The Acadiana Advocate 11-08-2025 by The Advocate

UL cuts include professors, coaches

BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer

Professors, coaches and police ofﬁcers are among those being laid off from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette while school ofﬁcials try to make up for a $25 mil-

lion deﬁcit. A list of 56 jobs that the university is cutting, which The Acadiana Advocate received through a public records request, shows that they include workers across a wide array of departments, from academic counselors to assistant

coaches. Of those being laid off, their annual salaries ranged from $16,153 to $171,600.

The eliminated positions should lead to $5 million in savings for the university A new website that UL unveiled this week about the budget crisis says they’ve made enough headway to offset $20.5 million in the deﬁcit, with roughly $5 million left to go.

The butterﬂy effect

Scientists say some milkweed may be fueling a deadly parasite

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

For years, home gardeners have been told to do one thing to save monarch butterﬂies: plant milkweed, the only plant monarch caterpillars eat And for years, that’s what Linda Barber Auld, known as “NOLA BugLady,” did. Her garden was full of it, as well as other butterﬂy-

friendly vegetation.

But things changed in 2020 after she saw scientiﬁc data suggesting that milkweed is spreading a disease that can cause butterﬂies to emerge from their chrysalises wingless and deformed.

“I came home and I ripped out all the milkweed in my yard,” she said, both the native and tropical varieties.

That disease — ophryocystis elektroscirrha, or OE, for short — is widespread across North America but monarch infection rates are particularly high in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. The vast majority of monarchs in New Orleans are infected with the protozoan pathogen, according to data col-

lected largely by citizen scientists and compiled by Project Monarch Health at the University of Georgia.

Some researchers warn OE spores can build up on milkweed that persists through winter — especially tropical milkweed, which is not native to Louisiana.

“The very thing that people are doing to help the monarchs is the thing that’s causing them problems,” said Andy Davis, an assistant research scientist at the University of Georgia who studies monarchs. Monarchs are an emblematic North

Meta partners for solar farms in La.

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has signed a deal with a developer for two large-scale solar farms in rural Louisiana, projects tied

to the tech giant’s construction of its largest data center yet in the state’s northeast. The 385-megawatt projects, with developer Treaty Oaks, will generate enough power for around 80,000 homes. Meta will purchase the solar energy generated at the

two sites in Morehouse and Sabine Parishes. The clean energy will flow directly to the region’s grid, helping Meta offset a small portion of the emissions from the three gas-ﬁred

ä See META, page 5A

Interim President Jaimie Hebert announced last month in an email to faculty and staff that the budget deficit he inherited required cuts to all divisions through a combination of position eliminations, retirements, resignations and reassignments. Of the 70 affected positions, 51 people a mix of civil service and non-civil service employees — were laid off. The remaining 19 were reassigned When the budget deficit came to public light in September, UL also eliminated six additional positions, closed the Office of Sustainability and Community Engagement and restructured the Offices of Communications and Marketing and Auxiliary Services.

ä See MILKWEED, page 5A

ä See JOBS, page 4A

Man indicted on sex trafficking counts

Prosecutors allege ‘El Perro’ operated two brothels in BR

BY AIDAN MCCAHILL Staff writer

Federal prosecutors allege that a man known as “El Perro” operated a human trafﬁcking ring in Baton Rouge for more than two years, using WhatsApp to attract clients and lure victims to two brothels off of Nicholson Drive.

“El Perro” has been identiﬁed as Jesus Lopez, a 45-year-old Honduran national who also went by the alias Pedro Vargas. The women under his control referred to him as “Fran,” according to court documents.

On Wednesday, a federal grand jury indicted Lopez on multiple counts of sex trafﬁcking by force, fraud and coercion, as well as coercing and enticing to travel for interstate prostitution. Two Honduran women, Zaira Lopez-Olivia, 23, and Kirsis Castellanos-Kirington, 30, face similar counts for assisting in the operation.

The arrests, made in October were the result of a yearslong investigation by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Ofﬁce and Homeland Security Investigations. According to an affidavit obtained from the U.S. Middle District Court in Louisiana, detectives with the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce received a tip in August 2024 that women — possibly underage — were being forced into prostitution at a residence on the 900 block of Aster Street, near Nicholson Drive.

The source provided WhatsApp messages advertising commercial sex using a series of photographs showing women in lingerie or

ä See INDICTED, page 4A

Construction continues on the Meta AI data center near Holly Ridge.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

A monarch butterfly alights on milkweed in New Orleans last month. Scientific data suggests that milkweed is spreading a disease that can cause butterflies to emerge from their chrysalises wingless and deformed

STAFF FILE PHOTO By

SOPHIA GERMER

17th strike on alleged drug boat announced

WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth late Thursday announced another deadly U.S. strike on a boat he said was trafﬁcking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.

The attack Thursday killed three people aboard the vessel, Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from the Trump administration’s campaign in South American waters up to at least 69 people in at least 17 strikes.

Hegseth posted a 20-second video of the strike on social media and wrote, “As we’ve said before, vessel strikes on narco-terrorists will continue until their poisoning of the American people stops.” He claimed the vessel was “operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization.”

President Donald Trump has justiﬁed the strikes by saying the United States is in “armed conﬂict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations.

The administration has not provided evidence or more details.

Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed a small group of congressional leaders Wednesday on the growing military campaign, providing one of the first high-level glimpses into the legal rationale and strategy behind the strikes.

Report: Combs caught with booze behind bars

Sean “Diddy” Combs found himself in hot water this week for allegedly drinking booze behind bars in federal prison.

The 55-year-old, who last month started serving four years for two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, was caught with homemade alcohol — consisting of fermented Fanta, sugar and apples at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, sources told TMZ

Two insiders said that ofﬁcials at the low-security prison decided against moving Combs to another unit from that of the special drug program unit where he reportedly resides.

At his October sentencing, Combs said in a letter to Manhattan federal court Judge Arun Subramanian that his time at Brooklyn’s infamous Metropolitan Detention Center where he’d been held since his arrest in September 2024, resulted in his ﬁrst bout of sobriety in over two decades.

Harry apologizes to Canada for Dodgers cap

LONDON Prince Harry went to Toronto for events marking the end of World War I and found himself on an apology tour for offending Canadians.

Speaking to a military charity on Thursday night, the Duke of Sussex sought to once again address the “blue-hatted elephant in the room.” He was referring to his widely ridiculed choice to wear a Los Angeles Dodgers cap at a World Series game in Los Angeles against the Toronto Blue Jays It was seen as a major snub in Canada, a British Commonwealth nation, where his father King Charles III, is the head of state.

Harry apologized for the blunder and tried to put a humorous spin on the incident he referred to as “Hat Gate.”

“When you’re missing a lot of hair on top, and you’re sitting under floodlights, you’ll take any hat that’s available,” he joked in an interview with Canadian broadcaster CTV He then donned a Blue Jays cap that happened to be an arm’s length away The prince and his wife, Meghan, stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to Canada brieﬂy before settling in California.

The appearance of Harry and Meghan at Game 4 of the series that L.A. went on to win in seven games — also rankled some Dodgers fans The couple sat in the ﬁrst row in front of Dodgers great Sandy Koufax and Lakers star Magic Johnson who is a part owner of the team.

Harry said the couple had been invited to the game by the team owner He felt “under duress” and wore the hat as a polite gesture

Fla. AG sues Planned Parenthood

It’s latest challenge to abortion pills

BY ROMY ELLENBOGEN Tampa Bay Times (TNS)

TALLAHASSEE,Fla.— Florida Attorney

General James Uthmeier is suing Planned Parenthood, accusing the group of “lying to” women about the safety of abortion medication.

The lawsuit marks at least the second time that Uthmeier has used his ofﬁce to go after mifepristone, one of the medications used by doctors providing abortions.

Earlier this year, Uthmeier moved to join a lawsuit challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to ease restrictions on mifepristone.

The lawsuit ﬁled by Uthmeier’s ofﬁce Thursday takes issue with Planned Parenthood’s marketing, which says that abortion medication is “safer than Tylenol.”

Florida is suing the nationwide Planned Parenthood, Florida’s Planned Parenthood organization and the national and state Planned

Parenthood Action Fund, the groups’ political wing.

His ofﬁce argues that mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used to provide abortions, can result in hemorrhaging and the need for emergency medical attention.

The FDA says mifepristone is safe and was approved 25 years ago based on a “thorough and comprehensive review of the scientiﬁc evidence.”

The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists says the drug is safe and that complications are “exceedingly rare.”

Under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and at the urging of Republican attorneys general, the federal administration is reviewing the safety of mifepristone again.

Uthmeier’s lawsuit argues that Planned Parenthood uses medication abortion as a “cash cow,” saying that Planned Parenthood charges an average of $580 for a medication abortion but gets pills at a low cost.

“It is vile that Planned Parenthood cares more about lining their

pockets than providing women with factual information about the health risks of chemical abortion drugs,” Uthmeier said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood did not immediately return a request for comment.

The lawsuit makes a broad antiabortion statement, saying that elective abortions, whether surgical or medical, are “unethical practices that violate the Hippocratic Oath and deny the inalienable rights of all human beings.”

Florida is challenging Planned Parenthood under both the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, arguing the clinics’ campaign deceived consumers, and its anti-racketeering law

The state is asking a judge to ﬁne Planned Parenthood $10,000 for each medication abortion provided by Florida Planned Parenthood since the “safer than Tylenol” language was posted in June 2023. The attorney general’s ofﬁce estimates that fee to reach $350 million.

Uthmeier is also asking a judge to consider taking additional steps

By The Associated Press

GENEVA The United States on Friday snubbed a review of its human rights record by a United Nations body on orders of the Trump administration, which has turned its back on the Human Rights Council.

To the chagrin of U.S. allies and rights advocates alike, the U.S. seat sat empty as the council president sought input from the United States — once a stalwart participant and defender of human rights worldwide — as it came up for its turn as part of regular review of all U.N. member states.

Council members expressed regret that the United States didn’t take part, called on the council president to urge the U.S. to resume its cooperation, and moved to reschedule the U.S. review next year: Such a review can’t take place without the “concerned country” taking part. Honduras faced its review earlier in the day Friday

There’s no indication whether the Trump administration would take part next year either The U.S. already announced in September that it would sit out Friday’s review

The American Civil Liberties Union said the Trump administration was “setting a dangerous example that will further weaken universal human rights at home and abroad,” and pointed to rights

BY SEUNG MIN KIM and MICHELLE L PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Friday that no U.S. government ofﬁcials would be attending the Group of 20 summit this year in South Africa, citing the country’s treatment of White farmers.

Trump had already announced he would not attend the annual summit for heads of state from the globe’s leading and emerging economies Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled to attend in Trump’s place, but a person familiar with Vance’s plans who was granted

concerns in the United States.

“From the discrimination and violence inﬂicted in the ICE raids, to the attacks on free speech of protesters and journalists, to the deployment of the National Guard in American cities when no crisis exists, the world is watching the United States government attacking the constitutional and human rights of its own people,” said Chandra Bhatnagar, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The council examines the rights records of all 193 U.N. member countries about every four or ﬁve years. This was to be the fourth such review of the United States since the 47-member country council was created two decades ago.

Israel, in 2013, became the only other country to reject the council’s review process — but ended up taking part nine months later, council ofﬁcials have said.

U.S. President Donald Trump in February issued an executive order announcing that the United States was withdrawing from the council.

The first Trump administration, citing the council’s alleged anti-Israel bias and refusal to reform, pulled the United States out in 2018, before the Biden administration brought the U.S. back. The United States still took part in the review process during Trump’s ﬁrst term.

anonymity to talk about his schedule said Vance would no longer travel there for the summit.

“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump said on his social media site. In his post, Trump cited “abuses” of Afrikaners, including violence and death as well as conﬁscation of their land and farms.

The Trump administration has long accused the South African government of allowing minority White Afrikaner farmers to be persecuted and attacked.

As it restricted the number of refugees admitted annually to the U.S. to 7,500, the administration indicated

that most will be White South Africans who it claimed faced discrimination and violence at home.

But the government of South Africa has said it is surprised by the accusations of discrimination, because White people in the country generally have a much higher standard of living than its Black residents, more than three decades after the end of the apartheid system of White minority rule.

The country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said he’s told Trump that information about the alleged discrimination and persecution of Afrikaners is “completely false.”

such as ordering Planned Parenthood to give up real estate, prohibiting it from providing abortion medication, ordering Planned Parenthood’s dissolution and suspending its licenses to do business in Florida. Planned Parenthood is headquartered in New York. Planned Parenthood of Florida is headquartered in West Palm Beach. Uthmeier’s ofﬁce ﬁled the lawsuit in Santa Rosa County in Florida’s Panhandle. There is no Planned Parenthood location in Santa Rosa County The nearest location is in Tallahassee. Florida restricts most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and requires anyone wanting abortion medication to see a doctor in person. In 2022, nearly 57% of abortions performed in Florida were done using medication, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite Florida’s law, doctors in states that have “shield laws” to protect providers from criminal and civil litigation do send abortion medication through the mail.

BY TODD RICHMOND Associated Press

Authorities are considering whether to charge an Indiana homeowner who they say shot and killed a woman working as a house cleaner after she mistakenly went to the wrong address.

Police officers found 32-year-old Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez dead just before 7 a.m. Wednesday on the front porch of the home in Whitestown, an Indianapolis suburb of about 10,000 people, according to a police news release. She was part of a cleaning crew that had gone to the wrong address, the release said. Rios Perez’s husband, Mauricio Velazquez, told WRTV in Indianapolis that he and his wife had been cleaning homes for seven months Velazquez said he was standing with her at the home’s front door but didn’t realize she had been shot until she fell into his

arms, bleeding. On a fundraising page, her brother described Rios Perez as a mother of four children. Police said Friday that she was from Indianapolis but the family plans to bury her in Guatemala, according to her obituary and her brother’s fundraising page. Authorities have not publicly identified the shooter Police turned over the findings from their investigation to Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood on Friday afternoon, but the prosecutor said the decision on whether to file charges won’t be easy The case brings Indiana’s castle doctrine laws squarely into play, he said. Those laws allow a person to use reasonable force, including deadly force, to stop what they reasonably believe is an unlawful entry into their dwelling. Thirtyone states have similar laws on the books, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COMor337-234-0800 News Tips /Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM

Obituaries: 225-388-0289• Mon-Fri9-5; Sat10-5;ClosedSun

Advertising Sales: 337-234-0174•Mon-Fri 8-5

Classiﬁed Advertising: 225-383-0111• Mon-Fri8-5

Subscribe: theadvocate.com/subscribe E-Edition: theadvocate.com/eedition Archives: theadvocate.newsbank.com

KEySTONE PHOTO By MARTIAL TREZZINI

The American delegation seat is empty Friday following the U.S. boycott at the Human Rights Council 60th session of the UPR Working Group at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva. BRIEFS

Harry

Dems’ offer to end shutdown swatted down

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate Majority

Leader John Thune quickly swatted down a Democratic offer to reopen the government and extend expiring health care subsidies for a year, calling it a “nonstarter” as the partisan impasse over the shutdown continued into its 38th day

Senate Minority Leader Chuck

Schumer

D-N.Y made the offer to reopen the government on Friday as Republicans have refused to negotiate on their demands to extend health care subsidies. It was a much narrowed version of a broad proposal Democrats laid out a month ago to make the health tax credits permanent and reverse Medicaid cuts that Republicans enacted earlier this year

Schumer offered Republicans simultaneous votes to end the government shutdown and extend the expiring health care subsidies, along with a bipartisan committee to address Republican demands for changes to the Affordable Care Act “All Republicans have to do is say yes,” Schumer said.

But Republicans quickly said no. Thune, R-S.D., reiterated that they would not trade offers on health care until the government is reopened.

“That’s what we’re going to negotiate once the government opens up,” Thune said after Schumer made his proposal on the ﬂoor Thune said he thinks the offer is an indication that Democrats are “feeling the heat.”

“I guess you could characterize

that as progress,” he said. “But I just don’t think it gets anywhere close to what we need to do here.”

It was unclear what may happen next. Thune has suggested a weekend Senate session was possible.

President Donald Trump called on the Senate to stay in town “until they have a Deal to end the Democrat Shutdown.”

Moderates continue to negotiate

As leaders of the two parties disagreed, a small group of Democrats led by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen continued to negotiate among themselves and with

rank-and-ﬁle Republicans on a deal that would end the shutdown.

The group has been discussing for weeks a vote for a group of bills that would pay for parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things — and extend funding for everything else until December or January

The three annual spending bills that would likely be included are the product of bipartisan negotiations that have continued through the shutdown. But the contours of that agreement would only come with the

promise of a future health care vote, rather than a guarantee that Affordable Care Act subsidies are extended by the end of the year

Many Democrats have said that’s unacceptable.

Republicans eye new set of bills

Trump urged Republicans at a

White House breakfast on Wednesday to end the shutdown quickly and scrap the legislative ﬁlibuster, which requires 60 Senate votes for most legislation, so that they bypass Democrats altogether and fund the government.

“I am totally in favor of termi-

nating the ﬁlibuster and we would be back to work within 10 minutes after that vote took place,” Trump said Friday Republicans have emphatically rejected Trump’s call, and Thune has instead been eyeing a bipartisan package that mirrors the proposal the moderate Democrats have been sketching out. It was unclear what Thune, who has refused to negotiate, would promise on health care.

The package would replace the House-passed legislation that the Democrats have now rejected 14 times. That bill would only extend government funding until Nov 21, a date that is rapidly approaching after six weeks of inaction.

Johnson delivers setback to talks Democrats are facing pressure from unions eager for the shutdown to end and from allied groups that want them to hold ﬁrm

Many Democrats have argued that the wins for Democrats on Election Day show voters want them to continue the ﬁght until Republicans yield and agree to extend the health tax credits.

A vote on the health care subsidies “has got to mean something,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

“That means a commitment by the speaker of the House, that he will support the legislation, that the president will sign.”

But Speaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, made clear he will not make any commitments. “I’m not promising anybody anything,” Johnson said on Thursday when asked if he could promise a vote on a health care bill.

Appeals court denies administration’s bid to block SNAP payments

By The Associated Press

BOSTON — Residents in some U.S. states began to receive their full SNAP food aid Friday as an appeals court left in place, for now an order requiring President Donald Trump’s administration to fund such benefits amid a U.S. government shutdown

A judge had given the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the administration asked the appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month. After the appeals court declined to do so, the Trump administration quickly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its request The food program serves about 1 in 8 Americans, mostly with lower incomes.

Ofﬁcials in at least a halfdozen states conﬁrmed that some SNAP recipients already were issued full November payments on Friday

“Food benefits are now beginning to flow back to California families,” Democratic Gov Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

In Wisconsin, more than $104 million of monthly food benefits became available at midnight on electronic cards for about 337,000 households, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov Tony Evers said. The state was able to access the federal money so quickly by submitting a request to its electronic beneﬁt card vendor to process the SNAP payments within hours of a Thursday court order to provide full

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT ROURKE

People wait in line during an emergency food distribution Friday at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Mitzvah Food Program in Philadelphia.

beneﬁts.

Oregon Gov Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said state employees “worked through the night” to issue full November benefits “to make sure every Oregon family relying on SNAP could buy groceries” by Friday Officials in Kansas, New Jersey and Pennsylvania also said they moved quickly to issue full SNAP beneﬁts Friday Officials in Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and North Dakota said they distributed partial November payments. Other states said they expected full beneﬁts to arrive over the weekend or early next week Still others said they were waiting for further federal guidance.

Recipients face uncertainty

The court wrangling prolonged weeks of uncertainty for Americans with lower incomes.

An individual can receive a monthly maximum food beneﬁt of nearly $300 and a family of four up to nearly $1,000, although many receive less than that under a formula that takes into consideration their income.

For some SNAP participants, it remained unclear when they would receive their beneﬁts.

Jasmen Youngbey of Newark, New Jersey, waited in line Friday at a food pantry in the state’s largest city. As a single mom attending college, Youngbey said she relies on SNAP to help feed her 7-month-old and 4-yearold sons. But she said her account balance was at $0.

“Not everybody has cash to pull out and say, ‘OK, I’m going to go and get this,’ especially with the cost of food right now,” she said.

Later Friday, Youngbey said, she received her monthly SNAP beneﬁts.

Another twist in legal fight

Because of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration originally had said SNAP beneﬁts would not be available in November However two judges ruled last week that the administration could not skip November’s beneﬁts entirely because of the shutdown.

One of those judges was U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr., who ordered the full

Lamar leads Grammy nominations

BY MARIA SHERMAN AP music writer

NEW YORK Kendrick La-

mar leads the 2026 Grammy Award nominations, announced Friday

The rapper is up for nine trophies at February’s ceremony: record, song and album of the year marking the third time he’s had simultaneous nominations in those big categories as well as pop duo/group performance, melodic rap performance, rap song and rap album. He’s also nominated twice in the rap performance category.

Lamar, who is riding the success of last year’s blockbuster “GNX” album, has 22 Grammy career wins and 66 nominations. “GNX” is his

fifth consecutive studio album to be nominated for album of the year, something no other artist has ever done. If it wins, it will be his first win in the category And it will be only the third rap album to win the top prize, following Outkast in 2004 for “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” and Lauryn Hill in 1999 for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Canadian record producer/songwriter Cirkut follow Lamar with seven nominations each Lady Gaga is up for song, record and album of the year — her first time receiving nominations in all three categories simultaneously She could also score potential wins in the pop solo per-

formance, pop vocal album, dance pop recording and traditional pop vocal album categories. Antonoff is nominated in the record album and song of the year categories twice, for his work with Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter He’s also nominated for rap song for the ﬁrst time. That’s for “tv off” with Lamar, featuring Lefty Gunplay In addition to Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” and Lamar’s “GNX,” the album of the year category is rounded out by Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Justin Bieber’s “Swag,” Clipse, Pusha T & Malice’s “Let God Sort Em Out,” Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” and Tyler the Creator’s “Chromakopia.”

payments Thursday

In both cases, the judges 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. In its court ﬁling Friday Trump’s administration contended that Thursday’s directive to fund full SNAP benefits runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution.

“This unprecedented injunction makes a mockery of the separation of pow-

ers. Courts hold neither the power to appropriate nor the power to spend,” the U.S Department of Justice wrote in its request to the court. In response, attorneys for the cities and nonproﬁts challenging Trump’s administration said the government has plenty of available money and the court should “not allow them to further delay getting vital food assistance to individuals and families who need it now.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARIAM ZUHAIB

The roadway in front of the Supreme Court and U.S Capitol is closed to traffic Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

U.S. flightscanceleddue to shutdown order

Airlines havemostly stayed on schedule

BY JOSH FUNK and RIO YAMAT Associated Press

Anxious travelers across the U.S. felt abit of relief Friday as airlines mostly stayed on schedule while still cutting more than 1,000 ﬂights largely because of the government shutdown.

Plenty of nervousness remained, though, as more canceled flights are coming over the next week to complywith theFederal Aviation Administration’sorder toreduce service at the nation’sbusiest airports. The order is in responsetoair traffic controllers —who haven’t been paid in nearly amonthasthe shutdown drags on —calling out of work in higher numbers as they dealwithfinancial pressure.

While it’sleft some passengers makingbackup plans and reserving rental cars, the ﬂights canceled Friday represented just asmall portion of overall flights nationwide.

Passengers still facedlast-minute cancellations and long security lines at the 40 airports targeted by the slowdown including major hubs in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Airlines expect limited disruptionsthis weekend and stressed that international ﬂightsare not expected to be affected. But if the shutdown persists much longer,and more control-

lers call outofworkafter they misstheir secondpaycheck on Tuesday, the number of cancellations couldjump from theinitial 10%reduction of ﬂights to 15% or 20%, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Fox News on Friday

Those whoshowedupbefore sunrise FridayatHouston’s GeorgeBush Intercontinental Airport faced security lines that barely moved, prompting some people to lie down while they waited.

“It was snakingaround alldifferentparts of theregulararea,” Cara Bergeron said after flying from Houston to Atlanta. “I’venever seen anything like that.”

Soika, asurgeon, unsuccessfully tried to book arental car to getto Utah for aweekend trip before settling on an option that seemed straight outofHollywood.

times the number canceled Thursday,according to FlightAware, a websitethattracksﬂight disruptions.

Reagan National Airport washit the hardest with at least 16% of its arrivals —74flights —canceled Friday.The major hubs of O’Hare, Atlanta, Denverand Dallas-Fort Worth rounded out the top five airports forcancellations, but those airports only lost about 3% of their flights.

Not all the cancellations were due to theFAA order, andboth United and American airlines said they were able to quickly rebook mosttravelers.

The airlines focusedtheir cuts on smaller regional routes to airports where they have multiple ﬂights aday,helping minimize the number of passengers impacted.

Delta Air Lines said it scratched roughly 170 ﬂights Friday while American plannedtocut 220 each day through Monday.Southwest Airlinescut about120 ﬂights Friday

The FAAsaid the reductions impacting allcommercial airlines arestartingat4%ofﬂightsatthe busiest airports and will ramp up to 10% over the coming week.

Hebert also asked universitydepartments to cut 10%from their operating budgets, and Academic Affairs to cut 5% to limit impact on instruction.

“These personnel changes were not made lightly,” Hebert wrote in an Oct. 23 email. “They came after thorough consideration by division vice presidents, other university administrators and supervisors of needs and priorities.

“These decisions are rooted in the responsibilityweall share to make choices that strengthen the university’sfuture.”

Jason Maloy,apolitical scientist and president of the UL chapterof theAmerican Association of University Professors, said faculty and staff have longed for years for more transparency and to be included in the decision-making process on campus

“You need notﬁxthe budget mess with the same exclusive, top-down

INDICTED

Continued frompage1A

naked, purportedly of various nationalities. Themessages, which detectives later learnedwere knownas“The Menu,” showcased newwomen each week, according to records.

Clients were instructed to contact someone identified as “El Perro” to book appointments,then again upon arrival at the address. Investigators discovered that “El Perro” also operated asecond brothel at an apartment down the street on Nicholson Drive. Surveillanceteams observedgroups of Hispanic men,ages 18 to 60, coming and going from the property with sometimes ﬁveata time waiting outside to enter,according to theafﬁdavit.

Trafﬁc stops of severalvehicles leaving the Aster Street location conﬁrmed theoperation. Themen told officers they had contacted “El Perro” afterreceivingphotos of women through WhatsApp.

mechanisms thatgot us into the budget mess,” Maloy said. “There shouldberegular facultyand staff and student representatives in somekind of advisory body that consults with the VP of finance and with theinterim president as they’re making these decisions.

“We’ve heard some good intentions, but we’ve not really seen any progress onthat so far.”

Thepositions being cut at UL include:

10 peoplefromAcademic Affairs, including:

n Anursing professor

n An education instructor

n An English as asecondlanguage specialistfor international students

n Acoordinator for the honors program

n An academic success coach

n Adistance learning employee

n Adirector of university connection

n Adirector of the Ofﬁce of First Year Experience

n Adirectorofstudent development and academic outreach

They said prices typically ranged from $40 to $60, andtheyhad discovered the brothel through friends and co-workers, according to records.

In October 2024, detectives obtained search warrants for WhatsApp and AT&T records, tracing “El Perro’s”number to a phone registered under the name Pedro Vargas. Further investigation revealed aMay 2023 report ﬁled with Baton Rouge police, in which an anonymousHispanic woman said aman named Jesus Lopez— using the samenumber associated with Vargas —had texted that “he sells women of all ages forsex,” theafﬁdavit states. Usingthe phonenumber, investigators located Lopez’sresidence andvehicles registered in his name. Surveillancesoon showed Lopez,alongwith Lopez-Oliviaand Castellanos-Kirington, moving belongingsfrom the Aster residence to theNicholson apartment. The trio was later observed entering the apartment late at night and makingatrip to anearby bank. Detectives believe Castellanos-

Others were less fortunate.

Karen Soika from Greenwich, Connecticut, found her ﬂight out of Newark,New Jersey,was rebooked for an hour earlier.Then she learned her plane was actually leaving from NewYork’sJohn F. KennedyInternationalAirport,at least an hour away

n Aplanning analyst.

EightpeoplefromAthletics, including:

n An assistant men’strack coach

n An assistant men’sgolf coach

n An assistant volleyball coach

n Adonor engagement coordinator

n Adirector of sports medicine

n An academic counselor

n Adirector of athletic performance for Olympic sports

n Adirector of athletics for creative services andfan engagement.

Sevenpeoplefromthe University Advancement Division,including:

n Four communications and marketing employees

n Twodirectorsofalumni affairs

n Aresearch ofﬁcer

Five people from theEnrollment Management Division,including:

n Tworecruiters

n An admissions counselor

Kirington andLopez-Olivia collected cash from women working at theNicholson location. Surveillance footage alsocaptured Lopezand Lopez-Olivia driving to andfrom LouisArmstrongNew Orleans International Airport, at times picking up or dropping off unidentiﬁed females.

In September,according to court records, aconﬁdential informantentered the Nicholson Drive apartment equipped with audio and video devices. The informant told investigators that Lopez had senthim “The Menu,” aweekly message circulated everyMonday promoting new women for sex.

At theapartment,the informant called Lopez and was told to knock on aback door, wherea woman answered.After refusingsexual services,the informant learned from the woman that Lopez never entered theapartment himself, butalways seemed to be around. Sheadded thathekept aconstant watch throughvideo cameras installed outside, the afﬁdavit says.

On Oct. 9, EBRSO and Homeland Securityagents raided theNich-

“I’mgoing to U-Haul and I’mgoing to drive atruck cross-country,” said Soika, who is advising on medical scenes there fora spinoff of the TV series “Yellowstone.” Hertz reporteda sharp increase in one-way car rentals.

Morethan1,000 flights were called off nationwide Friday —ﬁve

n Aﬁnancial aidcounselor

n An administrative employee.

12 people from Finance, including:

n Three building maintenance employees

n Threehuman resources employees

n Apurchasing ofﬁcer

n Adirectorofcampusfoodservices

n Aspecial projects engineer

n Agrants specialist

n Atravel director

n An operations manager

Five people from theDivision of Research,Innovationand Economic Development, including:

n Twoemployees of the Picard Center for Child Development

n An analyst forthe Informatics Research Institute

n An officer for the Louisiana Center for Health Innovation

n Adirector of the NationalIncidentManagement Systemsand Advanced Technologies.

olson apartment and three other locations, including residences on Stan Avenue andShelley Street in Baton Rouge. Inside,theyfound phones, receipts, passports, identiﬁcationcards andbank documents linkedtothe suspects, according to court records.

At the Nicholson apartment, agents recovered condoms, lubricants, lingerie and other commercial sex items. Records add that two women were found inside and taken to LSU Police headquarters, and later spoke withHomeland Security forensic interviewers from thevictim assistance program,according to court records.

Accordingtofederal courtrecords,one victim,aGuatemalan national, told Homeland Security investigators she was working as a housemaid in Houston when Lopez recruited her.She said she needed money for her daughter’svisa and traveled between Houston and Baton Rouge threetimes. Known to heras“Fran,” Lopez allowed her to keep half of what clientspaidbut never let her leave the apartment. She said she feared Lopez would

“I just don’twant to be stranded at the airport sleeping on abench,” Michele Cuthbert, of Columbus, Ohio, said about an upcoming ﬂight to Dallas. “Everyone’spaying the price for the politics that’sgoing on. We’re just collateral damage.” If the shutdowncontinues, there may be another knock-on effect ahead of the holidays.

Four people from thePresident’s Office,including:

n Threeemployees of theSustainability Ofﬁce

n An administrative assistant. One person from the Auxiliary division was laidoff:a director of the athletics business ofﬁce. The four people laid off from the Student Affairsdivisionwere all police ofﬁcers.

Other cost-cutting efforts include ending contracts withlocal hotelsto housestudents, adjusting thecampus shuttle system,restructuring graduation ceremonies into asingleday format, improving emergency efﬁciencyand other measures that Hebert hasnot yetoutlined.

UL ofﬁcials say their next goals aretoaddress the remaining structural deﬁcit and to tackle recurring debt of about $25 million.

“Todoso, the university hasestablisheda targetof$15 million in additional reductions over the coming months —enough to erase the remaining deﬁcit and begin resolving the ﬁrst $10 millionofrecurring debt,” astatement on the website said.

kill her if she tried to escape or tell anyone, even whenshe wasback in Houston.

The second victim, aColombian national whohad lived in New Jersey, said in an interviewthat afriend introduced her to Lopez after she complained of ﬁnancial hardship. She was told she would be giving massages, but discovered uponarrivalthat she would be forced into sex work. She added that she planned to ﬂee the day police raided the apartment but admitted she was too afraid to leave, according to records.

During questioning, Lopez-Olivia confessed to transporting women to and from the airport, collecting their earnings and designing “The Menu.”

All three defendants wereliving in the U.S. illegally,according to court records. They were arrested on Oct. 13 and booked the same day in the East Baton Rouge Parish jail, before being later moved into federal custody

Email Aidan McCahill at aidan. mccahill@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Travelers wait in line for TSA at the Louis Armstrong NewOrleans International AirportinKenner on Friday.

American butterfly, with deep orange wings overlaid with an intricate webbing of black markings. Breeding monarchs live only a few weeks, but, each year, a “super generation” of the insects is born. These monarchs can migrate thousands of miles and live for up to eight months.

Scientists believe the North American monarch population has declined substantially due to habitat loss and the spread of OE.

While there is some disagreement on how much the population has declined and what is responsible, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service thinks the bugs are in enough trouble that it recommended listing them as threatened That’s primarily due to the effects of habitat loss, pesticides and climate change, but OE plays a role, too — especially in the Gulf South.

If only mildly infected, a butterfly can live a fairly normal life. But a serious infection can be deadly, especially if a monarch catches it as a caterpillar, before it goes through the process of metamorphosis and grows into a butterfly OE can spread when adult butterflies mate or it can be passed down from a female to her offspring. Increasingly it’s spreading by accumulating on milkweed plants — particularly on non-native tropical milkweed, which is hardy enough to survive Louisi-

JamesWatson, co-discovererofthe

BY MALCOLM RITTER

AP sciencewriter

James D. Watson, whose co-discovery of the twistedladderstructure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on arevolution in medicine, crimeﬁghting, genealogy and ethics, has died.He was 97. The breakthrough —made when the brash, Chicagoborn Watson wasjust 24 turned him into ahallowed ﬁgure in the world of science for decades. But near the end of his life, he faced condemnation and professionalcensure for offensive remarks. Watson shared a1962 Nobel Prize with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for discovering that deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a double helix, consistingof two strands that coil around each other to create whatresembles along, gently twisting ladder

That realization wasa breakthrough.Itinstantly suggested how hereditary informationisstored and howcells duplicatetheir DNA when they divide. The duplication begins with the two strands of DNA pulling apart like azipper Even among non-scientists, the double helix would become an instantly recognized symbol of science.

The discoveryhelped open the door to more recent developments such as tinkering with the genetic makeup of living things, treating disease by inserting genes into

patients, identifying human remainsand criminalsuspects fromDNA samples, and tracingfamily trees and ancient human ancestors. But it has also raisedahost of ethical questions, such as whether we should be alteringthe body’s blueprint for cosmetic reasons or in away that is transmitted to aperson’soffspring

“Francis Crick and Imade the discoveryof thecentury, that was pretty clear,” Watson once said. He later wrote: “Therewas noway we could have foreseen the explosive impactofthe double helix on science and society.”

Watson never made another lab finding thatbig. But in the decades that followed, he wrote inﬂuential textbooks and abestselling memoir and helped guide theproject to map the humangenome. He picked out bright young scientistsand helped them. Andheused his prestigeand contacts to inﬂuencescience policy. Watson died in hospice care after abrief illness, his sonsaidFriday.His former research labconfirmedhe passed away aday earlier

“He neverstopped ﬁghting forpeoplewho weresufferingfrom disease,” Duncan Watson said of hisfather

Watson’sson Rufus had been hospitalizedwith a possiblediagnosis of schizophrenia, and Watson ﬁgured that knowing thecomplete makeup of DNA would be crucial for understanding that disease —maybe in

Snow forecast forPlainswithpotential record cold in South

tivals held outdoors in November during theregion’s typically mild climate are bracing forthe unusually bittercoldthatseems ahead of schedule forthis timeofyear

At thisweekend’s Molena Bigfoot Fest in thesmall townofMolena, Georgia, organizers hope the coldweather will be as elusive as the legendary beast —and the temperature doesn’tdip until after thefestivalconcludes Saturday evening.

The animal shows, music performances andmost activities will be held outsideonSaturday,said Alla

Drake, an assistant city clerk who helps out with the festival. Planning forthe Bigfoot festival hasbeengoing on allyear, so hopes are high forwarm weather and no rain, Lee said. It celebrates the evidence collected by Pike County Sheriff’sDeputy James Akin, who was called repeatedlytostrange events near Elkins Creek in the 1990s. He madeplaster casts of an enormous footprint famous forits level of detail.

Warmertemperaturesshould spreadthrough theSouth beginning Wednesday

aWatson biographer later said, “It was intellectuallove at ﬁrst sight.”

Crickhimself wrote that the partnershipthrived in part because the two men shared“acertainyouthful arrogance, aruthlessness, and an impatience withsloppy thinking.”

Together they sought to tacklethe structure of DNA aided by X-ray research by colleague Rosalind Franklin and her graduate student Raymond Gosling. Watson was later criticized for adisparaging portrayal of Franklin in “The Double Helix,” and today she is considered aprominent example of a female scientist whose contributions were overlooked (She died in 1958.)

time to help his son. He gainedunwelcome attentionin2007, when the SundayTimes Magazine of Londonquotedhim as saying he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa”because “all our social policies are based on thefactthattheir intelligenceisthe same as ours —where all the testing says notreally.” He said that while he hopeseveryone is equal, “people who have to deal with Blackemployees ﬁnd this is not true. He apologized, butafter an international furor he was suspended fromhis job as chancellorofthe prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. He retired aweek later Watson’scombination of

scientiﬁc achievement and controversial remarks created acomplicated legacy He has shown “a regrettable tendency toward inflammatory and offensive remarks, especially late in his career,” Dr.Francis Collins, then-director of the National InstitutesofHealth, said in 2019. “His outbursts, particularly when they reflected on race, wereboth profoundly misguided and deeply hurtful. Ionly wish thatJim’s views on society andhumanity could have matched his brilliant scientiﬁcinsights.” It was in the fallof1951 that the tall, skinny Watson— alreadythe holderof aPh.D. at 23 —arrived at Britain’sCambridge University, where he met Crick. As

Watson and Crick built Tinker Toy-like models to work out the molecule’sstructure.

One Saturday morning in 1953, after ﬁddling with bits of cardboard he had carefully cut to represent fragments of the DNA molecule, Watson suddenly realized how these pieces could form the “rungs” of adouble helix ladder.His ﬁrst reaction: “It’ssobeautiful.”

Figuring out the double helix“goes downasone of the threemostimportant discoveries in the history of biology,” alongside Charles Darwin’stheoryofevolution throughnaturalselection and Gregor Mendel’sfundamental laws of genetics, said Cold Spring Harbor lab’s president, Bruce Stillman. Following the discovery,

Watson spenttwo yearsat the California Institute of Technology,then joined the facultyatHarvard in 1955. Before leaving Harvard in 1976,heessentiallycreated the university’s program for molecular biology,scientist Mark Ptashne recalled in a 1999 interview Watson became director of the Cold Spring Harbor lab in 1968, itspresident in 1994 andits chancellor 10 years later. He made thelab on Long Island an educational center for scientists and nonscientists, focused research on cancer,instilled asense of excitement andraised huge amounts of money James DeweyWatson was born in Chicago on April 6, 1928, into “a family that believed in books, birds and the Democratic Party,” as he put it.Fromhis birdwatcher father he inherited an interest in ornithology and adistaste for explanations that didn’t rely on reason or science. Watson entered the University of Chicagoona scholarship at 15, graduated at 19 and earned his doctorateinzoology at Indiana University three years later He got interested in genetics at age 17 when he read a book that said genes were the essence of life. “I thought, ‘Well, if the gene is the essence of life, I want to know moreabout it,’ he later recalled. “And that wasfateful because, otherwise,Iwould have spent my life studying birds and no one would have heard of me.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARKUS SCHREIBER

U.S. biologist James Watson, whoshared aNobel Prize for helping discoverthe double-helix shape of the DNA molecule, poses for aportrait at an exhibition in Berlin on Oct. 11, 2004.

Program showcases community pitches

Local projects aim to enhance civic ties

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

The 24 Hour Citizen Project will be hosting its project pitches Saturday Check out which projects

are on the table this year

The program aims to connect people with community-focused ideas with stakeholders and experts to make those ideas a reality Last year’s ideas ranged from bringing a simple toiletry pantry to training doulas for the state that lacked them. Here are 2025 possible projects: Team Kitten and Puppy University The idea behind KPU is simple: Get more Lafayette shelter animals into loving homes.

This project will create a mobile, purpose-built diorama to house kittens and puppies at local events temporarily The team at meowWOOF also aims to inform people about pet ownership and answer questions about animal care.

The dioramas will be able to visit businesses, schools and community meetings.

Team Safe Steps

The team behind Safe Steps is looking to transform the crosswalk at University Avenue and Ver-

sailles into something of beauty while increasing safety and visibility for Lafayette Middle School students

As it stands, the unassuming crosswalk sits at a busy intersection, leaving students and pedestrians vulnerable. The team plans to introduce a bold, art-ﬁlled mural at this crossing to slow vehicular trafﬁc, enhance driver awareness and create a safer, more welcoming passage for children walking or biking to school.

Team Global Bites Lafayette isn’t lacking in food or culture. The team at Global Bites wants to continue showcasing the food of Lafayette’s ethnic communities with a festival.

The goal is to bring together eight to 12 communities, ranging from Lafayette’s Lebanese and Persian communities to its Laotian residents, under one tent in

‘I’m still shocked at what we ﬁnd’ 13 arrested in child-predator sting

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

RELICS ON DISPLAY

Parishioners view the traveling relics of St. Thérèse, known as the Little Flower, on Thursday at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette. The relics, currently traveling the world for the 100th anniversary of St. Thérèse’s canonization, were transferred from the Carmelite Monastery on Carmel Drive.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

The Children’s Museum of Acadiana to receive new mural

Local artist selected for 5,000-square-foot project

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

excited to bring this vision to life.” His design concept “best captured the childlike wonder and cultural richness of Acadiana,” the Acadiana Center for the Arts said in a news release. The mural is inspired by the Children’s

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

with

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Local artist Dirk Guidry talks on Aug. 4 about his work during the unveiling of a new swampthemed mural he created at Katharine Drexel

Childhood Education Center in Broussard

See PROGRAM, page 2B

MURAL

Continued from page1B

“For 30 years, the Chil-

dren’sMuseum of Acadiana has inspired curiosity and creativity,” LoreLinton, themuseum’sexecutivedirector,said in astatement. “This mural captures that

same spirit —welcoming familiesdowntown andreminding us of the joy of discovery.” The mural project was funded throughthe Lafay-

ette Public Art Network with additionalsupport from Downtown Lafayette, SOLA Giving Day,Doug Ashy andTrinity Rental Services.

PROVIDED RENDERING

STING

Continued from page1B

Chris Hansen, the reporter and entertainer famous for his original “ToCatcha Predator” series on “Dateline,” was also waiting for them along with acamera crew

“Wecollaborate and conduct these investigations to put together our show ‘Takedown,’ which investigates these matters all over the country,” Hansentold The Advocate on Thursday Hismost recent work with LPSO wasactually his fourth visittoLivingston Parishtoconduct stings for “Takedown with Chris Hansen,” which streams on TruBlu.

“I think the results that we see in Livingston Parish have been so successful for acouple of different reasons,” Hansen said.

“One, you’ve got alaw enforcement agency that aggressively is proactive and wants to go after these guys before they actually commit acrime againsta child.” Hansen said he thinks many agencies, including LPSO, are tired of reacting to crimes only after they have taken place.

On this latest visit, the ICAC Team arrested eight men from Louisiana, two from Texas, two from Mississippi and onefrom West Virginia.

Only two of the 13 individualstaken into custody

lived in LivingstonParish, according to Sheriff Jason Ard

“Learnfrom this: the internethas NO boundaries. Child predators will go to anylengthtoexploit children,” Ardsaidinastatement on Wednesday Thenumber of platforms predatorscan usetoreach children has exploded in recent years, to more than 150,Ard said in thestatement. Hesaid26% of online grooming happens on Snapchat, while 47% occurs on Meta-owned products like Instagram and WhatsApp.

Categories of predators

These men were arrested on individual counts of indecent behavior withajuvenile and computer-aided solicitation of aminor: n Ashton Brignac, 27, of Broussard, n ChadRomero, 44, of New Iberia, n Devon Lamar Nealond, 20, of BatonRouge, n JeremyBritten, 41, of BatonRouge, n Joe Bridges III, 29, of BatonRouge, n Hunter Easterling,27, of Denham Springs, n Tyler Daigle, 31, of Denham Springs, n Lawrence Scott, 32,of White Castle, n Jeremy Watts,51, of Kingsland, Texas, n Nikola Griffin,23, of Foxworth, Mississippi, n Sam Al Quhaif, 35, of Picayune, Mississippi. Jeramy Yarbrough, 43, also of Kingsland, Texas,

was arrested on countsof principaltoindecent behavior withajuvenile and principal to computer-aided solicitation of ajuvenile. Hansen said Wattsand Yarbroughshowed up at thesting housetogether and felt so at home that they gotinto the hottub at the house, along with the adult decoyswho were posing as minors “One of those two was chatting and talking the wholeway abouthow he’s got to be careful, because Chris Hansen does his investigations, among other places,inLouisiana,” Hansen said.

WhenHansen confronted thetwo men, they stillhad towels with them from the hot tub.

“It’s ascene like I’ve never —in21years of doing theseinvestigations, I’m still shocked at what we ﬁnd,” he said.

Hansen said his career was been a20-plus-year quest to understand why these men makethe choice to harmchildren, and risk so much themselvesinorder to do so.

“I cannot honestly tell youthat, even after interviewing hundreds and hundreds of theseguys,I understandit,” Hansen said.

However,hehas sorted men whosexually prey on children into afew categories.

The ﬁrst, he describes as ayoungman whoisinterestedintaking advantage of someone who is less experienced and more vul-

nerable than him.

“Inhis mind, he doesn’t think much of it because he’s been an internetraisedhuman being who has been desensitized to sex in general andtoage differences specifically, and who thinks he can get away with it,” Hansen said. He said people often ask if he hassympathy forsome of the predators he interviews, especially the youngerones. Hansen said he does, and that he sometimes is compelledto wonderifayoungerman doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions.

On the opposite endof thespectrum, Hansen says there is atype of man who is a“hard-core, heavyhitter, predator pedophile who’sgoing to do this no matter what and needs to be locked up forever.”

“Thenthere’sa guy in between who’sthe doctor,the engineer, theroad worker, whofantasizesabout this for whatever reasons,” Hansen said. He said one of theLPSO arrestees who ﬁt this mold wasanactual medical doctor,who even wore aﬂeece with thelogo of his medical facility on it to thesting.

“Thenthe internet provides anonymity and the addictive quality and the abilitytosay things you wouldn’tsay face to face,” Hansen said about these types of predators. “And suddenly the fantasy is so great the only way to fulﬁll it is to show up andmake it happen.”

FOOD DRIVE

Continued from page1B

Lafayette Parish recreation center.The Girard Park Recreation Center is accepting donations between 8a.m and 9p.m.Other recreation centers begin accepting donations after 2p.m

Residentscan donate the following items: n Grocery store turkey vouchers ($10-$20)

PROGRAM

Continued from page1B

collaboration with Festival International.

It would have cultural street foods, with each community offering oneto two items from $1 to $13. Money raised from food saleswould go to thecommunity or their organization to strengthen them andhelpthembuild abudget to do more throughout the year

Team Lafayette Kid News

Lafayette’schildrenalso deserve to be informed, accordingtoLafayette Kids News. This project will createaquarterly newspaper for childrenages 7-12.Thisnewspaperwill provide afun andcreative platform where children can share their voices, showcase their talents and contribute to their community

Sections include the Kid of the Quarter,puzzles, games, jokes, trivia, local sports and arts, local history,anart gallery and a calendar of kid-friendly events.

The outlet would allow children to publishtheir own written andvisual work,while highlighting the achievements of local kids.

Team FestivaldeFit Fete

Lafayette knows how to party. Howabout merging the party with ﬁtness?

The team at Festival de Fit Fete recognized that Louisiana ranks high in obesity, blood pressure andpreventablehealth issues. They hope to combine festivaltraditionwith ahealthy lifestyle

Theevent would begin with a5Krun before endingatamainstagefor a workout that feels like a party.Itwould also host funfitness events with prizes, aKids’Zonewith obstacles and games for the little ones, and asection for olderadults. Free health screenings andnutrition information would also be available Now it wouldn’tbeafestivalwithout food,but Festival de Fit Fete will twist thatwith aHealthy CajunCreoleCook-Off.

Team Certify Teens

The team at Certify Teens is looking to make area youths ready for the jobmarket in aprocess more accessible through a Teen Cert Day

The event would help teenagers earn certifications in CPR, food safety

n Rice (1-2 lb. bags)

n Canned green beans n Cornbread mix n Dessert (cake mix, brownie mix, pie ﬁlling and crust). All meal kits will be assembledand distributed at Girard Park Recreation Center at 500 Girard Park Drive from 11 a.m. to 2p.m. on Saturday,Nov.22. Volunteers are invited to assemble packages. To sign up to volunteer, call (337) 291-8364.

andleadership to develop usable skills. It brings resources directlyintocommunitiesbypartnering with established youth programs, schools and local organizations that already serve teens.

Team FOOD

Lafayette has tried its hand and has slowly built up amutualaid food network for the community

Theteam at Feeding Others: Outreach andDistribution, or FOOD, is an organization of volunteers driven to reduce food waste and improve access to food

Theteamwilluse community engagement, education andempowerment to develop and sustain a food pantry andfridges throughout Acadiana,distributing surplus food to locations.

Theorganization was created two yearsago,has partnered with the Lafayette Community Fridge, andisnow looking to expand its reach,with donations far exceeding capacity

Team 64 Squares of Lagniappe People often play chess in NewYork’s Central Park and other public locations. The team at 64 Squares of Lagniappe is looking to bring that same atmosphere to Lafayette’s downtown.

TheDowntown Lafayette Chess Tables Project is looking to install one to two outdoor chess tables at key park locations, serving as free, year-round gathering spots forplayers of all ages The goal is to bring interactive, permanent features to downtown Lafayette,allowing people to connect The pitchevent will take place at the Acadiana Center for the Arts from 6p.m. to 9p.m. on Saturday.To learn more about projects andthe event, visit their website.

Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Local artist Dirk Guidrytalks about his

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Meat packers blamed for prices

WASHINGTON — President

Donald Trump on Friday accused foreign-owned meat packers of driving up the price of beef in the U.S. and asked the Department of Justice to open an investigation.

The Republican president announced the move on social media days after his party suffered losses in key elections in which the winning Democratic candidates focused relentlessly on the public’s concerns about the cost of living.

“I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation,” Trump wrote in the social media post.

“We will always protect our American Ranchers, and they are being blamed for what is being done by Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers, who artiﬁcially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nation’s food supply,” he continued.

Trump offered no proof to support his allegations. There are four major meat packing companies in the United States, and the largest beef company JBS is headquartered in Brazil. JBS USA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday

Last month, Trump suggested the U.S. would buy Argentine beef to bring down stubbornly high prices for American consumers, angering U.S. cattle ranchers Beef prices have soared in part after drought and years of low prices led to the smallest U.S. herd size in decades. Trump’s tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter have also curbed imports.

Peloton recalls exercise bikes

NEW YORK Peloton is recalling nearly 878,000 of its exercise bikes across the U.S. and Canada because the products’ seat posts can break during use, posing fall hazards.

According to notices published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada on Thursday, the recall covers certain “Peloton Original Series Bike+” units carrying model number PL02. Peloton has received three reports of seat posts breaking on these bikes in the U.S., two of which resulted in fall injuries. There’s been no additional incidents in Canada to date.

Both consumer safety watchdogs and Peloton urge owners of these bikes to stop using them and contact the New York-based exercise company for a free seat post replacement.

“The integrity of our products and our Members’ well-being are our top priorities,” a Peloton spokesperson said in an emailed statement — adding that the company would make its redesigned seat post replacements “available to all affected Bike+ users.”

Peloton’s website has information to help determine if your bike is part of the recall and instructions on how to install this new seat post if needed. The now-recalled bikes were sold at Peloton and Dick’s Sporting Goods stores, as well as websites like Amazon and eBay, from 2020 through April 2025 for about $2,495. The impacted Bike+ units have serial numbers beginning with the letter “T.”

BUSINESS

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

An almanac’s end

The 208-year-old Maine-based Farmers’ Almanac to fold after 2 centuries

BY PATRICK WHITTLE and KATHY MCCORMACK Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine It’s the Maine one, not the main one — a 208-year-old, Maine-based publication that farmers, gardeners and others have relied on for planting guidance and weather predictions will publish for the ﬁnal time.

The Farmers’ Almanac, not to be confused with its older, longtime competitor, The Old Farmer’s Almanac in neighboring New Hampshire, said Thursday that its 2026 edition will be its last. The almanac cited the growing ﬁnancial challenges of producing and distributing the book in today’s “chaotic media environment.”

Access to the online version will cease next month.

The Farmers’ Almanac was ﬁrst printed in 1818 and the Old Farmer’s Almanac started in 1792, and it’s believed to be the oldest continually published periodical in North America. Both almanacs used secret formulas based on sunspots, planetary positions and lunar cycles to generate long-range weather forecasts.

“It is with a heavy heart,” Editor Sandi Duncan said in a statement, “that we share the end of what has not only been an annual tradition in millions of homes and hearths for hundreds of years, but also a way of life, an inspiration for many who realize the wisdom of generations past is the key to the generations of the future.”

Editors at the other publication noted there’s been some confusion between the two. “The OLD Farmer’s Almanac isn’t going anywhere,” they posted online.

World’s richest man has chance to become history’s first trillionaire

BY BERNARD CONDON Associated Press

NEW YORK The world’s richest man was just handed a chance to become history’s ﬁrst trillionaire.

Elon Musk won a shareholder vote on Thursday that would give the Tesla CEO stock worth $1 trillion if he hits certain performance targets over the next decade. The vote followed weeks of debate over his management record at the electric car maker and whether anyone deserved such unprecedented pay, drawing heated commentary from small investors to giant pension funds and even the pope. In the end, more than 75% of voters approved the plan as shareholders gathered in Austin, Texas, for their annual meeting. “Fantastic group of shareholders,” Musk said after the final vote was tallied, adding “Hang on to your Tesla stock.”

The vote is a resounding victory for Musk showing investors still have faith in him as Tesla

The two publications come from an era where hundreds of almanacs served a nation of farmers over time. Most were regional publications and no longer exist. The Farmers’ Almanac was founded in New Jersey and moved its headquarters to Lewiston, Maine, in 1955.

They contain gardening tips, trivia, jokes, and natural remedies, such as catnip as a pain reliever and elderberry syrup as an immune booster But its weather forecasts make the most headlines. Scientists sometimes disputed the accuracy of the predictions and the reliability of the secret formula. Studies of the almanacs’ accuracy have found them to be a little more than 50% accurate, or slightly better than random chance.

Readers, saddened to hear the news, posted online about how they used it in their families for generations as a guide to help them plant gardens and follow the weather

Julie Broomhall in San Diego told The Associated Press in a social media post that she’s used the Farmers’ Almanac for years to decide when to take trips and plant ﬂowers. She said she planned a three-month, crosscountry trip last year by reading the almanac. On one leg of it, she left Oklahoma the day before a prediction for a major snowstorm in the area. It snowed.

“I missed several I-40 mishaps because of the predictions,” she wrote.

Among Farmers’ Almanac articles from the past is one from 1923 urging folks to remember “old-fashioned neighborhoodliness” in the face of newfangled technology like cars, daily mail and telephones. Editors urged readers in 1834 to abandon tobacco and, in 1850, promoted the common bean leaf to combat bedbugs.

The almanac had some forward-thinking advice for women in 1876, telling them to learn skills to avoid being dependent on ﬁnding a husband. “It is better to be a woman than a wife, and do not degrade your sex by making your whole existence turn on the pivot of matrimony,” it counseled.

struggles with plunging sales, market share and profits in no small part due to Musk himself. Car buyers ﬂed the company this year as he has ventured into politics both in the U.S. and Europe, and trafﬁcked in conspiracy theories.

The vote came just three days after a report from Europe showing Tesla car sales plunged again last month, including a 50% collapse in Germany

Still, many Tesla investors consider Musk as a sort of miracle man capable of stunning business feats, such as when he pulled Tesla from the brink of bankruptcy a half-dozen years ago to turn it into one of the world’s most valuable companies.

The vote clears a path for Musk to become a trillionaire by granting him new shares, but it won’t be easy The board of directors that designed the pay package require him to hit several ambitious ﬁnancial and operational targets, including increasing the value of the company on the stock market nearly six times its current level.

Musk also has to deliver 20 million Tesla electric vehicles to the market over 10 years amid new, stiff competition, more than double the number since the founding of the company. He also has to deploy 1 million of his human-like

Stocks wind up mixed on Wall Street

Associated Press

NEWYORK Stocks wavered to a mixed ﬁnish on Wall Street Friday and notched their ﬁrst weekly loss in the last four Major indexes wobbled throughout most of the week, but ultimately pulled back from records set the prior week. Technology stocks once again determined the broader direction of the market.

The market was weighed down by technology stocks, especially several big names with huge valuations that give them outsized inﬂuence over the direction of the market. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, fell 2.1% and Broadcom fell 1.7%. Payments company Block, which operates the Square and Cash App businesses, sank 7.7% after turning in results that fell short of forecasts. Exercise equipment maker Peloton jumped 14.2% after its results beat estimates.

Expedia Group surged 17.5% after beating analysts’ quarterly earnings forecasts.

The U.S. government shutdown is now responsible for yet another missing economic report typically relied on by Wall Street and economists. The monthly employment data for October was unavailable, as was the monthly data for September previously The lack of data on employment is especially troubling because the job market was already weakening. Wall Street still has several private sources of economic data to turn to, outside of earnings The latest came Friday from the University of Michigan, with its monthly consumer sentiment report.

Lawsuits claim ChatGPT drove people to suicide, delusions

Those affected had no prior mental health issues

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technology writer

robots that he has promised will transform work and home — he calls it a “robot army” — from zero today

Musk could add billions to his wealth in a few years by partly delivering these goals, according to various intermediate steps that will hand him newly created stock in the company as he nears the ultimate targets. That could help him eventually top what is now considered America’s all-time richest man, John D. Rockefeller The oil titan is estimated by Guinness World Records to have been worth $630 billion, in current dollars, at his peak wealth more than 110 years ago. Musk is worth $493 billion, as estimated by Forbes magazine.

Musk’s win came despite opposition from several large funds, including CalPERS, the biggest U.S. public pension, and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. Two corporate watchdogs, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, also blasted the package, which so angered Musk he took to calling them “corporate terrorists” at a recent investor meeting.

Critics argued that the board of directors was too beholden to Musk, his behavior too reckless lately and the riches offered too much.

OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions even when they had no prior mental health issues.

The lawsuits ﬁled Thursday in California state courts allege wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter and negligence. Filed on behalf of six adults and one teenager by the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project, the lawsuits claim that OpenAI knowingly released GPT-4o prematurely, despite internal warnings that it was dangerously sycophantic and psychologically manipulative. Four of the victims died by suicide.

The teenager 17-year-old Amaurie Lacey began using ChatGPT for help, according to the lawsuit ﬁled in San Francisco Superior Court But instead of helping, “the defective and inherently dangerous ChatGPT product caused addiction, depression, and, eventually, counseled him on the most effective way to tie a noose and how long he would be able to “live without breathing.’”

“Amaurie’s death was neither an accident nor a coincidence but rather the foreseeable consequence of OpenAI and Samuel Altman’s intentional decision to curtail safety testing and rush ChatGPT onto the market,” the lawsuit says. OpenAI called the situations “incredibly heartbreaking” and said it was reviewing the court ﬁlings to understand the details.

“These lawsuits are about accountability for a product that was designed to blur the line between tool and companion all in the name of increasing user engagement and market share,” said Matthew P. Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, in a statement

What theBritish reallythink of theirroyal family

Even in amonarchy,public opinion matters. Which raises the question: Whatdothe Britishreally think of their royal family?

As we know,King Charles recentlystrippedhis brother,Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, of hisroyal title and other privileges.Andrew’srecklessbehavior, especially his sordid ties to the vile JeffreyEpstein, had passed the breaking point.Somesaw Charles’ actions as “cleaninghouse” before he hands the crown to Prince William Others saw it as his duty —tosavethe monarchy

Ron Faucheux

The British royal family continuesto battle old and new challenges: internal feuds, tabloid banners, nosy books and viral memes drippingwithmalice. These daily assaultscome and go, as targets change, but they will alwaysbe there. It can be said, too, that pollsare agrowing annoyance for the shelteredresidents of BuckinghamPalace and Windsor Castle. Henry VIII andQueen Victoriahad much to worryabout,but oneoftheir worries wasn’tscientiﬁcally calculated favorability ratings. Today’sroyals can’tignore them.

ANOTHERVIEW YOUR VIEWS

Remember “The Queen,” the2006 HelenMirren film? Critics assumed it was aboutthe crown’sstoic reaction to Princess Diana’sdeath.Itwas really about misreading public opinion—and itsconsequences So,what do the poll numbers now show?The latest YouGov poll finds the royal family is broadly popular Asolid 59% majority of British adults view them positively,with barelyathirdtaking anegative view Leading thepack in personal popularity areWilliam (76% positive), Catherine (73%) and Princess Anne (70%), the king’ssister King Charles does well, too; 62% of Britons arein his corner.That’supthree pointssince August. Moreover,the king’sjob rating,which measures his official performance and not justpersonalfeelings toward him, is arobust 65%

The king rates better among womenthanmen.His strongest agecohort is Baby Boomers; his weakest, Generation X. He does best amongfollowersof Britain’sConservative Party(88%), buthas plenty of fansinother parties as well: 67%ofLabour, 60% of Reform UK and 72% of Liberal Democrats Charles enjoys much higher public approval than hisown prime minister,Keir Starmer, who has alimp 27% positive rating. In fact, theking is more popular in theU.K. than many world leaders areathome. For example, French PresidentEmmanuelMacron has droppedto11% in one Verian Group poll, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz sitsat25% in an RTL/NTV survey and U.S. President Donald Trumpaverages 43% based on ﬁve recentpolls.

Britons are divided on Queen Camilla.Fewer than half (45%) rate her positively,while 41% holdanegative opinion of her.This lackluster public esteem is proof that acontroversialback storyand relentless criticism takes atoll Prince Harry,who retains his title (atleastfor now), is decidedly under water,30% positive and58% negative. His wife, Meghan,the DuchessofSussex, rates even worse: 21% favorable, 66%unfavorable. No wonder they’re reluctant to move back to Britain. Interestingly, polls taken in theU.S. show Americans haveamorepositive view of these two than do the British.

And Andrew? Before losinghis title,herated a ghastly 4% positive, 91% negative. Thesenumbers aren’tjust bad, they’re bring-down-the-monarchy bad. Demoting his brother was the king’sonlycredible option. Still, Britons wonder: Whattook himso long? Then there is the monarchyitself. Support forits continuation is 62%; only 25%ofBritish adults would prefer to have an elected head of state

While support for monarchy isdown ﬁve points sinceQueen Elizabeth’sdeathin2022, it still draws wide backing. The latest YouGov poll showsthatonly 13% of Britons believe theinstitution of monarchyis bad for Britain.

Monarchy,however,has agenerational predicament. While heavy majorities of those50and older favor keeping it,fewer than half of those18-49 do. Youmight think the ascent of William andKatewould eventuallyclose thatgap, but pollingshows even they do better among older than younger folks.

These polls conﬁrmwhat we’ve longknown, that the British are masters at keepingcalm and carryingon —even when it comes to thecrown.

Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer basedinLouisiana.

Cassidy’sletterjustthinly veiled campaign propaganda

Since when does your department permit apolitician to sneak ano-cost campaign ad into the Opinion section?

That’sexactly what you did on Oct 8. Sen. Bill Cassidy‘s “opinion letter” was nothing but acampaign ad. It wasquiteobvious Firstly,Hurricane Katrina did damage tothe southeast coast of Louisiana, but did not devastate New Orleans. How manytimes do Ihave to remindpeople that the devastation in New Orleansin2005 was due to thefact that the levees were built cheaply by the Army Corps of Engineers to save thefederal government millions of dollars? In case you don’tremember,the cheaply built levees broke. Cassidy should acknowledge that as well. Second of all, his allying with

President Donald Trumpthroughout thewhole piece was nothing but “preaching tothe choir” since his opponents are also Trumpsupporters, and he needstomakesure that everyone in the state still votes for himinstead of his Trump-supporting opponents.

Cassidy has done somegood thingsbut no one must forget that he opened the doors wide open for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.totake ajob about which he knows nothing and is athreat to thehealth of United States citizens. Surely this space on your page could have been better utilized with theopinion of one of ourreaders, as it should be. Iknow you all have better judgment than this.

SUSAN C. LEVIN Metairie

Voting Rights Actnecessary as country is still grappling with racial issues

Oneofthe last thingsthat Smiley Anders put to paper was lamenting that we were still struggling with race relations. Right now,the U.S. SupremeCourt is sitting on acase arising in Louisiana involving gerrymandering congressional districts to dilutethe Black voteinthe state. Justice John Roberts, earlier in the Shelby Countydecision, involving theVoting RightsAct of 1965, expressed concern about how long the VotingRightsAct should remain “the law.”

It’sa valid concern for the Su-

premeCourt. Ibelieve Anders answered that question from Justice Roberts.

We don’tknow when or even if that day will come. So until that day ever comes, theVoting Rights Act of 1965 should remain the law of the land. And maybe statelegislators could devoteall of their energy to trying to ﬁx Louisiana’sreal problemsinstead of concentrating on keeping themselves in ofﬁce with political power

ALEXCHAPMAN

Ville Platte

Anyone who wantscitizenship must follow the law

The front-page article in arecent edition about the deportation of aLouisiana State Penitentiary at Angola inmate to Laos is almost exactly the sameasasituation I witnessed around 20 years ago. Afamily Iknow received legal status as refugees and had an infant son at the time. The father went through alengthy and expensive naturalization process; however,the son never had automatic citizenship as aresult of that. The son was almost deported after his 18th birthday,but his parents went through alengthy and expensive process to obtain legal status for him.Hewas also warned at the timetobevery careful not to get into any sort of legal trouble, even as small as atrafﬁc ticket. They wereultimately successful, but he was never an automatic citizen because of his father’slegal status and later naturalization. And they wentthrough an expensive legal process to prevent deportation. The difference in the Laotian case is that he had acriminal conviction and never pursued the required legal process. It looks to me that U.S. Immigration and CustomsEnforcement followed the process and did not single him out. It maybeanunfortunate outcome, but he did makeapoor choice with the unlawfulpossession of a ﬁrearm,and alegal appeal at this point seemssomewhat futile if not ridiculous.

DARRYL SANDERSON Baton Rouge

LSUfootballcoaches have notusedtheir playerswisely

Aquestion for themillion-dollar coaches at LSU: If you have alineman who is agreat pass blocker but not agood run blocker,would you replace him with agood run blocker on acrucialrunning play? If the answer is yes,then whyhave they consistently kept agreat passing

quarterback in on plays that require aquarterback who can run and pass?

To be clear,Iamspeaking only about crucial short-yardage and goal-line situations. Iknow the second-string quarterback played in 10 games last year,running and passing. Ibelieve this coaching staff

failed to utilize his talents in these situations, knowing our starting quarterback is not adependable runner.Also, using arunning back or awide receiver as aquarterback creates very fewdefensive changes.

BOBBY LEE

Brusly

In the LSU football team room Tuesday, a large drum was perched in the front of the small auditorium. Plastered across the instrument’s face was a single phrase: “ALL IN.”

“When he beats that drum, it’s kind of like he sets the tone for the day,” ﬁfth-year senior linebacker West Weeks said. “Whatever’s happened the previous day, whatever happened early in the day, that kind of goes out the window and helps us lock in for the day.”

LSU interim coach Frank Wilson introduced the drum before Tuesday’s practice. He said he adopted the motivational tactic from former Southern Cal coach and current Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll, and it’s something former LSU coach Ed Orgeron used to do. Its purpose? Represent the heartbeat of the team. Frank Wilson is putting his own spin on the LSu football coaching job

LSUGAMEDAY

LSU at Alabama

6:30 p.m. Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa,Ala

TV: ABC | Line: Alabamaby10½

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

LSU

Date Opponent Time/TV

8.30 at ClemsonW,17-10

9.6Louisiana Tech W, 23-7

9.13 FloridaW,20-10

9.20 Southeastern W, 56-10

9.27 at OleMissL,19-24

10.11South Carolina W, 20-10

10.18atVanderbiltL,24-31

10.25Texas A&ML,25-49

11.8 at Alabama 6:30 p.m./ABC

11.15Arkansas11:45

OFFENSE

LSU

Continuedfrom page1C

“I wanted to bring that symbolism, if you will, the heartbeat,” Wilson said. “So we could charge ourspecial teams. We couldchargeour team that when the ball goes in play,life has been injected into us.

The drum is one of many changes Wilson has implemented since being appointed as interim coach after Brian Kelly’sOct. 26 ﬁring. Ahead of his ﬁrst game in charge, Wilsonhopes his adjustments will inspire the Tigers to pull off an upset over No. 4Alabama on Saturdayin Tuscaloosa (6:30 p.m., ABC).

“I knoweverything on social mediaisgoing crazy.Like, people saying whatever they want to say about this team and kind of howthis season has turned out,”Weeks said. “Butatthe end of the day, when we come in here andhear that (drum), it just reminds us of thebrotherhood we have.”

The revisions Wilson has made to the wayLSU operates have come amid myriad changes within the program and athleticdepartment.

After Kelly’sfiring, offensive coordinator Joe Sloan was let go the next day.Tight ends coach AlexAtkins assumed play-callingduties in hisplace, but Atkins’ promotion was just the tip of the iceberg

Twodaysafter Sloan’s ﬁring, Gov.Jeff Landry declared Oct. 29 that athletic directorScott Woodward would not choose the next LSUcoach. The school partedwayswith Woodward the next dayand appointedexecutivedeputyathleticdirector Verge Ausberry as interim athletic director Theinterim tagwas removed from Ausberry’stitle on Tuesday, just hoursafter newLSU president Wade Rousse was appointed by the LSU Board of Supervisors.

“I think (Ausberry) is detailed.I think he’s profession-

al. Ithink he has aview holistically of what it takes to run an athletic program, and he’sdone his due diligence,” Wilson said of Ausberry “He’sput in the work. Ithink it’saposition that he has earned over the years.” With apresident and athletic director in place, LSU now can focus its attention on ﬁnding its next coach.

Could thatbeWilson? He hasdeeprecruiting ties within Louisiana as the LSU recruiting coordinator,served as the LSU running backs coach for nine seasons across two different stints and has experience as ahead coach, working in theroleatTexas-San Antonio (2016-19) and McNeese State (2020-21). Butthe odds of him earning thehead job in Baton Rouge full-time areslim. Wilsonwent just 19-29 at UTSA before going 7-11 at McNeese. After his second season with the Cowboys, he left to become the running backs coach at LSU again.

Asuccessful ﬁnal four weeks of this season couldboost hiscandidacy. AfterthisSaturday, LSU faces Arkansas, Western Kentucky andanother College Football Playoff-contending team in Oklahoma. But anything short of three or four wins almost certainly would mean that LSU will turn elsewhere in its coaching search.

... When mother university calls for you, youanswer. Youpull up your bootstraps and you do what’srequired and asked of you to representour university.”

FRANK

WILSON, LSU interimcoach

STAFF PREDICTIONS

WILSON ALEXANDER

ALABAMA 35,LSU 17

Interimcoach FrankWilsonmay getthe team to play hard,but this game does notset up well for LSU. It couldbedifficult to runthe ball more —as much as LSUwants to —behindashaky offensive line,and thedefense hasgottentornapart thepast twogames.LSU hastoget to Alabamaquarterback Ty Simpsonoften to have achance.

REED DARCEY

ALABAMA 28,LSU 21

LSUshouldplaywithmoreenergyand focus. It should also runthe ball more often. Buta coaching changecan fixonlysomanyofthe Tigers’deficiencies,all of whichbubbled to the surfaceinthe second half of thegameagainst TexasA&M.Willthatteamgoonthe road and upseta top-five opponent?Probablynot.Alabama wins,but LSUkeeps it competitive.

“Wedidn’tindulge too much into it,” Wilson said when asked whether he’d discussed the possibility of becoming the head coachfull-time with Woodward before he left.“ Whenmother university callsfor you, you answer.You pull up your bootstraps and you do what’srequired and asked of you to represent our university.” Wilson hasanswered thecall in avariety of ways, most notablywithhow he’s emphasized the importance of special teams and the Tigers’ run game. LSU has struggled in both aspects for stretches of this season but were especially porous on specialteams in Kelly’sﬁnalgame against Texas A&M. In the Tigers’ 49-25 loss, LSU allowed 68 kick return yards

SCOTTRABALAIS

ALABAMA 27,LSU 20

I’mnot goingtoventure onto theupset limb,but Ido thinkLSU’s Fighting Frank Wilsonswillgiveamuch better accounting of themselves than they didagainst TexasA&M.The pressure anduncertainty is off, for now, andIthink theTigerswillget that familiarinterim coachbump. LSUcarries the fighttoBamaintothe fourth quarter, butalatedrive to forceOT fizzles.

KOKI RILEY

ALABAMA 31,LSU 21

TheLSU defensehas struggledinrecentweeks

Thelackofa four-man pass rush hasplacedadded stress on thebackseven,and Tigers have struggled to stop therun againstVanderbiltand TexasA&M Alabama’srun game hasn’t been as strong, but theCrimson Tide hasone of thebestaerialattacks in thenation. That’llbetough to stop if LSUcan’t pressure Simpson.

STAFF FILE PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

LSU associate and running backs coach Frank Wilson greets running back Kaleb Jackson after Jackson scored atouchdownagainst Wisconsin in the first halfofthe ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 1, 2024, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa,Fla.

and 137 punt returnyards, includinga 79-yard punt return for atouchdown in the third quarter as part of 35 unanswered points.

The introduction of the drum,inpart,was meant to emphasize the importance of LSU’s kick return and kickoff teamsastone-setters to start each game. On Tuesday,the ﬁrst meetingLSU had after banging the drum wasabout special teams.

“(Wilson) just has suchhigh energy,and it gets everybody ready,especially the special teams,” sophomore tight end Trey’Dez Green said. “Special teams is abig part of the game, so he just comes in and he harps on it.”

Meanwhile, the LSU rushing attack steadily has improved as the season has worn on, but with Sloan,itwas never an integralpart of the offense.The Tigers are lastinthe SoutheasternConference in rushing attemptsdespite averaging at least 5.5 yards per carry in each of their lasttwo games when adjusted for lost sack yardage.

But under Wilson and Atkins —who was the run game coordinator prior to his promotion —running the ball will become apriority.That was evident during practice Tuesday when the Tigers ran anine-on-seven drill, where nine LSU defenders were tasked with stopping various running plays against aseven-man offense.

“Obviously the advantage is towards the defense. So if you can split something or get a 4-yard gain, that’sawin for us,” senior center Braelin Moore said. “So to go out thereand hear all the pads popping and all the energy ﬂyingaround, it wasfun.”

By incorporating the drum, continuously stressingthe importance of specialteams and committing to the running game, Wilson is establishing aculture based around energy, enthusiasm and togetherness.

Moore, who transferred to LSU in the spring after three years at Virginia Tech,said Tuesday that the biggest difference he’sseen since Wilson’spromotion has been the energy he’s brought to the table. He addedthatprior to Wilson’spromotion, the team’s energy was lacking as it trudged towarda5-3 start to the season. “He’ll come in herecalm and collectedgoing through what we have for theday of thesched-

LSU associate coach Frank Wilson walks on the ﬁeld during the second half of agameagainst South Carolina on Oct. 11 at TigerStadium. Wilson wasnamed interim coach following Brian Kelly’s ﬁring

ule, andthenjustﬂip aswitchand juststart screaming and gettingpeople excited,”Moore said.“ .He’stryingtobring that swaggerback and that juice that LSU was known for.”

Whether that enthusiasm translates into wins is anybody’sguess. But after three-and-a-half seasons of falling short under Kelly,perhaps a change in leadership is exactlywhatthis programneeded.

Anew drumbeat to follow

“When they started smacking it,like, it’s just energy,” Moore said, “likeyou just feel the room is different.”

Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@ theadvocate.com.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

11 a.m No. 6Oregon (7-1) at

(6-2), 2:30 p.m. No. 7Ole Miss (8-1) vs.The Citadel (4-5),

No. 8BYU (8-0) at No. 9Tex. Tech (8-1), 11 a.m. No. 10 ND (6-2) vs.Navy(7-1), 6:30 p.m. No. 12 Virginia (8-1) vs.W.Forest (5-3), 6p.m. No. 14 Louisville (7-1) vs.Calif. (5-4), 6p.m. No. 15 Vander. (7-2) vs.Auburn (4-5), 3p.m. No. 18 Miami (6-2) vs.Syracu. (3-6), 2:30 p.m. No. 24 Wash. (6-2) at Wisconsin (2-6), 3:30 p.m. EAST Va.Lynchburg(0-3) at Sacred Heart (6-3), 11a.m. Stonehill (3-6) at CCSU(6-3),11a.m. Mercyhurst (3-6) at St. Francis (Pa.) (0-8), 11a.m. Wagner (3-6) at Robert Morris (3-6), 11 a.m.

(1-8) at Lehigh(9-0), 11 a.m. Yale (5-2) at Brown(3-4), 11 a.m. NC A&T (2-7) at StonyBrook (4-5), 11 a.m. Temple (5-4) at Army(4-4),11a.m.

Colorado(3-6) at West Virginia (3-6), 11 a.m. Duquesne (5-4) at LIU Brooklyn (3-6), 11 a.m. Indiana(9-0) at Penn St.(3-5), 11 a.m. Colgate(4-5) at Lafayette (6-3), 11:30 a.m. Cornell (3-4) at Penn (5-2), noon NewHampshire(5-4) at Monmouth (NJ) (8-1), noon

Stetson (3-6)atMarist (3-6),noon Bucknell (4-5)atFordham (1-8), noon Villanova (6-2)atTowson(4-5),noon Princeton (3-4)atDartmouth (5-2),noon Bryant (2-7)atAlbany(NY) (1-8),noon Richmond(5-4)atGeorgetown (5-4), noon Maryland (4-4)atRutgers(4-5), 1:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech (5-3)atDelaware (4-4), 2p.m. Duke(5-3) at Uconn (6-3),2:30 p.m. Merrimack (3-6)atNew Haven(4-5), 2:30 p.m. SOUTH Furman (5-4)atChattanooga (4-5), 11 a.m. Georgia (7-1)atMississippi St. (5-4), 11 a.m. Missouri St. (5-3)atLiberty(4-4), noon Presbyterian (8-1)atDavidson (1-8), noon Maine (5-4)atHampton (2-7), noon The Citadel (4-5)atMississippi (8-1), noon Butler (5-4)atMorehead St. (5-5), noon Wofford(3-6) at VMI (1-8), 12:30 p.m. SE Missouri (3-6)atGardner-Webb (5-4), 12:30 p.m. Howard (4-5)atSCState (6-3), 12:30 p.m. Rhode Island (7-2)atElon (4-5), 1p.m. Incarnate Word (3-6)atNorthwestern St. (1-8), 1p.m.

(6-2),2:30 p.m.

(4-5)atSamford(1-8),2:30 p.m. Southern(1-8) at Alcorn St.(3-6),3 p.m. W.

(6-3)atN.Alabama (2-7),3 p.m. Georgia St. (1-7) at Coa. Carolina(5-3),3 p.m. Auburn (4-5)atVanderbilt (7-2),3p.m. Cent. Arkansas (3-6)atAustinPeay(5-4) 3p.m. Stanford(3-6) at North Carolina(3-5) 3:30 p.m. Florida St. (4-4)atClemson(3-5),6 p.m.

California (5-4) at Louisville (7-1), 6p.m.

Wake Forest (5-3) at Virginia(8-1),6 p.m. LSU (5-3)atAlabama (7-1), 6:30 p.m. Florida (3-5)atKentucky (3-5), 6:30 p.m. MIDWEST San Diego (5-4) at Valparaiso (1-8),noon St. Thomas (Minn.) (6-3) at Drake(6-2),noon IllinoisSt. (6-3) at IndianaSt. (3-6), noon Ohio St. (8-0)atPurdue (2-7), noon

STAFF FILEPHOTOSByHILARy SCHEINUK

From left, LSUassociate and running backs coach FrankWilson and head coach Brian Kelly walk onto the ﬁeld in the second half of agame againstSouth Carolina on Oct. 11 at TigerStadium Wilson was named interim coach after Kelly’s ﬁring

THENATION

THINGS TO WATCHINWEEK11

Who, what andwhere to keep an eyeoninthisweek’sgames around thenation

MIZZOU FACESUNBEATENAGGIES

Missouri has lost twice in threegames and is without talented quarterback Beau Pribula due to aseason-ending injury.TheTigers(No.22 CFP) still have plenty to play for,though their margin is slim for making theconference title game and the College Football Playoff. But it all startswith beating the Aggies, something nobodyelse has managed to do.Someof Texas A&M’ssuccessisthanks to its offensive line, which hasn’t alloweda sack in three straight games and five of eight games this season.

OREGON ENTERS CLOSINGSTRETCH

TEXASTECHHYPED FORBYU

1. TEXASA&M

Record: 8-0 overall, 5-0 SEC

Previous rank: 1

Last week: Idle

No.6 Oregon needs to win out to stayalivefor asecond straight CollegeFootball Playoff bid, startingSaturdayatIowa’sKinnick Stadium. The Ducks (7-1, 4-1 BigTen) sawtheirmarginfor error reduced this week when they landed at No. 9inthe initial CFP rankings. Iowa (6-2, 4-1) is No. 20 in the CFP rankings after winning three straight. Oregon coachDan Lanning’sbiggest concerns are Iowa’sdefense andspecial teams. He saidhis offense will be challengedbya defensivelinethat eats up blocks andasecondarythat limits big plays

1 3

The Red Raiders face their biggesthomegame in overa decade, amatchup with ByU that has playoff implications and couldbea preview of the Big12title game. ByU (8-0, 5-0 Big12, No.7 CFP) and TexasTech (8-1, 5-1, No 8CFP) are meeting in the Big 12’s first conference matchup of top-10 teams since 2021.

The Red Raiders appear primed and ready forthe moment.Tech’s defense is led by playmaker JacobRodriguezand national sacks leader David Bailey. ByU ranksthirdbothin scoring 36.3 points and allowing17per game.

—AssociatedPress

Amid upheaval,intense rivalrygameawaits

We interrupt this coaching search and recent athletic directorship icebergcollision to bring you the LSU-Alabama game.

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

2. ALABAMA

Record: 7-1 overall, 5-0 SEC

Previous rank: 2

Last week: Idle

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

3. GEORGIA

Record: 7-1 overall, 5-1 SEC

Previous rank: 3

Last week: DefeatedFlorida 24-20

Thisweek: at Mississippi State,11a.m. Saturday(ESPN)

4. OLEMISS

Record: 8-1 overall, 5-1 SEC

Previous rank: 4

Last week: DefeatedSouth Carolina 30-14

Thisweek: vs.The Citadel, noon Saturday (SECNetwork+)

Youremember the game, don’tyou? THE Game? Actual, not political, football?This is the series that produced the Game of the Century in 2011. That produced as thrilling agame as has ever been seen in Tiger Stadium back in 2022, a32-31 LSU overtime victory that portended great things for the Brian Kelly era. Well, it was good for the Tigerswhile it lasted.

Given the moon-sized spotlightonthe search for Kelly’s replacement —and who will be doing the replacing —this matchup has ﬂownunder the radar about as much as possible for aTigers-Crimson Tide tussle. LSU fans, understandably, are mostly checked outon this team and this disappointing season,focusedonwho and what is to come in 2026. It may surprise afew folks aroundhere toknow that the Tigers still have ateam. Even more so that they’re still eager to play Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa (on ABC). And they still have, what is that word?

Ah, yes. Pride. Pride and awelcomed feeling of afresh start after amonth in which their season spun shockingly out of control with three losses in LSU’spast four games following a4-0 start.

“Obviously it’satime of change for us,” senior linebacker West Weeks said. “Every day is new.Change is going tohappen. We’ve come in each day focused on what we’re going to do.” The leader of that change has been interim coach Frank Wilson. He’scharged up practices with more physical contact —inpart because of a telling request from defensive coordinator Blake Baker —and tried to instill arenewedsense of excitement with abig purple and white bass drum frontand center in the team meeting room stamped with the words “All In.”

“I’m pleasedwith the morale of our team,” Wilson said Monday.“Ithink we’re abetter team than we were lastweek.” Better than last week, last game, wouldn’trequire aleap of Mondo Duplantis-like proportions to clear the bar of LSU’s fetid 49-25losstoTexas A&M.

If there’sasense of failure within the LSU team, it did a darned good job of not letting it show this week. The sounds of practices from behind the

high fenceencirclingThe Ponderosa (thenickname for LSU’s expansivefootball practice facility) were loudand exuberant. Wilson andhis players wore smiles, and there was an ease aboutthem to news conferences. Thesense that a great weight,pressingdown on theprogram through losses in three of its past four games, has been liftedwas palpable. But make no mistake. There hasbeen failureatLSU. Costly failure. This wholesaga cost Kelly,athletic directorScott Woodwardand offensive coordinator Joe Sloan, just to startthe list, their jobs. It could cost LSU more than $60milliontobuy them out (Reminder: The state of Louisianaand its taxpayers won’tpay; deep-pocketed boosterswill). It costuntold damage to LSU’sreputation and image because ofthe wayeverything hasbeen handled, fromGov Jeff Landrysaying publicly that Woodwardwouldn’t hire the next coachtothe kerfufﬂe over whether VergeAusberry would be Woodward’s permanent suc-

cessor. Finally,after adark week and ahalf, the clouds began parting Thursday.Ausberry,the ﬁrst former LSU football player to serve as the school’sathletic director,has the job and is in charge of the football coaching search. Full stop. Youmay be happy or unhappy withAusberry as the choice, but there’s no question this is progress. It’sall part of anew wind blowing theTigers toward Tuscaloosa for this game. Sure, LSUstill has some of thesame old problems —a leaky offensive line and acreaky ground game, still no Whit Weeks at linebacker —and Alabama will be theonly team on the ﬁeld at Bryant-Denny Stadium with SEC and CFPchampionship hopes at play

The Tigers are playing spoiler.They’re playing for asignature win much like in 2022, achance to maybe not ruin Alabama’schances of making the12-team CFP ﬁeld but put a serious dent in them.

It’sanalmost identical sce-

nario to thegame in 2021 in Tuscaloosa between theTigers and Crimson Tide. LSU carried theﬁght to Bama all night long. At theend of a20-14 Crimson Tide victory,Bama fans chanted “Wejust beat the hell out of you,” knowing really their team was fortunate to escape. Can history repeat itself Saturday night?Insome rather remarkable ways, it has. Alabama was ranked No. 3four years ago and is No. 4this time. LSU has already ﬁred its coach (Ed Orgeron) and is in the market for anew leader,one whowill trytoput this rivalry on amore even footing when the Crimson Tide comes toTiger Stadium in 2026. That’sfor then. Here and now is the biggest game remaining on LSU’s2025 schedule, achance to repay someof thecost of thepast coupleof weeks.

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

5. OKLAHOMA

Record: 7-2 overall, 3-2 SEC

Previous rank: 9

Last week: DefeatedTennessee33-27

Thisweek: Idle

6. TEXAS

Record: 7-2 overall, 4-1 SEC

Previous rank: 7

Last week: DefeatedVanderbilt 34-31

Thisweek: Idle

7. VANDERBILT

Record: 7-2 overall, 3-2 SEC

Previous rank: 5

Last week: Lost to Texas 34-31

Thisweek: vs.Auburn, 3p.m. Saturday(SEC Network)

8. TENNESSEE

Record: 6-3 overall, 3-3 SEC

Previous rank: 6

Last week: Lost to Oklahoma33-27

Thisweek: Idle

9. MISSOURI

Record: 6-2 overall, 2-2 SEC

Previous rank: 8

Last week: Idle

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

10.LSU

Record: 5-3 overall, 2-3 SEC

Previous rank: 12

Last week: Idle

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

11.FLORIDA

Record: 3-5 overall, 2-3 SEC

Previous rank: 13

Last week: Lost to Georgia 24-20

Thisweek: at Kentucky,6:30 p.m. Saturday (SECNetwork)

12.MISSISSIPPI STATE

Record: 5-4 overall, 1-4 SEC

Previous rank: 14

Last week: DefeatedArkansas 38-35

Thisweek: vs.Georgia, 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPN)

13.SOUTH CAROLINA

Record: 3-6 overall, 1-6 SEC

Previous rank: 10

Last week: Lost to Ole Miss 30-14

Thisweek: Idle

14.KENTUCKY

Record: 3-5 overall, 1-5 SEC

Previous rank: 16

Last week: DefeatedAuburn10-3

Thisweek: vs.Florida, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (SECNetwork)

15.ARKANSAS

Record: 2-7 overall, 0-5 SEC

Previous rank: 15

Last week: Lost to Mississippi State38-35

Thisweek: Idle

16.AUBURN Record: 4-5 overall, 1-5 SEC

Previous rank: 11

Last

Thisweek:

Scott Rabalais

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU defensivecoordinator and linebackers coach BlakeBaker speaks with players on Sept. 6during a game against Louisiana Tech at TigerStadium. Oneofinterim head coach Frank Wilson’schanges has been havingmore physical practices.

SPORTS

Fast start required

Cajuns don’t want to chase after explosive Bobcats

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Good starts are always a goal for football teams.

It might be more important than ever this season for the UL Ragin’ Cajuns in a 4 p.m. Saturday showdown with explosive Texas State at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

“Tempo hurt us early in the year,” UL inside linebackers coach Scott Stoker said. “We’ve gotten a lot better at it, but I don’t know if we’ve seen anybody this fast in tempo. We’re really going to have to do a good job with communication because that’s where all their big plays come from.”

Quarterback Brad Jackson has led the productive offense. The redshirt freshman has thrown for 2,016 yards and 10 scores while completing 67.7% of his passes. What really makes him dangerous is his 106 carries for 427 yards and nine touchdowns.

“He’s kind of a smaller Lunch (Winﬁeld),” Stoker said. “He’s not nearly as tall or thick as Lunch is, but he’s got that kind of speed. I mean, it’s all over the tape, him

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

getting out on third-and-long and running for 15 yards for ﬁrst downs.”

Against Troy, the Bobcats led 28-7 in the ﬁrst quarter only to lose 48-41 in overtime.

“They don’t really let you sub,” Stoker said “They’ve got the same group in. Now, it’ll slow down a little bit as the game goes on, but they’re going to try to catch you early in the ball game. It’s tough, because you really can’t duplicate it in practice.”

In addition to the defense trying to slow down Texas State, the Cajuns offense aims to stay hot early UL has scored on its ﬁrst drive in the last three games.

“I thought we were able to kind of sustain that momentum and continue to kind

Once coach Kim Mulkey and her staff landed the nation’s No 1 recruiting class, then lost several veterans to the transfer portal, they knew they’d have to rely on freshmen.

What the LSU women’s basketball program didn’t know was just how much it could trust each of those ﬁve newcomers Mulkey could evaluate them in their high school and AAU matchups, but ﬁguring out how their games would translate to the next level is a trickier proposition.

“What you never know is work ethic,” Mulkey said. “You never know heart.”

Two games into the season Mulkey is already getting those answers

The No. 5 Tigers (2-0) have beaten up a pair of overmatched teams from the Southland Conference. LSU defeated Houston Christian by 53 points on Tuesday then smothered Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday, winning 115-26 in one of the two most lopsided games it ever has played.

KIM MULKEy,

The easy wins have produced some eye-popping numbers. The Tigers already have a whopping 42 steals. They’ve also shot 60% from the ﬁeld and 15 of 31 (48%) from 3-point range while assisting on more than half of the shots they’ve made. Mulkey isn’t relying too heavily on her starters. All 12 active scholarship players are logging, on average, at least 11 minutes per game, and nobody is getting more than 22 minutes per game. Inside such a balanced rotation, Mulkey can evaluate her ﬁve freshmen. They’ve all impressed

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Every week, Kellen Moore devises a game plan that aims to get the New Orleans Saints off to a strong start.

The ﬁrst-year coach has enough conﬁdence in these plays that lately, the Saints have chosen to return the opening kickoff when they win the coin toss. The Saints haven’t played much with a lead this season, so Moore wants to set a tone right away

But more often than not, Moore sends the call in and watches it fail.

Few, if any, teams have been worse on their opening possession this season than the Saints. They are averaging a league-low 4.22 plays per drive. A whopping 44.4% of New Orleans’ opening drives have resulted in a three-and-out, behind only Jacksonville and Denver

“We’ve got to get some cleaner (opportunities), continue to get some freebies,” Moore said. “Get the sense of urgency going.”

In the NFL, teams map out their ﬁrst 15-20 plays — commonly known as “the script.” They are looks that can present a new ﬂavor to the offense or staples aimed to earn explosive plays. In an ideal setting, Moore said, these scripted plays last two to three drives before calling from the rest of the sheet. The script also isn’t always straightforward, Moore said. Playcallers will vary up their rhythm within the selection of plays available, and Moore said third downs

her in different ways so far.

“They’re confident,” Mulkey said. “They will guard anybody on the ﬂoor They might get abused, but they still will come back. They’re going to try and do their best.

“Nothing has surprised me.” ZaKiyah Johnson, a 6-foot freshman forward, is starting in the post and giving LSU the kind of production Aneesah Morrow used to provide. She plays sound defense, runs the floor and crashes the glass on both the offensive and defensive ends. She followed up an 11-point, 11-rebound debut Tuesday with an efficient 16-point, five-rebound, four-steal showing Thursday Bella Hines, a 5-foot-10 guard, drained five of the first seven 3-pointers she has attempted as a Tiger Against the Lions, she also drew two charges, including one along the baseline near the LSU bench that Mulkey enjoyed enough to celebrate with a pair of long, swinging fist pumps. Forward Grace Knox has chipped in 21 points, seven

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

running back Zylan Perry celebrates a touchdown against Marshall on Sept. 27 at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. The Cajuns’ ability to establish a running game could be key in keeping a

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU coach Kim Mulkey speaks with freshman guard Bella Hines during an exhibition game against Langston on Oct. 30 in the PMAC. Hines has made five of her first seven 3-point attempts this season.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Saints coach Kellen Moore watches a play that is under review against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 14 at the Caesars Superdome.

Commanders QB Daniels avoids surgery on elbow

Jayden Daniels did not tear ligaments in his dislocated left elbow, tests showed so he does not need surgery and the Washington Commanders will not place the quarterback on injured reserve, at least for now

While the ultimate length of this absence is not known, and could depend on how Washington (3-6) fares in its upcoming games, it is clear that Daniels will not play Sunday against the visiting Detroit Lions (5-3). Backup QB Marcus Mariota will start instead.

Crusaders nab ﬁrst district title since 2016

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

It has been a long time since the Westminster Christian Crusaders have won a district championship in football. And it has been even longer since the Crusaders have gone undefeated in a regular season Both of those droughts came to an end on Thursday as the Crusaders (10-0) defeated the St. Edmund Blue Jays 37-22 to win the District 5-1A championship.

“Oh, this feels great,” Crusaders coach Byron Porter said after the game. “You know, to go 10-0 and finish as district champs, it feels great. It hadn’t been done in quite some time, so I couldn’t be prouder of our players, coaching staff, school, community, administration and the student body.”

It’s the ﬁrst district title for the Crusaders since 2016 and only the second time in school history that WCA has gone unbeaten, with the

ﬁrst being in 2011.

“Before the season, we always talk about making a legacy,” Porter said. “We talked about winning the district championship, and those guys did it They worked hard through the summer preseason and into the season. We’re in a tough district and we persevered through that and I’m just very proud of the kids.”

The Crusaders beneﬁted from big performances by running back Kyle Horde and Damien Thomas, who impacted the game on both sides of the football.

Horde proved to be too much for the Blue Jays defense, as he averaged more than 9 yards per carry en route to ﬁnishing with a game-high 191 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

“Kyle did a great job,” Porter said. “Coming in, we wanted to get the football in his hands, and he answered the bell. He’s a load to bring down He has good stamina, and he’s worked on his stamina

all year We knew he’d be a load to bring down, and he did everything he needed to do (Thursday).”

Horde, whose offensive linemen did a great job of creating lanes for him to run through, had touchdown runs of 70, 33 and 5 yards.

“Kyle has a low center of gravity, but he’s a huge kid,” Porter said. “Upon contact, he makes himself small and he’s strong so he’s going to keep his legs pumping. Again, he’s a big kid, and trying to tackle him over and over for four quarters, you’re going to feel it.”

Thomas, who ended the game with three receptions for 47 yards, got in on the offensive action when he hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Stephen George to give the Crusaders a 23-6 lead with 56 seconds remaining until halftime. For the game, George completed 8 of 14 passes for 169 yards.

However, Thomas’ greatest impact came on the defensive side of the ball, as he intercepted three

passes.

“Damien made some big plays for us,” Porter said. “The touchdown that he caught was big, and he took a shot at the end. The interceptions he made all came at great times in the game. He’s a gamer and he made some great plays (Thursday).”

In the losing effort for the Blue Jays (8-2), Wyatt Dubois ﬁnished with a team-high 82 yards rushing with three touchdowns on 14 carries.

While the Crusaders will enjoy their accomplishments over the weekend, Porter said by the time the playoff brackets are released Sunday, WCA will be ready to turn the page.

“You want to win every game, but you have to be both lucky and good,” Porter said “I think probably more of the latter I’m just humbled, and I think we’re very fortunate to be in the position that we’re in. We will enjoy it now, but then we’ll get ready for the postseason.”

Westgate wins 5th straight with blowout of Comeaux

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

The goal for every football team is to be peaking at the end of the regular season.

The Westgate Tigers locked up their ﬁfth straight win and a likely home playoff game by defeating Comeaux 42-7 in a District 4-4A game on Thursday in New Iberia.

“Our team has gotten stronger over the weeks,” senior McNeese State defensive line commitment Lenord Howard said. “We’re playing good ball.” Sophomore quarterback Noah Antoine threw touchdown passes to three receivers, connecting with Cayden Lancelin, Jackilon Roberson and Joshua John while completing 12 of 17 passes for 206 yards On the first scoring drive, he scrambled for a 13-yard gain on fourth-and-7 from the Comeaux 24.

“Noah made sound decisions and hit the reads he was supposed to hit,” WHS coach Ryan Antoine said. “I’m deﬁnitely excited about our guys. We did what we were supposed to do to get back in playoff contention.”

With the Tigers up 14-0 early in the second quarter, Comeaux

reached the red zone on a 65yard run by junior Jaden Celestine, the area’s leading rusher On second-and-goal from the 8, Celestine ran for a 3-yard gain before exiting with an injury, and the Spartans turned it over on downs

“Prayers up for No. 4,” Antoine said of Celestine. “He’s the best player in the district. He should get the offensive MVP When they lost him, you could see what happened to the team.”

Sophomores Caemon Crockem and Brock Mitchell both ran for touchdowns Mitchell, who scored on a 3-yard run, gained 65 yards on 17 carries, caught two passes for 26 yards and completed a 21yard pass.

Crockem (10 carries, 91 yards)

scored from 58 yards on the Tigers’ ﬁrst possession of the second half.

“Our kids went out there, had fun and played a solid game,” Antoine said. “We had to come out ﬁred up because we knew Comeaux has a very much improved team. Hats off to Comeaux. They tried to shut that school down, and coach (Marquis) Newsome has them playing inspired football.” Lancelin, who had a stunning

47-yard TD on a reverse nulliﬁed by penalty, converted a pair of two-point conversions and caught three passes for 54 yards. John had four catches for 57 yards.

Roberson added a 43-yard catch, and Tony Qutel caught two passes for 26 yards. Rahim Alem had an interception and a reception.

Keyon Colbert scored on a fourth-quarter touchdown for the Tigers, while Comeaux turned the ball over on downs ﬁve times.

“We love our kids so much,” Antoine said. “When we’re not winning, the kids feel like they’re letting the whole community down. We appreciate the community staying with us when we were 1-4.

“A 6-4 record deﬁnitely wasn’t the goal going in, but we knew we’d drop a few games here and there with growing pains — young guys in certain spots.”

Antoine said defensive coordinator Tyrunn Walker moved David Antoine to middle linebacker, Trandin Benjamin to safety and John Dauterive closer to the box, which has helped fuel the winning streak.

On Thursday, the unit held Comeaux to 5-of-20 passing and 167 yards rushing, 107 of which came on two plays: Celestine’s run and a

41-yard touchdown in the second half from Zach Lam.

“We were talking as a group to make sure we get these stops,” Howard said. “The defense showed up. The offense made some big plays. I think we’re prepared for the playoffs. It’s time to get ready for the playoffs next week.”

Early projections have the Tigers (6-4, 4-2) as a No. 16 seed hosting No. 17 Airline (7-3) in the Division I nonselect playoffs. That would be a rematch of last year won by Airline in Bossier City

“We did a good job of moving guys around,” Ryan Antoine said of the defensive adjustments.

“Once we did that, we turned over a new leaf. You saw it in the Teurlings game. We got stopped short on the 1-yard line against STM. Since then, we’ve been rolling.

“It’s all about who is hot at the right time We just want to play football and have another week with our guys.”

Celestine went over the 1,600yard mark for the season by rushing for 81 yards on eight carries for Comeaux (5-5, 3-3), which has the No 27 power rating in Division I select. The top 24 seeds will make the playoffs.

The Commanders’ next game after that is in Spain on Nov 16, followed by their bye week.

Daniels hurt his non-throwing elbow midway through the fourth quarter of Washington’s 38-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday night.

Ex-Alabama All-America

LB Lowe dies at age 71

Woodrow Lowe, a three-time All-America linebacker at Alabama and an 11-year starter for the San Diego Chargers in the NFl, has died. He was 71.

Lowe died at his home in Collierville, Tennessee, on Thursday, according to the National Football Foundation.

Lowe was a 2009 NFF Hall of Fame inductee. He starred at Alabama (1972-75) and was the second player in program history to make the ﬁrst-team AllAmerica list three times. He helped the Crimson Tide make the Sugar Bowl in 1973, losing to eventual national champion Notre Dame, and was a consensus All-America selection the following year

Dodgers reliever Vesia announces daughter’s death

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, who missed the World Series because of what the team said at the time was a “deeply personal family matter,” said on Friday his daughter, Sterling, has died.

“Our little angel we love you forever & you’re with us always,” Vesia and his wife, Kayla, said on Instagram in a post that included a picture of an infant holding hands with adults “Our beautiful daughter went to heaven Sunday October 26th. There are no words to describe the pain we’re going through but we hold her in our hearts and cherish every second we had with her.”

The team announced Oct. 23, the day before the World Series started, that he was not with the team.

Sabalenka, Rybakina set for WTA Finals title match

1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka reached the title match at the WTA Finals for the first time in three years after overcoming Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals Friday Sabalenka will play first-time finalist Elena Rybakina on Saturday No. 6 Rybakina beat No. 5 Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on the back of 15 aces.

Sabalenka was pushed to the brink by No. 4 Anisimova, who matched Sabalenka’s power and aggression for more than two hours in a rematch of the U.S. Open ﬁnal.

The ﬁrst set lasted an hour Anisimova missed ﬁve break chances and racked up 24 unforced errors. But she halved that in the second set and broke Sabalenka three times to force a deciding set.

Hataoka, Shin share lead at LPGA event in Japan

OTSU Japan Japanese golfer Nasa Hataoka and Shin Ji-yai of South Korea sat atop the leaderboard Friday after the second round of the LPGA’s Toto Japan Classic.

Hataoka shot a 4-under 68 and Shin was in with a 67 for tworound totals of 11-under 133. Miyu Yamashita of Japan, who shared the lead with Hataoka after the ﬁrst round, was a stroke back of the leaders after a 69 at the Seta Golf Club in western Japan. Three more Japanese golfers were only two strokes off the lead: Sayaka Takahashi (67), Ai Suzuki (67) and Shuri Sakuma (66). Minjee Lee of Australia, among the best-known players in the ﬁeld, shot 1-over

and was eight shots back.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Westminster Christian running back Kyle Horde, left, breaks the tackle of St. Edmund defender Lannie Reed, right, during their game on Thursday in Opelousas

PASSING

LunchWinfield

57.0%,903yards,7TDs,4INTs RUSHING

ZylanPerry

96carries,543yards,5.7avg,7TDs

104carries,469yards,4.5avg,3TDs RECEIVING

SheltonSampson

19catches,362yards,19.0avg,3TDs

Robert Williams

17catches,269yards,15.8avg

DEFENSE

Jaden Dugger

84tackles,7forloss,1sack,1FF,1INT

Terrance Williams

62tackles,2forloss,1sack,1FF AUGUST

Arkansas Statecontinues to rise

Records: 6-2overall, 4-0 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 2

Last week:Open date

This week: at Arkansas State, 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPNU)

Extrapoints:The Sun BeltWest race changed in ahurry.During an open date sitting at 4-0inthe league, SouthernMiss watched ArkansasState go to Troy and win 23-10. Nowall of asudden, aloss in Jonesboro on Saturdaymeans theEaglescedethe driver’sseat to theRed Wolves.Both teams have playmakingquarterbacks, so it shouldbeaninteresting matchup.

3. CoastalCarolina

Records: 5-3overall, 4-1 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 4

Last week: DefeatedMarshall 4427

Thisweek: vs. Georgia State, 3p.m. Saturday(ESPN+)

Extrapoints:After climbingtothe secondspot in the Sun BeltEast race, theChanticleers enter a different phaseoftheir comeback. Coastal has to prove itcan maintainits focusagainst noncontenders such as Georgia Stateand Georgia Southern over the next twoweeks. If the Chanticleers can do so, it will host James Madison with thedivision title on the line.

4. Arkansas State

Records: 5-4overall, 4-1 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 7

Last week: Defeated Troy 23-10

This week: vs. Southern Miss, 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPNU)

Extrapoints: It’s prettyhardto explainwhat’sgoingonwiththe Red Wolves. Twoweeksago,ArkansasState had two 100-yard

CAJUNS

Continued from page5C

KevinFoote

of putpressure on the other team by scoring, you know,drive afterdrive,”ULcoach Michael Desormeaux said of the South Alabama game.

“So, you never really know how the game starts. It’salways good toget your quarterback in a rhythm.” Winfield hasthrownfor 903 yards andseven touchdowns with fourinterceptions at a57.1% clip while also rushing for 453 yards andﬁve scores on 91 carries.

“We’re not really atempo team, but every game’sdifferent,” Desormeauxsaid. “It’skind of the flow of the game, Ithink sometimeskind of dictates the way youhave to play alittle bit …you just try to kindofbeefﬁcienton offense and sustain some drives.” Texas State sports the league’s

23-10

This week: Open date

Extrapoints: Troy rushed for only 21 yards on 34 attemptsinlast week’slosstoArkansasState, when sacks were accounted for The Trojans offensive line yielded nine sacks for minus-62 yards. TheTroy defenseallowed only 50 yards on 33 carries. Suddenly Troy’s prospects don’tlook as good withgames at Old Dominion and at Southern Miss still left on theschedule.

6. OldDominion

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

Previous rank: 6

Last week: Defeated UL-Monroe

31-6

This week: Open date

Extrapoints: The Monarchs jumped on the Warhawks24-0 by halftime in collecting 391 yards while limiting UL-Monroe to 293 yards. Quarterback Colton Joseph threw for 231 yards and also ran for 72 more and three touchdowns. It’salongshotatthis point, butOld Dominion’s hopes in the Eastaren’tquite dead.The Monarchs have afavorable schedule withTroyathomeand thetwo Georgia schools.

7. Marshall

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

Previous rank: 5

Last week: Lost at Coastal Carolina

44-27

This week: vs.James Madison

11 a.m. Saturday (ESPN2)

Extrapoints: The Marshall offense has been potent all season long. The problem is James Madison is scoring lots of points lately too, so theHerd maybefacing

“Wehavetobemore excited about the game than they are. That’swhat it comes down to.”

MICHAEL DESORMEAUX,UL coach

toptackler in Treylin Payne with 72 stops and two sacks. As ateam, theBobcats have piled up 54 stops behind the line to go with 19 sacks, compared with 38 stops behind the line and 13 sacks for the Cajuns.

“Their (defensive)frontisaggressive,” Desormeaux said. “They movethe front and they bringsafetypressures. They’ll pressurethe safetyonany down.”

Thegoodnewsfor UL is that left tackle Bryant Williams returned last week and tight end Caden Jensen is back this week.After mainlyrelying on Winﬁeld’srunning against Troy,BillDavis and Zylan Perry rushedfor 56 yards apiece in the winoverSouthAlabama.

yard away from getting to an onside kick attempt for achance to kick aﬁeldgoaland win. Instead, theULdefense delivered agoalline stand. Nowthe defense must ﬁgure out away to limit the potent Texas State offense.

9. TexasState

Records: 3-5 overall, 0-4 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 9

Last week: Lost to James Madison

52-20

This week: at UL,4 p.m.Saturday (ESPN+)

Extrapoints: The Bobcats’ run of near misses ended with ahome demolition at thehands of James Madison. Quarterback Brad Jackson put up somebig numbers, but the defense gave up 511 yardsto the Dukes. Texas State’schances of leaving the conference in style are over.Now the Bobcats hope to beat UL for the ﬁrst time in school history on Saturday

10.Georgia Southern

Records: 4-5 overall, 2-3 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 12

Last week: Open date

This week: Defeated Appalachian State25-23 on Thursday

Extrapoints: The Eagles quieted thecrowd in Boone, North Carolina, quickly by building a22-3 lead.Georgia Southern ranfor 142 yardsand threw for 352 more.

JC French had another big game with 352 yards passing and a touchdown. OJ Arnold added 105 yards rushing andMarcus Sanders pitched in 127 yards anda touchdown receiving.

11.AppalachianState

Records: 4-5 overall, 1-4 Sun Belt

“Hopefully,wecan get the backs going again and just maybe be alittle moreexplosive,” Desormeaux said.

Winﬁeld showed signs of connecting withreceiverShelton Sampson in last week’swin. Sampson caught six passes for 138 yardsand two touchdowns last week.

“I hope that connection continues,”Desormeaux said. “I hope it continues to getbetter.I think sometimes you’ve got to let it eat and let it kind of play out like it does.

“Lunch just needstokeep making good decisions and go where it needs to go.”

For the second straight week, theCajuns enter the game in a must-win situation because of their 3-6, 2-3record to maintain their hope of reaching abowl game.

“It’s the samementality,” safety KodyJacksonsaid. “Wehavetogo out there and do the work. We’re

This week: Open date

Extrapoints: The good news was quarterback AidenArmenta was back. The bad news was it didn’t provide aspark at all. ULM was 0for 13 on third downs. The Warhawks also had ﬂag issues with 11 penalties for77yards. Armenta threw for 150 yards and atouchdown. Running back Zach Palmer-Smith had anice gamewith 96 yards on 18 carries, but it wasn’t enough to spark the offense.

13.South Alabama

Records: 2-7 overall, 1-4 Sun Belt

Previous rank: 13

Last week: Lost to UL 31-2

This week: Open date

Extrapoints: The Jaguars’ lost season took another hit in Saturday’s homeloss to the Cajuns, and South Alabamaisout of the running for abowl berth. Asecond-half comeback attempt gotthe Jags to 165 yardsrushingand 203passing, including a64-yard TD pass, but it wasn’tenough.

14.Georgia State

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

Previous rank: 14

Last week: Open date

This week: at Coastal Carolina, 3p.m. Saturday (ESPN+) Extrapoints: It’shard to imagine thePantherslosing to James Madison only 14-7, but that did happen earlier this season. Georgia State could not build on that encouraging performance. All the Panthers can do is playspoiler, beginning withSaturday’sroad trip to Coastal.

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

handling the situation pretty well.”

Because both teams are now outofthe West Division race, the signiﬁcance of this matchup isn’t what was expected months ago. But there still is the matter of the Cajuns being 12-0 in the all-time series over Texas State.

Desormeaux expects theBobcatstobehighly motivated. He also doesn’tlike the fact Texas State wasbeaten 52-20 by James Madison in its last game.

“Anytime you don’tplay very well, it sucks,” Desormeauxsaid. “It motivates you to go play better,sothey’re going to be really motivated to go play better.I’d rather be playingsomeone who wasblowing peopleout andrattling off wins.

“Wehavetobemoreexcited about the game than they are That’swhat it comes downto.”

Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

STAFFFILE

PHOTOByBRAD KEMP

Arkansas State coach Butch Jones, right, shown here talkingtoULcoachMichael Desormeaux last season, suddenly has his Red Wolves one win away from the driver’sseat in the Sun Belt West race.

SAINTS

Continued from page 5C

tend to be their own section, separate from the scripted plays. But just looking at play counts, the Saints typically don’t reach their 15th play until well into the game. They’ve had four games — including last Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams — in which it took until the fourth drive to reach play No. 15. For the ﬁve other contests, the Saints have had three games in which they hit the threshold by their second drive and two others on their third. Either way, they aren’t getting enough production. New Orleans has only one opening-drive touchdown an 18-yard score from running back Kendre Miller to cap an impressive

SCOREBOARD

rebounds and five steals in the first two games. Point guard Divine Bourrage, at 5-11, has used her length to grab rebounds. Forward Megan Yarnevich has shot efficiently around the rim, and Mulkey said Tuesday she “may know the game better than anybody on that floor.”

“And she was one of the last ones to go in,” Mulkey said. “Kids want to play with (Yarnevich). She knows

seven-play, 69-yard series in a Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

“When we’ve been starting games, we get behind the chains,” wide receiver Brandin Cooks said. “Next thing you know, (it’s) second-andlong, third-and-long. And when you get in that position in this league, the defenses are too good to be able to consistently convert that.”

How much is Moore to blame?

Play calling can be a tricky subject to analyze. Is it the plays or has the execution simply not been good enough? Moore, for instance, isn’t dialing up a run play for Alvin Kamara on ﬁrst-and-10 just so the running back can gain a yard something that happened on the ﬁrst play of the Rams game. It also isn’t Moore’s fault if his quarterback fumbles on the opening drive, like Spencer Rattler

her capabilities. She understands the game. And when you see (Mikaylah Williams) and those guys wanting to be on the ﬂoor with Meg, that tells you (that) you got something to work with.” Mulkey won’t put 12 players on the floor every night. When LSU runs into stiffer competition in January, she’ll whittle her rotation down to eight or nine contributors Johnson and Knox look like favorites to land one of those roles, while Bourrage, Hines and Yarnevich will have to beat out established veterans to

Fumbles-Lost

Penalties-Yards

Time of Possession

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING_Las Vegas, Jeanty 19-60, Tucker 1-7, G.Smith 3-7, Mostert 1-4, Bowers 1-(minus 4). Denver, Dobbins 18-77, Harvey 4-9, Nix 5-(minus 2) PASSING_Las Vegas, G.Smith 16-26-1-143, Pickett 0-1-0-0. Denver, Nix 16-28-2-150. RECEIVING_Las Vegas, Lockett 5-44, Mayer 3-22, Jeanty 3-3, Tucker

1-43, Prentice

Dobbins 1-7, Trautman 1-2. MISSED FIELD GOALS_Las Vegas, Carlson 48. Denver, Lutz 59. Pro hockey

EASTERN CONFERENCE

did in back-to-back games before he was benched.

But there have been curious moments. Against the Rams, rookie Tyler Shough threw short of the sticks on third-and-7 for a 6-yard gain. On that play, four of the five routes didn’t get past the first-down marker Against the Patriots, three underwhelming calls led the Saints to settle for an opening-drive field goal, despite a 53-yard gain from Chris Olave.

Moore’s track record as an offensive coordinator isn’t encouraging in this area. The Philadelphia Eagles, despite winning the Super Bowl, scored only two opening-drive touchdowns last season. The Los Angeles Chargers ranked around league average in 2023, while the Dallas Cowboys’ productivity varied between league average and bad. The 2020 Cowboys

ﬁnd themselves in that mix. It could happen, especially if the freshmen keep playing like they did in the ﬁrst two games this season. “I’ve been so excited to watch them in practice,” Mulkey said. “I enjoy going to practice because they just get after it, and they’re coachable, and they’re pleasant to be around.”

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

failed to score an openingdrive touchdown, although quarterback Dak Prescott missed most of the year Scripted play calls last longer than opening drives. Moore arrived in New Orleans with a reputation for being a strong play-caller, with those who knew him praising the coach for his intellect and ability to teach the game. His approach helped the Eagles win it all, and he’s had an above-

average offense in four of his previous six seasons.

To be fair to Moore, some of the Saints’ best plays this season have come within their ﬁrst 15-20 plays. The bomb to Olave to open the Patriots’ game. A 39yard play-action strike to Rashid Shaheed against the San Francisco 49ers. A 29-yard run from Taysom Hill. There are plays that are well-designed and look pretty when executed.

They’re just few and far between, whether that’s on Moore or not.

“Obviously, it’s a commitment from the coaching staff,” offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier said. “We’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys the best plays early in the game. And we’ve got to do a better job of executing.”

Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate.

TerryRobinson FAITH MATTERS

Lafayette pastor’s experience of hell changed hislife

Hell has asmell.

Bryan Keelin, 57, who pastors the Lafayette Vineyard Church alongside his wife, Lesley,vividly remembers the unbearable stench of hell that stopped him in his tracks.

On the Fourth of July in 1992, it wasn’t ﬁreworks but the ﬁre of hell that turned his life around while living in Charleston, South Carolina.

“I had an encounter of God and avision of hell opening up and swallowing me up,” he said. “The ﬂoor of my house disappeared, and Icould see the ﬂames of hell coming up.I could smell thesulfur,and it’s still real to this day.”

AMissouri native and Navy veteran, Bryan Keelin said he ﬁrst confessed Christatthe age of 12, but his truesalvation didn’t come until that fateful day at 23.

“I thought Iwas saved,” said Bryan Keelin, who regularly attended church. “Nothing in my life changed when Iwas 12 years. ...There was no heart change. No presence of God.I was taking baby steps without knowing it. Then, he radically touched me, and Ihaven’tbeen the same.”

Everything changed in amatter of 30 seconds.

“The Holy Spirit, in an audible voice, not abig booming declaration or light from heaven, but in astill small voice, whispered, ‘Bryan,you confessed but you never believed,’”hesaid. “Romans9:10 says you have to confess— and believe. And believe means trusting enough to take action.” He tookaction after seeinga vision of aplane crashinginto his house, killing him anddragging him into hell for eternity.

“I started crying out, screaming out, ‘I believe! Ibelieve! Ibelieve!,’”hesaid. “All of a sudden, the ﬂoor came back, thecoffee table showed up, and Ihad this overwhelming sense of peace and assurance that I had encounteredthe livingGod and that Iwas now his.” Twoyears later, Bryan Keelin answeredhis call into ministry in Charleston.

“Honestly,God put me there,” he said. “When Ijoined the Navy,Iended up stationed in Charleston at the Navybase there as part of the submarine ﬂeet. After Igot out of the Navy,God told me to stay there because he had work for me to do.” It was in that season that he met his wife, Lesley,aCharleston native,Bible college graduate and daughter of achurch elder.The couple served in ministry together even before getting married. They helped launchaninner-city outreach mission church.

ä See MATTERS, page 10C

“Itwasn’tsomething that Ithought would takemethisfar.Itwas really just ajob at astore,and it sort of morphed into everything it is now.”

Jour Interiors

WILLIAM EVANS, ownerofAbat

Madeshade

There’snoone wholoves lampsmorethan this BatonRouge lamp expert in MidCity

BY MADDIE SCOTT

Staff writer

Nobodylooksatlamps thesame way as Baton Rouge’spremiere lamp expert, aﬁcionadoand enthusiast. Meet WilliamEvans, owner of Abat Jour Interiors in BatonRouge.

The interior design store specializes in lamp services and custom frameprojects,and thebusiness’ staff operates like afamily,lighting up people’shomes and hearts.

The businessbegan in 1996 and changed itsname in 2001 to Abat Jour,which means lampshade in French.The ﬁrst threeletters(aba) also meant that thebusiness’ title alphabetically appeared at thetop of phonebook listings,a marketing win in thegood ol’ days

Thebusiness, at 545 S. Foster Drive in Baton Rouge, is decked outwithahodgepodgeoflamps, furnishings,wall art and antiques. The lamp selection varies in style from midcentury modern to vintage European to minimalistic to one-of-a-kind lamps made out of inanimateobjects.

Johnson, The Queen’s director of food and beverage,pours

Evans’ journey into lamps began at 19 years oldwhenheworked aweekendjob at alocal lamp store in Baton Rouge. There, he made ﬁnials, the small ornaments screwedontop of lamps to keep

lampshadesinplace, but they also include anyknobatthe top or end of objects like banisters or curtain rods.

ä See LAMPS, page 10C

STAFFPHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON Abat Jour owner and designer WilliamEvans stands in ashowroom surrounded by lamps and other art decor in Baton Rouge.

Several finished repaired lamps hang in the showroom at Abat Jour waiting to be picked up.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Pastors Bryanand LesleyKeelin, of Lafayette Vineyard Church

BYMADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

‘Oil &Fire Encounter’ in Baton Rouge

Ignite World Ministries will host its“Oil& FireEncounter” from7 p.m. to 10 p.m.Friday,Nov.14, at the Hampton Inn &Suites Baton Rouge, 11271 Rieger Road.

Hosted by Ron and Rhonda Augustus of Ignite World Ministries (McKinney,Texas), this powerful night of worship and word willbe Spirit-ﬁlled and Spirit-led— centered on Jesus and open to the sovereign move of the Holy Spirit.

“Expect healing, deliverance, prophetic ministry and fresh impartation to equip you for spiritual growth and

warfare (Ephesians 4:11–13; Ephesians 6:10–18),” anews release says. Formore information,visit eventbrite.com Thanksgiving meal kit giveaway

MacedoniaMissionaryBaptist Church,2800 Wyandotte St., willhostaThanksgiving mealkitgiveawayfrom9a.m. to noon Thursday,Nov.20.

The eventis presented in partnership with Capitol Wellness Solutions, ILERA Holistic Healthcareand the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

Each meal kitis readyto takehome, cook and cel-

ebratewithfamily. Free medical cards will also be available.

Star of Bethlehem 116thanniversary

The Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church, 1204 St. Joseph St., BatonRouge, will celebrate its 116thchurch anniversary at 10 a.m.

Sunday

Spe ci al guest speaker will be the Rev. Ronald Sutton,of Ebenezer Baptist Church of SouthBaton Rouge

LAMPS

Continued from page9C

“I started making finials because Ithought, ‘Finials, they’re like earrings,’” Evans said.“They just finish everything. It’safinish point.” Finials led Evans to his passion,something he gets to indulge in every day at the shop. His days are always different, whether that’s configuring acustom chandelier out of deer antlers or turning apair of shoes intoa lamp in 24 hours.

“It wasn’tsomething that I thought would take me this far,”Evans said abouthis weekendjob at 19. “Itwas really just ajob at astore, and it sort of morphed into everything it is now.”

Evans said he couldn’tdo any of this without his team, asmall but mighty group of six employees: an assistant, another lamp expert, a frame expert and acouple of installers who also specialize in design.

Thelampguy

On the ﬁrst ﬂoorofAbat Jour,next to the front desk, is asmall workspace that’s alittle smaller than an LSU dorm room.

It’swhere the magic happens, where lamps are resurrected or where inanimate objects like apair of shoes turn to into light fixtures. Thewallsare coveredwith shelves of tools and wires, so everything is no more than three pacesaway, if not an arm’sreach.

“It’sanorganized chaos,” said lamp expert BillyHarmon. “You see all these little pieces, parts and all that? I know where most of them are and what they are.”

Harmonmade his first lamp outofa piggy bank when he was 11 years old. After beinganelectrician for mostofhis life, Harmon joined Abat Jour 10 years ago, establishing areputation as the lamp guy Harmon does the mechanical work that brings Evans’ visions to life. He works on repairing chandeliers, lamps, wall sconces or really any type of light ﬁxture.

On aNovemberMonday, Harmon was sitting in his workspace,cleaning an antique Europeanchandelier

and replacingwires that are probably90years old.

“I think this piece was built in the1930s, and it’s never been rewired,” Harmonsaid, standing in front of the deconstructed chandelier, its parts laid out like it was under surgery.“This is European history right here.”

Theframing department

Up the cheetah-print stairs is the frame room where Joy McDonald builds custom frames —she’s the frame expert at Abat Jour.

“I am the framing department,” McDonald said with alaugh.“AndI’m an artist too, so it’ssonicetobeable to have bothofthose things.”

McDonald began her journeywith frames abouteight years ago, and ever since joiningAbatJourin2021, she’sfound peace and pride in preserving thingsthatare important to people.She has framedthings likepenguin tracks, animal hides,children’spaintings and original artwork

“It’ssonicewhensomebody bringssomething they treasure,” McDonaldsaid. “For me to be abletomake it beautifulfor them,and not only that, preserveit.”

Being able to build aframe from scratch and work with wood is impressive, andshe calls Evans her muse something that’scorny but true, she said.

“I love it here,” McDonald said. “I’m almost 50, andI’m thehappiest I’ve ever been. I’m super,superhappy.”

She added that thework in theshopisateam effort,all workingtogethertocreate one-of-a-kindpieces.

Ditching theperfume

Dear Heloise: Ijust read theletter about not wearing strong scents as they can really bother people. Iagree and would even ask: Why wear it at all?! In olden days, it was worn to maskbad body odor before people bathed regularly Andgoing even further,a multitude of body products today are scented —deodorant, shampoo, body lotion, soap, hairspray,and more. So, withsuch amix of scents, what do you even end up smelling like? Can your perfumeeven smell

as it was meant to? And especially forwomen, do men really care about perfume?

“William has got theamazing eye,” McDonaldsaid. “We’re all very creative, and we get it together andcome up with somethingbeautiful.”

Lamp renovation

Many people throwaway brokenlamps, when they could be ﬁxedwith alampshade replacement or rewiring, something Evans calls lamp renovation.

“When you change alampshade to adifferent design on thatlamp you’ve had for 20 years, that lamp becomes brand-new,” Evans said. “I want people to knowthat theyshould have an open mindwhen it comes totheir lamps.”

About 85% of Abat Jour’s business comefromregulars, Evanssaid, whoare mostly designerswithmultiple projects.

“Wehave designers that we work with that wantto makeall these beautiful things,but theycome to us forthe actual building of whatever it is they’ve dreamed up,” Evans said. Things like theliving room lamp,the bedside sconce or thekitchenlight can live anew life with a quick change.Maybe it’s time to shine anew light on sentimental objects that are otherwise collecting dust in theattic.

“Don’tforget,” Evans said, “Almost anything can be converted into alamp.”

Abat Jour,545 S. Foster Drive, Baton Rouge. Open from 10 a.m. to 5p.m. Mondays through Fridays, closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

By The Associated Press

JudithSullivan, in Lake George, New York

Washingaprons

Dear Heloise: When Iwash aprons, I put them in amesh bag. They come out clean, and Idon’thave to worry about tangled apron ties. —CarolBadgley,via email Planned-overs

Dear Heloise: Regarding leftovers. Ihad an aunt whocalled them “plannedovers,” and this is what I call them today because I

in World WarIIasU.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.

Today is Saturday Nov.8,the 312thday of 2025. There are 53 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Nov.8,2000, astatewide recount began in Florida, which emerged as critical in deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election between Republican George W. Bush and Democratic Vice President Al Gore. The recount would ofﬁcially end on Dec. 12 upon orders from theU.S. Supreme Court, delivering Florida’s electoral votes and the presidency to Bush.

Also on this date: In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln won reelection as he defeated Democratic challenger George B. McClellan. In 1889, Montana was admitted to theUnion as the 41st state.

In 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his ﬁrst attempt at seizing power in Germanywith afailed coup in Munich that came to be known as the “Beer-Hall Putsch.”

In 1942, theAllies launched Operation Torch

MATTERS

Continuedfrom page9C

“Serving withmywife in ministry is the best part of my life,” said Bryan Keelin, who has been married for 29 years. “She is an amazing woman who keeps me focused and encourages me.” He worked as aNavy engineer,inthe mortgage business, sold cars and in various other ventures before spending six years in afull-timemission ministry

“My passion is to share thegospel and see lives changed. Andtosee the kingdom comeonearth as it is in heaven,” he said. Ministry then took the couple to northeast Missouri to run aranch for abandoned and abused children.

In 2012, theKeelins moved to theLafayette area, where he managed aCarencro house farm and worked in theoilﬁeld industry.When theKeelins asked afew strangers for arecommendation on a church home, they pointed

HOLIDAY

Continuedfrom page9C

The drink menu features bourbonmilk punchwith egg-free eggnogand a themed espresso martini

ﬂight (a playonthe three wiseman) with caramel, pumpkinspice or hazelnut flavors, served on acocktailboard with cookiesand cookie butter

“The milk punch with nutmeg on topjust brings you into theholiday spirit,” said Lisa Tompkins, TheQueen Baton Rouge representative.

The Loft is located above 1717 Kitchen +Cocktails, arestaurant serving rusticdishes and Southern

plan on having leftovers! It sure cuts downonhow often Ihave to prepare a meal —Joyce Space, in Hubbardton,Vermont

Public restrooms

Dear Heloise: Notall public restroomsprovidepaper seat covers, so Icarry several individually wrapped antibacterial hand wipes in my purse. These take up very littleroom. Iwipe down the toiletseat with oneormore of these wipes ThenIuse toiletpaper to drythe seat. Idon’t ﬂush the wipes —Lois U.,inColby,Kansas

Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

In 1950, during the Korean War, the ﬁrst air-to-air combat between jet warplanes took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brownshot downaNorth Korean MiG-15.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy wonthe U.S. presidential election over Vice President Richard M. Nixon.

In 1974, afederal judge in Cleveland, citing insufﬁcient evidence, dismissed charges against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings.

In 2012, Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the January 2011 shootings in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the mostpowerful stormsever recorded, slammed into the central Philippines, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing, ﬂattening villages and displacing morethan 5 million.

them to the nondenominational Vineyard Church at 705 Bonin Road.

“Weshowed up at the Vineyard Church, and the presence of God was just so real and strong,” he said. “The wordwas preached and worshipping God was very important, and we just knew we were home.”

Bryan Keelin eventually came on staffasanassociate minister forthree years and helped lead a church plan in Carencro for5and ahalf years. When the twochurches merged in 2024, the Keelins assumed the roles of co-pastors.

The Lafayette Vineyard Church is part of the international Vineyard movement, anetwork comprising morethan 400 churches in the United States and over 3,000 around the world.

“The beautiful thing about the Lafayette Vineyard is we have aheart for worshipping God,” he said.

“Webelieve in operating in the gifts of the Spirit and doing the stuff that Jesus did. People show up here and get healed, get saved

comfort classics like alligator fritters, po-boys and bisques. The food menu will have seasonal dishes, Johnsonsaid, including a Thanksgiving menu with traditional turkey,ham, dressing, macaroni and cheese, green beansand sweet potato casserole.

Upon entering the restaurant, the stairs to The Loft are just past the hostess stand. Thecomfy lounge at The Loft offers aclassy space for people to getinto the holidayspirit, Tompkins said. And as the festivities slow to aclose each night, complimentary sugar cookies made in-houseare givenat last call. While stopping by fora craft cocktail, customers

In 2016, Republican Donald Trumpwas elected America’s45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in an astonishing victory fora celebrity businessman and political novice.

In 2018, tens of thousands of people ﬂed afastmoving wildﬁre in Northern California that would becomethe state’sdeadliest ever,killing 86 people and nearly destroying the community of Paradise. Today’sbirthdays: Racing Hall of Famejockey Angel Cordero Jr.is83. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 76. TV personality Mary Hart is 75. Actor Alfre Woodard is 73. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 71. Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 71. Filmmaker Richard Curtis is 69. Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 59. Ac-

and delivered, and they can encounter God.”

Lesley Keelin said the members’ hunger forthe presence of God set them apart.

“I am excited to come to church every Sunday because of our community Their love forJesus causes them to embrace people from all generations and walks of lifeand makes people feel like they are welcomeand they belong,” she said.

Bryan Keelin said he primarily handles mostofthe day-to-day operations of the church and preaching, while his wife oversees the small group ministry teamsand homegroups.

“She and Ihave had a great adventure for the last 29-plus years, and I’m looking forward to the next however manyyears we have,” he said.

For more information about Lafayette Vineyard Church, call (337) 873-7060 or visit lafayettevineyard. org.

Contact Terry Robinsonat terryrobinson622@gmail. com.

are encouraged to bring new,unwrapped toys for the Toyfor Tots drive. Donationscan be broughtto ThePlayers Club on the gaming ﬂoor through Nov. 17. The pop-up also accepts bookings for private groups up to about 40 people, making it agreat spot for holiday parties, Johnson said. “It’salready decorated,” Johnsonsaid. “Just come here foryourfood and drinks, and we’ll get you set up foryourChristmas party.”

Sutton

Hints from Heloise

STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON

William Evans looksata finished framed imageatthe Abat Jour framing shop.

Billy Harmon workstorestore and changeoverthe wiring on acustomer’slamp at Abat Jour

The Queen Baton Rouge holiday pop-up bar,1717 River ParkBlvd., Baton Rouge.

sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Choose an outing, pastime or indulgence that makes you feel good about yourself. Surround yourself with positive people and do what makes you feel grateful.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) It's full steam ahead. Think and follow through. Change begins with you and pursuing what makes you happy. Refuse to wait and see; take charge and do what's best for you.

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Observation is necessary. Listen, learn and weigh the pros and cons before you offer your time, money or expertise. Look for the people and opportunities most likely to give back.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Overreacting, indulgent behavior and exaggeration are likely to lead to trouble. Choose to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Discipline and innovative input will pay off.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Listen to what others say, but agree only to what you feel comfortable with. Follow your heart and take care of your needs first. Lead the way instead of chasing someone else's dream.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Make your money work for you. Invest and budget wisely. Refuse to fall prey to emotional spending Set boundaries and priorities, and put a cap on entertainment expenses.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Let your body language and physical responses lead the way. Participate in events that

entice you, and you'll discover how you want to spend your spare time.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Do some research and apply what you learn to your next adventure. Take the initiative to implement changes that encourage broadening your awareness and expanding your circle of friends.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Express your true feelings, encourage what motivates you most and be the force behind what happens next. An innovative approach to how you work and play will help your life flow naturally.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) The less you share about yourself or your plans, the easier it will be to manifest your intentions. Point your energy in a direction that offers answers and a path that leads to personal happiness.

VIRGo (Aug 23-sept. 22) Embrace domestic duties and refuse to let professional matters interfere with your personal life. Only make changes that are necessary to achieve the balance and happiness you desire.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct 23) Uncertainty will lead to poor choices Pay attention to detail, spending and how you look and feel. Let your actions demonstrate your love and concerns. Leave nothing to the imagination.

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

CLuE: G EQuALs W

FAMILY CIrCUS

toDAy's

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

nea CroSSwordS

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

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

When you have along, strong suit that is not completelysolid, do not immediatelyassumeitmust be trumps. Maybe partner has some length that makes a different suita better choice. In this deal, North immediatelyimaginesthatsixorsevenheartswillberight, depending on whether partner has the club ace or not.And some playerswould openfourno-trumptofindthatoutimmediately. Here, North wouldend in seven hearts. Butwhat opening lead defeats thatcontract?

Amore circumspectNorth opens two clubs and rebids two hearts over South’s two-diamondnegativereply.Then,when Southrebids two spades,which guaranteesatleastafive-cardsuitandsomevalues, North sees that spades look better thanhearts.HelaunchesintoBlackwood before bidding seven spades.

West leadsthe clubkingagainstthe spade grand slam.South winswithhis aceand,believingthattherearenoproblems, plays aspade to dummy’squeen. When East discards aclub, South has to rethink. Howshould he continue?

South must get back to his hand to finesse West out of the spade jack. Declarer cashes dummy’s heart ace, ruffs aheart in hishand, leads aspade to dummy’s 10, draws West’s last two trumps, and claims.

wuzzles

Note that aclub lead defeats seven hearts, removing the key entry to the South hand.

Yes,thatwouldbeunlucky,butremember also that a4-1 heartbreak, which woulddefeat that grand slambut might not stop seven spades, has a28percent probability.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuCtIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD tAntALIZE: TAN-tuh-lize: To teaseortorment by keeping something desirable out of reach.

Average mark28words Timelimit 50 minutes

Can you find 44 or morewords in TANTALIZE?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —ZEPPELIns