The Advocate 09-23-2025 by The Advocate

TRUMPPUSHES UNPROVEN TIES BETWEEN TYLENOL, AUTISM 3A

COWBOY CHURCHES ROPE IN WORSHIPPERS

As religiousservicesevolve, pastor leansintorodeo roots

BY JENNAROSS Staff writer

LORANGER Before he stands at apulpit, before he wears amicrophone, before he deliversa sermon,Pastor RandySmith of CrossbrandCowboy Churchleads a prayer behind the rodeoarena.

Just after 2p.m. Sunday,ahush comesoverthe arena as Smith praysthat God protectthe men and boys about to ride. That God watch over them.ThatGod lead them into church at 4p.m.

“Amen,”the menmurmur

This is howservices start at Crossbrand— with the creak of agate,the clang of abell andawarning: “Fire in the hole!”

Then abull bursts out of apen,kicking up dust, arider atop its back for ﬁve seconds.

For the nexthour, Smith willbeout there with them, penning bulls, straddling gates and hoping that afew of these men who have never before attended church might ﬁnd their way to theback pew

It’sthe hope of hundredsofcowboy churches across theSouth.Since theybeganpoppingupinLouisiana’s rural reachesa decade or more ago, the churches have ushered folks into their barnlikebuildings,adorned with

Amember of Crossbrand CowboyChurch rides abull before worship services.

haybales andhorseshoes, with a“come as youare” message. The lack of adress code, steeple or formal denominationhints at how Christianity is evolving in corners of this country T-shirts,ball caps andboots arewelcomed, though on a

ä See CHURCH, page 6A

Feds probeBR housing project

It’s thesecondknown investigation by FBI, others

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

The FBI and other federal authorities are investigating aBaton Rouge housing project that cost morethan $450,000 to rehab three smallhomes, issuing agrandjury subpoenainJulyand meeting with top ofﬁcials in Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ ofﬁce, records show

It’sthe second known federal probe into government-funded housing projects in East Baton Rouge Parish since last May

Emailsobtainedvia apublicrecordsrequest show meeting plans and communication between Baton Rouge’sOfﬁce of Community Development Director Kelly LeDuff andFBI agents, the U.S. Attorney’sOfﬁce andthe U.S. Housing andUrban Development’sinspector general in March. In multiple messages, LeDuff andinvestigators 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 other two under 700 square feet —onCentral Road in Baton Rouge. LeDuff said Monday he didn’tknow if the probe targets former City Hall staffers or Hughes, but stressed that Edwards’ team is notunderinvestigation.

“It’spretty well-documented that theprevious administration was contacted about issues,” LeDuff said. “Weall know that it was here prior

Louisianaisset to cutbackontesting forhighschoolers

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Here’s amath problemthat Louisiana high schoolers might enjoy solving: Six mandatory state tests minus two.

Beginning in 2028, highschool-

erswilltakeone comprehensive test in mathand one in English, down fromtwo testsineachsubject, stateDepartment of Education ofﬁcials said. Thecivics and biology tests willcontinue, for a total of fourstate testsinsteadof six.

Thecomprehensive English assessment will replaceseparate English Iand English II end-ofcourseexams,while themath assessment will replaceseparate Algebra Iand geometry tests. Students will take both comprehensive tests in 10th grade.

The changes will not affect Louisiana’sgraduation requirements, which require high schoolers to passatleast three state exams. But they will cutdown on mandatory testing.

“Through doing this,” saidstate Superintendent of Education Cade

Brumley, “we will have signiﬁcantly reduced the amount of time that studentsare takingstandardized tests in the state of Louisiana and provided more time for instruction.”

ä See TESTING, page 7A

STAFF PHOTOSByCHRIS GRANGER RandySmith,

STAFFFILE PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

Three homes developed by Jason Hughes’ Hughes Consultant Group on Central Road are the subject of afederal investigation.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Tiger kills handler during show in Okla

OKLAHOMA CITY A large tiger fa-

tally 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 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.

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 speak-

ing 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 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,” ABC said a statement.

ABC suspended Kimmel indeﬁnitely on Wednesday 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 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.

Sinclair said Monday that it would not air Kimmel’s show Tuesday and would broadcast news programming instead.

“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,”

the company said. There was no immediate comment from Nexstar on its plans for Kimmel’s return. An dr ew K ol ve t, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Kirk and 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.”

Stephen Colbert joyfully reacted to the news during the opening of his “Late Show,” telling his audience that “our long national, late nightmare is over.”

Colbert, whose late show is being canceled by CBS after this season, said he was happy for his friend and the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” staff. Grabbing his recently-won Emmy Award for outstanding talk series, the comedian could hardly contain his glee He added, “Once more, I am the only martyr on late night!”

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. He has yet to comment on Kimmel’s reinstatement. 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.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

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 solution to

Trumppushesunproventiesbetween Tylenol, autism

Discredited link between vaccines,disorder also raised

BY ALI SWENSON and AMANDASEITZ Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Monday used the platform of the presidency to promote unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism as his administration announcedawide-ranging effort to study the causes of the complex brain disorder

“Don’ttakeTylenol,”

Trump instructed pregnant women around adozen times during the unwieldy White House news conference, also urging mothers not to give their infants the drug, known by the generic name acetaminophen. He also fueled long-debunked claims that ingredients in vaccines or timing shots close together couldcontribute to rising rates of autism in the U.S., without providing any medical evidence.

Medical experts said Trump’sremarks were irresponsible.New York University bioethicist Art Caplan said it was “the saddest displayofa lack ofevidence, rumors, recycling old myths, lousyadvice, outright lies anddangerousadvice Ihave ever witnessed by anyone in authority.”

Trump announced during theeventthatthe Foodand Drug Administrationwould begin notifying doctors that theuse of acetaminophen “can be associated”with an increasedriskofautism,but didnot immediately provide justiﬁcation for thenew recommendation.

Some studieshaveraised the possibility thattaking acetaminophen during pregnancymight increase the risk of autism —but many others haven’tfound that concern, said autism expert David Mandell of the University of Pennsylvania One challenge is thatit’s hard to disentangle the effects of Tylenoluse from the effects of high fevers during pregnancy. Fevers, especially in the ﬁrst trimester, can increase therisk for miscarriages, pretermbirth and other problems, according to theSocietyfor MaternalFetal Medicine.

Trump also urged not giving Tylenol toyoung chil-

The rambling announcement, which appeared to rely on existing studies rather than signiﬁcant new research, comes as the Make America Healthy Again movement hasbeen pushing foranswersonthe causes of autism. The diverse coalition of supporters of HealthSecretary Robert Kennedy Jr.includes several anti-vaccine activists who have long spread debunked claims that immunizations are responsible. The announcement also sheds light on Trump’sown long-held fascination with autism and his trepidation about the childhood vaccine schedule, even as the president has taken pride in his work to disseminateCOVID-19 vaccines during his ﬁrst term.

Washington, as Health and Human

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

dren, but scientists say that research indicates autism develops in thefetal brain.

Responding to Trump’s warnings, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said they still recommend Tylenolasanappropriate option to treat fever and pain during pregnancy. The president of the American College of Obstetricians and GynecologistssaidMonday thatsuggestions that Tylenol use in pregnancy causes autism are “irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusingmessagetheysend to pregnant patients.”

Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Monday evening that theadministration “does not believe popping more pills is always the answerfor better health”and that it “willnot be deterred

TrumptomeetwithSchumer, Jeffries as shutdown risk looms

BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

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 meet-

ing is set for Thursday,one of the peoplesaid. The chance for Trump and the congressional leaders to open talkscomes at acritical period in the government funding cycle, with just days to go before federal money runs outwith the endof the ﬁscal yearonSept.30. Trumphad left thedoor open to ameeting even as he has also suggested there may be government closures “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 Congresshas failedto pass legislation to keep the government running after having deadlockedfollowingrounds of voting late

lastweek. While the House approved aRepublican proposalto keep thefederal government fundedintoNovember, the measure failed in the Senate, wherethe rules can require ahigher 60-votethreshold that means support is needed from Republicans and Democrats. ADemocraticproposal that would have boosted health care funds 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

DominicanRepublicseizescocaine from speedboatdestroyedbyU.S.

BYMANUEL RUEDA Associated Press

in these efforts as we know millions across America are grateful.”

Tylenol maker Kenvue disputed any link between the drug and autism on Monday and saidinastatementthat if pregnant mothersdon’t use Tylenolwheninneed, theycould face adangerous choice between suffering fevers or usingriskier painkilleralternatives.Shares of Kenvue Inc. fell 7.5% in trading Monday,reducing the company’smarketvalue by about $2.6 billion.

Kennedy announced during the news conference that at Trump’surging, he was launching anew all-agency effort to uncoverall thefactors that could be contributing to autism, aquestion scientists have been researching for decades.

FDACommissioner Dr MartyMakaryalsotookthe stage to announce it was taking the ﬁrst steps to try to approve afolic acid metabolite called leucovorin as atreatment option forpatients believedtohavelow levels of

folate in the brain. That may include some people with autism. Leucovorinisused to counteract the side effects of various prescription drugs, including chemotherapy and otherhigh-dose medications that can negatively impact theimmune system. It works by boosting folate levels, a form of vitamin Bthat’scritical to the body’sproduction of healthy red blood cells. Women alreadyare told to take folic acid before conceptionand during pregnancy because it reduces the chances of certain birth defects knownasneural tube defects.

In recent years ahandful of studies have suggested positive results when highdose folic acid is used to treat childrenwith autism, withresearchers in China and other countries reporting improvements in social skills and other metrics. Those small studies have been quickly embraced by some partsofthe autism community online. The theory is that some, not all, children with autism maynot properlymetabolize folate, Mandell said. But the recent studies “are really tiny,” he said. To prove an effect, “we would need an independent, large, rigorously controlled randomized trial.”

Ofﬁcialssaidthe boat was destroyed about 80 nautical miles south of IslaBeata, a smallislandthatbelongs to theDominican Republic They said the Dominican’s Republic Navy worked in conjunction with U.S. authoritiestolocatethe speedboat which was allegedly tryingtodock in the Dominican Republicand use the nation as a“bridge” to transport cocaine to the United States.

“Thisisthe ﬁrst time in his-

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. 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.

tory that the United States 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.

The WhiteHouse says the ﬂotilla hasdestroyed three speedboats carrying drugs so far in separate strikesthat have killedmore than adozen people aboard the vessels.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByMARK SCHIEFELBEIN

PresidentDonald Trumpspeaks Monday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in

Services SecretaryRobertF.KennedyJr.,left, and

administrator Dr.Mehmet Oz listen.

High court to decide Trump’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 expanding President Donald Trump’s power to shape independent agencies by overturning a nearly century-old decision limiting when presidents can ﬁre board members.

That decision ushered in an era of powerful independent federal agencies charged with regulating labor relations, employment discrimination and public airwaves. But it has long rankled conservative legal theorists who argue such agencies should answer to the president.

dent regulators removal protections 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 and commissions would have seismic implications for our economy that will harm ordinary Americans.”

The court will hear arguments unusually early in the process, before the case has fully worked its way through lower courts.

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. 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.

The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider expanding President Donald Trump’s power to shape independent agencies by overturning a nearly century-old decision limiting when presidents can fire board members.

dissented from the decision allowing Slaughter’s firing. It comes after similar decisions affecting three other independent agencies.

to hear arguments in December over whether to overturn a 90-year-old ruling known as Humphrey’s Executor

The Justice Department argues Trump can ﬁre board members for 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 executive power to ofﬁcers beyond the President’s control,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote.

Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson,

“Congress, as everyone agrees, prohibited each of those presidential removals,” Kagan wrote. “Yet the majority, stay order by stay order, has handed full control of all those agencies to the President.”

The justices are expected

In that case, the court sided with another FTC commissioner who was ﬁred by Franklin D. Roosevelt as the president worked to implement the New Deal. The justices unanimously found commissioners can be removed only for misconduct or neglect of duty.

He also argued that judges don’t have the power to reinstate people Justice Neil Gorsuch struck a similar note in February writing that ﬁred employees who win in court can likely get back pay, but not reinstatement.

But Slaughter’s attorneys say that if the president can fire congressionally confirmed board members at will, regulatory decisions will be based more on politics than their expertise.

“Congress gave indepen-

The court rejected a push from two other board members of independent agencies who had asked the justices to also hear their cases if they took up the Slaughter case: Gwynne Wilcox, of the National Labor Relations Board, and Cathy Harris, of the Merit Systems Protection Board. Those cases will continue to work their way through the lower courts. The FTC is a regulator enforcing consumer protection measures and antitrust legislation. The NLRB investigates unfair labor practices and oversees union elections, while the MSPB reviews disputes from federal workers.

White House backs ‘border czar’ amid bribery scandal

Reports

say Homan accepted cash during FBI probe last year

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The White House stood behind “border czar” Tom Homan on Monday following reports that he had accepted $50,000 from undercover agents posing as businesspeople during an undercover FBI operation last year, leading to a bribery investigation that was shut down by the Trump administration Justice Department.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized Homan’s encounter 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

would be taking a government position.”

“The White House and the president stand by Tom Homan 100% because he did absolutely nothing wrong, and he is a brave public servant who has done a phenomenal job in helping the president shut down the border,” she said. MSNBC first reported Saturday that Homan had accepted the cash during a 2024 encounter with undercover agents who were posing as businesspeople seeking government contracts that Homan suggested he could help them get in a second Trump term.

Justice Department, which shut down the probe, said the matter was “subjected to a full review,” but authorities found “no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing.”

Without providing evidence, the White House criticized the Biden administration investigation as politically motivated.

“The Department’s resources must remain focused on real threats to the American people, not baseless investigations,” FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “As a result, the investigation has been closed.”

concerns about political interference in Justice Department matters at a time when Trump’s calls for prosecutions of his adversaries is testing the law enforcement agency’s long tradition of independence when it comes to prosecutorial decisionmaking. Trump escalated his pressure campaign on the Justice Department over the weekend, publicly calling for Attorney General Pam Bondi to move forward with cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff.

“See what happened to

Two people familiar with the investigation, who were not authorized to discuss a sensitive law enforcement inquiry by name, conﬁrmed the existence of the investigation to The Associated Press on Monday as well as details from it.

The Trump administration

Leavitt insisted to reporters during a brieﬁng Monday that Homan “never took the $50,000 you’re referring to,” though she did not elaborate what she meant An MSNBC spokesperson said the network stood by its reporting.

The revelation about Homan has sparked fresh

By The Associated Press

A man charged in a fatal shooting at a New Hampshire country club where authorities say restaurant patrons acted quickly to stop the gunman made a brief initial court appearance Monday and was ordered to return in early October One person was killed and two others were wounded by gunﬁre Saturday at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua. Hunter Nadeau, 23, of Nashua, was taken into

custody in a nearby neighborhood and charged with one-count of second-degree murder Nadeau, a former employee of the club, appeared by video from jail wearing a green smock Monday and spoke only to answer a judge’s questions Nadeau waived his arraignment, did not enter a plea and was scheduled for a probable cause hearing in early October The judge said Nadeau had been able to consult with an attorney before an appearance. Assistant Attorney Gen-

eral Peter Hinckley told reporters after the hearing that authorities were still investigating possible motives but they do not believe the shooting was a targeted attack

The gunﬁre killed Robert DeCesare Jr., 59, whose wife described seeing the shooter walk into the room appearing to target a restaurant employee. Charlene DeCesare and her daughter were closest to him when her husband was shot, she said in an email.

“My husband got caught in the ﬁre trying to protect us,” she said.

Tom Homan, his border czar, who literally accepted a bag of cash —$50,000 — and the investigation was dropped once Trump became president,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on ABC News. “There are just two standards of justice now in this country If you are a friend of the president, a loyalist of the president you can get away with nearly anything but if you are an opponent of the president, you may ﬁnd yourself in jail.” Homan came under Justice Department scrutiny after a target of a separate investigation suggested Homan was soliciting bribes, one of the people who conﬁrmed details of the investigation told the AP White House 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, is yet another example of how the Biden Department of Justice was using its resources to target President Trump’s allies rather than investigate real criminals and the millions of illegal aliens who ﬂooded our country,” Jackson said in a statement.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Homan

Venezuelansfaceperilsin‘reversemigration’efforts

BY MATIAS DELACROIX and MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press

JAQUE, Panama As the boat bounced across choppyPacific waters, Mariela Gómez and her two children huddled for 17 hours on top of sloshing gas tanks, uncertain of what lay ahead in the dense jungle.

The 36-year-old Venezuelan motherwas among a million migrants whojourneyed across the continent in recent years in the hopes of reaching the United States. But with legal pathways slashedunder President Donald Trump, she and thousands of other Venezuelans are now trying to make their way back in a“reverse migration.”

Over 14,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, havereturned to South America since Trump’simmigration crackdown began, according to figures from Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica.

Struggling to buy even food after failed attempts to stay in the U.S., Gómez can’tafford the $280-perperson charge for the more frequented Caribbean route to Colombia. So agrowing number of migrantslike her are boarding boats that ferry cargo betweenPanama’scapital and Colombia’s jungle-clad Paciﬁc coast.

The new route is half the

priceand twice as dangerous.

“Welost hope,” shesaid. “We’re trying to return, but we don’thave the money to go back.”

In recent years, migrants ﬂeeingthe crisisinVenezuela once crossedthe perilous jungles of the Darien Gap between Colombiaand Panama andwaited months in Mexico for an asylum appointmentinthe U.S. But when Trump took office, many of thosepeoplewere left stranded in Mexico. Without other options, they turned back,winding down throughCentral America on buses.

Theychug aboard slowmoving cargo boats packed with merchandise along Panama’sother coast in the PaciﬁcOcean fordays, before boardingprecarious motor boats that shoot along thecoast. The boats are often packed with15to 30 people. Hundredssofar have traveled the route,according to aUnited Nations report released earlier this month.

“People arrive with very few resources, some with only the clothes on their backs,” said 56-year-oldboat driver Nacor Rivera. “Many can’t pay forthe boat ride, so I’ve had to help alot of them, carryingthem for free.”

In June, one of thoseboats carrying 38 people crashed at sea, injuring apregnant

Venezuelan migrants depart Jaque on Panama’sPacificcoast en route to Jurado, Colombia, on Friday as theyreturnhomeafter failing to enter the United States

woman, childrenand aperson with adisability wholost their wheelchair They landinjungled swathes of Colombia, aregion rife witharmed groups thatprey on migrants, where there are no shelters andlittle accesstomedical care, according to the U.N. report

“Weurge authoritiesto care for people in this reverse migration tostop them from fallingintocriminal and trafﬁcking networks of illegalarmed groups, and turn theminto victims of even greater violence,” said Scott Campbell, aU.N. human rightsofﬁcer in Colom-

bia, in astatement.

Migrants land with serious cases of dehydration, burns, malnutritionand mental healthissues. Those without money can “remain stranded in inhumaneconditions,” thereport said.

That was thecase of Jesús Aguilar,aVenezuelan migrant who was stuck in arural Panamanian town in the Darien Gap for two months. He managed to slowly scrounge together money to pay for aboat ride to Colombia after alocal offered him work cleaning their farm.

Others,likeGómez’sfamily,spent monthsinPanama City saving money to travel

back to Venezuela, but when theycame up short, they decided to take the cheaper route along the Paciﬁc.

Sitting on top of gasoline tanks, Gómezcradles her 5-year-old son swaddled in blankets. The family ﬂedthe South American country in 2017 in thefaceofa spiraling economy andmounting government repression.

For years, she lived in Colombia and Peru, like millions of other Venezuelans who have fledthe country in recent years. Unable to make endsmeetincountriesthathavestruggled to manage the crush of vulnerable people, Gómezbeganto

look to theU.S.withhopes of building anew life. After crossing theDarien Gap and later the U.S.-Mexico border to Texas in October,her family was quickly swept up by the U.S. Border Patrol and handed over to Mexican authoritieswho dropped them in southern Mexico.

Shortly after,she decided her only way forward wasto return home. Without work and withcartels preying on migrants like her,staying in southern Mexico wasn’tan option.

At least in Venezuela she has her home and her family,she said.

“It would have been risking our lives and risking the life of my child” to keep going, Gómez said. “We’re just hoping God protects us.” Now, as she returns home, she’snot sure what she will ﬁnd in Venezuela, which has faced an ongoing crackdown on dissent by thegovernmentfollowing last year’s contested elections. She said if the government of President Nicolás Maduro remains in power,staying in her country doesn’tseem like an option. “I would have to leave my country again, maybe go to Chile,” she pondered. “I would have to try my luckinanother country Again.”

“But right now, we just have to focus on getting to Colombia,” she added.

Uniﬁcation Church leader arrested in briberycaseinSouth Korea

BY KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea The 82-year-old leader of the Uniﬁcation Church was arrested in South Koreaearly Tuesday as investigatorsprobeallegations that the church bribed the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol and aconservative lawmaker HakJaHan,the widow of the church’sSouth Korean

founder, SunMyung Moon, has denied allegationsthat she directed church ofﬁcials to bribe Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, and the lawmaker TheSeoul Central District Court approved investigators’ request for an arrest warrant for Han, saying she posed arisk of destroying evidence. Han did not speak to reporters as shearrived at the SeoulcourtonMonday

for ahearing on the warrant request. After an hourslong hearing, the courtissuedits decision in theearly hoursof Tuesday as Han awaited the verdictatadetention center near Seoul, where she will now be held.

The Unification Church had criticized investigators’ attempttoarrest Han, noting that she appeared forquestioninglastweekwhile still recovering from aheartpro-

U.K. charitiescut ties to SarahFerguson forreportedlycalling Epstein a‘friend’

BY DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

LONDON Anumber of charitiesonMonday severed ties with Sarah Ferguson,the exwife of Prince Andrew,after British newspapers published an email that shereportedly wrote to the late convicted sex offenderand financier Jeffrey Epstein, describing him as a“supreme friend.” Julia’sHouse, achildren’s hospice, said that the reported correspondence made it inappropriate for Ferguson, also known as the Duchess of York, to remain apatron. Aspokesman for Ferguson said that she sent an email on theadvice of her lawyers after Epstein threatened to sue her for associating him with sexual abuse in amedia interview,Britain’sPress As-

sociationreported.

“Followingthe information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York’scorrespondence with Jeffrey Epstein,Julia’s Househas takenthe decision that it wouldbeinappropriatefor hertocontinueasapatronof the charity,” thecharity said. “Wehave advised the DuchessofYorkofthis decision andthank herfor herpast support.”

Afood allergycharity,The NatashaAllergy Research Foundation, and Prevent Breast Cancer,were also among the charities that cut ties in light of recent revelations. The Teenage Cancer Trust,which had an associationwith Fergusonfor 35 years, alsodroppedher as a patron.

The email referredtoa

2011 interview with the Evening Standard newspaper in which sheapologized for accepting 15,000 pounds from Epstein.

“I abhorpedophilia andany sexualabuse of children and knowthatthis was agigantic error of judgment on my behalf. Iamjust so contrite Icannot say,”Ferguson said in the interview. “Whenever Ican, Iwill repay themoney andhavenothingevertodo with Jeffrey Epsteinever again.”

But the following month, Ferguson sent an email to Epstein in whichshe “humbly apologized” for linking him to sex abuse, saying “you have always been asteadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family,” The Sun newspaperreported over the weekend.

cedure earlierthis month, andaccusedthemofdisrespecting an “internationally respected religious leader.”

Kim wasarrested and charged last month on allegations including bribery,stock manipulation and meddling in the selection of alegislative candidate.

The lawmaker,Kweon Seong-dong, astaunch Yoon loyalistwho was arrested

last week, has denied receiving money from the church. Investigators also last week visited the headquarters of his conservative People Power Party to obtain documents forexamining claims that Uniﬁcation Church members signed up en masse ahead of the party’s2023 leadership race to boostKweon’scandidacy

The investigation into

Kim is one of three special prosecutor probes launched under Seoul’snew liberal government targeting Yoon’spresidency.The others focus on Yoon’splanning and execution of his shortlived martial law imposition on Dec. 3and his government’sallegedcover-up of amarine’sdrowning death during a2023ﬂoodrescue operation.

summer Sunday at Crossbrand, an hour’s drive north of New Orleans, one man had removed his mudcaked cowboy boots at the door

For Smith, a 71-year-old former rodeo cowboy, the aesthetics are real. The invitation is urgent

He describes himself as “some old redneck country boy” who “can’t preach a lick.”

One-on-one, he’s soft-spoken with a slow, gentle drawl. But each Sunday he shouts, pounding a pulpit constructed entirely of horseshoes and rattling the tambourine hanging from it. Like many other rural, conservative pastors, he takes aim at “the left” and a stand against abortion.

God gives him strength to preach this way, he tells worshippers on a recent Sunday “How can I stand up here and holler and scream without the power of God? I’m like a Brahman bull sometimes, and it’s probably because I hang out with too many bulls.”

He believes souls are at stake.

‘Lost as a goose’

God came to Smith in a rodeo camper

Growing up in Hammond and Albany, his father was an alcoholic, but his mom took him to church. He started riding and jockeying when he was 13, alongside men who smoked and drank and did no good. His parents got divorced not long after that, “and when that happens to any child, the world consumes you, and that’s what happened to me.”

By his teens, he’d rejected God.

I was lost as a goose,” he said.

Then, 23 years old, alone in that camper, “the Holy Spirit showed up.” He wept, “which I didn’t think bull riders were supposed to do.”

By the time he met his wife, Tammy Jane, at a rodeo, he was reformed. She competed too, barrel racing and breakaway roping. They married within the year Smith credits God for the titles that followed, including the sixtime Tri-State Rodeo Association bull riding champion Photos from that time show him with a big belt buckle and thick mustache, handling bulls with wide horns and wild eyes On his chaps: a gold cross. The couple dairy-farmed, too, on Tammy Jane’s family land in rural Loranger She had more than one dream about a church in the field outside their house, where Crossbrand now stands. In the early 1980s, they began hosting Cowboys for Christ, a Bible study in their home.

There were ﬁve people at ﬁrst, then 10, then 30 squeezed into their little living room. In 2008, a pastor friend came to Smith with a newspaper article about cowboy churches, which at the time were popping up in Texas and beyond. He thought Smith ought to become a pastor and asked him to pray about it.

But Smith told him: “I don’t need to pray about it.” He’d felt called to the ministry for years but “didn’t know if I would ever ﬁt in,” he said. A cowboy church, though, he could picture A barn will do

Cowboy churches don’t differ much from their conservative Protestant counterparts in terms of their message, said S Moxy Moczygemba, author of a 2019 research paper on them.

What’s different is the package used to offer that message, she said, from the country tunes to the rustic spaces. A July service at Cornerstone Cowboy Church in New Iberia began with Hank Williams. At Branded for Christ Cowboy Church in Leesville, baptisms take place in a watering trough.

“Why buy an expensive building

PROBE

Continued from page 1A

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 cityparish, 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 Development, the city-parish department that LeDuff now oversees. Hughes began receiving payments from Broome’s adminis-

when a barn will do?” Moczygemba said “Why have a baptismal font when you can use a horse trough? Why buy stained glass when you can have horseshoes welded into a cross?”

With those choices, they’re lowering barriers, Moczygemba said, making the churches feel more approachable to men in rural areas.

And men are typically the target of such churches, she added, with the idea that if you rope them in, their families will follow

The Smiths started Crossbrand in the bulldogging box in 2008.

Longtimers tell the story of one congregant who passed out from heat stroke. (He recovered.) They built a shed, adding “piece by piece by piece,” Tammy Jane Smith said. Walls, pews, a trough for baptisms.

Those pews filled, so last year they added another 20 feet, a line still visible on the church’s concrete floor The church doesn’t count members, Smith said, but 140 to 150 people regularly attend.

“We’ve about run out of room,” Smith said. “We’ll let God handle that one.”

‘Tired of whispering’

But by 4 p.m on a Sunday in July, several of the back pews remained empty Up front, the praise band, wearing American flag T-shirts, camo and, in the case of the lead guitarist, a red “Gulf of America” cap, played one favorite, then another

Then the keyboardist, Casey Foster, introduced a new one, inspired by some of Smith’s favorite Scripture.

tration 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 Consultant Group LLC. Emails show LeDuff and the

“It may look like I’m surrounded/ but I’m surrounded by you,” Foster sang once, twice, three times.

By the fourth, Smith lowered his chin, wiping away tears. He cries often from that front row, while raising a hand high.

During his sermon that day, though, his tears seemed to spring from frustration.

“Oh my goodness, there are so many young men out there,” he said. “They come and ride the bulls, and it just breaks your heart when you can’t get them to come to church.”

Smith pounded the pulpit: “God is sick and tired of whispering!”

Afterward, his eyes were red, his tone weary. A youth rodeo had him out until 1 a.m. the night before. By 8 a.m., he was back in the pastures beside the church, feeding the calves, steer and bulls.

The church’s boys see how Smith goes from pastures to rodeo arena to church and back again, said Sherri MacNeil, who joined Crossbrand in 2015.

Over time, Smith became a mentor to her sons who, when they joined the church, weren’t in touch with their father They witnessed his toughness in the ring and his softness in the pew

“That right there it’s such an amazing example for young men,” she said.

Humble and hardworking, Smith is “the feel of our church, the backbone of come-as-you-are,” said Torrie Hyde, 31, who began attending when she was in seventh or eighth grade: “I was just a kid into rodeo.”

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

That feel goes beyond jeans, she said. Smith is open about his past mistakes. He calls to people “who messed up big yesterday” but want to do better today, Hyde said. “We all need to get out of playing church and recognize that we’re real people,” she said. “And real people have real problems.”

Those problems extend to kids, whom Hyde pastors. It’s not uncommon for the church’s children to come from families without a father, a mother or both, Hyde said. For them to have questions about divorce or drugs.

Hyde’s own kids are now involved in rodeo. On a recent Sunday, her 5-year-old son Zeke, clad in cowboy boots and spurs, climbed the big blue gate and waited for his calf. He pulled on a vest, a helmet. By the time he was ready to ride, ﬁve men, including his father surrounded the stall.

But it was Smith who pulled open the gate.

Up with the bulls

It’s just before 4 p.m., and Smith has traded a dusty, faded T-shirt for a clean, collared shirt and a ball cap for a cream cowboy hat.

He holds a Styrofoam cup of coffee in one hand and his leather attaché, bulging full of notes from sermons past, in the other (“My ﬁling cabinet,” he later jokes.) At the top of his notes, he’s scrawled a dedication for the service, held the week after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed “Dedicated to Charlie Kirk, a true warrior.”

The pews were full, and Smith made his way from one to the next, shaking folks’ hands and holding folks’ shoulders He bent down to check on a 4-year-old who had clipped his chin while riding a calf earlier that afternoon. “How are

he was asked for documents 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

you, cowboy?”

There are associations of cowboy churches, among them the International Cowboy Alliance Network, based in Monroe, which provides ministerial credentials, helps churches write bylaws and hosts twice-yearly “roundups.” But Smith has eschewed any associations, in large part because he didn’t like their rules.

It’s tough to get a good count of cowboy churches for that reason:

Many are doing their own thing. On this Sunday like many Sundays, Smith paraphrases and repeats a verse from Joshua: “Have I not commanded you to be strong and of good courage?”

“God wants us to stand up and fight the good fight of faith ” he says. “So make a choice to stand up with courage and strength that God gives you ” he continues. “Amen?” He pounds his fist The tambourine jingles. “Amen!” the crowd replies.

Smith was up early with the bulls. His 72nd birthday was approaching But the world wasn’t weighing on him in the same way this week. He’s encouraged, he says, by what he thinks is a revival forming after Kirk’s death.

After the music, a baptism and his sermon, Smith stepped off the stage. He wore no hat, no microphone.

“Pray and ask God for boldness,” Smith said, his voice quieter now “When you pray and ask God for boldness, he will hit you like a lightning bolt,” he said “You will begin to speak the word of God with boldness and power.” He’d stepped out of the range of the phone, recording for Facebook. At this point, he was speaking just for the people before him, for the ones in the back pew

works for Edwards as an assistant chief administrative officer In addition to the FBI, staff from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office were also involved in the meetings, emails show Kelly LeDuff said he does not have a clear understanding what involvement — if any — Murrill’s office might have in the federal investigation related to his office. Like other agencies, a spokesperson for Murrill’s office said they would not confirm or deny involvement in any investigation, nor would they comment if one was ongoing. Broome has said she was made aware of concerns about the project when the developer “personally approached me with requests I could not grant.” She said her opposition to Hughes’ Central Road deal prompted him to attack her on social media.

Email Patrick Sloan-Turner at patrick.sloan-turner@ theadvocate.com.

Pastor Randy Smith sips coffee as he watches bull riders gather in a barn next to Crossbrand Cowboy Church.

STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER

Randy Smith, pastor of Crossbrand Cowboy Church, left, talks to a member of his congregation before worship services in Loranger on Sept. 14.

Members participate in church services at Crossbrand Cowboy Church in Loranger on Sept 14

Officials deny allegations about ICE facility

Hunger strike, inhumane conditions reported at ‘Louisiana Lockup’

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

After advocacy groups said some U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at the “Louisiana Lockup” were on a hunger strike to protest inhumane conditions, state and federal ofﬁcials have denied that the strike happened or the conditions were dangerous.

The Southeast Dignity Not Detention Coalition and the National Immigration Project on Saturday

said detainees had started the strike last week, protesting what they said was a lack of medical care and basic hygiene projects. In a statement Monday afternoon, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections denied the allegations.

“This action appears to have been sparked by false narratives in the media that put that idea in the detainees’ heads,” it said.

gations in a statement Monday

The proposed high school changes, which the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will consider next month, are the state’s latest effort to trim testing. The math and English tests that students in third through eighth grades took last school year were about 20% shorter, and beginning in 2028 students in those grades will no longer take a state social studies test every year

Still there are limits to how much the state can cut. Under federal law, students must be tested in English, math and science at least once during high school. And students’ scores on the state tests, which measure their mastery of Louisiana’s learning standards, also are used to evaluate teachers and grade schools.

“I fundamentally believe we need to assess because we need accurate information to drive instructional decisions, policy decisions and financial decisions,” Brumley said. “But I also believe that we have tested more aggressively than we need to.”

State ofﬁcials said the timing is right to develop new high school tests because the state is revamp-

“Recent misleading reports about detainee treatment at Louisiana Lockup and Camp 57 are unacceptable and create a false narrative about the facility’s operations,” the statement said. Louisiana Lockup, formally known as Camp 57, is located inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

There was no hunger strike before news outlets reported one, officials said. On Sunday, after the reports emerged, 17 detainees refused their meals, though only three continued to do so by Monday afternoon, the statement said.

Southeast Dignity Not Detention Coalition, the advocacy group that reported the strike, maintains that one is ongoing.

“The men detained in Camp J are bravely — and with great thought and intention — putting their lives on the line to advocate for their rights,” the group said in a statement, using the former name of the prison wing being used to house ICE detainees.

Camp 57 opened earlier this month as part of President Donald Trump’s sprawling campaign to detain and deport immigrants.

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also denied the advocacy groups’ alle-

“Here are the facts: there is no hunger strike at Louisiana Lockup. Unfortunately, this isn’t the ﬁrst time, nor will it be the last, that the media repeats unsubstantiated, false allegations peddled by criminal illegal aliens about detention facilities,” she said. “By the way, this facility is housing the WORST OF THE WORST including murderers, pedophiles, and rapists.”

Last week, before news of the hunger strike emerged, the corrections department referred inquiries about Camp 57 to ICE.

Though Camp 57 is located at Angola, which is operated by the state, ofﬁcials have said it is being run by ICE contractors, though they have not publicly identiﬁed what company is doing so.

LaSalle Corrections, a company

ing its English and math standards, which list the skills and knowledge students are supposed to acquire at each grade level. The new standards are scheduled to take effect next school year Louisiana requires students to

pass three tests to graduate: one in English, one in math and one in biology or civics.

Ofﬁcials also say that system can have an unintended consequence: Students who pass the English I and Algebra I end-of-course tests

might see less of a need to pass English II or geometry

“We have heard loud and clear from various stakeholders that once a student passes one of those exams for exit purposes, there is less motivation to do as well,” Thomas Lam-

that runs multiple ICE facilities in Louisiana, recently published job postings in St. Francisville, near Angola. An executive for the ﬁrm did not return requests for comment.

Officials including Gov Jeff Landry have promised the facility is for the “worst of the worst.”

Fifty-one detainees were moved to the facility upon its opening, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.

The agency said the detainees had been convicted of serious crimes such as homicide, rape and sexual abuse of children.

Federal and state ofﬁcials have not answered recent questions about who else has been moved to the facility over the past several weeks.

bert, who oversees assessment for the state Education Department, said during a recent meeting with district superintendents.

Officials hope that testing students in math and reading at the end of 10th grade will keep them engaged in their classes.

While the state is slashing the number of tests, it isn’t touching the requirement that students pass three exams to earn a diploma. Louisiana is one of just six states Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Virginia are the others — where graduation is tied to test scores.

Most other states have moved away from graduation exams, which critics say aren’t an accurate predictor of future success and put students with disabilities and those still learning English at a disadvantage. But Brumley said he has no intention of ending exit exams: “Not under my watch.” He argued that test scores are a better measure of student learning than course grades due to “grade inﬂation,” which has made it easier for students to earn high marks. And he said that making graduates pass several exams signals to colleges and employers the quality of Louisiana’s high school diploma. “I think students need to demonstrate key competencies,” he said, “prior to graduation.”

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Aliving statue with aheart

On Friday,Idrove to the French Quarter with no plans —noset time, no persontomeet, no reservation. The lackofplans was glorious.

My goal was to meet someone interesting enough to write a column about. Ihad mentioned to aco-worker that 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 wasnot moving or talking. On Decatur Street, Itried to speak with atap dancer,but he said, “No ma’am, time is money.” Iunderstood.

Undeterred, I keptwalking. Jackson Square was right around the corner.Aband was playing under atent in front of the Cabildo. Alone psychic baked in the sun. The henna artist was working on amother and daughter’s hands.

Iwalked around the corner, heading towardCafé du Monde. Artists were painting and selling their wares against the 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 for him. As Ilater learned, he was waiting for the shade

The Gold Man was morethan happy to chat.

He told me his name was Tim Evans.He’s55and grew up a military brat but considersSan Pedro, California, his home. He ended up in New Orleans 30 years ago when he ran out of gas

“Fromrunning outofgas,how did you become the Gold Man? Iasked.

“I met the silver people,” he said. “I didn’thave ajob.Ihad no income at all.Sothey said, ‘Well, you could busk.’ They painted me up in gold —one of the silver people paintedme. Iwas the ﬁrst, 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 doesnow as aperformance artist is easier and more fun

He appreciates the friends he’s made in New Orleans.

“I got alot of friends,” he said. “Everybody knowsmyname. It’s agood feeling to walk down the street.”

He doesn’tlive far from Jackson Square. He was homeless for awhile, but now he has ahouse with a washer and adryer

“Moving on up,” he said to the rhythm of “The Jeffersons,” and we both sang, “to the East Side.” His “new”Gold Man posewas born of necessity after ahalf-ton truck ran overhim 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 downonthe ground (on apieceofcardboard actually,because as he explained, “The concrete is hot”). He rests his head on one beercan, painted gold, and holds another as if to drink it, while holding afootball (also painted gold) in his right hand and the tips bucketbetween his legs, where an unpainted, half-ﬁnishedbeer also rests.

What’syour favorite partof this job?

ä See RISHER, page 2B

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Tables are setfor Chabad at LSU andGreaterBaton Rouge’s Rosh Hashanah dinner for30LSU students on Mondayin Baton Rouge.The dinnerisa‘home away from home’ experiencefor the studentsatthe start of Rosh Hashanah.

STAFFPHOTOS

By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LEDsecretary begins statewidebusinesstour

Economic plan includes integrating largeinvestments in state

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Louisiana Economic Development SecretarySusan Bourgeois will begin astatewide tour of the eight economic developmentregions in MonroeonTuesday

Gov. Jeff Landry announced the tour last week in anewsconference whereherolled out aplan

to integrate Louisiana businesses with large investments in the state. Thetourispartof the LED’sNine by Ninety plan to attract newinvestments and growth in existing businesses, withone prong of theplan to visit 800 “driver companies” by the end of the ﬁscal year Bourgeoissaid LED selected the businesses she will visit through conversations with legislative partners on which companies are “moving the needle” in each development region. Afterthe tour,LED

will assess the information gathered and determine how to address the needs of Louisiana businesses.

“Aftereight of these, Isuspect we’ll have alittle bit of pattern, but after 80 of these, we will really know what Louisiana businesses need,are struggling with andare paying attention to,” she said. “And after 800ofthese, we will have massive data points to be able to take back to the governor and Legislature and say,‘Here’swhatthey said.’”

Throughout the tour,she plans to promote the statewide business directory SourceLouisiana.com, launched last week to connect Louisiana vendorswith projects in the state. In Monroe, shewill meet with Louisiana Plastics, apackaging material company,and J&J Construction,which are both working on the Meta data center in Richland Parish, to discuss how thestate and other businesses can support the project. Bourgeoiswillalsogive a press conference at theHotel Monroe on howlocal tourism partners are reapingthe beneﬁts of the data centerdevelopment. Executivesinvolved in the projecttendtomeetat thehotel’srooftop bar BourgeoiswillgotoShreveport on Wednesday.Bourgeoiswill meet

Free legalhelp supports local entrepreneurs

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Tamika Jones started Timeless Love Journey Doula LLC last year to support expecting mothers from underserved communities.But witha budding company,she wasstill learning the ins and outs of business ownership. She applied for help from the RussellJ.Stutes Small Business andCommunity Development Clinic, aprogram where upper-level LSU Law students provide free legal counsel to clients under faculty supervision. Jones beganworking with

theclinic in the spring semester,and students helped her writea contract that explained her services, payment information forMedicaid clients andpolicies formissedappointments, services she would not have been able toafford.

“The service that I’ve gotten has been truly outstanding,” Jones said. “I’mso grateful for their guidance and for providing this service that is needed.”

Jones provides emotional and physical childbirth support for mothers, especially for women of color,women from underservedcommunities and mothers facing ﬁnancial challenges.

She is working with the legalclinic againthissemester to obtain atrademark LSULaw students

Mushka Kazen andher daughters Hinda,Gita and Miriam covertheir eyes for aprayer after lightingcandles for Rosh Hashanah.

STAFFPHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

Acombinecuts soybeans on Mondayina fieldoff La. 30 in Baton Rouge, south of LSU.

Bourgeois

Royal Sonesta remains closed after fire

Firefighters contain large blaze at historic site in N.O

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

The historic Royal Sonesta on Bourbon Street will remain closed through Tuesday after a ﬁre that ignited in the building’s storage room over the weekend forced guests to evacuate.

Guests and tourists lined Bourbon Street on Sunday morning and watched as dozens of New Orleans ﬁreﬁghters contained a large blaze inside the hotel. Multiple people were rescued from the building and no injuries were reported.

Guests with reservations through Tuesday were relocated to an area hotel, according to the hotel’s website.

A representative of the Royal Sonesta’s reservation desk confirmed the hotel will remain closed as management and city officials investigate the ﬁre. Calls for comment on the hotel’s condition to management were not returned Monday

New Orleans Fire Department ofﬁcials did not immediately respond to a request for an update. The ﬁre was reported about 11:15 a.m. and firefighters had the blaze under control in about a half-hour.

Email Marco Cartolano at marco.cartolano@ theadvocate.com

The New Orleans Fire Department responds

Orleans on Sunday.

Superdome deal stalls over real estate terms

Negotiators continue discussions for long-term lease

BY ANTHONY McAULEY, TYLER BRIDGES and JEFF DUNCAN Staff writers

The Saints and the state of Louisiana have agreed to the terms of a long-term lease of the Caesars Superdome, but it hasn’t been signed because the two sides are still haggling over leases for Benson Tower, Champions Square and the team’s practice facility in Jefferson Parish.

The stadium lease deal, which would run for 10 years and then give the Saints options to renew every ﬁve years through 2055, has been ﬁnalized since last week, according to negotiators for the Saints and the state, which is represented by the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, also known as the Superdome Commission.

But commission Chair Robert Vosbein and Saints spokesperson Gregg Bensel confirmed Monday that leases for the other properties, most notably the Benson Tower skyscraper, are still being negotiated.

And while the state has pushed to sign the Superdome deal and then move on to the other properties later, the Saints say those other agreements, which are worth millions of dollars annually, must be handled along with the Dome lease.

LED

Continued from page 1B

with Metro Aviation, which outfits aircrafts for emergency medical services, and Sumitomo Forestry, which owns a sawmill in north Bossier Parish. Her Shreveport area itinerary also includes attending an event with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, at the Bossier Chamber of Commerce and the ribbon-cutting of Bienville Lumber, a company that is looking to expand its footprint and jobs, she said.

She’s set to make a Baton Rouge stop on Sept 29, participating in a panel discussion with representatives from CodeGig, a software ﬁrm; PetKrewe, a pet costume startup; 28Bio, a neurotechnology company; and Opportunity Machine, the Lafayette incubator for tech companies In the weeks following, she will make her way down the state with the goal of covering each region by mid-October

With each stop, Bourgeois and her team will discuss with business leaders on their company’s plans for expansion, how the LED and the state can support them and the barriers they’re facing She said the goal of the tour is to ensure the Louisiana business community knows the agency is there to support them.

“The importance of these visits is really talking to the leaders of each of these companies,” Bourgeois said.

“The stadium deal we are ready to sign now, so that part’s there,” said Vosbein, a lawyer who was appointed last year by Gov Jeff Landry and has been the state’s primary negotiator with Saints representatives.

“We’re standing by but we’re not going to give in on the rest,” said Vosbein, referring to the real estate deals. “It’s a balance: You don’t want to lose the Saints, which are an important part of this community, but at the same time you want a deal that is fair to the public.”

Bensel said the Saints are ready to ﬁnalize an agreement that “keeps the New Orleans Saints in Louisiana for generations,” helps improve the Superdome and delivers “meaningful economic benefit to the community.”

But he said that to do that, all of the leases need to be signed together, because splitting them up “creates financial and operational risks for both the team and the state.”

A long history of leases

The negotiating bottlenecks stem from a 2009 stadium deal negotiated by Saints owner Tom Benson when Bobby Jindal was governor and Ron Forman was chair of the Superdome Commission

The terms of that deal were described at the time by Forbes Magazine, which closely tracks NFL team deals and valuations, as “the most complex and lucrative — stadium lease agreements in the NFL.” That deal included provi-

sions such as a $5 million bonus for the Saints when the stadium is chosen to host a Super Bowl. Also, a 42% share of game day food and beverage revenues, a share of non-football event revenues, a share of the stadium naming rights, a piece of the parking revenue and rents from the Champions Square space.

The state also agreed to rent space in the Benson Tower, the building near the Superdome owned by the Benson organization and mostly occupied by Louisiana state agencies. In 2014, Daryl Purpera, then the Louisiana legislative auditor, said in a report that the rental rates for the state at Benson Tower started out above market and continued at above market rates.

“Because the Benson Tower lease has a provision that grants automatic rental increases in keeping with the Consumer Price Index, the 2014 cost per square foot has increased to $25.12,” Purpura wrote then. This meant that since 2010, “lease costs including amounts paid for vacant space have nearly doubled,” and were then more than 30% above market rate.

Those increases have continued, and Benson Tower’s rental rates for Louisiana state agencies as of March this year were $32.50 per square foot, covering almost all of the available space, according to current Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack. Though that includes compensation for some upgrades made by Benson, it is still above rental rates for top of the line of-

ﬁce

space in downtown New Orleans, which according to consulting ﬁrm Goodwin Advisors averaged $20.67 per square foot last month.

Bensel disputed that rents for the Benson Tower are above market rate, and said that when parking, operating expenses and other concessions are included, “the effective rate tracks other downtown office leases in New Orleans.”

“This is not the opinion of the team nor Forbes Magazine but instead local real estate experts that deal in this market daily,” he said, adding that the Saints have given the state “multiple examples” of comparable lease agreements in New Orleans.

“Tying Benson Tower and Champions Square to the broader stadium arrangement is not a windfall,” said Bensel. “It is the ﬁnancial backbone that makes the overall package work in a small NFL market like New Orleans.”

In all, the ofﬁce space at Benson Tower is costing the state $10.3 million this year, according to Waguespack. Frustrations in negotiation

Shane Guidry, a business owner and close conﬁdant of Landry’s who has been liaison between the state’s negotiators and the governor, expressed frustration at the Saints’ negotiating position.

“We are ready to sign the actual Saints extension for the team,” Guidry said. “They don’t want to sign the Saints lease unless they know they have a locked-in lease for Benson Tower (and) for Champions

Square.”

Benson’s 2009 deal included a clause that automatically renews the Benson Tower deal at the same terms and for the same length of any new stadium deal. And it has terms that mean if the state defaults on certain provisions then the stadium lease defaults.

The state has been trying to “decouple” those side agreements, which run through the end of 2029, from the stadium deal, but the Saints have stood ﬁrm.

“It’s two separate pieces of real estate for different purposes,” said Waguespack. “From an auditor’s standpoint, it should be two separate deals, unless the package is a better deal for taxpayers, and I don’t think it is.”

The standoff between the two sides has kept the final agreements from being signed for weeks even as they appeared to be close to a deal. In recent days, the difficulties in finalizing the leases has jeopardized New Orleans’ chances of hosting the 2031 Super Bowl because of a deadline set by the NFL.

If the city can’t bid on the 2031 game, scheduling issues would likely prevent New Orleans from hosting until 2038, though the Saints have said that should a deal be finalized soon, Gayle Benson could seek approval for the city to bid on 2031 from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate. com.

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

“The love,” Evans said. “Yeah, I’m well-respected, man. It’s a good feeling to have. Thirty years, you know? I don’t have no 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 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.

I explained that we had a house ﬁre His entire demeanor changed.

This fellow, who had been quasi-tough-goldguy, 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. “Where are you staying?” he said. Confused, I said, “I live

for her business. “I don’t think I could have done it without them,” she said.

The legal clinic is in its second semester of serving small-business owners. In 2023, LSU Law alumnus Russell Stutes Jr donated $500,000 to the law school in memory of his father, alongside his mother, Cissy Stutes, forming the clinic. Jordan Engelhart, an assistant professor at LSU Law and director of the clinic, said the program enables students to practice skills that they may not get to do in the classroom. He said students who are interested in either litigation or transactional law, such as writing contracts, creating certiﬁcates of incorporation and ensuring regulatory compliance, can beneﬁt from the clinic because of skills gained, including things like client management and interviewing.

“Many law schools graduate students that have never ever talked to a client before, and having actually been basically functioning as an attorney in this clinic, our students are leaving here with a higher preparedness for actual practice to assist small businesses and nonproﬁts or whatever their career might be,” Engelhart said. Engelhart meets with students in pairs once a week to discuss their client work and meets with students and clients via Zoom. To supplement their counseling, students engage in classroom seminars to discuss how to address issues their clients are facing. The clinic works with up to 24 businesses per semester Students practice incorporating businesses, applications for tax-exempt status, employment agreements and contract drafting.

In one case, a client wanted to apply for a trademark for their business, but a student ﬂagged that an existing mark conflicted with the client’s request. Engelhardt said the student constructed a strategy that allowed the client to apply for the trademark but incorporated “meaningful protections” that avoided overlapping with the existing mark.

He said clients are typically business owners who would not be able to afford an attorney Transactional law, he said, prevents problems before they happen, and the clinic positions clients for success.

“The complexity of the modern business world and the regulations within nonproﬁts are a barrier to people being successful,” he said.

“They might not even realize it until they’ve already run afoul of it at the state level, at the parish level, at the city level and the federal level.”

Karly Smith, a recent LSU law graduate who participated in the clinic’s inaugural semester, said she learned how to translate legal materials to clients and collaborate with them to curate strategies that will effectively address their needs. Smith now works for WhiteBird Law, a boutique business law ﬁrm in Florida, and said the clinic helped solidify her interest in transactional law

While in law school, students are seldom able to put what they learn in class into practice, she said, but the clinic gave her an opportunity to work directly with clients. That is something practicing lawyers may not get to experience for at least a few years into their career Smith said the clinic allows LSU Law students to give back to the community that supports them.

in Baton Rouge.”

He said, “Yeah, but since the ﬁre, do y’all have a place to be?”

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.

Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

“It was really helpful to me that they care deeply about their organizations or the objectives of their entity as much as I cared about helping them,” she said.

LOTTERY SUNDAY, SEPT 21, 2025

PICK 3: 1-2-6

PICK 4: 3-8-1-0

PICK 5: 4-4-5-6-7

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Tim Evans, the Gold Man of New Orleans, strikes his money-making pose near Jackson Square.

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

to a fire at the Royal Sonesta in New

BUSINESS

BRIEFS

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.

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.

Trump’s Federal Reserve appointee seeks steeper rate cuts

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.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS

A new $20,000 rooftop solar system can earn a $6,000 tax credit, but that expires at the end of the year

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, and they would soon lose all the food in their five well-stocked freezers. Anticipating this common post-hurricane problem, we had brought along everyice chest we owned and others that we had

borrowed, andwestarted 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 thepictures 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 emeritus of Francophone studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 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

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.

Landry, Mary St.John theEvangelistCatholic Church in Plaquemineat11a.m

Obituaries

mine. Dot-Twas amother, grandmother andgreatgrandmother who ﬁlled her homewithlove. Shewas the last survivingclass‐mateofSt. John High Schoolclass of 1941. Visit‐ing at St.Johnthe Evange‐listCatholicChurch, Plaquemine, on Wednes‐day,September 24th, from 11a.m.until Mass of Chris‐tianBurialat1 p.m.,cele‐bratedbyRev.Martin Lawrence. Entombment willfollowinGrace Memor‐ial Park.Dot-T is survived byher children,Sterling Boot”LeBlanc Jr.and wife Phyllis Toups, Robert Bobby” LeBlancand wife Gina, andJeanieDupont and husband Danny; brother,Carl“Caboot” D’Albor andwifeKatherine “Katee”;grandchildren, Tisha Payne(Kenny) CherieEdwards (Patrick), Brandon Elllis(Aslyn) BeauLeBlanc (Betsy),Drue LeBlanc (Katie), Gene’ LeBlanc,JessieDeshotel (Tory), Daniel Dupont (Lau‐ren)and Jacquelyn Dupont; great-grandchil‐dren, Clay Payne(Sharon), HannahEllis,ShelbyEllis, Michael PatrickEdwards Tyler Edwards, Kate Ed‐wards,DrueElizabeth LeBlanc,Indie LeBlanc, JadeDeshotel, Jeanne Deshotel, JosieDeshotel, Matthew Dupont and Emma KDupont; greatgreat-grandchildren,Pais‐ley Payneand Kenneth KnoxPayne;and to herfor‐everfamilyfor thespecial bond, unwavering care, loveand devotion Rushana “Shawna”Jordan, Kathy Harrison,and Gillie Courtade. Preceded in death by husband of 63 years,Sterling“Lightnin LeBlanc Sr.; parents, Felix J. Sr.and Louise Kratzer

D’Albor; sisters, Theresa Blanchard andAda D’Albor; brothers, Felix D’AlborJr. and Paul D’Albor. Pallbear‐ers will be Sterling “Boot” Jr.,Robert“Bobby”,Beau LeBlanc,DrueLeBlanc Danny Dupont,Daniel Dupont, MichaelPatrick Edwards,Tyler Edwards, and Clay Payne. Honorary pallbearers will be Patrick Edwards,ToryDeshotel, Brandon Ellis, Kenny Payne,and Carl “Caboot” D’Albor.The familywould liketoextenda special thankstoComfort Care Hospice,especiallyJohn Barbeeand Andrea Clement Sandidge.Inlieu of ﬂowers, memorial dona‐tions maybemadetoSt. John School,58645 St

ClementAve., Plaquemine, LA70764. Please share memoriesatwww.wilbert services.com.

Funerals Today

SPORTS

NOTA BAD DRAW

My ﬁrst reactionstoLSU’sthreeannual opponents as part of theSoutheastern Conference’snew scheduling format?

Predictable. Sensible. Alittle meh

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.”

The Tigers will get Ole Miss, Texas A&M andArkansas, according to multiple reports. Nothing ofﬁcial untilthe bigreveal at 6p.m. Tuesday on ESPN2/ SEC Network, but bankon these being the teams. LSU will play the other 12 SEC teams on arotating basis, playing everyone within two years andeveryone homeand 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 thatthe long-awaited schedule formatisbeing

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 asubluxation of his shoulder,which is adislocation. LSU will have to determine whether he needs surgery

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Many of the facesonthe LSU women’sbasketball team willbe unrecognizable when it begins its ﬁfth season under coach Kim Mulkey

Justtwo areleftfrom the squad that advancedtothe EliteEight in 2024 and lost to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa team.

Mulkey and her staff already have overhauled the roster. Now it’stime to seehow allofthe new pieces ﬁt.

Here’saprimer for the LSU preseason, complete with allthe

Most of the players who helped the Tigers reach the doorstep of theFinal Four in the last two yearshave movedon. Only one contributor from the2023 national championship team remains.

questionstoanswer and storylines to watch ahead of the 202526 season, which will tip off Nov.

4. The Tigers’ first practice is Tuesday in thePete MaravichAssembly Center,and it’s open to thepublic.

1. An overhauled roster

National championshiphopes now rest on the shoulders of

Flau’jae Johnson, MikaylahWilliamsand abrand-new supportingcast. Therosterhas only four returners and eight newcomers —ﬁve freshmenand threetransfers. The Tigershaven’t experienced this much roster turnover since 2022, when Mulkey and her staff built the team that won the2023title.Willhistory repeat

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.” 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 with aﬁrst-year coach just three gamesinto the season, but here we are.

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. Are they the worst team in the league,whichiswhatmanypredicted they would be before the season began? It’stoo early to say,but they sure looked likethe frontrunner for that titleSunday. The special teams —which

ä Saints at Bills, NOON SUNDAy,CBS

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

backCaden Durham lifts hishelmet during warmups before the game against Florida on Sept. 13 at

Rod Walker

STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU wide receiverAaron 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

Whit Weeks pulls Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee to the ground on Oct. 12 at TigerStadium. Ole Miss andLSU will continue to play annually through at least

Scott Rabalais

MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

5 p.m. Indiana at Michigan St. BTN

6 p.m. Kentucky at Louisville ACCN

6 p.m.

6 p.m. Preseason: Boston at N.y RangersNHLN

9 p.m. Preseason: Los Angeles at VegasNHLN

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.

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.

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

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

“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.”

Cantlay brings clutch putting, reputation

BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

FARMINGDALE, N.Y Patrick

Cantlay, often better at asking questions than giving answers, had one question as he walked up the ﬁnal hole at Marco Simone two years ago at the Ryder Cup Why is everyone waving their hats?

“I knew they were yelling at me,” Cantlay recalled in a recent interview “I couldn’t make out what they were saying I didn’t know anything about the false media story until I was ﬁnished playing. I had no idea what was happening. I just knew it was happening.”

The story to which he referred was a report based on anonymous sources by Sky Sports that Cantlay chose not to wear a hat during the Ryder Cup in Rome out of protest for not getting paid.

“That’s the furthest thing from the truth,” Cantlay said that day Lost in the hat-waving was the performance. Cantlay was the prime American target of heckling from fans at Marco Simone during the last fourballs match with Wyndham Clark against Europe’s beloved Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick.

The Americans were one down with three holes to play when Cantlay made a 10-foot putt on the 16th to stay alive, an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to square the match and a 45-foot birdie putt on the 18th that won it. It gave the Americans some hope — but only until Europe won another Ryder Cup and burnished his reputation as “Patty Ice,” a clutch putter impervious to the moment, whether from pressure, criticism or noise. A lot of noise. Cantlay was like that at Caves

Patrick

Valley in 2021 during a stunning rally to beat Bryson DeChambeau in the BMW Championship — three clutch putts to end regulation, three more during a six-hole playoff when he never looked like the winner until he won.

“If you had to hand-select someone to hit a big putt on your team, I think Pat would come to a lot of people’s minds,” said Jim Furyk, the Presidents Cup captain last September and an assistant to Keegan Bradley for this Ryder Cup

Just don’t look for a big fist pump. “Patty Ice” also refers to his emotions It’s usually little more than a pinch of the bill of his hat, assuming he is wearing one. “The best way to engage a

crowd in the Ryder Cup is by making birdies,” he said ﬂatly

Bethpage Black ﬁgures to be a big test on a lot of levels, starting with the noise. The crowd at this public course on Long Island is notorious for being rowdy

“He does an amazing job of staying focused on what he needs to be a professional the right way and he’s done that since he was a little kid,” said Jamie Mulligan, his coach since Cantlay was a boy at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, California. But it’s more than just the verbal noise at this Ryder Cup.

The American team is getting a $200,000 stipend this year — there was talk about it all going to charity — feeding into

the “Pay for Play” dialogue that ﬁrst surfaced in 1999. The report from Rome and the hat-waving at Cantlay turned out to be a big focal point. No chance of it dying out this week, especially when Cantlay showed up Monday for the ﬁrst day of practice wearing a hat That is sure to stoke more speculation about his motives. If he hears about it, odds are he won’t care.

“I don’t read or spend any time on social media,” said Cantlay who prefers Ayn Rand or Marcus Aurelius or the Winston Churchill trilogy “I’m aware that people are on there all the time. I’ve never been that interested in spending time on that.”

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

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.

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.

FRIDAy USA

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Cantlay celebrates after holing his putt that led to him winning his afternoon fourballs match in the Ryder Cup on Sept. 30, 2023, at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Guidonia Montecelio, Italy

Grupe‘frustrated’by string of missed FGs

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

BlakeGrupe was arguablythe New Orleans Saints’ most impressive player before theseason began. Thethird-year kicker missed just one ﬁeld goal throughouttraining camp and preseason. But three games into theseason, he’smade just 4of7 ﬁeld goal attempts.

He’s hadamiss in all three games, including a52-yarder in Sunday’s44-13 road lossto theSeattle Seahawks.

“Obviously it sucks,” Grupe said about his slow start. “I’ve had some ups and downs in mycareer, but Idon’tfeel like Ihave been as frustrated as Iamwith whereIam right now.That’sjust duetohow well Iknow Iamhitting the ball and how that showed throughout OTAs and camp and the preseason. It hasn’tcarried over theselast three games.” Grupe, whomade27of31ﬁeld goalslastseason,isn’t pressingthe panic button. “Itwouldbereal easy to freak out and try to change some stuff,”

Grupe said.“Ifeel like part of what it takes to continue down your path and continuetogrowinthe league is to trust what you know you do well and trust the routine that got you here. It’s real easy to freak out and go loony over threebad reps on theyear when each kick has its own story.”

Sunday against Seattle at Lumen Field was Grupe’sﬁrst game outdoors this season. He’ll be outside again Sunday when the Saints play theBuffaloBills at Highmark Stadium.

“It’snot going to get any easier kicking in Buffalo this week,” Grupe said. “That’swhat makes this job the best. You’ve got to step up to theplate.”

Punt team woes

Grupe’smiss wasn’tthe only special teams miscue Sunday.The biggest errors came earlier in the game when theSaintsgave up a 95-yard punt return and had apunt blocked.

After reviewing the ﬁlm, Saints coach Kellen Moore gavehis assessment Monday on what went wrong

“Onthe blocked punt, we’ve

got to executeata higher level,” Moore said. “We’ve got to communicate. We are not all on the same page. When you’re not all on the samepage, that’swhen afree runner shows up. Ifeel like we have a lot of control on that. On thepunt return, we have acouple shots down thereand we don’tget him, then we lose leverage.”

Sigh of relief

After each of the ﬁrst two games, theSaintsfound outtheyhad lost a player because of aseason-ending injury.After the season opener,it was safety Julian Blackmon who discovered when he got home that he had aseason-ending shoulderinjury.Last week, it was rookie defensive tackle Vernon Broughton with ahip injury

This week, Moore said the team cameout of the game ﬁne health wise.

“Nothing to note that should impact our game this week,” Moore said. “That’sgood based off the ﬁrst couple weeks we had acouple (injuries) show up on Monday.We should be headed in the right direction.”

NinersDEBosatears ACL, outfor season

The Associated Press SanFrancisco star defensive end Nick Bosa tore the ACL in his right kneeand will miss the rest of theseason. Bosa hurt his kneeinthe ﬁrst half of awin over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and didn’t return to the game. Bosa gave a thumbs-down to someone in the crowd after the injury,but initial tests did notshowatorn ACL. More tests weredone Monday showingthat Bosa had torn his ACL and his season was done.

“Obviously,he’sbummed, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “ButNickcan handle anything and he’sgoing to handle it like he always does, which will be great. But obviously he wasbummed outfrom it, not being able to ﬁnish out this year,especially how good of ayear he was having so far.”

Shanahan said there was no damage to themeniscus or other ligaments, which bodes well for his rehabilitation.

This is thesecondtimeBosa has gone down with aseason-ending ACL tear early in the season. Bosa tore theACL in hisleftknee in Week 2ofthe 2020 season and missed the rest of that season.

That marked the only time in Bosa’sfirst six seasons in the NFL that he didn’thave at least nine sacks in aseason.Bosa has made thePro Bowl in all ﬁve of his healthy seasonsand wonthe AP NFLDefensive Player of the Year award in 2022, whenhelead theleague with 181/2 sacks.

Cowboys

WR Lamb likely to miss some time: The Dallas Cowboys say CeeDee Lamb suffered ahigh-ankle sprainina 31-14 loss to Chicago, an injury that ﬁgures to sideline thestar receiver at least one gameand possibly more.

Club executivevicepresident of personnel StephenJones revealed the extent of the injury on his radio showMonday, andhe indicated it would be difﬁcult for Lamb to play Sunday when Micah Parsons andthe Green Bay Packers visit.

“Certainly,he’sgot ahigh-ankle

sprain and every one of those are different,”Jonessaid.“We’d love to have him back forGreen Bay, butatthe same time we’vealso got to understand the injury is what it is and we’ll play it out.” Lamb was injured the ﬁrst time he touchedthe ball against the Bears. He linedupatrunning back and took ahandoff running right when his feet got crossed up andhis left legbuckledunder the leg of linebacker Noah Sewell,who dropped Lamb fora 1-yard loss.

The 2023 All-Pro limped to the sideline, got the ankle taped and triedtocome backinthe second quarter.Lamblasted just one play,going in motion before pulling up lame in the middleofa route. He signaled to the sideline as if to sayhecouldn’t play any longer

The injuryendedLamb’s fourgame streak of 100-yard showings going back to last season. It was the longest active streak in theNFL andtiedthe longest of his career Bears

Topcornerback to have surgery:Chicago Bears star cornerback Jaylon Johnson will have groin surgery, but the team isn’truling out areturn this season,coach BenJohnson said Monday The two-time Pro Bowler indicated last week he might have a season-ending operation, though Ben Johnson saidthere’sa chance he returns this year Jaylon Johnson left ablowout loss at Detroit in Week 2after he washurt breaking up apass. He saidthe next day in hisweekly appearance on WSCR-AM that the groin “as awhole just needs to get repaired” and that he was “trying to see what’sthe best option.”

Johnson missed training camp, the preseason and the season opener because of agroin injury But he saidhesuffered anew one, in adifferent part of that region, in that 52-21 loss to Detroit. It happened early in the second quarter,when he broke up apass intendedfor Amon-RaSt. Brown. The Bears placed him on injured reserve on Saturday

Falconsstickingwith QB Penix, coachsays

BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

ATLANTA RaheemMorrisusually offers generous doses of words and smiles in his sessions with reporters.

PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

WALKER

Continued from page1C

allowed apunt return for a touchdown, saw apunt get block, yielded a60-yard kickoff return to set up anotherscore and had BlakeGrupe miss afield goal —were abysmal. All of that happened in the firsthalf. TheSaints have prided themselves on special teams play over the past twodecades, so to see the team fall apart in that area was shocking. So were all the penalties (11) that haunted the team again. There probablyaren’tenough hours in the week for Moore to fix it all as his team prepares for reigning MVP Josh Allen and the

Buffalo Bills. Chances are, the Bills will be the bestteam the Saints face all season. The Seahawks could be aplayoff team, but theyaren’tateam that should be beating the Saints this badly

The Saints now have lost seven straight games, thesecond-longest active losing streak in the league behind the Titans (nine). None of the Saints’ previoussix losses were quite this bad.

“It’satest of adversity,” Moore said. “It’show you respond. This is going to be areally valuable lessonfor us. Our guys aregoingto learn from this.”

They’d better Sundaywas another reminder of the Saints gettingleft behind.

And that’snot just what we saw in Seattle butalso around the NFC

South. The Tampa Buccaneers rallied late for awin andimprovedto3-0.The CarolinaPanthers, divisiondoormats in recent years, blastedthe Atlanta Falcons 30-0. Turns out, that Falcons’ loss wasn’t the division’sworst of the day. Thatdubious distinction belongs to the Saints, whoone-upped their divisionrivaltolose by 31. It was agut punchthatthe Saints andtheir fanswon’t soon forget. Twenty years from now, fanswill talk aboutthisgame. So yes, Earth, Wind &Fire. The 21st dayofSeptember is aday the Saints alwayswill remember But it’saday they’d much rather forget.

Email RodWalker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

The second-year Atlanta Falcons coach was not in asmiling mood after Sunday’s30-0 loss at Carolina. He offered only one word— aterse “No” —when asked whether he was opening the quarterback positionfor competition this week.

Morris maynot have liked the question,which became relevant after MichaelPenix was removed from the game in the fourth quarter andreplaced by former starter Kirk Cousins. The coach deﬁnitely did notlike thetwo interceptions thrown by Penix, including onereturnedfor atouchdown. Morris saidPenix,the 2024 first-round pick in his first full season as theAtlanta starter, didn’tdeservefull blame for the loss.

“Wedid not play well on any phase, andhedid notplaywell as well,” Morris said. “Wedidn’t play well around him, and we’ve got to play better across the board.” Morris took action Monday by ﬁring wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard.Passing gamecoordinator T.J. Yatesnow will coach the receivers. The staff changes cameafterMorris, when askedabout the slow start by wide receiver Darnell Mooney,said: “We’ve got to get to the point that we’ve got to go out there and play the right way.But, no, he’snot playing, we’re notplaying the brand of football we need to play with Mooney,and we’re capable of so much more, without adoubt.”

For the second time in three weeks, the Falcons lost when too muchofthe offensive burden was placed on Penix. The loss left Atlanta 0-2 in the NFC South while providinganother reminder the passing gameshould be a complement to Robinson and Tyler Allgeier

Penix completed 18 of 36 passes for172 yards with the twointerceptions. The Falcons trailed 27-0 when Cousins entered the game. Penix was plaguedbya lack of accuracy and an admitted inabilitytorecognize tightcoverages. On his pick-six, Penix looked right, thenbackleft, and had ample time to identify Carolina’sChau Smith-Wade but still forced an ill-advised sidearm throw intended for Robinson. Smith-Wade’s11-yard interception return gave thePanthersa 17-0 lead.

“I didn’tsee him,” Penix said of Smith-Wade. “Good play.”

Morris said his decision to take Penix outwas tied to himalso bringing in backups at running back and wide receiver

“The game is out of hand,” Morris said. “They got us.”

AddedMorris: “I don’tworry about Mike’sconﬁdence.”

Robinson had 13 carries for 72 yards and ﬁve receptions for 39 yards. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry

The game ﬂowprevented Falconsoffensive coordinator Zac Robinson from carving apath for Robinson to match his 22 carries for143 yards in Atlanta’s 22-6win at Minnesota on Sept. 14. Robinson has had 12 and 13 carries in Atlanta’stwo losses. The obvious challenge is to ﬁnd away to utilize Robinson as theclear strength of theoffense despite defenses gearing their game plans to stopthe run andmake the Falcons winwith Penix.

The Falcons (1-2) should rely on their strength, the running game ledbyBijan Robinson. Three turnovers forced the offense to lose its balance and rely on Penix to navigate aplay-from-behind plan, which is notsuited to his short passing game.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

NewOrleansSaints kicker BlakeGrupe kicks a field goal during the second half against theArizona Cardinals on Sept.7 at theCeasars Superdome. Grupe has missed three field goals this season.

LSU’sthree annual SECfoesrevealed

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

LSU’sthree annual opponents

have been set when the Southeastern Conference goes to aninegame 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-teamleague schedule, every schoolwill have three annual opponents and six rotating opponents. Every SEC team will play one anotheratleast once everytwo years and every opponent home and away in afour-year span. The SEC willannouncethe football opponents for every school for the next four years Tuesday at 6p.m. on the SEC Network and ESPN2. Datesfor the games in 2026 will be announced in December Twoyears ago, sourcestoldThe Advocate it was expected that one

of LSU’sthree annual opponents wouldbe Alabama. At thetime, formerAlabama coach Nick Saban objected to theidea that the Crimson Tide should play Tennessee, Auburn andLSU everyseason because he believed his team would have amoredifﬁcultschedulethan

therest of theleague. Alabama’s annual opponents for the next fouryearsare Auburn, Tennessee andMississippi State, accordingtomultiple reports. Alabama’stwo biggest rivals are Auburn and Tennessee Its campus is 83 milesfrom Mis-

sissippi State.

“I’mfine with the wayit’sset up because within four years, you’re going to play them home and away,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “You might notget them every year,but you’re going to get them enough whereitcontinues

to takethe big-game approach to playing Alabama.”

LSU has along-standing rivalry withOle Miss. The teams played forthe 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 twoyears after Texas A&M joined the SEC, the league put LSU-Texas A&M on thelastweekend of theregularseason from 2014-23. They are not expectedtoplay on rivalry weekend moving forward because of Texas A&M’sannual gamewith Texas.

After notplaying fordecades, LSUand Arkansashaveplayed every year sincethe Razorbacks joinedthe SEC in 1992. LSUleads the all-time series 43-23-2 with two vacated wins in theBattlefor the Golden Boot trophy

The SEC announced in August that it would begin playing aninegame league schedule in 2026after playingeight conference games every year since 1992.

“The waythe schedule is set up,” Kelly said, “I feel really good about what it looks like and all the teams we’re going to geta chance to play in the SEC.”

Aquiet Week 4sees JacksonSt. stay on top

Anumber of HBCU football teams enjoyed abreak in the season with abye during Week 4of the college season, includingSouthern (1-3), which remains off my ballot. Here’show Ivoted in the BOXTOROW HBCU football media poll this week:

1. Jackson State (2-1): Jackson State was one of eight teams in the Southwestern AthleticConference to enjoy abye week. The Tigers are an elite running and defensive team, sitting ﬁrst in the SWAC in rushingyards (254.0) and points allowed per game (17.3). Jackson State’sdominance in those areas mirrorsthe strengths of its next opponent, Southern, whichitplays Saturday at A.W.Mumford Stadium.

2. South Carolina State (2-2): South Carolina State is comingoff a6314 loss to South Florida. The Bulldogs were outmatched but weren’t pulverized from the onsetas they trailed only 21-7 at halftime. They still have impressive wins over Wofford and Bethune-Cookman.

3. North Carolina Central (3-2): The Eagles beat rival North Carolina A&T 62-20 on the road. They had excellent showings from their quarterback, Walker Harris, and running back, Chris Mosley. Harris, who was the HBCU National Player of the Week for BOXTOROW, completed 22 of 29 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns. Mosley had 11 runs for 168 yards and three touchdowns.

4.Alabama State (2-1): The Hornets are the best offenseinthe SWAC, leading the conference with 36.3 points per game, and have the best quarterback in Andrew Body.The redshirtjunior leads the SWAC in completion percentage (73.8%), passing yards (761) and passing touchdowns(10).

5.Alabama A&M (3-1): Alabama A&M, which had abye week, is oneofthe surprises of the season after being picked to ﬁnishfourth in the SWAC East in the preseason poll. After losing 52-7 to Arkansas, theBulldogs havebeaten Alcorn State, Tennessee State and Lane

6.Tennessee State (1-2): Tennessee State didn’thave agame scheduled last week and is going to face fellow Ohio Valley Conference teamTennessee Tech at home

Saturday. The Tigers have arguablythe toprunning back in the conference in Kendric Rhymes, a Southern transfer.The graduate student leads the conference with 109.3yards rushing pergame.

7. Howard (3-1): The Bison are coming off a34-7 win over Hampton thanks to their dominant defense. Howard isallowing thefewest points(20.3) andyards per game (307.3) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. It also has given up the fewest touchdowns in the MEAC with nine through four games,which is threefewer than the next best team,Delaware State

8. Delaware State (3-1): The Hornets continuetheir incredible turnaroundseasonaftergoing 1-11 last year. Theybeat St. Francis 39-10 last week, excelling in situational football. TheDelawareState defense waselite on thirddownas its opponent ﬁnished 0of8on third-down conversions.

9. Prairie View (2-2): Prairie View enjoyed a27-24 win over Northwestern State beforeitofﬁcially opens SWAC play. ThePanthers received big performances from their tailbacks. Chase Bingmon had 18 carries for 186 yards,and Lamagea McDowell had 14 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

10. Florida A&M (1-2): The Rattlers didn’thave agame but sneakinto my top 10 after Edward Waters lost35-9 to Bethune-Cookman. FAMU started the season losing 10-9to Howard andlosing by 42 points to Florida Atlantic. It got in the win column after beating Albany State 33-25

Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy brown@theadvocate.com

RABALAIS

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revealed early in their game week. It’salways abig deal when LSUand Ole Miss play,but this year’sshowdown (2:30 p.m Saturday,ABC) takes on added importance becauseofboth4-0 teams’ lofty rankings. LSU is No. 4inthe AP poll andOle Miss No. 13. Remarkably,it’s the ﬁrst time bothteams meet unbeaten and untied since No. 1LSU (7-0) beat No.3Ole Miss (6-0) 7-3inthe legendary 1959 Halloween night game in Tiger Stadium.

LSU and OleMiss have playedevery single year since the endofWorldWar II in 1945 andmore than 100times all told, with tons of classicmeetings in their history.Sothis was an annual border skirmish that needed to be preserved. Texas A&M also makes alot of sense.The Tigers and Aggies have played off and on since 1899, with abig series in the 1980s and 90s and everyyear sinceA&M joined theSEC in 2012. In terms of geography and fan bases that areinwell-mixed proximitytoeach other from Slidell to College Station, you can seewhy the SEC decided these twoshould also play annually Still, the Texas A&M series doesn’tdoawhole lot for me.It would have been moreintriguing for LSU to keep playing Alabama or Florida or renewthe annual serieswith Auburn, but therewere severalreasons those weren’t happening. Arkansasisthe “a littlemeh”

INJURIES

Continuedfrom page1C

“Wecertainly want to respect the fact that in this situation, a defensive lineman, youwant to make sure he’s healthyand able to pass rush,” Kelly said. “If he can’tcompete at the level he needs to, then we’ll look at the options that areinfront of us and surgery could be an option.” Without Reliford, LSU will have to adjust its defensive end rotation behind senior trans-

part of this equation, but it almost has to be there because of the logistics of SEC scheduling. In short, LSU needssomeone to play Thanksgiving weekend to end the regularseason. This year and in 2024, that team has been Oklahoma,and it could have beenthe Tigers and Sooners going forward. But LSU to OU is alonghaul. Instead, OU and Missouri likely will playannually in aborder matchup with old Big12ties. Arkansas, OU andMizzouare theonly SEC teams other than LSU that don’thavea big rival to play to endthe season (OU and Oklahoma State aren’tplayingagain anytime soon). LSU andArkansas are border rivals, they play forThe Boot, and they’ve played80timessince 1901. This is awin forArkansas, which was bummedwhenLSU started playing TexasA&M to endthe regular season from 2014-23. ForLSU, it’sa game it expects to win nine timesout of 10. Whynot 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’tgoing 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 aton of annualgames here with old SEC West schools playing each other andold SEC East schools playing each other Why not Auburn? Auburn hasAlabama, and it also has

fers Patrick Payton, Jack Pyburnand Jimari Butler.Kelly mentioned redshirt sophomore Dylan Carpenter, redshirtfreshmanKolaj Cobbins, redshirt freshman CJ Jackson or freshmanDamien Shanklin could get playing time. “Wethink 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.

the South’soldest rivalry with Georgia. The SEC wasn’tgoing to saddle Auburn with LSU as well, so it gets Vanderbilt, no easy out at the moment. Overall, the SEC did apretty 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’tknow how that will shake out, but the SEC should do what’sright by LSU and make sure it sends Texas here next season.

The Longhorns did not return LSU’s2019 win in Austin in 2020 as planned because the SEC played aconference-only pandemicschedule, so the Tigers are owed one. In fact, Texas hasn’tplayed 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 forthe New Orleans-based 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 homegames in 2026 and ﬁvein2027. With Clemson and LSU’stwo other nonconference games in Tiger Stadium next season, that’slikely how the mathwill work foreveryone.

For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

Green has not played in LSU’s past twogamesafter suffering asprainedMCL in Week 2against Louisiana Tech.He went through pregame warmups in full pads witha brace on his right knee before LSU played Southeastern. He thenchanged into sweatpants. “He waspretty good in pregame,” Kelly said, “and then we felt like we could hold him back foranother week.”

For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

LSU linebacker Whit Weeks pulls Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee to the ground on Oct. 12 at Tiger Stadium. OleMiss and LSUwill continue to play annually through at least2029.

PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS Alabama State players celebrateafter scoringa touchdownagainst Southern on Sept. 6atA.W.Mumford Stadium.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU linebackerWhit Weeks, right, intercepts apass by Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green, middle, on Oct.19 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.

Toyloy Brown III

THE VARSITY ZONE

BATON ROUGE AREA FOOTBALL TOP 10s

CLASS 5A-4A

1. Catholic-BR (3-0): The Bears defense dominated University High in a 28-14 win to end a two-game skid against the Cubs.

2. Central (3-0): The Wildcats won a shootout against Walker Central outlasted the Wildcats in a 48-37 win to stay unbeaten.

3. Zachary (3-0): The Broncos enter the open week undefeated after taking down Carencro, 34-20.

4. St.Amant (3-0): The Gators explosive offense led the way the first two games, but it was the defense that shined in St.Amant’s 28-12 win over Kennedy.

5. Brusly (3-0): The Panthers dominated Tara, 49-0, in a third straight blowout to start the season.

Volleyball

6. St. Michael (3-0): Special teams play and defense were crucial in the Warriors’ 16-14 win over Istrouma on the road

7. Plaquemine (2-1): The Green Devils dispatched of Belaire 38-6 Friday night, heading into a crucial matchup with Brusly

8. Denham Springs (2-1): The yellow Jackets shut out Woodlawn in a commanding 33-0 victory at home to bounce back from a close rivalry loss.

9. Liberty (2-1): The Patriots fell in a close one to Lutcher, 27-20. Liberty had a chance to tie it late but was stuffed at the goal line.

10 Istrouma (2-1): The Indians dropped their first game of the season against St. Michael in a narrow 16-14 loss.

Ascension Catholic 3, Episcopal School of Acadiana 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-25-20) Ascension Christian 3, Livonia 1 (25-11, 2520, 25-9, 25-22) Central 3, Denham Springs 1 (25-17, 18-25, 25-20, 25-21) Dunham 3, Live Oak 0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21) East Ascension 3, Liberty 0 (25-5, 25-13, 25-21) False River 3, Family Christian 2 (18-25, 1925, 25-22, 25-19, 18-16) GEO Next 3, Broadmoor 0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-22) Istrouma 3, Thrive Academy 0 (25-5, 25-13, 25-18) St. John 3, Plaquemine 2 (26-28, 19-25, 25-23, 25-15, 15-13) St. Michael 3, Episcopal 0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-16) Slaughter Community 3, Belaire 0 (25-9, 25-7, 25-11) White Castle 3, North Iberville 0 (18-25, 1825, 25-21, 25-20, 15-11) Catholic-P.C. 3, Port Allen 0 Catholic High Pointe Coupee252525 Port Allen161416 Team records: Port Allen 2-9 West Feliciana 3, McKinley 0 West Feliciana252525 McKinley7189 Team leaders: WEST FELICIANA: Mae Hazlip (2 kills, 4 aces,2 digs, 13 assists), Adelyn Parr (2 kills, 9 aces, 5 assists), Paige Brown (6 kills, 4 aces, 3 digs), Riley Berry (2 kills, 6 aces, 2 digs, assist); MCKINLEY: Laila Harris (4 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks), Willow Snifﬂett (10 digs) Team records: West Feliciana 10-6 Tuesday Morgan City at Brusly, 5 p.m. East St. John at Capitol, 5 p.m. Haynes Academy at Baton Rouge, 6 p.m. Northeast at Belaire, 6 p.m. Port Allen at Collegiate Baton Rouge,

CLASS 3A AND BELOW

1. Dunham (2-1): The Tigers dropped a close one to St. Charles, 27-21.Two pick-sixes put St. Charles in front, and Dunham failed to complete a comeback.

2. North Iberville (3-0): Of the teams in the top five of last week’s smallschool rankings, the Bears were the only team to win on Friday. North Iberville took down Benjamin Franklin, 20-14.

3. St. James (2-1): The Wildcats fell to Terrebonne 28-8 for their first loss of the season.

4. Catholic-PC (3-0): The Hornets came away with a slim 36-35 victory against Hannan.

5. Slaughter Charter (3-0): The Knights dominated LaGrange, 52-0.

Slaughter Charter has shut out all three of its opponents.

6. University High (1-2): The Cubs dropped their second game of the season after falling to Catholic-BR, 28-14.

7. Southern Lab (2-1): The Kittens routed Glen Oaks 54-0 to get their second win of the year.

8. Madison Prep (2-1): The Chargers lost their first game of the season in a 35-22 defeat to Southside.

9. St. John (3-0): The Eagles snuck past Haynes Academy 36-34, to remain undefeated.

10.Ascension Catholic (2-1): The Bulldogs dominated St.Thomas Aquinas 43-7 last week.

Jackson Reyes

Collegiate Baton Rouge at Liberty, 6 p.m.

Northeast at Istrouma, 6 p.m.

Plaquemine at Port Allen, 6 p.m.

Walker at University Lab, 6 p.m.

Academy at Christian Home Educators Fellowship, 6 p.m. East Ascension at Live Oak, 6 p.m. Woodlawn at McKinley, 6 p.m. Mentorship Academy at Istrouma, 6 p.m. Hannan at Parkview Baptist, 6 p.m. Walker at Prairieville, 6 p.m. Zachary at St. John, 6 p.m. Thrive Academy at Tara, 6 p.m.

Wednesday Louisiana School for the Deaf at East Iberville, 5 p.m. Baker at McKinley, 5 p.m. Thrive Academy at White Castle, 5 p.m. Slaughter Community at Ascension Christian, 6 p.m. Central Private at Central, 6 p.m. Scotlandville at Glen Oaks, 6 p.m. Doyle at Denham Springs, 6 p.m. Madison Prep at East Ascension, 6 p.m. Southern Lab at GEO Next, 6 p.m.

Thursday Broadmoor at Collegiate Baton Rouge, 5 p.m.

McKinley at Zachary, 5 p.m.

Brusly at Ascension Catholic, 6 p.m. Glen Oaks at Belaire, 6 p.m.

Cecilia at Catholic-P.C.,

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

Two key players for the New Orleans Pelicans have worked their way back to the court.

Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, who both suffered season-ending shoulder injuries last season, will be suited up when the Pelicans play the Memphis Grizzlies in the season opener Oct. 22.

“These guys have been fully cleared to go,” Joe Dumars, the Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operation, said Monday “It’s no holds barred for those guys. They are ready to go.” Murphy and Jones have spent the past few weeks scrimmaging at the team’s practice facility.

“I’ve seen those guys get knocked down, crash to the ﬂoor, everything,” Dumars said. “So those guys have been back on the court full speed for several weeks now.” Jones, selected ﬁrst-team NBA All-Defense in the 2023-24 season, played in just 20 games last season. He injured the shoulder on

Jan. 8 against the Portland Trail Blazers and underwent surgery in the middle of February

“He is one of the pillars of our team and one of our leaders,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said at the time. “So we want him to heal

quickly and progress as he goes through this.” Jones averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season, but his presence on the defensive end of the court was missed the most.

Murphy injured his shoulder March 17 while diving for a loose ball in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. In the midst of what was the best season of his career, he was diagnosed with a torn labrum and partial tear of the rotator cuff in his right shoulder He underwent surgery on March 26. Murphy averaged a career-high in points (21.6), rebounds (5.2) and assists (3.6).

Jones and Murphy were both members of the Pelicans’ 2021 draft class and have become essential building blocks for the franchise.

Their return to start the season is a big lift for a team looking to rebound from last season’s 21-61 ﬁnish, the second-fewest wins in franchise history The Pelicans likely will have to wait a bit longer for the return of point guard Dejounte Murray and rookie forward Derik Queen.

“Those guys are deep into their rehab,” Dumars said “Obviously they are not back yet. I can’t give a speciﬁc date right now but those guys are really deep into their

rehab. My conversation with the medical (staff) here has been real good over the summer about the process these guys have been going through.

Murray tore his Achilles against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 31. Queen, drafted by the Pelicans with the No. 13 overall pick in June, suffered a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist in July during a Summer League game in Las Vegas. He recorded a double-double in Summer League play, averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2.3

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Catholic defensive back Taylor Goldsmith, left, celebrates after intercepting a pass last Friday. The Bears defeated U-High 28-14.

Auburn basketball coach Pearl is retiring

His son will take over program

The Associated Press

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn coach

Bruce Pearl announced his retirement Monday less than six months after ﬁnishing the Tigers’ best season in program history with a trip to the Final Four Pearl’s 38-year-old son Steven Pearl, who has been on his father’s coaching staff for all 11 seasons at Auburn, will take over as coach.

“I just feel when I can’t give 100% it’s time to pass the torch,” Bruce Pearl said in a 14-minute video posted on social media.

Pearl, 65, is the school’s winningest men’s coach and took the Tigers to their only two Final Four appearances. He will move into an ambassador role as an assistant to the Auburn athletic director He said he isn’t going into politics after rumors had circulated about a potential Senate run.

“Many of you know that I thought

and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate, maybe to be the next great senator from the state of Alabama,” said Pearl, who was a college head coach for more than 30 seasons with four schools.

“That would have required leaving Auburn, and instead the university has given me the opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s senator I need to focus now on being a great husband, being a great father, being the best grandfather I possibly can be.”

Pearl advanced the Tigers to their first Final Four in 2019, defeating Kansas North Carolina and Kentucky in successive games. They lost to eventual champion Virginia by one point.

Last season, led by All-American Johni Broome, the Tigers earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and had a schoolrecord 32 wins before losing to Florida in the national semiﬁnal.

Pearl had a 246-125 record at Auburn, but the school recognizes only 232 of those wins after vacating games from the 2016-17 season because of NCAA infractions involving former assistant coach Chuck Person. Pearl received a two-game suspension for failure to monitor his assistant and ad-

equately promote compliance.

Tennessee had fired Pearl in 2011 after the NCAA charged him with unethical conduct and then additional violations surfaced. He was 145-71 and made the NCAA Tournament all six seasons with the Volunteers from 2005-11, getting to the Sweet 16 three times, and advancing to their first regional final in 2010.

Auburn hired Pearl in March 2014, when he was in the final months of his show-cause penalty, to take over a program that hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2003. The Tigers went six times, all in the past seven seasons Before his two SEC stops, Pearl won an NCAA Division II national championship in 1995 with Southern Indiana while going 231-46 in his ﬁrst head coaching job from 1992-2001. He then was 86-38 in four seasons at Milwaukee, going to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2005 before getting hired by Tennessee.

Steven Pearl played 101 games for his father at Tennessee from 2007-11. He was a medical sales representative for three years before joining the Auburn staff in 2014. He was promoted to associate head coach before the 2023-24 season.

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 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 top-30 prospect. They can all contribute 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 last three LSU teams have 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’s 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’s 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

SCOREBOARD

31:50 28:10

AL STATISTICS RUSHING_Kansas City, Pacheco 10-45, Hunt 10-34, B.Smith 2-13, Remigio 1-11, Mahomes 5-2. N.Y. Giants, Skattebo 10-60, Tracy 7-29, Wilson 5-27, Singletary 4-11, Dart 1-3. PASSING_Kansas City Mahomes 22-37-0-224. N.Y. Giants, Wilson 18-32-2-160. RECEIVING_Kansas City, Thornton 5-71, Smith-Schuster 4-55, Brown 4-42, Kelce 4-26, Gray 3-17, Hunt 1-10, Pacheco 1-3. N.Y. Giants, Skattebo 6-61, Slayton 4-30, Nabers 2-13, Tracy 2-7, Robinson 1-26, T.Johnson 1-10, Manhertz 1-7, Bellinger 1-6. MISSED FIELD GOALS_Kansas City Butker 40. Pro basketball WNBA Playoffs (x-if necessary) Semiﬁnals (Best-of-5) Minnesota 1, Phoenix 0 Sunday’s game: Minnesota 85, Phoenix 69 Tuesday’s game: Phoenix at Minnesota,

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BRyNN ANDERSON

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl celebrates with a net after an Elite Eight victory against Michigan State on March 30 in Atlanta.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON 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.

Have

too many irises?

Now’sagood time to divide andshare them

GARDEN NEWS

Many of the perennial 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

Campus life

RBY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

eal 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

Dear Miss Manners: Please settle an ongoing dispute with my wife. Whenweattend aconcert or showwithopen seating, 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 MissManners. Becausewhatyou have here are two fundamentally opposedways of approaching life,

andshe hopes 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. The other 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 doing so. But in atrivial situation, when youcan spare inconveniencetoothers with almost no cost to yourselves? Miss Manners sides with you. But she also worries aboutyou Dear Miss Manners: My boyfriend and Ihave just started planning our weddingand asking our dear-

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.

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! 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.

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.

Employees

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.

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

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

Continued from page1D

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

SLICE

Continued from page1D

of the action at the new location on Nicholson Drive.

What’s different?

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

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

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.

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. “Wehave two, double-stack brick ovens that we’re cooking with now,” Dispenza said. For those still mourning theloss of Pluckers, theCity Slicemenuwill also have a selection of wings.

“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

Dear Harriette: Summer is over,but Ifeel like my staff is still working at less than full capacity.Every year,Igive them time off during thesummer,which usually includes half days off on Fridays and shorter hours. The expectation is always that they will crank it up when thefall comes. It seems, though, that everyone is asleep at the wheel, so to speak. Iask for projects to be completed or for someonetofollow up on somework, and Iﬁnd myself asking three and four times before gettinga response. This is frustrating. It feels like I’m being penalized for giving them somemuch-needed time off this summer.How can I get them to crank up their energy? —RampItUp Dear RampItUp: Host a cheerleading session with your team. Highlight good thingsthat occurred this summer,including time off to enjoy the season. Point out what’sahead, including projects, pitches and anything else that is on the horizon. Connect thedots by lettingthem know that they are integral to the success of the business and you are counting on them to give it their all.

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.

The answer: because it wasthe bride who asked.What does Miss Manners care which of them writes as long as the letters get written? 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

Do your best not to chastise them forbeing uninspired. That will make them less interested in getting energized. Your job as the leader is to motivate them to want to workharder.Ifyou have the budget and inclination, you may want to add incentives, such as the ﬁrst person to reach a particular goal gets agiftcertiﬁcate to a favorite restaurant or something else that they value. If they can’tturn it around, perhaps you’ll need to consider changing your policy on summer hours next year

Dear Harriette: My uncle recently crashed my car while borrowing it. Thankfully,noone was hurt, but the car has signiﬁcant damage that will be expensive to repair.I expected him to help cover at least part of the cost, but he refuses, insisting that since it wasanaccident, he shouldn’tberesponsible. This has put me in atough ﬁnancial position, and I’m stressed about how I’ll pay forthe repairs. On top of that, the situation is causing tension in the rest of the family; relatives are taking sides, and now no one wants to get together Iwant to handle this

fairly and maintain agood relationship with my uncle, but Ialso feel like it’sunreasonable for me to cover everything alone. I’ve tried bringing it up calmly,but he brushes me off or makes excuses. Idon’twant this to affect our relationship in the long term, but Ialso don’twant to be taken advantage of. How can I approach him about taking responsibility without escalating the conﬂict or creating more tension within our family?

—Bad Uncle Dear BadUncle: Getanestimatefor the cost of repairs to your car and present it to your uncle. Tell him you need him to split the cost with you as he is the one whohad the accident with your car.Honestly,he should be paying forthe whole thing as he wasdriving your car If he refuses, you may have to take seriousaction by taking him to smallclaims court. He should bear responsibilityfor this expense. Evenifheorother family members getangry do your best to force himto help payfor thedamages. Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/oAndrewsMcMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St.,Kansas City,MO 64106.

monthlypaymentis$1,619 witha 30-year ﬁxed loan. 4637 BurbankDrive,

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

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.

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: D EQuALs F

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

peAnUtS

zItS

FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

bIG

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.

East winsthe next trick withhis spade ace and returns the diamond four. West takesthatandgiveshispartnerthelethal ruff. If you can see how to defeat the contract, grab the steering wheel ©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

MCKINLEY SENIORHIGH SCHOOL 7600 BOONE AVE

1755 FLORIDA BLVD

MAGNET 4451 FAIRFIELDS AVE

BELFAIRMONTESSORI MAGNET 4451 FAIRFIELDS AVE 115A

NEW GUIDE BAPTIST CHURCH 3445 FAIRFIELDS AVE 115B GREATER NEW GUIDE BAPTIST CHURCH 3445 FAIRFIELDS AVE 116COMMUNITY SCHOOL FOR

LRNG 1555 MADISONAVE

TRAFFIC

BUILDING 329 CHIPPEWA ST 118COMMUNITY SCHOOLFOR APPRENTICESHIP LRNG 1555 MADISONAVE 119ROSENWALD LEARNING CENTER 2611 DAYTONST

TAMS DR

LEARNING CENTER 2611 DAYTONST

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141B TRINITY EPISCOPAL SCHOOL 1823 STANFORD AVE 142A SOUTHDOWNS ELEMENTARYSCHOOL 2050 HOODAVE 142B SOUTHDOWNS ELEMENTARYSCHOOL 2050 HOODAVE

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RECREATION CENTER 801 SFLANNERYRD

182A PARK FOREST MIDDLE SCHOOL 3760 ALETHADR

182B PARK FOREST MIDDLE SCHOOL 3760 ALETHADR

183A NORTHDALE ACADEMY10755 CLETUSDR 183B NORTHDALE ACADEMY10755 CLETUSDR 184BREC- CADILLAC ST PARK REC CENTER 6117 CADILLAC ST 185A BREC -HOWELL PLACE GYM 7717 HOWELL BLVD

185B BREC -HOWELL PLACE GYM 7717 HOWELL BLVD

186A SCOTLANDVILLE MIDDLE MAGNETSCHOOL 9147 ELM GROVE GARDEN DR

186B SCOTLANDVILLE MIDDLE MAGNETSCHOOL 9147 ELM GROVE GARDEN DR

187A TWINOAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 819 TRAMMEL AVE

187B TWINOAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 819 TRAMMEL AVE

188LABELLE AIRE ELEMENTARYSCHOOL 12255 TAMS DR

189BREC -FOREST PARK COMMUNITY REC.CENTER 13900 SHARRELLS FERRYRD

190A BREC -FOREST PARK COMMUNITY REC.CENTER 13900 SHARRELLS FERRYRD

190B BREC -FOREST PARK COMMUNITY REC.CENTER 13900 SHARRELLS FERRYRD

191A EBR READINESS MIDDLE SCHOOL 10337 ELM GROVE GARDEN

191B EBR READINESS MIDDLE SCHOOL 10337 ELM GROVE GARDEN

192A EBR READINESS MIDDLE SCHOOL 10337 ELM GROVE GARDEN

192B EBR READINESS MIDDLE SCHOOL 10337 ELM GROVE GARDEN

193GLEN OAKS PARK ELEMENTARYSCHOOL 5656 LANIER DR

1941ST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SCOTLANDVILLE 1246 ROSENWALD RD

195A CRESTWORTH ELEMENTARYSCHOOL 11200

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY OF BAKER PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA

COUNCIL CHAMBERS

3325 GROOM ROAD, BAKER, LOUISIANA 70714 www.youtube.

com/@bakerforward September 9, 2025 -6:00 p.m.

The City Council of the City of Baker,Louisiana, metinregular session on September 9, 2025, with the following members in attendance at the meeting: MAYOR Darnell Waites

COUNCIL MEMBERS Desiree Collins Rochelle Dunn Cedric Murphy Dr. Charles Vincent Robert Young

CALL TO ORDER –Mayor Waites presided.

The invocationwas given by Council Member Murphy

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Council Member Young. *** Public comments will be allowed onall agenda items. Such comments shall not exceed3 minutesand shall be confined to the agenda item and any proposed dispositionthereof.***

DISPOSITION OF THE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The motionwas made by Council Member Murphy,seconded by Council Member Vincent to approve the minutes of the meeting held on August 26, 2025.

The mayor called for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

RECOGNITIONS

PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS

RESOLUTIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS

1. Proclamation declaring September 2025 Blood Cancer Awareness Month in the City of Baker (Vincent) The proclamation was read by Aneatra Boykin.

The motionwas made by Council Member Vincent, seconded by Council Member Dunn to accept the proclamation.

The mayor called for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

2. Proclamation declaring September 2025 Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in the City of Baker (Vincent)

The proclamation was read by Aneatra Boykin.

The motion was made by CouncilMember Vincent, seconded by Council Member Murphy to accept the proclamation.

The mayor called for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

NEW BUSINESS

1. TireBusiness Ordinance (Vincent)

Council Member Vincent asked that this agenda item be tabled. He provided his colleagues with information regarding East Baton Rouge Parish’s recently adopted tirebusiness ordinance and asked that they review the documents so that awork session to discuss asimilar ordinance for the City of Baker can be scheduled at the next council meeting.

The motionwas made by Council Member Vincent, seconded by Council Member Murphy to table this agenda item.

The mayorcalled for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

PUBLICMEETING

1. Adopt Ordinance 2025-19, an ordinance to fixthe rate of taxation and

levy an ad valorem property tax to defray the operational expenses of the City of Baker,State of Louisiana, for all general purposes for the year 2025 on all taxable property within the corporate limits of the City of Baker,Louisiana (Mayor) (Introduced 8/26/2025) Public meeting was held.

Dr.Toni Jackson expressed her concerns and initiated discussion regarding the proposed ordinance. Dr. Jacksonposited several questions and asked that each be answered.

FinanceDirector Mary Sue Stages provided an explanationofthe proposed ordinance, millages, and ad valorem property taxes. She also answered the questions posed by Dr. Jackson. Discussion followed.

The motion was made by CouncilMember Murphy,seconded by Council Member Young to adopt Ordinance 2025-19.

YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

2. Adopt Ordinance 2025-20, regulations regarding 18 Wheelers, Tank, and/or transport vehicles parking on private or public property within the City of Baker and to provide for other matters regarding to the same (Mayor) (Introduced 8/26/2025) Public meeting was held.

Dr.Toni Jackson expressed her concerns and initiated discussion regarding the proposed ordinance.

Discussion regarding theproposed ordinance was held.

The motionwas made by Council Member Dunn, seconded by Council Member Murphy to adopt Ordinance 2025-20.

YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent, Young NAYS: None ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

ANNOUNCEMENTS/COMMENTS

1. District 3announcements –Interact GBR sponsored by the Rotary Club of Baker in collaboration with Mayor Darnell Waites and the City of Baker will host meetings for all high school students, upcoming electioncommunity awareness, many thanks to Senator Regina Barrow ProTemporefor Educators REssential Giveaway,ERatLane Regional HealthcareHospital –this is a$9million investment, EBR MetroCouncil quarterly District 2meeting on Monday,September 8, 2025, City of Baker Recreation Association features new programming, community service highlight:

2. District 2announcements (Dunn) Council Member Dunn stated therewill be awalkinBakerfieldsubdivision for speed bumps on Thursday,September 11, 2025. She thanked the PublicWorks Department for the work they have done and willcontinue to do in District 2. Council Member Dunn reminded residents that servitudes belong to the property owner,and property owners areresponsiblefor the upkeep of these areas.

3. District 1announcements –vehicles/cars/trucks will all four tireson the street overnight is prohibited in Baker,KLB conference upcoming, and litter pickup, etc. (Vincent)

Council Member Vincent expressed his concerns regarding vehicles parking on the street and asked that residents not do so. He stated he has aconstituent who has been dealing with this issue for five years. Council Member Vincent stated Code Enforcement is now involved, and the mayor’soffice is awareofthe situation, thus, he hopes to have resolution to the issue. Council Member Vincent announced the Keep Louisiana Beautiful conference is coming up in October.Heannounced Keep Baker Beautiful is having its cleanup day this Saturday.Anyone interested in attending the event should meet at the Chamber of Commerce on Saturday morning. He asked that if residents areunable to attend the event on Saturday,that they join him on the thirdSaturday of each month and pick up litter around their homes, in their neighborhoods, and throughout the city.Council Member Vincent asked that the Public Works Department not forget the ditches on Thomas Road and asked that they be cut as soon as the mower’sboom arm has been repaired.

Council Member Murphy announced ablood and platelet drive is being heldfor District Chief RonaldBrady of the Baker FireDepartment on Saturday,September 20, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the fire station on Groom Road.

Council Member Collins thanked Representative BarbaraCarpenter and KermitJohnson for hosting the recently heldBaker Market. She encouraged everyone to support the market and take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself.

APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

1. Appoint Jeremy Jackson to the Fireand Police Civil Service Board (Murphy) The motion was made by Council Member Murphy,seconded by Council Member Dunn to appoint Jermey Jackson to the Fireand Police Civil Service Board.

The mayor called for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent, Young

NAYS:None ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN:None The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

2. Appoint Denise Williamstothe Fireand Police Civil Service Board (Murphy) The motion was made by Council Member Murphy,seconded by Council Member Vincent to appoint Denise Williamstothe Fireand Police Civil Service Board.

The mayor called for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent, Young

NAYS:None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN:None The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

The mayor thanked Senator Regina Barrow, Representative Barbara Carpenter,and Representative Roy Adams for coming through for the City of Baker with donations for community projects and social services.

The mayor announced the Buffalo Festival beauty pageant will be held Saturday,September 13, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at the Municipal Auditorium

He encouraged everyone to come out and support the event.

The mayor announced the Buffalo Festival will be held September 18-20, 2025. He stated the festival is afamily event and this year it will feature various vendors for both eating and shopping. Tentative schedules for the festival areavailableinthe lobby

The mayor announced the Buffalo Festival parade will begin at 10:00 a.m. and roll down Groom Road from Advantage CharteronSaturday September 20, 2025. Participation in the parade is open to everyone and free of charge. However,anyone running for office will be charged an entry fee.

The mayor saidsigns areout of hand and the city intends to tighten up on this issue.

The mayor said situation with stray dogs in the city is out of control. He stated he plans to have ameeting with Animal Control in an effort to facilitate enforcement of the city’sordinance concerning this matter and wants residents to be awarethat these changes arecoming.

CONDEMNATIONS

REPORTS ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

1. Planning and Zoning Commission

2. Annexation Review Committee

3. EconomicDevelopment Team

4. Heritage Museum/Related Committees

5. ABC Board

6. Other Special Committees

a. Buffalo Festival

b. Prayer Breakfast

c. StrategicPlanning Committee

d. Citizens Advisory BoardtoLaw Enforcement

e. MainStreet District Committee

ADJOURN

The motion was made by Council Member Dunn, seconded by Council Member Murphy to adjourn.

The mayor called for public comments or questions.

Vote was called for YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy,Vincent, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAIN:None The motion passed with avote of 5-0.

CITY OF BAKER

PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE

STATEOFLOUISIANA

I, AngelaCanady Wall, certify that IamClerk of the Council for the City ofBaker,Louisiana, and that the above and foregoing is acopy of the minutes of aregular meeting of the Council for the City of Baker,Louisiana held on September 9, 2025.

Angela Canady Wall, LCMC Clerk of Council

MINUTES

BOARDOFCOMMISSIONERS

HILLCREST MEMORIAL GARDENS

CITY OF BAKER

PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE

STATEOFLOUISIANA

3325 GROOM ROAD

BAKER,LA70714 September 9, 2025

The City Council of the City of Baker,Louisiana, sitting as the Boardof Commissioners for Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, met in regular session on September 9, 2025, with the following members in attendance at the meeting:

COMMISSIONERS

DesireeCollins Rochelle Dunn Cedric Murphy

Dr.Charles Vincent Darnell Waites Robert Young

CALL TO ORDER –Commissioner Waitespresided.

DISPOSITION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The meeting wascalledtoorder andthe motion wasmade by Commissioner Waites, seconded by Commissioners Dunn/Murphyto approve the minutesofthe meeting held on August 26, 2025.

The mayor calledfor public comments or questions.

Commissioner Vincentasked about the absence of asignatureonthe financialreports submitted by the Finance Department. He stated the report is acceptabledue to the mayor certifying its validity

PUBLIC NOTICE

NEW BUSINESS

OTHER NECESSARYBUSINESS

1. Monthly Business Report

Finance Director Mary Sue Stagessubmittedmultiple financialreports.

The motion wasmade by CommissionerWaites, seconded by Commissioner Vincenttoaccept the financialreports.

The mayor calledfor public comments or questions.

Vote wascalledfor YEAS: Bryant, Dunn, Jackson,Vincent, Waites, Young NAYS: None ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed by avote of 6-0.

2. OtherReports

3. Items Requiring Action

ADJOURN Therewas no other business to come beforethe commission.The motion wasmade by CommissionerWaites, seconded by CommissionerDunn to adjourn.

The mayor calledfor public comments or questions.

Vote wascalledfor YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Vincent, Waites, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed by avote of 6-0.

CITY OF BAKER PARISHOFEAST BATON ROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA

I, Angela Canady Wall, certify thatIamClerk of the Council for the City of Baker,Louisiana, andthatthe above andforegoing is acopy of the minutes of aregularmeeting of the Board of Commissioners for the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens held on September 9, 2025.

Angela Canady Wall, LCMC Clerk of Council MINUTES BOARDOFCOMMISSIONERS BAKER CONSOLIDATED UTILITIES SYSTEM CITY OF BAKER PARISH OF EASTBATON ROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA 3325 GROOM ROAD BAKER, LA 70714 September 9, 2025

The City Council of the City of Baker, Louisiana,sitting as the Board of Commissioners for the Baker ConsolidatedUtilitiesSystem, met in regular session on September 9, 2025, with the following members attending: COMMISSIONERS DesireeCollins Rochelle Dunn Cedric Murphy Dr.Charles Vincent Darnell Waites Robert Young

CALL TO ORDER –Commissioner Waitespresided.

DISPOSITION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The meeting wascalledtoorder andthe motion wasmade by Commissioner Waites, seconded by CommissionerMurphy to approve the minutesofthe meeting held on August 26, 2025.

YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Vincent, Waites, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None

ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed by avote of 6-0.

PUBLIC NOTICE

NEW BUSINESS

OTHER NECESSARYBUSINESS

1. Monthly Business Report

Finance Director Mary Sue Stagessubmittedmultiple financialreports.

The mayor calledfor public comments or questions.

The motion wasmade by CommissionerWaites, seconded by Commissioner Dunn to accept the financialreports.

The mayor calledfor public comments or questions.

Vote wascalledfor YEAS: Bryant, Dunn, Jackson,Vincent, Waites, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed by avote of 6-0.

2. OtherReports

3. Items Requiring Action

ADJOURN Therewas no other business to come beforethe commission. The motion wasmade by CommissionerWaites, seconded by Commissioners Dunn/ Murphytoadjourn.

Commissioner Waitescalledfor public comments or questions.

Dr.Toni Jackson suggested thatthe Finance Department both sign and place the city seal on financialreports in the future.

Vote wascalledfor YEAS: Collins, Dunn, Murphy, Vincent, Waites, Young NAYS: None

ABSENT:None ABSTAIN: None

The motion passed by avote of 6-0.

CITY OF BAKER PARISHOFEASTBATON ROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA

I, Angela Canady Wall, certify thatI am Clerk of the Council for the City of Baker,Louisiana, andthatthe above andforegoing is acopy of the minutes of aregularmeeting of the BoardofCommissioners of the Baker ConsolidatedUtility System held on September 9, 2025.

Angela Canady Wall, LCMC Clerk of Council