The Acadiana Advocate 11-03-2025

Stateenergyprojectsfacepauses, cuts

Trumpadministrationcould hitbrakes on direct aircapture,carbonplants

BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer

TheTrump administration has quietly paused funding for initiatives at LSU and the University of LouisianaatLafayette that were studying direct air captureand

solar energy employment, amid a broader movementthatmay result in hundreds ofmillions of dollars in Louisiana energy projectsbeing cut.

The funding pause comes as a list of proposed cutsbythe Department of Energy has circulat-

ed in Washington, D.C. Itstargets include Project Cypressinsouthwest Louisiana, amassive federally supported direct air capture project,aswell as carbon-capture projects by Entergy,Shell and Honeywell, among others. It’s notyet clear whetherthe projects will ultimately be cut, and the Department of Energy declined to answer questions for this story about the list’sauthenticity But the changes raise questions

aboutwhether Louisiana will continue to be abeneficiaryofa national movement under former President Joe Biden’sadministration to bring technologies like direct air capture to market. And thepotential cuts come at the same time an unusualcoalitionofrural conservatives and environmentalists have bandedtogether to push back against awave of projects by petrochemical companies to store CO2 deep underground all across the state. The Energy Department had alreadyannounced aroundof$8 billion in funding cuts to clean energy in early October.Not long after,another list started circulating that proposed asecond round of cuts, which include at least two university projects in Louisiana that have reported having their funding paused.

ABOVE: Chefs, or ‘chevaliers,’encirclealarge griddletostira 5,041-eggomeletSundayduring the41stannualGiant Omelette Festivalon ConcordStreetindowntownAbbeville RIGHT: Byronand MegHebertworkfasttocrack thousandsofeggs. More on 1B.

‘It’s what I’ll do

Remote corner of N.O. beingtransformed into farm

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

When Kelly Cahill isn’t bartending, she tends to around 300 birds on her poultry farm —not in rural Louisiana, but just ashort drive from the French Quarter. The only poultry farmer withher own processing shop in New Orleans, Cahill runsaone-woman showin Lower Coast Algiers, raising, slaughtering and selling the

pasture-raised chickens and ducks to farmersmarkets andrestaurants around the city

“It’swhatI’ll do forever,” Cahill said on an October afternoon, peering into amobile coop with 100 youngducks. Cahill,a34-year-old Lafayette native,firstgot into farming through aCraigslist job posting for avegetable farm over adecade ago. The

FamilyCourt complaints sparkunusual uproar

Childabuse allegations, misconduct complaints create clashamong judges; nowpoliticiansare involved

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

In August 2023, avolatile divorce and custody casetook aturn whena judge in Baton Rouge held amother of twins in contempt of courtand orderedmonths of jail time if she didn’t paythousandstoher ex-husband’s attorney Aftera four-daytrial, Family CourtJudge Pam Baker found Katherine Diamond had harassed her ex-husband, posted online about custody matters against acourt order and failedtopay child support,attorneyfees or the house note.

Thejudge tacked on another$50,000 in legalfees forDiamond to payher ex-husband and wrote that Diamond, who has rarely seen her kids in years and only under supervision, “continues to be abusive to everyone she has contact with in this case.”

Afew weeks later,Baker tapped out, recusingherselfoveractions she found “so outrageous and extremethat the court fears for the safety of herself, her staff, and anyone else that Ms.Diamond perceivestobeassociated with the Court.”

Diamond had postedabout Baker’sfamily,the judge wrote, “including addresses and contact information for her husband and son.”

To Baker,it’sonly gotten worse since then.

She said she plans to retire at the endofthe year over what she calls dangerous and unwarrantedscrutinyatthe Family Court of East Baton Rouge Parish, sparked by Diamond’sadvocacy

“It’sfrightening how unhinged some of the litigants are. It’snot worth it to endanger my family and myself,” Baker said.

Unlike most bitter litigants, Diamond has mustered support from acast of state leaders while accusing the court’sfour judges and lawyers of abusing their powers.

Atrio of political influencers—Baton Rouge GOP head Woody Jenkins, Gonzales state Rep. Kathy Edmonston and Louisiana Supreme CourtJustice Jefferson Hughes

2 killed in drone strike in Ukraine’s Odesa region

KYIV Ukraine At least two people were killed in a drone attack in Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region, authorities said Sunday Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continued to target each other’s infrastructure.

A Russian drone attack on a car park in the Odesa region, on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, in the early hours of Sunday killed two people, according to the State Emergency Service Odesa regional head Oleh Kiper said that three others were wounded.

Tens of thousands of homes were left without power after Russia attacked the front-line Zaporizhzhia region overnight with drones and missiles

Zaporizhzhia regional head

Ivan Fedorov said nearly 60,000 people faced power outages and that two people were wounded in the attacks. He posted photos on Telegram of buildings reduced to rubble. As a result of attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, several regions faced rolling power cuts on Sunday, Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said.

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said Sunday that the partially occupied Donetsk region was without electricity as well as parts of the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions.

Official: Nuke test plans won’t include explosions

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — New tests of the U.S. nuclear weapons system ordered up by President Donald Trump will not include nuclear explosions, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday It was the first clarity from the Trump administration since the president took to social media last week to say he had “instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”

“I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests,” Wright said on Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing.” “These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call noncritical explosions.”

Wright, whose agency is responsible for testing, added that the planned testing involves “all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion.”

The confusion over Trump’s intention started minutes before he held a critical meeting in South Korea with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump took to his Truth Social platform and appeared to suggest he was preparing to discard a decades-old U.S. prohibition on testing nuclear weapons. Later that day, as he made his way back to Washington, Trump was coy on whether he really meant to say he was ordering the resumption of explosive testing of nuclear weapons — something only North Korea has undertaken this century or calling for the testing of U.S. systems that could deliver a nuclear weapon, which is far more routine.

Video shows immigration agent punching man

Police in a Chicago suburb are collecting videos and other evidence to send to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office after a car crash involving a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle led to a violent arrest caught on video showing an agent repeatedly punching a man in the head while pinned to the ground.

Immigration agents arrested three people after a sedan collided with the rear of the U.S. Border Patrol vehicle around noon Friday in the city of Evanston. The episode drew a crowd of onlookers and quickly escalated.

Videos posted to social media show some in the crowd appearing to try to interfere with the arrests. Federal agents are seen at times deploying pepper spray, punching a man who approaches the officers, and pointing a gun in the direction of another woman who opened the agents’ vehicle door, where a detainee had been placed. Federal agents have been spreading throughout Evanston in recent days as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement activities in the Chicago region. In response some Evanston community members have set up “rapid response” teams, organizing to warn residents when federal agents are spotted and working to slow the agents as they travel through the region.

Shutdown dragging into 6th week

Trump pushes Republicans to change Senate rules

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON Republicans and Democrats remained at a stalemate on the government shutdown over the weekend as it headed into its sixth week, with food aid potentially delayed or suspended for millions of Americans and President Donald Trump pushing GOP leaders to change Senate rules to end it.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Sunday that Trump has spoken to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, as he has publicly and repeatedly pushed for an end to the Senate filibuster But Republicans have strongly rejected Trump’s calls since his first term, arguing that the rule requiring 60 votes to overcome any objections in the Senate is vital to the institution and has allowed them to stop Democratic policies when they are in the minority Leavitt said Sunday that

the Democrats are “crazed people” who haven’t shown any signs of budging.

“That’s why President Trump has said Republicans need to get tough they need to get smart, and they need to use this option to get rid of the filibuster, to reopen the government and do right by the American public,” Leavitt said on “Sunday Morning Futures” on Fox News.

Democrats have voted 13 times against reopening the government, denying Republicans the votes in the 53-47 Senate as they insist on negotiations to extend government health care subsidies that will be cut off at the end of the year Republicans say they won’t negotiate until the government is reopened.

With the two parties at a standstill, the shutdown, now in its 33rd day appears likely become the longest in history The previous record was set in 2019, when Trump demanded that Congress give him money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Trump’s push on the filibuster could prove a distraction for Thune and Republican senators who have opted instead to stay the course as the consequences of the shutdown have become more acute, including more missed

APPLEWHITE

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the Senate GOP whip, left, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, arrive for a news conference on the government shutdown on Oct. 1 at the Capitol in Washington.

paychecks for air traffic controllers and other government workers and uncertainty over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP Republicans are hoping that at least some Democrats will eventually give them the votes they need as they hold repeated votes on a bill to reopen the government. Democrats have held together so far, but some moderates have been in talks with rank-and-file Republicans about potential compromises that could guarantee votes on health care in exchange for reopening the government. Republicans need five ad-

ditional Democrats to pass their bill.

“We need five with a backbone to say we care more about the lives of the American people than about gaining some political leverage,” Thune said on the Senate floor as the Senate left Washington for the weekend on Thursday Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that there is a group of people talking about “a path to fix the health care debacle” and a commitment from Republicans not to fire more federal workers. But it’s still unclear if those talks could produce a mean-

ingful compromise. The coming week could also be crucial for Democrats as the open enrollment period for health care marketplaces governed by the Affordable Care Act opened Saturday and people are already starting to see spikes in premium costs for the next year meaning it may be too late to make immediate changes. Democrats are also watching the results of gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey on Tuesday As Democrats have pushed Trump and Republicans to negotiate, Trump has showed little interest in doing so. He immediately called for an end to the Senate filibuster after a trip to Asia while the government was shut down. Leavitt said Sunday that the president spoke to both Thune and Johnson about the filibuster But a spokesperson for Thune said Friday that his position hasn’t changed, and Johnson said on Sunday that Republicans traditionally have resisted calling for an end to the filibuster because it protects them from “the worst impulses of the farleft Democrat Party.” Trump’s call to end it “is a reflection of all of our desperation,” Johnson said on “Fox News Sunday.”

1 of 2 men held over train stabbings released

U.K. authorities laud ‘heroic’ rail worker

BY PAN PYLAS and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

LONDON British police said Sunday that one of two men arrested in connection with a mass stabbing attack that spread fear and panic on a Londonbound train a day earlier has been released without charge, and that one person, a “heroic” member of the railway staff, remains in a life-threatening condition.

In a statement Sunday evening, police said the only remaining suspect is a 32-year-old British man who remains in custody on suspicion of attempted murder A second man initially arrested as a suspect was released without charge after it was determined the 35-year-old was not involved.

Police said they are not treating the stabbings as an act of terror and are confident they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack.

A train is parked Sunday at the station

in Huntingdon, England.

They have not disclosed a possible motive or the type of knife used.

“Our investigation is moving at pace and we are confident we are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident,” said Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy of the British Transport Police.

“As would be expected, specialist detectives are looking into the background of the suspect we have in custody and the events that led up to the attack,” he added.

Six people remained in

hospitals Sunday, one of them in a life-threatening condition. Police said he is a staff member of the train’s operator, London North Eastern Railway, or LNER, which operates the East Coast Mainline services in the U.K.

“Having viewed the CCTV from the train, the actions of the member of rail staff were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people’s lives,” said Cundy

The five others injured during the attack on Saturday evening have been

Israel says it received remains of three hostages from Gaza

BY RENATA BRITO Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israel on Sunday announced that the remains of three hostages had been handed over from Gaza and would be examined by forensic experts, as a fragile month-old ceasefire held.

A Hamas statement earlier said the remains were found Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza. Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants had released the remains of 17 hostages with 11 remaining in Gaza, before Sunday’s handover Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged faster progress, and in certain cases it has said the remains aren’t of any hostage. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.

Israel’s military said official identification of these remains would be provided to families first.

Emotions around the remains have been high among families, who continue to rally weekly On Saturday night, Moran Harari, a friend of the late Carmel Gat, urged Israel to have restraint

“This cursed war has taken so many lives of dear people on both sides of the fence. This time, we must not fall into it again,” Harari said during a rally in Jerusalem Israel in turn has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians for the return of the remains of an Israeli hostage.

Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire

began have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has posted photos of remains in the hope that families will recognize them.

It is unclear if the Palestinians returned were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the war, died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war

The exchange has been the central part of the initial phase of the U.S.brokered ceasefire. The 20-point plan includes the formation of an international stabilization force of Arab and other partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gaza’s borders and ensure the ceasefire is respected.

discharged from hospitals.

The two men were arrested eight minutes after the

first emergency calls were made at 7:42 p.m Saturday from aboard the train, where passengers had reported scenes of panic and chaos, with many running through the carriages and some seeking safety in the toilets.

Police said the suspect is from Peterborough and that he boarded the train at the town’s station, just a few minutes before it was forced into an emergency stop in Huntingdon, a market town around 75 miles north of London.

The attack took place as the 6:25 p.m. train from Doncaster in northern England to London’s King’s Cross station was about halfway through its two-hour journey, having just departed Peterborough.

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70501

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIRSTy WIGGLESWORTH

after a mass stabbing on a London-bound train

vocation connected her to her food in away she hadn’t experienced before, she recalled, and she’sbeenfarming ever since

Through herbusiness, Yardbirds, Cahill rears and processes birds on land owned by Cheryl Nunes and AnnieMoore, afarmer couple who seven years ago bought 88 acres of mostly undevelopedpasture —the largest privately owned propertyinthe city without any subdivisions. They transformed thelandinto River Queen Greens,a certified naturallygrown vegetable farm that leases out some of their land to acouple of smaller-scale farmers, including Cahill. But they aren’tthe only farmers nearby Yardbirds and River Queen Greens are part of a growing number of farming operations in Lower Coast Algiers, an area on the outskirts of NewOrleansthat feels utterly pastoral, but is only a15-minute drive from downtown. The neighborhood is the only district in the parish zoned “rural residential,”which means no permit is required for agriculture and livestock. A wide range of mostly women farmers has sprouted in the area over the last 10 years, selling citrustohighend restaurants, supplying produce to food banks and providing kids with outdoor education field trips.

“It’sareally prime example of how important it is for there to be an actual quantity of land, real food production close to a market for afarmer,” said Marguerite Green, the executive directorofthe Louisiana Food Policy Action Council, astatewide nonprofit that develops legislation to better the state’s food system. “Wethinkof New Orleans as an exclusively urban parish. …But there are these really interestingpockets of New Orleans where there is largerscale land access.”

‘Connectingpeople’

In 2017,the owners of River QueenGreens started farming in New Orleans in away that looked abit more urban: ahalf-acre of leased land in the Bywater.Two years later,they bought the land in LowerCoast Algiers and dedicated themselves fullytothe business.They grew around 60,000 pounds of vegetables lastyear while working “double fulltime,” Moore said.

Food grown on urban farms in New Orleans is insufficient to feedthe entire city,noted Grace Treffinger,the urban agriculture liaison at thecity’sOffice of Resilience and Sustainability.But semiurban operations like River Queen Greens are “the only place you can really do asubstantial amount of foodproduction” only 20 minutes from downtown, she said. Still, there are dozensof small-scale farms and community gardens scattered across the city,and the benefits of urban farming can extend beyond food production, she said. Sugar Roots Farm, anonprofit farm in Lower Coast Algiers, offers field trips for children, beekeeping classes and volunteer opportunitiesfor peopleatanaddiction recovery center in New Orleans.

“It’sconnecting people to their food system in away that people in acity don’t usually get,” Treffinger said.

‘Let’s tryitout’

But land access for farmers in the city can be amajor financial barrier,Green said,one that RiverQueen Green’s“incubator-style model” for smaller growers can helpaddress. Thecity lacks apipeline for many people to expandtheir farming ventures —from something like community gardening to market gardening to purchasing semiurban land —because of the capital investments required and “the giant commitment” it takes to produce at alarger scale, Green said.

ImaniMiller,who runs Imbue Farmsashort drive from RiverQueen Greens, had the opportunity to give farming akind of trialrun because of her access to land. She startedfarming on 3acres of land in the town of Independence that her in-laws owned, before leaving her job in the school system in 2021 to farm fulltime.

“Since Ihad never farmed before,myhusband and I thought, ‘Well, let’stryit out on land that we already had,’”Miller said She found success and fulfillment with the venture, and started aweekly farm share, whereshe sold to regular customers and New Orleansrestaurants, as well as donated food to community fridges and food banks. But the long drive from Independence to her customer base, family and her own home in New Orleans was time-consuming.

She bought the Lower Coast Algiers propertylast October, and began plant-

ing greens and herbs on a fenced-in acre-sized plot —tokeep out hungry deer —about amonth ago. The closer proximity to hercustomer base made “a huge difference,” she said.

‘Countless hours’

While thenew location is an improvement,there are also challenges when it comes to navigating policies, Millerpointedout. For instance, she wasn’table to getelectricity on theproperty —for lights or agreenhouse —because she didn’t have abuilding on the land.

“It’saweird thing to be able to say, ‘Yes,I’m on the property. I’mfunctioning on the property. But it’sa farm. It’snot ahouse, it’s nota building,’”Millersaid Cahill,the poultry farmer, also faced delays in securing the permits she needed for herprocessing site She was the first person in the city to go through this process, and it ended up being long and costly.For instance, she paid $11,000 for drawings toanarchitect. Operating costsare still expensive and inconvenient, as she needs to commuteto the northshore for supplies.

“I put in countlesshours thatI’ll never get paid for,” said Cahill. “I’mputting in tens of thousands of dollars ayear.”

Many of the obstacles thatthe semiurban farmersare facing stem from alack of familiarity within government agencies, said Treffinger, the urbanagricultureliaison at thecity. Her job is the firstofits kind,created lastyearto help address alack of local understanding about agricultural businesses.

State andfederal farm policies areoften geared towardlarge-scale, singlecrop operations in rural locations. At the local level, better communication is needed when it comes to urban farms, she said.

In October, NewOrleans City Council passed an ordinance that grew out of Treffinger’sconversations with urbanfarmers andlocal officials. The updatetothe citycoderecognizes cover crops, afarming practice that improves soil health andminimizes the need for herbicides. But neighbors and city workers have

Kelly Cahill, of yardbirds Farm, walks past ducks she is raising in LowerCoast Algiers, an area on the outskirts of New Orleans that feels utterly pastoral,but is onlya15-minute drive from downtown. The only poultry farmer with her own processing shop in NewOrleans, Cahill runs aone-woman show, raising, slaughtering and sellingthe pastureraised chickens and ducks to farmers markets and restaurants around the city

confused cover crops for unkempt grass or weeds, andurban farmers have, in turn, receivedcity fines, even though some of them received federal grants for the sustainable method.

But the new ordinance is only the first step in a broader effort to develop morepoliciesaround urban farming. “Farmsare in thisgray area forthe city,” Treffinger said. “There aren’tyet systemsinplace that are clear and accessible for growers to navigate.” Email Josie Abugov at josie.abugov@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF

PHOTOS

By BRETT DUKE

Mustard greens grow at Imbue Farms.

GraceTreffinger,left, urban agriculture liaison for New Orleans, walks through a fieldwithpoultryfarmer Kelly Cahill at River Queen Greens.

Imani Miller,who runs Imbue Farmsa shortdrivefrom River Queen Greens, bought the LowerCoast Algiers propertylast October,and began planting greens and herbsona fenced-in acre-sized plot —tokeep out hungry deer —about amonth ago. The closer proximitytoher customerbase made ‘a hugedifference,’she said

III—have responded,targeting the court with an unusual probe that Edmonston and Hughescontinue to pursue, records show Their influence includesthe selection last year of aretired judgewho presided over ahalf-dozen hand-picked cases for special adjudication. Diamond’s case, Raglandv.Ragland, was among them.

Edmonston and Hughes have since shownupatthe court for proceedings in multiple cases Hughes has twice spoken up this year at status conferences in Diamond’scase, and Hughes and Edmonston were recorded opining with the judge about another case involving allegations of child abuse

2023, months before Baker’s contempt ruling, bothsaid. By then, Diamondhadn’t seen her kids in more than ayear. Bakerhad signed a protective order in February 2022, and Diamond was restricted to weekly supervisedvisits, which became harder and harder to make happen.

Diamond views Baker’s contemptorder and recusal as an attempt to smearher without evidence.

“Branding me unfit by default,”Diamondsays the court has bled her dry with an arrayoffees, court-mandated services and attorney costs. She says it’sall part of acriminal racket, orchestrated by agrip of judges and lawyers, that holds the rightsofparents hostageinside Louisiana’s only standalonefamily court.

“Thisisnot family law; it is an economyofhuman exploitation operating beneath the language of child protection,” she claims.

Conflict with thecourt’s judges has mounted.

The controversy has spawned judicial misconduct complaints, including accusations against Hughes of intimidation. Baker said she’sbeen targeted with several complaints of herown.

“Whenyou acknowledge their craziness by sending someone to investigate us, all it does is embolden them to be even crazier,” Baker said. “And that’swhat’shappened. They’ve empowered them and endangered us.” Baker’scontempt order also directed Diamond to pick up trashfor amonth. After the judge’srecusal, it was signed by asecond judge, Erika Green.

Diamond said she never had achance to respond to “outright lies” from Baker Her complaints, broadcast on social media, in direct messages and legislative testimony as recentlyasthis month, have resonated.

“People didn’tbelieve what was going on, so they just assumed allthese parents were crazy,” Diamond said

“My attorneys were like, ‘Don’tfile judicial complaints. Don’tgotothe Legislature, because it won’thelp you. There’snothing you can do to help you.’”

Denial of abuse

Jenkins was among the firsttocometoDiamond’s public defense. They’d met at alegislativehearing in

More than one supervisor quit on Diamond. The BatonRouge Parenting Center, which hosts visitations, banned her After the contempt order,Jenkins began writingabout her case in his newspaper,the Central City News, calling her treatment criminal.

Diamond’s ex-husband, Robert Ragland, had recordeda botched handoff in a parking lotinApril 2020, during which he alleged child abuse. Baker agreed, finding thatDiamond had placed her daughterin a“choke hold,” according toatranscript.

Baker found that Diamond committed domesticviolence against Raglandand their children. Indeeming her adanger,Baker also cited reportsfromDiamond’s ex-husband that she hit, slapped or shoved theirson on other occasions.

Jenkins disagreed. He noted that state child welfare officials neverinvestigated theparkinglot encounter, which he posted online.

“It’s just not child abuse. It’sbizarre,” Jenkins said in an interview. “How canyou deprivea motherofthe right to see her children for years on an obviouslytrumped up, false accusation of child abuse?”

Jenkinsnow employsDiamond for work that includes broadcastingservices from theRev.Tony Spell’sLife Tabernacle Church. He’s fighting asubpoena for his financial records in Diamond’scase.

Powertopickcases

In May 2024, on the heels of Jenkins’reportsonher case,Diamondturned to the Legislature, testifying at astate Senate committee hearing on aresolution thatseemed modest enough. Sponsored by then-state Sen. Cleo Fields, it asked the Louisiana Supreme Court to study the East BatonRouge FamilyCourt andreport back.

Edmonston gotbehind the resolution. After it passed, Edmonston said she sought outHughes, whosedistrict included thecourt,toexecuteit.

“This would have fallen through the cracks,” Edmonston said. “Then comes Jeff, who is more than willing to do over and abovewhatany otherjustices wouldhave done. He just thinks it’s a travestywhat’sgoing on.”

Hughes, who ascended to the high court from LivingstonParish, has an ongoing defamation lawsuit against The Times-Picayune |The Advocate, former editors andits lawyer about reporting in 2019 related to his past conduct as adistrict court

judge decades ago.

Basedonthe Senate resolution,Hughes led thehigh court to appoint aformer colleague,retired 1st Circuit Court of Appeals Judge James Kuhn, as a“supernumerary” over thefamily court in September 2024.

Hughes said he first becameinterested in the court when he “heard reports of closed courtrooms where people were being kicked outofthe courtroom,and I wanted to see for myself.” But he declined to comment on his appearances in court at status conferences or at the appeal hearing in Diamond’scase.

The high court’s order empowered Kuhn to “preside over the proceedings of any of the Divisions of said court”ashesaw fit.

“I think the order says you can do whatever the hell you want,” Hughes toldKuhn in aFebruarymeetingthat alsoincluded Edmonston, according to acourt audio recording.

Kuhn swiftly took up Diamond’scase anda handful of others, and he began to issue orders.

Just whyhepicked those six cases was aquestion that buzzed through thecourthouse.

Kuhn himself raised it at theFebruarymeeting. Hughes and Edmonston suggested the choices were made for him.

“I anticipate I’m going to be asked thequestion:

‘How didI choose these cases?’ Youknow what I mean?’ ”Kuhn asked, according to the court audio.

“They camefrom her (Edmonston) and Cleo,” Hughes responded.

“These are the people, they called and had, you know, majorissues,” Edmonston said.

“The ones that were yelling the loudest,” Hughes added.

Justice, lawmaker at court In Diamond’scase, Kuhn took quickaction,enabling hertorestart supervised visits after nearly three years without them, though it wouldn’tlast long.

At their first visitation, two days beforeChristmaslast year,she brought gifts makeupfor herdaughter,a video game card for her son —tothe therapist’soffice.

“I tried to be as festive and happy as Icould,” shesaid. “Theypresent me to my children as some sort of dangerous personthey need to be protected from.”

Their mostrecent visitation, in May,went badly, Diamond said.

The appointed supervisor “arranged to have the children go and tell me every reason we were in supervised visitation,” she said. “Theirsentimentis, the judge wouldn’thavedone this unless there was something really wrong.

Records show Hughes and Edmonston have shown up at the courthouseseveral times, appearingtoobserve other cases as well.

Thecourt’s judgeshave notwarmedtotheirpresence, said Edmonston and several courthouse sources.

Baker confronted Hughes and Edmonston after they showed up in February for

another contentious case.

“She wanted to knowwhat we were doing,”Edmonston said. “Clearly not happy we’re there. Toobad.”

Just last month, Judge Charlene Day confronted Edmonston, whoshowed up with another lawmaker to support alitigant in adifferent case.

In Diamond’scase, Hughes hasappeared fourtimes in court, including oneappeal hearing, according to transcripts and attendees.

He took the podium at a Feb. 6status conference in the case, saying he was part of acommittee that included Edmonston and thathewas recusing from the Ragland case going forward.

Hughes went on to urge Kuhn, the judge,toaddress the high cost of Diamond’s supervised visitations, and to consider allowing her to call her kids.

“I don’twant to interject myself into proceedings, I’m just puttingthis out there,” Hughessaid,accordingtoa transcript.

“But is it possiblefor the mothertoatleast talk to the childrenonthe phone?You know,not at unreasonable times or an unreasonable amount.”

‘Outrageoussteps’

To Diamond’sex-husband, theinterventionsbyKuhn andHughesdidn’tmake muchsense.

“You had aSenate resolutionsuggesting there should be astudy of EastBaton RougeFamily Court. How does that translate into an ad hocjudge being appointed, and within days, he’salready picking cases when he’ssupposedlythere to studythe court?” Ragland asked More recently, Hughes has pressed court staffabout scheduling in Diamond’s case,inmessagessentfrom his Supreme Court email address.

At astatus conference in June attended by Jenkins and Hughes,anew visiting judge assigned to Diamond’s case, Lilynn Cutrer,asked people in the audience to identify themselves.Jenkins did so.

“AndJustice Hughes, for therecord,” Cutrer prompted.

“I rather not speak,” Hughes responded.

This month, Hughes spoke up at an in-court statusconference that Jenkins also attended in Diamond’scase, again before Cutrer Hughes took themicrophoneand complainedabout asign thatsaid appointments were requiredatthe court for anyonebut litigantsor their attorneys.

“I just want tomake you aware that there are some whofeel it’s inappropriate,” Hughes said.

Ragland’sattorney,Karen Downs, objected.

“Addressing the court on amatterwhen he’snot representing alitigant or alitigant, it’sinappropriate, and it’smaking my clientfeel like (Hughes) hasanaxto grindinthiscase,” Downs said, according to atranscript.

In acomplaint to the LouisianaJudiciaryCommission, attorney Kim Sport, an advocate for domestic violence victims, alleges that

Hughestook “outrageous steps” to intimidate Ragland andDownsand to “unduly influence” judges and court employees.

“It appears that Justice Hughes, Judge Kuhn, and Woody Jenkins conspired to take unlawful and unethical actions on behalf of Katherine Diamond Ragland, Sport wrote in an Aug. 5 complaint.

Judgesare notpermitted to comment publicly on complaintsagainst them to the commission, and Hughes declined to comment.

‘Perceptionoffavoritism’

Diamond said she isn’tsurprisedbyher political influence. “The power is the truth of being hurt and exploited. That’swhy I’m able to communicate with these people,” she said.

Lately, Diamond has seized on the feesthe court charges fortranscripts: $6.50 per page plus a$5administrative fee.Diamond argues they’re illegal, excessive and the motivefor judges to drag out cases like hers.

Acting as her own attorney after adozen lawyers came and went, Diamond recently fileda lengthy challenge to those fees.

But the official court probe that she helped spawn hasn’t turned out like she expected, Diamond said. At least so far.

Kuhn lefthis six-monthassignment at the end of February after failing to land an extensionhe’dsought, and the outcome of his review is in doubt.

Deference on judicialassignmentsnormally goes to the justice who represents the district. As of this year the family court falls under new Justice John Michael Guidry,who declined to comment.

The SupremeCourt has since tried to keep wraps on Kuhn’sreview of the family court, adraftofwhich he submitted in April.

Thehighcourt turned down arequest fromthe newspaper and has dodged pleasfromlawmakers to releaseit, according to Edmonston.

In acopy The Times Picayune |The Advocate received from the family court, Kuhn wrote that he conducted an independent evaluation andinterviewed the court’sjudges andstaff before reporting his findings.

Among them, Kuhn flaggeda potentialavenue for judge-shopping, claimed the court’sjudges overuse their contempt powers— though notillegally or unethically —and blamed excessive delays on too many emergency orders.

Kuhn cited Diamond’s case, though notbyname, to illustrate afinding that “some litigants and attor-

neys may be misusing the protective order process to influence custody decisions.” Kuhn also found a“public perception of favoritism” andplentiful gossip at the court, butnot the denof corruption Diamond has alleged.

“I didn’tsee anything egregious,” Kuhn told the newspaper The judges —Baker,Day, Green and Kyle Russ —issued atart response to Kuhn’sdraft report,disputinghis claimthatheinterviewed them forit. They wrotethatKuhn only arranged to meet with court staff aboutthe cases he’d taken over Kuhn’sdeparture had left those cases in “jurisprudential disarray,”the judges wrote. The six cases he adopted are now in the hands of Cutrerand anotheroutside judge appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court in April to handle them.

Half ayear later,Cutrer hasyet to take actionon Diamond’splea to resume supervised visits. At astatus conference last week, Cutrer postponeda hearing on the matter for a few weeks, citing Diamond’s failuretoturnoverrecords requested by Downs, her exhusband’sattorney Cutrer also gave Jenkins another weektochallenge thesubpoenaseeking records of payments to Diamond.

Hughes did not appear Fridayincourt as Diamond sat beside anew lawyer: state Rep. Lauren Ventrella, R-GreenwellSprings, who said shewould represent Diamond on alimited basis. Jenkins made theintroduction,saidDiamond, who lamented the fresh delay in the case.

“It’ssopainful to have your children kidnapped by your own government. I don’tknow how much Ican endure,” she said after Hughes said the result in the Legislature may be a first for Louisiana.

“I heard there maybelegislation to require thefamily court to livestream allproceedings so people can see what’sgoing on,” Hughes said.

Cameras are not currently permitted in the lower courts.

If the investigation that Diamond spawnedhas sent shock waves through the courthouse, it hasn’tdone much to improve her situation, she noted.

“I guess Ithought the SupremeCourt and the Legislature would just comein andbe, ‘OhmyGod,this is terrible,’ andtakecontrol and fix it and make it right,” she said. “But that really hasn’tbeen what’shappened at all.”

SNAP benefits cuts driving long lines at food pantries

BY SUSAN HAIGH and DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press

LOUISVILLE,Ky.— People across the country formed long lines for free meals and groceries at food pantries and drivethrough giveaways Saturday, after monthly benefits through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, were suddenly cut off because of the ongoing government shutdown.

In the New York borough of the Bronx, about 200 more people than usual showed up at the World of Life Christian Fellowship International pantry, many bundled in winter hats and coats and pushing collapsible shopping carts as they waited in a line that spanned multiple city blocks. Some arrived as early as 4 a.m. to choose from pallets of fruits, vegetables, bread, milk, juice, dry goods and prepared sandwiches.

Mary Martin, who volunteers at the pantry, also relies on it regularly for food to supplement her SNAP payments She said she usually splits her roughly $200 a month in SNAP benefits between herself and her two adult sons, one of whom has six children and is especially dependent on the assistance.

“If I didn’t have the pantry to come to, I don’t know how we would make it,” Martin said.

“I’m not gonna see my grandkids suffer.”

The Department of Agriculture planned to withhold payments to the food program starting Saturday until two federal judges ordered the administration to make them. However it was unclear as to when the debit cards that beneficiaries use could be reloaded after the ruling, sparking fear and confusion among many recipients.

In an apparent response to President Donald Trump, who said he would provide the money but wanted more legal direction from the court, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell in Rhode Island ordered the government to report back by Monday on how it would fund SNAP accounts McConnell, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, said the Trump administration must either make a full payment by that day or if it decides to tap

$3 billion in a contingency fund, figure out how to do that by Wednesday

The delay in SNAP payments, a major piece of the nation’s social safety net that serves about 42 million people, has highlighted the financial vulnerabilities that many face At the Bronx food pantry the Rev John Udo-Okon said “people from all walks of life” are seeking help now

“The pantry is no longer for the poor, for the elderly, for the needy The pantry now is for the whole community, everybody,” Udo-Okon said.

“You see people will drive in their car and come and park and wait to see if they can get food.”

In Austell, Georgia, people in hundreds of cars in drivethrough lanes picked up nonperishable and perishable bags of food. Must Ministries said it handed out food to about 1,000 people, more than a typical bimonthly food delivery

Families in line said they worried about not getting SNAP benefits in time for Thanksgiving.

At a drive-through food giveaway at the Calvary Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, SNAP recipient James Jackson, 74, said he is frustrated that people are being hurt by decisions made in Washington and lawmakers should try harder to understand challenges brought by poverty and food insecurity

“If you’ve never been poor, you don’t know what it is to be poor,” Jackson said. “I hope that it turns around. I hope that people get their SNAP benefits, and I hope we just come together where we can love each other and feed each other and help each other.”

In Norwich, Connecticut, the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen and food pantry had 10 extra volunteers working Saturday to help a wave of expected newcomers, making sure they felt comfortable and understood the services available. Besides groceries and hot meals, the site was providing pet food, toiletries and blood pressure checks.

“They’re embarrassed. They have shame. So you have to deal with that as well,” director Jill Corbin said. “But we do our best to just try to welcome people.”

Associated Press photographer Mike Stewart in Austell, Georgia, contributed.

CUTS

Continued from page 1A

In all, the various cuts, pauses and proposed trims have led to an enduring state of uncertainty in parts of Louisiana’s burgeoning clean energy economy ever since President Donald Trump took office at the start of the year The president hit the brakes on a wide array of spending, especially around clean energy and efforts to fight climate change.

“Every day, there’s a new list,” said Ramesh Kolluru, vice president for research, innovation and economic development at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “It’s getting tough to keep up.”

Projects halted

Greg Upton, executive director at the Center for Energy Studies at LSU, was leading a project with Shell and the University of Houston to study the feasibility of a direct air capture project in southwest Louisiana

Direct air capture is a nascent technology that sucks CO2 directly from the air in a bid to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Those greenhouse gases, like CO2, are the primary cause of climate change, climate scientists say They have linked warming global temperatures with worsening hurricanes, rainfall and extreme heat.

But after finishing the first phase of the project earlier this year, the Trump administration’s communications became “limited,” Upton said, and the group was uncertain if it would be reimbursed for more work.

In a quarterly report due Friday, Upton said the group informed the Energy Department it is pausing work on the project and laying off its employee brought on to help until it gets more clarity Upton said the subsequent list of proposed cuts to other direct air capture and carboncapture projects is not a surprise, given the funding pause on his and other university-led projects.

“On one hand, the Trump administration is sending a signal they’re pro-carbon capture,” Upton said. “On the other hand, you see programs like this (being cut).”

He also noted that direct air capture is different from the traditional carbon-capture projects being proposed by a wide array of petrochemical companies. Direct air capture is far more expensive and less commercially viable.

Shell, a partner on the project, declined to comment. Upton said a company could still take the work they’ve completed so far and use it as a jumping-off point for a direct air capture project, even if the grant is

ultimately terminated. UL was awarded more than $3 million for two separate projects that are on the list of proposed cuts by the Energy Department. The grants were announced in 2021 and 2023.

One, the Louisiana Solar Corps, is an initiative to bolster the state’s fledgling solar industry workforce. The plan was to train workers to build solar microgrids at churches, public buildings and National Guard bases to make the state more resilient after hurricanes knock out the power grid. The other, on carbon capture, was transferred to UConn and UL officials said they don’t know the status of it.

Kolluru, of UL, said the school “slowed” spending on the solar corps project after the department paused it, to avoid having to foot the bill for costs if the project is ultimately canceled. Funding is already sparse at UL, with the university recently announcing cuts to more than 70 positions as it tries to chip away at a $25 million deficit.

While the school didn’t get a formal stop-work order for the solar corps project, Kolluru said, “it seemed like that was a project at risk.”

Carbon capture uncertain

A rush of companies have sought to build out a network of pipelines and wells in Louisiana to take CO2 from industrial emitters, pipe it to geologic formations around the state and inject it deep underground, a process known as carbon capture.

The reasons are twofold: Customers overseas are increasingly willing to pay more for products with a smaller carbon footprint. And the Inflation Reduction Act, one of Biden’s signature accomplishments, provided tax incentives for companies who successfully capture and store CO2 Companies have filed 60 applications with Louisiana regulators to drill such carbon capture wells. But Gov Jeff Landry recently signed an executive order that puts

the brakes — at least temporarily on all but six of them. Direct air capture is further from reality The Inflation Reduction Act provided an even more lucrative incentive for that technology, and the Energy Department had allocated billions in direct federal aid to help the fledgling technology reach commercial viability Louisiana officials — both Republican and Democrat — have largely welcomed both technologies with open arms. And a flood of federal grant money from the department was slated to go to companies looking to build both traditional carbon-capture and direct air capture projects in the state

The future of those projects is shaky, given the list of potential cuts that’s been circulated.

The federal government is slated to cut a project by Entergy to capture and store CO2 from its Lake Charles Power Station, a natural gas-fired plant. Other projects on the chopping block of federal grants include a plan by Honeywell to establish a plant to build battery inputs in Geismar; a Vale USA project to build an iron ore briquette facility in Convent to develop cleaner steel; and a series of grants to Battelle, part of a coalition of companies trying to establish a massive direct air capture hub in southwest Louisiana called Project Cypress.

Entergy declined to comment for this story Vale said it was still working on its project and in communication with the Energy Department. Honeywell didn’t respond.

Patrick Courreges, a spokesperson for the state Department of Energy and Conservation, declined to comment on the list, but said the agency hasn’t received any indication that projects running through it are on the chopping block.

It’s not yet clear which of the projects on the list totaling more than $20 billion in federal spending — will ultimately be cut, and de-

partment press secretary Ben Dietderich declined to verify the list’s authenticity

“No determinations have been made other than what has been previously announced,” Dietderich said “As Secretary Wright made clear, the Department continues to conduct an individualized and thorough review of financial awards made by the previous administration.”

The department’s initial round of $8 billion in cuts largely targeted Democratic states, but the agency subsequently cut $700 million in battery projects on the second list, E&E News reported. Those projects spanned red states as well.

Vikrum Aiyer, head of global policy at Heirloom, one of the companies involved in Project Cypress, said,

“We aren’t aware of a decision from DOE and continue to productively engage with the Administration in a project review.

“At this time, we’re proud to stand with the governor, state leadership, workforce development and economic development organizations and many others who are strong advocates for this project and its many economic benefits for the state

“They understand that subnational governments and international jurisdictions are clamoring for DAC investments as part of the race for energy dominance, and this should not be America’s lead to cede.” Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois in March sent a letter to the state’s congressional delegation, asking them to lobby the head of the Energy Department to keep funding for Project Cypress flowing.

“The U.S. Department of Energy has not confirmed any funding changes to Project Cypress, and Louisiana will continue to honor its incentive commitments as participating companies meet their outlined capital investment and job creation benchmarks,” Bourgeois said in a statement Friday.

PROVIDED PHOTO By THE REV JOHN UDO-OKON People wait in line for food donations Saturday at the World of Life Christian Fellowship International food pantry in the Bronx borough of New york.

La. broadband, internet access low

State ranks 47th in country

BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer

Louisiana has the fourth-lowest access to broadband internet in the United States, with 85% of households reporting broadband access in 2023 That’s lower than the national average of 90% Fast internet will reach rural

Lafayette native brings La. culture to fashion

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Inspired by Louisiana’s Mardi Gras culture and the glitz of the 1980s, fashion designer Laura Citron’s collections can be summed up in two words: disco glamour

In Lafayette, New York, and now Nashville, Tennessee, Citron’s sequin-laden, sparkly and colorful designs have received national recognition from fashion magazines such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan, been worn by stars including Lainey Wilson, Lauren Alaina and the members of Little Big Town, and spotlighted on the “Up and Coming Designer” series on “The Tamron Hall Show.”

As part of the segment Citron designed a custom look for Hall and participated in a runway show “It’s surreal,” she said. “You work so hard for so long, and moments like that remind you it’s all worth it.” But Citron’s story began long before discovering New York’s fashion world. She said her greatest inspiration has always been her roots.

“Louisiana has a culture that centers around Mardi Gras and festivals,” Citron said. “People go all out with costumes that have sequins, feathers and color I never shied away from that.”

That vibrant Louisiana culture provides the glamour, but the disco portion of her aesthetic traces back to her childhood home in Lafayette. Her mother, who she described as a “fabulous pack rat,” kept her wardrobe of 1970s disco jumpsuits and for Citron, that closet became a wonderland and an early glimpse into her future. At a time in her life when she was still discovering herself, she didn’t always see fashion as a career option. Citron studied broadcast journalism at LSU before an unexpected opportunity changed her path.

Her cousin, a television producer in Los Angeles, invited her to spend a summer working behind the scenes on “The Tyra Banks Show.”

“Seeing that wardrobe team in action was my ‘aha’ moment,” Citron said. “It made me realize it was possible to do this for a living.”

Putting a halt to her broadcasting degree, she applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York Citron earned both her associate and bachelor’s degrees in fashion After some time in New York, Citron and her boyfriend, who was then a boutique owner, made the decision to move to Nashville. There she opened a vintage clothing boutique. Inspired to try something new, Citron began creating her own designs, which were vintage-inspired pieces that took elements she loved from past eras, like wide-legged suits and disco dresses, and translating them into a signature Citron flair

“My brand celebrates maximalist glamour while being inspired from the nostalgia of decades past, but reimagined for a modern world,” she said. Citron said the move to Nashville turned out to be one of the best decisions she’s made, being that New York is amazing for learning and connections, but there’s so much

cess: St. Charles, St. Tammany, Ascension, Lafayette, Livingston and West Baton Rouge parishes.

Louisiana under revamped rules. Some towns still feel left out. Mississippi has the lowest broadband access in the U.S., with 82% of households connected, followed by New Mexico and West Virginia, tied at 84%.

Only six Louisiana parishes had higher than the U.S. average for households with broadband ac-

Broadband access is the percentage of households with a broadband internet connection through subscription. Broadband access measures access at any speed — yet, not all broadband is fast enough to meet the needs of all households. The minimum speed needed for activities like streaming videos

or attending virtual classes can vary by household In addition, this measure does not account for the reasons why a household does not have broadband access. Barriers to broadband access could be due to insufficient infrastructure, cost or lack of personal interest. The data is unable to “untangle these specific barriers,” according to the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities.

These parishes had the lowest percentage of households with broadband access in 2023, in ascending order: n Claiborne Parish with 51%, n Webster Parish with 61%, n West Carroll Parish with 64%, n Bienville, Tensas and Union parishes with 65%, n East Carroll Parish with 67%, n Richland and St. Helena par-

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

TOP: Chevaliers (chefs) crack eggs to make a 5,041-egg omelet Sunday during the 41st annual Giant Omelette Celebration on Concord Street in

ABOVE: Junior chevaliers stir their omelet.

LEFT: Chevaliers cut bread to be served with the omelet.

but was in

Broussard

at ctaylor@ theadvocate.com.

ä See BROADBAND, page 4B

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

Pregnancy centers support womenand help them seeoptions

Iwrite todayassomeonewhose life was transformed by thecare and compassionofapregnancy center and with profound gratitude for how things have unfolded since.

Twenty years ago, Iwas acollege student andfound myself pregnant. Iwas facing acrossroads. Iwas worried thatcontinuingmyeducation would be impossible. Ifelt overwhelmed and unsure of how Icould move forward. Ifelt my family would be upset at me and unwilling to support me. Thankfully,atthat crossroads, Imet Crossroads Pregnancy Center in Thibodaux. Andthanks to their compassion and care, my life direction became clear Through the love Ireceived at the pregnancy center, Iwas given more than aservice; Iwas given affirmation, guidance andhope. The center provided me with tangible resources that guided me through adifficult time. Their help allowed me to take apause and truly examine my options and what was best for me,and they supported me through that decision. Thanks to their care and support beyond the pregnancy,I was able to persist in my studies rather than abandon them. Because somebody believed in me, Icould believe in myself. Because doors were held open forme, Icould walk through them.Because Iwas not alone, I became empowered to build alife of purpose. Today,Iamauniversity instructor and mother of five. My daughter, once the unborn childwhose future was clouded with doubt, hasgraduated high school and is succeeding in college herself.

Iknow Iamnot alone. Ihave seen many other women positively impacted by pregnancy centers. Iwent on to intern with apregnancy center and later became the assistant director. Iapplaud the state of Louisiana forsupporting the workofpregnancy centers. Your investment in this beautiful work matters more than you may ever know KRISTEN D. CALLAIS Thibodaux

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

AREWELCOME.HEREARE

YOUR VIEWS

Coastalprotectionbackonsolid ground with canceled projects

Your Oct. 19 editorial warns that canceling theMid-Barataria and Mid-Breton diversions erodes ahard-won coastal “consensus.” From an engineering standpoint,the opposite is true: We are restoring the guardrails that keephigh-risk projectsrightsized. Three of those guardrails were weakened or bypassed: n Marine Mammal Protection Act. MidBarataria advanced only after Congress directed awaiver of core MMPAprovisions for the project —despite federal analyses warning of serious risks to Barataria Bay bottlenosedolphins. Whena “restoration” project requires amortality waiver,that signals scale and operations concerns, not boldness.

n National Flood Insurance Program compliance. Modeling showed changes to watersurface elevations in Plaquemines Parish. Under NFIP,that triggers aConditional Letter of Map Revision and local permits. These are not box-checks; they protect residents from surprise insurance and flood-risk consequences.

n Empirical analogs. During theenvironmental impact study,four Bonnet Carré Spillway openings (2018-2020) produced real-world, river water-injurysignals for

dolphins,oysters, shrimp, crabsand harmful algae blooms. The datashouldhave tightened uncertainty instead of being deferred to “adaptive management.”

Addunresolved modeling/process issues and acost trajectory that grew from early estimates under $1 billion to amultibilliondollar program burden. Calling the pause a “retreat”misses thepoint.It’sacourse correction toward projects that (a) clear legal/ scientific checks, (b)deliver benefits on decadal —not half-century —timelines and (c) don’tsacrifice working fisheries or protected species as collateral damage.

There’sa credible path: amedium diversion at Myrtle Grove with dedicated dredging, paired with land bridges, shoreline protection and aggressive pipeline marsh creation. Dredge-first can build and sustain land now,adjust to stormsand sea-level rise and carry fewer ecological and socioeconomic externalities —while preserving funds for multiple basins.

Louisianaearned respect by pairing ambition with credibility.Recentering on transparent,engineering-led criteriaprotects that legacy

DENNISLAMBERT

civil and environmental engineer

Dissenta cornerstoneofdemocracy

Democracy is aform of government in which political power is vested in the people. Key elements of democracy are free speech, dissent andholding those in power accountable.The U.S. is ademocracy

Butletter writer Betty Champagne suggestsotherwise, when she states in her opposition to Illinois Gov.JBPritzker’s dissent on federal government overreach thatimpinges uponstates’rights: “President Trump won the election by winning all swing states, thepopular vote and the electoral vote. But Pritzker hasnorespect for thebasis of democracy —afree and clear win.”

as North Korea. We have afairly elected president, just like the previous one, and Americans should work together.But dissent and change are essential to our democracy We would not even exist as acountry had colonists not dissented against the crown. Should we not have had aRevolutionary War? Would it have been wrongtofight for civil rights or suffrage if apresident had been in office opposing this? The writer should also recognize that the election wasn’t won by a100% sweep, but 49.81% to 48.34%.

Congress should restore fundsfor global health

I’m alarmed thatbillions of dollars in U.S. global health and development funds, already approvedbyCongress, have recently expired. These dollars support tuberculosis treatment, maternal and child health andfront-line health workers who stopdisease before it reaches ourshores.

Oncefunds expire,they cannot be reused, andtaxpayers lose the value of money already appropriated.Extending or reprogramming these funds would protect both public health andfiscal responsibility.Importantly,this language would assert Congress’ constitutionalroleinappropriations, require no additional spending and givenall the recentchanges to foreign aidthis year,would give the administrationmoretime to use appropriations responsibly in line with its priorities.

Iurge Sens. Bill Cassidy and JohnKennedy to work with Appropriations leadership to extend the availability of recently expired funds for an additional year NICOLE KORCHEV student, Tulane University

Simple vote countshows Democratskeeping government closed

I’mcurious to understand the logic of the letter writer from Zachary on Oct. 11, blaming the Republicans forthe shutdown. The Republican House voted to keep the government open with a narrow majority,and almost every Democrat voted to shut it down. In the Senate, 44 out of 47 Democrats voted to shut it down, while 52 out of 53 Republicans voted to keep the government open. Looking strictly at the numbers, clearly,itisthe Democrats shutting it down.

LARRYLANGEVIN Kenner

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US ALETTER SCAN HERE

Champagne suggeststhat an elected president’s policies and dictates be universally accepted because they were the winner Sorry,unquestioned adherence tothe dictates of an elected leader is not thebasis of democracy,free and clear win notwithstanding. Requiring agreement with aleader’s policy and orders because they are in charge is the systemofsingle-partycountries, such

Icongratulate and thank state Sen. Gerald Boudreaux,Gov.Jeff Landry and all the Louisiana legislators who passed legislation institutinghigher reimbursement rates for health care professionals who treat Medicaid patients This will bolster access by Medicaid patients to medical care by professionals, clinics and hospitals, and will promotetheir health andwell-being.

Iwonder if she followed her own stated expectations when President Joe Biden or Barack Obama were in office Did she practice what she is preaching by supporting their policies and criticizing dissenters, and “demanding normal respect” for them because of their “free and clear wins?”

RICHARDHIRSCH Livonia

Similarly now,the U.S. Congress should extend the tax credits used by millions of lower-income workers to buy health insurance. Promoting the health and well-being of the insured is not only beneficial to them, but as your editorial states, it strengthens “families,communities and ultimately our entirestate.”

PHYLLIS RAABE NewOrleans

LeaderslikeJohnson should choose engagement,not insult

Louisiana’sown Mike Johnson characterized the “NoKings” events held across the country as a“hate America” rally.That description is not only inaccurate but dismisses the patriotism of millions of Americans whoare raising their voices because they believe in our nation’spromise and ideals. By dismissing attendees as “the Antifapeople” and “the pro-Hamas wing,” Johnson reflects agrowing and troubling trend among some leaders: to divide and to insult rather than engage. Our democracy depends on the courage of citizens whocare enough to demand better They deserve respect, not ridicule. AARON SHIPPER NewOrleans

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

NEW LOOK NEEDED!

Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and everyone’s getting excited for the big feast. But it appears this bird’stryingfor awhole newlook to avoid the cook! So,what’sgoing on in this cartoon? youtell me.Bewitty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky —just trytokeep it clean.There’s no limit on the number of entries

Thewinningpunchline will be lettered into the word balloon and runon Monday, Nov. 10 in our printeditions and online. In addition, the winner will receiveasigned print of thecartoon along with acool winner’sT-shirt! Some honorable mentions will also be listed.

To enter,email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com

DON’T FORGET! All entries must includeyourname, homeaddressand phone number.Cell numbers are best.

Thedeadline for all entries is midnight,Thursday, Nov. 6. Good luck! —Walt

State’slong-term plan to save thecoast is gettingshort shrift

Twenty years ago, Louisiana began twocampaigns essentialtohopes for the long-term habitability of thecoastal zone, its most populous and economically important region

thinks he has integrity, but he doesn’t

ZohranMamdani’salleged zinger in a recentNew York mayoral debate wasa claimthathehad “integrity” and his chief opponent, formerGov.AndrewCuomo, did not. The people know Cuomo’sglories andmissteps. But many have been TikTok-edout of recognizing Mamdani’s two-faced candidacy displaying more calculation thanconviction. Start with the NewYork City PoliceDepartment. In June 2020, Mamdani tweeted:“We don’tneed an investigationtoknow that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer &amajor threat to public safety.Whatweneed is to #DefundTheNYPD.”Hetweeted, “There is no negotiating with an institutionthis wicked &corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycleofviolence.”

This wasnot the product of ahigh school essay. These words were five years ago. And threeyears ago, State Assemblyman Mamdani votedtocut 1,300 officers from a“racist” NYPD. Now thatheneedsthe votes of regular New Yorkers worried about crime, he’s done a180 on that unpopular stance. He said, “I’m notheretodefund the police. We’re just working to make the city safer andinnovate.”

Aw,shucks.

Whatmanyyoung urbanprofessionals don’trealize is thatnot all low-informationvotersare MAGA hillbillies. They include many of their own, busy go-getters who rely on their social media silos for information. If governing were as easy as going viral, Mamdani would be unstoppable Mamdani is on record questioning the need for jails, having called them one of White supremacy’s“many faces.” On the prisonnow housing the most dangerous criminals, he said, “Rikers Island’sdecades-long history of abuse, neglect and suffering hasnoplace in New York City.” Last month, his campaign announced, “As Mayor, ZohranMamdani will work to adhere to the 2027closure of Rikers as requiredbylaw.”

One was to prevent the state’sbottom third from sinking below the Gulf of Mexico. The other was to provide reliable hurricane risk reduction for the millions of residentsand billions in industry located there. Those two effortsproduced steady success based on two guiding principles: science and sustainability. Today,those efforts are being pushed to the edge of failure by two other guiding principles from Gov.Jeff Landry: politicsand hubris.

Here’swhy

In 2007, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority introduced the 50-year,$50 billion Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast. That meant no quick fixes; only projects that would bring permanent benefits.

From the beginning, river sediment diversions were the key tothat sustainability.While dredge-and-fill operations could providequick solutions to small areas, they would have toberepeated about every 20 years due tounstoppable subsidence. With tens of thousands of acres needingtreatment, that was economically unsustainable.

The eight diversions in the original plan were the very definition of sustainability.They could deliver mud into the sinking marshes as long as the river flowed, as well as extending the life of dredge-and-fill projects Over the years, there were changes. More than $360 million would be added to help commercial fishermen move their operations as freshwater relocated their target species.

And the estimatedprice for the first diversion of $600 million would soar to $3.1 million.

Yetthe scientists and engineers at CPRA said diversions were worth the extra costs. They remain the best chance for long-term sustainability

over the largest areas protecting the greatest populations.

Butaneven bigger,more challenging change had arrived: Impacts from climatechange caused by emissions from fossil fuels.

Sea levels are soaring at their fastest rate in 4,000 years. Recentscientific research indicates thecombination of subsidence and surging Gulf could put 87% of our coastal wetlands under waterby2050. Indeed, the latestiterationsofthe master plan indicate another 3,800 square miles of thecoastal zonecould be lost by 2067.

Allthose scientificfacts mean that unless the world begins reducing the use of oil and gas,Louisiana’scoastal zone could be veryclose to Gonzales for the next generations of Louisianians

ButLandry thinks he knows better thanall those scientists.

He’sanoil man turned politician and anoted science skeptic. He spent years calling climate science ahoax and claims Louisiana’sfutureisinmore oil and gas production —even though the sector now makes up about 4.5% of the state’sincome and ranks 15thintotal employment.

Calling diversions athreat to Louisiana culture due to impactsonoyster fishers, he killed the first two diversions. What about the science showing that

Officials and advocates gather for aMid-Barataria Sediment Diversion groundbreaking ceremonynear Ironton in 2023. STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

without diversions, manyareas would become too salty for oysters? He knows better What arethe plansfor the future of themaster plan, and what will they be based on? He didn’tannounce any Trusthim. He knows better than the CPRA.

Meanwhile, his civilian consigliere for all things New Orleans, wealthy businessman Shane Guidry, was given agreen light to remakethe Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection AuthorityEast. It was created by law to end the corruption and malpractice of politically appointed levee boards that oversaw thelevee system that failed during Hurricane Katrina. The change resulted in one of the bestlevee systems anywhere.

Guidry’sreason for the shake-up?

“Just becauseyou ran it one way for 30 years doesn’tmean it needs to run that way tomorrow,” he said. Creative destruction might be an OK gamble withyour own company,but not with protection for the lives of more than amillion people.

Butthis is what happens when politics andhubris arethe guiding principles for agovernment.

Bob Marshall, aPulitzer Prize-winning Louisianaenvironmental journalist, can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail. com, and followed on Twitter @BMarshallEnviro.

But nowhesaysthat closing Rikers by 2027 is “functionally impossible.” What causedthatlossoffervor? Perhaps it’s the resentment in Chinatown residents over plans to put oneofthe newRikers replacement jails in their neighborhood These voters have the information.

Mamdani hascalledfor loosening criminalpenalties for prostitution —which he insists is notthe same as legalizing it. His party,the Democratic Socialists of America, hasnot been thatslippery.Itcalls for the elimination of all misdemeanors tied to prostitution.

Mamdani’ssocialist sister-in-arms, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recently ralliedindefense of prostitutes congregating in working-class Corona, Queens. The largely Hispanic neighborhood has been up in arms over this open sex trade, with prostitutes propositioning kids on their way to school

Muchhas been said about Mamdani’s refusal to denounce “Globalize the Intifada” talk in acity with alarge Jewish electorate. The candidate hassaidhe distinguishesbetween anti-Zionism and antisemitism, the first being OK and the latternot OK. Then last week, as voting dayapproaches,hetoldJewsinBrooklyn thatZionists would be part of his administration. The real zingeratthe debate came from Cuomo when he said of Mamdani: “He’s neverhad ajob.Onhis resume, it says he internedfor his mother.” Cuomo warned thatany day, the city could have hurricaneor“God-forbid, a9/11” requiring experiencedleaders.

RelatedtothatWorld TradeCenterattack thatcost2,753 lives, aphotograph shows asmiling Mamdani, armsaround SirajWahhaj. Wahhajisanimam, The New York Post reports, who “was fingeredbyprosecutors as an ‘unindicted co-conspirator’ in the 1993 WTC bombing” —a practicerun for 9/11. We areall entitledtochange our positions but fora politician, total flipping from week to week is manipulative and dishonest. And it’snobody’sidea of integrity

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

Froma Harrop

Bob Marshall

Anne Rice fans flocktoN.O.for amemorialtribute

Horror author contributedto city’s supernatural mystique

BY DOUG MacCASH Staffwriter

No one since Marie Laveau contributed as much to New Orleans’ supernatural mystique than she. Rice, theauthor of the sensation 1976 novel “Interview with theVampire” and 35 other enormously popular books, died in December 2021 at age 80. The COVID-19 pandemic made alarge public memorial impossible at the moment, but her son, Christopher,and her friend Eric Shaw Quinn made up for lost time witha theatrical extravaganza befitting the cultural icon. The ornate, 1921Orpheum was ideal for the event. The audience of Ricedevotees blended perfectly amid the filigree. Corsets, waist coats, spidery lace, bejeweled brooches,macabre makeup, menacing artificial fangs and eerie vampire contact lenses were the order of the night. The house seemedtobeatcapacity. If therewere empty seats, they were few Rice’sardent admirers paid $57 and higher to attendthe All Saints’ Day event, traveling from Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; Boston; Philadelphia; Orlando, Florida; New York; and elsewhere across the country to be there.

Zack Behany,anemployee of the Olive Garden restaurant chain, had come from Warner Robins, Georgia, to pay his respects. He clutched abeloved, auto-

graphed photo that he’d received from Rice. Behany saidhefirstdiscovered Ricein2008 after the death of hisfather Rice’s psychological horror tale “Interview with the Vampire” offered himsolace. “It was like she came into my world and said, ‘I knowyou’re going through somestuff and Ithink I have some friends thatcan help you.’”

Thosefriends,Behany said, were Louis, Lestat, Claudia, Armand, Santiago andall the characters in all of her books tocome.

“She had one influence on me after another,” he said. Later,Behany said, he corresponded withRice via email. “I would not be who Iamtoday without her,” he concluded.

In that,Behany spoke for many AmmieKenney andWhit Hubnerhad come from Nashville, Tennessee, for Rice’s long-postponed publicsend-off.Hubnerwore

ascarlet mask evoking “Memnoch the Devil,” one of Rice’smany sinister inventions. Kenney,who wore bangs reminiscent of theauthor’sown, said that though the event recalled Rice’sdeath,“Idon’t think she’sfar away.”

During Saturday’slengthy memorial presentation,actors recited select passages from Rice’snovels, tenor David Michelsang“Bridge Over Troubled Water,”a songRice found especially comforting, andfellow horror authorsdescribed their devotion to the perennial bestseller,whom they considered arole model. The centerpiece of the presentation was an intimate documentary video that followed thelife of the literary superstar who was bornHoward Allen Frances O’Brienin1941 in the Irish Channel.Footage shot during Saturday’sevent will be includedinthe documentary before it is released to

thepublic.

Furtherhighlightsincluded apageant of Rice character costume contest winners, captivating eulogies delivered by Quinn and ChristopherRiceand amarvelous appearance by Irma Thomas,who sang asoulful version of “Do YouKnow What It Means to MissNew Orleans.”

Though Mayor-elect Hel-

ena Moreno did not attend the event, she arranged for aproclamationdeclaring Saturday to be Anne Rice Day in New Orleans.

Email Doug MacCashat dmaccash@theadvocate. com.

BY ALEXLUBBEN Staff writer

Nine horses are dead after afire broke out at a barn in Slidell on Saturday night, damaging part of abuilding at Lewis Stables.

Slidell Fire Protection District No.1 contained the blaze to asection of the barn, the agency said in astatement on social media. Brian Macaluso, a spokespersonfor the fire district, said firefighters’ efforts saved 28 horses in the barn.

“It’sunfortunate that this occurred,” Macaluso said. The owners of the horseshave been notified, he added.

“Wethought originally that 10 horses had perished,” he said. “But thankfully onehad just escaped.”

An investigation into the cause of the fire involving multiple local and state agencies is ongoing, and it has not been determined. Video posted online showsfirefighters battling intense flames. Lewis Stablesboards horses and has 130 stalls, according to information posted on itssocial media page.Attempts to reach the business ownersonSundaywerenot successful.

Email AlexLubben at alex.lubben@ theadvocate.com.

“In Nashville, there was room to breathe and grow

People wereexcitedtocollaborate and support local designers,” Citron said. Breakingintothe fashion world hasn’tbeen easy, especiallycomingfrom Louisiana, but Citron said that’spart of what makes her stand out. “Sometimes being from asmallerplace helps,” she said. “People take noticewhen your story is different.”

Today,Citron’s brand produces two collectionseach year in spring/summer and fall/winter while continuing to focus on small-batch, made-to-order pieces.Beyond her personal brand, Citron also works to make fashion more inclusive She serves on the board forFashion is forEvery Body,aNashville-based nonprofit runway show

that features models of all ages, sizes, genders and abilities.

“The fashionindustry isn’tastraight path,” Citron said. “You have to believe in yourself even when it feels impossible.Bekind, work hard, and keep going.”

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

LOTTERY

POWERBALL: 2-26-4344-62 (22) Unofficial notification, keep your tickets. competition. She said workingina smaller city gave herastronger foundation to develop her brand identity and build authentic relationships.

SATURDAY,NOV.1,2025

PICK 3: 3-8-4

PICK 4: 6-0-9-3

PICK 5: 2-8-9-1-3

EASY 5: 11-12-18-1921 LOTTO: 4-11-15-30-4041

Louis Salisburyand veterinarian Dr.NjeriCruse materialize during the celebration.

An eerie blue spotlight bathes tenor DavidMichel as he

at the Orpheum Theater on

SP TS

RAM SS AINTS

RECORD: 1-8 UP NEXT: AT PANTHERS, NOON SUNDAy, FOX

LA GORY

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

INGLEWOOD,Calif. Start with the coin toss, one of the last momentsthatthe outcomebetween the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams was still in question. After winning the toss,the Saints elected to receive theopeningkickoff. It was an aggressive choice made by a team looking for any sort of advantage against one of the premier teams in the NFL. Theidea, in avacuum, is to take control of the game early by jumping to

an early lead. Instead, the Saints gained 9yards on their first threeplays andlosttheir stomach for aggressiveness, punting the ball away.Los Angeles took possession at its own 12-yard lineand showed the Saints what it meant to start fast. The Rams’first four plays gained 10, 9, 20 and 16 yards. Whatever the Rams wanted to do on a12-play,88-yard touchdowndrive, they did. It endedwhenthe Saints sold out against the run at the 1-yard line, only to watch TylerHigbee catch atouchdown after aplay-action fake with nobody in hisZIP code.

The rest of the game —a34-10 drubbing that dropped theSaints to 1-8 on the season —followed much of thesame script. Whatever lever theRamswanted to pull offensively worked in their favor. They put theSaintsdefenseonskates withplay-action passes. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford carved them up in the pure drop-back game,picking apart the Saints’zonecoverage. When the Rams decidedtorun the ball, they found little resistance— no matter who was carryingit. Kyren Williams had 25 carries for 114 yards, and his back-

up Blake Corum had13carries for58 yards.

The Saints offense, led by rookie quarterback Tyler Shough making his first career start, could not keep pace.

Shough struggled to get muchofanything going against atough defense. Each of the Saints’ first three drives were three-and-outs, and NewOrleans didn’t startshowingany signsoflifeuntil Shough briefly cameoff the field and Taysom Hill took akeeper for 29 yards to flip the field.

UL men’sbasketballhopes to learnfromexhibitiongames

BY KEVINFOOTE Staff writer

It was the first look of the new-lookUL men’sbasketball team, and the result was a61-47 exhibition game road loss to North Texas on Wednesday

“Every single game matters to me, whether it be exhibition or scrimmage,” UL first-year head coach QuannasWhite said. “I hate losing.But again, there’ssome things that you can take withplaying those games and going on the road, and you want to make it hard.”

Thewhole purpose of playing that game was to prepare his Ragin’ Cajuns for the 6p.m. Monday season opener againstBall State in Muncie, Indiana.

“I was really disappointed with theway we took care of the ball. Nineteenturnovers is way to many,” White said about the exhibition loss to North Texas. “Wedidn’t shoot it well. Ithought we relied heavily on the jump shot.”

The Cajuns shot only 25% from the field and hit only 2of28attempts from 3-point

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

After two exhibitiongames,the great experiment startsfor the UL women’sbasketball team at 6p.m. Monday against Bowling Green in the Cajundome.

“I

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL forward ZekeCook waslimited to 11 minutes in the

STAFFPHOTO

BRAD KEMP

guard Imani Daniel bringsthe ballup

manyskills.

BYU, Texas Tech rise to top 10

SEC shuffle moves OU, Texas up seven spots as Vanderbilt, Tennessee fall

BY ERIC OLSON Associated Press

The Big 12 had two teams in the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time in two years Sunday Notre Dame was back in the top 10 after a two-month absence, and Oklahoma and Texas made the biggest upward moves.

The top seven teams were unchanged in the final poll before the College Football Playoff committee releases its first rankings Tuesday night to kick off the runup to the CFP bracket release Dec. 7. No. 1 Ohio State, which pulled away in the second half to beat Penn State, is at the top of the AP poll for a 10th straight week. Indiana, which scored 50-plus points against a Big Ten opponent for the third time while hammering Maryland, is No. 2 for a third straight week.

The Buckeyes and Hoosiers again were followed by Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Mississippi. Losses by Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Miami shuffled the Nos. 8, 9 and 10 spots, now held by BYU, Texas Tech and Notre Dame

The distribution of first-place votes was the same as last week. Ohio State received 54, Indiana got 11 and Texas A&M one.

No. 8 BYU and No. 9 Texas Tech gave the Big 12 two teams in the top 10 for the first time since Oct 29, 2023 The Cougars, who were idle, have their highest ranking of the season. The Red Raiders won at Kansas State and re-entered the top 10 for the first time in three weeks. The two teams face each other this weekend.

Notre Dame, winner of six straight, was pushed by a one-win Boston College on the road before

MEN

Continued from page 1C

land. UL also missed 6 of 19 tries at the line.

“I thought we took some hard shots and some bad ones as well,” White said of the 3-point shooting.

UL’s new coach, though, said he’s had elite 3-point shooters get off to ice-cold starts Pepperdine transfer Jaxon Olvera missed all nine of his over the two exhibition games.

“It’s just a matter of time,” White said. “He’s a really good starter I don’t lose confidence in my guys.”

One category UL did very well in was rebounding where it held a 47-33 edge over the Mean Green.

“We just have to continue to do that,” White said.

Only two Cajuns reached

WOMEN

Continued from page 1C

College 78-67 in two exhibition games. “We saw some good things on the defensive side, and we saw some things that we really need to work on. Offensively, we see we’ve got a couple of shooters that were out and kind of working themselves in.”

The freshmen trio includes Imani Daniel of John Curtis, Amijah Price of Woodlawn and Arionna Patterson of Walker

“She’s going to have to be available in practice,” Brodhead said of Patterson. “She’s got a lot of talent. I honestly thought she was probably the best player in the state last year

“She’s more of an outside play-

it won by 15 points and moved up two spots to No 10. The Fighting Irish were last in the top 10 in Week 3, at No. 8, before a home loss to Texas A&M dropped them to 0-2 and dropped them to No. 24. No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 13 Texas received seven-spot promotions for their wins Saturday The Sooners beat Tennessee on the road, and the Longhorns knocked off Vanderbilt at home. Tennessee took the biggest fall, dropping nine spots to No. 23.

In and out

n No. 24 Washington, which was idle, is in the poll for the first time since it finished the 2023 season at No 2 following its loss to Michigan in the national championship game. The Huskies’ only losses are to No 1 Ohio State at home and to a then-unranked Michigan

double figures in scoring Jer-

emiah Evans with 10 points and nine boards, and true freshman

Michael Collins with 10 points and four rebounds

The starting five in the exhibition game included Evans, Olvera, Jamyron Keller, Zeke Cook and Dorian Finister

“Jeremiah had some good moments,” White said. “We’ve got to be more together in taking care of the basketball and that defensive thing, we’ve got to get it down and we’ll get it down.

“I want to play the right way I want to try and win every possession, and we did not do that.”

Defensively, North Texas shot the ball incredibly in the first half at 66.7%, but UL limited the Mean Green to 29.6% in the second half.

“Yeah, I just thought we settled in,” White said “You’re playing against an American Conference opponent we just settled in in

er, but inside is easy for her She’s got great moves. She’s 6-1, and she’s long and way more athletic than people would think.”

Patterson had 10 points, five rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes off the bench in the second exhibition game.

Daniel scored 22 points in the second game after scoring 19 points with 15 rebounds in the first one.

“She’s so strong and she can rebound,” Brodhead said of Daniel.

“She’s getting better with a jump shot, too.”

That gives UL at least two post options offensively in the paint.

“And we’re working with (6-3 center) Lily Ba right now, too,” Brodhead said “We just have to get her a little more aggressive.

Lily’s also one who can go out-

on the road.

n Houston, whose No 22 ranking last week was its first Top 25 appearance since 2022, dropped out after losing at home to West Virginia.

Poll points

n BYU has risen in the poll six straight weeks since making its debut on Sept. 21. The Cougars have gone from No. 25 to No. 8 over that span.

n Miami’s losses to two then-unranked opponents in three weeks have caused a 16-spot plummet, from No. 2 to No. 18.

n Ohio State is in the Top 25 for a 90th straight poll, third-most on the active list. Notre Dame is in a 50th straight time, fifth on the active list.

n Texas made its 800th appearance in the poll, seventh all-time.

the second half and I thought played harder

“I thought we had some possessions there defensively where we played together, and we did not do that to start the game.”

Just like the Cajuns, Ball State also went on the road for its exhibition game and lost 84-70 at Purdue-Fort Wayne, where new UL player De’Vion Lavergne transferred in from.

UTEP transfer Devon Barnes led the Cardinals with 18 points, all in the second half, followed by Ohio transfer Elmore James with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Overall, Ball State added seven transfers and three freshmen after a 14-17 season a year ago, including an 8-7 record in home games. In the two Sun Belt-MAC challenge games last season, Ball State lost 71-66 to Georgia State and beat Southern Miss 77-76. White said he liked true UL

side and shoot it, too.”

Price added 12 points, two rebounds, three assists and five steals in the second game. Perhaps the most encouraging thing so far is the defense is coming along solidly despite all of the new faces.

“I kind of been warning them, ‘Man, if you make me go to a zone, it ain’t going to be fun,’ ” Brodhead said “I’ve never done it yet, but I’ve had some teams that came close. We’ll play some zone sometimes just to, depending on the team’s ability to shoot.”

Another top candidate to lead the Cajuns in scoring in any given game is Manley, who scored 19 points in the first exhibition game and nine in the second one.

“Sometimes, she gets kind of too creative,” Brodhead said of

Obiri sets women’s NYC Marathon course record NEW YORK The New York City Marathon made history on Sunday with a course record set in the women’s competition and the closest race ever on the men’s side, which was decided by a fraction of a second.

Hellen Obiri of Kenya broke the women’s record while compatriot Benson Kipruto won the men’s race by edging Alexander Mutiso by three-hundredths of a second. Obiri finished in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 51 seconds, besting by 16 seconds the course record of 2:22.31 set by Margaret Okayo in 2003. Kipruto and Mutiso separated themselves in the men’s race heading into Mile 24. Kipruto pulled away from Mutiso in the last 200 meters. But Mutiso wasn’t done, surging in the last 50 meters before falling just short. Kipruto finished in 2:08.40.

freshman Joshua Lewis getting 14 minutes on the court with two points.

“Joshua Lewis needed to get the minutes he got,” White said “We also had five guys out and all of those guys are going to play impactful minutes. We’ve got to work through the kinks. You’ve got some chemistry that you need to build and use games like that to do that.”

Among the five not playing were Louisiana Tech transfer Sean Elkinton, Portland transfer Todd Jones and Vanderbilt transfer Karris Bilal.

“All those guys had a possession here or a possession there, but it’s not to my standards,” White said. “The way we played (Wednesday) is unacceptable. I don’t care if it’s the beginning. I don’t care if it’s an exhibition.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

Manley “She’s not shy about it. You don’t have to tell her to shoot. She’ll score it on all of those jump shots. She’s getting better on the 3, and defensively she’s very athletic.”

Bowling Green was 18-13 and 11-7 last season It demolished Wooster 114-35 in its exhibition game behind seven double-digit scorers.

Leading the way was Taya Ellis with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Overall, Bowling Green returns nine players with four newcomers, including transfers from Washington State and Seton Hall. Returnee Paige Kohler is a preseason first-team All-MAC selection.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

Longtime Bengals player, broadcaster

Trumpy dies

CINCINNATI Bob Trumpy, who was an original member of the Cincinnati Bengals for 10 years before enjoying a career as a network radio and television analyst, has died. He was 80. The Bengals announced that Trumpy died peacefully on Sunday and was surrounded by family at home in the Cincinnati area. Trumpy played at the University of Utah before being drafted by the AFL expansion Bengals in the 12th round of the 1968 common draft. His 4,600 receiving yards, 35 receiving touchdowns and 15.4 yards per catch remain the most by a tight end in team history Trumpy joined NBC Sports as an NFL analyst in 1978 and called games through 1997.

Lady Vols dismiss senior guard after another arrest KNOXVILLE,Tenn. — Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell announced Sunday that she has dismissed senior guard Ruby Whitehorn from the eighth-ranked Lady Vols, saying it was her responsibility to protect the program’s high standards. Whitehorn reportedly was stopped early Thursday by campus police, who found her in possession of marijuana. She was charged with misdemeanor simple possession/casual exchange. Whitehorn had been allowed back on the team following a suspension for an August arrest She pleaded guilty Sept. 5 to two misdemeanors of aggravated trespassing and aggravated burglary in exchange for judicial diversion. Whitehorn started 28 of 34 games last season and averaged 11.6 points.

South Carolina fires Shula as offensive coordinator

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina announced it has dismissed offensive coordinator Mike Shula nine games into the 2025 season on Sunday

The move comes a day after the Gamecocks managed 230 total yards, one of their lowest outputs of the year, in their 30-14 loss to No. 7 Ole Miss. The Gamecocks’ next offensive coordinator will be the fourth under Shane Beamer since he took over as South Carolina coach ahead of the 2021 season. It wasn’t immediately known who will call plays and manage the offense over the team’s final three regular-season games.

Sinner reclaims No. 1 ranking after Paris win PARIS Jannik Sinner reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the Paris Masters final on Sunday The four-time Grand Slam champion from Italy replaced six-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz at the top as he extended his indoor winning streak to 26 matches, following up a victory in Vienna last Sunday with his first Paris title. The ninth-seeded Auger-Aliassime needed to win the tournament at La Défense Arena to clinch the eighth and final spot for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Italy But Sinner

Sinner

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

Texas Tech wide receiver Caleb Douglas, left, celebrates with offensive lineman Sheridan Wilson after scoring a touchdown against Kansas State on Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.

CAJUNS 31,JAGUARS 22

THREEAND OUT: KEVINFOOTE’S TOPTAKEAWAyS FROM CAJUNS’WIN OVER SOUTHALABAMA

NOWWEKNOW

1

At times in the preseason, the UL coaches were almost giddytalking about the prospects of having Shelton Sampson as aNo. 1 receiver.Wenow knowthe LSU transferessentially wastrying to playwith eight fingersafterhis first injury, then later he tore ahamstring to missthree games. Since returning at EasternMichigan, Sampson has looked likea differentreceiver. In Saturday’swin, he looked likethe dynamic target we heardabout throughoutthe entire offseason with six receptions for 138 yards and twoscores. The yards are the most for anyULreceiverthis season.

LUNCHAWESOME AGAIN

2

UL coach Michael Desormeaux revealed in Saturday’spostgamethe Cajuns will trytoget an extra year of eligibility forredshirt sophomore quarterback Lunch Winfield, who missed all of last season with ashoulder injury That wouldbeagreat thing afterhis latest performance.Winfield set the school record for completion percentageafter going14-of-15 passing for 232 yards and twoscores while also rushingfor 45 yards and another touchdown. He displayeda great connection with Sampson andalso adjusted to the backup tight ends with starter Caden Jensen out with an injury

DEFENSECAMETHROUGH

3

Despitea31-7 lead in thethirdquarter, things gotpretty testy forthe Cajuns in the fourth quarter.A 64-yard touchdown pass against three-deep hurt, but the unit came throughwhen UL had to have it.A fourth-down sack by Tyree Skipper,a goal-linestand and an interception to capthe victorywill be three of themost memorable playsfrom the win.One week after UL allowed9of13onthird down,South Alabama went 8of15onSaturday. It’sgoing to be difficult to containTexasState’sexplosiveoffense next week.The bend-but-don’t-break approach is very nerve-racking

Doing it hard way

MOBILE,Ala. The way things have gone for the UL Ragin’Cajuns this season, perhaps it was alittle too much to ask forcoach Michael Desormeaux’sclub to enjoy asmooth ride.

It certainly appeared to be heading that direction after the Cajuns built a31-7 lead three minutes into the third quarter of Saturday’s31-22 win over South Alabama at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

Quarterback Lunch Winfield said he was screaming in support of histeammates during all four downs ofstymieingthe Jaguars

“It was tricking us,” Winfield said.“Iwas like, ‘Oh man, what’s goingon?’ ButIsaid, ‘Go do it again.Godoitagain.’ ”

“Going back to fall camp, over 50 percent of his targets wereexplosives. That’spretty significant, so we knew it was in there. He just came back with arenewed energy about him.”

Cajuns handle clock to perfection

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

MOBILE,Ala.— TheULRagin’ Cajuns were up 17-7whenthey reachedthe SouthAlabama41 with 1:19 left in the first half. The Cajuns then let the clock run for 32 seconds before calling atimeout. Why not call the timeout sooner?

“You’re in the fine line between youwanttokeep enough time to go score andcertainly youdon’t want to give themthe ball back andscrew it up at the end of the half,” UL coach Michael Desormeaux said. “I wanted to leave enough timeifwedidn’t scoreonseconddown.I was abouttotaketwo shots into the endzoneand then kick afield goal if we didn’tget it.” The plan worked like acharm. First, Lunch Winfield hit Shelton Sampson for23yards to theSouth Alabama 17 before spiking the ball to stop the clockwith 17 seconds. Winfield relished the play scramble-drill play because of how active his receiverswere.

“Weknowthatifyou want to make aplay,you’ve gottobea playmaker,”Winfield said.“So in that moment …everybody on the field wasmoving around trying to makeaplay and get the ball. That was avery exciting thing to see because sometimes you see players, you get out of the pocket and they’re just standing here.”

Winfield redirected Sampson’sroute, and he cameback to naba 23-yard reception. On the next play,Winfield hit Sampson for a17-yard TD.

“I wasgiving him (Sampson) ashotinthe endzone,” Winfield said. “I took ashot on it, so it probablywasn’t the most accurate ball ever.Soyeah, Iwas just giving him ashotbecause he wasgoing to getit.”

The Cajuns opened the secondhalfwitha seven-play, 75yard drive in 3:02 to build a31-7 lead on a1-yard TD run from Winfield.

Jacksonreturns

Late last season, Kody Jackson came up bigfor theCajunsaftersafety Tyree Skipper suffereda season-ending injury

Heading into Saturday’s game, the UL coaching staff was concerned Jalen Clark wouldn’treally be readytoperform.After watching him play at less than 100%, the coaches decidedtopull Clark in favorof Jackson. Jackson contributed three tacklesand apassbreakup.

But the game not staying ablowout created the opportunityfor some heroic performances to emerge. One of them was defensive lineman FitzgeraldWest, whorelished the chancefor the defense to deliver in the clutch.

Trailing 31-22, the Jaguars drove 76 yards on 16 plays to reach the UL 1. But the UL defense stuffed South Alabama running backs who tried to cross the goal lineon the ensuing plays. After UL thought it had produced aturnover on downs, an offsides flag gave the Jaguars one more chance, but again West, Drenon Fite and friends put upa stone wall to keep South Alabama from scoring.

“I love goal line,” West said. “It’ssomething about yourback against the wall. Youknow they need one yard and you still can stop them. Itake pride in that. I love to get goal-line stops.

“Itwas aroller coaster (ofemotions after the penalty), but Ijust knew we couldn’tlet them in. We fought too hard. We fought too hard the play beforethat to just let them walk in. Like, it’snot happening.”

While that goal-line stand is memorable,Winfieldmighthave appreciated Jaden Dugger’sinterception that sealed thewin on SouthAlabama’snext possession even more.

“The biggest moment that made me happywas Dugger caught that pick,” Winfield said witha laugh.“Throughfall camp and all thethings we went through, that was probably the big thing. Iusedtoalways tell him, ‘You can’tcatch, you can’t catch,’ and in that moment, he mademelike the happiestever.”

Winfield sure made plenty of UL fans and teammates happy with his ownplay

“His development is critically important, and he’sgot the ability to be areally good passer, which we saw today,” Desormeaux said of Winfield. “Hopefully,it’snothing but confidencemovingforward.I think it helps in every facet of offense.”

Winfield was 14-of-15 passing (93.3%) to break the school record forcompletion percentage in agame that wasset last year by Chandler Fields at 90%.

“It’sreally just like going back over theother games and seeing where we did gowrong,” Winfield said aboutthe improvement “Why did these drives go wrong? Wasitinaccurate passes, bad routes or just cleaning up that week and beingmoreefficient?”

Winfieldalso gave credit elsewhere.

17 pass from Winfield (Sterner kick),:11 Thirdquarter

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING —UL, Davis 11-56, Perry

Winfield 15-45, Robertson

(Team) 3-(minus 5).South Alabama, Phillips 13-75, Bullock16-48,Davenport 7-42. PASSING —UL, Winfield 14-15-0-232, (Team) 0-1-0-0, W.Howard 0-1-0-0. South Alabama, Davenport20-33-1-203. RECEIVING —UL, Sampson 6-138, Chappell 2-44, T.Miller 2-10, R.Williams1-23, J.Johnson 1-14, Davis1-2, Perry 1-1. South Alabama, Scott 6-102,M.Woods 3-31, Eager 3-28, McCrumby2-17, Voisin 2-12,Phillips 1-6 Tr.Thomas 1-6, Long 1-1,Bullock 1-0 MISSED FIELD GOALS —UL, Sterner 53.

“Coach Des is doing awonderful job playing within my game… like in my strengths,”hesaid. Saturday’swin also featured the emergence of Shelton Sampson. After all of the preseason hype, it was bitterly disappointing to see his early-season drops.

It’sobvious now Sampson was moreinjured than we knew at the time.

Youcan now see what kind of offense this could have been without all of the injuries, but thedefense’sceiling remains amystery

“Weknew it was in there,” Desormeaux said of Sampson.

Sampson had aseason-high 138 yards receiving after the first drive in the third quarter

“I just feel refreshed,” Sampson said. “I just feel 100 percent. I just feel like myself again, and I feel great.”

Defensive leaders such as safety Tyree Skipper enjoyed watching the offense shine.

“It’s real exciting to see those guys withthat crazy connection they have,” Skipper said. “I’m happy to have (Sampson) back. I love our offense.

“You’ve got all of these guys that they don’tknow who to get, whotocheck. It was exciting to see those guys out there and having fun.”

But all thepretty numbers over thefirst 33 minutesofthe game wouldn’thave mattered withoutavictory

Sure,coaches and players talk abouthow muchthey believe, but that’sgot to be muchmore difficult to do with each loss.

“It’sjustbeen tough, you know,”Desormeaux said. “You have ahugewin against Marshalland then you have three really good teams in the league back to back to back. You’re kind of in the fight and you come up alittle short.

“One thing Iknow about this team is,you know,I don’tknow what’sgoing to happen the next three weeks, but Iknow we’re going to fight like hell. Imean, that’s just who they are.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

“JC wasn’tthe same, so we knew Kody wasgoing to have to playa lot, andweknew Skip wasgoing to have to playreally well,”Desormeaux said. “Kody Jackson’s always really stepped up when we need him. That’s something I’m really proud of. We’ve talkeda lot about it, he and I, about the urgency even when it doesn’tlooklike he’s a starter.”

Skipper alsodelivered in a big way with nine tackles and asack

“The communicationwas way better today out of all the games we played,” Skipper said. “It’s next man up, so the jobhas to get done. You’re expected to go make aplay and do the job.”

Tightendsshine

With starting tightend Caden Jensen out after suffering aconcussion last Saturday,reserve tight ends BrockChappell and Trey Miller stepped up.

“I wasvery proud of the way those guys played,” Desormeauxsaid. “Caden’s such abig part of what we do on offenseand hasplayedreally well for us this year.Not having him was certainly something you’re concerned about going into the game.”

Chappellcaught two passes for 44 yards andMiller added two for 10 yards.

“I thought both played well in the passing game, but Ithought they were really tough in the rungame,”Desormeauxsaid. “They were straining, and they were playing with effort on the edge.”

PHOTO By BENJAMIN R. MASSEy

UL quarterback Lunch Winfield, left, celebrates atouchdown withwide receiver Shelton Sampson during theCajuns’ 31-22 road win over South Alabama on Saturday.

Kevin Foote

RAMS 34,SAINTS10

BY THENUMBERS

L.A. Rams 34, New Orleans 10 New Orleans01000—10

L.A. Rams71377—34

First Quarter LAR—Higbee 1pass from Stafford (Karty kick), 6:18. Drive:12plays,83yards,

NewOrleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shoughpasses against the Los Angeles Rams in the firsthalfonSunday in Inglewood,Calif.Shough threw his firstcareer touchdownpass, butthe Saints lost 34-10.

Rams give Shough no chance

RUSHING—New Orleans, Hill 4-30, Kamara6-14, Neal 3-11, Shough1-2.L.A. Rams, K.Williams 25-114, Corum 13-58, Nacua1-3, Stafford4-(minus 4). PASSING—New Orleans, Shough 15-24-1-176, Hill 0-1-0-0. L.A. Rams, Stafford24-32-0-281.

RECEIVING—New Orleans,Shaheed 5-68, Olave 3-57, Johnson 3-31,Cooks 2-16, Kamara 1-3, Neal 1-1. L.A. Rams, Nacua 7-95, Adams 5-60, Allen 3-37, Higbee 3-13, Ferguson 2-54 Smith 2-12, Parkinson 2-10.

PUNT RETURNS—New Orleans, Shaheed 1-9. L.A. Rams, Smith 2-11. KICKOFF RETURNS—NewOrleans, Shaheed

1-29. L.A. Rams, None.

TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS—New Orleans, Reid 7-6-0, Sanker 5-3-0,Taylor 5-3-0, D.Davis

4-9-0, McKinstry3-4-0, Williams 2-1-1, C.Young 2-0-1, Granderson 2-0-0,Stutsman

1-7-0, Rumph 1-4-0, Shepherd1-1-0, Werner

1-1-0, Godchaux 0-6-0, Bullard0-2-0, Burgess

0-2-0, Howden 0-1-0, Jordan 0-1-0. L.A. Rams, Kinchens 4-0-0, Curl 3-1-0,Forbes 3-1-0, Speights 2-1-0, Lake2-0-0, Fiske1-2-1, Turner

1-1-0, Young 1-1-0, Durant 1-0-0, McCollough 1-0-0, Landman 0-5-0, Ford 0-4-0,Davis 0-1-0, Stewart 0-1-0, Verse 0-1-0.

INTERCEPTIONS—New Orleans, None. L.A. Rams, Forbes 1-7. MISSED FIELD GOALS—L.A. Rams, Karty 39.

OFFICIALS—Referee Shawn Smith, Ump Tra Blake, HL JayBilbo, LJ Jeff Seeman, FJ Dyrol Prioleau, SJ Boris Cheek, BJ Dino Paganelli, ReplayMikeWimmer.

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

We came to watch adebut. Instead, we saw ademolition. Rams 34, Saints 10. Few expected theSaints and Tyler Shough to knock off a Super Bowl contender like theLos Angeles Rams on their home field, but we certainly expected amore competitive affair than what we witnessed at SoFiStadium on Sunday

This was acomplete and utter annihilation.The Saintswere outplayed,outcoached and outclassed from start to finish in a beatdown so thorough and authoritative that it overshadowed Shough’sdebutand rendered his performancemoot.We’ll have to wait another week to makea realistic evaluation of the rookie second-round draft pick.

Shough simply had no chance Sunday.The game was over almost before it began.

The blowout was agrim reminderofjust how far theSaints have fallen —and how far they needtogotocompete with the league’selite.

That was the Saints’ initial first down of the game, and they already were trailing 13-0by thatpoint. Thedrive endedwith a39-yard Blake Grupe field goal —a kick that was attempted only after the Saints committeda false start when tryingtoconvert afourth and 1. Los Angelestookthe ensuingkickand went on an easy three-play,65-yard touchdown drive capped by a39-yard strike from Stafford to Puka Nacua.

Shough’sbest moment came during atwominute drill to close outthe first half. He connected on 4of6,including a27-yarder to Chris Olave on third downwhen he scrambled out of pressure, extended the play and found Olave down field. With seven seconds left in the first half, he hit JuwanJohnson for an 11-yard touchdown that cutthe Rams’ lead to 20-10. It offered abrief momentofhope, but the Rams quickly snuffed it out. Los Angeles took the opening kickoffof the second half and went on amethodical 16-play,80-yard touchdown march that bled nearly 10 minutes of game clock Stafford closed it out with his fourthtouchdown pass of the game, and secondtostar wideout Davante Adams

TheSaints’ response wastofumblethe ball away on the second play of the ensuing possession, when Ramslinebacker Nate Landman punchedthe ball outofAlvin Kamara’shands. New Orleans will travel to Charlotte North Carolina, next week to face theCarolina Panthers in its finalgame before the bye week.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@ theadvocate.com.

The Rams tripled theSaints in first downs (30-10) and nearly doubled them in total yardage 438-224. They controlled the ball for nearly 44 of thegame’s60 minutes In theteeth of this carnage, Shough was forced tooperate and execute. Predictably,it wasn’tgood.

The Saints went three-and-out on his first three drives. On those possessions, Alvin Kamara tried four runs and gained atotal of 9yards. By thetime Shough gained his initial first down, the Rams were leading 14-0, making it the sixthtime in nine games theSaints have fallen behind early and failed to lead for asingle minute.

“Obviously,ifthere is asolution (to the slow starts), we haven’tfound it yet,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. Forced into agame of catch-up against one of the league’sbest pass rushes, Shough struggled to find rhythm or success. He finished 15-of-24 passing for 176 yards.

The highlight of his performance came just before halftime when he executed abeautiful

two-minute drill and capped it with his first career NFLtouchdown pass, an 11-yard strike to Juwan Johnson to cut the margin to 20-10 and give the Saints brief life. On thedrive, Shough exhibited manyofthe traits the Saints liked about him coming out of college. He flashed arm strength on a13-yard dart to Rashid Shaheed to start the march. He displayed mobility by eluding theRams’ rush and hitting Chris Olavefor a27-yard gain while scrambling to his right. And he showed toughness by shaking off amassive helmet-to-helmet hit by Byron Young on asack that led to aroughing-the-passer penalty. One play later,hefound Johnson in the leftflat forthe score.

“I thought he handled some adverse situations and didn’tlet those other factors impact his play,” Moore said of Shough. If there was asilver lining, it was that the gamedid not get too big for Shough. He played with poise and confidence. He was decisive, fairly accurate and did not look like arookie formost of thegame.

“I thought he threw it well,” Moore said. “Operationally,I felt like he wasvery calm. He executed pretty well.”

In the end, though, it wasn’t nearly enough to prevent the Saints’ fourth consecutive loss and their third straight setback by adouble-digit margin. Things got so bad, the Fox Sports broadcast crew started filling timewith Dodgers’ World Series content midway through the second quarter As the rout played out in the second half,the only suspense that remained forNew Orleans fans was trying to determine whether the Saints would lose by an even larger margin than the Pelicans, whowere thrashed 137106 by the Thunder on Sunday The Saints are now 1-8. It’s their worst start in 45 years. The last timethey began aseason this poorly was 1980, when they went 1-15, and the Aints and bag heads wereborn.

At least one Saints fanwas spotted with abag head in the SoFi crowd Sunday.You can bet the number will multiply in the days and weeks ahead as this grim season continues.

LosAngeles Rams wide receiver

Jeff Duncan

Broncos rally past Texans on late FG

By The Associated Press

Bo Nix threw two touchdown passes and Wil Lutz made a 34yard field goal as time expired as the Denver Broncos rallied to beat the Texans 18-15 on Sunday in Houston to extend their winning streak to six games.

They improved to 4-0 this season in games they trailed entering the fourth quarter.

The Broncos (7-2) had punted three times in a row before a 25yard scramble by Nix got them to their 39 with less than a minute to go. J.K. Dobbins followed with a 9-yard run, and a 9-yard run by Nix two plays after that set up the game-winning field goal.

Nix couldn’t do much in the first three quarters against Houston’s top-ranked defense, but RJ Harvey’s 27-yard TD reception and Troy Franklin’s 2-point conversion grab tied it at 15-all early in the fourth quarter

C.J. Stroud sustained a concussion when he was hit at the end of a slide early in the first quarter

Ka’imi Fairbairn tied a career-high with five field goals, but the Texans (3-5) struggled to move the ball with Davis Mills at quarterback after Stroud’s injury

STEELERS 27, COLTS 20: In Pittsburgh, Jaylen Warren ran for two touchdowns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers forced Indianapolis into six turnovers.

The Steelers (5-3) snapped a twogame losing streak by harassing Colts quarterback Daniel Jones into the kind of mistakes he’d largely avoided during Indianapolis’ scorching-hot start.

Jones threw three interceptions and fumbled twice, including a strip-sack by Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt in the second quarter that seemed to shake the Steelers out of a weekslong funk in which the NFL’s highest-paid defense gave up yards and points at an alarming rate.

Watt’s recovery set up the first of Warren’s two touchdown runs

Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers finished 25-of-35 for 203 yards and a score on a day Pittsburgh’s offense managed just 225 yards of total offense.

49ERS 34, GIANTS 24: In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson ran all over the Giants on the way to a victory McCaffrey accounted for 173 scrimmage yards 106 on the ground on his 28 carries and 67 receiving on five catches.

A week after a franchise-low 10 rushing attempts, Kyle Shanahan’s

team ran the ball 39 times for 159 yards, including Robinson’s 18yard touchdown that sent a lot of the Giants crowd to the exits.

Niners QB Mac Jones completed his first 14 passes on the way to finishing 19 of 24 for 235 yards and TD passes to McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings.

The 49ers (6-3) were without starting quarterback Brock Purdy for a fifth consecutive game.

Giants QB Jaxson Dart was 24 of 33 for 191 yards with TD passes to Theo Johnson and Gunner Olszewski. Johnson and Wan’Dale Robinson each had a drop on third down for the Giants (2-7).

PATRIOTS 24, FALCONS 23: In Foxborough, Massachusetts, Drake Maye threw two touchdown passes and had a pair of turnovers in an uneven performance, and New England held on for its sixth straight victory

Terrell Jennings had his first career rushing touchdown for the Patriots (7-2). DeMario Douglas had four catches for 100 yards, the first 100-yard receiving game of his career New England led 24-17 in the fourth quarter when Michael Penix connected with Drake London for a 40-yard gain along the sideline with Christian Gonzalez in coverage.

The Patriots forced a fourthand-goal on the 8, but London outstretched Carlton Davis on a jump ball for a toe-tapping touchdown to get the Falcons (3-5) within a point.

But Parker Romo’s extra point at-

tempt missed wide right.

Maye finished 19 of 29 for 259 yards, but was sacked six times.

CHARGERS 27, TITANS 20: In Nashville, Tennessee, Justin Herbert threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score and the Los Angeles Chargers got their third win in four games. Herbert, who came in leading the NFL with 2,140 yards passing, shook off an early pick-six and losing both his tackles to injuries before halftime. Right tackle

Bobby Hurt hurt a groin in the first quarter and left tackle Joe Alt was carted off in the second after reinjuring his right ankle.

Odafe Oweh had two of Los Angeles’ four sacks.

The Chargers (6-3) took control midway through the third quarter, stopping the Titans and running back Tony Pollard on back-to-back plays at the 1 to protect a 20-17 lead.

The Titans (1-8) lost their fourth straight and third under interim coach Mike McCoy

PANTHERS 16, PACKERS 13: In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Rico Dowdle rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns, and his big run in the final minute set up Ryan Fitzgerald’s last-second, game-winning 49-yard field goal.

It was the second time this season the rookie from Florida State has made a winning field goal as time expired.

The loss could prove costly for Green Bay (5-2-1). Packers star tight end Tucker Kraft was carted off the field with a knee injury in

the third quarter

Dowdle’s second touchdown gave the Panthers (5-4) a 13-6 lead late in the third quarter He celebrated that score by thrusting his hips twice, an homage to a “Key & Peele” sketch, and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love went 26 of 37 for 273 yards with an interception on his 27th birthday

VIKINGS 27, LIONS 24: In Detroit, J.J. McCarthy threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score in his return from an ankle injury, leading Minnesota over the Lions.

McCarthy sealed the victory by throwing a 16-yard pass to Jalen Nailor on third-and-5 from the Minnesota 28, a play that allowed Minnesota to run out the clock.

McCarthy, who led Michigan to the 2023 national championship, was 14 of 25 for 143 yards. He threw both of his scoring passes in the first quarter, connecting with Justin Jefferson from 10 yards out and T.J. Hockenson from 7 yards.

McCarthy ran for a 9-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter, giving the Vikings (4-4) a 24-14 lead.

Lions QB Jared Goff was 25 of 37 for 284 yards with two touchdowns. Sam LaPorta had 97 yards receiving and a score, and AmonRa St. Brown had 97 yards on nine catches. Jahmyr Gibbs was held to 25 yards rushing on nine carries and 3 yards on 3 receptions.

BEARS 47, BENGALS 42: In Cincinnati, Caleb Williams connected with

Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left, and Chicago beat the Bengals in a wild game that featured three touchdowns in the last two minutes and two lead changes in the final minute.

After Joe Flacco put the Bengals ahead 42-41 with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Andrei Iosivas, Chicago (5-3) took over on its own 28 with 54 seconds left. Four plays later, on first down from the 42, Williams found Loveland down the middle. The rookie tight end caught it at the Bengals 36, bounced off Cincinnati defensive backs Jordan Battle and Geno Stone and ran to the end zone. Williams passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and he also caught a TD pass from D.J. Moore on a trick play for the Bears’ first score.

Cincinnati (3-6) had not scored 40 points or more in defeat since falling 51-45 to Cleveland on Sept. 16, 2007.

BILLS 28, CHIEFS 21: In Orchard Park, New York, Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass and ran for two scores to outduel Patrick Mahomes in a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game. James Cook had 114 yards rushing and Buffalo’s defense did the rest in harassing Mahomes, who was sacked three times, hit 15 more and finished with the worst completion percentage of his career The game was decided in the final 17 seconds, when Mahomes threw three straight incompletions from Buffalo’s 40. The last throw fell short of the end zone and was batted down by Maxwell Hairston. Buffalo (6-2) has won two straight since losing consecutive games. The Bills have defeated Kansas City (5-4) in five straight regular-season meetings.

JAGUARS 30, RAIDERS 29, OT: In Las Vegas, Trevor Lawrence scored on a quarterback sneak in overtime for his second rushing touchdown of the game, and the Jaguars held on to win when nose tackle DaVon Hamilton batted down Geno Smith’s pass to deny the Raiders a winning 2-point conversion. Jacksonville’s Cam Little broke an NFL record with a 68-yard field goal at the end of the first half, and his 48-yarder with 16 seconds left sent the game to OT The Jaguars (5-3) ended a twogame skid and improved their playoff chances Las Vegas (2-6) has lost six of seven. Lawrence, who battled an illness, completed 23 of 34 passes for 220 yards.

Ala. Freeze was fired Sunday.

AP PHOTO By BUTCH DILL

Auburn fires coach Freeze

Tigers have lost 12 of past 15 SEC games

BY MARK LONG Associated Press

Auburn fired coach Hugh Freeze on Sunday, moving on after the Tigers lost for the 12th time in their past 15 Southeastern Conference games. The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.

Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin will serve as interim coach for the team’s remaining four games.

“Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appre-

ciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster,” athletic director John Cohen said in a statement.

“Our expectations for Auburn football are to annually compete for championships, and the search for the next leader of Auburn football begins immediately.”

Freeze became the eighth Power Four coach fired this season, following moves at Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma State, Penn State, UCLA and Virginia Tech. Stanford also has a vacancy after firing Troy Taylor in March.

Freeze’s finale was a 10-3 home loss to unranked Kentucky on Saturday night in which Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels were sacked a combined seven times. It was the third consecutive loss for Auburn (4-5, 1-5 SEC) at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Freeze, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer

in February, received much of the blame for the skid. He missed on hand-picked portal quarterbacks Payton Thorne (Michigan State), Arnold (Oklahoma) and maybe even Daniels (Stanford). Freeze also went 1-12 against ranked teams.

The Tigers owe Freeze $15.8 million, with no mitigation, from a six-year, $39 million deal he signed to replace Bryan Harsin in 2022. Harsin was fired eight games into his second season. He was 9-12 overall and 4-9 in league play Freeze got the boot at 1519 overall and 6-16 in the conference. The last five losses included more offensive woes. The Tigers scored 17, 10, 10, 17 and 3 in losses to Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia and Missouri and Kentucky Now, Auburn is seeking its fourth coach in seven seasons. The Tigers fired Gus Malzahn in 2020, Harsin in 2022 and now Freeze in 2025.

Green urges Pelicans to ‘keep fighting’ after Thunder loss

From staff and wire reports

OKLAHOMA CITY Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and seven assists in three quarters, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 137-106 on Sunday to extend its season-opening winning streak to seven games. The Pelicans fell to 0-6 to start the season.

“Yeah, it’s a long season,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Long season. You’ve got to stay together and continue to work at it You know, we’ll get back to practice and we’ll just keep going from there. But the biggest thing is just stay together, keep fighting for each other (and) let’s try to string together a consistent game.”

Green is now 21-71 in his last 92 games coached, dating back to the Pelicans getting swept by the Thunder in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs Zion Williamson had 20 points and nine rebounds and Trey Murphy added 19 points for New Orleans.

Former Oklahoma star Jeremiah Fears, a rookie, scored 16 points for the Pelicans after getting a warm reception when he was introduced during starting lineups. Center Kevon Looney made his Pelicans debut after dealing with a left knee injury he suffered in the preseason. Looney finished with 3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 16 minutes Gilgeous-Alexander made 8 of 14 field goals and

all 13 of his free throws in 30 minutes to keep the Pelicans winless. “They made shots,” Green said of the Thunder “But a lot of those shots that were being made because they have to feel us more from a physicality perspective, and they didn’t When teams do that, you’re allowing them to do what they do best, which is drive-kick, drive-kick and get to the free-throw line.” Isaiah Hartenstein had 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, who shot 56% from the field and had eight players score in double figures Oklahoma City’s largest lead was 36 points in the fourth quarter

The Thunder entered the game ranked last in the NBA in 3-point percentage at just under 30%, but made

20 of 48 (41.7%) against the Pelicans. Oklahoma City dominated despite three starters from last season’s championship team missing the game. Thunder guard Lu Dort was out with an illness, forward Chet Holmgren missed his third straight game with a lower back sprain and guard/forward Jalen Williams hasn’t played this season as recovers from offseason surgery on his right wrist. None of that stopped the Thunder from winning its 11th straight matchup with the Pelicans. The Thunder equaled its 7-0 start from last season, when it won the NBA title. OKC is the third team in league history to start 7-0 in back-to-back seasons, joining the Boston Celtics (1963-65) and Houston Rockets (1993-95).

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, center, escapes pressure from Texans defensive end Will Anderson, left, and Tim Settle as Nix runs the ball for a long gain on Sunday in Houston.

Hugh Freeze shows distress after a call during Auburn’s game against Missouri on Oct. 18 in Auburn,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KyLE PHILLIPS Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, right, drives past Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday in Oklahoma City

Dramatic Game 7 full of moments

TORONTO Late homers by Miguel Rojas and Will Smith rallied the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings

Saturday night in one of the wildest Game 7s in World Series history Los Angeles overcame 3-0 and 4-2 deficits, and escaped a basesloaded jam in the ninth to become baseball’s first repeat champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees won three titles in a row Here are the top moments from the epic Game 7:

Bichette chases Ohtani

The Blue Jays took a 3-0 thirdinning lead when Bo Bichette connected against Shohei Ohtani for his first homer since Sept. 2, which was a few days before suffering a left knee injury that sidelined him until the World Series and still hampered him throughout.

Ohtani was pitching on three days of rest, and although he was up to 100.9 mph with his fastball, his command was shaky and he appeared to run out of steam in the third. After fielding Nathan Lukes’ sacrifice bunt, he threw a wild pitch to Vladimir Guerrero Jr and allowed Bichette’s homer on the next pitch, his 51st and last of the night.

Benches clear

Both benches and bullpens cleared after Dodgers lefthander Justin Wrobleski hit An-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS

Miguel Rojas of the Los Angeles Dodgers follows through on a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday in Toronto. His blast tied the game.

drés Giménez on the right hand with a pitch in the fourth inning. Wrobleski already had thrown two high-and-inside fastballs to Giménez with his first and fourth pitches before hitting him with a 96.4 mph fastball with one out. After the players returned to their benches and bullpens, the

umpires huddled briefly before crew chief Mark Wegner issued a warning to both teams. Play resumed after a four-minute break between pitches.

Surprise hero

Max Muncy trimmed Toronto’s lead to 4-3 with a solo homer in the eighth, and that also guar-

anteed Ohtani would bat in the ninth. But the two-way superstar didn’t have to be the hero after all. Miguel Rojas hit the first tying home run in the ninth inning or later of a World Series Game 7, according to Stats Perform. His oneout drive off Jeff Hoffman was just his second home run since the All-Star break, and his second in 20 career postseason games.

Narrow escape in 9th

Doders left-hander Blake Snell allowed two Toronto baserunners, prompting manager Dave Roberts to bring in Yoshinobu Yamamoto a day after he threw 96 pitches in a Game 6 victory Yamamoto hit Alejandro Kirk with a pitch, loading the bases, before the Dodgers escaped with two helter-skelter defensive plays. With the infield playing in to prevent the winning run, Rojas fielded Daulton Varsho’s grounder to second base and nearly fell over He gathered himself and threw home, but the throw briefly pulled Smith off the plate. Smith’s toe barely reconnected with the plate in time to get the force, a call confirmed by video review

Then center fielder Andy Pages, who had just been inserted off the bench to provide better defense, collided with left fielder Kiké Hernández while catching Ernie Clement’s long fly on the left-center warning track. Pages held on for the final out

SCOREBOARD

3-Point Goals: 16-40, .400

Fears 4-8, Jones

Peavy 1-2, Hawkins 0-1, Looney

2, Poole 2, Bey, Missi, Peavy). Steals: 6 (Jones 2, Alvarado, Murphy III, Poole, Williamson) Technical Fouls: None. FGFTRe

Hartenstn

Barnhizer 6:51

Yongblood 6:51

Dieng

Totals240 47-8423-268-423322137 Percentages: FG .560, FT .885. 3-Point Goals: 20-48, .417 (Jay.Williams

Wallace 3-4, Wiggins 3-6, Joe 3-10, Caruso 2-3, Youngblood 2-3, Dieng 1-1, Carlson

Gilgeous-Alexander 1-5, Mitchell

Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 2. Blocked Shots: 5 (Caruso, Dieng, Hartenstein, Jay.Williams, Wiggins) Turnovers: 11 (Gilgeous-Alexander 3, Carlson 2, Hartenstein 2, Mitchell 2, Caruso, Dieng). Steals: 12 (Wallace 5, Barnhizer, Caruso, Gilgeous-Alexander, Hartenstein, Jay.Williams, Joe, Mitchell). Technical Fouls: None. New Orleans22303024106 Oklahoma City39363329—137 A_18,203 (18,203) Pro football

CONFERENCE

15 To

nto00300100000—4

Angeles

Toronto

LOB_Los Angeles 10, Toronto 14. 2B_Smith (2), Giménez (1), Clement (3), Guerrero (2). HR_Muncy (2), Rojas (1), Smith (2), Bichette (1). SB_Clement (1). SF_T.Hernández (1), Edman (1). S_Lukes (1), Kiner-Falefa (1). IPHRERBBSO Los Angeles

of the inning despite knocking Hernández to the ground.

Blue Jays escape 10th

Los Angeles loaded the bases with one out in the 10th inning, but Seranthony Domínguez got two quick outs to escape. Giménez threw out Mookie Betts at home plate on Pages’ grounder to shortstop, then Guerrero fielded Hernández’s grounder to first and flipped to Domínguez covering the bag on a close play

Smith enters lore

Smith set a record for most innings caught in a single World Series with 74, and he helped ensure he wouldn’t have to catch a 75th with his solo shot in the 11th.

Smith hit a 2-0 slider from Shane Bieber into the Blue Jays’ bullpen in left field, giving the Dodgers their first lead of the night. It was the first extra-inning homer in a World Series Game 7.

Yamamoto closes it out Guerrero doubled off Yamamoto leading off the bottom of the 11th and advanced to third on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s sacrifice bunt, and Toronto got the potential winning run on base when Addison Barger walked.

Yamamoto then induced a gameending 6-6-3 double play from Kirk, cementing the Dodgers’ second consecutive title and his World Series MVP award.

HBP_Wrobleski (Giménez), Yamamoto (Kirk).

The Associated Press

GBY JOHN SEEWER | Associated Press

oahead androll your eyes. Shrug your shoulders. Or maybe justjuggle your hands in theair

Dictionary.com’sword of the year isn’t even really aword. It’sthe viral term “6-7” that kidsand teenagers can’tstop repeating and laughing about andparents and teachers can’t make any senseof.

The word—ifyou can call it that —exploded in popularity over the summer.It’s more of an insidejoke withanunclear meaning, driven by social media.

Dictionary.comsaysits annualselection is alinguistic timecapsule reflecting social trends andevents. But thesite admitted it too is abit confused by “6-7.”

“Don’t worry,because we’re allstill trying to figureout exactly what it means,” the site said in its announcement this week

BY CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

Spread the messageof awareness this month; it’s important

What is the originofNational Alzheimer’sDisease Awareness month and what can Idotopromote it?

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan first designated November as National Alzheimer’sDisease Awareness Month, when less than 2million Americans were diagnosed with the disease and just one year before he himself received the samediagnosis.

Forty years later,that number has now more than tripled —to over 6million people. One in nine people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’sdisease, adegenerative brain disorder that slowly destroys memory,concentration and thinking skills. The lifetime cost of dementia is estimated to be more than $390,000, including the value of unpaid caregiving. Families/caregivers shoulder 70% of these costs. In the last five years of the life of aperson with dementia,family out-ofpocket health care spending totals more than $86,000 —more than twice as high as for aperson with cancer and nearly 75% higher than for aperson with heart disease (alzimpact.org). The greatest risk forAlzheimer’sdisease is age. The current growth of the population ages 65 and older is unprecedented in U.S. history Older adults are aging better and living longer and are one of the fastest-growing groups in the country.Infact, 80.8 million Americans will be 65+ in 2040 —more than twice as manyasin2000.

With these growing numbers, Americans need to pay attention. And, during this month we can do our part to bring about a greater awareness of this brain disorder

November is atimetoespecially reflect and recognize all those affected by Alzheimer’s disease; to honor those who experience the disease every day,and to pay tribute to those whose journey has ended. We also need to promote agreater understanding of the disease to diminish the prevailing stigma that oftentimes prevents people with early symptomsfrom seeking medical attention in a timely manner

Raising awareness means starting adialogue. The more we know about Alzheimer’s, the morewecan spread the message to others. We need people to be aware that when symptomsgoundiagnosed and untreated, it is fartoo late to optimize the effects of available interventions. Opportunities forsocial engagement, nutrition counseling and physical activity can significantly alter the course of Alzheimer’sand preserve aquality of lifewhen the diagnosis is madeearlier

Raising awareness means understanding risk factors. Researchers have shown that high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity are indicators of a greater risk for cognitive decline. The health of your brain is closely tied with the health of your body,particularly

Drymouth more common in olderadults

Dear Doctors: I’venoticed as I’m getting older —Ijust turned 63 that Ihave more episodes of dry mouth. I’m told this isn’tunusual for older people. Why would that be? Chewing gum helps, but I don’tenjoy it. Are there things I should eat or avoidthat can help this go away?

Dear reader: Dry mouth is justas it sounds,a shortage of saliva that leaves the tongue, teeth andinner surfacesofthe mouth without adequate hydration and lubrication Also known as xerostomia, this occurs when the salivary glands don’tproduce enough saliva. For most people, dry mouthis something that happensoccasionally,often when they are nervous, anxious or under stress. But foran estimated 10% of the population, the condition becomes chronic.

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday,Nov.3,the 307th day of 2025. There are 58 days left in the year.Daylight saving time ends today

Todayinhistory:

On Nov.3,1979, five Communist Workers Party members were killed in aclash with heavily armed Ku Klux Klansmen and neo-Nazis during an anti-Klan protestinGreensboro, North Carolina, in what became known as the Greensboromassacre. State and federaltrials subsequently acquitted six defendants of murder and rioting charges. Also on this date:

In 1908, Republican William Howard Taft was elected president, outpolling Democrat William Jennings Bryan.

In 1911, the Chevrolet Motor Car Co. was founded in Detroit by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt easily won reelection to asecond term, losing just two states to the Republican candidate,Kansas Gov.Alf Landon.

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the spacecraft Sputnik 2, carrying the firstanimal into orbit, adog named Laika.

In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson, who assumed the presidency after John F. Kennedy wasassassinated in 1963, won election as president,defeating Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater

In 1992, Democrat Bill Clinton was elected the 42nd president of the United States, defeating

6-7

Continued from page7C

Howdid ‘6-7’becomea thing?

It allseems to tracebackto rapper Skrilla’ssong from 2024 called “Doot Doot (6-7).” That song started appearing in TikTok videos with basketball players, including the NBA’s LaMelo Ball who stands 6-foot-7. Then aboy,now known as “The 6-7 Kid,” shouted the ubiquitous phrase while another kid next to him juggled his hands in avideo that went viral this year

That’sall it took.

So what does ‘6-7’mean?

The realanswer is no one knows.

And sometimes it dependson who’sonthe receiving end of “6-7.”

Even how to write “6-7” is up for debate —isit“67”or“six seven?”

According to Dictionary.com, the phrase could mean “so-so,” or “maybe this, maybe that” when combined with the juggling hands gesture Merriam-Webster callsita “nonsensical expression used especially by teens and tweens.”

Some simply use it to frustrate adults when being questioned. “It’smeaningless, ubiquitous, and nonsensical. In otherwords,

AWARENESS

Continued from page7C

the heart. Managing other risk factors such as diabetes, head injuries, smoking, poor nutrition, alcohol abuse and isolation are equally as important in delaying or preventing the onset of cognitive decline in later life

The social, emotional and fiscal benefits of raising awareness and getting educated aboutAlzheimer’sdisease are toolarge to measure. Find supportand resources at Alzheimer’sServices,

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

Symptoms include aperceptible dropinsalivaproduction; saliva that is thick, foamy or stringy; a sticky sensation inside the mouth; arough,dry tongue; bad breath; and dry or cracked lips. This decrease in saliva cancause the tongue, cheeks and inner surfaces of themouth to stick to each other and to theteeth It may becomedifficult to chew and swallow dry or crumbly foods.

TODAYINHISTORY

Republican President George H.W.Bush.

In 2012, the lights went back on in lower Manhattantothe relief of residents who had been plungedinto darkness for nearly five days by Hurricane Sandy

In 2014, 13 years after the 9/11 terrorist attack on theWorld Trade Center towers, anew 104-story,1,776-foot-high skyscraper called the One World Trade Center opened for business atthe site, marking an emotional milestonefor both New Yorkers and the nation.

In 2020,Democrat Joe Biden wonthe presidency, though his victory wouldnot be known for more than three days as counting continuedinbattleground states; Republican President Donald Trump wouldrefuse to concede, falsely claimingthat he was a victim of widespread voter fraud.

Today’sBirthdays: Former MassachusettsGov.Michael S. Dukakis is 92. Economistand Nobel Prize laureate Amartya Sen is 92. Sen. Mazie Hirono,D-Hawaii, is 78. Vogue global editorial director Anna Wintour is 76. Boxing Hall of FamerLarry Holmes is 76. Scientist DavidHois73. ComedianactorRoseanne Barr is 73. Actor Kate Capshaw is 72. Comedian DennisMilleris72. Singer Adam Ant is 71. Actor Dolph Lundgren is 68. Olympic gold medal figure skater Evgeni Plushenko is 43. Actor Antonia Thomas (TV:“The GoodDoctor”)is39. FormerNFL quarterbackColin Kaepernick is 38. TVpersonality-model Kendall Jenner is 30.

it hasall thehallmarks of brainrot,” Dictionary.com said. “Still, it remains meaningful to the people who use it because of the connection it fosters.”

Howhas theworld responded?

Parents and teachershave createdtheir ownvideostrying to explain thesensation.

Some offer tipsonhow to stop their kids from repeating it all daylong. Others suggest embracingit— even making “6-7” Halloween costumes —soitwill become uncool

Teachers have banned it. Influencers andchild psychologists have tried to make sense of it.

It’s even spilled over into the NFL as away to celebrate big plays.

Whyisitwordofthe year?

Dictionary.com says it looksfor words that influence how we talk with each other and communicate online.

Thesitescoured search engines, headlines and social media trends in making its choice. Online searchesfor “6-7”tookoff dramatically over the summer,it said, and haven’tslowed, growing by sixtimes since June.

“The Word of the Year isn’tjust about popular usage; it reveals the storieswetellaboutourselves and how we’ve changed over the year,” the site said.

alzbr.org,orthe Alzheimer’s Association,alz.org. During National Alzheimer’sDisease Awareness month,you can bring awareness bybeinganambassador for those affected by the disease. Spread themessage.

Note: This column first appeared in 2023. Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’sadvocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.” She hosts “The Memory Whisperer.”Email her at thememorywhisperer@gmail com.

Because alack of saliva can change the optimal pH inside the mouth, the risk of toothdecay,gum disease and fungal infections increases. It’strue that the condition can occur more often in older adults, with an estimated 30% of people over 65 affected by thecondition. However,this is not due to agerelated changes in the body

Rather,dry mouth is mostoften aside effect of certain health conditions, medical treatments and medications. Diabetes, salivary stones, someautoimmune conditionsand some neurodegenerativediseases can adversely affect thesalivary glands. Tobacco use, alcohol consumption and even behaviors such as prolonged open-mouth breathing can affect moisture levels within the mouth. Dry mouth is associated with

awide range of prescription and over-the-counter medications. These include certain blood pressure medications, antidepressants, bladder control medications, antihistamines, antiinflammatories, diuretics, opioids, GLP-1 drugs,nausea medications, muscle relaxers andantipsychotics. The condition is also acommon side effect of radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy There areseveral dietary steps that you can take to ease the symptoms. It is important to stay hydrated, but to avoid carbonated and sugary drinks, which can increase acidity in the mouth. Caffeine andalcohol can contributetofluid loss, so limit or avoid them. Xylitol, an artificial sweetener,triggers saliva production and output.

Since you don’tenjoy chewing gum,you might consider using hard candies to help keep your mouth moist. Fresh fruits and vegetables with high water content, such as melons, cucumber and celery can also help. If youtakeany medications, your pharmacist can help youpinpoint if drymouth is acommon side effect. Andbecause dry mouthcan be a symptom of an underlyingmedical condition, it would be wisetocheck withyourdoctor if your episodes become morefrequent.

Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

Learning hospital etiquette

Dear Heloise: Iwork as anurse in theICU in amajor metropolitan hospital. As manypeople know, hospitals have relaxed their rules about the length of avisitor’s visit,have done away with age limits for children to visit,and have implemented many other restrictions. As anurse, here are afew requests to make theprocess smoother:

cannot share most information about apatient’scondition or treatment.Please don’task us to break the rulesorthe laws for you.

or assisted living/nursing homes. We donated the flowers but took the plants.

n Know that if you must bring small children, we will not “keep an eye” on them for you. We’reworking. Pleasekeep them with you at all times for their safety

n If youare visiting a patient and thedoctor is there, do notask thedoctortodiagnose anyofyour ailments. Theyare there to see thein-housepatients anddon’t have time to make adiagnosisfor yet another person. Make an appointment withtheiroffice.

n Pleasedonot smoke in the patient’sroom. This includes vapes. It happens more times than you can imagine.

n Pleasedonot bring any food or drink to thehospital for apatientwithout checking with the doctor.This also applies toany “homeremedies” that someone swears by as acure.

n The HIPPAlaws saythat we

LUGGAGE

Continuedfrom page7C

Larson quickly forked over $708 for anew one-way fare on the same flight, plus baggage fees. He hoped American Airlineswould sort it out after he arrived in Alaska.

Of course, it didn’t.

Larson’scase raises threeimportant questions that could apply to your next flight: Can agents arbitrarily deny baggage check-in?

Who’sresponsible when partner airlines disagree on policies?

How do you get refunds when airlines point fingers at each other?

Let’sstartwith what went wrong —and whyyournexttripcould hinge on the answers.

‘Itfeltlikeascam’

Larson had booked his tickets directly through the Alaska Airlines website. There were no warnings or notations on his itinerary.Itappeared that his luggage would be checkedinRaleighand returned to him in Ketchikan.

At 5:40 a.m., the American agent scanned Larson’sAlaska-issued ticket. Her screen flashed red.

“Whoever booked this didn’tallow enough time for your bags,” she said. “Bags need 90 minutes in Phoenix.”

Butthere were two problems.

First, Alaska Airlines hadcreated the reservation —sothat “whoever” was its code-share partner

Second, his stopover was 93 minutes, which is three minutes more thanAmerican required.

“She didn’ttry to fix it,” Larson recalls. “She just said, ‘Flytomorrow.’

When he pressedtohave asupervisorreviewhis problem, the agent allegedly whispered to acolleague: “Sometimes you have to be rude to makethem go away ” With minutes to board,Larson hadnochoicebut to buy another ticket to Phoenix on thespot on the same flight.(I’ll get to that later.)

He says thegate agents were confused that thereweretwo reservationsunder thesame name.

AlaskaAirlines said Larson’s flight from PhoenixtoKetchikan would remain valid.

But getting arefund for the ticket he couldn’tuse proved Kafkaesque. American told him to ask Alaska.AlaskasaidtalktoAmerican. Both ignored his emails.

“It felt like ascam,”Larsonsays Denial of service

Yes, they can. Airlinespublish minimum connectiontimes (MCTs)for passen-

n Andlastofall, do not threaten thehospital staffwith legal action or physical violence. This never helps and can get you barred from thehospital.

P.S. Everyone on thenursing staff readsyour column daily! We love your advice. —Patricia H., R.N. No funeralwaste

Dear Heloise: Our funeral home asked us what we wanted to do with the flowers. They said that if the families don’twant the flowers, they donate them to churches

gers and their bags. These can varybyairport and code-share partnership. In Phoenix, American’sMCT for Alaska flights is 90 minutes. Alaska’sis60.

WhenMCTs conflict, the operating carrier’srules apply.But here’sthe rub: Larson’s connection met Alaska’sthreshold. And there wasplenty of time. The American agentdidn’tevenhavetorequest ashort connection waiver to override thesystem,because Larson had 93 minutes between flights.

So theAmerican Airlines agent in Raleigh refused Larson’sluggage, even though she hadnoreason to do so.

“It was clear that she waseither incompetent or inexperienced,” Larson says. “She had to keep asking thegentleman next to her for help. Instead of making attempts to work through the issue, she ignored me,hoping Iwould go away.”

Who’sresponsible?

Answer: It’s complicated —but the ticketing airline usually owns theproblem.

Airlinesoperate under interline agreements or contracts that let themsell seats on each other’s flights.But thesepacts oftenlack clearaccountability clauses. If your ticket starts with AS —that’s Alaska Airlines —that would be your first call. But the operating carrier, American, controls the experience on thefirst legofthe

flight

Translation: Alaska took Larson’s money,but American controlled thebaggage decision.

Most carriersrequire60- to 90-minuteminimumconnections for the transfer of bags on interline itineraries. Alaska’spolicyis60 minutesdomestically.American’s is 90 minutes. The American agent incorrectlyapplied American’s stricter rule, even though Alaska was the ticketing airline andthe connection time met American’s MCT requirement.

Airlinesuse asophisticated formula to determine minimum connection times. Most passengers assume the times are for passengers, but really,it’sjustasimportant that airlinescan transfer their baggage.

Gettingrefunds Larson’sfirst mistake was payingunder pressure. Buying aduplicateticket at the last minute and assuming you can work it out later rarely works in apassenger’sfavor. You’re better off missing the flight and applying pressure to the airline to fix the problem it created. Mistake No. 2: Allowingthe

After acatered dinner at arestaurant, we hadalot of food left. The family took whatthey wanted, and we gave the rest (a significant amount) to the Salvation Army.We took the leftover cake to the nursing home where my mother had lived for two years to share with the staff and residents in her wing. It was greatly appreciated. Ieven got aphone call thanking me and asking where we got the delicious cake. Nothing went to waste, and it brought joy to alot of people. —Liz N., via email

Utility bill reminder

DearReaders: With the rising cost of living, it’simportant to check for air leaks that let heat out and cold air in. Windows, doors, and other problem areas need to be checked carefully so that you don’t have ahuge utility bill. —Heloise Email heloise@heloise.com.

airlinestoplay“pass thebuck.” American Airlines created this problembybeing totally incompetent. By the way, it’sunclear how buying asecond ticket solved theproblem in American Airlines’ view Larson boarded the sameflight and checked the same amount of luggage. My advocacy team asked American Airlines about this, and I’ll have its response in amoment. Optionsdoexist

n Ask fora refund. Larson emailed Americanimmediately Thatwas anecessary first step Always create apaper trail.

n Getthe ticketing airline involved.Alaskashould’veadvocated forhim under DOTrules on through-ticketed baggage. n Complain to theDepartment of Transportation. Airlines have 30 days to respond to agovernment complaint.

n File achargeback. After all, Larson paidfor atickethecouldn’t use. His credit card might return the money under the Fair Credit Billing Act.

IreviewedLarson’s paper trail between him, American andAlaska, which brings me to his final mistake. Although he started apapertrailbyemailing the airlines involved in this fiasco, he appeared to have spent alot of time on the phone negotiating with them and thengettingbounced between the carriers.

Aphone call is agreat waytoresolve aproblem when you’re stuck at the airport and need to get rebooked on aflight.But forrefunds, you need areliable paper trail that shows you asking foryour money back and the airline’sresponse. Will he ever gethis moneyback? Our advocacy team was genuinely baffledbyLarson’scase. What was the ticket agent in Raleigh thinking when she declinedhis luggage? How did buying anew ticket resolve this problem and allow him to fly on thesameitinerary?Why did American refuse to refund an obvious duplicate ticket?

Iasked American Airlines, but it did not answer.Itdid, however issue afull refund for Larson’ssecond ticket, including his luggage charges.

It’s along overdueresolutionto atruly bizarre case— anda reminder that when you’re booking acodeshare or interline flight, pay attentiontoyourconnectiontime Because sometimes your airline isn’t.

Email travelers’ advocate Christopher Elliott at chris@ elliott.org.

Hints from Heloise

sCoRPIo (oct.24-nov. 22) Participate and make adifference. Opportunitiesdevelop whenyou aren't afraid to take achance, stand up for others andapproach situations with apositive demeanor.

sAGIttARIus (nov.23-Dec. 21) Tidyup loose ends in your domesticorpersonal life so you can move forward without regret or uncertainty. Take nothing forgranted,dowhatyou do best and be grateful

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take better care of yourself physically. Indulgence won'tsolve anything, but sticking to abalanced diet,fitness routine and healthy lifestyle will point youinthe right direction.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Having something relaxing to look forwardtowill have apositive impact on howyou look,feel and portray yourself to others. Take control of howyou achieve happiness.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Take abreak if it will rejuvenate your mind, body and soul.Feeling good will help you shake up asituation and possibly come out on top. Choose being calm over being frantic.

ARIEs (March21-April 19) It's all about attitude,confidence and poise. Of course, knowing what you're doing helps, so make sure youare up to date with what's cutting-edge.Avoid excess and indulgent people.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Slowdown, plan carefully andbudget wisely.

Refuse to let anyone talk you into something thatisn't realistic or to your benefit. Success demands thought,precisionand persistence.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Ashift is taking place; payattention, be readytoact and embrace positive change withopen arms.Let your voice lead the way and your enthusiasm infect those youwant to enlistinyour plans.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Mix business withpleasure. Networking eventswill lead to newbeginnings. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion. Don't overspend trying to make an impression.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) You can dream, but don't trickyour mind into thinking the impossible is tangible. Use your imagination,and you'llcome up with an innovative, budget-friendly plan.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Expand your mind and updateyour technology. A change mayseem tempting, but acting on it prematurely could bring unintended consequences. Weigh thepros and cons before taking achance.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Payattention, anddon't offer what youcannotdeliver or spend what youdonot have.Rethink your lifestyle andexplore ways to cutcorners or generate additional income.

Thehoroscope, an entertainmentfeature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

toDAy'sCLuE: HEQuALs B

For better or For WorSe

bIG nAte

SALLYForth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. The objectistoplace thenumbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontainsthe same number only once.The difficulty levelofthe Sudoku increasesfromMonday to Sunday

Saturday’s PuzzleAnswer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Niels Bohr, aDanish scientist whowon the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922, said, “Anexpert is aperson who has made all the mistakes that can be made in avery narrow field.” Why does abridge expert make fewer mistakes than someone lower down the ranks? What makes an expert abetter bridge player than someone lower down the ranks?

Thereare several factors, butcard sense (which Ibelieveisinnate) and counting are top of thelist. The more counting you do, the better you will play. Count high-card points, not just yours, butthose comingfromthe opponents duringthe play. Count winnersand losers. And, sometimes, youneed to count hand distributions —asinthis deal.

South is in four hearts. West leads the diamond nine. East overtakes with his 10, cashes the diamond king, and continues with the diamond ace. Howshould declarer continue after ruffing high?

(West discards aclub.)

North’s two diamonds wasacue-bid raise, showing three-plus hearts and at least game-invitational values. (This allows ajump-raise to three hearts to be played as pre-emptive.)

South, with three minor-suit losers, must find the spadequeen. And when faced with atwo-way finesse, ideally one leaves that decision until near the endofthe deal. Declarer draws trumps andplays aclub to dummy’s king. East

wuzzles

wins with his ace and returns aclub.

AfterSouth takes his two tricks in that suit,what has he learned?

He knows that East started with three hearts, sixdiamonds and at leastthree clubs. Ergo, he has at most one spade. Declarer cashes his spade ace and confidently finesses through West. Keep counting. ©2025 by NEA, Inc dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

EachWuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name,place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuCtIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire

explicit words are not allowed.

or

toDAy’s WoRD DRuPEs: DROOPS: Fruit, such as peaches or plums, with an outer skin,a pulpy middle layer and ahard inner shell.

Average mark 13 words

Time limit 20 minutes

Can you find 17 or more words in DRUPES?

sAtuRDAy’s WoRD —RAsPBERRy

thought

other foundation can no manlay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1Corinthians 3:11

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato

mallard