Issuu

SANTA in SEPTEMBER

Christmas comes early at the Tinsel and Treasures Holiday Market

Trump celebrates Comey charges

Critics say he’s targeting rivals

BY JILL COLVIN Associated Press

NEW YORK President Donald Trump’s unprecedented retribution campaign against his perceived political enemies reached new heights as his Justice Department brought criminal charges against a longtime foe and he expanded his efforts to classify certain liberal groups as “domestic terrorist organizations.”

Days after Trump publicly demanded action from his attorney general and tapped his former personal lawyer to serve as the top federal prosecutor in Virginia, former FBI Director James Comey, a longtime target of Trump’s

ire, was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly lying to Congress during testimony in 2020. Hours earlier Thursday, Trump signed a memorandum directing his Republican administration to target backers of what they dubbed “leftwing terrorism” as he alleged without evidence a vast conspiracy by Democrat-aligned nonproﬁt groups and activists to ﬁnance violent protests. The developments marked a dramatic escalation of the president’s extraordinary use of the levers of presidential power to target his political rivals and his efforts to pressure the Justice Department to pursue investigations — and now prosecutions — of those he disdains. It’s a campaign that began soon after Trump returned to office and one that critics see as an abuse of power that puts every American who dares to criticize the president at risk

of retaliation.

“Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to turn our justice system into a weapon for punishing and silencing his critics,” said Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Comey indictment came less than a week after Trump installed a former White House aide and conﬁdant to the role of U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. The president had forced the ouster of his previous pick because he wasn’t sufﬁciently responsive to calls from Trump to bring charges against his longtime targets.

“This kind of interference is a dangerous abuse of power,” Warner said “Our system depends on prosecutors making decisions based on evidence and the law, not on the personal grudg-

UL eyes cuts to budget

BY MEGAN WYATT and ASHLEY WHITE Staff writers

The day after the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s interim President Jaimie Hebert announced that the campus is facing a $25 million budget deﬁcit, he presented plans for potential cuts to ofﬁcials who oversee the UL system. Hebert had announced the budget shortfall this week, saying most divisions across campus will slash operational expenses by 10%, but that no academic programs have been cut so far While the cuts UL has announced should add up to roughly $15 million, administrators are still looking for more ways to cut costs.

Amid $25M deficit, university struggles to raise enrollment ä See BUDGET, page 5A

Former ADA could seek new trial

Gary Haynes was convicted in kickback scheme

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Is Gary Haynes, the former Lafayette assistant district attorney who was convicted on federal bribery charges last week, going to seek a new trial?

A 12-person federal jury on Sept. 18, after hearing eight days of testimony and arguments, unanimously found Haynes guilty on six charges related to a kickback scheme involving the pretrial intervention program he ran in the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Ofﬁce in Lafayette. Federal rules give a person 14 days from the date of their conviction to ﬁle documents seeking a new trial.

Blake Baker leads a resurgent LSU defense.

BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO By ANDREW HARRER

President Donald Trump shakes hands with James Comey, then director of the FBI in the White House in 2017.

ABOVE: Shoppers browse Thursday during the Tinsel and Treasures Holiday Market hosted by the Junior League of Lafayette at the Cajundome Convention Center. The market will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m on Saturday.

RIGHT: Dawn Forman, left, and Ingrid Romauch browse artwork at the Alexander Art Studio booth.

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Rory McBroom, 4, and his sister Emilia-Grace, 2, take photos with Santa during the Tinsel and Treasures Holiday Market on Thursday.

ICE officer disciplined for shoving woman

NEW YORK A federal immigration officer who shoved an Ecuadorian woman to the ﬂoor at a Manhattan court is “being relieved of current duties,” the Department of Homeland Security said Friday in a rare rebuke of one of its ofﬁcers.

The altercation, which was captured on videos that spread quickly on social media, unfolded after the woman’s husband was arrested at an immigration court in New York City

Footage shows the woman approach the immigration officer following her husband’s arrest, pleading with the officer in Spanish and at one point saying “You don’t care about anything,” before he pushes her into a wall and then onto the floor of a crowded hallway

“The ofﬁcer’s conduct in this video is unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE,” said Tricia McLaughlin assistant secretary at DHS, which oversees immigration enforcement. “Our ICE law enforcement are held to the highest professional standards and this ofﬁcer is being relieved of current duties as we conduct a full investigation,” she added.

It is uncommon for the Trump administration’s DHS to discipline immigration officers for aggressive tactics across the U.S. Ex-financier, assistant face trafficking charges

NEW YORK Retired financier

Howard Rubin was arrested Friday on sex trafﬁcking charges for allegedly trafﬁcking dozens of women including former Playboy models, to be sexually and physically assaulted during encounters in his Central Park penthouse in a soundproofed room described in court papers as “The Dungeon.” Authorities announced the arrest of Rubin and his former personal assistant, Jennifer Powers, on charges in an indictment unsealed in Brooklyn federal court.

Rubin was arrested Friday at his rental home in Fairﬁeld, Connecticut, while Powers was arrested at her home in Southlake, Texas, authorities said Rubin was expected to be arraigned later on Friday Messages for comment were sent to multiple lawyers for both of them.

During a three-decade career, Rubin worked at various ﬁnancial ﬁrms, including Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns and Soros Fund Management.

Prosecutors said Rubin and Powers abused the women between 2009 and 2019 after recruiting them to ﬂy to New York to engage in sex acts with Rubin in exchange for money

Trump orders Earhart records declassified

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has ordered the declassiﬁcation and public release of all government records about aviator Amelia Earhart, who vanished in 1937 during an attempt to ﬂy around the world.

Trump said it’s an “interesting story” that has “captivated millions.” He said people have asked him whether he’d consider declassifying and making public everything the government has on her “She was an Aviation Pioneer, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and achieved many other Aviation ‘firsts,’” he wrote on his social media site. “She disappeared in the South Pacific while trying to become the first woman to fly around the World.

“Amelia made it almost three quarters around the World before she suddenly, and without notice, vanished, never to be seen again,” he continued. “Her disappearance, almost 90 years ago, has captivated millions I am ordering my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her.” Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared while ﬂying from New Guinea to Howland Island as part of her attempt to become the ﬁrst female pilot to circumnavigate the globe. She had radioed that she was running low on fuel. The Navy searched but found no trace.

JEREMIAH

ASSOCIATED

Defiant Netanyahu speaks at the U.N.

Leader says Israel ‘must finish the job’ against Hamas

BY JENNIFER PELTZ, ADAM GELLER and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS Surrounded by critics and protesters at the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told fellow world leaders on Friday that his nation “must ﬁnish the job” against Hamas in Gaza, giving a deﬁant speech despite growing international isolation over his refusal to end the devastating war Western leaders may have buckled under the pressure,” he said. “And I guarantee you one thing: Israel won’t.”

Netanyahu’s speech, aimed as much at his increasingly divided domestic audience as the global one, began after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the U.N General Assembly hall en masse Friday morning as he began.

Responding to countries’ recent decisions to recognize Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu said: “Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere.”

As the Israeli leader spoke, unintelligible shouts echoed around the hall, while applause came from supporters in the gallery Seats allotted to the United States — which has backed Netanyahu in his campaign against Hamas — and the United Kingdom were ﬁlled by low-level diplomats instead of senior ambassadors or ofﬁcials. Many seats were vacant; by Iran’s empty chairs stood a compilation of photos of children that Tehran said were killed during Israel’s war there in June.

“Antisemitism dies hard. In fact, it doesn’t die at all,” said Netanyahu, who routinely accuses critics of antisemitism Netanyahu faces international isolation, accusations of war crimes and growing pressure to end a conﬂict he has continued to escalate. Friday’s speech was his chance to push back on the international community’s biggest platform.

He used it to cast Gaza as the lone remaining front in a wider war, listing recent military missions by Israel to target its enemies and contain threats to its security in Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Those efforts have “opened up pos-

sibilities for peace,” he said, noting that Israel has begun negotiations with Syria to reach security arrangements with the new government in Damascus. The ﬁnal challenge, Netanyahu said, is to root out what he called the “final remnants of Hamas.”

He frequently praised U.S. President Donald Trump, his chief ally in his political and military approach in the region.

As he has often in the past at the United Nations, Netanyahu held up visual aids — including a map of the region titled “THE CURSE,” which chronicles Israel’s challenges in its neighborhood. He marked it up with a large marker He wore — and pointed out — a pin with a QR code to a site about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that led to the war and about the Israeli hostages taken by the militants.

In what Netanyahu cast as an effort to reach captives still being held in Gaza, the Israeli government set up loudspeakers to blast the speech into the territory, though the military has pushed Palestinians away from its borders The prime minister’s ofﬁce also claimed that the Israeli army had taken over mobile phones in Gaza to broadcast his message, though AP journalists inside Gaza saw no immediate evidence of Netanyahu’s speech being broadcast on phones there.

In Wadi Gaza near Gaza City, where Israel launched another major ground operation earlier this month — Palestinians who followed the speech responded with a mix of exhaustion and enduring commitment to their long-sought state.

“Whether he likes it or not, sooner or later, the Palestinian people will gain independence,” said Moneir Talib, who has been displaced from Gaza City.

Amjad Abdel Daiym expressed similar feelings but added: “We are psychologically, physically, morally and ﬁnancially tired from everything. When he says that he wants to continue the war to eradicate Hamas members, or Hamas movement or the Hamas government, I only see that the war is continuing against poor people like us.”

Hamas, meanwhile, accused Netanyahu of making false justiﬁcations to continue the war “If he were truly concerned about his captives, he would have stopped his brutal bombardment, genocidal massacres, and the destruction of Gaza City,” Hamas said in a statement on its website. “Instead, he lies and continues to endanger their lives.”

Thune: Shutdown can be avoided if Democrats ‘dial

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate Majority Leader

John Thune is rejecting Democratic demands on health care as unserious but says a government shutdown is still “avoidable” despite sharp divisions ahead of Wednesday’s funding deadline.

“I’m a big believer that there’s always a way out,” the South Dakota Republican said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday “And I think there are offramps here, but I don’t think that the negotiating position, at least at the moment, that the Democrats are trying to exert here is going to get you there.”

back’ demands

ton over government funding, stretching back through several administrations.

President Donald Trump was the driving force behind the longest shutdown ever during his ﬁrst term, as he sought money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. This time it is Democrats who are making demands as they face intense pressure from their core supporters to stand up to the Republican president and his policies.

Thune said Democrats are going to have to “dial back” their demands, which include immediately extending health insurance subsidies and reversing the health care policies in the massive tax bill that Republicans passed over the summer Absent that, Thune said, “we’re probably plunging forward toward the shutdown.”

It’s just the latest standoff in Washing-

Democrats have shown little signs of relenting, just before spending runs out Wednesday Their position remained the same even after the White House Ofﬁce of Management and Budget on Wednesday released a memo that said agencies should consider a “reduction in force” for many federal programs if the government closes meaning thousands of federal workers could be permanently laid off.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, said the OMB memo was simply an “attempt at intimidation” and predicted the “unnecessary ﬁrings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back.”

High court keeps in place Trump’s funding freeze

Ruling threatens billions of dollars in foreign aid

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Friday extended an order that allows President Donald Trump’s administration to keep frozen nearly $5 billion in foreign aid, handing him another victory in a dispute over presidential power

With the three liberal justices in dissent, the court’s conservative majority granted the Republican administration’s emergency appeal in a case involving billions of dollars in congressionally approved aid.

Trump said last month that he would not spend the money, invoking disputed authority that was last used by a president roughly 50 years ago.

The Justice Department sought the high court’s intervention after U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled that Trump’s action was likely illegal and that Congress would have to approve the decision to withhold the funding.

The federal appeals court in Washington declined to put Ali’s ruling on hold, but Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily blocked it on Sept. 9. The full court indefinitely extended Roberts’ order

The court has previously cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip legal protections from hundreds of thousands of migrants, fire thousands of federal employees, oust transgender members of the military and remove the heads of independent government agencies.

The legal victories, while not final rulings, all have come through emergency appeals, used sparingly under previous presidencies, to fast-track cases to the Supreme Court, where decisions are often handed down with no explanation.

Trump told House Speak-

er Mike Johnson, R-Benton, in a letter Aug. 28 that he would not spend $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch. He used what’s known as a pocket rescission. That’s a rarely used maneuver when a president submits a request to Congress toward the end of a current budget year to not spend the approved money The late notice essentially ﬂips the script. Under federal law Congress has to approve the rescission within 45 days or the money must be spent. But the budget year will end before the 45-day window closes, and in this situation the White House is asserting that congressional inaction allows it to not spend the money The majority wrote in an unsigned order that Trump’s authority over foreign affairs weighed heavily in its decision, while cautioning that it was not making a ﬁnal ruling in the case. But that was cold comfort to the dissenters. “The effect is to prevent the funds from reaching their intended recipients — not just now but (because of their impending expiration) for all time,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her dissent, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The Trump administration has made deep reductions to foreign aid one of its hallmark policies, despite the relatively meager savings relative to the deficit and possible damage to America’s reputation abroad as people lose access to food supplies and development programs. The high court’s decision “further erodes separation of powersprinciples thatare fundamental to our constitutional order,” said Nick Sansone, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group who represented the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition in the case. “It will also have a grave humanitarian impact on vulnerable communitiesthroughouttheworld.”

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PRESS PHOTO By STEFAN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds up a map Friday while speaking at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters.

Thune

Stabbing spursoutcryoverBlack-on-Whiteviolence

Data shows such occurrences arerare

BY AARON MORRISON and TERRYTANG Associated Press

After aUkrainian woman whofled war in her home country was stabbed to death on acommuter train in North Carolina, the alarmingact of violence ignited bitter racial and political rhetoric about crime victims and perpetrators in America.

The fatal attack last month, in which the alleged perpetrator was identified as aBlack man,evoked such visceral reactions partly because it was caught on surveillancevideo that went viral online.OnTuesday, North Carolina’sLegislature passed acriminal justice package named after the victim to limit defendants’ eligibility for bail and to encourage them to undergo mental health evaluations.

Rhetoric about the attack, including claims about “Black-on-White-crime,” has spread from social media and broadcast airwaves to the halls of Congress and the White House. Someof it leverages cherry-picked cases and ill-framedcrime statistics to reproduce ageold harmful narratives about Black criminality and threats to White populations.

It comes at atime when Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have been hyping the rhetoric as part of afocus on cities with reputations of violence. But despite the rhetoric, the data shows that in most U.S. communities, victims of violence and offenders are usually the same race or ethnicity

Violent incidents where the offenders andthe victims are of different races “is extremely uncommon,”

saidCharis Kubrin, acriminology professor at the University of California-Irvine. It is “the exception rather than the rule.”

Peopleare more likely to be victimized by people they knowand interactwith regularly in their socialsphere, sheadded.

The most recentbreakdown of federal crime statisticsbears that out.Black offenders were involved in about 15% of violent victimizationsofWhite people between2017 and 2021, according todata from the Bureau of JusticeStatistics, which publishes multiyear crime trend reports every few years. Whiteoffenders were involved in overhalf of violenceagainstother White people,the statisticsshow

The reportshowed similartrendswhenitcameto violent crimescommitted againstBlack victims. White offenders were involved in about12% thosecrimes against Black people, while Black offenderswereinvolved in 60% of violence againstother Blackpeople.

The Aug. 22 killing of 23-year-oldUkrainian refugee Iryna Zarutskabecame aﬂashpoint in online discussionsabout crimevictims and race after surveillance video of the attack in Charlotte, North Carolina, circulatedwidely online Zarutska was knifed to death on the city’sLynx Blue Line light rail. Footage showed the alleged attacker pacing through the trainand spreading the woman’sblood on theﬂoors of thetrain car Decarlos BrownJr.,a Black man, has been charged with first-degree murder andfacesfederal charges of committinganact causing death on amass transportation system. Conservative activists, includingTrumppolitical ally Charlie Kirk, were quick to call out what they decried

as adoublestandard in reporting on such crimes by themainstream media. Kirk once said on his popular podcast,“prowling Blacks go around for fun totarget Whitepeople.”

Speaking aboutthe Charlotte attack,Kirksaid:“If a randomWhite person on a subway took out aknife and stabbed aBlack girlsenselessly to death, there would be massive media coverage.”

“Therewould be policy changes. …Wesaw this in GeorgeFloyd,”the 31-yearold saidonhis podcastaday beforehewas killed on a Utah universitycampus North Carolina Republicans also weighedin, some blaming what theycalled Democrats’ “woke policies” on crime, including cashless bail, as the reason presumably dangerous people like Zarutska’salleged attacker were roamingfree to pose threats to thepublic.

The North Carolina chapterofthe Council on American-Islamic Relations, acivil

rights group thatprimarily advocates againstanti-Muslim sentiments, said: “We also condemnthose using this crime to resurrect racisttalking points aboutthe Black community.”

“This selective outrage is dangerous, hypocritical, and racially motivated, especially given that White supremacists fall silent about other stabbings, mass shootings, hate crimes, ﬁnancial crimes, rapes and various other misconduct committedbypeople of all races and backgrounds,” thegroup said in astatement.

Some criminologistscaution againstrelying on raw count crime numbersasit relates to the raceofvictims and offenders because population size matters. NonHispanic Black people made up roughly 13% of the U.S. populationin2024, according to census estimates. NonHispanic Whitepeople make up the largestracial group in theU.S.— an estimated 56% of the total population

in 2024 —so“there are just moreWhite people that could be potential offenders,” Kubrin said.

Black-on-White and Whiteon-Black violence are both extremely rare, she added.

The National Criminal Victimization Survey conducted in 2023 by the Justice Departmentgathered data on nearly 6million violent incidents reportedbylaw enforcement. Their ﬁndings show over 3.5 millioninvolved aWhite victim; White offenders were involved in more than half of those crimes, while only one-tenth involved Black offenders.

When akilling or violent interactionbetweenpeople of different races grabs the headlinesand social media —especially if there is video —itistempting to usethat as confirmation of preconceived notions that Blackon-White crimeorviceversaare suddenlyspiking, Kubrin said. But in reality, they make up asmall share of hundreds of thousands of

violent crimesmostly involving people of the same race, she said.

Brett Tolman, executive director of Right on Crime aconservative criminal justicegroup, thinks people should notfocusonrace but rather where violent crimes are happening the most. Even if data shows crimehas been on adownward trend, that can be of little comfort if people constantly feel unsafe, he said.

“Let’sstart making it about communitiesthat want to feel safe,” Tolman said. “I hear from just as many that are living in inner cities, regardless of theirpolitics, that they want safety and security.”

Black-on-Black crime is a ﬂawed premise, according to criminologists, because people of all racial groups experience crime due to their social networks andproximity to each other But in discussions about systemicracism in policing and the criminal justice system,it’sfrequently argued that Black-on-Black crime should be thechief concern of Black communities— more thanpolicebrutality or racial proﬁling —because homicide has been aleading cause of death amongBlack men. Even as crime rates have fallendramatically for White and Black populations over time, misinformed rhetoric around crimeand violence perpetuates racialized narratives on the issues, said Trymaine Lee, aPulitzer Prize-winning journalist who recently published abook about gun violence, “A Thousand Ways to Die.”

“When you have anation so bound by violenceasthe United States, it’sonly amatter of time that that binding snapsand lashes at us all,” he said, adding that violence “isn’tthe domain of Black Americans alone.”

Tennesseegovernorsaysmorefederal agents coming to Memphis

BY JONATHAN MATTISE and TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. For two weeks, Memphis has been bracing for an influx of National Guard troops after President Donald Trump announced his intention to deploy them to the city On Friday,residents finally learned more aboutthat plan,and it looks to be verydifferent from thedeployments in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C Tennessee Gov.Bill Lee said Friday that the troops will be partofasurge of resources to fight crime in the city that includes 13 federal

agencies and state troopers. The National Guardtroops will be from Tennessee,and they will be deputizedbythe U.S. MarshalsService to support local law enforcementin the majority Blackcity

The Republican governor said the troops will notmake arrestsand will not be armed unless local law enforcement officials request it. Lee has previouslysaidhe doesn’tthink there will be more than 150 Guard members deployedtoMemphis,but he latersaidthe number is still in the planning stages. Apostonthe city’s website says, “Guardsmen andwomen will beeasily identiﬁable

in their standard uniforms thatthey wear every day

The guardsmen andwomen will not be wearing masks.” It continues: “Armored tanks will not be aresource used in this mission.

“The story of crimein Memphis is about to be a story of the past,” Lee said at anews conference in Memphis where he stood with city, state and federal ofﬁcials including the Memphismayor and police chief.

The “Memphis Safe Task Force” will beginoperations next week, Leesaid. He could notgiveanexact timeline for when each agency would start to deploy resources to thecity,saying it will occur in phases.Hesaid agents from the FBI, Bureau of

Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration will arrive next week.

He saidhewillnot declare astate of emergency

While the Republican governor has embraced federal intervention, Memphis Mayor Paul Young has taken a pragmatic approach. Young, who is aDemocrat,has said he never asked for National Guardtroops but recognized theywill come regardless of his opinion.

“Mygoal is to make sure that as resources come into ourcommunity,weﬁnd ways to use them effectively and for thebenefit of the residentsofour great city,”he said at the news conference.

While discussing the de-

ployment, both Republican and Democratic officials have noted recent decreases in someMemphis crimemetrics. Young noted that crime ratesinMemphis have been falling but “wehave alot of worktodotoget crime at a level where people really,really feel it.”

Both Young and Leeemphasizedthatthe surge of resourcesisnot intended to be aquick fix but rather a sustained effort.

“It will operate as long as it takes,” Lee said.

“Success looks like Memphis being asafecity,Memphis beingaplace where people have no concerns about going out with their family,about locating their business,” he said, adding

“When peoplerecognizethe city of Memphis as one of the safest places in America, that’ll be success.”

In addition to the federal troops and agents, Lee said the state will provide $100 milliontoMemphis for public safety initiatives as well as 300 statetroopers. That will allow 100 troopers to be on the ground at any one time. Lee said that’sasigniﬁcantincreasefor Shelby County,where Memphis is located. For its part, the Memphis Police Department hasmore than 2,000 full-time police ofﬁcers. The Shelby CountySheriff’s Office has morethan 600 law enforcementdeputies, with hundreds more who workin corrections.

By The Associated Press

ATLANTA— Ajury in Atlan-

ta on Friday found aman guilty of murderand other charges and was sentenced to life in prison in theJuly 2020 shooting death of an 8-year-old girl who was ridinginanSUV neara weekslong protest at the site where police had fatally shot aBlack man. Julian Conley,25, was convicted of murder,aggravated assault and gang-

related charges in the killingofSecoriea Turner.Murder carries amandatory life sentence in Georgia. Thejudge is left to decide whether or not to grant the possibility of parole, which is notallowed until30 years of the sentence has been served.

Fulton County Superior CourtJudge Rachelle Carnesale sentenced Conleyto serve lifeinprisonwithout the possibility ofparoleon the murdercharge because

of his“reckless disregard for thelife of thischild.” He was also sentenced to an additional 25 years on other charges.

Asecondman,Jerrion McKinney,earlier this month received a40-year sentence, with 20 years to serve in prison after pleading guiltytoaggravated assault, gun andgang-related charges in the girl’sdeath. Tears ran down theface of Charmaine Turner,Secoriea’smother,asthe jury

foreperson read the verdict. She and the girl’sfather Secoriey Williamson, both urged thejudgetogiveConley themaximum sentence possible, saying theyhad seen no remorse.

Conley’smother,Robyn Conley,told the judge, “Julianwould like me to say thatheistruly sorry for the loss of Secoriea Turner.” She urgedCarnesale to showleniency and to impose asentence that reﬂectsthe ﬁve yearsher son

has already served and his potentialfor growth.

She turned to face Secoriea’sfamily in thecourtroom and said, “My family’s heartand my heartgoesout to youalways.” Carnesale said she appreciated the words of both families, acknowledging the suffering on both sides. She describedthe caseas “fraught with conﬂict” and “a tragedy.” She said videos shownduring trial showed Conley brandishinga gun and acting as a“self-appointed enforcer.” Secoriea was riding in the back of aJeep with her mother and her mother’s friend on July 4, 2020, near the Wendy’srestaurant where Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, had been killed by aWhite police officer weeks earlier Protesters hadbeen rallying againstpolice brutality nationwide since the May 2020 murder of George Floydby Minneapolis police.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By NELL REDMOND

Community members hold candles on Sept.22astheygather for amemorial honoring the life of Iryna Zarutska, whowas fatally stabbed on acommuter traininCharlotte, N.C.

Lee

U.N. Security Council rejects delay on Iran sanctions

BY FARNOUSH AMIRI and STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS

The U.N.

Security Council on Friday rejected another last-ditch effort to delay the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program a day before the deadline and after Western countries claimed that weeks of meetings failed to result in a “concrete” agreement.

The resolution put forth by Russia and China — Iran’s most powerful and closest allies on the 15-member council — failed to garner support from the nine countries required to halt the series of U.N. sanctions from taking effect Saturday, as outlined in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

“We had hoped that European colleagues and the U.S. would think twice, and they would opt for the path of diplomacy and dialogue instead of their clumsy blackmail, which merely results in escalation of the situation in the region,” Dmitry Polyanskiy, the deputy Russian ambassador to the U.N said during the meeting.

Barring an eleventh-hour deal, the reinstatement of sanctions — triggered by Britain, France and Germany — will once again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures. That will further squeeze the country’s reel-

ing economy In an interview Friday afternoon, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called the decision “unfair, unjust and illegal.”

The move is expected to heighten already magniﬁed tensions between Iran and the West. But despite previous threats to withdraw the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Pezeshkian said in an interview with a group of reporters that the country had no intention to do so right now North Korea, which abandoned the treaty in 2003, went on to build atomic weapons

Four countries — China, Russia, Pakistan and Algeria — once again supported giving Iran more time to negotiate with the European countries, known as the E3, and the United States, which unilaterally withdrew from the accord with world powers in 2018.

“The U.S. has betrayed diplomacy, but it is the E3 which have buried it,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the vote. “This sordid mess did not come about overnight. Both the E3 and the U.S. have consistently misrepresented Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.”

The European leaders triggered the so-called “snapback” mechanism last month after accusing Tehran of failing to comply with the conditions of the accord and when weeks of high-level negotiations failed to reach a diplomatic resolution.

Since the 30-day clock

nuclear program.

began, Araghchi, has been meeting with his French, British and German counterparts to strike a lastminute deal, leading up to this week’s U.N. General Assembly gathering. But those talks appeared futile, with one European diplomat telling The Associated Press on Wednesday that they “did not produce any new developments, any new results.”

Therefore European sources “expect that the snapback procedure will continue as planned.”

Even before Araghchi and Pezeshkian arrived in New

House panel chair demands brieﬁng on TikTok deal

BY DIDI TANG Associated Press

WASHINGTON The chair of a House committee that pushed for the law demanding TikTok be spun off from its Chinese owners has requested an urgent brieﬁng from the White House, one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order supporting a proposed deal that would put the popular social video platform under U.S. ownership.

In a statement released Friday, Rep. John Moolenaar, the chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, praised the proposed deal as “an important step” in transitioning ownership of the TikTok platform to American hands but he emphasized that “divestment was not the law’s only requirement.”

“The law also set firm guardrails that prohibit cooperation between ByteDance and any prospective TikTok successor on the all-important recommendation algorithm, as well as preclude operational ties between the new entity and ByteDance,” Moolenaar said.

The Michigan Republican’s statement marks the ﬁrst congressional effort to conduct oversight into the negotiations over TikTok, coming nearly two weeks after Chinese and Ameri-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding TikTok on Thursday in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington.

can officials met in Spain to discuss a framework divestment deal for TikTok. Trump on Thursday signed an executive order providing support for the deal, and said Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to move forward with negotiations.

The White House didn’t respond to an inquiry from The Associated Press regarding the urgent brieﬁng.

Much is still unknown about the actual deal in the works, but the new U.S. venture would license the famed ByteDance-owned algorithm that currently keeps TikTok users engaged. U.S. tech giant Oracle, a conﬁrmed partner in the U.S. investment consortium that would own TikTok,

would audit the copy of the algorithm and monitor it for security purposes.

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday assured the public that the deal would not only keep TikTok operating but also protect Americans’ data privacy as required by law Moolenaar on Friday said he would like to know more.

While algorithms are valuable assets, the real value of TikTok is its users, which is likely why the consortium won’t just start from scratch to build a new app, said computer scientist Bart Knijnenburg, an associate professor at Clemson University who has studied how recommendation systems steer people to online content.

Moldova bars 2 pro-Russian parties from tense parliamentary election H

BY STEPHEN MCGRATH Associated Press

York on Tuesday for the annual gathering, remarks from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that peace talks with the United States represent “a sheer dead end” constrained any eleventh-hour diplomatic efforts from taking place.

Iranian officials have defended their position over the last several weeks, saying that they’ve put forward “multiple proposals to keep the window for diplomacy open.” On Friday, Araghchi said in a social media post that “the E3 has failed to reciprocate” efforts, “while the

U.S. has doubled down on its dictates.” He urged the Security Council to vote in favor of an extension to provide the “time and space for diplomacy.” European nations have said they would be willing to extend the deadline if Iran complies with a series of conditions. Those include resumption of direct negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear program, allowing U.N. nuclear inspectors access to its nuclear sites, and accounts for the more than 880 pounds of highly enriched uranium the U.N.

watchdog says it has.

Of all the nations in the world that don’t have nuclear weapons programs, Iran is the only nation in the world that enriches uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels. Earlier this month, the U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran signed an agreement mediated by Egypt to pave the way for resuming cooperation, including on ways of relaunching inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities. However, Iran has threatened to terminate that agreement and cut all cooperation with the IAEA should U.N. sanctions be reimposed. Iran has been wary of giving full access to inspectors following the 12-day war with Israel in June that saw both the Israelis and the Americans bomb Iranian nuclear sites, throwing into question the status of Tehran’s stockpile of uranium enriched nearly to weaponsgrade levels. But a diplomat close to the IAEA confirmed on Friday that inspectors are currently in Iran where they are inspecting a second undamaged site, and will not leave the country ahead of the expected reimposition of sanctions this weekend. IAEA inspectors earlier watched a fuel replacement at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on Aug. 27 and 28. The Europeans have said this action alone is not enough to halt the sanctions from coming into place Saturday

Tropical weather slamming Caribbean, may strike U.S.

By The Associated Press

MIAMI Dangerous tropical weather brewed Friday in the Atlantic Ocean with Humberto intensifying into a major Category 3 hurricane and a system forecasters dubbed “Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine” striking the Caribbean and taking aim at the Southeast United States.

Hurricane Humberto had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, the Miamibased National Hurricane Center said in an advisory Humberto was expected to keep strengthening over the next several days and churned Friday afternoon about 430 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.

Humberto could produce life-threatening surf and rip currents for the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Bermuda over the weekend, forecasters said.

Meanwhile, a tropical storm warning associated with Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine was issued for the Central Bahamas. The center of the tropical disturbance was about 55 miles north-northwest of the eastern tip of Cuba, forecasters

said. It had top winds of 35 mph. A tropical storm watch was issued for portions of the northwestern Bahamas. The hurricane center said the potential cyclone was likely to become a tropical depression — the next name in the alphabet would be Imelda on Saturday By Sunday, it could be a tropical storm.

The forecast put the system on track to approach the Southeast U.S. over the weekend and into early next week.

South Carolina Gov Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency over the storm Friday evening saying while there was uncertainty, the state needed to prepare. The declaration allows state emergency ofﬁcials to begin coordination with local and federal governments and assures people will be eligible for federal aid.

Earlier in the day, crews in Charleston, South Carolina, were getting sandbags together, checking high water vehicles and preparing pumps to get any ﬂoodwater out of the city

“Even though this has not formed yet, we are treating it as if we are expecting some kind of impact. That’s

critical. We don’t want to downplay the scenario,” Chief Fire Marshal Michael Julazadeh said at an emergency Charleston City Council meeting. The tropical disturbance has already brought heavy rains in the Dominican Republic on Friday leading authorities to evacuate hundreds of people and declare a red alert in ﬁve provinces. Flooding of rivers, streams, and ravines left dozens of communities cut off by landslides and fallen bridges, including one that collapsed while a truck was crossing, killing the driver in the community of Yamasá. Flooding in the southwestern province of Azua, one of the areas most affected by the rains, displaced at least 774 people, and 26 were being sheltered due to the overflowing of the Tábara River, Civil Defense spokesman Jensen Sánchez told The Associated Press. The Federal Emergency Management Agency urged residents of coastal areas in the Southeast U.S on Thursday to pay attention as that weather system continues to develop, saying its staff “is ready to respond swiftly, if needed.”

CHISINAU,Moldova Moldova’s electoral commission on Friday barred two pro-Russian parties from participating in this weekend’s tense parliamentary election, which is beleaguered by widespread claims of Russian interference. The outcome of Sunday’s high-stakes vote could determine whether Moldova, a Soviet republic until 1991 and a candidate for European Union membership since 2022, can continue on a path toward the EU or will be brought back under Russia’s orbit. The parties barred Friday, the Heart of Moldova and Moldova Mare, face allegations of illegal ﬁnancing and voter bribery The Heart of Moldova was one of four parties in the Russia-friendly Patriotic Electoral Bloc, or BEP, which is viewed as one of the main opponents of the ruling proWestern Party of Action and Solidarity in Sunday’s election. The Moldova Mare was another opposition party, but was widely expected to present less of a challenge

justice ministry requested the restrictions following searches earlier this month on Heart of Moldova party members that led to allegations of voter bribery, illegal party financing and money laundering. The BEP says it wants “friendship with Russia, “permanent neutrality” and a “state that serves the people, not ofﬁcials.”

The Central Electoral Commission’s action against the Heart of Moldova was based on a ruling a day earlier by the Chisinau Court of Appeal, which restricted the party’s activities for 12 months The

The electoral commission said in a statement that all candidates proposed by Heart of Moldova will be removed from the bloc’s list of candidates, and gave the bloc 24 hours to adjust its list to meet the representation thresholds required by electoral law

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANGELINA KATSANIS

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signs a note in a United Nations book Thursday during the U.N General Assembly at United Nations headquarters. The U.N. Security Council on Friday rejected another last-ditch effort to delay the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its

TRIAL

Continued from page 1A

Haynes’ defense attorney, Todd Clemons, on Tuesday asked for an additional seven days to review the record of the trial. Clemons wrote that the defense team “needs additional time to review the trial record and to confer with the defendant regarding the potential grounds for a motion for new trial,” Clemons wrote “The requested extension is necessary to fully consider the merits of said motion and to ﬁle same if that is deemed the appropriate course of action.”

He did not return a call for comment Thursday

U.S. Assistant Attorney Luke Walker did not oppose the request

U.S. District Court Judge David Joseph, who oversaw the trial, granted the extension, giving Haynes’ team until Oct. 9 to decide if they will request a new trial. Haynes is scheduled for sentencing by Joseph on Dec. 17.

Three men who pleaded guilty to their roles in the bribery scheme are scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 1 in Lafayette federal court.

Donald Washington, the attorney

TRUMP

Continued from page 1A

es of a politician determined to settle scores.”

The first former president convicted of a felony — for falsifying business records to hide hush-money payments to conceal an alleged affair — Trump won the White House despite a host of other legal troubles over his alleged retention of classiﬁed information after leaving the White House in 2021 and his role in stoking denials of his 2020 electoral defeat that culminated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Thursday’s moves were the latest in a concerted effort by Trump to wield the vast powers of his office in unparalleled ways to punish his enemies since returning to the Oval Office in January During his campaign, Trump made clear this was his intention if he returned to office.

“In 2016, I declared: I am your voice,” he said in 2023.

“Today, I add: I am your warrior I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

Earlier this week, he signed an order designating a decentralized movement known as antifa short for “anti-fascists” — as a

BUDGET

Continued from page 1A

The university has struggled to increase full-time undergraduate enrollment in recent years, a likely contributor to the deﬁcit. After full-time undergraduate enrollment swelled to 14,964 in 2017, the university has not reached that ﬁgure again This fall’s full-time undergraduate enrollment is 12,417.

Universities across the state — and the country — are also contending with declining enrollment.

It was among the reasons the University of New Orleans faced a $15 million deﬁcit last year. UNO, which was part of the UL system at the time, used layoffs, furloughs, college consolidations and more to make up its shortfall A UL spokesperson has not answered questions about whether employees could face layoffs, and UL officials have offered few details about the options they are weighing to address their budget gap. Hebert said this week that cuts to Academic Affairs would be only 5% to limit the impact felt by students.

“All I can say is that the interim president and his team are working to address a sustainable path forward for UL Lafayette,” said UL system President Rick Gallot on Friday “They’re working hard, and we’re certainly optimistic that they will chart the right course to move the University of Louisiana at Lafayette forward.” Gallot declined to com-

for one of them, Joseph Prejean, is asking the judge to delay his sentencing hearing until Nov 12-21 or Dec. 1-5.

The delay Washington wrote, is to give him more time to prepare for the hearing, where witnesses are expected to testify on Prejean’s behalf. Letters also are expected to be submitted to Joseph on behalf of Prejean, he wrote.

Neither prosecutors nor Prejean’s probation ofﬁcer objected to the delay

Prejean entered a plea deal in December 2023, pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery He admitted he accepted payments from offenders to take classes from vendors like himself with the pretrial intervention program to clear their criminal records. Participating vendors split the money with Dusty Guidry, who worked in the pretrial program, and Haynes.

Prejean, Guidry and vendor Leonard Franques are scheduled for sentencing Oct. 1. Guidry testiﬁed in Haynes’ trial Franques did not testify, but wore a recording device and allowed the FBI to videotape a meeting in early 2022 between himself, Haynes and Guidry

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@ theadvocate.com

domestic terrorist organiza-

tion, a move testing broad First Amendment protections enjoyed by organizations operating within the United States.

The Thursday memo went further, targeting liberalleaning groups and donors, and “represents a significant abuse of power where the government is either changing the law or bending definitions to try and investigate and punish their political opponents in a way that is really unprecedented,” said Caitlin Legacki, of Americans Against Government Censorship, which was founded to ﬁght the Trump administration’s weaponization of the federal government against its political rivals.

As for Comey, she said, “It reeks of selective prosecution, it reeks of vindictive targeting and calls into question the integrity of many of the charges being brought by the ofﬁce.”

Trump, meanwhile, denied Friday that he’s on a campaign of retribution “It’s about justice, really It’s not revenge, it’s about justice. It’s also about the fact that you can’t let this go on,” he told reporters. “They are sick, radical left people and they can’t get away with it.”

Asked who is next on his list, he responded: “It’s not a list, but I think there’ll be

others.”

Beyond Comey, Trump has also pressured prosecutors to bring mortgage fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought a massive civil fraud case against the president. Attorney General Pam Bondi last month named a special prosecutor to investigate mortgage fraud allegations against James and Democratic U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff of California, another top Trump target. Both have denied wrongdoing.

The Justice Department has also begun examining mortgage fraud allegations against Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor who’s won success in lower courts in challenging Trump’s effort to remove her from her job in a move she says is designed to erode the central bank’s independence. Trump has appealed to the Supreme Court to allow him to oust her

He has also stripped Secret Service protection from a slew of former ofﬁcials, including his 2024 Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, members of former President Joe Biden’s family, and people who’ve fallen from favor including his onetime national security adviser John Bolton and his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Trump has also targeted major institutions, revok-

ment on further specifics about their plans. Hebert’s meeting with UL system leaders was “productive and will continue in the coming weeks,” a university spokesperson said Friday UL system Chair Mark Romero did not return a message for this story Hebert took over the university in July after former President Joseph Savoie stepped down a year before his contract expired Before Savoie stepped down, the university’s vice president of finance and administration, Jerry Luke LeBlanc, resigned abruptly in May Edwin Litolff is serving as interim vice president of ﬁnance for UL. Some other factors, including changes at the federal level, could also affect UL’s funding.

A July report from the left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress said UL was set to lose $4.7 million in grant funding terminated by President Donald Trump’s administration. Generally university administrators who face major deficits have to make unpopular decisions and cut programs along with staff. The University of Arizona, for example, implemented hiring and spending freezes and restructured some ofﬁces to make up for a $177 million budget hole, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The university also raised revenue by changing how it manages enrollment and ﬁnancial aid allocation. Email Megan Wyatt at mwyatt@theadvocate. com.

ing security clearances for attorneys at law firms he disfavors, pulling billions of dollars in federal research funds from elite universities, and securing multimillion-dollar settlements against media organizations in lawsuits that were widely regarded as weak cases.

Earlier this week, he threatened ABC over the network’s decision to allow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to return to the airwaves.

“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative,” Trump crowed.

And his administration has ﬁred or reassigned federal employees for their earlier work, including prosecutors who worked on cases against him. The Justice Department also ﬁred

Comey’s daughter Maurene Comey, from her job as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. She has since sued, saying the termination was politically motivated.

Tr ump, meanwhile, cheered the Comey indictment, saying “JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” had been served, even as Comey denied wrongdoing and expressed conﬁdence in being acquitted at trial.

The indictment was the culmination of a pressure campaign that burst into public view over the weekend when Trump aired his frustrations with Bondi on his social media site and demanded she move forward with charges against Comey, James and Schiff.

“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” he wrote on Truth Social Saturday “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED,

NOW!!!” He said he would nominate Lindsey Halligan, his former personal lawyer and a White House aide, to serve as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to quicken the pace after the ouster of chief prosecutor Erik Siebert, who resigned under pressure to bring charges against James.

The charges against Comey came even as prosecutors in the ofﬁce had written a memo detailing concerns about the pursuit of an indictment and their likelihood of success at trial.

The former FBI director said in a video he’s innocent but knew “standing up to Donald Trump” would come with costs.

“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great conﬁdence in the federal judicial system, and I am innocent,” Comey said.

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Gary Haynes, a former assistant district attorney in the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, arrives at the

John M. Shaw Federal Courthouse on Sept. 18.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE University of Louisiana at Lafayette interim President Jaimie Hebert has presented plans for potential cuts to officials who oversee the UL system.

Assata Shakur,fugitiveBlack activist sought by U.S.,dies

BY PHILIP MARCELO

Associated Press

Assata Shakur,aBlack liberation activist who was given political asylum in Cuba after her 1979 escape from aU.S.prisonwhere shehad been serving alife sentence for killing apolice officer, has died, her daughter and the Cuban government said. Shakur,who was born Joanne Deborah Chesimard, died Thursday in the capital city of Havana due to “health conditions and advanced age,” Cuba’sMinistryofForeign Affairs said in astatement. Shakur’sdaughter, Kakuya Shakur,confirmed her mother’sdeath in aFacebook post. OfficialsinNew Jersey, where Shakur had been arrested, convicted and imprisoned, said she was 78. AmemberofBlack Panther Party and Black Liberation Army,Shakur’scase had long been emblematic of the fraught relations between the U.S. and Cuba. American authorities, including President Donald Trump during his ﬁrst term, demanded her return from the communist nation for decades.

The FBI put Shakur on its list of “most wanted terrorists,” but, in her telling —and in the minds of her supporters —she was pursued for crimes she didn’tcommit or that were justiﬁed. Shakur had previously been indicted multipletimes in connection with robberies and the murder of two police ofﬁcers, butall of the charges had either been dismissed or resulted in her acquittal. Then, on May 2, 1973, she and two others were pulled over by New JerseyState Police troopersbecause the cartheyweredriving hada broken taillight. Agunfight ensued and one of the troopers, Werner Foerster,was killed and another was wounded. One of Shakur’scompanions was also killed.

The New York City native ﬂed but was eventually ap-

Shakur, aBlackliberation activist whowas given political asylum in Cubaafter her 1979 escape from aU.S prison where she had beenserving alife sentence for killing apolice officer, has died at age78, herdaughter and the Cuban government said.

prehended. She was found guilty ofmurder, armed robbery and othercrimes in 1977 andwas sentencedto life in prison.

Shakur’sprison stint was short-lived, though.InNovember 1979, members of the Black Liberation Army, posing as visitors, stormed the ClintonCorrectional Facility forwomen, took two guards hostage and commandeeredaprison van tobreak herout. Shakur disappeared before eventuallyemerging in 1984 in Cuba, where Fidel Castro grantedher asylum.

OfferingShakur safe harbor was one of themost famous examples of Cuba aligning itselfwithwhat it describesasrevolutionary forces struggling against the oppressive capitalist empire to the north.

Much likeCuba supported anti-colonial and left-wing forces in Africa,Centraland South America,the Cuban government saw thearmed Black liberation movement in the U.S. as part of aglobal revolutionary struggle.

New Jersey State Assem-

blyman Michael Inganamort, who sponsored aresolution last year calling on Cuba to extradite Shakur,lamented Friday that “justicewas neverserved”inFoerster’s death, whilethe laborunion representing New Jerseyofﬁcers dismissed Shakur “for her crime and cowardice.”

New JerseyGov.Phil Murphy andState PoliceSuperintendentPatrick Callahan said they would “vigorously oppose”any attempttorepatriate Shakur’sremains to the U.S. “Sadly,itappears shehas passedwithout being held fully accountable for her heinous crimes,” they said in ajoint statement. “Unlike his killer,Trooper Foerster never had achance to live out his days in peace.”

Sundiata Acoli, who was also convicted in Foerster’s killing, wasgrantedparole in 2022 after being imprisoned for nearly threedecades In herwritings over the years, Shakur has maintained she didn’tshoot anyone and had her hands in the airwhenshe was wounded during the gunﬁre.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Assata

Funonthe farm

ABOVE: Andy Smith sings popular songs that makechildren danceatthe 8th annual Farm Fest at Shadows-on-the-Teche in New Iberia on Thursday.The event marks thebeginning of theLouisianaSugarCane Festival.Families enjoyed farm demonstrations, apetting zoo, crafts,games and musicians 2NL Jazz Comboand the Andy Smith Band. Adam Foreman, director of Shadowson-the-Teche, said 120 volunteers, which include Key Club students from New Iberia Senior High and Beta Clubstudents from Catholic HighSchool, are needed to put on the event. BELOWLEFT: Camille Moore laughs at her grandfather David Moore at Farm Fest on Thursday BELOWRIGHT: Tremton Simpson Jr.tosses abeanbag duringFarm Fest on Thursday PHOTOSByLEE BALL

Police:Mother shot during domestic dispute

Lafayettepolice are investigating adomestic-related shooting involving amother and her son

BLOTTER Advocate staff reports

The suspect has been identiﬁed as Julian Parson, 40, of Lafayette. At approximately3:03 p.m. Thursday,Lafayettepolice officers responded to ashooting in the 200 block of Leonie Street. Preliminary investigation revealed adomestic disturbance between the suspect and his mother,the victim. The mother suffered agunshot injurythatwas not life-threateningand was transported to ahospital for treatment.

Parson was booked into Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on one count of domestic abuse battery with the use of adangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury The Lafayette Police Department is investigating thisincident, and additional information willbe released as it becomes available

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

After 32 years at thepodium, Gerald Guilbeaux will conduct his final performance Oct. 12 with theLafayetteConcert Band at Lafayette High School’s

new Scotty Walker Concert Hall. For Gu ilbeaux,a native of Carencro whogrew up surrounded by Cajun music and culture, it will feel like closing the door on alifelong journey thatbegan with atuba in his hands. “I grewupinCajun music,”

Guilbeaux said. “It wasn’tclassical music in aformal sense, but it was always part of the culture and apart of me.” That love of musicdeepened in high school under band director Louis Major,and later at the UniversityofLouisiana at Lafayette,where John Guilfard also helped shape him into the conductor he would become. Guilbeaux joined the

ä See GUILBEAUX, page 2B

OneStarbucks to closeinLafayette

Staff report

At least one Starbucks location in Lafayette is closing this weekasthe Washington-based coffee giantannounced at least 500 stores were shuttering across theU.S.ina$1billion restructure. Thestore, at 5709 Johnston St., will closeatthe endofthe week, according to media reports.Aletter to guests was placedonthe door of the busi-

ness Thursday Theletterwas shared by KPEL andinthe Closed in Lafayette Facebook group.The Starbucks store thanked guests for their patronage and encouraged Acadiana residents to visit other stores nearby “Thank you for beinga part of our story,” theletter reads. The Johnston Street Starbucks is closing ayear after the building underwent $550,000 in renovations.

Yetthe company is moving forward on opening twolocations in Lafayette —at3300 Johnston St. at aformer Wendy’ssite, and at 3105 Louisiana Ave. Both sites areowned by an LLC registered to New Orleans realestatedeveloper CraigRipley.The JohnstonStreet site includes a15-year lease with Starbucks, while the Louisiana Avenue site has a10-year lease, records show

BY KRISTINASKELSON Staff writer

Early voting forthe Oct. 11 election starts Sept.27and ends Oct 4, excluding Sunday, Sept.28, from 8:30 a.m. to 6p.m. Runoff elections, if needed, are scheduled Nov.15. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 7by4:30

Guilbeaux

Manpleadsguiltyto first-degree murder

Victim’s family reacts to two consecutivelife sentences

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

AMITE— More than ayear after being arrested in the brutal slayings of amother and daughter that stunned aquiet northshore community,asubdued Daniel Callihan pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of ﬁrst-degree murder In exchange for Callihan’sguilty plea, the21stJudicial District Attorney’sOfﬁce agreed not to take him to trial and ask ajury to sentence him to death. Callihan received two consecutive life sentences in prison, handed down by state District Judge Brian K. Abels at the Tangipahoa Parish Courthouse in Amite.

Brunett’solder daughter survived and was found near where Callihan was caught. Callihan watched impassively as Callie Brunett’s sister,Brandi Hosch, gave avictim’simpact statement for the family in thepacked courtroom. She saidCallihan deservesworse than alife behind bars, but the family wanted to make sure Callie Brunett’ssurviving daughterdoesn’t have to seehim again insidea courtroom

“You do not deserve this grace,” shesaid HoschcalledCallihan “a monster,a predator,a murderer,arapist, athief and acoward.”

“Thiscannotbe undone, forgotten, forgiven or ever coped with,” she said.“It sickensme that you get to live.”

Quoting from St. Paul’sletter to theRomans, she added, “Do not takerevengebut leaveroom for God’swrath.”

“You are ademon,” she told Callihan.

engage in criminalsexual activitystemming from the murder and kidnapping. He also faces life in prison on thefederal convictions and is scheduled to be formally sentenced in federal court in November Callihan also is due in court Monday in Hinds County,Mississippi, where his attorney, KerryCuccia, indicated he will enter guilty pleas in crimes he has been charged in Mississippi.

Outside the courthouse, Cucciasaidhewas satisﬁed with the outcome of the Tangipahoa Parishcase.

“Everyone saw the wisdom of the result,” he said.

Asked if Callihan has expressed remorse,Cuccia said“this is adifferent man than the person who committed theseacts.”

He said Callihan is now medicated, which he should have been for years.

“He knows exactly why he’shere today,” Cuccia said. “He can never make amends. This is the only thinghecan do.”

After 32 years at the podium, GeraldGuilbeaux will conduct his final performance on Oct. 12 with the Lafayette ConcertBand at Lafayette High School’s new Scotty Walker ConcertHall

GUILBEAUX

Continuedfrom page1B

Lafayette Concert Band as acharter member in 1982 and became its conductor in 1993.

At the time, the group performedsporadically He formalized asix-concertseasoneachyear,helpingthe ensemble grow in size and reputation. Today, nearly 90 volunteer musiciansfill the roster, with members ranging from students to retirees. “Some people left andcame back years later,and some never left,” Guilbeaux said. “That’s thebeautyofit. It’s community.”

exhilarating experience

“It’sencouraging 96 people to act as one. All Ido is wave astick, but when it all comes together,it’s magical.”

His farewell program willopenwithSteven Reineke’s“Celebration Fanfare” and include Gustav Holst’s“First Suite in E-ﬂat,” which he refers to as theconcert’sbandrepertoire.Guest conductors andthe Lafayette High School Wind Ensemble will also take part.

In June 2024, Callihan killed 35-year-old Callie Brunett and her 4-yearold daughter,Erin, who he kidnapped along with her 6-year-old sister.Brunett’s body was found in her home in Loranger; her daughter’s body was found near Jackson, Mississippi, where Callihan andawomanidentiﬁed as an accomplice,Victoria Cox, were apprehended after search that spanned portions of Louisiana and Mississippi.

There was aheavy police presence as Callihan, in handcuffs and wearing a gray-blue jumpsuit,entered Abels’ courtroom. Abels asked Callihan severalquestions throughout the proceedingtogaugehis understanding.Callihan answered clearly,“Yes, sir”toeach of the judge’s questions.

Callihan’s pleaFriday followed his guilty plea in August to federal charges of kidnappingresultingin death and transporting a minor across statelines to

ScottPerrilloux,district attorney forTangipahoa, Livingstonand St. Helena parishes,said the Brunett family was satisﬁedwith the proceedings.

“Hopefully,the community will start healing,”he said. The process “has taken its toll.”

As part of the plea, Callihanwillserve the life sentences for the Tangipahoa Parish conviction first, a symbolic gesture prosecutors wanted forthe family and the community

Thirdparty blamed for911 outage

AT&T says disruption was notstatewide

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

AT&T,the telecommuni-

cationsgiant that handles emergency communication infrastructure for mostof the country,said Thursday’shourslong911 outages across Louisiana were caused by aﬁber line being cut in Mississippi. Aspokesperson for the company said unnamed third parties are responsible for the line being cut.

“9-1-1 servicecontinues to operatenormally across previouslyaffected areas,”

AT&T said in statement sent Thursday evening. “The issues were caused by ﬁber cuts made by third parties.”

AT&T saidatnotimedid any of the three affected stateshaveoutagesthat were statewide. More than adozen law enforcement agencies in Louisiana reported alack of connection to the 911

BLOTTER

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Police: Four arrested in high school fight

Lafayette police saida ﬁght inside aboys’ restroom at Northside High School left one studentinjured and four arrested. The incident happened on Wednesday shortly before 11:30 a.m., according to police. They sayitinvolved multiple students, one of whom had apair of scissors.

During the ﬁght, 18-yearoldJeremiah Clovis was reportedly cut on the hand. Clovis was also arrested and charged with simple battery, resisting arrestand battery of apolice officer.Jailrecords show he was later released on bond.

Police said another student accused of cutting the victim’shand with scissors was taken to the Lafayette

emergency line in their parishes, including: East Baton Rouge, Orleans, Jefferson, Lafayette, Rapides, St.Tammany, Tangipahoa, Bossier, Caddo, Terrebonne and Lafourche. Multiple Mississippi countiesalso reported outages.

Many of theseagencies described the outage as statewide,and most issued alternativenumbersfor residents to call or text for help. Astatement from the Union, Mississippi Police Department, gavesome context on 911 infrastructure and how failures like these can occurfollowing the outages. “911 networks depend heavily onﬁberopticcables to carry calls. In Mississippi, those lines rununder highways,through rural areas, and between carriers,” thedepartment’sstatement read. “When oneline gets cut, calls are usually rerouted. But if multiple cuts happenatonce(like we saw today),there maybeno backup path.” Thatled to residentsinLouisiana and Mississippi being unableto make 911 calls.

Parish Juvenile Detention Center on acharge of aggravatedbattery withadangerousweapon

Two16-year-old boys were also arrestedonsimple battery charges.

Founder of distillery faces rape charge

The president, founder and chief brand ofﬁcerofa Lafayette distillery is facing athird-degree rape charge, accordingtojail records.

Tait Martin, 51, wasarrested and charged Thursday, according to Lafayette Parish Correctional Center records. His bail was set at $15,000. Third-degree rape can occurwhen aperson does not or cannot consent to sex becausethe victim was incapacitated, incapable of understanding thenature of the act or believes another person iscommittingthe act,according to statelaw If convicted, Martin faces up to 25 years in prison.

Livingston Parishwas one oasis of sustainedconnection amid Thursday’s outages.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office attributed thistotheirNext Generation 911 system,which replaced legacy copper wire technology with amodern, Internet Protocol(IP)-based infrastructure. In apromotional video for thesystem released in 2024, Sheriff Jason Ard said Livingston911 operators would “be among the ﬁrst to serve and protect using the newest technology available.”

Livingston Parish911 Director Jack Varnado said the Next Generation 911 systemwould help prevent linesfrom dropping during hurricanes and ﬂoods, citing howLivingston’s911 center wasunderwaterduring the 2016 ﬂoods and had to relocate.

“Wewere successful, but that took time,and in our business, time is of theessence,”hesaid.

Email QuinnCoffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

Martin is listed as the president andfounderofWildcat BrothersDistilling, which is located on theEvangeline Thruway.Martin joined the enterprise in 2019.

TheAcadiana Advocate hasreached outtothe Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, which arrested Martin, for more information about his arrest

ForGuilbeaux, the band reflectsjust that, acommunity in itself. “Wehave doctors, attorneys, homemakers, students, retirees, people from every walk of life,” he said.

During his tenureasa conductor and musician, the band has since earned national recognition, including the Sudler Silver Scroll from theJohn Philip Sousa Foundation, the highest distinctionavailable to North American communitybands. It has performed morethan 200 concerts, from local parks to national conventions. For Guilbeaux, highlights include hosting the 1997 Association of Concert Bands convention in Lafayette anda Memorial Day concert at The National WWII MuseuminNew Orleans.

Conducting, he said, is an

BALLOT

Continuedfrom page1B

Lafayette Parishballots

will include:

LAFAYETTE PARISHSCHOOL SYSTEM MILLAGE OF 7.79MILLS

The LPSS millage generates about $20 million annually for the school district, said School Board Member Roddy Bergeron. The existing property tax that voters will be asked to renew has existed for 50 years. The moneycollected goes toward the district’sgeneral fund and helps with operations and maintenance. That includes teacher salaries, transportation costs and utilities for the district’s 46 campuses.

BAYOUVERMILION DISTRICT MILLAGE OF .75 MILLS

The BayouVermilion District millage generates morethan $2 millionan-

“It’sa celebration,” Guilbeauxsaid. “AndI’m leavingthe band in good hands.” Scotty Walker is set to becomethe organization’sseventh conductor Though stepping down, Guilbeaux isn’tleaving music. He will continue withthe Acadian Wind Symphony,asmaller invitation-only group he founded in 1994, and hopestodosome guest conducting nationally.As he reﬂects on his tenure, Guilbeaux said he hopes to be remembered forhis inclusive leadership.

“I am excited to seewhat comes next,” he said. “This band is about community, about people coming together for the same purpose and it always will be.”

The Lafayette Concert Band’scomplimentary farewell concert begins at 3:30 p.m. Sunday,Oct. 12, in the Scotty WalkerConcertHallatLafayette High School.

Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

nually.Ithelps fund Vermilionville,the living history museumthat attracts about 60,000 visitors each year, including tourists and school children.It also helpsfund cleanup and conservation efforts on theVermilion, which once had areputation as themostpolluted body of water in NorthAmerica.

LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT ROAD ANDBRIDGE MAINTENANCE MILLAGE OF 4.47 MILLS

This generates about $12.7 million annuallyto fund roadway servicing, bridge replacement and grass mowing for public areas.

LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY MILLAGE OF 3.81 MILLS

This millage generates about $10.8 million annually,which goestoward drainage, theanimal shelter,rural ﬁredepartments, and theCoroner’s Ofﬁce.

PHOTO PROVIDED By GERALD GUILBEAUX

Callihan

Wall Street snaps out of its 3-day losing streak

NEWYORK U.S. stocks climbed Friday and trimmed their losses for the week after a report showed that inﬂation is behaving roughly as economists expected, even if it’s still high. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% and broke its three-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 299 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.4%. All three indexes pulled closer to the alltime highs they set at the start of the week.

Stocks got some help from a report showing that inﬂation in the United States accelerated to 2.7% last month from 2.6% in July, according to the measure of prices that the Federal Reserve likes to use. While that’s above the Fed’s 2% target, and it’s more painful than any household would like, it was precisely what economists had forecast Profits on flipping homes at 17-year low

LOS ANGELES It pays less and less to buy and ﬂip a home these days.

From April through June, the typical home flipped by an investor resulted in a 25.1% return on investment, before expenses. That’s the lowest profit margin for such transactions since 2008, according to an analysis by Attom, a real estate data company Gross profits the difference between what an investor paid for a property and what it sold for — fell 13.6% in the second quarter from a year earlier to $65,300, the firm said. Attom’s analysis defines a flipped home as a property that sells within 12 months of the last time it sold. Home flippers buy a home, typically with cash, then pay for any repairs or upgrades needed to spruce up the property before putting it back on the market

The shrinking proﬁtability for home ﬂipping is largely due to home prices, which continue to climb nationally, albeit at a slower pace, driving up acquisition costs for investors.

“We’re seeing very low proﬁt margins from home flipping because of the historically high cost of homes,” said Rob Barber Attom’s CEO “The initial buyin for properties that are ideal for ﬂipping, often lower priced homes that may need some work, keeps going up.”

The median price of a home flipped in the second quarter was bought by an investor for $259,700, a record high according to data going back to 2000, according to Attom.

The median sales price of flipped homes was $325,000, unchanged from the first quarter, the firm said.

Boeing’s ability to certify Max jets restored

Boeing is getting back the ability to perform ﬁnal safety inspections on 737 Max jetliners and certify them for ﬂight more than six years after crashes of the then-new model killed 346 people the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday

The FAA said it decided to restore the aerospace company’s authorization to issue airworthiness certiﬁcates for Max and 787 Dreamliner passenger planes starting Monday following “a thorough review of Boeing’s ongoing production quality.” Federal regulators took full control over 737 Max approvals in 2019, after the second of two crashes that were later blamed on a new software system Boeing developed for the aircraft. The FAA ended the company’s right to self-certify Dreamliners in 2022, citing ongoing production quality issues.

Going forward, Boeing and FAA inspectors will take weekly turns performing the safety checks that are required before aircraft are cleared for delivery and declared safe to ﬂy The FAA said the arrangement will free up more of its inspectors to conduct “rigorous” quality checks on the production line at Boeing plants.

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve’s favored inﬂation gauge accelerated slightly in August from a year earlier

The Commerce Department reported Friday that its personal consumption expenditures price index was up 2.7% in August from a year earlier, a tick higher from a 2.6% year-over-year increase in July and most since February

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inﬂation showed a 2.9% increase in prices from August 2024, same as in July The increases were what forecasters had expected.

Prices rose 0.3% from July, compared to a 0.2% increase the month

before. Core prices rose 0.2%, same as in July

Separately, the report showed that inﬂation-adjusted consumer spending rose a healthy 0.4% from July, same as the month before, largely on a 0.7% increase in spending for goods; spending on services such as travel and dining out rose just 0.2%.

“The resilience of the US consumer was on show once again,” Michael Pearce of Oxford Economics wrote, though he cautioned that spending ”is being driven by households at the top of the income distribution.”

Incomes rose 0.4%, same as the month before inﬂation. Income for the self-employed and business owners rose 0.9% for the second straight month. Wages and salaries

rose 0.3% from July, dipping from a 0.5% increase the month before.

Inflation has come down since rising prices prompted the Fed to raise its benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023. But annual price gains remain stubbornly above the central bank’s 2% target. Last week, the Fed went ahead and reduced the rate for the ﬁrst time this year, lowering borrowing costs to help a deteriorating U.S. job market. But it’s been cautious about cutting, waiting to see what impact President Donald Trump’s tariffs have on imports have on inﬂation and the broader economy For months, Trump has relentlessly pushed the Fed to lower rates more aggressively, calling Fed Chair Jerome Powell “Too

Late” and a “moron” and arguing that there is “no inﬂation.”

Last month, Trump sought to ﬁre Lisa Cook, a member of the Fed’s governing board, in an effort to gain greater control over the central bank. She has challenged her dismissal in court, and the Supreme Court will decide whether she can stay on the job while the case goes through the judicial system.

The Fed tends to favor the PCE inflation gauge that the government issued Friday over the better-known consumer price index. The PCE index tries to account for changes in how people shop when inﬂation jumps. It can capture, for example, when consumers switch from pricier national brands to cheaper store brands.

Trump puts import taxes on pharmaceuticals, furniture, trucks

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will put import taxes of 100% on pharmaceutical drugs, 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture and 25% on heavy trucks starting on Oct. 1.

The posts on his social media site showed that Trump’s devotion to tariffs did not end with the trade frameworks and import taxes that were launched in August, a reﬂection of the president’s conﬁdence that taxes will help to reduce the government’s budget deficit while increasing domestic manufacturing.

While Trump did not provide a legal justiﬁcation for the tariffs, he appeared to stretch the bounds of his role as commander in chief by stating on Truth Social that the taxes on imported kitchen cabinets and sofas were needed “for National Security and other reasons.”

Under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the administration launched a Section 232 investigation in April about the impacts on national security from pharmaceutical drug and truck imports The Commerce Department launched a 232 investigation into timber and lumber in March, though it’s unclear whether the furniture tariffs stem from that.

The tariffs are another dose of uncertainty for the U.S. economy with a solid stock market but a weakening outlook for jobs and elevated inﬂation. These new taxes on imports could pass through to consumers in the form of higher prices and dampen hiring, a process that economic data suggests is already underway

“We have begun to see goods prices showing through into higher inﬂation,” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned in a recent news conference, adding that higher costs for goods account for “most” or potentially “all” of the increase in inﬂation levels this year

The president has pressured Powell to resign, arguing that the Fed should cut its benchmark interest rates more aggressively because inﬂation is no longer a concern. Fed ofﬁcials have stayed cautious on rate cuts because of the uncertainty created by tariffs.

Trump said on Truth Social that the pharmaceutical tariffs would not apply to companies that are building manufacturing plants in the United States, which he deﬁned as either “breaking ground” or being “under construction.” It was unclear how the tariffs would ap-

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP business writer

NEW YORK Nexstar Media Group joined Sinclair Broadcast Group in bringing Jimmy Kimmel’s latenight talk show back to its local TV stations on Friday night, ending a dayslong TV blackout for dozens of cities across the U.S The companies suspended the program over remarks the comedian made in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing The move means “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to local TV on Nexstar’s ABC afﬁliates in 28 cities, along with the 38 stations where Sinclair agreed to restore the show The show will also return to Sinclair’s local TV markets from Seattle

ply to companies that already have factories in the U.S. In 2024, America imported nearly $233 billion in pharmaceutical and medicinal products, according to the Census Bureau. The prospect of prices doubling for some medicines could send shock waves to voters as health care expenses, as well as the costs of Medicare and Medicaid, potentially increase.

The pharmaceutical drug announcement was shocking as Trump has previously suggested that tariffs would be phased in over time so that companies had time to build factories and relocate production. On CNBC in August, Trump said he would start by charging a “small tariff” on pharmaceuticals and raise the rate over a year or more to 150% and even 250%.

According to the White House, the threat of tariffs earlier this year contributed to many major pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly among others, to announce investments in U.S production.

Pascal Chan, vice president for strategic

to Washington, D.C.

Disney-owned ABC suspended Kimmel on Sept. 17, following threats of potential repercussions from the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission.Sinclairalsocondemnedthe host conﬁrming that it would stop airing the show the same day

The Maryland-based broadcast giant, which is known for conservative politicalcontent,calledonKimmelat the time to apologize to Kirk’s family — and taking it a step further, asked him to “make a meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA, the nonproﬁt that Kirk founded On the day Kirk was killed, Kimmel shared a message of support for Kirk’s family and other victims of gun violence on social media which he reiterated during his Tuesday return to ABC. He had also called the conservative activist’s assassination a “senseless murder” prior to being taken off air Kimmel’s original comments

policy and supply chains at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, warned that the tariffs could harm Americans’ health with “immediate price hikes, strained insurance systems, hospital shortages, and the real risk of patients rationing or foregoing essential medicines.”

The new tariffs on cabinetry could further increase the costs for homebuilders at a time when many people seeking to buy a house feel priced out by the mix of housing shortages and high mortgage rates. The National Association of Realtors on Thursday said there were signs of price pressures easing as sales listings increased 11.7% in August from a year ago, but the median price for an existing home was $422,600.

Trump said that foreign-made heavy trucks and parts are hurting domestic producers that need to be defended.

“Large Truck Company Manufacturers, such as Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Mack Trucks, and others, will be protected from the onslaught of outside interruptions,” Trump posted.

didn’t otherwise focus on Kirk. He instead lambasted President Donald Trump and his administration’s response to the killing. The comedian did not apologize on Tuesday, but did say “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man” and acknowledged that to some, his comments “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.” He also used a blend of humor and pointed messages to emphasize the importance of free speech.

Even after Disney brought Kimmel back to its national airways, both Sinclair and Nexstar continued to preempt the show New episodes of the show air Monday through Thursday Friday night’s rerun will be of Tuesday’s show so viewers of Sinclair stations can see Kimmel’s emotional return to the air

In its statement Friday, Sinclair pointed to its “responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our

communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming.”

The company, which operates 38 ABC-afﬁliated stations, added that it had received “thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” and noticed “troubling acts of violence,” referencing the shooting into the lobby of a Sacramento station.

As a result of Sinclair and Nexstar’s boycott, viewers in cities representingroughlyaquarterofABC’s local TV afﬁliates had been left without the late-night program on local TV The blackouts escalated nationwide uproar around First Amendment protections — particularly as the Trump administration and other conservatives police speech after Kirk’s killing. They also cast a spotlight on political inﬂuence in the media landscape, with critics lambasting companies that they accuse of censoring content.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHAEL PROBST

Containers are piled recently upon a cargo terminal in Frankfurt, Germany. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will put import taxes of 100% on pharmaceutical drugs, 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture and 25% on heavy trucks starting on Oct. 1

Harris book has pettyslurs,slights

There’snolaw that says apoliticianhas to write a book after abig election. Kamala Harris, the former vice president, was not requiredtowrite abook about her losing 2024 presidentialcampaign.

But she wrote one anyway,and nowa lotofpeople, thosefavorabletoHarris and thosenot, arewondering whyshe did.

They’rewonderingbecause Harris, whomight or mightnot be considering another run for president in 2028,seems determined to irritatesomeofthe people whose helpshe might needinthe years ahead.What’sworse,she does it in aremarkably petty way

The book, “107Days,” isnot ﬁlled with attacks. It is ﬁlled with slights In one chapter,Harris goes through the notes she made of the reactions thatsome topDemocratshad when then-President Joe Bidendroppedout of the race and almost instantly endorsedHarris. For example, both Billand Hillaryquickly told Harris they supported her and would do anything she askedto help. James Clyburn, the South Carolina congressman andpowerbroker, said simply,“Let’sgo. I’mall in.”

But Harris says GavinNewsom, the governorofHarris’ home state of California,responded with: “Hiking. Will call back.” (Harris followsthat with aquickparenthetical: “He never did.”) In fact, Newsom endorsed Harris that very day,afew hourslater,inwhatthe Los Angeles Times called a“show of California unity.” Why nitpick aboutthat at this late date, especially given Newsom’srising status inthe Democratic Party?

Harrisalsonotified GretchenWhitmer, thegovernor of Michigan, who Harrissaysrespondedwith, “I believe you’ll win, but Ineed to letthe dust settle,talk to my colleagues before Imakea public statement.” Therewas certainly nothing wrongwith that, and indeedWhitmer endorsed Harris the next day, but why publishher confidential communicationswith the suggestion of insufficiententhusiasm for her party’sticket?

Then there is Harris’ treatment of the Democratic governor of the most important swing state in thecountry,Pennsylvania.

Harris does not reallycriticize Josh Shapiro. Butshe says just enough mildly negative things about himto makeclear he could nevermake the cut to serve as her vice presidential running mate

Harris describes at some length the process she went through to interview Shapiro

Besidesthe two principals, akey player in thestory wasStorm Horncastle, aformer Netﬂix executive Harris called her “indispensable social secretary” andmanager of the vice presidential residence Eager to keep Harris’ decision-making process asecret, Horncastle arrangedtopickShapiro up in aschool parking lot. Harris suggests that Shapiro didnot want things to be kept asecret,thathe wantedto be seen being driven into the vice president’scompound. When Horncastle told Shapiro he had to sit in the back seat and duck, “she thought he seemed alittle disappointed by that,” Harris writes.

Once in the house, there was ameasuring-the-drapes moment when Shapiro “peppered [Horncastle] with questions about the house, from the number ofbedrooms to how he might arrange to getPennsylvaniaartists’ work on loan from the Smithsonian,” Harriswrites. Afterthe meeting, still trying to keepthe talks secret, Horncastle took Shapiro back to the original pickup spot and instructed his state trooper to take thegovernoron aroute that did notpass in front of the vice president’s residence, so reporters would notsee Pennsylvania state vehicles driving past.

“[Horncastle] was disappointed, tenminuteslater,to see those very cars on CNN,cruising right by the residence,” Harris writes.

Finally,when Harris passedoverShapiro and chose Minnesota Gov. TimWalzasher running mate,she tried to quickly call Shapiro with the news before he could learn it in the press. “[FormerBiden White House counsel] Dana Remus later let me knowthatJosh hadbeen trying to reach me earlierthat morning,” Harris writes. “ Theonlyreason Icouldimagine for him calling was that he’d intuited he wouldn’tbethe choiceand wanted to withdraw ﬁrst, so it would be seen as hisdecision.” So what’swith all that? Let’stakeitasa fact that Harrisjustdoesn’tlike Shapiro. Fine. What does shethink will be accomplished by the quibbling and fault-ﬁnding? In the bigger picture, if Harris doesindeed harbor hope of being the Democratic nomineein2028, shecan probably forget it, but not for any of thereasons explored in “107 Days.” The simple fact is, the party does not like to renominate past nominees who lost, andthat seemsunlikely to change now. And thatisthe keyfact of 2024 for Kamala Harris:She had herchance,and she lost

ByronYork is on X, @Bryon York. Email him at byronyork@yorkcomm.com.

Masks arehidinga threat that is worsethanCOVID

Iwant to ask everyone, “Are you confused by what is going on? Do you understand how what has happened (history)can be erased or reinterpreted in ways that deny events?”

Ilike to think we aresmarter than falling for that kind of action.Ilike to think we learnfrom our experiences. Let me give you an example. We lived through COVID and learned all sorts of things: We could work off-site; we wanted to protect ourselves and others, so we learned (again) thepower of hand-washing; we learned new ways to help our neighbors; we masked up and yes, that was controversial, which brings me to the point of this letter

Who arethe people wearing masks today? On thenews, we see masked, covered men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and police. Given that we’vebeen thrown up in the air by pronouncements from the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention, and admitting that

Iamnot aperson caught up in conspiracy theories, Idowonder whether,inthose places where masked government agents are showing up —schools, churches, home improvement stores, courthouses,etc. —theymight be better off reverting to COVID times and have all people connect virtually and not in person.

Some Catholic bishops have toldtheir parishioners that they are excused or canattend Sunday Massvirtually Iwould hope that immigration judges would be able to issue the same possibility. Whatever the governmental agents in masks are defending themselves against, I, for one, would work hardtohave the people Iserve avoid catching it. Afterall, as we found out with COVID, we affect each other.Better be safe than sorry —avoid the maskedpeople becausemaybe theyhave something that is catching and may make you verysick.

BONNIE KEARNEY NewOrleans

Johnsonwinswhile therestofuslose

The headline for Mark Ballard’s story,“Johnson nets big wins for Trump, GOP,”accurately pointed to whyMike Johnson’sleadership is ultimately afailure. Hiswins for his president and party are major losses for thecountry and its people. The genius of the One Big BeautifulBill that Johnson and his crew passed is that the parts that will hurt theMAGA voters the most won’tbeimplemented until after themidterm elections.

But, given President Donald Trump’sneed to inﬂict as much pain for as long as possible, his slashand-burn approach to all governmentinstitutions will impact his voters much earlier.Nothing that I write will convince any of Trump’s followersthat they will soon feel the pain of his policies, but Idowant it recorded that they were warned.

ROBERTSAKAKEENY NewOrleans

What the Second Amendment really guarantees

Stephanie O’Rourke’sletter on Aug. 25 on the Second Amendmentiswell-written but suffers from false assumptions about why the Second Amendment exists. O’Rourke states that “the Second Amendment guarantees the right to self-defense.” Of course, the Second Amendment says no such thing. It begins, “A well-regulated militia”— this is the key clause often ignored. The Amendment continues, “being necessary to the security of afree state” —not an invididual —“the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

That is, before there werewellregulated police forces at the local level, all adult males had to be prepared to be armed and organized into apolice force under regulations. This is local community in action, not afree-for-all forindividual action or self-defense. MAX REICHARD NewOrleans

Statenot doing anything to lessen suffering of animals

In astate that lauds hunting, provides no support to parish shelters fordomestic animals and has aDepartment of Wildlifeand Fisheries that does nothing to help injured wildlife, whyisanyone surprised that people whowant to help wildlife(deer,nutria) have no support from the DWF? Oh, wait—just moreanimals to kill.

Iwas appalled at the story about the conﬁscation and euthanizing of deer,particularly the deer that had lived with rescuers forseven years. What wasthe point, really? Just to carry out alaw that has no compassion? Just like everything else the state of Louisiana fails to do about all animals.

JANET MACDONELL Covington

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

Speakerofthe House Mike Johnson answers questions at the Horseshoe Casino and Hotel in Bossier CityonWednesday

GAMEDAY

LSu AT oLe miSS • 2:30 p.m. SATurdAy • Abc

R IS IN G W IT H BA KE R

For the first time in a long time, defense is LSu’s strength. The unit’s leader is a big reason why

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Since the beginning of the 2024 season, every LSU defensive meeting the night before a game has started with a round of trivia.

One Friday last year, linebacker Whit Weeks was stumped. LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker had asked him what bone babies are not born with.

“I was up there trying to answer it, and I was like, ‘Oh, gosh. I have no idea,’ ” Weeks recalled with a laugh. “Now, I know which bone babies aren’t born with.”

The answer is kneecaps — sort of. When babies are born, their kneecaps are made of cartilage that eventually turns into bone.

Baker asks the questions before the defense reviews tape. Two players stand in front of the room, and their teammates try to guess who will get the question right. Baker has quizzed them on Louisiana’s state ﬂower (magnolia), what city is the crawﬁsh capital of the world (Breaux Bridge) and what state is farthest from the sea (South Dakota), trying to keep them loose.

“It’s pretty funny, honestly,” Weeks said, “because you get some dudes up there and it’s like, ‘What state are we in?’ and they hardly know what state we’re in right now.”

LSU GAMEDAY

LSU at Ole Miss

2:30 p.m Saturday, Vaught-Hemingway Stad., Oxford, MS

TV: ABC | Line: Ole Miss by 1½

Ole Miss

The trivia questions reveal one of the things players like most about Baker He gets serious with them when he needs to, but not when it’s unnecessary By starting the meetings with something relaxing, players believe the former Tulane linebacker still understands what it’s like to feel tense and anxious the night before a game.

“I enjoy how consistent he is, how he interacts with us,” senior safety Jardin Gilbert said. “He’s like one of the boys in the locker room. He understands when to play when not to play.”

Now in his second year, Baker has No. 4 LSU playing its best defense in a long time. The Tigers have allowed 10 points or less in four straight games,theirlongestsuchstreaksincetheyhadﬁve straight in 2011. They are allowing 9.3 points per game, which is tied for ninth in the country, before they face No. 13 Ole Miss at 2:30 p.m. Saturday

This is the ﬁrst time LSU has opened a season by allowing 10 points or less in four straight games since 2006, and it could be the sign of a real turnaround. LSU gave up at least 21.8 ppg for the past seven seasons. But Baker may have brought the defense back.

“I love how much he loves the game, and I think it rubs off on our players the way we play aggressive and fast,” senior cornerback Mansoor Delane said. “That comes from the head man.” ‘You want to play for him’

The last time LSU played at Ole Miss, it gave up a school-record706yardsand55pointstwoyearsago LSU coach Brian Kelly ﬁred defensive coordinator Matt House and the rest of the defensive staff after the season. As he interviewed Baker, his pitch included the idea of restoring the LSU defense.

When Baker arrived after spending two years at Missouri, former LSU defensive end Paris Shand said, “You could just feel a vibe right away, and I just thought that vibe had the makings for a great defense because of the person who was leading it.”

Shand, who played at LSU from 2023-24 and liked the previous staff as well, noticed Baker’s willingness to bend his aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme around the players that he had at the time. Baker called more Cover 2 than he ever had before because the defensive backs couldn’t handle

STAFF PREDICTIONS

WILSON ALEXANDER

OLE MISS 24, LSU 21

Lane Kiffin can take advantage of LSU’s aggressiveness to design some explosive plays but LSU still will keep the Rebels under their season averages, giving itself a chance to win in the fourth quarter. The problem is the offense. Can the Tigers take advantage of an Ole Miss run defense that ranks last in the SEC? They haven’t shown they can yet so the home team gets the edge

REED DARCEY

LSU 28, OLE MISS 24

The Lane Kiffin-Blake Baker chess match is getting most of the pre-game attention and rightfully so. But this one should boil down to how you feel about Garrett Nussmeier. Is he healthy? It sure looked like he was last week, which means the LSU offense should operate more like it did against Clemson and less like it did against Florida, concerns at right tackle and in the run game be damned.

playing press man coverage the whole game.

But Shand saw something else that helped just as much. He got the sense everyone wanted to be coached by Baker

“It’s more than just scheme because you want to play for him,” Shand said. “He brings a great energy all the time and he’s just someone that leads well. And on top of that, he brings a lot of pressure and he coaches the defense well.”

After LSU brought back a lot of the same players from the year before, it went from being ranked 78th nationally in points allowed per game (28) to 59th (24.3 ppg) in Baker’s ﬁrst season.

“Those are good, tough kids that played hard for us,” Kelly said, “but we were a little short in some areas.”

Knowing the roster needed to improve, LSU spent about $18 million on this team, Kelly said, a signiﬁcant increase that helped sign a top-ranked transfer class and retain important players. LSU added seven defensive transfers who are either starters or key rotational pieces, improving its front-end talent and depth.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kifﬁn called LSU’s three starting transfer defensive backs — safety Tamarcus Cooley safety AJ Haulcy and Delane “probably the three most expensive portal DBs in the market.”

“And they got them all,” Kifﬁn said. “They did a great job with that, and now they’re coaching them well.”

Kelly said “better players” have made the biggest difference this season. He pointed out the defensive players feel the same way about Baker last year as they do now, and the defense still ﬁnished in the bottom half of the SEC in most major metrics. All the defensive coaches, Kelly said, are better because of the players.

“His ability to communicate and relate certainly creates an energy about the group that they enjoy working with him,” Kelly said. “It’s positive coaching, but demanding. It’s exactly what I’m looking for. And then along the way, he has developed a scheme that is very difﬁcult with the right players, and he’s got the right players.”

Energetic and open-minded

In the middle of the season last year, then-defensive tackle Gio Paez sent Baker a highlight he found on social media of a blitz that Georgia ran out of a double mug front. Baker installed it before the next game.

Paez appreciated Baker’s willingness to take

SCOTT RABALAIS

LSU 26, OLE MISS 22

Get ready for another classic in this tremendous rivalry. The Rebels should have a bonkers home-field advantage and a Lane Kiffin offense is never to be discounted But LSU has a better quarterback than either Ole Miss signal-caller and by far the better defense. The key will be LSU finally getting the running game going The fact that the Rebels are allowing 5 yards per carry indicates the Tigers will.

KOKI RILEY

OLE MISS 24, LSU 17

The first team to 30 points on Saturday should win this game Ole Miss easily is facing the best defense it’s seen this season, while the LSU defense will have its toughest task yet against Lane Kiffin’s explosive attack That side of the ball has the most intrigue, but the Tigers’ struggles on offense are more concerning than anything else. The Rebels being at home gives them an edge.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Blake Baker speaks with his players during a timeout in the second half of a game against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 6 at Tiger Stadium.

feedback and listen to hisplayers. It’s an essential part of Baker’sphilosophy.Heoften asks where they feel most comfortable on the ﬁeld becausehebelievesthat’swhere they will play their best.

“He’sanopen-minded coach,” Paez said Baker sets thetone forthe defense with his energy and optimism.Hehas joked with playersduringworkoutsand brought them to his house in the offseason to eat crawﬁsh. Before the season started, Baker had custom T-shirts made for the defensive players with the nickname “Bayou Bandits” on thefront and atiger whose face is partiallycovered bya bandana. More than one player calledhim “one of the boys” because of how he interactswith andrelates to them. It comes naturally.Baker wore a bold purple suit with white buttonsand peak lapels as he walkedinto TigerStadium forLSU’s ﬁrst home game.

“It’shard not to bringenergywhenthe boss manisbringing it every single day,” Weeks said. Baker can meet the players on their level, and they said their conversations often have nothing to do with football. Theybelievehetries to understand whothey are, helping createtrust. Paez said Baker “has averyunique way of being personable with everybody in theroom.” Hewill yell and curse, but he wants to build relationships with everyone on the defense while encouraging players to lead themselves

“When coaches or people in that positiondon’t have to fake who they are or anythinglike that, it makes the guys go harder for them,”Paez said. “Weall knew that Bakerwas going to ride behind us, so it makes us ridefor him andpush even harder through the hard times.”

And, of course, there are his cleats. Baker wears cleats to every practice, something he has done since he was agraduate assistant. He juked afreshmancornerback during adrill early in preseason camp anddanced into the end zone,but mostly,the cleats help his coaching style.

If aplayer struggles to understand something through vocal instruction, Baker will demonstrate what he wants rather than tell them repeatedly,aquality appreciated by star linebacker Harold Perkinsand others. Oneday last year,Baker hit ablockingsled as he worked with Perkins.

“He’snot just aguy who’ssitting backand calling plays,” Delane said. “He’sright there, hands on, and he’saperson you want to play for.”

Adefensive revival?

JacobianGuillory knows what an LSU defense is supposed to look like. He has played on the team longerthananyone else as asixth-year senior,making him themostfamiliar withthe program’shistory

But for his entire career,LSU’spast has served only as areminder of howthe defense has fallenshort of expectations. Since his freshman year in 2020, LSU never hasﬁnished better than30thnationally in pointsallowed per game

“LSU defense, it has been away forsolong,” Guillory said, “and Ithink with this group, we’re goingtobring it back.”

It has helped, multiple playerssaid, to be in thesystemfor asecondyear. They know how Bakerwants drillsdonebetter than they didbefore, and he has learned how individual players needtobetaught.Hewill talk to them multiple times, draw their responsibilities on awhiteboard or takethem ontothe ﬁeld, depending on what works best for them.

“It really helps you visualize where you ﬁt in into the whole scheme,” sophomorelinebacker Davhon Keys said, “and understanding conceptually where youare makes it alot easier to play fast andunderstand where you’re supposed to be atall times.”

So far,LSU has played like one of the best defensesinthe country.Ithas allowedonly 64 yards rushing per game, and it already has the same number of interceptions (six) that it had last season after pickingoff Floridaquarterback DJ Lagway ﬁvetimes.

With theimproved roster,Baker can call alot of blitzes andman coverage. Hisdefensehas given the team something to lean on as the offense struggled during a4-0 start.

NowthatClemson andFlorida have dropped to 1-3withsputtering offenses, OleMissisexpected to test the LSU defense more than any other team this season.Ole Miss has scored 44.8 ppg and is one of the national leadersinexplosiveplays. However,ithas not faced adefense like LSU’s, either

Guillory is aware of LSU’scurrentstreak, and he knows one more game allowing 10 points or less would tiethe 2011 team,one of the best defenses in school history.Heuses thatasa goal for his teammates, trying to give themperspective on what they can achieve.

“Wewant to be better than the 2011 defense,” Guillory said. “Wetruly strive for that.”

LSU defensivecoordinator and linebackers coach Blake Baker,center,shouts from the

in the second half of agameagainst Florida on Sept.13atTiger Stadium.

Report:Durhamdoubtfulvs. OleMiss

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

LSUrunningbackCaden Durham is doubtful to play on Saturday in the Tigers’ road clash with Ole Miss, ESPN reported on Friday Durham,LSU’sleading rusher,injured his ankle in the second quarter of the Tigers’ win over Southeastern Louisiana last week. LSU listed Durham as questionable on Wednesday,when the SEC releasedits ﬁrst availability reports of the week. Then Kelly said on Thursday that he’d be agame-time decision. Now,according to ESPN, Durham is unlikely to suit up.

His absence should free upmore work for Ju’Juan Johnson, the sophomoreLafayette nativewho’semerged as the Tigers’ No. 2running back. Againstthe Lions, he rushed for 43 yards andtwo touchdowns on eight carries.

LSU also can hand theball to ﬁve-starfreshmanHarlem Berry,junior Kaleb Jackson or a mixofreceiverssuchasZavionThomasand Barion Brown. Berry (87 yards) andThomas (86 yards)are theTigers’ second- and third-leading rushers this season, respectively Durham has 52 carries for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

11 a.m.

at Columbia(0-1),11a.m.

St. (1-3) at Wagner (0-4), 11 a.m.

Haven(2-2)atDuquesne (1-3),11a.m.

Delaware St. (3-1) at Sacred Heart (3-1),11a.m.

Dartmouth (1-0) at CCSU (2-2), 11 a.m. Holy Cross (0-4)atFordham (0-4), noon LIU Brooklyn (1-3) at Stonehill (1-3),noon Albany(NY) (1-3)atNew Hampshire(2-2), noon Towson (2-2) at Bryant (2-2), noon Morgan St. (1-3) vs.Miles(0-1)atIndianapolis,2 p.m. California (3-1) at Boston College (1-2), 2:30 p.m. Rice (3-1) at Navy (3-0), 2:30 p.m. Uconn (2-2) at

Georgia Sou. (2-2) at James Madison (2-1),12:30 p.m.

Howard (3-1)atRichmond (2-2), 1p.m. Utah Tech (1-3)atAustinPeay(2-2), 1p.m. Hampton (1-3)atElon(2-2), 1p.m.

Alabama St. (2-1) at Florida A&M (1-2), 2p.m.

Alabama A&M (3-1)atBethune-Cookman(1-3),2 p.m.

W. Carolina (1-3)atCampbell(1-3), 2:30 p.m.

Furman (2-1)atSamford(0-4), 2:30p.m.

Tennessee (3-1)atMississippi St. (4-0), 3:15 p.m.

Tennessee Tech (3-0)atTennesseeSt. (1-2), 3:30 p.m.

TexasSouthern(0-3)atMVSU(0-3), 4p.m.

Mercer (2-1)atETSU (2-2), 4:30 p.m.

The Citadel (1-3)atChattanooga (1-3), 5p.m.

Nicholls (1-3)atE.Kentucky (1-3), 5p.m.

Liberty (1-3)atOld Dominion (2-1),5 p.m.

SC State (2-2) at Charleston Southern (0-4), 5p.m.

Middle Tennessee (1-3)atKennesaw St.(2-2),5 p.m.

Jacksonville St. (2-2)atSouthernMiss. (2-2), 6p.m.

SE Missouri (1-3) at UT Martin(0-4), 6p.m. Memphis(4-0) at FAU(1-2), 6p.m.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

sidelines

THENATION

THINGS TO WATCHINWEEK5

Who, what andwhere to keep an eyeoninthisweek’sgames around thenation

Tide,Bulldogsclash in SECbattle No. 17 Alabama visits No. 5Georgia on Saturdayand needs awin overthe Bulldogs to protect its CollegeFootball Playoff hopes. Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson steers theoffense and completed 24 of 29 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns, including twoto Ryan Williams, in aWeek 3 winoverWisconsin. History could be on Bama coach Kalen DeBoer’sside. He is 15-3against Top25teams, and the Tide beat No. 2Georgia 41-34 in Tuscaloosa last season in DeBoer’s first SEC game as Alabama’scoach.

Huskiestakeontop-rankedBuckeyes Washington’sprogram-best 22-gamewinning streakatHuskyStadium is up against its toughest challenge yet: the No. 1team in the country. Ohio State will make its first visit to Washington (30) in nearly twodecades on Saturday. OhioState (3-0) has adefining winfrom aWeek 1 victory overthen-No. 1Texas Washington running back Jonah Coleman leadsthe nation with nine rushing TDs, and quarterback Demond Williams has been an efficientdual-threat option. Ohio State has not allowedarushing TD thisseason

CanPennState avenge loss to Ducks? TheNo. 3NittanyLions have spent thenine months since their 45-37loss to Oregon in the Big Tenchampionship game retooling their wide receiving corps and reimagining their defense.The high-flying Ducks areriding the nation’slongestactive regular-season winning streak. Penn State has deployeda newdefense coordinated by Jim Knowles, whohelped lead Ohio State to theNCAA championship last season. Behind quarterback Dante Moore, the Ducksare seventhinscoring offense and 12th in total offense.

—AssociatedPress

LSU-OleMissrivalry hasitall

1. GEORGIA

Record: 3-0overall,1-0 SEC

Previous rank: 1

Last week: Idle

This week: vs.Alabama,6:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

2. LSU

Record: 4-0overall,1-0 SEC

Previous rank: 2

Last week: Defeated Southeastern Louisiana 56-10

This week: at OleMiss, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

3. TEXASA&M

Record: 3-0overall,0-0 SEC

Previous rank: 3

Last week: Idle This week: vs.Auburn, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

4. OKLAHOMA

Record: 4-0overall,1-0 SEC

Previous rank: 5

Last week: Defeated Auburn 24-17

This week: Idle

5. TEXAS

Record: 3-1overall,0-0 SEC

Previous rank: 4

Last week: Defeated SamHouston 55-0

This week: Idle

6. OLEMISS

Record: 4-0overall,2-0 SEC

Scott Rabalais

The argument can be justly made that there have been more big games this centuryin LSU’sfootballrivalrywithAlabamathan any other.Orthat there have been more memorable moments when the Tigers tangle with the Florida Gators. But for apure, colorful, dripping with history,deep-fried Southern football rivalry,it’s hard, actually impossible, tobeat LSU versusOle Miss. Just the mention of these two ancient rivals getting together for atussle, either in Tiger Stadium or like this Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, makes one want to talk of days of old, to quote an old Irish folk song. The mind flips back to Billy Cannon’sHalloween night streak to immortality in 1959, the Chinese Bandits,Archie Manning scrambling for atouchdown, Johnny Vaught’s ever-present fedora, and the clock in Tiger Stadium standing on 0:01,allowing LSU to run twoplays in the finalfour seconds and stun Ole Miss 1716 in 1972. People have “bombed” the Tigers’ practices on Ole Miss week with “Go to hell LSU!” leaflets. And this week, the kind of thing thatyou cannot possibly make up: LSU linebacker Whit Weeks and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’sdaughter Landry announced to the world that they are dating. Love. Hate. History.And football. What more could you want than that?

Well, how about acompelling, nationally relevant matchup? For the ﬁrst time since Cannon’slegendary punt return in 1959, both the No. 4-ranked Tigers (4-0,1-0 SEC) and No. 13 Rebels (4-0, 2-0) bring perfect records into their annual clash, setfor 2:30 p.m. on ABC. And, for agame in which both teams are listed in the national polls, it’sthe highest-ranked matchup since 1962.

After literally yearsofspeculation, the Southeastern Conference ﬁnallyrevealed its new nine-game scheduling format set to begin in 2026. Not surprisingly,the conference made LSU and Ole Miss annual opponents. It was awisedecision, becausethis series is an SEC cornerstone.

The only thing lacking between the Tigers and Rebels is adecent trophy.Something like Paul Bunyan’sAxe (MinnesotaWisconsin) or,yes, even The Boot between LSU and Arkansas. Both LSU and Ole Miss have tried to gain traction in

recent years with the Magnolia Bowl, and thereisatrophy if youwant tocall it that.ComparedtoThe Boot, it lookslike something someone knocked together in high school shop class and got aB-minus for producing.

Nonetheless, LSUhas it, wants to keep it, and OleMiss wants it back.LSU coach Brian Kelly indicated Thursday night on hisradio show that the Tigers aren’t in agiving mood

“We’re going to keep that Magnolia Bowl trophy right here in Baton Rouge whereit deserves to be,” Kelly said.

That won’t be easy

The Rebels havefound aleader for their offense from amost unlikely source: quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, atransfer from Division II Ferris State.

If he starts Saturday —Kifﬁn sketches around the edges of injury information like he’s guarding the nuclear codes then we’ll know that Chambliss has ofﬁcially becomethe Lou Gehrig to previous starter Austin Simmons’ Wally Pipp. Chamblisshas torched the Rebels’ past two victims

Arkansasand Tulane —for a combined 834 yards and ﬁve touchdowns withnoturnovers in leading Ole Miss to 41-35 and 45-10 victories.After LSU’sdefense took the measureofClemsonquarterback Cade Klubnik and Florida QB DJ Lagway could this rising star out of nowherebethe best quarterback the Tigers have faced?

Here’sone thingthat’s without question: LSU’swill be the best defense Chambliss will have faced. Kifﬁn’soffense has madestarsout of alot of quarterbacks, someofmodest means—a testamenttohis offensive genius. ButLSU’s speed, pressureand deception will be something Chambliss (or Simmons) hasn’tyet faced. LSUdefensive coordinator BlakeBaker is likely to test Chambliss with so manydifferent angles, he’ll think he’staking ageometry midterm. Ultimately,the gamecould well come down to not strength versus strengthbut weakness versus weakness: theTigers running gameagainst theRebels runny defense. Ah,the resistible force col-

lides with themovable object like two bowls of pudding jammed into theback of the fridge. LSU ranks 111th nationally in rushing with 116.8 yards per game. Ole Miss ranks 120th in rushing yards allowed with 190.5 per game. Whoever can overcome their glaring flaw best is likely to wind up winning this one. An important point to remember is thatalossisn’tacrippling blow to either team’shopes for the 12-team College Football Playoff. It does,likely,slice that team’smargin forerror in half. The squad that comes out on the short end Saturdaycan, at this point, realistically only figure on one morelossifitwants to reach the CFP Will the home team winfor thesixth straight year in this series, or will LSU come up with the potentially good omen of its first win in Oxford since 2019, awin on the Tigers’ way to that season’snational championship? However it goes, it should be dramatic —another page in the great history of this essential rivalry

Previous rank: 8

Last week: Defeated Tulane 45-10

This week: vs.LSU,2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

7. VANDERBILT

Record: 4-0overall,1-0 SEC

Previous rank: 6

Last week: Defeated GeorgiaState 70-21

This week: vs.UtahState,11:45 a.m. Saturday (SEC Network)

8. MISSOURI

Record: 4-0overall,1-0 SEC

Previous rank: 11

Last week: Defeated SouthCarolina 29-20

This week: vs.UMass,6:30p.m.Saturday (ESPNU)

9. TENNESSEE

Record: 3-1overall,0-1 SEC

Previous rank: 7

Last week: Defeated UAB56-24

This week: at MississippiState,3:15p.m Saturday (SEC Network)

10.MISSISSIPPI STATE Record: 4-0overall,0-0 SEC

Previous rank: 9

Last week: Defeated Northern Illinois38-10

This week: vs.Tennessee,3:15p.m Saturday (SEC Network)

11.ALABAMA

Record: 2-1overall,0-0 SEC

Previous rank: 12

Last week: Idle

This week: at Georgia, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

12.AUBURN

Record: 3-1overall,0-1 SEC

Previous rank: 10

Last week: Lost to Oklahoma 24-17

This week: at TexasA&M,2:30p.m Saturday (ESPN)

13.SOUTH CAROLINA

Record: 2-2overall,0-2 SEC

Previous rank: 14

Last week: Lost to Missouri 29-20

This week: vs.Kentucky, 6:45 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network)

14.FLORIDA

Record: 1-3overall,0-1 SEC

Previous rank: 15

Last week: Lost to Miami26-7

This week: Idle

15.ARKANSAS Record: 2-2overall,0-1 SEC

Previous rank: 13

Last week: Lost to Memphis32-31

This week: vs.Notre Dame,11a.m Saturday (ABC)

16.KENTUCKY Record: 2-1overall,0-1 SEC

Previous rank: 16

Last week: Idle

This week: at SouthCarolina, 6:45 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network)

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSUlinebacker Whit Weeks, standing,amps up the crowd before the snap in the first halfbetween the Tigers andLouisiana Tech on Sept.6 at TigerStadium. Weeks and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’sdaughter

Landryannounced this week theyare dating,adding to the lore of the LSU-Ole Miss rivalry.

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Technically,it’sarematch of the2024 Sun Belt Conference championship game.

But so much has happened to theULRagin’ Cajuns and Marshall Thundering Herd since thatDecemberday that thenovelty seems like an afterthought Marshall has atotally differentcoaching staffand roster,and arashofinjurieshas the Cajuns trying to ﬁgureout afunctional depth chart by the time thetwo teams meet at 7p.m. Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

“There’s alot of things goingonright now that we can’tcontrol, includingwhat’s happening in the past,” UL coach Michael Desormeaux said.“Therewere alot of things in that game and those games that were in our controlthat we didn’tdovery well, but you have to moveforward with

the things that you can.

“That’swhat we talk about everyday.You have to turn thepage.”

This week,thatmeans redshirtfreshman

quarterback Daniel Beale is playing behind abatteredoffensiveline andwithout the toptwo wide receivers from last week’s3431 loss at Eastern Michigan.

“What can we do to help theteam?” UL offensive line coach SteverFarmer said.

“One of those things is establish theline of scrimmage, and one of those things is to give Daniel as much time as we can in thepocket —beelite pass protectors. Don’t justbeOKwithyou being OK. Thoseare

thethings we’re talking about.”

The UL offense entered the season missing the vast majority of itsreceptions from ayear ago. With Rob Williamsand Shelton Sampson nowout with injuries, the leading receiver is tight end Brock Chappellwith four catches for 34 yards.

“We’re definitely moving some guys around, making sure we have thebest guys on the ﬁeld at all times,” Beale said.

“So maybe it’s not these guys’ certain positions, but we need theguys on the ﬁeld who can produce for us.

Junior Charles Robertson, sophomore Landon Baptiste and junior Jaydon Johnson are listed as starters. That trio has combinedfor four catches for 32 yardsonthe season.

“It’s about getting thebest 11 that we can to go out there and go play thebest that we

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. Europe’sbest showed Friday that points,not panache, is whatmatters in theRyder Cup.

Jon Rahm,Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood helped Team Europe silencethe crowd at Bethpage Black and re minded theAmericansthat playing at homewon’tmake it any easier to gettheir hands on that17-inchgold trophy

The Europeans won both sessions —before and after President Donald Trump was there —and had a51/2 to 21/2 lead going into Saturday

“It’s agreat dayfor Europe,” McIlroy said. “Wewould have absolutely taken this.”

The twobiggest American stars, ScottieScheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, lostboth their matches. Scheffler didn’treach the 17th hole in either of his losses. Scheffler becamethe first No. 1 player since Tiger Woods in 2002 at The Belfry to lose both of his matches on opening day of the Ryder Cup.

Andthe Americanswere lucky the deﬁcit wasn’tslightly worse. McIlroy hada 12-footbirdieputt, the final shot of along day,that broke just leftofthe cup as he and Shane Lowry settled for ahalve with Patrick Cantlay and former LSU star Sam Burns.

Trumpbecamethe first sitting U.S. president to attend the Ryder Cup. He was behind protective glassatfirst, then walked to the first tee for the afternoon session

Carl Granderson is hoping to do Sunday what he wasn’t allowed to dotoJosh Allen in college. The New OrleansSaints defensive endand theBuffalo Bills quarterback spent three seasons together as teammates at the University of Wyoming

“My head coach in college, Craig Bohl, would get mad when we got close to Josh Allen,” Granderson said. “He used to call him the ‘MillionDollar Arm.’ He saw something in himfrom thebeginning, and we always knew he was talented.” Fast-forward to the present, and every football fan outside of theLaramie, Wyoming, campusalso knows just how talented Allen is. Seven months ago, Allen stepped on stage at the Saenger Theatre

in downtown New Orleans to receive the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. He’s off to another MVP-caliber start to this season. “For him to be the2024 MVP

is impressive, but we’re not surprised by it,” Granderson said. Allen picked up right where he left off last season, abig reason the Bills are 3-0 heading into Sunday’sgame at Highmark Stadium against the winless Saints. The oddsmakers in Vegas have theBills as

Saints defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, in his ﬁrst season in New Orleans, spent the previous seven seasons with the MiamiDolphins and New England Patriots. Being in the AFC East, Godchaux faced Allen twice ayear

“He’selite,” Godchaux said. “A guy that is going to carry his teammates. It’s agreat opportunity.I look at it as agreat challenge.”

Saints safety Justin Reid, whoplayed the previous three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, played Allen and the Bills ﬁve times in the last three years. The Bills got the best of his team in the three regular-

thefavorites to winthe Super Bowl. They opened this week as overwhelming 161/2-point favorites against the Saints. For the Saints, this is astep up in weight class as faras quarterback play.During the ﬁrst three weeks, the Saints faced Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray,San Francisco backupMac Jones and Seattle starter Sam Darnold. The Saints won’tsee aquarterback as good as Allen the rest of theseason. “Josh is an MVP for areason in this league,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “He’splaying phenomenal football.” This will be the ﬁrst time since 2021 theSaints have faced aplayer whowon MVP theprevious season. The Saints dominated that day, beating Aaron Rodgers and theGreen Bay Packers 38-3 in theseason opener in agame moved to Jacksonville because of Hurricane Ida. The Saints kept Rodgers in check as he threw forjust 133 yards with twointerceptions and adismal 36.8 quarterback rating. Duplicating that success against Allen will be no easy task.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP UL wide receiver Landon Baptiste,

Rod Walker

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ADRIAN KRAUS

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen passes against the Miami Dolphins during the first half on Sept. 18 in Orchard Park, N.y.

Southside defeats Lafayette High

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

Coach Jess Curtis and the Southside Sharks know what they have in Kollen Francois. And after Thursday’s performance against Lafayette High, so do the Mighty Lions.

Francois did a little bit of everything for the Sharks en route to leading Southside to a 45-24 victory over the previously undefeated Lions.

“Kollen is a great football player,” Curtis said. “He’s a great athlete, and he’s extremely fast. He did a great job.”

Francois wasted little time, taking a toss on the first play of the game from quarterback Parker Dies and threw it to Kole Harris for a 47-yard gain down to the Lions 9-yard line. Three plays later, Dies scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Sharks a 7-0 lead.

“It was just something that we wanted to do to try and get the guys going,” Curtis said of the halfback pass by Francois. “We are such a physical and downhill team, we just wanted to do something to have a little bit of fun.”

The fun continued in the second half for Francois. After the Lions took the lead 17-14 on a 44yard touchdown pass from Richmond Saunier to Jamieon Brown with 9:32 remaining in the third quarter, Francois responded with another big play

This time, it was on special teams as Francois took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to put the Sharks out in front for good at 21-17 with 9:17 left in the third.

“That return for a touchdown goes back to what we worked on in practice,” Francois said. “I just let it roll to me, stayed under control and hit the hole once it opened up. I got a great block from my teammate Jack Jones, and I just ran.” But things didn’t end there for Francois.

With the Sharks clinging to a 29-24 lead in the fourth quarter Francois all but put the game away with biggest play from

scrimmage on the ﬁrst play of the drive.

Francois took the pitch and exploded past defenders en route to scoring on a 57-yard touchdown run to extend the Sharks’ lead to 37-24 with 11:29 remaining in the game.

“It was a lot of fun,” Francois said. “I loved it. I love playing for this group of guys.”

While some may be surprised by Francois’ performance, Curtis isn’t one of them.

“Kollen did some great things for us,” Curtis said. “Kollen did what Kollen does.”

In addition to Francois’ performance, the Sharks were led of-

fensively by Dies, who ﬁnished with 55 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, while also throwing for a touchdown. Justin Williams led the rushing attack with 141 yards and one touchdown, while catching a 9-yard touchdown.

“We have still yet to play our best game for four quarters,” Curtis said. “We have beaten some good teams lately in Westgate, Madison Prep and now Lafayette High. It was good to see us come on strong in the second half. We are built for that. I know you never want to peak too early but we have to put four quarters together.”

The Lions were led by Brown and Kaleb Faulk, who both had receiving touchdowns. Brown ﬁnished with 81 yards on four receptions, while Faulk’s lone catch was a 43-yard touchdown. Saunier passed for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another score, and Xzaban Williams rushed for 75 yards on 17 carries.

“It feels good to come in a hostile environment and get the victory,” Francois said. “We had a great game plan, and we executed the game plan to get the win.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

Acadiana routs New Iberia for ﬁrst win

NICK FONTENOT

Contributing writer

NEW IBERIA Acadiana’s 61-0 rout of New Iberia on Thursday signified more than the Wreckin’ Rams’ first win of the season. It marked the first victory of the Doug Dotson era.

Dotson, the son of former Acadiana coach Bill Dotson, has endured a rough start in his debut season. The Rams opened 0-3 for the ﬁrst time since 1990 and, while Dotson has tried to block out the noise, he admitted it’s been impossible to ignore completely After his team handled the Yellow Jackets, Dotson’s reﬂection was simple.

“It’s fun to win,” he said.

The Rams struck early after forcing a three-and-out on defense on the opening New Iberia possession.

Collin DiBetta returned the ensuing punt 71 yards, giving Acadiana an 8-0 lead and jolting the sideline to life.

“That got the energy up and set the tone,” Dotson said. “It’s good to get one like that, put your foot down and not let it off. This week was about us executing and getting better We’re still not where we need to be, but we took some big steps.”

The Rams also unveiled a new wrinkle offensively: DiBetta started at quarterback, replacing Ty Lamartina. Dotson insisted the move wasn’t a demotion praising Lamartina’s impact across the ﬁeld.

“I love Ty and the way he played tonight,” Dotson said. “There are little things Collin gives us an edge on, but the de-

Acadiana coach Doug Dotson got his first win as head coach of the Wreckin’ Rams when his team beat New Iberia 61-0 on Thursday

cision had nothing to do with Ty Ty was on special teams making tackles He caught a touchdown, he blocked. “He was unselﬁsh and played his butt off I think we might have unleashed something in him.”

For Dotson who grew up steeped in the Rams’ tradition, the ﬁrst three weeks were a gut check. But he says the foundation he is in charge of building goes beyond the scoreboard.

“I try not to listen to the noise because I know what we’re doing,” Dotson said “Our coaches work extremely hard, and we’re good to these kids at the end of the day My job is to develop young men of character, to teach them how to act when you’re losing and how to act when you’re winning.

“I love our fans, even the ones on me. I say thank you, because it pushes us to get better “I understand their passion. I love the Rams just as much as

Commanders QB Daniels, WR McLaurin out on Sunday

The Washington Commanders will be without offensive star players Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, coach Dan Quinn said. Daniels knee injury has not progressed enough for the doctors to clear him. The Commanders’ franchise quarterback was also out last week in the team’s 41-24 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Backup Marcus Mariota will again get the start.

Wide receiver McLaurin, who missed all of training camp amid a contract dispute, was ruled out with a quad injury that kept him out of practices all week. Washington did not place the 2024 secondteam All-Pro on injured reserve, but McLaurin sought additional medical opinions on the injury

Grizzlies center Edey to miss 6 to 9 weeks

Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey could miss the first two months of the season while recovering from ankle surgery, the team said Friday. Edey had surgery in early

A two-time national player of the year at

Edey missed 12 games

season because of a sprained left ankle. He went on to play in 66 games, making 55 starts, and averaged 9.2 points and a rookie-leading 8.3 rebounds. The Grizzlies also provided other medical updates: Rookie guard Cedric Coward is expected back and center Jaren Jackson is expected to return in 4-6 weeks.

Cubs slugger Tucker returns from IL as DH

The playoff-bound Chicago Cubs reinstated slugger Kyle Tucker from the injured list on Friday and placed him in their lineup batting fourth as the designated hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals for the opener of their ﬁnal regularseason series. Tucker had been out since Sept. 2 with an injured left calf, then went on the 10-day IL on Sept. 6. He rejoined the Cubs on Tuesday after going to Florida last week for additional treatment.

Tucker is hitting .270 with 22 homers and 73 RBIs in 133 games this season.

He’ll be held out of his regular position, right ﬁeld, for the time being as the Cubs ease him — and his potent bat back into the lineup for the postseason.

Ohtani tops jersey sales for third season in a row

Volleyball

Ascension Episcopal def. Rayne, 3-0

Opelousas Catholic def. False River, 3-0

Lafayette High def. St. Edmund, 3-0

Teurlings def. Catholic-NI, 3-1

Acadiana def. Acadiana Renaissance, 3-1

David Thibodaux def. Church Point, 301

Southside def. Catholic-NI, 3-1

Lafayette Christian def. Cecilia, 3-0

Breaux Bridge def. Sacred Heart-GC, 3-1

Iota def. Westlake, 3-0

Lafayette High def. St. Martinville, 3-0

Washington-Marion def. Northside, 3-0

Comeaux def. Lafayette Renaissance, 3-0

Carencro def. Westgate, 3-0

New Iberia def. Morgan City, 3-2

Catholic-PC def. Cecilia, 3-2

Acadiana Episcopal def. Beau Chene, 3-0

ESA def. St. Edmund, 3-0

Carencro def. Crowley, 3-0

Northside Christian def. LaGrange, 3-0

Vermilion Catholic def. Abbeville, 3-0

Westminster def. Sam Houston, 3-0

Port Barre def. Livonia, 3-1

Ascension Episcopal 3, Rayne 0 AES: Meg Gifﬁn 19 kills, 3 blocks, 3 aces, 4 digs; Gabby Ahrabi 5 kills, 22 digs; Brooklyn Poirier 3 kills, 2 aces,

Shohei Ohtani topped Major League Baseball’s jersey sales for the third straight year heading into the end of the regular season as Paul Skenes and Cal Raleigh entered the top 20.

MLB’s top seven remained unchanged from its listing at the All-Star break. Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way star, was followed by New York Yankees outﬁelder Aaron Judge, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Mookie Betts, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and outﬁelder Juan Soto, and San Francisco third baseman Rafael Devers.

Ohtani is just the fourth player to lead in three consecutive years after Derek Jeter (2010-12), Judge (2017-19) and Betts (2020-22).

Stanley Cup champion Panthers lose their captain Florida captain Aleksander Barkov could miss the entire regular season because of a knee injury, a major blow to the Panthers and their quest to win a third consecutive Stanley Cup. Barkov got hurt Thursday in his first official practice of training camp and was undergoing surgery Friday, coach Paul Maurice said. Barkov is expected to miss several months, which calls the entire season into jeopardy and essentially ends any chance of him representing his native Finland in the Milan-Cortina Olympics this coming February Barkov was in surgery on Friday while Maurice was addressing reporters. Once

anyone. My job is to keep this thing moving in the right direction, and I feel like we are on our way.”

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Southside running back Kollen Francois is tackled by Lafayette High defender Kendrick Cahee during the Sharks’ district win Thursday.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Clashescould clearmuddyleague

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It’salmost July andtherestill aren’tmany answers floating around to the many questions surrounding this year’sSun Belt football race. With four teams on bye weeks, that can will getkicked abit farther down the road for some programs. Butthere are three Sun Belt matchups this week, so the league’s2025 story can start to unfold.

Thefeature game of theweekend ispreseason favorite James MadisontakingonGeorgia Southern in Virginia. Those teams were picked to ﬁnish 1-2 in the East Division by the coaches in July

1. JamesMadison

Records: 2-1overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 1

Last week: Defeated Liberty 31-13

Thisweek: vs. Georgia Southern, 12:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+).

Extrapoints: There was nothing particularly impressive about the Dukes’ 31-13 win over a1-3 Liberty club,but these days that’sgood enoughtomaintain your position. Alonza Barnett threw for 213 yards and ascore, hitting seven different receivers. James Madison also played well on defense, outgainingthe Flames 440-233.

2. TexasState

Records: 3-1overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 2

Last week: Defeated Nicholls State 35-3

This week: Open date

Extrapoints: There was atime when theBobcats seemed to strive tobefancy on offense. That wasn’tthe case in its 32-point win over Nicholls. It was justsound and precise, outgaining the Colonels 401-224. Brad Jackson threw for 180 yards on 13-of-20 passing, andveteran back Lincoln Pare added 64 yards and ascore on 15 carries.

3. OldDominion

Records: 2-1overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 4

UL 27, MARSHALL 23: Thisgame could be built as aredemption game for the Cajuns, but last year’s Sun Belttitle game loss suddenly seems so long ago.The Thundering Herd are almost abrand-newteam, and UL has manyother concerns now than getting blown out by Marshall last December.Sun Belt playisa chance to startover, but UL must stop the crippling penalties.ULalso mustbring enough pressure to stifle Marshall’spassing attack and control the game with another good rushing attack, despite abattered offensive line

KevinFoote

Last week: Open date

This week: vs. Liberty,5 p.m.Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: It was agood bye week for the Monarchs. They were off and nobody else did much of anythingaroundthe league,so Old Dominion moves intothe top three. Coach RickyRahne gets a goodcomparison game against aLibertyteam that No.1James Madisonjust defeated

4. Georgia Southern

Records: 2-2overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 9

Last week: Defeated Maine 48-17

This week: at James Madison, 12:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: This is the first big matchup of theSun Belt season. The Eaglesstarted out high, dipped afteracrazy West Coast trip andnow can secure atop spot in thepoll with awin at JMU. Georgia Southern dominated Maine in yards 516-248 behind 253 yards passingfromJCFrench, but the Eagles will face awhole newlevel of defense against the Dukes.

5. Southern Miss

Records: 2-2overall, 1-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 5

Last week: Lost at Louisiana Tech

30-20

This week: vs. Jacksonville State, 6p.m.Saturday (ESPN+)

Extra points: Southern Miss showed some explosive tendencies with Braylon Braxton throwingfor 392 yards and two scores, but the Golden Eaglesoutgained Louisiana Tech 514-340 and still

CAJUNS

can and go ﬁndaway to scratch it out,” said Desormeaux, who said reservereceiver Dale Martin was moved to theXspot this week.

The Marshall defense won’t make it easyonthe Cajuns with aquirky scheme of athree-man front with lots of pressureand interchangeable parts.

“They do alot of stuff we’re not used to seeing… in terms of pressure and justhow they lineup,” Beale said “They have so many people that play in different spots,” Desormeaux said.

were trailing 30-10 in the third quarter.Itwas afrustrating loss for Southern Miss, which gets another nonconference tuneup this week against Jacksonville State.

6. SouthAlabama

Records: 1-3overall, 0-1 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 3

Last week: LosttoCoastal Carolina 38-20

This week: at NorthTexas,11a.m Saturday (ESPNU)

Extrapoints: The Jaguars hadto walk off the ﬁeld wondering what in the world happened lastweek. South Alabama lost handily to Coastal despite winning in first downs 22-15 and total yards 420294. Threeturnovers, including losing one of ﬁve fumbles, were responsible.Despitethe 1-3 record, the Jaguars’ ceiling seems higher if they can erase themistakes.

7. AppalachianState

Records: 2-1overall, 0-1 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 7

Last week: Open date

This week: at BoiseState, 6:30 p.m. (FS1)

Extra points: Boise State has scored 100points sincegetting shut down at South Florida in itsopener, so this ﬁgures to be quitethe challenge for the App State defense Sadly,the Mountaineerslearned of theuntimely deathoftheir former head coach Shawn Clark this week.

8. UL-Monroe

Records: 2-1overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 11

Last week: Defeated UTEP 31-25

Thisweek: vs. Arkansas State, 2p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extra points: It might be time to start taking the Warhawks seriously.Last year,UL-Monroe playedgood defense but didn’t have enough offense. The offense still isn’tdynamic, but the Warhawksare running it well. ULMonroe was up 31-10 after three quarters last weekbehinda plus-

Marshall is No. 8nationally with 14 sacks and No. 25 nationally with 29 tackles behind theline. With all of thatpressure, Marshall is allowing only 102.5 yards rushing agame but is giving up 256.8 yards through theair

The Herd are notstruggling on offense so far.Marshalldefeated Middle Tennessee State42-28 last season.

The offense is led by quarterback Carlos DelRio-Wilson(27-340, 379 yds, 6TDs), receiver Demarcus Lacey (10-129, 1TD) andtight end Toby Payne (9-107,2 TDs)

2turnover marginand 113 yards rushing fromBraylon McReynolds. Awin over Arkansas State would vault UL-Monroe higher

9. Troy

Records: 2-2 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 8

Last week: Defeated Buffalo 21-17

This week: Open date

Extrapoints: In aleague full of teams hard to figure out, Troy might topthe list. The Trojans are aroller-coaster ride. Down 17-0 at Buffalolast week, they mounted TD drives of 75, 66 and 50 yards to score with 45 seconds left for the comeback win. Troy overcame aminus-2 turnover margin. Quarterback Tucker Kilcrease sparked thecomeback with148 yards passing.

10.ArkansasState

Records: 1-3 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 6

Last week: Lost at Kennesaw State 28-21

This week: At UL-Monroe, 2p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: Just when it looked likethe ArkansasState defense might be finding some answers after arespectable 24-16 loss to Iowa State, the Red Wolves gave up 28 in aloss at Kennesaw State. Arkansas State gave up 30 first downs and497 total yards despite Kennesaw fumbling five times and losing three. The Red Wolves now face agood UL-Monroedefense.

11.Marshall

Records: 2-2 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 13

Last week: DefeatedMiddleTennessee State 42-28

This week: at UL, 7p.m.Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: The preseason thinking that the Thundering Herd had the biggest rebuilding project in

Therunning game is by committee, with themain contributors being Michael Allen(28-135, 1TD), Zion Turner (17-110, 1TD) and Justin Williams-Thomas (24-110, 2TDs).

“They’re going to run the quarterback and add ahat,” Desormeaux said.

The quarterback,Del Rio-Wilson,has 29 carriesfor 84 yards and two scores.

“They’vegot somereceivers that, you know,they’ve gotaguy that they’re going to put the ball in his hands and they’ve got acouple of them that are making plays down the ﬁeld,” Desormeaux said. The Cajuns have spent much of theweektryingtoreducepenaltiesthatcontributed heavilyto last Saturday’sroad loss.

“There’ssomany things that go intoit,” Desormeaux said. “It’sa technical problem. Youjust have to go over every detail of it and

the league may havebeen faulty. Certainly,there wasamajor turnover,but there are already positive signs. Marshall scored the last 14 pointstoget back to .500 behind a261-yard passing game from Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. Receiver Demarcus Laceyhad ﬁve catches for116 yards and ascore. 12.Coastal Carolina

Records: 2-2overall, 1-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 14

Last week: Defeated South Alabama38-20

This week: Open date

Extrapoints: TheCoastal Carolina offense hadstruggled mightilyall season andstill got outgained at South Alabamabymore than 100 yards, but the Chanticleersturned three turnovers into ahuge Sun Belt win. Now they get an open week with red-hot Old Dominion on deck. That’ll be achance to really shoot up these rankings.

13.UL

Records: 1-3overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 10

Last week: Lost at Eastern Michigan 34-31

This week: vs. Marshall, 7p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: The Cajuns’passing game wasmoreproductive,but UL couldn’tﬁnd away to win a close gameasafavorite. We’ll see if the Cajuns can build on that. The biggest issue is the injuries keep mounting. Even the long snapper is out this week.

14.Georgia State

Records: 1-3overall, 0-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 13

Last week: LosttoVanderbilt 70-21

This week: Open date

Extrapoints: The blowout loss to the Commodoreswas ugly in every way.Wide receiver TedHurst was good againwith seven catches for71yards. In the big picture, we didn’tlearnanymore about how Georgia State will fare in the Sun Belt. That comes next Saturday with James Madison in town.

we’vegot to coach it better,because obviously we’re not getting what we want.”

Despitethe frustration of a1-3 record, the start of Sun Belt play offers UL an opportunity to reset.

“Yes, we’re 0-0,” punter Nathan Torney said. “Put all that(1-3frustration) to the side. This is whatwe play for —the championship. We want to host it again, andeveryone’shungry for it

“We’ve been through acouple of hiccups and that’sjust like any family,any team,and we’re really switched on, andwe’resuper excited. We’re ready to get out there, and we owe Marshall one.” Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

SCOREBOARD

RYDER CUP

with DeChambeau. He left a little earlier than planned, perhaps not liking what he saw U.S. captain Keegan Bradley was on the ﬁrst tee some 90 minutes before the matches even got started, trying to rile up the crowd the massive grandstand surrounding the first tee and 18th green was full in the darkness — for a loud and noisy opening session. He grabbed a microphone and said to the crowd, “Let’s (expletive) go, boys!”

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

Continued from page 5C FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Results from the opening day of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Europe 5½, United States 2½ Foursomes Europe 3, United States 1 ■ Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton Europe def. Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas, United States, 4 and 3. ■ Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, Europe, def. Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, United States 5 and 3. ■ Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, Europe, def. Collin Morikawa and Harris English, United States, 5 and 4. ■ Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, United States, def. Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland, Europe, 2 up. Fourballs Europe 2½United States 1½ ■ Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka, Europe, def. Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun, United States, 3 and 2. ■ Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose, Europe, def. Ben Griffin and Bryson DeChambeau, United States, 1 up.

Bradley also sent out DeChambeau in the opening session, the two-time major champion and entertainer who had said this summer he wanted to bring energy and a “tsunami” of a crowd

■ Cameron Young and Justin Thomas, United States, def. Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard, Europe, 6 and 5. ■ Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Europe, halved with Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay, United States.

He pulled out driver and ripped it 344 yards over the trees, leading to a birdie and the first red score on the board for the Americans. He wanted to deliver a clear message. And then the Europeans delivered blue points, ﬁlling the board with three blowouts for a 3-1 lead in four-

WALKER

Continued from page 5C

season meetings, but the Chiefs won both rematches in the playoffs.

“This is what really makes him special,” Reid said. “Can he make all the throws? Yes, absolutely He can make every throw you want him to. But when things don’t go right, he just ﬁnds a way to make something explosive happen. Whether it’s scrambling or running, or whatever it is with one of those backyard plays where a play breaks down and he’s just running around in the pocket.

When Allen does run, then comes the hard part of trying to bring him down They don’t make a whole lot of 6-foot-5 and 237-pound quarterbacks

“He’s not easy to bring down,” Reid said. “His ability to be creative on the ﬂy is what separates the great ones.

“He’s been really good at that, so the emphasis is containing him in the pocket.” History is perhaps on the Saints’ side. They have won their past four trips to Buffalo, including a 47-10 beatdown in 2017. But Josh Allen was still in college then He was drafted the next year

somes, and then two more wins and the halve in the afternoon.

“The morning, although it was great, it was just one part of a long race,” Rahm said “We started great and we have to keep it going. That’s what we did.”

Rahm went 2-0, with Tyrrell Hatton in foursomes and Sepp Straka in fourballs, and his putting was sublime. In the fourballs match, he made five birdies of at least 9 feet, none bigger than his 20-footer on the 15th on top of Scheffler’s 25-foot birdie that appeared — briefly — to give the Americans some hope.

The Spaniard is now unbeaten in 11 of his past 12 matches in the Ryder Cup, a streak that began with his singles win over Woods in Paris in 2018.

Fleetwood, coming off his ﬁrst win on U.S. soil to capture the FedEx Cup at the Tour Championship, partnered with McIlroy in the morning and one of his English heroes, Justin Rose, in the afternoon.

Allen has faced the Saints once, a 31-6 Bills victory in the Superdome in 2021. Allen threw four touchdowns in that Thanksgiving night game.

He was sacked twice.

One of those sacks was by his former college teammate.

“His arm talent and his IQ for the game and his athleticism are impressive,” Granderson said. “It always has been.

“But we’re going to get after him.”

The Saints have to to stand a chance.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

It was Fleetwood’s 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th in the afternoon — which DeChambeau failed to match — that paved the way for another European point.

“The scoreboard is what counts,” Fleetwood said. “We obviously feel very prepared, and we’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time now. So to have got off to a good start feels great. Their team is stacked with amazing players, so whoever it is, the match going to be difficult, and the points mean so much.”

The crowd felt like it belonged at a New York Yankees game, making the occasional insult but rarely a lasting wave of noise be-

cause the Americans gave them so little to cheer McIlroy and Robert MacIntyre had to back off shots when someone from the gallery yelled as they stood over the ball.

Someone yelled, “Fore, right!” just as Rahm was to take the club away on his ﬁrst shot.

Europe played through the heckling, match by match building a lead that surely got the Americans’ attention going into another day of eight team matches.

There were a few bright spots for the Americans.

Patrick Cantlay helped avoid a shutout in the opening session when he partnered with new father Xan-

der Schauffele for a 2-up win in foursomes. And he nearly carried Sam Burns to victory in the ﬁnal match, settling for a halve. Cameron Young, who won a New York State Open at Bethpage Black when he was in college, returned home to his native state and hammered his way with Justin Thomas to the shortest match of the day, a 6-and-5 fourballs win.

But it’s still a three-point deﬁcit to a European team that looks strong as ever “We’ve only played 28% of the points,” Bradley said. “This is ﬁrst quarter We’ve still got three quarters to go. I’ve got a lot of faith in my boys.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Ben Griffin of the United States celebrates after a birdie on the sixth hole at Bethpage Black during the Ryder Cup on Friday in Farmingdale, N.y Griffin and Bryson DeChambeau lost their match 1 up.

Clintonchurch hopesto‘pack thepews’ with family,friends

The desire to worshipalongside her husband led Perlae Shropshire to join Union Chapel Baptist Church in Clintonmore than 25 yearsago

“Justlike Ifell in love with him, I fell in love with the church,” she said. “Union Chapel is asmall church but aclose-knit family church.”

Over the years, Shropshire, 80, has faithfully served as aSunday school teacher, choir presidentand is one of the “captains” helping lead the historic congregation toward a new chapter: the building of anew sanctuary

The annual “Pack aPew/Family andFriend Day” service plays a role in that effort. This year’scelebrationisscheduled for 1p.m.Sunday at the church, 12489 Union Chapel Lane. The theme is “Celebrating God’sGift of Familyand Friends.”

ä See MATTERS, page 10C

CDCups alarmon kissing bug disease

Though casesare not rising,itcould persist in U.S. year-round

BY MARGARETDELANEY

Staff writer

Although the name sounds endearing, the “kissing bug” disease is nothing to fawn over.The disease is now being consideredasanendemic classiﬁcation, according toan August report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Kissing bugs,also known as easternconenose bugsortriatomine, can bite faces and infect humans with Chagas disease. Chagas is aparasitic infection thatcan cause fever,aches and, in severe cases,heart and gastrointestinal failure.

“The problem with Chagas is that it’sachronic disease that takes years to develop, someonecould die without knowing they have it,” said Dr.Norman Beatty,aclinician at the University of Florida whocontributed to the CDC research and report.

The parasite, and its symptoms, can remain dormant in the body from one year to three decades after infection. Chagas disease does not spread from person-to-person nor does it spreadfromcasualcontact with infected animals

About half of all kissingbugs carry the parasite that causes Chagas disease,T.cruzi,which is passed when the insects defecate. Scratching the bite or rubbing eyes can push the infected fecal material inside the body

“MostpeopleﬁndouttheyhaveChagasdisease when they give blood,” saidAaron Ashbrook, an urban and peri-urban entomologist at Louisiana State University’sAgCenter Chagas disease can be treated with twodifferentmedications benznidazole or nifurtimox. Both kill the parasite and are fully effective in curing Chagas if given early —the acute phase lasts around twomonths

ä See KISSING BUG, page 10C

BY CATHERINE S. COMEAUX | Contributing writer

hey’llput haironyour chest!” was my father’s guarantee when he offered my brothers and Ifresh sliced tomatoes from hisgarden. Guess who refusedtomatoes most of her childhood? Inow grow them myself (tomatoes,not hairs on my chest) and have found adelightful tomato pie recipe that’sbright with thetaste of late summer, while its butterycrust elicits cozy fallfeels. The dish is perfect for afall picnic when cool fronts are promising to interrupt the lingering heat.

Fall tomatoes in south Louisiana aretypically harvested in September and October.Mykids will start talking about this tomato pie when the ﬁrst green fruits set on the vines.Thisiswhen leafmunching hornworms and juice-sucking stinkbugs start noticing tomatoes too.

Over the years I’ve discovered ways to manage these natural insults.I’ve perfected my hornworm ﬂinging technique (which lands them by the bird feeder), but even when the bugs get afew bites,myimperfect tomatoes still tastedelicious andlook beautiful in thispie.

PHOTOSBy CATHERINE S. COMEAUX

Tomato Pie is served up at aneighborhood potluck pie picnic.

PHOTO By BRETT HONDOW

The dangerous biting insectnativeto the U.S.,the easternbloodsucking conenose kissing bug (Triatoma sanguisuga), carries Chagas disease.

When downsizing thefamilyhome

Dear Heloise: Afriend of my mother decided to downsize to atownhome afterliving in her large family home for years. She decided the things that she wanted to take with her,then hired an estate sale company so as not to deal with the things that she had amassed and no longer needed over the years. After the sale was over,she called alocal charity to come pick up whatwasn’tsold. —Eliza Jones, in Lakewood, California

Reusinggreetingcards

onto plain gift bags. Sometimes Iadd little three-dimensional ﬂoral orbutterﬂy stickers, too. Voila, alovely custom gift bag! Also, the fronts of old Christmas cards are great to apply to Christmaspackages to dress them up. They can be usedasalarge gift tag, too. —Deb,inArizona

TheFrenchtuck

Dear Heloise: Someone gave a hint about reusing the backs of old greeting cards for note-taking.Ireuse the fronts instead!I cut off the fronts with their lovely art and glue or staple them

Dear Heloise: Ashirt tucked only into thefront is called a“French tuck.”I suspect it was started by fashion ad photographers who wanted to show off how thejean or skirt front looks while the model is wearing atop that’smeantasanoverblouse. —Lee B.,via email Email heloise@heloise.com.

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday,Sept. 27, the 270th day of 2025. There are 95 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Sept. 27, 1996, the Taliban, the extremist Islamic movement in Afghanistan, drove thegovernment of President Burhanuddin Rabbani out of Kabul, the capital, and executedformer President Najibullah.

Also on this date:

In 1779, John Adams was named by Congress to negotiate the Revolutionary War’speace termswithBritain.

In 1939, Warsaw,Poland, surrenderedafter weeks of resistance to invading forcesfrom Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during World WarII.

In 1940, Germany,Italy and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, formally allying the World War II Axis powers.

In 1964, the government publicly released the report of the Warren Commission, which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy.

In 1979, Congress gave itsﬁnal approval to forming the U.S.Department of Education.

In 1991, President GeorgeH.W Bush announced in atelevised address that he was eliminating all U.S. ground-launched battleﬁeld nuclear weapons and called on the Soviet Union to match the gesture.

In 2013, President Barack Obama and Iranian President

Hassan Rouhani spoke by telephone,the ﬁrst conversation between American and Iranian leaders in more than 30 years.

In 2018, Christine Blasey Ford testiﬁed before theSenate JudiciaryCommittee that she was “100%” certain that she was sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee BrettKavanaugh when they were teenagers, and Kavanaugh then told senators that he was “100%certain” he haddonenosuchthing.Kavanaugh was conﬁrmed on Oct. 6of that year

In 2021, R&B singer R. Kelly was convicted in asex trafﬁcking trial in New York after numerous allegations of misconduct with youngwomen and children;afederal appeals court upheldthe convictions and his 30-year prison sentence in 2025.

In 2023, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio sets aU.S. recordof371 days in space, returning to Earth from theInternational Space Station with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev andDmitri Petelin

Today’sBirthdays: Musician Randy Bachman (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) is 82. Actor Liz Torres is 78. Baseball Hall of Famer MikeSchmidt is 76. Singer and actorShaun Cassidy is 67. Comedian and podcasterMarcMaron is 62. Actor GwynethPaltrow is 53. Actor IndiraVarmais52. Musician-actor Carrie Brownstein is 51. Actor Anna Campis 43.Rapper Lil Wayne is 43. MusicianAvril Lavigneis41. Actor Jenna Ortegais23.

newsanctuary.

MATTERS

Continued from page9C

The Rev.Mary Moss,ofSt. Alma Baptist Church in Lakeland, will serve as the guestspeaker Union’s“Pack aPew/Family and Friend Day” serves two vital purposes: to bring families and friends together for worship, and serveasa fundraiserfor the building project that launched five years ago For a“Pack the Pew” service, church members, includingthe five captains, invite family and friends to worship in an effort to fillthe pews. This year,invitees have been asked to donateto the church’sbuilding effortsto replace the present sanctuary, built in 1967.

“Everybody gets involved,and every year there’safriendly competition where we can all work for the same goal,” Shrosphire said. “My family is big, and my husband’sfamily is big, so we’re anticipatingquite a few people.”

The goal this year is to raise at least $20,000, said the Rev Terrell Hookﬁn, who has been Union’spastor for nearlytwo years. Hookﬁn added that thetotal cost is expectedto be around

Tomato Pie

Serves 6-8. Recipe is adapted from aTomato Tart recipe printed in Martha StewartLiving, July 2005

1garlic bulb

3tablespoons olive oil, divided 1¼ cup all-purpose flour,plusmore for dusting

½teaspoon salt

½teaspoon dried thyme (or a combination of herbs likeoregano and basil)

½cup (1 stick) unsalted butter,chilled ¼cup ice water

2ounces (about ½cup) Parmesan or Asiagocheese, grated

1½ pounds (about 4medium sized) ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced¼ inch thick Saltand pepper to taste

3-5fresh basilleaves, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Place the garlic bulb on asheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil, then fold the foil over the garlic to seal. Bake for 45 minutes on abaking sheet.Removeand allow tocool.

TOMATOES

Continuedfrom page9C

The recipe caught my eye over 20 years ago in aMartha Stewart Livingmagazinewith its photos of ﬂawless tomato slices arranged in aFibonacci-inspired mandala. The recipe called for fontina cheese made with milk from a meditating cow grazed on organic alfalfa. It yielded just theright amount of dough to ﬁt a14-inch tartpan with aremovable bottom (madebyyour local tinsmith). Complicated —but Iripped and saved thepage anyway

KISSING BUG

$600,000.

“All the funding will be going toward our new project on the inside of ournew building. We have completed theoutside, so we’reraisingmoney and asking friends and family to sow seeds into ourministry to complete the inside,” he said.

Addingspecial meaning to thefamily day atmosphere for Shropshire: The guestspeaker, Moss,isher younger sister

“She’s adynamic speaker,” Shrophsire said.“When Ihave questions, that’swho Icall. And she’s always lifting me,too. She’llchastise me, too, and I have to tell her sometimes, ‘I’m thebig sister.’

Aretired elementaryschool teacher with morethan 45 years in the classroom,Shropshire said one of her greatest joys at Union is teachingadult Sunday school.

“I love teaching God’sword,” Shropshire said, whotaught at schoolsinLivingston,St. Charles andEast Feliciana parishes.“I learn more when I’m teaching Sunday school than thepeople that I’m teaching.Ican feel thespiritworkinginmeand strengtheningme.”

ContactTerry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail.com.

Continuedfrom page9C

—according to the World Health Organization.

Theefﬁcacy of themedication diminishes, however,the longer a person has been infected.

Cases are not actively rising, the CDCsaid. However,raising Chagasdiseasetoanendemic could “improve surveillance, research andpublic health responses” in the U.S., according to theCDC report.

“The longera person is living with this chronic infection, the longer patients are going to receive permanent damage,” Beatty said.

“Why do words matter?Anew endemic status could bring awarenessthatitexists, andthat we need to screen people at risk and offer therapy,prevent development ”

Kissing bugs havebeen around for around 9,000 years old, according to aNational LibraryofMedicine study, butare more common acrossLatinAmerica and South America. Chagas disease is an endemic in 21 countries.

According to datafromthe CDC, 8million people in the world have Chagas disease —and around 288,000 people in theU.S.

The CDCalso estimates that of thetotal Americans with Chagas, only 10,000 were infected inside thecountry.Most others contract-

3. In alarge bowl, whisk together ﬂour,salt and dried herbs.

4. Useacheese grater to grate butterinto the ﬂour mixture. Usea pastry cutter or two forks to combine the butter andﬂour mixture until it resembles coarse meal

5. Slowly addthe icewater to the flour-butter mixture, gently stirring and tossing with arubber spatula until the dough formsa ball.

6. Place theballofdough on a sheet of plastic wrap andﬂatten intoadisk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour (or overnight).

7. Raise oven temperature to 450 F.

8. On alightly ﬂouredsurface, roll out chilled dough to an 11-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Place dough in a9-or10-inch piepan andcrimp theedges. Chill for30 minutes.

My attempts at following Stewart’srecipe have been less than precise since Iﬁrst tracked down fontina cheese at alocal grocery store (in thespecialty cheese section). My tomatoes oozed beautiful red juice and werelumped instead of laid neatly like Stewart’sina perfect “circular pattern overlapping slightly.” Fourteeninch tart pans do not exist —not in stores and not online. Inever did locateour local tinsmith but have since adjusted theingredients to ﬁt atypical pie pan. If you have access to fresh fall tomatoes,use them.Ifnot, try a local grocery store with areputation for good produce. The sugars

ed the disease in LatinAmerica andthen traveled or immigrated to theUnited States.

Still, kissing bugshave been found in 32 states, andthere have been cases of local transmissioninpeople in eightstates:California,Arizona, Texas,Tennessee,Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippiand Louisiana.

The Louisiana Department of Health does not actively monitor positive cases.

“A Chagas champion, that’swhat Icall myself,” Beatty said. “I want to be an advocate forawareness to spread awareness of this disease. I wantthere to be more awareness, anddata, on anational and state level.”

What to look for

Thereare threetypes of kissing bug in Louisiana: triatomasanguisuga,triatoma lecticularia and triatoma gerstaeckeri.

The bugs in Louisiana have a longer lead time forinfection, Ashbrook said. Akissing bug in the statewould need to be on the body for30minutes to defecate andinfect theperson. It is common forwildlifeand other animals, even dogs, to be infected with Chagasdisease from kissing bugs. These infected animals, however,cannot transfer the disease to humans.

“You can only get it if bitten by an infectedkissingbug,”Ashbrooksaid. Kissing bugs withChagasdisease

9. Squeezethe roastedgarlic cloves from their skins into the chilled pie crust —spread evenly with aspatula to cover the bottom

10. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese. Arrange the tomatoes in acircular pattern, slightly overlapping the slices.Season with salt andpepperand drizzlewithremaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

11. Bake 30 minutesat450 Fthen sprinkle with remaining cheese and reduce the oven to 425 Fdegrees. Bake until crust turns golden, 20-30 moreminutes.

12. Cool about20minutesona wire rack. Garnish with basil.

RECIPE NOTES:

n If using store-bought tomatoes, look for ﬁrm ripe Roma or “on the vine” tomatoes.

n Experiment with avariety of tomatoes. Smallergrape or plum sized tomatoes add sweetness.

in the tomatoes caramelize as this open-topped pie bakes in the oven, making even store-bought tomatoes sing with ﬂavor For any party,pies are transportable and give folks some direction on what to bring while giving them freedom to be as creative or as practical as they need to be. We put on apie potluck in our neighborhood, and I’malways amazed at what people come up with —both savory and sweet. If you’re worried about ending up with atable full of desserts and nothing meal-like foryour own pie potluck, assign every other invitee asavory —but let them know you’ll bring the tomato pie!

are common in uninhabited buildings, like hunting cabins or cabins, as wellaswildliferodent burrows, raccoonnests, armadillo burrows and structures for outdoor pets.

LSU’sAgCenterhas received manykissing bug inquiries in the last few weeks, according to Ashbrook, on how to handle the pesky creatures.

Ashbrook advises people who suspect they found akissing bug to capture it in abag, freeze it and give it to the LSU AgCenter

“Wedon’twant people to crush the bug,” Ashbrook said. “That increases the risk of exposure. Freezing for afew days is better,and kills the bug without muchmess.”

It’simportant, however,that peopleproperly identify the bugs as theyare very similartoassassin bugs, abeneﬁcial insect in Louisiana. The kissing bugs tend to have pointier heads, Ashbrooksaid, while the assassin bugs are rounder at the top.

Kissing bugs are black or dark brownand have red, orange or yellow stripes on the edge of their bodies. Theyare just alittlebigger than the size of apenny,can bite without being detected and are most activeatnight,according to Texas A&M University

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.

Hints from Heloise

PROVIDED PHOTO

NewUnion Chapel Baptist Church in Clinton is working to complete its

PHOTO By CATHERINE S. COMEAUX

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Keep an open mind, but don't be gullible. Avoid excessive behavior or taking on more than you can handle. Life can be simple if you are true to yourself, live within your means and know when to say no.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) You've got plenty to offer. Approach life with a passionate point of view and an energetic plan to make a difference. Refuse to let anyone stifle you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Your emotions will interfere with your decisionmaking process. Do your best to reflect before you act to avoid having to backtrack. A positive attitude will pay off

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take care of unfinished business. Catching up will put your mind at ease and get anyone hounding you off your back. Stop wasting time on trivial pursuits.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Motivate yourself, harness your energy and pursue your dreams, hopes and wishes. Shake off negativity and adopt a positive attitude that can carry you to the victory you deserve.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Reclaim your right to do what brings you joy. Unleash your desire and motivate your mind to follow your heart. Release what and who no longer benefits you or supports your efforts.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) It'sOKtodream, but more important to turn your aspira-

tions into a reality. Invest in yourself, not in lavish entertainment or products that promise the impossible.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Take time to replenish and to enjoy life's little pleasures. Kicking back with loved ones or doing something that makes you feel and look your best will boost your confidence.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Participate in events that require skill, strength and endurance. Volunteer your time, skills or money for a cause that matters to you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Look at the big picture and analyze your options. Simplicity is the key to longevity. Discipline and determination will pave the way to a brighter future.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Anger solves nothing. Focus on what and who you know, and you'll get what you want. Learn from people with more experience and from the mistakes you've made along the way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Stop letting outside interference determine what happens next. Take control and make your pursuit clear Pay attention to detail and present what you can do.

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 V

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe peAnUtS

zItS FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon dooneSbUrY

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Anne Frankwrote,“How wonderful it isthatnobodyneedwaitasinglemoment before starting to improve the world.”

Howwonderfulitiswhenasinglecard improves thefit andresults in alowpoint-count slam. Look at theNorth hand in today’s diagram. You open onespade andpartner respondstwo clubs. Whatwould you rebid?

After atwo-over-one response in StandardAmerican, anew-suit rebid by opener is forcing for one round. So a jump rebid can be used as asplinter bid, showing good supportfor partner’s suit, extra values and asingleton (or void) in thenamed suit.(Ithink that this is much more useful than describing agood 5-5 two-suiter.)

Here, South, now knowing that his three heart losers can be ruffedonthe board, shouldcontrol-bid (cue-bid) four hearts to suggest aslam.Then North can use some form of Blackwood.At that point,the problem will be to avoid seven clubs

Againstsixclubs,Westleadsthespade king. How should South plan the play? The dealisperfect for acrossruff. But before commencing one of those, declarer should cash all of hisside-suit winners. So, after taking the first trick with dummy’s spade ace, Southshould play aheart to his ace and cash dummy’s diamond winners. Then he crossruffs to takeonespade,oneheart,twodiamonds, four spade ruffs in his hand, three heart ruffs on the board, andone top trump. Each defender wins trick 13: West with the diamond jack and East with the club eight. ©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle whichcreates adisguised word,phrase, name,place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four lettersbythe addition of “s,”