Hundreds pay tribute to fallen Deputy Riley at funeral
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
With the sun beating down outside the PACE Center in Gonzales on Monday, pallbearers carried the casket of fallen Deputy Charles Riley to the waiting hearse.
A 21-gun salute, the sounding of taps and a final call signified the deputy’s work was finished “Rest in peace, Deputy Charles Riley,” the final call across the radio said. “We have the watch from here.” Riley died Oct. 6 during a struggle with a suspect who was being questioned at the Iberville Parish Courthouse. The suspect, Latrell Clark, attempted to disarm Detective Brett Stassi Jr., the son of Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi, resulting in multiple shots
fired. Riley and Clark both died from their injuries, while Stassi Jr was seriously injured.
“That day, Charlie didn’t just wear the badge,” the sheriff said at the funeral service. “He embodied everything it stands for.
His actions saved lives, including my son, Brett Stassi, and the others that were there that day.”
Hundreds of people — officers and members of the public alike gathered inside the PACE Center on Monday to pay tribute to Riley The casket was draped with an American flag, a symbol of Riley’s status as a Navy veteran.
Above the casket, a slideshow cycled through memories from his childhood and with his wife and two daughters. Family members and a small
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Game day incidents prompt call for action
and another deemed accidental by police — prompted Gov Jeff Landry on Monday to order four law enforcement agencies to improve security for next weekend. One shooting took place near Highland Road and Dalrymple Drive near the campus’s north gates LSU police were dispatched to the scene about 8:30 p.m., and a campus alert went out about 8:40 p.m.
On Monday, Lt. L’Jean McKneely Jr said at least two different people opened fire during the incident, which resulted in two men suffering injuries and being hospitalized. No suspects have been taken into custody and the investigation is ongoing, but one of those injured is believed to be an innocent bystander,
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BY MELANIE LIDMAN, SAMY MAGDY and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press
JERUSALEM Israel and Hamas moved ahead on a key first step of the tenuous Gaza ceasefire agreement on Monday by freeing hostages and prisoners, raising hopes that the U.S.-brokered deal might lead to a permanent end to the two-year war that ravaged the Palestinian territory But thornier issues such as whether Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza and the question of Palestinian statehood — remain unresolved, highlighting the fragility of an agreement that for now only pauses the deadliest conflict in the history of Israel and the Palestinians. For Israelis, the release of the 20 remaining living hostages brought elation and a sense of
sure to a war many felt they were forced into by
STAFF PHOTOS By HILARy SCHEINUK
Former squad mates of Iberville Parish sheriff’s Deputy Charles Riley gather to say their final goodbyes during his funeral services on Monday at the PACE Center in Gonzales.
Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi, right, embraces a family member of fallen Iberville Parish sheriff’s Deputy Charles Riley during funeral services on Monday.
BRIEFS
4 booked in connection to Mississippi shooting
Three people have been arrested on murder charges and a fourth person on an attempted murder charge in a weekend shooting that left six dead and more than a dozen injured in a small Mississippi town, the FBI announced Monday
Teviyon L. Powell 29, William Bryant, 29, and Morgan Lattimore, 25, have been charged with capital murder, while Latoya A. Powell, 44, has been charged with attempted murder in the mass shooting, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Jackson Field Office said.
It was not immediately clear whether they have attorneys.
The Associated Press left a voicemail with the Washington County Public Defender’s Office asking if its attorneys are representing the defendants.
The shooting, which came as people celebrated homecoming weekend in downtown Leland shortly after a high school football game, was the deadliest of several shootings across Mississippi over the weekend. Other shootings were reported at two Mississippi universities on Saturday, as those schools celebrated their homecoming weekends.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for Friday night’s shooting in Leland, but the FBI said the gunfire appears to have been “sparked by a disagreement among several individuals.”
Official: Madagascar’s president fled country
ANTANANARIVO,Madagascar Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina left the country after an elite military unit turned against the government in an apparent coup that followed weeks of youth-led protests, an opposition lawmaker in the Indian Ocean country said Monday
The lawmaker’s comments came shortly before Rajoelina was due to appear on national television and radio to make a speech to the people of Madagascar The president’s office said his speech was scheduled to be broadcast at 7 p.m., but was delayed after a group of soldiers attempted to take over the state broadcaster
His office didn’t say if he was still in Madagascar amid reports he had fled on Sunday on a French military plane.
The anti-government protests, which were initially led by GenZ demonstrators, began on Sept. 25, but reached a turning point on Saturday when soldiers from the elite CAPSAT military unit accompanied protesters to a square in the capital, Antananarivo, and called for Rajoelina and several officials to step down. Naked bike riders protest in Portland, Ore.
PORTLAND,Ore. Protesters rallying against the Trump administration in Portland put the city’s quirky and irreverent reputation on display Sunday by pedaling through the streets wearing absolutely nothing — or close to it — in an “emergency” edition of the annual World Naked Bike Ride.
Crowds that have gathered daily and nightly outside the immigration facility in Oregon’s largest city in recent days have embraced the absurd, donning inflatable frog, unicorn, axolotl and banana costumes as they face off with federal law enforcement who often deploy tear gas and pepper balls.
The bike ride is an annual tradition that usually happens in the summer, but organizers of this weekend’s hastily called event said another nude ride was necessary to speak out against President Donald Trump’s attempts to mobilize the National Guard to quell protests. Rider Janene King called the nude ride a “quintessentially Portland way to protest.”
The 51-year-old was naked except for wool socks, a wig and a hat. She sipped hot tea and said she was unbothered by the steady rain and temperatures in the mid-50s.
Bike riders made their way through the streets and to the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. Authorities there ordered people to stay out of the street and protest only on sidewalks or risk being arrested.
Johnson: Shutdown may be longest ever
BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent
WASHINGTON Republican Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Monday the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history, saying he “won’t negotiate” with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen.
Standing alone at the Capitol on the 13th day of the shutdown, the speaker said he was unaware of the details of the thousands of federal workers being fired by the Trump administration. It’s a highly unusual mass layoff widely seen as way to seize on the shutdown to reduce the scope of government. Vice President JD Vance has warned of “painful” cuts ahead, even as employee unions sue.
“We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history,” Johnson, R-Benton, said.
With no endgame in sight, the shutdown is expected to roll on for the unforeseeable future. The closure has halted routine government operations, shuttered Smithsonian museums and other landmark cultural institutions and left airports scrambling with flight disruptions, all injecting more uncertainty into an already precarious economy.
The House is out of legislative session, with Johnson refusing to recall lawmakers back to Washington, while the Senate closed Monday for the federal holiday, will return to work Tuesday But senators are stuck in a cul-de-sac of failed votes as Democrats refuse to relent on their health care demands
Johnson thanked President Donald Trump for ensuring military personnel are paid this week, which removed one main pressure point that may have pushed the parties to the negotiating table. The Coast Guard is also receiving pay, a senior administration official confirmed Monday. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss plans that have yet to be formally rolled out.
At its core, the shutdown is a debate over health care policy — and particularly the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are expiring for millions of Americans who rely on government aid to purchase their own health insurance policies on the Obam-
acare exchanges. Democrats demand the subsidies be extended, Republicans argue the issue can be dealt with later
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said with Republicans having essentially shutdown the chamber now for a fourth week, no real negotiations are underway They’re “nowhere to be found,” he said on MSNBC.
With Congress and the White House stalemated, some are eyeing the end of the month as the next potential deadline to reopen government
That’s when open enrollment begins, Nov. 1, for the health program at issue, and Americans will face the prospect of skyrocketing insurance premiums. The Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that monthly costs would double if Congress fails to renew the subsidy payments that expire Dec. 31.
It’s also when government workers on monthly pay schedules, including thousands of House aides, will go without paychecks.
The health care debate has dogged Congress ever since the Affordable Care Act became law under then-President Barack Obama in 2010.
The country went through a 16-day government shutdown during the Obama presidency when Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act 2013.
Trump tried to “repeal and replace” the law, commonly known as Obamacare, during his first term, in 2017, with a Republican majority in the House and Senate. That effort failed when then-Sen John McCain memorably voted a thumbs down on the plan.
With 24 million now enrolled in Obamacare, a record, Johnson said Monday that Republicans are unlikely to go that route again, noting he still has “PTSD” from that botched moment
“Can we completely repeal and replace Obamacare? Many of us are skeptical about that now because the roots are so deep,” Johnson said.
The Republican speaker insists his party has been willing to discuss the health care issue with Democrats this fall, before the subsidies expire at the end of the year But first, he said, Democrats have to agree to reopen the government
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to visit Washington this week
BY HANNA ARHIROVA and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press
KYIV Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he will travel to the United States this week for talks on the potential U.S. provision of long-range weapons, a day after U.S President Donald Trump warned Russia he may send Kyiv long-range Tomahawk missiles
A meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump could take place as early as Friday, the Ukrainian president said, adding that he also would meet with defense and energy companies and members of Congress.
“The main topics will be air defense and our long-range capabilities, to maintain pressure on Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
He spoke at a meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. He said he also would seek further U.S. assistance to protect Ukraine’s electricity and gas networks, which have faced relentless Russian bombardment.
The U.S. visit follows what Zelenskyy described as a “very productive” phone call with Trump on Sunday Trump later warned Russia that he may send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles if Mos-
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens Monday as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks during a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine.
cow doesn’t settle its war there soon. The missiles would allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory Moscow has expressed “extreme concern” over the U.S. potentially providing Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin himself has previously suggested that the U.S. supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine would seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington.
N.C. GOP announce plans to vote on new House map
BY GARY D ROBERTSON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Republican legislative leaders announced plans Monday to vote next week on redrawing the state’s U.S. House district map, making theirs the latest state to embrace President Donald Trump’s call to secure more GOP seats nationwide and resist rival moves by Democrats.
The push to retool already right-leaning boundaries for the ninth-largest state comes amid an emerging mid-decade battle nationally between the major parties seeking advantage in the way House districts are drawn in several states for the 2026 midterm elections.
North Carolina Republicans already created a map in 2023 that resulted in GOP candidates winning 10 of the state’s 14 U.S. House seats in 2024. That division compared to the 7-7 seat split between Democrats and the GOP under the map used in 2022. Now only one of the House districts —- the 1st District currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis —- is considered a true swing district and could be targeted by the GOP for an 11th seat. Davis won a second term last year by less than 2 percentage points, so shifting slightly portions of the district covering nearly 20 northeastern counties could help a Republican candidate in a strong GOP year
A news release from the state’s top Republican legislators said their planned action follows Trump’s “call urging legislatures across the country to take action to nullify Democrat redistricting efforts.” Davis wasn’t mentioned by name.
Trump “earned a clear mandate from the voters of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican Congressional seat,” House Speaker Destin Hal
said in the release. Trump has won North Carolina’s electoral votes all three times that he’s been on the presidential ballot.
But state House Democratic leader Robert Reives said Monday his GOP colleagues “are stealing a congressional district in order to shield themselves from accountability at the ballot box.”
Trump kick-started the national redistricting battle this summer by calling upon Republican-led Texas to reshape its U.S. House districts so that the GOP could win more seats in next year’s elections. After overcoming a Democratic walkout, Texas lawmakers redrew the state’s congressional districts to give Republicans a shot at winning five more seats. Democrats in California reciprocated by passing their own redistricting plan aimed at helping Democrats win five additional seats. Then lawmakers in Republican-led Missouri approved revised U.S House districts intended to help Republicans win an additional seat there. Other states also are considering redistricting, including Republican-led Indiana and Kansas.
Some North Carolina GOP lawmakers focused complaints Monday on California Gov Gavin Newsom, who advanced his state’s redistricting effort.
“Picking up where Texas left off, we will hold votes in our October session to redraw North Carolina’s congressional map to ensure Gavin Newsom doesn’t decide the congressional majority,” Senate leader Phil Berger said. North Carolina lawmakers already had planned to return to Raleigh on Oct. 20 for a session lasting up to four days. Republicans hold majorities in both General Assembly chambers and redistricting plans aren’t subject to Democratic Gov Josh Stein’s veto stamp. Candidate filing for 2026 is supposed to begin Dec. 1.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, praises President Donald Trump’s peacemaking efforts leading to a ceasefire pausing two years of war in the Gaza Strip on Monday at the Capitol in Washington.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON
Trump urges Mideast leaders to put ‘old feuds’ aside
President calls for new era of harmony in region
BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press
SHARM EL SHEIKH,Egypt President Donald Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East on Monday during a global summit on Gaza’s future, trying to advance broader peace in the region after visiting Israel to celebrate a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hamas.
“We have a once-in-alifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us,” Trump said, and he urged leaders “to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past.”
The whirlwind trip, which included the summit in Egypt and a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, comes at a fragile moment of hope for ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
“Everybody said it’s not possible to do. And it’s going to happen. And it is happening before your very eyes,” Trump said alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
Nearly three dozen countries, including some from Europe and the Middle East, were represented at the summit. Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined, with his office saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.
Trump, el-Sissi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed a document that Trump said would lay the groundwork for Gaza’s future. However, a copy was not made public
Despite unanswered questions about next steps in the Palestinian enclave, which has been devastated during the conflict, Trump is determined to seize an opportunity to chase an elusive regional harmony He expressed a similar sense of finality about the Israel-Hamas war in his speech at the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero
“You’ve won,” he told Israeli lawmakers. “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza, and he urged Palestinians to “turn forever from the path of terror and violence.
“After tremendous pain and death and hardship,” he said, “now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down.”
Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country’s brief
war with Israel earlier this year, by saying “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”
Trump arrived in Egypt hours late because speeches at the Knesset continued longer than expected.
“They might not be there by the time I get there, but we’ll give it a shot,” Trump joked after needling Israeli leaders for talking so much.
Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with an attack by Hamas-led militants. Trump talked with some of their families at the Knesset
“Your name will be remembered to generations,” a woman told him.
Israeli lawmakers chanted
Trump’s name and gave him standing ovation after standing ovation. Some people in the audience wore red hats that resembled his “Make America Great Again” caps, although these versions said “Trump, The Peace President.”
Netanyahu hailed Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” and he promised to work with him going forward.
“Mr President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this peace,” he said. “And together, Mr President, we will achieve this peace.”
Trump, in an unexpected detour during his speech, called on the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, whom he described as “one
of the greatest” wartime leaders. Netanyahu faces corruption charges, although several hearings have been postponed during the conflict with Hamas.
The Republican president also used the opportunity to settle political scores and thank his supporters, criticizing Democratic predecessors and praising a top donor, Miriam Adelson, in the audience.
The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump’s plan.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a
surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.
Trump has said there’s a window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
“The war is over, OK?” Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One.
“I think people are tired of it,” he said, emphasizing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that. He said the chance of peace was enabled by his Republican administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decadeslong Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States.
In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East.” But on Sunday aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect.
“I don’t know about the Riviera for a while,” Trump said. “It’s blasted. This is like a demolition site.” But he said he hoped to one day visit the territory “I’d like to put my feet on it, at least,” he said.
3 missing, dozens rescued after typhoon’s remnants slam
BY BECKY BOHRER and SARAH BRUMFIELD Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska Three people were missing in western Alaska on Monday, and more than 50 had been rescued some plucked from rooftops — after the remnants of Typhoon Halong over the weekend brought hurricaneforce winds and ravaging storm surges and floodwaters that swept some homes away, authorities said.
Officials warned of a long road to recovery and a need for continued support for the hardest-hit communities with winter just around the corner A U.S. Coast Guard official, Capt Christopher Culpepper, described the situation in the villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok as “absolute devastation.”
Elsewhere in the U.S., se-
vere weather killed a woman in New York City who was struck by a solar panel, and the Columbus Day Parade there also was canceled Rescuers in the Phoenix area found the body of a man whose truck was swept away by floodwaters and crews in southern California prepared for potential mudslides in fire-ravaged areas. Alaska State Troopers said at least 51 people and two dogs were rescued in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok after the storm system walloped the communities Both areas saw significant storm surge, according to the National Weather Service Three people remained unaccounted for in Kwigillingok, troopers said, and the agency was trying to confirm secondhand reports of people who were unaccounted for in Kipnuk.
According to the nonprofit Coastal Villages Region Fund, most of the residents in both communities had taken shelter in local schools. In addition to housing concerns, residents impacted by the system across the region reported impacts such as power outages, a lack of running water, subsistence foods stocked in freezers ruined and damage to home-heating stoves.
Jamie Jenkins, 42, who lives in another hard-hit community Napakiak, said the storm was “the worst I’ve ever seen.” She described howling winds and fast-rising waters Sunday morning. Her mother whose nearby home shifted on its foundation — and a neighbor whose home flooded came over to Jenkins’ place. They tried to wait out the storm, she said, but when the waters
3 researchers win Nobel economics prize
By The Associated Press
STOCKHOLM Three researchers who probed the process of business innovation won the Nobel memorial prize in economics Monday for explaining how new products and inventions promote economic growth and human welfare, even as they leave older companies in the dust. Their work was credited with helping economists better understand how ideas and technology succeed by disrupting established ways — a process as old as steam locomotives replacing horsedrawn wagons and as contemporary as e-commerce shuttering shopping malls.
The award was shared by Dutch-born Joel Mokyr 79, who is at Northwestern University; Philippe Aghion, 69, who works at the Collège de France and the London School of Economics; and Canadian-born Peter Howitt, 79, who is at Brown University
The winners were credited with better explaining and quantifying creative destruction,” a key concept in economics that refers to the process in which new innovations replace — and thus destroy — older technologies and businesses
The concept is usually associated with economist Joseph Schumpeter, who outlined it
in his 1942 book “Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy.” Schumpeter called the concept “the essential fact about capitalism.”
The Nobel committee said Mokyr “demonstrated that if innovations are to succeed one another in a self-generating process, we not only need to know that something works, but we also need to have scientific explanations for why.”
Aghion and Howitt studied the mechanisms behind sustained growth, including in a 1992 article that offered a complex mathematical model for creative destruction that added new aspects not included in earlier models.
VoterRegistration Deadline
TheEastBaton RougeParishRegistrar of Voters Office announcesthe last daytoregistertovoteormakechanges to your voterregistration forthe November 15,2025Electionis:
Wednesday,October 15,2025by-mail or in person at theoffices of the RegistrarofVoters, weekdays 8:00 am until4:30pm.
Main Office:CityHall– 222 SaintLouis St.–Rm. 201 Southeast: Fire StationBuilding–11010 CourseyBlvd. Baker: MotorVehicle Building –2250MainSt. or Saturday,October
reached their top stairs, they got in a boat and evacuated to the school.
Jenkins said “practically the whole community” was there. The men in town gathered their boats and went to house to house to pick up anyone else who was still in their homes, she said.
Jenkins was volunteering Monday, bringing food to people in need.
Adaline Pete, who lives in another community, Kotlik, said she had never experienced winds so strong before. An unoccupied house next door flipped over, but she said her family felt safe in their home and felt fortunate in the storm’s aftermath.
During a news conference organized by Gov Mike Dunleavy, Alaska’s two U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, said they would continue to focus on climate resilience and infrastructure funds for Alaska. Sullivan said it was the congressional delegation’s job to ensure the Trump administration and their colleagues understood the importance of such funds.
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President Donald Trump and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi hold signed documents Monday during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
group of officers, manyin tears, were the last to pay respects to Riley before the casket shut.
“He brought comfort to the streets of Iberville Parish, kindnesstoeveryday conversationsand,mostof all, laughter,with his latest jokes and his pranks,” said Maj. Monty Migliacio, of the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office. “Charles, we willbe forever grateful foryour service.”
Many speakers took time to remember Riley’slighthearted, playful nature. His partner,Deputy Jordan Ward, recalled the antics the two of them would get upto, from tricking people about their ages to Riley stealing a lieutenant’sunit and sending Snapchatsfrom it. He and otherofficers also promised to take care of Riley’sfamily
“I’ll attend the jujitsu matches, the birthday parties and the Christmas celebrations,”Wardsaid.“Iwill be there on arandom Tuesday when the plumbing leaks. I will carry on your legacyof bravery and honor.”
As people exited the ceremony,the speakers blared Riley’sfavorite song, “Amie” by Pure Prairie League. Officers escorted the family to asmall tent, where they would wait for Riley’scasket to be brought to the hearse and then follow for aprivate burial. The glaringafternoon sun reflected off the badges of the pallbearers. They stood solemnly as the final call rang out.
“Deputy CharlesRiley, IS-503,Deputy Charles Riley,IS-503,” it said. “No response. Deputy Charles Riley,IS-503, has completed his final tour of duty.”
Email Haley Miller at haley.miller@theadvocate. com.
EDWARDS
inclination to run. It was coming from our interestin him running,” saidRandal Gaines, the Louisiana Democratic Party chair.“That was our first hope.”
Edwards acknowledged receiving numerous entreaties to do so, less than two years after ending his twotermgovernorship.
Continued from page1A STAFF FILE PHOTO
don’thaveadeep benchon this. We hope we can find a young person whowants to start off their career with a real challenge.”
filling ahuge void of ‘will he or won’the?’ It’stime for us to chartanew path forward,”Wolf said.
he was unlikely to makea bid for Cassidy’sSenate seat in aforum at McNeese State in April.
The New York Times reported earlier this year that U.S.Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader,was among those who wanted him to run.
“After giving it careful consideration,wehave decided that now is not the right time to re-enter public office,” Edwards said in a statementfrom him and his wife, Donna. “After eight years in the Governor’sOffice, and with two grandbabies at home, we’re committed to being the best Papa and Nonnawecan be.”
The formergovernor has been practicing law in New Orleans and Hammond.
“Weaccomplished so much to rebuild our state because —unlike Washington, D.C. —weworked with anyone, of any political party, to Put Louisiana First,” Edwards said. “As acountry, the path we’re headed down is troubling, to saythe very least. Ihopethatinnext year’selection, the people of Louisiana willreject the extremist politicians that
FormerGov.John Bel Edwards says he will not run for the U.S. Senate nextyear.
have paralyzed progressin this nation. I’m going to do all Ican as aprivate citizen to advancethat cause as best Ican.”
It’snot clear yet which Democrat will step up,with qualifying scheduled totake placeinmid-January
State Sen. Jay Luneau, DAlexandria, saidheisstill consideringwhethertorun
He declined to identify thefactors heisconsidering but said he will announce his plans “sooner rather than later.”
No other major Democrat hasexpressedaninterest in running.
“Wehave suitable candidateswho areconsidering it,” Gaines said. “But we
Any Democrat would be an underdog againstthe winner of the Republican Senateprimary,said John Couvillon, aBaton Rougebasedpollsterand political analyst.
“If he as aDemocrat were to run forthe Senate, he would suddenly be juxtaposedagainst Chuck Schumer,” Couvillon said. “It would be very difficult to separate him from thenational Democratic Party.I’m not terribly surprisedhedecided against running.”
Edwards was elected governor in 2015 and reelected in 2019 by focusing on issues important to Louisiana votersand steering clear of divisive national Democratic issues.
Otherthanthose twoEdwards victories, Republicans have dominated Louisiana elections. Republicans hold all six statewide offices and atwo-thirds majority in thestate Legislature.
Logan Wolf,aDemocratic activist in Baton Rouge, recently attracted attention for having “Edwards for Senate” yard signs printed at an OfficeDepot store.
Wolf said he was disappointed that Edwards decided not to make the race but said it clears the way for another Democrat to run.
“No other Democrat has announced because he was
The Republican winner of theApril primary will be heavily favoredagainst any Democrat.
Besides Cassidy,the other Republicans are state Sen. Blake Miguez of New Iberia; Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta; state Treasurer John Fleming; and, mostlyrecently,St. TammanyParish Council member KathySeiden.
At leastone other Republican is expected to jump into therace.
Edwards had signaled that
“In Louisiana, it’spretty clear to me aDemocrat couldn’twin statewide running forgovernor or any other officeiftheytookthe national party platform for the most recent presidential election and said, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ ”Edwards said, according to Times-Picayune |The Advocate columnist Stephanie Grace,who moderated theevent.
“I do believe …partisanship comes into play more in afederal election than in astate election, and I’ve
seen it withreally good friends of mine,” Edwards continued. “(Conservative Democrat)Steve Bullock was avery successful, popularMontana governor He couldn’twin the Senate election in aRepublican state. …InMaryland, Larry Hogan wasatremendously successful, popular Republican governor in aDemocratic state. He ran for the Senate, he couldnot win. And Ireally think that that same sort of thing is true in Louisiana.”
Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.
Members of theLivingston Parish Sheriff’sOffice Honor Guard escortIberville Parish sheriff’s DeputyCharles Rileyfrom his funeral services on Monday.
STAFF PHOTOSByHILARy SCHEINUK
Iberville Parish Sheriff’sOffice Deputy Jordan Ward, left, is joined by his squad mates as he speaks during the funeral of fallen colleague Deputy Charles RileyonMonday in Gonzales.
Friends, family,colleagues and lovedones paytheir respects during Monday’sfuneral for Iberville Parish sheriff’sDeputy CharlesRiley.
Hamas, although many pledged to fight on for the return of deceased hostages still in Gaza. But with the living hostages freed, the urgency with which many were driven to call for an end to the war will likely diminish, easing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance the next phases of the agreement.
Four deceased hostages were returned to Israel on Monday, and another 24 are supposed to be turned over as part of the first phase of the ceasefire, which also requires Israel to allow a surge of food and other humanitarian aid into Gaza.
While there was an outburst of joy in Gaza for prisoners returning from Israel and hope that the fighting may wind down for good, the torment drags on for war-weary Palestinians. Gaza has been decimated by Israeli bombardment; there is little left of its prewar economy, basic services are in disarray and many homes have been destroyed. It remains unclear who will pay for reconstruction, a process that could take years.
President Donald Trump traveled to the region to celebrate the deal. In an address to Israel’s parliament, he urged lawmakers to seize a chance for broader peace in the region. In Egypt, he and other world leaders gathered to set the trickier parts of the deal into motion.
Netanyahu, who according to his office did not join the meeting in Egypt because of a Jewish holiday, told parliament that he was committed to the agreement, saying it “ends the war by achieving all our objectives.” Israel had said it would not end the war until all the hostages were freed and Hamas was defeated. Critics accused Netanyahu of allowing the war to drag on for political reasons, which he denied.
The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, when militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 captives. Israel’s retaliatory campaign killed more than 67,000
INCIDENTS
Continued from page 1A
McKneely said. Baton Rouge police have not released any more details on the incident.
Earlier Monday, Landry posted on X that he is ordering state and local law enforcement to increase security on campus for the next home game against Texas A&M.
“I have ordered State Police to work with LSU PD, BRPD, and EBRSO to come up with an enhanced security plan for the upcoming LSU/Texas A&M game,” Landry wrote. “We will continue assessing the security to ensure all future games are safe. The level of violence and disruption will not be tolerated.”
Shortly before Saturday’s kickoff, another incident involving gunfire occurred, police said Monday
About 5:30 p.m., Lawrence Hubbard, an 18-year-old from Jefferson Parish, accidentally shot himself in the thigh on South Stadium Drive, just outside Tiger Stadium, according to LSU police According to his ar-
people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate by the U.N. and many independent experts.
The war has rippled across the Middle East, with conflict erupting between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah, Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen and Iran itself.
Israelis watched with jubilation in public screenings attended by thousands as the 20 living hostages, all male, reunited with their families. Crowds broke into cheers, as tears of joy streamed down relieved faces.
“You are alive! Two arms and two legs,” Zvika Mor said upon seeing his son Eitan for the first time in two years.
When Bar Kupershtein was reunited with his family, his father, Tal, who uses a wheelchair after a car accident and stroke, fulfilled a
rest warrant, witnesses saw Hubbard adjusting his pants before shooting himself. He then limped to a nearby Department of Public Safety and Corrections officer before he was transported to a hospital.
A Glock 21 firearm was found at the scene, which witnesses say Hubbard threw on the ground, the warrant says. After he was treated for gunshot wounds, Hubbard was arrested later the same night and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count each of possession of firearm on school property and illegal use of weapons.
Police also had to break up a large group of people partying and blocking the roadway on Highland Road between State and Chimes streets, though it’s unclear if any arrests were made.
After Landry’s call for better security LSU released a statement saying the safety and well-being of the LSU community is our numberone priority.”
“In light of recent events, we write to assure you that we maintain significant resources to ensure public
promise to himself by standing up for a few minutes to embrace his freed son.
Unlike previous releases, Hamas held no ceremonies for the captives before freeing them Instead, families received video calls from masked militants who allowed them a first glimpse at their loved ones before they came home.
The plight of the hostages had widespread support in Israel, where thousands would join the families for weekly protests demanding Israel secure their release.
The fate of the hostages was a central driver of a movement in Israel to end the war Many Israelis viewed Netanyahu’s twin goals of freeing the captives and defeating Hamas as incompatible.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said any delay by Hamas in retuning the remaining bodies of deceased hostages would be viewed as a violation of the ceasefire deal.
safety,” LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Scott Ballard and LSU interim President Matt Lee said in a news release. “On game day, we typically have 600 trained on-duty police officers representing LSU Police, local law enforcement, and state agencies to safeguard our community.”
For high-profile matchups, LSU’s campus can swell into one of Louisiana’s largest cities, holding up to 200,000 people. During that time, LSU’s force of about 60 officers grows to between 400 and 600 through partnerships, mainly with the Baton Rouge police, the Louisiana State Police and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.
More than 200 posts are manned across town, stretching from River Road downtown all the way to Siegen Lane off Interstate 10. Baton Rouge police largely control traffic, while state troopers and sheriff’s deputies handle stadium security It’s unclear what an enhanced game day security plan or increased involvement from State Police would look like during the next home game Oct. 25.
Large crowds greeted freed prisoners in Beitunia in the Israelioccupied West Bank and in Khan Younis in Gaza.
The prisoners flashed V-for-victory signs as they descended from buses that took them either to the West Bank, Gaza or into exile.
“Praise be to God, our Lord, who has honored us with this release and this joy,” said Mahmoud Fayez, who was returned to Gaza after being detained early last year in an Israeli raid on the main Shifa Hospital.
The prisoners include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge.
The fate of the prisoners is a sensitive issue in Palestinian society, where almost everyone knows or is related to someone who has been imprisoned by Israel. They are viewed by Palestinians as freedom fighters
LSU Police Chief Marshall Walters said that, for security purposes, officials are unlikely to release specific
In his Knesset speech, Trump told Israeli lawmakers their country must now work toward peace.
“Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms,” Trump said. “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
His speech was briefly interrupted when two Knesset members staged a protest and were subsequently removed from the chamber. One held up a small sign reading, “Recognize Palestine.”
In Egypt, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Trump attended a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who administers parts of the West Bank, also attended.
Among the most difficult issues left to resolve is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.
So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.
The future governance of Gaza remains unclear Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.
The plan envisions an eventual role for Abbas’ Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed — but it requires the authority to undergo reforms.
The plan calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police. Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy About 200 U.S. troops are in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.
The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.
details. “We are reviewing the current plants in place and how we can improve those,”
Walters said. “We’re looking at everything. We’ll have an improved game day security for Texas A&M.”
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LOUISIANA AT LARGE
Behind the scenesatSt. Joseph Abbey
Officialsinvestigate oilsheen
EPAusing drones to inspectPonchartrain
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
Federal environmental officials received two reports of an oil sheen threateningLake Pontchartrain —possibly from the Smitty’sSupply fire in August but say they haven’tfound oily runoffthat far downstream from thedevastated plantinnorthern Tangipahoa Parish.
protective boom at Lee’sLanding southofPonchatoula.
“EPA sentreconnaissance teams down-river to investigate. Fortunately, no pocketsofoily product were found, but out of caution, EPAdeployed absorbent boom in suspected areas to catch anypotential material that could travel pastLee’sLanding,” EPA officialssaidina Sundaystatement.
Wednesdayalso wasn’tverified, though agency officials didn’t check on thereport untilFriday due to high water
EPAofficials said they,U.S. Coast Guard and DEQ officials usedaerial drones to investigate those sheen reports.
“There was no indication of sheen in the river,past EPA’scontainment booms, or on Lake Pontchartrain,” Robledo said Monday.
number morethan 450 combined, have been assessing shorelines. They’re also trying to clean up private pondsthatprevented more oily runoff frommaking it to the river
Through Monday morning, EPA officials said, workers have collected 10.7million gallons of liquid waste andsentoff 6.7 million gallons fordisposal.
I’ve always been drawn to the quiet mystery of abbeys —in books,intravel and even here in Louisiana. Until earlier this month Ihad never been to St. Joseph Abbey near Covington. All Iknewabout it was that they made caskets —and that they had won ahardfought legal battletosellthe simple wooden coffins in Louisiana. The fight began in 2007 and reachedthe U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in the abbey’sfavor in 2013. While Iwas visiting,I met DeaconMark Coudrain,who shortly after Hurricane Katrina, suggested that the Benedictine monks andvolunteers begin making simple wooden caskets to generate fundstopay for the medical and educational needs of the Benedictine monks. Coudrain now works full time leading effortsto build the beautiful, simple wooden boxes that sell for afraction of the cost of caskets most funeral homes sell. Anyone picturing monks in robeswith hammers and files building the caskets would be in for asurprise. With the help of capable volunteers, the operation uses some of the latest technology to createthe pieces of elegant wooden beauty madeofeither mahogany or cypress When ordered, they deliver the caskets far and wide. Still, the caskets arejust one piece of amuch largerstory There’salso aseminary with 103 students studying for the priesthood and agift shop that sells honey from abbey bees, homemade candles, cookies, breadand more.
The Right Rev.GregoryBoquet serves as abbot. My visit with him was ahighlight of the trip.ATerrebonne Parish native, he first visited the abbey as a high school senior, then entered the seminary in 1976 —and was elected abbot in 2023.
One of seven children, he planned to become apriest and servecommunities near where he grew up in the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese.
“Growing up, Ididn’tevenknow about monks,” he said. Boquet is legally blind, acondition that has progressively worsened since he was firstdiagnosed with atype of macular degeneration when he was 15.
“If, with my handicap, God can use me, God can use anybody,” he said.
The monastic schedule is real.
Previously,hestarted prayer by 4a.m., but these days hestarts with prayer slightly laterthan that. Then, he has vigils at 6a.m lauds at 7a.m., Mass at 11:15 a.m., vespersat5:30 p.m. and compline at 7:15 p.m.. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are worked in between the prayers.
“Monks used to do the cooking manyyears ago,” he said, “but it’s more manageable to go withSage Dining now.”
Before becoming abbot,Boquet spent decades in leadership at the abbey,including 25 years as president-rector of its seminary college.
“The biggest surprise when I was ayoung monk was that people are at different levelsoftheir monastic journey,” he said.“Irealized how human monksare and that people are not the same.” Back then, the finality of becoming amonk hit him hard when he
ä See RISHER, page 2B
The reports on Wednesday and Saturdaycame from other government agencies observing the river and lake, accordingtoU.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials.
In themost recentreport,Louisiana DepartmentofEnvironmental Qualityofficials on Saturday reported seeing weathered oil alongthe lower Tangipahoa River near its mouth and belowakey
Joseph Robledo, an EPAregional spokesperson, saidMonday thatthe reported sheen was from “biological material” potentially caused by high and fast-moving water in the riverfollowing heavy rain early last week. Agencyofficials described it as naturally occurring bacteria and decaying organic matter,headded.
The earlierreport of asheen in the lake and the lower river on
Themassive fireatSmitty’slubricantsand plastic bottle plant near Roseland burned at least two firetrucks anddestroyed Smitty’s extensive tank farm holding oily products andchemicals. Millions of gallons ranoff into ponds and the river.
The EPAhas set up asystem of containment and absorbent booms to collect oily waste. EPA staffers and contractors, who
Waterworks
In additiontothe oilspills, the fire sent alarge,black plume over arural corner of the parish, dropping soot on residents and requiring a1-mile evacuation zone thatforced 42 people into a parish shelter.The EPAsaid soot was reported 15 miles away from Smitty’s.
No onewas injured in thefire, which officials have said started in anatural-gas-fed boiler. Seven people were treated at anearbyhospital for effects from the incident and later released.
Climatepattern returnsto impact hurricaneseason
Meteorologists say La Niña is not acause forpanic
BY KASEYBUBNASH Staff writer
La Niña, the climate pattern associated with an uptick in hurricaneand tropical storm activity in the Atlantic Ocean,isback again. The Climate Prediction Center announced Thursday that weak La Niña conditionsemergedinthe Pacific Ocean in September and are expected to persistthroughthe remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season,which endsNov.30.
Though La Niña is often bad news for those living on theGulf Coastand other storm-prone regions, localmeteorologist Mike Efferson and LSU professorand hurricane researcher JillTrepanier saidthe latestemergenceisnot acausefor panic.Itmay be too late in theseason for the notorious climate pattern to bring anymajor impacts, they said.
“Hopefully it won’tdotoo much to affect it at all,” Trepanier said.
El Niño and La Niña are twoopposingclimate patterns thatdisrupt normal wind and current conditions in
the Pacific Ocean, in turn impacting weather patterns across theglobe. El Niño andLaNiñaconditionscan last for months or several years, according to NOAA. Theygenerally occur in acycle everytwo to seven years,with transitional neutralperiodsinbetween,but they don’toccur on aregular schedule.
La Niñatends to promote the formation andintensification of Atlantic hurricanesbyreducing wind shear across theCaribbean Sea and tropical AtlanticOcean. Wind shear can tear apart stormsasthey begin to form.
Michael Lowry,a Miami-based hurricane specialist,said La Niña tends to bring its greatest impacts to the westernhalf of the Atlantic, including theGulfand Caribbean Sea. He said thoseregions are already seeing thelessenedwind shear and other conditionscharacteristic of La Niña.
But, he said, tropical systems have largely been unable to makeitover to theGulforCaribbean so far this year.A vast majority of this season’s named storms have startedasseeds east of theCaribbean,thenturned away from the U.S. and back out to sea. If asystem were to makeittothe
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
Rivera’sroommate, who was 36 at the time, and he had to be hospitalized with wounds that were not lifethreatening, police said. Rivera’smurder trial was set to begin Oct.6, buthepleaded guilty to manslaughter and state prosecutors agreed to dismiss theattempted murder charge, court records show Oneday later,District Judge LouiseHines Myers imposed the 15-year prison stint as partofthe plea deal that prosecutorsnegotiated with Rivera’sattorneys from the Public Defender’s Office. According to an Oct. 3letter from the Police Department,the interviewDVDs werenolonger available becausethe video footage placedintoevidence at the time of the shooting was logged ontoa hard drive thatbecame inaccessible afterthe department transitioned to anew camera Plea deal struck
Aman who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a2015 fatal Baton Rouge shooting wassentenced to 15 years in prison recently The plea deal came after video recordings of police interviewswithfour eyewitnesses to the shooting were lost, according to courtrecords Jaime Rivera,a36-yearold El Salvadoriannative, was arrested in 2023 and charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.According to aBaton Rouge Police Department report, he shot and killedEduardo Olivas, 33, during an argument outside his North Sherwood Forest duplex in the 1200 block of Cristy Drive theevening of Oct. 10, 2015. Twoofthe bullets grazed
Coudrain
Boquet
STAFFPHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE
Baton RougeWater Co.crews repair awater main leak on GovernmentStreet in Baton RougeonMonday
Mini moo
A calf grazes alongside other cattle in a field along La. 22 on Monday in Gonzales.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Boots and Roots Festival debuts
North BR event features music, ATVs, community spirit
BY MORGAN KING Louisiana State University
DeAnna Barabin had a surprise for her 7-year-old son Saturday as they pulled up to the Throw Dat Dirt ATV park in north Baton Rouge. He loves riding off-road fourwheelers and was begging to return to the park. Now he would get to do his favorite thing, while also enjoying a new fall festival that offered lots of other activities.
“When we pulled up to the gas station with the trailer, he screamed,” Barabin said “I just really love that they have all these activities for the kids, and they just get to ride and ride and ride.”
The Boots and Roots Fall Festival debuted Saturday, marking a new chapter in the Levitt AMP Baton Rouge Music Series to celebrate Creole heritage, local entrepreneurship and Louisiana soul.
In 2022, Scotland Saturdays, a local nonprofit, partnered with the national Levitt Foundation to create the Levitt AMP Baton Rouge Music Series. The foundation hosts free music festivals across the country to enrich communities with live music. Scotland Saturdays is one of 32 organizations granted the partnership and was recently renewed for another three years.
Byron Washington, founder of Scotland Saturdays and co-coordinator of the Levitt AMP Music Foundation in Baton Rouge, has helped lead a revitalization of the broader Scotlandville and north Baton Rouge area. He said that through his work, he has seen businesses reopen and new projects develop to help shape and uplift the area. The Boots and Roots Fall Festival is part of the revitalization and a celebration of the community’s
roots, he said.
“The name of the event is a callback to the heritage of the greater Baton Rouge community,” Washington said. “It’s Creole heritage of people being raised in what we call country and rural areas, where you need cowboy boots or work boots outside.”
The Levitt series guarantees 10 free concerts each year across the spring and fall seasons. The concerts offer consistent, free events for families to enjoy, Washington said.
Deciding to partner with Throw Dat Dirt ATV Park for Saturday’s event came from a long-standing relationship developed as community partners with the owners of the park It’s a unique opportunity to have ATVs available for rent in the community, Washington said.
“This just brings another attraction to north Baton Rouge, already that a lot of people aren’t even aware of, or even if they did, they didn’t know where the location is, so now we get more people to see where they are,” Washington said.
Free cultural community events, like the festival, allow north Baton Rouge to finally begin telling its story Washington said, and residents can see that they don’t always have to go across town; they can have fun in their area.
“The idea of saying, ‘We don’t have anything to do in Baton Rouge,’ I want to dispel that myth.
I want people to say we do have something going on here,” Washington said.
Earlier this year, during the spring season of the Levitt AMP Baton Rouge Music Series, the organizers hosted blues and jazz singer and songwriter Quiana Lynell with blues guitarist and singer Kenny Neal. After the performance, Neal, who is from south Louisiana, expressed his interest in becoming involved to give back to the community He was Saturday’s featured artist.
Providing small businesses with opportunities to make money is something Scotland Saturdays has
been building for years.
Tonya Gordon and her daughter Paige Necole, both showcased their two businesses at the festival.
Necole started Valley House Crochet when she picked up crocheting in her free time a year ago. She has created a variety of handcrafted accessories and clothes. Gordon is the general manager of Valley House Market, a women-owned neighborhood grocery store. She also hosts pop-up shops helping small businesses in north Baton Rouge be seen.
“We try to provide the community with food, instead of beads and candy,” Gordon said. “When I see people who look like they cook, and I say ‘Hey, I have red beans and rice,’ they are so thankful. They’re able to cook for their kids or grandkids, and I like seeing that.”
Saturday, dozens of families spread across the park, children in bounce houses, some sitting in lawn chairs, others on ATVs, racing across a field. In yet another corner of the park under the pavilion, an array of small businesses welcomed shoppers. Among the
Continued from page 1B
Gulf or Caribbean, it would have plenty of fuel in the form of warm water and a lack of shear But, Lowry said, you need a “spark.”
“I think this season we’ve just been kind of lucky,” Lowry said. The real concern would come if La Niña conditions were to last into the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which Lowry said does not look likely The Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that neutral conditions are expected to return by March 2026.
“But we have seen more of these La Niña patterns stick around in recent years,” Lowry said, “so it wouldn’t be a surprising thing if it were to happen.”
Email Kasey Bubnash at kasey.bubnash@theadvocate. com.
PLEA DEAL
Continued from page 1B
system.
Rivera’s attorneys said those video recordings from the eyewitnesses were a key part of their self-defense argument, court records indicate.
Public defenders filed a motion to quash Rivera’s indictment due to the loss of the video statements, which they argued was favorable to Rivera’s defense. The defense withdrew that motion in lieu of the plea deal, court documents show
According to police reports, Olivas was visiting a family member who lived next door to Rivera. He spent the day sitting outside drinking with Rivera’s roommate, witnesses told police. When Rivera arrived at the residence, the roommate said he appeared to be in a “bad mood.”
items for sale were handmade African clothes and denim outfits by Margret Fort, who used a combination of different materials, such as flannels and denim.
“I started making skirts out of blue jeans about 20 or 30 years ago,” Fort said. “I went on Pinterest a few years ago, and I didn’t know they did so much with denim.
I was shocked. I cut up my materials, like pants and jackets, to put together this jumpsuit.”
Growing and drawing attention to community events is an ongoing process, Washington said. He wants to show consistent improvement for the events.
“Sometimes we have to slow churn the butter a little bit to make these events happen,” Washington said.
This story was reported and written by a student with the support of the nonprofit Louisiana Collegiate News Collaborative, an LSU-led coalition of eight universities funded by the Henry Luce and John D. and Catherine T MacArthur foundations.
RISHER
Continued from page 1B
returned to St. Joseph’s. He felt more homesick back in Louisiana than he had in Washington, D.C.
“The finality of it,” he said, “it is not temporary.”
Boquet rarely leaves the abbey, and even after nearly 50 years, he still misses seeing his family regularly
He comes from a large Louisiana family He speaks with his twin brother often by phone.
“My mom is still alive, and I wish I could be with her more often,” he said just before our time together was up — and that observation reminded me of the truth of his earlier words regarding the human-ness of monks.
During our conversation, the abbot mentioned that the abbey was getting ready for its annual gala and fundraiser, Deo Gratias, set for Saturday When I walked outside his office, students from the seminary were hanging lights in the trees that dot the beautiful campus located less than 5 miles from downtown Covington. They were chatting about hap-
The roommate told Rivera he didn’t like his attitude and told him to gather his belongings and leave the apartment. Rivera went inside and armed himself with a .45-caliber pistol, other witnesses said. When he came back outside, Olivas asked Rivera if he had a problem with him, and the two men began arguing.
Olivas then began approaching Rivera to fight him and Rivera pulled out his gun. Witnesses said he fired two shots at the ground first and Olivas continued advancing toward him. That’s when he shot the victim in the chest.
Rivera’s roommate and other witnesses told officers Rivera stopped shooting when Olivas fell to the ground.
But prosecutors alerted the man’s public defenders on Oct. 2 that one of the witnesses had changed their story during a pre-trial meeting with the state. That witness indicated Rivera shot Olivas three more times after he fell down.
Prior to last week’s plea deal, Rivera’s attorneys sought to get that witness’s revamped statement suppressed and argued it violated rules of evidentiary disclosure.
Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.
penings around the campus and pointed me toward the book and gift store. On my way to buy bread, cookies, honey and some St. Benedict medals, I passed a backpack haphazardly leaning against “The Catholic Study Bible” on a bench; the place felt, in some ways, like any other school. In the store, which is open most days from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from noon to 3 p.m., I met a variety of volunteers and was charmed by the clever names of some of the items, particularly Monks’ Heavenly Hash and Cloistered Peanuts. In the quiet bustle of that campus — part prayer, part industry, part community — I was reminded that even lives devoted to stillness hum with humanity
Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.
LOTTERY
SUNDAY, OCT 12, 2025
PICK 3: 2-2-2
PICK 4: 2-6-0-4
PICK 5: 8-9-4-7-5
STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER
Caskets made at St. Joseph Abbey, near Covington, are on display in the woodworking shop’s showroom at the abbey. The caskets are made from mahogany or cypress.
PROVIDED PHOTO By IyAHNNA CARTER Margret Fort shows her handmade African clothes Saturday at the Boots and Roots Fall Festival in the Scotlandville area of north Baton Rouge.
Shread,Andrew ResthavenFuneral Home,11817
Obituaries
Armato, Wilda Jane Leonard
Wilda Jane Leonard Armato entered eternal rest surrounded by love and prayer on October 9, 2025. Her deep devotionto the Holy Rosary was the cornerstone of herfaith, bringingher peace and strength each day. Born in New Roads to J.P. and Leona Leonard, Wilda was atalented florist who worked in several local flower shops, including Winn-DixieinNew Roads. She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Michael "Mickey" Armato; daughter, Addie Armato Langlois (Joseph, Jr.); son, Michael "Mike" Armato, Jr.; step-grandson, Alex Langlois; and sisters, Merle Pinsonat, Emily Jarreau (Pete), and Jennifer O'Callaghan (Dan). She was preceded in death by her parents, mother-inlaw, Lillian Armato; nephews, Justin and Jacob Jarreau; and brother-inlaw, Mitch Pinsonat. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lakeland, Louisiana. The Rosary will be recited at 11:30 a.m., with visitation from Noon until 2:00 p.m. andMass at 2:00 p.m., followed by interment at Chenal Cemetery. The family extends heartfelt thankstoLakeview Manor for theirkindness and care. Memorial donations may be made to Cenacle on the Lake Retreat Center, 5500 St. Mary St., Metairie LA 70006, or to acharityof choice. Arrangements by Rabenhorst Funeral Home
Ordernewspaper pagereprints ofanyday
Charles Ray'ChooChoo'
CharlesRay “ChooChoo” Bennettpassedawayon Friday,October 10, 2025 at hishomeinSt. Francisville He was84years oldand a lifelong resident of St Francisville.Hewas agrad‐uate of St.FrancisvilleHigh School andone of the sevenBennett children out of theninetoattend Julius FreyhanSchool through the4th grade. He was ownerand operator of Bennett’sSuper Service Highway61. He wasa long‐time dedicatedschool bus driver Bus#12 forthe West FelicianaSchool Board. Afterretirement, he contin‐uedtodrive thefootball andbasketballteams to away games formany yearsand then donatedhis #12Bus to theschool dis‐trict. He washonored in 2003 as theCivic Club's OutstandingCitizen.Inhis ownquiet way, he touched many livesthrough thelife lessons hisparents in‐stilled in alloftheir 9chil‐dren.Hewas amemberof OurLadyofMt. Carmel Catholic Church in St.Fran‐cisville,where he served as an altarboy andlater in life,anusher.Hewas a chartermemberofthe West FelicianaHunting Club andloved to hunt and fish andalwaysneeded to be near theMississippi River. Visiting will be at OurLadyofMt. Carmel Catholic Church in St.Fran‐cisville on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 from 10am–12pm with funeralMasstofollow at 12pmand burial at Mt Carmel Cemetery,St. Fran‐cisville.“ChooChoo” is sur‐vivedbya daughter, ChristiBennett SykesofSt. Francisville,a granddaugh‐ter, Erin SykesHoffmann, andhusband,Jake, of Slidell. Greatgrandchil‐dren,Allie ChristineHoff‐mann andCooper Charles Hoffmann of Slidell. Sis‐ters,Dodie BennettCharlet of Zacharyand Helen “Ruthie” BennettDavis and husband,James Randy DavisofSt. Francisville.A dear familyfriendand travel companion, Ann Rosso of St.Francisville. Numerous nieces and nephews, greatniecesand nephewsand grandnieces andnephews.Hewas pre‐cededindeath by hispar‐ents,Captain Philip Morris Bennett, Sr.and Helen ValinBennett, hiswife, JohnnieLou WelchBennett. Hissiblings, Philip Morris Bennett, Jr JamesWallace Bennett, Martha Bennett Senter,IrmaBennett Bryant,Betty Ruth Bennett Rinaudoand ShirleyBen‐nett Hicks. Pallbearerswill
be Waylan Bennett, Dickie Sanchez, RadHicks,Don Charlet, Jr BennettJones andSam Rosso.Honorary pallbearerswillbeRandy Davis, Jake Hoffmann, Mike Bennett, Bill Bennett, Jay Bennett, BrentCharlet,Phil Rinaudoand Dr.Tim Lind‐sey. In lieu of flowers, memorial donationsmay be made to OurLadyofMt. Carmel Building Fund or Julius FreyhanFoundation. Sharesympathies, condo‐lences andmemoriesat www.CharletFuneralHome. com.
Ibert,EvelynBlanchard
EvelynB.Ibert (known as Sweetie)passedaway peacefully on Oct.12, 2025. She was precededindeath by her husband, Beverly John Ibert and son, Beverly John Ibert,II. She is survivedbyher children Karen Ibert Boss,Kathy Ibert Imel (Rodney), Joan Ibert (Elliot), JaneIbertGraffeo,Ellen Ibert and Michael David Ibert (Claudine). She is also survivedby15 grandchildrenand 17 great -grandchildren. Her family willhavea privatememorial serviceata laterdate, perher request
Purpera, Mary Gayden Trabeau
Mary GaydenTrabeau Purperaa lifelong resident of AscensionParish, passed away on Saturday October11, 2025, at theage of 86. She has now re-joined thosewho havegone before her in their heavenly home; her loving husband Vincent Joseph"VJ PurperaJr.,her daughter, Nancy KathleenPurpera Morton, her parents Gertie Melancon Trabeau and Septine "Jgu"Trabeauand her sisterShirley Savoy. She leaves behind to cherish her memory; her daughter, RhondaPurpera, 2sons, Darrell Purpera and wife Terri,and Blane Purperaand wife Amy;8 grandchildren, Shane and AliciaMorton, Vince,
Mikhail, Nicholas,Angelo and FiellaPurpera, and Jeana Rowan; and 3greatgrandchildren, Nolan and AvaRowan and Sofia Purpera
Mary was adevoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend to many. She enjoyed decorating the house for every season and havingeverybodyover forgathering. If youwere going to Mary'syou knew she wouldhavesome delicious foodfor everybody she lovedtocook. She also enjoyed her weeklycard gameswith her girlfriends formany years. Spending time with family and friends was truly her favorite pastime, that and traveling,especiallytothe SmokeyMountains. She willtruly be missed by all of those who knew and lovedher.
Family andfriends are invitedtoattenda funeral serviceonWednesday, October15, 2025 at NewRiver Baptist Church, 45270 LA429, Saint Amant, LA.The visitationwillbegin at 9:00AM with aserviceto start at 11:00 AM. Marywill be laidtorest in Hope HavenGarden of Memory in Gonzales, Louisiana. Fond memories and words of condolence can be expressedat www.OursoFH.com for the Purpera family
Van Oss, SandieRenee
Mary Harris(Antonio), Stephanie Baum (Timothy), and Suzanne Odom (Richard). Each carries forward herunwavering love, herexample of service andher humor. Thosewho knew Sandie will remember hergenerousspirit,her quietresilience, and theway she made everyperson feel caredfor Acelebration of Sandie'slifewill be planned by thefamilyata later date. In lieu of flowers, the familyinvites friends to honorSandie's legacybysupporting burn care programs or acharity of theirchoice. Mayher memory be a blessing andmay thelight she shared continueto shineinall those who lovedher
SandieVan Oss, beloved mother, sister,and communityservant, passed away on October9,2025, at the age of 82. Herlifewas atestament to compassion, strength,and devotion—to family, to patients, andtofriends. Born with acaring heart anda steadfast spirit Sandiedevoted muchof herlifetothe well-beingof others.She proudlyserved as afoundingmember of theBaton Rouge General BurnUnit,dedicating two anda half decadesto building, supporting,and sustaining aplace of healingfor patients andfamilies in their most difficult moments. Herworkthere touched countless lives andleaves alastinglegacy of excellenceand empathy. Sandiewas preceded in death by herhusband, Gary VanOss; hermother, Mary Lofton Penny; Father, HenryHarveyHarris, and herbrother,HenryHarvey II. Sheissurvived by her loving family: herson,Brad VanOss (Angie);her daughters, London Van Oss of Baton Rouge,LA andAshleigh Rodriguez (Thomas) of Conroe, Texas; andher sisters,
OUR VIEWS
Astronger Medicaid will strengthen allofLa.
Achange in state health care policy that may have gone unnoticed willmake adifferenceinthe lives of hundreds of thousands of Louisianans. The state Department of Health last weekannounced higher reimbursement ratesfor health care providerswho treat Medicaid patients.In Louisiana,where nearly 1in3residents arecovered by Medicaid, this will mean greateraccessto doctors for some of the neediest families. Andfor hospitals and physicians that operate inruraland underserved areas, it could mean thedifference betweenkeeping the lights on or closingupshop in places where the hospital is often thelargest employer Foryears,Louisiana physicians and other medicalprofessionals have seen their costs rise evenas the share of the tab picked up by Medicaiddwindled.Insome cases,the cost of providing careso exceeded reimbursement rates that some specialists refused to accept Medicaid patients. That’snow changed thanks to abill sponsored by state Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, in 2024. It directed the healthdepartmenttocomeup with aplan on how to fund an increase in rates.In thespring, the state allocated an additional $238 milliontothe Medicaidprogram, using amix of stateand federal funds, including $26millionfrom savings generated by Gov.JeffLandry’s Louisiana DOGE program. That allows the state to reimburse hospitalsand healthcare providers85% of the rate reimbursed by Medicare, the government-run health insurance program for seniors. Previously, theaverage reimbursementratewas at73% of theMedicare rate. It applies to physicians, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives andphysician assistants. In addition, the rates for behavioral healthprofessionals are going up by more than 30%. Therates will be applied retroactivelybeginningJuly 1. It is the biggest increase in adecade,and state SecretaryofHealth BruceGreenstein is hopeful that it will prompt doctors to open or expand clinics in ruralareas.LDH Deputy SurgeonGeneral Wyche Coleman IIIcalled it a“game-changer.” We’re glad to see it in astate thathas long grappled with poor health outcomes. We’re also glad to point to it as an example of how government should work. We can’thelp but be troubled by the current federal government shutdown,where funding for health insurance subsidies that thousands Louisianans relyonunder the Affordable Care Act is the key sticking point. Yetinthis instance, we see Louisianaofficials acting to supportaccesstohealth care.While one goal ofimproving governmental efficiencyisto save taxpayers money,another should be to direct more money to people and programs thatneed them the most. We have to give credittoall the stateofficials who seized the chance to makea change that will strengthen families, communities and ultimately our entire state.
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.
TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
Business owners canhelpsupport earlyeducation andget taxcredit
Iamwriting in support of Richard Lipsey’srecent lettertothe editor that makes acritical point: Early childhood education is one of the smartest investments Louisiana can make. Our state’s future depends on recognizing it as the foundation of long-term prosperity. When we invest in qualityprograms for children from birthtoage 5, we don’tjust prepare kids for school —we strengthen families, enable parentsto stay in the workforce and grow Louisiana’seconomy. The evidence is clear.Early childhood education is apowerful investment with proven returns. Research by Rob Grunewald and Art Rolnick, of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, shows thatevery dollar spent on highqualityearly learning saves taxpayers up to $17 through stronger school performance, lower crimeand welfare costs, higher wages and healthier communities. Fewinvestments can match thatkind of impact. The best part is thatLouisiana already
has an effective tool to makethis vision areality: the LouisianaSchool Readiness TaxCredit program.The SRTC offers acompelling incentivefor corporate investment. Businesses withaLouisiana TaxIDcan receive a100% refundable, dollar-for-dollar state tax creditofupto $5,000 for donations to thedesignated Child Care Resourceand Referral agency in their parish.InGreater Baton Rouge, Volunteers of America South Central Louisiana serves as this agency allowing businesses to direct theirdonations to support early childhood education in the communityand reclaimthe investment on their taxes. This is truly awin-win.Businesses can invest confidently in theircommunities, parents gain the supporttheyneed to work and provide, and ouryoungest residents get the strong start they deserve If we want astronger Louisiana tomorrow,the time to invest in earlychildhood education is today
TEDFIRNBERG Baton Rouge
LSU needsto respectstudent callsfor change on presidential search
Asimple civics lesson. For afederal bill to pass, it has to be approved by theHouse and the Senate, then the president. If the president doesn’tapprove it, theHouse and Senate can override.
Senate designed to be bulwark againsttyranny of majority In the ongoing tug-ofwar withour congressional district boundaries, the arguments are presented as twooptions: The first is to maintain the boundaries as they are currently drawn, which slice communities by irrationally grouping voters from different parts of the state.The second option is to go back to the previously approved boundary, which fails to accurately reflect our population.
The U.S. government was constituted to deliver majority rule while protectingminority rights. The Senate is thebody designed to protect minority rights. When partisan legislation fails in the Senate, it’snot because governmentisnot working right. It’sworking exactly the way it is supposed to.
When theHouse passes partisan legislation that it knows won’tpass theSenate, then one party complains it’s theother side that is the problem, that’s thedefinition of obtuse. Maybe we need better representation.
THOMAS HUMBLE Baton Rouge
Thereare ways to draw fair district boundaries
Thisisafalse dichotomy.Intruth, there are many optionsfor redrawing theboundaries in away that both maintains compactness of communitiesand fairly represents our people The strengthofour democracy liesinboth diversity and unity. This issue could be resolved in the best interest of the people and ourstate, but the key is impartiality.
APRIL NEWMAN Baton Rouge
Republicans had achance to support legal immigration and didn’t
When we send our young people to college, we hope they learn to think independently,get involved in their communities and develop the courage to stand up forwhat they believe. LSU administrators recently showed those qualities will be punished at our state’sflagship university Amid rising tuition, canceled DEI initiatives and detention of students by ICE, it’shard to think of abetter way to lose the respect and trust of the student body than with the heavy-handed, needlessly escalatory decision to arrest astudent merely forspeaking past their allotted time at apublic meeting of the university’spresidential search committee and then arresting six others for peacefully protesting that. Louisiana taxpayers fund LSU to educate our people and develop their potential, not to serve as a vehicle forthe self-aggrandizement and power consolidation of its administrators. If the LSU administration does in fact prioritize the former,they have somework to do to show it. This starts by immediately calling forthe dismissal of all charges against the seven members of Students foraDemocratic Society,and then implementing the following reasonable, commonsense measures to include students in the selection of the next president of their university:
1. Addatleast five student representatives to the presidential search committee.
2. Hold three public townhalls that allow students to question the final candidates.
Iagree with the letter writer from Bush who advocated for lawful immigration. Abipartisan bill was effectively killed by then-presidential candidate Donald Trumptoapparently keep the immigration issue as political fuel —ormaybe eventually be able to have mass deportations that some honestly desire. But are these deportations occurring within the rule of law? The courts often rule they don’t, to no lawful result in many cases. Who’sgoing to pick our produce, to be selfish about the issue.
KEVIN CURLEY NewOrleans
3. Make final presidential selection by transparent and accountable campuswide vote. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects citizens from government suppression of their speech. As astate-funded institution, LSU madeaserious error in how it responded to students engaging in the presidential search process. Indivisible Baton Rouge calls on the LSU administration to immediately correct that error by implementing the steps described here. LISA KING member,Indivisible Baton Rouge
COMMENTARY
TrumpshouldsendChadScott home
It’stime to let Chad Scott go home. The former Drug Enforcement Administration agent gainedbroad notoriety beyond drug trafficking circles when he became the focus of a sprawling investigation in southeast Louisianain2016. That investigation culminated in 2021, when he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for perjury,obstruction of justice and conversion of property and other crimes.
Scott is four years into his sentenceinfederal prison forthose convictions. With his good time credits, his release date has been moveduptoNovember 2031, still six years away In hindsight, his sentence was too severe.
Iamnot saying perjury and obstruction are not serious crimes Far from it, especially when we are talking abouta person who hastaken the oath of law enforcement. But the sentence shouldfitthe crime. Scott’sperjury and obstruction counts stemmedfrom
Decades of growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artilleryopened fire on this federal fort in Charleston Harbor FortSumter surrendered 34 hours later.Union forces would try for nearly four years to takeit back.
PROVIDED PHOTO By NORTH WIND PICTURE ARCHIVES
PHOTO By MAXBECHERER Former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Chad Scott walkstothe Hale BoggsFederal Building in NewOrleans
his zeal to get aconviction in the case of aHouston-based drug trafficker who had moved scores of kilos of cocaineand heroin. DuringScott’strial, the trafficker admitted thiswas his business Scottwas never convicted, charged or even accused of stealing, using or selling drugs. Two members of his team were. Both were Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s
deputies at the time, and in return for testifying against Scott, they got far lighter sentences thanhe did.
Federal prosecutorsalso dropped charges against thetrafficker Scott was targeting and offered sweetheartdeals to two other traffickersinreturnfor their testimonyagainst Scott. But when it came time to argue for his sentencing, they dropped the hammer,urging U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to give him 20 years. She didn’t, but still stunnedScott when she handed down the 13-year sentence.
That decision looks especially harsh in thelight of another notorious DEA case. JoseIrizarry was aMiami-based agent who laundered millions of dollars on behalf of drug cartels, using the funds to fuel athree-continent partytour thatincluded strip clubs, parties, prostitutes and high-profile sports events.Irizarry got12years one fewer than Scott —after pleading guiltyinfederal court.
Right nowmay be Scott’sbest chance to seesome movement on his jailtime. President Donald Trump issued aflurry of pardons and commutations in the early months of his presidency,though
thepace hasslowed in recent weeks.Scott has certainly tried to get his case in front of Trump: He’shired apardon attorney and sought to portray himself as the victim of acapricious and weaponized FBI. But as of now,he’sstill locked up.
He’strying to make the best of it.After acouple of years in the low-security federal prison in Ashland, Kentucky,Scott was moved across the street to the federal prison camp. The security thereismuch more lax; visitors don’teven pass through metal detectors. I’ve visited Scott there afew times.Most recently,inMarch, Scott looked better than I’d seen him before. He spends alot of time exercising, walking loops around the yard and doing hundreds of burpees aday.He’s picked up afew jobs, including training service dogs as part of aprogramcalled Pawsibilities Unleashed. He’salso picked up ajob as a driver.Soafew times aweek, the Bureau of Prisons hands Scott the keys to afederal car and instructs himon, say,where to drive an inmate who is being released.
Fort Sumter hasmuchtosay aboutAmericandivision
drum.
Sometimes these trips are to places afew hours away,meaning Scott can spend most of the day outside the fences and unsupervised.
And he recently wasgranted adaylong furlough that allowed him to spend time with family including his nearly 1-year-old granddaughter I’ve been writing about Scott for nearly adecade, including scores of stories. Idid an eight-part podcast about the case. I’ve explored every aspect of this case and talked to people on every side. Iwas there when those juries delivered their verdicts. Idon’tthink he’sinnocent. But I also don’tthink he deserves to be in prison for the next six years. The four years he’sserved is a more than adequate sentence. That’swhy Iamnot advocating for apardon, but acommutation. That would leave those jury verdicts in place, but shorten his sentence. It would allow him to go home to his wife,sons and granddaughter And that would be justice.
Faimon A. Roberts III can be reached at froberts@ theadvocate.com.
Thegovernment ‘shutdown’ explained
The partialgovernment “shutdown” is apure political act.Ithas nothing to do with the amount of money the government takesfrom taxpayers, though it does have something to do with howmuch it irresponsibly spends. Democrats areholding the country hostage over Obama-era health insurance subsidiesthatdon’t expire until Dec. 31.
At the heartofitisa narrative created by the Democrat Party thatextends at leasttothe administration of Franklin Roosevelt: Rich people make toomuch money andpeople who don’t make as much areentitled to some of it.
CHARLESTON, S.C. On an artificialisland 4miles from downtown stands an unlikely reminder of the cost of national disunion,a granite monumenttodiscord, both areminder of the price of division and awarning to contemporarypolitical warriors It is Fort Sumter, where the Civil Warbegan and where, 164 years ago, agarrisonof American troops struggledtohold out in the face of the secession of multiple Southern states and the creation of aparallel Americannation, dedicated to the proposition that all men were not created equal.
“There stands Fort Sumter,” the diarist Mary Chesnut, born on a South Carolina plantation and a slaveholder herself, “and thereby hangs peace or war.”
Today,the fort can be reachedby a30-minute ferry ride as dolphins occasionally play at the water line and the cityscape of Charleston melts from view with the miles. Now, as in 1861, its importance is mostly symbolic —tocontemporariesasthe site of the beginning of what Abraham Lincoln would call “a great civil war,testing whether (this) nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated,can long endure”; and to us, fivegenerations later,asareminder that the country has experienced conflict and hostility before.
The mid-19th-century divisions produced the country’sbloodiest war,setting in motion resentments decades long, demonstratedbythe continuing dispute over the name of Fort Bragg, which originally honored Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg. The contemporary divisions produced the insurrectionatthe Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and threaten to rent the country for years, if not
decades, to come And awarning comes from South Carolina’s Robert Barnwell Rhett, knownasthe “father of secession” and an ardent slavery advocate. “There exists agreat mistake,” he said just afterLincoln was elected in 1860,“in supposing that thepeopleofthe UnitedStatesare,orever have been, one people.”
Perhaps that is true today.It surely was trueinthe middle of the19th century,which returns us to the centrality of FortSumter constructed byenslaved workers wholabored for 15 years and whose fingerprints remain visible in the bricks usedtobuildit— in America’s story
Shortly after SouthCarolina seceded from the Union, less than sevenweeksafterLincoln’selectionbut more thanthree months before his inauguration, thenewly emboldenedstate seized federal courthouses, post offices and military installations. Maj.Robert Anderson, the Kentuckian who was the commander at FortMoultrie, consideredrelocating his troops to the more secure environs, and more defensible position, of Sumter
But move he did, secretly evacuating his84 men from thepalmettolog fortress on nearby Sullivan’s Island. Once on the exposed island where FortSumter sat,heraised the American flag, further infuriating Charlestonians.
No president ever faced an opening challenge as great as Lincoln’s.
The standoff continued. Lincoln and hisadvisers, knowing that provisioning the fort would, in the characterization of James McPhersoninhis 1989 landmark “Battle CryofFreedom, divide the North andunite the South,” considered their alternatives. Those in the fort watched their provisions shrink. All knewthat the impasse in Charleston Harbor was noordinary conun-
The debate over slavery had been conducted for decades and had hardened with the years.
John S. Preston, sometimes considered the “spokesman of the South,” in aspeech before the state’s Democratic convention in 1860: “Slavery is our king. Slavery is our Truth. Slavery is our Divine Right.”
Some 18 days later,Sen. William Howard Seward, of New York, who would become Lincoln’ssecretary of state,gave an addressinRochester, New York, in which he describedthe clash of views on slaveryasan“irrepressible conflict.”
At FortSumter,that conflict could no longer be repressed. The Confederates opened fire in thepredawn hours of April 12, 1861. The barrage continued for 33 hours. In the end, Anderson, aonetime slave owner,surrendered.
Today,the fort is part of the National ParkService, and Charleston is aflourishing city, amagnet for tourists. Nearby is thesetting for quiet afternoons sipping tea in the country’sonly tea plantation.
At war’s end, Sidney Andrews, aNorthernnewspaper correspondent,visited Charleston and wrote, “A cityofruins, of desolation, of vacant houses of widowed women, of rotting wharves,ofdeserted warehouses,ofweed-wild gardens, of miles of grass grown streets, of acres of pitiful and voiceful barrenness —this is Charleston, wherein Rebellion loftily reared itshead five years ago.”
That’sthe standardbywhich we measure our contemporary divisions, and through which we recall the importance of tests of ourdemocratic values and institutions.Fort Sumter speaks to us still.
Email David Shribman at dshribman@post-gazette.com.
Barack Obama promoted this narrative when he ranfor president. Obama promisedto“spread the wealth around,”which is socialism. Many young people have been indoctrinatedwith socialism in their public schools and universities. Democratic socialist ZohranMamdani is the leading candidate for mayor of New York City President Franklin Roosevelt’sexpansion of big government created dependencyamong the lowerand middle classes. Roosevelt criticizedwealthy people whom he called“economic royalists” for hoarding their money (translation: not willing to give more to the government) andstunting economicrecoveryduring the Great Depression. He declared the richguilty of “economictyranny.”
In 1935, FDR signed“the wealth tax,”whichdramatically raisedfederal income taxesonhigh earners. It also created anew progressive income structure that garnished as much as 75% of those making more than $1 million andraised estate taxesto70%,all to support his NewDeal programs. According to his sonElliott, FDR weaponizedthe IRS to go afterhis political enemies.Sound familiar? All of this, andmore, won him four terms, so it worked in acynical way Modern Democrats continue to embrace his beliefs. President Harry Truman continued his predecessor’scriticism of the rich. In aspeech to the Democratic NationalConvention in 1948, Trumansaid that
year’s electionwas achoice between common people and“the citadelofspecial privilege andgreed.” Again, does this sound familiar? Trumanechoed many of the phraseswehear from today’sDemocrats, including “fairness” and“progressivism.” Is it fair to penalize those who have demonstrated initiative,sacrificed and livedbyeconomicand moral ruleswhile subsidizing those who did not? Is it progress to attack suchpeople who took risks, created small andlarge businesses, andwereable to hire people who thenbought homes andcared for themselves andtheir familieswithout turning to government as afirst resource?These people came to pay higher taxesbecause theymade more money.Asothers have noted, the poor don’tpay income taxes.
Growing up, Inever enviedthe wealthy.Iwanted to knowhow theybecame wealthy so thatImight learnfromtheir example. Irecommendwatching the History Channel series that depicts some of the people who “built America.” The risks theytook andthe valuesinwhichtheybelieved, including thatAmerica is alandofopportunity,not oneofentitlement, is not studiedinmostoftoday’s schools.
Fordecades the Democratshavepromoted the unholy trinity of envy,greed andentitlement. This tells people thatiftheymake badchoices in their personaland professional lives the government will bail themout with money from others who made the right decisions.
People who arepoor through no fault of their ownshould be helped, but the goal should not be to sustain theminpoverty that theymight always vote for Democrats. The goal should be to help themescape poverty andbecome independent, whichhas long been the Republicanand conservative view. Independence would free individuals from relying solely on government. Thatwould lead to less relianceonDemocrats, who arethe party of government. There youhavethe explanationfor what’sbehind the phony government “shutdown.” Any questions?
EmailCal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.
STAFF FILE
Faimon Roberts Cal
David Shribman
Baton Rouge Weather
LSU keeping freshman Davisat righttackle
KellysupportiveofRT despiteearly struggles
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
Dylan Stewart seemed unstoppable. Play after play,South Carolina’sstar edge rusher attacked Weston Davis, the LSU redshirt freshman right tackle who was making just the fifth startofhis collegiate career on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.
Pro Football Focuscounted Davis as allowingthreequarterback pressures on 39 pass blocking snaps on Saturday, but it seemed asifStewart was beating Davis routinely, even as LSU won the game 20-10. It happened often enoughthat LSU coach Brian Kelly was asked on Monday if he’s considered moving fifth-year senior right guard Josh Thompson outtoright tackle.
“Wedid, but we’re willingtolive with some mistakes out of right tackle, because we think his future is so bright,” Kelly said. “So when you go into that whole processof thinking aboutit, do you thwarthis growth of what he needs to see every day?” Kelly went another step further in Davis’ defense on Monday. Insteadofcritiquing his performance against Stewart, he complimented the young tackle for notallowing asack to one of the best pass rushers in the country Stewart has three sacks and 24 quarterback pressuresthroughsix contests this season. Last year, as afreshman, he had 51 pressures and seven sacks. “He was really good against(Stewart) in
ä See LSU, page 5C
before agame againstFloridaonSept 13 at TigerStadium. Davis allowedthree quarterback pressures on 39 passblocking snaps on SaturdayagainstSouthCarolina.
At 1-5, Saints need to startconsidering trades that will improvethe future of thefranchise
TI ME T O MO ON
Another Sunday.Another tough loss for theNew OrleansSaints.
It’sfast becoming aseason full of them. Their 25-19 setback to the New England Patriots was the latest exercise in what has become afrustratingly familiar script.The Saintsallowed their fourthconsecutive opponent to score touchdowns on their first two drives, and from there, the futile game of catch-upwas on. This time, theSaintsweren’tthe beneficiaries of five turnovers and failed to catch the Patriots on thescoreboard, which is usually the case. The Saints are now 1-5, matching their worst sixgamestartsince the dark Ditka days of 1999. They own theworst record in theNFC and can thank the lowly New York Jetsfor preventing them from having the worst markinthe entire league.
Jeff Duncan
“Weknow that we’re abetter team thanwhat our record says,” quarterback Spencer Rattlersaid multiple times Sunday in what has becomeafamiliar lament
PreseasongameinAlabama a
BY RODWALKER Staff writer
For Herb Jones, there’s no place quite like sweet home Alabama. TheNew OrleansPelicans’ forwardcan hardlywait for Tuesday night when he gets achance to suit up in Birmingham, Alabama, for apreseason game against the Houston Rockets.
“I’m super excited,” Jones said. “I don’t know about the rest of the team, but I’m ready to get back.” Beforemakinghis mark withthe Pelicans as one of the NBA’s bestdefensiveplayers, Jones was astar in Alabama. Hale High School, located in Moundville about an hour away fromBirmingham,retired Jones’ No. 2jerseylast December.Jones led Hale to its first state championshipasasenior Then he went on to play at the University of Alabama, where he was namedthe SEC Player of the Year and DefensivePlayerof the Year by the coaches
ä Preseason Pe 7P.M.TUESDAy,GULF CO
Regardless, the reality is, the Saints’ chances of making the playoffs are now exceedingly remote. Only three teamsinNFL history have managed to overcome a1-5 start and rally to makethe playoffs: the 2020 Commanders, 2018 Colts and 2015 Chiefs.
And with adicey road trip to Chicago on deck, followed by difficult matchups against what look to be a pair of playoffteams, TampaBay and the Los Angeles Rams, the Saints’ chances of kick-starting awin streak seem dubious at best.
No, this season is what mostofusthought it would be. It’s not 2000 or 2006. It’s afull-blownrebuilding campaign, with anew head coach, anew quarterback and aroster in various states of transition. With the present being as
He’ll likelybeone of themost popular players on the courtatLegacy Arena, just like he alwaysiswhen the Pelicansare in the area. This is the third time in four years the team has played in Birmingham, home ofthe Pelicans’G League team (theBirminghamSquadron)
“Herb is fromthere,so I’msure he will have the loudest cheers when hesteps on thefloor,” saidPelicans’ coach Willie Green. “They are big-time sports fans there and theylove supporting theirteams andwe’re excitedtoget there and play areally good game.”
This is the thirdpreseason game for the Pelicans, and thefirstinover aweek. The
ä See DUNCAN, page 4C
BY TIM REYNOLDS
Imagine this lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, all on the floor at the sametimeasteammates. MVPs.Scoring champions. NBAchampions. Triple-double machines. Defensive wizards. Internationalplayers, alltogether in one highly decorated, incredibly accomplished, flat-out-scarylineup thelikesof which probably has not been seen too many times in basketball history The NBA seems on the brink of making it possible. Changes to the All-Star format are most certainly coming, once again, and the plan that the NBA has settled on is one that has U.S. players goingupagainst playersfrom
See ALL-STAR, page 2C
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU right tackle Weston Davis warms up
STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Saints coach Kellen Moore, left, tight end Taysom Hill andother players watchathird-down play against the New England Patriots during the first half of their game Sunday at the Caesars Superdome.
Sept. 24
the
LSU men land at 15th in SEC preseason poll
BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer
LSU men’s basketball is predicted to finish 15th in the Southeastern Conference for the 2025-26 season in the league’s preseason media poll released on Monday Fourth-year coach Matt McMahon has an almost entirely new group with only two returning players: redshirt junior forward Jalen Reed and sophomore forward Robert Miller No player on the roster made any of the three preseason AllSEC teams. The other teams without a player were South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
Last year, the Tigers went 14-18 overall with a 3-15 record in the conference. They finished 15th in the SEC and were predicted to finish 14th in that year’s preseason poll. McMahon hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in his tenure as coach, and the last time the program made it was in 2022.
LSU’s season opener is at 7 p.m. on Nov 5 against Tarleton State at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center The Tigers will play an exhibition game before that against Central Florida at 11 a.m
ALL-STAR
Continued from page 1C
the rest of the world in a tournament setting. Think Ryder Cup golf or 4 Nations Face-Off hockey, and it just so happens that this season’s All-Star weekend at Inglewood, California, is smack in the middle of another nationalpride sporting event — the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics
“I talk to a lot of fans, and AllStar Games for whatever reason take on particular interest around basketball,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “I think we should be able to create something that’s fun, exciting, engaging Not expecting guys to play the way
PELICANS
Continued from page 1C
first two games were played in Australia.
“We needed this rest time to recover from the Australia trip,”
Oct. 26 at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida.
Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com
they would in the finals necessarily or even in a playoff game, but yet to go out, play hard, put on a good show for the fans.”
The plan, which isn’t yet finalized, calls for a three-team tournament: two American teams and one international team, all with eight-man rosters. The reason: Roughly two-thirds of NBA players are American and one-third are not, which is why the NBA thinks it’d be fair to give Americans two-thirds of the roster spots.
“Hopefully, it’s going to be better,” said Jokic, the Denver star It has become almost an annual exercise for the NBA: fixing the All-Star Game Silver and other league officials and to be fair some players as well — desperately want the product to be bet-
LSU women picked to finish third in SEC
Purdue tops preseason AP Top 25 for first time
Purdue is No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the first time.
The Boilermakers earned 35 of 61 first-place votes to top Monday’s poll to begin the 2025-26 season. That put Matt Painter’s squad ahead of the two teams that played in last year’s NCAA title game, with runner-up Houston at No. 2 and reigning champion Florida at No. 3. Purdue started a year ranked as high as No. 2 once before, in 198788 under Gene Keady Todd Golden’s Gators earned eight first-place votes to start this year with their highest preseason ranking since the last time they entered a year as reigning champions in 2006-07, the start of a run to a second straight title.
son and added superstar Kevin Durant to its roster during the offseason.
“They already had a good team,” Green said. “They are going to be a team that is right in the mix But our focus is always on us and how can we continue to step on the floor and incorporate our concepts defensively.”
A main point of emphasis for Tuesday’s game is matching the Rockets’ physical play
“It’s really about us taking all of our film work, concepts offensively and defensively and apply-
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
The LSU women’s basketball team was picked to finish third in the SEC this season in the league’s preseason media poll.
Senior Flau’jae Johnson was voted onto the SEC’s preseason first team, and junior Mikaylah Williams was given a spot on the second team.
Voters chose South Carolina and Texas to finish ahead of the Tigers, who are beginning their fifth year under coach Kim Mulkey Johnson and Williams form one of the best backcourts in the country
This season, they’ll lead a newlook LSU team. The Tigers signed five freshmen and three transfers, including former Gamecocks guard MiLaysia Fulwiley and Notre Dame center Kate Koval.
LSU’s season opener against Houston Christian will tip off on
Nov 4 in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Before that game, the Tigers will play two exhibitions, one on Oct. 23 and another on Oct. 30.
Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.
ter and more competitive. They tried having captains like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Antetokounmpo pick the teams for a few years, and not much changed. They tried go back to the standard Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format, and it wasn’t great either. Having a final score of 211-186 in Indianapolis in 2024 was the last straw in many respects, so the NBA last season tried a minitournament on for size, and few people cared for that Golden State’s Stephen Curry was MVP of that All-Star event, a four-teams-of-eight competition that had a 41-25 final score in the title matchup and saw the final game stopped for about 20 minutes for a tribute to TNT and its run as a league broadcaster
ing them to a game against a really good opponent,” Green said.
“We know Houston last year was a really good defensive team. Physical. So it will be a good test for us to see how we match up. Can we be as physical or more physi-
cal? Can we execute against their physicality offensively?”
Green expects his starters to play more minutes than they did in Australia. Zion Williamson, for example, played 15 minutes in each of the two games against
International players have said they love the idea of a U.S. vs. The World concept. Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee star, has talked about it previously and playfully said that the league should give him credit for the idea.
“The NBA’s going to take all the credit. But I love it, man,” Antetokounmpo said.
“I think it’s going to be exciting for people to watch. I’m going to play hard. I’ve always been playing hard, but I think it’s going to put a little bit more juice to the game. All players have ego. Nobody wants to be embarrassed. Guys will play harder because they don’t want to become — I don’t know how you say this they don’t want to become viral.
I’m excited for this format.”
Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix.
“We’ll try to bump their minutes up a little more for this third game,” Green said. “And then evaluate our team and see where we are. We’ll probably dial it down a little bit in the fourth game. It’s an evaluation to see how their bodies feel. But definitely want to get a good run in this next game.”
After the game against the Rockets, the Pelicans will conclude preseason play Thursday in Orlando, Florida, against the Magic. The Pelicans play their regular season opener on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 22. They play their first home game on Oct. 24 against the San Antonio Spurs.
For Jones, his first home game comes Tuesday night in Birmingham. He is ready for the reception he’ll get.
“It’s the crib,” Jones said. “I don’t expect to see anything different. It’s always great to see some family and friends.”
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.
South Carolina forward out for season with torn ACL South Carolina senior forward Chloe Kitts has announced on social media that she will miss the entire 2025 season after tearing the ACL in her right knee. The injury occurred during a recent team practice, according to a spokesperson for the program. Kitts will have surgery this week to repair the ACL.
A two-year starter for the Gamecocks, Kitts was last year’s Southeastern Conference Tournament MVP and NCAA Binghamton Regionals MVP
She averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a junior last year It’s uncertain if Kitts plans to seek a medical redshirt and return to the Gamecocks next season. She was projected to be a high pick in next year’s WNBA draft.
Eagles pass rusher retires after 5 games with team
PHILADELPHIA Za’Darius Smith abruptly announced his retirement Monday five games into his eighth NFL season and first with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 33-year-old pass rusher called it a career in a post on Instagram. The Eagles lost Thursday night at the New York Giants to fall to 4-2 and play at Minnesota on Sunday Smith signed with the reigning Super Bowl champions the day after their Week 1 win against Dallas. He spent last season with Cleveland and Detroit. Smith was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, in 2019 and ‘20 with Green Bay and again in 2022 with Minnesota. He had 10 tackles in five games with the Eagles.
Lions safety gets 1-game suspension for punch
NEW YORK — Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was suspended for one game without pay by the NFL on Monday for unsportsmanlike conduct after a loss at Kansas City Branch punched Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Sunday night, setting off a postgame melee. Detroit (4-2) will host NFC Southleading Tampa Bay (5-1) without Branch, another blow for a team with a banged-up secondary After Kansas City beat Detroit 30-17, quarterback Patrick Mahomes extended his hand toward Branch and the third-year pro walked past the superstar SmithSchuster then walked toward Branch. They exchanged a few words and Branch responded by throwing a right hook that knocked Smith-Schuster to the ground.
Former infielder and coach Sandy Alomar Sr. dies at 81
Sandy Alomar Sr an All-Star infielder during his playing days in the 1960s and ‘70s who went on to coach in the majors and manage in his native Puerto Rico, has died. He was 81. A spokesperson for the Cleveland Guardians said Monday that the team was informed by Alomar’s family about his death Sandy Alomar Jr., who along with Hall of Fame brother Roberto played for their father in winter ball and in the minors, is on the Guardians’ staff.
“Our thoughts are with the Alomar family today as the baseball community mourns his passing,” the Guardians said on social media. Alomar broke into the big leagues in 1964 with the Milwaukee Braves, one of six teams he played for He also spent time with the New
and Texas Rangers before calling it a career in
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Matt McMahon coaches a drill during the LSU men’s basketball practice on
at
PMAC. The Tigers were picked 15th in the SEC preseason media poll.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Herbert Jones autographs the shirt of Tori-Ashley Beal, 6, during a break in practice at the Smoothie King Center on Friday.
CLASS5A-4A
1. Zachary(5-0): The Broncos openedDistrict 4-5A playwitha 31-16 win overScotlandville to remain undefeated.
2. Dutchtown (4-1): The Griffins were off with abye week. Dutchtown will face Denham Springs this Fridaytocontinue district play.
3. Central (5-1): The Wildcats bounced back from their Week 5loss with a38-21win over Woodlawn to begin District4-5A play.
4. Plaquemine (5-1): The Green Devils shut out McKinley 40-0to win their fifth straight game
5. Catholic-BR (4-2): After two straight losses, the Bears got back on track with a38-16 win overLiberty in their District 4-5A opener
6. St. Amant (5-1): The Gators picked up abig 42-14 win over Walker after taking their first loss of theseason in Week 5.
7. Brusly (5-1): The Panthers handed Donaldsonville their first loss of the season after taking the Tigers down, 21-7.
8. Denham Springs (4-2): The yellowJackets have nowwon consecutivegames after the offense took off in a63-34 win overLiveOak.
9. St. Michael (5-1): The Warriors suffered their first loss of the season after falling to West Feliciana, 35-18
10. East Ascension (4-2): After four straight wins, the Spartans fell to Prairieville on the road, 44-27. CLASS3AAND BELOW
1. Dunham (5-1): The Tigers dominated Capitol, 62-6, to win their third game in arow
2. Madison Prep (5-1): The Chargers pulled away from
SouthernLab late in a32-14 win towin theirthird straightgame.
3. North Iberville (6-0): The Bears are one of the fewunbeaten teams left after defeating St. John, 50-44.
4. University High (4-2): The Cubs rolled past Helix Mentorship Academy in a48-6 victory. U-High has wonthree straight after a1-2 start.
5. St. James (4-2): The Wildcats suffered their second loss of the
SCORES ANDSCHEDULES
Volleyball
Monday
Amite 3, Family Christian0(25-19, 25-20, 25-9) Ascension Catholic3,St. John 0(25-11, 25-19, 25-11) Ascension Christian 3, White Castle 0 (25-7, 25-7, 25-5) Catholic-P.C.3,Livonia 0(25-16, 25-15, 25-15) Dunham 3, Baker 0(25-8, 25-8,25-6) East Ascension 3, St. Thomas Aquinas 0(25-16, 25-19, 25-18) Istrouma 3, HelixMentorship Academy0(25-14, 25-7,25-17) LiveOak 3, Loranger0(25-20, 25-14, 25-14) St. Amant 3, Doyle 0(25-14, 25-19 25-13)
West Feliciana3,Southern Lab 0(2523, 25-23, 25-19) Week 7football All games 7p.m. unlessnoted Thursday Ascension Catholic at St. John at Plaquemine HighSchool Central Private at Varnado Dunham at Northeast Kaplan at Southern Lab Madison Prep at Port Allen McKinley at Belaire Woodlawn at Scotlandville University High at Glen Oaks, 6p.m. Friday Archbishop Shaw at Walker Baker at Capitol at Memorial Stadium BerchmansAcademyatCatholic-PC
season after a24-20 defeat to Archbishop Shaw.
6. East Feliciana (5-1): The Tigers defeatedSlaughter Charter 16-10 to givethe Knights their first loss of the year.East Feliciana was also the first team to score on Slaughter Charter this season.
7. Catholic-PC (5-1): The Hornets rolled past North Central in a40-6 win.
8. Slaughter Charter (5-1): The
Brusly at West Feliciana Catholic-BRatCentral Collegiate Baton Rouge at Parkview Baptist Donaldsonville at EastFeliciana
Hamlin in contention fortitle afteremotionalwin in Vegas
BY JENNA FRYER
auto racing
LAS VEGAS Denny Hamlin has been NASCAR’s main character thisseason, from hislawsuit against NASCAR and his weekly,opinion-laden podcasts to the defining role he played in setting the final eight drivers inthe playoff field. He could be the busiest driver in the Cup Series; he also welcomed the birth of his third child in June, an occasionthat caused him to skip NASCAR’srace in Mexico City Through it all, he has prevailed. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday,hebecame thefirst drivertolock up a berth in the championshipdeciding seasonfinale —his first appearance in the winner-take-all race since 2021 —with his series-best sixth winofthe season. It waswin No. 60 for Hamlin, which was always his career goal and cemented him as not only the winningest driver in Joe Gibbs Racing history but also for Toyota. It was the most emotional anyonehas ever seen Hamlin in his two-plus decades racing in NASCAR.His 75-year-old father,aVirginia native who mortgaged his home multiple times, signed
up for everycreditcard possible and nearly bankrupted the family trying to get his son to the top level of racing.
Hamlin wanted No. 60 for his father.A three-time Daytona 500 winner,heisconsidered thegreatestdriver to never winachampionship and now wants to give a Cup title to his dad. He was in tears the final three laps, emotional on hisradioonhis cool-down lap andneeded to compose himselfonthe frontstretch as he collected hischeckeredflag
“I’m probably softer than whatIput off. Imaybeshed atear during alovestory on amovie or something if it’s areallyemotionalmoment. I’llnever let my kids see it.But Idohavefeelings. I knowit’shard to believe,” Hamlinsaid. “I just know how much work it took for this to happen. Itdidn’tjust happen. It wasn’t just luck It just was so gratifying because of all thethings I talked about.
“Maybe y’all played recreational sportsas akid, had that game-winning moment, but it’sjust so big formepersonally because this is what Ido, this is whatI’m paid to do,” he continued. “It will take afew daysfor it all to sinkin. Iknewthere was no chance Iwas holding it back, no chance. Justlet it go.”
It’sbeenatoughmonth for Hamlin alongside his father’shealth woes:
n He spun JGR teammate Ty GibbsatNew Hampshire in aplayoff race when he believed Gibbs, anon-title contender andgrandsonofthe team owner,should not have been racing him so hard.
n He raced Bubba Wallace, who drives for Hamlin at 23XI Racing (the team co-ownedbyMichaelJordanthatissuing NASCAR), too hard in the closing laps at Kansas in pursuit of No. 60. The battle cost Hamlin the win and Wallace aspot in the round of eightofthe playoffs
n Last week at Charlotte, his last-lap pass of Ross Chastain preventedChastain from eliminatingJoey Logano from the round of eight.Logano is the reigning Cup champion and winner of two of the lastthreetitles
Hamlin complainedhedidn’t know the points picture and NASCAR is noweyeingall playoff drivers for possible race manipulation.
Hamlin has tuned it all out in aremarkable way
“Probably nobodyhas more going on in their life thanDenny.But he has an amazing ability Ithink to kind of handle all of it, all the stuff that’sgoing on in his life right now,” Gibbs said.
Knights dropped their first game of theseason after a16-10 loss to East Feliciana.
9. Donaldsonville (5-1): The Tigers sawtheir unblemished record fall after a21-7defeat against Brusly
10. Ascension Catholic (4-2): The Bulldogs blewout Ascension Christian, 42-0, to win consecutive games.
Jackson Reyes
Y
ou knowhim well.Scotthas been covering LSU since 1992. He is theauthor of three highly acclaimed booksonLSU and was chosen as an LSU Expertfor ESPN’s SEC 150 Documentary
Each Monday,Scottwill puthis thoughts on the last week’sgameand thenextweek’sgame into avideo essayplacing the game in its context anddrawing historical parallels
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
East Feliciana quarterback Marcus Cannon, left, takes asnap before ahandoff to running back Makyle Cannon against Slaughter CharteronFridayatSlaughter
Saints’ youth movement continues with Stutsman
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
For most of last week, Danny Stutsman figured his role was going to remain unchanged: He would back up starters Demario Davis and Pete Werner on defense and try to impact the game on special teams. And then on Saturday, the day before the Saints rookie linebacker played against the New England Patriots, his coaches let him know that he was going to play a few series on defense.
“Whatever it is, I was ready to go,” Stutsman said.
The Saints selected Stutsman in the fourth round (112th overall) in the 2025 draft Before Week 6 against the Patriots, his defensive playing time had been limited to four snaps in garbage time of a blowout loss to Seattle and the preseason.
But he was on the field for a couple of important defensive series Sunday against the New England Patriots replacing Pete Werner in the lineup while down 14-13 in the second quarter and again while trailing by nine in the third quarter
The sample size is still small — Stutsman played only six defensive snaps — but he will gladly take any experience he can get at this stage of his career
“To be able to get out there and build confidence is huge,” Stutsman said. “You play in the preseason, but it’s not the same. You take those six snaps and you really have to grow from it and just learn.”
Stutsman recorded two tack-
les in his six snaps, including one where he ducked under an openfield block attempt by Patriots left guard Jared Wilson to drop running back Rhamondre Stevenson for a short gain.
Coach Kellen Moore said the team saw some value in giving its rookie linebacker some time on the field where he typically wouldn’t get it.
“Danny’s a good player,” Moore said. “When you give these guys some exposure, I think it helps them.”
Right now, Stutsman said his goal when he gets onto the field is to maintain the defensive standard set by starters Werner and Demario Davis — especially in the event that his time on the field is because of injury
The Saints have already leaned heavily on two other defensive rookies in Jonas Sanker and Quincy Riley, who have been pushed into the lineup because of injuries to starters (though Riley may have been starting by now anyway). Another rookie, Vernon Broughton, was part of the defensive line rotation before suffering a season-ending injury
Stutsman views the playing time, limited though it may be, as a crucial step in his development as a player
“It’s putting reps in the bank,”
Stutsman said “Those reps right there will grow with interest, and hopefully in the future, when I have a great career, it’ll be due to those six snaps right there.”
Ruiz rebounds
Less than halfway through their
Saints linebacker Danny Stutsman reacts after making a stop against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 23 at the Caesars Superdome.
first game with the regular starting five along the offensive line, all in the game, right guard Cesar Ruiz was forced to exit after quarterback Spencer Rattler rolled into the back of his legs on a scramble.
“We finally have that (offensive line) group up in Buffalo and it’s
Titans fire coach Callahan after 4-19 record and 1-5 start to second season
BY TERESA M. WALKER
AP pro football writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans fired Brian Callahan on Monday after a 1-5 start to his second season, making him the first NFL head coach ousted this season.
Chad Brinker, the Titans’ president of football operations, said team officials had extended conversations with controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk and general manager Mike Borgonzi before meeting with Callahan on Monday morning to tell him that Tennessee was making a change.
“While we are committed to a patient and strategic plan to build a sustainable, winning football program, we have not demonstrated sufficient growth,” Brinker said in a statement. “Our players, fans, and community deserve a football team that achieves a standard we are not currently meeting, and we are committed to making the hard decisions necessary to reach and maintain that standard.”
The Titans announced hours later that Mike McCoy would take over as interim coach. Brinker and Borgonzi were scheduled to talk to reporters Monday night.
McCoy joined the team in March as a senior offensive assistant, and he was 27-37 in four seasons coaching the then-San Diego Chargers between 2013 and 2016, losing 23 of the last 32 games before being fired He also was offensive coordinator in Denver in 2017 and Arizona in 2018
His first game leading the Titans comes Sunday against former Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel and his New England Patriots (4-2). Callahan went 4-19, which featured a 10-game skid.
He became just the second coach fired during the season by this franchise since it relocated from Houston to Nashville in 1997, joining Ken Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt had a 3-20 record when fired in No-
DUNCAN
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bleak as it is, the Saints need to start planning for what they hope will be a more promising future. Tough seasons beget tough decisions, and the Saints have plenty to make on their roster With the trade deadline looming on Nov 4, the Saints need to strongly consider each and every option presented to them If that means departing with a popular veteran or two to improve their future, so be it.
It’s never easy to part ways with popular stars and locker room leaders, especially Ring of Honor-type players. And there’s a human element to consider
vember 2015, with a stint that also included a 10-game skid to end the 2014 season. But it’s just the latest personnel shakeup since December 2022:
n General manager Jon Robinson was fired on Dec. 6, 2022.
n GM Ran Carthon was hired on Jan 18, 2023.
n Vrabel was fired on Jan. 9, 2024.
n Callahan was hired on Jan. 24, 2024.
n Carthon was fired on Jan. 7, 2024.
n GM Mike Borgonzi was hired on Jan 17, 2025.
The Titans had said they wanted to see improvement this season with Callahan going into his second season as a first-time head coach and with a rookie quarterback in Cam Ward. Yet Callahan had to hand off play-calling duties after dropping to 0-3 and the offense struggling. Even the change in play-caller didn’t help.
with families and schools and mortgages, etc. But the reality is the Saints’ future might depend on it. You have to give something to get something, and the Saints’ few tradable assets are players that rank among the most popular on the team: Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Demario Davis and Taysom Hill. The Saints’ front office has often been loyal to a fault. They tend to hold on to players and coaches longer than other teams, perhaps a nod to the club’s rare connection with its loyal fan base. The club moved on from former Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore last season, and it proved to be one of the best decisions they’ve made in recent years. They should strongly consider similar moves in the days
The Titans have scored only 83 points and are averaging 3.94 yards per play Only the 2019 Jets, the 2018 Bills in Josh Allen’s rookie year, the 2009 Browns, the 2009 Raiders in JaMarcus Russell’s last season and the 2007 49ers have scored fewer than 84 points and 4 yards per play through six games in the past 20 seasons.
Of the 241 NFL coaches who have coached at least 20 games or more since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, Callahan ranks 237th with a .174 winning percentage. The only coaches with worse winning percentages were Jim Ringo (.130), Marty Mornhinweg (.156), Chris Palmer (.156) and Rod Dowhower (.172).
The Titans knew that this would be a rebuilding year and Brinker said at the start of training camp that improvement was the one sign they were looking for They have played at least seven rookies in each game this season, led by Ward, the No. 1 draft pick.
and weeks ahead. If a 1-5 start (and potentially worse) doesn’t convince you to rip off the Band-Aid, I’m not sure what will. The future is now, and the Saints need to think and plan for it accordingly In some ways, they already are. They started three rookies against the Patriots Left tackle Kelvin Banks, safety Jonas Sanker and cornerback Quincy Riley look like core players going forward, joining Rattler, Kendre Miller and Kool-Aid McKinstry among young players who have moved into more prominent roles. A fourth rookie, linebacker Danny Stutsman, started to work into the rotation for the first time against the Patriots Meanwhile, quarterback Tyler Shough is wait-
Week 5 game against the Giants and was back in the lineup for Week 6.
“I felt good, body felt good, fresh legs you could say,” Ruiz said. “... By the grace of God I was able to get back out there on that field and be out there with my brothers again.”
Moore was impressed with how his right guard performed in the Patriots game — especially considering the injury he was coming off of.
“I thought it was an awesome performance by him, I thought he did a lot of good stuff,” Moore said. “It was a really good rebound game coming off an injury where you don’t know how that timeline is going to take its course. He responded really well, he worked really hard to get back.”
Tipton returns
Moore said the Saints had some options to choose from at kick returner this past week after the team released Velus Jones from the active roster, but they ultimately went with backup wide receiver Mason Tipton.
Prior to the Patriots game, Tipton had only returned one kick in his professional career He handled four of them against New England, gaining 89 yards.
like, ‘All right, let’s roll!’ Then something happens, and it’s challenging,” Moore said “You’ve got to deal with the unknown.” It was a high-ankle sprain for Ruiz normally an injury that would keep a player out multiple weeks. But Ruiz missed only the
“I thought he ran hard, I thought there were some positives in there,” Moore said. “I’m excited to see him grow in that area.”
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.
Chiefs dominate the Lions, prove they are still title contenders
BY DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first
five weeks of the season, everyone seemed to be asking what was wrong with the Kansas City Chiefs. Turned out the answer might have been nothing. Their first three losses? One came thousands of miles away in Brazil, another was a nip-andtuck game with the defending Super Bowl champions and the other was a game in which they committed 13 penalties and still nearly won. Oh, and they all occurred while the Chiefs were dealing with injuries and a suspension to their best wide receiver On Sunday night, the healthy Chiefs proved that they are still legitimate championship contenders, beating up the Detroit Lions on both sides of the ball in a 3017 victory The offense was humming, the defense shut down the league’s top-scoring offense, and the biggest question afterward was just how good Kansas City could be when it gets Rashee Rice — the aforementioned wide receiver — back from his six-game punishment this week?
“I’m very excited,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said with a smirk. “That’s obvious.” Even without Rice in the mix, Mahomes is back to playing at an MVP-caliber level. He threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns while running for another score against Detroit, and he has 11 touchdown passes against two interceptions this season. The run game also picked up Sunday night, particularly when the Chiefs were trying to control the clock. And the whole offense operated
ing in the wings for his chance to prove his bona fides. The youth movement has been overdue for a few years now and it’s finally happening before our eyes. As they say, better late than never For all intents and purposes, this season has always been about the future. Once Derek Carr “retired” in April, the Saints’ chances of salvaging a competitive campaign were severely jeopardized. Publicly, team officials and leaders said the right things about being competitive and challenging for a division title and playoff spot, but privately, they understood the reality of the task at hand. This season might be a tough one, but it shouldn’t be a lost one. The Saints must use it to enhance their future. If that involves trad-
ANALYSIS
without first-round pick Josh Simmons, who had been playing well at left tackle, but who had to miss the game for a family emergency Jaylon Moore stepped in on little sleep — his wife gave birth to a baby girl named Saleh the previous night — and handled Aidan Hutchinson and the rest of the Detroit pass rush with ease.
“I have all the faith in the world in Jaylon. He came here to do what he did today,” Mahomes said, “going against one of the premier pass rusher in the league and holding his own. He went out there and showcased the type of player he is.”
The Chiefs showcased the type of team they are, and have been for the better part of a decade.
And now they get Rice back in the mix, and for the first time in two years their wide receiver group will be whole. It was missing Marquise Brown much of last season because of a shoulder injury, then Rice got hurt a few weeks into the season. And this season, Xavier Worthy missed a few games after hurting his shoulder in the opener, and Rice has been serving his suspension for causing a high-speed car crash in Dallas in March 2024.
Rice has been back in the practice facility for the past couple of weeks. Now he is eligible to get back on the field.
“I’ve said this, but getting (Worthy) back was a big thing. Xavier brings a lot of energy and he can do a lot of things for you, and he has an attitude that he brings,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Getting Rashee back in the building was a big part; they felt like they were whole again, at least by body there. That’s been all positive.”
ing away a key player or two to acquire future draft picks, then it needs to be done.
Sean Payton taught us there are no sacred cows. He traded Reggie Bush, Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles in their primes. He dealt away high draft picks Donte Stallworth and Akiem Hicks. The decisions weren’t always right, but no one bats 1.000 in this league. His willingness to boldly do what he thought was necessary to improve the team’s future showed the importance of having vision and conviction.
Trading away stars isn’t always popular, especially in a market where players are often treated as family But tough decisions rarely are. Being right is more important than being popular
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICK SCUTERI
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan reacts on the sideline during a game against the Arizona Cadinals on Oct. 5 in Glendale, Ariz
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
COLLEGEFOOTBALL
LSUQBNussmeierdealing with medial anklesprain
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
Garrett Nussmeier sprainedanankle on Saturday in LSU’swin over South Carolina,but coach Brian Kelly doesn’tthink it will affect his availability moving forward.
Kelly said on Monday that Nussmeier didnot suffer ahighankle sprain. The injury is more of a “medial” sprain, he said.
“And we feel like he’sgoingtobe fine,” Kelly said.
Nussmeier,LSU’ssecond-year starting quarterback, has now suffered three known injuries this season. In preseason camp, he aggravated knee tendonitis and strained his abdominal muscles. Kelly didn’trevealthe latter injury until after theNo. 10 Tigers (5-1) defeated Florida on Sept. 13.
Against South Carolina, Nussmeier lookedhealthier than he did in LSU’sprevious game against Ole Miss. The Tigers had an open date betweenthose contests, and Kelly said they used it to make sure the fifth-year seniordidn’t overwork his injured core.
Nussmeier,according to Kelly,didn’tthrow duringthe off week, which allowed himtofeel fresher for practices ahead of the game against the Gamecocks. LSU keeps data on Nussmeier’s throwsusing aGPS tracking system, Kelly said, andall his numberswereimprovedbefore Saturday.
“The bottomline is he’shealthy,” Kelly said on Monday.“Hisabinjury is on theright side of it,where he feels good. He didn’tfeelany pain on Sunday coming in, so that’s areally,really good sign for us moving forward.”
Nussmeier completed 20 of 33 pass attempts for 254 yards and
Continued from page1C
pass protection, really good,” Kelly said. “That guy is outstanding. He’sasgood as I’veseen. He’sso quick. He’sgot apower move, he’s got an edge move, and (Davis) did agreat job.” Davis has allowed seven more pressures than any otherTiger despite missing the Ole Miss game with aconcussionand fractured nose. But Kelly’spoint of emphasis for Davis in terms of improvement was not in pass protection
“We’ve got to get him better in the run game,” Kellysaid,“and that’swhere,attimes, youwantto put Josh out there.”
Kelly has defended Davisat various points throughhis first year as astarter, declaring that there was no competition at right tackle after he was replacedby redshirt sophomore DJ Chester at halftime following apoor first-half performance against Southeastern Louisiana.
Davis would have started the following week at Ole Miss, but his pregame injury resulted in freshman Carius Curne earning the start. Davis’ ailment, anda first-half
two touchdownsagainst South Carolina, buthealso threw two costly interceptions, including one that foiled an LSU drive that reached thered zone.
“I thinkthatthat’sanaberration,” Kelly said, “the mistake that was in the redzone,and something thathewould immediately say,‘I should have had my eyes on that safety.Because that’smyread.’
“But Ilikethe version of Garrett Nussmeier we saw.Hewas a lot more confident. He was alot more active in the pocket. He had an opportunity to run acouple of times. That’sthe version we want We want to cleanupthose, whatI would call, uncharacteristic mistakes.”
In theTigers’ sixgames, Nussmeier completed 66% of his passes for 1,413 yards, nine touchdowns and fiveinterceptions.
LSU’snext game is aroad battle with No.17Vanderbilt thatkicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC.
Otherinjuryupdates
Neither defensive linemen who left LSU’swin over South Carolina early on Saturday suffered major injuries.
Kelly said on Monday that defensive tackle Bernard Gooden has abruised collarbone and edge rusher Jimari Butler hasanankle sprain. Butler,Kelly said, is “probable” to play against Vanderbilt, and Gooden is “very sore right now.”
“But clean —nobreak,” Kelly said. “Sothisisashort-timething, one wherehe’llhave to manage the painrelativetohow we go through theweek
“I thinkwe’ve gotgoodnewson all of theinjuries that we had.”
Kelly said that LSU expects left guard Paul Mubenga (high ankle sprain) to return to the field against
Rhuledoesn’t tamp down buzz about Penn Stateopening
BY ERIC OLSON AP collegefootball writer
Matt Rhule professedhis love for living and working in Nebraska and trying to return the Cornhuskers to the upper echelon of college football.
That said,hedid nothingMonday to shut downspeculation that he couldbeupfor the Penn State job, whichopenedwithSunday’s firing of James Franklin.
Rhule’sname surfaced immediately as afront-runner because of his ties to Penn State. He was a walk-on linebacker at Penn State under Joe Paterno in the 1990s, met his wife at the school and is close friends with athletic director Pat Kraft.
Krafthired Rhulein2012at Temple, where he coached for four seasonsbefore leaving for Baylor.Rhule left Baylor after three yearsand was the Carolina Panthers’ coach fortwo-plus seasons. He came to Nebraska in December 2022, hired by former athletic director Trev Alberts.
Rhule is 17-14 in three seasons in Lincoln. The Huskers are 5-1 and entered The Associated
Press poll this week at No. 25.
“This place is elite,” Rhule said at his weekly availability.“And Iwant to be agreat father,and Iwant to be agreat college football coach. And so I’mnot going to talk alot aboutjob openings when they come.”
The 50-year-old Rhule is scheduled to earn $7.5 million this year on acontract that runs through 2030. If he were to resign before Jan. 1, he or his new employer would owe Nebraska $5 million. Nebraska had gone seven seasons without awinning record before finishing 7-6 in 2024.
“I absolutelylove it here,” Rhule said, “and Ijust wantusto continue to take the steps needed forustoturnthisthingintoa beast and have players all across the country want to comehere with the best facilities. We have elite fans.
“I’m just looking at thefuture, but again, Ilove that place (Penn State), Ilove Pat, Ilove James Franklin andamsad thatcame to an end. Iwish him the absolute best. But I’mreally happy here.”
The Huskers play at Minnesota on Friday night.
suspension for targeting levied to Chester during thesecond half against SLU, resulted in Curne getting his first careerstart against the Rebels. He allowed just one pressure on 41 pass blocking snaps, leaving some to wonderif he couldbe acandidate to startat
the Commodores after he satout thewin over theGamecocks. A few other injuries cropped up in thatgame, but none of themare expected to force players to miss time.
Running back Caden Durham has a“mild” hip pointer,and center Braelin Moore suffered astinger that “looked good” in an MRI.
Aaron Anderson —a wide receiver who’sbattling elbow,toe and knee injuries —warmed up for the game against SouthCarolina but swapped outhis pads andhelmet forsweats before it began. LSU listedhim as questionable to play throughout theweek, then gave him agame-time decision designation shortly before kickoff.
“(He)looked good,”Kelly said. “We’ll continue to progresswith him.”
Kickofftimeset
Arguably,the mostanticipated home game on LSU’s2025 schedule will kick off at night
TheSEC revealed on Monday that the No. 10 Tigers’ Week 9 clash withNo. 4Texas A&M will begin at 6:30 p.m.inTiger Stadium on ABC.
The Aggies (6-0) are oneoftwo unbeaten teams left in the SEC. In Week 7, theydefeatedFlorida 34-17 at home. They alsohavea roadwin over No.13Notre Dame and league victories over Auburn and Mississippi State heading into their Week 8road matchup with Arkansas.
LSUbounced back from its road loss to No. 5Ole Miss to defeat South Carolina in Tiger Stadium. Itsdefensehas held five of its six opponents this season to 10 points or fewer
Each of the Tigers’ first four home games of the season began at night.
theposition moving forward.
“I have not had astarting right tackle go out because of an injury in pregame,” Kelly said during his radio show Thursday.“That’skind of like, ‘Allright, let’sfigure this out as we go. We’re going to build this plane as we’regoinghere.’ Andyou know,hewent in there and he battled, but it wasn’tagood break for us.
ButMonday may have been Kelly’smost vocal support of Davis, the former four-star recruit.Davis was among LSU’smost highly coveted recruitsfrom the 2024 class, decommitting from Texas A&M before arriving in Baton Rouge as theNo. 8offensive tackle in the nation,according to the247Sports Composite.
Kelly believes in his promise andhas made himselfclear: LSU is sticking with thekid, growing pains and all.
“We’re going to live with him, andI’m proudofhim. He’s growing. He’s learning thisgame, and that’sabig part of this,”Kelly said. “O-line awareness, O-line instincts. Some have it,some don’t. Some you’ve gottoreally givethem reps, andthat’swhatthisisabout. He needs to play.”
Email Koki Rileyat Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.
JacksonState stays on topofHBCUpoll
The top twoHBCU football teamsmet in Week 7, and the gamedidn’tdisappoint. After an exciting week of games, here’s how Ivoted in the BOXTOROW HBCU football media poll this week:
1. Jackson State (5-1): Jackson Stateproved whyit’sbeen voted thebest team since the preseason after beating last week’s No. 2team in the poll —AlabamaState. In the 38-34 home victory,running backs Travis Terrell andAhmad Miller and quarterback Jacobian Morgan each had over 60 rushing yards. The Tigers remain the clear team to beat due to their wellroundedness.
2.Alabama State (4-2): Alabama Stateremains my second-best HBCU team even after having its four-gamewin streak broken by thedefending Celebration Bowl champions. The Hornets lost after giving up ago-ahead passing touchdownwith 50 seconds left. Quarterback Andrew Bodywas tremendous against atop defense, completing 20 of 30 passes for349 yards, a touchdown and an interception (his first this season) and had 14 rushes for93yards.
3. North Carolina Central (5-2): The Eagles dominated Florida A&M 45-7, improving their winstreak to four games. They scored 45 pointsormore every gameduring the streak. Their defense seemstobeimproving after allowing the fewest points it has all season. North Carolina Central had three players get interceptions and only allowed 43 total rushing yards.
4. SouthCarolina State (4-3): South Carolina State outlasted North Carolina A&T 22-16 on the road. The Bulldogs showed impressive resilience after trailing 9-0 more thanhalfway through the third quarter.While the offense struggled, their defense didn’tbreak as theyonly gave up one touchdown in the fourth quarter when theyalready led by 13 points.
5. Delaware State (4-2): After losing two games in arow,the Hornets bounced back with a70-23 victory at Division II Southern Connecticut State. Delaware Statephysically outmatched itsopponent, especially in the ground game. Tailbacks James Jones, Marquis Gillis andKobeBoykineach had at least 100 rushingyards.
6. Prairie View (4-2): The Panthers sit atop theSWACWest division after havingabye week. In conference play,they are allowing thefewest points (15.3) and total yards per game(267.7). The
STAFFFILE PHOTOByJAVIER GALLEGOS Alabama State safety Keane Lewiscatches the ball for an interception inside Southern’s end zone on Sept. 6. The Hornets heldtheirown in Saturday’s loss to Jackson State and are ranked No. 3inthe HBCU mediapoll.
HBCU MEDIAPOLL
1. JacksonState 2. North CarolinaCentral 3. Alabama State 4. South CarolinaState 5. VirginiaUnion 6. Prairie View
T7.Johnson C. Smith
T7.AlbanyState T7.Benedict 10. Delaware State
only reason Prairie View isn’t higher is due to three of its wins being one-score games. Itshighest margin of victory wasby15 points against Grambling, which has one Division Ivictory
7. Howard (3-3): Howard falls a bit after dropping asecond consecutive game, mostrecently losing 32-14 at Sacred Heart. The Bison still feature an impressive defense after giving up the second-most points they’ve allowed in agame.
8. Bethune-Cookman(3-4): Not many HBCUs had abetterweek than Bethune-Cookman, which beat Southern for the first time in program history.Inthe 45-14 win, its offense moved the ball effortlessly up the field and never had to punt during the game. While the offense is known forits explosion, the Wildcat defense impressed, allowing just 65 rushing yards.
9.Texas Southern(3-3): Texas Southern wonits third straightgame after beating Grambling21-20 on the road. The last score Texas Southern allowed wasa95-yard kickoff return touchdowntoopenthe third quarter.Itrebounded after the special teams blunder,showing whyit’sthe second-best scoring defenseinthe SWAC (22.5).
10. Benedict (6-0): The Tigers keep their record unblemished after their 14-7 winover fellow Division II Fort Valley State. It would have been better to see Benedict winbymore than a touchdownagainst a1-5 opponent, but the team has consistently done enough to win.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier checkshis leg afterbeing tackled hard in the second half of agame against South Carolina on SaturdayatTiger Stadium.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK
LSU tackle Weston Davisholds FloridaedgeKamran James back during afield goal kick on Sept.13 at TigerStadium.
Toyloy BrownIII
Mariners take 2-0lead, beat Blue Jays 10-3
BY IAN HARRISON Associated Press
TORONTO— JulioRodríguez and Jorge Polanco hit three-run homers, Josh Naylor added atwo-run drive and the Seattle Mariners took a2-0 AL Championship Series lead by routing the Toronto Blue Jays 10-3onMonday Seattle, the only big leagueteam never to host aWorld Series game, headed home for Wednesday’s Game 3needing two more wins in the best-of-seven series to end that drought.
Toronto had just six hits, only one after the second inning, and had eight hits in the first two games. Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.was 0for 3witha walk and is hitless in the series. Rodríguezhomered for a3-0 lead three batters in againstrookie Trey Yesavage, a22-year-old making just his fifth big league start. Nathan Lukes and Alejandro Kirk had RBI singles in the bottom half offLogan Gilbert, andLukes’ run-scoring single tied the score in the second.
Polanco’sthree-run homer off Louis Varland putSeattle back ahead 6-3 in the fifth. J.P Crawford added an RBI singleinthe sixth and Naylor had atwo-runhomer
in the seventh againstBraydon Fisher Six of Polanco’sfirst sevenhits this postseasondrove in runs. He had the game-ending single in the 15th inning of Friday’sDivision Series clincher againstDetroit and went2 for 4with two RBIs in Seattle’s3-1 opening ALCS win, Polanco’stwo previous home runs this October both cameoff Detroit’sTarik Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. Theroof was open on abreezy 62-degree day on the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday,but the sellout crowd of44,814 hadlittle to celebrate.
Seattle Mariners’ JorgePolanco, right, hits a three-run home runinfront of Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, left,during the fifth inning of Game 2ofthe ALCS in Toronto on Monday.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
Blue JaysoutfielderAnthony Santanderwas scratchedfromthe lineupbecause of asore lowerback. Davis Schneider replaced him and went 0for 3withawalk.
DODGERS 2, BREWERS 1: In Milwau-
Seattle’sbullpen has combined for nine scoreless innings in the series, allowing just one hit. Winner Eduard Bazardo, Carlos Vargasand Emerson Hancock each pitchedtwo innings Naylor,born in Mississauga, Ontario, fouledaballhis right foot in the first inning andlooked uncomfortable in thebatter’sbox in thefifth, promptingmanager Dan Wilson to comeout andcheckon him. With Miles Mastrobuoni getting ready to come into thegameif needed, Naylor convinced Wilson to leave him in and homered in the seventh Yesavage, who took theloss, gave up three runs and four hits in four-plus innings. He seta Blue Jays postseason record by striking out11Yankeesin5 1/3hitless innings in ALDS Game 2but had two swings andmisses on his splitter, down from 11 against New York.
kee, Wisconsin, behind adominant performance fromBlake Snell and asolohomerun by Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers defeated the BrewersinGame1ofthe National LeagueChampionshipSerieson Monday night at American Family Field.
Snellgaveupjustone hitona minimum 24 batters faced. He struckout 10 batters.
The Dodgersgot outofaninth-
inning jamafter Roki Sasaki ran into issues. Freddie Freeman hit a solohome run in the sixthinning andMookieBetts platedthe winning run on abases-loaded walk in the ninth. Blake Treinenstruckout Brice Turang with the bases loaded to end the game.
TheDodgers and Brewers play again in Game 2onTuesday at 7:08 p.m.
DETROIT Detroit Tigers general manager ScottHarris said he extended manager A.J. Hinch’scontractduring the2025seasonand insisted ownership will provide the resources necessary to sign ace Tarik Skubal to along-term deal. Harris and Hinch had anewsconference Monday morning, wrapping up their season that endedlast week with a3-2, 15-inning loss at Seattle in Game 5ofthe AL DivisionSeriesand lookingahead to next year and beyond.
“I wish we weren’thereright now,” Harris said. “I wish wewere in Toronto, preparing for Game 2of the ALCS.” Harris said he approachedHinch during the season, his fifth in Detroit, about extending hiscontract for asecond time and theyreached adeal quickly. Harrisalso signed Hinch to along-term contract in 2023. “He’sone of the best managers in the game,” Harris said. Harris declined to say how long
Hinch is under contract
“Wewant him tobehere as long as he’swilling to be here,” Harris said. “I want to work with him as long as Ican possiblyworkwith him.”
TheTigers wouldalsolike to have Skubal report to work in Detroitfor yearstocome, but knowthatwill be costly.Hewon the AL Cy Young Award and was theleague’spitchingTripleCrown winner in 2024 He followed that witha career-low 2.21 ERA and acareer-high 241 strikeouts.
“He’sthe best pitcher in baseball,” Harrissaid.“He’shopefully going to wina second Cy Young.”
Skubalsigned a$10.15 million, one-year contract during the last offseason —avoiding salary arbitration—and he’sset to become a free agent afterthe 2026 season.
To keep him off the market,team owner ChrisIlitchwould have to spend many millions Harris insisted Ilitch will support theorganization with what is needed for payroll, including what it would taketokeep the 28-year-old
lefty long term.
“I have no concerns about that,” Harris said.
Harris does have concerns about whythe Tigers collapsedinSeptember,whentheyblewthe biggest lead in divisionorleague history and their poor performance at the plate in the postseason.
“I deserve to getthosequestions andwedeserve the negative narrative that is swirling around this team,” he said. Detroit had thebest record in baseball formuchofthe season, then slumped intothe tradedeadline when Harrisdid notmakea major move.
Padres
Manager Shildtannounces retirement after just 2seasons: MikeShildt is retiring after twoseasons as the San Diego Padres manager The Padres confirmed the 57-year-oldShildt’sdecision Monday.Inalettertothe San Diego
Union-Tribune,Shildt said he is retiring because“the grind of the baseball season has taken asevere toll on me mentally,physically and emotionally.”
Shildt went 183-141 and led San Diego to twopostseason appearances during hisbrieftenure.The Padreswon 90 games this season and finishedsecond in the NL West beforebeing eliminated by the Chicago Cubs this month in atense three-game wild-card playoff series.
“His dedication andpassion for thegame of baseball will leave an impact on our organization, and we wish himthe best in hisnext chapter,” general managerA.J. Preller said.
Preller will begin looking immediately forhis fifth full-time manager sincetakingoverthe Padres’ front office in 2014.
BlueJays
Rookie Yesavage says familyhas been subjecttoabuse: Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage says his family has been subjected to abuse since his impres-
SCOREBOARD
KC—FGButker 33, 2:26. A—73,543. DetKC First downs 18 26
Total Net Yards297 355 Rushes-yards23-98 29-112 Passing 199 243
sivepostseasondebut last weekend against the NewYork Yankees.
“Living in thisworld where there’ssomanydifferent opinions and feelings which results in alot of hate,it’ssad to seethatpeople close to me are being attacked for my performances on thefield, Yesavage said Sundaybefore the AL Championship Series opener against Seattle.
“These people have done nothing to warrantnegativityfor my actions, whether that’smyparents, my brothers, my girlfriend, family,” he added. “It’s just really sad. IknowIhavethe platformtoaddress it, so Iam. Ihope that people can realize that those individuals have nothing to do with what happens on the field. If you have aproblem, I’m aman.I can takewhatever opinions anybody hasabout me or my life. So Ijust wantedtoget that out there.”
Yesavage went 1-0 with a3.21 ERA in three September starts. Including his postseason start, he has 27 strikeoutsin191/3 bigleague innings.
07 —17
City 67 710— 30 First Quarter Det—FGBates 28, 5:21 KC—Worthy6pass from Mahomes (kick failed), 1:15 Second Quarter Det—Ja.Williams 22 pass from Goff (Bates kick), 12:56. KC—Mahomes 1run (Butker kick), :37
ThirdQuarter KC—Brown9 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 11:24. Fourth Quarter Det—LaPorta 4pass from Goff (Bates kick) 14:20. KC—Brown3 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 9:35.
Penalties-Yards 4-38 0-0 Time of Possession29:23 30:37 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING—Detroit, Gibbs 17-65, Montgomery 4-24, Goff 1-7, St.Brown 1-2. Kansas City Pacheco 12-51, Mahomes 10-32, Hunt 6-23, Worthy 1-6. PASSING—Detroit, Goff 23-29-0-203. Kansas City,Mahomes 22-30-0-257. RECEIVING—Detroit, St.Brown 9-45, J.Williams 6-66, LaPorta 5-55, Montgomery 2-37,Gibbs 1-0. Kansas City,Kelce 6-78, Brown4-45,Smith-Schuster3-57, B.Smith 3-21, Gray 2-25, Worthy2-20, Hunt 1-11, Pacheco 1-0. MISSED FIELD GOALS—None Major LeagueBaseball Postseason glance League Championship Series (Best-of-7) American League (FOX,FS1) Seattle 2, Toronto 0 Sunday: Seattle 3, Toronto 1 Monday: Seattle 10, Toronto 3 Wednesday, Oct. 15: Toronto at Seattle, 7:08 p.m. (FOX/FS1) Thursday, Oct. 16: Toronto at Seattle, 7:33 p.m. (FOX/FS1) x-Friday, Oct. 17: Toronto at Seattle, 5:08 p.m. (FOX/FS1) x-Sunday, Oct. 19: SeattleorDetroit, 7:03 p.m. (FOX/FS1) x-Monday, Oct. 20: SeattleorDetroit, 7:08 p.m. (FOX/FS1) National League (TBS,truTV,HBO Max) LosAngeles 1, Milwaukee 0 Monday: LosAngeles 2, Milwaukee 1 Tuesday: LosAngeles at Milwaukee, 7:08 p.m. (TBS/truTV/HBO Max) Thursday, Oct. 16: Milwaukee at LosAngeles,5:08 p.m.(TBS/truTV/HBO Max) Friday, Oct. 17: Milwaukee at LosAngeles, 7:38 p.m. (TBS/truTV/HBO Max) x-Saturday, Oct. 18: Milwaukee at LosAngeles,7:08 p.m.(TBS/truTV/HBO Max) x-Monday, Oct. 20: LosAngeles at Milwaukee, 4:08 p.m. (TBS/truTV/HBO Max) x-Tuesday, Oct. 21: LosAngeles at Milwaukee, 7:08 p.m. (TBS/truTV/HBO Max)
The Associated Press
PHOTO By FRANK GUNN
LIVING
THE ADVOCATE.COM | Tuesday, OcTOber14, 2025 1dN
GARDEN NEWS
It’sfinally beginning to cool off here in Louisiana. The air feels just crisp enough in the mornings and evenings to remind us that we’ve officially entered fall. Lowernighttime temperatures translate to lower soil temperatures —and guess what that means? Cool-season weedswill soon begin growing. Seeds from last winter’s weed population have been lying dormant in the soil for months. When they sensethe soilaround them cooling,they know it’stime to germinateand kick off their growing season This often happens in shady, moist areas first.
Annual bluegrass, henbit and chickweed are some of the most common weeds you’ll start seeing this time of year Plenty of others thrive in our cool season, including lawn burweed, annual blue-eyed grass, bittercress, shepherd’s purse,annual ryegrassand yellowwoodsorrel.
When the tempsdrop, theyard’sfall weedsemerge LSU AGCENTERPHOTO By OLIVIA
To get ahead of these weeds, you can apply apreemergence herbicide to your lawn. These products form abarrier in the soil that preventsseed germination —stopping weedsbefore they evenstart growing Because of the way preemergence herbicides work, it’simportant to get an application out on your lawn before seedsbegin germinating. Youneed to do this soon to get the best results.
Bert Hammett, an LSU AgCenter horticulture agent in East Baton Rouge Parish, offers these tips for applying preemergence herbicides:
n Buy the right product Look for aproduct that lists dithiopyr,prodiamine, simazineoratrazine as the active ingredient.Choose something that is labeled for use on the type of turfgrass you have in your lawn. Do not use atrazine inside the drip line of trees and shrubs. Avoid weed-and-feed products; applying fertilizer right now can reduce winter hardiness of your turfgrass.
n Be safe. Wear chemicalresistant gloves when working with herbicides and followall productlabeldirections.
n Use aspreader. Mostpreemergence herbicides comein agranular form. To evenly distribute the product acrossyour lawn, use awalk-behind, broadcast spreader.Insmaller spaces, ahandheldspreader can work. Calibrate your spreader in atest strip first. Apply the productatthe rate specifiedon the label. Walk from northto south then from easttowest to ensure uniform coverage.
Owner Lisa Pellissier poses in the ‘Pink Room’ at the Pink Elephant on Wednesday.
STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS
‘I just love junk’
BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer
n Water it in. Most granular, preemergence herbicides must be wateredintothe soil within 24 to 48 hours or else they won’twork. Youcan either time your application right beforepredictedrainfallor Johnson
BatonRouge vintage storeowner Likes to seethingschange
BY MARGARET DELANEY | Staff writer
Lisa Pellissier likes junk. Alot of it
But shecurates her junk very carefully
Pellissier is theowner,and one of 18 vintage dealers, at PinkElephant Antiques on Government Street in Baton Rouge. Many will know the spot by itsbright, bubblegum pink exterior and large, pink aluminum bus that sits in the parking lot of the store withamannequin in thedriver seat that dons alab coat and feather boa.
The big van out front doesn’t run, but it serves as abillboard for the store. Pellissierfound the 1940s vanonOld Hammond Highway,and muralist Marc Fresh reinvigorated it so it could remainparked at the storefront Pink Elephant isn’ttechnically an antiques shop, rather a consignmentstore of different vintage collectionsfromvarious dealers. Each dealerhas their own section around the shop, with veryclear vibe shifts between each corner and mini-store.
ä See PINK ELEPHANT, page 2D
Kitchenware, wall artand clothing fill aroom at the Pink Elephant.
One of Pellissier’s favorite items is a taxidermy feline.
A1950s-themedice creamparloropens in Central
BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer
Afamily-owned business, Happy Scoops Ice Cream Parlor,opened this month in Central with a1950s checkered floor,apenguin mascot and board games. Angie Hectorco-owns andmanages thebusiness located on Hooper Road with her husband,son and daughter-in-law,and they have a mission to open ahangout spot fit for the whole family “I love the ’50s era,” Hector said “The decor is ’50s black and white checkered floor,pink and mint green walls, and then we’ll have ‘50s music playing.”
There are no televisionsorpublic Wi-Fi in the shop, so Hector hopes the unplugged environment gives families achance forquality time. A wide variety of games are available to play including checkers, Yahtzee, Candyland, Scrabble and cards.
has a1950s theme.
The parlor is open until 11 p.m. on Fridaysand Saturdays, so she hopes it can be agood, safe envi-
ronment for teenagers.
“There’snot many places for teenagers to go that theirmom
and dad might feel comfortable with them hanging out on aFriday or Saturdaynight,” Hector said “So we extendedthe hours until 11 p.m.”
Customers can grab aseat at the icecream barorthe two or fourseater tables. Thebusiness also hasaprivateroom available for birthday parties.
What’s on themenu
Customers can order ice cream in acup, sugar cone, waffle cone or cake cone. Ice cream scoops can also come in the form of milkshakes, malts, banana splits, root beer or cokefloats.
Hector can list all 12 Blue Bell flavors thatthey offer from memory: n Homemadevanilla n Cotton candy n Strawberry n Birthday cake n Dutch chocolate n Pecan pralines ’n’ cream
Rememberthe four P’s
Dear Heloise: Recently,someone wrote in to warn about discarding dental floss in the toilet.A plumbingexpertsaid to never put anything in the toilet except the “four P’s,” which are: pee, poop, puke and (toilet) paper No gum, tampons or even facial tissues. And absolutely no flushable wipes! Only toilet paperisspecially made to breakdown sufficiently enough and avoid cloggingthe pipes.
n Cookies ’n’ cream
n Butter crunch
n Chocolate chip cookie dough n Mint chocolate chip n Krazy Kolors n Orange sherbet.
The menu also hasnachos,hot dogs and sodas.
Grandopening
Agrandopening is scheduledfor noon to midnight on Oct. 18, which will feature balloons, face painting and, of course, icecream galore. Pop-up vendors will sell itemslike permanent jewelry,purses and candied fruit. The Happy Scoops penguin mascot will be in attendance as well.
Happy Scoops IceCream Parlor,13623 Hooper Road, Suite A, Baton Rouge. Open noon to 9p.m. Thursday to Sunday and noon to 11 p.m.Friday and Saturday
Hints from Heloise
gloves undermygardening gloves. No more dirt undermy fingernails! Your handsmight be sweaty when you take them off, but it’smuch easier to wash your hands than it is to clean stained fingernails. How often do we not get to weeds until they’ve gone to seed?
Ipersonally know aboutflushable wipes. Afew years ago, they caused ablockage in our pipe that required abig plumbing job with our lawn and cement walkway having to get dug up. It was expensive and yucky!
—Kathleen Puglia, in New Orleans Gardeningtips
Dear Heloise: Here’smytwo cents on gardening: Even when Iweargardening gloves, Iget dirt under my fingernails. Inow wear thin single-use“rubber”
By The Associated Press
When we end up witha seed puff, like on dandelions and others, there is no way to touch the weed without seeds spreading all over.Before touching the weed, Itake acan of old-fashioned aerosol hairspray and spray the seed puffs
Igive it athorough spray,then cut the intact stem without having the weed seeds go all over the place. Since I’ve been doingthis, I have way fewer weeds cropping up everywhere. —Carol Lee, in Vancouver,Washington
Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.
TODAYINHISTORY
Today is Tuesday,Oct. 14,the 287th day of 2025. There are 78 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On Oct. 14, 1947, U.S. Air Force
Capt. Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier as he flew aBell X-1 rocket plane overMuroc Dry Lake in California. In 2012, Yeager,atthe age of 89, marked the 65th anniversary of that flightby smashing through the sound barrier again, this time in theback seat of an F-15.
Also on this date:
In 1066, Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.
In 1586, Mary,Queen of Scots, went on trial in England, accused of committing treason against Queen Elizabeth I. (Mary was beheaded in February 1587.)
In 1910, aviator Claude Grahame-White flew his biplane over Washington, D.C., andlanded it on West Executive Avenue, next to the White House.
In 1944, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel took his ownlife rather than face trial andcertain execution for allegedlyconspiring against Adolf Hitler
In 1964, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1964, in one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history,Amer-
WEEDS
Continued from page1D
irrigate your lawn yourself. Aim for a 1/4-to 1/2-inch of water.
n Apply twice. For maximum weed control this winter,make an initial application by early October and follow up witha
‘GLORY’
Continued from page1D
of
ican Billy Mills, an Oglala Lakota,won the 10,000-meter race at theTokyo Summer Games, setting anew Olympic record.
In 1981, the new president of Egypt, HosniMubarak, was sworn in to succeed the assassinatedAnwarSadat.
In 1986, Holocaust survivor and humanrightsadvocate Elie Wiesel was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2008, agrand jury in Orlando,Florida, returned charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse andaggravated manslaughter against CaseyAnthony in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. (She was acquitted in July 2011.)
In 2024, aSpace Xrocket launched the NASA spacecraft Europa Clipper ona mission to Jupiter’smoon Europa to determine whether conditions there couldsupport life; the spacecraft will arrivein2030.
Today’sbirthdays: Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is 87. Fashiondesigner Ralph Lauren is 86. Football Hall of FamerCharlie Joiner is 78. Golf Hall of Famer BethDaniel is 69. MusicianThomasDolby is 67. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi is 64. Actor Steve Coogan is 60. TV host StephenA.Smith is 58. Country singerNatalie Maines (TheChicks) is 51. Actor Chang Chen is 49. SingerUsher is 47. Actor-comedian Jay Pharoah is 38.
second application between midNovemberand earlyJanuary n Know your goals. If you wanttooverseed your lawn with ryegrass for fall andwinter color,skipthe preemergence herbicide.Remember how we said earlier that these products prevent weeds by stopping seeds from germinating? They’ll do thesame to your ryegrass seed.
Fundingfor theprogram is providedbyNatchitoches Convention&VisitorsBureau, celebrating the charm, history andculture of Louisiana’soldestcity, and the Foundationfor Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.
PINK ELEPHANT
Continuedfrom page1D
One section is entirely pink with fish-shaped vases andfluorescent candlesticks, another is covered floor toceiling with oldtextsand 1930sGumbo editions from LSU, and so on.
At theheart of it all is Pellissier Maximalist/minimalistlove
Originally from New Orleans, Pellissier went to school in Baton Rouge for horticulture.
“Thatjust meansmyplantsare doing great,” she said.
She fell in love withaminimalist whoworks in real estate who loves her enough tosit on benches in antique andvintage shops around the country,waiting for her to fill her cart.
“He likes to find abench in the shops we go to and order lunch,” Pellissier said. “He’smostly thinking about our next meals.”
Nearly 10 yearsago in May, Pellissier and her husband bought the Government Street building that used to be Aladdin’sLamp, where Pellissier worked as adealer.They gutted theshop, and all 7,000 square feet of thespace was cleared out justtobefilled back up again.
Thename, Pink Elephant, was inspiredbywhite elephant salesthat are common at churches or within thecommunity
“Wedecided to go withpink becauseit’sMid City,” Pellissiersaid. “Pink is in theDNA.”
To make the shop match the novelties storedinside,Pellissier contacted Fresh to paint the walls bright colors, with murals of bamboo and larger-than-life elephants. Customers can spendhours in the store, Pellissier said, andstill find somethingnew at every turn.
“There’sanart to it,” Pellissier said of curating the items in her store. “I’m always dreaming up ways of moving things around, howtomakeall this junkI love look interesting.”
Pellissier moves the objects around often,but she rarely moves adealer’sspot in thestore.
“Most people that sell here have been here along time,”she said. “The only reason they really move is if they are leaving the state or don’twant to work in consignment anymore.”
She tries to keep thingsinteresting, but also adhere to what cus-
tomerswant to buy
Typically,PinkElephant will always sell lamps, dressers and furniture.
“People always need that,” Pellissier said.
Pink Elephantisalso,unexpectedly,astop for manyLouisiana tourists wanting to bring aslice of the city homewith them.Those customers, who often comeon Mondays according to Pellissier, are always looking fora smaller item,like apaintingoratrinket, that reminds them of Louisiana. More recently, theantiquesbusiness hasbecometrendy among young people. More interest in eccentric glassware, exclusive dishes andvintage clotheshaveflooded themarket at the shop.
Always on thehunt
When creating the Pink Elephant, Pellissier sought to make the store moreeclectic, centered moretoward the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s aesthetic rather than traditional antique shopping.
As shoppers walk through the many rooms, they maybeconfronted by mannequins hanging from the ceiling in ’50s flapper dancing costumes or an old Garfield cat PEZdispenser
“There’srhyme or reason to the antiques business,” Pellissier said.
“People buy the kookiest things because it speaks to them in some way.”
In amission forthe wacky,tacky andunique, Pellissier succeeds with vintage cameras of all shapes andsizes,old children’s books and ataxidermy bearcat wearing abright pink beret —that item isn’tactually forsale as it is one of Pellissier’smost treasured items.
Pellissier is constantly shopping to fill her store —both apleasure and achore forher and her family “I just love stuff,”Pellissier said “People always need stuff, and I’m always on the hunt formore stuff, too.”
Themoment she touches down anywhere on atrip or on vacation, shelooks for thenearest consignment, vintage or antique store. She said she hasalways liked stuff— dragginghomeold records andbooksand knickknacks into her childhood home. It’s atrait she has passed downtoher daughter Coco, who now has her ownroom in the Pink Elephant, where she works with her boyfriend to collect and sell vintage LSU memorabilia, rugs and more.
Trunksales outfront
Afew years ago, Lisa Pellissier started anew venture: the Pink Elephant Trunk Sale.Onceamonth, whenthe weather is nice and cooperative, there are 20 additional vendors situated in the parking lot of thestore underthe cover of white tents selling morevintage itemsand antiques.
Anything from jewelry to clothestopaintingsand shoescan be found out in the parking lot.
“It’salsoaplace whereour existing vendors can try out new things, find whatcustomers like or are turning to,” Lisa Pellissier said.
The next trunk sale starts at 10 a.m. Oct. 18 outside the Pink Elephant Antique Mallat2648 Government St. The sale is free forall and lasts until 5p.m.
Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.
PROVIDED PHOTO
HappyScoops Ice Cream Parlor,13623 Hooper Road,Suite A, Baton Rouge,
STAFFPHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
PinkElephant owner Lisa Pellissier:‘Ijust love stuff. Peoplealways need stuff, and I’m always on the hunt for more stuff, too.’
Pellissier decorates for Halloween at the Pink Elephant.
Retailers hiring for the holidays with caution
ployers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — added just 22,000 jobs in August, down from 79,000 in July and well below the 80,000 that economists had expected.
Wall Street veers upward after Trump softens on China
BY STAN CHOE Associated Press
NEWYORK And back up goes Wall Street. U.S. stocks rallied Monday after President Donald Trump said “it will all be fine,” just days after he sent the market reeling by threatening much higher tariffs on China.
The S&P 500 jumped 1.6% in its best day since May and recovered just over half its drop from Friday The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 587 points, or 1.3%, and the Nasdaq composite leapt 2.2%.
“Don’t worry about China,”
Trump said on his social media platform Sunday He also said that China’s leader, Xi Jinping, “doesn’t want Depression for his country, and neither do I. The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it!!!”
It was a sharp turnaround from the anger Trump displayed on Friday when the S&P 500 tumbled to its worst drop since April after he accused China of “ a moral disgrace in dealing with other Nations.”
Trump pointed to “an extremely hostile letter” from China describing curbs to exports of rare earths, which are materials used in the manufacturing of everything from personal electronics to jet engines.
Trump said at the time that he may place an additional 100% tax on imports from China starting on Nov 1.
war but we are not afraid of one,” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement posted online.
Hours later, Trump posted his less confrontational talk about China on Truth Social. The backtrack in anger, which also came before trading began on Wall Street, raised hopes that the world’s two largest economies could find a way to allow global trade to continue smoothly
The down-and-up moves for the market echoed its manic swings during April. That’s when Trump shocked investors with his “Liberation Day” announcement of worldwide tariffs, only to eventually relent on many to give time to negotiate trade deals with other countries.
If this time ends up similarly, potentially even after a sharp drop for stock prices, subsiding trade tensions and uncertainty could allow for a rolling recovery to continue into 2026, according to Morgan Stanley strategists led by Michael Wilson.
BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP retail writer
NEW YORK Uncertainty over the economy and tariffs is forcing retailers to pull back or delay plans to hire seasonal workers who pack orders at distribution centers, serve shoppers at stores and build holiday displays during the most important selling season of the year
American Christmas LLC, which creates elaborate holiday installations for commercial properties such as New York’s Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, plans to hire 220 temporary workers and is ramping up recruitment nearly two months later than usual, CEO Dan Casterella said. Last year, it took on 300 people during its busy period.
The main reason? The company wants to offset its tariff bill, which Casterella expects to be as big as $1.5 million this year, more than double last year’s $600,000 “The issue is if you overstaff and then you underperform, it’s too late,” Casterella said. “I think everyone’s more mindful now than ever ” Online behemoth Amazon Inc. said Monday it intends to hire 250,000 full-, part-time and seasonal workers for the crucial shopping period, the same level as a year ago. But job placement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas forecasts overall holiday hiring for the last three months of the year will likely fall under 500,000 positions. That’s fewer than last year’s 543,000 level and also marks the smallest seasonal gain in 16 years when retailers hired 495,800 tem-
OpenAI and Broadcom
partner to design AI chips
SAN FRANCISCO OpenAI said Monday it is working with chipmaker Broadcom to design its own artificial intelligence computer chips.
The two California companies didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal but said they will start deploying the new racks of customized “AI accelerators” late next year
It’s the latest big deal between OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, and the companies building the chips and data centers required to power AI OpenAI in recent weeks has announced partnerships with chipmakers Nvidia and AMD that will supply the AI startup with specialized chips for running its AI systems. OpenAI has also made big deals with Oracle, CoreWeave and other companies developing the
porary workers, the firm said.
Among other companies cutting holiday payrolls: Radial, an ecommerce company that powers deliveries for roughly 120 companies like Lands’ End and Cole Haan and operates 20 fulfillment sites It plans to hire 6,500 workers, fewer than last year’s 7,000, and is waiting to the last minute to ramp up hiring for some of its clients, chief human resources officer Sabrina Wnorowski said.
Bath & Body Works, based in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, said it plans to hire 32,000 workers, below the 32,700 a year ago.
“We saw real strong signals that there’s been a cooling in the labor market, even beyond what our expectations were in the first nine months of the year,” Challenger Senior Vice President Andy Challenger said.
Challenger also noted companies are using artificial intelligence bots to replace some workers, particularly those working in call centers. And he’s also seeing companies hiring workers closer to when they need them.
Meanwhile, the list of companies staying mum about their specific holiday hiring goals keeps growing. Target Corp., UPS and Macy’s are declining to offer figures, a departure from years past.
Retailers’ hiring plans mark the first clues to what’s in store for the U.S. holiday shopping season and come as the U.S job market has lost momentum this year, partly because Trump’s trade wars have created uncertainty that’s paralyzing managers trying to make hiring decisions
The Labor Department reported in early September that U.S. em-
data centers where those chips are housed.
Many of the deals rely on circular financing, in which the companies are both investing in OpenAI and supplying the world’s most valuable startup with technology, fueling concerns about an AI bubble. OpenAI doesn’t yet turn a profit but says its flagship chatbot now has more than 800 million weekly users.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the work to develop a custom chip began more than a year ago.
“Developing our own accelerators adds to the broader ecosystem of partners all building the capacity required to push the frontier of AI to provide benefits to all humanity,” he said in a statement.
Broadcom shares surged more than 9% on Monday after the morning announcement.
Broadcom CEO Hock Tan said in
The government shutdown, which started Oct. 1 and has delayed the release of economic reports, could worsen the job picture.
In an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues, the White House budget office said Friday mass firings of federal workers have started.
Analysts will be closely monitoring the shutdown’s impact on spending. For now, many retailers say that consumers, while resilient, are selective. Analysts will also be watching how shoppers will react to price increases as a result of high tariff costs in the next few months, experts said.
Given an economic slowdown, holiday spending growth is expected to be smaller than a year ago, according to several forecasts.
Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks spending across all payment methods including cash, predicts that holiday sales will be up 3.6% from Nov 1 through Dec. 24. That compares with a 4.1% increase last year
Deloitte Services LP forecasts holiday retail sales to be up between 2.9% to 3.4% from Nov 1 through Jan. 31. That’s compares with 4.2% last year
And Adobe expects U.S. online sales to hit $253.4 billion from Nov 1 to Dec. 31, representing a 5.3% growth. That’s smaller than last year’s 8.7% growth.
Companies are increasingly wanting to hire workers closer to when they need them, experts said.
“In today’s environment, brands are really looking for us to be agile,” Radial’s Wnorowski said.
BRIEFS
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
a statement that “we are thrilled to codevelop and deploy 10 gigawatts of next generation accelerators and network systems to pave the way for the future of AI.”
JPMorgan to invest up to $10B in U.S. companies
JPMorgan Chase will directly invest up to $10 billion in U.S. companies with crucial ties to national security
The investment plan revealed Monday will focus on four areas: supply chain and advanced manufacturing in critical minerals, pharmaceutical precursors and robotics; defense and aerospace; energy independence, with investments in battery storage and grid resilience; and strategic technologies, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum computing.
For its part, China urged the United States to resolve differences through negotiations instead of threats. “We do not want a tariff
To be sure, the U.S stock market may have been primed for a drop. It was already facing criticism that prices had shot too high following a torrid 35% run for the S&P 500 from a low in April. The index, which dictates the movements for many 401(k) accounts, is still near its all-time high set last week. Not only did Trump’s backdown from tariffs help stocks soar since April, so did expectations for several cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve to help the economy
China’s exports to the U.S. drop in September
BY CHAN HO-HIM AP business writer
HONG KONG China’s exports to the United States fell 27% in September from the year before, even though growth in its global exports hit a six-month high.
Customs figures released Monday showed that China’s worldwide exports were 8.3% higher than a year earlier, at $328.5 billion, surpassing economists’ estimates. That was markedly better than the 4.4% year-on-year increase in August.
Imports grew 7.4% last month, significantly better than a 1.3% increase by year in August, although a weaker domestic economy and a real estate sector downturn continue to weigh on demand and consumption.
China’s exports to the United States have fallen for six straight months. In August they dropped 33%.
The outlook is cloudy as a truce between Beijing and Washington unravels and both sides hit out with new tariffs and other retaliatory measures. As exports to the United States
have come under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies aimed at trying to get manufacturers to shift factories to America, China has expanded markets for its products in other regions.
Shipments to Southeast Asia grew 15.6% year-on-year in September Exports to Latin America and Africa were up 15% and 56%, respectively
“Currently the external environment is still severe and complicated. Trade is facing increasing uncertainty and difficulties,” Wang Jun, vice minister of China’s customs agency said at a news conference Monday “We still need to put in more efforts to stabilize trade in the fourth quarter.”
China’s exports “continue to show resilience given the low costs and limited choices for replacement globally despite the higher tariffs,” said Gary Ng, a senior economist at Natixis.
“What is more worrisome is not only tariffs but export controls,” Ng added. “If we begin to see an escalation in export controls halting supply chains, this may have a more prolonged impact.”
The investment is part of the bank’s Security and Resiliency Initiative, a $1.5 trillion, 10-year plan to facilitate, finance and invest in industries critical to national security.
“It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products and manufacturing all of which are essential for our national security,” Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement. “Our security is predicated on the strength and resiliency of America’s economy America needs more speed and investment.”
Dutch government takes control of Nexperia
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Dutch government took effective control of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nex-
peria in what it said was a “highly exceptional” move over worries that corporate governance shortcomings pose a potential risk to European economic security In a statement Sunday, the Dutch ministry of economic affairs said it had invoked the rarely used Goods Availability Act to intervene in the business of Nexperia, which makes semiconductors used in the automotiveandconsumertechnologyindustries. Nexperia is based in the Dutch city of Nijmegen but it’s owned by China’s Wingtech Technology Concerns about Nexperia’s governance “posed a threat to the continuity and safeguarding on Dutch and European soil of crucial technological knowledge and capabilities,” the ministry said. “Losing these capabilities could pose a risk to Dutch and European economic security,” it said, without elaborating
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By TED SHAFFREy
A worker sorts items at the Amazon same-day delivery fulfillment shipping center in Woodland Park, N.J While the shopping behemoth intends to hire 250,000 full-, part-time and seasonal workers for the crucial shopping period the same level as a year ago, economic uncertainties are forcing some retailers to pull back or delay plans to hire seasonal workers.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Takeachance, putyour best footforward and dazzle whoever you pitchtowith your enthusiasm. Paintyour vision with color andpossibilities, but don't promise the impossible.
SCORPIO (Oct.24-Nov. 22) Select your wordswisely. Anger or apushy attitude will not yield theresults youare seeking. Discipline, networking and showcasing your skills andexpertise will pave the way to success.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov.23-Dec.21) Moremoney is within reach if you are diligent and embrace what youdobest. Love, commitment and awareness are on the rise, helping you exceed your expectations.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Check your information for validity beforepassing information along. Protect your reputation and focusonwhat's possible. Avoid taking risks that could lead to illness or injury.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put everything youencounter in perspective Take your time and react accordingly. Jumping to conclusions will endup costing you your time, moneyorreputation.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Get creative; embrace lifeand use your intelligence to turnyourattributes into alucrative endeavor. It's time to pursueyour dream instead of just livinginyour imagination.
ARIES(March 21-April 19) Thinkoutside thebox.Surround yourselfwith people
who challenge you to thinkand strive to utilizeyourtalents to enrich your life. Be the force thatleads to peace of mind andhappiness.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You may resist change, but you should rethink your hesitation.Opportunity knocks, and it'suptoyou to takeachance if it will improve your life. Thought followed by action is the best route forward
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) If you crave change,makeithappen. Look around, and you'll discover what you need to move ahead. It's agood day to network, socializeand expand your interestsand circle of friends
CANCER(June 21-July 22) Use your strengths to convince others to trust and believe in you. Stop hiding out when you shouldget out and fraternize with people whocan help you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Keep your opinions to yourself. Someone will use your wordsand vulnerabilities against you. Don't let anger set in when it's better to work toward becoming whoyou want to be
VIRGO(Aug. 23-Sept.22) Educateyourself. Thoughts followed by actionswill encourage growth and sustainability. Walk away from unpredictable situations. Keep life simple and affordable.
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the samenumber only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
BY PHILLIP ALDER
Edwin Percy Whipple, a19th-century essayist,wrote, “Talent jogs to conclusions to whichGenius takes giant leaps. That is fine as long as Genius isn’t missing the mark, which can happen. Slowlyreachingtherightanswerismuch better than jumping to the wrong conclusion.
In today’s deal, South is in three notrump. West leads his fourth-highest spade. East wins with his ace and returns the two (lowestofthree remaining cards). South wins with his king and cashes the club ace, but East discards aspade. How should declarer proceed from there? Also, whatdoyou think of the bidding?
Takingthose questionsinreverse order, South should open two no-trump. He has 21 prime points with so many aces and kings. To open one diamond andrebid threeclubs wouldprobably work finehere, butitwouldrisk missing aslambecause partner wouldnot expect such apowerful hand.
The badclub break is bothersome, but might South still take nine tricks?
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: 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,”suchas“bats”or“dies,”are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused.4.Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
toDAY’s WoRD toILER: TOY-ler: Anet to trap game.
Average mark 15 words
Time limit 25 minutes
Can you find 23 or more words in TOILER?
YEstERDAY’s WoRD —LYMPHoMA
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
Saturday, October 18 10:00 am4:00pm
Lights,camera, make:EBR Library’sMaker Fairecelebrates theart of filmmakingonOct.18
By Amanda McElfresh | amcelfresh@theadvocate.com This articleisbrought to youbythe East BatonRouge Parish Library.
We canall remember themovie moments that left us in awe–a carchase througha busy metropolis,asuperhero swooping in to save the dayjust in thenickoftime, twopeopleembracing aftertoo long spent apart. Whetherwe’ve watched thosescenesinthe darkness of atheater or the comfortofthe living room couch, they serveasa reminder of thepower of cinema
Thosescenesdon’t happen by accident.Aside from theperformers on screen,eachmovie comestolifethankstohundredsofpeople behindthe scenes.OnOctober 18,the East BatonRouge Parish Libraryisopening that worldoffilmmaking to thepublicduringthe 12th annual BatonRouge MakerFaire
Theevent will runfrom10 a.m. to 4p.m Oct. 18 at theMainLibrary at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Boulevard.
andTransformers: Revengeofthe Fallen
Otherworkshops at theMaker Fairewill focusontopicssuchasavantgardefilm scores stop motionanimation, greenscreentechnology andscreenwriting
Courtney said theMaker Fairehas grown significantly over thepastdecade-plus.Infact, the eventusedtobecalledthe Mini MakerFaire,but thelibrary eventually adjusted thenametoreflect
“The MakerFaire is acelebration of innovation andcreativity. Everyyearhas atheme, andthisyear’stheme is filmmaking,”saidJordan Courtney,EBRPL Makerspace Librarian. “This festival is for everyone.You canbring thekids, bringthe grandparents –anyonewho appreciates an environmentwhere they will getthatcreative spark.
TheMaker Fairewillfeature showings of Buster Keaton’sshort film TheGoat,withlive performances of thescore by Breadstick Space Operaand specialeffects from Clay Acheeand MichaelRusso.There willalsobepanel discussionswithlocalfilmmakers from theBaton Rouge Underground Film Festival,aswellasstunt professionalsincluding formerLSU Baseball player MichaelPapajohn. Papajohn hasmadea Hollywood career as astuntman, appearingin numerous Spider-Man films,inadditiontohits like Jurassic World, Dawn of thePlanetofthe Apes
itsbroader scope. Thefullscheduleofeventscan be foundonlineatbatonrouge.makerfaire.com
Thegrowthofthe MakerFaire hascome alongsideexpansionsofmakerspaces at East BatonRouge Parish Libraries. Thosespacesare locatedatthe Goodwood,Bluebonnet, JonesCreek GreenwellSprings andRiver Center branches
“The wholeideaofthe makerspacesistogive people access to spaceand equipmentfor creativity or entrepreneurship,” Courtney said.“We like to tell people that this spaceisastudioorlab that you canuse to collaborate, create andinvent, whether it’s for apersonalendeavorora business project.
Theusesofthe librarymakerspaces areas diverseasthe equipmentavailable.For example, Courtney said onelocal womanusedthe sound technology to record an audiobookthatwas later published. At arecentconcert,Courtneynoted
that some of theband’smerchandise wasmadeat thelibrary.And,whenone area resident couldn’t findthe rightstorage option to help organize her closet,she founda3Dmodel online anduseditas ablueprint to buildher ownwithamakerspace 3D printer.
Most makerspace services at EBRPLare free, althoughCourtneysaidsomeprintingfeesmayapply to certainprojects. Equipmentcan be reserved in advanceand some trainingisrequiredbefore patronscan earn abadge allowing them full accesstothe makerspaces
Courtney said thehopeisthatthe Maker Fairewillinspire creativity in localresidents whethertheywanttobecomethe next popular filmmaker,recordamust-listen podcast or createpersonalizeditems fortheir friends andfamily.
Visitbatonrouge.makerfaire.com to learn more aboutthe 12th annual BatonRouge Maker Faireorthe makerspaces throughout thelibrary system
Thrive!EBR and East BatonRouge Parish Library
•The Library’sCURRENT 10-Year DedicatedPropertyTax EXPIRES in December 2025.
•Thistax accounts foralmost100% of the Library’sfunding
•The Library’sTax Renewal is Proposition #1 on the ballot on November15. (That’sahome game for both LSU and Southern.)
•Early Voting beginsNovember1.
•ThisisNOT anew tax.
•Householdswill paythe same 11.1millagerateasin1995, 2005, and2015.
UseofFunds
•The Librarywill retain aDEDICATED annual millage of 8.3mills,which is sufficienttocontinue ALL hours of operations at all locations forthe next 10 years.
•The Librarywill retain $60Millioninits Fund Balance,which preserves the Pay-As-You-Go Capital Improvements Plan and supportsfuture operational and self-insuranceneeds
•Asper City-Parish officials, 2.8 millsofthe Library’sannualmillage will be re-allocated to “Parish General Purposes,”to be appliedannuallytoparish-wideInfrastructureneeds forthe Stormwater Master Plan, Street MaintenanceProjects, andtostabilize the budget. Addressingdrainage and stormwater projects willreduce the risk of floodingthroughout the parishand eventually lower insurancerates
•The Library will make aone-time re-allocationof$52.4 Millionfromits savings in Fund Balance, which will be used to paydownthe Parish-Wide GeneralFund Debt.This willresultinanimmediate benefit to the citizens of the parish by freeingupfundspreviously spent to servicethe debt, instead of allocating it to localservices.
Other Partners with theThrivePlan
•The Thrive Plan also includes the 1.0 millsrenewalfor MosquitoAbatementand RodentControl (MARC),which is Proposition#2onthe ballotonNovember15.
•The Thrive Plan also includes the 2.25mills renewalfor the East BatonRougeCouncil on Aging (COA), which is Proposition #3 on the ballotonNovember15.
•All threedepartments agreed to the Thrive Plan:the Library, MARC,and the COA.
•The Thrive Plan wasunanimously approvedbyall members of the MetroCouncil;ithas also received numerous endorsements.
What Happens If theLibrary’sTax FAILS?
•Ifthe TaxProposal FAILSonNovember15, 2025, the LibrarywillreceiveZEROnew revenuefromthe 2026 tax year
•The Librarywouldhavetobegin to usefundsfromits savings in Fund Balance in ordertocontinue to operate.
•The Librarywouldthen have to go backtothe voters with aNEW millage proposition. Since we area department of City-Parishgovernment, theMetro Councilmustapproveany new TaxElection to take placein2026 or beyond
•Revenues from asuccessful Spring 2026election would not be received untilJanuary2027. Revenues from asuccessful Fall 2026 election would not be received until 2028.
•Toberesponsible and prudent, andnot knowing whennew revenues wouldbereceived,wewould have to begin cutting back.The Librarywould have to carefullyevaluateand consider deeper cuts to the book andAVbudget,eBooks,the database subscription budget,periodicals, public programming,and reductions in hours of servicethroughout the system, etc. We wouldstart to operatein2026ataREDUCED expenditurerate, until such time as new taxrevenues were approved
•The Library’sFundBalancecould sustain operations foratleastone year.However,the longer the Library“livesoff itssavings,”the greaterthe impactonthe Capital Improvements Plan and allfutureplans.
