The Times-Picayune 11-13-2025 by The Advocate

GOVERNMENTSHUTDOWNENDS AS TRUMP SIGNS FUNDING BILL 3A

N.O. gets stateapproval for$125million loan

Moneywould paycityworkers,fundoperations

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

New Orleans officialswon state approval Wednesday to sell $125 million in short-term bondstoease the city’scash-flow crisis and cover payrollfor nearly5,000 workers throughthe end of the year,markingamajor victory forMayor-elect Helena Moreno as shepreparesto take office.

The State Bond Commission’s decision to back New Orleans’ gap ﬁnancing plan came after the City Council approved an ordinance last week giving Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespackveto power over

how the bond proceedsare spent. Thecommission’sapproval will allowNew Orleans to avoidhavingto make severe cuts in the short term to basiccity services

New Orleans also averted astateled takeover of city operations—at least for now—after astate panel earlier Wednesday opted not to recommend that astate ﬁscal administrator handle thecity’saffairs after Moreno and her council colleagues assured them the city’sfinances were headed toward surerfooting.

“I just appreciate so muchall of the state leaders working collabora-

Wednesday’smeeting ä See LOAN, page 7A

Moreno zeroes in on NOPD overtime spending

Probelaunchedinto department payrollissues

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE andBLAKEPATERSON Staff writers

As Mayor-elect Helena Moreno attempts to make good on her recent promise to state leaders to keep atighter watch on New Orleans’ ﬁnances, she’s already

identiﬁed one area of concern: overtime spending.

The understaffed New Orleans Police Department’sspendingcame under fresh scrutiny after Louisiana Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack reported that no one had budgeted for police overtimein thecity’s2025 budget, which faces adeﬁcit of $160 million. But Waguespack hasbegun digging deeper intothe issue in recent weeks at the City Council’srequest.The Ofﬁce of

the Inspector General separately confirmedtoWVUEtelevision that it was investigating the matter in July,after the station reported that 23 officers had more than doubled their salaries by reporting long shifts for weeksormonths straight withouta dayoff.The OIGisnow workingseparately with Waguespack’soffice on its investigation, aspokesperson said Wednesday

ä See OVERTIME, page 7A

Epsteinemail from 2019 says Trump‘knew

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

Former lawmaker indicted in theft of artifact

Schexnayderfaces felony charge over ancientcypress board

BY TYLER BRIDGES and PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writers

Former House Speaker Clay Schexnayderwas indicted Wednesday by aBaton Rouge grand jury related to the disappearance of an ancientcypress boardthatwas last seen in his legislative office in Gonzales.

The indictment says Schexnayder“knowingly andintentionally committedtheft of arare Louisianastate artifact,” leading to a charge of felony theftgreater than $25,000.

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

Schexnayder could face up to 25 years in prison and a$5,000 ﬁne according to theAttorneyGeneral’s Office, which brought the indictmentinEast Baton Rouge Parish.

Under typical procedures, Schexnayder would be arrested or turn himself in voluntarily

The board, which was displayed at the State Capitol for decades, vanished from Schexnayder’sofﬁcelastyearashewas ending a 12-year term in the House, the last four as the Republican speaker of the 105-member chamber

Thedisappearance of theboard was ﬁrst reported by The Advocate |The Times-PicayuneinSeptember.The newspaper also reported that Julius Mullins, aretiredBaton Rouge doctor whosegrandfather Walter Stebbins donated the board to the state in the 1950s, had asked Attorney General LizMurrill to investigate what happened to it.

“You don’tget to keep state property,” Murrillsaidina statement. “Itdoesn’tbelong to you.” Her ofﬁce said it doesn’tknow the location of the 20-foot-long artifact.

“I just want to getthe boardback in the Capitol,” Mullins said when askedfor hisreactiontothe news of the indictment.

Schexnayder didn’timmediately

ä See ARTIFACT, page 5A

WASHINGTON Jeffrey Epstein wrote in a2019 email to ajournalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls,” according to documents made public Wednesday but what he knew —and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes —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

Maxwell thatTrumphad “spent hours” at Epstein’shouse with a sex trafﬁcking victim. The disclosuresseemed designedtoraisenew questions about Trump’s friendshipwithEpstein and about what knowledge he may have had regarding what prosecutors call ayearslong effort by Epstein to exploit underage girls. The Republican businessman-turnedpolitician hasconsistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’scrimes and has saidheendedtheir relationship years ago. 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 5A

Schexnayder

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

NewOrleans City Council Vice President and Mayor-elect Helena Moreno speaks alongsideCityCouncil budget Chair JoeGiarrusso, left,and council President JP Morrell duringthe Fiscal Review Committee meeting at the StateCapitol on Wednesday.

Gov. Jeff Landrylistens to NewOrleans City Council Vice Presidentand Mayor-elect Helena Moreno during

Newsom denounces plan for Calif.oil drilling

As Gov.Gavin Newsom’sclimate trip in Brazil continues, reportsemerged that theTrump administration plans to allow oil and gas drilling off the Californiacoast for the ﬁrsttime since the 1980s.

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

“As relates to offshore oildrilling,it’soverwhelmingly opposed by members of allpolitical parties in the stateofCalifornia,” Newsom said Tuesday during anews conference held at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.

The Washington Post reported on adraftofthe administration’s five-year plan, which outlines six proposed offshore lease salesoff California from 2027 through 2030, as well as new drilling expansioninto the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Federal offshore oil andgas leases have not been granted off the coast of California since 1984, and the state has opposed new sales, citing the risk of oil spillsand damagetomarine ecosystems as key reasons.

Bus plunges into ravine in southernPeru; 37 die LIMA,Peru Apassengerbus fell into adeep ravine early Wednesdayafter 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 apickup truck andit went offa road on acurve,falling more than 650 feet to the banks of the Ocoña river

The bus had departed from the city of Chala, amining area also in southern Peru, and was heading to thecity of Arequipa.

Fatal busaccidents are not uncommon in Peru. The cause of Wednesday’saccident was not clear,but authorities have said in the past that recklessdriving and excessive speed are behind many of these events

Montana man convicted in campsite killing

BOZEMAN, Mont. Ajury has found aman withlinks to White supremacists guilty of murder in abrutal killing at asouthwestern Montanacampsite last year that was initially reported as a possible bear attack.

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

The defendant later admitted to taking Kjersem’sguns, cooler, cellphones and otherbelongings and concealing evidence.

Abbey was linkedtothe murderscene by DNA found on abeer can inside the tent. He claimed the killing was in selfdefense after Kjersem threatenedhim.Authorities said there were inconsistencies in his story,and pointed to multiplechop wounds in the attack. Abbey told authorities that he arrived at the campsite intending to stay the night and was welcomedby Kjersem, who didn’tknow him, according to Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer

Following asix-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 decorationsaren’tﬂyingat

U.S. Air Force base housing in the Florida Panhandle.

The private company that operatesa community of homes near Tyndall Air Force Base has recently instructed residentsto removetheir decorations.

ATyndall spokesperson said Wednesday that the landlord, Balfour BeattyCommunities, 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’sDay,and that lights can only be litfrom 6to11p.m.

Vancepraises RFKJr. at MAHA summit

BY ALI SWENSON Associated Press

WASHINGTON Vice President JD VanceonWednesday praised Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s willingness to question established science andembrace nontraditional voices in thehealth care space, saying that often throughout history,“all the expertswere wrong.”

In remarks in afireside chat between the two men at a“Make America Healthy Again”summit in the nation’scapital, Vance also proppedupKennedy’sMAHA movement, saying it has been “a critical part of our success in Washington.”

Vance’swords showhow Kennedy,whose wrecking-ball approachtopublic healthagencies and longstanding vaccine skepticism have made himapolarizing figure amongthe public andin Congress, has been embraced by the White House as aneeded force for change.

“Ofall the specific initiatives thatyou guyshave worked on ef-

fectively,the mostimportant thing is that your team is willingtoask questions thatpeople in government haven’tbeen asking in along time,” Vance toldKennedy onstage.

TheVance-Kennedyevent was livestreamed, but the summit was otherwise off limits to thepress.

Even as President DonaldTrump andKennedy have disagreedon issues from COVID-19 vaccines to abortion, the White House this year has largely left Kennedy aloneashehas madesweeping changes to the agencies he leads, including laying off thousandsof workers, firingscience advisers and remaking vaccine guidelines.

TheTrump administration has touted Kennedy’sefforts to phase out artiﬁcial dyes in foods,wage waronultra-processedfoods andupdatethe national dietary guidelines. As healthsecretary, he hassaid he wants to ﬁnd the root causes of chronic disease and help Americansreducetheir exposure to toxins.

Critics,includingsome of the country’sleading medical associations, say that Kennedy’sdis-

regard for established science is fomenting public distrust in mainstream medicine and that his views, once considered fringe, are being ampliﬁed fromhis perchas 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 ourpublic healthatrisk,”saidErik Polyak, executive director of the progressive political action committee 314Action, which works to elect Democratic scientists to office.

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

Vance nodded to the factthat manyinKennedy’snetwork don’t come from conventional medical circles, and somehave moreexperienceinbusiness than in health. In fact,many of the health secretary’s closeallies and new hires have outright rejected medical consensus on topicsincluding vaccinesand how to heal chronic disease.

“We’ve gottobecomfortable challenging some of these old or-

Israel’spresident says violence againstPalestiniansmustend

BYMELANIE LIDMAN and JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israel’spresident and highranking military ofﬁcials on Wednesday condemned attacks aday earlierby Jewishsettlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for an end to a growing wave ofsettler violence in the occupied territory

President Isaac Herzog described the attacks as “shocking and serious,” addingarare and powerful voice to what has been muted criticism by top Israeli ofﬁcials of thesettler violence. Herzog’sposition, while largely ceremonial, is meant to serve as amoral compass and unifying force for thecountry

Herzog said the violencecommitted by a“handful” of perpetrators “crosses ared line,” addingina social media post that “allstate authorities must act decisively to eradicatethe phenomenon.”

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

The Israeliarmy’schief of staff, Eyal Zamir,echoed Herzog’scondemnations of the West Bank violence, saying the military “will nottoleratethe phenomena of aminority of criminals who tarnish

alaw-abiding public.”

He said thearmyiscommitted to stopping violentacts committed by settlers, which he described as contrary to Israeli values andthat“divertthe attentionof our forces from fulﬁlling their mission.”

The chief of themilitary’sCentral Command, Maj. Gen. AviBluth, said responding to an “anarchist fringe” requires the use of signiﬁcant resources that could otherwise be focused on bolsteringsecurity andconducting counterterrorism operations.

Thearmysaidthe settlers who attacked the villagesﬂed to anearbyindustrial zone and attacked soldiers responding to the violence, damaging amilitary vehicle. Police said four Israelis were arrested, while the military said four Palestinianswere wounded.

On Wednesday,police said three of the suspects were released andthatone,a minor arrested on suspicion of arson and assault, will remainincustodyfor six moredays, as ordered by ajudge. Police said the actionsofthe three who were released are still under investigation “with thegoal of bringing offenders to justice, regardless of their background.”

Tuesday’sviolence in theWestBank wasthe latestina series of attacks by young settlers that have surgedsincethe war in Gaza erupted two years ago. The attacks have intensiﬁed in recent weeks as Palestinians harvesttheir olive trees in an annual ritual.

Trumpurges Israel to pardon Netanyahu

BYMELANIELIDMAN Associated Press

JERUSALEM U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday sent aletter to Israel’spresident asking him to pardon PrimeMinisterBenjamin Netanyahu in along-running corruption trial that has bitterly divided thecountry

It was the latest attempt by Trumpto intervene in the case on behalf of Netanyahu, raising questions about undue American inﬂuence over internal Israeli affairs. Trump alsocalledfor apardon for Netanyahu during aspeech to Israel’s parliament lastmonth, when he made a briefvisit to promotehis ceaseﬁre plan for thewar in Gaza.

In Wednesday’sletter to President Isaac Herzog,Trumpcalledthe corruption case “political, unjustiﬁed prosecution.”

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

years, Ihereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been aformidable and decisive WarTime Prime Minister, andisnow leadingIsrael into atime of peace,” Trumpwrote.

Netanyahu is the only sitting primeminister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged withfraud, breach of trust andaccepting bribesinthree separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters.

Netanyahu rejects theallegations, and in Trump-like language has condemned thecase as awitch hunt orchestrated by themedia, police and judiciary

Israel’s president does have theauthority to grant pardons. Herzog has declined to sayhow he would respond to apardon request by Netanyahu, saying publicly only that he believes the trial has been adistraction and sourceofdivision for thecountry and that he would prefer to seeNetanyahu and the prosecution reach asettlement.

thodoxies, and part of that is welcoming people that are alittle unusual,” Vance said.

TheMAHA eventataWashington hotelcameonthe heelsofa different meeting in Austin, Texas, that welcomed several of the same attendees —the annual conference of Children’sHealthDefense,the anti-vaccine group Kennedy used to lead.

Thatconference over the weekend wasmore squarely focused on immunizations,withsessions such as “The Enduring Nightmare of COVID mRNA Technology” and “Understanding the Enormity of Vaccine Injury.” Wednesday’s packed houseof Trump administration officials, biotech entrepreneurs, MAHA influencers and others included sessionsabout topicssuchashow artiﬁcial intelligence is being used in health care, reversing aging, making food healthier and more. MAHA Action,the Kennedysupporting grouphosting the event, said Trump’sembrace of themovementmarks “a decisive turning point in U.S. health policy.

Chinesescientist pleads guilty in smugglingcase

BY ED WHITE Associated Press

DETROIT AChinese scientist charged in Michigan with smuggling biological materials pleaded guilty Wednesdaybut 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. Ajudge called it a“very strange” case involving an “incredibly accomplished researcher.” Jian, 33, was arrested in June and accused of conspiring with aboyfriend to study and nurse atoxic fungus at acampus lab. Apathogen known as Fusarium graminearum can attack wheat, barley,maize andrice.Zunyong Liu was caught carrying small samples while arriving at aDetroit airport in 2024.

In China,Jianand Liuspecialized in studying Fusarium graminearum, whichis widely found in U.S. ﬁelds, depending on weather and growing conditions. But it is illegal to bring it into the

U.S. without agovernment permit,whichcarriesstrict conditions. The university had no permits.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Martin said there waspotential for“devastating harm,” though he didn’telaborate.

Roger Innes, an Indiana University expert who looked at the evidence for Jian’sattorneys, said there was“no risk to U.S. farmers, or anyone else” or any intent to create amore virulent strain. He notedthat Liulikely wanted to work with aunique microscope at the lab. Martin asked foratwoyear prison sentence for Jian —four times higher than amaximum sixmonth term scored under sentencing guidelines. U.S. DistrictJudge Susan DeClercq settledonfive months in jail, time already served by Jian. Jian apologizedbut said little,relying insteadona letter ﬁled with the court. “I didnot followthe rules because Iwas under pressure to proceed with researchand produce results,” Jian wrote.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAJDIMOHAMMED

Palestinians and journalists surveydamageWednesdayinanindustrial zone following an attack by Israeli settlers the previous dayinthe West Bank villageofBeit Lid.

Trumpsigns fundingbilltoend shutdown

BY KEVIN FREKING, JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MATT BROWN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signeda 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 travelersat airports and generated long lines at some food banks.

Trump’ssignature draws to aclose the second government shutdown he’soverseen in the White House, one that magniﬁed the partisan divisions in Washington as his administration took unprecedented unilateral actions —including canceling projectsand trying tofire federal workers —topressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.

The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passedthe measure on amostly party-line vote of 222-209. TheSenatehad passed themeasure Monday. Democrats wanted to extend an enhancedtax credit expiringatthe endofthe year that lowers the costof health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refusedtogoalong with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority But Republicans said that was aseparate policy ﬁght to be held at another time They eventually prevailed, but only after the shutdown took an increasing toll on the country “Wetold you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don’twork,” said Rep. Tom

bill to extend the health care tax credits. Meanwhile, the shutdown’stoll was growing by theday

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

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.

Cole, the Republican chairmanofthe HouseAppropriations Committee. “They neverachieve the objective that you announce. And guess what? Youhaven’t achieved that objective yet, and you’re not goingto.”

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

Republicans said Democratssoughttouse thepain generated by the shutdown to prevail in apolicy dispute “Stop imposing the suffering,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, said. “Let’s open thegovernment. Let’s get back to thework of the American people.”

Democrats said Republicans raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year that they say mostly will beneﬁt the wealthy,but thebill before the House on Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero

guarantee there will ever, ever be avote to extendtax credits to help everyday people pay fortheir health care,” said Rep. JimMcGovern, D-Mass.

The House had not been in legislative session since Sept.19, when it passed a short-term measuretokeep the governmentopenwhen thenew budgetyearbegan in October.House Speaker MikeJohnson, R-Benton, sent lawmakers homeafter that vote andput 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 causepain and they did it anyway,” Johnson said.

Thelegislation included buy-in from eight senators whobroke ranks with the Democrats after reaching theconclusion that Republicanswould notbendonusing agovernment funding to

Grijalva sworninafter delay

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI, MATT BROWNand MEG KINNARD Associated Press

WASHINGTON Democrat

The legislation includes areversal of thefiring of federalworkers by the Trumpadministration since theshutdown began. It also protects federal workersagainstfurther layoffs through January and guarantees they are paid once theshutdownisover. The bill for the Agriculture Departmentmeans people who rely on keyfood assistance programs will seethose beneﬁts funded without threat of interruption through the

Most Democrats callthe passage of thespendingbill this week amistake. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, 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 America’shealth care crisis.”

Withoutthe enhanced tax credit, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans. More than 2millionpeople would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year,the Congressional Budget Ofﬁce projected.

Independent Sen. Bernie

Sanders of Vermont, who caucuseswiththe Democrats, said giving up the fight was a“horrific mistake.” Sen. Chris Murphy D-Conn., agreed, saying that voters whooverwhelmingly supported Democrats in last week’s elections wereurging them to “hold ﬁrm.” It’s unclear whetherthe partieswillfindany common ground on health care before the December vote in the Senate. Johnson has said he will not commit to bringing it up in his chamber Some Republicanshave said they are open to extending the COVID-19 pandemicera tax credits as premiums will soar formillions of people,but want newlimits on whocan receive the subsidies. Someargue that the tax dollars forthe plans should be routed through individuals rather than go directly to insurance companies.

AdelitaGrijalvawas sworn in as the newest member of Congress on Wednesday, more than sevenweeks after she won aspecialelectionin Arizona to fill the House seat last held by her late father Grijalva was swornin by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, on Wednesdayshortly before the House returned to session to vote on a deal to fund the federal government. After delivering afloor speech, Grijalva signed adischarge petition to eventually trigger avote to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, givingit theneeded 218 signatures.

issues like environmentalism, labor rights and tribal sovereignty In aspeech on theHouse floor after being sworn in, Grijalvasaid it was time for Congress “torestore afull andcheckand balanceto this administration.”

Grijalva’sseating brings the partisan margin in the House to anarrow 219-214 Republican majority.She vowed to continue her father’slegacyofadvocating for progressive policies on

“Wecan and must do better. What is most concerning is not what this administration has done, but what the majority ofthis body has failed to do,” she said TheseatingofGrijalva brings an end to aweekslong delay that she and other Democrats said was intended to prevent her signature on theEpstein petition Johnson had refused to seat Grijalvawhile the chamber was outofsession, adecision that prompted condemnation from Grijalva, alawsuitfrom Arizona’sattorney general and speculation that Johnson was delaying her induction into the House to stall avote on whether to requirethe Justice Department release documents related to the late convictedsex trafﬁcker

Grijalva had said she would join the petition from Rep.Thomas Massie, R-Ky

after taking ofﬁce, giving it the218 signatures needed Three Republicans have signed onto Massie’spetition—Reps.Lauren Boebert of Colorado,Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Lawmakers whowin special elections typically take theoath of office on days when legislative business is conducted.But withthe House outofsession since Sept. 19, Johnson had said he would swear her in when everyone returned. He did swear in two Republican membersthis year when the chamber was not in legislativesession.

“I don’t think he’s thought of anything that he’s doing, in this case,asanything personal,” Grijalva told The Associated Press. “It feels personal because,literally, my name was attached. I also knowthatifIwere aRepublican, Iwould have been sworn in seven weeks ago.”

“We’vebeen waiting for this solong that it’sstill surreal,”she said.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Adelita’sfather,died in March after morethan two decades in theHouse.

Grijalva

Pakistan’s primeministerofferstalks to Afghanistan

BY MUNIR AHMED Associated Press

ISLAMABAD Pakistan’sprime minister on Wednesdayoffered talks to Afghanistan’sTaliban government in arenewed peace overture, aboutaweek after negotiations between the two sides collapsed in Istanbul, raising fears that aceaseﬁre brokered byQatar and Turkey could unraveland trigger new border clashes.

Shehbaz Sharif made the offer in atelevised speech to parliament, a day after adeadly suicide bombing outside acourt in Islamabad killed 12 people and wounded 27 others.

Still, he said that Pakistan wanted peace in the region, because it was 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 forpeace and prosperity in the

region,”Sharifsaid.Hesaid that during therecentrounds of talks

in Doha and Istanbul, Pakistan had only made one demand to Afghanistan: rein in the militants. “Wewant peace to prevail,” he said, and “Afghanistan should realize thatwhatisgood forusisgood for them. But it cannot be that they makepromises and then fail to act.”

There was no immediate commentfrom Kabul to Sharif’s offer The bombing in Islamabad underscoredthe country’schallenges as thegovernment struggleswith agrowing militancy,border tensions and afragile trucewith Afghanistan.

Tuesday’sattackatthe district court, located on the edge of the city,raisedalarms that despite multiple operations by security forces to crush the militants, they are still capable of mounting highprofile bombings —even in the Pakistanicapital.

Pakistan has struggled with a surge in militant attacks in recent years, but until Tuesday’sbombing,Islamabad hadlargely been considered asafer place.

Forensicteams andpolicewere combing Wednesday through debrisatthe site of theblast, which had been sealed to preserve evidence.

Later,funeral prayers got underway for some of the victims. Most of the 27 people woundedin the bombing hadbeen discharged homeafter treatment.

InteriorMinister Mohsin Naqvi saidinthe immediate aftermath of Tuesday’sbombing that the attack was “carried out by Indian-backed elements and Afghan Taliban proxies” linked to the Pakistani Taliban. India and Afghanistan’sTalibanled government both reject Pakistan’saccusations.

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 their resignations. Shealso said the cabinet submittedproposalstoapply 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 Mourners carry thecoffinofZubair Aslam Ghumman, whowas killed in Tuesday’s suicide bombing,inIslamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday

respond to aphone call Wednesday

In September,Schexnayder said he didn’tknow what happened to theboard, and that he hadleftit in his ofﬁce when his legislative career ended.

“When Iturned in the keys, that’s the last Iseen it, that’sthe last I know,” Schexnayder said then “The last Iknowisthe boardwas in the ofﬁce when Ileft.”

His ofﬁcewas located in Suite 205 in astrip mall next to thePelican Point subdivision on La. 44 in Gonzales.

The leasing manager for Schexnayder’sformeroffice said his team never removed it. Schexnayder hung theboard— which measures about 6feet by 20 feet and has words of its origin engraved into it —ona wall directly behind his desk.

Theboardcame from atreein the area of Lake Maurepas that was estimated to be 1,264 years oldwhen it was cut down in 1936 Wording on the board indicatesit 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 hadmade someattempts on his own to ﬁnd the board,but a problem he faced is that no one knew exactlywhich branch of state government claimed ownership of it.

Schexnayder said then-Speaker Chuck Kleckley,R-LakeCharles, asked him in 2013 to put the board in his district office because it

Continued from page1A

not among the men who hadvictimized her In acourt deposition, she said under oath that she didn’tbelieve Trump had any knowledge of Epstein’smisconduct with underage girls. And in her recently released memoir,she described meeting Trump only once, when she worked as aspa attendant at his Mar-a-Lago 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. Shedescribed Trump as friendly and said he offered to help her get babysitting jobs with parents at the club Trump “couldn’thave been friendlier,” Giuffre wrote.

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

White House spokeswoman KarolineLeavitt said Democrats “se-

PROVIDED PHOTO

This photoshows a20-foot-long cypress board that washarvested from atreebelievedtobemore than 1,000 years old.The board used to hang in the halls of the Louisiana State Capitol, but has since gone missing.

came from atreeinAscension Parish.

“He asked me one day if Irepresented one part of Livingston, St Johnand St.James,” Schexnayder said in September.“He said, ‘We have the board from downstairs (in theCapitol), and it is from your district. We’d like to get it over there.’ They haditboxed andshipped to my ofﬁce. Theywere doing some remodeling downstairs or something. Idid not requestit. I’d have asked for thepirogue. That’sfrom my district aswell.”

There’sapirogue, the boat famouslyused to navigate Louisiana swamps and bayous, in the groundﬂoor breezeway Kleckley,however,doesn’t recall giving it to Schexnayder, saying such arequest by himinvolving a historicstate artifact would have been inappropriate.

lectively leaked emails” to “create afake narrativetosmear President Trump.” Trump, writingonhis TruthSocial platform, said Democrats“are tryingtobring up the JeffreyEpstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deﬂect on how badly they’ve done”onthe governmentshutdown “and so many other subjects.”

“There should be no deﬂections to Epstein or anything else,and any Republicans involved should be focused onlyonopening up our Country,and ﬁxing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!” Trump wrote

In July,Trump said he had banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago becausehis one-time friend was “taking people who worked for me,” including Giuffre. Thewomen, he said, were “taken out of the spa,hired by him —inother words, gone.”

“I said, ‘Listen, we don’twant you taking our people,’” Trump told reporters. Asked if Giuffre was one of theemployees poached by Epstein, the president demurred but then said Epstein “stole her.”

ShortlyafterDemocrats released the Trump-related emails,

“I don’tthink the speaker has the authority to just take things offthe wall and give it away,” Kleckley saidinSeptember.“There’saprocess.”

Term limitsended Schexnayder’slegislative career in January 2024. Buthesaid he kept using the ofﬁce as late as Feb. 20 that year, according to atext exchange at the time withRep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, who contacted Schexnayder on behalf of Mullins, afamily friend.

In atexttothe newspaper in September,Schexnayder conﬁrmed he still used the ofﬁce as of February 2024.

DouglasDiez, adeveloper in Gonzales who owns the strip mall, said when tenants depart and are current in their payments, “We usually don’tchange thekey in the office. Eventhough Clay moved

committee Republicans countered by disclosing what they said was an additional 20,000 pagesof documents from Epstein’sestate. Amongthem wereatroveof emails written over several years by Epstein, including many where he commented —often unfavorably —onTrump’s rise in politics and corresponded withjournalists. The release resurfaces astoryline thathad shadowed Trump’s presidencyduring the summer when theFBI andthe Justice Department abruptlyannounced that they would notbereleasing additional documents that investigators had spent weeks examining, disappointing conspiracy theorists and online sleuths who had expected to seenew revelations.

In one2019 email to journalist Michael Wolff, who has written extensively aboutTrump, Epstein wroteofTrump, “Ofcourse he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”

In an April 2, 2011, email toMaxwell, aformer Epstein girlfriend now imprisoned for conspiring to engage in sextrafﬁcking, Epsteinwrote, “I wantyou to realize that that dogthathasn’tbarked is

out,heorany one of his people could have come back.”

Todd Pevey,who worksfor St John Properties andmanages leasing at thestrip mall for Diez, said in an email in September that “tenants are responsible forremoving all materials and belongings from the premises uponvacating. 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 anyitems thatwere ever in the premises.”

Words etched in the board said it was cut from acypress tree that was nearly8 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 cutdownbecause it “hadreached its maturity and, if permitted to stand longer,would have declined and degraded.”

Mullins and other familymembers made sure every time they visited the Capitol to admire their grandfather’shandiwork on awall in the ground-ﬂoor breezeway underneaththe building’ssteps.

in 2023, Mullins was startled one night while watching TV news to see an interview with Schexnayder —and the board wasclearly visible directly behind him. By then, Schexnayder was speaker of the house,overseeing all 105 House members.

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

When Schexnayderleftoffice last year,the speaker’sofﬁce collected acouple of pieces of state equipment, but Schexnayder exercised his right to buy the laptop,

Trump. Virginia spent hours at my housewith him ,, he has never once been mentioned. policechief. 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 hadaccused Britain’sthen-Prince Andrew and other inﬂuentialmen of sexually exploiting her as a teenager and whodiedbysuicide in April. Andrew,who recentlywas strippedofhis titles and evicted from his royal residence by King CharlesIII afterweeks of pressure to act over his relationship with Epstein, has rejected Giuffre’sallegations and said he didn’t recall meeting her It wasn’tclear what Epstein meant by saying that Trump was adog that “hadn’tbarked,”but both he and Maxwell in other correspondence accused Giuffre of fabricating stories abouther supposedsexual interactions with famousmen.

Leavitt said in astatementthat Giuffrehad “repeatedly said President Trump was notinvolved in anywrongdoing whatsoeverand ‘couldn’t havebeen friendlier’ to her in theirlimited interactions.”

printer and faxhehad been using, at adepreciated price,according to state records. The governmentinventory did not include the board, since it hadn’tbeen ofﬁcially given to him

In September,Schexnayder said someone at his request notified someone from the state thathehad the board as he wasleaving ofﬁce. He wouldn’tidentify either person. “I’m not going to go and start blurting out names,” Schexnayder said. “That’snot whoI am.”

Schexnayder, aone-time amateur car racer who owned an auto mechanic shop, waselected speaker in early 2020 by acoalition of Democrats and Republicans to edge out amore conservative Republican. But under attack from conservatives for this alliance, Schexnayder shifted to the right partway into his term and developed afrosty relationship withthen-Gov. JohnBel Edwards, aDemocrat.

He faced questions following a 2022 newsreport 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 andleft the House less than three months later Last year,Schexnayderwas hired as alobbyist by ahempdispensary anda hemp distributor, twoyears after he authored legislation that allowspeople 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.

“The fact remains that President Trumpkicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decadesago forbeing acreep to his female employees, including Giuffre,” thestatement said. “These stories are nothing morethan bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’shistoric accomplishments, and any Americanwith commonsense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”

Messages seeking comment were leftwith Wolff, Maxwell attorney David Markus and representatives forGiuffre’sfamily Maxwell, interviewed in July by the Justice Department’ssecondin-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 GeneralTodd Blanche, accordingtoa transcript of theinterview “I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way.The President wasnever inappropriate withanybody.Inthe times that Iwas withhim, he was agentleman in all respects.”

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.

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

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-

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.”

Leaderssay mission will remain thesame

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

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 TheU.S.ended productionofthe penny Wednesday,abandoning the 1-centcoins that were embeddedinAmerican culture for more than 230years.

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.

tively with us,” Moreno said after the back-to-back meetings. “The city of New Orleans will have to face some signiﬁcant oversight requirements, but I welcome that and this City Council welcomes that.”

Gov Jeff Landry, appearing at Wednesday’s Bond Commission meeting, said the oversight measures New Orleans agreed to go beyond what the state usually requires of municipalities seeking emergency bonds

“Some people say we’re treating you all as different. We are. We’re actuallybeingmoreﬁscallyrestraining in this process than not,” Landry said. “Those are just the facts.”

The approval of New Orleans’ bond proposal Wednesday caps a whirlwind two weeks that tested the relationships between state ofﬁcials and the elected leaders of the state’s largest city

New Orleans has worked for weeks to come up with revenues to meet its obligations after Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration revealed last month that the city was on track to run out of cash by the end of the year citing delayed payments on federal grants.

Moreno and council members identified the emergency bond funds as one solution. But the council withdrew its initial request for Bond Commission approval in late October, after council members said it became clear that state officials would only sign off on the proposal if they agreed to cede control of City Hall to a fiscal administrator The council resurrected its request last week after Moreno, council President JP Morrell and council Budget Chair Joe Giarrusso hashed out an agreement with state officials to include additional oversight measures.

As part of that deal, the council approved an ordinance last week creating a special fund for the bond proceeds that can only be tapped with written approval of

Continued from page 1A

Both moves come over a year after an NOPD official sounded alarms about mounting overtime expenses, according to emails.

“Having discussions with the auditor and also our inspector general, there needs to be better controls of overtime with NOPD as well, and also a better look at potential abuse of overtime,” Moreno on Wednesday told a state panel that considered but ultimately decided against recommending the appointment of a state administrator to manage New Orleans’ ﬁnances.

“I don’t have a cent to waste. And so that’s another piece that we’ll be working through as well to ensure that not just NOPD, but that every department has the right set of controls on overtime,” said Moreno. She added that her transition team plans to propose that $50 million be budgeted next year for overtime Waguespack has estimated that the NOPD and other city agencies will have racked up close to that amount by the end of this year

Though Waguespack’s review is not complete, he said Tuesday that his ofﬁce has identiﬁed “some very excessive overtime” in NOPD records.

That includes ofﬁcers who have signed up “to work a detail as op-

the state auditor, and only to cover payroll expenses or costs arising out of council-approved emergencies. The city also agreed to provide the auditor with view-only access to the city’s ﬁnancial management software and provide him with requested records or reports.

“I’m going to police that checkbook,” Waguespack told the Bond Commission. “Nothing moves until I send a letter to the city and the bank saying they can transfer.”

Waguespack will also investigate city spending from 2022 to the present in partnership with the city’s Ofﬁce of Inspector General and provide written reports to the city and Bond Commission on any ﬁndings or recommended corrective actions The city must provide a written explanation to the Bond Commission for any recommendations it chooses not to adopt.

Cantrell didn’t appear at Wednesday’s meetings, though the city’s lobbyist, Paul Rainwater, told state ofﬁcials that he spoke to her Tues-

posed to work(ing) a shift,” which requires another officer to work at an overtime rate to fill the shift, he said. He added that his team will not release its findings until early next year

NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, meanwhile, has said the department has an abundance of unﬁlled positions, which means the ofﬁcers who are working must log extra hours.

In October, she rejected the council’s request to freeze overtime spending in light of the city’s cash-ﬂow crisis.

“I am not going to let an ofﬁcer get hurt, and I am not going to let the community be hurt because I am not willing to pay overtime,”

Kirkpatrick said in October

NOPD did not respond to a request for additional comment on Wednesday Neither did Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration.

The New Orleans Police Department has 900 ofﬁcers, but needs 1,200 to effectively patrol the city, Kirkpatrick has said. To make the most of the diminished force, NOPD has consistently relied on overtime to keep ofﬁcers on the street for daily coverage and major events alike.

But this year city ofﬁcials quietly abandoned a practice of using money budgeted for unﬁlled positions to cover overtime at year’s end That meant the city budgeted for just $57,500 in employee overtime this year — a fraction of the $47 million it spent on overtime in

day night and she had no issue with the deal.

The state Fiscal Review Committee — tasked with reviewing the ﬁnancial stability of municipalities, and when necessary, recommending that a court appoint an administrator to oversee a city’s operations — also met on Wednesday to hear from city ofﬁcials but took no action.

Still, state ofﬁcials warned city leaders that if they don’t abide by the agreed-upon oversight measures or if they fail to right the city’s ﬁnances, the state could intervene at a later date.

“Even if you follow everything in the guidelines we’ve asked you to do, and it just doesn’t work you can’t cut what you want to cut you can’t change the policies, then that’s going to open the door for us to come in and do things that we’re trying right now not to do,” Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said at Wednesday’s Bond Commission meeting.

2024. City ofﬁcials have yet to explain that decision.

New Orleans is on track to spend $50 million on overtime this year Waguespack has said.

Kirkpatrick in October criticized the city for not allotting her ofﬁce enough overtime. Though some events that require overtime extreme weather, the Jan. 1 terrorist attack — cannot be predicted, others, such as Mardi Gras and other holidays, generate a high amount of overtime each year and can be.

“I have to have a realistic budget,” said Kirkpatrick. “You can’t give me $45,000 in an overtime line item and expect me to manage that.”

After the state’s Fiscal Review Committee meeting on Wednesday Moreno said she, like Kirkpatrick, thinks the city should “do whatever possible to ensure we have enough coverage” to keep residents safe.

At the same time, she said she instructed Kirkpatrick to increase overtime oversight.

Waguespack this week said that his ofﬁce was still collecting overtime records and couldn’t yet say how many ofﬁcers had chosen to work off-duty details instead of working regular shifts. His review, when complete, will include not just NOPD’s overtime but that of all city departments.

The Office of Inspector General will also “determine whether NOPD policies and procedures for overtime are consistent with best

The bridge funding approved Wednesday means New Orleans won’t have to make significant cuts to essential services like public safety or furlough city workers through the end of the year, said Moreno, who serves as council vice president but takes office as mayor Jan. 12. But the mayor-elect said her transition team is exploring “every type of cost-cutting measure possible to ensure that we have a more efficient and operational government moving forward.” In next year’s budget, that will include cutting some of the nearly 660 unclassified positions at City Hall, she said. She has also said she will review overtime spending. The City Council must approve a budget by Dec. 1. Moreno said the city will need to dip into its rainy day fund to make payroll while it waits for the revenue from the bond sale, a move that will require a two-thirds vote of the council. The city is expected to pay off

practices and effective in preventing payroll fraud,” said Inspector General Ed Michel in a statement Tuesday adding that the office would release a public letter by the end of the year That ofﬁce has previously found multiple instances of payroll fraud in NOPD’s ranks and overtime problems with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

The focus on overtime spending comes almost two years after an NOPD budget administrator first raised concerns about the agency’s overtime costs, according to emails.

Antoinette Bradstreet issued multiple warnings to Kirkpatrick and other NOPD leaders starting in February 2024 about “surging” overtime costs. She urged leaders to reduce the cap for ofﬁcers from 56 hours per week and noted that increases in the hourly overtime rate of pay in recent years had contributed to the increased costs.

On Feb. 18, she noted that the department had already spent nearly $4.5 million in overtime that year and requested a meeting with Kirkpatrick. Multiple additional emails reiterating the costs through the end of April suggest that that meeting did not happen.

In June, Kirkpatrick extended the 56-hour limit. Bradstreet, who left the NOPD and began a job with the city in July 2024, according to her LinkedIn, did not respond to a request for comment.

Kirkpatrick said in July of this year that the NOPD was look-

much of the initial $125 million loan in January, when it receives the bulk of its property tax receipts. But Waguespack said he expects that New Orleans will need to return to the Bond Commission at least two more times over the next three years for additional loans to dig itself out of the hole and build up its reserves to an acceptable level, which he pegged at $150 million. As it continues to deal with a cash shortage and ﬁll an estimated $160 million deﬁcit in this year’s budget, New Orleans has already paused payments to certain vendors, Moreno and Waguespack said on Wednesday though Moreno said Cantrell’s team hasn’t provided a clear number on how much money the city owes.

Waguespack said a vendor told him this week that the city asked that he hold off on submitting a $4.8 million invoice for work already done. The auditor has asked vendors with outstanding payments to email his ofﬁce.

Moreno said her team is also looking at a variety of revenueraising measures, including selling unused city-owned properties. Asked whether she supports Cantrell’s proposals to raise revenues, including increasing the sanitation fee or the sales tax targeting the service and tourism industries, Moreno said “no ﬁrm decisions have been made.”

Waguespack said Wednesday that Moreno’s incoming administration should also look into furloughing workers one day every pay period He said that would save about $25 million per year on payroll expenses.

Morrell, the council president, said the council plans to ask voters to approve an amendment to the city’s Home Rule Charter during next year’s midterms that would put stricter controls on the mayor’s spending abilities, a measure Moreno said she supports. The moves she and the council are making are “necessary to gain the trust of state leaders, but also to regain the trust of the public as well,” Moreno said.

ing into whether ofﬁcers actually worked the hours they said they did, according to WVUE.

City officials also highlighted concerns of “surging overtime” in a special council meeting to discuss the city’s budget issues in February 2025. “Spending is Out Of Control” read a slide in ofﬁcials’ PowerPoint presentation.

City officials again flagged overtime spending in May, when they estimated that overtime costs were projected to reach nearly $50 million in 2025. The Bureau of Governmental Research, a nonprofit good government group, also questioned whether overtime was being tallied accurately in an April report, and noted that the city’s budget leaders conceded then that overtime was not included in the 2025 budget.

Monthly budget reports the Cantrelladministrationpreparedfor the council in 2024 included “erroneous projections,” the BGR report noted, which “delayed by months the discovery of a $42 million deﬁcit in the department’s budget related primarily to police overtime.”

An ordinance the council approved last week as it worked to convince the state to allow it to sell $125 million in emergency bonds to stem its cash-flow crisis includes a requirement that the city’s chief administrative officer and finance director provide the council with 90-day overtime projections, among other new oversight mechanisms.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

JP Morrell speaks during Wednesday’s Fiscal Review Committee meeting

Legislation could end some THC products in La.

Retailer says bill before Congress would ‘effectively kill’ some hemp industries

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

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

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

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

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

The industry, which is only about ﬁve years old, had sales last year of about $33 million that generated about $4.3 million in tax revenues in Louisiana Thieler said Products that are sold through about 2,500 licensed retailers in the state would become illegal in a year, but would likely become 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 pro-

cess 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 amend-

ment involving CBD to Senatepassed 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 fast-growing 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 hempbased or hemp-derived products” in a package passed late Sunday to

“There’s still time for there to be something worked out in the interim, but it creates a ton of uncertainty. 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.”

JACOB LANDRy Urban South owner

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 hempderived 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.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

The menu of hard seltzer cans and Driftee THC seltzers is displayed at Urban South Brewery in New Orleans.

Oversight of N.O. special ed could end

Judge to rule on decadelong monitoring of program

BY MARIE FAZIO

Staff writer

Federal oversight of New Or-

leans schools’ special education services will likely end this year, a judge said Wednesday, arguing that a decade of monitoring has resulted in signiﬁcant reforms.

Since 2015, the Orleans Parish School Board and the Louisiana Department of Education have

been under the oversight of the federal court, including regular audits by an independent monitor, to ensure they comply with special education law

he is ready to grant the request to end the oversight.

invited to voice their ongoing concerns with special education in New Orleans schools.

Earlier this year, the school board and the state asked the court to end the federal monitoring, which they say is no longer necessary because schools have met agreed-upon special education standards for eight consecutive years.

U.S. District Court Judge Jay C. Zainey suggested Wednesday that

The monitoring is part of a settlement reached after a group of families with children with disabilities sued the state, alleging that their children were turned away or denied services after most New Orleans schools were converted to charter schools after Hurricane Katrina.

“By design, the consent judgment was a temporary measure and it was never intended to be a permanent fixture of the school system,” Zainey said Wednesday morning. While the system is “not perfect,” special education in New Orleans has “much improved,” he said.

Zainey’s comments came during an informal hearing where parents of children with special needs and special education teachers were

He reassured parents that even when the consent judgment is removed, they will still have protections and can pursue legal action.

Over the course of the hearing, more than a dozen people, mostly parents, described challenges their children had faced in the school system. Complaints included unfulfilled education

LESSONS ON THE COURT

Students from Cherbonnier/Rillieux Elementary School in Waggaman cheer alongside Tulane mascot Riptide during the

Wave’s women’s basketball game against the University of North Florida Ospreys at Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans on Wednesday. The game was part of Tulane’s annual Education Day, which brings local elementary and middle school students to campus for a day and mixes classroom lessons with college athletics, offering free admission, lunch and a lively midday atmosphere.

University Medical Center

held their fifth strike during ongoing contract negotiations on Wednesday.

Nursing staff strike continues

University Medical Center negotiations stall

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

two years ago. Music blared from speakers and a bubble machine sent soapy spheres into the crowd of marching demonstrators, who carried signs and chanted. The striking nurses, part of a 600-member unit represented by National Nurses United have been negotiating for over a year with the hospital, which is operated by LCMC Health The bargaining committee and the hospital meet twice a month, and both sides on

Key power back online at S&WB

Turbine 5 had been down for months

BY JULIA GUILBEAU Staff writer

A key power source for New Orleans’ drainage system is back online as of last week, according to Sewerage & Water Board officials, after it was taken out of service for nearly three months because of a faulty sensor S&WB officials announced the return of Turbine 5 on Wednesday They also provided several updates on the city’s long-delayed power plant — including a new timeline for when the system is expected to provide more reliable power for drainage infrastructure — after additional delays to the process Turbine 5, known as T5, was powered back up on Nov. 7 after officials found additional electrical repairs that needed to be made. The turbine was previously projected to be back online at the end of September With T5 back on, the city now has 69 megawatts of 25-hertz power available for its pumps. The S&WB estimates that its system requires 44 megawatts of that power at peak demand. When the new power station is finished, 25-hertz power, an outdated power standard, will largely be replaced by 60-hertz power from Entergy New Orleans. Power issues at the S&WB have been a major concern in recent years. Failures of the utility’s ancient turbines have at times left the drainage system, which pumps water out of the city during tropical storms and other rain events, with barely enough power to operate all of its equipment. Fixing that long-standing issue by connecting the drainage system to Entergy

was a priority of the S&WB’s former executive director, Ghassan Korban, but the process was plagued by funding delays and other setbacks.

On Wednesday, the agency said it is still running tests on a new frequency changer the ﬁrst of three that will be completed as part of the S&WB’s new Entergy power complex. Frequency changers allow the drainage system to convert 60-hertz Entergy power into the older power standard that the system’s oldest machines still use. Testing of that frequency changer began around the end of September but it hasn’t yet been put into service. The equipment must be tested for 30 straight days, but interruptions in the testing process required the S&WB to restart the timeline. The frequency changer is still able to provide some additional

power during its testing period. The S&WB expects the second frequency changer to be available for power and testing sometime this month, and the third to be available in January

Meanwhile, the timeline for turning on Turbine 7, a modern generator that will use 60-hertz power, has also been pushed back. Ofﬁcials anticipate testing of the system which was projected for October, will begin in December

“SWBNO remains committed to bringing the Power Complex online and will continue to provide updates regarding power complex testing progress,” ofﬁcials said in a statement.

“Once completed, SWBNO will no longer rely on our existing historical power assets, and instead have a more robust and reliable power source to provide power for drainage pumps.”

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Green

STAFF PHOTO By EMILy WOODRUFF

nurses

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

The Sewerage & Water Board’s new power complex is seen at the Carrollton water treatment plant in New Orleans on July 16.

Police: Officer, suspect shot in Tangipahoa chase

It was one of two police shootings in the parish

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

A police ofﬁcer and an armed suspect who sped away from a trafﬁc stop both suffered gunshot wounds during a chase early Wednesday through Tangipahoa Parish, though neither had life-threatening inju-

ries, authorities said.

Staffers at an area hospital treated the Independence Police Department officer for a gunshot wound to the leg, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said. Police captured the suspect, meanwhile, more than three hours after the suspect fled the traffic stop. During the pursuit, the suspect exchanged gunfire with a State Police trooper and an officer from the Tickfaw Police Department, State Police said. Detectives with the State Police

Force Investigation Unit are heading the investigation into the ofﬁcer-involved shooting, one of two, separate ofﬁcer-involved shootings the agency is investigating in Tangipahoa Parish.

The other incident involved a Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s deputy who, at about 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 a hospital, State Police said Tuesday. Wednesday’s pursuit began short-

Former reporter honored for environmental work

Schleifstein awarded SEJ Service Award

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

Longtime Times-Picayune

journalist Mark Schleifstein is being recognized with a national award for his decades of volunteer work in the service of environmental journalism. The Society of Environmental Journalists has named Schleifstein the 2025 recipient of its David Stolberg Meritorious Service Award. The award “recognizes an SEJ member whose volunteer service demonstrates extraordinary commitment to the organization and to environmental journalism,” the organization said. Schleifstein worked for the newspaper for four decades before retiring at the end of 2024. Over that time, his coverage was at the forefront of the myriad environmental issues facing Louisiana, from coastal land loss to industrial pollution. He has been widely recog-

nized for his work. His long list of awards includes sharing in Pulitzer Prizes for his reporting on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, as well as for the paper’s 1996 series “Oceans of Trouble,” which explored the perilous state of the world’s fisheries. His reporting on Katrina was key to the newspaper’s coverage and occurred despite losing his own home to the ﬂood. He was recently named the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana for his decades of work shining a light on the state’s land-loss crisis. Schleifstein was a founding member of SEJ, the organization representing environmental journalists nationwide, and served on its board for 14 years. The organization noted that “for more than three decades, he mentored colleagues, led tours and SEJ conference sessions, and served as a trusted adviser to SEJ staff and board, a steadying force behind the organization’s growth.”

He has helped guide reporting at the Mississippi

STRIKE

Continued from page 1B

Wednesday said there was a lack of progress in the negotiations

“I would love to wrap it up tomorrow,” said Hailey Dupre, an endoscopy nurse who serves on the union’s bargaining committee. “But that’s up to them.”

C.J. Marbley UMC’s chief nursing ofﬁcer, said negotiations have stalled.

“We don’t feel like we’re close,” said Marbley “We feel like NNU has ceased to negotiate in good faith.”

Is staffing adequate?

Tom Patrias, CEO of UMC, said that on Tuesday, 193 bargaining-unit nurses who were scheduled to work showed up, along with 28 additional nurses who weren’t on the schedule but volunteered to cover shifts.

Typically, around 340 nurses would be scheduled to work at the hospital. Hospital leaders said the facility has continued running as normal during the strike, relying on nurses from other LCMC hospitals and those

OVERSIGHT

Continued from page 1B

plans — legally binding documents that list the services students with special needs should receive, such as speech therapy — and mistreatment at the hands of school staff Many said their complaints had gone unanswered.

One parent became emotional as she described her 6-year-old son with autism being shut in a storage closet by a teacher Several others described the ﬁnancial burden of hiring a private attorney to help obtain ser-

who crossed the picket line.

After bringing in highpriced traveling nurses for earlier strikes, Patrias said the ﬁnancial burden of each strike has dropped, with the strike this week costing “about a tenth of the cost” of the ﬁrst strike.

The ﬁrst strike cost about $2 million per day

Striking over retention

LCMC Health recently ﬁled an unfair labor practice complaint against the union, citing what it described as unrealistic demands and limits on hospital operations.

Meanwhile, nurses said they are striking to try and force the hospital to improve its retention rate.

Dupre said that when she was out on a recent twoweek vacation, five of her colleagues, with a combined 50 years of experience, were either let go or left Jacqueline Gamble, a nurse who works in the behavioral health unit, said that after 47 years of nursing, she is in the union to support the next generation. Standing before her colleagues on Wednesday, she pointed to a pin on her jacket

River Basin Ag and Water Desk and served on the advisory board of SciLine, a resource for reporters in need of reliable scientific information. He is a past president and lifetime achievement honoree with the Press Club of New Orleans.

“I’m honored to be recognized by this outstanding journalism organization that I have always considered to be my extended family,” said Schleifstein.

“As much as I have supported its efforts to bring accurate environmental journalism to the world, its members have provided me with needed assistance in reporting on major environmental problems that affect Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, and especially after Hurricane Katrina, personal support for me and my family.”

SEJ member and nominator Jim Bruggers said, “Mark’s contributions to SEJ have been fundamental, foundational and exceptional and are deserving of the highest volunteer recognition, particularly at this time of his life.”

Email Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate. com.

that said Charity School of Nursing.

“I understand the meaning of retention, the importance of the same highly skilled, dedicated nurses making this hospital their career,” Gamble said.

Patrias said the hospital has slightly better 12-month retention rates than the national average, at about 84%.

Hospital leaders say the union has sought to tie retention directly to pay proposing a 62% increase in salary, and has not submitted a separate retention proposal.

Among UMC’s union member nurses, 118 bedside nurses earned more than $100,000 in 2024, and another 64 earned more than $80,000. The starting salary is over $60,000.

“The rates we offer are competitive in the Louisiana market,” Patrias said. “We match market rates.”

Patrias said the two sides would continue to meet, but didn’t know when the negotiating would be complete.

The strike is scheduled to end at 6:59 a.m. Friday

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.

vices for their children “I’ve cried in my car ﬁghting for the supports and the services to be implemented,” another mother said after testifying that her son with autism was left outside after a ﬁre drill.

NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Fateama Fulmore said at the hearing that the district would continue monitoring schools’ special education programs even after the consent judgment is ended. “Whether this is in place or not, we have an obligation to every child in the system to get this right,” she said. “We may not reach perfection, but we have been doing

ly after 3 a.m. when a Tangipahoa sheriff’s deputy tried to pull a vehicle over on U.S. 51 near Velma Road, north of Independence. The person in that vehicle threatened the deputy with a gun, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said in a news release.

Law enforcement 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, stole a vehicle and drove

north toward Amite, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said. Police apprehended the suspect more than three hours later, after a multiagency search, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said.

State Police, in its news release, said the suspect had also been struck by gunfire, but did not describe the injuries. Police have not publicly identified the suspect. The sheriff’s deputy was also injured, but State Police Trooper Shelby Mayfield said it appeared no one involved suffered life-threatening injuries.

Mandeville man accused of recording woman in bathroom

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A Mandeville man is ac-

cused of secretly recording video of a co-worker as she changed clothes in a bathroom at their workplace, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

Manuel Gallaro was booked Nov 9 with two counts of video voyeurism, spokesperson Capt. Jason Rivarde said.

The Sheriff ’s Office opened its investigation Oct. 30 after receiving a complaint from the victim, an unnamed woman.

The woman works at a business on Shrewsbury Road in Metairie and told investigators that she uses the bathroom daily in the afternoon to change clothes

for her second job, according to authorities.

On Oct. 28, the woman was changing and opened a cabinet to look for an extra roll of toilet paper That’s when she spotted a cellphone that had been hidden in the cabinet and positioned to point toward the toilet, according to authorities.

The woman realized the cellphone was actively recording video. She went through the phone and found a second video of her as she used the restroom and changed clothes the day before, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said.

She realized the phone belonged to Gallardo, a coworker who’d asked her out on several occasions though she’d declined, according to authorities.

When she confronted Gallardo, he admitted recording the videos and apologized, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said. A deputy who viewed the videos presented by the victim described seeing an “individual” place the cellphone inside a bathroom cabinet before directing the camera toward the toilet and closing the door, according to authorities.

Investigators obtained a warrant for Gallardo’s arrest, and he turned himself in at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. Bail information was not immediately available.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate. com.

Police: Teen killed in Gert Town shooting

BY KASEY BUBNASH and POET WOLFE Staff writers

A 16-year-old boy was killed in a Gert Town shooting Wednesday afternoon as he was walking home from school, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

The shooting was initially reported to police in the 8600 block of Palmetto Street at 4:30 p.m., but NOPD spokesperson Reese Harper said investigators later determined the boy was approached by several other unidentified males and shot a few blocks away in the 8200 block of Stroelitz Street.

He was wearing a school uniform and backpack when police found him, and investigators believe he was walking home from school when he was shot, Harper said. The boy was declared dead on scene, police said.

“Something like this shakes the community,” Harper said at the scene Wednesday evening. “This is tragic. Children should be able to go to school, come back from school without being harmed.”

It’s unclear if the teen was the shooter’s intended target. Harper said the investigation is ongoing, and police did not release more

information.

By 5:30 p.m., about a dozen onlookers had gathered on Cambronne Street several blocks from where the shooting was reported, where two NOPD vehicles with flashing lights were parked between two apartment complexes. Several people watching the investigation unfold declined to comment, saying they didn’t witness the shooting. Ofﬁcers had taped off several blocks of Stroelitz, and at least 10 police vehicles were gathered around the area The boy’s body was still lying in the street on Stroelitz at 6:30 p.m.

better and we have to do this better to get this right.”

The hearing will continue at 9 a.m. Thursday at the federal courthouse in New Orleans.

LOTTERY

TUESDAY, NOV. 11, 2025

PICK 3: 4-6-5

PICK 4: 6-4-7-9

PICK 5: 2-3-8-7-8 MEGA

Schleifstein

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

The New Orleans Police Department investigates the fatal shooting of a teen boy on Stroelitz Street on Wednesday.

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NewOrleans

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Paul Joseph Buckner III,adevoted husband,lov‐ing father,cherished grandfather,and passion‐ate studentof life,passed awaypeacefullyonOcto‐ber 21,2025, at theage of 76. Born in NewOrleans, LA, Paul attended George WashingtonCarverHigh School.After alongand dedicated career ,here‐tired from TharpSon‐theimer TharpFuneral Home. Paul is survived by his belovedwife, Geor‐giana Harris Buckner. He leavesbehindhis children PaulJ.Buckner IV and Ayanna Wills (Lloyd), and his stepson, LeeHarper. He was grandfatherto ﬁve grandchildren: Kerriyan, Jamal,Kerry,Raiven, and Dylan.Paulwillbedearly missedbyhis siblings:Cre‐dell, Rodney,Florence, Vanessa,and Samantha,as wellasa host of loving great-grandchildren,nieces,nephews,cousins,and lifelongfriends.Hewas precededindeath by his parents,Florenceand Paul Buckner Jr.; hisbrother Michael Buckner; hissis‐ter,PauletteEarly;and his stepson,Kerry Harper Familyand friendsare in‐vited to attend theMemor‐ial ServiceonSaturday, No‐vember15, 2025, for1:00 p.m.atThe Boyd Family Fu‐neral Home,5001 Chef Menteur Hwy, NewOr‐leans,LA70126. Visitation willbegin at 12:30p.m.In‐terment is private. Guest‐book Online:www.anewtra ditionbegins.com(504)2820600. Linear BrooksBoyd and DonavinD.BoydOwn‐ers/FuneralDirectors

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November 2, 2025 at Ochsner Medical Center, Kenner, LA.Son of Lloyd Howard,Jrand thelate Karika Smith.Stepson of Danyell Howard.Brother of SidneySmith,Autumn Smith,Lloyd Howard, III, RaionWhiteand Isiah Howard.Alsosurvivedby4 nieces, 4nephews, aunts, uncles, otherrelativesand friends. Age19years. A nativeofNew Sarpy, LA and aresident of Kenner, LA.Relatives and friends of thefamily,also pastors, officers and members of House of Prayer and St Matthew Baptist churches and all neighboring churches are invited to attend thefuneralservice at St MatthewBaptist Church, 604 ES Johnson Street,New Sarpy, LA on Friday, November 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM. RevAlbert Bailey,HostPastor, St Matthew Baptist Church, RevEdgarJoseph, Pastor of HouseofPrayer Baptist Church, Officiating Interment Jefferson Memorial Garden Cemetery, St Rose, LA Visitation at theabove named church from9:00 AM until servicetimes. Service provided by RobottomMortuary

Melvin JonesIII, AKA “Tbone, Mellie Mel, Mr Buddy,” soul returned to the bosomofour Heavenly FatheronNovember2 2025, at theage of 46 Melvinwas born to the union of PaulineJones and the late Melvin Jones, Jr Heissurvivedbyhis beau‐tiful children Melannie, Makayla,and Matthew, two grandchildren: Xander, Amyrah, brothers:Gerone McNulty (Destiny), Paul Lee Jones(Latoria),and his motherPaulineJoneCarter. Also survived by the love of hislifeJade Tate, anda host of loving relatives andfriends Melvinwas theproud ownerofBailBondAmer‐ica in BatonRouge,LAand a subbailbondproducer for Free Me Bail Bondsof New Orleans, LA.Healso workedfor Benton,LLC (concrete contractor)of Gonzales, LA.Precededin death by hisfatherMelvin Jones Jr,grandparents MelvinJones Sr Theresa TravisJones,and his brother,Royal Jones. Fam‐ily,friends,and co-workers are invitedtoattend the FuneralService on Satur‐day,November15, 2025, for 10:00 a.m. at TheChurch At New Orleans(CANO), 11700 ChefMenteur Hwy.,New Orleans,LA70129. Visita‐tionwillbegin at 9:00 a.m. PastorCurtisBrown, ofﬁci‐ating.Interment will follow atWestlawnCemetery, 1225 WhitneyAve,Gretna, LA70056. We,the family, would like to thankevery‐one forany andall dona‐tions,love, andsupport Guestbook Online:www anewtraditionbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors

(Ralph), andJohn D. Mitchell, Jr.(Lizette). Her legacycontinued to blos‐som with hergrandchil‐dren, ShannonNettles (Brad), Ryan Rabalais RachelRabalaisDunbar (Matt),CodyMitchell (Rachael),and Megan MitchellCotten(Jeremy), and heradoredgreatgrandchildren,Logan Net‐tles, MargoNettles,Mason Dunbar, Leonce Mitchell, JaxtenCotten, andJohn Cotten. Thefamilywillhold cherished memories of Adele's boundless love and support.She waspreceded indeath by herbeloved husband,JohnD.Mitchell, Sr.;her treasuredgrand‐daughter, MargoDemma; her parents; andher sib‐lings,AltheaVerdun, Renee Roques, Constantine (Mickey)Roques, Sr., and Andre “Maurice”Roques, who instilledinher theval‐ues of familyand faith.A successfulcareer marked Adele's professional life as a SalesRepresentativefor Avon, where shededicated over30years of service. Her excellence in sales was recognized through her membership in Avon's prestigious Presidents Club. Throughher work, Adele notonlyprovidedfor her familybut also forged lasting friendshipsand connections within her community.She wasa life‐longresidentofMetairie and aparishioner of St Clement of Rome Catholic Church in Metairie.Adele's interests were deeply in‐tertwined with herlovefor her family. Shewas known asthe biggest cheerleader for herhusband andchil‐dren, enthusiastically sup‐porting them in alltheir endeavors in sports.Her presenceatgames and eventswas notjustabout the sportbut aboutshow‐ing unwavering supportfor the ones sheloved.Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to visitGreenwood FuneralHome, 5200 Canal Blvd.,New Orleans, LA 70124, on Friday,November 14, 2025, starting at 11:00 AM. AFuneral Mass will followthe visitation at 1:00 PM. Theburialwillbein Greenwood Cemetery.We alsoinviteyou to share yourthoughts, fond memo‐ries, andcondolences on‐lineatwww.greenwoodfh com.Yoursharedmemo‐rieswillhelpuscelebrate Adele’s life andkeep her memoryalive

Jackson, Eli Duplessie, Jeannine With sadnessweshare the passingofJeannine Duplessie, on November8 2025. Please visitwww.rho desfuneral.comtoview service information, sign onlineguestbook,send ﬂowersand sharecondo‐lences.

Howard,Jeremiah West Bank

Mothe

PonsetiSr.,James

Obituaries

EloisMarie Tate Bell,83, ofNew Orleansand Baton Rouge,entered eternalrest onMonday, October27, 2025. Alifelongeducator, she retiredfromthe Or‐leans Parish School System after 34 yearsofservice She wasa member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,Inc Greater Evergreen Baptist Church,and laterGlory‐landBaptist Church.A Cel‐ebrationofLifewillbeheld onFriday, November 14, 2025, beginning7:00p.m.at Greater Evergreen Baptist Church,2243 Clouet Street New Orleans, La., Dr.Ter‐rance A. Ranson,Pastor. Church visitation Friday from6:00p.m.until 7:00 p.m.A SpiritualSendoff willbeheldonSaturday, November15, 2025,10:00 a.m.atGloryland Baptist Church,6745 Greenwell Springs Road,Baton

Howard, Jeremiah Jeremiah ElijahHoward "Jerry" surrounded by his family on Sunday, Bell, EloisMarie Tate

Eli“Cheetah” Jackson was called home on Thurs‐day,October 30, 2025 at the age of 79. He livedinNew Orleans,Laand attended L.B.LandryHighSchool.Eli was aformeremployeeat Belle Chasse StateSchool and Kaiser Aluminum.He was theson of Louise Hud‐son andthe late EliJack‐son Sr.Husband of Tobitha Lewis Jackson. Father of TroyJackson (Sylavinia) and Eleria JacksonRagas (fiancé Isiah).Alsosur‐vived by sixgrandchildren thirteen greatgrandchil‐dren, ahostofbrothers, sisters,nieces, nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. Pastors, offi‐cersand membersofMt. Olive BaptistChurch,Sec‐ond BaptistChurch., NazareneBaptist Church and Asbury Methodist Church areinvited to at‐tendthe funeralservice on Friday, November 14, 2025 atLittlejohnFuneralHome, 2163 AubryStreet begin‐ning10am. Parlor visita‐tion9 am until service time. Pastor Edward King, officiating. Privateburial. ProfessionalService En‐trusted to:LittlejohnFu‐neral Home,Cal K. John‐son,Manager-FuneralDi‐rector.Info: 504-940-0045.

Jackson, Jackie With sadnessweshare the passingofJackieJack‐son,onOctober 24, 2025 Pleasevisit www.rhodesf uneral.comtoviewservice information,signonline guestbook,sendﬂowers and sharecondolences

Harvey Olison,Jr.,age 85ofNew Orleans, La.en‐tered eternalrestonNo‐vember4,2025 in NewOr‐leans,La. He wasbornon October 22, 1940, in New Orleans,Harveymarried Betty AnnSkinner Nelson, withwhomhefathered HarveyOlisonIII. He later fatheredJermaineEzekiel Anthony Sr.withRosalyn Anthony Haywood. He also married Mary Barber Oli‐son andfor thelast30 years shared hislifewith his devotedcompanion, Mrs.Shirley Calvin.Harvey issurvivedbyhis devoted and loving companion, Mrs.Shirley Calvin,sons: HarveyOlisonIII, andJer‐maine AnthonySr.,daugh‐ters-in-law,Karen Olison, and KurieAnthony,grand‐childrenHaileyOlison, KailenOlison, Harvey Oli‐son IV,and Jermaine An‐thony Jr hissiblings, ClementineRoy andMary Holiday,and hiswifeMary BarberOlison, andhostof niecesand nephews. He was preceded in deathby his parents, EthelL.Olison and Harvey Olison Sr.; and siblings, Albert Olison, Ethel Olison White, and CoraChappel.Heattended L.B.LandryHighSchool and wasa devotedmem‐ber of Mount Pilgrim4th Baptist Church,429 New‐ton St Algiers, LA.Harvey enlistedinthe military, where he served ourcoun‐try in theUnitedStates Armyand Marines. Harvey was aloving, caring,and energetic manwho en‐joyed dancing, jazz music, attendingsecondlines, and spreadingjoy and laughtertoall who knew him.Relatives andfriends ofthe familyare invitedto attend aCelebration of Life service on Saturday No‐vember15, 2025 for11:00 a.m.Visitationfrom9:00 a.m.until servicetime 11:00 a.m. at Mount Pilgrim 4th BaptistChurch,429 NewtonSt.,Algiers,La. 70114. Pastor LarryR.Steib ofﬁciating. Interment: WestlawnMemorialPark Cemeteryand Mausoleum, 1225 WhitneyAvenue Gretna, Louisiana70056 ArrangementsEntrusted ToEstelle J. Wilson Funeral Home, Inc. 2715 Danneel Street,NOLA70113. Infor‐mation: (504) 895-4903. To signonlineguest book pleasevisit www.estelle jwilsonfh.com

AdeleRoquesMitchell, a beaconofloveand self‐lessness, passedaway peacefullyonNovember1, 2025, in NewOrleans Louisiana.BornonMay 25, 1935, in Metairie,Louisiana. Shewas acherished mother, grandmother, great-grandmother,and friendwhose thoughtful naturetouched thehearts ofall who knew her. Adele's journeybegan as a daughterofRenee Roques and AlbertaBremermann Roques, where shegrew lifelongrootsand estab‐lisheda legacy of love and commitment. Hermarriage toJohnD.Mitchell, Sr was a beautifulpartnership thatlasted46years until his passing. Together,they raiseda familythatbe‐cameAdele's prideand joy. She is survived by herlov‐ing children,Charleen MitchellTaylor(Buddy), DarleneMitchellRabalais

JonesIII, Melvin

Olison Jr., Harvey

BucknerIII, Paul Joseph

Jackson, Eli'Cheetah'

Mitchell,Adele Roques

William'Jimmy'

AlifelongNew Orlean‐ian,devoted familyman, and joyful spirit who never met astranger— James Jimmy” WilliamPonseti Sr. livedevery daywith laughter, loyalty, andlove. James “Jimmy”William Ponseti,Sr. passedaway peacefullyathomeonSat‐urday morning, November 8,2025.Hewas 91 years old.BornonOctober 11, 1934, in NewOrleans Louisiana,Jimmy wasthe son of thelateAnnieMar‐garet Bourquin and TheodoreJohnPonseti,Sr. Hewas themiddlechild in a spirited familyofthir‐teen,raisedinthe heartof New Orleans’ Marigny neighborhood, where faith family, andlaughter filled every room.Heattended HolyTrinity Elementary and proudlygraduated fromSt. Aloysius High School in 1952. Jimmywas precededindeath by his beloved wife of 60 years, Gayle Gibson Ponseti; his parents;his siblings Ted Jr.,Pete, Ann(“Sis”) King, Jerry,Joe,and Richie;and his cherishedson-in-law Timothy Knight.Heissur‐vived by hissiblingsDon Pat,Betty Pinac, Tommy, and CathyLaterrade;his childrenJames Jr.(Trish), Ric,Mic,Gaylyn(Todd) Damian(thelateTimothy), and Erin (Tom); hisgrand‐childrenEdward(Chloe), Melissa (Todd),Jake (Kate), Camille, Ellyn (Matthew), Julia(Nick), Tom Jr andJack; andhis great-grandchildren Daniel,Sadie,and Char‐lotte,who alllovingly calledhim “Papa.”After serving severalyears in the U.S. NavalReserve,in‐cluding twoyears of active duty, Jimmyreturnedhome tobegin alifewithGayle the love of hislife. To‐gether, they raised their familyinAlgiers,where theyweredevoted parish‐ionersofSt. Julian Eymard Churchand latermembers ofSt. Martha Catholic ChurchinHarvey. He workedhardthrough the years —asa longshore‐man,clerk,shoestore manager,autobodyshop manager,and warehouse supervisor— butnomat‐ter thejob,his real work was making friendsand livinglifetothe fullest. For over50years,Jimmy wasa proud anddedicated mem‐ber,officer, andco-Captain ofPeteFountain’sHalf-Fast Walking Club.Mardi Gras Day washis high holy day andnoone diditbetter. DressedinfullCarnivalre‐galia,hecould always be found in frontofComman‐der’s Palace,ready to lead the Half-Fastthrough the streets of NewOrleans smiling eartoear andwav‐ing to thecrowds. To him, Mardi Gras wasn’t just a day —itwas away of life: friendship, music, laughter and adeep love forthe city thatraisedhim.Whenthe parades were over,Jimmy found peaceand cama‐raderie on thegolfcourse. Whetherthe scorecard looked good or not, every round wasa successifit ended with laughter and good company. Hisquick wit,easysmile,and knack for storytelling made him the favorite playingpart‐ner of many.Above all, Jimmy’s greatest pridewas his family. He wasa de‐voted husband, father grandfather,great-grand‐father, brother, andfriend. His home was filledwith laughter, music, andthe delicious smells of shared meals —the kind of home where everyone felt wel‐come. In hislater years, he cherished hisvisitstothe BlueAngel LoungeinBelle Chasse anddinners at fa‐voritelocal spotslike Salvo’s,Irene’s Cuisine, and Crescent City Steak‐house.Nomatterwhere he went, he wasgreeted with a smile,a handshake, and often,a storytotell. Jimmy lived life with humor,gen‐erosity,and an unshakable New Orleansspirit. He leavesbehinda legacy of love, loyalty, andlaughter aremindertousall:lais‐sez lesbonstemps rouler And if youhappentohear a brassbandplaying or a golfballrolling just right, you canbet Jimmy’ssome‐where smiling— because hewouldn’twantitany other way. Services Satur‐day,November15, 2025 St MarthaCatholicChurch, 2555ApolloAvenue,Har‐vey,LA70058 ● 8:00 a.m. –FamilyVisitation ● 9:00 a.m.– Public Visitation ● 11:00 a.m. –FuneralMass Processiontofollowfor in‐terment at St Bartholomew Cemetery in Algiers.The familyinvites you to sharethoughts, fond memories andcondo‐

lences online at mothefu‐nerals.com

Sandrock,Justine AnnDubuisson

JustineAnn Dubuisson Sandrockpassedawayinto eternal life peacefully at homeinSlidell on Novem‐ber 8, 2025, surrounded by family. Shewas born in New Orleans, November16, 1938 to John Felix Dubuis‐son andCelineSoniat Dubuisson.She is survived byher loving husband of 68 years John C. Sandrock,Sr; her children June S. Han‐son (Fred),JudithS Howard(Chris),JoycelynS Wansley,JeromeSandrock, Jean-Paul Sandrock (Tina) and JeffreySandrock (Shawna), 30 grandchil‐dren, 40 great-grand‐chilren,and 5great-great grandchildren.Justine was precededindeath by her sons, Jacob, JC Jr,and James;her sistersMildred D.Fonctuberta,JeanD Kirsch, Mignon D. Caronna, and herbrothersLeonard Dubuisson andLionel Dubuisson.Her life was spent in creation.She not onlycreated alovinghome where sheinstilled herde‐voutCatholicfaith in her children; shealsolavished loveand care on anyand all who drew near,includ‐ing hermanygrandchil‐dren. Shespent herdays asa homemaker, sewing knittingcrocheting, mak‐ing dollhouses,dolls,and painting. Always oneto givesecondchances,she alsodelighted in visiting yardsales andcollecting and rescuing itemsinneed ofrestoration,likethe manysewingmachines she repaired.She held an‐nualbacktoschool parties tocelebrate thechildren returning to school.Justine alsoloved campingwith her family andfriends and traveling with hersisters toGreece. Living outher faith,she went on pilgrim‐agestothe Holy Land and especially to Medjugorie and shewas also afound‐ing parishionerofSt. Mar‐garet Mary Church.The familywould like to ex‐press greatappreciation for theefforts of thestaff fromConcerned Care Hos‐pice, includingthe nurses: Jancy,Kyefe,and Nickie, who made many visits in Justine's time of need,and their supportfor thefamily duringthistime. They also extendgratitudetoher PCP,Dr. AllanQ.Larcerna, for taking care of herfor so manyyears.Relatives, neighbors,and friendsare invited to attend visitation and afuneral mass at Honaker FuneralHome, 1751 GauseBlvd, on Fri‐dayNovember14, 2025. Vis‐itation forthe public be‐ginsat9 am.Inlieuof ﬂowersthe family requests a donation to thecharity of yourchoiceinJustine's memory. Please visitwww honakerforestlawn.comto signguestbook.Arrange‐ments by HonakerFuneral Home, Inc.,Slidell, LA

Scott Edward Schiffer, longtime resident of Covington, LA, passed awayonThursday, November 6, 2025athome. Scott was born on January 26, 1964, in NewOrleans,to Frank Schifferand Patricia Dean, and raised in Bucktown. He is preceded in death by hisfather, Frank and stepfather, Ron Cochran. He is survived by the love of his life,Allie Knight Martin, his loving mother, Patricia Dean Cochran, and devoted brother and sisters: Steve Schiffer(Carla),Sandra Vogt(Mark), and Susan Nagim(Brandi), sister-inlawLucy Meres (Joe), stepson Mitchell Martin, grandchildren AlexisMartin, Mitchell Martin,Jrand Jayce Martin and niece Rachel Hryniewich. He also leaves ahost 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 "Spot on theLog". He and Alliewere known in Covington fortheir popular haunted houses and kids partyeventsfor many years. Also, Enchanted Aromas, their specialty candle business, is known throughout thecountry. For 30 years, he has enjoyed his flooring work alongsidehis brother at Paul Sita Company.

Scott had adeepdevotion to his Lord and Savior and we allknowhehas been welcomed intoHis Kingdom.

Familyand friends of thefamily are invitedtoa celebrationoflifeat Bagnell& SonFuneral Home 75212 LeeRd, Covington, La on Thursday November 13, 2025 with visitation starting at 12:30pmfollowedbyservices at 2pm.

DeborahAnn Smith, lov‐ingly knownas“Ann,” peacefullyentered eternal restonOctober 28, 2025, surrounded by love.Ann was born on March25, 1964, in York,Alabama to the late RoyWardand BerthaMae Hill.Ann’s memorywillliveon through herbeloved chil‐dren, JefferyWhite, Latasha White, Mitchell Smith,Jr.,and Brittany NicoleSmith;her precious 12grandchildren and4 great-grandchildren;de‐voted siblings,BerthaAnn White, Willie JamesWhite, Willie Earl Horn,Jessie James White, Marvolene (James) Oliver,Felicia (Sedrick) Washington, Anne (Louis)Wade, Carla (Walter)Hull, John David Morgan, Walter (Cheree) Ivory, Lakeisha Ward and JohnDavid Matthew who willcarry herloveand legacyintheir hearts for‐ever. Annwas knownfor her amazingcookingand her beautifulsmile that could lightupany room She broughtjoy andcom‐forttoeveryonewho knew her,alwayswelcoming otherswithopenarms, warmmeals,and akind heart.Her love forfamily was unmatched, andshe devoted herlifetocaring for thoseshe loved. She willbereunitedinheaven withher belovedparents; aunt,RosaMae;uncle, Willie George Horn;sister, MaryAnn White; andtwo brothers, Robert andTyron Horne alongwithother cherished familymembers who went before her. A Celebration of Life Service willbeheldinthe Chapel ofRoses at CharbonnetFu‐neral Home,located at 1615 St.PhilipSt.,New Or‐leans,LAonSaturday, No‐vember15, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.Visitationat: 9:00 a.m. IntermentProvidence MemorialPark8200 Airline DrMetairie, LA.Repasswill beheldat677 EI-10Ser‐viceRdSlidell, LA.Please signthe online guestbook atwww.charbonnetfuner alhome.com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion, Directors (504) 581-4411.

René RaymondStiaes departedthislifeonFriday, November7,2025 at the age of 77 surrounded by his loving family. He was borninNew Orleans, La to the late Mildfred John Sti‐aes andEve DavillierStiaes Blache. René is survived by his devotedwifeKathleen FlotStiaes, daughtersDr. Michelle Stiaes andRenata Stiaes, sons Javier (Elisha) Bush, Sr.and Jerome (Candy) Bush Jr.Hewas precededindeath by his brother Milfred(Hya‐cienth) Stiaes.Beloved brother-in-lawtoCheryl (Curtis)Bordenave,Dianne (thelateJerome) Madison, Sheila(Joseph)Esnard, Arthur (Deborah)Flot, and the late Patricia Flot Wash‐ington, Anthony(Donna) FlotJr.,and Perry Flot.De‐voted son-in-law to Gloria Ancar Flot andthe late An‐thony Flot,Sr. Godfatherto Shelley Stiaes andHoward Evans.Renéisalsosur‐vived by 10 grandchildren, 6 greatgrandchildren,and a host of nieces,nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. He brought joy,humor,pride,and de‐termination to everything hedid.Hespent over 35 years with theNew Or‐leans Marriott as amaster carpenter before retiring Renéwas an avid out‐doorsman andanallaround ﬁxitguy,affection‐aly knownas“MacGyver” byhis campingbuddies Hewas an exemplaryhus‐band, father,pawpaw, and uncle.Hewas invariably patient,kindand support‐ive.Renéwas adevoted husband for26years.He was ourfamily’snorth star and always will be.Rela‐tives andfriends of the familyalsoemployees of the NewOrleans Marriott and LuckyCoinMachine Company areinvited to at‐tenda Visitation at D. W. RhodesFuneral Home,3933 WashingtonAve,New Or‐leans,La70125 on Friday November14, 2025 at 11:30 amuntil 1:30 pm.Inter‐ment: St.Louis #3 Ceme‐tery. ArrangementbyD.W RhodesFuneralHome. Pleasevisit www.rhodesf uneral.comtosignthe on‐lineguestbook

Mrs. Lorraine Duplessis Sullenwas born on July 7, 1940, in NewOrleans, Louisiana, to thelate FannieThelma Williams and Jeanerette Duplessis. She grew up in the McDonoghvillearea of Gretna, Louisiana, where she developeda lifelong love forfaith, family,and fellowship

At thetenderage of 14, Lorraine acceptedChrist as her personal Saviorand was baptized by thelate Reverend Paul Payne at St. Paul Baptist Church, where she remained adevoted and faithful member throughout her life.During her early years at St.Paul, she sang joyfully in the Junior Choir and was a dedicated member of the Sunday School.

Lorraine was United in holymatrimony to thelove of herlife,the lateWarren Charles SullenSr..Their marriagewas abeautiful example of love,faith, and

partnership.Together, they were blessed with four sons: WarrenCharles Sullen Jr.(Joslyn), DonRay Sullen,the lateDarryl Lee Sullen,and CornellHerbert Sullen.Lorraine and Warrensharedmanywonderfulyearstogether until hispassing in 2003. Lorraine waspreceded in death by her4 siblings, Thelma Caston, Wilton Williams Sr., NeolaRiggins, andRosemaryCalhoun.

Lorraine's passion to herchurch and community became strongerwith time.Her pastor,OrinD Grant Sr appointedher as adeaconess at St.Paul Baptist Church,and she faithfully served for many years. Shealso worked as thetreasurerfor the St PaulBeautification Committee and amember of theMt. Sinai beautification Committee Additionally, sheworked tirelessly in thechurch kitchen, always ready to serve others witha friendly smileand acaringheart Lorraine also volunteered at theGretna Community Center,extendingher spirit of service beyondthe church doors.

Lorraine's culinarytalents were well known and lovedbymany. Sheespeciallyenjoyedcooking for family, friends, andchurch gatherings. Hercrawfish bisque washer signature dish and afavorite among all whotasted it Shewas ahardworking anddedicated woman. Lorraine was employed at Andy'sSandwichShop for 5years, Benny'sSeafood for 18 years, andlater retiredafter 13 years of service with the Jefferson Parish School Board Cafeteria.

Lorraine wasalso a proudand faithfulmember of theOrder of theEastern Star, Chapter No. 60, havingjoinedin1970 and remained active untilher death.Her years of service andcommitment reflected herlove for fellowship charity, and sisterhood.

Lorraine wasblessed with six cherished grandchildren: Tyressee,Warren lll, Jeremy, Jermaine, Cody, andDanielle. Shewas also theproud great-grandmotheroffourteengreat grandchildrenand two great-great grandchildren anda host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends, including herdevotedfriends Marilyn Sullen,AngelBrooks, and MelvaBartholomew Shewas grateful to her helpful neighbors, Michael andCynthia Grows, for their consistent support andkindness. Shewas also blessed to have adevoted church family, Edward andMyrtle Conerlyand many others wholovingly andcontinuallyperformed acts that exemplify compassion, true friendship,and fellowship.

Lorraine will be rememberedfor herunwavering

faith her giving heart, her passion for cooking,and herlifeofservice to God andothers.Lorraine's legacyoflove andkindness willliveoninthe hearts of all whoknewand lovedher

Theserviceswilltake place on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at St PaulBaptist Church,1509 Monroe St Gretna, La. Visitation at 09:00, service to follow at 10:00.

Valcour, Audrey Maxine Wilkerson

Audrey Maxine Wilker‐son Valcourwas born on August30, 1931, in Vidalia, Louisiana.Fromthe mo‐mentshe enteredthis world,she wasa beautiful blessing— the firstchild of AddieWilkerson and WilliamDorsey, andthe cherished only daughter among five children Raisedwithdeep love and strongvaluesbyher grandparents, Douglasand HannahWilkerson,Au‐drey’slifewas areflection ofher faith,compassion, and enduring kindness Throughouther journey, Audreytouched countless lives with hergentlespirit and genuinelovefor oth‐ers.Her heartoverflowed withcompassionfor fam‐ily,friends,and anyone in need.She livedher faith daily —a true womanof God whose lightshone brightlywherevershe went. Audrey devoted manyyears to caring for othersasa nurse at Char‐ity Hospital.Beyondher career,she hada deep love for cooking, shopping,and, mostofall, servingthe Lord. Afaithfulmemberof her church,she joyfully sharedher faith andwas known forleading many to Christ—oftenencouraging every guestwho entered her home to pray thesin‐ner’s prayer before they departed. In NewOrleans Audreymet theloveofher life, Robert J. Valcour, a kind, intelligent, andpro‐tective manwho adored her from themomentthey met.Together,theybuilt a lifegrounded in love,faith and family. Marriedfor 60 blessedyears,their union was atestament to devo‐tionand God’sgrace.Au‐dreywas celebrated as one of thebestcooksin New Orleans— amasterof Creolecuisine who never needed to writedowna recipe. Sheperfected dishespasseddownfrom her familyand those taughttoher by Robert’s mother. Herfamous seafood filé gumbobe‐

Stiaes,RenéRaymond

Smith, DeborahAnn

Sullen, Lorraine

See more DEATHS page

Schiffer, Scott Edward

OUR VIEWS

TheT-P

makesthese

recommendations on Nov. 15

N.O. ballot

New Orleans voters return to thepolls Saturday for several runoff elections following the Oct. 11 primary.The Times-Picayunemakes these recommendations in the remaining races.

ClerkofCriminal District Court: Darren Lombard

The clerk maintains and processes records for the city’scriminal justice system andalso oversees election operations. The personﬁlling this role should have strong administrative experience and adeep understandingofthe ofﬁce’s diverse and important functions.

In his first term, Darren Lombard secured agrant to finally digitize court recordsthat are handled manually and has been buildinga system that is scheduled to debut soon, which should ease the burden on courts andother judicial offices and alsomake recordsmoreeasily available to thepublic. The rollout will likely be complicated and demand oversight fromsomeone who understands it completely.The clerk will also be in charge of the eventualintroduction of new voting machines that thestatewill purchase, as well as training poll workersto conduct the party primaries that willdebut next year.

We believe voters should stay thecourse and give Lombardthe chance tosee the initiatives he’sstarted to completion

City Council District A: Holly Friedmanor Aimee McCarron

Both candidates have strongtrack records working in city government,including in the council district ofﬁce they hope to lead.We think either Holly Friedman or AimeeMcCarron wouldbeready to step in without on-the-job training.

City Council District E: Jason Hughes

This sprawling district faces uniquechallenges in controlling blight and attractingeconomic development.Rarely haveweseen acandidate as well-positioned to tackle them as state Rep. Jason Hughes, who serves as vice-chair of the budget-writing Appropriations Committeeand has extensive experience in federal,state and city government.

New Orleans voters also face severalballot questions. On these, The Times-Picayune makes the following recommendations.

City Infrastructure, Drainage and Stormwater Management andAffordableHousing Bond Propositions: Yes

New Orleanians elected Helena Moreno as their next mayor in the hopes that sheand a new City Council that’sstill being chosen will be able to make tangible progress on themany challengesplaguing the city,includinginfrastructure, drainage and housing.The bond issues wouldgive the city authoritytoborrow $510 millionfor these pressingpriorities,tobe paid for with a14.5 mill taxalreadyonthe books that’s dedicated to paying offsimilar bonds

The $415 million infrastructure bondissue would ﬁnance everything from streets and bridges to recreation facilities to the rehab of long-dormant eyesores suchasthe old Lindy Boggs Medical Center on Bayou St. John. The drainage bond issuewould free up $50 million to pursue projects in ﬂood-prone neighborhoods.

The$45 millionhousing bond issuewould help meet thecity’sobligations undera voterapproved2024charter amendmentrequiring it to spend the equivalent of 2% of thegeneral fund on affordable housing.

We believe that voters at this juncture should give the city’sincoming leaders everyavailable tool and as much maneuverability as possible to be successful. We alsonotethatproceedsof these bond issues must be used on capitalprojects, not operating expenses.

City Attorney Charter amendment: Yes

This technical charter amendmentwould clarify that, while the city attorney is appointedby the mayor,the person in thatrole and theentire law department serve the whole city government. It’saimed at averting periodic conﬂicts over the department’srole.

OPINION

Supportbond proposals forfutureofNew Orleans

Astronghouse requires astable foundation. The same is trueofcities,where thefoundation is infrastructure. Sound infrastructure is essential for both the economy and quality of life. With this in mind,GNO, Inc. supports thethree bond propositions on the upcoming Orleans Parish ballot. Collectively,theseproposals will provide over $500 million for New Orleans’ infrastructure withoutimposing any new taxes. It should be noted that these are capital funds that cannot be used to plug operating budget holes. Furthermore, therecent partnership between thecity and the Louisiana Legislative Auditor demonstrates apositive shift in government and astrongcommitment to ﬁnancial oversight.

BondProposition 1will provide up to $45 million for theconstruction, renovation, acquisition and improvement of affordable housing across New Orleans.

BondProposition 2will provide up to $415 million for capital improvements, including roads, bridges,public buildings,parks, recreation facilities,

Give guidance on

Thanks to The Times-Picayune for a comprehensive article on Sept. 28, about theurgent need toincrease thetree canopy in our city

When thedowntown TV stations show apanoramic view from their studios, what we all see is concrete, lots of it,and little green. Plantingtrees is the one thing we can do well in this city,where everything grows. Butwhich trees to add? Iremember sometime in thepast that the Parks &Parkways service offered cer-

technology/vehicle upgrades and other citywide infrastructure.Itwill include therehab of long-dormant eyesores, such as the old Lindy Boggs Medical Center on Bayou St. John, and other lynchpin projects, like City Park and Six Flags and Lake Forest Plaza in New Orleans East.

BondProposition 3will provide up to $50 million dedicated to drainage, stormwater management and water management projects, including stormwater parks, improveddrains and neighborhood-level resilience. We can all agree on the need for new roads, lessblight,better stormwater management and affordable housing for our workforce.

Mayor-Elect Helena Moreno has made infrastructure one of her top priorities.Weowe it to everyone in thecity—and region —toensure thatfunding is in place to do it right: a “Super Bowl-level” effort, for all. We should vote “yes”onBond Propositions One, Two, and Three;they provide a foundation for New Orleans’ future.

MICHAEL HECHT president &CEO,Greater NewOrleans, Inc.

tain select trees for people to plant on city property (from the sidewalk to the street),ones whose root systemsand/or leaf size would be appropriate. Perhaps someadvice from the experts is what we need now.Aweek earlier, Danny Heitman’s columnintroduced a wonderful study titled “Shade,” by Sam Block.Isecond Heitman’srecommendation and encourage us all to increase our canopy

MARYJOBROWN NewOrleans

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

New Orleans is the city where music doesn’tjust ﬁll the air —itis the air.Yet the people who give us that lifeblood are being pushed to the breaking point. A2024 Music Census found that one in four music industry professionals cannot afford health care. Nearly half of our musicians rely on Medicaid, and 12% go without coverage entirely

The 2016 Medicaid expansion brought real relief, but that progress is unraveling. The Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, threatens to strip coverage from 40% of musicians on Medicaid. Marketplace premiums are set to skyrocket 165% in January 2026. For many,health care will again be out of reach.

This is not hypothetical. Fifteen percent of musicians report hearing loss —adirect workplace injury.Others battle chronic conditions that, left untreated, lead to disability or death. Every musician we lose is not just apersonal tragedy but acultural wound. New Orleans’ music generates $26 million locally and anchors an $18.1 billion statewide tourism industry Low pay and gig work compound the crisis. Musicians live without beneﬁts in asystem that ties health care to jobs. The result? Financial instability,crushing stress and burnout. Looming cuts to federal subsidies and new Medicaid hurdles will make matters worse. The truth is simple: The health of NewOrleans’ musicians is inseparable from the health of the city itself. Policymakers must act roll back restrictive Medicaid provisions and extend subsidies. And locally,wemust explore ways, as other music capitals have, to fund care for the artists who sustain us. Music is more than entertainment. It is our identity and our economy. To protect the people who create it is to defend the future of New Orleans itself.

ALICE RIENER

CEO,CrescentCare

PEGGY HONORE board president of the NewOrleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation

Tucker Carlson controversy: Both sidesmustexpel haters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now enter Morton Blackwell, except

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

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

On Nov.7,asreported by Emily Brooks of The Hill, Blackwell weighed in with amemotoall LI staff. “The question,” he wrote, “is whether moral people and serious institutions should associatewith or legitimize ideas that contradict the foundational principles of ordered liberty and humandignity.” Noting thatyearsago LI

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

Gates’ climaterethinkinga gift to theworld

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

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

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

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

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

Including, unavoidably,this one.

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

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

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

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

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

dates discomﬁting evidence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The climate-change-resistance industry grew as Gates’ industry was giving us adigital future. His will wax as the other wanes.

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

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

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

The tune that eventually carried the song had been floating around his mind, itself alakefreighter of aburden, for some while.Itwas, he said, “a melody and achord progression that Ihad at hand that Idid not know quite what Iwas going to do with.” After reading an Associated Press account of the shipwreck, and then one in Newsweek, he was, according to NicholasJennings in his 2017 Lightfoot biography,“instantly captivated.” Melody and moment were merged. He already had written ashipwreck song, “Ballad of Yarmouth Castle (“Like atoy ship on amill pond/She burned all through the night”) about avessel dying in a1965 fire. For the Edmund Fitzgerald song he worked even more doggedly, determined to get every detail: the ship’sload, its course across the Great Lakes, the winds, the waves. He felt the melody he had at hand fit its “somber and mysterious mood,” as John U. Bacon put it in his book published only last month and titled, of course, The Gales of November. Then, with uneasiness, he began crafting the lyrics. “He feared being inaccurate, corny,orworse,” Mr Bacon wrote, “appearing to exploit atragedy for profit.” It took months to get it right.

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

Email David Shribman at dshribman@postgazette.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

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

David Shribman

Quin Hillyer

George Will

with meteorologist DamonSingleton

came legendary— atrue expressionofher love and hospitality.“Mama Au‐drey,”asshe wasaffec‐tionately called,never let anyoneleave hertable hungry. Herlaughter, sto‐ries, andwisesayings will forever warm ourhearts. Her belovedhusband, RobertJ.Valcour Sr pre‐ceded herindeath in July 2013, as didher son, Ed‐wardJ.Valcour,in1962 Their union wasblessed withninechildren: Char‐leneSukariCheatham Hardnett, Aubrey David Cheatham, Jannice CheathamStevenson Yoshi ValcourGaugis (Brent),Charmaine Valcour Creighton,RobertJoseph Valcour Jr Edward Joseph Valcour,JovitaValcour Sharif(Jamil),and Wayne Douglas Valcour. Audrey leavestocherish hermem‐ory eightdevoted children, eighteengrandchildren, thirtygreat-grandchildren and twogreat-great-grand‐children, alongwithcount‐lessrelatives,friends,and loved ones whose lives weretouched by hergrace OnNovember9,2025, Au‐dreytransitionedpeace‐fully at herhomeonGen‐tilly Boulevard, surrounded byher loving family. Her faith,her joy, andher gen‐erous heartremaina guid‐ing lightfor allwho were blessedtoknowher Thoughshe hasgonetobe withthe Lord,her legacy of love, faith, andcompassion willcontinue to inspire generations to come.Itis certain that theworld is a betterplace becauseAu‐dreyMaxineWilkerson Val‐courlived.Relatives and friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend afuneral massSaturday, November 15, 2025, at St.MartinDe PorresCatholicChurch, 5621 ElysianFieldsAve, New Orleans, LA at 11:00 am. Visitation beginat9:00 am. Interment: St.Louis #3 Cemetery. Arrangements byD.W.RhodesFuneral Home, 3933 Washington Ave.Pleasevisit www.rho desfuneral.comtosignthe onlineguestbook

and your afternoon highs will be almost reaching 78 degrees.Today, expect another mostly sunnyand warmday.Temperatures this afternoon will rise to themid-70s.Winds shouldbenortheasterly at about 5mph.Rain chances remain at zero and no significant rain is expected through the weekend. If you’re making plans for the Tulane homecoming game, expect sunny, warmand humid conditions.

Ann Russell

Linda Ann Russell Vernaci, age84, peacefully went to be with the Lord on Saturday, November8, 2025 at her home in Kenner, LA surroundedby family

Kathi V. Logan (Russell Beall); brother, Raymond Russell (Anna); sister-inlaw, Terry Duarte(Neil); grandchildren, Kyle (Brittany), Alex (Katie), and Michael (Monica) Boudreau, Jeremy and Christopher (Rachel) Lee, Katy Pisciotta-Fowler (Stephen) and Ashley P. Blakesley (Kyle), Brandon (Maris) and Miranda Logan, and CameronBeall; great-grandchildren, Maiya Pisciotta,Walker and Lucy Blakesley, Rosalieand Reed Boudreau, Felix Boudreau, Sawyer and Cooper Lee, and Olivia Lee;aswellas many nieces and nephews.

The family wouldliketo extend theirgratitude to Tracy Perkins, Precious Carroll, and My Hospice for their exceptional careover dear Linda over thelast few years.

Relatives and friends are invitedtoattend the funeral serviceson Saturday, November 15, 2025 at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home,5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70124. Visitation willbeginat 10:00 a.m. with her Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. Interment to followonthe same groundsinMetairie Cemetery. In lieu of flowers thefamily requests donations be madetoSpecial Connections, at P.O. Box 640022 Kenner, LA 70064, or at www.specialconnection snola.com.

To view and sign theonline guestbook, visit www.lakelawnmetairie.co m.

Wilson,Everleaner With sadnessweshare the passingofEverleaner Wilson,onOctober 31 2025. Please visitwww.rho desfuneral.comtoview service information, sign onlineguestbook,send ﬂowersand sharecondo‐lences.

Linda was bornon November 13, 1940 to Williamand Lydia(maiden name Fulco) Russell in New Orleans,LA. She graduated from The Academy of the Holy Angels and thenafter raisingher daughters when they wereyoung, she wentontoworkfor the JeffersonParish School System until herretirement.Linda was known for selflessly givingher time with many organizations: she was aguildmember of St. Michael's Special School; former officer and volunteer of We Care for Special People; co-founder and officer of Special Connections (a dayprogram forspecial needs adults in Kenner); volunteered with various schoolsand Catholic churches; and served meals with asoup kitchen. Shewas also apastparishioner of St. MaryMagdalen Church and acurrent parishionerofDivine Mercy CatholicChurch (formerly known as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton), whereshe was apast memberofthe Altar Society and aEucharistic Minister.In2004, she was awardedthe Regina Matrum from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish recognizing her Catholicfamily values.Inher free time,Linda enjoyed gardening, needleworkand crafts, traveling and visiting with family (especially her grandchildrenand great-grandchildren). Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Williamand LydiaRussell. Sheissurvived by her lovinghusband of 65 years, Victor J. Vernaci. Sheisalso survived by herdaughters, VickiV.Lee (James), Lisa Vernaci, Susan V. Pisciotta (Steven), and

DEATHS continued from Vernaci, Linda

SPORTS

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.

Howhas Mooredoneinhis firstyear, anddothe Saints have an MVP?

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

theSaintsagrade

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

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

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

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

ä See SAINTS, page 2C

The 23-year-old Skenes —selected ﬁrst overall by the Pirates in the 2023 amateur draftafter astandout career at AirForce andLSU, including leading the Tigers to the 2023 College World Series championship —was amarvel forthe last-place Pirates, leading themajors in ERA (1.97) while striking out 216 batters in 1871/3 innings during his

Balanced Blazers toomuch forPels

BY LES EAST

Contributing writer

FloridaAtlantic at Tulane 3P.M. SATURDAy,ESPN+

Tulane was nowhere to be found when the second College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night, which was not much of asurprise and no bigdeal. For now Dependingonresults, it could be devastating if the Green Wave remains outside of the top 25 in two weeks.AssumingTulane (7-2, 4-1 American Conference), South Florida (8-2, 4-1) and North Texas(8-1,4-1) keepwinning, the Wave almost certainly will be lockedout of the league’schampionship game because of poor computer metricsifitisnot ranked ahead of the Mean Green in theCFP rankings entering the ﬁnalweekend of the regularseason The doomsday scenario, whichisa long way from happeningbut hardly farfetched, involves Tulane winning against Florida Atlantic this Saturday,atTemple thefollowing Saturday and at home against

If all threeﬁnish 7-1, the ﬁrst tiebreaker —head-to-headresults —would be inapplicable because Tulane will have faced neither South Florida nor North Texas. The next tiebreaker —CFP ranking order on Nov.25—would lean toward South Floridaasthe host school for the championship game. South Floridawas 24th on Tuesday,and it is hard to imagine Tulane or North Texas leapfrogging theBulls. If neither the Green Wave nor Mean

Lakers at Pelicans 7P.M. FRIDAy,WVUE

ShaedonSharpescored35pointsand Deni Avdija added32tolead four Portland scorersindouble ﬁguresasthe TrailBlazers defeated the NewOrleans 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 aseason-high 26 points, Saddiq Bey had 25, rookie Jeremiah Fears had 15 and Herb Jones added 11 for the Pelicans (2-9). Trey Murphyscored 22 and passed Holiday for second place on the Pelicans’ career list for 3-pointers when he madeNo. 629 in the ﬁrst quarter.CJMcCollum leads with 692. Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Jordan Poole(quad) remained sidelinedfor the Pelicans but are expected to be re-evaluated during thishome stand, which features four moregames, starting with one against the Los Angeles Lakers at 7p.m. Friday NewOrleanscenterYvesMissi entered the game early in the second quarter after missing the last fourgames because of an illness. He was in the game for barely two minutes when he was ejected alongwith Portland’sJerami Grant after both wereassesseddouble technical fouls forunsportsmanlike conductduring an altercationunder the basket.

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

Avdijascored thefirst four points of a 17-4 run by Portland to start the third quarter,producing a75-63 lead. Bey converted athree-pointplay, and Murphy andJones added3-pointers to help New Orleansget within 77-76.

Holidayhad twoassists then scoredseven straight pointsasthe Blazers extendedthe

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

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

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 sciencebased 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 head-scratching gamemanagement 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.

Paras: He’s still ﬁnding his way

The positives: His approach has

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-

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 ready to play ﬁve weeks into the season after suffering such

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.

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.

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 team. Also, Blake Grupe’s slow start surprised me. After watching Grupe throughout training

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-year-old. 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

Four reigning champs amongteams setfor Thursday quarterfinals

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Reigning state champions Slidell, Haynes Academy,Northlake Christian and Country Day are among the NewOrleans area volleyball teams making return trips to the Cajundome in Lafayettefor the state tournament that begins Thursday Forty teams across ﬁve divisions will play quarterfinal matches spread across three courts with achance to advance to Friday semiﬁnals and Saturday championships. Eighteen teams hail from the New Orleans area.

THEVARSITYZONE

Country Day is the only reigning champion from the area to hold aNo. 1seed,inDivision V. The nine-time reigning champion Cajuns couldbeprimed for another rematch with No. 2Westminster

Christian —after those teams met in the state final the past three seasons, includingfive-set finales in 2022 and2024. Another local team with aNo. 1 seed is Dominican in Division I.

Dominican was astate runner-up to Slidell last season after winning the previous four state championships.

Dominican andNo. 2Mount Carmel could be primed for astate championship rematch afterDominican completeda home-and-home seasonsweep of theCubsintheir two regular-season matches this year Forthose schools to meetinthe ﬁnal, MountCarmel would need to

AREA LHSAAQUARTERFINALVOLLEYBALLMATCHES

At the Cajundome, Lafayette

Thursday DivisionI No. 1Dominican vs.No. 8Fontainebleau, 7p.m. No. 4St. Joseph’s vs.No. 5Northshore, 7p.m. No. 3Slidell vs.No. 6Southside, 2p.m. No. 2Mount Carmel vs.No. 10 Chapelle 7p.m. DivisionII No. 1St. Thomas Morevs. No. 8Kenner Discovery,5:20 p.m. No. 4South Lafourchevs. No. 5Natchitoches Central, 3:40 p.m. No. 3AcademyofOur Ladyvs. No.6 Teurlings Catholic,5:20 p.m. No. 2St. Scholasticavs. No.7 Sam Houston, 2p.m. DivisionIII No. 1St. Michael vs.No. 8Lutcher,5:20 p.m.

get by No. 10 Chapelle in the quarterﬁnals andthen possibly No. 3 Slidell in the semiﬁnals. Slidell will open the state tournament against No. 6Southside.

READYTORUN

Five area runningbacks whocan carrythe load in theplayoffs

BY SPENCERURQUHART

Staff writer

The prep football playoffs arrive Thursday,and the running back position is important forteams hoping to make postseason runs. Thepastthree seasons have seen NewOrleans area teamsgofar in the playoffs with workhorserunning backsleadingthe charge Destrehan sophomore Malachi Dabney helped his team reach the Division Inonselect semiﬁnals last year,similar to Nate Sheppard for Mandeville in 2023 and Torey Lambert for Brother Martin in 2022.

Listed below are five running backs in position to carry heavy workloads for area teams that have astrong chance of making a state championship run.

Jacobi Boudreaux, John Curtis (Sr.)

Boudreaux was akey contributor duringlast year’spostseason run and tookover the lead back role forCurtis as asenior.Curtis started off7-0, and Boudreaux ﬁnished the regular season with a team-high 785 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 10 passes for164 yardsand two scores.

Curtis (7-2) has aﬁrst-round bye as the No. 7seed in the DivisionI select playoff bracket. The Patriots will face the winner of No. 10 St. Thomas More andNo. 23 Lafayette High next week.

MalachiDabney, Destrehan(Jr.)

Dabney carried the load for Destrehan down the stretch last

face thewinner of the No. 16 L.B. Landry vs. No. 17 Northside game next week.

TreGarrison, Edna Karr (Sr.)

Recently committed to Washington State,Garrison has shinedin aworkhorse role as the reigning Division Iselect state champions have shiftedtoamore run-heavy offense.

Garrison finished the regular season with 1,051 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns.Hesat out the second half of games multiple times as Karr built huge leads.

No. 4Haynes vs.No. 5University,12:20 p.m. No. 3Parkview Baptist vs.No. 6E.D.White, 12:20 p.m. No. 2Hannan vs.No. 10 Vandebilt Catholic 2p.m. DivisionIV No. 1Dunham vs.No. 8NotreDame 10:40 a.m. No. 4John Curtis vs.No. 5SacredHeart-N.O. 9a.m. No. 3NorthlakeChristianvs. No. 11 CatholicNI, 12:20 a.m. No. 2Newman vs.No. 10 Lafayette Christian, 10:40 a.m. DivisionV No. 1Country Dayvs. No. 9Riverside, 9am. No. 4McGeheevs. No. 5AscensionCatholic, 9a.m. No. 3Central Catholic vs.No. 6Episcopalof Acadiana, 3:40 p.m. No. 2Westminster Christian vs.No. 7Northside Christian, 10:40 a.m.

Dominican will face No. 8Fontainebleau in thequarterfinals andthe winner between No.4St. Joseph’sand No. 5Northshore in thesemiﬁnals.

Among other reigning champions from the area, Haynes is back at state as aNo. 4seed in Division III and Northlake Christian is No. 3inDivision IV

Among other local schools, No. 2Hannan— in Division III— has been to the state final in five of the past seven seasons and won state four times during that span. In Division IV,No. 4John Curtis and No. 5Sacred Heart will meet in an all-local matchup. No. 2Newmanalso is in the field as it seeks its first state title since 2022. Joining Country DayinDivision Vare No. 4McGehee and No. 9 Riverside. Division II has No.2 St. Scholastica, No. 3AcademyofOur Lady and No.9Kenner Discovery in the field with four-timereigning champion and No. 1seed St. Thomas More.

Continued from page1C

Yeteven with his brilliance, Skenes needed alittle late help from Pittsburgh’swoeful offense to avoid becoming the first Cy Young-winning startingpitcherto 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 aCyYoungAwardinconsecutive seasons, doing it in the NL for

year and is set to do so again. He ﬁnished theregular season with 1,509 yards rushing,183 yards receiving and 30 total touchdowns, including aperformance against district rival Hahnville in which he ran25times for 242 yards and seven touchdowns.

Destrehan (8-2) has aﬁrst-round bye as the No. 3seed in the Division Inonselect playoffs.The Wildcats will face thewinner of the No. 14 Ouachita Parish vs. No. 19 St. Amant game next week.

Skyler Edwards, St.Charles (Sr.)

Edwards was injured at thebeginning of last season beforegrowing into the lead back role as asenior.Edwardsﬁnished theregular seasonwith 1,060 yards rushing, 148 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns. He most recently ran for 122 yards and atouchdown against reigning state champion Shaw No. 1-seeded St. Charles(9-1) has aﬁrst-roundbye in the Division II select bracket. The Cometswill

theNew York Mets in 1984 and 1985. Los Angeles Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela sweptboth NL awards in 1981. VernLawin1960andDougDrabek in 1990are the only other Pirates to win the Cy Young Award since it was introduced in 1956. Skeneswas picked atopall 30 ballots by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sánchez received everysecond-place vote, and WorldSeries MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the LosAngeles Dodgersﬁnishedthird. Sánchez’s2029 option price in-

Karr (10-0) has aﬁrst-round bye as the No.1seedinthe loaded Division Iselect playoffs bracket. The Cougarswill face thewinner of No. 17 Jesuit vs.No. 16 McDonogh 35 gamenext week.

Jayden Obiekwe, Riverside(Sr.)

An East Jefferson transfer,Obiekwe took over as Riverside’s lead running back in place of last season’sworkhorse, Dedric Lastie.

The senior sat out the ﬁrst two gamesofthisseason because of eligibility issuesbut gotback on theﬁeld in Week 3and hasshined ever since, finishing with 1,068 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns in seven games.

Riverside(8-1) hasaﬁrst-round bye in theDivision IV select playoffs as theNo. 2seed. The Rebels will the winner of No. 15 St. Martin’s vs. No. 18 DeltaCharter game next week.

Email SpencerUrquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.

creased by $1 millionto$15 million and his 2030 option price by $1 million to $16 million as aresult of being aCyYoung Award ﬁnalist. Skenes is theﬁrst former LSU playertoeverwin the MVP or Cy Young award. Skubal received 26 of 30 firstplace votes from aseparate BBWAA panel.The otherfourwent to runner-up Garrett Crochet of the BostonRed Sox. Hunter Brown of the Houston Astroscameinthird. The 28-year-old Skubal became the 12th hurlertowin baseball’s top pitching honorinconsecutive years, joining agroup that includes

AndreAnthony fulﬁlled avision last week. It was put in place by the man whoput him in charge of theBonnabelfootball program

Athletic directorMicah Hagans decided after last season that the 28-year-old Anthony,aformer Edna Karr standoutwho played for LSU and got drafted into the NFL, had the qualities he wanted in afootball coach.

“Wecouldn’thave picked abetter leader,abetter man,” Hagans said. “Like Itold him, I’m just proud of him. He’ll always have my full support. It’s hisfirst year and we didsomethings we haven’tdone in along time.” Bonnabel wonadistrict football championship for the first time since 1998 when the Bruins defeatedRiverdale 34-12 in the regularseason ﬁnale last week, andthe teams will coincidentally meet again Thursday at Joe YenniStadium in theﬁrstround of the LHSAA Division Iselect playoffs. Anthony put his emotions on full displayafter thegame as he tearfully spoke in aviralvideo posted by The Times-Picayune on Instagram.

“Man, it means everything,” Anthony said. “Everything to me, to these kids, to this program. Man,it’sbeenyears.All we asked them to do was comeout here, have fun …enjoy themoment. And we came out witha victory I’m just so proud of these guys andthe hardworkthattheyput in. This is something.”

Anthony and Hagans embraced on thefield after thegame. As they hugged, Hagans spoke into Anthony’sear and the coach nodded as he thanked Hagans forthe opportunity to be ahead coach.

“Wehad areally good moment,” Hagans said. “Me and Andre are really close. We spend alot of time together.I told him in that moment how proudofhim Iam. People don’trealizewhen you takeacoaching job, all the things that go into it —all the little intricacies aroundthe job. …‘Ionly have 30 players right now,20 players.’ He would come into the ofﬁce, ‘Wedon’thave funding for this.’ ”

“It’sall going to work out,” Hagans recalled telling Anthony

Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and PedroMartínez. Jacob deGrom was the previous pitcher to winconsecutive Cy Youngs, pulling off the feat with the New York Mets in 2018 and2019. Martínez wasthe last American League pitchertodoit, in 1999 and 2000 forBoston. Skubal was 13-6with an AL-leading 2.21 ERA and 240 strikeouts in 195 1/3 innings for the Tigers during the regular season. Then he went 1-0 with a1.74 ERAinthree playoff starts for Detroit, which waseliminated by Seattle in their Division Series.

During the embrace, Hagans told Anthony,“This is why Itold youtobepatient and keep working.”

Anthony got into coaching whenasecond ACL tear —in 2022 while with the Chicago Bears —causedhim to cutshort his playing career

He drewsome encouragement fromformer LSU coach Ed Orgeron whenAnthony workeda youth camp andOrgerontold him, “Man,you really could be a coach one day.”

Bonnabel hired Anthonyasa defensive line coach andco-defensive coordinator in the summer of 2024. Afterthatseason, Hagans saw enough from Anthony to make him the head coach —and the two grew close from there.

Thedistrictchampionship is only the latest milestone for a program that has reached the playoffs three years in arow and now seeks aplayoff win for the ﬁrst timesince 1997.

Contact Christopher Dabeat cdabe@theadvocate.com

Ayear after taking amassive step forward by winning the pitching Triple Crown in theAmerican League on his way to being aunanimous Cy Young Awardwinner, Skubalbacked it up by serving as the anchor forthe Tigers during avolatileseasoninwhichDetroit squandered a151/2-game lead in the AL Centraland was caught by Cleveland downthe stretch. The Tigers gota bit of revenge in the wild-card round, beating the division-champion Guardians in three games thanks in large part to a14-strikeout gem by Skubal in the series opener

CY YOUNG

CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Anthony

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER John Curtis running back Jacobi Boudreaux has 785 yards rushing and 164 yards receiving to go with 13 total touchdowns.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JILLPICKETT

Destrehan’sMalachi Dabneyruns away from theAirlinedefense and goes in for atouchdown on Nov. 29 in Shreveport. Dabneyisone of several area running backs looking to make an impact in the playoffs.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

analyst Nick Saban talks on the set of the ‘CollegeGameDay’ show on Aug. 31, 2024, in College Station, Texas.

74, wonthe national championship while at LSU in 2003.

NICK OF TIME

Sabanisone hire whocan make

Since ﬁring Brian Kelly on Oct 26, LSU has been afour-alarm

ﬁre.

Missteps. Meddling. Now a lawsuit aimed at LSU by Kelly, whose lawyers claim the school now claims it can ﬁre him for cause. Everyone says LSU is oneof the very best jobs in the country Arguably the best. But under these circumstances,who other than an unproven up-and-comer would want to take the job this year?

At this point, 21/2 weeks into the search, Ihave no idea. ButIdo knowthere is one man, oneslamdunk candidate, who could come to LSU —evenfor ashort time —and get everyone (including the governor) intoline and set the program on acourse for championship contentionagain.

I’m talkingabout NickSaban Iget it. There are amillion reasons Saban wouldn’twant to return to coaching. Maybe millions of reasons, assuming ESPNis paying him north of sevenﬁgures to be part of its “College GameDay”crew.

Sabanjustturned74. He said when he left Alabama after the 2023 season he no longer had the energy to do the job likehe wanted to do it. He certainly did notwant to do the job the way college football is structured in the NIL/transfer portalera. And he’s probably having aball being an analyst and playing golf anddabbling in business with his Dream Motor Group of luxury car dealerships. The Advocate rana story in April saying that becauseofhis business ventures, Saban is onhis waytobecoming abillionaire. Why then would he want to get back in the trenches and coach college football again? Because he still has acompetitive ﬁre to do it. And because he still has asoft spot in his heart for LSU, where his brand as The Greatest Coach in College Football History left

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. Weeks, the defensivecaptain, has missed the pastthree games with an injury to the same right ankle that required surgery after the Texas Bowl last season.

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

“Today is apivotal dayfor him and his practice to see how his body holds up,” Wilsonsaid Wednesday morning on the SEC coaches teleconference.

the launchpad

Saban retired at Alabama not because henolonger wanted to coach butbecause he didn’tlike theenvironment.You have to consider how hyper-competitive the few people who rise to thetop of thecoachingprofession are.

People likeSaban,Kim Mulkey and Jay Johnson don’tjust shut offthat part of themselves.

Saban retiring from Alabama is not like someoneretiring from 30 yearsatthe ExxonMobil plant

If he didn’tstill have theﬁre —a ﬁrethatmay be rekindled after two years off thesideline —I’d be shocked.

If new LSU athletic director VergeAusberry made theplea to Saban, pairedwithenough zeroes behind anumberonacontract, Saban wouldatleast have to listen. Iknowthe smartthing is to takeSaban at his word when he said last month on “The Pat McAfee Show” that “I want to stay retired.”

Butthisisalso the man who said he wouldn’tbethe coach at Alabama when hewas with the Miami Dolphins, about 33 minutes before he left for Alabama. It’s worth picking up thephone, as Ausberryrecently said he does with Saban onceortwice amonth.

Saban is notalong-term solution for LSU. Youcould only expect he would comeback fortwo, three, fourseasonstops. Butitwould be enoughtoright the ship and set it back on acourse that he set LSU on 20 years ago. After leading the Tigers to the 2003 national championship andgoing9-3 during his ﬁnal season in 2004, LSU went 11-2, 11-2 and 12-2 with anational title underLes Miles. Miles de-

Tiebreakerspossible consequenceofthe super-conference era

BY WILL GRAVES AP national writer

Just thethought of it makes Pat Narduzzi cringe

things even murkier Saturday when the Blue Devils face No. 20 Virginia (8-2,5-1).

“We’reanxious to seehow that happens. Certainly could use his contributions and his leadership on the ﬁeld, but we’ve got to play

serves credit for that success, but Saban created the culture for winning and set thefoundation.

Iwas able to say hello to Saban on Saturday night as he came through theAlabama press box before LSU’s20-9 loss to the Crimson Tide. He didn’tstop to chat. Ididn’tblame him. He would have been mobbed. He was wearing acrimson-colored sweater (no Alabama or “A” visible, for therecord), accompanied by his crimson-adorned wife Terry Aperson who covers Alabama told me Saban has attended slightly morethan half of Bama’shome games thepast two seasons, so it’s not realistic to thinkhewas there to “scout”the Tigers.

Istill thinkthe chances of Saban coming back to coaching anywhere —atLSU, in theNFL, at his old high school in West Virginia —are small. As in single-digits small. Still, Ihad to raise an eyebrow when Igot an email Tuesday from thefolks at BetOnline.ag, a bettingsitethat now listsSaban as the favorite for the LSU job at 2/1. Aweek earlier,Saban was way down thelist at 75/1.

By theway,the rest of the top

ﬁve was Ole Miss coach LaneKifﬁn (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’thire anyone as old as Kelly,who turned 64 the day of theTexas A&M loss(some birthday present). Heck, Ijust turned 59 and probably wouldn’thire anyone as old as me. This job requires arare level of obsession, and as they say in themovie “The Prestige,” obsession is ayoung man’s game. Butnoother man LSU could possibly get,young or old, would have theimpact Saban would have.

it day-by-day.”

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

LSU wide receiverAaron Anderson was listed as probable on the availabilityreport. Anderson briefly exitedLSU’s 20-9loss 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.”

LSUwide receiver NicAnderson hasbeenruled out for the Arkansas game after suffering aknee injury against Alabama. Though Nic Andersonavoided aserious injury,Wilson said Monday,hewill notreturn to the ﬁeld against the Razorbacks.

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

Therethe Pittsburgh football coach is, standing in front of his players after alargely successful season, explaining to thePanthers why they aren’tgoingto the Atlantic Coast Conference championshipgame. It might not have anything to do with what they did or didn’tdoonthe ﬁeld, but because of aspreadsheet that explainsthe league’stiebreaker policy

“I thinkthere’snothing worse than walkingina team room saying, ‘Sorry guys,we’re not going because we didn’tplay that team or they didn’tplaythatteam,’ ” Narduzzi said.“But it’snot my job, it’swhat (the ACC) did.”

Therecentexpansion to supersized versions of theACC, 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 thechase to reach the College Football Playoff. Welcome to the super-conference era of, as Duke coach Manny Diaz put it, “unintended consequences.” And it’sespecially messy in the ACC.

There’sareal chance that at least one of the two spots in the ACCchampionship will be determined by criteria other than head-to-head. The list of tiebreakers that followsincludesrecord against common opponents and the combined winningpercentage of conference opponents. That oneisparticularlyproblematic for Narduzzi, whose No 23 Panthers (7-2, 5-1) are among ﬁve one-lossteams while No.16 Miami andNo. 19 Louisville lurk closebehind in the league race. Conference schedules are set years in advance. Thesecondwinningest coach in Pitt history wonders why ateam should be penalized for having alacklusterschedule during agiven year, when thatschedule is outofhis hands.

Asked if it’sfair for teams to be at the mercy of the schedulemakers, he shook hishead

“Not fair at all,” he said.

Pittcloses with atriptoNo. 14 Georgia Tech anda home ﬁnale against Miami, while Diaz and Duke (5-4,4-1)willtry to make

TULANE

Continued from page1C

Green is in thetop 25 heading into the last weekend of November, theAmerican wouldgotoits next tiebreakertodeterminethe road team in thechampionship game acompositeaverageinfourcomputer metrics (SP+, SportsSource TR116 SOR, ESPN SORand KPI) at the end of theregular season. That is where Tulane would be toast barring an extraordinary turn of events. As of this week,SP+ rates North Texas No. 27 and Tulane No.62, andSportsSource TR116 SOR has North Texas 50th to Tulane’s62nd. Eventhough the Wave is ahead in the other two metrics (24/31 in ESPN SOR and 18/22 in KPI),North Texas’ average of 32.5 is considerably better than Tulane’s41.5. In otherwords,ifthe three frontrunners win as expected, Tulane positively needstocrack the CFPtop 25 on Nov.25and be ranked ahead of North Texas. Otherwise, the Wave would be left on the outside looking in duringchampionshipweek, withno chance to win the conference title or reach the CFP Clobbering Florida Atlantic (45, 2-3) on Saturday would help, but Tulane coach Jon Sumrall wanted no part of talking about margin of victory

“Here’s the deal: We’ve got to go 1-0 every week or none of it matters,” he said. “I don’tknow aboutthat computer stuff and don’treally care. I’d say our

It makes Diaz long for asimpler time. Duringhis high school career at Miami Country Day, there was once afive-team tiefor aplayoff spot. So all five teams met at the same stadium andplayed aseries of Kansas tiebreakers (meaning possession starts at the opponent’s10-yard line)untilawinner 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 andfigure outthe ACC championship,” he saidwith alaugh.

As forVirginia, 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 ﬁrsttwo months.That cameatNCState in anonconference matchup between longtime league members, whichdidn’t countinthe league race because it came outside the league’sschedulingmodel. That game wouldn’t factor into anyleague tiebrakers, though the Cavaliers’ wiggle room vanished in last weekend’shome loss to Wake Forest that included quarterback Chandler Morrisbeing knocked outofthe game. Still, coach Tony Elliott knows there’satleast onesimple route.

“I think if youwin all your ACC games,you know youhaveanopportunity to be in Charlotte,” he said. “Plus, that stuff is toocomplicated. So I’ve gottofocuson getting the team readytoplay notwhatthe tiebreaker scenarios are.”

Beyond theACC

Thetiebreakers could have a major say in the otherpower conferences, too.

TheBig 12 hassix teamswithno more than two league losses, and the onlyremaining head-to-head matchup between thoseteamsisNo. 12 BYU (8-1, 5-1) at No.22Cincinnati (7-2, 5-1) on Nov. 22. Theonly teams with total control of their destiny to get to the Big 12 titlegame 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. 3Texas A&Mand No.4 Alabama are undefeated in league play.The Crimson Tide can secure aspotinthe Atlanta titlegame by beatingNo. 11 OklahomainTuscaloosa on Saturday and by winning the Iron Bowl at Auburn two weeks later. TheAggiescan punch their ticketbytopping South Carolina in College Station this weekend andthenwinning at No.10 Texastwo weeks later

schedule’sbeen pretty challenging. We’ve playedthreeP4s and no FCSteam. Ourjob is to win the gamethey put in front of us each week. Style points are ﬁne, but just win the game. Like Al Davis used to say,just win, baby.” Thatschedule,which includes victories against ACC contender Duke and5-4 Northwestern of the Big Tenand aloss at likely CFP participant Ole Miss, could be Tulane’ssaving grace. On Tuesdaynight,selection committee chairman Mack Rhoades said Tulane was discussed as atop25 possibilitythis week, speciﬁcally pointing to the Wave’swin at Memphis last Friday.Hedid notmentionNorth Texas, which played anonconference scheduleofFCS team Lamar, Western Michigan (6-4), Washington State (4-5) and South Alabama(2-7). Next week’sranking show will start at 7:30 p.m.Tuesday on ESPN.The potentiallydecisive one on Nov.25will start at 6p.m., also on ESPN

Acouple of explanatory notes: •The Nov.25CFP ranking is the ﬁnal tiebreaker because the Dec. 2ranking, whichcomes out only three days before the American championship game, would be too late. TheAmerican needs to name its championship-game participants on Nov. 29. •Navy (7-2, 5-1) and East Carolina (6-3, 4-1) also can ﬁnish 7-1 in league play,but their computer metrics arelower than Tulane’s (Navy’saverage is 56.5; East Carolina’sis49.5). South Florida and North Texasare the onlyteams that can prevent a7-1 Wave team from playing in the title game.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By SAM CRAFT

ESPN football

Saban,

Narduzzi

Scott Rabalais

Daniel sparks Tulane to comfortablevictory

DAVIDGRUNFELD

Tulane guard Kanija Daniel reacts after hitting a3-pointer againstthe North Florida Ospreys during the first halfoftheir game on Wednesday at Devlin Fieldhouse. Daniel scored agame-high 20 points in Tulane’s 77-54 win.

LSUmen looking past ﬁnal scores forimprovement

BY TOYLOYBROWN III

Staff writer

LSU has opened the season with positive vibes.

It beat Tarleton State 96-60 in the season opener,shooting aprogram-record 71.7%from the ﬁeld. It most recently faced aUNO team that earned a78-74 victory at TCU, but theTigers outplayed the Privateers 93-58on Monday and outrebounded them by 20.

LSU has outscored its opponents by acombined 71 points

This is an improvement from last season, when it wonbyacombined 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 7p.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’sevaluating 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

TheUNLVtransfer’sbiggest contribution is how he organizes the offense, which isn’tfully reﬂected in his season averages of 12 points, 8.0 assists and 1.5turnovers in 24.5 minutes per game. The20-year-old junior hasbeen McMahon’sdream ﬂoor general.

“He’ll find you if you do your job,” the fourth-yearcoach said after the UNO win. “He’svery unselfish. He has phenomenal floor, court vision. He sees things that we as coaches don’tsee.” McMahontrusts Thomas, but he also knows he must prepare his only backup point guard for his role. Freshman Jalen Reece 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 earnedthe praise of McMahon.

“I thought Jalen Reece (was) fantastic at the point,” McMahon

PELICANS

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lead to 14 points on their way toa 95-85 edge at the end of thethird quarter

Bey scored 10 points, Fears addednineand thePelicans trimmed the leadto112-109. But Sharpe made alayup, ajumper,a steal and adunk to help Portland expand the lead to 120-112 with 1:57 left.

Kevon Looney and Bey both committed two fouls less than

BY DARRELL WILLIAMS Contributingwriter

The Tulane women’s basketball team found itself in aclosegame in the ﬁrst half against North Florida on Wednesday at Devlin Fieldhouse before acrowd of screaming schoolchildren and the Warren Easton band for an education day matinee game.

The second half was adifferent matter. Although the Green Wave demolished North Florida in rebounding,guard Kanija Daniel provided abig boost to spur Tulane to a77-54 rout.

Tulanenextwill play host to No. 5LSU at 6p.m. Monday

Daniel scored 12 of her gamehigh 20 points in the third quarter as the Green Wave (2-1) wentfrom aﬁve-point halftimelead to 57-42 at the end of the thirdquarter.Tulane stretchedthe lead to 67-47 midway through the fourth quarter

“When Istarted thegame, Istarted kindofslow, andCoach picked me up and my teammatespicked me up,” said Daniel, ajunior who transferred from Chipola College.

“I was playing passive andnot attacking.”

Said Wave coach Ashley Langford: “I didn’t draw up anything (plays wise). She’sjust talented, and she took it on herself to stepup.”

Senior center Dyllan Hanna had 14 points and seven rebounds in what Langford termed her “best gameinaTulane uniform” after shetransferred from Florida Atlantic before last season.

ThereboundingofHanna andsenior forward Amira Mabry paced Tulane’s58-32 domination of the boards. The Green Wave had 25 offensive rebounds. Thatwas the key to advantages of 23-7 in second-chance points anda 44-30 edge in points in the lane.

“When we went into halftime,I feltlike we were in good shape,” North Florida third-year coach Erika Lambert said. “But we had already givenupsomany offensive rebounds (12), and that just continued throughout the game. That came down to being the difference-maker.”

Tulane’s drives to thebasket were another problem,she said.

“For me, it’s notabout getting into aleaping battle; it’s about guarding the ball better,” Lambert said. “If you can’tkeep the ball in front of you, you’re going to be out of position forthat rebound.”

Tulane led36-31 at halftime after taking controlwith a13-0 run between theend of theﬁrst

quarter and the 4:54 mark of the second. Lambertsaidthe Wave’s switchtoa zone defensethrew the Ospreys off-balance abit. During the first 51/2 minutes of the second quarter,North Florida shot 0of11, including 0of6on 3-point attempts. Daniel began the third quarter witha 3-pointer.During the next 3:31, she drove forabasket, went coast to coast forconsecutive baskets after steals, and sank acorner 3topropel the Wave to a50-35 edge with 6:10 leftinthe third quarter

Tulane kept thepressureon with drives in the fourth, andthe lead reached 67-47 on guard Sadie Shores’ drive andleft-handed scoop shot with 5:16 left.

After trailing 20-16 at the end of the ﬁrst quarter,the Wave outscored the Ospreys61-34 therest of the way.

Langford said her team is coming together,includingwinningthe rebounding battlefor the second consecutive game. She said that is something her team can takeinto the gameagainst LSU

“Our abilitytorebound controls the game,” she said. “That leads to multiple people being able to step up andscore in situations.And,I know our team, that they will be ready to step and compete against an in-state rival.”

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

said after the UNO game. “Our point guards, 12 assists, only oneturnover tonight,which was greattosee.”

Reece was responsible for four assistsand had zero turnovers in 17 minutes. He had extended playing time after Thomas went to the benchafter bumping knees with aUNO player at the 15:09 mark of thesecond half. He returned to thegame with8:40 left, and McMahon said the injury is no cause for concern Reece is making the mostofhis minutesand is receiving guidance from themore experienced Thomas.

“I just keep trying to tell him to be confident in himself,” Thomas said aboutReece after the season opener. “Takehis 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 gettinghis guys in the right place Reece seems to be on theright track by gaining the trust of his team.

“I trust him,” Thomas said. “He’sreally smart, he’sreally good, really talented. Ifeelhe’s gonna have areally good college career.”

EmailToyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com

four minutes into the game, and they werereplacedbyQueen 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 aquarter-high 12points on 6-of-8 shooting, but the Trail Blazers held a 30-25leadatthe endofthe quarter

The lead changed hands nine times, and the score was tied ﬁve times in the second quarter before Beymade twofree throws with 1.9 secondsleft to give New Orleansa59-57 halftime lead.

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Certain questions followed MiLaysia Fulwiley when she left SouthCarolina to join the LSU women’sbasketball team. Could she playpoint guard? Would she fit alongside Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams?

Afterfour games, theNo. 5Tigers (4-0) mayhave found their answers. Fulwileyplayed with comfort andconﬁdenceagain on Wednesday night,when LSUrouted Charlotte 117-59 in thePete Maravich AssemblyCenter.This time, the junior transfer caught ﬁre from 3-point range to score aseasonhigh 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 have now scored at least 100 points in every gamethey’ve played this season. The 117 pointsthey scored on Wednesday is tied for the ﬁfthmostinprogram history

Early in the game against Charlotte, LSU putitself on pace to hit the century mark.But because it gave up a3-pointerand apair of second-chance points,itled only 17-10 at the halfway mark of the

ﬁrst quarter

Then the Tigers rattled off14 consecutive points to take control of the contest. Fulwiley helped start that run when she rolledinaswooping, glidingtransition layup through contact to cap afirst-quarter transitionchance. Aminute later,she stepped into adeep 3-pointer and drainedit, punctuating the quick flurry of points with her first longrange attemptofthe night.

Fulwileymissed eight of her ﬁrst 10 3-point tries on the season, but she hit 5of6 Wednesday.She took most of those shots from astep or twobeyond the arc, including the left-wing3-pointer sheusedtobeat thehalftime buzzer.Afterward, she crossedher arms andsmiled at the Charlotte bench.

Four Tigers converted shots from beyond the arcagainst the 49ers, including bothJohnson andWilliams. Johnson, asenior, added16points, five rebounds, two assists and ablock. Williams, ajunior, notched 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. The twostars combinedtoshoot an efficient 10 of 17 from the field and 4of7from 3-point range. LSU also receivedanoff-thebenchcontribution from Amiya Joyner,the East Carolina transfer forward who finished with asea-

son-high 14 points. Starting center KateKoval added10points and 12 rebounds to turn in her second double-double of the year Charlotte turned the ball over 22 times and shot only 28% fromthe field. It also converted just 4of30 shots from beyond the arc. LSU and Charlotte also combined forfive technical fouls. Williamswas given one in the first quarter when she canned a corner 3-pointer and exchanged wordswith49ers first-yearcoach Tomekia Reed. Freshman guard Bella Hines pickedupatechnical when she drained a3-pointer in the secondquarterand taunted the Charlotte bench. Freshman forward Grace Knox wasthenwhistled for one late in the fourth quarter when she swatted away ashotand stared down the Charlotte player whotook it. LSU next will visit Tulane at 6p.m. on Monday in the first of three games it will play in NewOrleans. The Tigers are also scheduled to face UNO in the LakefrontArena on Dec. 7and Louisiana Tech in the Smoothie KingCenter on Dec. 13.

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU guard Jalen Reece drives theball up courtduring agame against UNO on Mondayatthe Pete MaravichAssembly Center.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU guard MiLaysiaFulwileydrives to the basket before afoul by Charlotte forward Asianae Nicholson on Wednesdayatthe Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Making nice

La.pastrycheftakes on ‘Holiday Baking’ challenges

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Alyx Abreu’sﬁrst foray into competitive TV baking haslanded her in the middle of asugary, showy red and green wonderland. After two weeks of eliminations, Abreu and now nineother “Holiday Baking Championship contestants from around the country still have hopes of reaching the ﬁnale and pocketingthe $25,000 grand prize. Food Network transformed its competition kitchen intothe aforementioned wonderland awinter village, for the series’ 10th season. Abreu and theother bakers saw their workspaces and soaked in their merrysurroundings in the show’spremiere on Nov.3

“You go into that space knowing that there’sgonna be akitchen there, and it’sgonna be sort of holiday-themed, but genuinely, walking into it and seeinga wintervillage was so astounding,” Abreu, aNew Jersey native and NewOrleans transplant,said by phone on Nov.6.“Ireallydidn’t even know what to expect,and it just blew away any expectations that Imight have had.”

In aﬁrst for the holiday series, the bakers were divided into two teams —“Nice” and “Naughty.” Warm and toasty dessertsand chilly and frosty treats, respectively,followed by an edible holiday village that included a dessert from each of them were the Episode 1challenges, while this week, the teams whipped up mocktails and cocktails,and then were tasked with creatingmeringue-based desserts that appear as either cheerful or cheeky. Abreu, 34, makes meringuebasedand other desserts and breads on the daily as executive pastry chef at French Quarter ﬁne dining landmarkArnaud’s. During an afternoon lull, she took time for aquick Q&Awith this newspaper

This conversation was edited for lengthand 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 has alwaysbeen 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, andmy parentsand grandparents were not those kinds of people. My love

BONE DEEP LIVING

Thanksgivinggumbo is a loving extensionofholiday

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

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

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

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

BYGRETCHENMCKAY PittsburghPost-Gazette (TNS)

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

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

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

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

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

Kevin Belton

Does a‘like’count as aresponse?

Dear Miss Manners: My husband and Iare disagreeing on what a proper RSVP is. Isent outdigital invitations for my son’sbirthday party and requested people RSVP to me. Many of his family members “liked” the digital invitation, but did not speciﬁcally respond as to whether or not they were attending. Itold my husband that no one from his family had responded, but he thinks the factthat they “liked” the invitation is their RSVP.Idon’tagree with this, especially since there are families beinginvitedwith

GUMBO

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When your stock is rich and golden, strain it with care. Now comes the roux, that patient stirring of ﬂour and fat untilitturns 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 holy trinity —onions, peppers, celery —and watch them soften into the roux. Pour in your turkey stock, and suddenly you’re not just making dinner; you’re weaving yesterday’scelebration into today’s sustenance.

Add andouille sausage for its smoky soul and shreddedturkey to honor the ﬂavors of holiday Season with love and Creole spices.

children who do not have their own phones to“like” theinvitation. Evenifthis counts as their response, how do Iknow whether to expect one personortheir entireﬁve-person family?

Gentlereader: When they ﬁrst appeared, Miss Manners was assured thatelectronicinvitations would be such an improvement over the old handwritten form, because everyone would respond quickly and it would saveeveryone all the time and tediousness of —something. She had stopped listening by then. Instead, the same people who had responded to handwritten invitations responded to electronic ones —and the same people who failed to respond to one also

Let it all simmer together,ﬂavors ﬁnding each other like old friends reuniting. The gumbo thickens, darkens,becomes itself.

Cranberry Sauce

Cheese Danish

1sheet frozen puff pastrydough

8ounces cream cheese softened

3tablespoons granulated sugar

1cup leftover cranberry sauce

1egg

1tablespoon water

1teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste Icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoonorangejuice (add 1/4 teaspoon at atime if you need to thin out the glaze)

1/2 teaspoon orangezest if you want a stronger orange flavor

1. Preheatthe oven to 400degrees and line your baking sheet with parchment paper thenset aside.

2. Slice the puff pastrysheet into 8equal rectangles.Score thepuff pastry with asharp knife leaving about 1/4 inch borders.Poke the center of the puff pastry squares with afork to make surethatarea doesn’tpuff up. Set aside, preferablysomewhere cool

3. In alarge bowl,mix the softened creamcheese with the sugar andvanilla extract.Scoop out1-2 heaping tablespoons of cream cheese mixture and placeitinthe center of the puff pastry squares. Gently spread it, making sure to stay clear from the edges.

DOUGHNUTS

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If you bake them instead, they might not be as pillowyastheir fried counterparts, butthey’re still agood, sweet treat. This recipe from Sally’sBakingAddiction is afavorite. Made with an apple cider reduction and dusted in awarm, seasonal mix of cinnamon and sugar,they embody everything people loveabout fall in sweetdough form. The doughnuts are bestwarm, but they are also quite tastyat room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature 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’twant the dough to produce gluten. Scooping flour right out of the bag compacts it; for more precise

failed to respondtothe other Andthe people who did respond could still be endlesslynagged, becausesomehow the computer didn’trecord their response, and everyone could be dunned for presentsorphotos or just cash.

So you can imagine her reaction at learning that there is now away to respond that is unintelligible to thehostess. Does this thing have aVery Much Dislike button?

Dear Miss Manners: Iparticipate in an organization with quite afew members. Apparently,Iresemble one of the leaders of the organization. Iamfrequently mistaken for this person,although I don’tthink we really look alike. Usually,people apologize when they addressmebythe other

You’reserving love in its most tangible form.

This Thanksgiving gumbo carries forward the spirit of the holiday —gratitude, resourcefulness and theunderstanding that when we share what we have, there’salways enough. The turkey that brought everyone together on Thursday continues its work on Friday, nourishing bodies and souls in a new way

My mom and grandmother were right.The bones do hold thestory

Andwhat abeautiful story it is —one of transformation of nothing wasted, of love that keeps giving long after the feast seems ﬁnished.

When you ﬁnally ladle it over rice and gather your people around the table again, you’re serving proof thatnothing is wasted when we approach it with creativity and care. You’re serving the lesson that the best meals often come from what others might discard.

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.

4. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce on top of thecream cheese mixture. Gently spread, avoidingthe puff pastry edge.

5. In asmall bowl, beat theegg with the water and brush theedges of the pastry with the eggwash

measuring, 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 apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2tablespoons unsalted butter,melted

1largeegg,atroom temperature

1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

1teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For topping:

1cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

6tablespoons unsalted butter,melted

1. Reduce the apple cider: Stirring occasionally,simmerapple cider in asmall saucepan over low heat until you’re left with about 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. If there are any spicesorsolids on top, leave them. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

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

3. Makethe doughnuts:Whisk

ﬂour, baking soda, baking powder,cinnamon, applepie spice and salttogether in alarge bowl. Set aside.

person’s name,but occasionally people seem put out, as if Iwere trying to trickthemoract as an impersonator

What is the polite waytotell people Iamnot the otherperson without raising their hackles?

Sometimes Ialmost feel like they expect me to apologize!

Gentle reader: Your ﬁnalexclamation suggests thatyou doubt your own assessment thatanyone could be so irrational as to blame youfor their mistake

ButMiss Manners assures you it is actually acommon—which is not to sayacceptable —reaction in such situations.

Bakefor 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.

4. Whisk melted butter,egg, brown sugar,granulated sugar, milk andvanillaextract together.Pour into dry ingredients, add reduced apple cider,and mix everything together with awhisk or spatula until smooth and combined (only until theﬂour disappears).Batter will be slightly thick.

5. Spoonthe batter into the doughnut cavities, or use alarge zipped-top bag with the corner cutoff the bottom to pipe it into thepan. Fill each about halfway

6. Bake for 10-11 minutes or untilthe edges andtopsare lightly browned. To test, poke your ﬁnger into the top of the doughnut. If it bounces back, they’redone. Cool for 2minutes,then transfer to awirerack. Re-greasethe pan andbake the remaining batter

7. Coat the doughnuts: Combine granulated sugar,cinnamon and apple pie spice together in amedium bowl.Oncecool enough to handle, dunk both sides of each doughnut in themelted butter, then generously in the apple spice topping.

Note: Doughnuts are best served immediately.Leftovers keep wellcovered tightly at room temperaturefor up to 3daysorin therefrigerator for up to 5days.

The correct way to react to being mistakenfor someone else will depend on the otherperson’s behavior.Itisanembarrassing situationfor them, so if they make agenuine apology,help themout by accepting the apologyquickly andchanging the subject

CHEF

Continuedfrom page1D

of baking came from highschool

We were allowedtodobaked projects for certain things, so for history,wewere able to do cookies from whatever time period or what have you.

Ireally loved makingthe baked goods, makingcookiesorcakes and decoratingthem. Ithought,“Maybe this is something Iwanttodofor aliving.”Ihad been tossing around things like being atattoo artist and giving my mother aheart attack. Ithink she wasvery delighted to hear thatIwould be doingsomething alittle bitmore level.

…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.

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 specialty is just getting people to try newand different things.

What’sa typical dayfor youatArnaud’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 what sold last night, building outa production list for myselfand my assistants and checking thequalityoneverything thatisleft over And then acup of coffee, obviously

Anyofour baked projects have to happen ﬁrst, obviously negotiatingtime and space with the other people in the kitchen to use theoven. Usually anything that’s baked goes in ﬁrst; mousses, sauces, things like that happen afterward. Baked Alaska, which we make fresh every single day, usually happensaround the end of the day,aswell as someofour other alittle bit morecomplicated items.

With anyone rude enough to displayresentment, you may smile when you deny being the otherperson. This is notrude; youare merely declining to help themout of the hole theyhave dug —and apparently wish to continue excavating.

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

Alot of the day is negotiating time and space, whetherthat’sthe oven or thestovetop,making sure that my stafffeelssupported,that if they need help withanything, I’m there to help. ButI’m right there in theweedswiththem.

On anygivenday,wecan be cranking out30baked Alaskas, abunchofcakes and 150 crème brûlées.

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

There’salot of hustleand bustle, but what’sreally niceisthatthere’s also that sense of togetherness. So Ireally love that Christmas brings everybody together and givesthat jolly feeling even whenit’scrazy 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?

Notdoubting 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 what should 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 was very 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+.

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

TODAYINHISTORY

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 concerthall, 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 the command of Continental Army Gen. Richard Montgomery

In 1909, 259 menand boys were killed when ﬁre erupted inside a coal mine in Cherry,Illinois.

In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court afﬁrmed alower court ruling which found Alabama bus segregation laws were illegal.

In 1971, the U.S. space probe Mariner 9went into orbit around Mars, becoming the ﬁrst spacecraft to orbit another planet. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans

Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

In 1985, some 23,000 residents of Armero, Colombia, died when a volcanic mudslide buried the city

In 2001, U.S.-backed Northern Alliance ﬁghters in Afghanistan entered Kabul as Taliban forces retreated from the capital city

In 2022, four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in their off-campus rental home in Moscow,Idaho. Asuspect, Bryan Kohberger,would plead guilty to the murders in 2025 in adeal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty and was handedfour 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. DanSullivan of Alaska is 61. Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is 58. Actor Steve Zahn is 58. Actor Gerard Butler is 56. Olympic swimming gold medalist Dana Vollmer is 38. Actor Devon Bostick is 34. Tennis player Emma Raducanu is 23.

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

Cranberry Sauce Cheese Danish

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

PHOTO By MONICABELTON

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

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

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

By PHILLIP ALDER

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

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

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

Note North’s raise to two hearts. Yes, he hasfivespades, but with such aweak hand, two hearts is correct. If North bid onespade andSouth were to rebid two clubs or two diamonds, North would rebidtwo hearts, showing onlyadoubletonheart.Southwouldunderestimatethe fit. South might think he has only three possiblelosers, but he has four: one diamond and three clubs. He also hasonly nine winners: one spade, sixheartsand two diamonds. The “obvious” line is to lead atrump to dummy at tricktwo, then to play a clubtothe jack.Here, though, aWest in midseason formwill win with his queen andreturn atrump. South will then play aclub to his king, but West will take that andlead hislast trump to defeat the contract.

Yes,thatisunlucky,withWestproducingbothclubhonors, three trumps and the killing defense. But it is much easier to lead aclub from hand at tricktwo Then aclub ruff in the shorter trump hand for South’s 10th trick cannot be prevented. Those club honors are black herrings. AndWestwould be left to apologize forfailing to find the lethal initialtrump lead. ©2025 by nEa, inc.,

Bridge Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRuCTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

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

ken ken

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Scrabble GramS

roSe

don’t miss don’t miss don’t miss

beignet fest

Enjoy a quintessential New Orleans treat and help kids with autism and their families Saturday at the Festival Grounds in City Park, 4 Friederichs Ave. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., enjoy sweet and savory versions of the pillowy goodness, plus music, activities at the kids village. There’s also a resource walk and a beer garden. Tickets start at $25. beignetfest.com.

forestival

It’s “A Celebration of Art and Nature” as A Studio in the Woods hosts the 15th annual family-friendly event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

winter lantern festival

Thursday marks the opening weekend as hundreds of Chinese lanterns with LED lights create a wonderland of illumination at Bayou Segnette State Park, 7777 Westbank Expressway, Westwego. There will be entertainment by the Zigong Acrobatic Troupe, plus games and keepsakes. Visit the park from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays through Jan. 4. Tickets start at $18. winterlanternfestival.com.

food truck festival

Head over to Laketown at the Kenner Boat Launch by Lake Pontchartrain from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday for more than 30

local food trucks with a smorgasbord of cuisines. The Wise Guys, Rock Show Nola and Amber Drive perform, plus there will

Saturday. Enjoy music, artistic presentations, information on climate education, food and drink, art activities for all ages and, of course, walks through the woods with ecologists and entomologists. Set your GPS for 13401 Patterson Road in New Orleans on the West Bank south of English Turn. astudiointhewoods.org.

be arts and crafts vendors, and a kids’ activity zone. Admission is free. kenner.la.us.

don’tmiss don’tmiss don’t miss

touch-a-truck

Getupclose andpersonal with ﬁre engines, bulldozers and more Saturday forthe Junior League of NewOrleans’ 11th annual event. Kids of all ages can climb, explore and learn about the vehicles from 11 a.m. to 4p.m. at the Pontchartrain Conventionand CivicCenter on Williams Boulevard at Lake Pontchartrain in Kenner.There will also be arafﬂe for atrip to Disney World. Tickets start at $13. jlno.org/touch-a-truck.

children’s book sale

Alookatthe Nazi campaign againstmodernart andmusic,featuring 65+ original worksbyartists deemed “degenerate” by theThird Reich.

The Friends of the New Orleans Public Library sets up at the Robert Smith Branch Library,6301 Canal Blvd., for aspecial sale of used books, all priced at $2, from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Saturday, just in time for the holidays. friendsnola.org.

ABOUTLAGNIAPPE

The Lagniappe section is published each Thursdayby The Times-Picayune |The New Orleans Advocate. All inquiries about Lagniappe should be directed to the editor.

LAGNIAPPE EDITOR: Annette Sisco, asisco@theadvocate. com

COVER DESIGN: Andrea Daniel CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS: Will Coviello,Dean M. Shapiro, Keith Spera, Poet Wolfe

GETLISTED

SubmiteventstoLagniappe at least twoweeksinadvance by sending an email to events@ theadvocate.com.

ON THECOVER

BODYTRAFFIC dancers will perform aHurricane Katrina tributeSaturdayatthe Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts. PhotobyTrey McIntyre.Story by Dean M. ShapiroonPage 6.

music music music

ACID BATH

SATURDAY,UNO LAKEFRONT ARENA

SouthLouisiana’sAcid Bath pioneered sludge rock, ametal subgenre heavy on grim subject matter and doomsday riffs. The band released two studio albums, 1994’s“When the Kite Strings Pop” and 1996’s“Paegan Terrorism Tactics,” before adrunk driver killed bassist AudiePitre in a1997 crash. His bandmates subsequently disbanded.

After a28-year hiatus, original vocalist Dax Riggs and original guitarists Sammy Duet and Mike Sanchez revived Acid Bath.They quickly discovered thattheir band was morepopular now than in the 1990s. Acid Bath sold out two nights at the 2,200-capacity Fillmore during the 2025 NewOrleans Jazz &Heritage Festival despitespecializing in decidedlynon-Jazz Fest music.

Acid Bath has stepped up to headline an even larger venue Saturday: the University of NewOrleans Lakefront Arena. Acid Bath tops abill thatincludes Mastodon, Power Trip, Amigo the Devil and the homegrown Soilent Green and Suplecs.Toaccommodate all that volume, the show starts at 5p.m. Tickets start at $61 for reserved seat bleacher seatsand $170 forthe general admission ﬂoor.

Keith Spera SOUND CHECK

Musicoptions in NewOrleans forthe week of Nov. 13-19, includearevived Louisianasludgerockband, acelebration of alatelocal drummer’slastalbum andhalfofa hitmakingBritish synth-popduo.

CARLONUCCIO‘CLAP HANDS’ CELEBRATION

SUNDAY,THE BROADSIDE PAVILION

New Orleans drummer,singer and songwriterCarlo Nuccio’smusicianship wasaslarge, complexand all-consuming as his personality.His drummingcombined ﬂuidity, power and feel in such away that it felt like it could fall apart at any moment.Heco-foundedAmericanaensemble the Continental Driftersand poweredAndersOsborne’s, John Mooney’sand McMurray’sbands, Royal Fingerbowl, PaulSanchez’sRolling Roadshow,and Benny Grunch &the Bunch. He also drummed albumsbyTori Amos, Emmylou Harris, Buckwheat Zydeco and Dr.Johnand co-wrotethe Saints anthem that popularized “WhoDat.”

When he died in 2022 at age61from liver-related complications, he left behind abatch of unfinishedmaterial. Friends finished it andhave releaseditasthe final NuccioCD, “Clap Hands.” From 4p.m.to7 p.m. Sunday,the Broadside’sindoorPavilion hostsa free, all-ages listening party for “Clap Hands” thatalso includesperformances by McMurray,Glenn Hartman andTiana Hux.

EmailKeith Spera at kspera@theadvocate.com.

OTHERNOTEWORTHYSHOWS

THURSDAY

Bonerama,the trombone-powered NewOrleans funk/rock/ brass band hybrid, ﬁres up at the New Orleans Jazz &Blues Market in Central City on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard at 7:30 p.m. Reserved seats start at $17.

Andy Bell,one-half of British synth-pop duo Erasure, brings his solo “Ten Crowns” tour to the Orpheum Theater.Tickets start at $51.

Carlo Nuccio Bonerama

Acid Bath

music music music

THURSDAY (continued)

Cuban-born pianist Victor Campbell honed his technique at Cuba’sNational School of the Arts and is now aglobal force in Cuban jazz. TheVictor Campbell Experience involves bass, drums, trumpet and saxophone; hear it at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at SnugHarbor Jazz Bistro. Tickets are $30.

Chickie WahWah hosts a“Throwback Residency” in honor of Donna’s Bar &Grill, the fondly remembered North Rampart Street brass band venue. Trumpeter James Andrews and the New Birth Brass Band arefeatured for Thursday’s“throwback.” Tickets start at $20.

See Futurebirds at Tipitina’swith Joelton Mayfield opening;atpress time,only a handful of $20 ticketsremained.

FRIDAY

For more than 35 years and20albums, Acoustic Alchemy hasdelivered high-ﬂying jazz fusion. The band kicks off two consecutive nights at theNew Orleans Jazz &Blues Market on Friday.Showtime is 7:30 p.m.; tickets start at $25.

The Broadside hosts “Love for Kerrville,” abeneﬁt for the ﬂood-ravaged areas of Texas, featuring JoyClark,Alex McMurray,Handmade Moments (Anna Moss and Joel Ludford), Paul Sanchez, Dusky Waters, Papa Mali, Lynn Drury, Layla Musselwhite,Jimmy Robinson, Teena May, Beth Paxton, Mia Borders andmore. Tickets start at $20.

The Broadside’sindoor Pavilion presents local indie/alt-rock all-star band The Bottoms,with Self-Help Tapes opening, foranall-agesshow.Tickets are $12.

In honor of the late New Orleans modern jazz pianist, composer and educator EllisMarsalis Jr., his youngestson, drummer JasonMarsalis,and his former pupil, longtime Jazz at Lincoln Center saxophonist/clarinetist Victor Goines,share the Snug Harbor stageat 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.onboth Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $45.

John Hollier &the Reverie hold court at Chickie WahWah; ticketsare $15.

Durand Jones &the Indications hitTipitina’s for asold-out show.

SATURDAY

Jeff Tweedy, of Wilco, opens the ﬁrst of two sold-out nights at Chickie WahWah.

The Rebirth Brass Band kicks brass at Tipitina’sfor asold-out showduring Tulane University’s homecoming weekend.

Jazz fusion band Acoustic Alchemy is backfor its second night at theNew OrleansJazz &Blues Market.Showtime is 7:30 p.m.; tickets start at $25.

Jason Marsalis and Victor Goines return to Snug Harbor to salute thelateEllis Marsalis Jr.at7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ($45).

SUNDAY

Jazz bassist MarcusMiller has contributedgroove andsoultorecordings by Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Chaka Khan andGeorge Benson. He visitsthe New OrleansJazz &Blues Market on Sunday for two shows. At press time, his 7p.m. show was nearly sold out; more tickets were available for the9:30 p.m show,starting at $31.

Keyboardist JonCleary continues his “Kitchen Sink” concert series at Snug Harbor,inwhich he plays various instruments backed by percussionist PedroSegundo.Showtimes are 7:30 p.m and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $35.

MONDAY

Guitarist and singer Eric Lindell brings his Gulf Coast blues ’n’ boogie to Chickie WahWah, backed by bassist RobertMercurio and keyboardist Rich Vogel, of Galactic, and drummer Andrew Campanelli, of the Revivalists. Tickets start at $35. New Orleanssinger and entertainer CharmaineNeville and her band are back at Snug Harbor at 7:30 p.m and9:30 p.m. Tickets are $30.

TUESDAY

Ethan Regan stops at Chickie WahWah as part of his “I AlmostGraduated Tour,” with Palmyra opening. Tickets are $20.

Honduran-born, NewOrleans-based jazz pianist Oscar Rossignoli,best known forhis workwith singer John Boutte and others, is at Snug Harbor with his own trio at 7:30 p.m.and 9:30 p.m ($30).

WEDNESDAY

Pianist TomMcDermott and clarinetist/ saxophonist Susanne Ortner team up for afree show at Snug Harbor at 5p.m. Later,at7:30 p.m.and 9:30 p.m., trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis &the Uptown Jazz Orchestra swing out at Snug ($45).

Keyboardist JonCleary is solo at Chickie WahWah ($20).

Better Lovers tops abill at Tipitina’sthat also includes Soul Blind, JohnnyBooth and HKFY!;tickets are $28.50.

Baroque & Beethoven asoloharpsichord concertbyPaulMauffray featuringBach’sConcertoinF Minor arranged forharpsichord &Baroque organ Sunday,November 23 | 7:30 pm TheNew Marigny Theatre| 2301 Marais Street SuggestedDonation:$20 (Students$10)

Neville

Eric Lindell

stages stages stages

Declarative statement

Dancecompany to reprisepost-Katrinatrib with thePreservation Hall Jazz Band

BY DEAN M. SHAPIRO

Contributing writer

In the years after HurricaneKatrina, when the Mahalia Jackson Theater was still out of commission, the New Orleans Ballet Association performed in Dixon Hall on the Tulane campus.

In 2008, one of those performanceswas the premiere of awork commissioned by NOBA titled “Ma Maison,” atributetoNew Orleans and its resilience in surviving the mostdestructive storm in thecity’s history

reographer Trey McIntyre companied by thePreserv Jazz Band, thepiece was r three years later in the Ma Jackson Theater —which cently been reopened. Als that night was another orig by McIntrye titled “The Sw

BODyTRAFFIC performi McIntyre. PROVIDED ORLEANS BA and ati esta ha ha f in e

BODyTRAFFICdancers performinTrey McIntyre’swork ‘Mayday,’based on a piece by BuddyHolly

r a, e n” on Kae’s

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band reprises its post-Hurricane Katrina accompaniment of performances by BODyTRAFFIC,inhonor of the 20th anniversaryofthe destructivestorm.

comes from these creations and these performances.”

‘Mayday’call

NEW ORLEANS BALLET ASSOCIATION PRESENTS BODYTRAFFIC

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Tina FinkelmanBerkett and Trey McIntyre will givea preperformance talk at 6:45 p.m. WHERE: Mahalia Jackson Theater for the PerformingArts, Louis Armstrong Park, NewOrleans TICKETS:$32 to $212 INFO: (504) 522-0996; nobadance.com

The performance will open with

anew work by McIntyre featuring the music of Buddy Holly titled “Mayday.” The accompanying music will be aprerecorded track.

“The piece really began from my love forNew Orleans and my love of its culture,” McIntyre said. “It’ssomething that’sbeen apart of my lifesince Iwas a young kid when my parents would

ä See DANCE, page 8 ono rin anc aiso f along er ation the nder eroit f er that

DANCE

Continuedfrom page7

bring me here.”

Later on in life, as an adult dancing with the Houston Ballet,McIntyre would drive to New Orleans as often as he could to enjoy the local culture.

“And so, when the prospect of making something that was based on the city was proposed, Iknew Iwanted to take alot of carewith that,” McIntyre said. “So Icame in and did my research. As achoreographer Ialways operate as somewhatofanarchaeologist. Ispend alot of time just talking to people.

“In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the fragility of our lives was certainlyinthe forefront of our thinking, and New Orleans is unique in a way the community deals withdeath,” McIntyre said.

“I really wanted to learn from it and incorporate it into my work.”

At thetop of theirgame

For this one-time-only performance, McIntyre is bringing eightofthe top dancers from his namesakecompany, evenly split between the menand women.

“It makes for alean group,but it’s also agroup of dancers who are all at the top of their game,” hesaid.“They all have to dance all of the time,soeveryone of them has to be exceptional And they are.Ithink they’rethe strongest contemporary company dancers in America.”

Said NOBA Executive Director Jenny Hamilton: “These works aren’tjust art. They’re declarationsofcultural survival, reminders of the resilience and beautythat deﬁne thiscity.

“In 2008,inthe aftermathofHurricane Katrina, when theworld questioned whether New Orleansshould be rebuilt —why billionsshould be invested into acitybelow sea level we knew we had to respondwithmore than resilience.

“Wehad to show theworld why New Orleans matters. We had to show the worldthat our culture, ourpeople and our artistry were not only alive, they were essential.”

The bold commissioninginitiative by NOBA created new workspairing world-renowned choreographers with iconic New Orleans jazz musicians, Hamilton said.

“These works would be born in the city, then tour the world, declaring— through movement and music—that New Orleans was worth rebuilding,” she said.

carnival carnival carnival

King Cake Hubhas anew location in time for2026Mardi Gras season

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

SinceZony Mash Beer Project in New Orleans closed this spring, Jennifer Samuels has spent months searching for anew home for her pop-up market,King Cake Hub, scouting spaces in Uptown and just beyond the city,inMetairie.

This week, she found one.

The vendor,known for selling king cakes from various local bakeries during Mardi Gras, will be returning to Mid-City,where it’shad three primary homes since itslaunch in 2019 —the MortuaryHaunted House Mansion, theBroad Theater and most recently,Zony Mash.

Its fourth home will be in an industrial, blue building on the corner of Gravier Street that also houses El Guapo, alocal producer of nonalcoholic cocktail bitters and syrups.

Thenew space spans 6,000 square feet —roughly 4,000 square feet more than theprevious location andincludes60parking spaces, plus additional off-street parking.

Its interior will be designed by JulianneLagniappe, alocal artist whose work has been commissioned by variousMardi Gras balls and krewes, including Krewe du Vieux.

As it has every year,King Cake Hubwill beginselling the confections at the start of Carnival —All Kings Day on Jan. 6—and continue throughLundi Gras. Until then, Samuelsisgearing up for theseason.

“I feel like I’ve been standing on the edge of the diving board withmy toes curled tight on thoseedges,”she said, “Ready to start jumping and planning everything and puttingall the pieces together.”

Samuels described Mid-Cityasa “central location” for her business, addingthat it’sbeen “so supportive” since its beginnings.

“This is such aunicorn of abusiness,” she said. “It couldn’twork anywhere other than New Orleans andonly in that magical little window of Carnival.”

closed last year,prompting the need for

Samuels started King Cake Hub with her latehusband, William, redeﬁning how locals access the wreath-shaped confections after decades of scrambling between gas stations and grocery stores for one.

The vendor offered asense of normalcy during thecoronavirus pandemic, when Mardi Gras parades were canceled, by selling king cakes from theBroad Theater.

Over the years, it paved theway for other convenience-driven concepts, including the King Cake Drive-Thru, which debuted last year in Metairie.

Samuels said she will continue offering New Orleanians new king cakes and seasonal products every Carnival season.

“I’mgoing to keep growing as long as we can, as long as the community keeps supporting me andIcan ﬁnd the artists and the cakes,” she said. “We’ll keep going.”

Email PoetWolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

Arandom assortment of kingcakethemed treats will be among the items availablewhen KingCakeHub opens in itsnew location inside El Guapo on Gravier Street.

STAFFFILE PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER Shoppers pick out king cakes and kingcake-inspired treats in 2022 at the King Cake Hub insidethe ZonyMashBeer Project on Broad Street in NewOrleans. Zony Mash

KingCakeHub to find anew home.

streaming streaming streaming

‘Death by Lightning’ a surprising story about a president gone too soon

BY ROBERT LLOYD

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Review

“Death By Lightning,” which premiered last week on Netﬂix, introduces itself as “a story about two men the world forgot,” and while it is undoubtedly true that few in 2025 will recognize the name Charles Guiteau, many will know James A. Garﬁeld, given that he was one of only four assassinated American presidents. There are less well remembered presidents, but if you’re going to make a docudrama, it does help to choose a story that might be more surprising to viewers and comes with a murder built in. It is also, I would guess intentionally, a tale made for our times, with its themes of civil rights, income inequality, cronyism and corruption.

‘DEATH BY

LIGHTNING’

That the longtime Ohio congressman did not seek but was drafted for the job — a compromise chosen, against his protests, on the 36th ballot at the 1880 Republican National Convention, where he’d given a stirring speech to nominate a fellow Ohioan, Treasury Secretary John Sherman — made him, one might say, especially qualiﬁed for the job: He was self-effacing, humble and not out for personal gain.

STARRING: Michael Shannon, Matthew Macfadyen, Betty Gilpin, Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford, Shaun Parkes, Zeljko Ivanek

Indeed, most everything about the Garfield story is dramatic — a tragedy, not merely for the family, but for the nation. For the sense one gets from “Death by Lightning” and from the historical record it fairly represents, is that Garfield, killed after only 200 days in office, might have made a very good chief executive. (The stated source for the series is Candice Millard’s 2011 book “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President”; Millard is also a voice in the more briefly titled, illuminating “American Experience” documentary ”Murder of a President.”)

RATING: TV-MA

HOW TO WATCH: Netflix

But he saw, ﬁnally, that he had a chance to “ﬁx all the things that terrify me about this republic,” most especially the ongoing oppression of Black citizens, a major theme of his inauguration speech.

Political machinations and complications aside, the narrative, which stretches two years across four episodes, is fairly simple, even schematic, cutting back and forth between Garﬁeld (Michael Shannon, between tours covering early R.E.M. albums) and Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen), a drifter with delusions of grandeur, as they approach their historically sealed date with destiny.

Garﬁeld is goodness personiﬁed; we meet him on his farm, cooking break-

fast for the family, planing wood to make a picnic table. (A table we will meet again.) Guiteau goes from one failed project to another, living it up on money stolen from his sister, running out on restaurant checks and rooming house bills, telling lies about himself he might well have thought were true, until he decides that politics is the place to make his mark.

The series largely belongs to them — both actors are terrific, Shannon imbuing Garfield with a gravity leavened with kindness and humor, Macfadyen’s Guiteau, optimistically dedicated to his delusions yet always about to pop. But it’s a loaded cast. The ever-invaluable Betty Gilpin, in her fourth big series this year after ”American Primeval,” “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf” and “ Hal & Harper,” plays Garfield’s wife, Crete, fully up on the political scene and free with her opinions.

Where most of them, even Guiteau, remain consistent from beginning to end, it’s Nick Offerman’s Chester A. Arthur who goes on a journey Arthur begins as a thuggish, cigar-smoking, sausage-eating, drunken clown, until he’s forced, by events, and the possibility of inheriting the presidency, to reckon with himself.

When ﬁrst lady Crete Garﬁeld wonders whether there should be a little

extra security (or, really, any security at all) around her husband, James responds, “Assassination can no more be guarded against than death by lightning — it’s best not to worry too much about either one,” giving the series its title and clearing up any confusion you may have had about its meaning. Indeed, Guiteau moves in and out of what today would be well guarded rooms with surprising ease, managing encounters (some certainly invented) with Crete, Blaine, a drunken Arthur and Garﬁeld, whom he implores, “Tell me how I can be great, too.”

Because we know what’s coming, the series can be emotionally taxing, especially as a wounded Garfield lingers through much of the final episode, while being mistreated by his doctor, Willard Bliss (Zeljko Ivanek), who ignores the advice of the younger, better informed Dr. Charles Purvis (Shaun Parkes), the first Black physician to attend to a sitting president; many, including Millard, believe it was the doctor who killed him through a lack of sanitary precautions, and that Garfield might have recovered if he’d just been left alone, an idea the series supports.

But you can’t change history, as much as “Death By Lightning” makes you wish you could.

Michael Shannon stars as President

James A. Garfield in the fourepisode

Netflix docudrama

‘Death by Lightning.’

PROVIDED

PHOTO By NETFLIX/ LARRy HORRICKS

NE AVE W GENERATION

Documentary capturing a music craze within the Vietnamese diaspora opens Asian Film Fest

BY WILL COVIELLO Gambit Weekly

In the late 1980s, Elizabeth Ai liked to pile into a car with her not-thatmuch-older uncle and aunts and ride around Orange County, California, blasting New Wave music and getting away from their parents and the rest of the world. It was typical youthful rebellious fun, except they were escaping from the lingering trauma of war.

Ai was younger, but her relatives were Vietnamese refugees, having ﬂed Vietnam in the 1970s. As they grew up in California, they got enthralled with the new mix of synthesizers and electronic drums and the rising inﬂuence of MTV videos.

A generation of young Vietnamese Americans mimicked the sexy clothing styles they saw on screen, teased and spiked their hair with Aqua Net and lunged into pop culture their parents couldn’t understand. Some got onstage, like Lynda Trang Dai, who started covering New Wave songs and became known as the Vietnamese Madonna.

Ai’s documentary ﬁlm “New Wave” delves into the Vietnamese New Wave scene. It’s the headlining ﬁlm of the inaugural Asian Film Fest and will screen at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Broad Theater Ai and Dai will participate in a panel discussion afterward.

Ai wasn’t a New Waver, but she focuses much of her documentary on two ﬁgures in the scene. Dai traveled the world as a pop singer and starred on the popular Vietnamese variety show “Paris by Night.” Her tours brought her to New Orleans to perform, where there were young Vietnamese New Wave fans, said festival organizer Thuy Pham.

Building her career outside the New Wave scene was tough, and she talks about what it took to stay on top and how her work supported her family, despite an older generation’s disapproval of her sexy outﬁts and stage theatrics.

Ian Nguyen loved music, and once he bought a dual turntable and had a

friend build him a mixing board, he became DJ BPM, launching a fourdecade career He explains that the music they loved was actually Eurodisco, often lumped in with British New Wave in the U.S. He also shares the ever-widening gap with his father, a novelist, who only wanted him to study and “look normal.”

Ai spent much of her young life with her mother absent. She was raised by her aunt, who was herself young and caught up in youth culture. Ai’s mother ran a successful series of nail salons and supported their large extended family, paying for college educations, cars and also gambling.

Only when Ai was older did she begin to see the way the teens and their parents were both affected by layers of trauma, from escaping the war to being subjected to racism and rejection in their new home. Their parents sacriﬁced to get an economic foothold in their new home, but at the expense of their children. As she raises her daughter, Ai tries to keep successive generations from becoming lost in the diaspora.

The festival screens several ﬁlms about Asian American communities, and several ﬁlmmakers will participate in the panel discussion following “New Wave.” In addition to Ai and Dai, the panel will include Sisa Wang, writer of “Bluff City Chinese”; Phanat Xanamane, director of “Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek”; and historian Emerald Dunn. The panel will be moderated

Singer Lynda Trang Dai was known as the Vietnamese Madonna.

PROVIDED PHOTO By ELIZABETH AI

by graphic novelist and illustrator Thi Bui and Daniella Zalcman.

Three ﬁlms screen on Sunday at the

Tidewater Auditorium at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. At 11 a.m., “Bluff City Chinese” explores the history of the Chinese community in Memphis. At 1 p.m., “Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek” explores the foodways of the Laotian Buddhist community in South Louisiana. At 2:30 p.m., there’s Leo Chiang’s “A Village Called Versailles,” documenting the Vietnamese community in New Orleans East rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.

For information visit Instagram, @gcasianartsculture.

Email Will Coviello at wcoviello@ gambitweekly.com.

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