The Acadiana Advocate 10-09-2025 by The Advocate

Israel, Hamas agree to pause fighting

First phase also would include release of live hostages

BY SAMY MAGDY, SAM MEDNICK and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause ﬁghting in Gaza and release at least some hostages and prisoners in an agreement that was put forward by the Trump administration and would represent the biggest breakthrough in months in the devastating two-year-old war

“This means that ALL of the Hos-

tages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” President Donald Trump wrote on social media. “All Parties will be treated fairly!”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.” Hamas said it had agreed to a deal that will lead to the end of the war in Gaza, the

withdrawal of Israeli troops, the entry of aid into Gaza and the exchange of prisoners for hostages.

Hamas called on Trump and the mediators to ensure that Israel implements all the provisions of the deal “without disavowal or delay in implementation of what was agreed upon.”

Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal

from the majority of Gaza.

While many questions remain, the sides appear to be closer than they have been in several months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed most of Gaza and triggered other armed conﬂicts across the Middle East.

The war has sparked worldwide protests and brought widespread allegations of genocide that Israel denies. Israel is more isolated than it has been in decades and bitterly

A 3D model of the completed project is

National Guard breaks ground on Lafayette Readiness Center

Facility will provide space for training, storage

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

The Louisiana National Guard broke ground Wednesday on a new Lafayette Readiness Center a facility designed to enhance the Guard’s preparedness for emergency response.

The 83,000-square-foot center at 2350 West Congress St., will be used for training and to meet logis-

tical requirements for the Louisiana Army National Guard. Ofﬁcials say the new facility will signiﬁcantly improve readiness for soldiers and units operating in the Lafayette area.

“The 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team has such a strong presence in Lafayette, and it’s really important for us to have a new facility where our soldiers can train and recruit,” said Lt Col. Noel Collins, director of public affairs.

Currently, the 256th Brigade, along with other units or soldiers, is housed at the

ä See READINESS, page 4A

left, Lafayette

Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, the Louisiana adjutant

and Ramesh Kolluru, vice president for research, innovation, and economic development at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, chat during Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony.

divided over the failure to return the hostages. The Palestinians’ dream of an independent state appears more remote than ever despite recent moves by major Western countries to recognize one.

The deal was solidiﬁed in Egypt after days of negotiations centered on a Trump-backed peace plan that he hopes will ultimately result in a permanent end to the war and bring about a sustainable peace in the region.

The arrival of Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law, Jared

See PEACE, page 4A

Former UL president pulled from Cajundome appointment

Interim university leader to name himself to panel

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s president’s ofﬁce called hours before a Lafayette City Council meeting Tuesday to request that the council defer its announcement of former UL President E. Joseph Savoie being named to an indeﬁnite term on the Cajundome Commission.

The position will instead go to UL’s interim President Jaimie Hebert, Lafayette Consolidated Government Council Clerk Joseph Gordon-Wiltz announced during the City Council meeting. The announcement that Savoie would be appointed to the position was reported earlier Tuesday by the Acadiana Advocate.

Hebert’s announcement is expected to be revisited at the Oct. 21 council meeting. Savoie previously held a position on the commission and awaited reappointment, Eric Maron, a university spokesperson, wrote in a statement. Savoie’s predecessor, Ray P. Authement, also once had a position on the commission.

“Though (Hebert) initially intended to reappoint Dr Savoie to the commission, interim president Dr Jaimie Hebert decided, upon further reﬂection, to continue that tradition,” Maron wrote.

One question in particular, posed by

ä See CAJUNDOME, page 4A

Legislators changing plans for upcoming special session

Redrawing new congressional map faces uncertain timeline

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

R-West Baton Rouge. Legislative leaders have agreed that the Senate will take the lead in moving the main bill that they tackle during the upcoming special session. It will be heard by the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee that Kleinpeter chairs, and he will likely sponsor the leg-

islation.

Gov Jeff Landry had more ambitious plans when he notiﬁed legislators two months ago that he planned to call them into a special session beginning on Oct. 23. Then, he told them, he wanted lawmakers to pass a new congressional map contingent on the Supreme

Hebert

Savoie

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

on display during

groundbreaking ceremony for the Louisiana Army National Guard Lafayette Readiness Center a nearly $37.5 million project.

From

Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet;

general;

Dolly Parton responds to health concerns

NEW YORK Dolly Parton “ain’t dead yet,” the country superstar said on social media Wednesday following public speculation about her health.

“There are just a lot of rumors flying around. But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was OK,” the 79-year-old singer said in a twominute video posted on Instagram. “I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me. And I ain’t done working ” Her post, which appeared on numerous of Parton’s social media accounts and her website, was captioned, “I ain’t dead yet.” Late last month Parton postponed her ﬁrst Las Vegas residency in 32 years, citing “health challenges.”

She was scheduled to perform six shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace for “Dolly: Live in Las Vegas” between Dec. 4 and Dec. 13 overlapping with the National Finals Rodeo. Her dates have been moved to September 2026.

She did not provide specific details at the time, writing, “As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!

In the new video clip shared Wednesday, Parton is seen sitting on a set speaking directly to camera, telling her audience that she’s about to record a few commercials for the Grand Ole Opry which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year 29-year-old charged in deadly L.A. wildfire

A 29-year-old man has been charged with sparking California’s deadly Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in its history, authorities said Wednesday Federal officials said Jonathan Rinderknecht, who lived in the area, started a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground before reigniting nearly a week later and roaring through Pacific Palisades, home to many of Los Angeles’ rich and famous.

The fire that left 12 dead in the hillside neighborhoods across Pacific Palisades and Malibu was one of two blazes that broke out on Jan. 7, killing more than 30 people in all and destroying over 17,000 homes and buildings while burning for days in Los Angeles County Rinderknecht was arrested Tuesday in Florida and made his first court appearance Wednesday in Orlando on charges including malicious destruction by means of a fire, which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Dog helps a Fla. deputy find missing woman

DESTIN, Fla. — A dog named Eeyore turned into a rescuer, leading a Florida sheriff’s deputy to where a missing 86-year-old woman had fallen while walking him, bodycam footage shows.

The woman’s husband reported her missing on the night of Sept 25 after she didn’t return from her walk in their Destin neighborhood.

“She just takes that dog, but she never takes more than 10 or 15 minutes,” the worried husband told Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Devon Miller, according to the footage released Monday. Miller drove around the neighborhood until she spotted Eeyore in the middle of the road. The dog trotted up to the deputy who responded: “Hi! Where’s your mommy?”

The dog then led her to the nearby spot where the woman had fallen.

CORRECTION

A story in Tuesday’s edition about a judge dismissing a lawsuit by the Legislative Black Caucus against Attorney General Liz Murrill incorrectly identified the judge as Eboni Johnson-Rose. The judge was Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune regrets the error

Comey pleads not guilty to federal charges

Case politically motivated, lawyers say

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a criminal case that has highlighted the Justice Department’s efforts to target adversaries of President Donald Trump, with lawyers for the former FBI director saying they plan to argue the prosecution is politically motivated and should be dismissed.

The arraignment lasted less than half an hour, but it was nonetheless loaded with historical signiﬁcance given that the case has amplified concerns the Jus-

tice Department is being weaponized in pursuit of the Republican president’s political enemies and is operating at the behest of an administration determined to seek retribution.

Comey’s not guilty plea to allegations that he lied to Congress ﬁve years ago kick-starts a process of le-

gal wrangling that could culminate in a trial months from now at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington. Defense lawyers said they intend to ask that the case be thrown out before trial on grounds that it constitutes a vindictive prosecution and also plan

Three scientists win the Nobel Prize in chemistry

BY KOSTYA MANENKOV, STEFANIE DAZIO and CHRISTINA LARSON Associated Press

STOCKHOLM Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their development of new molecular structures that can trap vast quantities of gas inside, laying the groundwork to potentially suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or harvest moisture from desert environments.

The chairperson of the committee that made the award compared the structures called metal-organic frameworks to the seemingly bottomless magical handbag carried by Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” series. Another example might be Mary Poppins’ enchanted carpet bag. These containers look small from the outside but are able to hold surprisingly large quantities within.

The committee said Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi were honored for “groundbreaking discoveries” that “may contribute to solving some of humankind’s greatest challenges,” from pollution to water scarcity Robson, 88, is afﬁliated with the University of Melbourne in Australia. Kitagawa, 74, is with Japan’s Kyoto University, and Yaghi, 60, is with the Uni-

versity of California, Berkeley

The chemists worked separately but added to each other’s breakthroughs over decades, beginning with Robson’s work in the 1980s.

The scientists were able to devise stable atomic structures that preserved holes of specific sizes that allowed gas or liquid to flow in and out. The holes can be customized to match the size of specific molecules that scientists or engineers want to hold in place, such as water, carbon dioxide or methane.

“That level of control is quite rare in chemistry,” said Kim Jelfs, a computational chemist at Imperial College London. “It’s really efﬁcient for storing gases.”

A relatively small amount of the structure — which combines metal nodes and organic rods, somewhat like the interchangeable building pieces in Tinker Toys — creates many organized holes and a huge amount of surface area inside.

For instance, Jelfs said, a few grams of molecular organic framework may have as much surface area as a soccer ﬁeld, all of which can be used to lock gas molecules in place.

“If you can store toxic gases,” said American Chemical Society President Dorothy Phillips, “it can help address global challenges.”

Weakened Priscilla nears Baja peninsula

Jerry churns in the Atlantic

By The Associated Press

MIAMI Priscilla lost its hurricane status Wednesday as it churned up Mexico’s western Paciﬁc coast while Tropical Storm Jerry was expected to strengthen in the Atlantic on its approach to the Leeward Islands, forecasters said.

Priscilla approached major hurricane status Tuesday before weakening to a tropical storm a day later with maximum sustained winds of about

70 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The storm was bringing high surf and gusty winds to Baja California Sur, which was under a tropical storm watch from Cabo San Lucas to Cabo San Lazaro. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding were possible as the storm moves along Mexico’s Pacific coast and through the weekend in the Southwestern United States, forecasters said.

The storm was moving northwest at 8 mph. It was centered about 205 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja

California, forecasters said. The hurricane center said the ﬂood risk was increasing from all the rain Priscilla was dropping as it headed further north. In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Jerry had top winds of 60 mph. It was centered about 605 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands while moving west-northwest at 23 mph. Forecasters said Jerry was expected to strengthen gradually and could become a hurricane by the weekend The core of the storm is expected to be near or to the north of the northern Leeward Islands late this week or weekend

to challenge the legitimacy of the appointment of the prosecutor who filed the charges just days after Trump hastily appointed her to her position.

“It’s the honor of my life to represent Mr Comey in this matter,” one of Comey’s lawyers, Patrick Fitzgerald, a longtime friend who served with him in President George W. Bush’s Justice Department, said Wednesday

The indictment two weeks ago followed an extraordinary chain of events that saw the Trump administration effectively force out the prosecutor who had been overseeing the Comey investigation and replace him with Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who previously served as one of the president’s former lawyers but had never served as a federal prosecutor The president also publicly

implored Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other perceived adversaries. Less than a week after being appointed, Halligan rushed to file charges before a legal deadline lapsed despite warnings from other lawyers in the ofﬁce that the evidence was insufficient for an indictment. She sat at the prosecution table

Wednesday

The two-count indictment alleges that Comey misled the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept 30, 2020, when he was asked whether he had authorized any associate to serve as an anonymous source to the news media related to investigations of either Trump or 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Comey replied that he stood by earlier testimony that he had not given such authorization.

Joan Kennedy, ex-wife of senator, dies at 89

BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

BOSTON Joan B. Kennedy, the former wife of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy who endured a troubled marriage marked by family tragedies, her husband’s inﬁdelities and her own decades-long struggles with alcoholism and mental health, died on Wednesday She was 89.

The former Joan Bennett, one of the last remaining members of a family generation that included President John F. Kennedy was a model and classically-trained pianist when she married Ted Kennedy in 1958. Their lives would change unimaginably over the next decade and a half. Brotherin-law John F. Kennedy was elected president in 1960 and assassinated three years later Brotherin-law Robert F. Kennedy served as attorney general

under JFK, was elected to the U.S Senate in 1964 and assassinated while seeking the presidency Her husband was elected to the U.S. Senate and became among the country’s most respected legislators despite initial misgivings that he was capitalizing on his family connections. But Ted Kennedy also lived through scandals of his own making. In 1969, the car he was driving plunged off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, killing his young female passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. She stood by her husband through the scandal, but their estrangement was nearly impossible to hide by the time of his unsuccessful effort to defeat President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Democratic primaries. They would later divorce.

Joan Kennedy struggled to ﬁt in to the high-powered family “Joan was shy and a really reserved person, and the Kennedys aren’t,” Adam Clymer, author of “Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography” said in 2005.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FREDRIK SANDBERG Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry Heiner Linke, left, announces Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar yaghi, on screen behind, as the recipients the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, at the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institutet, in Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday.

COURTROOM SKETCH By DANA VERKOUTEREN

Former FBI Director James Comey, second from left, stands during his arraignment at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va., on Wednesday.

Joan Kennedy

St. Tammany Council member to seek Bill Cassidy’s Senate seat

Mandeville resident joins crowded field

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

First-term St. Tammany Parish Council member Kathy Seiden announced We dnesday she is running for U.S. Sena te , joinin g a field of several Repu bli can candidates who hope to knock incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy out of the race in a closed party primary set for April “I’m running because Washington has lost touch with the real challenges families face every single day,” Seiden said in a statement announcing her candidacy

“As a mother of four, I’ve lived those struggles. We need a ﬁghter who stands unapologetically for faith, family, and the American way of life.”

Seiden, 54, lives in Mandeville. She grew up in Brusly, attended Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge and has a bachelor’s degree from LSU in communications.

Her campaign website lists her stance on a dozen political issues that demonstrate her alignment with President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda: Christian faith, secure borders, opposition to abortion, support for gun rights, a belief that only two genders exist, and support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America

Healthy Again” movement, among others. As part of the campaign launch, Seiden shared a six-minute video titled “The Outsider” that is meant to be the ﬁrst in a series that “captures her outsider journey,” according to her campaign announcement

In the video, Seiden said that someone who is a mother to four boys “is exactly what Washington needs right now.”

She goes on to level a popular line of attack against Cassidy, saying that his 2021 impeachment vote to convict Trump for inciting an insurrection at the U.S Capitol on Jan 6 that year “should disqualify you from being a Republican United States senator.”

In response to being called “another conservative Christian Biblethumper,” Seiden, in the video, says, “That’s exactly who I am. That’s exactly what this nation needs right now.”

Along with Cassidy, major Republican competitors in the race include state Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, state Treasurer John Fleming and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta — all of whom are working to brand themselves as having the strongest MAGA credentials.

Sammy Wyatt, chief compliance and investigation ofﬁcer at LSU Health Shreveport, is also running as a Republican.

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow R-Baton Rouge, and state Rep. Julie Emerson, RCarencro, are also considering getting into the race

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@theadvocate com.

Shutdown grinds into week 2

Tempers

BY LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK and JOEY CAPPELLETTI

Associated Press

WASHINGTON Tours at the Capitol have come to a standstill. The House is keeping its doors closed, while the Senate repeated its loop Wednesday of failed votes to reopen the government.

President Donald Trump is threatening to mass ﬁre federal workers and refuse back pay for the rest.

As the government shutdown entered a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight.

“Congress, do your damn job,” said Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, with other top union leaders near the Capitol.

No negotiations, at least publicly, are underway, but behind the scenes quiet talks are emerging.

Clusters of lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, are meeting privately, searching for ways out of the impasse, which hinges on striking a deal for preserving health care subsidies.

Signs of discomfort are apparent: Military personnel and federal employees are set to miss paychecks, ﬂights are being delayed at airports nationwide and federal programs are disrupted. Confrontations erupted at the Capitol.

Two dueling bills, one from Republicans and the other from Democrats, failed again in the Senate.

The Republicans who have majority control in Congress believe they have the upper hand politically, as they fend off Democratic demands to quickly fund health insurance subsidies as part of any plan to end the shutdown.

House Speaker Mike Johnson appears so conﬁdent he is preparing to take live questions from callers on CSPAN’s Thursday morning public affairs show

But so have Democrats dug in, convinced that Americans are on their side in the fight to prevent the looming health care price spikes and blaming Trump for the shutdown.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer insisted it was Republicans who are “feeling the heat.”

Tensions rose Wednesday to a boil.

Outside the speaker’s office, Arizona’s two Democratic senators who were demanding that Johnson reopen the House to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva. She won a special election to the state’s Tucson-area seat last month and has said she would sign on to releasing the ﬁles on the sex trafﬁcking investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, but has yet to be seated in Congress.

Johnson, facing a diminished GOP majority once the new Democrat takes ofﬁce, declined.

A short time later House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York was confronted by home state

GOP Rep. Mike Lawler He was demanding the leader’s support for a one-year extension of the expiring health care subsidies, as Democrats pushed for a better deal. The encounter quickly digressed.

“You shut the government down,” Lawler railed.

“You’re embarrassing yourself,” Jeffries retorted. At its core, the debate is over the health care issue that has tangled Congress for years, and in particular, the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, that Trump tried, and failed, to repeal and replace during his first term at the White House.

Congress increased the federal subsidies that help people purchase private in-

surance policies on the Affordable Care Act exchanges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal aid was popular, and it boosted ACA enrollment to a record 24 million people Those enhanced subsidies are set to expire at year’s end. Republicans say Congress can deal with the health insurance issue in the months ahead.

Democrats are ﬁghting to resolve the problem now, as people are receiving notices of higher policy rates for the new year

Two prominent Republicans, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, have broken from their party, saying something must be done to help Americans pay for the coming health insurance rate hikes. A loosely formed collection of senators, Republicans and Democrats, have bantered about options for addressing the health insurance problem.

Seiden

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN MCDONNELL

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton., left, addresses the media alongside House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., on the eighth day of the government shutdown on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

READINESS

Continued from page1A

readiness center on Surrey Street, which has been around formore than 50 years, Collins added.

“The Army’schanging, so we need enough space for all the troops, and the different units, all their equipment, vehicles that need maintenance on-site,training on-site, so it’sgoing to bea signiﬁcant beneﬁt to the brigade,” said Lt. Col. Lawrence Toups, who has been stationed at the Surrey Street facility for more than 20 years.

Toups said the larger,modern-

ized space will allow for more efﬁcient coordination during state emergencies, such as hurricanes.

“It’saplace where we can house troops, perform maintenance, command operationsand move out quicklyifneeded,” he said.

Collins notedthat thenew center will include alarge drill hall for formations, modern classrooms with projector capabilities, weapons storage areas and ofﬁces with energy-efﬁcientfeatures.

“This new readiness center really shows our soldiersthatthe Louisiana National Guard is investing in them,” Collins said. “It’sgoing to be greatfor ourtroops and for the Lafayette community.”

Arendering shows the completed project during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Louisiana Army National Guard Lafayette Readiness Center on Wednesday.

Kushner, on Wednesday atSharm el-Sheikh for the peace talks, which were also attended by Qatar’sprime minister,Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, was asign that negotiators aimed to dive deeply into the toughest issues of an American plan to end the war.Netanyahu’s topadviser,Ron Dermer,was also present for the talks.

Trump expressed optimism earlier in the day by sayingthat he was considering atrip to the Middle East within amatter of days.

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Court case.

The thinking was this: the Supreme Court on Oct. 15 is scheduled to hear achallenge toSection 2ofthe 1965 Voting Rights Act, the law that judges cited in ordering Louisiana to draw majority-Black congressional districts.

Landryand Attorney General Liz Murrill are siding with conservatives who want the court to rule that Section 2isunconstitutional.

If the SupremeCourt agrees, the justices would likely issue a ruling that would allow the Republican-controlled Legislature to revamp the current congressional map that elected four Republicans andtwo Democrats: U.S. Rep. Troy Carter and U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields.A newmap wouldlikely eliminate the seat of eitherCarter,whose New Orleans-anchored

CAJUNDOME

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council memberKenneth Boudreaux, concerned the indeﬁnite term that Savoie was expected to have —a member’sappointment typically lasts four years, accordingtothe law that created the Cajundome Commission.

LCG’slegal team stated that it would look into the issue. The university did not directly respond to questions aboutSavoiebeing given an indeﬁnite term and whether Hebert would be given the same. The appointment comes two months after Savoie stepped down from the UL position he hadheld for17 years. Savoie continuesto work for the university in an advisory capacity for the school’sboard of directors as president emeritus.

Hebert, formerly the provost and vice president for academic affairs at UL, now serves as the university’sinterim president. Ableak financial picture has followed Savoie’sdeparture. Some issues highlightedin a2025 Louisiana legislative auditor’sﬁndings included

Yetanother hint of an emerging dealcame later in that event when U.S. Secretary of State Marco RubiopassedTrump anoteonWhite House stationery that read, “You need to approve aTruth Social post soon so youcan announce deal ﬁrst.” Truth Social is thepresident’s preferredsocial media platform.

The note prompted Trump to proclaim, “We’re very close to a dealinthe Middle East.”

The war beganwith Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people, many of themcivilians,and took 251 hostage. Israel’sretaliatory military campaignhas left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, dev-

district stretches to Baton Rouge, or Fields,whose Baton Rougeanchored district stretches to Shreveport

Landry wanted lawmakers to pass amap in the upcoming special sessiontohaveit ready to go into effect if theSupreme Court invalidates Section 2.

But legislators have pushed back on that idea, telling Landry privately that they don’twant to design anew map until after the Supreme Court rules.

Theyhavetold the governor that the Legislature typically waits until apending court case is settled before trying to address it through legislation.

Landry did not respond to an interview request Wednesday Redrawing thecongressional boundaries also presents aseries of land mines for legislators because it is so personal to both the membersofCongressand thestate legislators positioning themselves to run for those seats one day

the continued late billing of grants and contracts, as well as inadequatecontrols for personnel expensesrelated to research and development awards, according to previous reporting

Hebert, shortly after his appointmentasinterim president,announced the universityhad runinto a $25million funding deﬁcit, which had led to cost-cutting measures and several job losses

Theuniversity has struggledto increase full-time undergraduateenrollment in recent years, whichis likely acontributingfactor to thedeﬁcit. After full-time undergraduateenrollment swelledto14,964 in 2017, the university has not reached that ﬁgure again

This fall’sfull-time undergraduate enrollment is 12,417.

Universities across the state —and the country arealso contending withdecliningenrollment.

Hebert announced last week theelimination of six positions. He also said the OfﬁceofSustainabilityand Community Engagement has beenclosed and theOfﬁceofCommunications and Marketing andthe Office of Auxiliary Services have been restructured to reduce

astated Gaza and upendedglobal politics

This would be thethird ceasefire reached since thestartofthe war Thefirst, in November 2023, saw morethan 100 hostages, mainly women and children,freed in exchange for Palestinianprisoners before it broke down. In the second, in January and February of this year,Palestinianmilitants released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly2,000 Palestinianprisoners. Israel endedthatceasefire in March with asurprise bombardment. Agrowing number of experts, including thosecommissioned by aU.N. body,have saidthatIsra-

No legislatorwants to pass anew map that upsets colleagues or powerful members of Congress if they can’tbesure the Supreme Court will mandate anew map.

Butwhile legislators don’twant to change the map in the upcoming special session, they are planning to change next year’selection schedule —onlytheyhaven’t settled on aplan yet.

Under alaw passed by theLegislature last year at Landry’sbehest, Louisiana’scongressional races in 2026 arescheduled toberun under theclosed primary system, not the jungleprimary that voters have grown accustomed to.Under the jungle primary,the top two ﬁnishers,regardlessofparty,advance to the runoff election, unless the highest vote-getter receives at least 50% of the vote. Underthe jungle primary,candidate qualifying takes place no earlier than July,and theprimary is not held untilOctober or November

el’soffensive in Gaza amounts to genocide —anaccusation Israel denies. More than67,000 Palestinians have been killedinGaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry Theministry,which doesn’tdifferentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deathswerewomen and children, is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider its ﬁgures to be the most reliable estimate of wartimecasualties.

The ministry said Wednesday thatthe bodies of 10 people killed by Israeli strikeshad been brought

But under thenew system for thecongressional races, candidates would have to qualify in mid-January,and aparty primary would be held in April. If no candidate received at least 50%,a second party primary would take place in May. The winnerineach party’sprimary would advance to the November general election ballot

Lawmakers want to push back candidate qualifying and the primary election dates to make sure the Supreme Court hasissuedan opinionbeforeJanuary.Legislativeleaders arespeaking optimistically that they believe the high court will rulebefore midDecember because of theneedto do so before an election scheduled in another state.

But Secretary of State Nancy Landry,who oversees theelectionsystem,has warned lawmakers that moving back the qualifyingperiod andthe party primary election dates is no simple matter

to local hospitals over the past 24 hours. In the Gaza Strip, where much of theterritory lies in ruins,Palestinians have been desperate for abreakthrough. Thousands ﬂeeing Israel’s latest ground offensive in northern Gazaand Gaza City have setupmakeshift tents alongthe beach in the central part of the territory,sometimes using blankets forshelter Sara Rihan, adisplaced woman from Jabaliya, said she was praying foranend to the war. “I hope we return to our places and homes, even if there are no homes,” she said. “Our existence in ourlandisthe biggest happiness forus.”

Landry has advised them that any revisedelection schedule hasto adhere to different federal and state lawsand can’tinterfere with scheduled local elections formayor,parish or city council or with local tax votes.

“We’ve been running different scenarios for legislators and the governor’soffice,” Landry said. “It’smore involved than they can imagine.”

There’sanother complication now,Landry noted.

“And we’re putting on an election at the sametime,” she said. Given the complications, it’spossible that legislators will have to reverse themselves and go back to theopenprimaryfor next year’s House and Senate elections. And it’s even possible that they won’t be able to redraw the congressional map and change the election schedule next year If they can’t, the current congressional mapwould remain in place foranother election cycle.

costs. In atownhall meeting Oct. 1, Hebert said additional staff and facultycuts will likely be needed toclose to gaponthe $25 milliondeﬁcit.

“Wecannot resolve this withoutsome reductions in staff. It’sgoing to happen,” Hebert said.“We aregoing to minimizethatnumber as time goes on.Ican’t make promises; there isn’tamagic number out there that we need to look at. We’re going to attempttomakeasmuch headway as we can by cuttingexpenditures outside of personneland by generating morerevenue.”

Savoie, theuniversity’s sixthpresident,was under a contract that was not set to enduntil June 30, 2026, according to aJan. 27 letter of appointment that noted arecent satisfactory evaluation by theULsystem board.

Of thefourfindings of concern noted by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’sOffice for records for the 2023-24 fiscalyear, twohad been issues forfour consecutive years.

Onewas arepeat ﬁnding for three straight years and one was anew problem.

The ﬁndings were related to the university’slatebilling of grants and contracts,

as well as inadequate controls forpersonnelexpenses associated withresearch and development awards. The audit also flaggedimproperdocumentation re-

lated to grants and untimely billing of costs to grants. Auditors notedineachﬁnding that failing to comply with the proper protocol means the university risked not re-

ceiving the money it claimed it was owed. In messages back to the auditor,ULstaffers largely blamed theﬁndings on staffing shortages and turnover

STAFFPHOTO

LESLIE WESTBROOK

National Guard lands in Illinois, orders unclear

Pritzker, Trump trade barbs over communication

BY CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press

CHICAGO The governor of Illinois said Wednesday he’s still in the dark about where the Trump administration will send National Guard troops who have reported to an Army training site southwest of Chicago where extra fencing and tarps have gone up to block the public’s view

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, sent barbs from Washington, saying on social media that Gov JB Pritzker and Chicago’s mayor, both Democrats, “should be in jail” for failing to protect federal agents during immigration enforcement crackdowns.

Trump’s threats to send troops to Illinois were fulfilled with the arrival this week of Texas National Guard members at a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood. Their exact role has not yet been publicly

disclosed, though the president, contrary to statistics, has repeatedly claimed big cities run by Democrats are overwhelmed with crime. An immigration enforcement building outside Chicago has also been the site of clashes between federal agents and protesters

“The federal government has not communicated with us in any way about their troop movements,” Pritzker told reporters. “I can’t believe I have to say ‘troop movements’ in an American city, but that is what we’re talking about here.”

A judge will have a role in determining how many boots are on the streets: There’s a court hearing Thursday on a request by Illinois and Chicago to declare the Guard deployment illegal. Elsewhere, an appeals court has scheduled a hearing the same day over the government’s desire to send the Guard to Portland, Oregon. A judge blocked that effort over the weekend.

And in Memphis, Tennessee, the Guard could arrive by Friday, though the number of troops is unclear Re-

publican Gov Bill Lee has welcomed it, saying they could assist police.

The nearly 150-year-old Posse Comitatus Act limits the military’s role in enforcing domestic laws. However

Trump has said he would be willing to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law

“This is about authoritarianism. It’s about stoking fear,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

Asked about Trump’s wish to jail him, Pritzker in downtown Chicago extended his arms and told MSNBC: “If you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me.”

Later Wednesday, a judge signaled that she planned to restrict federal agents from using certain crowd control tactics, such as tear gas, against peaceful protesters and journalists who have regularly gathered at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview

Activists on Gaza flotilla claim harsh treatment

BY MICHELLE GUMEDE Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG

Six South African activists who were detained by Israel while attempting to reach Gaza as part of an aid flotilla said Wednesday they were subjected to harsher treatment than other detainees because of South Africa’s role in a genocide case against Israel.

Speaking after their return, the activists, which include a grandson of Nelson Mandela, said they were singled out after Israeli guards noticed that they were from South Africa. Two Muslim women among the group said they had their hijabs ripped off their heads and were forced to strip naked in front of Israeli soldiers.

Since 2023, South Africa has led a highly contentious case in the United Nations’ top court accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

Mandla Mandela, grandson of South Africa’s antiapartheid icon and first Black president, said the South African activists on the flotilla were “harshly dealt with” because their country has confronted Israel over its actions in Gaza by launching the case at the International Court of Justice. Their treatment was “because we are a nation that dared through our government to take apartheid Israel to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court and hold them accountable,” Mandela said.

South African activists Fatima Hendricks and Zaheera Soomar told reporters at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport on their return that their hijabs were forcibly removed from their heads while they were detained by Israel, which

French president to name a

prime minister

BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press

PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that he will name a new prime minister in the next 48 hours, for now rejecting other options in the face of a political storm.

The naming of a replacement for outgoing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who abruptly resigned on Monday, will — at least for now — move France away from the likelihood of snap legislative elections, another possibility that is available to the French leader but which could plunge the European Union’s secondlargest economy into even greater uncertainty.

The announcement from Macron’s ofﬁce of a prime ministerial appointment before the weekend came after Lecornu — at the president’s request — spent the two days after his resignation taking the temperature in Parliament, to see whether there was enough support in the powerful but fractured lower house to form a new government.

Lecornu concluded that there was, even though Macron’s camp and its allies don’t have a majority in the National Assembly and the French leader’s prime ministerial appointments, leading minority governments, have tumbled one after another in quick succession over the past year

The presidential statement said that in the wake of his talks with political parties, Lecornu determined that a majority of National Assembly lawmakers don’t want snap legislative elections and that it’s “possible” that they could agree on a 2026 budget for France by the end of the year

Wednesday.

didn’t happen to other Mus-

lim female activists.

“Both of us were forced behind a screen, our heads pushed against the wall and completely stripped naked in front of Israeli soldiers.

This did not happen to other women,” said Soomar

“When they saw our passports, this is how we were treated as South Africans.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has denied any claims of mistreatment and noted that all activists were given the opportunity to voluntarily be deported without detention It said Wednesday in response to the allegations by the South African activists that “all the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld. The lies they are spreading are part of their pre-planned fake news campaign.”

The six South Africans were among some 450 activists who were arrested as Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a ﬂeet of 42 boats seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Palestinians in the famine-

stricken territory They were detained last week and brought to Israel.

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg was among the activists arrested. Thunberg and activists from other countries have also claimed they were mistreated by Israeli guards, claims Israel has rejected as “brazen lies.”

The Israeli military intercepted another ﬂotilla early Wednesday and detained scores more activists on board.

Mandla Mandela has previously been criticized over his alleged support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas and was denied a visa to travel to the U.K last year

South Africa has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause dating back to when Nelson Mandela was president. The country has compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to the South African apartheid government’s treatment of Black South Africans during its previous period of racial segregation Israel has rejected that comparison.

“On this basis the president of the Republic will name a prime minister within 48 hours,” the statement said, without a hint of who Macron will choose.

Lecornu signaled that it won’t be him again.

“I’m not chasing the job,” he said. “My mission is ﬁnished.”

In an interview with broadcaster France Télévisions before Macron’s announcement, the outgoing prime minister said his 48 hours of talks with all parties except those on the far left and far right that refused negotiations had made progress and that “an absolute majority” of lawmakers don’t for now see a need to dissolve the National Assembly, a move that backfired on Macron when he last did that.

Lecornu said Macron’s centrist camp and its allies in the Parliament, plus some opposition parties, could still come together to form a new government.

“There’s a majority that can govern,” Lecornu said. “I feel that a path is still possible. It is difﬁcult.”

The result from the elections triggered by Macron’s stunning National Assem-

bly dissolution in June 2024 was a hung Parliament. No one group has enough lawmakers in the 577-seat chamber to form a government alone. The ensuing political deadlock has rattled investors, infuriated many voters and frustrated efforts to agree on

who had

reach out

try

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By THEMBA HADEB

Mandla Mandela shows a victory sign amid his fellow members of the Global Sumud Flotilla at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg South Africa, on

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LAURA BARGFELD

Uniformed military personnel with the Texas National Guard patch on patrol the U.S. Army Reserve Center on Wednesday in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.

Officialssay evidence stilllacking that

targeted boatscarried drugs

Administration says videoclips are‘hard evidence’

BY AAMER MADHANI, SEUNG MIN KIM, MATTHEWLEE and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON TheTrump administration has yet to provide underlying evidence to lawmakers proving that alleged drug-smuggling boats targeted by the U.S. military in aseries of fatal strikes were in fact carrying narcotics, according to two U.S. ofﬁcials familiar with the matter As bipartisan frustration with the strikes mounts,the Senate was voting Wednesday on awar powers resolutionthat would require the president to seek authorization from Congressbefore further military strikes on the cartels. The military has carried out at least four strikes on boats that the White House said were carrying drugs, including three it said originated from Venezuela. Itsaid 21 people were killed in the strikes.

The ofﬁcials, who were not authorized to comment publicly about the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity,said the administration hasonly pointed to unclassified video clips of the strikes posted on social media by President Donald Trump and Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth and has yet to produce “hard evidence’they were carrying drugs.

The administrationhas not explained why it has blown up vesselsinsome cases,while carrying out the typical practice of stoppingboats and seizingdrugs at other times, one of the ofﬁcialssaid.

The Republican administration, in aretroactive memo justifying one of the strikes last month, declared

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

drug cartelstobe“unlawful combatants” and said the United States is nowinan “armed conﬂict” withthem.

Thedeclaration has raised stark questions about how Trump intends to use his war powers. It also has been perceived by several senators as pursuinga new legal framework to carryout lethal action andhas raised questions about the role of Congress in authorizingany such action. Asked about the lack of underlying evidence provided to Congress, the Pentagon on Wednesday pointed to videos of the strikes, which do not conﬁrm the presence of drugs.

ThePentagon also noted public statements by Hegseth,includinga social media post following the latestfatal strike in which he said, “Our intelligence, without adoubt, conﬁrmed that this vessel was trafﬁckingnarcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operatingona knownnarco-trafficking transit route.”

Lawmakers have expressed frustration that theadministration is offering littledetailabout how it came to decide the U.S.is in armed conﬂict with car-

tels or even detailing which criminal organizationsit claims as “unlawful combatants.”

Independent Sen. AngusKingofMaine said Wednesday that he and other members of theSenate Armed Services Committee, in aclassiﬁedbrieﬁng this week, were denied access to the Pentagon’slegal opinion aboutwhether the boat strikes adhered to U.S. law

His comments came at a confirmationhearingfor Joshua Simmons, atop legal advisertoSecretary of State Marco Rubio, to be theCIA’s next general counsel. At thehearing, Simmons refused to say whether he hadpartaken in anydeliberations over the targeting of cartels in the Caribbean, saying any legal advice he gave Rubio or other U.S. ofﬁcials would’ve been conﬁdential.

AttorneyGeneral Pam Bondi was pressed at aSenate hearing Tuesday about what advice she’sprovided Trump to legally justifythe strikes. She said, “I’mnot going to discuss any legal advice that my department may or may not have given or issued at the direction of thepresident.”

Murrill sues FDA over abortion pills

Case could block mailing certain medications

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

The state of Louisiana has ﬁled a federal lawsuit challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision to let abortion pills be sent through the mail, saying the change violates state law and puts women at risk. The lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, was brought by Attorney General Liz Murrill and a Louisiana woman named Rosalie Markezich, who alleged she felt coerced to take pills her boyfriend ordered It argues that the FDA broke federal law when it removed the requirement that the abortion drug mifepristone be given to patients in person by a certiﬁed provider

At a news conference Wednesday, Murrill said reinstating the previous requirements “would probably fix this entire problem They require a doctor-patient relationship. They require an ultrasound. They require an after-visit to ensure that the process has been properly handled. They protect women.” Before 2021, the drug had to be

taken in the presence of a provider in Louisiana. The in-person rule was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, then was made permanent in 2023. The complaint says the change has allowed doctors and activists in states where abortion is legal to mail abortion pills to people in Louisiana, where almost all abortions are banned, except in some cases of fetal anomalies or to save the life of the mother. The complaint cites data from the Society of Family Planning estimating that more than 600 abortions each month in Louisiana

Harlon Cowsar disability awareness coordinator, center stands with employees of the Hut while presenting the Business of the year Award during the Disability Awareness Awards ceremony, hosted by the Lafayette Mayor-President’s Awareness Committee for Citizens with Disabilities at the Frem Boustany Convention Center on Tuesday.

Uplifting people

Lafayette celebrates disability awareness at Tuesday award ceremony

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

Lafayette Consolidated Government celebrated disability awareness in the community at a Tuesday award ceremony

The awards were presented to individuals, businesses and organizations that have helped uplift people with disabilities in Lafayette through advocacy, inclusion and services.

The 2025 award recipients are:

The Youth of the Year Award went to 12-year-old Luna Bowles. She recognized communication barriers among children with speech and language challenges, according to Jamie Boudreaux, LCG’s chief communication ofﬁcer Bowles raised money to create an Augmentative and Communication Board at Moncus Park

The Business of the Year Award went to the HUT The Lafayette thrift

Justina Plowden received the Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award during the Disability Awareness Awards ceremony on Tuesday.

store has built an inclusive workforce that hires individuals with disabilities.

The Nonproﬁt of the Year Award went to the Acadiana Native Plant

Project. The organization, which hosts classes on maintaining and cultivating native plant gardens, offers several opportunities for individuals with disabilities to become involved and strives to enhance access to outdoor spaces.

The Public Servant of the Year Award went to Molly Guidry She is the president of the Down Syndrome Association of Acadiana. Guidry has provided support and opportunities to people with disabilities.

The Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award went to Justina Plowden. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated themselves to be advocates and representatives of people with disabilities in Lafayette. The award is named after Lafayette autism advocate Vickie Nettles, who died in 2014. Plowden, a 2024 Miss

ä See UPLIFTING, page 4B

now happen through the mail. The state’s lawsuit claims the FDA’s policy was politically motivated and unlawful. It says the agency violated both the Administrative Procedure Act and the Comstock Act, a federal law that prohibits mailing items used for abortions. The lawsuit asks the court to overturn the FDA’s rule and bring back the in-person requirement.

Markezich, one of the plaintiffs, said she felt pressured by her

Cajun culture celebrated through free events

Activities showcase Acadian heritage

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

It’s a big week coming up for lovers of Acadian history and culture.

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles kicks off Friday in Lafayette with a concert and celebration. Cajun musician and writer Zachary Richard is reprising his performance from the festival’s second year, 50 years ago, where he sang in French to a packed-out crowd in Blackham Coliseum and raised his ﬁst in support of Cajun solidarity and pride. Le Grand Réveil Acadien also begins this weekend, on Saturday Billed as the “Great Acadian Awakening,” this weeklong event takes place every ﬁve years, and offers a deep dive into Acadian history that explains why Louisiana French traditions, music, food and language continue to be important to the region.

According to Dana Kress, a French professor at Louisiana’s Centenary College, south Louisiana’s French culture is one of the state’s most important resources. Ray Trahan, a longtime volunteer and advocate for Louisiana Acadian culture, said that when he ﬁrst heard this, it ﬁred him up to create something that would help Cajuns learn and remember their story “On Tuesday, we’re showing the ‘Birth of Cajun Culture’ play,” said Trahan. “It explains

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of Americans drink alcohol, 17% binge drink and 6% drink heavily Louisiana, although known for its yearround Mardi Gras spirit and drive-thru daiquiris, ranks 30th (tied with Maine)

Trahan

Murrill

STAFF PHOTOS

LESLIE WESTBROOK

Saturday is Election Day, so go vote

It is easy these days to become ﬁxated on national political stories. They are charged, polarizing and, especially now,driven by an insatiable news cycle that demands fresh developments every minute andapolitical culture determined to provide them.

But it is most often the decisions, programs and ofﬁcials in local government that affect the lives of Louisianans in the most immediate way.Drainage, road lighting, schools and infrastructure millages don’tregularly draw big turnouts on Election Day because they lack the charismatic personalities and media-driven drama of abig candidate race, but they keep crucial functions of our communities operating and accountable to the public.

That’swhy we urge Louisianans to make Saturday,Oct. 11 different from other lowwattage, low-participation elections.

There are races on ballotsin31parishes, though not all of those are parishwide votes, and each one of them is worthy of voters’ input

In East Baton Rouge, there is arace for aseat on the 19th Judicial District court bench with four candidates on the ballot. There are also racesfor City Court judge and amove torenew a10-mill property tax withinthe Downtown Development District to support the district’s operationsand management.

Voters in Ascension will select anew parish council member forDistrict 11, and in Denham Springs, voters will decide whether to renew alocal tax for the park system. The Iberville Parish town of Plaquemine has two 3.1-mill, 10year property tax renewals on the ballot,one to support the police department and one to pay for operations and upkeep up public buildings.

In Acadiana, Lafayette Parish voters will consider whether to renew for 10 years a7.79 mill property tax for the parish’sschools. The tax, which has been collected for ahalf century,is expected to generate about $20 million every year for the system’s general fund, operations and maintenance.

Other local races are sprinkled throughout the state.

Apart from in New Orleans, where ahighproﬁle, expensive mayor’srace and other major contests are on the ballot,turnout around the state is likely to be low.That’sashame. After all, if residents don’tcare about the way their local government is run, why should anyone else?

We know many have taken advantage of the early voting period,which ended last weekend. We commend those who have taken that initiative. And we urge those who did not vote early to commit to afew minutes on Saturday tohead down to their local precinct and make their voicesheard. It might not be exciting, but it is important.

LETTERSTOTHE

HERE

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A LETTER,

OPINION

Kirk’s supportfor Israel should be remembered

As acommitted Jew,Iwould like to add adifferent perspectiveonthe life of Charlie Kirk. Onedoes not have to share Kirk’sparticular faith in order to appreciate the strength and sincerityofthat faith and how it motivated andenabled Kirk to accomplish so much at such a young age. Kirk did not just lift millionsofyoung people out of apathy and get them involved in thepolitical process; he taught them that, ﬁrst of all, they needed to livetheir own lives with faith, joy,energy,goodness and courage. Kirk modeled these virtues in his own life, which will guide and inspire others for years to come. Kirk was, in addition to everythingelse, agreat friend of the Jewish people and of the world’s only Jewish state, Israel. At a time when so manyinthe world ﬁnd it convenient todefame and condemn Israel, turn truth and morality on their heads and deny fundamental truths about the3,500-year-old existence of

theJewish people, Kirk made it an important part of his mission to standupfor truth and defend bothIsrael and the Jewish people. He did so not only against detractors on theleft, but also, and most importantly, against the small but vocal group of bloggers and radio show hosts on the right who are attempting to rewritehistory and makethe Jews, once again, the world’s scapegoats. Kirk was not “far right.” He was atraditional values-based conservative. Andhewas not a narrow-minded religious bigot either.Hebelieved in the Christian faith, which has been at the center of western civilization for 2,000 years. Andhebelieved in thevision of America expressed in the Declaration of Independence and in the Gettysburg Address and in Martin Luther King Jr.’s“IHave aDream”speech,a vision we are constantly struggling to fulﬁll.

YIGALBANDER Baton Rouge

Iamwriting in response to Anthony McAuley’sarticle suggesting that residents are so fedupwith NewOrleans’ crime problem that they might welcomefederal intervention to assist.

While everyone wants safer streets, Iam shocked that the newspaper is attempting to manufacture consent forafederal power grab. This is not about crime. It is about undermining conﬁdence in Black-led cities and getting people used to seeing troops on our streets. The boiled-frog metaphor is everywhere these days, but it rings true. We should be in the streets over what’shappening, but mostof us are checked out. None of this stops unless all of us say no, together ALLISON MCCARROLL NewOrleans

On theevening of Sept.8, eastbound Amtrak Train 26 from New OrleanstoMobile, Alabama, was delayed by a malfunction of the Almonaster drawbridge. This malfunction delayed Train 26 for approximately an hour and ahalf. Train 26 resumed operation around 7:32 p.m.

At thesame time, the westbound Amtrak Train 25 from Mobile to New Orleanswas approaching from theMichoud area. Train 26 passed Train 25 in thevicinity of Paris Road around 7:53 p.m. Meanwhile, southbound Train 19 was approaching New Orleans from New York, where it met up withTrain 25 on the New OrleansBack Belt around 8:09 p.m. in thevicinityofNew OrleansCity Park. Train 25 was allowed to proceed to Union Passenger Terminal ahead of Train 19, presumably because Train 19 was early,Train 25 was slightly behind schedule and Train 19

would need to cross theinterlock before heading on toUnion Passenger Terminal trackage. Train 25 arrived at theterminal at 8:29 p.m. and Train 19 arrived at theterminal at 8:30 p.m. This is mostlikely the ﬁrst time in themodern era when two passenger trains have arrived at the terminal within aminute of each other.Though theriders of theMardi Gras Service and the Crescent were probably unaware of the coordination and wherewithal of the Norfolk Southern Dispatch as well as the CSX Dispatch in bringing Train 25 as close to schedule as possible, dispatching of this caliber should be acknowledged and praised.

JOHN ADRIANI JR. secretary, Louisiana Association of Railroad Passengers on behalf of JOHN SITA JR., president ANDREWC.LODRIGUSS, vice president LOUIS BANGMA, treasurer

This is in response to Fred Schwab’sletter “Getting COVIDvaccine is harder thanks to GOPnanny state.” My husband and Iare in our 60s and wanted to get the COVIDvaccine prior to traveling abroad. Igot aprescription from my doctor,arrived at Walgreens forthe scheduled shot, but wastold Icould not receive it because Iamunder 65. Icontacted my physician, whoforwarded my prescription to CVS. Iwas given an appointmentfor the vaccine in Picayune, Mississippi. It wasalong drive to get ourselves vaccinated prior to our trip. Thankfully,wehave the meanstodoso. Unfortunately,most Louisiana citizens do not. Just another reason to leave this unhealthy state.

BETSY VEGA OPREA Mandeville

Watching the members of Congress in both political parties willingly subordinate their morals, principles, values and beliefstothe requirements of their respective party leaders, I am reminded of aquestion and answer Iheard afew years back. The question: Do you think it is possible to be agood Christian and be apolitician?

The answer: Ithink it is possible to be agood Christian and be apolitician, but it may not be possible to be apolitician and still be agood Christian. It depends on what comes ﬁrst. BO BIENVENU Prairieville

Left andright believeinNew Deal fable

Progressives’retrospective aspiration for anew New Deal is shared by “national conservatives.” They, enthusiastic about the current administration, also believe government should comprehensively intervene in the economy, politically allocating capital (and therefore opportunity) toimprove on the rationality of free markets. But economist George Selgin’slatestbook refutes progressives’ triumphalist nostalgia for the New Deal. It thereby demonstrates that “national conservatives” are oblivious regarding the cautionary lessonsofFranklin Roosevelt’s experience. These kindred spiritson the left and right should read “False Dawn: The New Deal and the Promise of Recovery,1933-1947.”

Selgin mines amountain of scholarship to prove this: New Deal measures failed to achieve, and often impeded, recovery from the Depression. Roosevelt’smost constructive achievement, executed on his second day in ofﬁce, was the national bank holiday,ameasure incubated by his predecessor,Herbert Hoover This weeklong banking shutdown in 1933 largely arrested the economy’s contraction. Recovery,however,required adecade, and World WarII. TheDepression was, Selgin says, the ﬁrst economic crisisthe federal government tried to end by using all its resources. But the economy did not recover: It did not reach production consistent with full employment of the workforce until 1943.

At the end of the 1930s, the unemployment rate was 14.6%,higherthan the October 2009 Great Recession peak of 11%. Until World WarII, GDP was sometimes more than 30%, and never less than 20%, below its pre-Depression trend.

Directpayments to farmers (then

22% of the workforce) were funded by taxes on food processors (raising more revenue than either the personal or corporate income taxes). These costs were passed on to consumers. Crop-reductionprograms raised farmers’ incomes by raising prices consumers paid. Buttaking acreage out of production —prosperity through scarcity? —added 2million agricultural workers to the unemployed. Farm income in 1939 was still substantially below the 1929 level.

TheNew Deal’score idea was anon sequitur: In aDepression prices fall, therefore recovery would come if prices were forced to rise. Hence, the National Recovery Administration wrote (with business interests dominating the process) “codes of fair competition” cartelizing about 550 industries, outlawing competition that might lower prices. One manufacturer received this menacing letter:

“I feel sure that you will want to revise your prices so that they will bear acloser relation to those of your competitors [toavoid] an investigationtoascertain whether this price can be justiﬁed …such aprocedureis of course unpleasant and costly.”

TheNRA mandated cuts in employees’ weekly hours while forbidding cutsintotal pay.Sounemployment —as conventionally measured —declined, but largely because of such “work sharing.”

The1940s began as 1939 had: Seventeen percent of the labor force was completely unemployed or on work relief, adults were working 20% fewer hours than in 1929, industrial production was still 10% below the 1929 peak. FDR’sincessantregulatory ﬁdgets, and vocal hostilitytoward business, produced aclimateof uncertainty that paralyzed investing, until war came.

Thegovernment-centric mentality thatproduced theNew Deal produced apocalyptic forecasts of postwar distress from demobilized

industrial capacity andmanpower (10 million transitioning from militaryto civilian life). Instead, as government spending fell 40% in ayear,federal revenue soared and the unemployment rate plummeted as the private sector hummed.

Postwar political culture reﬂected this learning: The war had been won by capitalism’sprodigious productivity: Defenseindustries were not nationalized during thewar.And, Selgin writes, “thewar gave abad odor to anything that smacked of fascism, including theactivist managerial state.”

Lessons are, however,forgotten. Donald Trump’sadministration, ardently admired by “national conservatives,” is the most economically interventionistadministration —by this importantmetric, it is the most progressive administration —since theNew Deal.

The administration reportedly might give farmers, especially soybean growers, billions to replace thebillions they are losing because —who could haveanticipated this? —other nations,particularly China, have imposed retaliatorytariffs in response to Trump’sprotectionist spasms.

Having semi-nationalized U.S. Steel, the administration has forbidden, surelyfor political reasons, the closure of an Illinois plant that the company thinks it would be economically rational to close. Such systemic inefﬁciencies multiply,draining dynamismfrom theeconomy.But progressives and “national conservatives”should purrcontentedly: Anew New Deal is here.

History has been called an early warning system. Selgin’shistory warns us. So does this truism: What we learn from history is that we do not learnfrom history

Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.

In little we trustinthe Middle East

Trust: “Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability,surety,etc., of aperson or thing; conﬁdence.”

Louisiana state government is enjoying a great beneﬁt, but at great ﬁscal risk —arisk state lawmakers should work quickly to mitigate

Anew study by Jennifer Butlerand Tony Woodliefof the State PolicyNetwork, acollectionofright-leaning state think tanks, shows thatofall the statesinthe union, Louisiana is the single most reliant on federal funds for its state government budget.

An astonishing 51.6% of Louisiana’s state budgetcomes from national government sources. The nationalaverage is much lower (but still toohigh), at 37%,and nota single otherstate even reaches the 50% threshold.

First, let’sbeclear on whatthis does and doesn’tmean

This is notthe same, hackneyed statistic aboutwhichstatessupposedly “give more money to the federalgovernment than they getback,” andwhichare vice versa

The originalproponent of that statistic, the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., abandonedthatmeasure severalyearsbefore he diedwhenherealized that so many shifting factors went into thatcalculation that it was like comparing apples not just to oranges but to baseballs or something equally unrelated. Instead, this is amuch more objective measurement, just taking the state budgetitself andexamining howmuchofitoriginatesfrom the feds.

On onehand, relying on the federal government for more thanhalf of state government spending is arather neat trick. It means the state is getting far more bang forits own bucks.

On the otherhand, this means Louisiana is living precariously.Ifthe federal faucet is turnedoff or even slowed down, Bayou State government isn’twell-positioned to take up the slack,and ourcitizens could ﬁnd themselves suddenly bereft of necessary services.

The current federal government shutdown may bring home thatreality sooner than later, although the results there aren’tplain to see yet.

Polls and simple observationsshow that Americans are placing lesstrust in institutions and individuals. AWall Street Journal story notes that the current government “shutdown” has raised the distrust level between the two parties and the president to new heights —or depths. Trust —orlack thereof —isalso an issue in the Middle East. The presidentisproclaiming peace in the region because Hamas hassaid it will agree to some of his 20 demands, which include therelease of theremaining hostages, livingand dead. Hamas has refusedto lay down their arms, or agree not to participate in afuture Gaza government. Hamas also wantsnearly 2,000terrorist prisoners released from Israeli jails, including convicted murderers. We’ve seen howpastbargains have gone with those who seek Israel’s destruction withmany returning to thebattleﬁeld. Hamas has neverliveduptoasingle agreement or voided its charter that calls for the destruction of Israel and killing Jews. Why shouldthey be trusted this time? No one knows whoisin charge of Hamas or whether they have the authority to speak for the entire terrorist organization after theirleadership has been wiped outbyIsrael’s attacks. Hamas is only one of several terrorist groups that are also untrustworthy and have given nosign theyare willing to abandon goals identical to those of Hamas After the partial agreementtosome of the 20 demands made bythe president and agreed to by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump told Israel to stopbombing Gaza. Imagine President Franklin Roosevelt agreeing to adeal that would stop thebombingofJapan andnot ﬁnish off Germany’s Naziregime. Instead, Roosevelt spoke of “total victory”over those twonations. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill echoed Roosevelt’sgoal. Speaking in theHouse of

Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip carryposters with portraits of their lovedones during aprotest demanding their immediate releaseand calling foraceasefire in Jerusalem on Tuesday,the second anniversaryofHamas’ cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked theongoing war in Gaza.

Commons onMay 13, 1940, Churchill said: “You ask what is our aim. Ican answer in oneword: Victory.Victory at all costs. Victory in spiteofall terror. Victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.”

Repeat that last part out loud: Without victory there is no survival. Then, as now,there are factions in theU.S. and Israel that favor negotiatingwith the enemy Hamasand its related groups are notonlythe enemy of Israel, but also the enemy of the U.S. and all “inﬁdel” Western nations.

Negotiations, instead of victory, would allow Hamas to liveand ﬁght another day,guaranteeing more death anddestruction. SinceGazans elected Hamastorun their government, maybethey should hold aspecial election that could oust them from ofﬁce. Not that Hamas would willingly give

up their political power,but it might reduce their legitimacy in the eyes of theworld. In reference to thedefinition above, what has Hamas —orany of Israel’s enemies —done to demonstrate their integrity or why any confidence should be placed in them? The answer is nothing and anyone who believes adeal can be madewith thedevil is afool. A quoteattributed to writer Kayla Krantz says: “Never make adeal with the devil unless you’re prepared to lose.” Israel only has to loseonce and it is finished as the Jewish state.

The president and Netanyahu should require that all 20 of their demands be met, or Israel should ﬁnish thejob Perhaps both. Otherwise, Hamas will survive and keep ﬁghting. That’s the one thing they can be trusted todo.

Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com

At some point, though, with the federal government suffering fromagobsmacking $37 trillionindebt, the reckoning will comedue. By careful design or by some sort of ﬁnancial panic or collapse,the gusher of federal funds will slowtosomething closer to atrickle.

This is where the brief but insightful SPN report is quite helpful. It gives the following advicetostate lawmakers:

“Nowisthe time to hardwire policiesthat reducefederal dependency and strengthen resilience.Fortunately,several states are alreadytaking steps to revitalize federalism and ﬁscal independence —byrequiring legislative approvalfor federal funds, planning forpotentialfunding losses, increasing transparency around federalguidance, andlimiting judicial deferencetoagencies.”

SPN reports thatTennessee and Oregon, for example,“require legislative approval before agencies can even apply fororacceptcertain federal funds. This ensures elected representatives, notbureaucrats, weigh the costs and conditions.”

Meanwhile, Nebraska,Utah andOhio “require agencies to plan for the potentiallossof federal dollars, protecting budgets from suddendisruptions.”

And Oklahoma,Indiana andotherstatestake severalotherrecommendedsteps to ensure thatstatesare prepared both to understand the ramiﬁcations of federal policy changes andtobemoreself-reliant if federal funding becomes limited.

Part of this might mean tightening state government belts even further.Partmight mean ﬁnding newrevenue sources within the state

Part might involve planning fororderly, ratherthanhaphazardly spur-of-the-moment, slowdowns of state functions in unexpected circumstancessuchasanextended federal shutdown.

All of this will take careful legislating and wise administrative planning. None of it is the political equivalent of sexiness; in other words, it’snot likely to earn great attentionor public renown. It is, though, or at least should be,partofthe nuts and bolts of responsible public service.

Louisiana lawmakers and agency chiefs should payheed to the SPN report —and start reacting accordingly

EmailQuin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LEO CORREA

Quin Hillyer

George Will

Cal Thomas

Last NewOrleans jail escapeecaughtinAtlanta

Inmatesescaped throughahole behind atoiletat facility in May

BY JEFF MARTIN and JACK BROOK Associated Press

ATLANTA— Amonthslong

searchfor the only Louisiana inmate still on the run

afteranaudacious May jailbreak ended Wednesday when authorities say they found him hiding in acrawl space beneath an Atlantahome, bringing the last of the 10 escapees into custody Derrick Groves, 28, was convicted of murder and facingapossible life sentencebeforethe inmates escaped through ahole behind atoilet in aNew Orleans jail. He had the most violent criminal record of the group and authorities offered a$50,000 reward for tips leading to his capture.

ASWATteam spent hours searching the house for Groves after obtaining a warrant, Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair said. “They couldn’tﬁnd him;

UPLIFTING

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Wheelchair Louisiana winner, used hervoice to advocate for people with disabilities through mentoring and advocating for moreaccessibleinfrastructure.

The Lynette Fontenot CommunityAchievement Award went to Mary Hooks Baudoin. The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate strong dedication and improvement in promotinginclusion, support and access for people with disabilities The award is named after aformerchairpersonfor the Governor’s Advisory

FDA

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boyfriend to take abortion pills that were mailed from adoctor in California. She says she would not have been given the drugs if she had been required to meet with adoctorinperson. The case follows asimilar challenge brought by anti-abortion groups that reached the U.S. Supreme Court last year but was dismissed because the plaintiffslackedstanding.

EVENTS

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how the Acadiansgot started when they arrived down here. When people see it they say,‘Wow, Ididn’trealize all of this happened to our ancestors.’” The play was writtenby lawyer and Cajun advocate Warren Perrin, who runs the Acadian Museum in Erath. It will be shownat Vermilionville in Lafayette at 1p.m. Tuesday during the Grand Réveil Acadien “Families Day.” Families Day will also feature local bands, apresentation on theAcadians of Louisiana from Zachary Richard, and aslew of family reunions held in the historic homes of Vermilionville —from Arceneauxs andComeauxs, to Heberts, Legers and Richards. Trahan said that he expects guests from all over the country for the Grand Réveil, and he just received word that several Canadian visitors are planning to travel down after hearing about the event at last

they had to deploy gas multiple timesinto the house and basement,” Fair said “Based on howlong it took aseasoned, well-trained SWAT team to get himout, he had planned to hide for awhile.”

Apolice dog eventually located him, Atlanta police DeputyChief KelleyCollier said. In avideo provided by thedepartment, Groves —shirtless, shoelessand shackled at hiswrists and ankles —blew akiss and grinned at thecamera as he wasled into apolice car Gov.Jeff Landry applaudedlaw enforcement for putting all10escapees “back where they belong: BEHINDBARS,”inapost on X. The tip that led to hiscapture camethrough New OrleansCrimestoppers, Fair said. Groves was alone in the houseand no one else was arrested The home’sgarage door wascollapsedinward Wednesday afternoon as police blocked offthe scene. The brick house on a sloping lawn surrounded by treesisin aneighborhood beside Tyler Perry Studios, oneofthe nation’slargest movie production facilities. Groves’attorney, Peter

Freiberg, said he had not yetspokenwithhis client anddeclinedtocomment. He was appointed to represent Groves by theOrleans Public Defender conflict panel.

“Literally all Iknow is the alertfromthe city of New Orleans saying he was arrested in Atlanta,” Freiberg said.

The other nine inmates were recaptured within six weeks of the May 16 breakout, most inside Orleans Parishcity limits.

“I’m all messedup, I’m just trying to talk to him,” said Groves’ mother,Stephanie Groves, after learning about the arrest online.

Fighting tears, shesaid shehad urgedher son to surrender peacefully and didn’tknow why he went to Atlanta.She said her familyhad been followed and watched by law enforcementsince the breakout.

“I’m just glad it’s over with,” shesaid. “Of course, he was going to getcaught.”

Groves had been convicted of second-degree murder in 2024 for opening ﬁre on afamily block party on Mardi Gras day,killing two people andinjuring others. He faces life imprisonment without parole.

Christina Dayries, chief of staff for Lafayette Consolidated Government, left, and Harlon Cowsar, disability awareness coordinator,present the Lynette Fontenot Communinty Achievement Award to Mary Hooks Baudoin on Tuesday

CouncilonDisability Affairs and advocate for disability rights in Lafayette, who died in 2023. Baudoin

hosts the This AbilityPodcast and usesher platform to uplift voices in the community

Louisiana’slawsuit argues the state does have standingbecause the mail-order abortionsviolate itslaws andlead to medicalcosts forlocal hospitals. In 2024, Louisiana lawmakers voted to make mifepristone and misoprostol, thetwo drugscommonlyused to induce abortions, controlled dangerous substances. Itwas thefirst state in thecountry todoso. The law makes it acrime to possess either drug without avalid prescription,punishable by up to five years in prison and a$5,000 fine.

year’sLe CongrèsMondial Acadien, or Acadian World Congress, in NovaScotia. Trahan and his wife were inspired toorganize Le GrandRéveil in Louisiana after attending the first AcadianWorldCongress in New Brunswickin1994. Both events takeplaceevery ﬁve years, with Grand Réveil occurring the year afterCongrès Mondial. These gatherings bring Acadiansfrom all overthe worldtogether to share languageand culture and deepen their understandingoftheirown history “My wife and Igot addicted to learning about our Acadian heritage and culture,”said Trahan. Brenda Trahan was the longtime curator at the Acadian Memorial and Museum of the AcadiansinSt. Martinville, which will host several Grand Réveil events next week. Trahan said,“As we found out moreand more aboutmyancestors and the history of theAcadians, we visited areas of NovaScotia,New Brunswick and Quebecwhere our ancestors weredeported from

Hospitals and pharmacies arerequired to keep the drugs in locked storage. Classifying them as controlled substances allows the state to more closely track howoften they are prescribed.

This lawsuit targetsmifepristone, which can be used alone to induce an abortion. If Louisiana wins, the case could block themailingofabortion pills. The FDAand the U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services have notyet responded publicly to the lawsuit.

We even went to France and saw theareas where they were sent. It just all getsinyour blood.”

The Great Acadian Awakening, or GrandRéveil Acadien, begins Saturday with an opening dayand cultural events in downtown Abbeville.The event continuesthrough Saturday,Oct. 18, with talks, demonstrations, family reunions, music andmore happening at locations around Lafayette and Acadiana, from St.Martinville to Thibodaux. All Great Acadian Awakening events arefree to attend, and the full schedule can be found at the Louisiane-Acadie website.

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compared to people who do not binge drink. Excessive alcohol use hasalso been linkedtocancer,high blood pressure, heartand liver disease, stroke, memory problems and mental health conditions

COSTUMES

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hadstruggled to payoff its $1.7 billion debt load. Although national retail stores like Walmartcan be a popular go-tooption, Lafayette is also hometomany local spots whereyou can ﬁnd avariety of affordable and unique costumes. Here are afew local places to findHalloween costumes this season: NewOld VogueDowntown OldVogue has served as a space for grown-ups to play dress-up for over 50 years, withcostumesranging from character heads, Renaissance getups and more

In Louisiana,the parishes with the smallest percentage of adults who reported binge or heavy drinking include, in ascending order are:

n East Carroll and Madison parishes at 15% n Tensas Parish at 16% n Bienville, Claiborne, Lincoln and Webster parishes at 17%.

Beauregard, Cameron, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, Orleans, St. Charles, St. Tammany and West Feliciana parisheshad the next-highest percentage of excessively drinking adults with 22% of adults reporting heavy or binge drinking.

Ascensionand Lafayette parishes had the highest percentage of adults who excessively drink, with23% of adultsreporting heavyor binge drinking.

Locatedat422 Jefferson St. LafayettePublicLibrary

On Saturday,Oct.11, visit the library at 301 W. Congress St. to browse their collection of costumes, while supplieslast, forfree. Kids can also make spooky crafts. Costumesand the craftsare forkids age12and younger. No registration is required to attend.

Goodwill

Foranyone needing lastminute costumes ranging from superheroes, pirates, to classic and DIY mashups. Located in Lafayette at 1001 Bertrand Drive, 1225 Kaliste Saloomand 3803 Ambassador Caffery Parkway,orinScott at 911 Alfred St.

Once Upon aChild Snaggently used kids’ costumes for less forchildren ages newborn to teen. Located at 110 Tucker Drive, Suite 101, in Lafayette. Beadsfor Less While it’sastaple forMardi Gras, this store also carries costume accessories, wigs and makeup perfect for Halloween for ages 3and up. Located at 124 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette. SpiritHalloween

The seasonal favorite is back with plenty of classiccostumes andprops. Located at 3559 Ambassador Caffery Parkway and 3316 Ambassador Caffery Parkway.

alifetime! Limited Time Offer. Up to 50% offinstallation +Additional 10% offinstall (for military, health workers& 1st responders.) Call Erie MetalRoofs: 1-855-582-6043

Preparefor poweroutages with Briggs &Stratton® PowerProtect (TM) standbygenerators- themost powerful home standbygenerators

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

SPORTS

Strother provides helping handsfor Cajuns

BY KEVIN FOOTE

Staff writer

Basedonthe ﬁrst fewgames of theseason, it was hard to predict redshirt freshman wide receiver Landon Strother could become aserious threat for the Ragin’ Cajuns this season.

Strother had only one reception for 4 yards entering the SunBeltopener against Marshall on Sept. 27.

But the former St. Thomas More standout was much higher on UL’s list of options than anyone imagined after spring practice. “Landon had areally,really productive spring,” UL offensive coordinator Tim Leger said. “Him andShelton Sampsonreally were kind of head and shouldersabove everybody coming out of springpractice in terms of the production chart.”

That’s achart that gauges each receiver’s daily performance in areas such as targets, catches, completion percentage, explosiveplay percentage and drops.

“If you canget in the 80th percentile, you’re really practicing pretty good,” Leger said. “Landon and Sheltonwere both hovering around 100%, which is really,really hard to do. Both of their completion percentages were very high when they were targeted.” TheULcoaches weren’t surprised when it was Strother who helped get the offense off the schneid against Marshall.

After the Cajuns managed just13plays on their ﬁrst four drives,Strother’sleaping

Notesona golf scorecard while an obnoxious New York fan from theRyder Cup yells obscenities in my ear …Amilestone deferred is no less signiﬁcant. Saturday againstSouth Carolina (6:45 p.m., SEC Network), LSU coach BrianKelly takes his second crack at his 200th career FBSvictory,anamazing achievement by any careerstandard. Kelly,who will be 64 later this month, had 118 career wins at Division II Grand Valley Statetostart his coaching career.He’scompiled 199 wins in FBS in stopsatCentral Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU, where he’s3312 including a24-19 loss two weeks ago at OleMiss.

and his four-year tenure at LSU. At 4-1, Kelly’sheroes are still ranked No.11 nationally and are still very muchin the hunt for berths in the Southeastern Conference championship game and the 12-team College Football Playoff. But given the rickety state of the LSU running game and concerns about quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’shealth, to saythere is lack of conﬁdence in the Tigers to make it to the CFP would be aconsiderable understatement.

With all his wins combined, Kelly is the nation’swinningest active coach with317. When it comes to FBS games, he is behind only Kirk Ferentz, who has 207 career wins at Iowa since 1999. By the way,aUSA Today article pegged Kelly as the nation’seighth highest-paid coach this season with $10.175 million.

It’s interesting to saythat another bite at the200-win apple comes for Kelly at an inﬂection point in his career

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

“Watch out,media. Rashid Shaheed’scoming through!” Foster Moreau couldn’thelp butcrack ajoke during Wednesday’spractice when Shaheed’smomentum barreled the NewOrleans Saints wide receiver towarda pack of reporters afteratight catch on the sideline. Shaheed smiled and shook his head.

“Don’tlisten to him, media,” Shaheed said. But, as the saying goes, there’sa grain of truth behind every joke.Case inpoint: Look at Shaheed’sperformance inSunday’swin over the New York Giants. In his best outing of the year,Shaheed torched the Giants for an 87-yard touchdownand recorded the fastest speed —21.72 mph —onanoffensive touchdown this season. He also madea crucial 8-yard catch on fourth and5tohelp theSaints drain the clock late in the win. He also topped 100 yards for the ﬁrst timethis season. TheSaints hope the outingmarks thestart of an actual breakthrough for the 27-yearold. Before Sunday,Shaheed had aquiet start to the season. His targets weredown. Hisyards per catch wereata careerlow.It was hardly the starthenor the Saintsexpected in acontract year

Thetide turned Sunday,somuch so that Shaheed tweeted that EA Sportsshould “ﬁx” his speed in its annual “Madden” video game.

Thevideo game franchise ranks Shaheed’s speed at 93. “He’sasfastasI’ve ever seen,” coach KellenMoore said. Days earlier,Shaheed saidhewasn’t worried about his production. The deeppassing attack hadyet to take off, but the wide receiver—who now leads the Saints in receiving yards with 228—saidhehad to stay patientbecause he knewthe opportunities would come. Defenses also were plenty aware of the threat Shaheed possessed after last year.Despite being limited tosix games because of a season-ending kneeinjury, Shaheed’sspeed changed games early on. He hauled in touchdowns of 59 and 70 yards in back-to-back contests to begin the year,and before theinjury he hadsix catches of at least 20 yards

Shaheedsaid he saw subtle ways in which opponentsadjusted. Safeties played even farther back, making it moredifﬁcult for

There are plenty who also question Kelly’swork ethic, determination and dedication. Iwould have thought he answeredthat question by putting up $1 million of his own pay package in the offseason to help LSU gather the$18 millionitspent in NIL money to put together this year’sroster.Kelly radiates aCEO vibe that says he hires his staff and puts things on auto pilotwhile they make the show happen. But Ican’timagine someone getting this far and still coaching in ademanding league

BY ROBMAADDI AP profootball writer

The Jaguars, Broncos and Patriots had statement victories in Week 5. How they follow up might determine whether they’re ready to becomereal contenders. Trevor Lawrence ledJacksonvilletoan incredible 31-28comebackvictory over PatrickMahomes andthe KansasCity Chiefs on Monday night, overcominga fewofhis own miscues and

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL wide receiverLandon Strother,left, stretches for extra yards after one of his three receptions during the Cajuns’ win over Marshall on Sept. 27.

Scott Rabalais

By MICHAEL JOHNSON

On TV

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

6p.m. Louisiana Tech at KennesawSt. ESPNU

6:30 p.m. East Carolina at Tulane ESPN

7p.m. Jacksonville St. at Sam Houston CBSSN

7p.m. SouthernMissatGa. SouthernESPN2 GOLF

7a.m. DP Tour:The Open de Espana Golf

2p.m. KornFerry:Championship Golf

6p.m. LPGA: LPGA Shanghai *Golf

10 p.m. PGA Tour:Baycurrent ClssicGolf HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

7p.m.Airline at Parkway Cox4

HORSE RACING

Noon America’s Dayatthe Races FS2

MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYOFFS (NLDS)

5:05 p.m. PhiladelphiaatL.A.Dodgers %TBS

8:05 p.m. Milwaukee at Chicago TBS

MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY

5:30 p.m. Clarkson at Penn State BTN

8p.m. Boston CollegeatMinnesota BTN NBA PRESEASON

6:30 p.m. Minnesota at Newyork NBA NFL

7:15 p.m. PhiladelphiaatN.y.Giants PRIME MEN’S SOCCER

1:30 p.m. England vs.Wales FS2

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CRAIG MITCHELLDyER

Portland Trail Blazers center yang Hansen poses forphotos duringthe team’s media dayonSept. 29 in Portland,Ore.

NBAreturns to Chinafor ﬁrst time since2019

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

The last time the NBA went to China, there was silence. They were two of the most awkward games probably ever played, a pair of preseason matchups between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers with some fans barely reacting to anything and no news conferences held afterward. This time, it’sgoing to be different. Back to normal, it would seem.

The Nets and Phoenix Sunshavemade their way to the Chinese gambling hub of Macao for two preseason games —one Friday, the other Sunday,and marking the NBA’s ﬁrst games played in China since 2019. There are two more games planned fornextseason in China as well

“I think it’svery important for us to be able to bring the live game experience, including live games, to as many fans of the NBA around the world,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said.“And there’sno doubt that China has one of the largest fanbases in the world —hundreds of millions of fans in China, 300 million people play the game of basketball in China, and our mission is to inspire and connect people everywhere through the game of basketball.” There was atime where it seemed uncertain if that connecting would still be possible.

Ageopolitical rift was sparked by atweet posted by Daryl Morey —then the general manager of the Houston Rockets, now of the Philadelphia 76ers thatwas in support of antigovernment protesters in Hong Kong. China severed most ties with the NBA for some time, taking games off its broadcast channels, and the process of mending at least some fences took years. Even now,the games come at aturbulent time. There is trade friction between the U.S. and China, with both sides threatening sky-high tariffs on the others’ exports. And the NBA has long heard criticisms from lawmakers —onboth sides of the aisle —about not taking astronger public stance about China’shuman rights record.

“Much of the sportsindustry is based on relationships and we think sports plays aunique role in building community —not just in the United States but around the world and particularly at timesof heighteneddivision,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver

said. “Whether that division is domesticallyorglobally there’salmost nothing else Ican think of thatbrings togethercommunities like sports does, and particularlya sport like basketball that is globally played, globally understood.”

The Nets andSuns will play at Macao’sVenetian Arena, which isownedby the Las VegasSands Corp. —which is acasino operator there as well. Sands president and chief operating ofﬁcer Patrick Dumont is governorofthe Dallas Mavericks,assuming that role after his family acquired the team

“Obviously, we know this is great for the Phoenix Suns and our community, ourwhole organization and the NBA,”Suns coachJordan Ott said.

The Nets are ownedby Joe Tsai, the chairman of Chinese tech giant Alibaba. And this NBA season comes with high hopesfor aChinese rookie: Yang Hansen, a7-foot-1 draft pick who is expected to play arole for the Portland TrailBlazers this season.

He’sthrilled that the NBAisheadedbackthere

ﬁnally

China is an important market forthe NBA, for obvious reasons. Ifthe NBA’s numbers are right —300 millionfans—that’s300 million potential consumers in abasketball-crazed part of the world. The Blazersare alreadyseeing how impactful that canbe.

Thishas been no secret forsome time. Chinese fans love the NBA, plain andsimple,and want more.

SanAntonioSpurs’ star Victor Wembanyama spent timeinChina this summer; if he was spotted on amorning jog,fanswould sprint that way just to try to get a look at him. The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James toured China thissummer for the 15th time with Nike, the NBA’sall-time leading scorer saying, “There’san unbelievableloveand appreciation for basketball in Asia that’salways incredible to experience.”

Jimmy Butler toured China again as well,asdid hisGolden StateWarriors teammate StephenCurry —who has long drawn massive crowds for hisvisits Suns guard Jared Butler, aformer Riverside Academy standout, saidhe’sbeen looking forward to thetrip. “I think it’sa beautiful thing just for the experience,”Butler said. “Me,I’ve never been to China and I know alot of guys haven’t been to China. So, experiencing something new with your guys isgoing to just be abonding moment.”

5:45 p.m.Morocco vs.South KoreaFS2

8p.m.U.S.vs. Italy* FS2 TENNIS

5:30 a.m. Shanghai-ATP Tennis

10 p.m.Shanghai-ATP Tennis

WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

5p.m.Texas at SouthCarolina SEC

6p.m.Florida St. at Notre Dame ACC

7p.m.Tennessee at Oklahoma SEC WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

6p.m.Purdue at Ohio State FS1

8p.m.Oregon at SouthernCal FS1

*Taped

%Ifnecessary

HIGH SCHOOLS

Still much to learn as 2ndhalfstarts

Football

powerhouseshaverighted their shipswhile severalprogramsshowprogress

Believeitornot, thesecond half of thehigh school football regular season getsunderway withabig Thursday slate.

Through theﬁrst ﬁve games of the season, we’ve learned alot about the teams topping this year’sdistrict races.

As expected, traditional powerhouses like St. Thomas More and Acadiana have rebounded from slow starts. For theWreckin’ Rams,the comeback trail has been smoothwith blowout wins against New Iberia and Sulphur

The Cougars have had to conquer someserious gut-check momentswith hard-fought wins against Neville and Westgate.

Elsewhere, numerous programs are gettingtheir ducks in arow for apush over the second half of the season. Game of theweek

In aweek not ﬁlled with blockbuster matchups, thechoice this week is pretty easy

The campuses of Lafayette Christian and Lafayette Renaissance are essentially adjacent to each other

There’salso alot of familiarity between the fan bases, players and coaching staffs. Many members of Lafayette Renaissance’scoaching staff played key roles in theKnights’ rise to domination over the past decade.

As for this year’stwo clubs, the Knights (4-1) are coming off maybe their best game of theseason with last week’s55-48 victory at Central of Baton Rouge. That followed their most disappointing gameofthe season with the31-13 loss at Shaw,thanks to seven turnovers.

Meanwhile, Lafayette Renaissance hasbeen playing overmatched teams, so this will be the Tigers’ ﬁrst truetest against one of the topteams in thearea.

The area’sstatistical leaders are ﬂooded withplayers from these two programs. So while the gamemight be astatistician’s nightmare, it should be loads of fun for the fans.

Theundefeated

As far as thearea district races we cover,Lafayette Renaissance is one of ﬁve undefeated teamsremaining halfway through the regular season.

The other four 5-0 teams are Teurlings Catholic, Erath, Ascension Episcopal and Westminster Christian. That list doesn’tinclude Jeanerette, which plays in aMorgan City-Houma arealeague. The Tigers will be big favorites again this week against Centerville (1-4), before their biggest test of the season against 4A St. Martinville on Oct. 17.

Closer to home, Teurlings, Erath and Ascension Episcopal are all expected to winthis week,while Westminster faces aroad test at Opelousas Catholic (4-1).

NCAA approves single transfer window in football

The NCAA approved asingle January transferwindowincollege football on Wednesday,a move thatwill allow coaches with high-stakes postseasongames to focus moreonmatchups than player retention.

TheDivision Iadministrative committee approvedthe new window of Jan. 2-16. Bowlsubdivision coaches votedunanimouslytosupport the change during their American FootballCoaches Association conventionearlier this year

The new 15-day period replaces the current 20-day December period. Most teams now will be able to keep active players as they prepare fortheir biggest games. Last season, Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula entered the portal andmissedhis team’s run in the College Football Playoff.

Teen son of late boxer Gatti found dead by hanging

NEWYORK— The teenage son of late boxing star Arturo Gatti was found dead on Tuesdaybyapparent hanging, muchlike his father wasin2009.

Prove-it games

Fiveweeks into the season and there’sstill alot of teams trying to elevate to new heights.

In case you haven’tnoticed, Northside (4-1) has more ﬁrepower on offense. The Vikingsare big underdogs at St. Thomas More on Friday,but it’s agreat opportunity to show how much progress coach Jacarde Carter and his squad have made this season. It’sa different kind of prove-it challenge for Comeaux. It wasn’tsolong ago the Spartans were begging forany win before snapping their 33-game losing streak. Now Comeaux is off to a3-2 start and facing an 0-5North Vermilion team Friday Comeaux’scoaches arenow in theposition of having to encourage their Spartans to avoid overlooking an opponent. Andit’syet another prove-it game for Lafayette High. It’s clear coach Stephen Hearen andhis ﬁrst-year staff have madebig progress this season.

Lastweek’swin at Sam Houston supported that claim. But the elite teams in District 3-5A remain Southside, Acadiana and Carencro.

The Lionsget achance to try to slow down Carencro’sexplosive passing attack Thursday Also ﬁtting in this category is Delcambre (4-1). The Panthers have made big strides so far underﬁrst-year coach Cory Brodie, but Loreauville is an established program with losses to Erath, Vermilion Catholic and Jeanerette.

Sneaky-goodgame

For area fanswho focus moreonthe larger schools, it’spossible to overlook possibly thebest showdowninthe area this week.

Twoweeks ago, Sacred Heart of Ville Platte displayed its pesky defense with a3-0 win over Opelousas Catholic.

Last week,Westminster Christian survived Sacred Heart to stay unbeaten

On Thursday,those Crusaders travel to meet Opelousas Catholic, which handled previouslyundefeated St. Edmund 52-30.

The District 5-1A race is loaded with capable teams. The combined district record is 26-9. NewLHSAA program Berchmans Academyis1-4, so the other ﬁve teams have onlylost to another district team. That creates the likelihood of an intriguing merry-go-round thesecond half of the season.

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

Volleyball

Arturo Gatti Jr.“wasfound hanging in an apartmentinMexico,” according to Gatti’s former bodyguard, ChuckZito. The younger Gatti was just 17.

Zito on Wednesday announced the news“with aheavy heart” that Gatti Jr., himself aboxer,was discovered “the sameway they found his father dead in an apartment in Brazil 16 years ago.”

Gatti Sr.’swife,Amanda Rodrigues Gatti, foundthe retired athlete dead on July 11, 2009, in acondo they rented in hernative Brazil, where they hadbeen staying for asecond honeymoon. He was37atthe timeofhis death.

NCAA panel proposes sponsor logos on uniforms INDIANAPOLIS An NCAA committee has proposed achange to rules barring commercial logosonuniforms in amove that would clear the way forsponsor patches to appear on jerseys next year Under current rules, the only commerciallogopermitted on athletes’equipmentorapparel during regular-season games is the logo of the equipment or apparel manufacturer If theDivisionIAdministrative Committee’s proposal is adopted, schools could place twoadditional commercial logosonuniformsand pregame/postgame apparel during non-NCAA championship competition. Also, one additional commercial logo would be permitted on equipmentused by athletes.

Cardinals QB Murraysits out practicewith foot injury

TEMPE, Ariz.— ArizonaCardinals quarterback Kyler Murray didn’t practice on Wednesday because of afoot injury he suffered in a 22-21 loss to theTennesseeTitans on Sunday Coach Jonathan Gannonsaidhe would “takeitday by day” with Murray’shealth.

The team’sbackup is veteran Jacoby Brissett, whohas played in 89 games, including 53 starts over 10 seasons with thePatriots, Colts, Dolphins, Browns and Commanders. Murray hasn’tmissed agame since 2023, when he returned after missing roughly 11 months witha torn ACL. The two-time Pro Bowl selection is completing 68.3% of hispassesfor 962yards,six touchdowns and three interceptions.

Sanders backatColorado practice afterprocedure

Colorado coach Deion Sanders wasback at practice Wednesday, aday after undergoing surgery related to his blood clots.

Sanders had aprocedure called an aspiration thrombectomy, which involves the left popliteal located behind the knee —and tibial arteries. He appears on track to be on the sideline Saturday when the Buffaloes (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) host No. 22 Iowa State (5-1, 2-1). On Tuesdaynight, in avideo posted by Well Off Media, which chronicles the Buffaloes, Sanders and his medical team talked about theprocedure that would cleanout his arteries to prevent moreclots. Sanders said it was his 16th surgery over the last fewyears. “Same position,” Sanders said from his hospital bed. “Never doubting God. Never stressing. Never second-guessing.”

Kevin Foote

like the SEC not having a ﬁre that still burns inside. Whenever Kelly retires, the clock will start on his inevitable enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame. Whether his resume will include a CFP national title won at LSU remains the riveting question If not this year with this team, then when?

There has been a lot in the media about late LSU receiver Kyren Lacy and whether or not his driving contributed to a fatal crash in Lafourche Parish in December

Lacy’s attorney has been all over the media disputing Lacy’s alleged involvement in the crash. Louisiana State Police have defended their reporting of the crash that led to Lacy being accused of negligent homicide. Plenty of opinions have been swirling about.

I thought Kelly’s carefully worded answer to a question about the case at his Monday news conference was a prudent response.

“This is a process that takes time,” Kelly said. “I think I said back when this occurred that let’s wait until all the information comes out. For us to make these universal statements early on, it just doesn’t serve anybody well.”

Clearly there needs to be more investigation before any conclusions are drawn. But nothing will change the fact that a man named Herman Hall was killed in the wreck, or that Lacy took his own life in April after being pursued by police in Houston

Perhaps there could be some solace for the Lacy and Hall families waiting at the end of all

CAJUNS

Continued from page 1C

grab ignited two straight touchdown drives — covering 75 yards in eight plays and 64 yards in nine plays to take a 17-10 lead with 1:43 left in the second quarter

“I’m always waiting for that opportunity to get the ball,” Strother said. “After getting that ﬁrst catch, I just felt the confidence come back, all the juices started ﬂowing, and it was just ready to play the next snap and attack every play.”

Strother’s position has changed several times since arriving on campus. As a freshman, he played the slot or “H” spot. Then he switched to “Z” in the spring only to go back to “H” in August camp and back to “Z”

“I feel comfortable now going back and forth,” he said. “I’m feeling a lot better than I did in fall (camp).”

“You know he’s got elite ball skills,” Leger said of Strother “That ﬁrst catch he made the other night was a really good catch It was a tough catch and that’s what we’ve been missing. When the ball hasn’t been quite where it needs to be, we haven’t been catching those.

“Wide receiver is a skill position, and he’s got elite ball skills. That put him ahead of the curve a little bit.”

Strother’s father, STM assistant coach Lance Strother, is widely regarded as one of the state’s top receiver coaches. Despite his dad coaching him throughout his formative years, Landon said he’s now just a dad, not a coach

“We talk after games, but really he’s just proud of me,” said Strother, whose uncle Darren also played receiver at UL from 1994-96 “I’ll go up to him and ask questions, but he’s never really pushing anything on me. He kind of stays back during my games.

“Ultimately, I feel like he’s just made me a better man. That’s one of the most important things —

NFL

Continued from page 1C

could’ve won if not for a late interception

It’s a quick turnaround and short week for the Jaguars after an impressive win. Some teams can let down in these situations. Jacksonville can’t afford to let up, especially with a trip to London to face the Rams coming up the next week.

Denver (3-2) went to Philadelphia on a short week of preparation after a lopsided win over the Bengals on a Monday night and stunned the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles.

Down 17-3 in the fourth quarter

Bo Nix led the Broncos to a 21-17

this, but that’s far from clear in the moment. Saturday is the homecoming game for LSU, a game that will mark a homecoming of sorts for LSU great Doug Moreau, too.

The former All-American tight end and kicker (1962-65) hung up his microphone before this season after 52 years as part of LSU football radio and television broadcasts. He will be recognized on the ﬁeld during the ﬁrst quarter of Saturday’s game, according to LSU.

In addition to his time on LSU radio and TigerVision, the school’s former in-house pay-per-view network, Moreau played for the Miami Dolphins from 1966-69 and was a Baton Rouge judge and district attorney from 1978-2009.

Moreau was replaced by former Tigers and NFL fullback Jacob Hester as radio color analyst last season on a temporary basis and full-time starting this season.

Not that LSU couldn’t be upset by South Carolina on Saturday, but it certainly wouldn’t be in keeping with the history of this series. The Tigers hold a lopsided 20-2-1 edge on the Gamecocks, having lost to South Carolina only once, 18-17 in 1994, since the Gamecocks won their ﬁrst meeting 7-6 way back in 1930. LSU’s .891 winning percentage against South Carolina is by far its best against any SEC rival.

I’ll close with a bit of trivia: LSU and South Carolina played to a 20-20 draw in Columbia in 1995. It was the last tie in LSU history as the NCAA instituted overtime starting with the 1996 season LSU has won eight straight meetings with South Carolina since, including last year’s wild 36-33 victory in Columbia.

growing as a man, learning how to be a leader and how to be a teammate.”

Against Marshall, Strother had three receptions for 27 yards on four targets in a game where UL was missing Sampson and Robert Williams.

“I feel like I’m comfortable now,” Strother said. “Your ﬁrst year, you are trying to learn the offense, learn all the different coverages, learn the defense But now I feel like I have a good grip at both positions. I’m kind of able to learn all the concepts of the offense.

“That just makes it better for me understanding everything, and I definitely feel like I have much moreconﬁdencegoingintogames.”

Strotherjustkeptlookingtopractice for a solution to the slow start.

“You had to push through, keep working,” he said. “We weren’t clicking like we usually are in the ﬁrst couple weeks. But just attacking each practice forgetting about the mistakes, just moving on each play and ﬁnding that momentum with the quarterbacks. We’re getting back to what we’re usually doing — making plays, getting extra work in after practice.”

The staff’s trust in Strother’s hands, instincts and savvy was evident in allowing the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder to return punts with Williams not available after suffering a concussion in a road loss to Eastern Michigan.

“I was a little nervous, but it was exciting,” Strother said. “I was more excited than anything to get back there and do punt returns. I had a lot of fun with that in high school.

“Throughout the week, I got with the special teams coaches and they got me right I caught so many punts to get me ready.”

Strother said he’s comfortable with new starting quarterback Lunch Winﬁeld.

“Lunch is the same guy,”

Strother said. “He’s a guy that brings the energy, brings the passion every day We’ve gotten really close.”

Young back at practice after missing 5 games

BY LUKE JOHNSON and MATTHEW PARAS Staff writers

After missing the ﬁrst ﬁve weeks of the season with a calf injury, New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young practiced Wednesday Young was a late arrival at practice, entering roughly midway through the period of practice open to the media.

The pass rusher injured his calf in the days leading up to the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. Earlier this week, coach Kellen Moore defended Young after some criticism about how long his injury has kept him off the ﬁeld, saying Young was doing everything in his power to return. It wasn’t the only positive injury news for New Orleans.

Right guard Cesar Ruiz, who missed last week’s game against the New York Giants with an ankle injury, returned to practice Wednesday afternoon in a limited capacity

Ruiz suffered his injury against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 when quarterback Spencer Rattler rolled into the back of his legs on a scramble. Undrafted rookie Torricelli Simpkins has ﬁlled in at right guard while Ruiz was out.

The Saints have played with their preferred starting five along the offensive line for only 28 offensive snaps this season.

Left guard Trevor Penning did not play in the ﬁrst three games while recovering from a turf toe injury, and right tackle Taliese Fuaga missed the Week 3 game against the Seattle Seahawks with knee and back injuries.

Safety Justin Reid, who left the Giants game in the ﬁrst quarter with a concussion, was also back at practice Wednesday It wasn’t all good for the Saints.

Running back Alvin Kamara suffered an ankle injury during practice Wednesday Moore did not elaborate on the injury other than to say it happened in practice and that Kamara was limited.

The only player who was not present at Wednesday’s practice was cornerback IsaacYiadom (hamstring).

Hill as backup QB?

Moore was asked a simple question during Wednesday’s news conference: As the Saints look to expand Taysom Hill‘s role as he gets healthier could that include him becoming the team’s backup quarterback?

SAINTS

Shaheed to race behind them. And defenses rarely gave the Saints single-high looks since Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks also posed as speed threats.

But the Saints knew they still needed to get Shaheed involved.

With the lack of explosive plays, the coaching staff tried to feature Shaheed in other ways. In Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills, for example, Shaheed had two rushing attempts on jet sweeps He also saw an uptick in slant routes and hitches.

Saints defensive end Chase young runs down the ball carrier during training camp on Aug. 2 at the team’s practice facility young missed the first five weeks of the season with a calf injury.

“Yeah, it could,” Moore said “He’s done it plenty of times in his career before.”

The Saints now list Hill as a quarterback after having him at tight end the last few seasons. Hill’s actual position is more complicated than the title, given he plays a variety of roles — ranging from quarterback to receiver to running back to special teams ace.

Moore previously had said he expects Hill’s role to grow as he comes back from last season’s serious knee injury He played nine offensive snaps in Sunday’s win over the Giants.

Against the Giants, secondround rookie Tyler Shough served as Rattler’s backup — even though Hill threw a 19-yard pass.

Moore’s answer leaves open the possibility the Saints could turn to Hill if Rattler was injured or benched, instead of Shough.

Asked whether a change could leave Shough inactive on game days, Moore shrugged and said that he loved all three quarterbacks and added he wouldn’t worry about hypothetical “math problems” with the roster

He downplayed the idea that a possible change was a reﬂection of Shough’s development.

“Tyler’s doing awesome,” Moore said. “We’ve got a good group going on right now.”

Hill was spotted wearing a quarterback wristband in Wednesday’s practice, and though one wasn’t visible on Shough’s arm band, Moore said Hill had a wristband “like all the other quarterbacks.” Rattler also wore one in the portion of practice open to reporters.

“He’s done a tremendous job,” Moore said of Hill. “He can play quarterback for us, taking reps in that position, certainly plenty through the last couple weeks. He’s definitely available to be a backup quarterback.”

Player of the week

Kool-Aid McKinstry snagged his ﬁrst and second career interceptions in the second half of the Saints’ 26-14 win against the Giants last week, and he was recognized by the league for his performance.

McKinstry was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the performance, with his two interceptions being part of five consecutive turnovers forced by the Saints. McKinstry, 23, became the first Saints player to be recognized as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week since Paulson Adebo in 2023. The last Saints player to win any sort of weekly honor was Bryan Bresee last year, who was recognized on special teams after a field goal block that secured a win against the Giants.

comeback win and the defense stiﬂed Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts and the rest of an inconsistent offense.

Now, they’re heading to London to face the NFL’s only winless team, the New York Jets.

It’s another challenging travel week for the Broncos who are tied with the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West. Sean Payton’s team can’t slip up against the woeful Jets, who have talent despite their 0-5 record Denver will play four of its ﬁve games after the London trip at home before a bye in Week 12. The Broncos host the Giants and Cowboys, visit the Texans, and then host the Raiders and Chiefs. They could be 8-2 going into a matchup against Kansas City if they take care of business and don’t overlook

Continued from page 1C STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed catches an 87-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Spencer Rattler against the New york Giants on Sunday at the Caesars

fooled the Giants by deploying a formation that featured three tight ends and Shaheed as the lone receiver With Johnson motioning to Shaheed’s side pre-snap, the movement caused Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo to stay with the tight end, leaving Shaheed one-onone with a safety He ran straight down the ﬁeld, faked as if he was going to break into a crossing route and then opened his hips to cut outside and break free. Touchdown.

“No, deﬁnitely not,” Shaheed said with a smile when asked whether anybody could catch him in that scenario.

Still through the first four games, Shaheed (25 targets) was targeted less often than Olave (43) and tight end Juwan Johnson (31).

“You’ve got to find ways to get him touches,” offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier said last week. “Obviously, people are going to play shell (coverage) and keep a roof on it. You can’t force the ball downfield. It’s important to find ways to get Shaheed the ball

anybody That starts with beating the Jets. New England (3-2) went to Buffalo and shocked the Bills on Sunday night with Drake Maye leading a 23-20 victory. The Patriots made it clear that Josh Allen and the Bills aren’t going to cruise to another AFC East title. They won’t be pushed around anymore, not with coach Mike Vrabel standing on the sideline. Maye has been impressive in his second season and certainly looks like the franchise quarterback the Patriots have sought since Tom Brady left. But that win over the Bills can’t be New England’s Super Bowl. The Patriots have a favorable schedule the rest of the way Only two of their remaining games are against teams that currently have

underneath coverage in different ways, whether it be options, slants or quick outs, whatever it may be.”

Sometimes, sticking to what worked works. On the 87-yard bomb, the Saints got a favorable look when they

a winning record Buccaneers in Week 10 and Bills in Week 15. The Patriots head to New Orleans (1-4) this week and Tennessee (1-4) next before returning home to face Cleveland (1-4). If they want to challenge Buffalo for the division, they must defeat inferior teams. Adapting to change Baker Mayfield is on his third offensive coordinator in three seasons with Tampa Bay and ﬁfth in four years, including his stints with the Panthers and Rams in 2022. He has improved each season and is playing at an MVP level in 2025. Dave Canales spent one year as the Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 2023 and landed a head coaching job in Carolina. Coen re-

Funny enough, Shaheed admitted after the win he was initially nervous that he was going to be tripped up when running. He joked that he was worried he’d “lose respect” in the locker room and teammates would question his speed. But then he had a question of his own. Did anyone happen to have the exact speed on his route? 21.72.

He nodded his head a few times.

“I’ll take it,” Shaheed said. “I’ll take it. I’m happy about that.”

placed him, Mayfield had his best season and the Jaguars hired him to be head coach. Josh Grizzard took over for Coen, and Mayfield has elevated his game another notch as the Tampa Bay offense is averaging 27 points per game. In Philadelphia Hurts has had five offensive coordinator in six seasons. He thrived under Shane Steichen (2021-22), was runnerup for NFL MVP in 2022 and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl that season. But he regressed in 2023 under Brian Johnson. Hurts was Super Bowl MVP last season with Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator, but Moore left to coach New Orleans. Kevin Patullo replaced him and the Philadelphia offense has struggled this season despite a 4-1 record.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN McCUSKER

Spices add earthy depthto chicken

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service

(TNS)

Chicken seasoned with cinnamon, cumin and turmeric creates afragrant, savory Moroccan-inspired dish. The turmeric not only infuses the chicken with awarm golden hue but also adds an earthy depth to the ﬂavor

It’sserved with pearl couscous which is also called Israeli couscous. Its small, round, pearl-likegrains are slightly larger and chewier than traditional couscous, making them an ideal companionto the aromatic chicken.

Helpful hints:

n Minced garlic can be found in the produce section of the market.

n Aquick way to chop cilantro is to snip the leaves from thestems with ascissors.

Moroccan Chicken

Yields 2servings. Recipeisby Linda Gassenheimer

2teaspoons olive oil

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (1-inch pieces)

1cup thinly sliced onion

1teaspoon turmeric

2teaspoons ground cinnamon

3teaspoons ground cumin

3teaspoons minced garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2cups, no-salt-added, diced tomatoes with their juice

4cups washed, ready-to-eat spinach

2tablespoons chopped cilantro

1. Heat oil in anonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides,for about 2to3minutes Remove from skillet to aplate.

2. Add the onion, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, salt and black pepper to taste and diced tomatowith juice tothe skillet. Cook 5minutes, stirring during that time.

3. Return chicken to the skillet along with the spinach. Stir just until the spinach wilts, about 1minute.

4. Divide between 2dinner plates and sprinkle chopped cilantro on top.

Nutrition info per serving: 354 calories (27 percent from fat), 10.7 gfat (1.8 gsaturated,3.9 gmonounsaturated), 126 mg cholesterol, 43.9 gprotein, 23 4 gcarbohydrates, 9.4 gﬁber,162 mg sodium.

Couscous

Yields 2servings. Recipeisby Linda Gassenheimer

11/4 cups water

3/4 cup pearlcouscous

2teaspoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring water to aboil. Stir in couscous. Reduce heat to medium, coverwith alid and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Drain, add oil and saltand pepper to taste. Serve on the dinner plates with the chicken Nutrition info per serving: 120 calories (37 percent from fat), 5.0 g fat (0.7 gsaturated, 2.2 gmonounsaturated), no cholesterol, 2.9 gprotein, 15.8 gcarbohydrates, 0.9 gﬁber,1mgsodium.

LIVING

MAGIC MOMENTS

Foratasty Halloween, conjure up StuffedMirlitonand PumpkinCrisp

As October unfolds in New Orleans, the city transforms into aplayground of enchantment where history and mystery intertwine.

Stuffed Mirliton

Makes 6to8servings.

6mirliton(chayotes)

2tablespoons butter

2tablespoons vegetable oil

TheFrench Quarter pulses with energy as families stroll along thestreets, children’s eyes widening at thefestive metamorphosis takingplace around them.

2cups chopped onions

1/4 cup slicedgreen onions

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

2tablespoons Creoleseasoning

4clovesgarlic, minced

11/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs, divided

1teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon thyme

Wrought-iron balconies showcase Halloween ﬁnery —purple lights dance among Spanish moss, while grinning jack-o’-lanterns peer down. Shopwindows display voodoo dolls, ornate masks, and vintage Halloween ephemera that captivate children, pointingattreasures that blur theline between celebration and themacabre.

ä See BELTON, page 6C

Go aheadand

BYBETH DOOLEY

The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

Dinner is different with thearrival of autumn. Afternoonshadows lengthen, theair eventually chills and we turn away from the grill and toward thestove. In agloriousfarewelltosummer, theharvest is at its peak. Stroll the farmersmarketaislespiled high with acollision of seasons—the brilliant tomatoes, glossy eggplant,deepgreen kale andearly cauliflower,broccoli, cabbage, carrots, beets and potatoes.Aren’t we all hungry for more substantial comfortingfare— thesoups, stews, curries? Celebrate the bounty with vegetable-forward dishes. Take cau-

liﬂower: Often underappreciated,

Stuffed Mirliton, left, and Pumpkin Crisp Pumpkin

1tablespoon hot sauce Kosher salt and pepper,totaste

1pound shrimp, chopped

1/2 pound boiled ham,chopped

4tablespoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Boil whole mirlitons in a pot of water until fork-tender Removemirlitons from water and let cool.

3. Melt 2tablespoons of butter in aheavy pan and add oil. Add onions, green onions, and bell pepper and fryuntil soft. Add Creole seasoning and garlic in the last few minutes.

4. Cut mirlitons in half and remove the large seed in center.Carefully scoop out pulp. Leave the shells of the mirlitons about half an inch thick; set aside. Add pulp to onions and green pepper mixture, cook forabout 15 minutes over medium heat.

5. Add 1cup of breadcrumbs, basil, thyme, hot sauce, salt and pepper.Add shrimpand ham and cook for 5additional minutes.

6. Fill shells with mixture and sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs. Dotwith the 4tablespoons of butter and bake until breadcrumbs are browned, about 20 minutes.

heap spices on cauliflower

it’s extremelyversatile andcompliant.Blanched or steamed, cauliﬂower retains its mild cabbage-y nuttyﬂavors, readytobeboldly seasoned withhot chiles and warm Indianspices or swathed in alush herb-scented cream

Tryroasting it on asheet pan until deep brown with sweetly crisped edges,inviting ashower of shavedParmesan anddash of lemon. Or combine thesetwo techniques by pan-roasting cauliﬂower in butter and oil thencover andsteam it until tender and creamy.Season generously for a hearty side dish, or when paired with beansand served on rice or tangled in pasta, it makes asimple, satisfying vegetarian dinner

ä See CAULIFLOWER, page 6C

Kevin Belton

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSENHEIMER Moroccan Chicken

Visitors thinkartwork is overpriced

Dear Miss Manners: Iamaﬁne artist, withastudio attached to my home. Friends and visitors often ask to see the studio, and Iam happy to oblige Sometimes, avisitor will ask howmuch aparticularpiece costs. This puts me on the spot. Iusually say,“Well,I would normally charge $300 for thatpainting, but with my ‘friends and family’ discount, Iwould charge $150.”

On afew occasions, I’vehad avisitor who looks aghast and murmurs something to the effect

of,“Ididn’tthink it would be so expensive.”

Miss Manners, Idonot know howtorespond! Ihave already halved the price(which is never outlandishtobegin with), and am now made to feel I’m being greedy or unreasonable. My reactionhas beenastrained smile and somebreezy comment about how the piecewas particularly timeconsuming, etc.,but by thenthe atmosphere haschanged, and is difﬁcult to undo Am Ibeing rude? Should Ihave declinedtodiscuss prices in this context? Isuspect my guest has beenrude by implying my work is notworththe (discounted!) price.How can Ihandle this situa-

tion morepolitely in the future?

Gentlereader: Although the studio is adjacent to your home, you keep it separatefor areason (less paint in theyogurt). Miss Manners wonders if your guestsneed morespace between their slightly impertinent question and the implied sales pitch of your answer: They may have asked theprice out of mere curiosity

Either tell them you have not yet set aprice, or,ifyou think they are serious about apurchase, tell them that you would sell it to acommercial dealer for $300 —with an emphasis on the word “commercial” that invites them to ask afurther question. Dear Miss Manners: Ibeg for guid-

ance on the proper etiquette with one’scutlery at hotel buffet breakfasts. While there are abundant clean plates, the protocol seemstobethat one has but a single set of cutlery

Perhaps this is to shameone into avoiding gluttonous behavior

However,when moving from bacon and eggs to toast or mufﬁns, how should one get aclean knife? The knifeand fork disappear in the hands of the waitstaff. Asking for new ones is rarely met with agraciousresponse from the (admittedly busy) servers.

Gentlereader: Is this atrick question,Miss Manners wonders? Onegets anew knifeand fork by requesting them,ananswer

Continued from page 5C

In City Park, the annual Ghosts in the Oaks event transforms ancient trees into awonderland of gentle frights.

The Garden District welcomes families with grand homes embracing the season— heirloom pumpkins line marble steps, while tasteful wreaths adorn doors that have witnessed generations of Halloweens.

The “Cities of the Dead” become educational opportunities during daylight hours. Restaurants serve gumbo, dark as the night and complex as the city’s history,laden with andouille sausage and okra that speak tothe cultural crossroads that is New Orleans cuisine.

Halloween brings the Krewe of

Pumpkin Crisp

Makes 8to10servings

FILLING

1can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

3/4 cup granulatedsugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2eggs

1teaspoon vanillaextract

11/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

TOPPING

1cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup old-fashionedoats

3/4 cup brown sugar

1teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Boo parade, and in neighborhood parks, community Halloween festivals offer bobbing for apples alongside food booths servingmirlitonstuffedwithspiced

1/2 cup butter,melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a9-by13-inch baking dish.

2. In alarge bowl, whisktogetherthe pumpkin puree, sugars, eggs, vanilla, spices, salt and evaporated milk until smooth Pourintothe dish.

3. In aseparate bowl, combine the ﬂour,oats, sugar, cinnamon, andpecans. Add melted butter and stir until crumbly.Sprinkle over the ﬁlling.

4. Bakefor 45 to 50 minutes untilset and golden brown. Let cool before serving and serve with either icecream or whippedcream.

shrimp,the local squashcarved into spookyfaces before being ﬁlled withsavory delights.

Andatmyhouse, for friends and family who bring theirtrick-

or-treaters, there are homemade treats andsustenance in the form of stuffed mirliton and pumpkin crisp thatcan be eaten while visiting or easily packed to go.

October in New Orleansoffers adults and children amagical moment when culinary heritage, spiritual traditions, andcelebration intertwine to create experiences that engage every sense and plant the seedsfor alifetime of appreciation for this unique American treasure.

Kevin Belton is resident chef of WWL-TV and has taught classes in Louisiana cooking for 30 years. The most recentofhis four cookbooks, “KevinBelton’s Cookin’ Louisiana: Flavors from the Parishes of thePelican State,” was publishedin2021. Email Chef at chefkevinbelton@ gmail.com.

By The Associated Press

that does not depend on whether those previously supplied were madedirty by yourself or an unnamed third party

As to whether the staffisspending breakfast judging you, she cannot say forcertain, but suspects they have better things to occupy their thoughts —such as when this meal service is ﬁnally going to be over

Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite,www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

CAULIFLOWER

Continued from page5C

At themarket, you’llfind white, purple,green andgolden cauliflower. Allare equally delicious and can be used interchangeablyinany dish. Just note that thepurple cauliflower, whencooked, may turn amuddy blueishtogray;the goldand green will retaintheir color.The colored varieties containafew morenutrients andantioxidants than thewhite, andtheir flavors are abit richer,sweeter andnuttier Cauliflowerofall colors can standupinvibrantcurries of warmcumin andzingy ginger sparked withlemon,fresh cilantro andmint.Nomatter how youdress cauliflower,know it can takethe pan’sheat andbold flavors. Don’t hold back.

Pan-RoastedCurried

Cauliflower

Serves 4to6.Recipe is from Beth Dooley.Cauliﬂower screams forcurry withplenty of cumin and ginger.This is the kind of one-pan dinneryou can put together in 20 minutes. Serve withriceand anicecrispsalad on theside 2tablespoonsvegetable oil 1tablespoon unsaltedbutter

1headcauliflower (about 11/2 pounds), cored and broken into florets

Coarse salt and black pepper

2to3tablespoons curry spice blend,or more to taste

1teaspoon ground cumin

1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger,finely grated

3cloves garlic,chopped 1jalapeño pepper,seeded and finely chopped

1(15-ounce)can or 11/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans,rinsed and drained 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice,to taste Rice or pasta,for serving Choppedcilantro and mint,for garnish Lemon wedges,for garnish

1. Film alargesaute panor cast-iron skilletwiththe oiland set over medium-high heat.

2. Whenthe oilbegins to ripple, addthe butter andmelt, then add thecauliﬂower. Stir andcook untilthe cauliﬂowerbegins to color, about3to5minutes.

3. Season withsaltand pepper, lowerthe heat andadd thecurry, cumin, ginger,garlic and pepper. Stir well then addthe beans. Covertosteam thecauliﬂower until tender, about3 moreminutes.

4. Servewithriceorpasta garnishedwiththe choppedcilantro andmint,and lemon wedges

TODAYINHISTORY

later went on exhibition at several museums worldwide.

Dear Heloise: Iread your hints about green grassand feel like Ihave to warn people about “regular watering.” Ithink most of the country is suffering from drought conditions. Water has become aprecious commodity, and I’d prefer to have regular showers rather than green grass. Our grass goes dormant in the summer and becomes abeautiful green in the winter.Please don’twastewater! —MaryG., in Oregon Mary,when all else fails, there are all kinds of ground cover these days. Youcan use gravel, rocks, cactus, fake grass and more to replace grass. —Heloise Sunday dueday

Dear Heloise: Ihad acard payment due on the 9th of the month; this was aSunday. Iassumed that Icould make the payment on Monday.Wrong! I incurred alate fee.

Icontacted the company on its website’s live chat and explained my situation. The representative could not have been nicer.Hewaived the fee (happy customer!) but let me know that thepayment isrequired by midnight E.T. on the due date (regardless of the day of the week thatitlands on) in order for it to be considered on time. —Julie W., in NewBraunfels, Texas Julie, companies may have different policies on Sunday payments, but I’m glad your situationworkedout well! You can also set up automatic bill payments with the company or through your bank. —Heloise Best phoneaccessory

Dear Heloise: Possibly the greatest cellphone and tablet accessory ever is the gooseneck phone or tablet holder

This thing is incredible. It clamps ontoawooden armrest or bookshelf, and it has an adjustable,ﬂexible gooseneck thatgrabs and holds on to your device.

Youcan sitonthe couch or bed, adjustthe holder to exactly where you want it to be, and watch avideo or comfortably chat on the phone hands-free. I love it!And they are cheap (less than $20). No more cellphone elbow or text neck! —JohnnyT., in Ohio

Elicit vs.illicit

Dear Heloise: What’sthe difference between the words “elicit and “illicit”? They sound similar —James J.,inHouston James, good ear! These words are called homophones because they sound so similar but have different meanings.“Elicit” is a verbmeaning to draw out. For example, the comedian is trying to elicit laughter from his audience. “Illicit”isanadjective meaning illegal or forbidden. An example: She could be arrested for selling illicit copies of those books —Heloise Send ahinttoheloise@heloise. com.

Today is Thursday,Oct. 9, the 282nd day of 2025. There are 83 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Oct. 9, 2009, President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize forwhat the Norwegian Nobel Committee called “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen internationaldiplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Also on this date:

In 1910, acoal dust explosion at the Starkville Mine in Colorado left 56 miners dead.

In 1962, Uganda won independence from British rule.

In 1963, amega-tsunamitriggered by alandslide at Vajont Dam in northern Italy destroyed villages and caused approximately 2,000 deaths.

In 1992, the highly visible Peekskill Meteorite streaked through Earth’satmosphere for hundreds of miles overthe U.S. Northeast before asmall chunk of it crashed into the trunk of aparked car in Peekskill, NewYork. The car,a bright red 1980 Chevrolet Malibu,

In 2010, adrill broke through into an underground chamber where 33 Chilean miners had been trapped for more than two months.

In 2012, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky wassentenced in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, to 30 to 60 years in prison following his conviction on 45 counts of sexual abuse of boys.

Today’sbirthdays: Musician Nona Hendryx is 81. Musician Jackson Browne is 77. Actor Robert Wuhl is 74. TV personality Sharon Osbourne is 73. Actor Tony Shalhoub is 72. Actor Scott Bakula is 71. Actor-TV host John O’Hurley is 71. Football Hall of Famer Mike Singletary is 67. Jazz musician Kenny Garrett is 65. Film director Guillermo delToro is 61. Singer PJ Harvey is 56. Film director Steve McQueen (“12 Years aSlave”) is 56. Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam is 55. Musician Sean Lennon is 50. Actor Brandon Routh is 46. Author-TV presenter Marie Kondo is 41.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hints from Heloise

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

Pumpkin Crisp

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Put your energy into getting things done on time and to the best of your ability. Choose to do what's best for you, rather than trying to fit in or please someone else. Stick close to home

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Participate in events, and you will gain experience. Visiting a place that stimulates your mind and encourages you to learn something new will be a bonus. Opportunity is within reach.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Organize your schedule and get your house in order. Tidy up, prepare to host an event, or make a lifestyle change, commitment or move. Keep your money and possessions in a secure location.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Establish your expectations and be open with friends, associates and family. Investing time and money in yourself and what you want to achieve will help you fulfill your dreams.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Invest time and money in your health, wealth and personal life. A change to your living arrangements will offer comfort, convenience and ease. Let go of the past.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) You have options. Stop worrying about what others do and set your sights on what you want. A commitment will come easily if it's written in the stars.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Let your actions send a message to onlookers and friends alike How others respond will

show you what's possible and how to go about putting your plans into motion.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) A positive turn of events will position you for success. Don't hesitate to reach out to those who can help you. Send out your resume. Ask, and you shall receive.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Set your sights on learning something or exploring new places, people or pastimes. Those you encounter will meet your expectations, and so will the possibilities and suggestions that follow.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Don't secondguess yourself or defer to someone else due to a lack of confidence on your part. A passionate presentation or conversation can have a profound impact that influences how someone feels about you.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Emotions will fluctuate depending on how and with whom you spend your time. Domestic issues will arise that divert attention to home improvements, relocation or maximizing the use of your space for profit. It will be necessary to set a strict budget.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept 22) Communication is the key to receiving the help you need to meet your deadlines. Be wary of people who offer too much and fall short. Put time aside to rejuvenate.

FAMILY CIrCUS

ToDAy's

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Bridge

By PHILLIPALDER

J. William Fulbright, aSenatorrepresentingArkansasfrom1945to1975,said, “We must dare to think ‘unthinkable’ thoughts.Wemustlearntoexplore all theoptionsandpossibilitiesthatconfront us in acomplex and rapidly changing world.”

Atthebridgetable,themore“unthinkable”thoughtsyouhaveandanalyze,the more likely you are to succeed.Inthis deal,South is in six spades.West leads theclub ace.

After ruffing in thedummy,how should declarer continue?

When Southopened with avulnerable pre-empt,Northwonderedaboutagrand slam. Butnot knowing how to find out if his partner had the diamond king or a diamond singleton, he took the practical shot at sixspades.

South begins with 11 toptricks: seven spades, one heart,one diamond and two club ruffs in thedummy. The hunt is on fora12thwinner South should play atrumptohis hand and ruff his last club on the board. But what then?

One possibility is also to eliminate the hearts,thentohopeforluckindiamonds. Butthat should not work here.

In fact, the contract is guaranteed. Afterthe club ruff, aspade to theking andthesecondclubruff,declarershould return to his hand with aspade and run the heart 10. Here it loses to East’s queen, but what can East do?Whatever he returns concedes atrick. And even if West couldcover the heart 10 with the queenorking, Southwould win with dummy’s ace, then run theheart jack, discarding adiamond from his hand (unless, of course, East covered with the other heart honor).

Each Wuzzleisa word riddle whichcreates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying etc. Forexample: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

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 DIsTIncTIon: dih-STING-shun: An accomplishment that sets one apart.

Average mark 19 words

Timelimit 35 minutes

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD —PETARD

Can you find 27 or more words in DISTINCTION? pare

today’s thought “The thiefcomes not, butfor to steal, andtokill, and to destroy: Iamcome that they might have life, and that they might have it moreabundantly.” John 10:10

loCKhorNs

Areyou looking forlifeatits best? Commityour lifetoJesus. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

Stocks hit records

after brief stumble

Wall Street got back to rising on Wednesday, while the price of gold pushed further past $4,000 per ounce.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% a day after snapping a seven-day winning streak and set its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down by 1 point, or less than 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 1.1% to its own record Trading has been relatively muted recently following the U.S. government’s latest shutdown The closure has delayed the release of several major economic reports that usually move the market. Stocks have been drifting without them or other signals to change expectations for cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve, one of the major reasons the stock market has surged since April. Another force that’s pushed the market to records is the frenzy around artiﬁcial-intelligence technology

Advanced Micro Devices jumped another 11.4% to add to its rally from earlier in the week, when it announced an AI-related deal. AMD was the best-performing stock in the S&P 500.

Right behind was Dell Technologies, which piled more gains onto its own rally from Tuesday, when it talked up its growth opportunities related to AI. Dell rose 9.1% Poet Technologies climbed 17% and likewise added to its surge from Tuesday, when it said it raised $75 million in investment to accelerate its growth. The company sells high-speed optical engines and other products used in the AI systems market.

IRS to furlough nearly half its workforce

The IRS will furlough nearly half of its workforce on Wednesday as part of the ongoing government shutdown, according to an updated contingency plan posted to its website. Most IRS operations are closed, the agency said in a separate letter to its workers.

The news comes after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to fund federal operations, and the government shutdown has entered its second week, with no discernible endgame in sight.

The agency’s initial Lapsed Appropriations Contingency Plan, which provided for the first five business days of operations, stated that the department would remain open using Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act funds.

Now, only 39,870 employees, or 53.6%, will remain working as the shutdown continues. It is unclear which workers will remain on the job.

Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said in a statement that taxpayers should expect increased wait times, backlogs and delays implementing tax law changes as the shutdown continues IMF chief offers this advice: ‘Buckle up’

WASHINGTON The global economy is holding up better than expected despite major shocks such as President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but the head of the International Monetary Fund says that resilience may not last. “Buckle up,” Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a speech at a think tank Wednesday. “Uncertainty is the new normal and it is here to stay.” Her comments at the Milken Institute come on a day when gold prices hit $4,000 an ounce for the ﬁrst time as investors seek safe haven from a weaker dollar and geopolitical uncertainty and before the IMF and World Bank hold their annual meetings next week in Washington. Trump’s trade penalties are expected to be in sharp focus when global ﬁnance leaders and central bankers gather

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Meme investment fund returns

BY DAMIAN J. TROISE AP business writer

NEWYORK A resurgence of meme stock interest has prompted the return of a one-stop fund for the volatile and quirky investments.

Roundhill Investments is launching a meme ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund consisting solely of meme stocks. Several of those stocks have ridden a wave of meme investment sentiment this year The move comes two years after the provider of ETFs closed the fund because of slumping interest. The new fund trades under

the “MEME” symbol.

Investors have been sporadically turning to meme stocks throughout 2025 in an effort to ﬁnd bargains amid a very pricey stock market.

The S&P 500 has had a busy year setting records. That has made it more difﬁcult for investors to ﬁnd stocks at lower prices that have potential for growth.

“Meme stocks started as a rebellion but have grown into a revolution,” said Dave Mazza, CEO of Roundhill Investments. “With MEME, we offer investors a tool to capture that power through an actively managed ETF that can ro-

tate quickly into the stocks dominating the conversation today.”

The biggest weight in the ETF is Opendoor Technologies, which has had a volatile year The real estate company’s stock was trading below $1 per share through early July, then surged above $3 that month as hedge fund manager Eric Jackson touted the stock on X. It fell back a bit, then gained more steam and closed above $9 on Tuesday

Other heavyweights in the index include Plug Power, which focuses on hydrogen fuel cell technology, and data center company Applied

Digital.

Meme stocks include companies with ﬁnancial prospects that appear dim, but then gain ground for no seemingly fundamental reason. The stock gains are often fueled by online forums.

The stocks are often the target of “short sellers,” or investors betting against the stock. That sometimes prompts other investors to start buying the stock in an effort to get the people betting against the stock to do the same in order to cushion their own losses. This starts a cycle that further boosts the stock price.

Financial

BY KELVIN CHAN and MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writers

LONDON Lingering doubts about the economic promise of artificial intelligence technology are starting to get the attention of financial institutions that raised warning flags this week about an AI investment bubble.

Officials at the Bank of England on Wednesday ﬂagged the growing risk that tech stock prices pumped up by the AI boom could burst.

“The risk of a sharp market correction has increased,” the U.K. central bank said.

The head of the International Monetary Fund raised a similar alarm hours after the Bank of England’s report.

Global stock prices have been surging, ﬁred up by “optimism about the productivity-enhancing potential of AI,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.

But financial conditions could “turn abruptly,” she warned in a speech ahead of the organization’s annual meeting next week in Washington.

Is there an AI bubble?

“Bubbles obviously are never very easy to identify, but we can see there are a few potential symptoms of a bubble in the current

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interestrate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, according to minutes from last month’s meeting released Wednesday A majority of Fed ofﬁcials felt that the risk unemployment would rise had worsened since their previous meeting in July while the risk of rising inﬂation “had either diminished or not increased,” the minutes said. As a result, the central bank decided at its Sept. 16-17 meeting to reduce its key rate by a quarter-point to about 4.1%, its

situation,” said Adam Slater, lead economist at Oxford Economics.

Those symptoms include rapid growth in tech stock prices, the fact that tech stocks now comprise about 40% of the S&P 500, market valuations that appear “stretched” beyond their worth and “a general sense of extreme optimism in terms of the underlying technology, despite the enormous uncertainties around what this technology might ultimately yield,” Slater said.

The most optimistic projections about the fruits of generative AI products foresee a transformation of the economy, leading to annual productivity gains that Slater says have not been seen since the reconstruction of Europe after World War II. At the lower end, economist Daron Acemoglu of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has predicted a “nontrivial but modest” U.S. productivity gain of just 0.7% over a decade.

“You’ve got this incredibly wide range of possibilities,” Slater said. “Nobody really knows where it’s going to land.”

Doubts about worth of top AI companies

Investors have closely watched a series of intertwined deals over recent months between top AI developers such as OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, and the companies build-

ﬁrst cut this year Rate cuts by the Fed can gradually lower borrowing costs for things like mortgages, auto loans, and business loans, encouraging more spending and hiring.

Still, the minutes underscored the deep division on the 19-person committee between those who feel that the Fed’s short-term rate is too high and weighing on the economy, and those who point to persistent inﬂation that remains above the central bank’s 2% target as evidence that the Fed needs to be cautious about reducing rates. Only one official formally dissented from the quarter-point cut: Stephen Miran, who was appointed

ing the costly computer chips and data centers needed to power these AI products.

OpenAI doesn’t turn a proﬁt but the privately held San Francisco ﬁrm is now the world’s most valuable startup, with a market valuation of $500 billion. It recently signed major deals with chipmaker Nvidia, the world’s most valuable publicly traded company, and its rival AMD, and a $300 billion deal with tech giant Oracle for the buildout of future data centers.

The Bank of England didn’t name any speciﬁc companies but said that on “a number of measures, equity market valuations appear stretched, particularly for technology companies focused on Artiﬁcial Intelligence.”

The report said stock market valuations are “comparable to the peak” of the 2000 dotcom bubble, which then deﬂated and led to a recession. With tech stocks accounting for an increasingly large share of benchmark stock indexes, stock markets are “particularly exposed should expectations around the impact of AI become less optimistic.”

The bank outlined so-called downside risks, including shortages of electricity data or chips that could slow AI progress, or technological changes that could lessen the need for the type of AI infrastructure currently being built around the world.

by President Donald Trump and was approved by the Senate just hours before the meeting began He supported a larger, half-point cut instead.

But the minutes noted that “a few” policymakers said they could have supported keeping rates unchanged, or said that “there was merit” in such a step.

The differences help explain Chair Jerome Powell’s statements during the news conference that followed the meeting: “There are no risk-free paths now It’s not incredibly obvious what to do.”

Miran said in remarks Tuesday that he thinks inﬂation will steadily decline back toward the Fed’s 2% target, despite Trump’s tariffs,

and as a result he doesn’t think the Fed’s rate needs to be nearly as high as it is. Rental costs are steadily declining and will bring down inflation, he said, while tariff revenue will reduce the government’s budget deficit and reduce longer-term interest rates, which gives the Fed more room to cut. Yet many other Fed officials remain concerned about stubbornly high inflation, the minutes showed. Jeffrey Schmid, president of the Federal Reserve’s Kansas City branch, said in a speech Monday that “inflation is too high” and argued that the Fed should keep rates high enough to cool demand and prevent inflation from worsening.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT OBRIEN

which has a data center complex in Abilene,