The Acadiana Advocate 10-15-2025

Grand Réveil Acadien

Marlene Doucet speaks to guests about cotton spinning and weaving during the Great Acadian Awakening on Tuesday at Vermilionville. The multiday celebration of the history, culture and influence of Acadian people, held every five years, will continue through Saturday with presentations, live music, food, French tables, dancing, art and more across Acadiana.

Shutdown brings unprecedented restructuring

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is making this government shutdown unlike any the nation has ever seen, giving his budget office rare authority to pick winners and losers — who gets paid or fired, which programs are cut or survive in an unprecedented restructuring across the federal workforce.

As the shutdown enters its third week, the Office and Management and Budget said Tuesday it’s preparing to “batten down the hatches” with more reductions in force to come. The president calls budget chief Russ Vought the “grim reaper,” and Vought has seized on the opportunity to fund

Clerk restricts access to crime records

Official defends policy as advocates call for transparency

BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer

Amy Davis woke up to sirens before dawn on April 8, 2022. Three doors down from her Bee Tree Street home in Westlake, her neighbor had shot a man.

But the particulars of the crime would remain hidden from public view Davis has largely had to lean on rumors from neighbors about the status of the case.

That’s because the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court’s Office maintains a policy that says they will not turn over violent crime records to the public without a signed order from a judge.

“If we make a mistake on that and it arbitrarily gets out and someone gets murdered, that comes back on us.”

Attorneys and constitutional experts say the policy likely violates the state constitution’s open courts and public records provisions, the state public records law and the First Amendment.

LyNN JONES, Calcasieu Parish clerk of court

“The whole point when you have a serious criminal allegation is that it be out there for everybody to see to make sure the punishment is fair, that the trial is fair and that people can see the repercussions of bad behavior,” said David Cuillier, director of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida.

“There’s a lot of reasons why transparency is built into the

ä See RECORDS, page 7A

Archaeologists uncover 2,000-year-old tombstone

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Santoro and her hus-

doing

a lemon tree, hidden under a tangle of thick vines and dirt.

Santoro heard Lorenzo call for her: “You’ve got to come see this.” The couple looked closely at the stone and noticed Latin letters

carved across it. Santoro, an anthropologist at Tulane University, was “immediately fascinated” by the discovery, imagining that it was a grave marker left behind by the home’s previous owners for a family member She reached out to colleagues in Latin and classical studies, who suggested the slab might be something far more unlikely an authentic Roman tombstone. They were skeptical, but it turned out that the improbable theory was correct. The stone was a 2,000-year-old grave marker for Sextus Congenius Verus, a secondcentury soldier and sailor in the

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

ABOVE: Zachary Richard gives a presentation on the Acadians of Louisiana during the Great Acadian Awakening on Tuesday.

RIGHT: Attendees gather at the La Maison des Cultures at Vermilionville on Tuesday.

PHOTO PROVIDED By DANIELLA SANTORO

An ancient Roman tombstone was found in the backyard of a New Orleans home in March.

CALCASIEU PARISH

Lawyers seek man’s release in Etan Patz case

NEW YORK Lawyers for a man whose conviction in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz was recently overturned asked a judge on Tuesday to set a date for his release from prison if prosecutors don’t decide soon to hold a new trial.

Pedro Hernandez’s conviction was overturned in July by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which ruled that the jury in his 2017 trial should have gotten a more thorough explanation from the judge of its options, which could have included disregarding all of the confessions. He was ordered freed unless he was retried “within a reasonable period.”

Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan did not immediately rule on the request by Hernandez’s lawyers to set a date to free their client.

Tropical Storm Lorenzo weakens in Atlantic

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Lorenzo has weakened as it churns in the central tropical Atlantic Ocean and does not threaten land, forecasters said.

The storm was located about 1,430 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands on Tuesday afternoon and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It was moving northwest at 12 mph.

The storm has tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 60 miles from the center It was expected to turn north later Tuesday night and then toward the northeast over the next few days before dissipating. It was not expected to threaten land 8th body found at Georgia crash site

ATLANTA An eighth body has been discovered at the site of a fiery Georgia highway crash between a semitrailer and van, Deputy Jackson County Coroner Dean Stringer said Tuesday

The victims were killed Monday afternoon, when a semitrailer struck a van and it burst into flames, according to law enforcement

The semitrailer was following too close to the Dodge van on Interstate 85 in Jackson County, about 62 miles northeast of Atlanta, when the crash happened, authorities said Four other vehicles also crashed in what officials described as a “chain reaction” after the initial collision.

Man pleads guilty in arson at governor’s home

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A man who scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to ignite the occupied Pennsylvania governor’s mansion pleaded guilty Tuesday to the attempted murder of Gov Josh Shapiro. Cody Balmer also entered pleas to terrorism, 22 counts of arson, aggravated arson, burglary aggravated assault 21 counts of reckless endangerment and loitering in the April 13 attack that caused millions of dollars in damage to the stateowned brick building. Under a plea deal, Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison, far less than he could have faced if the case went to trial. Defense attorney Bryan Walk said Balmer “is taking full responsibility” and paying “a hefty price for a man who’s 38 years old.”

Supreme Court rejects Alex Jones’ appeal

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and left in place the $1.4 billion judgment against him over his description of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as a hoax staged by crisis actors. The Infowars host had argued that a judge was wrong to find him liable for defamation and infliction of emotional distress without holding a trial on the merits of allegations lodged by relatives of victims of the shooting, which killed 20 first

six

Israel says Red Cross transferring 4 coffins

Military agency threatens to slash Gaza aid deliveries

BY SAM MEDNICK and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press

TEL AVIV Israel Hamas hastened Tuesday to ease the pressure on a fragile ceasefire in its war with Israel by returning the bodies of more dead hostages after an Israeli military agency said it would slash aid deliveries to Gaza by half over concerns that the militant group was handing remains slower than agreed.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said late Tuesday that it handed over to Israeli authorities four deceased hostages “in line with the ceasefire agreement.” This latest transfer comes a day after Israel received the remains of another four hostages.

The United Nations’ humanitarian office in famine-stricken Gaza received word of the humanitarian aid cuts from the Israeli military agency in charge of transferring aid to the territory, according to spokesperson Olga Cherevko. In its notification, the agency known as COGAT said it would allow 300 trucks a day instead of the 600 called for under the deal.

U.S. officials were also notified,

according to three Associated Press sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern in a social media post that too few of the dead hostages have been returned. He made no mention of Israel halving the flow of aid into the territory

Trump also warned Hamas that if “they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”

A day earlier Israelis celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages in Gaza and Palestinians rejoiced at Israel’s release of some 2,000 prisoners and detainees as part of the ceasefire’s first phase. Hamas and the Red Cross have said that recovering the remains of dead hostages is a challenge because of Gaza’s destruction, and Hamas told mediators of the deal that some are in areas controlled by Israeli troops.

The U.S.-proposed ceasefire plan called for all hostages living and dead to be handed over within 72 hours, meaning on Monday But it provided a mechanism if that didn’t happen saying Hamas should share information about deceased hostages and “exert maximum effort” to carry out the handover as soon as

possible.

Families of hostages and their supporters expressed dismay that only four of the 28 bodies were returned on Monday The Hostages Family Forum, representing many families, called it a “blatant violation of the agreement by Hamas.”

The top official in Israel coordinating the return of hostages and the missing, Gal Hirsch, told the families in a note that pressure was being applied on Hamas through mediators to expedite the process. A copy of the note was seen by the AP and its authenticity was confirmed by someone with knowledge of the statement.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the identity of the four dead hostages returned on Monday: Guy Illouz from Israel, Bipin Joshi from Nepal, Cpt. Daniel Peretz and Yossi Sharabi. Illouz was abducted from a music festival, Joshi from a bomb shelter and Sharabi from Be’eri Kibbutz during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that ignited the war Israel said Illouz died of his wounds without proper medical treatment, while Joshi was killed in the war’s first months.

Madagascar’s president ousted after weeks of youth-led protests

BY

NQOBILE NTSHANGASE, BRIAN INGANGA, SARAH TETAUD and GERALD IMRAY

Associated Press

ANTANANARIVO Madagascar Madagascar

President Andry Rajoelina was toppled Tuesday in a military coup that capped weeks of youth protests over poverty power outages and a lack of opportunity in the Indian Ocean island country

Right after parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina, who fled the country fearing for his safety the leader of Madagascar’s elite CAPSAT military unit said the armed forces would form a council made up of officers from the armed forces and gendarmerie, a military unit that polices civilians, and would appoint a prime minister to “quickly” form a civilian government.

“We are taking power,” Col. Michael Randrianirina told reporters in front of a ceremonial presidential palace in the capital, Antananarivo, as protesters celebrated the news with soldiers. He said the constitution and High Constitutional Court’s powers had been suspended, and that a referendum would be held in two years, though he didn’t go into detail.

From an undisclosed location after fleeing, Rajoelina issued a decree Tuesday trying to dissolve parliament’s lower house in an apparent attempt to preempt being impeached. But lawmakers ignored it and voted overwhelmingly to end the rule of the 51-year-old leader, who himself came to power as a transitional leader in a military-backed coup in 2009.

Rajoelina’s office released a statement condemning Randrianirina’s announcement as an “illegal declaration” and “a serious breach of the rule of law.”

“The Republic of Madagascar cannot be taken hostage by force. The State re-

mains standing,” it said.

Madagascar, a sprawling island country off the east coast of southern Africa, is home to about 30 million people. It is the world’s biggest vanilla producer and, because of its geographic isolation, is known for its biodiversity Since gaining its independence from French colonial rule in 1960, it has struggled to overcome poverty and political instability, including a series of coups.

Rajoelina’s fall capped weeks of Gen Zled protests that started over persistent electricity and water outages but snowballed into demonstrations of frustration with the government and Rajoelina’s leadership. Protesters raised a range of issues, including government corruption, access to higher education, the cost of living and poverty, which affects about 75% of Madagascar’s population, according to the World Bank. Although young people led the demonstrations, others also took part, including civic groups and unions.

U.S. strikes another boat near Venezuela

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The United States struck another small boat accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela, killing six people, President Donald Trump said Tuesday Those who died in the strike were aboard the vessel, and no U.S. forces were harmed, the Republican president said in a social media post It’s the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean as Trump’s administration has asserted it’s treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the strike Tuesday morning, said Trump, who released a video of it, as he had in the past. Hegseth later shared the video in a post on X. The black-and-white video showed a small boat that appeared stationary on the water. Seconds into the video, it is struck by a projectile from overhead and explodes. The boat is then seen floating aflame for several seconds.

Trump said the strike was conducted in international waters and “intelligence” confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with “narcoterrorist networks” and was on a known drug trafficking route.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking more information on the latest boat strike, but one defense official confirmed that the details in the social media post were accurate.

Frustration with the Trump administration has been growing on Capitol Hill among members of both major political parties. Some Republicans are seeking more information from the White House on the legal justification and details of the strikes. Democrats contend the strikes violate U.S. and international law

The Senate last week voted on a war powers resolution that would have barred the Trump administration from conducting the strikes unless Congress specifically authorized them, but it failed to pass.

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graders and

educators in Newtown, Connecticut.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yOUSEF AL ZANOUN

A gunman wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stands guard Tuesday as Red Cross vehicles enter a warehouse to collect coffins containing the bodies of four hostages in Gaza City

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRIAN INGANGA

Shaniah Rakotohania, an 18-year-old university student at Lycee Technique Alarabia, gestures Tuesday during a protest calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down in Antananarivo, Madagascar

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Trumpthreatens Argentinasupport

Presidentwarns voters aheadofmidterm elections

BY SEUNG MINKIM and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to pullassistance for Argentina —led by apolitical kindred spirit whose philosophy aligns with that of the Republican administration—if thenation’sinternalpoliticsdon’t go the UnitedStates’ way in itsupcoming elections.

The comments came during a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, whose country is set to hold midterm elections forits legislative body later this month.

U.S. presidents typically do not weigh in on the candidatesinother

countries’ democratic elections.

Referring to an opponent that was “extremely far-left” whoencompassed a“philosophy thatgot Argentinaintothisproblem in the first place,” Trump warned that the United Stateswouldn’t “waste our time”with largesse towardBuenos Airesif Milei does notprevail.In addition to the midterms that will be areferendum on his policies, Milei himself is up for reelection in 2027

“We’re notgoing to let somebody get into office and squander the taxpayer moneyfrom this country

I’mnot gonna let ithappen,” Trump saidfrom theCabinet Room as he preparedto eatlunch with Milei

“If he loses, we are not going to be

generous withArgentina.”

Evenso, Trump insistedthatthe $20 billion assistance to Argentina,which administration officials strenuously deny is abailout, was abouthelping “our neighbors” ratherthan any tiestothe upcoming midterms

“It’sjust helping agreatphilosophy take over agreat country,”the U.S.president said. “Argentina is oneofthe mostbeautiful countries thatI’ve ever seen, and we want to seeitsucceed. It’s very simple.”

U.S. TreasurySecretary Scott Bessent added that the administration believedMilei’scoalitionin the upcoming midterms would “do quitewell and continue his reform agenda.”

of Freedom to Charlie Kirk in the Rose Garden of the

TrumphonorsKirk with MedalofFreedom

BY WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON President

DonaldTrump on Tuesday posthumously awarded America’shighest civilian honor to Charlie Kirk, the assassinated activist whoinspired ageneration of young conservatives and helped push thenation’spoliticsfurther to the right.

The ceremony coincided with what would havebeen Kirk’s32nd birthday.Itcame just over amonth after the Turning Point USA founder was fatally shot while speaking to acrowd at Utah Valley University In asign of Kirk’sclose ties to the administration, he was the first recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Trump’ssecond term. The president also spoke at Kirk’s funeralinSeptember,calling him a“great American hero” and “martyr” for free-

dom, while Vice President JD Vanceaccompanied his body home to Arizona on Air Force Twoalong with Kirk’s widow, Erika.

“We’re here to honorand remember afearless warrior forliberty,beloved leader who galvanized the next generationlikenobody I’ve ever seen before, and an American patriot of the deepest conviction,the finest quality and the highest caliber,” Trump said Tuesday afternoon. Of Kirk’skilling, Trump said, “He was assassinated in theprime of his life for boldly speaking thetruth,for living hisfaith andrelentless fighting for abetter andstronger America.”

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 for individuals making exceptional contributions “to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other

significant public or private endeavors.”

Trumpreturned to theU.S. in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday after awhirlwind trip to Israel and Egypt to celebrate aceasefire agreementinIsrael’swar withHamasinGaza that his administration was instrumental in brokering.

Trump joked thathealmost requested to reschedule the ceremonybecause of thetrip.

“I racedbackhalfway around the globe,” Trump said. “I was going to call Erika and say,‘Erika, could you maybe move it to Friday?’ AndIdidn’thave the courage to call. But youknow whyI didn’tcall? BecauseI heard today was Charlie’s birthday.”

In asign of Trump’scrowded schedule, Argentine President JavierMilei, who had been visiting withthe president at the White House earlier,stayedontoattendthe ceremony

Grammy-winning R&B singer D’Angelo dies at 51

BY JONATHANLANDRUM JR. Associated Press

D’Angelo, the Grammywinning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smoothvoice andfor garnering mainstream attention with theshirtless “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video, hasdied. He was 51.

The singer,whosereal name wasMichael Eugene Archer,diedTuesdayafter along bout withcancer,his family said in astatement.

It calledhim “a shining star of our family and has dimmed his light for us in this life,” adding that they are “eternally grateful for thelegacy of extraordinarily moving musicheleaves behind.”

In his music, D’Angelo blended hip-hop grit, emphatic souland gospelrootedemotion into asound thathelped spearhead the

INVISION FILEPHOTO

D’Angelo died Tuesdayafter along bout with cancer,his family saidinastatement.

neo-soul movement of the 1990s. Earlierthis year,the Virginia native celebrated the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album “Brown Sugar,”a platinum-selling offering that produced signature hitslike“Lady” and the title track. The 1995 album earned him multiple Grammy nominations andcemented him as oneofR&B’smost original new voices. D’Angelo’ssultry vocal style —amix of raspy texture and church-bred fluid-

BY CHRISTOPHER WEBER and HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Arare October storm pummeled Southern Californiawith several inches of rain on Tuesday, swelling rivers, causing freeway accidents and prompting evacuations in wildfire-scarred neighborhoods where the threatof mudslides was high.

The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings in several counties where recent firesleft hillsides without vegetation to hold soil in place, making it easier for the terrainto loosenduring

ity—set him apartfrom his peers. Thatvoice became inseparable from the striking visuals of his 2000 single “Untitled(HowDoes It Feel).” The minimalist, shirtless music video became acultural touchstone, igniting conversations around artistry,sexuality andvulnerabilityinBlack malerepresentation. The song earned him aGrammy for best maleR&B vocal performance andpropelled his sophomore album “Voodoo,” topping the Billboard 200 chartand winning the Grammy forbest R&B album. With an idiosyncratic spiritnot unlike Prince, D’Angelo’sdevotion was always to the craft —not the machinery around it. In a2000 interviewwith The Associated Press, he spoke candidly about the cost of chasing commercial success.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByALEX BRANDON

PresidentDonaldTrump greets Argentina President Javier Mileion

White House in Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

Erika Kirk wipes her eyes Tuesdayasamilitaryaide readsthe citation before President Donald Trump posthumously awards the PresidentialMedal

White House.

Airports refuse to play Noem shutdown video

Some facilities saymessage is toopolitical

BY ADRIANA GOMEZLICON Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. Several large airportsaroundthe country are refusing to play avideo with amessage from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which sheblames Democratsfor the federalgovernment shutdown andits impacts on TSA operations because of its political content.

Airports in NewYork; Atlanta; Chicago; Las Vegas; Charlotte; Phoenix; Seattle and moresay the video goes against their airport policy or regulations whichprohibit political messaging in their facilities. Various government agencies, in

SHUTDOWN

Continued from page1A

Trump’spriorities, paying the military while slashing jobs in health, education, the sciences and other areas with actions that have been criticized as illegal and are facing court challenges Trump said programs favored by Democrats are being targetedand “they’re nevergoing to come back, in many cases.”

Speaking during an event at the White House,Trump added, “We’re being able to do things that we were unable to do before.”

With Congress at astandstill —the Republican-led House refusing to return to session and the Senate stuck in aloopoffailed votes to reopen government as Democrats demand health care funding —the budget office quickly filled the void.

Vought, achief architect of the conservative Project 2025 policy book, is reshaping the size and scope of federal government in ways similar to those envisioned in the blueprint. It is exactly what certain lawmakers, particularly Democrats, feared if Congress failed to fund the government.

Trump’spriorities —supporting the military and pursuing his mass deportation agenda —have been largely uninterrupted, despite the closures.The administration foundleftover tariff revenues to ensure the Women, Infants and Children food aid program did not shutter But the Trump administration is shuttering scores of other programs, firing workers handlingspecial education and after-schoolprograms and those guarding thenation’sinfrastructure from cyber attacks. More than4,100federal workers received layoff notices over the weekend.

“Thisshutdownisdifferentfrom earlieronesbecauseDonald Trump and Russ Vought andall of their cronies are using this moment to terrorize thesepatriotic federal employees,” said Sen. Chris VanHollen,

emails to workers and on websites, have adoptedlanguage that blames Democrats for the shutdown, with some expertsarguing it couldbe in violationofthe 1939 Hatch Act, which restrictscertain political activitiesbyfederalemployees

Theshutdown has halted routine operations and left airports scrambling with flight disruptions. Democrats say any deal to reopen the government has toaddress their health care demands, and Republicans say they won’tnegotiate until they agree to fund the government. Insurance premiums would double if Congress failstorenew the subsidypaymentsthatexpireDec. 31.

In the video, Noem saysthat TSA’s“top priority”istohelp make travel pleasant andefficient while keeping passengers safe.

“However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted,and most of ourTSA em-

ployees are working without pay,” she continues.

The Transportation Security Administration falls under theDepartment of Homeland Security Roughly 61,000 of the agency’s 64,130 employees are required to continue working during theshutdown. The departmentsaid Friday that the video is being rolled out to airports across thecountry ADHS spokeswoman responded to arequest forcommentrestating someofthe message from Noem’s video.

“It’s unfortunateour workforce hasbeen put in this position due to political gamesmanship. Ourhope is that Democrats will soon recognize theimportance of opening the government,” spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.

The PortAuthorityofNew York and New Jersey,which operates JFK InternationalAirport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty InternationalAirport, said

it would not air the videos, citing rules against “politically partisan messages.”

The Chicago Department of Aviation said advertising and public service announcements must follow guidelines that “prohibit content thatendorses or opposes any named political party.” The Harry Reid International Airport, in Las Vegas, said it had to “remain mindful of the Hatch Act’srestrictions.”

“Per airport regulations, the terminals and surrounding areas are notdesignatedpublic forums, and theairport’sintent is to avoid the use of the facilityfor political or religious advocacy,” thestatementsaid.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins saidthe county northofNew York City won’t play thevideoatits local airport. In a statement, he called the video “inappropriate, unacceptable, and inconsistent with the values we expect from our nation’stop public officials,” and said its tone is

D-Md., standing with federal workers Tuesday outside the White House budget office.

VanHollensaidit’s“a big fatlie”when Trump and his budget director say theshutdown is making them fire federal workers. “It is also illegal and we will see them in court,” he said. Now on its 14th day, the federal closure is quickly becoming oneofthe longest government shutdowns. Congress failedtomeet the Oct. 1deadlinetopassthe annualappropriations bills neededtofund thegovernment as theDemocratsdemanded adeal to preserve expiring health care funds that providesubsidiesfor people to purchase insurance throughthe Affordable CareAct.

HouseSpeaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said Tuesday he has nothingtonegotiate with the Democrats until they vote to reopen the government.

The Republican speaker welcomed OMB’slatest actions to pay some workers and fire others.

“They haveevery right to move thefunds around,” Johnson saidatanewsconference at the Capitol. If the Democrats want to challenge the Trump administration in court, Johnsonsaid, “bring it.”

Typically,federal workers are furloughed during a lapse in funding, traditionally with back pay once government funding is restored But Vought’sbudgetoffice announced late last week that the reductions in forces had begun. Some750,000 employees are being furloughed.

At the same time, Trump instructed the militaryto find money to ensure service personnelwouldn’t miss paychecksthisweek The Pentagon said over the weekend it was able to tap $8 billioninunusedresearch and developmentfunds to makepayroll.

On Tuesday,Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said heragency was relying on Trump’sbig tax cuts lawfor funding to make sure members of theCoast Guard are also paid.

“WeatDHS worked out an innovative solution,” Noem said in astatement. Thanks to Trump’s“OneBig Beautiful Bill,” she said, “the brave men and women of the US Coast Guard will not miss a paycheck this week.”

In past shutdowns, the OMBhas overseen agency plans during the lapse in federal fundings, ensuring which workers are essential andremain on thejob Vought,however,has taken

his role further by speaking openly abouthis plans to go after the federal workforce. As agencies started making their shutdown plans, Vought’sOMB encouraged department heads tocon-

“unnecessarily alarmist” as it relatestooperationsatWestchester County Airport.

“At atime whenweshouldbe focused on ensuring stability,collaboration and preparedness, this type of messaging only distracts from thereal issues, andundermines public trust,” he said. Even in red states, airports weren’tshowing the video for various reasons. Salt Lake City International Airport wasn’tplaying the videobecause state lawprohibits using city-owned property forpolitical purposes, said airport spokesperson Nancy Volmer The airport in Billings, Montana, “politely declined” even though it has screens that could show the videowith audio,assistant aviation director Paul Khera said Tuesday “Wedon’twanttoget in the middleofpartisanpolitics,” Khera said. “Welike to stay middle of the road, we didn’twant to play that video.”

sider reductions in force, an unheard-of action.The budgetoffice’sgeneral counsel, Mark Paoletta, suggested in adraftmemo that the workforcemay notbeautomaticallyeligiblefor back pay once government reopens.

Trumpposted an AI-generated videolastweek that portrayed Vought wearing a cloak and carrying ascythe, against the backdrop of the classic rock staple“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”

“Every authoritarian leader hashad his grim reaper Russell Vought is Donald Trump’s,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer, the seniorDemocrat from Maryland.

Hoyer compared the budget chief to billionaire Elon Musk wielding achain saw earlierthis year during the Department of Government Efficiency’sslashingofthe workforce. “Vought swings his scythe through the federal government as thoughtlessly,” he said. In many ways, Trump’s taxcuts lawgavethe White Houseavast newallotment of federal funding forits

priority projects, separate from the regular appropriations process in Congress. The package unleashed some $175 billion for the Pentagon, including for the “Golden Dome”missile shield and other priority projects, and another $175 million for Homeland Security,largely for Trump’s massdeportation agenda. It also included extra funds for Vought’swork at OMB. Certainfunds from thebill are available to be used during the shutdown, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

“TheAdministrationalso coulddecide to use mandatory funding provided in the 2025 reconciliation act or othersources of mandatory funding to continue activities financed by thosedirectappropriations at various agencies,” according to CBO. The CBO cited the departments of Defense,Treasury andHomeland Security and theOffice of Management and Budget as among those that received funds under the law

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, tells reporters he is starting aproject along withthe speaker of the Israeli Knesset to rally global leaders to supportPresident Donald Trump’snomination for next year’sNobel Peace Prize, as the government shutdownenters its thirdweek on Tuesday.

BRIEFS

IMF more upbeat about U.S. growth

WASHINGTON The U.S. and global economies will grow a bit more this year than previously forecast as the Trump administration’s tariffs have so far proved less disruptive than expected, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday, though the agency also said the extensive duties still pose risks.

The United States’ economy will expand 2% in 2025, the IMF projected in its influential semiannual forecast, the World Economic Outlook That is slightly higher than the 1.9% forecast in the IMF’s last update in July and 1.8% in April. The U.S. should grow 2.1% next year, also just one-tenth of a percent faster than its previous projection, the IMF said.

Its current forecasts are still down from a year ago, however, a sign that the international lending agency expects the tariffs to weaken the U.S. economy, in part by creating more uncertainty for businesses. Last October, the IMF forecast the U.S. would grow 2.2% this year All the projections also represent a slowing from 2024, when the U.S. economy expanded at a faster 2.8%.

The global economy, meanwhile, will grow 3.2% this year, up from a 3% estimate in July, the IMF forecast, and 3.1% in 2026, the same as its previous estimate.

U.S. rejects coal bid for less than a penny per ton

BILLINGS, Mont. — Federal officials rejected a company’s bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for less than a penny per ton, in what would have been the biggest U.S. government coal sale in more than a decade

The failed sale underscores a continued low appetite for coal among utilities that are turning to cheaper natural gas and renewables such as wind and solar to generate electricity Emissions from burning coal are a leading driver of climate change, which scientists say is raising sea levels and making weather more extreme.

President Donald Trump has made reviving the coal industry a centerpiece of his agenda to increase U.S. energy production. But economists say Trump’s attempts to boost coal are unlikely to reverse its yearslong decline.

The Department of Interior said in a Tuesday statement that last week’s $186,000 bid from the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. did not meet the requirements of the Mineral Leasing Act.

Stocks wobble as trade tensions escalate NEW YORK — U.S. indexes bounced between gains and losses on Tuesday and wound up mixed on Wall Street as trade tensions continued to simmer between Washington and Beijing.

The S&P 500 closed 0.2% lower after shifting between a steep morning loss and a recovery in the afternoon. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.4% and the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.8% after making similar swings The moves mark yet another series of sharp twists for markets over the last few days.

Wall Street tumbled on Friday for its worst day since April and bounced back on Monday for its best day since May. The swings were prompted by shifting trade sentiment between the U.S. and China.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 10.41 points to 6,644.31. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 202.88 points to 46,270.46, and the Nasdaq sank 172.91 to 22,521.70. OpenAI, Walmart join in chatbot shopping push

NEW YORK OpenAI is partnering with Walmart to let shoppers make purchases directly within ChatGPT, furthering the artificial intelligence company’s push to turn its chatbot into a virtual merchant as it seeks to boost revenue. In an Tuesday announcement, Walmart said the new offering will give customers the option to “simply chat and buy.” That means the retailer’s products would be available through instant checkout in ChatGPT — allowing users to buy anything from meal ingredients or household items, to other goods they might be discussing with the chatbot

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

China sanctions South Korean shipbuilder

BY CHAN HO-HIM AP business writer

HONG KONG China’s Commerce

Ministry said Tuesday it was banning dealings by Chinese companies with five subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean in the latest swipe by Beijing at President Donald Trump’s effort to rebuild the industry in America.

The ministry also announced that it was investigating a probe by Washington into China’s growing dominance in world shipbuilding, and threatened more retaliatory measures. It said the U.S. probe endangers China’s national security and its shipping industry and cited Hanwha’s involvement in the

investigation.

The U.S. Trade Representative launched the Section 301 trade investigation in April 2024. It determined that China’s strength in the industry was a burden to U.S. businesses.

“China just weaponized shipbuilding,” said Kun Cao, deputy chief executive at consulting firm Reddal. “Beijing is signaling it will hit third-country firms that help Washington counter China’s maritime dominance.”

International shipping and shipbuilding have yet another areas of friction between Washington and Beijing. Each side has imposed new port fees on each others’ vessels that took effect on Tuesday

South Korea and the U.S have been building closer ties in shipbuilding in response to China’s dominance as the world’s largest shipbuilder In late 2024, Hanwha Ocean acquired the Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania for $100 million. It announced in August that it plans to invest $5 billion in new docks and quays as part of its support for U.S. efforts to restore globally competitive shipbuilding capacity Last year, Hanwha Ocean secured contracts with the U.S. Navy to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul work for U.S. naval vessels.

The company said via email that “Hanwha Ocean is aware of the an-

HINGE BENEFITS

As U.S. wood tariffs kick in, kitchen cabinet companies look for a silver lining

BY MAE ANDERSON

AP business writer

NEW YORK — Cabinet dealers, interior designers and remodeling contractors in the U.S. hope new tariffs on imported kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered wooden furniture that kicked in Tuesday will create more business for them and eventually boost domestic production of those products.

But several small business owners in the home improvement industry say they expect some short-term pains from the import taxes: Clients with projects already on the books might balk at having to pay more for the budget-priced cabinets they selected Potential customers may postpone kitchen and bathroom renovations until costs and the economy — seem more stable.

“I think the volatility around pricing is damaging to the remodeling industry,” said Allison Harlow, an interior designer in Michigan whose company, Curio Design Studio, creates and builds custom bathrooms and kitchens. “Most people will hear the headline of ‘Kitchen cabinets will go up 50%’ and might just opt out of even reaching out to our company.”

Despite high mortgage rates having depressed sales of existing homes in recent years, a forecast of remodeling activity by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies predicts that homeowner spending on improvements and maintenance will remain steady into the middle of 2026.

A proclamation that President Donald Trump signed on Sept. 29 cited national security and foreign trade practices as grounds for imposing the tariffs on certain finished wood products and product components.

Of them, imported vanities and kitchen cabinets incurred the steepest tax rates: 25% until the end of the year and 50% starting on New Year’s Day

Upholstered chairs, seats and sofas also are subject to a 25% worldwide tariff effective Tuesday, with the rate scheduled to increase to 30% on Jan. 1 In addition, the presidential proclamation put a 10% import tax on softwood timber and lumber which comes from evergreen trees like pine and cedars. Softwoods often are used to make furniture and in wood frame construction. Canada is the source of about 85% of the softwood lumber the U.S. imports, or nearly one-quarter of the national supply, according to the National Association of Homebuilders.

Some U.S trading partners are receiving more favorable treatment when it comes to the furniture and cabinetry tariffs. The tax on U.K exports was capped at 10%, while the rate for wood products from the European Union and Japan was capped at 15%.

The American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance and other trade and advocacy groups lobbied for tariffs to help offset what they

described as a flood of cheap cabinets from countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, China and elsewhere in the decades since more U.S. furniture manufacturing moved offshore.

U.S.-made products tend to cost more but often are of better quality

John Lovallo, an analyst at UBS bank, estimates the tariffs on imported cabinets and vanities could add roughly $280 to the average cost of building a single-family home, not enough to sink a project that often carries an overall price tag more than 1,000 times larger than that.

Some business owners say they plan to cover any tariffrelated costs for now instead of raising customer prices.

John Dean, founder of Dean Cabinetry in Connecticut, sells cabinets that run the gamut from lower-priced imports to custom models made in his shop. Imported products account for about a third of his sales, but Dean said he does not expect much fallout from the tariffs.

Two of his vendors that he buys imported cabinets from, in China and Vietnam, said they would raise prices by 10% to recoup some of the duty costs.

Dean said he would not charge customers more for now Since a kitchen remodel is a big ticket item to begin with, and with the costs of building lumber and labor going up, raising cabinet prices might hurt demand, he said.

“My personal perspective is most small- and medium-sized businesses are trying to absorb those costs,” he said.

Although the White House said the tariffs were intended to boost domestic production and protect U.S. businesses from predatory trade practices, some cabinet makers say that will be difficult because their supply chains are multinational.

Linq Kitchen, a Los Angelesarea company that designs,

nouncement made by the Chinese government and is closely reviewing its potential business impact on the company.”

Hanwha Ocean’s shares traded in South Korea fell as much as over 8% on Tuesday closing 5.8% lower

The escalation of antagonisms raised doubts over whether Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will go ahead with a meeting planned for late this month. But Beijing said on Tuesday that China and the U.S. held working-level talks on Monday and have maintained communication.

China accounts for more than half of all new shipbuilding, with South Korea at about 30% and Japan just over a tenth of the total.

Fed mulls more rate cuts amid U.S. hiring slowdown

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

builds and installs modern-style kitchen cabinets, uses plywood and melamine panels from Asia and Europe in its projects, cofounder Josh Qian said A suitable domestic alternative does not exist, he said.

“The kitchen cabinet industry is highly globalized, and even U.S.-based manufacturers depend on imported materials, hardware, and finishes,” Qian said. “These tariffs may sound protective, but in reality, they often raise costs across the entire supply chain.”

At the same time, cabinet companies that don’t sell foreign products or rely on imported components look forward to capturing more business. One is ACO Denver Custom Cabinetry in Denver, Colorado, which enlists Amish, Mennonite, and New German Baptist shops in the Midwest to handcraft custom cabinets.

Andrea Mulkey, the company’s president and co-founder, said her main concern is whether interest in American-made cabinets will grow too quickly

“It’s hard to predict how much new business might come our way as competitors are affected,” Mulkey said. “We simply couldn’t serve everyone if demand suddenly surged. The real challenge is similar to what we saw post-COVID, when everyone got busy at once, and access to raw materials became strained.”

The Curio Design Studio has its custom cabinets made in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but Harlow worries about the tariffs costing her customers.

“I think it will decrease consumer confidence and create a narrative that the work is going to get inherently more expensive,” Harlow said. “I think we will have to work harder to attract potential clients with messaging of how this blanket statement, ‘Kitchen cabinets will go up 50%,’ does not impact our particular business model.”

WASHINGTON A sharp slowdown in hiring poses a growing risk to the U.S. economy, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday, a sign that the Fed will likely cut its key interest rate twice more this year Powell said in a speech in Philadelphia that despite the federal government shutdown cutting off official economic data, “the outlook for employment and inflation does not appear to have changed much since our September meeting,” when the Fed reduced its key rate for the first time this year Fed officials at that meeting also forecast that the central bank would reduce its rate twice more this year and once in 2026. Lower rates from the Fed could reduce borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans and business loans. Powell spoke before a meeting of the National Association of Business Economics.

Powell reiterated a message he first delivered after the September meeting, when he signaled that the Fed is slightly more worried about the job market than its other congressional mandate, which is to keep prices stable. Tariffs have lifted the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation to 2.9%, he said, but outside the duties there aren’t “broader inflationary pressures” that will keep prices high.

“Rising downside risks to employment have shifted our assessment of the balance of risks,” he said Economists said Powell’s remarks solidified expectations for further rate cuts, starting at its meeting Oct. 28-29.

“While there was little doubt the (Fed) was angled to cut rates at its next meeting, today’s remarks were strong confirmation of that expectation,” Michael Feroli chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase, said in a note to clients.

Powell also said that the central bank may soon stop shrinking its roughly $6.6 trillion balance sheet. The Fed has been allowing roughly $40 billion of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities to mature each month without replacing them.

“We may approach that point in coming months,” Powell said The shift could slightly lower borrowing costs over time. Economists at BMO Capital Markets estimated that the yields on Treasury securities ticked down slightly after Powell’s remarks.

Separately, Powell spent most of his speech defending the Fed’s practice of buying longer-term Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities in 2020 and 2021, which were intended to lower longer-term interest rates and support the economy during the pandemic.

Yet those purchases have come under a torrent of criticism from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as well as some of the candidates floated by the Trump administration to replace Powell when his term as chair ends in May

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By THOMAS PEIPERT

Andrea Mulkey president and founder of Amish Cabinets of Denver, works in her showroom in Denver.

Powell

Roman Imperial Navy “It was very quick,” Santoro said. “Once Iput out the energy that Ineededhelp with it, New Orleans delivered.”

Thediscovery,unearthed in abackyard in the Carrollton neighborhood, set off a global mystery that eventually led local experts to aport city north of Rome —a journey that underscored New Orleans’ instinct to preserve history,even when it belongs to another continent.

Susann Lusnia, an associate professor in classical studies at Tulane, was “floored” when she first saw aphotoof the tombstone.

“It was pretty clear to me that it was an original Roman inscription,” Lusnia said.

RECORDS

Continued frompage1A

criminal justice system,” he added.“What other government agencies out there can stopyou on the sidewalk, can detain you,can throw youinacell, cantakeaway your children, can take your money,can take your life?”

Lynn Jones, the longtime elected clerk of court for Calcasieu Parish, the state’s seventhmostpopulated parish, said nobody has previously questioned thepolicy. He saidit’smeant to protect victims and juveniles

“If we make amistakeon that and it arbitrarilygets out and someone gets murdered, that comes backon us,” he said.

Clerks of court across the state make criminal records available to the public every day.Calcasieu requires an order from ajudge. Sex crimes, juvenilecrimes and other confidentialorsensitive information can be withheld or redacted in certain circumstances.

Three years after the shooting in Davis’ neighborhood, little is still known about what happened Westlake police initially arrested Keri Buller Bradberry on counts of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated second-degree battery and three counts of domestic abuse battery with childendangerment, which they announcedatthe time. But state prosecutors went on to charge her onlywithillegal use of aweapon during acrime of violence.

It’sunclear why,asthose details are hidden away in the court file.

Davis, who works as ahairdresser,said her neighbors and clients have varying theories about why the case resulted in the lesser charge Without access to court records, however,it’simpossible to see an accurate picture of how it played out.

“Even if there isn’tanything underhanded going on, it looks underhanded,” Davis said. “I thinkfull disclosure is best.” Jones has served as Calcasieu’sclerk of court for 21 yearsand hasbeenreelected six times without opposition. The office’spolicy on concealing violent crime records predates his timeat the helm, he said.

Just how long has the policy been in effect?

“Forever,” said Bethany Smith,who oversees criminal records for the office.

“Ever since there’sbeen victims of crimes.I’ve been here 26-and-a-half years, and we handled it that way prior to me.”

“Butitwas alsovery hardto believe at that moment that there’d be something like this in abackyardherein NewOrleans.”

Usingkey phrasesfrom the stone’sengraving, Lusnia traceditintheCorpusInscriptionum Latinarum —a source forLatin inscriptions —and found that the grave marker had come from acemetery in Civitavecchia, Italy. The tombstone inscription begins, “Tothe spiritsofthe dead for Sextus Congenius Verus,”according to atranslationbyLusnia.Itnotes that he served in the military for 22 yearsand livedtothe age of 42. Hisheirs, who commissioned themarker,described himinthe engravingas“well deserving.”

Further research through additional databases revealed that the tombstone belonged to the National Archeological Museum in

NeitherJones nor Smith is alawyer

“Wehavenodog in this fight. We don’tcare whosees what,”Jones said, adding that they believethe policy helps to protect victims.

But McHugh David, executive directorofthe Louisiana Press Association, saidhe worries that the Calcasieu policy could inspire other clerks around the stateto follow suit.

“What door does this open forclerksofcourts in other places to instituterestrictive policies on public records and due processin aplace thatdoesn’t get a whole lotofattention?” Davidsaid.“An elected official at that level sure does have alot of power.”

AfterThe Advocate sought access to criminal recordsfor months and reached out to the Clerk’s Office for this story,Jones said he asked the opinion of local judges and other Louisianaclerks of court. Jones said they saw no problem with his policy.

Among those Jones said he consulted with wasthe JeffersonParishClerkof Court’sOffice.

But Jefferson Clerk Jon Gegenheimer, whois an attorney,said noone has consulted him, his criminalrecords staff or his staff attorneyabout Calcasieu’spolicy Criminalrecordsare readily available for public view in Jefferson Gegenheimer also took issue with the policy inCalcasieu, noting that there are ways to protect victimswithout restricting publicaccess to court records.

“Whether it’samurder or shoplifting, it’sall public record,” Gegenheimer said. “I can understand redacting thename of the victim, but therecordshouldbethere, available for public view.”

Criminal defense attorneys said thelack of transparency at thecourthouse in Lake Charleshas affected their ability to represent their clients.

Attorney Richard Bourke, who’s based in New Orleans and is the directorofthe Louisiana Capital Assistance Center, representsclients across the state. In hisexperience, Calcasieuisthe only jurisdiction that refusesto turnover criminal records.

He said the policyisdirectly contrary to state law and results in alessreliable criminaljusticesystem.

“It is shocking to think that in this day and age, we have a courtsystem that isn’topen, and thatinstead is being conducted with thiselement of secrecy,” Bourke said.

“Wheneverthe stateprosecutes an individual citizen that needs to be done in the

Civitavecchia. It was one of 21 thatdisappeared after the museum was destroyed by bombings in World WarII. Since the museum reopened in the 1970s, nine of thosetablets have been recovered, she noted, some only in fragments. By this pointinher research, Lusnia saidtherewas “this gap when it could have gone just about anywhere” after the war

Meanwhile, RyanGray— an archaeologistand professor at the UniversityofNew Orleans who also helped identifythe tombstone —zeroed in on census recordstolearn who lived in the Carrollton homeafter the war and who their neighbors were.

The records led Gray to Frank Simon, ashoecompany manager who lived in the house in 1950. He and his colleagues at TheNational WWII Museum found that

clearand open daylight, not covered up in secret.”

Without transparency, there’s nothing to protect defendants from wrongdoing in thecriminaljustice system, he said.

King Alexander, aLake Charles criminal defense attorney,said the policy slows himdownand createsunnecessary work forlawyers, judgesand the clerk’sstaff.

But he said it’sthe public that bears thebruntofthe harm.

“For another citizen or a news organization, the policy would ostensibly prevent them from seeing or having these public recordsatall,” Alexandersaid.

Decades of jurisprudence, analyzing constitutions and public records laws across the country,havefavored access over privacy,except in rare instances. Louisiana’s law allows for challenges in court when records are withheld, and saysagencies that withhold records must cite their reasonsfor doing so.

Jones cites astate law that requirespolice, district attorneys and clerks of courtto protect the identity of victims of sexualcrimes and juvenile victimsashisreasonforkeeping violent crime records concealed.But mostclerksinthe stateredact names or use initials to identify victims, while the cases remain available for public viewing.

Jones hasalso still applied his policy in casesofviolent crimes thatinvolve two adults, and violent crimes withnosexual element.

First Amendment attorneys and experts also raised alarmabout thepolicy

Cuillier, of theUniversity of Florida, said the policyin Calcasieu is about as bad as he’s seen, describing it as one of themostegregiousviolations of thepublic’strust that he’switnessed in decades.

“I’mtrying to think of anythingthat comes close,” he said. “It’sjust bizarre how blatantly badthatdecision is.”

Of all the court records thatare of public interest, violent crime tops the list.

“This is precisely the kind of informationthatthe public wants and needs to see,” said Robert Corn-Revere, an attorney withthe national Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

“People need to know if their communities aresafe or what kinds of law enforcementactions are being taken, and it’sthe very purposefor having open records laws in the first place.”

Calcasieu Parish’s policy deviates from standard practicefor courtrecords across the country and also poses constitutionalconcerns, according to GunitaSingh, a

Simon servedinthe war,but only in the Pacific. It was a dead end.

Thequestionsofwho was responsiblewerefinallyanswered lastweek as worldwide news outletsstartedto report on the find.

Erin ScottO’Brien was driving herdaughterto school when herex-husband called and said, “Look at this video and call me back.”

The video he sent showed thebackyard of their former house in Carrollton, where they had once decoratedthe garden withthe gravestone —a piece passeddown by her grandparents. They had forgotten thetabletwhen they moved and sold the house to Santoro and Lorenzo in 2018.

“Wejust were looking at the video, lookingateach other,looking at the video eyes getting wider,” O’Brien said. “It was unbelievable.”

During World WarII,

staff attorney who reviews public recordslawsacross the countryfor the Washington, D.C.-based Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Thepublic and press benefit from access to these kinds of records for multiple reasons,includinglearning about how law enforcement responds to crimes and how to analyze public safety trends, she said.

“Westand to makeconnections between what’shappen-

O’Brien’smaternal grandfather,Charles Paddock Jr., was asoldierstationed in Italy,where he met andmarried her grandmother.They later returned to New Orleans, where Paddock taught voice lessons at Loyola University

O’Brien said her mother anduncle remembered the tabletbeing moved around hergrandparent’shome sometimes ending up in a cabinetorinthe garden but they never spoke of its origins. It remains unclear whether it was hergrandfather or grandmother who brought the stone back from Italy

“It wasjust left by accident when we movedout of the house,” O’Briensaid. “But in hindsight, it was meant to be that it wasleft there and found by the right people whoknew what it was, and now it’sgoing where it should be. I’m happy with the way

ing in our communities and broader policies surrounding firearms, mental health or controlled substances,” she said.

Jones said he does not believe he is “overprotecting” by concealing violent crime records from the public.

“Wewelcome y’alltofile suit and letthe courts decide, and we would be glad to do whatever the courts direct us to do,” Jones said. “But, as of right now,our judges and most of the legal people I’ve

this story’sending.”

The stone is currently being held by the FBI’sart crimeunit, which is overseeing its repatriation process back to Italy.The FBI did notrespond immediately to commentdue to the federal government shutdown. In recent months, the stone hastaken on newmeaning for those who have been part of its journey For O’Brien,ithas cast an international spotlight on her family’shistory —arecognition that is “very special to her.”

For Santoro, aNew York native,itrevealed thecloseness of New Orleans’ community and its network of researchers. For Lusniaand Gray,it embodies the importance of historic preservation. And, Lusnia added, “for Romans, memory was theway that they got their lasting life.”

talkedtobelieve that we’re doing the right thing, and that is to protect thevictims.”

As for Davis, the hairdresser whoknowslittleabout a shooting thathappenedon her street, she wants to see more transparency “It should be public knowledge whensomeone shoots another person,” Davis said. “And we should have the opportunity to know what happened, so we have the choice if we want to be around these people or not.”

Woman accused of forgery scheme

Health system

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

A Lafayette woman employed by Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center was arrested Monday after forging a letter to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars from a federal grant program.

Rachel Willis, 48, of Lafayette, was arrested and charged with

CEO’s signature allegedly copied for federal grant

one felony count of forgery, according to a news release from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office. The Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation after it was notified by the Louisiana Department of Health that an Our Lady of Lourdes employee allegedly submitted a forged letter to try to secure a federal grant administered by the Health

Landry lawyers intervene in retirement system

Wanted to keep appointee participating in program

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry’s lawyers intervened with an independent state retirement system to allow one of his appointees to keep making contributions to that system, emails and letters show The lawyers acted after officials at the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System determined that Christopher Hebert, chair of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, could not continue participating in the program, the records show Three months ago, the governor’s lawyers said they would seek an advisory opinion from Attorney General Liz Murrill on whether Hebert could continue — but the request wasn’t made until Oct. 9 by Col Robert Hodges, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police. It came on the same day that The Advocate | The TimesPicayune asked why it hadn’t been sought yet. While awaiting that opinion, officials at LASERS said, they have been allowing Hebert to keep contributing to the system. Otherwise, he would have to join the Social Security system, which provides about half the benefits.

Hebert did not respond to requests for comment But the Governor’s Office continues to say that he remains eligible for the program.

“Chris is an exceptional regulator and the first Black chairman of the Gaming Control Board,” Kate Kelly, the governor’s spokesperson, said in an email. “There is no one more qualified to hold the position in the state and arguably the country Our attorneys disagree with LASERS’ interpretation.”

On July 16, officials at LASERS sent a letter to Hebert informing him that they shouldn’t have allowed him to continue in the state retirement system a year earlier when Landry named him to chair the gambling board and now planned to remove him. Hebert had accumulated nearly 20 years of service time within LASERS from his work for the Attorney General’s Office, according to the letter, obtained through a public records request He had mostly recently chaired its gaming enforcement division.

The letter noted that Hebert now holds a full-time position, but LASERS officials wrote that Article X, Section 29.1 of the state constitution “provides that members of boards and commissions established by the state are deemed to be part-time public servants and shall not participate in any retirement system.”

After Hebert received that letter, the Governor’s Office swung into action on his behalf, according to an email.

On July 21, Christopher Walters, the governor’s deputy executive counsel, asked to meet with Trey Boudreaux and Tina Grant, the executive director and executive counsel of LASERS, respectively. Also participating in that meeting the next day was Angelique Freel, the governor’s executive counsel. She and Walters told Boudreaux and Grant that they had misread the constitutional statute, saying that it did allow Hebert to remain in

See

page 4B

Department. The program, the Health Care Employment Reinvestment Opportunity Fund, was established to support health care training and education programs, according to the news release.

The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation learned that Willis, while working as a patient access representative at Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette, allegedly created and transmitted a forged letter

purportedly from the CEO of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, of which Lourdes is a member Investigators allegedly learned that Willis used her Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System email account to access the CEO’s signature, which she copied and pasted onto the organization’s letterhead without authorization.

The letter, Murrill’s team wrote, committed Our Lady of Lourdes to provide more than $250,000 in funds to match a HERO grant application submitted to the Department of Health on behalf of the hospital and a Lafayette technical college.

The forged letter was discovered before any funds were released, according to the Attorney General’s Office. But inclusion of the letter with the

‘The right decision’

Lafayette restaurant owner donates ‘spare’ building to day care center

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

A new chapter is beginning for Zee Baloch, owner of Hot Food Express, and Theresa Cormier, president of Truman Daycare and Learning Center, as one business expansion becomes another organization’s blessing.

While preparing to open a second Hot Food Express location in Youngsville, Baloch discovered an extra building on the property at 405 Church St. Instead of selling or demolishing it, he decided to donate

the 720-square-foot building to a local nonprofit that could put it to good use

“Since I didn’t have use for the building on the property I thought why not give it back instead of selling it,” Baloch said.

The building was donated to Truman Daycare and Learning Center, a Lafayette-based nonprofit that provides early education and child care for children from low-income families, including those with disabilities. The structure is being relocated to the center’s new site at 1411 North St. Antoine St. in Lafayette, where it will serve as a kitchen space for the relocated center

“Before agreeing to anything, we met in person, and when I saw her heart and her passion for what she’s doing with those kids, I knew it was the right decision,” Baloch said about Cormier

The addition will allow the cen-

Lafayette man injured in attack

Police investigate alleged hate crime

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

A Lafayette man says he was injured in what he believes was a hate-motivated attack while walking home early Sunday morning.

Dustyn Cope, a Lafayette resident, told The Acadiana Advocate he was walking home along University Avenue near St. Landry Street about 2:45 a.m when a white fourdoor truck with four young men stopped beside him.

“They were yelling racist and homophobic slurs,” Cope said.

He said he decided it was best to ignore them, put his headphones back in and continue walking. “Then one of them jumped out and hit me from behind,” Cope said. “Before I could react, he hit me in the face hard and it felt like a flashbang went off.” The attackers then drove away, leaving him on the ground. Cope described the men as between the ages of 18 and 24 and “extremely drunk.”

Cope said he was treated at a hospital later that day and suffered multiple facial fractures, a scratched cornea, and a broken blood vessel in his eye. On

ter to expand meal preparation and storage, giving staff the ability to cook on-site and provide more fresh, healthy meals for the children they serve.

For Cormier, the donation came at exactly the right time. The center provides early education and care for children from low-income families and those with disabilities, and according to Cormier, the facility has been managing tight budgets while transitioning into its new location. She said the donated building’s kitchen alone is worth $35,000, savings that make a big difference for the nonprofit. Comier’s daughter happened to see Baloch’s Facebook post about donating a building, and after a few messages, the two met to discuss the possibility The meeting led to an instant

Teen arrested in LSU Homecoming shooting

Governor orders increased security for campus ä See INJURED, page 4B

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

Baton Rouge police have arrested a 16-year-old in connection with a shooting that wounded two people Saturday night during the Tigers’ Homecoming game against South Carolina. The teen is set to be booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Detention Center on one count each of illegal use of a weapon, illegal possession of a weapon by a juvenile, carrying a firearm on school property and two counts of attempted first-de-

gree murder LSU Police originally arrived at the 3400 block of Highland Road near the campus’s north gates about 8:30 p.m., with a campus alert going out 10 minutes later

At least two people opened fire during the incident, a Police Department spokesperson said, resulting in two men suffering injuries and being hospitalized. One of the injured is believed to be a bystander On Tuesday, police described the shooting as having stemmed from a prior altercation between the involved parties.

“Special thanks to the Baton Rouge community and to the

ä See DECISION, page 4B ä See FORGERY, page 4B ä See ARRESTED, page 4B

Hebert

PROVIDED PHOTO By ZEE BALOCH

Hot Food Express owner Zee Baloch is giving away this building located in youngsville. Baloch plans to open a second location of his popular restaurant at 405

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Groves’ capturebrings long, sad escape tale to itsbestend

When aClayton County police dog sniffedout Derrick Groves in the crawlspace of an Atlantaarea home last week, it brought awelcomeend to the five-month drama that beganwhen 10 Orleans Justice Center inmates wentthrough ahole in the wall, over afence and acrossInterstate 10, leaving behind taunts scrawled on the walls as they fled.

It will likely be months,ifnot years, before the escape story’smany threads are fully untangled and studied, but at this point, afew things are clear

First, we are glad that Groves,who is aconvicted double-murderer,and his nine compatriots are all now back behind bars.

We are doubly glad that, as of now,itappears that during their time on the lam Groves and the others did not commit further acts of violence that would have compounded the tragedy.Itseems distant now,but the hours immediately after newsofthe escape were scary for prosecutors, witnesses and others, some of whom fled because they feared they would become targetsof the newly free escapees.

Second, it is clear that jail security was frightfully bad. Exactly who is most to blame for this will require some further investigation. Sheriff Susan Hutson has rightly come in for plenty of criticism, but jail conditions and funding for upkeep are also the responsibility of city government.

Third, we applaud the agenciesinvolved in thecapture for impressive cooperationand coordination across anumber of jurisdictions.

Agents from the U.S. Marshal’sService, troopersfromLouisiana State Police, officersfrom the Atlanta Police Department and others all participated in bringing the 10 escapees back into custody

It wasn’teasy.Most were captured within days, but two of them —Antoine Masseyand Derrick Groves —remained free for much longer.Massey posted aseries of videos to social media proclaiming his innocencebefore he was recaptured in June, but Groves had seemingly vanished without atrace.

According to accounts,neighborsnear the house where he was found had seen someone matching his description peeking out of windows. When the home was searched, authorities found 15 pounds of marijuana, apistol and arifle magazine, they said.

Even with all of the escapees now in custody,many questions remain. We hope many of them are answered in the ensuing investigations, including one being conducted by Attorney General Liz Murrill’soffice

It’salso worth noting that change is coming to the sheriff’s office. Former interim New Orleans Police Superintendent Michelle Woodfork defeated Hutson in Saturday’selection, and will take over the office next year

We are confident that Woodforkwill take seriously the lessons from this escapade, and we are hopeful that she will work with the city to improve conditions at the jail for inmates and staff.

An editorial Tuesday misstated the name of the personwho called the new Medicaid reimbursement rates “a game-changer.” It was Dr.WycheColeman, aprimary care doctor in northwest Louisiana and thefather of Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Wyche ColemanIII

Playinggames with library boarderodespublictrust

Themotion to defer thelibrary boardappointment was passed at the Lafayette Parish Council meeting on Oct. 7. This is an example of why people don’ttrust their elected officials.

Council member Bryan Tabor’s excuse for this action was that prior libraryboard vacancies have always drawn moreapplicants. This vacancy announcement had thesame amount of time as any other vacancy announcement for apublic boardseat. There is no rule or law that mandates aminimum number of candidates. In fact, the next two vacancies on the agenda had only one and two applicants, and Tabor didn’t speak up to defer either of those votes So let’s be honestastowhat happened. The two applicantswho did sendtheir applications in on time are bothhighly qualified —one in law,and theother in healthsystems andfinancial management. Either one of them would lend diversity to aboard that is almost 100% Christian conservative.

YetCouncil memberTabor,along with two others, felt that in this instance, with this particular seat, people should be granted more time to apply Why? Because neither candidate fit themold of aChristianconservative who wishes to micromanage library operations and hamper library progress.

Deferring avote is unfair to the two people who did applyontime. It also demonstrates that Taborand two of his colleagues want to control every aspect of aprocess that is supposed to be fair and neutral, until they have someonewho serves their interests. That’snot how democratic processes and good governance work. If only one candidate runs for an elected seat in government, the election moves forward regardless. Since that’sthe case, surely the appointment of someonetothis board seat could and should have happenedOct 7.

MELANIEBREVIS

Lafayette Citizens Against Censorship

As the U.S. prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday,the nearly quarter-million individuals whoserved in the Peace Corps are also preparing forakey milestone, launched 65 years ago on Oct. 14. In the early hours of Oct. 14, 1960, then candidate John F. Kennedy and his team stopped by the steps of the University of Michigan Student Union. They found 10,000 students and others there to greet him.Itwas at this point that Kennedy delivered someimpromptu remarks, including:

“How manyofyou whoare going to be doctors are willing to spend your days in Ghana? Technicians or engineers, how manyofyou are willing to workinthe Foreign Service and spend your lives traveling around the world? On your willingness to do that, not merely to serve one year or two years in the service, but on your willingness to contribute part of your lifeto this country,I think will depend the answer (sic) whether afree society can compete. Ithink it can! And I think Americans are willing to contribute. But the effort must be far greater than we have ever madein the past.”

Iimplore Sen. Bill Cassidy to please support thegovernment subsidies that Obamacare provides to the citizensofLouisiana. He himselfshould be awareofthe facts and figures that show Louisiana is one of the poorest and unhealthiest in the country Avote against this subsidy would be asad day for Louisiana citizens

Many mothers,children, families and farmers are counting on him and are powerlessthemselves in this situation.Ihope in his heart he knows how powerful he is and the incredible responsibility that comes with his position.Iwant his record to show that he put thepeople of his state over party politics The ego of one man, the president, can never be appeased. He is feeding on the people of our state. They mean

nothing to him. Do we mean anything to Cassidy? Ihope in my heart that we do.I hope for his soul’ssake that he is notfollowing in thecallous footsteps of a heartless man.Ipray he hasthe courage to do theright thing andsincerely representthe healthand hard-working bodies of all Louisiana citizens. We are exhausted. We are poor.We are tired. Please help us. Please. Ifeel hopeless these days because it seems no man hasthe courage to standuptothe president’sagenda and bullying. Ipray that Cassidy won’t servethe children of Louisiana on a platter to amonster that has an endlessappetiteand no empathy forthe human condition.

EMILY NEUSTROM Lafayette

The next day,students responded by circulating apetition which basically said, “if you give us the opportunity,we’ll answer your call to service.” Less than five months later,President Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. Four months after that, the first Peace Corps volunteers were training forassignments.

The Peace Corps has been changing lives —including mine —for 65 years. Our commitment to service doesn’tstop when our post is completed. Globally,returned Peace Corps volunteers are making a difference every day.Our country needs the Peace Corps so serviceminded citizens can continue to answer President Kennedy’scall to serve.

LORI HALVORSON Baton Rouge

COMMENTARY

Bondifaces critics, ‘burns’them

Alot of political figures are understandably nervous about facinga Senatecommitteeprobe.

Not Pam Bondi.

In more than four hours of testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, she responded to the most polite questions with the air of contempt worthyofher boss, President Donald Trump, who tends to react to the idea of accountabilityas if it were apersonal insult, especially when it is requested by Democrats. Her rude, taunting demeanor in the halls of Congress is not without precedent. Luminaries of the current administration such as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Healthand Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.and FBI Director KashPatel have allturned in pugnacious performances before committee-room cameras Democratic committeemembers, startingwith Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin wereeager to questionBondi about the politicization of the Justice Department, including efforts to shield President Donald Trump and his allies and naked efforts to prosecutethose who have ever crossed Trump,such as formerFBI Director James Comey Democrats, and afew Republicans, were also eagerto know more about Bondi’sdecision not to release any more files relating to convicted sex offender and former Trump associate Jeffrey Epstein.

These are important questions, and the attorney general is in akey position to provide some answers. However, in this, her first oversight hearing as attorney general, Bondi made it clear that she owed the Senate neither answers nor illumination of anysort.All theywould get was attitude. She set the tone with Durbin, at one point sneering at him, “I wish you lovedChicago as much as you hate Trump.” She loved this groaner so much that she repurposed it with Sen. Alex PadillaofCalifornia, substituting thename of his home statefor “Chicago.”

Responding to Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, she revived acontroversy old enough to have whiskers, referencing his imputed claim to have served in Vietnam, to brand him as some sort of habitual liar.(Blumenthal hadserved during the war,but never in Vietnam.)

Blumenthal, afamously soft-spoken institutionalist, had asked whohad ordered the FBI to flag any mentions of Trump in the notorious case known widely as “the Epstein files.”

ASSOCIATED

Attorney General PamBondiappears Oct. 7before the Senate JudiciaryCommittee oversighthearing,onCapitol Hill in Washington.

“I’m not going to discuss anything aboutthat with you, senator,”she snapped.

Similardisdain greeted questions from Democratic Sen. Sheldon WhitehouseofRhode Island aboutwhathappened to the $50,000 cash bribe that border czar TomHoman received from undercover FBI agents in 2014. Bondi had come to the committee hearing with one goal —tocreatethe in-your-face “content” Trump’sbase craves —and by thedubious standards ofthe right-wing infosphereshe seemed to have succeeded. Video highlights of her sick burns populated X, TikTok and Fox News.

Butaclue to her gamewas revealed when Reuters photographer Jonathan Ernst caught an imageofthe inside of afolder of notes she kept in front of her during questioning.

Thephotos revealed acollection of screenshots of social media posts, along with scripted comebacks and other notes that might help her to deliver agood “gotcha” moment.

On social media, thebinder took on such titles as “Pam Bondi’sburn book,” areference to the movie “Mean Girls,” in which ascrapbook is filled with pictures and cruel, mean-spirited gossip, comments and secrets concerning lessfavored girls.

As ameasure of her respect for the public’sright to know what our lawmakers andhighofficials are doing in our name andwith ourdollars, that’s pretty close to themessage theattorney general was offering us. Secrets? She’ll tell us when she’s goodand ready,not amoment before

—and maybe never Iwas ready to tune out when Bondi turned to thedecaying pathways of old Hunter Biden conspiracy theories. Don’twehave any fresh fears and resentments to worry about?

Butthen Iwas jerked alert, not for thefirst time, by an item farther down Bondi’slist of all-purpose barbs prepared for Whitehouse: “You are atotal hypocrite.”

Did she need to write that down?

The United States is currently in aconstitutional crisis, and theU.S. Department of Justice is at the heart of it. FBI personnel are being shunted from crime-fighting duties to catch undocumented immigrantsinplaces like Chicago. Andwhile it would be foolish to try to predict theoutcomeofacriminal prosecution that is clearly apriorityfor a U.S. president, especially one as deceitful as Trump, thecase against Comey is problematic, to say theleast.Hehas pleaded innocent and has signaled his intention to argue that the case is malicious and selective prosecution. Butaswe’ve seen elsewhere in Trumpworld, sometimes the win-loss tally is lessimportant than the highlight reel. At atime when the government is in another shutdown, raising anxieties from farms to factory towns, we need serious, sensible people in Washington to get thepeople’sbusiness done. They are nowhere to be seen in the Trump administration.

E-mail Clarence Pageat clarence47pagegmail.com.

Georgiasalon meetsTrumpishprotectionism

TwoSupreme Courtcases, oneunasked question

U.S. SupremeCourt Justice SoniaSotomayor cut straight to theheart of Chilesv.Salazar with one hypothetical:Ifa dietitian decides to help anorexicsstarvethemselves, can thegovernment stop them?

Thatmightseem like auseless question —obviously, no dietitian would do that, and obviously,ifthey did, thegovernment should banit. Butwhile alaw might be unnecessary in practice, exploring imaginary extremes can help us understandprinciplesand theirlimits. In this case, heard by theSupreme Courtlast week, theprinciple was free expression.Coloradohas bannedLGBT“conversion therapies” that aimto change someone’ssexual orientation or gender identity.TherapistKaley Chilesarguesthatthis infringes on herFirst Amendment rights. The state of Coloradounsurprisingly disagrees,contending that it is merelyprotecting vulnerable children from harmful andineffective treatments Colorado’scase leaned heavily on themedical consensusagainstconversion therapy. Chiles’ lawyerargued (amongmanyother things) that the state’sevidence didn’tsupport aban on thekind of talk therapyshe provides. This is where Sotomayor’s hypothetical comes in. Do we need studies to tellusthatdietitians shouldn’thelpanorexics starvethemselves? Andisstopping them fromdoing so really aFirst Amendment issue? This wasclarifyinginmore ways than one, illuminating notjustthe legaldispute, but deeper problems withhow our country is handling LGBT issues.

Sotomayor’sanalogy was apt, but it wasalso a littlestartlingcoming from her,because in these debates comparisons to anorexia usually come from skeptics of pediatricmedical transition. Whenananorexic feelsatoddswiththeir body, theskeptics argue, we use therapytoalter their feelings. So howcome when gender dysphoric kids feel that way,weuse hormones and pubertyblockers to alter theirbodies?

It’s an obvious question,but Idoubt that Sotomayor meanttobring it up, sinceshe is hardly critical of pediatricmedical transition. Her dissent in last year’sU.S. v. Skrmetti,whichupheld Tennessee’sban on medical transition forchildren, proclaimed thatthe court wasabandoning “transgenderchildren andtheir families to political whims.”

George Will

The federal government, vain about its successes running businesses (e.g., Amtrak; oh, well), has recentlyplunged into “industrial policy.” Thegovernment of Clayton County,Georgia, also enjoys economic planning If its opposition to Khalilah Few succeeds, she, asingle mother with ateenage son, will have lost much of her savings, andher opportunity for financial security.She will be collateral damage fromher local government’svision of “smart growth.” She is, however,represented by the libertarian litigators of the Institute for Justice. Clayton County has met its match. Few graduated from beauty schoolin 2012 and in 2023 opened her own salon Seeking to relocate, she invested more than $30,000 in renovatingand renting aspace that had previously beena barbershop. When in May this year she applied for apermit, she assumedapprovalwould be perfunctory In July,however,she was denied a permit for two reasons,one unintelligible, the other unconstitutional. The former was that her salon would be incompatiblewith the county’svision of “smart growth.” Whatever this vacuous phrase denotes is,the county thinks,compatible witha dry cleaner, awatch repair shop and apet groomer opening in the same area without needing permits. The county’sunconstitutional reason was that Few’ssalon would create“saturation”: There are several other salons within afive-mile radius. This rationale is pure protectionism, adomestic version of aperennial rationale for national tariffs.

Clayton County might seem to be mimicking the Trumpadministration’s insinuation of the national government into the operations of large corporations(U.S.Steel, Intel, Nvidia, MP Materials,etc.).Perhaps, however,the administration’s“industrial policy” —“smart growth” as envisioned and enforced bysupposedly prescient bureaucrats —should be seen as mimickingfamiliar practices of local governments, but on agrander scale. Familiar, but incompatible with the Constitution,properly construed. For years, libertarian litigators have been combatingdomestic protectionism.

Forexample,adecade ago, such litigatorsopposed Kentucky’s“certificate of necessity”regulation that said: If youwant tostartorexpand amoving company, you mustfirst prove that existingmoving companies are “inadequate,” andthat the proposed new service “is or will be required by the present orfuture public convenience and necessity.”

Litigators argued that this violated the Constitution’sguarantee of equal protection of the law because it is a “competitor’sveto,” favoring existing companies over prospective rivals. Andthey saidcrucial terms in the law were unconstitutionally vague. “Required” by what circumstances?How far into thefog of the“future” must youpeer?

Besides, in 1932 theU.S. Supreme Court overturned an Oklahoma law requiring any proposed new ice company to prove a“public need forit.” The court said: “The principle is imbedded in our constitutional system that there arecertain essentials of liberty” that government can not abridge, including “the opportunity to apply one’slabor and skill in

an ordinary occupation.” Georgia’s Supreme Court has probablymadeitunnecessary for Few to have recourse to the U.S. Constitution. The court says it has “long recognized” that the state’s constitution“entitles Georgians to pursue alawfuloccupation of their choosing free from unreasonable government interference.

ElsewhereinGeorgia,Awa Diagne, an immigrant from Senegal, hasdefeated protectionist zoning. After her husband died of COVID-19, shespent almost $20,000 preparing to move her hair-braiding salon to astorefront near herchildren’sschool. TheSouthFulton planning andzoningcommissionsapproved,but theCityCouncil voted 4-3to deny her zoning permit.One councilor said it was “notfair” for anearby salon to “have to compete.” Another said, “Wedon’t wantany business to suffer anylosses due to an oversaturation.” Representedbythe Institute for Justice, Diagne won at trial, and the county surrendered.

In August, in theU.S.Court of Appeals for the 7thCircuit, the institute successfully represented adeath doula (doulas arrange logistical and other assistance for dying individuals and their families) in aFirst Amendment challenge to an Indianalaw that protected the funeral industry from what it considers competition.The law required doulas tospend thousands of dollarsacquiring afuneral homelicenseand afuneral director license, to take irrelevant classes and to purchase or rent afuneral home.

The Institute for Justicehas steady work.The task of protecting Americans from protectionistswillnever end. Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.

For lawyers, Skrmetti andChilesinvolvetwo importantprinciples. While both touch on pediatric medical transition, Colorado’slaw also coversgay kids,and thelaws were challenged on different grounds. Skrmetti litigated whether it’s sexdiscrimination to ban pediatricmedical transition, andChilesistesting whether it’s aFirst Amendment violation to crack down on certainforms of talktherapy. That’sall very interesting forthe lawyers. But formost peoplethe semantics are irrelevant,and both cases involve thesame keyquestion,though notthe onethatwas actually before thecourt: Should gender dysphorickidsbeencouragedto transition,orencouraged to embrace theirbiological sex?

The rest is strategic word games,whichishow ametaphor favored by oneside can so easily slip its moorings and turn up bobbing around on the other side of theharbor.Gendernonconforming children,including gay kids,absolutelyneed to be protected from discrimination. Butbiological sex is an essential fact of ourspecies in away other protected characteristics are not, andthose facts can neither be mooted by lawnor erased by medicine.Ifyou think these issues are fundamentally thesame, youaren’t thinking aboutthemvery hard;transgender rights raise additional complicated issues, from what to do about women’ssports andprisons, to how to handlekidswhose identities may still be in flux.

For alongtime,most of theleft wasn’tthinking toohard about anyofthis. Withinthe closed epistemic loop of academia, activismand Democratic politics, peopletended to outsource theirthinking to others who assured them that thescience of pediatricmedical transition was settled and“trans women are women” in every way that matters. This wasnot agood way to makepolicy, or build social consensusonacomplicated set of issues. Now theskeptics are trying to useconservative courts andlegislators to break theloop open andforce the left to reckon withall thequestions it failedtoask. Iagree thata reckoning is due— it is shocking that pediatricmedical transitionbecame so widespread without randomized controlledstudies to establishits effectiveness —but theSupreme Courtisnot theright venue forit. Nine lawyers are notequipped to answer the questionsweactually care about. Unfortunately, emotion, political partisanship andfuzzy thinking have rushedinto the void that ought to have been filledbyreasoned argument andcarefulempirical evidence. So now we’re demanding that theSupreme Court rush in as well.

MeganMcArdle in on X, @asymmetricinfo

ega McArdle M n

Clarence Page

PRESS PHOTO By ALLISONROBBERT

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

Loyola University has launched amultimilliondollar fundraising campaign to revamp its athletic facilities, kicking off the project to renovate 1980sera buildings with a$1million donation from an undisclosed donor

With more than 330 student athletes and 20 sports teams —and plans to add more —university officials say they need better training facilities than the ones thatwerebuilt at atime when the school didn’thave any intercollegiate athletic programs

The $1 million gift “puts us on apath to significantly improve our student-ath-

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LASERS, according to the public records.

Boudreaux and Grant rebuffed the arguments by Landry’slawyers. The two were following the same line that LASERS took in 2015 when the state retirement system terminated the membership of Ronnie Jones when he became chair of the gaming control board. Jones, who had worked for the Department of PublicSafety,questioned thedecision to no avail On July25, Freelfollowed up in aletter to the two LASERS officials, asking them to reconsider their position. If they would not, Freel askedthem to allow Hebert to continue contributing to the state retirement system pending an advisory opinion from the attorney general’soffice.

Boudreauxand Grant agreed, although such an opinion does not have the force of law Hebert has continued making his contributions sincethen. LASERS officials said Thursday they have no plans to stop that Landry could try to have statelegislatorschange the lawtoallowHeberttore-

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Monday,hefiled areport with the Lafayette Police Department. According to Cope, the suspect’struck appeared to be astandard white or silver four-door pickup.He said another Lafayette resi-

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Capital Region Crime Stoppers, who were instrumental in providing information that led to this arrest,” astatement from police reads Anothershooting Saturday,which took place earlier in the day just before kickoff, is believed to be accidental. 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 arrest warrant, witnesses saw Hubbard adjusting his pants before shooting himself. He then limped to a nearby Department of Public Safety officer before he was taken to ahospital. A Glock21firearm was found at the scene, whichwitnesses say Hubbard threw on the ground, according to the warrant. After he was treated for his wounds, Hubbard was arrested laterthe same night and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count each of possessionof

growing number of teams.

lete experience while bolstering thegrowth of Wolf Pack Athletics,” said Brett Simpson, who hasserved as Loyola’s director of intercollegiateathletics since 2014.

Officials hope expanding athleticswill alsohelpthe university grow its enrollment.Last year,about 4,300 students attended Loyola “Colleges athletics is very muchanenrollment driver to attract students who wanttocompeteaspart of their collegiateexperience,” Simpson said Theuniversity’s athletic center was built in 1987 during Loyola’s20-yearhiatusfrom collegiatesports. In 1972, Loyolaendedits athletic programs, citing the financialburden. Since thesportsteams were reinstated in 1991, the athletic center hasstruggledto meet the needs ofLoyola’s

main in LASERS In fact, Landry tried to do that last year justbefore officially naming Hebert as the gaming control board chair—anindication that Landry realized the law posed aproblem for Hebert

Thegovernor asked stateRep. Ed Larvadain III, D-Alexandria, to try to push through the change by amending an unrelated bill ofhis late in thelegislativeprocess. The bill not only would havelet Hebert join LASERS,itwould have lifted his annual salary as chair byanother $12,600. Hebert was making $175,011 working in the Attorney General’sOffice. Passing the bill would have required atwo-thirds vote of the Legislature.A Senate committee amended the bill to favor Hebert withno discussion fromthe public or the committee members. Afteranews story reportedonwhatLandry was trying to do, legislators scuttled Larvadain’s bill.Larvadain didnot respond to arequest for comment.

LASERS told Hebert he couldnot stayinthe program afteraJuly10email from The Advocate |The Times-Picayune raised a question about his eligibility

dent latercommented on a Facebook post about the incident, stating that atruck matching that description had been seen earlier that evening near St. Mary Street, with men shouting slurs at pedestrians. Cope said he is determined to speakout against their behavior. ”I literally could have died, but I’m not afraid,”

firearm on school property and illegal use of weapons.

On Monday, Gov.Jeff Landry took to Xtosay he is orderingstate andlocal law enforcement to increasesecurity on campus for the next home game. “I have orderedState Police to work withLSU PD, BRPD, and EBRSO to come up withanenhanced security plan for the upcoming LSU/TexasA&M game,” Landry wrote. “Wewill continue assessing the security to ensure all future games aresafe. The level of violence and disruptionwill not be tolerated.”

AfterLandry’s call for better security,LSU released astatement saying “the safety andwell-beingofthe LSUcommunity” is the school’sNo. 1 priority.

“Inlight ofrecentevents, we write to assureyou that we maintain significantresources to ensure public safety,” LSU BoardofSupervisors Chair Scott Ballard and LSUinterimPresident Matt Lee said in anews release. “On gameday,we typically have 600 trained on-duty police officers representing LSU Police, local law enforcement, andstate agencies to safeguard our community.

Studentsand community members share thefacility —located on thetop floor of theFreret Street parking garage —withstudent athletes.

Someteams have to work out in the weight room in shiftsbecause it’stoo small to fit all the players at once.

Thesportsmedicinefacility is arevamped racquetball court andthe concession stand is in acloset. Somelocker rooms don’t have plumbing, so during games, the players have to use the public facilitiesonthe other end of the building.

“We’ve been retrofitting here and there,” Simpson said.

The school aims to raise $3 millionfor therenovation.The plan includes upgrading locker rooms, expanding the weight room,

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connection and an agreementtotransfer ownership of thebuilding to the center ”Wespokefor about an hour and ahalf, and before Ileft, he gave me the key Iwas so thankful,” said Cormier Baloch said giving away the building simply felt right. After more thantwo decades in business, he wanted to do

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forged signature of the organization’sCEO provided greatersupport for the application with theappearance that the system was committed to providing financial participation and support.

The preliminary award was for nearly $600,000. Willis was booked Monday without incident at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. Herbailwas reportedly set at $2,500.

The investigation is ongoing.

he said. “Something needs to be done becausewecan’t just accept this or they could do it again.”

Lafayette police confirmed the incident is being investigated, but saidnoarrests had been made as of Tuesday morning.

Email Ja’koriMadison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

Reporter Aidan McCahill contributed to thisreport.

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

improving athletic training and sports medicine facilities and adding aconcession area andmore offices for coaching staff. In recent years, Loyola sports teamshave seen success. In 2022, themen’sbasketball team won theNAIA National Championship and women’s basketballhas appeared in theNAIA National Tournament 11 years in a row. The baseball team appeared in the NAIA World Series for thefirst time this year,finishing theseason as theNo. 7-ranked team in the country

In the past10years, the universityhas added men’s and women’s swimming, competitivecheer and dance, beach volleyball and esports. Next fall, the university will addmen’s and women’s rugby andofficials saidother sports are under consideration.

something meaningful forthe people whohave supported him from the start “It was all in God’splan,” Cormiersaid. “Wewanted to stayinthe samecommunitybecause that’s who we’re herefor.And now, thanks to Mr.Zee, we can keep doing that even better.”

Sincethe donation, Baloch has been finalizing zoning and planning for his newHot Food Express location, whichisset to break ground in the next six weeks.

Gahn, Rose FountainMemorialFuneralHomein Lafayette at 11am

Obituaries Francez III, William Brice

AMass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on October 16, 2025 in Cathedral of St.Johnthe Evangelist Catholic Church for William Brice Francez III,70, whopassed away on October10, 2025.

Fr. Chester Arceneaux, Pastor of Cathedral of St John theEvangelist Catholic Church,will be Celebrant of theMass and will conductthe funeral services.

Intermentwill take place in theCathedral of St.Johnthe Evangelist Catholic Cemetery

William Brice Francez III wasa resident of Armadillo de Los Insante, San Luis Potos, Mexico for many years. Brice was the son of thelateWilliam Brice Francez, Jr andthe

St Lafayette, LA 70503. William Brice Francez,III andhis familywerecared for andentrustedfinal arrangements to Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 BertrandDrive, Lafayette, LA.

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

With so much attention on UL’s new starting quarterback Lunch Winfield, one aspect of theencouraging performance at James Madisonwas the progress of safety CollinJacob. Jacob came off the bench in the 54-51 double-overtime winover Marshall and logged ateam-high 14 tackles.

The LoreauvilleHighSchool graduatefollowed that with another strongperformance in a2414 loss at James Madison. “He flashed again,”coach Michael Desormeaux saidofthe sophomore.“It’sall about taking advantageofthe opportunities and he’s playing really well.”

In Saturday’sgame, Jacob contributedsix tackles, including a 6-yard tackle for loss and an interception hereturned 16 yards.

“He’saggressive andhe’splaying loose, and that’swhat you have to have on defense. He’s playing really well,” Desormeaux said. “His role continues togrow.”

Jacob’sabilitytomake plays and spell the starters has been aboost. Take Jalen Clark, forexample. There are times he needs aplay or

two off and Jacob has been ready “Some guys justtendtosweat more than others,” Desormeaux said of Clark. “He sweats alot, so .we’re making sure that he’swell hydrated, which allowshim to play to be fresh longer in the game. Obviously (withJacob playing more), it allows us to be able to rotate those three(safeties).”

Skipperrebound

Partofthe roller-coaster

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Saints safety Justin Reid said forthe past four games, it has taken two drives forthe defense to settle in.

This pattern, he made clear,was “unacceptable.” Each week, the Saints put together agame planaimed to get off to a strong start. But in each of the past four games, the defense has allowed consecutive touchdowns to begin thegame

Reid said he sees too many mentalmistakes —problems he said fall on theplayers, not the coaches.

“Once we execute, the product is alot

better,” Reid said, “but we can’tkeep startingevery game giving up 14 points before thefirst quarter is over with.”

There’sstarting slowand thenthere’sthe Saints defense.

NewOrleans is thefirstteam to allow back-to-back touchdowns on its firsttwo defensive possessions in fourstraight games since at least 2000, according to TruMedia.

Thestreak started during New Orleans’ horrific lossinSeattle, when SamDarnold found Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a12-yard

touchdown and then Kenneth Walker ran in for a3-yard score. Since then, the Saints have been diced in allsorts of ways. A43-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Buffalo’sKhalil Shakir Twotouchdowns to the Giants’ Theo Johnson. A53-yard coveragebust was exploited by New England’sDrake Maye and DeMario Douglas. The lack of defense hasbeensopoor that theSaints’ first-quarter point differential sits at minus-49 —trailing only the 2014 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (minus-55) through thefirst six weeks of aseason

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

MiLaysia Fulwiley has yet to discuss herdecisionatlength. So far,she’s talked about it only once publicly —inabrief offseason appearance on aSports Illustrated podcast

That fact will change on Wednesday,when Fulwiley accompanies coach Kim Mulkey,Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams to SEC

basketball media days in Birmingham,Alabama. There, thegroup will discuss the LSU women’s basketball team’snew-look roster, which now features astar guard who left her hometown South Carolina team to join oneofits top rivals, completingone of the2025 transfer portal window’s most intriguing moves

“I kind of felt like Ijust needed anew environment,” Fulwiley told Sports IllustratedinSeptember “A new,fresh start.”

ride of UL’s secondarysince the spring seasonincludessenior

Tyree Skipper

Skipper,who wasreplaced during the Marshall game, bounced back against James Madison with nine tackles and aforced fumble.

“Skip played the best game he’s played since Week 2ofthis year,” Desormeauxsaid. “He just hadn’t played great, buthefinally cut

Notes on agolf scorecard celebrating that we have passed the Rab Solstice: We’re closer to the start of Masters week 2026 (174 days from Tuesday) than we are to the end of the 2025 Masters (184) This columnist wasquick to criticize Gov. Jeff Landry in April 2024 when he demanded all student-athletes be on the field or court for the pregamenational anthem, alogistical conundrum for manyteams. LSU, and all other state schools to my knowledge, let that edict fade away,asdid Landry

Now we are here to quickly commend the governor foranother edict that we certainly hope won’tgounheeded.

Landry announced Monday he issued an order forstate and local Baton Rouge law enforcement to increase security on LSU’scampus in the wake of two game-day shooting incidents this season. The governor directed state police to work with Baton Rouge and LSU police and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’sOffice to “comeupwith an enhanced security plan” before the Tigers’ next homegame Oct. 25 against Texas A&M (6:30 p.m., ABC).

LSU officials were quick to reply that there are typically about 600 law enforcement officials on campus forfootball games. Certainly that’sasubstantial number, but clearly moreneeds to be done. As the governor said, “violence and disruption will not be tolerated,” nor should it be.

There were tons of people on campus on Saturday,agorgeous October day and night surrounding LSU’s 20-10 winagainst South Carolina. Barring bad weather the campus will be overflowing again forthe Texas A&M game.

If the Tigers beat Vanderbilt and if the Aggies winSaturday

Now Fulwiley is LSU’s new point guard —atleast for now.Mulkey said on Sept. 23 that she’s challenging the junior to assume the No.5 Tigers’ primary ball-handling responsibilities, while also making sure shereceivesopportunities to play off the ball as well. She, Johnsonand Williams can form oneof the mosttalented, versatile backcourts in thecountry

“A lot of that will depend on how quickly she catches on to what we need her to do as apoint guard,” Mulkey said.

The challenge is anew one for Fulwiley,the junior who averaged 11.7points and2.1 assists pergameatSouth Carolina while

shooting 43% from the field. In her two seasons with the Gamecocks,Fulwileyproved that she was one of the nation’s mostelectrifying players. But she started only three games and she playedabout 18 minutes pergame. Fulwileyhandledthe ball at South Carolina. But LSU runs adifferent system,one that needs clean, efficient point guard playtooperate at its best. “So much is askedofyou,” Mulkey said. “It’snot just what you’re capable of doing. You’ve got to know everybody else.”

Spoelstra to coach 2028 Olympic basketball team

Kaplan finds its workhorse running back

Cormier’s 327 yards rushing help beat Patterson

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

During informal pregame chats last week among Kaplan football players, a teammate told De’Maurion Cormier that he would rush for 300 yards. The light-hearted comment was taken with a grain of salt. After all, Cormier’s highest total was 140 yards in a game, and he had never played running back before this season.

Nevertheless, the junior fulfilled the prophecy in a 51-42 nondistrict win over Patterson, rush-

ing for 327 yards on 41 carries with five touchdowns.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Cormier said. “I just try to run the ball hard.”

Cormier, who self-reports as 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds, is making up for lost time. He didn’t run the ball in a Week 1 loss to undefeated Ascension Episcopal (injury) but ranks eighth among area rushers with 695 yards on 89 carries. He is second in rushing TDs (11).

“They gave me a shot, and I took the opportunity,” said Cormier, a two-way player at defensive end.

“We were joking about getting 300 yards, and then it happened.”

The Pirates (4-2) have won four of their last five games heading into this week’s contest at Class 1A power Southern Lab (3-3), which lost to Class 5A schools

Denham Springs and Liberty and top Class 3A program Madison Prep.

Last year, the Pirates dominated the Kittens with the Wing-T offense of former coach Stephen Lotief. First-year Kaplan coach John Thompson installed a shotgun offense when he arrived just prior to this season.

“When I got here, they were trying De’Maurion out at running back,” said Thompson, who readily agreed with the experiment.

“He’s a great player, a ‘yes, sir, no sir,’ type of guy. He’s very coachable. I do need him at times on defense, but if he’s running the ball 40 times, I have a backup at defensive end I can live with.”

Cormier, who also competes in basketball and multiple track and field events, spends his leisure moments resting, which is good,

ACADIANA AREA POLLS

CLASS 5A-4A

1.Teurlings Catholic Rebels (6-0): The Rebels defense limited Rayne to one first down and 21 total yards in the 64-0 win Friday Add that kind of stingy defense to a balanced offensive attack, and Teurlings just keeps rolling on. It should be another rout this week.

2. Southside Sharks (5-1): As expected the Sharks running game had another banner day with 488 yards on the ground in a blowout of Sam Houston.There are some questions about Southside’s defense at times, but somebody’s going to have to slow down the running game to take advantage of that potential issue

3 Carencro Golden Bears (4-2): Wow, the Bears got to running time in the second quarter against a 4-1 Lafayette High squad on Thursday. Carson Gurzi passed for a school-record 412 yards, and Chantz Babineaux scored as a receiver and defensive back. Like Southside, we’ll learn more about the defense as the season goes on, but good luck stopping this passing attack.

4. St.Thomas More Cougars (4-2): For the first time this season, the Cougars coaching staff finally got to relax in a game St Thomas More handled Northside in dominating fashion. Most likely there will be only one more challenge before the postseason — Halloween night at Teurlings Catholic.

5.Acadiana Wreckin’ Rams (3-3): Acadiana’s defense gave up 42 points to Barbe’s dangerous offense.That could mean we’re looking at some awfully high-scoring games when the Rams, Carencro and Southside square off against each other.All three offenses have found their groove CLASS 3A AND BELOW

1. Lafayette Christian Knights (5-1): The Knights delivered an encore performance after the big upset win over Central-Baton Rouge with a 41-point win over Lafayette Renaissance.This week, it’s another big challenge with a trip to Notre Dame in Crowley.

BY JOHN WAWROW Associated Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y The Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen-led offense is misfiring, and coach Sean McDermott and coordinator Joe Brady have an extra bye week off to figure out what’s gone wrong

considering his gridiron workload on the weekends “It was incredible watching him take over the game last week,” Thompson said. “De’Maurion makes plays on defense. He gets pressure on the quarterback and big-time sacks. Offensively he enjoys contact. It takes more than one guy to bring him down. He has great vision.”

Thompson, previously a Vermilion Catholic assistant, took over the KHS program with no time to spare just before the season began. Having players like Cormier made the transition easier

“We’re going to keep doing what we do,” Thompson said of feeding Cormier, who was averaging just over 12 carries a game before the heroic effort against Patterson. “I just hope it’s not the last one (300yard game).”

2. Notre Dame Pioneers (5-1): The Pioneers took care of business at undefeated Lake Arthur last week.That allows Notre Dame to put its full attention on trying to slow down Lafayette Christian in one of the area’s top showdowns of the season. It’ll be interesting to see how the Pios defense matches up with Braylon Walker and Company.

3. Catholic-NI Panthers (5-1): The Panthers have scored 49 points two weeks in a row.There won’t likely be another stiff challenge for Catholic High until deep in the postseason, assuming it takes care of business as expected.

4. Erath Bobcats (6-0): It’s starting to get easier

now for the Bobcats, who have outscored their last two opponents 93-15.There should be another blowout this week against Berwick.The next potential obstacle is hosting St Martinville on Oct. 23.

5. Lafayette Renaissance Tigers (5-1):

No, it wasn’t a surprise the Tigers fell to powerhouse Lafayette Christian, but there’s also no shame in that.After Welsh on Friday, Lafayette Renaissance’s final three opponents have a combined record of 16-2.

Kevin Foote

right people in the right positions.”

Erik Spoelstra was 13 the last time the Olympics were held in Los Angeles, and he remembers what it was like watching those games on television. He’ll have a better view in 2028. USA Basketball made it official on Tuesday, announcing that Spoelstra, the longtime coach of the Miami Heat, has been confirmed by its board of directors as the coach of the men’s team for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He takes over for Golden State coach Steve Kerr USA Basketball men’s national team managing director Grant Hill ultimately made the pick to offer Spoelstra the job. Spoelstra was on Kerr’s staff for the 2023 World Cup in Manila and the 2024 Olympics.

Angels should be held responsible, lawyer says SANTA ANA, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels should be held responsible for the 2019 drug overdose death of one of its pitchers because the team failed to follow its own drug policies and let an addicted and drug-dealing employee stay on the job and have access to the players, a lawyer for the pitcher’s family said on Tuesday The allegations came in opening statements of the long-awaited civil trial in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the wife and parents of Tyler Skaggs. The family contends that the MLB team should be held responsible for the 27-year-old pitcher’s death after its communication director, Eric Kay, was convicted of providing the fentanyl-tainted pill that led to Skaggs’ fatal overdose on a team trip to Texas.

Raducanu’s health issues lead to another early exit

NINGBO, China Ailing Emma Raducanu was knocked out by local wild card Zhu Lin in the first round of the Ningbo Open on Tuesday, her second straight early elimination due to health issues.

The 219th-ranked Zhu won 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

The British No. 1 and former U.S. Open champion needed a medical timeout when she was 4-3 down in the second set and again when she was trailing 2-1 in the final set.

Her movement still remained limited and Zhu raced to a victory by winning 16 of the last 19 points. Last week, Raducanu retired ill during a hot and humid opening match at the Wuhan Open. American Ann Li was winning 6-1 4-1 when Raducanu retired.

MLB qualifying offer price rises over $22 million

NEW YORK The price of a qualifying offer for this year’s major league free agents rose 4.6% to $22,025,000 from $21.05 million. The figure is determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year The price dropped by $100,000 to $17.8 million in 2019, then rose to $18.9 million in 2020, fell $500,000 in 2021 and rose to $19.65 million in 2022 and $20,325,000 in 2023. Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 14 of 144 offers have been accepted. A free agent can be made a qualifying offer only if he has been with the same team continuously since opening day and has never received a qualifying offer before.

Though injuries are a concern, one place to start could be cutting out the so-called “cute” plays, which have cost the Bills (4-2) in dropping their past two games. Another is for Brady to begin leaning on his team’s strengths, and specifically James Cook. After gaining 87 yards on 17 carries, the running back spent the final 11 minutes cooling his heels on the sideline of a 24-14 loss to Atlanta on Monday night. Brady, evidently, didn’t get the hint McDermott dropped last week in saying he felt the offense was “too cute at times,” following a 23-20 loss to New England Buffalo’s opening drive against the Patriots ended with Allen losing a fumble at midfield when flubbing a handoff to Dawson Knox on a tight end sweep It happened again on Monday This time, receiver Elijah Moore recovered a fumble following Allen’s botched handoff on thirdand-1 from the Buffalo 48, four minutes into the fourth quarter “We can be better,” McDermott said, in reference to the play that led to a three-and-out after Greg Rousseau blocked Parker Romo’s 37-yard field-goal attempt to keep it a one-score game.

In the end, Allen was sacked a season-high four times in being asked to do far too much in the face of Atlanta’s relentless pressure, while overseeing an injurydepleted offense. Buffalo opened without its leading receiver, tight end Dalton Kincaid (oblique), and then lost its top deep threat when Joshua Palmer twisted his left ankle after a 15-yard catch a minute into the second quarter

With Palmer accounting for 60 of Buffalo’s 180 yards receiving, the injuries exposed an ongoing weaknesses in a passing attack that lacks an identifiable threat.

Second-year receiver Keon Coleman’s production has all but evaporated. He’s combined for 125 yards receiving over his past five outings since gaining 112 in the opener And slot receiver Khalil Shakir is struggling to find space with more defenses creeping closer to the line of scrimmage.

“It’s a good point,” the coach said, when asked why Cook wasn’t on the field. “We’ve got to dive deep into what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, making sure we’ve got the

In two weeks, Buffalo has gone from squandering an opportunity to open a three-win edge on its division rivals, to sitting second in the AFC East behind New England (4-2).

Serrano to defend boxing titles vs. Cruz in rematch NEW YORK Amanda Serrano will defend her featherweight titles in her native Puerto Rico against Erika Cruz in a rematch of their bloody bout in 2023. The fight will take place Jan. 3 in San Juan, Most Valuable Promotions announced Tuesday Serrano (47-4-1, 31 KOs) became Puerto Rico’s first undisputed champion when she beat Cruz by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 4, 2023. But she has been fighting above the 126-pound weight class recently for the final two bouts of her trilogy with 140-pound champion Ka-

Now Serrano, a seven-division world champion, drops back down to her

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Carencro wide receiver Kendrick Bernard, left, stiff-arms Lafayette defender Owen Dozier during the Bears’ 63-7 road win over the Mighty Lions last Thursday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MIKE STEWART

Bills quarterback Josh Allen is sacked by Falcons cornerback Dee Alford, rear, and defensive end James Pearce on Monday in Atlanta.

SAINTS

since the turn of the century.

“I don’tthinkit’sall bad, it’sjust, ‘Hey,we’ve got to be really sound from the start and take advantage of every opportunity,’”coach Kellen Moore said. “That’sthe thing that shows up: The big plays that impact the game could show up from Play 1toPlay 75. It doesn’treally matter when it is. They all essentially havethe samevalue so you’ve got to take advantage of each opportunityyou have.” The splits are still jarring. As bad as the defense has been to start the game, the Saints appear to lock in after that. They’ve allowed the third-fewest points in the second half this season, behind only the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos.

On Sunday,New England’s offense was only held to a field goal after halftime. Butifthe Saints don’t

FULWILEY

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“She’sbeaten me too many times for me not to have taken her into this program. She’sfitting in well. Imean, ballers want to play with ballers, and she’sgoing to be fun to watch.”

CAJUNS

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loose.

“Sometimes when you just add another guy to that mix and all three of them are playing, they feed off each other.” Linebacker Jaden Dugger was another standout on the defense, accounting for 12 totaltackles andtwo pass breakups.

NewnameatLB

One of the unexpected names to surface this season is sophomore outside linebacker Lester Jones

“He’splaying reallywell,” Desormeaux said. “Lester’s oneofthose kids you’re really proud of.” Jones missed his senior season at Liberty High School in Baton Rouge because of aknee injury after getting 11 sacks as ajunior He came to UL as awalk-on and appeared in only the New MexicoBowl game over his first two seasons.

improve, they’ll find themselves in rare company— if notsetting records outright. On just thefirst defensive drive, the last time the Saints allowed their opponents to score in four straight games was 2005 theyear New Orleans went 3-13. If the opening-drive streak extends, the Saints would match the2018 Atlanta Falcons with fivestraight such scores and the 2020 Houston Texans with six.

Since 1978, the first year of quarter trackingdata available fromPro FootballReference, the 1984 Minnesota Vikings hold the record for most first-quarter touchdowns allowed by adefense allowed by adefense with 18 rushing or receiving touchdowns.

TheSaints, whose defense has allowed nine first-quarter touchdowns, are on pace to breakthat mark.

Statstoknow

35: Chase Young played35 snapsinhis season debut, good enough for 55% of the

Saints’ defensive snaps. He received fewer than Cam Jordan —who finished with 38 (59%). Moore saidthat was the range of snaps the Saints had in mindfor Young given he missed morethan a month with acalf injury -13.5%:Even after abounceback game for kicker Blake Grupe, the Saints have aspecial teams defense-adjusted value over average(DVOA) of minus-13.5% —the lowestafter sixgames since Washington in 2013, according to FTN Fantasy’sAaron Schatz. DVOA is astat that measures efficiency,and the Saints’ special-teams unit hasbeen lessthanefficient to start the season.

64: Chris Olave has64targets this season,one behind only Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua. But Olave’s catch rate is just 60.9%,the sixth-lowestrate among players with at least40targets.

Up next

Dennis Allenisonthe docket as the former Saints

LSUbeginsthe season at home on Nov.4 against Houston Christian The Tigers are ranked No 5inthe AP preseason poll, whichwas revealed on Tuesday, and they werepicked to finish thirdinthe SECby avote of the league’smedia. Johnson made the preseason All-SEC first team, and Williams made the secondteam.

Eight SEC teams earned spots in the AP preseason poll —morethanany other conference. Five of those squads cracked the top 10: No.2SouthCarolina, No.4 Texas, No. 5LSU,No. 6Oklahomaand No. 8Tennessee. LSU is apreseason top-five team for the second timein three years.

RABALAIS

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at Arkansas, it will be a top-10 matchup that could draw ESPN’s popular “College GameDay” show to campus.

There’snoway to guarantee 100% safety from gun incidents and LSU certainly isn’talone. There were three shootings this past weekend involving high school games in Mississippi. But this is avital issue forLSU,which could sufferaknock-on effect impacting not only attendance at games but the university’soverall image. Credit to Gov.Landry forrealizing this and doing what he can to mobilize an even better game-day security effort.

Franklin fell quickly

It wasabsolutely stunning to watch the fall forPenn State coach James Franklin, from 3-0 and ranked No.3inthe country to fired after consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern.

It’s the first timesince 2016, when LSU fired Les Miles four games into the season, that apreseason AP top-five team has pressed the eject button on the coach’shot seat this quickly

Speculation on Franklin’ssuccessorfor one of the nation’spremierjobs was practically instantaneous,with fourth-year LSU coach Brian Kelly on lists compiled by Sports Illustrated and The Athletic.

coach is now the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears.

And yet, the Saints may have to worry moreabout Bears coach BenJohnson and the schemes that the innovative play-caller will brainstorm.Chicago has averaged thethird-most firstquarterpointsper gamein 2025 with 71/2,meaning the Saints will have to be on alert.

As forAllen, the Bears’ defense hasn’tgotten off to the smoothest start, as theunit has allowed the sixth-most pointsper game and has struggled in familiar ways withits run defense near thebottomofthe league But theBears have talent and are scrappy,forcing the second-most turnoversin theleague.

Bearsquarterback Caleb Williams took Spencer Rattler’sjob at Oklahoma in 2021, adding another fun layer to the matchup.

Email Matthew Parasat matt.paras@theadvocate.com

In 2023, after the Tigers won the national championship, they began the following year ranked as thenation’s preseason No. 1. Email Reed Darcey at reed.darcey@theadvocate. com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up forour newsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter

At first glance, it’shard to imagine Kelly being considered astronger candidate forthe Penn State job than Nebraska coach and former Penn State linebacker Matt Rhule or hotter-than-the-sun Indiana coach Curt Cignetti. Youalso have to doubt whether Kelly,who turns 64 on Oct. 25, would be interested in another big career move.

It’s interesting to consider the temperature of LSU fandom,though. To makeabroad generalization, Tigers fans have always seemed lukewarm at best toward Kelly.I’m sure there are LSU fans whowould like another program to take Kelly off their hands.

Kelly is 34-12 with an SEC West title in 2022 and aHeisman Trophy winner he recruited in Jayden Daniels in 2023. His team is currently ranked 10th in the country,going into aseason-defining stretch against No. 17 Vanderbilt, No.4Texas A&M and No 6Alabama. Things could be better forKelly and LSU, sure, but they could also be much worse. And there is no guarantee that anyone whoreplaces Kelly, whenever he leaves, will do better

Gettingwealthier

The Big Tenisconsidering whether to accept morethan $2 billion in private equity investment to layer even morecash on what is already the nation’swealthiest conference. More money always sounds good, but what if the private equity folks start making demands about how things are run?

What if they demand that non-revenue sports are cut?

What if it negates the tax-exempt status of public schools? And what if they decide one day to put their money into something else?

The SEC has taken a wait-and-see attitude about private equity,not closing any doors but clearly willing to let the Big Tentake the first leap.

“Ifthere are opportunities formutual benefit, those would pique our interest,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in July at SEC media days in Atlanta. “But the notion of just jumping to something because there’sapot of money there seems(like) an uninformed direction.” That seemswise, but what if the Big Tensigns on forthe big private equity payday? Will the SEC feel its collective hand is forced by college athletics’ only other superpower conference?

As Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts said, college athletics doesn’t have “a revenue problem We have aspending problem.”

Private equity seems from this corner of the world to be abad deal for college athletics. But it also feels inevitable.

“He’sgrown up so much over the course of the last years. He’slike not even the sameperson, andright now he’splaying really well, Desormeaux said.

“He’saguy that we’re really highinthe way thathe’s playing the spark that he provides.”

The 6-foot-2,225-pounder hascontributed six tackles aquarterback hurry and

atackle for loss in three games this season.

“He’sone of those guys who are the fun ones to coach,where yougo, ‘If he ever figuresitout, this guy’sgot alot of ability,’ ”Desormeaux said. “He’s grown up tremendously.It’s like night and day.”

Email KevinFooteat kfoote@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO By BENJAMINR.MASSEy/UL COMMUNICATIONS

UL safety Collin Jacob,left, celebrates abig stop against James Madison on Saturday.

STAFF FILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landrycheers during an NCAA women’sbasketball tournament game between LSU and MiddleTennessee on March 24, 2024, at the Pete Maravich AssemblyCenter

Continued from page1C

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

Saints coach Kellen Moore questions acall to linejudgeJulian Mapp during the first half against theNew England Patriots on Sundayatthe CaesarsSuperdome.

WHAT IF CLOTHES WERE ALIVE?

Fashion designer stages innovative runway

BY THOMAS ADAMSON

AP fashion writer

PARIS Issey Miyake‘s spring 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week posed a question: what if clothing were alive?

Booming electronics inside the Centre Pompidou venue Friday accompanied an opening of crisp monochrome shirts and high-waisted trousers, shoulders drawn upward into a compact line, as if shrugging to the guests.

The concept arrived quickly and clearly: in this collection the wearer served the garment’s will, not the other way round.

Silhouettes remapped the body — trousers integrated sleeve-like panels at the sides that impacted the model’s stance, and single-sheet wraps and supple faux leathers seemed to “grow” around the torso. A netted, scuba-like look packed with toylike objects turned accumulation into profile, as if the clothes themselves consumed and imposed contour.

Jackets with displaced openings forced new ways of entering and moving Black-andwhite tailoring stayed taut while shoulders lifted seemingly of their own accord, creating a springy, insouciant line.

Branded shoe boxes telegraphed the ongoing footwear collaboration as models circled a DJ in the round, but on the body the idea was autonomy: garments that oriented posture, choreographed gait, and treated the air between cloth and skin as living volume.

AP PHOTO By AURELIEN MORISSARD

A model wears a creation as part of the Issey Miyake Spring/ Summer 2026 collection presented in Paris on Oct 3.

Founded by Issey Miyake in 1970 in Tokyo, the iconic house became famous for reframing the concept of fashion as material engineering — innovative pleating, paper and washi blends, single-piece construction yielding light garments with sculptural force. Under current designer Satoshi Kondo, that legacy continues in movement-driven form and an ongoing dialogue with art and performance. At Pompidou, those signatures read cleanly: weightless volume, precise cutting, textures that shifted with motion, reinforced by a live soundscape that treated textiles as active matter

The caveat is familiar Concept occasionally edged toward prop theater the boxes, the stuffed netting — and risks overshadowing everyday use. Commercial clarity can blur when silhouettes impose rather than accommodate. Even so, this was among the label’s more fashion-forward recent outings: controlled in line, vigorous in idea, and most persuasive when the garments led and the body followed

BETWEEN THE BUNS

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Acadiana chefs tend to be known for big meals and bigger flavors, whether they’re slinging pizzas or dishing up nationally recognized Creole soul food.

These chefs, from top-rated local spots like Vestal, Laura’s II and Café Habana City know a great sandwich They also know that the best sandwiches don’t necessarily have the fanciest pedigree

The perfect sandwich is one that reminds you of a place feeling or memory — whether it’s sandy PB&Js at the beach, or leftover Thanksgiving turkey between slices of Evangeline Maid.

My personal favorite sandwich — after the Acadian Superette’s Reuben — doesn’t really have a specific name or culinary provenance. It’s “Butterbrot” in Germany, or “butter bread,” and has similarly derived titles in the surrounding countries. It’s a basic open-faced sandwich.

I love a slice of dark rye spread with good butter and layered with smoked salmon, cucumber and dill — or maybe just thinly sliced

Thai peanut shrimp salad from Overpass Merchant in Baton Rouge

The

Ranch sandwich from Five Mile Eatery in Lafayette can only be ordered online.

salami with a mild cheese. The topping choices are as endless as your mood and can lean sweet (good bread and Nutella) or mouthtwistingly sharp — think onion and herring.

This sandwich reminds me of

traveling, of eating for energy and taste, and the simplicity of just enjoying good things. It’s pretty far from the gravies and gumbos of Cajun country, but all the better for that, because this one sandwich reminds me of how much all of my food experiences have shaped my journey

These chefs feel the same way about their favorite sandwiches. You can find a couple locally, or try recreating the others at home to experience the sandwiches that make these Lafayette chefs tick.

Let me know if you try any and if so, which one.

Cuban sandwich

Two area chefs selected the Cuban as their favorite sandwich, for good reason. Chef Kim Nuzum at Café Sydnie Mae in Breaux Bridge spent her early years in Florida where she says the Cuban sandwiches were her favorite According to Rafael Garcia at Café Habana City — who responded to this question with “I’m in love with my Cuban sandwich” — it is extremely popular in south Florida, especially

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

The classic Cuban sandwich is on the menu from Café Habana City in Lafayette.

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN

secret menu Chicken Bacon

Embarrassedbymom’s tablesidehandwashing

Dear Miss Manners: Aftera meal at arestaurant, my mother is in the habit of vigorously rubbing both of her hands with one or two lemon slices, squeezing the juice into her palms, pouring water onto a napkin, then wiping her hands. She will even go so far as to shake excess water from her hands onto her plate. Mother thinks this is perfectly acceptable dining etiquette, especially since afinger bowlisusually not provided. Even if a finger bowl were available, Iunderstand that one’suse of it would be discreet; one wouldn’tscrub one’shands and shake them about.

ByThe Associated Press

premier of Vichy France, Pierre Laval, was executed fortreason.

Ihave asked Mother repeatedly to stop her handwashing at the table. She makes agreat show of this, and Ifind it embarrassing. Naturally,Mother won’t take adaughter’sadvice. Gentle reader: This must be quite ashow Incidentally,you are correct about this not being the way finger bowls are properly used. They are intended for aquick dip of the fingertips, if necessary,not abath

Miss Mannerswould recommend, in descending order of difficulty:1.telling your mother that youare happy to accompany her to the washroom,asyou thank thewaiter and countermandyour mother’srequest for lemons; 2. stop going to restaurants with your mother; 3. stop going to events at restaurants with anyoneother than close family members; and4.stop sitting next to your mother at restaurants.

Dear MissManners: Ihave a dear sister who is 50. She is a busy professional and homemaker.Iamher 65-year-old brother,livingabout four hours away,alsowell-educated. We have avery good relationship and see each other a few timesayear,but we also keep in touch by frequent textmessages. My sisterapparently doesn’tread and edit her texts prior to sending them. She likely usesa dictation system included in her phone that is prone to errors. Frequently,her messages have an incorrect word or two, andthey are often very confusing

—lacking context or just incomprehensible. What is agentle way of tellingher that she needs to read and edit her messages because they don’t makesense? She suggested Iwas being curt, dismissive and impatient in my return messages, but Idid not suggest that her rushed, messed-up communications were part of the reason.

Gentle reader: Texts are not letters —they are not even emails —sowhile Miss Manners has not seen what your sister is sending, she would guessthatany lack of context,grammar,spelling, vowels, punctuation or readabilityputs her in the majority of those using the form.

Whether you can get her to change her behavior will depend on your relationship and her willingness to accommodate abig brother Butamore immediate fix would be to respond to unclear texts individually —and temperately: “Sorry: don’tunderstand.”Once you get comfortable with this unruly medium, you may graduateto: “?”

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com.

Hang up accessible parkingsigns

Dear Heloise: So many people don’tknow that the accessible parking placard is to be removed while driving. In many states, it can even get you aticket! Ithink one of the reasons why people don’tremove the placard is the difficulty in placing and removing it from the rearview mirror.For years, we struggled with it, and one day,myhusband said that it was too bad there wasn’t something the sign could stick to. Yeah, Velcro!

touch, it can hang from the mirror —BarbaraC., via email Weddingdilemma

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 15, the 288th day of 2025. There are 77 days left in the year Todayinhistory: On Oct. 15, 2017, actor and activistAlyssa Milano tweeted thatwomen who had been sexually harassed or assaulted should write “Me too” as astatus. Within hours, tens of thousands had taken up the #MeToo hashtag (usinga phrase thathad been introduced adecade earlier by social activistTarana Burke).

Also on this date:

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte, the deposed French emperor,arrived on the British-ruled South Atlantic islandofSt. Helena, where he spent the last 51/2 years of his life in exile.

In 1945, theformer

SANDWICH

Continuedfrom page5C

Tampaand Miami.

The Cuban sandwich is also popular in Lafayette, whereCafé Habana City’s Cubano (with fresh French bread from Poupart Bakery) has landed aspot on theAcadiana Po-Boy Trail.

This or that

In 1946, Naziwar criminal Hermann Goering fatally poisoned himself hours before he was to have been executed.

In 1954, Hurricane Hazel madelandfall on the Carolina coast as aCategory 4 storm;Hazel was blamed forabout 1,000 deaths in the Caribbean, 95 in the U.S. and 81 in Canada.

In 1976, the first debate of its kind took place between vice presidential nominees.

Democrat Walter F. Mondale and Republican Bob Dole faced off in Houston.

In 1991, despite sexual harassment allegations by Anita Hill, the Senate narrowly confirmed the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. SupremeCourt, 52-48.

In 1997, British Royal Air

Force pilot Andy Green twice drove ajet-powered car in the Nevada desert faster than the speed of sound, officially shattering the world’sland-speed record.

In 2003, 11 people were killed and 70 were injured when aStaten Island ferry slammed into amaintenance pier.(The ferry’spilot, whohad blacked out at the controls, later pleaded guilty to 11 counts of manslaughter.)

Today’sbirthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Palmer is 80. Musician Richard Carpenter is 79. Film director Mira Nairis68. Britain’sDuchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, is 66. Chef Emeril Lagasse is 66. Actor Dominic West is 56. R&B singer Ginuwine is 55. Singer-TV personality Keyshia Cole is 44. Actor Bailee Madison is 26.

Youcan buy Velcroin rolls like tape and in small squares. Icut ashort piece from my roll and place one side on the placard and the other on the back of the mirror! Now the placard resides above the visor while I’m driving, and with just a

Dear Heloise: Iknowthisis atouchysubject, but my fiancé wants to ask people to contribute to theexpensesofour wedding. You’veheard it before, I’m sure.He wants to ask for $200 percoupleand $150 for single friends. We’ve had some very serious fights over this.

I’dbehappywith asmall family wedding in anice place or in my backyard, which is beautiful.Heand hismother wantsome overthe-top extravaganza,and frankly, I’mready tothrow in the toweland walkaway Is this anew trend to charge people,orisitjust tacky?

Suzanna D.,inMesa,Arizona

Suzanna, mostcouples still do not charge people to attend their wedding. Personally,Idon’tfavor theidea of charging others. Slow down and take along hard look at your fiancé and thelife he wants. Ask yourself if you two are really compatible on the importantissues. Pleasekeep this in mind: Youdonot marry someone with the idea that they will change or that you can change them. Toomany women have believed that they could change someone, only to find out the other person never wanted to change. Iwould advise counseling for both of you before you takethis important step in life. —Heloise

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

When Iordered the salad the second time, Isubbed the shrimp for fried chicken, which certainly offered adifferent, more smoky, flavorprofile, but it was just as good.

This salad is adish thatI know I’ll go back to multiple times when I’m craving something fresh.

—Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator

Avocado toast and maple pecan shaken espresso

n Birdman Coffeehouse,5687 Commerce St., St. Francisville

Iwas in St. Francisville for an interview and heard good things about Magnolia Cafe, so Istopped in for a bite and left very happy

The fall menu had amaple pecan shaken espresso with maple cold foam on top, and it was creamy and rich without losing its cof-

fee taste —alovely treat on afall day,and the perfect pairingwith asmall bite.

I’venever ordered avocadotoast before. Iactually realized Imeanttoorder a different menu item after the transaction, but then the toast was broughttomy table, anditlooked appetizing. The seasoningmadeit flavorful, andthe tomatoes and onionstasted very fresh

Ihighly recommend this spot if you’repassing throughSt. Francisville or visiting forthe day

—MaddieScott, features reporter Sun kissed pesto pizza

n Rotolo’sCraft &Crust, 411 Ben Hur Road, Baton Rouge

When I’m not in the mood to cook, Ilove to order abig, saucy,flavor-filled pizza.And Ioften turn to

ThesouschefatVestal restaurantindowntown Lafayette spent his early career training in restaurants likeLedgerinSalem, Massachusetts. During that period, Jordon Konow traveled around the Northeast and other U.S. cities, where he very much enjoyedthe classic hoagie experience with Italian cold cuts —so much so that it remains his favorite sandwich to this day

“My Louisianaanswer is themuffuletta,” said the BatonRouge native,who grew up going to Cafe Maspero in New Orleansevery Sunday Italian hoagiesand muffulettas areboth distinctiveItalian-Amerian sandwiches, and when he’s jonesingfor agoodhoagie in theLafayette answer, Konow saidhegoes to Jersey Mike’s.

“Get adouble meat Italian hoagie,” he said. “It’sthe bestI’ve had. Buttell them to go easy on thevinegar, because thebottom of the bun can get too soggy.”

PB&J with seared foie gras

“I lovea sandwich, especially when someone else makes it,” said Hollie Girouard, owner of Ton’s Downtown in Lafayette and Ton’sDrive-In in Broussard.

Shesaid that shenever turns down alobsterroll, and she keeps lobster knuckle meat in the freezer at alltimes for sandwich making. She also keeps foie grasonhandfor asandwich that’sa unique twistonpeanut butterand jelly —PB&J with seared foie gras,which is madefrom thefatty liver of ducks or geese.

“It’ssimple but fancy,” she said.

BBQporksteak sandwich

James Beard award semifinalist Madonna Broussard is the chef at Laura’s II in Lafayette, knownfor smokedturkeywings, oxtails with gravy and other hearty Creole plate lunches belovedbytowering figures like AnthonyBourdain. When it comes to her favorite sandwich, Broussard keeps it local.

She loves abarbecue pork steaksandwichonEvangeline Maid bread —one of those southwest Louisiana specials, particularly at festivals, parades, Mardi Gras, or anyother celebration where barbecue from atruck is the best thing you’ve ever tasted.Her favorite is from The Smokin’ Pitt food truck. Check their Facebook foravailability andlocation, whichisusually 903 E. Simcoe St., Lafayette.

Secret menu selection

Five Mile Eatery is known forhearty breakfast and lunch mealswith afocus on organicand wholeingredients, driven by chef Kelsey Leger.She saidthather favorite sandwich is on their secret menu, only available for online ordering —a grilled chicken bacon ranch sandwich, with aside of extra house-made ranch for

dipping. This sandwich has big, well-balanced flavor that will keep you full through the rest of the afternoon without weighing youdown. It’seven more delicious knowing how much the Five Mile team cares about each ingredient.

Panuozzo

It’s clear that someofthe best sandwiches are found through traveling, and that was true forchefKarlos Knott at Bayou Teche Brewing in Arnaudville While stationed with the Army in Germany,Knott and his wife learned all about beer and pizza while traveling around Europe and Italy.Heput those lessons to work at Bayou Techeand Cajun Saucer, where Knottregularly introducesnew pizzas(like the Detroit-style pan pizza) to the Acadiana area. Knott says his favorite sandwichisa panuozzo, which is like an open-faced calzone.

“Imagine apizza with no toppings foldedinhalf, then you stuff it like asandwich,” he said. His favorite panuozzo has mortadella,burrata, olive oil, pistachios and lemon zest.

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

Rotolo’sCraft &Crust.The “Sun Kissed Pesto” is by far my favorite pie on the menu. The pizza is layered with spinach, mozzarella, Canadian bacon (it’scompletely un-American, but this bacon is superior to all others), “sun-kissedtomatoes,” crushed red pepper, pestoand shaved asiago. Although not on the menu, if I need alittle extra protein, I ask thepizza parlor to add chicken. The thin,crispy crust holds all of the fixings well and gives much-needed texture to aslice of pizza. If you’re daring, theDetroitstyle and Chicago-style pizzas arealso worth atry.The “Windy City” is the closest deep dish pizza to theSun Kissed Pesto. That’swhere I’d start first. —Margaret

DeLaney healthsection coordinator

Hints from Heloise

FILE PHOTO By ROBIN MAy Hollie Girouard, co-owner of Ton’sDrive-IninBroussard and granddaughter of the original owners, shows dexterity and skill as she delivers trays of lunches to customers.

thatreportingthetruth–forourreaders,forourcity–isa responsibilitywemustfulfillnomatterthecost.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Observe, digest and go about your business. Reacting to something you cannot change is a waste of time. Your power is in your kindness, consideration and simple needs.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Say no to negativity and letting bias interfere with doing what's right. Step back, rethink your actions and reassess how you want to proceed. Stop wasting time on revenge; walk away or make amends.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Tune in to what motivates your mind and stimulates your emotions. Turn your thoughts into actions and be an inspiration to friends and family who have lost focus or need someone positive to set a good example.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Money and emotions will get you in trouble. Discipline is your strong point, so make it work for you, and find more affordable ways to satisfy your soul. Protect your assets.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) A change of scenery will help your sanity. It's time to rejuvenate and consider your options. Follow your heart and incorporate what makes you happy into your daily routine.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Divide time between work, play and relaxation, and see how much you thrive. Balance is the key to happiness, tranquility and motivation, making life purposeful.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Put more thought and time into bringing more revenue your way. Consider your skills,

experience and how you can diversify to broaden your marketability. Become the creator of your destiny.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Be careful not to let your emotions turn into stubbornness. If you want to come out on top, you must find common ground and make sense out of what's possible and what isn't.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Explore new activities, events and looks that keep you in the know and up to date. How you present yourself and your ideas will determine whom you attract into your circle.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Don't hold back because someone doesn't want to participate with you. Venture out and explore what life offers and how you can utilize your connections to get ahead.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Be careful when dealing with family, friends and associates. Pay attention, listen to your intuition and consider what others are going through before dominating the conversation or imposing your will.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Look at change from all sides. You may not like everything going on around you, but if you integrate what you can use into your daily routine or plans, you will discover how to make ends meet and reach your expectations.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE: K EQUALS D

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe peAnUtS

FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Elbert Hubbard was a writer who died when the Germans torpedoed the RMS Lusitania in 1915. He said, “If pleasures are greatest in anticipation, remember that this is also true of trouble.”

Bridge players take great pleasure in making a contract after correctly anticipatingtroubleintheformofunfavorable distribution. In today’s deal, South is in fourhearts.Westleadsthespadeaceand continues with the spade queen. After ruffing, how should declarer continue?

North’s takeout double was flexible, unlike a two-club overcall Also, note South’s jump to four hearts. This showed a relatively weak hand with a lot of hearts. With a very strong hand, South would have started with a two-diamond cue-bid. South hopes to take five hearts and five clubs. But he must realize that he might first concede one spade, one heart and two diamonds However, he can lose two diamonds only if East gains thelead.DeclarermustworktostopEast from winning a trick.

So, at trick three, when South leads a low heart from his hand, he should anticipate West’s playing the king. And if he does, South must go low from the dummy,lettingWesttakethetrick.Then everything is under control.

Finally, if you would have bid (a very risky)onespadewiththatEasthandover

North’s double, you would have reached four spades, which cannot be defeated. Also, if West doubles over four hearts, East might advance to four spades. (Rebidding four spades over four hearts is debatable, being less flexible than doubling.) Once again, bridge is a bidder’s game.

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAY’s WoRD — MonAuRAL: mon-OR-ul: Sound recording involving a single transmission path.

Average mark 17 words

Time limit 40 minutes

Can you find 33 or more words in MONAURAL?

YEsTERDAY’s WoRD — ToILER

© 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard

RAGAMUFFIN& RAGDOLLKITTENS www.CatsByFrancy.com/kittens

$700up! Reg. Shots& Guaranty 337-230-3150

DOGS Golden Doodle puppies, 8wks looking forre-homing.1st shots& deworming. Housebroken. 3girls &2 boys.Ready Now$800. 504-275-7689

DOGS Golden Retriever- Golden retriever puppies lookingfor theirforever homes. 2males and7 femalesavail‐able.Golden/cream, $1200 337-258-9177

Phone: 504-291-5738, emailbidconnect@ centerline.com Each bidmustbeaccom‐panied by acertified check, cashier’s check, or BidBondusing the Owner’sformpayable to theLafayette Parish School System,the amount of which shallbe five percent(5%)ofthe amount of theproposed Base Bidplusall Alter‐nates. MoneyOrderswill notbeaccepted. Electronic bids maybe submittedonlineat www.centerlinebidco nnect.com.Inaccor‐dancewithLARS38: 2212.E(6),bidsfor this projectmay be submit‐tedelectronicallyvia up‐load to Centerline Bid Connect(www.centerl inebidconnect.com ). Allbid documentsshall be uploaded by thedue date andtimestated above. Questionsabout this procedureshouldbe directed to Centerline (phone 504-291-5738, email: bidconnect@centerline. com)

ABid bond will be re‐quired, per thecontract d d h ld

q p documents,and should be uploaded with therestofthe required BidDocuments.If a scannedcopyofthe Bid Bond is uploaded,the original notarizedbid bond must be produced “on-demand”per the Owner’srequest

ThesuccessfulBidder shallberequiredtofur‐nish aPerformance and PaymentBondinan amount equalto100% of theContractonthe formsprovidedbythe School Boardand written in accordance with Louisianalaw Bids shallbeaccepted only fromcontractors who arelicensedbythe LouisianaState Licensing Boardfor Contractorsfor theclassification of CommercialConstruc‐tion.Nobid maybewith‐drawnfor aperiodof forty-five (45) days after receiptofbids, except under theprovisionsof La.R.S.38:2214. Amandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held at theSJMontgomeryat 10:00 a.m. CST, October 21, 2025. Theownerreservedthe righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause

TheLafayette Parish School System strongly encourages thepartici‐pation ofminoritybusi‐ness enterprisesinall contractsorprocure‐mentslet by theBoard forgoodsand services To that end, allcontrac‐tors andsuppliers are encouraged to utilizemi‐nority business enter‐prises in thepurchaseor sub-contractingofmate‐rials, supplies, andser‐vicesinwhich minority ownedbusinessesare available. LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL SYSTEM Kristie Sam, Purchasing &Procurement Coordina‐tor Advertisingdates:Octo‐ber6,2025 October15, 2025 October20, 2025 161012-oct6-15-20-3t $131.94

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THATTHE CITY COUNCIL FORTHE CITY OF SCOTT,LOUISIANA WILL CONSIDERADOPTIONOFTHE FOLLOWING ORDINANCE AT ITS REGULAR MEETING ON NOVEMBER6,2025 AT 6PM AT SCOTT CITY HALL, 125 LIONS CLUB ROAD, SCOTT,LA. ORDINANCE #2025-10 An Ordinance annexing the property owned by the Lafayette Parish School System located adjacent to Acadiana

BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council for the City of Scott, Louisiana in regular session assembled, that the City of Scott hereby annexes and enlarges its boundaries so as to include therein the following described property, to-wit: AS DESCRIBED ON ATTACHEDEXHIBIT 1

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINEDbythe City Council for the City of Scott, Louisiana, that the hereinabove described property,hereby annexed, is placed in andtobecontained in Voting District Four (4), and as such, the boundary of Voting District Four (4) is hereby changed to include the hereinabove described property

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINEDbythe City Council for the City of Scott, Louisiana, that Land Use District CIV Civic is assigned to the hereinabove described property,hereby annexed, and the Land Use Map for the City of Scott is hereby amended to reflectsame.

This ordinance having been submitted to avote in regular session assembled of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Scott, the vote thereon being as follows:

YEAS:

NAYS: ABSENT:_ ABSTAIN:

WHEREUPON, the presiding officer declared the above Ordinance duly adopted on this day of ,2025.

SHELLEY M. GAUTREAU -CITY CLERK JAN SCOTT-RICHARD -MAYOR

Icertify that the above Ordinance was presented to the Mayor by me on the day of October,2025.

SHELLEY MGAUTREAUCITY CLERK

Iacknowledge receipt of the above Ordinance from the City Clerk on the day of October,2025.

JAN SCOTT-RICHARDMAYOR

Ihereby approve the above Ordinance on this_ day of October,2025.

JAN SCOTT-RICHARDMAYOR

PUBLIC NOTICE ADVERTISEMENTFOR BIDS HIGHWAY92 IMPROVEMENTS PLANNING ANDCONSTRUCTION (LEFTTURNLANES) FORTHE CITY OF YOUNGSVILLE, LOUISIANA Sealed bids will be re‐ceived by theCityof Youngsville at anytime or dayprior to,but no laterthan 10:30 AM cen‐tral standard time on No‐vember 12, 2025 forthe abovelistedproject The projectscope includes asphaltpavement milling, overlay, patch‐ing, newroadway con‐struction, minorroadway repairs, drainage con‐structionrepairs and utilityrepairs on LA 92 within theCityof Youngsville.Thisworkin‐cludes approximately 1,700 square yardsofas‐phaltmilling,200 tons of asphalticconcretepave‐ment,650 square yards of full depth asphalt patching alongwith pavement striping, drainage improvements site grading, andother appurtenancesassoci‐ated with thecompletion of thework. Bids maybe mailedtoCityof Youngsville,Attn:Nicole Guidry,MunicipalClerk 201 Iberia Street Youngsville,LA70592, or deliveredbetween the hoursof8:00a.m.and 4:00 p.m. on anyworking dayprior to thebid open‐ing. Complete Biddocu‐mentsmay be obtained from McBade Engineers &consultants locatedat 327 Iberia Street,Suite 5, Youngsville Louisiana, 70592, phone337-4515823 at acost of $50 with checks made payableto McBade Engineers & Consultants. Biddocu‐mentsmay also be viewed,downloaded, and submittedonlineat www.centralbidding.com until thedeadlinelisted below. Therewillbeno mandatorypre-bid con‐ference. Allbidswith a properly executed enve‐lope,willbeopenedpub‐licly, andreadaloud on November 12 ,2025, at 10:30 AM in theCityof Youngsville City Hall, lo‐catedat201 Iberia Street Youngsville,Louisiana Theconstructioncostes‐timate will be read aloud upon openingofbids. Theprime contractor andall subcontractors must have an active Unique Entity ID (SAM)as verified on www.sam.gov priortobeginning con‐structionand throughout thetermofthe contract Funding forthis project h ll b h h i

EXHIBIT 1

Descriptionofproperty to be annexed into the City of Scott LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD-ACADIANA HIGH SCHOOL

Located in Section5,T-10-S, R-4-E in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana and placed in City of ScottDistrict 4for the purpose of voting.

Commencing at the easternright of way line of LA 93 -Rue Du Belier,the northwesternproperty corner of Lafayette Parish School Boardand the southernright of way line of DOTO;

Thence proceed in anortherly direction along the easternright of way line of LA 93 -Rue Du Belier and the westernright of way line of DOTO fora distance of 18 feet moreorless to apoint on the easternright of way line of LA 93Rue Du Belier,a point on the northernright of way line of DOTO and asouthernproperty corner of Lafayette Parish School Board, said point hereinafter to be also known as the Point of Beginning;

Thence proceed in anortherly direction along the easternright of way line of LA 93 -Rue Du Belier and the westernproperty line of Lafayette Parish School Boardon abearing of N00°28’30”E fo~ a distance of 338 feet moreorless to apoint on the easternright of way line of LA 93 -Rue Du Belier the northwest property corner of Lafayette Parish School Boardand the southwest property corner of P2 Investment CO LP;

Thence proceed in an easterly direction along the northern property line of Lafayette Parish School Boardand the southern property line of P2 Investment CO LP on abearing S89°15’08”E for a distance of 290 feet moreorless to apoint on the northernproperty line of Lafayette Parish School Board, the southeast property corner of P2 Investment CO LP and awesternproperty corner of MildredHope Martin Jefcoat;

Thence proceed in an easterly direction along the northern

g p j shall bethrough Ameri‐canRescuePlanActWaterSectorProgram Refertothe FederalPro‐visionsfor Construction Contractsfor specialre‐quirements.The Owner reserves theright to re‐ject anyand allbidsfor just cause; such actions will be in accordance with Title38ofthe LouisianaRevised Statutes.Nobiddermay withdraw his/herbid within forty-five (45) days after theactual date ofthe opening thereof. TheContractor shallobtain,maintain during thelifeofthe pro‐ject,and providetothe Ownercopiesofthe fol‐lowing bondsand poli‐cies which shallbeob‐tained from surety com‐panies which appear on theU.S.TreasuryCircular 570, licensed to do busi‐ness in theState of Louisiana, in the amountsand forthe pur‐pose stated andsubject to theOwner’sapproval 1. BIDBOND: A"BidGuar‐antee" equivalent to 5% of thebid priceconsist‐ingofa firm commit‐ment,suchasa bid bond,certified check, cashier'scheck,money orderorother negotiable instrument,shall accom‐pany each bidasassur‐ance that thebidderwill, upon acceptance of his bid, executesuchcon‐tractual documentsas mayberequiredand within thetimespecified

2. PERFORMANCEBOND: Aperformance bond of notlessthan100% of the contract priceshall be executed to assure the Contractor's faithfulper‐formance of thecontract. 3. PAYMENTBOND: Apay‐ment bond of notless than 100% of thecon‐tractprice shallbeexe‐cutedtoassurepayment as required by lawofall personssupplying labor andmaterialinthe per‐formance of thework provided by thecontract. Only thebidsofcontrac‐tors licensed under LouisianaContractor’s LicensingLaw R.S. 37:2150-2173 will be con‐sideredfor bids exceed‐ing$50,000.00. Should the bidexceed $50,000.00, contractorsdesiringto bidshall submit evi‐dencethattheyholdli‐censeofproperclassifi‐cation of “Municipaland Public WorksConstruc‐tion”infullforce andef‐fect at thetimedraw‐ings,specificationsand formsare requested from theoffice of theEn‐gineers. Contract docu‐mentsmay be obtained at theoffice of McBade Engineers& Consultants, LLC, 327 Iberia Street Suite5,Youngsville i i h g Louisiana70592, Phone Number (337) 451-5823, upon paymentof fifty dollars($50.00) foreach complete set. Deposits on the firstset of docu‐mentsfurnished bona fide primebidders will be fullyrefunded upon re‐turn of thedocuments

Anyone desiring to be heardwith reference to the proposed ordinance shall notify the Clerk or Secretary of the City of Scottinwriting and the governing authorities, beforeadopting any ordinance, shall grant such hearing. THIS DONEAND SIGNEDatLafayette, Louisiana, on this 9th day of October ,2025.

property line of Lafayette Parish School Boardand the southern property line of Mildred Hope Martin Jefcoat on abearing S89°22’42”E for adistance of 1007 feet moreorless to apoint on the northernproperty line of Lafayette Parish School Boardand apoint on the southernproperty line of MildredHope Martin Jefcoat;

Thence proceed in an easterly direction along the northern property line of Lafayette Parish School Boardand the southern property line of MildredHope Martin Jefcoat, Simone Ann Boudreaux and William G. Boudreaux on abearing S89°27’ 42”E for adistance of 340 feet moreorless to apoint on the northernproperty line of Lafayette Parish School Boardand apoint on the southernproperty line of William G. Boudreaux;

Thence proceed in an easterly direction along the northern property line of Lafayette Parish School Boardand the southern property line of Simone Ann Boudreaux, William G. Boudreaux, Jared MarkBoudreaux, Georgette Boudreaux Guillory and Rachael Lane Guillory on abearing

S89°Sl’Efor adistance of 987 feet moreorless to the northeast property corner of Lafayette Parish School Boardand the southeast property corner of Rachael Lane Guillory;

Thence proceed in asoutherly direction along the westernright of way line of N. Domingue Ave and the easternproperty line of Lafayette Parish School Boardon abearing S01°10’E fora distance of 260 feet moreorless to apoint on the westernright of way line of N. Domingue Ave, southeast property corner of Lafayette Parish School Boardand the northeastern property corner of Acadian Place

Estates Phase I;

Thence proceed in awesterly direction along the southern property

(I)Setting

Dates forFilingProofsof Claim,Including

questsfor

under Section503(b)(9) and (II) ApprovingForm ofNoticeofBar Date (the BarDateOrder”) PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT: as used in thisNotice, theterm claim” means, as to or against theDebtors and inaccordancewithsec‐tion101(5) of theBank‐ruptcyCode: (a)any right to payment, whether or notsuchright isreduced to judgment liquidated,unliquidated, fixed, contingent,ma‐tured,unmatured,dis‐puted,undisputed, legal, equitable,secured,or unsecured;or(b) any right to an equitable remedyfor breach of performance,ifsuch breachgives rise to a right to payment, whether or notsuchright toanequitable remedy is reduced to judgment fixed, contingent,ma‐tured,unmatured,dis‐puted,undisputed, se‐cured,orunsecured PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT: theCourt has set thefollowing bar dates:

deemed to have arisen prior to thePetitionDate including governmental units with claims against the Debtors forunpaid taxes,whether such claimsarise from prepe‐titiontax yearsorperi‐ods or prepetitiontrans‐actions to which the Debtors were aparty RejectionDamages Bar Date: Thelater of (a)the ClaimsBar Date or the GovernmentalBar Date asapplicable,and (b) 5:00p.m prevailingCen‐traltime, on thedate thatis30daysfollowing entry of an orderapprov‐ing therejection of any executory contract or un‐expired leaseofthe Debtors Appliesto: Allentities holding claims against the Debtors arisingfrom the rejectionofexecu‐torycontracts andunex‐pired leases of the Debtors AmendedSchedules Bar Date: Thelater of (a)the ClaimsBar Date or the GovernmentalBar Date, asapplicable,and (b) 5:00p.m., prevailingCen‐traltime, on thedate thatis30daysafter the datethatonwhich the Debtors mailednoticeof the amendmenttothe Schedules (oranother timeperiodasmay be fixedbythe Court) Appliesto: If theDebtors amend theirSchedules after thedateofthisNo‐tice, anycreditorwhose claim is modified in any way in theamended Schedules PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT: thefollow‐

ingparties do notneed to file proofsofclaims pursuanttothisNotice: •any entity that already has fileda signed Proof ofClaim againstthe ap‐plicableDebtorwiththe clerk of thecourt sub‐stantially similartoOffi‐cialForm410; •any entity whose claim islistedonthe Schedules if: (i)the claimisnot scheduled by the Debtors as “disputed,” contingent,” or “unliqui‐dated”and (ii) theentity agrees with howthe claim is setforth in the Schedules,including the amount,nature, andpri‐ority as well as thespe‐cificDebtoragainst which theclaim is listed inthe Schedules; •any entity whose claim has previously been al‐lowed by a finalorder of the Court; •any Debtorhaving a claim againstanother Debtor; •any entity holding a claim forwhich asepa‐ratedeadlineis fixedby thisCourt;and •any entity holding a claim allowableunder sections503(b) and 507(a)(2)ofthe Bank‐ruptcyCodeasanex‐pense of administration incurredinthe ordinary course; provided that any entity asserting a claim entitled to priority under section503(b)(9)

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