The Acadiana Advocate 11-13-2025

HOUSE PASSES BILL TO END HISTORIC GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 2A

Plan to pick UL leader under scrutiny

Board meeting agenda, bylaws raise questions

BY MEGAN WYATT and ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

The University of Louisiana sys-

tem Board of Supervisors rules and bylaws say they must form a search committee before selecting a new president, though insiders say board members initially planned to name the next president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Thursday without having gone through that process.

The board has scheduled a special meeting for 9 a.m. Thursday, and the meeting agenda includes an item related to the presidential search, but is vague about what board members plan to discuss.

UL system board Chair Mark Romero shared few details about the topic when reached by phone Wednesday afternoon.

“I can offer this,” Romero said. “I

trust that everybody understands that it’s difficult for us to respond to speculation whenever you’re interacting with personnel-related items, and obviously we will always do the right thing and do the best thing. I can assure you that conversations I’ve had with leadership in the state have always been to get us the best person to bring us to a competitively advantaged position.”

The Advocate | The Times-Pica-

yune reported Sunday that Ramesh Kolluru, UL’s vice president for research, innovation and economic development, is the front-runner for the position. Sources indicated before the special meeting was announced — that a selection could happen as early as Thursday Faculty members quickly expressed concern over the lack of involvement from professors, students, staff and the public. Sources also told The Acadiana Advocate

CIVIC PRIDE

Bob Giles, left, chats with attendees before being recognized as the 93rd Lafayette Civic Cup recipient on Tuesday at the City Club in River Ranch. The Civic Cup recognizes an individual who has given to the community because of their commitment and dedication, not because it’s their job. The public nominates possible honorees and the winner is selected by past Lafayette Civic Cup award recipients ‘Bob’s efforts have been sustained over decades and extended into many different segments of need in the community,’ said last year’s Civic Cup recipient Dr William ‘Kip’ Schumacher

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Jeffrey Epstein

wrote in a 2019 email to a journalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls,” according to documents made public Wednesday, but what he knew — and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes — is unclear The White House quickly accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the president. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails referencing Trump, including one Epstein wrote in 2011 in which he told confidant Ghislaine

Legislation could end some THC products in La.

Retailer says bill would ‘effectively kill’ some hemp industries

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON — Part of the legislation that ends the government shutdown also could end a nascent industry in Louisiana of making drinks, edibles and other consumer products containing low levels of THC, the intoxicating element in marijuana.

“The ramifications in this bill would be catastrophic,” said Dax Thieler, chief executive officer of Fleur de Leaf in New Orleans.

The legislation “prevents the unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products, including Delta-8, from being sold online, in gas stations, and corner stores, while preserving nonintoxicating CBD and industrial hemp products.” The provision would allow up to 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, which is less than the amounts in seltzers and edibles currently being manufactured.

A market has been growing in Louisiana and the rest of the country for products including THC, tetrahydrocannabinol. That’s the active ingredient in marijuana, but the new products derive it from hemp that is grown in such a way as to limit the amount of THC.

The industry, which is only about five years old, had sales last year of about $33 million that generated about $4.3 million in tax revenues

ä See THC, page 5A

Maxwell that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a sex trafficking victim. The disclosures seemed designed to raise new questions about Trump’s friendship with Epstein and about what knowledge he may have had regarding what prosecutors call a yearslong effort by Epstein to exploit underage girls. The Republican businessman-turnedpolitician has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has said he ended their relationship years ago. The version of the 2011 email released by the Democrats redacted the name of the victim, but Republicans on the committee later said it was Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual

encounters with a number of his rich and powerful friends. Epstein took his own life in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges.

The emails made public Wednesday are part of a batch of 23,000 documents provided by Epstein’s estate to the Oversight Committee. Giuffre, who died earlier this year, long insisted that Trump was

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STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Newsom denounces plan for Calif. oil drilling

As Gov Gavin Newsom’s climate trip in Brazil continues, reports emerged that the Trump administration plans to allow oil and gas drilling off the California coast for the first time since the 1980s.

Newsom called the plan “dead on arrival” and denounced the administration’s consistent pursuit of fossil fuels, saying “the polluted heart of the climate crisis appears to be Donald Trump.”

“As relates to offshore oil drilling, it’s overwhelmingly opposed by members of all political parties in the state of California,” Newsom said Tuesday during a news conference held at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.

The Washington Post reported on a draft of the administration’s five-year plan, which outlines six proposed offshore lease sales off California from 2027 through 2030, as well as new drilling expansion into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Federal offshore oil and gas leases have not been granted off the coast of California since 1984, and the state has opposed new sales, citing the risk of oil spills and damage to marine ecosystems as key reasons.

Bus plunges into ravine in southern Peru; 37 die LIMA,Peru A passenger bus fell into a deep ravine early Wednesday after crashing with another vehicle in southern Peru, killing at least 37 people and injuring 13 more, authorities said.

The health manager of the Arequipa region, Walther Oporto, said to local radio RPP that the bus hit a pickup truck and it went off a road on a curve, falling more than 650 feet to the banks of the Ocoña river

The bus had departed from the city of Chala, a mining area also in southern Peru, and was heading to the city of Arequipa. Fatal bus accidents are not uncommon in Peru. The cause of Wednesday’s accident was not clear, but authorities have said in the past that reckless driving and excessive speed are behind many of these events.

Montana man convicted in campsite killing

BOZEMAN, Mont. — A jury has found a man with links to White supremacists guilty of murder in a brutal killing at a southwestern Montana campsite last year that was initially reported as a possible bear attack.

Daren Christopher Abbey attacked Dustin Kjersem with a block of wood, an ax and a screwdriver after they met at Kjersem’s campsite near Big Sky, Montana, in October 2024, according to prosecutors.

The defendant later admitted to taking Kjersem’s guns, cooler, cellphones and other belongings and concealing evidence.

Abbey was linked to the murder scene by DNA found on a beer can inside the tent. He claimed the killing was in selfdefense after Kjersem threatened him. Authorities said there were inconsistencies in his story, and pointed to multiple chop wounds in the attack. Abbey told authorities that he arrived at the campsite intending to stay the night and was welcomed by Kjersem, who didn’t know him, according to Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer

Following a six-day trial the jury found Abbey guilty on Monday of deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence, court records show Air Force base housing limits Christmas decor

ORLANDO, Fla. Outdoor Christmas decorations aren’t flying at U.S. Air Force base housing in the Florida Panhandle.

The private company that operates a community of homes near Tyndall Air Force Base has recently instructed residents to remove their decorations.

A Tyndall spokesperson said Wednesday that the landlord, Balfour Beatty Communities, had set the policy

The 59-page community handbook states that winter decorations and lights are only allowed from the week after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, and that lights can only be lit from 6 to 11 p.m.

House passes bill to end shutdown

BY KEVIN FREKING, JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MATT BROWN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.

House lawmakers made their long-awaited return to the nation’s capital this week after nearly eight weeks away, with Republicans using their slight majority to get the bill over the finish line by a vote of 222-209. The Senate has already passed the measure. Trump has called the bill a “very big victory.”

Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced tax credit expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that

did not include that priority But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time. They eventually prevailed, but only after the shutdown took an increasing toll on the country

“We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don’t work,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “They never achieve the objective that you announce. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that objective yet, and you’re not going to.”

The shutdown magnified the stark partisan divisions within Congress, and that split screen was reflected when lawmakers debated the measure on the House floor

Republicans said Democrats sought to use the pain generated by the shutdown to prevail in a policy dispute.

“Stop imposing the suffering,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, said. “Let’s open the government. Let’s get back to the work of the American people.”

Democrats said Republicans

raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year that they say mostly will benefit the wealthy, but the bill before the House on Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero guarantee there will ever, ever be a vote to extend tax credits to help everyday people pay for their health care,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

The House had not been in legislative session since Sept 19, when it passed a short-term measure to keep the government open when the new budget year began in October House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, sent lawmakers home after that vote and put the onus on the Senate to act, saying House Republicans had done their job.

Johnson said the Democratic opposition to the spending bill was pointless, adding “it was wrong, it was cruel.” “They knew it would cause pain and they did it anyway,” Johnson said.

The legislation included buy-in from eight senators who broke ranks with the Democrats after reaching the conclusion that Republicans would not bend on using

Israel’s president says violence against Palestinians must end

BY MELANIE LIDMAN and JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israel’s president and highranking military officials on Wednesday condemned attacks a day earlier by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for an end to a growing wave of settler violence in the occupied territory

President Isaac Herzog described the attacks as “shocking and serious,” adding a rare and powerful voice to what has been muted criticism by top Israeli officials of the settler violence. Herzog’s position, while largely ceremonial is meant to serve as a moral compass and unifying force for the country

Herzog said the violence committed by a “handful” of perpetrators “crosses a red line,” adding in a social media post that “all state authorities must act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon.”

His remarks, and those of two highranking military officials, came after dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf in the West Bank on Tuesday setting fire to vehicles and other property before clashing with Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli army’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, echoed Herzog’s condemnations of the West Bank violence, saying the military “will not tolerate the phenomena of a minority of criminals who tarnish

a law-abiding public.”

He said the army is committed to stopping violent acts committed by settlers, which he described as contrary to Israeli values and that “divert the attention of our forces from fulfilling their mission.”

The chief of the military’s Central Command, Maj. Gen Avi Bluth, said responding to an “anarchist fringe” requires the use of significant resources that could otherwise be focused on bolstering security and conducting counterterrorism operations.

The army said the settlers who attacked the villages fled to a nearby industrial zone and attacked soldiers responding to the violence, damaging a military vehicle. Police said four Israelis were arrested, while the military said four Palestinians were wounded.

On Wednesday police said three of the suspects were released and that one, a minor arrested on suspicion of arson and assault, will remain in custody for six more days, as ordered by a judge. Police said the actions of the three who were released are still under investigation “with the goal of bringing offenders to justice, regardless of their background.”

Tuesday’s violence in the West Bank was the latest in a series of attacks by young settlers that have surged since the war in Gaza erupted two years ago. The attacks have intensified in recent weeks as Palestinians harvest their olive trees in an annual ritual.

Trump urges Israel to pardon Netanyahu

BY MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

JERUSALEM — U.S. President Donald

Trump on Wednesday sent a letter to Israel’s president asking him to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a long-running corruption trial that has bitterly divided the country

It was the latest attempt by Trump to intervene in the case on behalf of Netanyahu, raising questions about undue American influence over internal Israeli affairs. Trump also called for a pardon for Netanyahu during a speech to Israel’s parliament last month, when he made a brief visit to promote his ceasefire plan for the war in Gaza.

In Wednesday’s letter to President Isaac Herzog, Trump called the corruption case “political, unjustified prosecution.”

“As the Great State of Israel and the amazing Jewish People move past the terribly difficult times of the last three

years, I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister, and is now leading Israel into a time of peace,” Trump wrote.

Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters.

Netanyahu rejects the allegations, and in Trump-like language has condemned the case as a witch hunt orchestrated by the media, police and judiciary.

Israel’s president does have the authority to grant pardons.

Herzog has declined to say how he would respond to a pardon request by Netanyahu, saying publicly only that he believes the trial has been a distraction and source of division for the country and that he would prefer to see Netanyahu and the prosecution reach a settlement

a government funding to bill to extend the health care tax credits. Meanwhile, the shutdown’s toll was growing by the day

The compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of government funding through Jan. 30. Republicans promised to hold a vote by mid-December to extend the health care subsidies, but there is no guarantee of success.

The legislation includes a reversal of the firing of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began. It also protects federal workers against further layoffs through January and guarantees they are paid once the shutdown is over The bill for the Agriculture Department means people who rely on key food assistance programs will see those benefits funded without threat of interruption through the rest of the budget year

The package includes $203.5 million to boost security for lawmakers and an additional $28 million for the security of Supreme Court justices.

Chinese scientist pleads guilty in smuggling case

BY ED WHITE Associated Press

DETROIT A Chinese scientist charged in Michigan with smuggling biological materials pleaded guilty Wednesday but was given no additional time in jail beyond the five months she already spent in custody Yunqing Jian, who was a temporary researcher at a University of Michigan lab, will be released and quickly deported. A judge called it a “very strange” case involving an “incredibly accomplished researcher.” Jian, 33, was arrested in June and accused of conspiring with a boyfriend to study and nurse a toxic fungus at a campus lab.

A pathogen known as Fusarium graminearum can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice. Zunyong Liu was caught carrying small samples while arriving at a Detroit airport in 2024.

In China, Jian and Liu specialized in studying Fusarium graminearum, which is widely found in U.S. fields, depending on weather and growing conditions. But it is illegal to bring it into the

U.S. without a government permit, which carries strict conditions. The university had no permits. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Martin said there was potential for “devastating harm,” though he didn’t elaborate.

Roger Innes, an Indiana University expert who looked at the evidence for Jian’s attorneys, said there was “no risk to U.S. farmers, or anyone else” or any intent to create a more virulent strain. He noted that Liu likely wanted to work with a unique microscope at the lab.

Martin asked for a twoyear prison sentence for Jian — four times higher than a maximum sixmonth term scored under sentencing guidelines. U.S. District Judge Susan DeClercq settled on five months in jail, time already served by Jian. Jian apologized but said little, relying instead on a letter filed with the court. “I did not follow the rules because I was under pressure to proceed with research and produce results,” Jian wrote.

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Palestinians and journalists survey damage Wednesday in an industrial zone following an attack by Israeli settlers the previous day in the West Bank village of Beit Lid.

notamong the men who had victimized her In acourt deposition, she saidunder oath that she didn’tbelieve Trump had any knowledge of Epstein’s misconduct with underage girls. And in her recently released memoir,she described meeting Trump only once, when she worked as a spa attendant at his Mar-aLago club in Palm Beach, Florida, and did not accuse him of wrongdoing.

Giuffre wrote that she was introduced to Trump by her father,who also worked at the club. She described Trump as friendly and said he offered to help her get babysitting jobs with parents at theclub.

Trump “couldn’thavebeen friendlier,” Giuffre wrote.

Other members of Epstein’shouseholdstaff also saidinsworn depositions that, while Trump did stop by Epstein’shouse, they didn’t see him engage in any inappropriateconduct.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Democrats “selectively leaked emails” to “create afake narrative to smear President Trump.”

Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform, said Democrats “are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the government shutdown “and so many other subjects.”

“There should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicansinvolved should be focused only on opening up our Country,and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!” Trump wrote.

In July,Trump said he had banned Epstein from Mar-aLago because his one-time friend was “taking people who worked for me,” includingGiuffre. Thewomen,he said, were “taken out of the

spa, hired by him —inother words, gone.”

“I said,‘Listen, we don’t wantyou taking our people,’”Trump told reporters. Asked if Giuffrewas one of the employees poached by Epstein, the president demurred but then said Epstein “stole her.”

Shortly after Democrats releasedthe Trump-related emails, committee Republicans countered by disclosing what they said wasan additional 20,000 pages of documentsfrom Epstein’s estate. Amongthemwerea trove of emails written over several years by Epstein, including many where he commented —often unfavorably —onTrump’srise in politics andcorresponded withjournalists.

The releaseresurfaces a storyline that had shadowed Trump’spresidency during thesummerwhenthe FBI andthe JusticeDepartment abruptly announced that theywould not be releasing additional documents that investigators had spent weeks examining, disappointing conspiracy theorists and online sleuths who had expected to see new revelations In one 2019 emailtojournalist Michael Wolff, who haswritten extensively aboutTrump, Epstein wrote of Trump, “Of course he knew about the girls ashe asked ghislainetostop.”

In an April2,2011, email to Maxwell, aformer Epstein girlfriend nowimprisoned for conspiring to engage in sex trafficking,Epstein wrote, “I wantyou to realize that that dogthathasn’t barked is Trump. Virginia spent hours at myhouse with him ,, he has never once been mentioned.police chief. etc. im 75% there.”

Maxwellrepliedthe same day: “I havebeen thinking about that.”

Leavittsaid the person referenced in the emails is Giuffre, who had accused Britain’sthen-PrinceAndrew and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as ateenager andwho died by suicide in April. Andrew, who recentlywas stripped of his titles and evicted from his royal residence by King Charles III after weeks of pressure to act over his relationshipwithEpstein, has rejected Giuffre’sallegationsand said he didn’trecall meeting her It wasn’t clear what Epstein meant by saying that Trump was adog that “hadn’tbarked,” but both he and Maxwell in other correspondenceaccused Giuffre of fabricating stories about hersupposedsexualinteractionswith famous men.

Leavitt said in astatement that Giuffrehad “repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any

wrongdoing whatsoever and ‘couldn’thave been friendlier’toher in their limited interactions.”

“The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein outofhis club decades ago for being a creep to his female employ-

ees, including Giuffre,” the statement said. “These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’shistoric accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the governmentopening back up again.”

Messages seeking commentwere left with Wolff, MaxwellattorneyDavid Markus and representatives forGiuffre’sfamily

Maxwell, interviewed in July by the Justice Department’ssecond-in-command, repeatedlydenied witnessing any sexually inappropriate interactions involving Trump.

“I actually neversaw the President in anytype of massage setting,” Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, according to atranscript of the interview.“Inever witnessed the Presidentinany inappropriate setting in any way The President wasnever in-

appropriate with anybody In thetimes that Iwas with him, he wasa gentlemanin all respects.” Giuffre cameforward publicly after an initial investigationendedinan 18-month Florida jail term forEpstein, who made a secret deal to avoid federal prosecution by pleading guilty instead to relatively minorstate-level charges of soliciting prostitution. He was released in 2009. In subsequent lawsuits, Giuffresaid she wasa teenage spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago when she wasapproached in 2000 by Maxwell.

Lawyers forMaxwell, a British socialite, have argued that she never should have been tried or convicted for her role in luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. She is serving a 20-year prison term,though shewas movedfroma lowsecurity federal prison in Florida to aminimum-security prisoncamp in Texas after the Blanche interview

Former UL PresidentSavoietoretireDec.31

He will nottake sabbatical andfaculty appointment

BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette former President Joseph Savoie will officially retire Dec.31, forgoing asabbatical and faculty appointment in the College of Education and Human Development planned for 2026.

Savoie announced the decision in aWednesday afternoonemail to university employees before aThursday morning meeting of the University of Louisianasystem Board of Supervisors with an agenda item on the same topic.

PLAN

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interim President Jaimie Hebert was “interested in participatingin the search as an applicant for the next UL president.”

There has beennoformal presidential search process or formation of asearch committee since longtime UL President Joseph Savoie resigned in July from the position he’d held for nearly two decades.

During an Aug. 28 meetingof theULsystem board, Romero said they’d started the process of searching for the next UL president and that he would appoint members to acommittee inthe near future and develop asuitable timeline. He provided no update during the board’sOct.23meeting.

Aspokesperson for the UL systemonOct. 28 said there were no next steps nor afinalized timeline for finding apermanent leader for the university but that “details about future leadership planswill be shared publicly oncefinalized.”

Steven Procopio, president of the Louisiana Public AffairsResearch Council, expressedconcern over the possibility that theUL system board might name anew president without getting wider input

“This position is important not only because it runs one of the major higher ed institutionsinthe state,” Procopio said.“It is alsoimportant because it’sacommunityfacing position. It’snot just ‘Are you areallygood bureaucrat?’ It’s

“Likemanyofyou in recent months, Ihave done agreat deal of reflecting on our University its people, its challengesand its future,” Savoie wrote. “These are difficult times, and at moments like this,weare called to act in the best interests of the institution.

That understandinghas ledme to the decision to retire effective Dec. 31, 2025. In doing so,Iwill forgo the sabbatical andfaculty appointment in the College of Education &HumanDevelopmentthat had been planned for thecoming year

“Throughout my career, Ihave tried to servethe long-term interests of the University andits people.Thisdecision isa continuation of that commitment.

“Being part of this community for more than half acentury has

shaped my life in waysI could never have imagined,” he continued.

“As atwo-time graduate of the University and as someonewho has spent decades walking these grounds, Icarry with me countless memories of the people, the places and the purpose that define this institution. The best experiences of my life have this campus as their backdrop. Iamdeeply grateful to every person who continues to workfor its success andtothose who, in these times of uncertainty, have shown care and compassion for one another.Iask that you continue to do thisasthe University works to address its fiscal realities and ensure stability

“Serving my alma mater for 17 years as itspresident remains one of the greatest honors of my life. Iam confidentthat the University’sbest

days areahead because of each of you, andI look forward to continuing to work on behalfofa place that has given my family and me —that has given all of us —somuch.”

Savoie, who stepped down as president of theuniversity in July before hiscontract was up, was named presidentemeritus at that time. He was set to continue earning his presidential salary through theend of theyear.His compensation packageincludedanannual salary of $510,500, housing on the UL campus andthe useofavehicle or avehicle allowance of $1,000 permonth.

Last month, UL systemPresident RickGallot said that Savoie would take asix-month sabbatical before moving into afull-time tenured faculty position. Details about his new salary werenot dis-

closed at that time, but Savoie was expected to earn the average of thetop three facultysalaries for that college.

Jaimie Hebert, formerly the provost and vice president for academic affairs at UL,now serves as the university’sinterim president. Savoie’sresignation has been surrounded by financial concerns. Hebert, shortly after his appointment as interim president, reported the university had run into a$25 milliondeficit. Hebert has since eliminated morethan 70 positions at the university through acombination of layoffs, retirements, resignations and reassignments. He also askeduniversity departments to cut 10% from their operating budgets, andAcademic Affairs to cut 5% to limit impact on instruction.

in Louisiana,Thieler said Products that are sold through about 2,500 licensed retailers in the state would becomeillegal in ayear,but would likelybecome hardertofind on store shelves far sooner because the manufacturers would stop making the drinks and gummies. Usually acompetitor,Jacob Landry,owner of UrbanSouth in New Orleans, the otherLouisiana-owned company that makes drinks, painted asimilar gloomy picture.

“We’ve been engaging with all our delegation through this process and most of their offices have been responsive, but it’smoving so quickly and the priority is to get the government open, so they haven’thad time or capacitytodig in on the issue,” Landry said.

The House was set to vote on the legislation to reopen the government late Wednesday night.

If the House stripped the amendment involving CBD to Senatepassed legislation, then the measure would have to return for Sen-

also makingsure that the communitybuys into the decision, and having an open process helps that.”

TheULsystem’sbylawsand rules spell outhow an institution’s president should be selected if there’savacancy

The UL system includes eight universities —Grambling State University,Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University,NichollsState University, NorthwesternStateUniversity, Southeastern Louisiana University,the UniversityofLouisiana at Lafayette and the University of Louisiana at Monroe. The University of New Orleanshad been part of the system since 2012, but was recently transferred to the Louisiana State University system.

Whena president retires or resigns, the UL system’srules say they must appoint asearch committeethatwill come up withaselectionprocedure and aminimum setofqualifications for candidates.

Search committee members will be appointed by theboard chair,the bylaws say.The committee should includeatleastsix members of the UL system board, one of whom must be thestudent member of the board, and afaculty member of the affected school selected by its faculty senate, accordingtothe rules.

The UL system president, currently Rick Gallot, should serve as anonvoting chair of thesearch committee.

The search committee is supposed to detail selection procedures, includinga timeline.And

ate concurrence, whichwould delay the reopeningofgovernment operationsshutdown since Oct. 1.

“There’sstill time for there to be somethingworked out in theinterim, but it creates aton of uncertainty,”Landrysaid. “Wealready hadalot of uncertainty with some distributorsand retailersnot wantingtotouch THCproductsbecause there isn’t absolute federal clarity on it, sothis muddies the water even more.”

Louisiana already is one of the most-regulated states. Newstate laws already cap productsat5 milligrams of THC per item. Retailersare allowed to sell gummies in packs of eight at 5milligrams each.Beverages are sold in four packs with 5milligrams per can.

Though alcohol contentisa percentage and THC is measured in milligrams, a5-milligram seltzer is roughly analogoustoastandard beer with 5% alcohol, said Jared Thieler, an executive in his father’s company, Fleur de Leaf. Anything lower and consumers won’tbuy the product, he added.

“The bill would effectively kill the hemp-derivedTHC industries if it goesinto effect,” Landrysaid. U.S.Hemp Roundtable, aWashington-based industry advocacy

the committee should get input from the school’sstudent government association, faculty senate and alumni association to determinethe desired qualifications for thenextpresident, accordingto thebylaws.

In aMonday letter to the UL systemboard, the UL chapter of theAmericanAssociation of UniversityProfessors pointed out thatselecting apresident without asearch committee violates the board’sown bylaws.

Search committee meetings should also be open to thepublic, according to Louisiana’sopen meetinglaws.

Should the UL board moveforward with appointing Kolluru, it would mark adeparture from the process other colleges in the system have used for presidential searches in recent years.

At theUniversityofLouisiana at Monroe, for example, President RonBarry steppeddown in January. On Feb.6,the UL system announcedthe school’s presidential search committee members, along with ameeting in March.

On May19, theboard named Carrie Castille as theschool’s10th president And in May2024, Northwestern State University PresidentMarcus Jones announced he was leaving the school to take apositionwith the UL system.Boardmembers formed asearch committee June 14, 2024.

Roughly amonth later,the board named former Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Genovese as the college’s21st president after

group, said Monday thenew law would recriminalizehemp products, “wipe out 95%”ofthe $28.4 billionU.S.hemp industry,resulting in $1.5billion in lost taxrevenues, and jeopardize 300,000 jobs nationwide.

Adecade ago, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.,championed incentivizing farmers to grow and industry to processthe fast-growing cannabis hemp, the plant that under certain conditions produces THC, the intoxicant in marijuana.

he received the endorsement of Gov.Jeff Landry

“These searches help build trust in institutions,” Procopio said, “so that people understand it’snot just apolitical decision, that there is, in fact,consideration of the qualificationsofthe candidates.”

UL is also facing adire financial situation.

After being named interim president,Hebert announced in September that the university was facinga $25 million budgetdeficitthat he inherited from his predecessor Hebert has since eliminated more than 70 positions at the university through acombination of layoffs, retirements,resignations andreassignments.

He also asked university departments to cut 10% from their operating budgets, and Academic Affairs to cut 5% to limit impact on instruction. Savoie’sresignation in July before his contract was up followed the departure of the university’s longtimevicepresident foradministration andfinance, Jerry Luke LeBlanc.

Savoie is set to continue to earn his presidential salary through the endofthe year; his compensation package includedanannualsalary of $510,500, housing on the UL campus and the use of avehicle or avehicle allowance of $1,000 per month

But Savoie announced Wednesday thathewill officially retire at the end of the year andforgoa planned sabbatical and faculty appointment he’d planned for 2026 in theCollege of Education andHu-

But over thesummerMcConnell reversed his position, saying that aloophole in the 2018 Farm Bill allowed increased production of intoxicating THC to be sold in low doses for consumer products.

Abipartisan group of state attorneys general, including Louisiana’s Liz Murrill, signed aletter Oct. 24 to senators asking Congress to close that loophole and take immediate action to clarify federal legal definitions andprevent thesaleof intoxicating THCproducts. The attorneys general from two territories and 37 states represented awide range on the political spectrum from solid red Arkansas to solid blue Connecticut.

TheSenate included the ban on the“sale of intoxicating hempbasedorhemp-derived products” in apackage passed late Sunday to end the shutdown. The legislation provides funding formilitary construction, veteransbenefits,and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which financesfoodstamps, through therest of the fiscal year The bills also would provide back pay for federal workers.

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., attempted to removethe THCrestrictions in aHouse committee Tuesday night but was refused.

man Development.

Theupdate from Savoie came the day before the board is also set to consider an agenda item on the same topic.The board’sagenda states they will discuss the “rescission of President Emeritus and related matters.”

The potential decision to name Kolluru the next president of UL comes aweek after LSU named formerMcNeeseState President Wade Rousse as its leader.LSU hired asearch firm, created a search committee and held public interviewswith finalists on campus. Rousse also hadthe backing of the governor Landry also reportedly weighed in on the UL presidentialsearch after Romero asked if the governor had aproblem with Kolluru applying, The Advocate |The Times-Picayune reported. Landry said in an interview that he told Romero, “I got no problem. Y’all go find whoever you want.”

Asecretive process forreplacing Savoie would impact notonly faculty,staff, students andthe public, Procopio said; it also could hurt the person who is named the new president of the university “Nothaving an open process handicaps him in the sense that noweveryone’s going to look on this with suspicion, even if theperson would be fantastic,” Procopio said. “Why do that when youcan follow the normal process of having asearch committee and really vet the candidates?”

Email Megan Wyatt at mwyatt@ theadvocate.com.

President Donald Trumpsaid he “supports” closing the loophole. Liquor producers, medical marijuana interests and others in the regulated cannabis industry also back the ban.

The new law would not impact the 20 states that allow recreational useofmarijuanaorthe 40 states, including Louisiana, that allow marijuana use for medical purposes. It also wouldn’timpact farmers who grow hemp for industrial purposes—only those who grow theplant forconsumablehempderivedTHC products,according to theLouisianaDepartment of Agriculture and Forestry,which regulates the industry

ButLouisiana doesn’tgrow that muchhempbecause the state’sclimateistoo hotand toowet. Only 39 acresofhempwere plantedin 2025, downfrom 61 acres in 2024.

“It’spast time we treat cannabis like any other industry,” said Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans. “Regulation will provide asafe product for consumers, new economic opportunitiesfor small businesses, taxrevenue forthe state, and make it easiertocatch badactors.” Staff writer Rich Collins contributed to this story.

BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN

sciencewriter

AP

NEW YORK Solar storms brought colorful auroras to unexpected places on Tuesday night

Space weather forecasters con-

firmed that storms reached severe levels, triggering vibrantnorthern lights in Europe including Hungary and the United Kingdom. In the U.S., the hues were spotted as farsouth as Kansas,Coloradoand Texas.

There were some impacts to GPS communications and the power grid, Shawn Dahl with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in avideo postedonX.The uptick in solar activityforcedNASAonWednesday to postpone the launch of Blue Origin’snew rocket carrying Mars orbiters until conditions improve.

Over the past few days, the sun has burped out several bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections.

Hownorthernlightshappen

The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle,making the light displays more common and widespread. Colorful northern lights have decorated

nightskies in unexpected places and space weather experts say there are more auroras still to come.

Aurora displays known as the northern and southern lights are commonlyvisible near thepoles, where charged particles fromthe sun interact with Earth’satmosphere.

Skygazers are spotting thelights deeper into theUnitedStatesand Europe becausethe sunisgoing through amajor face-lift. Every 11 years, itsmagnetic polesswap places, causing magnetic twists and tangles along the way Last year,the strongest geomagneticstorm in twodecades slammed Earth,producing light

Solarstormsbring northern lights to much of U.S.

displays across theNorthern Hemisphere. And soon afterward, apowerful solar storm dazzled skygazers farfrom the Arctic Circle when dancing lightsappeared in unexpected places including Germany,the United Kingdom, NewEngland andNew York City Thesun’s active spurtisexpected to last at least through the end of this year,althoughwhensolar activitywill peak won’tbeknown until months after thefact, according to NASA and NOAA.

Howsolar storms affectEarth

Solarstorms can bring more than colorful lights to Earth.

Whenfast-moving particlesand plasmaslam into Earth’smagnetic field, they can temporarily disrupt thepower grid. Space weather canalso interfere with airtraffic control radio and satellites in orbit. Severestormsare capableof scrambling other radio and GPS communications.

In 1859, asevere solar storm triggeredauroras as farsouth as Hawaii and set telegraphlines on fire in arare event. And a1972 solar stormmay have detonated magneticU.S. sea minesoff the coast of Vietnam.

Global tuberculosis diagnoses risetorecord

BY MIKESTOBBE Associated Press

NEWYORK Thenumberofpeople diagnosed with tuberculosis worldwide rose again last year, eclipsing 2023’srecordtotal, World Health Organizationofficials said Wednesday About 8.3 millionpeople across the globe were reported as newly diagnosed withTBin 2024. Not all infections are diagnosed and the new numbers represent 78% of the estimated numberofpeople who actually fell illlastyear, theWHO noted. WHO officials seethe increase as an indication that screening andtreatmentare improving after health caredisruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally,the number of deaths caused by TB fell in 2024 to 1.23 million, downfrom 1.25 million the year before. U.S. tuberculosis cases continued to rise last year —reaching the highest level in morethan a dozen years, according to preliminary data released earlier this year.The vast majority of U.S. TB cases are diagnosedin people born in other countries.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

The northern lights fill the sky Tuesdaynight behind the SaintJoseph the Woodworker Shrinenear ValleyFalls, Kan.

Schexnayderindictedintheft

Former La.House speakerfaces felony charge of taking ‘rarestate artifact’

BY TYLER BRIDGES and PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

Staff writers

Former House Speaker Clay

Schexnayderwas indicted Wednesday by aBaton Rouge grand jury relatedtothe disappearance of an ancient cypress board that was last seen in his legislative office in Gonzales.

The indictment says Schexnayder “knowinglyand intentionally committedtheft of arare Louisiana state artifact,” leading to acharge of felonytheftgreater than $25,000. It also says he has been charged with malfeasance in office for “intentionally refusing to perform aduty required of him as apublic officer or employee.”

Schexnayder could face up to 25 years in prison and a$5,000 fine, according to the Attorney General’sOffice, which brought theindictmentinEast Baton Rouge Parish Under typical procedures, Schexnayder would be arrested or turn himself in voluntarily

Theboard,whichwas displayed at theState Capitol for decades, vanishedfrom Schexnayder’sofficelastyearashewas ending a 12-year term in the House, the last four as the Republican speaker of the105-member chamber

Walter Stebbins donated the board to the state in the 1950s, had asked

Attorney General LizMurrill to investigate what happened to it.

The disappearance of theboard was first reported by The Advocate |The Times-PicayuneinSeptember.The newspaper also reported that Julius Mullins, aretiredBaton Rougedoctorwhose grandfather

“You don’tget to keep state property,” Murrillsaidina statement. “Itdoesn’tbelong to you.”

Her office said it doesn’tknow the location of the 20-foot-long artifact.

LIGHTDUTIES

Ben Romero, left, and RyanManfre, of Acadiana Lighting and Signs,replace neon tubing on theDowntown Lafayette sign at the intersection of Jefferson andCypressstreets in Lafayette on Monday

Broussardjoins Main Street program

Designationgives city chance at tax credits,

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

The city of Broussard officially became the state’snewest member of the Louisiana Main Street Program on Tuesday during one of its regularly scheduled council meetings. Broussard’sadmission is the culmination of an 18-month processthat will now allow thecity to take advantage of national resources for economic revitalization efforts.

“We’re really excited about theopportunity to work with the cityofBroussard movingforward as acertified localgovernment,” said Ray Scriber,arepresentative from Lt. Gov.Billy Nungesser’soffice. Scriber presented Broussardcity officials with the final accreditation, whichofficially places Broussard within the Louisiana Main Street program.

“Maintaining historic propertiescan be an expensive endeavor. Some ofthe goal of this is to encourage new development and increasevitality.Everything you see downtown couldnot be done withouta team effort through the Main Street Program,” said Ray Bourque,mayor of Broussard. TheLouisiana MainStreetProgramis part of the national Main Street America program, which affordssmallercommunities additionalopportunities to revitalize historic properties through the useof economic resources such as tax credits and grants. “Broussard’s dedicationtorestoring its historic downtown reflects the very best of Louisiana,” said Nungesser in anews release. “This designation ensures Broussard’shistoricheart will continue to be a source of prideand progress for generations to come.”

The CityCouncil also unanimously votedtoapprove designatingPhase 2C of the Broussard Main Street Projectsubstantially complete. The phase refers to work alongMainStreet in BroussardbetweenWashington Street andSt. De Porres Street. Bailey Bergeron, whoservesasthe supervisor of theproject, stated that the project overall was “just over 70% complete.” According to Bergeron, while the projectis“substantially complete,” minor work, such as striping, remains.

BY STEPHENMARCANTEL Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Schexnayder

OUR VIEWS

Football playoffs put state’stapestry of communities on display

On arecent NFL Sunday nightbroadcast, NBC

commentator Mike Tirico noted thatfor many across the United States,high school football playoffs were starting, something he called one of thebesttimes of theyear for footballfans.

We agree.

Louisiana’sown football playoffs begin Thursday,aweekslong ritual that will send thousands of players, students, parents and fansout on the road to follow their teams around the state. For many,it’sthe first time this season thatteams will travel outside their regions. City kids will travel to small country schools, ruralteams will findtheir fields in the middle of thestate’s largestcitiesand the like.

Here, high school football playoffs arealarge production. Acrosseight divisions andmore than 200 teams, the season-ending tournament is asprawling affair

Whether one lives in Buras or Plain Dealing Cameron or Oak Grove, Abbeville or Winnsboro, the playoffs give many of us achanceto witness up close the rich tapestry of communities around Louisiana. In otherwords,playoffs are not just asporting pursuit but acultural exchange.

As we have noted before, football in Louisiana occupies aunique place in theculturalmilieu.

Part religion, part civiccelebration andpart competition, playoff football gives usachance to show pride in our communities and hospitalitytoour fellow Louisianansatthe same time. Especially this year,whenthe state flagship university’steam and its NFL squad arestruggling (though we note thesuccesses of Tulane, Southeastern and Grambling),thesehigh school teams remind us of how thesport can teach, equip and encourage all at thesame time Acadiana provides an especially rich offering this year.Nearly three dozen teams made the playoffs, including LafayetteChristianand Westminster Christian earning No.1seeds in the selection Division III and Division IV brackets, respectively.Another two Acadiana teams, Teurlings Catholic and Notre Dame,also earned No. 2seeds in their respective divisions On the nonselect side, Southsideearnedthe highest seed, at No. 8inDivision I. The one downside, of course, is thatoncethis weekend’sgames end, half theteamswill go home unhappy,their seasons at an end. Butthat, too, is an opportunity to face adversity,todeal with disappointment and to console andcomfort one another No other community ritual in thisstate offers collective benefits as much as highschoolfootball. Of course, for the skilled andfortunatefew, the season will continue, thoughbi-districts, regionals, quarterfinals andintosemifinals. And then, for 16 teams acrossthe eight divisions, their seasons will culminateinagameonthe floor of the CaesarsSuperdome, adefining experience for any high school player. We wish all the teams luck, and lookforward to an exciting playoffs

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

VIEWS

Act 409placesunfair, irrational burden on privatepreschools

Gov.Jeff Landry is ahypocrite. Passing Act 409 under theguise of “protecting children in the bathroom,” while sneaking in riders such as curriculum restrictions and targeting faith-based privateschools, is something we expect from Congress, not from our own state government Under the current act, pre-K students would need apermission slip to takea “field trip”every time they leave the classroom —whether it’s for chapel or art. Instead of focusing on fixing all schools, including our public schools which rank 37th in the country,we’re concentrating on imposing restrictions on private schools —some of which rank among the best in thenation. Rather than applying these rulesto our public schools, some of which tend to be moredangerous than private ones, ourLegislature unanimously decided to target privateschools alone. This creates afinancial burden on the schools through layers of new administration and results in duller,less enriching envi-

ronmentsfor our children.

While Iagree withthe sentiment that we should protect our children, haphazardly rolling out anew law is not the answer.When theLegislature was questioned on how children would be able to attend extracurriculars without requiring daily permission slips, the response was about as Louisiana as Louisiana politics get:“We didn’t consider that.”

I’d like to suggest the following to our governor: Beforepassing laws, perhaps ask those who are already doing it best what they think. Let’snot grandstand on the issue of protecting children from molestation, while sneaking in unrelated riders and creating taxing loopholes formetosend my kid to chapel. Maybe stick to shipping in Omar the Tiger or fighting for aCharlie Kirk statue —someone who hated college and called it ascam for mostpeople —ona college campus and leave our private schools alone.

KYLE OWENS Baton Rouge

Advice columnisthelpedreaderget refund

Iwant you to know that Irecently benefited from the services of Christopher Elliottwith Elliott Advocacy.He has acolumn in your newspaper.Had I not read his columninthe newspaper,I would not have known about him.

Ihad made apurchase from amerchant and returned themerchandise according to thecompany policy but did not receive arefund. After many

failed attempts to resolve this myself,I emailed Elliott Advocacy about my case. They promptly responded and requested more information. The team contacted the merchant on my behalf, and Ireceived my refund. Thank you for printing Christopher Elliott’scolumn in yournewspaper DEBBIE RIVET Rosedale

Michelin inspectors only scratchedthe surface

Congratulations to all the New Orleans restaurantsthat were recognized by Michelin. They are truly deserving. However,the survey resultsare an insult to all the great New Orleansrestaurants that were omitted. The list of great restaurantsthat were left off the Michelin survey far exceeds the number that received the accolades.

There is no way that the Michelin inspectors could have reviewed all of the restaurantsinNew Orleans, let alone in thesoutheastern United States. The financial sponsors of theMichelin ratings should call them out fortheir superficial survey CLAUDE A. SCHLESINGER NewOrleans

DestructionofEastWingneeds more investigation

After seeing video of the destruction of the entire East Wing of our White House, Iwas shocked and angry Isincerely hope this newspaper gives this incredibly shameful act theexposure it deserves to our citizens who

rightfully refer to this historic edifice as “our house.” Ihave no doubt manylaws were and are being broken in order to accomplish this deliberate destruction.

NAOMI JONES Lafayette

Cancer patients depending on Congress to extend health care taxcredit

In September,I traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for cancer research andhealth care. Taking this stand with my fellow cancer survivors washeartening, but as we recognized Breast Cancer AwarenessMonth in October, Iwas deeply concerned aboutaccesstoaffordable health carefor myself and millions of otherAmericans, many of whom face cancer or other chronic illness. Forme, as asmall-business owner, the enhanced premium taxcredits have been alifeline to affordable health coverage. Without immediate congressional action, though, theyare going to expire at the endofthe year and send premiums through the roof Openenrollment is here,and many people who,like me,rely on the EPTCs to afford health coverage, areexperiencing stickershock when they see their premium increases.Afamily of four in Louisiana could see its annualpremiums increase by almost 270%.Inthis economy, who can afford that?

Iwill tell youwho definitely can’t:cancer patients. This year,morethan29,000 people in Louisiana will be diagnosed with cancer.Not only will these individuals andtheir families find themselves in the fight of their lives, juggling surgeries and treatments, prescriptions and side effects, but theywill also face pilesofbills andmountains of paperwork. The very last thing thatcancer patients andtheir lovedonesshould have to deal with is losing accesstohealth coveragetheycan afford. The massive costhikes that are barreling toward us won’tjust affect those of us who rely on the EPTCs, theywill drive premiums higherfor even those with private insurance.Weare running outoftime to prevent millions of Americansfromlosing access to affordable health coverage.

CLAIRE

BROUSSARD Lafayette

Tucker Carlson controversy: Both sidesmustexpel haters

Theman who is surely Louisiana’s single biggest contribution to the national conservative movement has now weighed in, on the correctsideof course, of the national news-making controversy roiling the famous Heritage Foundation think tank. Thank goodness. Maybe it will help. For those who missed it, Heritage —for decades the single most important national generatorofconservative policy ideas —has rightly been under assault since Oct. 30. That wasthe date Heritage’suber-MAGA president, Kevin Roberts, issued avideo defending hateful provocateur Tucker Carlson forCarlson’s buddy-buddy interview with white-supremacist, antisemitic activist Nick Fuentes. If youaren’t familiar with Fuentes, he essentially is Louisiana neo-Nazi David Duke’s dreamcome true, exceptwithout afederal felony-fraud conviction.

that he was ahead of the game rather than belated.Blackwell is aLouisiana native who began building the Louisiana Republican Party in the early 1960s before going national as the premier organizationalgenius of the Goldwater-Reagan conservative movement. He also literally was akey participant in the conversations thatresulted in Heritage’sfounding in 1973. In 2020, Heritage itself gave Blackwell its inaugural TitanofConservatism honor for his six decades in thepolitical vineyards.

Blackwell’sLeadership Institute since 1979 has trainedabout 250,000 young people with skills for campaigns, media appearances, public speaking andmore. (Full disclosure:I am on the board of an inactive, cashless holding company for LI’shistorical records.)

was “the first conservative organizationtoidentify,expose, and expel Nick Fuentesfromour programs,”Blackwell wrotethat Fuentes’ “hateful views …represent adanger to conservative principles and to all who labor in good faithtoadvance liberty.”

And more,but that’sthe gist of Blackwell’smessage repeating thatnobody at LI should associate in any way with Fuentes.

Since then, Roberts has issueda series of semi-apologies —sometimes with asmirk as if he is just humoring his critics —which have failedto stem thecriticism or stop aseries of highprofile resignations by keyHeritage personnel. By now,almostevery major news outlet in the countryhas run stories about how thisRoberts-CarlsonFuentes imbroglio is causing a“crackup”ofsorts not just at Heritage but within thewhole overlapping TrumpMAGA/conservative edifice

Numerous Trump-world figures, especiallyVice President JD Vance, have fellow-traveled with the authoritarians and bigots. But now that the Heritage controversy has erupted,moreand more conservative leaders are emerging belatedly from their shells to say the ever-louder authoritarians and bigots should be anathema.

Now enter Morton Blackwell, except

As Isaw when Iattended one of his training schools in early 1983, Blackwell teaches campaign workerstobe clever,practical and tough, but he devotes awhole segment to insisting, in no uncertain terms, thatall campaign work mustbenot just legal but also ethical and devoid of any sort of bigotry.

Blackwellthrough the years has chaired so many key conservative organizations (in addition to running his ownLI),and with such graciousness that he almostnever makes enemies, that there is no single voicemorerespected, behind the scenes within conservativenetworks,thanhis.

On Nov.7,asreported by Emily Brooks of The Hill, Blackwell weighed in with amemotoall LI staff.

“The question,” he wrote, “is whether moral people and serious institutions should associatewith or legitimize ideas that contradict the foundational principles of ordered liberty and humandignity.” Noting thatyearsago LI

It is an unfortunatebut undeniable realitythat Fuentes’ influence has grown markedly among young men on thepolitical Right. It is therefore of great importance thatBlackwell, the acknowledged dean of young-conservative political training, has spoken up against Fuentes so forcibly and so consistently Likewise, it would be nice to seeleadersonthe political Left purge themselvesofextremists and haters, but theydon’t. The election of Jay Jones as attorneygeneral of Virginia,for instance, was greatly aided by the refusal of even asingle majorDemocratic officeholder to drop support for him even after the release of Jones’ text messagessaying he would like to “p*** on the graves” of aRepublican legislator and amoderateDemocrat,and worse: “Threepeople, twobullets: Gilbert [the Republican],hitler,and pol pot [sic]. Gilbertgetstwo bulletstothe head. Spoiler: PutGilbert in the crew with the twoworstpeople you know and he receives bothbullets every time.” Jones actually won his race. Enough is enough, on both sides but, as the putative Right is now in power,the need for the Right’spurge of haters is more pressing. More people need to be like Morton Blackwell, by instituting leadership. Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

Gates’ climaterethinkinga gift to theworld

DETROIT Here in the Mariners’ Church, planted in the shadow of the Renaissance Centeratthe corner of Woodbridge Street and Woodward Avenue, the gales of Novemberseem to swirl in the air

The English country gothic stone churchhas stood here for 176 years, welcoming sailors and grieving for them, offering prayers for shipmates setting out on the perilous waters of the Great Lakes and solace to families mourning doomed seafarers who, the Canadian balladeer Gordon Lightfoot put it, were swallowed by the wavesbreaking over the railing.

This is the rustic hall in Detroit where the church bell chimed ‘til it rang 29 times, for each manonthe Edmund Fitzgerald.

Come Sunday,families of the 29 men who learned that Lake Superior never gives up her dead will gather here to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the wreckofthe Great Lakes ore carrier,the maritime tragedy marked by Mr Lightfoot’shaunting ballad.

His song has become the preeminent account of an episode now almost impossible to describe, in this columnorelsewhere, in any terms besides the 478 carefully sculpted words of his 1976 folk ballad. Indeed, Icount 10 books titled in some variation of “gales of November,” aphrase first appearing in the eighth stanza of the ballad, and then in nearly every account of the shipwreck andits aftermath.

Including, unavoidably,this one.

The Canadian singer-songwriter and the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald are inextricably linked in away few episodes are.

Bill Gates has had second thoughts. This has provoked scorn from those whose first and only thoughtsabout his subject —climate change —are secondhand thoughts, acquired by the assimilation of manufactured opinion. In along online post Gates advocates reconsidering the relative importance of climate change —relative to other potential investments of society’sfinite resources of time,attention and money Relative, especially,to what we know how to do,which is to manufacture and distributeeffective vaccines.

Gates’ argument wouldbevalid even absent what has partially provoked him to make it: the Trump administration’scuts to humanitarian foreign aid, especially combating communicable diseases,and the appointment of an anti-vaccine crank as secretary of health and human services.

Of course, greenhouse gases generated by the activities of more than 8 billion people are changing Earth’s climate. How much, how fast,for how long, and with what consequences (some of them, such as more greenery beneficial) are unknowable. Climate models are of limited use, so prudence is wise. It is, however,neither prudent nor decent to sacrifice the vulnerable on altars erected by the comfortable. Gates cites (without naming) alowincome country whose government, clamberingaboard the cut-emissions bandwagon driven by developed nations, banned synthetic fertilizers. Gates: “Farmers’ yields plummeted, there was much less food available, and prices skyrocketed.” Progress in every sphere depends on improved health and steady economic growth. Every society that produces social surpluses for investments is dependent on fossil fuels, for which there is no near-term substitute. Because Gates participated prominently in the overwrought reaction to the fact that humanity hasanimpact on its habitat, his reconsideration is especially admirable.

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson. Gates’ big mind accommo-

LETTERS TO

dates discomfiting evidence. He has given us agift of something rare in an age of ideologically intoxicated intellectuals: an example of intellectualresponsibility.Hemight nudge the climate debatefrom posturing about fanciful goals (e.g., “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions), away from which developed nations areslinking, andtoward autilitarian calculus: the greatest happiness for the greatest number If so, Gates will have helped save millions of actual lives, disproportionately young, rather than the hypothetical billions supposedly imperiled by a2-or 3-degree Celsius global warming (from the preindustrial level) by 2100. Such warming might mean a2% reduction in what otherwise would be the global GDP in 2100. That loss of wealthcreation is not trivial, but neither is it aremotely “existential” threat tohumanity

Thoughtful people can disagree about what is the second-mostimportant development in history for reducing the quantity of human suffering. Astrong candidate for that title is the conquest of smallpox by 1980. Much the most important, however has been globalization —the liberalized movement of goods, services and

knowledge since themid-20thcentury Free trade has made normal something essentially unknown in the human story beforethe late18th century: economic growth. This has been turbocharged by free trade since WorldWar II. In 1950, almost 60 percent of the world’spopulation lived in what the WorldBank terms “extreme poverty,” on $2.15 per day.Today,8.5% do.

Someday,calm histories will be written aboutthe climatehysteriaof19902025. Some mightcompare it to the madness of crowds, akin to the Dutch tulip mania of 1637, when prices for some rare bulbs briefly reached six times theaverageDutch annual income before the bubble burst.

Butclimatehysteriahas been confined to elites; the general public never considered climatechange a reason for enormous expenditures or even inconvenient behavior changes. So, historianswill dwell upon several sociologies.

The sociology of the intellectual class: Many intellectuals, feeling undeservedly uninfluential, graspfor attention as prophets of apocalypses. The sociology of government: It prefers funding research of “existential” urgency,which bolsters theprestige of government’sgrant-dispensers. The sociology of science: Scientists’ lucrative careersand tenure-track university positions areelusive for skeptics about agovernment-subsidized, semienforced “consensus.” The sociology of academia: Eager to be society’s conscience and Cassandras, humanities professors can continue interpreting Prousttoafew undergraduates but start interpreting climatechange to millions as comeuppance for bourgeois acquisitiveness. The sociology of K-12 education:Teaching multiplication tables to third graders is necessary;terrifying them about afatal future is public-spirited. The sociology of journalism: Reporting on doomsday approaching because the masses are irresponsible is acareer path paved with prizes. The climate-change-resistance industry grew as Gates’ industry was giving us adigital future. His will wax as the other wanes.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

That’sbecause no other words but his fully capture the drama, the struggle, the finalsinking beneath the waves, the solemn sound of the bells that the Reverend Richard Ingalls tolled afterlearning the fate of menhenever metinaship he never saw that fell to the bottom of adifferent Great Lake, one far away None of Lightfoot’ssongs has the power of his shipwreck sonata.

Which is why,when the families who learned, as he put it, where the love of Godgoeswhenthe waves turn the minutestohours gathered in this cathedral of catharsis for a25th-anniversary commemoration, Lightfoot, in black leatherjacket and black jeans, joined them. He realized what the families already knew,that the song was his greatest achievement. “I have aresponsibility to be here,” he said. “It’snot the kind of song youcan write and walk away from.”

The tune that eventually carried the song had been floating around his mind, itself alakefreighter of aburden, for some while.Itwas, he said, “a melody and achord progression that Ihad at hand that Idid not know quite what Iwas going to do with.” After reading an Associated Press account of the shipwreck, and then one in Newsweek, he was, according to NicholasJennings in his 2017 Lightfoot biography,“instantly captivated.” Melody and moment were merged.

He already had written ashipwreck song, “Ballad of Yarmouth Castle (“Like atoy ship on amill pond/She burned all through the night”) about avessel dying in a1965 fire. For the Edmund Fitzgerald song he worked even more doggedly, determined to get every detail: the ship’sload, its course across the Great Lakes, the winds, the waves. He felt the melody he had at hand fit its “somber and mysterious mood,” as John U. Bacon put it in his book published only last month and titled, of course, The Gales of November. Then, with uneasiness, he began crafting the lyrics. “He feared being inaccurate, corny,orworse,” Mr Bacon wrote, “appearing to exploit atragedy for profit.” It took months to get it right.

But one thing he got wrong. That’swhy he changed the description of the Mariners’ church from a“musty old hall” to a“rustic old hall.” Sunday morning once again the brass bell will be rung, 29 times. Ahornist will play taps from the balcony.Perhaps those gathered here will notice the seafaring themes in the soaring stained-glass windows, one picturing adove in Noah’shand, another portraying across-topped mast signifying the Ship of the Church —and, in the tower, a stained-glass image of a20th-century orecarrier, installed seven years before the Edmund Fitzgerald disaster Lightfoot often ended his concerts with the railway song. But the power of his shipwreck song never has ended. The menare gone. The legend lives on.That is in part because when it comes to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, as Lightfoot wrote in adifferent song, whenyou reach the part where the heartaches come, the hero would be him. Him, and the menheeulogized for all time.

Email David Shribman at dshribman@postgazette.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

The climate-change-resistance industry grew as Bill Gates’ industrywas giving us adigital future.

David Shribman

Quin Hillyer

George Will

Commentary wins topawards

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Opinion journalists of The Times-Picayuneand The Advocate received awards from anational journalism trade association fortheir editorial writing and commentary on ruralLouisiana,vaccines and women’s healthcare.

America’sNewspapers, agroup made up of about 1,500 newspapersand associate members, honored the three journalists with awards in the 2025 Carmage Walls Commentary Prize competition. Among papers with over 35,000 circulation,columnist Faimon Robertsreceived afirst-place award and editorial director Stephanie Grace received third-placehonors in the columnscategory In the editorial category, Arnessa Garrett,deputy editor for opinion, received asecond-place Carmage Walls prize, which is named after the longtime leader of Southern Newspapers known for his promotion of courageous editorial jour-

VOTING

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voter support, due to alack of widespread publicization by Lafayette officials and possibly because of largely unpopular state constitutional amendments on the ballot. The roads and bridges tax wasdefeated53% to 47%.

Thepublic health and safety failed 52% to 48%.

“I don’tthink it was targeted at our renewals,” Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet said at the time. If taxes fail again, they

INDICTED

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“I just want to get the board back in the Capitol,” Mullins said when asked for his reaction to the news of the indictment.

Schexnayder didn’timmediately respond to a phone call Wednesday In September,Schexnayder said he didn’tknow what happened to the board, and that he had left it in his office when his legislative career ended.

“When Iturned in the keys, that’sthe last Iseen it, that’sthe last Iknow,” Schexnayder said then. “The last Iknow is the board was in the office when Ileft.” His office was located in Suite 205 in astrip mall next to the Pelican Point subdivision on La. 44 in Gonzales.

The leasing manager for Schexnayder’sformer office said histeamnever removed it. Schexnayder hung the board —which measures about 6feet by 20 feet and has words of its origin engraved into it —on awall directly behind his desk.

The board came from atree in the area of Lake Maurepas that was estimated to be 1,264 years old when it was cut down in 1936.Wording on theboard indicates it was given to the state in 1955 and hung on the wall in the breezeway on the ground floorofthe Capitol until about 10 years ago.

Mullins had made some attempts on his own to find the board, but aproblem he facedisthat no one knew exactly which branch of state government claimed ownershipofit.

Schexnayder saidthenSpeaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles,asked him in 2013 to put the board in his district office because it came from atree in Ascension Parish. “He asked me one day if Irepresented one part of Livingston, St. John and St James,” Schexnaydersaid in September.“He said, ‘Wehave the board from downstairs (in the Capitol), and it is from your district.

nalism. Roberts’ award-winning columns included coverage of failingdrinkingwatersystems, amysterious grave market and asmall town sex scandal. In each column, Roberts looked beyond Louisiana’s larger cities and the State Capitol.

“Bytellingthese stories, it is my goal to help our readers learn andappreciate the breadth anddepth of issues facingLouisianans,” he wroteinhis submission

Judges praised his compelling writing and significant impact on the community,withone describing it as “the bar” against which others were measured and another remarking that Roberts’ writingwas head andshoulders above other submissions.

“It feelslovely,” said Roberts, who received a$2,250 cashprize alongwith a glass plaque. “I didn’tknow Benjamin Carmage Walls, but upon readingabout him, his commitment to local journalism is inspiring, so Iamhonored to have wonanaward bearing his name.”

Grace,whose third-place honors include a$500 cash prize, submitted three columnsabout reproductive health care in Louisiana in the years after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Her coverage aimed to chronicle the intendedand unintended consequences of Louisiana’sstrict anti-abortion laws.

JudgesdescribedGrace’s writingas“gutsy,” “important” and accessible to an audience acrossthe political spectrum.

Garrett, whoreceived a $1,000 cash prize in addition to the honorary plaque, cameaway withthe secondplace prize foratrio of editorialsarguing for theimportance of vaccines and criticizing state leaders for their contribution to public confusion.

Judges noted that coming outinfavor of vaccines is not an especially brave stand to take,but,given growing skepticism among thepublic, it has become important to speak eloquently in their favor.

“It was truly inspiring to seethe level of competition

We’d like toget it over there.’Theyhad it boxed and shipped to my office. They weredoingsomeremodeling downstairs or something.Idid notrequest it. I’dhave asked for the pirogue. That’s from my districtaswell.”

There’sapirogue, the boatfamouslyused to navigate Louisiana swampsand bayous,inthe ground-floor breezeway.

Kl eckl ey,h owever, doesn’trecallgiving it to Schexnayder, sayingsuch a request by himinvolving a historicstate artifact would have beeninappropriate.

“I don’tthink thespeaker hasthe authority to just take thingsoff the wall and give it away,” Kleckley said in September.“There’sa process.”

Term limits ended Schexnayder’slegislative career in January 2024. But he said he kept using the office as lateasFeb. 20 that year,according to atext exchangeatthe time with Rep. DixonMcMakin, RBaton Rouge,who contacted Schexnayder on behalf of Mullins, afamily friend. In atexttothe newspaper in September, Schexnayder confirmed he still used the office as of February 2024. Douglas Diez, adeveloper in Gonzales who owns the stripmall, said when tenants depart andare current in their payments, “Weusually don’t change the keyin the office. Even though Clay moved out,heorany oneof hispeople could have come back.”

Todd Pevey,who works forSt. JohnProperties and manages leasing at the strip mall for Diez, said in an emailinSeptember that “tenants are responsible forremovingall materials andbelongings from the premises upon vacating. NeitherI,nor anyother St. John Propertiesemployee or representative, have removed any of the client’s itemsfrom thespacenor are we inpossession of any itemsthat were ever in the premises.”

Words etched in the board

said it was cut from acypress tree that was nearly 8 feet wide and hadsprouted in the year 652, or almost 1,000 years before Christo-

from around the country for this award,” Garrett said.

“At atime when editorial pages areincreasingly underpressure from partisans of all stripes, it’srewardingtorealize thatit stillmatters when newspapers aren’t afraid to takea stand on local issues.

The first-place prize for editorial writing in alargecirculation paperwentto Victor Joecks,acolumnist for The Las Vegas ReviewJournalinNevada, forcoverageofa long-running disputebetween the City Council anda developer Winners of topprizesin theunder 35,000 circulation categoryincluded Dave Coffee, of The Berkshire Eagle in Massachusetts, and Blake Fontenay of Treasure Coast Newspapers in Florida

This year’s awards were presented Nov.6atthe association’sannual leadership conference in Colorado Springs.

Email JonahMeadows at Jonah.Meadows@ theadvocate.com.

canbeadded to the ballot again after six months

Last month’srenewals brought out roughly 3% of voters. The taxes ultimately passed on Oct. 11. ALafayette Parish School System tax thatgenerated around $20 millioninrevenue passed with 68% in favor

Another,which funded the BayouVermilion District’s cleanup efforts,passedwith 70% approval.

Polls will be open from 7a.m. to 8p.m. on Saturday To find avoting precinct, see sample ballots, check voter registration or find other voting information, visit geauxvote.com

pher Columbus setsailfor America. Abook on cypress trees says it was cutdown because it “had reached its maturity and, if permitted to standlonger,would have declined and degraded.”

Mullinsand other family membersmade sure every time they visited the Capitol to admire their grandfather’shandiwork on awall in theground-floor breezeway underneath the building’ssteps.

in 2023, Mullins was startledone night while watching TV news to see an interview withSchexnayder and theboard was clearly visible directly behind him By then, Schexnayder was speaker of the house, overseeing all 105 Housemembers.

“I thought, ‘There’smy board!’” Mullins said.

When Schexnayder left office last year,the speaker’s office collected acouple of pieces of stateequipment, but Schexnayder exercised his right to buy the laptop, printerand fax he hadbeen using,atadepreciatedprice, according to state records. Thegovernment inventorydid not include theboard, since it hadn’tbeen officially given to him

In September,Schexnayder said someone at his request notified someone from the state thathehad theboard as he was leaving office. He wouldn’tidentify either person.

“I’m not going to go and startblurtingout names,” Schexnaydersaid. “That’s not who Iam.”

Schexnayder,aone-time amateur car racer who owned an auto mechanic shop, was elected speaker in early 2020 by acoalition of Democratsand Republicans to edge out amore

Knouse, Stephen AsburyUnitedMethodist Church in Lafayette at 1pm

Obituaries

Metrejean, Eleonore Fuxan

Eleonore Metrejean,95. Visitation will be at FountainMemorialFuneral Home in Lafayette on Friday, November 14, 2025, from 9:00 am until11:00 am Mass at Saint Edmond RomanCatholic Church Online obituaryand guest book may be viewed at www.fountainmemorialfun eralhome.com. Fountain Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery,1010 Pandora St.337-981-7098 is in charge of arrangements.

Trahan, Valerie Mocek

conservative Republican. Butunder attackfromconservatives for this alliance, Schexnayder shifted tothe right partway intohis term and developed afrosty relationshipwith then-Gov John Bel Edwards, aDemocrat.

He faced questions following a2022 news report thatheusedtaxpayer dollars to payhis stepsons for worktoremodel the speaker’sapartmentatthe Pentagon Barracksnext to theCapitol.

Schexnayder finished fourth in the October 2023 secretary of state’selection and left the House less than three monthslater

Lastyear,Schexnayder was hired as alobbyistby ahemp dispensary anda hempdistributor,two years after he authored legislation that allowspeople to gethigh by buying hemp productsatgas stations and smoke shops.

Sources in Ascension Parish said he hadbeen telling associates thathewanted to run to be the parish president in 2027.

Valerie MocekTrahan, devotedwife,mother, daughterand sister passedaway Saturday, November 8, 2025, in Dallas, Texas with family by herside. Shewas born on September1,1935, in therural townofSeymour, Texas. After graduating from high school, Valerie attendedIncarnate Word in San Antonio,a Catholic collegefor women.When hermotherbecame very ill thefamilyuprootedfrom Texas andmoved to Lafayette, Louisianawhere she attendedUSL andmet herhusbandof65years, Victor Floyd Trahan,Jr. Shequickly adopted the Louisiana 'way of life' and with Floyd, raisedfour(4) children. Togetherthey were obedientservants of God andlife-longmembers of Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Church whereValerie served as an Extraordinary MinisterdistributingHoly Communion at mass and

theCrowley Garden Clubwhere herfloral arrangements almost always placed in thetop twospots. Valerie wasa duplicate bridge Life Master and even afterbeingdiagnosedwith dementiacontinued to play and winather belovedBridge StudioinLafayette. Her creativity andtalents knew no bounds andher positive attitude wasinfectious Sheenjoyed designing and creatingspecial gifts for familyand friends, cooking aLouisiana/Cajunmealthebest this sideofthe Mississippi -and wasextremelyhumbleand reserved when it came to accepting accoladesofany sort. Sheispreceded in death by herhusband Victor Floyd Trahan, Jr.and daughterAlysonTrahan Ward; siblings, Victor Mocek, Mary Ann Mocek Davis, Leon Mocekand LeonardMocek. Sheissurvived by two(2) brothers George Mocekand Richard Mocek; three(3) children, Victor Floyd Trahan III "Trey",SimoneTrahan Walzel(Scott), Valerie Trahan Corticchiato (Eric); four (4) grandchildren, AshleyTrahan(Christie), BenjaminWalzel (Gabriella), Alexander Walzel, LéaCorticchiato; andtwo (2) great-grandchildren, Eloise Trahan and OlivierTrahan.Her parents were George AloisMocek andJulia Orsak Mocek. AMass of Christian Burial will be held at St Michael theArchangel Catholic Church,Saturday November 15th at 12pm. Visitation will be at Geesey -Ferguson Funeral Home at 9:30am Saturday morning with therecitation of the Rosary at 10am. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery Thefamilywould like to extenda heartfelt thank you to themany Caregiversoverthe past years. Arrangements have been entrusted to GeeseyFerguson Funeral Home of Crowley.

SPORTS

BY WILL GRAVES

Paul Skenes’meteoric rise to the top is complete.

The young Pittsburgh Pirates ace

BYE-WEEK MU S

Howhas Mooredoneinhis firstyear, anddothe Saints have an MVP?

The Saints are 2-8 enteringthe byeweek. It’saperfect time for The Times-Picayune Saints writers to sit at theroundtable and give their thoughts on the season so far

Give theSaintsagrade

Jeff Duncan: D. Ipicked the Saints to go 4-13, buttheir start has been even worse than Iexpected.They’ve beennon-competitive in so manygames,trailing almost fromstart to finishinseven of 10. Ididn’texpect many wins,but Ithought theteam would bemorecompetitive,especially onoffense. LukeJohnson: It’saD-plus with achance to earn extra credit. Nobody expected the Saintstobegood this season, butIdid expect them to be competitive. They’ve shown an abilitytopunchabove their weight class,

but it’s hard to feel good about ateam thathas topped 20 points just twice in 10 games. That said, there is a chance to turn that around after the bye withafavorable schedule.

Matt Paras: C-minus. It hasbeen ugly at times, but thisisthe outcome Iexpected.The rosterhas holes across the board, andthe Saints are limitedatquarterback, even though Spencer Rattler andTylerShough have shown flashes.

Rod Walker: D. Andthat could stand for discipline, which theteam has lacked when penalties have come at the

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

UL basketballcoach QuannasWhitedidn’t wasted timeidentifying his team’s No. 1issue in a66-62 loss to Tulane on Tuesday at the Cajundome.

“First of all, we’vegot to be better at the free-throwline,” White said. “That’sobvious. Then we’ve got to stop putting guys on the free-throw line.” Basketball has many layers to it, but so far this season,the free-throw line has been UL’s biggest obstacle. On Tuesday, UL missed 10 of 21 triesatthe line andlost by four.For thethird straight game, the opponent won the free-throw battle. Tulane,whichhad made 42 of 43 attempts in the first twogames, actually missed six of 27 attempts but stilloutscored theCajuns by 10 at the line.

“We’re normally agood free-throw shooting team,” De’Vion Lavergne said. “In our other games, we shot it pretty well. The ball just didn’tgointhe hoop tonight. We’vejust gottoget in thelab andshoot more.”

TheCajunsmadeonly one of theirfirst six triesatthe lineand trailedTulane 17-11over the first 10 minutes, but UL pickedupsteam before halftime.

Dorian Finister hit a3-pointer at 5:58, Lavergnecontributedafive-pointrun,andtrue freshman Michael Collins hit a3 with46seconds left to cut Tulane’slead to 29-28. Moments later,walk-on guard Milan Mejia got areverse layup to fall to give UL a30-29 lead at halftime. “It was good,” Mejia said of his 19 minutes of playing time. “Itwas good to be homefor sure and beinginthisenvironmentand with my teammates. IthoughtI triedthe best I could, but, Imean, it wasn’tenough. “I think we just neededtoplayharderas agroup.” Mejia finishedwith 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Since firing Brian Kelly on Oct.26, LSU has been afour-alarmfire. Missteps. Meddling. Nowalawsuit aimed at LSU by Kelly, whose lawyers claim the school now claims it can fire him for cause Everyonesays LSU is one of the very best jobs in the country.Arguably the best. But under these circumstances, who other than an unproven up-and-comer would want to take the job this year?

At this point, 21/2 weeks into the search, Ihave no idea. But Idoknow there is one man, one slam-dunk candidate, who couldcome to LSU—even for ashort time —and geteveryone (including thegovernor) into line and set the program on acourse for championshipcontentionagain.

I’mtalking about Nick Saban. Iget it. There are amillion reasons Saban wouldn’twant to return to coaching. Maybe millions of reasons, assuming ESPN is paying him north of seven figures to be part of its “College GameDay” crew

Saban just turned 74. He said when he left Alabama after the 2023 season he no longer had the energy to do the job like he wanted todoit. He certainly did not want todothe job the way college football is structured in theNIL/transfer portal era. Andhe’sprobably having a ball being an analyst and playing golf and dabbling in business with his Dream Motor Group of luxury car dealerships. The Advocateran astoryinAprilsaying that because of his business ventures, Sabanisonhis waytobecoming abillionaire

Saints coach Kellen Moore STAFF FILE

DAVID GRUNFELD

On TV

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

5p.m. Pittsburgh at West Virginia FS1

5:30 p.m. San Jose St. at Michigan State BTN

6p.m. Purdue at Alabama ESPN2

8p.m.California at Kansas State CBSSN

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

5p.m. South FloridaatFairfield ESPNU

6p.m. Belmont at Tennessee SEC

7:30 p.m. DrakeatIowa BTN

8p.m. North Carolina vs. UCLA ESPN2 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

6:30p.m.TroyatOld Dominion ESPN

QB Dies hasSharks feasting

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Occasionally,you’ll see astat line from ahigh school football game where aplayer rushes for 300 yards.

What’srare is for aquarterback to do it.

Twoweeks ago, Southside junior quarterback Parker Dies torched the Carencro defense for297 yards rushing on 12 carries, averaging 24.75 yards percarry with two touchdowns in a70-35 win that began with the Bears ahead 14-0.

“The main thing was theoffensive line was blocking really well that night,” said Dies, who also plays baseball for the Sharks. “EverytimeI hadapullread, theholewas wide open.The running lanes were open all night,soI was running all night long.”

The Sharks (8-2) are the No. 8seed in the Division Inonselect playoffs andwillhostNo. 25 Prairieville (5-5)at 7p.m.Friday.The Hurricanes of Ascension Parish, in their firstseason eligible for the postseason, havenot likelyencountered an offense like Southside’s flexbone.

“It’sdifferent from what Iwas used to,” Dies said of his days playing youth football in spread offenses. “Grounding and pounding theball; it’sfun. Getting after teams week in and week out. It’s alot of physical toil, butwehandle that around here.”

Dies has rushed 97 timesfor 973 yards with 13 TDs in his first year as the sole signal-caller forthe Sharks.Last year, he shared reps with senior CruzHolden. Justin Williams leads the team with 1,073 yards rushing and 19 TDs. Kollen Francois hasadded 53 carries for 725 yards and nine scores. Coby Broussard has chipped in 44 carriesfor 324 yards and six TDs.

“It’salittle tricky,but as long as you stick to the rules of the offense, it’sgoingtogocorrectly,” Dies said of running the triple option. “When it’s clicking and rolling, it’sfun to run.”

Dies describes himself as abaseball guy during the spring and afootballguy in the fall. He can throw the ball effectively,havingcompleted 19 passes for 400yards and eight touchdowns with one interception.

“The other day,I went up toParker andsaid, ‘Do you know who the best player on the field this week will be?’ Curtis recalled. “He said, ‘No, sir.’Itold him it’shim.

“He’sstarting to take over.Where he’s grown the most is his leadership, which I’m proud of. When you’re in those big games, you need somebody in the huddle you can rally around. He’sbecome that guy.”

Dies is in his second year playing under Curtis, who kept the flexbone offense when he washired from Natchitoches-Central.

“He’sthe best coachI’ve ever played for,” Dies said. “Coach Curtis brings the energy,and Ilove that abouthim.” In contrast to his flashy play on the field, Dies is an unassuming person with aquicksmile out ofhis footballuniform

“He is agreat kid,” Curtis said. “Real quiet. People that know him, knowhe’s fun and ajokester.Just agreat kid.”

MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

4:30 p.m. Californiavs.Virginia ACC

7p.m. SMU vs.SyracuseACC

WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

7p.m. Florida St. at Louisville ESPNU GOLF

9a.m. LPGA Tour:The Annika Golf

Noon PGATour:BermudaChamp. Golf

3p.m. Champions: Schwab Cup Golf

1a.m. DP WorldTour:Championship Golf* MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

6p.m. BBWAA MVP Award MLB NBA

6p.m. Toronto at ClevelandNBA NFL

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

7:15 p.m.N.y.Jets at NewEngland PRIME MEN’S SOCCER

10:50 a.m.Azerbaijanvs. Iceland FS2

1:30 p.m.France vs.Ukraine FS2

4p.m.Suriname vs. El Salvador CBSSN

6p.m. Trinidad& Tobago vs. Jamaica CBSSN TENNIS

5a.m.ATP Finals: DoublesTennis

7a.m.ATP Finals: SinglesTennis

11 a.m. ATPFinals: Doubles Tennis

1:30 p.m.ATP Finals: SinglesTennis

Veteran Winston to start at quarterbackfor Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD,N.J.— JameisWinston walked offthe field Wednesday following his first practice as theNew York Giants’ starting quarterback, including some extra workafter it was over,and flashed abig smile across his face.

“Wefinally madeit, huh?” Winston said. “Wefinally madeit.” With Jaxson Dart in concussion protocol, Winston will start Sunday against Green Bay,interim coach Mike Kafka’s first big decision since taking over following the firing of Brian Daboll.

whohostCarrollinthe firstround of the Division II nonselectplayoffs on Fridaynight.

‘Ultimatecompetitor’

Calais continuesCecilia’s legacy of playmaking leaders

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

People listen when Braylon Calais talks.

The junior football star at Cecilia High School has an aura thatcommands attention.

In addition to being afour-star recruit who can choose most anycollege, Calais is an articulate speaker and natural-born leader

So when things haven’tgone swimmingly forthe reigning Division II nonselectchampions,Calais hasn’thesitated to convey histhoughts to his teammates.

“He’s theultimatecompetitor,”coach Cody Champagne said. “Hewants to winmore than anything and gets pretty firedup whenthings aren’tgoing the way they’re supposed to.”

No. 13-seeded Cecilia (5-4) lost four of its first five games, including astinger in the opener against parish rivalSt. Martinville. Butjustlike last year, theBulldogshave heated up down the stretch with four straight wins leading into Friday’shomefirst-round playoff game against No. 20 Carroll (4-5).

“I think we have agreat shot to win it all again,” said Calais, a6-foot-2, 195-pounder ranked as theNo. 46 player nationally

“He wants to win more than anything and gets pretty fired up when things aren’tgoing the waythey’re supposed to.”

CODyCHAMPAGNE,Cecilia coach

No. 3athlete andNo. 5prospect in Louisianaby247Sports

“Welost alot of pieces, but we still have alot of weapons When we’reonthe same page, we’re avery scary team.”

Calais leads the Bulldogs in rushingand receivingwith nearly 20 total touchdowns.

He’sprojected as areceiver in college andplaysquarterback (15-of-17 passing, two TDs), running back, receiver and free safety for Cecilia.

“Playing running back really opened my game up to anew level,” saidCalais, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year and could reach thatmark in the playoffs.

Calais said absorbing hits from numerous defenderson plays when he’s the running back hasmadeiteasier to break one or two tackles in the open field after catchinga pass.

“Hisvision has gotten better,” Champagne said. “Braylon’scutting ability is pretty elite. When he’s patientrunning theball, he’sathis best.”

*Friday REPORT

Calais, who has either recently visited or plans to visit LSU, Houston and Ole Miss soon, is thetop dogona roster full of hard workers.

“The last couple of years, we have had somespecial guys come through here,” Champagne said. “Braylon is one of those. Whenit’sall said and done, they come to work every day.Our guys are the type of people you can depend on.”

Calais’ leadership wasneeded more thaneverwhenplayers like quarterback Diesel Solari and Brent Gordon graduated. Fortunately,heembraces theconcept.

“I kind of like having all eyes on me,” he said. “I’ve been a leaderall my life andhad everybody look up to me.”

Champagne admitsit’seasy to get accustomed to seeing great things fromCalais, who gottorest in Week 10 with an open date.

“You’ve seen him do it all,” Champagne said. “Fromthe outside looking in, youget spoiled seeing it everyday Braylon has played in every possible football gamethe past twoyears. I’mexcited to see what the future holds forour team. They understand what it takes to get to where we want to be.It’snow time to takeour gametoadifferent level.”

Kafka opted for Winston over former starter Russell Wilson, who hadserved as Dart’sbackup since getting benched for the rookie after an 0-3 start, and said the veteran with SuperBowl-winning experience “understands the direction we’re going moving forward.”

Sinner clinches semifinal spot at ATPFinalsinItaly

TURIN, Italy Reigning champion

Jannik Sinner sealed asemifinal spotatthe ATPFinals with a6-4, 6-3victory over Alexander Zverev before his home fans on Wednesday Sinner extended his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 28 matches —dating to his loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of this event two years ago.

It wasSinner’sfifthstraight victory over Zverev —arun that includes this year’sAustralian Open final andrecentmeetingsinVienna and Paris.

The second-ranked Sinner still has achance to finish the year at No.1.But he needs to winthe tournament and hope that Carlos Alcaraz doesn’twin another match.

Michigan St. football put on three yearsofprobation

EAST LANSING,Mich. The NCAA put Michigan State’sfootball program on three years of probation and penalized the school $30,000 plus 1.5% of the team’s budget after agreeing former staff members undercoach Mel Tucker broke rules regarding recruiting inducements andbenefits,communicationand unofficial visit expenses. Because of theparticipation of threeineligible players, wins from the2022-24 seasonswere vacated and restrictions have been placed on recruiting forthree years. MichiganState firedTucker two-plus yearsago,saying the coach failed to present adequate reasons whyheshould not be fired forcause after having what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor

Track to open ’28 Olympics withwomen’s100 dash

It will be abusy opening day of action at the Los Angeles Olympicsfor the fastest womeninthe world.

As part of aseismic schedule change for the 2028 Games, track andfield, andnot swimming, will lead offthe Olympics. In releasing thedetailedschedule Wednesday, organizers revealed that the first day at theLAColiseum, July15, will include all three rounds of the women’s 100 meters. Sprinters normally run amaximumoftwo races in aday at amajor event. It’sa change themen will not have to deal with,but that awomen’sfield thatcould include thepast twoworld champions, Sha’Carri Richardson and MelissaJeffersonWooden,and Olympic champ Julien Alfred arebeing given nearly three years to prepare for

Ex-NFL star Brown granted $25K bail in murder case

Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brownwill be released on $25,000 bail and must wear aGPS ankle monitoronanattempted murder charge in Florida, ajudge ordered Wednesday Brown, 37, has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree attempted murder charge, whichcarriesa potential 15-year prison sentence and afine up to $10,000 if he is convicted. His lawyer,Mark Eiglarsh, said Brown would return to his homeinBroward County,Florida, while the case proceeds. Brown appeared at the hearing viavideo wearing ared jail shirt and spoke only to answer questions from the judge. Prosecutors had sought pretrial detention, contendingBrown theformerprofessional athlete with the resources to flee.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Cecilia’s Braylon Calais, ajuniorfour-star recruit,has playedquarterback, running back and free safety forthe Bulldogs,

Continued from page1C

Why then would he wanttoget back in the trenches and coach college footballagain? Because he stillhas acompetitive fire to do it. And because he still has asoft spot in his heart for LSU, where his brand as The Greatest Coach in College Football History left the launchpad. Saban retired at Alabama not because he no longer wanted to coach but because he didn’t like the environment. Youhaveto consider how hyper-competitive the few people who rise to thetop of the coaching profession are. People like Saban, Kim Mulkey and Jay Johnsondon’tjust shut off that part of themselves.

Saban retiring from Alabama

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

is notlike someoneretiring from 30 years at theExxonMobil plant

If hedidn’t still have the fire—a fire that may be rekindled after two years off the sideline —I’d be shocked.

If new LSU athletic director VergeAusberry made theplea to Saban, paired with enoughzeroes behind anumber onacontract, Saban wouldatleast have to listen. Iknow the smart thing is to take Saban at his word when he saidlast month on “The Pat McAfee Show” that “I want to stay retired.”

Butthisisalso the man who said he wouldn’tbethe coach at Alabama when he was with the Miami Dolphins, about 33 minutes before he left for Alabama. It’s worth pickingupthe phone, as Ausberry recently said he does with Saban once or twice amonth. Saban is not along-term solu-

most inopportune times.Orit could stand for drops, which seemed to be aproblem for anybody Spencer Rattler tried to throw to.Oritcould stand for debacle, which is how you could describe the trips to Seattle or Los Angeles. This grade really isn’t about the win/loss record.It’smore about how the team arrived at therecord

Assess coachKellenMoore

Duncan: Moore has done an admirable job of managing adifficult situation and keeping apositivemindset throughout the season. So often, it feels like he’s coaching with one hand tied behind his back because of the limited experience and talentonthe roster.That said, I’d liketosee him be more aggressive andpassionate. Teams reflect the attitudeoftheir coach, and Moore’slaid-back, go-along-get-along demeanor isn’tvery inspiring. To Moore’s credit, the Saints have remained motivated and “on board” with what he’spreaching.

Johnson: There arealot of things Ilike about Moore and the wayhe’shandled things. His science-based approach to injuries, for one, clearly has had apositive effect. Ialso believe the players have his back, which is important. But there have been some really head-scratching game-management moments this season that Moore hasn’treally had great answers for.Heisgoing to have to closely assess his processand performance in thatarea this offseason.

Paras: He’sstill finding his way.The positives:His approachhas kept team morale at agoodplace despitethe record. AndI think he’sdemonstrated aclear plan for developing players—something that was missing in recent years.But what’supwith his game management? There have been someoutrightbizarre decisions,notably how he handles the end of first halves.

Walker: Tengames into theseason andI’m not sure about his coaching philosophy.Is he arisk-taker or more conservative?It’s hard to know when you watch some of his decisions. But Ithink it’ll get better with time. And he deserves his propsfor the team still playing hard for him. This team could have quit on him after the 1-8 start, but it hasn’t. In fact, Iexpect theSaintsto fight even harder after the bye. What’s thebiggest surprise?

Duncan: Ifully expected theoffensive line to be the strength of the team, butithasn’t turned out that way.The runblocking has been subpar and the pass protection inconsistent. Injuries to Erik McCoy andTaliese Fuaga have obviously had an effect, but this unit still hasn’tperformed nearly as well as Iexpected it to. It’sa bigreason why the offense has struggled so mightily Johnson: Iwas fully boughtinto the offensive line being afloor-setterfor this offense, but that just hasn’t been thecase. Kelvin Bankshas been arelativebright spot —he’shad his share of struggles,as rookies do, but he looks like abuilding block —but the rest has not looked great. It looks like they’regoing to have toinvest

tion for LSU. Youcould only expect he would come back for two, three, four seasonstops. But it would be enough to right the ship and set it back on acourse that he set LSUon20years ago. After leading theTigerstothe 2003 national championship and going 9-3 during his final season in 2004, LSUwent 11-2, 11-2 and 12-2 with anational title under Les Miles. Miles deserves credit for that success,but Saban created the culture for winning and set thefoundation.

Iwas able to say hello to Saban on Saturday night as he came through theAlabama press box before LSU’s20-9 loss to the Crimson Tide. He didn’tstop to chat. Ididn’tblame him. He would have been mobbed. He was wearing acrimson-colored sweater (no Alabama or “A” visible, for therecord), accompanied by his

after aplayina game against the Tampa BayBuccaneers on Oct. 26 at the Caesars Superdome.

inthe position next offseason yet again.

Paras: The fact Taysom Hill was ready to play five weeks into theseason after suffering such aserious knee injury last year takes this for me. ButI’ve also been surprised by how little of an impact he’s had sincehis return. That’s maybe to be expected from a35-year-old coming off a majorsurgery,but he hasn’tjuiced the run gamelikeinthe past,and Moore doesn’t seem quite sure of the best way touse him. Walker: The offensive line would have been my answer,too. Justtoswitch things up, I’ll sayspecial teams.What happened in Seattle was something Iwould never have expected fromaSaintsteam. Also,Blake Grupe’sslowstart surprisedme. After watchingGrupe throughout training camp Ipredictedhewould be aPro Bowlerthis year. The last few weeks have been better for him, so maybe he will finish strong.

Whoisyourmidseason MVP?

Duncan: Demario Davis has been themost consistentlyproductive and reliable player on the team. He’sthe emotional and spiritual leaderand rarely missesa game. To see him still playing at an elite level at age36 is inspiring. On ateam without many true stars, Davis remains the brightest one Johnson: Iwas talking about this very topic with someone the other day,and Ihad areally difficult time finding aSaintsMVP.I think the answer to this point is Demario Davis. The Saintsdefense has been themore consistent unit, even if it has been just OK and Davis’ consistency and leadership plays abig part.Iwill say if Chris Olave continues to string together strong performances, he will ultimately be the team’sMVP

Paras: If we haddone this after six weeks, I think theunanimous choice would have been Spencer Rattler.But there’s no way you can give it to aguy who lost his jobtwo games later. So, how about RashidShaheed? He was clearly valuable to the Seattle Seahawks, and he netted theSaintsa favorable trade return. That’sawin for arebuilding team.

Walker: The worst part about your name being last in alphabetical order is that everyoneelse gets to take your answers first.I’m going to go withDemario Davis, too. His 91 tackles rank thirdinthe NFL. Not bad for a36-year-old. If Chase Young hadn’tmissed games with an injury, he’d be making astrong case.

crimson-adorned wife Terry Aperson whocovers Alabama told me Saban has attended slightly morethan half of Bama’shome games the past twoseasons, so it’s not realistictothink he was there to “scout”the Tigers. Istill think the chances of Sabancoming back to coachinganywhere —atLSU, in the NFL, at hisold high school in West Virginia —are small. As in single-digits small. Still, Ihad to raise an eyebrow when Igot an email Tuesday from the folks at BetOnline.ag, abetting site that nowlists Saban as the favorite for the LSU job at 2/1. Aweek earlier,Saban was way down the listat75/1.

By theway,the rest of the top five was Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin (15/4, just under 4/1), Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator and former LSU assistant Joe Brady

Yeteven withhis brilliance, Skenes needed alittle late help from Pittsburgh’s woeful offense to avoid becoming the first Cy Young-winning startingpitcher to finish with alosing record. Skenes won three of his final four decisions to finish 10-10.

Dwight Gooden is the only other pitcher to winRookie of the Year anda Cy Young Award in consecutive seasons,doing it in the NL for the New York Mets in 1984 and 1985. LosAngeles Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela swept both NL awardsin1981.

Vern Law in 1960 andDoug Drabek in 1990 aretheonlyotherPiratestowintheCyYoung Award since it was introduced in 1956. Skenes was picked atop all 30 ballots by the Baseball Writers’ Associationof America. Philadelphia left-hander CristopherSánchez received every second-place vote, andWorld Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the LosAngeles Dodgers finished third

Sánchez’s2029 option price increased by $1 millionto$15 million andhis 2030 option price by $1 million to $16 million as a result of being aCyYoung Award finalist.

Skenes is thefirst former LSUplayer to ever win the MVP or Cy Young award.

Skubalreceived26of30first-place votes from aseparate BBWAA panel. The other four went to runner-up Garrett Crochet of theBoston Red Sox. Hunter Brownofthe Houston Astros came in third.

(4/1), Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea (5/1) and Oregon coach Dan Lanning (7/1). If not Saban —and again, it probably will not be Saban —I wouldn’thire anyone as old as Kelly,who turned 64 the day of the Texas A&M loss (somebirthday present). Heck, Ijust turned 59 and probably wouldn’thire anyone as old as me. This job requires arare level of obsession, and as they say in the movie “The Prestige,” obsession is ayoung man’s game. But no other man LSU could possibly get, young or old, would have the impact Saban would have. LSU needs to try to get him back.

For more LSUsports updates signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

The 28-year-old Skubal becamethe 12th hurler to win baseball’stop pitching honor in consecutiveyears, joining agroup that includes Hall of FamersRandy Johnson and Pedro Martínez. Jacob deGrom was the previous pitcher to win consecutive Cy Youngs, pulling off the feat with the NewYork Mets in 2018 and 2019.MartínezwasthelastAmericanLeague pitcher to do it, in 1999 and 2000 for Boston. Skubal was 13-6 with an AL-leading 2.21 ERA and 240 strikeouts in 195 1/3 innings for the Tigers during the regular season Then he went 1-0 with a1.74 ERA in three playoff starts forDetroit, which waseliminated by Seattle in their Division Series. Crochet led the American League in innings (205 1/3) and strikeouts (255).

Ayearafter takinga massive step forwardbywinning the pitching Triple Crown in the American League on his waytobeing aunanimous Cy Young Award winner, Skubal backed it up by serving as the anchorfor theTigers during avolatileseason in whichDetroit squandered a151/2-game lead in the AL Central and was caught by Cleveland downthe stretch.

AP PHOTO By TyLER KAUFMAN

Saints linebacker Demario Davis reacts

AP FILEPHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

DetroitTigers pitcher TarikSkubal throws a pitch in the first inning during

STM eyes fifth straight volleyball title

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

The St. Thomas More and Teurlings Catholic volleyball programs have been dominant over the years, establishing themselves as perennial powerhouses, regardless of division. And when it comes to Division II, the Cougars and Rebels have taken turns owning the division for more than a decade.

Since 2012, the Division II state championship has been won by either the Cougars (nine state titles) or Rebels (four state titles), who were in Division III until 2017. The last time neither the Cougars nor the Rebels won the Division II state championship was in 2011 when St. Thomas More was defeated by Cabrini while Teurlings was in Division III.

The No. 1-seeded Cougars who have won four consecutive state titles, will begin their quest for a fifth straight championship Thursday when the state volleyball tournament gets underway at the Cajundome.

“We aren’t getting ahead of ourselves,” said Cougars coach Jessica Burke, whose team will face No. 8-seeded Kenner Discovery at 5:20 p.m. on Court 1. “It’s a privilege to be the No. 1 seed, but it is definitely a responsibility to fulfill expectations. We know that we have to keep working hard because we are not owed anything. We have to be ready to fight and stay hungry.”

St. Thomas More’s Eleanor Guidry, shown here getting a dig in a match against Teurlings earlier this season, is hoping to lead the Cougars to another state championship.

Although the expectation is for the Cougars (38-5) to make another run at a fifth state title, Burke said it isn’t something they discuss as a team

“That’s not something we focus on,” Burke said. “We don’t talk about it, and if the team talks about it, they don’t talk about it around me. Our focus is to be present in whatever session we are in, and I feel like we have done a good job of doing that Nothing is going to be given to us, and nothing is owed to us.”

The Rebels (26-12), who last won state in 2020, are seeded No. 6 and

will face Academy of Our Lady at 5:20 p.m. on Court 3. Rebels coach

Terry Hebert hopes Teurlings Catholic’s prior success provides a mental advantage going into the game.

“Fifteen years ago, when I was just coming out as the head coach, there were certain teams that we walked in against and we were beat before we even stepped on the court just because of the name of the school or the letters on the

jersey,” Hebert said. “Hopefully that happens for us.”

Regardless of whether Academy of Our Lady is intimidated by facing the Rebels, Hebert believes Teurlings is entering the state tournament playing at a high level.

“I feel better about our quarterfinals match this year than I did last year,” Hebert said. “Last year against Ben Franklin was a little more of a Goliath Academy of Our Lady is good, but I think there

LHSAA STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AT CAJUNDOME

SCOREBOARD

games

6:30 p.m. FIU at LSU, 7 p.m. UL-Monroe at Houston Christian, 7 p.m. LATE TUESDAY Tulane 66, UL 62

TULANE (3-0) Middleton 0-4 2-2 2, Ringgold 7-9 3-4 17, Brumbaugh 5-12 7-8 19, Williams 4-9 1-4 10, Woods 1-4 0-0 2, Greene 4-6 6-7 14, Daniels 0-1 0-0 0, J.Moore 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 21-46 21-27 66. UL (1-2) Lewis 3-8 0-0 7, Ratliff 0-1 0-0 0, Finister 2-7 1-3 6, Lavergne 3-12 5-6 11, Olvera 7-17 2-2 19, Mejia 4-6 0-0 10, Woodson 1-4 3-8 6, Evans 0-0 0-0 0, Collins 1-3 0-0 3, Jones 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 21-58 11-21 62. Halftime—UL 30-29. 3-Point Goals—Tulane 3-14 (Brumbaugh 2-4, Williams 1-3, J.Moore 0-1, Woods 0-1, Ringgold 0-2, Middleton 0-3), UL 9-30 (Olvera 3-5, Mejia 2-4, Collins 1-2, Woodson 1-3, Finister 1-5, Lewis 1-5, Lavergne 0-6). Rebounds—Tulane 27 (Middleton 9), UL 30 (Lavergne 7). Assists—Tulane 5 (Middleton 3), UL 9 (Finister, Lavergne 3). Total Fouls— Tulane 19, UL 23. A—3,047 (11,550). State women’s schedule, scores Tuesday’s games Louisiana Tech 121, Louisiana

are some weaknesses that we can exploit that Ben Franklin last year didn’t have as the No. 3 seed. I’m pleased with where we are, and I think we are trending in the right direction.”

In Division I, the Southside Sharks (22-7) will look to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2021 when they face Slidell at 2 p.m. on Court 1.

“This team reminds me a lot of that 2021 team,” Sharks coach Julie Dawson said “We have continued to learn every step of the way, and I don’t feel like we have peaked yet.”

Thursday’s meeting will be a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals when Slidell — then the No. 1 seed — swept the No. 9-seeded Sharks en route to winning the Division I state championship.

“Slidell is a high quality, extremely talented and diverse team,” Dawson said. “They are the No. 3 seed for a reason.”

After an impressive come-frombehind win over Barbe in the second round, in which the Sharks lost the first two sets and won the next three to advance, Dawson is confident the Sharks are a different team.

“Throughout this playoff process, we have been changing, growing and becoming more diverse and less predictable,” Dawson said. “Right now, we are a lot faster, stronger and mentally stronger The girls have really bought into the changes. They are willing to make adjustments and the proof is in the Barbe game.”

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

“I thought he came in and gave some really good minutes,” White said of Mejia. “I was super proud of him off the bench.”

Mejia’s role increased because UL starting point guard Jamyron Keller suffered a sprained foot in practice on Monday and didn’t dress for the game. White hopes to get Keller back as soon as next week’s California trip, or perhaps

as much as two weeks from now

“Milan’s not a point guard, but he’s just a guy who is tough as nails,” White said. “I was really impressed with Milan.”

UL had only one turnover in the first half with Lavergne and Jaxon Olvera doing much of the ballhandling. Olvera finished with 19 points and four rebounds, while Lavergne added 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

“I thought we took care of the ball in the first half,” White said. “We had one turnover. I think we ended the game with nine, so we did a good job

there. But we did not do a good job defensively We let go of the rope.”

Thesecondhalfbeganwith3-pointers from Joshua Lewis and Olvera and then one from Dariyus Woodson for a 41-35 lead with 14:48 left.

That’s when the entire game turned. Tulane responded with a 12-0 run and eventually led 57-52 with 3:44 left. The bulk of UL’s eight turnovers came during that stretch, and the Cajuns made only two baskets in that 10-minute stretch.

“Our guys held on to the ball too long instead of moving it,” White

said. “Our game plan was to move it. When the other four guys are not moving and one guy is holding it, it’s hard to get a shot.”

That may be where Keller’s absence was felt the most. In each of the first two games, Keller did the bulk of his scoring in the second half, but UL made only five baskets over the final 14:48 against Tulane.

“We’re in the gym day and night, so whether they go in or not, just keep shooting,” Lavergne said of UL making just 36.2% for the game. “That’s what the coaches tell us, just trust your work, because

we put the reps in. Eventually, they’re going to fall. It might not be tonight, might be next game. It might be game after that, but just trust in our work.”

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Making nice

La.pastrycheftakes on ‘Holiday Baking’ challenges

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Alyx Abreu’sfirstforay into competitive TV baking has landed her in the middle of asugary,showy red andgreen wonderland. After two weeks of eliminations, Abreu and now nine other “Holiday Baking Championship” contestants from around the country still have hopes of reaching the finale and pocketing the $25,000 grand prize. Food Network transformed its competition kitchen into the aforementionedwonderland, a winter village, for the series’10th season. Abreu and the other bakers saw their workspacesand soaked in their merry surroundings in the show’spremiere on Nov.3

“You go into that space knowing that there’s gonna be akitchen there, and it’sgonna be sort of holiday-themed, but genuinely, walking into it and seeing awinter village was so astounding,” Abreu, aNew Jersey native and New Orleanstransplant, said by phone on Nov.6.“Ireally didn’teven know what to expect, and it just blew away any expectations that Imight have had.”

In afirst for the holiday series, thebakers were dividedinto two teams—“Nice” and “Naughty.” Warm and toasty desserts and chillyand frosty treats,respectively,followed by an edible holiday village that included adessert from each of them were the Episode 1 challenges, while this week, the teams whipped up mocktails and cocktails,and then weretasked with creating meringue-based desserts that appear as either cheerful or cheeky Abreu, 34, makes meringuebased and other desserts and breads on the daily as executive pastry chef at French Quarter fine dining landmark Arnaud’s. During an afternoon lull, she took time for aquick Q&A with this newspaper

PROVIDED PHOTOByROB PRyCE Louisiana contestant Alyx Abreu is one of 10 bakers stillcompeting on Season 12 of Food Network’s ‘HolidayBakingChampionship.’

This conversation was edited for length and clarity

Tell us alittle bit about your decision to move to Louisiana.

Ilived in Boston for alittle over 10 years before moving to New Orleans. Ihad been working with arestaurant group for some time, and we mutually decided that we were looking for different things. So Iapplied to ahotel down here in New Orleans, kind of on awhim, and things moved extremely quickly New Orleans hasalwaysbeen a place that I’ve wanted to live, so getting the opportunity to realize that dream through hard work was really adream come true. I’ve been here three or four years (with husband Richard Larro).

Iwas hired on at Hotel Saint Vincent as their executive pastry chef After about ayear-and-a-half, Iwas able to move on to Arnaud’s. They had areally wonderful opportunity, so Ihad to jump at that. How did you getinto baking,and why did you decide to concentrate on pastry?

Iknow alot of people have stories about baking with their grandparents or their parents, and my parentsand grandparents were not those kinds of people. My love of bakingcame from high school. We were allowed to do baked projects for certain things, so for history, we were able to do cookiesfrom

ä See CHEF, page 6C

BONE DEEP

Thanksgivinggumbo is a loving extensionofholiday

There’saparticular kind of magic that happens in kitchens the dayafter Thanksgiving.

The house still smells faintly of yesterday’sfeast and families move alittle slower savoring the lingering warmth of togetherness. It’sinthesequiet moments thatI’ve learned one of life’s most beautiful lessons: Nothing given with love is ever truly used up. My mom and grandmother taught me this truth,though not with words. They taught me by the way their hands moved over a turkeycarcass the morning after Thanksgiving, not seeing scraps but possibility.They’d say,“the bones hold the story of themeal. Don’tthrow away the story.”

This year,Iinviteyou to honor thatwisdom by transforming your turkey bones intogumbo, adishthat, like Thanksgiving itself, isall about bringing people togetherand making something extraordinary from what we’ve been given.

Startbyroasting those bones in a375-degree oven for about an hour.When the bones emerge golden and fragrant, nestlethem intoyour largest pot with cold water,onions,celery,carrots, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. As thepot comes to life, bubbling gently for hours, something extraordinary happens. The bones give everything they have left,releasing their marrow,their minerals, their veryessence into theliquid. It’sanact of generosity that mirrors the holiday itself.

ä See GUMBO, page 6C

BY GRETCHENMCKAY PittsburghPost-Gazette (TNS)

Did you ever have one of those days where you just need to do something, anything, to keep busy?That wasmerecently at my son’shome in New Jersey

My youngest grandson, just 4months old, was headed thenext day to the hospital for surgery.And like any grandma, Iwas on edge with worry Baking always is agreat, meditative way to burn an hour or so.Measuring out ingredientsrequires focusand the aroma of something baking in the oven is an instant mood-lifter.SoIthought, why not?

Since Icome from afamily of nurses, Ialsoknow that it’s always nice to provide themedical staff that takes care of aloved onewith something tasty.SoI

decided to makeone of my favorite fall treats for my son and daughter-in-law to take along to the hospital: apple cider doughnuts.

Most everyone loves doughnuts, and in October,ones made with local apple cider and dusted withcinnamon sugar are aquintessential fall treat. Dan reported back that the doughnuts were ahit, and thankfully,sowas little Georgie’ssurgery About the doughnuts: If youchoose a fried recipe, things can get messy pretty quickly.Also, you need pretty good temperature control because if the oil is too hot, the outside of the doughnuts will burn but the insides will still be raw anddoughy; too cold, andthe doughnuts will soak in too muchoil and tasteheavy

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

Continued from page 5C

When your stock is rich and golden, strain it with care. Now comes the roux, that patient stirring of flour and fat until it turns the color of acopper penny There’smeditation in this stirring, arhythm that connects you to generations of cooks who’ve stood at stoves, creating comfort. Add the holytrinity —onions, peppers, celery —and watch them soften into the roux. Pour in your turkey stock, and suddenly you’re notjust making dinner; you’re weaving yesterday’scelebration into today’ssustenance.

Add andouille sausage forits smoky soul and shredded turkey to honor the flavorsofholiday.Season with love and Creole spices. Let it all simmer together,flavors finding each other like old friends reuniting. The gumbo thickens, darkens, becomes itself When you finally ladle it over

Use roasted turkey bones from Thanksgiving in agumbo to extend the holiday.

rice and gather your people around the table again, you’re serving proof that nothing is wastedwhen we approach it with creativity and care.

You’re serving the lesson that the bestmeals often comefrom what others might discard. You’re

serving love in its mosttangible form

This Thanksgiving gumbo carries forward the spirit of the holiday —gratitude, resourcefulness and the understanding that when we share what we have, there’s always enough. The turkey thatbrought everyone together on Thursday continues itswork on Friday, nourishing bodies and souls in anew way My momand grandmother were right. The bones do hold the story And what abeautiful story it is —one of transformation, of nothing wasted, of love thatkeeps giving long after the feast seems finished.

Kevin Belton is resident chef of WWL-TV and has taught classes in Louisiana cooking for 30 years. The most recent of his four cookbooks,“Kevin Belton’s Cookin’ Louisiana: Flavors from the Parishesofthe Pelican State,” waspublished in 2021. Email Chef at chefkevinbelton@ gmail.com.

Continuedfrom page5C

whatever time period or what have you. Ireally lovedmakingthe baked goods, makingcookies or cakes and decorating them.I thought,“Maybe this is something Iwanttodofor aliving.”Ihad been tossing around things like being atattoo artist and giving my mother aheart attack. Ithink she was very delighted to hear thatIwould be doingsomething alittlebit morelevel …Mypassion kept coming back to pastry.Ilove thescience of it.I love the methodology of it.I love the fact that if you do it exactlythe way the recipe says, you’re gonna get the same resultsevery time. It’s alabor of love.

Do you have apastryspecialty?

Ialways say it’s alittlebit of everything. I’msoterrifiedofbecoming aone-trick pony that Ialways want to try outmaking anything thatI can.

time andspace, whether that’sthe oven or thestovetop,making sure that my stafffeelssupported,that if they need help withanything, I’m there to help. ButI’m right there in theweedswiththem. On anygivenday,wecan be cranking out30baked Alaskas, abunchofcakes and 150 crème brûlées.

Are you aChristmas personingeneral? I’maholidays person.Workingin theculinary industry,the holidays tendtohave alittlebit of adifferentmeaning forus. It’s our busy season.

There’salot of hustleand bustle, but what’s really niceisthatthere’s also that sense of togetherness. So Ireally love that Christmas brings everybody together and givesthat jolly feeling even when it’s crazy busy. Evenwhenwe’re working insanehours, it’s still Christmas and everybody still needstobeniceto each other

1/2

Preheatthe

with

2. Slice the puff pastry sheet into 8equal rectangles. Score the puff pastry with asharp knife leaving about 1/4 inch borders Poke the center of the puff pastry squares with afork to make sure that area doesn’tpuffup. Set aside, preferably somewhere cool.

3. In alarge bowl, mix the softened cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract. Scoop out 1-2 heaping tablespoons of cream cheese mixture andplace it in the center of the puff pastry squares.

DOUGHNUTS

Continued from page5C

If you bake them instead, they might not be as pillowy as their fried counterparts, but they’re stilla good, sweet treat. This recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is afavorite. Made with an apple cider reduction and dusted in a warm, seasonal mix of cinnamonand sugar, they embody everything peoplelove about fall in sweet dough form. The doughnutsare best warm, but they are also quite tasty at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at roomtemperature for up to three days.

Baked Apple Cider

Doughnuts

Makes 12-16 doughnuts, depending on pan. Recipe is from sallysbakingaddiction.com. Cooking the cider down concentrates its flavor so you need to add less to the batter.Becareful nottoovermix —you don’t want the dough to produce gluten. Scooping flourright out of the bag compacts it; for more precise measuring,

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday,Nov 13, the 317th day of 2025

There are 48 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Nov.13, 2015, Islamic State militants carried out aset of coordinated attacks in Paris at the national stadium, in acrowded concert hall, in restaurants and on streets, killing 130 people in the worst attack on French soil since World WarII. Also on this date: In 1775, during the Revolutionary War, American troops captured Montreal under thecommand of Continental Army Gen. Richard Montgomery

Gently spread it, making sure to stay clear from the edges.

4. Add1-2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce on top of the cream cheese mixture. Gently spread, avoiding the puffpastry edge.

5. In asmall bowl, beat theegg withthe waterand brush the

spoon and level it instead.

11/2 cups apple cider

2cups all-purpose flour

1teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1teaspoon ground cinnamon

1teaspoon applepie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2tablespoons unsalted butter melted

1largeegg,atroom temperature

1/2 cup packed light or darkbrown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature 1teaspoon purevanillaextract Fortopping: 1cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon applepie spice

6tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Reduce the apple cider: Stirringoccasionally,simmer apple cider in asmall saucepan over lowheat until you’releft with about 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. If there are anyspicesorsolids on top, leavethem. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray doughnut pan with non-stick spray.Set aside.

3. Make thedoughnuts: Whisk flour,baking soda, baking powder,cinnamon, applepie spiceand salt together in alarge bowl. Set aside.

4. Whisk melted butter,

TODAYIN HISTORY

In 1909, 259 men and boys werekilled when fire erupted insidea coal mine in Cherry,Illinois. In 1971, theU.S.space probe Mariner 9went into orbit aroundMars, becomingthe first spacecraft to orbit another planet. In 1982, the Vietnam VeteransMemorial was dedicated on theNational Mall in Washington, D.C. In 1985, some 23,000 residentsofArmero, Colombia, died when avolcanic mudslide buried the city. In 2001, U.S.-backed Northern Alliance fightersinAfghanistan entered KabulasTaliban forces retreated from the capital city

edges of the pastry withthe egg wash.Bake for 16 minutes.

FOR ORANGE GLAZE:

6. In amedium bowl,whisk the powdered sugar,orange juice, orange zest,and vanilla. Drizzle on top of the cheese danishes and serve.

egg, brown sugar,granulated sugar, milkand vanilla extracttogether.Pour into dry ingredients, add reduced apple cider,and mixeverything together witha whisk or spatulauntil smooth and combined(only until the flour disappears). Batter will be slightly thick

5. Spoon thebatter into the doughnut cavities, or use a large zipped-top bag with the corner cutoff the bottom to pipe it intothe pan. Fill each abouthalfway

6. Bakefor 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger intothe top of the doughnut. If it bounces back, they’re done. Cool for 2minutes, then transfer to awire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake theremaining batter

7. Coat thedoughnuts: Combine granulated sugar, cinnamon and apple pie spicetogether in amedium bowl. Once cool enough to handle,dunk both sidesof each doughnut in themelted butter,thengenerouslyin theapple spice topping.

Note: Doughnuts arebest servedimmediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 3days or in the refrigerator for up to 5days.

In 2022, four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in their off-campus rental home in Moscow,Idaho. Asuspect, Bryan Kohberger,would plead guiltytothe murders in 2025 in adeal with prosecutors to avoid the death penaltyand was handed four life sentences without parole.

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Joe Mantegna is 78. Hockey Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault is 75. Actor Frances Conroy is 73. Actor Chris Noth is 71. Actor-comedian Whoopi Goldberg is 70. Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska is 61. Talk showhostJimmy Kimmelis 58. ActorSteve Zahn is 58.

Every job that I’ve worked has given me an opportunity to hyperfocus on onething specifically.So the hotel was bread,and at that point Iwas making allkinds of different breads. It wasmyfavorite thing to make in theworld. The job before that was icecream.Here at Arnaud’s, we’re really experimenting with entrees, cakes and different flavors that we can really introduce.

So my specialtyisjustgetting people to try newand different things.

What’satypical dayfor you atArnaud’s?

Atypical dayusually starts at about 5inthe morning. Iget to work anywhere between 6a.m. and 6:30 a.m., andfrom there it’s going through the line,seeing whatsold last night, building outa production list for myselfand my assistants and checking thequalityoneverything thatisleft over

And then acup of coffee, obviously

Any of our bakedprojects have to happen first, obviously negotiating time and space withthe other people in the kitchen to usethe oven. Usuallyanything that’sbaked goes in first; mousses, sauces, things like that happenafterward BakedAlaska, whichwemake fresh every single day, usually happens around theend of theday,as well as some of ourother alittlebit more complicated items. Alot of theday is negotiating

Speakingofchallenging,what would you saywas yourbiggest challengewhile in the Food Network competition? Not doubting myself. I’ve been doing this foralongtime.I’vebeen in kitchensinthe culinary industry foralmost 18 years, so tryingnot to second-guess myselfbecause there are so many other people also there competing withthe same experience and, oftentimes quitea bit moreexperience. It’s just trying nottobeintimidated by allofthe skill sets around me. Youwere already usedtoworkingwitha time limit,right?

Very,very used to it.I’m very organized, and time management is oneofthose things that Ivery much pride myselfon. Anytime that Idoatasting foranyone, if I’m looking at anew job andtheytell me Ihave“X” amount,I make alist of minute-by-minute whatshould be getting done.Sothe time limit didn’tevenaffect me for themost part. Youwere picked for“TeamNice.”What were yourfeelings on that?

I’ll be honest, Iwas alittle shocked. …Iamvery sarcastic. I’mfrom the East Coast, Jersey,so somemight describe me as alittle mean,rough around theedges, so Iwas expecting them to put me in on “Team Naughty.” ButI wasvery pleasantlysurprised. Ifeltlike somebody kindoflooked under that tough East Coast exterior and saw themarshmallow inside “Holiday Baking Championship” airs at 7p.m. Mondays on Food Network and streams the next day on HBO Max and discovery+.

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON Cranberry Sauce Cheese Danish

PHOTO By MONICABELTON

sCoRPIo (oct 24-nov. 22) Spread a little love to those you encounter, and see what happens. A kind gesture will go a long way, and the reward will be eyeopening. How you get along with others will determine your success.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Don't put so much pressure on yourself that you make a move you'll regret. Refuse to let anyone use emotional tactics to confuse you or push you in the wrong direction. Trust and believe in yourself.

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Time is money. Refuse to let ego and money dictate your next move. Enjoying how you make a living can be just as important as, if not more important than, your bank balance.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You are overdue for a change. Use your energy and intelligence to maneuver your way forward, and you'll discover it awakens your spirit and gives you hope for a brighter future.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Maintain focus and put one foot in front of the other. How you use your insight and imagination will determine what's next. Take the path that leads to what makes you happiest.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Mixed emotions can be costly. Review contracts, sharpen your negotiation skills and prepare to move forward with strength and confidence. Take control and responsibility for your future.

WonderWord

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Change what you don't like and keep moving. It's up to you to figure out what you want and to devise a means to reach your goal. A partnership looks promising.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Take the initiative and speak up. You can make headway if you are forward-thinking and put your talents to the test. Refuse to let any manipulation slow you down.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Think twice before you share your thoughts or plans. Not everyone in the room will agree with you. Put a foolproof plan in place before you reveal what you plan to pursue.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Refrain from taking risks to avoid illness or injury. Maintain a safe environment at home and protect yourself and your possessions from environmental hazards.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) An emotional plea will get results and generate both negative and positive responses. Focus more on self-improvement instead of criticizing others.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Pay attention to detail, send out your resume and update your skills to fit current job opportunities. A chance to explore different ways to earn a living looks promising.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

ToDAy's CLuE: I EQuALs V

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.

Puzzle Answer

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

By PHILLIP ALDER

A.N. Other’s latest is:“Aglutton’s greedysense of taste shows little sense but lots of waist.”

At the bridge table (unless you are playinginapairevent,whereovertricks can be valuable), agreedy player who riskshiscontracttryingforanovertrick shows little sense andlots of waste.

In today’s deal, howshould South plan the play in four hearts after West leads alow spade?

Note North’s raise to two hearts. Yes, he hasfivespades, but with such aweak hand, two hearts is correct. If North bid onespade andSouth were to rebid two clubs or two diamonds, North would rebidtwo hearts, showing onlyadoubletonheart.Southwouldunderestimatethe fit.

South might think he has only three possiblelosers, but he has four: one diamond and three clubs. He also hasonly nine winners: one spade, sixheartsand two diamonds.

The “obvious” line is to lead atrump to dummy at tricktwo, then to play a clubtothe jack.Here, though, aWest in midseason formwill win with his queen andreturn atrump. South will then play aclub to his king, but West will take that andlead hislast trump to defeat the contract.

Yes,thatisunlucky,withWestproducingbothclubhonors, three trumps and the killing defense. But it is much easier to lead aclub from hand at tricktwo Then aclub ruff in the shorter trump hand for South’s 10th trick cannot be prevented. Those club honors are black herrings. AndWestwould be left to apologize

InsTRuCTIons:

“There has no temptation taken youbut suchasiscommon to man: but Godisfaithful, who will not sufferyou to be tempted abovethat youare able; but will with the temptation also make away to escape, that youmay be able to bear it.” 1Corinthians 10:13

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

mallard

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street drifts around its records

NEW YORK U.S.stocks drifted around their records in amixed dayoftrading Wednesday.

The S&P 500 added0.1% and nearedits all-time high set acouple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 327 points, or 0.7%, to set arecord for the second straight day,while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%.

Advanced Micro Devices was at the front of the market. It rallied 9% after CEO Lisa Su said the chip company is expecting better than 35% of annual compounded revenuegrowthover the next three to five years. She credited“accelerating AI momentum.”

Stocks benefiting from the artificial-intelligence frenzy have been shaky recently,as investors question howmuch more they canadd to already spectacular gains.

Their sensational performances have beenone of the top reasons the U.S. markethas hitrecordsdespite aslowing job market and high inflation. Their prices have shot so high, though, thatcritics say they’re reminiscent of the 2000 dot-com bubble, which ultimately burst anddragged the S&P 500 down by nearly half.

Nvidia came into the day with a4.6% drop for the month so far, for example,after its stock price morethan doubled in four of the last five years. The biggest player in AI chips swung between gains and losses throughout Wednesday.Palantir Technologies, another AI darling, fell 3.6% for one of the day’slarger losses in the S&P 500. Fedpresident Bostic to retire in February

WASHINGTON Raphael Bostic, president of theFederal Reserve BankofAtlanta, will retire at the end of his current term in February,openingupa new seat on the Fed’sinterestrate setting committee at atime that President Donald Trump is seeking to exert morecontrol over the central bank.

As president of one ofthe Fed’s12regional banks, Bostic, 59,serves on the 19-member committee that meets eight timesayeartodecide whether to change akey short-term interestratethat influences borrowing costs throughout theeconomy. Only 12 of the 19 participants vote on rates at each meeting. The regional Fed presidents rotate as voters, and theAtlanta Fed’spresident will next vote in 2027.

Bostic’sreplacement will be selected by the Atlanta Fed’s board of directors, which are made up of local business and communityleaders, notthe Trump administration.The terms of all the regional Fed presidents end in 2026.

Bostic is the first Black and openly gay president of aregional Fed bank in the Fed’s 112year history andwas first appointed in June 2017. He hasrecentlyexpressed concerns that inflation is still too high for the Fed to deeply cut its key rate and suggested he supported just one rate cut this year,whilethe Fedhas cut twice.

Actorspartner with for AI voice cloning

NEW YORK Oscar-winning actors MichaelCaine andMatthew McConaughey have made deals with voice-cloning company ElevenLabsthat will allow its artificialintelligence technology to replicate their voices.

Caine said in astatement that ElevenLabs is “usinginnovation not to replace humanity,but to celebrate it.”

“It’snot about replacing voices; it’saboutamplifying them, opening doors for new storytellers everywhere,” said the 92-year-old actor in astatement. McConaugheyalsosaid he is investing in the New York-based startup and has had arelationshipwith it for several years. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. McConaugheysaid the deal will enable him to voice his newsletter in Spanish.

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

BY DAVID MATTHEWS Newyork Daily News (TNS)

Tariffs are expected to raise the price of Christmas trees and other decorationsthisholiday season.

Sincethese products arenot typically mass produced in the U.S., the cost of an artificial tree is estimated to be 10% to 20% higher than last year,with lightscosting as much as 63% more than in 2024,

according to NBC News

Ornaments from China —but not some other countries —will also cost more, accordingtoaNASDAQ report.

MacHarman,the founderand CEO of artificial tree vendor Balsam Hill, told theoutlet that about 90% of Christmasdecor products are manufactured in China.

Thehigher prices will also affect supply as sellersare optingtoimport fewer products to offset the rising costs.

“There’snoquestion that it will be harder to find the exact tree and decor that you want this year, and it’ll be moreexpensive,”Jami

Warner,executive director of the American Christmas Tree Association,told Axios. The live tree market, where most trees aregrown andsoldin theU.S is not expected to see similar price hikes or any drop in supply since thetrees take about a decade before they’re ready to cut down and sell. However,the Hartford Courant reported that climate change is leading growers to plant more trees to yield the samenumberoftrees as years past, leading to prices to go up forfresh-cut trees. Jesse Steadman, co-owner of Maple Hollow Tree FarminNew

Hartford, Connecticut, said he expects to have acouple thousand trees to sell this year.However, each tree is expected to costat least $5 more to cover the cost of things like seed, fertilizer and other supplies. The tariffs are expected to raise overallshopping prices.A Lending Tree report estimates tariffs will be adding $40.6 billiontoholiday spending, equating to an extra $132 per shopper Despitethat, holidayspending in theU.S.isexpected to top $1 trillion for the first time this year, according to theNational Retail Federation.

LEFT PENNILESS

BY MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA The U.S. ended production of thepenny Wednesday,abandoning the 1-cent coins that were embedded in Americanculture for more than 230 years as symbolsoffrugality and theprice of aperson’s thoughts but hadbecome nearly worthless. Whenitwas introduced in 1793, apenny could buya biscuit,acandleorapiece of candy.But now mostofthem arecast aside to sit in jars or junk drawers, and each one costs nearly 4cents to make.

“God bless America,and we’re going to savethe taxpayers $56million,” Treasurer Brandon Beach said at theU.S. Mint in Philadelphia beforehitting abuttontostrike the finalpenny.The coins were then carefully placedon atrayfor journaliststosee. The last fewpennies were to be auctioned off.

Billions of pennies arestill in circulation andwillremain legal tender, butnew ones will no longerbemade.

The last U.S. cointobediscontinued was the half-cent in 1857, Beach said.

Most penny productionendedoverthe summer,officials said. During the final pressing, workers at the mint stood quietly on the factory floor as if bidding farewell to an old friend. When thelast coins emerged, themen and women broke into applause andcheered one another

“It’sanemotional day,” saidClayton Crotty,who has worked at the mint for 15 years.

“But it’snot unexpected.”

PresidentDonald Trumpordered thepen-

BY DAVID BAUDER AP media writer

NEW YORK Asked what viewers should expect when television’s MSNBC makes itscorporate divorce from NBCNews final this weekend, network president Rebecca Kutler points to aposter on the wall of aconference room at its newoffices offTimes Square.

Its message reads: “Same Mission. New Name.”

“Tome, that encapsulates exactly whatweneed to be saying,” Kutler said. “Our job in thenext few weeks is to flood the zone .and makesure

gave outprizes, such as afree drink, in exchange fora pile of pennies.

“Wehavebeenadvocating abolition of the penny for 30 years. But this is not the way we wanted it to go,” JeffLenardofthe National Association of Convenience Stores said last month.

Proponents of eliminating the coincited costsavings, speediercheckouts at cash registers and the fact that somecountries havealreadyeliminated their 1-cent coins. Canada, forinstance, stopped minting its penny in 2012.

Some banks began rationing supplies, a somewhat paradoxical result of the effort to address whatmanysee as aglut of the coins. Over thelast century,about half of the coins made at mints in Philadelphia and Denver have been pennies.

ny’sdemise as costs climbed and the 1-cent valuation became virtually obsolete.

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than2cents,”Trumpwrote in an online post in February. “This is so wasteful!”

Still, many Americanshavea nostalgia for them, seeing penniesaslucky or fun to collect. And some retailers voiced concernsinrecentweeksassupplies ran low andthe endofproduction drewnear.They said the phaseout was abrupt andcamewith no government guidance on how to handle transactions. Somebusinesses rounded prices down to avoidshortchanging shoppers. Others pleaded with customers to bring exact change.The morecreative amongthem

But theycostfar less to produce than the nickel, which costs nearly 14 cents to make. The diminutive dime,bycomparison, costs less than 6cents to produce, and the quarter nearly 15 cents. No matter theirface value,collectors and historians consider them an important historical record. Frank Holt, an emeritus professoratthe University of Houston who has studied the history of coins, laments the loss.

“Weput mottoes on them and self-identifiers, and we decide —inthe case of the United States —whichdead personsare most importanttousand should be commemorated,” he said.

“They reflect our politics, our religion, our art, our sense of ourselves, ourideals, ouraspirations.”

they knowthe thing that they love will be the exact same thing on Nov 15.” Saturday is when MSNBC officially becomes MS NOW,standing for My Sourcefor News,Opinion andthe World.

That’sthe most visible manifestation of parent companyComcast’s decision to spin off mostofits cablenetworks into anew company known as Versant

It’stough enough when one partnertells another that they’re leaving for someone new.Inthis case, they’rejustleavingthe partner behind; acable television network is consideredsucha diminishing assetintoday’smedia world that giant companies would rather be free of them.

“A lotofusreally didn’tknow what it meant,” said prime-time host Jen Psaki, “and it didn’tfeel great initially.” Left on its own, MS NOW is embracing theethos of astartup, suggesting it will be better positioned to experiment without ties to the more corporate NBC News. “Morning Joe” is starting itsown newsletter.Podcast ideas areencouraged The network is expanding live events, letting itstelevisionstars interact with the audience; Rachel Maddowhas oneinChicagolater this month. As Kutler says, the network’s focusonnewsand commentary with aliberal perspective remains intact.Sodoes its lineup of stars —Maddow,Nicolle Wallace, Ari

Melber and the like. MS NOW has built its own reporting andsupport staff, and is moving into anew headquarters west of Broadway in Manhattan that is, not incidentally, the formerlongtime headquarters of The New York Times. The new office, tricked out with the latest electronics, ends one geographical oddity: No longerare the political polaroppositesMSNBC andFox News Channel located across Sixth Avenue from one another The MS NOWnews staffhas aboutthree dozenreporters, among them Washington Post alumsJackie Alemanyand CarolLeonnig. It has signed partnerships with Sky News for international reporting and AccuWeather for forecasting.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOS By MATT SLOCUM

U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and Christopher Faulls hold some the last pennies to be pressed at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia on Wednesday.