The University of Louisiana at Lafayette enrolled its largest freshman class in history and saw
The school welcomed 3,214 firsttime freshmen for fall 2025, a nearly 5% increase over last year, the university said in a news release Monday afternoon. Its overall enrollment grew to 19,723 students, nearly 3% more when compared with last fall. Of those enrolled in the university, about 16,000 are degree-seeking students. The other more than 3,600 students are enrolled in training courses, professional and
3,214
continuing education programs, and seeking certifications.
“Students and families are choosing the university because it offers a combination of excellent academics, a fun and sup-
portive environment, and top-tier research opportunities,” said DeWayne Bowie, vice president for enrollment management. This is one of UL’s largest total enrollments in about 10 years, ac-
Louisiana is set to slash testing for high schoolers
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Beginning in 2028, high school students in Louisiana will see the number of mandatory state tests they take decrease from six to four
State-mandated exams will drop from six to four beginning in 2028
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Here’s a math problem that Louisiana high schoolers might enjoy solving: Six mandatory state tests minus two.
cording to historical data on the university’s website. In fall 2016, the total enrollment was 17,519. Enrollment slowly decreased and dipped to 15,219 in fall 2022. It rose in 2023 and 2024. The freshman class, expected to graduate in 2029, is made up of students from 448 high schools who hold a mean cumulative high school GPA of 3.59 and a composite ACT score of about 25, according to the school.
President Donald Trump speaks Monday at the White House as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., left, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Dr Mehmet Oz listen.
Trump pushes unproven ties between Tylenol, autism
New evidence not provided; vaccine concerns also raised
BY ALI SWENSON and AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Monday used the platform of the presidency to promote unproven ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism without giving new evidence.
The comprehensive English assessment will replace separate English I and English II end-of-course exams, while the math assessment will replace separate Algebra I and geometry tests. Students will take both comprehensive tests in 10th grade.
The changes will not affect Louisiana’s graduation requirements, which require high schoolers to pass
Beginning in 2028, high schoolers will take one comprehensive test in math and one in English down from two tests in each subject, state Department of Education officials said. The civics and biology tests will continue, for a total of four state tests instead of six.
at least three state exams. But they will cut down on mandatory testing.
“Through doing this,” said state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley “we will have significantly reduced the amount of time that students are taking standardized tests in the state of Louisiana and provided more time for instruction.”
The proposed high school changes, which the state Board of Elementary
ä See TESTING, page 4A
Speaking from the White House, Trump said women should not take acetaminophen, also known by the brand name Tylenol, “during the entire pregnancy.” He said the Food and Drug Administration would begin notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen “can be associated” with an increased risk of autism, but did not immediately provide any medical evidence for the FDA’s new recommendation.
Trump also raised unfounded concerns about vaccines contributing to rising rates of autism, which affects 1 in 31 U.S. children today according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said that at Trump’s urging he is launching an “all-agency” effort to identify all causes of autism, involving the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the CDC and the Centers for Medicare
Supreme Court to decide president’s power to shape agencies
Overturning of 90-year-old ruling possible
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider ex-
panding President Donald Trump’s power to shape independent agencies by overturning a nearly century-old decision limiting when presidents can fire board members.
In a 6-3 decision, the high court also allowed the Republican president to carry out the firing of Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission, while the case plays out. It’s the latest high-profile firing the court has allowed in recent months, signaling the conservative majority could be poised to overturn or narrow a 1935 Supreme Court decision that found commissioners can only be removed for misconduct or neglect of duty The majority has previously indicated that the president likely has the power to remove board members at will, with some exceptions, because those agencies exercise executive power
Brown Jackson, dissented from the decision allowing Slaughter’s firing. It comes after similar decisions affecting three other independent agencies.
They have suggested the Federal Reserve might be different, however, a prospect expected to be tested by the case of fired Fed Governor Lisa Cook. Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji
“Congress, as everyone agrees, prohibited each of those presidential removals,” Kagan wrote. “Yet the majority, stay order by stay
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
Tiger kills handler during show in Okla
OKLAHOMA CITY A large tiger fatally attacked an animal handler as horrified onlookers watched during the end of a big cat show at a preserve in southeastern Oklahoma, officials said Monday Ryan Easley, 37, was dead when deputies arrived Saturday at the Growler Pines Tiger Preserve near Hugo, not far from the Texas border, just minutes after dispatchers received an emergency call, said Choctaw County Sheriff Terry Park. Park said the tiger unexpectedly started to bite and then shake Easley while the two were inside of a large cage.
“It was a big tiger,” Park said. “This particular one, he’d had for quite some time.” Park said Easley’s wife and young daughter were present when the attack occurred.
Messages left Monday with Growler Pines Tiger Preserve were not immediately returned.
“This tragedy is a painful reminder of both the beauty and unpredictability of the natural world,” the preserve said in a statement on its Facebook page.
“Ryan understood those risks — not out of recklessness but out of love. The animals under his care were not just animals to him, but beings he formed a connection with — one rooted in respect, daily care and love.”
All tours have been canceled until further notice, the statement said.
U.N. says 11 kids killed in drone strike in Sudan
CAIRO At least 11 children were killed in a drone strike four days ago that hit a mosque in the besieged city of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, the U.N children’s agency said Monday.
Local aid groups and activists and the Sudanese army accused the paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces of launching the attack during prayers early Friday, killing at least 70 people and leaving many others trapped under the rubble.
Initial reports indicated that at least 11 children between the ages of 6 and 15 were killed and “many more” wounded in the attack, which also damaged nearby homes, said UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell in Monday’s statement, calling the attack “shocking.”
“The people who were killed were absolutely innocent. They were people seeking shelter, people praying in a mosque. It’s an atrocious, unconscionable act,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Sudan.
The strike came as the army and the RSF fight increasingly intense battles as part of the country’s ongoing civil war The war has killed at least 40,000 people, according to the World Health Organization, displaced as many as 12 million others, and pushed many to the brink of famine.
Three doctors died in the attack, according to the Preliminary Committee of Sudan’s Doctors Trade Union and Sudan Doctors Network. They were among 231 medical personnel killed since the war in Sudan broke out, according to Sudan Doctors Network.
San Francisco residents jolted awake by quake BERKELEY, Calif Residents across the San Francisco Bay Area were jolted awake early Monday by a moderate earthquake that was felt widely across the region.
The 4.3 magnitude quake hit shortly before 3 a.m. just eastsoutheast of Berkeley, across the bay from San Francisco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey or USGS.
No injuries or major damage was reported, but some businesses said windows were broken and merchandise tumbled from shelves.
“Things were shaking in our newsroom,” posted Dave Clark, a news anchor for KTVU-TV “It caught everyone off guard.” Bay Area Rapid Transit trains ran with delays for several hours as crews made safety inspections of the tracks systemwide.
BART said trains returned to regular service around midday People reported feeling shaking as far away as Salinas, about 100 miles to the south, according to media reports.
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
France recognizes Palestinian statehood
Macron speaks at United Nations meeting
BY JOSEPH KRAUSS and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS As the Gaza war rages on, France recognized Palestinian statehood on Monday at the start of a highprofile meeting at the United Nations aimed at galvanizing support for a twostate solution to the Mideast conflict. More nations are expected to follow, in defiance of Israel and the United States.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement in the U.N. General Assembly hall received loud applause from the more than 140 leaders in attendance.
The Palestinian delegation, including its U.N. ambassador, Riyad Mansour, could be seen standing and applauding as the declaration was made. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, was seen applauding on a live-camera view after the U.S. government banned him from attending the U.N. gathering in person.
“True to the historic commitment of my country to the Middle East, to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, this is why I declare that today France recognizes the state of Palestine,” Macron said
The meeting and expanded recognition of Palestinian statehood are expected to have little if any actual impact on the ground, where Israel is waging another major offensive in the Gaza Strip and expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Macron announced recognition of the state of Palestine at the start of the meeting, at which several world leaders were expected to speak. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to address the meeting by video after he and dozens of other senior Palestinian officials were denied U.S. visas to attend the conference.
U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres said statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward.” That appeared to push back against the Israeli government, which says recognizing statehood rewards Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack that set off the war in Gaza two
years ago
The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal recognized the state of Palestine on Sunday, and the Palestinians expect a total of 10 countries to do so in the coming days. Around three-fourths of the 193-member United Nations recognizes Palestine, but major Western na-
tionvhad until recently declined to, saying one could only come about through negotiations with Israel.
Palestinians have welcomed the moves toward recognition, hoping they might someday lead to independence. “This is a beginning, or a glimmer of hope, for the Palestinian people,” Fawzi Nour al-Deen said Sunday as he held a bag on his head, joining thousands of people fleeing south from Gaza City. “We are a people who deserve to have a state.”
The creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — territories seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war is widely seen internationally as the only way to resolve the conflict, which began more than a century before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government opposed Palestinian statehood even before the war and now says such a move would reward Hamas, the militant group that still controls parts of Gaza He has hinted Israel might take unilateral steps in response, including annexing parts of the West Bank, which would put a viable Palestinian state even further out of reach.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric brushed off such threats, saying efforts to bring about a two-state solution should continue regardless of Israel’s actions. “I think we have to be determined in achieving the goal that we want to achieve, and we cannot be distracted by threats and intimidation,” he said.
Netanyahu is under pressure from his far-right coalition to move ahead with annexation, but the United Arab Emirates the driving force behind the 2020 Abraham Accords, in which the UAE and three other Arab states forged ties with Israel has called it a “red line,” without saying how it could affect the two countries’ now close ties.
Netanyahu said he would decide on Israel’s response to the Palestinian statehood push after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House next week, their fourth meeting since Trump returned to office. The Israeli leader is set to address world leaders at the U.N. on Friday
The Trump administration is also opposed to growing recognition of a Palestinian state and blames it for the derailment of ceasefire talks with Hamas. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, walked away from the talks in July, and earlier this month an Israeli strike targeted Hamas negotiators in Qatar a key mediator
Russia willing to abide by nuclear arms deal for 1 year after it expires
BY VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press
MOSCOW Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared his readiness to adhere to nuclear arms limits for one more year under the last remaining nuclear pact with the United States that expires in February, and he urged Washington to follow suit.
Putin said allowing the New START agreement signed in 2010 to expire would be destabilizing and could fuel proliferation of nuclear weapons. His televised remarks came at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the West, and with concerns rising that fighting in Ukraine could spread beyond its borders
“To avoid provoking a further strategic arms race and to ensure an acceptable level of predictability and restraint, we believe it is justified to try to maintain the status quo established by the New START Treaty during the current, rather turbulent period,” Putin said while speaking
from the Kremlin. He said Russia is prepared to stick by the treaty’s limits for one more year after it expires on Feb. 5, 2026. Arms control advocates long have voiced concern about the treaty’s looming expiration and the lack of dialogue to secure a successor deal, warning about the possibility of a new nuclear arms race and increased risk of a nuclear conflict.
Putin said maintaining limits on nuclear weapons could also be an important step in “creating an atmosphere conducive to substantive strategic dialogue with the U.S.”
The New START, signed by then President Barack Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. The pact also stipulates the need for on-site inspections to verify compliance, although inspections were halted in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and never resumed.
Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show to return Tuesday
ABC ends host’s suspension over Kirk comments
BY MARK KENNEDY AP entertainment writer
NEW YORK ABC will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show in the wake of criticism over his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials with the network said Monday
“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” said a statement from the network.
now headed by his widow, posted on X about Kimmel’s reinstatement: “Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmel back on the air is not surprising, but it’s their mistake to make. Nexstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice.”
President Donald Trump, one of Kimmel’s frequent targets, posted on social media that Kimmel’s suspension was “great news for America.” He also called for other late night hosts to be fired.
Kimmel was asked in an interview with Variety this past summer if he was worried that the administration would come after comedians. He expressed concern that a crackdown could be on the way
ABC suspended Kimmel indefinitely after comments he made about Kirk, who was killed Sept. 10, in a monologue. Kimmel said “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk” and that “the MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Kimmel has hosted “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC since 2003 and has been a fixture in television and comedy for even longer He is also well-known as a presenter having hosted the Academy Awards four times.
Backlash to Kimmel’s comments about Kirk was swift. Nexstar and Sinclair, two of ABC’s largest affiliate owners, said they would be pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from their stations. Others, including several fellow comedians, came to his defense. There was no immediate comment from Nexstar and Sinclair in response to messages from The Associated Press.
Andrew Kolvert, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Kirk and
“Well, you’d have to be naive not to worry a little bit,” he said. “But that can’t change what you’re doing.” Kimmel’s suspension arrived in a time when Trump and his administration have pursued threats, lawsuits and federal government pressure to try to exert more control over the media industry Trump has reached settlements with ABC and CBS over their coverage.
Trump has also filed defamation lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Republicans in Congress stripped federal funding from NPR and PBS.
Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, issued a warning before Kimmel’s suspension that criticized Kimmel’s remarks about the Kirk assassination.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” Carr denied on Monday that he threatened to revoke ABC’s local station licenses because of Kimmel’s remarks.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks Monday during a high-profile meeting at the United Nations at U.N. headquarters in New york aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state
WhiteHouse backs‘border czar’amidbribery scandal
Reportssay
Homanaccepted cash during FBI probelastyear
BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON The White House stood behind “border czar” TomHoman on Monday following reports that he had accepted $50,000 from undercover agents posing as businesspeople duringanundercover FBI operation last year,leading to abribery investigation that was shut down by the Trump administration Justice Department.
WhiteHouse press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized Homan’sencounter with the undercover agents as an effort by the Biden administration to “entrap one of the president’s top allies and supporters, someone who they knew very well wouldbetakinga government position.”
“The White House and the president stand by TomHoman 100% because he did absolutely nothing wrong, and he is abrave public servant who has done aphenomenal job in helping
White House ‘border czar’Tom Homan speaks
Washington.
the president shut down the border,” shesaid MSNBC first reported Saturday that Homan had accepted the cash during a 2024 encounterwithundercoveragents who were posingasbusinesspeople seekinggovernment contracts that Homan suggested he could help them get in asecond Trump term. Twopeople familiar with the investigation, whowere not authorized to discuss asensitive law enforcement inquiry
by name, confirmed the existenceofthe investigation to The Associated Press on Monday as well as details from it.
TheTrump administration Justice Department, which shut downthe probe, said the matter was “subjected to afull review,”but authorities found “no credible evidenceofany criminal wrongdoing.” Without providing evidence, the White House criticized the Biden administration investigation
TrumptomeetwithSchumer, Jeffries as shutdown risk looms
BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press
as politically motivated
“The Department’s resources must remainfocused on real threats to the American people, not baseless investigations,” FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in astatement. “As aresult, theinvestigation has been closed.
Leavittinsisted to reporters during abriefing Monday that Homan “never took the$50,000 you’re referring to,” though shedid notelab-
orate what she meant. An MSNBCspokesperson said the network stood by itsreporting.
The revelation about Homan has sparked fresh concerns about political interference in Justice Department matters at atime when Trump’scalls forprosecutionsofhis adversaries is testing thelaw enforcementagency’slong tradition of independence when it comes to prosecutorial decision-making. Trump escalated his pressure campaign on the Justice Department over the weekend, publicly calling forAttorney General Pam Bondi to moveforward with cases against New York AttorneyGeneralLetitia James, former FBI Director James Comey and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff.
“See whathappened to TomHoman, his border czar, who literally accepted abag of cash —$50,000 —and the investigationwas dropped once Trump became president,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on ABC News “There arejust twostandardsofjustice nowinthis country.Ifyou area friend of the president, aloyalist of the president you can get away with nearly anything but if you are an opponent of thepresident,you may find yourself in jail.”
Homan cameunder Justice Department scrutiny after atargetofa separate investigation suggested Homan wassoliciting bribes, oneofthe people whoconfirmed details of the investigation told the AP WhiteHouse spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Homan “has not been involved with any contract award decisions.”
“This blatantly political investigation, which found no evidence of illegal activity,isyet another example of howthe Biden Department of Justicewas usingits resources to target President Trump’sallies rather than investigate real criminals and themillions of illegalaliens whofloodedour country,” Jackson said in astatement. Homan has been akey figurebehindTrump’s hardline immigration policiesand deportation efforts, serving as acting director of Immigration and CustomsEnforcement in the first Trump administration. Shortly after Trump’spresidential victory in November,the president announced that Homan would serve as “border czar” in the incoming administration. Associated Press writer Seung MinKim in Washington contributed to this report.
U.K. charitiescut ties to SarahFerguson forreportedlycalling Epsteina ‘friend’
BY DANICAKIRKA Associated Press
abuse in amedia interview, Britain’s Press Association reported.
dropped her as apatron.
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will meet with the Democratic leaders in Congress this week ahead of alooming risk of afederal government shutdown Trump has agreed to meet with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who are insisting on talksas the Democrats work to preserve health care programs as part of any deal to fund the government ahead of next week’sOct. 1deadline. That’saccording to two people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity because they are unauthorized to discuss it. The meeting is set for Thursday,one of the people said. The chance for Trump and the congressional leaders to open talks comes at acritical period in the government funding cycle, with just days to go before federal money runs out with the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. Trumphad left thedoor open to ameeting even as he has also suggested there may be government closures
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.y.,left, and Senate MinorityLeader Chuck Schumer,D-N.y., speak to reportersSept.11at the Capitol in Washington.
“I’d love to meet with them, but Idon’tthink it’s going to have any impact,” Trump said in an exchange Saturday with reporters Congress has failed to pass legislation to keepthe government running after havingdeadlocked following rounds of voting late last week While the House approved aRepublican proposalto keep the federal government funded intoNovember, the measure failedinthe Senate,
wherethe rules can require ahigher 60-votethreshold that means support is needed from Republicans and Democrats. ADemocraticproposal that would have boosted healthcarefunds also failed. Democrats are working to protect health care programs. TheDemocraticproposalwould extend enhanced healthinsurance subsidies settoexpire at the end of the year,plus reverse Medicaid cuts that wereincluded in Republicans’ bigtax break andspending cutbill enacted earlier this year
LONDON Anumber of charities on Monday severed ties with SarahFerguson, the ex-wifeofPrince Andrew, after British newspapers published an email thatshe reportedly wrote to thelate convicted sex offenderand financier Jeffrey Epstein, describing him as a“supreme friend.”
Julia’s House,a children’shospice, said that the reportedcorrespondence made it inappropriate for Ferguson, also known as the Duchess of York,toremain apatron. Aspokesman for Ferguson said that she sent an email on the advice of her lawyersafter Epstein threatened to sue herfor associating him with sexual
“Following theinformation shared this weekend on the Duchess of York’scorrespondencewith Jeffrey Epstein, Julia’sHouse has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as apatron of the charity,” thecharity said.
“Wehave advised theDuchess of York of thisdecision and thankher for her past support.”
Afood allergy charity
The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, and Prevent Breast Cancer,were also amongthe charities that cut ties in light of recent revelations. The TeenageCancer Trust,which had an association with Ferguson for 35 years, also
BY MANUEL RUEDA Associated Press
BOGOTA,Colombia Authorities in the Dominican Republic said Sunday they have confiscated some of the cocaine transported by aspeedboat that was destroyed recently by the U.S. Navy,as the Trump administration carries out acontroversial anti-narcotics mission in the southern Caribbean.
Theemail referred to a 2011 interview with theEvening Standard newspaper in which sheapologized for accepting 15,000 pounds from Epstein.
“I abhorpedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was agiganticerror of judgment on my behalf. Iamjust so contrite Icannot say,” Ferguson saidinthe interview. “Whenever Ican, Iwill repay the money and have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”
But the following month, Ferguson sentanemail to Epstein in which she “humbly apologized” for linking him to sex abuse, saying “you havealways been a steadfast, generous and supremefriend to me and my family,” The Sun newspaper reported over the weekend.
Officials said theboat was destroyedabout 80nautical milessouth of Isla Beata, asmall island that belongs to the Dominican Republic. They said the Dominican’s Republic Navy worked in conjunction with U.S. authorities to locate the speedboat which was allegedly trying to dock in the DominicanRepublic and use the nationasa “bridge” totransport cocaine to the United States.
“Thisisthe first time in history that the United States
In anews conference, the DominicanRepublic’sNational Directorate for Drug Control said it recovered 377 packages of cocaine from the boatwhich wasallegedly carryingabout2,200 pounds of the drug.
andthe DominicanRepublic carry out ajoint operation against narco terrorism in the Caribbean,” thedirectoratesaid in astatement.
In August, theU.S. sent eight warships and asubmarinetothe southern Caribbean, in what theTrump administration has said was amission to fight drug trafficking.
TheWhiteHouse says the flotilla has destroyed three speedboatscarrying drugs so far in separatestrikes that have killed more than adozen people aboard the vessels.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON
withreporters Sept. 8atthe White House in
AUTISM
Continued from page 1A
and Medicaid Services.
Scientists, doctors andresearchers have attributed increased rates of autism to greater awareness of the disorder and the newer, wideranging “spectrum” usedtoissue diagnoses for people with milder expressions of autism. It’shard to tell if there may be additional factorsbehind the increase.
TheTrumpadministration has been under immense pressure from Kennedy’sdiverse Make America Healthy Again movement to provide answers on the causes of the marked increase in autism cases in the U.S. in recentyears. Experts say the rise in cases is mainly due to anew definition for thedisorderthat nowincludes mild cases on a“spectrum” and better diagnoses. They say there is no single cause to the disorder and say therhetoric appears to ignore and undermine decades of science into the genetic and environmental factors that canplay arole.
Theannouncement is the latest step the administration, drivenby Kennedy and his supporters, has taken to reshape America’spublic health landscape.
Beyond cutbacks at federal health agencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been roiled by disagreements over Kennedy’svaccinepolicies.
An influentialimmunization panel stocked by Kennedy with figures who have been critical of vaccines last week changed shot guidance for COVID-19 and other diseases. Trump on Sunday evening teased
COURT
Continued from page1A
order,has handed fullcontrol of all those agencies to the President.” Thejustices areexpectedto hear arguments in Decemberover whether to overturn a90-year-old ruling known as Humphrey’sExecutor In that case,the court sided with another FTC commissioner who wasfired by Franklin D. Roosevelt as the president worked to implement the New Deal. Thejustices unanimously found commissioners can be removed onlyfor misconduct or neglect of duty Thatdecision ushered in an era
Monday’sannouncement as abig one, telling reporters, “I think we found an answer to autism.” Experts say that oversells what would be possible from apresidential administration in its first year.They
of powerful independent federal agencies charged with regulating labor relations, employment discrimination andpublicairwaves
But ithas long rankledconservative legal theorists who argue such agencies should answer to the president. The JusticeDepartment argues Trump can fire board membersfor any reason as he works to carry out his agenda. “The President and the government suffer irreparable harm when courts transfer even some of that executivepower to officers beyond the President’s control,” Solicitor General D. John Sauerwrote. He also argued that judges don’t have thepower to reinstatepeople Justice Neil Gorsuch struck asim-
Food and Drug
insistmore research is needed to conclusively identify whether and how environmental factors may play arole in the disorder Kennedy foryears haspromoted debunked theories that vaccines
could be responsible forrising rates of autism, which affects 1in 31 U.S.children today, according to theCDC.Scientists, doctors and researchers have attributed that increase instead to greater aware-
“Congress gave independent regulators removalprotections to preserve the integrity of our economy. Giving the executive branchuncheckedpower over who sits on theseboardsand commissionswould have seismic implications forour economy that will harmordinaryAmericans.”
ilar note in February,writing that fired employees who win in court can likely get back pay,but not reinstatement. But Slaughter’sattorneys say that if the presidentcan fire congressionally confirmedboard members at will, regulatory decisions will be based more on politics than their expertise.
“Congress gave independent
regulators removalprotections to preserve the integrity of our economy,” her attorneys said in a statement. “Giving the executive branch unchecked power over who sits on these boards andcommissions would have seismic implicationsfor our economy that will harm ordinary Americans.” The court will hear arguments unusually earlyinthe process, be-
ness of the disorder andthe newer, wide-ranging “spectrum” used to issue diagnoses for people with milder expressionsofautism. It’s hard to tell if there maybeadditional factors behind the increase.
fore the case has fully worked its way through lower courts. The court rejected apush from twoother board members of independent agencies who had asked the justices to also hear their cases if they took up the Slaughter case: Gwynne Wilcox,ofthe National Labor Relations Board, andCathy Harris, of the Merit SystemsProtection Board. Those cases will continue to work their way through the lower courts. The FTCisa regulatorenforcingconsumer protection measures and antitrust legislation. The NLRB investigates unfair laborpractices
PHOTOByMARK SCHIEFELBEIN
Dr.Marty Makary, commissioner of the
Administration, listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Monday
LOUISIANA AT LARGE
Aliving statue with aheart JanRisher
On Friday,Idrove to theFrench Quarter with no plans —no set time, no person to meet, noreservation. The lack of planswas glorious.
My goal was to meet someone interesting enough to write a column about. Ihad mentioned to aco-workerthat Iwould love to meet one of the paintedpeople who pose like statues in the French Quarter.However,Irealized learning their stories might be difficult since their whole schtick was not moving or talking.
On Decatur Street, Itried to speakwith atap dancer,but he said, “No ma’am, time is money.” Iunderstood.
Undeterred, Ikept walking Jackson Square was right around the corner.Aband was playing under atent in front of theCabildo. Alone psychic baked in the sun. The henna artist wasworking on amother and daughter’s hands.
Iwalked around the corner, heading toward Café du Monde Artists were painting and selling their wares againstthe wroughtiron fence. Imade it midway through and, lo and behold,there was the Gold Man, his face unpainted, just sitting in afolding chair having an 11 a.m. beer Time wasn’tyet money forhim. As Ilater learned, he waswaiting for the shade. The Gold Man was more than happy to chat.
He told me his name was Tim Evans. He’s55and grew up a military brat but considers San Pedro, California, his home. He ended up in New Orleans30years ago when he ran out of gas.
“From running out of gas, how did you become the GoldMan?” Iasked.
“I met the silver people,” he said. “I didn’thave ajob. Ihad no income at all. So they said, ‘Well, you could busk.’ They painted me up in gold —one of thesilver people painted me. Iwas thefirst, the original Gold Man.” He never gave me afull answer on how long he works aday,but he said, “It’snot long.”
He said he used to work repairing iron fences —but that the work he does now as aperformance artist is easier and more fun.
He appreciates the friends he’s made in New Orleans “I got alot of friends,” hesaid “Everybody knowsmyname. It’s agood feeling to walkdown the street.”
He doesn’tlive far from Jackson Square.
He was homeless for awhile, butnow he has ahouse with a washer and adryer
“Moving on up,” he saidtothe rhythm of “The Jeffersons,” and we both sang, “to the East Side.” His “new” Gold Man pose was born of necessity after ahalf-ton truck ran over him on Bourbon Street.
“While Iwas posing. Ididn’tsee him coming,” Evans said.“Busted both my legs.” These days, Evans stands and walks as little as possible.
He said the hardest thing he does every day is walkinghome after work. For his pose,helies down on the ground (on apiece of cardboard actually,because as he explained, “Theconcrete is hot”). He rests his head on one beer can, painted gold, and holds another as if to drink it, while holding afootball (also painted gold) in his right hand and the tips bucket between his legs, where an unpainted, halffinished beer also rests.
What’syour favorite part of this job?
“The love,” Evans said. “Yeah, I’m well-respected, man. It’s agood feeling to have. Thirty years,you know? Idon’thave no
Ticket salestoboostfestival
Organizerhighlights Latinmusic’s communityimpact
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
Luis Moraarrived in Acadiana via his native Colombia almost 60 years ago, to attend the then University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Overthe ensuing decades, Mora has done alot more than justmake Lafayette his home. He gotmarried, raised afamily and worked in the oiland gasindustry,primarily with Exxon, which took him all over theworld.Hehelpedfound theAsociaciónCulturalLatino Acadiana 25 years ago, outofa passion to support Acadiana’s growing Latin community And Mora is the “workhorse” for theannualACLALatin Music Festival, where everyone can experience the music, food, dance, language and community celebrated by Lafayette’svibrant blend of Spanish-speaking cultures
The Latin Music Festival is coming back toParc International in downtown Lafayette this year on Oct.3-4. As ACLA chair,Mora hasbeen running errands all over
town for several weeks now,from fundraising and outreach to arranging the festival’soperational details
At age 85, and officially retired for almost30years, Mora “doesn’t
stop,” said longtime festival and ACLAvolunteer Vanessa Paredes.
“Even still, when the festival is over and we have to clean up at 10 and 11 p.m., we’re putting it all on his truck,” she said. “He really
likes helping the community and getting involved, and that’show he learns aboutalot of different places that need assistance.”
Since 2002, the Latin Music Festival has supported ACLA’s work, which includes promoting Spanishimmersioneducation in Acadiana,and providing support for community members that need help, through food drives and other services.
“Last weekwehad about 12,000 pounds of food, and we distributed to Second Harvest, acouple of churches, and in Ile des Cannes, to apastorwho workshardto help the Latino community in that area,” Mora said. It’sefforts like this that led to Mora being honored this month as aLafayette “wavemaker” at the 2025 Undercurrent Awards.
He’snot slowing down,but in many ways, thework has not gotteneasier. Mora said thatfundraising hasalways been achallenge, and this year,attendees will have to purchase aticket for the first timetoenter the Latin Music Festival —$10 forbothdays, for sale at the gate or online.
Literature &language
Authorsfromaround
BYJOELTHOMPSON
Contributing writer
When youthink of Louisiana, you may think of its unique roots in French, Creoleand Indigenous cultures. Those roots were on full displaySaturday at the Les Éditions Tintamarre Book Fair,whereFrench-language authors from across thestate gathered to promote their works.
The event was held at Cavalier House Books, located on JeffersonStreet in downtown Lafayette, through apartnership with Éditions
BY STEPHENMARCANTEL Staff
Tintamarre, apublishing company that focuses on promoting works in French, Creoleand Indigenouslanguages. The book fair featured presentations spokenentirely in French from 10 different authors, with genres ranging from nonfiction to poetry
One of those presenters was Barry Ancelet, professor emeritus of francophone studiesatthe University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Ancelet read excerpts from his recentlyreleased collection titled “Vatican,” areference to the village that lies on La. 93 between Scottand Cankton.
The book is apersonal one for Ancelet, who spent much of his childhood visiting relatives who lived in the tight-knit community
“Myfamily had asubsistencefarm up there, and they used to babysit me when Iwas akid.Ispent summers
there and weekends and holidays and Ihad all of these memories growing up in this house where only my aunt spoke English. Ihad the idea to writedown these memoriesduring COVID. My children might knowa little bit about how Igrew up and why Idowhat Ido, butmygrandchildren probably don’tknow that, so that motivated me to start writing.”
Thefairalso highlighted several LGBTQ+ themed works, including Lyle Alford’s“Ecotones Faquetaiques.” Alford,aFrench immersion teacher in Evangeline Parish, had heart surgery earlier in the week and presented at Saturday’sbook fair.The book,according to Alford, is about “how gay culture intersects with local Louisiana culture.I found myself
STAFF FILEB PHOTOByBRAD BOWIE
Coca Rubin dances during the 2022 Latin Music Festival,anannual celebration of Latin culture presented by the Asociacion Cultural LatinoAcadiana, at Parc International in downtown Lafayette.
PHOTO By ROBIN MAy
Henry Barconeyreads Saturday from abook published by French languagepublishing house Éditions Tintamarre during abook fair featuring contemporaryLouisiana French authors at Cavalier House Books in Lafayette.
Six months after the horrificdeathofSouthern University student Caleb Wilson, we are glad to see state officials discussing avariety of approaches to hazing prevention. Wilson was killed during an off-campusritual as he was pledging afraternity.Threemen have been chargedinhis death;the fraternity chapter has been expelled from Southern Hisdeath was exactly thekindofthing that the state’sMax Gruver law,named foranLSU freshman killed in a2017 hazingincident, was designed to prevent. That lawmadehazing a felony and resulted in arash of newreporting and hazing-prevention programs at colleges and universities in Louisiana Clearly,those were not enoughtoprevent what happenedtoWilson.
Last week, agroup of local, stateand education leaders gathered in Baton Rouge to discuss next steps. They acknowledged, rightly, that hazing is incredibly difficult to uproot. Importantly,they alsonoted that it’s not justa problem in fraternities and sororities, butinall types of clubs and organizations.
Reducing or eliminatinghazingcannotrely solely on increasing penalties or passing new anti-hazing laws. Certainly,some legislativesolutions are good; any mechanism thatmakes it easier for students to report allegedhazing and protects them when they do is astep forward. This week is National HazingPreventionweek, which urges increased focusontransparency and education as away to attack the underlying elements that create the potential forhazing. One easy step would be to enforce rulesalready in place. Areportfrom theHazingPrevention Network noted that only 18%ofLouisiana campuses have reported hazingincidents publicly,asBoard of Regentsrulesrequire. There should be immediateand stiff penalties forthose administrationsand campuses that have failed to comply The cultural issues that make hazingsopersistentshouldalso be addressed.All threedefendants in the Wilson case are alumni, including one who was 28 years old, andLSU Interim President Matt Leenoted that alumnioftenpush back on anti-hazing reforms.
Efforts must extend to youngerstudents,too. Almost half arrive on college campuses having alreadyexperienced some form of hazing, accordingtoareport from the Hazing Prevention Network. Attorney General Liz Murrill is right when she urges reaching out to high schoolstudents. Thepractice is unlikely to everbeeradicated. Hazing hasalonghistory and adeep allure: Some believe enduring an ordealtobecome amember of any group immediately bonds those members in away that would take far longer otherwise.
Legal remedies should establish clearboundaries and stiff penalties for when thoseboundariesare transgressed.But, as participants in last week’ssummit noted,reducing hazing further will require abroader effort that includes increased education amongstudents, transparency from administrators andbuy-in from alumni.
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.
TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
Make no mistake, ICE detentionisbig business
The economic underpinnings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were clearly evident during arecent visit to theAlexandria Staging Facilityand two ICE processing facilities in Basile and PinePrairie. Each is managed by apublicly traded corporation, the GEO Group. GEO Management, ICE officials and other staff we interviewed at all three facilities were career employees of correctional institutions or ICE.
Significantly,each of the two processing facilities were housed in buildings previously utilized by the LouisianaDepartment of Corrections or the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The ICE detention system is thus an extension of asystem of incarceration, the rate of which Louisiana leads in the U.S.And, likethe Louisiana correctional prison system,
it is amajor economic engine in areas where there are fewalternativeemployment opportunities. The subsequent local tax revenues thus affords them tremendous political power and incentive to continue and thrive.
ICE facilities are economic and political plumsincreasingly in the South. Lauded by Gov.Jeff Landry, aunit at the Louisiana State PenitentiaryatAngola is now in operation, thus expanding not onlyICE, but theLouisiana Correctional System GOP congressional officials have allocated $76.5 billion to expanding ICE’scapacity
The growth of theICE economic sector of our economy can onlybe expected to be explosive.
The costs to human lifeand to our nation’sfuture will continue to be shamefully evident.
BARBARALAUGHLIN NewOrleans
LongueVueCapital haslonghistory in region
As CEO and co-founder of LongueVue Capital, Iread with great interest your Aug. 22 article, “Local privateequityfirms areputting south Louisiana on themap of big-time investors.” While we appreciatethe coverage of our region’sgrowing privateequitypresence, the article gave only cursory mentiontoNew Orleans-based LongueVue Capital, despite our firm’slong track record and national recognition.
Founded in 2001, LVCisone of Louisiana’soldest and most established private equity firms, backed by some of the nation’slargestuniversity endowmentsand pension systems. Our third fund, LVCIII, was ranked the No. 1growthfund in the country
Pamela Bondi, theattorney general for the United States,took an oath to protect the U.S. Constitution, but instead, she is acting as President Donald Trump’spersonaldefenseattorney.She has been aggressively reversing policies or firing personnel who support nonpartisan positions. In addition, she received nearly $3 million in shares of Trump Media &Technology Group.
in its vintage of funds under $500 million by the Bloomberg League Tables, adistinction that underscores our consistent and exemplary investment performance. We chosethe name “LongueVue Capital” to reflect both our New Orleans heritage and our patient, “buy andbuild” investment philosophy Overmorethan two decades, our talented and dedicated team has worked tirelessly to build businesses, createvalue and represent Louisiana on the national stage. These accomplishmentsare notonly worthy of mentionbut also apoint of pride for our hometown.
JOHN C. MCNAMARA CEOand co-founder,LongueVue Capital
Like Trump, she is opentoaccepting money or gifts. Alina Habba,Trump’schoice for U.S. attorneyfor New Jersey who was his privatelawyer and neverworked as a prosecutor attacked judges who did not do Trump’sbidding. DefenseSecretary Pete Hegseth has fired generals and admirals who believe in and protect the Constitution.
Many years ago, on the marbled steps of the ancient Greek Agora, Socrates bounced ideas off passersby,engaging in lively discourse with them about all things ethical, political and philosophical. He initiated conversations with youths and adults from all walks of life. Nothing was out of bounds. He preferred that whenpeople disagreed with him, he gave them the space, and then he might try to dissuade their thinking or at least give them another waytolook at an issue or problem. He was extremely polarizing to the Sophists, another group of philosophers at the time, who hadvery different ideas and thought they knew the only way to look at things, their wayalways being the “right” way. On the other hand, Socrates, the ever-present thorn in their side, questioned his own ideas and often said they may have no merit at all.
Afamous line credited to him: “The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.” He lived by his principles until his dying day, whenhewas sentenced to death for them.
Charlie Kirk had asimilar voice and similar approach to Socrates. He sought out spaces to engage in discussion, often shushing naysayers to let his opponents have their thoughts heard in the public forum. Afterward, he would letthem know why he thought they were wrong, always with grace, dignity and intellect on his side. Sometimes he trapped them with their own words, their own language, in amanner similar to Socrates, many years ago. After Socrates was executed, averdict conferred onto him by his Sophist opponents, the people of Athens did not forget his teachings, as his opponents has hoped.
He too took the oath to the Constitution, but instead inserted Trump’snamein its place. Trump’scabinet of Fox News hosts and anti-science (false conspiracy theories) staff are destroying our justice and research systems. When did the Constitution and facts become irrelevant?
CINDYKENDALL youngsville
ERINN SHAW Prairieville
Goingup, notout
HowHurricane Rita tested aculture knownfor ‘uncanny ability to adapt’
In the wake of Hurricane Rita, thestorm that struck southwest Louisiana,just a fewweeks after itsmore infamous sister Katrina, many residentsofVermilion, Cameron and Calcasieu parishes found themselves faced withthe option of movingaway or rebuilding
Those who chosetorebuild were faced withthe additional challengeoffinding ways to do so despite governmentaland insurance agencies that were trying to convince them to leave. In thewords of one resident, “This is home. I’m not getting out, I’m going up.” In theyears since then, many have improvised vernacular solutions basedonthe need to elevate their houses above flood levels.Theseimprovisations have changed theway entire neighborhoods andeven towns look.
At the same time, they representa continuoustradition of creolized solutions in the vernacular architecture of south Louisiana. The process of cultural improvisation that previously produced porches is now producing new functional andsocial spaces under raisedhouses.
Iinitially went to Delcambre, Erathand into the nearby countryside, throughBayou Tigue, Henry,Esther, IntracoastalCity, Pecan Island, and intoCameron Parish,to document, in photographsand interviews, the devastation caused by Ritaand its effects on the community
Moving themud
Immediately following thestorm, Iwas first drawn to Delcambre because of my friends Moisey andLouella Baudoin.Their home was flooded in the tidalsurge,and my family and Iwent to helpthemclean up and save as much as we could of their belongings. When we arrived, we found them sitting on lawn chairs in their driveway They seemed dazed.Moisey told me about the water pouringover the railroad tracks. He was insistent that this was something no one remembered everseeing before, including his 87-year-oldboss Lane LeBlanc. The water receded quickly after Rita, causing at least as much damage as the risingtide. The floor of their homewas coveredwithsludge.Weoffered to start cleaning up abit, but they said there was no water pressure. There was also no electricity, andthey would soon lose allthe food in their five well-stocked freezers. Anticipating this common post-hurricane problem, we had brought along every ice chest we owned andothersthatwehad
borrowed, and we started unloading the freezers to transfer the food to space we would commandeer in the freezers of friends and family back home.
My son François found alarge squeegee in the shed and began pushing mudout of thehouse. This simple gesture seemed to reactivatethe Baudoins, and the cleanup started. By the next day,hehad found a tile setter and arranged for new floors to be installed. We also brought afew boxes full of their waterlogged family photoalbums to see if anything could be salvaged. (People who have lost everything in fires or floods often insist that the pictures are what they regret losing the most.)
Barrenlandscape
Afew weeks later,when theBaudoins’ electricity was restored and their home was cleaned, we returned to deliver their frozen food. Moisey took me around town and into thecountryside to show me the devastation caused by thestorm. Throughout thearea, Isaw numerous houses that had been washed off their foundations, rammed into tree lines or electrical poles or fences or ditches.
We stopped totalk with some of the people who were already millingabout, cleaning up and assessing the damage.
The brick home of one of his neighbors in south Delcambre had been seriously damaged. Theentire south wall hadbeen washed out. When we arrived, we found theowner repacking the bearings on his rice cart. He had already gotten his school
bus and two tractors running again. He showed us theinsurance settlement check he had just received. It wasfor $1,640. He declared, as he put it back into his shirt pocket,that he would frame it or flush it before he cashed it.
Anew outlook
Itook afew photographs in an instinctiveeffort to document the devastating effects of the storm on the community.AsI continued to return to the area to visit Moisey on many occasions, Inoticed that the community was responding to the storm in fascinating ways, not only cleaning up and rebuilding but reimagining how they might live in this vulnerable environment.
Icontinued to photograph these communities to capture the remarkable vernacular solutions that were being improvised. Several homeowners were frank about having been lulled into forgetting the lessons of the past, building their homes according to contemporary trends, as though they didn’tlive near the marshy coast. Now they were not only repairing and rebuilding their homes, but rethinking themaswell, based on arevived sense of history and common sense.
This vernacular response is yet another example of the improvised socio-cultural solutions that have long been an integral part of the constantly evolving Cajun and Creole communities, which have been inspired by bothadversity and opportunity and an uncanny ability to adapt to survive and even thrive.
Jean Ancelet, professor
of Francophone studies at the
of
is widely knownfor hisresearch on Cajun and Creole culture. He helped found Festivals Acadiens and Créoles in Lafayette in 1974 and is the author of several papers and books that explore the unique linguisticand cultural traditions of Louisiana. After Hurricane Rita, he edited the book “Second Line Rescue: Improvised Responses to Katrina and Rita” with CarlLindahl and Marcia Gaudet. This essayisadapted froma paper he delivered at the AmericanFolklore Society
Throughout August and September,weare featuring reflections on the 20th anniversary of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, two storms that changed Louisiana forever
Barry
emeritus
University
Louisiana at Lafayette,
STAFFFILE PHOTOByCHRIS GRANGER
Newhouses began sprouting up on Holly Beach in 2007, twoyears after Hurricane Rita
PROVIDED PHOTO By BARRy ANCELET
Raised houses are changing the look of townsthat dotthe coast where Hurricane Rita hit in 2005.
FBI, federal prosecutors investigate BR housing deal
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
The FBI and other federal authorities are investigating a Baton Rouge housing project that cost more than $450,000 to rehab three small homes, issuing a grand jury subpoena in July and meeting with top officials in Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ office, records show
It’s the second known federal probe into governmentfunded housing projects in East Baton Rouge Parish since last May
Emails obtained via a public records request show meeting plans and communication between Baton Rouge’s Office of Community Development Director Kelly LeDuff and FBI agents, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s inspector general in March. In multiple messages, LeDuff and investigators discussed developer Jason Hughes’ housing development project. Beginning in 2022, Hughes received roughly $450,000 to remodel three small homes one under 1,000 square feet, the
LITERATURE
Continued from page 1B
inspired by the culture and language of the area, and it was through my inspiration of the Louisiana prairie that I started to write these poems.”
Dana Kress, who owns Éditions Tintamarre, had high praise for Alford and his work, which was published by the company late last year
“We have gotten messages and phone calls from young people crying because they felt like somebody spoke for them at last,” Kress said Kress views the festival as not only an opportunity to promote the works of younger authors like Alford, but also as part of a growing interest in French literature written from a Louisiana perspective.
“If you’re a kid, and you grow up in Louisiana, do you really want to read something about some 17th-century French king, or would you rather read about some wild stories that happened in the French Quarter or here near Lafayette?” Kress said.
Ancelet also expressed his belief that Saturday’s event reflects a growing interest in Louisiana-based French literature
other two under 700 square feet — on Central Road in Baton Rouge.
LeDuff said Monday he didn’t know if the probe targets former City Hall staffers or Hughes, but stressed that Edwards’ team is not under investigation. “It’s pretty well-documented that the previous administration was contacted about issues,” LeDuff said. “We all know that it was here prior to this administration.”
Prior to the federal probe, Hughes’ project was already under scrutiny internally
A 2024 internal audit under Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome laid out serious concerns over funding Hughes’ project. Originally awarded $148,000 in federal funds through the city-parish, the cost soared to almost half a million.
Hughes did not respond to requests for comment Monday The developer said in August that the project’s budget ballooned due to rising construction costs related to supply issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The federally funded project was run through the Office of Community Devel-
opment, the city-parish department that LeDuff now oversees. Hughes began receiving payments from Broome’s administration in February 2022 totaling about $450,000.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment Monday, other than to say Department of Justice policy prohibits them “from confirming, denying, or otherwise commenting on any potential ongoing investigations and/or cases.”
A different Baton Rouge housing deal was also under federal investigation. A grand jury subpoenaed communications between City Hall officials and a developer behind a low-income complex in Scotlandville known as “Housing for Heroes.”
That project was awarded $6 million in federal funds nearly four years ago, though it has not yet broken ground.
On July 29, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baton Rouge emailed a grand jury subpoena to LeDuff, requesting he produce city-parish documents related to Hughes and his company, Hughes Consulting Group LLC.
Emails show LeDuff and
the feds had been talking before that. He and Edwards’ chief service officer, Yolanda Burnette-Lankford, met with the FBI and state Attorney General’s Office personnel on March 20, documents show
Additional emails from late April show FBI agents planning another meeting with LeDuff that appears to have taken place on May 1.
Around the same time, Hughes sent emails to community development staff requesting his own meeting with them, saying he was owed more for the Central Road project than the $450,000 he had already received.
On June 2, Hughes’ project was the subject line on an email federal agents sent to LeDuff. Investigators asked him for a phone call and an update on “the property deeds for the program of interest on Central Rd.”
“Have quite a few updates for you,” LeDuff replied.
While he said he was unable to reveal the subpoena’s specifics, LeDuff recalled that shortly after becoming development director he was asked for documents
FESTIVAL
Continued from page 1B
“We’re totally dependent on volunteers. We don’t have paid staff, so it’s difficult,” Mora said. “What we’re trying to do it sell the community to Lafayette. We’ve got great food, and great music you can dance to. And we support local institutions, and work really closely with immersion schools and immersion teachers. We want to showcase that American kids can come onstage and sing songs in Spanish. It’s a mutual benefit for all of us.”
on Hughes’ contract, the developer’s payments and the homes’ occupancy status, among other items.
LeDuff said it was his understanding that Housing and Urban Development conducted a “really rare” federal inspection of Hughes’ project, though he does not know what prompted it. That led to the larger investigation, he said, adding that it was not him or other Edwards administration staffers who first contacted authorities.
“I think whoever would have sat in my seat as director of OCD would be asked these questions,” he said.
“But I’m not the only member of my staff who’s been contacted by them. We’ve cooperated with every agency that has reached out.”
While federal authorities would not comment Monday Edwards’ office believes it is still an open investigation, LeDuff said.
Edwards appointed LeDuff to his director position last spring. He is the son of former Baton Rouge Police Chief Jeff LeDuff, who also works for Edwards as an assistant chief administrative officer
Lafayette and with the ACLA, Mora has seen firsthand the benefits of mutual aid and support in immigrant communities. Prevailing political and cultural winds can present challenges to that work, but Mora said he hopes that the Latin Music Festival can continue to be a bridge between Latin and Louisiana cultures, helping to facilitate communication and understanding. “When we’re not communicating, not exchanging ideas, not working for the common good, it is pretty scary,” he said.
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.
“One might not have thought this would happen 20 years ago, but here we are,” Ancelet said “We have this really amazing explosion of creativity in French, in Louisiana today Éditions Tintamarre has been releasing a really interesting number of books by contemporary Louisiana French authors and this is a celebration of that.” Each of the books presented at the festival is on display at Cavalier House. Works presented at Les Éditions Tintamarre Book Fair were: n “Vatican” by Ancelet
n “Écotones Faquetaïques” by Alford
n “Les Jours Delta” by Luce Tremblay Gaudett
n “Le Hantage” by Nathan Rabalais
n “Le Drag du Meschacebe” by Rich Cooper n “Févi” by Jonathan Mayer n “L’Ecole Gombo” by Kirby Jambon
n “Petite Communions” by Kirby Jambon
n “Chercher la chassefemme” by Kirby Jambon n “Generations” by Maggie Justus n “Suite des sens” by Jean Arceneaux.
near Jackson Square
RISHER
enemies.”
At that point, Evans explained that he would strike his pose in about 30 minutes, “once the shade gets to there,” he said, pointing.
I said I’d come back and tried to explain a bit about this column that I write weekly on different experiences around the state.
I explained that we had a house fire. His entire demeanor changed. This fellow, who had been quasi-tough-gold-guy, became concerned about my family I assured him we were OK and promised to return shortly Thirty minutes later, when he saw me round the corner, he jumped up with his face and hands painted the same gold as his clothes.
After so many years in
The moment was jarring in its humanity “The love,” he had told me, was his favorite part of the job. He stood there painted gold from head to toe, and I understood what he meant.
Continued from page 1B LOTTERY SUNDAY, SEPT 21, 2025 PICK 3: 1-2-6 PICK
“I live in Baton Rouge but usually come to New Orleans at least once a week, but over the last month, I haven’t,” I said. He asked why not.
“Where are you staying?” he said.
Confused, I said, “I live in Baton Rouge ” He said, “Yeah, but since the fire, do y’all have a place to be?”
Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER
Tim Evans, the Gold Man of New Orleans, strikes his money-making pose
PHOTO By ROBIN MAy
French language books by Louisiana authors are for sale Saturday during the Les Éditions Tintamarre Book Fair at Cavalier House Books. The company has published six French language books by Louisiana authors this year after a 130-year hiatus.
SPORTS
NOTA BAD DRAW
BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer
LSU coach Brian Kelly updated the status of four injured players Monday heading into the No.4Tigers’ gamethis weekend against No. 13 Ole Miss.
Kelly said sophomore running back Caden Durham (ankle sprain) is “dayto-day,” senior linebacker West Weeks (calfstrain) is probable,sophomore tight endTrey’Dez Green (sprained MCL) will play and sophomore defensive end Gabriel Reliford (shoulder subluxation) is out.
LSU plays Ole Miss at 2:30 p.m.Saturday on ABC.
Durham suffered an anklesprainnear the end of the secondquarter in LSU’s 56-10 win Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana and did not return to the game. LSU’s leading rusher this season, Durham has 52 carriesfor 213 yards and two touchdowns.
Kelly said “earlyindicationsare that he’sgoing to be able to play,” but Kelly didn’twant to be definitive yet. He added “it was positive” when Durham went through aworkout Monday morning.
“He wasbetter than we first thought,” Kelly said. “Doesn’tshow the signs of a high ankle (sprain), so he’sanxious to give it ashot and play. Butwe’llmonitor him throughout the week.”
My first reactionstoLSU’sthreeannual opponents as part of theSoutheastern Conference’snew scheduling format? Predictable. Sensible. Alittle meh. The Tigers will get Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Arkansas, according to multiple reports. Nothing official untilthe bigreveal at 6p.m. Tuesday on ESPN2/ SEC Network, but bank on these beingthe teams. LSUwill play the other 12 SEC teams on arotating basis, playing everyone within two years and everyonehomeand away within four years. There are alot of things to react to,but we’ll start with the Tigers’ three annual opponents.
First, Ole Miss. It’sinteresting timing for the Tigers andRebels that the long-awaited schedule format is being
Scott Rabalais ä See RABALAIS, page 3C
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
As expected,ULcoachMichael Desormeaux had some unpleasant topics to address during his Monday news conference. First, he expressed his sorrow and concern for the family and
the
LSUlinebacker Whit Weeks pulls Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee
Oct. 12 at TigerStadium. Ole Miss andLSU will continue
least 2029.
ä Marshall at UL, 7P.M. SATURDAy,ESPN+
friends of formerAppalachian State coach Shawn Clark, who diedSunday eveningafter being admitted into the hospitalon Tu esday He wasthe offensivelinecoach at Central Floridathis season.
Then came UL’s injury report. Desormeaux revealed two offensive tackles, starterGeorge Jackson and reserve J’Marion Gooch, are out for the season after Saturday’s34-31 loss at Eastern Michigan. TheCajuns nowhavelostfouroptions at tackle since the season began,
including JohnBragg andZay Alexander Desormeaux said redshirt senior Mackey Maillhocould returnand potentially play tackle after missing the last two weeks. Elsewhere on offense, wide
Weekssufferedacalfstrain in LSU’s winSept. 13 over Florida and did not play aweek later against Southeastern. He is LSU’s second-leading tacklerwith 25 tackles, including twofor aloss.
Kelly said Weeksran well Sunday, so he is trending toward playing.
“I thinkwegot himat90%,” Kelly said, “so Iwould say that he is probable forthis gameleading into it.”
Reliford hurt his right shoulder againstSoutheastern, andhis armwas in aslingthe rest of the game. Akey member of arotationatdefensive end, Reliford has eight tackles and one tackle forloss.
Kelly said Reliford suffered a
Remember when legendary R&B band Earth, Wind &Fire asked, “Do you remember, the 21st night of September?” For the 2025 New Orleans Saints, the answer is “yes.”
with afirst-year coach just three gamesinto the season, but here we are.
ä Saints at Bills, NOON SUNDAy,CBS
The night of Sept. 21 is when the Saints took the long flight back to New Orleans from Seattle and reflected on oneofthe most embarrassing lossesinfranchisehistory “Weare at ajuncture where we
have to be as critical as we can be
right now,” Saints defensive end Cam Jordan said.
Nobody expectedanyone to have to be this critical of ateam
Thescoreboard at Lumen Field read: Seahawks 44, Saints13. It felt even worse than that.
The Saints, whofor the last two weeks often talked about how “close” they are, showed that they aren’t.For thefirst time in the briefKellen Moore era, theSaints didn’tlook like an NFL team. This looked more like one of those “money games” in college football when the hapless FCS school travels to face abig-time programfroma Power Four conference and receives alarge check to help its athletic budget in return.
The Seahawksdidn’twritethe Saints acheck. All they gave them was aheavydose of reality aboutjust how far the Saintshave
to go to turn thingsaround. Seattle is alittle more than 2,500 miles away from New Orleans. The chances of the Saints being agood team this season are even further away They are one of six 0-3 teams in the NFL, joining the Houston Texans, MiamiDolphins, Tennessee Titans, and both theNew York Jets and Giants. The Saints play all of those teams this season except the Texans, so we’ll find out over the next three monthsjust how bad theSaints are. Arethey theworst team in theleague, which is what many predicted they would be before theseason began? It’stoo early to say,but they sure looked like the frontrunner for that title Sunday The special teams —which
STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSUrunning backCaden Durham lifts hishelmet during warmupsbefore the game against Florida on Sept. 13 at TigerStadium.
Rod Walker
STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU wide receiver Aaron Anderson dives over Arkansas defensiveback DoneikoSlaughter aftera catch in the firstquarter Oct.19 in Fayetteville, Ark. Arkansasisone of three annual SEC opponents for LSU starting next year
to
ground on
to play annually through at
5
6 p.m. Kentucky at Louisville ACCN
6
Ryder Cup prep underway in NY
Team USA pays tribute to victims, heroes of 9/11
BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press
FARMINGDALE, N.Y
The Ryder Cup had moments of inspiration in vastly different forms during a quiet Monday start to golf’s most chaotic week. There were tears for the Americans as they gathered on the first tee at sunrise and a strong reminder for Europe as it goes after a rare road win
U.S. captain Keegan Bradley had his entire team on the first tee before the gates opened, no one in the massive grandstands that come Friday will be packed with flag-waving fans.
He had Chris Mascali, a New York firefighter whose father died during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, speak to the team. Mascali brought his uniform, along with the helmet of his father, Joe Mascali Those now are in the team room for the Americans.
Brian Robinson from FDNY Ladder 16 sang the national anthem as the large video board showed great moments in Ryder Cup history
“I had this vision of doing that for about a year,” Bradley said. “And to be out there and see it, and see how emotional the guys got, was a really special time for our team.”
The Americans walked solemnly across the bridge from the first tee complex, headed to the practice area, then played 18 holes of the Black Course.
Team Europe, which spent two days at Bethpage Black a week ago and then dispersed some to American homes, others playing some of Long Island’s best golf courses until returning to Bethpage for what it expects to be a big challenge.
The Americans have lost at home only four times since the Ryder Cup began in 1927. European captain Luke Donald had his team wear salmon-colored pull-
“That’s motivating to the guys that it can be done, it has been done, and again, we’re here to try and do it again,” Donald said.
Europe is coming off a resounding win at Marco Simone and returns 11 of the 12 players from the Italy matches in 2023 — the exception is Rasmus Hojgaard, the identical twin of Nicolai Hojgaard, who played in the last Ryder Cup.
But the Europeans lost by nine points in 2021 at Whistling Straits, by six points at Hazeltine in 2016 and by five points at Valhalla in 2008.
overs or sweater vests, a subtle reminder of what can be done.
That was the Sunday color for the European team in 1987 when it stunned the Americans at Muirfield Village to win its first Ryder Cup away from home. Europe has won three more times on U.S. soil since then, the most recent 13 years ago in what became known as the “Miracle at Medinah” because of the Sunday rally
“I think it’s always important to rally around something,” Donald said. “We always have things that we come up with that are important to us. History and our unity and celebrating what we’ve done in the past and the legends that have kind of come before us is really important.
“This is going to be a difficult challenge.”
There were not many surprises in the way Bradley grouped his three groups of four players for the only full practice round they play this week.
Justin Thomas and Cameron Young were together, as they were in the Procore Championship two
ä Ryder Cup, 6 A.M. FRIDAy USA
weeks ago in Napa, California.
Ben Griffin, one of four Ryder Cup rookies, was with Bryson DeChambeau, who was not in Napa because he’s with LIV Golf and thus ineligible for PGA Tour play Scottie Scheffler was with Russell Henley — they formed a tough partnership in the Presidents Cup last year at Royal Montreal — along with U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun and Harris English.
The final group had Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, partners for most team matches over the past six years, along with Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa who won a fourballs match in Marco Simone at the last Ryder Cup.
Schauffele and DeChambeau have gone about a month since last competing. DeChambeau finished the LIV season on Aug. 24, and Schauffele missed the Procore Championship while at home with a newborn son.
As tense as the Ryder Cup has become, the goal is to enjoy the week not knowing if the opportunity will come up again.
Bradley played in two Ryder Cups, the last one in 2014. He has not been back in any capacity until the 39-year-old who played college golf at St. John’s was named captain last year
He felt that sentiment as his team gathered on the first tee to listen to Mascali.
“It was a powerful moment,” Bradley said. “You’re looking around and seeing all the guys staring at what we were doing and so into it in such an emotional way. A lot of people have worked really hard to get to this point in their lives.
“Sometimes in your life and in your career, you have to take stock in what’s happening around you,” he said. “I think one of my biggest regrets earlier in my career wasn’t enjoying things more. And for that moment out this morning, guys were really taking that in and enjoying it, and that was a beautiful thing.”
LSU women set for different type of team
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
Many of the faces on the LSU women’s basketball team will be unrecognizable when it begins its fifth season under coach Kim Mulkey
Most of the players who helped the Tigers reach the doorstep of the Final Four in the past two years have moved on. Only one contributor from the 2023 national championship team remains. Just two are left from the squad that advanced to the Elite Eight in 2024 and lost to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa team. Mulkey and her staff already have overhauled the roster Now it’s time to see how all of the new pieces fit.
Here’s a primer for the LSU preseason, complete with all the questions to answer and storylines to watch ahead of the 2025-26 season, which will tip off Nov 4. The Tigers’ first practice is Tuesday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and it’s open to the public.
1. An overhauled roster National championship hopes now rest on the shoulders of Flau’jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and a brand new supporting cast. The roster has only four returners and eight newcomers five freshmen and three transfers. The Tigers haven’t experienced this much roster turnover since 2022, when Mulkey and her staff built the team that won the 2023 title. Will history repeat itself? It’s possible, especially if transfers MiLaysia Fulwiley and Kate Koval take steps forward
2. How does Fulwiley fit? Fulwiley is one of the country’s most athletic, dynamic players, but South Carolina preferred to
LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey reacts to a turnover against Texas A&M on Jan. 26 at the PMAC. The Tigers tip off their season Nov. 4.
bring her off the bench. Now the junior guard plays at LSU, and it looks like she’ll have a chance to earn starter’s minutes. Will she play point guard? Hailey Van Lith was in a similar position two years ago and discovered that running point in Mulkey’s system wasn’t for her Fulwiley could encounter the same issues, but LSU also could give her a different role.
3. Will freshmen crack rotation?
No team in the country is adding a more highly rated freshman class than LSU, which landed four of the top 35 recruits in ESPN’s 2025 rankings. Forward Grace Knox and guard ZaKiyah Johnson are two of the nation’s 10 best prospects. Guard Divine Bourrage is a top-20 recruit, and guard Bella Hines is a fringe top30 prospect. They can all contrib-
ute in some capacity this season, but will any of them start? And will any of them play significant minutes once Mulkey tightens her rotation for SEC games?
4. What about other returners?
Don’t forget about guards Kailyn Gilbert and Jada Richard. Gilbert hit a couple of game-winning shots last year, and Richard improved as the season went along, flashing potential as a 3-point shooter One of the challenges Mulkey will face during preseason practices and the nonconference slate is finding the right roles for the guards behind Fulwiley Johnson and Williams. She may have to make some tough decisions.
5. Life after Reese, Morrow Rebounding is important to Mulkey Each of her past three
Lawson named coach of U.S. women’s hoops team
Kara Lawson helped the U.S. women’s basketball team win an Olympic gold medal as a player 17 years ago. Now she’ll have a chance to lead it to another as the coach in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Lawson was announced as the head coach for the women’s team for the next four years by USA Basketball on Monday Lawson’s first chance to coach the team in a major competition will be at the World Cup next September in Germany The Americans will play next March in a qualifier for that tournament, but that’s right before the NCAA Tournament, which would make it difficult for Lawson to coach the U.S. because she also leads the Duke women’s basketball team.
UCF O-line coach, former App. St. coach, dies at 50 ORLANDO, Fla. UCF offensive line coach Shawn Clark died Sunday at 50 years old nearly two weeks after he was hospitalized with a medical emergency, the school announced.
Clark suffered the medical emergency on Sept. 9 and had been away from the team. He was said last week to be stable at the hospital.
Clark joined UCF’s staff this season after five seasons as head coach at Appalachian State. He went 40-24 in five seasons there and was 3-1 in bowl games, including a win in the 2023 Cure Bowl. He led Appalachian State to a 10win season in 2021.
Clark was a two-time All-American and three-time all-conference offensive lineman at Appalachian State before moving into the coaching ranks.
ACC fines Syracuse for feigning injuries in win CHARLOTTE,N.C The Atlantic Coast Conference has fined Syracuse $25,000 and issued a public reprimand for the Orange feigning injuries in Saturday’s 34-21 win over conference opponent Clemson. Syracuse issued a statement Monday saying it accepted the reprimand and fine.
Play was stopped several times for injuries to Syracuse players during the game at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.
The ACC pointed to one incident in particular with 9:25 remaining in the fourth quarter saying the Orange violated NCAA Football Rule 3-3-6-b, which addresses the feigning of injuries by players, declaring it “unethical and contrary to the spirit of the rules.”
MLB owners approve sale of Rays to Zalupski group
LSU teams has finished its season with one of the five highest rebounding averages in the country But here’s the problem: All of those squads had either Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow or both. Now LSU’s rebounding needs fall on its brand new frontcourt. Koval and Amiya Joyner are the transfers. Knox and Meghan Yarnevich are the freshmen.
6. One nonconference test
LSU has won both of the ACC/ SEC Challenge games it has played during Mulkey’s tenure. One of those matchups is back on the nonconference schedule this year, and this time the Tigers are playing Duke — at Duke. Last season, the Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament and reached the Elite Eight, where they lost a close battle with South Carolina. LSU is only set to play as many as two nonconference games against high-major opponents this year, so as always, it’s important that it makes the road game against Duke count.
7. Johnson’s last ride
Flau’jae Johnson could have declared for the WNBA draft in the offseason, but she decided to return to Baton Rouge for her senior year It was an important move, not only because it could set up LSU for a run to a Final Four but also the fact Johnson was the first major recruit to choose the Tigers after Mulkey took over the program. She means quite a bit to LSU, and now she can bookend her impressive career with national titles. She has developed into one of the best players in the country
Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
NEW YORK Major League Baseball owners voted unanimously Monday to approve the sale of the Tampa Bay Rays to a group headed by real estate developer Patrick Zalupski, allowing the transfer from Stu Sternberg’s group to close. The Rays said on Sept. 17 they expected the sale to close within two weeks.
Sternberg took control of the team from founding owner Vince Naimoli in November 2005 and rebranded it the Rays from the Devil Rays after the 2007 season.
The Rays in March withdrew from a $1.3 billion project to construct a new ballpark adjacent to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, citing a hurricane and delays that likely drove up the proposal’s cost
Two-time MVP Nash joins Suns as senior adviser
PHOENIX Former Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash is joining the franchise as a senior adviser, owner Mat Ishbia announced Monday “Steve Nash was an amazing player and exactly what the Phoenix Suns are all about,” Ishbia wrote on social media.
Nash had some of his best seasons as a player with the Suns, winning back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006. The eight-time All-Star was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Nash, 51, was also the coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2020 to 2022, finishing with a 94-67 record before being fired following a 2-5 start in 2022. The Suns finished 36-46 last season and rebuilt their roster in the offseason, trading star Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets and buying out Bradley Beal’s contract.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHAEL SISAK
Ryder Cup European captain Luke Donald, center, speaks to British media on Monday at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.y. The European team wore salmon pullovers in memory of its stunning 1987 victory at Muirfield Village.
AP PHOTO By MIKE STEWART Team USA captain Keegan Bradley, giving a thumbs up at the Tour Championship on Aug. 23, arranged a sunrise gathering for his team at Bethpage Black.
LSU’s three annual SEC foes unveiled
BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer
LSU’s three annual opponents have been set when the Southeastern Conference goes to a ninegame conference schedule in 2026.
The Tigers will play Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas A&M, multiple sources confirmed Monday morning with The Advocate.
That means LSU will not play Alabama every year Instead, the Crimson Tide has Mississippi State as one of its annual opponents for the 2026-29 seasons.
Under the new format, the annual opponents will be reevaluated every four years to possibly make adjustments based on competitive balance and other factors, so changes could be made going into the 2030 season.
In the new nine-team league schedule, every school will have three annual opponents and six rotating opponents. Every SEC team will play one another at least once every two years and every opponent home and away in a four-year span. The SEC will announce the football opponents for every school for the next four years Tuesday at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network and ESPN2. Dates for the games in 2026 will be announced in December Two years ago, sources told The Advocate it was expected that one
RABALAIS
Continued from page 1C
revealed early in their game week. It’s always a big deal when LSU and Ole Miss play, but this year’s showdown (2:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC) takes on added importance because of both 4-0 teams’ lofty rankings. LSU is No. 4 in the AP poll and Ole Miss No. 13. Remarkably it’s the first time both teams meet unbeaten and untied since No. 1 LSU (7-0) beat No. 3 Ole Miss (6-0) 7-3 in the legendary 1959 Halloween night game in Tiger Stadium. LSU and Ole Miss have played every single year since the end of World War II in 1945 and more than 100 times all told, with tons of classic meetings in their history So this was an annual border skirmish that needed to be preserved. Texas A&M also makes a lot of sense. The Tigers and Aggies have played off and on since 1899, with a big series in the 1980s and 90s and every year since A&M joined the SEC in 2012. In terms of geography and fan bases that are in well-mixed proximity to each other from Slidell to College Station, you can see why the SEC decided these two should also play annually Still, the Texas A&M series doesn’t do a whole lot for me It would have been more intriguing for LSU to keep playing Alabama or Florida or renew the annual series with Auburn, but there were several reasons those weren’t happening.
Arkansas is the “a little meh” part of this equation, but it almost has to be there because of the logistics of SEC scheduling. In short, LSU needs someone to play Thanksgiving weekend to end the regular season. This year and in 2024, that team has been Oklahoma, and it could have been the Tigers and Sooners going forward But LSU to OU is a long haul. Instead, OU and Missouri likely will play annually in a border matchup with old Big 12 ties. Arkansas, OU and Mizzou are the only SEC teams other than LSU that don’t have a big rival to play to end the season (OU and Oklahoma State aren’t playing again any time soon). LSU and Arkansas are border rivals, they play for The Boot, and they’ve
INJURIES
Continued from page 1C
subluxation of his shoulder, which is a dislocation LSU will have to determine whether he needs surgery
“We certainly want to respect the fact that in this situation, a defensive lineman, you want to make sure he’s healthy and able to pass rush,” Kelly said. “If he can’t compete at the level he needs to, then we’ll look at the options that are in front of us and surgery could be an option.” Without Reliford, LSU will have to adjust its defensive end rotation behind senior transfers Patrick Payton, Jack Pyburn and Jimari Butler Kelly mentioned redshirt sophomore Dylan Carpenter, red-
of LSU’s three annual opponents would be Alabama. At the time, former Alabama coach Nick Saban objected to the idea that the Crimson Tide should play Tennessee, Auburn and LSU every season because he believed his team would have a more difficult schedule than
played 80 times since 1901. This is a win for Arkansas, which was bummed when LSU started playing Texas A&M to end the regular season from 2014-23.
For LSU, it’s a game it expects to win nine times out of 10.
Why not Alabama as an annual opponent? Well, Bama was no doubt going to get Auburn and its game with Tennessee is also huge. The SEC wasn’t going to give the Crimson Tide three potential heavyweights with LSU as well.
Why not Florida? Looking at all the reported annual opponents, the SEC was intent on preserving rivalries and took geography into account. There are a ton of annual games here with old SEC West schools playing each other and old SEC East schools playing each other
Why not Auburn? Auburn has Alabama, and it also has the South’s oldest rivalry with Georgia. The SEC wasn’t going to saddle Auburn with LSU as well, so it gets Vanderbilt, no easy out at the moment. Overall, the SEC did a pretty equitable job of parsing out the annual opponents. Now there’s the immediate matter of the 2026 schedule.
LSU is going to get some of the opponents from the SEC’s heavyweight class: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. I don’t know how that will shake out, but the SEC should do what’s right by LSU and make sure it sends Texas here next season.
The Longhorns did not return LSU’s 2019 win in Austin in 2020 as planned because the SEC played a conference-only pandemic schedule, so the Tigers are owed one. In fact, Texas hasn’t played in Tiger Stadium since 1953, with the teams meeting just three times total since 1962. On top of that, the prospect of Arch Manning the current banner carrier for the New Orleansbased football dynasty that never has had anything to do with LSU quarterbacking the Longhorns in Baton Rouge is the definition of appointment viewing.
One last thing: Expect LSU to get just four SEC home games in 2026 and five in 2027. With Clemson and LSU’s two other nonconference games in Tiger Stadium next season, that’s likely how the math will work for everyone.
shirt freshman Kolaj Cobbins, redshirt freshman CJ Jackson or freshman Damien Shanklin could get playing time.
“We think we have some really good options for that fourth position,” Kelly said “We’ll miss Gabe this week, certainly, until we decide what his fate is moving forward relative to the shoulder. But we feel really good that we’ll be able to find that fourth guy.”
Green has not played in LSU’s past two games after suffering a sprained MCL in Week 2 against Louisiana Tech. He went through pregame warmups in full pads with a brace on his right knee before LSU played Southeastern. He then changed into sweatpants.
“He was pretty good in pregame,” Kelly said, “and then we felt like we could hold him back for another week.”
the rest of the league.
Alabama’s annual opponents for the next four years are Auburn, Tennessee and Mississippi State, according to multiple reports. Alabama’s two biggest rivals are Auburn and Tennessee Its campus is 83 miles from Mis-
sissippi State.
“I’m fine with the way it’s set up because within four years, you’re going to play them home and away,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “You might not get them every year, but you’re going to get them enough where it continues
to take the big-game approach to playing Alabama.”
LSU has a long-standing rivalry with Ole Miss. The teams played for the first time in 1894, and they have faced each other every year since 1945. LSU leads the all-time series 64-43-4 with two vacated wins going into their next game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi.
Geographically, Texas A&M is one of the closest schools to LSU in the conference. They first played in 1899, and two years after Texas A&M joined the SEC, the league put LSU-Texas A&M on the last weekend of the regular season from 2014-23. They are not expected to play on rivalry weekend moving forward because of Texas A&M’s annual game with Texas.
After not playing for decades, LSU and Arkansas have played every year since the Razorbacks joined the SEC in 1992. LSU leads the all-time series 43-23-2 with two vacated wins in the Battle for the Golden Boot trophy
The SEC announced in August that it would begin playing a ninegame league schedule in 2026 after playing eight conference games every year since 1992.
“The way the schedule is set up,” Kelly said, “I feel really good about what it looks like and all the teams we’re going to get a chance to play in the SEC.”
Continued from page 1C
receiver Rob Williams suffered “a really bad concussion” against Eastern Michigan. As a result, he isn’t expected to play Saturday
“We’ve got to shuffle the deck a little bit, moving some things around,” said Desormeaux, whose Cajuns begin Sun Belt play at 7 p.m. Saturday against Marshall at home.
When Jackson went down Saturday, right guard Jax Harrington moved to right tackle and Matt Broussard played right guard. Redshirt sophomore Xzavier Brown was listed as the backup right tackle the last two weeks.
Desormeaux also addressed Eastern Michigan’s game-winning drive after UL tied the game 31-31 on Saturday
“I think you have to start with the kick,” he said. “We called a squib kick that’s one thing. Our squib kicks typically are used at the end of the half, and basically at the end of the half, you’re trying to hit somebody — maybe you get a cheap one and steal it.”
But that wasn’t the kind of squib kick employed, and the Eagles began the last drive at their own 35. Earlier in the game, Eastern Michigan had kickoff returns of 27 and 37 yards.
“At the end of the game, I think it’s got to be a different scenario, and that wasn’t communicated very well,” Desormeaux said. “We shouldn’t have squib kicked it, is what I would say, and if you do, it’s got to be a different type of kick You’re not trying to hit somebody, so you get them the ball at the 35. So that was a mistake right there.”
Then on third and 1 from the EMU 44, quarterback Noah Kim hit tight end Joshua Long for 27 yards to get into field goal range.
“The biggest thing I think was really probably the explosive,” Desormeaux said. “We’re in zone coverage. They ran a concept that they run a lot. We got some pressure on the quarterback. He started to flush and our safety that’s in coverage that’s the hinge player that’s playing top down — I don’t know if the scramble got his eyes off of it, but he steps up and he sees the shallow coming, jumps the shallow, and they throw
WALKER
Continued from page 1C
allowed a punt return for a touchdown, saw a punt get block, yielded a 60-yard kickoff return to set up another score and had Blake Grupe miss a field goal — were abysmal. All of that happened in the first half. The Saints have prided themselves on special teams play over the past two decades, so to see the team fall apart in that area was shocking. So were all the penalties (11) that haunted the team again. There probably aren’t enough hours in the week for Moore to fix it all as his team prepares for reigning MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Chances
it over our head.”
Even with all of the issues the Cajuns (1-3) have had through the first four weeks of the season, UL could be 3-1 with a lot of room for improvement if not for a host of penalties. On Saturday, it was 10 flags for 85 yards — including eight infractions on offense.
“Right now the difference between being 3-1 or 1-3 are self-inflicted wounds that we’ve got to clean up and get better,” Desormeaux said. “That affects everything. It affects your redzone scoring, it affects your points at the end of the game. It affects your efficiency, it affects your negative play percentage, it affects your conversion rate It
are, the Bills will be the best team the Saints face all season. The Seahawks could be a playoff team, but they aren’t a team that should be beating the Saints this badly
The Saints now have lost seven straight games, the second-longest active losing streak in the league behind the Titans (nine). None of the Saints’ previous six losses were quite this bad.
“It’s a test of adversity,” Moore said. “It’s how you respond. This is going to be a really valuable lesson for us. Our guys are going to learn from this.”
They’d better Sunday was another reminder of the Saints getting left behind. And that’s not just what we saw in Seattle but also around the NFC South. The Tampa Bucca-
affects everything that you do.”
Tackling also is a concern for the Cajuns.
“We just did not tackle very well on defense,” Desormeaux said. “Some of that is, I don’t think we always did the best job communicating and kind of wear the fits were. Some of it’s just, you got to run through tackles bring your feet, wrap up, run your feet and you got to get them on the ground.
“We’ve got to do a better job of that. So we’ve got to go back to the tackling fundamentals, which we work every week, but we got to overemphasize it.”
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.
neers rallied late for a win and improved to 3-0. The Carolina Panthers, division doormats in recent years, blasted the Atlanta Falcons 30-0. Turns out, that Falcons’ loss wasn’t the division’s worst of the day That dubious distinction belongs to the Saints, who one-upped their division rival to lose by 31. It was a gut punch that the Saints and their fans won’t soon forget. Twenty years from now, fans will talk about this game.
So yes, Earth, Wind & Fire. The 21st day of September is a day the Saints always will remember But it’s a day they’d much rather forget.
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU linebacker Whit Weeks, right, intercepts a pass by Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green, middle, on Oct. 19
at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
Now’sagood time to divide andshare them
Many of theperennial plants in our landscapes are slowing down at this time of year.With fall and winter drawing near, aseason of dormancy is approaching for these plants. Not so for Louisiana irises. They rested up over the summer,and now, they’re gearing up for aperiod of growth. Look around outside,and you mightfind some fresh, green iris blades starting to poke out of the ground. Unlike so many other plants, irises will continue to actively grow throughoutthe cool season before bloomingin the spring.
Right now —while plants are small and just emerging from dormancy —isthe perfect time to divide these fantastic native plants.
LSUAGCENTER FILEPHOTO
Irises can become overcrowded and benefitfrom occasional division.
Whydivideirises?
Irises have underground, root-like stems called rhizomes that anchor them in place and allow them to spread. New rhizomes shoot out from existing rhizomes as iris clumps grow These offset, young rhizomes can be severed and used to startnew plants. Division has afew benefits. For one, irises have atendency to become overcrowded, which can lead to sad-looking plants and fewer flowers. Resetting abed every few years by removingthe older rhizomes and keepingjust the younger divisions creates some breathing room and is agood practice. When you divide your irises, you might end up with more rhizomes thanyou want to plant back into your bed. Or perhaps you want to put something entirely different in that location. In either of thesecases, you can take the rhizomes and plant them somewhere new —orsharethem with others.
Here’s howtodoit
Use ashovel or garden fork to carefully dig around irises. Pull theplants out of the ground and look for the smaller,younger rhizomes with leaves growing from their tips.
Break or cut these offsets from the larger,olderrhizomes, which aren’tlikely to produce much new growth. Some people do find success in cutting these older rhizomes into 2-to-3-inch piecesand potting them up, but propagation results can be quite variable. Plant your newly divided rhizomesimmediately.Whether you return them to the bed where they were, move them to anew area of the garden or
ä See IRISES, page 6C
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
Real estate near LSUisachoicelocation, whether thebuyer is looking for astudent abode or adestination that’s awalk away from Tiger Stadium
Being near campus is all about convenience for studentsand fans alike. Here arefour condominiumsonthe market in Baton Rouge that are close to LSU’s campus. 255E.BoydDrive,#211
n $320,000
This condo is located near the SouthGates entrance of LSU in Three Thirty Three Flats, agated complex that has amodern industrial feel. The unit includes tall ceilings and wood floors throughout and high-end finishes. The kitchen contains stainless steel appliances and astackable washer and dryer.The landscaped courtyard offers abarbecuegrill and plentyofseating.
With a20% down payment, the estimated monthly payment is $2,475 on a30-year fixed mortgage.
3347 NicholsonDrive,UnitA308
n $200,000
The Fieldhouse Condominiums are just footsteps away from theLSU campus and TigerStadium. These New Orleans-style condominiums feature hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances anda new dishwasher,washer and dryer
The listing shows private wrought iron balconieswith views of Tiger Stadium. The development also includes afitness center and privateparking.
With a20% down payment, the estimated
BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer
PROVIDED PHOTOS
The Fieldhouse Condominiumsare just footsteps away from the LSU campus and TigerStadium.
Seatingquestionsymbolicofdivide
written?
Dear Miss Manners: Please settle an ongoing dispute with my wife. When we attend aconcert or showwithopenseating, is it polite to sit directly in front of someone already seated when there are plenty of other seats available that don’tblock someone’sview?
Both of us are rather tall, and Ibelieve it’smore polite for us to sit toward the back —oratleast not in front of others when possible. She says we should just sit anywhere we like.
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Gentle reader: That you have limited your question to theater seating is an enormous relief to Miss Manners. Becausewhatyou have here are two fundamentally opposed ways of approachinglife, and shehopes this does not lead you two into worse conflicts. Oneapproach is that our only job is to look after our own interests; others can look after theirs. Theother is that it is in everyone’sinterest to avoid unnecessarily annoying others. Admittedly,this can lead to difficultchoices. Always deferring to others is as badachoiceasnever doingso. Butinatrivial situation,when you can spare inconvenience to others with almost no cost to yourselves? Miss Manners sides with you. Butshe also worries aboutyou.
est friends to participate. Ifind extremely large wedding parties distasteful, and think that being an attendant in awedding should be reserved for those you’re closest to.
My fiancé is adamant that his female cousin be included as one of my bridesmaids, although he could care less whether his own sister is included. Idon’tpersonally care for either one of these ladies, but I’m willing to compromisewith him on this because I would like my own brother to be included as agroomsman. And to be honest,this isn’tworth the massive fight that would inevitably result if Irefused.
Dear Miss Manners: My boyfriend andIhave just started planning ourwedding and asking our dear-
My concerns are twofold: 1. Is it inappropriatetoinclude his cousin in the wedding party but exclude his sister? 2. If either of these
Howto starttraveling solo
Dear Heloise: Ihave an idea for the person who was wondering about traveling solo. Itraveled with friends for over 30 years, but Idecided Ihad other places that Iwanted to visit. Istarted with atrip that had apurpose, like agraduation to see family or friends who would be there. Idid add in afew days on my own before the eventtoget the feel of traveling alone Irecently suggested this to afriend who was flyingsolo for the first time. She flew 9 hours to avery large city to see family.She did great!
ladies are in the wedding party,I would ratherrestrict attendance to bridal gown shopping and similar eventstomyclosest friends; would that be an insult to them? I feel the forced camaraderie would be awkward for all of us. For therecord, Isuggested we just have coed wedding parties and was shot down.
Gentlereader: Shot down? Why?
People are so conscious of gender roles nowadays that after dealing with abride’squestion about when to write letters of thanks, Miss Manners was inundated withdemands to know why she didn’ttell the bridegroom to write them.
The answer: because it was the bride who asked.What does Miss Manners care which of them writes as long as the letters get
CONDOS
Continuedfrom page5C
In forming awedding party,it is ridiculous to feel that gender is moreimportant than the relationship. Traditionally,the genders were divided only because it was thought that respectable single people did not have friends of the other gender
The relevant tradition is that the bride and bridegroom each choose whoshould stand up for them.And now is the timefor you to stand up foryourself.
Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St Kansas City,MO 64106.
Hints from Heloise
letterfrom the woman who said that her husband doesn’tlike leftovers. We live alone as well, and Ilove to make things that I can freeze! Imake abig batchofchili, thenfreeze the extraportions. Imake aregular lasagna andaMexican lasagna (a recipe with tortillas) in an 9-by-13-inchpan, thencut up the portions to freeze.
freeze half, then continue on with the remaining half that Ineed for whatever I’m cooking! This process has been alifesaver for late afternoons when Ihave the grandkids.
Alwaysmake sure that you writethe dateonthe freezer bags and what’s inside. Once, Iplanned for spaghetti but ended up with chili! —Marcia B.,inCypress, California
Flashlights, cookie crumbs
Iamalmost 80,and Ihave traveled solo for years.I am not afraid to strike up conversations, which is important when traveling solo. Ihave met wonderful people who have become friends. Ihave enjoyed places like England, Africa, Iceland, Norway and more alone. Ihave joined very small tours, but usually I like to add in days on my own before or after atour Safety is my top priority Start small, and gain independence and confidence. Good luck! —Grace LeBlanc, via email
Freezing leftovers
Dear Heloise: Iread the
By The Associated Press
Today is Tuesday, Sept. 23, the 266th day of 2025. There are 99 days left in the year Todayinhistory:
On Sept. 23, 1952, Sen. Richard M. Nixon, R-Calif., salvaged his vice presidential nomination by appearing on television from Los Angeles to refute allegations of improper campaign fundraising in what became known as the “Checkers” speech for its reference to his family’scocker spaniel. Also on this date: In 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis, more than two years after setting out for the Pacific Northwest.
IRISES
This way,when I’m stumped for what to make, Ican just pull acontainer out of thefreezer. Ialways label the packages withthe item and date. Surely,there must be other main dishes that freeze just as well. Jackie, via email
Cookingfor two
Dear Heloise: In response to “Tearing My Hair Out,” in Delaware: I, too, am awife cookingfor two. Ifind that whenImake things like chili or spaghetti sauce, Imake thesameamount (as Ialways have).ThenI put half in afreezer bag, squeeze out any excess air, andfreeze it. It makes for a quickmeal acouple weeks later
When Ibrown ground beef, Idothe same.Brown thebeef, drain it well,
TODAYINHISTORY
In 1955, ajury in Sumner, Mississippi, acquitted two White men, Roy Bryant and J.W.Milam, of killing Black teenager Emmett Till. (The two later admitted to the crime in an interview with Look magazine.) In 1957, nine Black studentswho entered Little Rock Central HighSchool in Arkansas were forced to withdraw because of a White moboutside In 2002, Gov.Gray Davis signed alaw makingCalifornia the first statetooffer workers paid family leave. In 2018, capping acomeback from four back surgeries, Tiger Woodswon theTour Championship in Atlanta, the80th victory of hisPGA Tour career and
Dear Heloise: Isave all the free small flashlights that Ireceive in the mail from charities and other places. Ilike to leave them in dark cabinets where there isn’t enough light. Ialso leave them in my purse and vehicles. Very handy! Ihave found small wall-mounted (adhesive) lightsthat are under $10 for mysmaller closets and pantry,which are very helpful as well. At home, for ice-cream cones with holes in thebottom, Isave cookie crumbs to drop intothe cone to prevent ice cream from dripping out.Ialso sprinkle these crumbs onto yogurt to add texture and taste. Love your column! —Carolyn Purdy, via email
Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.
his first in morethan five years.
In 2022, Roger Federer played his final professional match after an illustrious career that included 20 Grand Slam titles Today’sBirthdays: Singer Julio Iglesias is 82. Actor/singer Mary Kay Place is 78. Rock star Bruce Springsteen is 76. Director/playwright George C. Wolfe is 71. Actor Rosalind Chao is 68. Actor Jason Alexander is 66. Actor Chi McBride is 64. Singer AniDiFranco is 55. Producer-rapper Jermaine Dupri is 53. Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is 52.
Actor Anthony Mackie is 47. Actor Skylar Astin is 38. Tennis player Juan Martín del Potrois37.
monthlypaymentis$1,619 witha 30-year fixed loan.
4637 BurbankDrive, #206 n $310,000
Located in the Highland Hideaway development, this luxury condo near the South Gates of LSUis tucked away behind Courtney Place. The condo has private lake views, agarage entry and double gated community for security
Each spacious room has aprivate en suitebathroom, while the kitchen includes granite countertops, arefrigerator,washer and dryer.This condo is in asecure,convenient community just minutes from LSU. With a20% down payment, theestimated monthlypaymentis$2,464 witha 30-year fixed loan.
1720 NicholsonDrive,#18 n $245,000
This modern, industrialcondo in Red Stick Lofts is positioned five minutes away from LSU and three minutesfromdowntown.The two-story unit features abathroom on each level.
The firstfloor features atwo-car garage,
guest bedroom witha full bath, laundry,and access to the private,shadedand fenced backyard. The second level features 18-foot vaulted ceilings in theliving room, adining area, open-concept kitchen, half bath forguests andhardwoodpine floorsthroughout. With a20% downpayment,the estimated monthly payment is $1,918 with a30-year fixed loan. Email Joy Holdenatjoy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
plant them in containers for gifting to friends,try to locate the plants in full sun. Irises can tolerate some shade, but they’ll have fewer blooms. Space rhizomes at least 8-10 inches apart.Resist the temptationtopack in plants close together for a full look —ifyou do, you’ll
Continued from page5C LSU AGCENTER PHOTO When dividingirises, look for younger,smallerrhizomes thathaveleavesemerging from their tips.
SLICE
Continued from page5C
of the action at the new location on Nicholson Drive.
What’s different?
have to divide thebed again sooner.Plant rhizomes horizontally,making sure the fans of foliage are facing theway you want them to grow Cover therhizomes and rootswith soil. Youshould have only about one-half inch of soil on top of the rhizome. Irises that are planted too deeply won’t bloom well.
Youcan fertilize irises in October once growth takes off.
The new location means that City Slice willhave a kitchen nearly three times bigger, Dispenza said. There’smore seating too, roughly 100, he said, andthe space has 21 televisions of varying sizes. They’ll also be ableto sling out more pizzas inthe kitchen.
theloss of Pluckers, theCity Slicemenuwill also have a selection of wings.
“Wehave two, double-stack brick ovens that we’re cooking with now,” Dispenza said. For those still mourning
“Wings,pizza and beer,” Dispenza said.“That’s where we’re at.” City Slice, 4225 Nicholson Drive, Baton Rouge. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 2a.m. Thursday through Saturday
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Recognize your worth, and present what you can do. Stop wasting time trying to do the impossible, and start moving forward in a way that brings you emotional gratification.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Put your ego aside, keep your emotions to yourself and focus on facts, what's possible and how to turn your plans into reality. A kind word or gesture can generate favors.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Let your creative imagination determine your lifestyle. Your emotional well-being affects how you look and feel. Doing a stellar job, both personally and professionally, will pay off.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Err on the side of caution today. Say no to temptation and yes to taking care of responsibilities, as well as anything related to partnerships or joint ventures.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Lifestyle matters. Whether you are dealing with financial, health or legal issues, it is best to stay informed. Your life, your choices; refuse to let anyone talk you into something you don't agree with or want.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Share your thoughts, ask questions and make your demands clear and contingent on what you discover moving forward. Opportunity will present itself if you network.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) A rich imagination will carry you through the day. A
change in vocation, plans or lifestyle can lead to improved finances. Partnerships look promising and can help lower your overhead.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Establish what you represent and are willing to offer to avoid being misled by false claims or unnecessary demands Conflicts between work and home are likely if you don't manage your time well.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Participate in social events that offer insight into what's happening in your community. New beginnings await if you keep an open mind and are willing to try something different.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Temptation, indulgence and overreacting to what's happening around you will be hard to resist. You'll meet with opposition if you are argumentative or hostile. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) You are heading in the right direction, but take precautions when addressing domestic issues. Open discussions will help alleviate setbacks if you get approval before you begin a project.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Take action to put your responsibilities behind you. The quicker you take care of business, the sooner you can enjoy your day. Don't take risks with your money or your health.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
cLuE: D EQuALs F
FAMILY CIrCUS
toDAy's
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
And erneSt
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon
bIG nAte
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
George Orwell said, “Who controls the past controlsthe future. Whocontrols the present controls the past.”
At thebridge table, though, who controlsthepresentoftencontrolsthefuture. In this deal, how should the defense go against four spades after West leads the diamond king?
North, apoint-count addict, made a three-spade, game-invitational limit raise withahand that is worth agameforcing raise. Apply the Losing Trick Count.The North hand has only six losers: two spades (because you deduct one loser fora10-card or better fit), one heart,twodiamondsandoneclub.Alimit raise showseight losers; agame-forcing raise promises seven or fewer.
East wondered about intervening with four hearts, butknew that it was highly dangerous.However, note that five hearts goes down only one, which is very cheapiffourspades is making. Those double fits are delicious
At trickone, East should pause for thought.From where might four defensive trickscome? He can seethe spade ace and presumably two diamonds,but what is number four?
Right —aclub ruff in the East hand.
However, if Eastplays adiscouraging diamond four at trick one, West will probably shift to the heart queen. East musttake control. He overtakes the dia-
mond king with his ace and switches to hissingleton club.
Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters 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 wordsare not allowed
toDAy’s WoRD AntonyMs: AN-toh-nims:Words of opposite meaning.
Average mark 12 words
Timelimit 35 minutes
Can you find 21 or morewords in ANTONYMS?
yEstERDAy’s WoRD —cEMEtERy
wuzzles
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
hidato
mallard fillmore
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Nvidia will invest $100B in OpenAI
Chipmaker Nvidia will invest $100 billion in OpenAI as part of a partnership announced Monday that will add at least 10 gigawatts of Nvidia AI data centers to ramp up the computing power for the owner of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT
Per the letter of intent signed by the companies, the first gigawatt of Nvidia systems will be deployed in the second half of 2026. Nvidia and OpenAI said they would be finalizing the details of the arrangement in the coming weeks.
“This partnership complements the deep work OpenAI and Nvidia are already doing with a broad network of collaborators, including Microsoft, Oracle, SoftBank and Stargate partners, focused on building the world’s most advanced AI infrastructure,” the companies said in a release Those companies pledged to invest at least $100 billion in building data centers for OpenAI in January
The Nvidia-OpenAI partnership also comes about 10 days after OpenAI said it had reached a new tentative agreement that will give Microsoft a $100 billion equity stake in its for-profit corporation. OpenAI is technically controlled by its nonprofit.
Speaking on CNBC, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the new data centers that Nvidia will build are in addition to the previously announced projects.
“Building this infrastructure is critical to everything we want to do,” Altman said. Stocks set records as rally keeps rolling
The seemingly relentless rally on Wall Street drove U.S. stocks to more records on Monday
The S&P 500 rose 0.4% after erasing a modest loss from the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 66 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.7%. It’s the third straight day where all three indexes set an all-time high
“Every time the market seems to be running out of momentum, it fools most of us by pushing to higher heights,” said Jay Woods chief market strategist at Freedom Capital Markets.
Some of the market’s sharpest action was among companies agreeing to buy one another Pfizer said it would buy Metsera and its pipeline of medicines to potentially treat obesity in a deal initially valuing it at $4.9 billion. The payout for Metsera investors could go up sharply if its candidates win approval from federal regulators and achieve other milestones.
Metsera’s stock jumped 60.7%, and Pfizer’s edged up by less than 0.1%.
ODP, which runs Office Depot and Office Max, leaped 32.9% after Atlas Holdings agreed to buy it in a deal valued at roughly $1 billion.
More recalls for possible shrimp contamination
A Seattle seafood distributor has recalled more cooked and frozen shrimp sold at Kroger grocery stores across the U.S. because of ongoing concerns about potential radioactive contamination.
Aquastar Corp. on Saturday recalled nearly 157,000 additional pounds of shrimp because of possible contamination with cesium 137, a radioactive isotope. The new recall includes nearly 50,000 bags of Kroger Raw Colossal EZ Peel Shrimp, about 18,000 bags of Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp and more than 17,000 bags of AquaStar Peeled Tail-on Shrimp Skewers. The products were sold between June 12 and Sept. 17 at grocery stores in more than 30 states. They include Bakers City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foodsco, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, Jay C, King Soopers, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarkets, Pick ‘n Save, Ralph’s Smith’s and QFC.
BUSINESS
THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business
Oracle to manage TikTok, official says
White House says tech giant will be in charge of security
BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Tech giant Oracle will spearhead U.S. oversight of the algorithm and security underlying TikTok’s video popular platform under the terms of a deal laid out Monday by President Donald Trump’s administration. All the final details still need to
be nailed down among several joint venture partners that will include Oracle, investment firm Silver Lake Partners and possibly two billionaires — media mogul Rupert Murdoch and personal computer pioneer Michael Dell. The U.S. administration would not have a stake in the joint venture nor be part of its board, according to a senior White House official. The proposal is aimed at resolving a long-running effort to wrest TikTok’s U.S. operations from its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, because of national security concerns. It’s part of an agreement forged between Trump
and China President Xi Jinping while the two leaders continue to spar in a trade war that’s roiled the global economy for much of the year For now, the two sides are progressing on a framework deal that calls for a consortium of investors, including Oracle and Silver Lake, to take over the U.S operations of TikTok in a process that might not be completed until early next year under a timeline laid out Monday by the Trump administration. That could mean TikTok’s divestment might not be completed until a year after it was supposed to be banned under a law that had bipar-
tisan support but was repeatedly bypassed by Trump. Under the current terms of the proposal, the new U.S. joint venture would receive a licensed copy of the recommendation algorithm that keeps TikTok users endlessly scrolling through clips on their smartphones. Oracle would review, monitor and secure U.S. data flowing through the service. American officials have previously warned that ByteDance’s algorithm is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.
Time running out on clean energy tax credits, incentives
U.S. residents have saved thousands, but experts say take advantage now
BY CALEIGH WELLS Associated Press
Tax incentives that saved U.S. residents thousands of dollars on home efficiency upgrades, clean energy installations and electric vehicles are expiring this year That means people who want to take advantage of them before they disappear have to act quickly
“There is still time, but the clock is ticking,” said Zach Pierce, head of policy at Rewiring America, a nonprofit focused on electrification
The Inflation Reduction Act that passed in 2022 includes a slew of tax credits for electric vehicles and home efficiency upgrades.
The credits had two main goals: to help people afford cleaner alternatives like heat pumps and electric vehicles that can save them money, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are the largest driver of climate change.
In addition to EVs, home upgrades that qualify include home energy audits, heat pumps, solar panels, water heaters, appliances, battery storage, car chargers and improvements to windows, doors, skylights, insulation and electrical panels.
Payback comes at tax filing time. For example, if you buy a heat pump and qualify for a $2,000 tax credit, you document that expense on your tax return, and you owe $2,000 less in taxes that year
Some incentives have a cap. You can only get $1,200 of credit per year for most of home improvements like insulation and efficient windows, and $2,000 of credit for heat pumps and water heaters. The big expenses, including geothermal heat pumps, rooftop solar and battery storage, aren’t capped. Those tax credits are 30% of the purchase price. So a new $20,000 rooftop solar system earns you a $6,000 tax credit.
Most of these credits were originally set to expire between 2032 and 2034. But the budget passed by Congress this year ends them far sooner
Most of them expire at the end of this year
But there are some exceptions.
The clean vehicle tax credit worth $7,500 for new EVs and up to $4,000 for used ones expires Sept. 30.
Pierce said with a deadline that tight, people shopping for a new vehicle that qualifies should get on that “as soon as you hear this message.”
Olivia Alves, senior associate with the nonprofit clean energy advocacy group RMI, said it’s also the one IRA credit you can typically get upfront. “You use the clean vehicle tax credit, you can work with your dealership to get that money off the day that you make the purchase. So it operates like a point of sale rebate,” she said.
The car doesn’t need to be parked in your
a lot of these types of retrofits,” she said. “Those are done by professionals that can help you map out what those projects would look like.”
Pierce said after that, if solar panels are in the game plan, tackle that next. But some solar installers are already booked through the end of the year
“We are seeing more bottlenecks for rooftop solar installations than we are for heat pumps, for example, but that doesn’t mean that it may not be an option for your region or your neighborhood,” Pierce said.
“Experts estimate that it takes 60 to 90 days to get a solar panels system installed, and that’s quick,” said Kate Ashford, investing specialist with the personal finance company NerdWallet. “You might be a little late, but you could look into it to see if it’s even possible.”
Alves said next, tackle smaller installations like doors and insulation. Her final tier is major appliances like heat pumps, which are more expensive and can take longer, but may not face the same backlog as solar installations.
driveway by the deadline. A buyer simply needs to enter into a contract and make a down payment or trade-in to qualify
The credit for EV chargers, which is up to $1,000 for qualifying residents, is good through June 30 of next year Everything else expires on Dec. 31.
What to prioritize
Start with the home energy assessment, Alves said.
“That is really the bread and butter for
OK, let’s say you qualified for tax credits on a home efficiency improvement and the amount exceeded the tax you owed. You weren’t allowed to carry that unused credit forward into a future year anyway
But credits for residential clean energy projects — think really big-ticket items like solar, geothermal heat pumps and battery storage — could be carried forward if you didn’t get the full benefit of the incentive on your tax return.
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s appointee to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors said Monday that the central bank’s key interest rate should be much lower than its current 4.1% level, staking out a position far different than his colleagues.
Stephen Miran, who is also a top economic adviser to Trump, said in remarks to the Economic Club of New York that
sharp declines in immigration, rising tariff revenue, and an aging population all suggest that the Fed’s rate should be closer to 2.5% instead. According to projections released last week, that’s almost a full percentage point lower than any of his 18 colleagues on the Fed’s rate-setting committee, an unusually high divergence. Miran’s comments underscore the different perspective he brings to the Fed’s deliberations over interest rate policy His appointment has been controversial because he has kept his position as the head of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers while taking unpaid leave, raising concerns about the Fed’s traditional independence
from day-to-day politics. His term on the Fed’s board expires in January, and Miran has said he expects to return to the White House after that, and is keeping his position because his Fed term is so short. But he could remain on the board until a successor is appointed. There hasn’t been a member of the executive branch on the Fed’s board since the 1930s. Concerns about the Fed’s independence are heightened because Trump has also repeatedly attacked Chair Jerome Powell and has called for the Fed to reduce its rate to as low as 1.2%. He is now seeking to fire Lisa Cook, a Fed governor who has fought her removal in the courts. It is the first
time that a president has tried to fire a Fed governor So far, courts have ruled that Cook can keep her job while her suit seeking to overturn her firing is considered. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court. During a question-and-answer session Monday, Miran said he would operate independently and that Trump had not pushed him to follow any specific policy
“At the end of the day I make my own analysis based on my own understanding of economics and how the economy works,” Miran said. In his conversations with Trump, the president “never asked me to set policy in a specific way.”
