The Advocate 11-07-2025 by The Advocate

BR airport braces for air traffic cuts

Government shutdown causing flight uncertainties

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Ana Lord arrived in Baton Rouge around 12:30 p.m. Thursday She’s in town for a wedding, and is set to leave Louisiana on Sunday, flying through Dallas-Fort Worth and LaGuardia airports

ä Airlines began canceling flights due to FAA order to reduce traffic. PAGE 5A

Feds, La. sue plant over explosion

years of alleged environmental violations also cited

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

Federal and state regulators are suing Smitty’s Supply Inc., the Tangipahoa Parish oil and lubricant plant, over an Aug. 22 explosion that sent a plume of black smoke towering over Roseland and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents, as well as numerous previous alleged environmental violations.

The 65-page lawsuit, ﬁled Wednesday in federal court in New Orleans, calls the explosion “catastrophic” and accuses Smitty’s of “repeatedly failing” to follow pollution-control laws and maintaining “insufﬁcient” spill-prevention plans long before the August explosion. Cleanup from the explosion is ongoing, the lawsuit states, and months later there is still a risk of additional pollution from the site of the explosion.

“Plaintiffs ask this Court to hold Defendant accountable for unlawfully polluting the Nation’s and the State’s waters, and to require Defendant to take all appropriate measures to prevent future spills or discharges,” the lawsuit, ﬁled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, states.

ä See AIRPORT, page 9A

When she flew in from Charlotte, North Carolina, she didn’t face any of the major delays that travelers around the country have experienced due to the government shutdown causing shortages of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees. But on Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a 10% reduction in air traffic to relieve workloads for federal employees, and unveiled a list Thursday morning of 40 major airports impacted — and Lord’s stops on Sunday are on that list. Despite the cuts, she wasn’t stressed as she waited to hear from the airports on whether her flights would be impacted. Ten travelers,

ä See

page 9A

Edwards permanently appoints Slaughter as top administrator

She had been serving as acting CAO for mayor

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

Staff writer

East Baton Rouge Parish

Mayor-President Sid Edwards has chosen his acting top administrator to lead his ofﬁce going forward.

Christel Slaughter, who has served as acting chief administrative officer for Edwards since early Sep-

tember has been appointed to the position on a permanent basis.

“Christel Slaughter is a proven leader who understands the complexities of government, values collaboration and has an unwavering commitment to the people of East Baton Rouge Parish,” Edwards said in a statement Thursday Slaughter was contracted in as acting CAO after Charlie Davis stepped down from the top spot and took the new title as Edwards’ chief efﬁciency ofﬁcer

After Davis moved to his new role, Edwards initially announced he would be conducting a national search to ﬁll the vacancy in his ofﬁce’s top job.

“ But each day that Christel served in the interim position, it became clearer to me that she was the right person for the job.

We found our national pick right here in Baton Rouge,” he said.

SSA Consultants, Slaughter’s consulting ﬁrm, ran the search for LSU’s president, which ended earlier this

week when Wade Rousse was selected by the Board of Supervisors. Slaughter began as a partner at SSA in 1983 and became CEO in 2018.

Her current contract as interim CAO expires in December, after which she will sign a new agreement and will serve as permanent CAO — but as a contracted employee, the Mayor-President’s Ofﬁce said.

Edwards’ ofﬁce said in a statement that Slaughter

ä See SLAUGHTER, page 9A

Rouge Parish MayorPresident Sid Edwards.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Christel Slaughter will become the permanent chief administrative officer for East Baton

PHOTO PROVIDED By LOUISIANA STATE POLICE

An Aug. 22 explosion at Smitty’s Supply in Tangipahoa Parish forced the evacuation of hundreds of nearby residents.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Passengers from an arriving flight walk through the terminal at the Baton Rouge Metro Airport on Thursday

Swarm of wasps kills American man, son BANGKOK An American man and his teenage son died last month after they were swarmed by wasps while zip-lining at an adventure camp in Laos and stung many dozens of times, a hospital ofﬁcial said Thursday Dan Owen, the director of an international school in neighboring Vietnam, and his son Cooper were attacked by the insects on Oct. 15 at the Green Jungle Park as they were descending from a tree at the end of the zip line.

The camp is located outside the city of Luang Prabang, a popular tourist site in the Southeast Asian nation that was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

The two were taken to a local clinic and then transported to Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital where they arrived in critical condition, said Jorvue Yianouchongteng, the emergency room physician who received them.

The doctor said both had suffered from severe anaphylactic shock after being stung more than 100 times across their bodies, but that the exact cause of death had not been determined

The Asian giant hornet, known as the “murder hornet” due to its aggressive behavior toward other insects, is found in Laos but so are several other species of wasps. It was not clear which type had stung the two.

Federal judge orders full funding of SNAP

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL and MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Thursday to ﬁnd the money to fully fund SNAP beneﬁts for November

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr gave President Donald Trump’s administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, though it’s unlikely the 42 million Americans — about 1 in 8, most of them in poverty — will see the money on the debit cards they use for groceries nearly that quickly

The order was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum beneﬁt, a decision that would have left some recipients getting nothing for this month.

individuals who rely on those beneﬁts would suffer.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday

children are immediately at risk of going hungry,” he said “This should never happen in America

In fact, it’s likely that SNAP recipients are hungry as we sit here.”

Last monkey on loose in Miss. captured

By The Associated Press

HEIDELBERG, Miss.

— The last monkey on the loose among several that escaped after a Mississippi highway crash has been found and captured, authorities said Thursday

A resident who lives near the crash site called authorities to report the animal’s location and it was then “successfully recovered,” the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Rockefeller tree begins journey to New York City

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y The towering Christmas tree that will light up Rockefeller Center this holiday season is on its way to New York City

The 75-foot-tall, 11-ton Norway spruce was felled Thursday morning in East Greenbush, about 150 miles north of Manhattan. The tree was then loaded onto a 100-foot-long trailer as scores of people turned out for the occasion.

It is expected to arrive at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Saturday, where it will take its place in front of the midtown Art Deco skyscraper overlooking the plaza’s famous ice skating rink.

The tree will be wrapped with more than 50,000 multicolored, energy-efﬁcient LED lights and crowned with a Swarovski star weighing 900 pounds. It will be lit on Dec. 3 during a live TV broadcast hosted by country music star Reba McEntire.

The tree was donated by homeowner Judy Russ and her family She said the tree was planted by her husband’s greatgrandparents in the 1920s.

“For this to now become the center of New York City Christmas is incredible,” Russ told the radio station 1010 WINS.

The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was put up by workers in 1931 to raise spirits during the Great Depression. The comparatively modest, 20-foot-tall balsam fir was outfitted with handmade garlands made by the worker’s families.

FATIMA HUSSEIN

“The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” McConnell said in a ruling from the bench after a brief hearing. “They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms

Last month, the administration said that it would halt SNAP payments for November if the government shutdown wasn’t resolved.

A coalition of cities and nonprofits sued in federal court in Rhode Island and Democratic state ofﬁcials from across the country did so in Massachusetts.

The judges in both cases ordered the government to use one emergency reserve fund containing more than $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month.

On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money, saying it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program and that the other money was needed to shore up other child hunger programs.

McConnell harshly criticized the Trump administration for making that choice.

“Without SNAP funding for the month of November, 16 million

Tyler Becker, the attorney for the government, unsuccessfully argued that the Trump administration had followed the court’s order in issuing the partial payments. “This all comes down to Congress not having appropriated funds because of the government shutdown,” he said.

The administration said in a court ﬁling on Monday that it could take weeks or even months for some states to make calculations and system changes to load the debit cards used in the SNAP program. At the time, it said it would fund 50% of the maximum beneﬁts.

The next day, Trump appeared to threaten not to pay the beneﬁts at all unless Democrats in Congress agreed to reopen the government. His press secretary later said that the partial benefits were being paid for November — and that it is future payments that are at risk if the shutdown continues.

And Wednesday night, it recalculated, telling states that there was enough money to pay for 65% of the maximum beneﬁts.

IRS kills Direct File program

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON IRS Direct File, the electronic system for ﬁling tax returns for free, will not be offered next year, the Trump administration has conﬁrmed.

An email sent Monday from IRS ofﬁcial Cynthia Noe to state comptrollers that participate in the Direct File program said that “IRS Direct File will not be available in Filing Season 2026. No launch date has been set for the future.”

The program developed during Joe Biden’s presidency was credited by users with making tax ﬁling easy, fast and economical. However it faced criticism from Republican lawmakers, who called it a waste of taxpayer money because free ﬁling programs already exist (though they are difficult to use), and from commercial tax preparation companies, which have made billions from charging people to use their software.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is also the current IRS commissioner, told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that there are “better alternatives” to Direct File. “It wasn’t used very much,” he said. “And we think that the private sector can do a better job.”

The Center for Taxpayer Rights ﬁled a Freedom of Information Act request for IRS’ latest evaluation of the program and the report says 296,531 taxpayers submitted accepted returns for the 2025

tax season through Direct File. That’s up from the 140,803 in 2024.

Direct File was rolled out as a pilot program in 2024 after the IRS was tasked with looking into how to create a “direct ﬁle” system as part of the money it received from the Inﬂation Reduction Act signed into law by Biden in 2022. The Democratic administration spent tens of millions of dollars developing the program. Last May, the agency under Biden announced that the program would be made permanent.

But the IRS has faced intense blowback to Direct File from private tax preparation companies that have spent millions lobbying Congress. The average American typically spends about $140 preparing returns each year

The Associated Press reported in April that the administration planned to eliminate the program, with its future becoming clear after the IRS staff assigned to it were told to stop working on its development for the 2026 tax ﬁling season.

As of Wednesday, the Direct File website states that “Direct File is closed More information will be available at a later date.”

Adam Ruben, a vice president at the liberal-leaning Economic Security Project, said “it’s not surprising” that the program was eliminated.

“Trump’s billionaire friends get favors while honest, hardworking Americans will pay more to ﬁle their taxes,” he said.

It was the last monkey on the loose from the Oct. 28 crash when the truck overturned on Interstate 59 Five monkeys were killed as law officers hunted for them in the immediate aftermath of the crash. Video from officers’ body-worn cameras showed a chaotic scene as monkeys that escaped from their wooden crates dashed around the grassy interstate median, with some running toward cars and semis on the interstate. Two other monkeys that eluded officers at the crash site were later shot and killed by civilians, who said they were protecting their families and neighborhoods. Officials had warned residents not to approach the Rhesus monkeys, saying they are known to be aggressive. The last monkey on the loose was found Wednesday afternoon near a home in the Vossburg area, just east of where the truck had wrecked. Brandy Smith saw the monkey when her dog started barking, she told WDAM-TV Her neighbors called 911. Workers from one of the companies that had been transporting the truckload of monkeys across the country arrived to tranquilize the monkey, Smith said. The monkeys had been housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university Tulane has said it wasn’t transporting the monkeys and they do not belong to the university

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy Volunteers at the San Antonio Food Bank load bags of

in San Antonio.

Manwho threwsandwichatagent foundnot guilty

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Aformer Justice Department employee who threw asandwich at afederal agent during President Donald Trump’slaw enforcement surge in Washington was found not guilty of assault on Thursday in the latest legal rebuke of the federal intervention.

Aviral video of the sandwich tossing made Sean CharlesDunn a symbol of resistancetoTrump’s deployment of federal agents to combat crime in the nation’scapital. His misdemeanor acquittal is another setback for prosecutors,who have faced abacklashfor their aggressive chargingtacticsduring the law enforcement surge. The Justice Departmenthad initially sought afelony assault indictment against Dunn, but in ahighlyunusual move, the grand jury declinedtosign off on the felony charge. Dunn was chargedwith assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with afederal ofﬁcer

Therewas no disputeover

whether Dunnthrewthe sandwich at aU.S. Customs and Border Protection agentonthe night of Aug. 10. Buthis lawyers argued it was a “harmless gesture”during an act of protest protected by theFirst Amendment. ProsecutorssaidDunn, 37, knew

he did nothavea right to throw thesandwich at the agent. Dunn shouted “fascists” and “racists” and chanted “shame” toward the group of agents who were in front of aclub hosting a“Latin Night.”

“Why are you here? Idon’twant you in my city!” Dunn shouted, ac-

cording to police.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a former FoxNews host appointed by Trump to be thetop federal prosecutor forWashington, said in astatement: “As always, we accept ajury’sverdict; that is the system within which we function. However,law enforcement should never be subjected to assault, no matter how ‘minor.’”

She added that “even children know when they are angry,they are not allowed to throw objects at one another.”

Dunn ran away after hitting the agent with thesandwich butwas apprehended.Hewas released from custody but rearrested when armed federal agents in riot gear raided his home.

Dunn worked as aparalegal for theJustice Department. After Dunn’s arrest, AttorneyGeneral PamBondi announced his ﬁring in asocial media post that referred to him as “an example of the Deep State.”

Dunn lawyers urged the judge to dismiss the case for what theyalleged was avindictive and selective

prosecution.Theyarguedthatthe posts by Bondi and the White House show Dunn was impermissibly targeted for his political speech. Dunn did not testify at his trial, but the jury heard him explain afterhis arrest whyhehad confronted the CBP agents. Alaw enforcement ofﬁcer’sbody camera captured him saying, “I did it. I threw asandwich. Idid it to draw them away from where they were. Isucceeded.”

After his acquittal, Dunn said he was trying to protect the rights of immigrants that night.

CBP Agent Gregory Lairmore testified that the sandwich “exploded” when it struck his chest hard enough that he could feel it through his ballistic vest.

“You could smellthe onions and the mustard,” he recalled.

Lairmore’scolleagues jokingly gave him gifts making light of the incident,includinga sandwichshaped plush toy and apatch that said “felony footlong.” Lairmore acknowledged that he kept the gifts, placing the patch on his lunchbox.

Former teachershotby6-year-oldstudent wins $10M jury verdict

Administrator accusedof ignoring warnings

BY JOHN RABY and ERIK VERDUZCO Associated Press

NEWPORT NEWS,Va. Ajury in Virginia awarded $10 million Thursday to aformer teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student,siding with her claims in alawsuit that an ex-administrator ignored repeated warnings that the child had agun. The jury returned its decision against Ebony Parker,aformer ass istan t principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. Abby Zwerner was shot in January 2023 as she sat at areading table in herﬁrstgrade classroom. She had sought $40 million against Parker in the lawsuit.

VIRGINIAN-PILOTPHOTO By KENDALLWARNER Abby Zwerner shares amoment with her mother,Julie Zwerner,ThursdayatNewportNewsCircuitCourtinNewport News,Va.

Parker did not testifyin the lawsuit. Herattorney, Daniel Hogan, had warned jurors about hindsight bias and “Monday morning quarterbacking” in theshooting.

“The law knows that it is fundamentally unfair to judge another person’s decisions basedonstuff that came up after the fact. The law requires you to examinepeople’sdecisionsatthe timetheymakethem,” Hogan said.

Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and SecurityServices,a consulting ﬁrm based in Cleveland, Ohio,said the verdict should put school leaders on notice to act when they are warned aboutstudents withguns and other threats.

Thursday.“School administrators and staff need to also knowhow to ‘dosomething.’”

Theshootingoccurredon thefirst dayafter thestudent had returned from a suspension forslamming Zwerner’sphone two days earlier

Zwerner testifiedshe first heard about the gun prior to class recess from areadingspecialist who had been tippedoff by students. The shooting occurred afew hourslater.Despiteher injuries, Zwerner was able to hustle herstudents outof theclassroom.She eventually passed out in the school office.

going there. And then my next memory is Isee two co-workers around me and Iprocess that I’m hurt and they’re putting pressure on where I’mhurt.”

Zwerner spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, required six surgeries and does not have the full use of her left hand.Abullet narrowly missed her heart and remains inher chest.

Zwerner did not address reporters outside the courthouse after the decision was announced. Oneofher attorneys, Diane Toscano, said the verdict sends amessage that what happened at the school “was wrong and is notgoing to be tolerated, that safety hastobethe ﬁrst concern at school.I thinkit’s agreat message.” Parker was theonlydefendantinthe lawsuit. A judge previously dismissed thedistrict’ssuperintendent andthe school principal as defendants. The lawsuit said Parker

had adutytoprotect Zwerner and others from harm after being toldabout the gun. Zwerner’sattorneys said Parkerfailed to act in the hours before the shooting after several school staff members toldher that thestudenthad agun in his backpack.

“Who would think a6-yearoldwould bring agun to school and shoot their teacher?”Toscano told the jury earlier.“It’sDr. Parker’sjob to believe thatispossible. It’sher job to investigate it and get to thevery bottom of it.”

“If you have information about athreat to student and staff safety, it is not just ‘see something,say something,’” Trumpsaid in astatement

Zwerner testiﬁed she believed that she had died that day “I thoughtIwas either on my waytoheaven or in heaven,” Zwerner said. “But then it all got black. And so,I then thought Iwasn’t

Zwernernolongerworks for the school district and hassaidshe hasnoplans to teachagain. She hasbecome alicensed cosmetologist. Parker faces aseparate criminal trial this month on eight counts of felonychild neglect. Each count is punishable by up to ﬁve years in prison in the event of aconviction. The student’smother was sentenced to nearly four yearsinprisonfor felony child neglect and federal weapons charges. Herson told authoritieshegot his mother’shandgun by climbing onto adrawer to reach the top of adresser,where the ﬁrearm wasinhis mom’s purse.

BY DENISA R. SUPERVILLE

The Seattle Times (TNS)

SEATTLE AKing County jury on Thursday awarded $8 million to aformer Seattle Public Schools student who was punched in the face by his middle school math teacherin2018. The jury foundthat Seattle Public Schools was responsible for theinjuriesZakaria Sheikhibrahim, 21, sustained as aresult of the January 2018 incident where James Johnson hit then 13-year-old Sheikhibrahim in the face and threw him out of aMeany Middle School math classduring an argument about the student having his backpack in class, which was against school policy. The jury alsofoundthatthe district violat-

ed the state’snondiscrimination and equal educational opportunitylaws,byfailing to provide Sheikhibrahim with an educational environment free from discrimination.

Thejudgeisstill considering arequest from Sheikhibrahim’sattorneys to establish acourt monitoring system to deal withsystemic racism within Seattle Public Schools.

Sheikhibrahim’slawyers hadsought between $76 and $124 million in damages. The district’sattorneys argued that Sheikhibrahimwas entitled to about $100,000 or less

Sheikhibrahim’s lawyers argued that Seattle PublicSchools negligentlyhiredand supervised Johnson and kept theteacher on staff despite warnings and complaints about hisbehavior

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILE PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON Posters of aperson throwing asandwichare pictured along HStreet in Washington on Aug. 17.

Bipartisan talkstoend shutdown intensify

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MARYCLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON With talks to reopenthe government intensifying,SenateMajority Leader John Thune on Thursdayexpresseddetermination to move ahead with anew bipartisan package of funding bills, arenewed effort to win over enough Democrats and end the shutdown that is now in its 37th day It was unclear if the move could force aresolution.

Senate Democrats,who have now voted 14 times not to reopen the government, left their second caucus meeting of the week with few answers about how to proceedand whether they could finda compromise with Republicans —oreven with each other —onhow to end the shutdown.

Some Democrats say the ﬁght isn’tover until Repub-

licansand President Donald Trump agree to extend health care subsidiesthat expire inJanuary.Others are pushing adeal that wouldreopen the government with only an agreement fora future vote on theissue.

“Workingon unityand workingonhealth care,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, DR.I., said after the meeting. Still, lawmakers in both parties were feeling increased urgency toalleviate thegrowingcrisis at airports, pay government workers and restore delayed food aid to millions of people nowthatthe shutdownhas become thelongest inU.S. history

Thune’sdecision to keep the Senate in session,perhaps overthe weekend, came afterPresidentDonald Trumpurged Senate RepublicansataWhite House breakfast on Wednesday to

end the shutdown. Trump said he thought the six-week impasse was a“bigfactor, negative”inTuesday’selections thatwereoverwhelmingly favorable for Democrats.

The bipartisan package Thuneisproposing would fund parts of government food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things —and extend funding for everythingelse until December or January.Procedural votes on the proposed plan could beginassoonasFriday and serve as atest of Democratic support.

The newpackagewould replace the House-passed bill that the Democrats have repeatedly rejected That legislation would only extend government funding until Nov.21, adatethat is rapidly approaching after six weeks of inaction.

Thedetails were stillto

Trumpmay become face of economic discontent

BY JOSH BOAK and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON— President Donald Trumpgot aserious warning from voters that he’sout of touch with their fears abouta deterioratingU.S.economy Democrats cruised in keyraces across the country Tuesday by harnessingsome of the same populist fervor thathelped get Trump reelected ayear ago —but alsobyfocusing on thekitchen table issues theRepublican had vowed to ﬁx. Now,as theincumbent, fears about the economy havemadeTrump the face of much of the public’sdiscontent.

“Welearnedalot,” Trump acknowledged Wednesday.InaFox News Channel interview,hesaid his party wasn’t doing enough to spread the word about the country’seconomic progress. “Republicans don’ttalk about it,” he said. “They don’t talk aboutthe word affordability.”

Voters in the Virginiaand NewJersey governor races, the NewYork City mayoral contest and the Californiaballotproposition allcitied economicconcernsasthe topissue. Democrats swept those elections, and it was difﬁcult to point to any major race, anywhere,whereRepublicans hada keyvictory

The reversal of fortunefroma yearago was stark.

Back then, voters returned Trump to the White House on the promise that he could quickly bring down inﬂation, jump-start factory hiring and shower the countryinnewfound wealthfrom steep tariffs heimposed on U.S. allies the world over.

Instead, voters now are expressingconcerns that highprices forgroceries,electricity bills and housing are drainingtheir bank accounts. Trump has been deﬁant in insisting that he’sstrengthened the economy,so— his early reactions aside —it’snot clear he’ll internalize the need to takeonthe same inﬂationary challenges that became a drag for his Democratic predecessor,Joe Biden.

The elections were largely in areas that have recently favored Democrats, so there are limits to interpreting what the results could mean for nextyear’s broader midterm races.But the sizeofDemocraticmargins indicated thedegreeoffrustration with economic conditions under Trump.

There are few signs that the publicisputting much confidence in Trump’sclaims about an American “golden age,” nor his assertion that inflation has been tamped downinto submission. Recently pressedon Americans still worried about highgrocery prices,Trumppointed to thestock market.

“Look, 401(k)s. People have 401(k)s,”the president said in an interview withCBS News’ “60 Minutes” that was broadcast Sunday. Trumpsaidgrocery prices arefalling but the mostrecent inﬂation report shows they’reup2.7% from ayear ago.

Overallconsumer prices have risen 3% over the past 12 months, which is higher than therategoing intoTrump’s2024 election win.The Federal Reserve targetsinﬂation at 2%.

Atop Trumppolitical aide told Politico on Wednesdaythat the election showed the importance of focusing on thecostofliving. “Why does Zohran Mamdani do so well last night? Herelentlesslyfocused on affordability,”James Blairsaidinthe interview, addingthat Trumpplanned to focus on prices in his messaging, too.

The AP Voter Pollshowed that anxiety aboutthe economy helped theDemocrats on Tuesday

RoughlyhalfofVirginia voterssaid “the economy” was thetop issue,and about6in 10 of these voters picked Democrat Abigail Spanbergerfor governor,powering her to a decisivewin.

In New Jersey, DemocratMikie Sherrill won about two-thirds of voters whocalled “the economy” the top issue facing thestate. Republican Jack Ciattarelli secured about 6in10New Jerseyvoters whosaidthe top issue was “taxes.”

More than halfofNew York City voters said the cost of living was the top issue facing the city,and Democrat Zohran Mamdani won about two-thirds of this group.

Slightly fewer than half of California voters said “the economy” was the top issue facing the state, and roughly two-thirds of those voters backed Prop 50. The measure’s approval allows Democratstoredraw congressional maps morefavorable to their partyinthe nation’s largest stateand keep up with Republicanswho have moved to add potential new red House seats in Texas and elsewhere.

In the run-up to Tuesday’selections, Trump focused his messaging on massdeportations of immigrantsinthe country illegally and apush to reduce crime by deploying National Guardtroops tocities with Democratic leadership.But theAPVoter Poll found that few of those casting their ballots considered crime or immigration a toppriority.

Trump didnot actively campaign for his partyaheadofElection Day 2025. With votes still beingcounted, he was already ducking blame, posting that he “WASN’T ON THE BALLOT.”

be worked out, but the new legislationmirrors atentative planthatthe moderate Democrats have been sketching out in hopes of ﬁnding agreement. The proposal led by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen would also take up Republicans on their offer to hold avote on extending the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies at alater date.

It was still unclear what Thune, whohas refused to negotiatewhile thegovernment is closed, would promiseonhealthcare and if enoughDemocratswould agree to move ahead. Republicans have for weeks been ﬁve votes short of the 60 they need.

Democrats are facing pressure from both unions eager for the shutdownto endand from allied groups that wantthem to hold ﬁrm.

Many Democrats have argued that strong results

for Democrats in Tuesday’s election show voters want them to continue the fight until Republicans yield and agreetoextend thehealth tax credits.

Avote on thehealth care subsidies “has got to mean something,”Sen.Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said this week. “That means acommitment by the speaker of the House, that he will support the legislation, that the president will sign.”

But Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, made clear Thursday morning he won’t makeany commitment to Democrats. “I’m notpromising anybody anything,” Johnson said when asked if he could promise avote on a health care bill.

Johnson’s clear refusal wasa setback fornegotiators. MichiganSen.Gary Peters, one of the moderate Democrats involved in negotiations, said his com-

ments were “a significant problem.”

“Wehave to makesure we have adeal thatwecan get broad support for,”Peters said.

Senate Democratic leader Schumerhas notyet weighed in on the latest push.Hehas repeatedly called forTrumptosit down with Democrats —a meeting that seemsunlikely to happen. Trump hasalso been increasingly ﬁxated on pushing Republicans to scrap the Senate ﬁlibuster to speed reopening —astep manyGOP senators, including Thune, reject out of hand. Trump kept up thepressure in a videoWednesday, saying the Senate’s60-vote thresholdtopass legislation should be “terminated.”

Flight cancellationsaccelerate in shutdown

BY JOSH FUNK and RIO YAMAT Associated Press

U.S. airlines began canceling hundredsofflights Thursday due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce trafﬁc at the country’sbusiest airports starting Friday because of the government shutdown

More than 500 flights scheduled for Friday were already cut nationwide,and the number of cancellations climbed steadily throughout Thursday,according to FlightAware, awebsite that tracks ﬂight disruptions.

The FAAorder to cut flights at 40 of the busiest airports across theU.S.includes New York,Los Angelesand Chicago,according to alist distributed to the airlines and obtained by The Associated Press.

TheFAA seekstoreduce service by 10% across “high-volume” markets to maintain travelsafety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown. The move also comes as the Trump admin-

istration is ramping up pressure on Democratsin Congress to end theshutdown.

Airlineswill phase in the 10% reduction in their ﬂight schedules at the airports across more than two dozen states.Justhours before the reductionswentinto place, airlines were scrambling to figure out where to cut andsometravelers began changingorcancelingitineraries preemptively

Travelers with plans for theweekend and beyond waited nervously to see if theirﬂights wouldtakeoff as scheduled.

Theaffected airports included busy connecting hubs and those in popular tourist destinations, such as Atlanta, Dallas,Denver Houston, Orlando,Miami and San Francisco.

Airlineswill phase in the cuts at thedirection of the

FAA, eliminating 4% of ﬂights at the40airports on Friday andworking up to 10%, according to threepeople familiar withthe plans who were not authorized to discuss them publicly

Delta AirLines said it planned to cancel roughly 170flights Friday. By late Thursday afternoon, United Airlines hadcalled off 145 flights andAmerican Airlineshad canceled 32 for Friday,according to aviation analytics ﬁrm Cirium

Some airlines plannedto focusonslashingroutesto and from smalland mediumsize cities.

“This is going to have a noticeable impact across the U.S.air transportation system,” industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said.

The ﬂight reductions just weeks beforethe busy holidayseason promptedsome travelers to change their plans or looking at other options.

Fallon Carter canceled her Friday ﬂight from New York to Tampa,Florida, where she planned to spend the weekend at the beach.

She wasworried about making it back to Long Island to be abridesmaid at her best friend’swedding. “I don’t know if Iget there, will Iget home?” Carter said.

The FAAisimposing the reductions to relieve pressure on airtraffic controllers who are working withoutpay during the shutdown, which beganOct. 1, and have been increasingly taking sick days. Most controllers workmandatory overtimesix days aweek, leavinglittletime forside jobs to helpcover billsunless they call out.

In recent weeksthe FAA has delayed flights when airports or its other facilities are short on controllers.

United, Delta and American wereamong carriers that said they would offer refunds to passengers whoopt not to fly, even if they purchased nonrefundable tickets.

The head of Frontier Airlines recommended that travelers buy backup tickets with another airline to avoid being stranded.

The cuts could affect as manyas1,800 ﬂights, or up-

ward of 268,000 passengers, perday,according to an estimate from Cirium Airlines are used to dealing withcanceling thousandsof flights on short noticeduring severe weather,but the difference now is that these cuts during the shutdown will last indefinitely until safety data improves. The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the systemand damaging conﬁdence in the U.S. air travel experience, said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman. Kelly Matthews, wholives in Flat Rock, Michigan, and frequently flies for work, said she has canceled most of herupcoming trips and understands why federal airport employees have stopped showing up. “You can’texpectpeople to go in to workwhenthey’re notgetting apaycheck for thecontinuation of over a month now,” she said. “I mean it’snot amatterof them notwanting to do the job —but you can’tafford to payfor gas, your daycare and everything else.”

Travelersbrace forchaos as shutdown threatensholiday flights

BY MATT SEDENSKY and WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Associated Press

NEW YORK Travelers

braced for canceled flights, scrambled plans and holidays stranded in airports as aU.S. governmentshutdown threatened to snarl trips across the country News that the Federal Aviation Administration willreduce air traffic at 40 airports beginning Friday set off a flurry of worry among those planning trips.

“Oh no,” said 31-year-old Talia Dunyak, who is due to fly next week from Viennato Philadelphia,among the airports targeted by the FAA for flight cutbacks. “I’m really hopingmyflights don’t get canceled.”

Dunyak is due to meet her newborn niece, have some business meetingsand celebrate Thanksgivingwith family during acarefully planned trip. Now she’swondering what will happen “It’ssuch abusy timeto travel and there’snot so many direct flights,” said Dunyak, who works in public relations. “I might end up in some nightmare.”

Those worries were pervasive with Thanksgiving and the busiest travel days of the year looming ahead and acrush of passengers fearfulofrelivinga scene out of “Planes,Trains and Automobiles.”

Though the exact parameters of theFAA’s plan were notreleased, it promised to upend trips in broad swaths of thecountry It wasenough to cause LauraAdams to ditchplans of ﬂyingaltogether

Adams livesinVero Beach, Florida, andtypically ﬂies with her husband for Thanksgiving with his family in Fair Hope, Alabama. They’llnow make a10-hour drive instead.

“Wereally felt quiteuneasyand just didn’twantto risk having aﬂight cancellation or adelay or getting stuck,” said Adams. “Itjust seems really risky.”

Though she’snot afan of longcar trips, she’sresigned herselftoit, even if theshutdownends and ﬂightsare restored. “Just kind of weighing the prosand cons, it just seems like abetteroption,” she said. Jennifer Dombrowski, a

45-year-oldAmericanliving in Bordeaux, France, likewiseadapted her plans

She’sdue to travel next week to her hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, for the ﬁrst time in two years, and hasoptedtoskirt U.S.airportsaltogether.She’ll ﬂy to Toronto, then drive to visit herparents, including afather with terminal cancer “I don’treally want to deal,” she said.

JosephTrainor,55, who shuttlesbetween New York andhis home in Boynton Beach,Florida, every week, canceled his ﬂights for next week —and is lookingto book multiple backuproutes farther down the road, in case future trips land on the chopping block.

“I’mafraid the ﬂightsI’m on aregoing to cancel,” he said. “It’sgoing to cause a cascading effect throughout thesystem.”

Evenwith thesafeguards of additional reservations, Trainor knows cancellations can ripple through the systemand affect him anyway. Still, he’s thinking aboutthe Transportation Security Administrationagents who have beengoing withoutpay

Featherweight Scooter

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By SETH WENIG Aplane landsatNewarkInternational AirportinNewark, N.J., on Thursday

Pelosi won’tseekreelection, ending career in U.S. House

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON Speaker

Emerita Nancy Pelosi will not seek reelection to the U.S. House, bringing to a close her storied careeras not only the ﬁrst woman in the speaker’sofﬁce butarguably the most powerful in American politics.

Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco for nearly 40 years, announced her decision Thursday.“Iwill not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi said in avideo address to voters.

Pelosi, appearing upbeat and forward-looking as images of her decadesofaccomplishments filled the frames, said she would finish out her final yearin office. And she left those who sent her to Congress with acall to action to carry on the legacy of agenda-settingboth in the U.S. and around the world

“My message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power,”she said.

“Wehave made history.We have made progress.We have always led the way.” Pelosi said, “And now we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our democracyand ﬁghting for the American ideals we hold dear.”

The decision, while not fully unexpected,ricocheted across Washington, and California, as aseasoned genera-

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

U.S. Rep. NancyPelosi, D-Calif., pictured in March 2020, announced Thursday she will not seek reelection.

tionofpoliticalleadersis stepping aside ahead of next year’smidterm elections. Some are leaving reluctantly,others with resolve,but many are facing challenges from newcomerseager to lead the Democratic Party and confrontPresident Donald Trump.

Pelosi, 85, remainsa political powerhouse and playeda pivotal role with California’s redistricting effort,Prop 50, and the party’scomeback in this week’selection. She maintainsarobust schedule of public events and party fundraising,and heran-

nounced departure touches off asuccession battle back home and leaves open questionsabout who will ﬁll her behind-the-scenesleadership role at the Capitol.

Former President Barack Obama saidPelosi will go down in history as “one of thebest speakers theHouse of Representatives has ever had.

An architect of the Affordable Care Act during Obama’s tenure, and aleader on theinternational stage, Pelosi came to Congress later in life, amother of ﬁve mostly grown children, but also raised in apolitical family in Baltimore, where her father and brother both served in elected ofﬁce.

Longcriticized by Republicans, whohavespent millions of dollars on campaign ads vilifying her as acoastal elite and more, Pelosi remainedunrivaled. She routinely fendedoff calls to step aside by turning questions about herintentions into spirited rebuttals, asking if the samewas being posed of her seasoned male colleagues on Capitol Hill.

In hervideo address, she noted that her first campaign sloganwas “a voice thatwill be heard.” And with thatbacking, she became a speaker “whose voice would certainly be heard,” she said.

But after Pelosi quietly helped orchestrate Joe Biden’swithdrawal from

Trumptakes partingshotatPelosi

Newyork Daily News (TNS)

President Donald Trump reacted to the newsofRep. Nancy Pelosi’sretirement by bashing his political rival as “evil” and “overrated.” Pelosi, 85, released avideo message Thursday,telling hersupporters that she’ll leave the House of Representatives in 2027. Trump responded to that announcement with atext message sent to Fox News.

“The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is agreat thing for America,” the president said in astatement read on air by FoxNewspersonality Peter Doocy

Pelosi didn’tmention Trump in her nearly sixminute farewell message, whichthankedher fellow Californians and celebrated theDemocrat’stimeinofﬁce. “She was evil, corrupt and onlyfocused on bad things forour country.She was

the 2024 presidentialrace, she hasdecided to pass the torch, too.

Pelosi’shusband of more than six decades, PaulPelosi, was gravely injuredthree years ago when an intruder demanding to know“Where is Nancy?” broke into the couple’s home and beat him over thehead with ahammer. His recovery from the attack, days before the2022 midterm elections, is ongoing.

First elected in 1987 after having worked in California state party politics, Pelosi hasspent some four decades in public ofﬁce.

Pelosi’slegacyasHouse speaker comes not only because she was the first woman to have thejob but also because of what she did with the gavel.

During herfirst tenure, from 2007-11, she steered theHouse in passing landmark legislationinto law

—the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frankfinancial reforms in the aftermath of theGreat Recessionand arepeal of the military’s “Don’tAsk, Don’tTell” policy against LGBTQ service members.

With Obama in the White House andDemocratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada leading the Senate, the 2009-10 sessionofCongress ended among the most productive since the Lyndon B. Johnson era.

But aconservative Republican “tea party”revolt bounced Democratsfrom power,ushering in anew style of Republicans, who would pave the wayfor Trumptoseize theWhite House in 2016.

Determined to win back control, Pelosi helped recruitand propel dozens of women to ofﬁceinthe 2018 midterm elections as Democrats running as the resis-

tance to Trump’sfirst term Pelosi became the first speaker to regain the office in some 50 years, andher second term,from 2019-23, became potentially more consequentialthanthe first, particularly as theDemocratic Party’santidoteto Trump. Trumpwas impeached by theHouse —twice— first in 2019 for withholdingU.S aid to Ukraine as it faced a hostile Russia at its border and then in 2021 days after the Jan. 6attack on the U.S. Capitol.The Senate acquitted him in both cases. Pelosi stood up the Jan. 6 special committee to probe Trump’srole in sending his mobofsupporters to the Capitol, when mostRepublicans refused to investigate, producing the1,000-page report that became the first full accounting of what happened as the defeated president tried to stay in office.

rapidly losing control of her partyand it was never coming back,”Trump texted Doocy. “I’m very honored she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice.”

Pelosi’sefforts to impeach Trumptwice during his ﬁrst terminofﬁce were successful, though the Senate voted not to expel the 45th president on bothoccasions.

“Nancy Pelosi is ahighly overrated politician,” Trump concluded in his message.

Dramatic videos show burningUPS planecrash

crash in Louisville, Ky

BY REBECCA REYNOLDS Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Videos from phones, cars and securitycameras captured the tragic ﬁnal moments of aUPS cargo plane as it caught ﬁre andcrashed in amassiveexplosionjustoutside Louisville’s airport,killing at least 12 people andcarving apath of destruction on the ground.

The videos provide investigators and the public withmany different angles of the plane going down Tuesday in an area dotted with scrap yards and UPSfacilities. No one expects to ﬁnd survivors.

The plane had been cleared for takeoff from UPS Worldport, the company’sglobal aviation hub, when alargeﬁre developed in the

left wing and an engine fell off, said Todd Inman,amember of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.

Onevideo of thecrash takenby avehicle’s dashcam shows ﬂames andsmoke trailing from the wing as thejet barely clears aroad, clips abuilding and vanishes behind an eruption of black smoke.

Another video froma business security camera capturesthe deafening sound of the plane’s impact and awall of ﬁre and black smoke.

As theﬂames grow,asmaller blast ripples through the wreckage as sirens begin to echo in the distance.

The blaze stretched nearly acity block anddestroyed muchofthe plane’sfuselage, ﬁre ofﬁcials have said. From anearby street, adriver

filmed the explosion and thick black smoke abovenearby buildings.The smokefills the sky as the vehicle backs away.Other videos from the street show apillar of black smoke towering over buildings and trafﬁc in the area as sirens echo and lights from emergency vehicles ﬂash.

The recordings of the crash have deepened the shock and grief among other UPS pilots, said Independent Pilots Association President Robert Travis.The unionrepresents 3,500 pilotswho ﬂy forUPS.

“We’re just all heartbroken,” he said. “Thisisatragedythat is even highlighted further by the video that’sout there circulating around theworld duetothe catastrophic, violent nature of the accident itself.”

Trumpallowed to blocktrans people from choosing passport sexmarkers

BY LINDSAYWHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a policy blocking transgender and nonbinary people from choosing passport sex markers that align with their gender identity

The decision is Trump’s latest win on the court’s emergency docket, and allows the administration to enforce the policy while a lawsuit over it plays out. It halts alower-court order requiring the government to keep letting people choose male,femaleorX on their passport to correspond with their gender identity on new or renewed passports. The court’sthree liberal justices dissented.

The high court has sided with the government in nearly two dozen short-term orders on arange of policies since thestart of Trump’s second term.

In abrief, unsigned order, the conservative-majority court said the policy isn’t discriminatory.“Displaying passport holders’sex at birth no more offends equal protectionprinciplesthan displaying their countryof birth,” it said. “In both cases, the Government is merely attesting to ahistorical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment.”

BY PHILIP JANKOWSKI

The Dallas Morning News

(TNS)

AUSTIN,Texas Afederal appeals court ruled Thursday that apreviously blocked law designed to ban public drag performances can now go into effect.

Apanel of judgesonthe

5th U.S. Circuit Courtof Appeals reversed a2023 ruling from aHouston federal judge that had blocked enforcement of the law indeﬁnitely

In adivided ruling,the court found that the plaintiffs —LGBTQ pride organizations and drag performers —largely failed to prove that the law would adversely affect them.

The court’sthree liberal justices disagreed, saying in adissent that thosepassports make transgenderpeoplevulnerableto“increased violence,harassment,and discrimination.”

“This Courthas onceagain paved the way forthe immediateinﬂiction of injury withoutadequate (or, really, any)justification,”Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote, saying the policy stemmeddirectly from Trump’sexecutive order that described transgender identity as “false” and“corrosive.”

TheSupreme Court majority said being unable to enforce thepolicyharms thegovernment because passports are part of foreign affairs, an area of executive branch control.The dissenters, though, said it’snot clear exactly how individual identification documents affect thenation’s foreign policy.

The State Department changed its passport rules after Trump, aRepublican, handed down anexecutive order in January declaringthe UnitedStateswould “recognize twosexes,male and female,” based on birth certiﬁcates and “biological classiﬁcation

Transgender actress HunterSchafer,for example,said in February that her new passport had been issued with amale gender

Thelaw at the center of the lawsuit —2023’sSenateBill 12 —prohibits public sexual performances in frontofminors.The bill’sauthorand supporters have said that thebill would effectively ban all drag performances in public or in the presence of minors.

Attorney General Ken Paxton cheered theruling.

“I will alwayswork to shield ourchildren from exposure to erotic and inappropriatesexually oriented performances,” Paxton said in a news release. “It isanhonor to have defended this law, ensuring that our state remains safe for familiesand children,and Ilook forward to continuing to vigorously

marker, even though she’s markedfemale on herdriver’slicense and passport for years.

Sex markers began appearingonpassports in the mid-1970s and thefederal government startedallowing them to be changed with medicaldocumentation in the early 1990s, theplaintiffssaid in court documents. A2021 change underPresident Joe Biden, aDemocrat, removed documentation requirements and allowed nonbinary people to choose an Xgender marker after years of litigation.

Ajudge blocked the Trump administration policyinJune after alawsuit from nonbinary and transgender people, some of whom saidthey wereafraid to submit applications. An appeals courtleft the judge’s order in place.

SolicitorGeneral D. John Sauer thenturnedtothe Supreme Court, pointing to its recent ruling upholding aban on transition-related health carefor transgender minors and calling the Biden-era policy inaccurate.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly applauded Thursday’sorder.“This decision is avictory forcommonsense and President Trump, whowas resoundingly elected to eliminate woke gender ideology from our federal government,” she said.

AttorneyGeneral Pam

defend it on remand before thedistrict court.”

It was unclear if theplaintiffs would appeal thedecision to theSupremeCourt.

“Today’sruling is deeply disappointing, but our resolve hasn’tchanged,”plaintiff The Woodlands Pride, a Houston-area nonproﬁtLGBTQ advocacy organization, said in astatement.

Although the lawsuit challenging the lawisnot yet dead,the appealscourt dismissed anychallengestothe criminal penalties that SB12 created.

Violations are aclass A misdemeanor,carrying a possible penaltyofuptoone yearinjail and a$4,000 ﬁne for performers.

Bondialsocelebrated the order, saying there aretwo sexesand JusticeDepart-

U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO By PHIL SPECK

Members of the Kentucky National Guard’s41st Civil SupportTeam use aportable gaschromatograph mass spectrometer Wednesdayatthe site of afatal airplane

Delays expected after UPS cargo plane crash

NEW YORK

The UPS cargo plane crash on Tuesday at the company’s global aviation hub in Kentucky which killed at least 12, will temporarily disrupt the supply chain and result in some shipping delays.

The plane crashed Tuesday as it was departing for Honolulu from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Package sorting at the center was halted late Tuesday and the halt continued on Wednesday About 416,000 packages can be sorted at the facility per hour, according to a UPS fact sheet.

UPS has not released details about how many and what type of packages were on the plane. Consumers who want to check on their UPS packages can wait to hear from the company or look up tracking details online.

UPS has a claims process for lost or damaged packages, but it is unclear if people and businesses with packages on the downed plane will have to go through that process. UPS will likely reach out to affected customers in coming days They did not respond to a request for comment.

Tom Goldsby, professor of supply chain management at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, said UPS will most likely step up flights to its regional hubs to offset Worldport’s closure.

The hubs are “going to take on a greater burden until that critical operation in Louisville gets back to the full capacity,” he said UPS said in a statement that it has contingency plans in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their ﬁnal destinations as quickly as conditions permit, but did not give speciﬁcs on what the plans were.

Goldsby said UPS will be under pressure to resolve any delays before the peak holiday season.

“It’s an issue that they quickly want to resolve, but they are going to have to do their due diligence in resolving the current crisis,” he said ESPN reaches gaming deal with DraftKings

ESPN has reached a gaming deal with DraftKings to be its exclusive sportsbook and will end its partnership with Penn on Dec. 1.

“Our betting approach has focused on offering an integrated experience within our products,” ESPN Chair Jimmy Pitaro said Thursday in a statement. “Working with DraftKings, a leader in the space, will allow us to build upon that foundation, continue to super-serve passionate sports fans and grow our ESPN direct-to-consumer business.

The network and Penn announced they mutually agreed to an early termination of their 10-year agreement that began in August 2023.

“Although we made significant progress in improving our product offering and building a cohesive ecosystem with ESPN, we have mutually and amicably agreed to wind down our collaboration,” Penn Entertainment CEO and President Jay Snowden said.

Average U.S. long-term mortgage rate ticks up

The average rate on a 30year U.S. mortgage ticked up for the ﬁrst time in ﬁve weeks after falling to its lowest level in more than a year last week

The average long-term mortgage rate moved up to 6.22% from 6.17% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday A year ago, the rate averaged 6.79%.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose this week. The average rate rose to 5.5% from 5.41% last week A year ago, it was 6%, Freddie Mac said. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has been stuck above 6% since September 2022, the year mortgage rates began climbing from historic lows. The housing market has been in a slump ever since.

Record holiday season predicted

American shoppers expected to spend more than $1T

BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP retail writer

NEW YORK American shoppers are expected to spend more during this holiday shopping season than last year despite economic uncertainty and rising prices.

The 2025 forecast from the National Retail Federation on Thursday estimates that shoppers will col-

lectively spend between $1.01 trillion and $1.02 trillion in November and December, an increase of 3.7% to 4.2% compared with last year

Retailers rung up $976 billion in holiday sales last year or a 4.3% increase from the prior year, the group said.

“We’re seeing really positive behavior and engagement from consumers, ” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay told reporters on a call Thursday “In fairness, that’s been somewhat of a surprise.”

But Shay said more Americans are growing selective and they’re focused on discounts. And while

spending is expected to be up again, the growth of that spending may be in decline.

That is still greater than the average increase of 3.6% between 2010 to 2019. Americans ramped up spending after that during the coronavirus pandemic. Holiday season sales rose 8.9% in 2020 and soared 12.5% in 2021, according to the NRF

The group’s holiday forecast is based on economic modeling using various key economic indicators including consumer spending, disposable personal income, employment, wages, inﬂation and

previous monthly retail sales releases. NRF’s calculation excludes automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants to focus on core retail.

Holiday spending accounts for 19% of annual sales for the retail industry, though for some retailers the number is a lot higher, according to the NRF

The forecast this year, however, arrives during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history

There has been no government data released on the jobs market or retail sales since the shutdown began 37 days ago.

Trump unveils deal to expand coverage, lower costs on obesity drugs

BY TOM MURPHY, AAMER MADHANI and JONEL ALECCIA Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump unveiled a deal Thursday with drugmakers

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and reduce prices for the popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy

Known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, the drugs have soared in popularity in recent years but patient access has been a consistent problem because of their cost around $500 a month for higher doses — and insurance coverage has been spotty More than 100 million American adults have obesity, according to federal estimates.

Coverage of the drugs for obesity will expand to Medicare patients starting next year, according to the administration, which said some lower prices also will be phased in for patients without coverage. Starting doses of new, pill versions of the treatments also will cost $149 a month if they are approved.

“(It) will save lives, improve the health of millions and millions of Americans,” said Trump, in an Oval Ofﬁce announcement in which he referred to GLP-1s as a “fat drug.”

Thursday’s announcement is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to rein in soaring drug prices in its efforts to address

cost-of-living concerns among voters. Pﬁzer and AstraZeneca recently agreed to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Medicaid after an executive order in May set a deadline for drugmakers to electively lower prices or face new limits on what the government will pay As with the other deals, it’s not clear how much the price drop will be felt by consumers. Drug prices can vary based on the competition for treatments and insurance coverage.

The obesity drugs work by targeting hormones in the gut and brain that affect appetite and feelings of fullness. In clinical trials they helped people shed 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. Patients usually start on smaller doses and then work up to larger amounts, depending on their needs. They need to stay on the treatments indeﬁnitely or risk regaining weight, experts say

The medications have proven especially lucrative for Lilly and Novo. Lilly said recently that sales of Zepbound have tripled so far this year to more than $9 billion. But for many Americans their cost has made them out of reach.

Medicare, the federally funded coverage program mainly for people ages 65 and over, now covers the cost of the drugs for conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular

disease, but not for weight loss alone. Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, proposed a rule last November that would have changed that, but the Trump administration nixed it.

Few state and federally funded Medicaid programs, for people with low incomes, offer coverage. And employers and insurers that provide commercial coverage are wary of paying for these drugs in part because so many people might use them.

The $500 monthly price for higher doses of the treatments also makes them unaffordable for those without insurance, doctors say.

Trump, who has a history of commenting on people’s appearance, asked the ofﬁcials who joined him in the Oval Ofﬁce whether they have used the weight-loss medications

“Do you take any of this stuff, Howard?” Trump asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “Not yet,” Lutnick replied “He’s taking it,” the president said of Steven Cheung, who is the White House director of communications.

Another senior administration ofﬁcial said coverage of the drugs will expand to Medicare patients starting next year The program will start covering the treatments for people who have severe obesity and others who are overweight or obese and have serious health problems, the ofﬁcial said Those who qualify will pay $50 copays for the medicine.

Wall Street loses ground under weight of falling tech stocks

BY DAMIAN J. TROISE Associated Press

NEWYORK Wall Street lost ground Thursday as inﬂuential technology stocks fell and once again steered the broader market

The technology sector has been the driving force behind the market’s direction, whether up or down, all week. Thursday’s losses pushed nearly every major index solidly into weekly losses. The biggest weights on the market included Nvidia, which fell 3.7%, and Microsoft, which fell 2%. Their huge values give them outsized inﬂuence over the market’s direction. Other big stocks dragging down the market included

Amazon, which slumped 2.9%. Corporate earnings and forecasts remained the big focus for Wall Street on Thursday The latest round of results and statements from executives could help shed some light on the condition and path ahead for the economy amid a lack of broader information on inflation, employment and retail sales because of the ongoing government shutdown. DoorDash sank 17.5% for one of the sharpest drops on Wall Street The food delivery app warned investors that it will be spending significantly more on product development next year CarMax slumped 24.3% after giving investors a disappointing fi-

nancial update and announcing that CEO Bill Nash is stepping down in December Software company Datadog jumped 23.1% after its latest earnings beat analysts’ forecasts. Rockwell Automation rose 2.7% after turning in results that easily beat analysts’ forecasts. It has been a wobbly week for major indexes, which set record highs last week. The broader stock market has had a record-setting year but that has raised worries that stocks could be overvalued Those concerns are even more focused on big technology companies that have been leading the market higher amid the focus on artiﬁcial intelligence advancements.

Another week of unemployment data was missing Thursday because of the federal government shutdown. It has already resulted in a lack of monthly employment data for September and will likely result in missing employment data for October, along with

tober, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The data can vary widely, however

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

President Donald Trump, left, shakes the hand of Novo Nordisk President and CEO Mike Doustdar during a Thursday event about drug prices in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

AIRPORT

including Lord, said they did not experience any delays or cancellations Thursday traveling to or from Baton Rouge.

“We’re not going to worry about that right now,” she said.

Baton Rouge MetropolitanAirport and all other Louisiana airports are safe from the current FAAcuts. But airports thatBTR services, including Houston,Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte and Washington, D.C., will all reduce air trafﬁc,effectiveFriday

While airtrafﬁc cuts will not directly impact the airport, BTR has felt some residual effects from high-trafﬁcairportslikeHouston and Atlanta. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta InternationalAirport reported over 200 delays since the shutdown began last month, Fox 5Atlanta reported. Houston Public Media reportedthat travelers had estimated wait timesofthree hours at the Bush Intercontinental Airport security checkpoint earlier this week.

BTR Director of Aviation Mike Edwards said some ﬂights coming in from Houston and Atlanta have been delayed in the past month, resulting in travelers being late for their next stop or their journey home from the airport.

Some airlines plannedtofocuson slashing routes to and from small andmedium-size cities. United and Delta Air Lines have said they intend to reducedomestic ﬂights that do not travelbetween their hubs, or airportsservicedbymultiple airlines to increase passenger capacity and lessen the number of aircraft needed.

Edwards said he cananticipate some delays and cancellations nationwide from the cuts, but does not know yet how BTR’sarrival and departure schedule will be impacted. Airlines will contact passengers directly if their ﬂight is delayed or canceled.

EXPLOSION

Continued frompage1A

The explosion prompted an evacuation order that affected about 800 residents, includingformer Louisiana Gov.John Bel Edwards, who lives nearby David Sherman,anattorney for Smitty’s, said that the company “remains committed to following all applicable laws and regulations.”

“Aug. 22 was the resultofan unforeseen industrial fire,” he said. “Wecontinue to be actively engagedwith theEPA and LDEQ. We are implementing our siteremediation plan that was developed in coordination with both agencies, supporting response and cleanup activities, and implementingmeasures to help prevent future incidents to protectour waterways and neighbors.”

The regulators areseekingwhat could amount to millions of dollars in civil penalties under both federal and state laws.

SLAUGHTER

Continued from page1A

will remain owner of SSA, but her day-to-day work will be focusedon her CAO role withthe city-parish, as her colleagues take over her

“Weare urging the public, if you are ﬂyinginthe next week or two, to makesure that you’re checking thestatusofyour ﬂight with your airlineprior to coming to the airport,” he said

The government shutdown has stretched past the one-month mark, making it the longestin U.S. history.For the past month, federalmonieshavebeenfrozen, docking pay for government employees

TSA agentsand air trafﬁc controllers have shoulderedthe impact of theshutdownatairports.

The shutdown hasforced air trafﬁc controllers to take jobs as Uber or DoorDashdrivers in order to bring in income. TSA Media said in astatementthatdelaysatsecurity checkpointsare to be expected.

“As aresult of this catastrophic event,oil and other pollutants ﬂowed from theFacilityintoadjacentwater bodies and the Tangipahoa River,” the lawsuit states. “Once in the river,the pollutants traveled approximately 47 miles downstream.”

The EPAdeployed “vacuum trucks and skimmers”tocollect and dispose of pollution after the explosion.Sofar,the lawsuit says, respondershavecollected 11 million gallons of oil and other pollutants.

As of September,cleanup costs had soared to over $39 million, with theEPA leading the effort.

The agency saidSmitty’s was not paying for the cleanup due to “ﬁnancialsolvency issues.”

In October,the EPAentered into aconsent order with Smitty’sunder which thecompany assumed responsibility for cleanup at the siteofthe explosion to prevent further pollution

But as the shutdown is prolonged, the stress on TSA agents working without pay will worsen, they said. So far,BTR has not experienced staffing issues related to the shutdown, other than afew federal employees havingtopick up extra shifts, Edwards said. The airport launched afood drive, collecting nonperishable food items and daily essentials like toiletries last week for TSA and air trafﬁc control workers. Volunteers from SetFreeIndeed Ministry andthe United Cajun Navy have provided hot lunches for BTR federal employees.

Christopher Robinson, atransportation security ofﬁcer at BTR, said employees have faced “mental anguish”working unpaid as their expenses persist. While the

“Aug.22was the resultofan unforeseen industrial fire. We continuetobeactively engaged with the EPAand LDEQ.Weare implementing our site remediation plan that wasdeveloped in coordination with both agencies, supporting response and cleanup activities, and implementing measures to help prevent future incidents to protectour waterwaysand neighbors.”

DAVID SHERMAN, an attorney for Smitty’sSupply

airport has not had any abnormal trafﬁc in the past month, it can get “hectic” when TSA is down afew employees.

“We’re trying to make ends meet,” he said.

Cindy Chambers, amanager at Pearson’sTravel World, said only oneofher clientshas canceled their travel plans due to uncertainty of theair travel schedulefollowing the trafﬁc cuts. Most of her clientswho have already booked their travels through the agency are waiting to see what happens.

If passengers face delays or cancellations in the future, Chambers said its best to rebook the ﬂight with airlinestaffatthe airport.

“Unlesswehavea waiver to reissue the ticket, our hands are kind of tied,”Chambers said. “We strongly suggest that they wait in line with everybody else.”

While manyBaton Rouge travelers said they haven’texperienced delays or cancellations from the shutdown, theyare exercising caution againstfuture travels. Alecia Thomas ﬂewintoBaton Rougeon Thursday and said she often ﬂies through Houston.

“There’snoway Iwould do that now,” she said.

United Airlinesisoffering refunds for flights during the shutdown,regardless of whetherthey are impacted by traffic cuts. Delta and American Airlinesare waiving change fees forflightsinthe next week.

Email IanneSalvosaatianne. salvosa@theadvocate.com.

alleges that Smitty’shas not paid its$6million bill.

that the earlier violations directly contributed to August’sexplosion, thecomplaint describesa company thatwas lackadaisical in its attitude toward environmental regulations.

Under President Donald Trump, thefederal government hasinitiated fewerlawsuits against companies over environmental violations thanprevious presidential administrations, according to data analyzedbythe Environmental Integrity Project, an advocacy group.

Smitty’s,meanwhile, sued companies last monththatmanufacturedand installed aboiler that caught ﬁre at thefacility in August. In thatlawsuit, Smitty’s alleged that it is not at fault for the ﬁre.

Smitty’sisalsobeing sued by a privateﬁreﬁghting company that

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in astatementThursdaythatthe state intends “to hold Smitty’saccountable forthe damages caused and costs incurred as aconsequence of this event.”

SSA responsibilities.

“Asa savings to the city-parish, through hercontract arrangement,she will save thecity-parish thecost of beneﬁtsofhealthcare, retirement, andaccruedleave,” thestatement says.

MetroCouncil MayorPro Tempore BrandonNoel said Slaughter

has “deep knowledge of the government” and hasquickly earned his trust and that of his colleagues over the past few months as interim CAO.

“I am verypleased withher appointment as CAO, andfeelitwill strengthen the partnership between theadministrationand the MetroCouncil,” Noel said.

The government is taking Smitty’stotask not just for August’s explosion, but also for what it says are unlawful discharges, a lack of safety planning, and permitviolations that stretch back years. Perthe lawsuit, Smitty’s was in violation of astate permit aimed at limiting pollution, failed to conduct required daily inspections of parts of its facility,and was repeatedlypolluting into the Tangipahoa River, even before the explosion. Under federal law, Smitty’swas required to maintain a“facility response plan” —anEPA-required plan that lays outsafety andspillresponse measures at the plant. Whenfederal regulatorsasked the company to share its plan, Smitty’ssent the EPAan“emergency response plan,” adifferent plan that the EPAalso requires, which “didnot containall of the required elementsfor aFacility Response Plan,”the lawsuit alleges While the lawsuit does not allege

Councilmember Carolyn Coleman also praised the choice and said herconnection to Baton Rouge makes her the best ﬁt for thejob.

“Dr.Christel Slaughter has been deeply involved in our community for many years,” Colemansaid.

“Her longrecord of service and

Rather,the EPAhas offered polluting companieswaystobecome exempt from regulations under the Clean Air Act and other Bidenera environmental rules, according to The Associated Press. And earlier this year,the U.S. DepartmentofJustice dropped alawsuit againstanotherLouisianaplant, Denka Performance Elastomer, which produced neoprene,over cancer risks.

The Denka plant has since shuttered due to “extraordinary loss in its ﬁnancial results,” the company said in astatement in May

partnership makesher the absolute best choice forCAO.” Slaughter is the ﬁrst woman to serve as CAO since the 1980s under Mayor Pat Screen.

Email Patrick Sloan-Turner at patrick.sloan-turner@ theadvocate.com.

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Senate rejectslegislation to limitTrump’s abilitytoattackVenezuela

BY STEPHENGROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation Thursday that would have put acheck on President Donald Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela, as Democrats pressed Congress to take astronger role in Trump’shigh-stakes campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Lawmakers, includingtop Republicans, have demanded that the Trump administration provide them with more information on the U.S. military strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Paciﬁc Ocean But Thursday’svote, which would essentially forestall an attack on Venezuelansoil by ﬁrst requiring congressional authorization, showed the lengths of GOP senators’ willingness to allow the Trump administration to continue its buildup of naval forces in the region.

“President Trumphas taken decisive action to protect thousands of Americans from lethal narcotics,” said Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The legislation had virtually no chance of being enacted, in part because it would needtobesigned by Trump himself, but it stillallowed Democrats to press their GOP colleagues on Trump’s threats against Venezuela The legislation failed to advance 49-51.

“Weshould not be going to war without avote of Congress. The lives of our troops are atstake,” Sen. TimKaine, aVirginia Democrat who pushed the legislation, said in aﬂoor speech

U.S. naval forces are building an unusually large force, including its most advanced aircraft carrier,inthe Caribbean Sea, leading many to the conclusion that Trump’s intentions go beyond just intercepting cocaine-running boats.

votepertaining to the strikes against boats in international waters failed last month on a48-51 vote, but Kaine said he was hoping to peel off more Republicans with a resolution that only pertains to attacks on Venezuela.

Some uneasy with strikes Republican leadership was pressing Thursdaytomake sure the legislationfailed, and many GOP senators have expressed support for Trump’scampaign, which has killed at least66people in 16 known strikes.

foreign terrorist organization, but when you engage in threats to our country —a boat headed to America full of drugs —we’re going to take you out,” Graham said.

But there werestill several senators carefully considering their vote.Just hours before the vote, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she had carefully read over the Trump administration’s secret legal opinion on thestrikes, but hadnot reached adecision.

months more, “then we have to have areal discussion aboutwhetherornot we’re engaging in somesort of hybrid war.”

“It’sreally anopensecret that this is much more about potential regime change,” saidSen. AdamSchiff, DCalif.,who pushed theresolution. “If that’s where the administration is headed, if that’swhatwe’re risking involvement in awar —then Congress needs to on this.”

Thepushfor oversi

As the Trump administra tion hasreconfigu priorities overseas, has beena growing frustration among ers, including some licans, who are concerned about recent moves by the Pentagon At ahearingint Armed Services Commi earlierThursday, Se Wicker,the Republ saidthat many senat “serious concernsa Pentagon’spolicyo that Congress wa ingconsulted on recent tions like puttinga Ukraine security assistance, reducing the numb troops in Romania formulation of the Defense Strategy GOP senators hav ed their ire at the ment of Defense office, which is led bridge Colby,anofﬁ has advocated for t step down its involvement

international alliances.

“It justseems like there’s this pigpen-like messcoming outofthe policyshop,”

said Sen. TomCotton, an Arkansas Republican who chairsthe SenateIntelligenceCommittee,during another armed services

Sen. Lindsey Graham,RS.C., aTrumpally,argued in aﬂoor speech thatthe War Powers Act gave lawmakers too much power over militarydecisions and that Congress has other means to check the president’s decisions.

“I like the ideathatour commander-in-chief is telling narco-terrorist organizations you’re notonly a

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he would vote against the resolution, but added that he has had his doubts aboutthe campaign. He pointed out that it was expensive to change thedeploymentlocation for an aircraft carrierand questionedwhetherthose funds could be better used at the U.S.-Mexicobordertostop fentanyl trafﬁcking.

Tillis said that if the campaign continues for several

Still, Democrats argued that the Trump administration was using aﬂimsylegal defense for an expansive militarycampaign thatisputting U.S. troopsand thenation’sreputation at risk. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services, charged that Trump is engaging in “violence without astrategic objective”while failing to take actions that wouldactuallyaddress fentanylsmuggling.“Youcannotbombyourway outofa drug crisis,” he said.

YetKaine also acknowledged that there was also some risk in forcing the vote because it could give a tacit greenlight to Trumpto launch an outright attack.

“Congress has got to just stand up and be counted or not,” he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J.

BR home prices up 30% since pandemic

Experts predict decline in construction

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Home prices are climbing faster in the capital region than the rest of the state, and they may only get higher due to a low supply of new houses and high demand from millennials, according to a national expert.

Baton Rouge home prices are up nearly 30% since the pandemic.

That compares with a 26% increase in overall home prices in Louisiana and a 55% jump nationally over the same time period, according to Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington, assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis for the National Association of Home Builders. The increase is driven by a low supply of home construction and a high demand from millennials who had a 61%

homeownership rate nationwide in the second quarter of this year

“We desperately need housing We need new construction, and we need to be building all types of homes,” she said Tuesday in a speech before the Home Builders Association of Greater Baton Rouge.

The NAHB economics team analyzes the housing market, conducts industry surveys and develops regional and national forecasts.

The median new home price in Baton Rouge is $411,479, and

prospective homebuyers need an income of $127,189 to qualify according to a 2024 analysis. If the price increases by $1,000, almost 350 homebuyers will be priced out. Coupled with labor shortages from trade workers aging out of the industry and increases in construction materials due to tariffs, Nanayakkara-Skillington said many prospective buyers cannot afford new homes. An average Baton Rouge family will spend 27% of its income on housing, about 10% lower than na-

tional spending levels on new and existing homes. Low-income families in Baton Rouge spend 54% of their

TIGER TOUR

A group of students tours along North Stadium Drive on Wednesday on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

President of St. Joseph’s Academy to retire

Jan Breen ending 14-year tenure at school

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

After 14 years at the helm, Jan Breen has announced she is retiring in June from her position as president of the all-girls St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge. “After more than ﬁve decades

in Catholic education, I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life’s journey,” Breen said in her announcement, which was released Thursday morning.

Stacia Andricain will remain as principal of the prominent Baton Rouge private high school, a position she has held since 2017; she has been on the faculty since 1996.

Andricain said Breen has been a visionary leader with a deep commitment to the school’s mission and promised St Joseph’s Academy would continue that legacy “Her mentorship over the 14 years has guided my own leadership experience, and under her guidance, we have seen remarkable growth in enrollment, giving and scholarship opportunities,” Andricain said. “Under Jan’s leadership, we have also

seen significant improvements to school facilities and campus safety.”

After she retires, Breen will become president emeritus and assist whoever is selected as her successor, as well as continuing to work on certain school initiatives.

The school has hired a search ﬁrm, Partners in Mission, which has an extensive background with Catholic schools. John

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

BY JAN RISHER Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Gunman sentenced to 30 years in prison

Plea deal results in reduced charges after shootout

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

A man who shot and killed a Baton Rouge father of two during a shootout in 2020 was sentenced to 30 years in prison this week

Armon Reneil Wilson, 27, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of manslaughter, obstruction of justice and possession of a ﬁrearm by a convicted felon, according to 19th Judicial District

Court records District Judge Brad Myers imposed sentences of 15 years, 30 years and 20 years for the respective charges and ordered Wilson to serve his prison stint on all three counts at the same time. Wilson originally was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder in the June 2020 killing of 34-year-old Jerome Kinchen. State prosecutors reduced the murder charge to manslaughter in exchange for Wilson’s guilty plea. They also dismissed charges of attempted armed robbery and attempted second-degree murder as part of the plea deal, according to records.

Kinchen was gunned down around the corner from his house in the 4800 block of Gus Young Avenue on the evening of June 27, 2020 according to a Baton Rouge Police Department report. Wilson was also wounded in the exchange of bullets. Investigators used surveillance footage from the scene to identify Wilson as the one who initiated the gunfight, according to an arrest affidavit. According to police, Wilson walked up to Kinchen’s car near the parking lot of Ragusa’s Meat Market as the man was sitting inside with a relative and opened fire on the vehicle. He shot Kinchen

multiple times, but both people returned ﬁre from the vehicle.

The other man in the car wasn’t hit by any bullets, police said. Investigators later learned that Wilson pulled a gun on one of the victims’ family members hours before the shooting and threatened that family member He also exchanged words with the victims.

Witnesses told investigators they heard Wilson tell his own relatives that he would kill the two men when he saw them, according to the report.

Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

Iberville Parish deputy released from hospital

Brett Stassi Jr was injured in courthouse shooting

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

Capt. Brett Stassi Jr of the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, was discharged from the hospital Thursday, one month after he was wounded in a gunﬁght outside the Iberville Parish Courthouse that left one deputy and the gunman dead.

Stassi was sent to intensive care with a gunshot injury after the Oct. 6 incident.

“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of prayers, encouragement and support from the community, fellow law enforcement agencies and ﬁrst responders during this difﬁcult time,” said Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi, father of the wounded officer “Your kindness and compassion have meant more than words can express.”

The sheriff also gave thanks to the staff at Ochsner Iberville for its efforts the night of the shooting, including the off-duty employees who joined the rest of the staff after hearing of the incident.

“Their dedication and willingness to act without hesitation is something we will never forget,” Stassi said. He included thanks for paramedics with Acadian Ambulance and the staff at Our Lady of the Lake who cared for his son during his hospitalization.

The night of the shooting, the

SAURAGE

Continued from page 1B

Community Arts Center is his legacy of imagination and generosity a place where people create, gather and grow We are honored to carry his vision forward.”

Saurage was a 1962 graduate of University High School and a U.S. Army veteran. He studied landscape architecture at LSU.

“He was one of the nicest people I have ever known,” Guglielmo said. “He was an astute listener I cannot stress enough about his thoughtfulness and generosity.

His devotion to local philanthropy and cultural preservation will leave an enduring mark for generations to come, according to Jason Andreasen, Baton Rouge Gallery’s president and CEO.

Saurage helped establish and fund a variety of scholarships and fellowships, including the Crespo award, a $5,000 annual award for Louisiana artists.

“Cary was the best of us He brought kindness to strangers and friends in equal measure,” Andreasen said. “Cary’s belief in what art and what artists can bring to people and to a community — made Baton Rouge better That legacy will live on in all

RETIRE

Continued from page 1B

D’Angelo, a former chair of the St. Joseph’s Academy board, is serving as chair of the presidential search committee.

“(Breen’s) impact on our students, faculty and alumnae community has been profound, and she leaves an extraordinary legacy of academic excellence, Catholic identity and a vibrant school culture,” D’Angelo said.

Breen is a 1969 graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy — back then, she was known as Jan Rhorer — an education she said was “instrumental in my formation as a woman and in my commitment to the

Continued from page 1B

Myers sentenced Lavergne to two life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Hines Myers, who presided over the retrial, issued eight counts of contempt against Sterling, the lead defense attorney in the case. She also held Woods in contempt on three counts and kicked her out of the courtroom midway through the proceedings. She barred Woods from reentering the courtroom until the trial was over

During a hearing Wednesday inside the 19th Judicial District Court, Hines Myers doubled down on two of the contempt judgments against Woods and ﬁned her $300. She maintained all eight counts of contempt against Sterling and ﬁned him $100 for each offense.

Mourners gather in prayer near a memorial unit for fallen Iberville Parish sheriff’s Deputy Charles Riley on Oct. 7 in the parking lot after he and Brett Stassi Jr were shot in the line of duty Oct. 6 at the Iberville Parish Courthouse in Plaquemine. Stassi was discharged from the hospital Thursday officials say.

younger Stassi and Deputy Charles Riley were attempting to arrest a man outside the Plaquemine courthouse That man, Latrell Clark, shot both deputies during a scufﬂe, killing Riley.

The procession of Riley’s hearse from the hospital to Ourso Funeral Home in Gonzales drew mourners from multiple parishes in the capital area, including many ﬁrst responders and those in law enforcement.

Even more, a crowd of hundreds attended Riley’s funeral.

The Sheriff’s Office noted the show of support from the community since the shooting.

“All of the kind gestures and the overwhelming response to the recent blood drives were amazing,” Stassi said Thursday “The turnout and generosity of donors was truly remarkable and a reﬂection of the strength and unity of our community Your support reminds us why

From left Gino Marino, Cary Saurage and his sister-in-law, Donna Saurage, attend a 2023 event at Gino’s Restaurant where the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society awarded the Saurage family the 2023 ‘Mama Marino Lifetime Achievement Award.’

the artists he knew and all the arts endeavors he gave life to.”

Saurage was an avid art collector. He also served in many leadership roles with a variety of local organizations, including the Louisiana Art and Science Museum, the LSU Museum of Art and Hill Memorial Library

He supported other organiza-

ministry of Catholic education.”

After graduating, she went on to have a 53-year career in Catholic education

She worked for 38 years at the all-boys Catholic High School, located a couple of blocks away, where she served as an English teacher and as director of public relations. In 2011, she returned to her alma mater to become the ﬁrst lay president of St. Joseph’s Academy, a school under the direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Founded in 1868, St. Joseph’s Academy is located at 3015 Broussard St. It is home to more than 1,100 students in grades nine through 12. Breen described the school as “the hallmark of excellence in Catholic education for young

tions, particularly those that aligned with his appreciation for nature, beauty and landscape design, which he studied in college. He was a supporter of the LSU Burden Center and Magnolia Mound Plantation.

At the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden, Jeff Kuehny, director and professor, said Sau-

women in faith development, academic excellence and personal growth.”

“We are a school of opportunities, a school where women ﬁnd their voice and become self-conﬁdent and empowered individuals,” Breen said. “The forwardthinking, talented and dedicated administrators, faculty and staff demonstrate an unwavering commitment to excellence. We continue to be leaders in technology and to expand our campus to provide a curriculum for the future for our students.”

During her tenure, Breen oversaw upgrades to the campus, including a new student activity center, a student commons area, a quad, a terrace, a plaza and a walking track. The school added

we are proud to serve the people of Iberville Parish every day.”

Stassi asked the public for their support and prayers to continue for Riley’s family, and for the continued recovery of his son.

“This has been extremely difﬁcult for them, and for our entire staff, but we will heal together,” he said.

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

rage served as a docent for the Trees and Trails Project Learning Tree ﬁeld trips.

“Cary played a role in shaping the design concepts for the Burden Museum & Gardens Welcome Center,” Kuehny said. “Cary’s gentle, compassionate spirit touched everyone at Burden, and he will be deeply missed.” Community leaders, including former Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, recall working with Saurage through the years to improve life for the citizens of Baton Rouge.

“His commitment to Baton Rouge and his generous spirit have left an indelible mark on our community,” said Broome, who worked with the Arts Council on the development of the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center “Cary’s legacy will continue to inspire all of us who believe in the power of giving and the importance of community.”

The family has asked that memorial contributions be made to the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge to beneﬁt the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, 233 St. Ferdinand St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802, or to the charity of your choice.

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

new programs in STEM, esports, broadcast journalism and entrepreneurship, and Breen oversaw the creation of an athletic hall of fame.

She said that the total assets of the school’s private foundation increased substantially and 53 new endowed scholarships were created, providing need-based tuition assistance to families.

Breen said she also worked to limit tuition increases while still providing competitive salaries and beneﬁts for school staff.

During her tenure, the academy was twice named a National Blue Ribbon School, recognizing exemplary performance.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate.com.

“I absolutely acknowledge that zealous advocacy is necessary in an adversarial proceeding. And I acknowledge that this was a highstakes case, so it was even more necessary,” the judge said. “But there is a procedure and a requirement that decorum is maintained to insulate the process and ensure it’s a process that has integrity.” Representatives for Woods and Sterling said they plan to appeal the judge’s rulings.

It was an explosive murder retrial during which Hines Myers even held the lead prosecutor in contempt. She levied a single count against Assistant District Attorney Morgan Johnson on the ﬁnal day of testimony in the six-day trial. Eight days later, the judge rescinded that contempt order after reviewing her trial notes and listening to the portion of Johnson’s closing arguments that prompted the count.

Lavergne’s original trial in October 2024 ended in a mistrial when a jury was unable to reach a verdict. But in his retrial, jurors convicted him of killing LaQuincia Jackson, his 26-year-old ex-girlfriend, and her boyfriend of ﬁve years, 33-yearold Fredrick Hollins. Lavergne, 38, shot both victims with a 12-gauge shotgun at point-blank range the evening of Jan. 23, 2021, as the couple slept inside their Tigerland apartment in the 4600 block of Earl Gros Avenue.

Prairieville attorney Harry Daniels ﬁled a motion Tuesday asking Hines Myers to vacate her contempt orders against Woods. Daniels said Woods was trying to offer evidence that the court had ruled inadmissible when the judge issued her ﬁrst order on day three of the retrial. The following day, Hines Myers issued two more contempt orders against Woods and had deputies escort her out of the courtroom Daniels said Woods was simply trying to clarify the judge’s ruling at the time and argued her conduct was not disorderly, insolent or disruptive, as the judge had previously ruled.

“Her statements and actions were made in furtherance of her professional and constitutional duty to zealously advocate for her client, to preserve the record, and to ensure meaningful appellate review,” Daniels’ motion stated. “The record demonstrates that her intent was neither to disrupt proceedings nor to show disrespect toward the court, but rather to fulﬁll her obligations. Punishing such advocacy risks chilling the very defense functions that safeguard the integrity of criminal trials and the rights of the accused.”

Hines Myers said she reviewed hundreds of pages from the trial’s transcript. She listed the ground rules she laid out for attorneys on both sides before the retrial began.

She said Woods continuously interrupted her and kept arguing with opposing counsel even after the judge admonished her to stop.

“Because she could not let anybody get a word in edgewise, that’s why she was escorted out of the courtroom,” Hines Myers said.

She went on to say Sterling’s contempt orders stemmed from him disregarding the rules of procedure she gave attorneys before the trial began. According to the judge’s written order, Sterling argued with her over prospective jurors during the voir dire sessions of jury selection. When testimony began, he pressed witnesses for answers even after Hines Myers had sustained objections from prosecutors and repeatedly made statements in front of the jury that were deemed inadmissible, the order indicated.

“It was an intense situation; a man’s life was in the balance,” Sterling said during the hearing Wednesday “It was never counsel’s intent to be in violation, cross the line or be disrespectful. I think my advocacy was probably a little misconstrued. I never intended to, as you say, argue with the court.” Hines Myers told the attorneys that they had gone beyond vigorous representation of their client.

“There’s a difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessional, disruptive conduct,” she said.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRADLING

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

State OKs plan to ease some restrictions on pogy boats

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

State commissioners at a packed meeting in Baton Rouge on Thursday approved a proposal to ease some regulations on Louisiana’s controversial menhaden fishing industry while adding additional protections in certain sensitive areas off the coast.

The proposal sets in motion a process that could see the new rules take effect next year, though the ﬁght over the intensely scrutinized plan is expected to continue in the months ahead, potentially drawing in state legislators. Discussion and public comment on the proposal stretched for about three hours at Thursday’s contentious meeting of the state’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission.

In the end, the commission voted 4-3 in favor of the proposal that would reduce the half-mile buffer zone in certain areas off the coast where ﬁshing for menhaden, or pogies, is currently banned The buffer would be a quarter-mile in those areas under the proposal, while the no-go zone for the menhaden industry would be extended in other particularly sensitive areas.

In total, banned areas for the industry would increase by around 4%. But the issue has nonetheless sparked deep controversy among recreational fishermen, charter captains and conservation groups who say there is too much at risk along Louisiana’s eroding coast to again allow the industrial-scale ﬁshing closer to shore.

The industry argues that the current buffer zones have cut deeply into its proﬁts, putting at risk jobs and tax revenue. Industry ofﬁcials have pointed to a bycatch study recently carried out showing that the effects of menhaden boats were not as bad as some had feared

One of the authors of the study told commissioners that the buffer zone reductions are unlikely to affect bycatch, or ﬁsh caught besides menhaden, on a per-net basis, meaning if the same amount of fishing occurs. Opponents argued the buffer zone changes would increase fishing, and by-

catch as a result.

The current rules are the result of a compromise reached last year at the behest of Gov Jeff Landry

The industry has been consistently urging the state to ease them, saying it faces a 15-25% reduction in its catch.

A public comment period will now follow until Jan. 23. State legislators will also have the option of weighing in and can reject the proposal. The earliest the new rule could take effect is March 20.

‘That was the deal’

An overflow crowd packed Thursday’s meeting, which featured a long succession of speakers on various sides of the issue

Recreational ﬁshing and conservation groups opposed to the changes had spent the last few weeks mobilizing their membership to turn out in force, while menhaden industry employees also spoke out in favor of the plan.

“That was not what we wanted, but we agreed to it. That was the deal,” Charlie Caplinger, chairman of the Louisiana chapter of the

Hondo Rodeo Fest to come to New Orleans

Activity-packed weekend to replace loss of WrestleMania

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

New Orleans is aiming to lasso a new kind of mega-event to plug one of the biggest holes in its 2026 tourism calendar. On Thursday, ofﬁcials announced that Hondo Rodeo Fest — the fast-growing rodeo and country music weekend that debuted in Phoenix in 2024 — will come to the Caesars Superdome in April, bringing three days of arena rodeo and nighttime stadium concerts. The dates, April 10-12, were unveiled during the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation’s Hall of Fame awards ceremony at the Superdome. State and city tourism leaders — still stung by the unexpected loss of WrestleMania, which had been slated for the same spring window said the rodeoand-music format is exactly the type of multiday draw they need.

“We’ve got a lot of rodeo fans all over the state — I go to the Angola rodeo, which sells out every year,” Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said. “There’s smaller rodeos all around the state that bring people from many other states, and we’re going to make sure we get them all to come here and ﬁll the Dome.” Hondo Rodeo Fest is not a century-old cowboy tradition but a new engineered-for-scale entertainment brand. Launched in Phoe-

Continued from page 1B

nix, it was conceived as a hybrid: professional rodeo competitions by day; major ticketed country concerts by night — all wrapped in a high-production, festival-style atmosphere.

Its inaugural run drew strong crowds, positive reviews for production value, and the attention of sports-venue operators in other markets. Organizers have since begun expanding Hondo as a traveling mega-weekend, similar to the way large EDM or country festivals replicate their format across cities.

For New Orleans, that expansion comes at an opportune moment.

“I think the country music concerts — big name acts that haven’t been announced yet — are something that will help draw in everybody to ﬁll the Superdome,” said Jay Cicero, GNOSF president and newly inducted member of the GNO Sports Hall of Fame. “When you pair that with a three-day rodeo, you get a destination weekend that appeals to a broad fan base.”

While the country acts for New Orleans haven’t yet been announced, Cicero said the lineup for the Hondo Rodeo Fest running this weekend at Chase Field in Phoenix gives an idea of what to expect. On Friday, Nickelback and Treaty Oak Revival will be playing, followed by Kid Rock and Jon Pardi on Saturday and closing on Sunday with Jason Aldean and Riley Green.

A big hit

WrestleMania’s cancellation in New Orleans landed hard. When the event came in 2014 and 2018, it

Coastal Conservation Association,

said of last year’s half-mile compromise, which followed a push to increase the buffer zone to a full mile. “And now we’re back here again, rehashing all of this all over again. This is about money.” Caplinger echoed the concerns of many speakers at the meeting, with charter captains saying the recreational fishing industry’s economic contributions were being given short shrift.

But Francois Kuttel president of the Westbank Fishing menhaden operation, based in Empire, argued that the impacts of the pogy boats were being exaggerated, pointing to the recent study He and others in the industry have also spoken of the some 800 direct jobs and $25 million in state and local tax revenue it contributes, warning that could be at risk.

“Proponents of the menhaden buffer zone have said that they do not wish to harm the menhaden industry or its employees, but their assumption that our vessels can simply ﬁsh farther offshore to make up the lost volume has prov-

en false,” said Kuttel.

The plan would see the following changes to the rules:

n The buffer would be reduced to a quarter-mile from a half-mile from the Cameron Jetties to Rutherford Beach; from the Mermentau River to Rollover; from Point Au Fer to Bayou Grand Caillou; and from Bay Long to Southwest Pass.

n The 3-mile buffer around Grand Isle and the 1-mile buffer around Holly Beach would remain in place.

n Additional buffer areas would be added on the inside of the Chandeleur Islands and around Isle Dernieres.

Study of bycatch

The current buffer zone is the result of an evolving process that was contentious at every step, with much at stake for the menhaden industry, which utilizes motherships, spotter planes and purse seines that stretch several hundred yards. A series of spills involving millions of ﬁsh helped lead to an initial quarter-mile buffer for

“Proponents of the menhaden buffer zone have said that they do not wish to harm the menhaden industry or its employees, but their assumption that our vessels can simply fish farther offshore to make up the lost volume has proven false.”

FRANCOIS KUTTEL president of Westbank Fishing

most of the coast a few years ago, which was increased to a half-mile with last year’s compromise. Conservation groups argue the buffer has helped greatly reduce net tears and resulting spills, while the industry says the reduction is because it has spent substantial money upgrading to stronger nets. It also says it has improved excluder devices to help prevent bycatch.

The vast majority of the Gulf’s menhaden ﬁshing occurs off Louisiana. Other Gulf states, more dependent upon beach tourism, have stricter regulations. Louisiana’s river-fed marine environment also provides ideal habitat for pogies.

The bycatch study showed that it was not as bad for certain popular species, such as redﬁsh, as some had assumed.

The survivability of redﬁsh released from industry nets was also high, helped by excluder devices that keep larger ﬁsh from being sucked up in hoses.

Redﬁsh bycatch was about 30,000 in 2024, far below what was killed by recreational anglers, which was around 850,000. The study also noted that the industry’s total bycatch for all species remained signiﬁcantly below the 5% threshold in state law

But the numbers were still deeply concerning for recreational organizations. Beyond redfish numbers, they also pointed out the tens of millions of smaller ﬁsh, such as croaker, important to the food chain that are killed by the industry

Email Mike Smith at msmith@ theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter, @MikeJSmith504. His work is supported with a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, administered by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

delivered some of the largest tourism spikes of the decade tens of thousands of out-of-town visitors, massive hotel demand, and a weeklong series of ancillary wrestling shows.

City officials had expected an even larger impact in 2026 Instead, they were left with a vacancy in what is normally one of the most lucrative travel periods of the year

GNOSF spent months surveying potential replacements: sports, music, festivals, and branded entertainment weekends. Hondo was attractive not only because of Phoenix’s early results, but because its formula mirrors what WrestleMania does well: multiple days, diverse programming and a fan culture willing to travel.

Nungesser said Louisiana’s existing rodeo culture — from the Angola Prison Rodeo to dozens of

new construction on multifamily units to total over 400,000, up 15% from the previous year Multifamily unit growth slowed last year with 1 million apartments under construction, but completion on those projects has cleared the way for new multifamily units. “We are not in a bubble,” she said. “It’s different to what we saw in 2004, 2005. We are not

regional events — provides a builtin marketing base.

“We’re going to make sure every one of those rodeo fans knows that Hondo is in New Orleans next April,” he said.

Big acts coming

While Hondo has not yet revealed its musical lineup for New Orleans, the plan is to announce headliners in phases beginning later this year

Tourism ofﬁcials say the concert component is likely to be the decisive driver for hotel bookings, just as it was in Phoenix.

Though the 2026 event is a singleyear booking for now, GNOSF and state ofﬁcials have said the event will be booked for the subsequent two years if all goes well. The Superdome provides an indoor weatherproof environment that gives New Orleans an advantage

over many major-rodeo markets.

If Hondo succeeds in New Orleans, it may become part of a second wave of anchor events the city is cultivating: large, multiday highproduction weekends that aren’t tied to traditional local culture but can reliably ﬁll tens of thousands of seats. For now Hondo’s ﬁrst New Orleans outing will serve as a largescale test — both of the young rodeo festival’s ambitions and of the city’s evolving tourism strategy New Orleans may have lost WrestleMania, but sports and tourism leaders are betting that a well-packaged mix of broncs, bulls and country music stars can rope in a new audience and keep those spring tourism numbers riding high.

Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Attendees fill the meeting room for a commission meeting at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters on Thursday.

STAFF PHOTO By ANTHONy MCAULEy

Hondo Rodeo Fest’s New Orleans dates in April 2026 were announced Thursday at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation’s annual ‘Hall of Fame’ awards luncheon.

21stAvenue in Covington, at 1p.m

Laurent, Mary St.John theEvangelistCatholic Church in Plaquemineat11a.m

Nicholas,Sandy Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBoulevard, at 3p.m

Simlin,Jennifer St.Josephthe Worker Catholic Church,455 Ames Blvd., Marrero at 10:00am.

Thierry,Calvin Immaculate ConceptionChurch, 1565 Curtis St,Baton Rouge, LA at 11am

Tortorich, Ina CentralFuneral Home at 10am

Augustus, Mary Louise

Mary Louise Augustus was born on January 10, 1947 to the union of Alfred and Mary E. Augustus in Baton Rouge, LA. Shedeparted this life on Sunday, October26, 2025, at the age of 78. Mary leaves to cherish her memories, one brother, Alfred R. Augustus (Sandra) of Oakland, CA; one sister, Dr. Linda A. Green (Elton) of Baton Rouge, LA; two nieces, Judge Erika Green of Baton Rouge, LA and Mary E. Augustus of Oakland, CA; two nephews, Shawn Augustus of Oakland,CAand Elton Green, Jr. (KeAndria) of Birmingham, AL; one Godchild, Shanta H. McCall (James) of Baton Rouge,LA and ahost of other relativesand friends

The funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at Hall Davis andSons Funeral Service, 9348 Scenic Hwy. Baton Rouge, LA at 10:00AM with Rev. Ronald Robertson officiating. Interment willbeatHeavenly Gates Mausoleum, 10633 Veterans Memorial Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA.

Arrangements entrusted to Hall Davis and Sons Funeral Service.

Bean, Maurice James

Maurice James Bean, entered into eternal rest with the Lord on October 25, 2025, at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Visitation will be held at Calvary ThirdBaptist Church,1911 Georgia St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802, on Saturday, November8,2025,from 11:00 a.m. until Funeral Service at 12:00 p.m.

Brady,Kelvin Dewayne'Tom'

Kelvin "Tom" Dewayne Brady was born on March 31,1966 in Baton Rouge,La.

Kelvin was born to James andDorothy Brady until his passing on October 22, 2025. Kelvin leaves to cherish his children: Corey, Courtney, Chadrick,Coby, Courtlyn, Krislyn and Victoria. Kelvinleaves to cherish asister Bridget Brady and abrother Troy Brady. Kelvin also leaves to cherish 22 beautifulgrandchildren. Visitation will be held on November 8, 2025 at 10:30am until religious services at 11am at Hall Davis &Son's Funeral Home. Interment at Southern Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

Brown, Jarred Daniel

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of JaredDaniel Brownatage 38, who peacefully went to be with the Lord on July 23, 2025, in BatonRouge, Louisiana, with his family by hisside. Jared was born in Gretna, LA, on July 7, 1987, grew up in Belle Chasse,LA, and resided in Marrero, LA at the time of his death. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Eltonand Rose Ballay, and John Brown and Harriet Brown Petite.Jaredattended VisitationofOur Lady in Marrero, LA, Belle Chasse High School, and then Saint Stanislaus in BaySt. Louis, MS. After highschool, he went on to trainand work with heavy equipment in several locations around the country beforecoming back home to work in SouthLouisiana.Asa little boy, he loved RC car racing,and as he got older, he movedontohis Mustang cars, then trucks, and in more recent years, his love forfishing grew immensely. Whereverhecould, he wouldput afishing pole in the water. He hadfishing licenses in several states. Jared could tell humorous stories and lovedtomake people laugh. He hadseveral of his own. His kind heart and loving personality werelovedbymany. He had an easy, warm smile with the biggestblueeyes. If you everneeded help withanything,hewas there to do what he could. The one thing he quietly did was to become an organdonor. Jaredbelieved inhelping otherstothe pointofbeing an organ donorfor severalyears. Jared's unselfishact was to help severalindividuals liveonthrough hisdonations.Jared is survivedby his longtime girlfriend, Alexis Borne; mother, Suzanne Ballay Breaux (Bill); father, Shannon Oliver Brown(Maureen); sister, Lesley Anne Brown; step-brother, Philip J Triche, Jr;step-sister, Caitlin Gilbert Gagliano (Kenneth); nephews,Landon, Kaiden,and Colt; nieces, BrynleeKate, Kylie and Kenzieaswell as aunts,unclesand many cousins. The familyisrequestingdonationsbe made in his honortothe LOPA Foundation at give.lopa.org. There willbe acelebrationoflifeata later time.Please share memoriesat www.wilbertservices.com.

Carraway, Samuel'Sam'

Mr. Carraway, loyal husband and father, beloved special education teacher, and resident of Mandeville, died Oct. 24, 2025. He was 78.

Alongtime resident of theBaton Rougearea, he was theowner of ProfessionalPrinting, and active in theChamber

Carter, OliviaJones

OliviaJones Carter was born on December 23, 1944, to the late Reverend Cenas and Julia Moore Jones in Lakeland, Louisiana.A resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana,she transitioned into eternal rest on Thursday, October 30, 2025at her home. Visitation willbe held on Friday, November 7, 2025, from 10 am to12 pm at NewLightMissionaryBaptist Church, 650 Blount Road, Baton Rouge, La.,before thefuneral servicetobeheld at noon, officiated by Rev. FredJeff Smith. Interment will be held at Louisiana National Cemetery,Zachary Louisiana

Sheleaves to cherish hermemory, adaughter, Rhonda Matthews; two sons,Chetwin (Latoya), and Ivan (Toccara) Carter; six grandchildren, Destiny and Micaiah Carter, Rekai Matthews, Chetwin Il and Chambers Carter, and lan

HallDavis &SonsFuneral

Carter. Sheisalso survived by her brothers, Earnest and Cenas (Jacqueline) Jones; and sisters,Carolyn Jones, Florida (Eugene) Collins, Thelma Jones, and Irma Johnson; sister-inlaw, Thelma L. Jones; a host of nieces, nephews, and friends;formerdaughter-in-law, SivitraCarter, and former son-in-law, Monty Matthews.

Dupre, James'Jimmy'

AnativeofGrand Prairie, La &resident of Erwinville,Lahas passed away October 30, 2025 at theage of 83. Visitation & religious services are Saturday November 8, 2025 at A. Wesley FaithCenter located 152 Hwy 30350 Morganza, La 70759 10am viewing till religious services at 12pm. Conducted by Preacher GarrettBrown fromVictory Baptist Church. Repast at theA Wesley's Faith Center in Morganza, La. James retired fromLocal Union 198 as aPipe Welderand workedpart timeafter Retirement forWestBaton Rouge Sheriff department as aSheriff Deputy with Work release.Hewas a self-made lawn mower mechanic, master gardener and avid Fisherman and Hunter. He was aFounding Memberofthe Erwinville Volunteer Fire Department and Charter Member of the Erwinville Hunting Club. He is survivedbyhis beloved wife, Rose Marie Dupre' and 2Children: Catherine "Kitti" Blanchard (Gerald) and Thea Smith (Robby). James' legacy also liveson through his sisterJoy Ortego,grandson Corey Blanchard &Destin Smith,Two grandaughters, Courtney Brown &Bree Smith.Three greatgrandaughters, AbbieBlanchard,Amelia Smith &Malynn Brown. Three greatgrandson's, ColstinSt. Romain, Caden Blanchard &Walker Brown. Familyextend thanksto Bridgeway Healthcare & Hospice personal sitters, DorisWatson,Angela Aucoin, Ella Young, Tomeka Dukes &KatangazaBailey. Precededindeath by his father Lamar Dupre,mother AdosiaDeshotel,sister Etha Manuel, sisterTheresa Courville &sister Ella Mae Fontenot.Six great grandchildren. James Rogers Dupre' is survived by countless friends and extended family members who willcarry hislegacy forward, honoring his memory throughacts of kindness,laughter, and love.Helived alifefilled with cherished memories, strong values, and adeep love forhis family and friends.Hewillbeprofoundlymissedbut fondly remembered forthe joyhe brought into thelives of others. Professional services Entrusted to A. Wesley'sFuneral Home in Maringouin, La. Like us on Facebook.

Harrison, Robert Edward 'Bobby'

Jesus answered, "I am theway and thetruth and thelife. No one comes to theFather exceptthrough me. John 14:6 NIV Robert Edward "Bobby" Harrison transitioned on October25, 2025. He was born to Revered John C. Harrison Jr.and Mrs. Hattie Mae Nickles Harrison on November 14, 1948. Bobby retired fromMDX IncorporatedinPort Allen, La. Bobby leaves twodaughters Tamara (Melvin)Godfrey and TroxieSnearl and one son Adryll(Natasha) Harrison and twobonus sons John StewartJr. and Jonathan Stewart.Healso leaves threesisters, two brothers, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends Viewing Thursday November6,2025, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm and FridayNovember 7, 2025, 8:00 am to 10:00 am Servicesat10:00 a.m. at

Home 9348 Scenic Highway BatonRouge,La

Jones, Alivia Louise Ourdear Alivia Louise JonespassedawayonOctober 31st, 2025. She was born 02/25/1952 to Alvin& Ruth JonesofBatonRouge, La.Memorial Serviceson 11/08/2025,2:00pm at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses,2562Toulon Dr. BatonRouge, La. 70816.

KlineJr.,Judge WilliamF.

JudgeWilliam F. Kline, Jr.passedawaypeacefully on Sunday,November2, 2025 at TheLodge at Lane in Zachary. An only child, he wasbornonJuly27, 1929 in Clinton, Louisiana andwas doteduponbyhis parentsand grandparents as they raised himina lov‐ing, God-fearinghomethat shaped hisabiding faith in Godand deep love forfam‐ily. He livedanidyllic child‐hood in Clintonbeforeat‐tendingLSU where he re‐ceived aBSin1951 anda MA in Educationin1953. During hiscollege days,he served as Presidentofthe Wesley Foundation and MethodistYouth Move‐ment.Hewas adistin‐guishedmilitarygraduate andmemberofScabbard andBlade,anhonorary military association. Upon graduation from LSU, he taught fortwo yearsat ClintonJunior High before fulfilling hismilitaryoblig‐ationinthe United States AirForce.Heservedfour yearsasa pilot, operations officer, andinstrument flight examiner,attaining therankofCaptain during theKoreanConflict. Upon completion of hismilitary service, he attended law school at LouisianaState University on theG.I.Bill. He served as Presidentof theStudent BarAssocia‐tion,was amember of OmicronDelta Kappa HonorSociety andwas se‐lected by hisclassmates as theOutstanding Gradu‐ateof1960. He practiced lawinClinton for16years before beingelected as a judgeinthe 20th Judicial District in 1976, aposition he held forthe next 20 years. As ajudge he was knownfor hishumility, kindness,and fairness. Everyone left thecourt‐housebelieving that jus‐tice hadbeen served.After retiring from thedistrict courtbench,hewas ap‐pointedJudge ProTempore by theLouisiana Supreme Courttovarious jurisdic‐tionsinthe state. He was appointedtomultiple termsasa JudgePro Tem‐pore at theFirst Circuit CourtofAppeals, eventu‐ally retiring at age84. Throughout hiscareer he wasactiveinBoy Scouts, DixieYouth baseball, United Way, University MethodistFoundation Board, andLSU Baseball where he served on the CoachesCommittee during Skip Bertman’stenure. He wasanactivememberof ClintonUnitedMethodist Church hisentirelife. He livedhis faith dailyand al‐ways taught that “weare called to shareour faith with others.Theycan ei‐ther accept it or reject it butone thingiscertain whenweshare ourfaith withothers, they will never be thesame. andneither will we.” For62years he wasmarried to Evelyn Goen Kline, hisbeloved wife andmothertotheir twosons. Shepassedaway in 2013. Shewas hisanchor andloveofhis life.His passingwas on herbirth‐dayand AllSouls Day, a specialconsolation forhis family. He is also preceded in deathbyhis parents, WilliamF.Kline, Sr.and Willie D. Kline. He is sur‐vivedbyhis twosonsand theirspouses:Billy and Donna KlineofZachary andKyleand Sharon Kline of Clinton; grandchildren: Chip andEmily Kline, Kay‐lanand LeeLedet,Brad andCarolineKline,Patrick andElizabeth Kline, Kamerynand Adam Fevella andJordanand Reilee Kline. He wasalsoblessed with 17 great-grandchil‐dren who lovingly called him“Poppy” andwho will miss himdearly. Visitation will be held at Clinton United MethodistChurch on Saturday,November8, from 9:00-11:30 followed by amemorialservice con‐ducted by Dr.CurtisCar‐roll,ReverendKen Graham, andReverendHarold Babin. He will be laid to rest in Rosehill Cemetery in aprivate familyservice.In lieu of flowers, thosewish‐ingtomakecharitabledo‐nationsmay send them to ClintonUnitedMethodist Church,P.O.Box 148,Clin‐ton, LA 70722; St.Johnthe BaptistCatholicChurch

Building Fund,4727 McHugh Drive, Zachary, LA 70791 or St.Jude'sChil‐dren's Research Hospital 262 DannyThomasPlace, Memphis, TN 38105. Special thanks to allofhis dedi‐catedfriends andtothe staffs at Oakwood Village Assisted Living andthe LodgeatLanefor their care andcompassiondur‐inghis ﬁnal years. Share sympathies,condolences, andmemoriesatwww.Cha rletFuneralHome.com.

Raynal, Lisa

Lisa AnnBlanchard Raynal,resident of Baton Rouge,passed at the age of 67 on October6,2025. Shewas born to herparents Bernard andMinnie Blanchard on December 18, 1957. Shegraduatedfrom Central High School and LSUwith abachelors.Lisa workedasanaccountant for HonoreConstruction for manyyears. Sheenjoyed spending herfree time reading.She is survivedby1 sister andmany friends andfamily. She will be dearlymissedbythose that knew and lovedher Sheispreceded in death by herhusbandTerrill "Terry" Raynal andher parents. Therewill be a burialat10am on November8,2025 at Resthaven Garden of Memory.

TiriMattel Minaj,passed away peacefullyonOctober29, 2025, at the age of 42. Tiriwill be remembered for herloyaltytoher family, herlove for herfriends, andher dedication to those she cared about. She hada heart that gave endlessly, always putting othersbeforeherself,and a spirit that inspired everyoneshe met. Aviewing will be held at 10:00 AM on 2025-11-08 at SaintsvilleC.O.G.I.C 8930 Plank Rd.A celebrationof life will be held at 11:00 AM on 2025-11-08 at Saintsville C.O.G.I.C., 8930 Plank Rd

Saurage II, Leonard Cary

LeonardCarySaurage II

March26, 1944 -November4,2025

LeonardCarySaurage II, known to his many friends andloved ones simply as "Cary," passed away peacefully at home on November 4inBaton

Rouge,Louisiana. Atrue patron of theartsand generoussupporter of his community, Cary'sname lives on in the Cary SaurageCommunity Arts Center,a reflection of his lifelongdevotion to beauty, creativity, and civic engagement. Caryloved fine art,landscape architecture,his family, hisfriends, dogs, andawell-poured glass of Chardonnay. He wasknown for his kindness, hisgentleness, and hisquiet civility, traits that lednearlyeveryone who met himtosay, "He'sthe nicest person I've ever known." Aveteran of the United States Army, Cary later devotedmuchofhis life to philanthropy and culturalpreservation.He notonlycollectedart but also activelyserved in leadership roleswithmany organizations,including theLouisiana Artand Science Museum, theLSU Museum of Art, andHill Memorial Library. Hisdeep appreciationfor nature andlandscape design inspiredhis steadfast support of theLSU Burden Center andMagnolia MoundPlantation. Cary waspreceded in death by hisparents, Alma Lee Spaht Saurageand H. Norman Saurage, Jr andhis brotherH.Norman SaurageIII.Heissurvived by hisbrother Roland R. Saurage(Dean Bordelon) andsister Linda L. Saurage; sister-in-law Donna M. Saurage; and beloved nieces and nephewsSusan SaurageAltenloh, Stephanie Saurage, Hank andLaurie Saurage, Jennifer andJim Moreland, andMatt and CatherineSaurage.Hewill also be dearlymissedby his17great- and greatgreat-nieces andnephews, all of whom adored their UncleCary. Memorial contributionsmay be made to theArtsCouncil of Greater Baton Rouge to benefit the CarySaurage Community Arts Center, 233 St.Ferdinand Street,Baton Rouge LA 70802, or to thecharity of yourchoice. Agraveside service will be held on Monday, November 10 at 10:00 AM,atRoselawn Memorial Parkfollowed by aCelebrationofLife honoringCary'sremarkable legacyofgenerosity, grace, and love of beauty.

InaLee Louise Tortorich age90, passed away on Thursday, November 4, 2025, at The Carpenter HouseHospice.She wasa native of Baton Rouge.She wasemployed as aSecretaryfor St.PiusCatholic School and later,St. Isidore MiddleSchool for over 40 years. Sheissurvived by hersons, RickyTortorich, Sr.and Rodney Tortorich Jr.; daughter, Renee Tortorich Vince; alongwith tengrandchildrenand great-grandchildren.A visitation will be at Central Funeral Home on Friday, November 7th at 9AMuntil thefuneral service at 10 AM,officiatedbyRev.Jon Koehler. Burial will follow at ResthavenGardensof Memory. Pallbearers are RickyTortorich Sr.and RickyTortorich,Jr.

Robertson,Darrion 'Tiri Minaj'

Tortorich, Ina Lee Louise

Obituaries

Educationtax credit programhelps businesses in La.

In August, The Washington Post highlighted “the two reasons Americans aren’thaving babies”: the rising cost of raising children, especiallychild care, and the lack of time and support for families. It’sasobering, data-driven look at anationalchallenge with very real local consequences. If New Orleans and southeast Louisiana want to thrive, we must stabilize and grow our workforce. That starts with ensuringfamilies can ﬁnd and affordhigh-quality child care and early childhood education.

can’t function without reliable workers. When child care falls through, shiftsgo uncovered, projectsstall and customers wait.

when national literacy rates are slipping, Louisianaisseeing gains —thanks in part to stronger early childhood investments.

LegerIII

We pride ourselves on being remarkable, unique and welcoming. We are built to host —not only major events, but everyday life. Yeteven the best-run operation

In Louisiana, businesses lose an estimated $816 million annually from absenteeism and turnover tied to child care breakdowns, with ripple effects of roughly $1.1 billion across the state economy.Those aren’t abstractﬁgures; they show up as missed revenue, overtime costs and stalledgrowth for employers of every size. Child care is aworkforce issue. Reliable care keeps employees on thejob,while quality early education from birth to age four boostskindergartenreadiness and long-term success. At atime

In thelong run, high-quality early education fuels the talent pipeline for our hospitals, shipyards, studios, hotels, labs and logistics hubs.

That’swhy,during my time in theLegislature, Ichampioned thecreation of the Early Childhood Education Fund. For New Orleans, thefund is transformative: Every dollar we raise locally through our early childhood propertytax —about $21 million ayear —ismatched by thestate, doubling theimpact for families.

The return on that investment is clear: Parents get to work, and children get astrong start in school.

Butthe opportunity doesn’tstop

Educationprogresshas

been good,but there is more work to do

We read alot of surveysthat rank Louisiana near the bottom on measures we would prefer to be at thetop.These days, Louisiana education is often leading in innovation and results. There are some deﬁnite pride points for us to consider

Last year,the Nation’sReport Cardoneducation noted that Louisianawas number one of the50states in reading growthineach of the last two-year cycles as assessed by National Assessment of Educational Progress testing. Louisiana’s current accomplishments are aresult of areturn to basics approach emphasizing phonics as well as our state’slong-termdedication to early childhood education, school choice and individualized tutoring of students. This year,the Heritage Foundation released astudy that ranked states on their success in bringing educational freedom to families. Researchersdeveloped methodology to rank states basedonthe assessment of data in thecategories of education choice, transparency,teacher freedom, community return on investment and civicseducation.

with the government. Businesses themselvescan step up —atno cost —through Louisiana’sSchool Readiness TaxCredits. These 100% refundable state tax credits allow companies to contribute up to $5,000 ayear to their local Child Care Resource &Referral agency.The state then reimburses every dollar CCR&Rs, like Agenda for Children here in Orleans and 10 neighboring parishes, invest those fundsinteacher retention incentives, classroom upgrades, curriculum support and other tools that directly improve child care quality and early educational opportunities. Even nonproﬁts and businesses with no tax liability can participate and receive thefull refund. Here’sthe bottom line: We can keep wringing our hands about

labor shortages, or we can invest in the infrastructure that keeps parents on the job today and prepares their children to succeed tomorrow.Quality early childhood education is not only how New Orleans remains agreat place to live, workand visit —it’show southeast Louisiana competes for talent and opportunity in the decades ahead.

At atimewhen costs for young families are rising, the School Readiness TaxCredit is a straightforward, high-impact way forevery business to strengthen the workforce.

The tool is there. The need is urgent. And the solution is hiding in plain sight.

Walt Leger III is thepresident andCEO of NewOrleans & Company

Crewmembers break down a scene to set up for another angle during the filming of amovie being made in 2019.

ency in education by improving efforts to keepparents informed in making the best decisions for their children. This category includes development of parent-teacher organizations, school board participation, parents’ Bill of Rights and accountability in creating parental access to their child’scurriculum Louisianaranked No. 16 among states concerning school choice. This category includes ranking charter,privateand homeschooling participation, policy design, funding and legal environment. The improvement in rankings here is due primarily to Louisiana’sexpanding charter school movement and the recent developmentofeducation savings accountsin ourstate.

Louisiana ranked No. 6nationwide in civics education. This category includes thepromotion of classical education schools, mandated civics requirements and nationally based civics testing as incorporated in Louisiana’srecently developed “Louisiana Freedom Seal” diploma certiﬁcation.

La.needs film industry, anditneeds Louisiana

Louisianahas long been astoryteller’s dream.From our historic architecture and moss-draped oak trees to the warmth of our people, this state offers something unique to every lens that captures it. For decades, theﬁlm and television industry has been an important part of that story, creating jobs, supporting small businesses and sharing Louisiana’sculture with the world.

around the world. It’s asimple but powerfulreminder that creativity and resourcefulness are part of whoweare.

Each production ﬁlmed here brings far morethan cameras. It brings contracts for caterers, jobs forlocal crews, carpenters, electricians, costume designers and hotel staff.

In the cumulative overall rankings, Louisiana ranked No. 5among allstates. In every one of the ﬁve subcategories noted above, Louisiana placed inthe top 20 of all states.

Louisiana ranked No. 4in community return on investment. This speaks to the efﬁciency and effectiveness of our schoolsystems. Among other datapoints this category includes per-pupil spending, increasing teacher-to-nonteacher ratios and funding formulas based on academic results.

Louisiana ranked No. 5among states in teacher freedom. This category includes reducing barrierstoalternate certiﬁcation as well as ease of reciprocityfor outof-state teachers. Louisiana has recently designed statewide and local programs to encourage retirees andother professionals to consider teaching as asecond profession. To attract people to the teaching profession, Louisiananow has ateacher pathwaywith degree paths at any Louisiana communitycollege.

Our state has been seriousabout continued improvement efforts based on recommendations of adiverse group of outstanding teachersinLouisianaon theissue of“Let Teachers Teach.” This is aLouisiana DepartmentofEducation effort to concentrate at thestate and local level on reducing interruption from administration bureaucracy,paperwork and student behavior interruption.Improving the learning environment has alsobeenaided by astate law that prohibits smartphonesinour classrooms. Louisiana ranked No. 15 in transpar-

Recent test scores in social studies have fallen lower than Louisiana student scores in reading, math and science. Our state has recently turned around decades of deﬁciency in providing afoundational understanding of history and civics by developing a“Freedom Framework based on amore rigorous set of K-12 social studies standards. The frameworkisbuilt on learning aboutthe totality of events that have made America atruly exceptional nation. Students learn about the last 250 years of building, maintaining and improving a free society

The new curriculum standards provide afoundation for students to understand thepast and learn from our nation’striumphs and her mistakes

There is no doubt Louisianaisrapidly advancinginits efforts to excel in the twin foundations of economic development and education. We should all be tellingthat story— to be ambassadors of progress and expressers of gratitude. With that said, there is much to be done to provide more opportunity for our families and to makeour statemore attractivetoothers. However,weare our own worst enemywhen we pass along the negative stories and forget thepositive ones. We can all be part of the positive momentum in today’smovement to build aLouisiana that is abetter place to live and work.

Phillip Rozeman is acardiologist in Shreveport and current board co-chair of Leaders foraBetter Louisiana.

In recent years, as production has become increasingly competitiveacross the nation and world, we’ve had to reminddecision makers why Louisiana remains such astrong partner for film.Earlier this month, our organization, Film Louisiana, joined state and local leaders in Los Angeles to do just that. The event we hosted —Crawfish Étouffée and Cocktails —was moreabout connection than just celebration. It was about strengthening relationships, sharing updates on our strengthenedfilm incentiveprogram and reaffirmingthat Louisiana continues tobeareliable, creative homefor production.

Louisiana’sﬁlm industry is grounded in legislation that makes long-term planning possible. The modernizationofour Motion Picture Production TaxCredit, knownas Act 44, ensures stability through 2031 and offers competitive credits that help productions stretch their budgets while keeping spending local. That predictability is key.Inabusiness that operates project to project,knowing aprogram is consistent helps producers and studios committo coming here again and again.

When we talk to studios, one of the biggest surprises is how versatile Louisiana truly is. Ourstate can stand in fornearly any location ascript calls for—from urban to rural, historic tofuturistic. To make that easier for producers to visualize, Film Louisianarecently released anew LocationsLookbook, highlighting real Louisiana places that have doubled forsettings

It helps young people see that creative careers can thrive right here at home. And it reminds those of us wholive here how much our state has to offer beyond what’s already visible on screen.

Advocating forLouisiana’sfilm industry isn’tabout chasing fame.Itisabout sustaining opportunity.When we invest in creative industries, we invest in local talent, entrepreneurship and amore diversified economy that benefits everyone. The trip to Los Angeles wasone step in amuch larger effort to keep Louisiana competitive and connected. We know this work takes collaboration among state agencies, local communities and industry professionals. We also know that the same creativity that drives filmmaking drives progress in our state.

Louisiana has weathered manyups and downs in this industry,but what continues to set us apart is resilience. The stories we tell —onscreen and off —come from that sameplace of strength.

At its core, Film Louisiana’smission is moreabout than economics; it’sabout voice. We wanttogive Louisiana aplatform to tell its own stories —stories shaped by our culture, our people and our creative spirit. By keeping productions here, we ensure those stories are told with authenticity and pride, by Louisiana talent with Louisiana heart. And as we continue to share that message across the country,our goal is clear: To remind the world that Louisiana isn’t just agreat place to ﬁlm —it’sthe best place to ﬁlm,period.

JasonWaggenspackisthe president of Film Louisiana, atrade organization dedicated to growingthe entertainment industry in thestate.

Waggenspack GUEST

ISSUE OF THE WEEK CARBON CAPTURE MORATORIUM

Louisiana has become aleader inthe burgeoning carbon capture and storageindustry.The newtechnologyisseen as achance to diversify our energy economy, while the worldseeks ways to address climate change.But it has faced criticism recently,with somequestioning its environmental impact and whether enough safeguards are in place. Last month, Gov. Jeff Landryannounced apause on applications for newprojects, respondingtocomplaints from residents wholivenearplanned injectionwells.Itasks for companies to seek input from thepublic and local governments.Will that be enough to quellgrowing public unease, or will it puta chill on an industrythat many see as an economic driver of thefuture? Here are twoperspectives.

Landry’s action undermines state’senergy leadership

Energy security is vital to ourcountry’s nationalsecurity.America cannot,and should not, rely on foreign sources of energy if we are going to continue to be the leader of the free world. Nowhere is this connection between energy and securityclearer than in Louisiana. WhenAmerica ﬂips on the lights, Louisianamakes it possible. The Pelican Stateisalso aleader in providing the fuel that powers the world in asafe, environmentally responsible way, and carbon capture and sequestration will play an important role in maintainingthis leadership. Unfortunately,Louisiana’smomentum is now at risk under the recentexecutive order by Gov.Jeff Landry to place amoratorium on new carbon captureand sequestration projects.

also strengthens our existing oil, gas and manufacturing sectors.

More than amoratorium needed to stop what’s coming

On Oct. 14, Gov.Jeff Landry announced apause on new applications for permitstoinject CO2into deep storage wells.

Louisiana was the ﬁrststate alongthe Gulf Coast to secure primacy from the federal government to permitand regulate CCS projects, temporarilygivingour statea competitive edge to review pendingCCS applications with greater efﬁciency.However, thegovernor’smoratoriumeffectively neutralizes Louisiana’shard-earned primacy status while Texas is securing the green light on primacy

This moratorium —combinedwithTexas securing primacy —effectively places abig red stop sign at Louisiana’sborder fornew CCSprojects. According to Louisiana Economic Development, over $23 billion in carbon capturerelatedcapital investmentshas beenannounced to date and over 4,500 jobs and greater tax revenuesare estimated to result from CCS-related projects. These projects provide direct and indirect beneﬁts such as job creation during construction andoperation, increased property tax revenue for local governments and enhanced long-term viability for existing industries like liqueﬁednatural gas.

It’salso important to recognize the importance of CCStoachievinga moresustainable energy future while scalingdemand for American-produced energy.CCS works by capturing the carbon dioxide emissions produced from electricity generation and industrial processes, preventing CO2 from entering the Earth’satmosphere and reducingemissions without shutting down critical operations.

In short, CCSallows us to safely store CO2 underground while simultaneously meeting global demand for energyproducts. CCS

The current moratorium on new CCS project applications could impact existing CCS projects as well, creating regulatory uncertainty as companies navigate the already complex permitting process. Louisiana has billions in potential investment —including CCSenableddata centers, LNG facilities and manufacturing and energy infrastructure projects— thatare facing new challenges and uncertainty.For example, as companies like Meta establish large data centers across the state to support AI technology, the moratorium on CCS makes many of our private sector goals harder to achieve.

Landry just signed onto abipartisan letter throughthe National Governors Association to improve federal permitting and regulatory processes.Amongthe policy priorities mentioned in theletter,the governors are callingonthe U.S. Congress to streamline federal agency reviews, reform the National Environmental Policy Act to broaden fast-track programs and reduce legal uncertainty.Yet,amoratorium on CCS is alarge dose of uncertainty for Louisiana that gives other states the lead on attracting new investments

In closing, Landry could tackle permitting reform, streamlining and prioritization, as outlined in his executive order,without imposing aharmful, anti-business moratorium.

TheAmerican PetroleumInstitutestrongly shares the governor’sgoal of addressing the backlog of CCS project applications and supports his effortstostreamline the permittingprocess around energy exploration and production. Butanindeﬁnitemoratorium on CCS undermines Louisiana’seconomic status as an energy leader and sets adangerous precedent of uncertaintythat could kill innovation and job creation.

It is our hope that the CCS moratorium will belifted as soon as possible, and we can collectively get back to workonpolicies that maintain Louisiana’senergy dominance goals.Louisianamust remain competitive with Texas,which is charging ahead with CCS and attracting more investment during this moratorium.

We must send asignal to the state and the nation that Louisiana is proud to be the heartbeat of energy securityinAmerica.

Gifford Briggs is anative of Louisiana and the executive director for the Gulf Coast region at theAmericanPetroleum Institute

The seemingly overnight pivot from his historic “drilling =jobs” hard stance was quickly called a “sly” and “tone-deaf response” by agrowing contingent of landowners and residents from Vernon to Calcasieu to Ascension parishes, all of whom are organizing against carbon capture technologies and CO2injection.

all while the governor issues orders that give with one hand and take with the other In someways, it wasobvious Louisiana would wind up here. The fanfare and breathless announcements about industrial investments that would include CCS over the last ﬁve years mean Louisiana is now seen by industrial investors across the country and world as aprimedumping ground forCO2 waste.

It’snot hard to reach thesame conclusion when every “whereas” in themoratoriumindicates support for drilling and carbon capture.

The part that made the executive order truly toothless is that it does nothing to slow thework underway by the state to approve the more than one hundred permit applications for CCS wells that have already been submitted.

In fact, theorder directs the DepartmentofConservation andEnergy to prioritize certain permits with agoal to movethem forward more quickly,not pausing them to address local concerns.

This order is clearly intended to urge CCS developers to beef up their public relations effortstocalm the widespread outcry from communities across the stateand to convince those folks to welcome waste injection and dangerous pipelines intotheir parishes.

The elephant in theroom is Louisiana’slong history of allowing neglect and abandonment of pipelines, wells and other infrastructure required forboth oil and gas and CCS.

Further eroding conﬁdence, acommunityinSulphur has alreadyexperienced theﬁrst reported CO2leak in the state, and the response was grossly mismanaged. These are not smallconcerns, particularly given that manyofthese CO2 projects are intended for“permanent”storage are require oversight and enforcement from astate agency that has often allowed industry to violate its permits, usually without meaningful consequences.

While communities in different parishes have different reasons foropposing CCS, thething that knits them together is adesire for clean air and protected water resources, andafundamental lack of trust in industry and government promises to protect them,

As soon as the state was given the right to issue these permits itself without federal oversight, aﬂood of applications rushed into the state agency now empowered to oversee the process, apparently overwhelming the ofﬁce’scapacity to do its work. When groups, including the Alliance forAffordable Energy,challenged the EPA’splan to grant Louisiana the power to issue permits forCO2 injection wells within the state, acore argument was that the state not only had abad track record forindustrial oversight and enforcement, but that it did not have particular expertise or capacity needed to permit these new wells and pipelines. While manyindustry representatives like to claim that Louisiana’sgeology is well-suited to CCS, the fact of the matter is that our “perfect geology” is riddled with holes from past oil and gas wells —some of which are orphaned or abandoned and totally unaccounted for. There is areal risk that what is injected underground in one place does not stay there, and those are risks that Louisiana’sstate agencies have not proven themselves to be adept at managing or ameliorating.

The fact is, even with this pause on new applications, Louisiana is slated for dozens of CCS projects, including aplan from Entergy to incorporate carbon capture in their Lake Charles power station to support the Meta data center in Richland Parish. Areal stop to this looming disaster is completely within the power of our governor and state. This “moratorium” will not provide it, however We need our leaders to do moretoprotect Louisiana.

KD Minor is community solutions manager of the Alliance for Affordable Energy

Gifford Briggs GUEST COLUMNIST

KD Minor GUEST COLUMNIST

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO

BKV Carbon Ventures projectmanager Spencer Crouch looks at acompression station wherecaptured CO2isdehydrated and pressurized forstorageinanearbysequestration injection well in Bridgeport,Texas.

Xavier presidentsays cuts ensure itsfuture

School is on ‘strong footing,’ despitelayoffs

BY MARIEFAZIO

Staffwriter

Xavier PresidentReynold

Verret reassured university supporters and alumni on Thursday that Xavier was on “strong footing” after theuniversity abruptly laid off about 50 employees last week, citing federal funding cuts.

Speakingataninvitationonly breakfast event for top university donors during homecoming week, Verret said the cuts were meant to help ensure Xavier’s long-te rm viabil ity with pending changes to federal student financial aid and cuts to research funding.

“We’ve had to make some difﬁcult decisions in the last few weeks,” Verret said. “The federal governmentis decreasing its support and possibly itscommitment to higher education.”

Verret has served as president of Xavier since 2016, whenhewas hired to succeed Norman Francis, who stepped down after 47 years.

Last week,Xavier —the country’sonly historically Black Catholic university laid off 46 employees, about 6% of the university’s total workforce. Verret said the cuts were made proactively to “ensure our future.”

“Wedonot want to actually act out of crisis, out of emergency,” he said, “so what we’ve done will really protect ourselves to weather the storm.” Xavier,which enrolls about3,200 students, is celebrating its100th anniver-

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MAXBECHERER

People walk near the administration buildingonthe Xavier University campus in NewOrleans in 2020. Xavier President Reynold Verret said Thursdaythat school wason‘strong footing’ after laying off about 50 employees last week.

sary this year Verret said thecuts were made in anticipation of changes to federal ﬁnancial aid, includingthe reduction of Pell Grants for low-incomestudents —which support 56% of Xavier students —along with newlimits on federal loans, including those for graduate students On top of that, Verret said, theuniversity expectssignificant cuts to funding it receives from federal agencies such as theNational Institutesof Health, which supports indirect costs associated withresearch,such as laboratories and staff. In the past, Xavier negotiated a 50% split for indirect costs, but now the NIH andother federal agencies will cover only 15%, hesaid “You don’thave to be an accountanttoﬁgure that has an impact,” hesaid. Meanwhile, Xavier is in the midstofa$500million fundraising campaign, the largest theuniversity has ever undertaken. When the campaign was launched,

the university said it would use funds to help cover the cost of tuition for students, as well as recruit and retain faculty andimprove campus infrastructure. Xavier recentlybuilt a new parking garage and has broken ground on aresidencehallthatwill house about 800 studentsand is expectedtobecompleted by 2027. The university is also in the process of opening itsown medical school in partnership with Ochsner Health.

Leo Seoane, founding dean of theXavierOchsner School of Medicine, said at thebreakfast that the institutionwas recently awarded candidate status by an accrediting body,clearing another hurdle on its path to openingasthe only medical school in the Southattached to an HBCU.

Seoane saidthe school, which was announced in April2024, could begin recruiting, interviewing and accepting students this time next year

Ozone

Verret

Lopsided victory

LSU stymies Southeastern in one of the most one-sided wins in school history

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LSU women’s basketball team suffocated Southeastern Louisiana with its defense, winning 115-26 in one of the most lopsided games it’s ever played Only three teams have ever scored fewer points against the Tigers than the Lions did on Thursday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and only one has ever lost to LSU by as wide of a margin (89).

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Southeastern converted only 10 of its 52 ﬁeld-goal attempts (19%) and turned the ball over 29 times.

The contest got out of hand quickly. The No 5 Tigers (2-0) led the Lions 30-4 at the end of the ﬁrst quarter, 61-6 at the end of the second and 91-13 at the end of the third

The six points that Southeastern scored across the ﬁrst two quarters are the fewest LSU has ever allowed in any half it’s played in program history

“I tell them,” coach Kim Mulkey said, “in games like this, you don’t look at the score. I’m not looking at the score. I’m looking at you. I’m watching what you’re doing with the people you’re on the ﬂoor with, and I’m watching you play defense.” The Lions, who shot at a lower percentage on Thursday than all but six teams LSU has ever faced, also made only three 3-pointers and attempted just nine free

ä See LSU, page 2C

Shaheed trade opens up spot for WR Vele

Trade acquisition has played little this season

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

When the New Orleans Saints traded a pair of draft picks that included a fourth-round selection in next year’s draft for Devaughn Vele in August, the expectation was that their new wide receiver would play more than a midround prospect would have, anyway But through nine games, that hasn’t gone according to plan.

This season, Vele has played just 152 snaps — a low number considering what the Saints sent to acquire him from the Denver Broncos. In fact, of the 36 players taken in the fourth round of this year’s NFL draft, 17 have received the same or more playing time than Vele.

“We obviously have got to get him on the field,” coach Kellen Moore said. The path to do so was made easier this week. The Saints’ decision to trade Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday created a spot that Vele could step into. The two receivers have different skill sets, and Shaheed wasn’t necessarily an obstacle blocking Vele from seeing the field, but Moore said Vele, Brandin Cooks and Mason Tipton would be among those who the Saints would count on to fill Shaheed’s absence.

“He’s going to carry a healthy role the rest of the way through this thing,” Moore said. “He’ll be very involved and I’m excited about that.”

At his locker, Vele said his mentality won’t change now that a bigger role is in store. The second-year wideout said he’s tried to take advantage of every opportunity given to him, adding later he wasn’t worried about his snap count. That mindset helped him excel in Denver — where the 27-yearold rose the ranks as a seventh-round rookie to become a go-to target in the slot.

Last season, Vele had 41 receptions for 475 yards and three touchdowns His 6-foot-5 frame not only created mismatches in the red zone, but it was partly why the Saints were attracted enough to trade for him.

All of that happened in less than two weeks And oh yeah, LSU plays No. 4 Alabama on Saturday night, a game that almost never ﬂies this far under the radar

We ﬁgured some of you may have questions about everything that has taken place, so we put

If you’re an LSU fan, you might feel exhausted right now You went through the ﬁrings of coach Brian Kelly and athletic director Scott Wo odward. You watched Gov Jeff Landry insert himself into the process. You saw Verge Ausberry promoted to full-time athletic director, only for LSU’s new president to cast some doubt on the permanence of that title and then reafﬁrm it within a couple of days.

out a mailbag call. You asked about Kelly, the coaching search, contracts and what changes might be made under interim coach Frank Wilson against the Crimson Tide. Some of the questions have been edited for length and clarity Here are the responses from lead LSU football beat writer Wilson Alexander

What do you think is a realistic timeline for a new football coach to be named? Around signing day next month or in January with the playoff

winding down? — Arthur J. That depends on who the LSU search committee wants to hire, and I don’t know for sure who that is yet. If the target isn’t going to be in the College Football Playoff, then a hire should be made not long after the end of the regular season. Remember that Kelly was hired the Monday after the last game. The coach would then come right before the early signing period Dec. 3-5. There would

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

An LSU spokesperson reaffirmed Thursday that Verge Ausberry is the school’s athletic director, a day after comments made by new LSU president Wade Rousse made the permanence of the title unclear

“Verge Ausberry is the athletic director at LSU,” LSU vice president of marketing and communications Todd Woodward said in a statement. “He has the president’s full support to lead the athletics department and to identify the next coach to lead our storied football program.” LSU also updated Ausberry’s online biography Thursday to identify him as the athletic director Ausberry was tabbed as the interim athletic director last week when LSU parted ways with Scott Woodward, and Rousse de-

cided to lift the interim tag Tuesday on his ﬁrst day in ofﬁce with LSU in the midst of a search for its next football coach.

On Wednesday, Rousse made several comments that set off questions about the permanence of the title. In part, he told Piper Hutchinson of the Louisiana Illuminator he would lift the interim tag and “then we’ll assess the situation.” He added: “I don’t know what permanent means versus removing the interim.”

“I removed the interim tag,” Rousse said later on WWL radio. “He’s the acting AD. He has my full authority to go ﬁnd us a coach for the best job in America.” Ausberry a New Iberia native, played middle linebacker at LSU and has worked in the athletic department for 24 years. He has already been selected to lead the

But Vele’s production has yet to translate to New Orleans. Moore said Vele’s usage was “not my best” coaching job, though he suggested his team’s lack of trips to the red zone was a “big factor” in him not seeing the ﬁeld.

That doesn’t completely pass the smell test, however The Saints have had 60 red-zone snaps this season — and Vele has only played 18 of them, far behind Chris Olave (54), Cooks (45) and Shaheed (43).

“Logistically, it’s tough when you have Olave and Sheed and Juwan

LSU at Alabama,

ä Saints at Panthers, NOON SUNDAy FOX

STAFF PHOTO

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele catches the ball against the New England Patriots in the first half of a game at the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 12.

SAINTS, page 3C

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson follows through on a layup past Southeastern Louisiana guard Erynn Williams during the first quarter Thursday night at the PMAC. LSU won 115-26 in a game the Tigers led 61-6 at halftime and 91-13 after three.

On TV

AUTO RACING

8:25 a.m. Formula 1: Practice ESPN2

12:25

5 p.m. Tulsa vs. Rhode Island CBSSN

5 p.m. Georgetown at Maryland FS1

5:30 p.m. Boston U. at Northwestern PEACOCK

5:30 p.m

6:30

7:30

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

7:30

Mackinnon displays 3-point ability and passing in LSU win

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Max Mackinnon sprinted from the right side of the court to the left corner in transition.

The 6-foot-6 LSU shooting guard simultaneously caught the early pass from point guard Dedan Thomas as he was setting his feet The Tarleton State defender entered Mackinnon’s air space, but it was too late as the quick-release jumper couldn’t be stopped from going through the hoop.

The 3-pointer at the 18:02 mark of the ﬁrst half was the ﬁrst of four Mackinnon made in the Tigers’ seasonopening 96-60 drubbing of Tarleton State on Wednesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center The senior was LSU’s leading scorer with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He was 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

This LSU debut was something the Portland transfer said he and some of his new teammates were excited for to show they can play at this level.

“We got a bunch of dudes from mid-major trying to prove ourselves,” Mackinnon said.

The native of Australia who started his career at Elon in North Carolina, Mackinnon proved his outside jumper could remain lethal at his new stop in the Southeastern Conference.

At Portland last year, he averaged 14.5 points and made 40.7% of his 3-pointers. Mackinnon’s best game that season was a 43-point explosion against San Diego. He went 7 of 9 from beyond the arc Mackinnon’s shooting prowess is a product of his

years of honing his form in practice. Mackinnon also credited former LSU and NBA player Marcus Thornton and current player development staff member Keith Hornsby, also a former LSU player, with helping him.

“Keith Hornsby, he’s been a great mentor for me,” Mackinnon said.

“Obviously, he went from mid-major to LSU. Marcus Thornton as well, like we got some pros that are (graduate assistants). Just learning off them and just trusting my work, it’ll ﬁgure itself out.”

MacKinnons was also an effective passer, ﬁnishing with ﬁve assists to two turnovers.

“I think it’s critical, especially having a secondary ball-handler,” coach Matt McMahon said. “Tarleton’s plan was to trap (Thomas) and get the ball out of his hands. And so that opened up some opportunities for Max to knock down 3s. But as you mentioned, it also created some easy shots for his teammates, and I think he was really, really efﬁcient there.”

Mackinnon’s most impressive passes were a pair of lobs to 6-10 center Mike Nwoko, who scored both times. Mackinnon said his ability to read the ﬂoor and make proper decisions blossomed thanks to his upbringing overseas.

“I think (I’m) more than a shooter,” he said. “I’m able to get downhill. I think coming from Australia, we’ve learned that from such a young age, playing off two (feet), being smart I’m not the fastest guy, but I feel like I got good IQ and can get past the defender.”

MAILBAG

Continued from page 1C

then be a month to get most of the staff together and prepare for the transfer portal to open from Jan. 2-16. That would be the ideal timeline for the sake of the roster, but is it realistic? If there’s a coach on the playoff bubble, LSU probably wouldn’t be able to finalize the hire until after selection Sunday. And if LSU wants Lane Kifﬁn, it would probably have to wait until late December at the earliest. Ausberry said in an interview with WNXX-FM, 104.5 that LSU is willing to consider someone who reaches the playoff, even if that means not making a formal hire until January That would extend the timeline even further, but at least by then, the target would become obvious.

Is anyone asking Joe Brady to be the next

Collins for a jump ball call in the third quarter on Thursday

Assembly Center

LSU

Continued from page 1C

throws.

The Tigers, on the other hand, shot 68% from the field and 8 of 18 from beyond the arc. LSU has converted its ﬁeld goals at a higher rate just twice in its history and only once since the NCAA era began in 1981-1982.

Star senior Flau’jae Johnson made only three of the 10 field goals she attempted on Tuesday in the Tigers’ season opener, but on Thursday, she finished with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, five rebounds and five assists.

Four other LSU contributors scored in double ﬁgures.

Freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson added 16 points and ﬁve rebounds, while transfer center Kate Koval notched 16 points and nine rebounds. Grace Knox, another freshman forward, followed up her 10-point, four-rebound outing on Tuesday with an 11-point, three-rebound showing on Thursday Freshman guard Bella Hines also chipped in 14 points after hitting four of her six 3-pointers.

“Certainly, I keep perspective,” Mulkey said “We know who we’ve played. We know who we have to play This is work for us out here. This is like, ‘Let’s go practice, let’s go play turn the lights on, and the only difference is we have fans in the stands.’ But we’ve got work to do.”

For the second game in a row, Mulkey started ZaKiyah Johnson and sopho-

more point guard Jada Richard next to Flau’jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Koval. MiLaysia Fulwiley, the star transfer guard from South Carolina, entered the contest off the bench and tallied six points, ﬁve rebounds, three assists and three steals. On Tuesday, she recorded a career-high seven steals. LSU now has 42 steals through two games. The 23 it recorded on Tuesday against Houston Christian and the 19 it recorded on Thursday against the Lions are both two of the 10 highest singlegame steal totals for the Mulkey era.

Before Thursday the fewest points that LSU had allowed in a game it’s played during Mulkey’s tenure was 34. Two teams (Western Carolina and Texas A&M) scored that many when they faced the Tigers during the season in which they won the national championship.

LSU has now beaten its ﬁrst two opponents — Houston Christian and Southeastern — by a combined 142 points. Both teams play in the Southland Conference.

The Tigers next will travel to Statesboro, Georgia, to face Georgia Southern in a game it scheduled as a homecoming for Flau’jae Johnson.They’ll then play three more nonconference games before they travel down to the U.S. Virgin Islands to play in the Paradise Jam tournament the week of Thanksgiving.

Email Reed Darcey at reed.darcey@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

Cowboys’ Kneeland found dead of apparent suicide FRISCO, Texas Police in a Dallas suburb say 24-year-old Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland was found dead of an apparent suicide after evading authorities in his vehicle and fleeing the scene of an accident on foot. Frisco police said Thursday they are investigating the possible suicide. They said Kneeland didn’t stop for Texas Department of Public Safety troopers over a traffic violation in a chase that was joined by Frisco police on Wednesday night Authorities lost sight of the vehicle before locating it crashed minutes later During the search after Kneeland fled the crash site on foot, officers said they received word that Kneeland might be suicidal. He was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound early Thursday morning, about three hours after the crash, police said without specifying where Kneeland’s body was found.

Sabalenka KOs Gauff to reach WTA Finals semis

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka earned a third straight group-stage win at the WTA Finals by beating Coco Gauff 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Thursday, eliminating her American opponent from the tournament in the process. Sabalenka’s win means Jessica Pegula advanced to the semifinals from the group along with the Belarusian No. 1. Pegula beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-3 earlier to take her record to 2-1. Gauff, the reigning champion, finished 1-2 while Paolini went 0-3 at the season-ending tournament for the world’s top eight players. Sabalenka will take on Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals, while Pegula plays Elena Rybakina.

Padres hire former reliever Stammen as manager

SAN DIEGO The San Diego Padres have hired former reliever Craig Stammen to be their manager Stammen got a three-year contract Thursday to begin his ﬁrst managerial job at any level of the sport. The longtime right-handed reliever retired from his playing career with the Padres in August 2023, and he spent the past two seasons as an assistant to the major league coaching staff and the baseball operations department headed by general manager A.J. Preller

The 41-year-old Stammen replaces Mike Shildt, who retired Oct. 13 after just two seasons in charge following the Padres’ painful playoff elimination in a tight three-game wild-card series against the Chicago Cubs.

Former NFL star Brown arrested in Miami shooting

Former NFL star Antonio Brown was arrested on an attempted murder charge stemming from a shooting after a celebrity boxing event in Miami, police confirmed Thursday Brown, 37, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Dubai, said Miami police spokesman Mike Vega. He was flown to Essex County, New Jersey, where he is being held pending extradition to Miami, Vega said. According to an arrest warrant detailing the May 16 shooting Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after the boxing match and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators one of the bullets grazed his neck.

LSU football coach? — Paul S.

They can ask all they want, but the answer is almost certainly no.

Brady didn’t really like recruiting.

He doesn’t have to now and he’s on track to get an NFL head coaching job at some point.

Whatchangesdoyouthinkwewillseethis weekend? EdT.

LSU will try to run the ball more. Wilson (not this one, the interim coach) has emphasized that for the past two weeks. Philosophically it makes a lot of sense that LSU would do that after promoting its running backs coach to interim head coach and its run game coordinator to play-caller Up until this point, bringing in Alex Atkins as the run-game coordinator hasn’t made a difference.

LSU ranks last in the SEC for the second-straight season in yards rushing per game. It has abandoned the run at times, especially in the second half of a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M. I would be surprised if freshman running back Harlem

Berry has one carry in the second half again. Schematically, Atkins might call more counter runs. That has been his bread and butter during his career I doubt we see much of a twoquarterback system. Wilson (again, not this one) floated the possibility and said backup quarterback Michael Van Buren has taken more practice reps than usual. Maybe he gets used in certain situations, but I’ll be surprised if Garrett Nussmeier isn’t on the ﬁeld almost the entire game.

WillLSUinsistonZEROguaranteedmoney and/orlanguagethatincludesawinningpercentage as a basis for termination for cause, considering that Brian Kelly had two 10-win seasons and a nine-win season in his three full seasons, and if so, what will that metric be? — Dannie G. That’s an interesting idea, but it would be unprecedented for a coach to have a clause in their contract that allows the school to ﬁre them for cause based on their

winning percentage. The standard language in LSU’s contracts says a coach can be fired for cause because of off-field things like violating school policies, breaking NCAA rules or committing a crime. There could be performancebased metrics in the contract if Landry and some others with inﬂuence get their way His idea is to give the coach higher incentives for winning games and championships, thus reducing the amount of guaranteed money and the potential buyout in the contract. It’s a sound idea, but LSU would have to get an agent to go along with it. That could be tricky in the current market.

What effect does politics play in LSU’s search for athletic replacements? — Jim B. Politics always plays a role in Louisiana.

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

More than $87M in NIL deals have been OK’d

The College Sports Commission released statistics Thursday saying it has approved 12,175 thirdparty name, image, likeness deals for athletes worth $87.5 million while rejecting fewer than 400. The latest snapshot, which includes data from June 11 through Nov 1, also provided an update on turnaround time. It said 53% of deals submitted to NIL Go were resolved within 24 hours and 74% of deals that reached resolution did so within seven days following submission of all required information. Third-party deals, often with organizations with close ties to the schools called collectives, are a way for athletic departments to go beyond the $20.5 million they’re allowed to pay players directly this academic year as part of the courtapproved House settlement.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU guard ZaKiyah Johnson grabs the ball held by Southeastern guard Aliyah

at the Pete Maravich

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU coach Matt McMahon greets guard Max Mackinnon as he subs out of the game on Wednesday night against Tarleton State in the PMAC.

Make it twoina row

Beyleads Pelicans past Mavs forsecond straight victory

BY RODWALKER Sports columnist

The New Orleans Pelicans’ season looked to be in shambles on Monday Theteamwas winlessthrough six games and morale seemed to be low

“Weare not happy at what’sgoing on now,” Trey Murphy said after Monday’spractice.

Murphy knew that once the Pelicans got their ﬁrst win, things could maybe start pointing in the rightdirection.

“Sometimes it just takesgetting that ﬁrst one,” Murphy said Fast forward48hours later and now all of asudden the Pelicans have two W’sinthe win column.

Thelatestone came Wednesday night when they won a101-99 nailbiter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center

The night before, the Pelicans got their first win of the season with a116-112 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at the Smoothie King Center Pelicans’ coachWillie Greensaid after the ﬁrst win that he was hoping it could be aspringboard for more wins.

“It (this first win) is so important,” Green said. “The win solidiﬁes all the work they put in and everything that we are teaching.

AUSBERRY

Continued from page1C

search committee for LSU’snext coach after Brian Kelly was ﬁred in his fourth season.

Verge Ausberry saidinanemail sent to fans that new LSUpresident Wade Rousse “formalized my appointment”asthe school’s athleticdirector Thursdayafternoon, aday after comments made by Rousse led to questions about the permanenceofAusberry’s new role

The message came about two hours after Rousse said in asocial media post he had ﬁnished a meetingwithAusberry.

“Stewardship of LSU’sathletics is an honor and the work of my entire lifetime,” Ausberry said. “I will not fail you. Thank you for your strong commitment to LSU –Iknow we’re going to continue to do great things together.

LSU also updated Ausberry’s online biography Thursday to identify him as the athleticdirector

“Verge Ausberry is the athleticdirector at LSU,” LSU vice president of marketing and communications Todd Woodward said

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

(Johnson) and Cooks on arotational basis,” quarterback Tyler Shough said. “But at the same time, there is abunch of stuff that wasschemed to go to him and sometimes it just doesn’thappen that way —it’sfootball, you know.” Anotherreasonthatcould explain Vele’slack of playing time is his health. After dealing with a

Sometimes it can bedifﬁcult when we know our processes are there and teaching the right things and guys are working at it and they don’tget the results. So this conﬁrms that what weare doing and howhard we are working. The beauty in the NBA is you turn around and you have another one tomorrow.”

The Pelicans handled tomorrow just ﬁne Led by SaddiqBey,the Pelicans beat theMaverickstoget victories on consecutivenights.

The Pelicans (2-6) didn’thave much success in back-to-back gameslast season They won bothgames on consecutive nights just once the whole year.This year,they swept their ﬁrst one.

“Two wins in arow,” Green said.

“I’m really happy forour group right now.”

Bey,acquired in the offseason as part of the CJ McCollum trade, scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. It was Bey’s ﬁrst 20-point game since March of 2024 when he wasplaying withthe Atlanta Hawks.

“He was ouranchor,” Green said.

“Whenever we needed abucket, he settled us down. If we needed astop or arebound, he was there.

He’sbeen steady like that all year for us. It was good to get him on the ﬂoor and get himmore minutes. This was aback-to-back and those guys laid it allonthe ﬂoor and gaveiteverything they had.

in astatement to The Advocate earlier Thursday. “Hehas the president’sfullsupport to lead theathletics department and to identify the next coach to lead our storiedfootball program.”

Ausberry wastabbedasthe interim athletic director last week when LSU parted with Scott Woodward, andRousse decided to lift theinterimtag Tuesday on his ﬁrst dayinofﬁce withLSU in the midst of asearch forits next football coach.

On Wednesday, Rousse made several comments that created doubt about the permanenceof thetitle. In part,hetoldPiper Hutchinson of theLouisiana Illuminator he would lift theinterim tag and “then we’ll assess the situation.” He added: “I don’tknow whatpermanent means versus removing the interim.”

“I removed the interim tag,” Rousse said later Wednesday on WWLradio. “He’sthe acting AD He has my full authority to go ﬁndusacoach for the best job in America.”

Ausberry,a NewIberianative, played middle linebacker at LSU and has worked in the athletic department for 24 years. He had alreadybeenselected to lead the searchcommittee for LSU’snext

knee injury this summerinDenver,Vele suffered ahip injury that caused himto missa Week 3loss to the Seahawks. Moore saidthe ailment “slowed alittle bit of the installation” of the offense for Vele. Still, neitherMoore norVele has used that as an excuse.And given what Vele could add to the ﬁeld —the Saints neededa bigbodiedreceiver to make contestedcatches —itwas curious that he was relegatedtobeing the fourth receiver in whathas large-

Shough stillrecovering from hitbyRams’ Young

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Late in thefirst half of the Saints’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams, rookie quarterback Tyler Shough received his welcome-tothe-NFL moment in the form of Rams pass rusher ByronYoung’s helmet. Young, who cameinto the game ranked near the top of theNFL withnine sacks, beat right tackle TalieseFuaga on the playand hadaclean shoton Shough.Hecrushedthe Saints’ rookie quarterback forthe sack —but theplaywas calledback forunnecessaryroughness after Young caught Shough in thechinwiththe crownofhis helmet. Gifted anew set of downs, the Saints went on to score their lone touchdown of the game later in the drive —which is maybe why Shough was able to laugh the moment off Wednesday in his news conference.

The Pelicanswon despite being withoutZionWilliamson (hamstring), Yves Missi (illness) and JordanPoole(knee soreness).It was thethird game Williamson has missed this season. He is dealing witha hamstring injury andwillbe re-evaluated next week.

Green usedhis seventh different starting lineup Wednesday His starters were Jeremiah Fears, Trey Murphy,Herb Jones, Kevon Looney andBey.That lineup started the game on a9-0 run and led 52-49 at halftime. Jose Alvarado came off the bench to score 13 pointstogowith eightrebounds. Fearsalsoscored 13 points. Derik Queen, freshoff his best game thenightbefore, ﬁnishedwith 11 points, sevenrebounds, three stealsand two assists.

The biggest story of the night was the Pelicans’ defense.

The Pelicans entered the game allowing 123.9 points per game, which ranked28thinthe league. This was theﬁrst time in 14 games they held an opponent to less than 100 points.

“It’sthe preparation meets opportunity moments for ourguys,” Green said. “It was acollective effort between the starters and the second unit.”

The Pelicanshead back to Texas and play theSan Antonio Spurs on Saturday. The Pelicans losttheir home opener to theSpurs 120-116 in overtime on Oct. 24. The Pelicans will be looking for their third straight victory.

“Huge effort,huge win for our group,”Green said.

coach after Brian Kelly was ﬁred in his fourth season

“Weare already quietly assessing candidates for head football coach,” Ausberry said, “and we willaccept nothing short of ﬁnding acoach who will make the Tigers anational championship contender year in and year out.”

Kelly’sﬁnalmessage

BrianKelly has one lastmessagefor LSU.

Kelly,who coached the Tigers for 31/2 seasonsand was ﬁredthe dayafter LSU’sloss to Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium on Oct. 25, delivereda ﬁnalstatement to LSUand its fansonsocial media Thursday.

“Moving to Baton Rouge four years ago, my family andIwere clear.Therewould be no halfway.Wewould be all-in for LSU and for Louisiana,” Kelly wrote. “This journey beganwith great expectationswith my own vision of how to get there.Sometimes thejourney does notend theway we hope.”

Kelly’smessage continued by highlighting the accomplishments LSU madeduring his time as coach,including the win over Alabama in 2022,the Heisman Trophy winnerhecoachedin

ly been athree-receiver offense. There’s ascenario, of course, in which theSaints simply got fleeced. While Broncos coach Sean Payton calledtrading Vele one of the toughest moves of his career,perhaps thatwas just a ruse to makehis former team feel good aboutthe deal.It’shard not to wonder whether the reality of Vele’slimited rolehas to do with what theSaints’ coaching staff hasobservedfrom the wide receiver every week. But players andcoaches saythey

“I couldn’tclose my jaw until (Wednesday),”Shough said. “I hadtoget some needles. That didn’tfeel good.”

Needles, as in therapeutic needles, to alleviate pain in his temporomandibularjoint (TMJ).Shough said his jaw“was alittle bit messed up,”but he’s ﬁne now “Ithurtlike. ,” Shough joked. “That was rough. But I’m good now.Wasn’t too bad. It’s part of it.”

Injury report

BryanBresee was addedtothe team’sinjury report Thursday with aback injury Bresee, who hasn’tmissed a game in his career,was alimitedparticipant in thepractice session. It is not clear whether his injury popped up during practice. The third-year defensive lineman has recorded11/2 sacksand twotackles for loss while starting all nine games andplaying a career-high 71% of the defensive snaps for NewOrleans this season.

Fuaga continued to miss practice with theankle injury he suffered against the Los AngelesRams, and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux continued his regular rest program on Thursdays They werethe only Saints players who werenot present for Thursday’spractice. Fuaga hasindicated he likely will not playagainstthe Carolina Panthers this weekend, the

Jayden Daniels, and the dozenplus players he coached at LSU whoare nowinthe NFL, among other accomplishments.

Kelly’stenure in BatonRouge ended with a34-14 record but no appearances in the College Football Playoff. LSU hada 5-3mark this season before the program decided to part ways with acoach whoarrived from Notre Dame after the2021 season.

“The losses will always hurt, but Iwill remember all of the wins,” Kelly wrote. “I don’tneed to tell anyofyou howspecial Saturday nights in Tiger Stadium are. Iam honored to have worn the purple andgold andbeenapartofit.”

He ﬁnished his statement wishing LSU interim coach Frank Wilson and the rest of the team the best of luck forthis Saturday’s game against Alabama (6:30 p.m., ABC), before writing one last sentence.

“Thisjourney mayhaveended but it’s ajourney that will stay with me and my family forever,” Kelly wrote.“Geaux Tigers.”

Weeksdoubtful

LSUjunior linebacker Whit Weeks remains doubtful to play on Saturday againstAlabama (6:30 p.m., ABC), LSU interim

like what they’ve seen. “His selﬂessness, his willingness to go in there and get dirty in the run game, even protection,”Cooks said. “When his number is called to make aplay in thepassgame, he does it. To see his growth every week —obviously not being here during camp—(to) see how fast he’s been able to pick up the offense,every week,he’sjust continuing to get better.” “He hasn’thad the big, breakout game catch-wise, but when youlook at the things he’sdone,

Saints’ last game before their open date.

The remainder of theSaints’ injury report remainedunchanged. Running back AlvinKamara (ankle)and tight end Jack Stoll (ankle)werelimited in practice,while quarterback Taysom Hill (knee), defensive end Cameron Jordan (ankle) and defensive end Jonah Williams (shoulder) were full participants.

The Panthers upgraded running back Rico Dowdle (quadricep) on Thursday’sinjury report; he waslimited in practice afterbeing held out of Wednesday’ssession.

Carolina also added one of its star defensive players, defensive tackle Derrick Brown,tothe injury report with an elbow injury Brownwas limited in practice. Palmer still out

It doesn’tsound like Trey Palmer is going to be part of the group that tries to replace RashidShaheed’s production in thelineup forthe foreseeable future.

Palmer,whomthe Saints claimed on waivers before the start of the season from the Tampa BayBuccaneers, has been on injured reserve since early October with an ankle injury

“His(injury) is going to take alittlewhile,”coach Kellen Moore said. “He’sprogressing the best he can, but he’ll be a while.”

Palmer,aLouisiana native whoplayed at LSU, has also dealt withahamstring issueand has not yet made his Saints debut. He’sappeared in 32 NFL games, all with the Buccaneers, catching 51 passes for 557yards andfour touchdowns.

coach Frank Wilson said Thursday.

Weeks waslisted as questionable to play on Wednesday’s Southeastern Conference availability report.

“Hetried to give it agotoday,” Wilson said. “He bounced around alittle bit. We’ll look at him again (Friday). But in transparency,he’s probably doubtful for (Friday).”

Weekshas missed LSU’spast two games with abonebruise in his ankle.It’saninjury he aggravated during the Tigers’ loss to Ole Miss in Week 5and stems from the broken ankle he suffered during LSU’swin over Baylor in the TexasBowl.

Likely without Weeks, LSUwill turn to sophomore Davhon Keys and ﬁfth-year senior West Weeks at linebacker Besides Whit Weeks, freshman offensive lineman Carius Curne waslisted as probable to play Saturday.Freshman linebacker Zach Weeks, on theother hand, is doubtful for Saturday,per the report.

Advocate staff writerKokiRiley contributed to this report.

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

when he hasbeeninthe football game, it’sbeen productive,” offensivecoordinator DougNussmeiersaid. Vele, who has ﬁvecatches for 39 yardsand atouchdown, will now get an extended look to have that big, breakout game. To this point, it hasn’tbeen there “Whenopportunitiescome, Ijust have to make the most of them,” Vele said.

Email Matthew Parasatmatt. paras@theadvocate.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LM OTERO

NewOrleansPelicans forwardTreyMurphyIII, left,shoots against Dallas Mavericks forward DanielGafford during the first half of agame on WednesdayinDallas

AP PHOTO By GREGORy BULL Los Angeles Rams linebacker Byron young pressures Saints quarterback Tyler Shough on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif

ä Pelicans at Spurs

7P.M. SATURDAy, WAFB

Is it sustainable?

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

Merely three weeks into the season, UCLA’s DeShaun Foster and Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry were out of a job. Seven weeks later a half-dozen more coaches were added to the list of midseason firings — and high-proﬁle ones at that

A quarter of the SEC’s coaches who started the season are gone. So are longtime coaches James Franklin of Penn State and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy

It’s not as simple as an uncomfortable conversation and launching a search for the new coach. Universities are on the hook for millions of dollars for coaches they’re no longer employing. By Week 10, buyout totals for assistant and head coaches have climbed to approximately $185 million, a ﬁgure that raises the question of whether athletic departments spending their way out of a headache is still a feasible route to take, especially when higher education funding is under increasing pressure and schools are already sending athletes millions in revenue for the ﬁrst time.

“It’s not a sustainable pattern,” said Prof. Michael LeRoy, a labor and employment relations expert at Illinois. “Even without revenue sharing, it would be challenging. These ﬁgures have been growing exponentially over the past ﬁve to 10 years Power conference coaching contracts are in this escalating spiral that involves larger buyouts, longer terms and more restrictions on terminating contracts.”

While costs build, so do expectations. Making the 12-team College Football Playoff is considered the minimum seasonal goal for some programs. And leverage largely remains in the hands of highly soughtafter coaches, the same ones who will inevitably be in talks for some of the top

potential for shorter contracts, fewer guarantees and more incentives with extensions based on performance.

The changes Winter refers to centers on the evolving economics in college athletics, and it’s rewriting the job description for a modern coach. The criteria for success isn’t what it once was with revenuesharing, NIL compensation and the transfer portal taking over

Tucker, Bichette, among 13 to get qualifying offers

BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer

NEW YORK — Chicago Cubs

outﬁelder Kyle Tucker, Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette and Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber were among 13 players who received $22,025,000 qualifying offers from their former teams Thursday as baseball’s free agent market opened for negotiations with all clubs.

San Diego right-handers

Dylan Cease and Michael King also received the offers, as did New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz, Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen, New York Yankees outﬁelder Trent Grisham, Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga, Philadelphia pitcher Ranger Suárez, Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres, Houston left-hander Framber Valdez and Milwaukee righthander Brandon Woodruff.

Players have until Nov 18 to accept.

Among the free agents who didn’t receive qualifying offers were Boston right-hander Lucas Giolito, Seattle infielder Jorge Polanco and Yankees reliever Devin Williams.

Free agents ineligible for qualifying offers included New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger, Boston third baseman Alex Bregman, Cincinnati pitcher Nick Martinez and Phillies catcher J.T Realmuto. A total of 175 players became free agents in the ﬁve days following the World Series. Among decisions Thursday:

■ Atlanta exercised an $18 million option on left-hander Chris Sale and a $7 million option on second baseman Ozzie Albies while declining options on pitchers Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley; ■ The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers exercised a $10 million option on third baseman Max Muncy and a $3.55 million option on reliever Alex Vesia;

positions in college football at LSU, Florida and Penn State.

So how does the cycle of firing, rehiring and spending stop? It probably doesn’t, according to LeRoy “I don’t think schools have the willpower,” he said. “They’re always going to be concerned about what their rivals are doing, and there’s always going to be a rival that will break the bank to hire the best coach.”

LeRoy’s answer is in line with Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s philosophy His annual salary this year is $10.8 million and his current buyout cost exceeds $60 million. The ﬁfth-year coach says it’s just the cost of doing business.

“Sometimes you’ve got to pay the guy that’s leading the ship,” Sarkisian said Monday “That’s the price you pay If you hired a coach and don’t think he’s the right coach for you, that’s part of it. You got to pay him. That’s just the way it works. So if you’re not willing to pay a coach and what his contract is, well, you’re probably not going to get the coaches you thought you might get.” Sarkisian added that coaches are asked to a lot,

a sentiment echoed by others.

“Yeah, I think that unlike in the NFL where there’s a lot of different people doing a lot of different jobs, in college football, you’re still really as the head coach overseeing personnel, overseeing the marketing of your program, overseeing the player acquisition, overseeing recruiting, overseeing scheme, overseeing coaches, player development,” said Washington’s Jedd Fisch

Top programs with seemingly endless resources may be able to keep up in this landscape LSU says Brian Kelly’s buyout will be covered without using university money — but even those who can might take a different approach with so many massive buyouts piling up, said Mit Winter, a college athletics attorney at Kennyhertz Perry

“Some schools, even if they might have a donor base that could cover these buyouts, they might take the opportunity with all the changes in college athletics now to say, ‘Alright, we’re not going to agree to contracts that are 10 years with guaranteed compensation that would put us on the hook for a huge buyout,’ ” Winter said, suggesting the

“A coach who had been successful 10 or 15 years ago under a model of recruiting high schools across the country for ﬁve star players, that isn’t the same model as today,” LeRoy said. “These hires are retrospective in nature, so you’re in effect hiring a coach who was successful under a different business model for coaching success, and therefore, when the coach doesn’t produce the way he had produced in the past, pressure builds really quickly to ﬁre him.”

Ohio State coach Ryan Day has accepted the ﬂuctuating landscape as part of the job.

“I stopped saying this is crazy I just said, this is the job,” he said. “And that’s exactly what it is, because every year it just changes so much, and you have to be willing to adapt.”

“It’s kind of like herding cats sometimes,” Day added. “You can work all day and feel like you did nothing all day from early in the morning to late at night, and you feel like you got nothing done, but you actually did. And I think that’s the job of a football coach now.”

One way or another, the schools already searching for their next hire will all be taking a gamble.

“These coaching contracts are somewhat like buying a Powerball ticket in the millions of dollars in the hopes that you will cash in. Somebody does cash in, but a lot of people are out of a lot of money,” LeRoy said.

Fickell to remain coach at Wisconsin

By The Associated Press

— Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis.

athletic director Chris McIntosh saod Luke Fickell will remain as coach “beyond this season” as the Badgers face the realistic possibility of their worst ﬁnish in decades.

“Luke Fickell is Wisconsin’s Head Football Coach, and he will continue to be beyond this season,” McIntosh said Thursday in a statement released by the school.

“We all recognize that we have fallen short of expectations. I am disappointed and frustrated with how

our season has gone, just like our players, coaches and fans.

“We have evaluated every aspect of the program, and we’re prepared to execute a plan that brings us back to meeting our goals, standards, and expectations. Chancellor (Jennifer) Mnookin and I are aligned on that plan and are committed to having Wisconsin Football compete at the highest level. We will get this right and will not shy away from making any necessary changes.” Wisconsin (2-6, 0-4 Big Ten) carries a six-game skid into a Saturday home

matchup with No. 24 Washington (No. 23 College Football Playoff). The Badgers’ final four opponents have a combined record of 27-8. Wisconsin hasn’t lost more than seven games in a season since a 1-10 ﬁnish in 1990. One more defeat would guarantee Wisconsin its second straight losing season The Badgers haven’t ﬁnished below .500 in backto-back years since 1991-92.

The Badgers have lost their last 11 games against Power Four conference programs and haven’t beaten a Power Four team since a 42-7 victory over Rutgers on Oct. 12, 2024. During its current six-game skid, Wisconsin has been outscored by an average margin of 23.3 points. Wisconsin ranks 135th out of 126 Bowl Subdivision teams — ahead of only UMass — in yards per game (261.6). Wisconsin is 134th — ahead of Northern Illinois and UMass in points per game (12.5) and yards per play (4.44). McIntosh had sent a letter to season-ticket holders two weeks ago saying that the athletic department “is committed to elevating the investment into our football program.”

If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another club before next July’s amateur draft, his former club receives draft pick compensation at the end of the ﬁrst round or at the end of competitive balance round B. The placement depends on the amount of the new contract and the revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the team losing the player

Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 14 of 144 offers have been accepted.

A free agent can be given a qualifying offer only if he has been with the same team continuously since opening day and has never received a qualifying offer before.

■ Polanco declined a $6 million player option; ■ Inﬁelder Justin Turner became a free agent after the Cubs declined a $10 million mutual option, and Chicago agreed to a $6.5 million, one-year contract to retain right-hander Colin Rea; ■ Pitchers Paul Sewald and José Urquidy became free agents after the Detroit Tigers declined options; ■ Shortstop Trevor Story declined to exercise

sons of his $140 million,

year deal with Boston; ■ Left-hander John Means’ $6 million option was declined by Cleveland, allowing the pitcher to become a free agent as he continues to recover from Tommy

surgery; ■ Tampa Bay declined an $11 million option on Pete Fairbanks, allowing the closer to become a free agent, and exercised an $11.5 million option on inﬁelder Brandon Lowe.

Weeks moves into a new role with Brewers

By The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE — Forme Southern University star Rickie Weeks is leaving his position as Milwaukee Brewers associate manager after two seasons to move into a new role as special assistant in baseball operations and domestic/international scouting.

“Rickie is not only a wellrespected member of the Brewers organization but also the baseball community,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said in a statement Thursday “This new role is an opportunity for Rickie to advance his career and broaden his experience, building off what he has accomplished already as a player, coach and baseball operations executive. We have no doubt that he will succeed in this new challenge.”

Weeks will assist in the evaluation of draft-eligible and international players by attending tryouts, tourna-

ments and signing days. He also will assist baseball operations leaders on acquisitions of players and recommendation of on-ﬁeld rules changes. “The Brewers organization has done an exceptional job with the team over the last two years and I am appreciative of my time on the coaching staff,” Weeks said in a statement. “I will miss the relationships with players and staff and wish nothing but the best to everyone. Right now, I will refocus in a new capacity with my eyes on future growth to help this club gain wins in a different role.”

Weeks, 43, was hired as associate manager in November 2023 when Pat Murphy became manager He worked in the Brewers organization as an assistant to player development from 2022-23.

Milwaukee won its second and third consecutive NL Central titles during Weeks’ two seasons on Murphy’s staff.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BARRy REEGER

Former Penn State coach James Franklin reacts during a game against Northwestern on Oct 11 in State College, Pa. Franklin was reportedly owed about $49 million after he was fired

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

Florida coach Billy Napier, who was fired on Oct. 19, is owed more than $20.4 million from the university The payment will be structured with a large initial installment and four subsequent annual payments.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By NAM y. HUH Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in a playoff game on Oct. 9 in Chicago.

New coach, running back shift Liberty’s culture

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

When Jimmy Zachery was named head coach of Liberty High School, one of the ﬁrst moves he made was to get running back Zaiden Foster on the phone.

“We’ve got to have a running back to make it go,” Zachery said “I called him, talked to his mom ‘Give us a chance. We’re going to do right by him. We run the ball a lot.’” Foster trusted Zachery and stayed at Liberty The decision has paid dividends both for him and the Patriots. Liberty sits at 5-4 overall and 2-2 in district play Foster has 1,823 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 244 carries.

The Patriots will close out their season with Woodlawn. A sixth win would match the number of games the team has won in the past three seasons combined. More importantly the team sits 23rd in the Division I Select power ratings, just two spots above the playoff cutoff line, and a win could get them into the dance.

Along with Foster the team added senior wide receiver Conner Nairn from the school’s basketball team. In his ﬁrst year, he’s caught 35 passes for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns.

‘Can’t say enough about Zaiden’ Foster has been one of the key catalysts for Liberty’s resurgence. He’s just 177 yards away from 2,000 rushing yards on the year, which is a feat Zachery told him he could accomplish before the season even began.

“You can’t say enough about Zaiden,” Zachery said. “We set the goal for you coming into the season, and you actually hit that goal.”

Zachery is proud of his whole offense, led by junior quarterback Brice Preston, and his offensive coaches, who have helped the Patriots average 37.2 points per game. Foster credited his team and offensive line for his success. He added that his play comes from how he handles himself.

“I always keep my head down,” Foster said. “My mindset keeps me on track to do what I can do and show what I can do on the ﬁeld.” Foster also praised the coaching staff for shaping the team as players and men. He said the

team feels like a family They joke around and have fun, but when it’s time to lock in between the white lines, they’re ready to go. He called this season his favorite year on the team.

O-Line making things go

Beyond retaining Foster, Zachery and his coaching staff had to teach the offensive line new techniques and schemes He said they did a great job learning a new scheme quickly

“Those guys bought into the brand,” Zachery said. “If it wasn’t for (them), none of this would be possible.”

Zachery said the team plays a physical brand of football. It took time, but he was able to get his players to buy into the vision he’s brought to Liberty

Beyond their ability to match the coaching staff’s mentality, they play with an unselﬁsh attitude, knowing offensive linemen

rarely get the love they deserve for their work in the trenches. It’s a mentality Zachery understands and tries to instill in his offensive line.

“We’re the big uglies, baby,” Zachery said. “We’re going to do the dirty work. We‘re the hogs, baby.”

Zachery added that while the Oline doesn’t mind not getting the spotlight, they’ll still joke with Foster if he doesn’t give them a shoutout in interviews.

Seniors changing culture

This season has delivered major wins for Liberty For the ﬁrst time since starting a varsity football program in 2021, the Patriots defeated Zachary in a 52-31 victory on the road.

“That’s a program definer to me,” Zachery said. “To go beat a powerhouse in the district, that says a lot about the kids. That says a lot about the coaches.”

Foster and Nairn understand that everyone knows Zachary is a great program, and they were ready to make a statement.

“Everybody was just locked in,” Nairn said. “As soon as we stepped foot on campus, you could tell the atmosphere was different.”

Zachery said the win was a statement-maker

“To get a win like that, that not only stamps our program, like, we’re here,” Zachery said. “We can coach with the best of them, and we can play with the best of them.”

Despite big wins, Liberty’s players know they can keep improving. Zachery said that has to do with the culture they’re setting within the program.

Foster said the change in the team’s overall performance this year is a shift in mindset. Beyond the practice ﬁeld and weight room, even the mood while walking around school is better

“This 2026 class, we came in, we

Catholic routs Zachary to win district

BY JACKSON REYES

Staff writer

Catholic held a touchdown lead in the second quarter against Zachary, which was driving down the ﬁeld Broncos quarterback Michael Kirby dropped back and lobbed a pass that Catholic senior safety Blaine Bradford picked off to give his side the ball back at their own 30. His interception sparked three straight turnovers for the Bears that helped them put the game out of reach as Catholic (8-2 5-0) rolled to a 41-7 win on Thursday at Memorial Stadium.

Junior running back Jayden Miles scored a 34-yard touchdown after Bradford’s pick.

On the next two Zachary drives, Bears senior linebacker John Russell Demoss scored two touchdowns off a 15-yard fumble recovery and a 61-yard pick-six.

“His play is created by effort and execution,” Bears coach Hudson Fuller said. “Guys just did a great job of attacking the next play.”

With the win, Catholic finished unbeaten in District 4-5A play and sealed the district title.

“We wanted to come in ﬁring on all cylinders and all three phases,” Fuller said. “To play a full four-quarter game, I feel like we did a lot of really good things, and there’s still more improvements we can make.”

Along with the three turnovers, the Bears held Zachary to just 293 yards of offense for an average of 4.3 yards per play

“I think we’re the best defense in the nation,” Demoss said. “Nobody

can compare to us. Our team is top tier I think we can beat anybody in the state.”

Catholic forced a punt to begin the game near midﬁeld. The initial play landed inside the Bears’ 10, but a Broncos penalty led to a re-punt

The redo paid off for Catholic after Harrison Kidder blocked the punt to give the Bears possession at the Zachary 40.

Two plays later, senior quarterback Baylor Graves scored on a 32yard quarterback keeper to put the Bears up 7-0.

The Broncos drove down the ﬁeld on the ensuing drive but came away with no points after missing a 38yard ﬁeld goal.

Catholic capitalized on the miss with a nine-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Graves finding Jude Chamberlain in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown.

Zachary (6-3, 2-3) scored its lone touchdown off of a Tylek Lewis 33-

Catholic running back Jayden Miles runs for a touchdown as Zachary’s Jeremiah Smith gives chase on Thursday at Memorial Stadium.

PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

yard run to make it 14-7 with 9:43 left in the second quarter

The Catholic lead swelled after three straight forced turnovers. After Bradford’s pick led to Miles’ touchdown, junior defensive lineman Jayden Vessell sacked Kirby and stripped the ball out. Demoss picked up the ball and returned it for a touchdown.

“I saw the ball, had to go make a play,” Demoss said. “I had to go pick it up and score. I almost tripped.”

Things went from bad to worse for Zachary after making a quarterback change. The Broncos were near midﬁeld when Demoss picked off sophomore Willie Johnson’s pass and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown to make it 34-7 at the half.

“I got to go score,” he said about his pick six. “I got to run.”

Miles ripped off a 58-yard run to begin the second half. Five plays later, he ran it in Wildcat for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 41-7.

want to change something,” Foster said. “Just change everything, how people think of Liberty.”

He said the team doesn’t miss a day working out and brings the intensity to get better which has fueled his mindset on the ﬁeld.

“We wanted to win,” Nairn said. “Prove everybody wrong.”

Nairn said he knew the team could be special in the summer

“Nobody was missing days, just getting work in,” Nairn said. “I knew it was going to be special.”

The big picture isn’t just winning seasons and playoff berths, it’s state championships. It’s a goal Zachery thinks about often, with the dates for the state title games written on the whiteboard behind his desk.

“This is the kind of culture we want to create here,” he said “We’re a championship ball club. This is what you strive for every year, or you’re doing it for nothing.”

Anything can happen

Zachery wants to deliver a winning season this year for the Patriots, a feat not achieved by this current group of seniors. He knows a win will also help Liberty lock up a playoff spot.

He believes his team hasn’t played its best football yet, and he hopes his team can get into the postseason and become a bad draw for someone else.

“Let’s just get in the dance and see what happens,” Zachery said. “Let’s just get there You never know, you’re going to leave with a pretty lady Just get there. You never know what could happen.”

Zachery feels his team has been close to its full potential at times but still needs to put the ﬁnishing touches on a complete performance.

“Once we put that game together, it’s going to be scary,” Zachery said. “To be clicking on all cylinders, it’s going to be scary.” For Foster, making the playoffs would mean everything. Growing up, winning was all Foster became accustomed to. Now, he’s seeking a playoff berth for the ﬁrst time in his high school career

“It would really just make me feel good about me ending off high school,” Foster said, “after doing all this losing in high school, coming in, making the playoffs, and then potentially making a run.”

PREP REPORT

Volleyball Regionals

Thursday

Division I Catholic-BR 3, Ponchatoula 0 (25-4, 25-11, 25-12) Dutchtown 3, Chalmette 0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-12) Fontainebleau 3, Baton Rouge 0 (25-9, 25-21, 25-18) St. Amant 3, Parkway 0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-21) St. Joseph’s 3, East Ascension 0 (25-10, 25-9, 25-21) Benton 3, Zachary 0 (25-16, 25-14, 30-28) Mt. Carmel 3, Prairieview 0 (25-7, 25-18, 25-6)

Division II Brusly 3, Warren Easton 0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-18) Leesville 3, Plaquemine 0 (25-22, 28-26, 25-20) Division III St. Michael 3, Franklinton 0 (25-8, 25-4, 25-3) Rayne 3, West Feliciana 0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-23) Lutcher 3, Livonia 0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-8) University 3, Landry 0 (25-7, 25-6, 25-9) Madison Prep 3, De La Salle 1 (18-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-14) Haynes Academy 3, Port Allen 0 (25-6, 25-4, 25-7) Parkview Baptist 3, Collegiate Baton Rouge 0 (25-4, 25-6, 25-1) E.D. White 3, Istrouma 0 (25-0, 25-1, 25-11) Acadiana Renaissance 3, Glen Oaks, 0 (25-10, 25-11, 25-7) Division IV Dunham 3, St. Charles 0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-6) Notre Dame 3, Episcopal 0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-8) Division V Country Day 3, Ascension Christian 0 (25-9, 25-15, 25-8) Friday Division I No. 13 St. Amant at No. 4 St. Joseph’s, 5:30 p.m. No. 15 Benton at No. 2 Mt. Carmel, 4:30

Schools make appeals at LHSAA classiﬁcation meeting

BY JACKSON REYES Staff

The first classification meeting was held by the LHSAA on Thursday Although the meeting was brief, as the board listened to schools’ appeals to play up or down a class level, there were still some notable takeaways. The five schools that appealed their classification were Peabody Vandebilt Catholic, Anacoco,

Pickering and Plainview While no Baton Rouge-area schools made an appeal for their class level, here’s where schools within the metro area will be classiﬁed for the 2026-2028 cycle. In Class 4A, Scotlandville will move down from 5A, while Madison Prep will move up from 3A. Belaire, West Feliciana and Istrouma will drop from 4A to Class 3A. Lutcher, which plays in a different district than the previously mentioned schools, will also drop

down from 4A to 3A Baker will move up from 2A to 3A. In Class 2A, Donaldsonville will drop down from 3A. Doyle, which only plays junior varsity football, will also drop down to 2A from 3A. Finally in Class 1A, East Feliciana and Capitol will move down from 2A. Michael Federico, the LHSAA’s assistant executive director, said the staff will meet Friday morning to begin putting together districts.

“We have a target date, no later than Monday morning, to have that out to membership,” Federico said. “To where that membership can digest all that information, submit their respective appeals to our ofﬁce so that they can be here if they need to.”

“We will have more non-select than select, which is different than what we’ve had the previous two years,” Federico said.

There will be 211 total nonselect schools and 190 select schools The remaining 12 schools from Tangipahoa and Vernon parishes moved from select to non-select.

The second classiﬁcation meeting will be Monday, Nov 17, for district placement appeals. There were 13 schools changing from select and non-select designations for the playoffs. Baker, the only Baton Rouge-area school affected, is the lone school to move from non-select to select due to becoming a charter school.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Liberty running back Zaiden Foster breaks free for a big run against Lutcher on Sept. 18 at Olympia Stadium. Foster has been a key component of Liberty’s resurgence.

‘I

LIGHT THE LAMP

The Baton RougeZydeco icehockey team will takeonthe BiloxiBreakers at 7p.m. Fridayinthe Raising Cane’sRiver Center Arena, 275 S. River Road. The home team is coming off atwo-game loss to the Columbus RiverDragons last weekend. Tickets are $25 and up ticketmaster.com

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

CAN’T SING’

Pianist Marcia Ball cancelsall shows afterALS diagnosis

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

Marcia Ball, thepianist and singer who grew up along the Louisiana/Texasborder,has enjoyed a longstanding loveaffair withNew Orleans music and musicians, and is afavorite at local festivals But Ball, 76, announced recently that her decades-longperforming career has come to an end following her diagnosis with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’sDisease. She has canceled all scheduled performances, including herbackto-back voyages aboard the Sandy Beaches Cruise andthe NewOrleans-themed Big Easy Cruise, both of which sail out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in January Astatement released by Ball read in part, “As many of you may know or have heard, over recent months, Ihave been struggling with voice issues and have not been able to perform as Ihavealways done.”

ä See BALL, page 2D

PROVIDED PHOTOByMARC POKEMPNER

DIGGING IN

The East Baton RougeParish Libraryis teaming up with the Louisiana Wild Society to plant anew,large-scale nativeplant pollinator garden at the Main Libraryat Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., and yes, volunteers are needed. The event runs 8a.m to 3p.m.Saturday. ebrpl.com

OUTDOOR OVERNIGHT

The Great Family Campout, hosted by BREC will takeplace from 3p.m.Saturdayto 10 a.m. SundayatForest Community Park, 13900 S. Harrells FerryRoad. Outdoor activities. Bring tent or sleeping bag (rentals available). All food provided. $15; rentals extra. Register at brec.org

‘MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLY’ ASwine Palace production ● Friday-Sunday; Wednesday-Friday, Nov. 12-14; and Sunday, Nov. 16. Sundaymatinees startat 2p.m.All other performances begin at 7:30 p.m ● Reilly Theatre, 10 TowerDrive, LSU campus ● $9-$32 ● (225) 5783572orlsu.edu/cmda/ events/index.php

Christine Marie Sáenz as Mary, foreground,plays

Jane listen in SwinePalace’s‘Miss Bennet:

AUSTEN INSPIRED

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Arthur deBourgh is socially awkward, but that doesn’tmatter to Mary Bennet.

In fact, she finds this characteristic to be an appealingﬁtfor herintroverted personality,whichmostlyrevolves aroundbooks.

Louisiana Inspiredisall about shining alightonpeople andorganizations who are working toward solutions in Louisiana neighborhoods, communities, towns, cities and throughout the state —it’swork that takes extra effort by special people, demonstrating the good stuffofthe humanspirit. Nominate someone you know whoismaking apositive difference in the lives of others at www.nola. com/site/forms/the_inspirit award/ by Nov.17. We encourage nominations of people of all ages —those who systematically go about doing their best to make the world abetter place. The nomination process focuses on people who are workingtoward solutions in their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, communities and state. Be sure to include stories of impact and details of personal stories that inspire change. Award recipients will be announced in December in Louisiana Inspired.

The story is set two years after Elizabeth Bennet’shappy ending in “Pride andPrejudice.” Of course,she’s known as Mrs. Darcy in this setting, withmost of the characters calling her “Lizzie.”

“So, Lizzie is newly married and has come up in her station in life,” said Nicole Lovince, whoportrays her

Pianist Marcia Ball performs during the 2015 WWOZ Piano Night at the House of Blues. ä See AUSTEN, page 2D

Butafter witnessing her sister,Elizabeth, wedMr. Darcy two yearsago,Mary wantssomething more —a life beyond her books, yet withthe promise of agood story.And she believesshe can ﬁnd this in Arthur,who, she discovers, shares her love of books. But does he feel the same way? Well, this is aquestion best answered at LSU’s Reilly Theatre on Friday, when Swine Palace opens “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly.” Playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon penned their 2016 drama as asequel to Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” focusingonthe often-overlooked middle Bennet sister,Mary

Marc BroussardchannelsBobby Darin

Single‘DreamLover’ released Nov. 2

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Louisiana soul singer-songwriter Marc Broussard channels Bobby Darin for his new single, “Dream Lover,” released Nov.2

“His distinctive interpretation of this Bobby Darin classic captures the spiritofthe original arrangement while infusing it with hissignature gritty,bluesy vocals, resulting in aversion that staystrue to the originalwhile also reflectingBroussard’sbeloved, soulful sound,” anews release states.

Carencro native Broussard says replicating the sound of iconic 1950s-’70s singer Darrin would be impossible for him.

“So, Ichose to approach it differently. Iknowthatreinterpreting aclassic can upset some fans, but Ihope that Bobby himself would appreciate the libertiesItook. Attempting to sound like him was too tall an order,” he says.

“Dream Lover”will be featured on Broussard’snew studio album, “S.O.S. V: Songs of the ’50s,” due out Jan. 23.

The 11-song ArtistTone Records project will include renditions of soul, blues, rock and pop classics from the ’50s,two hits from the early ’60s and aBroussard original.

The new album is Broussard’s latestentry in hisphilanthropic album seriesbeneﬁting the nonproﬁt organization, Love of People, based in Lafayette.

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

STAFFPHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

piano while Nicole Lovince, back left, as Elizabeth and ZoeGodfrey-Grinageas

Christmas at Pemberly.’

FRIDAY VETERANS DAYCONCERT: Heymann

Performing Arts Center, Lafayette

3p.m. KYLE AND DAVID: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson

6p.m.

FRIDAY NIGHT JAM: La Maison de Begnaud, Scott, 6p.m.

DOWNTOWNALIVE! FEATURING

JOURDAN THIBODEAUX: Parc Sans Souci, Lafayette, 6p.m.

HUVAL AND TRAHAN TRIO: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6p.m.

HOLYGHOST CREOLE FESTIVAL

GOSPEL NIGHT: Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Opelousas, 6p.m.

THE TROUBADOUR: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

BLAKE LUQUETTE: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6:30 p.m.

LEIF MECHE: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7p.m.

DOOGIE, KALAMITY,EFFIGY: Feed N Seed, Lafayette, 7p.m.

ROUGAROU STOMP: Gloria’sBar & Grill,Lafayette, 8p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard Broussard, 8p.m

BORDERLINE: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

BELIEVER –OZZY OSBOURNE TRIBUTE: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m.

SATURDAY

LIL POOKIE &ZYDECO SENSATION: Buck &Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8a.m.

DONNY BROUSSARD BAND: Fred’s, Mamou, 8a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park, Lafayette, 9a.m.

SATURDAY MORNING JAMSESSIONS: Savoy Music Center, Eunice, 9a.m.

CAJUN JAM: TanteMarie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MUSICJAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1p.m.

ZYDECO CAPITAL JAM: St. Landry Parish VisitorCenter, Opelousas, 1p.m.

DRUM CIRCLE: NUNU Arts and CultureCollective, Arnaudville, 2:30 p.m.

DON HAYES: Café Sydnie Mae, Breaux Bridge, 6p.m.

GENO DELAFOSE &FRENCH ROCKIN’

BOOGIE/RUSTY METOYER &THE ZYDECO KRUSH: Holy GhostCreole Festival, Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Opelousas, 6p.m.

NICKI NEEDHAM: Adopted Dog Brew-

AUSTEN

Continued from page1D

“She’sthe mistress of this very fine home, yet she’sabit outofher comfort zone in this situation, because she’shaving thewholefamily over for Christmas at her house —her single sister, her pregnant sister,her married sister’s husband.” Lovince, aNew Orleansnative, is afirst-yearstudent in theLSU School of Theatre’smaster of fine arts program. She was working as an actress and singer in Los Angeles when she decided toreturn to Louisiana to earn her master’s degree. “I feel like I’ve come full circle,” she said. “If you remember the movie ‘Pitch Perfect,’ it was filmed in Louisiana, and there were scenes in the Reilly Theatre. It was the first movie Iworked on with my (Screen Actors Guild) card. All of these little pieces are coming together,and I’m really excited to be acting in this play in this theater.”

As forLizzie, she mayfeel out of her element as familyhostess, but she’sused to being in the story spotlight, unlike her younger

PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

STAFF FILE

Jourdan Thibodeaux will perform for this week’s DowntownAlive! at 6p.m. FridayinParc Sans Souci in Lafayette.

ing,Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: CharleyG’s, Lafayette, 6p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s, Lafayette, 6p.m.

COWBOYKEN: Prejean’s, Broussard, Broussard, 6p.m.

RORYSUIRE: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m

LIVE MUSIC: TapRoom, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m

DYLAN AUCOIN: Silver Slipper,Arnaudville, 7p.m.

BAJAAJAZZ QUINTET: Whiskey& Vine, Lafayette, 7p.m.

NEXT GEN ZYDECO: Artmosphere, Lafayette, 8p.m.

GENO DELAFOSE &FRENCH ROCKIN’

BOOGIE: La PoussiereCajun Dancehall, BreauxBridge, 8p.m

CHRISHIMEL &JEFF MENARD: The Barrel of Broussard,Broussard, 8p.m.

CLIFTONBROWN &THE RUSTY

BUCKET BAND: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30p.m.

ORYVEILLON: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9p.m.

SUNDAY

HOLYGHOST CREOLEFESTIVAL: Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Opelousas, 10 a.m

BRUNCH SHOW –KELLIJONES,CHAS

JUSTUS &TREY BOUDREAUX: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey &Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: TanteMarie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

LES FRERES MICHOT: Prejean’s, Carencro, 11:30a.m.

LE BALDUDIMANCHE –BLAKE

MILLER &THE OLD FASHIONED ACES: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1p.m

CAJUN JAM: BayouTeche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2p.m.

sister,Mary,played by Christine Sáenz.

And Mary readily steps into her own spotlightwiththe entrance of Arthur.

“Wedon’tknow muchabout Mary in ‘Pride andPrejudice,’ and she’skind of the protagonist, and this is really about her story,tryingtodetermine what kind of life she’sgoing to have available to her as the middle daughter,” director Sharon Graci said. “And will she ever have achoiceto, to livean idea of herlifethatisasgrand as what she reads in her books? That’s what this story kind of unfolds in this lovely tale for theholidays.”

Gruci came to Swine Palace from Charleston,South Carolina, where she is co-founder and artistic director for Pure Theater

“I have adeep appreciation for JaneAusten’sstorytellingand devotion that she’scommanded over allthis time,”Gracisaid. “And we haveagreat cast. They’re so engaged with one another,and they’rehaving fun with this.”

Cast member Michael Hyattis especially havingfun with his role as Arthur.

“He’skindof nerdy,soI canrelate to him,” Hyattsaid, laughing. “ArthurisDarcy’scousin, and

RUSTY METOYER: Cypress Cove Landing,Breaux Bridge, 3p.m

JUSTIN CORNETT: Pat’sAtchafalaya Club, Henderson, 4:30 p.m.

MIKEBROUSSARD: O’Darby’s Pub& Grill, Carencro, 5p.m

VETERANS DAYCELEBRATION: City of Scott, 5p.m

STOP THE CLOCK COUNTRYJAZZ:

Feed NSeed, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

MONDAY

PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Café Habana City,Lafayette, 11 a.m.

DAVE MOUTON EXPERIENCE: The BrassRoom, Lafayette, 7p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

BLUEGRASSJAM: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

TERRYHUVAL &FRIENDS: Prejean’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

PAUL TASSIN: Whiskey &Vine, Lafayette, 6p.m

GROOVE ROOM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 6p.m

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMER JAM: St.Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.

SPECIAL DANCE SHOW& PERFOR-

MANCE FROM MICAH AND MADAME

DIVAH: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 4p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

CHARLES &WENDYTRICHE: Whiskey &Vine, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: TapRoom, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

GEESCOTT’SBIRTHDAYJAM!: Gloria’s Bar &Grill, Lafayette, 8p.m

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon Lafayette, 8p.m

THURSDAY

BROUSSARD SESSIONS FEATURING SIDEQUEST,ZACHEDWARDS,GINO

V&JOSH MENARD: Central Pizza& Bar,Broussard, 6p.m

DONALD WRIGHT PIANO: Whiskey & Vine,Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6p.m

MIKEBROUSSARD: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

HORACE TRAHAN: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

just as Elizabethand Darcydid in ‘Pride and Prejudice,’Arthur and Mary are butting against the social norms.”

Hyatt is astudentinthe School of Theatre’s MFAprogram. He comes to theuniversity from Chicago, whereheworked for eight years as an actor

“And Iamreally excited to play Arthur with his idiosyncrasies,”he said. “He’snot only nerdy,but anxious, whichI see in his navigation to behave in arules-based society, which is something veryspeciﬁc to this time.”

This story isn’twithout its complications.Then again, what Jane Austen-related story ever is?

While Arthur is forming astrong attachmenttoMary, he’s also betrothedtohis cousin, Anne de Bourgh, through an arrangedengagement Does he wantthis? No.Maybe themoreimportantquestion is, hasheeverwanted it? Never.But he doesn’twant to hurt his cousin.

So,willhemarry Anne or be true to his heart and choose Mary? Drive over to the Reilly Theatre and ﬁnd out.

Email RobinMiller at romiller@ theadvocate.com.

BALL

Continued from page1D

“Thishas been frustrating for me sinceperforming with my band and my musical friends has been my life

“So, Imust now share this with my fans and friends: Ihad avisit to theMayoClinic in Rochester, Minnesota recently, and Ihave ﬁnally received someanswers, though not the ones Ihad hoped for.I have ALS (LouGehrig’s disease), and Ineed to share that with my family,friends, fans and many musiccollaborators and associates.”

She continued, “It is impossible to predicthow this ALS diagnosiswill impact my life fully.At this early stage however,Iknow that performing is somethingI can no longer do.Ican’tsing.

“Sadly,Ihave canceled all the shows Ihad conﬁrmed for the foreseeable future. The absolutelast thing Iwanttodoisto cancel shows. My sincere apologies.”

She plans to enter atreatment program at the University of Texas at SanAntonio.

“I am hopefulthatthe progression of symptoms is slowtoappear,” she said in her statement.

“ALS has no knowncure at this time, but there area fewdrugs that maybeprescribed.

“My family,circle of friends, and bandmates are providing me support as this news sinks in. Adjustments will be necessary but one thing thatwon’tchange is my love and support for the musiccommunity, and you can be sure Iwill be out listening to music everychanceIget

“Thank youfor your understanding andallowing me the time andspace Ineedtomake theseunexpectedlifeadjustments.” Ballhas for decades lived in

Austin, Texas, where she andher husband operated the music club La Zona Rosa

But she has along afﬁliation with the music of New Orleans. Twoofher formative musical influences weresinger Irma Thomasand pianistProfessor Longhair

Ball formed her ﬁrst band as an English major at LSU in Baton Rouge. She would go on to release more than adozen albums underher ownname,mostly for Rounder Records and Alligator Records. She won aslewof BluesMusic Awards. She wasa regularatthe New Orleans Jazz &Heritage Festival and the Jazz Fest-week WWOZ Piano Night beneﬁt. On the 2007 album “Goin’ Home: ATributetoFats Domino,” she teamed up with Thomas to sing “I Just Can’tGet NewOrleansOff My Mind.” The night before Thanksgiving 2024, she was among the featuredperformers at aThomas tribute concertatTipitina’s In January,she joined New Orleans-basedpianistsJon Cleary, John “Papa” Gros and Oscar Rossignoli fora “Pianorama” show aboard the second annual Big Easy Cruise In the theater aboard the Holland AmericaLine’sNieuw Amsterdam, she andthe other three cameonstage one by one fora 15-minute interview andsolo performance. Thenall four joined forces, on four keyboards, to cutloose on apairofMardi Grasstandards. During the 2025 Jazz Fest, she took part in asalute to zydeco legend Clifton Chenier at the Fair Grounds. She also performedatthis year’s WWOZ PianoNight and at a“Midnight Preserves” latenight showatPreservation Hall. Email KeithSpera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

TodayisFriday, Nov.7,the 311th day of 2025. There are54 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Nov.7,1916, Jeannette Rankin of Montana won election to theU.S.House of Representatives, becoming the ﬁrst woman elected to either chamber of Congress.

Also on this date:

In 1917, Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin overthrew the provisional government of AlexanderKerensky.

In 1940, Washington state’s original Tacoma Narrows Bridge,nicknamed “Galloping Gertie,”collapsed into Puget Sound during awindstorm just four months afteropening to trafﬁc.

In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth term in ofﬁce, defeating Republican Thomas E. Dewey In 1972, President Richard Nixon was reelected in alandslide overDemocrat George McGovern.

In 1989, L. DouglasWilder won the governor’sraceinVirginia, becomingthe ﬁrst elected Black governorinU.S. history; David N. Dinkins waselected New York City’sﬁrst Black mayor

In 1991, basketball star Magic Johnsonannounced that he had testedpositive forHIV andwas retiring.

In 1996, NASA launched the Mars GlobalSurveyor from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the agency’s ﬁrst missiontothe red planetinabout two decades The orbiterbecame the longestoperating spacecraft sent to Mars before NASA lost contact with it in November 2006.

In 2011, ajury in Los Angeles convictedMichael Jackson’s doctor,ConradMurray,ofinvoluntary manslaughterfor supplying apowerful anesthetic implicated in the pop star’s2009 death. (Murraywas sentenced to four years in prison. He servedtwo years andwas released in October2013.)

In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden clinchedvictory over President Donald Trump as awin in Pennsylvania pushedBiden over the threshold of 270Electoral College votes. Trump refused to concede.

Today’sbirthdays: BaseballHallof Famer JimKaat is 87.Former singerJohnny Rivers is 83. Singer-songwriterJoni Mitchell is 82. RetiredArmy general andformer CIA Director David Petraeusis73. Actor ChristopherKnight (TV:“The Brady Bunch”) is 68. DJ-producer David Guetta is 58. Actor Yunjin Kim is 52. Rock singerLorde is 29.

STAFF

THIS WEEKEND’SFAIRS ANDFESTIVALS

fanfare.

THROUGHFRIDAY

FANFARE: Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond. The university’s annual fall festival of the arts, humanities and social sciences wraps up on Friday with twoevents: the second night of “The Magic Flute” from SLU’sOpera/ Music TheatreWorkshop, 7p.m., Columbia Theatrefor the Performing Arts; and Friends of Sims Library 17th annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction, 6:30 p.m., Sims Library.https://www. columbiatheatre.org/

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

FLASHLIGHT FRIGHT NIGHTS:

SATURDAY-SUNDAY; NOV. 15-16, 22-23, 28-30AND DEC.6-7

LOUISIANA RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL: 46468 River Road, Hammond. Travel back to 14th- through 17th-century Europe, an experiencewithmore than 600 artisans, entertainers and educational demonstrations.Tickets startat$20. larf2023.org

FRIDAY-SUNDAY ANTIQUE TRADE DAYS:

6:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m., 13th Gate

Haunted Attraction, 832St. Philip St. With ﬂashlights as the only light source, journey through 13 nightmarish realms in the 40,000-squarefoot house, whereyour worst fears come true and anything can happen. $35, generaladmission; $75, VIP.https://13thgate.com/#dates.

FRIDAY

FAMILYDINNER IMPROV COMEDY

TROUPE: 7:30 p.m., Hartley/Vey Theatre, Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Rated R-ish. $14. manshiptheatre.org.

FRIDAY NIGHT LECTURE: 7:30p.m.-

8:30 p.m., BREC’s Highland Road Park Observatory,13800 Highland Road. Skygazing tips, physics phenomena, space programs and famous events arecovered. For ages 14 and older.Free. hrpo.lsu. edu. Also, evening sky viewing from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday

BATONROUGE ZYDECO VS. BILOXI

BREAKERS: 7p.m Raising Cane’s River Center Arena, 275 S. River Road. $25 and up. ticketmaster. com.

SATURDAY

RED STICK FARMERSMARKET:

8a.m.-noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farm-fresh produce goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the LouisianaArt &Science Museum, 100S.River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

GREATER BATONROUGE MODEL

RAILROADERS: 10 a.m. to 2p.m.,

9a.m.-5 p.m., commuter parking lot, East Pine Street at SE Railroad Avenue, Ponchatoula. Morethan 200 local and national vendors with antiques, crafts, art and collectibles; food vendors. https://ponchatoulachamber.com/ antique-trade-days/. HOLYGHOSTCREOLE FESTIVAL: 788 N. Union St., Opelousas. Experience foods likefried catﬁsh or barbecuepork steak, gospel hymns and the Creole FestivalParade; bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets.

hgcatholic.org

BERWICK LIGHTHOUSE FESTIVAL: 6p.m.-11p.m Friday, 9a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 9a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday,Belleview and Frontstreets, Berwick. Family-oriented event celebrating community spirit along the scenic Atchafalaya River. Includes livemusic, arts and crafts, food, cookie bake-off, carnival, ﬁreworks, parade, gumbo cook-off, Mass on the River, cornhole tournament, night bikeride, and more. cajuncoast. com.

AROUND BATONROUGE

FRIDAY

KIRK HOLDER: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6p.m.

ERIC BASKIN: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6p.m

MELISSASINGS: BLDG 5, 6p.m.

JOE NEELY: Le ChienBrewing Co., Denham Springs,6:30 p.m

MATT TORTORICH: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7p.m.

AARON LEWIS AND THE STATELINERS: L’Auberge EventCenter,8 p.m

BUBBAPLAUCHÉ: RiverbendTerrace II at L’Auberge, 8p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. &ALL-STARS WITH A. LEE EDWARDS: Henry TurnerJr.’s Listening Room,8 p.m

AC CAMPBELL BAND: Charlie’s Lounge, Addis,8 p.m

THE COVERLYBROTHERS: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris,St. Amant, 8:30 p.m

MIKEHOGAN: The Vineyard, 9p.m

THOMAS CAIN: BigMike’s Sports Bar &Grill, Denham Springs, 9p.m.

SOUTH OF CENTRAL: Locals Central, 9p.m

JOEY &THE JUMPERCABLES: The EdgeBar at L’Auberge, 9p.m

N’TUNE: The Showroom, 9p.m.

HIGHLAND: Murphy’s, 9:30 p.m

SATURDAY

WILL WESLEY: St. James Park, Brusly, 10 a.m.

CLAYPARKER &JODI JAMES: The Mallory,St. Francisville,11a.m.

ZACH EDWARDS&THE MEDICINE: The Mallory,St. Francisville,12:30 p.m

IAN WEBSTER DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

REIGN OF METAL: MainLibrary at Goodwood, 6p.m.

SOUTH OF CENTRAL: Pedro’s-Siegen, 6p.m

DENTON HATCHER: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7p.m.

CARTER HAMPTON: RiverbendTerrace II at L’Auberge, 8p.m

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYSW/HENRY

TURNER: Henry TurnerJr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m

JOEL COOPER &SCOTT JORDAN: The Vineyard,9p.m.

SUNDAY

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill

MidCity, 11 a.m. OLD TIME MUSIC JAM: West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen, 3p.m.

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe,5 p.m

CHRIS THOMAS KING: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge,6:30 p.m CAIN WITH JOE REDDICK, CALEB& JOHN, HOSTEDBYANNIEF.DOWNS: Raising Cane’s RiverCenter Theatre for Performing Arts, 7p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville,7p.m.

MONDAY

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Pedro’s-Juban, 6p.m.

ACOUSTICRATS: Phil Brady’s, 6p.m.

TUESDAY

EDDIE SMITH: On theHalf Shell, Prairieville,6:30 p.m MY FRIENDSAND ME: Phil Brady’s, 7p.m.

WEDNESDAY

JEFF BAJON: La Divina Italian Cafe 6p.m. LSU JAZZ BAND: ClassicVinyls,6p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin77, 6:30 p.m

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC W/ HEATH RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7p.m.

ANDYPIZZOTRIO: HayrideScandal, 7:30 p.m

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8p.m.

THURSDAY

KYBALION: El Paso,Baton Rouge 6p.m.

BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: T’Quilas, Denham Springs,6 p.m

JIMMY AUCOIN: LilDaddy’s, Plaquemine, 7p.m.

BENBELL&THE STARDUST BOYS: The Brakes Bar, 7p.m.

THE BISHOP ELLIS TRIO: Hayride Scandal,7 p.m

HENRYTURNER JR. &ALL-STARS: Henry TurnerJr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m.

RANDYROGERS: L’Auberge Event Center,8 p.m

BLUESJAM: Phil Brady’s, 9p.m.

RHETT GUILLOT: The Vineyard, 9p.m

Republic of West Florida Historical Museum, 3406 College St., Jackson Electric trains of all sizes will be running on ﬁvedifferent layouts. Free admission and parking.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

BASF’S KIDS’ LAB: 11 a.m., 1p.m. and 3p.m. Saturday and1:30 p.m. and 3p.m. Sunday, Louisiana Art & ScienceMuseum, 100 S. RiverRoad. Explorethe science of chemistry during a45-minute hands-on workshop for scientists ages 6-12 and their accompanying adults. This month’s topic: “CandyPlus Chemistry.” Included withpaid admission. lasm.org.

SUNDAY BRAVER ANGELSBATON ROUGE: 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m., BluebonnetBranch Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd Lt.-Gov. Billy Nungesser will speak on Louisiana’s primary election system.

SENSORYSECOND SUNDAY: 3p.m.5p.m., Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100S.River Road. This month’s featuredprogram is “Colors That Speak (Colores que Hablan),” asensory-friendlyart workshop led by Iveth Esmahan, founder and director of W3 BeeLong. Dimmedlights, low-volume music, designated quiet areas, headphones and sensory tools are available. Due to limited space, pre-registration recommended at tinyurl.com/LASMSensorySunday. lasm.org.

GEORGE BELLAND FRIENDS: HOLIDAYJAZZLIVE TAPING: 5p.m., Manship Theatre,100 Lafayette St. Also featuring Quiana Lynell. Louisiana Public Broadcasting will be recording this event for airing at 1p.m. Dec. 1. $77.83. manshiptheatre.org.

TUESDAY

REDSTICK FARMERSMARKET:

3p.m.-6p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

BATONROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6p.m.8p.m., La Divina ItalianCafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. Achanceto play andlearn;all levels welcome. Free.

OVER-WINTERING NATIVES WITH LOUISIANA WILD SOCI-

ETY: 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. $10, students, FriendsofHilltop, andLouisiana Master Naturalist members; $15, general public.lsu edu/hilltop.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m.,Burgersmith,18303 Perkins Road. Collect your team andjockey for ﬁrst place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

WEDNESDAY

REDSTICK FARMERSMARKET:

9a.m.-noon, ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods andmore. www.facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m.,Burgersmith,27350 Crossing Circle, Suite 150, DenhamSprings. Collect your team andjockey for ﬁrstplace. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

THURSDAY

REDSTICK FARMERSMARKET:

8a.m.-noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods andmore. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

TEDXBATONROUGE: 4:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette. Theme is “Unseen Currents,” exploring the hidden forces shaping our climate,

community,and future. $81. manshiptheatre.org.

WEEKLYSOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. ThirdSt.,Suite A. Free. fareharbor.com.

ONGOING ARTGUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre,7800 Independence Blvd.“AHoliday Retrospective—AGL Member Show 2025,”Nov.13-Jan. 8. The following classesalso areavailable in November:SteveShamburger Portraits from Life —The Sanden Method in 29 Steps, SueWang Chinese Brush Painting and Betty Gravois and KayBailey—AChild’s ChristmasIII. (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.org.

LOUISIANA ART&SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road.“Crossroads &Connections: ACentury of theRailway in Baton Rouge,”now in theRepublic Finance Gallery “Landscapes Along the Railway: TheArt of John Cleaveland, Soupçon Gallery; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” Discovery Gallery; “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,”Colonnade Gallery; “Threads of Evolution:Engineering aCommunity That Sparkles,”engineering meets imagination through the work of Jaime Glas Odom, founder and creative director of fashion brand Queen of Sparkles, through Sunday. (225) 344-5272 or lasm.org.

LOUISIANA STATEARCHIVESGALLERY: 3851 Essen Lane. “Associated Women in the ArtsAll-Member Exhibition,”through Dec. 1. Free. Gallery hours arefrom8a.m.to 4:30 p.m.Mondaythrough Friday.

LSU MUSEUMOFART: Shaw Center for theArts, 100 Lafayette St.“The SculptureofScott, Payton, Hayden, andBechet,” through Jan. 25. “A

BayouState of Mind,”highlighted by the exhibition “The BayouCollection,”aseries of 40 paintings by George Rodrigue, through Jan. 4. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.

MANSHIP THEATRE JONES WALKER FOYER: 100 Lafayette St.“Composition-Color-Pattern” by artist Kevin Babb, through Dec. 31. Free and open during regular Shaw Center building hours unless thereisa privateevent.

LSU TEXTILE &COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, Tower Drive,LSU campus. “Dressing Louisiana Histoires de la mode de la Louisiane,”through March 6, 2026. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu. edu.

MAGNOLIA MOUNDMUSEUM +HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive Guided and self-guided tours. Hours arefrom10a.m. to 4p.m. Monday-Saturdayand from 1p.m. to 4p.m. Sunday. brec.org/facility/ MagnoliaMound.

OLD GOVERNOR’SMANSION: 502 North Blvd.Open for tours. Hours arefrom9a.m. to 4p.m. MondayFriday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATECAPITOL: 100 North Blvd.“VietnamExperience: 50th Anniversary of the End of the War,” through Dec. 20. Free. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road.Displays of avariety of artifacts that celebrateveteran and navalmilitary history.Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs. usskidd.com.

WESTBATON ROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave.,Port Allen. “An American WarinVietnam,”through Dec. 30. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.

PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

Jennifer Rockwalks with her bird, ‘Edelweiss,’onopeningday of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival on Nov. 1inHammond

sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Be aware of people trying to buy or win your favor. Respond honestly and openly, and don't lead anyone astray. Love is on the rise, but so is indulgence. Make healthy physical, emotional and financial choices.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Expect situations to be erratic. Raise your profile by leveraging technology or attending networking functions.

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) New beginnings are within reach. Venture out, strut your stuff and connect with people who share your vision. A change of plans will lead to an exceptional source of information.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) A change at home will add to your comfort and encourage you to host a gathering or use your space to suit your needs. Be passionate and outspoken, and you will thrive.

PIsCEs (Feb 20-March 20) Weigh the pros and cons before you make decisions. Work on self-improvement rather than trying to change others. Pay more attention to health and wellness.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Initiate change that puts your mind at ease. Cap your spending, attend to unfinished business and address medical issues. Do what's best for you. Beware of indulgence.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Domestic expenditures that make life easier are favored. Don't sit idle when positive steps are available. Follow your heart

instead of letting someone else dictate what you can and cannot do.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Emotional confusion requires immediate attention or intervention from loved ones. Partnerships can profoundly impact how you proceed. When in doubt, trust whoever has the best track record.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Implement caution when spending. Don't fall for gimmicks or ads that promise the impossible. Refuse to let emotions stop you from fulfilling your responsibilities.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Step up and out. Explore what life has to offer. Indulge in activities or events that provide mental stimulation and insight into how you can use your skills, assets and experience to raise your profile.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You may want a second opinion before you make a move or a purchase. Verify information and go through the motions to ensure someone isn't trying to scam you. Don't buy into overpriced products or sales pitches.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Keep your eyes and ears wide open. Take precautions when dealing with joint ventures or shared expenses. It may be in your best interest to move forward on your own.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by

people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

FAMILY CIrCUS

famous

toDAy's CLuE: D EQuALs C

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

peAnUtS

zItS

FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIPALDER

J.M. Barrie, aScottish author and dramatist who created Peter Pan, said, “I have always foundthat the man whose secondthoughtsaregoodisworthwatching.”

Ahard contract to play correctly has anobvious-lookinglinethatdoesn’twork, andanalternativeapproachthatcanalso be tried —which actually does succeed This deal, as if youcould not guess, is an example. South is in three no-trump. Westleadsthespadequeen.Whatshould declarer do?

That South hand, with all of those aces and kings and the five-cardsuit, is easily worthatleast24points.NorthusedStayman, then signed off in three no-trump when Southdenieda four-cardmajor Yes,fivediamondswouldhavemade,but do not go pastthree no-trump unlessyou areeithersurethatgamecannotmakeor contemplating aslam in your minor

South starts with eight top tricks: two spades, two hearts, threediamonds and one club. And many players, taking one look at that gorgeous diamond suit in the dummy, would win the first trick, cash the diamond ace, playanother diamond and go down one. Is thereaway to win nine tricks even if diamonds do not break3-2? Yes, the hearts might be 3-3.South, after takingthe first trick,should lead his low heart(or cashhis top hearts and, when both opponents follow suit, play athird round).

Thedefenders take theheart trickand leadanotherspade,butSouthwins,cashes his tophearts and the diamond ace, plays another diamond, and hereclaims nine tricks.

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

Previous answers: wuzzles

word

InstRuCtIons:

toDAy’s WoRD ZEPPELIns: ZEP-ih-lins: Rigid airships supported by internal gascells.

Average

Time