“I absolutely love the job I have. It’s a more impactful one.”
LOUISIANA ATTORNEy GENERAL LIZ MURRILL
‘She has not backed down’ Supreme Court case shows Louisiana attorney general’s aggressive, high-profile approach
BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
During her 20 months as attorney general, Liz Murrill has driven Louisiana into the center of some of the country’s fiercest political debates. After the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, she joined 16 other Republican attorneys general in warning universities not to impose a “tax on free speech” by charging student organizations higher security fees. She is trying to extradite a New York doctor criminally charged with violating Louisiana laws by mailing abortion pills to the state. She sued the Biden administration to block a rule that allows transgender girls to use girls’ bathrooms and participate in sports as girls.
And now Murrill, 61, is stepping into perhaps the biggest legal fight in years involving race by asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a key part of the decades-old Voting Rights Act. If successful, the move could force either U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields or U.S. Rep. Troy Carter — both Black Democrats — out of Congress, to be replaced by a Republican. By aggressively pursuing high-profile conservative causes as attorney general, Murrill has been following a playbook established over the previous eight years by her Republican predecessor, Jeff Landry During that time, Murrill was one of Landry’s top lawyers.
ä See MURRILL, page 14A
Schools compiling upgrade wish lists
Baton Rouge plans
$40M bond sale to enhance ‘the high school experience’
BY CHARLES LUSSIER | Staff writer
With the prospect of $40 million from an anticipated bond sale, public high school principals across Baton Rouge are submitting wish lists of projects that could enhance “the high school experience.”
“It’s not willy-nilly,” said East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent LaMont Cole “They do have a process in place. They are going through that process currently.”
Cole began pressing for a $40 million bond sale in August as a way to upgrade high schools in the capital city that the superintendent says have fallen behind their peers. He is defining the areas that fall under the “high school experience” as athletics, student clubs, fine arts and career and technical education programs. The idea grew out of complaints Cole said he heard throughout his first year as superintendent, often from students, that high schools fell short in what was available outside core classes. Cole has offered several possible examples of things he’s seen and heard that could be improved: substandard athletic turf, stages without curtains, antiquated lighting systems in auditoriums, substandard science labs, old weight rooms and rundown press boxes.
Cole explained his plans to the parish School Board on Thursday
At the outset, Cole said he asked high school leaders to provide him with student participation data for all the areas he had outlined. Next, he asked the leaders to identify the specific areas that needed work, as well as any necessary materials and support Then he gave the leaders a scorecard which “they can use to assess their needs and grade what they are asking for.”
The schools are to submit their final wish lists by Oct. 10.
“We have a team we are putting together to
Tech experiment hopes to improve Louisiana’s byways
Parishes using AI to scan, report road conditions
BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD | Staff writer
As artificial intelligence becomes more ingrained in aspects of everyday life, some parishes are exploring whether it can be used to help address one of Louisiana’s
biggest issues: roads. Louisiana’s road conditions have consistently been ranked among the poorest in the country due to factors such as deterioration and poor maintenance. Improving roads is commonly at the top of state and local leaders’ agendas. Now, a handful of Louisiana parishes have been experimenting with technology that uses AI in hopes of improving conditions in a more efficient way
The program GoodRoads has now worked on six projects in the state in Livingston, Iberville, St. James and Allen parishes in the past year
GoodRoads is described as a software and hardware solution to help governments responsible for road maintenance make better, faster decisions.
Founder and civil engineer Chris Sunde, of North Carolina, said his company sends cities and parishes the device with a camera, a roughness sensor and GPS.
The device is attached to a vehicle and then driven around to scan the roads in a specific area. After the scanning process, the company uses a large language model to inspect the roads and assign them to a pavement condition
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
As Louisiana’s attorney general, Liz Murrill has thrust the state into the center of national debates about abortion, transgender athletes and redistricting Cole
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Alleged leader of gang
arrested in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY Mexico’s Security Ministry said Saturday that it arrested an alleged local leader of the Tren de Aragua gang in Mexico City
Officials identified the suspect as Nelson Arturo “N,” 29, described as the leader and main operator of the transnational criminal group in the country Authorities said he was wanted on multiple charges, but in keeping with Mexican law don’t release suspects’ last names.
Tren de Aragua originated in Venezuela more than a decade ago at an infamously lawless prison with hardened criminals in the central state of Aragua.
The Trump administration has declared the group a terrorist organization.
Security agents carried out intelligence work and identified the suspect, who they accused of crimes including human trafficking, drug dealing homicide, kidnapping and extortion
Along with the gang leader, two other men, ages 36 and 37, were arrested. Authorities said that they were found with more than 100 doses of drugs, two cellphones and cash.
Gibson booked, charged with cruelty to animals
Tyrese Gibson was booked into a Georgia jail Friday a week after he failed to turn himself in following an arrest warrant for cruelty to animals, police said Gibson was released the same day on a $20,000 bond, Fulton County Police Captain Nicole Dwyer said. He has still not turned his four Cane Corso dogs to police, who authorities say killed a neighbor’s small dog in mid-September and had roamed the neighborhood unsupervised.
A search warrant for the actor’s property was issued alongside the arrest warrant days after the Sept. 18 incident, when the dogs attacked a small spaniel owned by a neighbor about a half a mile away from Gibson’s house. The dog was rushed to a veterinary hospital, but did not survive, Dwyer said.
FBI cuts ties with SPLC, ADL after complaints
WASHINGTON FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday that the bureau would sever its relationship with the Southern Poverty Law Center asserting that the organization had been turned into a “partisan smear machine” and criticizing it for its use of a “hate map” that documents alleged anti-government and hate groups inside the United States.
A statement earlier in the week from Patel said the FBI would end ties with the AntiDefamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization that fights anti-Semitism.
The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk renewed attention to the SPLC’s characterization of the group, Turning Point USA, that Kirk founded. For instance, the SPLC included a section on Turning Point in a report titled “The Year in Hate and Extremism 2024” that described the group as a “case study in the hard right.”
The Anti-Defamation League has also faced criticism on the right for maintaining a “Glossary of Extremism.” The organization announced last week that it was discontinuing that glossary Hawaii’s strict gun ban going to Supreme Court
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court said on Friday that it will take up its latest gun rights case and consider striking down a strict regulation on where people can carry firearms in Hawaii.
The Trump administration had urged the justices to take the case, arguing the law violates the court’s landmark 2022 ruling that found the Second Amendment generally gives people the right to carry firearms
The court will consider Hawaii’s law that bans guns on private property, including businesses like stores and hotels, unless the owner has specifically allowed them verbally or with a sign.
Hawaii argues that it has already loosened its concealedcarry permit regulations to align with the high court’s 2022 ruling.
Trump says he’ll send Guard to Chicago
BY THOMAS PEIPERT Associated Press
President Donald Trump moved to deploy the National Guard in another city Saturday by authorizing 300 troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago, where the government said Border Patrol agents shot and injured a woman while firing at someone who tried to run them over White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed that the president authorized using the Illinois National Guard members, citing what she called “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” that local leaders have not quelled.
“President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities,” Jackson said. Democratic Gov JB Pritzker
said the guard received notice from the Pentagon early in the day He called the move unnecessary and “a manufactured performance — not a serious effort to protect public safety.”
“This morning the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”
Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago, but it was not immediately clear when or exactly where they would be deployed.
Meanwhile the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged the shooting of the woman on the
southwest side of Chicago. It said in a statement that Border Patrol agents on patrol “were rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars,” and when they got out of their trapped vehicle, “a suspect tried to run them over forcing the officers to fire defensively.”
The woman who was shot was a U.S. citizen and was armed with a semiautomatic weapon, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, noting that the woman was accused in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection intelligence bulletin last week of doxing agents.
The woman was treated and released in the afternoon, according to Mount Sinai Hospital. No officers were seriously injured, McLaughlin said.
The escalation of federal law enforcement follows similar deploy-
Japan’s new party leader is a conservative star
BY MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press
TOKYO In a country that ranks poorly internationally for gender equality, the new president of Japan’s long-governing Liberal Democrats, and likely next prime minister, is an ultra-conservative star of a male-dominated party that critics call an obstacle to women’s advancement Sanae Takaichi, 64, admires former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and is a proponent of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conservative vision for Japan
Takaichi is the first female president of Japan’s predominantly male ruling party that has dominated Japan’s postwar politics almost without interruption.
She hardly touched on gender issues during the campaign, but on Saturday, as she tried out the party president’s chair and posed for a photo as is customary for the newly elected leader, Takaichi said:
“Now that the LDP has its first female president, its scenery will change a little.”
First elected to parliament from her hometown of Nara in 1993, she has served in key party and government posts, including minister of economic security, internal affairs and gender equality.
Female lawmakers in the conservative Liberal Democratic Party who were given limited ministerial posts have often been shunned as soon as they spoke up about diversity and gender equality Takaichi has stuck with old-fashioned views favored by male party heavyweights.
Takaichi also admits she is a workaholic who would rather study at home instead of socializing. After unsuccessfully run-
ning for party presidency twice in the past, she made efforts to be more sociable to build connections as advised, she said.
On Saturday, as she called for an all-out effort to rebuild the party and regain public support, she asked all party lawmakers to “work like a horse.” Then she added, “I will abandon the word ‘work-life balance.’ I will work, work, work and work.”
Women comprise only about 15% of Japan’s lower house, the more powerful of the two parliamentary chambers. Only two of Japan’s 47 prefectural governors are women.
A drummer in a heavy-metal band and a motorbike rider as a student, Takaichi has called for a stronger military, more fiscal spending for growth, promotion of nuclear fusion, cybersecurity and tougher policies on immigration.
She vowed to drastically increase female ministers in her government. But experts say she might actually set back women’s advancement because as leader she would have to show loyalty to influential male heavyweights. If not, she risks a short-lived leadership.
Takaichi has backed financial support for women’s health and fertility treatment as part of the LDP policy of having women serve in their traditional roles of being good mothers and wives.
Takaichi supports the imperial family’s male-only succession and opposes samesex marriage.
She is a wartime history revisionist and China hawk. She regularly visits Yasukuni Shrine, which Japan’s neighbors consider a symbol of militarism, though she has declined to say what she would do as prime minister
Judge blocks Trump policy to detain migrant children after they turn 18
BY JEFF AMY Associated Press
A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new Trump administration policy to keep migrant children in detention after they turn 18, moving quickly to stop transfers to adult facilities that advocates said were scheduled for this weekend.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras on Saturday issued a temporary restraining order to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to not detain any child who came to the country alone and without permission in ICE adult detention facilities after they become an adult.
Last month a separate federal judge blocked attempts to immediately deport Guatemalan migrant children who came to the U.S alone back to their home country.
Unaccompanied children are held in shelters run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, under not ICE but the U.S. Health and Human Services Department Contreras’ 2021 order instructed federal officials to release minors who turn 18 from those shelters to “the least restrictive setting available.”
But lawyers who represent unaccompanied minors said they began getting word in the last few days that ICE was telling shelters that children who were about to turn 18 — even those who had already-approved release plans — could no longer be released and would instead be taken to detention facilities, possibly as early as Saturday One email from ICE asserted that the new adults could only be released by ICE under its case-by-case parole authority for “urgent humanitarian reasons” or “significant public benefit.”
ments in other parts of the country Trump sent the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and to Washington, D.C., as part of his law enforcement takeover there. California Gov Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling that the use of the guard was illegal, and a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.
Pritzker criticized the Illinois deployment for pulling the National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs, saying, “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety This is about control.”
DOJ’s prosecution of Abrego Garcia could be retaliation, judge says
BY MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa A federal judge has concluded that the Department of Justice’s prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia on human smuggling charges may be an illegal retaliation after he successfully sued the Trump administration over his deportation to El Salvador
The case of Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who was a construction worker in Maryland, has become a proxy for the partisan struggle over President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration policy and mass deportation agenda.
U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw late Friday granted a request by lawyers for Abrego Garcia and ordered discovery and an evidentiary hearing in Abrego Garcia’s effort to show that the federal human smuggling case against him in Tennessee is illegally retaliatory Crenshaw said Abrego Garcia had shown that there is “some evidence
that the prosecution against him may be vindictive.” That evidence included statements by various Trump administration officials and the timeline of the charges being filed.
The Department of Homeland Security referred questions to the Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the case Saturday In his 16-page ruling, Crenshaw said many statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern,” but one stood out.
That statement by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, on a Fox News program after Abrego Garcia was charged in June, seemed to suggest that the Department of Justice charged Abrego Garcia because he won his wrongful deportation case, Crenshaw wrote. Blanche’s “remarkable statements could directly establish that the motivations for (Abrego Garcia’s) criminalchargesstemfrom his exercise of his constitutional and statutory rights” to sue over his deportation “rather than a genuine desire to prosecute him for alleged criminal misconduct,” Crenshaw wrote.
Abrego Garcia
KyODO NEWS PHOTO By yOHEI FUKAI
Former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, center, stands as she is chosen to be the new leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party during the party’s leadership election Saturday in Tokyo.
JudgeblocksTrump from deployingtroopsinOregon
BY CLAIRE RUSH and REBECCA BOONE Associated Press
PORTLAND,Ore. Afederal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’sadministration from deploying the National GuardinPortland, ruling Saturdayinalawsuit broughtbythe state andcity.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued the order pending further arguments in the suit. She said the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces andallowing the deployment could harm Oregon’s state sovereignty
“This country has alongstanding and foundational traditionofresistance to government overreach,especially in the formofmilitary intrusion into civilaffairs,” Immergut wrote. She later continued, “Thishistorical tradition boils down to asimple proposition: this is anationofConstitutional law,not martial law.”
State andcity officials suedtostop the deployment last week, one day afterthe Trump administration announced that 200 Oregon National Guard troops would be federalized to protect federal buildings. The
andattacks on lawenforcement—weexpect to be vindicated by ahigher court.”
Trumphas deployed or threatened to deploy troops in several U.S. cities. Speaking Tuesday to U.S. military leaders, he proposed using cities as training grounds for thearmed forces.
Last month afederal judge ruledthat thepresident’s deployment of some 4,700 National Guard soldiers and Marines in Los Angeles this
year was illegal, but he allowedthe 300 whoremain in the city to stay as long as they do not enforce civilian laws. The Trump administrationappealed,and an appellate panelhas putthe lower court’sblock on hold while it moves forward.
ThePortlandprotestshave been limited to aone-block area in acitythatcovers about145 square miles and has about 636,000 residents. On Saturday,before the
ruling was released, roughly 400people marched to theICE facility. Thecrowd included people of all ages andraces,familieswith children and older people using walkers. Federalagents responded with chemical crowd controlmunitions, including tear gascanisters and less-lethal guns that sprayed pepper balls. At least six people were arrested as the protesters reached the ICEfacility
president called the city “war-ravaged.”
Oregon officials said that characterization wasludicrous.
TheU.S.Immigration and CustomsEnforcement building in the city has been thesiteofnightly protests that typically drew acoupledozen people in recent weeks beforethe deployment was announced
Generally speaking the president is allowed “a great level of deference” to federalize National Guard troops in situations whereregular law enforcementforces are notabletoexecute thelaws of the United States, the judge said, but that has not
been thecase in Portland.
Plaintiffs were able to show that the demonstrations at the immigration building were not significantly violent or disruptive ahead of the president’s order, the judgewrote,and “overall, theprotests were small and uneventful.”
“The President’s determination was simply untethered to thefacts,” Immergut wrote.
Following the ruling, White House spokesperson Abigail Jacksonsaidthat “President Trumpexercisedhis lawful authority to protect federal assets andpersonnelinPortland following violent riots
Trumplooks to slashrefugee count
BY HADRIANA LOWENKRON Bloomberg News (TNS)
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is considering imposing amassive drop in the cap for refugee admissions from 125,000 to 7,500 and is expected to favor White South Africans over immigrants fleeing war or famine, according to people familiar with the matter
The new number,described by people who asked for anonymity to discuss privatedeliberations, would mark arecord low in refugee admissions to the
UnitedStates. It comes in a presidential determination datedSept.30, which Trump signed, according to The New York Times, which first reported the change The numbercould change in consultation with Congress. But an administration official said Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity,that the shutdown prevented thosetalks from happening,and that no refugees would be admitted until the government was open. Trump in May welcomed dozens of White Afrikaners, insisting without evidence
that they faced racial discrimination, land grabs and violence, calling it “genocide.” In fact, young Black men bear thebrunt of crime in South Africa, and there have been no official land grabs since apartheid ended there in 1994.
The South African government hasdeniedany racial discrimination, and in a heated Oval Office meeting with Trump,South African President CyrilRamaphosa attempted to debunk claims made by U.S.officialsof genocide against White SouthAfricans.
SPONSORS ANDPARTNERS City of BatonRouge andParishofEastBaton Rouge:DepartmentofEnvironmental Services, BatonRouge Fire Department Haz-MatUnit,
GreatHeartsHarveston students excelwith Spalding Method and SingaporeMath
By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com This articleisbrought to youbyGreat Hearts Harveston.
StepinsideGreatHeartsHarvestononanygiven morning,andyou’llfindclassroomshummingwith focusand energy.Inone room,secondgraders practice phonograms,carefully formingletters whilesoundingoutthemultiplewaystheycanbe pronounced.Downthehall,fourthgradershuddle overmathproblems,sketchingoutbarmodelsthat help them visualizecomplex equations.
AtthisBatonRougecharterschool,theSpalding MethodandSingaporeMatharecornerstonesof thecurriculum. Together,theyrepresent ablend of classicalrigor andmodernbestpractices, giving students thetools to readfluently,write confidently andthink critically aboutnumbers TheSpaldingMethodisacomprehensive, phonics-basedapproachtoteachingliteracy that integrates phonics, handwriting, spelling, readingcomprehensionandcomposition.Instead of memorizing wholewords,studentslearn the building blocks of English.
“The basisofSpaldingisabout usingphonograms– aletterorgroup of lettersthatmakea sound,”saidJulieHarris,AssistantHeadofLower SchoolatGreatHeartsHarveston.“Forexample, they will useaflashcardwiththe letter Conit andlearn thetwo possible sounds it canmake. They willhaveanother flash card with OUGH on it andlearn aboutthe sixpossiblesoundsthat letter combinationcan make.”
Harrissaidstudentsdevelopaloveoflearning as they have funmakingdifferentlettersounds. Manyparentsalsosaythey’llnoticetheirchildren pickingout phonograms in therealworld,such as thegrocery storeorphysician waitingrooms andsoundingthemout as they learnnew words andpronunciations.
“It’samultisensoryapproachtobrain development.The learningisnot confined to the classroom,”Harrissaid.“Students gain the abilitytomentallygothrough thelistofpossible sounds that aletterorgroup of letterscan make when they encounterthem. It builds themental furnitureintheir brains.”
Students at GreatHeartsHarveston practice Spalding multiple timeseachschoolday.The structureofthe Spalding Method,combined with theconsistency of dailylessons,allows students to make rapidprogress, expand their vocabulary anddevelop theskillsneededto read andcomprehendmoreadvancedmaterial. Beyond academic growth,Spaldingalsocreates
adynamic andengagingclassroom experience
“There’s alot of joyand funthathappens with theSpaldingMethod. It’s notall blackand white andflashcards,” Harris added. “It’ssomething with alot of energy andexcitementaroundit.
In thesameway that Great Hearts Harveston uses theSpaldingMethodtogroundliteracyin fundamentals,Singapore Math helpsstudents buildadeepunderstanding of mathematicsby progressingthroughtheConcrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA)sequence.
Students beginwithhands-onmanipulatives such as counters or blocks,moveontovisual models like bardiagramsand eventually master abstract equations. Theapproachprioritizes masteryovermemorization, ensuring students understand whymathworks
“SingaporeMathletsstudentsusetheirsenses tounderstandwhatmultiplicationorsubtraction is actually doing,”Harrissaid. “Asthatlearning becomesmoresolidified,theyuse more photos Weoftenhavethemdrawpicturesofwhattheyare trying to do mathematically,since that engages more of theirbrain.”
Successful implementation of both theSpalding Method andSingapore Math dependson thorough preparation. Harrissaidall Great Hearts Harvestonteachersreceive afullweek of training in each method,and acampuscoach is on site to help guidethemthrough theyear. A nationalcurriculumteamfromtheGreatHearts networkalsovisitsBaton Rougemultipletimes peryeartoconferwithteachersandgivefeedback Themethods received positive feedback in August,whenU.S.Secretary of EducationLinda McMahonand LouisianaSuperintendentCade Brumleyvisitedthecampus.Theywerejoinedby otherdignitaries,including U.S. Representative JuliaLetlowand AssistantSuperintendents GermainGilsonand BarryCarter. Prospectivefamiliesare invitedtosee theSpaldingMethodand SingaporeMathin action during campus tours. Toursgenerally take aboutone hour andall guests must check in with aphysicalID. Campus toursofGreat Hearts Harvestoncan be scheduledonlineat greatheartsharveston.org GreatHeartsHarveston is atuition-freeK-9 charterschoolinBatonRouge.Itwilladdonegrade leveleachyearuntil it is afullK-12academy Visitgreatheartsharveston.orgtolearn more
KANE Demonstrators stand off against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agentsSaturdayoutsideanICE facility in Portland, Ore.
Mormon church leadersencourage forgivenessafter Mich.attack
BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press
SALTLAKE CITY Leaders of
theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encouraged members Saturday to confront hate with love and forgiveness,just days after adeadly attack on a congregationinMichigan and as the faithfulare also mourning their oldest-ever president
The recent death of President Russell M. Nelson leaves avoid, butthe church hasawell-defined leadership hierarchy that helps ensure asmoothtransition. Dallin H. Oaks, the man setto succeed Nelson, has already played aprominent leadership role as one of Nelson’s two top counselors and as the next longest-serving member of atop governing body called theQuorumof the Twelve Apostles.
Oaks opened the faith’s twice-annual generalconference with abrief tribute
“I love Russell M. Nelson and have learned more about the gospel and gospel leadership from my long friendship and association with him than from any other leader Ihavepersonally known,” he said.
Oaks’expectedascension to the presidency is likely to be announced after Nelson’s funeral, scheduled for Tuesday,acouple of daysafter theconference when about 100,000members gather at thechurch’sheadquarters in Utah.
Gary E. Stevenson, another member of the Quorum, acknowledged that some members may feel nervous gathering in asacred space after agunman rammed his pickup truck into one of the faith’s churchesinGrand Blanc Township, Michigan, last weekend, opened fire andset the buildingablaze. The attack killedfour people and injuredeightothers.
The gunman, who was killed by police, was described by friends as having agrudge against the church. There was aheavy law en-
forcement presence at the conference center Saturday as memberslined up in the rain to go through metal detectors and bag checks. Barricades surroundedthe block.
Thechurch strengthened its security protocolsfor the conference followingthe Michigan attack,spokesperson Doug Andersen said.
Acallfor forgiveness
Stevenson urgedcongregantstorespondwith kindness —anaction some have already practiced in the wake of the shooting. Church members started an onlinefundraiser for the family of the Michigan gunman that raised over $360,000 as of Saturday “Tobeapeacemaker is not to be weak but tobestrong in away the world may not understand,” Stevenson said.
The200-year-olddenomination known widely as the Mormon church has not held ageneral conference without apresident for at least a century,but there’snolead-
ership vacuum, said Patrick Mason, aprofessorofreligious studies and history at Utah State University
The Quorum, headedby Oaks, is leading thechurch and its more than 17 million members in the absence of apresident,muchlike BrighamYoung’srole for morethan two years followingchurchfounder Joseph Smith’sdeath in 1844.
In the 19th century,itwas common for acouple years to pass beforeanew president was named. The Quorum again led the church for lengthy periods after Young’sdeath in 1877 and John Taylor’sdeath in 1887.
The lasttime achurch president died just before ageneral conference was in April 1951, withthe deathof George Albert Smith. Anew president wasformally announced during the gather-
ing. Nelson died last Saturday at the age of 101. His absence was feltasthousands gatheredinperson and manymore tuned in remotely fromaround the world. The two-day conference features sermons and serves as aunifyingtime for the faith’sglobal membership.
Watching what leader says Gwenieth Wisdom,who traveled from Jamaica to attend, saidshe expects an Oaks presidency will not be much differentfrom Nelson’s. She hopes to see Oaks continue Nelson’spushto build more temples around the world, especially near her homeinthe Caribbean.
The president —considered aprophet by members —traditionallyspeaks at general conference, and it is considered an event highlight during which new initiatives, policies and tem-
ples have been announced. Attendees will be watching to seewhatOakssayswhen he speaks again in Nelson’s place at the conference’s conclusion on Sunday At past conferences, Oaks hasbeen themost likely to address political issues, said Matthew Bowman, an expert on U.S. religious history at Claremont Graduate University Oaks, a93-year-old former Utah Supreme Court justice, is known for his jurist sensibilities and traditionalist convictions on marriage andreligiousfreedom.He has been adriving force in thechurchagainst same-sex marriage and in upholding a teaching that homosexuality is asin, creating anxiety among LGBTQ+ members and their allies. Oaks also has been outspoken about maintaining civil discourse and denouncing violence, amajor theme so farthis weekend.
‘Trump 2028’hats, fake videos settonefor shutdown
BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent
WASHINGTON Halfway through Donald Trump’sinaugural White House meeting with congressional leadership days before agovernment shutdown, the red hats appeared on the president’s desk.
“Trump 2028,” they said, situated across from the seated lawmakers, Vice President JD Vance and several untouched Diet Cokes.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries leaned over to Vance, himselfapotential 2028 contender,and quipped, “Hey,bro, you got aproblem with this?”
The room chuckled in response
“It was the random-most thing in the world, because we’re sitting there, we’re havingaserious conversation, and all of asudden these twored hats appear,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., recalled later at the Capitol.
“It was all so unserious,” Jeffries said, describing a rovingcameramancapturing the moment.
“Wewere there for serious reasons that it wasn’treally abig part of, you know,the discussion. It was theatrics.”
The moment was vintage Trump —grabbing the attention and seeking to throw negotiators off their game but it also underscored the president’sregard for Congress, acoequal branch of the government, and in particular his opponents across the political aisle.
Yetanother viraltroll
What was once was considered ahistoric occasion —the president of the United Statesconvening his first “big four” meeting of congressional leaders from the House and Senate —was reduced to another viral souvenir of Trump trolling his opponent.
And after the more than hourlong session, Trump failed to strike adeal with the leaders to prevent afed-
with acompliant Congress passing his signature tax breaks and spending cuts bill, commonly calledthe One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that is also fueling his mass deportation agenda.
ButWashington doesn’t run on theWhite House alone, andCongress is not amajority-takes-all institution. Turning mostbills into laws requires thegiveand-take of bipartisan compromise, particularly in the Senate, and particularly whenitcomes to the annual appropriations needed to keep government running.
Then,the sombrero video
eral government closure.
“Wedon’twant it to shut down,” Trump said at the White House thenext day, hours before the midnight deadline.
This wasn’tjusta routine meeting of the president and congressionalleadership. It was the first timeTrump hadgathered the leaders of Congress, more than eight months into hispresidency —and the first timeheand Jeffries had officially met.
But more surprising was howlittle camefrom it Health care fundsupinair
During theWhiteHouse meeting, Jeffries andSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer,D-N.Y., laid out their arguments for saving health carefunding as part of theshutdown talks. Trump said very little, doingmore listeningthantalking, the leaders said. “He didn’tseem to know aboutthe healthcare premiums going up so much,” Schumersaid. With theRepublicanleadership,House Speaker Mike Johnson,R-Benton,and SenateMajority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., the conversationranged across their views of the health care situation “Lively,” as Thune said
later The discussion included theDemocrats’demands to ensure subsidies to help people buyprivateinsurance on theexchangesrun by theAffordable CareAct are madepermanent. The subsidies were putinplace during the COVID-19 pandemic and are set toexpire at year’send, spiking premiums as much as double,in someestimates
The conversation also touchedonthe newrural hospital fundthat is importanttoRepublicans, setup underTrump’sbig bill as a way to compensate for its cuts to Medicaid health care providers.
JohnsonsaidTrump showed “strong, solid leadership. He listened to the arguments.”
Trying to catchattention
Thisisthe best theDemocratscould have hoped for —tohave an airing before the president that beganto turn the dialtoward their demands. And it is what the
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GOPleaders hadtried to avoid as each party tries to blame the shutdown on the other Johnson had suggested Trumpback out of an initial meeting withthe Democrats —after thepresident had agreed to one —arguing it would be a“waste of time.”
But Trump relented, and granted them Monday’s closed-door Oval Office session.
The Democrats have been herebefore. During Trump’s first term,the president repeatedly negotiated deals with the Democrats “Chuck and Nancy,” as he calledSchumerand Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi —to fund thegovernment, raise the debt limit and achieve other goals.
Those bargains by Trump frustrated his own Republican Party Republicans, awareof that history,are trying to
steer the conversation in adifferent direction, leaving the door open to discuss the health care issue with Democrats later —once the governmenthas reopened They also took issue with the characterization of Trump as unawareofthe depth or magnitude of the health care situation.
“I’m highly skeptical the president was hearing about it forthe first time,” Vance said afterward.
One Republican unauthorizedtopublicly discuss the private meeting and granted anonymity to do so said Schumer’ssuggestion that Trump didn’tknow about the subsidy problem was overblown.
So farinhis secondterm the president has been able to accomplish his priorities either on his own,with executive actionsand the Elon Musk-led cuts that tore through federal offices, or
Hours after the lawmakers leftthe meeting, Trump’steam posted afake video that showed Jeffries adornedina sombrerowith afauxmustachestanding beside Schumer outside the White House. It was widely seen as racist.
“WhenIwas practicing law,there was aLatin phrase thatwas always oneofmyfavorites,” Jeffries said back at his office at the Capitol. “Res ipsa loquitur.Itmeans: The thing speaks for itself.”
“Wehad afull airing of our positions on Monday, which should have set the baseline fora follow-up conversation from the administration to try to reignite ameaningfulbipartisanpathtoward funding the government,” he said.
“Unfortunately,the president’sbehavior subsequent to the White House meeting deteriorated into unhinged and unserious action.”
It’s notevery daythatanorganizationcelebrates having asmaller office footprint. Butthe atmosphere waspositiveand upbeat in September as AmeriHealthCaritas Louisianabegan anew chapterinits historywitharefreshed spacethat aligns with itscommitmenttomeeting people wheretheyare Aftermorethanadecadeinits previous full floorofficespaceinPerkinsRoweinBatonRouge, AmeriHealth CaritasLouisiana hasright-sized itslocationinaway that reflectshow itswork hasevolved.While thecompany continuesto serveMedicaidmembers acrossthe state, more ofitsstaffareincommunitiesinsteadofatdesks. “Ourcaremanagersaremakinghomevisitsand goingtodoctor’sappointmentswithourmembers. Theyaretalkingtothemface-to-faceabouttheir needsand finding ways to addressthem,”said Kyle Viator,marketpresidentofAmeriHealth CaritasLouisiana.“It doesn’tmakesense for nursestositinanofficeonthephonewithpeople whentheycouldbemuchmoreeffectivebuilding thoserelationships on adaily basis. That is what we arecelebrating here.”
AmeriHealthCaritas Louisianaisone of six health plansthatcontractwiththe statetoserve Medicaid members. Thecompany launched in Louisianain2012, but itsroots stretchback much further. Formed in aPhiladelphiahospital in theearly 1980s, theorganizationnow known as AmeriHealthCaritas wasfounded to expand healthcarebeyondthewallsofhospitalsandclinics, with an emphasis on underserved populations. Thoseoriginsdefinethecompany’sworktoday. Inadditiontocoveringthecostofmedicalservices forMedicaidmembers,AmeriHealth Caritas Louisianahelps them overcome barriers such as lack of transportation,insufficienthousing and othersocialdeterminantsofhealththataffect well-being
“Weare notatypical insurer. We’vegot acall to be much more than that,” Viator said.“The populationthatutilizesMedicaidoftenhavevery challenginglives.Ourcallistobeasupportsystem tohelpthemnavigatethehealthcaresystemand getthe care that they need.”
AmeriHealthCaritasLouisianaisalsocommittedtohelping membersaccesspreventivecare. BeginningonJan.1,2026, theorganizationwill launch anew suiteofvalue-added benefitsfor members. Thesewillinclude $750 in annual adultdentalbenefits,rentand utilityassistance, andyearlygymmembershipsforindividualswho complete awellnessvisit with aphysician
“Webelieve ourcompilation of benefits is secondtonone,”saidGroverHarrison,directorof communityeducationandoutreach.“It’simportant thatwhenyouaskpeopleaquestionandtheygive youananswer,you respond. Thesevalue-added benefitscameabout because themembers told us what they wanted.”
HarrisonsaidAmeriHealthCaritasLouisiana alsohasresourcestohelppeoplecompletethestate’s high school equivalencyexamandimprovetheir jobskillstomakethemselvesmoremarketable to potentialemployers
“We’re very uniquebecauseweare trying to grow people offofour rosters. We arethere to serveasasupport untiltheyget to that point,” Harrison said.“We want to seepeoplenot just survive, butthrive. We work with entities and partnersthroughoutthestatetomakesurepeople have apathtowardasustainable future.” Viator said thosecollaborationshavehelped AmeriHealthCaritasLouisianaadapttonumerous changesovertheyears.Forexample,thestatehas addedpharmacyand behavioral health benefits since2012, andthe Medicaid programitselfhas expandedtoincludenewpopulations.Today,the organization is helping itsmembers navigate eligibilityand renewalrequirements, making sure no oneloses coverage unnecessarily
“Weare constantly workingtohelpeducate membersofthe risk of losing coverage.The state lets us know when membersare duetorenew coverage,oriftheyappeartonolongerbeeligiblefor Medicaid,”Viatorsaid.“Weeducatepeopleabout theimportanceofensuringthe informationthe statehas aboutthemisaccurate andup-to-date. We absolutely arelooking to be as collaborative as possible andbuild on ourworktohelppeople in Louisianastayinsured andhealthy.” Visitwww.amerihealthcaritasla.comformore information.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, speaks alongside Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budgetdirector, left,and Vice President JD Vance as theyaddress members of the media Monday outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByALEX BRANDON
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.y.,left, and Senate Minority Leader ChuckSchumer,D-N.y.,talk to reporters Monday outsidethe West Wing of the White House.
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Call (888) 787-1112 or visit NationalRarities.com forany item-relatedquestions.
ProtestersacrossEuropecriticize Israel
Hundreds of thousands oppose military campaigninGaza
BY JOSEPH WILSON and PAOLO SANTALUCIA Associated Press
BARCELONA,Spain Hundreds of thousands of Italians and Spaniards marched in Rome, Barcelona and Madrid on Saturday against Israel’smilitary campaign in Gaza in ashow ofgrowing international anger over the 2-year-old war
The protests in almost every major Spanish city had been planned for weeks, while the demonstrationin Rome followed widespread anger after the Israeli interception of ahumanitarian aid flotilla that had set sail from Barcelonaina bidto break the blockade of the Palestinian territory
The protests across southern Europe come as Hamas said that it has accepted some elements of aplan laid out by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war,which has left Gaza’slargest city in famine and stirred accusations of genocide against Israel.
Rome’spolice said that 250,000 people turned out, while organizers said that 1million attended, fora second straight day of Italian demonstrations. Italy already sawmorethan2 million people rally on Friday in aone-day generalstrike.
In Spain, officials said that 100,000 people marched in Madrid and another 70,000 filled downtown Barcelona. Organizers of the Madrid march raised attendance to 400,000, while organizers in Barcelona said that 300,000 took part. While the protests were peaceful, hours after the official Barcelona demonstration ended, there were clashes between policeand several hundred people, some of whom vandalized stores and caused scenes of panic Spaniards were also called by activists to march in Valencia, Sevilla,Malaga and other cities.
Smaller rallies took place in Paris, Lisbon, Athens and Skopje, North Macedonia.
Opposition to ItalianPM
The protest in Rome that followed aroute by the Col-
osseum was organizedby three Palestinian organizations along with local unions andstudents.
At Piazza SanGiovanni, protesters chantedand applauded the name of Francesca Albanese, an Italian who is the United Nationsspecial rapporteur on theoccupied Palestinian territoriesand a vocalcritic ofIsrael
Although the organizers had requested that only Palestinian flags be carried, there were somebanners praising the militant groups Hezbollah andHamas.One read,“October 7,Day of Palestinian Resistance,” areference to the Oct. 7,2023,attack by HamasonIsrael that sparkedthe war, while another largeflag read “Death, deathtothe IDF,” areference to theIsrael Defense Forces.A group also chanted the same slogan, state broadcasterRAI reported.
Oppositionlawmaker RiccardoMagi, secretary of the center-left Piu Europa (more Europe) party,who was among themarchers, took Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’sgovernment to task for its refusal to recognize aPalestinian state,following the example of Spain, France, theU.K. and some other Western countries.
“Melonicannot continue with this obscene victimhood: These are spontaneous demonstrationsagainst the inaction and complicity of her government. She must acknowledge this and begin workingdiplomatically for peace,”Magitold Italian media.
Bigrally in Barcelona Spain has seen an upsurge of support for Palestinians in recent weeks while its leftwing government intensifies
diplomatic effortsagainst
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’sfarright government. Protests against the presenceofan Israeli-owned cycling team repeatedly disrupted the SpanishVueltalastmonth, while SpanishPrime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the destruction in Gaza a“genocide” and asked for the ban of all Israeli teams from international sporting events.
The day of protests kicked offinBarcelona as people packed thewide Passeig de Gracia, thecity’smain central boulevard, before noon. Many families turned outalongwith people of all ages, carrying Palestinian flags. Hand-held signs bore messages like “Gaza hurts me,” “Stopthe Genocide,” and “Hands off the flotilla.”
María Jesús Parra, 63, waved aPalestinian flag after making an hourlong trip from another town to Barcelona.She wants theEuropean Union to act against what she described as the horrors she watches on TV news. “How is it possiblethat we are witnessing agenocide happening live after what we (as Europe) experienced in the 1940s?” Parra said. “Now nobody can saytheydidn’t know what was happening.”
AtFranciscanMissionariesofOurLadyUniversity (FranU), classroomlearningisonlyapartofthe curriculum.Whattruly sets thestudent experience apartare realisticsimulations,community partnerships andservice beyond thecampus. Throughits SimulatedEnvironment Teaching Hospital (SETH) anda robust service-learning program, FranUequipsstudentswiththe confidence, compassion andskillsneededtosucceed in theircareers andinlife. Inside SETH,everythinglooks andfeels like atrueworking hospital.Withnearly20,000 square feet of space, thefacilityincludesnurses’ stations,electronichealthrecords, medication dispensing units, hospital beds,a tubing station andmedicalequipmentidenticaltothoseusedin acutecaresettings.FranUstudentsfromnursing, anesthesiology,radiology,physicaltherapy and otherdisciplines work andlearn in SETH on a regularbasis,ensuringthathands-ontraining is integrated into nearly everyprogram
“Our goal is to recreate spaces that students will actually seewithequipment they will actually useina clinical practice.Westrive to ensure that we have thelatestand greatest technology,because that benefits students themostand builds theirconfidence,” said Dr TabithaJones-Thomas, FranUassociate dean of simulatedclinicaleducation.“Simulation is threaded throughout so much of ourcurriculum nowacrossmultipledisciplines.Asstudents progress in theirprograms, thesimulation experiences become more complex.”
Dr.Jones-Thomassaidthesimulationtraining in SETH unfoldsinthree deliberate phases:a pre-briefing, wherestudents areorientedand prepared on what to expect;the scenario itself whichmirrors real-lifeurgency;and apost-simulationdiscussion, wherestudentsand faculty unpackwhathappened,bothpositiveandnegative
“It’sa very rich conversation to discussthe scopeofthe practice,” shesaid. “Sometimes ethicalorlegal topics surfacethatwarrant discussion.Theyalsotalkabout howthe differentdisciplines supportone another. It’s very constructive feedback.”
WhileSETHpreparesstudentsfor clinical excellence,FranU’s service-learning program develops theircapacitytoleadwithempathy andsocialresponsibility. Establishedin2009, service-learningisa FranUundergraduate requirement, ensuring that everystudent
Dr.RhodaReddix,FranUdirectorofservice-learning,saidprojectsincludeworkingwiththeelderly to reduce feelings of isolationand ensure their medicationneedsarebeingmet,mentoringat-risk youth, helpingprovide assistance to individuals facing food or housinginsecurity, listeningto domestic violence victimsand connecting them with safety resources, andmuchmore. Some newerprojectshave allowedFranU students to work with people with physical or intellectual disabilities,makingsuretheyhaveaccessto appropriatetherapies andservices.
“Service-learningpromotestheFranUmission andhelps students become awareoftheir civic responsibility to servethose in ourcommunity whoare most in need,” Dr.Reddixsaid. “These experienceshelpthemunderstandthattheir serviceismeaningful. We want ourstudentsto be servantleaders andadvocatefor thosewho do nothaveavoice.Wewantthemtoserveallpeople in away that promotes relationship-building andknowing theauthentic person.”
Dr.Reddixsaidthatlastyear, FranUstudents recorded more than 20,000 service-learning hoursthatamountedtonearly$600,000in savingstoBaton Rougecommunity partners Leadersofmanyofthose organizationshavetold Dr.Reddixthatthe scopeoftheir work wouldnot be possible withoutFranU,animpactthatoften brings them to tears.
Beyond that measurable impact,Dr. Reddix said theservice-learningexperiences add a layertoa FranUeducation that wouldnot be possible in aclassroom.Several students have said they were unawareofthe challenges –and howtheycanmakeadifference–beforeengaging in service-learning
“Wetalkalotwithourstudentsaboutempathy andthe importance of understandingwhatitis like to walk in someoneelse’sshoes,” shesaid. “Their behavior andattitudetowardservice changesoncetheysee theneed. They develop a newframeofreferenceandaretrulytransformed. Learnmoreabout FranUduringanOpen Houseevent on Saturday,Oct.25from9a.m to 12 p.m. TheOpenHouse will featurecampus tours, discussionswithcurrent FranUstudents, facultyand staff;and visits to SETH andother state-of-the-art labs.Signuptoday at franu.edu/ openhouse25.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByALESSANDRA TARANTINO
Pro-Palestinian demonstratorspass in frontofRome’sColosseum on Saturdayduring a march calling for an end to the war in Gaza.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By EMILIOMORENATTI
Policeofficers clash with protesters SaturdayinBarcelona, Spain, during arally in solidarity withthe Global Sumud Flotilla after ships were intercepted by the Israeli navy
BY SAM MEDNICK and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
TELAVIV,Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza“in thecoming days,” as Israel and Hamas preparefor indirect talksin EgyptonMondayonanew
U.S. plan to end the war In abrief statement late Saturday,Netanyahusaid he hassenta delegationto Egypt “to finalize technical details,” adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to atime frame of afew days.”
But Netanyahu signaled there would not be afull Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. He said Israel’s military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, and that Hamas will be disarmed in the plan’s second phase, diplomatically “or through amilitary path by us.”
The prime minister spoke after Hamas said it has accepted some elementsofthe U.S. plan.President Donald Trump welcomed the militant group’sstatement but on Saturday warned that “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets willbeoff.”
Trump also ordered Israel
authorized to brief the media.
The official alsosaid Arab mediators are preparing for acomprehensive dialogue among Palestinians aimed at unifying their position towardGaza’sfuture. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’ssecond most powerfulmilitantgroup,saidit accepted Hamas’ response after rejecting theplan days earlier Under the plan, Hamas would releasethe remaining 48 hostages —around 20 of them believedtobealive —within threedays.Italso would give up power and disarm In return, Israel would halt
itsoffensive and withdraw frommuchofGaza, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction.
Hamas said it was willing to releasethe hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of theplanrequire further consultations among Palestinians. Itsstatement didn’taddress theissue of Hamas demilitarizing, akey part of the plan. Amir Avivi, aretired Israeli general and chairman of Israel’sDefense and Security Forum,said whileIsrael can afford to stop firing forafew days in Gazasothe
hostages can be released,it will resume itsoffensive if Hamas doesn’tlay down its arms. Others saidthatwhile Hamas suggests awillingness to negotiate, its position fundamentally remains unchanged. Itsrhetoric“simply repackages old demands in softer language,” said Oded Ailam,aresearcher at the JerusalemCenterfor Security and Foreign Affairs. Still, two vocal members of the right-wing bloc of Netanyahu’s coalition,Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar BenGvir,criticized the plan’s progress but didn’tthreaten to immediately leave the government.
to stop bombing Gaza. Some in Gaza City reported anotableeasing of Israeli strikes Saturday,though hospital officials said at least 22 people were killed. Trump appears determinedto deliveronpledges to end thewar andreturn all hostages aheadofthe second anniversary on Tuesday of theHamas attack that sparked it onOct. 7, 2023. His proposal unveiledlast week has widespread international support. On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to ending
thewar
Monday’s indirect talks are meant to prepare the way for the release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinians from Israeli detention,mediator Egypt said. Asenior Egyptian official said U.S.envoySteve Witkoff will traveltoEgypt to head theU.S. negotiating team. The talksalso will discuss mapsshowing theexpected withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas in Gaza,saidthe officialwho spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t
U.K. police question 4insynagogue attack
BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
LONDON U.K. police were given extratimeSaturday to question four people arrested on suspicion of terror offenses after an attack on asynagogue in northwest England that left two people dead and Britain’sJewish community shocked and grieving.
Twoother people whohad been arrested were released without charge.
Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by police on Thursday outsidethe Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester after he rammed acar into pedestrians, attacked them witha knife and tried to force his way into the building.
Congregation members Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby,53, died in theattack on YomKippur, the holiestday of theJewish year.Police sayDaulby was accidentallyshot by an armed officer as he and other congregants barricaded the synagogue to block Al-Shamie from entering. Three other men are hospitalized with serious injuries.
Detectives say Al-Shamie, aBritish citizenofSyrianorigin who lived in Manchester may have been influenced by “extreme Islamist ideology.” He wore what appearedto be an explosives belt, which was found to be fake.
Police said that Al-Shamie was on bail over an alleged rape at the time of the attack, but hadn’tbeen charged.
Three men and three women were arrested in the greater Manchesterarea on suspicion of the “commission,preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism,” as police work to determine
whether the attacker acted alone. Acourt on Saturday grantedpolice five more days to hold four of the suspects: men ages 30 and 32, andwomen ages 46 and61.
An 18-year-old woman and a43-year-old man were released with no further action, police said Police haven’tidentified those arrested or disclosed their linkstoAl-Shamie.
Some politicians and religious leaders claimed proPalestinian demonstrations, which havebeenheldregularly since the war in Gaza began,had played arole in spreadinghatred of Jews.
ChiefRabbi EphraimMirvis, the head of Orthodox Judaism in Britain, said that theattack was theresult of “anunrelenting wave of Jew hatred” on the streets and online.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were held in Manchester andLondon on Saturday despite objections from police and politicians U.K.PrimeMinister Keir Starmersaidthatorganizers should“recognize and respect thegrief of British Jews this week”and postpone the protests. About 100 peoplegathered in acentral Manchester square inheavy rain, wavingPalestinian flagsand demanding an end to the war in Gaza.
In London,organizers said that about 1,000 people demonstrated againstthe banning ofPalestine Action, adirect-action group that has vandalized British military planes and targeted sites with links to theIsraeli military.Ithas been labeled aterrorist organizationby thegovernment,making support forthe group illegal Criticssay that tramples on
free speech andthe right to protest
Policeofficerscarried away anumberofpeople who sat silently in Trafalgar Square holding signs saying “I opposegenocide, Isupport Palestine Action.” Police saidthey made at least 493 arrests.
Iowa ex-superintendenthad history of criminal charges, authoritiessay
DesMoinesschooldistrict sues consulting company
BY HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press
DES MOINES,Iowa— Federalauthorities on Friday said the superintendent of Iowa’slargest school district had ahistoryofcriminal charges before his arrest byimmigration agents, which shocked the community and prompted the school board to sue the consulting company it hired to vetcandidates.
Des Moines Public SchoolshiredIan Roberts in 2023 to leadits district of about 30,000 students, but federal authoritiessaid the Guyana native was in the U.S. illegally and has not had workauthorization forseveral years. Officials on Fridayprovided alist of criminal charges in Roberts’ record, including drug possession and intenttosellin 1996and weapons charges in 2020 and 2022. Roberts pleaded guilty to the2022weapons charge —aminor infraction forunlawfully possessing aloaded hunting rifle in a vehicle —and thedistrict was aware of that early on. Federalofficials did notspecify the outcome of the 1996 or 2020 charges.
As Des Moines school officials said they sued the consulting company that conducted thesuperintendentsearch, thecharges on Roberts’ record raised questions about how he was hired and licensed in Iowa as well as severalother states.
For the Des Moines application, Roberts hadtoundergo abackground checkand say whether he was ever charged withamisdemeanor,felony or major traffic violation, such as driving under the influence,according to the job profile in the web archive of JG
Consulting, which conducted the search. It is notclearhow Robertsresponded at the time. In response to arecords requestfromThe Associated Press, districtofficials said the background check was conducted by athird partyand is not apublic record. Roberts, who is in federal custody in Des Moines, resignedassuperintendent afterthe state education board revoked his license. Federal prosecutors charged Roberts with possessing four firearms while in the U.S. illegally,including one authorities said was wrapped in atowel inside aschool-issued Jeep Cherokee he wasdriving when agents pulledhim over,according to court filings.
Thedistricthas said Robertssigneda form whenhewashiredattestingthathewasaU.S. citizen, submittinga SocialSecurity card and adriver’s license as verification. District officialsalsostatedtheyhad no knowledge of an order of removal issued in 2024.
Authorities saida final removal order was issued last year.Alfredo Parrish, one of Roberts’ attorneys, has said Robertswas under theimpression from aprior attorney thathis immigration case was “resolved successfully.”
On Friday,the Department of Homeland Security said in astatement that Roberts first entered the U.S.in1994 on anonimmigrant visa, classified as a“visitor for pleasure.”Hereturned in 1999 on an F-1 student visa,which was set to expire in March 2004. In theinterim,officials said he was denied a green card application in 2003.
His next listed interaction with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was in 2018, when he ultimately obtainedwork authorization. Authorities saidhis second application for work authorization was approved with an expirationinDecember 2020.
Journalist arrested whilecoveringprotest deported
BY KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press
ATLANTA— ASpanish-language journalist who had been in immigration detention since June was deported Friday to El Salvador Mario Guevara, 48, was coveringa protest just outside Atlanta on June 14 when police arrested him and then turned himovertoU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement several days later In alive video posted on Facebook Fridayafternoon, Guevara is seen, escorted by El Salvador government officials, exitinga vehicle and hugging awoman who pointed acameraphoneat him. “Hello, Mom,” he said into the screen. He looked toward the sky and said, “My country,my country,mycountry.Thank God. This isn’thow Iwanted to come to my country,but thank God.”
Guevara’sdeportation comes after the11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday declined to halt adeportation order issued last month by the Board of Immigration Appeals. All criminal charges filed against Guevara since his arrest were dismissed by local prosecutors. His attorneys argued he was being held in retaliation for his work as ajournalistand to silence him, in violation of his constitutional rights.
Department of Homeland Security officials have consistently rejected the idea that Guevara was being punished for his work, maintainingthat he was in the country illegally Guevara fled El Salvador
twodecades agoout offear and amassed abig audience as ajournalist in the Atlanta area. He worked for years for Mundo Hispanico, a Spanish-language newspaper, before starting adigital news outlet called MG News last year. He waslivestreaming video on social mediafrom arally protestingPresident Donald Trump’sadministration when police in DeKalb Countyarrested him. Video fromhis arrest shows Guevarawearing a
red shirtunder aprotective vest with “PRESS” across his chest.Heisheard telling apolice officer,“I’m amember of the media, officer.”
An immigration judge in 2012 denied Guevara’sbid to remaininthe U.S. He appealed that ruling to the Board of ImmigrationAppeals, but that appealhad not been decided when prosecutors agreed to administratively closethe case. His lawyers say he had authorizationtolive and work in the U.S. for the last 13 years
Judgegives 8-year sentence in Kavanaughassassination plot
BY MICHAELMACAGNONE CQ-Roll Call (TNS)
WASHINGTON Afederal judge sentenced the attempted assassin of JusticeBrett Kavanaugh to more than eight yearsinprison
Friday Judge Deborah L. Boardman of the U.S. DistrictCourtfor the District of Maryland sentenced Sophie Roske, whoistransgenderand referredtoasNicholasRoske in somecourt documents, to 97 months in prison, along with lifelong supervised release. Roske pleaded guiltytoattempted assassination of aSupremeCourt justice without aplea agreement earlier this year.Justice Department attorneysinitially sought at least 30 years in prisonfor Roske, with thepossibility of alife sentence.
According to court documents, Roske flew from California in June2022 and took ataxi to the Maryland neighborhood where Kavanaugh lived. Roske then walked away from the house andcalled 911 to self-report,according to court documents.
Boardman, in delivering the sentence, said thatsome of Roske’s actions, includ-
ing turning herself in, justified the departure below the 30 years to life in prison that federal sentencing guidelines suggested. “Though she got fartoo close to executing her plans, the fact remains that she abandoned them,” Boardman said. Justice Department attorney Coreen MaoarguedthatRoske’sconduct“posed avery real threat to our system of governmentand to our Constitution,” and pushed Boardman to impose alonger sentence. MaosaidRoske made multiple internet searches about items to purchase and made postsonDiscord andRedditabout potentially killing ajustice.
During the hearing Boardman also questioned Maoabout Roske’streatmentin prison, as there is acurrent executive order mandating that Roske be placed in amaleonly facility.Mao responded to say thatshe did not know how Roske would be assigned. In astatement before the sentencing, Roske herself spoke. Crying and stopping several times, she apologized for her actions, the fear she caused forKavanaugh andhis family,aswellasinvolving her family and friends in the case.
NOTICE OF CHANGE OF PRECINCTS ANDPOLLING PLACES
TheEastBaton Rouge Parish Registrar of Voters herebynotifies voters in the following precincts thattheir votingprecinct boundary, election daypolling place, or polling placenamemay have changed:
Ward 1, Precincts 12A, 12B,47A, and47B: Thepolling place forthis precinct has not changed,but the name haschanged from BatonRouge Center forV-P Arts to McKinleySenior High School
Ward 1Precincts 26, 28,and 61: Thepollingplacefor this precincthas not changed,but the name haschanged from Winbourne Elementary School to Belfair Montessori Magnet School
Ward 1Precincts 30, 63A, and63B: Thepollingplacefor this precincthas not changed,but the name haschanged from Greenville Superintendents AcademytoEBR Readiness ElementarySchool
Ward 1Precincts 37A and37B: Thepolling place forthis precincthas not changed,but the name haschanged from BernardTerrace Elementary School to EBRVirtual Academy.
Ward 1Precincts 50 and62: Thepollingplacefor this precincthas not changed,but the name haschanged from Howell Park ElementarySchool to Arlington Academy.
Ward 1Precincts 91A, 91B,92A and92B: Thepolling place forthis precinct has not changed,but the name haschanged from Ryan Elementary School to EBR ReadinessMiddle School
Ward 2Precincts 2A and2B: Thepolling place forthis precincthas not changed,but the name haschanged from BakerHeights ElementarySchool to Impact CharterSchool
Ward 2Precincts 9A and9B: Thepolling place forthis precincthas not changed,but the name haschanged from BakerMiddle School to Park Ridge Performing Arts Academy.
Ward 2, Precincts 13A,13B and20: Thepollingplacefor these precincts is being relocated to BakerHighSchool locatedat3200 Groom Rd.The previous polling place, BakerfieldElementarySchool,has been closed by the EBR Parish School System andthe facilityisnolonger suitable forvoting.
Ward 2Precinct15: Thepolling place forthis precincthas notchanged,but the name has changed from WhiteHills ElementarySchool to GEOPrepBaker School.
Ward3Precincts5and57: Thepollingplaceforthisprecincthasnotchanged, but the name has changed from IDEA Innovation School to Audubon Baton Rouge School
Voters who have anew polling place locationweremailed aletterwith an enclosed voterinformation card informing themofthe change. Please call theRegistrar of Voters Office at 389-3940 forquestions or additional information.Votersmay also confirm their precinctnumberand polling placebyusing the GeauxVotesmartphone apporbyvisiting www.GeauxVote.com.
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LOUISIANAPOLITICS
Future of Voting Rights ActonagendainLa. case
WASHINGTON —Inmost Voting Rights Acts cases, minority voters aresuing their state leaders, not on their side. But for awhile, acadre of Black voters and Louisiana officials were both defending the state’s current congressionalmap in the Callais case before the U.S. Supreme Court. But they are unusual bedfellows no more.
Mark Ballard
State Attorney General Liz Murrill switched sides Aug. 27 and argues the Voting Rights Actnolonger justifies two Black congressional districts. The caseisset for ahearing on Oct. 15.
Originally,justices wanted to hear arguments in Louisiana v. Callais on how to balance the competingrequirements of Section 2ofthe Voting Rights Act, which allows minority-majorityelection districts, and the Equal Protectionclause of the Constitution, which forbids decisions based on race. But then the high courtasked on Aug. 1 for the parties to focus on “whether the state’sintentionalcreation of asecond majority-minority congressional district violates the 14th or 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.” Murrill says that allowed the state to reverttoits position before all the litigation that has led to this moment.
Louisiana has “attempted to expand the question beyond what thecourthas asked, and they argue that Section 2isnot constitutional at all, anywhere,” said theNAACP Legal Defense Fund’sStuartNaifeh, who will argue before the high court. “Weare having to defend not onlythe map that the state drew but also defending the Voting Rights Act against arguments that it is no longer constitutional.”
Naifeh and his clients argue the Voting Rights Act is stillnecessarytoprotect the rights of Blackvoters.
Epstein files could resurface
Arizona elected Adelita Grijalva, aDemocrat, as arepresentative on Sept. 23 while theHouse was out of Washington. She filled the seat of her father,U.S.Rep. RaúlGrijalva, D-Arizona, who died earlierthis year
“Has Louisianareally changed? Idon’t seeit,” said Press Robinson, whoisthe lead litigant among agroupofBlack voters. About athirdofthe state’sresidents are AfricanAmerican. TheGOP majority Louisiana Legislature first drafted election maps that ensured the reelections of five White Republicans and asingleBlack Democrat.
“It was aclear dilution of Black voting power to crack Black voters from around the stateand pack them into one district,” saidSarah Brannon, deputy director of the ACLU’s VotingRights Project.
The Robinson litigants argued under conditions in Louisiana, the VotingRights Actallows state legislators to create asecond district with enough minority voters to give Black voters an opportunity to elect one of their own to Congress.
avoided calls to make public the evidence gathered during theinvestigation into Jeffrey Epstein, whowas convicted of trafficking andhavingsex withunderage girls. He died in custody while broader indictments were being pursued
Sevenfederal judges agreed.
Rather than accept maps drawn by the courts, the GOP-majority Louisiana LegislatureinJanuary 2024 configured anew map with two Black majority districts. Twoweekslater,a dozenvoters who describedthemselves as “non-African American” filed alawsuit in Monroe.
TheCallais litigants argue that the Legislature“first madethe decision to impose the racial quota.” Even if VRA compliance was the Legislature’strue goal, then race was still the primaryfactor for drawing asecond Black majority district, which is forbidden under the Equal Protection clause.
Twoofthe three judges on afederal panelagreed,leavingLouisiana caught between two rulings.
Should the justices decidethat the enforcementmechanisms of Section 2need
The speaker decides thelegislativeagenda. Butthe rules allow a majority of representatives, 218, to circumvent the speaker and force avote on abill.
Cassidy shares birthday letter from Trump
to change, they have plenty of alternatives that would allow the VRA to continue protecting the rights of minority voters. But manylegal commentators say Callais will allow the Supreme Court to gut the last significant civil rights protection.
That’slargely because of history Congress passed additional laws to enforce the protections enshrined in the Constitution. President Andrew Johnson, in the late 1860s, opposed manyofthose laws, saying they “operated in favor of the colored and against the White race,” wrote Leah Litman, aprofessor of law at the University of Michigan and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast. That is basically the same argument still used against civil rights legislation, she argued.
After nearly acentury of state and local measures that limited employment, living conditions and voting rights of Black residents, Congress enacted the 1965 Voting Rights Act that included prohibitions such as poll taxes and tests that kept minorities off the voting rolls.
Once those standards were eliminated, Congress expanded definitions of minority voter dilution as ameans of enforcement.
“Race-based redistricting,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said in 2023, “cannot extend indefinitely into the future.”
But the point of the VRA is to ensure morevoices, said Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana. For instance, because so manyofthe immigrants being deported by the Trump administration are in Louisiana facilities, the two Democratic congressmen elected under the current mapscompelled discussion about conditions, she said.
“Majority-minority districts are not abstractions; they are lifelines for communities whose voices have been silenced for generations,” Odomssaid.
Email Mark Ballardatmballard@ theadvocate.com.
Capitol
Buzz STAFF REPORTS
As is often the casefor newly electedmembers of Congress, Grijalva rushed to Capitol Hill to get sworn in quickly.But the usually accommodating House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said he’d wait until the House returns Tuesday “It’svery frustrating,” Grijalva told The Associated Press. On Friday,Johnson designated this week as a“district work period,” meaning theHouse will not return and no votes will be scheduled, multiplenews outlets reported, further delaying Grijalva’sswearing-in.
When finally sworn in, Grijalva will become the 214th Democratic member in achamberwhere 218 is the majority required to pass most legislation. There are 219 Republicans.
More to the point, Grijalva could be the last signature necessary on the bipartisan petition requiring Johnson to hold avoteon the Justice Department releasing the Epstein files.
President Donald Trump and Republican leadership have
Therecordshavebeen given under subpoena to theHouse Oversight committee, which has publicly released some of the documentswith lots of redactions. GOP leadership says that avenue is good enough.
Ahigh-flying financier,Epstein was friends with alot of highpowered businessmen andpoliticians, includingTrump and formerPresident Bill Clinton.
Stokedbyconspiracy theories from Trumpand hisallies, MAGA Republicans have long claimed the files, which at thetime were beingusedtoprosecute Epstein andhis accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, were being hidden purposely by Democrats to protect theelite.
Once back in office, theTrump administration, in ashortmemo, dismissed some of the more repeated allegations —such as that Epstein was murdered to keep him quiet and had kept a“client list”for whom he provided underaged girls. The far right erupted in anger —this time supported by Democrats —and demanded the immediate release of the records.
Trumphas answered with ridicule, callingthe issue a“hoax,” while Johnson andSenate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have argued caution
U.S.Sen.Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, whoturned68last Sunday, shared on social media Tuesdaya birthdayletter he received from PresidentDonald Trump.
“I am pleased to join your beautiful family andmanyfriends in wishingyou awonderful birthday,”Trump’sletter said. “May your year ahead be filled with good health,happiness, andthe many blessings of ourgreat Nation.”
“I am grateful for your continuedfriendshipand enduring commitment to our cherished American values.Together,wewill protect these sacred idealsand restore America to aGolden Age of prosperity,” the letter said. Trump addedthatfirst ladyMelania Trump joins him in extending the Louisiana senator best wishes.
Cassidy responded Tuesday in asocial media post in whichhe shared aphoto of theletter and thanked the president. “I’m gratefulfor your friendship andleadershipaswecontinue delivering winsfor Louisiana families,” he said.
Cassidy is in atough battle to hold onto his Senate seat during next year’smidterm electionsand Trump could playa pivotol role Ahead of aclosedparty pri-
Sept.28congratulates
mary race setfor April, Cassidy is working to defeat afieldoffellowRepublicans who have been trying to positionthemselves to his right, criticizing Cassidy for supporting Trump’simpeachment after theJan.6,2021, riots at the U.S Capitol Cassidy’schallengers include
Louisiana TreasurerJohnFleming, state Sen. Blake Miguezof NewIberia,and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta. U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge,and state Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro,could also join the race, though neitherhas announced yet.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Aletter from President DonaldTrump to U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy dated
himonhis birthday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
The U.S. Supreme Courtwants to knowif, by creating asecond Black-majority congressional district, Louisiana violated the U.S. Constitution.
-Freda
Landry’sactivist style as attorney general was so popular that he parlayed it into the electionasgovernorin2023, in thesame campaign cycle whenMurrill won her race to succeed him.
Landry admires her work as attorney general.
“She understands the playbook better than me,” he said in an interview
Because of her approach, Murrill is stirring speculation that she will attempt to succeed Landry once again and run for governor when he leaves office.
She downplays such talk but won’trule it out.
“I’ve had people ask me if I’mgoing to run,” Murrill said during an interview.“Ihave never uttered the words ‘I want to run for governor.’ Ever.But Inever uttered thewords that I wanted to run for attorney general either until Idecided to run.”
Even as they alignonpolicy and politics, Murrill and Landrypresent astark difference in personality and style.
While she and Landry favor cowboy boots, hers were gold on arecent day
“I also have boots in hot pink and silver,” she saidwith alaugh. “They are really comfortable.”
When Landry was attorney general, observers described him as apolitician first and alawyer second. Those same people now describe Murrillasa lawyer first and apolitician second.
While Landry is wellknown for his blend of belligerence and backslapping, Murrill exhibits amore straightforward, no-nonsense approach.
Murrill said that she and thegovernorsometimes havelegal and political dis-
agreements that they settle privately,but said they walk in lockstep on public issues.
“There’snever been a timewhenIdid notbelieve she was on the same page in representing thestate of Louisiana,” Landry said.
While Murrill has drawn attention for embracing national conserv ativ e causes, she has shown a more pragmaticside, likeLandry in fighting crimeonthe local level. That has prompted praise from an unlikely source, Jason Williams, the Democratic district attorney in Orleans Parish.
The twowere wary of each other when they first met butquickly builtapartnership where Williams allows theAttorney General’s Office to prosecute people arrested by Troop Nola, the Louisiana State Police troop that Landrybrought to New Orleans.
As Williamsnotes, crime has continued to drop in New Orleansduringtheir
arrangement.
“She has been leaning in when there is aneed,” Williams said. “Thereare alot of things we don’tagree on. We don’tlet those things get in theway of the things we do agree on.”
Like Landry,Murrill hassupported the coastal lawsuit filed by theCarmouche lawfirm that produced a$745 millionjudgment against Chevron in PlaqueminesParish. Murrill has stood her ground even after the Trumpadministrationrecently filed abriefto overturn the judgment.
“I have gone to some lengths to try andexplain what those cases are really about and howthey are different from climatechange andnuisancesuits, which I do oppose,” Murrill said.
John Carmouche, the well-known BatonRouge attorney whospearheaded the case, appreciates that Murrill remains supportive despiteheat from conservatives.
“She hasnot backed down in applying thelaw to the facts,” Carmouche said. “Rather than being apolitician, sheisactually per-
forming herdutiesfor the stateofLouisiana.”
Murrill didn’tbackdown recently when she thought
Secretary of State Nancy Landry,who she hasknown since childhood, tried to encroach on theattorney general’sroleasthe state’s chieflegal officer.Murrill fired all of Landry’soutside attorneys. An unhappy Landry said Murrill overreacted to what the secretary of state saw as aminor legal disagreement.
Lafayetteroots Murrill grew up in Lafayette as the daughter of royalty —MardiGras royalty, that is. Her motherand oneaunt werequeensofone Mardi Graskrewe, and another aunt reigned as Evangeline, queen of Mardi Gras in Lafayette, and her father and grandfatherreignedasGabriel, king of Mardi Gras. Murrill served as Evangeline in 1982.
Afew years earlier, however,her path to success appeared cloudy
See MURRILL, page 15A
STAFFFILE PHOTOByDAVID GRUNFELD
Federal Building on Poydras Street in
jailbreak.
Landry Williams
In ninth grade at Cathedral Carmel High School, she received all “D”s and was suspended for threedays after getting caught smoking in the girls’ bathroom.
Her father,Larry Baker, then an ophthalmologist who also served as chiefofstaff at Lafayette General Hospital, offered this view when his daughter said she wanted to transfer to Lafayette High School for 10th grade.
“You can flunk out of public school just as wellas Catholic school,” he told her “So if you want to switch that’sfine.”
Murrillnow says she wasactingout because her parentshad separatedrecently “I was apathetic. Iwas decidedly apathetic,” Murrill said during an hourlong interview.“They knew that.”
Her mother,Vaughn BurdinBaker,a European history professor at what is now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, took her to Franceand England during the summer before 10thgrade. Murrillsaid that helped give her focus. An 11th grade English teacher,Charlene Banna, encouraged her writing.
Murrill majored in journalism at LSU and then spent two years writing obituaries and chasing local news stories for Florida Today,adaily newspaper in Melbourne, Florida.
Murrillsaid sheenjoyed the work but left because“I realized there was acap on income.”
Murrill enrolled at LSU’s law school and did so well
of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 got herthinking about acareer change. Volunteering at University BaptistChurch, she helpeddistributedonated supplies to people seeking shelterinBaton Rouge from metro New Orleans. That got her interested in looking at larger societal issues, she said.
Ayear later,Murrill won aprized fellowship awarded by the Supreme Court that ledher to spend ayear at the Federal JudicialCenter in Washington,D.C., a think tank that supports education andtrainingfor federal judges. In 2008, Murrill applied to be deputyexecutive counsel to then-Gov.Bobby Jindal, aRepublican. Jimmy Faircloth, the executive counsel, hired her “She’s supersmart, very energetic,” Faircloth said. “Confrontational in agood way.She’sreally alawyer’s
age 18 because everyone sheknewthenwas aDemocrat.
Until she workedfor Jindal, “I had no real need to reexaminethatchoice because we had open primaries and that permitted me to votefor whoever I wanted,” Murrill said in an email. “I believed in principle in separation of powers andminimizinggovernment intrusion in ourlives, but working in government really brings home how important both of thoseprinciples are in practice, not just in principle.”
Murrill spent twomore years working for Jindal as executive counselofthe Division of Administration, which manages the day-today operations of state government.
After Landry was elected attorney generalin2015, Murrill asked him for ajob. “I thought Icould never afford her,” Landry said.
when she was elected attorneygeneral in 2023. In one campaign ad, she promised she would“block theradicalleftattack on our Constitution, our economy and our values and keep the Bidenadministration’sreckless agenda from damaging Louisiana’s future.”
In thenationalspotlight Murrill’soffice issues some 200 advisory opinions per year and has itshand in awide range of legal issues. But the upcoming redistrictingcasewillput her in the headlinesbecause of the stakes.
In January2024, Landry asked state legislators to redraw the state’s congr essionalmap, which at the time elected five Repub-
NewOrleans Police Department
Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick talks to Louisiana AttorneyGeneral LizMurrill during the Metropolitan Crime Commission luncheon at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel on Sept. 24.
STAFFPHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Legislators followed Landry’slead and sacrificed then-U.S.Rep.Garret Graves,aRepublicanfrom Baton Rouge, to carve out adistrict that would elect Fields, aDemocrat but frequent Landry ally,and ensure thatthe otherfourRepublicanshad safedistricts Now Murrill and Landry are calling on the Supreme Court to invalidate Section 2ofthe Voting Rights Act —whichdeterminesto what extent lawmakers and courts canincluderacein their calculations. If successful, that wouldoverturn the current congressional map.
State Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, who chairs theLouisiana Legislative Black Caucus, said Murrill hadconsistently said the latest map passed legal musteruntil an August brief to the Supreme
Court in which she said it was “unconstitutional.”
“It’sthe polar opposite,” Jordan said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Murrill said she’s notbeing inconsistent. She said theSupreme Court asked for new legal arguments thatopenedthe door to argue what she andother Louisiana officialshave long believed, that judges should notdrawmaps.
Terry Ryder,who worked as aseniorlawyer forfour governors, Democrats and Republicans alike,echoed the viewofothers who have known her along timeby saying she hastaken ahard turn to the right in recent years.
“Candidates eventually become more consistent with the views of the people in the state, which is to be moreconservative.That’s howyou get elected,” Rydersaid. “I expect herto be the next governor.She’s working in thatdirection. There’sonly one higher position(thanattorney general).”
Shewon’t acknowledge having thatambition.
“I think everybody is always trying to guess who’s goingtorun forgovernor next,” she said. “It’spart of the game of politicsin Louisiana. That’salong way away.” In the meantime, she plans to run forreelection in 2027, having discarded dreams of becoming afederal judge
“I absolutelylovethe jobI have,” she said. “It’sa more impactful one.”
Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.
Carter
EDUCATION
Shutdown will affect student loans, FAFSA and more
BY ANNIE MA AP education writer
WASHINGTON Already dimin-
ished by cuts by the Trump administration, the U.S. Education Department will see more of its work come to a halt due to the government shutdown
The department says many of its core operations will continue during the shutdown, which began at midnight Wednesday Federal financial aid will keep flowing and student loan payments will still be due. But investigations into civil rights complaints will stop, and the department will not issue new federal grants
About 87% of its workforce will be furloughed, according to a department contingency plan
Since he took office, President Donald Trump has called for the dismantling of the Education Department, saying it has been overrun by liberal thinking Agency leaders have been making plans to parcel out its operations to other departments, and in July the Supreme Court upheld mass layoffs that halved the department’s staff
In a shutdown, the Republican administration has suggested federal agencies could see more positions eliminated entirely In past shutdowns, furloughed employees were brought back once Congress restored federal funding. This time, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget has threatened the mass firing of federal workers.
Appearing before the House Appropriations Committee in May Education Secretary Linda McMahon suggested this year’s layoffs had made her department lean — even too lean in some cases. Some staffers were brought back, she said, after officials found that the cuts went too deep.
“You hope that you’re just cutting fat. Sometimes you cut a
little muscle, and you realize it as you’re continuing your programs, and you can bring people back to do that,” McMahon said. The department had about 4,100 employees when Trump took office in January It now has about 2,500.
Federal student loans
One of the department’s major roles is management of the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio. Student aid will be largely unaffected in the short term, according to the department’s shutdown contingency plan. Pell Grants and federal loans will continue to be disbursed, and student loan borrowers must continue making payments on their debts.
About 9.9 million students receive some form of federal aid, spread across some 5,400 colleges, according to the department. Within the Office of Federal Student Aid the department plans to furlough 632 of the 747 employees during the shutdown, although it didn’t say which ones.
For most student loan issues, borrowers work with loan servicers hired by the department rather than directly with FSA staff.
The department will also continue to process the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which is a key piece of how colleges and universities provide aid packages to incoming students. Certain employees involved with rulemaking around changes to student loans, part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Republicans, also will be kept on to meet deadlines set by legislation.
Money for schools
While American schools are funded primarily by state and local money, the Education Department serves as a conduit for billions of dollars of federal aid going to state and local education agencies. During the shutdown, the department will cease new grantmaking activity and pause its advisory and regulatory role to
schools and grant recipients.
But because most federal grants to schools were made over the summer, the department says it would expect minimal disruption to school districts and other grant recipients. Title I money, which goes to schools with high concentrations of students in poverty, plus funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would continue.
Not all federal education money arrives ahead of the school year, however One example is Impact Aid, a program that bolsters school budgets in areas where federal land management or other activities, such as military installations, reduce the amount of taxable land to generate revenue for the district. These schools likely will see disruptions in payments. More than 1,200 districts receive that aid across all 50 states, according to a national association that represents those schools. If the shutdown lasts longer than a week, the department says
it would revise its contingency plan to prevent significant disruptions to school districts.
Civil rights investigations
Under the shutdown, the department will stop its investigations into schools and universities over alleged civil rights violations.
Since the mass layoffs in March, the office has operated under a significantly reduced footprint. The department’s civil rights branch lost about half of its staff. The cuts raised questions about whether the office would be able to shrink a backlog of complaints from students who allege they have experienced discrimination on the basis of race, sex or disability status.
The department’s own data has shown a decline in resolving civil rights cases, while new complaints from families have increased. During the shutdown, work on the pending cases will stop.
Head Start preschools
One major federal education program is not part of McMahon’s department: the preschool program Head Start, which is overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Head Start will be mostly unscathed by a federal shutdown, at least in the short term, said Tommy Sheridan of the National Head Start Association. Nearly all Head Start preschools already were approved for funding for the fall and beyond.
But eight centers nationwide, serving around 7,500 children, will lose their federal money this month while the government is shut down. At least four, located in Florida, have enough funding from other sources to carry them to November said Wanda Minick of the Florida Head Start Association.
BY MICHAEL CASEY and SUDHIN THANAWALA Associated Press
BOSTON Overaspan of amonth this summer,four separate federal courts rejected President Donald Trump’sexecutive order ending automatic citizenship for the children of people in thecountry illegally or temporarily.
On Friday,one more court weighed in, and the result was no different Athree-judge panel ofthe 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said in aunanimousdecisionthat the Republican president cannot enforce theorder. The court joined the four others that earlierhad issued or upheld decisions blocking it nationwide.
TheU.S.Supreme Courtisalmost certain to have the final word on birthright citizenship. The Trump administration has already asked the high court to take up the issue. Federal judges have made clear howmuch his order conflicts with Supreme Court precedent, to say
nothing of the Constitution. The Supreme Courtisnot bound by what those lower court judges have said or even its ownpastrulings. Nonetheless, those lossescould mean an uphill fight for his administration. The right to citizenship at birth hasbeen widelyaccepted to have beengranted by the 14thAmendment to theConstitution in 1868. It was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, hadcitizenship. Theamendment includes acitizenship clause that says all people born or naturalized in theU.S. and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” are citizens. Administration lawyers have argued that inclusion of thephrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” means that citizenship is not automatically conferredtochildren based on their birth in the U.S.They contend it requires childrentohaveprimary allegiance to the U.S., and peoplewho are in the U.S.illegally or temporarily and by extension,their children —cannot claim that because their permanent home is another coun-
trytowhich that allegiance is tied. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in astatement Friday that the1st Circuit wasmisinterpreting the 14th Amendment. Legal scholars saythe administration’sinterpretationiscountered by theamendment’shistory and subsequent Supreme Court rulings. Experts saymembers of Congress whodebated theamendment clearly understood it would establish an expansive definitionof birthright citizenship that included the children of immigrants,and they meant the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” as subject to U.S.law.The children of Native Americans on tribal landand the childrenofforeign diplomats both of whomhad immunityfrom U.S. sovereign authority—were theprimary groups of people the clause was meant to exclude from birthright citizenship, according to scholars In 1898, the Supreme Court found that theson of Chineseimmigrantswas aU.S. citizenunder the14th Amendment,based on his
birthinSan Francisco. The highcourt has never ruled directly on thecitizenship clause’s application to children of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally,but afootnoteina 1982 decision suggests there should be no difference between them and the children of foreign-born parents who are in the U.S. legally The court’sconservative majoritytookupa challenge to thebirthright order earlier this year,but didnot decide its constitutionality Instead, thecourt used the case to issue aruling in June limiting the power of lower courts to issue nationwide injunctions, avictory for theadministration.
The justices in June did not rule outcourt orders with nationwide effects in class-action lawsuitsand lawsuits brought by states.
Twoofthe judgeswho recently ruled against the birthright order certified aclass of all children born in theU.S. after the order’sFebruaryeffective date whowould be denied citizenship on its basis.
In twoother rulings,courts
agreed with states that apatchworkapproach to implementing the order would not relieve them of its financial burden, noting the regularmovementofpeople between states and the possibility of astate resident giving birth in another state. Citizenship status is aprerequisitefor certaingovernment benefits, so the plaintiff states would have to overhaul their eligibility systems to account for such distinctions, therulings by the 9th U.S. Circuit and afederal judge in Boston said.
The 1st Circuit said its decision waseasy
“The length of ouranalysis should not be mistaken for asign that the fundamental question that these cases raise about the scope of birthright citizenship is adifficult one,”ChiefJudge David Barron wrote. “Itisnot, which may explain whyithas been more than acentury since abranch of our government has made as concertedaneffort as the Executive Branch now makes to deny Americans their birthright.”
BY MARY PEREZ The Sun Herald
It’s
GULF COAST
ment by Joni Compretta & Baytown Groove
n Vicari Auto Auction vehicle check-in at Coast Coliseum, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n Diamondhead Blessing of the Classics, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Line up at 1:30 p.m. Entertainment by Razzoo, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Beau King, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
n Joe & Amanda Martin appearances: Biloxi Block Party 10 a.m. to noon; Beau Rivage Casino, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
n Cristy Lee appearance: Biloxi Block Party, 10 a.m. to noon
n Courtney Hansen appearance: Biloxi Block Party 10 a.m. to noon
4 p.m.
n Courtney Hansen appearances: Pass Christian, 10 a.m. to noon; Bay St. Louis, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
n Joe & Amanda Martin appearance: Ocean Springs, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
n Dennis Gage appearances: Cruise Central, 10 a.m. to noon; D’Iberville 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
n “Welcome Back to Jones Park” extended show by Bag of Donuts, Jones Park Stage, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
n Buffett & Bumpers Block Party, Downtown Pascagoula, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. featuring Buffett Beach Band Friday, Oct 10
sippi, is grand marshal
n Chris Jacobs appearances: Cruise Central, Jones Park Gulfport, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; CTC Kick-off Parade serving as celebrity guest, Long Beach, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. n The Tip Tops play at Long Beach Harbor, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7
n KOTO spins the oldies at Cruise Central, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n 2025 Registration package pick-up, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for last names L-Z only. Cruise Central, Jones Park, Gulfport
n 2025 On-site Registration, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Cruise Central, Jones Park, Gulfport Mississippi Gulf Fresh Seafood Sampling, Cruise Central at Jones Park, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
n Autocross by Autocross Guys at Scarlet Pearl Casino, D’Iberville. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to registered vehicles only
n “Salute To Our Veterans,” 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cruise Central with Garry “Elvis” Wesley n Cruisin’ The River City, Moss Point, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
n Margaritaville Cruise-in, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Margaritaville Resort Biloxi
n Chris Jacobs appearance: Margaritaville, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
n Courtney Hansen appearance: Cruise Central, 10 a.m to noon; Margaritaville, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
n Vicari Auto Auction vehicle check-in at Coast Coliseum, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
n Flame-throwing competition at Island View Casino in Gulfport, Live Entertainment by Ty Taylor & The Kinfolk, 4 p.m., Registration at 5 p.m. Event begins at dusk. $1,000 cash prizes and trophies
Wednesday, Oct 8
n KOTO spins the oldies at Cruise Central, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n 2025 Registration package pick-up, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for all registrations
n Biloxi Block Party, Downtown Biloxi, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
n Mississippi Gulf Fresh Seafood Sampling, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
n Autocross at Scarlet Pearl Casino, D’Iberville (north surface parking lot), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registered vehicles only
n Car Corral open and vehicle check-in, east of Treasure Bay Casino, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n Hot Rods & Hospitality Waveland, Coleman Ave., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Entertain-
n Beau Rivage Cruisin’ Events: “Britishmania Beatles Tribute” Party, Beau Rivage Theatre, $20. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Also meet and greets with Dennis Gage of My Classic Car, Cristy Lee, Courtney Hansen and Joe & Amanda Martin from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. See Johnny Dawg of NaNaSha and The Triggerproof All Stars, at EIGHT75, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 9
n KOTO spins the oldies at Cruise Central, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n Registration at all Cruisin’ Venues is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n 2025 Registration continues, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 2026 Registration opens, noon to 5 p.m., Cruise Central, Jones Park, Gulfport
n Country Cruisin’ Breakfast, Long Beach Yacht Club, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
n Vicari Auto Auction at Coast Coliseum, doors open at 8:30 a.m. Auction begins 10 a.m.Vicari Auction’s CTC Swap Meet open at Coast Coliseum, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n Car Corral open and vehicle check-in, east of Treasure Bay Casino, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n Burn ‘Em Up In The Pass, Fleitas Ave., Pass Christian, 5 p.m. until dusk. Then Pass Christian High School Jazz Band will perform a second line down Second Street to the stage with live entertainment by Made in Stone.
n Cristy Lee appearances: Pass Christian, 10 a.m. to noon; Bay St. Louis, 2 p.m. to
n KOTO spins the oldies at Cruise Central, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n Registration at all Cruisin’ Venues is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n 2025 and 2026 Registration continues, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
n Country Cruisin’ Breakfast, Long Beach Yacht Club, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
n Car Corral open and vehicle check-in,
BYWAYS
index rating the roads on a scale of 1-100. This information is then giventothe clients to buildamultiyear paving plan.
“Wetry to help with the pavement management process as much as possible. …The only thing we don’tdoispavethe roads,” he said.
Sunde’scompany got involvedwith the state two years ago after attending a Louisiana Parish Engineers and Supervisors Association conference.
Many parishes are using nothing to inspect their
SCHOOLS
Continued from page1A
review those lists and then we are goingtobring that to the board for approval,” Cole said.
Cole said he hopes to bring acompleteproject list to the board in early November,with afinal vote expected Nov.20.
One initial proposal, to spend up to $500,000districtwide for new band uniforms, is being handled separately,via aprivate fundraising campaign launched in September
The State Bond Commission last month approved the $40million bond sale.
On Thursday,the School Board gave preliminary approval to the sale, with final approval expected when it meets again on Oct. 16.
Chief Financial Officer Kelly Lopez said the sale will occur in the next couple of months, with funds “availablesometime in December.”
James Finney,a board watcher,objected in an online comment to proceeding with abond sale before aproject list is finalized.
“This resolution seems
roads and develop aroad maintenance process, he said.
Ayear ago, GoodRoads initiated its first project in Louisiana, located in Allen Parish.
Sunde said GoodRoads aimstotreat roadsmoreefficiently and have cities and parishes notnecessarily addressthe worstroadsfirst, buttoadopt better maintenance tools to increase the longevity of the roads.
“Tryingtoget outofthe worst first trend and into picking the right treatment for the right road at the right time,” he said.
Robert Dugas, director of public works for Livingston Parish, used the program for aparishwide pavement
premature in theabsence of alistofspecific projects that can’tbefundedwith funds already available,” Finney wrote. “WhenIget acredit card applicationin the mail, Idon’tautomatically apply for the card, borrow the maximum allowed,thendecide how to spend my newfound illusory wealth.”
Board member Nathan Rust has expressedconcern aboutcommittingtoa high school upgrade when the districthas promised a teacher payraise,aswell as concern aboutthe financial impact of apossible St George breakaway school district. But he said he finally decided to support the idea.
“It’sjusttoo importantof an opportunitynot to invest in our students,” Rust said. The proposed newbonds wouldreplace approximately $40 millioninbonds sold in 2009 and 2010, which the school system is settopay off inDecember.The school system has been budgeting about $3 million ayear to pay off those bonds.
Thosesoon-to-be-retired bonds camewith lowornointerest payments and were paid backover15years. They originated from the
assessmenttoclassify roadsand determine their priority for repairs.
Dugas said theparish hadnever hadall itsroads scored and classifiedatthe same time. Now,instead of waiting for parish residents to submit complaintsabout the roads, the department can tackle fixing roads faster.
Theparish spent under $150,000 for the work, which included contracting acompanytospend three months driving around Livingston.
“It’sa good investment for the parish,” Dugas said. Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@ theadvocate.com.
2009 American Recovery and ReinvestmentAct, also known as the federal stimulus act.They were used to pay for 16 classroom additions, anew temporary
agendas. Now, ahandful of Louisiana parishes have been experimenting with
than 6%.Theywould be paid back over a20-year period.Theywould pay for “constructing, improving,
The attorney for former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, who was accused of negligent homicide and who took his own life in April, questioned the Louisiana State Police’s narrative of the original crash on a Houma TV
Coroner power questioned by experts
Involuntary commitments could violate civil rights, some say
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
Experts are warning they’ve seen a growing trend of Louisiana coroners involuntarily committing people to hospitals for up to 15 days, saying it likely poses violations of constitutional rights. Melanie Bray, an attorney with Disability Rights Louisiana, said the organization has received complaints about “children as young as 6 being placed into involuntary inpatient mental health care units through an emergency certificate.”
“In some instances, the parents aren’t notified until after the child is already in an inpatient facility, which is horrifying for a number of reasons,” she said.
Last month, the Louisiana Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights — a bipartisan, independent federal commission — held the first of two planned public hearings on the use of Coroner Emergency Certificates to commit people involuntarily The second hearing is scheduled for Oct 27, and the committee plans to send a report
ä See CORONER, page 2B
show Friday Attorney Matt Ory represented Lacy in January, when the 24-year-old turned himself in to State Police on counts of negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle.
However, on Friday, Ory appeared on the HTV 10 news station in Houma to state that Lacy
couldn’t have caused the Dec. 17, 2024, crash.
Citing a report from the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office, Ory said Lacy’s car was nearly a football field’s length behind the head-on collision that killed 78-year-old Herman Hall, of Thibodaux.
State Police statements from
fatal crash
the day of Lacy’s arrest indicate that his Dodge Charger illegally passed multiple vehicles, causing a Kia Cadenza to swerve to avoid the Charger, which then crashed head-on with a Kia Sorrento traveling in the opposite direction. Hall, a passenger in the Sorrento, was transported to a hospital where he died from his injuries.
Ory said that despite Lacy illegally passing four other vehicles, he was nearly 100 yards behind the cars involved in the head-on collision, which Ory said is too far for him to be considered responsible.
In a statement released Friday evening, State Police said they conducted a detailed investigation with the assistance of crash
PUZZLING MAÍZ
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
TOP: Several groups navigate the
ABOVE:
LEFT:
Murder charges dropped in double homicide
Attorney
MATT BRUCE
STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON
reconstruction experts and with allavailable information at the time.
“Investigativefindings revealed that Mr.Lacy’sreckless driving while approaching oncoming traffic ledto the events of the crash. The findings were presented to the17thJudicial District Court, whichapprovedan arrest warrant based on the evidence collected. As with all investigations leading to arrest, thesubjectsofthe investigation are presumed innocent until proven guilty in acourtoflaw,” the statement reads. “No one disputes that he was behind the crash scene. His swerving, passing cars, and reckless operation caused the series of crash events.”
Ory also showed police body-camera footage of a post-crash interview between an officer and one of the drivers involved in the crash. In it, the officercan be heard asking the witness to include in his written report how hard he had to brake to avoid Lacy’sCharger Orysaidthe details theofficer was asking the driver to includeinthe report, specifically that the driver had
CORONER
Continued from page1B
and recommendations to the federal commission.
Those who spoke suggested changing state laws to require more mental health experts and third-party oversight.Louisiana is the only state in which the involuntarycommitment process involves elected coroners, who don’tnecessarily have to hold aphysician’slicense.
Bray spoke afew weeks after she filed afederal lawsuitonbehalf of Disability Rights Louisiana against Dr Beau Clark, the East Baton Rouge Parish coroner.The lawsuit states that afederal law allows the organization to access records regarding emergency certificates, but alleges that Clark’soffice has denied this request.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’sOffice did not respond to requests for comment.
Testimonyatthe most recent meeting began with Dr.Joshua Sanderson,a part-time deputy coroner in Lafayette, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes,discussing theway physicians and coroners must weigh competing interests when evaluating people.
“Our society has long recognized that certain mental conditions at specific times may result in individuals being dangeroustothemselves, dangeroustoothers or gravely disabled,” he said. “And this presents aconflict: aconflictbetween individual interests and governmentinterests, where aclinician hasto weigh the patient’sright to freedom with either the protection of other citizens or even the protection from the patients themselves.”
A15-day involuntary commitment begins with
COUNCIL
Continued from page1B
the chief transportation engineer,was ratified as transportationdirector
Cointment praised the three and said the changes will strengthen his entire government team.
“The team’snot changing,” he said at Thursday’smeeting. “But in order to build depth and have aprofessional organization and be stronger than we were yesterday,this is what I’m here to ask you today.”
Praisedaccomplishments
In July,the Ascension Parish government announced that Phillips and Compton had switched roles. On Thursday,Cointment emphasized how he didn’tnecessarily have to ask for aratification.
“I could have easily said,
to usethe emergency brake to avoid Lacy’sCharger, were not consistent with how thewitness described the crash to the officerearlier,based on body camera footage.
The witness did not sign thepost-crash statement mentioningemergency braking, Ory said.
Lacy took his life in Houston in April with aself-inflicted gunshot AccordingtoOry,Lacy’s death came days beforea grand jury hearing on his case, where Orybelieves the Lafourche Parishdistrict attorney’sfindings would have vindicated Lacy Quoting the final line of the Lafourche Parish DistrictAttorney’s Office report, Ory said, “The evidence submitted in the crash report does not supportthatKyrenLacy should have known that his actions were the cause of the crash that happened approximately 72 yards infront of him.”
To criminally indict asuspect on ahomicidecharge in LafourcheParish, a grand jury must be called, Ory said.
Lacywas athree-star recruit who began his collegiate career at UL before transferringtoLSU before the 2022 season.Inthree years with the Tigers, he caught112 passes for 1,692
acertificate —issued by a physician, physician assistant,nurse practitioneror psychologist —that allows people tobeinvoluntarily committedfor up to 72 hours, Sanderson said.
Once someone is committed, acoroner or deputy coroner of the parishcan then executeaCEC within those72hours after evaluating theperson. That document confinesthe patient for up to 15 days; for confinement beyond that, Sanderson said aphysicianmustfile apetitionin court.
Those who testified before the committee alleged that thelaws allow those without mentalhealth training to improperly commitpeople who don’tnecessarily need it
Kathy Cook, the deputy general counsel of theLouisiana Mental Health Advocacy Service, said state law waives the requirement for acoroner to be alicensed physician. While around 58 coronersinLouisiana are medical doctors, Cook said theremaining few include afarmer, morticianand an esthetician.
Those who spoke also said records and complaints have shown emergency certificates used in cases notrequiring such drastic measures. Bray pointed to the cases involving children, stating that schools have sometimes started theemergency certificate process.
“They are initiating the CEC process to remove the child from the school environment, whichisa separate concern because thechild is in need of servicesinthe school setting that aren’t being provided,” Braysaid. “The CEC just isn’tthe appropriate vehicle to addressthe child’s needs.” Additionally,she said
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy stands in the end zone before the game against Nicholls on Sept 7, 2024, at TigerStadium in Baton Rouge. Lacy was later accused of negligent homicideand took his own life in April.
yards and 16 touchdowns. One of thosescoreswas the25-yard touchdown reception that decidedLSU’s Oct. 12, 2024, overtime win over OleMiss in Tiger Stadium.
In March, Lacy participated in LSU’spro day.He was not invited to the NFL’s scouting combine, despite being expected to be chosen in the2024 draft, which began 11 days after his death.
Reed Darcey contributed to this story
that while state law requires deputycoroners to have at leastthe same qualificationsasthe coroner,emergency certificate records obtained by DisabilityRights Louisiana showed violations of that law
Seeking more informationonthe number and use of emergency certificates, Disability Rights Louisiana asked for records from various parish coroners.A federal law allows that organization to access such recordswhen thereisprobable cause to believeindividuals have been subject to abuseand neglect, Bray said. That has been denied in EastBaton Rouge Parish, according to alawsuit recently filedbyBray on behalf of Disability Rights Louisiana. SubmittedSept. 12 in theU.S. DistrictCourt forthe MiddleDistrict of Louisiana, the lawsuit seeks access to the CEC recordsmaintained by the East BatonRouge Parish Coroner’s Office. The East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Officehas yettofile an answer to thelawsuit in court.
Recent separate court recordsshedsomelight on thenumber of CECs issuedbythat office. Seeking reimbursement for CECs issued for St. Tammany Parish residents, the East Baton Rouge Coroner’sOfficesuedthe St.Tammany coroner in the19thJudicial DistrictCourtearlierthis year
According to evidence filedinthatlawsuit, the Baton Rouge coroner filed 65 certificates between late March2023 andthe end of September 2024. The coroner issued three certificates on oneday in 2023 andissued two on severaldays in 2023 and 2024.
MURDER
Continuedfrom page 1B
eyewitness account of the shooter didn’tdescribe him. “Itwas abad ID. Ain’tno ifs, ands or buts aboutit. It was abad ID,”BatonRouge attorney Jarvis Antwine said. “He’sbeeninjail two yearsfor something he didn’tdo.”
EastBaton Rouge Parish District AttorneyHillar Moore said statements from theeyewitnesswho lived near theTownsley Street shooting were one of two keypieces of evidence that implicated Coleman in thedouble homicide. The witnessheard multiplegunshots anddescribed aman getting into ablack Charger immediately after.She told officers the man had ahairstyle andwas wearingclothing that matched Coleman’sdescription at the scene of his father’s murder that day. He also drove ablack Dodge Charger. License platereaders spotted his vehicle in the area around the time of the Townsley Street shooting.
The district attorney indicated Coleman initially deniedbeing near TownsleyStreet around the time of the double shooting, but later admitted he was in the area driving around aimlesslyafter learning of his father’smurder
“Despite thelackofany direct evidence, we also had issueswith other suspects who plausibly could have committed the murders,” Moore said in astatement Thursday.“The male victim, Joseph Profit, had been having issues withhis landlord. The landlordcame to thescene while the investigation was still underway He was briefly detained but released. Also, there was never asuspect developed in Coleman’sfather’shomicide, so there’salso apossibilitythat whoever committedthat murderalso killed Profitand Robin Hayes, the second victim.The twohomicides werenot far apart from oneanother,but different firearmswere used for each.”
The murder counts against Coleman weredismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutorscan refile the charges against him in the future if new evidence emerges. Moore said hisoffice will continue to
assess evidence in the case. Thomas’ shooting in The Avenues neighborhood near Southern happened just after 3p.m., about a mile anda half northwest of the TownsleyStreet house whereProfitand Hayes were killedshortlybefore 4:20 p.m. The eyewitness to thedouble homicidedescribed aheavyset Black man wearing blue gym shorts, awhite T-shirt, and ablack wavecap over his dreadlocked hair, according to the BRPD arrest affidavit. The witness told detectivesthe gunmanfled the scene in ablack Dodge Chargerwith black rims and awhite sticker on the back bumper. Investigators said multiple anonymous sources identified Colemanasthe person responsiblefor shooting Profitand Hayes, according to the affidavit.
Apolice spokesperson at the time said investigators hadnoevidencethatProfit killed Coleman’sfather,as previously reported by The Advocate.
ABRPD homicide detective who wrote the charging document indicated he “clearly sees thesuspect (Coleman)appearto be in arage due to his father’sdeath” on bodycam footageatthe Avenue J shooting,where Thomas waskilled. In that footage, Colemanwas wearing blue gym trunks, awhite T-shirt andablack wave cap, the report states. Surveillance cameras captured himdriving away from the sceneofthat crime in his Charger,and the vehicle was spotted on license plate readers traveling southbound on Scenic HighwaytowardTownsley Street,policesaid.
Police arrested Coleman in connection with Profit and Hayes’ homicides on Sept.18, 2023, anda grand jury indicted him for the two counts of second-degree murder on Jan. 18, 2024, BRPD and court records show.Itwas after he received evidence from state prosecutors in the case that Antwine, Coleman’sattorney,said he finally realizedthere wasno physical,DNA or ballistics evidencetolink Coleman to the crime “Theyhad hiscar.But allofthis happenedinthe same area —Scotlandville —sothey’re going to have his car on camera,” An-
twine said. “But the eyewitness said he had atag in theback of his window His car doesn’thave that. The eyewitness said he hadblack rims. He doesn’t have black rims; he had grayrims. Theynever said he hadeyeglasses, andmy client hastowear eyeglasses.This ain’tsomething he can go without; he has to wear them. Theynever describedthat.”
Antwine added that the witness’sdescription of aheavyset shooter didn’t match Coleman’sslender build whenhewas arrested
“Everything was contradicting what the eyewitness wassupposedtohave seen,” Antwine said. “It was apurely circumstantial caseand therewere a lotofcircumstances that necessitated dismissing this case. The evidence and theextremelackthereof He should’ve never been charged in thefirst place. Period.”
Police have not madeany arrests in connection with Thomas’ homicide.
Antwine said Coleman had no prior history of violent crimeand hadn’t done any serious time behind bars. He was forced to spend morethan two years in the Parish Prison awaiting trial—hewas initially held without bond anda judgeset hisbailat $1.4 millioninApril, according to court records. While locked up, he had to survive abounty on his life,the attorneynoted.
“It was awhole different world for him,” Antwine said. “Because he was at the scenewhere his daddy waskilled. …And ain’tnobody said nothing about his daddy.That’sthe travesty Ain’tnobodysaid nothing abouthis daddy.”
Email Matt Bruceat matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.
5-7-8-7 PICK 5: 8-3-8-1-7 MEGA MILLIONS: 18-19-38-54-57
‘Ricky,Iwant you to do Ruth’sjob,’” he said. “I have that authorityto direct any of my employees to do what I wantthem to do beyond their scope.”
But Cointment saidhe was requesting theratificationsbecause the formal titles matter.Standing before nearly adozen parish employees,helisted accomplishmentstheyhad helped with since he first took office in 2020, includinghandlingthe COVID-19 pandemic, anine-month moratorium on new residential subdivisions in 2021 and aparishwide sewer reorganization.
He also emphasized the multibillion-dollar economic investments that have come to the parish un-
der hisadministration and said the government has “brought in over$487 mi llio n sinceI took office.”
“Not only has it never been done, it’snever even come close to afraction of that,” he said. “Ever.”
After praising the team’s accomplishments, Cointmentsaid Compton and Phillips had played arole in helping in thosesuccesses.
“Two of those individuals have been for me sinceday one: Ricky and Ruth,”he said. “So,all of thesethings we talk about, they’ve helped build from an administrative standpoint.”
Email Christopher Cartwright at christopher cartwright@theadvocate. com.
BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer
Arecent study has raised new questions about the safety of drinking water in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. The analysis found traces of “forever chemicals” and heavy metals in homes that draw tap water from the Mississippi River,which supplies nearly 1million people in the region.
The project was small only 107 homes in seven parishes were sampled— but results were consistent: 98% of homes that were tested had at least one type of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance, or PFAS. Lead was found in about two-thirdsofsamples, arsenic in 70%, and other metals like manganese and copper were also common. Sodium levels exceededfederal health advisory limits when the Mississippi River ran especially low The report was published Tuesdaybythe WaterCollaborative of Greater New Orleans, anonprofit focused on water policy,education and equity.Samples were collected between October2024 and March 2025.
The Louisiana Department of Health, which oversees drinking water safety,did not respond to questions about thestudy’s findings. TheLoui-
sianaDepartmentofEnvironmental Quality,which overseesindustrial discharges andenvironmentalcontamination, referred questions to LDH.
Most of the contaminants detected didnot exceed federal action levels. But environmental health experts notethat even low levelscan be concerning over time. There is no safe level of lead exposure, which can affect braindevelopment in children. Arsenicis aknown carcinogen,manganese is linked to neurological issues, sodium can worsen high blood pressure and heart disease and excess copper can harmthe stomach and liver
The Environmental Protection Agency hassaidno amountofPFASiscompletely safe, but allows up to 4parts per trillion as an enforceable standard based on what treatmentsystems can achieve
“Webelievethat it is some preliminary data for us to get abaselineunderstanding of whatthings look like in the region, and to ask some questions,” saidTaya Fontenette, project leader for the study.
PFAS areman-madechemicals that giveproductslike nonstick cookware, food packaging and firefighting foam their water-and greaseresistantproperties. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily in the environment or in the human body Research has linked themto cancers, immune problems and developmental delays In Orleans Parish, 82% of households had lead in their
water,and about 40% showed levelsabove one part per billion—the thresholdpediatricians consider unsafe for children. No samples exceeded thefederalaction level of 15 parts per billion, but the highest reading reached 6.3 ppb. Nearly all homes also had PFAS, and sodiumlevels tiedtosaltwater intrusion surpassed federal health guidelines in every Orleans Parish sample.
Alice Noel, aspokesperson for the Sewerage &Water Board of NewOrleans, said theagency is reviewing the Water Collaborative’s report and has begun alead service line replacement program at schoolsand child care centers, with an online inventory of known lead lines available to the public. The S&WB has a10-year plan to replace lead water pipes throughout the city, including 800publiclyowned lead water lines. Jefferson Parishshowed widespread arsenicand manganese. Arsenicwas present in 83% of households, though all results were below the federal limit of 10 ppb. Manganese wasdetected in about halfofhomes. Copper was in every sample, with someconcentrations approaching 750 ppb —justover half the federal action level. Two-thirds of homes also had lead, and PFASappearedinallsamples In the River Parishes, contamination rates were often higher.St. James Parish recorded the study’sonlylead exceedance, at 26.5 ppb. Arsenic was measurable in every St. Jameshome,and sodium reached 45.2 ppm. In St.
UNOcould seenamechange underLSU,president says
Some students unfazed; others say‘it’ll always be UNO’
BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer
The “UNO proud” stickers that adorn cars across the city,and the gray and blue apparel that fills the University of New Orleans bookstore could soon become collectors’ items.
That’sbecause UNO could get anew name and brand identity when it joins the LSU system in the nearfuture. “For this to really work, it’sgoing to have to be LSU New Orleans,” LSU interim President Matt Lee told the state Board of Regents last week, “because you’re marrying two well-known brands.”
On campus, UNO students expressedmixed feelings this week about the potential name change and trading UNO’sblue and gray for LSU’spurple and gold. Some thought it could bring more attention to the lakefront university,which has struggled to attract students in recent years. Others worried that UNO’sunique identity would be lost.Still others said they don’tcare either way,aslong as tuition doesn’tincrease “Tomeit’ll always be UNO,” said Alixx Williams, agraduate student working the front desk of the University Center The proposedname changewould actually take
UNO back to its roots.
Theuniversity was founded as LSUNO in 1956, but students successfully advocated for the university to drop “LS” from its moniker in 1974. UNO later moved to theUniversity of Louisiana system, but this year,state lawmakers passed legislation to return thecampus to the LSU system. Supporters hopethe move, which UNO’saccrediting body must still approve, will help shore up theschool’sfinances and dwindling enrollment by givingitaccess to LSU’sgreater resources and growing studentpopulation.
UNO president Kathy Johnson saidatransition team would launch this month, comprised of officials from both universities. They are expected to create atransition plan, which is due to thestate by July, that will likely include changes to UNO’sprogramsand branding In hiscommentstothe Board of Regents, Lee said thatLSU’sbrand is recognized around the world: When he’sworn purple and gold in Honduras, Belize and Hawaii, strangers have told him, “Go Tigers.”
Merging the brands, he said,would“help get all eyes on New Orleans for that institution.” Johnson said in an email thatshe is “100% in support” of whatever LSU’sboard of supervisors decides to call UNO,adding that sheexpectsother stakeholdersto have some input.
“I very much trust the process that will beput in place to ensure that there is the opportunity for all constitu-
ent groups (business leaders and community leaders, students, alumni, faculty and staff) to weigh in on the nameand brand,”she said.
Eventhough the return to “LSUNO” isn’tyet official, studentsacross campus this week already hadthoughts on what theproposed rebranding could mean for their school.
Some saidthe newname could be beneficial. Jack Matthews, agraduatestudent studying chemistry, said adding LSU to UNO’s name would make it easier to find online.
“It’s very hard to Google,” Matthews said, noting that sometimes UNO thecard game and Universityof Nebraska at Omaha appear first on search results.
Jasmine Jackson and Taliya Edmond, bothseniors, said theywere neutral about thenew name but thought it could generate new interest in the university
Otherstudents were hesitant and thought it could hurt UNO’s identity.
“The values of UNO and the values of LSU aredifferent,” saidfreshman Kelvin Scott, who grew up in Baton Rouge.LSU is “more on theconservative side,” he said, while “UNO is foreveryone.”
Nearlyall students mentioned concernsthattuition would increase.
Camryn Mayeux, afreshmanmechanicalengineering major,said thatrebrandingthe school wouldn’tnecessarily change how people refer to it.
“Even if we change the name,” she said, “I think people will call it UNO.”
John the Baptist Parish, copperlevels variedwidely; one sample measured 1,200 ppb, just under the federal action level. Some householdshad little or no PFAS, which researchers attributedtopartial useofreverse osmosis treatment at the LaPlace Water Plant. St. Charles Parish also showed arsenic in every home tested. In St. BernardParish, arsenic was found in 83% of homes, withPFASalso consistently detected. Plaquemines Parish, closest to the Gulf, showed the highest vulnerabilitytosaltwater intrusion, with sodium rangingfrom11.2to66.2 ppm, far above federal guidelines. OnePlaquemines home also exceeded the EPA’snew limit for PFOS. Though the findings were notpublished in apeer-reviewed research journal, they are consistentwithother research.
In 2019,the Environmental Working Group, anational advocacy group, found PFAS “forever chemicals” in New Orleans tap water at levels amongthe highestdetected nationally,at41.8parts per trillion.
Testsbythe Louisiana DepartmentofHealthin2022 for east bank NewOrleans residentsfound levels of PFOA as high as 2.6ppt, and PFOSashigh as 2.7ppt. Wa-
ter from boththe east and west banks of Jefferson Parish contained levels of PFOA as high as 1.4 ppt andlevels of PFOS as high as 2ppt. Though notable,the findings are not unique to Louisiana. The EPAestimates that over 100million people have unsafe levels of PFAS in drinking water and 20 million still have lead service lines.
“I wouldn’t sayit’suncommon,” said Julie Varshavsky, an assistant professor of environmentalhealth sciences at Northeastern University whostudies PFAS andheavy metals. “There are many communitiesacrossthe U.S. that are dealing with contaminated water in one formor another.”
Reassuringly,just one site hadlevels forPFOA over the federal limit.But even trace amounts can be aproblem, because PFAS do notbreak down and can remain in water and even humanblood for years. “Any amount of PFOA and PFOS can also be causefor some concern,given how persistent theyare,” Varshavsky said.
Varshavsky recommended more testing and that residents filtertheir own water In Orleans Parish, the Sewerage and Water Board providesfree Brita water filters and lead testing.
TheWater Collaborative
is urging lawmakers to set interim PFAS standards, require utilities to report resultsinConsumerConfidence Reports, expand advanced filtration andcreate ahousehold filterprogram.
Otherstates suchasMinnesota andMaine havemoved to limit PFAS,said Anna Reade, asenior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“You’reseeingmarketpush fromstates instead of the federalgovernment,which is really promising because the best thingwecan do with PFAS is just not produce it since we don’thave great solutions for cleanup,” Reade said.
To limit exposure, researchersrecommendusing filters certified by theNationalSanitation Foundation that filter outspecific contaminants you’re trying to avoid. ForPFAS, that is NSF Standard 53 or 58,saidFontenette.
TheEPA adopted newstandards for PFAS in drinking water earlierthis year,setting limitsat4parts per trillionfor PFOAand PFOSand adding rules forfourother compounds. The Trump administration hassince proposed changes that would rescind some of those limits and delay enforcement of PFOA and PFOS standards until 2031.
4B
Today 19, 2025after ashort illness at East Jefferson Hospital. She married WalterMurray Adams, III on June 21, 1986at Carrolton Street United MethodistChurchand they enjoyed 39 yearsofa happy marriage
Debby worked formany yearsather father'sbusiness, Ayers Steamship Company, which was foundedin1960.She also servedinthe diplomatic corps as Honorary Consul of Senegal.Debby was a master at quiltmaking jewelry designand construction and enjoyed many of the finerestaurants in the area.Debby likedbuilding familytrees onAncestry andwas a gentle soulwho loved everyone,made friends with everyone she met and had an infectious laugh. Her husband, familyand friends will deeply mourn herloss.
Debby was precededin
death by her brother Jerome Ayers,her parents and her stepmother Wilmuth RosalieBurns Ayers. She is survived by her husband Walter, sister Cynthia AyersKelly (Steve) of Gretna, VA and brother James F. Rivera of Covington, LA,along with many nieces and nephews.
Arrangementsare being handled by TharpFuneral Home in Metairie and her service has yet to be scheduled "Wherever abeautiful soul has been, thereisa trailofbeautiful memories."
Baker,BrandonHugh
Brandon was bornand raised in BatonRouge, Louisiana. He was aproud graduateofUniversity HighSchool and Louisiana StateUniversity. Aselfmadeand successfulreal estate broker, Brandon founded his own company, Baker Agency Real Estate. He was also an accomplishedpilot witha lifelong spirit of curiosityand invention. As ateenager, he designeda Christmas tree watering gadget he called "The Christmas Tree Water So Easy."Brandon's mind
wasalways reachingbeyond, fascinated by the mysteries of theuniverse—"dark matter," "wormholes," and the "GodParticle." Aboveall hisgreatest passion was weightlifting. Brandon began liftingatage 11 under thelegendaryCoach Gayle Hatch andwentontobecome athree-time Junior WorldTeam member, a record-setter, andan Olympichopeful in 1996. At just 19, atraumatic brain injury cut shorthis Olympicdreams. Against all odds, he made amiraculousrecovery andcontinuedtopursue weightlifting throughout hislife, setting personal records andinspiringotherswith his resilience. Brandon embodiedwhat it meanstolive life to the fullest—with courage, kindness, and generosity. He touched countless lives through quietactsofcompassion andbyalways beingready to help those in need.He lived by theOlympicmot-
to, "Citius, Altius, Fortius—Communiter" ("Faster, Higher Stronger—Together"), a philosophy he passedon to hisfamilyand all who knew him. More than his many accomplishments, Brandon'sgreatest joywas hisfamily. He wasa devoted son, brother, husband, andfather.Heissurvived by hislovingwife of 23 years, CarolineImeri Baker;his children, Savanna Leigh Baker and Baron Hugh Baker;his parents, CongressmanRichard Hugh Baker and Karen Lee Baker; andhis sister,Julie Baker. He was preceded in death by hispaternal grandparents, Rev. Hugh andKathlyn Baker, and his maternal grandparents, Thomas andAletha Carpenter.A visitation will be held Tuesday, October7, 2025, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 11000 Florida Boulevard, Baton Rouge Louisiana, followed by a celebration of Brandon's
life at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in Brandon's memory may be made to the American Cancer Society. The family extends heartfeltgratitude to the doctors and nurses at Our Lady of the Lake Infusion Center and Our Lady of the Lake Hospital for their compassionate care of Brandon.
Bourg, Mildred 'Duddie'
"I have fought agood fight, Ihave finished my course. Ihave kept the faith." 2Timothy4:7. Mildred "Duddie" GBourg wenttobewith her Lord on Monday, September 27, 2025, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of 92. Born on August 6th, 1933, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and lived in White Castle, Louisiana. She became a resident of BatonRouge and made her home here This is where she met and married the loveofher life, John R. "Red" Bourg. Duddie was aloving and caring wife, mother, aunt, sister, grandmother, and greatgrandmother. Herlove and pride of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren was always easy to see and she always cared deeply for each and every one of them. She was born into alarge family of 9 brothers and sisters. Always considered the quiet and soft spoken one. Her generous and compassionate personality endeared her to everyone she met She will be missed by all that knew her. She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, John "Red" R. Bourg; parents, Adam Napoleon Martinez and Lucille "Lucy" Martinez-Spragis; son, John "Ronnie" R. Bourg; sisters, Isabell "Bell", Ethel, Evelyn "Bud", Shirley, and Janice; and brothers, Louis, Adam, and Raymond "Curly". She is survived by her daughter, Brenda Chapman (Mike); grandchildren, Benjamin (Jessica), Jesse,and Jacob(Chelsey); her greatgrandchildren,Julia,Audrey, Addison "Addy", Madelyn"Maddie", and Emery "Emmy". She is also survived by numerous niecesand nephews whom she adored and loved. Visitation will take place atSt. George Catholic Church on Monday,October 6, 2025, beginning at 9:30 AM with Funeral Mass to start at 11:00 AM. Burial will take placeatResthaven Gardens of Memory, locatedat 11817 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA, following the service. The family would like to give aspecial thanks to Father Yi for his unwavering support during this difficult time. The familywould also like to thank Duddie's nurses, Lene and Maddy, for always being there when needed.
tionately known as "Jerry" by those who lovedhim Born on November 20, 1941, in Baton Rouge, LA, Jerrywas the son of Therese and Lynn J. Dicharry. He graduated from CatholicHighSchool in1959. Following graduation, he servedasa member of the U.S. Air Force Reserveduring the Vietnam Warera.Jerry then taught atTaraHigh School before beginninga career with Exxon, whereheworked for more than 40 yearsuntil his retirement. Jerryissurvived by his loving wifeof53years and 11 months,Clydia Evans Dicharry; his children, KevinP.Dicharryand Ashley M. Dicharry;his brothers, Dennis J. Dicharryand DanL.Dicharry(Patty);his sister-in-law, Mary Brasseaux (Bill); and his brother-in-law,Clyde EvansJr. (Elizabeth). He was preceded in death by his father, Lynn J. Dicharry; hismother, Therese B. Dicharry; his sister, Gail M. Dicharry; and his sister-inlaw, Barbara Maehren. PallbearerswillbeJason Evans, Josh Dicharry, Josh Vaughn, Paul Holbrook, Jon "Blue"Loupe, and Clifton MillerJr. Honorary pallbearers will be Charles W. Maehren and Rob Hebert Jr Visitation will be held at SealeFuneralHome, 1720 S. Range Avenue,Denham Springs,LA, on Monday, October 6, from 9:00 a.m. until the funeral service at 12:00p.m. Burial will immediatelyfollow at Roselawn Memorial ParkinBaton Rouge,LA.
GeorgeBowman Guttner diedpeacefully on September 27, 2025athis home surrounded by his family. Born in Baton Rougeto Lucie Greaud Guttner and GeorgeGuttner,George was precededindeath by his parents. He was agraduate of Catholic High School and LSU wherehewas amember of Phi Kappa ThetaFraternity.Anavidhunter, gardener, and LSU supporter, George was employed for many yearsat Turner Industries. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Vivian Normand Guttner;three children, Bowman Guttner and his wifeGinger; Candace Guttner;Emilie Guttner and her spouse Heather; granddaughter Lena Guttner;sister Grace GuttnerAnderson and her husbandGary.
The family extends heartfelt gratitude to his caregivers Jasmine, Mary, and Maewith APlus Caring Heart Services, forthe exceptional care theyprovided.
Visitation on October15, 2025at10:00AM at St AloysiusCatholicChurch, 2025StuartAvenue, Baton Rouge,LA 70808 followed by aMemorial Serviceat 11:00AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in George Guttner's memorytoa charity of your choice.
Friends are invited to a Celebration of Fuzzy'slife atSouthdowns Mardi Gras 2026for traditionalgumbo and fellowship.
BEAUTIFUL ARCHIEYOU
Were The LOVE Of My LIFE,,,I Will Be FOREVER GREATFULLToHave Had YOU The Last 2&1/2 YEAR'S Of YOUR'S ALLOfMyLOVE SWEEEEETHEART VickieRichard
Hebert, Robert Joseph'Bear' Robert Joseph "Bear" Hebert passedawayon September21,2025 at the ageof87.Robert wasborn on July 20,1938 in St Amant, LA to Raymond and Zilder(Templet) Hebert.He wasknown for his kind heart and unwaveringdedication to his family. He had apassionfor cars and anything Mopar. He was retired from both the grocery and automotiveindustries. He wasa lifelong member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church and a proud US Army veteran.He is survived by his children David(Martha)and Callie (Brad); abrother Perry Hebert; brother-in-laws CJ Burns and Mark Kernan; many nieces, nephewsand countless friends. He is proceeded in death by his parents and his wife of 60 years, PhyllisE.(Burns) Hebert. The familywould like to thankDonna and Randall St.Pierre,DeleFrederic and Mr. &Mrs. RonaldSessions.
Amemorial mass to celebrate Robert's life will be held at Holy Rosary CatholicChurch, in St Amant,LaonSaturday, October 18, 2025at11am. A reception will follow.
Kennedy, Alice Powalski
Alice wasloved by many and always eagertohelp anyone in need.She wasa very successful Realtor and Landlord in theBaton Rouge area. She attended LeeHighSchool class of 72' and served as aDeacon at Faith Presbyterian Church. She is survivedby three children, Theresa Miller Roberts, Jennifer Lauren Frazier, DavidNeil Nethen and spouse Bernd Nethen as well as 9grandchildren.She will be missedbymanyfriends and family. Amemorial service will be held from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM on 202510-18 at Faith Presbyterian Church, 12855 Old Hammond Hwy.
Patin,Mildred VictoriaGaron
Mildred Victoria Garon Patin, adevoted wife, mother, grandmother,and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully at her home, on October 3, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family.Visit www.rabenhorst.comto see thefull obituary.
Riffel,Ann DeVillier
Ann DeVillierRiffel died at her home in Baton RougeonThursday, October2,2025, at theage of 98. She was borninKrotz Springs, the daughter of Charles"Kinney" DeVillier and Anais LeGrand DeVillier, both natives of St.MartinParish. When she reached herteenage years, she cametoBaton Rouge with hereldest sister and brother-in-law to attend high school.After graduating fromIstrouma in 1944, she worked at the Engineering Depotasa cashier and at Dalton'sDepartmentStore as afile clerk. During WorldWar II, she attendednumerous USO dances, where the closely chaperoned young ladies danced with the service men. She wasmarried to Glynn L. "Buddy" Riffelfor 70 years and had two children. During the Bicentennial of the United States,she and herdaughter becameinterestedin tracing theirFrench and Acadian roots.Soonafterwards,she becameanactive volunteer with the historicaland genealogical preservation group Le Comité desArchives de la Louisiane,and in 1983, was recognizedasOutstanding Member. Formanyyears, she served on the organization's Board of Directors and as Publications Chairman, then as President in 2019. After stepping down as President, she served once againonthe Board until herdeath. She is sur-
vivedbyher twochildren Arthur and JudyRiffel.Donations may be madein her name to Le Comité or to thegenealogical society of your choice
JaneBeaver Riner, mother to Dianne Phillips, Sonja Laborde,and Walter Riner Jr, passedaway on Saturday, September 27. Her final momentswere spent peacefullyinher home in BatonRouge. Known for herspunkiness and greatfaith in ourLord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Janie willbedearlymissed by allwho knew her Known affectionately as "Grans,"her family asks that she be remembered forthe joyshe brought to others in life not thesadness of herpassing.She is survivedbyher children and her twosons-in-law: LukeLaborde and Lloyd Phillips,her grandchildren: David McKowen, Andrew McKowen, WalterMcKowen, AndreaLaborde Barbier,James AldenLaborde, CaseyEdwardLaborde, and VictoriaLaborde Wells; and her beloved great-grandchildren: David McKowen IV, James Louis McKowen, Rebckah Jane Harrison McKowen, Adele ColetteLaborde, Indie James Barbier, Jordan RhodesBarbier, and Remy ChaseLaborde. Avisitation willbeheldatRabenhorst Funeral Home 825 Government Street, on Monday, October6th at 10:00 AM, followedbya memorial servicethere at 11:00 AM, and concludewitha reception at 313 East Woodstone Court in BatonRouge. She willbeinterred next to her dear husband,Walter Riner, in Leighton,Alabama.
Joan Demers Schouest, 84, passedaway peacefully on Sept.23, 2025. Born to thelateErnest Paul and Dorothy(Taft)Demers, Joan graduated from Baton Rouge High School in 1959. She pursuedhigher education at Louisiana StateUniversity, earning an undergraduatedegree in Historyand aMaster's in Education. Adevoted fan, Joan lovedcheering for her LSUTigersthroughout her life Educationwas acornerstoneofJoan'slife.She dedicatedmany years to teaching elementary schooland later servedas aprincipal,earning the East Baton RougeParish Elementary School Principalofthe Year awardfor the1997-1998 schoolyear at Tanglewood. An enthusiasticathlete, Joan was an avid tennis player and golfer. She took prideinteaching her two sons to play golf, fostering ashared passionfor the sport. Her activelifestyle alsoincludedplaying bridge,practicing yoga, and traveling,with aparticular fondness for Florida's beaches.
Joan is survived by her devotedsons, Paul (Lori Lewis) of Blue Ridge,Georgia, andAaron (Lise Tousignant) of Atlanta, Georgia, herfivegrandchildren Charlie, Bryant(Kelsie) Suzanne,Oliver,and Lydia, andtwo great-grandchildren,Scarlettand ababy expectedinApril 2026. She is also survived by hersisters, Sue (Bill) Shea and Lynne Becker, as well as several nieces, nephews, otherfamilymembers, and cherished friends. Shewas predeceased by herhusband,JohnAlford, herparents, hersister, Karen,and herfirst husband, Michael Schouest
The familyextends heartfelt gratitude to Elaine Young,Joan'sdear friendfor many decades, for herunwaveringcare andcompassion. In lieu of flowers, contributionsinJoan'smemory may be made to acharity of yourchoice.
Thomas "Tom" Spradley,arespected Louisiana lobbyist and dedicated advocate for progress in the state, passedawayonSeptember30, 2025, at the age of 85. Tom grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, wherehe began what wouldbecome an amazing life of adventure.Inthe 1970s, he moved to Louisiana, where he flourished as alobbyist and establisheda distinguishedcareerthat left a lastingimprintonthe state. Throughouthis career,Tom played an instrumental role in shaping policiesthatcontinueto impact Louisiana families, students, andcommunities.His work at theCapitol reflected notonlyhis knowledge of the legislative process butalso his deep commitmenttoimproving opportunities for others.Among hismany contributions, Tom wasa drivingforce behindthe passage of theTaylor Opportunity Programfor Students(TOPS), alandmark programthat hasenabled generationsofLouisiana students to pursuehigher education.Healso played apivotal role in advancing Multi-Parish Banking legislation, modernizing Louisiana's financial landscape and strengthening economic growth across the state. Colleagues and legislators alike admired Tom for hisintegrity, determination,and ability to bring people together across dividesinpursuit of common goals. Histireless efforts exemplifiedthe best of public service,even from outside electedoffice. Tom's favorite times happenedatStaymore,his cabin in theOzarkMountains, wherehewould host large groups of friends and familyand tell all of his great life stories.Some of hisfavorite past times were playing golf at the University Club, NY Times Crossword Puzzles,and havinga nice cigar.Healso especially enjoyed his breakfast group that was often timesreferredtoas theWaffle House Institute of Higher Thinking.Beyond hisprofessionalachievements, Tom embraced life fully. He traveledthe world, exploring placesas far-reaching as China, Venezuela, andthe plains of Africaonsafari. With a zest for life anda spirit of adventure,hetruly loved everyminuteofhis journey andinspired otherstodo thesame. Tom is survived by hisloving wife,Linda Spradley,his daughter Jennifer,and his3 sons Scott (wifeAnnie Spradley), Jonathan (Fiance GabbyVillemarette), Matthew (wifeKristel Spradley), hischerished grandchildrenSummer, d l
Tommy, Jay, andMarley, andhis brotherMark Spradley (wife Laura Spradley). He waspreceded in death by his Father, Ples Spradley,his Mother MarySmith Spradley,and hisbrother Jimmy Spradley .Hewill be remembered notonlyfor his professionalaccomplishments but also for thedevotion he showed to his family, whowerethe pride andjoy of hislife. Services will be held on Wednesday October8th,atFirst United Methodist ChurchinBaton Rouge (930 North Blvd,Baton Rouge,LA70802). Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM,followed by aMemorial Service at 11:00 AM.In lieu of flowers, donations to theBoys and Girls Club of Baton Rouge would be appreciated
JaneLaycockStaples age 98, alifelongresident of Baton Rouge, passed away on Tuesday, September30, 2025. Agraduate of LSUand an 85-year memberofChi Omega, shewas adevoted homemaker, master seamstress, genealogy enthusiast,and avidreader. Shewas precededindeathbyher husband, JohnBatson Staples Jr.; son,David R. Staples; herparents;and two sisters,Ann LaycockWise andBerta LaycockMayer Sheissurvivedbyher sons, JohnBowman (Cindy)Staples and Douglas Clark (Debbie)Staples;three grandchildren; fivegreat-grandchildren; andextendedfamily. Visitation will be held Friday, October 3, 2025, from 4-8 PM at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East.For thefull obituary, please visit www.rabenhorsteast.com. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be madetoHospice of Baton Rouge.
Riner, JaneBeaver
Spradley, Thomas 'Tom'
Staples, Jane Laycock
Guttner, George Bowman
Schouest, Joan Demers
Dicharry,Gerald Paul
Denham Springs, LAGerald Paul Dicharry, 83, of Denham Springs, LA, passed away on September23, 2025. He was affec-
Hall,Archie Fredrick 'Freddy''Fireball '
OPINION
OUR VIEWS
Hurricane threat evaluations need to evolve
As we move into Octoberand pastthe peakof hurricane season, we can be grateful thatLouisiana hasn’thad to face amajor hurricane so far this year
But what constitutes a major hurricane? That’s something that researchers are beginning to reevaluate as climate change makesitlikelythat future hurricanes will lead to more devastating storm surge and floodinginareas that have not previously beenaffected.
The scale we grew up with, the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, hasbeen used by the National Hurricane Center since 1973.Itwas developed by engineer HerbertSaffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson in 1971 to rate hurricanes based on their severity.The scale,asmostevery Louisianan knows, is basedona tropical storm’s maximum sustained winds. Itranks storms from Category 1to5,withanything at or above aCategory3—withamaximumwind speedof 111mph or higher—being consideredamajor hurricane.
Now,some researchers are working anew scale, one that wouldconsiderthe threatposed by water as well as wind.It’scalledTropical Cyclone Severity Scale, and it would classifystorms based on three separate categories —wind, rain and storm surge —assigning arankfrom 1to5 for each. And there would be afourth category that would give acombined rank forall three of thethreats Accordingtoresearchers at the University of South Florida who are developing the scale, the wayitwould work is that if astorm rankedCategory3orabove in more thanone category, its overallrankwould rise to the next category They say it would give the public atruer picture of the dangers astorm poses asthose in its pathdecide whether or not to evacuate.They note that wind generallyaccountsfor about 10% of hurricane fatalities, while rain and storm surge account for around 30% and 50% respectively We find this line of reasoning very compelling. Louisianans have experienced more storms in recent years that haveproducedsignificant localized flooding that took many by surprise. We know that forecasting methods arealways improving. But to reallyimprove disasterpreparedness andresponse, communicationofthe variousthreatstothe public also needs to evolve Earlier this year,some meteorologists alsoproposed possibly adding aCategory6 designation to the Saffir-Simpson scale.While wewould not be so bold as to say whichchanges should ultimately be widely adopted, it gives us confidence to know that scientists and researchers continue to look for ways to better inform us andkeep us safer We pray that the remainderofhurricane seasonisquiet, but if not, it’simportant to rememberthat paying attention to the forecast and the advicefrom the experts is the surestway to make the best decisions for you and your loved ones
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A
Trumpputsenergyinthe executive
Whatever else you want to say about him,President Donald Trumphas what Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 70 called “energy in theexecutive.”
Announcing apeace plan for Israel and Hamas, ordering the dispatch of federal troops to protect immigration enforcementpersonnel in “sanctuary” states, authorizing his budget director touse reorganization powers available after Senate Democrats shut down the government,and announcing a pediatric cancer initiative.
adults were asked which party has the “better plan.”
to positions overwhelmingly unpopular with the wider electorate.
No one can seriously argue that this is apassive presidency,though some may say that Trumpisnot promoting “the steady administration of the laws” and the “protection of property” that Hamilton argued is what an energetic executive should provide.
Butthe appropriatequestion in the off-year elections to be held 13 months from now and in the2028 election in which Trumpisineligible to seek another term is, compared to what? Opposition to Trump, distastefor his personal style, dismay at his ignorance, or ignoring of norms of political politeness —such responses don’tseem to be producing asurge of support for his Democratic opponents.
Striking evidence of this comes in a Reuters/Ipsos nationwide poll conducted Sept. 19-21. On 11 different issues,
Pluralities preferred Republicans’ plans on seven of the 11 issues. Democrats’ plans werepreferred by significantmargins only on healthcare, women’s rights and theenvironment. In acountry that reelected Trumpbya50% to 48% popular vote margin, preferences forRepublicans were lopsided on someissues: crime (40% to 20%), immigration (40% to 22%), foreign conflicts (35% to 22%) and the United States economy(34%to24%).
CNN polling analyst Harry Enten, reporting on similar numbers on crime, immigration, and the economy in aCNN poll, exclaimed, “What are you doing, Democrats? Goodness gracious.”
Even morethan in the 2024 campaign, Americanshave had recent experience with both Democratic and Republican administrations, and there’snot much question that, despitehis idiosyncrasies, they prefer Trump’stoBiden’s. Democrats are in the uncomfortable position of appeasingwhat has become theparty’sdominant constituency,affluent whitecollege graduates, many of whom suffer from what their critics call Trumpderangement syndrome and who demand unstinting adherence
One of those is immigration. Trump is taking an aggressive step in stationing federal troops in states where mobsthreaten Immigration and CustomsEnforcement personnel enforcing federal law.But the “sanctuary” state and city policies instituted by Democratic officials and supported by Democrats’ upscale core constituency are an aggressive attempt to counteract the Constitution’ssupremacy clause.
There’sanecho here of Andrew Jackson’sdispatch of federal troops to the South Carolina border when John C. Calhoun’sacolytes tried to nullify federal law.Some voters may find Trump’sact excessive but reject Democrats’ covert support what amounts to “open borders” immigration policy Meanwhile, Trumpinthe past week has sharply changed his foreign policy on Ukraine by supporting long-distance responses and clampdowns on Russian oil and gas sales, and on Israel and Hamas, by presenting apeace plan, getting Israel’sendorsement, and promising to back it strongly if Hamas doesn’tstop the fighting and free the hostages. It’s hard to deny that we see alot of energy in the executive. Michael Barone is on X, @Michael Barone.
It’snosecret that these days, most younger people don’tget their news from traditional news sources. Many turn to social media or podcasts to keep up withthe news of the day.But every once in awhile, we do hear from younger readers. Ihave to say,far from being cynical or disengaged as they are often portrayed, these young people seem sharp. They often express theidealism of youth, but manyare well-versed in what’sgoing on not only in their communities but in theworld. It’sprobably not surprising that the young people who would writetoa newspaper are likely more engaged than average. Still, Ifind it encouraging. It’seasy to get apicture of Gen Z and Gen Alpha from what’s online. But that isn’talways atrue picture. Likewise, it isn’t perhaps fair to judge them by theinfluencers or podcasters who claim alot of young
followers. So manypundits present a very black-and-white version of the issues, but younger generations seem to understandmorenuance than we give them credit for. They have grownupinanage where theinternet has made theworld so much smaller.So they are used to hearing from people from arange of backgrounds and experiences. Perhaps we do them adisservice when we try to paint them with thesame brush.
When Isee younger generations making their voices heard, I’malways impressed. Society often seeks to discount the opinions of youth, but sometimes those opinions have alot to say about the future —afuture that older generations just can’t quite see. So Ido encourage students and other young folks to write to us and let us know what we’re missing. Turning to our letters inbox. For the
week of Sept. 4-11, we received 81 letters. The topic manyofyou wanted to discuss mostinvolved the deployment of National Guard troops to cities around the country,including potentially New Orleans.
We received 10 letters on the topic, with mostopposed to using the military in this way. But there werealso afew letters that said NewOrleans could use the help. Next, we received five letters on the changes madeby Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.at the Department of Health and Human Services. Immigration also continues to be apopular topic, prompting three letters. And rounding out the list of topics, the changes in our weather pages also prompted three letters.
Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPage Editor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.
Arnessa Garrett
Michael Barone
COMMENTARY
TheDemocrats absolutely aretoblame forshutdown
Quin Hillyer
Amid the usual posturing from both parties in Congress, one sideinthisweek’s government shutdown theater has been much more reasonable. By every historicalstandard, it is not the Democrats but theRepublicans, with LouisianaSpeaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise as their primary spokesmen, who have been dealing straight. By very definitionand by all procedural realities,the side that votes not to keep government openisthe one that is “shutting down the government.” This is not complicated: Avote to finance government operations is, yes, avote to financegovernment operations. Every Republicanbut one in the House and Senate voted to finance government operations, while the votes against the funding all came from Democrats.
Granted, sometimes one side will try to insert nonessential policychoices ontobasic appropriations bills.Still,ifthosepolicy choices are not usually handled via such appropriations bills,and if theyare controversial, thenthe side insistingonthemis ceding some of the procedural-moralhigh ground. Keeping the governmentopen only by making the opposing side swallow whatamounts to apoison pill is usually considered (forgive the mixed metaphor) to be somewhat dirty pool.
This, though, is where Speaker Johnson’s consistent message has been so right on target, and where Republicansingeneral havebeenonthe side of angels. Johnson keeps noting that the Republicans have beentrying to keep the government open
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By MARIAM ZUHAIB
Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, center,speaks during anews conferencetoaddressthe shutdown, at theCapitol on Oct. 1inWashington. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, is overJohnson’sright shoulder
throughNov.21via what is known as a “clean” continuing resolution: Current governmentspending levels and rules,across all agencies, would stay the exact same while negotiations continue, with no extraneouspolicy issues included.
In this latest battle, Democrats have been rejectinganabsolutely clean bill, even though it continues spending levels liberal enough that it is the same amount
signed intolaw by former President Joe Biden. There are no poison pills from theRepublicans, period. Instead, it is the Democrats who have been trying to add an extraneous policy change that Republicans see as apoison pill.
Coming from aparty that is the minority in both chambers of Congress and not in power at the White House either,that takes real gall.
In this case, Democrats are making numerousdemands, thebiggest oneinvolving an extension of special COVID-era health care tax subsidies never intended even by the original 2010 law colloquially known as Obamacare. As The Wall Street Journal editorialists note, the Democrats’ demand would add $450 billion in debt(spread over 10 years) on an already dangerously debtladen budget.
And, as Scalise repeatedly stressed all week, it is undeniable that the alternative pushed by Democratswould repeal multiple sections of law that prohibit federal healthcare funds from going to illegal immigrants. Those provisions actually are a small part of the repeals pushed by Democrats, but theplain language of the Democrats’bill does exactly what Scalise claims.
And yes, overall, the simple fact is that it is theDemocrats pushing for multiple changes in unrelated laws while holding the rest of the government hostage.
Even if you agree with the Democrats’ policy aims in all this, the means they have chosen, namely agovernment shutdown instead of agreeing to aclean continuing resolution while negotiations continue, is one that for decades they and themedia have shrieked against if Republicans even considered employing it under
different (and arguably more excusable) political circumstances.
Forgive the personal references, but I’ve experiencedgovernment shutdowns from two angles. First, as aReagan White House appointeetothe Veterans Administration, Iand 500,000 other federal employees were furloughedfor aday because Congress failed to pass spending bills on time.The secondangle came when Iwas working on the House Appropriations CommitteeunderLouisiana’s ownBob Livingston, when President Bill Clintonvetoed ourbills because he said we weren’tspending enough money
This is thus asystem that, from hard experience, Iknow well.
In every single shutdownI can remember,the gold standard forfair and responsible legislative action —asDemocrats themselves have said foryears and years and years —isaclean continuing resolution of the sort Johnson and Scalise pushed through the House. There is no good excuse forSenate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to keep urging his colleagues to shut downthe government.
It wasnot aRepublican but Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine whosaid on Wednesday that “This government shutdownisthe result of hardball politics driven by the demands far-leftgroups are making forDemocratic Party leaders to put on ashow of their opposition to President Trump.”
Or,asScalise said on Fox News on Thursday,“Don’t hold the American people hostage while Chuck Schumer has atantrum.”
Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com
In some towns, defundingthe police is unavoidable
Are police aluxury?
For some Louisiana small towns, they are. Arapidly growing list of Louisiana municipalities have decided in recent months that their police forces are abudget line that must be trimmed. In one example, the 1,200-resident town of Killian in Livingston Parish in August dissolved its three-officer departmentinfavor of aone-year temporary agreement with the LivingstonParishSheriff’sOffice.
The move, Mayor Caleb Atwell said, was solelydue to finances. Killian hadonly afew thousand dollars in the bank when he took office in July,and much of that was already earmarked for existing invoices. So moves had to be made. Residents were not pleased, but Atwellwas stuck in what he called a“no-win”situation. Afterall, lastyear thecity
dealt with awater crisis that cost hundredsofthousands of dollars. And when you are trying to decide between pumping clean water through residents’ tapsor
paying for equipment and training for cops, well, the police force hasgot to go. Getting police coverage from the sheriffwill cost thetown about
$100,000 peryear,Atwell said, compared to the approximately $216,000 the city wasspending to support twoofficers and achief. Atwell said he will consult with town residents about apossible taxtobring the police department back. Good luckwith that. It would be one thing if Killian were an outlier.But it’snot.
Just in thelast fewmonths, Elton in southwest Louisiana and Colfax in central Louisiana have madesimilar moves. Officials in bothplaces told local media that finances werethe driver.InSimmesport,incentral Louisiana, thetown’sfiscal administrator —someone brought in to right a rapidly sinking financial ship eliminated the position of police chief and transferred his duties to thetown’smayor in order to help get thetown back to “financial stability.”
These closures are yet another flashing lightwarning of the state’srural crisis. Many of these townsare like Killian, confront-
ing anumber of challenges from declining population to broken pipes. They don’thate cops; they just can’tafford them It’snot hard to see why.Police officers require equipment, vehicles and training. Towns and villages are required to pay into the state municipal police retirement system. At one time, these tiny departments may have madesense. But not anymore. The dilemmas faced in Colfax, Killian, Elton and Simmesport are likely to be repeated in moreand moreplaces in the coming months. In recent years, the phrase “defund the police” has been a rallying cry forsome and fighting words forothers, especially in red states. But in Louisiana, it’s already happening, not because of someattack on “the blue,” but because of alack of green.
Faimon A. Roberts III can be reached at froberts@ theadvocate.com.
CharlieKirk’sdeath revealsheroes—and hypocrites
In the time since Tyler Robinson was charged with fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, I’vebeen thinking about Robinson’s parents. Despite their anguish and fear,they convinced their son to surrender to the police instead of becoming accessories after the fact. It was the right thing to do, but it’saheroically unnaturaldecision.The instinct is to shelter your wayward kin, take care of your tribe and letsociety fend for itself. Civilization asks us to rise above those base instincts, to endorseand enforce universal principles rather than the primal logic of “us” and “them.”But few of us face such a big challenge. Ispent the past decade watching conservatives complain about “cancel culture” and government attacks on free speech. And then, Iwatched them enact thesevery thingsonagrander scale: Social media mobs hounding random nobodies out of their jobs; the government pushing companies to censor speech.
and their accomplices —make an about-face and start saluting the First Amendment
ega McArdle M n
Progressive online hordes might have gotten people undeservedly fired, but at least they weren’t cheered on by the vice president of the United States. The Biden administration might have threatened social media companies with regulatory retaliation fornot cracking down on “misinformation” enthusiastically enough. However,atleast those officials didn’t go on apodcast —like Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr —and threaten to revoke thelicenses of ABC affiliates unless they pulled Jimmy Kimmel off theair
This weapons-grade hypocrisy was thework of asmall number of conservatives, but it was supportedonlinebymany more. Admittedly,there’s acertain insinceritytothe left’sbelated discovery of theimportance of free speech. Ihavehad to stop drinkingbeverages while scrolling social media, lest Ichoke on my own mordant laughter as Iwatch prominent cancellation artists
However silly progressives look, at least they are now pointed in the right direction, while conservatives are headed in the wrong one.
Ourfidelitytounnatural principles, such as free speech, is the foundation of civilization today Youcannot run amodern industrial society on tribal loyalties and personal judgmentsthat work well for asmall band of foragers. When those principles are working, it’seasy to forget how fragile that negotiated truce is, and how much we need it.Our ancient instinctsreassert themselves, and we look for ways to weasel out of thesocial contract. After all, no matter how much lip service we pay to principles, it feels gloriously right to punish those odious outsiders who have offended our mostsacred values. So we invent reasons that this is different
That’show some progressives came to believe that they could use theoutsize power they had amassed on social media to re-
write the rules unilaterally.Social justice was different; free speech was atool of the oppressor,sonaturally,they granted immunity to themselves while cracking down on the other side. They are now discoveringwhere that ends. Having abandoned the clear and unforgiving principles of free speech, they have little to protect them now except achild’s plaint:That’snot what Imeant! Conservatives will be equally unprotected when the wormturns again and Democrats have the FCC at their disposal. We could spend years battering each other until there is nothing leftofour tattered democracy.Orwecould choose to restore the old truce. By “we” Idon’tmean some vague, collective “we.” Imean you and me. And I’mafraid we can’tjust shout about the horrible behavior of people we disagree with —verysatisfying, and very ineffective. Your side is the one you can influence, so that’swhere you should concentrate your fire, even if the other side’sbehavior seemsobjectively worse. Onemight ask whether it’sreal-
istic to demand people rise above their instincts in this bitterly partisan age, especially when so manyoftheir opponents are failing to do so.
Charlie Kirk’swidow did the right thing. Her husband wasassassinated over politics, leaving her children without afather Erika Kirk didn’tgive in to the natural impulse to rail against her political enemies, like certain U.S. presidents Icould name. Instead, she gave abeautiful eulogy in which she forgave her husband’s killer on principle, and reaffirmed Charlie’scommitment to many other principles —amongthem, the First Amendment. This seems both extraordinary and entirely reasonable, because she, of all people, knowswhere the other wayisleading us.
“When you stop the conversation, when you stop the dialogue —this is what happens,” she said. “When we lose the ability and the willingness to communicate, we get violence.”
MeganMcArdle in on X, @asymmetricinfo.
PHOTO By DAVID NORMAND
Livingston Parish Sheriffdeputies are shown parked in front of LiveOak Middle School located on Cecil DriveinWatson.
Faimon Roberts
CLUB NO DUB
Favored Saints must beat Giants
Youtypically wouldn’tcall the fifth gameofanNFL season amust-win. But when the New Orleans Saints host the New York Giants on Sunday, that’ssurely what it feels like. There are no playoffimplications Sunday.(“PLAYOFFS?”, former Saints head coach Jim Mora probably would scream about this team’spostseason hopes.)
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staffwriter
If Spencer Rattler glanced at the stands as he walked into thevisitors’ tunnel two weeks ago, he’d have noticed aSeattle Seahawks fan holding up asign that taunted the New Orleans Saints —and included a message just for Rattler
“0-8 NFL CAREERQB,” the top line of the cardboard read
Rattler’swell aware of thediscourse. Last week, the 25-year-old becamethe ninth quarterbackinNFL historytolose his first 10 starts. These days, Rattler seemingly can’tbe mentioned without that record throwninhis face. Barstool Sports’ popular“Pardon My Take”podcast did asegmentabout “the illustrious 0-10 club” before Rattlerofficially joined. Socialmedia comments, as always, can be acesspool.
“It is what it is,” Rattler said. “When you’re the quarterback, it’sgoing to be part of the territory.”
Each day,Rattler arrives as early as two hours before the Saints’ 8a.m. team meeting to review that week’s game plan andstartthe necessaryprep it takesto be an NFLquarterback.Eachweek,those efforts have not been enough
ä See RATTLER, page 7C
LUCA EVANS
The DenverPost (TNS)
DENVER Light rain turned heavy the afternoon of Feb. 1, 2010, the start to that week’sSuper Bowl festivities in Miami clouded by a gloomy gray fog. The New Orleans Saints were set to practice at the Miami Hurricanes’ outdoor facility.They needed to move indoors that Monday
Sean Payton had his pick of locations, as former linebacker Scott Shanle remembered. The Saints settled on the Dolphins’ facility, then located at Nova Southeastern University. It wassome25miles north of Miami’scampus.
But Bill Parcells was there.
The Big Tuna, then the Dolphins executive vice president of football operations, watched that Monday as his student’screation
rolledin. Fresh offthree yearsas offensive coordinator in Dallas for Parcells, Payton went to New Orleans forhis first head-coaching gig in 2006. He built a locker roomofself-dubbed “castoffs and butts,” as linebacker Scott Fujita said. Three years later,they wereplaying for aLombardi Trophy Parcells,one of the most legendary coachesinNFL history, wasrarelyone forheaping affection.But he pulled Shanle andFujita aside —two linebackerswho woundupplaying for Payton in NewOrleansafter playing forParcells in Dallas —and told them he was proud. And Shanle remembers he andPayton talking, almost as a passing ofthe torch.
“It almost felt like it wasa chance forSean to show off his team alittle bit,” Shanle said.
“And it was a‘Iwanna make you
proud’ moment.”
Foryears to come, after the Saints brought thatSuperBowl hometoNew Orleans and Payton developedhis own titanic status in the NFL, he still leaned on his
And no, first-year Saints head coach Kellen Moore is nowhere near being on the hot seat if he loses. But when you’re on an eight-game losing steak, including four losses to start off the Moore era, awin is necessary forthe sake of morale. That’sboth the morale in the locker room and the morale of afan base that hasn’ttasted victory at homein322 days.
To Moore’scredit, his players are still bought in, and the Giants are the best chance yet forthe Saints to get Moore career winNo. 1. If not now,then when? The Saints probably won’t be favored again until the NewYork Jets come to town in late December
The Saints put up agood fight in apair of single-digit losses to the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers in the Dome to start the season. The road games in Seattle and Buffalo werelong shots. When the NFLannounced the Saints’ schedule in May,0-4 was areal possibility.And here they are.
Now the Saints get awinnable home gameagainst the Giants.
Even the oddsmakers in Vegas are giving the Saints achance. They are 11/2-point favorites.
It’s the first timesince December the Saints are favored. That wasinDerek Carr’sfinal gameasthe starting quarterback. The Saints won that day,beating these sameGiants in East Rutherford, New Jersey,inagame that wasn’t decided until Bryan Bresee blocked a potential game-tying field goal with 11 seconds left.
The Saints haven’twon since. And forthe mostpart, they haven’t been expected to. This week they are. Do those expectations increase the urgency forMoore?
“No, Ihaven’treally thought about that,” he said. “Obviously,our guys know we’ve madesome progress. Ithought there wassome progress madelast week. We didn’tget the ultimatejob done, but Ithought there was progress, and our guys should have confidence coming out of that gamein Buffalo that we’re close. Obviously,the opportunity presents itself to go play against areally good team.”
Describing the Giants as “really” good is abit of astretch.
to Parcells,” or that “Bill said this is how we need to attack.”
In Denver,where the 61-year-old Payton is knee-deep in his next rebuild, aParcells quote hangs prominentlyinthe hallway of theteam’s facility in Dove Valley.Don’tever let good enough be good enough, it reads.
Now,asthe
mentor.Attimes, Shanleand Fujitawould turn to each other in meeting rooms and raise an eyebrow.That sounds familiar. Payton wouldsometimes tell his team in some variation —that he “spoke
Rod Walker
WALKER, page 6C
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler runs the ball as Arizona Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson defends during thesecond halfofa game on Sept. 7at the CaesarsSuperdome
Brewers blast Cubs in Game 1
Chourio boosts fast start; Milwaukee leads best-of-five series 1-0
By The Associated Press
MILWAUKEE Jackson Chourio
sparked Milwaukee’s fast start at the plate, and Freddy Peralta delivered a steady performance on the mound.
The Brewers looked more than ready for October
Chourio capped Milwaukee’s six-run first inning with a two-run single, and the Brewers trounced the Chicago Cubs 9-3 on Saturday in Game 1 of their NL Division Series.
Hoping for a breakthrough after years of playoff frustration, Milwaukee showed off the same approach that helped the team roll to baseball’s best record during the regular season. The Brewers ranked third in the majors in scoring this year despite finishing just 22nd in homers.
It was more of the same in the team’s postseason opener. The NL Central champions had 13 hits and no home runs, while three solo drives accounted for Chicago’s offense.
“The home runs are so important these days, (but) this is scrapping hits together keeping the line moving, all the clichés that you can think of,” said Blake Perkins, who had two hits for the Brewers.
“It’s fun to be a part of, and I think we all build off of each other I’m kind of sitting there, too, (thinking), like, ‘Dang, how are we doing this? sometimes.’ It’s a cool feeling, and it’s really fun to be a part of.”
The only issue for the Brewers on Saturday was Chourio’s right hamstring tightness. He departed in the second after becoming the first player with three hits in the first two innings of a playoff game. Game 2 of the best-of-five series
Milwaukee
is on Monday night
Chourio, who missed a month of the regular season with a strained right hamstring, underwent an MRI after the victory Manager Pat Murphy said the injury “could be devastating,” while Chourio sounded much more optimistic.
“Physically I feel good, and I feel in a position where I’m ready to keep going and keep competing,” he said through an interpreter
Staked to an early lead, Peralta permitted two runs in 5 2 3 innings.
His nine strikeouts tied Don Sutton, Yovani Gallardo and Brandon Woodruff for the Brewers’ singlegame playoff record. Michael Busch, Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner homered for Chicago.
Brewers-Cubs games in Milwaukee generally have divided
Kirk homers twice, Gausman shines as Jays thump Yankees
BY IAN HARRISON Associated Press
Alejandro Kirk and Vladmir Guerrero Jr powered the Toronto Blue Jays to yet another home win over the New York Yankees, snapping a postseason losing streak that stretched back almost a decade.
Kirk hit two solo home runs, Guerrero also connected and the Blue Jays won a playoff game for the first time since 2016 by thumping the New York Yankees 10-1 in Game 1 of their AL Division Series on Saturday Nathan Lukes had two hits, three RBIs and a diving catch, and Andrés Giménez added two hits and drove in a pair as the AL East champion Blue Jays used 14 hits to snap a seven-game postseason skid.
Toronto’s previous playoff win came in Game 4 of the 2016 American League Championship Series against Cleveland The Blue Jays lost that series in five games.
Toronto was swept out of the wild-card round at Tampa Bay in 2020, at home against Seattle in 2022 and at Minnesota in 2023.
“To win one was nice,” Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, a former LSU star, said. “To win one at home in front of our fans that have been awesome all season was really special.”
Gausman allowed one run and four hits in 52⁄3 innings for the win.
Guerrero went 3 for 4 with two RBIs. He opened the scoring with a two-out drive in the first inning, the first postseason homer of his career, and added a sacrifice fly in Toronto’s four-run seventh.
“He always kind of raises his game when he plays the Yankees,” Gausman said. “What a night for him.”
Guerrero entered with three hits and one RBI in six previous playoff games.
“There was a little bit of a different feel about Vlad today,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.
Kirk hit a first-pitch homer in the second, his first in the postseason, then added a second shot off Paul Blackburn to begin a fourrun eighth. He’s the first Mexicanborn player to homer twice in a postseason game.
“It feels amazing to me, but it’s work paying off,” Kirk said
crowds because of all the people who make the 90-mile trip from Chicago, but that wasn’t the case Saturday The vast majority of spectators were Brewers fans waving yellow towels and booing Cubs manager Craig Counsell.
“It didn’t seem 50/50, for sure,” Murphy said. “It felt like a home game. It definitely felt like a home game. They were difference-makers.”
Counsell, who grew up in the Milwaukee area, is the winningest manager in Brewers history, but he left for Chicago after the 2023 season.
He has been jeered whenever his name has been mentioned over the American Family Field loudspeaker since he departed. Counsell’s decision to start Matthew Boyd on short rest didn’t
work out The All-Star left-hander was lifted with two out in the first.
The Brewers scored four runs or fewer in their past nine regularseason games. They had gone 2-11 in their past 13 playoff games, scoring over four runs in just one of those contests and failing to exceed five runs in any of them.
DODGERS 5, PHILLIES 3: In Philadelphia, Teoscar Hernández rallied Los Angeles with a three-run homer in the seventh inning of a win over Philadelphia in Game 1.
Shohei Ohtani, who struck out four times at the plate, recovered from a shaky start on the mound to strike out nine over six innings. Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia preserved the lead in the eighth, and Roki Sasaki earned his first career save in the ninth. Game 2 is on Monday in Philadelphia.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman reacts to a pop fly out against the New york yankees during during Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday in Toronto. Gausman got the win, going 523 innings and allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
through a translator Kirk has homered five times in his past three games dating to the final weekend of the regular season. Toronto won for the seventh time in eight home games against New York this year The Blue Jays went an AL-best 54-27 at home in the regular season. The Blue Jays won eight of 13 regular-season meetings with the Yankees overall, giving them the tiebreaker for the AL East title after both teams finished 94-68. That gave Toronto a first-round playoff bye while it awaited the winner of the Wild Card Series between New York and Boston. Making his third career postseason start, Yankees right-hander
Luis Gil allowed two runs on four hits in 22⁄3 innings. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year took the loss.
“They were hunting the top of the zone a little bit and, I thought, put a lot of good swings on them,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. The Yankees didn’t put a runner in scoring position until Anthony Volpe doubled to begin the sixth. Austin Wells singled Volpe to third and Trent Grisham walked to load the bases. Gausman struck out Aaron Judge but walked Cody Bellinger to bring home a run.
After Ben Rice popped out, Louis Varland came on and struck out Giancarlo Stanton ending the atbat with a 101 mph fastball.
Former Jets QB Sanchez arrested after being stabbed INDIANAPOLIS Former NFL quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez was arrested Saturday after he was apparently stabbed in an overnight altercation in downtown Indianapolis. Sanchez, who was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s Raiders-Colts game, was charged with battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication — all misdemeanors.
Indianapolis police said Sanchez was in a hospital and had not been booked into a detention center He was in stable condition, according to Fox Sports.
Police said the Marion County prosecutor’s office would make the final charging decision. That office didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry from The Associated Press.
Southeastern dominates McNeese in SLC opener
LAKE CHARLES Deantre Jackson scored twice and Carson Camp threw a 69-yard touchdown pass as Southeastern Louisiana powered past McNeese 38-0 on Saturday Jackson led the Lions (3-2, 1-0 Southland) with 64 yards rushing and touchdown runs of 1 and 45 yards. Camp and Kyle Lowe combined to throw for 267 yards and two scores as Southeastern raced to a 38-point halftime lead. The Lions’ defense set the tone early when Ian Conerly-Goodly intercepted a pass and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown less than five minutes into the game Jackson’s short run made it 14-0 after one quarter Southeastern finished with 418 total yards while holding McNeese (1-4, 0-1) to 189.
Fuselier’s 88-yard TD return lifts Lamar by Nicholls State BEAUMONT, Texas Aiden McCown accounted for two touchdowns, Kyndon Fuselier returned a punt 88 yards into the end zone with 3:41 remaining and No. 20 Lamar beat Nicholls 24-17 on Saturday Fuselier scored the only touchdown of the second half. Gabriel Showalter kicked a 45-yard field goal for Nicholls that tied it 17-all midway through the third quarter McCown completed 12 of 22 passes for 237 yards for Lamar (4-1, 1-0 Southland). He tossed an 85-yard touchdown pass to Blake Thomas on the first play from scrimmage. Deuce Hogan scored a shortyardage touchdown run and Shane Lee broke loose on a 75-yard touchdown run to give Nicholls (1-5, 1-1) a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter
Northwestern State falls to East Texas A&M in SLC NATCHITOCHES Ron Peace threw for 268 yards on 14-of-19 passing and EJ Oakmon ran for three scores to lead East Texas A&M to a 40-10 rout of Northwestern State on Saturday night. The Lions opened their Southland Conference schedule with a win after losing four in a row to start their first campaign as a full Division I member Oakmon scored his first touchdown on East Texas A&M’s first drive, a nine-play, 77-yard effort. He added another touchdown before the end of the first half, but Northwestern State kicked a field goal as time expired to trim the Lion’s lead to 17-3. Northwestern State (1-4, 0-1) has lost four straight games.
QB completes 46 straight passes to break record
SPARTANBURG, S.C. Taron Dickens completed 46 consecutive passes to break the FCS record for consecutive completions in a game, and threw three touchdown passes to lead Western Carolina to a 23-21 win over Wofford on Saturday in a Southern Conference matchup. Dickens led a comeback win for the Catamounts after the lead changed hands in the late third quarter He found Josiah Thomas for 14 yards on a fourth-and-8 with 48 seconds remaining in the game. Marcus Trout, whose previous field goal attempt was blocked, made a game-winning 34-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining after a delay of game penalty Dickens was 53 for 56 for 378 yards passing. His 94.6 completion percentage is the highest completion percentage in a game in FCS
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MORRy GASH
Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio hits an RBI single during the second inning of Game 1 of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday in Milwaukee. Chourio, who left the game with a hamstring injury, became the first player to have three hits in the first two innings of a playoff game in the Brewers’ 9-3 win.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NATHAN DENETTE
OUTDOORS
What ajump
Alan Crnkosets out game cameras mostly tosee what strangethings can happen in his neckofthe woodsnear
He shared acomical image of adoe leaping in an open field just days away fromthe opening of the hunting season. ‘I getamusingorunusual pictures from the
said,adding thedeer appeared happier when he has placed food in the feeders near the game cameras.
Make venison fitfor your table
Writer givestips on field-dressing deer,thencooling themeatassoonaspossible
BY JOE MACALUSO
Contributing writer
Now that seasons have opened in all 10 of our state’sdeer huntingareas, it’s timetotalkabout turning this effort into wholesome food for the table. Realizing there would be an outcry if aphoto displaying the proper way to field-dress adeer —it’scalled “eviscerating” —the best way is to help novice hunters to best-handling practices once they’ve beenona successful trip afield. Some older hunters can heed these tips, too.
It’salways been amusing to see Louisiana hunters parade their prizes around town like what’s sometimes portrayed in movies sometimes on the hoods of hunting vehicles.
That’sbad, not only because it’s hot around here andusually stays warm through the bulk of the deer season, but also because the first two moves in turning adeer into wholesome food are, first, fielddressing (removing all the innards), and, secondly,cooling the meat down as rapidly as possible.
LindsayThomas,writing forthe National Deer Association, touched on this and other important aspects of meat for our tables inlast week’sNDA posting.
Thomas wasright on allaccounts.
“Heat Spoils” was one of his talking points noting that “temperatures above 40 degrees are the enemy of quality venison.”
He mentioned hanging afielddressed deerina walk-in cooler, buthow many of us have oneof those, and if you need to transport afield-dressed whitetail to askinning shed, then go afield withan icechest filled with at least two bags of ice.
WEDNESDAY
GULF COUNCIL SCIENTIFIC &SHRIMP COMMITTEES VIRTUAL MEETING: Topitems: updatedessential fish habitat text/map for shrimp, reef fish, coastal migratorypelagics, spinylobster &redfish; operational assessment for gag grouper. Public comment taken after committee meeting. Webinaravailable.Website: gulfcouncil.org
BUGS &BEERS: 6:30p.m., Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N. Dorgenois St., New Orleans. Fly tying. Open to the public. Email A.J. Rosenbohm: ajrosenbohm@gmail.com. Website: neworleansflyfishers.com
BubbaWallace is paid to race in NASCAR for Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, so Hamlin raised eyebrows lastweekend for pushing Wallace intothe wall in alast-lap pushfor the victoryatKansas Speedway Hamlin drives for Joe Gibbs Racing and wasseeking the 60th win of his CupSeriescareer and an automatic berthintothe third round of the playoffs. Awin for Wallace would have puthim into thethird round of theplayoffs forthe first time in his career and guarantee at least one 23XIRacing driver is still partofthe championship hunt.
Although the two had abrief interaction on pit road following the race —ChaseElliott came back from 10th on atwo-lap overtime shootout to nab the winafter the Hamlin and Wallace incident —itwasn’tuntil Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway that driver and team owner finally talked.
CORRECTION
Last week’saccount of ayoung mancatchinga potential junior worldrecordtarpon erred in identifying the 15-year-oldangler to be Cruz Strohmeyer. HisnameisCruzGomez, the grandsonoflongtime tarpon fishermanMikeStrohmeyer. AdvocateOutdoors deeply regrets theerror Beyond that,Gomez’s 228 8-pound tarpon, if approved by theInternational GameFish Association, will better the existing junior worldrecordbynearly 6pounds and give Louisiana another featherinits fishing cap. It would mean male and female
Put the bags of ice in the eviscerated cavity. Then, after skinning,ice thequartersinachest until you’re abletoprocessthe meat.
Thomas dwelled on “tainted meat,”things some hunters often overlook.
During field-dressing,take care nottocut intothe bladder or intestines or the stomach, the latter to avoid rumen contents contamination.
Anyleaks in these three spots can ruin themeat. This is important because the wonderful tenderloins and the hind quarters are close tothe bladder and the intestines.
Thomas mentioned removing tarsalglandsfrombucksand does because these animals urinate on these hind legs areas (around the knee)and urine and bacteria from these areas will get into the meat.
DEER/PRIMITIVE FIREARMS: Oct. 1117, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8&10.
DOVES: North Zone,Oct. 11-Nov. 16; South Zone,Oct. 18-Nov. 30.
DEER/ARCHERY: Through Oct. 15, State Deer Areas 5, 6&9,bucks only; Oct. 16-Feb. 15, either-sex take allowed..
DEER/PRIMITIVE FIREARMS: Oct. 1824, State Deer Areas 2.
DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Oct. 18Nov. 30, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8&10.
DEER/ARCHERY: Through Jan.15, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8&10. Eithersex takeallowed.
DEER/ARCHERY: Through Jan. 31, State Deer Areas 1, 2&4.Either-sex takeallowed. RABBITS &SQUIRRELS: Through Feb. 28, statewide, private lands only
junior (16-and-younger) worldrecord tarpons and the male smallfry(10-and-younger) tarpon record were caught fromLouisiana waters.
Ivy ElizabethRobichaux holds the femalejunior record with a 199-pound, 3-ounce silver king (2016) taken near Grand Isle, and Bennett Eichornholds the male smallfryrecord at 170-9 taken in 2020 from West Delta Block 54. The femalesmallfryrecord, at 107-8, belongs to Adelynn Sue Covington. Her tarpon came in 2023 near Cat Island, Mississippi Joe Macaluso
That’swhy most hunters keep a hacksaw at the skinning shed and use it to remove the legs above the knee joint to avoid contamination from the tarsals. It’sbest to wash hands after removing the lower legs
After that, Thomas talked about keeping the hair on the hide away from themeat only because the hair holds lots of bacteria.
“When skinning adeer,asmuch as possible, cut through skin by running your knife blade under theskin and cutting outward,” Thomaswrote.
“This keeps most hair attached to the hide andminimizes loose hair drifting around. It also helps avoid cutting into meat with the blade of your skinning knife, which is contaminatedwithbacteria from the hide.”
Finally,hewarned about knives and the need to have cleaned sur-
AROUND THECORNER
OCT.13—REDSTICK FLYFISHERS
MEETING: 7 p.m.,Regional Branch Library,9200 Bluebonnet Blvd.,Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email Brian Roberts: roberts.brian84@ gmail.comWebsite: rsff.org
OCT.15—FLIES &FLIGHTS: 7p.m., Rally Cap Brewing, 11212 Pennywood Ave.,Baton Rouge. Fly tying. Open to public. Sparetools, materials for novices. Email Chris Williams: thefatfingeredflytyer@gmail.com
OCT.16—S.T.A.R./CCABATON ROUGE
BANQUET: 5:30 p.m., LiveOak at Cedar Lodge,6300 Jefferson Hwy.,Baton Rouge. Prizes from summer-longfishing event, raffles, silent/liveauctions. Call Nolan Reynerson (225) 952-9200. Email: SAM@ccalouisiana.com
OCT.16—ACADIANA FLYRODDERS PROGRAM: 6p.m., Pack & Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook,Lafayette. Open to public. Email Darin Lee: cbrsandcdc@gmail.com. Website: acadianaflyrodders.org
FISHING/SHRIMPING
SHRIMP: Fall inshore &outside waters open statewide.
faces to finishthe butchering process. Knives should be sharp and cleaned oftenduring the process and workareas should be as clean as possible and then thoroughly cleaned after all this work.
“Just becauseyou will cook the venisonlater does notmean alittle bacteria is OK. It still can affect the flavor even if it doesn’t give you food poisoning,” Thomas wrote.
OperationGameThief
With hunting seasons in full swing —squirreland rabbit hunters joined the deer folks this weekend —know Wildlifeand Fisheries’ Enforcement Division agents already have hit another gear
Louisiana OperationGame
Thief’s Oct. 1meeting at which the directors awarded $6,100 in rewards to informantsinvolved in 15 cases with 34 subjects and 134 violations for deer,migratory game bird, alligator,turkeyand small-game hunting and commercial fishing violations
To report possible game and fish violations, call the 24-hour,tollfree Operation GameThief line at (800)442-2511, andtomake a donation to LOGT,gotowebsite: lawff.ejoinme.org/logt.
Snapper
LA Creel’sSept.21estimate of the recreational red snapper catch totaled839,291 pounds. That’s 93.8% of our states 894,955-pounds allocation.
Statefisheriesmanagers said with lessthan 7% of the allocation remaining, offshore reef fishermencould see an abrupt close to the recreational season,possibly as early as next week
Theone-week increase (from Sept. 14) was 21,756 pounds
OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Red
snapper, greater amberjack (State waters only through Oct. 31), gray triggerfish, flounder (recreational/ commercial takeclosed Oct. 15-Nov 30);lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers &wenchmen among other snapper species; all groupers except closed for goliath &Nassau groupers in state/federal waters.
ROAD CLOSURE: Section of La. 975 through Sherburne WMA closed through June 12, 2026 (replace bridge) accessfromU.S.190 and I-10 open. Drawdowns:Underway on Henderson Lake, LakeBistineau, Saline,Kepler, Iatt, Black &Clear lakes, Clear-Smithport Lake&Lake Martin. EMAIL: jmacaluso@theadvocate.com
“I don’tfault Denny Hamlin forracingfor the win, racing for his team and his sponsors,” Wallace said.“Iget thequestion alot —what’sitlike racing Denny on the race track? No offensetothem, but Icould give two (profanity)becausehe’sa competitor, and he haslabeled it that way “So that wastwo competitors going for awin, and so as much as it didn’twork out,I have to respect that.”
Even so,Wallace estimated that 95% of the driversfelt that was an “oof”move by Hamlin, whowas struggling with power steering issues.Italso put Wallace and teammate Tyler Reddick in serious danger of elimination from the playoffs on Sunday when the field is trimmed from 12 driversto eight on thehybrid road course/ oval at Charlotte.
Wallace, Reddick, AustinCindric and Ross Chastain are all below the cut line and likely need to win to stave off elimination.
Only problem? Shanevan Gisbergen is in the field and has won fourroad or street course races this season. Reddick edged van Gisbergen in Saturday qualifying and will start at the Roval from the pole. Wallace described the days since Kansas as “a somber week”and heardHamlin say on his podcast that he would not apologizefor trying to win arace.
“I hate it got to this point, the lingering effect, but Denny and Ijusttalked 30 minutes ago, and it wasagood heart-to-heart,” Wallace said. “The conversation came froma place of peace. It went betterthan Ithought it would.”
Odds andends
The Roval is the sixth and final road course race of the seasonand the only road course in the playoffs Four of the five previous Roval winners arecurrent playoffdrivers Ryan Blaney (2018),Chase Elliott (2019 &2020), Kyle Larson (2021 &2024) and Christopher Bell(2022). The winner of the Roval wentontowin the championship twice when Elliott did it in 2020 andLarsonin2021. Ford has not won at theRoval since Blaney’s2018 victory in the inaugural race. Hendrick Motorsports has yet to wina road course race this season after winning at leastonce on road courses every year between 2018 and 2024.
ä Bank of America 400.
SUNDAy,USA
PROVIDED PHOTO
Holden.
cameras,’ Crnko
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
GAME OF THE WEEK
Florida upsets No. 9 Texas
BY MARK LONG Associated Press
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — DJ Lagway and Dallas Wilson might be the combination Florida coach Billy Napier needs to save his job.
Lagway threw for a season-high 289 yards and two touchdowns — both to Wilson, a true freshman making his college debut and Florida upset No. 9 Texas 29-21 on Saturday to end a three-game skid
“It’s us against the world,” Lagway said.
“That’s our mentality.”
Arch Manning and the Longhorns (3-2, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) had a chance in the final minute thanks partly to a defensive penalty, but he threw incomplete deep and was sacked twice. That set off a raucous celebration for Florida (2-3, 1-1), which won for the first time since beating Long Island in the opener and eased some pressure on Napier Lagway looked better than he had in four previous starts this season, and Wilson had a lot to do with it The Tampa native showed speed, hands and arguably the most physicality of any Florida receiver in years.
Wilson’s 55-yard TD catch late in the third quarter was one of the most impressive plays in the Swamp since Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin dominated opponents
regularly
“He’s a specimen,” Lagway said. Wilson tossed aside cornerback Kobe Black at the line of scrimmage, spun out of the grasp of
safety Jelani McDonald, tiptoed the sideline, ran through McDonald’s second attempt at a tackle and then powered through safety Michael Taaffe at the goal line.
“That was a crazy play,” said Wilson, who also had a leaping, toedragging catch for 18 yards near the sideline that set up his 13-yard score two plays later
TOP 25 ROUNDUP
UCLA stuns No. 7 Penn State with Iamaleava’s 5 touchdowns
BY BETH HARRIS Associated Press
PASADENA, Calif. — Winless in four games in which they never led, their head coach fired, two coordinators gone and No. 7 Penn State in town. UCLA couldn’t get much lower “Nobody in the world expected us to win,” Bruins safety Key Lawrence said. Indeed, the Bruins were 25 1/2-point underdogs. They went out and stunned the Nittany Lions 42-37 on Saturday, becoming the first 0-4 or worse team to beat a top-10 team in 40 years
“You’d think it was Mardi Gras,” interim coach Tim Skipper said, describing the locker room atmosphere. “There was water flying everywhere, there’s music, there’s guys that can’t dance that are dancing, there’s coaches trying to be dancers. It was exciting.” Nico Iamaleava ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more, helping UCLA earn its first win of the season after DeShaun Foster was fired. The Bruins’ offense exploded early and they led all the way after not scoring in the first quarter of their earlier losses.
“We were going to be super aggressive, but not do dumb things,” Skipper said. “The plan was if we scored a touchdown first, we were going to go to it.”
The Bruins (1-4, 1-1 Big Ten) had tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel calling UCLA’s offensive plays for the first time against Penn State’s vaunted defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri left the program earlier in the week.
“We had two days to practice the new game plan and all they did was believe,” said Neuheisel, a former UCLA quarterback and son of former Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel, who called the nationally televised game for CBS. “It was just a special, special day.”
Leading 42-35, UCLA’s Scooter Jackson came up with a huge stop of Drew Allar on 4th and 2 and the Nittany Lions turned the ball over on downs with 37 seconds left. Bruins punter Will Karoll took a safety that made it 42-37. Penn State was coming off a double-overtime 30-24 loss to Oregon last week.
“Obviously, we didn’t handle last week’s loss well,” Lions coach James Franklin said. “We lost some players during that game, and then everything else. Travel, everything else. Did not come out with the right energy to start the game. Before you know it they
got a touchdown drive and onside kick.”
UCLA racked up 446 total yards to 357 for Penn State, while outrushing the Lions, 280 to 127, and going 10 of 16 on 3rd downs.
Iamaleava had his best game since his high-profile transfer from Tennessee over the summer
He capped his day by scrambling right and running 7 yards into the end zone and then throwing a 2-point conversion pass to Kwazi Gilmer for a 42-28 lead with 6:41 left in the fourth. He was 17 of 24 for 166 yards passing and was the Bruins’ top rusher with 16 carries for 128 yards.
NO 1 OHIO ST 42, MINNESOTA 3: In Columbus, Ohio, Julian Sayin passed for 326 yards and three touchdowns, Carnell Tate had 183 yards receiving and topranked Ohio State rolled to a victory over Minnesota on Saturday night.
It was the third 300-yard game in five starts for Sayin, who completed 23 of 27 passes.
Tate finished with 183 yards on nine receptions. The junior receiver had seven receptions for 163 yards in the first half, including three for at least 44 yards. Five of his catches came on the first play of Ohio State’s drives, including a 44-yard touchdown on the opening play of the Buckeyes’ fifth series where he beat Minnesota cornerback Za’Quan Bryan on a go route and hauled in a 44yard pass from Sayin in the end zone to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 21-3 with 8:04 remaining in the first half.
CINCINNATI 38, NO. 14 IOWA ST 30:
In Cincinnati, Brendan Sorsby passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns Evan Pryor ran for 111 yards and two TDs and Cincinnati used a 17-point first quarter to beat No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday
The Bearcats (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) beat a ranked opponent at home for the first time since beating No. 16 Houston 35-20 on Dec. 4, 2021.
NO 20 MICHIGAN 24, WISCONSIN 10:
In Ann Arbor Michigan, Bryce Underwood threw for a seasonhigh 270 yards and a touchdown, Justice Haynes ran for 117 yards and two scores and Michigan beat Wisconsin.
The Wolverines (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) pulled away in the second half when Underwood threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Donaven McCulley late in the third quarter and Haynes had his second short touchdown run early in the fourth. The Badgers (2-3, 0-2) opened
the game with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock and didn’t score again until Nathanial Vakos kicked a 39-yard field goal late in the game.
NO 22 ILLINOIS 43, PURDUE 27: In West Lafayette, Indiana, Luke Altmyer threw for a career-high 390 yards, Hank Beatty had 186 yards receiving and Kaden Feagin added two TD runs to lead Illinois past Purdue.
The Fighting Illini (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) used their first conference road win to retain the Cannon Trophy for the first time since last beating its border rival in back-toback seasons in 2001 and 2002.
NO 21 NOTRE DAME 28, BOISE ST 7: In South Bend, Indiana, Leonard Moore had two of Notre Dame’s four interceptions in his return from injury and the 21st-ranked Fighting Irish beat Boise State on Saturday CJ Carr was 15-of-23 passing for 189 yards and threw touchdowns to Will Pauling and Malachi Fields.
Moore, a preseason All-America selectionatcornerback,missedNotre Dame’s previous two games with a high ankle sprain. Tae Johnson and Luke Talich had the other two interceptions for the Fighting Irish (3-2).
NO 24 VIRGINIA 30, LOUISVILLE 27: In Louisville, Kentucky, Mari Taylor’s 2-yard run in overtime gave No. 24 Virginia a victory over Louisville on Saturday
The Cavaliers (5-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), off to their best conference start since 2007, won despite the nation’s fifth-best offense, averaging 539.6 yards per game, being limited to 237 yards. A pair of defensive scores offset the sputtering offensive performance.
NO.11 TEXAS TECH 35, HOUSTON 11: In Houston, Behren Morton threw for 345 yards and a touchdown, J’Koby Williams ran for two scores and No. 11 Texas Tech improved to 5-0 with a victory over previously unbeaten Houston on Saturday night.
It’s the first time the Red Raiders have won their first five games since opening the 2013 season 7-0 and is the eighth 5-0 start in school history Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) has dominated through its first five games, winning each contest by at least 24 points and outscoring opponents 243-56.
Conner Weigman threw for 71 yards with an interception in the first half for Houston (4-1, 1-1) before going to the locker room late in the second quarter with an apparent injury and not returning.
Wilson finished with six catches for 111 yards. It was the best debut for a freshman receiver at Florida in program history. Wilson was the star of Florida’s spring game in April but injured his left foot early in fall camp and spent weeks in a walking boot.
He finally returned to practice during Florida’s off week and provided the jolt the Gators needed to end a three-game slide in which they scored 16, 10 and 7 points.
Texas struggled to find consistency in front of a hostile crowd of 90,714. Manning was hurried and harassed all afternoon. He threw for 263 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
“I thought he competed his heart out,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Our entire team did. Most people thought we were probably dead and gone. We fought all the way back and had a chance there at the end.”
Manning was sacked seven times behind a line that got bullied without blitzes in Texas’ first visit to Gainesville since 1940.
“This is where you find out about the culture that you have,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got to get tighter than we’ve ever been. We’re going to have to quiet the noise because there will be plenty of noise coming out of this game.”
Simpson, Miller lead Bama to victory over Vanderbilt
The Associated Press TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Ty Simpson threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, leading No. 10 Alabama to a 30-14 victory over No. 16 Vanderbilt on Saturday Simpson overcame an early interception to complete 23-of-30 passes, finding Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams for touchdowns. Jam Miller ran for 136 yards and a touchdown for the Crimson Tide (4-1, 2-0 SEC).
“I thought we played hardnosed,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “The momentum we’re continuing to gain, there’s a confidence between offense and defense that the other side will come through when it matters most.” Diego Pavia threw for 183 yards and ran for 58 for Vanderbilt (51, 1-1), but threw an interception and lost a fumble. Sedrick Alexander had a 65-yard touchdown run. Alabama converted all four of its trips into the red zone in points, while Pavia’s two turnovers left Vanderbilt without points in two criticalsituations.Vanderbilt’srunning game that totaled 126 yards on 12.7 yards per carry in the first half was limited to just nine rushing yards in the second half
“We knew coming in this would be a game won on third down and the red zone,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “Those are two areas we weren’t very good at, particularly on offense. Offensively we never seemed to get rhythm, particularly in the second half. And that allowed them to take time of possession.” NO 12 GEORGIA 35, KENTUCKY 14: In Athens, Georgia, Gunner Stockton and Dillon Bell each had a pair of touchdown runs, leading No. 12 Georgia to a victory over Kentucky as the Bulldogs bounced back resoundingly from a tough
loss to Alabama. Georgia (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) finally got off to a quick start, capping its first two possessionswithscoringrunsfrom quarterback Stockton. He finished with 48 yards on six carries. Stockton also completed 15 of 23 passes for 196 yards, including a 16-yard scoring play to Cash Jones. NO 5 OKLAHOMA 44, KENT STATE 0: In Norman, Oklahoma, Oklahoma backup Michael Hawkins Jr passed forthreetouchdownsandranforanother, and the fifth-ranked Sooners rolled past Kent State on Saturday Hawkins led the Sooners (5-0) to points on their first five possessions. He passed for 162 yards and ran for 33 as a fill-in for John Mateer, who sat out with an injured right hand. Isaiah Sategna caught two touchdown passes, and Tory Blaylock had 78 yards on 15 carries. Oklahoma held the Golden Flashes (1-4) to 135 total yards and registered its first shutout since a 73-0 win over Arkansas State on Sept. 2, 2023. The Sooners had five sacks and 13 tackles for loss and held Kent State to 17 yards on 33 rushing attempts. NO 6 TEXAS A&M 31, MISSISSIPPI ST 9: In College Station, Texas, KC Concepcion caught two touchdown passes and No. 6 Texas A&M dominated on defense for a second consecutive week, beating Mississippi State on Saturday
The Aggies improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2016. They are 2-0 in the SEC.
The Bulldogs, still aiming for their first SEC victory in coach Jeff Lebby’s two seasons, held a 3-0 lead for most of the first half. The slow-starting Aggies finally got on the scoreboard with 1:51 remaining in the
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway passes the ball during the first half of a game against Texas on Saturday in
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VASHA HUNT Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard grabs a pass and runs it into the end zone for a touchdown against Vanderbilt during the
PROBASKETBALL
WNBA FINALS
Adjustment time
Mercurymustcorrect mistakes if they want to even series
BY W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press
LAS VEGAS ThePhoenix Mercury led Game 1ofthe WNBA Finals for more than two-thirds of the game, but couldn’tfinish what they started in their 89-86 lossto the Las Vegas Aces The Mercury were ahead for more than 27 minutes Friday and their biggest lead was nine pointsafter Monique Akoa Makani hit three consecutive free throws to give them a66-57 advantage with 3:36 left in the third quarter Phoenix’slast lead was 82-80 with alittle less than five minutes left in the game. So what went wrong?
“Theymade acouple plays down the stretch we didn’t,” Phoenix coach Nate Tibbets said. “That’s whythis is going to be agreat series, right?”
It could be, if the Mercury don’tmake the same mistakes Sunday in Game 2 under the pressure of araucous arena that had asellout
crowd of 10,266 reach peak decibelsonFriday Phoenix committed12 turnovers, to Las Vegas’ five, and the Aces capitalized with 20 pointsoff the Mercury’smiscues.
Kahleah Copperfinished with 21 points, but 19 of those came in the first half. The Aces’ defensive switches limited Copper’slooks to just four attempts in the second half, when she scored only twopoints andhad oneassist. The Mercury went from shooting 52.9% (18of34) in thefirst half to 40.6% in the second half, with nearly the same amount of looks, hitting 13 of 32.
“They went zone, kind of made us stand alittle bit,” Tibbetts said. “I thought we had some good looks. Give themcredit for mixing up theirdefense; that wasa good adjustment “Wedidn’thandleitwell, and that was part of the
reason (Copper) didn’tget as many shotsinthe second half.
Tibbetts saidit’sa series thatcould see games come down to the last possession, situations he saidhis team hashandled well, despite star Alyssa Thomas missing apairoffree throws that could have given Phoenix the lead with 24.6 seconds left in the game.
Thomas had an injury scare late in the game with herleft hand but said Saturday it was fine and not an issue.
“Wedon’tneed to talk about that,”said Thomas, whohad 15 points,10rebounds and nine assists in Game 1.
Finally,there’s Phoenix’s defense, whichheldteams to 75.9 points pergame on 41.1% shooting through its first seven playoff games, but allowed theAces to score89pointsand shoot 45.8% in the series opener bothopponent highs against theMercury in the playoffs. Las Vegas’ benchalsooutscored Phoenix’s, 41-16.
Bronny Jameshas roughshootingnight
BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter
PALM DESERT,Calif. Three days shy of ayear after BronnyJames made his preseason debut with the Los Angeles Lakers in this desert arena, the NBA’s mostfamous son resumed his quest to show he belongs in the big leagues. While his 1-for-12 shooting performance in the Lakers’ opener wasn’tideal, James said he felt his effort Friday night was another step forwardinaprocess that’s already showing results to coach JJ Redick. Bronny James scored eight points while LeBron
James and Luka Doncic sat out of the Lakers’ 103-81 loss to thePhoenixSuns.
Bronny’s40-year-old fatherisprogressing deliberately in hisreturnfroma minor nerve injurytobegin his record 23rd NBA season, while Doncic is also rampingupwith caution after his busy summer playing for SloveniaatEuroBasket.
That left plentyofplaying time in the Coachella Valley for depth players likeBronny James, who hit a3-pointer late in thethird quarter for his only field goal.
He missed his other seven 3-point attempts while struggling for bucketsalongside fellow2024draftpick Dal-
tonKnecht, who was 2for 10 with1-for-7 shooting from distance.
“I feltlike they were pretty good shots,” said Bronny James, who turns 21 on Monday.“Not rushed, notforcing anything. Didn’t have my legs undermeas much as Iwanted to, so alot of them were short, but most of them were on line.Ifelt like Icould havemade those. Ifeltlike Itook some good shots.”
Bronny’sconfidence was undiminished by those misses after the Lakersopened their preseason in the same arenawhereBronnyJames first played alongside his famousfather in October 2024.
Commissioner vows to repair player relationships
BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer
LAS VEGAS WNBA commissionerCathy Engelbert saidFriday there’swork to be done to repairrelationships with playersinthe league, while adding that there were “inaccuracies” in some of the comments attributed to her by Napheesa Collier in ablistering assessment earlier this week
“I was disheartened to hear that some players feel the league and that Ipersonallydonot care about them or listentothem,” Engelbert said before Game 1of the WNBA Finals on Friday night.
“If the players in the ‘W’ don’tfeel appreciated and value from the league, we have to do better and Ihave to do better.
In wide-ranging comments, Engelbert said officiating will be reviewed this offseason by anew “state of thegame” committee. The commissioner also said the league and the players’ union have meetings scheduled for next week to discuss anew collective bargaining agreement.
Engelbert also said she plans to remainascommissionerafter aCBA is finalized.Asfor comments that Colliersaid Engelbert made in privateconversations about Caitlin Clark needing the WNBA to succeedfinancially,the commissionerdenied saying them
“Caitlin has been atransformationalplayer in this league.She’sbeena great representative of the game,” Engelbert said. “She’s brought in tens of millions of new fans to the game.”
Engelbert said she’s talked to Collier,the Minnesota Lynx star who said Tuesday thatthe league has “the worst leadership in the world” anda commissioner who lacksaccountability
The two will meet next week, either in personor virtually, Engelbert said CBAnegotiations
Engelbertsaid she believes anew CBA deal will getdone, albeit notnecessarily by the Oct.31deadline.
“That is areal deadline from that perspective. We have extended deadlinesin the past,” shesaid. “I know last time when Iwas only a couple days on the job, we gottoanextension andgot a deal done Ifeel confident that we can geta deal done, but if not, Ithink we could do an extension.”
Engelbert said higher salaries for players is agoal both sidesshare.
“Wecontinuetomeetand have important conversations with the players’ association. Iwanttoreiterate that we want much of the same things that the play-
erswant,”Engelbert said “Wewanttosignificantly increase the increase their salary and benefits, while also supporting the longterm growthand viability of the WNBA.”
Officiatingreview
Engelbert said it’sclear there are differences between the wayplayers and coaches feel aboutthe physical natureofthe game and the way the referees officiate. Thecommittee tasked with reforming officiating will include players, coaches,general managers and others.
“I think it’spretty clear that we’re misaligned currently on what ourstakeholders want from officiating,” Engelbertsaid. “We have heardloud and clear that we have not lived up to thatneeded alignment.” Engelbertsaidthe league needs to look at “good,aggressive play thatwerecognize has evolvedinto rough play andhow to calibrate the line for legal andillegal content to ensure playersafety andexcitingcompetition.”
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By JOHN LOCHER
Phoenix Mercuryforward DeWanna Bonner,left,and forward Alyssa Thomas talkduring the second half in Game 1ofthe WNBAFinals against the Las VegasAcesonFridayinLas Vegas.
be sharp.Theycan’t revert to the penaltiesthathaunted them the first three games. Or the missed tackles. Or the dropped passesand allthe other missed opportunities that have kept them in the losscolumn
“Weare going in the right direction,” Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler said. “It’sjust afew plays each game that we all have to clean up. And we will. I’m confident about that. It’sgot to get done, andwe’ve got to get it done this week.”
The Saints need it Rattler needsit. He’s 0-10 as astarter.This will be his first time starting in agame
the Saints arefavored to win. It’s been awhile since Saintsfans have had much to cheer about. That 2-0 start last season when the whole citywas buzzing afterthe Saints blastedthe Carolina Panthers at home and the Dallas Cowboys at Jerry World seems like forever ago. The Saintsare a dismal 3-16since then.
Is this the game they get back on track?
“Every one of these games that I’m in, Ifigure we are going to win somehow,someway,” defensive end Cam Jordan said. “This week is no different. Now that we are aquarter of the way through the season, it feels like it’sa‘have to’ win. Whereas before it felt like a‘need to’ win. Now it’s
a‘have to’ win’, and we have to start thinking about what if we don’t.” “So what if you don’t?” I asked Jordan. “I don’tknow,” he said. “That’swhy
lker
RATTLER
Continued from page1C
This season, theSaintsdo notappear to be losing games because of Rattler’splay.In his second year,hehas shown noticeable improvement. His completion percentage is 10 points higherthan hisrookie year.His turnoverrate is much lower. And for all the strides he’smade in the pass game, he hasbecome one of the more efficientrunning quarterbacks.
But 0-10 is 0-10.
Rattler’sbest bet to get a win is Sunday.The Saints are favoredover the NewYork Giants, marking thefirst time in Rattler’s11starts he’ll go into agame as afavorite.
He is entering apivotal stretch. The Giants game begins athree-week slate against opponents who finished last in their divisions ayear ago.
Coach Kellen Moorepublicly has backed Rattlerand said he doesn’twant his quarterback lookingoverhis shoulder,but thereality is second-round rookie Tyler Shough is waiting in the wings. If Rattler cannot winsoon, how much longer will the Saints be willing to throw him out there before determining achangeis necessary?
If Rattler hasn’tplayed poorly enough to cost the Saints games, there’salso an argument tobemade he hasn’t played well enough to be the main reason to winthem, either.Through the first four games, the 2024 fifth-round pick has had some glaring misses on playsRattleradmitted he needs to make. As he stoodatalectern this week, Rattler was adamant the losses haven’ttakentheir toll.Ifthere is pressure that increases by the week, he has refusedtoacknowledge it
“I feel like I’m not playing losing football,” he said, adding he’sonly focused on the future. At one point, he pushed his left hand to thesideand used his right to forge ahead.
“You can’ttrip over it,” Rattler said.
Notelite company
Theweight of the situation maybeheavier than Rattler lets on.Heis, afterall, in rare company.Ofthe nine quarterbacks to lose theirfirst 10 starts,three —DeShone Kizer,Zach Mettenberger and Brodie Croyle never won agame at all. They serve as areminder that nothing is guaranteed. Thismoment is Rattler’schance. Some don’tever get another shot.
Warren Moon knows how hard losing canbe. Before he wasaHall of Famer,madenine Pro Bowls and led the NFLin passing, Moon wasinRattler’s predicament Tenstarts. Tenlosses
“When it got to four or five games,you starttowonder ‘OK,what’sgoing on here?
When are we going to turnone of these losses into awin?’ ” Moon told the Times-Picayune. “And then when it got closer to double digits, then you’re start-
ing to really wonder,‘What the heckisgoing on? Are we ever going to win agame therest of the season?’ ”
Thefrustration kicked in Moon,thenwiththe Houston Oilers,said he hardly could go anywhere in town without hearing how poorly he was performing. His family also received the blowback, even after Moon finally snappedthe losing streak to finishhis rookie season 3-13.The next year, when theOilers still struggled, Moon said he had his wife and childrenwatch thegames from aluxurybox so they didn’t have to hear “some of the things people were saying about me.” It didn’thelpthatMoonarrived in Houstonwithenormous expectations, signing with theOilers afterbecomingafive-time champion in the Canadian FootballLeague.
Moon said he started putting pressure on himselftoplay better. Each week, the former quarterback felthewas improving —which, in some ways,madethe losing streak more frustrating. Like Rattler, he was progressing without the wins to show forit. What else didheand theteam need to do, he remembered wondering, to getavictory?
As down asMoonsaidhegot during thosetimes, he would assure himselfbyrelying on his past experience. Moon had been througha rebuildbefore. The University of Washington went2-9 two seasons before he arrivedoncampus,but in his thirdand final year there, the Huskies won the Rose Bowl Moon said he could see asimilar“lightatthe endofthe tunnel” in Houston
“When you’re in the thick of it,man, you’re just wondering when the heck something positive is goingtoturnaround?
Moon said.“Or is this theright play for me? DidI makethe right decision to come here? Youstart questioning all those things.”
Previous struggles
Rattler has his own history to draw from ajourney that allows him to put his NFL start into perspective. By now, the storyhas been well documented —including in adocumentary that portrayed a17-year-old Rattler in aless-than-favorable light.Rattlerwas so highly recruited as a five-star prospectthatcurrent
Giants coach BrianDaboll, then with Alabama, once showed up to aweight-liftingclassatthe quarterback’shigh school to offer ascholarship. He ended up committing to Oklahoma and was seen as apotential No. 1 draft pick.
Then adversity struck. He losthis starting job to future No. 1pick Caleb Williams and transferred to theUniversity of SouthCarolina. He played well for two years, but not well enough to prevent him from falling to the Saints in the fifth round.
Filling in for an injured Derek Carr(whoalsolost his first 10 starts) during his rookie seasonwas achallenge for Rattler “Spence’smindsetthrough this whole process hasbeen phenomenal,” Mooresaid.
“You can see thematurity in him,” linebacker DemarioDavis said.
Davis recounteda piece of wisdom from aformer coach thathethinks applies toRattler: You’re either moving forward or back —you’renever staying in thesameplace. He saidit’sa “life skill” to notalwaysjudge theresult by thescoreboard, even in agame of wins and losses.Measuring your ownprogress matters, Davis said. Rattler said the wins will come. He expressedconfidence he andthe Saints would clean up their mistakes Moon sees that as theright approach. During hisfirst season, he said it was incumbent on him to keep apositive attitude and astrong work ethic because he understood thatteams feed off their quarterback’senergy That effort,hebelieves, is what ultimately sustains acareer. Thementality is howhe andTroy Aikman wentonto earngold jackets,despite being membersofthe 0-10 club.
Moon said he sympathizes with what Rattler has gone through. He even thought the quarterback played “pretty good football” in Seattle, New Orleans’worst loss of the year
Moon also knows what’s waiting for Rattler if he can finally get awin.
“There’snoquestion it was arelief,”Moon said. “Wecelebrated in thelocker room like we had just won aplayoff game.”
Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate. com
STAFF PREDICTIONS
JEFF DUNCAN
SAINTS 16,GIANTS14: It mightbenow or neverfor theSaints, whowillbetrying to avoidtheir first0-5 startsince 1996 In gameslikethis, it oftencomes down to whichteamisthe hungriestand most desperate. That figurestobethe Saints afterthe Giants pulled offa winlast week
LUKE JOHNSON
SAINTS 24,GIANTS23: With theSaints finallyplaying someonefromtheir own peer group, this is theweekKellenMoore notcheshis firstwin.The Giants have a formidable defensivefront,but they’ve been susceptibleagainst therun,and that is wherethe Saints will make their hay.
Giants
MATTHEWPARAS
GIANTS 20,SAINTS17: Jaxson Darthas themobilitytogivethe Saints problems andNew york’s wide receivers, even withoutMalik Nabers,could manage to create enough spacefor bigplays TheSaintsoffensive line also maybe overmatchedagainst thefearsomefront of theGiants.
RODWALKER
STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler, bottom,loses the ball on fourth down at the end of the game against the SanFrancisco 49ers at the Caesars Superdome on Sept. 14
STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD
Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler is pressuredbySan Francisco 49ers defensiveend yetur Gross-Matos during the second half of agame at the Caesars Superdome on Sept.14.
WEEK 5
Bucs, Seahawks aim for 4-1
After becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to have a game-winning score in the final minute of the first three games of a season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell short of a comeback against Philadelphia last week.
The Buccaneers have won five of their past seven games in the series against Seattle. The Seahawks are seeking to win four of their first five games for the first time since 2020, when they opened the season with five consecutive victories. Seahawks WR Jaxon SmithNjigba (26 catches, 402 yards) will try to take advantage of a banged-up Bucs secondary.
Texans face banged-up Ravens Baltimore has won six in a row in its series with Houston, but star quarterback Lamar Jackson won’t be available for the Ravens when they host the Texans this weekend. Houston has lost three times to Baltimore since the start of the 2023 season, and the Texans didn’t score an offensive touchdown in any of those games. That trend may not continue as the depleted Ravens have allowed 133 points in four games.
Texans RB Joe Mixon was eligible to come off the physically unable to perform list but remains out In his absence, Nick Chubb and Woody Marks have split carries.
Bills look to extend home streak
QB Daniels to return The Los Angeles Chargers will host the Washington Commanders on Sunday as both teams look to bounce back from disappointing Week 4 losses The Chargers’ undefeated start ended with a 21-18 loss at the New york Giants after struggling to stop the run. The Commanders didn’t have starting QB Jayden Daniels because of a knee injury as they fell 34-27 at the Atlanta Falcons Daniels is expected to play for the first time in two games The game features two of the top rookie running backs in the NFL in the Omarion Hampton of the Chargers and Jacory Croskey-Merritt for the Commanders.
The AFC-leading Buffalo Bills are off to a 4-0 start and have won 14 straight regular-season home games before hosting division rival New England on Sunday night. Buffalo’s home streak is one win short of matching the team record set over the 1990-91 seasons The Patriots are 2-2 and coming off a 42-13 win over Carolina. New England is seeking to win consecutive games for the first time since a three-game run in 2022 Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs makes his first competitive return to Buffalo, where he set numerous team records during a four-year stint before being traded to Houston in April 2024 Colts, Raiders RBs take center stage Indianapolis Colts veteran running back Jonathan Taylor and Las Vegas rookie Ashton Jeanty have a similar playing style. They’re both strong, fast and capable of making game-changing plays.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Eagles look to stay undefeated
BY DAN GELSTON AP sportswriter
PHILADELPHIA A.J. Brown’s stat line for the week included one catch, one cryptic social media post and one long explanation as to why he let frustration with his role in the offense get him down even with the Eagles off to a 4-0 start. It’s easy to wonder, what would his mood be like if they weren’t winning?
The only numbers that really matter in sports are the win-loss record, and Philadelphia couldn’t have boasted much more of a better run headed into Sunday’s game against Denver (2-2). Counting the playoffs, the Eagles have won 10 straight games, are 20-1 overall in their last 21 games and have won 18 straight times in games started and finished by reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.
But the 4-0 start has been missing the blockbuster plays and breathtaking runs that defined the Eagles
a year ago. Led by first-year coordinator Kevin Patullo, every key Eagles offensive player has seen a significant dip in production from last season.
Saquon Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards in the regular season and set the NFL record with 2,504 total yards rushing in a season. He has rushed for only 237 yards this season — he topped 200 yards in a game twice last season — at a 3.1 yard-per-carry clip.
Hurts has topped 200 yards passing just once and hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in either of the last two games. DeVonta Smith has two 1,000yard receiving seasons, yet has just 17 catches for 158 yards in four games. Smith declined to talk to the media after the Eagles beat Tampa Bay and so did Brown after the fivetime 1,000-yard receiver was held to one catch for 8 yards. Brown had six catches for 109 yards in a Week 2 win against the Rams, but has just eight receptions for 42 yards with
no touchdowns in the other three games. Brown appeared to share his unhappiness on social media.
“If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way,” he wrote.
Speculation over what the post meant lit up sports-talk radio lines and led to plenty of guessing on social media over what the wide receiver meant with the Biblical quote.
Turned out, not much.
Brown said this week he took “full accountability” for letting his “frustrations boil over” and choosing to post instead of speak his mind on Sunday
He added the post didn’t have anything to do with the Eagles.
“My message on Twitter was not directed at anyone in the building. Not my coaches, not my quarterback, my GM, nobody,” he said. “I take full accountability I have open communication with all my coaches and with my quarterback as well.”
SCORES & SCHEDULE
Raiders TE Bowers questionable vs. Colts
Las Vegas Raiders tight end
Brock Bowers did not practice Thursday and Friday because of a knee injury and is questionable at Indianapolis on Sunday
Bowers has played at less than full strength since being injured in the season-opening 20-13 victory at New England in which he caught five passes for 103 yards. He had 14 receptions for 122 yards in the three games since.
The Raiders could get back tight end Michael Mayer, who is questionable after missing one game because of a concussion.
Dallas loses Hooker for at least four weeks
The Dallas Cowboys placed Malik Hooker on injured reserve Saturday, sidelining one of their starting safeties at least four games after he injured a left toe last weekend against Green Bay
The Cowboys replaced Hooker by signing safety Alijah Clark to the active roster from the practice squad for Sunday’s game at the New York Jets.
The 29-year-old Hooker played at least 15 games in each of his first four seasons with the Cowboys after four injury-plagued years in Indianapolis.
Vikings put OL Kelly on injured reserve
The Minnesota Vikings placed center Ryan Kelly on injured reserve Saturday after he suffered his second concussion of the season last week in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 10-year veteran, who has had five reported concussions in his career, will miss four games, including Sunday against the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England. Minnesota will be missing three starters from its offensive line: Kelly, right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee) and left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist).
Mistakes cost Jets WR Williams his job
The New York Jets waived wide receiver Isaiah Williams on Saturday after he made two critical mistakes on special teams in a loss Monday at Miami. Williams fumbled the kickoff to open the second half against the Dolphins, leading to a touchdown drive in Miami’s 27-21 victory He later called a fair catch of a punt at the Jets 3 early in the fourth quarter rather than let the football bounce into the end zone for a touchback, putting the offense in terrible field position.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF HAyNES
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield looks to throw a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during a game on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers runs with the ball against the Chicago Bears on Sunday in Las Vegas.
AP PHOTO By DAVID BECKER
THE VARSITY ZONE
Youthful Dutchtown passes biggest test yet
BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer
Dutchtown entered the 2025 season with just three returning starters, all on the offense. With so much inexperience, development and growth would be key The Griffins fell in Week 1 to Madison Prep but rattled off three straight wins.
Notebook
The team went into Week 5 facing its biggest test against undefeated St. Amant on the road. Dutchtown coach Guy Mistretta’s message at the start of the week: Inexperience isn’t an excuse anymore.
“You’ve got four games under your belt,” Mistretta told his team “You’re in the thick of the district You’ve started four games. Let’s go.” His Griffins responded with a 35-28 victory over St. Amant (4-1) to move to 4-1 and 2-0 in District 5-5A. Dutchtown trailed 28-14 at halftime before mounting a second-half comeback.
Senior wide receiver Martell Rogers was one of the three returning starters. He knew there was chatter about his team’s inexperience, but he didn’t let that change his expectations.
“All these kids have been wanting to get on the field,” Rogers said.
“It’s that fire in them. They’ve been waiting for this. I told them, ‘go get it,’ and they went and got it.”
Of the 23 starters projected for Dutchtown heading into its game against St. Amant, 14 of them were juniors or younger
One new starter who shined in his opportunity was junior quarterback Owen Fletcher He finished 10-of-16 passing for 74 yards with
one passing touchdown. He also ran the ball 26 times for 240 yards with two rushing scores.
Running back Carter Hedden, who caught Fletcher’s touchdown pass and ran for another, is another Dutchtown junior
The Griffins are now tied for
D’Arbonne
PAYTON
Continued
former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, who coached under Parcells and Payton in Dallas in 2005. “That’s some prodigal-son (expletive), right there.”
Parcells and Payton still talk frequently And Parcells’ fingertips still are everywhere, lingering on the fabric of Payton’s 2025 Broncos.
Lessons learned
Parcells taught Payton, in his own way, that there are multiple ways to win a football game.
In 2003, Dan Campbell hit free agency after beginning his NFL career under Payton’s offensive regime with the New York Giants. After Payton was hired in Dallas, he banged on the table for Parcells to bring in Campbell. A month later, once Campbell signed, Payton told the tight end that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity in his coaching career to learn from Parcells
“Sean’s always been, man, a creative play-caller, a creative game-plan designer,” said Campbell, later an assistant for Payton in New Orleans and now the head coach of the Detroit Lions.
“But I think what he really learned under Bill were those things — the psyche of the game, how you truly go in to win a game.” In 2005, Payton’s final year in Dallas, the Cowboys ran a ball-control offense. Payton, however, was a high-volume coach In the shadows, he and running backs coach Lynn would stealthily slip a few extra concepts into the weekly game plan. Eventually, the call sheet grew to roughly 65 plays.
Then Parcells came by one day “I know what you little (expletives) are doing,” Parcells told them, as Lynn remembered. “Take those extra plays out.”
“He always said, ‘Coordinators with a lot of volume are insecure — don’t be an
insecure coordinator,’ ” Lynn said. “And I think that was kind of the case. We didn’t feel like we had enough bullets.”
A few weeks later, the Kansas City Chiefs’ high-powered attack came to town, led by quarterback Trent Green and All-Pro running back Larry Johnson. Parcells recognized his Cowboys needed to go blow-for-blow So he summoned Payton and Lynn.
“He goes, ‘Hey, you know that stuff I said about not having enough plays, and having too many plays, and being insecure?’ ” Lynn recalled. “He goes, ‘To hell with all that Throw the whole kitchen sink at ‘em. I want every frickin’ trick play we have.’ ” The Cowboys won a shootout, 31-28.
Two decades later, Payton lives on both extremes of that same spectrum. He is one of the league’s most notorious personnel shifters and one of the league’s quickest to pull tricks from the sleeves of his hoodie.
He can also be ruthless with sheer simplicity
“Bill used to say that all the time: ‘Are you paying attention to how the game’s being played?’ ” Payton said. “That may impact how you call a game on either side of the ball.”
Watch out for cheese
Parcells taught Payton, in his own way, how to push buttons. There were three ways to
stay out of the Parcells’ doghouse. Know what to do. Execute. And don’t get hurt often. Failing any of the three meant opening oneself to a specific kind of wrath from a man who, as Fujita put it, could “look right through you and make you feel about 2 inches tall.”
There’s an all-time Parcells metaphor which Payton took and ran with in New Orleans. Players and coaches would walk in on a game week and occasionally see mousetraps cocked and ready in the corners of the facility
The message was simple and not entirely subtle. If the locker room was riding high, or if the team was favored heavily against a particular opponent, Parcells would whip out the mousetraps. Payton would do the same with his Saints. Daring someone, as Lynn put it, to “bite the cheese.”
“He was huge,” Shanle said of Payton, “on Don’t Take the Cheese Week.”
Eventually, Payton became a master motivator
“He demanded respect, and everybody respected him,” said Campbell, who coached under Payton from 2016-20 in New Orleans before taking the head job in Detroit. “Doesn’t mean
erybody liked him, but that didn’t matter The respect was there,
first in District 5-5A with East Ascension, who is also 4-1 and 2-0 in district play
Zachary still unbeaten
The Broncos continue to roll after a 51-6 win over Opelousas.
Zachary (4-0) will begin district
play next week against Scotlandville (1-4) and is left as the only undefeated team in District 4-5A.
Zachary has won all four games by double digits, including an impressive 52-28 victory over Plaquemine (4-1) to open the season.
Central (4-1) fell at home Friday to Lafayette Christian 55-48. Catholic-BR dropped to 3-2 after a narrow 27-26 defeat to Madison-Ridgeland Academy, the topranked team in Mississippi, according to MaxPreps.
While district play has yet to start for any team in District 4-5A, the Broncos are set up nicely with an unblemished start.
Slaughter’s shutouts
Through five weeks, several schools have boasted impressive defensive performances However the Knights have a case to say they’ve been the best.
Slaughter Charter is 5-0 and has yet to allow a single point. The Knights’ latest victory came against Northeast in a 24-0 win. The offense has also been elite, averaging 47.4 points per game. Slaughter Charter will face its biggest test yet against District 8-2A foe East Feliciana (4-1) next week. The Tigers have averaged 31.6 points per game. Slaughter Charter’s defense might have its hands full, but midway through the season, it has proved it’s ready for the test.
AP PHOTO By BART yOUNG
PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
Dutchtown quarterback Owen Fletcher throws a pass to running back Carter Hedden during a game at St. Amant. St. Amant led at halftime, but Dutchtown rallied to win 35-28.
SCOREBOARD
LOB_Chicago 6, Milwaukee 9. 2B_Swanson (1), Chourio (1), Turang (1), Contreras(1) Perkins (1). HR_Busch (1),Happ (1), Hoerner (1). SB_Yelich(1). IP HR ER BB SO
Sorokapitched to 7batters in the 2nd. WP_Brown. Umpires_Home, Edwin Moscoso; First, Mike
Estabrook; Second, Will Little; Third, Lance Barksdale; Right, Ryan Blakney; Left, Chris Conroy
T_3:05. A_42,678 (41,700). Toronto 10, N.Y. Yankees 1
York Toronto ab rhbi abrh bi Grisham cf 30 00 Springer dh 41 00 Judge rf4 02 0Lukes rf 50 23
Johnson; Second, NicLentz; Third,
Wegner;Right, Dan Merzel; Left, Jim Wolf. T_3:00. A_45,777 (42,901)
College football
Major scores Friday’s games W. Kentucky 27, Delaware 24 Brown28, Rhode Island21 Princeton 17, Columbia10 South Florida 54, Charlotte 26 San JoseSt35,
Royer, France, 6-4, 6-4. LorenzoMusetti (8), Italy, def. Francisco Comesana, Argentina, 6-4, 6-0. Jesper De Jong, Netherlands,def. Jakub Mensik (17),Czechia,4-6,7-6 (2), 6-4. AlejandroDavidovich Fokina(18),Spain,def Matteo Arnaldi, Italy, 6-4, 6-4. Luciano Darderi (26),Italy, def. Yunchaokete Bu, China, 6-4, 6-4. LearnerTien,United States,def.Corentin Moutet (33),France, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Cameron Norrie (30),Britain, def. Arthur Cazaux,France, 6-3, 0-6, 7-6(5) Daniil Medvedev (16),Russia,def. Dalibor Svrcina, Czechia,6-1,6-1 Jannik Sinner (2), Italy, def. Daniel Altmaier, Germany, 6-3, 6-3. Nuno Borges, Portugal, def. Aleksandar Vukic, Australia,7-6 (7), 6-4. Juncheng Shang, China, def. KarenKhachanov(9),Russia,7-6 (3), 6-3. Men’sDoubles Round of 32 NikolaMektic, Croatia, and Austin Krajicek, UnitedStates, def. AlexanderErler, Austria and Robert Galloway, UnitedStates, 7-5, 6-4. Harri Heliovaara, Finland, andHenry Patten (2), Britain, def. Luke Johnson, Britain,and SanderArends,Netherlands,6-7 (2), 6-4, 10-4. Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner, Germany, def. Romain Arneodo, Monaco,and ZizouBergs,Belgium, 7-6(1),6-3
in
Men’s Singles Round of 64 Kamil Majchrzak,Poland, def. Brandon Nakashima (29), United States, 6-4, 6-0. Felix Auger-Aliassime (12),Canada,def. AlejandroTabilo, Chile, 6-3, 6-3. Jiri Lehecka (15),Czechia,def.Quentin Halys, France, 6-4, 7-5. Alex de Minaur(7),Australia,def.Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Argentina, 6-4, 6-2. Yoshihito Nishioka,Japan, def. Andrey Rublev (13),Russia,2-6, 6-1, 6-4. Denis Shapovalov(23),Canada, def.Christopher O’Connell, Australia,6-3,6-2. Arthur Rinderknech,France, def. Alex Michelsen (28), UnitedStates, 6-3, 6-4. Alexander Zverev (3), Germany, def. Valentin
DannyHeitman
AT RANDOM
Autumn
a greattimeto show up for La.’sarts community
In an earlier life as afilm critic, I’d oftenfind myself screening movies alone at the afternoon matinees each autumn. That’swhen vacation season ended and school resumed, leaving the local theaterslargely empty.What akingly indulgence to sit by myselfinahuge space while a new movie played, aspectacle unfolding just for me. But over time, being surrounded by empty seats made me feel empty,too. If Iwanted to get the best insights about afilm, it was ideal to screen it with other people. Imight not agree about what others found funny,sad or inspiring, but seeing their reactions helped me better understand myself. I gleanednew insights from fellow moviegoers that Iwouldn’t have gotten if I’d watched a new film as asolo viewer
When Iwatched amovie alone, it was athing; within an audience, it was an event.
I’ve been thinking about all of this as another cultural seasonunfolds across Louisiana, giving those of us who live here lots of opportunities for this kind of collective experience. My mail these days includes brochures from area museums, symphonies and theater companies, and I’ve come to treasure them as much as the gardencatalogs that land in my mailbox,too. They all point me to the promise of something larger than myself, which is one of the abiding wonders of enjoying apainting, aplay or amusical performance with our neighbors.
The world has changed a greatdeal since Iworkedas afilm critic more than three decadesago. Thanks to the digital revolution, we can savor hundreds of TV channels and an infinitude of online programming at home. All of us can be what Ioncewas in that empty theater:lone consumers of culture, single diners at the banquetofbeauty we call the creative arts.
Like many of us, Iwelcome quiet evenings at home with Netflix or agood book, cloistered on the couch with my wife in aworld that seems comfortably self-sufficient. But that kind of inwardness, embraced too routinely,can be isolating, which isn’tgood for me or the community and country Ilive in.
The headlines tell us of a brokenworld, and there are so many cracks that more than one thing is needed to mend them. But being within an audience or art gallery with other people is one way thatwecan share what’sgood, which can help build sharing and goodness into ahabit.
Iwas moved this week bya quote from the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupérythat speaks to what I’m tryingto say: “Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.” Local arts institutions giveus thatshared horizon. I’m going to do my best this autumnto show up for them.
Lili Courtneyisn’ta traditional chef. Known as the“QueenofCondiments,” Courtney has been cooking, teaching and serving up dishesin Louisiana for 25 years. She considers herself aculinary instructor
“My passionfor cooking started with my daddy,” Courtney said. “There were eight children in our family,and that was alot of mouths to feed.”
After Sunday morning mass, Courtney’sparents would gather in their smallhome kitchen in Alexandria and fill a12-inch skillet withenough water topoach eggs for 10 people. Theywould makeeggs Benedict and stirupapitcher of milk punch madewith ice cream. As astay-at-home mominBaton Rouge, Courtney did not stay idle; she took every cookingclass she
STAFF FILE PHOTO By
Lili Courtneyshows off her Delightful Palate line of marinades and salad dressings. Sheworks withthe LSU AgCenter Food Incubatorprogram.
could get her hands on.
In her20s, Courtney took cooking classes in New Orleansfrom Lee Barnes, whostudied in France at Le CordonBleu, oneofthe world’smost distinguished centers of culinary education.
Opportunities to teach began to comeupin2017, when chef Anne Milneck,the owner of Red StickSpice Company,started to offer cooking classes and approached Courtney about leading lessons. About the same time, Melissa Marley, owner of Simplee Gourmet in Covington, opened aspecialty kitchen store in New Orleansand askedCourtneyto teach aseries of classes there.
Courtney also leads asmall group class at her home, which she calls “Inthe Neighborhood.” She builds her own recipes, writes her ownmenus and schedules her ä See COURTNEY, page 4D
Alvin ‘Shipwreck’ Kelly was one of the country’smost popular daredevils in the 1920s and ’30s. He was known for climbing tall buildings andsitting atop rooftop flagpoles. In 1928, he brought hisdaredevil showto NewOrleans’JungHotel
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
Sharon Coldiron is thekind
Coldiron said. “From what I’ve read, Shipwreck Kelly wasprobably the mostfamous daredevil, and he climbed skyscrapers around the country.Did
specifically to New Orleans, Opelousas and Alexandria, which should pique Coldiron’sinterest even more. She lives in the central Louisiana community of Deville, meaning Kelly’sAlexandria show took place only afew miles from her home.
So, what, exactly,was Kelly’s schtick?
Novels with La. roots probe space oddities, climate chaos
BY RIEN FERTEL Contributing writer
“The High Heaven” by Joshua Wheeler, Graywolf Press, 352 pages, and “Happy Bad” by Delaney Nolan, Astra House, 304 pages.
I’ve never been a fan of outer space. All those moons and stars — a bit much, don’t you think? I find astronauts uninteresting and the thought of Mars colonization just meh. (And don’t get me started on black holes).
But Joshua Wheeler’s debut novel has got me rethinking my stake in the universe.
“The High Heaven” opens in southern New Mexico, arguably the spaciest place in the United States — home to the otherworldly White Sands National Park, flying saucer-mad Roswell and Alamogordo, the first atomic bomb-testing site
Oliver Gently, a local cattle rancher, stumbles across a spooky-natured tween named Izzy on the day following the 1967 Apollo 1 pre-launch disaster in “The High Heaven.” She speaks in Biblical riddles, carries a radio apparently tuned to God and has eyes the color of Trinitite, the name for the greenish glass created from sand melted by the Trinity bomb test. Is she a space oddity stranded on Earth? An escapee from the UFO-worshipping cult down the road? Just a weird young girl?
Oliver and Izzy’s buddy exploits are the most entrancing first 100 pages of a book I’ve read in some time. He is most interested in keeping her out of the clutches of the same authorities who are threatening to seize his farm to expand the military’s bombing range. Even when Izzy’s journey descends into dark territories Wheeler — who lives in New Orleans and is the author of “Acid West,” a fantastically zany essay collection about growing up around Alamogordo — writes like he’s having a blast. In the book’s second section, Wheeler takes a narrative swerve, trading the weird-western vibes for a picaresque tale of Izzy’s further, solo adventures Rocketing eastward, she bounces around the Lone Star State, lonely and increasingly drawn to booze, drugs and lousy men. Adrift, she waits tables in a Lubbock diner cleans rooms in “Odessa’s ninth-finest roach mo-
tel” and runs lights for the dolphin show at SeaWorld San Antonio.
All the while, the cosmic continuum has a funny way of catching up with her Wheeler lets us witness a sequence of real-life tragedies — the crash of Delta flight 191 outside Dallas, the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the Hale-Bopp suicide cult — through Izzy’s sky-lifted gaze. When the Columbia shuttle turns to stardust over Nacogdoches, Izzy decides she’s had enough and leaves Texas for good Wheeler picks up the story in 2024. Sober and slowed by age, Izzy now works as an intake coordinator in a New Orleans hospital. She’s recently discovered a dozen patients exhibiting signs of Moon blindness, the inability to see the Earth’s sole natural satellite.
But that’s not all that’s wrong in this Southern gothic-tinged glimpse into New Orleans’s near future. Flooding occurs on the daily. Users of a popular party drug called ALN — pronounced “alien” — melt
into zombified “cuddle puddles.” An attack on NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility has indefinitely delayed its next space mission.
Izzy takes comfort in an upcoming lunar eclipse — waiting, watching, eyes turned upward, tuned to the Moon. Wheeler appeals to readers to follow Izzy’s gaze — to shake our earthly confines, seek meaning in the infinite beyond and become one with the universe.
“Her fate,” he writes in the closing pages, “had always been totality.”
May we all live so fully
If one good book deserves another, may I recommend Delaney Nolan’s “Happy Bad,” which reads at times like a starcrossed sibling to “The High Heaven.”
This debut novel set in the near future is narrated by Beatrice, a social service worker at Twin Bridges, a treatment center for teen girls in the northeast Texas town of Askewn. It doesn’t take long for the reader to deduce that life at Twin Bridges is, well, more than a touch askew The center is jointly run by a private health care company and a pharmaceutical conglomerate,
who are testing a mind-melting miracle drug called BeZen on the girls. A New Orleans transplant originally from Massachusetts, Nolan is a skillful satirist, and one whose aim is extensive, wickedly funny and true.
Outside the clinical halls of Twin Bridges, the “soft apocalypse” of the mid-stage climate crisis has rendered Texas a barely livable hellscape. There’s Earth-swallowing dust storms, rolling blackouts and jackrabbit swarms.
Inside, though, BeZen appears to be working, so successfully in fact that the corporate overlords behind Twin Bridges want to relocate the patients to the calm confines of Atlanta. Beatrice shepherds seven girls into a stolen van and heads east. Before long, with the supply of BeZen running low, she must resort to pill rationing. The girls soon suffer withdrawal before turning feral.
It’s here, in the book’s last 100 pages, that “Happy Bad” soars. Louisiana has been carved up by one hurricane too many its archipelagic remnants sold off to a consortium of tourism, real estate and petrochemical multinationals. The Twin Bridgers arrive to find closed checkpoints along the Mississippi border They drive south to what remains of Houma, now a floating city adrift in an everexpanding Gulf.
There, in a “world undeniably growing more sterile and violent, the land itself dissolving under our feet,” Beatrice and her young charges find some semblance of peace — finally discovering a pathway to be zen helping each other and strangers survive the world’s literal and figurative end. In this cautionary parable, tomorrow’s climate emergencies, gonzo pharmaceuticals and fractured America feel an awfully lot like today’s. Despite finding a whole world of bad out there, Nolan leaves her readers, in the end, feeling maybe just a little bit happy
Joshua Wheeler will launch his novel, in conversation with Delaney Nolan, at Octavia Books on Oct. 7. Garden District Book Shop will hold an event for Delaney Nolan, in conversation with Jami Attenberg, on Oct. 14.
Rien Fertel is the author of four books, including, most recently, “Brown Pelican.”
Tulane professor dives into the origins of La. towns
BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer
“Crossroads, Cutoffs & Confluences: Origins of Louisiana Cities,Towns and Villages” by Richard Campanella, LSU Press, 305 pages
In Richard Campanella’s newest book, “Crossroads, Cutoffs and Confluences: Origins of Louisiana Cities, Towns and Villages,” he analyzes each region of Louisiana and each town’s siting story Through a deft combination of geography, topography, history and some anthropology, Campanella inspects every part of the state and uncovers the origins of cities, towns and villages while also recording Louisiana residents’ impacts on the land and waters around them.
About Baton Rouge, he writes: Baton Rouge is a cultural Venn diagram. Originally straddling Houma and Bayougoula tribal hunting grounds, the city became more Anglo than the adjacent French Creole and Acadian regions, yet more French than the former British and Spanish colonies to which it once belonged — while also more African than the piney woods to the east. It is more Protestant than south Louisiana, yet more Catholic than the north, and in recent decades, it has adopted the foodways and
traditions of the Acadian and Creole regions. Economically, Baton Rouge is an administrative and industrial center, yet also academic, agricultural, the ‘the nation’s most inland seaport,’ 253 river miles from the Gulf of Mexico... Perhaps it is appropriate, then, that the eminently liminal Baton Rouge has multiple siting stories spanning over a century, with no consensus on a foundation date or a raison d’etre.”
Brooklyn-born Campanella, a two-time winner of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Book of the Year Award and a professor of practice in architecture and geography at Tulane University, has lived in New Or-
leans for 25 years. He divides “Crossroads, Cutoffs and Confluences” into 15 chapters, each a specific region of Louisiana. In the introduction, he tells readers he chose a format of a flowing narrative instead of a cyclopedic one, starting with Greater New Orleans and the lower Mississippi to covering the intricacies of south Louisiana to extending along the Red River to the Ouachita River valley Campanella’s thorough description of each region includes the layout of the land, historic events and people and evolution
through the years. He captures these technical aspects in a clear and engaging voice packed with fascinating facts and historic tidbits.
When writing about Louisiana, authors often include the different influences on the state.
Campanella does a superb job of acknowledging the Indigenous, French, British, Spanish, Acadian, African, and in some cases, German and Asian impacts on the formations, names and cultures of the regions. Through unpacking the etymology of the names of waterways and towns, Campanella elucidates the cul-
TRADE PAPERBACK
tural mélange of Louisiana
At the end of each chapter, Campanella breaks down the numbers of the region and how they compare to the rest of the state. He considers the number of cities, towns and villages and compares the types of siting stories — whether the physical place was chosen or established by water, railroads, extraction sites or crossroads. He gives the time frame and designates if the town emerged organically or was ordained by a founder
One of the neatest features of the book is in the Appendix, which is a clean table of 418 towns and their origins, separated into categories of region, status, era, type and primary or secondary siting rationales — a handy reference source.
”Crossroads, Cutoffs and Confluences” functions as a reference text as well as a detailed survey of Louisiana geography and history Anyone writing about Louisiana should keep this book at the ready for a wellresearched resource.
Campanella makes understanding a complicated state accessible through his writing, and this book is an extensive guide for the outdoorsy types, the history buffs and the imaginative creators who want to delve into the mysteries of the state
Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Geographer Richard Campanella
COMMUNITY
Denham Springs High robotics team
PROVIDED PHOTO
Members of the Denham Venom robotics team display their winning banner following an undefeated playoff competition finish at the 12th annual Dow Red Stick Rumble. Gathered are, from left, Kerven Lindor, Jacob Duke, Evan Durbin and Adam Goslinga
Denham Springs robotics team leads Red Stick Rumble Denham Venom, the Denham Springs High School robotics team, recently went 11-1, including an undefeated playoff run at the 12th annual Dow Red Stick Rumble, to be among the competition’s 2025 winning alliance.
The alliance also included the SWLA Tech Pirates from Lake Charles and the KNOS Robotics Team from New Orleans
The student-led robotics teams competed among a field of 21 FIRST Robotics Competition teams and 29 robots from across Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida at the Sept. 13 event.
This is one of the largest offseason robotics competitions in the region.
The competitions represent months of engineering preparation, innovation and strategy by the student participants.
Each battle was held under the rules of the 2025 FRC game Reefscape, presented by Haas, a deep-sea–themed challenge where robots score “coral” (PVC pipes) and “algae” (playground balls) into alliance goals, then make daring climbs onto a truss structure called the Barge to earn vital endgame points.
Dow was the title sponsor for the competition, which was also supported by community partners, volunteers and educators from across the state.
COMMUNITY GUIDELINES
The Community column runs Sundays in the Living section and accepts submissions for news of events that have taken place with civic, philanthropic, social and religious auxiliary organizations, as well as academic honors.
Submissions should be sent by noon Monday to run in
the upcoming Sunday column. Because of space limitations, organizations that meet monthly or more are limited to one photo per month. If submitting digitally, we prefer JPG files 300KB or larger If taking a photo of a group, have them stand or sit shoulder-to-shoulder If more than six people are in the photo, arrange them on multiple, distinct rows.Avoid strong
Garden Discovery Series
The program, ‘Vibrant Seasonal Color in your Garden’ was sponsored by the Baton Rouge Botanic Garden Foundation and the Main Library on Goodwood on Sept. 13.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Plaquemine Garden Club
Members of the Plaquemine Garden Club recognized Taco Bell on La. 1 in Plaquemine as the Business Garden of the Month for August. Shown is Taco Bell Manager Amanda Jenkins.
Le Cercle de Bacchus names debutantes, officers at brunch
Le Cercle de Bacchus debutantes for 2025-26 are from left, Abigail Elizabeth Pennington, Emma Grace Coghlan, Ashlynn Reneé Howell, Anna Katherine Leroy Harrell, Olivia Louise Butler Gia Genevieve Picarella, Riley Elizabeth Wilson, Emma Grace Abadie and Sarah Isabelle Bonner
Le Cercle de Bacchus, Baton Rouge’s oldest presentation organization, formally introduced its debutantes at a recent brunch at Baton Rouge Country Club hosted by the organization’s past presidents. The debutantes will be presented at the group’s annual ball on Jan. 3 at the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel.
The 2026 Le Cercle de Bacchus class includes:
n Emma Grace Abadie, a graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy and student at LSU. Her parents are Jessica and Steven Abadie.
n Sarah Isabelle Bonner, a graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy and student at LSU. She is the daughter of Allyson Adams Bonner and
Dr Everett James Bonner Jr
n Olivia Louise Butler a graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy and student at Ole Miss. Her parents are Renee Provenzano Butler and Kevin Henry Butler
n Emma Grace Coghlan, a graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy and student at LSU. She is the daughter of Mary Riker Coghlan
and Charles Paul Coghlan Jr
n Anna Katherine Leroy Harrell, a graduate of Episcopal High School and student at LSU. She is the daughter of Cheryl Tucker Harrell and James Alan Harrell.
n Ashlynn Reneé Howell, a graduate of St. Michael the Archangel High School and student at Texas A&M University Her parents are Lori Schega Howell, DVM, and Todd Howell, MD.
n Abigail Elizabeth Pennington, a graduate of Episcopal High
School and student at the University of Alabama. She is the daughter of Kelli and Dennis Alan Pennington.
n Gia Genevieve Picarella, a graduate of St. Joseph Catholic School, Madison, Mississippi, and student at LSU. She is the daughter of Manuella and Dr Emile Anthony Picarella Jr
n Riley Elizabeth Wilson, a graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy and student at LSU. Her parents are Piper and Brad Wilson.
PROVIDED PHOTO
PROVIDED PHOTO
Officers of Le Cercle de Bacchus for 2025-26 are, from left, Andrew Hoover, treasurer; Camden Pfeiffer, ball chairman; Ethan Gettys, president; Bobby Burnett, vice-president; Spencer Thomas, secretary; and Harper Doerr, sergeant-at-arms.
Shown are, from left, members William K. Rountree, Isabel Rountree, Mary Tharp and Juliette Chappo.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Arainy daygameofLSU-opoly with thegrandkids
BY DOROTHY TRICK
Contributing writer
Human Condition
On arainy Saturday afternoon, my husband and Iwere watching our two grandsons —ages 9and 6—while their parents prepared to host asupper club that night at their home.
As soon as the boys came through the door,they requested that we play LSUopoly,agame we hadn’tsat down with in more than 20 years. Sure enough, it was tucked away on the top shelf in our hall closet. After dusting it off, we were soon engaged in Monopoly designed for LSU fans, alums and future students
The youngsters have frequented the LSU campus
COURTNEY
often enoughtoknow most of its landmarksand those of thesurroundingarea. TheLSU-opoly gamehas
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own classes.
“I try to keep it trendy,” Courtney said.
She even has aDubai chocolate recipe, her take on aTikTok hit.
Courtney’sclasses range from the basics, like roasting cauliflower and chicken, to morecomplicated meals like homemade dumplings or lamb kofta withnaan and tzatziki.
‘Queen of Condiments’
In 2013,Courtney started asalad dressing company, DelightfulPalate —earning the“Queen of Condiments” moniker—and manufactured theproduct at the LSU food incubator.
For years, she was making her own marinade-dressings, tangy oil-andvinegar mixtures she servedathome and inher leisure cooking classes at Kitchen Warehouse in Alexandria.
But when the facility’sdirector, food entrepreneur MimiKirzner,suggested Courtneysellthe marinade-dressings on-site, it plantedanidea she had never considered:tolaunch her own line of bottled condiments.
After more than ayear of investigatinghow to convertafavoriterecipe into asellable product, Courtney introduced her Delightful Palate line in October 2013.
The dressings, which come in Balsamic Garlic Honey, Stone FruitNectar and Wild Mayhaw Berry,can beused on salads and cooked grains or for infusing meats andvegetables.
“When Istarted, Ihad no idea how to getsomething like this done,” says Courtney.“Ijust jumped in and started asking questions.”
With the help of Edible Enterprises, Courtney connected withcontract chef and food scientist Ehab“Happy” Abdelbaki. The two workedextensively to convert her small-batch, home-based recipe into the Delightful Palate products.
“Wewould just keep addingand tastingover andoveragaintomakesure
CURIOUS
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“He was known for sitting on flagpoles on top of buildings,” Alexandria historian and author Michael Wynnesaid.“He would sit on some of them for days. Heonce spent 49 days on top of aflagpole on Atlantic City’sSteel Pier,braving rainstorms and high winds.” So, how did Kelly achieve his feat?
“He had athin sliver of aplatformthat he attached to the top oncehegot there,” Wynne said. “And he would tie his legs tothe pole when he slept, whichenabled him to stay there for days. He would also attach atube tohimself, so he wouldn’thave to take bathroombreaks.” Large crowds wouldgather as he ate doughnuts, drank milk, read newspapers, slept andperformed handstands. This was long before AI could engineerfake videos of daring feats —thiswas the real thing.
“He was the fourth best-known personality in the United States during this period,” Wynne said “People were fascinated by him.” From WWItoadaredevil
Kelly was born AloysiusAnthony Kelly on May 11, 1893, in New York’sHell’s Kitchen.He ran away from home at age 13, changed his name to Alvin and spent his early years workingas asteelworker,high diver,boxer,
an 1988 Late for the Sky copyright marking, but our grandkids claimed there is an updated version of this
Oncethe markers were chosen, aroll of the dice landed my 9-year-old grandsononHighland Road. We wereoff and playing. On the home stretch wereFred’s, The Chimes and Mike Anderson’s. The next dice roll sent theplayer to Louie’s Café. They’re all still there!
The board includes spots for registration, student parking and academic probation, all of which are now handled online.
The old saying “the more thingschange, themore they remain thesame” was apparent as my husband and Iimmersed ourselves in this cleverly created board game.
We soon found ourselves landing on and buying prop-
erties such as The Chimes, Thomas Boyd Hall, Memorial Tower, the Quad, the Indian Mounds and the Parade Ground. Other familiar landmarks include Lakeshore Drive, Dalrymple Drive and Chimes Street.
Although still on the 1988 version of the game, places such as the Cotton Club, the Bengal and the Bayou have long since disappeared from the LSU horizon. In the board’sCampus Mail, there’sacard for“lose one turn if you cannot recite the Tiger Fight Song.”
And another card fora “$50 library fine.” Another card from Campus Mail claims you can receive a “$200 check from home,” something surely now accomplished by the click of amouse.
Missing from the board are Mike the Tiger’sHabi-
Lili Courtneyhelpsastudent layerdough into acast-iron skilletduringapast cooking classatSimplee Gourmet
it stayed true to the original formula,”
Courtney said.
Even though Courtney is skilled and no doubtexperienced, shewould not call herself achef.
“Becoming achefinvolvesseveral years of studying andinternships,
Courtney said. “I believe that it is atitle you should not banter aboutlightly,so that’swhy Icall myself aculinary instructor.”
Goinginternational
For thelast three years, Milneck and
“I
tat and Alex Box Stadium, twoofour grandkids’ favorite hangouts.
Our older grandson won the gamebylanding on Tiger Stadium and the Assembly Center.Onatraditional gameofMonopoly, these would likely have been Park Place and Boardwalk, twochoice properties with enormous rents. Some things never change! It wasafun trip down memorylane forall of us on awet and soggy Saturday afternoon. —Tricklives in Baton Rouge. HumanCondition submissions of 600 words or fewermay be emailed to features@theadvocate. com. Stories will be kept on file and publication is not guaranteed.There is no paymentfor Human Condition.
want to give you confidence in the kitchen. So you can leavewith the skills to executethe recipes in your own kitchen.”
LILI COURTNEy
Courtney have taken their culinary experience on the road —and have taken Louisianans with them
In 2023, the pair took acrew from the South to Paris, touring the manyfood markets and cooking classes. In 2024, the group went to Madrid, Spain, to explore allofthe restaurants andwineries.
AndinSeptember of thisyear,Milneck and Courtney took agroup to London, England, where they explored the Tower of London, toured exclusive vendors forthe RoyalPalace,learned how to makegin and more.
Anyone whowants to have funinthe kitchen can join in on the classesand international trips, whether abeginner cook who’sready to learn basic skills or aseasoned cook who’slooking to mixit up and take it to the next level.
“I considermyclasses‘no pressure classes,’”Courtney said. “Meaning we might mess up, andwemight drink a little wine, but we always leave with good conversations and agood meal —plus new kitchen skills and new friends.”
Courtneyteaches classesatRed Stick Spice in Baton Rouge or Simplee Gourmet in Covington and New Orleans. Courtney also hosts special “In the Neighborhood” cooking classes in her homekitchen as wellasclasses over Zoom.
“I want to give youconfidenceinthe kitchen,” Courtney said. “Soyou can leave with the skills to execute the recipes in your own kitchen.”
Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate.com.
Daredevil flagpole sitting Alvin
‘Shipwreck’ Kelly is shown during one of his NewOrleans visits in this photo from the files of The Times-Picayune.
moviedouble and licensed pilot whoperformed aerial stunts. He was also an ensign in the U.S. Naval Auxiliary Reserve during World WarI,serving from May1918 to September 1921.
Then came Kelly’s daredevil career with some writersdescribing him asa modern-day stylite, comparing him to fifth-century Christianasceticswho gave up everythingtosit atop pillars to fast, pray and preach.
While Kelly didn’tpreach or pray, he didentertain fanswhile business owners paid him promotional fees. He also madealittle
extra by selling rooftop seats to fans willing to pay for acloser look.
100hours atop N.O. hotel
Kelly brought his daredevil show throughout thecountry beginning in theearly 1920s and continuing through the 1930s. Wynne documented Kelly’s Louisianavisits in his 2023 book, “Hanging by aThread: Alvin ‘Shipwreck’ Kelly,the World’s Greatest Flagpole Sitter.”
Kelly first shows up in aJuly 18, 1923, feature article in The Times of Shreveport. He was passing through on a90-day boxcar ride from New OrleanstoSan Francisco and said he was considering climbing some of Shreveport’s downtown buildings for fun.
Butthere was no follow-up article documenting it.
Meanwhile, Wynne’sdig through old Times-Picayune files turned up stories of Kelly’sfirst New Orleansvisit on July 26, 1926, when he spent 100 hours reigning over Canal Street from theRoosevelt Hotel’srooftop flagpole.
At thesame time, splashy newspaper advertisementstouted his post-flagpole appearance at New Orleans’ Crescent Theatre after astunt,promising that he would tell audiences “how it’s done.”
“He appeared at the Crescent Theatre on Aug. 1, 1926,”Wynne said. “And he kept appearing there therest of the week by popular demand.”
Kelly stuck around New Or-
leans afew weeks longer fora September promotional appearance. This time, his stunt took place not on abuilding but a flagpole attached to thetop of an airplane, which flew over the Central Business District advertising afestival at the Fairgrounds.
“After that, he went to Alexandria,” Wynne said. “That wasin October,but he madeastop in Opelousas on the way as an extra attraction, where he spent 41 minutes standing on top of awater tower.Heappeared in aVaudeville show at thePrincess Theatre there afterward.”
Asneakystunt,policechase
Then came the Alexandria performance on Oct. 27, 1926 documented by an article in the Alexandria Daily Town Talk where Kelly climbed to the top of the Guaranty Bank and Trust Buildingonthe corner of Murray and Third streets.
The building now scrapes the Alexandria sky under the Capital Onebanner
“He spent10hours on the flagpole of the Guaranty Building, but he didn’tget permission to do it,” Wynne said. “He snuck to the top and climbed the flagpole, and thepolice eventually had to chase him down, but this got him alot of publicityand notoriety.”
Once again, he madeatheater appearance after the stunt, this time in Alexandria’sHome Theatre on Third Street, where, The Town Talk noted, he also sold postcards with proceeds going to
disabled World WarI veterans. Kelly returned to New Orleans on March 13, 1928, to climb the Jung Hotel at 1500 Canal St., spending 80 hours and 13 minutes atop its flagpole before heavy rains and high winds forced him down.
TheTitanic?
Newspapers labeled Kelly as “The Human Fly” and “Steeplejack” along the way,but his selfgiven nickname, Shipwreck, was amainstay
“He wasvery much like W.C. Fields in that he never told the truth about his life,” Wynne said. “One of the things he pushed through his entire lifewas that he wasonthe Titanic in 1912. But he wasnever on the Titanic.”
YetKelly told people he was a survivor of 11 shipwrecks, the mostnotable being the Titanic. So, he adopted the nicknameand created the daredevil persona that earned him $500 aday at the height of his popularity Kelly died at the age of 59 in 1958.
“He always talked about how automobiles were moredangerous than flagpole sitting,” Wynne said. “He died after being struck by acar in NewYork.”
Do you have aquestionabout something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phonenumber andthe city where you live.
FILEPHOTO
FILEPHOTO By MINH KIET
By The Associated Press
Today is Sunday,Oct. 5, the278thday of 2025.There are 87 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On Oct. 5, 2011, Steve Jobs, theApplefounder and former chief executive whoinvented and master-marketed ever-sleeker gadgets that transformedeverydaytechnology, died in Palo Alto, California, at age 56.
Also on this date:
In 1892, the Dalton Gang,notoriousfor its train robberies, was practically wipedout while attempting to rob apair of banksinCoffeyville, Kansas.
In 1947, President Harry S. Trumandelivered the first televised WhiteHouse address as he spoke on the world food crisis.
In 1953, Earl Warren was sworn in as the 14th chief justice of the United States,succeeding Fred M. Vinson.
In 1958, racially desegregated ClintonHigh School in Clinton, Tennessee, wasnearly leveled by an early morning bombing
In 1983, Solidarity founder Lech Walesa was awarded the NobelPeace Prize. Startingin 1980, Walesa spearheaded Poland’spro-democracy movement that nineyears later led to the peacefulend of the country’s communistrule. In 1990-95heserved as democratic Poland’s first popularly elected president.
In 1986, Nicaraguan Sandinistagovernment soldiers shot down acargoplanecarrying weapons and ammunition boundfor Contra rebels; the event exposed aweb of illegal arms shipments, leading to the Iran-Contra Scandal.
In 1989, ajury in Charlotte, NorthCarolina, convicted evangelist JimBakker of using his television show to defraud followers. Initially sentenced to 45 years in prison, Bakker was freedinDecember 1994 after serving41/2 years.
In 2001, tabloid photo editor Robert Stevens died from inhaled anthrax,the first of aseries of anthrax cases in Florida, New York,New Jersey and Washington.
In 2018, ajury in Chicago convicted white police officer Jason VanDyke of seconddegree murder in the 2014 shootingofBlack teenager Laquan McDonald
In 2020, President Donald Trump made a dramatic return to the White House after leavingthe military hospital where he wasbeing treated for COVID-19.
Today’sbirthdays: College Football Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer is 88. Rock musician Steve Miller is 82. Rock singer Brian Johnson (AC/DC) is78. Actor Karen Allen is74. Singersongwriter Bob Geldof is 74. AstrophysicistauthorNeil deGrasseTyson is 67. Architectdesigner Maya Lin is 66. Golf Hall of Famer LauraDavies is 62. Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux is 60. Hockey Hall of Famer Patrick Roy is 60. Actor GuyPearce is 58. ActorJosie Bissett is 55. Actor ParminderNagra is 50. Actor Kate Winslet is50. ActorJesse Eisenberg is 42. NFL tightend Travis Kelceis 36.Actor Jacob Tremblayis19.
Cousin demandsattendanceatwedding
Dear Miss Manners: My cousin, withwhom my husband and Iare very close, is gettingmarried. Unfortunately,there are a few problems. The initial issues included our limited finances transportation troubles, thedate of the event (a Thursday night) and the wedding’sno-childrenallowed rule. With thehelp of my parents, mostof those issues were solved. However,due to various problemsrelated to my husband’sjob,we’ve decided it’sbest he notattend.
I’m extremely concerned about the fallout from that decision. My cousin, usually an easygoing person, is already furious with several guests who have declined her invitation. Herrationale is that because she’sborrowed over $20,000 to pay for her wedding, her more financially fortunate guestsshould help those struggling in theareas of gifts, transportation, hotel costs, childcare, elder care, etc. If the event will impact work responsibilities,guestsmust ensure adequate vacation time is set aside.
Most of my family members —including my 83-year-old aunt in poor health, and my cousin with epilepsy and severe anxiety —are attending.Mymother has warned me that I’ll have to prepare a strong argument for whymyhusband can’tattendtoensure my relationship with my cousin survives. Arethere any etiquette rules that will help my case? Specifically,isthere any valid excuse, besides severe illness, for not attending aclose family member’s wedding?
Gentlereader: There is nothing like saying, “I put myself in debt to throw this extravagant party,soyou better show up —health and financial instability be damned!”toget you in the spirit fora family wedding. Miss Manners will remind you that you do not need an excuse, andyou do not have to give in to coercion. Youjust have to repeat the phrase, “I am afraidCurtis won’tbeable to attend, but he sends his love” as manytimes as possible until your cousin getstired of asking. Perhaps it will cause arift. But judging from thelist of other family members who are being subjected to tyranny,your husband will be in good company.
Dear Miss Manners: Ihave aboat, and needed to dry my beach towels after a recent excursion. The boat club has one washer and one dryer.When Igot there, the dryer was available, although another boater had clothes in the washer At the end of the cycle, my towels weren’tclose to dry.I took them out and decided to come back later to finish drying them.I thought this was the best approach, since the user of the washing machine wasthere before me (and waiting in person to use the dryer). Should Ihave gone ahead and put the dryer on another cycle, since Iwas using it first? Or wasitappropriate to take my towels and come back later?
Gentle reader: With the other boater waiting in person, Miss Manners understands whyyou decided to return later —and finds it considerate. But the purpose of the dryer is to dry things. As it failed to do so, it would not have been unreasonable foryou to start another cycle to finish the task. You could have warned your loitering friend that they might have to do the same.
Sendquestions to Miss Manners to her email dearmissmanners@gmail.com.
Dear Heloise: Thank you for all yourhints. In response to Lori B. about thedifficulty of readingthe expiration dates on product labels due to thesmall print,Ihave a solution. There is amagnifying glass feature on my smartphone, which I use all the time for this very purpose. Justgotoyour app store and download it.It’s free! Ihope this helps. Thank you. Bestwishes! —Maria Eugenia, in Long Beach, California
No cavities here
Dear Heloise: Ibrush my teeth with an electric toothbrush for 2minutes, then Ibrush with aregular brush and rinse my mouth outwith water Then Iuse amouthwash and rinse with awater pick, using mostofthe water in it
Icannot stand the taste of toothpasteormouthwash, so I am left with avery clean taste in my mouth Ihave not had acavity since Istarted using this routine. Ialso have my teeth cleaned twice ayear —DorothyC., in Montana Dorothy,this is anice routinefor healthy teeth and gums. Many of us just brush our teeth and go about our day withthis type of cleaning. Mornings are often rushed for many of us, so it’sall the time we have. However,atbedtime, Ilike to washoff makeup and oil from my skin, then brush my teeth alittle longer and use adisinfecting mouthwash. It must be working because I haven’thad acavity since I was akid. —Heloise
Acaseofcasing
Dear Heloise: In response to LouiseY., in Irving, Texas: If she wantsthe sausage casing
gone, she could just take a sharp paring knife, slice the casing, and remove it before cooking.
It is easy and saves alot of undue stress rather than removing it later.The sausage will cook just fine without the casing. —Rich S.,inConnecticut Canyou hear me?
Dear Heloise: Please let your readers know that if they receive aphone call where the caller immediately asks, “Can you hear me?”orasimilar question,it’slikely ascam. It’soften referred to as the “Can you hear me?”scam. Scammersare trying to record your “yes” response to use it later on to authorize fraudulent transactions or to makeyour phone number active forfurther scams. —Bob M.,inWoodland Hills, California To travel or nottotravel?
Dear Heloise: Afriend once told me, “Ifyou don’ttravel,
you will miss so much.” There are solo travel groups that will match people to save costs. Cruises on smaller ships have dinners and meetings forsolo travelers to meet and makefriends. There are websites that list cruises with unsold rooms. Iavoid the single penalty by using these sites. —Janice G., viaemail Janice, St. Augustine once said, “The world is abook. If you don’ttravel, you read only one
BY CHERE COEN Contributing writer
It’sabit of adrive from Louisiana to autumn foliage, butonce youclear Atlanta, there’splenty to be found in the NorthGeorgia mountains, along with ahost of fall fun.
We’re talking pumpkin patches, apple picking and cider,corn mazes, hay rides, Octoberfests and much more.
Down on thefarm
Johnny and Kathy Burt, of Dawsonville, were looking to make extra money for Christmas, so they planted pumpkins to sell at theend of the farm’sgrowing season. After thousands of people showed up to visit their pumpkin patch, the Burts made it an annual event.
Burt’sPumpkin Farm begins selling rows and rows of pumpkins in all shapes and colors in September and continues through the end of October.Inaddition, the farm offers wagon rides through the pumpkin patch and zinnia fields decorated forchildren’sdelight. At the end of the ride,there’sadramatic viewof neighboring Amicalola Falls.
Not far from Burt’sFarm,the Weavers grow organic crops throughout the year,alongwith selling fried pies, peanuts, apple cider slushies and lots of baked goods created on the farm
There’salso agift shop located inside an 1800s building thatonce housed the town’sfirst dentist.By the end of September,however the Weavers pull out the pumpkins.
It all began with 5-year-old Bradley Weaver looking to raise funds.
“My son started this when he was 5,” Karen Weaver said.“Now he’s33.”
Jaemer Farms is asix-generation farm northeast of Atlanta where visitorsmay purchase not only produce and local food prod-
TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER
By ChristopherElliott
TRAVEL
ucts,herbs,flowers and giftsbut also lunch items and baked goods fresh out of the oven. In thefall, Jaemer hosts apumpkin patch, aHarvest Celebration and Corn Maze daily through Nov.2
A-peelingfun
Thenorth Georgia mountains areknown for their apples, and every fall thetwin cities of Ellijay and Blue Ridge honor the great American fruit with special events.
MercierOrchards in Blue Ridge grows 52varieties of apples and invites visitors to pick their own, plus sampletheircider selections that they press themselves, about 1,500 to 1,700 gallons of juice a day. Insidetheirmassive store, the bakery section sells fried apple pies that are amust to try; they’reover-the-top delicious.
Ellijay celebrates its apple heritagewith the annual Georgia Apple Festival, this year Oct. 1112 and 18-19. Look for hundreds
of vendors selling hand-crafted items and performing on-site demonstrations,plus live music and fair food, which, of course, includes apples.
Corn mazes
It’seasy to get lost in Uncle Shuck’sCorn Maze, but what fun you’ll have in theprocess. Dawsonville’sannual corn maze —named one of USA Today’s10 BestCorn Mazes and Pumpkin Patches —offers anew design each year across its 15 acres. In addition to running through a cornfield like something out of aStephen King novel, there are pumpkins, ajumping pillow,tire mountain, kids’ maze, gem mining and on Friday and Saturday nightsinOctober,The Dark Rows haunted trail in aseparate cornfield illuminated only by the moon The corn mazeruns now through two weekends in November
Sunflowers
Danny andSharon Fausett plant sunflowers every year so that when September rolls around, there are 30 acres of gorgeous flowers facing the sun with adramatic mountain backdrop. They open the fields to the public every fall to allow others to bask in the yellow andorange hues, accented by butterflies andhummingbirds. “Welove the outdoors,” Sharon Fausettsaid. “Welove nature and we want theyoung generations to experience it too.” The blooms begin around the second and third week of September,and the flowers usually stay until theend of October when frost appears.
Oktoberfest
The northeastern Georgia mountain town of Helen saw its tourism decline when interstates arrived, but leaders cameupwith abrilliant idea to turn the small enclave into aBavarian-themed alpine village. People flock to Helen for the German food, music and attractions, but especially in the fall when Helen hosts Oktoberfest, the longest-running of its kind in the UnitedStates. From Sept. 4through Nov.2,the streets erupt with weeks of dancing, entertainment, food, aparade and, of course, beer and wine. This 55year tradition features musicians, dancers and performers from Germany and communitiesfrom other states.
Formoreinformation
n Burt’sPumpkin Farm, https:// www.burtspumpkinfarmgeorgia. com/ n Bradley’sPumpkin Patch, https://www.bradleysfarms.com/ n Jaemer Farms, https://www jaemorfarms.com n Mercier Orchards, https:// mercier-orchards.com/ n Georgia Apple Festival, https://www.georgiaapplefestival. org n Uncle Shuck’sCorn Maze, https://uncleshucks.com/ n Fausett Farms, https://www fausettfarmssunflowers.com/ n Helen Oktoberfest, https:// helenchamber.com/oktoberfest.
Family deathcancels trip,but travel insurancewon’t payup
correspondence with both REI and TinLeg
Ibought travel insurance from TinLeg for ascheduled REI tour to Utah.Whenafamily tragedy struck and my husband’sfather passed away,I canceled our entire tripand all related reservations. Iacted quickly to informboth REI and TinLeg Despite my prompt cancellation,Tin Leg denied my claim.Their explanation wasthat because Ireused my airline ticket for adifferent trip, my cancellation was deemed invalid.
Ineed to know if my cancellation should have triggered afullreimbursement for the canceled REI trip. Did my actions not meet the intended spirit of the policy? Ialso wonder if therewas anything more Icould have done to secure my refund. —Amy Sparks, Minneapolis
Christopher Elliott
Ifeel that this interpretation is unfair
Ifollowed the policy by canceling the trip that Icould not takedue to unforeseen circumstances. Ihavemaintained acomplete papertrail of everyemail, phone call and
I’m sorry to hear about your father-in-law.At atime like this, you wouldexpect your travel insurance companytobecompassionate andtoquickly honor your claim —after all, that’swhy you bought travel insurance.
Iwas curiousabout why TinLeg denied your refund. In an email to you, thecompany explained its reasons.
“Unfortunately,asyour trip was rescheduled rather than canceled in its entirety,” arepresentative told you, “the REI portion is not eligible for reimbursement. The Trip Cancellation benefit under your policy requires theentire trip to be canceled toqualify for coverage, not just aportion of it.” In other words, because you accepted acredit for your flight instead of canceling it, TinLeg denied your entire claim.
Ithought acarefully worded appeal to TinLeg might have allowed the insurance company to see that this interpretation of the policy,while technically correct, was wrong. Butitalso rejected your appeal.
Ilist the names, numbers and email addresses of the customer service executives at TinLeg on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. Abrief,polite email to one of themmight have fixed this. Buttravel insurance is complicated. The decision about whether to honor your claim actually needed to be madebyTin Leg’s underwriter,Starr Indemnity Insurance Co. Icontacted Starr on your behalf to see if maybe somethinghad been overlooked with your claim. Separately,you reached outtothe Minnesota Department of Commerce, which regulates travel insurance in your state, and filed acomplaint. TinLeg’sunderwriter reversed
its position and honored your claim.
If there’sone takeaway from your case, it’sthis: Make sure you follow all the instructions carefully when you have to cancel a trip and file aclaim.Specifically, be sure you cancel all prepaid, nonrefundable portions of your trip covered by travel insurance. Otherwise, your travel insurance company could deny your entire claim.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.
PHOTOSByCHERÉ COEN
Burt’s PumpkinFarmsells pumpkins in all shapes and colors in September and October
Visitors to Mercier Orchards ride through a fieldtoapick-your-ownapples spot.
Dannyand Sharon Fausett open their 30 acres of sunflowers to the public everyfall.
‘Out with theOld,In with the New’ sale
St. George International Schoolishostingagarage sale fundraising event
7a.m. to 2p.m. Oct. 11-12 on campus at 17077 Jefferson Highway,Baton Rouge.
Thegarage sale will have gently used items at great prices,including cribs, toys, books, baby gear, household goods and more.
All proceeds from the sale will directly benefit the SGI students, helping fund programs and initiatives that support their growth and development.
To donate items, drop them off at the school before the event.
Household materials collection day
Some leftover household products such as paints, petroleum-based items, poisons,cleaners and bat-
AnimalsinArt
The 31st annual International Exhibition on Animals in Arts runs through Oct. 31,atthe LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Skip Bertman Drive, LSU campus. The exhibit will be on displayfrom8a.m. to 6p.m.daily. Admission is free. Formoreinformation,visit lsu.edu/vetmed/events/animals_in_art.php.
Musicclub recital
The Music ClubofBaton Rouge’s next recital program will be 10:30 a.m. Oct. 14, in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church, 930North Blvd., Baton Rouge. Theprogram will featurepianists Jan and Bill Grimes. Admission is free.
At LASM
The Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100S.River Road, Baton Rouge, will host its next Free First Sunday1p.m. to 5p.m.Oct. 5. Visitors can enjoyfreeadmission to the museum and aspecial $5 rate for unlimited shows at the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium. Visit lasm.org.
‘FrightNight’concert
Tickets areonsalefor the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra’s “Family Fright Night: AConcert in the Cosmos Featuring Halloween Favorites” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29-30 in the Louisiana Art & Science Museum’s Pennington Planetarium, 100 S. River Road, Baton Rouge Tickets are$40-$60. Visit brso org.
‘Art of Us Together’ In October, the Arts Council of Greater BatonRouge will launch “The Art of Us Together,”alarge-scale participatory art projectthat transforms portraits of local residents into living public art installations.
As part of the Inside Out Project, the world’s largestglobal participatoryart initiative created by internationally acclaimed artist JR, residents of Baton Rouge will be invited to sit for free portraits that
teries can contain hazardousingredients and require special care when disposing of them as they can catch fire,react or explode under certain circumstances. Improper disposal of such items can include pouring them down toilets or sinks, on theground,into storm drains orinsome cases, putting them outwiththe regular trash. These improper disposalmethods cause environmental hazards by contaminating surface and groundwater and can pose athreat to human health
TheDepartmentofEnvironmental Services, RecyclingOffice holds semiannualcollection daysinthe spring andfall. Household Hazardous Material Collection Day is from 8a.m. to noon Oct. 18, at theLSU Cow Pasture Parking Lot across from theLSU School of Veterinary Medicineon SkipBertman Drive. Waste generated by a business will not be accepted. Household items only Fora list of accepted and
will be printed on-site and installedonthe sides of buildings acrossthe city. Portrait station andlocations are: n Oct. 9: Cary Saurage Community Arts Center n Oct. 10: Downtown Baton Rouge during Live After 5 n Oct. 11: Jewel J. Newman Community Center
The LSU Textile &Costume Museum, Human Ecology Building, 330 TowerDrive, LSU campus, will hostanopening reception at 2p.m. Oct. 5, for its new exhibit, “Dressing Louisiana: Histoires de la mode de laLouisiane.”
This exhibition celebrates themyriad ways in which the peopleofLouisianacreated and utilized fashion as atool in theformation of identity and in the celebration of life’s joyand beauty.Included in theexhibit arethe worksof Louisiana artists and designersRay Cole and Geoffrey Beene, aselection of firstlady gowns (includingthe recently acquired inauguralgownof firstlady of LouisianaSharon Landry), garmentsworn by Donna Douglas, MardiGras ensembles and accessories and more.
Admission is free. Call (225) 578-1087 or emailtextile@lsu. edu
In West BatonRouge
The West BatonRouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen, is showing the exhibits“An American War in Vietnam” throughDec. 30; “Weaving Nature:Louisiana’s NativeAmerican Basketry throughDec. 28;and “Angela Gregory:The Allen Monument” through July 19. Formoreinformation,visit westbatonrougemuseum.org.
At UpStage
Tickets areonsale for “An Evening of PerformingArts” at 7p.m. Oct. 26,atUpStage Theatre, 1714 Wooddale Blvd., Baton Rouge
Cap City Beer Festisa dog-friendly beer-tasting event hosted in downtown Baton Rouge, benefiting Companion Animal Alliance. The fest will be held 2p.m. to 5p.m. on Nov.2, on Fourth Street and Spanish Town Road.The event features craft beer,food trucks, retail vendors, music, games and more.
The proceeds of Cap City Beer Festbenefit Companion Animal Alliance, the only open-intake animal shelter in East Baton Rouge Parish.This funding supportsshelter programs and essential animal care services for the East Baton Rouge community
Tickets are on sale now through thewebsite at www.capcitybeerfest.org/ tickets.
Cap City Beer Festoffers
Tickets are$27. Visit upstagetheatre.biz.
At theOld StateCapitol
Louisiana’s Old State Capitol is showing the exhibit“Vietnam Experience:50th Anniversary of theEnd of theWar” through Dec. 20
Also, the museumwill host the author talk “WereYou There? ABiographyofEmma Wakefield Paillet,” featuring authors Phebe Hayesand Margaret Simon at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 5. Admission is free. Finally,tickets areonsale for the museum’sannual fundraising event, “Spirits of Louisiana,”onOct. 30, this year celebrating the Old Capitol’s 175th anniversary.Individual tickets are$90. Visit secure. qgiv.com/event/spiritsoflouisiana2025/.
At LSUgalleries
The LSU School of Art ishosting the exhibit“Disk Full,” featuring work by Christine Bruening and Janna Ahrndt through Oct. 19, at the Glassell Gallery in the ShawCenter for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St Baton Rouge. Admission to all shows and events is free.
Readerstheater
Tickets areonsale for the thirdplayinCité des Arts’ Readers Theater Series, focusing on playsfromthe classical theater. The third playwill be areading of “Pericles, Prince of Tyre”by George Wilkins and William Shakespeare—directed by Joe Riehl at 7p.m.Oct. 16, at Cité des Arts, 109 Vine St Lafayette. Tickets are$10. Visit citedesarts.org/events/cite-desarts-readers-theater-periclesprince-of-tyre
At NuNu NuNu, 1510 Courtableau Highway, Arnaudville, will host Reece Sullivan in concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22. Doorsopen at 6p.m.Admission is $25, and complementary drinks and beans and rice will be available. Fortickets, visit events.humanitix.com/nunu102225.
general admission, VIP and designated driver tickets. Tickets are not required for entry,though guests who wish to participate in the beer tastings must purchase aticket to receive awristband to be served. Ticket holders must be 21+ with proof of valid ID upon entry
Drone certification testprep training
The Southern University Ag Center will host adrone certification test preparation training Oct. 13-16 at theM.A. Edmound MultiPurpose Building,14600 Scenic Highway,Baton Rouge.
The four-day training is designed for farmers, researchers, students, educators, entrepreneurs and professionals interested in using drones for agriculture, research, business applications or anyone seeking to becomeaFederal Aviation Administrationcertified drone pilot.
Participants will learn the fundamentals of drone operations, FAAPart 107 regulations, airspace classifications, weather effects on drones, safety protocols and how to prepare forthe FAAPart 107 certification exam. Participants will also gain hands-on knowledge of how drones can be applied in agriculture, research and technology-driven industries. Registration is required. The registration feeis $500 per person. There is a 10-person class limit. For additional information, contact Dr.Hodges at lashunda_hodges@suagcenter.com
‘Adoption Unsealed’ conference
Adoption Unsealed, afree educational conference presented by the Louisiana Adoption Advisory Board, will explore issues around adoption and adopted people whosearch and find their birth families. The
conference will be from 2p.m. to 5p.m. Nov.9atthe Baton Rouge Main Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. The program will present the documentary,“For The LifeOfMe,” followed by a panel discussion led by an adoption expert, adoptee, birth parent and adoptive parent. In 2022, alegislative bill waspassed that allows adult adopted persons over 24 to request acopy of their original pre-adoption birth certificate. Social workers whoattend can receive three continuing education units, pending approval by accrediting bodies. There is a$10 feefor the CEU certificate. The conference is open to all, but attendees must register in advance on Eventbrite. Continuing educational units are available to social workers who attend. To learn more, visit adoptionboard-la.org or contact organizers at adoptionboardla@gmail.com.
ARTS &CULTURE
The NationalWWII Museumin New Orleans cinematic attraction
“Beyond All Boundaries,”narrated and co-produced by TomHanks, was an immediate hit when it opened in November 2009.
Dave Walker
Offering visitors a“4D journey through the war that changed the world,” it provided an immersive 47-minute overview of America’sexperience in the war.Asthe narrative unfolded across the far-flung theaters of battle:
n Solomon Victory Theater seats rumbled as action sequences played on-screen.
n Life-size objects like a concentration-camp guard tower and the nose section of abomber plane rose or dropped intoview
n When troops experienced frigid conditions, snow appeared to fall on the audience.
n An all-star cast of actors, including Gary Sinise, Brad Pitt, Patricia Clarkson and Wendell Pierce, gave voice to the millions of men and women who went to war overseas and on the homefront.
Mike Scott, writing in The Times-Picayune,called it a“magnificent and moving spectacle” and a“world-class, theme parkstyle attraction combiningeducation and entertainment in astirring and inspiring package.”
The film’sdebut was ahuge moment for the museum, which had activated and begun fundraising for the master plan that foretold the world-class museum we know today.But Hurricane Katrina paused alot, for all of us. “Beyond All Boundaries” was the museum’sfirst big move upriver and across Andrew HigginsBoulevard from its original National D-Day Museum base.
“It’sbeen 16 years, and 4.3
millionvisitors have had theopportunity to see it,” said James Williams, the museum’svice presidentand chiefoperating officer.“It’sreally become an integralpartofthe guest experience now.”
Updating thefourth“D”
After 16 years of hourly screenings,however, thefourth“D” needed some TLC. Dark for several weeks, “Beyond All Boundaries” recently reopened with alike-new (or better) technical upgrade. The story remainsthe same, but film portionshave been remastered, moving-piecesprops have been restored or replaced, and the theater chairs have been swapped outfor new rumble seats. Perhaps most significantly,the preshow video narration by its famouscoproducer has been rerecorded to reflect the star as he
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appears today versus the“Angels &Demons”-era TomHanks
“He is such an integral part, as the narrator,of‘Beyond All Boundaries,’” Williams said. “So, we were honored that he was having it redone.” The renovation process pro-
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When you’re comparingplans.
formajor
plans may limit thenumber of procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.
Look forcoverage with no deductibles.Some plans may require you to payhundredsout of pocket beforebenefits are paid.
Shop forcoverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits.Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.
ceeded on two, um,fronts. The video presentation wasreworked by THG Creative, the Californiaand Florida-headquartered firm that oversaw the original production Meanwhile, back in NewOrleans, the show’s manymechani-
cal elements werebrought up to contemporary presentation standards.
“Anything on the mechanical side —the watchtower,the nose of the plane, and then there weresome other elements —all of those had to be removed and changed,” Williamssaid.
Phil Hettema, THG’s founder and chief executive officer,was the project’screative spark when it wasfirst produced and returned to captain the renovation.
As “Beyond All Boundaries” was in development, Hettema understood that “there was afine line forahistory show to use new technologies while preserving the authenticity of historical content,” wrote cofounder Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller in his recent memoir“Preserving the Legacy: Creating the National WWIIMuseum.” “Phil was brilliant on that score.”
Preserving thelegacy
Writing further,Mueller summarized his original goals forthe attraction, which have been reinforced in the upgraded presentation: “(T)he film would reflect the museum’s mission, presenting a positive narrative, acelebration of the strength of the American spirit, and astory of hope and liberation from tyranny.I wanted future generations to know that contrary to misguided public opinion about the efficiency of totalitarian regimes, our messy democratic institutions and systemsemerged superior in battle, weapons, troops, technology,leadership and homefront support.” Mueller then quoted Dwight D. Eisenhower,the wartimeSupremeAllied Commander in the European Theater of Operations: “Our audiences should understand what Gen. Eisenhower meantwhen he said that ‘Hitler should beware of the fury of an aroused democracy.’”
DaveWalker focusesonbehindthe-scenes coverage of the region’s museumshere and at www.themuseumgoer.com. Email dwalkertp@gmail.com.
growth,Metadatacenter expected to push La.to2Mjobsmark 5E
GLOBAL FOOD COMPANIESNEEDTOKEEP THEIRFACTORIES CLEANAND SAFE.
They learnhow in Louisiana.
ABOVE: Instructor Taylor Butler leads asanitation essentialstraining at the Commercial Food Sanitation Institute in Harahan. The 13,700-square-foot,$6.3 millionfacility includes classrooms, labs and administrativespace where companies will send executives andemployees to learn fromCFS howtokeep their foodproduction as safe as possible.
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
RIGHT: Butler dabs Glo Germonaconveyorbelt used to teach manufacturing executives aboutfood safety.
International Coffee Corp., the Metairie-based tradinghouse
owned by the Madary family,isone of the last bastions of wholesale coffee trading in New Orleans, a city that once thrived as ahub for shipping and trading the unroasted beans. It is now navigating one of the most turbulent periods in its half-
century history Wholesale Arabicacoffeerecently hit arecord high above $4.40 a pound, more than four times the price before thepandemic, after President Donald Trump placed 50% tariffs on Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer.The uncertaintyhas scrambled International Coffee’smarket.
“We’ve never seen amarketlike this,” said Matt Madary,who has been in thebusiness for 37 years and took over running the family firm more than adecade ago. InternationalCoffeehas deep rootsinNew Orleans. Matt Madary’sfather,William Madary, alongtimetrader withcommodi-
BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer
IDEAS INNOVATION & IDEA
In food manufacturing, apoorly maintained facilitycan lead to tragedy Last year, there were nearly 300food recallsrelated to 19 deaths and almost 500 hospitalizations in theU.S. Alisteria outbreak traced to asingle deli meat plant in Virginia caused 10 deaths and dozens of illnesses.
The problems ranged from cucumbers contaminated withsalmonella to products containing undeclared allergens like peanuts or tree nuts.
It’sthese types of situations, including productscoming off store shelves thismonth,thatthe trainers at Commercial Food Sanitation hope to prevent.
The company,known as CFS, is a subsidiary of NewOrleans-based manufacturing behemoth Intralox, whichhas areason to take food safety seriously.Intralox’sprimary business is designing andbuilding conveyorbelts, anditsells them to roughly 80%ofthe world’smost wellknown food companies. Intralox CEO Killian Lapeyre said his customers need this training, and showing them how to operate their production lines safely makes business sense.
“It’scritical forustobealeader in the space,” Lapeyre said.
CFS has grown from asingle employee in 2012 to a40-person team of food manufacturingveterans with
See FOOD, page 2E
ties giant J. Aron, set up International Coffee on Magazine Street in 1977 when J. Aronrelocated most operationstoNew York City before being acquired by Goldman Sachs. Over the decades, International Coffee hasthrived, with fiveof William Madary’sdozen children still working at itsMetairie headquarters. It is one of only twomajor coffee trading firms still operating at scale in New Orleans. The other is Westfeldt Brothers, which was founded before the Civil War. Together,they are the remnantsof aonce-thriving hub of warehouses andcoffee exchangesalong the Mississippi River Today, that legacy is beingtested
Importers suchasInternational Coffee are the ones who must pay theTrump administration’slevy at theportbeforepassing it alongto roasters, and Will Howard, atrader at International Coffee for most of his decadelong career,saidthe tariffs have created “so muchuncertainty that people have no clue what’sgoing to happen downthe road.” The result,hesaid, is that they’ve curtailed purchases.
“They’re not buying,” Howard said. “They don’twant to be on the hook forcoffeeat50% tariffswhen it might drop in amonth.”
See COFFEE, page 2E
STAFFFILE PHOTOByJOHNMcCUSKER
Wholesale Arabica coffee recently hitarecord high above $4.40 a pound, more than four times the price before the pandemic, after President DonaldTrump placed
COFFEE
Fool’sTake: Latin American e-commerce
The Latin American e-commercemarket is booming. It’s a large population surpassing600 million people, which is fueling strong growth for MercadoLibre (Nasdaq: MELI). The company offers an online marketplace and generates revenuefrom mobile payments, advertising and other financial technology services.
Over the last 10 years, MercadoLibre’srevenue has grown at acompound annual rateof more than 40%, sendingthe stock up 2,000% (asofmidSeptember). The company continues to report high rates of growth as it invests in improving the customer experience by lowering prices, increasing shipping speeds and rolling out new products like credit cards. Revenue reached nearly $6 8 billion in the second quarter of 2025, representing ayear-overyear increase of 34%.
MercadoLibre recentlyreduced shipping and seller fees, incentivizing sellers to also reduce their selling prices. This is expected to increase theselection of goods offered on the marketplace.
Meanwhile, its Mercado Pago credit business has been afastgrowing source of revenue, withits credit portfolio roughly doubling in the second quarter over the year-ago quarter,indicating strong adoption of its credit card.
The compounding growthof this business makes it apromising long-term stock. (The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MercadoLibre.)
Fool’sSchool: Medicare Advantage plans
When you sign up for Medicare, youcan opt for “original Medicare” —which consists of Part A(hospital services) and Part B(medical services) —or you can choose aMedicare Advantage plan, sometimesreferred to as Part C. As of May, 51% of Medicare members were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.
Medicare Advantageplans are offered by insurance companies such as the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan,Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare. The United Statesgovernmentrequires them to provide at least as much coverageas original Medicare does, and they generally offer more. For example, whileoriginal Medicare doesn’tcover vision, hearing and dental care or pre-
FOOD
Continued from page1E
offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. On Friday,the company celebrated the opening of anew U.S.headquartersinHarahan.
The 13,700-square-foot,$6.3 million facility includesclassrooms, labs and administrativespace where companies will send executives and employees to learn from CFShow to keeptheirfood production as safe as possible.
On thehuntfor harmfulbacteria
CFS foodsafety specialistTaylor Butler,who grew up on the West Bank and lives in Chalmette, worked at achicken plant in Texas, then at acatering vendor for United Airlines and acheesecake manufacturing factory
Now she spends about two weeks each month visiting food production facilities around the country, helping them find and fix problems. Athird week often is spent leading training sessions atthe Intralox headquarters in Harahan
In the field, Butler teaches food executives about environmental monitoring, sanitation, hygienic design and good manufacturing practices. Part of the process is swabbing areas in facilities tolook for listeria, salmonella and other dangerous bacteria.
“It’sall around us, in the air and the soil,” she said of bacteria. “But if you giveitfood, moisture anda placetolive, it willthrive.”
Butler makes sure facilities have barriers in place to stop contamination. That could be antibacterial powders applied to footwear and hand sanitizing stations, or physical obstacles like wallsand lines painted on floors that demarcate different parts of the factory
“You have to havehygieniczoning when you lay out afacility,
scription drugs, Medicare Advantage plans often do. Original Medicare will often require you to pay 20%ofmany bills you get, with no upper limit (unless you’ve bought asupplemental plan).Incontrast, Medicare Advantageplans might charge you arelatively low co-payment for each doctor visit or service —and theyalso cap your outof-pocket spending. Indeed, many Medicare Advantage plans charge no monthly premiumatall other than the Plan Bpremiumthat most Medicare enrollees pay,and some plans rebatesomeorall of that amount to their members. So what are the downsides?
Well, while original Medicare lets yousee any health care provider who accepts Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans typically restrict you to a networkofproviders —though some networks are large —and generally requirepriorauthorizationsfor some services. (Original Medicare is starting to do so, too, to some degree.)
Here’sakey consideration: You’re technically allowed to switch between original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans annually.But if you don’t initially sign up fororiginal Medicare with asupplemental (“Medigap”) plan, andthen you want to switch from an Medicare Advantage plan back to original Medicare, you may notbeabletoget that Medigap plan— or it may cost much more.
Read uponthe original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage decisionbefore choosinga plan. Themedicare.gov website can help you compare plans available to you.Note the star ratings of your candidate plans andfavor four- or five-star plans.
Ask the Fool:Atough business
Iread that Spirit Airlines has filedfor bankruptcy protection. How can airlines runinto financial trouble when tickets cost so much?— J.L.,Atlanta
It’sanotoriously difficult business, formany reasons, andlike many airlines before it, Spirithas had atough time. At some point, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Pan American World Airways, TransWorld Airlines and Eastern Air Lines also declared bankruptcy and/or wentout of business.
Consider that airlines must contendwith volatile fuel costs, occasional fare wars with competitors, labor costsand complex logistics, not to mention weather-related interruptions. Each plane anairline buys costs alot, as does inspecting, maintainingand repairing its fleet.And each emptyseat on a
plane costsitmoney
Warren Buffetthas noted that in this industry,“adurable competitive advantage has proven elusive ever since the days of the Wright Brothers. Indeed, if afarsighted capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk, he would have done his successorsa huge favor by shooting Orville down.”
What’sa “pick and shovel” investment? —B.B.,Worcester,Massachusetts The termrefers to the California gold rush of the mid1800s, when many people were trying to get rich by discovering gold. Some did get rich by selling picks, shovels and supplies.
Let’ssay that today,you’re bullish on the marijuana industry; instead of guessing which growers and sellers will prevail, you might invest in thecompanies selling growing equipment. Or you have high hopes for AI: Youmight invest in providers of systems for the datacenters needed, or in the companies that make semiconductor chips for AI.
My Dumbest Investment: Starbucks everyday
My most regrettable financial move is going to Starbucks everyday for 10 years straight. —D.J., online
There are many articles pointing out thatifwe’d skip certain daily expenses, we could save a lot for retirement or other financial goals.For example, if you spent $5 at Starbucks everyday, thatwould amount to $1,825 per year,and over 10 years, $18,250. Those dollars certainly could help when invested in aretirement account. Socking away $1,825 each year for 10 years will grow to around $28,500 at an average annual growthrate of 8%. Add another decade, and you’d end up withmorethan $90,000.
Butweneedn’tdeny ourselves life’slittle pleasures, so long as we have asolid retirementplan in place and we’re following it. For example, you might determine that you need to save and invest acertain sum each year to meet your goals. If you have expendable income left over after paying for nonnegotiable expenses (which would include retirementsavings), go ahead and treat yourself. The situation is only problematic if you’re not saving and investing for your future or if you’re spending money you can’tafford to spend. It’s possible for agood retirementplan to include regular trips to Starbucks or a bookstore or amovie theater Do you have asmart or regrettableinvestment move to share with us? Emailitto tmfshare@fool.com.
Brandon Campo checks under aconveyorbelt during asanitation essentials training at CFSInstitute in Harahan. Amid food-related recalls, thetrainersatCommercial Food Sanitation aim to help food companies worldwide keep their products as safe as possible.
Adrainiscleaned duringa sanitation essentials training
separating rawareas from readyto-eat areas, nonproduction from production,” Butler said.
Amajor area of focusisidentifying and removing “niche points,” places in amanufacturing plant wherebacteria cancollect,which sometimes requires some detective work.
Butlervisiteda site recently whereemployees had been finding evidence of bacteriabut couldn’t find the source.
“The equipment was poorly designed, so there were pieces that were difficult to take apart ”Butler said. “Once we took off abelt
Continuedfrom page1E
Howard called the period “the leastfun I’ve hadduring my time working in coffee.”
Historically roiled
The market’suncertainty is reflected in the price difference between buying coffeenow andcontracts that would provide delivery months ahead of time.
Normally,coffee bought using those futures contracts cost more because they account forstorage, financing and other expenses.But today,coffee that can be delivered immediatelycosts roughly 20 cents apound more than contracts that would provide delivery in three months, arecordpremium. On shipments that are often measured in tens of thousands of pounds, the price differences add up quickly
Richard Etkin, alongtimeMiamibased coffee trader andanalyst, said prices reflect “uncertainty of historic proportions,” which has left everyonefromsuppliers to traders, brokers, roastersand retailers reluctant to do business.
Howard added that industry participantsare “hesitanttoengage” in the market because the tariffs could change at any time.
“Noone knowswhat’scoming next,” he said.
Though coffee trading is primarily avolume business, the market volatility in recentmonthshas forced International Coffee to rely more on its decades of expertise and specializedskills.
Acorepart of that is the daily ritual of “cupping,” tasting and evaluating small samples of beans sent from growers around the world. In the Madary tasting room, traders sip, then spit, assessing aroma, flavor,acidity and body,much as sommeliersdointhe wine business.
“My dadalways said that’swhere you find thevalue, around the cupping table,”MattMadary said. Knowledge of coffeebean varietals has always offered an edge, but it is especially valuable now, when International Coffeecan advise clients, such as specialty retailers, on alternative sources to maintain aconsistent product.
The trajectory of U.S. coffee prices over the past half-decade underscores the precariousness of thecurrent moment. Whileprices are well above$4apound now,in 2018, benchmark Arabica futures hovered around $1.20 apound, buoyed by big Brazilian harvests and moderate globaldemand.
Prices gradually climbed in 2019, butitwas the pandemic that first rattledthe market. Lockdowns collapsed cafe andrestaurantdemand while boosting at-homeconsumption.By2021, global supply-chain bottlenecks, shipping costs and container shortages pushed prices higher, with traders scrambling to hedge againstfurthershocks. By late 2024 and early 2025, prices werehitting all-timehighs.
themanufacturing and marketing of products for Intralox and its parentcompany Laitram. With the opening of thenew CFSheadquarters, overseen by CFS Global Training Manager Nicole Cammarata,that work has been consolidated into aspace that resemblesa hotel lobby andconference center The training sessions combine learning with the perks of aNew Orleansvacation. Participants areshuttled back andforth from downtown hotels andrestaurants to their sessions in classrooms and labs.
In one of those labs, instructors dabequipment with aspecial gel that glows underUVlight. Trainees aregradedontheir abilityto locate all these strategically hidden “germs.”
Though coffee trading is primarily avolume business, the market volatilityinrecent months has forced International Coffee Corp to relymore on itsdecades of expertise and specialized skills, including the daily ritual of ‘cupping,’ or tasting and evaluating smallsamples of beans sent from growers around the world.
Indeed, thepandemic accelerated atrendthathad already seen coffee traders disperse around the country,while concentrating their warehousing andstorage in the busierports nearesttoconsumer centers. Then camethe tariffs. Howard emphasized the practicalchallenges theTrump tariffs now pose. “If the goal is to keep manufacturing in the U.S., it doesn’t make anysense,” he said, noting that Hawaii and Puerto Rico, the onlycoffee-growing regionsin the country,produceless than 1% of domestic consumption.
The legal challenge to the tariffs adds another layerofuncertainty. Federal courts have found that Trump overstepped his authority under the InternationalEmergency EconomicPowers Act. The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled arguments fornext month, acase that could determine whether the tariffs remain or are rolled back.
High stakes
For International Coffee, the stakes are high. Trading firms operate on thin margins. Asudden rollback —orcontinuation —oftariffs coulddramatically affectthe firm’s business. Weather-relatedsupply shocks, particularly in Brazil, only make things more challenging, forcing traders to bid aggressively for available beans.
The combination of tariffs, tight suppliesand uncertain policyhas created anear-unprecedented environment.
“Every day is anew calculation,” Madary said. “We’re constantly weighing prices, shipping delays and now the legal landscape. It’s exhausting, but we’velearnedto adapt.”
ForMadary, the moment underscores the unique role of the city’s remaining traders and the family’s half-century legacy in coffee.
“We’ve been around fordecades,” he said, “but nothing in our experience compares to this moment.” Email AnthonyMcAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.
assembly lines. It sells high-tech sorting machines forlogistics customers like Amazon, and it provides systemsthat keep contaminants out of the water used to cool nuclear power plants.
“Wemoveeverything from people to potato chips,” Intralox communications chief Karyn Kearney said.
The company is by far the biggest subsidiary of Laitram, the 76-year-old operation that also makes industrial stairs, shrimppeeling machines and other equipment. Overall, Laitram andIntralox employabout 4,000 people worldwide.Roughly half of those are in Harahan and at agrowing facility in Hammond.
and other componentsand looked moredeeply,wefound alittle surprise. As theseconveyors run, they shake alittle, and these niche pointsstartleaching out.”
CFS might tell customersabout Intralox products that could help solve problems, including the company’sFoodSafeline of conveyor belts, tools andcomponents. But they try to avoid turning the training into “infomercials”for their parent company,officials said. ‘Cleaningcamp’ in NewOrleans Butlerand other CFS trainers bring that training to Harahan about 30 timeseach year.Their counterpartsdosimilar work in theNetherlands,Brazil, China, Australia and Mexico. In total, thecompanyhas hosted more than 5,000 trainees,which include food brand executives, equipment manufacturers, plantengineers and sanitation supervisors.
Until lastmonth, the classactivities in Harahan were scattered across asprawling 1millionsquare-foot campus supporting
In another space, trainers demonstrate how to use dry steam, atype of low-moisture vapor to remove dirt, grime,and bacteria from various surfaces. This type of cleaningisusedinbakeries to prevent growth of mold and bacteria.
Aseparate room is equipped with hoses and drains so trainees, wearing bright yellowprotective suits and goggles, can learn how to remove vegetable shortening andother hard-to-clean substances from equipment. The hope is that the experience will teach company leaders howtodesign andset up machinery to makeiteasier fortheir employees to keep their facilities safe,saidCFS General Manager Darin Zehr Conveyor beltsare booming Thenew CFSfacility is asmall part of one of the biggest manufacturing businesses in the state. Intralox is a$1billion-plus annual enterprise on pace to setanother revenue record this year
The company makes hundreds of different types of conveyor belts, designed to move everything from food through ovens to cars along
All the company’smodular conveyor belt components are manufactured in Louisiana and shipped around the world forassembly Intralox’sfood manufacturing customers were the inspiration for the acquisition of Commercial Food Sanitation, which came in 2012, after passage of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act. That Obama-era legislation increased regulations designed to prevent foodborne illnesses.
The increased scrutiny came along with innovations like DNA sequencing of bacteria,which can help match sick people to the source of the food that madethem ill, and traceability programs, which allow regulators to avoid overly broad recalls.
Food safety training is another waytotry to prevent moredeadly lapses.
“Our team is good at making people understand these problems are real,” Lapeyre said. “It’seasy to brush things off and say there’s aone in amillion chance of aproblem happening, but for abig food company,one in amillion could still equal manytimes ayear.” Email RichCollinsatrich. collins@theadvocate.com.
Motley Fool
STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIA GERMER
TALKING BUSINESS
ASK THE EXPERTS
Group forged lessons in disaster recovery in Katrina
BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer
The disaster recovery nonprofit
SBP began as a philanthropic effort to rebuild homes in St. Bernard Parish after Hurricane Katrina.
Nearly 20 years later, the 100-person organization has expanded nationwide to help underfunded or underinsured homeowners reconstruct after natural disasters.
To date, the organization has helped rebuild nearly 7,000 homes and, more and more, it advises communities on resilience and preparedness efforts to mitigate the effects of future events.
In this week’s Talking Business, SBP CEO Carol Markowitz who took the reins in February after a nearly six-year stint as the chief operating officer at Loyola University New Orleans — discusses the organization’s evolution and goals.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity
How did SBP begin and how has it evolved?
The organization was started on the heels of Hurricane Katrina in early 2006 by husband-and-wife team Zack Rosenburg and Liz McCartney, who came to New Orleans from Washington, D.C., after watching the news and decided they wanted to help. They were sleeping in a tent in the Lower 9th Ward and just started working on homes.
Over the last 19 years, SBP has helped more than 6,700 homeowners in 16 U.S. communities and the Bahamas. In 2011, we partnered to implement the Toyota production system, which dramatically reduced the time it takes us to rebuild a home.
help survivors access funding for rebuilding.
At what point after a disaster does SBP get involved?
After an event, there’s immediate response and relief.
Q&A WITH CAROL MARKOWITZ
This is when the Cajun Navy or the American Red Cross show up, and people are giving away food water and other things to help people survive.
We do outreach after a disaster to find the homeowners with the greatest unmet need, and we process them through a vetting and an application process. These are people that are generally low-income with very little financial resources to cover rebuilding costs. They largely are underinsured or completely uninsured.
ing this year are in Tampa, Florida, which was hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton a year ago. Our goal is to rebuild at least 200 homes in the Tampa area. We’re on track to do 90 this year so we might blow through that number
How do you pay for all this?
move back into their homes. We like to throw welcome home parties for them.
You spent almost six years at Loyola.Before that, you helped launch the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute. What did SBP bring you in to do,and why were you interested in the new challenge?
Part of the mandate for me is to optimize the programs we’ve developed for long-term and sustainable growth. There’s going to be increased demand for the services that we can provide on the advisory side, and we want to meet it. That will allow us to make a more scaled impact on communities at a systems level in addition to the work we’re doing serving individual homeowners.
The mission really resonates. We have an incredible group of people. And I hate to consider this a growing industry, but there’s an opportunity to build on the successes to help meet this increasing expected need.
Is there a world in which SBP becomes the philanthropic FEMA?
FEMA controls the operating environment for disaster recovery, so
We’ve developed a huge amount of expertise in how to navigate FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) for survivors. We can often double the original award that a survivor had received from FEMA. We’ve recently developed a bridge loan product to
At first, the media is paying full attention, and everyone is opening up checkbooks. Then, when the cameras are gone, people are left with figuring out how they are going to rebuild, especially if they aren’t insured.
We start about six months later It takes a minute for debris to be cleared in a community and for it to be safe.
For your rebuilding efforts, how do you choose who to help? And how does the process work?
Once we verify eligibility and we get people through our intake process, we are literally running a construction project that relies heavily on subcontractors. We’ve been able to serve and do large parts of our construction work with AmeriCorps service members and other volunteers in addition to the skilled trades.
We may run radio ads in certain markets or establish relationships with local or state leadership teams so they can direct clients to us. We can’t respond to every major disaster, so we’re strategic. The majority of the houses we’re rebuild-
We help survivors navigate the FEMA appeals process and we offer them innovative financing. Outside of that, SBP’s work is funded through traditional philanthropy: corporate donors, individual donors and foundations.
We have a roughly $30 million annual operating budget. Some of that comes from federal funding and earned revenue, but about twothirds comes from fundraising.
The good news about not being heavily reliant on federal funding is that we haven’t had as much risk of cuts as other nonprofits.
There’s no way to put a price tag on the hope that we’re able to bring. It’s very emotional when people
What we heard about New Orleans at the time was all about the growth of the city And we knew there would be opportunity for us. We didn’t know anybody, but here we are. And that’s what’s so beautiful about living here. You really feel like you’re part of a community
Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Texas firm plans to build space station at N.O. East facility
BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer
Texas-based aerospace company
Vivace, which operates a manufacturing center at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East, has landed a contract to help build a space station for Starlab Space, a global joint venture vying for funding in a hypercompetitive sector of commercial spaceflight.
Led by the U.S. space technology firm Voyager Space and the European aerospace conglomerate Airbus, Starlab plans to build a low-Earth orbit station by the end of the decade that can house four researchers or space tourists.
The company said the aluminum-based station will be one of the largest structures ever developed for launch.
Starlab announced last week that it has selected Vivace to build that “primary structure” at Michoud, the local home to NASA in New Orleans and about 20 other aerospace and high-tech companies. Vivace has had a presence at the 829-acre manufacturing facility since 2012. The company’s corporate headquarters are in San Antonio Commercial uses of the Starlab space station include “in-orbit” satellite manufacturing The station also could act as a port for future space exploration missions. The partners developing it promise to deliver research and commercial opportunities in microgravity
The flurry of activity related to commercial space stations comes as NASA plans the end of an era.
The existing International Space Station — which has been run for nearly three decades by space agencies in the United States, Europe, Japan, Canada and Russia — is scheduled to cease operations in the 2030s. Since the ISS is expensive to operate and maintain, NASA launched a program in 2021 that encourages private development of alternatives. Essentially the agency wants to get out of the space station business while it focuses instead on missions to the moon and Mars.
The Starlab project is one of several commercial alternatives in the works. A competing partnership between the Jeff
Bezos-owned Blue Origin and Sierra Space is developing a station called the Orbital Reef. Another domestic competitor, Axiom, is planning its own design.
All of the companies are competing to show NASA and commercial customers that their concepts are the most viable. Starlab CEO Marshall Smith said selecting Vivace to lead the manufacturing of the station’s primary structure is a step in the right direction.
“Starlab is meticulously engineered to deliver scalability, reliability, and mission-critical research to our partners,” Smith said in a prepared statement. The next steps in the project will be to finalize the design and begin the manufacturing process for the station’s primary structure. Vivace said its U.S. government partners at Michoud will offer subject matter expertise, structural analysis and testing in-
frastructure
“Leveraging Vivace’s facilities in Louisiana, we are proud to contribute to this significant project supporting U.S. and allied leadership in human spaceflight,” said Steve Cook, the company’s chair Gov Jeff Landry cheered the deal.
“We are excited that Vivace Corp. and Starlab have partnered to utilize the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility as a central ele-
ment in the design and build of the structures for the Starlab spacecraft,” Landry said. In addition to Voyager and Airbus, the Starlab partnership includes Mitsubishi Corp., MDA Space and Palantir Technologies. Additional strategic partners include Hilton, Northrop Grumman and The Ohio State University Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.
Beyond isn’taplace —it’samindset. Andit’sabeliefthathas poweredusfor over 80 years. We areJones Walker LLP,a firmdrivenbyanentrepreneurial spirit,adeepsense of community, and afierce determination to deliverexceptional serviceand valuefor ourclients
Since1937, our firmhas been committed to workingwithcommunityleaders to develop business opportunitiesacrossthe state. We aresteadfast in continuing ourdedicationtogobeyondinadvising clientsand supportinginitiatives andorganizations that make Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork
The Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East is home to approximately
Michoud, has landed
LNG terminals, Meta data center driving La. economy
BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer
Louisiana is projected to add 74,500 jobs over the next two years, extending a five-year run of job gains in the state since the pandemic, due to expansions in the liquefied natural gas industry and construction of Meta’s $10 billion artificial intelligence data center
The job gains, if they occur, would represent a faster pace of job growth than the state is projected to add in 2025, according to economist Loren Scott, who released his annual economic forecast earlier this week at the Louisiana Business Symposium, an economic conference hosted by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report.
Scott said Louisiana is expected to finally have more than 2 million jobs by the end of the year, and that number will grow over the next two years.
The state has come close to breaking the 2 million mark for nonfarm jobs in 2015 and 2019, but a drop in oil prices, then the COVID pandemic caused job numbers to plunge.
“Let’s hope for the best,” Scott said, noting that while data centers and LNG export terminals are adding jobs, there could be disruptions, such as AI taking away the need for some workers.
Lake Charles, which has two LNG terminals under construction and could potentially add two more before the end of the year, and Monroe, which will benefit from the Meta data center and two Entergy power plants providing electricity for it, are expected to be the fastest-growing regions of the state, according to Scott.
Both Lake Charles and Monroe are expected to post an 8% gain in jobs by the end of 2027, Scott said. That would add 8,600 jobs in Lake Charles and 7,500 in Monroe.
as Calcasieu Pass 2, while their impact on global warming could be studied.
Since April, Woodside Energy has announced plans for the $17.5 billion Louisiana LNG facility in Calcasieu Parish, while Venture Global has started work on CP2, a $15.1 billion facility. Each plant will create 7,500 temporary construction jobs and several hundred permanent jobs.
Economist Loren Scott said Louisiana is expected to finally have more than 2 million jobs by the end of the year, and that number will grow over the next two years.
Lake Charles is benefiting from the Trump administration’s decision to move ahead with permitting LNG facilities quickly That’s in contrast to the Biden administration’s move to pause export permits on manufacturing plants such
Commonwealth LNG could go ahead and make a final investment decision on an $11 billion plant in Cameron Parish before the end of the year Scott said. And the $10 billion
Lake Charles LNG retrofit could get a final investment decision before the end of 2026, he said.
The job gains in metro Monroe are entirely driven by the Meta data center, which will create 5,000 construction jobs and up to
500 permanent jobs. Entergy plans to spend $2.2 billion to build two natural gas power plants to meet the needs of the data center, which will be around the size of 70 football fields. The power needs of the plant are significant; the Center for Energy Studies at LSU estimates Meta’s consumption alone will boost electricity consumption in Louisiana by 15%.
Scott said that the other major employers in Monroe, such as the Foster Farms poultry plant, the Graphics Packaging paper plant and the JPMorgan Chase Mortgage customer service center, are expected to see employment hold steady or even fall slightly Baton Rouge is projected to see a 4.9% job gain over the next two years, adding 21,600 new positions, thanks to industrial construction in Ascension Parish. Scott said more than $20 billion in projects are in motion, most are in the 17,000-acre RiverPlex MegaPark, a mixed-use development on the west bank of the parish bordering the Mississip-
pi River The RiverPlex MegaPark development will be anchored by the $5.8 billion Hyundai steel mill project which Gov Jeff Landry and Ascension Parish officials committed $600 million to upgrade the MegaPark land with a wastewater treatment plant, road and rail updates and land purchases. The project will create 1,300 direct jobs. All of the other metro areas in Louisiana are expected to see job gains that fall below the 3.7% increase that is projected to happen over the next two years. Hammond and St. Tammany Parish are both projected to see 3.4% gains in new jobs Hammond will be boosted by expansions at North Oaks Health System and Southeastern Louisiana University, while St. Tammany will be boosted by continuing gains at Globalstar and Pool Corp. Shreveport-Bossier City is expected to see 3.3% growth because of growth prospects at the Cyber Research Park, the former
Woodside Energy hosted a groundbreaking for its Louisiana LNG site in Sulphur on Sept. 15. Lake Charles is expected to be among the fastestgrowing regions of the state.
and
of
a chance a data center could move into the area, because of the easy access to the abundant supply of cheap natural gas in the Haynesville Shale, Scott said.
Lafayette is forecast to see a 2.8% gain in jobs, as tariffs weigh down the offshore drilling industry SafeSource Direct’s recent suspension of operations is also expected to hurt the local economy The Broussard plant, which makes personal protective equipment, has laid off just under 700 employees. New Orleans is expected to see a 2.4% gain in jobs, as the city is pulled down by a lagging convention business and financial difficulties at the University of New Orleans. The $18 billion expansion at the Venture Global LNG export terminal in Plaquemines Parish will provide a boost.
Email Timothy Boone at tboone@theadvocate.com.
Building the Future of Energy Logistics.
We’remodernizing ourterminals to serve energy transition logistics, andpartnering on innovative solutions— alltosupport the transition to alower-carbonfuture. from non-petroleum products
GM plant
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STAFF
PHOTO By COURTNEy PEDERSEN
BatonRouge
Andy Gutacker has been named senior vice president andgeneral manager of BASF’sGeismar site, the firm’slargest NorthAmerican manufacturing facility with more than 2,000 employees and contractors. Gutacker began working for the German chemical company’spetrochemical division in Freeport, Texas, in 2019 before beingpromotedtovarious vice president positions. Most recently, he was vice president of operations for European and North American operations.
JD Bank has hired Martin Holifield
as amortgageloan originator serving theBaton Rouge andnorthshore markets andoperating from an office in the community bank’snew full-service branch due to open in Baton Rouge in December Holifield previously worked for First Guaranty Bank in Hammond, where he managed ateam of 15 employees. He hasserved as treasurer anda committee chair for theCentral City ChamberofCommerce anda member of the Greater Baton Rouge Board of Realtors.
LSU Law professors Bill Corbett and Del Wright Jr have been awarded the CheneyC.Joseph Endowed Professorship. They are the first faculty members picked for the Joseph
Professorship. Corbett, alongtime colleague of Joseph’s, hasbeen on theLSU Law faculty since 1991, focusing on labor and employment law,torts andcivil procedure.Hepreviously served as interim dean and is the executive directorofthe Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. Wright, who joined theLSU Law faculty last fall, teaches classes in business, finance, taxes, securities, entrepreneurship andcryptocurrency regulation. Previouslya federal prosecutor in theJustice Department’stax divi-
sion, Wright prosecuted white-collar tax and fraud cases and served on an Organized Crime andDrug EnforcementTask Force in Maryland.
NewOrleans Giovanna “Gio”Savorgnan hasbeen hiredasvice president of sales foradvertising firm 3131 Media, where she will lead sales strategy and growth as the New Orle an s-ba se d agencylooks to expand.
Savorgnan, who previously worked as sales director for WWL-TV in New Orleans and, later,WFAA-TV in Dallas,has been recognizedby the Alliance for Women in Media on multiple occasions. Her new posi-
tion will be based in Dallas. AlejandraGuzman hasbeen promoted fromchief business development officer to become the new chief operating officerofLSU HealthFoundation NewOrleans. Before joiningthe foundation Guzman held various leadership roles at the New Orleans Business Alliance. She currentlyserves as board chair of the Louisiana Urban Land Institute andsitsonthe Hispanic ChamberofCommerceof Louisiana andthe Xavier University Presidential Advisory boards, having previously served on the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans.
Do you have personnel changes to share or other ideas for our business coverage? Dropusaline at biztips@thedvocate.com.
Employersghostingjob applicants is cruel, unprofessional
Michelle Singletary
THE COLOR OF MONEy
Over the past several months, I’ve been assisting several unemployed people, including some who were victims of the federalemployee purge. One of themost frustrating thingsis how oftenemployers ghost these job seekers, often not even confirming receipt of their applications. Even those who makeitto the interview stage and seem to be on ashort list have beendropped suddenly without warning, adynamic more commonly associated with dating.
One person I’m working with has been waiting more than three months to hearback from one company about aposition. They liked her,the interviewer said, and told her she would get aresponse in about aweek.
Like abad breakup, applicants who get ghosted are left wondering and worrying about what happened.But it’sreally up to the company to communicate when things don’twork out.
And it happens with increasing regularity: A2023 survey by the job siteIndeedfound that 35% of job seekers claim an employer
didn’tacknowledge their application. And 40% said they were ghosted after asecond- or third-round interview —upfrom 30% in 2022.
In research released last year,the career platform Glassdoor found that employer ghosting hasbecome afamiliar complaint amongapplicants who post interview reviews.
“As the job market softens, ghosting is likely to keep growing …asa larger pool of job seekers compete for asmallerpool of jobs,” an economist for the companysaid.
The U.S. labor market is weakening: Hiring slowed down substantially in August, the Labor Department reported. Employers added just 22,000 jobs, asignificant drop from the 79,000 created in July.Meanwhile, the unemployment rate edged up to 4.3%. And a recent data revision by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that U.S. employers created 911,000 fewer positions from April 2024 to March 2025 than what was previously reported.
All of this means it’sgetting increasingly difficult to find work. And the numberofAmericans experiencing joblessness for six months or longer has climbed.
Job seekersalso are losing confidence:Research from theNew York Federal Reserve Bank shows “joblossexpectations” have wors-
ened. And optimismoffinding a jobonce unemployed has declined to arecordlow,according to the New York Fed’sCenter for Microeconomic Data Survey of Consumer Expectations
Concerns about President Donald Trump’stariff disputes are making employers hesitant to fill roles. The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by aquarterpoint last month, citing the health of the labor market as afactor Against this gloomy economic backdrop, it’s not hard to understand why recruiters and hiring managersare getting swamped withapplications. The use of artificial intelligence has made it easier for jobseekerstomass-apply,resulting in an influx of résumés.
To be fair,sometimes acompany decides to pull an open position or go with an internal candidate. However,ghosting is bothrude and unprofessional.
It’salso cruel.
I’m awitness to how thesilence affects people’smental health. They often lose hope, and sometimes give up looking altogether If you’re an employer,you ought to have asystem in place to updatefolks on their status. Even ageneric rejection letter is more humane than being ignored. You can do so much morewith auto-
mation these days. Useit! Here’sthe advice I’ve been giving to ghosted job candidates.
n Don’tstop communicating It may be aone-sided endeavor but make sure to follow up with an email or telephone call without overdoing it. Space out your outreach so that you aren’tviewed as anuisance or menacing.
n Keep it professional An employer’s silenceshouldn’tbemet with vitriol. Don’tsend any angry emails or leave voicemails about how you’ve been ghosted or poorly treated in the process. Stay polite.
n Ask for atimeline. Do whatyou can to get any information on whento expect ahiring decision.
n Don’ttakeitpersonally This is hard. Buttry to remember that the lack of communication maynot have anything to do with your job qualifications or your interview performance.
n Move on. If another offer comes up, take it. It maynot be the job you want,but waiting fora callback from aghosting employer might cause you to lose aposition you need.
Afew years ago, Iwas part of a hiring team at my company.We narrowed the field to three people, all of whom were interviewed. One candidate stood out abit more thanthe others, although all of
them performed well during the interview process.
After we made our final decision, Ireached out to the other candidates because Ineeded them to know it was aclose call. Ithought they deserved some feedback, not just asimple “you didn’tget the job.”
As Iwas thinking aboutwriting this column, Icircled back to oneof thecandidates to ask whether my reaching outmadeadifference.
“Getting rejected from ajob usually feelslike agut punch, but your phone callfeltmore likeapat on theback,” she said. “Itwas aconversation that reminded me that this rolewasn’t meant to be, and that’sOK, because you andothers showered me in compliments and encouragement. Ithink that’svital forayoungprofessional,especially in this current job market, where landingroles is as hard as ever.” Idon’t have theburden of reviewing dozensofapplications, so Iunderstand that hiring personnel may nothavethe time to do what I did. Butapplicants shouldatleast receive an automated progress report. Andtheydeservetoknow your finaldecision.
Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost. com.
Gutacker
Holifield
Corbett Wright
Savorgnan
W. Texas struggles to meet demand for data center infrastructure
BY CARLOS NOGUERAS RAMOS
The Texas Tribune
ODESSA, Texas Big data centers that power the artificial intelligence industry demand an abundance of energy West Texas — known for producing 40% of the nation’s crude oil — also has an extraordinary amount of natural gas that could power those data centers. But the region lacks adequate infrastructure to convert the gas, a byproduct of pumping oil, into electricity and transmit it to the growing industry, experts said.
“Meeting this unprecedented demand takes more than production alone,” said Ed Longanecker, president of the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association. “It requires a strong network of pipelines and infrastructure to move natural gas efficiently and ensure reliable power for end
users. In Texas, expanding this network has never been more important to keep pace with growth.”
The lack of infrastructure puts the Permian Basin region at a major disadvantage compared to other oil and gas producing regions, said Jason Jennaro, CEO of FrontierGen, a business analytics company that helps industrial developers secure land.
Oil and gas companies in West Texas will need to compete with those in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville shales, two other major oil basins in southern and eastern Texas, for customers on the hunt for remarkable amounts of natural gas. Further complicating the matter is the number of companies with high energy needs, including cryptocurrency facilities, Jennaro said, who wrote a report in September evaluating different Texas oil basins and their potential to bring en-
ergy to AI The oil and gas industry itself is also increasingly needing more energy
“The demand for generation, particularly in high voltage transmission, is going to have to be spread across a number of different industries looking to pursue it,” Jennaro said.
Jennaro said the United States will need to add roughly 400 terawatts — enough energy to power France for a year — in five years to satisfy AI demand. His study relied on estimates from McKinsey and the Energy Information Administration, a government analysis agency Texas is also expecting more demand. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s main grid operator, may have to nearly double in size by 2030, according to its own forecasts. The demand is mostly coming from data centers and the oil and gas industry
The dearth of ways to carry gas that surfaces along with crude oil in the Permian Basin is not just lost revenue; it’s a money pit. Earlier this year oil companies were paying other companies to take the gas. Supplying that gas to data center companies would mean West Texas producers could turn the financial drain into profit.
Among the first steps to realizing that goal, the region needs gas plants to generate electricity Longanecker said oil companies are spending billions of dollars in West Texas for such projects.
But it won’t be so simple as building facilities. More pipelines are also needed. The pipelines carrying 6.5 billion cubic feet a day of natural gas in the region can transport only so much of it to meet the congested field of customers.
The oil fields of Eagle Ford and Haynesville, on the other hand, are better equipped with transmission
lines, less congestion of industries and proximity to liquefied natural gas hubs. The two also have a more robust fiber optic network.
Longanecker said the federal government should reform pipeline permitting to shorten the approval process, which can take up to seven years.
Jennaro said he’s bullish about a state plan in Texas to build transmission lines capable of transmitting higher voltages of electricity. The Permian Basin Reliability Plan, passed by lawmakers in 2023, is set to be built by 2030.
“In our opinion, we are entering America’s Fourth Industrial Revolution. This revolution will be defined by the creation of large industrial nexus points where substantial amounts of electricity, transmission, natural gas, water and fiber optics converge,” Jennaro said. “Texas and its energy basins are a great place for this.”
Science, Jobs,and Balance: Rethinking Louisiana’s Menhaden Buffer Zone
Brought to youbythe Louisiana Commercial Fishing Coalition,LLC Louisiana’sworking coast has long depended on the Gulf menhaden fishery -asustainable industry thatsupportsmorethan2,000 jobs contributes $419 million annually,generates $25million in state and local tax revenue,and purchases $62 million in goods and services from 32 parishes.Yet,despitethis enormous positiveimpact,recentregulatory changes threatentounderminethis lifeline industry and the communities thatdepend on it
At issue is the decision to extend the state’s menhaden buffer zone in recentyears. Historically,the fishery operatedalongthe Inside/Outside Line and Double Rig Line -longstanding boundariesfor commercial fishing thathad already limited where menhaden vessels could operate.In2021, the buffer zone wasextended by one-quarter mile, and again in 2024toahalf-mile from the original line. While thesechanges maysound incremental, the impact has been anything butsmall. The half-mile restriction has excluded thousands of acres of historically productivefishing grounds.In just 3years, the industry experienced a25% reduction in fish caught. Foranindustry already operating on tightmargins,this lossisunsustainable, harming not only the companies thatfish for menhaden but alsothousands of Louisiana families whoselivelihoods depend on this fishery
An Industry ThatFuels Local Economies Louisiana’smenhaden industry is powered by twocompanies -Westbank Fishing out of Empire, LA (Plaquemines Parish) and Ocean Harvestersout of Abbeville,LA(Vermilion Parish). Contrary to the misinformation thathas been spread, both thesecompanies areU.S.-based, U.S.-owned and aretotally controlled by U.S. citizens.Together with thetwo processing companies (Daybrook Fisheries and OmegaProtein),theyemploy morethan 800 people directly on vessels and in processing plants,while another 1,200 jobs ripple acrossrural communities through suppliers, service companies,and transportation providers. Theseare stable, year-round jobs thatanchorsmall-town economies in parishes whereeconomic opportunities arelimited. Beyond economics,menhaden playsa critical role in globalsupply chains.These small, oily fish areprocessedintofishmeal andfish oil essentialfor petfood, animalfeed, and aquaculture. Without areliable domestic menhaden supply,the United States would be forced to rely on imports,raising costs forconsumers and weakening food security. Bycatch NumbersTell the Real Story Toooften, buffer zone expansions have been driven by perception rather than science. Proponents citeconcerns about bycatch, particularly the unintended capture of reddrum. But Louisiana’sown $1 million bycatchstudy tells adifferentstory -one that underscores howsustainable and responsible the menhadenfishery is
Thestudy found the menhadenfleet accounts forjust 3.4% of reddrum caught. In addition, the fishery operatedwell below the 5% total bycatchset by the State of Louisiana as amaximum bycatchthreshold. By contrast,the recreational sector -nearly 407,000 licensed saltwateranglersin202324 according to the Louisiana Departmentof Wildlifeand Fisheries-accounts for96.6% of all reddrum mortalities off Louisiana’s coast.Infact, LDWF data showred drum areexperiencing overfishing driven by this recreational pressure.
What’smore, the bycatchstudy found that 84% of reddrum surviveafter being rolledout of the nets after the completion of menhaden sets.Industry-led innovations aredriving this survival rate even higher.The adoption of newhose-end cage technologyindustrywide, forexample, has reduced the menhaden industry’s reddrum mortalityby24% in 2025.
The menhaden fleet has alsoinvested heavily in improving gear to preventpast issues. Since 2023,companies have spent $6.5 million upgrading to Spectra/Plateena nets,which arestronger,moredurable, and significantly reduce net tearsthatonce led to unintended spills Takentogether,the data showa fishery that is meeting bycatchstandards,innovating to improve,and ensuring reddrum populations arenot negatively impacted.
The Myth of Predator Dependence
Another argumentoften cited against menhaden harvesting is thatpredatorfish like speckled trout and reddrum depend almost exclusively on menhaden as food. Yetnew
research disproves this claim. AUniversity of Southern Mississippi study found Gulf predatorspecies do not exclusively rely on menhaden. Instead, theyconsume avariety of prey,including shrimp,crabs,and other forage fish.
This evidence underscores thatthe ecological role of menhaden, while important, is not thesole factor sustaining predator populations.The buffer zone expansions therefore, do littletoprotect prizedgamefish but imposeenormous costs on the menhaden industry and the communities it supports ACall for Balance Louisiana has long prided itself on balancing conservation with economic opportunity. The recenthalf-mile buffer zone extension has introduced quantifiable challenges forthe menhaden fishery,limiting areas wherevessels canoperate and reducing accesstohistorically productivewaters The industry remains asignificant contributor to thestate’s economyand operatesunder state science-based managementstandards,which aredesigned to ensuresustainability.
Forthe thousands of Louisiana workers, families,and communities connected to this fishery,the issue is morethan abstract policy Menhaden has long been aresource thatfeeds people, pets,and economies,and decisions around its managementwill help shapehow it continues to playthatrole in the future
An entrance to the Stargate artificial intelligence data center complex in Abilene, Texas. While West Texas has an
Written Proposalsmustbere‐ceived by StateParks at this addressnolater than 4:00 p.m. CT onFri‐day, October31, 2024. StateParks will continue
itscommitmenttoen‐sure allprojectspromote ourmission statement, have community sup‐port,and supportoflocal andstate electedoffi‐cials. StateParks also commitstonot proceed with anyprojectsthat will be detrimentaltothe localcommunity or any localbusiness. Allinquiries concerning theRFI should be submit‐ted in writingtothe Issu‐ingOfficer, BrettSan‐difer, at bsandifer@crt. la.gov 157442-SEP10-OCT9 $579.96
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LOUISIANA
A GROWING PRACTICE
Lafayette pediatric emergency room extends hours, ups NICU tech
BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer
Dr Scott Hamilton did not think he was going to end up in Louisiana. However, when he met his wife in Portland, Maine, and spending seven years together up north, the Lafayette native had to get closer to home. So, the pair moved to Acadiana.
“I met a Cajun girl,” Hamilton said. “That’s why I’m here.”
In the years since, Hamilton has found his passion as the medical director of the pediatric emergency department at Ochsner Lafayette General Regional Medical Center, where he has worked for 25 years.
His new goal aligns with the hospital’s: Expanding the resources at the pediatric emergency room and extending the hours to care for more pediatric patients each day
Starting in August, Hamilton and his team at Ochsner Lafayette General opened the pediatric ER from noon to 11 p.m. with a fully trained staff. Hamilton wants to keep extending the hours.
“We’re hoping to expand to 12 hours a day, and we hope to extend to 16 hours a day,” Hamilton said. “That’s the dream that we’re working on here at the hospital.
If a pediatric patient is ad-
mitted before or after those hours, they are treated in the hospital’s main emergency room In order to be considered a designated trauma center by the American College of Surgeons, a hospital needs to be able to get a patient into the operating room in half an hour.
A trauma, by definition, is defined as multiple injuries.
“Generally, the worst ones we see here are ATV roll-
overs,” Hamilton said. “As a trauma center, we have all of the surgeon subspecialists that take care of all of those injuries associated with each patient.”
The trauma rooms are set at 78 degrees. Operating rooms are at 78 degrees. That’s to prevent patients from experiencing cold stress and discomfort while being treated.
“It’s a different animal than adults,” Hamilton said “We’re not dealing with heart
attacks or strokes.”
Typically, pediatric patients are from zero to 14 years old — most of the distinction between adult and pediatric emergency care is based on size.
“Pediatric surgeons are great at algebra,” Hamilton said. “Because they’re doing medication conversions for kids’ weights day in and day out.”
Study challenges
Researchers put number at 7,000
BY HUNTER BOYCE
How do you measure the value of a step? A common goal for many people over the last 60 years has become 10,000 steps a day for better health. The problem is it’s a myth decades in the making. A team of researchers decided to figure out just how many steps a person should really take for better health, landing squarely around 7,000 for the general population. And according to a doctor, it might actually be best to drop the step count all together
Published in The Lancet recently, a new systematic study review challenged the health value of aiming for 10,000 steps per day
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke with the study’s Philip Clare, a researcher at the University of Sydney, to discuss setting a more realistic goal.
“It’s not wrong to have a target that isn’t necessarily giving you the maximum benefit,” Clare explained. “We have a lot of this in public health where, ideally, we would like to set targets that are going to have a really good benefit.
“But if no one meets them, on a population level, it’s actually less beneficial. It’s going to be demoralizing.”
While 10,000 daily steps may feel like a monumental task to many, a more modest 7,000 daily steps can be almost just as beneficial. It’s the researcher’s hope that his team’s work will help encourage people to not be intimidated into taking that crucial first step toward a healthier lifestyle.
From cardiovascular disease to cancer to depression, the study review examined the health effects of walking across a wide range of diseases and symptoms. In the end, the researchers determined that only walking 7,000 steps a day was associated with a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality and 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, among other findings.
“The benefit that you get from going from 5,000 to 7,000, up to that 10,000 is just much reduced,” Clare explained. “From going 1,000 to 7,000, you get about a 50% reduction in mortality Going from that 7,000 to 10,000, you get about another 5%. You can still reduce your risk if you keep going, but you get a lot less bang for your buck.”
Is a lower step count a more achievable goal for most people, including the average Atlanta walker?
Emory University assistant professor and primary care sports medicine physician Dr Michael Kraft offered his expertise on the matter
ä See STEPS, page 3X
Molly
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP
Scott Hamilton, medical director of the pediatric emergency department at Ochsner Lafayette General Regional Medical Center, speaks during a tour of the pediatric emergency department and emergency room on Sept. 2 at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center in Lafayette.
Meagan Daigle, the registered nurse regional director of maternal, newborn and pediatric services at Ochsner Lafayette General, stands in the neonatal intensive care unit during a tour
HEALTH MAKER
Pennington’s Pasiakos leads charge in military research
BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer
Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge
welcomed Dr. Stefan Pasiakos in May as a professor and director of human performance optimization
In his work at Pennington, Pasiakos has led research aimed at enhancing human performance across many environments — from the battlefield to deep space.
Pasiakos, an author of over 170 published works, previously worked at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and as the director of the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements.
became very inspired after 9/11 to give back — to do something in some way that I can actually contribute When I was finishing graduate school, I made the decision that I wanted to join the Army I wanted to do science for the Army I commissioned as an officer right out of graduate school, and I became a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Massachusetts
His research includes optimizing functional capabilities for warfighter resilience, space travel and other projects within the scope of human-performance research.
Pasiakos received his doctorate in nutritional science in 2008 from the University of Connecticut. He also holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in exercise physiology from Adelphi University and Southern Connecticut State University He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Military Nutrition Division in 2012 as a U.S. Army Medical Service Corps officer
What brought you into military sciences and the Army?
I was always interested in doing research for the military I
The medical research lab focuses on how service members respond to environmental, physiological and operational stressors, and how they can design evidencebased tools or strategies to offset those decrements that might occur — whether that be during basic training, while they’re living here in the country and training, or if it’s during an actual combat deployment. We asked ourselves, “How can we use science to optimize their performance, eliminate injury and keep people healthy and ready in the event that they’re called on to do something?” I was there for almost 16 years.
Throughout that time, I had various positions, ending with serving as the chief of the military performance division. That was a large research group of about 90 individuals, where our mission was to identify risk factors for musculoskeletal injury and to develop strategies to prevent
injury or to accelerate a service member’s return to duty once they are injured.
Why Pennington? Pennington approached me in February of this past year and asked if I would be interested in coming to Louisiana. They asked me to both expand my previous research and strengthen — or broaden — the work that Pennington has done to support the Department of Defense for the past 37 years.
We can do this in Baton Rouge by bringing in new disciplines, by integrating the sciences and by focusing on trying to eliminate physiological decline in service members or astronauts operating underneath the most extreme conditions a real emphasis on both space flight and the military
That’s where I’m at now I’m trying to stand up this program and coming back into research, from being a more of a program manager for the past five years at the National Institutes of Health.
What are some specific studies you are researching at Pennington?
We’re working on expanding our relationship with NASA, the Johnson Space Center We’re looking for ways for Pennington to bring back the ability to do bed rest studies.
Given the focus on going to the moon, the focus on going to Mars, there are a lot of stressors that astronauts face that need to be mitigated in some way
The bed rest analog gives us the capability for Pennington to do what it does best to study
metabolism. Study skeletal muscle bone adaptations to deconditioning. Study the neurocognitive responses and develop interventions. We are looking to reestablish the infrastructure here, to really have Pennington serve as the hub for metabolic research, and we hope that comes to fruition.
The other work that we’re doing is continuing to explore the nutritional requirements for service members. One such study is looking at ways that we can use pharmacologic to offset some of the inflammatory responses that happen during extreme operations. That includes operations associated with sleep deprivation, underfeeding or extreme environmental stressors.
Those conditions can cause an inflammatory response that limits the body’s ability to absorb key nutrients, such as iron, and that can reduce performance. We’re doing a study now to look at ways to overcome that.
Another study that we’re putting in for funding is using novel therapeutics, novel compounds, to explore how those can be used to maximize the restorative effects of sleep when you can’t sleep enough.
In special forces, for example, a lot of those missions come with various or limited opportunities to actually sleep, so the body can’t recover optimally if you can’t sleep.
How can we use new strategies, new therapeutics, to actually maximize the body’s response and restorative properties while you
can’t sleep enough so you can perform at your best?
We’re looking at brain activity
We’re looking at muscle recovery and cognition.
How is Louisiana so far? And what do you look forward to at Pennington?
I’m from New England. I’ve never really left New England, so this, obviously, was a monster shift. My family and I are happy here in Louisiana.
Personally I couldn’t be more excited to have the opportunity in front of me. If you’re a federal scientist, typically, as you work through your career, you just move higher and higher into administrative roles. You become so far removed from actual research doing what you actually were trained to do.
This opportunity here at Pennington has given me the chance to get back to that — to build a program. I will still lead this multidisciplinary program with a lot of scientists, but I’m excited to just get back to the hands-on aspects of science.
Pennington is known for obesity, diabetes, cancer and just general nutrition groundbreaking research, but my focus has always been on human performance under extreme physiological stress. That can be anybody — that can be astronauts, that can be military, that can be first responders. How can we do science to keep people functioning at their best, no matter the condition? That’s what I hope to do now here at Pennington.
HEALTH NOTES
EPIC-NOLA turns 10, plans celebration
Staff report
Early Psychosis Intervention Clinic New Orleans, also known as EPIC-NOLA, and its psychosis early detection campaign Clear Answers to Louisiana’s Mental Health host the fourth annual In My Mind benefit from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m on Nov. 7 at Junebug, at 744 Camp St., New Orleans.
EPIC-NOLA, a program affiliated with the department of psychiatry at Tulane University, works to break down the stigma surrounding psychosis. Young people aged 16 to 25, high school and college-aged, are especially at-risk to psychosis, according to EPIC-NOLA. General admission tickets are $150 per person, which includes food, an art exhibit, music performance and more, with an open bar
PRACTICE
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There are other systems in place to enable the medical team to adjust to a child’s size and weight. For example, the pediatric emergency room’s crash cart is colorcoded based on child sizes. On the gurney in trauma one, there is a Broselow Tape a color-coded height chart on a long measuring board that sits next to the bed Nearby, in color-coded drawers, they are able to grab instruments tailored to the correct body size.
Asthma, croup attacks, bronchiolitis, sore throats, flu, RSV, sprained ankles and blunt traumas are just some of the things Hamilton and his team see at Ochsner’s pediatric emergency room.
Hamilton and his colleagues start their shifts at noon. But, before the hustle of the ER, Hamilton is working with administrators, filing paperwork and teaching classes.
“Pediatric emergencies are seldom. So, really to be good at them, we have to drill,” Hamilton said. “You have to practice them with mannequins and scenarios.”
Another benefit to having a designated ER for PEDs is that it helps get to patients faster
“They don’t have to wait behind adults,” Hamilton said. “We can pull the kids out of the triage line and triage them here.”
As part of the training at the NICU, nurses, physicians and staff are invited to participate in monthly trainings These courses could be on something new, or on something old.
“Dr Hamilton doesn’t really talk too much about himself, but I think it’s incredible how he, Dr (William)
Smalling and Dr (Matthew) Cortez actually do classes — not just for physicians, but for nurses as well,” said Maegan Daigle, the registered nurse regional director of maternal, newborn and pediatric services at Ochsner Lafayette General.
“Mock codes. Simulations. All at the benefit of their own time.” These drills, which happen at varying times each month, keep the pediatric practitioners on their feet, a vital component of pediatric care.
“On adults, we normally see the same things, and we’re able to practice and adapt,” Hamilton said. “With children, traumas are all so different and more rare.”
As the birthrate in the U.S. declines, the Ochsner Lafayette General Regional Medical Center is seeing an uptick According to Daigle, those numbers are expected to continue to rise.
“In the past three or four months, we have actually seen an incline in our delivery rates,” Daigle said.
A large part of the increasing births at the hospital in Lafayette is the three expansions the hospital has done to the department.
In the last decade, the labor and delivery floor went from 15 to 19 beds, added 20 more postpartum rooms, opened an obstetric emergency department and opened a prenatal unit for mothers who need to stay in the hospital before giving birth.
“If you build it, they will come,” Daigle said. “We’re going to just keep expanding. I’m sure there’s going to be another expansion in the near future.”
Not only have there been increased births in the hospital, but the team at Ochsner Lafayette General has also seen an increase
in transports, Hamilton said.
A pediatric team, partnered with Acadian Ambulance, can travel with newborns from Jennings, Opelousas, New Iberia, Abbeville and as far as Florida to pick up an infant.
Ochsner provides the team and the sleds for this service.
“There was a family that just wanted to get back home to Louisiana. Our team drove an ambulance all the way to Florida, stabilized the baby and drove back,” Daigle said. “I can’t imagine how they sat in the back of an ambulance bay for hours.”
The pediatric sleds the mechanism used to transport infants safely in an ambulance, are fully equipped with newborn needs, including oxygen monitors, feeding tubes, blood pressure cuffs and much, much more — and they are all mini-sized for the infants.
“We get there as soon as we can,” Daigle said. “If we know ahead of time, we can be there before the baby is born. Then, at birth, we step right into action, stabilize the baby and then transfer them safely to the hospital.”
Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.
Medicare open
enrollment starts Oct. 15
Medicare’s annual open enrollment begins Oct. 15, and millions of Americans will soon face decisions about their 2026 coverage. Open enrollment ends Dec. 7. For more information about future coverage, go to medicare.gov
Nursing director selected for nurse exam panel
Brittney Zaffuto, the practical nursing director at Nunez Community College in Chalmette, was one of 20 health care educators from around the country invited to Chicago as a panelist for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination.
Zaffuto was approved by the Louisiana State Board of Practical Nurse Examiners to participate on the exam’s development As an item writer, Zaffuto spent four days in Chicago offices writing questions for the examination.
“This opportunity allowed me to play a part in shaping the future of nursing by ensuring fair and rigorous assessment for future nurses,” Zaffuto said in a statement.
The NCLEX-RN and NCLEXPN examinations identify those candidates who demonstrate minimal competence to practice nursing at the entry level. Passing the NCLEX exam is one of the requirements necessary for attaining a nursing license and registration in the United States.
Monthly weight loss seminars in Slidell
Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital in Slidell and wellrenowned bariatric surgeons are hosting weight loss seminars every month beginning in September and ending in December
White Cane Safety Day celebration in BR
The Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired will host Baton Rouge’s official celebration of National White Cane Safety Day — a day dedicated to promoting awareness, independence and mobility for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
Mayor Sid Edwards will speak to the public at 9:15 a.m. followed by student and adult advocates as well as demonstrations on cane travel and accessibility and mobility activities.
The event hosted at the North Boulevard Town Square, 222 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 15.
Ochsner LSU Health announces partnership Progressive Children’s Clinic, at 1919 Fairfield Ave., Shreveport, announced it will join the Ochsner LSU Health system. The clinic, while still operating at its current location, will officially transition to Ochsner LSU Health Progressive Pediatrics in January 2026. Health Notes is an occasional listing of health happenings around Louisiana. Have something you’d like to share? Contact us at margaret.delaney @theadvocate.com.
Pasiakos
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Scott Hamilton, medical director of the pediatric emergency department at Ochsner Lafayette General Regional Medical Center, left, and Meagan Daigle, the registered nurse regional director of maternal, newborn and pediatric services at Ochsner Lafayette General, show a neonatal intensive care unit sled on Sept. 2 during a tour of the pediatric emergency department and emergency room at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center in Lafayette.
Primarycare physicians are typically apatient’s first point of contact with the health care system and provide critical preventive care, disease management and referrals to specialists In Louisiana, there are 264.3 primarycare providers per 100,000 people, the 38th-highest in the country.
Over the last seven years, from2018 to 2024, thisratio has increased steadily,slowly closing gap in primarycare provider rates compared to national averages.
Not only is the primary care provider ratio trending upward in Louisiana, 86% of adults in the state report having apersonal doctor or health care provider —that’s higher than the national
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averageat 84%
Massachusetts has the highestratio of primary care providers in 2024 with 395.1 practitioners per100,000 population, while Texas has the lowest ratiowith 221 per 100,000 population
TheHealth Resources and Services Administration has estimated that, as of November 2024, an additional 13,000 primary care providers are necessary to meetcurrent U.S. health careneedsindesignated health workforce shortage areas.
That deficit is expected to grow to at least20,200 physicians by 2034, reflecting continued strong demand
Data from the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services tracked the number of activeprimary care providers —including general practice, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics and internal medicinephysicians, as well as physicianassistantsand nurse practitioners—per 100,000 populationineach state.
Since2018, thenumber of primarycareproviders per 100,000 people in Louisiana areasfollows: n In 2018, therewere 183.9 primarycare providersper 100,000 population; n In 2019, therewere 201.8 primarycare providersper 100,000 population; n In 2020, therewere 212.5 primarycare
“I think the biggest thing that people should take away is that movement is positive and so walking is positive, even if you’re getting alittle bit in,” he told The AJC. For older adults, Kraft explained,aslittle as 4,400 steps aday can provebeneficial to their health. But workout enthusiasts should try to be as active as they can tolerate. “You shouldn’tshoot for that10,000 steps, if you can’tget there. But doing something is better than nothing. Andagain,it’sthat ‘doing nothing’ to then just ‘doing something’ has that biggestcardiovascular benefit. Ithink that’sthe power of that study.” Does that mean 7,000 is the new 10,000? It truly depends on theperson, as well as their specific health goals. Forreducingmortality rates, it’snot abad number for theaverage person to consider Walkingishealthy—really healthy.Counting steps, however, is not actually the most idealway to measure the worthofthose workouts. Are you walkingupan incline, downhill or an a flat surface? Are you an older adult or perhaps over-
providersper 100,000 population; n In 2021, therewere 221.6 primarycare providersper 100,000 population; n In 2022, therewere 238.5 primarycare providersper 100,000 population; n In 2023, therewere 253.6 primarycare providersper 100,000 population; n In 2024, therewere 264.3 primarycare providersper 100,000 population.
Since2018, theaverage number of primarycare providersper 100,000 people in the U.S. areas follows: n In 2018, therewere 209 primarycare providers per 100,000 population;
weight? Each individual’s healthcircumstances, as well as their unique health goals, will significantly affect thevalue of eachstep taken. Kraft explained that it’sbetter to consider your heartrate zone when exercising, rather than total stepstaken,ifyou wantto gauge theworthofyour walks.
“The zonesare truly based off of your maximum heart rate,” Kraft said.“Thesimple formula out there for most people is 220minus your agegivesyou amaximum heart rate. If you’re really well-trained, your maximum heartrate is probably going to be higher than that.”
n In 2019, there were 225.2 primarycare providers per 100,000 population; n In 2020, there were 236.4 primarycare providers per 100,000 population; n In 2021, there were 245.1 primarycare providers per 100,000 population; n In 2022, there were
heart rate chart, as well as detailed instructions on how to measure your heart rate zone. There are five zones in total, with the highest representingapace you can only maintain fora fewminutes at best. Those looking to lose weight will especially want to pay attention to these zones.
“Zone one, that’sconsidered very,very light,” Kraft said. “That’s50% to 60% of your maximum heart rate. You’re notgetting awhole lotofbenefitout of it, to be honest. Zone twois60% to 70%.Mostpeople sayuse the talk test.”
If you can talk, but perhaps not sing, during an exercise, it’s likely your heart rate is in that second zone. If youcan barely saymore
259.2 primarycare providers per 100,000 population; n In 2023, there were 271.7 primarycare providers per 100,000 population; n In 2024, there were 283.4 primarycare providers per 100,000 population.
than afew words, thenyou might already be in zone three or higher When walking, Kraft said, most people will only find themselves in zone two. Training in this zone, consequently,isa great wayto burn fatand improve cardio at ahumble workout pace. Walking is still only apiece of the larger picture, when it comes to meeting your health goals. From identifying and removing unhealthy habits to dieting, it’s best to talk with your doctor or nutritionist. “There’s alot thatgoes into it,” Kraft said. “I don’t want to hang thehat on just exercise forsure.” Visit dietaryguidelines. govfor more information on health eating.
Acadiana organization provides local access to performing arts resources
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
Serving her communitythrough the arts is away of life for Jackie Lyle. Whatstarted out as amissiontofind performances for her childrenhas evolved into her role as the executive directorofPerforming Arts Serving Acadiana. Also known as PASA, the nonprofit organization is the locus of arts and music in the Acadiana region that exposes communitymembersto avariety of performingarts.
The nonprofit relaunched its first performing arts season in 2021,bringing lively arts back to the Heymann Center stage
“The biggest mistakethatarts organizations make is not giving people access to artists,” Lyle said.
When the Fine Arts Foundation, which started in 1975, brought legendary performers like Roberta Peters, Ella Fitzgerald, Gregory Hines, Dr.Billy Taylor,Alexander Godunov and Mikhail Baryshnikov to Lafayette, Lyle wasincollege andthen
startinga family.For 13 years,the Fine Arts Foundation brought acts that were performingon“The Ed SullivanShow” to abooming Lafayette.
However, when the foundation filed for bankruptcy in 1988, Lyle faced atough reality
As amom to threekids, shewondered where shewould take them to experience similarperformances. Althoughshe was working full time at The Times of Acadiana, she gotinvolved withthe Fine Arts Foundation board.
Thenext year,she got involved even more and worked withPerforming Arts Society of Acadiana for22yearsuntil 2011. Eventually,that organization ceased programming as well. Lyle worked with others to startUpstage, anew performing arts organization, whichwas renamedto Performing Arts Serving Acadiana.
PASA’s mission is to provide local access to performances by nationally andinternationally known performing artists and ensembles, outreach andresidencyactivities
like masterclasses, workshopsand other sessions. These events are available for aspiring artists, and they also create paid performance opportunities.
Gail Romero, along-time supporter of PASA,saysit’simportant to supportthe organization because its versatile programming is able to reachawide spectrum of people in the area. Romero also lauds the consistent outreachtochildren and schools, which make the fine arts accessible to young people through education.
Romero likens Lyle to amusic teacher she had in the 1950s who introduced her and her peers to opera.
“He exposed us to the opera, high school kids from Franklin,” Romero said. “I would never have had thatexperience if not for him,and Ifeel like Jackie is doing this for thestudentsinLafayette.”
Performances andprogramming
On Sept. 24, Emmy-nominated singersongwriterBen Foldsperformedatthe Heymann Center with LindseyKraft to kick off the fall programming.
Lyle is alsoexcited about the following upcoming shows:
n “Avatar: TheLast Airbender In Concert —20th Anniversary Tour” on Oct. 23
n Roger Guenveur Smith’splay “InHonor of Jean-Michel Basquiat” on Nov.14
n Scott Bradlee’sPostmodern Jukebox on Dec. 3
n “What theConstitution Means to Me” on Jan. 16
n Flamenco Vivo on March 10
n Jill Butler and Her Joyride Band on March 20
In addition to the Heymann Center,a few of these performances, like “InHonor of Jean-Michel Basquiat” and“Whatthe ConstitutionMeans to Me,” willbeheld at The Theater at Baranco, which is a400seat theater at Dr.Raphael A. Baranco Elementary School, a100-year-oldschoolin Lafayette.
PASA is alsohosting an expert presentation of Jean-Michel Basquiat’swork in conjunction with the play
“When we’reinthe process of deciding our programming, we think, ‘How much can we do? What is the great impact that we could have?’ Andthen we lookatwhat is feasible from ahuman resource standpoint,” Lyle said. “If it’sworth doing, the funding will come.”
ä See COMMUNITY, page 2Y
JanRisher LONG STORy SHORT
Lessons from aGreat Blue heron
Ispent the majority of last weekatthe beach, atrip that was good formyspirit and soul. Iwish Icould bottle up whatever it is about sitting and staring at water that helps me feel better about the world.
Late one afternoon, my husband and Iwatched the sun set and then lingered to watch people drag their weary,sunburned and beach-ridden selves back toward civilization. With their chairs and coolers dragging, they leftwaddle-like lines that reminded me of the ones sea turtles whohave just laid eggs makewhen they are headed in the opposite direction.
As we watched agroup of 11 women pack up, my husband said, “People have gone on Himalayan expeditions with less gear.” Within minutes of the sun going beyond the horizon, the beach had cleared out, leaving just us, one other couple and alone Great Blue heron against the fading pink-and-gold of the western sky
For the next 30 minutes, I watched an elegant bird pace back and forth over a40-yard stretch of shoreline. He was eyeing the water the whole time. Clearly,hewas looking for something, yet not once during that timedid he makeamove to strike. It wasalmost like he was doing the samething we were just enjoying the sunset and the evening.
Even so, Ikept expecting him to lunge at afish, but he didn’t. He just kept walking, waiting, watching.
Talk about patience.
I’ll confess here and now:Patience is not my strong suit. My husband has morethan his fair share of it, and I’ve often thought Iborrow from his reserves when mine run out, which is moreoften than I’dlike to admit. Sitting there on the beach, Irealized how much Iadmire people —and even birds —who embody the virtue of patience.
Staring at the expanse of the sea brought back amemory from my early days in Louisiana, when I was teaching English as aForeign Language at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. One of my students, Jung Jin, had recently arrived in Louisiana from South Korea.
One day in class, as we were looking at amap of the United States, Jung Jin wasstaring at it in wonder.Herepeated several times, “America, such awide country.”
Through the years, I’ve often thought of that line, but lately it resonates moredeeply.Welive in awide country in every sense —geographically,culturally,politically It is also wide in possibilities. That width requires patience. It
STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER AGreat Blue heron sits in the water at Perdido Keybeach.
PROVIDED PHOTO By JEFFERy MITCHELL
Members of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company lead amovement class foranyone on Jan. 27 at theGirardRecreation Center while in town for the Sacred Spaces performance.
PROVIDED PHOTO By TRAVISGAUTHIER
Jackie Lyle, left,greets an audiencemember after RogerGuenveur Smith’s performance of Otto Frank, one of the popupsatBarancoElementary.
ASK THE EXPERTS
‘We’re a safe space for learning’
Head of The Historic New Orleans Collection focuses on rich diversity
BY LAUREN CHERAMIE
Staff writer
Erin Greenwald serves as deputy director at the Historic New Orleans Collection, overseeing the divisions of collections development and exhibitions, audience engagement, digital services and publications, as well as the Williams Research Center The Historic New Orleans Collection has one of the most significant archives on the history and culture of Louisiana.
Previously, Greenwald was vice president of public programs at the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, where she led statewide program development and implementation and served as editor-in-chief of 64 Parishes magazine.
Prior to her work at the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Greenwald was senior curator and historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection.
Greenwald holds a doctorate in history from Ohio State University In September, she was honored with the rank of chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
We see that the Historic New Orleans Collection offers free admission. How do you balance its role as a free resource with the realities of funding?
We are incredibly fortunate to have been founded in 1996 by Kemper and Leila Williams, two individuals who were involved in the cypress/lumber industry in Louisiana in the early 20th century That money was invested further in oil and gas. We were founded as the Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation, and we are able to offer free admission thanks to that endowment, as well as from the support and contributions of our members and donors. We’re in a very fortunate position to have an endowment that allows us to be a public good for the community of New Orleans.
Given that the people of New Orleans are so diverse, how do you ensure that the collections shown are relevant to these audiences?
We maintain active collecting policies. We started with our founders’ collection, which included lots of maps, manuscript materials, paintings, drawings and other visual materials. For the last almost 60 years, we have
Q&A WITH ERIN GREENWALD DEPUTy DIRECTOR AT THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION
Continued from page 1y
Bringing the arts to Acadiana
While PASA regularly hosts performances in Lafayette, its mission is to also expand their reach to rural communities in the area by providing students with access to drama, music, dance and arts opportunities. To fulfill that mission, Lyle designates daytime performances for schoolchildren This school year about 6,000 children will attend performances at the Heymann Center to see Mark Nizer, who uses magic and juggling to teach science, and Flamenco Vivo.
The organization will also bring a three-part series to Dr Raphael A. Baranco Elementary for students, parents and faculty to see Mark Nizer, Flamenco Vivo and a behind-the-curtain show that demonstrates how the lights and sound work for shows.
“We have an asset that a lot of communities don’t have, and that is our programming is brave,” Lyle said.
PASA works with educators to establish programs that go beyond the stage as well. They are launching an essay contest in October for sixth grade through college about the topic, “What the Constitution Means to Me.” The winner of the contest will be incorporated into the end of the play and will be able to read their essay to the audience.
Beyond Lafayette, PASA puts on events in Washington, a small town of 950 residents about 30 miles away from Lafayette. The
continued an emphasis on collecting and working to encourage documentation of communities that better reflect the rich diversity of our city.
The LGBTQ+ archives project is a great example. This is a group that is focused on preserving and promoting the history and culture of the LGBTQ community in New Orleans. That was an area of collecting, around 15 years ago, where we were underserved. We worked with other organizations to build those collections, and now we’re a place of stewardship for those collections.
We also have major oral history initiatives We’re just wrapping up an exhibition, “Making It Home,” which is about the New Orleans Vietnamese community since the fall of Saigon. That project started more than 10 years ago when our curator, Mark Cave, began working with individuals and families in the Vietnamese community to record their oral histories.
The photographer Harold Baquet was very active in New Orleans African American politics in the 20th century That collection has come to us.
Our mission is not just to collect. Our mission is to make sure that those collections are accessible to the public.
In addition to collecting and exhibiting oral histories, how does the museum’s collections make history feel alive and engaging? We rely on multimodal storytelling. When you think of a museum, you come in and read object labels or text channels, but
we also have a lot of interactive components that are developed in concert with our exhibitions. There are sound recordings and video assets that are played — there are all sorts of ways that we engage audiences, not only through the text on the wall and objects on display but through personalized tours, gallery talks and programming.
Earlier this year, we had an exhibition, “Captive State,” about incarceration in the state of Louisiana. There was no plan, origi-
nally, to create a book related to the exhibition, but the community impact was so great that we ultimately decided to publish one. What is the role of museums in addressing cultural issues, like incarceration?
Museums operate from an interesting position within American society Museums generally are considered trusted institutions, and we take that responsibility and trust very seriously We look to present programming in partnership, often, with people whose stories are being
organization brought talks on the Tuskegee Airmen and Black Cowboys to Washington Recreation Center
Meeting people where they are Lyle’s passion for the performing arts extends to meeting people in their grief and emotional experiences In January, PASA held “Sacred Spaces,” a show that was inspired by the burning of three Black churches in St. Landry Parish. Legendary dance troupe Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and the prestigious New Orleans Jazz Orchestra joined forces to perform a program of music, dance
and spoken word PASA offered movement and dance classes with the dance troupe as well. The Lafayette organization’s latest initiative is EASABLE, a plan to increase accessibility to performances and activities for those with exceptionalities. Dance classes with visiting performers were extended to a local dance program, the Dance Challenge class, for people with special needs. In March, when PASA was hosting the Omnium Circus, Lyle and her team set up scaled-down models of the equipment they used so people could touch the items and see how they worked.
Initiatives like this ensure that the arts are being made available to a diverse group of community members.
“We are really a wellspring for building curiosity,” Lyle says “Wouldn’t it be fantastic if more people were more curious of the things they don’t know about? Whether the literature, whether it be architecture, whether it be health, our performing arts — these are all things that build a stronger community, make us better citizens and build our literacy in all sorts of ways.”
Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
told. We also want to make sure that people are seeing their stories in the exhibitions that we are presenting.
It’s a critical part of being in the world of public history — to create connections for people but also for people to help us make connections. We learn a tremendous amount from our visitors and supporters, and we work with our communities when we are developing exhibitions.
We are dedicated to the stewardship of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South, but at the same time, you couldn’t do it without recognizing that we’re dedicated to the people of New Orleans and the Gulf South.
It’s an important part of our mission, and why we remain free and open to the public, to welcome everyone. We’re a safe space for learning and dialogue, and those spaces are at risk right now It’s so important for human beings, whether we disagree or agree, to keep talking to each other and listen to each other’s perspectives. The work of the Historic Collection is really grounded in that.
Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@theadvocate. com.
takes patience to live together, to bridge divides, to find common ground. That’s where my husband’s gift for patience comes in. To me, sometimes his ways of waiting seem passive, but I’ve realized I’m looking
People view the ‘Making It Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans’ exhibit at
Historic New Orleans Collection in New Orleans on May 1.
PROVIDED PHOTO Executive Director Erin Greenwald says The Historic New Orleans Collection is dedicated to the stewardship of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South.
Jari Honora, family historian at The Historic New Orleans Collection, displays genealogy materials related to the grandparents of Pope Leo XIV recently in New Orleans.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Michael Doucet performs with his fiddle for a PASA performance in October of 2024.
Louisianaveteran mentorsyouth usingsoulfood
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
On his first day at D’sSoul Food Cafe, acombination restaurant, food pantry and youth mentorship program, Iberville eighth grader Steven Adams felt nervous He wantedtoimprove his social skills, customer service and, of course, soulfood cooking, but he knew next to no one at the cafe. That was daunting.
Once the work got started, from serving food to chatting with customers to packaging food boxes for community members in need, he stopped feeling scared.
“AssoonasI came in here, right to work, righttobusiness,” Adams said. “As soon as we got done withwork, it was just talking, meeting new people.”
That’sthe philosophy behind D’sSoulFoodCafe on Railroad Avenue in Plaquemine, where thenonprofitGUMBO —Global United Mission Benefitting Ourselves and Others —operates. Deborah Dickerson started the cafe and mentorship system to provide kids, in essence,athirdplace. The cafe is somewhere they can go outside of school and home to build relationships with their peers, interact with thecommunitythrough service and developanarray of skills to carry with them to future jobs.
Perhaps most importantly, every kid leaves with afree, home-cooked meal.
“I know,ifyou give akid a good meal, he’scoming in,” Dickerson said.
Military to mentorship
Dickerson never imagined herself staying in the United States, let alone foundinga youth mentorship program in Plaquemine.After being discharged from the Army, she planned to be amissionary.Somewherealongthe way,she “fell in love” with
thepeopleofIberville Parish, she said.
“I didn’tthink I’d be coming to Plaquemine to be a missionary,” Dickerson said “But that’swhat happened.
She ran atrial version of the GUMBO initiative in 2015, butshe was mostly focusedonkeepingthe lights on in thecafe,which“sells” meals as donations to the food bank, she said.
Last year,Dickersonbeganpublicizingthe mentorship component of the program. She teachesthe kids communication and customer service skillsand workstokeep them on track in school. She encourages them to comedotheir homework and bringtheir friends to thecafe.
“Everyone deserves an outlet,”Dickerson said. “It also stops them from going home and being raised by cybermedia.”
Dickerson partners with theGreater Baton Rouge Food Bank to stockthe food pantry.The kids volunteeringwill boxthe food and deliver it to patrons’ cars. They also helpout in thekitchen and learn the essentials of preparing soul food
Thevolunteers receive a small weekly stipend and gifts foroccasions like Christmas or the beginning of anew school year.This year, they wanted freshtennisshoes, Dickerson said.
She ensures theoperation stays small, around 10 kids, so she can give each child personal attention.Most of the kids are in middle school or high school. The youngest, Emersen Pugh, is in second grade.
Pugh said his favorite meal he’slearned how to cook is pork chops.
“It’sagreat place toeat at,” hesaid,smiling AliceJenkins, Pugh’s grandma,accompanies the second grader to his volunteer shifts. She said working at D’sCafeisanempower-
ing experience for the kids.
“It’s really pushed them to knowthattheycan do more thanthey think theycan do,” Jenkins said.
‘A greatlegacy’
Dickerson said she was inspired to become an advocate for kids during her time volunteering in children’sshelters and working in prisons in South Carolina. She watched children who experienced trauma at home end up in thejustice system, rather than receiving the support they needed.
“It’shard to get out of a situation likethat,” Dickersonsaid. “It’sa repeated pattern.”
She alsopours her love
forher mother andfor God into the work that she does at GUMBO daily.She described her mom as the type of person whose door was always open forher community.
“Ifshe was here,I think she would be theone overseeing GUMBO,” Dickersonsaid. “Tobeback in the hometown that she lived in, and for people to walkupand say, ‘I rememberyourmom,’ it’sagood feeling.”
The kids cooking inside the cafe, gettingtoknow their neighbors and helping those in need —that’s all part of her mother’s legacy “It’sa great legacy to live out,” Dickerson said.
STAFF FILE PHOTOS By HALEy MILLER
D’sSoul Food Cafe in Plaquemineopened for business on Aug. 8.
Iberville-area kidsvolunteer at GUMBO/D’sSoul Food Cafe.
FAITH & VALUES
Afro-descendants fight for visibility in Bolivia
Dance and memory are used to promote their culture for structural change
BY MARIA TERESA HERNANDEZ
Contributing writer
Cielo Torres had always lived in Bolivia. Yet before moving at age 17 to the remote town of Tocaña — where much of the country’s Afrodescendant community lives — she had rarely encountered people who looked like her
“Back in Santa Cruz, we were the only Afro,” said Torres, now 25. “But when I saw others like me, I told myself: This is where I want to be. Here I feel comfortable and understood.”
Her sense of belonging echoes the experience of many AfroBolivians. Although officially recognized in the constitution since 2009, they remain one of Bolivia’s least visible groups, struggling to feel at home in their own land.
“Many think that we are foreigners and we don’t have any rights,” said Carmen Angola, executive director of the Afro-Bolivian National Council (CONAFRO). “But we were born here.”
More than 11.3 million people live in Bolivia. Around 23,000 identified as Afro in a 2012 census, the first and only time they appeared as a distinct category Most live in Yungas, a region where roads and communications are scarce but coca leaf plantations abound
“Our Afro communities depend on coca harvesting or honey production,” said Torres, who runs a beekeeping business with her husband.
“We are people used to walking trails instead of paved roads,” she added. “People who learn from the land.”
Symbolic gestures, change
Official information on the community’s history is hard to come by “We have been made invisible by the state,” said activist Mónica Rey “There weren’t any written registers reflecting our reality We wrote that history down ourselves.”
She said some progress was made in 2007, a year after Evo Morales became Bolivia’s first Indigenous president. “By 2009 we were included in the constitution,” she added. “But we have demanded
our inclusion and rights to all the past governments.”
Morales supported CONAFRO’s founding in 2011 That same year, Sept. 23 was established as the National Day of the Afro-Bolivian People and Culture. Still, according to Rey, symbolic recognition is not enough to achieve structural change.
“The idea was that this day would serve to reaffirm our identity and that the state would create public policies for the Afro people,” Rey said. “But it turns out we celebrate among ourselves and the government doesn’t do anything.”
She and Carmen Angola contend that promoting their people’s legacy has proven difficult. Angola has tried to convince local authorities to allow a group of Afro-Bolivians to visit schools and share insights of their community None have agreed so far
“They just say they’re going to address discrimination, history and racism,” Angola said. “But the people who created the curricula aren’t Black Their history is not ours.”
From the mines
CONAFRO joined efforts with another organization to gather testimonies documenting the Afro-Bolivian community’s long-lost past. A comprehensive document was released in 2013.
“We got our history back,” Rey said. “Our experiences, our elders’ tales, our culture, have been retrieved and documented.”
The Afro-Bolivian people descend from the Africans enslaved in the Americas during the European conquest between the 16th and 17th centuries.
Mostly born in Congo and Angola, they were initially taken to Potosí, a colonial mining city located about 340 miles southeast of La Paz.
The high altitude — 13,700 feet above sea level — and the extreme weather quickly took a toll. Later on, exposure to mercury and other substances in mining led to severe illnesses — from tooth loss, respiratory disease and death.
Two centuries later, the ancestors of the current Afro-Bolivian population were forcibly relocated to Yungas. There they settled and started working in large estates known as “haciendas,” where coca leaf, coffee and sugar cane were grown.
“The Afro people were dying and that was inconvenient be-
cause they were considered investments,” said sociologist Óscar Mattaz. “So people started buying them and taking them away.”
Now Tocaña and neighboring towns are considered the cultural heart of Afro-Bolivians.
A king with no crown
In Mururata lives Julio Pinedo, a symbolic leader regarded as the king of the Afro-Bolivians.
Bolivia’s Black community has recognized kings for centuries. Pinedo’s role carries no political weight within the government, but he is considered a guardian of his people’s rights. Local authorities acknowledge his title and even attended his coronation in 1992.
“The king was a symbolic means to show there’s royalty in the community,” Mattaz said. “He was very influential, worked hard and was respected.”
His position hardly made a difference in his lifestyle. Pinedo, now 83, resides in the same humble home he has always lived He now relies on his son’s coca harvest for income.
Pinedo welcomes visitors. But engaging in conversation is hard due to his age. According to his wife, Angélica Larrea, his royal ancestry dates back 500 years.
“I remember his coronation,” she said. “People came from other
communities. They danced and there was a procession. A priest came and we celebrated Mass.”
A handful of Afro-Bolivians have tried to decipher what their ancestors’ spirituality was. Yet the community remains overwhelmingly Catholic.
Close to Pinedo’s home, the sole parish of Mururata has no resident priest. Nonetheless, a group of devoted women are welcomed to read the Bible each Sunday Isabel Rey — a distant relative of Mónica — said her ancestors were Catholics. And even without a priest to rely on, the catechist in charge of the church has kept the community’s faith strong.
“She will soon celebrate 40 years sharing the Lord’s word,” Rey said. “I help her, because she can’t keep up the work alone.”
A dance of struggle and love
There might not be an AfroBolivian spirituality, but the community’s soul remains bonded through the “saya,” a traditional dance performed with drums and chants.
“Our demands were born through this music,” Rey said.
“The saya has become our instrument to gain visibility We protest with drums and songs.”
Torres recalled dancing saya before moving to Tocaña. Yet
her feelings while performing it changed.
“Here it’s danced from the heart,” she said. “I learned how to sing and listen. It’s no ordinary music because we tell our history through it.”
She said each detail in their garments bears meaning. The white symbolizes peace and the red honors the blood shed by their ancestors. Men wear black hats to remember how their predecessors worked endlessly under the sun. And the women’s braids depict the roads they dreamed of to escape.
“It may seem like fashion, but it’s not,” Torres said. “It’s our culture.”
For more than a decade now, she has learned new moves and saya songs. She became fluent in her community’s language — a variation of Spanish that is not officially recognized — and is proud of her identity
“I used to feel embarrassed for dancing saya,” Torres said. “But when I saw people dancing here, I told myself: ‘This is what I am I am Black.’”
Committed to raising her daughter to also be proud of her ancestry, she constantly praises her skin color, hair and moves.
“She already dances saya,” Torres said. “I tell her: ‘You are Black. My Black little girl.’”
River Basin communities launch new disaster relief effort
BY HÉCTOR ALEJANDRO ARZATE
Contributing writer
Editor’s note: This story, created by Héctor Alejandro Arzate for Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, is part of the AP Storyshare. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world Mayors from cities and towns along the Mississippi River are taking action on natural disaster response. This week they launched a new initiative to improve immediate disaster relief. They’re also lobbying lawmakers to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, a cooperative of more than 100 river communities between Minnesota and Louisiana, held its annual meeting this week in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. The mayoral gathering came on the heels of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and after months of threats from President Donald Trump’s administration to roll back FEMA’s role in natural disaster response.
“Emergencies and crises — they are indeed happening more often,” said Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota. “And so we all need to be prepared.”
This year, the Mississippi River corridor experienced flooding and drought Tornadoes devastated communities in Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas On May 16, the St. Louis-region experienced a category EF3 tornado, which reached wind speeds of up to 152 miles per hour and resulted in five deaths and widespread destruction.
Stacey Kinder the mayor of
year
Cape Girardeau, Missouri — which also saw two tornadoes touch down this year said her state has suffered
“Yet, in the face of over $2 billion worth of losses since March, just for Missouri, the future of FEMA and the U.S. disaster mitigation and response apparatus remains in considerable flux,” Kinder said.
Earlier this year, Trump said that FEMA could be phased out in favor of individual states carrying the burden of natural disaster response. Although his administration has reversed course on outright abolishing the agency in recent months, Trump officials are still working on an overhaul.
The FEMA Review Council,
which was created by an executive order, is supposed to make recommendations to change the agency by mid-November. Meanwhile, an Associated Press analysis found major disaster declarations are taking longer under Trump than historical averages In response to FEMA’s uncertain future, the MRCTI announced a new program to deliver assistance to its members “within 72 hours of a disaster event,” said Kinder That aid could include food, water, hygiene supplies, and other immediate needs, according to Ethan Forhetz, a spokesperson from Convoy of Hope.
MRCTI’s executive director, Colin Wellenkamp, said in sur-
veys mayors have consistently said they need help during the first 36 to 72 hours after a disaster, for which there’s rarely money in their budgets.
The initiative is being done in partnership with Convoy of Hope, a Missouri-based nonprofit
The organization provided food and supplies after the May tornado in St. Louis It helped respond to more than 50 U.S. disasters in 2024, according to its website.
“By working together before disasters strike, we can reduce response time, position resources where they’re most needed, and make sure families receive help quickly and with dignity,” said Stacy Lamb, the nonprofit’s vice
president for disaster services
“This partnership isn’t just about responding, but it’s about building resilience.”
MRCTI did not disclose how the partnership will be financed.
The program is available immediately for partnering cities and towns and surrounding communities.
“Convoy is committed to working with any city along the Mississippi River, and beyond, during times of disaster,” Forhetz said.
Melisa Logan, the mayor of Blytheville, Arkansas, said the partnership is designed to “fill the largest gap in U. S. emergency response called capacity.”
The MRCTI is plugging other responsiveness holes, too. At this year’s meeting, mayors announced a new dashboard to more easily monitor water levels in the river and drought, to better predict and communicate the state of the basin.
In addition, MRCTI announced that it is working with legislators on the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025, also known as the FEMA Act of 2025. The bill would make FEMA report directly to President Trump as an independent agency The bill’s stated aims are to speed up aid delivery to both states and individuals and reward state preparedness.
MRCTI mayors also want to see a mitigation piece to the bill, including a grant program for projects that address regional disaster vulnerabilities.
“So there’s a lot of moving parts with FEMA right now,” Wellenkamp said. “Where all those moving parts are going to land? Don’t know, but as the mayors pointed out, we know what we have as our priorities and that is the systemic reduction of risk over large landscapes.”
PROVIDED PHOTO Mayor Jonas Anderson motions toward a storm-damaged home in Cave City Ark., following tornadoes earlier
PROVIDED PHOTO
Afro-Bolivian girls dance ‘saya,’ a traditional dance performed with drums and chants.
SUNDAY, OctOber 5, 2025
CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley
SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr
GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne
MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters
ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson
ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis
directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.
word game
instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
todAY's Word — MiGrAte: MY-grate:
To move from one country or locality to another
Average mark 40 words
Time limit 60 minutes
Can you find 59 or more words in MIGRATE?
ken ken
instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner
instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally
Sudoku
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
super Quiz
Thoughtful play
North stretched a little when he supported hearts at the three level, but that is normal under the pressure of competition. South hadplentytocarryontogame,but the game was not cold. Assuming the hearts split no worse than 3-1, South had one spade, six hearts, one club, and he could force a diamond trick. That was nine tricks and the only realistic chance for a tenth was a ruff in dummy The problem was that East probably had only two spades, so a spade ruff in dummy would have to be with the ace. That would leave South needing an unlikely 2-2 trump split. South thought of a better plan
South won the opening spade lead with his ace and led another spade as East high-lowed in the suit. West won the second spade with the jack and led the queen of spades. Instead of ruffing in dummy, South shed a low diamond. West shifted to a club to South’s ace. South led a diamond to dummy’s king and East’s ace. East led the 10 of diamonds to South’s queen as West played the jack. That worried declarer West might have one heart and only two diamonds, so South took theprecautionofcashingtheking of hearts before leading his last
diamond. If West could ruff, the contract would be secure after dummy over-ruffed. When West discarded a spade, South ruffed with dummy’s five of hearts. The ace of hearts and a club ruff saw Southbackinhishandto drawthe last trump and claim.
not in your budget, you are best to retreat until your timing is more conducive to success.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov 22) You can win if you remain cool, calm and collected. Taking time to reflect will offer positive alternatives. Turn your attention to pastimes that satisfy your soul.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec. 21) Caution is in your best interest regarding health, finances and verifying
facts. A mistake will have consequences you can avoid with a bit of thought and patience. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Look at your options; consider partnerships, and come up with a plan that ensures you maintain equality and good relations with those you encounter AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 19) A lifestyle change can lower your overhead and stress. Learn a new skill or revamp your resume. Take the initiative, and something good will come your way PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Keep the momentum flowing. Participate,
make a difference and utilize your skills to make a positive impact. It’s time to put yourself first and turn your dreams into a reality ARIES (March 21-April 19) Don’t air your troubles in public Social events can help ease your stress, allowing you to reconsider what you’re up against. Nothing is as bad as it appears. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You’ll regain your equilibrium if you take time out to pamper yourself or to rearrange your surroundings to suit your needs. Patience and compromise can do wonders to get you back on track.
1. Alexander Graham Bell. 2. Wright brothers. 3. King Gillette. 4. Guglielmo Marconi. 5. Thomas Edison.6.James Watt.7.George Eastman. 8. BenjaminFranklin. 9. RobertFulton. 10.Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit.11. James Naismith. 12. John Deere. 13.Johannes Gutenberg. 14. Eli Whitney.15. Alfred Nobel.
SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?
Saturday's Cryptoquote: Riceisgreat if you're really hungry andwant toeat two thousandof something. —MitchHedberg
jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly
