at PACE for 18 months, she says she already recognizes that the job is a great ﬁt for her What kept you in elderly care for more than three decades?

I like the reward of it. That’s what really keeps me going, the reward of working with these seniors.

As I got older, I really realized your seniors and your elders make the best best-friends. They have

DREAMSTIME/TNS

The backpack is as much a part of school life as homework, pencils and recess.

BACKPACKS

Continued from page 1X

how they feel while wearing the pack at school:

Wide straps: Wide, padded straps won’t dig into the shoulders, and they’re more comfortable. Narrow straps can hinder circulation, causing numbness or tingling in the arms, which may lead to weakness in the hands over time.

Multiple sections: Select a backpack with many pockets and sections to keep children organized. This also helps distribute the weight more evenly across the pack.

Waist belt: Tightening the waist belt helps to evenly distribute the weight of the backpack and support children’s abdominal muscles. Lightweight when empty: Consider the weight of the backpack when it’s empty so your children don’t have additional weight beyond books and supplies. For example, a canvas backpack will be lighter than leather

Reflective material: If your children walk or bike to school, look for a backpack with reﬂective strips that make them more noticeable to drivers. You also can add strips of reﬂective tape at home.

Encourage your children to wear their backpacks properly To help keep them light, they should make frequent stops at their lockers throughout the day to avoid carrying all their books at once. And leave nonessentials at home.

If they’re in pain or have discomfort, talk with their primary care clinicians before a problem becomes serious.

a sense of humor They enjoy music. They love a good joke. They love everything younger people love. They’re just an older version of us, so I stuck with it. Right now, today, I still can’t wait to wake up and interact with these older people. It’s very rewarding for me.

I can’t get enough of it. To me, it feels addictive. When these seniors are being grateful for the help we give them, the warm smiles that you get and the humble “thank yous” it’s why I am still a CNA. I did think about pursuing a nursing career but I’ve always stuck with being a nursing assistant. I think

that’s because I love the time that we have together

It’s not a quick visit; it’s something that I can take my time and be hands-on with these patients, versus being a busy nurse. I can really spend more time with these patients. The love and the wisdom that they give are priceless. They give you things that money can’t buy: gratitude, love, wisdom, sharing of stories and talking to you about mistakes that they have made. Sometimes you see yourself in them when they were younger and they made a mistake. If you take time to just stop and listen, you can learn a lot from them

How do you connect with patients?

My grandmother had a hand in raising me when my mom and dad went to work. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, and I am so thankful now I’ve learned how to cook from this lady I’ve learned how to be humble and respectful and thankful for everything that I have. Those are the things that she taught me. I like to use the L.O.L. method when working with patients. It stands for: listen, observe and learn. I have been using that method since I’ve been certiﬁed. It has helped me to build a great rapport and have a lot of elderly best

friends. They have a lot to say They want you to listen to them. They want to be able to still be independent. When you use that method — when you listen — they have a lot to tell you. When you are observing them, you learn their strengths and their weaknesses. With those three factors, It’s easy to get them to be able to complete tasks that they never thought they were going to be able to complete again. That’s what makes me get out of bed and keep coming back for more and keep doing what I do.

Can you imagine having a job where you’re going

to work with the love of a grandmother or a grandfather, or a mother or a father? That’s the best job in the world. What are some pieces of wisdom that you have picked up along the way? Don’t be in a rush when I go to the market, to take time to look at the prices. How to save money in a lot of different ways. They have taught me that without knowing it. We talk about cooking a lot. This is New Orleans, that’s what we do. We swap a lot of recipes, and I’ve gotten awesome recipes from them (and I surprised them with one or two of my little recipes that I have). They have really taught me it’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice. To me, that makes all the sense in the world. I’ve learned not to be quick to anger while working with my patients. They teach you what true love is, that it’s unconditional. They love you unconditionally Something may happen, you may have a disagreement, but you come back ﬁve minutes later, and it’s like nothing ever occurred. The good part about it is that it’s all for free anyway

All I have to do is wake up and just show up the next day to get some more, and they’ll hand it to you on a platter They have so much love to give, so many stories to tell, so many jokes that they have.

It’s rewarding, and at the end of the day, I walk away with a purpose. This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Woman receives new treatment for rare form of ALS

BY ROBERTA BURKHART Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

On a quiet farm in Erie County Pennsylvania, 67-year-old Diane Zaczyk used to think nothing of hefting 50-pound sacks of chicken feed onto her shoulder Strong, stubborn and devoted to caring for her flock of chickens, ducks and geese, Diane rarely paused to think about her own health.

For years, the real battle had belonged to her husband, Joel, who endured surgery and treatment for oral cancer

Diane became his caregiver whipping up highprotein eggnog by the gallon to help him keep weight on. “Joel’s doctors were always impressed that his weight was really good,” she said with pride. But not long ago, it was Diane’s strength that began to slip away She found herself struggling to lift the feed bags she had carried for decades. Then her right foot started to drag. Stairs became harder

At ﬁrst, she blamed age or maybe her diabetes. Sometime around Christmas 2023, she could no longer ignore it. Tests ruled out Lyme disease. Then myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder Finally, this past February, came the answer that no one wanted: ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis affects the nervous system — specifically, the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The progressive and fatal disease, also commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, causes loss of muscle control, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Experts do not know what causes ALS, but about 10% of cases are inherited, or familial, explained neurologist Sandeep Rana, director of Allegheny Health Network’s ALS Center, who has been treating ALS patients, including Diane Zaczyk, for nearly three decades. Following Zaczyk’s diagnosis, she underwent genetic testing that revealed she had a very rare, inherited form of ALS a diagnosis only about 500 people in the

U.S. share. In September, Zaczyk will receive her sixth injection of a monthly genetic treatment approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April 2023 for those with inherited ALS via a mutation of the superoxide dismutase 1, or SOD1, gene. She is the ﬁrst patient at AHN to receive it, Rana confirmed. The hospital network is the only provider currently offering the treatment in Western Pennsylvania, according to the Qalsody website.

Qalsody — its generic name is tofersen is a gene therapy that reduces the levels of the toxic SOD1 protein that is created by the mutated gene. Research has shown that Qalsody reduces a marker of injury to the nerves in the brain, called neurofilament light chain, Rana said.

Neuroﬁlament light chain is a protein that acts as a biomarker for neuronal damage and neurodegeneration. It is released into the cerebrospinal ﬂuid and blood when neurons are injured, per a 2023 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Today, Qalsody is the only FDA-approved therapy that employs antisense oligonucleotide molecules that bind to the SOD1 mRNA, which signals the cell to destroy the mRNA before it can be translated into the harmful protein. The treatment has paved the way for similar approaches targeting other genetic forms of ALS, according to the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations

While the Qalsody’s phase 3 clinical trial did not show a statistically significant slowdown in disease progression, it is still considered an ALS treatment breakthrough as it targets the genetic cause of the disease, according to a 2023 article by Columbia University Irving Medical Center

When the gene that is responsible for Zaczyk’s form of ALS mutates, it doesn’t just stop working — it actually gains a harmful new function. The mutation makes the gene produce an

abnormal protein, and that protein damages the body, Rana explained.

If doctors can “quiet” or turn down the activity of the gene via monthly lumbar injections of Qalsody, like Zaczyk receives, the gene stops producing that toxic protein, which can help prevent further damage, Rana said.

Another AHN patient was set to receive the treatment, but died from ALS complications before it could begin, Rana said. “By the time she reached us, the disease had already progressed quite a bit.”

Early diagnosis of ALS is essential, especially in the case of those patients like Zaczyk who have the SOD1 mutation, Rana said.

While the treatment, which is injected directly into the spinal column during a hospital visit, cannot cure or reverse the disease, researchers believe more testing will reveal that it has the ability to halt additional damage and slow down the progression of symptoms that have already begun, Rana said. “We wanted to get the word out that there is this potential treatment available.”

So the Zaczyks make the trek to Pittsburgh from their Union City home — about 5 hours round trip — every month so she can receive the injection and get checked over by her medical team.

In August, she suffered a bit of a setback, after a small spill at home resulted in a broken leg She missed her August injection but expressed optimism that the lull in treatment may be useful in upcoming diag-

nostic testing. The results could reveal how well the treatment is working and whether it is slowing down the production of the toxic protein from her mutated gene, she said.

She said the injections — so far — have few side effects aside from some muscle stiffness the next day But she admitted that might just be from the long car ride.

“I started rather late I was pretty much already in the wheelchair If someone was able to find out they had this much earlier, their whole physical progress might be affected, might be totally different,” Zaczyk said.

That’s why Zaczyk wanted to share her story: to raise awareness and to urge others to start talking to their doctor right away if they’re noticing sudden weakness and other potential ALS symptoms. And to urge them to insist on genetic testing to see if they too might be a candidate for the treatment.

Early signs of ALS

ALS “starts with a weakness,” Rana said. “Usually, it’s painless weakness It could be in the hand, it could be in the leg. It could also sometimes start at the tongue,” causing slurred speech or difficulty swallowing.

From there, ALS spreads to other parts of the body, and “it’s relentlessly progressive Most classic ALS patients, usually survival is about three to ﬁve years after the onset of symptoms. So it’s a pretty rapidly evolving disease.”

Zaczyk said she has shared her diagnosis with relatives across Ohio Pennsylvania and New York Some have shown interest in genetic testing, while others prefer not to know, wanting to avoid the worry that can come with the results. Still, they understand the importance of seeing a doctor if they ever develop muscle weakness like she experienced at the onset of her illness, she said.

While ALS remains incurable, therapies like this give patients hope, slow their progression of symptoms and ultimately give them more time with their loved ones, Rana said.

“Our hope is that we can slow down the disease give them more time, and maybe even halt it for longer periods of time,” he said. Keeping patients independent in their “acts of daily living improves the quality of life.”

Often, patients are bedridden within two to ﬁve years from onset, he said. There are no significant differences in how an inherited ALS subtype like Zaczyk’s presents compared to the more common ALS manifestation, Rana said. “You cannot tell them apart. They look the same.” Inherited ALS can only be revealed via genetic testing, which, Rana said, is becoming an essential tool for patients As more treatments are approved, some will likely prove more effective for speciﬁc forms of the disease. Once a patient is diagnosed with this inherited form of ALS, their family members may also choose to undergo genetic testing to see if they also share the gene.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana.

Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you.

Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Shawn Williams, right

certified nursing assistant for 33 years, checks Elaine Block’s blood pressure on Sept. 3 in New Orleans.

Eat Fit LiveFit

Curdyour enthusiasm: Whycottage cheese deservesthe hype

It’sofficial:Cottagecheesehasmade quiteacomeback.Socialmediafeeds areﬁlledwithrecipesforcottage cheeseeverything–icecream,dips,chips, younameit.AndI’mdownforallofit. Becausehere’sthething—cottage cheesehasbeenunderratedforyears, quietlydeliveringbignutritioninahumble littletub.It’shighinproteinandcalcium, naturallylowinlactoseandendlessly versatile.

WhyCottageCheeseIsWorth TheCartSpace Thinkofcottagecheeseasthedairy aisle’sSwissArmyknife

•Proteinpowerhouse:With26to28 gramsofprotein,afullcupofcottage cheeseistheproteinequivalentof aboutfourouncesofleanmeat.

•Slow-releasefuel:It’srichincasein protein,whichdigestsslowly,keeping usfeelingfuller,longer.

•Electrolyteboost:Ahalf-cuphas tripletheelectrolytesofmanysports drinks—sodiumandpotassium.

•Calciumhit:Withover300mgof calciumperone-cupserving,cottage cheesesupportsbonehealth.

•Lowlactose:Roughly3gramsof lactoseperhalf-cup,makesitaﬁtfor manywhocan’ttolerateotherdairy.

•Endlessversatility:Blendascoop intosmoothies,swapforsourcream ormayoindips,whipintoicecream, stirintolasagna,makepopsicles…or justgrabaspoon.

MyThreeGo-ToClean-Label Favorites

•DaisyCottageCheese–Creamy, justthreeingredients

•GoodCultureOrganicWholeMilk–Pasture-raisedmilk, probioticcultures

•Nancy’sOrganicCultured–Billions ofprobiotics,cleanandtangy

Notallcottagecheesesarecreated equal.Myshortlistcheckstwoboxes:

•Simpleingredients:Milk,cream,salt orcultures—that’sit.

•Noextras:Nogums,starchesor thickenersthatcanmesswithtaste andtexture

DIYCottageCheese

Makingcottagecheeseathomeis easierthanyouthinkandsurprisingly entertaining.Simplyheatmilk,add vinegarandwatchthecurdsandwhey magicallyseparate.Thencomesthe cheeseclothstep,whichiswherethings reallygetfun.

TheBasics:

•Useanymilkyoulike—cow’smilk worksbestforcurdsthathold together.

•Wholemilkgivestherichestﬂavor andtexture(mypick).

•Manyrecipesaddcreamandsaltat theend.Ifoundthatwithwholemilk, youcanskipthecreamentirely.The saltispurelyoptional.Golow-sodium ornoneatallifthat’syourgoal.

•Nutritionfacts?Thesecanbetrickyto pindownbecausemuchofthemilk’s liquid(andnutrients)drainsoffinthe whey.Ifyouneedexactmacros,stick tostore-bought.

BY THENUMBERS

LOUISIANAHAS

MyGo-ToMethod: Warmonegallonofmilktoabout120 degrees. Stirin¾cupwhitevinegaruntilcurds form.

Letrest,thendrainthroughcheesecloth. Rinseundercoldwaterwhilesqueezing tocoolanddry Breakintocurds,season(ornot). Somerecipescallforaddingasmuch ashalfacupofcreamand1½teaspoons ofsalt,butIthinktherecipetastesgood withouteither—justadashofsalt,atmost.

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsnersEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

THESEVENTH-LOWEST RATIOOF DENTISTS IN THENATION

There are more than 200,000 dentists in the U.S.,a number that has consistently increased formore than twodecades before stabilizing in recent years.According to the American Dental Association, theU.S.dentist workforce is growing,becoming younger and more female though it is not growing in all geographic areas. Agap in the supply of dentists in urban counties versus rural counties has been increasing overtime and maycontinue to do so.youngerdentists are less likely to practice in rural areas, the ADAsaid in a2025 analysis of thecurrent dental workforce.

While the overall dentist-to-100,000 population ratio in the U.S. is 59.5 in 2024, these ratios varied by state, from alow of 40.2 in Arkansas to ahigh of 78.36 in Alaska. Louisiana had the seventh-lowest ratio of dentists per 100,000.

These 10 states had the highest ratios of dentists per 100,000, in descending order: n Alaska with 78.36 dentistsper 100,000, n Massachusetts with 78.24 dentists per 100,000,

SURVIVOR

Continued from page 1X

tenderness of the vulva, and changes in vulva color or skin, such as arash, sores or warts, are found onlyin vulvar cancer Cowan recommendsthat all women see agynecologist anddiscuss possible symptoms. Additionally, the OB-GYN canperformgenetic testing to detectfamilial genes of certain cancers.

“Wecan find out if apatient has amutation that is linked to one of these diseases,” Cowan said. “Wecan take those organs out before theybecome acancer. That is lifesaving.”

Beatingthe odds Cowan looked at Bessonet’sscans and scheduled

n Hawaii with 78.14 dentists per 100,000, n California with 76.59 dentists per 100,000, n NewJerseywith 75.15 dentists per 100,000, n Newyork with 71.27 dentists per 100,000, n Washingtonwith 70.33 dentists per 100 000 n Connecticut with 68.73 dentists per 100,000, n Colorado with 67.85 dentists per 100,000, n Maryland with 67.79 dentists per 100,000.

These states had the lowest ratios of dentists per100,000, in ascending order: n Arkansas with 40.22 dentists per 100,000, n Alabamawith 40.43 dentists per 100,000, n Mississippi with 43.56 dentists per 100,000, n Delaware with 45.82 dentists per 100,000, n SouthCarolina with 46.21 dentists per 100 000

n NewMexico with 46.8 dentists per 100,000, n Louisiana with 46.89 dentists per 100,000, n Tennessee with 47.51 dentists per 100,000, n Georgia with 47.58 dentists per 100,000,

her for robotic surgery to remove her ovaries the following Monday.But by the next week, Bessonetwas in excruciatingpain

“Myovaries were thesize of oranges,” Bessonet said. “But they grew to thesize of cantaloupes just before the surgery. Ialmostcouldn’t walk.”

When Bessonet woke up from surgery,her husband was crying.Her ovaries had rupturedinside herduring the operation, and Cowan had to cut and remove all traces ofcancer that she could

“The incision felt so long,” Bessonet said.“Cowan worked 16 hours that day on both me and herpatient before me.”

Twoweekslater,labsfrom Bessonet’ssurgeryfound that shehad Stage 3A ovarian cancer —cancer thathas

spread beyond the ovaries but is still confined to the abdomen and pelvis.

The ﬁve-year survival rate forthis type of ovariancancer is approximately 41%.

Bessonet,now 45, was always one to beat theodds. She had ahistory of endometriosis, adisease where tissuegrows outside the uterus, and was recommended ahysterectomy at 40. She was told she was never going to have children. She had two. She knew she was going to ﬁght this,too. Fiveweeks later,after losing 21 pounds and experiencingHurricane Francine with no electricity,Bessonet started chemotherapy

Bessonet took the strongest amount of chemo each round. She put her toes and hands in icefor ﬁve hours while receiving treatment,

Yourhomemadecottagecheesecanbe justasmultipurposeasthestore-bought stuff.Topitwithberriesandalow-sugar granola,drizzlealittlebalsamicreduction orservealongsideroastedveggies.

TheBottomLine

Cottagecheeseisaversatile,nutrientpackedstaplethat’sﬁnallygettingits spotlightasaneasywaytoaddprotein andﬂavortoalmostanything.Even ifyou’resolidly“teamstore-bought,” considertryingtheDIYversionjustto seewhatit’sallabout.It’scooltoseethe process,andifyou’relikeme,youmight getagoodlaughoutoftheexperience, aswell.It’sbeensaidtomimicmilkinga cow—andwhodoesn’twanttogivethat awhirl!?

ForthefullDIYrecipeandapeekatthe cheeseclothshenanigans,checkoutmy WGNOsegmentsonline.

n Indiana with 47.82 dentists per 100,000, n Iowa with 47.85 dentists per 100,000, n North Dakota with 48.33 dentists per 100,000. Looking ahead, the dentist workforce is near

to keep the dexterityinher fingers andtoes —a common symptom of chemo treatment. She usedaniced helmetinaneffort to keep her hair intact

“It’skind of like setting your head on ﬁre,” Bessonet said.

Butshe saved 70% of her hair

“I just had thewill to live,” Bessonet said. “It’s unbelievable to think about what Idid. The treatment had its own painful experience.”

During hertreatment

Bessonet was notidle. She didyogatwice aweekand cardio three times aweek. She gained 7pounds of muscle. She walked four miles a day,holding hands with her husband thewhole way.She started working outagain, weight trainingand all, just 8weeks after beginning

the endofa retirementsurgeamong baby boomer dentists, according to theADA.However, the supply of dentists is projected to increase through2040 driven in partbythe opening of newdental schools.

treatment. “I was just focused on keeping my body as strong as Icould,” Bessonet said. “I picked doctors that believed in me. Ididn’twant to know the statistics. Ijust wanted the best treatment.”

Her last day of chemo, the day she could ring the illustrious andbrilliant bell at Woman’s Hospital, an ice storm hit the city Bessonet thought no one could come support her; all of BatonRouge wasshut downafter all. “There were50people at the hospital that day,” Bessonet said. “Anybody that has ever loved me or believed in me wasthere. It was the most magical thing in my life. It wassomething you see in afairy tale.”

As of February,after four surgeries and three sessions of chemotherapy,Bessonet

was declared cancer-free. When Bessonet wasdiagnosedtwo yearsago, shetested positive forthe BRCA1 gene, agene that plays arole in DNA repair/ cell division and can increase the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. Bessonet will continue to take medication to suppress the BRCA1 gene.

“I’m here today because of herexcellence,” Bessonet said of Cowan. “I refer to her as my earth angel, and she says she’sjust doing her job.” To Bessonet, it seemed like every time she turned around, she hadlittle blessings that reafﬁrmed that she was awalking miracle. Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

BRO UGH TT OY OU BY

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Expert cancer care close to home

PhilippeE.Prouet,MD HematologyOncology

Learnmoreatochsner.org/CCA

‘Peopleunderstand redemption’

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

Sullivan Walter,56, sat at aconference table in the small converted house that now functionsasInnocence &JusticeLouisiana,formerly knownasInnocentProject NewOrleans.

He choked back tears when he recalled the moment he read aletter from Richard Davis, legal director at Innocence &Justice Louisiana.

The letter stated their belief in Walter’sinnocence and the organization’s commitment to get him released from prison.

After serving36years inprison for acrime he didn’tcommit, Walter came home free in 2022 —and he credits Davis’ and Innocence& Justice Louisiana’swork forgetting him out.

“IfI’m able to advocateonbehalf of justice, then Iwant to do so,” said Walter.“So, that’s my relationship with this organization.I truly appreciate all that has happened in regards to helping me.”

Jarvis Ballard, 46, said Innocence &Justice Louisiana means freedom for him. The organization committed to his exoneration andsaw it through until he was released from prison after serving 23 yearsfor acrime he did not commit.

Ballard says he continues to be involved at Innocence &Justice

Louisiana because they are like his extended family

“They still help us,”hesaid. “They’relike sisters and mothers and brothers. It’s just as important for me to check up on them, because Istill have guys that’scoming home from prison that they’ll help out.”

These two men’snew lease on life is the work that Innocence &Justice Louisiana is known for —exonerating innocent people who have served time for crimes they did not commit Ballardand Walter have gone on to be advocates at the Legislatureand testiﬁed against bills that would have either harmed them or would have stoppedthem from getting out,said Meredith Angelson, deputy director of Innocence &Justice Louisiana.

Beyond innocencework

Since 2001, the organization has been successful in freeing 75 factually innocent and unjustly sentenced clients in prisonacross Louisiana and Mississippi. However,the work goes beyond proving innocence. It extends to achievingjusticeand support clients.

For Jee Park, the executive director since 2018, knowing the clients, their families and beingbytheir sideswhilepursuing exoneration forthe innocent andjustice forthe unjustlypunished, makesthe long hours and the very hard work worth it.

Innocence&Justice Louisianaexpands awarenessof statewidework

Innocence& Justice Louisiana, one of the only nonproﬁt law ﬁrmsin Louisiana focused on post-conviction relief representation and long-term ongoing services after release, has ateam of seven specializedfull-time staff attorneys and three investigators who work together to provide quality legalrepresentation at no cost to their clients or families. They alsooffer reentry support and wrongful conviction compensation representation.

“Having this opportunity to bring someone homeissuchaprivilege,” Parksaid. “Then helping them through theirreentryjourney,and not to romanticize thereentry journey,because it is not easy.”

Innocence &Justice Louisiana has grown from asmall nonprofit law firm focused solely on freeing innocent people to alarger organization that providescomprehensive post-conviction legalrepresentation and support across all 64 parishes in Louisiana.

Time forachange

On Sept.13, IPNO unveiled its new name,Innocence& JusticeLouisiana, at its annual“Oh, Freedom!” Gala. This rebrand and website launch is designed to advance the organization’smission and provide a platform where individuals can seek assistance, learn about thejustice issues in Louisiana, andadvocatefor reform

Park says thatinjustice is notjusta city problem like New Orleans, but a statewide problem,which is another reason for the namechange.

The organization has traveled all over the state and worked with clients from north Louisiana to south Louisiana through mostoftheir history. Their ﬁrst exoneration of client outside of New Orleanswas in 2005.

The newname will better reﬂect itsmission,astheycontinuetohost events in Lafayette andShreveport that feature exonerated clients and their stories.

“Peoplewanttotalk to our clients They actually want to hear aboutthe experiences they have had,” Park said. “I do think everyone has aheart, and if youbring thehumanity and the

Crossing bridge to newhope

Istartedteaching high school English whenIwas 21 in aplace calledNew Hope It wasn’treally atown.Itwasn’t avillage.Itwas,inMississippi parlance, “a community” —a ruralareainLowndesCounty,Mississippi, withneighbors spread farand wide.However,ithad a great school andseveral churches thatanchoredthe community together.

At the time,I wasa recent graduate of Mississippi State University andlived33milesaway in Starkville,Mississippi. Each morning andafternoon,I drove to NewHope, crossing the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterwaytwice each dayjust outside Columbus, Mississippi. Itaught at NewHopefor two years, lucky enough to have the same group of 30 students both years. We gottoknoweach other well.

Toward the endofmysecond year,the school loaded up allthe ninth graders andteachers, and we traveledinschool busesall the way acrossthe county to the LowndesCountyVo-Tech Center. Iendedupsitting in abus seat with aninthgradernamed Lovess Johnson, whomIhad taught for two years. He knewmanyofmy stories, andIknewhis. We were to sit together forthe 20 minute drive to the Vo-Tech

As we left Columbus, we could seethe big bridge acrossTennessee-Tombigbee Waterwayahead Lovess, 15 at thetime,saidto me, “Look at that big bridge!” He wassoexcited andwas trying to getagood look at the bridge through thebus window As we gotcloser, he said, “Have youevercrossedthatbridge,Ms. Risher?”

Itoldhim that Icrossedittwice everyday —onmyway to and fromschool.ThenIlooked at him andsaid, “Lovess, have youever crossedthis bridge?”

At thatmoment, thebus reached thestartofthe bridge Lovessturnedtomewith agiant grin andsaid, “No ma’am, but I’m crossing it now.”

That’show thelastfew weeks have felt to me. Ihavenever crossedthe bridge of ahouse fire, but I’mcrossing it now. Like the smile on Lovess’ face indicated,there is powerinfirsts —and allthese newthings can be exciting, certainly transformative.Maybe Iwas approaching life like Ihad approached crossing the Tennessee-Tombigbee twiceaday.I thought Ihad seen it all, but then life keepssurprising us withnew bridgestocross. The fire hasalso shiftedmy perspective —things Itook for grantedineverydaylife,much like crossing thesame olebridge

ä See RISHER, page 2Y

STAFF PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRADLING

Convicted at age17for arapehedidn’t commit, Sullivan Walter,53, left, holds ashirtreading ‘Justice,’nearasign off La. 74 marking the entranceroad that leads to the gate of Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel with, from left hisbrothers Corner Walter Jr.and Byron Walter Sr and Innocence Project NewOrleans legal directorRichardDavis just after his release on Thursdayafternoon, August 25, 2022. His wasthe longest known wrongful incarceration of a juvenile in Louisiana history, and the fifthlongest in U.S. history, according to the National RegistryofExonerations.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Clients Elvis Brooks, left, and his sister,Earline Brooks Colbert, speak during InnocenceProject NewOrleans’s5th Annual Standfor Justice Acadiana celebrationonFebruary18atthe Downtown Convention Center in Lafayette.

INSPIRED DISCUSSIONS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Tips on communication

Lafayette conversation expert shares how a word can change someone’s day

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Fred Reggie, a Lafayette executive coach, international speaker and former board member of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, focuses on leadership, relationship and service culture development. Reggie was instrumental in leading the St. Jude Dream Home program and developing it nationally

He has written a book on communication titled, “Tell Me: How to initiate and nurture meaningful conversations with anyone, anywhere, anytime.” In his book he highlights the importance of meaningful conversations and emphasizes the power of asking “Tell me” questions to engage others. Can you tell me about your book and your expertise in communication?

I’ve been a member of the National Speakers Association for about 15 years, and communication is the impetus for the book.

Whenever I work with my clients, always at the outset of our engagement, I ask them to list three main areas that they’d like to work with, and communication always, without exception, falls in those three categories. It has to do with conversation and interaction — interaction with peers, interaction with superiors, interaction with clients and customers. The more I spoke with them about this, I realized that not just these executives, but people

in general, struggle with initiating conversation. It’s something that I think is becoming more and more pervasive in our society I call that cocoon communication, where we just want to, in general terms, sit in front of a laptop or cellphone and insulate ourselves from anything outside of that sphere.

When you hear someone else’s voice when you hear their inﬂection, their accent there’s a picture that’s colored right inside of our brains. There are chemicals that are released there: serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine.

I grew up in a Lebanese household. My father and grandparents were Lebanese immigrants, and storytelling was a big thing, so conversations were never something foreign to me I realized I needed to put this down in a book form because this is something that people struggle with professionally and socially They struggle with it in their family, and this could be the hook that gets people to engage in meaningful conversations.

What are your biggest tips for initiating conversation? I observed over 40 years ago that my clients would tell me how much trouble they had with small talk, particularly in professional, social environments. With one of my client, they didn’t know how to engage in small talk when there was hierarchy that kicked in.

If you want to start a conversation, use the phrase, “Tell me.”

Tell me about your family,

tell me about your business, tell me about your history in the company, right? Tell me when you got started

Tell me about some of the challenges you faced in the 20 years you have been in the company. Tell me about your vacation plans, your favorite sports team, whatever If you say “tell me,” you’re setting the stage for them to perform for you. All you have to do is be an active listener, because you have said, “I’m interested in what you have to say about this, so I’m going to pay attention to what you tell me.”

And if you’re still not comfortable getting into conversation, just say, “That’s very interesting.”

What do you hope to accomplish with your book?

It took me a couple of years to write it, and I just published it in July

If you read the book and your life has changed, or you change one person’s life because of something you’ve read in here — if

Q&A WITH FRED REGGIE

LAFAyETTE EXECUTIVE COACH, INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER

you’ve applied the skill set, and it resulted in a meaningful conversation then the book has accomplished what I wanted it to accomplish.

Everybody wants to hear and talk about artiﬁcial intelligence, but what they’re failing to see is the humanto-human relationship development That will never be replaced by AI. AI cannot empathize. AI cannot feel what you’re feeling. I will say this until I die, that 20 years from now, you will not be able to replace or replicate humans. You can come close to it, but you won’t generate the warmth and engagement that you feel when you have a great conversation.

Why do you think your book has been so successful on Amazon in the parent-and-adult-child-relationships category?

People are interested in communicating with their children and their adult children because our adult children are carving out their own lives. I have two older daughters, and each of them have their own dynamic going on because now they’re starting their family They’ve got the influence of their husbands, and now they have children. So, they live a different model than I did. Sometimes it’s difficult to have a meaningful conversation with them because they’re going in two different directions, but I want to find out about them, to find out what makes them tick today, and hopefully find some connection that’s made to their upbringing. They live a little bit of a different lifestyle than I did, but are the values the

Continued from page 1y

stories to people, they will listen. People understand redemption.” Park says that even though Louisiana has some of the more harsh criminal laws in the country, people throughout the state care and recognize that some individuals need second chances.

Expanding ‘to help more folks

Expanding awareness of the Unjust Punishment Initiative is also another reason for the shift to Innocence & Justice Louisiana. Started in 2019, the Unjust Punishment Initiative supports clients who may not be innocent of the crime, but whose sentences are extreme and unfair

“We’re really good at what we do, so we decided to turn our attention to help more folks, and we were able to bring home the guys who were doing excessive sentences,” Park said. Shannon Ferguson from St.

Mary Parish was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a rock of cocaine the size of a coarse grain of salt. Ferguson was 52 when he was arrested, so his sentence meant he would die in prison. He was incarcerated for 11 years before Innocence & Justice Louisiana, then IPNO, represented him and helped to free him.

Angelson said that one way the organization finds clients like Ferguson is by sending surveys to prisoners who they identify as having long sentences for nonviolent crimes.

“When they found me in Angola and called me on the phone, I went to crying,” Ferguson said. “And since I’ve been home, they’ve been like my right hand.” Life after coming home

“It’s a lifelong journey, right?” Park said.

She says that when a person becomes a client of the organization, Innocence & Justice Louisiana is with them through the valleys and peaks of what’s happening in their lives, and

that they will stand with, support and ensure the clients have what they need to successfully rebuild their lives.

For example, for Ferguson, who is 65 years old with health problems it looks like Innocence & Justice Louisiana staff accompanying him to his appointments, providing a social worker, working with him on beneﬁts and being a pal, Angelson said. Both Ballard and Walter agree that coming home is only the beginning to reentry. Life after release and exoneration is a constant struggle, Walter said, and support is key to survival.

“Things can be so challenging because of all the many years that I have lost,” Walter said. “I went to prison when I was only 17 years old. I was released at 53. I served the longest term of wrongful incarceration in the state of Louisiana history as a juvenile Those were signiﬁcant years of my growth, as a person, as a human being in society I’ll do my best. I’ll put my best foot forward to get the most out of

life, but things can be so complicated.”

Walter added that before his incarceration, he had never been in a relationship, had never had a house on his own, had never had his own transportation, never had a job, a bank account, or any of those things. So to have to come home at 53 and try and work toward some of these things is a trying process.

Ballard, Ferguson and Walter regard Innocence & Justice Louisiana as an essential piece of their freedom journeys and postrelease lives.

“They got involved because they had seen the injustice, and they didn’t give up,” Walter said.

“They wasn’t going to allow it to just be left alone. And they made a difference. So whether or not it’s Innocence Project New Orleans, or whether or not it’s Innocence & Justice Louisiana now, I support it. It’s relevant. It’s necessary.”

Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

same? Did I import the right values?

How important is curiosity with your family and genuine wonder to find out what’s going on? There are no neutral encounters with people When you meet or interact with people, you either bring them up or you bring them down. How do you bring people up? You make them feel special You make them feel seen, initiating a conversation. Whether it’s a clerk at the checkout counter in the store, or just anybody, you never know where they are. You’re meeting them where they are on their journey Sometimes just one word, one affirmation, changes their whole perspective for the day Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

RISHER

Continued from page 1y

each morning and afternoon, feel a lot more miraculous now In the last few weeks, I’ve experienced profound appreciation time and again, in a variety of moments all are linked to the generosity of friends, including moments like: n washing my face with hot water and my own wash cloth; n putting on a pair of new shoes sent to me by a friend; n eating a bowl of soup a friend dropped by, with a loaf of crusty bread; n multiple friends coming to my rescue to help hang drapes in our temporary home on a day when I didn’t have it in me to do so; n extra furniture that other friends were happy to share.

Appreciating life’s little graces and moments of beauty is a lovely way to live. This week, as we have started to settle in the rental where we’ll be living for a while as they rebuild our home, I met new neighbors, including a 7-year-old boy named Henry and his 6-year-old sister named Lucy, who has pink glasses “just like” mine.

As I was standing on the sidewalk admiring Henry’s bike, he took off his helmet, hit the bicycle seat and said to me, “I got this baby a couple of Christmases ago.” Right about then, Lucy ran out the front door holding a piece of paper She yelled, “I made you something. I made you something.”

She ran up to me and presented me with a picture that her mom said Lucy worked on for a long time. It’s of a superhero girl wearing a cape and sporting pink glasses. On the bottom of the coloring sheet, Lucy wrote in her littlegirl handwriting “Hi Neighbor, from your neighbor Lucy.” New hope sometimes comes in the form of new neighbors — and places anchored by schools and churches. All these years later, our house ﬁre has reminded me that communities are still held together by friends, family and faith, especially when it’s time to cross a new bridge.

Getting to the other side of new and difﬁcult bridges requires moving forward. Sometimes we can’t be sure if we can make it all the way across until we’re on the new bridge. Which is where we ﬁnd ourselves — and just like Lovess, we’re crossing it now

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Fred Reggie, a Lafayette native, is an executive coach, international speaker and expert in leadership and service culture development. He is the author of ‘Tell Me: How to initiate and nurture meaningful conversations with anyone, anywhere, anytime.’

PROVIDED PHOTO

Fred Reggie’s book, ‘Tell Me...’ is about how to initiate meaningful conversation.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Larry Moses talks about the years he spent wrongly imprisoned during a presentation by clients of Innocence Project New Orleans to students enrolled in Northside High School’s Academy of Legal Studies on Feb 5, 2024, in Lafayette.

Dementia care provides servicefor lovedones

BY QUINN COFFMAN

Staff writer

Standing inside Charlie’s Place feels familiar —the same comfortable calm that might ﬁll the living room or parlor of agrandparent, ﬁt with trappings straight out of Baby Boomers’ heyday

Plaid-upholstered armchairs in muted greens and redlinethe walls. Asmall fountain trickles in a rock-lined garden out the window Elvis and JerryLee Lewis sheet music sits open on an old playerpiano.

Charlie’sPlace is one of themost successful programs at Alzheimer’sServices of theCapital Area, with its main location on North Boulevard in Baton Rouge. It provides aspace for those suffering from dementia to socialize away from their family for six hoursa day,afew days each week.

Looking closer at the space, you might notice afew eccentricities: therealistic-looking catsitting on the radio set doesn’tactually move, there’sanextra mailbox in the back garden and one wall panel is actually adoor concealed in plain sight, ﬁt with abaseboard and hidden hinges.

This split nature of Charlie’s Place shows that there are two set of clientsthe programserves: the person with dementia and the loved one who gets abreak from caring for them at home.

“Weknow that thatcaregiver cannot give care at homewithout getting respite time, it’stoo stressful,” said Barbara Auten, executive director of Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area. “So by providing respite, we allow the caregiverstocare fortheir loved one at home for amuch longer period of time.”

Personalized care

Before Charlie’sPlace, there was just ahelpline for families caring for aloved one with dementia to call andget advice.Alzheimer Services grew from there, with educational conferences, seminars and support groups In the 2000s, anew understanding of how needed day-care pro-

grams were for thosewith dementiawas growing inthe larger Alzheimer’scommunity,Auten said.

When Charlie’s Placestarted in 2007, it was the only program of its kind in Louisiana. Today,there are three Charlie’sPlace locations, in Baton Rouge, Baker and Gonzales.

“Initially our thought was that we would provide one day a month,” she said. “The caretakers were up in arms and said, ‘No, we need atleast one day aweek.”

That needisvery real —not just so caretakers can runerrands or have social time themselves, but for their own most basic needs.

“Literally just taking ashower withouthavingtoworry about what their person is getting into or having them in the bathroom too,”

Stephanie Hull Cook, the public relations coordinator at Alzheimer Services ofthe Capital Area said.

For $65a day,caretakers can now leave their loved ones at Charlie’sPlace two days each week.

Those who can’tpay can have their fees negotiated down to something manageable—aslong as they pay something,which Auten says encourages caretakers not to miss days

“If they can’taffordresidential care, it’stheir only option,” Auten said.

Charlie’s Place is a“social model”ofcare, not amedical one.

Nurses arenot on staff, andthey can’t take dementiapatients who can’twalk, eat or go to thebathroom on their own.

But this socialmodel is alsotailor-made to each client.

“Weincorporate theircareers, hobbies, history to make it amuch more person-centeredprogram,” Autensaid. “Each oneofour staff is familiar with these stories, and they have to knowatleast three things from each client’shistory to redirect them with.”

One example was agentleman whospoke sevenlanguages,with Spanish being hisﬁrst.Ifhedidn’t wanttoparticipateina group project that day,staff would ﬁnd hishometown news in Spanish for himonaniPad.

Othertimes, the redirectionis simpler, like with the fake mail-

ing to church.

“If you put arosary in the hands of someone who hasbeen spiritually aCatholic their whole life,they might be nonverbal,but they’ll start praying,” Auten said. “Spirituality andlove transcend thedisease.”

Wheretheir braincan excel

Standing in thekitchen area, with the baby-proofed stove top behind him, Dedrick Welchjokes about being an odd-couplewith his coworker Marcia Kirk. Both are respite center workers at Charlie’s Place.

“I’m 38, she’s70. She’s from the North, I’m from the South,” he said,” Iwas like, ‘It’ll never work.’”

But Welch and Kirk have served hundredsofclientstogetherin their collective 23 yearsatCharlie’sPlace.

religiously Otherdays, theywill just sit and talk about the news, usually with one client reading newspaper headlines to the group.

“Westayinthe part of the brain wheretheycan still excel,”Welch said. “Westay in that long term memory,which is where alot of their happy feelings are, things that they went through.”

ButWelch andKirkalsoknow that what they do is just as much for the caretakers as it is for those with dementia.

One caretaker told Kirk that “this is theonly placehis wife likes to come, theonly place he can get her to.”

box in thegarden. If aclient is upsetoruninterested in theactivity at hand, astaff memberwill ask them to go grab themail out back.

Thisredirection of aclient’senergyintosomething they can feel useful doing extends to sometimes even tellinghigher-functioning clients that they are at Charlie’s Place as volunteers, there to help theother clients.

It’sall part of learning each clients’ needs, Hull Cook said.

“Ourstaff will diagnoseaUTI beforethe family even knows about it,because theyknow the symptoms, they see the change in their demeanor,” she said. “I’m telling you, they just know theirclientsand they can see the change.”

Losing this independence, especially being able to driveoneself,is oneofthe most distressing things for those suffering from dementia, Autensaid. At Charlie’sPlace, staff triestoencourage independence and movement.

“Weencourage them to go out in thegardenand do activities We encourage them to dance. We encourage themtoparticipate,” Auten said. “It’sverytrue thatif you don’tuse it, you lose it.”

Forthis reason, families are toldtohelp their loved ones with dementia do as much of their normal routine as possible: keeping up with hobbiesand oldfriends, or go-

Together,they run clients through shared meals, activities, conversations and presentations from visitors.

“What makesCharlie’ssospecial is ourtiestothe community,” Welch said. “For instance, theKids World daycare of Gardere,their kids will comeand theyteach us allthe newdances that we didn’tthink we needed to know.”

Other visitors, like Washboard Willy,known for his State Fair performances of country,Cajun andbluegrass music, or an LSU theater professor,who organizes acting and reading exercises, have performed for the clients.

Most days, however,clients are treated to Kirk’spiano music,playingoff of sheet-music books from all the hits of yesteryear.Welch said that often even if clients can’t rememberwhatthey ate for breakfast, they canremember allthe lyricsofJohnny Cash or Carl Perkins.

“Wehave aboutfourorﬁve (clients) who are 80 or 90, andthen you have some in their 70s, and if you think about it those are completely differentgenerations,” Welch said.

“But shedoes agreat job, reaching all the way through time.”

One of clients’ favorite activities is getting new kinds of ice cream and deciding whetheror notthey’re good.Welch hasmade it his duty to check for new ﬂavors

“Most are amazed, because there’snothing quitelike this,” Welch added. “They love to see them leave out and they’re happy and energetic. They love to hear about some of the things we did, they won’t always remembereverything we do,but they’ll say ‘wemade this today,wearrangedthis today.’ They love to hear thatthey’re doing something, and that they’re amongst friends.”

Staff at Charlie’s Place explained that every relationship between a caretaker and aloved one with dementia is different. Husbands or wives are equally as likely to be the one needing care.

Caretakers can be spouses, parents or other relatives. If not family,thenthe caretaker is likelya neighbor,but not as often afriend, Auten said.

“I call it that sense of community,” Welch said. “You’ve been neighbors so long, youend up takingcare of that person who’s been next door to youfor 30 or 40 years.”

With the BatonRouge Charlie’s Place having been open for nearly two decades, staff have even begun to have discussions about changing out the armchairs and decorationstoreﬂect anew generation of clients. Eventually,Welch joked, the sheet music on the piano might have some of his favorite artists on it.

Email Quinn Coffmanatquinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.

FAITH & VALUES

From addiction to the finish line

Shelter residents take on half-marathon

BOB SMIETANA

Contributing writer

Marcos Hernandez says he has spent most of his life running

Mostly trying to get away from God.

“I’ve been running from him — running with the devil,” says Hernandez, a resident of Wayside Cross, a Christian recovery center and shelter in the Chicago suburbs.

These days, Hernandez, who says he is four years sober is running for a different reason. If all goes to plan, he and seven other Wayside Cross residents will toe the line at the Fox Valley half-marathon in St. Charles, Illinois, in a few weeks with hopes of ﬁnishing the 13.1-mile race.

For the past two months, Hernandez and other residents have been waking up at 5 in the morning, three days a week, as part of Up and Running Again, a national program that helps residents of homeless shelters and rescue missions train for half-marathons. Since 2010, more than 1,300 participants have finished a half-marathon through the program, which has partnerships with nonproﬁts in 10 locations, from Washington state and Los Angeles, to Knoxville and Aurora.

The idea is to use running and friendship as tools for transformation, said the Rev Bruce McEvoy a pastor and avid marathoner who serves as a volunteer coach for the program.

“Together we can do hard things,” McEvoy said, who has run 35 marathons and hopes to run one in every state. The program is simple but intense. For 12 weeks, participants like Hernandez run three days a

Four years ago, McEvoy approached leaders at Wayside Cross about starting the running program after a friend at church told him about it. They jumped at the idea, he said.

This year’s group started back in June with about 13 runners. By early August, the midway point of training, eight were left. On a summer afternoon, the remaining runners gathered in a classroom at Wayside Cross to talk about the experience. The day before, they’d all gone to a store to be ﬁtted with new shoes, paid for by Up and Running Again. The program will also pay the race entry fee.

wanted to challenge himself and do something hard but necessary

Tom McCall, a longtime Wayside Cross resident, is back for his third year

McCall, who began running in prison, qualified for the Boston Marathon earlier this year, where he ran a personal best of 3:09:37. McCall, who spent six years in prison before coming to Wayside Cross at the end of 2022, is currently training for the Chicago Marathon. He now lives in a discipleship house owned by the ministry and has become one of the coaches.

be a celebration, said Up and Running Again founder and Chief Running Officer Steve Tierney, and a chance for runners to receive afﬁrmation for what they have accomplished in getting to race day

“Everyone has a good time,” he said. “And it’s just so healing.”

week — two shorter runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, followed by a long run on Saturday. Participants are paired with volunteer coaches who give tips and motivation while running side by side.

“When you’re running shoulder to shoulder, you’re sharing life with one another,” said McEvoy, the pastor for local and global impact at Chapel Street Church, an evangelical congregation with four locations in Chicago’s suburbs. The church has long had ties to Wayside Cross, a nearly century old riverfront shelter and recovery center in Aurora, founded as a result of an evangelical crusade by baseball player-turnedpreacher Billy Sunday in 1927. Most of the people Wayside Cross works with have dealt with addiction and homelessness. The program provides food and housing for free. Residents are required to attend classes and chapel and to have a job — ﬁrst for the ministry and then outside.

Will Dominguez, 42, said he was already surprised at how far the group had come. The ﬁrst few runs were difﬁcult, and Dominguez found himself out of breath much of the time. But a volunteer running coach gave him some tips that helped. And the more he ran, the better he felt.

“Before I know it, I’m running ﬁve miles and looking forward to running,” he said.

Nick Adams, 21, said he has also seen benefits. He’s dropped 30 pounds in the few months since he came to Wayside Cross and started running. Dressed in a blue Up and Running Again T-shirt, he also recounted seeing deer and other wildlife along the Fox River Trail, where most of the group’s runs are held.

“A coyote ran in front of me the other day,” he said.

Perhaps the fastest runner in the group is James Milschewski, 32, who has been at Wayside Cross for ﬁve months. He enjoys the camaraderie of being with the other runners. But he’s not a fan of the runs.

“I told myself I was not going to enjoy doing this,” he said. “And that’s held true. I do not like getting up early to do it.” Still, he said he signed up for training because he

Running with the group has helped him with his marathon training, said McCall. Because they are slower, he’s forced to take his time. His runs with the group have become what he calls “recovery runs” from his marathon training.

“Helping these guys helps me,” he said.

McCall said he knows the challenges the other runners face — particularly when starting out. Although he had been running in prison, McCall said he’d lost most of his ﬁtness progress during COVID, when he and other prisoners were locked down. Then, after his release, he came to Wayside Cross, where residents are required to stay on campus during their first few months.

By the time he started running again, it was mid-January 2023 and freezing outside. He barely made a mile during his early runs. “It was a lot easier just to quit,” he said. “But I went ahead and started over again.”

McCall said that, if they stick with it, the other runners will learn what he’s learned from running.

“I know anything worth having is hard work,” he said. On the night before the race, the runners will gather for dinner with friends and family That event will

Tierney, a CPA from Southern California, said he’s been surprised at the program’s success. He started running in 2008, with the help of a marathon training guide for people who had never run before The book advised that newcomers start by alternating walking and running and slowly building up from there. Before he knew it he was running long distances.

“It was the most amazing thing ever,” he said. “Each week, I was telling myself, I’m doing something I had never done before. How often do you get to tell yourself that?”

He began to wonder if other people could beneﬁt from a similar experience. Before long, he was proposing starting a running program at Orange County Rescue Mission, which became a success.

Being involved in Up and Running Again changed his life, said Tierney It got him out of what he called his “Christian bubble” and allowed him to rub shoulders with people from all walks of life. It has also made him more empathetic with those who have experienced addiction or other struggles.

“I would say that we are all one or two mistakes from being in the same position,” he said.

At Wayside Cross, the runners were looking ahead to race day, knowing they’d get there by showing up one day at a time. “I want to cross that ﬁnish line,” said Dominguez, drawing inspiration from a famed Bible verse “Just ﬁnish the race.”

Annual cruise to study Gulf ‘dead zone’ celebrates 40 years

Program stays afloat amid cuts that threaten to ground it

ELISE PLUNK

Contributing Writer

Editor’s note: This story, created by Elise Plunk for the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is part of the AP Storyshare. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world

Despite being called a “cruise,” the people on board The Pelican described the experience on the hypoxia monitoring expedition as very different from the elaborate dinners on a towering vacation ship or booze- and buffet-filled Caribbean itinerary

Passengers described waves up to ﬁve feet high in the Gulf of Mexico, swinging the 116-foot research vessel like a pendulum, plaguing anyone who didn’t have sturdy sea legs with bouts of seasickness Daytime temperatures in late July soared ever higher as sweat dripped down the backs of hard-hat covered heads. The guests on board The Pelican weren’t seeking pleasure or status. They were unpaid students and researchers who say they weathered the conditions in the name of science itself.

“It’s not glamorous, but it is very important,” said Cassandra Glaspie, assistant professor at Louisiana State University and the chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual hypoxia cruise.

The 11-day voyage provides vital information on the sealife and environmental conditions within the seasonal low-oxygen zone that develops off the coast of Louisiana. The data the cruise collects informs state and federal efforts to reduce the size of the “dead zone” and sheds light on impacts to those who rely on the water for their livelihoods, like shrimpers and ﬁshermen.

Now after its 40th year and 38th hypoxia cruise, The Pelican’s annually planned journey faces challenges to stay aﬂoat, potentially undermining decades of research and future plans to get the dead zone under control.

A decades long struggle Biologists, undergraduate student researchers and crew alike celebrated the cruise’s 40th anniversary

aboard The Pelican with a party that had an “old bird” theme chosen to honor the boat, which has also been sailing for 40 years. More than just an excuse to eat cake (with rainbow sprinkles), the purpose of the cruise is to capture information snapshots of just how bad conditions get in the dead zone.

“We bring water up to the surface.

We have a little chemistry lab to ﬁgure out what the oxygen level is chemically, and then we can validate that against what our sensors are telling us,” Glaspie said.

The low-oxygen area appears annually as nutrients, primarily from agricultural fertilizers from the massive Mississippi River Basin, drain downriver and spur algae overgrowth.

Algae eat, defecate and die, using up the oxygen in the water when they decompose and sink to the bottom. Fish, shrimp and other marine life leave the low oxygen area when they can and suffocate when they can’t, putting pressure on the vital commercial Gulf fishery and the people who rely on it Exposure to low-oxygen waters can also alter reproduction, growth rates and diet in ﬁsh species.

Glaspie took over the work of coastal scientist Nancy Rabalais, who launched the maiden cruise in 1985 and led it for decades after.

Every summer begins with a forecast of the zone’s predicted size, es-

timated by various scientiﬁc models and measurements of nitrogen and phosphorus throughout the river basin taken throughout the year

“A lot of times with pollution, you hear anecdotal evidence of how it might be increasing cancer rates or it might be causing ﬁsheries to fail,” Glaspie said. “Here, we have an actual, measurable impact of nutrient pollution in the Mississippi River watershed.”

The Mississippi River/Gulf of America Hypoxia Task Force, an interagency federal, state and tribal effort to reduce the size of the dead zone, uses data from the cruise to determine whether it is meeting its goals.

In the past five years, the dead zone has been as large as 6,700 square miles, and even larger in previous years, reaching nearly the size of New Jersey

While still more than two times the size that the Task Force wants, the Gulf dead zone was slightly smaller than forecasted this year, about the size of Connecticut at around 4,400 square miles.

Federal and state ofﬁcials lauded the limited success of the zone’s smaller size in a July 31 press conference held to discuss the results of the hypoxia cruise’s 2025 ﬁndings

They also called for continued work.

“It requires strong collaboration between states, tribes, federal partners and stakeholders,” said Brian

Frazer, the EPA’s Ofﬁce of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds director

Mike Naig, Iowa’s agriculture secretary, said states should be “scaling up” initiatives to reduce nutrient pollution. Whether or not this will actually happen is uncertain.

Funding cuts

Since the Trump administration took office, funding for nutrient reduction efforts upriver as well as money to operate the cruise itself have been scaled back or cut entirely

The Environmental Protection Agency’s 319 and 106 funding programs under the Clean Water Act are the main funding mechanisms for states to reduce nutrient pollution throughout the Basin. Those grants aren’t funded in President Trump’s proposed FY 2026 budget, said Frazer

The 106 programs have historically doled out $18.5 million annually according to the EPA, with additional money sometimes allocated from Congress. The 319 program provided $174.3 million in FY 2025. The cuts to these programs are not yet ﬁnal. Congress can decide to add in additional funding, and has in past years.

States rely on both funds to reduce and monitor nutrient runoff in their waters, said Matt Rota, senior policy director for Healthy

Gulf, a nonproﬁt research group. Rota has monitored policy changes surrounding the Gulf dead zone for more than 20 years, and he questions whether current reduction strategies can be maintained, let alone efforts redoubled.

“It’s always good to see a dead zone that’s smaller than what was predicted,” Rota said. “I am not conﬁdent that this trend will continue.”

Aside from cuts to reduction efforts, money for The Pelican’s annual cruise is also slipping away. Glaspie said that, ideally, the cruise has 11 days of funding. It costs about $13,000 a day to operate the vessel, she said.

“It’s a relatively inexpensive program” with big payoffs for seafood industry workers who rely on the water for their livelihoods Rota said. “This is baseline stuff that our government should be doing.”

Funding for the hypoxia cruise has been part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual operational budget, making it a more reliable source than grant funding. But with the Trump administration taking a hatchet to government-backed research, there is increasing uncertainty over whether The Pelican and its crew will embark upon future missions.

This year, Glaspie said, NOAA defunded a day of the cruise. The Gulf of America Alliance, a partnership group to support the Gulf’s economic and environmental health amongst the ﬁve bordering states, stepped in to make up the difference. Glaspie said having that additional day was a saving grace for the research.

“This is a fine-tuned machine, and the consequences for cutting it short are really predictable and well-known,” she said. “If I’m asked to create an estimate of the surface area of hypoxia, and we’re not able to cap off the end in Texas waters, I’m not really going to be able to give a reliable estimate.”

Even without additional cuts, Glaspie said she already conducts the hypoxia cruise “on a shoestring budget.” Researchers on board don’t get paid, and every person who supports its mission besides the crew that runs the boat – is a volunteer

“It’s tough for me to not pay people. I mean, they’re working solid 12-hour shifts. It is not easy and they are seasick for a lot of this, and they can’t call home,” Glaspie said. “It doesn’t sit well with me to not pay people for all this work, but this is what we’ve had to do because we don’t have the money to pay them.”

PHOTO COURTESy TIM RATLIFF Moses Hernandez and Manny Saenz proudly wear their new Up and Running T-shirts.

PROVIDED PHOTO By CASSANDRA GLASPIE

Students Jorddy Gonzalez and Lily Tubbs retrieve the CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) sensor package after measuring dissolved oxygen at a regular stop on the annual hypoxia cruise while students watch.

SUNDAY, September 14, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

grams wonderword

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

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

todAY's Word — PAstorAL: PASS-terul: Relating to shepherds or herdsmen.

Average mark 39 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 58 or more words in PASTORAL?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

Greed is not good

Some hands with 5-4-2-2 distribution are well suited to a two no-trump opening. South chose two clubs with this major-suitoriented hand so he could get both of his suits in. North’s two no-trump response showed a balanced hand with 8-10 points

He thought he was too good to pass four hearts so he cue bid his diamond control, leading to this excellent slam.

wuzzLes

super Quiz

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

SUBJECT: SHORT MEN

(e.g., He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. The first human to enter outer space.

Answer________

2. Singer-songwriter who paired with Art Garfunkel.

Answer________

3. He was known as the “Little Tramp.”

Answer________

4. His sixth album was “Purple Rain.”

Answer________

5. He led the successful campaign for India’s independence.

Answer________

GRADUATE

South won the opening diamond lead with dummy’s king and drew trumps in three rounds. Without giving it much thought, he began to run his spades, believing that he would make an overtrick if the spades split 3-3 and just make his contract if they split 4-2. He didn’t bother to think what might happen if the spades split 5-1, or worse. When East discarded on the second spade, South could no longer make his slam. He had to lose a spade and a club. Provided the trumps split 3-2, the slam was cold regardless of the split in spades South should have drawn trumps, ending in dummy, and then run the 10 of spades. He might still make seven if East has the jack of spades, and no bad spade split could defeat him Too bad.

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency goren

It’s time to explore the possibilities and expand your qualifications and skills to meet demands.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Gather information, verify facts and put together an affordable plan that will help you invest more in your future. Distance yourself from what holds you back SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) The information you receive will point you in a direction that allows you to mix old ideas with current trends

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Recognize problems, and you’ll find solutions that can transform your life and bring you closer to the people you love. Expose your feelings, and something good will transpire.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Refuse to let your emotions cloud your view or lead you down the wrong path. Take note of what’s happening around you, but don’t rely on secondhand information.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take a pass if you don’t like what you hear,

what something costs or what’s expected of you. Set goals to initiate physical activities, follow a healthy diet and keep a strict budget.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Trust your instincts, not what you hear from a third party Take the path that feels right instead of following everyone else. Home improvements will cost more than anticipated.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Emotional situations will require your undivided attention and discipline. Set boundaries and establish clear rules to protect yourself from anyone who tries to take advantage of you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Simplify your life; don’t share secrets or personal data. Expand your knowledge and interests, and build a strong foundation to showcase your capabilities and promote your availability

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Pay attention to your needs. It’s OK to put yourself first and to enjoy a moment of “me time.” Personal growth and self-improvement are excellent starting points for a new journey CANCER (June 21-July 22) An open mind will spark your imagination regarding home and personal

improvements. A financial boost looks likely if you apply for a higher position or sell items you no longer use.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Spend more time at home. Enhance your space to accommodate projects that will increase your comfort and convenience. A commitment you make will promote long-term security

Answers to puzzles

1. Yuri Gagarin.2.Paul Simon. 3. Charlie Chaplin. 4. Prince.5.Mahatma Gandhi.6.Pablo Picasso. 7. Michael J. Fox.8.Woody Allen 9. Harry Houdini.10. Danny DeVito. 11. James Madison. 12.Andrew Carnegie. 13. Voltaire 14.Daniel Radcliffe. 15. Ludwig van Beethoven.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Onion rings are just vegetable donuts. —Cookie Monster