The Times-Picayune 11-11-2025

Congress movescloser to ending shutdown

LegislationpassesSenate, must nowclear House before thefederal government canreopen

BY MARYCLAREJALONICK, LISA MASCAROand KEVINFREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Senatepassedlegislation Monday to reopen thegovernment, bringing thelongest shutdown in history closer to an end as asmall group of Democratsratified adeal with Republicans despitesearing criticism from within their party

The 41-day shutdown could last afew more days as membersofthe House, which has been on recess since midSeptember, return to Washington to

La.pushing

BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer

Louisiana may soonrequire insurance companiestodeliver bigger discounts to homeowners whoput fortified roofs on their homes, as residents flock to get the new roofsand state officials grapple with an enduringinsurance crisis that has brought stubbornly high premiums.

Insurance Commissioner TimTemple said Monday his office ismoving to implement arule that setsa“benchmark”discountthatinsurersmustgive

vote on the legislation. President DonaldTrump hassignaledsupport for thebill, saying Monday that “we’re goingtobeopening up our countryvery quickly.”

The final Senate vote, 60-40, broke agrueling stalemate that lasted more than sixweeks as Democrats demanded that Republicans negotiate with them to extend healthcaretax credits that expire Jan. 1. The Republicans never did, andfive moderate Democrats eventually switchedtheir votesasfederal food aid was delayed, airport delays worsenedand hundredsofthousands of

to homeowners withfortifiedroofs.

Thestate hasdoled out millions in taxpayer-funded grants to help homeowners putthe roofs on their homes. Temple announced that10,000 Louisianans now have fortified roofs,the third-most in the nation behind Alabama and North Carolina. This time last year,only about 1,000 residents had them. Andhesaidthe nextround of grants will open to residents this Wednesday.The agency will select 1,000 people at random.

“Louisianaisthe fastest-growing state when it comes to puttingfortified

ä Ending shutdown won’t stop flight cancellations, FAAsays. PAGE 6A

federal workers continuedtogounpaid.

After thevote, Senate Majority Leader JohnThune,R-S.D., thanked unpaid staff and Capitol Police who stood near him on the floor.Hesaid he realized the strain hadbeen immense for “sixexcruciating weeks.”

“I am very,veryhappy to be able to say we are coming to the end,” Thune

ä See SHUTDOWN, page 7A

roofs on in the country,” Temple said.

About 40% of those have received a$10,000 grant from the state to help pay for them, meaning mostpeople have paid out of their own pocket. Fortified roofs use stronger nails, roof deck seals and better edges to make themless likely to sustain damage during hurricanes. Fortified roofshaveemerged as one long-termsolution to the insurance crisis. They’ve alsogarnered bipartisan supportinLouisiana,embraced

ä See ROOF, page 5A

Churches to join archdiocese bankruptcy

Filingsaim to protect

againstabuse

claims

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

The Archdiocese of New Orleans is put-

ting dozens of individual parishes and charitable organizations underfederal bankruptcy protection this week, part of the local church’sbroader plantoend its long-running bankruptcycase in away that resolves past claims of clergy sexual abuse once and forall.

Attorneys for the archdiocese said 157 parishes, charities and other entities affiliated with the local Roman Catholic Church will file forChapter 11 beginning on Wednesday

The caseswillbe filed as part of what is known as aprepackaged bankruptcy, which is astreamlined process with an expedited timeline and fewer legal requirements. The goal, according to attorney Douglas Draper,who represents the church parishes and agencies, is for those affiliates to closeout allfuture liabilitiesfrom thedecades-old clergy abuse scandal.

“Orderswill be filedwith thecourtto absolvethem of thenormal bankruptcy rules. They will be allowed to continue to paytheir bills. Vendors, employees, everybody will be paid.”

DOUGLAS DRAPER, attorney representing church parishesand agencies

In return, theparishesand charities will be responsible for contributing acombined $60 million to the archdiocese’sproposed$230million settlement, whichwas approved by hundreds of clergy sex abuse survivors last month.

It’snot clear howmuch individual parishes or organizations will be required to pay

“Orders will be filed with the court to absolve them of the normal bankruptcy

ä See BANKRUPTCY, page 5A

Louisiana nowhas 10,000 residents

STAFFFILE PHOTOByDAVID GRUNFELD

with fortified roofs, the third-most in the nation, according to state Insurance Commissioner TimTemple.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton,urged lawmakers to startreturning to Washingtonafter theSenatevoted to move forward with astopgapfunding bill to reopen the governmentthrough Jan. 30.

BRIEFS

Small plane on relief mission crashes; 2killed Asmall turboprop plane on ahurricane relief mission to Jamaica crashedMonday morning intoa pond in agated residential neighborhood of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, suburb of Coral Springs, killing two shortly after takeoff and narrowly missing homes, authorities and aresident said.

The CoralSprings Police Department confirmed the deaths in astatementMondayafternoon. But police did not provide further details about the occupantsofthe plane and did not immediatelyreturn messages seeking more details.

20 taken to hospitals after bus overturnsinCalifornia

SANTAANA, Calif. Abus carrying teens and young adults returning from achurch camp in the Southern California mountains lost control andtippedonto itssideSundaynight while on the way down awinding mountain road, sending 20 people to the hospital,authorities said.

The bus began to shake and swerve then rockedside to side before topplingover,said Cyntia Ramirez, a21-year-old community college studentwho had been on board. She recalled the accident Mondaywhile picking up her stray luggagefromthe Orange County church that organized the weekend retreatatacamp in the San Bernardino Mountains.

“It’sjust afreak accident,” Ramirez said.

The bus with 36 people aboard crashed at acurve on two-lane highway near Running Springs, about 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. Thewinding route curves along cliffsides and through forestareas at an elevation of about 6,100 feet. Authorities haven’tsaidwhat caused the crash.

Writer Salman Rushdie honored withpeace prize DAYTON, Ohio SalmanRushdie was among the honorees Sunday at the Dayton Literary Peace Prize event in Ohio, receiving alifetime achievement award afterpublishing his first work of fiction since being stabbed on aNew York lecture stage three years ago. The prizes honor both literary merit and the writers’promotion of peace through their work, with separate awards annually for fiction, nonfiction and lifetime achievement. The Ohio city was the site of negotiations that led to the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995, ending awar inthe Balkans marked by ethniccleansing that killed more than 300,000 people, as well as the displacement of 1million residents.

The 78-year-old Rushdie is best known for his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses,” which includes a dream sequence about the Prophet Muhammad that prompted allegationsofblasphemyand a1989call from Iran’sAyatollah Ruhollah Khomeini for the Indian-born writer’sdeath, driving him into hiding. In accepting his award,Rushdiesaiditcan be difficult to write about peace while livinginatime of “inexcusable violence,” including the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan.

Frida Kahlo auction could fetch up to $60 million MEXICO CITY FridaKahlo’s “El sueño (La cama)” —inEnglish, “The Dream (The Bed)” —iscausing astir among art historians asits estimated $40 million to $60 million price tag would make it the most expensive work by any female or Latin American artist when it goes to auction later this month.

Sotheby’sauction house willput the painting up for sale on Nov.20 in New York after exhibitingitin London,Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Paris.

“This is amoment of alot of speculation,” said Mexican art historian Helena Chávez Mac Gregor, aresearcher at UNAM’sInstitute of Aesthetic Research and author of “El listón ylabomba. El arte de Frida Kahlo (The Ribbon and the Bomb. The Art of Frida Kahlo).” In Mexico, Kahlo’swork is protected by adeclarationofartistic monument, meaning pieces within the country cannot be sold or destroyed. However,works from private collections abroad —like the painting in question, whose owner remains unrevealed— arelegally eligible for international sale

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

SupremeCourt upholdsruling

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON TheSupreme Court

on Monday rejected acall to overturnits landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

The justices, without comment, turnedaway an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the high court’s2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Davis had been trying to get the court to overturn alower-court order for her to pay $360,000 in

damages andattorney’s fees to a couple denied amarriage license. Her lawyers repeatedly invoked the words of Justice Clarence Thomas,who aloneamong the nine justices hascalled for erasing the same-sex marriage ruling. Thomas was among four dissenting justices in 2015. Chief Justice John Roberts and JusticeSamuel Alito arethe other dissenters who are on thecourt today Roberts hasbeen silentonthe subjectsince he wrote adissenting opinioninthe case. Alitohas continued to criticizethe decision, but he said recently he was not advocating that it be overturned.

Firstphase of Gaza ceasefire windsdown

Netanyahuand Kushnermeet

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

President Donald Trump’sson-in-law Jared Kushnermet on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu to discuss the next stages of the fragile Gaza ceasefire, while Israel returned the remains of another 15 Palestinians

The remains of four hostagesare still in Gaza after Palestinian militants released the remainsofanother on Sunday.

Thefirst stage of the ceasefire agreement thattook effect on Oct. 10 is nearingits end. Thenext stagecalls for the implementation of a governing body for Gaza andthe deployment of an international stabilizationforce. It is not clear where eitherstands.

Israel ended the previous ceasefire agreement earlierthisyear after aperiod of exchanging hostagesfor Palestinian prisoners.Atthe time, mediators were unable to bring Hamasand Israel to the table to negotiate atroopwithdrawal and a plan for thefuture governanceofGaza

Also onMonday,the Israeli military released the results of areview into thefailures surroundingthe Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war,sayingithad found shortcomings in aseries of previous investigations.

For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has beenreleasingthe remains of 15 Palestinians —anexchange central to theceasefire’sfirst phase.The Gaza Health Ministrysaid the total number of remainsreceivedis315.

On Sunday, Israelconfirmed it had received theremains of Hadar Goldin, asoldier killed in the Gaza Strip in 2014, closing apainful chapter for thecountry. The 23-year-old was killed two hoursaftera ceasefire took effect in that year’swar between Israel andHamas

His remains hadbeen the only onesleftinGaza predating the current war between Israel and Hamas. Afuneral was scheduledfor Tuesday Around 1,200 people, mostly civilians,were killed in the2023 Hamasled attack on Israel, and 251 people werekidnapped.

Netanyahu and Kushner discussed the prog-

ress and futureofthe ceasefire, said Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian

Thedeal hasfocused on thefirst phase of halting the fighting, releasing all hostages and boosting humanitarian aid to Gaza. Details of thesecond phase haven’t been worked out.

TheUnitedNations’ humanitarianchief, TomFletcher,saidon Monday that morethan 1million Palestinians in Gaza have been fedsince theceasefire began, and thatwinterclothesand blankets arebeing distributed.

“But many obstacles remain,” Fletcher said, citing red tape and too fewentry pointsto bringadditionalaid into Gaza. “Wecan do much more to save many more lives.”

For hispart, Kushner also was helping to lead negotiations to secure safe passagefor 150-200 trapped Hamasmilitants in exchange for surrendering their weapons after the releaseofGoldin’s remains,according to someoneclosetothe negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the talks.

Bedrosian did not say where those negotiations were headed Hamas has madeno commentona possible exchange for itsfighters stuck in the so-called yellow zone of territory controlledbyIsraeli forces,though it hasacknowledgedthatclashes were taking place there.

The conclusions released Mondaybythe Israelimilitaryappeared to largely echo those of past investigations, citing both intelligenceand operational failures.

It saidthat intelligence officials had failed to recognizeHamas’ growing capabilities or preparations for the attack,even in the earlyhours of Oct. 7. It also criticized the performance of ground troops, thenavy and the airforce.

“On the night of Oct. 7, direct intelligence had accumulated which, had it been professionally analyzed, could andshould have ledtoanalert and asignificant operational response,”the military said.

The report focused only on the army’sperformance. Netanyahu has rejected calls for an official commission of inquiry that would look into governmentaldecisionmaking, saying such an investigation can only take place when thewar ends. Criticsaccuse him of stonewalling to prevent what is likely to be an unflattering report.

Justice AmyConey Barrett, who was not on the court in 2015, has said that there are times when the court shouldcorrect mistakes and overturn decisions, as it did in the 2022 case thatendeda constitutional right to abortion.

ButBarrett hassuggested recently that same-sex marriage might be in adifferent category than abortion because people have relied on the decision whenthey marriedand had children.

HumanRights Campaign President Kelley Robinson praisedthe justices’ decision not to intervene.

“The Supreme Court made clear today that refusing to respect the

constitutional rights of others does not comewithout consequences,” Robinson said in astatement. Davis drew national attention to eastern Kentucky’sRowan County when sheturnedawaysame-sex couples, saying her faith prevented her from complying with the high court ruling. She defied court orders to issue the licenses until afederal judge jailed her forcontempt of court in September 2015. She was released after her staff issued the licenses on her behalf butremoved hernamefromthe form Davis lost areelection bid in 2018.

Arctic airhitsmuchofU.S.

BY SAFIYAHRIDDLE and MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

Someofthis autumn’s coldestweather yet is bearing down on theUnited States, enveloping the easterntwo-thirds of the country with Arcticair on Monday and affecting millions of people.

National Weather Service forecasters said the weather could bring record low temperaturesin the Southeast, including all of Florida,where temperatures in parts of thestate were near 80 degrees just aday ago.

The coldair brought gustywindand redflag warnings in theGreat Plains on Monday, and forecasters said the Great Lakes and Appalachian Mountain regions could see4-8 inches of snow

Around Lake Erie, forecasters warned of possible lake-effect snow,where copious amounts can fall in relativelynarrow bands, drastically increasing snowfall near thewater while leaving other nearby areas untouched.

Cold weather warnings wereissuedfor Ohio,West Virginia and Kentucky, withfreezing temperaturespredicted for alarge swathfarthersouth, from Texas and Oklahomato Alabama and Georgia.

Fallingiguanas

In Florida,forecasters said wind chills could dip to the 30s. Whenever it gets that cold in theSunshineState, many look to the trees:Iguanas, an invasive reptile species,have previously gone intoasort of suspended animation and fallen to theground whentemperaturesdip below 40 degrees. They usually wake up with the sun’s warmth —althoughitis unclear whether any of the reptileswill tumble from the treetops this time.

Across the South, many local governmentsopened heated shelters for residents strugglingtocope withthe cold.

Those resources are invaluable in St. Louis, where some people are still waiting for essential repairs on their houses after apowerful EF3 tornado ripped through the region in May City officialsannounced Mondaythatemergency shelterswould be open for homeless people as well as

those who still dealing with the aftermath.

Hazardousroadtravel

In Tennessee, temperatures dropped to 30 into Sunday morning, and areas with higher elevation in the eastern part of the state reported that3 inchesofnew snow hadfallenby9 a.m., causing some school closures. Snowslickened roads led to acrash involving multiple vehicles and about an hourlong shutdown on westbound Interstate40inPutnamCounty, east of Nashville, the county Sheriff’s Office announced. Further north, as temperatures dropped across the nation’smidsection, meteorologists warnedofhazardous travel conditions through winter weatheradvisories for Michigan, Indiana and

Wisconsin. Snow fell Sunday in Michigan’sUpper Peninsula, where meteorologists warned of low visibility with up to afoot of snow by Monday In Indiana,weather experts predicted up to 11 inches of snow and “slippery surfaces” for road travel. Up to 6inches of snow were predicted in parts of Wisconsin. “Patchy blowing snow” and wind chills hovering near freezing were expected in portions of Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. Some areas gotmeasurable fluffa day earlier, including 4inches of snow in southwest Minnesota and more than 5 inches in northern Iowa. Associated Press writer Heather Hollingsworth contributed reporting from Mission, Kansas.

/Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM

Obituaries:

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByKIICHIROSATO

Ajoggernavigates asnow-covered ground MondayinEvanston, Ill.

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None on new pardon list had faced federal prosecution

BY NICHOLAS RICCARDI and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The pardons of dozens of Republicans accused of participating in efforts to overturn the 2020 election are a continuation of President Donald Trump’s attempts to rewrite the history about his election loss.

They come months after Trump’s sweeping grant of clemency to all 1,500-plus people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which was the culmination of the campaign to reverse Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Unlike the Jan. 6 pardons, the newer ones will have little legal effect. None of the people on the new pardon list had faced federal prosecution for their actions in 2020. The presidential pardon has no impact on state or civil cases.

But they send a signal to those thinking of denying future elections in Trump’s favor

Here’s a look at some of the more prominent names who were pardoned: Rudy Giuliani: The former New York City mayor, who was celebrated as “America’s mayor” after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, played a pivotal role in pushing

Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud as the Republican’s personal lawyer in 2020.

He has faced a slew of legal woes and financial setbacks for his advocacy of Trump’s false claims, including losing his law license in Washington and New York. He was criminally charged in cases brought by state prosecutors in Georgia and Arizona and pleaded not guilty

Those cases have hit roadblocks but remain unresolved and are not impacted by Trump’s pardon. Giuliani was ordered in 2023 to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers who sued him over lies he spread about them and reached a deal in January to resolve the debt and retain some of his property The amount the women were set to receive was not disclosed.

Giuliani has denied wrongdoing and said he was right to challenge an election he believed was tainted by fraud.

MarkMeadows: Trump’s chief of staff during the 2020 election and its aftermath, Meadows was charged in Arizona and Georgia cases and pleaded not guilty in both states. Last year, the U.S Supreme Court rejected his effort to move his case in Georgia to federal court, where a pardon would nullify his jeopardy

Trump threatens to sue BBC over edited speech

BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

LONDON President Donald Trump has threatened legal action against the BBC over the way a speech he made was edited in a documentary aired by Britain’s national broadcaster BBC Chair Samir Shah on Monday apologized for the “error of judgment,” which triggered the resignations of the BBC’s top executive and its head of news.

Director-General Tim Davie and news chiefDeborahTurnessquitSundayover accusations of bias and misleading editing of a speech Trump delivered on Jan 6, 2021, before a crowd of his supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington. The hourlong documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance? — was broadcast as part of the BBC’s “Panorama” series days before the 2024 U.S. presidential election It spliced together three quotes from two sections of the 2021 speech, delivered almost an hour apart, into what appeared to be one quote in which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight like hell.” Among the parts cut out was a section where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully Shah said the broadcaster accepted “that the way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action.”

A letter from Trump attorney Alejandro Brito demands the BBC “retract the false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements,” apologize and “appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused,” or face legal action for $1 billion in damages.

The BBC said it would review the letter “and respond directly in due course.”

Meadows has contended his postelection actions were taken in his official capacity as White House chief of staff, though prosecutors and judges have disagreed Meadows was on the phone when Trump asked Georgia’s secretary of state, Republican Brad Raffensperger, to “find” him enough votes to be declared the winner of the state.

Kenneth Chesebro: Prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, alleged that Chesebro, an attorney worked with Georgia Republicans at the direction of Trump’s campaign to organize 16 people to sign a certificate falsely claiming that Trump won the state and that they were his “duly elected and qualified” electors.

Chesebro pleaded guilty to a conspiracy count in the state case but unsuccessfully tried to withdraw his plea as the massive case against him and 17 others, including Trump, collapsed due to legal issues. Chesebro’s law license in New York state was suspended after his plea and he still faces criminal charges in Wisconsin related to an electors scheme there.

Jenna Ellis: A prominent conservative media figure and an attorney, Ellis also pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings in the Georgia case.

She apologized in court for advising the Trump campaign on how to overturn its loss and was censured

Supreme Court to mull mail ballots

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether states can continue to count late-arriving mail ballots, which have been a target of President Donald Trump.

The justices took up an appeal from Mississippi after a panel of three judges nominated by the Republican president on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that the state law allowing ballots that arrive shortly after Election Day to be counted violated federal law

Mississippi is one of 16 states and the District of Columbia that accept mailed ballots received after Election Day as long as the ballots are postmarked on or before that date, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

An additional 14 states allow the counting of late-arriving ballots from some eligible voters, including overseas U.S. service members and their families, according to a filing from Democratic-led states that urged the justices to reverse the appellate ruling.

The case will be argued in the late winter or early spring.

A final ruling almost certainly will come by late June, early enough to govern the counting of ballots in the 2026 midterm congressional elections.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican, told the Supreme Court that the appellate ruling “will have destabilizing nationwide ramifications” if left in place.

“The stakes are high: ballots cast by — but received after — election day can swing close races and change the course of the country,” Fitch wrote.

Trump has claimed that latearriving ballots and drawn-out electoral counts undermine confidence in elections. In March, the Republican president signed an executive order onelectionsthataimstorequire votes to be “cast and received” by Election Day The order has been challenged in court.

The Republican National Committee and the Libertarian Party of Mississippi led the challenge to the Mississippi law. A federal judge dismissed a similar challenge to Nevada’s law, but the decision has been appealed.

and barred from practicing law for three years in her native Colorado for her conduct in 2020.

John Eastman: A prominent conservative law professor, Eastman wrote a key memo outlining the Trump strategy of trying to reverse the president’s election loss by presenting a slate of alternate electors to Congress. Eastman faces charges in a state case filed by Arizona’s Democratic attorney general over that scheme.

He was also charged in Fulton County, and the disciplinary board of the California State Bar has recommended he lose his California law license.

Eastman has pleaded not guilty in the criminal cases and appealed his license suspension to California’s Supreme Court. He argues he is being punished for simply giving legal advice.

Jeffrey Clark: Clark, as a Justice Department official in the first Trump administration, drafted a letter that said the department was investigating “various irregularities” and had identified “significant concerns” that may have impacted the election in Georgia and other states.

Clark wanted the letter sent to Georgia lawmakers, but Justice Department superiors refused.

A Washington attorney disciplinary panel in July recommended that he be stripped of his law license, finding he made “intentionally false statements” when he continued to

push for the Justice Department to issue the letter after being told by superiors that it contained falsehoods.

Clark, who is now overseeing a federal regulatory office in the second Trump administration, said in a post on X on Monday: “I did nothing wrong when I questioned the 2020 election in Georgia.”

Sidney Powell: A lawyer and staunch Trump ally, Powell filed in battleground states a series of lawsuits that were rejected by courts and played a pivotal role in pushing unsubstantiated claims of fraud.

Emails and documents obtained through subpoenas in one lawsuit showed Powell was involved in arranging for a computer forensics team to travel to rural Coffee County, about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta to copy data and software from elections equipment there in January 2021. She pleaded guilty in 2023 to reduced charges in the Georgia case, becoming the second defendant to reach a deal with prosecutors. She was initially charged with racketeering and six other counts but ultimately received probation after pleading guilty to six misdemeanors accusing her of conspiring to intentionally interfere with the performance of election duties.

Canada loses measles elimination status

BY DEVI SHASTRI AP health writer

Canada is no longer measles-free because of ongoing outbreaks, international health experts said Monday as childhood vaccination rates fall and the highly contagious virus spreads across North and South America.

The loss of the country’s measles elimination status comes more than a year after the highly contagious virus started spreading. Canada has logged 5,138 measles cases this year and two deaths. Both were babies who were exposed to the measles virus in the womb and born prematurely

Measles elimination is a symbolic designation, but it represents a hard-won battle against the infectious disease. It is earned when a country shows it stopped continuous spread of the virus within local communities, though occasional cases might still pop up from travel.

Measles typically begins with a high fever followed by a telltale rash that starts on the face and neck. Most people recover, but it’s one of the leading causes of death among young children, according to the World Health Organization. Serious complications, including

Car blast in New

BY RAJESH ROY and PIYUSH NAGPAL Associated Press

NEW DELHI A car explosion near the historic Red Fort in India’s capital on Monday killed eight people and injured at least 19 others, police in New Delhi said.

blindness and swelling of the brain, are more common in young children and adults over age 30.

It is prevented by a vaccine administered routinely and safely to children around the world.

“It’s a deeply disheartening development. It’s a deeply worrisome development. And, frankly, it’s an embarrassing development,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Brown University infectious disease expert. “No country with the amount of resources of Canada — or other countries in North America even — should lose their measles elimination status.”

Canada eliminated measles in 1998, followed by the United States two years later After hugely successful vaccination campaigns, the Americas became the first region in the world to be free of measles in 2016. Health officials estimate the measles vaccine prevented 6.2 millions deaths in the Americas between 2000 and 2023.

The U.S. eliminated measles in 2000. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 1,681 cases and 44 outbreaks this year, making it the worst year for measles in the U.S. in more than three decades. Only nine states haven’t confirmed cases, according to the CDC.

Delhi kills at least 8

The blast, which triggered a fire that damaged several vehicles parkednearby,tookplacenearone of the gates of the Red Fort metro station, the fire services said. The cause is being investigated.

New Delhi’s international airport, metro stations and government buildings were placed on a

high security alert after the explosion, the government said. Home Minister Amit Shah told local media that a Hyundai i20 car exploded near a traffic signal close to the Red Fort. He said CCTV footage from cameras in the area will form part of the investigation.

Giuliani Meadows

Powell

80 millionacres in Gulf oilfield leases open

Sale is the firstsince December 2023

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON The federal gov-

ernment released Monday acall for bids to lease about 80 million acres in the central and western Gulf under the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

It’sthe first lease sale since December 2023.

Energy companies have until Dec. 10 to submit bidsfor how much they will pay to explore for and develop oil and natural gas reserves on the outercontinental shelf off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama.

BANKRUPTCY

Continued from page1A

rules,”Drapersaid, adding that the filings are not expected to affect the dayto-day operations of the parishes or charities. “Theywill be allowed to continuetopay their bills. Vendors,employees, everybody will be paid.” The move comes ahead of along-awaited bankruptcy confirmationhearing that is scheduled to begin Monday and run through early December At the hearing, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabillwill decide whether to sign off on the proposed settlement that willallow the archdiocese to emerge from bankruptcy If the plan is confirmed, the parishes and charities will also emerge from bankruptcy protection at the same time as the archdiocese, ending one of the nation’s longest-runningand most contentious of some 40 church bankruptcy cases in thecountry Archbishop Gregory Aymond filed for bankruptcy court protection in May 2020 amid mounting claims of clergy sex abuse. In the years since, nearly 700 abuse claims have been filed.

The settlement, if it is approved, would create atrust that would be divided among survivors of clergy sexual abuse that have filed claims. It would also implementnew safeguards to better protect

ROOF

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by Republicans like Temple who favor afree-market approach as well as Democrats and advocates who have clamored for amore direct intervention to help residents struggling under enormous price shocks.

But the two sides have fought for two years, since the state first began doling out the grants, over whether insurance companies should be required to givehomeowners aspecific discount when they get a fortified roof. Current law onlyrequiresthem to file a discount that is “actuarially justified.” Several insurers offer negligible discounts, though most offer at least 15% offthe wind and hail portionofthe premium.

Temple beat back multiple attempts in the Legislature to mandate a20% discount, arguing it would push insurers away as he works to

Thesale is also the first that will bring in higher rates under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which pays Louisiana and otherGulfstatesa portion of the millions of dollars from bid prices androyaltiesonce the offshore rigs areproducing. It takesabout five years from the lease until a well produces fossil fuels.

The last lease salebrought in $372.5 million

“Wefollowedthrough on our promise to unleash American energywith the passage of our historic Working Families TaxCut, which required lease sales in the Gulf of America,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise,R-Jefferson,saidin astatement.

Scaliserepresentscoastal parishes where many of the oiland gas supportbusinesses are locat-

children against clergy sex abuse andestablish apublic database detailingcredible abuse claims against priests, deacons and other religious in the local diocese dating back decades.

The proposal is modeled after aplaninanother longrunning churchbankruptcy, thatofthe Archdiocese of Rockville Centre, which encompasses Long Island, New York. That case also used prepackaged bankruptcies for136 parishes and charitable organizations, which were required to put up $53 milliontoward a$323 millionsettlement.

Nearly ayear later,the case hasbeensuccessfully resolved.

TheArchdiocese of Rockville Centrenever publicly disclosedhow much each individual parishor charity wasrequired to pay. But national mediareports,citing solicitations from parish priests, church bulletins and other publiclyavailable sources, showed that some parishes in thedioceses were tapped for as much as $1 million while others were asked for less than $100,000.

Locally,the Archdiocese of New Orleans and its attorneys will not say how much they plan to seek from each of the157 additional debtors to meet the $60millionobligation In astatement, however, the archdiocese said “neither thecontributionstothe settlement nor the prepackaged bankruptcies will have asignificant impact”onparishes and agencies

loosen regulationsand make it easier for them to raise premiums, part of abid to attract more companies. Alabama, which pioneered the program, sets abenchmark of 25% to 30%,though insurers can go through aprocess to offer asmaller discount

“There’sbeentalkinthe last several sessions about creating some type of mandatory discount. Iwas opposed to that becauseI thought it wastoo early,” Temple said. “Now with 10,000 homes, I think we’re getting to that criticalmass.

It’snot yet clear what the benchmark will be.Temple said his office is studying the idea, and aspokesperson said it likely won’tbeimplementeduntil earlynextyear.

State Rep. Matthew Willard, aNew OrleansDemocrat whowon election to the City Council lastmonth, said he’sheard from homeowners who added fortified roofs but said they got negligible discounts on their insurance in return. Willard passeda resolutionthisyearcalling

“I’m excited to see this lease sale move forward, strengthening our energy dominance, lowering energy costs for hardworking American families, creating more jobs here at home, and bolstering our energysecurity.”

HOUSE MAJORITy LEADER

STEVE SCALISE, R-Jefferson

ed.

“I’mexcited to seethis lease sale move forward, strengthening our energy dominance, lowering energy costs for hardworking American families, creating more jobs here at home, and bolstering our energy security,” Scalise added.

TheGulfspans roughly160 mil-

“Through the efforts of pastors and others, funds have been identified and allocatedfromthe Catholic family of parishes and agencies that enable the additional debtors to make their contributions with minimal impact to their ministry andoperations. We wantto assure Catholic school parents that no tuition money is beingused to fund the settlement,” said the statement, provided by archdiocese spokesperson Sarah McDonald.

At ameeting lastweek at theoffices of Jones Walker, which representsthe archdiocese in the case, attorneys saidsome of themoney has already been raised from the sale of real estate thatbelonged to individual parishesorcharities, such as theformer Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Napoleon Avenue and the former school next store.

The properties are being converted into an event venue and aTrader Joe’s grocery store by their new owners.

Still, some of themoney will come from parish coffers, though theabilityfor parishes to contribute could vary widely across thearchdiocese.

Some parishes, like St. Catherine of Siennaand St. Philip NeriinMetairie, St. Dominic’sinLakeview and Holy NameofJesus Uptown have millions of dollars in net assets, not including parish-owned real estate worth millions more, financial documentsfiled as part

on Congress to step in and to offer asolution to the homeowners insurance crisis.

“If homeowners insurance is the biggest problem our state faces, then thestate should at least provide claritytohomeowners regarding aminimum expected discount for afortifiedroof,” Willardsaid.“Thatknowledge could very well spur faster adoption of fortified roofs across Louisiana.”

Louisiana’shome insurance crisis hasbecome a lasting problem, especially in hurricane-prone southern parishes. Temple, aformer insurance executive, has ushered in aseries of moves to make it easier for insurers to drop policyholders andraise premiums, saying it will lead to more competition thatultimately will tamp down costs. But while the Legislature has largely moved on to other topics, insurance remains unaffordable formany, though premium increases have slowed. Louisiana hasn’thad amajor hurricane since Ida in 2021.

lion acres, with an estimated 29.59 billionbarrels of undiscovered, technicallyrecoverable oil and 54.84 trillion cubic feetofnatural gas, according to the Interior Department’sBureauofOcean Energy Management. The bureau oversees offshore oiland gasdevelopment.

Thenewly enacted law requires theagency to hold at least 30 regionwidesales, starting with this one. After this first sale, the bureau must hold at leasttwo lease sales per year from 2026 through 2039, plus one additional sale by March 15, 2040.

The agencyreleased in the Federal RegisteronMondaythe “FinalNotice of Sale for Lease Sale BigBeautiful Gulf 1” and another leasesale for Alaska’sCookInlet.

To encourageparticipation, the

of theproposedsettlement show.Onthe other hand, 1 in 5church parishes operates at aloss.

It isn’tclear whether wealthier parisheswill be asked to contribute proportionally more than those that don’thave the same means.

“Weare not able to disclosethe specific contributions by parish or agency,” McDonald’sstatementsaid.

In some cases,donors may cover the required contributionofaparish or charity,church attorneys said.

In the caseofSecond Harvest Food BankofGreater New Orleans andAcadiana, church officials saidan anonymous donor will cover the food bank’sportion of thesettlement and thatno donor funds will be used.

Church officials declined to sayhow much Second Harvest was expected to pay During the upcoming confirmation hearing, Grabill will hear from attorneys for both the archdiocese and itsaffiliated parishesand charities, as well as for survivors. They are expected to explain how theyarrived at theterms of the settlement andhow it will fairlycompensate survivors while also keepingthe local churchand its mission afloat.

Aymondand hissuccessor, Coadjutor Archbishop JamesChecchio,are both scheduledtotake the stand and will be asked about their commitment to the database of past abuse,the establishment of stricter childprotection measures andother

bureau set a12.5% royalty rate —the lowest rate permitted for both shallow and deepwater leases “President (Donald) Trump’s signing of the One BigBeautiful Bill Act marked the beginning of anew chapter foroil andgas development in theGulf of America andAlaska’sCook Inlet,” agency acting Director Matt Giacona said in astatement. “BOEM is now moving forward with apredictable, congressionally mandated leasing schedule that will support offshore oil and gasdevelopment fordecades to come.”

During the Biden administration, onlyone lease salewas allowedevery two years in Gulf waters. Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate.com.

“non-monetary” provisions of the plan.

Abuse survivors will also have their long-awaited day in court —anopportunity to share their stories with Grabill and church officials, attorneys for the archdiocese and the survivors committee said last week.

Though theproposedsettlement has received the support of clergy abuse survivors and also commercial creditors, agroup of bond-

holders owed nearly $30 millionbythe archdiocese objects to the plan. They also will have aday in court, where they are expected to argue why the planshould not be confirmed, according to court documents. The hearing is scheduled to run no later than Dec. 2. If confirmed, survivors could begin receiving funds from the settlementbyearly next year,attorneys have said.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Big Tech brings Wall Street back from loss

NEW YORK Big Tech and other superstars of the U.S. stock market got back to rallying on Monday and Wall Street recovered most of its loss from last week The S&P 500 climbed 1.5% and clawed back nearly all its drop from last week, which was its first weekly loss in four The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 381 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.3% for its best day since May Nvidia was by far the strongest force lifting the market and leaped 5.8%. It was a powerful rebound after Nvidia and other winners of the frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology led last week’s drop Critics say their stock prices shot too high and too fast in the AI mania, drawing comparisons to the 2000 dot-com bubble that ultimately burst.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which makes chips for Nvidia and other companies, saw its stock that trades in United States rise 3.1% after reporting that its revenue climbed nearly 17% in October from a year earlier While such growth is strong compared with other companies it’s a slowdown from TSMC’s earlier performance.

Wendy’s plans to close hundreds of U.S. stores

Wendy’s plans to close hundreds U.S. restaurants over the next few months in an effort to boost its profit and make its remaining stores more appealing.

The Dublin, Ohio-based chain said during a conference call with investors Friday that it planned to begin closing restaurants in the fourth quarter of this year The company said it expected a “mid-single-digit percentage” of its U.S. stores to be affected, but it didn’t give any more details.

Wendy’s ended the third quarter with 6,011 U.S. restaurants. If 5% of those locations were impacted, it would mean 300 store closures.

The new round of closures comes on top of the closure of 240 U.S. Wendy’s locations in 2024 At the time, Wendy’s said that many of the 55-year-old chain’s restaurants are simply out of date.

Ken Cook, Wendy’s interim CEO, said Friday the company believes closing locations that are underperforming — whether it’s from a financial or customer service perspective — will help improve traffic and profitability at its remaining U.S. restaurants. Cook became Wendy’s CEO in July after the company’s previous CEO, Kirk Tanner, left to become the president and CEO of Hershey Co Tesla Cybertruck executive to depart

The executive leading Tesla’s Cybertruck business is leaving the Elon Musk-led automaker after eight years.

Siddhant Awasthi, the program manager for Tesla’s Cybertruck and Model 3, said on LinkedIn that it wasn’t an easy decision to depart the company He did not provide details on what he will be doing next.

Awasthi said he began as an intern at Tesla and was involved in “ramping up Model 3, working on Giga Shanghai, developing new electronics and wireless architectures, and delivering the once-in-a-lifetime Cybertruck — all before hitting 30. The icing on the cake was getting to dive back into Model 3 work toward the end.”

Last month Tesla recalled more than 63,000 Cybertrucks in the U.S. because the front lights are too bright, which may cause a distraction to other drivers and increase collision risk. In March U.S. safety regulators recalled virtually all Cybertrucks on the road. The NHTSA’s recall, which covered more than 46,000 Cybertrucks, warned that an exterior panel that runs along the left and right side of the windshield can detach while driving, creating a dangerous road hazard for other drivers

Expect more flight cancellations

Cuts will still be made, even if shutdown ends, FAA says

BY JOSH FUNK and RIO YAMAT Associated Press

Air travelers should expect worsening cancellations and delays this week even if the government shutdown ends, as the Federal Aviation Administration moves ahead with deeper cuts to flights at 40 major U.S. airports, officials said Monday. Day four of the flight restrictions saw airlines scrap almost 2,000 flights by Monday afternoon after cancelling 5,500 since Friday Some air traffic controllers — unpaid for

more than a month have stopped showing up, citing the added stress and need to take second jobs.

Controller shortages combined with wintry weather led to fourhour delays at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Monday, with the FAA warning that staffing at more than a dozen towers and control centers could cause disruptions in cities including Philadelphia, Nashville and Atlanta.

President Donald Trump pressured controllers Monday on social media to “get back to work, NOW!!!” He said he wants a $10,000 bonus for controllers who’ve stayed on the job and to dock the pay of those who didn’t.

The head of the controllers union said they’re being used as a “political pawn” in the fight over the shut-

down. The Senate on Monday was nearing a vote to end the shutdown although it would still need to clear the House and final passage could still be days away Transportation

Secretary Sean Duffy made clear last week that flight cuts will remain until the FAA sees safety metrics improve.

One out of every 10 flights nationwide were scratched Sunday — the fourth worst day for cancellations in almost two years, according aviation analytics firm Cirium. The FAA expanded flight restrictions Monday, barring business jets and many private flights from using a dozen airports already under commercial flight limits. Airports nationwide have seen intermittent delays since the shutdown began because the FAA slows air traffic when it’s short on controllers to ensure flights remain safe.

Over the weekend, airlines canceled thousands of flights to comply with the order to drop 4% of flights at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports. That will rise to 6% on Tuesday and 10% by week’s end, the FAA says. Already, travelers are growing angry “All of this has real negative consequences for millions of Americans, and it’s 100% unnecessary and avoidable,” said Todd Walker whose flight from San Francisco to Washington state was canceled over the weekend, causing him to miss his mom’s 80th birthday party

Billionaire Warren Buffett warns that ‘Father Time’ is catching up

But says he trusts Berkshire Hathaway successor

BY JOSH FUNK AP business writer

OMAHA, Neb Billionaire Warren Buffett warned shareholders Monday that many companies will fare better than his Berkshire Hathaway in the decades ahead because of its massive size, though others might say the company’s prospects will dim because “Father Time” is catching up with the 95-year-old icon who plans to step down as CEO in January Buffett reflected on life and his health in a new letter to shareholders where he announced $1.3 billion in new charitable gifts to the four family foundations run by his children that — along with the Gates Foundation — have been helping steadily give away his fortune since 2006.

Berkshire is known for consistently outperforming the stock market during the past 60 years under Buffett — which helped earn him legions of fans — although that has become harder to do in recent years because of the huge size of the conglomerate. Berkshire owns Geico insurance, BNSF railroad, several large utilities and a diverse assortment of manufacturing and retail businesses, including such well-known brands as Dairy Queen, See’s Candy and Helzberg Diamonds.

But Buffett also reassured shareholders that he remains confident in his successor Buffett promised to keep in touch with shareholders through Thanksgiving letters in the future, but he confirmed that next year Greg Abel will take over Buffett’s famous yearly letter and answer all the questions at the annual meeting after he becomes CEO in January Buffett will remain chairman

Buffett said that “through dumb luck, I drew a ridiculously long straw at birth” by being born in Omaha, Nebraska, where he met many lifelong friends — including several who helped shape Berkshire’s fortune and both his wives after attending public schools

He said he has been fortunate to have his life saved three times by doctors who lived nearby while managing to avoid the kind of

calamities that often cut life short. Buffett recounted spending several weeks in the hospital after having his appendix out as a child, where he turned to fingerprinting all the nuns who were taking care of him just in case they turned to a life of crime later Buffett previously battled prostate cancer in 2012, but that wasn’t considered life-threatening.

“Those who reach old age need a huge dose of good luck, daily escaping banana peels, natural disasters, drunk or distracted drivers, lightning strikes, you name it,” he wrote.

But now after decades of benefiting from the fickle nature of “Lady Luck,” Buffett said “Father Time, to the contrary, now finds me more interesting as I age. And he is undefeated; for him, everyone ends up on his score card as ‘wins.’” Buffett said he is moving slowly and now has increasing difficulty reading, but he continues to go into the office five days a week to hunt for useful business ideas or deals that could benefit Berkshire.

Berkshire shareholders should have faith in Abel because Buffett said he has consistently met the high expectations he has for him. “He understands many of our businesses and personnel far better than I now do, and he is a very fast learner about matters many CEOs don’t even consider I can’t think of a CEO, a management consultant, an academic, a member of government you name it — that I would select over Greg to handle your savings and mine,” Buffett wrote.

Berkshire’s fortress-like balance sheet, highlighted by the $382 billion cash it holds, ensures the company is unlikely to encounter a devastating disaster, and Buffett said the board remains conscientious of shareholders’ interests but still the company will have trouble outperforming.

“In aggregate, Berkshire’s businesses have moderately better-than-average prospects, led by a few non-correlated and sizable gems. However, a decade or two from now, there will be many companies that have done better than Berkshire; our size takes its toll,” Buffett said.

BY CHAN HO-HIM Associated Press

HONG KONG

Vaishnavi Srinivasagopalan, a skilled Indian IT professional who has worked in both India and the U.S., has been looking for work in China. Beijing’s new K-visa program targeting science and technology workers could turn that dream into a reality

The K-visa rolled out by Beijing last month is part of China’s widening effort to catch up with the U.S. in the race for global talent and cutting edge technology It coincides with uncertainties over the U.S.’s H-1B program under tightened immigrations policies implemented by President Donald Trump.

option for people like me to work abroad.”

The K-visa supplements China’s existing visa schemes including the R-visa for foreign professionals, but with loosened requirements, such as not requiring an applicant to have a job offer before applying.

Stricter U.S. policies toward foreign students and scholars under Trump, including the raising of fees for the H-1B visa for foreign skilled workers to $100,000 for new applicants, are leading some non-American professionals and students to consider going elsewhere.

ity, paying massive government subsidies to support research and development of areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and robotics.

“Beijing perceives the tightening of immigration policies in the U.S. as an opportunity to position itself globally as welcoming foreign talent and investment more broadly,” said Barbara Kelemen, associate director and head of Asia at security intelligence firm Dragonfly

Unemployment among Chinese graduates remains high, and competition is intense for jobs in scientific and technical fields. But there is a skills gap China’s leadership is eager to fill. For decades, China has been losing top talent to developed countries as many stayed and worked in the U.S. and Europe after they finished studies there.

associate professor at the National University of Singapore.

Still, in recent years, a growing number of professionals including AI experts, scientists and engineers have moved to China from the U.S., including Chinese-Americans. Fei Su, a chip architect at Intel, and Ming Zhou, a leading engineer at U.S.-based software firm Altair, were among those who have taken teaching jobs in China this year

Many skilled workers in India and Southeast Asia have already expressed interest about the Kvisa, said Edward Hu, a Shanghaibased immigration director at the consultancy Newland Chase.

“(The) K-visa for China (is) an equivalent to the H-1B for the U.S.,” said Srinivasagopalan, who is intrigued by China’s working environment and culture after her father worked at a Chinese university a few years back. “It is a good

“Students studying in the U.S. hoped for an (H-1B) visa, but currently this is an issue,” said Bikash Kali Das, an Indian masters student of international relations at Sichuan University in China. China is striking while the iron is hot.

The brain drain has not fully reversed.

With the jobless rate for Chinese aged 16-24 excluding students at nearly 18%, the campaign to attract more foreign professionals is raising questions.

“The current job market is already under fierce competition,” said Zhou Xinying, a 24-year-old postgraduate student in behavioral science at eastern China’s Zhejiang University China

The ruling Communist Party has made global leadership in advanced technologies a top prior-

Many Chinese parents still see Western education as advanced and are eager to send their children abroad, said Alfred Wu, an

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett reflected on life and his health in a new letter to shareholders on Monday.

SupremeCourt hearssuitbyinmateshavedbyguards

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON While seemingly sympathetic to aLouisiana inmate having his dreadlocks shaved off against his religious beliefs,conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices asked questions that hinted they were skeptical he couldsue the government to be compensated.

Adevout Rastafarian,Damon Landor had followed dictatesof the religion and grown his hair for 20 years without cutting it

Three weeks before the end of his five-month drug-related sentence in 2020, Landor was transferred to the Raymond LaBorde Correctional Institution in AvoyellesParish Twoprevious facilities hadnot cut his hair.But on ordersofthe warden, guards held Landor down and shaved his head.

The case isn’tabout whether LouisianaDepartment of Public Safety and Corrections officials

mistreated Landor.Federal trial and appellatejudges andLouisianaAttorney General LizMurrill agreed he was.

“Wecondemn theconduct as allegedinthiscaseand havetaken steps to prevent this problem from recurring,” Murrill said before the SupremeCourt arguments.

But, she argued, “Ten federal courts of appeals have held that thefederal ReligiousLand Useand Institutionalized Persons Act does not allow prisoners to sue prison officials in their personal capacities for damages.”

U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick, of Baton Rouge, dismissed Landor’scaseasmootsincehehad been released from prison afew weeks after his dreadlockswereshorn. She alsofound that thelaw did not allow him to sue for damages.

The5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals alsocondemned Landor’s treatmentbut found that past rulings didn’t allow damages against state officials.

The question before theU.S. Supreme Court was whether Landor couldseekmonetarydamages fromprison officials underthe 25-year-old Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Before theSupremeCourt, Louisiana Solicitor General J. Benjamin Aguiñaga argued that state-hired prison personnel were trained on their obligations, but nobody signed acontract that required them to abide by allthe terms of thereligious libertieslaw andthatifthey didn’t they wouldliabletopaying monetarydamages

ZacharyTripp, representing Landor,argued that monetaryrecompense was implicitly allowed by Congress, even if those specific words were not in the law

“The heart of this program under RLUIPAisifyou want federal funds for state prisons, you need to accommodate religious liberty,” Tripp said. “Without damages, officials can literally treat the law like garbage.”

Trippcontended that,absenta mechanismtoholdthemaccountable, state officials were free to ignore other religious requirements, such as refusing to adhere to dietaryrestrictions of practicing Jews.

The6-3 conservative majorityhas recently bolstered religious rights, such as allowing parents to keep their children from learning about LGBTQ+ issues in public schools.

In the Landor case, questions from the nine justices, particularly the six conservatives, centered around if state officials were aware that they could be ordered to paymonetarydamages forviolating afederal law

“The hard part, as Isee it for your case, forme, is that you need aclear statement,” ChiefJustice John Roberts toldTripp. “I don’t think when theprison guard is hired, he says, ‘Well, Iwant to see the federal conditions that you agreed to under the contract.’”

“Congress could have easily

written astatute that does this and says thatthose individual officers have to agree withthe federal government to be bound under federallaw,” JusticeNeilGorsuch said. “It could do that, but it didn’t do that.”

The court’sthree liberal justices were more in agreementwith Tripp that state employees were required to followfederal guidelines as acondition of employment.

“The recipient of federalfunds has made clear with the federal government that it’sgoing to require its employees to comply with RLUIPAand not violate people’s rights,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said. “Then when those employees decide, choose, consent to accept ajob with that employer, they are thereby consenting to follow those agreements.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor added, “We’re allpresumed to knowthe law when we take our jobs.” Historically, the Supreme Court releases its decisions in June.

said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, urged lawmakers to start returning to Washington “right now” given shutdown-related travel delays. “Wehave to do this as quickly as possible,” said Johnson, who has kept the House out of session since mid-September,when the House passed abill to continue government funding.

After weeks of negotiations, a group of three former governors —New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen andMaggie Hassan and Independent Sen. Angus King, of Maine —agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding until late January.Republicans promised to hold avote to extend the health care subsidies by mid-December,but there wasnoguarantee of success. Shaheen said Monday that“this was the option on the table” after Republicans had refused to budge. “Wehad reached apointwhere I think anumber of us believed that the shutdown had been very effective in raising the concern about health care,” she said, and the promise for afuture vote “gives us an opportunity to continue to address that going forward.”

The legislation includes areversal of the mass firings of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. It also protects federal workers against furtherlayoffs

through January and guarantees they are paid once the shutdown is over In addition to Shaheen, King andHassan,Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, of Virginia, home to tens of thousands of federal workers, also voted Sunday in favor of moving forward on the agreement.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, theNo. 2Democrat, Pennsylvania Sen.

John Fetterman and Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen also voted yes. All other Democrats, including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer,of New York, voted against it.

The moderates had expected a largernumberofDemocrats to votewiththem as 10 to12Democratic senators had been part of the negotiations. But in the end, only fiveswitched their votes theexact number that Republicans needed. King, Cortez Masto and Fettermanhad already been voting to open the government since Oct. 1.

Schumer, whoreceived blowback from his party in March when he voted to keep thegovernment open,saidhecould not“in good faith” supportitafter meeting with his caucusfor more than two hours on Sunday

“Wewill not give up thefight,” Schumer said, adding that Democrats have now“sounded the alarm” on health care.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said “we could have won” and giving up will only emboldenTrump. He saidvoters were on their side after overwhelming wins forDem-

ocrats in last week’selections.

“Wewerebuilding momentum to help save ourdemocracy,” Murphy said.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, said that striking adeal was “a horrific mistake.”

Others gave Schumer anod of support. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries had criticized Schumer in March after hisvote to keep the government open. But he praised the Senate Democratic leaderonMondayand expressed support for his leadership throughout the shutdown.

“The American people knowwe areonthe rightsideofthisfight,” JeffriessaidMonday, pointing to last week’selection results.

It’sunclear whether the two parties would be able to find any commongroundonthe health care subsidies before apromised Decembervoteinthe Senate.Johnson has said he willnot committobringing it up in his chamber

On Monday,Johnson said House Republicans have always been open to voting to reform whathe called the “unaffordable care act” butagain did not say if they would voteonthe subsidies.

SomeRepublicans have said they are open to extending the COVID-19-era tax credits as premiumscould skyrocket for millions of people, but they also want new limits on whocan receive the subsidies. Some argue that the tax dollars forthe plans should be routed through individuals.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair SusanCollins said Mondaythatshe’ssupportiveof extending the tax credits with changes, like newincomecaps. Some Democrats have signaled they could be open to that idea. “Wedoneed to act by the end of the year,and that is exactly what the majority leader haspromised,” Collins said.

Other Republicans, including Trump, have used the debate to renew theiryearslong criticism of the law and called for it to be scrapped or overhauled.

In apossible preview,the Senate voted 47-53 along party lines Monday not to extend the subsidies for ayear.Majority Republicans allowed the vote as part of aseparate deal with Democrats to speed up votes and send the legislation to the House.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOS By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.,arrives at the chamber as the Senate works to bring the longest government shutdowninU.S.historytoanend after abipartisan compromise at the CapitolonMonday.Rosen is one of ahandful of Democrats whovoted withRepublicans to move forward with reopening the government.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the president pro tempore of the Senate, emerges from aRepublican Conferencemeetingduring work to end the government shutdown at the Capitol on Monday.

JanRisher

LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Firstcup of coffee

Before Imoved to BatonRouge, afriend in Lafayettetold me one of her favorite things about living in the Capital City was morning runs around the lakes and smelling the roasting coffee wafting across the Mississippi River.

For years, I’ve wonderedexactly where that roasting coffee smell came from.

Last week, Iwent to thesource —the Community Coffeeplant in Port Allen, where I’d been promised afull tour and something called a“cupping.”

Ihad no idea what acupping was —only that it probably involved drinking coffee. Before the tour,one thing weighed on me. How would my hostsreactwhen they learnedmy coffee secret?

My plan was to come cleanearly and admit the unthinkable. I’ve never had acup of coffee. Not one.

Ever Still, Iwas fascinated by the process and learned more than I everthought possible as operations managerLogan Scully led the tour.The plant runs two crews on staggered four-day shifts to keeproasting and packaging continuous through the week.

The green coffee beansarrive from places like Mexico, Brazil, Honduras, Venezuela and Colombia. They come in the traditional burlap sacks and the higher-tech massive Tyvek “supersacks,” stackedhigh in the back ofthe plant, awall of pale green beans waiting their turn in the roaster. The facility keeps two to three weeksofinventory on-hand and roasts about 500,000 pounds a week.

Iwas able to watch Curtis Mason, the manufacturing supervisor,open one of the supersacks of green coffee on its way to be stored in one of nine silos. Mason is aQGrader,ahighly trained coffee taster who can smell, see and taste to tell you exactly what kind of bean it is and how to roast it. Scully and Mason caught a handful of green coffee beans fresh from the bag and letme examine them. Turns out, green coffee doesn’tsmell like whatwe think of coffee smelling like.To me, it smells like grass.

Ilooked around at all thedifferent coffee beans from all the different places and asked howthey manage to take all the beans and create aconsistent flavor fortheir coffees.

“When you roast coffee,you’re really inducing chemicalreactions. You’re changing those components, those aminoacids and lipids into roasted coffee, and that will change the flavor,” Matt Saurage Jr.said.

Saurage is the research and development manager for Community Coffee and part of the fifth generation to work at the company his great-great-grandfather founded in 1919.

“The job that we have is to take different coffees from different countries and throw them into a roaster,” he said. “Weroast them in avery specific way andmanage that taste. It’svery difficult to do.”

Theplant has new and old roasters, like the Neotec roaster thatwas installed whenthe plant opened in 1970.Itcan process 6,000 pounds of coffee beans an hour.Scully called it their “workhorse.”Even though the roasters use different technology,theyall rely on three variables to control flavor —time, temperature and air flow From the roar of the roasters, we moved to the precision ofthe packaging line, which Iloved Watching the ingenuity ofa roll of paper transforming into bags of coffee amazed me. It reminded me of newspaper presses —the

ä See RISHER, page 2B

Newreportquestions mandate

City

officialstodiscuss affordable housing changes

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

New Orleans should stop requiring housingdevelopers to offera set number of downtown units at below-market rates, according to areport city officials will weigh Tuesday —amajor proposed rollback of New Orleans’affordable housingplan

The recommendations from city-hired HR&A Advisorscome amid growing demand in New Orleans for affordablehousing, and debate over how to provide it. They follow yearsofstop-andstart efforts to breathnew life into adowntown area that many feel has since lost its luster Adoptedin2019, New Orleans’

”mandatory inclusionaryzoning” law compels developersworkingina downtowncore— the Central Business District and French Quarter —tooffer at least 10% of units at affordable rates. Neighborhoods on the outskirts of downtown faced aslightly lower requirement,at5%. Developers can opt to pay aper-unit fee to forego therequirement.

The new report suggeststhat the cityask developers to make 5% of units affordablecitywide. The proposed change would be a recommendation, not amandate.

The report’ssuggestions are set for discussion beforethe City Planning Commission on Tuesday —meaning they aremonths,if not years, from being actualized.

To become law,any of itsrecommendations must be approved by thecommission, then theCity Council.

Developers, city officials and housing advocates agreed on Monday that the changes represented amajor concession to real estate interests whoonce warned that therequirements would stifle new projects. “They’veseriouslyscaled back someofthe affordability requirementsbecausethey’ve proven to be incompatible withactual development,” said Zachary Smith, aformer city Safety and Permits director who nowruns aprivate consultingand design firm

“The pie in the sky was unattainable,” Smith added.

Cold shoulder

Legislation to softenthe existing law could face pushback from housing advocates who’ve backed the policy as away to incentivize developerstobuild housingat ratesaccessible to lower-income residents.

But Andreanecia Morris, the headofthe Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance and asupporter of thestrategyinthe past,said Monday that she agrees with a market analysis used by the report’sauthors to justifytheir recommendation.

It’s true,she said,thatsoaring costs of building andinsuring homes, plus what she described as aseriesofdelaysinimplementing the law,mean the “numbers no longer add up.”

Going forward, Morris said pol-

Fertilizer wastepile expansiondebated

Environmental impact concerns rise in St.James Parish

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

Aplan to expandanalready mountainous pile of industrial waste froma fertilizer plant near Convent hasbeengiven the green light by the planning commission in St. JamesParish after acontentiousdebateover thebalancebetween polluting industriesand economicdevelopment State regulators had already blessedMosaic Fertilizer’s330acre expansionofits waste pile in January despite community opposition, but parish approval wasalsorequired. The waste sits on industrial land, but the commission was required to weigh in due to its size

The pile seven years ago raised fears of apartialcollapse on its northern wall, resulting in closermonitoringand other

measures.

Mosaic’swaste, phosphogypsum, contains trace heavy metal contamination andslight radioactivity thatlimits its reuse potential. Thelong-standing pile, already about 200 feet high, must be stored in large stacks away from thepublicunder federal regulations to mitigate any impact of itslow-level radioactivity

Thecommission’sconsideration of the expansion led to a debate late lastmonth over how theparish has pursued heavy industry.

Commissioner DannySt. Pierre, in response to local environmental activists with Rise St. James andInclusiveLouisiana, said thatindustrygives “us alifestyle in this parish.”

He suggestedthe parishcould enduplikeothercommunities that have lost key industries, referencing adocumentary he’d seen recently aboutAppalachia and the effect the loss of coal mineshad on drug useand

ä See WASTE, page 2B

Threemen plead guilty to manslaughter

Decades-long sentenceshanded down in killing

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

On the eve of amurder trial for last year’sslaying of aFrench Quarter tour guide, three young men pleaded guiltyinNew Orleans on Monday to lesser charges andreceiveddecades-long prison sentences. Kristie Thibodeaux, 43, of Chalmette, wasfound shot inside her car on St. Peter Street and pronounced dead in June 2024. Authorities said she was the victim of an armed robbery spree that turneddeadly whenthe three suspects stoppednear St. Peter and Royal streets. Kevin Nunez, who was 15 at the time, got out of acar and tried to rob Thibodeaux before shooting her,authorities alleged. Joshua Bonifacio, 20, wasdriving the vehicle, while Jerben Albarec, now 18, occupied the back seat.

Each of them pleaded guilty to manslaughter,while Albarec and Bonifacioalso pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges.

Criminal District Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier sentenced Nunez andBonifacioto40-year prison terms and handed a20year sentencetoAlbarec, according to records.

“Everyone involvedinthis case haslost. The victimlost herlife, her family lost their loved one, three young menhave lost their youth,” said Nunez’sattorney, MichaelKennedy,who said his client expressed remorse during his sentencing hearing. “Weare happy this matter resolved and hope that brings some comfort to the victim’s family.”

Thibodeaux attended Our Lady of Prompt Succor School, Hannan High School andUniversity of Southern Mississippi. Oneof five siblings andthe youngest of three sisters, she and her husband, Jase, livedinSlidell and doted on their dogs.

TwoofThibodeaux’ssisters offeredvictim impact statements during Monday’shearing.

STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Galvez Street in NewOrleans on

Mother declared incompetent for trial

Woman accused of killing son hospitalized

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A Harvey woman accused of killing her 3-year-old son in their apartment has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial, according to Jefferson Parish court records.

Judge Lee Faulkner, of the 24th Judicial District Court, ordered that Alexis Welsh, 32, be admitted for treatment at the East Louisiana State Hospital in Jackson after a Nov 5 hearing.

Following testimony from a court-appointment psychiatrist, Dr John Roberts III, Faulkner ruled that Welsh did not have the mental capacity to understand the proceedings against her or assist in her defense, according to court records

Welsh has been held without bail since her Aug. 25 arrest in the death of her son, Josiah Winzy Welsh summoned authori-

REPORT

Continued from page 1B

icymakers should keep in mind that developers should not get concessions without providing “necessary housing for the average New Orleanian.” And she cautioned lawmakers against approving policies that might allow commercial short-term rental operators “to use homeownership to increase their foothold.”

The analysis’ authors, H&RA Advisors, have long produced reports for New Orleans’ city government on how its policies intersect with the local real estate economy When the original law was drafted in 2019, H&RA consultants advised the City Council that relegating the requirement to New Orleans’ downtown core would guard against volatile market conditions and make the program more realistic.

Now, the firm is suggesting that even the downtown real estate and development market has proven too weak to yield both new developments and a crop of new affordable units.

“In weaker markets where margins are already thin, requiring too high a proportion of affordable units can quickly render projects infeasible, leading to little or no new housing production,” the report states.

Mike Sherman, a real estate attorney and onetime executive counsel for former Mayor Mitch Landrieu, said soaring costs of building materials, construction

WASTE

Continued from page 1B

poverty

“So what I’m saying is, when you attack industry, it’s not a perfect deal, all right? We take the good with the bad. When we attack industry, we could conceivably make this parish a ghost town, and rather than have cancer, we’ll have cancer with nothing,” he said.

‘Necessary evil’?

St. Pierre called such industry in St. James a “necessary evil” and added that the parish’s education, health care and government services all rely on it.

The companies are attracted to the parish because of its proximity to the Mississippi River, railroads and highways, he noted. The activists were opposed to the expansion over concerns about particulate air pollution from the phosphogypsum, radiation from radon-222 and the potential risk of spilling contaminated and acidic waters

ties to her apartment in the 2100 block of Manhattan Boulevard that morning, telling 911 operators she needed help because her son was dead, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Deputies sent to the apartment entered and found Welsh lying on the floor in a bedroom next to a large kitchen knife. She was suffering from superficial cuts on her arms, chest and neck, authorities said.

Josiah was lying on the bed, covered with a comforter His body was already stiffened by rigor mortis, authorities said

An autopsy determined the boy died of asphyxia due to suffocation and smothering, according to the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office. Welsh admitted killing Josiah, according to the Sheriff’s Office. She also inflicted the cuts on her body, authorities said Welsh was arrested and booked on first-degree murder

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate com.

and insurance made renting affordable units at the rate required under the law untenable for downtown property owners. Developers balked, he said. For the program to work, “You need higher rents and a cost-of-housing production that’s more modest,” he said. If approved by the commission, the report’s recommendations would move to the council.

It was not immediately clear Monday how legislation implementing the recommendations might fare before the council. Council members and a representative for Mayor-elect Helena Moreno all declined to comment, saying they had not had time to review the report and weigh in on it.

Moreno is set to take office in January along with newly elected council members.

The council has shown significant recent support for policies aimed at expanding affordable housing. Last fall, the panel backed legislation that was later approved by voters to direct a dedicated stream of city dollars to building more affordable housing stock. Sherman said lawmakers should view repealing the mandatory zoning requirements as a sound policy decision, rather than one that would harm efforts to expand affordable housing.

“This (would be) in no way a retreat from their affordable housing priorities — it would be a retreat from a failed policy,” he said Email James Finn at jfinn@theadvocate com

from the pile into nearby swamps and the Blind River, given the pile’s history and the actual failure of other similar piles in Mississippi and Florida.

Part of the state’s environmental justice movement, the groups, Rise St James and Inclusive Louisiana, frequently oppose and often sue over new industrial proposals, arguing that majority-Black areas are already overburdened with air pollution.

Proponents of allowing the expansion say it will allow Mosaic, one of the parish’s top taxpayers and employers, to continue operating into the 2040s. Production of the waste is inextricably linked in Mosaic’s industrial process to the production of fertilizer

Asked for comment on St. Pierre’s sentiments, Barbara Washington, a Romeville resident who lives near Mosaic’s waste pile said residents “should never have to choose between health and economic stability.”

“Our community deserves clean air safe water and fair access to jobs

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

same dance of paper, precision and speed.

Upstairs in the tasting room, Mark Howell and Saurage had set up a “cupping” — a more elaborate setup than I expected.

Howell assembled six different coffees from Ethiopia (the birthplace of coffee), Colombia, Indonesia, Honduras, Brazil and Guatemala. For each coffee, he had a tray of the roasted beans and five cups with individually ground beans.

Howell is also a licensed Q Grader and has one of the most sophisticated coffee palates around. He got his start in coffee by serving in the Peace Corps in Honduras in the early 1990s. Once he explained what we would do, he presented each of us with a special rounded spoon. We sat down at the revolving table and I steadied myself for coffee.

As it steeped, Howell showed me how we were supposed to fill the spoon from each cup and simultaneously smell and slurp — and I mean loudly slurp — and then spit it out.

This is when I told them that not only was I not a coffee drinker, but I had literally never taken a swig of it. They took the news in stride maybe with a little disbelief, but plenty of good humor

“Well, this is a first for us,” Saurage said. “It should be interesting.”

And it was.

With my untrained palate, I tasted 30 cups of coffee. As Howell and Saurage made impressively loud slurps, I slurped as best I could to taste for the things

and investment just like any other part of the parish. The idea that pollution is a ‘necessary evil’ ignores the harm communities like ours have lived with for decades,” said Washington, who co-founded and helps lead Inclusive Louisiana

“It’s also troubling that parish leaders continue to speak as if industry is the only path to survival. When one industry becomes the single ‘cash cow,’ it doesn’t make us stronger; it makes us more vulnerable.”

She said parish leaders should try to diversify the economy and attract cleaner, more sustainable investments that don’t “poison our people.”

The enviro nmenta l groups said they planned to appeal the commission’s decision on Oct 27 to the Parish Council.

Acidic lake

The parish approval comes nearly seven years after Mosaic officials discovered the waste pile’s northern wall along La. 3214 was moving, raising

—

earthiness, complexity, nutty chocolates, inconsistencies, tobacco

and

early fears that a large lake of acidic, contaminated water sitting on top of the pile could break open and spill. Mosaic later concluded a lake breach wasn’t likely to occur, but removed water from the section most affected to reduce weight.

A few years later, Mosaic determined the movement occurred due to so much weight from the pile and acidic lake sitting on weak geology about 85 feet below the pile. State and federal regulators concurred with the conclusion and, in 2024, said the emergency situation had receded as the pile’s movement had slowed significantly, though not completely

The agencies required additional monitoring and careful waste stacking methods in the expansion.

The pile and its grounds also contain about 300 acres of acidic process water lakes. Much of the water is reused in Mosaic’s process, but the company also maintains pond levels by injecting some process water underground. The water can’t be discharged

into local waterways without treatment.

St. Pierre’s comments came after Brian Landry, a lobbyist for the Louisiana Chemical Association, sought to push back against anecdotal accounts of high cancer cases in the parish and near the pile.

He said his group’s analysis of federal and state cancer incidence rates shows they are 5.5% lower, on a parish-level basis, in the industrial corridor than in the state as a whole.

”Not our data, national data, and that’s what the facts are saying,” Landry said.

Advocates have pointed out that air pollution’s impact can be more localized than at the parish level and can involve illnesses other than cancer Federal Environmental Protection Agency data also show highly localized sections of the Mississippi River corridor have elevated risk for cancer from air pollution, though not around the gypsum pile.

Statistical limits from low populations and state

health privacy rules also obscure whether many parts of St. James have elevated rates for actual cancer cases, including cancers that have radiation as a risk factor, according to LSU cancer case data.

A published 2022 analysis by a former Tulane Environmental Law Clinic researcher, however, found that higher estimated cancer risk from toxic air pollution was linked “to higher cancer incidence among Louisiana’s most impoverished neighborhoods.” The analysis relied on similar data as Landry did.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

they mentioned

acidity,

notes

more. Even for someone who’s

Green coffee beans fall from a burlap bag to be processed

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Mark Howell and Matt Saurage Jr prepare for a cupping for six varieties of coffee at Community Coffee’s Port Allen production plant.

Agnelly,Frederick

and Theodora Godlove Murry, and brotherLouis Murry, Jr.

Private interment is in Lake LawnCemeteryin Metairie, LA.

Cordova,June Draughter, Sabrina

Draughter,Sabrina

Fitzpatrick, Vaughan

Hartley, Juliette

Mason, James EJefferson

LA Muhleisen

Agnelly,Frederick

NewOrleans

Charbonnet

Draughter,Sabrina

Lake Lawn Metairie

Fitzpatrick, Vaughan

St Tammany

Honaker

Hartley, Juliette

Obituaries

Agnelly, Frederick Keith

FrederickKeith Agnelly, born in December of 1968, passed awaypeacefully surrounded by his loved ones on November fifth of 2025 in Kenner, Louisiana.

Keith, the first male Registered Nurse to graduate from the Mississippi University for Women, had aprofound and positive impact on everyone he met. His friends, family, and coworkers knew him for his generosity of spirit patience, humor, and sometimes obsessive hobbyism

Adevoted and loving father of four beautiful children, Keith is survived by his wife of thirty years, Lillian, his daughters Tara and Alexis, his son David, his mother Faye, his siblings Kim, Dawn, Kathy, Lori, Sherry and Stacy, and his stepmother Jackie. He is preceded in death by his daughter Candace, his father Larry, and his sister Wendy. Keith's warmth, humility, and strong sense of morality have served as an inspiration to everyone lucky enough to have knownhim. He will be sorely missed.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Memorial Service at L. A. Muhleisen and Son Funeral Home, 2607 Williams Blvd. Kenner on Friday, November 14, 2025. Visitation will be begin at 5:00 pm with aWords of Remembrance Service to begin at 7:30 pm. To share memories or condolences, please visit www.muhleisen.com

June-Marie Louise Murry Cordova entered into eternal rest on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Age 82. A native of New Orleans, LA and aresident of Peachtree City, GA.

June graduated from George Washington Carver Sr. High School and attended Straight Business School and Southern University in New Orleans. June retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as an Advertising and Media Specialist with over 31 years of federal service

June leaves to cherish her memory her children Lakita Brooks, Lance Cordova and Ty Cordova, Sr.; son-in-law Terry Brooks; grandchildren Lance Cordova, Tierra Cordova, Keenan Cordova and Kennedy Brooks; great -grandchildLance Cordova; siblings Theodore Murry and Sonji Murry, and ahost of other relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by grandson Ty Cordova, Jr., parents Louis Murry, Sr.

SabrinaDraughter en‐tered eternalrestonMon‐day,November3,2025 ThoughSabrina’s earthly journey endedonthe night ofher 56thbirthday, her spiritwillliveoninthe heartsof herfamilyand friends.Her memory will forever remind us of love, laughterand light. Shewas bornonNovember2,1969 inNew Orleans, LA to her cherished parentsthe late CherylLynnPetersonand Harry JamesHarden, Jr Beloved wife of thelate Darrell Draughter. Devoted sisterofTrena (Curtis) Harden-Blackand Harry (Myrna) Harden III; loving aunt of Javonn (Davy) Crocklen, TyronHarden and Darren (Earlisha) An‐derson; proudgreat-aunt ofDavy, Davyen and DavynchiCrocklen, Darren Jr., Davante, Dandrew, Dasaniand Dalice Ander‐son;and KelsiSylvester; Godmother of Hillary Spencer;bestfriendofDel‐isha (Richenel) Jack ;de‐voted friend of IvyAlexan‐der.A proudgraduateof JohnMcDonogh High School.She wasa beautiful soulwhose warmth touched everyone shemet and whose passingcame asshe wasstill heartbro‐ken from thelossofher beloved mother just six monthsprior.Alsopre‐ceded in deathbystepfa‐ther, Rev. Melvin Peterson Sr; grandparents,Irene and Harry JamesHarden, Sr and EverlynBenjamin; nephew, HarryAnderson; and great-nieceKa’Dhirol Marshall. Relativesand friends;employees of Del‐gadoCommunity College are invitedtoattend the funeral. ACelebration ser‐vicehonoringthe life of the late SabrinaHarden Draughter which will be heldinthe Chapel of Char‐bonnetLabat GlapionFu‐neral Home,1615 St.Philip Street,New Orleans, LA 70116, on Thursday,No‐vember13, 2025 at 11am IntermentProvidence MemorialPark& Mau‐soleum, 8200 AirlineDrive Metairie, LA 70003.Visita‐tion10aminthe chapel.A repastwillfollow at The EventistryVenue,2800 Hig‐ginsBlvd, NewOrleans,LA 70126. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504)581 4411.

Fitzpatrick, Vaughan Owen

Victor Vaughan Owen Fitzpatrick died in New Orleans on October 28, 2025,after asudden illness caused by an aggressive metastaticcancer.Hewas 76.

Agifted storytellerand aman of powerful intellect, his deep and genuine curiosity and expansive knowledge of apanoplyof subjects made himhighly sought afterasasource of sageadvice, learned perspective, and thought-provoking discussion. Whetherata lunch table at one of his treasured New Orleansclubs or in arocking chaironthe porch of his mountain housein Hendersonville, North Carolina, Vaughan Fitzpatrick was sure to be engaging in astimulating conversationpunctuated by boisterouslaughter.He was as comfortable chatting with his toddler grandsonashewas speaking with aRussian oligarch. He livedhis life in equal measures of mirth and purposefulness. He was selfless and avisionary, putting the considerations of distant generations far ahead of his own. Vaughan was aman of kindness, love, and noblevirtues. He was respectedbyhis peers, loved by his family and friends, and willbe mourned by allwho knew him.

Vaughan was born in NewOrleans on July3, 1949, to WilliamH.and Francis JamesGasquet Westfeldt "Coo" Fitzpatrick, bothnative NewOrleanians. He grew up in NewYorkand Virginia. Summers were enjoyed in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where his NewOrleansbased extended family has vacationedfor over150 years. He was aproud and devotedgraduateof WoodberryForrest School in Orange, Virginia. He attendedcollege at the University of Colorado Boulder, wherehemet his belovedMary Shelton. They wed in 1972. Vaughan and Mary began their married life abroad in Naples,Italy, throughVaughan's service in theU.S.Navyasanofficer on adestroyer in the Sixth Fleet and at NATO. Life as expats suitedthem, and they decided to learn Arabic to advance Vaughan's career prospects overseas. They studied in Lebanonatthe Middle East Center for Arab Studiesuntil civil war broke out there,forcing their evacuation and relocationtoSt. Antony's CollegeinOxford, England.

Areturn to NewOrleans and Vaughan's enrollment in Tulane Law School followed, including summer clerkships in Egypt and Bahrain. Upon graduation and passing thebar exam, Vaughan embarked on a long and multifaceted career as an executive with Chevron oilcompany, living and working in Saudi Arabia,Sudan, and London, whiletraveling forprojects in spotsasvariedasIndia, Turkey, and theHornof Africa. He was ahighly skillednegotiator,excelling in complex situations requiring political, governmental, and tribal strategic awareness.

After retiring from Chevron initially in 1992, thecompany calledhim back in 1995 to serveas president of its Russia division(called Chevron Neftegaz). Vaughan managed all of Chevron's operations in Russia, including facilitating theconstruction of theCaspian PipelineConsortium (CPC) pipelinefrom Kazakhstan across Russia to theBlack Sea.

Vaughan, Mary and their sons Fletcher and Welles moved home to New Orleans' GardenDistrict in 1992. They promptly became deeply enmeshed in thesocial and civicfabric of thecity.

After his eventual second retirementfrom Chevron, Vaughan devoted time to themission of preservinghis family's legacy in North Carolina. He oversaw themeticulous deconstruction, relocation and transformationofthe family's historic summer homestead theGreen House to a small nearby mountain, christenedTwo Jacks. With thismove, he secured moregenerations of North Carolina summers for his extended family

On theold family property where theGreen Houseonce stood, Vaughan worked closely with local government officials to develop the United States' first greenindustrial park. Aresounding success, Ferncliff Industrial Park has become amajor driveroftax revenue and employment in Henderson County, NorthCarolina.

In thewakeofMary's suddentragic death in 2013 after 41 years of marriage, Vaughan was comforted by hisloyal dog Kahn. In 2017, he wasseated next to Melissa Gibbs at aNew Orleans dinnerparty. He found in her akindred soul whose wanderlust and senseofcuriosity matched his own. They marriedin2023. Melissa's joiedevivre and devoted companionship gave Vaughan an unlimited amount of joyand intellectual stimulationinhis final years. They traveled widely,spending several months each year in France, and exploringnumerous locations in Central and South America in particular. One of their last trips togetherwas to see Vaughan's dear friends in Saudi Arabia.Melissa also shared Vaughan's love forhis treasuredTwo JacksinNorth Carolina. Vaughan enjoyed nothing morethanhiking that mountain with Melissa by his side,oftenwith a grandchild in tow, singing songsofhis youthor telling tall tales. Vaughan was an enthusiastic and dedicated member of many New Orleans social clubs and Carnival organizations. He was apastboard member of numerous civic and charitable organizations, including theBureau of Governmental Research and thePreservation Resource Center. He was predeceased by

his first wife Mary Shelton Fitzpatrick, his parents William and Francis"Coo" Fitzpatrick, and his brother PeterFitzpatrick.

Vaughan is survived by his wife Melissa Gibbs Fitzpatrick, his sons from his first marriage Fletcher Dugan Westfeldt (Lessley) Fitzpatrick and Welles FleetwoodWestfeldt (Laura)Fitzpatrick, his grandchildrenMary Harris WestfeldtFitzpatrick, EvelinHastings"Evie" Fitzpatrick, and James Fenner Fleetwood "Fenn" Fitzpatrick. He is also survivedbyhis brothers Whitfield and James Fitzpatrick. As the Fitzpatrick family patriarch in NewOrleans, Vaughan also leaves behind his adored nephews, nieces, cousins,and their children -many of whom carry on his legacy in the family's cherished city. Wordscannot express howmuch they willmiss him.

Amemorial service will be held on Wednesday, November 12 at 1:30pm at TrinityEpiscopal Church, 1329 Jackson Avenue. Visitation willbeginat noon. Aprivateinterment for family willfollow.

Hartley,age 90, of Slidell, Louisiana,passedaway peacefullyonWednesday November5,2025, at Slidell MemorialHospital. Juliette was born August 9, 1935, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Juliette Hagstette Heitkampand OscarRudolph LudwigHeitkamp. Shewas precededindeath by her beloved husband of 57 years,EugeneAustinHart‐ley Sr.; herparents,and siblingsOscar Heitkamp Jr, Felix Heitkamp,RuthRein‐hart, Leah Richaud, Helen Klein,and RoyHeitkamp. She is survived by five chil‐dren, DavidEugeneHartley (Elaine), RandallLee Hart‐ley (Raelyn),DarrylBruce Hartley (Denise),Stephen Brian Hartley(Sonia),Eu‐geneAustinHartley Jr (Paula);Alsosurvivedby thirteen grandchildrenand seventeen great-grandchil‐dren. Juliette wasa resi‐dentofSlidell since1964 and retiredashistologist fromSlidell Memorial Hos‐pital.FuneralServiceswill beheldonSaturday, No‐vember15, 2025, at Honaker FuneralHome, 1751 GauseBlvdWest, Slidell LA.Visitationwill begin at 9:00am followed bythe funeralservice at 11:00am.Burialwillbein ForestLawnCemetery. In lieuof flowers, donations may be made to Lamb of God Lutheran Church 57210 AllenRoad, SlidellLA 70461. Please visitwww honakerforestlawn.comto signguestbook.Arrange‐ments by HonakerFuneral Home, Inc.,Slidell, LA

Mason,

Dr.James Walter

Mandeville,LouisianaDr. JamesWalterMason, age 85, belovedhusband fatherand grandfather passedawaypeacefullyat homeonOctober 29, 2025, surrounded by hisfamily and friends. Born in Talla‐hassee, FL,onSeptember 8,1940, Walter liveda life definedbycuriosity,com‐passion,and serviceto others. He is survived by his devotedwife, Linda Dubus Mason; hisdaugh‐ter,Claudia Everitt (Shane),aswellasfour cherished grandchildrenMarc, Ethan, Corrine,and Cooper– who broughtend‐lessjoy to hisdays. He was precededindeath by his parents,Roy Garnett Mason andMaude Sim‐monsMason,and hissister Katherine Mason. Walter was also deeply lovedby his extended family- sis‐ters-in-law,nieces, nephews,and dear friends who were blessedtoshare his journey. Walter earned his Bachelor of Sciencein Education from Florida State University in 1963, where he wasa proud memberofthe Kappa Sigma Fraternity.Hewent ontoreceive both aMas‐ter of ScienceinPublic Healthin1966 anda Doc‐torateinScience in 1970 fromTulaneUniversity. His distinguished career as an ecologist andprofessor began at Tulane University School of Public Health and TropicalMedicineand later continued at theUniversity ofAlabama MedicalCenter inBirmingham. From 1978 until hisretirementin2003, Walterservedinleadership roles -including Professor ofthe Graduate School,De‐partmentChair andHead ofthe Division of Environ‐mentalHealthScience,as wellasDirectorofUAB’s Master’sInternationalist Program.His work and mentorshiplefta lasting impactoncolleaguesand studentsalike.A lifelong learner andadventurer, Walterwas multilingual and studiedFrenchatthe UniversityofAngersin France.His passionfor ed‐

ucationand public health took himaround theworld fromthe classrooms of Kinshasa, Zaire, to global initiatives aimedatim‐proving living conditions and health in underserved communities.Hewas also partofthe foundingofa hospitalinAfrica– oneof the examples of hisendur‐ing dedication to helping others. Walter also appre‐ciatedthe cultureofZaire and Rwanda andcollected African hand-madebeads and otherbeautiful arti‐facts.Walterwas aproud memberofesteemed orga‐nizations,including the MilitaryOrder of theStars and Bars,the National So‐ciety of theSonsofthe AmericanRevolution, and the LouisianaWildfowl Carvers andCollectors Guild.Beyondhis acade‐mic andprofessionalac‐complishments,Walter was aman of passions.An avidoutdoorsman,he found joyinthe Louisiana marshes,where he spent countless huntingseasons inGheens, Louisiana. His artistryasa duck decoy carverearnedhim awards and recognitioninwildlife publications, particularly for hismasterfully crafted working decoys admired byhunters throughout the region. He also enjoyed restoring andcruisingin his treasured1951 Hudson Hornet, atestament to his appreciation forcraftman‐shipand history. Walter willberememberedasa kind, humble andgentle man of greatintellect and character.His wisdom, warmth, andwit made every conversation mean‐ingful. Hisgreatestpride and joywerehis family–especially hisgrandchil‐dren, with whomheshared anunbreakable bond.The familyextends heartfelt gratitude to Dr.Hamid Salam,Dr. RichardJean‐sonne Jr,and Dr.PaulGuil‐bault,the compassionate caregiversatLakeviewRe‐gionalHospital, Home In‐stead,Compassus andSt Tammany Parish Fire Sta‐tion45, fortheir excep‐tionalcareand support. In lieuof flowers, donations may be made to Second Harvest Food Bank in Wal‐ter’s memory.Relatives and friendsare invitedto attend aMemorialMasson Wed Nov. 12, at OurLady ofthe Holy Rosary,3368 Es‐planade Avenue,New Or‐leans,at10a.m., with visi‐tationbeginning at 9a.m InurnmentwillfollowatSt. LouisCemetery No.3

Hartley, Juliette MarieHeitkamp

Juliette MarieHeitkamp

Cordova, June Murry

OUR VIEWS

In aseasonof remembrance andgratitude, we thankour veterans

Editor’snote:Aversion of thefollowing editorial has appeared on previousVeteransDaysinthis newspaper

America is built on representative government and capitalism, two institutions thatrecognize how fickle humans can be.

The marketplace of ideas we call politicsand the marketplace of products we call freeenterprise both assume thatpeople are pliable creatures, likely to change their mindsinahurry We honor choice as anational birthright. But the country’sfreedom is protected by men and women who give upa world of choices so we can continue to have ours. Theyare the Americans who serve in ourmilitary,acall that doesn’tindulge inconstancy or caprice.Theydeserve our honor this VeteransDay —and every Veterans Day

This year’scommemoration is especially resonant because it comes the day after theMarines celebrate their 250th birthday,amonth after the Navy celebrated its 250th,five months after the Army did so —and eight monthsbeforethisnation celebrates its official semiquincentennial. The conjunction of these birthdaysreminds us that our freedom was boughtthrough courage and sacrifice.

One cannot easily optout oncea commitment to military service is made. And when thebattle is joined,weask brave men andwomentorisk their lives to defend this nation’sinterests. It’s not asacrifice that can properly beundertaken on awhim, shaped by thelatest pollnumbersor focus groups.

That’swhy those long rows of white tombstonesatour nation’smilitary cemeteries are such aresonant part of theAmerican landscape. They demonstrate, in acountry touched by flux andequivocation and the endlessmutability of opinion, that there have alwaysbeenwarriors who embrace principleasafixedstar, not a fashion statement.

Tiny American flags bloom from those cemeteries everyMemorial Day,the dayweset aside to honor the nation’swar dead.Veterans Day recognizes boththe heroes whohave passed andthe veteransyet with us —the ones we can stillfind in our neighborhoods, ourchurches and temples, the grocerystore. They bear living witness not only to the privilegeofliberty but to its costs.

Not all members of the military seebattle during theirservice, but there are other hardships in serving in America’sarmed forces Theprofound pain of separation from family, the loss of privacy,the boredom —these areno small things. It is right andgood that we should acknowledge those sacrifices each November, as the holidays approach. This Thanksgiving and Yuletide season, as in every year, soldiers and sailors and airmen will beserving faraway from home.

Tomorrow,wepause, in amonth marked by gatheringsfor gratitude, tosay thanks to our veterans. Their contributions are easy to overlook, but we forget their service at our peril.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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OPINION

Celebratenurseswho help patients in hour of need

If you or someone you love has had asurgical procedure, aperioperative registered nurse was responsible for you or your loved one’swell-being throughout theoperation. Perioperativeregistered nurses provide specialized nursing care to surgical patients before, during and after surgery in every hospital and ambulatory surgery settinginthe United States and around theworld. Nov.9-15 is Perioperative Nurses Week, an annual celebration of perioperative nurses and their commitment to safe patient care. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses is thenational association representing the interests of over 200,000 perioperative nurses in hospitals and outpatient surgery centers. AORN’s44,000 membersmanage, teach and practice perioperative nursing.

AORN of New Orleans, Chapter 1902, is the local chapter of perioperativeregistered nurses that care for the surgical patientsinour local hospitals and surgical centers. Ourchapter

The whole problem with thecountry today is that the U.S. Supreme Court has ceased tofunction. Its members have let power slip through their fingers and thus doomed theUnited States.

There are three branches of federal government:executive, legislative and judicial. Because theSupreme Court has green-lighted many things with its rulings in Trump’sfavor,the executive branch of the government has morphed intosomething twice its normal size.

There are few people who care enough about monarch butterflies to plant milkweed for them. They are a threatened species, due mainly to loss of habitat. The most effective way to help monarchsistoplant moremilkweed, their host flower It is counterproductive to discourage anyone from planting any kind. The OE virus has been around since the1960s, and the only way to get rid of it is to get rid of the monarchs, and that is what will happen if there is no

was formed Oct. 15, 1950, and we just celebrated our 75th anniversary last month.Weare dedicated to providing education, advocacy and community service opportunities to our members. Next year,onApril 11-14, theAORN Global Surgical Conference &Expo will convene at the Ernest Morial Convention Center.Our annual surgical conference unites perioperative nurses from around theglobe foran exhilarating experience filled with education, innovation, inspiration and networking. Thousandsofnurses and exhibitors will once again come enjoy thefood, music and culture that New Orleanshas to offer We want our community to know we are working hard to protect you —our patients—when you are mostvulnerable. Please join us in celebrating perioperative nurses and our dedication to safe patient care during the 2025 Perioperative Nurses Week.

NATHALIE WALKER registered nurse Metairie

Trumphas seized on the advantage, and now he does what he wants. Because of their lax, faulty and weak judgments, the U.S. SupremeCourt has caused the downfall of America. Chief Justice John Roberts has been a terrible chief justice to let the country slide so badly He needs to get some guts and do his job and re-establish the federal balance of powers as the framers of the Constitution intended.

ANNE EASSON NewOrleans

milkweed Ihave had tropical milkweed and monarchs in my garden formany years, and I’m grateful to see their beauty. People walking by comment on how much they enjoy them. The one step that needs to be taken is cuttingdown milkweed stems once the weather gets cold. The stemscan be rooted toplant thenext spring. Long live, monarchs(thewinged kind)!

DONA SIMONS

NewOrleans

Chargesimplied juvenile victim was somehow at fault

In arecent article about a“missing Baker girl found in Pittsburgh,” it was reported twice that two 62-yearold menwere arrested and charged with “contributing to the delinquency of ajuvenile.” Citing the Baker Police Department, the article concluded by reporting that, “Our precious missing child has been found and is safe.” The issue Ihave with this is that language matters. Charging the perpetrators with contributing to the delinquency of ajuvenile, by extension, appears to charge the girl with delinquency and implicitly labels the victim —“our precious child” —who wasallegedly sexually assaulted and trafficked —a“juvenile delinquent.”

Most readers would associate this term with underage criminals. The girl in this incident is neither adelinquent nor acriminal; she’sa victim and asurvivor.Toimply she’s become ajuvenile delinquent, as a consequence of being victimized, is wrong, and yet no one in any position to change the waysuch children are described, seems willing to take action: law enforcement, the courts, prosecutors, bar associations and yes, the press.

Language matters, and it’stime to change the way young victims are described and their abusers charged. These perpetrators didn’tcontribute to anyone’s“delinquency” —they kidnapped, raped, sexually abused, trafficked, and in worst-case scenarios, murdered children, and the language used to report this should reflect that. TOMDINAPOLI Baton Rouge

Leadersofbad character cansink acountry

Irecently read aquote that said, “America is great because it is good. When it ceases to be good, it will cease to be great,” Ifear that we are well on our waydown that road away from goodness. Jimmy Carter was incompetent and surrounded himself with incompetents, but he was an honorable man.

Donald Trump is incompetent and has surrounded himself with incompetents. And he is not an honorable man. Godhelp us all.

BEN PICKERING NewOrleans

Solvethe hunger games

There are an estimated42million people receiving food aid from the Supplemental NutritionAssistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.The figure represents 12.3% of the U.S. population, according to the USDA. In the richest nationonEarth, thatis not something to brag about.It is, or ought to be, adisgrace.

SNAP is acasualty of the government “shutdown,” though two federal judges have ordered theTrump administration to restore funds to theprogram.

tion of theseimproper payments, the USDA and other experts also report significant issues with benefit trafficking and recent surgesintheft.For example, a55% increase in fraudulent transactions occurred between thefourthquarter of fiscal 2024and the first quarter of 2025.

be required to help their parents before turning to thegovernment.

Cal Thomas

President Trump saidhewill use a contingency fund to cover only 50% of SNAP benefitsfor November,but none afterthat ifthe governmentdoesn’t open. Now would be agood time to ask why so many Americans seek food assistance. Astarting point that should getpolitical support (at least from Republicans) would be the eliminationof mistakes, wasteand fraud inthe SNAP program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers SNAP for the states, estimatesthatinfiscal year 2023, approximately 11.7% of SNAP benefits, or about $10.5 billion, were “improper payments,” includingfraud andother errors. While overpayments from household errorsand administrative mistakes make up the largest por-

Thefirst food assistance programswere established in 1939 during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Like so many other government programs, whenthe Depression ended and theneed for food assistance subsided, the programs continued and new peoplewere added,even during periods of prosperity

Followingthe elimination of improper payments, there should be a focusonthe able-bodied who are not working.There is awork and job trainingrequirement for people receiving SNAPbenefits. Whether those without children are meeting that requirement should be investigated. The goal should be to wean people off government assistance and towardfinancial independence. The elderly and those with physical or mental disabilities who qualify,shouldcontinue receiving food assistance. Whatever happened to children caring for their parentswho are in need? Adult children with resources should

SenateDemocrats, most of whom have refused to votetoopen thegovernment, continue to use SNAP —as well as air traffic controllers and other vital services —toextort political capital from Republicans. So far it appears to be working. Arecent Quinnipiac poll found that voters blame Republicans slightly morethan Democratsfor the shutdown.

Toomany Americansbelieve they are entitled to other people’smoney and that it is the government’sresponsibilitytotake care of every citizen (andsome noncitizens) from cradle to grave. Maybe Congress should be listed among those who are “nonessential” and have their pay suspended. Watch how quickly thegovernment would open again should that occur

Nearly every problem has asolution. The problem for politicians is that if they solve aproblem,they no longer have an issue withwhich to bash the other party.Aslong as holding on to political office remains their top priority, nothing will change. More people will come to rely on government, which will help theDemocrats, but it will be bad for thecountry and thepeople who have becomeaddicted togovernment.

Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com

Bidenand Trump, in theirown ways, poisoned theimmigration debate

Today’scoagulated politics is nullifying the most dramatic achievement of Donald Trump’ssecond term, the restoration of order along the southern border.This has created the prerequisite for policies that could improve the nation’sdynamism and its understanding of itself. Yetneither political party will seize the moment for immigration reform, thereby risking the wrath that envelops those guilty of seemingaccommodating.

More than the inflation Joe Biden’s policies ignited, even more thanthe senescence he could not palliate,uncontrolled immigration upendedhis presidency.Control of bordersisa core attribute of national sovereignty

The Biden administration’sabdication of this responsibilitysent aradiating, demoralizing message of indifference and incompetence: The government was unable —worse, unwilling —to create the prerequisite for all other socialgoods: civic order This choice was prefigured. On June 27, 2019, in acandidates debate, 10 Democratic contenders for their party’spresidential nomination were asked to raise their hands if they favored decriminalizing unauthorized bordercrossings Eight, including Biden, did. During his presidency,net migration averaged 2.6 million (approximately equal to the population of the nation’s 24th largest metropolitan area, San Antonio) every year,for afour-year totalof10.4 million, slightly more than Michigan’spopulation.Hence theseismic effect on public opinion: According to Gallup, in 2020-2024 thepercentage of Americans favoring lessimmigration soared from 28 to 55. On election night 2024, progressives learnedthe perils of dismissing this asracismand xenophobia.

The nonpartisan MigrationPolicy Institute found that in Biden’sfirst 100 days, he took 94 executive actions pertaining to immigration. Manhattan Institute President ReihanSalam, writing for the Free Press, says these repudiated not only Trump’sapproach but “long-standing immigrationlimits that had been embraced by the Clinton and Obama administrations.” Salam says public opiniononimmigration often is “thermostatic,” moving against excesses of thosein power. Perhaps anational recoil against the ugliness of the Trump administration’s militarized measures against unauthorized immigrants —many of whomhave been here more than 10 years —will allow reframing the immigrationdebate.

The fear on the right, Salam says, has been that immigration meansnot a Great Renewal of national dynamism but aGreat Replacement of nativeborn Americans. This should have been assuaged by Trump’s“massive gains among naturalized citizens and second-generation Americans in 2020 and 2024.”

So, to the discomfort of some of Trump’saides and many of his supporters, and perhaps even Trump, he might have unintentionally made reform morepalatable. According to a2024 Pew Research Center poll, 70% of Americans, including 55% of Trump supporters, favor“admitting immigrants who can fill labor shortages.” U.S. populationgrowthislower than ever,migration is net negative for the first time, and life expectancy is projected to increase from today’s78.4to 80.4years.The twoentitlements (Social Security,Medicare) primarily responsiblefor thenormalization of, soon, $2 trillion annual budget deficits depend on theworkforce’sgrowth, which now depends entirely on immigration. Economicfacts arenot static like the Rocky Mountains. They change with economicdynamism, and immigration energizes.Conservatives correctly insist on “dynamic scoring” of taxcuts —projectingpositive revenue effects from tax cutsthat incentivizeproductive behavioral changes. Such conservatives shouldalso favor the dynamic scoring of immigration’seconomic

effects.

One of which is: Immigrantswho fill jobs as domestic helpers, cleaners, servers, car-wash attendants, meatpackers and other low-skill jobs drive productivity and social dynamism by allowing, even compelling, other workers to advance to more-skilled work. In 2023 Housetestimony,the Cato Institute’sDavid J. Biernoted thatthe Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted thatmostjobs created in this decade will not require acollege degree.

Regarding America’ssagging birth rate,research finds thatlow-skill immigrants(nannies, housekeepers, meal-preparers) “substantially” reduce hesitation about having children. Today’shousing shortage?Bier: “Thanks to toofew workers,itnow takes about eight months to build anew home, which is up from four to six months” before 2020.

Three economists, writing for the American EnterpriseInstitute, have estimated thatnet U.S. migrationmight be negative this year —for the first time in history —bymorethan 200,000. Most economists think the question is not whether but how muchthis will subtract from economic growth.

Choosing not to act is achoice, as is the decline of anation withAmerica’s human resources. Decline is today’s grim and only bipartisanship.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

Parker

Every now and then, amovement, like ahouse needs agood scrubbing. For the deep clean taking place in the conservative movement to eradicate bigots and antisemites, we can thank Tucker Carlson, the once-charming, bow-tied boy wonder of an erstwhile kinder,gentler Republican Party Carlson invited White nationalist Nick Fuentes onto his podcast recently and failed to challenge his guest’sbigoted remarks about Jews, setting off acascade of righteous outrage. This was hardly the first time Carlson has engaged in antisemitic commentary Jew-hating has become all the rage in certain once-respectable circles. It’sjust that this time, Carlson and his guest went too far evenfor friends and political allies.

One wonders why it took so long for Republicans and other conservatives to speak out, but here —finally —weare. The Fuentes interview launched aprotest from important corners of the conservative world, including Sen. TedCruz, R-Texas, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and, belatedly, the Heritage Foundation, though only afterits president, Kevin Roberts, took heat fordefending Carlson.

It shouldn’tbelong before fellow bigot-baiter Candace Owens bellows arant too far.She’snot in Carlson’sleague as listeners go, but she’s nota nobody.She has millions of social media followers. Her 2024 eviction from conservative (Jewish) commentator Ben Shapiro’sDaily Wire for antisemitic rhetoric apparently didn’thurt her standing with herfans. Among other offenses, she liked asocial media post that askedifarabbi was “drunk on Christian blood again.” She and Carlson have seemed to suggest that Israel was behind the murderofCharlie Kirk.

The Israel-Gaza war has given such entertainers (they’re not journalists) excuses to talk trash about Jews, but the comments in question far exceed criticism.Plenty of people left and right, as well as nations, have expressed concerns about whatmany view as Israel’sdisproportionate response to the terrorist slaughter of civilians on Oct. 7, 2023. More accurately,Owens andCarlson engage in dog-whistling tropes that historically have been used to marginalize Jews andtojustify muchworse.

This is why Carlson’sengagement of Fuentes and others is so repugnant and unforgivable Carlson speaks of the “brain virus” of Christian Zionism,but he doth project too much, methinks. The virus currently infecting asegmentofthe American population is, to put it bluntly,Jewhating.

The toxic drivel emanating from these two popular podcasters corresponds to the conspiracy theories of White nationalists andother hate-mongers. As recent events affirm,this trend is too serious to treat with dignity.This isn’ta debate for polite disagreement. WhatCarlson and Owens are doing must be terrifying to Jews, and it should be to Christians and Muslims, too Recently,aclose friend and Iwere discussing the matter over manicures in aGeorgetown salon whenaJewish lady who had been sitting nearby leaned into our conversation. “I overheard enough of whatyou were saying to urge youto keep doing whatever you’re doing,” she said, then asked, “Can Ilick envelopes?”

So, whenCarlson engages in tropes to describe UkrainianPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy,who is Jewish, as “ratlike,” “shifty” and “dead-eyed,” or inexplicably uses his eulogy for Kirk, whom he compared to Jesus, to remind people that the Jews killed Jesus, he is winking at neo-Nazis. And whenCarlson invites someone such as Fuentes, a27-year-old Holocaust denier who haspraised Hitler,for acongenial chat, he deserves the wrath he’s receiving. And more. In fairness, Carlson did challenge Fuentes for his antisemitism once, an interjection that waslost amid the twohour interview Fuentes is such an abhorrent character that he must be good for clicks in the same way dogfighting is, probably for the same people.The Anti-Defamation League reported thatFuentes said the Oct. 7slaughter of concertgoers and families in Israel didn’thappen, suggesting that the rapes and other atrocities were “all alie” and “none of it was real.” Why did Carlsoninvite such afrothy punk on his show? The answer,ofcourse, is money.Blood money is cheap, while respect is invaluable. Carlson long ago hung up his journalist’shat (along with his bowtie). Nowhe’sjust another rage machine hiding in the bunker of his Maine cabin, giving people like Fuentesanoutlet for his bile.But enough with niceties.

Counterintuitive though it is, we owe Fuentes amuted thank you for riling conservatives into action or at least to declare intolerance forthe hateful among them.Hate is the brain virus. Antisemitism is, too. Carlson knows betterbut apparently has fallen victim to the virus. It’stime he —and others like him —clean their houses before it’stoo late.

Email Kathleen Parker at kathleenparker@ washpost.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

President Donald Trump

Kathleen

George Will

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

Actor

Sinise

CreatiVets launches

24-hour arts center for veterans and a community hub

BY GLENN GAMBOA AP business writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Richard Casper shakes his head as he touches one of the boarded-up windows in the once-abandoned church he plans to transform into a new 24-hour arts center for veterans

The U.S Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient said he was an arm’s length away from military officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at Marine Barracks Washington when he learned the former church his nonprofit CreatiVets just purchased had been vandalized. The physical damage to the building and its stained glass windows saddened Casper But what worried him more was that the church had remained empty since 2017 without damage. That vandalism came just weeks after CreatiVets bought it, suggesting that maybe he and the veterans in his program were not welcome.

“I almost just left,” Casper said. “It put me in a weird headspace.”

However, Casper, 40, a CNN Heroes winner and Elevate Prize winner, needed more support for the center “a place to go when the PTSD hits.” Like so many veterans, he said his PTSD, caused by seeing a close friend die on patrol in Iraq, would generally come in the middle of the night, when the only places open are bars and other spaces that can be ”destructive.”

He figured a 24-hour center where veterans could engage in music, painting, sculpture, theater and other arts could help. It could “turn all that pain into something beautiful.” The artistic element factored in when Casper, who suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq, returned home and found it hard to be in public — unless he was listening

to live music.

So he completed his mission that night in Washington, introducing new people to CreatiVets’ work. Then, Casper returned to Nashville to practice what he has preached to hundreds of veterans since his nonprofit opened in 2013.

He asked for help.

And help came.

Within weeks, CreatiVets’ Art

Director Tim Brown was teaching a roomful of volunteers how to create stained glass pieces to replace those that were vandalized. Brown said the volunteers wanted to give back to the organization, “but also because of the impact that these activities have had on them.”

Sinise believes in art’s impact Gary Sinise values that impact.

The actor, musician and philanthropist had already signed on to donate $1 million through his foundation to help CreatiVets purchase the building. Sinise’s involvement encouraged two other donors to help finalize the purchase.

The “CSI: NY” star said he believed in CreatiVets’ work and had already seen a similar program in his hometown of Chicago help veterans process their wartime experiences.

“In the military, you’re trained to do serious work to protect our country right?” Sinise said. “If you’re in the infantry, you’re being trained to kill. You’re being trained to contain any emotion and be strong.”

Those skills are important when fighting the enemy, but they also take a toll, especially when veterans aren’t taught how to discuss their feelings once the war is over “Quite often, our veterans don’t want any help,” Sinise said. “But through art — and with theater as well acting out what they are going through can be very, very beneficial.”

David Booth said he is living proof of how CreatiVets can help. And the retired master sergeant, who served 20 years in the U.S. Army as a medic and a counterintelligence agent, wishes he participated in the program sooner “For me, this was more important than the last year and a

helps build ‘a place to go when the

half of counseling that I’ve gone through,” said Booth “It has been so therapeutic.” After years of being asked, Booth, 53, finally joined CreatiVets’ songwriting program in September He traveled from his home in The Villages, Florida, to the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville to meet with two successful songwriters Brian White, who cowrote Jason Aldean’s “Blame It on You,” and Craig Campbell, of “Outskirts of Heaven” fame to help him write a song about his life. Booth told them about his service, including his injury in Iraq in 2006 when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device and detonated it. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in the explosion, and it took months of rehab before he could walk again. His entire cervical spine is fused. He still gets epidurals to relieve the nerve pain. And he still suffers from nightmares and PTSD. In Iraq, Booth’s unit was once surrounded by kids because American soldiers used to give them Jolly Rancher candies. Snipers shot the children in hopes the soldiers would become easier targets when they tried to help. “Things like that stick in my head,” Booth said. “How do you get them out?”

He also told them about his desire for a positive message and Combat Veterans to Careers, the veteran support nonprofit he founded. Those experiences became the song “What’s Next.”

Booth hopes “What’s Next” becomes available on music streaming services so others can hear his story CreatiVets has released compilations of its veterans’ songs since 2020 in cooperation with Big Machine Label Group, Taylor Swift’s first record label. This year’s collection was released Friday

“It’s almost like they could feel what I was feeling and put it into the lyrics,” said Booth, after hearing the finished version. “It was pretty surreal and pretty awesome.”

A connection with veterans Sinise has seen the unexpected impact of art throughout his career His Oscar-nominated role as wounded Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan Taylor in “Forrest Gump” in 1994 deepened his connection to veterans. His music with the Lt Dan Band expanded it. In 2011, he launched the Gary Sinise Foundation to broadly serve veterans, first responders and their families.

“I think citizens have a responsibility to take care of their defenders,” he said. “There are opportu-

PTSD hits’

nities out there for all of us to do that and one of the ways to do it is through multiple nonprofits that are out there.”

Sinise immediately connected with CreatiVets’ mission. When the idea came to dedicate the performance space at the new center to his late son Mac, who died last year after a long battle with cancer, Sinise saw it as “a perfect synergy.”

“Mac was a great artist,” he said “And he was a humble, kind of quiet, creative force. If Mac would have survived and not gone through what he went through, he’d be one of our young leaders here at the foundation. He would be composing music and he’d be helping veterans.”

Mac Sinise is still helping veterans, as proceeds of his album “Resurrection & Revival” and its sequel completed after his death, are going to the Gary Sinise Foundation. And Gary Sinise said he discovered more compositions from his son that he plans to record later this year for a third album.

After the new center was vandalized, Casper said he was heartbroken, but also inspired knowing part of the center was destined to become the Mac Sinise Auditorium. He decided to take pieces of the broken stained glass windows and transform them into new artwork inspired by Mac Sinise’s music.

“I told you we’re going to go above and beyond to make sure everyone knows Mac lived,” Casper told Sinise as he handed him stained glass panes inspired by Mac Sinise’s songs “Arctic Circles” and “Penguin Dance,” “not that he died, but that he lived.”

Gary Sinise fought back tears as he said, “My gosh, that’s beautiful.”

As he examined the pieces more closely, he added, “I’m honored that we’re going to have this place over there and that Mac is going to be supporting Richard and helping veterans.”

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARK HUMPHREy

Gary Sinise talks about the Gary Sinise Foundation and his involvement with CreatiVets in Franklin, Tenn.

SPORTS

MENTAL HURDLE

Olave shakes bad memory in Charlotte to post big game for Saints

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Everything was normal in the lead up to the New Orleans Saints’ Week 10 game against the Carolina Panthers, and then Chris Olave stepped onto the turf at Bank of America Stadium.

It was here last season where Olave’s season came to an early end. Here where Olave suffered his second concussion of the season and the fourth of his playing career Here where he lay on the turf in the worst kind of way, limp and with his teammates calling for the medical professionals.

That was a little more than a year ago. Much has happened since, but the mo-

ment came flooding back when Olave took the field for the first time. He felt anxious.

“As soon as I stepped on the field, I just felt it all over again,” Olave said.

There were a lot of questions about Olave coming into 2025. When he’s been on the field, his talent is undeniable He topped 1,000 yards in each of his first two professional seasons after the Saints selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft, and he looked like he was on his way to a third straight last season.

But the concussions put a pause on Olave’s career The fact that he had suffered a couple of them in one season — and had been evaluated for another led to legitimate questions about Olave’s

long-term viability as a professional player

That noise has somewhat quieted this season as Olave has played in each of the Saints’ first 10 games, missing only a few snaps when he’s dealt with relatively minor injury issues. But it was a major concern, and the thoughts crept into Olave’s head Sunday against Carolina.

And then he spotted his father in the stands. And then he heard the encouraging words from his teammates. And then Olave did the thing he does best.

He torched the Panthers.

Olave caught five passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown went

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Garrett Nussmeier will take the first reps at practice this week, but LSU is expected to play both Nussmeier and sophomore Michael Van Buren at quarterback Saturday against Arkansas.

Interim coach Frank Wilson shared the Tigers’ plan for the position during a news conference Monday after Nussmeier was benched in the third quarter of a 20-9 loss to No. 4 Alabama. Van Buren played the rest of the game, his first significant snaps this season. “They both brought something to the table that helped this team go up and down the

ä Arkansas at LSU, 11:45 A.M. SATURDAy SEC NETWORK

field,” Wilson said “They both have things that they need to continue to work on as well. I don’t think it’s a clear separation where one is beyond the other We’ll need both of them, and I know we’ll use both of them in this game.”

The Tigers (5-4) play Arkansas (2-7) at 11:45 a.m. inside Tiger Stadium. Wilson said Nussmeier played well enough to take the first practice reps Monday and Tuesday Nussmeier completed 86% of his passes (18 of 21) for 121

See LSU, page 5C

Numbers give peek into LSU women’s hot start

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Tigers. This season, they’ve already matched the largest margin of victory in

program history posted their second-highest field-goal percentage of the NCAA era (since 1981) and tied their third-highest single-game scoring output of the last 40 years. “A lot of people can score the ball,” coach Kim Mulkey said. “I haven’t studied the stat sheet yet, but I bet we’ve had five or six every night scoring double figures, and those that don’t, they’re get-

ting good looks as well.” LSU has played only three games against overmatched midmajor opponents, but it’s still off to one of the hottest offensive starts of Mulkey’s five-year tenure. The No. 5 Tigers (3-0) have scored at least 100 points in each of their first three contests, becoming only the third team in program history to hit that mark in three consecutive games and just the second to do so in the first three matchups of a season.

In 2022, the Tigers hit the century mark in each of their first five games. In 2023, they did it four times in a five-game stretch of November, including each of the first three games played against mid-major opponents.

The difference now is that LSU is shooting at a higher percentage than both of those teams did at the start of their respective seasons. In 2022, the Tigers

BY

TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

UNO was confident after having one of the biggest upsets in the first week of the college basketball season by beating TCU.

LSU was prepared to face the confident mid-major and never trailed in its 93-58 win over the Privateers on Monday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Mike Nwoko led LSU (2-0) with 22 points and five rebounds, and Marquel Sutton had 15 points and 15 rebounds. UNO’s top scorer was Jakevion Buckley with 12 points. The Privateers were coming off a season-opening 78-74 victory at TCU, where they led by as many as 21 points. The Tigers didn’t allow UNO (1-1) to string together a scoring run at the onset like it did in its first win.

LSU’s ferocity on the offensive glass was an early trend. Pablo Tamba collected two of the team’s four offensive rebounds on its second possession. The graduate student’s hustle was rewarded with a put-back layup. His team’s size and alertness to the basketball were complemented by impressive perimeter shooting. The biggest beneficiary was Sutton. The fifthyear transfer from Omaha scored six of the team’s first 12 points, making a pair of 3-pointers. He made 3 of 6 from deep in the first half, all on catch-andshoot opportunities.

While the Tigers were hot from beyond the arc — making 5 of 11 by the 7:52 mark of the first half they were not hitting in the paint. At the same point in the game, they were 3 of 10 from two-point range LSU began to rectify its poor interior scoring when Dedan Thomas started finding his center Nwoko. The 6-foot10, 261-pound junior was the recipient of two passes, an alley-oop dunk and then a three-point play on a layup. The second play started with a pass from Thomas, who finished with eight assists, that Nwoko caught under the hoop. He patiently waited for his defender to jump early and scored through contact. After the made free throw, LSU led 35-22 with 5:46 left in the first half.

UNO wasn’t going to back down, showing the resilience it had in its upset victory

The Privateers scored seven straight after Nwoko’s paint buckets They capped their run with a fastbreak 3-pointer from 6-9 forward Enzo Boudouma. Right before that possession, Thomas picked up a second foul that caused him to sit the rest of the half on the bench.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN

Saints wide receiver Chris Olave makes a catch against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU quarterback Michael Van Buren scrambles under pressure from Alabama defensive back Red Morgan on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Van Buren and quarterback Garrett Nussmeier are expected to play against Arkansas.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU forward Pablo Tamba tries to pumpfake UNO forward Enzo Boudouma in the first half on Monday at

Baylor, Southern Cal enter top 10

BY DOUG FEINBERG

Associated Press

Baylor and Southern California jumped into the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll after big openingweek victories. The Bears began the season with a victory in Paris over then-No. 7 Duke to replace the Blue Devils in that spot Monday, climbing nine places The Trojans edged thenNo. 9 N.C. State by a point Sunday to move up 10 spots to eighth overall. While USC will be missing star JuJu Watkins all season as she recovers from an ACL tear suffered last March, coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s team has a new young star in Jazzy Davidson, who hit the go-ahead shot with 8.2 seconds left.

UConn, South Carolina, UCLA and Texas remained the top four teams in the poll after relatively easy opening-week wins. The defending champion Huskies received 30 first-place votes from a national media panel while the

Gamecocks got the other two. LSU and Oklahoma stayed at fifth and six. The Sooners faced UCLA on Monday night in Sacramento, California, a site of one of the NCAA regionals next spring. Maryland moved up one place to ninth. N.C. State which fell to USC by a point and beat Tennessee by three in the opener, dropped to 10th. The Lady Vols fell to 12th and the Blue Devils 15th.

In and out

No. 25 Washington entered the Top 25 for the first time in two years. The Huskies were hosting Montana on Monday night before heading to Utah on Saturday Richmond dropped out of the poll after losing at Texas.

Banner raising UConn unveiled its 12th championship banner on Sunday when the Huskies beat Florida State. The team took to the court before the game wearing custom white-

and-gold tracksuits that read “National Champions XII” on the back.

Happy anniversary

The women’s basketball poll celebrates its 50th anniversary this month with the first rankings coming out in late November 1976. Founded by Mel Greenberg, the poll was a coaches’ poll until 1994-95 when it became one voted on by national media.

Games of the week

No. 2 South Carolina at No. 9 USC, Saturday The Gamecocks will head west to face the Trojans in a home-and-home series dubbed “The Real SC.” Saturday’s game will be played at Crypto. com Arena.

No. 17 TCU at No. 10 N.C. State, Sunday The Wolfpack continue a difficult nonconference schedule facing the Horned Frogs, who added transfer Olivia Miles from Notre Dame this offseason.

LSU women’s soccer to host in NCAA first round

The LSU women’s soccer team earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament during Monday’s selection show and will host a firstround game in Baton Rouge to start competition.

The Tigers, who are in the Vanderbilt portion of the bracket, will play Houston Christian at 7 p.m. Friday at LSU Soccer Stadium.

Houston Christian (12-8-2) earned an automatic NCAA bid by winning the Southland Conference tournament.

The winner of LSU-Houston Christian will advance to play on Nov 20 against the winner of Iowa and South Dakota State.

Vanderbilt beat LSU (13-5-4) in the SEC championship game on Sunday in a game decided by a penalty shootout.

Three-time Hall of Famer Wilkens dies at age 88

SEATTLE Lenny Wilkens, a threetime inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 88.

The family said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died and did not immediately release a cause of death.

Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his era who later brought his calm and savvy style to the sideline, first as a playercoach and then evolving into one of the game’s great coaches. He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a Hall of Famer as a player, as a coach and again as part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team — on which he was an assistant.

MLB, sportsbooks cap bets on individual pitches

Major League Baseball said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays, a day after two Cleveland Guardians were indicted and accused of rigging pitches at the behest of gamblers.

MLB said Monday in a statement that pitch-level bets on outcomes of pitch velocity and of balls and strikes “present heightened integrity risks because they focus on one-off events that can be determined by a single player and can be inconsequential to the outcome of the game.”

Pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted Sunday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to throw certain types of pitches.

PGA returning to Asheville for first time in 86 years

BY JOHN MARSHALL Associated Press

The first regular-season AP Top 25 is typically an overhaul from the preseason poll as voters get a better sense of how good teams might actually be. This season certainly is no different. Houston was No. 1 in the poll released Monday, swapping spots with Purdue by earning three more points overall. The Cougars received 18 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel, and Purdue had 36, with four other teams also getting at least one. UConn, Duke and Arizona round out the top five in a chaotic poll that saw only four teams hold their positions from the preseason poll, yet no one moved in or out of the poll. Houston, which lost to Florida in last spring’s national championship game, is No. 1 for the first time since a three-week stint in 2024. The Boilermakers were ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll for the first time in program history and opened the season with a pair of wins. Purdue had a hard time shaking Oakland in an 87-77 win Friday and some Top 25 voters dropped the Boilermakers out of the top five on their ballots.

“Yeah, I mean, we just beat Oakland by 10 points. Credit to them, they played a great game,” Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer said. “But if we’re supposed to be the No. 1 team in the country, we’ve got to be better than that, and it starts at the defensive end.” Houston had no trouble in its first two games, blowing out Lehigh and Towson by an average of 18 points. Rising and falling Arizona moved up eight places from No. 13 after an impressive win over

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The PGA Tour is returning to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina for the first time in 86 years, announcing Monday a FedEx Cup Fall event starting next September to be sponsored by the Biltmore Estate and Explore Asheville. Next year’s Biltmore Championship in Asheville is scheduled for Sept. 17-20, the second new fall event the tour has announced in the last month. It will be held at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, a Jack Nicklaus signature design. The PGA Tour was last in Asheville in 1942, a four-year run of a tournament called Land of the Sky Open. Ben Hogan won his first individual tour title in 1940, the start of winning three in a row at Asheville.

Sinner opens ATP Finals by beating Auger-Aliassime TURIN, Italy Jannik Sinner got his title defense at the ATP Finals off to a solid start before his

To

No.

Sinner

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRIS JONES

Baylor forward Bella Fontleroy, right, drives to the basket against Lindenwood guard Ellie Brueggemann, front left, on Sunday in Waco, Texas. Baylor jumped nine spots to No 7 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.

Karr could be leaving Catholic League

LHSAA proposal has Easton moving out, Chalmette in

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Edna Karr and Warren Easton could soon be moving out of District 9-5A, also known as the Catholic League, and have Chalmette put in as a replacement, according to the first draft of LHSAA districting proposals sent to school administrators on Monday

The change would take effect in the fall of 2026 and run through the spring of 2028, as part of the LHSAA’s every-two-year districting cycle.

Karr and Easton would be placed with six public schools in Jefferson Parish for football, plus Ben Franklin which has a football team that does not play for district honors — for boys and girls basketball baseball and softball.

Schools have until Friday to appeal a district proposal with the LHSAA in advance of the second classification meeting set for Monday in Baton Rouge The first classification meeting Nov.

6 was for schools to appeal their select or nonselect placement.

Karr has been part of 9-5A for the past four football seasons. The reigning state champion Cougars recently won a fourth consecutive outright district title while compiling a 25-1 record in district games over that span.

Karr became a 5A school for the first time in 2022 and immediately went into 9-5A. Easton moved up a classification two years later and joined Karr in the district that includes Brother Martin, Holy Cross, John Curtis, Jesuit, Rummel and St Augustine, along with all-girls schools Chapelle, Dominican and Mount Carmel.

The new proposal is like the one put forth by the LHSAA two years ago before Chalmette successfully appealed to be put in the same district as Fontainebleau, Northshore, Salmen and Slidell.

This time around, Salmen is a 4A school. With that change, the LHSAA can put

the eight traditional 6-5A schools located along the I-12 corridor back in one district and move Chalmette to another district.

Chalmette in the past has played in the district with Jefferson Parish public schools. It also has some history playing in the Catholic League, most recently in the early 2010s.

Chalmette athletic director Richard Walker declined comment beyond saying the school is “considering options” for an appeal, he said in a text message.

Here is a look at the proposed New Orleans-area districts for the 2026-28 cycle:

Class 5A

District 6: Covington, Fontainebleau, Hammond, Mandeville, Northshore, Ponchatoula, Slidell, St. Paul’s

District 7: Central Lafourche, Destrehan, East St. John, Hahnville, H.L. Bourgeois, Terrebonne, Thibodaux

District 8: Ben Franklin Bonnabel, East Jefferson, Edna Karr, John Ehret, L.W Higgins, Riverdale, Warren

Easton, West Jefferson

District 9: Chapelle, Rummel, Brother Martin, Chalmette, Dominican, Holy Cross, Jesuit, John Curtis, Mount Carmel, St. Augustine

Class 4A

District 7: Hannan, Franklinton, Lakeshore, Pearl River, Salmen, St. Scholastica

District 9: Abramson, McMain, Douglass, Carver Kennedy, McDonogh 35, N.O. Charter Science and Math

District 10: Academy of Our Lady, Shaw, Belle Chasse, Kenner Discovery, N.O. Military & Maritime, Willow, Young Audiences

Class 3A

District 8: Albany, Bogalusa, Jewel Sumner, Loranger, Pope John Paul II

District 9: Berwick, Lutcher Patterson, St. Charles, St. James, Vandebilt Catholic

District 10: Sacred Heart, Booker T. Washington, Cabrini, De La Salle, Haynes, Livingston, Morris Jeff

District 11: Jefferson Rise,

L.B. Landry, Patrick Taylor, Sophie B. Wright, Thomas Jeffers, Walter L. Cohen

Class 2A

District 11: Fisher, Newman, Country Day, Northlake

Christian, Sarah T. Reed, St. Katherine Drexel, St Mary’s Academy, Ursuline

Class 1A

District 11: Cresent City, Ecole Classique, McGehee, Riverside, South Plaquemines, St. Martin’s, Varnado, West St. John

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Tulane riding record-setting foul shooting, 3-point accuracy

BY GUERRY SMITH

Contributing writer

For once, the term “30 for 30” had nothing to do with an ESPN documentary when the Tulane men’s basketball team hosted Texas State on Saturday It described the Green Wave’s school-recordsetting performance from the foul line in a dramatic comeback from a 20-point first-half deficit to win 7971. The Wave never missed a free throw in 30 attempts, and American Conference preseason player of the year Rowan Brumbaugh hit all 19 of his—establishing two more program marks— on his way to a career-high 33 points. The other 11 freebies were divided among forwards Tyler Ringgold and Scott Middleton and guards KJ Greene and Josiah Moore.

Twenty-two of them came during the second half, when Tulane trailed by 12 at the 12:00 mark before ending on a 35-15 run. Moore’s layup with 3:37 left gave the Green Wave its first lead, 67-66, since 4-2 in the opening minutes. Brumbaugh padded the advantage with a 3-pointer and the Wave sealed the win with seven foul shots down the stretch.

“We preach the little things,” Tulane coach Ron Hunter said. “If you do the little things right, the big things will take care of themselves. We challenge the guys every day on free throw shooting, and when you’re down 20, you better make them, and we were able to do that today.”

Lacking size without post player Gregg Glenn, who drowned over the summer, Tulane (2-0) is compensating on the court with terrific shooting The Wave is a Division I-best 42 of 43 (97.7%) on free throws and ranks seventh in 3-point shooting (20 of 41, 48.8%) heading into Tuesday’s game at 1-1 UL (7 p.m. ESPN+).

“We are smaller, but we are a little more dangerous offensively,” Hunter said. “It reminds me of my Georgia State (coaching) days

Green

ä Tulane at UL.

7 P.M.TUESDAy, ESPN+

when we had five guards on the floor (and reached three NCAA Tournaments).”

Brumbaugh’s 19 made free throws against Texas State were one more than the previous Tulane high No Wave player had gone better than 14-of-14 in a game.

After not making a basket before the break, Brumbaugh scored 25 points in the second half, including four 3s.

“It was playing the right way and understanding the game will come and you don’t have to force stuff and the game will come to you,” Brumbaugh said.

“That was my mindset.” He took over at the right time.

“When you’re a really good player, and your team is struggling, you’ve got to carry them,” Hunter said.

“Offensively, he carried us.”

Tulane’s rally from being down 35-15 with four minutes left in the first half was its largest for a win under Hunter, surpassing an 18-point comeback against Wichita State in 2023. The largest in school history was from 26 points down against Stephen F. Austin in 2015.

After finally going ahead, Tulane held Texas State to one field goal in a four-min-

ute span until a meaningless layup with 19 seconds left.

“What generally happens is when you catch up, you run out of gas,” Hunter said. “Once we tied them, we even got stronger.”

As is often the case under Hunter, rebounding was an issue. Texas State scored 14 points off of 11 offensive rebounds while holding Tulane to zero points off of five offensive boards. The Wave held its own in the second half, though, with center Percy Daniels joining Ringgold on the floor Ringgold had a team-high seven rebounds. Daniels did not take a shot in 17 minutes but contributed four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals as the Wave limited the Bobcats to 39.3% shooting after the break.

“I put more physical guys in,” Hunter said. “We needed to play Percy and Tyler together Those are our two most physical players.”

The key is to keep making shots at a high clip. Putting the ball in the basket can hide a host of deficiencies.

“Our offense has been really good,” Hunter said. “We need our offense to stay like this while the defense catches up. Right now, we still have some guys that don’t quite trust the defensive part, so we’re waiting until they both come together.”

Kurtz, Baldwin win MLB Rookie of the Year awards

BY JAY COHEN

AP baseball writer

Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz was a unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year, and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin won the National League award.

The 22-year-old Kurtz batted .290 with 36 homers, 86 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in 117 games this year The first baseman became the eighth rookie since 1901 to finish with an OPS over 1.000 while making at least 400 plate appearances.

A’s teammate Jacob Wilson was second in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America that was announced on Monday night. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony was third. Baldwin, 24, stepped up for Atlanta after No 1 catcher Sean Murphy was sidelined by a cracked rib in spring training. While Murphy was limited by injuries for much of the year, Baldwin hit .274 with 19 homers, 80 RBIs and an .810 OPS in 124 games.

Baldwin’s win secured an extra selection for Atlanta after the first round in next year’s amateur draft under the collective bargaining agreement’s prospect promotion incentive.

Baldwin received 21 of 30 first-place votes. Cubs righthander Cade Horton was second, and Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin finished third. The balloting was conducted before the postseason.

Kurtz and Baldwin each get $750,000 from a prearbitration bonus pool, and runners-up Wilson and Horton each receive $500,000. The Manager of the Year for each league will be announced on Tuesday, followed by the Cy Young Award winners Wednesday Kurtz, 22, starred at Wake Forest University before he was selected by the A’s with

ABOVE: Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run against Kansas City on Sept. 28 in West Sacramento, Calif BELOW: Braves catcher Drake Baldwin celebrates after hitting a triple against Detroit on Sept. 21 in Detroit.

the No. 4 pick in the 2024 amateur draft. The 6-foot-5 slugger began this season in the minors, but he hit an RBI single in his first big league at-bat on April 23 against Texas. It was a sign of things to come.

Kurtz had his signature performance on July 25 at Houston, becoming the youngest player in major league history and the first rookie to hit four home runs in one game. He went 6 for 6 with eight RBIs while matching an MLB record with 19 total bases.

Kurtz is the 14th unanimous selection for AL Rookie of the Year and the second from the A’s franchise, joining Mark McGwire in 1987. He is the ninth winner for the A’s overall, sending most in the AL behind the Yankees’ 10. Baldwin was a third-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Missouri State University He started on opening day for Atlanta and got his first major league hit on March 29 at San Diego. Baldwin had one of his biggest days of the season on July 21, driving in six runs in a 9-5 victory over San Francisco. He went deep twice and finished with five RBIs in his first career multi-homer game on Aug. 7, an 8-6 win over Miami. Baldwin is the seventh catcher to win the NL honor and the second from the Braves, joining Earl Williams in 1971. He is the 10th winner from the Braves franchise overall, trailing only the Dodgers with a record 18.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Edna Karr players come together before taking on Rummel

Metairie. An LHSAA proposal moves Karr out of District 9-5A.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Wave guard Rowan Brumbaugh, left, passes the ball around Samford forward Jaxon Pollard, right, during their game on Nov 3 at Devlin Fieldhouse.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS

Burrow returns to practice but won’t play on Sunday

Associated Press

CINCINNATI Joe Burrow returned to practice with the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, opening the 21-day window for the franchise quarterback to return to the lineup. His practice time will not count against the 53-player active roster Burrow is eligible to be activated during the three-week window

But coach Zac Taylor said the former LSU star would not return for Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh. The Bengals (3-6) have lost six of seven since Burrow suffered a toe injury in mid-September that required surgery

“I think he’s at a good point. He’s worked hard to get to this point to get back on the field in a limited form,” Taylor said before Monday’s practice. Burrow will work with some of the receivers but won’t participate in 11-on-11 drills until possibly next week.

Initial estimates had the sixthyear quarterback missing up to three months, but he could possibly be under center on Nov 23 when the Bengals host New

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

for 62 yards — the longest catch of Olave’s career Several of his catches came on clutch downs, moving the chains on third down. One likely will make his career highlight reel, when he shrugged off a defensive pass interference to make a whirling one-handed snag near the sideline.

“The thing is he’s our guy he’s our receiver,” tight end Juwan Johnson said. “Like, there’s no question about it. That (one-handed catch is) something we knew he could do from the beginning So we’re not surprised.”

It’s been a tough year for Olave He’s playing for a struggling team, and he’s had his share in those struggles, with several crucial drops earlier in the season as the primary receiving option. He seemed limited by the offense early, with most of his catches going for shallow gains But lately, Olave has rediscovered his big-play ability He now has seven catches of 20 or more yards this season, all of which have come in the last five weeks. Olave has caught a pass of 50 or more yards in three of the last five games. His big explosive play Sunday against Carolina came when the Saints desperately needed it. Facing a third down, quarterback Tyler Shough stepped into a clean pocket and let a deep ball fly down the sideline. Olave was battling tight coverage by Panthers star corner Jaycee Horn, but he fought through it and maintained his focus as Horn fell. Olave hauled it in with nobody around him and coasted in for the 62-yard score. The Saints initially were fooled on the play but it worked out to their benefit Olave figured it was Cover 2 pre-snap, but when he went for his double move, Horn stuck with him.

“I kind of went outside, tried to outside release and it was man,”

England or four days later, when Cincinnati plays at Baltimore on Thanksgiving night.

“We have 21 days to figure that out,” Burrow said after practice.

“Could be early, could be late in that window We are still pretty early post-surgery for this injury, so we have a couple weeks of practice to figure that out and see how it goes.”

Burrow underwent surgery on his left toe on Sept. 19, five days after he suffered the injury during the second quarter of Cincinnati’s 31-27 victory over Jacksonville.

It was Burrow’s third major injury in his six seasons since being the top overall pick in the 2020 draft.

“I’ve been juggling the injury mindset where you kind of take a deep breath, then get back to it, then juggling that with the idea I could potentially still play this year and we could still be in it and all of those things,” he said. “Now that we are getting closer and closer, it’s more of a season mindset.”

The offense struggled in the first three games after Burrow’s injury with Jake Browning at the helm, but things have been better

since the Bengals acquired Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 9. Flacco is averaging a league-high 313.5 yards passing per game over his four starts for the Bengals.

The defense has been primarily to blame for Cincinnati’s last two losses. The Bengals blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead in a 39-38 loss to the New York Jets on Oct. 26, then allowed Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams to connect with Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left in a 47-42 loss to the Bears on Nov 2. Cincinnati became the first team since the 1966 New York Giants to score at least 38 points in consecutive games and lose both.

Coming off their bye week, the Bengals remain just two games behind AFC North leader Pittsburgh and have won both of their division games. The Steelers have dropped three of four, including 33-31 at Cincinnati on Oct 16.

Taylor also said defensive end Trey Hendrickson is doubtful to return this week. The All-Pro pass rusher has missed two of the last three games with a hip injury

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN

Saints wide receiver Chris Olave celebrates after a catch against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.

Olave said. “At the end of the day that’s what we wanted. We kind of got tight to the sideline so I had to kind of battle him to catch the ball and he fell.” That was Olave’s first catch of the day He needed something like that to put the bad memories from last year’s game out of his mind. But Olave wasn’t alone. His teammates had his back, and so did his father, Raul Olave. His dad was there at Bank of America Stadium, and he offered

support when the memories came flooding back. “He showed through that process I was going through a lot and him being at every game, all the away games, all the home games, it means a lot to me, man,” Olave said about his father “He was out there solo in the stands by himself. I had to go talk to him pregame and just to loosen up my mind. It helped me a lot.”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Texas, Georgia peaking ahead of SEC title rematch

BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

ATHENS, Ga. — A rematch of last season’s Southeastern Conference championship game finds No. 5 Georgia and No. 10 Texas peaking for a game that could affect this season’s conference race and will be crucial to each team’s College Football Playoff hopes. Texas (7-2, 4-1) will take a fourgame winning streak into Saturday night’s game at Sanford Stadium. Georgia (8-1, 6-1) extended its winning streak to five games with last week’s 41-21 win at Mississippi State. Coach Kirby Smart called the win a “total team effort.”

Gunner Stockton came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs to a 22-19 overtime win over Texas in last year’s SEC championship game in Atlanta.

Despite both teams carrying top-10 rankings in this week’s AP Top 25, Texas and Georgia do not control their hopes of returning to the SEC title game. No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama have no SEC losses and are on course to play each other in Atlanta.

Even so, much is on the line this week The Bulldogs and Longhorns are playing to remain in position to enter a possible tiebreaker scenario if either Alabama or Texas A&M lose. They also will be playing to protect their playoff hopes.

From the outside, it looks like the SEC’s game of the week.

From the view of Georgia players — who already have played Top 25 conference games against Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, plus a close win over Florida — the visit from Texas feels like just another week in the SEC

“I mean, you’ve got to approach every single game the same in this league,” tight end Oscar Delp said Monday “I mean, playing at Georgia, you know you’re going to get every team’s best shot. I mean, no matter who we’re playing, we’re the game of the year.”

Even so, Delp hinted the visit from quarterback Arch Manning and Texas might bring more than just the “another game” vibe to the prime-time SEC showdown.

“I think everyone understands what the magnitude is of every game we play, especially this one,” Delp said. “So we’re super excited to get out there and play.”

Safety KJ Bolden said Georgia’s grind of Top 25 tests will pay off in the postseason.

“I feel that this is great for our team that it gets us ready for, you know, later down the season, getting ready for those big type of games,” Bolden said. “So I feel like that will definitely help us down the road.”

Stockton, who threw three touchdown passes in last week’s win over Mississippi State, has gained momentum as a passer in his first season as the Georgia starter after playing behind Carson Beck in 2024 Stockton has passed for nine touchdowns the last three weeks, forcing defenses to respect the pass and opening running room for Nate Frazier, who ran for 181 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown run, last week. When asked Monday what Stockton has added to the Georgia offense, Smart said, “Toughness. He’s brought wisdom. He’s brought consistency. He’s made good decisions with the ball in terms of keeping us out of bad situations. He’s avoided a lot of sacks. He’s avoided catastrophic situations in terms of turnovers.” Smart said Stockton has “improved throughout the season.” Manning also has enjoyed a surge after a slow start. Manning has passed for 674 yards and six touchdowns with just one interception the last two games. Smart, who recruited Manning, said he sees the Texas quarterback “playing with more confidence.” Smart added Manning has “made some wow throws” this season.

Giants fire Daboll after 2-8 start to 4th season

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

NEW YORK The New York Giants fired coach Brian Daboll on Monday, moving on from him midway through his fourth season after they dropped to 2-8 with a loss at Chicago.

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was named as the interim replacement. The move made by ownership came a day after the Giants blew another late lead to lose 24-20 to the Bears. General manager Joe Schoen remains in his role, and owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said he will lead the search for the next coach.

“We spoke this morning about the direction of our franchise on the field, and we have decided that, at this time, it is in our best interest to make a change at the head coaching position,” Mara and Tisch said in a statement.

“The past few seasons have been nothing short of disappointing, and we have not met our expectations for the franchise. We understand the frustrations of our fans, and we will work to deliver a significantly improved product.” The rest of Daboll’s staff was kept in place, including defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

New York has lost four in a row since upsetting reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia at home in prime time early last month. That included becoming the first team since 2003 to lead by 18 points with six minutes to play and lose, which the Giants did at Denver on Oct. 19. This is just the Giants’ third midseason coaching change over the past 95 years. It’s the first since 2017, when Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese were fired after a

2-10 start. Daboll went 20-40-1 in his first head-coaching job in the league. He led the Giants to the playoffs in his first season and was named coach of the year, but has gone 11-33 since. His .336 winning percentage ranks 154th out of 166 coaches with 50-plus games since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger Daboll is the second coach to be fired this season; Tennessee dismissed Brian Callahan after the Titans started 1-5.

Daboll, who previously served as the Buffalo offensive coordinator from 2018-21, had faced increasing pressure about his job security in recent weeks and repeatedly took responsibility for the Giants’ woes.

“Look, you put everything you’ve got into it,” Daboll said. “You look at the things that aren’t where they need to be and you try to fix them. Whether that’s changing things on the schedule, whether that’s different periods of practice, whether that’s changing little parts of the scheme, again, that’s where we’re at We’re at where we’re at.” Kafka takes over after another turn of uncertainty in a lost season, following quarterback Jaxson Dart’s concussion against the Bears that forced Russell Wilson back into action. Fellow rookie Cam Skattebo and No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers already were lost for the season because of injuries. Schoen, who is in his fourth season as GM since also being hired from the Bills, got a vote of confidence from Mara and Tisch. Selecting edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick, trading back into the first round to get Dart and drafting Skattebo likely played a significant role in Schoen sticking around longer than Daboll.

“We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development,” Mara said.

Daboll

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF DEAN

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, right, greets Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams after a game on Nov. 2 in Cincinnati.

AP PHTO By JAMES PUGH Georgia tight end Oscar Delp reacts after a catch against Mississippi St. during the first half of a game on Saturday in Starkville, Miss.

Wilson says WR avoids serious knee injury

BY KOKI RILEY and REED DARCEY Staff writers

LSU wide receiver NicAnderson did not suffer a significant knee injury

Saturday in a loss to Alabama, interim coach Frank Wilson said Monday And linebacker Whit Weeks, Wilson said, is “uncertain” for the game against Arkansas on Saturday (11:45 a.m., SEC Network).

Anderson, an Oklahoma transfer, was hurt after fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier connected with him on a 16-yard completion in the third quarter of the Tigers’ 20-9 loss to the No. 4 Crimson Tide. He then walked gingerly off the field, rode to the locker room on a golf cart and returned to the sideline later in the game on crutches.

“We’re really worried on the sideline that it could be something long-term,” Wilson said. “It is not. It does not require a procedure and so we’re day by day in a rehabilitation, preventative manner with him to get him along the way.”

That catch was Anderson’s second of the game and 12th of the season.

The redshirt junior joined the Tigers in 2025 as one of the stars of their top-ranked transfer class, but LSU struggled to find a role for him before he was injured Saturday In the first eight games Anderson collected only 74 yards receiving and two touchdowns on just 18 targets. He was much more productive in the last full year he played his 2023 redshirt freshman campaign when he caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns with the Sooners.

Weeks is battling a bone bruise in his ankle. He first suffered the injury late in a Sept. 27 loss to Ole Miss, and he’s now missed three

LSU WOMEN

Continued from page 1C

— who eventually won the program’s first national championship shot 53% from the field and 38% from 3-point range against the first three teams they played.

These Tigers, who routed Georgia Southern on Sunday 118-70, are shooting 58% from the field and a blistering 47% from beyond the arc.

“We don’t have a liability where you cannot guard somebody,” Mulkey said. “Everybody is able to score the ball, and particularly from the 3, all of them will let it go.”

The efficient shooting starts with LSU’s two stars. Mikaylah Williams is shooting 60% from the field and Flau’jae Johnson is shooting 49%. Williams has drained 6-of-9 3-point tries while Johnson has sunk 8-of-13 attempts from beyond the arc.

Freshman guard Bella Hines has caught fire, too She has hit 6-of10 3-point attempts to start her collegiate career

MiLaysia Fulwiley may be just 2 of 10 from 3-point range to start her first season at LSU, but she’s also shooting an efficient 18 of 25 on field goals inside the arc. She’s one of six Tigers with a double-digit scoring average through three games.

LSU also has assisted on more than half of its buckets while turning the ball over on less than 15% of its possessions. According to Her Hoop Stats, the Tigers had a turnover rate of at least 15% in each of their last three seasons.

“We just been spreading the wealth,” Johnson said, “and I think that’s the most important thing We’re finding each other, and it’s just fun.”

LSU MEN

Continued from page 1C

LSU coach Matt McMahon called a 30-second timeout with his team ahead 35-29 with 3:59 remaining before halftime.

The Tigers regained a doubledigit lead thanks to Jalen Reed’s interior finishing that accounted for five points. They closed with a fastbreak slam by Robert Miller as time expired, entering halftime with a 44-32 advantage.

UNO had issues creating open shots, especially on the perimeter LSU successfully switched defenders repeatedly whenever there was a screen or a dribble hand-off That scheme

By HILARy SCHEINUK

Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown tackles LSU wide receiver Nic Anderson as Alabama defensive back

DaShawn Jones closes in on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Anderson was injured in the game, and his playing status is ‘uncertain’ against Arkansas.

consecutive games.

“He’s eager,” Wilson said. “He wants to be back out there, but we won’t put him out there until he can protect himself and play at the level that allows him to be elite.”

Battle at right tackle

Wilson is unsure who will start at right tackle Saturday, he said Monday LSU started redshirt freshman Weston Davis at right tackle against Alabama, but he was replaced by redshirt freshman OryWilliams in the second half.

“They both did some really good things,” Wilson said. “They both

did some things that still need to be built upon. But we haven’t made a decision (as to who will start) just yet.”

Williams played 32 snaps and didn’t allow a quarterback pressure against the Crimson Tide, according to Pro Football Focus. Wilson liked what he saw from the former three-star recruit.

“It was good to see big Ory get out there,” Wilson said. “He’s a mammoth of a man, right, huge in stature.”

Davis has started all but one game at right tackle. The lone contest he missed was against Ole Miss, when he suffered a concussion and broken nose in warmups

LSU guard MiLaysia Fulwiley moves the ball against Georgia Southern on Sunday in Statesboro, Ga

challenged UNO’s best shooter, Coleton Benson, who scored a team-high 22 points and made 4 of 13 from the 3-point line against TCU. The 6-2 Texas State transfer finished with 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field against LSU.

LSU put together a 15-0 run and allowed only three points by the 12:24 mark of the second half.

In LSU’s previous game against Tarleton State, it shot a programrecord 71.7% from the field. Against UNO, LSU finished shooting 43.7%.

LSU’s next game is against Florida International (1-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at the PMAC.

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

and was replaced by freshman Carius Curne Curne has started at left tackle the last two weeks since redshirt sophomore Tyree Adams suffered a right ankle injury in LSU’s loss to Vanderbilt.

Third-down pass

Despite the move being unpopular among LSU fans, Wilson defended LSU’s decision to throw the ball while trailing by seven on third and 11 at its own 19 late in the first half of Saturday’s 20-9 loss to Alabama. On the play, instead of running the ball to bleed out the clock and preserve its one-score deficit with

LSU

Continued from page 1C yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions against Alabama Nussmeier has completed 67.4% of his throws this season for 1,927 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. He ranks 11th in the SEC at 214 yards passing per game a year after finishing second in the conference.

“I thought Garrett did well enough, at times, to still be in position to be the starter as we start and embark upon this week,” Wilson said.

Trailing 17-6, LSU pulled Nussmeier after its opening drive of the third quarter The Tigers had reached Alabama’s 9-yard line, but they kicked a field goal after Nussmeier spun into a sack on third down.

Nussmeier spent the rest of the game on the sideline and encouraged his teammates when they came off the field.

Van Buren finished 5-of-11 passing for 52 yards. He also gained 21 yards rushing on four carries with two sacks removed from his final line. Van Buren lost a fumble in the fourth quarter that helped Alabama seal the game.

“I thought both of them did some good things,” Wilson said.

“I thought both of those guys did things that need to be improved upon. I thought Garrett, at times, was spectacular He started off red hot. He did some really good things for us.

“I felt at the back end, we needed a spark and something to get us going and add another dimension to our game. I thought Michael stepped in and gave those things to us as a football team.”

1:13 remaining in the first half, Nussmeier attempted a pass to senior wide receiver Barion Brown that fell incomplete.

The incompletion allowed the Crimson Tide to march 66 yards down the field in less than a minute to take a 17-3 lead over the Tigers heading into halftime.

“They’re exactly where we thought they would be,” Wilson said when discussing the play “It’s the exact defensive call we anticipated, and we don’t convert there, unfortunately.”

Wilson further explained the Tigers’ aggressiveness in that situation, noting that LSU went into a two-minute drill once it started the drive.

“I say to our football team, I say to media, I say to anybody who was listening, we’re going to try to win this game,” Wilson said. “We’re not going there for a moral victory and hope that we can stay with them. We’re going to try to win the game.”

Western Kentucky time

In two weeks, LSU will face Western Kentucky at 6:45 p.m. on the SEC Network, the SEC announced Monday

The Tigers will head into the matchup after their game this Saturday against Arkansas (11:45 a.m., SEC Network). The Western Kentucky game Nov. 22 will be LSU’s final home game of the season.

LSU finishes the season at Oklahoma on Nov 29. The game will be played at 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. or between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The Tigers head into the final three games of their season with a 5-4 record. They have lost four of their last five contests, including three in a row

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

LSU attempted field goals on all four of its trips to the red zone and did not score a touchdown for the first time since a 29-0 loss to Alabama in 2018. The Tigers now have scored touchdowns on 51.5% of their redzone trips, which ranks 115th in the country

LSU was playing its first game since the firing of head coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. Interim playcaller Alex Atkins added some wrinkles to the offense, including two rollouts for Nussmeier on the opening drive that resulted in completions. Nussmeier told Wilson he felt comfortable with those plays.

“He can do those things naturally,” Wilson said. “It flows for him. As he says to me, ‘I’ve been doing that since I came out of the womb.’ We’ll continue to do whatever it is to benefit Garrett, to benefit Michael, to play to their strengths.”

LSU is now averaging 23.7 points per game, which ranks 98th nationally and 14th in the SEC. Its only conference wins came against the two teams, Florida and South Carolina, that have scored fewer points at this stage of the season.

Wilson said it will be imperative for LSU to score touchdowns against Arkansas. The Razorbacks have averaged 35.4 ppg and have one of the best red-zone offenses in the country behind star quarterback Taylen Green. However, they have given up the most points in the SEC.

“We’re going to use everything we have,” Wilson said, “and both of those will play in this game moving forward.”

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

LSU guard Dedan Thomas drives the ball around UNO guard Jakevion Buckley in the first half on Monday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By MIKE STEWART

Georgia Southern guard Kyla Bryant drives against LSU guard Jada Richard on Sunday in Statesboro, Ga.

STAFF PHOTO

Trans actor

says film she wrote is an act of protest

Dorfman featured in Netflix hit ‘13 Reasons Why’

BY RODNEY HO

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)

ATLANTA Atlanta native Tommy Dorfman made a name for herself in 2017 portraying a gay high school magazine editor in the Netflix hit “13 Reasons Why.” But for three years, she focused her energies primarily on writing, directing and producing her first movie, “I Wish You All the Best,” a drama about a nonbinary high school junior, which hits theaters in limited release this week.

She adapted the 2019 bestselling book of the same name by Mason Deaver “I was sent the book to potentially act in a movie, but I was too old,” said Dorfman, who is 33. “I’m trans and from the South. I had never seen a book about a nonbinary teen written with so much care and compassion. I ultimately felt uniquely qualified to tell this story.” The movie follows Ben DeBacker (Corey Fogelmanis of “Girl Meets World” fame), who gets booted from their parents’ home after revealing they are nonbinary They move in with their sister, Hannah (Alexandra Daddario), who is also estranged from their conservative parents.

The film is a sweet, gentle, empathetic portrayal of a teen trying to figure out life in a world fraught with misunderstanding and discrimination.

“It was less about the messaging for me in the film but offering a human perspective of a singular trans experience,” Dorfman said “How different generations and different walks of life engage with a nonbinary kid in their neighborhood.”

A nostalgic experience

“I Wish You All the Best” was shot in Los Angeles and North Carolina, where the story is fictionally set. “I grew up going up to Holden Beach in Wilmington as a kid on family reunions,” she said. “It felt really nostalgic to go back.” Dorfman debuted the movie in the spring of 2024 at South by Southwest, where she was relieved to experience a warm, positive reaction from the audience

Debuting the film in theaters nine months into President Donald Trump’s second administration feels right, she said.

“I think it has an opportunity to be more impactful now than it would have a year ago,” Dorfman said. “And it’s an experience that hasn’t been talked about enough in media, both in fiction and nonfiction. I hope it gives people some hope or different ways to approach something that may feel uncomfortable or scary or something they don’t understand.”

One of her key mentors over the years has been Lena Dunham of “Girls” fame. She even provided Dorfman a cabin in Connecticut to write the screenplay. When an actor dropped out at the last second, she offered the role of Ben’s quirkily supportive art teacher to Dunham, who was fortunately available.

“She’s not an actor you can miscast,” Dorfman said. “She’s so adaptable. Very few actors can balance heart and comedy, levity and depth within a single line.”

A Louisiana plantation will honor 1,400 Black men who fought for freedom on Veterans Day

BY

DESIREE STENNETT Staff writer

Louisiana had more Black soldiers fight for their freedom in the Union Army than any other state, so the Laura Plantation in St James Parish is honoring them for Veterans Day, including nine soldiers who were freed from that plantation.

A ceremony is planned at 10 a.m.

Tuesday in honor of the 1,400 Black and Creole men from Louisiana who made up the 75th United States Colored Infantry during the Civil War. Three of them — Édouard Gros, Daniel Howard and Jean Baptiste Peterson were formerly enslaved at Laura Plantation and joined the fight to free others. While the men no longer have relatives living the area, other members of the community who are descendants of people who were enslaved at the plantation will gather to read the names of all 1,400 men in the infantry — formerly known as the Third Louisiana Native Guard when it formed in New Orleans in 1862.

Brittany Jones, whose third great-grandfather Madison Gray was enslaved at Laura Plantation, will be among those reading the names of soldiers Growing up as an African American woman in the south, Jones always assumed her ancestors had been enslaved, but it wasn’t until 2020 that she started genealogy research.

“Slavery was something we knew about and learned about but I never felt a connection to,” Jones said.

“But to have a name and a bill of sale attached to that legacy just really changed the way I felt about

my family, and it made me want to connect more and figure out, how did we become the family that we are? And who are the people that laid that foundation and gave me such a wonderful family?”

She learned that Gray was a skilled carpenter, and his grandson, a free man, owned a successful shoe repair business one generation after slavery ended. Those ancestors on her maternal grandmother’s side went on to produce high-ranking military officials,

JESSICA GELT

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID J MITCHELL Cabins that once housed enslaved people still stand on the grounds of Laura Plantation in Vacherie in 2024, with the bell that called laborers to work, eat and rest for the day. Amid growing acknowledgement of the role of enslaved workers in the history of the state, the plantation home shares the stories of those who lived and died on Laura Plantation.

‘I’msosorry that Ican’t make it’

Dear Miss Manners: While acknowledginggratitude forbeing invited to quite afew social events, how do Idecline an invitation that Ihave little interest in attending? (Yes,Igladly attend special birthday celebrations and all 50th wedding anniversaries.)

“I’m sorry,Ican’tmake it” is honest, but does etiquette require validreasons for absences? Such as, “Sorry,I’m having a baby that day” instead of, “No thanks, I’m not interested.”

youunderstand my quandary

you are sorry only about the inability to be frank.)

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

“I’m sorry,I’m under theweather”might be OK to use (in truth, we are all “under” the weather), butonly as alast-minute excuse, notfor an advanced RSVP.Itrust

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday,Nov.11, the 315th day of 2025.There are 50 days left in the year Today is Veterans Day

Todayinhistory: On Nov.11, 1918, fighting in World WarIended as the Allies and Germany signed an armistice aboard arailroad car in the Forest of Compiègne in northern France. Also on this date: In 1620, 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower,anchored off Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact, creating alocal government for the colony that called for a“civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation.” In 1921, the remains of an unidentified American service member wereinterred in aTomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Nation-

ONO

Continued from page1D

Santa Monica. Viewers will be invited to write wisheson tags and attach them to the branches.

“Yoko’swork has never been bound by placeortime, butthis really feels like the right moment for ashow like this in Los Angeles,” Ono’s studio director,Connor Monahan, wrote in an email. “Her work transforms audiencesfromobservers into participants, helpingto shape the works and the exhibition itself. That sense of agency and connection feels especially powerful right now,and Ithink Los Angeles, with its spirit of experimentation and openness, will really embrace that.” Ono has been ariveting, belovedand sometimes controversial force in the worlds of music, art and pop culture since the early1960s when she became associated with New York’sJohn Cageinspired Fluxus movement —formed by acommunity of experimentalartists who based their work in performance practice and avantgarde principles.

From the start, Ono’sart was performative and interactive. It was also informed by the trauma of living in Tokyo during World WarII, an experience that would feed her lifelong commitment to peace,love and understanding betweenpeople and communities.

Her positivity famously resonated with Lennon upon their first meeting in 1966

FILM

Continued from page1D

‘Ahardtimefocusing’

Though Dorfman is known most for acting, she fashions herselfasamultidisciplinarian.

“I’ve always had ahard time focusing creatively,”she said. “I loved ballet but also loved fashion and drawing. Ilovedswimming anddiving, all the normalkid stuff.I was into musical theater and directed productions in high school. Iwrote alot.” When she was ateen and still identified as aboy,she said she was bullied so badly

Gentle reader: Use any of those excuses, andsomeone is bound to posta pictureofyou enjoyingyourself elsewhere, even if you were just caught with afleeting smile on your way to the grocery store. It is for that reason and we can throw in a moral onefor free —that MissMannerscounsels that if you do not have a presentableexcuse, you should not claim one. Youare required to express thanks at beinginvited and regret at notbeing abletoaccept. (You do have someregret, don’tyou? Well, conjure some up, even if

TODAYINHISTORY

al Cemetery in aceremony presidedoverbyPresident Warren G. Harding In 1938, Irish-born cook Mary Mallon, who’d gained notoriety as the diseasecarrying“Typhoid Mary” blamed for the deaths of three people, diedonNorth Brother Island in New York’s East River at age69 after 23 years of mandatory quarantine. In 1966, Gemini 12 blasted off on afour-day mission with astronauts James A. Lovell andEdwin“Buzz” Aldrin Jr.aboard; it wasthe 10th andfinal crewed flight of NASA’sGemini program. In 2020,Georgia’s secretary of state announcedan audit ofpresidentialelection results that he saidwouldbe done witha full handcount of ballots becausethe margin was so tight; Democratic President-elect JoeBiden led Republican President

at London’sIndica Gallery whereOno was settingup an exhibitionofconceptual, interactiveart.One of the pieces featured aladder with amagnifying glass at the top. When Lennon climbed the ladder and looked through the magnifying glass, he made out the word “yes,” written in smallletters on acanvasattached to the ceiling.

“So it was positive. Ifelt relieved. It’sagreat relief when you get up the ladder and you look through the spyglass and it doesn’tsay ‘no’ or ‘f***you’orsomething, it said ‘yes,’”Lennon said in an interview with Peopleabout his first meeting withOno.

“Yoko Ono’sideas about peace,imaginationand collective participation are both timeless and newly urgent at amoment when division seems to dominateevery news cycle,and communities here andaround the world resiliently build toward a betterfuture,”Joanne Heyler,foundingdirector and president of the Broad, said in an email. “The multidisciplinary and wide-ranging practice she began more than70 yearsago remains strikingly contemporary, as the boundaries between art,music and performance are, in her hands,challenged andreshaped, creating fresh emotional connection.”

Heyler also noted that themuseum rearranged itscalendarto make room for Ono’sshow in order to “quickly bring its timely themes to L.A.”

The Broad show will feature Ono’sinteractive “instruction”exhibits from the mid-1950s to the present.

in public school, her parents placedher in ThePaideiaSchool,aprivateschool known for nurturing itsstudents’ creative side. (Her father,Larry,helpsrun Roots, areal estate investment trust that allows renters to invest in the properties they rent.)

“At Paideia, Ifelt like I could do various things and succeed,” she said. “They offered me alot of freedom of expression.I could explore stuff. They werereally tuned in to us individually They made alot of arrangementswhile Iwas dancing with the Atlanta Ballet for all my childhood andspendinghalfmydaysinrehears-

Most hostsare satisfied with that —and probably grateful to get any definiteanswer.Should one be so rude as to ask why you cannot attend, just keep repeating theformula (“You’re so kind to invite me; I’m so sorry Ican’tgo”) until you get asurrender

Dear Miss Manners: For 15 years, since our two daughters have had partners whom they married, my husband and Ichose to have Thanksgiving dinner on Friday so our kids could spend Thursday with their in-laws.

This year,our younger daughter announced that she was starting her own family tradition and having Thanksgiving dinner on

Thursday at her newly purchased home. We wereinvited to attend. She said she would be too tired to come to ourdinner on Friday

This daughter and her husband have also counted thenumber of times my husband and Ihave visited them, and decided that they want “one more visit per year” in theinterest of “the importance of family.” Any advice?

Gentlereader: Yes: Go to your younger daughter’sfor Thanksgiving on Thursday,and tell her you would be delighted to plan another visit. Your Friday Thanksgivings were kindly done for your children’s convenience, and surely you are not trying to claim them as an inviolable tradition.

Miss Manners is guessing that

theproblemhas to do withthe other daughter’sThanksgiving. The youngerone hasprobably notinvited hersister’sextendedfamily In that case, you will be consuming alot of turkey and cranberry sauce. Your daughters have been doing double Thanksgivings foryears —asdomany who can’tassemble their families for whatever reason —soyou know it won’tkill you.

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

Donald Trump by about 14,000 votes out of nearly 5 million votes counted in the state.(The audit would affirm Biden’swin.)

In 2022, Sam BankmanFried’sFTX crypto exchange platformfiled for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid acollapse of itsassets;Bankman-Fried was convicted in November 2023 of sevencounts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud and was sentenced to 25 yearsinprison. Today’sBirthdays: Music producer MuttLange is 77.

Actor Stanley Tucci is 65.

Actor Demi Moore is 63. Actor Calista Flockhart is 61. TV personality Carson Kressley is 56. Actor David DeLuise is 54. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is 51. Musician Jon Batiste is 39. Retired American figure skater Adam Rippon is 36. Actor TyeSheridan is 29.

Thesepieces feature brief texts that suggest actions for guests to complete or contemplate.Viewerswillalso see thetypescript draftsfor her 1964 book, “Grapefruit,” which includes more than 200 instructions in the form of music, painting, events, poetry and objects.

Ono’swork as an activistwill alsobehighlighted through materials and ephemeraused in her peace campaigns, including protests done in collaboration with Lennon such as “Acorn Event” (1968) and“Bed Peace” (1969), in which the husband and wife staged bedin events in Amsterdam and Montreal wheretheysat in bed and took questions from the press in an effort to speak out against the Vietnam War.

Therewill alsobeplenty of film and video in the exhibition, including footage of “Cut Piece,” alegendary piece of performance art first staged in 1964 at YamaichiHall, Kyoto, in which Onosat quietly while the audience cut away pieces of her clothing.

“With so many creatives calling it home, Los Angeles is the perfect place to honor Ono’sboundary-pushing practiceand enduring vision,” Sarah Loyer,Broad curator and exhibitions manager,wrote in an email. “Ono’swork fromthe 1950s to today asks us to look at the world differently and find waystomakechange,often starting within ourselves, towardpeace. In Ono’swork, personal stories and collectiveaction come together in ways that Ithink will really resonatewithAngelenos.”

al. Ispent 12-15 years of my life doing that.”

Dorfman said themovie gave her achance to “reimagine my high school experience if Ihad the tools Benhad. In some ways,my parents were incredible parents because Igot to stay undertheir roof. But there were other cultural components that were very challenging.”

Dorfman hopes people see this film as away to counter “all the vitriolbeing pushed towardtrans people and as an act of protest. It offers such aclear message of what we should be doing with our kids. We shouldbeloving and supporting them.”

Dear Heloise: Hello from Nebraska! My husband received apackage of small flashlightsasa gift because his job required that he always have a flashlight available. Fast forward to his retirement, I’ve now taken all of these flashlights and hung them on thehinges at the back of the doors in thebedrooms, bathrooms, closets and exit doors. This means that we always have light available to us,whether it be an emergency or just needing extra light in acloset. Visiting family members know that flashlightsare available, and this provides them with safety.All Iask is that everyoneput them back when finished or let me know if they need new batteries. —Re-

PLANTATION

spectfully,Julie Murphy Vacation fall

Dear Heloise: On vacation this summer,myhusband fell andhad acoupleofcuts that needed more than abandage.We were staying at a friend’shouse, and alltheyhad was a boxofbandages. But Iremembered that we had afullfirst-aid kit in our vehicle, andthis really had everything we needed in it! This might also help someoneelse. —Corrinne Berkland,in Universal City,Texas

Dailytasks

Dear Heloise: In my retirement,I’velearned afew tricksthat keep me pleasantlyproductive. Before going to bed, Iwrite alistof thingsthat I’dlike to accomplishthe next day. Iput a star beside these items that

Continuedfrom page1D

educators, doctors, nurses andpoliticians amongthe family memberswho are alive today.Jones became a pharmacistand hermother, Vondra Etienne-Steib, was thefirst woman to be elected to the St. James Parish Council.

The soldiers being remembered Tuesdaymade thatpossible, Jones said, adding that she is “honored” to read their names.

“Could you imagine what America would have been like if those enslaved gentlemen didn’tjoin theUnion Army?” she said.

Katy Morlas Shannon, a historian withLauraPlantation,said the Veterans Day eventwill launch their new missiontotell Louisiana’s story of the Civil War, which she said is often“written off” compared to places like Gettysburg and other major battlefields. But Louisiana’s contribution should be celebrated, she said.

At theevent,aplaque honoring the soldiers will be unveiled. Museum staff

Atableisset in the cooking area inside aslave cabin at Laura Plantation in Vacherie in 2024.

is also working on abook to tell their stories, as well as atour that will highlight the Laura Plantation’sCivil Warconnections.

“Louisiana wasreally significant because it was aproving ground for freedom,” MorlasShannonsaid.

“There was Confederate warfare going on, guerilla warfare, in the swamp. So it looked differently here, but people are beginning to realize thatwhathappened here during the Civil Waris significant.”

mustbedone on that day. As Iamfinishinganactivity, I decide what Iwill do next. Ialternate standing/active chores with seated/ sedentary chores. Isprinkle breaks of relaxation during the day: reading, puzzles, hobbies, etc. I add pleasant touches to my home(flowers, music, scented candles, etc.) so that Ienjoy being home and am not eager to escape running unnecessary errands. —BarbaraG., in Houston Bottle caps Dear Heloise: Ibuy several supplementsthat come in different-sized bottles. Some have flip-top lids.I savethem/recyclethemby adding them to appropriatesized bottles foreasier access. Thank youfor your column. —GloriaWalker,via email Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

It wasmembersofthe

SecondLouisiana Native Guard, free Black men from New Orleans, that freed many enslavedpeopleatLaura Plantation. The newly freed menwere so inspired after meeting the Black and Creole men fighting forthe Union Army that they wenttoNew Orleans and enlisted, creating the Third Louisiana Native Guardand later the 75th United States Colored Infantry.Ifthey hadbeen captured, it’slikely they would have been killed.

“Laura Plantationbecame asite of liberation,” Morlas Shannon said. Jones said her hope is that learning the stories of these menwill encourage more Black Louisiana residents to start researching their own family histories.

“I hope more people will considerdigging alittle deeper into their family story andnot be afraid of going to the uncomfortable places,” she said. “There are gemsburied in that rubble.”

Email Desiree Stennett at desiree.stennett@ theadvocate.com.

STAFFFILE PHOTOBy DAVID J. MITCHELL

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Pay attention to maintaining balance in your life and split your work and play time equally. A change of scenery will — depending on how you adapt to your new surroundings — be either uplifting or educational.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Press forward with vim, vigor and a budget. A high-energy approach to how you live and maintain your routine will help secure your position and ensure progress.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) State what you are willing to do, and you'll avoid backtracking, leaving you more time to concentrate on what's meaningful to you. Do your best to make and stick to simple rules.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Pay attention to who does what and how you can live up to your word and responsibilities. Initiate necessary alterations to avoid confusion and maintain your budget.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Choose to use charm over pressure. Emotional manipulation will lead to trouble and unnecessary expenses. It's best to stick to the facts, enforce a strict budget and call it a day.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Communication is essential if you want the facts and figures before making a decision or purchase. Attend informative events or scour the internet for reliable answers.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Self-improvement requires attention; refuse to let

others choose for you. A change at home that influences your financial well-being requires attention. When in doubt, halt.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Mixed feelings will lead to trouble if you let personal and professional conflicts interfere with each other. Balance and integrity will play a role in what happens next.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Broaden your vision, and don't deny yourself the chance to reach your dreams, hopes and wishes. Call the shots and initiate what works best for you. A healthy social life will help you see clearly.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Emotions will surface, causing confusion and trouble at home. Intelligent navigation is necessary if you want to come out on top. Make suggestions that encourage unity, not separation.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Refuse to let your thoughts spin out of control. Saying something prematurely will hinder what you are trying to achieve. Treat others however you want them to treat you, and you'll have no regrets. LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Think twice before purchasing something you don't need. Emotional spending or trying to buy someone's favor will backfire. Choose a healthy diet and exercise program.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

toDAy's cLuE: y EQuALs D

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Bob Hope defined bigamy as the only crimewhere two rites make awrong. Today, let’s have two contracts to see if you can play both of them rite— Imean, right. South is in six heartsor seven hearts. West leads the diamond jack. Howshould declarer proceed in each slam?

Northresponded two no-trump, the JacobyForcingRaise,promisingatleast four-cardheartsupport and game-going values.SouthlaunchedRomanKey-Card Blackwood.Northshowedtwokey-cards (twoaces,oroneaceandthetrumpking) NowSouthknew to settlefor six hearts. If South’s four no-trump were regularBlackwood,hewould have followed with five no-trump to learn that one king was missing and not known what to do. Notethat if North’s diamond king were the heart king, South would have 13 top tricks: four spades, five hearts, one diamond and three clubs. Each slam revolves around the trump suit. In seven hearts, South should play aheart to his queen, winning whenever Easthas king-doubleton or West has jack-singleton. But in the small slam,declarer can afford one trump loser. Then the best play is to start withhis ace. Here, the king drops from West. Now South can make seven, crossing to dummy and finessing East out of his trump jack.If instead the jack drops from West, South continueswithhisqueenandclaims.And if the ace draws only the three and the six,declarer crossestothe boardand leads aheart toward his queen.Hehas no guesswork Inthisdeal,strangely,yougodownone ortwoinsevenhearts,butmakesixwith an overtrick!

©2025 by nEa,inc., dist. 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 ERuPtED: eh-RUP-tid: Burst fromlimits or restraint.

Average mark16words

Time limit 30 minutes

Can you find 24 or morewords in ERUPTED?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —VILLAIny

vail vain vainly vial villa villain vinal viny vinyl inlay inly lain layin lily ally anvil nail navy

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

This is pleasing to God. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard

dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

WiShinG Well

HErE is a

the number of

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe

DuStin

Drabble

Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

10,000 AptHomes and 75 Locationswith Studio,1,2 &3 Bedrooms Pools, Access Gates, Garages (504) 360-9347

N. LABARRE RD $1,600/Mo

71207-2867,

4586

TYPE OF SOLICITATION: CONSTRUCTION DBEOPPORTUNITY: YES(35%) RELEASED ON: NOVEMBER 4, 2025 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: DECEMBER 5, 2025 @10:00 A.M. PRE-BID CONFERENCE: November 21, 2025

Datesare subjectto changes viaanadden‐dumpostedbythe Bu‐reau of Purchasingon theCity’ssupplierportal. If this solicitation is fed‐erally funded,prospec‐tive bidder/respondent must payparticularat‐tentiontoall applicable laws and regulationsof theFederal government and theState of Louisiana. The Bureau of Purchas‐ingusescommodity codestonotifysuppliers of thereleaseofa sourc‐ingevent and subse‐quent modificationsvia addendum. Note that you wouldreceive thosenoti‐ficationsifyou selected thefollowing commodity code(s) before there‐leaseofthe sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 745, 750, 760,912-40,91347,913-82,914-30,755,210 The City of NewOrleans strongly encourages mi‐nority-owned and women-owned busi‐nesses, socially and eco‐nomicallydisadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespondto this solicitation,orto participateinsubcon‐tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐tion Formoreinformation aboutthissourcing event,goto www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS SupplierPortal” under “BIDS& CONTRACTS” Once on theSupplierPor‐tal, search “Open Events. Thank youfor your inter‐estindoing business with theCityofNew Or‐leans JamesC.Simmons,Jr. ChiefProcurement Officer AdvertisingDates: November 4, 11 and 18, 2025 NOCP 8751 165430-nov4-11-18-3t $117.39

2025 AT 10:00 P.M. SUPPLIERS ARETOMEET IN THEALLIED HEALTH/SCHOOLOF NURSINGBUILDING, ROOM 147 (SEMINAR ROOM 2),LOCATED AT 1900 GRAVIER STREET NEWORLEANS,LA70112. ALLINQUIRESAND REQUESTSFOR SPECIFICATIONS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED VIAEMAIL TO: MWIL34@LSUHSC.EDU BIDS WILL BE PUBLICLY OPENED AT:LSUHSC-433 BOLIVARST.

p p plyRubber PVCBoots. Invitation to Bid(ITB) will be availableNovember4 2025 fordownloadatthe followingwebsites: Board: https://www2 swbno.org/business_bid specifications.asp LAPAC:https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/OSP/LaPAC/dspBid. cfm?search=departm ent&term=181 Allbiddersmay attend a non-mandatorypre-bid conferenceat11:00 AM November 12, 2025 at the Sewerage &Water Board Administrative Building, theProcurement Confer‐enceRoom,Rm131, lo‐catedat625 St.Joseph St NewOrleans Louisiana 70165 or if you areunabletoattend this in-personmeeting, you canalsojoinvia telecon‐ferencecall: MicrosoftTeams Join themeetingnow MeetingID: 236 702 342 126 0 Passcode:Rw3sG6zv Dial in by phone +1 504-2248698,,105680247# United States,New Orleans PhoneconferenceID: 105 680 247# Faxand emailsubmis‐sion will notbeaccepted. Bids will be received by theSewerageand Water BoardofNew Orleans Procurement Department by December 1, 2025 at 11:00 AM.(CentralTime) Forsubmissioninstruc‐tions, seebid docu‐ments.

velopment’srequest for Proposalsfor Developing andExecuting aStrategic Marketingand Communi‐cationsProgram for LouisianaEconomicDe‐velopment’s Opportunity LouisianaCampaign RFP#250-25-001, maybe obtained by visiting the LEDwebsite https:// www.opportunitylouisian a.gov/publicinformation/rfps-rfqsor by emailingChristina Oc‐mand,Louisiana Eco‐nomicDevelopmentRFP Coordinator, at Email: LEDRFQ-RFP@la.gov. Deadline forreceipt of writteninquiries is 4:30 p.m. CDTonNovember 14, 2025. Proposalsmust be in LouisianaEconomic Development’sposses‐sion by 4:30 p.m. CDTon November 24, 2025 to be considered.All written inquiriesand Proposals

reject anyand allbidsand to waiveany informalities. TomKetterer Director of State Procurement FAX(225) 342-8688 166159-nov11-1t $11.77

amended budgetisalso availablefor review at theLCPD website: lcpdnola.org Further,the LCPD's origi‐nal,proposed budget 2026 wasadvertisedas to itsavailabilityand public hearinginaccord with lawinadvanceofits August 28,

tages, andother lodging facilities at anypark within theLouisiana StateParkSystem. The objectives in soliciting informationare to pro‐mote theState Parks mission, achieveproper balanceofpreservation andutilization of State ParksPropertieswhile becoming more finan‐cially self-sustaining, andbetterserve the needsofcitizens andof visitors to Louisiana throughcollaboration utilizingPublicPrivate Partnerships. TheRFI packet,which includes a timeline, instructions for proposal submission andselection criteria,is available at http://www opportunitiesinlouisiana. com. It mayalsobe picked up between 9a.m and4p.m.weekdays at theOffice of StatePark, CapitolAnnex,Third Floor,1051 NorthThird Street,Baton Rouge, LA 70802. WrittenProposals must be received by StateParks at this ad‐dressnolater than 4:00 p.m. CT on Friday,Janu‐ary30, 2026. StateParks will continue itscommit‐ment to ensure allpro‐jectspromote ourmis‐sion statement,have community support, and supportoflocal and stateelected officials. StateParks also commits to notproceed with any projects that will be detrimentaltothe local community or anylocal business. Allinquiries concerning theRFI should be submittedin writingtothe IssuingOf‐ficer, BrettSandifer, at bsandifer@crt.la.gov. 163876-OCT27-NOV27 $603.88

Executor of theSucces‐sion of John Fotios Kouloubis, is applying for authoritytosellatpri‐vate sale,its interest of theSuccessionofJohn Fotios Kouloubison termsset forthinthe Real Estate Purchase Agreement wherethe purchaseprice forthe entire Propertywillbe equaltoThree Hundred and FiftyEight Thousand &00/100 Dollars ($358,000.00) less related costsand expenses,of which fiftypercent of the purchaseprice shallbe paid to theSuccessionof John Fotios Kouloubis, in theimmovableproperty more particularly de‐scribed as follows: That Portionofground together with allthe buildingsand improve‐mentsthereon, and allof therights, ways,privi‐leges, servitudes,appur‐tenances and advan‐tagesthereuntobelong‐

166056-580195-nov