The Advocate 10-18-2025 by The Advocate

“When you get any vaccine from a doctor or pharmacist, you talk through risks and benefits and get your questions answered. It’s no different than before.”

DR. JENNIFER AVEGNO, director of

the New Orleans Health Department

COVID vaccines become easier to ﬁnd in Louisiana

Pharmacies

Updated CDC guidance eases confusion

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

After weeks of confusion about access to the latest COVID-19 vaccine and murky guidance from federal ofﬁcials, Louisiana residents should now ﬁnd it much easier to get a shot. Pharmacies and clinics across the state are offering the updated vac-

cines without a prescription, following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released earlier this month. The agency said that anyone 6 months and older can receive the vaccine through “shared clinical decisionmaking” with a provider essentially, a conversation between patients and their providers about personal risk and beneﬁt.

In practical terms, that shouldn’t look any different from the usual process of getting a vaccine from a provider, whether that’s in a pharmacy or at a doctor’s office, said Dr Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department.

“When you get any vaccine from a doctor or pharmacist, you talk through risks and beneﬁts and get your questions answered,” said Avegno. “It’s no different than before.”

The clariﬁcation marked the end of several weeks of uncertainty over who could get the updated vaccine and how After the Food and Drug Administration approved this fall’s updated COVID-19 shots on Aug. 27, it narrowed use to seniors 65 and older and to people from 6 months to

ä See VACCINE, page 4A

Feds link Lafayette resident to massacre

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

A man living and working in Lafayette who federal authorities say is a member of a terrorist organization and participated in the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel appeared in court for the ﬁrst time Friday Gaza-born Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi, 33, also known as Abu Ala, was arrested on a federal warrant and jailed in St. Martin Parish on Thursday He faces federal charges of supporting a terrorist organization and visa fraud for providing false information June 26, 2024, on his visa application to enter the United States and obtain legal permanent resident status. He allegedly indicated he had not ever served in a paramilitary or terrorist group. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison. The FBI’s criminal complaint, which al-Muhtadi

Man accused of participating in Hamas-led attack in Israel makes court appearance ä See MASSACRE, page 5A

State education leaders focus on absenteeism

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Several members of a new study group to examine Louisiana’s high rates of student absenteeism pushed back this week against proposals to tie school district funding to attendance, warning that doing so could backﬁre without addressing the root causes of why students miss school. Louisiana’s absenteeism rate rose between 2022 and 2024 before dropping slightly last year Members of the state’s new Truancy Study Group suggested brainstorming ways for school systems

Basing funding on attendance could backfire, some say ä See EDUCATION, page 4A

Trump tells Zelenskyy he’s reluctant to sell him missiles

President had previously warned Russia he might

BY AAMER MADHANI, SEUNG MIN KIM and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signaled to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday that he’s leaning against selling him long-range Tomahawk missiles, while offering optimism that the war is moving toward an end that would mitigate a need for the powerful weapon. Zelenskyy at the start of the

White House talks said he had a “proposition” in which Ukraine could provide the United States with its advanced drones, while Washington would sell Kyiv the Tomahawk cruise missiles that Ukrainian ofﬁcials say they desperately need to motivate Russian President Vladmir Putin to get serious about peace talks.

But Trump said he was hesitant to tap into the U.S. supply a turnabout after days of suggesting he was seriously weighing sending the missiles to help Ukraine beat back Russia’s invasion.

“I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace,” Trump

said He added, “We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We’d much rather have the war be over to be honest.”

Following the meeting, Trump called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end the war

“Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being deﬁned by War and Guts,” Trump said in a Truth Social post “They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!” Zelenskyy told reporters after the meeting it was time for a ceaseﬁre and negotiations, but appeared to stop short of embracing Trump’s call for an immediate end

ä See MISSILES, page 5A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, sits before a meeting with President Donald Trump, from right, Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the White House on Friday

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

and clinics across the state are offering the updated COVID-19 vaccines without a prescription, following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released earlier this month.

Slovak leader’s party

expelled from group

BRUSSELS Europe’s main center-left political group on Friday kicked out the party of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is accused of cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and undermining the rule of law in his own country

The Party of European Socialists voted unanimously to expel Fico’s Smer party for taking political positions in recent years that contradict “severely and deeply the values and principles our family stands for,” Secretary-General Giacomo Filibeck said.

“This is a unanimous, clear message. If you belong to the PES family, you share the values that we all do,” Filibeck said after the vote at a group congress in Amsterdam.

Fico said he was disappointed by the decision. “If they want to punish us because we have deﬁned marriage as a unique union between a man and a woman, that we said there are only two sexes and that we said that in these issues our law takes precedence over European law, if that’s why we have to be expelled, then it’s an honor for us,” he said

In May Fico was the only leader of an EU country to travel to Moscow for festivities marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, despite EU calls for a boycott.

DNA from discarded cup leads to man’s arrest

NEW YORK A Georgia man accused of sexually assaulting ﬁve women during a New York City crime spree in the early 1990s was linked to the cases by DNA authorities obtained from a discarded cup, prosecutors said Michael Benjamin, 57, of Conyers, was arraigned Thursday after being extradited to New York and was ordered held without bail due to his high ﬂight risk, prosecutors said.

While ofﬁcers escorted Benjamin from a New York police station Thursday he told reporters he was innocent of the allegations “I didn’t do this! I didn’t do none of this!” he screamed. “What witness? What fingerprints? I didn’t do this!”

The assaults occurred between July 1995 and February 1997, with the attacker entering the residences through a window prosecutors said. The victims ranged in age from 21 to 42 — including one woman who was assaulted on two separate occasions. Each victim was also robbed of money and valuables.

Benjamin was linked to the assaults by DNA obtained last year from a discarded cup he had used inside the Rockdale County Sheriff’s ofﬁce, prosecutors said It was submitted for testing and matched DNA retrieved at the time the assaults occurred.

Benjamin was arrested in Georgia on Sept. 22. He faces 17 counts, including sexual assault and burglary charges

Father pleads in murder of missing 7-month-old RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The father of a 7-month-old boy missing in Southern California pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of his son after a monthslong investigation that has failed to locate the child’s remains.

Jake Haro on Thursday also pleaded guilty to assault on a child under 8 that results in death, paralysis or a comatose state, and a misdemeanor count of ﬁling a false report.

Haro, 32, and his wife Rebecca Haro, 41, attracted national attention this summer after reporting their son Emmanuel Haro had been kidnapped outside a store in San Bernardino County on Aug. 14. Rebecca Haro told authorities that she was attacked outside a store in Yucaipa while changing her son’s diaper and was left unconscious. Authorities said Haro told them that when she awoke, her son was gone. Rebecca Haro was later confronted by authorities about inconsistencies in her account and refused to continue to cooperate, the sheriff’s department said.

The couple was charged with the murder of Emmanuel Haro and making a false report. They’ve each been held on $1 million bail.

Prince Andrew gives up titles

BY JILL LAWLESS and PAN PYLAS Associated Press

LONDON Prince Andrew said Friday he is giving up his royal title of the Duke of York and other honors after his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the headlines.

Andrew, younger brother of King Charles III, said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace that “the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family.”

“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me,” Andrew said in his statement Friday “As I have said previously, I vigorously

deny the accusations against me.”

It’s the latest fall from grace for the 65-year-old prince, who had already stepped down from public life in 2019 over his links to Epstein despite his denials of any wrongdoing.

News that he will be ditching his title came in the wake of the release of excerpts of an upcoming posthumous memoir from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has alleged she was trafﬁcked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17. The memoir is due to be published Tuesday Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41. In the memoir, she details alleged encounters with

Prince Andrew, who she sued in 2021. Andrew denied her claims and said he didn’t recall having met her Andrew, once second in line to the British throne, has long been a source of tabloid fodder because of his links to Epstein, other questionable characters and money woes.

His attempt to refute Giuffre’s allegations backﬁred during a November 2019 BBC interview Viewers saw a prince who proffered curious rebuttals — such as disputing Giuffre’s recollection of sweaty dancing by saying he was medically incapable of perspiring — and showed no empathy for the women who said Epstein abused them.

Within days of the interview, Andrew stepped down from his royal duties. Giuffre sued him and the

Remains of another hostage to be returned

BY WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip The Red Cross on Friday received the remains of another hostage to be returned to Israel from Gaza, the Israeli military said, after Hamas worked to shore up a tenuous ceaseﬁre by using bulldozers to help search for bodies the group says remain trapped under rubble.

The army said the cofﬁn of a deceased hostage was on the way to Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip

The handover came after Hamas’ military wing said it would hand over the body of a hostage that was pulled out earlier in the day to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The statement from the Qassam Brigades said the remains were that of an “occupation prisoner,” suggesting they belonged to an Israeli rather than one of the hostages of several other nationalities also taken by Hamas.

The Israeli military and Shin Bet security service, in a joint statement, said official identification of the remains would first be provided to the families, before adding: “Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages.”

Hamas has said it was committed to the terms of the ceaseﬁre deal, including the handover of bodies. This week, Hamas, in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross, has handed over to Israel the remains of nine hostages along with a 10th body that Israel said wasn’t that of a hostage.

The effort to find bodies followed a warning from President Donald Trump

that he would green-light Israel to resume the war if Hamas doesn’t live up to its end of the deal and return all hostages’ bodies, totaling 28.

In a statement earlier Friday, Hamas said some hostages’ remains were in tunnels or buildings that were later destroyed by Israel and that heavy machinery is required to dig through rubble to retrieve them. It blamed Israel for the delay, saying it had not allowed any new bulldozers into the Gaza Strip.

Most heavy equipment in Gaza was destroyed during the war, leaving only a limited amount as Palestinians try to clear massive amounts of rubble across the territory

Hamas urged mediators to increase the ﬂow of aid into Gaza, expedite the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and start reconstruction. It also called for work to “start immediately” on setting up a committee of Palestinian independents who will run the Gaza Strip and for Israeli troops to continue pulling back from agreed-upon areas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel “will not compromise” and demanded that Hamas fulﬁll the requirements laid out in the ceaseﬁre deal about the return of hostages’ bodies.

Hamas has assured the U.S. through intermediaries that it’s working to return dead hostages American ofﬁcials say retrieval of the bodies is hampered by the scope of the devastation, coupled with the presence of dangerous, unexploded ordnance.

Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages on Monday In exchange, Israel freed around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Trump administration appeals bar on deployment of Guard in Chicago area

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to allow the deployment of National Guard troops in the Chicago area, escalating President Donald Trump’s conﬂict with Democratic governors over using the military on U.S. soil.

The emergency appeal to the high court came after a judge prevented, for at least two weeks, the deployment of Guard members from Illinois and Texas to assist immigration enforcement. A federal appeals court refused to put the judge’s order on hold.

The conservative-dominated court has handed Trump repeated victories in emergency appeals since he took ofﬁce in January, after lower courts have ruled

against him and often over the objection of the three liberal justices. The court has allowed Trump to ban transgender people from the military, claw back billions of dollars of congressionally approved federal spending, move aggressively against immigrants and ﬁre the Senate-conﬁrmed leaders of independent federal agencies, In the dispute over the Guard U.S. District Judge April Perry said she found no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump’s immigration crackdown.

But Solicitor General D. John Sauer Trump’s top Supreme Court lawyer, urged the justices to step in immediately. Perry’s order, Sauer wrote, “impinges on the President’s authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property.”

case was settled in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. A statement ﬁled in court said that the prince acknowledged Epstein was a sex trafﬁcker and Giuffre was “an established victim of abuse.”

As well as no longer using the title of the Duke of York, a longestablished title that was gifted to him by his mother Queen Elizabeth II at his wedding to Sarah Ferguson in 1986, Andrew will also give up other titles: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter He will remain a prince, which he has been entitled to since birth. Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also no longer use the title of Duchess of York Their children, Beatrice and Eugenie, will remain princesses.

Trump says he

has

commuted Santos’ sentence

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday he had commuted the sentence of former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who is serving more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges.

The New York Republican was sentenced in April after admitting last year to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of 11 people — including his own family members — to make donations to his campaign.

He reported to Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, on July 25 and is being housed in a minimum security prison camp with fewer than 50 other inmates.

“I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted on his social media platform.

A prominent former House colleague, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, also urged the White House to commute his sentence, saying in a letter sent just days into his prison bid that the punishment was “a grave injustice” and a product of judicial overreach

The judge in Santos’ case had agreed with federal prosecutors that a stiffer sentence was warranted because Santos didn’t seem remorseful, despite what he and his lawyers claimed.

Santos became the ﬁrst openly gay Republican elected to Congress in 2022, flipping a House seat representing parts of Queens and Long Island. But Santos served less than a year in ofﬁce after it was revealed that he had fabricated much of his life story, which in turn led to investigations into how the then-unknown politician had funded his winning campaign.

Santos had appealed to the Trump administration to intercede within hours of receiving his sentence, insisting in social media posts and interviews that it was overly harsh and politically motivated.

Andrew

Santos

that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in the northern Gaza Strip during sunrise Friday.

and local agencies to better communicatewith families and oneanothertoﬁgure out what’sdriving absenteeism. Those reasons can vary widely,they said.

Made up of nearly two dozen education professionals,including principals, superintendents, district attorneysand schoolcounselors, the study group’screation came at the behest of the Legislature. State Rep. BarbaraFreiberg, R-Baton Rouge, proposedabill in the springthat would have tied attendance data to school funding through the Minimum Foundation Program, which is Louisiana’sformula that determines the cost of educating public school students.

Freiberg ultimately pulled the bill, saying the issue needed to be studied, and the Legislature instead passed aresolution to create the Truancy Study Group. But she said at the time that she wanted to ensuredistrictsbecame “more involved in making sure students are there daily.”

The committee willmeet periodically in Baton Rouge until February,which is the deadlinefor them to submit policy recommendations to the Legislature.

collectand submit.That’sa change from the currentformula,which bases funding on head counts that aretaken once in February and once in October

Thoseinfavor of linking attendance to funding said it would incentivize districts to do more to reduce absenteeism.But opponents warned that doing so could unfairly penalize public school systemsthat are already ﬁnancially strapped.

During Wednesday’smeeting, severalstudy groupmembers shared their frustration over what theysaid was alack of support for high-need students, whoare often the ones mostatrisk of becoming chronically absent. Many noted that basing funding on attendance would reduce districts’ ability to afford resources that couldhelpstudents.

(Minimum Foundation Program),” she told them

Beth Scioneaux, chief ﬁnancial officer forthe state Education Department, said in apresentation Wednesday that while basing funding on attendance can encourage districts to “hyper-focus” on chronically absent students to avoid losing money,italso comes with drawbacks. Averagedaily attendancedata doesn’ttakeinto account students who missschool forreasonsoutside of theircontrol,likeprolonged illness, shesaid. She also noted that districts with higher numbers of economically disadvantaged students usually struggle the most with chronic absenteeism.

As aresult, she said that attendance-based funding can makeit even moredifﬁcult forschool systems to address absenteeism’sroot causes. Education experts widely saythose oftenstemfromproblemsoutside of school.

VACCINE

Continued frompage1A

64 years old with certain high-risk conditions. In Louisiana,that was interpreted by some pharmacies to mean prescriptions were necessaryfor everyone or foratleast somegroups of people, which createdbarriersand confusion.

On Sept. 19,the CDC’sAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices, reshaped under Health and HumanServicesSecretary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr voted to makeCOVID-19 vaccination an “individual-based” or “shared clinical decision-making”choice for everyone 6months and older

The CDC formally accepted the recommendation in October,and major chains resumed giving shots without prescriptions na-

The numberofstudentsfrequently missing school in Louisiana skyrocketed during COVID-19, mirroring national trends.

In many states, chronic absenteeism fell after thepandemic. But in Louisiana, absenteeism ratescontinuedtogrow, spiking

“There’sadisconnect sometimes between theory and practice,” said Sharon Clark, amember of the state education board and the study group’schair,during Wednesday’smeeting. “Wewant to make sure we’re coming up with solutions that work across thestate.”

tionwide

CVS pharmacies will give the COVID-19 vaccinetoages 5and up withoutaprescription, said Amy Thibault, aspokesperson Walgreenswillprovide it forages 3and up, according to Carly Kaplan, aWalgreensspokesperson.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children aged 6monthsto23months receive aCOVID-19 vaccine,saying that babies andtoddlersinthis age group are at higher risk of severe illness andhospitalization comparedtoother children.For older kids, it recommends vaccination forthose with underlying risk factors and also says parentsshould decideifhealthykids get ashot

Younger kids typically receive immunizationsfrom their pediatrician. As of fall 2025, threeCOVID-19 vaccines are authorized for childreninthe United States,

at 24.5% during the2023to2024

schoolyearbefore dipping to 22.5% last year

Stateeducation leaders and lawmakers have said they’re worried those numbers could hinder the state’srecent academic progress.

To push districts to tackle the problem,Freiberg’sbill suggested allocating money based on daily attendance numbers, whichschools are now mandated by thestate Education Department to regularly

though eligibility varies by age.

TheModerna vaccineiscleared for children 6months and older

ThePfizer-BioNTech vaccine, whichinpast seasons covered those as young as 6months, is now authorized only for ages 5and olderunderthe FDA’s 2025-26 update.For older children and teens 12 and up, theNovavax vaccine, aprotein-based, non-mRNAoption, is also available. There is no authorized COVID-19 vaccine for infants under 6months.

Manning Family Children’sin New Orleans has the COVID-19 vaccineavailable both at thehospital and in community clinics, according to Dr.Mark Kline, physician in chief. Ochsner Health, which has clinics and hospitals across thestate, also has updated pediatric andadultvaccines available. The Louisiana Department of Health willhavevaccinesavail-

“Kids cometousinsurvival mode. Some don’tknowwhere their next meal is coming from,” saidRobert Wells, principal of Bonnabel High School in Baton Rouge. “Ifthe goal is to do better and support kids to produce better outcomes, to help them leave high school and be able to go out and do whatever it is that they want to do, we can’tcut funding.”

Freiberg told committeemembers thisweek that she understood the pushback and that they needed to ﬁnd alternative methods to tackle absenteeism.

“I hope you’ll come back to me with legislation that Ican carry in thespring that’snot just tied to the

able at parish health units and will administer it “in accordance with thelatestCDC recommendations,” said spokesperson Emma Herrock

Louisiana has low uptake of theCOVID-19 vaccine. Roughly 5.7%ofkids in thestate received it in the past respiratory virus season. Nationally,the rate was13%, accordingtothe CDC. Amongadults, the rate is 12.5% in Louisiana compared with23% nationally

Still, some families see it as essential protection, said Dr.Nora Oates, of Hales Pediatrics. She’s heardfromparents of healthykids who are eager to ﬁnd the vaccine because theylive with someone who’simmunocompromised.

“There’s other reasons —anindication for anewborn coming in (to thefamily),” Oates said. “Our families are expressing frustration over

If Louisiana weretomake the switch, “there would have to be somekind of phase-in period,” Scioneaux added. “You can’ttake millions and millions of dollars away and expect the same level of educational experiences to be delivered.”

To date, six states —California, Kentucky,Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas —allocate money based on average daily attendance numbers. Someofthose, including Mississippi andTexas, have made recent moves to explore other formulas.

the delay in recommendations and the contradictory messages.” In Louisiana,Surgeon General Dr.Ralph Abrahamhas publicly criticized COVID-19 vaccines, callingthem“dangerous.” Gov Jeff Landry echoed that when U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-BatonRouge and aphysician, suggested the stateput in astandingorder for the vaccine, acommonpractice that makes amedication available over the counter.Earlier this year,the state Health Department changeda yearslong practiceof offering mass vaccination fairs andinstructed employees notto recommend seasonal vaccinations. The New Orleans Health Department continues to hold community vaccination events, offering flu, COVID-19, shingles and pneumonia shots. At arecent Bug Fest event in mid-October,nearly 200 people were vaccinated, Avegno said.

to the war

“The president is right we have to stop where we are, and then to speak,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy and his top aides huddled with Trump and his team over lunch, aday after the U.S. president and Putin held alengthy phone call to discuss the conﬂict. The meeting,which went more than twohours,lastedmuchlonger than planned.

Zelenskyycongratulated Trump over landing last week’s ceaseﬁre and hostage deal in Gaza and said Trump now has “momentum” to stop the Russia-Ukraine conﬂict

“President Trump now has abig chance to ﬁnish this war,” Zelenskyy added.

Trump’sshifting rhetoric on Tomahawks is certainly disappointing to the Ukrainians. In recent days, Trump had shown an openness to selling Ukrainethe Tomahawks, even as Putin warned that such a move wouldfurther strain the U.S.Russian relationship.

But following Thursday’scall

MASSACRE

Continued from page1A

heard for the first time in court Friday as an interpreter translated it into Arabic, accuses him of organizing armed ﬁghtersinthe Oct.7, 2023, attacks in Israel that killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and 46 U.S.citizens, including civilians, women and children.

The afﬁdavit was submitted by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Alexandria O’Donnell to establish probable cause.

Al-Muhtadi is expected back in courtOct.22for adetention hearing to determine if he qualiﬁesfor releaseon bail, said Lester Gauthier,a Lafayette attorney who represented al-Muhtadi only for the hearing Friday

Wearing atan T-shirt and olivegreen pantsand restrained with handcuffs, abearded al-Muhtadi said through an interpreter that much of the material in the afﬁdavitisfalse and he is innocent.

His wife attended the lengthy hearing Friday.She declined to speakwiththe news media.

Al-Muhtadi entered the country on Sept. 12, 2024, through the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Documents show he has been living in Lafayette since at least May, working in alocal restaurant after relocating from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

According to the affidavit, al-Muhtadi has been a member of the National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, aU.S.-designated terrorist organization, since at least 2019.Officials alleged he is asenior member of the group and was tasked with training younger militants.

Israel provided the U.S. government with information that al-Muhtadi participated in the attacks and ﬂed Gaza, O’Donnell wrote. Hissocial media and email accounts show extensive

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President DonaldTrump greets Ukraine’sPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday

with Putin, Trump begandownplaying the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles, which have a range of about995 miles.

Zelenskyy had beenseeking the Tomahawks, which wouldallow Ukrainian forces to strike deep into Russianterritory and target key military sites, energy facilities and critical infrastructure. Zelenskyy has argued that the potential for such strikes would help compel Putin to takeTrump’s calls for

evidence againsthim, she said, including photos of al-Muhtadi wearing the red headband of the NRB and allegedlyproviding firearmstrainingand aphoto of him with 15 young armed menthathedescribed as his group.

Al-Muhtadi, in May of 2021, O’Donnell wrote, sent amessagetoanother social media userdescribingan NRBattack on an Israeli military outpost near the Gaza border.Heallegedly wrote, “I swear by God, we burnedthem! This battle is different for us. God is the helper! Long live the resistance.”

In August,federal authoritiesobtained six audio recordings determined to be telephone calls by al-Muhtadi onthe dayofthe Israeli massacre. An FBI agent familiar with al-Muhtadi conﬁrmed he is the speaker in the call.

On themorningofthe Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, O’Donnell wrote, al-Muhtadi learned of theHamas invasion, which beganaround 6:30 a.m.He made phone calls about the attack, armedhimself and gatheredother armed ﬁghters. He allegedly crossed into Israel by 9:30 a.m. through abreach in theborder in the Malaka region. At least one person wearing an NRBpatch is shown on ﬁlm outside Nahal Oz, akibbutz in Israel near the border fence abutting theMalaka regioninGaza,murdering aTanzanian student who waskidnapped from the kibbutz

O’Donnell said al-Muhtadi’s phone location on the day of theattack showed he wasnearKibbutz KfarAza, an area near theIsrael-Gaza border where 64 people were killed.

Theafﬁdavit read in court Fridaydescribes the murderofseveral American citizensinthe Kfar Azakibbutzimarea.

They included an American citizen whophotographed several Hamas paragliders approaching thekibbutz from the air and

direct negotiations to end the war moreseriously Putin warned Trump during the callthatsupplying Kyiv with the Tomahawks“won’tchange thesituation on the battleﬁeld, but would cause substantial damage to the relationship between our countries,” according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Ukrainian Foreign Minister AndriiSybihasaidthattalkofproviding Tomahawks hadalreadyserved

landing in front of his home. He was shot and killed shortly after taking the photos. His 38-year-old wife was in the house with their children. Twoofthe children, ages 6and 9, hid in awardrobe next to their mother’s body for 12 hours. The couple’s3-year-old daughter ﬂed, covered in her father’s blood, to aneighbor’shouse. She was kidnapped later that daybyterrorists andreleased 50 days later as part of ahostage exchange.

A67-year-old American woman and her husband living in Kfar Aza sheltered in their home when theHamas rocket attack began. Around 5p.m.,she sent amessage that terroristshad broken into theirsaferoom. They appear to have been shot andkilled shortlyafter she sent themessagebegging for help.

A22-year-old American whowas amember of theIsrael Defense Forces learned about theattack on Oct. 7while he wasinJerusalem with hiswife. On his own initiative, he traveled to theKfar Aza area, O’Donnell wrote, to help evacuate residents. He was killed by terroristslater that day LouisianaAttorney General Liz Murrell said in a prepared statement Friday, “The massacre of innocent Israelimen, women and children on Oct. 7was evil personiﬁed. If what is alleged is true, this person needs to be prosecuted to theabsolute fullest extent of the law.If thedeathpenaltyisavailable,the federalgovernment should seek it. If state chargescan be lodged, we will seek them.”

apurpose by pushingPutin into talks. “The conclusionisthatwe need to continue with strong steps.

Strength can truly create momentum for peace,” Sybiha said on the social platform Xlate Thursday

It is the fourth face-to-face meeting for Trumpand Zelenskyy since theRepublicanreturned to ofﬁce in January,and their second in less than amonth.

Trump announced on Thursday following his callwithPutin that he would soon meet with him in Budapest, Hungary,todiscuss ways to endthe war.The twoalso agreed that their senior aides, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio,would meet next week at an unspeciﬁed location.

The president said Friday it was “tobedetermined”ifZelenskyy would be involved in the talks in Hungary— suggesting a“double meeting” with the warring countries’ leaders was likely the most workable option for productive negotiations.

“These two leaders do not like each other, andwewanttomake it comfortable foreverybody,”

Trumpadded.

Before hiscall with Putin, Trump had shown signs of increased frus-

tration with the Russian leader

Lastmonth,Trump announced that he believedUkraine could win back allterritory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from his repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.

Trump, going back to his 2024 campaign, insisted he would quickly end the war,but his peace efforts appeared to stall following adiplomatic blitz in August, whenheheld asummit with Putin in Alaska and aWhite House meeting with Zelenskyy and European allies.

Trump emerged from those meetings certain he was on track to arranging direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin. But the Russian leader hasn’tshownany interest in meeting with Zelenskyy and Moscow has only intensifiedits bombardment of Ukraine.

Asked Friday if he wasconcerned that Putinwas stringing himalong, Trumpacknowledged it wasapossibility but said he was conﬁdent he could handle the Russian leader

“I’vebeenplayedall my life by the best of them, and Icame out pretty well,” Trump said. He added, “I think I’mpretty good at this stuff.”

Alaska evacuees maybeawayfor months

Damage to remote villages is extreme, governor says

BY MARK THIESSEN and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press

ANCHORAGE,Alaska Damage to remote Alaskavillages hammered by ﬂoodinglast weekend is so extreme that manyofthe more than 2,000 people displaced won’tbe able to return to their homes for at least 18 months, Gov Mike Dunleavy said in arequest to the White House for amajor disaster declaration. In one of the hardest hit villages, Kipnuk, an initial assessment showed that 121 homes —or90% of the total —have been destroyed, Dunleavy wrote. In Kwigillingok, where three dozen homes ﬂoatedaway,slightly more than one-third of the resi-

dencesare uninhabitable

The remnants of Typhoon Halong struck the area with theferocityofaCategory 2 hurricane, Dunleavy said, sending asurge ofhigh surf into thelow-lying region

Oneperson was killed, two remain missing, andrescue crews plucked dozens of people from their homes as they ﬂoatedaway Ofﬁcials have been scramblingtoairlift people from the inundatedAlaska Native villages. More than 2,000 people across the region have taken shelter in schoolsintheir villages in largercommunities in southwest Alaska or have been evacuatedbymilitary planes to Anchorage. Dunleavy said he eventually expectsmore than 1,500 people to be relocated to majorcities in the state.

In thestate’s largest city, about 575 have been airlifted by the Alaska National Guard to asportsarena or a conventioncenterwith addi-

Adog is rescued WednesdayinKipnuk, Alaska, to be

to an animal shelter in Bethel, Alaska, as its owner had evacuated

tional ﬂightsexpected Friday andSaturday.Officials are workingonﬁguring outhow to move people out of shel-

ters and into short-term and thenlonger-termhousing.

“Due to the time, space, distance, geography,and

Survivorsin custodyafter boat strike,sources say

BY KONSTANTINTOROPIN

and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON The United States took survivors into custody afterits military struck asuspected drugcarrying vessel in the Caribbean the ﬁrst attack that anyoneescaped alive since President Donald Trump began launching deadly strikes in the region last month, adefense ofﬁcial and another personfamiliar with the matter saidFriday.

Trump later conﬁrmed the attack “Weattacked asubmarine, andthat was adrug-carrying submarine built speciﬁcally for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs”

Trump said while hosting the Ukrainian president at the WhiteHouse.

Secretary of State MarcoRubio did not dispute that there were survivors, but he repeatedly said details would be forthcoming.

The strike Thursday brought the death toll from the Trump administration’smilitary action against vessels in the region to at least 28

It is believed to be at least the sixth strike in the waters offVenezuelasinceearly September, and theﬁrst to result in survivors who were picked up bythe U.S. military It was not immediately clear what would bedonewith the survivors, who the people said were beingheld on aU.S. Navy vessel. They conﬁrmed thestrikeand the seizing of survivors on the condition of anonymity because theattack hadnot yet been publiclyacknowledged byTrump’sadministration.

Trumphas justiﬁed the strikes by assertingthatthe UnitedStatesis engaged in an“armed conﬂict”with drug cartels, relyingonthe same legal authority used by the Bush administration when it declared a war on terror after the Sept. 11 attacks. That includes theabilityto capture anddetain combatants and to use lethalforce to take out their leadership.

Some legal experts have questioned the legality of theapproach.

The president’suse of overwhelming military forcetocombat the

cartels, along with his authorization of covertactioninsideVenezuela, possibly to oust President Nicolás Maduro, stretches thebounds of international law,legal scholars said this week.

Trump on Fridayappeared to confirm reports that Maduro has offered astake in Venezuela’s oil andother mineral wealth in recent monthstotry to stave off mounting pressure from the United States. TheNew York Times last week ﬁrst reportedabout the effort by theMaduro government.

Venezuelan government ofﬁcials have also floated aplan in which Maduro would eventually leaveofﬁce, according to aformer Trump administration official.Thatplan was also rejected by theWhite House, theAPreported.

“He’soffered everything,”Trump said in an exchange withreporters at thestart of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.“Youknow why? Because he doesn’t want to f*** around with the United States.”

weather in the affected areas, it is likelythatmany survivors will be unableto return to theircommunities this winter,” Dunleavy said. “Agenciesare prioritizing rapid repairs but it is likely that somedamaged communities will not be viable to support winter occupancy, in America’s harshest climate in the U.S. Arctic.”

The federalgovernment alreadyhas been assisting with search and rescue, damage assessments, environmental response and evacuation support. Amajor disaster declaration by President Donald Trump could provide federal assistance programsfor individuals andpublicinfrastructure, including money foremergency and permanent work.

The three members of Alaska’scongressional delegation sent alettertoTrump, urging swiftapproval.

The storm surge pummeled asparsely populated region off the state’smain

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technologywriter

Meta is adding parental controls for kids’ interactions with artiﬁcial intelligence chatbots including theabilitytoturn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether —beginning early next year

Butparents won’t be able to turn offMeta’sAIassistant, which Meta says will “will remain available to offerhelpful information and educational opportunities, with default, ageappropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe.”

Parents who don’twant to turn offall chatswith allAI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get “insights” about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters

road systemwhere communities are reachable only by airorwater this time of year.The villages typically have just afew hundred residents, whohunt and ﬁsh for much of their food, and relocating to thestate’smajor cities will bring avastly different lifestyle.

Alexie Stone, of Kipnuk, arrived in Anchorage in a military jet with hisbrothers, children and mom, after hishomewas struck by the ﬂooding. They’ve been staying at the Alaska Airlines Center at theUniversity of Alaska, where the Red Cross provided evacuees with cots, blankets and hygiene supplies.

At leastfor the foreseeable future,hethinkshe might try to ﬁnd ajob at a grocery store;heused to workinone in Bethel.

“It’sgoing to be,try to look for aplace and ﬁnd ajob,” Stone said Friday.“We’re starting anew life here in Anchorage.”

although they won’tget access to the full chats. AI chatbots are drawing scrutiny over their interactions with childrenthatlawsuits claim have driven sometosuicide. Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to arecent study from Common Sense Media,a nonproﬁt that studies and advocatesfor usingscreens and digital media sensibly

On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG13 content by default and won’t be able to change their settings without aparent’spermission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will seephotos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in aPG-13 movie —nosex, drugs or dangerous stunts.

PHOTO PROVIDED By JACQUI LANG

flown

Trump shows little interest in shutdown talks

Democrats call on president to get more involved with negotiations

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is showing little urgency to broker a compromise that would end the government shutdown, even as Democrats insist no breakthrough is possible without his direct involvement.

Three weeks in, Congress is at a standstill. The House hasn’t been in session for a month, and senators left Washington on Thursday frustrated by the lack of progress. Republican leaders are refusing to negotiate until a short-term funding bill to reopen the government is passed, while Democrats say they won’t agree without guarantees on extending health insurance subsidies.

For now Trump appears content to stay on the sidelines. He spent the week celebrating an Israel-Hamas ceaseﬁre deal he led, hosted a remembrance event for conservative activist Charlie Kirk and refocused attention on the Russia-Ukraine war Meanwhile, his administration has been managing the shutdown in unconventional ways, continuing to pay the troops while laying off other federal employees

Asked Thursday whether he was willing to deploy his dealmaking background on the shutdown, Trump

ASSOCIATED

R-Benton, addresses reporters Friday at the Capitol in Washington.

seemed uninterested

“Well, look, I mean, all we want to do is just extend We don’t want anything, we just want to extend, live with the deal they had,” he said in an exchange with reporters in the Oval Ofﬁce. Later Thursday, he criticized Democratic health care demands as “crazy,” adding, “We’re just not going to do it.”

Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Democrats must first vote to reopen the government, “then we can have serious conversations about health care.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune echoed that approach before leaving for the weekend, saying Trump is “ready to weigh in and sit down with the Democrats or whomever, once the government opens up.”

Thune said he’d also be willing to talk but only after the shutdown ends. “I am willing to sit down with Democrats,” Thune posted on social media Friday

“But there’s one condition: End the Schumer Shutdown I will not negotiate under hostage conditions, nor will I pay a ransom,” he added. Frustration is beginning to surface among rank-and-ﬁle

Republicans, with bipartisan conversations breaking out on the Senate ﬂoor as members look for ways to move things forward. Still, even those Republicans admit little happens in Congress without Trump’s direction.

While Congress has been paralyzed by the shutdown, Trump has moved rapidly to enact his vision of the federal government. He has called budget chief Russ Vought the “grim reaper,” and Vought has taken the opportunity to withhold billions of dollars for infrastructure projects and lay off thousands of federal workers, signaling that workforce reductions could become even more drastic.

At the same time, the administration has acted unilaterally to fund Trump’s priorities, including paying the military this week, easing pressure on what could have been one of the main deadlines to end the shutdown.

Some of these moves, particularly the layoffs and funding shifts, have been criticized as illegal and are facing court challenges A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the administration from firing workers during the shutdown, ruling that the cuts appeared politically motivated and were carried out without sufﬁcient justiﬁcation.

And with Congress focused on the funding ﬁght, lawmakers have had little time to debate other issues.

In the House, Johnson has said the House won’t return until Democrats approve the funding bill and has refused to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva. Democrats say

Bolton pleads not guilty in case accusing him of sharing secrets

BY ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

GREENBELT,Md.— John Bolton pleaded not guilty Friday to charges accusing the former Trump national security adviser turned critic of emailing classiﬁed information to family members and keeping top secret documents at his Maryland home.

Bolton was ordered released from custody after making his appearance before a judge in the third Justice Department case brought in recent weeks against an adversary of President Donald Trump. The case accusing Bolton of putting the country’s national security at risk is unfolding against the backdrop of growing concerns that the Trump administration is using the law enforcement powers of the Justice Department to pursue his political foes. Bolton has signaled he will argue he is being targeted because of his criticism of the president, describing the charges as part of a Trump “effort to intimidate his opponents.”

The investigation into Bolton, however, was already well underway by the time Trump took ofﬁce a second time this past January and appears to have followed a more conventional path toward indictment than other recent cases against perceived Trump foes, who were charged by the president’s hand-picked U.S. attorney in Virginia over the concerns of career prosecutors.

Bolton is accused of sharing with his wife and daughter more than 1,000 pages of notes that included sensitive information he had gleaned from meetings with other U.S. government ofﬁcials and foreign leaders or from intelligence brieﬁngs. Authorities say some of the information was exposed when operatives believed to be linked to the Iranian government hacked Bolton’s email account he used to send diary-like notes about his activities to his relatives Bolton, 76, is a longtime fixture in Republican foreign policy circles who became known for his hawkish views on American power and who served for more

than a year in Trump’s ﬁrst administration before being ﬁred in 2019. He later published a book highly critical of Trump.

Bolton suggested the criminal case was an outgrowth of an unsuccessful Justice Department effort after he left government to block the publication of his 2020 book “The Room Where It Happened,” which portrayed Trump as grossly misinformed about foreign policy

Bolton’s lawyers have said he moved forward with the book after a White House National Security Council official, with whom Bolton had worked for months, said the manuscript no longer had classiﬁed information.

Bolton’s attorney Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that the “underlying facts in this case were investigated and resolved years ago.”

He said the charges stem from portions of Bolton’s personal diaries over his 45year career in government and included unclassified information that was shared only with his immediate family and was known to the FBI as far back as 2021.

the move is to prevent her from becoming the 218th signature on a discharge petition aimed at forcing a vote on releasing documents related to the sex trafﬁcking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

So far, the shutdown has shown little impact on public opinion.

An AP-NORC poll released Thursday found that 3 in 10 U.S. adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of the Democratic Party, similar to an AP-NORC poll from September Four in 10 have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of the Republican Party, largely unchanged from last month.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have said Republicans have shown little seriousness in negotiating an end to the shutdown.

“Leader Thune has not

come to me with any proposal at this point,” Schumer said Thursday Trump has no plans to personally intervene to broker a deal with Democrats, according to a senior White House official granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. The official added that the only stopgap funding bill that Democrats can expect is the one already on the table.

“The President is happy to have a conversation about health care policy, but he will not do so while the Democrats are holding the American people hostage,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Thursday In his second term, Trump has taken a top-down approach, leaving little in Congress to move without his approval.

“What’s obvious to me is that Mike Johnson and John Thune don’t do much with-

out Donald Trump telling them what to do,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. His hold is particularly strong in the GOP-led House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, effectively owes his job to Trump, and relies on his influence to power through difficult legislative fights. When Republicans have withheld votes on Trump’s priorities in Congress, he’s called them on the phone or summoned them to his office to directly sway them When that doesn’t work, he has vowed to unseat them in the next election. It’s led many Democrats to believe the only path to an agreement runs through the White House and not through the speaker’s office. Both parties also see little reason to fold under public pressure, believing they are winning the messaging battle.

Councilquestions useofautopen

ControloftoolinMayor-President’s Office reviewed

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

Staff writer

SeveralEastBaton Rouge Parish Metro Council members are questioningwhether an autopen in Mayor-President SidEdwards’ ofﬁce has been misused by atop aide,

citingthe potentialofunauthorized pay increases andalarm over who controls thetool. In an email sent to the mayor Thursday,councilmembers Jen Racca, Mayor Pro Tempore BrandonNoel,Carolyn Colemanand Aaron Moak askedaboutthe pro-

ceduresinplace forusingthe autopen —a deviceused to replicate the mayor’ssignature —and cited worries over the “integrity of ofﬁcial documents submitted forcouncil approval.” On Friday, Racca said in astatement thatshe and her colleagues

are particularly concerned about whether the device has been used by AssistantChief Administrative Officer Monique Appeaning, who cameunder fire after another City Hall staffer accused her of misconduct last week.

Asked for comment about the autopen, Edwards’ spokesperson Falon Brown said the device’ssignature card is kept in alockbox that only themayor’s executive assistant, chief of staff and chief administrative officer currently haveaccess to.The machineis not operablewithoutthe signature

AUTOPEN, page 2B

ACOURSEFOR ACAUSE

Southern University censures

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

Southern University announced Friday it has issued acease and desist letter against the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity chapter on campus over complaintsofhazing The letter,penned by DirectorofStudent Leadership and Engagement Winton Anderson, states university administration was told abouta reported violation of Southern’shazing policies by the ofﬁceofStudent Conduct Afull investigation intothe hazing accusationsisbeing conducted; meanwhile, the Beta Sigma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha is prohibited from:

ä See BLOTTER, page 2B

ABOVE: Louisiana State Police Trooper Brennen Russell, left, gets a fist bump from MikeRichard before competing in the speed runduring the Gulf CoastPolice Motorcycle Skills Championship at Cabela’s in Gonzales on Friday. All proceeds benefitand provide supportfor Dream DayFoundation and St. Jude Children’sResearch Hospital. LEFT: West Baton RougeParish Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Michael Dupuy competes in the speed run. RIGHT: LSUPolice Department Sgt. Thomas Schiebe competes in the speed runonFriday STAFF PHOTOSByHILARy SCHEINUK

Countryartistremains in BatonRouge hospital

Mark Chesnutt misses RiverCentershow

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

Countrysinger-songwriter Mark Chesnuttremainedina Baton Rouge hospital on Friday afterbeingadmitted on Thursday morning soon after hisplane landed in Louisiana. Chesnuttwas scheduledtoopen for veteran countryartists Alabama at a concert Thursday night at the Raising Cane’sRiver Center Arena. Chesnutt’s band, NewSouth Band, went on as scheduled, with another band member on vocals

Grubbs said Chesnutt’sshow on Saturday night in Portales, New Mexico, has been canceled, and there is no news on any other future shows being affected.

“He is still there for testing on a low-sodium count and very high blood pressure,” accordingtohis publicist, Don Murry Grubbs.

“Mark wantstoapologizetothe fans who cametosee him last night and also to those who had plannedtosee him tomorrow in New Mexico,” Grubbs said. “He hopes to be back in bothcities in thevery near future.” Tour personnelrequestedthat the RiverCenter post the following notice on all entrances before the show, accordingtoAlysiaGuin, director of marketing and partnerships at the River Center:

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

BatonRouge telecommunications company

Gage acquired Thibodaux-based Data Management Services Inc. last month, amovethatwill expand informationtechnology andgenerator offerings to DMSclients.

Gage Vice President of OperationsGreg Wood Jr.saidthe 45-year-old companywas in apositiontoscaleup, andthe acquisitionwas a“natural discussion”after collaborating with DMS for thepast 25 years. The acquisition, effective Sept. 1, moved DMS’ operations under Gage leadership, bringing the staff to over 40 employees.

Racca

Cassidytouts Trumpenergypolicies

Senatorsupports cleanenergy innovation efforts

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy onThursday offered afull-throateddefense of President Donald Trump’senergy policies, saying the administration seeks to foster the development of new clean energy technologies without forcing taxpayers to subsidize industries that aren’t ready to stand on their own.

Cassidy,aBaton Rouge Republican facing atough reelectionbattle next year,said Trump’sOne Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by Congress in July, puts sensible limits on clean energy subsidies while supporting advances in carbon capture and storage, high-tech fuels and other energy innovation.

“The Biden administration created overly generous subsidies for industries that would lower the carbon footprint,” Cassidy said in an

AUTOPEN

Continued from page 1B

card, she added.

BrownsaidAppeaning hadfull authorization to use the autopen in the past, butthathas recently changed.

“Recently,our ofﬁce has made the executive decision to limit the use of the autopen and reducethe number of people who areauthorized,” Brown said.“In addition to other staffers, Ms. Appeaning’s responsibilities have been adjusted to limit the overall useofthe autopen. She can still approve documents for the departments that she oversees under the direction of Mayor-President Edwards.”

Racca said she and other council members had received reports of possible unauthorized employee payincreasesapproved with the autopen without the mayor’s knowledge,thoughshe didnot provide additional details.

“Personally,Idonot believe the mayor would authorizemultiple large pay raisesina short 10-month period withthe impending budget issues we are facing,” she said.

In their email to the mayor,the council members asked for acopy of the ofﬁce’sautopen policy and a list of all contracts the device has been used to sign since Edwards took ofﬁce.

“The possibility that staff may have unrestricted access to sign your name, with or without your explicit authorization, is deeply troubling and demands immediate clarification,” thefourcouncil members wrote.

interview in New Orleans during a break at the Louisiana Energy Security Summit. “President Trump and theRepublican Congress saidthiscan’t just be amoney grab for industry.Ithas to be something that gets youonyour feet,and then you become commercially viable.”

He added that the president’s efforts to reopen shuttered nuclear power plants alsowill create more carbon-free energy to fuel domestic demand driven by the advent of powerhungry AI data centers.

America’senergy production and supply chain, manufacturing momentum in Louisiana, and how thestate’soil and gas industry strengthens U.S. leadership.

Cassidy’scomments defending Trump comethree months after passageofthe

Thursday’senergy summit was hosted by the American Council for Capital Formation,aprobusiness think tank that advocatesfor freemarket policies.

More than 250energyindustry executives gatheredfor presentations and networking at the Higgins Hotel in the Warehouse District. Cassidy providedopening and closing remarks, bookending presentations aboutChina’sthreat to

One Big Beautiful Bill Act enshrined into law dramatic changes to thenation’s energypolicy, whichemphasizes increased domestic oil and gasproduction at the expenseofcleaner and renewable energy sources.

Trump’sbill slashed Biden-era tax breaks designedtoboost wind and solar power, threatening billionsininvestments in Louisiana and, critics have said, slowing the state’sefforts to growits clean energy industry at atime when greenhouse gasemissionsare contributing to climate change.

Currently,Louisianahas more than adozen utility-scale solar farms. Though there aren’tany

Severalmembersofthe Baton RougeMetro Council are questioning the useofanautopendevice in Mayor-PresidentSid Edwards’ office and whether arecently scrutinized aidehas had access to it.

the ParishAttorney’s Ofﬁce and Mayor-PresidentEdwards,” she added.

The same council members who signed the letter called for an investigationintoAppeaning lastweek after themayor’schief service ofﬁcer,Yolanda BurnetteLankford, ﬁled acomplaintagainst her. Burnette-Lankford accused Appeaning of creating a“toxic, intimidatingand emotionally distressingenvironment” andusingasluragainst an employee, as well as other verbal harassment.

City-parish procedure requires council approval for any contract over $50,000. Contracts under that threshold are not regularly seen by the Metro Council.

The four noted that they areoften asked by the Mayor’sOfﬁce to approve agreements over $50,000 without seeing the attached contract. In such cases, they are “simply signatories on your behalf,” they told the mayor Brown said the Mayor’sOfﬁce uses the autopentosign contracts over $50,000 that the council has approved.Those underthat threshold are “approved through

The Mayor’sOfﬁce declined to comment last week when askedabout theallegations against Appeaning, whose responsibilities were overseeing Human Resources, Finance, Information Services, Purchasingand theOfﬁce of Community Developmentdepartments.

Multiplegovernment sources havetold The Advocate that Appeaning’sdepartmentoversight hassince been reduced tojust the Office of Community Development Racca added that the council is nottargeting Appeaning or anyoneelse by questioning the use of theautopen

“The council is not accusing any speciﬁc individual,nor is this a ‘witch hunt,’”Racca said. “Rather,

it is an exerciseofour responsibilitytoperform due diligence andensure transparency and accountability within city-parish operations.”

Coleman said she and her council colleagues have aﬁduciaryresponsibility to the city-parish, and it was important for the mayor to be made awareoftheir concerns regarding theautopen.

“We’re talkingabout approving contracts,”she said. “Weneed to know, is this themayor’ssignature or is unauthorized use taking place?”

Council member Laurie Adams, whosaidshe’d seen the email, praisedher colleagues for sending it, and added that“the best way to answer questions, concerns andcorrect and mistakes moving forward is through transparency.”

Brown, themayor’s presssecretary, said thousands of documents are signed by the autopen She calledita“timesaving tool” utilized by government offices throughout the country and said the administration ensures it is used appropriately

“While we understand that somecouncil membersmay wish to review the use of this technology,weare conﬁdent that such a review will confirm there have been no violations or causefor concern,” Brown said.

CHESNUTT

Continued from page1B

“Mark Chesnutt has been admitted to alocal hospital for medical

reasons. Fortunately, Mark Chesnutt’sband will perform in his place at 7p.m. Thank you, Alabama.” Chesnutt, 62, was forced to cancelshowsinJune 2024 after undergoing an emergency quadruple bypass surgery

His top hitsinclude “Bubba Shot the Jukebox,” “Brother Jukebox,” “Too Cold at Home,” “It’saLittle TooLate” and “Blame It on Texas.”

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

land-based wind farms in the state yet, at least ﬁve utility-scale wind projects are in development. The administration has kept in place some taxbreaks forhydrogen, battery storage and nuclear plantsprojects.

Evolving energy industry

Cassidy is gearing up fora2026

U.S. Senate race that has attracted several competitors whobelieve thestate’sseniorsenatorisvulnerablebecause of his2021vote to convict Trump during asecond impeachment trial. The race will be Louisiana’sﬁrst closed primary in decades.

Among Cassidy’schallengers are state TreasurerJohnFleming, state Sen. Blake Miguez of Lafayette, Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta and St. Tammany Parish Council memberKathy Seiden. All are highlighting theirdevotion to Trump.

During theinterview, Cassidy saidLouisiana needs more jobs, better protection from extreme weather,cheaper insuranceand better schools to keep up with

BLOTTER

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n Meetinginpersonanywhere on Southern’scampus,

n Wearing fraternity apparel during the probationary period, n Reservingany campus spaces, n Hosting off-campus events or cosponsorships, and

n Participating in Greek Life or other universitywide events. Violations of these restrictions could endanger the chapter’sor individual students’ abilitytostay at Southern,accordingtothe letter Southernofficials could not comment on the speciﬁcs of the hazing allegation.

The university removed another fraternity, the Beta Sigma chapterofOmega Psi Phi from campus earlier this year in the wake of the hazing death of HumanJukebox trumpeter CalebWilson.

Manarrested in fatal barbershop shooting Aman hasbeenarrestedinthe fatalshootingofa bystanderina Baton Rouge barbershop where a ﬁght broke out, and investigators are searching for two other suspects, according to Baton Rouge police.

Sylvester BoulignyIII gotintoa

ﬁght Wednesdaywith an employ-

GAGE

Continuedfrom page1B

It is thecompany’sﬁrst IT services acquisitionand thirdoverall acquisition after Gage acquired standby generator company GenTech Power Solutions in 2018. Greg Wood Sr.foundedGagein 1980, installing phone systems, and as the internet developed, the company eventually expanded intoIT, voice, cabling and generator services.

Gagewill continue local operationsout of DMS’ Thibodaux ofﬁce, where DMSstaff will retain theirsame duties. DMS President Marc Boudreaux has moved into a business development role and is planning to retire

“We’re goingtocontinue growing the company with comprehensive technology while keeping our core values we’ve had for 45 years,” Wood Jr.said.

Boudreaux saidthe acquisition bringsa broadrange of services and products that DMSdid nothavebefore. He founded the

neighboring Southern states.

“The bayou regions have lost populationbecause,afterIda,the cost of housing went up, families felt insecure and they moved out, so we’ve gottomakeour state more secure from things like hurricanes andﬂooding,” Cassidy said, citing the 18.5-mile, nearly $4 billion hurricane protection system that will stretch from the Bonnet Carre SpillwaytoGaryville as an important step in the right direction.

Cassidyalsohighlighted abillhe co-sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, aRepublican from South Carolina, that he said would help build domestic energy production of all types. The latest version of the bill, introduced in April, wouldplace a feeonhigh-pollution imports from international competitors. It is under review by aSenate committee.

The senatorsaidtaking advantage of an evolving energy industry is away to help the state’seconomy grow its population.

“Louisiana hasa real opportunity,but it’snot like that couldn’tbe squandered,” he said. “Wehaveto nurture it.”

ee of the shopinthe 9700 block of PlattDrive,thenleft andreturned with two other mentoconfront the employeeagain, police said in anewsrelease.

Afight broke outand thetwo other menshot and killed abystander,29-year-old Marvin Tolliver,who was not involved in the conﬂict.

Bouligny wasarrested Thursdayand booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on counts of principal to second-degree murderand illegaluse of aweapon

The case is still under investigationfor the othersuspects, police said.

Ibervillehigh school senior fatally shot

Derrien Scott, 17, of Maringouin, was killedand anotherteenager was injured in ashooting Thursday,Iberville Parish SheriffBrett Stassi said.

Scott was ahigh school senior in the Iberville public school system, Stassi said in astatement Friday

The shootings happened in the parking lotofthe Ridgewood Apartments on Ridgewood Drive in Maringouin, ofﬁcials said. An injured 19-year-old was taken to the hospital and is being treated, Stassi said.

The case remains under investigation, he said.

Email Quinn Coffmanatquinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.

companyin1986 andhas since focused on IT services but can now bring technology like the Gage Cloud Voice, acloud-basedphone system, to its clients.

“Wehad requests over the years, and we didn’thave the people or technology for it,” Boudreauxsaid.

Email Ianne Salvosaatianne. salvosa@theadvocate.com.

Cassidy Trump

Edwards

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MANUEL BALCECENETA

Cheatham, Sheila Mount CalvaryBaptistChurch,9147 Highway 422 in Norwood,at11a.m Pegues, Catherine St.AgnesCatholic Church at 12pm

Delone,Doris Second BaptistChurch in Plaquemineat1 p.m Roundtree, Sentoria FirstPentecostal Church of Wakefieldat11am. Dent,Doris Hall Davisand SonofPortAllen 1160 LouisianaAvenue in Port Allen, at 11 a.m.

Dyhrkopp, Erik

Getridge,Elbert

Scivicque,Pat FirstBaptist Church in Denham Springsatnoon. Sherman, Clifton St.Francis of Assisi Church in Donaldsonvilleat11a.m

Jesuit High School Chapel,4133 Banks St NewOrleans, LA70119. Theriot, Roma Line Creek BaptistChurch in Kentwood, Louisianaat1:00p.m

Shiloh MissionaryBaptistChurch 185 EddieRobinson Sr.Drive,at11

a.m.

Hartman, Robert Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery, BatonRouge,LAat10am. Obituaries

Hebert,Robert Holy Rosary Catholic Church,St. Amantat11:00am.

Houston,Angela Greater BethanyBaptistChurch,214 ValverdaRoadinMaringouin, at 10 a.m.

Jackson, Gail

Young PilgrimBaptist Church,6176 Rev.Thomas ScottStreet in Convent, at 2p.m Jones, JoAnn NewGideonBaptist Church,2552 Balis Drive, at 10 a.m.

LaCombe, Geraldine

St.GerardMajella Catholic Church 3808 PlankRd, BatonRouge,LAat10 am Landry, Eurline

TheLegacy at Bonne Esperance, 1655 Sherwood Forest Blvd.at12pm. LeBlanc, Ida St.John theEvangelistCatholic Church in Plaquemineatnoon. Nicholas,Brandon Hall

Washington, Leslie Asbury IndependentMethodist Church in WhiteCastleat11a.m

Hardee, John 'Skip'

John "Skip" Hardeewas bornApril 4, 1943inDeBerry,TexastoJohnnieand Alice Hardee andpassed awayonOctober 13, 2025 in Baton Rouge,Louisiana. John was dedicated to his workasa salesman with Standard Alloys. He also enjoyedspending time with his family, golfing,fishing and dancing at Ric Seeling Dance Studio He was adie hard fanof the NewOrleans Saints

and LSUTigers. John was preceded in death by his father Johnnie Hardee, his mother Alice Hardee, his wife Diane Hardee, his sister Beverly Monroe, his stepson John McCurley and his beloved cat Chace John is survivedbyhis brotherChris Hardee,sisterPeggy Bradshaw, daughters ElizabethHardee,SusieHardeeand Jennifer Hardee, daughter in lawShannon Seay and grandchildrenHeather Hardee, Chance McCurley, Brandon McCurley and Lily Seay.

John's kindness and charismatic personality willbegreatly missed.He always offered asmileand ahandshake to all. He never knew astranger Cremationarrangementsare under thedirection of AscensionFuneral Home.Inlieuofflowers, please considermaking a donationtoany Alzheimer'sfoundationin his memory.

willbeheldonSaturday at First Baptist Church Denham Springsvisitationwill beginat10:00 am until time of serviceat12noon, officiated by Dr. LeoMiller. Graveside servicewillbe at DenhamSprings Memorial Cemetery. Mr. Scivicque was born on October 15, 1928, in Port Vincent;hewent to be with theLordonhis 97th birthday in Denham Springs.

He served with theUnited States Navy from 1951 until 1959, working with theSecret Service,a faithful member of First Baptist Church. He retired from Kaiser in 1979, worked with Mo-Dad Sewage Systems, and as Director withLivingston Public Works, also, served as aCouncil Memberwiththe Livingston Parish Police Jury/Council, and was an avid golfer.

He was an excellent craftsman withwoodworking and gifted over three hundred of his wooden designs. He was amember for73years with Denham SpringsMasonicLodge 297 F& AM, amember for 78 years with UA local 198 Pipefitters and Steamfitters.

He wasprecededin death by hiswife of 68 years JaniceBenton Scivicque, son Ron Scivicque, parents Lewis andMattie Andrews Scivicque, brothers, Joe Sidney, J. L., andMatt Allen Scivicque, grandsons Kevin Michael Harrisand Cody Scivicque, anda niece Joette ScivicqueLewis. Survivors include his daughters AnnScivicque Harris(Mike), andLyn Rancher (Hardie), grandchildrenAlysha Leonard (Adam), Blake Harris(Morgan), andMaddie

Scivicque, great grandchildren JodeeKent,Jaden Kent,Jack Harris, Heidi Blanchard,KateLeonard, HadleyLeonard, andParker Leonard. Honored to serve as pallbearers Blake, Jodee, Jaden,Hardie,Mike, Adam, BillStegall,Roy Zachary andJim Benton Memorial gifts may be given to LAUNCH to honor Pat's life andmemory Arrangements with Church Funeral Services

CSX investorsfocus on newCEO’sdirection

Investors looked past a22% drop in CSX’sthird quarter earningsThursday and focused on the direction the railroad’s new CEO might take it and the possibility of any strategic deals.

CEO Steve Angel promised to focus on makingCSX thebestperforming railroad. Without promising amerger,Angelsaid he would consider any strategic opportunities that make sense forshareholders. The railroad is under pressurefrom investors to ﬁndanother railroad to merge with, so CSX can better compete with the merged Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern railroad if that $85 billion deal gets approved. But both of CSX’slikelymergerpartners —BNSF andCPKC railroads have said they aren’tinterested in adeal because they believe theindustrycan better serve customers through cooperative agreements and avoid all the potential headaches that come with amerger

Most observers believe CSX and BNSF will be at adisadvantage if the Union PacificNorfolk Southern merger is approved. That transcontinental railroad will be able to shave more than aday off delivery times because it won’thave to hand off shipments between railroads in the middle of the country

TheJacksonville,Floridabased companysaid Thursday it earned $694 million, or 37 cents per share, in the quarter.That’s down from $894 million, or 46 cents per share ayearago. But withouta$164million goodwill impairmentcharge, the railroad wouldhave earned$818 million, or 44 cents per share.

Ford recalls more than 290K F-series trucks

Ford is recalling more than 290,000 vehicles in the U.S. because the rearview camera system maynot displayimages properly in certain lighting conditions,which could increase therisk of acrash.

The recall includes certain 2020-22 F-250SD, F-350SD, and F-450 SD vehicles.

The National HighwayTrafﬁc Safety Administration’ssafety recall report said thatFord reviewed customer complaint data and warranty information to understand customer occurrences.The automakersaid that as of Sept. 20, it was aware of 10 reports, withthe ﬁrst reportoccurring on Jan. 20, 2022.

The automaker’sdealers will update the image processing module software of the impacted vehicles forfree. Interim letters are expected to be sent to vehicle ownerson Oct.20. Additional letters will be sent once the ﬁnal remedy is available, which is anticipated for March 2026. Vehicleowners may call Ford customer service at (866)436-7332. Individuals mayalso contact theNHTSA vehiclesafety hotline at (888)3274236 or go to www.nhtsa.gov

Publix recalls ice cream for egg allergenissue

Publix recalled one lotofice cream in six states because the product insidedoesn’tmatch the container

The container is for Publix Rich&Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream.That doesn’thave egg, which is an allergen. What’s inside the recalled lot might be Rich &Creamy French Vanilla Ice Cream. That has egg. So, ice cream with an allergen might be in acontainer that doesn’t list egg among the allergens.

“People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to eggs may run the risk of serious or life-threateningallergic reactions if they consume this product,”Publix’srecall announcement states.

The recall covers the lotof Rich &Creamy Vanilla Ice Creamwith aJune 19, 2026, sell-by date.The lid on the ice creammight have the lid for the French Vanilla ﬂavor. This recall covers stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky South Carolina and Tennessee.

Market risesasbankstocksstabilize

Wall Street cruises to the finish of a winning week

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK Wall Street cruised to theﬁnish of awinning week on Friday after banks recovered some of theirsharp lossesfrom theday before

The S&P 500 rose 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 238 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaqcompositeclimbed 0.5%.

Thegains capped the best week forthe S&P 500 since early August, but it was aroller-coaster ride.Indexes careened through several jarring swings as worries built about the ﬁnancial healthof

smalland midsizedbanks, as well as the souring trade relationship between the United States and China.

Someofthe nervousness around U.S.-China trade tensions eased on Friday after President Donald Trumpsaid that very high tariffs he threatened to put on Chinese imports are not sustainable.

Trumpalso told Fox News Channel’s“SundayMorningFutures” that he would meet with China’s leader,XiJinping, at an upcoming conference in South Korea. That’scounter to an earlier,angry posting he made on social media, where he said there seemed to be “no reason” for such ameeting.

Bank stocks, meanwhile, stabilized on Friday after several reportedstronger profit forthe latestquarter than analysts expected, including Truist Financial,

FifthThird Bancorp and Huntington Bancshares. That helped steady the group, aday after tumbling on worriesabout potentially bad loans.

The twobanks at the center of Thursday’saction also rose to trim some of their sharp losses.

Zions Bancorp., which is charging off $50 million of loans where it found “apparent misrepresentationsand contractualdefaults” by the borrowers, climbed 5.8% following its 13.1% loss.

Western Alliance Bancorp, whichissuing aborrower due to allegations of fraud, rose 3.1% after its 10.8% fall on Thursday Scrutiny is rising on the quality of loans that banks and other lendershavebroadly made following last month’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection ﬁling of First Brands Group, asupplierofaftermarket

auto parts.

The question is whether the lenders’ problems are just acollectionofone-offs or asignalof something larger threatening the industry.Uncertaintyishighfollowing along stretch where many borrowers were abletostay in business, even with the weight of higher interest rates. And with prices soaring to records forall kindsofinvestments, theappetite forrisk may have gotten too high. In thebondmarket, Treasury yieldssteadied followingtheir sharp slidesfromThursday, which came as investors rushedinto investments seen as safer

The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged up to 4.00% from 3.99% late Thursday Gold also pulledback from its latest record as morecalm seeped through the market.

As consumers raise more concerns about the economy and tariffs, Target is trying harder to woothem through regular collaborations and lower-cost items.

Target leansintocollabs

Brands rangefrom Taylor SwifttoWoolrich forholiday season

CARSON HARTZOG

The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

Taylor Swift. “Wicked.” “Stranger Things.” Woolrich.

Target is rolling out astring of exclusive collaborations and in-store experiences to spur holiday spending at atime of coolingconsumer conﬁdence.

Surveys point to lower spending already, as Target enters theall-important holiday season withinconsistent sales andfallingstoretrafﬁc.

TheMinneapolis-based retailer is betting the steady stream of promotions will help attract ﬁnicky consumers. The chain also released 20,000 items under $20.

“Every week throughout the entire holiday season, consumers will see hundreds ofnew items,which will just keep us really fresh,keep us really exciting, keep us really relevant,” said Jill Sando, Target’schief merchandising ofﬁcer

PwC’sannual Holiday Outlook survey, released in September,found shoppers planned to cut theirholiday budgets by an averageof5%—the ﬁrst notable de-

cline since 2020.

Deloitte’sholiday retail survey showed expected spendingisdown10% from last year,and morethan half of consumers expect theeconomy to weaken in thenext six months, marking the lowest point since theﬁrm began tracking sentimentin1997.

That could makeTarget’sweekly push of new merchandise atough sell as consumers grow moreconcerned about tariffs and job security

Arecent Goldman Sachs research note estimated U.S. consumers will likely shoulder 55% of tariffcostsbythe end of the year.That ﬁgure doesn’tinclude the potential impact of PresidentDonald Trump’slatest threat to raise levies on China to 100%.

“Weknowright nowconsumers are really seeking out newness, and Iwould say,relevant newness,” Sando said. “We feel very bullish about thelevel of newness we’re delivering andwhat that will do to drive trafﬁc to our different channels.”

Analysts have previously pointed to Target’srelianceonemotional appeal as areason for its business ﬂuctuations. While Walmartand Costco emphasize low prices, Target’s executivesoften use words like “joy” and “celebrate” to describe new product launches.

Thatframing lands best when “root-

ed in authenticity,shared rituals and a brand’sidentity, notjustsentiment,” Furman said.

Woolrich, the American luxury clothing company knownfor its buffalo plaid and heritage style, is Target’slatest collaboration,rollingout Saturday.The collection spans several categories, including clothing, outdoor gear,and food and beverage.

It followsrecent partnerships such as thecrossoverwithKateSpade in April, whichexpandedbeyond apparel to include party décor,cornhole games and a designerbicycle.Targetlater said it was the biggest in-store debut for alimitedtimecollection in the past decade.

Part of Target’spush to boost store visits involves creating more “experiential” retail moments, such as opening select stores forthe midnight release of Swift’s latest album.For the Woolrich collaboration, certain stores will have displays that “immerse guests in aworld of buffalo check,” according to anews release.

“When we build these programs, it’s not just the product, but it’sthe product and the experience,” Sando said. “When youwalk in ourstore, like thedisplay, theexperiencethat yousee,whenyou go on our app, when you see our social media posts, we really want it to pull you into that experience.”

U.S. blocks global feeonshippingemissions

BY SIBI ARASU and JENNIFER MCDERMOTT Associated Press

With trade threatsfromPresident Donald Trump, theU.S. derailed theworld’sﬁrst globalcarbon fee on shipping as an international maritime meeting adjourned Fridaywithout adopting regulations.

Earlier this year,amidmuch fanfare, the world’slargest maritime nations agreed on the regulations, whichwouldimpose afee on carbonpollution to clean up shipping. The next step of the process adopting theregulations—during theInternational Maritime Organization meetinginLondonthis

weekwas widely expected to be a formality

Instead, after muchpressure from Trump, along with Saudi Arabia and ahandful of other countries, delegates decided to postpone the decision by ayear and adjourn. In the interim, nations will continue to negotiateand work toward consensus.

The development underscored how theinﬂuence of Trump, who recently called climate change a “con job,” extends globally to policies aimed at combating climate change.

“Faced with pressure, too many governments chose politicalcompromise over climatejustice, and in

doing so, abandoned the countries bearing thebrunt of theclimate crisis,” said Emma Fenton, senior director forclimate diplomacy at aU.K.-based climate change nonproﬁt, Opportunity Green.

U.S.Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailedthe development as “another hugewin” for Trump.

“Thanks to his leadership, the United States prevented amassive U.N. tax hike on American consumers that would have funded progressive climate petprojects,”

Rubio wrote on X. “Our country will continue to lead the way and put AmericaFIRST.”

Trump had urged countries to vote “No,” posting on his social me-

diaplatform Truth Social on Thursday that “the United States will not stand for this global green new scam tax on shipping.” The U.S. had threatened to retaliate with tariffs, visa restrictions and port levies if nations supported it. The regulations, or “Net-Zero Framework,” would set amarine fuelstandard that decreases, over time,the amount of greenhouse gas emissions allowed from using shipping fuels. The regulations also would establish apricing system that would impose fees forevery ton of greenhousegases emitted by ships above allowable limits, in whatiseffectively the ﬁrst global tax on greenhouse gas emissions.

PROVIDED PHOTOByCARLOS GONZALEZ

Donald Trump has heldmany rallies, but never one in the parliament of aforeignnation.

Trump’sspeech to the Knessetwas araucous, celebratory affair with the audienceofIsraeli lawmakersshoweringhim with adulation

Trump’sreceptionmade it a little like aState of the Union address with no Democrats in attendance (although there was one disruption).

For all the focus onTrump as the dyspeptic voiceof“American carnage” —and there’s no doubt that he can be excoriating about his political enemies —he is anatural at the vauntingly optimistic pep talk. His speech was utterly characteristic upbeat Trump. It was amusing, boastful, discursive and full of over-the-top praisefor everyone in his charmed circle.

Itsideologicalsigniﬁcance wasTrump’s ringing endorsement of the Jewish state. Certainly, no American president hasevergivena more lavishly pro-Israel speech. It wasespecially notable coming at atime wheninternational opinion has swung hard againstIsrael and when anti-Zionism and even anti-Semitismhave been on theriseinthe United States, both oncollege campuses and among MAGA inﬂuencers.

Some of the most powerful podcastersonthe Right areprobably workshopping conspiracy theories for how Trump hasbeen manipulatedby dark forces into becoming atool of theJewsas we speak.

One thing we’ve learned in recent months is that isolationists and malicious enemies of Israel are part of Trump’scoalition, but the president absolutely does not numberhimself among them. “I love Israel,” Trump said at the endofthis speech. “I’mwithyou allthe way.”

Again andagain, he emphasized thistheme.He boasted of being thebestfriend Israel hasever had. He bragged about how much aidhe’sgiven Israel and the lethality of the weapons he’s sold to the Jewish state. He hailedclose U.S.-Israel military cooperation, and went on at length about the brilliance of the mutualU.S.-Israel attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

He said the United States and Israelshare the same values, andwewill always be vitalallies. He celebrated the achievements ofthe Jewishpeopleand marveled at how much Israelhas been able to accomplish onasmall speckofland in the Middle East.

Sometimes Trump lacks subtlety,and one wishes he’d be more circumspect, while sometimeshelacks subtlety and one marvels athis willingnesstospeak the truth ofthe matter in a way no one else will.The Knessetspeechwas an instance of the latter,and willlongberemembered as adeep-felt statement of the unique bond between America and the Jewish state

Trump pushed back against the image of himself as awarmonger,and instead argued— with alot evidence now —thathe’smuchmore interested in peace.It’sa testament to Trump’s real estate background thathis foreignpolicyis based to alarge extent on deal making and economicdevelopment. Andit’snoaccident thathe tapped two men with backgrounds in real estate, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,tocinch the Gaza deal.

Trump offered avision of aMiddle East newly focused on building in his speech, and theGaza dealdoesindeed open up avista ofextending the historic AbrahamAccords in momentous ways Still, there is much hard work ahead thatwill requireU.S.commitmentand stayingpower How will Hamas, which is already undertaking violent reprisals against its internal enemies,be disarmed and displaced from power inGaza? Who will provide security in the portions ofGazanot controlledbyIsrael? Will Qatar and Turkey, who have done so much to support malignactorsinthe region, get on board aTrumpianvisionof peace andprosperity—ofnormality —for theregion?

Theseand other questions will do muchtodetermine the future of the Middle East, but there’s no question, as far as Trump is concerned, about the U.S. commitment to its Israeli ally Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

Sen. John Kennedywrote a guestcolumn saying that the provisions in the “BigBeautiful Bill” will enhance, not harm, Medicaid. If that’sso, why did theLouisiana state Senatepass “Senate ConcurrentResolution No. 32” in June, requesting theU.S. Congressavoid cuts to the Medicaid program?

The resolution states that Medicaid currentlycovers 1.6 million Louisiana citizens, including 70% of all nursing home residents and 50% of all births. Some estimates suggest 190,000 Louisiana Medicaid recipientswill losecoverage, through no fault of their own, merely due thenew onerous reporting requirements. The state Senateresolution infers thebill’seffects on rural hospitals,already heavily dependent on Medicaid reimbursements, will be crushing, leaving many rural areas with far worse medical outcomes. Concomitantly,the uncompensated costs due to thewithdrawal of

Medicaid funds to these rural hospitals will “result in higher privateinsurance premiums and weaken the broader health care delivery system.” For therecord, Louisiana has the secondhighestpercentage of residentsonMedicaid in the country

The BBB includes a$50 billion “Rural Health Transformation Program” spread over five years to cushion theeffects of thefunding withdrawals. For reference, $18.7 billion was spent in 2024 alone on Louisiana’sMedicaid program; of that, 75% came from thefederal government. The $50 billion from theRural Health Transformation Program divided by 50 states over five yearsseems like arather flaccid attempt to help shore up rural hospitals.Itwouldn’t begin to cover themajor costs. It appears Louisiana will be facing some significant health care funding issues very soon.

GERALD GREINER NewOrleans

Iamdeeply concerned about the newspaper’slack of coverage of Mike Johnson’sobstruction of the democratic process.

In April, “Speaker” Johnson (quotation marks added because the speaker of the House has rarely served as the president’s mouthpiece in such adisgraceful manner as Johnson) swore in twoRepublican representatives during apro formasession. He has refused to swear in an elected Democratic representative fornearly amonth. Why? Because she’sthe last vote to release the Epstein ﬁles. Why is Johnson disrespecting our democracy to hide the misdeeds of the elite? And why aren’tyou calling on him to do so?

But let’sadd one moretruth, specifically about how much he hates his homestate. He claims the Republicans are the party for health care, but he voted to cut funding for Louisianians on Medicaid. Iget that companies throw around their money,but honest journalists don’tkowtow to the moneyed elite. Why are you, as the editorial board, ignoring or sugarcoating his actions? He is the highest ranked House member from Louisiana, and he is making this state look like amore of joke than it alreadyis. Yet, you keep silent. Are you afraid to tell the truth? Wasn’titajournalist whoonce said their job was to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable?”

Maybe y’all are too afraid of being the victim of “afﬂiction,” but whoshould you be moreaccountable to: your advertisers and vengeful politicians or the people whoread your articles?

Quin Hillyer’swordsmithing blaming theDemocrats for the shutdown goes down adirty political alley Democrats, who have sought budgetnegotiations for months, are not to blame. If the Republicans’ planisaccepted, thenthousands of citizens could not afford health care. The smokescreen being blown by Republicans that the Democratswant to give free medicalcare to people who are in this country illegally is alie.

If, however,anundocumented person seekscare at an emergency room, then via abill passed by theReagan administration, doctors are obligated to treat the patient The blame sits with thetwist-

ed logic of the White House, which wants the shutdown to further reduce thefederal workforce. That might sound good on the surface until you need help from agovernmental agency and no one is there to takeyour call, or you get arecording.

If you have ahealthy relationship withyour wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, neighbors or work colleagues then you have learned the value of compromise.

How can you have ahealthy relationship when the president says at amemorial service, “I hatemyopponents.”

Hateiswhy we are in this dark political alley

CHARLEYVANCE

Amite

The Republican politicians whoare spying on teachers and employees fail to understand one of Charlie Kirk’snon-hateful ideas. “Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There’sugly speech, There’sgross speech, there’sevil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. KeepAmerica free.” he wrote on XinMay 2024.

If you don’twant to be called afascist don’t act like one. Go spy on yourself

DOUGLAS BREWSTER Covington

BART FROST NewOrleans

Rich Lowry

Forseven years, LSucbdelanehas made difficult decisionsonand offthe fieldtohelphim gettothe NFL

FO OT BA LL

Mansoor Delane needed some help.

His life in BatonRouge would getbusier once football season began.There would be practicestoattend, agent meetings to schedule, NIL deals to manage, classestoprepare forand, mostimportantly,acrucialsenior season that required the vast majority of histime andeffort. He even needed someone to help him take care of his dog, Nola.

Unlike many Division Iathletes who juggle asimilarworkload,Delane had an ace up his sleeve, someone who could help manage hisexpanding workload as an LSU cornerback preparing for whatislikely hislast collegiate season before entering the NFL draft It was his older brother

LEARN MORE

Harold Perkins Jr LSU,Linebacker

LSU GAMEDAY

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11 a.m

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“A lot was happening in the NIL space for all college athletes, and I just saw a need for Mansoor in terms of handling things outside of football,” his older brother, Zayd, said. “And I kind of realized, I was like, ‘I don’t even know how they expect football players to manage all of this.’ ”

The brothers came to an agreement over the summer for Zayd, 24, to work for Mansoor in Baton Rouge. Since moving into his brother’s place in August, Zayd has been responsible for communicating with agents, ﬁnancial advisers and certiﬁed public accountants on Mansoor’s behalf, among other responsibilities.

He also takes care of Nola when Mansoor isn’t home.

“It comes down to simple things, too handling things in terms of his cars and registrations,” Zayd said. “And so it’s a little bit of everything handling recovery and scheduling doctors’ appointments and following up with them.”

Zayd was prepared to take on the role as Mansoor’s business manager/personal assistant. He worked at JPMorgan as a ﬁnancial analyst in New York, helping individuals with their wealth planning and management.

“I’ve been met with praise every single time I’ve met with an agency,” Zayd said. “They’ve just praised me so much for being in that position and being there for Mansoor I think they deﬁnitely value that.”

Mansoor hiring his brother as his own assistant shouldn’t come as a surprise. Every decision he and his father, Jafau, have made has been geared toward preparing him for the next step in his football journey

The next stop comes Saturday when LSU travels to Nashville, Tennessee, to take on Vanderbilt (11 a.m., ABC).

“All of my kids, because they all played football the idea is they are soldiers to the game,” Jafau said “They love the game. They’re soldiers to the game, meaning that if you tell me to go left, because that’s where we need to go, I’m going left.”

This is the path Mansoor’s been on since the end of his freshman year of high school, when he de-

cided to change schools and live away from home to do so.

It also drove his decision to transfer to LSU — a school stacked with former players now in the NFL — after three seasons at Virginia Tech. And it’s why he hired his brother to handle his ﬁnances and day-to-day responsibilities outside of football.

So far, his plan has worked to perfection. Mansoor has allowed just six receptions for 77 yards on 22 passes thrown in his direction this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Critical lategame pass breakups helped clinch wins over Clemson and South Carolina He’s also broken up six passes this season. Mansoor has helped revitalize an LSU defense that had struggled in recent seasons. Through his play, his future seems destined for the NFL. “He wants to be a ﬁrst-round pick,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “He wants to be the best corner in the country, and he wants to be seen as such.” The ﬁrst transfer

Discovering that self-conﬁdence never has been an issue for Mansoor He’s been betting on himself since he was a high school freshman at Landon School, a private school in Bethesda, Maryland. It was the same high school Zayd attended for four years, but Mansoor’s goals were tied to the football ﬁeld, and Landon was known more for its lacrosse program than football.

During the spring after his freshman season, Landon didn’t hold offseason football workouts. And even when it attempted to host them, Mansoor was the only player who showed up on two occasions.

He wants to be a ﬁrst-round pick. He wants to be the best corner in the country, and he wants to be seen as such.”

BRIAN KELLy, LSU coach, on cornerback Mansoor Delane

STAFF PREDICTIONS

Reed Darcey

24, VANDERBILT

an under-the-radar factor behind last week’s win. Now he needs to take better care of the ball Smelling an upset in Nashville.

Zach Ewing

VANDERBILT 24, LSU 23

The LSU defense has been a revelation this year, but it thrives on creating chaos,

“I said, ‘What happened?’ (Mansoor) says, ‘Nobody showed up,’ “ Jafau said. “So he’s like, ‘I can’t do this. These dudes don’t want to play football.’ “ Mansoor needed to ﬁnd another school that would better prepare him for college That’s when Jafau found Archbishop Spalding. Archbishop Spalding is a Catholic private school in Severn, Maryland. With the help of Paul Smith, a family friend who coached with Jafau with the Columbia Ravens youth football organization, the Delanes realized that Spalding was the right ﬁt. The only problem was the school was an hour away from their home. That’s when Smith,

Scott Rabalais

LSU 23, VANDERBILT 20

My heart says to pick the Commodores to win, but my head just can’t wrap itself around the idea that the Tigers won’t beat Vandy once again It’s LSU And it’s Vandy you know what I mean? The Tigers finally crack the 20-point barrier against a Power Four team but just barely. And while Diego Pavia and the Vandy offense are dangerous, the matchup favors the LSU pass defense

Koki Riley

LSU 21, VANDERBILT 14 Vanderbilt can win this game

STAFF

PHOTO

MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane makes a hit on Ole Miss wide receiver Winston Watkins in the third quarter of their game on Sept 27 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.

also known as “CoachPaul,” volunteered to have Mansoor live with him during the weekdays so he could attend Spalding “He’salways been amentortome,” Mansoor said of Smith. “In high school, we already had so much trust in him. As akid, Islept overhis houseall thetime,all that type of stuff.Soitwas kind of an easy transition,like ano-brainer.”

Jafau had known Smith since Mansoorwas in his ﬁrst year playing youth footballasa6 year old. He remembers the times he and Smith spent watching ﬁlmtogether on Fridays before games. Once the sessions ended, their conversations would often dovetail into their family and personallives.

“As (my kids are) going through some challenges, (where) they’re thinking that they know best, and I’m trying to parent and say,‘No, that’s not agood decision,’ you’vegot some disagreements here and there,” Jafau said. “So Iwould always bounce thoseideas with Paul, and he would do the same thing as he’sgoing through issues with his family and stuff like that.” Smith died last year because of kidney failure, but his mentorship of Mansoor and the bond formed between him andJafau went beyond just coaching.

At one point, Jafau donateda kidneytoSmith. Hiskindness helped Smith get to watch hisson and daughter graduate from high school and college, respectively “I feel like he’sinabetterplace now,” Mansoor said. “So Ifeel like he’s at ease, andhewas really ﬁghting.”

Smith’sselﬂessnessallowed Mansoortotake advantage of histime at Spalding, which he did under coach Kyle Schmitt and defensive coordinator Tyrone Forby Schmitt and Forby run their team as if it’sa college program. Mansoor remembers practices being styled very similarly to what he experiences now

“Even meeting-wise, we met alot as aback endand as adefense,” Mansoor said.“So like, coming into college, it wasn’treallythat big of asurprise.”

Mansoor’sexperience at Spaldingwent smoothly,for the most part.Hewas benchedat onepoint during his sophomore yearfor “playing abit outside of our system (alittle bit).”

“He studies ﬁlm relentlessly,” Forbysaid. “So things that he’ssaw on ﬁlmathis age, asophomore in high school, weren’tnecessarily things he needed to be concerning himself with.”

Mansoor took the benching personally.Since then, he’sdeveloped thicker skin forhard coaching and yelling.

“(My dad and I) came to realize it was just hard coaching, and it was nothing against me. It was just that Ihad to learn to really be coachable,” Mansoor said. “And ever since then, Iget yelled at and everything(and) it doesn’tfaze me.Ijust take it as constructivecriticism.”

Schmitt noticed positive changesinMansoor afterhis sophomore year. The programwas in the midst of COVID, but Mansoorhad come back stronger and more conﬁdent thanever. By the time his senior year concluded,hebecame one of the best defensive players Schmitt has ever coached. He also helped setthe standard for aprogram that won three consecutive state championshipsafter he graduated and headedtoVirginia Tech.

“I think thething Iwould always go back to with him is he cared alot about his craft,” Schmitt said, “and that was something thatwas really apparent to me early on.”

Abiggerstage

Jafau and Mansoor were askingquestions, but they weren’tgetting the answers they needed. The last three seasons under coach Brent Pry at Virginia Tech had not gonethe way they had hoped, even as Mansoor started as afreshman, playing both cornerback and safety. Things the Hokies would practice during the week wouldn’tbeused during the games, Jafau said. Scouting and preparation for opponents also were subpar,and Prywas stretched thin to the point he apologized to Mansoor after his junior year

“He obviously admitted there werealot of problems,” Jafau said. “The defensive coordinator wasn’treallydoing his job. Alot offirst times for them —first-time head coach, first-timeDC.” Those issues, in part, ledtoMansoorseriously considering entering the NFL draft afterhis junior year.But after Mansoorspoke with an NFL liaison regarding hisprospectsinthe draft, the feedback he received wasnegative in nature He wanted to be afirst-round pick, butthe league was projecting him to be athird- or fourth-round player

“Some of the commentswere (about) what he

REPORT SAYS LB WHIT WEEKS DOUBTFUL VS.VANDY

LSUjunior linebacker Whit Weeks is doubtful to play Saturday against Vanderbilt according to an ESPN report.

Weeks,per the report,has been limited at practice throughout the week. The star linebacker isexpected to attempttowarmupbeforethe game, buthe“faces long odds to play.”

LSUcoach Brian Kelly said on his radio show Thursdaythat Weeks is dealing with abone bruise on his ankle. The injuryisanaftereffect of the ankle injuryhesufferedagainst Baylor in the TexasBowl.

Kelly also said he was agame-time decision Saturday.

“They’re making progress,”Kelly said on Thursday, also including ﬁfth-year senior edge rusher Jimari Butlerasagame-time decision for Saturday.“We’reseeing that there’s achance that these guys could be readyonSaturday “Wethink we’vegot alittle bit more time.”

AlsoonFriday,LSU ruled out defensivetackle Bernard Gooden. He was listed as doubtful on Wednesday Koki Riley

wasn’tdoing enough of, or what they didn’tsee enough of,”Jafau said. “And it was no knock on him, per se. They just didn’trun that defense at Virginia Tech.”

To prepare for thenext level, Mansoor wanted more resources and connections—two things that Virginia Tech lacked. The program didn’teven have enough graduate assistantsto helphim train in the offseason while members of thecoaching staff were recruiting.

“Wejust got to thepoint where we said, ‘Hey we don’tknow if we can really get ready for the NFL under this kind of structure,’ ”Jafau said. “You’re going to have too many questions going into the league.”

Mansoor entered his name into thetransfer portal on Dec. 12, six days after it had opened. He met with Ohio State unofficially first,but his first official visit was at LSU.

The trip to Baton Rouge ended up as his only ofﬁcial visit,despite having planned stops at Ole Missthe next dayand Alabama after that. His LSU visit came on his birthday,and theTigers were determined not to let him leave thebuilding.

“It was aone-sided conversation, quitefrankly,” Kelly said. “Once we hada connection where he wanted to be here, we did everything to consummate that deal.”

Avariety of factors sealed the deal for Mansoor,but theconversation he had regarding X’s and O’swithdefensive coordinator Blake Baker playedamajor role in his decision.

“That conversation with coach Baker, and howhewantedtoreally highlight the defense and really sort of his aggressive way,” Jafau said, “it really resonated with Mansoor.”

He and Jafau also expressed trustinsecondary coachCorey Raymond and Kelly’s experience as acoach.Theyalso likedthe national stage LSU would provide him andthe connections it hadwithin the NFL.

Financially, LSUwas willing to match theNIL pricehewas asking for. Mansoor was taking arisk forgoing his third-round valuation. The money, in his mind, was asecurity blanket

“‘Hey,ifI’m going to go to theleague, if I’m going to go third round, this is what I’m going to make,’ ”Jafau said of thethought process. “Wedid somemathequation, and thenwe said, ‘OK, that’sthe number.Ifweget that number,we’re good.’ Andwegot thenumber.”

Through his playalone,Mansoor is earning himself more moneyinthe NFL. ESPN’slatest mock draft hashim projected as aﬁrstround pick. TheAthletic’sDaneBrugler also listed him as oneofhis top three cornerbacks in the draft.

Thejob still isn’tdone. LSU is competing for aspot in theCollege Football Playoff, and Mansoor will have to prove himself in matchups against thelikes of Texas A&M and Alabama.

Butevery decisionhehas made forthe past seven years hasled him to this moment, getting ready for the next level of his football journey

“I’vealwaysjustwanted the most for myself and to be at the highest level, compete against the best competition,” Mansoor said.

“(I’m a) very competitive personinevery aspect of my life.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

9Geo. (5-1), 2:30 p.m

vs.No. 11 Tenn. (5-1), 6:30 p.m. No. 7Tex. Tech (6-0) at Ariz. St. (4-2), 3p.m. No. 8Oregon (5-1) at Rutgers (3-3), 5:30 p.m. No. 10LSU (5-1) at No. 17 Vand. (5-1), 11 a.m. No. 12Geo. Tech (6-0) at Duke(4-2), 11 a.m. No. 13ND(4-2) vs.No. 20 USC (5-1),6:30 p.m. No. 14Oklah.(5-1) at S. Car,(3-3), 11:45 a.m. No. 15BYU (6-0) vs.No. 23 Utah (5-1), 7p.m. No. 16 Missou. (5-1) at Auburn (3-3), 6:45 p.m. No. 18Virg. (5-1) vs.Wash. St. (3-3),5:30 p.m.

No. 19S.Florida (5-1) vs.FAU (3-3),6:30 p.m.

No. 21Texas (4-2) at Kentucky (2-3),6 p.m. No. 22 Memphis (6-0)atUAB (2-4), 3p.m. No. 24Cincinn. (5-1) at Oklah. St. (1-5), 7p.m.

EAST Merrimack (3-4) at Harvard(4-0), 11 a.m.

R.Morris (1-5) at LIU Brooklyn (1-5), 11 a.m.

(4-2) at Boston College(1-5), 11 a.m.

(2-4) at Yale (2-2),11a.m.

Hampton (2-5) at Villanova (4-2), noon

S. Brook (3-3) at Monmouth (NJ) (5-1), noon Penn (3-1) at Columbia (1-3), 12:30 p.m. Buffalo (3-3) at Umass (0-6), 1:30 p.m. TexasState (3-3) at Marshall(3-3), 2:30 p.m.

R.Island (5-2) at Albany(NY) (1-5),2:30 p.m.

CCSU(4-3) at Wagner (1-5), 4p.m. Duquesne (4-3) at Mercyhurst (3-4), 5p.m.

Oregon (5-1)atRutgers(3-3), 5:30p.m. Pittsburgh (4-2)atSyracuse (3-3),6:30p.m. SOUTH Georgia Tech (6-0)atDuke(4-2), 11 a.m. Furman (4-2)atWofford(1-5), 11 a.m. Oklahoma (5-1)atSouth Carolina(3-3), 11:45 a.m. Stetson (3-4)atPresbyterian (6-0),noon West Virginia (2-4)atUCF (3-3), noon UT Martin(2-5)atGardner-Webb (4-2), 12:30 p.m. ETSU (3-4)atChattanooga (2-4), 12:30 p.m. Samford(0-6) at VMI (1-5),12:30 p.m. Holy Cross(0-6) at Richmond(4-3), 1p.m. Marist (3-3)atMorehead St. (2-5), 1p.m. W. Carolina (4-3)atThe Citadel (3-3), 1p.m. LincolnUniversity (CA) (0-3)atMVSU(0-5) 2p.m. Coastal Carolina (3-3)atAppalachian St. (4-2), 2:30 p.m. New Hampshire (3-4)atCampbell(2-5), 2:30 p.m. Temple (3-3)atCharlotte (1-5), 2:30 p.m. Elon (4-3)atWilliam &Mary (3-3), 2:30 p.m. Ole Miss (6-0)atGeorgia (5-1), 2:30p.m. SMU (4-2)atClemson(3-3), 2:30 p.m. Old Dominion (4-2) at James Madison(5-1), 2:30 p.m. Memphis(6-0) at UAB(2-4), 3p.m. Alcorn St. (1-5)atFloridaA&M (1-4), 3p.m. Mississippi St. (4-2) at Florida(2-4), 3:15 p.m. Northwestern St. (1-5)atSELouisiana (4-2), 4 p.m. Howard (3-3)atTennessee St. (1-5), 4:30 p.m. Washington St. (3-3)atVirginia (5-1), 5:30 p.m.

S. Dakota St. (6-0)atMurray St. (0-6),6 p.m.

E. Kentucky (3-3)atNorth Alabama (1-5), 6p.m. Houston Christian (2-4) at McNeeseSt. (1-5), 6p.m. Texas(4-2) at Kentucky (2-3), 6p.m. Georgia St. (1-5) at GeorgiaSouthern (2-4), 6p.m. FAU(3-3) at South Florida (5-1), 6:30 p.m. Tennessee (5-1) at Alabama(5-1),6:30 p.m. Missouri (5-1) at Auburn (3-3), 6:45 p.m. MIDWEST Butler (4-3) at Dayton (5-1), 11 a.m. Cent. Michigan(3-3) at BowlingGreen (3-3) 11 a.m. Washington (5-1)atMichigan (4-2), 11 a.m.

E. Michigan (2-5) at Miami (Ohio) (3-3) 11 a.m. Davidson (1-5) at Drake(3-2),noon N. Dakota St. (6-0)atIndiana St. (2-4),noon Valparaiso(1-5) at St.Thomas (Minn.) (3-3) 1p.m. Tennessee Tech (6-0)atLindenwood (Mo.) (3-3), 1p.m. Kent St. (2-4)atToledo(3-3),1p.m. South Dakota (4-3)atN.Iowa(2-4),1p.m. Purdue (2-4)atNorthwestern(4-2),2 p.m. North Dakota (4-2)atS.Illinois(4-2),2 p.m. E. Illinois(3-3) at SE Missouri (2-4),2 p.m. Youngstown St. (3-3)atIllinoisSt. (4-2), 2p.m. Michigan St. (3-3)atIndiana(6-0),2:30 p.m.

THENATION

THINGS TO WATCHINWEEK8

HUGE GAME FORBULLDOGS, REBELS Ole Miss beat Georgia in a28-10 homewin last season. But winning at Georgia is more difficult. Its 33-game home winning streak under coach KirbySmart ended Sept. 27 against Alabama. It was theBulldogs’ first home loss since 2019. Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy has emerged as thedominant lead running back for No. 5Ole Miss.The sophomore has 126 carries for 587 yards andeight touchdowns. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is second on the team with 61 carries for287 yards.

STORIEDRIVALSTIDE, VOLS TO MEET Sixth-ranked Alabama and No. 11 Tennessee meet forthe 108th time in one of the Southeastern Conference’smost storied series on SaturdayatBryant-Denny Stadium,a showdown that includes league and College FootballPlayoff implications. The Vols have scored on their opening possession in every game this season —four touchdowns and two field goals. In Tuscaloosa, QB Ty Simpson has emerged as aHeisman Trophyfrontrunner He’s completing71% of hispasseswith 16 touchdowns and one interception.

IN-STATE BATTLE FORUTAH, BYU No. 23 Utah and No. 15 ByU have followed asimilartemplate in buildingtheir football programs.The Utes rank second in scoring defense and fourth in total defense in the Big 12, while the Cougars are third and second, respectively. ByU quarterback Bear Bachmeier has thrown for1,220 yards, eight touchdowns and threeinterceptions this season. Utah receiver Ryan Davishas 39 catches for416 yards and twotouchdowns. Utah is 8th in the FBSinred-zone offense scoring on 96.6% of trips.

—AssociatedPress

1. TEXASA&M

By REED DARCEy

Record: 6-0 overall, 3-0 SEC

Previous rank:3

Last week: DefeatedFlorida 34-17

Thisweek: at Arkansas, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

2. ALABAMA

Record: 5-1 overall, 3-0 SEC

Previous rank: 2

Last week: DefeatedMissouri27-24

In late October 1937, aﬁlm drew aprivate screening at Baton Rouge’sold Paramount Theater on Third Street for LSU football coach Bernie Moore, his staff and several local sportswriters.

It wasn’tone of that year’s blockbusters like “Topper” or “Snow White.” It was grainy newsreel footage of atrick play Vanderbilt usedaweek earlier to stun LSU in Nashville,Tennessee

The play,conceived by and named after Vandy assistant and later Tulane coach Henry Frnka, involved fooling the LSU defense into chasing Commodores quarterback Dutch Reinschmidt (oh, those 1930s football names) while tackle Greer Ricketson picked up the ballhidden behind guard Bill Hays. Ricketsonthen sprinted 50 yards to atouchdown withoutaTiger in sight. Moore was convinced Ricketson touched a knee to the ground as he knelt to pick up the ball, but this was afew decades before instant replay

The touchdown, resulting in a7-6 Vandy victory,was the only blemish on the Tigers’ 10game regular-season schedule, and may well have separated LSU from winning its first wire service-era national championship. Saturday,when the Tigers return to Nashvilletotakeon the Commodores, Vandy won’t need any trickeration to havea legitimate shot at victory. This isn’tyour father’s Vanderbilt team, orinthe context of the 1937 game, not even your great-grandfather’s. These Commodorescome into the game (11 a.m., ABC)ranked No. 17 and 5-1 overall,1-1 in the Southeastern Conference, setting the scene for ahistoric matchup. It’sthe first time No. 10 LSU (5-1, 2-1 SEC)faces aranked Vanderbilt team since way back in 1947. And, in more things from StuffBrianKelly Doesn’tWantToThinkAbout com, the Commodores are favoredover the Tigers for the first time since 1948, according to CBSSports.com. Ontop of that, Vandy has never been favored over atop-10 teamgoing back to 1978, astring of 77 straight games. The ‘Dores have been the SEC’sdoormat practically forever,better at dominating debates or reciting Latin declensions than winning football games. The only charter member of the SEC still in the

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSUcoach Brian Kelly speaks with quarterbackGarrett Nussmeier in the second half of the Tigers’ 24-17 win over Vanderbilt on Nov. 23 at TigerStadium. Saturdaymarks the first time LSU has faced a ranked Vanderbilt team since 1947.

league that has never won the conference championship, Vandy has afeeble 143-462-18 all-time SEC record.That’s a .245 winning percentage, folks, or putanother way,arobust .755 losingpercentage.

But thepast couple of years, Vandy has ditched thedoormat and started knocking teams off their feet, mostnotably with astunning upsetofthen-No. 1 Alabama in Nashville in 2024. Ledbyswagger-ﬁlled quarterbackDiego Pavia, apoor man’s JohnnyManziel, theCommodoreshave fed off hisenergy andattitudeunder coach Clark Lea.

Lea, aVandygrad, is aleaf offofthe Kelly tree, once his defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.Kelly is proud of his protégé —tothispoint,anyway

“They took their lumps early on,” Kelly said of Lea’s Vandy program. “But Clark hasnever swayed from the vision he had. That’shard to do. You’vegot so many peoplesaying you can’t win there. He’sstayed steadfast in hisbeliefs. It’sa great lesson for other coaches.”

Kelly has been steadfast in hisbelief that this, his fourth team at LSU, is his most tal-

ented. Ateam built to makethe Tigers’ ﬁrst trip to theCollege Football Playoff since winning the2019 national championship.

That’sﬁne in theory.Now it’s time to put that theory to the test.

LSUpassed thefirst testwith amistake-filled but nonetheless dominant 20-10 win this past Saturday over SouthCarolina. The Gamecocks were ahighly ranked preseason team,like their cross-state rival Clemson that LSU beat in theseason opener,but that time has passed. The SouthCarolina gameturned out tobemerely a warm-up act for the headliner games tocome. This is the first of three straight games for the Tigers against ranked opponents, withcurrent No. 4Texas A&M and No. 6Alabama waiting in the wings. There is much at risk for LSU. If theTigers can win these next three games, they’d practically be penciled intothe CFP field. If they lose Saturday, it’ll be hard to envision LSU running thetable to get to 102, arecord likely needed for a CFP berth. If theTigers aren’tconfident,

they aren’tshowing it. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier,battered and dinged this season but seemingly rounding into 2024 form, is bringing his own swagger to Nashville.

“I enjoy playingonthe road,” Nussmeier said. “There’snothing like taking the lifeout of a stadium.Big roadgames are fun.”

“Big road game” doesn’t quitecompute given we’re talking about LSU-Vandy.The Tigers have beaten the ‘Dores 10 straight times and are 14-1 against Vandy since 1976. But this is abig road game, no doubt It was in Nashville in 1990 that LSU lost to Vandy forthe last time, 24-21, aloss that was thebeginning of the end for then-coach Mike Archer.If theTigers lose Saturday,there could be asimilar vibe for Kelly It’sthat big. Probably the biggest LSU-Vanderbilt gameever Maybe LSUshould pack a trick play or two, just in case.

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

8:45

Thisweek: vs.Tennessee, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

3. OLEMISS

Record: 6-0 overall, 3-0 SEC

Previous rank: 1

Last week: DefeatedWashington State 2421

Thisweek: at Georgia, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

4. GEORGIA

Record: 5-1 overall, 3-1 SEC

Previous rank: 4

Last week: DefeatedAuburn20-10

Thisweek: vs.Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

5. LSU

Record: 5-1 overall, 2-1 SEC

Previous rank: 5

Last week: DefeatedSouthCarolina 20-10

Thisweek: at Vanderbilt,11a.m. Saturday (ABC)

6. TENNESSEE

Record: 5-1 overall, 2-1 SEC

Previous rank: 7

Last week: DefeatedArkansas 34-31

Thisweek: at Alabama, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

7. MISSOURI

Record: 5-1 overall, 1-1 SEC

Previous rank: 8

Last week: Lost to Alabama 27-24

Thisweek: at Auburn, 6:45 p.m. Saturday (SECNetwork)

8. VANDERBILT

Record: 5-1 overall, 1-1 SEC

Previous rank: 11

Last week: Idle

Thisweek: vs.LSU,11a.m. Saturday(ABC)

9. TEXAS

Record: 4-2 overall, 1-1 SEC

Previous rank: 12

Last week: DefeatedOklahoma 23-6

Thisweek: at Kentucky,6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

10.OKLAHOMA

Record: 5-1 overall, 1-1 SEC

Previous rank: 6

Last week: Lost to Texas 23-6

Thisweek: at South Carolina, 11:45 a.m. Saturday(SECNetwork)

11.SOUTH CAROLINA

Record: 3-3 overall, 1-3 SEC

Previous rank: 9

Last week: Lost to LSU20-10

Thisweek: vs.Oklahoma, 11:45 a.m. Saturday(SECNetwork)

12.FLORIDA

Record: 2-4 overall, 1-2 SEC

Previous rank: 10

Last week: Lost to Texas A&M 34-17

Thisweek: vs.Mississippi State, 3:15 p.m. Saturday(SECNetwork)

13.MISSISSIPPI STATE

Record: 4-2 overall, 0-2 SEC

Previous rank: 13

Last week: Idle

Thisweek: at Florida, 3:15 p.m. Saturday (SECNetwork)

14.AUBURN

Record: 3-3 overall, 0-3 SEC

Previous rank: 14

Last week: Lost to Georgia20-10

Thisweek: vs.Missouri, 6:45 p.m. Saturday (SECNetwork)

15.ARKANSAS

Record: 2-4 overall, 0-2 SEC

Previous rank: 15

Last week: Lost to Tennessee34-31

Thisweek: vs.TexasA&M, 2:30 p.m. Saturday(ESPN)

16.KENTUCKY

Record: 2-3 overall,

Previous rank: 16

Last week: Idle

Thisweek: vs.Texas, 6p.m.

Scott Rabalais

SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR

PHOTO By MICHELE MEyERS

celebrate atackleofBethune-Cookman’sLorenzo Jenkins last SaturdayinDaytona

when theyhost Prairie View at 4p.m.Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Southern sees alot of its2024selfinthisyear’sversion of

BY TOYLOYBROWN III

Staff writer

Despite the success of PrairieView (4-2, 3-0 SWAC), coach Tremaine Jackson refuses to allow histeam to overlook Southern (1-5, 0-2) on Saturday.

“Wegot areally good opponent in Southern University,” Jackson saidon aSouthwesternAthleticConference coaches virtual media availability call this week.“Ithink they’re well coached. Their record, it doesn’treﬂectwhat they are.”

Saints running back

Kendre Miller tries to pull away from Arizona Cardinals cornerback Garrett William on Sept. 7atthe Caesars Superdome.

MORE ONPAGE7C

ä SWACpower rankings

ä Southern statistics

ä ToyloyBrown’s prediction

The first-place team in theSWAC West will be the Jaguars’ homecoming opponent at 4p.m. SaturdayatA.W Mumford Stadium. While the teams arehaving oppositeseasonsin2025, Southern sees aversion of itself from last year in its upcoming foe.

When Southern won the SWAC West in 2024, it had three overtimevictories andthreewinsdecidedbyatouchdown or less. ThePanthers already have won three games decided by three points or fewer this season.

“They’re getting the breaks that we got last year,” Southern coach TerrenceGraves said. “Two one-point wins,they’re getting the breaks, and that’spart of it. Andhats off to them because they’re ﬁnding ways to come out on the other side, youknow.Unfortunately,we’re struggling to get that.”

PrairieView

Jackson wasn’t afraid to acknowledge his team’s fortune in close games. “I justthink we’vegottenlucky a few times,” the ﬁrst-year coach said. “I tell our kids thatall the time, with all these numbers and things that are going on right now,they don’tmatter. You’rechasing achampionship. When you’rechanging the culture(and) you start givingthema lotofkudos,we don’thandle that well as people.” Prairie View’ssimilarities to 2024

ä See SOUTHERN, page 7C

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

ä Saints notebook.

Kendre Miller did not play much during his ﬁrst two NFL seasons, andthatcontributedtothe unwelcome thoughts that would sometimes pop into his head whenhe did see the ﬁeld.

ä Saints at Bears NOON SUNDAy,FOX

“It was kind of a ‘What’snext?’ kind of thing in my head,” Miller said. “There were so many different things happening, and when Imade it out of agame healthy, it was kind of asurprise.” Twoseasonsinto his career with the New OrleansSaints, Miller spent three stints on injured reserve and missed more games (20) than he played (14). Theinjuriesfeltinevitable. Millerinjured his hamstring minutes into theﬁrsttraining camp practice of 2024, forcing him to miss the ﬁrst six weeks. He lasted two games

before he suffered another hamstring injury,and he landed right back on injured reserve. Whenhedid seethe field, he worried aboutinjuriesand was ineffective, averaging21.7 yards rushing per game.The former third-round pick appeared dangerously close to ﬂaming out All of that makes what hashappened this season feel more significant, even if it’shardtoback up with concrete statistics.

ä See MILLER, page 6C

BY MARK LONG AP sportswriter

GAINESVILLE, Fla. Florida coach BillyNapierknows it’s coming Everyonedoes, maybe even his kids. Napier is in his ﬁnal days, possibly weeks, with the Gators. He seems resigned to theending, whetherhe’s fired Saturday night, Sunday morning or in thevery near future.

He’sbeen atotal pro about it.

He’snot making excuses. He’s notpointing fingers. He’s not suggesting he needsmoretime or contemplating what could have been had quarterback DJ Lagway,receiver Dallas Wilson and defensive tackle Caleb Banks been healthy all season.

Napier’scalm demeanor and positive approach are probably why he still has his job while seven college football coaches,

including Penn State’sJames Franklin and Oklahoma State’s MikeGundy,already havebeen shownthe door “It’swhat we sign up for,” said Napier, who is getting paid$7.5 million in 2025. “Theycompensate us well. So these are challenging jobs, in today’sclimate in particular. We’reall men. We’re all competitors. We understand we live in aproduction world, and you got to produce. There’s no running from that. If you’re at aplace that doesn’thavehigh expectations, then how much fun is that? The challenge of playing against the best is why you do it as acompetitor, to seeifyou can do it.”

Napier has failed to getitdone in Gainesville.The Gators are 2123 in Napier’sfour seasons heading into Saturday’shomecoming game against Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2 Southeastern Conference).And with an open date looming, no onewould be surprised if athletic director Scott Stricklin dumpsNapierand triggers aroughly $21 million buyoutregardless of theoutcome

Napier

Southernsafety Ty Lee, left, linebacker Vincent Paige, center,and safety Elijah West

Beach, Fla. The Jaguarswill look to rebound from their loss to the Wildcats

Chiefs WR Rice ready for wait to end

BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sports writer

KANSAS CITY Mo. Rashee Rice

knows almost to the day how long it’s been since he played in a game for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The countdown is almost over The top Kansas City wide receiver has missed the ﬁrst six game this season while serving an NFL suspension for violating its personal-conduct policy, the punishment handed down for his role in a high-speed car crash in Dallas in March 2024. And he missed most of last season after tearing his ACL in Week 4, when Patrick Mahomes collided with him after an interception.

“I’ve been looking forward to this, I think it’s been 380-something days since I have played in a regular-season game,” Rice said Friday, following a ﬁnal practice for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. “I mean, it’s been a long time coming.” Rice recovered sufﬁciently from his knee injury in time to participate in the Chiefs’ offseason program, and he was able to take part in all of training camp But once the season began, Rice had to remain away from the team, a punishment he agreed to when all parties decided it was in his best interest to get the six-game suspension out of the way Rice said he spent most of the time away in Florida, where the heat and humidity helped him stay in shape He would work out Monday through Friday, then do another workout Sunday, as he tried to replicate what a typical game week is like.

The games themselves, Rice said, he would watch with family members. Kansas City lost its ﬁrst two but has since won three of four, including a dominant victory last week over the Detroit Lions, widely considered a Super Bowl contender

“I mean, the best thing for me is to be around the guys. I got leaders in each room, even on defense, that help me on and off the ﬁeld,” Rice said “That’s the best part about being on a team like this. You have everybody to support you.

Continued from page 5C

Miller has not put up huge numbers. While his 186 yards rushing are a career-high, Miller is just 39th in the NFL through six weeks. His 4.0 yards per carry rank 32nd among running backs with at least 20 carries. But he has been there for every practice and every game, which is something he could not say before. It has him feeling different when he does take the ﬁeld

“It allows me to play faster,” Miller said. “Ultimately, that was my setback in the previous years. I’m worried about injuries; I hadn’t had as many reps as other people have had. That just sets you back, and hesitation could be you making a play I’m able to play way faster, and I’m out there doing my thing now.”

This week, speciﬁcally, carries an interesting subplot as Miller tries to establish himself as a player The Saints are traveling to face the Chicago Bears, whose defense is coordinated by former Saints head coach Dennis Allen Allen was in place when the Saints drafted Miller in 2023, and Allen never minced words in public when speaking about Miller’s inability to stay on the ﬁeld After Miller’s injury in training camp last season, Allen offered

SAINTS NOTEBOOK

Saints looking healthy for game against Bears

BY LUKE JOHNSON AND MATTHEW PARAS Staff writers

Seven weeks into the season, the New Orleans Saints will almost have their entire roster at their disposal when they face the Chicago Bears.

The only Saints players who carry any injury designation ahead of the Week 7 matchup are defensive back Isaac Yiadom (hamstring) and defensive tackle John Ridgeway (shoulder), both of whom are questionable.

Ridgeway is not on the active roster at the moment, as the Saints have until Wednesday to determine whether to activate him off of injured reserve. If New Orleans does want to use him Sunday in Chicago, it will have to make a roster move to activate him

Yiadom hasn’t played in two weeks because of his injury He opened the season as the team’s starting outside cornerback in sub defensive personnel, but he has been passed up by rookie Quincy Riley

Speaking Friday, Saints coach

Kellen Moore said if Yiadom is able to play Sunday, Riley still likely would start Yiadom did not return to practice until Thursday this week

Running back Alvin Kamara who missed Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury, was a full participant in Friday’s session and carried no injury designation.

The Bears ruled out two players in kicker Cairo Santos (thigh) and linebacker Noah Sewell (concussion).

The main player to keep an eye on for Chicago is running back D’Andre Swift, who popped up on the injury report Thursday with a groin issue and is questionable against the Saints.

Doyle grateful

Dennis Allen isn’t the only former member of the Saints coaching staff who is now a coordinator for the Bears.

Declan Doyle, who is just 29 years old, got his start in the NFL when former Saints coach

Sean Payton hired him as an offensive assistant in 2019. Doyle spent four seasons with the franchise before joining Payton in Denver

He became the Bears offensive coordinator this year

“I have a special place in my heart for New Orleans,” Doyle said. “That was obviously where I got started Sean hired me when I was 22 and I moved down there and I kind of grew up in the NFL in that way in my career My now wife moved down there with me and we spent four years there.

“That organization is top class.

Mrs. (Gayle Benson) and Mickey Loomis and all the people still there who are working, I have nothing but great things to say about and the most respect for.”

Tush Push done?

At times earlier this season when the Saints faced a shortyardage situation, Moore leaned on his experience from last season.

Moore, who came to the Saints from the Philadelphia Eagles, brought the so-called “Tush Push” play with him to New Orleans. The Saints even managed to keep the play under wraps,

a blunt critique, saying, “That’s a player that’s going to have to ﬁgure out how to stay healthy, because it’s hard to make the team from the training room.”

About a month later, Allen doubled down. “All I can go off of is what I’ve been able to evaluate and, quite frankly since we drafted him there hasn’t been a whole lot of new information other than what I saw on the college tape, because he hasn’t been available,” Allen said in August 2024. “He’s talented. I know he’s talented. But I

don’t know if he can learn the system, I don’t know if he can pick up the system, because I haven’t seen him out there.”

The Saints ﬁred Allen after seven straight losses dropped them to 2-9 last season. Miller was given a clean slate by the interim coaching staff, but he did little with it, rushing 30 times for 96 yards and a touchdown in his ﬁnal four games before a concussion ended his season in Week 17. New Orleans cleaned house this offseason, hiring head coach Kellen Moore and an almost entirely

LSU men’s hoops adds four-star wing to ’26 class

LSU basketball added a new player in the 2026 recruiting class in Kevin Thomas, who announced his commitment on Friday

The 6-foot-6, 195-pound wing is the No. 72 player in the nation and the No. 29 small forward, according to 247Sports. The four-star player committed to coach Matt McMahon after receiving offers from Miami, Auburn and Florida State.

Thomas, who attends Montverde Academy in Florida, is the third player McMahon has added to the Class of 2026. He joins fellow four-star wings Herly Brutus, who is from Florida, and Marcus Vaughns, who is from Australia. Thomas averaged 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.0 turnovers per game for SOH Elite in the Under Armour AAU circuit last summer

U.S. shutdown may force basketball game to relocate No. 1 UConn’s season opener against No. 20 Louisville in women’s basketball that is supposed to be played at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Nov 4 is in jeopardy of being moved because of the U.S. government shutdown.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that if the shutdown continues until Monday the game will be played at a neutral site in the U.S. on the same day

A Louisville spokesperson said the school is deferring to ESPN, which is putting on the game and would be the one to make the call. The network would need time to move its equipment to Germany and set up the aircraft hangar on the base to host the contest.

never running it during a period of practice that was open to media viewing. Something, though, was lost in translation when the Saints tried to run the play the Eagles have perfected.

Twice this season, the Saints lined up in the Tush Push formation, and twice the play was called back because of a procedural penalty Last week against New England, the Saints went with a traditional quarterback sneak instead.

So is the Tush Push dead in New Orleans? Maybe, maybe not.

The Saints haven’t been the only team that was called for a penalty when trying to run the somewhat controversial play this season, as referees have ofﬁciated it more tightly

“You can do either,” Moore said. “By game plan, it varies from game to game, and you also have to be conscious of the way that play has been policed the last few weeks. We did feel there was an opportunity there to run a more traditional sneak.

“You’ve just got to be aware of (the way it’s ofﬁciated). By no means is it gone forever or anything like that.”

new staff. Miller changed jersey numbers, going from No. 25 to No. 5. He lost weight and bought into the new offensive system.

Most importantly, he has stayed on the ﬁeld, letting the new staff see more of the good things he can do while keeping at bay the thing that has hurt him the most.

“Kendre’s just done a phenomenal job since I’ve been here,” Moore said. “I’ve really enjoyed this guy He’s an awesome player, his play style is awesome, he’s a really physical runner And he’s earned more and more opportunities.”

While Miller hasn’t put up huge rushing numbers, the underlying statistics are encouraging.

According to Next Gen Stats, Miller is averaging 4 yards after contact per rushing attempt matching his overall yards per carry. He’s turned ﬁve of his 46 carries into gains of 10-plus yards.

Through Week 4, he’d forced a missed tackle on more than 50% of his rush attempts, which was the highest rate of any ball carrier with at least 25 carries.

“It’s just conﬁdence, you know?” running back Alvin Kamara said. “Conﬁdence comes with reps and it comes with success, and he’s having some success. It starts to get fun when you have success consistently and you get to play some more and open up your game.”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Louisville picks off four passes, stuns No. 2 Miami MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miller Moss threw two touchdown passes to Chris Bell and ran for a score, Louisville intercepted four of Miami star Carson Beck’s passes and the Cardinals got one of the most signiﬁcant wins in their history by topping the second-ranked Hurricanes 24-21 on Friday night. Louisville (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) got touchdowns on its ﬁrst two drives for a quick 14-0 lead, and the Hurricanes (5-1, 1-1) trailed the rest of the way Louisville also snapped Miami’s 10-game home winning streak. The last team to win at Miami? That was Louisville, in 2023. The Hurricanes were in fieldgoal range, but Louisville’s TJ Capers intercepted Beck’s pass at the 30 with 32 seconds left to seal the win.

Kim takes a one-shot lead into LPGA weekend

Sei Young Kim followed up her opening 10-under 62 with a 66 Friday to take a one-stroke lead into the weekend at the BMW Ladies Championship.

Kim had a two-round total of 16-under 128 on the Pine Beach Golf Links. She had a bogey and seven birdies, including three in a row on the front nine.

American Brooke Matthews was in second place after a 64, the low round of the day Hyo Joo Kim had a 68 and was tied for third with Rio Takeda (66), three behind Kim.

The bogey-free round by Matthews, a former University of Arkansas player, included birdies on her opening two holes and on 17 and 18.

U.S. women’s soccer star Rodman sprains her MCL Washington Spirit and U.S. national team forward Trinity Rodman has a Grade 1 MCL sprain in her right knee with no timeline for her return.

Spirit coach Adrián González announced Rodman’s diagnosis on Friday ahead of the team’s match Saturday at home against the Orlando Pride.

“Right now, we need to focus on day by day try to help her to recover, to heal as best as possible, and let’s see how she’s progressing every day,” González said. Rodman was injured Wednesday in a CONCACAF W Champions Cup game against Mexican club Monterrey Earlier in the day, she was named to the U.S. roster for upcoming matches against Portugal and New Zealand. The United States had not yet announced her withdrawal.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac yiadom, right, stops Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride on Sept. 7 in the Caesars Superdome. yiadom is one of the few Saints players listed on the injury report ahead of Sunday’s game against Chicago.

Rice

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints running back Kendre Miller stiff-arms Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado on Sept. 7 in the Caesars Superdome.

GAMEDAY

PRAIRIE VIEW at SOUTHERN

4p.m. Saturday, A.W.Mumford Stadium

JacksonState on topinSWAC

AlabamaState hasuphillbattle to winEast

BY RASHAD MILLIGAN and TOYLOY BROWNIII Staff writers

We are in the thick of Southwestern AthleticConferenceplay, andJacksonState is in thedriver’sseat to representthe SWAC again in this year’sCelebration Bowl

TheNo. 1Tigers’ showdown against No. 2Alabama State this past weekend lived up to the hype andcamedown to the ﬁnal play in Mississippi. Now,Alabama State needs JSU to lose twogames, while the Hornets go undefeated, to win theSWACEast.

LEADERS

PASSING

Cam’RonMcCoy

48.7%, 417yards,3TDs

Ashton Strother

59.6%, 348, TD,INT

RUSHING

Trey Holly

69 carries, 446yards,6.5 avg, 4TDs

Cam’RonMcCoy

34 carries, 165yards,4.9 avg, 2TDs

RECEIVING

Darren Morris

Last week: 79-10 win vs. Westgate

Although the conference’stop programs appear to be solidiﬁed, Southern continues to slide after losing to Bethune-Cookman for the ﬁrst time in program history this past Saturday.

Listed below are the full SWAC Power Rankingsgoing into Week 8:

1. JacksonState

Record: 5-1overall, 3-0 SWAC

Previous rank: 1

Last week: 38-34 win vs.Alabama State

This week: Bye

12 catches, 243yards,20.3avg,2 TDs

MalachiJackson

8catches,120 yards, 15.0 avg, TD DEFENSE

Elijah West

35 tackles

VincentPaige

27 tackles

Ckelby Givens

23 tackles, 5sacks

SCHEDULE

AUGUST

Extrapoints: The Tigers squeezed out of The Vetwithalast-second win on Saturday overAlabama State. Whilecoach T.C. Taylorsaid the officials’ decision to let the Hornets have one more play near thegoal line at the end of regulation left him confused, linebacker AshtonTaylor’s time-expiring shoveto getthe ASU runner out of boundskeptJSU undefeated in the conference.

2. AlabamaState

Record: 4-2 overall, 2-1 SWAC

Previous rank: 2

Last week: 38-34 lossatJackson

State

This week: Bye

6. Alabama A&M

Record: 4-3overall, 1-2 SWAC

Previous rank: 6

4. Bethune-Cookman

Record: 3-4 overall, 2-1 SWAC

Previous rank: 4

Last week: 45-14 win vs. Southern

This week: Bye

Last week: 45-25 win vs.Mississippi Valley State

This week: Bye

Christian

This week: vs. Grambling, 2p.m. Saturday

Extrapoints: TheGolden Lions enjoyed ablowout victory over second-year programWestgate Christian in front of 11,000 fans. Grambling has won the past three gamesoverUAPB. Coach Alonzo Hamptonsaidbothteams have different rosters than last year, thanks to the transfer portal, and this season, priority No. 1isto stop Grambling’srushing attack.

9. FAMU

Record: 1-4 overall, 0-1 SWAC

Previous rank: 10

Last week: 45-7 loss vs. North Carolina Central

This week: vs. AlcornState, 3p.m

Saturday

Extrapoints: FAMU hasthe opportunitytoget itsﬁrstSWACwin of the season with ahomegame againstAlcorn State. Last week, North Carolina Central steamrolled over the Rattlers and with 486 total yards to compared to FAMU’s197. This week, coach James Colzie wants to ﬁnish more drivesoffensively.Defensively, the goal is to contain Jacorian Sewell and Alcorn’srun game.

10.Southern

Record: 1-5 overall, 0-2 SWAC

Previous rank: 9

Last week: 45-14 loss at BethuneCookman

This week: vs. Prairie View,4 p.m.

Saturday

Extra points: After getting blown out by aprogram it had previously neverlost to in Bethune-Cookman, Southern football hasofficially run off the tracks. Eight weeks in, the Jaguars still do not have a deﬁnitivequarterback.The road doesn’tget easierwithahome gameagainst Prairie View,which is coming off abye week.

11.AlcornState

Record: 1-5 overall, 0-2 SWAC

Previous rank: 11

Last week: 42-0win vs. Lincoln University

This week: at FAMU, 3p.m. Saturday

23 N. Carolina Cent.* L, 14-31

30 at Miss.ValleyState W, 34-29

PREDICTION

PRAIRIE VIEW 21, SOUTHERN 13:

PrairieViewhas played like the Southern team from last year.While it’s succeeding in theSouthwestern AthleticConference, thevictories are coming down to thewiremoreoften than they should.Evenifthe Jaguars keep it close, they aregoing to struggleagainst abalancedPanthers defense. Southern hastoo many flawsonbothsides of theballtopull offthe upsetagainst ateamcoming offabye

Toyloy BrownIII

SWAC STANDINGS

Extrapoints: Alabama State had plenty ofchancestotake down Jackson State, rankedNo. 14 in the FCS poll, this pastweekend. There were too many penalties andturnovers at crucial times, and that ended up being the difference. An uphill battle to win theSWACEast begins after abye week on Oct. 25 at theMagic City Classic.

3. PrairieView

Record: 4-2 overall, 3-0 SWAC

Previous rank: 3

Last week: Bye

This week: at Southern, 4p.m. Saturday

Extrapoints: Coach TremaineJacksonsaidhis team did nothave“a lot of days off” during itsbye week.The Panthers face Southern in Baton Rouge for homecoming this Saturday, and Jackson said the Jaguars’ home environment “doesn’tmatter” because thePanthers should focus on themselves. Southern defeated PrairieView last season, 31-24.

SOUTHERN

Continued from page 5C

Southern continue with how it’s winning largely thanks to astout defense, whichiswhat Southern wasknown for last year

In conference play,the Panthers are allowing the fewest points (15.3) and total yards per game (267.7).

The defense is unlike any Southernhas faced thusfar because Prairie View more frequentlyhas eight defenders in pass defense.

“What they’re trying to do is they’re trying to get the quarterback to be impatientand throw the football into coverage, and so that’shelping them,”Graves said. “Ifthey’re adrop-eight team,that means that they’re trying to protect the roof.

“Those guys are nottrying to give up big plays.”

Prairie View has two defensive backs with two interceptions and is ﬁfthinthe SWAC in picks with ﬁve.

“New defensive scheme, really haven’tseen that defense all year,” Southern wide receiver DarrenMorrissaid. “A pretty

Extrapoints: Quarterback

Cam’Ron Ransom led the dominant offensive performance against Southern last week,as the senior threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns while he ran for another touchdown.After the Jaguars scoredﬁrst,the Wildcats went on a38-0 runand now enjoy a2-1 SWAC start going intoabye week.

5. TexasSouthern

Record: 3-3 overall, 3-1 SWAC

Previous rank: 5

Last week: 21-20 win at Grambling

This week: vs. Virginia University of Lynchburg, 1p.m. Saturday

Extrapoints: After gutting out atough win at Grambling, the Tigersreturnhomefor ahomecoming matchup against Virginia University of Lynchburg. TheTigers beat theDragons 28-10 last season. Texas Southern has the No. 2defense in the SWAC, giving up an average of 22.5points per week and forcing four turnovers last week at Grambling.

Extra points: The Bulldogs came away with ahomecoming win with 240 rushing yards over Mississippi Valley State. Alabama A&M now gets abye week before ending the month at the Magic City Classic. AAMU has lost the past threematchups against Alabama Stateinthe rivalry

7. Grambling

Record: 3-3overall, 0-2 SWAC

Previous rank: 7

Last week: 21-20 loss vs. Texas Southern

This week: at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 2p.m. Saturday

Extrapoints: Coach Mickey Joseph apologizedtoGrambling’sfanbase for his offense’sfour turnovers, including three red-zone fumbles, in theloss to Texas Southern. Despite battling an ankle injury, starting quarterback C’Zavian Teasett entered the gameinthe fourthquarter.Teasett wentinto the 21-20 game because Joseph believed he wasneeded in atight contest.

8. Arkansas-PineBluff

Record: 3-3 overall, 1-1 SWAC

Previous rank: 8

“Guys arereally pressing,trying to makeplays,trying to be the one to changethe tide. Justgot to stayfocused and stay within the framework of what they’ve been coached to do.”

TERRENCE GRAVES,Southern coach

good challenge for us to seehow we answer to thedefense they give us and just capitalize on our opportunities.”

TheJaguars have been woeful on offense. Their 14.8pointsper game put it last in the SWAC. To getinscoring positionSaturday, the Jaguars must be willing to take the shorter gains that Prairie View gives up in order to prevent deep plays Graves alsosaid Southern must excel on the ground, exploiting Prairie View’sthree-man front.

Southern is unlikely to have its second-bestrunning back, Mike Franklin,who hadfoot surgery on Oct. 7.

Butthe team likes its depth at the position, and it still has one of the most talentedrushersinthe SWAC in Trey Holly.The LSU transferhas been the offense’s bright spot with 485yardsrushing, good forﬁfth in the conference.

Southern also hasa speedy dual-threat quarterback in Cam’Ron McCoy. TheJackson Statetransferhas 181yards rushingon31 carries. Thejunior’sstarting position isn’tguaranteed after completing 5of13passes for 101 yards and atouchdownin the team’s45-14 loss to BethuneCookman lastSaturday McCoy was substituted with 1:44 remaining in thethird quarterbyAshton Strother.Hefinished9-of-13passing for101 yards and led atouchdown drive. “Hats offtohim, guy came in and, youknow,heplayed well,” Graves said. “We’re fortunate. We’re glad to have him, and he’s glad to be here.” The Prairie View quarterback situation bearssomeresemblance to Southernasitisusing two signal-callers quiteabit CameronPeters, whostarted the lastgame, and Tevin Carter each hasplayedﬁve games andboth

Extrapoints: The Braves got a42-0 homecoming victory over fourthyear program Lincoln (Calif.). Running back Jacorian Sewell had a99-yard touchdown in the win. Now,the team faces FAMU, another struggling program whose lone winofthe season also came againstanon-DivisionI school This is the first FAMU-Alcorn State gamesince 1982.

12.MississippiValleyState

Record: 0-5 overall, 0-2 SWAC

Previous rank: 12

Last week: 45-25 loss at Alabama A&M

This week: vs.Lincoln(Calif.), 2p.m. Saturday

Extrapoints: Back-to-back SWAC homecomings are on the schedule for Lincoln (Calif.). This time, it’sa game against coach Terrell Buckley’sDelta Devils, who are hungry for their ﬁrst win. Despite the winless record,MVSU grabbed its ﬁrst interception of theyear and only trailed by one at halftime last week at Alabama A&M.

have exactly 50 completions Graves said thesubpar performances Southern has put forth recently are because of afailure in executing schemes. It’snot enough to have faststarts like it had against Bethune-Cookman when it scored on a71-yardpassing touchdown immediately after afalse startonits ﬁrst play.The Jaguars want to play how they practice, even aftertheir opponent responds

“Guys wanttomake plays so bad to try to change momentum hereand there, but you still can’t get outside of scheme and what we’re doing,” Graves said. “Guys are really pressing, trying to make plays,trying to be the one to change thetide. Just got to stay focused and stay within the frameworkofwhatthey’vebeen coached to do.” Graves said he has faithinthe Jaguars’ commitment to bounce back from the program’sworst start since 1971. “I tell them, it’seasytostop and lay down,” he said. “The thing is to keep ﬁghting. Andifyou keep ﬁghting, it’ll turn for you.”

Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.

PHOTO By MICHELE MEyERS

Bethune-Cookmancornerback Gabe White, left, tackles Southernwide receiver Malachi Jackson as he makesthe catchinagame at Daytona Stadium on Oct. 11.

Denham Springs adds solid defense to equation, beats visiting Dutchtown

BY CHARLES SALZER

Contributing writer

The Denham Springs offense has been on a roll in recent games. Friday night the Yellow Jackets paired it with rock-solid defense, and the result was a statement victory against District 5-5A leader Dutchtown Denham Springs took control from the outset, dominating both sides of the ball on its way to a 4224 win over the Grifﬁns at Yellow Jackets Stadium.

Da’Jean Golmond threw three touchdown passes, including one to Brenton Paul, who also had two rushing scores The Jackets defense forced three turnovers and held the Grifﬁns to 36 yards rushing.

The win moves Denham Springs (5-2, 2-1) into a tie for ﬁrst in the district standings.

“That’s what we wanted,” Denham Springs coach Brett Beard said. “We dropped the ﬁrst (district game), but you can kind of dig your way out of that hole. Now we’re right back where we want to be.”

Two weeks ago, Dutchtown (42, 2-1) rallied from a two-touchdown halftime deﬁcit to defeat St Amant. Against Denham Springs, the Grifﬁns scored early in the third quarter to pull within 28-17 of the Jackets. That was as close as Dutchtown would get Paul scored on a 2-yard run late in the third quarter, and Golmond threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to his twin brother, Da’Sean Golmond, early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Da’Jean Golmond completed 14 of 20 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns Including a 36-yard scoring run, he also rushed 11 times for a gamehigh 87 yards. Paul had touchdown runs of 7 and 2 yards, and

he also caught a 12-yard touchdown pass.

“Coming into the game, we knew the district race wasn’t over, but we need to win out,” Da’Jean Golmond said. “We knew what we had to do, and we came in and executed. We did our jobs right and came out with a big win.”

Denham Springs wasted no time getting started in the first half. On the game’s second play from scrimmage, Da’Jean Golmond connected with Hayden Ray over the middle for a 46-yard gain that carried the team to the Dutchtown 16. Two plays later, Golmond passed 12 yards to Paul for a touchdown.

After the score, Denham Springs recovered a squib kickoff that Dutchtown mishandled at midﬁeld. Da’Jean Golmond’s 26-yard pass sparked a quick scoring drive that was capped by Paul’s 7-yard touchdown run.

Denham Springs led 14-0 with nine minutes left in the first quarter

Dutchtown responded with Owen Fletcher’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Martell Rogers, but the Griffins offense was handcuffed for most of the half While the Yellow Jackets cranked out 15 ﬁrst downs, Dutchtown managed just four Denham Springs added to its lead early in the second quarter on Da’Jean Golmond’s 36-yard touchdown run. Dutchtown came back with Oakley Rutzen’s 22-yard ﬁeld goal, but the Yellow Jackets weren’t done.

Denham Springs ran more than ﬁve minutes at the end of the half bygoing92yardsin13playstotake a 28-10 halftime lead. The touchdown came on Da’Jean Golmand’s 3-yard pass to Da’Sean Golmond.

Fletcher was Dutchtown’s top performer by completing 11 of 13 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns.

Prairieville gets past persistent Live Oak for emotional victory

Hurricanes hold on, share 5-5A lead

BY WILLIAM WEATHERS Contributing writer

Prairieville High School coach

Mike Schmitt had a lump in his throat to go with a heavy heart Schmitt watched his defense survive an incomplete pass on the game’s final play, securing the Hurricanes’ 32-28 homecoming victory Friday over Live Oak and sending them into a share of the District 5-5A lead..

“This is another of those games that teaches you to have character and ﬁght through adversity,” Schmitt said. “We didn’t play very well. We didn’t win the turnover battle, and you’re not supposed to win those games. The guys fought at the right time.”

The win came a day after Schmitt attended the funeral services of his mother Anna. She was 80.

“We signed a card for him to express our feelings to him,” Prairieville quarterback Skylar Kelly said “We just wanted to fight for him, show him what we had, and this win definitely helps a lot.”

Prairieville (4-3, 3-1 in 5-5A) pulled even with East Ascension (5-2, 3-1) for the top spot in the district followed by Denham Springs (5-2, 2-1), a 42-24 winner over Dutchtown (4-2, 2-1)

The Hurricanes scored 25 unanswered points to dig out of a 15-0 ﬁrst-quarter deﬁcit for a 2515 lead on Kelly’s 1-yard pass to Hudson Dettman with three minutes left in the third quarter Live Oak (2-5, 1-3) regained a 28-25 lead with 6:48 remaining on consecutive touchdowns generated by quarterback Caden Jones.

HILARy SCHEINUK

POINTS APLENTY

Catholic scores a season-high 57 to win shootout vs. Central

BY CHRIS CHAPPLE

Contributing writer

Catholic High scored 35 second-half points on the way to a season-high score of 57 points in a 57-28 victory over host and district foe Central High on Friday night

Catholic (5-2, 2-0 in District 4-5A) quarterback Turner Goldsmith passed for four touchdowns, and Jayden Miles scored two rushing and one receiving touchdowns Goldsmith completed 10 of 15 passes for 235 yards. Jude Chamberlain had three catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

Central (5-2, 1-1) rallied from a 19-0 deﬁcit to pull within 22-14 at the half.

“Our offense played really well,” Catholic coach Hudson Fuller said. “They work really well together, they feed off of each other, and the offensive line has improved every week and played well tonight.”

but not enough tonight.” Catholic scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions of the game The Bears drove 64 yards in six plays as Miles scored on an 8-yard run up the middle for a 7-0 lead with 7:59 left in the first quarter Catholic then drove 47 yards in three plays, with Chamberlin scoring on a 40-yard pass from Goldsmith. Miles later caught a 50-yard pass from Goldsmith with 9:01 left in the second quarter Keithon Womack scored for Central on a spectacular 93-yard catch and run from Jacori Plat to make the score 19-7 with 6:24 left in the first half.

Tanner Forbes kicked a 37-yard ﬁeld goal for Catholic to push the lead to 22-7. Central then drove deep into Catholic territory and the Bears were called for a pass interference on the last play of the ﬁrst half. There was one untimed down, and Max Gassiott tossed a 9-yard pass to Shane Brown to result in another touchdown.

Brown added a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to cut the Catholic lead to 36-21. Brown ran for an impressive 148 kickoff return yards.

His 6-yard run closed the gap to 25-22 and Cash Davis turned a slant pass into a 61-yard catch and run for a three-point lead following a failed extra-point attempt.

Jones accounted for 245 total yards (185 yards passing, 60 rushing) and four touchdowns. Davis had three catches for 101 yards for the Eagles.

“We talk about ﬁghting for all 48 minutes,” Live Oak coach Randall Legette said. “Kudos to our kids for doing that. We just fell short.”

Prairieville, which held a 432375 edge in total yards and 20play advantage in plays run, had to convert only one third-down on its winning drive. The Hurricanes covered 80 yards in 10 plays and consumed nearly ﬁve minutes off the clock when Kelly, who scored earlier on a 66-yard run, kept from three yards out with 2:06 left.

Kelly who averages 256 total yards per game, accounted for 327 (168 rushing, 159 passing) and four touchdowns. Tahj Wallace added 92 yards on 15 carries and Kale Daigle had a team-high ﬁve catches for 44 yards and a score.

Live Oak moved from its 20 and picked up four ﬁrst downs — including a defensive pass interference penalty — to reach Prairieville’s 8-yard line on Jones’ 8-yard keeper with 17 seconds to go. Following a spike on ﬁrst down, and after a timeout from the Hurricanes, Jones rolled out but his pass was incomplete in the back of the end zone as time expired

“Coach didn’t miss a day this week and was at practice every day,” Kelly said. “He came to support us, and we wanted to support him.”

Catholic finished with 25 first downs and 254 yards rushing on 47 carries and 284 passing yards. In contrast, Central had nine first downs and 287 yards of total offense. The Wildcats were 0 of 5 on fourth-down conversions. Conversely, Catholic was 2 of 3 on fourth-down conversions.

“We felt like we needed to go for it on fourth down to get back in the game, but Catholic stopped us each time,” Central coach David Simoneaux said. “Catholic dominated the line of scrimmage. They were a lot sharper than we were, and they kept our defense on the ﬁeld too long. We did have some good stretches of play

BY TERRY ROBINSON Contributing writer

Two key mistakes in the ﬁnal two minutes nearly cost Istrouma on Friday night.

The Indians fumbled after securing what looked like a gameclinching first down, then gave up a big pass play before stufﬁng Broadmoor on the game’s final play to preserve a 12–7 District 6-4A win at Rusty Price Stadium.

“The defense stood strong, stood tall, and we were able to come up with a victory,” Istrouma coach Bryan Glover said of his unit, which had pitched four shutouts this season.

The Indians (5-2, 4-1) held a 12-0 lead late. The Buccaneers (3-4, 2-4) then used a 56-yard scoring strike from Brandon Thomas to Qasim Morehouse to trim the deﬁcit to 12-7 with 2:14 left in the game.

On the ensuing possession, Istrouma was trying to run out the clock as Broadmoor used its timeouts. The Buccaneers got new life when the Indians’ fumble gave Broadmoor possession in Istrouma

territory

Justin Batiste led Catholic in rushing with 89 yards on nine tries. Miles rushed 13 times for 75 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter Lamond Robinson had seven carries for 48 yards and scored on an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter for Catholic.

Tristin Rose of Central scored on an 87-yard run with 4:37 left in the fourth quarter to cut the deﬁcit to 50-28. Greg Williams of Catholic completed the scoring with an 8-yard run with 1:20 remaining. Miles had three catches for 74 yards for Catholic. Thomas and Batiste both had two catches for 39 yards. Womack had two catches for 79 yards to pace Central.

“We were trying to run out the clock at the end of the game,” Glover said. “We had the first down. Unfortunately, the ball came out of the running back’s hands.”

Thomas then hit Morehouse for a 22-yard pass to get the Buccaneers near the red zone.

“Defensively, we had one little miscue a miscommunication on the back end,” Glover said. “We knew No. 12 (Morehouse) was the guy that we had to pay attention to, and he was able to get behind us.”

After a Ryker Washington run for no gain, the Buccaneers tried to run Malachi Harris up the middle with no timeouts remaining. The Indians weren’t fooled, stuffing Harris as the clock ran out.

“We tried to give it to Malachi on that last play, and it didn’t work out too well for us,” Broadmoor coach Yasin Sarah said. “We were rushed to snap the ball with less than six seconds left. That’s usually our bread-and-butter play.”

Sarah said it was a matter of too little too late for his offense, which

hadlessthan20yardsoftotaloffense in the ﬁrst half and ﬁnished with 171.

“The offense couldn’t get it going until the end,” he said. “I felt like the tables started turning and the energy started kicking up at the end. It just took us a little too long to get it going.”

Istrouma ﬁnished with 227 yards of total offense, led by Marcus Williams’ 74 yards on 13 carries. Thomas paced Broadmoor with 112 yards passing.

The Indians dominated the first half but held just a 6-0 lead at half. After driving deep into Broadmoor territory on two of its first three possessions, Istrouma finally got on the scoreboard. It only took one play as quarterback Frank Alexander lobbed a screen pass to Justin Williams, who raced for a 73-yard touchdown with 3:18 remaining in the first quarter Istrouma stretched the lead with a seven-play, 87-yard drive in the fourth quarter Carmello Daigre capped the march with a 13-yard dash for a 12-0 advantage with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

STAFF PHOTO By

Catholic High running back Jayden Miles, left, celebrates with wide receiver Beau Thomas, center, and tight end Jude Chamberlain after scoring a touchdown against Central on Friday at Wildcat Stadium in Central.

THE VARSITYZONE

East Ascensionholds offSt. Amant

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

In arivalry game against East Ascension, St. Amant senior quarterback Cooper Babin drove his side downthe ﬁeld and, with two ticks left on the clock, called his own number and dived into the endzonetomakethe score49-48 Spartans.

The Gators went for two for the win. Babin handeditoff to JourdenHickerson,who then pitched it to receiver Riley Rizzuto.He lobbed apass to an open Babin,but the pass soared just inches over his outstretched hands and fell to the turf as the Spartans survived with aone-point win on Friday

“This is the greatest I’ve ever felt in awhile,” Spartans senior tight end Brysten Martinez said. “This is the greatest team win of the season.” East Ascension (5-2, 3-1) won 49-48 behindfour touchdowns by junior receiver Jeremyah Merriweather.Hecaught six passes for 161 yards and caught three touchdowns. He also ran for atouchdown. The win ties the rivalry 2323 and ends atwo-game skid to the Gators.

“It’svery rewarding,” Merriweather said about the win. “But it’snot the last. We’ve got many more to come.”

The Spartans ran theball 35 times for 215 yards. JJ Lebouef was 9of13for 218 yards and threw two touchdowns. Martinez also hada 25-yard touchdown pass.

“Wewanted to play physical,” East Ascension coachBrock Matherne said. “In the words of Brysten Martinez, ‘Comeget you some offense.’ ” Both sidestraded touchdownsto open the game. Babinscored on a

2-yard rush,and Spartansrunning back Jason Blackburn scored on a 23-yard run. East Ascension then took a touchdown lead after forcing a Gators punt. The Spartans ran the

ball 12 times for 72 yards.Jamarius McCarty capped off the drive with a6-yard touchdown.

The Gators(5-2, 1-2) answered the score with asix-play, 43-yard drive cappedoff by a6-yard score

by Hickerson. East Ascension only completed three passes in the ﬁrst halfbut made themostofone afterLebouef connected with Merriweather fora65-yard score. Thetwo sideswentinto halftime

Shane Brown9pass from Max Gassiot (Adam kick)

CATH: Beau Thomas 27 pass from Goldsmith (Forbes kick)

CATH: Chamberlain32passfrom Goldsmith (Forbes kick)

CHS: Shane Brown98kickoff return (Adams kick)

CATH: Miles 25 run(Forbes kick)

CATH: Lamond Robinson 11 run (Forbes kick)

CHS:Tristan Rose 87 run (Adamskick)

Huntington 19 Pointe Coupee Catholic 43, Academy of Sacred Heart-Grand Coteau 7 Rayville 32, Delhi Charter 6 RedRiver 49, Lakeside 21 Richwood 28, LakeArthur 14 Riverside 51, West St. John6 Ruston 41, Neville 37 St. Paul’s45, Ponchatoula 10 Salmen 32, Fontainebleau7 Shreveport Northwood 48, Bossier 14 South Lafourche 55, Assumption 28 South Terrebonne 48, Morgan City14 Southside 63, Sulphur17 St. Charles Catholic 35, Legacy School, Texas31 St. Edmund58, SacredHeart 36 St. FrederickCatholic 56, Delhi 12 St. Helena 50, St. Thomas Aquinas7 St. James 40, McDonogh #35 8 St. Martin’s 49, CrescentCity 0 St. Mary’s42, Montgomery 18 St. Thomas More63, Comeaux10 Sumner 57, Bogalusa 0 Terrebonne 52, East St. John 14 TeurlingsCatholic 49, N. Vermilion 0 Thibodaux 33, H.L. Bourgeois 3 Tioga 49, West Ouachita 7 Vandebilt Catholic 41, Ellender 6 Ville Platte 28, Mamou 26, OT West Jefferson 12, East Jefferson0 West Monroe 39, Ouachita Parish 25 Westminster Christian 35, Port Barre16 Willow37, Acadiana Renaissance 24 Wossman 73, Grant 36 Ascension Catholic 57, St. John35 Team AC St.John First Downs 14 16

YardsRushing 39-577 46-276 YardsPassing 77 250 Passes (C-A-HI) 3-5-1 12-25-3

Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-0

Penalties-yards9-100 8-65

CATH: Greg Williams 8run (Forbes kick) Denham Springs 42, Dutchtown 24 Team Dutchtown DS First Downs 14 26

YardsRushing 23-36 39-210

YardsPassing 207 229 Passes(C-A-HI) 13-17-2 14-20-0

Punts-avg.1-33.0 2-38.5

Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-0

Penalties-yards5-55 7-70

SCORINGSUMMARY Dutchtown7 377 —24

DenhamSprings 14 14 77 —42

DS: Brenton Paul 12 pass from Da’Jean Golmond (Jonathan Bravokick)

DS: Paul 7run (Bravo kick)

DT:MartellRogers20pass from Owen Fletcher (Oakley Rutzen kick)

DS: Da’Jean Golmond 36 run(Bravo kick)

DT:Rutzen 22 FG

DS: Da’Sean Golmond 3pass from Da’Jean Golmond (Bravo kick)

DT:Derrick Walker Vice 17 pass from Fletcher (Rutzen kick)

DS: Paul 2run (Bravo kick)

DS: Da’Sean Golmond 33 pass from Da’Jean Golmond (Bravo kick)

DT:Caden Messina27pass from Fletcher (Rutzen kick) Kaplan 27, Southern Lab 19

Team Kaplan SouthernLab First Downs 17 12

YardsRushing 166 147 YardsPassing 111 157 Passes(C-A-HI) 9-13-0 6-15-2 Punts-avg.2-38 1-30

Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0

6-60

77 67 —27 SouthernLab6 12 00 —18 SL —Dexter Ricard26passfrom AnthonyWeatherspoon (runfailed) KAP —Cassidy Roy13run (Gannon Smith kick)

tied at 21 points apiece after big runs by Hickerson andBabin set up another Hickerson touchdown.

The Spartanshelda two-possession lead after Blackburn scored a 46-yard touchdown on the second play of the third quarter,and a Micah Levyinterception on Babin ledtoMerriweather’s second touchdown reception St. Amant responded with a quickdrive that endedina 4-yard touchdownrun forBabin. The Spartansanswered witha 25-yard touchdown pass by Martinez afterhelined up in thewildcatand found awide-openMerriweather Babin refused to bow out and drove St. Amant down the field, scoring on an 11-yard touchdown run. The Gators then forcedastop andtieditinjustthree plays after Hickerson scored a3-yard rushing touchdown.

East Ascension retook the lead on aseven-play,69-yarddrive with 1:43 left after Merriweather took a carry for14yardstothe endzone. St. Amant would score late, but a failed2-pointer sealed itsfate. “This team deservesit,” Mathernesaid. “Theyworkedtheir tail off. Theydon’t waver.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

around the edge forabig gain against St.

SCOREBOARD

(McPherson kick), 4:38. Cin_Higgins 29 pass from Flacco (McPherson kick), 2:52. Cin_FG McPherson 49, :00 Third Quarter Cin_FG McPherson 23, 7:55.

Pit_Freiermuth 19 pass from Rodgers (Boswell kick), 3:55. Fourth Quarter Cin_Fant 5 pass from Flacco (McPherson kick), 14:57. Pit_Washington 2 pass from Rodgers (Boswell kick), 11:03.

Cin_FG McPherson 45, 6:58.

Pit_Freiermuth 68 pass from Rodgers (Boswell kick), 2:21.

Cin_FG McPherson 36, :07.

A_66,569. Pit Cin

First downs 19 27 Total Net Yards

Penalties-Yards 7-59 4-35 Time of Possession 25:28 34:32

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING_Pittsburgh, J.Warren 16-127, Gainwell 3-14, Rodgers 1-6. Cincinnati, C.Brown 11-108, Perine 7-31, Flacco 5-3. PASSING_Pittsburgh, Rodgers 23-34-2-249. Cincinnati, Flacco 31-47-0-342. RECEIVING_Pittsburgh, Freiermuth 5-111, J.Warren 4-31, Metcalf 3-50, Smith 3-28 Washington 3-2, R.Wilson 2-17, Gainwell 2-1, Miller 1-9. Cincinnati, Chase 16-161, Higgins 6-96, Fant 4-44, Iosivas 3-49, C.Brown 2-(minus 8). MISSED FIELD GOALS_None. Major League Baseball

Postseason glance x-ifnecessary League Championship Series (Best-of-7) AmericanLeague (FOX,FS1) Seattle 3, Toronto 2 Sunday: Seattle 3, Toronto 1 Monday: Seattle 10, Toronto 3 Wednesday: Toronto 13, Seattle 4 Thursday: Toronto 8, Seattle 2 Friday: Seattle 6, Toronto 2 Sunday, Oct. 19: Seattle at Toronto, 7:03 p.m. (FOX/FS1) x-Monday, Oct. 20: Seattle at Toronto, 7:08 p.m. (FOX/FS1) NationalLeague (TBS,truTV,HBOMax) Los Angeles 4, Milwaukee 0 Monday: Los Angeles 2,

pitched to 1 batter in the

HBP_Woo (Springer), Domínguez (Arozarena). Umpires_Home, Marvin Hudson; First, Quinn Wolcott; Second, Ryan Additon; Third, Doug Eddings; Right, Alfonso Marquez; Left, Ben May. T_3:00. A_46,758 (47,929) College football

National schedule, scores Thursday’s games SOUTH East Carolina 41, Tulsa 27 Friday’s games SOUTH Louisville 24, No. 2 Miami 21 MIDWEST Minnesota 24, Nebraska 6 FAR WEST San Jose St. at Utah St., n UNC at California, n Tennis ATP World Tour Nordic Open Results Friday

Continued from page 5C

against the Bulldogs.

Florida (2-4, 1-2) is 11-16 in SEC play under Napier and 0-14 against ranked teams away from home. He’s had one of the toughest schedules in the country the past two years, including three top-ﬁve teams on the road this season.

The Gators were in all of them in the fourth quarter and lost each one because they failed to score in the final quarter Not a single fourth-quarter point against No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Miami or No. 5 Texas A&M and Napier remains in charge of the offense and the play-calling despite being urged to give them up.

Florida also didn’t score in the ﬁnal 15 minutes against No. 9 Texas in the Swamp, holding on for a

At Kungliga tennishallen Stockholm Purse: €706,850 Surface: Hardcourt indoor Results Friday from Nordic Open at Kungliga tennishallen (seedings in parentheses): Men’s Singles Quarterﬁnals Ugo Humbert (4), France, def. Lorenzo Sonego, Italy, 6-7 (3), 6-0, 6-3. Holger Rune (1), Denmark, def. Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Argentina, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4. Casper Ruud (2), Norway, def. Sebastian Korda, United States, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4. Denis Shapovalov (3), Canada, def. Elias Ymer, Sweden, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1. Men’s Doubles Quarterﬁnals Adam Pavlasek, Czechia, and Jan Zielinski, Poland, def. Lucas Miedler, Austria, and Francisco Cabral (2), Portugal, 5-7, 6-3, 10-7. Vasil Kirkov, United States, and Bart Stevens, Netherlands, def. Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia (4), France, 6-2, 3-6, 10-4.

Pro hockey

CONFERENCE

29-21 victory in which the Longhorns had a chance to tie down the stretch because Napier went into safe mode with 13 minutes to play It was as eye-opening an ending as any of Napier’s losses since botching a game against Arkansas in the Swamp in 2023. The bottom line: Florida hasn’t shown enough progress between Napier’s first game — a win against No. 7 Utah in the Swamp — and his 45th game to merit more time. And no one expects that to change. Not administrators. Not boosters. Not Napier’s staff.

Florida rallied down the stretch, won its final four games and finished 8-5 in 2024. Since showing progress was the goal, another five losses were considered Napier’s firing point this season. But the outcries continue to get louder the longer Stricklin waits, especially with the losses mounting

and other schools making moves.

Even Napier’s three young children seem to understand what’s happening.

“Charlie told me about eight times the week of the Texas game. He says, ‘Dad we need to beat Texas.’ And he’s 8 years old,” said Napier, who replaced Dan Mullen in December 2021 after four years at UL

“They love it. This is what they know right? There’s no happiness without disappointment. There’s no growth without struggle. There’s no good days without bad days.

“Trust me, they remember the days when we won a bunch of games (in Louisiana). So they see the good side and the bad side, and that’s not going away There’s going to be criticism and there’s going to be praise. The key is that you got to know who you are, what you stand for You got to be consistent.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK J TERRILL

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani celebrates the end of the top of the third inning against the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SAM CRAFT

Florida coach Billy Napier calls in plays to his offense during the ﬁrst quarter against Texas A&M last Saturday in College Station, Texas.

LIVING

THE A DVOCATE .C OM | Saturday, OctOber 18, 2025 1dN

Sugar, spice and all things nice

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

and

way, is featuring

Pumpkin Potion is a spiced chai with pumpkin spice cold foam. If you’re not a pumpkin fan, try the apple jack, a cinnamon brown sugar iced latte with apple cold foam, or the dragonﬂy, a creamy green tea with brown sugar boba. All of the drinks pair well with the coffee shop’s pumpkin spice or cinnamon apple pie cake balls. Rêve Coffee Lab, 8211 Village Plaza Court, has a fall menu with the spice girl, a pumpkin pie latte with fall spices, pecan bitters and crushed roasted pecans. The menu also includes the autumn orchard, a chai latte with caramel apple syrup, steamed milk a sprinkle of allspice and topped with a chocolate-dipped dried apple slice. City Roots, 1509 Government St., has the pumpkin de crema, a pumpkin pie-flavored cold brew with vanilla sweet cream and sprinkled cinnamon on top. Cherry Bomb Coffee, 136 W. Chimes St., also has a pumpkin cream cold brew along with a few other seasonal beverages: the pumpkin pie latte, banana bread latte and apple pie chai. The fall drinks at Lighthouse Coffee 257 Lee Drive, include the harvest berry latte with ube cold foam, a salted caramel pumpkin latte, cinnamon roll latte and London fog latte. At Magpie Cafe 3205 Perkins Road, the fall menu includes a tiramisu iced latte, banana bread chai and salted maple pecan cappuccino.

Pies and cheesecake

Ambrosia Bakery, 8546 Siegen Lane, likely has the most classic fall treat: A caramel apple rolled in crunchy pecans. Folks can also grab whole pecan, pumpkin and apple pies as well.

FINE START

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Ana Andricain has worn many hats. She has acted, sang and danced across Broadway stages. Then she mastered the art of crafting jewelry Now she’s mentoring others on how to turn their craft into cash.

“When I was an actor, I never bought into this starving artist thing,” Andricain said. “I never starved. I did what I set out to do. I just don’t believe in that mindset.” Since 2006, Andricain has coached entrepreneurs, but she decided to make it official it in July with the start of the Artist Business Lab, an online operation teaching the business side of selling art.

She teaches basics like pricing networking and booth design but also provides advice on dealing with hagglers, creating newsletters or running social media accounts. This way, artists don’t have to just keep their passion as a side hobby They can quit their day job and actually make a living off their

Bill Wood created a wine pitcher, which is wheel-thrown and altered with texture. It’s one of the many pottery pieces he sells through his Baton Rouge-based business, Treehouse

art, Andricain said.

“You want to inspire people to come back and have this little piece of you that will become something for them and their family to treasure,” she said.

The art business is not about one transaction, Andricain said. In-

stead, it’s about building relationships. She believes collectors are the lifeblood of business, and connecting with them is the best way to get repeat business.

“If you know what to do before, during and after that show,” she said, “you can develop relationships with true collectors that will bring their friends to you when they come back and tell other people about you.”

‘One to watch and emulate’

Bill Moore, owner of Treehouse Pottery, met Andricain at the Baton Rouge Arts Market, an event on the ﬁrst Saturday of every month. Moore said it’s a friendly atmosphere of about 40 vendors where everybody helps each other out.

“Immediately, I knew from the appearance of her booth and the way she conducted herself and the crowds that congregated at her booth that she was one to watch and emulate,” Moore said about Andricain.

After meeting her, he learned

BR pizza restaurant in Mid City closes doors

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Ana Andricain, owner of Jewel of Havana, creates a jewelry piece at her studio.

Pottery.

mural

Reader comments on diggingholes

Dear Heloise: Calling 811

beforeyou dig ahole for abush is awaste of the investigator’stime and a needless expense. Now if you’re planting atree with a substantial-sized root ball (with perhaps acontractor who uses alarge hydraulic spade), make the call by all means. Generally,service lines are required to be buried 24 inches to 30 inches below the ground’ssurface.

—Bob Osterholt, via email

Phoneemergency

By The Associated Press

Dear Heloise: If anyone has to inform aperson on my contact list about an emergency that Ipotentially

JEWEL

Continued from page1D

about her workshop, From Booth to Business, where artistslearn the steps for the before, during and after stages of starting abusiness. Thecoursetookacoupleof hours,Moore said, and he learned several things that he’staken to heart.

“She’samaster at building contacts by asking customers to sign up for an email list so that she can communicate directly with them in afairly nonintrusive way what she’smaking, what she’sdoing, where she’sgoing to be selling,” he said. “And she’sreally honed that into apretty powerful driver for her business.” For Moore,creating an email list and newsletter means he doesn’thave to solely rely on social media platforms that may have unpredictable algorithms

Another tiphelearned was to display large format photographyofhim crafting pottery for the purpose of immediately answering the frequent question, “Are you the artist?”

With his newbooth enhancements, Moore set up shop on Sept. 6at the Baton Rouge Arts Marketand had one of thebest showshe’s ever had in sales.

Providinghope, reassurance

Not all of Andricain’sclients are in Louisiana. Colorado-based Isabella Day coowns Daydream Studio, aceramics business she started this year with her sister that sells sculptures andhandpainted plates and bowls.

When Day lost her job in late 2024, her mother gifted her Andricain’sFrom Booth to Business workshop as motivation to further pur-

TREATS

Continued from page1D

The newly opened CheesecakeLab, 7970 Jefferson Highway,has acaramel apple crumble cheesecake, while Les Amis BakeShoppe, 11826 Coursey Blvd., has sweet potato and pecan praline cheesecake available by the slice or whole.

Crepes,cookies,cream

have, this hint makesit easier for them to contact theright people.Instead of listing contacts witha ﬁrst and last name, Ihave used “son, daughter or neighbor” as their last name,suchas “Bob Son” or “Pat Daughter.” —A Reader,via email Freezing acake

Dear Heloise: I’ve discovered that you can freeze acake, buteach layer must be frozen separatelyand withoutfrosting,which only makes thecakesoggy when it thaws out. So, you make sure that each layer is wrapped well in plastic. Cakes do not freezecompletely solid,soyou have to

be very careful not to stack thingsontop of the layers.

—Joan M., in Elkins,West Virginia Gettingthe last drop

Dear Heloise: For Brent, who wrote in about wanting to recover most of the product leftover in abottle, Ihave amesh shopping bagthat Iput thecapped bottle in with the lid facing the bottom. Igrab thebag handles and swing it around, and centrifugal force brings mostofthe contentstothe lid of the bottle. Thanks. RolfTandberg,via email Storingvitamin capsule

Dear Heloise: Arecent columnincluded asuggestion to store vitamin Dand E capsules by turning the

bottle upside down. Ihave a solution that Ilike better: Iput apinch of cornstarch in the bottleand stir the pills until they arecoated withit. Then they don’tstick together,not even in very humid weather.—Skip, in Hopewell, New Jersey Is it blackorblue?

Dear Heloise: I’d like to add on to your recent hint on determining whether clothing is black or blue. Ihand-sew aline of white thread in the upper side of the toe of my blue socks. This ensures that Ican separate the black ones from the blue! Anne Regan, via email Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

sueart.

“(Andricain) came into my life at avery opportune time,” Day said She said theclassgave herhope duringatime she reallyneeded it, noting that is was especially reassuring to hear that it’s possible to make acomfortable living from creating art. “I feel like it’savery rare thing to meet artists who have that ambition and business acumen,” Day said Additionally,the workshop’sguidance on building community and relationships with clientsstood out to Day.Customersmay buy one product, walkaway and never see the artist again,

PROVIDED PHOTO Sweet Potato andPecan Praline Cheesecakefrom Les Amis Bake Shoppe

Bonjour Pour l’amourduChocolat, 5727 Essen Lane, hasa pumpkin spice and Oreo crepe crafted in perfect Halloween colors.

something that happens at alot of art shows, Andricain said, so it’s important to enjoy the human connection and relationships built through thebusiness.

Achievingdreams

Andricain offers afew services,including one-ononecoachingwhere clients can getdirect mentorship on what they need advice on.

Clients can alsojoin awaitlist for upcoming classes and workshops like From Booth to Business, or they can purchase arecording of the workshop. Thoseinterested can join aVIP list where they can click topics they’re interested in and re-

Caroline’sCookies, 10001 Perkins Road,introducedfive cookies withits October cookie menu, including the DulcedeLeche,a snickerdoodle stuffed withdulce de leche, rolled in cinnamon sugarand toppedwith buttercream.

Craving icecream? The LSU Dairy Store, 118 S. Campus Drive, has some haunted ﬂavors like theSpooky Smores, avanilla base with graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate chunks.There’s also the TigerBlood ice cream,a Tiger Bite base with raspberry ripple.

ceive email updates.

“I want peopletogoafter their dreams,” Andricain said. “And Iwantpeople to understand that it is 100% possible to be an artist and makeagood living.”

Today is Saturday, Oct. 18, the 291st day of 2025. There are 74 days leftinthe year

Todayinhistory:

On Oct. 18, 1977, Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in Game 6ofthe World Series to lead the NewYork Yankees to an 8-4 win and a4-2 Series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers; his success in the Fall Classic earned him the nickname “Mr.October.”

Also on this date:

In 1867, the United States took formal possession of Alaska from Russia.

In 1898, the American ﬂag wasﬁrst raised in Puerto Rico, shortly before Spain formally relinquished control of the island to the U.S.

In 1931, inventor Thomas Edison died at his home in West Orange, New Jersey, at the age of 84.

In 1954, Texas Instruments unveiled the Regency TR-1, the ﬁrst commercially produced transistor radio.

In 1962, James D. Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the NobelPrize for Medicine and Physiology for determining the double-helix molecular structure of DNA.

In 1968, American Bob Beamon shattered the previous long jump world record by nearly two feet, leaping 29 feet, 2¼ inches at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City

In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, overriding President Richard

PIZZA

Continued from page1D

chef Danny Wilsonheaded the kitchen and developed themenu. Var’sPizza used fresh dough from St.Bruno Bread Company

Some of the menu items includedthe “Mid-City” pizza,whichfeaturedfig, prosciutto, redonions and abalsamic reduction, and the “Julio” pizza with salsa,

Nixon’sveto. In 1977, West German commandos stormed ahijacked Lufthansa jetliner on the ground in Mogadishu, Somalia, freeing all 87 hostages and four crew members and killing three of the four hijackers; the Lufthansa ﬂight had been hijacked ﬁve days earlier by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and made multiple stops before the rescue raid.

In 2007, two bombs exploded near amotorcade carrying former Pakistan PrimeMinister Benazir Bhutto in Karachi hours after her return from eight years in exile, killing more than 130 people; Bhutto herself was unhurt but would be assassinated in December 2007.

In 2018, President Donald Trump threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico if authorities could not stop acaravan of migrants from Central America.

Today’sbirthdays: Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is 86. Composer Howard Shore is 79. Actor Joe Morton is 78. Author Terry McMillan is 74. Tennis Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova is 69. Boxing Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns is 67. Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme is 65. Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis

ground meat,tomato, black olives, sour cream, lettuce, cheddarcheese, jalapeños and Cholula hot sauce.

Var’sPizza’sname was a spinoff of next-door neighbor Ivar’sSports Bar & Grill, with both businesses sharing investors Chad Hughes, CathyMelancon andEdwin Edwards, grandsonofthe late former Gov. Edwin Edwards. None of the owners would provide commentonthe closure.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Bill Wood, owner of Treehouse Pottery, set up his booth on Oct. 11 at the FireflyUnder the MoonMarket in St. Gabriel.

Hints from Heloise

Southeastern to celebratea centennial homecoming

Southeastern Louisiana University will reveal its 2025 homecoming queen and king during halftime of the Hammond school’sfootball game against NorthwesternState University on Saturday

The Lions will take on theDemons at 4p.m.inStrawberryStadium.

Fourteen students are on this year’s centennial court as SLU celebrates its 100th anniversary.The queen and king were the topjunior or senior vote-getters in the recent online campus election.

Members of the queen court are:

n SeniorKaylie Anderson, Lafayette, apsychology major

n Senior Shaina Keller,Kentwood, majoring in communication sciences and disorders

n Senior Emily Lidikay, Hammond, apsychology major

n Senior Mackynzie Mannino, Tickfaw,majoringinstrategic communication

n Senior Magnolia McCarty,St. Amant, acriminal justice major

n SeniorIna Pegues, Jackson,

Mississippi,a businessadministration major

n Sophomore NevaehArmstrong, LaPlace, majoring in nursing.

Kingcourt members are:

n Senior Mekhi Batiste, Lacombe, apsychology major

n SeniorWalker Peyton, DenhamSprings, majoring in accounting and ﬁnance

n Junior Ethan Benton, Denham Springs, akinesiology major

n Junior Gregory Binder,Metairie,majoring inoccupational safety,health and environment

n Junior Jacob Matherne, Franklinton, acomputer science major

n SeniorDaniel Sinclair,Pearl River,anaccounting major

n Sophomore Zachary Edwards, Franklinton, majoring in chemistry

Formore information about Southeastern homecoming events, contactSoutheastern Alumniat (985) 549-2150 or (800) SLU-ALUM or visit www.southeastern.edu/ homecoming.

RELIGION BRIEFS

FROM STAFFREPORTS

Spiritual retreat at Church of the Nativity

The Episcopal Church of the Nativity,15615 LaurelSt.,Rosedale, will host aspiritual retreat, led by Deacon Charles deGravelles, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday,Nov.1

This free retreat willexplore techniques to deepen

one’sspiritual life, including the role of personal and communal prayer, interior silence, praying with devotion, and principlesofintercessoryand healing prayer Thesessionincludestime forpractice, discussion, and will concludewith lunch. The publicisinvited.To RSVP,contact Charlie.degravelles@gmail.com.

Members of the 2025 Southeastern Louisiana University Homecoming Queen Courtare, front row, from left, Navaeh Armstrong,ofLaPlace; Kaylie Anderson, of Lafayette; and Mackynzie Mannino, of Tickfaw; back row, from left, Ina Pegues, of Jackson, Miss.; Magnolia McCarty,ofSt. Amant; Emily Lidikay, of Hammond;and Shaina Keller,ofKentwood

Freeman Baptist observes anniversary

Freeman Baptist Church, 4628 La. 955, Ethel, will hold an usheranniversary eventat8:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 26. Guest will be theRev LeReginald Jones, pastor of MountPleasantBaptist Church. All areinvited.

Mother anxioustoreconnect

Dear Harriette: Ithink my son may be harboring some resentment toward me. We have astrained relationship, and even though Iwant us to be closer,the distance seems intentional on his end. If Itry asking questions, he gets defensive or gives short responses only,and sometimes it turns into an argument or disagreement.On more than one occasion, he’sreferenced times in the past where Imight’ve overstepped aboundary spoken up on his behalf or been overbearing. How can Imove forward with my son if he won’tforgive me for the past? Iwish he could realize that those things Idid were just a mama bear looking out for her cub. —Boy Mom Dear BoyMom: Ask your son if the two of you can have ameeting where he shares all of his memories and concerns about your relationship. Ask him to let it all out so that you can hear whatever is on his heart. Do your best not to interrupt

Members of the 2025 SoutheasternLouisiana University Homecoming King Courtare, front row, from left,ZacharyEdwards, of Franklinton; Mekhi Batiste, of Lacombe; and Jacob Matherne, of Franklinton; backrow,from left,Ethan Benton, of Denham Springs; Daniel Sinclair,ofPearlRiver;GregoryBinder,of Metairie; and Walker Peyton, of Denham Springs.

Navigating parent friendships

Dear Miss Manners: My daughter acted poorly and has now been distancing herself from one of her good friends. This is thesecond time in afew years she has done this

I’ve spoken to her for weeks, trying to get her to apologize and mend their relationship. My daughter has now reached out to her friend, saying she wantsto be friends again. The friend said OK.

him. Clearly, things have occurredthathave hurthis feelings.Heneeds to be ableto saythemall without backlash fromyou. Apologize for whatever hementions. Let himknow that you never meant to hurthis feelings and that what you did was your way of being hismom andtrying to protect him. Admit that youknow youaren’t perfectand that you are sorry if anything youdid —whether you continuetothink it was justiﬁed —hurt him. Ask him if heiswilling to put the past asideand work to build anew relationship with you now.Remindhim that youlovehim andwant nothingmore than to be close to him. Be patient andreadytotakethis next step together.Bemindful of not takingover.Become agood listener Dear Harriette: Ihave a close friendwho hasbeen out of work for two years. Ihave helped him as much as Ican, includingfronting himrentmoney so thathe

doesn’tgohomeless and giving him carfare togoto job interviews.Ilove him and want to support him, but so far,hehasn’tgotten ajob. Ihave to support my family; Ican’ttake on his ﬁnancial burdens much longer.How do Iaddress this with someone who is obviously in dire need?

Partofmecan’thelp but feel that I’m enabling him. Yes, it’s hard to find work, but he knows I’m not going to let him be out on the streets. —Broken Lifeline Dear Broken Lifeline: Sit down withyour friend and give him atimeline. Express how much you love him and want to have his back as you have had for the past two years, but you can no longer support him financially.Suggest thathelook at social services to get short-term government support so he can buy food and keep his home. Give him adeadline at which point you can no longer give him money.This is difficult, Iknow,but he has to figure out his own life.

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

I’m close with themom of this child, but now Ifeel like there is astrain on my parent friendship because my child was the one who acted poorly.Idon’tknow how to approach the mom since this transpired. I haven’tseen her in afew weeks. Ihave afeeling she is upset with me for my daughter’sbehavior,and she has aright to be.

Do Ireach out to the mom? Do Iwait until Isee her in person at aschool event? I’m normally really good at reading asituation, but this one is confusing me.

Gentlereader: It is easy to blamethe parentsfor a child’sbehavior.Sometimes it is their fault. Sometimes, however,children remind us that they are their own people and act independently —despite one’sbest efforts and proper upbringing. It is agood and wise parent friend who can tell the difference.

Miss Manners suggests that you help this one along on the journey.Reach out to your friend to clear the air, tellingher that you were appalled by your daughter’s

behavior and have had manylong talks about how it affects her friend. You might even say that if she sees your daughter acting this way again, to tell you at once and you will address it. Your friend may attempt to rekindle the friendship or she may not. But the chances of the situation being reversed at somepoint in her own child’sinteractions are high. So she would be wise to be generous with you.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave been given agiftofimmeasurable proportions: the giftofhaving my life saved by manynurses and doctors after my cancer diagnosis.

Iwant to show my gratitude to these wonderful people whohave selﬂessly dedicated their lives to helping others, asking for nothing in return. Iwould like to at least give them each acard and small gift, yet each time Iset out to

write anote of thanks, no words can express the level of gratitude that Ifeel. What do you suggest that Isay or do? Also, would it be appropriate to donate to acancer charity in their names and let them know about it?

Gentle reader: No. They are making enough donations to the medical ﬁeld on their own. Aheartfelt letterexpressing your thanks is best. Miss Manners suggests youfocusonthe speciﬁc things they did to make youfeel better and help youheal.Expressing your gratitude will make themfeel more appreciated thanany small, generic gift.

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

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Harriette Cole

LIBRA (sept.23-oct.23) Treat everyone fairly and speak up when you feel an injustice arises. Work alone, and don't reveal your intentions until everything is in place. Focus on maintenance and completion,and you will succeed.

scoRPIo(oct. 24-nov.22) Followyour instincts,use your intelligence and participate in events or activities that benefityou most. It's atimetodiscover and adjust to the changes taking place around you.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take a moment to get yourthoughts, facts and bearings before you engage in talks, implementchange or make professional or domesticdecisions. Take your time and explore every angle.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Fact-checkingismandatory.Listen carefully, question everything and look forloopholes and unique alternatives that will help you bypass any potential problem youforesee.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put more emphasis on contracts, investments and health issues. Alifestyle change will benefityou more than you anticipate. Make plans with someonespecial

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Test the waters, consider the possibilitiesand adjust as you go. Nothing is forsure, so before making acommitment,check allthe boxes and consider what's importanttoyou.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Focus on creativity and innovativeapproaches to

problem-solving. Workwith people whoshare your sentiments, and you'll gain leverage in situations that require backup.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Apersonal or professional change will turn out better than anticipated. Go with the flow, and you'll discover how to access peoplewho can helpyou move forward.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Achange will provide theenergy you need to make your wayforward. Whether you visit aplace that inspires you or taketime to rejuvenate and reevaluate, positive results will unfold.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Choose intelligence. Clarity is the way forward. If you meet with opposition, you are on the wrong path. Revise your wish list and schedule to meet your needs. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Tonedown and simplify your life.Consider what and who matter most to you. Love, personal growth, physical self-improvement and letting go will give you the strength to restart your journey.

VIRGo (Aug.23-sept. 22) Ask, andyou shall receive. Effective communicationand followingthrough will help you achieve your goals. Social events will offerinsight intowhat's important to those you care about most.

FAMILYCIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLYForth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS

THe wiZard oF id

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER

At the bridge table, never baseyour plays on unrealistic assumptions, as this couldlead to adecrease in your trick total. In today’s deal, it is not so much acase of an unrealistic assumption as being carefulnot to jump to aconclusion that couldbeinaccurate. Southisinfour spades. West leads the heart nine. How should East plan the defense?

The auction was straightforward. South smelled agame, so bidthat game.

The defenselooks so easy. Eastwins with the heart ace (the unnecessarily high card beginning asuit-preference signal fordiamonds), cashes the heart king, and continues with the heart 10 (a second suit-preference signal). West ruffs higher than the dummy and shifts to adiamond. East wins with his ace and leads another heart, perhaps promoting asecond trumptrick for West.

Well, that is the plan, but West cannot ruffhigher than the dummy. South wins the thirdtrick, drawstrumps, and runs the clubs for an overtrick.

East should take asafety-play. At trick three, he should cash the diamond ace. Here,Westencourages with his10, and East leads asecond diamond to defeat thecontract.But if Westhas aspade higher than dummy’s seven, he would discourage, and East would go back to hearts. Try to maximize your chances of success. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying,

Previous answers: