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GOVERNMENTSHUTDOWNENDS AS TRUMP SIGNS FUNDING BILL 3A

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Ex-lawmaker indicted in theftofartifact

Legislation couldend some THC products in La.

Retailer says bill would‘effectivelykill’ some hemp industries

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON —Part of the legislation that ends the government shutdownalso could end anascent industry in Louisiana of making drinks, edibles and other consumer products containing low levels of THC, theintoxicating element in marijuana.

“The ramifications in this bill would be catastrophic,” said Dax Thieler, chief executiveofﬁcerof Fleur de Leaf in New Orleans. The legislation“prevents the unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products, including Delta-8, from beingsoldonline, in gasstations, and corner stores, while preserving nonintoxicating CBDand industrial hempproducts.” The provision would allow up to 0.4 milligrams of totalTHC per container which is less thanthe amounts in seltzers and ediblescurrentlybeing manufactured.

BY TYLERBRIDGES and PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writers

Former House Speaker Clay Schexnayder was indicted Wednesday by aBaton Rouge grand juryrelated to the disappearance of an ancient cypressboard that was last seen in his legislativeofﬁce in Gonzales. The indictmentsays Schexnayder “knowingly and intentionally committed theft of arare Louisiana state artifact, leading to acharge of felony theftgreater than $25,000.

It also says he has been charged with malfeasance in ofﬁce for “intentionally refusing to perform adutyrequired of him as apublic ofﬁcer or employee.”

Schexnayder couldface up to 25 years in prison anda $5,000 fine, according to the Attorney General’sOffice, which brought theindictmentin East Baton Rouge Parish Under typical procedures, Schexnayder would be arrested or turn himself in voluntarily

The board, which was displayed at the StateCapitol fordecades, vanished from Schexnayder’sofﬁce last year as he was ending a12-year term in the House, the last four as the Republican speaker of the 105-member chamber

The disappearance of the board was first reported by The Advocate |The Times-Picayune in September.The newspaperalso reportedthatJulius Mullins, aretired BatonRouge doctor whose grandfather Walter Stebbins donated the board to thestate in the1950s, had asked

Maxwell thatTrumphad “spent hours” at Epstein’shouse with a sex trafﬁcking victim.

and has saidheendedtheir relationship years ago.

Amarkethas been growing in Louisiana and the rest of the countryfor products including THC, tetrahydrocannabinol. That’sthe active ingredient in marijuana, but the new products derive it from hemp that is grown in such away as to limit the amount of THC.

The industry,whichisonly about ﬁve yearsold, hadsales last year of about $33 million that generated about $4.3 millionintax revenues in Louisiana, Thieler said. Products that are sold through about2,500 licensed retailers in thestate would become illegalin ayear,but would likely become

ä See THC, page 7A

BY MICHAELR.SISAK and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Jeffrey Epstein wrote in a2019 email to ajournalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls,” according to documentsmade public Wednesday, but what he knew —and whether

it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes —isunclear.The White House quickly accused Democrats of selectivelyleaking the emails to smear thepresident.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committeereleased three emails referencingTrump, includingone Epsteinwrote in 2011 in which he told conﬁdant Ghislaine

The disclosuresseemed designedtoraisenew questions about Trump’s friendship withEpstein and about what knowledge he may have had regarding what prosecutors call ayearslongeffortbyEpstein to exploit underage girls. The Republican businessman-turnedpolitician hasconsistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’scrimes

Theversion of the 2011 email released by the Democrats redacted the nameofthe victim,but Republicans on the committeelater said it was Virginia Giuffre, whoaccused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual

encounters with anumber of his rich and powerful friends. Epstein took his own lifeinaNew York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges.

Theemails madepublic Wednesday are part of abatch of 23,000 documents provided by Epstein’s estate to the Oversight Committee. Giuffre, who diedearlierthis year,long insisted that Trumpwas

See EPSTEIN, page 7A

PROVIDED PHOTO

Thisphoto shows a20-foot-long cypress board thatwas harvested from atree believedtobemorethan 1,000 yearsold.The board used to hang in the halls of the Louisiana StateCapitol, but has since gone missing.

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.

Vance praises RFK Jr. at MAHA summit

BY ALI SWENSON Associated Press

WASHINGTON Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday praised Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s willingness to question established science and embrace nontraditional voices in the health care space, saying that often throughout history, “all the experts were wrong.”

In remarks in a fireside chat between the two men at a “Make America Healthy Again” summit in the nation’s capital, Vance also propped up Kennedy’s MAHA movement, saying it has been “a critical part of our success in Washington.”

Vance’s words show how Kennedy, whose wrecking-ball approach to public health agencies and longstanding vaccine skepticism have made him a polarizing figure among the public and in Congress, has been embraced by the White House as a needed force for change.

“Of all the specific initiatives that you guys have worked on ef-

fectively, the most important thing is that your team is willing to ask questions that people in government haven’t been asking in a long time,” Vance told Kennedy onstage.

The Vance-Kennedy event was livestreamed, but the summit was otherwise off limits to the press.

Even as President Donald Trump and Kennedy have disagreed on issues from COVID-19 vaccines to abortion the White House this year has largely left Kennedy alone as he has made sweeping changes to the agencies he leads, including laying off thousands of workers, firing science advisers and remaking vaccine guidelines.

The Trump administration has touted Kennedy’s efforts to phase out artiﬁcial dyes in foods, wage war on ultra-processed foods and update the national dietary guidelines. As health secretary, he has said he wants to ﬁnd the root causes of chronic disease and help Americans reduce their exposure to toxins.

Critics, including some of the country’s leading medical associations, say that Kennedy’s dis-

regard for established science is fomenting public distrust in mainstream medicine and that his views, once considered fringe, are being ampliﬁed from his perch as health secretary

“This closed-door convention is nothing more than an ego-stroking symposium of ‘wellbeing influencers’ and ‘MAHA moms’ whose rejection of scientific expertise puts our public health at risk,” said Erik Polyak, executive director of the progressive political action committee 314 Action, which works to elect Democratic scientists to office.

Kennedy and his allies dispute that their agenda is anti-science.

Vance nodded to the fact that many in Kennedy’s network don’t come from conventional medical circles, and some have more experience in business than in health. In fact, many of the health secretary’s close allies and new hires have outright rejected medical consensus on topics including vaccines and how to heal chronic disease.

“We’ve got to be comfortable challenging some of these old or-

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

thodoxies, and part of that is welcoming people that are a little unusual,” Vance said. The MAHA event at a Washington hotel came on the heels of a different meeting in Austin, Texas, that welcomed several of the same attendees — the annual conference of Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group Kennedy used to lead.

That conference over the weekend was more squarely focused on immunizations, with sessions such as “The Enduring Nightmare of COVID mRNA Technology” and “Understanding the Enormity of Vaccine Injury.” Wednesday’s packed house of Trump administration officials, biotech entrepreneurs, MAHA influencers and others included sessions about topics such as how artiﬁcial intelligence is being used in health care, reversing aging, making food healthier and more. MAHA Action, the Kennedysupporting group hosting the event, said Trump’s embrace of the movement marks “a decisive turning point in U.S. health policy.”

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.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAJDI MOHAMMED

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.

Trump signs funding bill to end shutdown

BY KEVIN FREKING, JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MATT BROWN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill

Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks.

Trump’s signature draws to a close the second government shutdown he’s overseen in the White House, one that magniﬁed the partisan divisions in Washington as his administration took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.

The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had passed the measure Monday. 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

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 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.

America’s health care crisis.” Without the enhanced tax credit, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans More than 2 million people would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the Congressional Budget Ofﬁce projected. It’s unclear whether the parties

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

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 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

Arizona representative sworn in after long delay

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI, MATT BROWN and MEG KINNARD Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Democrat

Most Democrats call the passage of the spending bill this week a mistake. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who received blowback from his party in March when he voted to keep the government open, said the bill “fails to do anything of substance to ﬁx

Livingston Parish Library Requestfor Proposalsfor E-Rate Category 2- Internal Connections

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Thedeadlinefor vendorstosubmitquestions will be December4,2025, at 2:00 p.m. CST. Questionsshouldbesubmitted in writingtoLydia Hoogevia emailatlydia@ecserate.org. Answerstoquestionswillbepostedtothe library RFP page by December5,2025. Thedeadlinefor vendorsto submit proposalsisDecember18, 2025, by 2:00 p.m. CST. Proposalsmustbeuploadedasone PDFdocumenttothe linkinthe RFP

Adelita Grijalva was sworn in as the newest member of Congress on Wednesday, more than seven weeks after she won a special election in Arizona to ﬁll the House seat last held by her late father Grijalva was sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, on Wednesday shortly before the House returned to session to vote on a deal to fund the federal government. After delivering a ﬂoor speech, Grijalva signed a discharge petition to eventually trigger a vote to re-

lease ﬁles related to Jeffrey Epstein, giving it the needed 218 signatures. Grijalva’s seating brings the partisan margin in the House to a narrow 219-214 Republican majority She vowed to continue her father’s legacy of advocating for progressive policies on issues like environmentalism, labor rights and tribal sovereignty The seating of Grijalva

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brings an end to a weekslong delay that she and other Democrats said was intended to prevent her signature on the Epstein petition. Lawmakers who win special elections typically take the oath of office on days when legislative business is conducted But with the House out of session since Sept. 19, Johnson had said he would swear her in when everyone returned.

Allbiddersmustbeauthorizedresellers of products andservices requested. CompleteBiddingDocuments for this projectare availableinelectronicform. They maybe obtained withoutcharge andwithout depositfromEducational Consulting Associates Incorporated by emailing lydia@ecserate.org. Allcorrespondence must be submitted in writing. Printedcopies arenot available. Thelibrary reserves theright to rejectany andall bids forjustcause.In accordance with La.R.S. 38:2212(B)(1), theprovisions and requirements of this sectionand thosestatedinthe bidding documentsshall notbewaivedbyany entity

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Timeline forSNAPbenefits remainsuncertain

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL

Associated Press

Congress has taken amajor step toward reopening the government, but there’sstill uncertainty about when one of the most far-reaching impacts of the closure will be resolved and all 42 million Americans who receive SNAP food aid will have access to their full November beneﬁts.

The House on Wednesday adopted aplan to reopen and sent it to President Donald Trump to sign.

One provision calls for restarting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but even that doesn’tresolve when the beneﬁts will be loaded onto the debit cards beneﬁciaries use to buy groceries.

Aspokesperson for the U.S.Department of Agriculture,which runs the program, saidinanemail Wednesday that funds could be available “upon the government reopening, within 24 hours for most states.” Thedepartment didn’timmediately answer questions about where it might take longer —orwhether the 24-hour timeline applies to whenmoney would be available to states or loaded onto debit cards used by beneﬁciaries.

There has been aseries of court battles over the fate of the largest government food program, which

serves about1 in 8Americans.

Availability couldvarybystate

Seesawing court rulings and messages from the USDA have meant thatbeneﬁciaries in some states already havereceived their full monthlyallocations whilein others they have received nothing.Somestates have issuedpartial payments.

States say it’sfaster to provide full beneﬁts than it is to do thecalculationsand computer programming required for partial amounts.

At least 19 states plus the District of Columbia issued full beneﬁts to at least some recipients last week, an Associated Presstally found. Many of them managed to do it in aday or so,inthe narrow window between the Nov.6 court ruling thatrequired the federal government to make full payments and one Nov.7bythe U.S. Supreme Court that stopped it.

Jessica Garon, aspokesperson for the American Public Human Services Association, saidshe anticipates most states will be able to issue full beneﬁts within three days after they’re giventhe go-ahead, but that it might takea week for others.

Expertssay thestates that have sent no November beneﬁtsalready, such as SouthCarolina andWest Virginia, will likely be the quickest.

But there’sacomplication.Sixteen states have loaded theEBT cards used in SNAP with partial benefits. Carolyn Vega, apolicy analystwith theadvocacy group Share OurStrength, said some of those states might run intotechnical hurdles to issuethe remaining amount.

Even if there’ssome clarity that benefits areonthe way,exactly when they arrive will matter to millionsofAmericans.

About 42 million lower-income Americans receive SNAPbeneﬁts,

on average about$190 monthly perperson. Many saythe beneﬁts don’tand aren’t intendedtocover thefull cost of groceries in aregular month, even with careful budgeting.

Stategovernments scramble

The USDAtold states Oct.24 thatitwould not fund the program forNovember if theshutdowncontinued. Thatleftstatesscrambling

Most Democratic-ledstates sued to have the funding restored. Some Democratic andRepubli-

can-led states launched efforts to payfor SNAPbeneﬁts using state money,boostfoodbanks anddeploy the National Guard to help with food distribution.Another group of states used their money allotted forSNAPbeneﬁts only after ajudge ordered the Trumpadministration to cover the full cost forthe month.

Thelegislation to reopen thegovernment passed by the Senate on Monday calls forstates to be reimbursed forspending their funds to run programs usually paid for by the federal government.

It’s notimmediately clear, though, which situations might qualifyinthe case of SNAP In the meantime, the USDA told states Tuesdaythat it would reimburse them forpaying out partial SNAP benefits under asystem where recipients get up to 65% of their regularallocations— andevenstates thatpaidthe full amount can receive partialreimbursements. It also said it would notreducethe amount on cards for recipients in states that paid full amounts.

Democratic-led states that sued forbeneﬁts to be madeavailable said in afiling Wednesdaythat the late-arriving information “illustrates the chaos and confusion occasioned by USDA’s multiple, conﬂicting guidance documents.”

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer

California plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’slicensesgiven to immigrants after the Trump administration raised concerns about people in the country illegally improperly receiving licenses to drive asemitruck or abus. But

Gov.Gavin Newsom said that isn’t the reason Newsomsaidthe revocationsare for violations of state law,but he didn’tprovide speciﬁcs.

Both the Democratic governor’s ofﬁce and the Republican Trump Administration’s Transportation Department agreed that these licenses violated the existing stan-

dard that were in place before Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recentlytightened the rules following anationwide commercial driver’slicense audit launched afteradriverinthe country illegally made aU-turn and caused acrash in Florida that killed threepeople. Fatal truck crashes in Texasand Alabama earlier this year also high-

•PresentedinaPittman

PARISH Requestfor Qualiﬁcations for

CharlesParishis seekingstatementsof qualification forProfes‐sionalServicesassoci‐atedwiththe St.Charles ParishSafeStreetsand Roads forAll Action Plan, a projectfunded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’sFederal Highway Administration Office of Safety.Inter‐ested partiesare invited tosecurea Requestfor Qualificationspackage fromStacy Dugasbyemailinga requestto sdugas@stcharlesgov net. Be sure to reference the projectnameinthe email request. Submittals must be re‐ceivedbythe St.Charles Parish Purchasing Office at P.O. Box302, Hahnville, LA 70057 or 15045 River Road 3rdFloor,Hahnville LA 70057, no laterthan 10:00 a.m.,local time on Thursday,December4 2025. Anysubmittal re‐ceivedlater than the specified time anddate willNOT be accepted or considered. No facsimile,email,or telephone submittals will beaccepted. Submittals MUSTbesealedand clearly labeled: RFQ– St CharlesParishSafe Streetsand Roadsfor All Action Plan on theout‐sideofthe enve‐lope/package, as well as the firm’s name,address and licensenumber(if applicable). Theproceduresfor the selection of this firm will beinaccordancewith the procurementrequire‐ments of theUnited StatesDepartmentof Transportation, theState ofLouisiana,and St Charles Parish.All sub‐mittals received will be evaluated in accordance withthe selectioncrite‐ria andcorresponding point

light questionsabout these licenses

Aﬁery California crash involving an illegalimmigrant truck driver last month that killed three more people only added to the concerns.

California state transportation officials didn’timmediately respond to questions seeking more detailsabout whythese licenses are being revoked.

Duffy said Wednesday that California’saction to revoke these licenses is an admissionthatthe state had acted improperly even though the state had previously defendedits licensing standards. California launchedits reviewof commercial driver’slicenses the state had issued after Duffy raised concerns.

225-383-4755, except holi‐days. Youcan also email Bryanne.pierce@ wbrcouncil.orgfor abid packet. Thespecificationsare usedonlytodenotethe quality standard of prod‐uct desiredand do not necessarily restrict bid‐derstoa specificbrand makemanufacturer, or named specification.The specificationsare used onlytoset forthand con‐vey to prospectivebid‐dersthe generalstyle type, character, and quality of theproduct de‐sired.Equivalentorbet‐ter products will be ac‐ceptable. Prospectivebidders musthavea dealer certi‐fied mechanic shop ca‐pable of providingall warrantyrequirements asa pre-requisitetobid‐ding. No bidbondisrequired for this project. No bidder maywithdraw his bidfor at leastthirty (30) days after thetime scheduled forthe open‐ing of bids.Eachpro‐posal shallbesubmitted onlyonthe Proposal Formauthorizedbythis office TheParishCouncil re‐servesthe righttoreject any andall bids or to ac‐ceptany bid(s) which in the opinionofthe Parish Council will be in the bestinterestofthe Parishand to waiveany informalities PUBLISH: THEADVOCATE November

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH

Aperson shops for produce, which is covered by the USDASupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,Monday at agrocerystore in Baltimore.

Pakistan’s primeministerofferstalks to Afghanistan

BY MUNIR AHMED Associated Press

ISLAMABAD Pakistan’s prime minister on Wednesday offered talks to Afghanistan’sTaliban government in arenewed peace overture, about aweek afternegotiations between the two sides collapsed in Istanbul, raising fears that aceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey could unravel and trigger new border clashes

Shehbaz Sharif made the offer in atelevised speech to parliament, aday after adeadly suicide bombing outside acourt in Islamabad killed 12 people and wounded 27 others. Still, he saidthat Pakistan wanted peace in the region, becauseitwas good for both sides, though there were “Afghan footprints” in this week’sattacks.

“Let us sit with sincere hearts, rein in terrorism, and work together for peace and prosperity in the region,” Sharif said. He said that during the recent rounds of talks in Doha and Istanbul, Pakistan had only made one demandtoAfghanistan:rein in the militants.

“Wewantpeace to prevail,” he said, and “Afghanistan should realize that what is goodfor us is good forthem. Butitcannot be that they make promisesand thenfail to act.” There was no immediate comment from Kabulto

Sharif’s offer

The latest development came hours after Pakistanis buriedtheir loved ones killed in thesuicide bombingatanIslamabad court, as authorities opened an investigation intothe assault The bombing in Islam-

abad underscored thecountry’schallenges as thegovernment struggles witha growing militancy,border tensions and afragile truce with Afghanistan. Tuesday’s attack at the district court,located on the edge of the city,raised

alarms thatdespite multiple operations by security forces to crush the militants, they are still capable of mounting high-proﬁle bombings —even in the Pakistani capital.

Pakistan has struggled with asurge in militant attacks in recent years, but until Tuesday’sbombing, Islamabadhad largely been considered asafer place.

Forensic teams and police were combing Wednesday through debris at thesite of the blast, which had been sealed to preserve evidence. Later,funeral prayers got underway forsomeofthe victims. Most of the 27 people wounded in the bombing had been dischargedhome after treatment.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvisaidinthe immediate aftermath of Tuesday’s bombing that the attack was “carried out by Indianbacked elements and AfghanTalibanproxies” linked to the Pakistani Taliban.

India and Afghanistan’s Taliban-ledgovernment both reject Pakistan’s accusations.

Naqvi also blamed the Pakistani Talibanfor the at-

tack. Pakistan has long said that the Afghan Taliban have been sheltering leaders and ﬁghters fromTehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP —an accusation that Kabuldenies. The TTP deniedinvolvement on Tuesday, whilea breakaway faction, Jamaatul-Ahrar,claimed responsibility,only to have one of its commanders later contradict that statement.

On Mondaynight,four militants targeted an armyruncollege forcadetsin thenorthwestern city of Wana. The police said four of the attackers —includinga suicidecar bomber— were killed and more than 600 people,including 525 cadets, their teachers and other staff, were safely rescued during the overnight assault. The attack unfolded when asuicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the college gate. Troops quickly fannedout across thecampus to prevent the attackers from reaching the buildings where cadets and staffhad taken shelter No oneclaimedresponsibility forthe attack.

TopUkrainian ministerssubmitresignationsincorruptionscandal

BY SAMYAKULLAB Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine As Russia’srenewed attacks on Ukraine’senergyinfrastructure cause rolling blackouts ahead of winter,a major embezzlement and kickbacks scandal involving the state-owned nuclear power company has put top ofﬁcials under scrutiny

It’sfast becoming one of the most signiﬁcant government crises since Moscow’sfull-scale invasion, with media reports implicating aclose associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Responding to apublic backlash, Zelenskyy called for the dismissal of his justice and energy ministers amid the investigation. They later submitted their resignations, the prime minister said.

Anti-corruption watchdogs —the same agenciesZelenskyy sought to weaken earlier this year —revealed theﬁndings of a15-month investigation, including 1,000 hours of wiretaps, resultinginthe detention of five people, andanother seven linked to about $100million in kickbacks in the energy sector Ukrainian officialsare scrambling for European funds to manage mounting energy shortages as Moscow targets critical infra-

structure and natural gas productiontotry to sinkpublic morale.

Meanwhile,Ukraine’s outnumbered forces are retreating under relentless assaults in the nearly 4-year-old war

The country has been plaguedby corruption since gaining independence, and Zelenskyywas elected on amandate to eliminate graft. Military procurement scandals led to the ouster of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in 2023.

Butthe timing of thisone couldn’t be much worse.

“Internally this scandal will be used toundermine unity and stability withinthe country.Externally,our enemieswill use it as an argument to stop aid to Ukraine, saidOleksandr Merezhko, alawmaker with Zelenskyy’sparty. “It looks really bad in the eyes of our European and American partners. While Russians destroy our power grid and people have to endure blackouts, someoneatthe top was stealing money during the war.”

One lingering question is how high thecorruption goes.

What investigatorsfound

TheNationalAnti-Corruption Bureau,known as NABU, refrained fromidentifying the suspects but said theyincluded abusinessman,

aformer adviser to theenergy minister,anexecutive who oversaw physical protection at state energy companyEnergoatem,and others responsible for money laundering.

Theagency alsoaccused eight people of bribery,abuse of ofﬁce andpossession of disproportionate assets

The investigation, which NABU said conducted over 70 raids, was welcomed by Zelenskyy, who urged ofﬁcials tocooperate with it. Energoatom says theinquiry didn’tdisrupt its operations.

NABU released excerpts of tapes in which thenetwork, usingcode names and secretive language, discussed blackmail and pressuring Energoatom contractors to extract 10%-15% in kickbacks and bribes in exchangefor them to do business without facing internal blocks.

Thenetwork took advantage of aregulation enforced during martial lawprohibiting contractors from claiming debts in court from companies providingessentialservices,suchasEnergoatom, which has annual revenuesofabout $4.7 billion. Fourothers worked to launderthe money at aKyiv ofﬁce.

The tapes, which have not been independently veriﬁed by The Associated Press, say about $1.2 million was giventoaformer deputy

primeminister

Ministersresign

Amid the scandal, Zelenskyy calledfor the ouster of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, whoalsowas aformer energyminister,and currentEnergy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk.

Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said they submitted theirresignations. She also saidthe cabinet submitted proposalstoapply sanctions against Timur Mindich, acloseZelenskyy associate, and businessman Alexander Tsukerman

“Among other things, this is a matter of trust,” Zelenskyy said in avideo on his Telegram channel.

That has raised questionsabout what thecountry’shighest ofﬁcials knew of the scheme.

AZelenskyy partner

In thetapes, Mindich, 46, acoowner of Zelenskyy’sKvartal 95 media production company,is believed to be speaking underthe code name “Karlsson.” Under Zelenskyy,Mindich has gained clout and influence in multiple industries,including lucrative domestic drone production.

NABU hasinvestigated hisalleged connection with Fire Point,

adrone manufacturer that has risen to prominence by securing government contracts. NABU investigated thecompanyoverconcerns it misled the government on weapons prices.

“It looks like Zelenskyy distanced himself from Mindich long ago and whenthe scandal broke out, Zelenskyy didn’tstart to cover Mindich,” Merezkho said. “But Idon’t rule out that someone from hisentourage might havesuccumbed to temptation to make aquick buck.”

The AP gained access to the company’sfactory in August. Its executives deny connections to Mindich.

“The key issue here is that the company supposedly afﬁliated to Mindich is getting government contracts outside the competition, because of thepersonal relationship to theadministration,”said Ukrainian investigative journalist Yurii Nikolov,who looked into the businessman’sdealings with Fire Point.

After his suspensionasjustice minister, Halushchenko said in a Facebook post thathewould defend himself in court.

Halushchenko, who was energy minister from 2021 until July when he took over as justice minister, has not been formally charged.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANJUM NAVEED

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street drifts around its records

NEW YORK U.S. stocks drifted around their records in amixed day of trading Wednesday

The S&P 500 added0.1% and neared its all-timehigh set acouple weeks ago. The Dow JonesIndustrial 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. Itrallied9%after CEO Lisa Su said the chip company is expecting betterthan 35%ofannual 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 been one of the top reasons the U.S. market has hitrecordsdespite aslowing jobmarket and high inﬂation. Their prices have shot so high, though, thatcritics saythey’re reminiscent of the 2000 dot-com bubble, which ultimately burst and dragged 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 AIchips swung between gains and losses throughout Wednesday.Palantir Technologies, another AI darling, fell 3.6% forone ofthe day’slarger losses in the S&P 500.

Fedpresident Bostic to retire in February

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

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

Bostic’sreplacement will be selected by the Atlanta Fed’s board of directors, which are made up of local businessand community leaders, 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’s112year history and was first appointedinJune 2017. He hasrecently expressed concerns that inﬂation is still too highfor the Fed to deeply cut its key rate and suggested he supported just one rate cut thisyear,while the Fed hascut twice.

Actorspartner with for AI voice cloning

NEW YORK Oscar-winning actors MichaelCaine andMatthew McConaughey have madedeals with voice-cloning company ElevenLabsthat will allow its artiﬁcial intelligence 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’s aboutamplifying 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. Financialterms of the deals were not disclosed. McConaugheysaid the deal will enable him to voice his newsletter in Spanish.

Holidays maycostmorethisyear

Tariffsexpectedto raisepricesfor trees, otherdecorations

BY DAVID MATTHEWS Newyork Daily News (TNS)

Tariffs are expected to raise the priceofChristmas trees andother decorations this holiday season.

Sincethese products arenot typically mass producedinthe U.S the cost of an artiﬁcial tree isestimated 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 the trees take about a decade before they’re ready to cut down and sell. However,the Hartford Courantreported 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 cost at 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. When it was 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. coin to be discontinuedwas the half-cent in 1857, Beach said.

Most penny production endedoverthe 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 MSNBCmakes itscorporate divorce from NBC News final this weekend, network president Rebecca Kutler points to aposteron the wall of aconference room at its newofﬁcesoff Times Square. Its message reads: “Same Mission.New Name.” “Tome, that encapsulates exactly what we need to be saying,” Kutler said. “Our job in the next few weeks is to ﬂood the zone and make sure

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 thelastcentury,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 longthe UnitedStates has minted pennies which literally cost us more than2cents,”Trumpwrote in an online post in February. “This is so wasteful!”

Still, manyAmericanshavea nostalgia for them, seeing penniesaslucky or fun to collect. And some retailers voiced concerns in recent weeksassupplies ran low andthe endofproduction drewnear.They said the phaseout wasabrupt 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 persons aremost 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 the ethos 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, lettingits televisionstars interact with the audience; Rachel Maddowhas oneinChicagolater this month. As Kutler says, the network’s focus on news and 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

embeddedinAmerican culture for more than

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.

EPSTEIN

Continued from page 1A

not among the men who had victimized her.

In a court deposition, she said under oath that she didn’t believe 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 the club.

Trump “couldn’t have been friendlier,” Giuffre wrote.

Other members of Epstein’s household staff also said in sworn depositions that, while Trump did stop by Epstein’s house, they didn’t see him engage in any inappropriate conduct.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Democrats “selectively

leaked emails” to “create a fake 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 Republicans involved 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,” including Giuffre. The women, he said, were “taken out of the spa, hired by him — in other words, gone.”

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

Shortly after Democrats

released the Trump-related emails, committee Republicans countered by disclosing what they said was an additional 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate. Among them were a trove of emails written over several years by Epstein, including many where he commented — often unfavorably — on Trump’s rise in politics and corresponded with journalists.

The release resurfaces a storyline that had shadowed Trump’s presidency during the summer when the FBI and the Justice Department abruptly announced that they would 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 email to journalist Michael Wolff, who has written extensively about Trump, Epstein wrote of Trump, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”

In an April 2, 2011, email to Maxwell, a former Epstein girlfriend now imprisoned for conspiring to engage in sex trafficking, Epstein

wrote, “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump. Virginia spent hours at my house with him he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75% there.” Maxwell replied the same day: “I have been thinking about that.”

Leavitt said the person referenced in the emails is Giuffre, who had accused Britain’s then-Prince Andrew and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager and who died by suicide in April. Andrew who recently was stripped of his titles and evicted from his royal residence by King Charles III after weeks of pressure to act over his relationship with Epstein, has rejected Giuffre’s allegations and said he didn’t recall meeting her It wasn’t clear what Epstein meant by saying that Trump was a dog that “hadn’t barked,” but both he and Maxwell in other correspondence accused Giuffre of fabricating stories about

her supposed sexual interactions with famous men.

Leavitt said in a statement that Giuffre had “repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and ‘couldn’t have been friendlier’ to her in their limited interactions.”

“The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre,” the statement said. “These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”

Messages seeking comment were left with Wolff, Maxwell attorney David Markus and representatives for Giuffre’s family Maxwell, interviewed in July by the Justice Department’s second-in-command,

repeatedly denied witnessing any sexually inappropriate interactions involving Trump.

“I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting,” Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, according to a transcript of the interview “I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way The President was never inappropriate with anybody In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.” Giuffre came forward publicly after an initial investigation ended in an 18-month Florida jail term for Epstein, who made a secret deal to avoid federal prosecution by pleading guilty instead to relatively minor state-level charges of soliciting prostitution. He was released in 2009. In subsequent lawsuits, Giuffre said she was a teenage spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago when she was approached in 2000 by Maxwell.

harder to find on store shelves far sooner because the manufacturers would stop making the drinks and gummies.

Usually a competitor Jacob Landry, owner of Urban South in New Orleans, the other Louisiana-owned company that makes drinks, painted a similar gloomy picture

“We’ve been engaging with all our delegation through this process and most of their ofﬁces have been responsive, but it’s moving so quickly and the priority is to get the government open, so they haven’t had time or capacity to dig 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 Senate-passed legislation, then the measure would have to return for Senate concurrence, which would delay the reopening of government operations shut down since Oct. 1.

“There’s still time for there to be something worked out in the interim, but it creates a ton of uncertainty,” Landry said. “We already had a lot of uncertainty with some distributors and retailers not wanting to touch THC products because there isn’t absolute federal clarity on it, so this muddies the water even more.”

Louisiana already is one of the most-regulated states. New state laws already cap products at 5 milligrams of THC per item. Retailers are allowed to sell gummies in packs of eight at 5 milligrams each. Beverages are sold in four packs with 5 milligrams per can. Though alcohol content

is a percentage and THC is measured in milligrams, a 5-milligram seltzer is roughly analogous to a standard beer with 5% alcohol, said Jared Thieler an executive in his father’s company, Fleur de Leaf. Anything lower and consumers won’t buy the product, he added

“The bill would effectively kill the hemp-derived THC industries if it goes into effect,” Landry said U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a Washington-based industry advocacy group, said Monday the new law would recriminalize hemp products, “wipe out 95%” of the $28.4 billion U.S. hemp industry, resulting in $1.5 billion in lost tax revenues, and jeopardize 300,000 jobs nationwide.

A decade ago, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., championed incentivizing farmers to grow and industry to process the fastgrowing cannabis hemp, the plant that under certain conditions produces THC, the intoxicant in marijuana. But over the summer McConnell reversed his position, saying that a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill allowed increased production of intoxicating THC to be sold in low doses for consumer products.

A bipartisan group of state attorneys general, including Louisiana’s Liz Murrill, signed a letter Oct 24 to senators asking Congress to close that loophole and take immediate action to clarify federal legal deﬁnitions and prevent the sale of intoxicating THC products. The attorneys general from two territories and 37 states represented a wide range on the political spectrum from solid red Arkansas to solid blue Connecticut. The Senate included the ban on the “sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hempderived products” in a package passed late Sunday to

end the shutdown. The legislation provides funding for military construction, veterans benefits, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which ﬁnances food stamps, through the rest of the ﬁscal year The bills also would provide back pay for federal workers.

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., attempted to remove the THC restrictions in a House committee Tuesday night but was refused.

President Donald Trump said 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 use of marijuana or the 40 states, including Louisiana, that allow marijuana use for medical purposes.

It also wouldn’t impact farmers who grow hemp for industrial purposes only those who grow the plant for consumable hemp-derived THC products, according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry which regulates the industry

But Louisiana doesn’t grow that much hemp because the state’s climate is too hot and too wet. Only 39 acres of hemp were planted in 2025, down from 61 acres in 2024.

“It’s past time we treat cannabis like any other industry,” said Rep. Troy Carter D-New Orleans. “Regulation will provide a safe product for consumers, new economic opportunities for small businesses, tax revenue for the state, and make it easier to catch bad actors.”

Staff writer Rich Collins contributed to this story

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

Attorney General Liz Murrill to investigate what happened to it.

“You don’t get to keep state property,” Murrill said in a statement. “It doesn’t belong to you.”

Her ofﬁce said it doesn’t know the location of the 20-foot-long artifact.

“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’t immediately respond to a phone call Wednesday In September, Schexnayder said he didn’t know what happened to the board, and that he had left it in his ofﬁce when his legislative career ended.

“When I turned in the keys, that’s the last I seen it, that’s the last I know,” Schexnayder said then. “The last I know is the board was in the ofﬁce when I left.”

His ofﬁce was located in Suite 205 in a strip mall next to the Pelican Point subdivision on La. 44 in Gonzales

The leasing manager for Schexnayder’s former office said his team never removed it. Schexnayder hung the board — which measures about 6 feet by 20 feet and has words of its origin engraved into it on a wall directly behind his desk.

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

Mullins had made some attempts on his own to find the board, but a problem he faced is that no one knew exactly which branch of state governmentclaimedownershipofit.

Schexnayder said then-Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, asked him in 2013 to put the board in his district office because it came from a tree in Ascension Parish.

“He asked me one day if I represented one part of Livingston, St John and St. James,” Schexnayder said in September “He said, ‘We have the board from downstairs (in the Capitol), and it is from your district. We’d like to get it over there.’ They had it boxed and shipped to

my ofﬁce. They were doing some remodeling downstairs or something. I did not request it. I’d have asked for the pirogue. That’s from my district as well.”

There’s a pirogue, the boat famously used to navigate Louisiana swamps and bayous, in the groundﬂoor breezeway Kleckley, however, doesn’t recall giving it to Schexnayder, saying such a request by him involving a historic state artifact would have been inappropriate.

“I don’t think the speaker has the authority to just take things off the wall and give it away,” Kleckley said in September “There’s a process.”

Term limits ended Schexnayder’s legislative career in January 2024. But he said he kept using the ofﬁce as late as Feb. 20 that year, according to a text exchange at the time with Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, who contacted Schexnayder on behalf of Mullins, a family friend.

In a text to the newspaper in September Schexnayder confirmed he still used the ofﬁce as of February 2024.

Douglas Diez, a developer in

Gonzales who owns the strip mall, said when tenants depart and are current in their payments, “We usually don’t change the key in the office. Even though Clay moved out, he or any one of his people could have come back.”

Todd Pevey, who works for St. John Properties and manages leasing at the strip mall for Diez, said in an email in September that “tenants are responsible for removing all materials and belongings from the premises upon vacating Neither I, nor any other St. John Properties employee or representative, have removed any of the client’s items from the space nor are we in possession of any items that were ever in the premises.”

Words etched in the board said it was cut from a cypress tree that was nearly 8 feet wide and had sprouted in the year 652, or almost 1,000 years before Christopher Columbus set sail for America. A book on cypress trees says it was cut down because it “had reached its maturity and, if permitted to stand longer would have declined and degraded.”

Mullins and other family members made sure every time they

visited the Capitol to admire their grandfather’s handiwork on a wall in the ground-ﬂoor breezeway underneath the building’s steps. in 2023, Mullins was startled one night while watching TV news to see an interview with Schexnayder — and the board was clearly visible directly behind him. By then, Schexnayder was speaker of the house, overseeing all 105 House members.

“I thought, ‘There’s my board!’” Mullins said. When Schexnayder left office last year, the speaker’s ofﬁce collected a couple of pieces of state equipment, but Schexnayder exercised his right to buy the laptop, printer and fax he had been using, at a depreciated price, according to state records. The government inventory did not include the board, since it hadn’t been ofﬁcially given to him.

In September, Schexnayder said someone at his request notified someone from the state that he had the board as he was leaving ofﬁce. He wouldn’t identify either person.

“I’m not going to go and start blurting out names,” Schexnayder said. “That’s not who I am.”

Schexnayder, a one-time amateur car racer who owned an auto mechanic shop, was elected speaker in early 2020 by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans to edge out a more conservative Republican. But under attack from conservatives for this alliance, Schexnayder shifted to the right partway into his term and developed a frosty relationship with then-Gov John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.

He faced questions following a 2022 news report that he used taxpayer dollars to pay his stepsons for work to remodel the speaker’s apartment at the Pentagon Barracks next to the Capitol. Schexnayder finished fourth in the October 2023 secretary of state’s election and left the House less than three months later Last year, Schexnayder was hired as a lobbyist by a hemp dispensary and a hemp distributor two years after he authored legislation that allows people to get high by buying hemp products at gas stations and smoke shops. Sources in Ascension Parish said he had been telling associates that he wanted to run to be the parish president in 2027.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Julius Mullins, whose grandfather donated the missing board decades ago, points to where he remembers the board used to hang at the State Capitol. Mullins said the last time he saw it there was 2003 or 2004.

State’s infrastructure falling behind

BY DAVID J MITCHELL

Staff writer

Extreme weather, chronic underfunding and age are conspiring to keep Louisiana’s infrastructure falling behind “current and future needs” despite recent federal investments and past state efforts at upgrades, according to a national

engineering society analysis released Wednesday

The American Society of Civil Engineers reached this conclusion and rated all state infrastructure with a “C-” in its new report card, though roads and drinking water systems were given a “D” and bridges a “D+” grade.

The overall “C-” represents a

slight improvement from what the society concluded in its 2017 analysis, but the group said the 2025 grade still means “Louisiana’s built environment is not keeping pace,” as infrastructure continues to age and is affected “by limited resources and increasingly frequent severe weather events.” The national average was a “C.”

The society noted that the state has experienced 36 extreme weather events over the past decade that resulted in $200 billion in damage statewide. While the society acknowledged that some areas have made strides, a member of the engineering society argued more needed to be done.

“The people of Louisiana require infrastructure networks that are as resilient as the people they serve, to keep families safe and businesses operational,” Kather-

BEE KIND

ABOVE: A bee lands on a flower at the library on Saturday. TOP: Jess Cole with Louisiana Wild Society waters plants during the inaugural Pollinator Garden Install at the East Baton Rouge Main Branch Library on Saturday. LEFT: Robert Brumley drums on metal flowers as his dad, Steven, listens to his performance during the inaugural Pollinator Garden Install.

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Police: Officer, suspect shot in Tangipahoa chase

A police ofﬁcer and an armed suspect who sped away from a trafﬁc stop both suffered nonlife-threatening wounds as gunshots were exchanged during a chase through Tangipahoa Parish early Wednesday, according to authorities.

During the pursuit, which involved multiple law enforcement agencies, the suspect exchanged gunfire with a State Police trooper and an officer from the Tickfaw Police Department, according to State Police The suspect and an Independence Police Department officer were wounded. The wounded officer was treated at an area hospital for a gunshot wound to the leg, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Wednesday’s pursuit began shortly after 3 a.m. when a Tangipahoa sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over a vehicle on U.S. 51 near Velma Road, north of Independence. The person in that ve-

hicle threatened the deputy with a gun, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said in a news release.

Officers pursued the vehicle, State Police said, and at some point gunshots were exchanged between the person in the vehicle, the trooper and the Tickfaw officer The suspect fled into nearby woods allegedly stole a vehicle and drove north toward Amite. Police apprehended the suspect more than three hours later after a multiagency search, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The suspect has not been publicly identified. State Police did not describe the suspect’s injuries from the exchange of gunfire.

Detectives with the State Police Force Investigation Unit are heading the investigation, which is the second officer-involved shooting this week in Tangipahoa Parish. The other incident involved

a Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s deputy who, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, fired at an armed person who authorities said had become a threat to others during a mental health crisis. The wounded person was brought to an area hospital, State Police said on Tuesday Sheriff: Missing teen girl has been found

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce reported Wednesday night that a 13-year-old Prairieville girl who had been reported missing has been found. Kaidyn Chevalier had been missing since she was last seen Saturday as she left her residence on Perkins Road. The Sheriff’s Ofﬁce posted on social media that the teen was now “safe and secure.”

Louisiana State Police put out an advisory concerning the girl on Tuesday at the request of the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. That advisory has been canceled.

Man accused of alleged abuse of daughter

A St. Francisville man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with allegedly abusing his adoptive daughter, more than a month after his wife was jailed on similar counts. Glenn Hanchey, 48, was booked into the West Feliciana Parish jail on one count each of felony cruelty to juveniles and misdemeanor false imprisonment, according to the West Feliciana Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

His wife, Gretchen, 50, was arrested on Sept. 26 and booked into the jail on one count each of cruelty to juveniles and seconddegree battery

According to court records, the pair are the girl’s biological uncle and aunt and adopted her in 2018 when she was 4 years old. In February 2024, the couple brought her to the Tupelo Children’s Mansion, a children’s

ine Castille, an engineer and the society’s Louisiana president, said in a statement Wednesday

“The improved grade in this report demonstrates the hard work our public and private sectors have done to modernize our built environment, but we know Louisiana is capable of far better than a ‘C-’ when provided additional resources and a dedicated workforce.”

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council delayed an effort by council member Darryl Hurst on Wednesday to create an economic development district near Plank Road, taking issue with its atypical governing structure. The district would add a 2-cent sales tax in the geographic area, which Hurst said would be

‘Red mud’ waste from plant prompts lawsuit

Environmental group says Atalco violated permits

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

A long-troubled bauxite reﬁnery along the Mississippi River near Gramercy hit with a compliance order and threat of fines earlier this year is now facing a lawsuit in federal court from a regional environmental group over its ponds of so-called “red mud” waste

The Louisiana Environmental Action Network claims the series of problems identiﬁed by state regulators at Atlantic Alumina, also known as Atalco, indicated a lack of care about the impact of its operations in St James and St. John the Baptist parishes.

The group says it wants to ensure the state forces an effective remedy to alleged problems that include seepage of bright red caustic liquid into the Blind River Swamp.

The suit is being brought under provisions that allow citizens to bring legal action to enforce federal clean water and solid and hazardous waste laws LEAN alleges its members own property along waterways affected by the discharges or use them for recreation.

The 17-page suit recounts the findings of state Department of Environmental Quality inspectors

CONCERTS

Continued from page 1B

music assets,” Kidder said. “Baton Rouge is well-positioned to take advantage of an evolving landscape and become a major music city.”

On Tuesday, council member Rowdy Gaudet who is also a Visit Baton Rouge board member — said he did not know who would be performing but was told it will be major artists who will ﬁll Tiger Stadium like Garth Brooks did in 2022. The dates penciled in for the two shows are March 28 and May 23. The tax rebate could go to the promotion company associated with the act and then the artist or artists, Gaudet said.

Council members said they haven’t been told who will perform, citing conﬁdentiality claus-

PLAN

Continued from page 1B

and LSU EDD that taxes the same people, and nobody had a comment to say about that. We just put blindfolds on and said, ‘Yes,’” Hurst said. “We don’t care about oversight in certain places — just North Baton Rouge.” Council members who opposed Hurst voiced discomfort with the proposed structure of the district’s board. An economic development district can be created by the state Legislature or by local ordinance. Nearly two dozen have been created in the parish since 1987. For those created via the Metro Council, the council typically serves as the district’s board.

In the case of Hurst’s proposal the district’s seven-person board would have included three members he would nominate from speciﬁc ZIP codes.

Hurst said he hosted a number of meetings about the taxing district to get public feedback before bringing it before the council, and heard overwhelming support for it. He hopes the district which would generate about $1.83 million a year — would “turn Plank Road into Perkins Road.”

“I want you to be able to put a White lady with a stroller in front of (Sam’s Men’s Fashions),” Hurst said. “I want people to be able to see themselves in North Baton Rouge.” But despite Hurst’s pitch, too many council members were uncomfortable with the way the taxing district was to be set up.

from a series of visits between September 2024 and June 2025 documenting problems with storage ponds holding “red mud,” as well as dozens of Atalco’s own selfreported violations of its water discharge permit.

With a highly alkaline quality, red mud can be contaminated with trace amounts of naturally occurring heavy metals, like mercury, and has slight radioactivity from elements like uranium and its decay isotopes, past company testing has shown. The suit noted that red mud would be treated as a hazardous waste if not for a speciﬁc federal exemption.

“In the aggregate, this litany of violations demonstrates that defendant’s lack of care for the proper operation of the facility has been reckless and with egregious disregard for the environmental and human impacts of its mismanagement,” the LEAN lawsuit alleges.

Clay Garside, an attorney for LEAN, said the suit mirrors the state’s allegations because, if not for the inspectors, no one would have known about many of the problems because they weren’t reported by Atalco, as they should have been.

But he said the DEQ compliance order which was issued Aug. 22, only raises the prospect of penalties and LEAN wants to ensure there is follow-through.

“We want to make sure it gets cleaned up and that they have to

STAFF FILE PHOTO By ADAM LAU

Fans cheer during Bayou Country Superfest at LSU Stadium in Baton Rouge in 2011 East Baton Rouge Metro Council has OK’d tax breaks for two Tiger Stadium acts in 2026.

es tied to tour announcements. Brooks sold out the stadium in 2022 with more than 100,000 tickets. Before that, Bayou Country Superfest brought crowds to the venue from 2010 through 2019. Between ticket sales, parking and concessions, the March date

After nearly two hours of debate, the council deferred a vote to approve the district to Nov 25 in hopes that its governing body would be restructured.

Council raises issues

Mayor Pro Tempore Brandon Noel said he was in favor of EDDs, as they keep tax dollars local, and he commended Hurst for his efforts. But Noel questioned the structure of this board’s makeup, and said he would be more comfortable if the Metro Council served as the board like with other districts.

“I think that I would prefer to see is this body be the governing board for the EDD, like so many others that are created,” he said.

Council member Aaron Moak said he would support the measure if Hurst agreed to amending the district so the council would oversee it, while his colleague Laurie Adams held a related view “This, to me, is very different, because we are giving the power to levy this tax to not an elected board, but a selected board,” Adams said. “I just, philosophically, have a real problem with that.”

Council member Carolyn Coleman said that around 40% of people living near the proposed district were living in poverty, and it didn’t sit right with her to place an added sales tax on them.

Council members Cleve Dunn Jr. and Twahna P. Harris thought the area needed a stronger economic driver for the district to make more sense, like the Amazon Fulﬁllment Center is in the Cortana corridor.

The council’s decision to delay

PHOTO PROVIDED By LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITy

Red-tinted runoff flows into a waterway north of the Atalco bauxite refinery in St. James Parish and U.S 61 on June 11.

pay for what they’ve saved in running the place poorly over all those years,” he said.

In a statement, Atalco officials said that the issues raised in the lawsuit “are being fully and thoroughly enforced by LDEQ” through the compliance order Company officials have previously said they began making repairs to stop seepage from the red mud ponds before the compliance order was issued on Aug. 22. In later regulatory papers, they told DEQ they were working to address the other alleged violations and developing required work plans.

could generate $25 million from 100,000 concertgoers, as well as $1.4 million in tax revenue, according to Visit Baton Rouge. A crowd of 65,000 on the May date could bring in nearly $25 million from tickets, parking and concessions, and $1.23 million in tax revenue.

Council member Aaron Moak supported the rebate and called big acts at Tiger Stadium paired with the efforts for a new LSU Arena and redevelopment of the River Center — an opportunity to revitalize Baton Rouge.

“LSU football stadium is for these huge individuals that can ﬁll the stadium,” Moak said. “But we also need to keep the eye on the prize and try and ﬁll these venues, from the smallest to the largest that we have in Baton Rouge.”

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

came after Mayor-President Sid Edwards spoke in support of the district, echoing residents who said it was vital to curbing crime in the area.

“The Plank Road corridor needs something like this,” Edwards said. “A lot of people can see what’s happening in North Baton Rouge. If you turn on the TV, you hear what’s happening in North Baton Rouge.”

Residents debate

More than a dozen residents spoke in favor of the district, calling it a much-needed tool to improve public safety and make the area more vibrant

“As a taxpayer who is comfortable living in North Baton Rouge and paying this tax, I ask that you pass this,” Tyra Banks said. “We don’t have to keep losing residents to places like Ascension. We can make North Baton Rouge a place where people feel comfortable walking, shopping, eating and thriving.”

Local activist and one-time political candidate Gary Chambers spoke against the district at the meeting, and said too often lately are politicians using economic development districts as political footballs.

“What I think is happening in North Baton Rouge is politicians want their own little thing that they can go to the community and say, ‘I did this,’” Chambers said. “There’s no continuity and there’s no collaboration, and as a result our community suffers.”

Hurst said he will try to make some of the changes requested by his council colleagues.

Alumina process

The suit asks a federal judge to declare that Atalco has violated the terms of its state permits as well as federal water and solid and hazardous waste laws. It also asks that the judge order Atalco “to take all actions necessary, including the installation of appropriate treatment technology, to prevent” future violations and award civil penalties based on the number of days the violations occurred.

Marylee Orr, executive director of LEAN, said anyone who lives near Atalco or has driven past it has seen the problems for years and has had enough.

“This has been an eyesore in the state for a really long time,” she said.

Through the years, some environmental groups have criticized the size of fines and settlement payments DEQ has levied against often large national and multinational companies for past environmental violations. Often those fines are in the thousands to tens of thousands of dollars and can be well below the agency’s statutory authority In settlements, DEQ officials apply a decision matrix with set penalty ranges that aim at balancing the seriousness of a violation with its impact on people and property DEQ officials did not respond to a request for comment, but typically, under agency policy, it doesn’t speak about pending litigation. The

INFRASTRUCTURE

Continued from page 1B

In 2017, the society gave Louisiana a “D+” grade.

Louisiana’s infrastructure troubles have spanned generations of political leaders. The engineering society’s report comes eight years after its last one covering much of former Gov John Bel Edwards’ administration and nearly the ﬁrst half of Gov Jeff Landry’s first term.

In a statement, Glenn Ledet, secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development, said agency ofﬁcials understand the need to maintain safe infrastructure that is “a driver of economic prosperity for our communities.” He said the society’s report card “demonstrates the need to continue to dedicate resources to improving our state’s infrastructure and therefore our economic prosperity.” Landry’s administration has invested more than $3.8 billion in Louisiana infrastructure that has translated to more than 500 improvement projects, Ledet added. They’ve included approximately 2,032 miles of roadway and 58 stateowned and locally owned bridges.

The administration has also started what it calls a “transformation” of the highway department to improve efﬁciency

“With these ongoing transformation efforts and with the help of additional funding provided by the Legislature, we are actively implementing and constructing infrastructure improvements that will help to address the needs of our roads and bridges and the state will continue to see significant progress,” Ledet said.

‘Need for continual maintenance’

The society analysis detailed in the 140-page report looked at a wide sweep of public and private infrastructure, from the familiar roads and bridges to ports, airports, dams, levees, drinking water and sewage treatment systems, as well as coastal protection work.

Grades for Louisiana aviation, coastal areas and drinking water improved compared with the 2017 grades, but the state’s dams, ports and wastewater systems received lower marks None was higher than a “C+” grade. Since the 2017 report Louisiana has been the beneﬁciary of postCOVID economic stimulus packages under President Joe Biden that have sent $750 million for public water and sewer systems and $5.9 billion for roads and bridges.

Funding, however, remained a problem in all the categories analyzed. The society also concluded that without enough money to go around, the state needed to ﬁnd a way to be selective and impactful.

LEAN suit was ﬁled Oct. 31 in U.S. District Court in New Orleans. Founded in the late 1950s by Kaiser Aluminum, the reﬁnery extracts alumina from red bauxite ore mined in Jamaica. Alumina is used by smelters elsewhere to make aluminum and by other companies for chemical products.

Atalco is the only reﬁnery of its kind in the United States and provides the key feedstock for aluminum, a metal critical for military and aerospace applications.

But the standard process of extracting alumina leaves behind 1 to 1.5 pounds of waste red mud for every pound of alumina produced, according to the company and industry estimates. The red mud is held in leveed impoundments known as “lakes” or “ponds,” which, at Atalco, stretch out for hundreds of acres.

Among the allegations raised against Atalco, the suit notes state inspectors found erosion channels in the earthen levees that hold back the red mud Other sections were bare of protective grass or, conversely too overgrown, which is a problem for spotting erosion.

Inspectors also found seepages from the levees funneling down erosion channels and ﬂowing into nearby ditches or the Blind River Swamp north of the company’s land, the suit alleges. Those liquids had a bright red or orange color The swamp empties into the Blind River

wetland acres still need restoration, with the billions related to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill set to expire in six years.

The state has major road and bridge projects under construction, including improvements on Interstate 10 and at the I-10/I-12 split in Baton Rouge.

But the society pointed out that Louisiana roads and bridges still have a $33 billion maintenance and capital improvement backlog combined, a rising ﬁgure affected not only by continuing demands but also by inﬂated material and other costs over the past several years.

The society noted that 11.5% of Louisiana’s nearly 12,700 bridges are rated as being in “poor” condition, which is an improvement since 2018 due to maintenance and repair efforts, but the ﬁgure is still nearly double the national average. In that same time period, the share of bridges rated in “good condition” has steadily fallen, pushing the majority of state bridges into “fair” condition.

“This trend means the overall condition of bridges continues to decline, reﬂecting the increasing overall aging of our infrastructure and the need for continual maintenance,” the report states.

Ledet, the DOTD secretary, said road and bridge safety is a “a top priority” and department inspectors regularly check bridges according to federal highway guidelines and timelines. Bridges are load posted or closed when guidelines call for it.

“If a bridge is open, it is safe for travel,” he said.

Congestion hits drivers Louisiana highways and bridges rely on a 20-cents-per-gallon state sales tax that has lost two-thirds of its purchasing power since it was last raised in the late 1980s. The state road tax has seen total revenues decline due to greater gasoline engine efﬁciency and electric vehicles.

Despite efforts at improving safety, transportation efficiency and construction contracting, local and state roads continued to decline in road surface quality and see rises in congestion.

“Congestion now significantly hinders both commuting and commerce, costing Louisiana drivers an estimated $4.1 billion annually in lost time and wasted fuel,” the report states.

Relying on a separate analysis of federal highway data, the society noted that Baton Rouge drivers lost 64 hours per year due to congestion at a cost of $1,632 annually In New Orleans, the annual loss from traffic congestion was 52 hours at a cost of $1,591 per year; in Lafayette, it was 32 hours annually at a cost of $918.

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

group home in Mississippi, according to a report ﬁled by the Mississippi Department of Child Family Services. The DCFS report is undated, but indicates law enforcement

ﬁrst made contact with Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services in July Staff noted scars and disfigurement on the child upon her arrival. The report also gives the girl’s account given to the group home’s staff, detailing extreme abuse at the hands of her adoptive parents. The daughter recalled being struck with sticks, ﬁrewood and metal baseball bats. According to the DCFS report, the child stated that most of the abuse came from Gretchen Hanchey

In trying to build in greater resiliency to storms, for instance, the society said the state should improve currently lacking data “that could guide the best use of limited funds.”

“My dad would try and make her stop and hold her back sometimes, but she kept on,” the girl says in the report. Gretchen Hanchey’s arraignment is set for Nov 13.

The report noted that Louisiana has spent $1.62 billion annually to ﬁght coastal erosion on a combined 150 projects to try to protect 2 million coastal residents and oil and gas infrastructure. But millions of

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Obituaries

Glynn, La.JosephEarl BajoieSr. passedawaySat‐urday,November8,2025, at the ageof88hewas are‐tired brickmason forover 50years.Visitationwillbe held-at Immaculate CatholicChurch in Lakeland on Wednesday,November12, 2025, 9:00a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m.celebratedbyRev Amrit Raj. Entombment will followinChanalCemetery. ActivePallbearers Christo‐pherMartin, Joseph Earl BajoieIll,Michael Bajoie Sr, Michael Bajoie Jr,Nicholas Desormesand JacobBa‐joie. Honorary Pallbearer JosephEarlBajoieJr, Chan‐cellorPorcheJrand Ryeder Porche. Joseph is pro‐ceeded in deathbyhis wife Cecile Decuir-Bajoieand parents Emmett Bajoie and Mildred Patin-Bajoie Josephwas aproud father ofJosephEarlBajoieJr. (Letetia) TammyBajoieand Michael Bajoie Sr.(Avis). Grand children Christopher Martin, Joseph Earl Bajoie III, PorschaDeculus, Michael Bajoie Jr Nicholas Desormes, JacobBajoie and Asia Bajoie.Great grandchildren MacieMar‐tin,River Bajoie,Reign Ba‐joieand Ryeder Porche Josephenjoyed workingin his garden ﬁshing, hunt‐ing,and raisingcattle. He was ahumbleman with a lovingheart to hiswife, children'sgrandchildren and greatgrandchildren he willbedeeply missedby many

Boutte, Vivian Willis

Vivian Willis Boutte passed away on Monday, November 3, 2025, at her residence in Napoleonville, LA.She was 75, anativeof Napoleonville, LA and a former resident of New Orleans, LA. Visitation on Friday, November 14, 2025, at St. John Baptist Church from 9:00am to final viewing at 10:45am. Funeral service at 11am. Interment in the church cemetery. Arrangements by Williams & Southall Funeral Home 5414 Hwy 1, Napoleonville, LA 70390. (985) 369-7231.To sign the guest book or offer condolences, visit our website at www.williamsa ndsouthallfuneralhome.co m.

from Church PointHigh School, Donald attended Louisiana State University receivinghis Bachelor of ScienceinChemical Engineering in 1963. Immediately upongraduation,Don began a43-year career with Exxon Mobilbeginning at the Baton Rouge Refinery.Multiple positions withinthe organization based in Houston, Baton Rouge, NewJersey, and Virginia followed includinga returntoBaton Rouge in 1983 to become the Baton Rouge Refinery Manager. Daigle would eventually go on to assume the Vice-President Refining forExxon's worldwide refining operations for Exxon Mobil. He retired from Exxon Mobilin September 2006. Uponretirement,heand his wifeof60years, Geraldine B. Daigle (Gerry), returnedtoBaton Rouge where they became deeply involvedinthe civic life of Baton Rouge. In 2008, Don became amember of the Board of Directorsofthe Baton Rouge Area Foundation.In 2009, he joined the Board of Directorsfor Our Lady of the LakeMedical Center in Baton Rouge,becomingChairman of the Board in 2013to2017. Don was also Past Chairman of the Advisory Council to the Dean of the LSUCollege of Engineering. Daigle's professionalactivitieswereextensive. Among many such activities, he served on the Board of Directors of Texas EasternPipeline Company, Executive Committeeof the National Petrochemical and RefinersAssociation, past Chairman of the General CommitteeonRefining of the American Petroleum Institute, and pastChairman of the National Petroleum Council Study on Refining commissioned by the U.S.Secretary of Energy in 2001and 2004 Don Daigle's foremost life commitments were to his family and faith. Don and Gerrybuilta beautiful 60-year marriage after meeting in Church Point earlyinlife. Theirthree children, Sandy,Paul,and Chuck, werethe focusof their life together. Later, theirsevengrandchildren enjoyed thissame commitment and attention.

AdevoutCatholic,Don and Gerry were parishionersatSt. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge and regular attendants at Mass. Donald was known to be anon-judging humanbeing,not proud, not prejudiced, and unaware of his own goodness. He valued education as acore foundation, and he and Gerry affordedopportunities to many familiescontributing to generational change.

Funeral services will be held Friday November 14, at St. Joseph Cathedral,beginning at 1:00pmwith visitation, followed by aFuneral Mass at 2:00pm

Lewis, Willie Douglas 'W.D.'

Willie D. Lewis,affectionately known as "W.D., was born on November 7, 1938,and peacefully passed awayofnatural causes on November 4, 2025,inBaton Rouge, Louisiana,atthe ageof86. Willie leaves to cherish his memoryhis beloved wife, Tharis Ennis Lewis; devoted daughter,Chenese Lewis; brother, Edward Lewis of Maringouin, LA; sister-in-law LillianEnnis Robinson; brother-in-law Rev. Emile Ennis, Sr. (Sharon) of Atlanta,GA; nephews Anthony H. Johnson (Karen)ofNew Roads, LA; RobertRobinson, and EmileEnnis, Jr. (AJ) of Los Angeles, CA;niecesCarolynLewis of Maringouin LA and Shawn Jenkins of Beaumont, TX; two goddaughters, KymberliDurden (Willie) of Covington, GA, and Felicia Brumfield Gathe of Zachary, LA; and ahost of cousins, extended family,and friends who willmiss him dearly. Visitation willbeheldatWesley United Methodist Church, 544 Government Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Friday, November 14, 2025, from 10:00a.m. until12:00 p.m., followed by Funeral Servicesat12:00p.m. Interment will take placeat Greenoaks MemoryPark

Mausoleum, 9595 Florida Boulevard, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Lilly, Audrey Kinchen

AudreyKinchenLilly, age83, aresident of Central,Louisiana,passed away on November 6, 2025. She is survivedbyher daughters, Nancy Lilly Clark and her husband Kenny, and Jane LillyPendergist and her husband Ronnie; grandchildren, Jacob Pendergist and his wife Kalyn, Josh LaValley and hiswife Kallie,Daniel Pendergist,and Ruth LaValley Tonand her husband Kyle; and greatgrandchildren, Kadenand Easton LaValley, Lillyand Madie Pendergist, and Journey LaValley, expected in January2026. She is also survivedbymany nieces and nephews whomshe cherished,along with great-niecesand greatnephews who brought her so much joy. She was preceded in death by her husband, AubreyLilly;her parents, Floydand Ruth Kinchen; and her sisters, BrendaPhillipsFergerson and SharonMajor.Audrey enjoyed gardening, sewing, reading, and preparing mealsthat brought herfamily together. She willberemembered forher gentle spirit and theloveshe shared with all who knew her. The familytakes comfort in knowing she is now at peace and in thepresence of the Lord

Monroe, Richard Enteredinto eternal rest on November 6, 2025. Survivedbyhis wife, Natalie James Monroe, sons, Deon Washington (Houston, TX), Whitney Wilson(Nia) (Chino Hills, CA)Daughter, Constance Cole (San Antonio,TX); Grandchildren, SeanTate(Nashville,TN), JosephCole, Jr and Dayla Cole (San Antonio, TX), PiperWilson, Bailey Wilson, and Olivia Wilson (Chino Hills, CA). Preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Eula Mae Monroe; daughter, Kendra Barrow; cousins Curtis Rowe and Joyce Rowe. Memorial Service on Friday, November14, 2025 2:00 pm, Hall's CelebrationCenter,9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, LA.Services entrusted to Hall Davis and Son.www.halldavisandson. com

PerkinsSr.,Supt. SterlingJ

Superintendent Sterling J.Perkins,Sr. wasbornon December30, 1940, andde‐partedthislifeonSatur‐day,November1,2025, at the ageof84. Alifelong residentofWalker, Louisiana,Superintendent Perkins wasa well-known and respectedleaderin the community as abusi‐nessman,community orga‐nizer,mentor, pastor,and spiritual leader.Heserved faithfullyasPastorofUnity Church of GodinChristin Walker, Louisianaaswell asDistrictSuperintendent ofthe Number Four East Can-Do”District, an affili‐ate of LouisianaEastern First Jurisdiction.Superin‐tendent Perkinswas mar‐riedtothe late Mrs. Al‐menaPerkins forforty-five wonderful yearsuntil her passing in 2007. Later, he was blessedto find love again andmarried Mrs. LouisePerkins,who re‐mainedlovinglybyhis side for 17 years. He wasthe proud father of five chil‐dren, grandfatherof twenty-four grandchildren, and great-grandfatherof twenty-seven. He leaves to cherish hismemoryhis lovingwife, Mrs. Louise Perkins;his five children MissionaryDarlene Cotton (Ernest), Carl Perkins, Sr CarlSingleton,Sr. (Stacey), SterlingPerkins,Jr. (Kat‐rina),and Shedrick Perkins (Tandra), allofWalker, Louisiana;one stepson, DwightGarrison; onestep‐daughter, Brandy Paige; and twosisters,Mary Maiden(Robert)and Rose Jackson (Freddie),bothof Walker, Louisiana. ALocal Community Celebrationof LifewillbeheldonFriday, November14, 2025, at House of Praise Church of God in Christ,13900 Jr DriveinWalker, Louisiana,

at 6:30 p.m., with visitation from4:30p.m.to6:30p.m The Jurisdictional Homego‐ing Servicewillfollowon Saturday, November 15, 2025, at Saintsville– East‐ern LouisianaFirst Juris‐dictional Headquarters, 8930 PlankRoadinBaton Rouge,Louisiana,at11:00 a.m with visitation from 9:00a.m.to11:00 a.m. In‐terment to follow at Walker MemorialCemetery, Walker, Louisiana. Arrangements areentrusted to RichardsonFuneralHome ofJefferson,River Ridge, Louisiana.www.richard sonfuneralhomeofjefferso n.com.

Schiffer, Scott Edward

Scott Edward Schiffer, long timeresident of Covington, LA, passed away on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at home. Scott was bornonJanuary 26, 1964, in NewOrleans, to Frank Schiffer and Patricia Dean, and raised in Bucktown. He is preceded in death by his father, Frank and stepfather, Ron Cochran. He is survivedby theloveofhis life,Allie Knight Martin, his loving mother, PatriciaDean Cochran, and devoted brotherand sisters: Steve Schiffer (Carla), Sandra Vogt(Mark), and Susan Nagim(Brandi), sister-inlawLucy Meres (Joe), stepson Mitchell Martin,grandchildrenAlexis Martin, Mitchell Martin,Jrand JayceMartin and niece Rachel Hryniewich. He also leavesa host of beloved uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews.

Scott willberemembered forhis infectious laugh, bright smileand loving soul.Hewas very creativewithhis music, poems and stillart dioramas "Spotonthe Log".Heand Alliewere known in Covingtonfor their popular haunted houses and kids partyevents for many years. Also, Enchanted Aromas, theirspecialty candle business, is known throughout thecountry For 30 years, he has enjoyed his flooring work alongsidehis brotherat Paul Sita Company

Scott hada deep devotion to his Lord and Savior and we allknowhehas been welcomed intoHis Kingdom.

Family and friendsof thefamily are invitedtoa celebration of life at Bagnell& SonFuneral Home 75212 LeeRd, Covington, La on Thursday November 13, 2025 with visitationstartingat 12:30pm followedbyservices at 2pm.

Ronald "Ron"Squyres, born May 20, 1959, in Monroe, Louisiana, passed away surrounded by loved onesonOctober29, 2025. A faithful ambassador of God and Jesus Christ, Ronlived hislifewith purpose, generosity,and deep compassionfor others. Ronwas theproud owner of Louisiana ContractorsLicensing Service, where he helped thousandsofpeopleachievethe status of being state-licensed contractors. His patience, thoughtfulness,and care for his studentswere hallmarks of his work and life. An avid traveler and reader, Ronfound joyinexploring new placesand familiarones—especially when deep-sea fishing in Belize. He was ahistorybuff, a loverofmusic, and aman who valuedtime spent at home with his beloved wife, Glenda.Hewas a passionatefollowerof Christ and supported many organizations that helped spread theWordofthe Lord.Ron was preceded in death by his grandparents, Franky and Laura BellePeters; his mother, Sara Lee Groth; and hisgrandson, Gabriel Trueman Quirino. He is survivedbyhis wife, GlendaSquyres; daughters, Brooke, Britney, and

RebeccaSquyres; stepchildren,Jarrod Solar(Alexandra) andMorgan Nesser (Joshua); and brother, Travis Squyres. He also leaves behind his cherished grandchildren—Lily Passman,Olivia Firmin, Jameson Solar, and CharlotteSolar. Ronwas blessed with aspecial secondmother,Mrs. Margie Scott, whom he loveddearly. Mak, Ron's faithful fourleggedcompanion,islost withouther master. Ron will be remembered for his faith, kindness, sense of humor, and the friendships he built with people all around theworld. Hislight continuestoshine through thelives he touched. AcelebrationofRon's life will be held at Healing Place Church Annex,located at 19202 HighlandRoad, Baton Rouge,LA70809. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by the service at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 14, 2025. "I have foughta goodfight, Ihave finished my course, Ihave kept thefaith: Henceforth thereislaidupfor me a crownofrighteousness, whichthe Lord, therighteousJudge, shall give me at that day: andnot to me only,but unto all them also that love hisappearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8, KJV). In lieu of flowers, please consideringinRon's honorusing the donation link below Alldonations will be given to faith-based charities Ronheld dear. Arrangements entrusted with Church Funeral Servicesof St.Amant, LA.

Thomas Claude Stewart (affectionately known as "Tommy") hascompleted hisassignment and fulfilledhis purpose on this earth.OnOctober 31, 2025, he answered the call of his Heavenly Fathertocome to hisnew home with new address of Eternal Life Visitation is Friday, November 14, 2025, 4-7PM,with theCelebrationof Life servicesonSaturday, November 15, 2025. Visitation will resume on Saturday, from 9AM to 10AM; MasonicRitesat10:15AM and Religiousservicesat 11AM. Allserviceswill be held at St.Joesph Baptist Church,58105 Captain TT HarrisStreet, Plaquemine, LA 70764

Internment: Grace Memorial Park, 60455 Bayou Jacob Rd,Plaquemine, LA. 70764. Professional ServicesentrustedtoMJR Friendly Service Funeral Home, 7803 Florida Blvd Denham Springs, LA 70726

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 to thehomebound. Despite the suffering enduredafter theuntimely death of their oldest child, Alyson, they remained unwaveringin theirfaithand dedicated to thechurch. Valerie wasanactive member of the Solitic Club, ThreeTen Club, Hospice of Acadianaand 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. Sheisprecededindeath 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.

PM THURSDAY11/27 WEDNESDAY11/26@3

Daniels, Todd St.Andrews EpiscopalChurch in Clintonat11am.

Bajoie Sr., Joseph Earl

Stewart, Thomas Claude 'Tommy'

Trahan, Valerie Mocek

Valerie

Squyres, Ronald'Ron'

Daigle, Donald Hugh Don

Longtime Baton Rouge resident, DonaldHugh Daigle (Don), 84, peacefully passed away, surrounded by his family, on Monday, November 10th, 2025 at the family home in Baton Rouge. Don was born in Church Point, Louisiana, and grew up on acattle, cotton, and vegetable farm working with his parents and three brothers. After graduating

High school playoffs bring communities together

Louisiana’shigh school football playoffs begin Thursday,aweekslong ritualthatwill send thousands of players,students, parents andfans out on the road to follow their teamsaround the state. High school football playoffs in Louisiana are alarge production. Across eightdivisions and more than 200 teams, the season-endingtournament is asprawlingaffair

Whether one lives in Buras or Plain Dealing, Cameron or OakGrove,PlaquemineorWinnsboro,the playoffs give many of us achanceto witness up close the rich tapestry of communities around Louisiana. In other words, playoffs are not just asporting pursuit,but achanceto visit other regions and sample what theyhave to offer

As we have noted before, football in Louisiana occupies aunique place inthe culturalmilieu. Part religion, part civiccelebration and part competition, playoff footballgives us achance to show pride in our communities and hospitality to our fellow Louisianans at thesame time. The one downside, of course, is that once this weekend’sgames end, half theteamswill go home unhappy,their seasonsatanend. But that, too,isanopportunity to face adversity,todeal withdisappointment and to console andcomfort one another No other community ritual in thisstate offers collective beneﬁts as much as highschoolfootball.

And, for 16 teams across the eight divisions, their seasons will culminate in agameonthe ﬂoor of the Caesars Superdome, adeﬁning experience for any high school player

It’sadream for ayoungathlete and worthy end to aseason. We wishall the teams luck,and look forward to an exciting playoffs.

Thrive plan notperfect, butworth ayes vote

East Baton Rouge Parish voters on Saturday have the power to approve or deny Mayor-PresidentSid Edwards’ signatureﬁrst-year policy, known as Thrive EBR.There are threerelated propositions on theballot,each of whichwould renew an already existing tax but rededicate some of itsrevenue to thecity-parish general fund to help counter the budget shortfall created by the creation of St. George.

As we have said before, we donot believe that Thrive is aperfect plan. However,wedo believethatitisthe best play tohelp mitigate the coming funding crisis and leave key parish agencies, like the librarysystem, with dedicated revenue to continue operations.

That’swhy we urge East Baton Rouge voters to support it and vote yes.

The plan has the support of both parish political parties, almost every MetroCouncil memberand leaders of each of thethreeagencies affected: thelibrarysystem, Council on Aging andMosquitoAbatement.

If passed, it would help pay down approximately $52 million in city-parish debt with rededicated reserve funds from the librarysystem and, in the end, generateapproximately $26 million per year in newlyfreed-up revenue for the general fund. The general fundiswhatsupports functions like the district attorney,court system and other obligations.

Plenty of hard work wentintocrafting aproposalthat got so many people on board. We believe such collaboration is praiseworthy andhas earned our endorsement.

OPINION

Act409 places unfair,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 rules to 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-

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.

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

Ihad made apurchase from amerchant and returned themerchandise according to the company 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 your newspaper 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

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

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.

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

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-

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.

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

Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes

LINDSEy WASSON

BY WILL GRAVES AP national writer

Paul Skenes’meteoric rise to the top is complete. The young Pittsburgh Pirates ace and former LSU superstar was a unanimous choice for the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesdaynight, becoming the ﬁrst pitcher in 40 years to winRookie of theYear

one season and baseball’stop pitching prize the next. DetroitTigers aceTarik Skubal won his secondstraight American League Cy Young Award earlier Wednesday,joining elite company after another spectacular season in which the left-hander helped propel Detroit to aplayoff berth.

The23-year-old Skenes —selected

Since firing Brian Kelly on Oct.26, LSU has been afour-alarm fire. Missteps. Meddling. Now alawsuit aimed at LSU by Kelly,whose lawyers claim the school nowclaims it can fire him for cause.

Everyone says LSU is one of the very bestjobs in the country.Arguably the best. But under these circumstances, whoother than an unproven up-and-comer would want to take thejob this year?

At this point, 21/2 weeks into the search, Ihaveno idea. But Idoknow there is one man, one slam-dunk candidate, who could cometoLSU —even for ashort time —and get everyone (including the governor) into line and set the program on acoursefor championship contentionagain.

I’m talking about Nick Saban

Iget it.There are amillion reasons Saban wouldn’twant to return to coaching. Maybe millions of reasons, assumingESPN 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 theenergy to do the joblike he wanted to do it.Hecertainly did not want to do the jobthe way college football is structured in the NIL/transfer portal era. Andhe’sprobably having aball being an analyst and playing golf and dabbling in business withhis Dream Motor Group of luxury car dealerships. The Advocateran astoryinApril sayingthatbecause of his business ventures, Sabanisonhis waytobecoming

ä See RABALAIS, page 4C

Howhas Saints coachMoore done in hisﬁrstyear?

BY JEFF DUNCAN, LUKE JOHNSON,

MATTHEW PARAS andROD WALKER

Staff writers

The Saints are 2-8 enteringthe bye week. It’saperfect time for TheTimesPicayune Saints writers to sit at the roundtable and give theirthoughtson the season so far Give theSaintsagrade

Jeff Duncan: D. Ipicked the Saints to go 4-13, but their starthas been even worse

than Iexpected. They’ve been noncompetitiveinsomanygames, trailing almost from start to ﬁnish in seven of 10.

Ididn’texpect manywins, but Ithought theteam would be morecompetitive, especially on offense. LukeJohnson: It’sa D-plus with achance to earn extra credit. Nobody expected theSaints to be good this season, but Idid expect them to be competitive. They’veshown an ability to punch above their weightclass, but it’s hard to feel good about ateam that has topped 20

pointsjust twice in 10 games. That said, there is achance to turn that around after thebye withafavorable schedule. Matt Paras: C-minus. It hasbeen ugly at times, but this is the outcome Iexpected. The rosterhas holes across theboard, and the Saints are limitedatquarterback, even though Spencer Rattler andTylerShough have shown ﬂashes.

Rod Walker: D. Andthat could standfor discipline, which the team has lacked

ﬁrst overall by the Pirates in the 2023 amateur draft after astandout career at Air Force and LSU, including

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Certain questions followed MiLaysia Fulwileywhen she left South Carolina to join the

women’sbasketball team. Could she play point guard? Would she ﬁt alongside Flau’jaeJohnsonand Mikaylah Williams?

ä LSU at Tulane 6P.M. MONDAy,ESPNU

Afterfourgames,the No. 5Tigers(4-0) may have found their answers. Fulwiley played with comfort and confidence again on Wednesday night when LSU routed Charlotte 117-59 in thePete MaravichAssembly Center.This time, the juniortransfercaught fire from 3-point range to score aseason-high 22 points enough to lead anew-look Tigers team that still hasn’tcooled off on offense. LSU shot 49% from the field and 10 of 20 from 3-point range against the 49ers. The Tigers now have scored at least 100 points in everygamethey’ve played this season The 117 points they scored on Wednesday is tied forthe fifth-most in program history

“I feel conﬁdent,” Fulwileysaid. “I feel comfortable,and I’mjustgladthatI’m here Ifeel blessed.”

Earlyinthe gameagainst Charlotte, LSU put itself on pace to hit the century mark. But because it gave up a3-pointer and apair of second-chance points, it led only 17-10 at the halfway mark of the ﬁrst quarter Then the Tigers rattled off 14 consecutive points to take control of the contest.

Fulwileyhelpedstartthatrun when she rolledina swooping, gliding transitionlayup through contact to cap aﬁrst-quarter chance. Aminute later,she stepped into

ä See LSU, page 5C

Giants turning to Winston

With rookie Dart in concussion protocol, veteran QB to start against Green Bay

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J Jameis

Winston walked off the field

Wednesday after his first practice as the New York Giants starting quarterback, including some extra work after it was over, and ﬂashed a big smile across his face.

“We ﬁnally made it, huh?” Winston said. “We ﬁnally made it.”

With Jaxson Dart in concussion protocol, Winston is the starting quarterback for the Giants’ game Sunday against Green Bay, interim coach Mike Kafka’s first big decision since taking over after the firing of Brian Daboll. Kafka, who’s auditioning for the full-time job by showing what he can do in the final games of this lost season made it clear it was his call.

“Jameis has done a great job since he’s been here,” Kafka said. “I got a good feel for those guys, and I think Jameis will do a heck of a job. He’s a great leader, he has a lot of production in this league, and I think he’s going to do a great job leading that group.”

Kafka opted for Winston over former starter Russell Wilson, who had served as Dart’s backup since getting benched for the rookie after an 0-3 start, and said the veteran with Super Bowl-winning experience “understands the direction we’re going moving forward.” “The competitive juice in me always wants to be out there and always playing and competing,” Wilson said, adding he had not asked for his release and wants to be with New York. “I love this team. I love the guys we have. I think Jaxson’s done a great job

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

when penalties have come at the most inopportune times. Or it could stand for drops, which seemed to be a problem for anybody Spencer Rattler tried to throw to. Or it could 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’s more about how the team arrived at the record.

Assess coach Kellen Moore

Duncan: Moore has done an admirable job of managing a difﬁcult situation and keeping a positive mindset throughout the season. So often, it feels like he’s coaching with one hand tied behind his back because of the limited experience and talent on the roster That said, I’d like to see him be more aggressive and passionate. Teams reﬂect the attitude of their coach, and Moore’s laid-back, go-along-get-along demeanor isn’t very inspiring To Moore’s credit, the Saints have remained motivated and “on board” with what he’s preaching Johnson: There are a lot of things I like about Moore and the way he’s handled things. His science-based approach to injuries, for one, clearly has had a positive effect. I also believe the players have his back, which is important. But there have been some really headscratching game-management moments this season that Moore hasn’t really had great answers for He is going to have to closely assess his process and performance in that area this offseason.

New york Giants quarterback Jameis Winston warms up before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 28 in East Rutherford, N.J

stepping in. I hope Jameis does a great job stepping in. I’m going to do everything I can to be a great teammate and a great leader

That’s either on the field or the sideline, whatever that may be.”

Wilson, who turns 37 later this month and is not signed beyond this season, was 3 of 7 for 45 yards in relief of Dart last weekend at Chicago when the Giants blew another late lead, losing 24-20 and falling to 2-8.

That defeat led ownership to ﬁre Daboll and promote Kafka the 38-year-old offensive coordinator who had interviewed for several NFL head coaching vacancies but had not run a team at any level until now Kafka could be one of the candidates considered after the season, along with other quarterback gurus with an eye on de-

Paras: He’s still ﬁnding his way

The positives: His approach has kept team morale at a good place despite the record. And I think he’s demonstrated a clear plan for developing players — something that was missing in recent years. But what’s up with his game management? There have been some outright bizarre decisions, notably how he handles the end of ﬁrst halves.

Walker: Ten games into the season and I’m not sure about his coaching philosophy. Is he a risktaker or more conservative? It’s hard to know when you watch some of his decisions. But I think it’ll get better with time. And he deserves his props for 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, I expect the Saints to ﬁght even harder after the bye.

What’s the biggest surprise?

Duncan: I fully expected the offensive line to be the strength of the team, but it hasn’t turned out that way The run blocking has been subpar and the pass protection inconsistent. Injuries to Erik McCoy and Taliese Fuaga have obviously had an effect, but this unit still hasn’t performed nearly as well as I expected it to. It’s a big reason why the offense has struggled so mightily Johnson: I was fully bought into the offensive line being a ﬂoorsetter for this offense, but that just hasn’t been the case. Kelvin Banks has been a relative bright spot — he’s had his share of struggles, as rookies do, but he looks like a building block — but the rest has not looked great. It looks like they’re going to have to invest in the position next offseason yet again

Paras: The fact Taysom Hill was

veloping Dart at football’s most important position.

Kafka said his focus is solely on players and coming up with a game plan, rather than thinking about his future and showing off for ownership and general manager Joe Schoen. Kafka promoted tight ends coach Tim Kelly to be offensive coordinator but will still call plays.

“Really smart coach He’ll help us tie in the run game and the pass game,” Kafka said. “He does a great job with a lot of experiences to bank on.”

Keeping Dart healthy and putting him in the best positions possible is the top aim down the stretch. Getting concussed against the Bears looks like it is taking him out of the mix to face the Packers at home.

“Jaxson’s still in the protocol,” Kafka said. “He’s in the middle of it. To be honest with you, I have a lot of trust in our medical staff, in our medical team and they’re taking great care of him. Each day I get a little bit of an update. He’s right on track and right on pace in the program.”

With Dart unavailable, the Giants are going with Winston, who signed a two-year contract last offseason and is expected to return in 2026 as Dart’s backup. A Heisman Trophy winner in 2013 who was the No. 1 pick in the draft a decade ago, Winston started seven games last season for Cleveland and has been third on the Giants’ depth chart since early in training camp. Winston was a member of the Saints from 2020-23.

team. Also, Blake Grupe’s slow start surprised me. After watching Grupe throughout training camp, I predicted he would be a Pro Bowler this year The last few weeks have been better for him, so maybe he will ﬁnish strong.

Who is your midseason MVP?

Duncan: Demario Davis has been the most consistently productive and reliable player on the team. He’s the emotional and spiritual leader and rarely misses a game. To see him still playing at an elite level at age 36 is inspiring. On a team without many true stars, Davis remains the brightest one.

SEC gym championships headed to Oklahoma

The Southeastern Conference has awarded the 2026 SEC gymnastics championships to Tulsa, Oklahoma, the league announced Wednesday

The meet will be held March 21 at BOK Center, a 19,199-seat arena. LSU is the two-time reigning SEC team champion. The Tigers won in 2024 at the Smoothie King Center and in March this year in Birmingham, Alabama. Haleigh Bryant, now an LSU coach, won the SEC all-around title this year, and shared the beam title with Aleah Finnegan and two other gymnasts. This is the first time the SEC championships will be held in Oklahoma. Reigning NCAA champion Oklahoma competed in the league for the ﬁrst time this season, sharing the regular-season title with LSU.

Sinner clinches semifinal spot at ATP Finals in Italy

TURIN, Italy Reigning champion

Jannik Sinner sealed a semiﬁnal spot at the ATP Finals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory 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 was Sinner’s ﬁfth straight victory over Zverev a run that includes this year’s Australian Open ﬁnal and recent meetings in Vienna and Paris. The second-ranked Sinner still has a chance to finish the year at No. 1. But he needs to win the tournament and hope that Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t win another match.

Michigan St. football put on three years of probation EAST LANSING,Mich.— The NCAA put Michigan State’s football 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 under coach Mel Tucker broke rules regarding recruiting inducements and benefits, communication and unofficial visit expenses. Because of the participation of three ineligible players, wins from the 2022-24 seasons were vacated and restrictions have been placed on recruiting for three years. Michigan State fired Tucker two-plus years ago, saying the coach failed to present adequate reasons why he should not be fired for cause after having what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor

Track to open ’28 Olympics with women’s 100 dash

It will be a busy opening day of action at the Los Angeles Olympics for the fastest women in the world.

As part of a seismic schedule change for the 2028 Games, track and ﬁeld, and not swimming, will lead off the Olympics. In releasing the detailed schedule Wednesday, organizers revealed that the ﬁrst day at the LA Coliseum, July 15, will include all three rounds of the women’s 100 meters.

ready to play ﬁve weeks into the season after suffering such a serious knee injury last year takes this for me. But I’ve also been surprised by how little of an impact he’s had since his return. That’s maybe to be expected from a 35-year-old coming off a major surgery, but he hasn’t juiced the run game like in the past, and Moore doesn’t seem quite sure of the best way to use him.

Walker: The offensive line would have been my answer, too. Just to switch things up, I’ll say special teams. What happened in Seattle was something I would never have expected from a Saints

Johnson: I was talking about this very topic with someone the other day, and I had a really difﬁcult time ﬁnding a Saints MVP I think the answer to this point is Demario Davis. The Saints defense has been the more consistent unit, even if it has been just OK, and Davis’ consistency and leadership plays a big part. I will say if Chris Olave continues to string together strong performances, he will ultimately be the team’s MVP Paras: If we had done this after six weeks, I think the unanimous choice would have been Spencer Rattler But there’s no way you can give it to a guy who lost his job two games later So, how about Rashid Shaheed? He was clearly valuable to the Seattle Seahawks, and he netted the Saints a favorable trade return. That’s a win for a rebuilding team.

Walker: The worst part about your name being last in alphabetical order is that everyone else gets to take your answers ﬁrst. I’m going to go with Demario Davis, too. His 91 tackles rank third in the NFL. Not bad for a 36-yearold. If Chase Young hadn’t missed games with an injury he’d be making a strong case.

Sprinters normally run a maximum of two races in a day at a major event. It’s a change the men will not have to deal with, but that a women’s ﬁeld that could include the past two world champions, Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa JeffersonWooden, and Olympic champ Julien Alfred are being given nearly three years to prepare for

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

Former NFL star wide receiver

Antonio Brown will be released on $25,000 bail and must wear a GPS ankle monitor on an attempted murder charge in Florida, a judge ordered Wednesday Brown, 37, has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree attempted murder charge, which carries a potential 15-year prison sentence and a ﬁne up to $10,000 if he is convicted. His lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, said Brown would return to his home in Broward County, Florida, while the case proceeds. Brown appeared at the hearing via video wearing a red jail shirt and spoke only to answer questions from the judge. Prosecutors had sought pretrial detention, contending Brown the former professional athlete with the resources to ﬂee.

AP PHOTO By TyLER KAUFMAN

Saints linebacker Demario Davis reacts after a play in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 26 at the Caesars Superdome.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ADAM HUNGER

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF

Cincinnati Bengals quarterbackJoe Flacco speaks afterhis team’sloss to the ChicagoBearsonNov.2

Chicago. Flacco’sstarts might be limited withnormalstarter

to practice this week

Flacco’s last stand?

QB’s time as Bengals’ starterlimited with Burrow returning

BY JAYMORRISON Associated Press

CINCINNATI Joe Flaccomight have more starts for the Cincinnati Bengals under his belt than hehas ahead of him. And it has nothingto do with the quarterback’sinjured right shoulder

The move Monday to open the 21-day window for Joe Burrow’s return from aSeptember turf-toe injurymeansSunday in Pittsburgh could be one of the 40-year-old Flacco’slast chances to play this season despite vaulting the Bengals to one of the most explosive teams in the NFL in his four starts.

“I’m honestly not reallythinking about it,” said Flacco, who arrived in Cincinnati in atrade with the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 7.

“It’snot really apart of my process. Ireally don’tcare,” Flacco added. “It’sthis week, and that’s all that matters.Tothink about that stuff would be adistraction. I’m just worried about doing my job. And this week’sthat’sgoing out and playing against Pittsburgh.”

Flacco suffered an AC joint injury to his throwing shoulder in his third start with the team, a39-38 loss to the New York Jets on Oct. 26. He barely practiced thefollowing week and didn’tparticipate in pregame warmups hours before facing the Bears, yet Flacco still went out and threw for fourtouch-

downs and 470yards, themost in his18-year career Sunday will mark his second start against theSteelersinfour games after throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-31 victory in Week 7.

It also will be the23rdstart of Flacco’scareer against Pittsburgh themost byany quarterback since MikeTomlin became the Steelers’ head coachin2007.

Despite havinganopen date to rest the shoulderafter his career dayagainstthe Bears, Flacco didn’tpractice Wednesday. The plan is for himto take limited reps Thursday and start Sunday afternoonagainst the Steelers.

“It feels good,”hesaidofhis shoulder.“It was deﬁnitely good to have to have awhole week andget some rest and feel like Iwas makingprogress with it, whichI did. It was sore (afterthe game), but it wasn’ttothe point where it was creatinganissue.”

Everything aboutFlacco’s time in Cincinnati has felt strange since the trade, from learninga newoffense in thespanofafew hours to following up his debut on ashort week with aThursday gameto losing back-to-back games despite scoring 38 and 42 points.

And he can add not practicing despite planning to starttothe list

“I’ve never done it much besides thelast two weeks,” he said before

outlining his goals on days such as Wednesday

“Ultimately,get the feet moving alittle bit so you’re not just standing around all day.Listening to the calls and getting thewalk-through reps so that theoperation is as smooth as possible. Ithink that’s an underrated thing. Getting those reps and going through it is important.”

Flacco’sarrival came as the result of Jake Browning’spoor play in threestarts after Burrow got hurt, andBrowning admittedhewas “pissed” about getting benched.

Flacco navigatedthatunique situation, only to be facing yet another one four weeks later

Monday’smovetoclear Burrow to practice, along withhis assertion that it would be “very” meaningful to makehis return to action in Baltimore on Thanksgiving night, created abuzz in thebuilding and across the city

It alsocame with the realization forFlacco that he is about to lose his job

Buthesaid that hasn’tcreated any sort of weirdorawkwarddynamic between the quarterbacks.

“Not at all. Ihave ajob to do, and I’m focused on doing that job,” Flacco said. “If that comes to an endatsomepoint,I just want to feel good about thejob that I’m doing when I’m asked to do that job.”

Falcons’ Morris wantsQBPenix to stop ‘being so hard on himself’

BYCHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter

FLOWERYBRANCH, Ga.— TheAtlanta Falcons’ four-game losing streak is taking atoll on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who appeared to be despondent following Sunday’s3125 overtime loss to theIndianapolis Colts in Berlin. Penix, the second-year player in his ﬁrst full seasonasAtlanta’s starter,completed 12 of 28 passes in the loss as the Falcons (3-6) fell short on each of their eight thirddown opportunities.Following the loss, Penix said “I got to play

CY YOUNG

Continued from page1C

Skenes needed alittle late help from Pittsburgh’swoeful offense to avoid becoming the first Cy Young-winningstarting pitcherto ﬁnish with alosing record. Skenes won three of his final four decisions to ﬁnish 10-10. Dwight Goodenisthe only other pitcher to win Rookie of the Year and aCyYoung Award in consecutive seasons, doing it in theNLfor theNew York Mets in 1984and 1985. Los Angeles Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela swept both NL awards in 1981. VernLawin1960andDougDrabek in 1990 are the only other Piratesto win the Cy Young Award since it was introduced in 1956. Skenes was picked atop all 30 ballots by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sán-

better” and acknowledgedit“becomes more frustrating” as the losses mount Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday it was necessary to talkwith Penix“aboutbeing so hard on himself.” He said Penix’s somber postgame news conference on Sunday was “the ﬁrst time you got some real vulnerability.”

“He is very high character and very accountable, almosttoafault at times,” Morris said. “I don’t worry about theconﬁdence factor or even-keel part. Idoworryabout theextreme ups anddowns.”

Penix’sdemeanor seemed more

chez received every second-place vote, andWorld Series MVPYoshinobu Yamamoto of the LosAngeles Dodgers ﬁnished third.

Sánchez’s2029 optionpriceincreased by $1 million to $15 millionand his 2030 optionpriceby $1 million to $16 million as aresult of being aCyYoung Award ﬁnalist.

Skenes is the ﬁrst former LSU playertoever winthe MVP or Cy Young award.

Skubal received 26 of 30 firstplace votes from aseparate BBWAA panel. The other fourwent to runner-upGarrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox. HunterBrown of the HoustonAstroscameinthird.

The28-year-old Skubal became the 12th hurler to win baseball’s top pitching honor in consecutive years, joining agroup thatincludes Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and Pedro Martínez

Jacob deGrom was the previous pitcher to win consecutive Cy Youngs, pulling offthe feat withthe NewYorkMets in 2018 and 2019.

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

The regular season is over,and the playoffs are here in the Baton Rouge area. There are 36 area schools across all eight divisions looking to make arun to astate title. Whileseveral schools received ﬁrst-round byes, there teamswill begin their playoff runs Thursday and Friday

Here are five big first-round matchups to keep an eye on.

No.18DeLaSalle at No.15Episcopal

In Division III select, Episcopal (5-5) hosts De La Salle (4-6) on Friday night. The Knights opened the season 1-4beforeclosing outthe regular season winningfouroftheir past ﬁvetomake the playoffs and earn the right to host aplayoff game.

Episcopal will rely on senior running back TajCallahan, who hasrun formorethan1,400 yards and has scored 17 touchdowns this season.

De La Salle is another school that turned its season around to make the postseason. The Cavaliersstarted the season 0-5 but went 4-1indistrict playtoﬁnish the regular season withmomentum.

Twoteams thathavewon four of their last ﬁve should makefor aclose on Friday night.

No.17D’Arbonne Woods at No.16ParkviewBaptist

AlsoinDivision IIIselect is No 16 Parkview Baptist (5-5) hosting No. 17 D’Arbonne Woods Charter (6-4). TheEaglesbegan the season0-3 before closing it out 5-2. Parkview Baptist’stwo losses during that latter stretch were to area powers Madison Prep and University High. In their five wins, the Eagles wonbyanaveragemarginof29 points.

D’ArbonneWoods was6-1 to startthe season.The school lost its past threegames,including two losses by double digits.

No.20Salmen at No.13Zachary

No. 13 Zachary (6-3) hosts No 20 Salmen (6-4) in the ﬁrst round of the DivisionInonselect playoffs.

TheBroncos struggledlate in theseason after a5-0 start. Zachary lost three of its last four games. All three losses came to fellowDistrict4-5Aplayoff teams with a52-31 defeat to Liberty,a35-33 loss to Central and a 41-7 setback to Catholic. Salmen wontwo of its past three games to close out the year

The Spartans started the year 0-2, butclosedout theseasonwinning six of eight. Three of their four lossescameagainst playoff teams.

No.24Loranger at No.9 St.Michael

No. 9St. Michael (7-3) will host itsfirst playoff game in itsnew stadium when the Warriors take on No. 24 Loranger(4-6) in the first round of the DivisionIIselect playoffs The Warriors started 5-0and finished 2-3 down the stretch. St. Michael played its first season in its new stadium this year and went 4-1 at home. Loranger closed out itsseason with three straight losses, all by double digits. No.27AlbanyatNo. 6Brusly In DivisionIInonselect, No. 6 Brusly (9-1)willhostNo. 27 Albany (4-6) in amatchup featuring twoBaton Rouge-area schools. Brusly took its lone loss to Plaquemine, which won District 6-4A.The Panthers won six of their nine games by double digits and shut out Istrouma6-0 to close out the regular season. Albany wonits final game of the regular season against Bogalusa 46-28. Before that game, the Hornets lost two straight, both shutouts.

normal on Wednesday,four days before theFalcons hostNFC South rivalCarolina.Hesaidhehas alwaysdemandedmuchfrom himself as aplayer “I mean, that’sjust how Igrew up,”Penix said. “I feel like my dad, he pushed me into being physically and mentally tough for any situation.”

When asked abouthis conversation with Morris, Penix said “it did help to hear that from him” and acknowledgedheknows “you still have to give yourself grace at the end of the day “It was good.

Martínez wasthe last American League pitcher to do it,in1999 and 2000 forBoston Skubal was 13-6 withanAL-leading 2.21 ERA and 240 strikeouts in 195 1/3 inningsfor theTigersduring the regular season. Then he went 1-0 witha1.74 ERAinthree playoff starts for Detroit, which was eliminated by Seattle in their Division Series.

Ayear after taking amassive step forwardbywinning thepitching Triple Crown in the American League on his way tobeing aunanimousCyYoung Award winner, Skubalbacked it up by serving as the anchor for the Tigers during avolatile season in whichDetroit squandered a151/2-game lead in theALCentral and was caught by Cleveland down thestretch. TheTigers gota bitofrevenge in the wild-cardround, beating the division-champion Guardians in three games thanks in large part to a14-strikeout gem by Skubal in theseries opener

PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

DEAN

JoeBurrowreturning

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Different challenge

After throttling run-heavy Navy, Irish face pass-happy Pitt

BY CURT RALLO Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 9 Notre

Dame spent last week figuring out how to slow down Navy’s runheavy offense.

This week, the defense is switching gears against No. 23 Pittsburgh.

Yes, the Fighting Irish began this week with the usual emphasis — stopping the run — while fully understanding that it’s going to take a much more balanced defensive approach to keep their winning streak intact Saturday at Pittsburgh.

“It can be real, it can be,” coach Marcus Freeman said of the challenge in making such a dramatic change. “Or it can be not — if you put the work in and you go to work and prepare the right way I’m never going to allow myself or our guys to make an excuse for a performance below what we have set for ourselves. It’s win this play That’s how you follow up good with good with good is to win this play.”

The Irish (7-2, No 9 CFP) certainly have been good lately They’ve won seven straight since starting the season with back-toback losses against top-20 opponents, and the biggest explanation

has been the progression of Freeman’s defense and its increasingly opportunistic secondary Notre Dame snared 12 interceptions during a four-game stretch against Boise State, NC State, Southern California and Boston College, giving it a FBS-leading 16.

After beating Navy 49-10 in a game in which the Midshipmen threw only 10 passes, the Irish are ranked third.

But the turnovers didn’t come by mere happenstance.

Safety Adon Shuler, a secondyear player from New Jersey who has two interceptions this season and five in his career, believes Notre Dame’s recent defensive success is no real secret.

“I think after like, the ﬁrst two weeks, we really started ramping up and getting pressure on the quarterback,” he said. “Also, the defensive line has helped that tremendously That’s helped us be in better position to make plays.”

The combination should set up the Irish well for this week’s trip to Pitt (7-2, No. 22 CFP).

Unlike Navy, the top rushing team in the nation, the Panthers like to throw the ball. They’re averaging 302.6 yards per game and have 24 TD passes — half of those coming since 18-year-old Mason

Heintschel replaced former Zachary quarterback Eli Holstein as the starter in early October But Heintschel also has thrown ﬁve interceptions in his ﬁve starts — all wins including two last week in a victory over Stanford.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said he sees Freeman’s inﬂuence all over Notre Dame’s aggressive philosophy

“(He was) a heck of a football player,” Narduzzi said. “Obviously a former linebacker He was a great player at Ohio State He’s a tremendous coach He’s a competitor in all respects.”

Now, in perhaps their ﬁnal real chance to impress the College Football Playoff selection committee, the Irish may change tactics but not the approach.

“The biggest thing we talked about the past couple of weeks was just to make sure we’re stopping the run,” linebacker Drayk Bowen said.

“We try to stop the run, make sure they start airing the ball out, and that’s when our defensive backs can go do what they do. And when the defensive line and linebackers are rushing, you know that’s when they can go get sacks, and that’s when good things start to happen.”

Tigers LB Whit Weeks questionable

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

LSU junior linebacker Whit

Weeks was listed as questionable on the Tigers’ availability report Wednesday night ahead of their game against Arkansas.

LSU injury report

Weeks, the defensive captain, has missed the past three games with an injury to the same right ankle that required surgery after the Texas Bowl last season.

LSU interim coach Frank Wilson said earlier on Wednesday that Weeks would practice with the team later in the day as he tries to come back for Saturday’s game in Tiger Stadium.

“Today is a pivotal day for him and his practice to see how

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

a billionaire. Why then would he want to get back in the trenches and coach college football again? Because he still has a competitive ﬁre to do it And because he still has a soft 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. You have to consider how hyper-competitive the few people who rise to the top of the coaching profession are. People like Saban, Kim Mulkey and Jay Johnson don’t just shut

contributions and his leadership on the ﬁeld, but we’ve got to play it day-by-day.”

LSU has lighter practices scheduled Thursday and Friday, Wilson said, so it was important to see how Weeks “sustains and moves with actual weight against him.”

LSU wide receiver Aaron Anderson was listed as probable on the availability report. Anderson briefly exited LSU’s 20-9 loss to Alabama before returning with a brace on his left elbow

“Aaron is up and moving about,” Wilson said. “.I think he’ll be ready to go for Saturday.”

Tiebreakers possible consequence of the super-conference era

BY WILL GRAVES AP national writer

his body holds up,” Wilson said Wednesday morning on the SEC coaches teleconference.

“We’re anxious to see how that happens. Certainly could use his

off that part of themselves. Saban retiring from Alabama is not like someone retiring from 30 years at the ExxonMobil plant. If he didn’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 Verge Ausberry made the plea to Saban, paired with enough zeroes behind a number on a contract, Saban would at least have to listen. I know the smart thing is to take Saban at his word when he said last month on “The Pat McAfee Show” that “I want to stay retired ” But this is also the man who said he wouldn’t be the coach at Alabama when he was with the Miami Dolphins, about 33 minutes before he left for Alabama. It’s worth picking up the phone, as

LSU wide receiver Nic Anderson has been ruled out for the Arkansas game after suffering a knee injury against Alabama. Though Nic Anderson avoided a serious injury, Wilson said Monday, he will not return to the ﬁeld against the Razorbacks.

Ausberry recently said he does with Saban once or twice a month. Saban is not a long-term solution for LSU. You could only expect he would come back for two, three, four seasons tops. But it would be enough to right the ship and set it back on a course that he set LSU on 20 years ago. After leading the Tigers to the 2003 national championship and going 9-3 during his ﬁnal season in 2004, LSU went 11-2, 11-2 and 12-2 with a national title under Les Miles. Miles deserves credit for that success, but Saban created the culture for winning and set the foundation.

I was able to say hello to Saban on Saturday night as he came through the Alabama press box before LSU’s 20-9 loss to the Crimson Tide. He didn’t stop to chat. I didn’t blame him. He

Just the thought of it makes Pat Narduzzi cringe. There the Pittsburgh football coach is, standing in front of his players after a largely successful season, explaining to the Panthers why they aren’t going to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. It might not have anything to do with what they did or didn’t do on the ﬁeld, but because of a spreadsheet that explains the league’s tiebreaker policy

“I think there’s nothing worse than walking in a team room saying, ‘Sorry guys, we’re not going because we didn’t play that team or they didn’t play that team,’ ” Narduzzi said. “But it’s not my job, it’s what (the ACC) did.”

The recent expansion to supersized versions of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC — all of which have at least 16 teams — means the days of “everybody pretty much playing everybody” and having it largely sorted out between the lines are long gone in the chase to reach the College Football Playoff. Welcome to the super-conference era of, as Duke coach Manny Diaz put it, “unintended consequences.” And it’s especially messy in the ACC.

There’s a real chance that at least one of the two spots in the ACC championship will be determined by criteria other than head-to-head. The list of tiebreakers that follows includes record against common opponents and the combined winning percentage of conference opponents.

That one is particularly problematic for Narduzzi, whose No. 23 Panthers (7-2, 5-1) are among ﬁve one-loss teams while No. 16 Miami and No. 19 Louisville lurk close behind in the league race. Conference schedules are set years in advance. The secondwinningest coach in Pitt history wonders why a team should be penalized for having a lackluster schedule during a given year, when that schedule is out of his hands.

Asked if it’s fair for teams to be at the mercy of the schedulemakers, he shook his head.

“Not fair at all,” he said.

Pitt closes with a trip to No. 14 Georgia Tech and a home ﬁnale against Miami, while Diaz and Duke (5-4 4-1) will try to make things even murkier Saturday when the Blue Devils face No. 20 Virginia (8-2, 5-1).

It makes Diaz long for a simpler time. During his high school career at Miami Country Day, there was once a ﬁve-team tie for a playoff spot. So all ﬁve teams met at the same stadium and played a series of Kansas tiebreakers (meaning possession starts at the opponent’s 10-yard line) until a winner emerged.

“I’m all for it if ﬁve teams want to show up in Charlotte or whatever just put the ball down at the 10 and ﬁgure out the ACC championship,” he said with a laugh. As for Virginia, the surprising Cavaliers have had their own quirky slate.

The team picked to ﬁnish 14th in the ACC in the preseason lost only once in the ﬁrst two months. That came at NC State in a nonconference matchup between longtime league members, which didn’t count in the league race because it came outside the league’s scheduling model. That game wouldn’t factor into any league tiebrakers, though the Cavaliers’ wiggle room vanished in last weekend’s home loss to Wake Forest that included quarterback Chandler Morris being knocked out of the game. Still, coach Tony Elliott knows there’s at least one simple route.

“I think if you win all your ACC games, you know you have an opportunity to be in Charlotte,” he said. “Plus, that stuff is too complicated. So I’ve got to focus on getting the team ready to play, not what the tiebreaker scenarios are.”

Beyond the ACC

The tiebreakers could have a major say in the other power conferences, too.

The Big 12 has six teams with no more than two league losses, and the only remaining head-to-head matchup between those teams is No. 12 BYU (8-1, 5-1) at No. 22 Cincinnati (7-2, 5-1) on Nov 22. The only teams with total control of their destiny to get to the Big 12 title game in Arlington, Texas, are No. 8 Texas Tech (9-1, 6-1) and the winner of that BYU-Cincinnati game.

In the Southeastern Conference, No 3 Texas A&M and No 4 Alabama are undefeated in league play

The Crimson Tide can secure a spot in the Atlanta title game by beating No. 11 Oklahoma in Tuscaloosa on Saturday and by winning the Iron Bowl at Auburn two weeks later The Aggies can punch their ticket by topping South Carolina in College Station this weekend and then winning at No 10 Texas two weeks later If either stumbles, league tiebreakers would come into play and open the door for one-loss teams such as No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 10 Texas.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JESSICA

Coach Manny Diaz’s Duke team will play No. 20 Virginia on Saturday.

would have been mobbed. He was wearing a crimson-colored sweater (no Alabama or “A” visible, for the record), accompanied by his crimson-adorned wife Terry

A person who covers Alabama told me Saban has attended slightly more than half of Bama’s home games the past two seasons, so it’s not realistic to think he was there to “scout” the Tigers.

I still think the chances of Saban coming back to coaching anywhere — at LSU, in the NFL, at his old high school in West Virginia — are small. As in single-digits small. Still, I had to raise an eyebrow when I got an email Tuesday from the folks at BetOnline.ag, a betting site that now lists Saban as the favorite for the LSU job at 2/1. A week earlier Saban was way down the list at 75/1.

By the way, 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 (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’t hire anyone as old as Kelly, who turned 64 the day of the Texas A&M loss (some birthday present). Heck, I just turned 59 and probably wouldn’t hire anyone as old as me. This job requires a rare level of obsession, and as they say in the movie “The Prestige,” obsession is a young

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK STOCKWELL

Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen picks up a fumble by Boston College wide receiver Jaedn Skeete on Nov. 1 in Boston. The No. 9 Irish travel to face No 23 Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Narduzzi

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU linebacker Whit Weeks has missed the past three games with an ankle injury, but is hoping to return to action Saturday against Arkansas.

HILL

Balanced Blazers too much for Pelicans

BY LES EAST Contributing writer

Shaedon Sharpe scored 35 points and Deni Avdija added 32 to lead four Portland scorers in double ﬁgures as the Trail Blazers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 125-117 on Wednesday night in the Smoothie King Center Former Pelican Jrue Holiday scored 17 and Toumani Camara had 13 for the Blazers (6-5).

Rookie Derik Queen scored a season-high 26 points, Saddiq Bey had 25, rookie Jeremiah Fears had 15 and Herb Jones added 11 for the Pelicans (2-9). Trey Murphy scored 22 and passed Holiday for second place on the Pelicans’ career list for 3-pointers when he made No. 629 in the ﬁrst quarter

CJ McCollum leads with 692.

Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Jordan Poole (quad) remained sidelined for the Pelicans but are expected to be re-evaluated during this home stand, which features

four more games starting with one against the Los Angeles Lakers at 7 p.m. Friday

New Orleans center Yves Missi entered the game early in the second quarter after missing the last four games because of an illness.

He was in the game for barely two minutes when he was ejected along with Portland’s Jerami Grant after both were assessed double technical fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct during an altercation under the basket.

The New Orleans bench outscored the Portland bench 44-19.

Avdija scored the first four points of a 17-4 run by Portland to start the third quarter, producing a 75-63 lead Bey converted a threepoint play, and Murphy and Jones added 3-pointers to help New Orleans get within 77-76.

Holiday had two assists then

LSU men looking past ﬁnal scores for improvement

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

LSU has opened the season with positive vibes.

It beat Tarleton State 96-60 in the season opener, shooting a program-record 71.7% from the ﬁeld. It most recently faced a UNO team that earned a 78-74 victory at TCU, but the Tigers outplayed the Privateers 93-58 on Monday and outrebounded them by 20.

LSU has outscored its opponents by a combined 71 points.

This is an improvement from last season, when it won by a combined 48 points against its ﬁrst two opponents, UL-Monroe and Alabama State

The team aims to continue its dominance when it faces another mid-major in Florida International at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Coach Matt McMahon has been pleased to see the larger margins of victory against lesser rosters, but he’s evaluating speciﬁc players and how the team operates in certain situations.

One of the most crucial times during these lopsided games is when starting point guard Dedan Thomas goes to the bench. The UNLV transfer’s biggest contribution is how he organizes the offense, which isn’t fully reﬂected in his season averages of 12 points, 8.0 assists and 1.5 turnovers in 24.5 minutes per game.

The 20-year-old junior has been McMahon’s dream ﬂoor general.

“He’ll find you if you do your job,” the fourth-year coach said after the UNO win. “He’s very unselfish. He has phenomenal floor court vision. He sees things that we as coaches don’t see.” McMahon trusts Thomas, but he also knows he must prepare his only backup point guard for his role. Freshman Jalen Reece

scored seven straight points as the Blazers extended the lead to 14 points on their way to a 95-85 edge at the end of the third quarter

Bey scored 10 points, Fears added nine and the Pelicans trimmed the lead to 112-109. But Sharpe made a layup, a jumper, a steal and a dunk to help Portland expand the lead to 120-112 with 1:57 left.

Kevon Looney and Bey both committed two fouls less than four minutes into the game, and they were replaced by Queen and Micah Peavy Along with Fears, the Pelicans had all three of their 2025 draft choices in the lineup together

Queen went on to score a quarter-high 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but the Trail Blazers held a 30-25 lead at the end of the quarter

The lead changed hands nine times, and the score was tied ﬁve times in the second quarter before Bey made two free throws with 1.9 seconds left to give New Orleans a 59-57 halftime lead. ä

LSU basketball signs three men, one woman

to watch in Baton Rouge.”

ä Florida International at LSU 7 P.M.THURSDAy, SEC NETWORK+

has participated in both games but only when Thomas takes a break. The former No. 79 player in the country, according to 247Sports is averaging 3.5 points and 3.5 assists in 15.5 minutes.

The way the 6-foot, 185-pound Reece is acclimating to the college game has earned the praise of McMahon

“I thought Jalen Reece (was) fantastic at the point,” McMahon said after the UNO game. “Our point guards, 12 assists, only one turnover tonight, which was great to see.”

Reece was responsible for four assists and had zero turnovers in 17 minutes. He had extended playing time after Thomas went to the bench after bumping knees with a UNO player at the 15:09 mark of the second half. He returned to the game with 8:40 left, and McMahon said the injury is no cause for concern.

Reece is making the most of his minutes and is receiving guidance from the more experienced Thomas.

“I just keep trying to tell him to be confident in himself,” Thomas said about Reece after the season opener. “Take his open shots, always stay aggressive, always look to make the right play Just be confident in what you’re doing, confident running your team and just getting his guys in the right place.”

Reece seems to be on the right track by gaining the trust of his team.

“I trust him,” Thomas said.

“He’s really smart, he’s really good, really talented. I feel he’s gonna have a really good college career.”

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

BY TOYLOY BROWN III AND REED DARCEY Staff writers

Coach Matt McMahon’s LSU basketball team signed its three high school commitments in the 2026 recruiting class on Wednesday at the beginning of the NCAA’s early signing period.

The three players are Marcus Vaughns, Kevin Thomas and Herly Brutus. The Tigers currently have the 12th-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to ESPN. Vaughns, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound wing from Melbourne, Australia, is listed as the No. 186 recruit in his class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He committed to the Tigers on May 22 and is competing at Australia’s Centre of Excellence. LSU senior guard Max Mackinnon, who is from Brisbane, Australia, also played in the program before beginning his college career

“Marcus is an incredibly humble talent from Australia who will bring versatility to our program,” McMahon said in a statement. “He is skilled and smart with the ability to play multiple positions His international experience will beneﬁt him as he makes the transition to college. I love his spirit and appreciation for the opportunity to come to Louisiana and represent the Tigers.”

So far in the NBL1 East Men’s Conference for the Centre of Excellence, Vaughns is averaging 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Thomas is a 6-7, 195-pound wing and ranked the No. 72 player in the nation and the No. 29 small forward, according to 247Sports.

The four-star player attends Montverde Academy in Florida and committed to LSU on Oct. 17 after receiving offers from Miami, Auburn and Florida State.

“Kevin Thomas is an athletic 6-7 wing who will bring perimeter scoring and explosiveness to our program,” McMahon said. “Like our other signees, Kevin has great size and the versatility to defend multiple positions on the court. His ability to shoot the three and attack the basket off the bounce will ﬁt in well with our offensive system.”

Thomas averaged 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks for SOH Elite in the Under Armour AAU circuit this past summer He shot 40% from the ﬁeld, 32% from the 3-point line and 70% from the free-throw line.

Brutus is a 6-5, 180-pound wing who committed to LSU on Sept. 28 and is the No. 97-ranked player, according to 247Sports. The four-star player from The Villages Charter School in Florida chose the Tigers over offers from Gonzaga, Kansas State and Utah.

“Herly is a big, physical wing with a seven-foot-plus wingspan,” McMahon said. “He will make an impact on both ends of the court, but I was especially impressed with his defensive instincts and competitiveness. His combination of length, athleticism, and a high motor will be exciting for our fans

During his high school junior season, he averaged 10.5 points on 48% shooting, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks in 25 games. The NCAA’s early basketball signing period will continue through Nov 19.

LSU women

The LSU women’s basketball team signed the lone recruit committed to its 2026 freshman class Wednesday at the start of the NCAA’s early signing period. Lola Lampley, a 6-foot-2 wing from Indianapolis, will begin her collegiate career with the Tigers. She’s the 29th-best prospect in her class, according to ESPN rankings, and she committed to LSU on Oct. 31, choosing coach Kim Mulkey’s program over South Carolina, Tennessee and Ole Miss.

“Lola’s size and scoring ability makes her a tough matchup on both ends of the floor,” Mulkey said in a statement. “Her versatility and length allow her to impact the game in so many ways, from creating shots to defending multiple positions. The Tigers can still add signees to their 2026 class. They’re still pursuing, for instance, Jerzy Robinson — a 6-foot guard from California who’s slotted in at the No. 5 spot of ESPN’s rankings. LSU hosted her on an ofﬁcial visit at the same time as Lampley

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

a deep 3-pointer and drained it, punctuating the quick flurry of points with her ﬁrst long-range attempt of the night.

Fulwiley missed eight of her ﬁrst 10 3-point tries on the season, but she hit 5 of 6 Wednesday She took most of those shots from a step or two beyond the arc, including the left-wing 3-pointer she used to beat the halftime buzzer Afterward, she crossed her arms and smiled at the Charlotte bench.

Four Tigers converted shots from beyond the arc against the 49ers, including both Johnson and Williams. Johnson, a senior, added 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block. Williams, a junior, notched 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. The two stars combined to shoot an efﬁcient 10 of 17 from the ﬁeld and 4 of 7 from 3-point range.

LSU also received an off-thebench contribution from Amiya Joyner, the East Carolina transfer forward who finished with a season-high 14 points. Starting center Kate Koval added 10 points and 12 rebounds to turn in her second double-double of the year Charlotte turned the ball over 22 times and shot only 28% from the field. It also missed all 17 shots it took in the second quarter, then finished with just four 3-pointers on 30 long-range attempts.

“We’re getting better (on defense),” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “Straight-line drives are always going to be a problem because the game is so good You have so many one-on-one players, but I thought there were moments with

certain groups together on the ﬂoor that the straight-line drive — when we would get beat a second defender would help, and then another defender would help the helper

“I thought it got a little sloppy there late in the fourth quarter, but for the most part, we did some good things.”

LSU and Charlotte also combined for ﬁve technical fouls.

Williams was given one in the first quarter when she canned a corner 3-pointer and exchanged words with 49ers ﬁrst-year coach Tomekia Reed. Freshman guard Bella Hines picked up a technical when she drained a 3-pointer in the second quarter and taunted the Charlotte bench. Freshman forward Grace Knox was then whistled for one late in the fourth quarter when she swatted away a shot and stared down the Charlotte player who took it.

Mulkey said that LSU was motivated, in part, by a video that a pair of Charlotte players had posted to TikTok in which they said they would give the Tigers a close game.

“We had too many technicals,” Mulkey said, “but I want to give you a little background. They took it real personal with all the stuff that was on social media, and I’ll leave it at that. So, they were ﬁred up.”

LSU next will visit Tulane at 6 p.m. Monday in the ﬁrst of three games it will play in New Orleans. The Tigers are also scheduled to face UNO in the Lakefront Arena on Dec. 7 and Louisiana Tech in the Smoothie King

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara goes for a layup as Pelicans forward Trey Murphy defends on Wednesday at the Smoothie King Center

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Jalen Reece drives the ball up court during a game against UNO on Monday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

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 Abreuis one of 10 bakers stillcompeting on Season 12 of Food Network’s ‘Holiday BakingChampionship.’

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

See CHEF, page 2D

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 alittleslower 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 the meal. 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.

Turkey and Andouille Gumbo

Kevin Belton

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 2D

Cranberry SauceCheese Danish recipe, 2D

BY GRETCHENMCKAY PittsburghPost-Gazette (TNS)

2. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers and stir until the vegetables begin to soften 5-8 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, Creole seasoning, salt, and cayenne pepper and stir to combine.

4. Addthe turkeystock, 1cup at atime, while stirring. Add the bay leaves and sausage bring to aboil. Reduce to asimmer and cook until the gumbo has thickened, about 30 minutes.

5. Add the turkey and cook until heated through, about 20 minutes.

6. Stir in the green onions and parsley and serve gumbo over steamed whitericewitha dash of ﬁlé.

Did you ever have one of those days where you just need to do something, anything, to keep busy?Thatwas me recently at my son’shome in NewJersey

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 one with 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 you choose 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

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

Continued from page 1D

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 page1D

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.

1/2

1. Preheatthe oven to 400degrees and line your baking sheet with parchment paperthen set aside.

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 andplaceitinthe center of the puff pastry squares.

DOUGHNUTS

Continued from page1D

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

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 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.

FAMILY CIrCUS

McMeel Syndication

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

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.

BaBY BLueS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

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 forfailing

InsTRuCTIons:

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

BuildingYour GrowthPipeline

Ahands-onworkshoptoturnideas into income,strengthenyoursales strategy, andbuild steady revenuegrowthfor your business.Fuelyourentrepreneurial journey at thenextSmall Business Engine Series.

Tuesday, December 9 9am -12pm

saturday

november15 er15

10 am -3pm -3p

mAINLIbrARy At GOodwoOd

CelebrateInternational GamesDay by gettingyour game on at theMain LibraryatGoodwood! Bringthe whole familytothis all-ages,freeevent and see howmanydiﬀerentgamesyou can play in oneday!

WHAT IS GAME ON! @THE LIBRARY?

It's aFREElibraryevent forall ages to encourageexploration of games, nurture and support our gamingcommunity, and connect that communitywiththe library'sgamingresources It's aday celebratinggamesofall typesonInternational GamesDay,the 3rdSaturdayof November each year!

WHAT YOU'LL EXPERIENCE:

Video &VRGames

Board&TabletopGames

Puzzle&FamilyChallenge Zone

All Ages Welcome -Kids,Teens &Adults

Life-Sized Lawn Games

Card Games&StrategyGames

FriendlyCompetition &Prizes

ExploreLibraryGamingResources

From classic boardgamestoVRheadsets,cardgamestolife-sizedoutdoorgames, tabletopsessionsand more-there's somethingfor everyage and skill level. Plus,stopbythe Children's Room forspecial kids' gamesand puzzlesfor ages 2-11!

Discover moredetails and librarygaming resourcesat: ebrpl.co/gameon

•The Library’sCURRENT 10-Year DedicatedPropertyTax EXPIRES in December 2025.

•This taxaccounts foralmost100% of the Library’sfunding.

•The Library’sTax Renewal is Proposition #1 on the ballot on November 15. (That’sahome game for both LSU and Southern.)

•This is NOTanew tax

•Householdswillpay the same 11.1millagerateasin1995, 2005, and2015.

•The Librarywill retain aDEDICATED annual millage of 8.3mills,which is sufficienttocontinue ALL hours of operations at all locations forthe next 10 years.

•The Librarywill retain $60Millioninits Fund Balance,which preserves the Pay-As-You-Go Capital Improvements Plan and supportsfuture operational and self-insuranceneeds

•Asper City-Parish officials,2.8 millsofthe Library’sannualmillage will be re-allocatedto“Parish General Purposes,”to be appliedannuallytoparish-wide Infrastructureneeds forthe Stormwater Master Plan, Street MaintenanceProjects,and to stabilize the budget. Addressingdrainage and stormwater projects willreduce the risk of flooding throughoutthe parishand eventuallylower insurance rates.

•The Library will make aone-time re-allocation of $52.4Millionfromits savingsinFundBalance, which will be used to paydownthe Parish-Wide GeneralFund Debt.Thiswill resultinanimmediate benefit to the citizens of the parishbyfreeingupfunds previously spent to service thedebt,instead of allocating it to local services.

•The Thrive Plan also includesthe 1.0 millsrenewalfor MosquitoAbatementand Rodent Control (MARC),which is Proposition#2onthe ballotonNovember15.

•The Thrive Plan also includesthe 2.25mills renewalfor the East BatonRouge Council on Aging (COA), which is Proposition #3 on the ballotonNovember15.

•All three departments agreed to the Thrive Plan: the Library, MARC,and the COA.

•The Thrive Plan wasunanimously approved by all members of the MetroCouncil; it has also received numerous endorsements

•Ifthe TaxProposal FAILS on November15, 2025, the Librarywill receiveZEROnew revenue from the 2026 taxyear.

•The Librarywouldhaveto begintouse funds from its savings in Fund Balanceinorder to continue to operate.

•The Librarywouldthen have to go back to the voters with aNEW millage proposition. Since we area departmentofCity-Parish government,the MetroCouncilmust approveany new TaxElectiontotake placein2026 or beyond

•Revenues from asuccessful Spring 2026election would notbereceiveduntil January2027. Revenues from asuccessful Fall 2026 electionwould notbereceiveduntil 2028.

•Toberesponsible andprudent, and notknowing whennew revenues would be received,wewould have to begin cutting back.The Librarywould have to carefully evaluate andconsiderdeeper cuts to the book andAVbudget,eBooks,the database subscription budget, periodicals,public programming,and reductions in hours of servicethroughout the system, etc. We would startto operatein2026ataREDUCED expenditurerate, until such time as newtax revenues were approved.

•The Library’sFundBalancecould sustain operations foratleastone year.However,the longer the Library“livesoff itssavings,”the greaterthe impactonthe CapitalImprovements Plan and all future plans.