The Acadiana Advocate 10-25-2025 by The Advocate

AN UPHILL BATTLE

a close-up

With the help of a scientist on a mission, Gulf shrimp industry battles fraudulent labeling

BY JOSIE ABUGOV

Staff writer

Dave Williams has been to hundreds of seafood restaurants across the South over the past year, and he isn’t hunting for the best shrimp po-boy or crawﬁsh étouffée.

From Texas to North Carolina — and at more than 200 restaurants and three festivals in Louisiana — the commercial ﬁsheries scientist and his team have collected minuscule shrimp samples for a rapid genetic test. The goal is to determine whether the restaurant is serving local shrimp or foreign imports. It’s all part of Williams’ mission to help revitalize the Gulf of Mexico’s ailing coastal industry Williams, who does this work through his company SeaD Con-

Dave Williams, of SeaD Consulting, makes a presentation on distinguishing local shrimp from imports during the festival.

sulting, presented his findings to Louisiana shrimpers and seafood enthusiasts at the Louisiana Shrimp Festival and Shrimp Aid at the Broadside in Mid-City earlier this month. Attendees sampled dishes like shrimp birria tacos

and tempura-fried shrimp, while listening to live music and even watching a puppet show

They also heard from Louisiana shrimpers, oystermen and people like Williams trying to preserve the livelihood. After a year of sampling restaurants across eight Southern states, Williams told the gathering that scores of restaurants in the region were falsely advertising their shrimp.

“This is just the start, because we need to bring new life into our industry,” Williams said. “I’m a little bit of an evangelist.”

For years, shrimpers have struggled to compete against cheap foreign imports and an ongoing pattern of mislabeling. According to the Food and Drug Administration, 95% of the seafood

ä See SHRIMP, page 6A

UL cuts 70 more employees

School making effort to address budget deficit

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette laid off 51 people and another 19 positions were vacated in an effort to address its $25 million structural budget deﬁcit.

presidents, other university administrators and supervisors of needs and priorities.

Interim University Pr es id en t Jaimie Hebert sent an email, which The Acadiana Advocate has obtained a copy of, to faculty and staff at 4:45 p.m. Thursday The university closes at noon on Fridays.

Hebert said the impacted employees were alerted Friday in meetings with their supervisors.

“These personnel changes were not made lightly,” Hebert said in the email. “They came after thorough consideration by division vice

“These decisions are rooted in the responsibility we all share to make choices that strengthen the university’s future.” The cuts were made across all divisions through a combination of position eliminations, retirements, resignations and reassignments, Hebert wrote. Of the 70 affected positions, 51 people — a mix of civil service and non-civil service employees were laid off Hebert clariﬁed in an email to faculty and staff sent Friday afternoon.

“Each affected employee has contributed to the life and mission of this University,” he wrote. “We are grateful for their service to our students, colleagues and community.”

The 70 affected positions are in addition to six position

Hebert ä See CUTS, page 6A

Gov Jeff Landry and the Louisiana Legislature are intervening to stop SNAP benefits, otherwise known as food stamps, from being halted on Nov 1 due to the federal government shutdown. If Congress does not pass

U.S. sending aircraft carrier strike group to Latin America

BY KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America, the Pentagon announced Friday, in the latest escalation of military ﬁrepower in a region where the Trump administration has unleashed more rapid strikes in recent days against boats it accuses of carrying drugs. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to deploy to the U.S. Southern Command region to “bolster U.S capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on social media. The USS Ford, which has ﬁve destroy-

ä Trump administration imposes sanctions on Colombian president, his family and a member of his government. PAGE 3A

ers in its strike group, is now deployed to the Mediterranean Sea. One of its destroyers is in the Arabian Sea and another is in the Red Sea, a person familiar with the operation told The Associated Press. As of Friday, the aircraft carrier was in port in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, would not say how long it would take for the strike group to arrive in the waters off South America or if all ﬁve destroyers would make the journey.

Hegseth ä See CARRIER, page 5A

STAFF PHOTOS By JOHN MCCUSKER

Jackie Baham has

look at the live shrimp display on Oct. 18 during the Louisiana Shrimp Festival and Shrimp Aid at the Broadside in New Orleans.

Kyiv seeks more Russia sanctions, missiles

LONDON Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged the United States to expand sanctions on Russian oil from two companies to the whole sector, and appealed for long-range missiles to hit back at Russia.

Zelenskyy was in London for talks with two dozen European leaders who have pledged military help to shield his country from future Russian aggression if a ceaseﬁre stops the more than three-year war

The meeting hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer aimed to step up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding momentum to recent measures that have included a new round of sanctions from the United States and European countries on Russia’s vital oil and gas export earnings.

The talks also addressed ways of helping protect Ukraine’s power grid from Russia’s almost daily drone and missiles attacks as winter approaches, enhancing Ukrainian air defenses, and supplying Kyiv with longer-range missiles that can strike deep inside Russia. Zelenskyy has urged the U.S. to send Tomahawk missiles, an idea President Donald Trump has ﬂirted with.

The Ukrainian leader said Trump’s decision this week to impose oil sanctions was “a big step,” and said “we have to apply pressure not only to Rosneft and Lukoil, but to all Russian oil companies.”

U.S. wants to deport Abrego Garcia to Liberia

BALTIMORE The U.S. government plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, and could do so as early as Oct. 31, according to a Friday court ﬁling.

The Salvadoran national’s case has become a magnet for opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies since he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, in violation of a settlement agreement. He was returned to the U.S. in June after the U.S. Supreme Court said the administration had to work to bring him back. Since he cannot be redeported to El Salvador, ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Maryland has previously barred his immediate deportation. Abrego Garcia’s lawsuit there claims the Trump administration is illegally using the deportation process to punish him for the embarrassment of his earlier mistaken deportation.

A Friday court ﬁling from the Department of Homeland Security notes that “Liberia is a thriving democracy and one of the United States’s closest partners on the African continent.” Its national language is English; its constitution “provides robust protections for human rights;” and Liberia is “committed to the humane treatment of refugees,” the ﬁling reads. It concludes that Abrego Garcia could be deported as soon as Oct. 31.

“After failed attempts with Uganda, Eswatini, and Ghana, ICE now seeks to deport our client, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, to Liberia, a country with which he has no connection, thousands of miles from his family and home in Maryland,” a statement from attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said.

Roadside bombing kills 3 officers in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan A powerful roadside bomb struck a police vehicle Friday in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the country’s northwest near the Afghan border killing a city police chief and two junior ofﬁcers, ofﬁcials said

The bombing took place in the city of Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as the ofﬁcers were heading to a police station that had been attacked less than an hour earlier local police chief Adam Khan said. He gave no further details.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attacks and blamed them on the Pakistani Taliban, which is a separate group but a close ally of Afghanistan’s Taliban, which returned to power in Kabul in August 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces.

Rubio tours center overseeing ceasefire

BY MATTHEW LEE and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

KIRYAT GAT, Israel U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday toured a U.S.led center in Israel overseeing the Gaza ceaseﬁre, as the Trump administration worked to set up an international security force in the territory and shore up the tenuous truce between Israel and Hamas.

Rubio was the latest in a series of top U.S. ofﬁcials to visit the center for civilian and military coordination. Vice President JD Vance was there earlier this week where he announced its opening, and U.S. envoys

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, were also in Israel.

Around 200 U.S. troops are working alongside the Israeli military and delegations from other countries at the center, planning the stabilization and reconstruction of Gaza. On Friday, an Associated Press reporter saw international personnel there with ﬂags from Cyprus, Greece, France, Germany, Australia and Canada

“I think we have a lot to be proud of in the ﬁrst 10 days, 11 days, 12 days of implementation, where we have faced real challenges along the way,” said Rubio.

He named the U.S. ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, to lead the civilian side of the coordination center in southern Israel. The center’s top military ofﬁcial is Adm. Brad Cooper of the U.S. Central Command.

The United States is seeking support from other allies, especially Gulf Arab nations, to create an international stabilization force to be deployed to Gaza and train a Palestinian force.

Rubio said U.S. ofﬁcials were working on possible language to secure a United Nations mandate or other international authorization for the force in Gaza because several potential participants would require one before they can take part. He said many countries had expressed interest, and decisions need to be made about the rules of engagement

He said such countries need to know what they’re signing up for, including “what is their mandate, what is their command, under what authority are they go-

ing to be operating, who’s going to be in charge of it, what is their job?” He also said Israel needs to be comfortable with the countries that are participating.

Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday Israeli media has referred to the parade of American ofﬁcials visiting their country to make sure the ceaseﬁre stays on track as “Bibi-sitting.” The term, using Netanyahu’s nickname of Bibi, refers to an old campaign ad when Netanyahu positioned himself as the “Bibi-sitter” whom voters could trust with their kids.

In Gaza City, Palestinians who have been trying to rebuild their lives have returned home to rubble.

Families are scrounging to ﬁnd shelter patching together material to sleep on with no blankets or kitchen utensils.

“I couldn’t find any place other than here. I’m sitting in front of my house, where else can I go? In front of the rubble, every day I look at my home and feel sorrow for it, but what can I do?” said Kamal Al-Yazji as he lighted pieces of sponge to cook coffee in Gaza City.

His three-story house, once home to 13 people, has been destroyed, forcing his family to live in a makeshift tent He said they’re suffering from mosquitoes and wild dogs and they can barely afford food because their bank notes are so worn that shopkeepers won’t accept them

As Umm Muhammad al-Araishi walked in the Gaza City neighborhood where she lived before the war, she was looking for a familiar landmark, the Rantisi hospital. But the hospital and the buildings around it were heavily damaged by Israel — which had declared the area a “combat zone” — to the point where little was recognizable.

“I couldn’t ﬁnd the place, I didn’t recognize where my house is, I didn’t recognize the whole neighborhood,” she said.

Rubio said Friday that a conglomerate of up to a dozen groups would be involved in aid efforts in Gaza, including from the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations. However, he said there would be no role for the U.N. aid agency in Gaza, known as UNRWA

N.Y. AG pleads not guilty in mortgage fraud case

BY BEN FINLEY, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. — New York Attorney Gen-

eral Letitia James accused the Trump administration of using the justice system as a “tool of revenge” after she pleaded not guilty Friday in a federal mortgage fraud case the president pressed the Justice Department to bring.

James’ ﬁrst court appearance in Virginia sets the stage for a highstakes legal battle between the Republican administration and a longtime Democratic Trump foe who angered him with a major civil fraud case she brought against him. She’s accused of lying on mortgage papers to get favorable loan terms when purchasing a modest house in Norfolk, where she has family.

James is the third Trump adversary to appear before a judge this month on federal charges, amplifying concerns that the president is using the government’s law enforcement powers to seek retribution for his own legal troubles. Justice Department leaders have defended the cases and argue the Biden administration — which brought two indictments against him — was the one that weaponized the justice system. The attorney general left the courthouse

smiling to cheers from dozens of waiting supporters, who chanted, “We stand with Tish!” The indictment charging her with bank fraud and making false statements to a ﬁnancial institution, she declared, was about “a justice system which has been used as a tool of revenge and a weapon against those individuals who simply did their job and who stood up for the rule of law.”

“My faith is strong and I have this belief in the justice system and the rule of law, and I have a belief in America,” James said, adding, “There’s no fear today.”

The judge set a trial date for Jan. 26, James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, told the judge the defense will seek to have the case dismissed, arguing that it’s a vindictive prosecution brought at the direction of the president.

James was indicted this month after the top federal prosecutor who had been overseeing the investigation was pushed out by the Trump administration and the president publicly called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against James and other political foes.

Prosecutors allege that when buying the Norfolk home in 2020, James signed a standard document called a “second home rider” in which she agreed to keep the property primarily for her “personal use and enjoyment for at least one year,” unless the lender agreed otherwise

Trump ends trade talks with Canada over tariffs ad

BY WILL WEISSERT, SEUNG MIN KIM and ROB GILLIES Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump announced he’s ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad sponsored by one of its provinces that used the words of former President Ronald Reagan to criticize U.S. tariffs — prompting the province’s leader to later pull the ad.

The post on Trump’s social media site Thursday night ratcheted up tensions with the U.S.’s northern neighbor after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he plans to double his country’s exports to countries outside the U.S. because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs. White House officials said Trump’s reaction was a culmination of the administration’s long, pent-up frustration about Canada’s strategy in trade talks.

Later Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province had sponsored the ad, said it would be taken down.

Ford said after talking with Prime Minister Mark Carney he’s decided to pause the advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume. Ford said they’ve achieved their goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels.

“Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses,” Ford said. “We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels.”

The U.S. president alleged the ad misrepresented the position of Reagan, a two-term president who remains a beloved figure in the Republican Party, and was aimed at influencing the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of a hearing scheduled for next month that could decide whether Trump has the power to impose his sweeping tar-

iffs, a key part of his economic strategy Trump is so invested in the case that he has said he’d like to attend oral arguments.

“CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” Trump wrote on his social media site Friday morning. “They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like Tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY Canada is trying to illegally inﬂuence the United States Supreme Court in one of the most important rulings in the history of our Country.”

The ad was paid for by Ontario’s government, not the Canadian federal government. Ford, the premier, didn’t initially back down, posting Friday that Canada and the U.S. are allies “and Reagan knew that both are stronger together.” Ford then provided a link to a Reagan speech where the late president voices opposition to tariffs.

Ford had said the province plans to pay $54 million for the ads to air across multiple American television stations using audio and video of Reagan speaking about tariffs in 1987. Even though the ad will eventually be taken down, it’ll still run this weekend, including Game 1 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Ford is a populist conservative who doesn’t belong to the same party as Carney, a Liberal. For his part, Carney said his government remains ready to continue talks to reduce tariffs in certain sectors.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FADEL SENNA

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with Israeli Brigadier General yaakov Dolf on Friday as he visits the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel.

ISRAEL

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO President Donald Trump speaks Thursday at the White House in Washington.

James

Explosives plantblast that killed 16 waschain reaction

Tennessee explosionfelt 20 milesaway

BY JONATHAN MATTISE and KRISTIN M. HALL

Associated Press

McEWEN, Tenn.

Amassive

blast at aTennessee explosives plant that killed 16 people, leveled the building and was felt more than 20 miles away began in an area where workers used kettles to produce amixture of explosives and set off other explosives stored nearby,authorities said Friday Investigators stillhaven’t been able to identify the remainsoftwo of thepeople killed in the Oct. 10 explosion at the Accurate Energetic Systems factory in Bucksnort, an unincorporated community about 60 miles southwest of Nashville, officials said at anews conference.

The delicate investigation at the site of the plant has concluded,but determining acause could take months more, said Brice McCracken, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms andExplosives’ special agent in charge at the National Cen-

and flowersare seen

ter for Explosives Training and Research. In addition to locating victims’ remains, the on-site work involved removing and disposing of explosives that didn’tdetonate in the blast.

Thenext phase centers on ATFlabsand testing facilities, where investigators will try to determinewhat triggeredthe explosion, said Jamey VanVliet, ATFspecial agent in charge in the Nash-

ville division.

“Thoseresults don’tcome quickly,” VanVlietsaid. “They come through time, care,and precision. And that’swhatthis community deserves: answers that are proven, not guessed.”

From 24,000 to 28,000 pounds of explosives detonated that day, authorities said. The blast originated on the15,000-square-foot plant’s ﬁrst ﬂoor,near kettles used

in the production of an explosive mixturefor thecommercial mining industry,McCracken said.

The building was primarily usedtomakeexplosives known as cast boosters typically amixture of TNT andRDX, or cyclonite,that is poured by hand into acardboard tube,hesaid.

Explosives weremixed in kettles on the mezzanine level before being pumpedinto

heating kettles on the main ﬂoor,McCracken said.

“Everything is mixed up top and then it pumps down intothe lower ﬂoor,where it stays heated,” McCracken said. “And then they’re able to pull it outina pitcher and then each cast is handpoured into the cardboard tube.”

The main ﬂoor also stored explosivesnear aloading dock, and cast boosters were cooled on that floor before being packaged, he said.

After the initial explosion happened in those production kettles, investigators believe other explosive materialsstored on themainﬂoor also detonated, McCracken said.

During theinvestigation, authorities searchedanarea of about 500 acres, much of it dense withwoods, looking for evidence.

The scene was turned back over to the company Thursday,McCracken said.

The blast, which was felt morethan 20 miles away, left asmoldering wreck of twistedmetal andburnedoutvehiclesatthe factory.

Authorities said there were no survivors from the site of the blast.Itemsofinterest forthe investigationwere

found morethan ahalf-mile away,Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said. The company,which employs about 150 people, has asprawling complex in rural central Tennessee with eight specialized production buildings and alab. It straddles the Hickman and Humphreys county line in unincorporated Bucksnort, about 60 miles southwest of Nashville

Thecompany, headquarteredinnearby McEwen, has customers in the aerospace, defense, demolition and mining industries. It has been awarded numerous military contracts, largely by theU.S.Army andNavy, to supply different types of munitions and explosives, according to public records. The products range from bulk explosives to land mines andsmall breaching charges, including C-4. In astatement Friday,Accurate Energetic Systems CEOWendellStinson said thecompanyis“continuing to support investigatorsand is under obligation to preservethe site fora to-be-determinedperiod of time” anticipating it maybe“many months” —incase more onsite review is needed.

U.S. imposessanctions on Colombia’s president, family members

BY MATTHEW LEE and FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration imposed sanctions Friday on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his family and amember of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade, sharply escalatingtensions withthe leftist leader of one of the closest U.S. allies in South America. The Treasury Department leveled the penalties against Petro; his wife, Veronicadel

Socorro Alcocer Garcia; his son, Nicolas Fernando Petro Burgos; and ColombianInteriorMinisterArmando Alberto Benedetti. Petro“has allowed drug cartels to ﬂourish and refused to stop this activity, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in astatement. “President Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate thetrafﬁcking of drugsinto ournation.” Themove ramps up a

growing clashbetween the Republican U.S. president andColombia’sfirst leftist leader,notably over deadly American strikeson alleged drug-carryingboats off South America. This week,the Trump administration expanded itscrackdown to theeasternPacific Ocean,where much of the cocaine from the world’slargest producers, including Colombia, is smuggled. And in an escalationofmilitary ﬁrepower in

theregion, the U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier to the waters offSouth America, the Pentagon announced Friday Afterthe sanctions were announced,Petro named an attorney he said will represent him in theU.S. “Combating drug trafﬁcking effectively for decades bringsmethismeasure from the government of the society we helped somuchto stopits use of cocaine,” Petro wrote on X. “Quite aparadox, but notone stepback and never on our knees.”

The U.S. last month added

Colombia, the top recipient of American assistance in the region, to alist of nations failing to cooperateinthe drug warfor the ﬁrst time in almost 30 years. Following that decision, the State Department is “slashing assistancefor Colombia,” spokesmanTommy Pigott said on social media.U.S. aidisexpected to be cutby at least 20%, or roughly $18 million, according to aU.S. ofﬁcialwho spoke on condition of anonymity to offer details that havenot been made public. The amount wasan estimate and could change.

AState Department statementFriday did not specify the dollar amount affected. The penalties wereexpected after Trump vowed to pull all payments to Colombia,which amounted to an estimated $230 millionin the budget year that ended Sept. 30, adrop from recent years, whenthe aid exceeded $700 million, according to U.S. ﬁgures. He also recently threatened to impose tariffs on its exports, referring to Petro on social media in recent days as “an illegal drug leader.”

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The Pentagon

conﬁrmed Friday that it has accepted an anonymous$130 million gift to help pay members of the military during the governmentshutdown, raising ethical questionsafter President Donald Trump had announced that afriend had offered the gift to defray any shortfalls. While large and unusual, the gift amounts to asmall contribution toward the billions needed to cover service member paychecks. The Trump administration told Congress last week that it used$6.5billion to make payroll. The next payday is coming within the week, and it is unclear if the administration will againmove money around to ensure the military does not go without

compensation

“That’s what Icalla patriot,”Trump said during a White Houseevent Thursday when he disclosed the payment from the donor.

The president declined to name theperson,whom he called “a friendof mine,” saying the mandidn’twant the recognition.

The Pentagon conﬁrmed it hadacceptedthe donationon Thursday “under itsgeneral gift acceptance authority.”

“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset thecost of Service members’salaries and beneﬁts,” said SeanParnell, chief spokesman for the Pentagon.

“Weare grateful for thisdonor’sassistanceafter Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”

Congress is at astalemate over thegovernment

shutdown, now on track to becomeone of the longest federalclosures ever,inits 24th day.Neither Republicans,who have controlof theHouse and Senate, nor Democrats, in the minority, are willing to budge in their broader standoff over health carefunding.

Payment for servicemembers is akey concernamong lawmakersofboth parties as well as apoint of political leverage. The Trump administrationshifted $8 billion frommilitary research and development funds tomake payroll last week, ensuring that militarycompensation did not lapse.

But it is unclear if the Trump administration will be willing —orable —to shift money again next week as tensions rise over the protracted shutdown.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGEWALKER IV Flags

Fridayatthe entrance to Accurate Energetic Systems in McEwen, Tenn., after an explosion killed 16 people on Oct. 10.

Tropical StormMelissa stationary in Caribbean

4deathsreported

andhugerains expected

BY DÁNICA COTO, JOHN MYERS JR. and EVENS SANON Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Tropical Storm Melissawas nearly stationary in the central Caribbean on Friday as forecasters warned it could strengthen and swipe Jamaica as apowerful hurricane and dump astaggering amount of rain —up to 35 inches —onsouthwest Haiti, where they warned of catastrophic ﬂoodingand landslides.

The erratic storm was expected to drop copious rain on Jamaica and the southern regions of Haiti and theDominican Republic. At least three people were killedin Haiti, and one person was killed and one reported missing in DominicanRepublic.

“These heavy rains are just going to sit over one area for several days,”said Jamie Rhome, deputy director at the U.S. National Hurricane Center

Thestormwas located about 215 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about

225 milessouthwest of Portau-Prince, Haiti. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and was moving north at 2mph, the U.S. center said. Ahurricanewatch anda tropical storm warning were in effect for Jamaica and Haiti’ssouthwestpeninsula. Up to 25 inches of rain is forecast forparts of Jamaica,southernHaiti andthe southern DominicanRepublic through Tuesday.Upto 35 inchesofrainispossible across Haiti’s Tiburon Peninsula, the center said.That wasconsidered an unusually high amount evenfor aslowmoving storm.

The stormisthen forecast to hit eastern Cuba as amajor hurricane earlyWednesday,where up to 12inches couldfall in some areas.

The National Hurricane Center warned that “heavy rainfall will result in catastrophicflash flooding and landslides across southwestern Haiti into early next week.”

It noted that strong winds could also last for aday or more over Haiti’sTiburon peninsula

Haiti’sCivil Protection Agency said alandslide in Port-au-Princekilled two people and injured another, with thedeath toll rising to three. Earlier this week, a large tree fell on an elderly

Truckramsinto CoastGuard base in SanFrancisco

Authoritiessay driver in custody

BY KATHY MCCORMACK

Associated Press

Atruck driver who backed into aU.S. Coast Guard base in the San Francisco Bay Area —the site of earlier protests againstfederal immigration agents —was shot at by law enforcement ofﬁcers andwounded,authorities said Friday

The driver was being held for amental healthevaluation after “attemptingto weaponize the vehicle to ram into Coast Guard Base Alameda” on Thursday night, the U.S. Department of HomelandSecurity posted on X. Abystander was struck by afragment, treated at ahospital and released, the statement said. No Coast Guard personnel were hurt, it said. They issued “multiple verbal commands” to stop, but the driver failed to comply,“suddenly accelerating backwards at ahigh rate of speed directlytoward them,” the statement said.

“When the vehicle’sac-

tions posedadirectthreat to the safety of Coast Guard and security personnel, law enforcement officers discharged several roundsof defensive live ﬁre.”

Thedriver was wounded in the stomachand was expected to survive, the statement said. Homeland Security didn’tspecify whether the driverwas shot

The FBI was investigating.

“At thistime,the incident appears to beisolated,and thereisnoknown current threat to thepublic,”FBI spokespersonCameronPolan in San Francisco said in astatement. No other details were immediately released.

Videofromthe scene showed what appeared to be aU-Haultruck trying to back into the base.

“U-Haul is assisting law enforcement to meet any investigativeneeds they have,” company spokespersonJeff Lockridge said in astatement.

Earlier Thursday,protesters had assembled at the island,with manysinging hymnsand carrying signs saying,“Protect ourneighbors”and “No ICE or troops

People

displaced by gang violence on Thursday in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

man in southern Haiti and killed him, while ﬁve other people in thecountry’scentral region were injuredin ﬂooding,

The U.N. said it has prepared morethan100 emergency shelters in Haiti’s southern region.

Wilgar Joseph said he andhis family wereleaving theirhome in Les Cayes out of safetybecause it hasa zinc roof.

“I’ll stay withafriend whose home is on higher ground so Ican protect my-

selfincaseitgetsout of control,” he said. Meanwhile, thousandsof people living in makeshift shelters acrossPort-auPrince after gangs forced themtoﬂee their homes worriedabout thestorm.

“The message on the radio is to protect ourselves,” said Dina Georges. “How can I protect myself if Idon’thave ahome? I’m on the streets. And on topofthat, Ihave two kids to protect.”

Nephtali JohnsonPierre, 35,echoedthose sentiments:

in the dayafter lawenforcement officers fired on avehicle as it backed toward them.

in the Bay,” areference to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard.

Hours earlier,President Donald Trump had called off aplanned surgeoffederal agents into San Francisco to quell crime. MayorDaniel Lurie and Gov.Gavin Newsom saiditwas unnecessary because crimeisonthe decline.

Separately,U.S. Customs andBorder Protection agents beganarriving at the Coast Guard base in the regionearlierThursday fora possible ramp up of immigration enforcement, amove thatdrew several hundred protesters.

Trump said he backed off after speaking to the mayor and several prominent business leaderswho said they’re working hardtoclean up the city.

That decision was in contrast to othersmadeby

Trumptosend the military intoDemocratic-runcities over ﬁerce resistance from mayorsand governors.

The deployment of National Guardtroops on the streets of Washington faced challenges in twocourtsonFriday one in thenation’s capital andanother in West Virginia —while across thecountry ajudge in Portland, Oregon, was considering whether to letTrump deploy troops there. Deployment remains blocked in the Chicago area.

Coast Guard Islandisa 67-acre human-made island formedin1913inthe Oakland Estuary between Oakland and Alameda.Itis federally owned, does not allow visits from the general public withoutanescortor speciﬁc government identiﬁcation, and it has been home to the current base,BaseAlameda, since 2012, according to aCoast Guard document from 2016.

NewJapanesePMvowsdefense spending

By The Associated Press

TOKYO— JapanesePrime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in her ﬁrst major policy speech on Friday,pledged to further accelerate Japan’smilitary buildup and spending and complete an early upgrade of the country’ssecurity strategy as tensions rise with China, North Korea and Russia Takaichi took ofﬁceTuesday after being elected Japan’sfirst femaleleader

Thatendedmonthsofa political vacuum amid power struggles within her party following consecutive election defeats that led to the ruling coalition’sloss of a majority in both houses of parliament.

Takaichi said Friday her government will hitanannual military spending target of 2% of gross domestic product by March, instead of by2027under the initial plan. She willrevise these-

curitystrategy early and have it ready by theend of 2026, shesaid. Japan used to revise itsstrategyabout once adecade, thelast time in December 2022.

Japan will upgrade itsstrategy early due to achange in the securityenvironment, includingRussia’sinvasionof Ukraine and the Middle East conﬂict,she said.

“The free, open andstable international order that we wereaccustomed to is vio-

lently shakeninthe face of historicchange of power balance andintensifying geopolitical competitions,”

Takaichi said in her speech at parliament.“In theregion around Japan, military activitiesand otheractionsfrom ourneighbors China,North Koreaand Russiaare causing grave concerns.”

“Japan needs to proactively push for itsfundamental buildup of its defense power,” she said.

“I’m dealingwithtwo storms: the gangs and the weather.” Melissa was expected to move toward Jamaica over the weekend. It was forecasttostrengthen into a hurricanebySaturdayand becomeamajor hurricane by Sunday, possibly reaching Category 4status before dawn on Monday

“Melissa is evolving into aslow-motiondisaster,” he said.

“Millions of people are at risk of catastrophic impacts. We are increasingly concerned about the threat of ahumanitarian disaster unfolding, especially if this storm stalls.”

Marcus Thompson, who livesinKingston, said he covered his windowsand stocked up on water and canned food.

“We’ve been through stormsbefore, butit’sbettertobeprepared earlythis time,” he said.

Others checked their roofs, cleaned gutters and charged electrical devices.

“I moved my car to higher ground and gathered all essential documents just in case,” saidAlton Williams, who lives in Mandeville In eastern Kingston, VeronicaJamessaidshe was following updates and keeping her children informed.

“If ofﬁcials decide evacuationisnecessary,wehavea smallbag readywithmedicine andimportant papers,” she said.

Forecasters said that Jamaicacould see life-threatening ﬂooding and landslides because the ground is already saturated from recent heavyrains unrelated to the storm. The storm is moving so slowly thatparts of Jamaica could experiencehurricane conditions for72hours or longer,saidAlex DaSilva, AccuWeather’slead hurricane expert.

U.S. probes China’s compliance with 2020 tradedeal

BY DIDI TANG and PAUL WISEMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON U.S. ofﬁcials are launching an investigationinto whetherChina lived up to its commitments under a2020 trade pact that President Donald Trump described at the timeas“an incredible breakthrough.”

The announcement FridaybyU.S.TradeRepresentativeJamiesonGreer came the same day Trump was scheduledtohead to Asia, where he said he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to ease trade tensions between the world’stwo biggest economies.

Beijing has announced that Xi will traveltoSouth Koreatoattenda regional economic meetingand for astate visit, but it hasyet to conﬁrm that he will meet with Trumpwhile both are in South Korea.

The possible leaders summit is highly watched as trade tensions have risen again,withbothcountries imposing more traderestrictions on theotherand Trump threatening anew 100% tariffonChina.Beijing has demanded that theU.S.not threaten new restrictions while seeking talks with China, and it’s notimmediatelyclear how Greer’s announcement could affect the negotiations.

In starting the investigation,“the administration seems to be looking for new sources of leverage to use against Beijing, while adding another pressure point to getChina to buy more U.S. soybeansaswellas other goods,” said Wendy Cutler,aformer U.S. trade negotiator who is now vice president at theAsia Soci-

ety Policy Institute. During his first term, Trumpimposed tariffs on awide swath of Chinese imports —and Beijing retaliated by targeting American products —in adispute over China’saggressive efforts to supplant U.S. technological leadership. The Americans charged that China unfairly subsidized its owntech companies, stoletechnology and forcedU.S. and other Western companies to hand over trade secrets in return foraccesstothe Chinese market. The two countriesheld talks over two years and ultimatelyreacheda truce that took effect in early 2020. The so-called Phase Onedeal calledfor China to dramatically step up purchases of U.S. exports, especially soybeansand otherfarmproducts.But it left tougher issues —such as China’s subsidies —for future talks. TheCOVID-19 pandemic disruptedtrade between thetwo countries just as the Phase One deal went into effect.In2022, U.S. farm exports to China did hit arecord but then fell. They are down sharply this year as tensions between the two countries have escalated over anew tariffwar following Trump’sreturn to the White House. In fact, China has stopped buying American soybeans. It had been the top overseas market for U.S. soybean farmers. An analysis by the Peterson Institute forInternational Economics shows that China purchased only 58% of the total U.S. goods and services exports in 2020 and2021 thatithad committedtobuy underthe agreement.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NOAH BERGER

Coast Guard members stand watch Fridaybehind abarrier at Coast Guard Base Alameda in Oakland, Calif. The barrier waserected earlier

Democrats object to election calendar change

House committee advances bills to delay primaries

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Democrats in the Louisiana Legislature on Friday continued to press Republicans on their plan to delay Louisiana’s spring primary elections by a month, as the fate of the state’s congressional map hangs in the balance.

On the second day of a special legislative session, the House and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced two bills that would push all of Louisiana’s April 18 elections back to May 16.

Rep. Beau Beaullieu, the New Iberia Republican who sponsored those bills and is a leading ﬁgure in the session, said the state is preparing for the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court could soon issue a ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, a nationally watched redistricting case.

There’s a chance that the justices could rule the state’s current congressional voting map invalid

“This is simply giving us a little bit more time to be able to react,” Beaullieu told his colleagues, referring to the anticipated Supreme Court decision.

But Democrats argued changing

SNAP

Continued from page 1A

according to October 2025 data from the Governor’s Ofﬁce.

Landry on Friday declared a state of emergency over the issue. In a news release, he said, “We should not allow our elderly, disabled, or children to go hungry.”

“Our social security net is supposed to help the most vulnerable, and we will try to accomplish this with today’s action,” he said

The executive order notes that Louisiana has a Revenue Stabilization Fund that the Legislature can tap for emergencies with a two-thirds vote of each cham-

CARRIER

Continued from page 1A

Deploying an aircraft carrier will surge major additional resources to a region that has already seen an unusually large U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off Venezuela.

The latest deployment and the quickening pace of the U.S. strikes, including one Friday, raised new speculation about how far the Trump administration may go in operations it says are targeted at drug trafﬁcking, including whether it could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S. There are already more than 6,000 sailors and Marines on eight warships in the region.

If the entire USS Ford strike group arrives, that could bring nearly 4,500 more sailors as well as the nine squadrons of aircraft assigned to the carrier Complicating the situation is Tropical Storm Melissa, which has been nearly stationary in the central Caribbean with forecasters warning it could soon strengthen into a powerful hurricane.

Hours before Parnell announced the news, Hegseth said the military had conducted the 10th strike on a suspected drug-running boat, leaving six people dead and bringing the death count for the attacks that began in early September to at least 43 people.

Hegseth said on social media that the vessel struck overnight was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.

It was the second time the Trump administration has tied one of its operations to the gang that originated in a Venezuelan prison.

“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda,” Hegseth said in his post “Day or NIGHT, we will map

the 2026 primaries at this point — there are roughly two and a half months before candidates are set to qualify — would be a disservice to the public.

“Instead of having voter integrity, we may just have voter confu-

sion,” said state Rep. Ed Larvadain III, D-Alexandria. “I don’t want to deny people access to voting,” said Larvadain. “I want to make sure that everybody knows what the rules are and the dates.”

“When you start changing dates, that’s where you start the confusion,” he added. Beaullieu argued that there was plenty of time to communicate the change to voters. And he warned of the possibility that Louisiana

burse Louisiana for those funds.

could be forced to hold elections on a map the high court had ruled unconstitutional, which he argued could itself confuse voters.

State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, noted that two of Louisiana’s six congressional districts are majority-Black, and four are majority-White. She asked Beaullieu, “Why would that be so harmful to people to be represented by the current congressional districts,” and “what is the harm” in having two African Americans in Congress?

Beaullieu reiterated the issue is that a potential Supreme Court ruling invalidating Louisiana’s maps could add “to voter confusion and people not showing up to the ballot because the maps have been thrown out.”

And Rep. Candace Newell, DNew Orleans, accused Republicans of trying to compress the 2026 election calendar “shortening the time people have to make legal challenges” and running out the clock against judicial review

“When I speak to the citizens that I represent, I always tell them, ‘If you do not like what we do, sue the Legislature,’” Newell said. Beaullieu said he “vehemently” disagreed with that assertion. “We are giving more time,” he said.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.

ber. It also notes that the Legislature is currently in Baton Rouge for a special session on election dates.

“We receive about $150 million a month from the federal government for SNAP benefits,” House Speaker Philip DeVillier, R-Eunice, said in an interview Friday DeVillier said he is sponsoring a resolution urging the Landry administration and the Louisiana Department of Health, which administers food stamps in Louisiana, “to take any means necessary” to ensure that SNAP cards are filled with benefits in November

The proposal, sponsored by both DeVillier and Senate President Cameron Henry, asks the health department to ﬁrst repurpose its

your networks track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”

The strikes have ramped up from one every few weeks when they first began last month to three this week, killing a total of at least 43 people. Two of the most recent strikes were carried out in the eastern Paciﬁc Ocean, expanding the area where the military has launched attacks and shifting to where much of the cocaine is smuggled from the world’s largest producers, including Colombia.

Friday’s strike drew parallels to the ﬁrst announced by the U.S. last month by focusing on Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration has designated a foreign terrorist organization and blamed for being at the root of the violence and drug dealing that plague some cities.

While not mentioning the origin of the latest boat, the Republican administration says at least four of the boats it has hit have come from Venezuela. On Thursday, the U.S. military flew a pair of supersonic heavy bombers up to the coast of Venezuela.

Maduro argues that the U.S. operations are the latest effort to force him out of ofﬁce.

Maduro on Thursday praised security forces and a civilian militia for defense exercises along some 1,200 miles of coastline to prepare for the possibility of a U.S. attack In the span of six hours, “100% of all the country’s coastline was covered in real time, with all the equipment and heavy weapons to defend all of Venezuela’s coasts if necessary,” Maduro said during a government event shown on state television. The U.S. military’s presence is less about drugs than sending a message to countries in the region to align with U.S. interests, according to Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for the Andes region.

own agency funds for November

SNAP benefits The Legislature could then reimburse the health department from the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund, DeVillier said.

DeVillier said he worked with ofﬁcials from the health department and from the Governor’s Ofﬁce to craft the resolution.

“I feel like they’re on board,” he said. The measure was unanimously passed by the House on Friday DeVillier said he is willing to use up to $150 million from the state savings account to ensure November SNAP beneﬁts are funded.

However, on Friday afternoon, he said he was unsure whether the federal government would reim-

“An expression that I’m hearing a lot is ‘Drugs are the excuse.’ And everyone knows that,” Dickinson said. “And I think that message is very clear in regional capitals. So the messaging here is that the U.S. is intent on pursuing speciﬁc objectives. And it will use military force against leaders and countries that don’t fall in line.”

Hegseth’s remarks around the strikes have recently begun to draw a direct comparison between the war on terrorism that the U.S. declared after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the Trump administration’s crackdown on drug trafﬁckers.

President Donald Trump this month declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and said the U.S. was in an “armed conﬂict” with them, relying on the same legal authority used by the Bush administration after 9/11.

When reporters asked Trump on Thursday whether he would request that Congress issue a declaration of war against the cartels, he said that wasn’t the plan.

“I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? We’re going to kill them, you know? They’re going to be like, dead,” Trump said during a roundtable at the White House.

Lawmakers from both major political parties have expressed concerns about Trump ordering the military actions without receiving authorization from Congress or providing many details.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like this before,” said Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., who previously worked in the Pentagon and the State Department, including as an adviser in Afghanistan.

“We have no idea how far this is going, how this could potentially bring in, you know, is it going to be boots on the ground? Is it going to be escalatory in a way where we could see us get bogged down for a long time?” he said.

In a discussion on the House ﬂoor, state Rep. Jack McFarland, RJonesboro, and the House budget chair said he thinks it’s “imperative” for the Legislature to ask the federal government for such a reimbursement.

Landry’s order refers to the ongoing lapse in government funding as the “Schumer Shutdown,” a reference to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y Republican leaders — including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson — have faulted Democrats for not voting for a bill to extend government funding at the current levels.

But Democrats have argued Re-

publicans caused the shutdown by refusing to negotiate with them on how to handle the looming expiration of health care subsidies, which could leave millions of Americans with dramatically higher health insurance premiums.

With the government shut down, many federal workers have been furloughed or are working without pay Much of the national park system shut down, lines have lengthened at airports, and many federal agencies have stopped doing business, among other disruptions. As of Friday, there was no sign that the impasse would end anytime soon.

Email Matthew Albright at malbright@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Louisiana state representatives linger after the House adjourned Thursday on the first day of the special legislative session.

SHRIMP

Continued from page1A

consumed in the U.S. is imported fromother countries.

“This has beenamassive uphill battle,” Kindra Arnesen, ashrimper in Venice, said on apanel at the NewOrleans festival.

Louisiana’scoastal industry has suffered from price declines as theamount of imported shrimp hasgrown. Shrimp dockside value in the state has dropped from around $4.50 per pound in the 1980s to around $1.50 per poundin 2022, when adjusted forinﬂation, according to Louisiana Fisheries Forward,a collaboration between thestate DepartmentofWildlife and Fisheries and LSU.

In 2000, there were around6,900 commercialshrimpersinLouisiana. Last year,therewere fewer than 1,400.

Williams’ genetic testingisbacking up what many shrimpers have been saying for years —restaurants were falsely advertising imported shrimp as local shrimp and sometimes charging more for them.

For Williams, 65,the work is personal. Thescientist, originally fromapeninsula in southwest Englandand nowbased outside Houston, has been in the seafood industry since he joined boat crewsat14. Losing moneycan make thealreadydangerousprofession even more risky,hesaid. As peoplestruggle to make ends meet,theyoften letgooftheir deckhands and mightenlist familymembers for assistance out on thewater

“Wealso lost alot of good friends,” he said whilechoking up Over the past year,SeaDsurveyed two dozen restaurants in seven Louisianacities from Shreveport to Houma. They found that areas closer to the coast are more likely to serve authentic

eliminations announcedinSeptem-

ber.The Ofﬁce of Sustainability and Community Engagement was closed, according to the email. The Office of Communications and Marketing and the Ofﬁce of Auxiliary Services wererestructured. With the elimination of those positions and other cost-cuttingmea-

IvyRose, 6, and Shy’anne

shrimp.InNew Orleans, only 13% of surveyedrestaurants mislabeled theirseafood. In Shreveport, 58%ofrestaurants were falsely promotinglocal shrimp. Compared to other states, Louisiana cameout ontop as having the highest rates of real Gulf shrimp, Williamssaid.Around 65% of surveyed samples across the state turned up domestic shrimp.

The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force, which reports to thestate wildlifeagency,hired thecompany to conduct the testing. SeaD releases its ﬁndings to the wildlife agency,and enforcementauthorities in the Louisiana Department of Healthcan view the data. The food

sures that Hebert did notoutline, theuniversityhas been able to decrease its $25 million structural deﬁcit by $20 million, leaving another $5 million to be addressed. Butthe university will still need to determinehow to address itsrecurringannual debt of $25 million. Hebert said he andleadership are aiming to make an additional $15 million in reductions in the coming months. That reduction wouldbe used to knock out the remaining $5 million of thestructural deﬁcit and

tech company has received around $140,000 from thestate over the past year,Williams said. SeaD’sworkcoincides with alaw that recentlytookeffect aiming to address the mislabeling problem. As of Jan. 1, Louisiana restaurants arerequired to clearly statethe country of origin of theshrimp and crawﬁshthat they’re selling. Restaurants in violation could face thousands of dollars in ﬁnes.

But Williamsand others in the shrimping industry said enforcement in Louisiana at the restaurant level is “abysmal.”

TheHealth Department, which is responsible for ensuring compliance, did not respond to requests

contribute toward decreasing the recurring deficit UL’s fiscal woes come after a shakeup of top administrators at the university that happened around the time that audits questioned UL’s financial picture. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor in late spring flagged problems with university finances that included late billing over three consecutive years, which UL blamed on staffing shortages and turnover.And another audit

displaypresented by SeaD Consulting at the LouisianaShrimp Festival and Shrimp Aid in NewOrleans on Oct. 18.

for comment. The Agriculture Department,meanwhile, is responsible for ensuring that the seafood from distributors and grocery storesissafe for consumption, said Mike Strain, agriculture commissioner

The agency is also responsible forverifying that imported seafood is properlylabeled. Strain said the department has so far inspected 684 packages for mislabeling issues,found 23 instancesof noncomplianceand issued18stop orders.

Despite Williams’concernsabout enforcement, labeling laws appear to help. According to SeaD’s ﬁndings, states with these statutes,

earlier this year revealed a$12.6 million deﬁcit in UL’s athleticdepartment. Hebert was named interim president in July after President Joseph Savoie announced he was stepping down ayear before his contract was up. Savoie now serves as the university’spresident emeritus. Jerry Luke LeBlanc,UL’svice president of ﬁnance and administration, resigned abruptly in May. Edwin Litolffisserving as interim

including Louisiana, Alabamaand Mississippi, arelesslikely to turn up mislabeled restaurant shrimp. States without these laws, like Florida, fared farworse. The company’sgenetictesting foundthat 96% of restaurants in the TampaSt. Petersburg, Florida, area were serving importedshrimpwhile implying their food was local.

When Williamsand theSeaD team visit arestauranttocollect ashrimpsample, they only need a crumb of thecrustacean fortheir patented RightTest device.

After boiling thespeck of shrimp to separate its RNA from DNA, the scientists can determine whether the sample corresponds to aspecies of shrimpknownasvannamei that is commonly farmed in Asia andSouth Americabut does not exist in the Gulf

After testing dozens of restaurants in acity,the company publicizesthe ones thatdothe “right thing,” Williamssaid.

Still, some restaurants are scared of what the company is doing, said Erik Nunley after apanel at the festival featuring shrimpers and policy advocates. As achef and educator at ChefsBrigade, an initiative to connect the regional seafood and restaurant industries, Nunley said he works with shrimpers through the nonproﬁt but also recognizesthe pressure thatrestaurants feel to acquire the cheapest products at the highest quality

“I’m on both sides,” Nunley said. Restaurantsmay need to start bracing for more genetic testing. Williams wants to start verifying whether restaurants around the country are mislabelingoysters. Based on conversationswithoystermen,Williams hypothesizes that fried oysters in more inland places are mislabeling their products.

“How manypeople outside I-10 are selling Louisiana oysters?” Williams asked members of the state’soyster task force in October.“Youdon’tknow the answer to that.”

vice president of finance forUL. During his first address to UL stakeholders last month, Hebert said the administration’stop prioritiesare fiscal stability andprocess efficiency The university has struggled to increasefull-time undergraduate enrollment in recentyears, a likely contributor to the deficit After full-timeundergraduate enrollment swelled to 14,964 in 2017, theuniversity hasnot reached that figure again.

STAFFPHOTO By JOHN MCCUSKER

Williams, 7, getaneyeful at the liveshrimp

Study: La. ranks last for Medicare

High costs, years without care hurt state’s seniors

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

Every day, the New Orleans Council on Aging ﬁelds about 30 calls from older adults trying to make sense of their Medicare options Some need help comparing

plans during open enrollment, which began last week. Others are panicked over rising prescription prices and out-of-pocket costs while on a ﬁxed income.

“The doctor prescribes a medication that’s $700. Your insurance pays $200. It may as well

be $7,000,” said Nancy Grossley a former social worker who now answers the phone at NOCOA and guides seniors through options several times a week at information sessions. Even with insurance, many older adults are forced to make impossible choices.

“You do end up spending money on medication and doctors’ visits and procedures you can’t really afford,” Grossley said. “But then you have to afford it.”

During this year’s Medicare open-enrollment period, which continues through Dec. 7, advocates and new data suggest that Louisiana’s seniors face steep challenges accessing and affording care. The state ranks last in the nation for how well Medicare serves its residents, according to the 2025 State Medicare Scorecard, an annual ranking from the Commonwealth Fund, which compares the 50 states and the District of

CAREER PATH

ABOVE: High school students ﬁle into a college and career fair hosted by the Lafayette Parish School System at the Cajundome Convention Center in Lafayette on Friday LEFT: High school students chat with a representative at the Bible Training School booth at the career fair on Friday

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Rare earth separation site to be built

Port of Vinton

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

Southwest Louisiana will soon have the country’s first heavy rare earth separation facility

On Friday, Aclara Resources Inc. announced plans to build a $277 million facility at the Port of Vinton The project will strengthen the nation’s advanced technology supply chain, according to a Louisiana Economic Development news release.

Aclara will use proprietary technology at the new facility to produce heavy rare earth elements, which are necessary for electric vehicles, wind turbines, drones and robots that rely on advanced permanent magnets. The operation in Louisiana will process material from Aclara’s mineral deposits in Brazil and Chile to provide a reliable, sustainable U.S. supply of these materials. Aclara’s Vinton facility will create roughly 140 new jobs, according to LED. The site at the port has been prequalified for industrial development through both environmental and engineering reviews. After evaluating dozens of potential sites across the U.S., Aclara chose the Vinton location because of its proximity to key chemical suppliers, access to the Gulf Coast and its industrial

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Judge denies reinstatement of death sentence

Festival to benefitvolunteer fire department

Louisiana Mosquito Fest to feature music, food

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

Louisiana is getting anew festival that beneﬁts avolunteer fire department while poking fun at and bringing awarenesstoone ofthe state’slargest pests. The inaugural Louisiana Mosquito Festival, which kicks off at 9a.m. Saturday

at Landon PitreMemorial Park in Cankton,benefits the CouleeCroche Firefighters Association, anonprofit that supportsthe Cankton volunteer fire department. It’sfree to attend.

Amillage pays for equipment and some other necessities, but not much past that, organizer Jonathan Adams said.

“We’re trying to make sure theassociation has enough money in their account to recruit, train andretainmembersfor that department,” he said. There areabout 25 volunteers, most of whom have

CANKTON

full-time jobs. They respond to everything from heart attacks and car crashes to grass andbuilding ﬁres, Adams said.

“Everybody’skind of looking for aherotosupport,” he said. “These are the ones right in our backyard.”

Theassociation has previously held apo-boysale but decided it wanted to do something bigger that could also beneﬁt the community Adams saidwhenplanning for anew fundraiser,the association wanted to “makeit

fun andquirky” whilealso poking at thefact that there’s aLouisianafestivalfor virtually everything. The festival’sopening ceremony will include ablessing andthe Pledge of Allegiance. Then themusicwill start playing withperformances fromartists including Raikwon Green, Dylan Aucoin andRichardLebouef. There will be acontest for children to determine who can imitate thebest mosquito buzz. There also will be vendors, asilent auction, acook-off, concessions and crafts.

In additiontothe fun, the festival is an opportunity to

learn from agroupofTulane Universityresearchers aboutmosquitoabatement and the prevention of diseases the insects spread, Adams said. Ablood drive will be set up fordonations.

In theevent of rain, the stage is under apavilion, so the festival will keep buzzing.

“It’s an easyway to bring outthe family to anice, family-friendly event and have fun supporting agood cause,” Adams said. “If you’re on that side of town and you want to come to the inaugural Mosquito Festival, come on down.”

NewOrleans judgesuspended formisconduct

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday suspended OrleansParishCivil District Judge Jennifer Medley for 30 dayswithout pay, agreeing with two of the four misconduct charges found by the state Judiciary Commission over her actions during and after a gritty 2020 campaign. The vote on asuspension for Medley was unanimous. The case centersonher race as aﬁrst-time candidate againstthen-incumbent Judge Christopher Bruno. Bruno had ruled against New Orleans trash magnate SidneyTorres IV in a

MEDICARE

Continued from page 1B

Columbia across 31 measures of access, quality,affordability and health outcomes.

Poorer,sickerseniors

Medicare is the federal healthinsurance program for people 65 and older and for some younger people with disabilities or serious illnesses.InLouisiana,roughly 1in5 people are Medicare enrollees, amounting to roughly 940,000 people, according to a2024analysisfromKFF David Radley,study author and asenior scientist at theCommonwealth Fund, acentury-old nonproﬁt that works to improve health outcomes,said Louisiana’s older residents face “a really tough situation.” They’re sickerand poorerthan elderly people in most other places

“Louisiana is avery lowincome state,” said Radley,pointing out that onequarter of older adults in Louisiana are below the poverty level, compared to 19% nationally.“The cards are stacked against beneﬁciaries in the state.”

Nearly 7out of 10 seniors in Louisiana have three or more chronic health conditions, accordingtothe report, more than every state except Alabama. And roughly 1in3 Louisiana se-

Continued from page 1B

death penalty unconstitutional for felons who were underage when they committed their crimes.

Thehighcourt issued its landmark ruling in March 2005 in the Missouri case known as Roper v. Simmons. It overturnedstatutes in Louisianaand 18 other statesthat permitted executions for crimes committed by 16- and 17-year-old offenders.

Louisiana Attorney General LizMurrillisnow challenging the Roper decision using Craig’scase.

Johnson’sdenial of the motion to reinstateCraig’s death sentence was the ﬁrst ruling in what could become along battle.Murrill intends to appeal the decision all the way back up to the Supreme Court. To do that, the case will have to wend its way through the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Murrill’sofﬁce has already acknowledged that neither of those state-level review courts has jurisdiction to overturn achallenge to federal law.Ifand when the Louisiana Supreme Court denies the state’sbid to reinvoke Louisiana’srighttoput juvenile offenders to death,

niors onMedicarereceived amedicationconsidered unsafe for older adults thehighest rateinthe nation

Thedata also show that 6% of adults 65 and older in Louisiana went without medical care due to cost, the highestrateinthe country andnearly four times higher than Vermont’s 1.6%. Younger peoplein Louisianawent without care even more often, at 17.5%

While Medicare has driven huge improvements in access to coverage forolder adults, it can’tfully make up for years of limited access to care earlier in life.

“Sick45-year-olds become sick 65-year-olds,” Radley said.“Affordability is still amajor problem earlier in life, and those problems carry overonce peoplereach Medicare.”

‘A very lowstartingpoint’ Louisiana’spoor performanceinnational Medicare rankings is asymptomof broader,deeply rooted problems, notsimply afailingof theprogram itself, according to researchers.Decades of poverty,low public-health investmentand weaksocial supports have left many olderresidentssickerand more vulnerable long before theyreach retirement age.

“Wehave avery lowstarting point in terms ofresources, both personal and societal,”saidDr. S. Michal

thestate canﬁle awritfor U.S. Supreme Court review, andjustices canconsider overturningthe split decision the highcourt imposed 20 years ago. Gullett,the victim,was returningtohis LSU dorm whenCraig andthreeother teens carjacked him at gunpoint thenight of Sept.14, 1992. Thequartet forced Gulletback into his Ford Bronco, and they drove around with him for nearly an hour.Court records and trialtestimony indicate Craig spearheaded the armedrobberyand abduction andterrorized Gullett during the ride. The group ofteens drove to asecluded construction site near Kenilworth Parkway,where Craig shot Gullett three times in the head, then stood over himand ﬁredmore bullets at him

Afterthe killing, Craig joked aloud and bragged to his accomplices, telling them, “I told you Iwas hard,” according to court records. State prosecutors stressed that he later threatened thethreeteens whohelped him carry out thecarjacking and abduction

The Louisiana Supreme Court issued aseparateruling in Craig’scaseonFriday,sending thequestion of hisparole eligibilityback to an appellatecourt to con-

LaGrone Dickerson,Allie Hawthorne FuneralHome, Carthage Texas.at 2:00pm

Cox, Lawrence Allen'Larry'

dispute over aprime piece of Frenchmen Street real estate. Torres responded by getting behind Medley,the daughterofformer Civil District Court Judge Lloyd Medley.

Medley defeated Bruno with 53% of thevote in a campaign fueled in partby proceedsfrom a$100,000 loan from aTorrescompany that drewthe commission’sire. At thecenter of thecaseagainst Medley were apairofattack ads from Torres’ production company. After an August hearing, thejustices foundthat Medley committed misconduct over one ad, which said Bruno was “called ajudge by someand adeadbeat dad by others,”claiminghe’d refusedtopay child support for13years. Theadnever ranafter Bruno sought atemporary restraining order,but Medley’scampaign Facebook page repeated the claim afterward,the court found. The court saidthe ad was false and thus not protected by theFirst Amendment

Jazwinski, founding director of the Tulane Center for Aging.

Louisiana ranks within the top 10 nationally forMedicare spending per enrollee, depending on the program, accordingtoaKFF analysis —yet outcomes remain poor.The state does not invest as much in public healththat might inﬂuence the overall healthofthe population —about $25 per person, among the lowestin the nation.

“Even though we’re spending more(on Medicare), we’re dealing with a population that’s at greater risk becauseofsocial determinants of health—things like poor housing, food insecurity, low education levels, and limited accesstocare,” Jazwinski said.

At the seniorcenter,it’s not uncommon for people to need help withtransportation, affording groceries or keepingtheir lightson, Grossleysaid. Poor healthisamultifaceted problem, saidJazwinski, but if he hadtopick one area to focus on, he’dimprove education.

“Education is thekey to change,”hesaid. Early investments in health education, job opportunities and economicstability“would raise the health of the entire population, not just older adults.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.

sider.State prosecutors and Craig’sattorney,JohnMichael Landis, have tangled for years over whether he should ever have the right to go before aparole board.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’sruling in the Roper case, astate judge reduced Craig’s death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, probationorearly termination.

District Judge Eboni JohnsonRosevacated that sentence in May 2023 and resentenced him to alife sentence that gave him a shot at parole. The Attorney General’sOfﬁce appealed to the1st Circuit,and theEast Baton Rouge-based appellatecourt dismissed the state’s appeal in November 2024, determiningthey had no standing toreview Johnson Rose’slawfulruling.

Six of the seven LouisianaSupremeCourt judges disagreed in Friday’sorder, determining the state had

LOTTERY THURSDAY, OCT. 23, 2025 PICK 3: 5-4-6 PICK 4: 0-2-0-9 PICK 5: 8-3-4-0-4

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“Our SWAT Team is hostinganexplosive breaching training in conjunction with Tactical Energetic Entry Systems,”Cormier wrote in an email response to an inquiry

Thetraining, he said, was expected to continue through Friday,withexplosions ending by 6p.m.

This is theﬁrst year that the former elementary school is notbeing usedby the Lafayette ParishSchool System. The School Board decided to close the school

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workforce.

To securethe project, the state of Louisiana offered Aclara Resources an incentivespackage that includes LED’sFastStart workforce development softwareand a$3million performancebasedgrantfor utilityand infrastructure improvements.

“Aclara’s investment in Vinton marksa definingmomentfor southwest Louisiana,” Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President Judd Bares saidinastatement. “This project not only brings hundreds of high-

aright to appeal Craig’sresentencing decision. They remanded the matterback to the 1stCircuit to review the merits of thestate’sappeal.

“I’m grateful thatthe Louisiana Supreme Court afﬁrmed the State’sauthoritytoensure that the worst criminals are held accountable,” Murrill said in a statement Friday following the state Supreme Court’s order.“Our next stepwill be making that case to the First Circuit to guarantee thatmurderer Dale Craig never sets foot on Louisiana streetsagain.”

Chief Justice John Weimer issued adissenting opinion, noting the fact that theAttorney General’s Ofﬁce arguedthe merits of

as part of acost-saving school consolidation plan.

Theschool’ssewer system needed to be replaced because it backs up into the school’sbathrooms often when it rains. Replacing the system as part of arenovation project would have cost millions.

Students who would have attended S.J. Montgomery this school year are attending the formerLafayette Middle School, renamed Lafayette Elementary School, on University Avenue at Congress Street. The school will be torn down and replaced with baseball and softball ﬁelds for Lafayette High.

quality jobs andsigniﬁcant economic growth, but it also positions ourregionat the forefront of America’s sustainable rare earth production and advanced technology supply chain.” Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and wrap up in 2027. The process will start withthe rare earth separation plant, followed by potential future expansions to support downstream processing and alloy production.

Scott Walker,president and CEO of the Southwest Louisiana Economic DevelopmentAlliance, saidthe project is not only a“tremendous win”for southwest Louisiana butalsofor the nation as awhole.

its appeal before the state SupremeCourt in August.

“While the beneﬁt of the wisdom of the appellate courts is undeniably helpful, ultimatelyitisthe obligation of this court to write the final chapter in the resolutionofthis matter,” Weimer wrote. “Exercising ourplenary authority would serve the interest of judicial economy by disposing of a matter alreadybriefedand argued before this court. On balance, it would be best in this matter nottoremand to theappellate courtas review of the substantive underlying issueswill inevitably be sought in this court.

Thetime hascome to ﬁnally resolve all of the issues this case presents without further delay.”

Lafayette -Funeral Servicesfor Mr.Lawrence "Larry" AllenCox, will be held at 2:00PM,onMonday, October27, 2025, at FriouxDavid Funeral Home of Lafayette, with Rev. Laurent De Prinsofficiating. Burial will follow at BellevueMemorialPark andCemetery in Opelousas.

Visitation will begin at 4:00PM,onSunday, October26, 2025, at FriouxDavid Funeral Home of Lafayette andcontinueuntil9:00PM. Visitation will resume at 8:00am, on Monday, October27, 2025, and continueuntilthe time of service

Lawrence"Larry" Allen Cox, aresident of Broussard, Louisiana, since 2011, passed away on October21, 2025, at theage of 67. Born in Houston, Texas, on April 14, 1958, Larry wasraised in Crowley, Louisiana, where he graduatedfrom CrowleyHigh School in 1977. After graduation,he attendedthe Universityof Southwestern Louisiana—now known as theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette—andearned a Bachelor of Sciencein Business Administration Larry spent most of his professional life in theoil andgas industry. In retirement, he enjoyed fixing things andwas thephotographerfor BY Local News,a role he lovedfor theconnections it brought himtohis community. Larry met thelove of his life, Karen Lagrange Cox, in 2011, and thetwo were marrieda year later.Their bondwas immediate and enduring.Together,they were active members of TheEpiscopal Church of theAscensioninLafayette, whereLarryservedfaithfully as an usher.

Larry wasprecededin death by hisfather,Allen Vernon Vaught;his mother,JoanSteinmann;his stepfather, Edward Cox; andhis sister,Catharine Vaught Steinmann

He is survived by hisdevotedwife,Karen;his children,ColleenCox (Justin Reinhardt)and Nash Cox; hisstepchildren, ChristopherWyble, Alison Higginbotham, andDustin Higginbotham; hisbeloved granddaughter, Morgan Reinhardt;and hisstepgrandchildren, Jackand Maeve Higginbotham; his sisters, Mary McConnell andMyraMalagarie (Robert), two nephews Ryan McConnelland Matthew Malagarie, and onenieceEllen Malagarie.

Larry will be rememberedfor hiswarmth,his quietgenerosity, andhis dedication to both family andfaith. He leaves behind alegacyofkindnessand service that touched many lives

Frioux-David Funeral Home of Lafayette will be handlingthe arrangements. 316 Youngsville Hwy. (337) 837-9887

Coffee prices spike due to tariffs, poor weather

It’sgetting more expensivefor Americans to get their caffeine ﬁx.

Theaverage U.S. price of a pound of ground coffee hit $9.14 in September,a3%increase from the August average of $8.87 and 41% higher than in September 2024, according to U.S. government ﬁgures. Coffee prices havebeen increasing sharply since the start of this year

Consumer prices for foodpurchased for home use and away fromhome were 3% in Septembercomparedtothe same month ayear earlier,the U.S. Labor Department reported Friday.The consumer price index, which measures abroader sample of all coffee products, includinginstant coffee, showed U.S. coffee prices up 19% from September 2024 and flat compared to August.

Nikki Bravo, the co-ownerof MomentumCoffee in Chicago, raised prices by about 15% last week for lattes, cappuccinos and otherdrinks at her four locations.

Bravo said she is paying15% more for coffee beans compared to ayear ago and has started roasting more beans in-house to save money. She gets mostofher beans from Africa.

Other items also have gotten more expensive, such ascups and sleeves, she said. In addition, theminimum wage in Chicago roseJuly 1to$16.60 an hour.

EU accuses Meta, TikTok of breaching rules

BRUSSELS The European Union on Friday said Meta and TitTok had breached their transparencyobligations after an investigation that could result in billions of dollars in ﬁnes

The inquiry found both companies had violated theDigital Services Act, theEU’strailblazing digital rule book that imposes aset of strict requirements designedtokeep internet users safe online, including making it easier to reportcounterfeit or unsafegoods or ﬂag harmful or illegal content like hate speech, as well as aban on ads targeted at children.

The 27-nation bloc launched investigations in2024intoboth Meta and TikTok. They found thatthe companies did not allow easy access to data forresearchers. They alsofound that Meta’sInstagram and Facebook did not makeiteasy for users to flag illegal content and effectivelychallenge moderation decisions.

The inquiry found both Facebookand Instagram deployed “dark patterns” or deceptive interface designs for its protocol forﬂagging malicious content like child sex abuse or terrorist content. That led to akindofobfuscation, with the Commission saying it was “confusing and dissuading” and“may therefore be ineffective.”

Meta spokesperson BenWalters said the company disagrees with the ﬁndings but would continuetonegotiate with the EU over compliance.

Target eliminating 1,800 corporate jobs

Target said Thursday that it is eliminating about 1,800 corporate positions in an effortto streamlinedecision-makingand accelerate initiatives to rebuild the ﬂagging discount retailer’s customer base.

About 1,000 employeesare expected to receive layoff notices nextweek, and the company also plans to eliminate about 800 vacantjobs, acompany spokesperson said. The cuts represent about 8% of Target’scorporate workforce globally,although the majority of the affectedemployees work at the company’s Minneapolis headquarters, the spokesperson said. Chief Operating Officer Michael Fiddelke,who is set to becomeTarget’snext CEO on Feb.1,issued anote to personnel on Thursday announcing thedownsizing. He said further details would come on Tuesday, and he askedemployees at the Minneapolis offices to work from home next week

BUSINESS

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Social Security recipients geta boost

Recipients to get cost-of-living increase

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON TheSocial Security Administration’sannual cost-of-livingadjustmentwill go up by 2.8% in 2026, translatingtoanaverage increase of more than $56 for retirees every month, agency ofﬁcials said Friday

The beneﬁts increase for nearly 71 million Social Security recipients will go intoeffectbeginning in January.And increasedpayments to nearly7.5 million people receivingSupplemental Security Income will begin on Dec. 31.

Friday’sannouncement was meant to be made last week but was delayed because of the federal government shutdown.

The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for retirees anddisabled beneﬁciaries isﬁnanced by payroll taxes collected from workers and

their employers, up to acertain annualsalary,which is slated to increase to $184,500 in 2026, from $176,100 in 2025

Recipients received a2.5% costof-living boost in 2025 and a3.2% increaseintheir benefits in 2024, after ahistorically large 8.7% benefitincreasein2023,brought on by record 40-year-highinflation.

Thesmallerincrease for2026 reflects moderating inflation.The agency will notify recipients of theirnew benefit amount by mailin earlyDecember.

Someseniors say thecost-of-livingadjustment won’t help much in their ability to pay fortheir daily expenses.Linda Deas,an80-yearold Florence, SouthCarolina, resident, said that “it does notmatch the affordability crisis we are havingright now.”

Deas,a retired information systems networkoperations specialist,moved to South Carolina from New York in 2022 to be closer to family.She saysher monthly rent has increased by $400 in the past two years. She listed other itemsthat have

become more expensive for her in thepasttwo years, including auto insurance andfood.“If youhave beenintothe supermarkets lately you will notice howprices are goingup, not down,” she said. Deas is not alone in feelingthat costs aregetting out of control. Pollingfromthe AARP shows that older Americans areincreasingly struggling to keepupintoday’seconomy

Thepoll states that only22% of Americans over age 50 agree that aCOLA of right around 3% for Social Security recipientsisenough to keep up with rising prices, while 77%disagree. That sentimentis consistent across political party afﬁliations, accordingtothe AARP In Deas’ case, theMIT Living Wage Calculator estimates that an adult living alone in Florence, South Carolina, would spendper year $10,184for housing, $3,053 for medical expenses and $3,839 for food.

AARP CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan said the COLAis“alifeline of independence and dignity, for tens of millions of olderAmericans,” but even with the annual inﬂation-

gauged boost in income, “older adults still face challengescovering basic expenses.”

SocialSecurityAdministration Commissioner Frank Bisignano said in astatementFridaythat the annual cost-of-living adjustment “is one way we are working to makesurebeneﬁts reﬂect today’s economic realitiesand continue to provide afoundation of security.”

EmersonSprick, theBipartisan PolicyCenter’sdirector of retirement and laborpolicy, said in a statement that cost-of-living increases “can’tsolve all the ﬁnancial challengeshouseholds face or all the shortcomings of the program.”

The latest COLA announcement comes as theSocial Security Administration hasbeen navigating almost ayear of turmoil, including the termination of thousands of workers as part of theTrump administration’sefforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce. Trumpadministration officials have also made statements they laterwalked backthatraised concernsabout the future of the program.

Inflationstays elevated

Butpricesrose less than feared last month

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON U.S. inﬂationremainedelevated last month as gas prices jumped while the cost of rents cooled, painting amixed picture ofthe expensesconsumers arefacingina murky economy wheregrowthappears steady but hiring is slow

Consumer prices increased 3% in September from ayear earlier,the Labor Department said Friday, thehighest since January andupfrom 2.9% in August. Excluding the volatile food and energycategories, core pricesalso rose 3%, down from3.1%inthe previous month

On amonthly basis,price increasesslowed: Consumer prices rose 0.3% in September, down from0.4% theprevious month. Core inﬂation also cooled to 0.2%,from0.3%in August.

Theﬁguresshowthatinﬂation continues to rise more slowly than many economists expected when President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffsinApril. Some of thosedutieswerelater reducedaspart of trade deals, whilemanycompanies have only passed on part of the tariff cost to consumers out of concern that doing so would reduce sales. Businessesmay shift more coststoconsumers in thecoming months if the duties appearpermanent.

Thesmaller increase will come as abit of relief to Federal Reserve ofﬁcials, who have signaled that they will cut their key interest rate at their meeting next week for the second time this year.Yet inﬂation remains abovethe Fed’s 2% target,underscoring the high stakesofthe Fed’smoves

“Put simply,while inﬂation doesn’tappear to be accelerating,neither is it moving back toward target,”said Eric Winograd, chief U.S.economist at asset manager AllianceBernstein. “That will keep the Fed cautious rather than aggressive.”

Thedata for Friday’sreport was gathered before the government shutdown Oct. 1and was collected and compiled in the same way it is each month.

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK U.S. stocks hit records on Friday after an update on inﬂation came in abit lesspainful than feared. The S&P 500 rose0.8% and topped itsprior all-time high, whichwas set earlierthismonth. TheDow JonesIndustrial Average rallied 472 points, or 1%,and the Nasdaq composite climbed1.1%. Both also set records. The data on inﬂation is encouragingbecause it couldmean less pain

Butprice datafor October isn’tbeing gathered because of the shutdown, andthe Trumpadministration suggestedFriday that the government won’tissue an inﬂation report next month. While some dataiscollected electronically,much of it is taken in person.

“Becausesurveyorscannot deploy to the field, the White House has learned there will likely NOTbeaninﬂation release next month for theﬁrst time in history,” the administration said in an emailed statement.

The report on the consumer price index was issuedmorethana week late because of thegovernment shutdown, now in its fourthweek. The Trumpadministrationrecalled some LaborDepartmentemployees to producethe ﬁguresbecause they areused to set the annual cost-of-livingadjustment for roughly 70 millionSocial Security recipients. On Friday,that increase wasset at 2.8% for 2026, equal to about $56 per month. Gas prices jumped 4.1% just in September from theprevious month, amajor driver of inflation last month.Grocery prices rose 0.3%, lessthan in August, and are 2.7% higher than ayear ago.

Trump’sdutiesare pushingupthe prices

forlower-and middle-incomehouseholds struggling with still-high increasesinpricesevery month.Even more importantly for Wall Street, it couldalsoclear theway forthe Federal Reserve to keepcutting interest rates in hopes of giving aboost to the slowing job market. Stocks hadbeenshaky in recent weeks following atremendous rally of 35% for the S&P500 from alow in April. Criticism grew that stocks becametoo expensive after their prices rose much fasterthan corporate proﬁts. Worries also ﬂared about potentially bad loans that banks made following aperiod of calm that mayhave encouraged too much risk-taking. And President Donald Trumprattled markets af-

of many goods: Furniturecosts jumped 0.9% last monthand are 3.8% moreexpensive than ayear ago. Appliance costs rose 0.8% just in September,though they are up only 1.3% from ayear earlier.Clothing prices increased 0.7% last month and shoes 0.9% though neither have risen that muchfrom last year

Economists estimate that tariffs areadding about 0.4 percentage points to annual inflation, atrend that they expect will likely continue until early next year.Akey question, however,iswhether that tariff bump will simply lead to aone-timeprice increase or cause amore sustained burst of inflation. For now,there are signs that underlying inflationtrends arecooling. For example, thecost of renting an apartment rose just 0.2% in September and 3.4% compared to ayear ago. The annual increasewas the smallest in nearly four years. Rental cost increases spiked sharply during the pandemic, but have now returned to pre-pandemic levels. Still, business surveys suggest that many companies are still eating muchofthe cost of thetariffs, but may notbeable to do so indefinitely

ter threatening much higher tariffs on China, the world’ssecond-largest economy. But stocks have rebounded each time,only to push higher.Banks have characterized the industry’s hiccups as just acollection of oneoffs, whileTrump is settomeet China’sleader, Xi Jinping, at aconference next week. Andmost bigU.S. companies are reporting stronger proﬁts forthe latest quarter than analystsexpected, as is usually thecase. Ford Motorrevved12.2% higher to lead allcompanies in the S&P500 after theautomaker topped analysts’ expectations for proﬁt in the latest quarter.The companysaid its businessisrunning at the high end

of itsforecasted range for ﬁnancial performance this year which it set outinFebruary

Intel added0.3% after reporting aproﬁtfor the latestquarterthat blew past analysts’expectations. CEO Lip-BuTan creditedthe artificial-intelligence boom with “acceleratingdemandfor compute and creatingattractiveopportunities.” Google’sparent company climbed 2.7% after Anthropic announced an expansion worth tens of billions of dollars, through whichitwould increase usage of Google cloudtechnologies for its AI chatbot, Claude. Given itsmassivesize, Alphabet was oneofthe strongest forces lifting the S&P 500 index, along with other AI beneﬁciaries likeNvidia.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByCHARLIE RIEDEL

Aworker stocks adisplayofclothing recently at aSam’sClub in Bentonville, Ark.

ANOTHERVIEW

WhiteHouse a treasuredsymbol, notaMarriott

When Louisiana Gov.HueyLong wanted anew governor’smansion, he tore down the old one and built a new one. He did it withoutgetting anybody’sapproval. PerhapsPresident DonaldTrump was channeling Huey whenhebegandemolitionofthe EastWing of the White House to make room for anew 90,000+ square-foot, $300 million ballroom. Trump believes, as didLong, that he can do anything he wantswith theofﬁcial mansion. For Trump, areal estatedeveloper, this showy projecthas been adream. Beforehe setabout building the mammoth addition, he didn’tsecure approval from Congress, the National Capital Planning Commission, the CommissionerofPublic Buildings or the Fine Arts Commission. Usually,you can’ttouch historic buildings in Washingtonwithout running thegauntletofa strict review process.

Ron Faucheux

Even the newtennispavilionbuilt during Trump’sﬁrst term hadbeen reviewed by the NCPC andthe Fine Arts Commission.

WhenTrump announced construction of the gigantic ballroom, historians and preservationistsgasped. It will be nearly twicethe size of themain 55,000-square-foot White Houseresidence itself —essentially the image you seeonthe backof$20 bills, with its grand portico and alternating pediments Trump assures us the new, hotel-style ballroomwill be beautiful. Its color and windows, he says, will match therest of the building.Whatno onesaid was that the East Wing’sdemolition would begin before construction plans were ﬁnalized or made public.Saidanadministration ofﬁcial: “The scope and sizewas always subject to vary as the projectdeveloped.”

Subject to vary?

Until wrecking balls swung this past week, therehad been remarkably little public discussionofthe project or serious questions asked. Forexample:Inacity with countless public andcommercialballrooms of every size, isyet another one really needed? And, if so,must it be built on the grounds of the White House? Such abig change to the scale and aesthetic of the White House complex will likely throwoff its architectural balance, proportionand unity.Itwill alsopose new security risks by vastly increasing atcertain times the number of guests, outside workers and suppliersallowed insideits electriﬁed, locked gates.

While donors, including Trump himself,are supposed to pay for the new facility —a niftyway to keep Congress outofit—wemust ask: Who willpay for long-term maintenance andrepairs? Oh, andwhat about parking? In D.C., there’snever enough parking

The White House is atreasuredsymbolofthe American nation. It’snot aMarriott. Itbelongstothe people, not to anyone person In defense of the project, presidentialcommunications director Steven Cheung said, “Construction has always been apartofthe evolutionofthe White House.” He’sright aboutthat, but his snarky commentsabout skeptics “clutchingtheir pearls” and “living in the past” tarnished his observation.

The story of the White House isarich one.The original executive mansion wascompleted in 1800. John Adams, the second president, was its ﬁrst inhabitant. Duringthe Warof1812, theBritish ransackedand burned it. Rebuilding tookthree years and cost,intoday’sdollars, about $8 million.

By the late 1940s, the White House was so worn, patched and structurally dangerous that it needed what renovatorscall a“full gut.” Then-president Harry Truman finally agreed whena leg of his daughter’s piano crashed through arotting second-floor ceiling Duringthe rebuild, which Congressapprovedand funded, the White House was dismantled. Trucks and tractorsrolled through mounds of debris and mud where graceful rooms oncestood. Remains were held together by anew concrete and steelframe. The cost of all this work was about$50 millionintoday’sdollars, afractionofthe cost of the newballroom Old moldings, ornamentations, flooring and mantels removed in the gutting— prized relics, all—weresupposed tobeput back in place. But plenty wereeither sold, given away or discarded. Historicpreservationists have learned to be suspicious of promises that are eventually ignored. After the Truman reconstruction, the White House wasstructurallysafer,but theinside was blander. It took asuccession of redecorations, especially the one overseen by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy,tobring back the historical magic. What kind of magic willTrump’scolossal new ballroombring?

Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

Let’s look at thefacts surroundingimmigration

Herbert Cannon, in his letter in the Oct. 13 edition, objects to apolitical cartoon focusing on issues of race in theU.S. and deplores the“disastrous immigration policy” of the previous administration. Several of his assertions raise questions.

Detaining people based solely on their looks or their race can quickly lead to aslippery slope of detention.The world learned (we hope) an important lesson about detaining people based on looks in pre-World WarIIEurope. Andwhat indignities did Native Americans, Asian and Italian immigrants and citizens endure, based on their looks, in the U.S. in earlier times?

Isuspect that Cannon would support theU.S. efforttospend $54 billion to greatly expand detention facilities and hire more ICE and border patrol agentsand more asylum ofﬁcers and immigration judges to reduce theyearslong backlog in cases to determine asylum eligibil-

ity; to end the “catch and release” policy; to increase the standard of evidence needed by immigrants to winasylum statusand to increase funding to interdict fentanyl and human trafﬁcking.

Cannon mentions the high cost to U.S. taxpayers of the increased number of undocumented immigrants. He fails to mention that immigrants help grow theU.S. economy.In2016, immigrants added $2 trillion to U.S. GDP.In2018, immigrants paid about $459 billion in federal,state and local taxes. Immigrants do not contribute to the“destruction” of theU.S. or to our tax burden. Immigrants contribute to rebuilding the U.S. and making the economy moreresilient. Andbythe way,the third paragraph of this letter describes the bill that Republican senators voted against in February 2024.

DAVID SABRIO NewOrleans

Congress memberstakeparty loyaltytoo far

When Bill Cassidy campaigned against Mary Landrieu for his Senate seat, he said again and again and again that she sided with President Barack Obama 97% of the time. If that was bad, what about the people who side withtheir party 100% of the time? We don’tneed people who side withtheir party 100% of the time.

Ipersonally like legislators that

show somegutsand vote sometimes for thepeople whoelected them and don’tjust bow to their party heads. This is not just Republicans or Democrats.

Let’sget rid of these 100-percenters, 97-percenters and all these high percenters and bring in legislators who think and vote forus.

MICHAEL PEARSON NewOrleans

None so blindasthose whowillnot seePresident Trumpfor

My thanks to John Michael Lockhart for his powerful letter, “Teachings of Jesus are clear;so are Trump’sactions.” Toomany Louisianans did not read it or take his concerns seriously.But President Donald Trumphas now used insult, intimidation and reprisal to transform ademocracy into a dictatorship. His only real talent is dividing people and exciting hatred, even as he calls himself aChristian. The damage he has done to higher education, to medical research and climate studies is catastrophic. Our

whoheis

children and grandchildren will be the ultimatevictims Each week brings new enormities: suspending theright of free speech, invading “dangerous” U.S. cities and indicting former FBI directors. If redistricting in advance of 2026 preserves his control over government, he can play thebig Trumpcard: declaring himselfpresident again in 2028. From the White House, he is already passing out red hats touting that plan.

JOHN KENNEDY

Baton Rouge

Cutting Medicaid notmorally or fiscally defensible

“The moral test of government is howittreatsthose in the dawn of life,the children; those in the twilight of life,the elderly; and those in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, andthe handicapped.” (Hubert H. Humphrey, Education of aPublic Man: My Life andPolitics) Under The Big Beautiful Bill passedbyCongress this summer greatly reducing Medicaid, our government fails this moral test. The cuts over 10 years can adversely affect amillion and ahalf childrenand adults in Louisiana Forty-two percentofthe state’s childrenreceive health care through Medicaidfunding from LA CHIP (Children’sHealth InsuranceProgram). Four hundred thousand seniors and people with disabilities also receive support from Medicaid, including many nursing home residents.

Cuts to health careare said to be needed to reducewaste andabuse, which should always be agoal of government.

However,the necessary support for people dependent on Medicaidfor their health needs must be maintained. Providing health carefor Louisiana’s children, the elderly anddisabled is not waste. It is both morally andﬁscally responsible

Pleasecontact your congressionalrepresentativesasking that Medicaidsupport for Louisiana children, the elderly and disabled be fully funded.

RANDYL.EWING former state Senate president

JusticeDepartment haslostall credibility

Isuggest the Department of Justice have aname change. The Trumpadministration should change its nametothe Department of Extortion and Political Retribution. Need Isay more?

JANNORTH NewOrleans

GAMEDAY

EMBRACING BRUTALITY

Onehit convincedTEGreen football wasn’t forhim.Now,he’satop passingtargetfor LSU.

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Ittook one hit for Trey’Dez Green’sfootball career to come to ascreeching halt.

Thespeciﬁcsare abit hazy— Green wasn’teven 10 years old —but theplay involved him running intoformer LSU and current TCU safety Kylin Jackson.Once they collided, all Green remembers was how much it hurt

He winces as he recalls themoment.

“Hejustran through me,”Green said.

From then on,Green madeuphis mind: No more football.

“Hesaid, ‘No, football is not for me, Mom.I’m not playing football,’” Green’s mother,Casondra, said. Green’spledge did not last forever.Hereturned to the sport ﬁve years ago and is now atop pass catcher for LSU, snatching 13 receptions for 193 yards and twotouchdownsinthe past two weeks.

LSU GAMEDAY

Texas A&M at

LSU

6:30 p.m. Saturday, Tiger Stadium

TV: ABC | Line: Texas A&M by 2½

Radio: WDGL-FM, 98.1; WWL-AM, 870; WWL-FM, 105.3; KLWB-FM, 103.7 LSU

LSU

Continued from page 1C

This weekend, the sophomore tight end will try to lead LSU to an upset over No. 3 Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium (6:30 p.m., ABC).

“He’s been amazing,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “He’s just locked in, focused on taking care of his academics, and coming here every day with a great attitude about playing the game.”

Not only did Green return to football but the sport also has become his future. He’s a 6-foot-7 matchup nightmare for defenses, a weapon too big for safeties and cornerbacks and too fast for linebackers to handle.

Where he lacks in experience, he makes up for in athleticism The latter trait has been obvious for any coach to see since his return to the gridiron.

“You could tell right away,” David Brewerton, Green’s football coach at Zachary, said. “This kid’s God-given ability is off the charts.”

Basketball ﬁrst

Casondra was convinced her son’s future was on a basketball court.

Green was a standout player He could dunk by the time he was in eighth grade, played on the AAU circuit, and averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds per contest as a junior at East Feliciana.

But Darius Matthews, the football coach at East Feliciana, had plans of his own for the star athlete. He watched Green play basketball in middle school and high school and saw how well his skills could translate to the football ﬁeld.

“The way he attacked the ball and his physicality on the basketball court, I knew he could transition that to football,” Matthews said. “You’re going against kids who are 5-foot-11, 5-foot-10 it’s hard to guard him.”

By the time Green reached high school, he was on board with the idea of strapping on the pads again. The person Matthews really had to convince was Casondra, who still remembered the hit Jackson laid on her son and was well aware of the dangers of the sport.

Matthews, a distant relative of Green’s family already knew Casondra He would sit with her

STAFF PREDICTIONS

REED DARCEY

TEXAS A&M 35, LSU 24

yes, LSU’s at home. yes, the game’s at night. And yes, the SEC is a parity league But it feels like this matchup is just a bad one for the Tigers who have serious deficiencies on both sides of their offensive line Only five FBS teams have more sacks this season than Texas A&M, which means that Garrett Nussmeier likely will have to manage quite a bit of pressure again The Aggies win and cover

ZACH EWING

LSU 26, TEXAS A&M 21

Wounded and cornered, the Tigers are sorely in need of one of the sport’s great home-field advantages Luckily that’s just what they’re getting They’re also getting a Texas A&M team that is 7-0 but also has escaped with one-score victories, including in its only two road games LSU’s O-line and Garrett Nussmeier’s pocket presence will be key against the Aggies.

during Green’s middle school basketball games, trying to convince her that football was a sport she should let her son try again.

“I always told her, I said, ‘He’s a hell of a basketball player, but he could be a great football player,’ “ Matthews said. “And me and her (would argue) she said he would never, ever play football. I said, ‘Ma’am, if you give him just one chance, I think you will see the difference.’ ” Casondra ﬁnally gave in during Green’s sophomore year allowing him to play on one condition: If he ever got hurt, he wouldn’t be allowed to play anymore.

“Trey’Dez says, ‘Mom, could you please just give me one chance? Let me try,’ ” Casondra said. “I said, ‘Well, OK. First time you get injured, that’s it. That’s a wrap.’

When Green showed up to his ﬁrst practice, Matthews had to call Casondra to make sure he was allowed to play

Green’s ﬁrst game at East Feliciana turned out the way Matthews expected it to go. He caught four touchdowns against Episcopal and was so dominant that he started receiving loads of recruiting interest the next day Houston offered him a scholarship immediately. Then Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher called Matthews and said he thought Green was the next Calvin Johnson. LSU also reached out. None of it surprised Matthews.

“I told her I said, ‘Now, ma’am, I want to tell you something. Now the day after this first game, your phone will start ringing,’ ” Matthews recalled. “She said, ‘I don’t believe that. I don’t believe that.’ ”

Physicality

Brewerton didn’t know much about Green. He had heard of him but never watched him play and didn’t even know Green was joining the Zachary program until Green and Casondra knocked on Brewerton’s ofﬁce door the summer before the 2023 football season.

“I didn’t even know what he looked like,” Brewerton said. “And now you know he is 6-foot-7, so yeah, once he told me his name, introduced himself to me and everything, you see what everybody else sees, a big old dude walking through that door.”

It didn’t take long for Brewerton to ﬁgure out he had something special. The ﬁrst time the ball

SCOTT RABALAIS

LSU 26, TEXAS A&M 24

To quote “Animal House” rush chairman Eric Stratton, this game absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part. And I’m just the guy to do it. LSU will beat Texas A&M because it finds a way to get to a gettable Aggies defense making the second of three straight SEC road trips LSU goes to 21-1 in home night games under Brian Kelly, who fends off the wolves for now.

KOKI RILEY

TEXAS A&M 38, LSU 17

The Aggies allowed 40 or more points against Notre Dame and Arkansas, but don’t buy the narrative that this is a one-sided team According to

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU tight end Trey’Dez Green pulls in a reception as South Carolina defensive back DQ Smith defends in the second half of their game on Oct. 11 at Tiger Stadium.

was thrown to Green in aZachary practice, Brewerton watched in awe.

“He ran like a12-yard dig comingacrossthe ﬁeld, and the ball was thrown 2feet behind him,” Brewerton said. “And he never broke stride, and he stuck his right hand back behind his body,and caughtthat ball withone hand and kept running across the ﬁeld.

“And Iremember watching that going, ‘My goodness, that is super impressive rightthere.’ But then, when Ifound out thathe’sleft-handed,itbecame even more impressive.”

By the end of his senior season at Zachary, Green had 53 receptions for960 yardsand 12 touchdowns.Inthe state title game, which Zachary lost, he had eightcatches for97yards andascore He was adominant force within Zachary’s spread attack. The only problem was that he wasn’tplaying tight end; he was awide receiver.Zacharydidn’tplay witha tightend.

“Hewas an outside receiver.Ithink as he got more comfortable with our offense, wewould bring him in from time to timeand playsome slot stuff,” Brewertonsaid.“We would motion him sometimes, get him on the other side of theformation, but it still wasnot lining up as atight end.”

Thelackofexposuretothe position made transitioning to tight end, and having to block

athletic defendersand be physical withplayers his own size or bigger,achallenge once he arrived at LSU.

Green had13catches for101 yards andfour touchdowns in his freshman season, but hisstrugglesasablocker playeda part in whyhemoved to wide receiver midway through that year

“I’m sure that was alarge transition for him at the collegiate level, especially in the SEC, Brewerton said. “I mean, those tight ends, they’re expected to do afairamount of blocking, and you’ve got to be physical.”

Greensaid it took himafullseason to adjust to the physicality of theSEC. He needed that time to embrace theanimalistic side of the game.

“(In) my freshman year,Icamein, (and) I wasn’tscared, but Idid what Ihad to do to get by,” Green said. “But now it’sphysicality.I’m just giving it this year

“I feel like the team needs me to makeplays andneeds me to do alot of stuff within this offense. So (I’ve) just gottohavemybrother’s backand execute.”

Now Green fully accepts the brutalityofthe sport, afar cry from the kid who once quit playing peewee football.

“My mindset,” Green said, “is just different.”

Email Koki RileyatKoki.Riley@ theadvocate.com.

LSUset to raisefootball season-ticketprices

BYKOKI RILEY Staff writer

The LSU Board of Supervisors approved a measure Friday that would increase season-ticket prices at football games for the2026 season. Prices for tickets, according to the athletic department’sproposal, wouldincrease by up to $125. LSU estimates thehigherprices will provide more than $4.5 million in additionalrevenue. “LSU has carefully adjusted pricesbased on demand rather than applying an across-the-board increase,” LSU wrote in astatementtoThe Advocate, “ensuring they better align withthe market.” Season tickets in the Low West Box, LowEast Box and East Sideline willincrease by $125. Seats by the West Sideline1,2 and 3, EastSideline 2, North End Zone 1and 2, and SouthEnd Zone 1, 2and 3willcost an additional$100.

A$50 price increase will be made forseason tickets in the East Sideline 3and South 600Upper levelsections. Season ticketsinthe West Club section,East Suites, South Seats,Accessible Seating and South Club will cost $25 more nextyear “Price changes focusonareas with high renewal rates and high secondary market values,” the statement said. “LSU is notchanging any pricing in the upper deck other than the Skyline Club, which

includes food and beverage in theticket price.

“Keeping upper deck season ticket pricesas they are currentlywill allow LSUAthletics to be more ﬂexible withindividual game prices and provides an additional option for fansto purchaseseason tickets at alower price point.”

Theboard also approvedseason parking pass pricing andtwo newpaidparking lots fornext season.

Combinedwith season parking pass revenue, LSUbelieves Friday’sproposal would increase its income by morethan $5 million. The athletic departmentalso raised season-ticket prices for the2025 season.

ParkingpassesinLots103,104,105,106,206 and Old Front 91and 2will cost $750. Passes in Lots101R, 401R and 412 will be $1,500, while season parking in Lot 308 will be $600.

Fans will be able to purchase season parking passes in thetwo new paid lots, Lot 403 or the Nicholson Garage, for $750.

“As it relates to parking, due to construction projects on campus,LSU Athletics has lost and will continuetolose paid season parking spaces in the upcoming seasons,” LSU’sstatementread.

“These proposed changeswill help LSU Athletics mitigate those losses and provide theabilityto be proactive with changes,instead of reactive.”

4Alab. (6-1) at S. Carolina(3-4), 2:30 p.m. No. 6Oregon (6-1) vs.Wisconsin(2-5), 6p.m. No. 7Geo. Tech (7-0)vs. Syracuse (3-4), 11 a.m. No. 8Ole Miss (6-1)atNo. 13 Oklah. (6-1), 11 a.m No. 9Miami (5-1) vs.Stanford(3-4), 6p.m. No. 10Vanderbilt (6-1) vs.No. 15 Missouri (6-1), 2:30 p.m. No. 11BYU (7-0) at Iowa St.(5-2), 2:30 p.m. No. 14 Tex. Tech (6-1) vs.Oklah. St. (1-6), 3p.m. No. 16Virginia (6-1) at UNC(2-4), 11 a.m. No. 17Tenn.(5-2) at Kentucky (2-4), 6:45 p.m. No. 18 S. Florida (6-1) at Memph. (6-1), 11 a.m No. 19Louisville (5-1) vs.Boston College (1-6), 6:30 p.m. No. 21Cincinnati (6-1) vs.Baylor(4-3), 3p.m. No. 22Texas (5-2) at Miss.St. (4-3), 3:15 p.m. No. 23Illinois (5-2) at Wash.(5-2), 2:30 p.m. No. 24Arizona St. (5-2) vs.Hou. (6-1), 7p.m. No.

Towson (3-4)atStonyBrook (3-4),2:30p.m.

Virginia (2-5), 5p.m. SOUTH South Florida (6-1)atMemphis(6-1),11a.m.

St. (4-3) at OldDominion (4-3), 11 a.m. SMU (5-2)atWakeForest (4-2),

(6-1)atNorth

(7-0),

a.m.

Diego (3-4)atDavidson (1-6), 11 a.m. Delaware St. (4-3)atNCCentral (5-2), noon St. Thomas (Minn.) (4-3)atStetson (3-5), noon SE Missouri (3-4) at Tennessee Tech (7-0),

Wofford(2-5) at ETSU (3-5), 2:30 p.m. Alabama (6-1)atSouth Car.(3-4), 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga (3-4)atSamf. (1-6), 2:30 p.m. Alabama St. (4-2) vs.Alabama A&M (4-3)at Birmingham, Ala., 2:30 p.m.

Missouri (6-1) at Vanderbilt (6-1), 2:30 p.m. N. Alabama (2-5)atAustinPeay(4-3),3 p.m. McNeese St. (2-5)atNicholls (1-6),3p.m. Texas(5-2) at Mississippi St.(4-3),3:15 p.m. Lamar (6-1)atNorthwesternSt. (1-6),4 p.m. Stanford(3-4) at Miami (5-1), 6p.m. Boston College (1-6)atLouisville (5-1), 6:30 p.m. TexasA&M (7-0) at LSU (5-2), 6:30 p.m. Tennessee (5-2) at Kentucky (2-4),6:45 p.m. MIDWEST Bowling Green (3-4)atKentSt. (2-5),11a.m.

Kansas St. (3-4) at Kansas (4-3), 11 a.m. Rutgers(3-4) at Purdue (2-5), 11 a.m. Presbyterian (7-0)atDayton (5-2), 11 a.m. Ohio (4-3)atE.Michigan (2-6), 11 a.m. UCLA (3-4)atIndiana (7-0),11a.m. Northwestern (5-2)atNeb. (5-2), 11 a.m. Morehead St. (3-5)atValparaiso (1-6),noon

THENATION

THINGS TO WATCHINWEEK9

OU AIMS TO STOP OLEMISSOFFENSE

Oklahomaleads thenation in total defense sacks, tackles for loss and opponent yards per play.The Sooners are second in points allowed, surrendering just 9.4 per contest.The Rebels average 37.4 points per game and are eighth nationally with491.9 yards per contest. OU running back Tory Blaylock leads the Sooners with 391 yards rushing and 4.5 yards per carry.Ole Miss’ Dae’Quan Wright is third nationally among tight ends with 393 yards and leads the SEC with 20.7 yards per catch.

1. ALABAMA

Record: 6-1 overall, 4-0 SEC

Previous rank: 2

MIZZOU TO TEST HIGH-FLYINGVANDY Games often come down to the end in this series.The Tigers pulled out adouble-overtime winlastseason fortheir fifth straight victory and ninth in 10 gamesover Vanderbilt. Missouri is coming offanother double overtime win, thistime23-17 over Auburnlast week.Vanderbilt averages 41.4 points agame, good foreighth nationally,with Missouri 12th, piling up 39 points.Vanderbilt will have to defend Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy, whoisthird in the countrywith 840 yards rushing.

MEMPHIS, SOUTHFLORIDA TO CLASH No.18SouthFlorida heads to Memphis in abattle of one-loss teams.The Tigers are coming offastinging upset at UAB. USF has averaged55points per game over three American Conference matchups and can allbut knockout the Tigers fromplayoff contention with awin.Eachteam can put up points, but Memphis has the better overall defense, allowing 335.1 yards per game (40th in FBS). USF quarterback ByrumBrown has thrown for1,695 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. 2 1 3

An electronicbillboard along I-10 near College Drive this week featured an enormous picture of Garrett Nussmeier’s head next to the words:“Trust theTeam.”

The job of advertising is selling, but someone has tobe buying.

Kelly,with histeam’soffensive struggles andkey defensive injuries to players like linebackerWhitWeeks, placed a bigall-or-nothing bet and came up empty.

Last week: DefeatedTennessee37-20

Thisweek: at South Carolina, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday(ABC)

2. TEXASA&M

Record: 7-0 overall, 4-0 SEC

Previous rank: 1

Last week: DefeatedArkansas 45-42

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

3. GEORGIA

Record: 6-1 overall, 4-1 SEC

Previous rank: 4

Last week: DefeatedOle Miss 43-35

Thisweek: Idle

4. OLEMISS

Record: 6-1 overall, 3-1 SEC

Previous rank: 3

Last week: Lost to Georgia43-35

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

5. VANDERBILT

Record: 6-1 overall, 2-1 SEC

Previous rank: 8

Last week: DefeatedLSU 31-24

Thisweek: vs.Missouri, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

6. TENNESSEE

Record: 5-2 overall, 2-2 SEC

Previous rank: 6

Last week: Lost to Alabama 37-20

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

7. MISSOURI

Record: 6-1 overall, 2-1 SEC

Previous rank: 7

Last week: DefeatedAuburn23-17

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

8. OKLAHOMA

Record: 6-1 overall, 2-1 SEC

Previous rank: 10

Last week: DefeatedSouthCarolina 26-7

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

9. TEXAS

Record: 5-2 overall, 2-1 SEC

Right now,very few folks in these parts are trustingthe team at LSU. Twin rivers of gloom and doom came together over Baton Rouge like an invisible conﬂuence this week, belying theblue skies that dominated the week which belied the freight train of rain expected here Saturday night. It never rains in Tiger Stadium? Pure myth. Right now, it’smore like when it rainsit pours Twolosses in LSU’spast three games have pushed the Tigers’ season of audacious roster spending and sky-high expectations to apremature brink. Lose Saturday to No. 3Texas

A&M (6:30 p.m., ABC), andthe No. 20 Tigers canwrite off yet another season as disappointing, again spent on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff.

The pervasive pessimism outside the walls of LSU’smegamillion-dollar football complex wouldmake you think theTigers were 2-5 instead of 5-2. It’s an attitude that suggests Brian

There is still areasonable amountofconﬁdence inside LSU’sFootball Fortress. The Tigers believe they canstill string together the ﬁve straight winsthey need toreach the CFP.That theseason can be saved from the heavystamp of a“Failure” label.

But to say that thefolks inside the programaren’thearing thecriticism would be afalse assumption

“They love you when you win, andthey hate you when you lose,” said safety Tamarcus Cooley,who will likely spend time Saturdaydefendingtalented A&M receiver KC Concepcion,his former teammate at NC State. “Wedon’tcare what outsiders think. They’re notinsidethisbuilding

“We’ve got to prove people wrong.”

No one has more proving to do than Kelly,certainly aware that histhreemost recent predecessors —Nick Saban, Les Milesand Ed Orgeron —all won national titles at LSU by their fourth seasonslike the one he’sinnow

“Some are saying I’m not gettingmyjob done,” Kelly said Monday.“Iget that.But we are workinghard every single day to get our footballteam better.”

One way to do that,Kelly said on his radio show Thursday night,was to bemorephysical.

“We’ve got to go hit people in the mouth,” he said. “And if you’re much morephysical, you’re going to makeupfor any of the small mistakes, right? We’ve got to play this game with adifferent demeanor and adifferent mindset

“There’sanother notch there that we haven’thit yet. We’ve got to hit it.”

It’sfair to ask where was this sense of urgency and demand for physicality before LSU lost at Vanderbilt last week. Better late than never probably doesn’tcut it for anyone.

ButLSU’sﬁrst seven games, whether in victory or defeat, can’tbechanged. The focus is on beating a7-0 Texas A&M team that has played thekind of complementary offensive and defensive football that Kelly has madeaplank for this season but so far has been an empty campaign promise. Now he’sindanger of being tripped up for thesecond straight week by aformer assistant coach. Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea was a defensive coordinator under Kelly at Notre Dame, succeeding A&M’sMike Elko.

All theanalytics seem to point towardthe Aggies getting their ﬁrst win in Tiger Stadium since joining the SEC in 2012 —since way back in 1994, actually.All except acouple. While LSUisanunimpressive 5-10 against ranked teams under Kelly,the Tigers are 20-1 in home night games on his watch. Andthe Aggies, facing thedemanding task of asecond straight SEC road trip, have

surrendered bushel baskets of pointsintheir two road games: a41-40 win at Notre Dame and last week’s45-42 track meet at Arkansas.

The Irish and the Razorbacks definitely have moreprolific offenses than LSU, which along with North Carolina is the only Power Fourteam to not score 25 points in aPower Four game this season. What does LSUhave going for it? Talent, to be sure. And a bona fide serious home-field advantage. There is often magic in the night at Tiger Stadium That doesn’tmean afigtothe oddsmakers in Las Vegas, but considering they set A&M as only a21/2-point favorite going into this one indicates the thinking this could be agood spot for the Tigers. And that theAggies, after two close track meets on the road, may well find it tough to go undefeated.

Then again, Tiger Stadium could turn on LSU if the Tigers don’tplay well enough. We remember thequote of muchmaligned “Drop” linebacker Thomas Dunson from the late 1990s: “It’s like playing inside avolcano. Younever know if it’sgoing to erupt on you or the other team.”

If there can’tbetrust in this LSUteam, will there be faith that they will ﬁnd away?

“We’ve got to prove people wrong” may be apowerful battle cry. We’ll see if it’spowerful enough to carry the Tigers for 60 hard-fought minutes against Texas A&M.

Previous rank: 9

Last week: DefeatedKentucky 16-13

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

10.LSU

Record: 5-2 overall, 2-2 SEC

Previous rank: 5

Last week: Lost to Vanderbilt 31-24

Thisweek: vs.TexasA&M, 6:30 p.m. Saturday(ABC)

11.SOUTH CAROLINA

Record: 3-4 overall, 1-4 SEC

Previous rank: 11

Last week: Lost to Oklahoma26-7

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

12.FLORIDA

Record: 3-4 overall, 2-2 SEC

Previous rank: 12

Last week: DefeatedMississippi State 23-21

Thisweek: Idle

13.MISSISSIPPI STATE

Record: 4-3 overall, 0-3 SEC

Previous rank: 13

Last week: Lost to Florida 23-21

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

14.AUBURN

Record: 3-4 overall, 0-4 SEC

Previous rank: 14

Last week: Lost to Missouri23-17

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

15.ARKANSAS

Record: 2-5 overall, 0-3 SEC

Previous rank: 15

Last week: Lost to Texas A&M 45-42

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

16.KENTUCKY

Record: 2-4 overall, 0-4 SEC

Previous rank: 16

Last week: Lost to Texas 16-13

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

Scott Rabalais

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

GETTING LATE EARLY

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

TROY, Ala. — The UL Ragin’ Cajuns are still alive in the Sun Belt West Division race. And bowl eligibility certainly remains on the table.

But there’s no doubt the Cajuns (2-5, 1-2) are running out of chances to revive a disappointing campaign One of their biggest opportunities comes at 6 p.m. Saturday when UL takes on the Troy Trojans at Veterans Memorial Stadium

“We just got to play a little smarter in some situations, and we’ve got to make a couple critical plays there,” UL coach Michael Desormeaux. “We’re closer than it maybe looks and we know that, so we’re going to keep punching.”

The Trojans are tied for ﬁrst place with Southern Miss in the Sun Belt West at 5-2 and 3-0, and they have won four games in a row

Troy has won two overtime games in come-from-behind fashion, similar to UL’s home win over Marshall.

“They’re finding ways to win,” Desormeaux said. “Every game that they’ve been in, it’s been tight in the fourth

quarter, and they ﬁnd ways to win.”

The return of redshirt sophomore wide receiver Shelton Sampson who has missed the last three games, should be a boon for the Cajuns.

“He’s playing really fast,” Desormeaux said of Sampson. “He looks really conﬁdent. He’s worked really hard on all the things that he could do while he was out.

“He’s got a smile ear-to-ear (at practice). He’s ready to get back out there and play.”

After a slow start after an undisclosed preseason injury, Sampson displayed his potential with three catches for 87 yards on Sept. 20 against Eastern Michigan, despite playing with a torn hamstring.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

One of the leading candidates for MVP this year has played for four teams, eight head coaches and eight offensive coordinators across eight seasons in the NFL. Baker Mayﬁeld, in his third season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has made a career of persevering.

“You’ve got to be wired the right way to overcome it all,” Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said.

If two years ago was The Year of the Backup Quarterback, this NFL season has been defined by The Second Chance Quarterback. Or in some cases, third and fourth chances. It’s not just Mayfield. Daniel Jones has revived his career with the Indianapolis Colts. Sam Darnold is thriving with the Seattle Seahawks, a year after the former 2018 first-rounder finally broke out with the Minnesota Vikings. Mac Jones, labeled as a bust, has kept the 49ers afloat with starter Brock Purdy sidelined. Their seasons can be seen as a lesson in patience. Darnold, like Mayfield, is in Year 8. Daniels Jones is in Year 7. Mac Jones is in his fifth season but is already on his third team. Their play serves as a reminder that it can take a lot of time for quarterbacks — or any player — to develop fully That lesson is particularly relevant to the Saints this week as

UL women show promise in exhibition rout

you’re not sure. It reminds me of my ﬁrst year when we really didn’t have it as a coach, you don’t have that much control.

Daniel scored 19 points on 8-of13 shooting with 15 rebounds, two assists and three steals.

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It was an exhibition game with a team ﬁlled with new players, so it was no surprise the UL women’s basketball coaching staff had a long list of things to improve upon after the Ragin’ Cajuns rolled past LSU-Alexandria 92-47 on Thursday in the Cajundome.

“I really didn’t enjoy the game, to be honest with you,” coach Garry Brodhead said. “It was kind of like when you’re coming out and

“You just got to kind of let them play and make mistakes, and then you got to go work on practice.”

The good news is there was plenty to build on. The brand-new roster shot 45.5% from the ﬁeld, made seven 3-pointers and pulled down 54 rebounds. The Cajuns did all of that without two potential starters in Jazmyne Jackson and Arionna Patterson, who are still out with minor injuries. Standing out was true freshman Imani Daniel of John Curtis and senior Southern Miss transfer Mikaylah Manley

“I wouldn’t say pleased,” Daniel said about her performance “There’s always growth to be had. My stats can say 19 (points), I wanted 20 or higher, but I’m happy I mean, you can’t really be upset. I had fun with my team, too.”

Daniel showed the ability to defend, see the ﬂoor and rebound.

“They told me to get 10 (rebounds), but I was like, I might as well go get 15,” Daniel said with a laught. “That’s my (jersey) number, so I might as well.”

Daniel said building team chemistry during the preseason has been a success.

“I didn’t think I would get this

close with a group of girls because we just started with each other in like June and some people came in August,” Daniel said. “We’re literally like sisters. We’re with each other 24-7, and we just have fun playing the game.” Manley scored 19 points on 7-of21 shooting to go along with four rebounds, an assist and a steal.

“It’s deﬁnitely a process,” Manley said of building team chemistry. “I mean, it’s a long process, but we’re going to get through it.” Brodhead is excited about Manley’s shooting ability

“Our relationship with the coaches, we’re pretty close,” Manley said. “They really push us hard.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL freshman Imani Daniel scored 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the Cajuns’ 92-47 win over LSUAlexandria.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL running back Bill Davis tries to break a tackle by Southern Miss linebacker Michael Montgomery last Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. Davis and the Cajuns will try to snap a two-game losing skid on Saturday at Troy

3:55

SAINTS NOTEBOOK

Saints go with experience at center

BY MATTHEW PARAS AND LUKE JOHNSON Staff writers

The New Orleans Saints had several options to replace Erik McCoy after the center’s season-ending biceps injury

In the end, coach Kellen Moore decided to go with experience over youth.

Moore said he will turn to Luke Fortner instead of rookie Torricelli Simpkins Simpkins played center in the preseason and even started at right guard in Week 5, but he is an undrafted rookie who has been inactive over the last two games.

The Saints acquired Fortner in an August trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the four-year veteran has 34 starts in his career.

“Luke at center, he’s done a really good job,” Moore said. “He’s played some good football I’m ﬁred up for him. And (we’ll) keep the continuity on the right side and the left side, and I think we’re trending well.“

Another option was moving right guard Cesar Ruiz to center, the position he played in college at Michigan. But doing so would have disrupted the continuity that Moore talked about along the O-line.

By turning to Fortner, the Saints can keep giving quarterback Spencer Rattler a veteran to work with. McCoy was instrumental in the Saints’ presnap protection plans, and Moore said the responsibilities won’t shift to Rattler with McCoy out.

That puts the onus on Fortner and the rest of the line, but Fortner said he feels comfortable with the calls.

“Spencer’s doing a great job this year,” Fortner said. “As the year progresses, he’s getting more and more and ﬁguring more stuff out I’m going to jump in and do all I can and be loud and help him out.”

Injury report

For the first time this season, the New Orleans Saints don’t have any player listed as questionable or out on the injury report.

The Saints had perfect attendance in practice Friday, and Moore said that no one would be listed with a game designation ahead of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers It has

SAINTS

Continued from page 5C

they prepare for Sunday’s game against Mayﬁeld and the Bucs. After quarterback Spencer Rattler’s worst game of the year a four-turnover, four-sack debacle against the Chicago Bears — coach Kellen Moore was repeatedly asked about the possibility of the team turning to second-round rookie Tyler Shough. Moore said the Saints were sticking with Rattler But the fact that the topic was even a conversation at all highlights how difﬁcult it can be to stay the course with a young quarterback, especially with another one waiting in the wings.

Preaching patience is easier said than done.

“This quarterback position, sometimes it takes time,” Moore said. “They’re going to go through (adversity). This is an awesome opportunity for Spence. You deal with an adversity game and you get to respond. All these guys have gone through this You continue to develop these guys, and they’ll continue to grow.”

Last year, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell created a stir when he

WOMEN

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They want us to be a great team. We just know we want to go hard every day “We started off slow but we never gave up.”

been at least two seasons since the Saints went into a game with such a clear injury report although the team did place running back Kendre Miller (ACL) and McCoy on injured reserve earlier this week.

Otherwise, the Saints are healthy

“We’ve done some good stuff as far as making sure our guys are available during the games, heading into the week, as far as soft tissue stuff,” Moore said. “Just the way we train and practice, I think the guys have done an awesome job with the recovery and the rehab and all those sorts of things.”

The Buccaneers are dealing with several notable injuries.

Tampa Bay ruled out wide receiver Chris Godwin (ﬁbula), guard Luke Haggard (shoulder), outside linebacker Haason Reddick (ankle, knee) and running back Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder).

Defensive tackle Vita Vea is questionable after missing two prac-

said he believed that “organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.” That sentiment seemed to resonate for many folks around the league. Mayﬁeld and Darnold, after all, were teammates for the Carolina Panthers in 2022 and neither succeeded. The Patriots hired a former defensive coordinator to help run the offense in Mac Jones’ second season.

But eventually, organizations have to act if the results aren’t changing Sure, it’s easy in hindsight to criticize the Cleveland Browns for trading Mayﬁeld, but they had only one playoff appearance in his ﬁrst four seasons — and they moved on to acquire Deshaun Watson, then viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The Giants spent six years with Daniel Jones and only made the playoffs once. Aren’t the results supposed to matter?

With Rattler, the Saints could — and likely would — argue that there hasn’t been enough of a sample size to determine his potential. Though he’s 1-12 as a starter, the 25-year-old has not started a full season’s worth of games. And the improvement that he’s made from Year 1 to Year 2 has been an encouraging

The other three players in double ﬁgures were Stephanie Mosley with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting with five rebounds; Bianca Silva with 13 points, eight boards and six assists; and Amijah Price with 12 points, five boards and four assists. “She did a pretty good job tonight, compared to practice,”

tices this week with a foot injury

Moore on Martin

Moore spoke Friday about the recent death of former Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin, who was a former teammate of Moore’s at Boise State. Martin was 36 years old when he died and had been battling mental health problems, according to a statement released on behalf of his family

“Challenging situation, really sad,” Moore said “Doug was obviously a teammate of a bunch of ours during our Boise State days. it’s a challenging situation, just because you loved Doug. Such a good teammate, person, the joy he brought to everyone was really really special.”

Roster move

The Saints have been active on the waiver wire. They claimed tight end Zaire

enough sign that he deserves a runway to see how much more he can grow “Deserve” can be a funny word in NFL circles, though.

It’s probably not a coincidence that the four second-chance quarterbacks thriving this year are all former first-rounders. There will be executives who always are willing to take a flyer on highly regarded prospects because of the traits that separated them in the draft process Rattler, a fifth-round pick, might not have that luxury, even with what he’s put on tape. Take a look at Sam Howell. A fifth-round prospect drafted two years before Rattler, the former North Carolina quarterback started all 17 games in 2023 and led the Washington Commanders to a 4-13 record. Despite some positives from that season, the Commanders replaced him with Jayden Daniels, and Howell has since been traded three times to be a backup elsewhere. No one outside the Howell household is clamoring for the quarterback to start any time soon. But writing a player off comes with risk. That applies to any position, not just quarterback.

“You know how many times I didn’t get re-signed?” Saints line-

Brodhead said of Silva. “She looked confident tonight. She looked more comfortable than I’ve seen her in a while. She’s starting to kind of talk a little bit more and try to lead a little bit more.” The Cajuns forced 26 turnovers and limited LSU-Alexandria to 33.3% shooting from the ﬁeld.

Report: LSU won’t have LB Whit Weeks vs. Aggies LSU junior linebacker Whit Weeks will not play Saturday against Texas A&M, according to a CBS Sports report. Weeks suffered a bone bruise on his ankle during LSU’s Week 5 loss to Ole Miss. He missed the Vanderbilt game with the injury, and coach Brian Kelly said Thursday that he hasn’t practiced this week. CBS Sports also reported that Weeks will likely return to the ﬁeld in two weeks when LSU travels to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on Nov 8. Kelly said Thursday on his radio show that the Tigers would turn to sophomore Davhon Keys and redshirt freshman Tylen Singleton at linebacker Keys started against Vanderbilt and has played 279 snaps this season, while Singleton has played 11 snaps against SEC competition

LSU pitching coach

Yeskie gets new contract

LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie has received a new contract that will keep him in Baton Rouge until the end of the 2028 season. The LSU Board of Supervisors approved a new deal for Yeskie on Friday, which, according to documents obtained by The Advocate, will pay him $470,000 in the ﬁrst year, $485,000 in Year 2 and $500,000 in the ﬁnal year of a deal that will expire in August 2028. Yeskie had signed a threeyear deal in 2023 that was worth $400,000 per year That contract was set to end in June.

Yeskie’s raise and extension come on the heels of coach Jay Johnson and assistant coaches Josh Jordan and Josh Simpson receiving new contracts in September

Niners to play without

QB Purdy for sixth game

Mitchell-Paden from the Baltimore Ravens and waived running back Velus Jones in a corresponding move, the team announced Friday Mitchell-Paden, 26, appeared in six games for the Ravens this season and caught one pass for 3 yards. The 6-foot-5, 257-pound tight end had been with Baltimore since 2024 and also had stints with the Cleveland Browns. Mitchell entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022 after playing college football for Florida Atlantic and Notre Dame College. The Saints’ decision to release Jones comes days after they signed him to the active roster after Miller’s season-ending ACL injury

The move leaves New Orleans with only two running backs Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal — on the 53-man roster, but the team can also promote Audric Estime from the practice squad. Estime joined New Orleans this week.

backer Demario Davis said. “You know how many times I got traded? Maybe if they’d have waited a little a longer, they’d have saw a little bit more.”

Before joining New Orleans in 2018, Davis had two separate stints with the New York Jets sandwiched between a one-year stay with the Cleveland Browns that saw him then traded back to New York.

He struggled in those stops but eventually blossomed into an AllPro with the Saints.

Davis said when he thinks back to being a younger player, he wishes people had been more patient.

“You never know how it’s going to bloom or blossom,” he said.

He added that it’s hard to tell what a player can become until his ﬁfth year

“You don’t make it to this level and not be able to play,” Davis said. “It’s in there. Why doesn’t it come out? Why doesn’t everyone seem to maximize their potential? (There) can be a lot of different situations. It could have to do with them. It could have to do with not ﬁnding the right ﬁt.

“But what you hope for everyone is that it eventually clicks.”

It did for Davis and Mayﬁeld.

The answer’s not yet known with Rattler

“We didn’t close out all the way,” Brodhead said. “We closed on their hips. We’ve been working on it. I kind of brought that back. We did that at McNeese in 2011 and it really worked out. We just have to keep working on it.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

Quarterback Brock Purdy will miss his fourth straight game and sixth in the past seven weeks for the San Francisco 49ers with a toe injury Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Purdy was ruled out this week against the Houston Texans but will travel for the game as his condition has improved. Purdy skipped the past two road trips. Mac Jones will make his sixth start of the season in place of Purdy Jones is 4-1 as a starter, triggering a $400,000 incentive bonus for his contract by winning a fourth game. Jones will make an additional $100,000 every time he plays at least 25% of the snaps in a 49ers’ win. Jones leads the NFL with 280.8 yards passing per game

Rybakina earns final spot for WTA Finals in November

TOKYO Elena Rybakina clinched the last remaining spot for the WTA Finals by beating Victoria Mboko 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals Friday She will face the Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova in the semifinals at the Tokyo tournament.

Rybakina moved ahead of Mirra Andreeva to take the eighth spot for next month’s WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s great to qualify and play some more matches, especially against top players,” Rybakina said. “Last week, I was focusing one match at a time and I knew that to qualify it’s going to take a long road.”

At the WTA Finals, Rybakina will join Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini.

Government shutdown forces game to relocate pener against No 20 Louisville in women’s basketball that was supposed to be played at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Nov 4 has been moved to the Naval Academy because of the government shutdown.

ESPN made the call to move the game. This was supposed to be the third time that the Armed Forces Classic was played at Ramstein and the first that featured two women’s basketball teams. The UConn men’s team played in the inaugural one in 2012 Texas A&M and West Virginia also played there in 2017.

The government shutdown began Oct. 1 when the Senate failed to advance a House-passed GOP government funding bill.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

New Orleans Saints center Luke Fortner prepares to snap the ball to quarterback Jake Haener during warmups before a preseason game against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 23 at the Caesars Superdome.

50.0%,484yards,4TDs,2INTs Daniel Beale

50.0%,385yards,1TD,4INTs

72carries,466yards,6.5avg,5TDs

CoastaltrendingupinSun Belt

Former UL quarterbackSamari Collier,shown in the intrasquad game before leaving the program for

reasons, has resurfaced at Coastal Carolinatoignite the Chanticleers to a3-1 startinSun Beltplay.

8catches,150yards,18.7avg DEFENSE

Jaden Dugger

68tackles,6forloss,1sack,1FF

Terrance Williams

45tackles,2forloss,1sack,1FF August

TROY 27, UL 20: If youlookatthe teams’ records, this should be an easy onetopredict.The issueis Troy’s past threewinswerenot in dominating fashion, andthe Cajuns arestill fighting hard. Troy doesn’t havethe overwhelming defense it hadduringits twoSun Belt title seasonsrecently. Neitherteamdoes agreat jobofpossessingthe ball, andneither is greatonthird down Troy hasbeengreat in thefourth quarter,outscoringfoes76-30,while theCajunsdojustenoughtolose. PerhapsULisdue to winaclose one, butit’shardtopredict that

Kevin Foote

2. Southern Miss

Records: 5-2 overall, 3-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank:2

Last week: Defeated UL, 22-10

This week: vs. UL-Monroe, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints:The Golden Eagles could have experienced amuch more unpleasant trip to Lafayette. Instead, Southern Miss threw a 98-yard touchdownpass on third and 13, forced UL quarterback Lunch Winﬁeldtofumble at the 1onﬁrst and goal and overcame a2-for-13 performance of third downs. The Eagles return home to face UL-Monroe.

3. Troy

Records: 5-2 overall, 3-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 5

Last week: Defeated UL-Monroe, 37-14

This week: vs. UL, 6p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints:Troy’srecord looks a lot better than its box scores. The bottom lineisTroy is tied for ﬁrst placeinthe West Division. After pulling off two straightovertime wins, the Trojans were up 2014 late in the third when three straight UL-Monroe turnovers produced 10 quick Troy points. Thenapick-six by Troy turnedit into ablowout.

4. Marshall

Records: 4-3 overall, 2-1 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 6

Last week: Defeated Texas State, 40-37 (2 OTs)

This week: Open date

Extra points: Imagine if the Thundering Herd had won theirﬁrst double-overtime gameinleague play —a54-51 loss to UL. As it is, Marshallisrising up theSun Belt rankings with multiple impres-

CAJUNS

Continued from page5C

“Wehad no idea he wasplayingas hurt ashewas,” Desormeauxsaid “I thinkthat says alot aboutthe kid andthe toughness that he’s got.”

Desormeaux said Sampson’sreturn doesn’tmean different plays will be called, but “players make some of the most average looking things look exceptional. Players make plays come to life.”

Also, UL quarterbacks— starter Lunch Winﬁeld and backup Walker Howard —have looked healthier in practice, andbothcould play against Troy

“You have the conversations with them and you communicate andtellthemthisishow it’s goingtobe, this is what it is and how we’re going to doit,” Desormeaux

State, 45-37

This week: Open date

Extra points: Coastalﬁnishedtied with Appalachian Stateintotal yards with 410 apiece, but wins matter more than statistics and theChanticleers have lost only one of four league games. Samari Collierhas earned thestarting quarterback job. In an emotional road win over AppState, he threw for 118 yards on 12-of-19 passing and added 74 yards and two scores rushing.

6. OldDominion

Records: 4-3 overall, 1-2 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 3

Last week: LosttoJames Madison, 63-27

This week: vs. Appalachian State, 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPNU)

Extrapoints: The talkabout how muchprogress Old Dominion has made is over.The offense is still full of potential, but thedefense thelasttwo weeks has been poor James Madison posted 624 total yards, andthe Monarchsoffense has suffered eightturnoversin thelasttwo games. Awin over App State on Saturday keeps Old Dominion’sslim Sun Belt hopes alive.

7. AppalachianState

Records: 4-3 overall, 1-2 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 4

Last week: Lost to CoastalCarolina, 45-37

This week: at Old Dominion, 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPNU)

Extrapoints: Just when it looked like theMountaineersweredeveloping some consistency,they lose ahome game to Coastal Carolina. Quarterback J.J. Kohl was solid againwith 278 yards passing and twoscores, but App State rushed foronly 132yards.Just group this team with ahost of up-and-down

said. “I thinkLunch deserves to be thestarter right nowwiththe way he’splaying, butthe reality is Walker won the job comingout of camp and Idon’tthink he deserves to just sit there and not get an opportunity to play,either.”

UL will face aTroy defense that is allowing 24.4points, 173.7yards rushing and 189.4 yards passing a game.

“They play really hard, and I think they tackle well,” running backs coach MattBergeron said.

The Trojans utilize an active safety in Devin Lafayette, who has 63 tackles this season.

“We’vegot to makesure we get the IDs right,”Desormeaux said. “They put him in position to make plays. We’vegot to try to ﬁnda way to account for him because he’sa free runner alot.

“Theyhave athree-safety structure, but it’s alittle bitunique be-

by the wayside. After pulling out two miracle wins to get to 2-1 in league play,a rested RedWolves club awaitsa team with plenty of offense but not muchdefense in Georgia Southern.

9. TexasState

Records: 3-4 overall, 0-3 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 7

Last week: Lost at Marshall, 40-37 (2 OTs)

This week: Open date

Extrapoints: Despite the0-3 league start,the Bobcats remain in the top10becauseofsomanyclose games. While no one is feeling sorry forTexas State in its farewell season in the Sun Belt, the Bobcats really should be 3-0in theconference. TexasState gets to spend itsbye week preparing for James Madison.

10.UL

Records: 2-5 overall, 1-2 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 8

Last week: Lost to Southern Miss, 22-10

This week: at Troy,6 p.m.Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: It wasanother loss ﬁlledwithmissedopportunities and suspect offensive execution for the Cajuns. UL’s season is on theverge of doom, but there are afew signsofhope. One, the defense has playedwellfor two games in arow.Secondly,UL’s league schedule through Saturday consistsofthe top four ranked teamsinthis ranking. More wins could be ahead.

11.UL-Monroe

Records: 3-4 overall, 1-2 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 5

Last week: Lost to Troy,37-14

This week: at Southern Miss, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)

cause they play with afour-down front …soit’snot like it’s areal light box.”

In lastweek’s37-14 win over ULMonroe, Troy was outrushed and outpassed by theWarhawks, but thedefense forced four turnovers, including a53-yard interception return foratouchdown.

Defensively,the Cajuns look much better with the return of Maurion Eleam, who missedthree gamesafter dislocating his hip at Missouri on Sept. 13. Eleam collected five tackles in his return last week, but his impact was far greater than those numbers indicate.

“He played good, man,” Desormeauxsaid. “He made plays, he ﬂewaround. He brings an elite levelofcommunication when he’sout there anda conﬁdence to the people around him

“I think that’ssomething that

Records: 3-4 overall, 1-2 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 13

Last week: Defeated Georgia State, 41-24

This week: at Arkansas State, 6p.m. Saturday (ESPN+) Extrapoints: TheEagles took the ﬁrst step in trying to salvage their season with a17-point win over GeorgiaState. There wasn’tmuch defense played.GeorgiaSouthern was 9of13onthird downand the Panthers were 10 of 14. Quarterback JC French threw for210 yards and three TDs, and ran for 85 and anotherscore. Georgia State washurt by 15 ﬂags for 120 yards.

13.South Alabama

Records: 2-6 overall, 1-3 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 12

Last week: Open date.

This week: Defeated Georgia State, 38-31, on Thursday Extra points:The Jaguars finally won oneofthe closeoneswhen KentrellBullock scored on a 4-yard run with1:49 left on Thursday.Bullock finishedwith 113 yards andtwo touchdowns, and BishopDavenport threwfor 280 yards and two TDs.

14.Georgia State

Records: 1-7 overall, 0-4 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 14

Last week: Lost to Georgia Southern, 41-24

This week: Lost to South Alabama, 38-31, on Thursday

Extrapoints:QuarterbackCameran Brown continues to shine with 241 yards and four TDs, and receiver TedHurst added another 110 yards and two scores in Thursday’sloss.

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

is really hard to measure about aperson sometimes until they’re missing.”

Original Troy starting quarterback GooseCrowder suffered an injury after three games and Tucker Kilcrease (80-134-2, 1,054 yds, 9TDs)has ﬁlled in nicely,including a415-yard passing game twoweeks agoagainst Texas State.

“As adefense, we know we have to keep on pressuring him and attacking him,” UL linebacker AshleyWilliams said.“They do some quarterback runs withhim, but he’smore of apasser.” The UL defense has forced ﬁveturnovers over the past two games.

“We’re tackling way better,” Williamssaid.

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

Erath beats St. Martinville in blowout to stay unbeaten

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

In another dominant performance by Erath High, the Bobcats continued their winning ways Thursday by routing the St. Martinville Tigers 45-0 in the District 5-3A opener

“I’m proud of our guys,” Bobcats coach Eric Leblanc said. “We didn’t play a perfect game, but we played well enough to win.”

With the win, the Bobcats improved to 8-0

“The feeling of being 8-0 is nice, but it has really been one game at a time,” Leblanc said. “We have taken it one game at a time and one win to the next win, and it has gotten us to eight. These guys have been working hard since June, and they’ve done a great job.”

The Bobcats’ rushing attack was led by running backs Jahlil Charles, Aiden Bourque and Landon Lemaire, who combined to rush for 240 yards and four touchdowns. Charles, a senior, ﬁnished with a game-high 124 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, followed by Bourque, a junior, who recorded 63 yards and a touchdown on 12

THURSDAY’S SCORES

Abbeville 12, Kaplan 7 Airline 41, Natchitoches Central 21 Amite 35, Albany 0 Brusly 39, McKinley 0 Carencro 66, Sulphur 34 Centerville 28, Hanson Memorial 21 Delhi 62, Block 24 Ehret 41, East Jefferson 30 Erath 45, St. Martinville 0 Jonesboro-Hodge

carries. Lemaire finished as the Bobcats’ third leading rusher with 53 yards and a touchdown in four carries.

“The running backs will all tell you that it all starts up front with those ﬁve offensive linemen and our three tight ends,” Leblanc said. “We had a couple of drives stall early, but we were locked in after the third drive. From that point on, we were just executing.”

Senior receiver Talen Landry led the passing game, catching five passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Bobcats were stout as they held the Tigers to 148

yards of total offense (65 passing, 83 rushing) en route to posting their third consecutive shutout.

“We really stepped up on defense,” Leblanc said “It’s fun to be able to ﬁre off the ball and go get it. Those guys have been playing really well the last three games, and whenever your defense is led by great human beings, it is fun to coach.”

In addition to holding the Tigers offense to 85 total yards going into the ﬁnal drive in which St. Martinville recorded 63 yards — the Bobcats also forced and recovered two fumbles and a sack.

“Our defense loves to hit, play physical and aggressively,” Leblanc said. “They were really locked into their assignments.”

As for preserving the scoreless streak with the junior varsity in the game on the ﬁnal drive, Leblanc said “that was important to the seniors.”

“That was more important to those seniors than it was to me as a coach,” Leblanc said. “We got the starters out and put the JV in and our starters were on the sidelines coaching them up and telling them what to do. That was the cool part about it.”

Trappey keys Catholic High win over ARCA

VOLLEYBALL REPORT

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

Catholic High of New Iberia junior volleyball player Amelie Trappey has already topped the 1,000 mark in two statistical categories. The six-rotation player has a career total of 1,071 kills and 1,466 digs after the Panthers won a 2514, 25-13, 25-13 nondistrict match against Acadiana Renaissance in Youngsville on Thursday

“It’s a huge accomplishment to get 1,000 in any statistic,” CHS coach Gary Westcott said. “It shows how consistent Amelie has been.”

Trappey, who served three aces to open the third set, ﬁnished with 11 kills, four aces and 20 digs for the Panthers (22-13, No. 9 in Division IV).

Listed at 5-foot-6 on the roster, Trappey said she’s actually 5-foot-4. Either way, she doesn’t have the height of many outside hitters but makes up for it with above-average jumping ability

“I really just work hard in practice on my jumping,” she said. “It feels amazing to get 1,000 digs and kills. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my team behind me.”

The Panthers, who have won 15 of their past 17 matches, lost nine of 10 in one stretch of schedule that included heavyweights like New Orleans powers Dominican and Mount Carmel.

“I think we responded well,” Westcott said. “There were a couple of games we could’ve won; some we couldn’t. We learned a lot from those losses, including me. I’ve never went 1-9 and it was frustrating, but it’s a matter of understanding the process and working through it.”

Libero Gracie Neck is the only senior Niyah Ferdinand contributed nine kills, a block and two digs against ARCA (13-16, No. 16 in Division III), which had won four of ﬁve.

Caroline Meyer chipped in seven kills. Mackenzie Batiste had an all-around effort with 16 assists, six kills, four digs and three aces. The other setter, Renee Frederick, was also versatile with 19 assists, ﬁve digs, three aces and a kill.

Addisyn Derouen who added five digs, five aces and three kills, served CHS to a 5-0 lead in the first set.

“Caroline Meyer has played extremely well offensively,” Westcott said. “Ferdinand has a chance to break the single-season block record. She’s been a big

SCOREBOARD

43, 10:01. Min_Addison 4 pass from Wentz (Reichard kick), 4:36. Fourth Quarter LAC_T.Harris 6 pass from Herbert (Dicker kick), 12:42. LAC_FG Dicker 34, 7:01. LAC_FG Dicker 45, 1:56. A_71,094. MinLAC First downs 12 29 Total Net Yards 164 419 Rushes-yards 11-34 43-207 Passing 130 212 Punt Returns 0-0 1-0 Kickoff Returns 5-135 3-75 Interceptions Ret. 1-0 1-15 Comp-Att-Int 18-31-1 18-25-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 5-27 2-15 Punts 4-46.0 0-0.0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0

force in the middle defensively; Caroline offensively Our middles, even though they’re young and ﬁrst-year starters, are coming around.

“Our setters were consistent and did their job throughout.”

Westcott believes the top ﬁve seeds in the Division IV playoff bracket are already set in stone. In September, the Panthers defeated No. 5 Sacred Heart-New Orleans (23-6). The CHS coach has seen two of the other top ﬁve seeds live and watched the other two on tape.

“We need to be a little more consistent in reducing our errors,” said Westcott, who hopes to move up a few spots in the power ratings with multiple upcoming games at the prestigious Episcopal School of Acadiana Spooktacular Tournament.

“We’ve had a lot of hitting and serving errors. If we clean up our game, we definitely have a chance against anybody You just need to get to the state tournament. Once you get there, anything can happen.”

Westcott, who was pleased with 15 aces against two service errors on Thursday, said No. 1 Dunham (26-8) is “extremely young but tall.”

“I think we can make a run in Division IV,” Trappey said. “Anybody can win it. After a rough night against Vandebilt Catholic (on Wednesday), we did really good. We all really want it, and we’re going to do it for our one senior.”

STAFF PHOTO By LEE BALL

Erath’s Aiden Bourque fights for yards during the Bobcats’ win over St. Martinville on Thursday

TerryRobinson FAITH MATTERS

Journeyof faithleads Lutheran pastor

to BR

Achange of heart and a heartfelt conversation with his mother helped shape the Rev Aquilino “John” Perez’s journey from Catholic seminarian to pastor of two Lutheran churches in Baton Rouge.

About seven yearsago, Perez completed his studies at a Catholic seminary with plans to become amissionary priest When his outlook and theology began to shift, he called on his mother,who had raised him in the Catholic Church, to share what was on his heart.

“Her exact words to me were, ‘As long as you ﬁnda church that is Christ-centered, it doesn’t matter to me,’” he recalled. Perez, 31, eventually found his spiritual home in the EvangelicalLutheran Church in America, one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States.

“There was an emphasis on grace with the ELCA, which really caught my attention,” he said. Since taking on the role of pastor of the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour and St. Paulon Oct. 1, the Texas native has discovered older yet welcoming congregations with distinct cultures, as well as avibrant city offering plenty for young singles like himself.

“There are people here (at the churches) that are my age, maybe alittle older,and others signiﬁcantly older than myself with children and families,”he said. “My initial thought was, am Igoing to be able to relate to these folks, and Ihave found the answer to be surprisingly yes.” Of the city,Perez said he’s inspired by the youthful energy,particularlyatLSU and Southern.

“It’sgood to be around people my age and see that side of the community as well,” he said “Sometimes, you have to look for the signs of life. Here, this city has apulse.”

Growing up in asmall town in Texas near Austin, Perez attended acommunity college for two years after high school. He studied pre-med in preparation for nursing school. The death of his stepfather marked apivotal moment in his life, prompting him to consider seminaryand the priesthood.

“It really shed light on where my heartwas,” he said.“There was an inkling that said, ‘Hey, have you thought about going to seminary?’ At 19 years old, Ihad no idea whatthat was, so Iwent and talked to the parish priest, and he said, ‘Are you serious?’” Perez was serious, spending three years at aCatholicseminary in Iowa, where he earned abachelor’sdegree in philosophy.When it came time to take the next step toward the priesthood, he found himself at acrossroads.

“I started growing out and expanding. That’swhere I found myself faced with, ‘Do I stay in the churchordoI leave the church,’”hesaid.

Theological differences— particularly regarding women’saccess to the sacraments and issues of race —pulled him in anew direction. Missionwork in acoed community and teaching English to people from Vietnam, Latin America

See MATTERS, page 10C

‘The little book festivalthatcan’

AS BOOK FEST TURNS100,ORGANIZERS LOOK TO COVEREVERyONE’SINTERESTS

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

TheLouisiana Book Festival is

celebrating 100 years of the State Library of Louisiana with 236 featured participants, including authors,moderators, programs and activities. This year marksthe 21st annual book festival, and the literary fun will take place 9a.m. to 4p.m. Nov.1indowntown Baton Rouge in and around theState LibraryonFourth Street.

Led by Jim Davis since itsinception, thebook festival has anew director at thehelm, Robert Wilson, director of Louisiana Center of the Book. Wilson hasworkeddiligently at the festival since it began with Davis.

LouisianaCenter for theBook is one of 56 afﬁliates of theCenterfor theBookinthe Library of Congress. The Louisiana Center for the Book plans and promotes the LouisianaBook Festival and its programs.

Statelibrarian Meg Placke says the team at Center for the Book does remarkable work.

“Up until this year,I’ve kind of always been thesecond in command,”Wilson said, “but Jim and I worked soclosely together,itwas really more of aco-directorship. It’s been apassion of mine for a

long time. Ireally enjoy promoting thebooks, reading the authors and letting kids and adultsknow that readingcan be fun. That’s abig part of what the Louisiana Center for theBook is. Basically,our goal is to promotebooks.”

Anew plan forthe festival

Duetoaspecial legislative session, which began Oct. 23 and must endbyNov.13, therewillbenoprogramsinthe Capitol this year.

Other than the change in scen-

ery,Wilson said the festival will continue as it hasinthe past,with the locus at the State Library and spreading out in tents along the grounds. To compensate forlosing therooms at theCapitol,the State Librarywillopenrooms on every ﬂoor and add tents outside.

The Capitol Park Museum will also hold somepanels, as wellas the Bienville Building.

Forafestivalthat’sall about

Nickelodeonboy band BigTimeRushcomingtoBR

Time Rush will performin Baton Rouge at the Raising Cane’sRiver Center at 7p.m.on Feb 10.

BY MADDIESCOTT Staff writer

Time Rush will perform at the Raising Cane’sRiver Center, 275 S. RiverRoad,at7 p.m. on

See RUSH, page 10C

Time Rush is coming to BTR. The boy band added 15 locations to their“In Real Life Worldwide” tour on Monday,each new spot located near acollege or university in theUnitedStates, and Baton Rouge madethe list. Theboy band, composed of Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, Carlos PenaVega and James Maslow,got its start on the 2009 Nickelodeon show,“Big Time Rush.”The scriptedshow followed the boys’ Hollywood adventures and musical success after starting aboy band. The fame became realafter releasing three albumsand performing across the globe.

The Louisiana Book Festival features many activitiessurrounding the State Library of Louisiana.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Festivalgoers browse the Cavalier Book Tent at the 2024 Louisiana Book Festival

No photos on social mediafor me,please

Dear Miss Manners: Ioccasionally enjoy having lunch at arestaurant with agroup of longtime friends. All is welluntil the time comes when they want to take agroup photo, which, of course, gets posted on Facebook. Idonot post on social media. Idonot want my life, in words nor photos, posted. So Iquietlysay I’ll back out of camerarange, as Idon’twant apicture of me posted online.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Iget looks like I’m from another planet. How do Irespond to these looks? And just as bad, howdoI respond to people who post my photo without permission? Gentle reader: MovetoDubai. Ap-

BOOK FEST

Continued from page9C

connection, Placke and Wilson are appreciative of their stateagencyneighbors who have been accommodating withthe changes in location for the festival.

Visitors should be on the lookoutfor the cooking demonstration tent with Marcelle Bienvenu and Celeste Gill, the Young Readers Young Readers Pavilion, the Cavalier House book tent and the Children’sAuthor Tents.

“We’ve got me alittle bitof every something for everybody,” Wilson said. What to look forin2025

The festival hosts writing workshops, known as “WordShops,” emphasizing both the craft and the business of writing on Oct. 31 The workshops are availablefor both novice and advanced writers, as well as anyone who enjoys books and good conversation. Tickets can be purchased at louisianabookfestival.org/ events/wordshops/.

The schedule for WordShops includes:

n Does Your Writing Smell?The Power of “The Fifth Sense” presented by Julie Kane from 9a.m. to noon

n “Building aWriting Career,” presented by Michele Filgate from9a.m. to noon

n “The Great Character Surrender,”presented by Kionna Walker LeMalle from 1p.m. to 4p.m.

n “Selling Your Story: Strategies from aTop-Selling Literary Agent,” presented by Jesse Byrd from 1p.m. to 4p.m.

The Louisiana Writer Award winner,poet Julie Kane, alongtime friendof the festival, will be honored at noon, and hercollectionof poems, “Naked Women” will be available for purchase. Wilson highlighted afew of the authors and panels

MATTERS

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and Africa broadened his view of the church.

“I guessthatreally pushed the envelope to expand my theology that really doesinclude peopleofall nations and all walks of life,” he said.

“I started questioning things and started wanting to move in another direction.” His next direction took him backhome to Texas, where he worked several years in nonproﬁt and social work and startedattending an ELCA church. Word spread about his seminary experience, and he was soon elevated to aleadership position in the church.

“That really igniteda spark in me to go back to seminary,” he said.

This time, he attended a Lutheran seminary in Chicago for three years before taking an internship in Kingwood, Texas, to pursue acall.

RUSH

Continued from page9C

parently there, youmust ask for permission beforetaking aphoto. Good manners would dictate the same in ourcountry,but since it is not punishable by law, no one adheres to it. Miss Manners is workingonthat In themeantime, ignore the looksand ask your friendstotake down the photos.Itisthey who are being rude, not you. Dear Miss Manners: After afriend pointed out how oftenItalk over other people, I’ve been working to rein in this bad habit. In my personal life, this has gone well.

At work,it’sbeen harder.I’m frequently in meetings where a

colleague is so long-winded, or so far off-topic, that if someone doesn’tinterrupt and redirect them, we aren’table to ﬁnish the business at hand.

Almostasoften, theperson running themeeting is in arush and moves on from atopic too quickly before I’ve gotten theinformation Ineed. Here, if Idon’tinterrupt and ask them to back up, Ihave to schedule another meeting to follow up, which is annoying for everyone. Assuming in bothcases the speaker doesn’tpause, ask questionsortake abreath, how can I help guide these conversations without interrupting?

Gentlereader: Youcould raise your hand. Although abit school-ish

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Louisiana Book Festival offers workshops, known as ‘WordShops,’emphasizing both the craft and the business of writing.

he’s looking forward to this year,noting that the festivalhas astrongshowing of biographiesand memoirs, spooky books, music history books, mystery,romance, true crime, children’sbooks, Louisianahistory,poetry andnovels.

Afew titles hesaystolook for include:

n “Dr.Werthless: He Studied Murderand Nearly Killed theComics Industry” by Harold Schecter, agraphic novel about Dr.Fredric Wertham.

n “Soggy like Cush Cush” by Karly Pierre, achildren’s bookthatcelebratesCreole culture andthe love of a grandparent and agrandchild

n LouisianaReaders’ Choicewinner K-2 “Acorn WasaLittle Wild”byJen Arena and honor book, “Anglerﬁsh: Seadevilofthe Deep” by Elaine M. Alexander n LouisianaReaders’ Choice winner for Middle Grades, “Swim Team”by Johnnie Christmas and honor book, “Camp Scare” by Delilah S.Dawson n “Everythingbut Typical: Inﬂuential Neurodivergent People WhoHaveShaped theWorld” by Margeaux Weston

Abishop approached him aboutconsideringa move to pastor in Baton Rouge.

“I was alittle hesitant at first,” Perez said. “But something moved around in my heart and said just look at thepaperwork, and Ibegan to read aboutOur Saviour and St.Paul.…Iwent through the process with them, and we likedeach other wellenough thatwe got to the voting and had two unanimous votes.”

Perez’spastoral care is shaped by John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down hislife for thesheep ”

“It just speaks to me,” he said. “When Jesus said something about the hired hand is not the shepherd. When the wolf comes,he abandons the sheep and runs away.Hesays thegood shepherd staysand carries the flock. And no matter what, he will laydown his life for the ﬂock.”

Just as the good shepherd guards the ﬂock, Perezsaid

n “Twice Around aMarriage” by Robert Olen Butler

n “The River is Waiting” by Wally Lamb n “InHumana: An American Healthcare Story” by JeremyWhite and “The Youngest Bee: ALouisiana Story of Sisterhood, Strength, &Alzheimer’s” by Virginia Evans

n “Preserving theLegacy: Creating The National World WarIIMuseum”byGordon H. “Nick” Mueller

n “Pinchback: America’s First Black Governor” by Nicholas Patler

n “StompOff, Let’sGo: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong” by Ricky Riccardi

Hospitality andwarmth are thefoundation of the Louisiana Book Festival, and despiteits size, the festival is aplace where many authors love to return to and readerslook forwardtoeach year

“Other festivals arebigger,but we always hear that people get morepersonal interactions with panelists and programs,”Wilson said. “Weare the little festival that can.”

Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

trueministers are called to boldly confront the issues thatare harmful to God’s people. Justice is acentral theme of Perez’scalling, whether it’satOur Saviour (3555 Jones Creek Road), St.Paul (2021 Tara Blvd.) or throughout thecommunity Perezsaid we are called to embrace immigrants, strangers, outsiders and all who may be different.

“The Christian message is welcomethose people. Be there for them. Love them as youloveyourself,”he said. “Everybody belongs here. Idon’tcare who you are, where you come from or whereyou’re going in life.Ifyou approach the church, Iamthe pastor here, so I’mthe pastor for anybody whowalks through those doors.”

For more information, lcosbr.org or stpaulbr.com.

ContactTerry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail. com.

$30 at select tour locations. Katelyn Tarver andStephen Kramer Glickman, also known as Jo andGustavofrom theshow,will join the band as special guests on thetour.Every song from every episode will be played at each performance.

and annoying, it will get the point across without actual interruption.Oryou could preempt those speakers prone to reciting monologues by asking if there will be time for questions afterward.

ButMiss Manners does not entirely object to asking to schedule another meeting. While inconvenient,ithas the advantage of likely only having to occur once to be effective.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave been frequenting apub forawhile now

My favorite bartender is very kind, and alwaysgets me my favoritedrink. Idon’tdrink alcohol, which she knows, and Imake sure to drink enough nonalcoholic beverages for her to earn aproﬁt. The problem is, she regularly

‘I’m Proof’women’s conference set

The ﬁfth annual Running to My Rescue: “I’m Proof” Women’sConference will take place Friday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov.1,atthe N-Joy Event Center,3330 Woodcrest Drive, Baton Rouge

This empowering twoday gathering, hosted by Lashonda Bazile,celebrates thestrength andresilience of womenwho are“living proof”ofwhatGod can do. The weekend will feature inspiring speakers, worship, empowering activities, vendor shopping andfellowship. Admissionranges from free to $55.20, and refunds areavailableuptoseven days before theevent Formore information, visit eventbrite.com.

Deacon leads retreat in Rosedale

Deacon Charles deGravelles will lead aspiritual re-

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday, Oct. 25, the 298th day of 2025. There are 67 days left in the year Todayinhistory: On Oct. 25, 1929, former Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall was convicted of accepting bribes in exchange for oil field leases at Teapot Dome in Wyoming and the Elk Hills and Buena Vistaoil fields in California. As aresult of the“Teapot Dome Scandal” Fall would become thefirst U.S. Cabinet member to be imprisoned for crimes committed while in office. Also on this date:

In 1760, Britain’sKing George III succeeded his late grandfather,George II.

In 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown went on trial in Charles Town, Virginia, for his failed raid at Harpers Ferry.(He was convicted and later hanged.)

In 1962, during an emergency meetingofthe U.N. SecurityCouncil, U.S. Ambassador Adlai E. Steven-

provides me with free alcohol shots. Is there any waytostop her?

Gentle reader: Kindly ask her not to?

Remind her that you do not drink, but that you are morethan happy to join her with shots of juice or anything else she has lying around —except, Miss Manners warns, the contents of the bar mat

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

RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFFREPORTS

treat from 10 a.m.tonoon Saturday,Nov.1,atthe Episcopal Church of the Nativity,15615 LaurelSt., Rosedale.

The retreat will explore effective techniquesto deepen one’sspiritual life.

The eventisfree, open to the public andwill include lunch after the presentation.

Topicswill include community prayer versus personal prayer: how to get the most out of each; why interior silence is so important in prayer andhow to achieve it; how to “practice the presence” of God; how to praywithdevotion;and the basic principles of intercessory and healing prayer.The retreat will include time for practice of thetechniques and discussion.

DeGravelles is archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana whose ministries have included work with the incarcerated, thoseinaddictionsrecov-

TODAYINHISTORY

son II demanded that Soviet Ambassador Valerian Zorin conﬁrm or deny the existence of Soviet-built missile bases in Cuba. Stevenson then presented the council with photographic evidence of the bases, a key momentinthe Cuban missile crisis.

In 1986, in Game 6ofthe World Series, the NewYork Mets rallied for three runs with two outs in the 10th inning, defeating the Boston Red Sox 6-5 and forcing a seventh game; the tiebreaking run scored on Boston ﬁrst baseman Bill Buckner’serror on Mookie Wilson’sslow grounder.(The Mets went on to win Game 7and the Series.)

In 1999, golfer Payne Stewart and five others were killedwhentheir Learjet lost cabin pressure, flew hundreds of milesoff course on autopilot, and crashed in afield in South Dakota. Stewart was 42.

In 2002, Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, of Minnesota, was killed in aplane crash in northern

ery andthe homeless. He also works with the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, where he often teaches service learning andcommunity impact. He also leads worship at the Rosedale church.

Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by contacting deGravelles at Charlie.degravelles@gmail. com.

WorshStep at Spoga Fitness Center

Join Bobby Earl for Worsh Step from 6:45 p.m to 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Spoga Fitness Center,811 C MFagan Drive, Hammond.

“This unique event blends ﬁtness and faith, morethan just aworkout, it’sworship in motion. Sweat,praise and connect withGod and othersthrough joyful movement,” anews release states. For moredetails, visit eventbrite.com.

Minnesota along with his wife,daughter and ﬁve others, aweek-and-a-half before the election.

In 2022, Rishi Sunak became Britain’sﬁrst prime minister of color after being chosen to lead the governing Conservative Party Today’sbirthdays: Actor Marion Ross is 96. Author Anne Tyler is 84. Rock singer Jon Anderson (Yes) is 81. Political strategist James Carville is 81. Basketball Hall of Famer Dave Cowens is 77. Olympic gold medal wrestler DanGable is 77. Olympic gold medal hockey player Mike Eruzione is 71. Actor Nancy Cartwright (TV:“The Simpsons”) is 68. Rock drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 64. Actor-comedian-TV host Samantha Bee is 56. Country singer Chely Wright is 55. Violinist Midori is 54. Baseball Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez is 54. Actor Craig Robinson is 54. Author Zadie Smith is 50. Actor Mehcad Brooks is 45. Pop singer Katy Perry is 41.

scoRPIo (oct.24-Nov. 22) Refuse to let others tempt you with lavish plans that have littletonochance of panning out. Follow your heartand nurturewhat matters most to you.Physical improvements will boost yourconfidence and energy.

sAGIttARIus(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Share feelings and resolve issues. Stick to the factsand avoid overreactive responses. Don't be too quick to use your creditcard or to participate in a jointventure

cAPRIcoRN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be open to discussionsand listen to the ideas that others present. Understanding the potentialdownfalls of asituation will help youmake wise choices.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Rethink your strategy andconsider your options. Stick close to home and dedicate more time andeffort to personal growth and development.Know your worth.

PIscEs (Feb.20-March 20) Putyour emotions asideand refuse to let anyone play mind games or manipulate you. Askdirect questions, stick to your morals andethics, and be willing to go it alone.

ARIEs(March 21-April 19) Explore the possibilitiesofafriendship, partnership or mentorship. Diginand findout all you can about someone or something of interest. Networking will lead to interestingprospects.

tAuRus (April20-May 20) You'llgravitate toward unique individuals, pur-

suits andpractices. Making achange at home or in your lifestyle can help you move in adifferent direction.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Channel your energyinto something worthwhile. Protect andnurture your relationships, anddon't take anyone or anything for granted. Focus on self-improvement and health.

cANcER (June 21-July 22) Size up your budget, expenditures and what it will take and cost to reach your goals.Ease stress by creating aplanthathelps you avoid making poor choices or falling for scams.

LEo (July 23-Aug.22) You'llface opposition at home and at functions you attend. Verify information and be willing to walk away when red flags pop up. Funnel your time, money andeffort into personal growth.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You can expand your interests quickly if you avoid interference from negative people or those unlikely to take risks. Communicate with experts and learn all you can without revealing the true nature of your inquiries.

LIBRA(sept. 23-oct.23) Read,research and findremedies for what ails you. A change of scenery will provide clarity to your vision.

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: VEQuALsK

CeLebrItY CIpher

better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers The object is to place thenumbers1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box containsthe same number only once. The difficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Robert Byrne, an author and expert on billiards (not the chessplayer), said, “Nobody ever committed suicide while reading agood book, but many have while trying to write one.” Some bridge players metaphorically commit suicide by making aplay that kills their contract when they could have kept it alive by doing somethingdifferent— andshould have worked thatout with careful analysis. In today’s deal, South putshimself into four spades. West leads the hearteight because hispartner bid the suit twice. East wins with his ace and returnsthe heartqueen. What should declarer do? It wouldhave been sensible for South to rebid three no-trump, not four spades. AssumingWest is going to lead aheart, that would give Southnine top tricks. In fourspades,given that dummy has the club king, there seem to be 10 top tricks: six spades, one heart, one diamond and two clubs. So perhaps South thinks thathecan take the second trick with his heart king, draw trumps, and claim. However, drawing trumps would be delayed becauseWest ruffs the heart king. If West returns atrump, thecontract is dead. Or if,say, West shiftstoa diamond, South will winand play aheart NowWestmust ruff high and lead his last spade—surely not taxing plays to find. The bidding marksWestwith a singleton heart So South should play alow heart, not his king, at trick two. And if East persists with athird heart, South plays low again. With declarer’s 10th winner safe, the contract rolls home. Stop to consider the alternatives. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzle is awordriddle whichcreates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample:NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

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

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —MELoDEoN

toDAy’s WoRD EstRoNE: EH-strone: Anaturalhormoneusedtotreat estrogen deficiency. Average mark24words Time limit 55 minutes Can youfind 45 or more words in ESTRONE? meld