Sixpositions eliminated as school faces$25Mdeficit
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
After announcing the elimination of six positions Tuesday,the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s interim president told acrowded town hall meeting Wednesdaythat additional staff andfaculty cuts will likely be needed to close to gap on the $25 million deficit announced last week.
Interim PresidentJaimie Hebert promised to keep thecuts to aminimum.
“Wecannot resolve this without some reductions in staff. It’s going to happen,” Hebert said.“We are going to minimize that number as time goeson. Ican’tmake promises; there isn’tamagic number out there that we need to look at.We’re goingtoattempt to make as much headway as we canbycutting expenditures outside of personnel andbygenerating more revenue.”
Hebert delivered the somber message before taking input from attendees, who questioned him for nearly 40 minutes about topics ranging from selling property to generate quick cash and reduce overhead to when the university expects to reach fiscal stability.
Hebert announced the initial cuts in an email to faculty Tuesday.The cuts impacted three divisions.The Office of Sustainability andCommunity Engagement was closed, while the Office of Communications and Marketing and the Office of Auxiliary Services were restructured.
He did not identify individuals af-
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Roger Williams spent manylong days in the state Capitolthis year taking time offwork andaway
fected by thecuts, but said, “Each positionrepresents acolleague and a friend, and Iwant to acknowledge the very real effect this has on the members ofour campus community.”
The Wednesday town hall was cordial,with several faculty members expressing appreciation andunderstanding for the unenviable position theinterimpresident is currently in.
Thatposition is solving a$25 million “structuraldeficit” that was first announced lastweek. University leaders have identified $15 million in reductions. Some of Tuesday’s moves were part of those reduc-
from his children to plead his case to lawmakers. He testified repeatedly that privatepreschools, like the one where he says hisdaughter was harmed by another student, must be better regulated.
But whenWilliamsreturned to theCapitol in August, it was to celebrate.
“Wedid it,” he told achild abuse
tions.
Hebertcould notprovide an updated numberonthe current deficit, but said he aimstoachieve fiscal stability by May or June. He said mostdivisions will reduce operational expenses by 10%. Academic affairs will reduce expenses by 5%,whichHebert said would limit impact on the university’score mission.
“Ourpriorities remainconstant: protect the student experience, supportfaculty in teaching and re-
task force after the legislation he’d championed, Act 409, had been signed into law.“This law is not just words on paper —it’sa shield forLouisiana’schildren.”
The sweeping 32-page law regulates hiring and training, child supervision and abusereporting at day cares and preschools. It requires pre-Kprogramsatprivate
Partiesplay blamegame as shutdown takeseffect
Debate continuesover funding andnegotiations
BY MARK BALLARD and ALYSE PFEIL Staff writers
WASHINGTON —Congressional party leaders spent muchofWednesday,the first day of agovernment shutdown, pointing the finger at each other and saying they did not know just how long somegovernment services will remain closed.
Republican House leaders—Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise,R-Jefferson —spent muchofthe day talking to the media. But real action, or lack thereof, was in the Senate. The House last month passed aresolution, on alargely party-line vote,toauthorize government spending past the Sept. 30 deadline to Nov. 21. For thethird time Wednesdaymorning, theSenate rejected the “continuing resolution” on avote of 55-45. Sixtyvotes are needed forpassage of financial instruments, and Republicans hold only 53 seats in the Senate.
“Weneed ahandful of DemocratstojoinRepublicanstoreopen the government andoncewedo that, then we can talk about the issues that Democrats are raising,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said before the vote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer,D-N.Y., said the only reason the government shutdownis “because Republicans refuse to negotiate.”
“All Chuck Schumer needs to do is get over the tantrumthathe’shaving with theresults of the election from November,and vote yes to keep the government open,” Scalise said Wednesday At issue is the resolution passed by House Republicans last month that authorized government functionsatthe same leveloffunding andwithout any policy changes attached —a so-called “clean
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Dusty Guidry,the architect of kickback schemes involvingthe Louisiana Department of Wildlifeand Fisheries, the Lafayette and East Baton Rouge District Attorney’sOffices and others, was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison. Judge David Joseph of the UnitedStates DistrictCourt forthe Western District of Louisiana in Lafayette sentenced Guidry to 48 months on each of three federal charges, to run concurrently, along with any sentence in St. Martin Parish fora December 2021 drug charge.
“Yourgreed struck at the heartofthe criminal justice system” in Lafayette, Baton Rouge and
ä See GUIDRY, page 5A
schools toobtain aday care center license—alengthy process involving background checks and site inspections —and allows families to suefor damages if their children are abused at school.
Advocates like Williamstout the law,which thestate Legislature passed unanimouslythis year,asa major victory forchild safety and
school accountability. But critics callthe regulationsexcessive and unnecessary given private schools’ existing safety protocols and warn that tuition might rise to offset the costs of compliance, including extra teachers, background checks and facility upgrades.
ä See PRE-K, page 5A
STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD BOWIE
Attendees enter theBayou Bijou Theater before atownhall on Wednesday held by interim PresidentJaimie Hebertto answerquestions about operations and the budgetdeficit at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette interim PresidentJaimie Hebertspeaks to members of the media followinga town hall on Wednesday
Activists: Israeli navy intercepts aid flotilla
JERUSALEM Activists on board
a flotilla of vessels sailing toward Gaza said late Wednesday that the Israelinavyhadinterceptedthree of its boats as they approached the besieged Palestinian territory Israeli authorities said the activists on board, including Greta Thunberg, were safe and being transferred to Israel.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, composed of nearly 50 boats and 500 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Sirius, Alma and Adara boats were intercepted some 80 miles from the coast of Gaza, according to organizers who shared live positions of the flotilla. The group, which includes Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and several European lawmakers, said it remained undeterred in its mission to break the Israeli blockade and bring aid to Palestinians 6 homes collapse into the Outer Banks surf
Six unoccupied houses along North Carolina’s Outer Banks have collapsed into the ocean as Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda rumble in the Atlantic, the latest private beachfront structures to fall as sea levels rise due to global warming
Five of the homes, once propped on high stilts, collapsed Tuesday afternoon in Buxton, a community on the string of islands that make up the Outer Banks, said Mike Barber, a spokesperson for the National Park Service. A sixth in Buxton collapsed overnight, the park service said on its website No injuries had been reported Tuesday, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore said in a post on social media.
Oktoberfest reopens after bomb threat
MUNICH The Oktoberfest fairgrounds closed for several hours Wednesday as police conducted a security sweep of the famed beer festival due to a bomb threat by a suspect linked to an explosion across town in northern Munich. Police in Bavaria, the state where Munich is located, said the suspect was believed to be a 57-year-old German citizen who, according to preliminary findings, had died by suicide near a lake in northern Munich.
The Oktoberfest grounds were reopened after police determined that the bomb threat linked to the suspect “was not confirmed,” Munich police said on the X platform.
The suspect, who had been living in the town of Starnberg south of the city had been carrying a backpack containing an explosive device, a Bavaria police statement said earlier
Hunter S. Thompson’s death to be reviewed
ASPEN, Colo. — Investigators in Colorado are reviewing the 2005 shooting death of journalist Hunter S. Thompson, which was ruled a suicide, authorities said.
There’s no new evidence suggesting foul play Thompson’s death, but the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office requested the review at the behest of Thompson’s widow Anita Thompson, the sheriff’s office and Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a news release Tuesday Investigators are committed to answering any “lingering questions” surrounding his death, Sheriff Michael Buglione said. St. Thérèse’s relics begin tour of U.S.
ROYAL OAK, Mich. — The sacred bones of a much-loved French Carmelite nun began a tour of the U.S. on Wednesday at a suburban Detroit parish named in her honor
A reliquary containing some of St. Thérèse’s remains will be on display through Oct 8, before moving on to California Other stops on the tour, which runs into December, are Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Texas, Wisconsin and Washington D.C. The National Shrine was founded in 1926, as one of the nation’s first parishes dedicated
Israel tells Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City
Official: Those who stay will be considered militants
BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israel’s defense minister on Wednesday ordered all remaining Palestinians to leave Gaza City saying it was their “last opportunity” and that anyone who stayed would be considered a militant supporter and face the “full force” of Israel’s latest offensive.
At least 21 Palestinians were killed across the territory, according to local hospitals, as Hamas weighed a new proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war and returning the remaining captives taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered it.
A senior Hamas official told The Associated Press that there are some points in the proposal that are unacceptable and must be amended, without elaborating.
He said the official response will only come after consultations with other Palestinian factions
Around 400,000 Palestinians have fled famine-stricken Gaza City since Israel launched a major offensive last month aimed at oc-
cupying it, but hundreds of thousands remain, many because they cannot afford to leave or are too weak to make the journey to tent camps in the south.
“This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south,” Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X. “Those who remain in Gaza will be (considered) terrorists and terror supporters.”
The road south was packed as Palestinians fled, with hastily loaded trucks and cars driving alongside people on foot carrying their belongings.
“We left barefoot,” Hussein alDel said. The Israelis “were striking at random, with no mercy for anyone. We left behind our food, our furniture, blankets, and everything. We left only with our souls,” he said.
At least seven people, including first responders, were killed when two Israeli strikes minutes apart hit a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, according to Al-Ahli Hospital, where the casualties were taken. Officials there said more than three dozen people were wounded.
Five Palestinians were killed later in a strike on people gath-
ered around a drinking water tank elsewhere in Gaza City, the hospital said. Shifa Hospital said a man was killed in a strike on his apartment. Strikes in central Gaza killed another eight people, according to Al-Awda Hospital.
Another strike hit a tent in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central town of Deir alBalah, seriously wounding two people, according to hospital officials. Earlier on Wednesday at the same hospital, dozens of people attended a funeral service for a Palestinian freelance journalist, Yahya Barzaq. He was killed Tuesday along with five other people in an airstrike while working for Turkish broadcast outlet TRT.
More than 189 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the outbreak of the war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Wednesday’s strikes or the strike that killed Barzaq. Israel states it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths, saying its militants are embedded in populated areas.
Indonesian rescuers race to find students in rubble
BY NINIEK KARMINI and EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press
SIDOARJO Indonesia Rescue workers continued to search on Wednesday for dozens of missing students suspected of still being buried under the rubble of a collapsed school in the province of East Java.
The death toll following the incident on Monday has risen to six, according to Yudhi Bramantyo, deputy chief of operations at the National Search and Rescue Agency
Five survivors were successfully rescued after a tunnel was dug at the base of the building to their location.
“Their conditions were better as they were detected yesterday They can communicate since yesterday while their bodies are covered by concrete. We have been able to provide food and drink support since yesterday,” Bramantyo said.
Rescuers are racing against the clock in the search for other survivors, with dozens of students still unaccounted for, he added.
The structure fell on top of hundreds of people at about 2:30 p.m. on Monday in a prayer hall at the century-old al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, on the eastern side of Indonesia’s Java island.
The students were mostly boys in grades seven to 12, between ages 12 and 18. Female students were praying in another part of the building and managed to escape, survivors said.
Most rescues typically happen within 24 hours after such disasters, with chances of survival decreasing each day after. More than 300 workers continued to work to try and reach those who have been detected to be still alive and
trapped below
“We hope that we can complete this operation soon,” Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, told reporters. “We are currently racing against time because it is possible that we can still save lives of those we have detected within the golden hours.”
In a sign of hope, rescuers pulled one boy out alive on Wednesday afternoon, loading him gently onto a stretcher to be taken to a hospital. His condition was not immediately known.
Of the approximately 100 injured, more than two dozen are still hospitalized, with many said to have suffered head injuries and broken bones, authorities said.
Before Wednesday’s rescue, Syafii’s agency said at least six children were alive under the rubble, but the search has been complicated with the slabs of concrete and other parts of the building remaining unstable. Heavy equipment is available but is not being used due to concerns that could cause further collapse.
Search for survivors continues after quake
Death toll rises to 69 in Philippines
BY JOEAL CALUPITAN and AARON FAVILA Associated Press
BOGO, Philippines Rescuers used backhoes and sniffer dogs to look for survivors in collapsed houses and other damaged buildings in the central Philippines on Wednesday, a day after an earthquake killed at least 69 people and injured more than 200 others.
The death toll was expected to rise from the 6.9 magnitude quake that hit at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday and trapped an unspecified number of residents in the hard-hit city of Bogo and outlying rural towns in Cebu province.
Sporadic rain and damaged bridges and roads have hampered the race to save lives, officials said.
On Wednesday night, rescuers in orange and yellow hard hats used spotlights, a backhoe and bare hands to sift through the rubble of concrete slabs, broken wood and twisted iron bars for hours in a collapsed building in Bogo city No survivor was found.
“We’re still in the golden hour of our search and rescue,” Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in a morning news briefing in Manila, the country’s capital. “There are still many reports of people who were pinned or hit by debris.”
The epicenter of the earthquake, which was set off by movement in an undersea fault line at a dangerously shallow depth of 3 miles, was about 12 miles northeast of Bogo a coastal city of about 90,000 people in Cebu province where about half of the deaths were reported, officials said.
The Philippine government is considering whether to seek help from foreign governments based on an ongoing rapid damage assessment, Alejandro said.
The United States, Japan, Australia and the European Union expressed condolences.
to the memory of the saint born Thérèse Martin and who died of tuberculosis in 1897 at age 24.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI
A Palestinian man injured by Israeli artillery fire targeting a group of civilians fleeing from northern Gaza to the south is evacuated Wednesday on a horse-drawn cart.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Rescuers search for victims Wednesday after a building under construction collapsed, at an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Primatologist Jane Goodall, 91, dies
Conservationist renowned for groundbreaking research
BY HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press
Jane Goodall, the conservationist renowned for her groundbreaking chimpanzee field research and globe-spanning environmental advocacy, has died. She was 91
The Jane Goodall Institute announced the primatologist’s death Wednesday in an Instagram post According to the Washington, D.C.based institute, Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a U.S. speaking tour
Her discoveries “revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said.
While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, Goodall documented the animals using tools and doing other activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans, and also noted their distinct personalities. Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives
but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling her into the public consciousness
“Out there in nature by myself, when you’re alone, you can become part of nature and your humanity doesn’t get in the way,” she told The Associated Press in 2021. “It’s almost like an out-of-body experience when suddenly you hear different sounds and you smell different smells and you’re actually part of this amazing tapestry of life.”
She had been scheduled to meet with students and teachers on Wednesday to launch the planting of 5,000 trees around wildfire burn zones in the Los Angeles area. Organizers learned of her death as the event was to begin at EF Academy in Pasadena, said spokesperson Shawna Marino The first tree was planted in Goodall’s name after a moment of silence.
“I don’t think there’s any better way to honor her legacy than having a thousand children gathered for her,” Marino said.
Goodall in her later years devoted decades to education and
advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world.
In her usual soft-spoken British accent, she was known for balancing the grim realities of the climate crisis with a sincere message of hope for the future.
From her base in the British coastal town of Bournemouth she traveled nearly 300 days a year, even after she turned 90, to speak to packed auditoriums.
Between more serious messages, her speeches often featured her whooping like a chimpanzee or lamenting that Tarzan chose the wrong Jane.
Tributes from animal rights organizations, political leaders and admirers poured in following news of her death.
“Dr Jane Goodall was able to convey the lessons of her research to everyone, especially young people. She changed the way we see Great Apes,” said Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency
While first studying chimps in Tanzania in the early 1960s, Goodall was known for her unconven-
PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER
Bondi touts Memphis arrests during federal deployment
BY ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn. Defense Secre-
tary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi met with Tennessee Gov Bill Lee in Memphis on Wednesday, shortly after a task force of federal law enforcement agencies ordered by President Donald Trump began operating in the city.
Video from a media pool showed Hegseth arriving by plane and shaking hands with Republican Gov Bill Lee, who has supported the law enforcement surge. Bondi was also present Bondi said in a social media post that the Memphis Safe Task Force has made more than 50 arrests over a two-day period. The agents, who include personnel from immigration and drug enforcement, have begun serving criminal arrest warrants while teaming with state agencies like the Tennessee Highway Patrol to make traffic stops on interstates and state roads. Bondi said more than 200 officers were deputized.
The task force is part of a larger effort by President Donald Trump to use National Guard troops and
surge federal law enforcement in American cities, particularly ones controlled by Democrats.
Trump has called the move necessary and attacked Democrats on crime and immigration policies. Following a the use of National Guard troops in the District of Columbia and Los Angeles, he referred to Portland, Oregon, as “war-ravaged” and threatened apocalyptic force in Chicago.
Mobile command centers for the U.S. Marshals Service and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have been set up at a staging area for the task force A Marshals spokesperson said the service will release periodic updates that include arrest numbers, types of charges and participating agencies.
“With the addition of federal resources in Memphis, including enhanced interagency collaboration, it’s reasonable to expect an increase in warrant enforcement activity, particularly targeting violent offenders who pose a threat to public safety,” Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Ryan Guay said in an email to The Associated Press.
The task force also includes the Tennessee National Guard. Lee
has said he would not expect more than 150 National Guard members to be sent to Memphis, though the numbers have not been solidified. The city has said there will be no tanks, and the governor said guard troops will not make arrests or be armed unless local authorities request it.
It’s unclear when guard members will begin their work with the Memphis Police Department.
Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said during a town-hall meeting Tuesday evening that it could be a couple of weeks.
Memphis has experienced high numbers of violent crimes such as carjackings and homicides in recent years, but both Democratic and Republican officials have noted that the city is seeing decreases this year in some crime categories.
Opponents of the deployment say it is an unnecessary federal occupation of a majority-Black city that instead needs more funding to address poverty and other drivers of crime. Supporters see it as a welcomed infusion of law enforcement for a city that, despite recent improvements in crime statistics, still needs help battling violence.
tional approach. She didn’t simply observe them from afar but immersed herself in every aspect of their lives. She fed them and gave them names instead of numbers, which some scientists criticized.
Her findings were circulated to millions when she first appeared on the cover of National Geograph-
ic in 1963 and then in a popular documentary. A collection of photos of Goodall in the field helped her and even some of the chimps become famous. One iconic image showed her crouching across from the infant chimpanzee named Flint. Each has arms outstretched, reaching for the other
$18B in funding for NYC projects frozen
Trump administration says tunnel spending based on DEI
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s administration, citing the government shutdown, said Wednesday it was putting a hold on roughly $18 billion to fund a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey and an extension of the city’s Second Avenue subway The White House budget director, Russ Vought, said on X the step was taken due to the administration’s belief the spending was based on unconstitutional diversity equity and inclusion principles. In a statement, Trump’s Transportation Department said it had been reviewing whether any “unconstitutional practices” were occurring in the two massive infrastructure projects but that the shutdown, which began Wednesday, had forced it to furlough the staffers conducting the review The suspension of funds is likely meant to target Senate Democrat-
ic leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, whom the White House is blaming for the impasse. He said the funding freeze would harm commuters.
“Obstructing these projects is stupid and counterproductive because they create tens of thousands of great jobs and are essential for a strong regional and national economy,” he said on X.
The spending hold was a preview of how the messy the politics of the shutdown could get, with Vought later posting on X that $8 billion in funding for green energy projects in Democratic-led states would be canceled. The administration has shown a willingness to use its control of federal dollars to apply pressure on Democrats to reopen the government, with commuters and thousands of jobs hanging in the balance.
The agency working on the subway line said it was blindsided by the announcement. “For now, it looks like they’re just inventing excuses to delay one of the most important infrastructure projects in America,” read a statement from John McCarthy, policy chief and spokesperson for the New York state-controlled Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Bermuda airport, schools close ahead of Imelda
BY DÁNICA COTO Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane
Imelda barreled toward Bermuda on Wednesday as forecasters warned that it would swipe past the tiny British territory as a Category 2 storm.
Heavy winds and rain were expected to start hitting the island and continue through Thursday, with Imelda forecast to pass near or over Bermuda late Wednesday night. A hurricane warning was in effect for Bermuda, a wealthy overseas territory with strong structures that have withstood powerful storms in previous years.
Imelda was located about 190 miles west-southwest of Bermuda. It had maximum sustained
winds of 100 mph and was moving east-northeast at 22 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
“This is a dangerous storm system that could bring destructive winds, heavy rainfall and significant coastal impacts,” said Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s national security minister Bermuda closed its public schools, government offices and international airport on Wednesday as it deployed 100 soldiers to secure infrastructure clear roads and help at emergency shelters ahead of the storm. Imelda is expected to drop up to 4 inches of rain across Bermuda and produce a dangerous storm surge that forecasters say could unleash flooding. Hundreds of customers were without power ahead of the storm
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JEAN-MARC BOUJU
Jane Goodall kisses Tess, a female chimpanzee, at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary near Nanyuki, north of Nairobi, in 1997. The celebrated conservationist died Wednesday at 91.
ASSOCIATED
IV
People demonstrate Friday above Interstate 40 in Nashville, Tenn., against the deployment of the National Guard in Memphis.
GUIDRY
elsewhere in Louisiana, Joseph said before sentencing Guidry That this was and still is asystem ripe for abuse, he added, does not excuse what Guidry did AssistantU.S. Attorney John Luke Walker asked Joseph for a 70% reductioninthe originalsentencerange of 70-90 months and to consider that he cooperated fully and consistentlysince the daythe FBI approached him.
“I believe he was fully cooperative and honest, and Ibelieve he deservesareduction in sentence,” Walker said.
Guidry apologizedtothe court, prosecutors, investigators, his family and the community.
“I was in apositiontohelp,” he said, but put his selfish needs first Joseph said he wouldrequest that Guidry be held in afederal prison nearest to Lafayette. He was released Wednesday and is to report by 2p.m. on Nov.14tothe prison selected by the Bureau of Prisons.
Guidry is also to paya $10,000 fine over time after his release, Joseph said.
In adeal with federal prosecutors, Guidry pleaded guiltyin March 2023 to three federal charges: One count of briberyand two counts of conspiracy,one eachfor the wildlife and fisheries scheme and one involving the pretrial intervention program in the 15thJudicial District Attorney’sOffice in Lafayette where he was acontract consultant. He admitted to receiving about $800,000 in kickbacks.
Guidry was “a con man and a good one,” Todd Clemons, the de-
FACULTY
Continued from page1A
search, and minimize— wherever possible —the human impact on our campus,” Hebertcontinued in Tuesday’semail.
Asignificant amount of savings can be achieved through job reductions. Roughly 60% of expenditures are allocated to salaries, according to information presented at Wednesday’stownhall. Hebert also said vacantpositions will likely go unfilled.
PRE-K
Continued from page1A
Less thana week after Williams spoke to the task force, Catholic school leaders appealed to the state board of educationfor waivers from some of the regulations, which took effect Oct. 1. Howard Davis, head of ProvidenceClassicalAcademy,aChristian school in Bossier City,said he might file for an injunction to stop the law
“This is not fair to our schools,” he told the board. “It’sjustridiculous.”
Now,some private school supporters are urging lawmakers to delay the law’senactment during apossible special legislative session this fall. State House Speaker Phillip DeVillier,R-Eunice, said lawmakers are still studyingthe issue.
“I’m really hopeful that we can address the concerns that we’re hearing from schools anddioceses,” he said.
For Williams, amajor in the Army National Guard who was a driving force behind Act 409, the backlash to the law has been demoralizing.
“In my head, we did it, it’sover, we turned this horrible situation intoapositive,” he said. And yet, here we are.” Act 409 might not exist were it not for adisturbing discovery Williams made one afternoonin March 2024.
As his 3-year-old daughter was getting changed for gymnastics class, Williams said he noticed
fense attorney for former Lafayette AssistantDistrict Attorney Gary Haynes said in Haynes’ September trial. FBI agent Doug Herman, in histestimony,agreed. Fifteenth Judicial District AttorneyDon Landry hired Guidry and Haynesshortly after takingoffice in January 2021. Haynes, who helped with Landry’scampaign, was hiredtorun the pretrial intervention program and was also acity prosecutor. Guidry,who is not an attorney, was known in Louisiana as the pretrialintervention guru,having helped various district attorney offices, universities andlaw enforcement agencies set up programs. When he was hired as aconsultant in Lafayette,Guidry also was employed full-time in the 19th Judicial DistrictinEastBaton Rouge Parish by District Attorney Hillar Moore. He had worked there long enough to qualify for retirement in December 2021 when he was
Hebert blamed the deficit on declining full-time undergraduate enrollment, despitethe university celebrating its largest freshman class this fall.
Afterfull-time undergraduate enrollment swelled to 14,964 in 2017, the university has not reached that figure again, with Hebert callingthe group the university’s“primary revenue generator.”
Tuition and fees account for roughly 30% of UL’s revenues, accordingtoHebert’spresentation. In the past decade,full-time undergraduate enrollment has fallen by 1,700 students, or roughly $20 mil-
bloodinher underwear.The girl explained that aboy in her preschoolclass had touched her inappropriately,Williams said.Williams and his wife,a nurse anesthetist, took their daughter to the hospital and filed apolice report. They also informed the school, Kehoe-France Southshore in Metairie, which conducted an investigation.
Thecouplealsocontacted the state Department of Children & FamilyServices and theJefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Both said thealleged incident fell outside of their jurisdiction, while the state Department of Education said it couldn’tintervene becausepre-K programs at private schoolswere not licensed by theagency In August 2024, the couple sued theschool, saying it failed to take proper safetyprecautions. The lawsuit allegesthat thegirl’spreKclassroom was understaffed and that3-year-olds were sometimes allowed to usethe restroom unsupervised, which is wherethe couplebelieves theincident occurred.
The school denied theallegations in court filings,saying it found no evidence that the alleged incident occurred at theschool. It also said theschool complied withall of the state’sstaffing and restroomsupervision rules.
“Wemaintain comprehensive health and safety standards that meet or exceed state requirements, and our staffreceive ongoingtrainingtostay current with best practicesin child safeguarding and education,”Kehoe-France Executive Head of Schools Tanya Pricesaidinastatement, adding
arrested for drug possession. The FBI, which had bugged Guidry’s cellphone and knew he was addicted to painkillers,arrangedwiththe St. Martin Parish Sheriff’sOffice to stophim between BatonRouge and Lafayette,where they found 126 pills in his possession.
On Sept. 11, Guidry testified in Haynes’ trial that he had accepted kickbacks from vendors while he worked in Baton Rouge, including some of the same vendorsinvolved in the Lafayette district attorney’s pretrial diversion scheme. He was notindicted for the Baton Rouge scheme.
Ajury unanimously convicted Haynes on Sept.18onsix federal charges involvingthe pretrial diversion program In that scheme, Guidryand Haynes steeredmore people with felony and misdemeanor charges into the pretrial intervention program,some who weren’tqualified. Landry testified that he inherited abacklog of more than 600 cases
lion in lost revenue, Hebert said.
Over that same period,the universityadded about 600 positions at acost of $40 million in payroll. Federal cuts to research funding have not contributed tothe deficit, at least “not directly,” Hebert said in an interview ”Our research arm at the university remains very significant. The amount of federal dollarsand state dollarscoming in to supportour research is on parwithwherewe were last year,” Hebert said.
UL’s fiscal woes come after a shake-up of topadministrators at theuniversity that happened
that protecting students is the school’s“highest priority.”Price said she cannot respond to specific allegations due to ongoing litigation,but that the school is preparedto“vigorously defend” its position in court.
Williams saidthe situation highlightedglaring gaps in state law.In January,headdressed astate task force on child abuseinvestigations, arguing that private schools like his daughter’s should face stricter safetystandards.
“My daughter’strauma could have been prevented,”hesaid, urging lawmakers to act. “Weneed your help.”
StateSen. Regina Barrow,D-BatonRouge, who led the task force, respondedbysponsoring abill in the legislative session earlier this year It required private school pre-K programs to be licensed, law enforcement to investigate allegations of abuse at schools and DCFS to assess the familiesofallegedchild perpetrators. It also limited the number of children thatday careorpreschool stafferscan supervise and said staffers must be nearby when children use the restroom.
The Legislature passed the bill andGov.Jeff Landry signed it into law.Atthe August task force meeting, Barrow marveled at the bill’s bipartisan support
“Not one ‘no’ vote,” shesaid. “Everybodyunderstood it and wanted to make sure thatwegot this right.”
While lawmakers praise thenew law, private school leadershave been sounding thealarm about what theysay are itsunintended consequences.
and asked the staff to clear the backlog by enrolling moreoffendersinthe PTI program where they could take online classes and clear their charges. Guidry and Haynes loosened the qualifications to enter PTI, acceptingatleastone two-time sexoffender andseveral peoplewithtwo or more drunkendriving arrests. They had the staffsteer offenders to online coursesprovided by cooperating vendors like Lafayette businessman Leonard Franques. The offenders paid Franques’ company for thecourses, which cost a little more, and he shared the proceeds with Haynes and Guidry Franques reached aplea deal with prosecutors in December 2021, wearing awire and allowing FBIagents to videotape the three men duringa meeting at his Oil Center office in January of 2022. Franques is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 21.
The scheme drew theattention of aLafayette FBI agent in mid2021 when aLafayette defense attorneyreportedone of hisclients was being shakendownbysomeone associated with the District Attorney’sOffice forthousands of dollars in order to makehis charges disappear That person was Joseph “Big Poppa” Prejean,a Carencro gym ownerand formerly incarcerated person whoprovided lectures and inspiration to offenders through hiscompanyC&A Consulting.As avendor with the District Attorney’sOffice, he took kickbacks that he shared with Guidry and possibly Haynes. The FBIbuggedPrejean’s cellphone, whichled themtoGuidry, whose phone they then wiretapped. That led them to Franques and others involvedinthis scheme and others, including the Wildlife
around the time thataudits questioned UL’s financial picture. The Louisiana Legislative Auditorinlatespring flaggedproblems with university finances that includedlate billing over three consecutive years, which UL blamed on staffing shortages and turnover.And another audit earlier this year revealed a$12.6 million deficitinUL’sAthletic Department. Hebertwas namedinterim president in July after President Joseph Savoie announcedsuddenlyhewas stepping down ayear before his contract was up. Savoie is serving
Some say it will busttheir schools’ budgets to hire more teachers to meet new staffing requirements thattook effect Oct. 1. Private school pre-K programs now must have onestaffer for every154-year-olds, down from 1for every 20 students under the previous rules.
Lastmonth, thestate Education Department granted waivers requested by several Catholic schools, giving them an extra year to meet the new staffing rules. Meanwhile, about250 private schools withpre-Kprogramsmust applyfor “early learning center” licenses by Jan. 1. The licenses, whichstandalone preschools and day cares alreadyhave, require state fire marshal and Health Department inspections and background checks for all staffers even thosewho previouslycompleted the process.
Mark Williams, Catholic school superintendent in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, said he and his colleagues support the effort to bolster student protections. But he argued that the new mandates are redundant. His teachers alreadyclearedbackground checks and were trained in child abuse reporting.Williams saidthe new requirements will cost his diocese an estimated$157,000 this fall, adding that because schools did not get any state funding to meet themandates, they will have to pass thecost on to parents.
“It’sgoing to increase the tuition,” he said. “There’snogetting around that.”
Others say the day care regulationsare ill-suited for pre-Kpro-
and Fisheries Department and its department head, Jack Montoucet of Scott. Prejean pleaded guilty in December 2023 to onefelonycount of conspiracytodefraudthe federal government. He is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 21.
In the wildlife and fisheries case, Guidry,who was on the volunteer wildlifeand fisheries commission, wasmore involvedindepartment operations than other commissioners and wasclose with Montoucet. Montoucet,asdepartment head, providedFranquesassistancein submitting abid to provide online hunter and boatereducationcourses and courses to resolve LDWF citations. The three men agreed to split proceedsfrom theendeavor Guidry testified that he agreed to split his portion with Haynes, who allegedly paid to join the scheme andprovideda fake companyto hide their kickbacks.
Between Nov.10, 2021, and June 10, 2022, the department received $454,174 from the contract, of which $122,508 was set aside by Franques to be given to Montoucet upon his retirement from the LDWF,according to the May indictment. Montoucetalso was to receive a$14,000 all-terrain vehicle.
Montoucet resigned from LDWF in April 2023 when The Advocate identified him as the unnamed person mentioned in Guidry’sindictment who signedanOct. 8, 2021, contract between the LDWF and Lafayette-basedcompany,DGL1, which is owned by Franques. Montoucet pleaded not guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commitbribery and wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Histrial is set forMay 11, 2026.
as the university’spresident emeritus on a$500,000 retainer
The university has seen other leadership shake-ups this year.Its vice president of finance and administration, Jerry Luke LeBlanc, resignedabruptly in May. Edwin Litolff is serving as interim vice president of finance. In Hebert’s first address to university stakeholders, he saidthe administration’s top priorities were fiscal stability andprocess efficiency Staff writers AshleyWhite, Megan Wyatt and Andrea Gallo contributed to this report.
gramsembedded in schools.
Maria LaFleur,principal of St. Catherine of Siena School in Metairie, said theentire school’s dismissal procedures will be disruptedbecauseunder thenew rules, young children cannot be senthome witholder siblings. For pre-K studentstoleavetheir classrooms to attendenrichment classes like music or art or weekly Mass, they will now need signed permission slips, LaFleur said.
“Weare being held to standards designedfor daycarefacilities, not schools,” she said in an email. “Catholic schools have arich history of preparing studentsacademically, andthat’sbeing undermined.” Still others argue that it’sunfair that the new licensing requirement only appliestopre-K programsin private schools, not those in public or Montessori schools, which received acarveout. The bill’sbackerssay thegoal is to eventually include all pre-K sites.
Private school supporters have been relaying their concerns to Barrow,the bill’sauthor,while also asking lawmakers and Gov.Jeff Landry to delay or amend the law Barrow and Landry’soffice did not respond to requests forcomment.
“We’ve got to make this right,” said SisterCarol Shively,superintendent of Catholic schools in the Shreveport diocese, during arecentprivate school advisory group meeting.
The recent pushback has dismayed Roger Williams, but he also sees asilver lining.
“This bill has made everyone so angry,” he said, “thateveryone’s coming to the table now.”
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIEWESTBROOK
Dusty Guidry,left, arrives at the John M. Shaw Federal Courthouse with his attorney, Thomas Lorenzi, on Wednesday.
Shown is today’sweather.Temperatures aretoday’shighs
continuing resolution.”
GOP leaders point out that, when the other party wasin charge, the Democrats vilified Republicans who tried to use the shutdown deadline to press unrelated policy concessions onto a“clean continuing resolution.”
And now,Republicans say, the Democrats are doing the same thing: pressing for policy concessions that could waituntil all the mechanisms for proper government functioningare in place.Democrats counter they can’ttrust the GOPtonegotiate in good faith these days.
Democrats have along list of health care demands, but the one most talked about is extension of Affordable Care Act premium tax creditsthatlow incomeworking people use to purchase health insurance —about 350,000 of whom live in Louisiana. Thatprogram expires in December
Unless the tax credits are extended, out-of-pocket premiums would increase from an average of $888 to $1,904 by 2026.
“Wehave until the end of the year to fixthe ACA credit issue,” Thune said, adding that Senate Republicans, at least, are willing to negotiate the issue after government reopens. Johnson spent much of this first day of the shutdown with around of appearances with the media.
On the“Moon Griffon Show,” broadcaststatewide from Lafayette, Johnson said Trump could use the shutdown to shrink thefederal government.
“It does giveanopportunity to eliminate bloated, unnecessary federal programs that we would like to vote down, but we never had the votes in the Senate to do. Now we have the moment,” Johnson said.
Even as the shutdown began, its effects were stillbeing worked out.
Social Security benefits are still being paid. Mail is being delivered. The U.S.
courts will remain open at least through Friday,Oct. 17.
But it’snot clear-cut.
Veterans Affairsmedical facilities are open. But the VA’s regional benefitoffices areclosed.
Commercial flights are still on,but thelinescould getlongerasair trafficcontrollers and Transportation SecurityAdministration employees will be working withoutpay Louisiana schoolshave enough federal money to operate the entire school year, said Lexi Pritchard, deputy chiefofoperations in the state Education Department.
But one exceptioncould be Head Start, the federally funded preschool programfor children from low-income families.Most Head Start centers are fully funded for this month, but if the shutdownstretches into nextmonth,that could potentially interrupt their funding, Pritchard said.
Medicaid funding is not dependent on annual appropriations.
“Therefore, coverage for recipientsand payments to providers generally continue during ashutdown,” said Louisiana Department of Health spokesperson Emma Herrock.
Thosewho are eligible for food stamps through theSupplementalNutrition Assistance Program will receivebenefits,and Louisiana will continue to administer theprogram followingfederal regulations, she said TheLouisiana National
Guard won’t be conducting monthly drills, said Louisiana National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Collins.
The Guard“remains ready to respond to state emergencies and all-hazards events” suchashurricanes, she said.
But Gov.JeffLandry’srequest to activate athousand troops for crimepatrols hasn’tbeen mobilized.
Duetothe lapse of federal funding, national parks, monuments and museums “willremainclosedtothe publicuntil further notice,” saidMeredith Hardy, aNational Park Servicemanager at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, which operates multiple sites scattered across south Louisianainthe New Orleansand Lafayetteareas, including Chalmette Battlefield, Chalmette National Cemetery,the Barataria Preserve, Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center,Prairie Acadian CulturalCenter, theAcadian Cultural Center andthe New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park.
TheSenatewillbeoff Thursdaybut back to work on Friday. The House has been outsince Sept. 19 and won’treturn until Monday
Nevertheless, Democratic House members have been working on Capitol Hill.
Butnot for long.
Rep.Cleo Fields,D-Baton Rouge, headed home to Baton Rouge on Wednesday night to work from his district.
“What should be happeningisnegotiation, butthat’s nothappening yet,” Fields said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Nonprofits eyeeffects of shutdown
Government’s status couldimpactlocal groups
BY STEPHENMARCANTEL Staff writer
TheU.S.government is in its first shutdown in seven years after federal lawmakerswereunableto agree on extendingfederal funding. Republicans and Democrats, at a stalemate on how to fund the fed-
eral government,were unable to find compromisebefore the Oct. 1 deadline.
Some local nonprofits in Lafayette thatrelyonfederal grants have been preparing for ashutdown, butit’snot immediately raising alarm bells. Ashutdown, at least abrief one, would have little impact on services, said Elsa
Dimitriadis, executivedirector of theAcadiana Regional Coalitionon Homelessness and Housing.
“The only immediate effect that we would see would be that we would lose our HUD (U.S.Department of Housing andUrban Development) field offices that we rely on formonitoring, grant management and our TA (technical assis-
tance) support,” Dimitriadis said.
“If this is along-term shutdown, then we do run into cash flow problems, temporary interruption in services, landlords whowould not get paid.
Otherorganizations, suchasthe anti-hunger nonprofitSecond Harvest,expressed asimilar position. Ashort shutdownwould likely not impact their ability to provide food to thoseinneed, said Paul Scelfo, chief regional officer forSecond Harvest.
When CentralPizzaopened in downtownLafayette in2018, it was the first restaurantonJefferson Street to feature wood-fired pizzas with elegant cocktails and showstopping appetizers.
The result wasa dining experience that lured in guestsfrom around Acadiana. Central’s“elevated pizza night” concept had staying power downtown,where the res-
taurant is still apopulardestination seven years later.Itisnow expanding south of Lafayette, where Central Pizza opened asecond location in Broussard on Tuesday
The restaurant opened to abusy lunch service, with co-owner Collin Cormier tossing pies behind the counter andpopularappetizers like cheese curds, freshburrata and Central dip (a leek, bacon andParmesan dipservedwith warm pita bread) flying out of the kitchen. One of Central’s most ordered
pies is theCurly Sue, which comes with awhite saucewith mozzarella, apistachio pesto, garlic ricotta and curly pepperoni slices.Pies on the redsauce list include the “Paulie,” with ablend of classicand trendy toppings —mozzarella, pepperoni, pickled jalapeñosand Acadiana honey
Central Pizza is part of agroup of restaurantsco-owned by Lafayette restaurateur Collin Cormier,whose
ä See EXPANDING, page 4B
“It depends, to be honest with you, on the severity or length of theshutdown,”Scelfo said. “And rightnow,our operation, we’re very fortunate. We can continue to serve, but as far as over an extended periodoftime,itjust depends on how severe it is.”
Federal employees being furloughed or laid off would increase
School Boardset to vote on new projects
Renovations,new wingsconsidered
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
Lafayette Parish schools could see $30 million in wingsatthree elementary schools and other renovations.
The Lafayette Parish School Board will vote at itsThursdaymeeting on whethertoallocate thecapital funding for various projects. If approved, thefunding would allocate money for:
n Anew wing at Broadmoor Elementary
n Anew wing at Ernest Gallet Elementary
n Anew wing at Westside Elementary
n Anew P.E. facility at Milton Elementary-Middle
n Additional fundingfor Lafayette High baseball and softball fields
n Renovations and upgrades at several campuses.
“This boardand Ihavepromised our communitythatwewill operate with fiscal responsibility and focus on providing the best educational opportunities in qualityfacilities,” saidSuperintendent Francis Touchet Jr.ina statement. “These projects mark another step in that direction.” If theboard approves the requests Thursday night, 24 portable buildings will be replaced at Broadmoor,Ernest
ALafayette man hasbeen arrested in connection with ashooting at amotel on Evangeline Thruway that leftone woman dead.
Challis Prejean, 23, of Lafayette, was taken into custody,according to police. The arrest was made with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Special Investigations Unit. The victimhas been identified as 53-year-old Gerardette Burke, of Lafayette. The shooting occurredabout 6:30 a.m. at amotel in the 1300 block of N.E. Evangeline Thruway.Officers found aman and Burke suffering from apparentgunshot wounds. Both victims were taken to alocal hospital fortreatment. Burke died from her injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital, police said. Apreliminary investigation suggests asuspect began firing at the male victim, andBurke,who wasinthe immediate vicinity,was also hit by gunfire.
STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD BOWIE
Colin Cormier,left, and Grayling Thibodeaux preppizzasfor the wood-burning oven during asurprise opening of Central Pizza in Broussard on Tuesday.
Central Pizza opened asecond location in Broussard on Tuesday
OPINION
OUR VIEWS
Keep National Flood Insurance Program in business
If there’sone thing that Louisianans can take to thebank, it’s that the most recent floodwill not be the last.
So it would be really helpful if theycould count on something else: reliable and available flood insurance.
Yetonce again, the federal government, which writes the vast majority of flood policies inthe U.S., isn’tkeeping up its endofthe bargain. The government shutdown that began Wednesday alsomarkedthe expiration of the National Flood Insurance Program’sauthorization.
So what does this mean forthe morethan 400,000 Louisianans who rely on thiscoverage?
In the immediate term, currentpoliciesremain in effect. But new policies can’t be written, existing policies up for renewal can’tberenewed andreal estate purchases in zoneswhere lenders require flood coverage can’t go through. And potentially,the expiration could limit the payment of claims.
If all this sounds familiar,it should Congress routinely letsthe flood insurance programlapse, or comes close. Duringthe past decade, it’spassed no fewer than 33 short-term authorization extensions. Onesuch extension was included in the short-term spendingbill that has fallen victim to thelarger partisan stalemate. Another,astandalonemeasure, is proposed but awaiting action
These frequent extensionsare largely the result of Congress kicking thecan down theroad as it contemplates the larger goal of reforming the program to make it less costly,moreactuariallysound and simply more fair
That it has largely failed on that frontis telling, for charting adifferent pathrequires grappling withhardquestionsabout how much andwhether government insurance shouldsubsidize those who live in areas proneto flooding, andhow to discouragebuilding in flood-prone areaswithout punishing longstanding communities where living with water is simply afact of life.
Theprogram’smostrecent reform, called Risk Rating 2.0,provedcontroversialand punishingly costly for many Louisiana homeowners. Some who are not required bylenders to carry coverage have dropped it,leavingthem vulnerable to the next disaster andlikely putting others on the hook for theirrecovery. That said, there has been some isolated good news lately. Residents of unincorporatedJefferson Parish and Livingston Parish recently becameeligiblefor rate cuts, as aresultoflocal flood mitigation measures. Propertyowners in Youngsville could now qualify fora break too, sincecity officials wererecently approvedfor the NFIP’svoluntary community ratingsystem. But thebigger issues surroundingthe flood insurance program’sfuture remain,evenasthe Trump administration’sdeeply concerning talk of scaling back or eliminatingFEMA, which runs the NFIP,raises new ones. Still, none of that means that Congress can’t minimize damage in the short runbyextending the program’scurrentprovisions onemore time. Or even better,itcould extend them indefinitely,which would not precludereformbut would minimize disruption inthe meantime. That,atleast,would keep Louisiana’songoing insurance challenges from gettingevenworse
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
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Supportfederal fundingto help Alzheimer’spatients
Today,nearly 7million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s—a number expected toincrease to nearly 13 million by 2050, including 95,000 in Louisiana. Without medical breakthroughs, this number is projected to rise. As aformer caregiver,Iunderstand firsthand theimpact this devastatingdisease has on families across America.
Alzheimer’sdeeply impacted my family when my grandmother,IrmaLee Dartez, passed away after her battle with the disease. Watchingher decline was heartbreaking and inspired me to dedicatemywork to honoring her memory.
Thankfully,U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields can play arole in addressing this critical issue. By increasing funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia research at the National Institutes of Healthbyanadditional $113.485 million and supporting the dementia public healthinfrastructure with $35 million allocated in the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’sAct Congressman Fieldshas the opportunity
Kudos to Scott Rabalais for his column predicting SEC’sannual opponents, as well as to the teachers who taught him theskill and art of writing.
Rabalais’ columns are consistently well-written, creative, informative, instructive, humorous and often selfdepreciating.
An avid Tiger fan who waited until her golden years to begin reading thenewspaper’sSportssection and who now
Ijust came back to Louisiana from a blessed JMJ Pilgrimage to Rome with others for the canonizations of Sts. Acutis and Frassati.
We were so fortunate as pilgrimsin this Holy Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church to walk through designated “holy door” church entrances and to receive eternal blessings.
What ajoy it was also to join Pope LeoXIV,who has somefamilial connections to New Orleans, at ageneral audience and for the canonizations, especially as he was driven by after-
to provide millionsofAmericans with a sense of hope. With this funding, scientists will beable to build on this momentumand continue working to advance basic disease knowledge, explore ways to reduce risk, uncover new biomarkers for early diagnosis and drug targeting and make discoveries that can lead to a treatment or acure. We can’tafford not to fund research. This funding continues to help build resources and compassionate care inspired by my grandmother’sjourney.It allows me to turn apainful experience into something meaningful that supports other families walking the samepath.
Pleasejoin me and the Alzheimer’s Association in encouraging U.S. Rep. Fieldstolead in the fight to end Alzheimer’sand other dementias by supporting research funding andthe dementia public healthinfrastructure. We’re at a momentwhen knowledge and discoveries are changing the way we fight Alzheimer’sand all other dementias. Our progress must continue.
JORDAN BRISCO Opelousas
begins reading her morning newspaper with Rabalais’ column in Sports instead of the comics in Living, Ican testify to my appreciation forhis outstanding delivery.Beware, fellow nonsports page readers, Rabalais columns are addictive. By theway,his column characterizing Tiger Stadium was“icing on my cake.”
KAREN POIRRIER Lutcher
wards in the popemobile within 10 feet of us. Subsequently,itwas truly ablessing to take some St. Francis Waywalks from Assisi back toward Rome. Itruly have learned from these holy adventures —and especially from the charism of St. Francis —that we are at acritical “turning point” in our everyday walks of life to ever more adopt the songassociated with Francis: “Make Me AChannel Of Your (Jesus’) Peace!”
KEITH HORCASITAS Baton Rouge
Democrats can’tdistance themselves from consequences of hatefulrhetoric
Seeing, hearing andreading the pervertedjoy many people from the left have celebrated at the assassinationofCharlie Kirk is disgusting. The deflection of blame for this tragedy from Democrats andtheir propaganda mainstream media is hollow. Their constant labeling of President Donald Trump, Kirk andconservative people as Hitler, Nazis, fascists, deplorablesand everyphobe known to man over so many years hasfannedthe flames of hatred toward allconservatives. Along with riots, death and destructionofproperty when events aredeemed justified by Democrats for suchbehavior,it appearsthatmurderisnow also justified by many on the left. Trump’stwo near-assassination attempts, Luigi Mangione’s allegedmurderofthe UnitedHealthcareCEO andnow the deathofCharlie Kirk. Chaos, lawlessness andanarchy are the outcomes as their words and actions aretoo oftencondoned without consequences.
The Democrat Party appears to have been infiltrated with evil. Theyare godless. Their quest for powerispursuedthrough lies andpropaganda while proclaiming theyknowwhat is best for you. Their leadership’sagenda is outoforderand counter to life, liberty andthe pursuit of happiness. No happiness can be found in their beliefsystem. Is it now irrational to support this party,whichismiserable and full of hate?Ipray Godtochange their hearts. Until that time, it may be time for sensible middleof-the-road Democrats to flee thatparty.The alternative is to at leastbecome independent, capable of thinking for themselves in whatisright and wrong. True hope andhappiness for the future is found with faith in Jesus, not in those who want to controlyour life
WADE PERRIN Marrero
Iowa’s stunning immigrationmess
On May 16, 2023, the Des Moines, Iowa, School Board hired IanRoberts to be its new superintendent. Roberts, the first African Americanever chosen to run the city’s schools, formally began the job on July 1, 2023. By the end of July,the board got some surprisingnewsabout their new superintendent. He had been named in a$250,000 settlementwith an ex-employee at his previous job as head of the Millcreek Township SchoolDistrict in Pennsylvania. Melody Ellington, the Pennsylvania district’shumanresources director under Roberts, claimedshe hadbeen subjected to “unlawful treatment.” The nature of thattreatment was notrevealed.
Meanwhile, officials at the Des Moines board said Roberts’ problem was news to them. “Given the confidential nature of the settlement, thereis nothing that Des Moines public schools would have known about prior to the hiring of Dr.Roberts,” the board chair Teree Caldwell-Johnson, told the Des Moines Register.“For the same reason, this would not have been picked upby the search firm doingthe background check.” There was more. It turns out Roberts left two other settlementsinhis wake in Pennsylvania. Both of them, one for $87,500and the other for$66,000, went to school officials demoted by Roberts. Alltogether,Roberts left the Millcreek system on the hook for $403,500inlegal settlements. His new employers in Des Moines knew nothing about it.
Des Moines school officialswerein forafar bigger surprise lastFriday, whenthey learned that Roberts, who came to the United States from Guyana sometime in the 1990s, was in the U.S illegally and had,infact, receiveda final order of deportation last year.The board learned that from Immigration andCustoms Enforcement agents who
CREEPY CALLERS
arrestedRobertsand then issued this statement to the press: “Today,ICE Des Moines arrestedIan Andre Roberts, a criminalillegal alien from Guyanain possession of aloaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a fixedblade hunting knife. At the time of his arrest,Roberts was working as the Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools despite being an illegal alien with a finalorder of removal and no workauthorization.”
ICE said Roberts “spedaway” when approachedbyofficers. Theyfound Roberts’ carabandoned in thewoods, andlaterlocated Roberts and arrested him. He remains in ICE custody
ICE said Roberts first entered the U.S. in 1999 on astudent visa and had a weapons possessioncharge against him from February2020. He never became apermanent legal resident or acitizen. He also did not leave. Even when he had theweaponscharge —that was apparently while he was running thePennsylvania school system— his illegal status did notcometopublic light
Then camethe final order of removal —deportation— in May 2024. Roberts said nothing to theDes Moines school board and continued in his role.
The rapid series of events left school officials frazzled. They stressedthat they relied on asearch firm to find Roberts when they were seeking anew superintendent in 2023. They thought Roberts was totally legit.“No one herewas aware of any citizenship or immigration issuesthatDr. Roberts may have been facing,” boardChairwoman Jackie Norrissaid afterthe news became public. Norris pointed to the I-9 form, aU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services document in which aprospective employee verifies to anew employer that he is authorized to workinthe U.S. “We can tell you that on his I-9, he stated he wasa citizen,”Norris said, “and he provided two forms of verification —a
With Halloween just afew weeks away, did youeverwonder what thesecreepy charactersdothe rest of theyear? So,what’sgoingoninthis cartoon? you tellme. Be witty,funny, crazy, absurd or snarky —just trytokeep it clean. There’snolimit on the number of entries.
driver’slicense and aSocial Security card.” Norris referred frequently to “Dr. Roberts,”and therevelations caused some journalistsinIowa to take acloser look at his history.Itappears Roberts earned aB.A.fromCoppin State University,ahistorically Black university in Baltimore, in 1998. He earned amaster’sdegree from St. John’sUniversity twoyearslater.The Des Moines Registernoted that he “has claimed for many years” thatheearned adoctoral degree from Morgan State University,another historically Black university, but “a university spokesman [said] thatRoberts did not obtain adegree from the school, despite attending Morgan State from the fall of 2002 through the springof 2007.”
All this raises questions about why board membersknew so little about their superintendent. In her remarks, Norris, aformer topaide to first lady Michelle Obama who is now running for the Democratic nomination for senatorfromIowa, perhaps inadvertently hinted at areason. With his engaging personality and flamboyant dress —one article described Robertsin“amaroon three-piece suit,candy cane stripedbow tie and matching Nike Air Force One sneakers” —Roberts,the first black superintendent in the school board’s history,simply bowled people over.“He sparkedjoy in our kids,and an excitement in our kids,” Norris said. “This is an individual who brought alot of enthusiasmand vibrancy to ourcommunity.”
Finally,despite it all, despitethe lies, the deportation order, the gun, the evading police and more, Norris seemed positive about Roberts. “Two thingscan be true,” she toldreporters. “It is possible that you may not be acitizen, but you are still agood human being.”
Byron York is on X, @Bryon York. Email byronyork@yorkcomm.com.
The winning punchline will be lettered into the word balloonand runon Monday.Inaddition, the winner will receivea signed print of the cartoon alongwith acool winner’sT-shirt! Some honorable mentions will also be listed. To enter,emailyour entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com. DON’T FORGET! All entries mustinclude your name, home addressand phone number.Cell numbers are best.The deadline for all entries is midnight on Thursday. Send in your punchline treatsand win! Good luck! Walt
Ahiss overwhelmed theroom. We were on astage at LincolnCenter,talking about Kansas. And if theaudience walked in wanting me to be theenemy Ihad just inadvertentlyconfirmed that Iwas. All it took was aword.
The event was the screening of adocumentary based on the Thomas Frank bestseller “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” We’d justwatched apart of it focusing on George Tiller,the lateterm abortion doctor who was murdered in 2009 on aSunday in the church he regularly attended It was acruel, cowardly,evilact.I was the token pro-lifer onthe panel discussing all things Kansas in theBig Apple, and, as far as those gathered were concerned, Ihad just played to type. Iused the m-word. Murder Had youpointedthis out to me,I would have, in all innocence, been bewildered by my offense. Fellow panelist Joe Conason, who wroteacolumn for Salon.com and was known to be close to Billand Hillary Clinton, came to my defense.
proper wordtouse was “assassination,” because it had been a“political” murder.It was still amurder.Itwas evil. Evil seemed the most important thingtoacknowledge.
Can we at least agree that murder is murder and evil is evil? Ifeel similarly in the wakeofCharlie Kirk’smurder
Theman is dead because he hadthe audacity —the fortitude—togooncollege campuses andencourage young people to think and debate.
“She didn’tmean anythingbyit,” is what Irecall him saying,sternly and chivalrously.Iquickly learned that the
Former prime minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May is getting a nationwide hiss-like reaction for insisting that the assisted-suicide bill the House of Commons passed this summerisabout suicide. It is medically prescribeddeath. Iwonder if those blasting May would prefer,instead of callingitassisted suicide, just going ahead and calling it murder,asdoctors are beingrecruited to do harm as a matterofprotocol. Iwould easily go along with that classification,because it gets away from the lie that assisted suicide is mercy andmakes it clearer that it is actually abandonmentand elimination. Thedevil wants us to believe we are
beasts, nothing morethan our base desires and usefulness as objectsfor others. Assisted suicide buys intothese lies. Is there anything more precious than ahuman life? Andaninnocent, vulnerable, weak human life at that? Only God knows what miracles can happen when given time. There may be reconciliations that happen at a hospital bedside, where nothing much can be done except to make peace and prepare for theend. So, call it suicide. Or —don’ttwist my arm—certainly murder will cover it, too. Charlie Kirk was murdered. As was George Tiller.Both killings were wrong. Both were evil. Call them assassinations. That’s fine. Just don’ttry to justify them or water them down Evil was done. Let us uniteinrallying against it. Period. Murder is murder. Medically assisted suicide is not only suicide, but murder.Topretend otherwise is to devalue life and justify evil Even when it’swell-intentioned, it’s murder.It’ssuicide. To not acknowledge that is deadly —and to morethan just individual lives.
Email Kathryn Jean Lopez at klopez@ nationalreview.com.
Reporter Tyler Bridges’ excellent Sept. 28 news obituary for longtime Louisiana politician Louis Lambert brought back a flood of memories. It also served as areminder that tiny amounts of votes can change history in major ways. Lambert served either in the state Senate or on the Public Service Commission for 30 of the 32 years between 1972 and 2004, leaving arecord of old-style populism. For now,let’sleave to others any assessment of his lawmaking legacy.What remains most remembered about Lambert, and what is so vivid in my own mind, was his doubly-excruciatingly close race for governor in 1979.
In arace with six major and three minor candidates, Lambert appeared to have missed ageneral election runoff by 1,149 votes behind then-lieutenant governor Jimmy Fitzmorris, with then-U.S. Rep. Dave Treen, the race’sonly Republican, another 14,000 —or1%—further ahead in first place. Somehow,though, when the machines were opened, Lambert’stiny deficit turned into a2,506-vote margin aheadof Fitzmorris, putting Lambert in the runoff. As Louisiana wasn’texactly known forhonest elections at the time, the switch in the vote count in Lambert’sfavor led to awidespreadbelief that skulduggery was involved. Fair to Lambert or not, those suspicions haunted him in the runoff against Treen, who was vying to be the first Republican to win astatewide election in more than 100 years.
Voter registration and behavior backthen stacked the odds heavily against Republicans. It took all those suspicions, plus the endorsements for Treen by all four of the othermajor candidates, plus acareful “ballot security” program on Treen’sbehalf led by then-Democratic state Rep. Ben Bagert, plus aspirited statewide system of phone banks operated by Republican women, to push Treen past Lambert in the runoff by only 8,557 votes. The margin wasjust seven-tenths of 1%.
The closeness of the race led to perhaps the strangest, most somber “victory party” I’ve ever seen. Worried that the runoff vote margin would evaporate the wayFitzmorris’ margin had disappeared in the primary,Treen seemed to take forever to show up at his own putative celebration and then, in atone befitting an undertaker,saidit “appeared” he had wonand that he “hoped” the margin would hold. He quickly left the podium and left the crowd deflated. It was not an auspicious start to his notably well-meaning but politically doomed governorship.
That election, both open primary and runoff, is where the “every vote counts” mantra wasobvious. There probably wasn’tasingle politically savvy analyst, then or now,who believes Treen would have defeated Fitzmorris if Fitzmorris rather than Lambert had made the runoff. Then it would have been Fitzmorris, amoderate, business-friendly Democrat, rather thanthe Republican Treen who would have been tasked with handling an oil-economybust that hobbled the state’seconomyfor four years.
Would flamboyant former Gov.Edwin Edwards have so easily wonacomeback over Fitzmorris —or, for that matter,over Lambert —ashedid over Treen? Or would the Democratic Party get blamed for the rottenstate economy, thus setting up adifferent Republican four years later for awin? And how would those political reverberations have played outinsubsequent years? Would the stage still have been set for the unexpected rise of national Ku Klux Klanleader David Duke,orthe nightmare of the 1991 Duke-Edwards runoff?
And if Treen had lost that race, he still would have remained in Congress, where he wasa rising star.Would his own political future, ironically,have benefited from aloss for governor?
On the other hand, would anyone else have notched some of Treen’sgubernatorialachievements, including the creation of the Department of Environmental Quality,workers’ compensation reform and an improved code of criminal procedure?
All of these “what if” questions arise because the 1979 primary would have resulted differently with the switch of just asingle voter per precinct statewide, and the runoff result would have changed with aswitchofbarely more than two voters per precinct.
As for Lambert, he brushed himself off from his bitter 1979 loss and spent most of the next 25 years in elective office, and —despite his Democratic populism —served while state Senate president pro tem as a“team player” for Republican Gov.Mike Foster.The legislative work was an honorable capstone to three decadesofpublic service.
In addition to the truism that every vote counts, there are lessons in Lambert’scareer: Bitter defeats need not be the last word, and constructive collaboration is possible across political lines. Those are not bad lessons to be taught by just one voter in every precinct.
EmailQuin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com
Quin Hillyer
Kathryn Jean Lopez
Byron York
Man accused of failed ATM hacking in BR
Officials say he stole from banks in St. Mary Parish
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
A man believed to have stolen $149,000 from multiple ATMs in St. Mary Parish allegedly did so by “jackpotting:” hacking the machines so they dispense cash like a slot machine jackpot. But when Aiverson PaezPinango, 24, tried the same malware scheme at Bonvenu Bank on Perkins Road in East Baton Rouge Parish, he failed to win anything but a pair of handcuffs.
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reputation began with the opening of Viva La Waffle at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2011. What started as one of the region’s first can’t-miss food trucks eventually expanded to a brick-and-mortar restaurant near the Costco development off Kaliste Saloom Drive. Viva La Waffle closed for good earlier this year, after 14 years in Lafayette but Central Pizza Broussard is the latest property in the still-expanding restaurant group owned by Cormier and partners, including Central Pizza Lafayette, Pop’s Po-boys and The Flats in the Jefferson Street downtown Lafayette core Central Pizza Broussard is at 1581 S. Bernard Road, and the hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, from 11 a.m to 11 p.m Thursday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.
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Prejean was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on firstdegree murder, attempted first-degree murder, illegal discharge of weapons, and felon in possession of a firearm charges.
Police: Man arrested after a family fight
A Breaux Bridge man has been arrested after a family
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Gallet and Westside elementaries. Broadmoor, which has 11 portable buildings, would have 20 classrooms in a new wing; Ernest Gallet, which has five portable buildings, would have 10 classrooms in a new wing; and Westside, which has eight portable classrooms, would have 14 classrooms in a new wing The Lafayette Parish school system has made it a priority to replace portable classrooms with permanent ones, mostly through the construction of new wings. It also is addressing aging facilities, which require more funding to maintain
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the demand for Second Harvest’s services, Scelfo said. According to 2024 data, Louisiana had more than 19,000 federal civilian employees. Meeting that increase in demand could be difficult for the organization, which has faced severe spending cuts. It recently laid off 14% of its workforce in Louisiana to find cost savings amid a funding short-
Detectives with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office first became aware of Paez-Pinango’s attempts at “jackpotting” after he unsuccessfully tried to install malware on one of Bonvenu Bank’s ATMs 12 separate times between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m on the evening of Sept. 8. Paez-Pinango allegedly drove up to an ATM at the bank, opened it with a key and then used an “unknown device” to attempt to manipulate the ATM into dispensing cash, according to an affidavit for Paez-Pinango’s arrest. In each attempt, PaezPinango drives up to the ATM in a silver Toyota
Corolla, opens it, attempts to manipulate it and then leaves.
Minutes before the first jackpotting attempt, the same vehicle was picked up by a license plate reader 2.4 miles from the bank. Further searches revealed that the vehicle had multiple sightings in the St. Mary’s Parish system in the days following the attempted theft at Bonvenu Bank. The car was spotted at two different banks on Sept. 9, one in Morgan City and another in Amelia in St. Mary Parish. Paez-Pinango allegedly attempted ATM jackpotting at both of these locations, as well as at a third bank in
Berwick, according to detectives with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office.
While downloading the “jackpotting” malware was unsuccessful in Morgan City, Paez-Pinango was allegedly able to steal $9,000 in cash from the ATM in Amelia, followed by stealing $140,000 from the ATM in Berwick.
Other vehicles were involved in these theft attempts and seen on video surveillance, according to detectives with St Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office. Detectives located one of these additional vehicles in Berwick on Sept. 12, arresting two people and recovering $41,000 of the
stolen cash. On Sept. 15, another vehicle was located and another two arrests were made, including PaezPinango.
EBRSO detectives identified Paez-Pinango through computer video surveillance from Bonvenu Bank, and his phone location data shows him searching for both Bonvenu Bank and the bank in Berwick in Google Maps prior to those robberies. Paez-Pinango has a warrant out for his arrest for theft or criminal access of an automated teller machine. He is being held in the St. Mary Parish prison and will be extradited to East Baton Rouge at a later date.
fight led to a shooting, police say The suspect has been identified as 49-year-old Gilbert Helaire Jr., of Breaux Bridge. On Monday, at approximately 6:30 a.m., deputies with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call in the 1000 block of Benoit Road, in Breaux Bridge, regarding a male subject lying unresponsive in a driveway Upon arrival, deputies learned the victim had suffered an apparent gunshot wound. Investigation de-
and repair
Last month the board approved the funding and construction of a K-8 facility in north Lafayette to consolidate J.W Faulk Elementary, Dr Raphael Baranco Elementary and Paul Breaux Middle schools after its completion. Acadiana High, L.J. Alleman Middle and Judice Middle are also getting major wing additions and renovations.
The board will be asked to approve the following items to fund the new projects:
n Transfer $2.2 million from the capital improvement fund’s HVAC replacement projects budget to build a new P.E. facility at Milton Elementary-Middle
n Use $17.5 million in funds committed for next fiscal year projects within
fall. Feeding America, the umbrella organization for Louisiana’s food banks, received $1 million in state funding in August. The funding allowed for the purchase of additional food for the state’s five regional food banks.
Scelfo said his organization is facing a “food crisis.”
The last government shutdown in 2018 lasted 35 days and rolled over into the New Year, marking the longest shutdown in more than 40 years Previous shutdowns typically lasted only a handful of days, with the previ-
termined that a physical altercation had taken place at the residence between the victim and a family member, identified as Helaire, who was initially detained at a local hospital, where he received medical treatment for nonlife-threatening injuries as a result of the altercation.
At the culmination of the investigation, a warrant of arrest was obtained, and Helaire Jr was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder Following his arrest, he was booked into the
the self-funded construction fund and $2 million from the capital improvement fund for new wings at Broadmoor, Ernest Gallet and Westside elementaries
n Use $2,000,000 of the expected budget savings from the Lafayette High replacement within the self-funded construction fund for Lafayette High baseball and softball fields
n Use $285,000 of the expected budget savings from the Lafayette High replacement within the self-funded construction fund for design fees for a Lafayette High stadium
n Use $200,000 from the departmental set aside within the capital improvement fund for a cooler replacement at Broussard Middle
ous record being 21 days under former President Bill Clinton in 1995.
St. Martin Parish Correc-
tional Center on the above charges His bond was set at $100,000.
Church Point man struck, killed on I-49
A Church Point man died Tuesday while walking on Interstate 49, according to State Police.
The crash claimed the life of 33-year-old Nathan Guidry of Church Point.
The crash occurred on Tuesday, just before 5 a.m. Louisiana State Police began investigating a fatality
n Use $7.8 million from the next fiscal year, committed for roofing projects and committed for HVAC equipment replacement projects funds to replace the floors and bleachers in the Youngsville Middle gym, replace the Lafayette elementary roof, replace
crash involving a pedestrian on the I-49 South Frontage Road near its intersection with Froeba Road.
A preliminary investigation revealed Guidry was walking on South Frontage Road while wearing dark clothing. At the same time, a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas was traveling south on the same road and hit Guidry He died at the scene.
The Volkswagen’s driver was properly restrained, uninjured and provided a voluntary breath sample, which showed no alcohol detected.
carpet and wallpaper at J Wallace James, Gallet, Ossun and Live Oak elementaries; create technology access points and for parking at Southside High.
The board will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at its central district office, 202 Rue Iberville, Lafayette.
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
opening of Central Pizza on Tuesday in Broussard
Finally
CA C’
Cajuns still have many boxesto checkin time
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staffwriter
Foster Moreau chose two wordstodescribewhat it felt like returning to thepractice fieldwith hisNew Orleans Saints teammates thisweek
“Deeply cathartic,”hesaid
It has been along road back from atorn ACL that ended Moreau’s 2024 season inthe fourthquarter of agame with zero postseason implications.
It’ssometimes easy to think about injuriessuch as the one Moreau suffered in football terms —how the surgery went, how much time he’ll be forced to miss, what is he like when he returns to practice.
Butthere arelife things to consider, too. Thinkabout how the injury occurred: Late in thefourth quarter of what wouldend upbeingthe Saints’12th lossofthe season, Moreau was catchinga shallow passand turning upfield only to have aTampaBay Buccaneers defender hit the side of his knee with the crown of hishelmet.
Less than two minutesremaining in his final game of the season, and hislife plans changed in an instant.
“You makealot of calls; youcancel alot of trips,” Moreau said.“Youtellbestfriends that have just had their newborn children that you’re not going to be able to meet them. There’salot of weight thatobviously goes intothe people around you as well. Like, OK, my girl’s offseason is canceled. My mom’sgot to help me out around the house.
“Like,it’sbrutal. It’sall hands on deck, becausewith like 108 seconds left in the 2024 season, Iget ahelmet to the outside of the knee on a five-step out route,and my offseason is canceled. It’sbrutal, and thatpart of sports is one of the hardest parts.”
ButMoreau never doubted he’dbeback where he was Wednesday,chatting with reporters about his return to thefootball field. He said he “wasn’tworking for nothing.”
The time away allowed him to get closer to people, including TaysomHill, whoabout amonth before Moreau’s injury, suffered atorn ACL of his own.Both Moreau and Hill have spent the 2025 season to this point on the
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
LSU won’t neglect its rushing offense. Coach Brian Kelly made sure to mention that concern as well on Wednesday,when he explained why the Tigers are devoting aconsiderable portionoftheir open date to their ailing passing attack.
“Everybody wantstotalkabout the run game,” Kelly said. “I get it.”
ButGarrett Nussmeier is asecond-year starter whothrewfor over 4,000 yards last year. LSUbrought back his leading receiver,his favorite field-stretcher and his uber-athletic sophomore tight end, then paired that trio of weapons with two transferwideoutswho had alreadyproven they could excel in the SEC. The moves could’ve created adeeper,more dynamic offense, butonly if theTigers playedto their strengths.
“And that’s our skill players and our quarterback,” Kelly said. “So, the problem for us more than anything else is we have not been eliteinthe passing game, and so that’sbeen ahuge focus this week.”
The run gamewas always an area of concern. LSU finished the 2024 season
of an open date, exactly how much have we learned about the 2025 Ragin’ Cajuns? The scary answer is not very much at all. In fact, one could argue that there are moreunanswered questions now than on the day camp began. It’s also pretty obvious the coaching staffisabit bamboozled itself
Coach Michael Desormeaux had agood read on his squad during his first two seasons. Despite achange at defensive coordinator last season, the staffwas confident the offense could carry abig load, and it worked out that way. So farthis year,there’sbeen alot of head-scratching going on.
The defense wassupposed to carry the load early until the offense could establish someefficiency around the big-play potential. Neither scenario has really transpired. Someofitisaresult of injuries, some of it is the natural unknowns involved with first-year starters, and someofitis seasoned players being surprisingly inconsistent.
“There’sjust waytoo manythings that are happening that shouldn’tbehappening,” Desormeaux said. “I mean you’ve got to communicate better when you’re out there and you got to go do your job.”
ranked last among SEC teams in rushing offense, then lost four starters on the offensive line. The Tigers hired arun-game coordinator to Kelly’sstaffand retained sophomore tailback Caden Durham, but questions about that facet of the offense lingered into the preseason. The passing struggles, on the other hand, are new Last year,only eight FBS teamsthrew for more yards than LSU. Nussmeier’s yardage total (4,052) ranked fifthnationally,and his touchdowntally (29) finished 10th.Healsohelped theTigersconvert third downs at one of the six highest rates in the country —quite the accomplishmentfor an offense that lacked areliable rushing attack. Now things are different, in part because Nussmeier is still battling an injury that Kelly described Wednesday as an abdominal strain. This season, LSU ranks 80th in scoring offense, 90th in total offense and 46thin passing offense. Nussmeier has thrown more passesbehind theline of scrimmage (39), according to ProFootballFocus,than he has between 10 and 19 yards downfield (34). He also completed only threeofthe 13 passes of at least 20 yards that he attempted in games
da and Ole
STAFFPHOTO By BRAD KEMP UL wide receiverLandon Strother runs with the ballafter acatchduring the Cajuns’ win over MarshallonSaturday.
Kevin Foote
Saints tight end Foster Moreau celebrateshis touchdownreception against LasVegas Raiders duringa game on Nov. 29 at the Caesars Superdome. AP FILE PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT
Aces eye historic third title
BY MARK ANDERSO AP sportswriter
LAS VEGAS Not only does Phoenix await the Aces in the WNBA Finals, but so does history Las Vegas has the opportunity to become champions for the third time in four years, a feat surpassed only by the Houston Comets, who won the league’s first four titles in 1997-2000
The second-seeded Aces, who won championships in 2022 and 2023, open the best-of-seven Finals by hosting the No 4 Mercury on Friday
But minutes after getting past No. 6 Indiana 107-98 in overtime on Tuesday night, coach Becky Hammon wasn’t ready to think about the potential history the Aces can make.
“I haven’t thought about it,” Hammon said. “We’re just trying to make it through a quarter at a time.
“Look, we have a special group here. I’m not surprised that they’re here because I know who they are. I know how they’re built.”
The Aces beat the Mercury in three of their four meetings this season, including both in August when Las Vegas was in the midst of compiling its 16-game winning streak to close the regular season.
It’s tied with the second-longest streak in league history with the 2014 Mercury
The Aces are making their fourth Finals appearance in six years. They lost to Seattle in the COVID-19 bubble Finals of 2020, but then defeated Connecticut in 2022 and New York in 2023, securing both clinching victories on the road.
In defeating the Liberty, the Aces became the first team since Los Angeles in 2001-02 to win back-to-back titles. Then this year, A’ja Wilson became the first four-time MVP. She was key to lifting the Aces out of a rut with that late charge in the regular season.
“When you’ve been in the trenches and you really don’t know what is the problem or you don’t know what’s wrong, you’re trying to figure out answers,” Wilson said. “At the beginning of every season, we write out our goals and our goals are always to win a championship. That’s everybody. But to get there, the road, we weren’t expecting it to look like it is.
“It definitely does feel a lot different than the ones before.”
Pels look to build chemistry on, off the court in Australia
BY ROD WALKER Staff writer
The toughest part of the New Orleans Pelicans’ trip was the flight.
It took about 20 hours for the Pelicans to set up shop over 9,300 miles away in Melbourne, Australia. They left New Orleans on Sunday. Due to the 15-hour time difference, they arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday
As the Pelicans adjust to the time difference, this trip can also be an opportunity for the players to adjust to each other
There are plenty of new faces on this year’s roster, which is why this trip can help a team looking to bounce back from a rough 2024-25 season.
Joe Dumars, hired in April as the Pelicans’ executive vicepresident of basketball operations, is responsible for adding all the new pieces to the roster
“Usually trips like this are great for bonding,” Dumars said. “It’s a new group here now and a lot of new faces. So it’ll probably be really good in terms of that.
The first trip out is 20 hours, so that’s a long time to bond.”
Dumars will get his first glimpse of his team Friday You’ll have to wake up early to get your first glimpse.
The Pelicans will play Melbourne United at 4:30 a.m. Friday and will be broadcast on Gulf Coast Sports Network and NBATV It is one of two games they will play against teams from the National Basketball League, a professional basketball league in Australia. On Saturday night (11 p.m., GCSN), the Pelicans will
play South East Melbourne Phoenix. Both games will be played at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
It will be the first time an NBA team has played in Australia.
In years past, teams from the NBL have come to the United States to play preseason games
So now the NBA is returning the favor
“It’s a credit to the NBA and them being intentional about making the game as global as possible,” said Pelicans’ head coach Willie Green. “Australia is one of those countries where we’ve seen a number of good basketball players. They are excited about the game there and we are excited to go there and compete.”
There have been several Australian players to make it to the NBA in recent years, including Luc Longley Patty Mills, and former Pelicans’ guard Dyson Daniels.
Before the team’s departure, Green didn’t offer any insight into which players would play and how many minutes they would play But he wants to see his team play with the same intensity that it played with last week in Metairie at the start of training camp.
The trip isn’t all about just basketball, though.
The NBA, the NBL and the Pelicans will also conduct NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and lifestyle events there That includes a fan night.
“I’m looking forward to experiencing a different country,” Green said. “I haven’t been there
before, so I’m looking forward to the fan engagement, the fan interaction. We are excited to have this opportunity.”
The Pelicans are making sure to have some fun with this trip as well. Some of the shenanigans began even before the Pelicans arrived down under The veteran players had the rookies dress as if they were going on an Australian safari.
“I think it’s the only way to set the trip up right,” said Pelicans guard Jordan Poole in a social media video on the team’s website. “Good on them for wearing them.”
After the two exhibition games in Australia, the Pelicans return to the United States for their final two preseason games. They will play the Houston Rockets on Oct. 14 in Birmingham, Alabama. Two nights later, they’ll play on the road against the Orlando Magic.
The regular season opener is Oct. 22 when the Pelicans make the short trip to Memphis, Tennessee, to play the Grizzlies.
But first on the schedule is this game in Australia, where the team and coaches look to build some chemistry on and off the court.
“That’s one of the things we look forward to with trips like this,” Green said. “Just getting to see another side to our players, our staff You want to come out of this with a good connection and some bonds with your guys. We are going to go and continue to work hard and compete, but we are going to try to enjoy it as well.”
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.
Collier slams WNBA’s leadership over CBA issues
BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer
Napheesa Collier is more than just a WNBA star who is critical of her league and its leadership
The Minnesota Lynx player is a vice president of the players union, which means she will be sitting across from WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert at the negotiating table ahead of an Oct 31 deadline to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.
If that doesn’t cause enough tension, Collier is also a co-founder of Unrivaled, a three-on-three women’s basketball league that plays in the winter and features WNBA stars. That could give her additional leverage to try to press the WNBA as talks unfold.
As an executive on the negotiating team, Collier will have a loud voice in the room when inperson negotiations between the two sides continue. She was at the face-to-face meeting at All-Star weekend in July that included dozens of players There have
been meetings since, but players haven’t really been able to attend because they’ve still been in season.
“We’re working hard to make sure that we are putting ourselves in the best position to negotiate for what we think is fair,” Collier said. “We have a lot of meetings internally to make sure we’re on the same page and we’re all lockstep for this. Just making sure we’re super aligned.”
There also is the trust fac-
tor During her comments at an end-of-season media session this week, Collier revealed conversations that were to remain private that she had had with the commissioner in February That could undermine trust that is often needed to carry out negotiations.
For all the faults that Collier cited in her prepared comments Engelbert has delivered on many of her promises since coming into the league in 2019. She will have added six expansion teams by 2030 and secured a major new media rights deal for
the next decade that will bring in more than $2.2 billion Engelbert also had the league pay for a full charter flight program this season that the players hope will be added to the new CBA to address concerns about issues ranging from safety to travel time. The commissioner has said all along that the league is hoping for a transformational agreement that includes significantly increased player salaries and benefits There’s little reason for Collier’s remarks to detract from that goal.
Players across the league backed Collier either on social media or at Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals series between Las Vegas and Indiana that the Aces won in overtime.
WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson said she was appreciative of Collier and the union for standing up for
Wembley Stadium to host Arizona State, Kansas Arizona State and Kansas will play in the first college football game at London’s Wembley Stadium next year
The Big 12 Conference announced Wednesday that the Sun Devils and Jayhawks will meet in the Union Jack Classic on Sept. 19. It will be the league’s third game in Europe over two seasons. Iowa State opened this season with a 24-21 victory over Kansas State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin on Aug. 23. TCU will face North Carolina in the same event to open next season.
Wembley Stadium, one of the world’s most iconic sports venues, hosted its first NFL International Series game in 2007. Kansas will be the designated home team for the Big 12 game there next season.
Rockies GM Schmidt steps down after terrible season
The Colorado Rockies announced Wednesday that it was parting ways with general manager Bill Schmidt and starting an immediate search for his replacement.
The Rockies emphasized looking at external candidates to break out of a losing cycle that’s seen them miss the playoffs the last seven seasons. The Rockies finished 43119 this season, narrowly avoiding the distinction of being the worst team since baseball adopted a 162game schedule in 1961.
The mark still belongs to the 2024 Chicago White Sox (41-121). Schmidt has been with the Rockies since 1999 when he became the director of scouting, steadily working his way up as the fourth GM in team history in 2021. He never had a winning season while in charge.
Dolphins bring back WR Wilson after Hill’s injury
The Miami Dolphins placed receiver Tyreek Hill on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday and brought back veteran receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr Hill posted Wednesday morning that he had successful surgery to repair multiple damaged ligaments in his left knee. The five-time AllPro suffered the injury after making a catch in the third quarter of Miami’s win over the New York Jets on Monday night Hill caught 21 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown in his four games this season. Wilson, who began his career in Dallas, started four games for the New Orleans Saints last season. Wilson played for the Dolphins in 2022-23 but made just three starts. He caught 34 passes with 432 yards and three touchdowns.
NASCAR fines Hocevar $50k after endangering officials
NASCAR fined Carson Hocevar $50,000 on Wednesday for putting safety officials in danger during the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway The penalty was listed under a behavioral violation and was for Hocevar revving and spinning his tires while safety workers attended to his car after he spun the No. 77 Chevrolet. The Spire Motorsports driver was involved in an incident late in Sunday’s race when he spun on the backstretch.
He had flat tires and was unable to get the car rolling again. Hocevar had a shot at a top-10 finish before he was involved in some late race incidents including a part of the sixth caution when Hocevar spun in an 11-car crash on a restart. Hocevar ended up finishing 29th.
the players.
“I’m grateful to have those type of people to be able to continue to speak up for us,” Wilson said after the Aces advanced to the WNBA Finals. “I’m going to ride with Phee always. Obviously, she’s a business girlie and she has her own stuff going on, but moving forward, we’ve gotta continue to stand on business as we talk about this CBA negotiation.”
Nearly every player not on a rookie contract will be a free agent this offseason, hoping to cash in on a potential giant leap in the league’s salary structure. Free agency usually has taken place in January, with players meeting with teams and able to sign in February Players have been able to work out and get treatment for injuries at their former team’s facility in the offseason before becoming free agents. In a worst-case scenario where owners decided to lock out the players or the players decided to go on strike, those courtesies would go away
FIFA VP resists Trump over changing World Cup cities
U.S. President Donald Trump was reminded Wednesday that FIFA, not any government, ultimately decides which cities will host 2026 World Cup games. Trump’s comments last week were in response to a question about World Cup cities that oppose his immigration and crime crackdowns. Trump suggested last week he could declare cities “not safe” for the 104-game soccer tournament next summer and alter a detailed hosting plan that FIFA confirmed in 2022. It includes NFL stadiums near New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The 11 U.S. host cities, plus three in Mexico and two in Canada, are contracted with FIFA which would face
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green calls a play against the Miami Heat during a game at the Smoothie King Center on April 11
Collier
He was specifically referencing the defense there, but the statement applies elsewhere.
It’s not about being negative. Look, folks, if the starting quarterback doesn’t get hurt in the opener, it’s very possible this team is 4-1 right now and the entire mindset is different.
The comeback win offers the Cajuns a chance for a second start, but that good feeling won’t last forever without some follow-up.
Let’s start with Lunch Winfield
His heroic effort Saturday gave hope to the fans where there was very little. Could it ignite the season? Certainly.
Let’s see how the offense
responds to Sun Belt defenses game planning for Winfield as the starter
In Saturday’s win, the wide receiver corps was carried by walk-ons Landon Strother and Dale Martin, redshirt sophomore Charles Robertson, who missed all of last season suspended, and redshirt freshman Rahji Dennis.
Strother even replaced injured senior receiver Robert Williams at punt returner
“As the season went on, he kind of starts to show up a little bit more and making plays,”
Desormeaux said of Strother “I felt like he was continuing to kind of get back to kind of what we felt he was going to be in the spring.
“It was really a no-brainer for us to put him back at punt returner He’s a really really smart, savvy football player He’s got
elite hands and decision-making.”
But starting tight end Caden Jensen is also among the injured these days. Brock Chappell and Trey Miller have stepped up as well, but how sustainable is that musical chairs depth chart musical for the passing game?
Then there’s the defense.
The question marks were supposed to be at linebacker The secondary was supposed to be the unit’s strength.
Yet true freshman Brent Gordon is a regular starter now to go along with Courtline Flowers, who has arguably been the most consistent defensive back all season. At safety, if redshirt junior walk-on Collin Jacob doesn’t step up with a team-high 14 tackles Saturday the Cajuns are 1-4. A lack of communication and
SAINTS
Continued from page 1C
Physically Unable to Perform list, or PUP list. Moreau called Hill his “PUP brother” and appreciated having someone else around to ease the path back to the field.
When practice concluded Monday, Hill broke the team down. It was Moreau’s turn on Wednesday.
“You’re in the training room every day for eight and a half months,” Moreau said. “It’s brutal, because rehab is just pain dosing. It’s, ‘Hey, we’re going to be careful with you. But how much can you take before your knee says, hey, you need to stop?’ And that’s tough. That’s brutal for anyone.
DUNCAN
Continued from page 1C
CFP title game after the 2019 season and the BCS national title game every four years between 1999 and 2011. The national champion was crowned here numerous other times in de facto title games when the top-ranked team played in the Sugar Bowl.
“Everything about New Orleans makes this the perfect destination for a big event,” said Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff. “It’s a destination city It has great accessibility People can walk everywhere. The food. The hospitality People want to come here. And we’re excited to bring our game here and have that opportunity to raise our championship to the next level.” New Orleans has been a college football hotbed since the Sugar Bowl started in 1935. The Sugar Bowl, along with the other “Big Six” bowls in Atlanta (Peach), Dallas (Cotton), Los Angeles (Rose), Miami (Orange) and Phoenix (Fiesta), has been a mainstay in the rotation for national championship games. Since 1934, no other bowl has hosted as many national championship teams as the Sugar Bowl’s 29. Since college football officials created a title game in 1998, New Orleans has hosted five championship games. The 2028 game will be the sixth. When and if we land a seventh one, remains to be seen The competition to host the game is more intense than ever In addition to the other Big Six markets, non-traditional markets like Indianapolis, Houston, Las
“But, I mean, I’m extremely, fairly compensated, and I’m extremely grateful to be here
We broke the team down today, and it’s like, like, we don’t realize how blessed we are.”
Eventually though, the questions do come back around to football. If Moreau had his way, he would make his debut this Sunday against the New York Giants. He also understands that by that point he will have practiced just three times since January of this year
He views every practice rep as if it’s an entire day of the training camp he did not get. If he blows a rep, that’s essentially blowing a day of practice. He and Hill have tried their best to acclimate their bodies to football, but it was not really possible in their situation
both because of the league’s PUP rules and because of what their bodies could actually take.
Moreau feels good, but he doesn’t know exactly what that means because it hasn’t really been put to the test yet. He has to clear both physical and mental hurdles to get back to the field on Sundays, but he has to prepare as if it is going to happen immediately It’s a weird middle ground to occupy “I have to anticipate playing as soon as possible,” Moreau said.
“That’s what I have to do, right? That’s my job. And so knowing that makes it extremely difficult. But after today I felt great. And I was really, I was really enthusiastic about the performance.”
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.
con
fidence aren’t descriptions you want to hear about any area of the defense five games into the season.
“Whenever you’re in position to make a tackle, you run your feet, you keep your eyes up, you strike, you wrap up, you run your feet, and you finish a tackle, and it’s not one thing,” Desormeaux said.
“You got some guys that are just trying to run through and just drop a shoulder You got some guys that are diving and going low which we don’t do.”
Again, some of that is by players who have done it in the past and aren’t now Even more confounding for the coaches is that there’s zero evidence that it stems from poor attitude or lack of hard work.
Multiple coaches have repeatedly said this team is the most disciplined, together team off the
field, and yet its potential hasn’t been reached.
“I think it’s a disciplined group of kids,” Desormeaux said. “They work really hard. They care a whole lot — accountability matters to them. They want to do their job for their team. Some of the issues we’ve had have just been outside of what I ever thought was going to happen with this group.”
Perhaps a bye week to overcome the shock of the seasonopening loss to Rice will help.
Perhaps Winfield’s leadership will help the offense become more explosive and the entire team fulfill its preseason promise.
Because the truth is, the Cajuns are tied for first place in the Sun Belt West with a lot of winnable games ahead if these obstacles can soon be ironed out.
“There’s a number of different ways for us to build on what he needs to do on a play-to-play basis,” Kelly said, “without having him out there throwing the ball 100 times.”
Through his first five starts of 2024, Nussmeier threw for 331 yards per game and threw 15 touchdowns.
This season, he’s thrown only seven touchdowns, and he’s averaging just 232 passing yards.
LSU isn’t sustaining drives either Its offense picked up only 10 of the 36 third downs it faced in its three games against power-conference opponents. Each night, the Tigers’ average third-down distance was at least 7 yards.
They could lean on their passing attack to convert those chances last season. Now they’re struggling to find the same success.
“The details of the passing game have to be better,” Kelly said, “and that is from a coaching standpoint and a playing standpoint. We just need to be better there.”
This week, LSU will have to work on its passing offense largely without Nussmeier taking onfield reps. The fifth-year senior is focusing on “mental work” in the open date, Kelly said, so he doesn’t put too much strain on his injured abdominal muscles. He’s watching film and rehearsing live-game scenarios on the program’s virtual-reality headsets.
One of the situations Nussmeier could evaluate is one in which opposing defenses drop seven or eight players into coverage, which Kelly has said is how Ole Miss defended LSU 85% to 90% of the time. An effective ground game could bring one or two of those defenders closer to the line of scrimmage, which would open up more opportunities for Nussmeier to throw down the field.
The problem, of course, is that LSU’s rushing attack has not posed such a threat.
Until it does, the Tigers will use the breaks in their schedule to fine-tune their passing attack, so their offense can pose a greater threat to the six SEC defenses left on their schedule.
“It doesn’t mean we’re not working on getting better in the run game,” Kelly said. “We’re working diligently there. But my point being, our passing game has to be much more explosive than it has been up to this point.”
Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
Vegas, Nashville and Tampa have elbowed their way into the mix.
As the demand has increased, so has the asking price from the CFP If New Orleans wants to stay in the game, city, state and corporate leaders will have to work hand in hand to make it happen.
That’s why Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley spent several minutes Wednesday making an impassioned pitch to the local and regional business community for support. The price tag to stage the
event has doubled from the $13 million required in 2020, Hundley said. The Sugar Bowl had to invest
the dollars and cents just mean way more than they ever have in the history of the game,” Hundley
There’s an argument to be made about how much support is enough. Let’s hope state officials are willing to make a contribution to the CFP title game from the major event fund similar to the $7 million and $3.5 million given to the help land the LIV Golf tournament event in New Orleans next June and the 2025 U.S. Bowling Congress (USBC) Open Championships in Baton Rouge this summer, respectively Officials say the 2020 CFP title game and Sugar Bowl combined to produce a $500 million economic impact for the region, including $50 million in direct tax revenue. Economists might argue that number, but there’s an obvious prestige factor and economic benefit to hosting the game. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so much competition from other cities to host them. Las Vegas reportedly anted up to $40 million to host the 2027 CFP title game.
“We’ve always fought above our weight class, and we will always have to fight above our weight class if we want to stay there,” Hundley said.
New Orleans has a decision to make. Do we want to be a championship city? Or an also-ran to Atlanta, Nashville and Las Vegas?
said. “If the funds are there, we’ll have a long and strong role in the future of college football. And if they aren’t, we won’t. We don’t want to become an ‘also-ran’ bowl with 30,000 fans here.” The reality is that major college football has become big business. The advent of revenue sharing with college athletes and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy has generated a greater demand for resources than ever Every level of the college football food chain is stressed, including the bowl system. New Orleans can no longer rely solely on its intrinsic charm and time-honored reputation as a bigevent town to lure future CFP title games. The Superdome and French Quarter are great and everyone loves them, but they only go so far in the grand scheme of things. The state and business community will need to step up if New Orleans wants to remain a player in the college football title game business.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Football Playoff title game on Jan. 13, 2020, at the Superdome.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Saints tight end Foster Moreau gets past Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tykee Smith for a first down during the first half of their game on Oct 13 at the Caesars Superdome.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier throws a pass in the first half against Southeastern on Sept. 20 at Tiger Stadium.
THEVARSITYZONE
Newcoaches thriving
AscensionEpiscopal, Kaplan take different pathstoearly success
When Ascension Episcopal defeated Kaplan 41-7 in the season opener,it was amatchup of two teams withnew head coaches.
That’sabout wherethe similarities ended, however
On one hand, you had Jay Domengeaux taking over theBlue Gators for his third head coaching job afterspending nine years as an assistant on the staff.
On the other side, John Thompson, aformer assistant coach at Vermilion Catholic, didn’t arrive at Kaplan until mid-August for his first head coaching job.
Despite taking over late in the process,Thompson decided to bite the bullet and still institute his new schemes on the fly.
“I just decided if we’re goingto do it, let’sdoitnow and get it over with,” said Thompson, whose Pirates (3-1) head to Loreauville on Friday.“Youneverknow what’s going to happen in the future.”
So that first game was more of a failed science experimentthana football game for the Pirates.
“I’m trying to forget it,” Thompson said. “That was ateam that had been together for years who knew what they were andwhat theywantedtodoagainst ateam that was still trying to find out what they wanted to be.”
It hasn’ttaken long to turn those new concepts to mesh for Kaplan.
Since that first game, the Pirates have won three straight games and outscored the opposition 132-16.
“I guess by the Berwick game (Week 2), we weren’thaving to think as much,” Thompson said. “We’ve really improved equally on both sides of the ballsince that first game.”
The Pirates have abalanced offensiveattack with atrio of running backs —running backs
Jaden Hargrave (48 carries for 290 yardsand three touchdowns), De’Maurion Cormier(33-278, five TDs) and Jeremy Roy(19-274, three TDs). Quarterback Sabe David (8-of-22 passing with one interception for 283 yards and four TDs) directs theattack
Thespecialteams have also contributed with ablocked punt.
ThePirates defensemoved to a 3-3 stack alignment.
“Werun alot of different sets anddifferent coverages, so it took some time,” Thompson said.
Thingshave gone quiteabit smoother for Domengeaux’sBlue Gators since that opener.The big reason Domengeaux accepted the promotion to headcoach was to reduce the massivechangeKaplanhad to endure.
Theonlyreal change was going to afour-manfrontondefense.
“Wedid that because of we lost acouple of linebackers and so we felt like maybe you could rob Peter to pay Paul moreon the defensive lineand on the offensiveline than otherwise,” said Domengeaux, whose BlueGators (4-0) travel to NorthVermilion on Friday.“So that’skind to how we handlethat.”
Likemost offenses, Ascension Episcopal has its team leaders.
Quarterback Branon Mitchell (30-45-2, 393 yards passing, six TDs; 28-129 yard rushing, two TDs) leadsthe way with his arm and legs. Andre Abshire (63-325, 6 TDs) is theleadingrusher and the
top targetsare Preston Peebles (11 catches for 162 yards, three TDs) and wide receiver Andrew McCormick (8-116, two TDs).
“Branon’sdoing agood job of reading the defense and throwing theball to different receivers,” Domengeaux said. “He’sgetting it to the open guy.He’sdoing what he has to do to be agood quarterback.
Domengeaux also appreciates thedepth behind that starting group, especially in theRosepine win.
“I like when we can have an eight or 10-play series and move theball and consistently execute and finish withatouchdown,” he said.
Here are someother games of interest in the area:
Best matchup
The best game might be in Class 1A where undefeated Westminster Christian takes on unbeaten Sacred Heart of Ville Platte.
The Trojans (4-0) defeated Opelousas Catholic 3-0 last week. It’sthe thirdstraight undefeated team to play Westminster (4-0) and the first two got their first losses.
Reboundgame?
When you have aseven-turnover nightmare game (in a31-13 loss to Shaw),you’d expect ateam as good as Lafayette Christian (31) to bounce back, and that may indeed take place.
It won’tbeeasy,though, having to travel to reigning state champion Central-Baton Rouge (4-0).
Four in arow?
After losing 33 straight games, Comeaux is riding athree-game win streak. Making it four won’t be easy withagame at Teurlings Catholic (4-0).
3 00 01 0 Smith W,1-0 11⁄3 00 01 2 Mizepitched to 1batterinthe 4th, Sabrowski pitchedto3 batters in the 6th. HBP —Gaddis (Torres),Smith (Torkelson). WP —Bibee. Umpires —Home,Adam
Diego St.(3-1) 9:30 p.m. West Virginia(2-3) at BYU(4-0),9:30 p.m. Saturday’s state games East TexasA&M (0-4)atNorthwestern St. (1-3), 6p.m. Southeastern(3-2) at McNeese (1-4), 6p.m. UL-Monroe (3-1)atNorthwestern(2-2) 2:30 p.m. Nicholls State (1-4)atLamar(3-1),3 p.m.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRADBOWIE
Ascension Episcopal running back AndreAbshirecarries theball against Lafayette Renaissancelast season Abshire,the team’s leadingrusher,has been asteadyinginfluence in the Blue Gators’ offense this season.
Kevin Foote
Sangria adds fruitiness, spiceto pork chops
BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER
Icame across bottled sangria at the market and was inspired by its fruity,spiced notes perfect for pairing with tender pork loin chops. The sangria adds asubtle depth of flavor that complements the savory richness of the meat. To round outthis early fall dinner,orzo, ariceshaped pasta,issimmered with broccoli florets,makinga quick, colorful side dish If sangria is not available, here’sasimple substitutethat mimics some of the sangria flavor.Mix 1cup red wine with 2teaspoons ground cinnamon and ¼cup orange juice.
Sangria Pork Chops
Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer
2teaspoons olive oil
2(6-ounce) boneless pork loin chops
1cup sangria
2teaspoons cornstarch
2tablespoons honey
2teaspoons grated fresh ginger (1 tablespoon ground ginger can be substituted) Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat oil in askillet over medium-high heat and add chops. Brown chops 4minutes, turn over,cover the skillet with alid andcontinue to brown second side 4minutes. Ameat thermometer should read 145 F. 2. Remove chops to aplate. Mix 1tablespoon sangriawith cornstarch. Set aside.
3. Pour the remaining sangria into the skillet, increase theheat anddeglaze the skillet by scraping up the brown bits on the bottom. Add honey andginger Stirtocombinethe honeywith thesangria.Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thesauce thickens for about 2minutes.
4. Slice the pork chops anddivide in half. Place on two dinner plates. Spoon sauce on top.
NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 406 calories (22 percent from fat), 10.0 gfat (2.0 gsaturated, 3.8 g monounsaturated),96mgcholesterol, 40.9 gprotein, 27.4 g carbohydrates, 0.6 g fiber, 156 mg sodium.
One-Pot Orzo andBroccoli
Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda
Gassenheimer
3ounces orzo, about ½cup
1½ cups broccoli florets
3teaspoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Fill asaucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to aboil.
2. Add orzo and boil 8minutes. Add the broccoli and continue to boil 2minutes. The orzo should be soft. Boil aminute longer,if needed.
3. Drain and toss with the oil andsalt and pepper to taste. Place on the dinner plates with thepork chops and sauce.
NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 233 calories (29 percent from fat), 7.6 gfat (1.1 gsaturated,
Butternut Squash Soupwith Curry,Coconut and Apple
Serves 4.
2tablespoons olive oil
1shallot, peeled and diced 1onion, diced 1leek, thinly cut and diced (white partonly)
2garlic cloves, chopped 1piece of fresh ginger (about 1inch), peeled and diced 4cups roasted butternut squash (fresh or frozen) 1apple, cut into cubes 3cups chicken broth (or
vegetable stock for avegan version)
2teaspoons curry powder ½teaspoon cayenne (optional, if you likemore spice) 1teaspoon salt 1(14-ounce) can of coconut milk (shakewell; reserve some for garnish) 1lime (juiced)
1⁄3 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (or the reserved butternut squash seeds) 1tablespoon chopped cilantro
1. In alarge heavy pot over medium-high heat, addolive oil, shallots, onion, leek (optional), garlicand ginger. Stir these aromaticvegetables andherbs until soft,but do not brownthem.
2. Add the roasted butternut squash and apple into the onion mixinthe pot and stir until combined. Nextadd the chicken stock (orvegetable stock). Stir in thecurry powder cayenneand salt.Pourinhalfofthe canof coconut milk and stir until combined.
3. Turn off the heat and let the squash mixture cool.Ifyou have an immersive blender, use it to blend the souptoasmooth creamy texture. Alternatively,pourthe butternut squashsoup into ablender and blend until smooth. Depending on the size of your blender,you may need to workinbatches. Blend allofthe ingredientstogether until smooth.
4. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish witha drizzle of theremaining coconut milk, toasted pumpkin (and/or squash) seeds, chopped cilantro and asqueeze of limejuice.
THE FLAVORS OF FALL
Despite thesummertimetemperature, Iwas happy to find a farmer from Mississippi with a table full of acorn squash at the farmers market last week. These dark green ribbed squash looked to be artistically adorned with orange hearts. The farmer helped me select thebest fresh squash to enjoy the first taste of fall for dinner.Hetold me that he would have butternut squash the following week, so Imarked my calendar to go back. Butternut squash is an autumn treat with asweet, nutty flavor that makes it an ideal ingredient for asatisfying soup. After making twomeals with fall squash, Iwas reminded of the first timeI tried spaghetti squash. Long ago, when my children were preschool students, their teacher did alesson on this large yellow squash that excited
them so much that we tried it at home. We learned that spaghetti squash is called “spaghetti” because when you bake it, the flesh naturally separates into thin strands that resemble pasta. So it is ahealthy vegetable alternative to pasta that is perfect for people looking foralowcarbohydrate or glutenfree meal
Liz Faul
All three of these squash —acorn, butternut and spaghetti —are prepared the sameway Once you cut them in half,simply scoop out the seeds and stringy parts, brush the insides with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and bake them,
TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSENHEIMER
Serves 4. ROASTED ACORN SQUASH:
2acornsquash (cut each squash in half)
2tablespoons olive oil
1teaspoon salt Fresh ground pepper GROUND TURKEY AND BEAN FILLING:
1. Preheat the ovento 400 Fand line alarge bakingsheet withparchment paper or tin foil.
2. Carefully cut the acorn squash in half with asharp chef’s knife. Use aspoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy parts (you can save the seeds to roast). Place the squash halves upside on the baking sheetand drizzlewith olive oil, salt and pepper Turn thesquash over to roast, cut side down. Usea fork or paring knife to cut asmall slit in the squash skin.
3. Place the prepared squash on the baking sheet in theovento bake for about 30 minutes or until thesquashisfork-tender
RoastedSpaghetti
on the inside. Remove the squash from theoven.
4. While thesquash is roasting, make the filling: In alarge pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat.Add the ground turkey and completely cook through, breaking up themeat to a crumbled texture. Next, add the spices and stir into the meat.Add the drained black beans and cooked brown rice. Stir the mixture together.Add salt and ground pepper to taste.
5. Fill each squash half with themeat, bean and rice mixture. Garnishwith crumbled quesofresco and toasted pumpkin seed.Add adash of hotsauce for extraspice.
Squash with Tomatoes Serves 4.
Funeralflowersunwanted
Dear Heloise: Regarding funeral flowers, Iwas a funeral director for over 40 years and can tell you that nursing homes and hospitals do not want any flowers that even remotely look like they came from a funeral (for obvious reasons). Idid not have thetime or vehicle to transport them elsewhere after the ceremony.Tohire someone would have been an added expense. Iwould always suggest donations in lieu of this as an alternative. —BarbaraAnn Condon, formerlyofCondon Funeral Home, in Kearny,New Jersey Openingbottles
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.Prepare abaking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. Place the de-seeded spaghettisquash halves fleshside up on thesheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to each half. Flip the squash over and place flesh side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutesoruntil the fleshside isfork-tender
2. Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven. Let cool slightly,then use afork to gently scrape the insides. The squashwill look like strings of pasta. Add the pasta-like squashtoaservingbowl
SQUASH
3. In alarge heavy pan over medium-highheat,add oliveoil and cherry tomatoes. Stir the tomatoes in the hot pan for about 5minutes. Addfreshly chopped garlic and fresh Italian parsley, salt and pepper.Cook down until the tomatoes meld with theherbs.
4. Add thetomato sauce to aserving of spaghetti squash. Garnish withgrated Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts.
baking an acorn squash and filling it with asouthwestern rice stuffing. Or make butternut squash soup extra tasty by adding apple, curry and coconut milk. Andlast but notleast, spaghetti squash works well asa pasta substitute underatomato saucewith garlic and herbs. Likepumpkins, youcan save squash seeds to roast until golden.Add alittle salt to theseedsand use them to add acrunchy textureto soups, salads andmeals. It may not actually feel like fall in Louisianafor a little while longer,but these autumnal tastes help to usher in anew season.
Skillet Moussaka
FORTHE MOUSSAKA:
Liz Sullivan Faul is a registered dietitian nutritionist whoenjoys cooking and sharing mealswith her friends and family
Serves 6-8. Recipe is adapted from “HungryHappens: Mediterranean”byStella Drivas.
1medium Globe eggplant or 1 pound FairyTale eggplants, cut into bite-sized chunks
Fine sea salt
4tablespoons extravirgin olive oil, divided
1poundbabypotatoes, halved
½teaspoon paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
1medium sweet onion, diced 4garlic cloves, minced
2tablespoons tomato paste
1pound ground lamb
½teaspoon cinnamon
¼teaspoon allspice
Freshly ground black pepper
1(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1teaspoon honey
2tablespoons chopped parsley
FOR THE BECHAMEL:
4tablespoons unsalted butter
6tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of ground nutmeg Fine sea salt
1⁄3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped freshparsley,for garnish
1. Place chopped eggplant on aclean dish towel andif usingGlobe or similar eggplants, sprinkle lightly with salt to draw out moisture. (Fairy Tale doesnot haveto be salted because it is not bitter.) Let sit for 15-20 min-
Continued from page5C
Continued from page5C action
utes, then blot away all the surface moisture. 2. Preheatawide, deepovenproof pan over medium heat until hot. (I used a12inch,cast-iron skillet.)Swirl in 1tablespoon oil then add potatoes, paprika, saltand a few grinds of pepper to taste.
3. Cook,stirringoften, until the potatoes are lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer potatoes to aplate.
4. Swirl 2tablespoons olive oil into the pan and add eggplant.Saute, stirring often,until brownedand just fork-tender,8-10 minutes. Transfer eggplant to plate with potatoes
5. Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoonolive oilintothe pan, add onion and saute until soft andtranslucent, about4minutes. Stir in garlic andtomato paste.
6. Addground lamb and cook until it’s no longer pink, breaking into crumbles, about 5minutes
7. Stir in cinnamon, allspice, ¾teaspoon saltand pepper to taste. Pour in tomatoesand bring to aboil. Turn down heat andcook uncovered until sauce thickens, 12-15 minutes.
under ablanket of
andcreamy
Adusting of gratedParmesan
The result is
that’s suitable for
(it’sreadyinabout2
or
8. Stir in honey andparsley.Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then remove pan from heat
9. Push meat sauce to one side of thepan andadd potatoes/eggplant mixture. Nudge the ground meat over the top of the veggies so they are mostly covered.
10. Preheat oven to 400 F, then make bechamel.
11. In medium saucepan overmedium heat,meltthe butter. Stirin flourand stir untila smooth pasteforms, about 1minute.
12. Gradually stir in milk and increase heat slightly to bring mixture just to aboil, then turn down the heat and stir constantly until it thickensenough to coatthe back of aspoon.Season with nutmeg andsalt to taste.
13. Ladle the bechamel evenly over themeat and sprinklewith Parmesan (I didn’tuse all the sauce.) Transfer pantothe oven and bake themoussaka until golden brown on top, 25-30 minutes.
14. Remove from oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Slice and servewarm, garnished with parsley
gets leftand right confused sometimes. But she doesn’tconfuse clockwise and counterclockwise. So, try remembering clockwise is lock-wise; to open it, you’ll have to turn it counterclockwise. Ialways enjoy your column! —Mike S.,inBatonRouge
Travel suggestions
Dear Heloise: To thelady who mixes up left and right when trying to open lotion bottles, my wife also
By The Associated Press
Today is Thursday, Oct. 2, the 275th day of 2025. There are 90 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On Oct. 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall joined the U.S. Supreme Court as its first African American justice; he would serve on the bench for 24 years until his retirementin1991.
Also on this date:
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson had aserious stroke at the White House that left him paralyzed on his left side.
In 1942, theRMS Queen Mary,anocean liner carrying thousands of American soldiers as aconverted troop ship during World WarII, accidentally rammed andsank the escort ship HMS Curacoa in theNorth Atlantic, killing over 300 crew members aboard the Curacoa.
Dear Heloise: Iread the letter from Georgia N. regarding hints on what to do when traveling. Ihave an additional suggestion: When my husband and Itravel, we always take apicture of the pickup station close to where we park our car.Then Iturn around and take apicture of our car from the station to show the direction it’sparked in. Ialso take a
TODAYINHISTORY
In 1944, German troops crushed the 2-month-old Warsaw Uprising, during which aquarter of amillion people were killed.
In 1970, one of two chartered twin-engine planes flying the Wichita State University football team to Utah crashed into amountain near Silver Plume, Colorado, killing 31 of the 40 people on board.
In 2006, an armed milk truck driver took agroup of girls hostage in an Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, killing five of them and wounding five others before taking his own life.
In 2016, HallofFame baseballbroadcaster Vin Scully signedoff forthe last time, ending 67 years behind themic forthe Dodgers as he calleda 7-1loss to theGiantsinSan Francisco.
In 2018, U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, acritic of Saudi Arabia’s
picture of our row number and last of all, Itake apicture of our license plate. If something happened to us on a flight, heaven forbid, people would have no idea how to find our car in alarge airport parking lot without these photos. —D.S., in Omaha, Nebraska Shutting offwater
Dear Heloise: Areader suggested turning off your mainhouse water supply before going on vacation. This is only if you have forced air heating. If your furnace is awater basedboiler system (hot water baseboards, radiators, etc.), it automatically feeds water from your mainsupply.Ifitcan’tget the water, it could overheat and cause a fire. —Mark Rust, viaemail Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.
government, waskilled by Saudi Arabian officials at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey In 2020, stricken by COVID-19, President Donald Trumpwas injected with an experimental drug combination at the White House before being flown to amilitary hospital, where he wasgiven Remdesivir,anantiviral drug. Today’sbirthdays: Film critic Rex Reed is 87. Singersongwriter DonMcLean (“American Pie”) is 80. Fashion designer Donna Karan is 77. Actor Avery Brooks is 77. Photographer Annie Leibovitz is 76. Singer-actor Sting is 74. Actor Lorraine Bracco is 71. R&B singer Freddie Jackson is 69. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa is 62. Singer-songwriter Gillian Welch is 58. Actortalk show host Kelly Ripa is 55. Actor Efren Ramirez is 52.
Hints from Heloise
PHOTO By LIZ FAUL Roasted SpaghettiSquash with Tomatoes
LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) Take pride in what you do, and you'll gain the respect and trust of those you deal with today. A change to your routine will enhance how you spend your time and encourage you to pursue new experiences.
ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Be careful how you handle friends, associates and lovers. Keep an open mind and give others the same freedom you expect in return. Stop spinning your wheels; it's time to evolve.
SAGIttARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Limitations are lessons; don't waste time. Take responsibility for your happiness, and you'll discover ways to diversify and make the most out of whatever comes your way.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Listen, dissect and adjust. You have more choices than you realize, and once you head in the right direction, you'll gain momentum. Acceptance and release will give you the courage to do what's best for you.
AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Check documents, sign agreements, set priorities and take care of business. Use your insight and imagination to initiate the changes that bring you happiness.
PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Give yourself a nudge. Invest time and money in achieving a lifestyle that satisfies your soul. Be brave, say no when necessary and take responsibility for your life.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Engage in pastimes that bring you joy. Volunteer to
help organizations that address matters of concern. Give back to your community, and you'll connect with people who share your values.
tAuRuS (April 20-May 20) You may want to reflect before making a move or settling for something that doesn't thrill you. Look around and consider how you can use your skills more diversely.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) A change of plans will bring value and hope into your life. Explore the possibilities, and research how you can use your skills and experience to earn extra cash.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Effective money management will be beneficial. Consider selling items you no longer need. A lifestyle change help you get back on track and encourage you to reset your priorities.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Stop fretting and start doing what makes you happy. Life is simple when you don't complicate matters. Rethink your past and consider what you'd do differently.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Make what you do count. Don't live someone else's dream when you have your own to pursue. Participate in events that offer insight into something that excites you.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy'S cLuE: P EQuALS V
FAMILY CIrCUS
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
SherMAn’S LAGoon
bIG nAte
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
By PHILLIP ALDER
Wilson Mizner, a playwright, raconteur and entrepreneur who died in 1933, said, “Not only is a good listener popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.”
A good listener at the bridge table is popular with his partner, but less so with his opponents. And he immediately gets to know something. Yesterday, I recommended not being deaf to the auction. This deal is another example. South gets into four spades after East opens three clubs in the third position. West starts off with three top hearts, East playing high-low to show his doubleton, then discarding the club king (top of touching honors as he cannot win the trick). West shifts to a low club. How should South continue?
When entering the auction after an opponent opens with a pre-empt, assume partnerhassixorsevenhigh-cardpoints ThatmakesSouth’sfour-spadeovercalla slight overbid. If he had settled for three spades,whichwouldhavebeenanunderbid, North would probably have raised because he had so many trumps.
West thought about sacrificing in five clubs, but was dissuaded by the unfavorable vulnerability. Note that five clubs doubled should go down three, minus 800. South won the fourth trick with his club ace and cashed the spade ace.
Now he had to find the diamond queen to make his contract. The bidding gave the answer. West had already shown up with five hearts to the ace-king-queen-jack. If he had had the diamond queen as well,
By Andrews McMeel Syndication
Previous answers:
InStRuctIonS: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C. PiCKles
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Gold prices soar to new records amid shutdown
NEW YORK As uncertainty deepens amid the U.S. government’s first shutdown in almost seven years, the gold frenzy continues to climb to new heights. The going price for New York spot gold hit a record $3,858.45 per troy ounce the standard for measuring precious metals — as of market close Tuesday, ahead of the shutdown beginning overnight And futures continued to climb on Wednesday, dancing with the $3,900 mark throughout the day.
Gold sales can rise sharply when anxious investors seek “safe havens” for parking their money. Before Wednesday, the asset — and other metals, like silver have seen wider gains over the last year, particularly with President Donald Trump’s barrage of tariffs plunging much of the world into economic uncertainty
Wall Street sets more records; bond yields fall
Stocks rose to more records on Wednesday, as Wall Street still doesn’t care much about the shutdown of the U.S. government, but yields sank in the bond market following the latest discouraging signals on the economy The S&P 500 climbed 0.3% to top its prior all-time high, which was set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 43 points, or 0.1%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%.
The action was stronger in the bond market, where Treasury yields dropped after a report suggested hiring may have been much weaker across the country last month than economists expected. Employers outside the government actually cut 32,000 more jobs than they added, according to the survey by ADP Research, with the Midwest taking particularly hard hits. What’s worse, the survey also revised down its numbers for employment in August, to a loss of 3,000 jobs from a previously reported gain of 54,000.
Walmart to remove artificial food colors
Walmart said Wednesday that it plans to remove synthetic food dyes and 30 other ingredients, including some preservatives, artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes, from its store brands sold in the United States by January 2027.
The move announced by the the nation’s largest retailer amounts to an acknowledgment that American consumers and the U.S. government under President Donald Trump are paying attention to what goes into packaged foods. Walmart said its goal would affect about 1,000 products, including salty snacks, baked goods, power drinks, salad dressings and frosting. Several of the ingredients on Walmart’s list, however, already are banned, not widely used or have not been used for decades.
OpenAI to partner with S. Korean chip giants
OpenAIandSouthKoreantech conglomerates Samsung and SK on Wednesday announced partnerships to provide chips and other solutions for Stargate, a $500 billion project aimed at building infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence. The announcements came after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Korean corporate leaders in Seoul. Lee hailed the partnerships as a major opportunity for South Korea’s semiconductor industry to solidify its role in AI and create more jobs. The partnerships commit Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix — the world’s two largest makers of memory chips — to accelerate their production of advanced chips to meet OpenAI’s increasing memory demands for the Stargate initiative, according to the companies’ statements.
President Donald Trump’s effort to force Cook off the Fed board.
BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now, declining to act on the Trump administration’s effort to immediately remove her from the central bank.
In a brief unsigned order, the high court said it would hear arguments in January over Republican
The court will consider whether to block a lower-court ruling in Cook’s favor while her challenge to her firing by Trump continues.
The high-court order was a rare instance of Trump not quickly getting everything he wants from the justices in an emergency appeal.
Cook will be able to take part in the remaining two Fed meetings in 2025, including the next meeting of its interest rate-setting committee in late October
Separately the justices are
hearing arguments in December in a separate but related legal fight over Trump’s actions to fire members of the boards that oversee other independent federal agencies. The case concerns whether Trump can fire those officials at will. But a second issue in the case could bear directly on Cook’s fate: whether federal judges have the authority to prevent the firings or instead may only order back pay for officials who were wrongly dismissed. Trump had sought to oust Cook before the September meeting of
the Fed’s interest rate-setting committee But a judge ruled that the firing was illegal, and a divided appeals court rejected the Trumps administration’s emergency appeal. A day after the meeting concluded with a one-quarter of a percentage point reduction in a key interest rate, the administration turned to the Supreme Court in a new emergency appeal. The White House campaign to unseat Cook marks an unprecedented bid to reshape the Fed board, which was designed to be largely independent from day-today politics. No president has fired a sitting Fed governor in the Fed’s 112-year history
BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP business writer
The U.S. government is taking a minority stake in Lithium Americas, a company that is developing one of the world’s largest lithium mines in northern Nevada.
The Department of Energy will take a 5% equity stake in the miner, which is based in Vancouver It will also take a 5% stake in the Thacker Pass lithium mining project, a joint venture with General Motors.
Thacker Pass is considered crucial in reducing U.S. reliance on China for lithium, a critical material used to produce the high tech batteries used in cellphones, electric vehicles and renewable
energy Both Republicans and Democrats support the project and narrowing the production gap. China is the world’s largest lithium processor
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement that the deal with Lithium Americas “helps reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries for critical minerals by strengthening domestic supply chains and ensures better stewardship of American taxpayer dollars.”
Thacker Pass is expected to produce 40,000 metric tons of battery-quality lithium carbonate per year in its first phase, enough to help power 800,000 EVs.
The equity stake in Lithium Americas is the latest example of the direct intervention by the Trump administration with private companies. The government is getting a 10% stake in Intel through the conversion of billions in previously granted gov-
ernment funds and pledges. The administration spent $400 million of taxpayer money in July on MP Materials stock to make the U.S. government the biggest owner in the Las Vegas rare earths miner.
Trump also made a deal with Nvidia and AMD to give the U.S government a 15% cut of revenue from selling certain chips to China.
Lithium Americas said Wednesday that it reached a nonbinding agreement in principle with the DOE to advance the first draw of $435 million on the federal loan
The DOE has agreed to defer $182 million of debt service over the first five years of the loan.
The White House and Canada’s Lithium Americas seemed to be moving forward with the deal late last month, as both parties agreed on changes to an approximately $2.3 billion federal loan that could allow the project to move forward to extract the silver-white metal
used in electric vehicle batteries.
GM has pledged more than $900 million to help develop Thacker Pass, which holds enough lithium to build 1 million electric vehicles annually
Dan Ives, an analyst with Wedbush, called Thacker Pass is a “massive opportunity” for the U.S. to reduce its reliance on China and other foreign adversaries for lithium.
“Despite having some of the largest deposits, the U.S. produced less than 1% of the global lithium supply but this deal helps reduce dependence on foreign adversaries for critical minerals strengthening domestic supply chains and ensuring better stewardship of American taxpayer dollars with lithium production set to grow exponentially over the coming years,” he wrote. Shares of Lithium Americas spiked more than 30% Wednesday
BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP business writer
NEWYORK It’s official: AOL’s dialup internet has taken its last bow AOL previously confirmed it would be pulling the plug on Tuesday writing in a brief update on its support site last month that it “routinely evaluates” its offerings and had decided to discontinue dial-up, as well as associated software “optimized for older operating systems,” from its plans. Dial-up is now no longer advertised on AOL’s website. As of Wednesday, former company help
pages like “connect to the internet with AOL Dialer” appeared unavailable and nostalgic social media users took to the internet to say their final goodbyes. AOL, formerly America Online, introduced many households to the World Wide Web for the first time when its dial-up service launched decades ago, rising to prominence particularly in the ’90s and early 2000s. The creaky door to the internet was characterized by a once-ubiquitous series of beeps and buzzes heard over the phone line used to connect your computer online —
along with frustrations of being kicked off the web if anyone else at home needed the landline for another call, and an endless bombardment of CDs mailed out by AOL to advertise free trials. Eventually, broadband and wireless offerings emerged and rose to dominance, doing away with dial-up’s quirks for most people accessing the internet today but not everyone. A handful of consumers have continued to rely on internet services connected over telephone lines. In the U.S., according to Census Bureau data, an estimated
163,401 households were using dial-up alone to get online in 2023, representing just over 0.13% of all homes with internet subscriptions nationwide. While AOL was the largest dialup internet provider for some time, it wasn’t the only one to emerge over the years. Some smaller internet providers continue to offer dial-up today Regardless, the decline of dialup has been a long time coming. And AOL shutting down its service arrives as other relics of the internet’s earlier days continue to disappear
