The Advocate 09-26-2025

AI keytoLSU’s new floodpredictionmodel

Techniqueproducesfaster, accurate results, scientists say

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

When astorm is barreling in from the Gulf, which neighborhoods would be most likely to floodand atwhat depths? And can that be predicted quickly with affordable technology?

Ateam of LSU scientists is using artificial intelligencetodojust that— and so far having success. It is developing anew flood predictiontechnique that runs exponentially faster than previous models while yielding highly

accurate results. The method documents both storm surge and inland flooding from rainfall. Z. George Xue, aprofessor in thedepartment of oceanography and coastal science and the Center for Computation and Technology,said the new method could assist disastermanagers during storms andhelp analyze longer-term risk patterns.

Theresults of sixyears of research werepublishedinJuly in the journal NaturalHazards.The team of professors, postdoctoral studentsand

‘Twin’ storms in Atlantic throw hurricaneforecasters foraloop

Fujiwharaeffecta rare phenomenon

BY KASEYBUBNASH Staffwriter

There’snothing all that special about Tropical Storm Humberto on its own. A typical storm developingin what is ahistorically active time of year for the Atlantic basin, Humberto seems like acut-and-dried case. Yetsince it formed east of the Leeward Islandson Wednesday afternoon, hurricane forecasters have warned that theirpredictions for the system could be less accurate than usual, spurring calls for vigilance from local meteorologists

alongthe Gulf Coast Butit’snot Humberto itself that’s throwing forecasters and hurricane modelsfor aloop. It’s the storm’s proximity to a tropical wave overthe Caribbean. With just about750 miles between their centers, the systems could work together to create something rarely seen on our sideofthe globe: theFujiwhara effect. Aphenomenonmore commonly seen in thePacific Ocean, theFujiwhara effect occurs when twotropi-

“When you get these two storms that are in close proximity,they can basically kind of steer each other.”

PHIL KLOTZBACH, Colorado State University hurricane researcher

graduatestudentsreceived federal support from the National Oceanic and AtmosphericSociety,the U.S. Geological Surveyand NASAfor the project.

Thenew system offers “a promising strategy to overcome the trade-off between speed andaccuracyinflood predictions,” thepaper states,bycombining two types of methods: aslower but moreaccurate model, and afaster AI model with lower accuracy

ä See FLOOD, page 5A

cal cyclones move so close togetherthatthey begin to rotate around a common midpoint,according to theNational Weather Service. It’saneffect that Colorado StateUniversity hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said can be aheadache for forecasters, making storm trajectories significantly less predictable.

“When you get these two storms that are in closeproximity, they can

ä See STORMS, page 4A

911 service down forhours

Severed fiber-opticlines blamed fordisruptions across thestate

BYQUINN COFFMAN and MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writers

Most of Louisiana lost the ability to call 911, thenation’suniversal emergencyresponse number, for several hours Thursdayafter 911 fiber-optic lines werecut in Mississippi. Law enforcementagenciesacrossLouisiana began reporting 911 outages in the early afternoon andoffering other numbers for people needing police, ambulances or the fire department to call.

Theoutage was caused by the cutting of a 911 fiber line or multiple lines somewhere in Mississippi, said authorities withmultiple parish communication districts andwith AT&T.Residents were told service wasexpected to return after afew hours.

“Our teamshave dispatched and are workingasquickly as possible to repairmultiple fiber cuts, affecting 9-1-1 service for some customersinLouisianaand Mississippi,” a spokespersonfor AT&T said in astatement just after 4p.m. Thursday.“We understand how important these services are and appreciate the patience of our customers.”

Service was returnedfor most parishes, includingOrleans, Jefferson, Lafayetteand East Baton Rouge, after 4p.m.

ä See 911, page 5A

EFFECT

Although rare, when twonearby

Staffgraphic by DANSWENSON

(predicted)

STAFF FILEPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Pokémon protests DHS’ ‘Gotta Catch ’Em All’

The company behind the wildly popular Pokémon franchise says it doesn’t want its characters used for propaganda.

The Department of Homeland Security uploaded a Pokémonthemed montage of various ICE raids to social media earlier this week.

The Japanese gaming company said the federal agency was not authorized to use its original content. “We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand,” wrote the Pokémon Company International in a statement to The Los Angeles Times. “Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property.”

The posted video included the anime theme song, with the lyrics “Gotta catch ’em all,” playing over segments of federal agents handcuffing people and imagery of a Pokémon character and the Pokéballs used to capture monsters in the game. It concluded with several mock-ups of Pokémon playing cards with photographs of detainees, which included their full names, crimes they have committed and details about their convictions and sentencing.

Springsteen wants Trump on ‘trash heap of history’ NEW YORK Bruce Springsteen is disparaging President Donald Trump once more. This time, he’s doing it in Time magazine. In an interview published Thursday covering a wide range of topics, the Boss lamented that “a lot of people” believe lies told by the commander in chief, but conceded that many Americans are comfortable with the way Trump practices politics.

Springsteen and Trump locked horns in May when the 76-yearold rocker opened his European tour by telling his English audience his country “is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.” Trump, 79, responded on social media by calling the singer “a pushy, obnoxious JERK” who was out of line for insulting a U.S. president on foreign soil. Springsteen told Time he doesn’t pay much attention to his adversary’s comments, but thinks the president should be impeached. “If Congress had any guts, he’d be consigned to the trash heap of history,” Springsteen said.

He also complained the Democratic Party doesn’t appear to be the alternative many Americans want. “There is a problem with the language that they’re using and the way they’re trying to reach people,” he claimed Pentagon reduces prior mandate for flu shots

WASHINGTON The Pentagon has stepped back from the policy that requires all troops to get the flu shot every year by introducing exemptions for reservists and proclaiming that the shot is only necessary in some circumstances for all service members, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. The memo, written by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg on May 29 and sent to all the military services, says reserve troops now will need to be on active duty for 30 days or more before being required to get an annual flu shot It also says the military will no longer be paying for reservists or National Guard members to get the vaccine on their own time.

Iran likely carried out missile test

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Iran has likely carried out an undeclared missile test at its Imam Khomeini Spaceport, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed Thursday, underlining Tehran’s effort to maintain its weapons program despite the 12day war with Israel in June.

Iran has not formally acknowledged last week’s test at a circular pad that has hosted other major launches by the country’s civilian space program. A single lawmaker in Iran’s parliament, however claimed without offering evidence, that Tehran tested a possible intercontinental ballistic missile.

The test and the claim raise concerns that Iran may be trying to expand the reach of its missiles as ten-

sions remain high ahead of United Nations sanctions, which are likely to be reimposed this weekend over Tehran’s nuclear program — as it also repairs missile sites that were struck by the Israelis.

“Israel’s successes in the 12-day war against Iran’s missile attacks reinforced for Tehran the importance of developing more ballistic missiles and qualitatively better versions of them,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an analyst at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The think tank has long been critical of Iran and has been sanctioned by Tehran.

“Consider this part of Tehran’s efforts to build back better and as quickly as possible,” he added.

On Sept. 18, Iranian social media users posted images of the sky over Semnan province, showing what appeared to be a rocket’s contrail at sunset. Iranian officials

did not acknowledge what caused the contrail, nor did Iranian state media report on the incident.

Satellite photos taken prior to that by Planet Labs PBC show the circular pad at Imam Khomeini Spaceport — about 145 miles southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, in Semnan — painted blue ringed with red, white and green lines — the colors of the Iranian flag. But in satellite images since Sept. 18, the pad appeared discolored, though it wasn’t fully clear until a more-detailed Planet image requested by the AP taken this Wednesday That image shows significant scorch marks, the pattern of which resembled scorching seen at the pad following past launches. When rockets launch, the flames from their engines pour down onto pads. Iranian parliament member Mohsen Zanganeh, appearing on

Report lays out problems in response to Calif. fires

BY CHRISTOPHER WEBER and REBECCA BOONE Associated Press

LOS ANGELES A lack of resources and outdated policies for sending emergency alerts led to delayed evacuation warnings as flames began consuming neighborhoods during deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires in January, according to an outside review

The Independent After-Action Report produced by the consulting firm McChrystal Group was commissioned by Los Angeles county supervisors just weeks after the Eaton and Palisades fires killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes in and around Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

The report released Thursday says a series of weaknesses, including “outdated policies, inconsistent practices and communications vulnerabilities,” hampered the county’s response.

Interviews with survivors and an Associated Press analysis of available data found evacuation orders for some neighborhoods of Altadena where the Eaton Fire swept through came long after houses burned down. AP reporting also showed similar delays for the Palisades Fire, though the Los Angeles Police Department initially handled evacuation management. The report sheds more light on flaws in the county alert system.

The report cites critical staffing shortages including a high number of sheriff’s deputy vacancies and an under-resourced Office of Emergency Management In addition, first responders and incident commanders were unable to consistently share information due to unreliable cellular connectivity, inconsistent field reporting methods, and the use of various unconnected communication platforms.

“While frontline responders acted decisively and, in many cases, heroically, in the face of extraordinary conditions, the events underscored the need for clearer

policies, stronger training, integrated tools, and improved public communication,” the report says.

It is not intended to investigate or assess blame, county officials said in a news release.

“This isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about learning lessons, improving safety, and restoring public trust,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena.

The Office of Emergency Management began putting together its staffing plan for predicted heavy winds Jan. 3, four days before the Palisades and Eaton fires ignited. But an experienced staffer had been sent out of town for a training event. That meant several less-knowledgeable staffers were in key positions, according to the report.

They were also working with some new emergency notification software provided by an existing vendor

The review also found that the process to communicate an evacuation decision to the public was slow, convoluted and involved multiple leadership roles across county-level departments.

Some of the evacuation alerts required residents to click a separate link to get complete information, hindering messaging. Power outages and cell tower issues further hindered evacuation notices and the fire was moving too fast to keep up, the report found There was no official, standalone preparedness messaging provided by the county

The authors praised the heroism of first responders including sheriff’s deputies and county firefighters who evacuated senior care facilities, led public transit bus drivers through impacted neighborhoods and rescued people from burning homes.

“This heroic response was driven by urgency and their commitment to save lives, but it also added additional complexity to their responsibilities as they worked to maintain broader operational oversight in the field,” the authors wrote.

Hegseth abruptly summons all top brass to meeting

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military’s top officers hundreds of generals and admirals — to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to three people familiar with the matter

The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering Tuesday of senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico. The people, who described the move as unusual, were not authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive plans and spoke on condition of anonymity The Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, confirmed that Hegseth “will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.” Across the military, there are 800 generals and admirals of all ranks. Many command thousands of service members and are stationed across the world in more than a dozen countries and time zones.

The meeting was first reported by The Washington Post.

In May Hegseth ordered that the military cut 20% of its four-star general officers, directed an additional 10% cut from all general and flag officers across the force, and told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions.

In February, Hegseth fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top officer, and Gen. James Slife, the Air Force’s second highest officer, without explanation. He also relieved the military’s top lawyers.

Iranian state television on Saturday, claimed that the Islamic Republic had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday. He portrayed it as a sign of Iran’s strength as it faces challenges from Israel and the West.

“We have neither abandoned (nuclear) enrichment, nor handed uranium over to the enemy, nor backed down from our missile positions,” said Zanganeh, a member of parliament’s budget committee from Iran’s Khorasan Razavi province.

“The night before last we tested one of the country’s most advanced missiles, which until now had not, so to speak, been trialed — and that test was successful,” he said. Zanganeh did not elaborate on where he got his information, nor did he provide any evidence to support his assertion. Iranian parliament members have made exaggerated claims in the past.

Parents of girl lost in flood don’t want camp to reopen

BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press

AUSTIN,Texas

The parents of the only girl still missing from the catastrophic July 4 flood that tore through Camp Mystic in Texas are demanding that the camp halt its plans to reopen.

Officials announced this week that they plan to reopen part of the camp next year and build a memorial to the 25 campers and two teenage counselors who died. The body of 8-yearold camper Cile Steward wasn’t recovered. The reopening plan has drawn fierce complaints from some of the victims’ families, who said they weren’t consulted.

“To promote reopening less than three months after the tragedy while one camper remains missing — is unthinkable,” CiCi and Will Steward wrote to Camp Mystic officials in a letter released Thursday

“We call on Camp Mystic to halt all discussions of reopening and memorials,” they wrote. “Instead, Cile must be recovered, and you must fully confront

and account for your role in the events and failures that caused the deaths of our daughters.”

Camp Mystic’s owners include the wife and other family members of Dick Eastland, who also died in the flooding.

Camp officials did not respond to an emailed request for comment. The children and counselors who died have become known as “Heaven’s 27.” The letter was signed by CiCi and Will Steward “on behalf of ourselves and other families of the Heaven’s 27.” It wasn’t immediately clear if other victims’ families participated in the letter A spokesperson for the group said the letter speaks for itself.

The camp’s planned reopening would not include the area where the victims were swept away New laws prohibit cabins in dangerous parts of flood zones and require camp operators to develop detailed emergency plans, to train workers, and to install and maintain emergency warning systems.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ETHAN SWOPE

Megan Mantia, left, and her boyfriend Thomas, no last name given, return to Mantia’s fire-damaged home after the Eaton Fire swept through Jan. 8 in Altadena, Calif.

TrumpsaysXihas approved TikTok deal

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON

President

DonaldTrump has signed an executive order that he says will allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in away that meets nationalsecurityconcerns laid out by the law

PresidentJoe Biden signed legislation last year calling for China’sByteDance to sell TikTok’sassets to an American company by early this yearorfacea nationwide ban, but Trump has repeatedly signed orders that have allowed TikTok to keep operating in the U.S. as his administration tries to reach an agreement for the saleofthe social media company

Much is still unknown about the actual dealin the works, but Trump said Thursday that Chinese leader Xi Jinpinghas approved it. Any majorchange to the popular video platform could have ahuge impact on how Americans —particularlyyoung adults and teenagers —consume information online.

TheChineseembassy in Washington didn’timmediately respond to an AP inquiry seekingconfirmation that China has signed off on the proposed framework deal.

About43% of U.S. adults under the age of 30 say they

regularly getnews from TikTok,higher than any other social media app includingYouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Pew Research Center report published Thursday Trump saidinresponse to aquestion at asigning ceremonyThursdaythat he would make the Americancontrolled TikTok “100% MAGA”ifhefelthecould, but he intends for “every philosophy,every policy” to be “treated right.”

Vice PresidentJD Vance saidthe deal ensures that “American investors will actually control the algorithm” that determines thecontent seen on thesocial media app. He said more information aboutthe deal will be revealed in thecoming weeks.

Underthe termsofthe dealthat have so far beenrevealed by the White House, the app will be spun off into a new U.S. joint venture owned by aconsortiumofAmerican investors —including Oracle andinvestment firm Silver Lake Partners.

Though thedetails have yet to be finalized, theinvestment group’stotal stake in thenew venture would be around 80%, while ByteDance isexpected to have a 20% or smaller stake in the entity.The board running thenew platform wouldbe

controlled by U.S. investors. ByteDance will be represented by one person on the board, but thatindividual will be excluded fromany security matters or related committees.

TikTok’snew owners include many whose business or political interests are tied to Trump, including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and RupertMurdoch, raising questions about whether political influence will be exerted into the platform.

Although he stepped down as Oracle’sCEO morethan a decade ago, Ellison remains heavily involvedaschairman andchief technology officer.Now 81, he could be in line to becomeabehind-the-

Shooterat ICEfacilityhated U.S. government,officials say

BY SEAN MURPHYand COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press

DALLAS The gunman who opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas hated theU.S.government and wanted to incite terror by killing federal agents, officialssaid Thursday,offering the first hint of amotive in theattack

Citing handwritten notes found at his suburban home, authorities said 29-year-old Joshua Jahn set out to ambush the agency and then fatally shot himself following the assault.

The shooting at daybreak Wednesdaytargeted the ICE office building, including avan in agated entryway that held detainees.One detainee was killed, and two otherswerecritically wounded.NoICE personnel were hurt.

Jahn “specificallyintended to kill ICE agents,”firing at vehicles carryingICE personnel, federal agents and detainees. “He also fired multiple shotsinthe windows of theoffice building where numerousICE employees do their jobs every day,” said Joseph Rothrock, agent in chargeofthe FBI’s Dallas field office.” Jahn’snotes indicated “that he didnot expect to survive this event,” Rothrock said. “He wanted to cause terror.”

The gunman, who authorities said fired indiscriminately from anearby rooftop, was involved in a“high degreeofpre-attack planning,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on the social platform X. Patelquoted anote that said:“Hopefully this will give ICEagents real terror,to think, is there asniper with AP rounds on that roof?” The note used an apparent abbreviation for armor-piercing bullets.

The attack happened as heightened immigration enforcement has generated abacklash against ICE agents and stirredfear in immigrant communities across the country

The assailant appeared to have acted alone. Nancy Larson, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said investigators discovered the notes at Jahn’s residence.Another note said, “Yes, it was just me.” Other notes were sharply criticalofICE agents and indicated he hopedto avoid hurting any detainees.

Investigators have not foundthatthe gunman was amember of anyparticulargroup or entity,Larsonsaid. And while hebroadly wrote about hatred of the federal government, he did not mentionany federal agencies other than ICE, she said

The gunman had also downloaded adocument titled “DallasCountyOffice of Homeland Security &EmergencyManagement” containing alist of Homeland Security facilities, Patel said.

Hours beforethe shooting, the assailant conducted multiple internet searchesfor ballistics information andvideo of the assassination of conservative activistCharlie Kirk on aUtah university campus this month, Patel said. Last month, the man searched for apps thattracked the presence of ICE agents, he added.

Jahn legally obtainedthe bolt-actionrifle used in the shooting in August, Rothrock said. He “alsoacknowledgedthe potential for other casualties,”Rothrock said.

“He knew with ahigh likelihood ICE detainees would be transported that morning in the exact location where he was facing from his perch” atop the roof.

Following ICE procedures, thedetainees were restrained inside the van, said Marcos Charles, field officedirector of enforcement andremoval operations for ICE.

Authorities have not released the names of thevictims.

On July 4, attackersinblack,militarystyleclothing opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, federal prosecutors said Onepolice officer was wounded.Atleast 11 people havebeen charged in connection with the attack.

Days later,a man with an assault rifle fired dozens of rounds at federal agents leaving a Border Patrol facility in McAllen. The man identified as Ryan Louis Mosqueda, injured arespondingpolice officer before authorities shot and killed him.

Associated Press journalists Jack Brook in New Orleans, Mike Balsamo in New York, Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, SophiaTareen in Chicago and TimSullivan in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

scenesmedia power player, having alreadyhelpedfinanceSkydance’srecently completed $8 billion merger withParamount,a deal engineered by his son, David. TikTok users could now “getthe editorial policies of thepeople whonow have control of the company,” said David Greene, civil liberties director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

“It won’tbe100% MAGA. The question is howitwill treat criticism of him and people he likes.

The recommendation algorithm that has steered millions of users into an endless stream of video shorts has been central in the security debate over TikTok.China

previouslymaintained the algorithmmustremainunderChinese controlbylaw

But aU.S. regulation that Congress passed with bipartisan supportsaidany divestmentofTikTok must mean the platform cut ties with ByteDance.

American officials previously warned the algorithm —which is acomplexsystem of rules and calculations that platforms use to deliver contenttoyourfeed —is vulnerable to manipulation by Chineseauthorities,who can use it to shape messaging on the platform in away that’s difficult to detect, but no evidencehas ever been presented by U.S. officials showing thatChina hasattempted to do so. Although thedetails remain unclear,aTrump administration official said that alicensed copy of the ByteDancecreated algorithm —retrainedsolelywithU.S data —will power the new U.S. versionofthe app. Administration officials say this retraining effort will nullify anyrisk of Chinese interference and influence.

Vance said “wewanted to keep TikTok operating” but address security concerns so that “Americans can use TikTok but useitwithmore confidence than they had in the past.”

Young peopleespecially “really wanted this to happen,” Trumpsaid during the signing ceremony That makes it unclear if the U.S. version of TikTok will be adifferent experience than what users in the rest of the worldare used to.Any noticeable changes made to a social media platform’sservice raises the risk of alienating its audience, said JasmineEnberg, an analyst for the research firm eMarketer In aprimeexample of how achange of control can reshapea once-popular social mediaplatform, billionaire ElonMusktriggered an almostimmediate backlash after he completed his takeover of Twitter nearly three years ago.

ButMuskmadeextremely visiblechanges,including changing its name to X, pulling back on its content moderation and adding exclusive features forpaid subscribers. The changes that gradually occurwhile different data is fedinto the U.S. copy of TikTok’salgorithmcould be subtle and unnoticeable to mostofits audience.

“Social media is just as much aboutthe culture as it is the technology,and how users will take to new ownership and potentially anew version of theapp is still an open question,”Enberg said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

PresidentDonald Trumpholdsa signed executiveorder regarding TikTok in the Oval Office on Thursday.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ

basically kind of steereachother,”

Klotzbach said

That opens up aworld of possibilities for the storms, from wonky tracks to total mergers. When it comes to Humberto and its neighbor,Klotzbach said there are stillalot of questions as to how exactly they’ll interact, if at all But, he said, one thing isfor sure: “These Fujiwhara casesare abear to forecast.”

In September 2001, hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy watched as Tropical Storm Henriette and Hurricane Gilpractically collided in thePacificOcean, spiraling within afew hundred miles of each other.Henriette, the larger but weaker storm, was swallowed by Gil shortly after that

“Henriette was atropical storm mostnoteworthy for the manner of its demise,” forecasters with the National Hurricane Center wrote in areport on the storm days after its absorption.

That’scertainlywhat McNoldy, nowaseniorresearch associateat the University of Miami, remembers most about the storm.He was so fascinated by the interaction between Henriette and Gil, the so-called Fujiwhara effect, thathewent on to co-author aresearch paper about “theclassification of binary tropical cyclonelike vortex interactions.”

It’ssafe to say that’sall alittle too complicated for our purposes, but McNoldysaid the general idea is that the Fujiwhara effect can take many forms and play out in a whole spectrum of scenarios.

Named forthe Japanese meteorologist whofirst wrote about the phenomenonin1921, the Fujiwhara effect broadly describes

how two vortices that come close togetherinteract and influence each other’smotions. It can involve any kind of vortex, not just ahurricane. And the interactions vary greatly,McNoldy said. Sometimes they bump together nudging one another along. Sometimes oneflingsthe other into an entirely differentdirection,an eerie idea when we’re thinking about hurricanes. Sometimes, like with Giland Henriette, oneabsorbsthe other.They don’talways dance around each other in clean circles, McNoldy said, though that is sometimesthe case. How vortices interact is based on their strength,size and proximity,and whenitcomes to forecast-

ing storms, all those ever-changing variables andtheir many potential consequences make fora big challenge.

“It definitely complicates the forecast,” McNoldy said.

While it’sstill unclear whether Humberto andits neighboring system will truly reach the Fujiwhara effect, their proximity has alreadyimpacted the accuracy of hurricanemodel guidanceand NHC forecasts. The NHC’slatest forecast track shows Humberto reachingmajor hurricane strength by Monday as it moves northwest, passing east of Bermuda. Butforecasterssaid Thursday they havelower than normal confidence in thestorm’s

track due to its potential interaction with the system nearby New Orleans-based meteorologist Scot Pilié said Humberto andthe neighboring systemare probably themostcomplicated duohe’strackedinthe last five seasons.

“Model guidance is struggling,” Pilié said on Wednesday afternoon. “The latest models that just came outthis morning are all over the place in terms of both systems’ intensity andboth systems’ tracks.”

Some show Humberto becoming the dominant system, others show theopposite.Track runs show the storms curving out to seawithout touching land, hitting the U.S. East

Coast or making circles throughthe Caribbean.Some model runs even show ascenario where one system is flung into the Gulf,though Pilié said Louisiana isn’tlikely to take a hit —the Gulf Coast will be shielded by dry air and wind shear for the next week or so.

The challenge lies in trying to figure out whether the stormswill develop at around the sametime andwhichwill become dominant, as Pilié said is usually the case

“I think it’sgoing to be really interesting to seehow it plays out,” he said.

It’snot every day that two Atlantic tropical systems of similar size and strength get close enough for the Fujiwhara effect to even be athought.It’smorelikelyto happeninthe Pacific, which is a larger and, if you can imagine, a more prolific body of water when it comes to storms.

But Pilié said there’snot as much room in the Atlantic basin, and the storms that do form tend to do so in an orderly fashion. Those tropical waves that so often develop into hurricanes typically moveoff Africa’scoast every three to four days, one after another, making it hard for two of themtopairupand strengthen simultaneously

“Sothis is very unusual,” Pilié said, “notonly in aglobalsense but especially in the Atlantic.”

The mostlikely scenario is that one of the systems intensifies at afasterrate, becoming the dominant stormand eventually absorbing the other. Usually,hesaid, one wins out.

But, Pilié said, “this could be one of these weird cases where both systemsorganize at the samerate in close proximity and you could theoretically get the Fujiwhara effect to happen.”

Email KaseyBubnashatkasey bubnash@theadvocate.com.

This hybrid method relies on theaccurate, but computationally intensive, models that Xue’steam previously created. The result, called the Prediction-to-Map,is flooding predictions that are 100,000 faster than the previous models, Xue said.

“You can imagine if each of the simulations use 500 computersrunning for onehour, then nobody can afford that,” Xue said. “But if you use the AI model, that’sone laptop for 4seconds. We migrate that into asupercomputer andwecan generate tensof thousands of scenarios.”

The study drives home the point that fast and affordable flood models are becoming increasingly important for local officials.

“As global exposure to floodsisprojectedtorise, the demand for rapid and accurate flood prediction becomes crucial for effective decision-making and risk mitigation,” it states.

The scientists used 2021’s Hurricane Nicholas,a Category 1storm that hit the Houston area, to test the accuracy of their models. The AI predictionmethod used the expensive data from the LSUteam’spast numerical models, as well as “real

data,”Xue said, such as river gauges andbuoys. More specifically, thescientists created oneAImodel trained exclusively on real data to predict flood depths at certain points. AnotherAI model trained on theteam’s

previous numerical model was used to mapflood depths at the same points. As the researchers had hoped, thenovel prediction method corresponded to the actual flooding of the storm near Galveston Bay.Infact,

it was more accuratethan theexisting model. This newhybridmodel has only been done on the great-

er Houston area, but theintensive numerical models have been run for the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coasts.

EarlyVoting

“For the longer term,we plan to adapt this AI model intothe entire Gulf Coast, but that depends on what kind of resources we have,” Xuesaid.

In addition to expanding the coveragearea, the LSU team eventually wants to “downscale” the project, which meanszooming into a hyperlocal area —like asingle street or neighborhood —topredict flooding during an extremeweather event. Gathering this information is “totally different” than regionalmodeling, Xue said, andrequires moredata and differentalgorithms, among other information.

This is one avenue where the technical modelers may collaborate with social scientiststohelpGulf Coast communitiesduring storms, explained Jim Spencer,a professor of architecture andurban planning at LSU whoisworking with Xueon aseparate Gulf Coast resilience project.

“Flood is notjust afunction of naturalevents,” Spencer said. “Flood is a function of the infrastructure that’sput in place. …If we don’tcombine those two aspects, we can’treally say whose house is going to get flooded.”

When asked how abreak in afiber line one state over could knock out emergency communication across Louisiana, JimVerlander, director of the East Baton Rouge Parish CommunicationDistrict, said he wanted to ask that same question to AT&T

“Only AT&T knows,” Verlander said, “because we don’tget to see inside of their network. So that’s AT&T’snetwork, but there’s supposed to be redundancies built in. It should prevent things like this from happening.”

Verlander said his office received anotification about 10:30 a.m. from AT&T that there was an issue with the part of the 911system that reports the name and location of callers. It wasn’tuntil shortly after 1p.m. that Verlander and other parish communication districts began noticing problems with the telephone systems.

Verlander said he saw the volume of 911 calls, which is normally around one per minute in East Baton Rouge Parish, drop to almost zero.

About 30 minuteslater,the district received notification that a911 fiber line had been cut somewhere in Mississippi, resulting in widespread outages.

By 5p.m., Verlander said, everything wasback up, adding that he wasgladservice returned even though he wouldn’tdescribe the fix as “timely.”

“But, you know,tothink of locating, finding, fixing and getting everything back up and operational, it seems

like whatever this was well, it better have been something major,” he said.

Each Louisianaparish handles 911 calls separately

At least adozen parishes reported 911 outages for their emergency services, including EastBaton Rouge, Jefferson, Orleans, Lafayette, Rapides and St Tammany,aswellasHancock and Pike counties in Mississippi.

“There is no indication that this is malicious,” Karl Fasold, executive director of theOrleansParishCommunication District,said during anews conference Thursdayafternoon.

In OrleansParish,Verizon and AT&T FirstNet users experienced difficultyreaching911 call takers, while T-Mobile andAT&T Mobilityusers were able to get through, Fasold said. Meanwhile, some New Orleans 911 calls were being routed to other jurisdictions, such as Bossier City

“AT&T handles the majority of 911 for the entire country. So alot of people, they’re like, ‘Oh, well, this is just an AT&T thing,’ ”Verlander said. “If you have aVerizon phone and you dial 911 it goesthrough AT&T —inthe majorityofthe country —to the911 call centers.”

Fasold asked OrleansParish residents to call only in casesofemergencies.Car burglaries, he said, are not an emergency “Bleeding, aheart attack, fire, all thosethings are very obviously an emergency,” Fasold said. “Anything that doesnot requireanimmediate fire or police response, we ask that you wait.”

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office madeit

through theday withits line still operational, with the department stating in a news release that its Next Generation911 system differsfrom legacy copperwire systems that other agencies rely on. However, the Sheriff’s Office still struggled to transfer calls to other agencies.

Lastyear,atleast eight states were hit with911 outages, according to reporting from KFF Health News, a national nonprofit health publication.

Oneoutage in Massachusetts left 7millionpeople without 911access for two hours.

Another, which affected millions in Nebraska, Nevada, SouthDakota and Texas,was caused by workers severingafiber line while installing alight pole.

Reporters Ellyn Couvillion and Aidan McCahill contributed tothis story Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

TheEastBaton RougeParishRegistrar of Voters Office announcesthat EarlyVoting forthe October11, 2025 Election will be held Saturday, September27, 2025 throughSaturday, October4,2025from8:30am until6:00pm. (ClosedonSunday)

Main Office:CityHall–222 SaintLouis St.–Room604 Southeast: Fire StationBuilding–11010 CourseyBlvd. Archives:State Archives Building–3851Essen Ln Baker: MotorVehicle Building–2250Main. St Central: CentralBranchLibrary –11260 Joor Rd

Voters will be askedtoidentifythemselveswitheithera photoID or signatureonavoter affidavit. Youmay useadriver’slicense,a Louisianaspecial ID,aLAWalletdigital driver’s license, aU.S.military identification card thatcontainsyournameand picture; or some other generallyrecognizedpicture ID thathas your name andsignature

Sample ballotsare availableonlineatwww.GeauxVote.com Call (225)389-3940 formoreinformation

STAFFFILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON

A fisherman takes the opportunity to cast aline in floodwaters at the corner of Burbank Driveand Lee Drivecaused by heavy rains throughout the dayinMarch of 2023.

Ex-FBI director Comeyindictedon2

Move comes days afterTrump

BY ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON James Comey

was charged Thursday with lying to Congress in acriminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.

The indictment makes Comey the first former senior govern ment official involved in oneofTrump’s chief grievances, the longconcluded investigationinto Russian interference in the 2016election,toface prosecution. Trump has for years derided that investigationas a“hoax”and a“witch hunt” despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican candidate’scampaign, and has made clear his desire for retribution.

The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi is beingweaponizedin pursuit of investigations and nowprosecutionsofpublic figures the president regards as his political enemies.

TrumponThursday hailed the indictment as “JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!” Bondi, aTrumployalist, and FBI Director KashPatel, alongtime vocal critic of theRussia investigation, issued similar statements. “Noone is above the law,” Bondi said. Comey,ina video he posted after his indictment,said: “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice butI

have greatconfidence inthe federal judicialsystem, and I’minnocent.Solet’s have a trial.”

Comey was fired months into Trump’sfirstadministration and, since then,has remained atop target for Trump supporters seeking retaliation related to the Russiainvestigation.He was singled out by name in aSaturday social mediapost in which Trump appeared to appeal directly to Bondi to bringcharges against Comey andcomplained that Justice Department investigations intohis foes had not resulted in charges.

“Wecan’t delayany longer,it’s killing our reputation and credibility,”Trump wrote, referencingthe fact thathe himself had been indicted and impeached multiple times. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

Change in prosecutors

Theoffice that filed the case against Comey,the EasternDistrict ofVirginia, was thrown into turmoil last Friday following the resignation of chief prosecutor Erik Siebert, who had not charged Comeyand had faced pressure to bring charges against anotherTrumptarget,New York Attorney General Letitia James, in amortgage fraud investigation.

The following evening, Trumplamented in aTruth Social post aimedatthe attorney generalthat department investigationshad not resulted in prosecutions. He nominated as the new U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan, aWhite House aide whohad beenone ofTrump’spersonal lawyers butlacks experience as afederal prosecutor Halligan had rushed to present the casetoagrand jury this week because prosecutors evaluating whether Comeylied to Congress

during testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, had until Tuesday to bring acasebeforethe five-year statute of limitations expired. The push to move forward cameeven as prosecutorsinthe office had detailed in amemo concerns about the pursuit of an indictment.

Thesparse two-count indictment does not deal with the substance of the Russian investigation but instead consists of charges of making afalsestatement and obstructing acongressional proceeding.

It accuses Comey of lying to the Senate Judiciary Committeewhenhesaidhe hadnot authorized anyone else at theFBI to leak information. Though the indictmentdoes not mention the investigation or its subject, it appears from the context to refertoa leak relatedto an FBI inquiry into former Secretary of StateHillary Clinton, who ran for president against Trumpin2016. It also allegesthathedid “corruptly endeavor to influence, obstruct andimpede the due andproper exercise” of the Senate’sinquiry AngeroverRussiaprobe

Trump has for years railed againstbotha finding by U.S. intelligence agencies thatRussia preferred him to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the2016 election and the criminal investigation that tried to determine whether his campaign had conspired with Moscow toswaythe outcome of that race.

Prosecutorsled by special counsel Robert Mueller did notestablish that Trumpor his associates criminally colluded with Russia, butthey didfind that Trump’s campaign had welcomed Moscow’sassistance.

Trumphas seizedonthe fact that Mueller’sinvestigation did not find acriminal conspiracy,aswellassignificant errors and omissions made by the FBI in wiretap applications, to claim vindication.

The indictment comes against the backdropofa Trump administration effort to cast theRussia investigation as theoutgrowth of an effort underDemocratic President Barack Obama to overhype Moscow’sinterferenceinthe election and to undermine thelegitimacy of Trump’svictory Administration officials have declassified aseries of documents meanttochip away at the strength of an Obama-era intelligence assessment published in January2017 that saidMoscow had engaged in abroad campaign of interference at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Strained relationship Comey waspickedby Obama to lead theFBI in 2013 and was director when the bureau opened the Russia investigation in the summer of 2016.

Comey’srelationship with Trump was strained from the start and wasexacerbatedwhenComeyresisted arequest by Trumpataprivate White House dinner to pledge personal loyalty to the president.

TrumpfiredComey in May 2017, an action later investigated by Mueller for potential obstruction of justice. Afterbeing letgo, Comey authorized aclose friendto share with areporter the substance of an unclassified memo that documented an Oval Office request from Trumptoshut downanFBI investigation into his first national securityadviser, Michael Flynn. Trump and his allies later branded Comey aleaker,with the president even accusing him of treason. Comey himself has called Trump“ego driven” andlikened himtoamafia don.

The JusticeDepartment,

during Trump’sfirst term, declinedtoprosecute Comey over hishandlingofhis memos. The department’s inspector general issued a harshly critical report in 2019 thatsaidComey violated FBI policies. Earlier this year,the department firedComey’s daughter,Maurene Comey, from her job as aprosecutorinthe Southern District of New York. She has since sued, saying the termination wascarried out without any explanation andwas done forpolitical reasons. Separately,Comey’ssonin-law,Troy Edwards, resigned as afederal prosecutor in theEastern District of Virginia minutesafter Comey was indicted. Troy Edwards wrote in aonesentence resignation letter addressed to Halligan that he quit his job “to uphold my oath to the Constitution and the country.”

Trump, Erdoganmeet

U.S. mightsoon lift banonF-35 jetsales to Turkey, aNATOally

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON President

DonaldTrump held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday and signaled that the United States might soon lift its hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara.

During Trump’sfirstterm, the U.S. removed Turkey,a NATO ally,from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program after Turkey purchasedan air defense system from Russia. U.S. officials worried that Turkey’suse of Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system could be used to gatherdata on thecapabilities of the F-35 and that the informationcould end up in Russian hands.

Trump started his two-hour meeting with Erdogan by offering hope that aresolution to thematter could be found during the leaders’ talks.

“He needs certain things, and we need certain things, and we’re going to come to aconclusion. You’ll know by the end of the day,” Trump said. The president added to Erdogan, “And Ithink you’ll be successful with buying the things” you would “like to buy.”

The president, in abrief exchange with reportersas he bidfarewelltoErdogan, called it a“good meeting” butdid notoffer further details. Trump later called the meeting “very conclusive on so many different things” and said announcements from both countries about the discussions would be coming out later It was Erdogan’sfirst trip

to the White Housesince 2019. The two leaders forged what Trump has described as a“very good relationship” during his first term. Over the years, U.S. officials have cited concerns about Turkey’s human rights record under Erdogan and the country’s ties with Russia. Tensions betweenTurkey and Israel,another important American ally,over Gaza and Syria have made relations difficult with Turkeyattimes.

Trump, in remarksbefore reporters,focused hisconcernsonTurkey’scontinued economic relationship with Russia. Turkey has beenone of the biggest buyers of Russian fossil fuel since theEuropean Union announcedin early 2023 it would boycott most Russianseaborne oil.

After their meeting,the U.S.presidentsaid he believed that Erdogan would stop buying oil from Russia —not that Turkey’sleader had directly committed to doing so during their discussion

“I don’twant to saythat” Erdogan agreed to stop the purchases,“but if Iwant himto, hewill,” Trumpsaid. Trump addedthatErdogan is respected by both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volody-

myrZelenskyy.“Ithink he could have abig influence if he wants to,” Trump said. The push on Erdoganto become more engaged in pressuring Putincomes after Trump earlierthis week said he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia in thewar Erdogan has made clear he is eager to see thehold on F35s lifted, telling Trump that he cameprepared to “thoroughly discuss” theissue DemocraticPresident Joe Biden’sadministration kept Erdogan, whohas served as president since 2014 and was prime minister for more thana decade before that, at an arm’s length during Biden’sfour years in office. Thereluctancetoengage deeply was borne out of Turkey’srecord of democratic backsliding as well as Ankara’sclose ties to Moscow Opposition parties and human rightsorganizations have accused Erdoganof undermining democracy and curbing freedom of expression during hismore than twodecadesinpower. International observers say thatbaselessinvestigations andprosecutions of human rightsactivists, journalists, opposition politicians and others remaina persistent problem in Turkey

RFKJr. vows newstudy that couldrestrictabortiondrug

BY DAVE GOLDINER Newyork Daily News (TNS)

HealthSecretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.isvowing to carry out anew government study of abortion medication that could lead to further restrictions on thedrug that is themain method of ending pregnancies nationwide.

Thecontroversial Trump administrationofficial told agroup of Republican states thatthe Food and Drug Administration will probe whether mifepristone should face newguidelines for use in abortions even though it has been declared safe and effective for years.

“(We) will conduct a study of thesafety of the current (safety protocol) in order to determine whether

modifications are necessary,” Kennedy wrote in the letter dated last week and first reported by ABC.

“(Itwill) reviewofthe evidence, including real-world outcomes and evidence, relating to the safety and efficacy of the drug.”

Mifepristone is used in more than 60% of all abortions carried out in the U.S. and is by farthe mostcommonmethod of pregnancy termination,especially in most Republican statesthat have effectively outlawed surgical abortion.

One of the key changes could be to require doctors to see patients in person to prescribe mifepristone, which would amount to a ban on sending the drug by mail. That would prevent women in red states from ending pregnancies in any

way unless they werewilling andable to leavetheir homestate to see adoctor Some redstates like Texashavealsooutlawed receiving abortion medication by mail from doctors in other states, but Democratic states have countered with shield lawsprotecting doctors from being prosecuted in other states.

Kennedy,who has mostly drawncriticism forhis skepticism aboutvaccines, cited aquestionable study carried out by an anti-abortion grouptoclaim that mifepristone may be more dangerous than previously thought.

Mainstream medical groups saythe drug has been used millions of times by American women and has proven safe and effective over decades of use.

BY SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

WASHINGTON The White Houseistelling agencies to prepare large-scale firings of federal workersif thegovernmentshuts down next week.

In amemo released Wednesday night, the Office of Management and Budget said agencies should consider areduction in force for federal programs whose funding would lapse next week, is nototherwise funded andis“not consistent withthe President’spriorities.” That would be amuch more aggressive step than in previous shutdowns, when federal workers not deemed essential were furloughed but returned to their jobs onceCongress approved government spending.

Areduction in force would not only lay off employees but eliminate their positions, which would trigger yetanother massive upheaval in a

federalworkforce that has alreadyfaced majorrounds of cuts this year due to efforts from the Department of Government Efficiency andelsewhere in theTrump administration

Once any potential government shutdown ends,agencies are asked to revise their reduction in forceplans “as needed to retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions,” according to the memo, which wasfirst reportedbyPolitico.

This move fromOMB significantly increases the consequences of apotential government shutdown next week and escalates pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Thetwo leaders have keptnearlyall oftheir Democratic lawmakers united againsta clean funding bill pushed by Republicans that would keepthe federal government operating for

seven moreweeks, demanding immediate improvements to health care in exchange for their votes.

“Wewill not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings,”Jeffrieswrote in apost on X. “Get lost.”

Jeffries called Russ Vought, the head of OMB, a “malignant political hack.”

Schumer saidina statementthat theOMB memo is an “attempt at intimidation” and predicted the “unnecessary firings will either be overturnedincourt or the administration will endup hiring theworkers back.”

OMB plays point in managing federal government shutdowns, particularly planning forthemahead of time. Past budgetoffices have also posted shutdown contingency plans —which would outline which agency workers would stay on the jobduring agovernment shutdown andwhich would be furloughed —onits website, but this one has not.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President DonaldTrump greets Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday

Trumpofficials urge nationstorestrictasylumsystem

BY FARNOUSH AMIRI and ELLIOTSPAGAT

Associated Press

NEW YORK The Trump administration pitched several other countriesThursday on its view that the global system for seeking asylum, in effect since World WarII, has been rampantly abused and urged them to join the UnitedStatesincracking down on such migration.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau led the discussion on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly alongside representatives from Kosovo, Bangla-

desh, Liberia and Panama. Landau’sgathering allowed Americanofficialstogauge earlysupportand interest for what could beamassive revamp of the asylum system “If you have hundreds of thousandsoffakeasylum seekers, then what happens to the real asylum system?” Landau saidinhis opening remarks. “Saying the process is susceptibletoabuse is not xenophobic; it is not being amean or bad person.”

The U.S. said changes must, at aminimum, embraceasylumasa tempo-

rary statusand dictate that thoseseeking protection should eventuallyreturn home.The Trump administration alsoemphasized thatthere is no right to receive asylum in acountry of choice andthatdecisions are governedbyindividual nations, not multinational organizations. Human rights groups watched from thesidelines with unease. Bill Frelick,Human Rights Watch’sdirector of refugee andmigrant rights, said the U.S. proposal “looks like the first stepina bid to tear down theglobalrefugeesys-

tem.” He faulted theproposal for not embracing acore principle of the current system that people should not be senttocountries where they face persecution. TheU.S. hasbeen the top destination forasylumseekers by far since 2017, withGermany adistant second, according to 2024 figuresfrom the U.N. refugee agency.President Donald Trumpand his allies say people with weak cases have abused the systemtogain entry to theUnited States, obtaining work permits while their cases take years to windthrough backlogged

immigration courts. The U.S. adheres to a globalasylum system first laid out in the 1951 Refugee Convention and enshrined into U.S. law in 1980.

People seeking refuge in theU.S.are able to apply forasylumoncetheyare on American soil, regardless of whether they came legally.Toqualify, they have to show afear of persecution in theirown country because of specific reasons, such as their race, religion, nationality,membership in aparticularsocial groupor political opinion. Refugees meet asimilar standard by

applying abroad. Once someone is granted asylum,they can’tbedeported, they canworklegally, bring immediate family,apply for legal residency and eventually seek U.S. citizenship. It offers apermanent future in the U.S. Thepanelists Thursday, despite their countriesfacing varying degrees of migration, appeared to agree that economic migration, in which an individual flees to another country for better financialopportunities, has been conflated with individuals seeking asylum for safety purposes.

‘Palestinianswillnot leave,’Abbas says in defiantspeechtoU.N.

BY FARNOUSH AMIRI and LEE KEATH Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS Speaking over video after the United States denied his visa, the Palestinian leader told world leaders Thursday that his people reject the2023 Hamas attack on Israel and pledged that the militant group would have no rolein governing the Gaza Strip afterwar ends and must handover its weapons to his administration.

Said Mahmoud Abbas to his people: “The dawnof freedom will emerge.”

Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly that Palestinians in Gaza “have been facing awar of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement” by Israel

His speech came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to New York to give his own address in person on Friday

In ashort but resolute speech, Abbas laid out his continued vision for aPalestinian state in the West Bank

and Gaza alongside Israel

That two-statesolution has gained traction after astring of countries —including top U.S. allies —announced recognitionofaPalestinian state this past week

Netanyahu’sgovernment has rejected the creation of aPalestinian state.

Israeli troopscontrol most of theGazaStrip. Netanyahu says Israel willmaintain securitycontrol overthe territory after Hamas is defeated, and he has rejected giving Abbas’Palestinian Authority any role in there. Some ministers in Netanyahu’sgovernmenthave pushed for annexing the occupied West Bank, where Abbas’ authority currently administers small pockets of territory

The89-year-old Abbas said the Palestinian Authority is “ready to bear full responsibility forgovernance and security” inGaza. He added that “Hamas will have no role to play in governance,” and will have to hand over their weapons to the Palestinian authorities. Hamas has agreed to step down from power in Gaza but has rejected Israeli demands that it disarm,saying

it has aright to resist Israeli occupation.

Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah faction, which dominates the PalestinianAuthority,have longbeen rivals. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 in clasheswith Fatah, and sincethen multiple attempts at reconciliation and unity have failed. Meanwhile, Abbas’ Palestinian Authority hasgrownincreasingly unpopular amongPalestinians, manyofwhom see it as ineffective, corrupt and atool of Israel —evenasIsrael works to diminish itsrole.

Abbassaid Israel’scampaign in Gaza “is not merely an aggression, it is awar crime anda crimeagainst humanity.”

“The time has comefor the international communityto do right by thePalestinian people, so thatthey may obtain their rightsfor their legitimate rightstoberid of theoccupation and to not remain ahostage to the temperamentofIsraeli politics which deniesour rights and continue in their injustice, oppression and aggression,” Abbas said.

Before concluding,hesent amessage of hope to the Palestinian people, saying that

no matterhow long the suffering continues, “its results will not break our will to live and survive.”

BY SANDHYARAMAN

Call (TNS)

CQ-Roll

WASHINGTON People who receive insurance through the top marketplace planin most states can expect stickershock this fall, according to data compiled by the office of Sen. Maria Cantwell. Cantwell, D-Wash., who’surgingcongressional leadership and President Donald Trump to find away to extend expiring health care subsidies, on Thursdayissued asnapshot report on rate increase requests from insurers across the country.In29 states, rates for the top marketplace insurer are expected to increase at least 20%next year,according to the data. At issue is the eligibility for health subsidies that Congress expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to include individuals earning above 400% of the federal poverty level. Those tax credits are set toexpire on Dec. 31 without congressional action. In manycases,insurers that providemarketplace plans are raising ratesfor 2026 to account for the possibility that subsidies will lapse.

The Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner this monthapproved

an average premium rate increase of 21%, whichwould be its single biggest increase in rates since 2018.

In aletter to Trump and Republican and Democratic leadership in both chambers, Cantwell urgedimmediate action to help keep people insured and reduce their costs.

“Once beneficiaries choose aplan, or decide they cannolongeraffordtoparticipate, their decisionislocked in for the entire year except for very limited circumstances,”she said. “That is why we have an urgent responsibility to act now to extend enhanced ACA premiumtax creditsbefore burdensome and unaffordable health insurance costs get locked in for next year.”

Open enrollment for individuals seeking health care throughthe individual marketplacebegins Nov.1,atwhich point Americanswill be notified of the healthexchange premiumsfor 2026.

Democrats such as Cantwell arepushing to include an extension as part of astopgap funding bill.

“If Democrats fail to passour clean,nonpartisan, 24-pageCRtokeep thegovernment open theAmerican People will know where the blame lies,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, posted on XonWednesday

Hamas-led militants stormed intoIsrael on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people andtaking 251 hos-

tage. Forty-eightcaptives remain in Gaza, around 20 of thembelievedbyIsrael to be alive.

Womanwho triedtokillPresident Ford dies

BY JILL LEOVY and STEVE MARBLE Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Sara Jane Moore, the former psychiatric patient who tried to assassinate President GeraldFord, died Wednesday at anursing home in Franklin,Tennessee, according to The New York Times.

Moore, who retreated to North Carolina after serving32years in federal prison but then was jailed again late in life,was 95.A cause of death was not reported As shocking as Moore’s attempt to kill the president was, it seemed alittle less so during the frenetic 1970s. On Sept. 22, 1975, Moore tried to assassinate PresidentGerald Ford in front of the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. She was the second wouldbe assassin to confront the 38th president in the space of amonth.

Sara

atRockefeller Center on May28, 2009, in Newyork City.Moore attempted to assassinate President GeraldFordon Sept.22, 1975.

Her bullet missed, thanks to the quick reflexes of aformer Marine standing next to her,and Moore would spend the next 32 years behind bars.

Theattempt came just 17 days after aManson follower in anun’shabit, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme,pointed agun atPresident Ford in Sacramento. It was never clear whether shetried to pullthe trigger Born SaraJane Kahn on

Feb. 15, 1930, in Charleston, West Virginia, Moore had been an aspiring actress and nurse before finding work as abookkeeper.She married five times, was estranged from her family,and abandoned three of her children. Afourthremained in her careatthe time of theattempted assassination. Her erratic behavior had cost her jobs, and she had been treated for mentalillness numerous times. She was in her mid-40s, divorced andlivinginDanville, outside San Francisco, when shewent to work in 1974 as abookkeeper for People in Need. The organization had been set up to distribute food in response to ransom demandsbythe Symbionese Liberation Army,the extremeleftist group which hadkidnapped Patty Hearst in early1974 and shortly after engaged in afurious gun battlewith LosAngeles police, one of thelongest shootouts in U.S. history Hearst had been arrested afew days beforethe as-

sassinationattempt. The day before, the 45-year-old Moorehad been detained by SanFrancisco police officers who seized agun from her.She made avague threat andthe Secret Service was alerted,but agents concluded shewas notdangerous and released her Mooreimmediatelybought a.38-caliber revolver. Wearing polka-dot slacks, she went to thehotel where Ford wasspeaking to the World Affairs Council She waited outside,and raised herarm to fire when thepresident emerged at 3:30p.m. Oliver Sipple, a disabled former Marine standing next to her,saw the weapon and deflectedher armjust as the gun went off. The bullet went over the president’shead, ricocheted andinjureda taxi driver. The president’ssecurity detail rushed to the airport, and Fordwas whisked out of California as fast as possible.

Afterher arrest, acquaintances saidMoore was very concerned that people would assume she was mentally ill.

She alluded often to herpolitical motives for trying to kill Ford. Reporters eagerly interviewed hertolearn more, but she never seemed able to clearly explain her political agenda.

Herlawyers werepreparing adefense related to her mental conditionwhen she abruptly pleaded guilty, against their advice.She wasgiven alife sentence with apossibility of parole. Moore’sattempt prompted Senate scrutiny of presidential security

“Am Isorry Itried?” Moore said at her sentencing. “Yes and no. Yes, because it accomplished little except to throwaway therestofmy life,althoughIrealizethere are those who think that’s the one good thing resulting from this. And no, I’m not sorry Itried, because at the time it seemed acorrect expression of my anger.”

Mooremadeheadlines briefly in 1979 whenshe escapedbriefly from the Federal Reformatory for Women at Alderson, West Virginia, by climbing a12-foot fence. Otherwise,her prison years were uneventful. She wasreported to fill her time withneedlepoint and bookkeeping duties, andwas paroled in 2007 at the age of 77 from alow-security federal facility for women in Dublin, east of San Francisco. Her parole was essentially grandfathered by federal rulesthathave sincebeen tightened. Mooremaintainedthatshe had not been influenced by Fromme’sassault on Ford. Fromme wasparoled in 2009 and moved to upstate New York, largely disappearing. Both womenweredepicted in the Stephen Sondheim musical“Assassins,” which wonaTony Award in 2004.

BY JACQUES BILLEAUD and SEJAL GOVINDARAO Associated Press

PHOENIX An Arizona manwas convicted Thursday on eight murder charges for astring of fatalshootings that targeted random victimsand his own mother and stepfather over a three-week span.

The crimes in late 2017 happened during atime of unease in metro Phoenix when people werescared to go out at night or drive on freeways because of two other serial shooting casesin the summer of 2015.

While details trickled out on those cases, the killings Cleophus Cooksey Jr.was accused of generated no publicity until his arrestin2018— asurprising development given that the public hadn’tbeentold about investigators trying to find aserial killer Cooksey,43, faces the death penalty when he is sentenced Monday on murder convictions, as well as on kidnap-

ping, sexual assault andarmed robbery in atrial that has spanned months. Authorities never offered amotive. Cooksey looked down at the defense table as the verdictswereread. He has maintained his innocence.

The killingsstartedfourmonths after Cookseywas released from prison on a manslaughter conviction for hisparticipation in a2001strip club robbery in which an accomplice was fatally shot.

The first victims, Parker Smith, 21, andAndrew Remillard, 27, were found Nov.27, 2017.They had beenfatally shot while sitting in avehicle in aparkinglot. Five dayslater,security guard Salim Richards, 31, was shot to death while walkingtohis girlfriend’sapartment

Overthe nexttwo weeks,Latorrie Beckford, 29, and Kristopher Cameron, 21,were killed in separateshootings at apartment complexes in Glendale, and thebody of Maria Villanueva, 43, was found naked from thewaistdown in an alleyinPhoenix. Authorities said Cook-

sey’sDNA was found on her body

Finally,onDec. 17,2017, Cooksey answered the door when officersresponded to ashots-firedcallathis mother’sapartment. He told officers whohad noticeda largeamountof blood that he had cut his hand and was theonly one home. Police say when an officer tried to detainhim, Cooksey threatened to slit the officer’sthroat. Rene Cooksey,56, andNunn, 54, were found dead. On thesofa in the living room, investigators said theyfound Richards’ gun, whichwas later linked to thekillings of Beckford, Cameron and Villanueva. The keys to Villanueva’svehicle also were found there, and police say Cookseywas wearingRichards’necklace when he was arrested.

Police alsosuspected Cooksey of aninth killing —thatofhis ex-girlfriend’sbrother.But prosecutors ultimately declined to charge himinthe December 2017 shooting death of Jesus Real at his home in Avondale.

TNS FILE PHOTO By BRyAN BEDDER

Jane Moore appears on NBC’s‘Today’

Dealer gets 20 years in fatal overdose

Zachary man admits to supplying drugs to friend

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Standing inside a Baton Rouge

courtroom, Dalton Chase Saucier called Jayden Michael Fazzio his friend. He told Fazzio’s family they had known each other for years, went to school together, had several

mutual friends and even worked together at the same company

“Sadly, drug use was another thing we shared, which I wish we never had in common, honestly,” said Saucier 25.

Fazzio died from a fatal overdose in October 2022 after ingesting fentanyl-laced drugs that he got from Saucier Fazzio was 19 years

old.

Saucier was slated to be tried in Fazzio’s death this week on charges of second-degree murder and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl a Schedule II drug. Instead, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession with intent to distribute heroin — a Schedule I narcotic — during a

tearful hearing inside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse on Wednesday morning.

District Judge Carson Marcantel sentenced the Zachary man to 20 years in prison.

“There are absolutely no winners,” the judge said after listening to mournful testimony from Fazzio’s loved ones, Saucier’s attorney and the defendant himself.

“All there is today is the sense of loss, regret, pain and anger and

DANCE OF A LIFETIME

ABOVE: Sharzetta Campbell struts while singing ‘Don’t Let The Green Grass Fool You’ in the middle of a dance circle during the Golden Hours Dances at Jackson Community Park in Central on Thursday. Campbell, wearing a sash and tiara, was celebrating her upcoming retirement beginning next week after working for BREC for 15 years.

MIDDLE LEFT: Couple Vickie and Larry Ward dance enthusiastically to ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ during the Golden Hours Dances at Jackson Community Park in Central on Thursday

LEFT: Fred Saucier and Jeanne Arceneaus, left, and Bob and Linda Knight, center, dance during the Golden Hours Dances at Jackson Community Park.

rage. The entire complexity of all these emotions. The reality of drug use and drug addiction leads to these things.”

Saucier is one of the latest East Baton Rouge dealers indicted for murder in a drug-induced homicide, a relatively rare brand of cases that presents unique complexities for criminal prosecutors. According to court records,

Audit of Ascension Parish flags issues

Misappropriation of public funds alleged

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

An Ascension Parish employee allegedly used a government vehicle for personal purposes, resulting in more than $8,000 in losses to the parish, according to an audit recently released on the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office website. Conducted by Faulk and Winkler and posted online last week, the 2024 audit reported two cases of alleged misappropriation of public funds totaling $30,530. Pamela Matassa, the spokesperson for Ascension Parish government, said the administration had no comment. The first misappropriation allegation involved drainage improvements on private property, with an estimated cost of $21,765.

“It was identified that an employee requested that the work be performed on private property, while the director of public works was absent due to medical reasons,” the audit stated. “Upon further investigation, it was identified that the property owner was a relative of the employee who had requested the work order be performed. This work order had previously been denied due to the location not being property of the Parish.” The audit stated the employee, who wasn’t named, was terminated. The description appears to be the same as one reported last year involving a former

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

A Baton Rouge man who once before was accused of child abuse was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison in a plea deal on a second abuse — one that ended with the death of a newborn twin. The mother, meanwhile, also faces charges in the abuse of their 6-weekold twins.

Darryl

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Early voting for the Oct. 11

election starts Sept. 27 and ends Oct. 4, excluding Sunday, Sept. 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 6p.m.

Runoff elections, if needed, arescheduled Nov. 15

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 7 by 4:30 p.m., other than for military and overseasvoters, through the Secretary of State’s VoterPortal at geauxvote.orgoryour Registrar of Voters Office. On electionday,the polls areopen from 7a.m. to 8p.m. The ballots in Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston and West Baton Rouge parishes areasfol-

lows:

D=Democrat N=NoParty Affiliation

R=Republican ASCENSION PARISH

PARISH COUNCIL, DISTRICT 11

Jennifer DeFrances, R Corey Perrillioux, R

EAST BATONROUGE

PARISH

DISTRICT JUDGE, 19TH JUDICIAL

DISTRICT COURT

Dele Adebamiji,D Elzie AlfordJr., D “Vicky” Jones, D Vernon Thomas, D CITY COURT JUDGE Calli Boudreaux, R Brenden Craig,R

DOWNTOWNDEVELOPMENT DIS-

TRICT TAXRENEWAL

To renew the 10-mill property tax, generating about $741,390 ayear,for five years beginning in 2027 for planning, development, management, operation and improvement of the facilities and services of the district.

CONCORDESTATES CRIME PREVENTION DISTRICT PARCEL FEE

To levy an annual parcel fee

$69.50 for six yearsbeginning in 2026 and generating an estimated at $20,433a year for crime prevention and security in the district.

SOUTHERN HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME PREVENTION AND IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT PARCEL FEE

To renew for 10 years, beginning in 2026, the feenot to exceed $100 per year and to increase after at least

five years to no morethan $150 per year, generating an estimated $51,800 ayear for crime prevention, security, beautification and improvements.

IBERVILLE PARISH CONSTABLE, JP WARD 4

Harry “Gil” Banta Jr., N Helen Hall Dotson, D

PLAQUEMINE TAXRENEWAL, 1OF 2

To continue to levy a3.1-mill property tax generating an estimated $133,000ayear for 10 years beginning in 2027 for the Police Department.

PLAQUEMINE TAXRENEWAL, 2OF 2

To continue to levy a3.1-mill property tax generating an estimated $133,000ayear for 10 years beginning in 2027 for improving, maintaining and operating public buildings in the city.

LIVINGSTON PARISH

PARDS RECREATION TAXRENEWAL

To renew the Recreation District No.3 (PARDS) 15-mill property tax generating an estimated $4.250 million a year for 10 years beginning in 2026 for operations and maintenance.

WEST BATONROUGE PARISH

CONSTABLE, JP WARD 2 Amanda Jewel Southon, N Duane Vince, N

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

Daniel Callihan, accused of theslayings of aLoranger mother and oneof heryoungdaughters that stunned aquiet northshore community more than a yearago, is expected to be in courtinTangipahoa Parish on Friday morning, where hewill plead guilty, authorities say In exchange forhis guilty

AUDIT

Continued from page 1B

vegetation supervisor in the parish public works department.Healleged theerror was made by someone higher in the parish government who should haveverified theproperty wasn’tprivate. However,the legislative auditor could notconfirmif thiswas thesame incident. Additionally,anunnamed parish employee allegedly used agovernment vehicle

INFANT

Continued from page 1B

on the negligent homicide chargeand gavehim an additional 10 years for negligent injuring.

Both Richardson and Brandee Williams, the infant twins’mother,were indicted on chargesofmurder and juvenile cruelty after medical examiners ruledMajor died of shaken baby syndrome. Theothernewborn had skullfractures when doctors treated the surviving twin followingthe incident, arrest records show Williams,29, remains jailed on $500,000 bail awaitingtrial on her charges, court records show.If convictedofmurder,she

plea in connection withthe brutal crimes, prosecutors aretakingthe deathpenalty offthe table,and Callihan will receive asentence of lifeinprison, according to 21st Judicial District Attorney ScottPerrilloux.

“That’sthe plan,” Perrilloux said Wednesday.“That was in line with what the family wanted.”

Callihan is accused of killing 35-year-old Callie Brunett andher 4-year-old daughter,Erin, who he allegedly kidnapped along withher 6-year-old sister Thechild’s body wasfound near Jackson, Mississippi, where Callihan was apprehended after alarge-scale search across partsofLoui-

forpersonal reasons over an eight-month period. Accordingtothe audit, costs incurredtotaled $8,765, and the parishterminated theemployee. In acorrective action plan attached to the audit,former ChiefAdministrative Officer Ruth Phillips wrote theadministration “has and will continue to report all instances of fraudand/or misappropriations to the LouisianaLegislativeAuditor,Louisiana Ethics Board, local LawEnforcement agencies andthe District

faces amandatory life sentence.

No trial date hasbeen set in her case. Arrest documents show Richardson and Williams lived togetheratanapartment complex just off South Sherwood Forest Boulevard. Williams called 911early the morningof April 14, 2023, and later told East Baton Rouge Parish deputiesshe wenttofeed Major,but he was unresponsive. When first responders arrived at the apartment in the11500 block of Southfork Avenue, theyfound the 6-week-oldboy dead in his bassinet

Richardsontold deputieshelaid Major down in the bassinet around 7:45 the previous eveningand he cried. Richardsonsaid when he rolled thenewborn

siana and Mississippi. The older daughtersurvived andwas found near where Callihan was caught.

Callie Brunett’sbody was found inside her home in theLoranger community in east-centralTangipahoa on June 13, 2024. She had been stabbed multiple times, investigators have said.

After he was arrested in Mississippi, Callihan told TV reporters that he had killed Brunett andher daughter If Callihan pleads guilty as expected Fridaymorning at the TangipahoaParish Courthouse in Amite, it will markthe closure of another of the multiple courtcases he has faced.

Attorney’soffice.”

Additionaldeficiencies

The audit found two additional deficiencies, one related to the reconciliation of grant revenue and the secondconcerning the disposal of federally funded equipment.

Auditors stated the parish hadn’timplemented formal procedures to ensureconsistentmonthly reconciliation of revenues for intergovernmental grantsand businesstype activities.Itadded that this could result in misstate-

over on his stomach, he fell asleep.

Williams toldinvestigatorsshe left the apartment before Richardson laid Major down and the baby was asleep when she returned around 8:30 p.m.,according to thearrest reports. He wouldn’trespond when she tried to wakehim for feeding around 11 p.m., notevenafter themother said she performed CPR to tryand resuscitateher son Deputiesbecame suspicious when pathologists who performed Major’sautopsy found trauma wounds thatcaused hemorrhaging on his skull, scalp and eyes. Medical examiners indicated there were signs that a“substantial amount of force” caused the injuries, which were consistent with shakenbaby syndrome,

In early August, Callihan pleaded guilty to federal charges connected to the case, kidnapping resulting in deathand transporting a minoracross state lines to engage in criminalsexual activity.Hefaces life in prison on those charges at his scheduled sentencing on Nov. 19 before U.S. District Judge Lance Africk.

Callihan also faces charges in Mississippi. Victoria Cox, who authoritiessay wasanaccomplice, also faces charges in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Kerry Cuccia, Callihan’s attorney,confirmed he would be in court in Amite on Friday morning, but declined to discuss specifics.

ment of such revenues.

In its third finding, auditors alleged the parish government did not follow federal ruleswhen selling its sewer assets in April 2024.

According to the rules, nonfederal entities must request instructions when they intendtodispose of equipment worth more than $10,000 acquiredthrough federalfunds.Iftheyintend to sell the assets, the rules state that the federal agency thatawarded thefunds is entitled to acertain amount of money based on aspeci-

deputies said.

Both Richardson and Williams deniedany wrongdoing when investigators questionedthemabout the child’sinjuries. Deputies said neithercould explain how Major sustained the skull and brain hemorrhages that led to his death.

TheLouisiana Department of Children and Family Services took custody of Major’stwin sister and his other siblings whowere livinginthe house underRichardsonand Williams’ care. The children were taken to ahospital, where doctors discoveredfracturestothe surviving twin’sskull. The femoral bone in the infant’s thigh wasalso fractured, according to deputies.

Acoroner’sreport six days after Major’slife ended ruled thechild’s death a

Early in the case, Perrilloux, whosedistrictincludes Tangipahoa, Livingston and St. Helena parishes, had said his office would seek the death penalty, noting thebrutality of the crime, which shocked the quiet community But Perrilloux said the pleaand life sentence would spare Brunett’sfamily years of appeals and court proceedings.

“There is some benefit to the matter being resolved, at leastlegally,” he said. “But Idon’tthink anything ever brings closure.” He said Brunett’sfamily “isonboard with it.They want this matter concluded.”

fied calculation.

The audit alleged the parish government’ssale of sewerassets included equipment purchased with federal funds.

In the corrective action plan, ChiefFinancialOfficer Dawn Caballero wrote that the administration has implemented new policies to ensure future compliance forboth deficiencies.

Email Christopher Cartwrightatchristopher cartwright@theadvocate. com.

homicide caused by blunt force traumainjuries to his head. It wasn’tthe first sign of Richardson’sabusive behaviortowardyoung children. Court records show DCFS investigated him in March 2022 foranincident involving an oldersibling of the twins. Richardson was arrestedand charged with second-degree cruelty to ajuvenile after a5-weekold infant was taken to an emergency room with a bruised and swolleneye. According to arrest documents, RichardsontoldBaton Rouge police he struck the infant in the face with the back of his hand because she “was fussy and crying.” He pleaded guilty to areduced countofsimple battery in November 2022, court documents say

BRIEFS

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Starbucks to close hundreds of stores

Starbucks said Thursday it’s closing hundreds of stores in the U.S., Canada and Europe and laying off 900 nonretail employees as it focuses more of its resources on a turnaround.

The Seattle coffee giant said store closures would start immediately Starbucks said affected baristas will be offered severance packages and transfers to other locations where possible.

The company wouldn’t give a number of stores that are closing, but the bulk of the closures appear to be in the U.S. and Canada. Starbucks said it expects to have 18,300 North American locations when its fiscal year ends on Sunday As of June 29, the company had 18,734 locations.

Starbucks said it will notify nonretail employees whose positions are being eliminated early Friday

In a letter sent to employees

Thursday, Niccol said a review of the company’s stores identified locations where the company doesn’t see a path to financial stability or isn’t able to create the physical environment customers expect. Those stores are being closed.

Starbucks said it expects to spend $1 billion on the restructuring, including $150 million on employee separation benefits and $850 million related to the physical store closing and the cost of exiting leases

Spotify removes millions of ‘spammy’ AI tracks

Spotify has removed more than 75 million AI-generated “spammy” music tracks from its platform over the past 12 months, the company said Thursday, stepping up its crackdown on unauthorized AI-generated use of artists’ voices.

The Swedish audio company said it would improve its enforcement of impersonation violations, launch a new spam filtering system and work with partners to label tracks that incorporate AI.

“We envision a future where artists and producers are in control of how or if they incorporate AI into their creative processes,” Spotify said in a post on its website on Thursday “As always, we leave those creative decisions to artists themselves while continuing our work to protect them against spam, impersonation, and deception, and providing listeners with greater transparency about the music they hear.” The push comes as tech platforms are grappling with how to handle the significant increase in AI-generated content. While some creators have embraced the new tech tools, others say their businesses are hurting from people who have used AI to impersonate them without their permission.

Wall Street stumbles for third straight loss

NEW YORK — Wall Street stumbled to a third straight loss on Thursday as U.S. stocks gave back more of their big gains for the year so far The S&P 500 fell 0.5% and marked its longest losing streak in more than a month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 173 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.5%.

Stocks felt pressure from reports showing the U.S economy may be stronger than economists thought. While that’s encouraging news for workers and for people looking for jobs, it could make the Federal Reserve less likely to cut interest rates several times in the coming months.

A stronger-than-expected economy could remove some of the Fed’s urgency, particularly because cuts to rates carry the risk of worsening inflation that’s already stubbornly high. If the Fed doesn’t cut rates as often as investors expect, it would empower criticism that the U.S. stock market is too expensive after rising so much, so quickly “Buckle up,” warned Jonathan Krinsky, chief market technician at financial services firm BTIG.

FTC says company duped customers into enrolling in Prime

BY SALLY HO Associated Press

SEATTLE Amazon has reached a historic $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, which said the online retail giant tricked customers into signing up for its Prime memberships and made it difficult for them to cancel after doing so.

The Seattle company will pay $1 billion in civil penalties the largest such fine in the agency’s history for a rule violation — and $1.5 billion will be paid back to consumers who were unintentionally enrolled in Prime, or were deterred from canceling their subscriptions, the agency said Thursday

The surprise settlement comes just days after the trial began in U.S. District Court in Seattle this week. At the heart of the case is

Government data shows significant upgrade of growth in second quarter

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON An uptick in consumer spending helped the U.S. economy expand at a surprising 3.8% from April through June, the government reported in a dramatic upgrade of its previous estimate of second-quarter growth.

U.S. gross domestic product the nation’s output of goods and services — rebounded in the spring from a 0.6% first-quarter drop caused by fallout from President Donald Trump’s trade wars, the Commerce Department said Thursday The department had previously estimated second-quarter growth at 3.3% and forecasters had expected a repeat of that figure.

The first-quarter GDP drop, the first retreat of the U.S. economy in three years, was mainly caused by a surge in imports — which are subtracted from GDP as businesses hurried to bring in foreign goods before Trump could impose sweeping taxes on them. That trend reversed as expected in the second quarter: Imports fell at a 29.3% pace, boosting April-June growth by more than 5 percentage points. Consumer spending rose at a 2.5% pace, up from 0.6% in the first quarter and well above the 1.6% the government previously estimated. Spending on services advanced at a 2.6% annual pace, more than double the government’s previous estimate of 1.2%.

the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, a 2010 law designed to ensure that people know what they’re being charged for online.

FTC officials said Amazon had its back against the wall and the consumer refund amount exceeded even the agency’s expert projections.

“I think it just took a few days for them to see that they were going to lose. And they came to us and they paid out,” said Chris Mufarrige, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, on the settlement negotiations.

Amazon, however, said it was confident it would win case but that it chose to resolve it quickly instead of going through potentially years of trial and appeals. The company admitted no wrongdoing in the case, which was first filed two years ago.

Certain Prime customers who are eligible for automatic refunds of up to $51 include those who may have signed up for a membership via the company’s “Single Page Checkout,” among other links,

between June 23, 2019, to June 23, 2025. Those customers will be reimbursed within 90 days of the settlement order

Amazon is also on the hook to set up a claims process for more than 30 million customers who may have been affected by the other issues at the heart of the FTC case, including its cancellation process.

Amazon Prime provides subscribers with perks that include faster shipping, video streaming and discounts at Whole Foods for a fee of $139 annually, or $14.99 a month.

It’s a key and growing part of Amazon’s business, with more than 200 million members. In its latest financial report, the company reported in July that it booked more than $12 billion in net revenue for subscription services, a 12% increase from the same period last year That figure includes annual and monthly fees associated with Prime memberships, as well as other subscription services such as its music and e-books platforms. The FTC said Amazon deliberate-

ly made it difficult for customers to purchase an item without also subscribing to Prime. In some cases, consumers were presented with a button to complete their transactions which did not clearly state it would also enroll them in Prime, the agency said. Getting out of a subscription was often too complicated, and Amazon leadership slowed or rejected changes that would have made canceling easier, according to an FTC complaint.

The process requires the customer to affirm on three pages their desire to cancel membership.

As part of the settlement terms, Amazon is prohibited from misrepresenting the terms of the subscriptions. It must fully disclose the costs to be incurred and obtain the customer’s express consent for the charge. For example, it must have a clear option for customers to accept or decline a Prime subscription being offered during a purchase, avoiding potentially confusing language such as: “No thanks, I don’t want free shipping.”

it Union, posted on social media.

A category within the GDP data that measures the economy’s underlying strength came in stronger than previously reported as well, growing 2.9% from AprilJune, up from 1.9% in the first quarter and in the government’s previous estimate. This category includes consumer spending and private investment, but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending.

5.6% drop in the first quarter

law July 4.

“The U.S consumer remained a lot stronger than many thought, even in the midst of a stock market sell-off and a lot of trade uncertainty,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Cred-

But private investment fell, including a 5.1% drop in residential investment. Declining business inventories took more than 3.4 percentage points off secondquarter growth.

Spending and investment by the federal government fell at a 5.3% annual pace on top of a

Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at Santander, noted that GDP growth averaged 1.6% in the first half of 2025 and consumer spending 1.5% — “not great but much better than initially thought.” Since returning to the White House, Trump has overturned decades of U.S. policy in support of freer trade. He’s slapped double-digit taxes tariffs on imports from almost every country on earth and targeted specific products for tariffs, too, including steel, aluminum and autos. Trump sees tariffs as a way to protect American industry, lure factories back to the United States and to help pay for the massive tax cuts he signed into

But mainstream economists — whose views Trump and his advisers reject — say that his tariffs will damage the economy raising costs and making protected U.S. companies less efficient. They note that tariffs are paid by importers in the United States, who try to pass along the cost to their customers via higher prices. Therefore, tariffs can be inflationary though their impact on prices so far has been modest.

The unpredictable way that Trump has imposed the tariffs announcing and suspending them, then coming up with new ones — has left businesses bewildered, contributing to a sharp deceleration in hiring. U.S.

Fewer Americans file for jobless benefits last week

week ending Sept. 20 fell by 14,000 to 218,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet had forecast 235,000 new applications. Though layoffs remain historically low, recent government data has raised concerns about the health of the American labor mar-

ket, leading the Federal Reserve to cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point last week. The rate cut is a sign that the central bank’s focus has shifted quickly from inflation to jobs as hiring has ground nearly to a halt in recent months. Lower interest rates can spur growth and hiring as individuals and businesses benefit from reduced borrowing costs. The catch is that it can also exacerbate inflation, which remains above the Fed’s 2% target. Stubborn inflation could make future interest rate decisions tricky for the Fed, whose dual mandate is to support full employment in the labor market while keeping inflation at bay

Earlier this month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued a massive preliminary revision of U.S job gains for the 12 months ending in March, revealing that the labor market has not been as strong as previously thought.

The BLS’ revised figures showed that U.S. employers added 911,000 fewer jobs than originally reported in the 12 months ending in March 2025. Job gains were shown to be tapering long before President Donald Trump rolled out his far-reaching tariffs on U.S. trading partners in April.

The department issues the revisions every year, with final revisions due in February 2026. The updated figures came after

the agency reported earlier this month that the economy generated just 22,000 jobs in August, well below the 80,000 economists were expecting.

Earlier this month, the government reported that U.S. employers advertised 7.2 million job openings at the end of July the first time since April of 2021 that there were more unemployed Americans than job postings. The July employment report, which showed job gains of just 73,000 and included huge downward revisions for June and May, sent financial markets spiraling and prompted Trump to fire the head of the BLS, which compiles the monthly data.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Shoppers examine refrigerators at a Home Depot in Boston. An uptick in consumer spending helped the U.S. economy expand at

from April through June, the government reported

Countrystargoesonhunt

JasonAldean snags10-foot gator, hangsout at Catahoulabar

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Countrystar JasonAldean got adose of real Louisiana countrylife yesterday,thanks to Gov Jeff Landry and Liz Higginbotham, the owner of a little bar out on the levee in Catahoula.

Red’sLevee Bar,acommunity institution for bayou dwellers since 1952, is about a40-minute drive from Lafayette. Red’sis nestled deep in gatorterritory,only10miles up the road from the BayouBenoit boat launch near Lake Fausse State Park. That’s where thegovernor hosts his annual gator hunt and political fundraiser,near the Landry family camp.

Aldean came to Louisiana from Nashville this week, ahead of his Lafayette show on Thursday night at the Cajundome. The star is in the middle of his “Full Throttle” tour, and his team decided he neededa little under-theradar recreationthis week.

Afew years ago, Higginbotham met Aldean’s father, Barry Aldean, during anight out at her bar.A mutual friend had brought the senior Aldean down to Red’s, which is noted for its authentic, swampy vibe outonthe edgeofthe Atchafalaya Basin.

“Westarted planning this months ago, because Jason had never done an alligator hunt,” said Higginbotham. She personallyasked

Landry,who knew her father,toset aside afew tags for Aldean to go hunting in the area.

“He lined up acouple of his hunters to bring us out, and we killedabout 10 all altogether.Jason’swas 10 feet,5inches,” she said. Thegatorhunt, with Higginbotham, Jason and Barry Aldean andothersintheirparty, ledto an afternoon hanging out at Higginbotham’shouse. Aldean then made an appearance at Red’s, where Higginbotham’sregulars were astonished to see the famous singer

It was an afternoon of laid-backfun forAldean. Higginbotham said, “He came behind the barand we pretended he was bartending. He visited with people andsaiditwas a long time sincehehad been in alittle dive bar like that.”

Eventually,word gotout that Aldean hadbeen seen at Red’s, andhecalledit an early night. Stars have found their way out to Red’sLeveeBar before, which Higginbotham says hasbeen featuredinmovies like “The Apostle”with Robert Duvall, and“In The

OVERDOSE

Continuedfrom page1B

Abshire, Deborah SealeFuneralHomeinDenham Springs at 11 a.m.

Belleu, Linda OursoFuneralHome, 13533 Airline Highway in Gonzales,at11:30 a.m.

Johnson, Shirley Greenoaks FuneralHome& MemorialPark, 9595 Florida Boulevard, at 12:30 p.m

Jordan Sr., Robert ResthavenFuneralHome, 11817 JeffersonHighway,at11a.m

Murray, Lucy BelfairBaptistChurch,4444 FairfieldAvenue,at10a.m

Tramonte, Lana Holy GhostCatholic Church,601 N. OakStreet in Hammond, at 11 a.m.

Obituaries

Banks, James Services forJames Banks will be held Satur‐day September27, 2025, at JordanStone Baptist Church,8523 Thelma St.A publicvisitationwillbe heldfrom9:00a.m.until 10:00 a.m. with religious servicesbeginning at 10:00 a.m.Internment: Private. Professionalservicesen‐trusted to CharlesMackey Funeral Home

DianneMarie

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

BreezeAirways will launch its first international flights from NewOrleans next year afterwinning federal certification as a U.S. flag carrier,making it the first airline in more than adecade to complete the FAA’srigorous process. The Utah-based carrier, founded by JetBlue and Azul creator David Neeleman, will begin seasonal nonstop service to Cancun, Mexico,onFeb.7,2026, pending final approvals, the airline announced Thursday.Fares startat$99 one way,with service initially scheduled on Saturdays through mid-May The New Orleans route is part of Breeze’sinitial wave of international expansion, which also includes flights to Cancun from Norfolk, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina. More cities, including Providence Tampaand Raleigh,are slated to get international flights later in 2026. At Louis Armstrong New Orleans InternationalAirport, whose call sign is MSY,the move represents asignificant investment. Breeze currently employs about 140 people at MSY, and Chief Commercial OfficerLukas Johnson said staffing andoperations there will roughly double as the airline shifts itsNew Orleans fleet from smaller Embraer jets to Airbus A220-300searly next year

“That’swhat’s reallyexciting for us —we’re going to be up about 90%in available seats by March, close to doubling year over year,” Johnson said. “New Orleanswill also be oneof the first places to see our newA220s, with first-class seating and more international capability.” Airport director Kevin Dolliole said in astatement announcing the new routes

that the expansion underscores the airport’s role as acore part of Breeze’sexpansionplan.

“Having New Orleans selectedasone oftheir inaugural cities for internationalservice speaks volumesabout NewOrleans’ position as apremier destination and our airport’s growing connectivity,” he said.

Buckingthe trend

While international travel has been soft globally,Johnson said that Cancun flights will target U.S. leisure travelers rather than rely on cross-border demand

The routewill also be seasonal,pausing during the slow autumn months before resuming for peak holiday andsummertravel periods.

Thecertification marks aturning point for Breeze, which launched in 2021 with astrategyofconnectingmidsize markets often overlooked by largercarriers. The airline already flies more than300 routes to 81 U.S.cities. Johnson suggested that Breeze couldexpandits international footprint further if theCancun routes perform well, namingdestinationssuch as Montego Bayand Punta Cana as logicalnextsteps. He also noted that turmoil among larger budget airlines could give Breeze opportunities to grow in New Orleans, where it has quickly becomeone ofthe airport’s largeroperators. In recent months,several ultra-low-cost carriers have shown signs of distress tightening capacity,cutting routes or restructuring underfinancial strain. Spirit Airlines, forexample,has said it will furlough around one-thirdofits flight attendants and reduce its schedule by 25% starting in November as part of a bankruptcyrestructuring plan.

ZacharyPolice called to Fazzio’shome in the 1900 block of East Eagle Street earlythe morning of Oct. 4, 2022, found the teen unresponsive in aspare bedroom.Paramedics were not able to revive Fazzio, and he died.

He latertestedpositive for methamphetamine, THC and fentanyl, police said. Family and friends told investigators he was a habitual user,but theybelievedhe’d weaned himself off drugs.

Text messages, however, showed Fazzio contacted Saucier hours before his death to arrange atimeand place to buy narcotics from him. Awitness saw Saucier in acar handing Fazzio something, according to investigators. Fazziowent straight to his room and wasfound unresponsive soon after theexchange

Saucier’sphone records revealed Cash Apppayments Fazziomadetohim as well as Snapchat conversations between the two men that corroborated the witness’ statement.

When questioned by investigators, Sauciertold police he and Fazzio snorted heroin together but admitted he “cut it”withan unknown substance that he believed to be flour before giving the drug to Fazzio. In an arrest warrant, detectives saidSaucier then “slammedhis head down” andconfessed that he “killed his homeboy.”

During Wednesday’s hearing, thevictim’sfamily told the judge Fazzio’s losscreated a“wound that probably never will heal.”

Angie D’Amico fumed that Saucier’sactions helped rip her grandson away from herand other lovedones.

“Our family feelsthe weight of this andwewill never,ever getover it,” she said. “Jayden had so much potential. He was much morethan adrug user or an addict at the time. Jaydenwas very kind, he wassmart,hewas agood worker.Hewas agood grandson.”

Saucier wasremorseful

Electric Mist” with Tommy LeeJones.

She saidthat it was hard to keep the visit secret from her customers, but she was happy to provide Aldean and his father with asimple day out on the water where he could just be himself.

“I’m just like,wow,that actually happened,” she said. “He sat underneath my patio andate with us and talked with us. It was areally great day.”

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

and stressed that he and Fazzio were friends who shared many things together.Heturned to the teen’s family andapologized, saying he was well aware that it “could’ve been me on the other end of that” fatal overdose.

“I wanttogohome to my family abetter man and I’m going to take this time incarcerated so Ican do that,” he said.

Marcantel urgedhim to do just that, telling members of both Saucier and Fazzio’sfamilieswho sat in the courtroom about the grave perils of substance abuse

“I’ve seen it beforeand I’ll see it again,” the judge said. “Alcoholism, drug addiction. Theseare theconsequences from them.

“Maybe when you get out, you’re notgoing to be in thedestructive lifestyle that you’re in,” Marcantel later told Saucier.“Time and God are the only way to tell that.”

Email Matt Bruce at matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.

Bradford, Nathaniel Ray NathanielRay Bradford, passed away on Friday, September 19, 2025, at the age of 59. He is survived by his loving daughter, Angel JadeBradford; hissister, Belinda Bradford; brothers, Russell (Wanda) Bradford andFredrickBradford; his dedicatedaunt, Nancy McKnight;and his childhood best friend, Eddie Cole. He is preceded in death by hisparents,ElzySr. and AnnieMae Bradford; brother,ElzyBradford, Jr AVisitationisbeing held on Monday, September29, 2025 from 11:00 am to 11:30 am at Hall's Celebration Center,9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge,LA. Funeral Serviceswillimmediately follow, Pastor Charles Allen, Sr,Officiating. Nathanielwill be laidto rest at theLouisiana National Cemetery in Zachary, LA. ServicesEntrustedtoHallDavis and SonFuneral Services. www.halldavisandson.com

Brown, Loretta Ann Funeralservicesfor Loretta AnnBrown will be heldSaturday, September 27, 2025 at Word of Faith Christian Church,9702 Greenwell SpringsRd. A publicvisitationwillbe heldfrom9:00a.m.until 10:00 p.m. with religious servicesbeginning at 10:00 a.m.Internment: OakGrove Cemetery. Professional servicesentrusted to Charles Mackey Funeral Home.

Clarity Hospice,onSunday, September21, 2025, at the age of 75. Shewas anative of Oklahoma City, OK, and aresidentofBaton Rouge,LA. Diannegraduatedfrom LSUwith abachelor'sdegree in interiordesign. She also wasa very talented investment broker and financial advisor. She loved all animals andenjoyed horsebackriding, doing all typesofart (stainedglass andmaking kaleidoscopes, wire art,painting,drawing, photography), lovedtravelingwith herhusband, andbeing agrammy. Dianne is survived by her husband of 30 years, Ernest; daughter, Jamie Verrett(Anthony, Jr.); grandchildren, Tristan, Trinity, AnthonyIII,Tamia andAlexander; greatgranddaughter, Kaelani; siblings, Kay, Jim(Kathy), andMark (Paula) Donham; anda host of otherloving familymembersand friends. She is preceded in death by herparents, Frank andBetty Donham. Visitation will be at First Christian Church,8484 Old Hammond Hwy., Baton Rouge,LA, on Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 10am untilthe time of funeralservicesat11am. Rev. Dr.DedrickMinorand Rev. Dr.Michael Elmore will officiate.Burial will immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Familyand friends are invited to sign theonline guestbook at www.greeno aksfunerals.com

Causey,JudyAnn Joiner

Judy AnnJoinerCausey, 82, born in Auburndale, Florida,passedawayFri‐day,September 19, 2025, at Oakwood Senior Living in Knoxville,Tennessee. A faithfulmemberofFirst Baptist Church,Zachary, Judywas deeply involved inthe musicministry, where shewrote anddi‐rectednumerousmusical productions that touched the livesofmany. She graduated from Northwest‐ern StateUniversityin Natchitoches, Louisiana, and spenther career teachingEnglish,Speech, and Dramaatthe middle school level, where shein‐spiredgenerations of stu‐dents with herloveof learningand creativity Judywas preceded in death by herhusband,Billy Clayton Causey,Sr.;her parents,James Hullett Joinerand Mary Dorthy MondayJoiner; andher brother,Jimmy Joiner.She issurvivedbyher children, Clacy Causey Madisonand ClayCausey(Portia): and her grandchildren, Caly CauseyByrnes(Grady) CadeCausey(Erin), Corban CauseyHogue (Timothy), Caleb Causey,Charis Causey,MeridithMadison

PROVIDED PHOTO

Jason Aldean, left,and Barry Aldean kneel withseveral of the alligators theygot during a hunt on BayouBenoit near Coteau Holmes on Wednesday

andBenjaminMadison.Re‐ceiving of friendswillbe heldatCharlet Funeral HomeinZachary,LAon Saturday, September27, 2025 at 10 am with afu‐neral servicetofollow at 11am, officiated by her son,ClayCausey. Judy will berememberedasa de‐voted wife,lovingmother, and cherishedgrand‐motherwhose faith,cre‐ativity,and care forothers lefta lastingimpactonall Share sympathies,condo‐lencesand memories at www.CharletFuneralHome. com.

Clarence Chapman,a native of Clinton and aresidentofDenham Springs, La, passed away on Thursday, September 18, 2025,at his home. He was 74. Clarence was adevoted husband, father, grandfather,great-grandfather, brother,uncle, and friend. Visiting at Glen Oaks Baptist Church, 7200 Maplewood Dr. in Baton Rouge on Saturday, September 27, from 9am to 11am, with services to begin promptly thereafter. Services willbe conducted by Rev. Marvin Parks. Internment at Hickory Nut Cemetery in Clinton, La. He is survived by his children, Darryl and LaShawn (Isaac); sister, Alfreda; brother, Leroy; grandson, Caleb (Sylvia); great-grandchild, Lily; and two God children, Courtney C. (Alphonso) and McKenzie W. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charlie Hays and Laura Chapman; spouse, Annie Chapman; brother, Clyde Chapman; sister, Lue Vicey Jackson; and nephew, David Armstead. Services entrustedtoRichardson Funeral Home in Clinton, La.

Daggs,Earnestine'Teen'

Earnestine “Teen”Daggs departedthislifeonFriday, September 19, 2025, at The Carpenter HouseinBaton Rouge,LA. Shewas 81, a nativeand resident of Napoleonville,LA. Visita‐tiononFriday, September 26, 2025, at Williams & SouthallFuneral Home from4:00pmto6:00pm. VisitationonSaturday, September 27, 2025, at St Benedictthe Moor Catholic Church from 9:00 am to MassofChristian Burial at 11:00 am.Burialinthe churchcemetery. Arrange‐ments by Williams & SouthallFuneral Home 5414 Hwy. 1, Napoleonville, LA70390, (985)369-7231. To signthe guestbookor offercondolences,visit our website at www.william sandsouthallfuneralhome. com.

5211 Ford St.A public visi‐tationwillbeheldfrom 9:00a.m.until 10:00a.m withreligious services be‐ginning at 10:00a.m.Inter‐ment: Private. Professional servicesentrusted to Charles Mackey Funeral Home.

Harrison, Catherine

It is with great sadness and aheavy heart that we share the news of the passing of our beloved mother, sister, niece cousin, and friend, Catherine Harrison. Catherine Harrison was bornon March 23, 1942, to Marie Thompson Dee (deceased) and raised in the loving care of Grace Thompson Stewart (deceased). Catherine departed September 13, 2025, following abattle with cancer Catherine was alifelong resident of Baton Rouge, LA.She attendedScotlandville High School. She found her calling to serve others early in life and spent more thanthirty yearsatOur Lady of the Lake Medical Centerasa nursing assistant. She liveda life of servitude and grace. Catherine and her husband Lloyd Harrison ofBatonRouge, LA (deceased) were married 23years. They had seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and fifteengreat-grandchildren. Her children, grandchildren,and greatgrandchildrenwereher absolute joy.

Catherine's happiest moments were celebrating birthdays, graduations, and special moments in the livesofher family and friends. Herdevotionemanatedevery time she came overquietly, cleaningand organizing, leaving acrisp andbrightwarmth uniquely,Catherine.

Catherine's unapologetic faithand love forour Lord and SaviorJesus Christare stillthe most vivid memoriesher family holdsdear. Her styleand her way werealwaysheavenly excellence Sheisprecededindeath by herhusbandLloyd Harrison, mothers(MarieDee and Grace Thompson,sisters(Willette Mosley and Ethel Thompson), brothers (Bruce Thompson, David Thompson,and Danny Thompson), and three of her sevenchildren(Brenita Vinning, KerryHarrison, and Erica Harrison). Sheleavestomourn her brothers (Clark Chaney Fort Worth, TX and Ernest Johnson(Carolyn) Niceville, FL, sister (Virgie MaeJackson (Jerome) Ruston, LA), children(Cathy Chesser(Darrell)Baton Rouge, LA, Demetrice Hill (Charles) Dallas, TX, Monica Lockett (Terrell Sr.) Baton Rouge, LA and Sonya Phillips (MelvinPhillips) Baton Rouge,LA), fourteen grandchildren, fifteen great-grandchildren anda

host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Aviewing (wake) willbe held from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 2025-09-27 at SaintsvilleC.O.G.I.C., 8930 Plank Road.A funeral service willbeheld from11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on 2025-0927 at SaintsvilleC.O.G.I.C., 8930 Plank Road.A burial willbeheldfrom12:30 PM to 1:00 PM on 2025-09-27 at Southern Memorial Gardens ,3012 Blount Road.A reception willbeheldfrom 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM on 2025-09-27 at The Renaissance Center, 2783 Plank Road

AnativeofMccray & resident of Batchelor passed away at theage of 79. Visitation services FridaySeptember 26, 2025 at A. WesleyFaith Center 152 Hwy 3050 Morganza, La from4 to 7pm. Religious services Saturday September27, 2025 at St.Mary Missionary Baptist Church, 9067 Hwy 1, Lettsworth, La at 10am. ConductedbyDr. Lionel DavisOfficiating Professional servicesentrusted to A. Wesley'sFuneral Home Maringouin, La. Like us on Facebook.

DorisAnn "TeeDoris" McCray Bell,departed this life on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at her home. She was born on August 11, 1955.

in LaPlace, LA,toChester and MarieDuhe (née Blouin).She residedin Gramercy, LA,and wasa 1962 graduate of Leon God‐chaux High School.She married Glen J. Milleton August6,1966, in LaPlace. Cat lovedtospend time withher family, especially her grandchildren, and found greatjoy in following their creative andathletic pursuits. When entering an event or gathering, she would declare“Theparty has arrived!”She spent muchofher time outdoors inthe companyofher hus‐bandand neighbors. In her spare time,she sewed manygarmentsfor her grandchildren andliked to visit thebeach,delighting inthe shells found on the shore.She is survived by her husband,Glen; her children, Kevin(Greer), Casey (Jacqueline),and Jessica (Hope);her grand‐children, Grace, Madeleine, Ethan,Aaron,and Molly; her sister,Julie (Malcolm) Bordelon; herbrother, Chester (Nancy)Duhe;her brother,Paul(Guia)Duhe; and many nieces nephews,and cousins. Familyand friendsare in‐vited to attend theVisita‐tionand FuneralMassat MostSacredHeart of Jesus Church at 616 EMainSt, Gramercy, LA,onSaturday, September 27, 2025. Visita‐tionwillbefrom9:00am–11:00 am,withthe Funeral Massstartingat11:00 am

Memorial services for Mrs. LanaRuthMynatt Sandefur willbeheldat 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, 2025, in the Chapel of Rush Funeral Home,Oakdale, with Lane Grisby, Dr. Robert Janot, and Diane Baconofficiating.Visitation willbegin at 12:00 noon under thedirection of RushFuneralHome, Oakdale. Mrs. Sandefur, 81, of McCray-Bell, DorisAnn

Afuneralservicewillbe held from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on 2025-09-27 at New Hope Baptist Church, 5856 Greenwell Springs Road

Oakdale, enteredeternal rest on Saturday, September13, 2025, at OurLady of theLake Regional Medical Center,Baton Rouge,LA. Shewas born on October30, 1943, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Lana wasthe daughterofT Elleryand Ruth Duncum Mynatt.A 1965 graduate of Tennessee Wesleyan College,she was aproud member of Kappa Delta sorority, acheerleader, andabeloved "Moonlight Girl." In 1968, Lanamarried herhusbandof57years, Dr.James Sandefur, and togethertheybuilta beautiful life in Oakdale, Louisiana withtheir two children, of whom she was always so proud.

Lanataught elementary school in Oakdalefor nearly twenty years and was lovedand adored by all her students. She wasa longtime member of theOakdaleGarden Club. Sheand Dr.Jim enjoyedtheir lake home in Marco, Louisiana andspent lots of time thereafter Jim's retirement. Sheloved hergrandchildrenand cherished everymoment with them Shecould oftenbefound with acrossword puzzlein hand andLuluthe dog by herside. Lanawas avery special person and was well lovedbyeveryone whoknewher

Shewas preceded in death by herparents, T. Elleryand Ruth Mynatt; onebrother,Roger Mynatt; andone sister,Joan McEwen.

Thoseleft to mourn her loss and cherish hermemoryinclude herlovinghusbandoffifty-sevenyears, Dr.James Sandefur of Oakdale; oneson,James "Jamey" Sandefur,Jr. (Erin) of Denham Springs; onedaughter, Alana Sandefur Karam (Michael) of Creswell,Oregon;one brother, Tillman Ellery "Ned"Mynatt of Cloudland, Georgia; onesister, Dolores Mynatt Reynolds of Englewood, Tennessee; and seven grandchildren, Knox Karam, Colton Karam, CarsonKaram King,GeorgiaKaram, GraceSandefur,Brooke Sandefur,and James"Jimbo" Sandefur, III

LanaSandefur wasa devotedsupporter of SouthernCollegeofOptometry, herhusband'salma mater.

To honor Lana's partnership and commitmentto Jim's distinguishedcareer in Optometry, gifts may be made in Lana's memoryto Southern CollegeofOptometry, whereher legacy

will benefit futureeye doctors through theMrs. JamesD.(Lana) Sandefur Memorial Scholarship. https://www.sco.edu/give Friends may post online messagesofcondolences for theSandefur familyby visitingwww.rushfh.com Tillman, Mae Alice

Anative &resident of Maringouin, La passed away September 15, 2025 at theage of 93. Visitation &religiousservicesSaturday September 27, 2025 at Mt.Pilgrim Baptist Church 8900 GravoisLane Maringouin, La 9am until 11am religiousservices. Conducted by Pastor WarrenLejeune Jr.Officiating. Intermentchurchcemetery. Professional services entrusted by A. Wesley's Funeral Home Maringouin La. Like us on Facebook.

Mackie, Gloria Paul

Chapman, Clarence

Sandefur, Lana Mynatt Kelly

OPINION

Sellingwater from Toledo Bend couldbenefitLa.

Louisiana is asportsman’s paradise. From duck blinds to bass boats, our state is defined by its natural resources and the people who cherish them. Few places capture that spirit better than Toledo Bend —areservoir that’sbeen asource of pride, recreation and world-classfishing for over 50 years.

It’snowonder that renewed talk of apotential water sale from the Sabine River Authority has stirred strong emotions. Louisianans are passionate about the places that define us, and this idea raises questions about what we’re willing to risk in the name of progress. But as with many emotionally charged issues, the conversation has been fueled by misinformation and misunderstandings. The truth is, thisproposal isn’t about draining the lake, it’s about making smarter use of aresource we already

manage, with every safeguard in place. Theproposed withdrawal is simply reallocating 5% of the water that’salready used for hydropower.Instead of generating $225,000

ayear from energygeneration today,thatsame amount of water could be soldand generate over $7 million ayear for Louisiana’ssharealone. Just as hydropower water

Louisianaispoisedto benefitfromnearshoring

While there is agreat deal of uncertainty regarding tariffs, there is growingbipartisan interest in engaging in reshoring andnearshoring supply chains —implyinga shift of supply chains from Asia back to the United States as wellastoLatin America and the Caribbean Indeed, even as the Trumpadministration announcedhigh tariffs on countries across the globe, Latin America and the Caribbean —with the exceptions of Guyana, the“Troika of Tyranny” and Mexico —were largely spared and only faced the global 10% tariffs placed on all countries. This led Trump’sthen-special envoy for LatinAmerica, Mauricio Claver-Carone, to note that it was a“great day forAmericaand it’sagreat day for the Americas,” at an event the day after tariffs were announced Although the uncertaintyremains, companies in New Orleans —and Louisiana more broadly —could be well positioned to take advantage of shifting tradedynamics However,following the tariff pause, these rates have changed slightly with 24 of the other sovereign states in the Americas still facing the 10% baseline tariff and six facing a15% rate. Brazil (50%), Canada (35%), Mexico(25%) and Nicaragua(18%) face yet higher rates.

region.

usageiscarefully managed to maintain lake levels, any water salenow or in the futurewould also follow strict safeguards. Maintaining water levels between 168 and 172 feet will remain

apriority,asithas historically,ensuring stable access for boaters, healthy fisheries and strong shoreline property values. Samewater usage. Same commitment to managementplans. Sameprotection for the lake. The only difference? More revenue for Louisiana —without compromising the lake we all love. That’srevenue that could support local infrastructure, reduce reliance on aging systemsand strengthen the region’s future without raising taxes. And none of this happens without rigorous oversight. Federal operating licenses require minimum downstream releases and seasonal safeguards, meaning the lake’susability for fishing, boating and tourism remains intact. Independence Dayboaters, weekend anglers and tournament sponsors can rest assured that preserving the lake’s recreational value is not only alegal requirement but also apriority across all of Louisiana. Every protection remains in place to ensure Louisi-

ana’swater is never sold without broad, transparent approval. These steps aren’t just bureaucratic —they reflect acommitment to thoughtful stewardship. This isn’tachoice between protecting Toledo Bend and pursuing economic opportunity.With thoughtful planning and accountability,wecan continue to preserve the lake’snatural beauty and recreational value while unlocking new benefits for the community Let’smove the conversation past fears and focus on facts. Toledo Bend can remain the samebeloved destination for families and sportsmen —and serve as asmarter,more sustainable resource for Louisiana’s future.

Because in aplace as rich and resilient as ours, the choice isn’tbetween growth and preservation —it’s about achieving both, together

H.N. Goodeaux II is the chairmanofthe Sabine River Authority of Louisiana.

At thesame time, the region has deep economic and cultural ties with the United States.However,the United States finds itself competing with China across Latin America and theCaribbean. The Americas Trade and Investment Act (Americas Act) —introduced to Congress last year by abipartisan coalition including U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and currently being revised —could serve as an important accelerant for regional integration.

New Orleansand Louisianaare wellpositioned to takeadvantage of nearshoring and reshoring efforts.

According to theNew OrleansWorld Trade Center,in2023, five of Louisiana’stop 10 import partners were in the Americas Mexico (1), Canada (2), Brazil (3), Chile (6) and Venezuela (9). Additionally,according to theU.S. trade representative, in 2024, Latin America and theCaribbean accounted for approximately aquarter of Louisiana’stotal exports.

Louisiana’sand New Orleans’ long-standing cultural and historic connections to the region canbeleveraged to deepen tourism,investmentand trade while deepening peopleto-people connections to theregion.

Louisiana has aproud tradition of leading theway in American energy.Our state haspowered the country for generations and now stands at the forefront of another energy and sustainability revolution: carbon capture andsequestration.But if we allowfear and misinformation campaigns to shape public policy, we risk turning awinning hand into a lostopportunity

The good news is thatLouisiana was one of the first states in thecountry to secure what’s called federal “primacy” for carbon capture regulation. That means our state doesn’thave to relyonWashingtontogreenlight these projects—wecan do it locally and responsibly,with ourown experts and agencies. The industry responded and ourcitizens are benefiting. Today,there’smorethan$20 billion in proposed CCS investment across the state.

TheriseofChina, coupled withthe supply chain disruptions caused bythe COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted theneed forthe United States to diversify andconsolidateits own supply chains. This has led U.S.policymakers to look for opportunities to promote friend-shoring (relocatingsupplychains in countries viewed as allies), nearshoring (relocating supply chains to nearerlocales) and reshoring (returning supplychains to the United States).

Latin America and the Caribbeanare critical regions in these efforts. First,the United States already has deep economic tiesto the region. In fact, 12 of the20countries with which the United States has freetrade agreements are in the Americas (including Canada).

The Americas also export crucial materials to the United States thatcannot beproduced domestically —includingcoffee, lithium(a crucial mineral for the green energy transition) and bananas,a product that built New Orleans’ connection to the region.Additionally,the United States maintains close diplomatic relations with most countries in the

Former New Orleans Mayor Chep Morrison referred to the city as the “Gateway to the Americas” and actively sought to promote closer ties between the city and the region even establishing aspecial team within the mayor’soffice to promotecloser ties to Latin America. Today,Louisiana should look for new waystomake this vision areality.

Theeconomic, cultural and historic connectionsthat thecity shareswith the Americas could allow for Louisiana to take advantage of theopportunities presented by thegrowinginterest in nearshoring.

However,uncertaintysurrounding tariffs andthe geopolitical and political risks associated with some countries in theregion mean that companies must carefully navigate these waters —understanding where potential dangers lie and engaging the Americas to maximize shared interestsare crucial. No less important, however,isavoiding getting ensnared in the growing competition between Chinaand theUnited States in the region.

Adam Ratzlaff is thefounder and CEO of Pan-American Strategic Advisors, a consulting firm focused on theWestern Hemisphere.

In March, Gov.JeffLandry and President Donald Trump announced thearrival of HyundaiSteel Company’sfirst North American steel mill, a$5.8 billion investment in Ascension Parish. Expected to beginconstruction in 2026, the facilitywill createapproximately 1,300 direct jobs —averaging $95,000 annually —and an estimated 4,100 indirect jobsthroughout the region. Notably,this project is only possible because of ourstate’semerging CCS infrastructure, which provides Hyundai with apath to meet global decarbonizationgoalswhile operating in one of the world’smost competitive industrialcorridors. It’s ashining example of how we can grow our economyand reduce emissions, all while strengthening our workforce andcommunities. This kind of momentum doesn’t happen by accident. It’sthe result of smart, forward-looking decisions by state leaders. But momentum is fragile. And lately,it’sbeen at risk. In themost recent legislative session, awave of proposals emerged that would add newrestrictions, slow permitting andinject confusion into aprocess thathas,sofar,

positionedLouisiana ahead of its peers. While some of these proposals stemfromgenuine concerns, many arefueledbypoliticsand influence from out-of-state activist groups thatare opposed to the oiland gasindustry.If partisanpoliticsormisinformationare allowed to derail CCS in Louisiana, the only real winner will be Texas. Foryears, Louisiana has setthe pace across the Gulf Coast regionwhen it comes to attracting energy andindustrial investment. But that lead is narrowing. While misinformation fuels debate anddelaysinBaton Rouge, neighboring states, especially Texas,are moving quickly to streamline permitting, encourage innovationand attract capital. Mississippi andAlabama aremaking strides, too. If Louisiana continuestocreate uncertainty in the process, we risk falling behind andtaking the region’smomentum down with it. Investors anddevelopers have choices.Theywanttogowhere the rulesare clearand consistent. Texasoffers certainty,speed and strong state support, with its final hearing forCCS primacy quickly approaching andfull approval expected by the endofthe year Louisiana still has achance to lead.Wecan build on our early decisions, talent and momentum, andbecome the national hub for safe, responsible carbonstorage andutilization. Thatwill bring jobs, investment andamoresustainable future. Or we can allowpartisan noise to mire us in confusion and secondguessing, allthe while watching others seize the moment. If Louisiana doesn’tmovedecisively,the jobs, investment andfuture of energy leadership will move without it.

Will Green is thepresident and CEO of theLouisiana Association of Business andIndustry

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JILLPICKETT

Aboater fishes in Toledo Bend Reservoir near Cypress Bend Resort in SabineParish.

ISSUE OF THE WEEK FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Efforts by the government to crack down on free speech have oftenbeen metwith fierce resistance by the American public.Inthe wake of the murder of conservativeactivist Charlie Kirk,however, some political leaders have calledfor restrictionsonrhetoricaimed at stokinggrievance by extremists on the left.The late-night talk showhostJimmy Kimmel found himself caught in this whirlwind after making ajokethat some deemed unacceptable after Kirk’sdeath. Kimmel wasbrieflysuspended from his show. But hisreturndidn’t end the discussion.Are recent attempts to curb free speech partofadangerous newtrend that Americans should be worried aboutorhavewefacedsimilar threats before?Here are twoperspectives.

Theupsideofignoring big-government coercion

In an 1892 case concerning apolice officer’sFirst Amendment challenge to alaw proscribing political activitybyofficers, ajustice on Massachusetts’sSupreme Judicial Court wrote: The officer “may have aconstitutional right to talk politics, but he has no constitutional right to be apoliceman.” First Amendment protections of government employees and everyone else have expanded since Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr wrote that pithy formulation 10 years before beginning 29 years on the U.S. SupremeCourt.

Free speech underfire againbecause we need it

Remember when President Donald Trumpvigorously defended free speech —before he turned against it?

Progressives today are mourning the fleeting(six-day) martyrdom of Jimmy Kimmel, archetype of today’slate-night sometimes comedians, all-the-time propagandists. And some progressives, noticing how big government can throw itsweight around by workinglevers of coercion, are perhaps having an epiphany: Actual conservatives sensibly warnthat government has too much weight and too many levers. Perhaps progressives should have been more troubled when the Biden administration was throwing its weight around, using regulatory threats from the White House and federal agencies to pressure social media companies to censor what that administration called “COVID misinformation.” Some of what Joe Biden’s people wanted suppressed was true, or arguably so.

Although that administration’scoercion became public, it was intended tobedone privately.Perhaps that administration, to its limited credit, had an uneasy conscience. And, in extenuation, that administration was improvising during apublic health emergency about an imperfectly understood virus.

The Trump administrationisexuberantly public about its censorship aspirations. They are connected only toits ambitious agenda to curate American culture tothe liking of the president and his epigones. Fortunately,Brendan Carr,President Donald Trump’schoice to chair the Federal Communications Commission, is a person of helpful coarseness. The law empowering the FCC to require that broadcasters operatein“the public interest” assumes two things that Carr demonstrates cannot be assumed:

That vague terms such as “the public interest,” allowing vast discretion to those construingthem, will notbetwisted for partisan purposes. And that the Senate willnot confirm presidentialtoadies topositionswhere they can infuse unintended meanings into statutory language. If someday some defibrillator restores Congress’sheartbeat, the legislators might legislate about this.

The Trump administrationfrequently

explores new frontiers of crudeness in pushing against the idea of unwritten restraints. There is, however,nothing new about attempts to expand political control over communications technologies. We might soon see an attempt to resurrect adiscredited doctrine. To complete its comprehensive repudiation of actual conservatism, the Trump administration might try to undo one of Ronald Reagan’sfinest achievements: abolition of the misleadingly named and abusively implemented Fairness Doctrine.

In 1927, thefederal government, using limited radio spectrum space as a pretext,began regulating thecontent of broadcasts. In 1928, the government decided that, although aNew York City station owned by theSocialist Party was not in the public interest,its license was renewed after thegovernment sternly warned it to show “due regard for the opinions of others.” What was “due”?Who knew?

TheFairness Doctrine required broadcasters todevote areasonable amount of time to each side of acontroversial issue. How much was reasonable? Who (and by what metric) would measure the threshold at which an issue becamesufficiently controversial? Who would decide how many sides there were to an issue?

Anticipating a1964 race against Arizona’sconservative Sen. Barry Goldwater, the Democratic Party paid people to monitorconservative broadcasts and taught themhow to demand equal time. This cost stations litigation expenses and 1,678 hours of free airtime.

An assistantsecretary of commerce in the Kennedy administration saidthe strategy “was to use the Fairness Doctrine to challengeand harassthe right-wing broadcasters and hope that thechallenges would be so costly to them that they would be inhibited and decide it was too expensive to continue.”

The firstRepublican president said: This country “belongs to the people who inhabit it.” Butitdepends on the people who inhibit its government, sometimes by ignoring it.

In July,the current Republican president (Henry Adams saidthe succession of presidents, from George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant, upset the theory of evolution) demanded that theWashington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians “immediately” change their names back to the Redskins and Indians, respectively This is what then happened: nothing. Sometimes presidential noiseisonly that, until it is treated as more than that.

EmailGeorge Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

Remember how he sparked cheers when his second inauguration speech grandly promised to “immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech toAmerica?”

That was then. Fast forward to theshocking assassination of his prominent ally,conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah. Days after Kirk was murdered, Vice President JD Vance sat in as the host of Kirk’s podcast, joined by Stephen Miller,deputy White House chief of staff andthe architect of many of the Trump administration’s mostnotorious policies. The twomen madeitclear they blamed the assassination on aconspiracy of “the left.”

over,yes, apolitical joke.

“Wehad somenew lowsover the weekend,” Kimmel said in part, “with the MAGAgang desperately trying to characterize this kid whomurdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Clarence Page

Whether you laughed or not, the joke waswell within the usual boundaries of political comedy on late-night TV,agrand old American medium of entertainment, particularly forthose of us whofollow the newsalot.

But that just whetted the appetite for retribution.

“(W)ehave to talk about this incredibly destructive movement of left-wing extremism that has grownupover the last few years,” Vance said, and “... talk about how to dismantlethat.”

He added, “We’re going to go after theNGO network that foments, facilitates and engages in violence.”

To elaborate on the Trumpadministration’sintentions, Miller said, “We are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Securityand throughout this government toidentify,disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks and make America safeagain forthe American people.”

What did Miller mean by “these networks”? I’m not aware of any network or conspiracy involved in Kirk’sassassination or the attempts on Trump’s life. Indeed, as Millercarried on, it seemed what he had in mind was suppressing legal political speech, albeit viewed through theprism of his own persecution complex.

“The organized doxing campaigns, theorganized riots, theorganized street violence, theorganized campaigns of dehumanization, vilification, posting people’saddresses, combining that with messaging that’sdesigned to trigger incite violenceand the actual organized cells that carry out and facilitate theviolence, it is avast domestic terror movement.”

Does this sound to you like Team Trumpisout to trample all over constitutional rights in pursuit of their political enemies? It does to me.

Butnone of this garnered as much attention —and, for manyofus, alarm —asDisney-owned ABC’sdecision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” offthe air indefinitely,inresponse to backlash

Brendan Carr,the Trumployalist who chairs the Federal Communications Commission, madeaveiled threat on right-wing influencer Benny Johnson’s podcast that television executives immediately understood.

“Wecan do this the easy wayorthe hard way,”Carr said.

Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group, the first and second largest TV station operators in the U.S., reacted with haste, announcing that they would preempt Kimmel’s show on their ABC affiliates. ABC read the writing on the walland suspended the show It might be churlish to point out that Nexstar’sspeed in carrying out Carr’s wishes had something to do with its very important business before the FCC. Last month, it entered an agreementtobuy Tegna, another television station owner/operator,for $6.2 billion. That would put it over the FCC’sownership cap, but with the right inducements, Trumpand Carr have the ability to remove that obstacle.

Carr sounds proud of himself,and how could he not when media moguls are lining up to kiss his ring to keep their deals happening?

Idid not agree with Kirk’sright-wing approach to politics, but to paraphrase an old slogan, Iwill defend to the death his right to preach it. At least he strongly defended the need to foster dialogue with his adversaries, which is what free speech should be all about, not silencing your adversary by law or otherwise.

For now,the endless debates over free speech and hate speech are necessary to protect our free society.We need them not to give good publicity to the powerful but to educate and inform citizens and help our democracy to work.

Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@gmail.com

Jimmy Kimmel on the set of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

PROVIDED

PHOTO By ABC

George Will

SPORTS

MISSED CONNECTIONS

Saints have NFL’sleast explosiveoffense throughthree games

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Early in the New Orleans Saints’Week 2losstothe San Francisco 49ers,Spencer Rattler hada golden opportunity to connect on an explosive touchdownpass.

Chris Olave began in the slot to the right ofthe Saints formation but motionedtothe outside positiononthe far left. After the snap, the San Francisco secondary dropped into aCover 4zone,with four defenders each responsible for adeepquarterofthe field. Olave and tight end Juwan Johnson ran doubleposts from the left side of the play,with Johnson drawing the safety into the middle of thefield, leaving Olavewith aone-on-one. Olavebeathis man easilywitha head fake to the pylon and was open in the end zone —but Rattler’sthrow drifted too far toward the sideline and fell incomplete.

Plays like this help explain some of the early season

numbers the Saints offense is putting up: New Orlean has been theleast explosive offense in the NFL throug three weeks,but especially in the passing game, but it’ not for lack of trying.

“We’ve had opportunities; we’ve not accomplishe them,” said Kellen Moore, head coach andoffensiv play-caller

New Orleans hasjust one completion of more than 25 yards this season —a39-yarder to Rashid Shaheed against the49ers on thesamedrive as the missed connection between Rattler and Olave. Every otherteam hasatleast two, andthe Saints’ opponent this week,the Buffalo Bills,has amassed eight already

The Saints are theonly team in theNFL thatdoesn’t have areceiveraveraging better than 10 yards per catch. Backup tight end Jack Stoll, with twocatches fo 21 yards, is theonly player on the team to have crosse

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

Southern, JSUrivalry heatingup aheadof game

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

The BoomBox Classic.

Southern (1-3) vs. Jackson State (2-1), a rematch of the 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship game.

That’salready more than enough fuel to energize both fanbases ahead of the 6p.m game on Saturday at A.W Mumford Stadium

ä Jackson

at

Jackson State coach T.C. Taylor,who once played for the Tigers from 1998–2001, is wellacquainted with the tension when these programsmeet.

“This is like,theydon’t like us, we don’t like them type feeling,” Taylor said.

The animosity extendseven musically betweenthe marchingbands. There will be a longer 25-minute halftimebreak for Southern’sHuman Jukebox to battle Jackson State’sSonic Boom of the South.

It doesn’ttake much for either fanbase to be animatedabout the game, even days before the occasion. The latest example is JacksonState fans on social media taking offense to what Southern’stop receiver said on Tuesday during amedia availability when questioned on what stands outabout the opposing defense.

“Nothing really,not impressed,” said Darren Morris, wholeads the Jaguars with 115 receiving yards. When asked afollow-up on whether the Jackson State defense has similar players, he said, “Same defense, some new players on the back end, but not impressed.”

The Tuesday clip wasposted on Xby Louisiana First News reporter Brendon Fairbairn and accumulated approximately 86,000 views and had 64 quoted posts largely from Jackson State fans as of

OleMisssafetyRyantofaceformerteamLSU

SaturdayinOxford,

Former Tigerhas startedevery game,playing an important role with theRebels’ defense

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

When Sage Ryan arrived at LSU, apathto becoming thenextPatrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu or Derek Stingley seemedwithin reach. Ryan was afive-starrecruit in the Class of 2021, according to the247Sports Composite. The Lafayette Christian star was the No. 2safetyinthe nation and one of two five-star recruits from Louisiana. His cousin, running back Kevin Faulk, and uncle, linebackerTrev Faulk, were also All-Americans at LSU. Ryan bled purple and goldand hadthe résumé to potentially join his relatives as an LSU legend. But that’snot what happened. In four seasons in Baton Rouge, Ryan earned astarting role but neverbecame

thestar player manybelieved he could be, eventually transferring to Ole Miss after anchoring astrugglingLSU secondary the last two seasons.

“Things didn’tkindofwork out the way that we allwantedthemto,”Kevin Faulk said. “Weall expected it to, but Ialways tell friends, relatives (and) family,it’snot what youthink it’sgoing to be when you get there. There’salot of work involved. There’sa lot of things that happen out of our control.” Ryan’shistory with LSUsets up an interesting dynamic for him this weekend when theTigers travel to Ole Miss on Saturday to takeonthe Rebels (2:30 p.m., ABC).

“I can’twait,” Ryan saidtoOle Miss reporters in April. “I’m seeing red already Ican’t wait to go againstmyformer teammates, like Aaron Andersonand all of them. Andmyguy (quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is) back there, so it’sgoing to be fun.”

Through four contests,Ryanhas played an important role within Ole Miss’ defense. He’sstarted every game at safety,racking up seventotal tackles and allowing six receptions for 49 yards on 10 targets, according to Pro Football Focus. Ryan isn’tthe only Ole Missplayerlooking forrevenge on Saturday.Along with Ryan, theRebelsalso have formerTigers edge rusher Da’Shawn Womack and running back Logan Diggs, but Ryan is the only starter among them. Womack has played 112 snaps on defense in his first year at Ole Miss this season, according to PFF.Diggs has 13 carries for117 yards through four games. “Sage is areally savvy player that’splayed alot, plays alot of different spots,” Ole Misscoach Lane Kiffin said, “andsowe’re pleased to have him,and he’sgreat to be around and areally good team guy.” Ryan’sdecision to transfer didn’tsurprise Faulk. He respects his cousin’sdecisionto leave the Tigers forthe Rebels —even if he

PROVIDED PHOTO By OLE MISS ATHLETICS

Ole Miss safety SageRyan, left, celebrates with linebacker Tahj Chambers after aplay against Tulane on

Miss.

Southern WR Darren Morris

PHOTO By JEVONE MOORE

See SOUTHERN, page 5C

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Aguide to this year’s RyderCup

BY DOUG FERGUSON

AP golf writer

The Ryder Cup has become everything golf typically is not

The slow-moving sportfeatures relentless action from the opening tee shot at 7:10 a.m. on Friday Sept. 26, and it doesn’tstop(exceptfor darkness) until the United States or Europegets enough points to win after the singles matches on Sunday afternoon Civility gives way to hostility when flags are involved, mostly outside the ropes. Golf really doesn’thave apartisan crowd except at the Ryder Cup, where cheerscan be for agoodshotor amissed putt. The Ryder Cupis personal.

Andyes,there is homefieldadvantage. Europehas had the upper hand in the Ryder Cup for the last 30 years,but it stillhas won only four times on U.S. soil. The Americans have seven players on their team who were noteven born when theU.S.last wonthe Ryder Cup in Europe in 1993. It all unfolds Sept. 26 at Bethpage Black on LongIsland in New York, known as the “People’s Course” because it was the first state-owned course to host aU.S. Open. Here’severything you need to know about the Ryder Cup: What’s at stake?

An English seed merchant named Samuel Ryder donated a 17-inch gold chalice forthe winner of the first Ryder Cup in 1927. It’sone of the biggest prizes in golf.

There are replicas of the trophy for thewinning team, butthe original stays at the Professional Golf Association headquarters of the current titleholder

Worthnoting:The golfer atop thegoldtrophy isnot Ryder himself —it’sAbe Mitchell, aprominent British golfer from the 1920s.

Howtowatch

There will be wall-to-wall coverageofthe RyderCup from the opening shot at 7:10 a.m. Friday morninguntil theclosing ceremonySunday afternoon USANetworkwillbroadcast the Friday matches from 7a.m. to 6p.m. NBC will take over coverageonSaturday from 7a.m. to 6p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 6p.m Thefirst singlesmatch is not expectedtostart until 12:02 p.m., and matches will follow every 11 minutes afterthat.

Theteams

The United States and Europe hadseparatequalifying criteria in which the leading six players automatically made the team. Then, each captain was allowed

McIlroyhas become the‘cornerstone’

of Europe in RyderCup

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

FARMINGDALE, N.Y.— Rory McIlroy

understood all that the Ryder Cup means three days before he ever hit ashot. As a21-year-old rookie in 2010, he was in theteam room at Celtic Manor in Wales with the rest of the Europeans. On the phone was Seve Ballesteros,the soul of Team Europe, dying from abrain tumor

“I look around and the majority of the team is crying as Seve is talking to us,” McIlroy recalled Wednesday ahead of asoggy day of practice at Bethpage Black.

“And I’m like, that’sit. That’sthe embodiment of what the European Ryder Cup team is,” he said. “That conference call with Seve in 2010 was the moment for me.”

The playerwho once referred to the Ryder Cup as an exhibition, as “not that importantanevent for me,”asacompetition that wouldn’t make him run around throwing fists pumps, is now the strongest voice and the only European with the career Grand Slam.

“He’sobviouslyagreatplayer and very skilled, veryexperienced,”Viktor Hovland said.“But also he carries alot of weight in the team room.

“He’svery comfortingtohave there. He makeseveryoneinthe team room feel good. AndI think he brings out the best in everyone in there.”

The question is what McIlroy will bring out from the New York crowd when the Ryder Cup gets started Friday at the public course with areputation for beingrowdy.

polarizing over the lastseveral years. He went from beingthe boldest opponent of Saudi-funded LIV Golf to pushing the hardest for the rival circuits to come together

Afterwinning the Masters to completethe career Grand Slam, he shirked media responsibilities at two majors, skipped the Memorial without acourtesycall to host Jack Nicklausand said at the U.S. Open, “I’ve earned the right to do whatever Iwant.”

He is abig figure in golf, abig part of Team Europe and certainly themost experiencedplayer.This is eighth Ryder Cup since making his debut in theexhibitionat Wales. His record is 16-13-4, certainly notthe best among European stalwarts,but what matters more is being on five winning teamsagainst two losses.

JonRahmsaw ashift in McIlroy’spresence at thelast Ryder Cup in Rome, aweek marked not only byMcIlroy’s personal-best 4-1-0record, but his feistyspirit when he mixed it up in aparking lotstillpeevedoverthe behavior by PatrickCantlay’s caddie.

“He’sthe biggest name we have in Europe. He’sthe better player we have in Europe. And he’sdefinitely thebiggest presence,” twotime major champion Jon Rahm said. “That’shis role now.He’s gone from being an incredibly good playertoa great Ryder Cup player to now being,I would say,the cornerstonethatTeamEurope needs.”

to make six wild-card selections. Europe returnsthe same faces —with onenew player —from the winning team in Italy.The exceptionisRasmusHojgaard of Denmark. He replaced his twin brother,Nicolai, from 2023. The Americans have six differentplayers fromthe 2023 matches, including Bryson DeChambeau and newcomer Ben Griffin. Theformat Two-man teams will playfour matches of foursomes (alternate shot) andfourmatches of fourballs (better ball) on Friday and Saturday.For the final session on Sunday,there will be 12 singles matches

All matches that endina tie after 18 holes result in ahalf-point for each team.

Europe holds the Ryder Cup and needs only to win 14 points to retain thetrophy. TheAmericans will need 141/2 points to win the Ry-

der Cup.

Each captaindetermines his two-man teams and it’sablind draw.Thatmeanseach puts his teams in slots 1through 4for the foursessions, and 1through 12 for thesingles.

U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw was thefirsttopopularize thestrategy of putting his best players at the top of the lineup on Sunday to try to build momentum.

Only once since1999 hasthe Ryder Cup been decided by the final match.That was in 2010 in Wales, when Graeme McDowell defeated Hunter Mahan in the 12th singles match for another European home victory

Team captains

Keegan Bradley was selected as U.S. captaininJuly 2024. At age 39, he is the youngest Ryder Cup captainsince Arnold Palmer was 34 in 1963. There almost was another Palmerconnection as Bradley— the No. 12 player in the world and theeighth-ranked American —contemplated being aplaying captain. Palmer was the last one. The Ryder Cup wasonesided back then Luke Donald returns as captain for Europe after his successful jobin2023 at Marco Simonein Italy.There hasn’tbeen acaptain who won back-to-back since Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987.

Series lead

TheUnited States hasa 27-15-2 lead that dates to the start of the Ryder Cup in 1927, when it played against only British golfers. Ireland was added to the British side in 1972.

But the modernRyderCup really dates to 1979 when continental Europe wasadded. Since then, Europe holds a12-9-1 advantage.

ASSOCIATED

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh watches his60th home runduring the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies on WednesdayinSeattle.

Mariners lookingfor fan whogaveaway Raleigh’s 60th home runball

BY ANDREWDESTIN AP sportswriter

SEATTLE CalRaleigh’s60th

home run put the Mariners’ All-Star catcherintoone of the most exclusive clubs in baseball. It also made foramemorablemoment in theoutfield stands at T-Mobile Park.

Jets QB Fields practices, couldstartvs. Dolphins

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. JustinFields is back on the practice field for the New York Jets and could return for aMonday night matchup in Miami.

The quarterback remained in the concussion protocol Thursday,but was progressing toward potentially playing against the Dolphins in primetimeasboth teams look for their first victory this season.

“If he’scleared, he’sthe starter,” coach Aaron Glenn said. Fields was listed by the team as afull participant while practicing forthe first timesince suffering a concussion in the Jets’ loss to Buffalo in Week 2.

Thequarterback will have two more full practices on Fridayand Saturday to prepare. An independent neurologist must determine if he can play

Alcaraz to headlinetennis event at Marlins’ ballpark

MIAMI— Top-ranked tennis player

Carlos Alcaraz will headline the Miami Invitational later this year —aone-day exhibition that marks the first tennis event ever held at the Miami Marlins’ home ballpark. Scheduledfor Dec.8atloanDepot Park, the one-time event will also feature No. 42 João Fonseca, No.4Amanda Anisimova andNo. 33 Emma Raducanu.

The invitationalwill include twosingles matches, each bestof-three sets with a10-point tiebreaker deciding athird set. Anisimova,a U.S. Open andWimbledonfinalist thisyear, will face the 2021 U.S. Open champion Raducanu. Afterthat, six-time major champion Alcaraz will take on the 19-year-old Fonseca, Brazil’stop-ranked singles player. It’ll be the first meetingbetween Alcaraz and Fonseca.

Sixers guard McCain suffersthumb injury

Jared McCain suffered atorn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb during aworkout on Thursday,the 76ers confirmed.

It is anotherinjury setback for McCain, who last season was an early Rookie of the Year frontrunnerbeforehesuffereda torn meniscus in his left knee in midDecember.Heaveraged 15.3 points while shooting 38.3% from 3-point range in 23 games before theinjury. McCainwas viewed as apotential starter alongside Tyrese Maxey and/or abackup point guard option after recovering from knee surgery

The Sixers stated that McCain and the team are “consulting with specialists on next steps, and further updates will be provided as appropriate.”

UEFAmoves toward vote to suspendIsrael

GENEVA— European soccer body UEFAismoving toward avote to suspend its member federation Israel over thewar in Gaza,people familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press on Thursday AmajorityofUEFA’s20-member executivecommittee is expected to supportany voteinfavor of suspendingIsraeli teams frominternational play,two sources toldThe Associated Press on conditionofanonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Such astepwould prevent Israeli national and club teamsfrom playing in international competitions, includingnextyear’sWorld Cup. Israel’s men’steam is set to resume its World Cupqualifying campaign in two weeks. It is unclear whether world soccer body FIFAwill support excluding Israel.

McIlroy has gone from being extremely populartooccasionally

He can lead by hisplayand inspirebyhis emotions. McIlroy still doesn’tsee himself in aposition to dispense advice, particularly when it comes to handling ahostile crowd

During Wednesday night’s 9-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies, which gave Seattle itsfirst AL West titlein24years, the fan whocaughtRaleigh’s 60th home run ball gave it away toaboy in theright-field seats. Team security workers led thechild and his father away to have the ball authenticated.The Marinerssaid the boytraded the ball for abat signed by Raleigh and an invitation to watch

battingpractice on thefield. TheMariners arealsolooking to connect with the man who gave theballaway. Mariners senior manager of communicationsAdamGresch madeaplea on social media foranyone who knows“this incrediblefan”to send him adirect message. Raleigh is oneofseven playersinmajor league history to reach 60 homeruns in aseason, joining Babe Ruth (1927),Roger Maris (1961), Mark McGwire (1998 and ’99), Sammy Sosa (1998, ’99,2001),Barry Bonds (2001) and Aaron Judge (2022). With four games remaining, Raleigh has achance to pass Judge for the American League record. Judge hit 62 homers in 2022 to break the previous AL markof61set by Maris.

UCLA enlists sports execs in searchfor newcoach UCLAisturning to 2028 Los AngelesOlympic organizing committee chairman Casey Wasserman andWashington Commanders general manager Adam Peters in its search forahead football coach.

Along with athletics director Martin Jarmond, they are two of the six-member search committee announced Thursday that is seekinga replacementfor DeShaun Foster,who wasfired on Sept. 14 after the team’s 0-3 start.

Former Golden State Warriors generalmanager BobMyers,10year NFL player EricKendricks andErin Adkins,UCLA executive senior associate athletics director, are also on the committee. Wasserman, Peters, Myers and Kendricks allare UCLA alumni. On TV AUTO RACING

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By HEATHER KHALIFA

United States captain Keegan Bradley, left, and Europe captain Luke Donald pose for aphoto withthe Ryder Cuptrophyafter anews conferenceonOct.8 in Newyork.

PRESS PHOTOByRyANSUN

Saints DE Young‘close’ to beingabletopractice

BY MATTHEW PARAS AND LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

In the locker room earlierthis month, ChaseYoung had an expressive answer when asked whether his calf injury was along-term concern

“Hellno,”the NewOrleans Saints pass rusher said. But Young hasn’tpracticedsince then. Andasthe Saintsprepare for Sunday’sgame against the Buffalo Bills, the 26-year-old passrusher is on track to miss his fourthstraight game. That’salmost aquarter of the season. What gives?

“Sometimes those are tricky injuries,” coach Kellen Moore said “Just whenyou’re dealing with a calf, sometimes you got to see how the thingprogresses. He’sdoing everythinghecan. Iknowit’shis desire to be outthere as soon as humanly possible, but you’ve got to understand the medical aspect to this thing is real and you’ve got to do what’s rightfor him—not just this week —but from aseasonlong perspective.” Moore said Wednesday that Young was “close” to practicing again, but he did not participate in Thursday’ssession.Young suffered the injury just fourdaysbefore the seasonopener It was unfortunate timingfor Young, who the Saints were counting on to have abig impact in 2025. After the team re-signed him to athree-year, $51 million deal this offseason, Young saidhefelthe had a“lot to prove” to himself Teammates and coaches, too, indicated they expected more outof Young following aseason in which he recorded acareer-high73pressures but just 5 1/2 sacks

And even more unfortunately for Young and the Saints, the pass rusher’ssidelining is nothing new.Last year was the exception, not the rule.

Young played all 17 games for the firsttimelastseason, butto date, the former Defensive Rookie of the Year has now missed 28 games due to the injuries—or 31.9% of his six-year career.Young suffered aserious knee injury midway through the 2021 season that caused him to miss all but three games of the followingyear He also required neck surgery before the 2024 season.

With Young likely to miss his fourth straight game, Moorewas asked if the Saints regretted not putting the pass rusher on injured reserve. Doing so would have re-

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

that 10-yard threshold. Olave(7.2) and Shaheed (9.1) are both more than five yards below their career yards-per-catch averages.

Rattler is averaging eight yards percompletion,which is the worst mark of any NFL starter and2.5 yards worse than the league average. No Saints quarterback with at least three starts in aseason has ever averaged fewerthan 10 yards per completionina single season.

Moore uses basketball terminology to translate his passing game theory.There are the 3-pointers, which are the deep shots, and there are the layups, which are the easy completions. If the 3-pointer is there, take the shot.But if it’s not, he wants the quarterback to find the easy completions.

That’sreflected in the numbers. Perhaps because of the speedy receivers the Saintspossess,

quired Young to miss at leastfour games, butitwould have freed up aroster spot in Young’sabsence.

Moore said there were no regrets abouthow the situationwas handled

Injury report

Four gamesinto the season, the Saintsmay finally get their first look at their preferred offensive line.

Right tackle TalieseFuaga (knee/ back) and Trevor Penning (toe) were both full participants in Thursday afternoon’spractice, suggesting they will be in line to play this Sundayagainst the BuffaloBills.

Fuaga did not practice all of last week and ultimately missed Week 3againstthe Seattle Seahawks with his injuries.But he returned in alimited capacity on Wednesday and was upgraded on Thursday’sinjury report.

Penning was available for the Seahawks game,but after missing more than amonth with his turf toeinjury,the Saints kept him on thesideline as an emergency option. The fourth-year pro madethe transition to left guardthis offseason after strictly playing tackle to start his career

The rest of the injury report followed the same patternasWednesday’s: Defensiveend Chase Young (calf) andguard Dillon Radunz (toe) were both held out, while receivers Trey Palmer (hamstring)and Devaughn Vele (hip) were limited. Cam Jordan (groin)was on the in-

they have seen aton of shell coveragethisseason —with two or more players patrolling the deep portions of the field andkeeping everything in front of them.The Saintshavefaced some sort of zone defense onmorethan80% of their offensiveplays this season.

That has meant the Saints have settled for alot of safethrows.

Of Rattler’s 119passattempts, 81 have traveled less than 10 air yards, about 68% of their total passing output. That numberis notespecially highcompared to his peers, but the Saints have not been able to turn those easy completions into bigger gains. Only six of Rattler’s 63 completionsof10orfewer air yards have gained more than 10 yards, none going for more than 14 yards. In other words, the Saints have not yet been abletoturn short passes into explosiveplays, either The numbersdonot look good, but it is asmall three-game sample,and there may be reason to hope for more big plays in the fu-

jury report as afull participant for thesecond straight day Galiano‘embarrassed’

After an abysmal Week 3performance againstthe Seattle Seahawks, onething hasmadeitself clear to Saints specialteams coordinator Phil Galiano in theaftermath.

“Our guys are just excited to get to Sunday so we can get that bad taste out of ourmouth,” Galiano said. “Theyknow how we played wasnot acceptable.A lotofguys —myself included, it starts with me —were embarrassed by our performance.”

The Saints’ special teams units had ameltdown in Seattle. They gave up apunt return touchdown, allowed another punt to be blocked and also yielded a60-yard kick return.

This week, Galiano said the Saintshavesqueezed out acouple of extraminutesinthe practice andmeeting schedules to focus on correcting the special teams errors. Most of it, Galiano said, boilsdowntocommunicationand leverage.

Thepunt block was aresult of poor communication, Galiano said: Seattle’s D’AnthonyBell came completely unblocked off the edge to get his hands on Kai Kroeger’s punt

Poor leverage in coverage, Galiano said,iswhatcontributedtothe long returns.

“Wehad abad day,” Galiano said. “It was unacceptable and we can’t do that again.”

ture. For as dink-and-dunk as the Saints’ passing game has appeared in the first three weeks,they have been taking more shots downfield than thesurface numbers suggest About 11%ofthe passes Rattler has thrown this season have traveled 20 or more yards in the air,which is what Next Gen Stats considers a“deep pass.”Thatis the12th-highest rate in theNFL through three weeks, higherthan deep-ballthrowers such as MatthewStafford (9.5%), Josh Allen (8.1%)and Justin Herbert (7.4%). Rattlerhas also attempted 25 passesthattarget intermediate areas of the field (10-19 air yards), tiedfor eighth mostamong NFL quarterbacks.

The issue is that the young quarterback has often struggled to connect on such throws: Rattler has completed just 3ofhis 13 attempts of 20 or more air yards,and he is completing 56%ofhis intermediate throws.

Mooresaid the Saints need to “generate more” explosive plays To getthere,hesaidthe Saints

BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

ATLANTA— While the Washington Commanders’ offense rolled even with Jayden Daniels out with a left knee injury,the Atlanta Falconsand quarterback Michael Penix Jr.fellflat in last week’s shutout loss at Carolina. Danielsand hisfill-in, former Atlanta quarterback Marcus Mariota, have thesupport of an unquestioned commitmenttothe running gameasthe Commanders (2-1) prepare to visit the Falcons (1-2) on Sunday.Mariota ran andthrew for touchdowns in a4124 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week. The Commanders are averaging 157.3 yards on the ground, second in theNFL to theBuffalo Bills TheFalconsare sixth with 139.3 rushing yards per game but haven’tprovided the same consistent runsupportfor Penix. Daysafter coach Raheem Morris said running back Bijan Robinson “isdefinitelythe best player in football,” Robinson waslimited to 13 carries for 72 yardsinlast week’s embarrassing30-0 loss at Carolina.

Theearly season trend should be clear to Morris and Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. The offense thrived in a 22-6 winatMinnesota on Sept. 14 when Bijan Robinson had22 carries for143 yardsand Penix passed for 135 yards but did not throw an interception.

ThoughAtlanta trailedonly 10-0athalftimelast week, Morris said the deficitallowedCarolina to “take away that threatof (Robinson) having the abilityto run thefootball every time.”

Robinson hadfewer than 14 carries in each of Atlanta’s two losses. Penix threw two interceptions, including one returned fora touchdown, against Carolina. While the focus on Sunday may be Daniels’ health and Penix’s abilitytobounce back after being pulled in the fourth quarter last week,the keymay be thecomparison of therunning games.

Low-keyhomecoming

Washington coach Dan Quinn, who coached the Falcons from 2015-20, is downplaying hisreturn to Atlanta. He previously returned as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and also coached theCommanders to a 30-24 overtime home win over Atlanta last season.

“We’ve played themlastyear andother times before, but Ialways have huge gratitude for

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler attempts to throwapass during a game against the San Francisco 49ersonSept. 14 at the Caesars Superdome.

need to playmore “mixed-down football” to create opportunities for them to exploit downfield. That meansavoidingthe presnap penalties that have plagued

(Falcons owner) Arthur Blank, hisfamily and giving me theopportunity to do that,” Quinn said. “But past that, it is forthe guys in between the white lines, so we’ll be ready to battle.”

ConfidenceinPenix

In aweek of changes forAtlanta’s offense, Morris has issued unwavering support forPenix after bringing in Kirk Cousins in the fourth quarter last week. Whenhewas reminded that Cousins lost the starting job after struggling late last season, Morris said: “We’re noteven close to that momentwith Mike. Mike’s our quarterback. We’ve got alot of confidence in Mike. We’re moving forward with Mike.” Morris fired wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard on Monday. Passing game coordinator T.J. Yates will coach thereceivers. Also, Zac Robinson is moving from thecoach’s boxtothe field forSunday’sgame.

Pain in thebutt

TheFalcons have much respect for Daniels,but defensive coordinatorJeff Ulbrich says Mariota and his dual-threat skills also are difficult to defend.

“I’ve hadexperience with him at the collegiate level and the professional level,” Ulbrich said. “So, I’m getting sick and tiredofplaying againsthim He’sapain in the butt. He’sa better athlete than youwant him to be. He can run that offense at ahigh level. So, regardless of who we face, it’sgoing to be a tremendous challenge.”

Mariota started 13 games for Atlanta in 2022, posting a5-8 record.Hedid notmake another NFLstart until last week.

Runningbackcommittee

After losing Austin Ekeler for theseason witha torn Achilles tendon, theCommanders doubled downontheir running game in Week 3. Washington did it with agroup of guys getting touches: Chris Rodriguez, Jeremy McNichols, rookie seventh-round pick Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt and Deebo Samuel, plus ahealthy dose of Mariota.

“I am comfortable sharing the responsibility andlet’ssee what thegamepresentscomingup,” Quinn said. “And sometimes the guygets hotand feels it,and we’ll lean into that, too.” Additall up, and theCommandersput up 174yards rushingby halftime against the Raiders. It wastheir mostyards on the ground in afirst half in 15 years. They finished with201.

theSaintsinthe early going, andit meansgetting the run gamegoing moreconsistentlysoteams are less willing to sitback in shellcoverage. The San Francisco gamewas the best example of how this offense is supposed to look. The Saints had theirbest game of theyearrunning the ball, and with that in his pocket, Moore was able to dialup more play-action passes —most of which had somevertical element. New Orleans connected on four passes of 15 or more yards in that game, including the aforementioned 39-yarder,their longest gain of the season to this point.

Rattler said the big plays need to come at the right timeagainst the right look —they’re notgoing to just chuck it deep. But when all of that aligns

“If they want to present any type of look where you can get ashot going, you’ve got to hit it,” Rattler said. “It’ssomething we’re grinding on, getting extra reps on.”

Email Luke Johnsonat ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By TyLER KAUFMAN

Saints defensiveend Chase young is recovering from acalf injury and could be readytoreturntothe practice field soon. He suffered the injury four days before the season opener

THE VARSITY ZONE

Lab defense swarms

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

The Southern Lab defense didn’t give an inch.

The Kittens swarmed Delhi all night in a dominant showing. Southern Lab (3-1) compiled 15 tackles for loss and six sacks in a 46-8 win Thursday night at A.W Mumford Stadium.

The Kittens also forced four turnovers, getting two interceptions and two fumbles.

“We’re bound to do it,” senior defensive lineman Creston Hawkins said.

“We live on the D-line Without the D-line, there’s really nothing we can do.” Delhi (0-4) mustered just 87 total yards and five first downs in the loss and ran the ball 30 times for minus-62 yards.

Kittens senior running back Logan Dauphine took his first carry for 28 yards. He ran for 62 yards on three carries on the opening drive He closed out a five-play, 69yard drive with a 1-yard run with 10:15 left in the first.

The Kittens were set up with a short field after the defense forced a turnover on downs. Dauphine ripped off a 36-yard run to set up another 1-yard run to make it 14-0 early It took Southern Lab two plays on their next drive to score again and make it 22-0.

total yards in the first quarter.

Southern Lab led 24-0 after one a safety off a bad punt snap.

After three more tackles for losss and one sack to open the second quarter, Southern Lab ran for 56 yards in two plays to score again.

Hawkins had one sack in the first half and also blocked a punt to set up another touchdown late in the first half. He noticed they weren’t blocking him on the punt protection, and he saw it as a golden opportunity to disrupt the play

Southern Lab coach Darrell Asberry credited his senior’s impact on the defense this season.

“He makes a whole lot of a difference,” Asberry said, “when you have a big man in the yard back.”

The Kittens added seven more tackles for loss and two sacks in the second quarter

The third quarter involved just one touchdown by Delhi off a 78yard touchdown pass. Southern Lab fumbled the ball twice in the third.

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

The Week 4 slate of high school football in the Baton Rouge area offers several big matchups, including several key district openers. Here’s what to know about five important games.

Plaquemine at Brusly

The Panthers and Green Devils meet in a pivotal District 6-4A matchup in Brusly. Brusly enters the contest at 3-0, while Plaquemine is 2-1.

After a Week 1 loss to Zachary, the Green Devils have won their past two games by double digits. On the other side, Brusly has won all three games by at least 30.

The Panthers, who beat Tara 48-0 last week, have scored more than 40 points in each of its games, while the defense has given up just 13 total points in three games.

Denham Springs at EAHS

The Kittens’ defense was relentless in the first. Southern Lab racked up seven tackles for loss and three sacks. Delhi had minus-43 yards rushing and minus-36

“Getting them extra plays in, whatever could get me noticed by schools,” Hawkins said about his blocked punt. “Got to take advantage of every little thing.”

The Kittens responded to both fumbles with an interception on the first play of each Bears’ drive. Southern Lab scored one more touchdown in the fourth to put a bow on the 38-point drubbing.

U-High star Brown sets sights high

BY JACKSON REYES

Staff writer

Football is more than just a game for Lamar Brown.

His sights are set on (in no particular order), a (Pro Football Hall of Fame) gold jacket, a Super Bowl ring, a state championship and setting up his family with generational wealth. Every time he steps out onto the field, it’s an opportunity for him to achieve those goals The University High senior lineman is the No. 1 recruit in the country and committed to LSU, but he isn’t satisfied until he’s the best. Quiet off the field, the 6-foot-4, 285-pound Brown lets his work do the talking. Just ask U-High offensive coordinator Alex Durand “He busts his butt in the weight room every day,” Durand said. “He’s almost like an extra coach out on the field. He’s always willing to do what’s needed to help the team

Since he was 6 years old, Brown dreamed of making it to the NFL. He realized around seventh grade that he could make his dreams a reality surrounding himself with people who shared the same desires he did The sport has engulfed Brown, but he wouldn’t have it any other way “It’s all I really do outside of school,” Brown said. “Football means everything. It’s my life, besides my family.”

One of Brown’s favorite football memories is when he received his first college offer (LSU) during his freshman year He attended a camp at LSU and dominated on both sides of the ball He got the offer after impressing the Tigers’ defensive line coach at the time, Jamar Cain.

U-High coach Andy Martin called Brown one of the most unselfish kids he’s coached, and that’s backed up by his willingness to play on both sides of the ball in the trenches.

“He’s one of the top defensive players in

U-High defensive lineman Lamar Brown smiles after blocking a kick in the Redstick Rumble Jamboree on Aug. 29 at Parkview Baptist. Brown, who also plays on the offensive line, has commited to LSU

the nation,” Martin said. “He’s really playing more offense than he is defense for us and doesn’t complain about it.”

Martin echoed Durand’s sentiments about Brown leading by example, setting the tone in practice, and having other players follow in his footsteps

“If he could play every single rep, he would,” Martin said. “He’s a kid who’s hungry to play If we ask him to go run through that wall, he’s going to figure out a way to do it.”

Durand said his football IQ also stands out Brown makes all the calls on the offensive line. He’s someone the offensive coaches lean on, and he’s accepted the challenge.

And on defense, he gives the Cubs’ offense fits in practice.

“When he’s on defense, we can barely run a play on offense,” Durand said. “He’s so disruptive in there.”

PREP REPORT

25-18) Catholic-PC 3, Cecilia 2 (25-16, 25-23, 22-25, 15-25, 15-12) Denham Springs 3, Baton Rouge 2 (25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 20-25, 15-9) Dutchtown 3, Central 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-17) False River 3, Mentorship Academy 0 (25-9 25-21, 25-23) Liberty 3, Istoruma 0 (25-7, 25-20, 25-18) Live

Two things stand out about Brown as a player — his size and speed.

“He’s an absolute freak when it comes to just first-step quickness, lateral quickness,” Durand said. “When we run sprints, he runs with our skill guys, and he outruns a lot of our skill guys.”

The first time Durand saw Brown play was his freshman year He was coaching at a different school and turned his film on to scout Brown. He was convinced he was watching a junior or senior on tape.

“I was like, ‘Whoa, who is this guy?’ ” Durand said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this guy’s a freshman.’ ”

Once he saw him in person in practice, he could just tell he was different. Durand said it was more than his physical tools; it was Brown’s attitude and mental preparation that set him apart. The talent has always been there with Brown, but Martin said he’s seen him grow stronger through the years, which has been the biggest improvement for the senior His added strength has translated into more finished blocks and more breaking free of blocks on defense. Along with his high character, Brown has blocked out the noise of being a five-star recruit, let alone the top player in the country

“Even the pressure of going to LSU and all these types of things, you really don’t see it on him,” Martin said. “He doesn’t wear it every single day when he comes here. It’s about UHigh.” Martin said that’s the kind of player LSU is getting once Brown finishes his senior year

“We’ve had some really good ones come through here,” Martin said. “He’s going to be one of the best that’s come through, and it’s because of everything that’s around him. From his character, to the way he plays, to every part of it.”

The Yellow Jackets travel to take on the Spartans as both teams begin District 5-5A play Denham Springs (2-1) took down Woodlawn 33-0 to get back in the win column in Week 3. The offense has scored more than 30 points in two games. Even in their loss against Central, the Yellow Jackets managed 28 points.

East Ascension is on a twogame win streak after a close Week 1 loss to Brother Martin. The Spartans’ offense took off in Week 2 in a 50-44 win against Salmen. In Week 2, it was the defense that prevailed in a 25-14 victory against Sam Houston. Both sides will look to get off to a 1-0 start in district play and avoid dropping back to .500 early in the season.

West Feliciana at Woodlawn

The Saints look to continue their momentum against a Woodlawn team that has dealt with a pair of tough losses to start the season. West Feliciana (2-1) lost its Week 1 game against Alexandria 54-7, but has since won its past two games by double digits. The Saints scored at least 50 points in their past two contests.

The Panthers (1-2) opened the season with a 49-8 lodd to University High Woodlawn bounced back with a 20-17 win against Walker being shut out by Denham Springs 33-0 last week. Woodlawn will try to turn to home-field advantage to avoid dropping to 1-3.

Live Oak at Walker

Don’t let the Eagles’ 1-2 record fool you. This is an offense that is finding a groove and putting up points in bunches.

Live Oak fell to Dunham in Week 2 but scored 42 points in a 63-42 loss. Against Ponchatoula, the Eagles picked up their first win of the season 55-28. Senior quarterback Cayden Jones threw for 420 yards and five touchdowns in his last game. Wide receiver Cash Davis went for 226 yards receiving with three TDs in the win.

The Wildcats are also 1-2 after a 48-37 loss to Central. Walker opened the season with a 2726 win over Ponchatoula, but has since dropped its past two games. The Wildcats will look to avoid dropping a third straight and 0-1 in District 5-5A play Prairieville at Dutchtown

After an 8-2 season last year, the Griffins returned just three starters this season. Dutchtown fell to Madison Prep 48-41 in Week 1. But the Griffins might be settling into a groove, winning their last two games to move to 2-1. Dutchtown won its last game 62-0 against Collegiate Baton Rouge. The offense has scored at least 40 points in all three games. They’ll open District 5-5A play against Prairieville (1-2).

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

PHOTO By CHRIS PARENT

Southern Lab linebacker Jaiden Fletcher, left, and defensive lineman A’Mickel Dwin converge to tackle a Delhi ballcarrier in the first half Thursday at A.W Mumford Stadium.

DeBoer looking for Alabama to be resilient against Georgia

BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

ATHENS,Ga.— Alabama’s first game away from home didn’t go well. That puts much on the line for No. 17 Alabama when it visits No. 5 Georgia on Saturday night.

The Crimson Tide’s 31-17 seasonopening loss at Florida State on Aug. 30 left coach Kalen DeBoer’s team with little margin for error Alabama (2-1, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) needs a win over Georgia (3-0, 1-0) to protect its College Football Playoff hopes.

DeBoer hopes his players learned from the painful loss at Florida State as they prepare for their second road game.

“We’ve got to be resilient,” DeBoer said. “We know there are going to be storms we have to weather in the SEC, on the road, and you’ve got to do it. No one else is going to go do it for you.”

Alabama answered the loss to Florida State with back-to-back wins, including a confidence-building, 38-14 home win over Wisconsin on Sept. 13.

“I know there’s a high want-to factor this group has,” DeBoer said. “They’ve shown it in the work. They’ve shown it in their preparation. That’s the key Really just prepare, invest, and do everything you can to be confident and do something special together.”

Georgia also enjoyed a confidence boost in its last game, a 4441 overtime win at Tennessee on Sept. 13 as Gunner Stockton threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score.

The Bulldogs needed the boost in

their SEC opener following a sluggish 28-6 win over Austin Peay that left coach Kirby Smart looking for more explosive plays from his offense. Junior wide receiver

Zachariah Branch answered the call against Tennessee by leading the Bulldogs with five receptions for 69 yards with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to force overtime.

Hot quarterback

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson completed 24 of 29 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Ryan Williams, in the win over Wisconsin. Two of the incompletions came on drops

Smart said Simpson “is probably the hottest quarterback right now in all of college football. His two last outings, I don’t know that I’ve seen an incompletion Like, the ball does not hit the ground.”

Simpson replaced two-year starter Jalen Milroe, a thirdround pick by Seattle who was a threat as a runner and passer

Smart has been impressed by Simpson’s passing and smart reads.

“He’s been accurate, he’s been quick with the ball,” Smart said.

“They’re really hard to defend because of their skill. They’ve got tremendously skilled receivers, backs, tight ends, but you’ve got to have a trigger guy that can get those guys the ball, and they do.

And he’s seen the field.”

DeBoer vs. Top 25

DeBoer, the former Washington coach in his second season at Alabama, is 15-3 against Top 25 teams.

That includes a 5-1 record against

teams in the top 10.

The Crimson Tide beat No. 2

Georgia 41-34 in Tuscaloosa last season in DeBoer’s first SEC game as Alabama’s coach.

Long-awaited visit

Smart, the former Alabama defensive coordinator, is in his 10th season at Georgia and finally has his first home game against the Crimson Tide. Alabama has proved to be a difficult opponent for Georgia under Smart, who has a 1-6 record in the rivalry

Smart’s one win over his former home was memorable — beating Alabama in Indianapolis on Jan. 10, 2022, to win the national championship. That win ended Georgia’s 41-year national championship drought, and Smart led the Bulldogs to back-to-back titles the following year

Alabama has four wins over Smart and Georgia in Atlanta, including three SEC championship games and the 2018 national championship game.

Playing the best

Branch said the visit from Alabama on national TV (ABC) is the kind of game that attracted him to transfer from Southern California.

“You know, you want to give a chance to play the best competition,” Branch said, adding “the SEC is a great, great conference. So I feel like you just set me up to, you know, have those prime-time games to play against some of the best competition in the country and, you know get a chance to showcase my talent when the time comes.”

Texas A&M aims for 4-0

BY KRISTIE RIEKEN AP sportswriter

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Coming off a thrilling triumph at Notre Dame, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko knows his team’s fans are reticent to fully celebrate big wins because of the Aggies’ recent tendency to disappoint after such victories. Elko doesn’t like that mindset and wants everyone to embrace his team’s early success as No. 9 Texas A&M looks to improve to 4-0 Saturday in its Southeastern Conference opener against Auburn.

“You love Texas A&M football so get excited,” Elko told the Houston Touchdown Club last week. “Stop being scared and get excited about what this program is doing. It’s not fair to look at past failures and eliminate how you feel about where Texas A&M football is going.”

The Aggies hope this is the year they finally get over the hump and reach their first SEC title game after winning more than nine games just once since joining the conference. That came in their first year in the league in 2012 when they went 11-2 behind Johnny Manziel’s Heisman Trophy-winning season.

Texas A&M was off last week after beating then-No 8 Notre Dame 41-40 on Sept. 13. They did it by putting together a 13-play, 74yard drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass by Marcel Reed with 13 seconds left. It snapped a streak of 13 straight road losses to ranked opponents and was the first time they’d beat an AP Top 25 team since defeating No. 3 Auburn in 2014.

“That was a huge step for our program,” Elko said “That’s the biggest thing. When you get in those moments, you ultimately have to find a way to get the job done to keep the program moving forward.”

Though he’s encouraged by the Aggies’ strong start, he knows they’ll have to do much more to get to where they want to go.

“Three weeks does not make a finish,” he said. “We still have a lot

of things we’ve got to do.”

This week they’ll face an Auburn team trying to move forward after a 24-17 loss at then-No. 11 Oklahoma last week that knocked the Tigers out of the poll.

“We’ve got to rebound,” coach Hugh Freeze said. “It’s a tough league and a tough loss last week, but we’ve got to put it behind us as we go face another tough team it’s a critical game for us to learn how we handle adversity and rebound.”

Protecting Arnold

The Tigers are looking to better protect Jackson Arnold after he was sacked nine times last week. Through four games, he’s been sacked 15 times and backup Deuce Knight has been taken down once to leave Auburn tied for second-most sacks allowed in the nation.

“You can’t take those sacks and win those games,” Freeze said. “We had some very difficult breaks go against us, but we’ve got to clean up the protection of the pocket. Jackson’s got to clean up getting rid of the ball when he can get rid of it.”

Craver and Concepcion

Texas A&M’s receiving duo of Mario Craver and K.C. Concepcion have been among the best in the nation this season. Craver, who transferred from Mississippi State, and Concepcion, an N.C. State transfer, have given the Aggies the explosive playmaking ability the team lacked last season. Their presence has helped the Aggies produce 22 plays of 20 yards or longer Craver was named The Associated Press national player of the week for his performance against the Fighting Irish when he had career highs with seven catches for 207 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown.

He ranks third in the nation with 443 yards receiving in just three games while the two players ahead of him both played four and his four TD receptions lead the team. Concepcion is second on the team with 227 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

Continued from page 1C

is an LSU person for life.

“There’s a lot of things that we do that we don’t tell people why it’s just you never know,” Kevin said. “But, like I said, (you) stand by him, root him on (and) continue to move forward. He just wanted to continue to grow.”

Faulk spent his entire collegiate and professional careers with one team. After spending four years as the star running back at LSU, he played the next 13 seasons of his career with the New England Patriots.

But Faulk still knows what it’s like to go up against someone (or a place) that’s near and dear to your heart. In 2004, Faulk played against Trev in a matchup between the Patriots and St. Louis Rams in St. Louis. They were literally face-to-face in the second quarter when Trev tackled Kevin on a nine-yard carry in the open field.

“I always bring it up to him. I always tell him, I’m like, ‘Oh, come on cuz,’ “ Kevin said. “He’s like, ‘Because I watched you for a lot of years make people look bad in one-on-one space situations, I was ready for that situation by all means.’

“ Kevin Faulk went into that November day in 2004 hoping his team would win the game but also wishing for Trev to play well. He’s entering this weekend with the same mindset, wanting LSU to win while hoping that Ryan has a strong performance against his former team.

“You don’t want him to not play well,” Kevin said. “You want him to play well, but at the same time, we all know who we want to win the game.” LSU

By

FILE

LSU safety Sage Ryan, left, celebrates with teammates after intercepting a muffed pass in the second half against Oklahoma on Nov. 30, 2024, at Tiger Stadium.

LSU EDGE RUSHER RELIFORD OUT FOR SEASON

LSU sophomore edge rusher Gabriel Reliford will undergo season-ending surgery for a torn rotator cuff next week, coach Brian Kelly said on his radio show Thursday.

Reliford injured his right shoulder with 3:41 left to play in the first quarter last week against Southeastern Louisiana. He did not return to the game following the injury and finished the night with his arm in a sling

Heading into last week, Reliford had played the third-most snaps at edge rusher on the team, only trailing fifth-year senior Patrick Payton and senior Jack Pyburn. Both veterans, along with fifth-year senior Jimari Butler and Reliford, have made up LSU’s core rotation at edge rusher this season.

Reliford accumulated four tackles and four quarterback pressures through the first three games and had three tackles in a tackle for loss against SLU

LSU will likely turn to a deep group of young edge rushers to fill the void left by Reliford’s absence. Redshirt sophomore Dylan Carpenter, redshirt freshman CJ Jackson, redshirt freshman Damien Shanklin and redshirt freshman Kolaj Cobbins are Kelly’s options.

“We’re excited about Dylan.We’ll take a look at CJ and Kolaj.They’re both ready to play for us as well,” Kelly said Monday.“We’ll (also) take a look at Damien Shanklin.”

SOUTHERN

Continued from page 1C

Thursday afternoon.

A few players and coaches from Jackson State also contributed to the digital discourse.

“See you soon, lil bro,” was a quoted post by Jackson State defensive back Kam Sallis.

In a non-quoted post, Jackson State defensive analyst Esaias Guthrie, who was a player on the team last year commented on the Tigers not losing to Southern since 2020.

“Some people have NEVER beaten JSU IN THEIR CAREER… come on now,” Guthrie said. The only Southern coach or player to directly engage in the war of words on the platform was Southern special teams assistant coach Murphy Nash, who said, “See You Then!” in the comments of Jones’ post. Southern coach Terrence Graves understands the heated nature of the rivalry between the storied programs. Before the online trash talk officially began he spoke to reporters on Tuesday about how crucial it is for his team to focus on the game and not distractions.

how well when you have the right mindset, when you have the right attitude and how well you execute, that’s going to be the deciding factor.”

Southern graduate tight end Dupree Fuller, who is as familiar as any player with this rivalry after playing Jackson State four times, said he’s kept away from online discourse.

“I definitely try to stay off social media the whole week,” Fuller said. “I opened my phone this Monday, and I just saw a whole bunch of J-State stuff. So I just get off the internet. Like that has nothing to do with us. That’s just the fans’ talk. We just got to play.”

“I tell them all the time to block out all the noise.You gotta focus and play the game.”

TERRENCE GRAVES, Southern coach

“I tell them all the time to block out all the noise,” the second-year coach said. “You gotta focus and play the game. All we’ve been talking about is mindset, attitude and execution, point blank period. If you do that, then you increase your chances of winning.

“The rivalry is what it is. You know the atmosphere is going to be what it’s going to be. Now,

When players and coach Graves were asked if there was any additional motivation to get payback after losing to Jackson State in last year’s conference championship game, they said no.

“Not any extra fire, just another game,” Morris said. “Definitely a game we want to win for sure, especially at home.”

Fans’ emotions will rage on as they always do before, during and after the game. The only thing within Graves’ control is reminding his team what it takes to get the desired result: a SWAC victory

“It’s huge (from) the standpoint of the excitement of the game and all that, but at the end of the day,” Graves said, “you can’t get caught up in the fanfare and all that other stuff. We got to go out and play and play well.”

Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate. com.

Koki Riley

STAFF

PHOTO

HILARy SCHEINUK

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By VASHA HUNT

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson throws the ball against UL-Monroe on Sept. 6 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By SAM CRAFT

Texas A&M wide receiver Mario Craver reacts after a first down catch and run against Utah State on Sept. 6 in College Station, Texas.

Ella Seidel, Germany, def. Magdalena Frech, Poland, 7-5, 6-4. SonayKartal,Britain, def. Alycia Parks, United States,6-3,6-2 Maya Joint, Australia,def.VictoriaJimenez Kasintseva, Andorra, 6-3, 6-2. Cristina Bucsa,Spain,def.Donna Vekic, Croatia, 6-2, 6-4. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Spain, def. JaquelineCristian, Romania, 6-4, 6-0. Emiliana Arango, Colombia, def. Suzan Lamens, Netherlands, 6-3, 6-3. Lois Boisson, France, def. Dalma Galfi,Hungary,7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-2. Men’sDoubles Round of 16 Cameron Norrie, Britain, and Yunchaokete Bu, China, def. Marcelo Melo, Brazil, and AlexanderZverev, Germany, 7-6(5),6-4. Fabien Reboul and SadioDoumbia, France def. Romain Arneodo, Monaco, andSander Gille, Belgium, 7-6(4),6-2. ATPWorld Tour JapanOpen TennisChampionships results Thursday At AriakeColiseum Tokyo Purse:$2,226,470 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Men’sSingles Round of 32 Jenson Brooksby, United States, def.Ugo Humbert (6), France, 7-6(4),6-3 Luciano Darderi,Italy, def. YoshihitoNishioka,Japan, 7-6(9),6-3 SebastianKorda, United States,def.Marcos Giron, United States,4-6,6-3,7-6 (4). Sho Shimabukuro, Japan, def. Tomas Machac (5), Czechia,6-3,7-6 (4). TaylorFritz (2), United States,def.Gabriel Diallo, Canada, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Aleksandar Vukic, Australia,def.Damir Dzumhur,Bosnia-Herzegovina, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Ethan Quinn, United States,def. Alex Michelsen, United States, 7-5, 6-2. Casper Ruud (4), Norway,def. Shintaro Mochizuki, Japan, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Brandon Nakashima, United States, def. Jordan Thompson, Australia,6-7 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-2. Carlos Alcaraz (1), Spain, def. Sebastian Baez, Argentina, 6-4, 6-2. HolgerRune (3),

(5), 6-4. Fabian Marozsan, Hungary,def. Benjamin Bonzi,France, 7-6(1),6-3 TerenceAtmane,France, def. Zhang Zhizhen, China, 6-4, 6-2. AlejandroDavidovich Fokina, Spain,def CamiloUgo Carabelli, Argentina, 6-1, 6-3. JannikSinner (1), Italy, def. Marin Cilic, Croatia, 6-2, 6-2. Women’s Singles Round of 128 Zeynep Sonmez, Turkiye, def. Sijia Wei, China, 6-2, 6-0. Wang Xiyu,China, def. HanyuGuo, China, 7-5, 6-1. Ajla Tomljanovic, Australia,def.Yuliia Starodubtseva, Ukraine,7-6 (1), 6-2. Elena-Gabriela Ruse,Romania, def. Rebecca Sramkova, Slovakia,6-2,6-2 CamilaOsorio,Colombia, def. Ann Li, United States, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5. Anastasia Potapova,Russia,def. Katerina Siniakova, Czechia,6-3,6-4 Zhu Lin, China, def. Moyuka Uchijima,Japan, 6-1, 6-3. AliaksandraSasnovich,Belarus, def. Janice Tjen, Indonesia,6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-1.

COUNTRYCOMES TO BR

Rising countryartistand LSU student

Timothy Wayne makes his Live After Five debut from 5p.m. to 8p.m. FridayatRhorer

Plaza. 200 St. Louis St. He’ll be joined by the Baton Rouge-basedLauren Lee Band’s rock, blues and Americana blend. The outdoor concertisfree. Also, food vendors and children’sactivities

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

On the prowl

Mid-City Prowlers

finishsecond albumand prepare forrelease show

BY JOHN WIRT Contributing writer

It’sa story that repeats itself

acrossgenerations

Andrew Hill is one example. When he wasa kid in Colorado Springs, Colorado,his father taught him to love rock ’n’roll. Hill’sdad “indoctrinated” him in theBeatles, Fleetwood Mac and more 1960s and ’70s music. Adecade later at Whitman CollegeinWashington state, Hill discovered another principal influence, the 1990s alt-country of Wilco, the Jayhawks and Whiskeytown. Moving to Louisiana in 2009 to pursue amaster’sdegreein French at LSU, Hill found simpatico alt-country fans in the Baton Rouge music community

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Drummer James Hyfield plays as the Mid-City Prowlers rehearse on Sept. 8inBaton Rouge

“In alt-country,”the 38-yearold singer,songwriterand bandleadersaid recently at an LSU-area coffee shop, “I heard alot of almost ’60s sounds, the jangly old Byrds sound. Ilike the heartfelt nature of that sound, the pedalsteel guitar and fiddle instrumentation.” Hill’s alt-county and classic rockroots flavor the Mid-City Prowlers, theband he formedin 2019. The group plays its madeby-humans original music in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and beyond. The Mid-City Prowlers’album-release show for their second album, “Here Be Monsters,” is Thursday,Oct. 2, at theMid-City Ballroom, and before that, they’ll perform on Friday at Red Stick Music Studio. Prowler Alex V. Cook produced and engineered the project at his studio in Mid City

See PROWLERS, page 2D

MID-CITY PROWLERS

6:30 p.m. Friday l Red Stick Music Studio, 3809 Government St. l Free l facebook.com/p/Mid-CityProwlers-100082880005057

9p.m.Thursday,

HERE, KITTY KITTY!

Cat Havenwill conduct an adoption event from noon to 4p.m.Saturdayat the South BranchLibrary, 2210 Glasgow Ave.,off Perkins Road.Gobyand check out abook or check out the cats and kittens. Can’tmakeit? Visit Cat Haven’s adoption facilityat11130 N. Harrell’s FerryRoad. cathaven.org

BREW AT THE ZOO

The Baton RougeZoo Foundation will present its mostpopular fallfundraising event from 6:30 p.m. to 9p.m.Friday. Guests ages 21 and older can sample avariety of brews. Also, food, livemusic by Parish County Line and visits with the zoo’sanimal ambassadors. Tickets are $78.83 and up. brzoobrew.org

CourtneyMurphyisGwendolen

CENTER STAGE

‘OVER THE TOP’

An Opera Louisiane performance

3p.m.Sunday l Manship Theatre, Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. l $50 l operalouisiane.com

‘THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST’

Friday-Sundayand Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 2-5 l 2p.m Sundays; allother shows, 7:30 p.m.Additional 2p.m.performance on Saturday, Oct. 4 l Sullivan Theater, 8849 Sullivan Road, Central l sullivantheater.com

SBY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

opranos will takethe Manship Theatre spotlight when Opera Louisiane opens its 2025-26 season with “Over the Top” on Sunday Why “Overthe Top”? Well, the three sopranos in this show areknown for their high-flying voices. That’s usually thecase with coloratura sopranos. Coloratura is when asinger “colors” asolo with elaborate vocalornamentation. It happens with such characters as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”

The characters arebig in voice and “over the top” in personality,and the threesopranos in this program —Rainelle Krause, Kelly Curtin and Sarah McHan— areknown for such performances.

“Wecollaborated withthe sopranos on this, andweput

ABBY HAMBLIN

BY

See THEATER, page 2D

together somethingfun,” said Michael Borowitz, the opera company’smusic director.“It’s going to be aconcert, but we’re using the Manship’sbig movie screen,sowe’llhavealot of backdrop projections, along with the supertitles. So, it’snot going to feel like aconcert— it’sgoing to feel like ashow.” McHan is making her Opera Louisiane debut in this show. This past spring, she sang nearly 100 performances as the Queenofthe NightinThe AtlantaOpera Studio tourproduction of “The MagicFlute,”and over the summer,she reprised herQueen of theNight withthe Janiec Opera Company at Brevard Music Center She is working on her master’sdegree in music at LSU. Meanwhile, Curtin is known not only forher extraordinary vocalism, but forher abilitytoplayboth comedicand Ed Sheeran performs on NBC’s‘Today’ at Rockefeller Plaza onJune 6, 2023, in

and GEORGE VARGA TheSan DiegoUnion-Tribune (TNS) Ed Sheeran has announced his 2026 tour forNorth America. The singer-songwriter,whose album “Play” was released Sept. 12, is calling this stretch of per-

PROVIDED PHOTOByABBy RODRIGUE

Fairfax, from left, Devin RogersisJack Worthing,Derek Walle is Algernon Moncrieff andMichelle Willis is Cicely CardewinSullivan Theater’sproduction of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest.’

McHan

Krause

Curtin

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday,Sept. 26, the 269th day of 2025. There are 96 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Sept. 26, 1960, the first nationally televised debate between presidential candidatestook place as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon faced off in Chicago. Also on this date: In 1777, British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution. In 1954, the Japanese commercial ferry Toya Maru sank during atyphoon in the Tsugaru Strait, claiming more than 1,150 lives.

In 1986, William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th chief justice of the United States, while Antonin Scalia joined the Supreme Court as its 103rd member.Rehnquist died in 2005 and Scalia in 2016.

In 1990, the Motion Picture Association of America announced it had created

Continued from page1D

dramatic roles with realism and great timing.

For mostofthe 2023-24 season, Curtin performed as aguest entertainer for Princess Cruises, servingas the opera diva in the company’sproduction of “Encore!” and providing opera “edu-tainment” in her own solo performance introducing opera and operetta to new audiences in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

This season,she is performing with Shreveport Opera and will make appearances with Maryland Opera and the Helena Symphony in concertperformances.

Finally,Krause, known for her pristine, fiery coloratura, brings an unflinching ferocity coupled with a deeply truthful humanityto the stage.

This season, she is reprising her celebrated Königin in company débuts with The Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, St. Louis Symphony and Opera Atelier, and will present anumber of Mozart arias in concertwith English NationalOpera.

“This is avery interesting idea, because we hear all the time these really famous sopranoariaseither on TV,on commercials and on movies,” said Paul Groves, the company’sgeneral director “And so we hear these things all the time, and Ifeel that these high-flying soprano arias are more sportive, like something you might see at atrack meet or an amazing basketball move or something like that. And it really excites the audience. Iwanted to have an opening show that peoplecouldreallyget excited about, ashow that’s fun. So we put together all of this, and it’sgoing to be fantastic.”

Sullivan’s‘Earnest’

Sometimes, it’sgood to return to the classics, especially when it’sabeloved

TODAYINHISTORY

anew rating,NC-17, to replace the Xrating In 1991, four men and four women begana twoyear stay inside asealed-off structure in Oracle, Arizona, called Biosphere2;they emerged fromBiosphere2 on this date in 1993. In 2000, thousandsof anti-globalization protesters clashed with police in demonstrations duringa summit of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Prague. In 2005, Army Pfc. LynndieEngland was convicted by amilitary jury in Fort Hood, Texas, on six of seven counts stemming from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.

In 2020,President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy ConeyBarretttothe Supreme Court to fillthe seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Barrett would be confirmed the following month.) In 2022, NASA’sDart mission becamethe first

spacecraft toram an asteroid in adress rehearsal for deflecting aspace object’s trajectory In 2024, Helene, amajor Category 4hurricane, made landfall in Florida’sBig Bendregion. It went on to cut aswath across Georgia and South Carolina before triggering historic flooding in North Carolina and Tennessee, causing an estimated $78 billion in damage and 219 deaths.

Today’sbirthdays: Country singer David Frizzell is 84. Television host Anne Robinson is 81. Singer Bryan Ferry is 80. Author Jane Smiley is 76. Singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos) is 71. Actor Linda Hamilton is 69. Actor Melissa Sue Anderson is 63. Actor Jim Caviezel is 57. Singer Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men) is 53. Hockey Hall of Famers Daniel and Henrik Sedin are 45. Tennis player Serena Williams is 44. Singeractor Christina Milian is 44. Actor Zoe Perry is 42.

oldielike“TheImportance of BeingEarnest.”

SullivanTheatrewill do just thatwhenitopens the Oscar Wilde classic onFriday.

Wilde’s comedy may have debuted in1895, but audiences still love this story of false identities.

At the center of thestory are two men, Jack and Algernon, who adopt false identitiestoescapesocial obligations and find love.

Their deceptions lead to a series of mistaken identities andromantic entanglementsculminating in achaotic reveal which exposes the absurditiesofVictorian society

“I did the show as the character Algernon in Lake Charles in 2012, and then I convinced the cast to return in 2014, and we set it in 1987 California,” director Michael Muffoletto said. “And we calledit‘The Importance of, Like, Totally Being Earnest.’”

But Sullivan Theater’s production will be thetraditional 19th-century version. “Wedecidedtokeep it traditionaland lean into the classic witofthe original play,” Muffoletto said. “And what’s interesting is,whilelooking over the script again, Ifound alot more nuance and characterization,specifically like with the class system andthe genderequality.Inthe show, thefemale characters tend to be moreintelligent and kind of controlthe action, and 100 years ago was kind ofunheard of.”

One of those female characters is Cecily,played by Michelle Willis,who sees her character as “very

Michelle Willis, left, is Cicely Cardewand Derek Walle is Algernon Moncrieff in Sullivan Theater’s production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest.

PROVIDED PHOTO By ABBy RODRIGUE

sure of herself.”

“She’sgrown up on her guardian’sestate, and she’s shelteredfromthe reality of things,” she said. “She’screated this fantasyromance in her head between her andthis character named Ernest. Andfrom there, fun and chaos ensues.”

Meanwhile, MegJett’s character,Miss Prism, is centered in the real world, where sheacts as avoice of reason.Well, at least during thefirst act

“She’sCecily’stutor, and she comes across as extremely uptight,”Jett said. “But by the end of the play, she’s completely different becauseofher interactions and flirtations withthe Rev Chasable.”

And speaking of the Rev. Chasable, JonAllen Russo not only plays that roleinthe second half of the playbut thebutler in thefirst half.

“Two different characters are achallenge,” he said. “The last time Idid multiple characters on stagewas in NewJersey,when Iplayed fivecharacters in aplay. I had people throwing clothes off andonmeand slapping mustaches on me. My greatest fear was having amustachefalling off.”

“I would say that this is a play where you can watch it fivetimes andget something different out of it each time,” Muffoletto said. “Peoplekeep coming back to this play,because they love it. And we’rehaving fun puttingitonstage.”

Email RobinMiller at romiller@theadvocate. com.

guitar and theremin.

PROWLERS

Continuedfrom page1D

The Mid-CityProwlers gestated in the Adult Music Club, aschool of rock for grown-ups led by music educator andbandwhisperer David Hinson. Many local bands have sprung from the innovative program Hinson launched in 2012.

One of Hinson’steaching phrasesinspiredthe MidCity Prowlers’ moniker. In aroomful of guitar players, Hinson instructed Hill, one of those many guitarists,to play “lead prowl.”

“Dave said, ‘You listen and, when there are gaps, play alittlesolo,’ ”Hill recalled. “That really stuck withme, because it made sense.

Hill later formed aband of his own for thepurpose of performing his songs.

“I want to do my songs my way,” he said.

Hill takes his song-crafting cues from populist troubadour andworking-class hero, Bruce Springsteen “He’smyfavorite,” Hill said.“If there’sa message in my music, it’s similar to hismessage, whichis

SHEERAN

Continuedfrom page1D

Theopening act hasnot yet been announced.

Sheeran is afour-time Grammy Award winner and a17-time nominee.

Sheeran describedhis mostrecent album on socialmedia as one that “celebrates love, life, culture, exploring, creativity and technicolor.”

“I’ve loved makingthis recordand thelast6 months have beenjust what Ineeded to get back intothe swing of things—toreheat my love for pop, and popping up,” he shared on Instagram.“It’s an album I’m immensely proud of, and justmakes me feel good.I hope it does the same for you.”

Ed Sheeran 2026North American tourdates:

n JUNE 13: Glendale,Ari-

that rock ‘n’rollismore than pop music or music to dance to. It’s fulfilling in an almost spiritual way.”

Neil Young, another inimitable artist, is among Hill’s inspirations, too, especially in the vocal department.

Hill’svoice, like Young’s plaintive whine, is on the high side.

“I never liked my voice much,” he said. “But thenI leaned into the Neil Youngness of it.I like my voice now.”

Conducive to Hill’svision for his songs, he’s found that bands don’tjust want direction, they crave it.

“It’sgood to say‘This is how Isee the song. You should play it this way, versus that way,’”hesaid.

Guidehis fellow Prowlers though Hill does, he doesn’t take power trips.

“I love the balancebetweengetting creativity from your band members andserving thesongthat you’ve written,” he explained. “You candoboth, and I’m always so honored that Ihave people whoare willing to play my music.”

In addition to singer-lead guitarist Hill, the Mid-City Prowlers are accordion, keyboards, pedal steel gui-

zona, State Farm Stadium

n JUNE 20: Nashville,Tennessee, Nissan Stadium

n JUNE 25: Milwaukee, American Family Insurance Amphitheater |Summerfest

n JUNE27: Chicago, Soldier Field

n JULY4: Denver,Empower

Field at Mile High

n JULY18: Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium

n JULY21: San Diego, Petco Park

n JULY25: Santa Clara, California, Levi’sStadium

n AUG. 1: Seattle, Lumen Field

n AUG. 8: Los Angeles, SoFi Stadium

n AUG. 15: Minneapolis, U.S. Bank Stadium

n AUG. 21: Toronto, Ontario, Rogers Centre

n AUG. 22: Toronto, Ontario, Rogers Centre

n AUG. 29: Detroit, Ford Field

n SEPT.4: East Rutherford,

tar

field.

Self-taught in guitar and composition, Hill has been making music since he was 7years old.

“I just loved rock ’n’ roll, so Iplayed along with it and tried to figure it out,” he recalled. “When you really get into something, you wantto participate in it.I wanted to write asong because I loved hearing songs.” Hill’sday jobisteaching French at LSU

“So manypeople here have aFrench background,” he said of Louisiana.“Most of the time the students are really engaged, and it’s more thanjust agen-edrequirement. Many of the studentswanttolearnFrench because it’sthe language their grandparents spoke.” Hill sees parallels in teaching French to college students andleading aband whose other members areall olderthanhe is, in their 40s,50s and 60s. He creates an encouraging space, he said, “for people to learn in the classroom andperform artistically in aband.

New Jersey,MetLife Stadium

n SEPT.5: East Rutherford, New Jersey,MetLife Stadium

n SEPT.19: Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field

n SEPT.25: Foxborough, Maine, Gillette Stadium

n SEPT.26: Foxborough, Maine, Gillette Stadium

n OCT.3: Atlanta,Mercedes-Benz Stadium

n OCT. 10: Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium

n OCT. 17: Charlotte,North Carolina, Bank of America Stadium

n OCT.24: Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium

n OCT.29: Hollywood, Florida, Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &Casino

n OCT.30: Hollywood, Florida, Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &Casino

n NOV. 7: Tampa, Florida, Raymond James Stadium

and theremin player Cook; guitarist Robby Barringer; bassist Ben Milam; anddrummer JamesHy-

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

The Mid-City Prowlers are, from left, drummer James Hyfield, bassist Ben Milam,guitarist RobbyBarringer,singer and lead guitarist AndrewHill and AlexV.Cook, whoplays accordion, keyboards, pedal steel

FRIDAY

TIMOTHY WAYNE/LAU-

REN LEE BAND: Live After Five, Rhorer Plaza, 5 p.m.

ELIZABETH SHAR: Agave

Blue, Zachary, 6 p.m.

NIGHT HOG: Court To Table, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

ERIC BASKIN DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6 p.m.

CAM PYLE: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6 p.m.

KEEPIN’ TIME BAND: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

STASH HOUSE: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m.

FLOYD BROWN BAND

FEATURING JODY MAY-

EUX: Pedro’s-Siegen, 6 p.m.

DESI BANKS (COMEDY): Raising Cane’s River Center Performing Arts Theatre, 7 p.m.

MATT TORTORICH: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

KICKS BAND: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

TERRELL GRIFFIN: Crowne Plaza, 7 p.m.

THE LEE SERIO BAND: The Legacy, 7 p.m.

CHRIS ROBERTS: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

FANTASIA/ANTHONY

HAMILTON: Raising Cane’s River Center

FRIDAY JUST IN THE FEMUR: UNSCRIPTED IMPROV SHOW:

Arena, 8 p.m. SAM FORSHEY BLUES

BAND: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 8 p.m.

CHRIS OCMAND: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

BRYCE BROUSSARD: Spanky’s, Dutchtown, 8 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

ROCK IT: Phil Brady’s, 8 p.m.

STONE SOBER: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

FRANKIE & THE WITCH FINGERS: Chelsea’s Live, 9 p.m. AFTER 8: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 9 p.m

ESSENTIALL GROOVE: Churchill’s, 9 p.m

KENDALL SHAFFER: Southern Rhythm, Denham Springs, 9 p.m.

ANNA CLAIRE & BRADY

GEORGE: The Vineyard, 9 p.m

PHAT HAT: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

JOSIE, TORI & ALEX: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

IAN WEBSTER DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse 5:30 p.m.

KAITLYN WALLACE:

7 p.m 225 Theatre Collective, 7338 Highland Road. An hour and a half of fast-paced comedy. $15. 225theatrecollective.com

“DO THE RIGHT THING” (1989):

7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. From director Spike Lee. On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone’s hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence. Rated R. $5. manshiptheatre.org.

FRIDAY NIGHT LECTURE:

7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., BREC’s Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road. Skygazing tips, physics phenomena, space programs and famous events are covered. For ages 14 and older. Free. hrpo.lsu.edu. Also, evening sky viewing from 7:30 p.m to 10 p.m. Saturday.

SATURDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m. to noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations breada.org.

BIRTHDAY BRUNCH AND BASH: 10 YEARS OF MAGIC:

10 a.m.-noon, Boudreaux’s, 2647 Government St. Celebrate with The Petite Princess Company’s first decade. Brunch, character appearances and other fun for the kids. petiteprincesscompany. com.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING:

10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

GREATER BATON ROUGE

MODEL RAILROADERS: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Republic of West Florida Historical Museum, 3406 College St., Jackson. Electric trains of all sizes will be running on five different layouts. Free admission and parking. BOOKS AND MUSIC WITH THE

SHOWS

TO WATCH — BATON ROUGE

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM BLACK PR WIRE Grammy Award-winning R&B artist Fantasia, who got her start as winner of ‘American Idol’s’ third season, takes the stage at the Raising Cane’s River Center Arena on Friday. The 8 p.m. show also features Anthony Hamilton.

T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

GENEVIEVE BAILEY: Court To Table, 6 p.m.

PAPO Y SON MANDAO: Pedro’s, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

SHO RETRO: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

SPOONFED JR.: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

CAM PYLE: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

CARTER HAMPTON: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYS W/HENRY TURNER JR.: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listen-

ing Room, 8 p.m.

THE COOL BEANS: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

KENDALL SHAFFER: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 9 p.m.

THE DUPONT BROTHERS: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

LA WESTWIND: Churchill’s, 9 p.m.

CHRIS LEBLANC BAND & ZYDECO MIKE: Sandy’s Daiquiris, Port Allen, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

JOVIN WEBB: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 11 a.m.

ERIC WHITFIELD: Crowne

Plaza, 11 a.m.

ROBERT CALMES: Cocha, 11 a.m.

ANNA CLAIRE & BRADY

GEORGE: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill MidCity 11 a.m.

THE INN CROWD BAND: American Legion Post 38, 1 p.m.

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5 p.m.

BATON ROUGE CONCERT BAND: Main Library at Goodwood, 5 p.m.

THE JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Pizza Byronz, 5:30 p.m.

D.K. HARRELL: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 6:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

RACHAEL HALLACK & ERIC CANTRELLE: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

ACOUSTICRATS: Phil Brady’s, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

JOSH MARTIN: Bin 77, 5:30 p.m.

THE JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

KIDS’ ORCHESTRA: 11 a.m., Jones Creek Branch Library 6222 Jones Creek Road. Experiential learning session for children ages 3-11. kidsorchestra.org.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

BASF’S KIDS’ LAB: 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday, Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Explore the science of chemistry during 45-minute hands-on workshops for scientists ages 6-12 and their accompanying adults. This month: the science behind bubbles. Included with paid admission. lasm.org.

ST. JOSEPH’S CEMETERY BENEFIT: 1 p.m.-4 p.m., American Legion Post 38, 151 S. Wooddale Blvd. With music by The Inn Crowd Band. $50 per person at the door; cash bar. PLANTFEST! PRE-SALE “TEASER” PROGRAM: 2 p.m.3:30 p.m., LSU Hilltop Arboretum, Highland Road. Baton Rouge–based horticulturist Lee Rouse will talk on “Top

25 Native Plants to Use in the Landscape.” $20, students and Friends of Hilltop members; $25, general public. https://www.lsu.edu/hilltop/ events/plantfest/teaser.php.

TUESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

3 p.m.-6 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org. BATON ROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6 p.m.-8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. A chance to play and learn; all levels welcome. Free.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 18303 Perkins Road. Collect your team and jockey for first place. loom. ly/y-CKtQ4.

OPEN MIC COMEDY NIGHT: 7 p.m., Phil Brady’s, 4848 Government St. Featuring comedian Brandon Haynes; Payden Moore hosts. Presented by 225 Theatre Collective. $10. 225theatrecollective.com.

STEVE GUSTAFSON: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

BRYCE BROUSSARD: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 5:30 p.m.

RHETT ANTHONY: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

CAM PYLE: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC

W/HEATH RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7 p.m. ANDY PIZZO TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7:30 p.m. OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

THE COVERLY BROTHERS: Rock N Rowe, 6 p.m. THE JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

KYBALION: El Paso-Sherwood, 6 p.m.

BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6 p.m. BEN BELL & THE STAR-

BATON ROUGE BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS: LAGNIAPPE: 7 p.m., Baton Rouge Magnet High School, 2825 Government St. The troupe’s season opener will offer beloved ballet classics, brand-new contemporary works and several company premieres. $23. batonrougeballet.org.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7 p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. Third St., Suite A. Free. fareharbor.com.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 7 p.m., Bayes Oyster Bar, 315 North Blvd. Test your trivia skills with your friends and family. Free.

ONGOING

BATON ROUGE GALLERY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive. batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “Billy Cannon: They Called Him Legend,” through Jan. 10. “Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation” and “The Louisiana Experience: Discovering the Soul of America,” permanent exhibits. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

MANHATTAN SHORT FILM

FESTIVAL 2025: 7:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. In over 500 cities across six continents, more than 100,000 film lovers will gather to view and vote on the finalists’ films in the 28th annual festival. $12.50. manshiptheatre.org.

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9 a.m. to noon, ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook. com/redstickfarmersmarket.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 27350 Crossing Circle, Suite 150, Denham Springs. Collect your team and jockey for first place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m.-noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “In Good Form,” Southern University Visual Art Faculty through Saturday. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. artsbr.org.

GLASSELL GALLERY: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “Disk Full: Christine Breuning and Janna Ahrndt,” through Oct. 9.

LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Landscapes Along the Railway: The Art of John Cleaveland,” Soupçon Gallery; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” Discovery Gallery; “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” Colonnade Gallery; “Threads of Evolution: Engineering a Community That Sparkles,” engineering meets imagination through the work of Jaime Glas Odom, founder and creative director of fashion brand Queen of Sparkles, through Nov. 9. (225) 344-5272 or lasm.org.

DUST BOYS: The Brakes Bar, 7 p.m. THE BISHOP ELLIS TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7 p.m.

RUBY FOSTER: Manship Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

ELIZABETH SHAR: Moonlight Inn, French Settlement, 8 p.m. BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s, 9 p.m

OUTLYING

FRIDAY BLIND AMBITION

Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper.

from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound. OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION: 502 North Blvd. Open for tours. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATE CAPITOL: 100 North Blvd. “Contemporary Views of the Castellated Capitol,” exhibit celebrating the 175th anniversary of the OSC and featuring the works of 19 well-known Louisiana artists. Free. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org. USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displays of a variety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and naval military history. Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs. usskidd.com. WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. “Radbwa ê tire tik-layé: The Art of Jonathan Mayers,” through Oct. 12. (225) 3362422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.

Compiled by Judy Bergeron. Have an open-to-the-public event you’d like to promote? Email details to red@theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday for the following Friday’s paper

AROUND BATON ROUGE

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM UNIVERSAL CITy STUDIOS, INC

Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) presents a token of his affection to Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) in Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing.’ Revisit the 1989 film with a screening at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Tickets are $5.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Clear your head, eliminate what's not necessary and stick to your budget. Reevaluate your goals, dreams and what truly matters to you. Trust your instincts, and abundance will come your way.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Using force will set you back. Let situations flow naturally, and you'll avoid controversy. Look for creative outlets, such as social events that make you think about your future.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Protect your home, possessions and loved ones. Think before you spend on something you don't need. Don't take a risk with your health or offer to do something you know little about.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pay more attention to your physical and financial well-being. The energy you put toward fitness and investing more time in yourself will pay high dividends.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Fiscal negotiations are in your best interest. A change at home, investing in a space that will help you be more productive or stepping away from someone or a debilitating situation are favored.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Put your energy into something that makes you proud or helps you invest more in yourself and whatyouhavetooffer.Refusetoletemotional matters cost you by leading you to act when you are best off sitting back.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Focus on motivation, productivity and maximizing your day. Express your feelings and intentions, and discuss financial matters with

anyone who can influence how you move forward.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Refuse to let the changes unfolding around you deter your plans. An adjustment may be difficult, but it is essential, so relax and ease into situations with an open mind and a backup plan.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Interactions will open doors and offer insight into something that can change what you do professionally, financially or medically. Exhaust all possibilities before you commit to something that can alter your life.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Channel your energy wisely. Focusing on the moment and what you want to achieve will help distance you from stress. Disciplining yourself in order to work on a creative project will prove interesting.

LEo (July 23-Aug 22) Anger management, along with common sense and open communication,willhelpyougetthingsdone Educate yourself before committing your time, skills or money.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Lookandobserve, but hold off on making a premature move. Do the legwork required to put your mind at ease and save money. Budget for entertainment, and focus on rest, relaxation and reevaluating your next move.

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

Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

toDAy's cLuE: J EQuALs W

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe peAnUtS

FrAnK And erneSt

Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS