The Advocate 11-14-2025

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Louisiana Gov.Jeff Landry said Thursday that some peoplewho get foodstamp benefitsmay ultimately see alittle extra intheir accounts with the end of the federalgovernment shutdown —and everyone on the programwill get the full benefit amount for November

“I think the elderly and the disabled may get alittle extra for Thanksgiving this year thanks to theirgovernor andtheir Legislature,” Landry said during aradio interview on WBOK.

The federal government stopped paying benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program this month due to the shutdown,

leading Louisiana officials to step in and cover part of the benefits for elderly and disabled residentswho use theprogram.

Legal challengesspurredthe

Trump administration to begin payingpartial benefits. With the government reopened, residents will get a full month’sworth of payments.

Landrytold Will Sutton, aWBOK

Full SNAP benefits will be paid,Landrysays

“Wedon’twant to loadthe card andtakeanything back. Idon’tthink it’sright if we penalize peopleifwegive them something and then just takeit back.”

GOV. JEFF LANDRy

host andcolumnist forThe TimesPicayune |The Advocate, that elderly and disabled recipients had already been issued 85% of their typical benefit payment, and they will receive an additional 35% for this month “Wedon’twant to load the cardand

Boyfaces criminal chargesas

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

ALouisiana middle school has beenrocked by AI-generated nude photos of an eighth grade girl, which resulted in criminal charges for aboy who allegedly distributed them and provoked outrage after the school district expelled the

victim of thefake photos because she hit oneof theboys who shared them. In ahigh-profile test of Louisiana’seffortstostop the spread of deepfakes, theboy was charged with 10countsofdisseminating explicit images of another person created by artificial intelligence, theLafourcheParish Sheriff’s Office saidMonday. Morestudents could still be charged.

Thegirltold staffersatSixth Ward Middle School in Thibodaux on Aug. 26 that she was being bullied due to the fake nude photos of her,accordingtolawyersrepresenting herfamily. That afternoon, several boys displayed the photos in front of the girl on aschool bus,

ADVOCATEADVOCATEADVOCATE

Indictment of former lawmaker prompts questions

Legalexperts

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Attorney General Liz Murrill’sdecision to seek an indictment of former House Speaker Clay Schexnayder in Baton Rouge prompteda series of legal questions Thursday

Thebiggest one is this:Can she prosecutehim without knowing the location of an ancient cypress wood board at the heart of the case that waslast seen 18 months ago in what wasthen his legislative office in Gonzales? Wednesday’sindictment charges that Schexnayder“knowingly andintentionally committed theft of arare Louisiana state artifact.” Schexnayderservedasspeakerofthe 105-member House from 2020-24, during the second term of then-Gov.John Bel Edwards. Murrill’sofficehas released fewdetails on the indictment, saying it does not comment on pending criminalcases.But she hassaidthe case is straightforward. “You don’tget to keep State property,” she said in astatement Wednesday.“It doesn’tbelong to

Afterhitting boywho shared fake nudes, girl is expelled

HoumaCourier,the board allowed thegirltoimmediatelyreturn to campus on probationary status.

and she struck one of the boys.

In response to the alleged assault,the school districtexpelled the girl fromcampus foratleast 45 days. Her family appealed the expulsionand requesteda public hearing, which the School Board conducted during its meeting last week.After theemotionalhearing, which wasfirst reported by The

The13-year-oldreturnedtoclass Mondayafter being kept off campus forovertwo months, herlawyers said.

“Thisgirlwas abused,” said Gregory Miller, one of the family’sattorneys, noting that she endured sexual exploitationand

ä See EXPELLED, page 7A

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Israel: Militants returned remains of hostage

JERUSALEM Israel said Thursday that militants have handed over the body of one of the last four remaining hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that launched the war in Gaza.

Israel identified the returned body as that of Meny Godard, who was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel. His wife, Ayelet, was killed during the attack.

The armed wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said Godard’s body was recovered in southern Gaza.

Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 10, the remains of 25 hostages have been returned to Israel. There are still three more in Gaza that need to be recovered and handed over. Godard was a professional soccer player before enlisting in the Israeli military and serving in the 1973 Mideast War, according to Kibbutz Be’eri. He served in a variety of different positions in the kibbutz, including at its printing press. Israel has been releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each hostage as part of the ceasefire agreement. The Gaza Health Ministry said the total number of remains received so far is 315.

Hamas has said recovering bodies is complicated by the widespread devastation in Gaza Israel has pushed to speed up the returns and in certain cases has said the remains were not those of hostages.

Jesse Jackson in hospital for neurological disorder

CHICAGO The Rev Jesse Jackson, who has been receiving around-the-clock care at home, has been hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder, according to his Chicago-based organization.

The civil rights leader was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease about a decade ago But his Rainbow/PUSH organization said Thursday that the 84-year-old remained under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurodegenerative disorder he has been “managing for more than a decade” and received a diagnosis for in April.

“The family appreciates all prayers at this time,” the organization said in a statement late Wednesday Jackson had suffered from symptoms consistent with Parkinson’s and disclosed a diagnosis in 2017, but during a Mayo Clinic visit in April, doctors confirmed a diagnosis of PSP, which can have similar symptoms to Parkinson’s.

After disclosing he was receiving outpatient treatment in 2017, Jackson continued to make public appearances, including at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago The two-time presidential candidate stepped down as leader of his Rainbow/PUSH organization in 2023 and his son, Yusef Jackson, took over as chief operating officer last year

Detained Chicago day care worker released

CHICAGO A Chicago day care center employee who was detained by immigration agents at work as children were being dropped off last week has been released, according to her attorney Diana Santillana Galeano was detained Nov. 5 at the Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center on the north side of Chicago. A video showed officers struggling with her as they walked out the front door Her attorneys said in a statement Thursday that she was released from a detention center in Indiana on Wednesday night.

“We are thrilled that Ms. Santillana was released, and has been able to return home to Chicago where she belongs,” attorney Charlie Wysong said in the statement. “We will continue to pursue her immigration claims to stay in the United States. We are grateful to her community for the outpouring of support over these difficult days, and ask that her privacy be respected while she rests and recovers from this ordeal.” Her case reflects the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics But her detention at a day care was unusual even under “Operation Midway Blitz,” which has resulted in more than 3,000 immigration arrests in the Chicago area since early September

Airlines optimistic about quick recovery

Firms await end of FAA cuts, prepare for Thanksgiving travel

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer

Airlines are optimistic they can resume normal operations just a few days after the government lifts its order to cut some flights at 40 busy airports, but it’s not clear how soon that will happen even though the federal shutdown is over

The Federal Aviation Administration did announce Wednesday night that airlines won’t have to cut more than 6% of flights at those airports because air traffic controller staffing has improved significantly in the last few days. Originally the order that took effect last Friday called for those flight cuts to increase to 8% Thursday and top out at 10% on Friday

A number of air traffic controllers missed work while they were going without pay during the shutdown, and the spike in understaffing at airport towers and regional control centers prompted the flight cut order due to concerns about safety The existing shortage of several thousand controllers is so bad that even a small number of absences in some locations caused problems.

Officials at FAA and the Transportation Department didn’t offer any updates Thursday morning about when they will decide to lift the order Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said the decision will be based on the safety data that experts at the FAA are watching closely

The airlines say they will be ready and expect that normal operations will resume within three or four days after the order is lifted. Some experts have suggested that problems might linger longer than that and could affect Thanksgiving travel, so it is difficult to predict whether the airlines will be able to recover from this as quickly as they do after a major snowstorm disrupts their operations and leaves planes and crews out of position.

Airlines focused cuts on smaller regional routes to minimize the impact on main hubs. By late Thursday afternoon, only a little over 1,000 flights had been canceled across the country Aviation

analytics firm Cirium said nearly 95%

of all flights nationwide Thursday were on time.

“We are eager to resume normal operations over the next few days once the FAA gives clearance We look forward to welcoming 31 million passengers — a new record — to our flights during the upcoming Thanksgiving travel period, beginning next Friday,” the Airlines for America trade group said Thursday Duffy has said that controllers and other FAA employees should receive 70% of their back pay within 24-48 hours of the end of the shutdown with the rest to come over the next couple paychecks. The financial pressure on controllers drove some of them to seek out side jobs to help make ends meet and call out of work while they dealt with the stress.

Last Saturday, the staff shortages peaked when 81 different FAA facilities warned they were running low on workers, forcing the airlines to cut additional flights. On Thursday morning, the FAA didn’t list any staffing warnings at airports and other radar facilities across the country

There was talk of offering both air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers $10,000 bonuses for working during the shutdown. Duffy has suggested the bonuses might go only to controllers who never missed a shift during the shutdown, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she planned to give the bonuses to any officers who went “above and beyond” while working without pay She handed out a couple of dozen checks to officers at a news conference Thursday

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom and Chief Operating Officer David Seymour told employees in a letter Thursday that they are already seeing improvements as controller staffing stabilized over the last day or so even though more flight cuts will be needed until FAA lifts the order But travelers should already be seeing fewer delays and cancellations on the day of their flights.

The two executives said they believe American Airlines’ planning and efforts to minimize disruptions will help the carrier bounce back fast and “deliver a strong Thanksgiving operation,” noting that millions of travelers “deserve the certainty.”

Next immigration crackdown to target Charlotte, N.C., sheriff says

BY ALLEN G. BREED and ERIK VERDUZCO Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. The latest city bracing for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is Charlotte, North Carolina, which could see an influx of federal agents as early as this weekend, a county sheriff said Thursday Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a statement that two federal officials confirmed a plan for U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to start an enforcement operation on Saturday or early next week in North Carolina’s largest city His office declined to identify those officials. McFadden said details about the operation haven’t been disclosed, and his office hasn’t been asked to assist.

Department of Homeland Security

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin declined to comment, saying, “Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country We do not discuss future or potential operations.”

President Donald Trump has defended sending the military and immigration agents into Democratic-run cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and even the nation’s capital, saying the unprecedented operations are needed to fight crime and carry out his mass deportation agenda.

Charlotte is another such Democratic stronghold. A statement of solidarity from several local and state officials estimated

A sign in

your

the city is home to more than 150,000 foreign-born people. The city’s population is about 40% White, 33% Black, 16% Hispanic and 7% Asian.

The Trump administration has used this summer’s fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutskahas on a light-rail train in Charlotte as proof that Democratic-led cities fail to protect their residents from violent crime. A man with a lengthy criminal record has been charged with murder Activists, faith leaders, and local and state officials say they already started preparing the immigrant community for a crackdown, sharing information about resources and attempting to calm fears. Nearly 500 people participated in a call organized by the group CharlotteEAST on Wednesday

DOJ sues to block Calif.redistricting

Clash could tip control of Congress

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press

LOS ANGELES The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026.

The complaint filed in California federal court targets the new congressional map pushed by Democratic Gov Gavin Newsom in response to a similar Republican-led effort in Texas backed by President Donald Trump. It sets the stage for a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Republican administration and the Democratic governor, who’s seen as a likely 2028 presidential contender

“California’s redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an emailed statement. “Governor Newsom’s attempt to entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians will not stand.”

Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards said in a statement, “These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court.”

The legal move against heavily Democratic California marks the first time the Justice Department has sued over a flurry of unusual, mid-decade House map revisions across the country that were drawn to maximize partisan advantage in advance of next year’s elections.

Three Republican-led states — Texas, along with Missouri and North Carolina — have not faced federal legal action after revamping district lines following Trump’s call for new maps to expand GOP numbers in the House.

Civil rights advocates have argued that the new boundaries in Texas and Missouri illegally disadvantage minority communities at the ballot box.

California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment changing the congressional boundaries to give Democrats a shot at winning five seats now held by Republicans in next year’s midterm elections.

The Justice Department is joining a case challenging the new map that was brought by the California Republican Party last week. The Trump administration accuses California of racial gerrymandering in violation of the Constitution by using race as a factor to favor Hispanic voters with the new map. It asks a judge to prohibit California from using the new map in any future elections.

“Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Proposition 50 — the recent ballot initiative that junked California’s pre-existing electoral map in favor of a rush-job rejiggering of California’s congressional district lines,” the lawsuit says.

Prop 50 was Newsom’s response to Trump’s maneuvers in Texas, where Republicans rejiggered districts in hopes of picking up five seats of their own ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when House control will be on the line. Democrats need to gain just a handful of seats next year to take control of the chamber, which would imperil Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his term and open the way for congressional investigations into his administration. Republicans hold 219 seats, to Democrats’ 214. The showdown between the nation’s two most populous states has spread nationally, with Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio adopting new district lines that could provide a partisan advantage. Other states are considering similar moves.

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Obituaries:

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NAM y. HUH An airplane descends Wednesday to land at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT KELLEy

Spanish that reads at top ‘Know

Rights’ is posted Thursday outside of a restaurant in Charlotte, N.C.

Blue Origin launches huge rocket to Mars

Craftcarries twin NASA spacecraft

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Blue Origin launched its huge New Glenn rocket Thursday withapair of NASA spacecraft destined for Mars.

It was only thesecond flight of the rocketthat Jeff Bezos’ company and NASA are counting on to get people andsupplies to themoon— anditwas acompletesuccess. The 321-foot New Glenn blasted into the afternoon sky from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, sending NASA’s twin Mars orbiters on adrawn-out journey to the red planet. Liftoff was stalledfour days by lousy local weather as well as solar storms strong enough to paint the skies with auroras as far south as Florida.

In aremarkable first, Blue Origin recoveredthe booster following its separation from the upper stage and the Mars orbiters, an essential step to recycle and slash costs similarto SpaceX.Company employees cheered wildly as the booster landed upright on abarge 375miles offshore An ecstatic Bezos watched the action from Launch Control.

“Next stop, moon!” employees chanted following the booster’sbull’s-eye landing. Twenty minuteslater,

ABlue Origin NewGlenn rocketlifts off Thursdayfrom LaunchComplex 36 at the CapeCanaveral

the rocket’supper stage deployedthe two Mars orbiters in space, the mission’s main objective. New Glenn’sinaugural test flight in Januarydelivered aprototype satellite to orbit, butfailed to land the boosteronits floatingplatform in the Atlantic.

TheidenticalMars orbiters, named Escapade, will spend ayear hanging out nearEarth,stationingthemselves 1million miles away Once Earth and Mars are properlyaligned next fall, theduo will get agravity assist from Earthtohead to

the redplanet, arriving in 2027.

Once around Mars, the spacecraft will map the planet’s upperatmosphere and scattered magnetic fields, studying howthese realms interact with the solar wind. The observations should shed light on theprocesses behind the escaping Martian atmosphere,helping to explain how the planet wentfrom wet andwarm to dry anddusty.Scientists will also learn how best to protect astronautsagainst Mars’ harsh radiation environment

U.S. carriernears Venezuela

BY BEN FINLEY,REGINA

GARCIA CANOand

KONSTANTIN TOROPIN

Associated Press

WASHINGTON The most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier is expected to reach the waters off Venezuela in days, aflex of American military power not seen in Latin America for generations Experts disagree on the possibility that American warplanes will catapult off the USS Gerald R. Ford to bomb targets insideVenezuela and further pressure authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro to step down. Still, whether it may servethat purposeoronlypatrols the Caribbean as the U.S. blows up boatsitaccuses of trafficking drugs, the presence of the 100,000-ton warship alone is sending amessage

“This is the anchor of what it means to have U.S.military power once againinLatin America,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group’ssenior analyst for the Andes region.“And it has raised alot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region. Ithink everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the U.S. is to really use military force.”

TheFord’simpending arrival is amajor moment in the Trump administration’s campaign in South America, whichit describes as acounterdrug operation. It escalatesthe already massive buildup of military firepower inthe region, with added pressure frombomber trainingruns nearthe Venezuelan coast, CIA operations thathave been publiclyauthorized insidethe country and boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that have killedover 75 people.

TheU.S.has longused aircraft carriers as tools of deterrence to pressure and influence othernations, often without employing any force at all. They carry thousands of sailors and dozensofwarplanes that can striketargets deepinside anothercountry.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists that President Donald Trump is focused on stopping drugsfromentering the U.S. by combating “organized criminal narcoterrorists.”

“That’s what he’sauthorized. That’s what the military’sdoing. That’s whyour assets are there,” he told reportersWednesday after meetinghis counterparts from theGroup of Seven de-

BBCapologizestoTrump over misleading speech edit

Broadcaster says no basisfor defamation claim

BY BRIANMELLEY Associated Press

LONDON The BBC apologizedThursdaytoPresident Donald Trumpover amisleading edit of his speech on Jan. 6, 2021, but saidithad not defamed him, rejecting the basisfor his $1 billion lawsuit threat.

The BBC said Chair Samir Shah sentapersonal letter to the WhiteHouse saying that he and the corporation were sorry for the edit of thespeech Trumpgave beforesome of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was poised to certifyPresident-elect Joe Biden’svictory in the 2020 election thatTrump falsely allegedwas stolen from him.

The publicly funded broadcaster said thereare no plans to rebroadcast the documentary,which had spliced together partsofhis

speech that came almostan hour apart.

“Weaccept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing asinglecontinuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech, and that thisgave themistaken impression that President Trump had made adirect call for violent action,” the BBC wrote in aretraction.

Trump’slawyer had sent the BBC aletter demanding an apology and threatened to file a$1billion lawsuit for the harm the documentary caused him. It had set aFriday deadline for the BBC to respond.

While the BBC statement doesn’trespond to Trump’s demand that he be compensated for “overwhelming financial and reputational harm,” the headline on its news story about the apology said it refused to pay compensation.

The disputewas sparked by an edition of the BBC’s flagship current affairs

series “Panorama,” titled “Trump: ASecond Chance?” broadcast days before the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The third-party production company that made the film spliced together three quotes from two sections of the2021 speech into what appeared to be one quote in which Trump urged supporters to march withhim and “fight like hell.”

Among the parts cut out was asection where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully Director-General TimDavie, along with news chief Deborah Turness, quit Sunday, saying the scandalwas damaging the BBC and “as the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me.” The letter fromTrump’s lawyerdemanded an apologytothe president and a “full and fair” retraction of the documentary along with other “false,defamatory, disparaging, misleading or inflammatory statements” about Trump.

mocracies in Canada.

But Rubio alsosays the U.S. doesn’t recognize Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing lastyear’selection, as the leader of Venezuela andcalledthe government a“transshipment organization” that openly cooperates with thosetrafficking drugs towardthe U.S.

Some expertssay deployingthe Fordappears tobe geared moretoward agovernment change in Venezuela thandrug trafficking.

“There’snothing that an aircraftcarrier brings that is useful for combating thedrug trade,” Dickinson said. “I think it’sclearly a message that is much more geared toward pressuring Caracas.”

BryanClark, aformer Navysubmarinerand defense analyst at theHudson Institute, aconservative think tank, said the Trump administration would not have deployed theFord “if theydidn’tintend touse it.”

“I think this administration is very open to using military force to accomplish particular objectives,” Clark said. “I think they’re going to want to actually do somemilitary operationsunlessMaduro steps down in the next month or so.”

By The Associated Press

CAIRO Secretary of State Marco Rubio’scomments calling fora halt to theflow of military supportcomingtoSudan’sparamilitary fightersfromabroadmay jeopardize global efforts aimed at reaching aceasefire, asenior adviser to the paramilitary group’scommander said on Thursday Rubiosaidatanewsconference late Wednesday that pressures werebeing applied to countries providing weapons to the

paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has beenbattling the Sudanese armyfor more than two years. He decried the humanitarian situation in Sudan and said that “something needs to be done”tocut offthe weapons and other support that the RSF is receiving. TheRSF’srecent capture of North Darfur’scapital, el-Fasher,left hundreds dead andforced tensof thousands of people to flee reported atrocities by the paramilitary force, according to aid groups and U.N.

officials. TheInternational Organization for Migration, or IOM, saidthatnearly 90,000 people have left elFasher and surrounding villages, undertaking aperilous journeythrough unsafe routeswhere they have no accesstofood, wateror medical assistance. Elbasha Tibeig, adviser to RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, dismissed Rubio’scomments as “an unsuccessful step” thatdoesn’t serve global efforts aimed at reaching ahumanitarian ceasefire.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

JamesComey,Letitia Jamesseekdismissal of cases

Both challenging prosecutor’s

appointment

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA,Va.— Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James asked ajudge Thursday to dismiss the cases against them, saying the prosecutor who secured the indictments was illegally installed in the role.

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie said she expects to decide by Thanksgiving on challenges to Lindsey Halligan’sappointment as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. That decision could help determine the fate of the politically charged cases, which were both shepherded by the hastily installed Halligan and together have amplified concerns that the Justice Department is being usedas aweapon to target President Donald Trump’sperceived adversaries. Currie alsodisclosed in court that arecord of grand jury proceedings in the Comey case that she reviewed wasmissing aportion, which she said raised questions aboutwhetherAttorneyGeneral PamBondi couldhave properly ratified the indictment as theJustice Depart-

attorneyfor the Eastern District of Virginia

ment says she did. Halligan was installed in thejob at Trump’surging by Bondi in September,just daysbefore Comey was indicted, in what defense lawyers say was an end-run around the constitutional andstatutory rules governing the appointment of U.S. attorneys. They say the maneuver wasdesigned to

EU renews demand Ukraine crackdownoncorruption

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine European

Union officials warned Ukraine on Thursday that it must keep cracking down on graft in the wake of amajor corruption scandal that could hurt the country’s ability to attractfinancial help. But they also offered assurances that aid will continue to flow as Kyiv strains to hold back Russia’sinvasion.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed European concerns about corruption when he spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,whose admin-

istrationhas been engulfed by the scandal involving embezzlement and kickbacks at the state-owned nuclear power company.It’sfast becoming oneofthe most significant government crises since the full-scale invasion, with mediareports implicating a close associate of Zelenskyy Merz “underlined theGerman government’s expectation thatUkraine press ahead energetically with fighting corruptionand further reforms,particularly in the area of the ruleoflaw,” his officesaid in astatement. Zelenskyy,the statement said, promised “full transparency,long-termsupport

for the independent anti-corruption authorities andquick further measures in order to winback theconfidenceof the Ukrainian population, European partners and international donors.”

At the same time,aEuropean Commission spokesperson said that uncovering the alleged kickback scheme demonstrated that Ukraine’s efforts to fight corruption areworking as the country strivestomeet the standards for EU membership.

“This investigation shows thatanti-corruption bodies are in place and functioning in Ukraine,” GuillaumeMercier said in Brussels.

ensure indictments against the president’spoliticalopponents after the prosecutor who had been overseeing the two investigations,but had not brought charges, was effectively forced out.

“Ms. Halliganwas the sole prosecutor in thegrand jury room, andwhenthe sole prosecutor lacks the authority,” said Ephraim McDowell, one of Comey’sdefense lawyers, “that’snot going to be aharmlesserror.”

U.S. attorneys, top federal prosecutors whooversee regional Justice Department outposts across thecountry aretypically nominated by the president andthenconfirmed by theSenate. Attorneys general do have the authoritytoname an interim U.S. attorneywho can serve for 120 days, but lawyers for Comey and James argued that once that period expires, the law givesfederal judges the exclusive sayofwho gets

to fill the vacancy After then-interim U.S. attorney Erik Siebert resigned in Septemberwhile facing Trump administration pressure to bring charges against Comey andJames,Bondi installed Halligan, aWhite House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience. The appointment followed a Trump post on Truth Social in whichhecomplained to Bondi about thelack of prosecutorialactionagainst his political enemies and said, “JUSTICE MUSTBESERVED,NOW!!!”

Siebert had been appointed by Bondi in January to serve as interimU.S.attorney Trump in Mayannounced his intention to nominate him, and judges in the Eastern District unanimously agreed after his120-dayperiod expiredthatheshould be retained in the role.

But after the Trump administrationeffectively pushed him out in September,the

JusticeDepartment again opted to make an interim appointment in place of the courts, something defense lawyers say it was not empowered under the law to do.

“Ifthe governmentwere to prevail here,” McDowell said, then it “would never need to go through Senate confirmation again forU.S. attorneys.” He said any dismissalofthe indictment must be permanent, with no opportunity to bring the case again, to avoidrewarding the government for aviolation.

TheJustice Department maintains that the law does notexplicitly prohibit successive appointments of interim U.S. attorneys by the attorney general. Henry Whitaker, alawyer forthe department, arguedthatthe indictment was properly returned by agrand jury and shouldnot be dismissed over whathe describedasatmosta paperwork or clerical error.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

Lawyersfor formerFBI Director James Comey and Newyork Attorney General Letitia James asked ajudgeThursdayto dismiss the cases against them, saying LindseyHalligan wasillegally installed as interim U.S.

Housespeedstowardvoteonrelease of Epsteinfiles

BY MATT BROWN and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON The House is speedingtoward avote next week on releasing files related to the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, astep that comes after monthsofresistance from Republican leaders. They have no choice but to allow consideration of the bill after apetition on the measure reached the necessary 218 signatures. It comes at atime when newdocuments are raising fresh questions about Epstein and his associates, includinga 2019 email that Epstein wrote to ajournalist that said President Donald Trump “knew about the girls.” TheWhite House has accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the Republican president.

Public speculation has been rampant for years about Epstein’soperation, death and connection to powerful and wealthy individuals, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton, tech billionaires and celebrity academics, among others. Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced apetition in July to force avote on their bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Theeffort was backed by all House Democrats and four Republicans, including Massie and Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Nancy Mace of South Carolina Minutesafter Democrat Adelita Grijalva of Arizonawas sworn into office Wednesday,she signed her name to the Epstein petition, pushing it to the magic number of 218 —amajorityinthe 435-memberHouse.

Speaker MikeJohnson, RBenton, said afterGrijalva’s swearing-in that he would expedite the petitionprocessto bring avoteon the bill to the Housefloor early next week. Johnson has pushed back on claimsthathe has obstructed the Epstein legislation to protect Trump or others. He told reporters Wednesdaythat the Republican majority took issue with the phrasing of the measure, which he claimeddid not adequately protect victims. Johnson has also pointed repeatedly to the Epsteininvestigation being conducted by the House Oversight and Government ReformCommittee, which hasresulted in thousands of pages of documentsbeingreleased, including more than 20,000 on Wednesday. The bill would force the JusticeDepartmenttore-

ensormore— nowthatitis moving forward. Rep.Don Bacon, R-Neb., who did not sign the discharge petition, has said he plans to back it.

The tougher test will come in the Senate, where Republicans holda 53–47 majority anditwould likely take 60 votes to move the bill to final passage.

Asked in September whetherthe Senate would take up the Epsteinbill if it passed theHouse,Majority Leader JohnThune,R-S.D., said, “I can’tcomment on that at this point.” Thune addedthat the Justice Department“has already released tons of files related to this matter.”

who almost certainly would veto it.Hehas opposed the discharge petition from the start, even reaching out Wednesday to twoRepublicans who hadsigned it.

“The Democrats are tryingtobring up theJeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects,” Trump posted on his TruthSocial platform. “Only averybad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap.”

Apresident’sveto can be overridden with atwo-thirds vote in both chambers. That hasonlyhappened twice since 2009.

lease allfilesand communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his deathinfederal prison. Information about Epstein’s victimsorongoing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted, per the bill.

The department, however, would not be allowed to redact information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to anygovernment official, public figure,orforeign dignitary.”

Johnson, whohad dismissed the petition as a “moot point,” saidhewill

France marks10thanniversary of Bataclan massacre in Paris

BY JOHN LEICESTER and THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press

PARIS Anne-Laure,Djamila, Justine, Guillaume, Nick and so many others —sons, daughters, mothers and fathersslain by Islamic State groupgunmen andsuicide bombers in Paris werefondly remembered Thursday as France commemorated the night of terror adecade ago that scarred andreshaped the country With minutes of silence and somberreadings of the 132 victims’ names, the French capitalmourned the dead and innocence it lost on Nov. 13,2015,but also proudly recalled how Parisians came together,looked after each other and slowly but surely rebounded in the wake of the three-hour series of coordinated assaults targeting the packed Bataclan concert hall, joyful cafes and the national stadium where France’ssoccer team was playing. The bloodshed was France’sdeadliest in peacetime —anational trauma likened to 9/11. The night hardened France’ssecurity reflexes while deepening asense of solidaritythat has endured adecade later

Many Parisians think in terms of “before” and “after,” and some still check for exits when they’rein crowded places.

“Ten years. Thepainremains,” French President

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By

ADJperforms at the ‘Jardin

Emmanuel Macron posted as heled theday of memorials, layingwreaths at attack sites andrecalling“the lives cut short,the wounded, the families and the loved ones.”

At the city’sPlace de la République, Parisians gathered with candles, flowers and handwritten notes as they didin2015, takingcomfort in beingtogether

“It’s awoundthatis open. Forthe last 10 years, we’ve been saying there wasa before and an after,but what comes after?” said Paris resident Patrick Abukrat.“The threat is still there.”

Defiancewenthand-inhand with the sadness, as in 2015, when Parisians made apoint of exercising their freedoms after the attacks, mustering the courage to drink againincafes, walk the streets with their fami-

lies and carry on. At arousing commemorationonThursday evening, thefrontmanofCalifornian rock band Eagles of Death Metalthatwas playingin theBataclan when it was attacked led achoir in singing “You’llNever Walk Alone,” ashow tune now best known as asoccer fans’ anthem.

“Walk on,with hope in your heart,” singer Jesse Hughes belted out Thedaughterofthe first person killed fought tears and described her “void that never closes.” Sophie Dias’father, Manuel, was killed when the first bomber detonated outside the Stade de France where France was playing Germany. Speaking at thestadium gate where he waskilled, shesaidhis absence “weighs everymorning and every evening.”

bringthe measure to avote next week. If everyone who signedthe petition supports it on the floor,itwill pass. Butthe bill appears likely to pickupadditionalRepublican votes —potentially doz-

“I trust them in terms of having the confidence that they’ll getasmuchinformation out there as possible in a way that protects therights of the victims,” Thune said.

If the measure passesthe Senate, it would go to Trump,

Massie said Trump can avoidthe entire ordeal by releasing all the Epstein files held by thefederal government.

“There’sstill time for him to be the hero,” Massie said of Trump.

FINISH STRONGER

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Speakerofthe House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, speaks Wednesdayafter the final vote to bringthe government shutdowntoanend at the Capitol in Washington.

LUDOVIC MARIN

you.” Murrill couldnot be reached forcomment on Thursday

People involved in the case said her office interviewed them to gather facts and collect documents. Both she and Schexnayder are Republicans.

Attorneys contacted Thursday,citing othercases,saidthatMurrilldoesn’t have to actually locate the giant piece of wood to prosecute Schexnayder In onefamous local case, the killers of Gary Kergan, who owned achain of Sonic Drive-Ins in Louisiana, were convicted of his 1984murder in Baton Rouge years later even thoughhis body was never found.

Several defense attorneys said Murrill made an aggressive move against Schexnayder,who told WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge on Wednesday,“I’m willing to work with them to find it, but there has onlybeen one phone callwith the Attorney General’sOffice. I’m very shocked andwould have thoughttheywould have followed up with me or had asit-down meeting.”

James Boren, aveteran criminal defense attorney in Baton Rouge, saidMurrill will need stronger proof to convict Schexnayder than showing that he was simply the last person who possessedthe board.

“They must have evidence that he was responsible for taking the board and intending to deprivethe state permanently,” Boren said.

Since his indictment, Schexnayderhas notreturned phone calls to The Advocate |The TimesPicayune, which first reported in September that the ancient board had been displayed in the State Capitol fordecades before Schexnayder had it in his office forabouta decade.

Schexnayder told the newspaper then that he didn’t know the board’scurrent

“I’d like to know if the Attorney General’s Office made an attempt to resolve this before indictment. She’snot obligated to do that, but you’dhope shedid that first, unless shewanted to publiclyembarrass him,which has been accomplished.”

FRANZ BORGHARDT Baton Rougedefense attorney

whereabouts. “I’d like to know if the Attorney General’s Office made anattempttoresolve thisbefore indictment,” said Franz Borghardt,a defense attorney in Baton Rougefor most of thepast 20 years.

“She’snot obligated to do that,but you’d hope she did that first,unless shewanted to publicly embarrass him, whichhas been accomplished.”

Aidan Shah, acriminal defense attorney in Gretna, zeroed in on thequestion of whoowned the board.

Words etched intothe board saidit was “presented”byWalter Stebbins, who worked in the lumber business, in 1955.

JuliusMullins, aretired Baton Rouge doctor who is a

grandsonofStebbins, is the person whohas raisedthe alarm aboutthe board’sdisappearance. He is not claiming ownership.

State officials believe the board belongs to thestate since it hung in the Capitol for so long, but no one has provided documentsshowing this. Officials at several state agencies have said theywere not sure exactly what department wasresponsible for it

“Did thestatehaveaninsurance policy on it?” Shah asked. “Was it archived?”

The second charge accuses Schexnayder withmalfeasance in office for “intentionally refusing to perform adutyrequired of him as a public officer or employee.”

JoeMarino III, acriminal defenseattorneyinGretna whoserved in the state House with Schexnayderas apolitical independent, focused on that second charge.

Marino noted that the charge saysSchexnayder committed themalfeasance sometime between 2012 and 2024, the year he left office.

“That’sa big range of time,” Marino said. “The indictment lacks specificity What dutydid he fail to perform and when?”

Added Shah: “I think he has agood defense. Ithink they’ll have problems proving this

case beyonda reasonable doubt to ajury.Getting an indictment is much easier than securing aguiltyverdict. I have aton of questions,very few of which have been answered at this point.”

Murrill had the right to charge Schexnayderthanks to an agreementher office haswithEast Baton Rouge Parish DistrictAttorney Hillar Moore IIIthat givesher wide authority to take such actions, Moore said.

In September,Schexnayder told The Times-Picayune |The Advocate that then-Speaker Chuck Kleckley,R-Lake Charles, asked him in 2013 to put the board in his district office because it came from atree in Ascension Parish. Kleckley has questioned that account.

Schexnayder said then that he didn’ttake the board from his district office when his legislative term ended because of term limits in January 2024.

Schexnayder told the USA Today NetworkonWednesday that he thought state officials pickedupthe board whentheycollected other state property from his office.

“When Ileft the board was still there; Iturned over my keys andnever wentback

into the office,” Schexnayder said. “I definitely didn’t steal the board.” House records show that Schexnayder exercised his right to buy at adiscount his desk and several other stateowned properties that had been in his office. Those records also show that athirdparty company retrieved an all-in-one printer and copier on Dec.27, 2023, and that an aide returned acomputer component to the Capitol on Jan. 4. The records do not show stateofficialscollectingthe objects from his office. While Schexnayder’sterm ended in January 2024, a text exchange with state Rep. DixonMcMakin, RBaton Rouge, showed that Schexnayder still inhabited his now-former legislative office amonth later The leasing manager for his office says his team did not remove the board.

Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.

harassment. And the expulsion “was like pouring salt in the wound.”

The family is now considering suing the school district in federal court, Miller said. The district superintendent and School Board president did not respond to emailed questions. Across thecountry,state andlocal officialsare racing to combat deepfakes, or sexually explicit images created with AI tools that can digitally alter real photos, including those of minors. Some schoolshave struggled to respond as students use publicly available software, including so-called “nudification” apps, to turn clothed photos of their classmatesintographic images that can circulate widelyin text messages and on social media.

Louisiana was one of the first states to explicitly outlaw deepfakes of minors, and astate task force that met for the first time Monday aims to help educators and students adapt to the rise of artificial intelligence.

State Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Metairie, who is on the task force, said more must be done to regulate the new technology andkeepyoung

SNAP

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take anything back,”Landry said. “I don’tthink it’sright if we penalize people if we give them something and then just take it back.”

Landry explained that, with the end of the shutdown this week, the federal government will issue 100% of SNAP benefits to states, resulting in surplus benefit payments for some recipients.

“It would be aone-time deal just because of the government shutdown,”he said. Everyone else will get their normal, full benefit amount, Landry said.

SNAP provides monthly benefits to low-income people to help cover the cost of groceries and is funded by the federal government and administered by states. Over40million Americans get food benefits through SNAP, includingnearly 800,000 people in Louisiana.

The governor said he hopes things will be back to normal for the program “within the week,” though that may be the case even sooner. The Louisiana Department of Health, which administers SNAP,onNov 7announced it began distributing benefits to residents using federal funding at about 65%ofthe usual amount. That would continuetobethe case untilit gets updated guidance on the availability of full program funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Health Department said last week.

peoplesafe.

“AI isn’tjust at our door —it’salready in thehouse,” she said. “So howdoweaddress it and make sure it’s usedresponsibly?”

The incident in Lafourche Parish demonstrates how deepfakes can wreak havoc in schools and harm students.

The eighth grade girl, whosenamethe authorities have withheld to protect her privacy,reported the fake nude photos to aguidance counselor and the Sixth Ward MiddleSchoolprincipal, said anotherattorney for the family,BenjaminComeaux. The principal asked aschool resource officer to investigate but didnot allow the girl to callher father, saying “we are not involvingparents at this time,” Comeaux said.

SchoolBoard member ValerieBourgeoisappearedto confirm that account during the Nov.5board meeting

“She asked to call herfather,and they said we’re not callingparents at thistime,” Bourgeoissaid, accordingto avideo of themeetingthat hasbeenviewed more than 44,000 times.

Even after thegirl sought help, otherstudents continuedtotease her about the photo,her lawyers said. After six or so boys passed around thephoto on abus that afternoon, thegirl

“Oncethe Department receives thatguidance, and federal funding is received, LDH willadminister 100% of SNAPbenefits as soon as possible,” the newsrelease from theHealth Department said. Benefits aredistributed on arolling basisover the course of the month, and recipients havebeen getting those funds on the typical day they’re distributed, theHealth Department said in the release.

Thestatus of SNAP funding has been in limbo for weeks following theOct. 1shutdownofthe federal government, which transpiredafter lawmakers in Congress couldn’tagreeon atemporary government funding bill. Thelongest shutdown in U.S.history endedWednesdaynight after43days.

Federal funding forfood stamps ran out on Nov.1 Before that date arrived, Landry and the Legislature beganputting togethera

lunged at one of them.

“Whatisshe supposed to do?” Comeauxsaidduring the board meeting. “She’s reported it to the people who are supposed toprotect her, but she was still victimized.”

District officialsand board membershave not said publiclywhether they disciplined any of the boys who sharedthe photos. But at the meeting, they defendedthe decision to expel the girl.

“She is avictim,”Bourgeois said, “but if she had not hit the young man,we wouldn’tbehere today.”

“Sometimes in life we can be both victims and perpetrators,”addeddistrictSuperintendent Jarod Martin. Other board members said thatwhile violence is never justified, mitigating factors must be considered. They noted that Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre had declined to chargethe girl for assault, he said, “due to thetotalityofthe circumstances.”

Studentswho are expelled typically spend 45 days at an alternative school or taking online classesfromhome, then return to their usual school on aprobationary basis, Martin said at the meeting. Students are barred from anysports or extracurricular activities during theentire89-dayexpulsion, he added.

Theboard voted at last

plantofund the program from state coffers, though coming up withavailable cash proved to be acomplicated maneuver Legislative leaders had saidittakes about $150 milliontocover thecostofthe program in Louisiana.

Landry,during aWednesday radio interview on KMLB, said Louisiana “ended up only spending about $12 million,” and he said“it looks as though we’regoing to getthat$12 million back.”

In late October,over20 states sued the Trump administration in aMassachusetts court,arguing it was legally required to continue to fundSNAPaslongas the money was available. Separately,acoalition of nonprofit organizations and cities alsosued the Trump administration in federal court in RhodeIsland over thelack of funding.

Email AlysePfeilatalyse. pfeil@theadvocate.com.

week’smeeting to uphold the girl’s expulsion even as they allowed her to return to school on probation.

The girl’sfather,Joseph Daniels, whospoke briefly at the meeting, said thesituation hadtaken atollonhis daughter’smental health He said thebus incident could have been prevented if the district had swiftly addressedthe photosharing, adding that his daughter’s punishment was too harsh.

“What she did was wrong, he told theboard. “But expulsion wasway tooextreme for alittlegirlthat’s never been in trouble in her life.”

Free AI-powered tools have made it easier than ever to create fake videos and images or manipulate real ones. Nudify apps and websites allow users to turn real photos they might find on FacebookorInstagram into sexually explicit images —often without theconsent of the people pictured.

At least twodozen states have introduced legislation

to criminalize sexualized photos of childrencreated with artificial intelligence, according to the National Center for Missing &Exploited Children. Passed in 2023, Louisiana’s lawbanning the creationofdeepfakes of minors carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison or a$10,000 fine.

The Lafourche Parish student was chargedwith violating adifferent state law,passed in 2024, which prohibitsthe unlawful disseminationofAI-generated explicit photos. Aconvictioncan result in up to six monthsimprisonment or a $750 fine.

Schlegel, the state lawmaker, said the companies behind deepfake tools should also be held responsible.

“What is the responsibility of someofthese platforms that are providing these tools?” she asked. “Is it OK that minors are on them?”

Meanwhile, many young people are experimenting with AI services despite

having little understanding of the legalorethical implications. “It’snot taught, so no one knows anything about it,” said JacksonDirks, aNew Orleans high school senior who is on the state’sAItask force. He addedthatmany teachersare still grappling withstudents’use of AI for school assignments and haven’tevenconsidered its otheruses, like creating deepfakes.

“My teachersjust seeit as acheating tool and only a cheating tool,” he said.

Rebecca Gaillot,aNew Orleans high school teacher and AI task force member, said state policymakers need to help students and teachers safely navigate this new technology

“The tech is movingfast, while policy change and education moves slow,” she said. “Wehave to catch up.”

Email Patrick Wall at patrick.wall@theadvocate. com.

Federalworkers question if shutdown worthsacrifice

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Jessica Sweet spent the federalgovernment shutdown cutting back. To make ends meet, the Social Security claims specialist drank only one coffee a day,skipped meals, cut down on groceries and deferred paying some household bills.

Sheracked up spendingon her credit card buying gasto get to work.

With the longest shutdown ever coming to aclose,Sweet and hundreds of thousandsof other federal workers who missed paychecks will soon get some relief. But many are left feeling that their livelihoods served as political pawns in the fight between recalcitrant lawmakers in Washington and are asking themselves whether the battle was worth their sacrifices.

“It’svery frustrating to go through something like this,” said Sweet, who is aunion steward of AFGE Local 3343 in New York. “It shakes the foundation of trust that we all place in our agencies and in the federal government to do the right thing.” The shutdown began on

OWEN

already reeling from layoffs earlier this year.Acourt then blockedthe shutdownfirings, adding to theuncertainty.

Thedeal thatisbringing an endtothe shutdown will reverse thedismissalsthat occurredsince Oct. 1, while also ensuring back pay for furloughed federal workers the Trump administration hadleft in doubt. Thebipartisan deal providesfunding to reopen the government, including for SNAP food aid and other programs.

cratic-aligned senators who broke with the party on the health care subsidies.

She said that she understands that many workers were desperate for a paycheck.But shethought standing firm on the issue of thehealth caresubsidieswas worth her sacrifice.

“There are other federal workers who understood whatwewere holding the line forand areextremely unhappy that line was crossed and that trust was breached,” she said.

forNLRBU local3,had financially preparedfor the shutdown back in March when it becameclear that a fundingagreementbetween Democrats andRepublicans likely would notbereached He says theshutdownhas madehim feel “like apawn” because federal workers had no say over their own fate. The federal workers who spoke to The Associated Press hadone common message:thattheywerereeling but readytoget back to work.

Oct. 1after Democrats rejected ashort-term funding fix and demandedthatthe bill include an extension offederal subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Its end emerged when eightDemocraticaligned senators agreed to a dealtofund thegovernment with noextension of the expiring subsidies The shutdown created a cascade of troubles for many Americans.Throughout the shutdown,atleast 670,000 federal employees were furloughed, while about 730,000 others were working without pay, accordingtothe BipartisanPolicyCenter

Theplightofthe federal workers wasamong several pressure points, alongwith flight disruptions andcuts to food aid, that in theend ratcheted up thepressure on lawmakers to come to an agreementtofund the government. Throughout thesix-week shutdown, officials in President Donald Trump’sadministration repeatedly used the federal workers as leverage to try to pushDemocrats to relent on their health care demands. TheRepublican president signaled that workers goingunpaid wouldn’t getback pay. He threatened andthenfollowed through on firings in afederal workforce

But the whiplash of the past six weeks, coupled with the concernthat the longest shutdown ever maynot be the last they face, has shaken many in theworkforce.

“Stress andhungerare great tactics for traumatizing people,” Sweet said.

ForSweet, the feelings of frustrationare only compoundedbya feeling that she was betrayed by the Demo-

AdamPelletier, aNational Labor Relations Board field examiner who wasfurloughedOct. 1, saidheisglad the compromise includes rehiring laid-off workers, but“the agreement that was reached almost feels like the Charlie Brown cartoon where Lucy holds the football and pulls it outfrom them.”

Pelletier, aunionleader

“This has been the worst time in my 20 yearstobea federal employee,” said Elizabeth McPeak, afurloughed IRS employeeinPittsburgh who is National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 34 first vice president. She said colleagues had to beg their landlords to hold off on collecting rent payments and reliedonfood banks during the shutdown.

By The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS AU.S.proposal to provide aUnited Nations mandatefor an international stabilization force in Gaza is facing opposition from Russia, China and some Arab countries, which have expressed uneaseabout a yet-to-be established board that would temporarilygovern the territory and the lack of any transitional role for the Palestinian Authority

The Chinese and the Russians —two veto-wielding members of the U.N.Securi-

ty Council— have called for the “Board of Peace” under President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan toberemoved from the resolution entirely, accordingtofourU.N.diplomats briefedonthe matter whospoke on condition of anonymitytodiscussongoing negotiations In thelatestdraft released late Wednesdayand obtained by The Associated Press, the U.S.maintainsthe language aroundthe board while providing further commitment to Palestinian self-determination, although the lan-

guage remains weak. While some of theresponses to the U.S. proposal reflect typical negotiations between countries —with detailed back-and-forthand revisions in language —the objection to thetransitionalboard indicates that wide gaps have emerged between some membersofthe U.N.’smost powerful body and the U.S. after over two yearsofwar At thesametime, other members said quick action would avoid upending the progress toward peace, one diplomat said.

Bally’s BR casino to close temporarily

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Bally’s Baton Rouge, formerly known as The Belle of Baton Rouge, is closing early Friday to clear the way for the final stages of construction on the land-side casino.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board approved a petition for Bally’s to cease gambling operations at its temporary land operation at 2 a.m. Friday in order to move slot machines, kiosks and other equipment and finish construction on the casino’s permanent location, which is slated to open on Dec. 6.

The downtown casino operated on a riverboat since its opening in 1994 and was given state approval to move on land in 2023.

“We’re thrilled to be this close to the finish line with this beautiful property and we’re excited to get the general public to come in and view this at the beginning of De-

cember,” Stacy Stagg, senior vice president and regional manager of Bally’s, said at the meeting. The board approved the casino’s sports wagering license, and DraftKings will serve as its sports betting provider The board also approved a change to the casino’s responsible gambling policies. Patrons on the casino’s exclusion list can now be removed after two years, three years less than the casino’s prior policy

The casino’s opening is still pending final approval from the Louisiana State Police and the board.

Bally’s announced The Belle of Baton Rouge’s rebrand to Bally’s Baton Rouge Casino and Hotel last month, alongside a slew of dining options that will

ON THE LIGHT SIDE

LSU president to officially start Monday

McNeese State gets interim replacement for Wade Rousse

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

LSU’s incoming president, Wade Rousse, will officially take the helm Monday, having resigned from McNeese State University on Nov 7. Rousse was named the 29th

president by the LSU Board of Supervisors on Nov 4 after a nationwide search that began in August.

Former President William Tate announced his departure for Rutgers University in May

mously Thursday to appoint him to the position, for which he was recommended by Rousse.

search and most recently the executive vice president and provost at the University of Alabama.

Rousse

Kedrick Nicholas, senior vice president of student affairs, will serve as interim president at McNeese State The University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors voted unani-

James Dalton, announced along with Rousse’s hire as the executive vice president of the LSU system and chancellor of the flagship LSU campus in Baton Rouge, will also start Monday, according to an LSU spokesperson. Dalton was a finalist in the presidential

The two leaders are expected to share duties, with Rousse overseeing athletics and the entire university system and Dalton taking charge of academics and research at the campus in Baton Rouge and LSU’s medical facilities.

Email Haley Miller at haley miller@theadvocate.com.

A.J. Meek, noted Baton Rouge photographer, dies at 84

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Photographer Amy James

thought about her latest exhibition upon receiving the news of A.J. Meek’s death.

Meek died on Saturday He had been her photography professor at LSU, and she had maintained a friendship with him since.

“He was in my June exhibit at Baton Rouge Gallery which honored photographers I had worked with, studied with, collaborated with or were my mentors,” James said “So, he was in that exhibit. I photographed him in May so I was really shocked to get the news that

he had passed away.” Meek, a nationally acclaimed photographer, author and scholar who began documenting Louisiana’s landscapes and people, died in his Baton Rouge home at age 84.

“He was so spiritual,” she said “And I don’t know if he knew it, but I included a cross in the background for that photo.” Meek wouldn’t have minded at all He was a regular at Sunday morning services at First Presbyterian Church, where he and fellow Baton Rouge artist Rosemary Goodell often shared a pew and conversation long after the ser-

Photographer Amy James took this photo of her mentor A.J Meek in May for an exhibit that honored photographers and mentors in her life and career

Dec. 11

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Rouge General next month if a new pact cannot be reached by Dec. 11. BROC and the hospital have been unable to create a new agreement that reflects the resources needed to serve orthopedic patients, according to a release from the clinic. Meghan Parrish, vice president of

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

JAMES ä See BALLY’S, page 2B

LouisianaSupreme Courtgives grainterminalfavorable ruling

Butrelated cases areongoing

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

The Louisiana Supreme Court has sided with acompany that had been seeking to build acontroversialgrain terminalinSt. John the Baptist Parish, reversing an appeals courtdecisionseenasa victory for environmental groups

fighting the industrial project. But what the court’sruling on a decades-oldzoning change means forthe now-canceled grain project is unclear, as aslew of related cases are ongoing.

Parish leaders in St. John followed state law when they passed a 1990 zoning ordinance thatchanged land from residential to industrial use, the state’shigh court found.

Officials 35 years ago enacted that rezoning for another company,Formosa Plastics, that wantedtobuild aplant in the area.

The Formosa deal imploded and sent thethen-parish president to federal prison on corruption charges, and the plastics facility never materialized. But the decades-old zoning change set the stage for Greenfield, the company that tried to build the grain terminal in the majority-Black town of Wallace. Greenfield halted plansfor the $800 million facility last summer, citing permitting delays at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.The surprise announcement drew sharp

criticism from some Louisiana officials, including Gov.Jeff Landry, andpraise from environmental groups and historic preservationists whostressed thatthe grain facility would disturba region rich with Afro-Creole history

Lynda VanDavis, counsel for Greenfield,did not respond to requests for comment.

William Most, an attorney for

The Descendants Project, the most prominent opponentsofthe project,saidthe advocacy group“is preparedtopursueits legaloptions, and this ruling doesnot diminishits will to fight for the community.”

‘Lower courts erred’

The state SupremeCourt ruling on the 1990 zoningchangereverses aseries of lower court and appeals court decisions that therezoning was illegal. Most recently,the state’s5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in April that the Parish Councilfailed to follow procedure by making an amendment to the land use changes without going to the planning commission.

“The lower courts erred in findingthe amendment to theproposed ordinance had to be reviewed by theplanningcommission,” the SupremeCourt found Wednesday.

The ruling said that theParish Council’schanges were not substantial enough to warrant returning the zoningquestion to the planning commission, which had earlier approvedthe originalversionof the measure.

One judge, AssociateJustice

JohnMichael Guidry,dissented in the case, arguing that he saw“no error in the lower courts’ rulings.”

The parish had aggressively pursued the grain elevator project, citing the economic development and revenue it would bring.

Ongoinglawsuits

While thegrain project itself appeared to die, aslew of lawsuits related to the facilitycontinued.

In onecase, TheDescendants Project alleges thatParish President Jaclyn Hotard signed off on a separate 2024 rezoning agreement for the grain elevator tothe potential benefit of her husband and mother-in-law. It is unclearhow this week’s ruling will affect the pending case. Hotard did not respond to requests forcomment, though she hasearliercriticized “frivolous lawsuits” related to the project.

TheDescendants Projectalso filed alawsuit against the parish and the Port of South Louisiana earlier this year,alleging that Greenfield neverpaid themillions of taxesitowedtothe sheriff’sdepartment and the port.

And the advocacy group appealed afederal court rulingina free speech casethat centered on whether Hotardimproperly shut down Joy Banner, who co-runs The DescendantsProject, at apublic meeting. Ajury concluded in January that theparish president was notliable. Following the verdict, Hotard called the outcome “a victory for St.John.”

Judgedeniesnew trialfor former LafayetteADA

BYCLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Gary Haynes, the former Lafayette assistant district attorney who was convicted on six federal charges including bribery,has been denied anew trial. In September,afederal jury, afterhearing eightdays of testimony, convicted Haynes on sixcharges related to akickback scheme involving the pretrial intervention program in the 15th Judicial District Attorney’sOffice, which he ran.

Haynes was found guilty on two counts of using acellphone in interstate commerceinaid of bribery and on conspiracy to engage in bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds,bribery concerningprogramsreceiving federal funds,conspiring to commit money laundering and obstruction of justice.

BALLY’S

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While he was the assistant district attorney running the pretrial intervention program for District Attorney Don Landry,Haynes conspired withothers to divert defendants to the pretrialintervention programand assign them to cooperating businesses forclassesand counseling.The businesses split the profits with him.

Haynes’ attorney,ToddClemons of Lake Charles, inOctober filed arequest for anew trial, alleging improperexclusion of evidence, improper admission of evidence, prosecutorial misconductand statements and judicial bias.

Prosecutors whotried Haynes opposedthe argumentsfor anew trial.

U.S.DistrictCourtJudge David Joseph on Monday denied the motionfor anew trial.

Joseph said he didnot allow the defense to introduce 48 audio and videoexhibitsofco-conspirators

Thefoodhall,which is designed to pay homage to the Illinois Central Freight Station, will include Hearth Pizzeria, Shuck’sOyster Bar,awine and small plates restaurant Vintage 1806, and Maritime Coffee. The finishedcasino will include nearly 800 slotmachines, asportsbook, acenter bar,20to25table games, asmoking area andatwolane bowling alley, investingmore than$160millionindowntown Baton Rouge. The hotel has been open since March andreceived Bally’ssignage that month. As of Thursday,550 slotma-

Continued from page1B

she said, and Baton Rouge General hopes to reach an agreement soon.

“BROC has been avalued partner and has made important contributions to our hospitals for many years.” Parrish said.

“While we’re sorrytosee them leave our medical staff, we were unable to reach an agreement we felt provided our patients with the highest quality, most timely care.”

Physician groups form callcoverage agreementswithhospitals to provide care for their patients duringemergencies. BROC and Baton Rouge General first penned their agreement in 2019. The termination of theagreement is scheduledtotake effect on Dec. 11.

Kate Bradshaw,marketing manager for BROC, saidthe clinic is hopeful it can reach an agreementwith Baton Rouge General before the deadline. The clinic announced theend of the agreement 30 days prior in order to give patients and thecommunity adequate notice in casethe

obtained via wiretapsbecause the defense failed to lay afoundation forthe introduction of impeachment evidence.

Specifically,everytime thedefensetried to impeach witness Dusty Guidry,aco-defendant who pleaded guilty,Guidry did not deny making the statements, Joseph wrote. Priortothe trial, thecourt ruled thatprosecutors could not bring up the federal conviction more than 10 years ago of Haynes’ wife, Barna, in asimilarbribery scheme in the DistrictAttorney’sOffice under former District AttorneyMike Harson. Prosecutorsinthe trial mentioned the prior scheme andinvestigation, but did not specifically mention his wife.Josephsaid that wasallowed.

In addition, Joseph said potential jurors who knew of Barna Haynes’ conviction were excluded from the jury

chines and three out of four gaming table pits have been installed, and the bowling alley is complete.

“This has been avery long and exciting journey,and we’ve overcome many obstacles, and as a result,we’ve been able to create avery beautifuland very exciting product,” saidRichardCannon, Bally’sBaton Rougegeneral manager

agreement does come to an end.

Bradshaw did not share details on the terms of the new call coverageagreement. If the clinic and BatonRouge General can reachanagreement before Dec. 11, then the relationship between thetwo will continue on as usual.

“Wewantthis relationship to work,” Bradshaw said.

Parrish said Baton Rouge Generalofficials wish BROC “continued success and look forward to opportunitiestocollaborate again in the future.”

BROC operates clinics on Bluebonnet Boulevard,Gonzales Hammond, Walker and Zachary.

Former reporter honored forservice in journalism work

Schleifstein receives SEJService Award

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

Longtime Times-Picayunejournalist Mark Schleifstein is being recognized with anationalaward for his decades of volunteer work in the serviceofenvironmental journalism. The Society of Environmental Journalists has namedSchleifstein the2025 recipient of its David Stolberg MeritoriousService Award. The award “recognizes an SEJ member whose volunteer service demonstrates extraordinary commitment to the organization andto environmental journalism,” the organization said.

store Coastal Louisiana for his decades of work shining alight on the state’sland-loss crisis.

Schleifstein

Schleifsteinworkedfor thenewspaperfor four decades before retiring at the end of 2024. Over that time,his coverage was at the forefrontofthe myriad environmental issuesfacing Louisiana,from coastal land loss to industrial pollution.

He has been widely recognized for his work. His long list of awards includessharing in Pulitzer Prizes for his reporting on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, as well as for the paper’s1996 series “Oceans of Trouble,”which exploredthe perilous state of the world’sfisheries. His reportingonKatrina was keytothe newspaper’scoverage and occurred despite losing his own home to the flood.

He was recently named the recipient of alifetime achievement award from the CoalitiontoRe-

MEEK

Continuedfrom page1B

vice’send. Artist and friend Rob Carpenter remembers that Meek had even considered training to be an Episcopalian lay minister

“I don’tthink that camethrough,” Carpentersaid. “But he did consider it.”

Still, as almost allwho knew him most remember,Meek’spassion was in creativity

“He had insight, and he was able to make yousee what he saw that insight —inhis photographs,” said fellow artist Mary Ann Caffery,who hosted solo showsof Meek’swork in her former exhibition space, Caffery Gallery.“You could keep going back to look at his photographs and see something different in them each time.”

Meek was aseniorprofessor of photography in theLSU School of Art, retiring as professor emeritus in 2005.

“When he came here in 1988, he helpedinsetting up the photography department at LSU,” longtime friend Clay Fourrier said. “He arranged for allofthe darkrooms and everything.”

Fourrier forged afriendship with Meek some 30 years ago, which resulted in the creation and management of Meek’swebsite, ajmeek.com.

Meek taught forfive years at the University of Utah before moving on to LSUin1977, where he taught for 28 years while making Baton Rouge his homewith late wife Belinda VanDyk, and their daughter, Patricia.

“He hada wicked sense of humor,” Carpenter said. “And his wife, Belinda, anddaughter, Tricia, were his anchors.”

Meek was born Albert James Meek on Aug. 29,1941,inBeatrice, Nebraska. He began working in photography while in the U.S. Air Force, then earned his bachelor

Schleifstein was afounding member of SEJ, the organization representing environmental journalists nationwide, andservedonits board for 14 years. The organization noted that “for more than three decades, he mentoredcolleagues, led tours andSEJ conference sessions, and served as atrusted adviser to SEJ staff andboard, asteadying force behind the organization’s growth.” He has helped guide reporting at the Mississippi RiverBasin Ag andWater Desk and served on the advisory board of SciLine, aresourcefor reporters in need of reliablescientific 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 Ihave always considered to be my extended family,” said Schleifstein.

“As muchasIhavesupportedits efforts to bring accurate environmental journalism to the world, its members have provided me with needed assistance in reportingon major environmental problems that affect Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, andespecially after Hurricane Katrina,personal support for me andmyfamily.”

SEJ memberand nominator Jim Bruggers said, “Mark’scontributions to SEJhave been fundamental, foundational and exceptional andare deserving of the highest volunteer recognition, particularly at this timeofhis life.”

of fine arts degree from theArt Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He waslater awardeda teaching assistantship at Ohio University,where he earnedhis master of fine arts degree.

He was known for his seleniumtoned, silver gelatin contact prints not only of Louisiana landscapes but the American West, allphotographed with his 8-inch by 20-inch banquetcamera. The result was a balance of documentary photography and fine art.

Meek also authored five published books, including “Clarence John Laughlin: ProphetWithout Honor,” abiography of the Louisiana photographer considered to be the father of surrealist art; and “Sacred Light: Holy Places in Louisiana,”acompendium of photographs of the interiors of churches and synagogues.

“A.J.was so endearing, because he always worehis heart on his sleeve,” said fellow artist Kathy Scherer,who metMeek while studying photography at LSU in the1990s. “Whether makingobservations about life or the state of the world with his usualstoic humor,orprocessing the loss of hisdearBelinda, he freely shared his feelings.

Meek is survived by his daughter,Patricia.

SealeFuneralHome of Denham Springs is in charge of arrangements, which are pending.

Average mortgage rate rises again, to 6.24%

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage edged higher for the second week in a row, though it remains near its low point so far this year

The average long-term mortgage rate ticked up to 6.24% from 6.22% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday A year ago, the rate averaged 6.78%.

Borrowing costs on 15-year

fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, edged lower this week. The rate averaged 5.49%, down from 5.5% last week. A year ago, it was 5.99%, Freddie Mac said.

The 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans, was at 4.10% at midday Thursday, up slightly from a week ago.

Sales of previously occupied

U.S. homes sank last year to their lowest level in nearly three decades. Sales have been sluggish this year, but accelerated in September to their fastest pace since February as mortgage rates eased.

AT&T reaches $177M data breach settlement

NEW YORK AT&T has reached a combined $177 million settlement over two data breaches. Impacted consumers have a little over a month left to file a claim for their chunk of the money Several lawsuits emerged across the U.S. — and were later consolidated — after AT&T notified millions of customers that information ranging from Social Security numbers to call records were compromised in these breaches last year Plaintiffs alleged that the telecommunications giant “repeatedly failed” to protect consumer data. While AT&T has continued to deny wrongdoing, it opted to settle earlier this year Eligible consumers have until Dec. 18 to file for a settlement payment — which will still need a judge’s final stamp of approval early next year

The settlement covers two different breaches. Both were disclosed in 2024.

AT&T disclosed the first of these breaches in March 2024, after the company said it found that customer information from 2019 or earlier had been released on the “dark web” weeks earlier At the time, AT&T said the breach impacted roughly 7.6 million current and 65.4 million former account holders — with leaked data including some sensitive information like Social Security numbers and passcodes The other breach involved call and text records of nearly all AT&T customers from May through October 2022, as well as a small subset from Jan 2, 2023 AT&T said it learned that data was “illegally downloaded from our workspace on a thirdparty cloud platform” in April of last year — and began notifying customers in July 2024, after launching an investigation. According to the settlement administrator’s website, consumers impacted by the first breach may be eligible to up to $5,000 Those affected by the second breach may be eligible for up to $2,500.

Doritos, Cheetos dial back the bright orange Doritos and Cheetos are getting a makeover PepsiCo said Thursday it’s launching toned-down versions of its bright orange snacks that won’t have any artificial colors or flavors. Doritos and Cheetos Simply NKD will hit store shelves on Dec. 1. It’s part of a broader shift underway at PepsiCo, which announced in April that it would accelerate a planned transition to using natural colors in its foods and beverages Around 40% of its U.S. products now contain synthetic dyes, according to the company Dye-free doesn’t mean Doritos and Cheetos Simply NKD will be colorless. Instead, they’re just a lighter color like a tortilla chip.

Worries about AI stocks hurt markets

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK The U.S. stock mar-

ket tumbled Thursday to one of its worst days since its springtime sell-off, as Nvidia and other AI superstar stocks kept dropping on worries their prices shot too high.

Also hurting the market were questions about whether coming cuts to interest rates that Wall Street has been banking on will actually happen

The S&P 500 sank 1.7% and pulled further from its all-time high set late last month. It was the worst day in a month for the index at the heart of many 401(k) ac-

counts and the second-worst since April’s plunge after President Donald Trump shocked the world with his “Liberation Day” tariffs. Nvidia was the heaviest weight on the market after the chip company fell 3.6%. Other stocks swept up in the artificial-intelligence frenzy also struggled, including drops of 7.4% for Super Micro Computer, 6.5% for Palantir Technologies and 4.3% for Broadcom.

Questions have been rising about how much higher AI darlings can go following their already spectacular gains. At the start of this month, Palantir was sporting a stunning rise of nearly 174% for the year so far, for example.

Such sensational performances have been one of the top reasons the U.S. market has hit records despite a slowing job market and high inflation. AI stock prices have shot so high, though, that they’re drawing comparisons to the 2000 dot-com bubble, which ultimately burst and dragged the S&P 500 down by nearly half.

In the meantime, stocks outside of AI also fell across Wall Street as traders worried that the Federal Reserve may not deliver another cut to interest rates in December as many had been expecting.

Wall Street loves lower interest rates because they can goose the economy and prices for invest-

ments, even though they can also worsen inflation. A halt in cuts could undercut U.S. stock prices after they already ran to records in part on expectations for more reductions.

Expectations have come down sharply that the Fed will cut its main interest rate for a third time this year Traders now see roughly a coin flip’s chance of that, 51.9%, down from nearly 70% a week ago, according to data from CME Group. The Walt Disney Co. helped lead the market lower after falling 7.7%. The entertainment giant reported profit for the latest quarter that topped analysts’ expectations, but its revenue fell short.

Starbucks workers kick off 65-store strike on company’s Red Cup Day

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press

More than 1,000 unionized Starbucks work-

ers went on strike at 65 U.S. stores Thursday to protest a lack of progress in labor negotiations with the company

The strike was intended to disrupt Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, which is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year Since 2018, Starbucks has given out free, reusable cups on that day to customers who buy a holiday drink. Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing baristas, said Thursday morning that the strike had already closed some stores and was expected to force more to close later in the day

Starbucks Workers United said stores in 45 cities would be impacted, including New York; Philadelphia; Minneapolis; St. Louis; Dallas; Columbus Ohio; and Starbucks’ home city of Seattle. There is no date set for the strike to end, and more stores are prepared to join if Starbucks doesn’t reach a contract agreement with the union, organizers said.

Starbucks emphasized that the vast majority of its U.S. stores would be open and operating as usual Thursday. The coffee giant has 10,000 company-owned stores in the U.S., as well as 7,000 licensed locations in places like grocery stores and airports. Around 550 company-owned U.S Star-

bucks stores are currently unionized. More have voted to unionize, but Starbucks closed 59 unionized stores in September as part of a larger reorganization campaign.

Striking workers say they’re protesting because Starbucks has yet to reach a contract agreement with the union. Starbucks workers first voted to unionize at a store in Buffalo in 2021. In December 2023, Starbucks vowed to finalize an agreement by the end of 2024. But in August of last year, the company ousted Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO who made that promise. The union said progress has stalled under Brian Niccol, the company’s current chairman and CEO.

Workers’ demands

Workers say they’re seeking better hours and improved staffing in stores, where they say long customer wait times are routine. They also want higher pay pointing out that executives like Niccol are making millions and the company spent $81 million in June on a conference in Las Vegas for 14,000 store managers and regional leaders.

Dochi Spoltore, a barista from Pittsburgh, said in a union conference call Thursday that it’s hard for workers to be assigned more than 19 hours per week, which leaves them short of the 20 hours they would need to be eligible for Starbucks’ benefits. Spoltore said she makes $16 per hour

“I want Starbucks to succeed. My livelihood depends on it,” Spoltore said. “We’re proud of our work, but we’re tired of being treated like we’re disposable.”

The union also wants the company to resolve hundreds of unfair labor practice charges filed by workers, who say the company has fired baristas in retaliation for unionizing and has failed to bargain over changes in policy that workers must enforce, like its decision earlier this year to limit restroom use to paying customers.

Starbucks’ position

Starbucks says it offers the best wage and benefit package in retail, worth an average of $30 per hour Among the company’s benefits are up to 18 weeks of paid family leave and 100% tuition coverage for a four-year college degree. In a letter to employees last week, Starbucks’ Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said the union walked away from the bargaining table in the spring.

Kelly said some of the union’s proposals would significantly alter Starbucks’ operations, such as giving workers the ability to shut down mobile ordering if a store has more than five orders in the queue.

Kelly also said surveys showed that most employees like working for the company, and its barista turnover rates are half the industry average.

BY ALEX VEIGA AP business writer

Americans will be allowed to contribute more of their money to 401(k) and similar retirement saving plans next year

The IRS said Thursday the maximum contribution that an individual can make in 2026 to a 401(k), 403(b) and most 457 plans will be $24,500. That’s up from $23,500 this year

People aged 50 and over who have the option to make additional “catch-up” contributions to 401(k) and similar plans, will be able to contribute up to $8,000 next year, up from $7,500 this year That’s means a 401(k) saver who is 50 or

older will be able to contribute a maximum of $32,500 to their retirement plan annually, starting in 2026. Workers between the ages of 60 and 63 will be allowed catch-up retirement plan contributions of up to $11,250 annually, unchanged from this year

The IRS also raised the 2026 annual contribution limits on individual retirement arrangements, or IRAs, to $7,500, up from $7,000 this year The IRA “catch-up” contribution limit will include an annual cost of living adjustment of $100, increasing it to $1,100 in 2026. The changes, among others announced by the IRS, make it easier for retirement savers who

use these types of tax-advantaged plans to set aside more of their income toward building their nest egg.

Boosting the contribution rate on a 401(k) or IRA plan, even by 1%, can make a big difference over 10 or 20 years, assuming the saver remains employed and making contributions the entire time.

The IRS also increased for 2026 the income ranges for determining whether someone is eligible to make deductible contributions to traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs or to claim the “saver’s credit,” also known as the retirement savings contributions credit. Taxpayers can deduct contributions to a traditional IRA if they

meet certain conditions. If during the year either the taxpayer or the taxpayer’s spouse was covered by a retirement plan at work, the deduction may be reduced, or phased out, until it is eliminated, depending on filing status and income, the IRS said.

The IRS has outlined the details on these and other retirement-related changes for 2026 on its site.

The average balance on a 401(k) account was $137,800 in the second quarter up 8% from a year earlier and 32% from the same quarter in 2020, according to Fidelity

The

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT SLOCUM

Protesters picket outside a Starbucks on Thursday in Philadelphia.

Dendy,Suzanne

ResthavenFuneralHome, 11817 Jefferson Hwy,Baton Rouge at 10:30am.

Germany, Tracy Star Hill BaptistChurch,1400N FosterDr.,Baton Rouge,LAat 11:30am.

Grayer,Louise Zion BaptistChurch,3996Billops Street,B.R LAat 10:30am.

Hudson, Donovan Bellevue Memorial Park Cemetery in Opelousas,Louisianaat10am.

Jefferson, Justin

ShilohMissionaryBaptistChurchat

noon

Jeffery-Green, Tammy Mt.ZionInner City,24400 Eleanor Dr Plaquemine, La at 1pm

Lewis, Willie Wesley United MethodistChurch 544 Government St BatonRouge,LA at 12pm

Lovett, Elaine Ascension FuneralHome, 426 West New RiverSt.,Gonzales,LAat11am.

Monroe,Richard Hall'sCelebrationCenter,

2025,atthe ageof90, while surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Baton Rouge,LAonOctober 22, 1935 to Louisand Eunice Hatcher Kluchin. She was preceded in deathby her parents; her sister, Peggy Joyce Kluchin; her belovedhusband, Dr. Frank Fanancy "Snow" Anzalone; and her great-granddaughters, Abigail Leigh and AnnabelKate Jones.

Kathryn Annwas alifelongresidentofIndependence,Louisiana,and adevoted memberofMater Dolorosa Catholic Church. Shegraduated as the valedictorian of Independence High School andearned herbachelor's degree from SoutheasternLouisiana University. She was a proud memberofmany communityorganizations, including the Independence Italian Cultural Museum, Tangipahoa Parish Medical Society Alliance, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was an avid sports fanand along-time supporter of theLSU TigerAthletic Foundation.

Aloving& devoted mother, Kathryn Ann will be greatlymissedbyher threechildren, Dr.Fanancy LouisAnzalone (Debra), Kathy SueEdwards (Frank), and Michael Anzalone. She cherished time with her five granddaughters, Tiffany Anzalone McCasland(Christopher),Tracy Anzalone,KathrynEdwards Jones(Joshua), CarolineEdwards Burge (Lucas), and Elizabeth Edwards Foundas (Andrew). Shewas further blessed to love eight great-grandchildren: Brooks and Banks McCasland; Lelia and Sofia Jones; Brennan,Brady, and Bonnie Burge;and Liam Foundas. She also shared special relationships with nieces, nephews, andGodchildren

The epitome of aSouthernlady, shenever met a strangerand was wellknown forher radiant smile, infectious laugh, hospitality andgenerosity. Like her favorite colorpurple, her personalitywas vibrant, elegant and fullof life. Atruematriarch, "Mamaw" willbeforever rememberedfor herlove, charity and grace.

In lieuofflowers, the family requests donations be made to Mater Dolorosa

CatholicChurch or School, or theRichard Murphy Hospice House. Visitationwillbeheldat McKneely FuneralHome, Amite,from 6:00PMuntil 8:00PM on Friday. AMass of Christian Burial willbe held at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, Independence, at 10:00AMonSaturday. Servicesconducted by Fr. Reuben Dykes. Interment Colonial Cemetery, Independence, LA.For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.co m.

Brown, Joshua D. 'Josh'

Josh passedpeacefully at his home on November 03, 2025. He was a2024 graduateofTara High School in BatonRouge. To cherish hismemory, parentsCeciliaBrown, Anthony Bates, grandmothers Renetta Brown, Shirley Williams, aBrother Daylen Brown, sisters Charah Brown, CarolynCavalier allofBaton Rouge La. Visitation willbeSaturday November 15, 2025 at Douglas Avenue Baptist Church located at 5265 Douglas Avenue from 9:0011:00a.m. with funeral service to follow immediately at 11.00a.m. Wilson-Wooddale Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements.

joy and love she spread to everyone around her. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on November 15, 2025, at Winnfield Funeral Home,7221 Plank Road,BR, LA

Bobby RayCourtney was bornonApril 24, 1958, in BatonRouge to Alex and OliviaJingles Courtney.It is with greatsorrow and heavyheartsthatweannounce thepassing of our belovedhusband, father, brother, uncle and friend on November 5, 2025. Bobby was a1976 graduateof McKinley SeniorHigh School. He was employed with DOTD for30years and retired in October 2007. Baptized December 1983 as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, Bobby was adedicated and humble servant for over 40 years. Alover of Bible truths, he had asolid faith in theresurrection hope. (John 6:40) Bobby willbest be remembered for his contagious laugh and even moresofor his GREAT GENEROSITY and care forfamily,friends, and anyone in need. He leavestocherish his love and kindness his wife of 29 years, RuthThomas Courtney; twosons, Robert Paul Pondsand Mark Edward Thomas; five sisters Mattie Griffin, JoiShelton, Connie Gilmore,Rita(Albert) Young and Sheila(Keith) London; threebrothers, Larry Courtney, Alex Courtney Jr and Ronald(Brenda) Courtney; brother-in-law, Micah (Sheila) Thomas and asister-in-law, April Lynea Thomas. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Olivia and Alex Courtney, twosisters, HelenJamesand Cathy Cable and one brother, Tonny Courtney.Torespect his stated wishes, there will be no funeral and/or memorial service. Service EntrustedtoHallDavis and

Son. www.halldavisandson.com

Daigle, Donald Hugh Don

Longtime Baton Rouge resident, Donald Hugh Daigle (Don), 84, peacefully passedaway,surrounded by hisfamily, on Monday, November 10th, 2025 at the familyhomeinBaton Rouge Donwas born in Church Point, Louisiana, andgrew up on acattle,cotton, and vegetable farmworking with hisparents andthree brothers. After graduating from Church PointHigh School, Donald attended Louisiana State University receivinghis Bachelor of ScienceinChemicalEngineeringin1963. Immediately upon graduation,Don began a43-year career with Exxon Mobilbeginning at the Baton Rouge Refinery.Multiplepositionswithin theorganization basedinHouston, Baton Rouge,New Jersey, andVirginia followed including areturn to Baton Rouge in 1983 to become theBaton Rouge Refinery Manager.Daigle would eventually go on to assume the Vice-President Refining for Exxon's worldwide refiningoperations for Exxon Mobil. He retired fromExxon Mobil in September 2006. Upon retirement, he and hiswife of 60 years,Geraldine B. Daigle (Gerry), returned to Baton Rouge wheretheybecame deeply involvedinthe civiclifeof Baton Rouge.In2008, Don became amember of the Board of Directorsofthe Baton Rouge Area Foundation.In2009, he joined the Board of Directorsfor Our Lady of theLake Medical Center in Baton Rouge,becoming Chairmanofthe Board in 2013 to 2017. Don wasalso Past Chairman of theAdvisory Counciltothe

Dean of theLSU Collegeof Engineering. Daigle's professional activities were extensive. Amongmany such activities,heservedonthe Board of DirectorsofTexas Eastern PipelineCompany, Executive Committee of theNational Petrochemical and Refiners Association, past Chairman of theGeneral Committee on Refining of theAmerican Petroleum Institute,and past Chairman of theNational Petroleum Council Study on Refining commissioned by theU.S. Secretary of Energy in 2001 and 2004. DonDaigle'sforemost life commitments were to hisfamilyand faith. Don andGerry builta beautiful 60-year marriageafter meeting in Church Point early in life. Theirthree children, Sandy, Paul, and Chuck, were thefocus of theirlifetogether.Later, theirseven grandchildren enjoyed this same commitmentand attention AdevoutCatholic, Don andGerry were parishionersatSt. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge and regularattendants at Mass. Donald wasknown to be anon-judginghumanbeing, notproud,not prejudiced, andunaware of his owngoodness. He valued education as acorefoundation, andheand Gerry afforded opportunitiesto many familiescontributing to generational change Funeral serviceswill be held Friday November 14, at St.JosephCathedral,beginningat1:00pm with visitation, followed by aFuneralMass at 2:00pm.

Courtney, Bobby Ray

Daigle,Donald St.JosephCathedral at 2pm.

Polk, Constance Elaine 'Connie'

DanielSr., Danny

DannyDaniel, Sr., anative of Lake Charles and

Rouge,

2025 with his beloved wife of 44 years, Mary, and his faithful dog, Molly, by his side. An originalemployee of Moody Price when it was founded in 1955, Dan left the companybefore returning in 1967 to open the company's first branch in Lake Charles and later acquired the business in 1985. Known for his dedication, generosity, and unwavering leadership, Dan guided Moody Price through decades of challenges and growth. His commitment to his employees and community was unmatched, supporting causes such as St. Jude Children's Hospital, Folds of Honor, and his alma mater CatholicHigh School. His influence continues to shape the company's culture and values. He is survived by his wife, Mary; daughters, Debbie Fralixand Donna (Lee) Duplichan; son, Danny (Carol) Daniel Jr.; seven grandchildren; Justin Herpin, Adam (Lauryn) Herpin, Jill (Matt) Karam, Alec (Georgia) Daniel, Carol Ann (Blake) Savoie, Sara Daniel, Tripp Daniel; ten greatgrandchildren; brother, Doug (Paula) Daniel; and sister, Florence (Ben) Aiken. He is preceded in death by hisfather, Martin Daniel andmother, Eula Daniel. Dan's legacy lives on through his family, the company he loved, and the countlesslives he touched.

Aprivate service will be held Monday, November 17th followed by areception at the home of Danny and Carol Daniel from 4:00 to 7:00. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Foldsof Honor or St. Jude Children's Hospital.

Davis, Doris Creech Morales Doris Creech Morales Davis passed away on Nov 12, 2025 and is in the loving arms of her Lord and Savior.

Shewas bornonJune 6,1941 in Bruce, MS to John Marshall and Alma Kate Creech. She was raisedin Centreville, MS and attended Centreville High School. Doris was adevoted member to Mt. Vernon Baptist Church.

Shewas married to her loving husband Gary Davis for nearly 33 years. She had one son Lonny (Jenna) Morales, Four Granddaughters Jessie (Brennon) Morales, Emily (Hardy) McMillan, Aubrey Yelverton and Addi Lindsey. Three Great Granddaughters Tatum Womack, Kinsley Womack and Stevie Lynn McMillan. Two loving nieces Susie (Steven) Jones, Debra Cruthirds and athree nephews Larry (Faye) Crowell, David (Terri) Creech, Neil (Karla) Creech. Great niece Kristy Crowell and Great nephew Larry Crowell Jr. She was affectionately known as Maw Doris to many and loved all that visited The Little River".

Doris was preceded in death by her parents John Marshall and Alma Kate VanWinkle Creech, her grandparents, abrother Robert Creech, Sister Nell Creech Smith, Brother in Law Earl Smith, Sister Gladys Henderson, Brother in Law Clemis Henderson and her nephew Ray Doerr In lieu of flowers the family asks to make donations to Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in memory of Doris Davis

"Special thanks to Hospice and MeKenzie Hall for the great care and compassion during our time of need. Also,many thanks to Brother Billy and Dawn Mathis and many others for your prayers and presence during this time.

Visitation is Saturday, November 15, 2025 at Brown Funeral Home in Liberty, MS. from 10:00 A.M. until time of funeral services at 12:00 P.M.at the funeral home. Graveside service will follow in Oaklawn Cemetery in Centreville, MS.

Pallbearers are Hardy McMillan, Brennon Womack, Larry Crowell, Lonny Morales, Jimmy Miller Clint McCullough. Honorary pallbearers are Steven Jones, David Baker'. Afuneral service will be held from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on 2025-11-15 at Brown Funeral Home, 153 S. Broad St..

RonaldCharles Gathe, Sr passed away suddenly at his home on Tuesday, November4,2025. Ronald was 73. Ronaldretired as a Senior Technician from Rubicon Chemicals. He is survived by his lovingwifeof 52 years, Debra Aguillard Gathe, and theirthree sons: Ronald Charles Gathe, Jr., KendrickGathe, Sr.(Krystal), and Jeremy Gathe.His legacylives on through fourgrandchildren: Kendrick Gathe, Jr Ronald Charles Gathe III, Ryan Gathe, and Kolston Gathe. Services willbe held on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 1120 Myrtle Walk,Baton Rouge, LA 70802. Apublic viewing willbeheldfrom 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., followed immediately by the funeral service at 10:00 a.m.

Grayer,

Louise Tucker Grayer, a cherishedmatriarch and beacon of love, passed awaypeacefully on November 6, 2025

Shewas agraduate of Capitol High School, she embarked on acareer with the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, where sheretired as aNutritionalTherapist Supervisor.

Shewillbeprofoundly missed and foreverremembered by her loving children: five sons, Earl (Cleo) Milton, Jerry Milton, Johnny (Patricia)Milton, Frederick (PamelaGrayer), allofBaton Rouge,LA, and Eugene (DioneGrayer), of BakerLA; four daughters, Carol Brumfield,Clara (John) Christophe,both of Baton Rouge, LA, Barbara (Reginald) Williams, and Patricia (a verydevoted son-in-law John) Fisher, both of Zachary,LA. Her legacy also includes 28 grandchildren, 55 greatgrandchildren, and 22 great-great-grandchildren.

Shewas proceeded in death by both husbands Lance Milton, Sr. and Milton Grayer, Sr.;three sons; Lance Milton, Sr.,Milton Grayer, Jr., and EddieRay Grayer,Sr., daughterJoyce Marie Ben; her parents Frank and JessieCarter Tucker, her three sisters Edna Williams, Ruby Tucker and Velma Luckette.

Visitationwillbeheld from 5:00PMto7:00 PM on November 13, 2025 at Richardson Funeral Home, 11816JacksonStreet Clinton, LA.

Visitationat9:00 AM Celebration of Life10:30 AM on November14, 2025 at Rock Zion Baptist Church, 3996Billops Street, B.R., LA.

AnativeofSunshine and aresident of PortAllen departedthislifeNovember10,2025. Visitation is Friday November 14, 2025 at Roscoe Mortuary 58635 Meriam Street Plaquemine 1-5PM. Religious Service is SaturdayNovember 15, 2025 at Rock ZionB C1405 Gummers Lane,Sunshine. She is survivedbyher daughter Brenda Nicholas, 2sons Edward and Willie Nicholas, 10 grandchildren.

Schiffer,ScottEdward

ScottEdward Schiffer, long time resident of Covington, LA,passed away on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at home. Scottwas bornonJanuary 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 theloveofhis life, Allie Knight Martin, hisloving mother, Patricia Dean Cochran, and devoted brother and sisters: Steve Schiffer(Carla), Sandra Vogt (Mark), and Susan Nagim (Brandi), sister-inlaw Lucy Meres (Joe), stepsonMitchellMartin,grandchildren Alexis Martin, MitchellMartin,Jrand Jayce Martin and niece Rachel Hryniewich. He also leaves ahostofbeloved uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews.

Scottwill be remembered forhis infectious laugh, bright smile and lovingsoul.Hewas very creative with hismusic, poemsand still art dioramas "Spotonthe Log".Heand Allie were known in Covingtonfor theirpopular haunted houses and kids party events formany years. Also,Enchanted Aromas, theirspecialty candle business, is known throughout the country. For30years, he has enjoyed hisflooringwork alongside hisbrother at PaulSitaCompany.

Scott had adeep devotiontohis Lordand Savior and we allknow he has been welcomed into His Kingdom

Family and friendsof thefamily are invited to a celebrationoflife at Bagnell &Son Funeral Home75212 LeeRd, Covington, La on Thursday November 13, 2025 with visitationstarting at 12:30pm followedbyservices at 2pm.

Thomas ClaudeStewart (affectionately known as "Tommy") has completed his assignmentand fulfilledhis purpose on this earth.OnOctober 31, 2025, he answeredthe call of his Heavenly Father to come to his new home with new address of EternalLife

Visitation is Friday, November 14, 2025, 4-7PM,withthe Celebrationof Life servicesonSaturday, November 15, 2025. Visitation willresume on Saturday, from9AM to 10AM; Masonic Rites at 10:15AM and Religious services at 11AM. Allservices willbe held at St.JoesphBaptist Church, 58105 Captain TT HarrisStreet,Plaquemine, LA 70764 Internment:Grace Memorial Park, 60455 Bayou JacobRd, Plaquemine, LA.70764. Professional Servicesentrusted to MJR Friendly Service Funeral Home,7803 FloridaBlvd, DenhamSprings, LA 70726

Taylor, Sam II (U.S. Air Force,Retired)

Sam TaylorII, adecorated retired U.S.Air Force veteran, slipped thesurly bondsofearthand transitionedfromearth to glory on November, 9, 2025. He was aresident of Baton Rouge and nativeofWilkinson County, Mississippi.Viewing is at theElm Grove Baptist Church on November 18, from

10am to 12pm followed by areligiousservice at noon Service willbe conductedbythe ReverendDr. Errol K. Domingue, pastor.Intermentwith full militaryhonorsat theLouisiana National Cemetery in Zachary, LA followingreligiousservices. Sam wasa Vietnam-era veteran whoenjoyedanillustrious career with theU S. AirForce.Heis therecipient of many Department of Defense andAir Forceawards and decorationsfor services "above andbeyond" the call of duty. Upon hisretirement from theAir Force, Sam began a second career with the Louisiana Division of Administration, Officeof ComputingServices, whereheheldpositions in both management and Supervision In hishaste of departure,Sam leaves to cherish andperpetuate memories of hislifeonearth,a loving wife of many years, Alice (née Brown); twodaughters, JaKissa (née Taylor)Semple,Los Angeles, CA; and, NaKalah Taylor,Palm Springs, FL; four sisters: Daisy (née Lawrence) Bibbins, andCheryl (née Taylor)Hawkins of Baton Rouge,LA.; Brenda (née Lawrence) Gaines (Kevin) of Woodville, MS.; Delores(néeTaylor) Walker, La Palma, CA; Two brothers: Faruq Abdul Aziz (Iman)and Quincy Taylor (Joyce) all of Baton Rouge,LA.. He was preceded in death by hismotherand step-father, Annie(née Stewart) Lawrenceand David; father Sam Taylor,Sr. and"second mother" Ardress (née Norris); three sisters, Alfreda (née Taylor) Williams, Islah (née Taylor) Rahman, and Habibah (née Taylor)Obaid: two brothers: Robert Lawrenceand Michael Taylor

Featherweight Scooter

Louis Wright,Jr. was born October14, 1948 to Louis Wright,Sr. and Myrtle Chambers. He passedawayFriday, November 7, 2025 at the age of 77 years old (John 3:16). Louis, Jr.was a retiredtruck driverand laborer outofLabor Union Hall Local 1177.

Louis, Jr.leaves to cherish hismemory:his wife Ollie R. Wright;his daughterand son in law Marilyn Louise (Elvin) Doherty, Jr.; hisson Louis Wright,III;his grandson Matthew Doherty; his brothers JamesWright;VL (Kerry) Wright;his sisters ShirleyWright;Irma Wright;brother in lawsAlbert Lastrapes; Joseph Berry; sister in lawsPearlie Wright andFaye Sweet; God ChildrenFaye Fontenot andPatricia Harris; and ahostofcousins, nephews, nieces and friends.

Louis, Jr.ispreceded in death by hisfirst grandson DevinLamar Doherty. Thank you to theOur Lady of theLake Hospital Cardiologist doctors& staff; and NurseLara Rayburn with Pinnacle Hospice.The viewingand serviceswill be held at Hall Davis& Sons Funeral Home on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Viewingisfrom10:00 AM11:00 AM withservices starting at 11:00 AM.Minister Andre Harriswith First Edgefield Baptist Church will conduct the services

Gathe, Ronald Charles

Nicholas, Delores

Stewart,Thomas Claude 'Tommy'

Louise Tucker

Taylor II, Sam

Redistrictingcaseshouldbedecided on 15th Amendment

Remember whenIndianaJones nonchalantly chose to hip-shoot his way out of aduel with a threatening swordsman? It was pragmatism over pageantry.Simple versus struggle. Bullet beats blade. Redistricting lawsuits by their nature rarelyoffer judges opportunities to be Indy and swagger off with finality.Louisiana’s congressionalmap gives the Supreme Court one of those moments this term.

Logan Churchwell GUEST COLUMNIST

An amicus brief filed by the Public Interest Legal Foundation and several Louisiana legislators argues that the state’snew congressional map must be struck down under the Fifteenth Amendment because it was drawn “on accountofrace.”

Our argument is simple: the court doesn’tneed to wadeinto complex 14th Amendmentbalancing tests or VotingRights Act details. The 15th Amendmentis the Court’strusty revolver

After theCivil War, thenation adopted three constitutional amendments to secure freedom and equality.The 13thended slavery.The 14thpromised equal protection.The 15th made adirect, powerfulrule:Voting rightscannotbedenied or abridged because of race. This was meant to stop governments from using race to allocate political power,period. In Louisiana, theLegislature passed amap that added asecondmajority-Black congressional district. Lawmakers openly said the purpose was to create a“Black district.”

Our brief quotes floor debates where sponsors and supporters described themap’sgoal as achievingtwo majority-Black districts. Thedistrict court found that race had agreater influence on drawingthe lines than politics. That is exactly what the15th Amendment forbids.

Whynot rely on the 14th Amendment’sequal protection

clause or theVoting Rights Act? Because those paths are needlessly messier.Under the 14th Amendment,courts apply strict scrutiny,ask about compelling interests and assess narrow tailoring.

Under Section 2ofthe Voting RightsAct, courts apply the Gingles testand “SenateFactors” to decide if amap dilutes minority votes. Those are complex, factheavy inquiries. If that sounds confusing, don’tworry: Your average political science professor can’teasily explain them either The Supreme Court doesn’teven need to go there. That’sswordtwirling in thebazaar

The 15th Amendment is straightforward: If race was a purpose behind an election policy or map, it violates the Constitution.Bang. Ourbrief cites asimilar case from Guam, where the 9th Circuit helped strike down a “native inhabitant”voting rule under the15th Amendment and didn’tbother with other claims. There are also cases from North

Theway to help is to empower communities, nottakethemover

President Donald Trump placed the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police under federal control this past summer in the name of safety,stating the move would “rescue our nation’scapital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor.”

Carolina (Shaw v. Reno) and Hawaii (Rice v. Cayetano) to support therecord.

PILF doesn’t debate that raceconscious mapscan help fix Voting Rights Act violations. If lawmakershad clearly said the map was drawn to remedy aproven problem under the VRA, the central question before the court would be different. The 15th Amendmentstill forbids maps drawn with race as apurpose, rather than as aremedy

Louisiana’smap wasdesigned to ensure that two congressional districtswould elect the “candidates of choice” of Black voters.

PILF andour clients consider that amodern version of allocating power by race. This is exactly what the post-Civil Wargeneration fought to end.

The Supreme Court can avoid along, complicated analysis and ground itsdecision in the Constitution’sclearest rule like it was confronted with circus-style swordplay.The district court already found racial motivation

based on direct statements. That should end the matter under the 15th Amendment. No strict scrutiny balancing. No Gingles checklist. Just the Constitution’sflat ban on race-based voting rules. Bang.

PILF’sarguments do not undermine the Voting Rights Act. There is areal difference between a carefully justified remedy for proven vote dilution and amap drawnwith race as an end in itself.When legislators are explicit about racial goals, they cross a constitutional red line.

The 15th Amendment was written to stop governments from picking winners and losers based on skin color.InLouisiana, that is exactly what happened. The SupremeCourt should say so, and it should do it the simple way:by enforcing the 15th Amendment’s clear command.

LoganChurchwell is the research director anda spokesmanfor the Public Interest LegalFoundation

Life-savingtreatment forPTSDneeds backing

Many long-term residents ofneighborhoods with the highest crime rates have accepted the presence ofthe National Guard after yearsofunsuccessfullygetting similar support and solutions to ahistorically durableproblem. There is an argument for an intervention.

But this isn’tjust aD.C. problem —rural America isn’tsafe either.According to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention, people living in ruralareas are more likely to die early from the five top causes of death than theirurban counterparts.Furthermore, another study by the Center for American Progress found that between 2021 and 2024, rural counties made up the majority of counties with the highest rates of gun violencein the country and that many of our country’slargest cities have far fewer gun homicides thanrural areas. Again, there is an argument for an intervention.

Rural America: Would you want abunch of big-city police chiefs and California National Guardsmen or doctors and health care workers swooping in from thousands of miles away,telling you how to fix yourhealth problems or gun violence, imposing solutions withoutunderstanding your community,yourresources or your way of life?

So why on earth would you support your representatives doing exactlythatto D.C. residents— sending in the National Guard like some occupying force to “solve” crime, as if Washingtonians can’t address their own challenges? There is aright and wrong way to solve community problems in our cities and small towns. The wrong way has been laid bare by its repeated use. First, cut funding and electoral power to districts, counties and cities.Then

shineaspotlight onthe resulting problems.Blame local officials for theconditiontheydidn’tcreate. Next, justify removing selfgovernancethrough takeovers. Take credit for any short-term gains. Rinseand repeat.

Of course,we’ll readily suspend our notions of local control as the heart of democracy when it comes to majority-Black cities, school boards,city councils and policeforces.However,rural America has similarproblems that we aren’tsending in the troops for.Wehaven’t— yet strippedthemoflocal decision making.

I’ve seen the stripping oflocal authority firsthand as aformer educator in New Orleans —a districtthathas historically struggled to educate itsyouth.

In theaftermath of Hurricane Katrina, closingthe achievement gapbecame the justification or excusefor firing local teachers, more than 70% of whom were Black, disempowering the elected board and expelling students en masse. These “gap-closing” methods arenot things thatultimately strengthenacommunity. Test scores areup in New Orleans, but economic mobilityamong Blackfamilies is down. Firing Blackteachersfromunion jobs andremovingauthorityfromlocalboardscouldn’t have helped. Ican easily arguethat people in poverty areless prepared for a disaster thanbefore Katrina the real measureofeducation reform in thecity Undermining localautonomy

whether in health careorpublic safety—never servesthe people it claims to help. Communities know their problemsbetter than outsiders ever will, and top-down interference is no substitutefor empowering people to solve their own challenges

The right way to solve problems is to empower people at the local level whether their cities areBlack, White, urban, rural, big or small. Whether to reduce crime in D.C., improve schools in New Orleans,correct budgets in Detroit, these takeovers scapegoat elected officials while funneling contracts, jobs and decision-making power to outsidersinstead of investing in local residents.

And while elected officials have strippedpower from Black jurisdictions, theyhave alsoallowed many White areas to worsen. In the end, the rightway to ensure that all of our communities —rural, urban and in-between —have the resources that they need to thrive is to support local leaders’ agency and democratic decision-making —the very foundation of American selfgovernance. Local controland residents’ agency wereonce championed by Republicans. Now thatthose values have faded from theGOP, the duty to defend them falls to all of us

AndrePerry is aformer New Orleans educator,aprofessor at Washington UniversityinSt. Louis and asenior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

After 20 years in the Air Force, I’ve seen the invisible wounds of war up close and personal. I’ve watched brothers and sisters in arms grapple with post-traumatic stress disorder PTSDhits hard: hypervigilance, crippling anxiety,flashbacks and insomnia that can turn nights into hell. Traditional fixes like counseling therapy and SSRI antidepressants help some folks. But remission rates are adismal 30%-40%.

Andre Perry GUEST COLUMNIST Chad

Toomany warriors are still left in the fight, resulting in 17 to 22 veteran suicides aday That’swhy I’mtouting the stellate ganglion block procedure as atransformative breakthrough in the fight against trauma and suicide in the veteran community. This isn’tsome wishful theory; it’sagame-changer that’s been hiding in plain sight. SGB started as apain managementtool, but it has proven its mettle against PTSD. It’s aquick injection of local anesthetic right into thestellate ganglion, that nerve cluster in your neck running thesympathetic nervous system —your body’sfight-orflight engine.

Trauma cranks the system into overdrive, locking in the PTSD symptoms.SGB hits the reset button,dialing it back without a single pill or endless couch sessions.

Andrelief is immediate. We’re talking minutes to hours postshot.Veterans report asudden lift in emotional burden, reduced anxiety and improved sleep. Many describe it as “turning down the volumeontheir inner alarm system.” For someone on theedge, perhaps with suicidal ideation knocking at the door, this can be the difference between defeat or victory It’sa minimal intervention: one shot or aseries of two, tailored to your specific needs. Administered by apain management physician or anesthesiologist, theshot is ultrasound-guided and thefull procedure takes 15-30 minutes.

Safetyisakey advantage; complications are rare, occurring in less than 1% of cases, typically minor like temporary hoarseness or bruising, and the proce-

dure avoids the systemic side effects of medications such as weight gain or sexual dysfunction common with SSRIs. Now,the metrics: SGBhas an 80%-85% success rate in slashing PTSD symptoms. When administered alongside mental health therapy,the procedure rebuilds emotional control, mends relationships and boosts resilience. For veterans and first responders, it tackles the guilt and constant hyperarousal that no pill can touch. Clinical programshave treated over 5,000 patients, reporting sustained benefits when SGBisintegrated with traumafocused psychotherapy,helping individuals reconnect with family and reintegrate into civilian life. According to Armyveteran Grant Rogers, “SGBhas been a lifechanger forme.”

The cost varies from about $800 to $2,000 depending on the provider.However,most health insurers deem it “experimental” forPTSD and do not cover it. Youmust either go out-of-pocket or seek financial assistance through veteran assistance nonprofit organizations. And the VA?Abipartisan bill to mandate VA/DoD coverage —the TREATPTSD Act —has been stuck in congressional mud forover five years, currently languishing in the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Introduced in 2019 and reintroduced in subsequent sessions, the bill has garnered support from veterans’ advocates and lawmakers across the aisle, but bureaucratic hurdles and funding debates continue to delay progress. Bottom line: SGBoffers immediate relief,amazing success rates and asuper simple procedure. Pair it with therapy,and you’re not just surviving; you’re thriving. If you are aveteran or first responder battling PTSD, don’twait another day —this single step could restore peace, save alife, and honor the service of those who’ve given so much.

Chad Carter is an attorney andretired Air Force judge advocate. He is also the Executive Director of Bayou Veterans Advocacy

Carter GUEST COLUMNIST

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Members of the Louisiana National Guard patrol the groundsofthe Washington Monument in September

After Democrats prevailed in elections around the country, someare asking what it means for the future of the party.The victoryofZohran Mamdani in the Newyork mayor’sraceemboldened theparty’s progressive wing.The gubernatorial wins of Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherrill in NewJersey were seenasa sign that amessageappealing to centrists is awinning strategy.Both parties are trying to decipher what theresults portend for theupcoming midterm elections.What lessons shouldbelearned from these off-year elections, and what arethe stakes for the future? Here are twoperspectives:

Warnings forbothparties emerge from recent vote

Virginia and New Jersey,the two states that voted for governor in 2025, both voted for then-Vice President Kamala Harris over then-candidate Donald Trumpby 52%-46% margins in 2024. Democratsran significantly better in both states last week. One reason isthat Trump Republicans,asanincreasingly downscale party,see their turnout sag in off years compared to when the presidency is up. But that wasn’ttheir onlyproblemthis time.

yearaftertheir side wins, as Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini suggests?

Trumptryingtofendoff ‘nightmare’inmidterms

why. It doesn’tmake sense.”

In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger,aformer CIA officer andcongresswoman, won 58%-42%, well ahead of her standing in most polls. Republicans who dismiss this result as reflecting the weaknessofnominee WinsomeEarleSears should note thatDemocrat Jay Jones beat incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares 53%-47%, despite theOct. 3revelation of Jones’ textmessages that he’d like to murder acolleagueand see his children die in their mother’sarms.

The most significant swing from 2024 was in northern Virginia, part of metropolitan Washington, which cast 33%of the state’svotes. That’sahighly educated, upscale community with ahigh percentage of federal and governmentcontractor employees,but Republicans wouldbe unwise to dismiss the Democratic gains as just aresponse to the government shutdown. It could be aforecast of what’s in store for them in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; Oakland County,Michigan; and Waukesha County,Wisconsin

In New Jersey,Rep. Mikie Sherrill aNavy veteran,beat Republican Jack Ciatarelli 56%-43%,a big improvement on incumbent Gov.Phil Murphy’s51%48%squeaker against Ciatarelli four years ago. Sherrill’smajority looked much likethe 57%-41% Democratic advantage in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, which caused it to seem asolid bluestate The big difference is that Ciatarelli was unable to duplicate the biggainsthat Trump made among Hispanic voters. Trump carried heavily Hispanic Passaic County with 50% —itvoted only 42%Republican this year.Similarly,inVirginia, even Miyares, despite his Hispanic ancestry,won only 37% in heavily Hispanic Prince William County

Has the Trump administration’s roughand-readyimmigration enforcement hurt his fellow Republicans? Or are we just seeing sags in turnout from low-propensity voters in low-propensity constituencies, as we have in previouscontests a

Then there is New York City, similarly sized (8 million-plus) to New Jersey and Virginia, whose record (since 1969) turnout of 2million-plus was nonetheless lower than each of those states’ 3million-plus. Since he won the June primary, the young socialist Zohran Mamdani —heturned 34 last month— has led therace. Hischeerful demeanor and clever ads, plus his emphasis on cost-of-living issues (free buses, city-owned grocery stores), have naturally produced sympathetic coverage from most media.

For months,hehad wide leads in the polls thanks to split opposition from widely disliked former Gov.Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

In acity that voted 68%-30% for Harris over Trump, Mamdani led Cuomo by a decisivebut far from overwhelming 50%42%, with just7%for Sliwa.

While Democratsimproved on Harris’ performance in Virginia and New Jersey,Mamdani far underperformed Harris in New York City. One-quarterof New York’s Harris voters supported the Republican or thecandidate endorsed by Trump.

Mamdani’sweakness among some Democratic constituencies does not represent adanger for the party across the country generally.But it does suggest that the socialist wingofthe party, and those Democrats whose antipathy to Israel can verge on antisemitism, are far from amajority force nationally

In the meantime, Trumpfaces atough constituency: the Supreme Court. Will the justices, including those he appointed, accepthis claim that the gauzy language of a1977 law gives him thepower to raise andlower his beloved tariffs singlehandedly?

ASupreme Courtrebuff to Trump could turn out to be apolitical gift to the Trump Republican Party.Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs in April thrust his job approval downward, and 3% inflation, which, though low,can be plausibly linkedtocontinuing tariffs, provides a basis, as Mamdani has shown, for Democratic campaigns. Also,should Trump acquiesce to an adverse Supreme Court decision, as Truman did 73 yearsago, voters’ fears of an authoritarian presidency will be mitigated.

MichaelBarone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

The off-year elections last week marked thebeginning of aferocious 12-month battle for control of the House of Representatives, abattle that will have an indelible impact on President Donald Trump’sfinal two years in office.

The Democrats have won the first skirmish, withdecisive victories in Virginia, New Jersey andCalifornia, but it’sa long war.And the stakes are huge.

If Republicans lose their minuscule three-votemargin, Trump’slegislative program would stop dead. More important, aDemocratic majority would control all theHouse committees, giving them the power to hold hearings, conduct investigations, subpoena witnesses and —above all —possibly impeach the president.

Actually,itdoes. Magnetic candidates like Trumplure manymarginal voters to the polls that don’tshow up when their charismatic leader is no longer on the ballot. Moreover,all successful candidates makepromises that they cannot keep. Acertain sense of disappointment inevitably sets in, and that’sexactly what’shappening with Trump.

“The president is obsessively focused on the midterms,” asenior Trumpadviser told CNN. “He remembers what happened thefirst time he was in office.”

During his initial tenure, Democrats won 41 seats in 2018 and reclaimed the majority for the first time in 10 years. They then impeached Trumptwice, and while the Senate acquitted him both times,he’s“obsessively” determined to avoid that humiliation again.

That’swhy he’striggered an unprecedented escalation of partisan warfare in state legislatures around the country bullying Republicans to redraw Congressional districts to favor their candidates and forcing Democrats to retaliate in the states they control. California voted overwhelmingly to alter the state constitution and help Democrats win as manyasfive new seats.

“This redistricting war is the opening salvo of abattle that must be won,” Stephen Bannon, alongtime Trumpadviser, told theNew York Times.“We must have these victories. If Trumpdoesn’thold the House, they will impeach him.Itwill be a nightmareand abloodbath.”

Speaking of nightmares, the Democrats have been living one since Trumptook office again. Few presidentshave used their powers so effectively todominate the political world, exciting his supporters and exiling his enemies. In the latest ABC/ Washington Post poll, 68% callthe Democrats “out of touch” with most Americans. Butlast week’sresults show that the partystill has afighting chance next year, and one explanation is simply history: In 20 of the last 22 midterm elections, the president’s partyhas lost ground. “For somereason, you lose themidterms,” Trumpmused recently.“Idon’tknow

While he won 49.8% of the popular vote last year,his favorable rating has dropped to 41% in the ABC/ Post poll and to 37% in the latest CNNsurvey Aprimary explanation forTrump’s slumpisone word: prices. The Biden administration failed to curb inflation, especially the cost of gas and groceries, and Trumpcapitalized by making this promise: “Under my leadership, we are quickly going to turn this economic nightmare into an economic miracle.”

Yes, the stock market is booming, but ordinary Americans, including many Trumpvoters, simply haven’tfelt any improvement, let alone a“miracle.” In the ABC/Post survey,only 37% view Trump’s handling of the economy positively,while 62% are negative. For 52%, their economic situation has actually declined since he took office, while only 27% say it’s gotten better.InanNBC poll, two-thirds of Americans say Trump’srecord has “fallen short of expectations” regarding the cost of living.

Exit polls tell asimilar story.Voters in all the contested states called the economy their biggest concern, and many blamed Trump. For many families, the government shutdown has only aggravated their economic woes.Nearly 42 millionAmericans —12.3% of the United States population— depend on SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, and those payments were set to be cut in half this month. Millions of others face sharp increases in their insurance premiums as subsidies adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic have been allowed to expire. Trump airily dismisses the problem, saying these programs “largely” benefit Democratic voters, but that’sflat-out false.

The samegloomypessimism and economic discontent that helped propel Trumpinto the White House ayear ago now threatens to turn his tenure into a nightmare.

Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@ gmail.com.

Michael Barone

Steve Roberts

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

AbigailSpanbergerinRichmond, Va left, Zohran Mamdani in Newyork, center,and Mikie Sherrill in East Brunswick, N.J

Baton RougeWeather

Tigers overcome slow start to beat FIU

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

After a pair of wins decided by at least 30 points to open the season, LSU received its first challenge of the year against Florida International.

The first test of the season was passed as the Tigers beat Florida International 98-81 on Thursday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center LSU (3-0) was led by Marquell Sutton with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Mike Nwoko with 19 points

The Tigers missed their first four shots of the game as FIU packed the paint with defenders whenever anyone caught the ball within 10 feet.

The dry spell for a field goal ended once Pablo Tamba got a steal in the passing lane at the top of the key and finished a breakaway two-handed dunk at the 17:57 mark. The graduate student transfer from UC Davis played a part in the next field goal as he drew a second defender near the hoop and made a behind-the-back interior pass to Nwoko for a push shot in the lane. Those two scores helped LSU find a rhythm as it went on a 9-0 run to take a 13-4 lead with 14:55 left in the first half.

FIU began to employ a full-court press to delay LSU’s offense from starting as usual

ä See TIGERS, page 3C

rst half of thier game on Thursday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

SPORTS

SAINTS ROUNDTABLE

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Officials issued five technical fouls and 49 common fouls on Wednesday in the LSU women’s basketball team’s 117-59 blowout win over Charlotte.

And a TikTok post may have inspired the extra-curriculars that necessitated that tighter whistle. On Tuesday, 49er guard

Princess Anderson posted a since-deleted video of herself and one of her teammates dancing behind a caption that said the No. 5 Tigers (4-0) were about to “play some competition” for the first time this season. Coach Kim Mulkey said LSU used the post as “bulletin board material” ahead of the win.

“We had too many technicals,” Mulkey said, “but I wanna give you a little background, OK? They took it real personal with all the stuff that was on social media And I’ll leave it at that. And so, they were fired up.” LSU was given three of the technical fouls, all for taunting.

LO G

Breaking down QB Shough’s play so far, predicting Saints’ final record

The Saints are 2-8 entering an open date. It’s a perfect time for The Times-Picayune Saints writers to sit at the roundtable and give their thoughts on the season so far

Assess quarterback Tyler Shough

Jeff Duncan: It’s easy to see why the Saints were high on Shough in the draft. He has the traits and intangible qualities you look for in a quarterback. He has NFL arm talent and plays with poise and confidence. His command of the offense inspires confidence in his teammates. You could see the body language of his teammates change as he started to make plays against the Panthers. His performance against Carolina was encouraging, but I need to see him continue to improve and string together a few similar games before I’m ready to anoint him the quarterback of the future. Luke Johnson: I liked what I saw from Shough even when the Saints mostly scuffled during his first two extended looks, because at that point you were just looking for traits that you could build upon. In losses to the Buccaneers and Rams, you saw some decisive-

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

ness within the offense and a rare ability to rip difficult throws deep to the sideline. Obviously the Panthers game just added to that feeling because so much came together It is much too early to say he’s The Guy, but he’s on the right track.

Matt Paras: I’ve been not only impressed with Shough’s play, but Kellen Moore’s plan to foster his growth. The rookie has made clear strides in handling the pocket, and I don’t think that would have been the case if he had played right away this season. That said, I think he’s going to have to show a lot more down the stretch for the Saints to avoid taking a quarterback next year The Panthers game was a great performance, but he needs to stack them.

Rod Walker: Let me first start by saying I wish Spencer Rattler could have had better luck as a starter If ä See SAINTS, page 2C

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier aggravated the abdominal injury he’s battled this season in practice on Thursday, interim coach Frank Wilson said. Nussmeier will now be listed as probable to play on Saturday at home against Arkansas (11:45 a.m., SEC Network), according to Wilson.

“A little bit concerning,” Wilson said.

“Something that we need to monitor and watch with him as we head into the game.” Nussmeier was benched in the third quarter of the Tigers’ Week 11 road loss to Alabama in favor of backup Michael Van Buren. Wilson has said that both will play against the Razorbacks, though Nussmeier had been operating as the starter in practice this week before aggravating the abdominal strain.

The fifth-year senior first suffered the in-

jury in preseason camp. It didn’t force him to miss time, but it appeared to

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough looks to make a pass during a game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C. AP PHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

guard Dedan Thomas looks to move the ball while driving past Florida International guard Ashton Williamson in the fi

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6 p.m. Indiana State at Duke ACC

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8

Kingsbury back in Europe with tough task

Commanders’ offensive coordinator tries to help team snap five game skid

BY TALES AZZONI AP sportswriter

MADRID Kliff Kingsbury knows his way around Europe, from his time vacationing in Spain to his playing career with the Cologne Centurions in Germany

The Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator has returned to Europe this week with a tough task: help the Commanders (3-7) snap a five-game losing streak Sunday when they face the Miami Dolphins (3-7) in the NFL’s last international game of the season. Kingsbury said it has been a challenge to deal with so many injuries, but he arrived in Madrid celebrating a healthy offensive line that could be key in helping the Commanders end their poor run.

The line — first-round pick Josh Conerly Jr., Laremy Tunsil, Tyler Biadasz, Chris Paul and Sam Cosmi, who just returned from an injury — has been playing well in recent weeks.

“Yeah, it’s been a good group,” Kingsbury said. “I think we’ve

SAINTS

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Juwan Johnson is able to haul in that touchdown pass against the Cardinals in the opener, maybe this season goes in an entirely different direction. His growth from last season to this season should be commended. But you also should commend the growth of Tyler Shough from his first start last week against the Rams to his second one against the Panthers. I know it’s just one game, but I think I saw enough to believe the Saints finally found QB1. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season holds for him.

Predict Saints’ final record

Jeff Duncan: I picked them to go 4-13 in preseason, and I see no reason to stray from that prediction now This team simply lacks the elite talent and star power necessary to beat good teams. Even games against cellar dwellers like the Jets, Dolphins and Titans can’t be taken for granted. A 2-5 finish feels right.

Luke Johnson: This is that weird moment where you look at the Saints schedule and see a couple of potential wins, only to realize other beat writers are looking at their teams schedule and seeing the Saints as a potential win. I like enough of what I’ve seen from Shough to believe they can go 3-4 down the stretch, so put me down at a 5-12 finish, but know that I don’t feel good about it. Matt Paras: I went into the season predicting 4-13, and I’m sticking with it. Give me one more NFC South win and then either the Titans or the Jets. They have the potential to go on a run, but they’d have to start playing consistently better down the stretch.

Rod Walker: It’s crazy how much my answer to this question has changed. If you had asked me this the day before Sunday’s game against the Panthers, I probably would have said maybe one more win. I thought the Saints were done But seeing the way the defense played and Shough’s growth, I’m willing to give them three more That

had the same starting lineup for about three weeks straight, which has been nice, and I think each week we’ve gotten better as a unit.

“Watching Josh kind of come along has been really exciting, and then Cosmi getting his legs back, has definitely improved, that has been a consistent group for us this season, and we need it,” he said.

Kingsbury said it’s been a unique experience coping with the absence of all the injured players, including star quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receiver

Terry McLaurin and running back

Austin Ekeler

“But I’ve been really proud of the guys who have stepped up,” Kingsbury said. “I thought last week, some guys made plays for us that just got here, and are playing hard, playing with great effort.”

The Commanders are coming off a 44-22 loss to the Detroit Lions at home. Kingsbury’s offense was held to seven points against the Kansas City Chiefs and to 14 points against the Seattle Seahawks.

would put them at 5-12, which is one more win than I predicted before the season started.

Other areas of concern?

Jeff Duncan: The Saints need elite playmakers on both sides of the ball. There’s not one single area that concerns me. They ALL concern me. They’re looking at a top 5 pick in next year’s draft and after using so many recent picks on linemen, it’s time to invest in an offensive playmaker or difference-maker on defense. Either one would help accelerate the club’s rebuilding plan.

Luke Johnson: Do the Saints have the correct people in place in the front office to get the rebuild on track? New Orleans has a ton of experience in its front office, and those people have had a lot of collective successes that you can’t just wave away But you also can’t ignore the state of the roster at this point and the reasons it’s gotten there. The Saints have not drafted well, and they’ve made some deci-

sions to retain players that have either backfired or aged poorly These next two offseasons will be absolutely crucial, and New Orleans can’t afford the same mistakes.

Matt Paras: The Saints need to draft better for this rebuild to be a success. Their 2025 class, for now, seems promising, but one of the main reasons the Saints have ended up at this point is because they haven’t hit on nearly enough young players. As Luke said, do they have the right people in place?

Rod Walker: Going into the season, I really thought the offensive line was figured out and the Saints could finally start looking to fill some of their other holes. But the decision to draft Trevor Penning ended up being an awful move. The injuries on the line have continued. So the Saints will still have to build a line. But there are concerns everywhere. There aren’t many players on the roster that another team would look at and say “Oh, I’d love to have him.”

Former Cleveland State coach Mackey dies at 80 CLEVELAND Kevin Mackey, who coached Cleveland State to an improbable victory over Bob Knightled Indiana in the 1986 NCAA Tournament on the way to a berth in the Sweet 16 but whose college coaching career ended abruptly under the cloud of drug abuse, has died. He was 80. Mackey died of a sudden heart attack Tuesday according to his son, Brian. Mackey, who earlier coached at the high school level in Boston, had been an assistant at Boston College where he was known as a master recruiter when he was named coach of Cleveland State in 1983. He went 14-16 his first season with the Vikings, then had six straight winning years. He compiled a seven-year record of 144-67 at the school.

European trip

Kingsbury said the trip to Madrid presents a good change of scenery for the team.

“Just to come together as a team on the road, playing a new city, an awesome environment, that’ll be revved up,” he said.

Kingsbury said he was among the few Commanders who had visited Madrid in the past.

“Huge fan of the city, been here before on vacation, so it’s been awesome,” he said. “There’s probably three guys that have been here prior so to everybody else it’s been a new experience.”

Kingsbury said he is a big soccer fan and was thrilled by the chance to play at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

“Really excited about that,” he said. “The play where (Kylian) Mbappé and Cristiano (Ronaldo) played will be pretty special for me, personally, and I know our team is excited about it as well.”

Kingsbury was a New York Jets quarterback when he was allocated to the Cologne Centurions in NFL Europe in 2006.

“That was an awesome experience,” he said. “I got to see some incredible places I never would have gotten to, so for our players to get a chance to do that and see the fanfare, and just the excitement of the city, it’s really special.”

The Saints seemed to have hit on some draft picks this year, but they need to string together another draft or two like that. Fill in the blank: Saints 2025 season will be considered a success if _

Jeff Duncan: Shough cements his status as QB1. That would answer the biggest question the team had entering the season. It would validate the decision to select him in the second round of the 2025 draft and allow the brain trust to focus on other areas of the depth chart next offseason. Shough’s development is critical in these final seven games. They can’t afford for him to get hurt.

Luke Johnson: If you think you have answers at the two most important spots in this league: Head coach and quarterback. We’re just past the halfway point of the season, and it’s way too early to have a definitive answer to either question. But if Shough is able to build off what he did last week and if Moore continues to have his team play hard during a winnable stretch run, maybe it will feel like the arrow is pointing in the right direction for both spots. That’s a good place to be.

Matt Paras: they find out whether they have a franchise quarterback. Judging Shough off only one year isn’t fair, though that’s the position the Saints will likely be in. The 2026 quarterback class might not be as stacked as analysts thought coming into the season, but that’s what Shough is still ultimately competing against over the final seven games.

Rod Walker: I know the goal is to win games. And inevitably, that’s what Shough will be judged by But in a perfect world, Shough will show he’s the guy, while at the same time the Saints will lose enough to get a really high draft pick to add some big-time playmakers to the roster Getting on a roll and finishing with eight or nine wins and barely missing the playoffs isn’t ideal for this team. Finding out that Shough is the starter for the future would make this year a success. The higher the draft pick that comes with that, the better

L.A. officials seek to halt proposed stadium gondola

LOS ANGELES A proposal to build a gondola from downtown Los Angeles to Dodger Stadium hit some turbulence this week when the City Council voted overwhelmingly to urge transportation officials to ground the project.

The estimated $500 million aerial tramway would connect fans between the stadium about a mile away to Union Station, the heart of Los Angeles’ rail system.

Supporters say the gondola would help fans of the World Series champions avoid nightmarish traffic. But critics worry that it would do little to keep cars off the roads. In a 12-1 vote, council members on Wednesday approved a resolution to advise the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to kill the project.

Alcaraz seals year-ending No. 1 ranking with victory TURIN, Italy When it came down to it, Carlos Alcaraz needed less than 90 minutes to secure the year-ending No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis. Alcaraz needed one more win at the ATP Finals to beat Jannik Sinner to the No. 1 spot and the Spaniard duly got that as he eased to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Italian Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday to sweep his group at the season-ending event for the top eight players. It is the second time in his career that the 22-year-old Alcaraz has ended the year at the top of the rankings. The Spaniard became the youngest player to finish a year at No. 1 when he achieved the feat as a 19-year-old in 2022.

Colo. AD George, who hired Sanders, set to step down DENVER Rick George, the athletic director at Colorado who hired football coach Deion Sanders, is stepping away from his role at the end of the academic year

The university announced his decision Thursday with the football team on an open date. George plans to move into an advisory role to the chancellor and serve as athletic director emeritus. He will help raise money for the department. George was brought on as Colorado’s athletic director in July 2013. One of his biggest moves was in December 2022 when he hired Sanders, the former NFL star known as coach Prime, who has revitalized a downtrodden football program George also oversaw the transition of the school from the Pac-12 Conference back to the Big 12.

MLS owners vote to shift soccer season in 2027

Major League Soccer owners voted Thursday to shift the league’s season to a summer-tospring calendar in 2027, bringing it more in line with its international counterparts.

The move aims to put MLS in a more competitive position for player transfers, while also freeing up players for national team duty during the summer, when many major international tournaments take place.

This season the league started play in late February, with a break for the Club World Cup over the summer

The MLS Cup championship game is set for Dec. 6.

Under the new calendar, league play will begin in mid- to late July 2027, with the final day of the regular season in April 2028.

AP PHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough runs the ball against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of their game on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BERNAT ARMANGUE

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota throws during a training session in Madrid on Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s game against Miami Dolphins.

Pelicans seek endtodisappearing act

N.O. hasseenleads vanish in thirdquarter

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

Amagician performed at halftime of the New Orleans Pelicans’ home game againstthe Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

If only he could sprinkle some of his halftime magic on the Pelicans. Not long after the magician left the court, the Pelicans returned from the locker room and did what is becoming the norm this season: they disappeared for apart of the third quarter

TheBlazerswentona 15-2 run in the quarterand endeduphanding the Pelicans their ninth loss of the season. Once again, it was athird quarter lull that did them in.

“We’ve got to finish third quarters,” forward Trey Murphy said. “We’ve got to come out and start third quarters very well. We’renot starting third quarters well and teams are continuing to go on runs It’sthe same old song anddance.”

Pelicans coach Willie Green talked to his team at halftimeabout being the aggressors in the third quarter

“Weknew they were going to make some adjustments,” Green said. “Wejust didn’tdoenough in that quarter to make sure we weathered the storm of that first quick run that they had. Ihad to take atimeout and keepgoing from there. But it was three quarters of good basketball.We’ve just gotto correct the third quarters.”

It’sbeen an issue since the season began. In the opener against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Pelicans got outscored 41-22 in the third quarter

When asked Wednesdayifhehas

STAFFPHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Pelicans forwardHerb Jones battles for the ball against Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija on Wednesdayatthe Smoothie King Center.The Blazers used a15-2third-quarter runtowin 125-117.

ä Lakers at Pelicans

7P.M. FRIDAy,WAFB

been able to pinpoint anything to lead to thethird quarterdroughts, Green had this tosay

“Not yet,” Green said. “I think that’swhat we are continuously looking at. How can we get off to abetter start in the third quarter when teamsmake an adjustment?”

ThePelicans are averaging 24.5 points this season in the third quarter.That ranks next to last in the league, only ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers. They are also

Jokic’sbig game pays off with rare winfor Nuggetsonone of hisprolific scoring nights

BY BETH HARRIS AP sportswriter

INGLEWOOD,Calif. Nikola Jokic

scoring 50 or more pointshad neverbeenenough for the Denver Nuggets to win. Until now Jokic tied the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season with 55 points, and the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-116 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory TheNuggets were 0-4 in his previous 50-point outbursts.

“It’sagood feeling,” the threetime NBA MVP said. He equaled Oklahoma Citystar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,who had 55 in adouble-overtime game at Indiana on Oct. 23.

Jokic has been on arollduring Denver’swinning streak. He’s the first player in NBA history to average a35-point triple-doublewhile shooting60% or better across asix-game stretch.

He’saveraging 35.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and 11.0 assists while shooting 73.9% from the field and 55.6% from 3-pointrange.

Opposing defenses have thrown everything at him in afruitless effort to slow down the 7-foot Serbian.

“I think Isaw everything,” he said, “but Ithink it’shard. We are really running alot of plays for me, all kindofdifferent plays.”

Playing on the secondnight of aback-to-back, Jokic scored25 of Denver’s 39 points in the first quarter.

“I didn’topen the game really good,” he said. “I think Imissed like two, three layups, and after that Ifelt good.”

Last season, Jokic played well on the back end of consecutive games, too. His routine on 24 hours’ rest includes adaytime napinbetween eating things like avocado, eggs, oatmeal and toast.

“Theway heplayedtoday is howheworks outwhennoone is watching,” coach David Adelmansaid. “He preparesevery dayfor situations like this.”

Jokichad eight points in the second quarterbeforecoming backwith 19 in the third, includingtwo personal runs of six straightpoints

“The guys, especially in the fourth quarter,they’re giving me theball,” hesaid. “I just keep shooting it.”

Jokic sat out the fourthuntil coming back with aboutsix minutesremaining. He scored three points to complete his night going 18for 23 from the field. He missed adding to his league-leadingsix triple-doubles with six assists. He was 5of6 on 3-pointers andmade 14 of 16 free throws.

“Hewas extraordinary,” Adelson said. “That’s one of those performances you won’tforget.”

TheNuggets led by 16 points going into the fourth and extended their advantage to 22 points early on.

Adelman said there was “zero disrespect” to the Clippers in deciding to put Jokic back in.

“They started to press us and he’sone of our best ballhandlers, he’sa guy that can bleed the clock, he’sone of the bestplayers alive,” the coach said. “It would be stupid for me nottoput my best players back in to make sure we win the game.”

being outscored by an average of 6.8 pointsper game in the third quarter,which alsoranked just ahead of the76ersfor last in the league.

Center Kevon Looney is in his first season withthe Pelicans. He spent his first 10 NBA season with the Golden State Warriors, ateam thathad plentyofsuccess in the third quarterofgames during their championship years. So this probably feels like unfamiliar territory to him.

“Wejust have to play better defensively,” Looney said.“Sometimes we have some letdowns in thethird defensively

TIKTOK

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In the first half, Mikaylah Williams picked oneupwhen she drained acorner 3-pointer and exchanged words with Charlotte coach Tomekia Reed. Then freshman guard Bella Hines drew the second when she hit a3-pointer of her own and pointed at the 49ers bench to celebrate.

Freshman forward Grace Knox was given thethird technical late in thefourth quarter when she blocked ashotand stared down theCharlotte player who took it Mulkeysaidwhenher teams pick up that many technical fouls, she usuallyeither“losesit” or pulls theguiltyplayers out of the game.

“If you’re gonna play great teams,” Mulkey said, “you can’t have that. ButIwasn’tsurprised.

“I think we probably laughed aboutit, andI probablytrash-talk-

TIGERS

Continuedfrom page1C

That didn’tbother Thomas,who was able to dribbleitpast half court.The Panthers’ success came fromtheir tenacity on the offensive glass. Theyhad fiveoffensive rebounds halfway through thefirst half and scored acorner 3-pointer on their latest chance.

Immediately after, LSU’sRobertMillerhad the ball ripped away from him from behind. That turned intoafastbreak layup that made the score 24-18 withLSU leading with10:08 remainingin thehalf.

FIUwenton8-0 run to tie it at 2626. LSU couldn’tbuy ajumpshot and began to rack up turnovers because of late mid-air decisions. One of theplayerswho helped

“Based on our history of strugglinginthe third, we kindofget downonourselves when teams go on arun. It’s the NBAand teams are goingtogoonruns. The Pelicans host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.They follow that up against the Golden State Warriors (Sunday), Oklahoma CityThunder (Monday) and the Denver Nuggets (Wednesday). All four of those teamsrank in the top 11 in theleague in third quarterscoring. In order for the Pelicans to have achance against anyofthose teams,theywillhave to stopthem from going on ascoring binge

ed them and cut up with them and do what we do. We have personalities, but it wasn’tlike that’sthe most important thing in ascouting report. They were allaware of it.”

On Wednesday, LSUwon in convincing fashion forthe fourth time in as manygames. The Tigers have beaten their first four opponents —Houston Christian, Southeastern Louisiana, Georgia Southernand Charlotte —byan average margin of 62 points. They’ve also scored at least 100 pointsinall four matchups —a feat that only one LSU team has accomplished before. In 2022, theTigerswho went on to win the 2023 national championship, strung together fiveconsecutive 100-point outings to begin their season.

LSUhas now scored at least 115 points seventimesinprogram history Three of those outings have come this season. Against Charlotte, SouthCarolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley

LSU regain composurewas Sutton,getting apair of offensive rebounds in back-to-back possessions. Oneled to his ownlayup and another led to an assist to Nwoko.

MaxMackinnon, who finished with 15 points, also pitchedin. The 6-6 senior transfer from Portland didn’tlet his 0of4night from 3 deter him from running hard in the fastbreak. He was the recipient of twodifferent passes for transition layups.

At halftime, the Tigers led 4338. They wereshooting 45% from thefield and had seven turnovers to FIU’ssix. In theirmost recent 93-58 win over UNO, they had seven in the game. From the 3-point line, LSUwas 2of11, missing several good looks. It managed to sustain because it made 13 of 14 free throws.

To openthe second half,Nwoko picked up his third foul after

PELS PROVIDE UPDATE ON ZION’S RETURN

NewOrleans Pelicans’ forward Zion Williamson is astepcloserto returning The Pelicans announcedThursday that Williamson has been cleared to resumeon-courtactivities. Williamson wasdiagnosedwith agrade 1left hamstring injuryon Nov. 4.

The Pelicans' next game is Friday against the Los AngelesLakers Theyfollowthat up withgames on Sunday(GoldenState Warriors), Monday(OklahomaCity Thunder) and Wednesday(DenverNuggets) Pelicans’ coach Willie Green was asked afterThursday’spractice if there wasa chance Williamson could returnfor this current homestand.

“We’ll see,”Green said.“I’ll continue to listentothe advice of our medicalgroup as well as Z.” This is the fourth consecutive season Williamson has missed timedue to ahamstring injury. Williamson has playedin five games this season forthe Pelicans (2-9).The two-timeNBA AllStar averaged 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.6 assistsinthose games Rod Walker

“When stuff starts happening, we’ve just gottobemore resilient in adversity,” Looney said. “And keep playing solid basketball.” EmailRod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

caught firefrom 3-point range and scored aseason-high 22 points. Williams added18points, while Flau’jae Johnsonmixedin16. Four other contributors scored in double figures. LSU,asateam, shot 49% from the field and 10 of 20 from beyond the arc. This season, the Tigers are shooting ahyper-efficient 56% from the field andared-hot 48% from 3-point range. Anderson, the Charlotte player who posted theTikTok,scored a game-high 27 points against the Tigers in thePete Maravich Assembly Center.But she may have alsoinadvertently lita fireunder her opponent, fueling the 58-point drubbing it handed to her and her teammates on Wednesday “It firedthemup,”Mulkeysaid. “If Iwas aplayer, I’dbefiredup too. Ialways look forwaystomotivate. If you can findthings to put on abulletinboard or say to kids to motivate them to getthemjust alittle bit more pumped up, do it.”

oneminute. He wasreplaced by redshirt junior Jalen Reed. When Milleralso returned to thecourt the Tigers’ defense put alid on the basket and crashed the defensive boards. They went on a13-0 run to take a62-43 advantage with 13:13 leftinthe game.

LSU relied on Sutton, who maintained his hot3-point shooting streak off the catch. The 6-9 fifth-year senior finished the game 3of5 frombeyondthe arc. So farthis season,he’s9 of 19 from the 3-point line. He also had his second-straight doubledouble

The Tigers also got Nwoko freed up for finishes around the hoop andopportunitiestobefouled. Thejunior Mississippi State transfer made7of8 free throws. LSU’snextgameisagainst Alcorn State at 7p.m. on Tuesday at the PMAC.

THE VARSITY ZONE

ACHS, Dunham, Parkview among winners in Thursday’s quarterfinals

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

LAFAYETTE – Day 1 of the LHSAA volleyball state tournament is in the books after Thursday’s quarterfinals at the Cajundome.

Here’s how the Baton Rouge-area high schools performed.

Ascension Catholic 3, McGehee 2

The No. 5 Bulldogs entered their third set against No 4 Louise McGehee down two sets to one.

Ascension Catholic battled and forced a fifth set with a 25-20 win In the fifth set, the Bulldogs opened with a 5-2 lead thanks to two kills and one ace by senior middle hitter Ava

Landry

“You just have to keep fighting,” coach Cliff Rome said. “Just fight, fight, fight till you get to the end. They played every point in the entire match, and that’s what got them to the (semifinals).”

LHSAA TOURNAMENT

Dunham 3, Notre Dame 1

The Tigers entered their quarterfinal matchup against No. 8 Notre Dame as the No. 1 overall seed in Division IV

The two sides split the first two sets, with Dunham winning set one 25-20, and the Pioneers taking the second set 26-24.

The Tigers roared to a 25-15 win in set three, but Notre Dame pushed Dunham to the brink in set four Notre Dame used a 7-1 run midway through the set to take a 17-9 lead.

Down by eight, the Tigers slowly clawed back Dunham cut the deficit to two with an 8-2 run. Senior middle Isabelle Richardson and junior outside hitter Kennedi Owens combined for five points during the run. Richardson finished with 12 kills and two blocks.

lead after taking the first two sets 2516 and 25-19 against No. 6 E.D. White in a Division III quarterfinal match. In set three, the Cardinals used a 10-2 run to take a 19-11 lead. Parkview Baptist made a late push, but E.D. White held on to force a fourth set, 25-21.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 6-2 lead in set four After a timeout by Parkview Baptist, the Eagles clawed back to make it 8-7. Down the stretch, the defense and height of sophomore Marin Price, seniors Rylan Varnado and Jana Thymes helped Parkview Baptist regain the lead and clinch the match.

Thymes totaled 29 kills, while Price had 15. Thymes also had seven blocks.

“We knew it was going to come down to service team and defense, and who was going to be the scrappier team,” Eagles coach Allison Leake said. “We had a couple blocks at crucial times that we needed, and it was somewhat of a momentum-changer.”

3 Parkview Baptist 3, No. 6 E.D. White 1 (25-16, 25-19, 21-25, 25-19) No. 2 Hannan 3, No. 10 Vandebilt Catholic 0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-14) Division IV No. 1 Dunham 3, No. 8 Notre Dame 1 (25-20, 24-26, 25-15, 26-24) No. 4 John Curtis 3, No. 5 Sacred Heart-N.O. 0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-18) No. 3 Northlake Christian 3, No. 11 Catholic-NI 1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-14, 25-21) No. 2 Newman 3, No. 10 Lafayette Christian 0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-22) Division V No. 1 Country Day 3, No. 9 Riverside 0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-17) No. 5 Ascension Catholic 3, No. 4 McGehee 2 (25-20, 16-25, 23-25, 25-20 15-9) No. 3 Central Catholic 3, No. 6 Episcopal of Acadiana 1 (25-12, 28-26, 21-25, 25-23) No. 2 Westminster Christian 3, No. 7 Northside Christian 0 (25-15, 25-13 25-11)

The Bulldogs continued to roll and took a 9-4 lead. Louise McGehee trimmed the deficit and trailed 10-8 after a serve error by Ascension Catholic.

Landry answered with a kill, and junior setter Caroline Martinez added two more points off of a tipped ball and an ace. Ascension Catholic held on to win th

e fifth set 15-9 to move on to the Division V semifinals

Landry tallied four blocks. Junior outside hitter Ava Gauthe tallied 15 kills and five aces

“The girls played out of their mind,” Rome said.“You couldn’t ask any more from them.”

“I told my team, ‘We have to act like this is the deciding set,’ “ Dunham coach Meagan Herrington said. “We don’t just earn the win.”

The Pioneers answered with three straight points to take a 22-17 lead. Dunham would close out the match with a 9-2 run to stave off a fifth set and book its trip to the Division IV semifinals with a 3-1 win.

“We found that momentum pretty quickly with some consistency that we were desperately searching for all game,” Herrington said. “That just helped solidify the win.”

Parkview Baptist 3, E.D. White 1

The No 3 Eagles rolled to a 2-0 set

The Eagles won set four 25-19 to make it to the semifinals.

“It was a really huge win for us,” Thymes said. “This is probably one of the best teams that I’ve been on at school. So grateful that I get another day to play with them.” Haynes 3, U-High 1

No. 5 University High fell to No. 4 Haynes Academy 3-1 in the Division III quarterfinals.

The Cubs fell behind 2-0 before winning the third set 25-21. U-High would fall in the fourth set 25-15. Freshman Monet Temple tallied 18 kills in the loss. The Cubs’ season ended at 31-4.

Back and better than ever

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Southern Lab quarterback

Jerry Bottley was going through practice on a Tuesday in Week 2 of the regular season when his high school career nearly came to an early end.

He suffered a grade 1 MCL sprain that sidelined him for a majority of the season, with the senior signal-caller not returning until Week 8.

Bottley’s initial reaction was shock.

“I just hoped that it wasn’t the worst,” he said.

But Bottley kept his faith and worked to reach full health In his return in Week 8, he guided the Kittens to a win over Kentwood Then, in Week 9 against Central Private, he went a perfect 10-for10 passing for 227 yards and four touchdowns.

The goal now for the fully healthy senior quarterback?

Guiding Southern Lab (5-4) to a state championship.

Making sense of it

Despite being sidelined for several weeks, Bottley used this time to improve his game.

“I believe that everything happens for a reason,” he said “I feel like God put me in that position for me to get hurt, so I can learn.”

He thanked God that he hadn’t missed the entirety of his senior season, but he saw the injury as a blessing in disguise.

While sidelined with the injury, Bottley focused on making corrections to himself so he could play mistake-free when he returned to the field. Southern Lab coach Darrell Asberry said he never wants one of his starters to get injured, but he said the time helped him develop, seeing the game from a different perspective, while staying involved.

Playoff time

No. 10 Southern Lab began its playoff run against No. 23 Central Catholic on Thursday night. For Bottley, this stage of the season is not unfamiliar to him, but that first playoff game still brings its own jitters.

“There’s nothing like the first playoff game,” Bottley said “Thank God that we even made the playoffs.” Asberry echoed his sentiments.

“That first game is always the one that gives you the real butterflies,” Asberry said. “You want to get in it, no injuries, and then you want to get out of it.”

Bottley has been a part of two championship teams, including the 2023 Southern Lab team that won a state title. While he cherishes those experiences, they didn’t feel like his championship. He wants to be on a title team where he’s a starter His team will enter as a lower seed and will likely be on the road for much of the postseason. Still, that doesn’t change his attitude toward what his team can do.

“Being an underdog never really affects me,” Bottley said. “I really feel no chip on our shoulder Everybody knows who Southern Lab is. I’m confident in my team.”

Student of the game

Since joining Southern Lab, Bottley said he’s become a different player under the guidance of Asberry

In his junior season, he totaled 3,200 yards and 35 touchdowns through the air and ground. He said Asberry has taught him everything he knows, from breaking

down film to reading coverages to being a leader

He’s lethal with his legs and possesses good arm talent, and Asberry has helped him unlock what he can do under center

“Reading the defense in this offense is tough because we run a lot of read routes,” Asberry said.

“It’s not just a lot of designated routes, so you have to be able to read coverages.”

The two spend hours grinding tape throughout the week to build their connection and Bottley’s understanding of the game.

In a typical week, the pair watches three hours of film a day leading up to their game, and even on gamedays, they’ll watch nearly an hour of film. The two’s commitment to studying tape is exemplified by one day that Asberry will never forget.

“We were in here one day watching film, and the film started rewinding,” Asberry said. “My finger hit the button. I had fallen asleep.”

He said the long days of grinding are part of Bottley’s preparation. He compared the quarterback to the coach on the field, who must understand the scheme,

pass protection and defensive coverages.

For Bottley, the hard work stems from his passion for the sport, which began when he was just 5 years old, on the couch, watching football with his dad.

He remembers pointing to the television and looking toward his father

“That’s going to be me one day,” Bottley said. “I told my dad, ‘Put me in football.’”

Bottley began playing when he was 6 years old, and to this day, his attitude toward the sport hasn’t changed.

“I would die for this sport,” Bottley said. “This sport really means a lot for me.”

The long days of practicing and grinding tape are made worth it as Bottley seeks to fulfill the promise he made to himself as a child.

“I look at my younger self,” Bottley said. “I tell him that I’m going to be great one day I want to look back and tell myself that that little boy that I’m great now.” Built for quarterback Bottley’s first position was tight end. He moved to quarterback at

8 years old before playing some running back and linebacker for three years. But ever since then, he’s played the quarterback position.

“I know that quarterback is hard, but I feel like I’m built for it,” Bottley said. “That’s the most perfect position to fit me because of the leader I am.

“Quarterback is just my safe place.”

He grew up with five sisters, and he’s always been in the role of being a leader even among his siblings.

Asberry knows the role of playing quarterback and being a leader is tough, but he said Bottley does a great job of taking ownership, while still being a great teammate.

“Being a leader sometimes, you’re going to upset a lot of people,” Asberry said. “But it’s his program. I follow his lead. I trust his decision-making.”

He spends time watching film of other quarterbacks, especially college quarterbacks from when they were in high school, and sees the different developments they made. Asberry told him to surround himself and his mind with those who are great, which is something that has stuck with him.

“I always say if they can do it, I can do it,” Bottley said. “That’s the perfect people to look up to because that’s the path that they’re going, that’s the path that I’m going.”

Going out on top

After high school, Bottley is committed to playing at the FCS program, Delaware State. But before he heads off to college, he wants to soak in everything he needs to learn to be ready

Once Southern Lab’s football season wraps up, it’ll be right back to the grind for Bottley

“I might take a week off, and then go straight into throwing, lifting,” he said, “so I can be ready for college.”

He plans to leave early so he can begin learning the playbook and avoid distractions. If football doesn’t work out, he plans on majoring in engineering. But the thought of being a coach is also an idea he considers.

Asberry called it an honor and a privilege to have Bottley in the program. He said he’s going to miss him once he’s gone, which is why he wants to ensure they won’t have to say their goodbyes just yet.

“We’re going to make these next five games special,” Asberry

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK Parkview Baptist player Jana Thymes, left, goes for a kill against E D. White during a Division III quarterfinal match at the Cajundome in Lafayette.

In final stretch, theseTigershavesomething to prove

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU football is in the midst of atransition. With the Brian Kelly era in the rearview ror,the Tigers are the page to anew before the end of But with three games remaining in the regular season, there are eral players who can these upcoming contests to showcase their for the incoming coachi staff.

Here are 10 players poised to prove their worth to LSU’snext gime.

MICHAEL VANBURE

The Mississippi transfer and sophom quarterback has sud been thrust into as ing battle with fifth-y senior Garrett Nuss Interim coach Frank son said VanBuren play on Saturday Arkansas, but he did who would start.

If VanBuren takes advantage of his opp nity,there’sachance

LSUg

Staff report

g re enly tar eier. ilill nst ’t say

could start next season for the Tigers, or at least for someone else in the Southeastern Conference. What happens this

ence W weekend could go a long way to determine whether he’d be willing to forgo hischance to redshirt this season. Even if apotential bowlgamewouldn’t count toward his future eligibility,Van Buren’s already played in three games

KYLE PARKER WR With 18 catches for 197 yards, the redshirt sophomore wide receiver hashad a career year in his third season in Baton Rouge His steady play in the slot makes him a strong candidate to stick around for the next coaching staff and quarterback A strong finish to the year would help enforce that belief AHMAD BREAUX DT Through nearly two seasons, Breaux has experienced steady

playingtime at defensive tackle. But if the sophomore wants to prove that he’d be indispensable for LSU’sincomingcoaching

to the year Breauxhas seven quarter back pressures andnine tackles this season, according to Pro Football Focus

DAVHON KEYS •LB Keyshas become a startersince Whit Weeks’ injury,and though the sophomore linebacker

Keys has been n But if Keyscan show his value as a strongtackler and smart player,perhaps LSU’s next regime will want him backasa steadying presence for the defense

six attempts over the last three games.

DOMINICK McKINLEY •DT McKinley wasafive-star recruit and at one point be the future efensive tackle thus far, his season has underwhelming. has only seven pressures and He’ll need a performances the year to tock.

JU’JUAN JOHNSON •RB The next staff may covet Johnson’s versatility, as the sophomore has experience at safety and quarterback along with being third on the team in rushing attempts as a running back However, he may need to turn things around over the next three bee McKin quarte five tac couple at the raise h COEN Echo startin sopho at left four g fresh promis and ha sack t ing hi core o offens Echols ing rol coupl manc CARI Cur tack LSU quarterback Michael VanBuren STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU gymnastics has signed three four-star prospects for its Class of 2026: Annalisaand MaleaMilton of Lee’sSummit, Missouri, and Audree Valdenerroof Los Angeles. Asenior elite from Gage Gymnastics, Annalisa Milton, recently competed at the 2025 U.S. Gymnastics

ChampionshipsinNew Orleans, where shescored a37.675 in the all-around competition.

Malea Milton,Annalisa’s twin sister,earned asecond-place finish on floor in the 2024 American Classic and took first place on beam at the 2023 American Classic,both in Katy,Texas. Sheownsacareer high of 38.100 in the all-around

throughout her Level 10 career

Valdenerro,who is from Gymnastics Olympica USAinLos Angeles, owns a38.525 in theall-around She wasa 2024 Regional All-Around Champion and DP National Qualifier

The threewill be eligible to enroll at LSUin2026and competefor theTigersstarting in January 2028.

Baylor AD Rhoades takesleave, stepsdownasCFP chairman

BY STEPHENHAWKINS

AP sportswriter

CFP selection committee

chairman Mack Rhoades hasbeenreplacedbyArkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek following an announcement Thursday that Rhoades had stepped down from the role and taken aleave of absence as the athletic director at Baylor while the schoolinvestigates unspecified allegations against him. While not going into additional details,Baylorvice president Jason Cook said Thursday the allegations against Rhoades do not involve Title IX, student-athlete welfare or NCAA rules violations, and do not involve the football program. Cook said the university takesthe allegations seriously and is in the process of conducting athorough investigation. The school earlier in the day released astatement that said Rhoades began his leave for “personal reasons” on Wednesday Rhoadesdidn’trespond to amessage fromThe Associated Press. He told ESPN that he initiatedhis leave from Baylor,but declined to explain why The new allegations received this week are not related to areport earlier this

LSU

Continued from page1C

to burn his redshirt in the last three contests of the year.Sofar,he’sappeared in three games for the Tigers, which means that he’ll lose hisredshirtifheplays in two more.

Against Alabama, VanBurencompleted five of his11 pass attempts for 52 yards He also rushed four times for21yardsbut lost afumble late in the fourth quarter,

Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades looksonfrom thesideline during agame against ByU on Sept. 28, 2024, in Waco, Texas.

month of an alleged verbal andphysical altercation involving Rhoades,a football player and an assistantcoach. The school had previously said it reviewed and investigated that matter, and that it was closed after appropriate actions weretaken Rhoades was in thesecond year of athree-year College FootballPlayoff selection committee appointment, andhis first season as chairman Yurachek, in his second year on thecommittee, nowbecomes the primary spokesperson for the CFP decisionmaking process. The chairman regularly appears on weekly primetime ESPN revealsofthe committee’srankings Utah AD Mark Harlan will fill Rhoades’ vacancy on

helping the CrimsonTide hang ontovictory.

Nussmeier threw for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns last season.

Buthe, like the rest of the LSU offense, has struggled throughout this year. Nussmeier has yet to hit 2,000 yards passingwith three gamesleft in the regular season.Hehas also thrown only 12 touchdowns, to five interceptions, and his yardsper passattemptis down from 7.7 in 2024 to 6.7 in 2025.

LSUdid not score atouch-

thecommittee as the Big12 representative.Harlan previously serveda one-year termin2023.

Theselection committee, which has done two weekly rankingsthisseason, was already down from itsstandard 13 members to 12 after Randall McDanielstepped away from his role on the committee for personal reasons lastmonth.The past All-America guard for Arizona State is expected to return next year Rhoades has been Baylor’s athletic director since July 2016, when he took over in thewakeofthe revelation of asprawlingsexualassaultscandal that cost twotime Big 12 champion football coach ArtBriles his job That NCAA case against the Bearswasn’tresolved until 2021,whenthe school was placed on four years of probation.

Before Baylor,Rhoades was the AD at Missouri (2015-16), Houston (2009-15) and Akron (2006-09).

Outkickhad reported earlier this month that Rhoades approached tight endMichael Trigg beforea home game Sept. 20 against Arizona State and put his hands on theplayer, while using an expletive in askingwhy he was wearing a long-sleevedyellowshirt underhis uniform. Then after the game, according to the report, Rhoades was behind Triggand some coaches when the AD allegedly grabbed one of the assistants and verbally accosted him.

down against Alabama, and it will likely need to score at least afew on Saturday Arkansasranks thirdinthe SEC in totaloffense and fifth in scoring offense.

“Asoftoday,” Wilson said, “Garrett will be the starter going into the game, and we’llmonitor hisprogress as we move forward.” Wilson alsosaid that star linebackerWhitWeeks’ (ankle)status will come down to agame-time decision. Wide receiverAaron Anderson, he said, is available to play

S•LG earned the over redshirt Paul Mubenga over the last The redshirt has shown sarun blocker allowed just one season, furtherfrom being the sissues on the line. Perhaps earn astartyear with a egood perforURNE •OL been thrust starting role at left osition Kelly pre-

viously suggested may not be suited forhim.But if the freshman showssigns of improvement over the last fewgames, perhaps astarting role at guard could be waiting forhim in 2026. The former four-star recruit is an SEC-level talent despite his struggles at tackle.

DASHAWN SPEARS •S It maybedifficult for Spears to earn alot of playing timeover the next three games with AJ Haulcy and Tamarcus Cooley still healthy and producing at safety.But another performance like the one the sophomore had in Week 3 against Florida wouldn’t hurt his chances of earning an elevated role next season.

TYLENSINGLETON •LB Singleton has only played 13 snaps on defense against SEC competition, but the redshirt freshman could earn abigger role over the next fewweeks if Keys struggles and/or Whit Weeks doesn’treturn from injury.The former four-star recruit has the speed and size to be adifference-maker at weakside linebacker

IN TO THESWAMP?

Buzz surrounding OleMisscoach createssubplot to game vs.Florida

BY MARK LONG AP sportswriter

GAINESVILLE, Fla. Florida is seeking avictory at No. 6Ole Miss on Saturday that would potentially stave off its worst season since 1979. The fanbasewould prefer to see the Gators bring back ahead coach.

Avisor-wearing guy who needles opponentsaswell as he designs plays, to be precise.

Ole Miss coach LaneKiffin is Florida’s presumed toptargetinits search to replace firedcoach Billy Napier,creating an intriguing dynamic when the Rebels(9-1, 5-1Southeastern Conference) host the reeling Gators (3-6, 2-4).

“Nothing is finalyet,so we don’tknow who is going to be ourcoach,” Florida receiver TJ Abrams said. “Regardless, we’ve got to go out there try to win.”

Florida athleticdirector Scott Stricklin hasremained quiet in the three weekssince he firedNapier, but there’sa growing belief inside the programthat Kiffin is at least considering areturn to the Sunshine State.

It’sbeen THE topic in Oxford and Gainesville this week.

“We’re just ignoring it,”

Ole Miss receiver Cayden Lee said. “We’re notlistening to any outside noise. We’rejust focusedonwhat we have in the building.”

Addedteammate and left tackleDiego Pounds:“Just keepthe main thingthe main thing. That’sjustgoing 1-0 every week.”

The subplot to the matchup is the Gators have a chance to knock OleMiss outofthe CollegeFootball Playoff for asecondconsecutive season. If Florida does that, it might be able to land Kiffin before next month’snational signing day

If not,the Gators might have to waituntil Ole Miss’ season ends in the playoffs, which stretchintoJanuary —arisky moveinacrowded coaching market that includes Auburn, LSU, Penn State and others. Florida interim coach Billy

Gonzales said he was “absolutely” aware of the buzz surrounding Kiffin’sfuture. It’s impossible to miss.Key boosters have made it clear that Kiffin is Florida’sNo. 1 choice, and Kiffin’sname can be spotted across campus. Alionstatue outside the Sigma Alpha Epsilonfraternity house has “Kiffin to the Swamp” painted in orange on it, and aproperty just afew hundred feet from Florida’spractice fields has ahuge sign in the front yard that reads, “Lane Train. Choo Choo.” When asked how well Kiffin would fit at Florida, Gonzales paused.

“I probably shouldn’t even answerthose questions, to be honest with you,” he said. “I think he’sa really good football coach. There’s alot of really good football coaches. He is definitely one of them.”

AP FILE PHOTO

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByALONZOADAMS OleMisscoachLane Kiffinwatches histeam play against Oklahoma on Oct. 25 in Norman, Okla.

Ohtani, Judge earn league MVP honors

BY DAVID BRANDT

AP baseball writer

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani

won his fourth MVP award in a unanimous vote for the National League honor on Thursday and Aaron Judge earned the American League accolade for the third time.

Ohtani won a MVP for the third straight year, his second in the NL with the Los Angeles Dodgers after two in the AL with the Los Angeles Angels. All four have been unanimous.

Judge became the New York Yankees’ fourth three-time winner

edging Seattle’s Cal Raleigh with 17 first-place votes to 13 for the switch-hitting catcher. The vote was the closest for an MVP since the Angels’ Mike Trout topped Houston’s Alex Bregman by 1713 in 2019.

Ohtani became just the second player to win at least four MVP awards, trailing only seven by Barry Bonds.

The 31-year-old Ohtani is the first to win in each league twice after getting the AL honor in 2021 and 2023. He signed with the crosstown Dodgers the following offseason and won NL MVP in 2024 during his first season in Chavez Ravine. He’s also won the World Series in both his seasons with the Dodgers.

Ohtani won all four of his MVPs in unanimous fashion with all 30 first-place votes. Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber finished second

with 23 second-place votes while New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto was third with four Ohtani hit .282 and led the NL with a 1.014 OPS. He also had 55 homers, 102 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. The right-hander returned to pitching in June after missing 1

1/2 seasons on the mound because of an elbow injury He struck out 62 batters over 47 innings, slowly increasing his workload while preparing for the postseason.

Ohtani continued to shine in October with arguably the greatest single game in MLB history He hit three homers at the plate while

striking out 10 over six dominant innings on Oct. 17, leading the Dodgers over the Milwaukee Brewers to finish an NL Championship Series sweep. Schwarber who earned a $50,000 bonus for finishing second was a finalist for the Phillies after hitting an NL-best 56 homers

SCOREBOARD

scores Wednesday’s games Tulane 77, North Florida 54 Florida State 89, Nicholls 64 New Mexico 99, UNO 65 Ole Miss 94, Southern 44 LSU 117, Charlotte 59 Thursday’s games None scheduled. Friday’s games UL at Nicholls, 6:30 p.m.

LATE WEDNESDAY No. 5 LSU 117, Charlotte 59

CHARLOTTE (2-2) Nicholson 3-10 2-2 8, White 1-2 2-4 4, Anderson 9-24 7-9 27, Best 1-8 0-0 2, Hayes 1-8 2-4 4, Gage 0-1 0-2 0, Staley 2-3 0-0 4, Cornish 2-5 0-0 6 Henderson 0-2 0-0 0, Nimo 0-3 0-0 0, Smith 0-3

4-4 4, Thiel 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 19-69 17-25 59 LSU (4-0) Koval 2-3 6-8 10, ZaKiyah Johnson 5-10 0-0 10, Flau’Jae Johnson 5-10 4-4 16, Richard 0-8

0-0 0, Williams 5-7 6-6 18, Joyner 3-4 9-10 15, Knox 4-6 2-4 10, Yarnevich 0-0 1-2 1, Bourrage 0-0 2-2 2, Fulwiley 8-11 1-1 22, Gilbert 0-6 6-6 6, Hines 3-6 0-3 7, Totals 35-71 37-46 117 Charlotte1251725—59 LSU36262827117

3-Point Goals—Charlotte 4-30 (Anderson 2-10, Best 0-5, Hayes 0-4, Cornish 2-5, Henderson 0-1, Nimo 0-3, Smith 0-2), LSU 10-20 (FJohnson 2-3, Richard 0-2, Williams 2-4, Fulwiley 5-6, Gilbert 0-3, Hines 1-2). Assists—Charlotte 5 (Hayes 2), LSU 14 (Richard 3). Fouled Out—Charlotte Hayes, Gage, Smith, LSU Yarnevich. Rebounds— Charlotte 37 (Nicholson 9), LSU 54 (Koval 12)

Total Fouls—Charlotte 29, LSU 20. Technical Fouls—Charlotte Team 2, LSU Williams 1 Knox 1, Hines 1. A—9,348. Women’s national scores

EAST Rutgers 68, Rhode Island 63 SOUTH Auburn 110, Mississippi Valley State 50 MIDWEST Green Bay 76, New Hampshire 64 Ohio 76, Morehead State 60 SOUTHWEST Texas A&M 79, Tarleton State 64 Pro football

CONFERENCE

and leading the big leagues with 132 RBIs. The three-time All-Star played in all 162 games, anchoring a lineup that won 96 games.

Soto overcame a slow start to the season to have his typically stellar offensive output. The four-time All-Star — who signed a $765 million, 15-year deal last December — had 43 homers, 105 RBIs and an NL-best 38 stolen bases. He received a $150,000 bouns for finishing third in the MVP voting.

Judge, who won the AL award in 2022 and 2024, joined Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle as three-time MVPs with the Yankees. The 33-yearold outfielder led the majors with a .331 batting average and 1.144 OPS while hitting 53 homers. The prior winner of back-toback AL MVPs was Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and 2013. Raleigh, nicknamed “Big Dumper,” led the big leagues with 60 homers, the most for a player primarily a catcher He started 119 games behind the plate and another 38 at designated hitter. The 28-year-old also had a career-high 125 RBIs, leading the Mariners to one of their best seasons in franchise history Cleveland’s José Ramírez finished third.

Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo finished fourth in the NL voting, earning him $2.5 million annual salary increases in 2028 and 2029 along with the price of Arizona’s 2030 club option.

EAST N. Illinois 45, Umass 3 MIDWEST Toledo 24, Miami (Ohio) 3 Cent. Michigan 38, Buffalo 19 Thursday’s games

SOUTH Troy (6-3) at Old Dominion (6-3), n Friday’s games

TOP 25 No. 7 Oregon (8-1) vs. Minnesota (6-3), 8 p.m. No. 19 Louisville (7-2) vs. Clemson (4-5), 6:30 p.m. SOUTH SC State (7-3) at NC Central (7-3), 4:30 p.m. Clemson (4-5) at Louisville (7-2), 6:30 p.m. FAR WEST Minnesota (6-3) at Oregon (8-1), 8 p.m.

Pro tennis ATP Finals singles results

Thursday At Pala Alpitour Turin, Italy Purse: $15,500,000 Surface: Hardcourt indoor Men’s singles group 3 Alex de Minaur (7), Australia, def. Taylor Fritz (6), United States, 7-6 (3), 6-3. Carlos Alcaraz (1), Spain, def. Lorenzo Musetti

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRyNN ANDERSON

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani watches his home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning in Game 3 of the World Series on Oct. 27 in Los Angeles.

SCHOOL FUN

The Baton Rouge-shot indie comedy film

“SeniorPrank” will have ascreening and Q-and-A withthe filmmakers at 5p.m.Sunday at the Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St

“Whentheir senior prank goes wildly off the rails,four students scramble to fixthe mess, dodgeauthority and survivethe highschool chaos.”$12.50. manshiptheatre.org

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

TRUE STORY

4new documentariesto watchbeforethe Christmas rush

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Enjoy the brief lull between now and Thanksgiving, when the switch is flipped on forthe 2025 holiday season. Pop some popcorn and settle in for one of these new documentaries or make anight of it and binge all four

‘Being

“BeingEddie”(Netflix)

When it comes to comedy,he’s among the best of the best. With an unforgettable laugh of his own, Eddie Murphy has cracked us up since those early “Saturday Night Live” days as memorable charactersMr. Robinson, Velvet Jones and Alfalfa. Murphy jumped to featurefilms including the “BeverlyHills Cops” franchise, “Coming to America,” “Shrek” and many others. And it all started with stand-up comedy

“Being Eddie” leads fanson an insightful journeythrough the Hollywood titan’scareer and life.Including exclusive interviews and perspectives from his fellowentertainers, expect to find out more about what makes Murphy tick, and why he can still bring the laughs. (Rated R)

AND LEONORAGOLBERG

John Lennon and yoko Ono’s first year in Newyorkunfolds in PBS’‘One to One: John &yoko.

“One to One: John &Yoko” (HBO Max)

From the Beatles’ invasion to his later work as asolo artist, John Lennon forever left his mark on music. With his muse and eventual second wife, Yoko Ono, their influence broadened to art and social activism.

“One to One: John &Yoko” dissects thecouple’sfirst year in New York City in the early 1970s,delivering “an immersive, cinematic experience that brings to life achapter of explosive creativity and political activism in their lives,” according to the synopsis.

ADAY OF DISCOVERY

Capitol Park Museum,660 N. Fourth St.,will explore Louisiana’sunique relationship with the American bison, offer abison-themed craft and discounted museum admission forDiscovery Dayfrom 10 a.m. to 2p.m Saturday,which is also National Bison Day. louisianastatemuseum.org/museum/capitolpark-museum.

GET YOUR GAME ON

It’sInternational Games Day, so head out to the Main LibraryatGoodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd.,from 10 a.m.to3 p.m. Saturday. Bring the whole family to this allages, free event and see howmanydifferent games youcan playinone dayand connect with local gaming resources. ebrpl.com

The all-female band Artemis’ Wednesdayshowatthe Manship Theatre is partofthe River

JAZZING THINGS UP

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer

Theacclaimedjazzgroup Artemis beganwith aspecial request.

In 2016, aFrenchpromoter asked pianist Renee Rosnes to organize an allfemale jazz band to perform in Paris and Luxembourg. Rosnes immediately realized that theall-starbandshe pulled together for concertstimed to International Women’sDay deservedanencore

“Wehad agreat time playingtogether and we wanted to continue,” theNew York City-basedRosnes said last week.

Theband continued in summer 2017 with performances in 14 European countries.The following summer,Don Was, president of Blue Note Records signed the group tothe legendary jazz labelafterattending the band’sdebut at

the Newport Jazz Festival.

“Although each individual member of this supergroup is abona fide jazztitan,” Wassaid in aBlue Note media release, “these incredible musicians dwell in the rarefiedair of bands whose whole is greater than the sumofits already sublimeparts. Their musical conversation is sophisticated,soulful andpowerful.” Artemis—named after the Greek goddess of nature, hunting and wild animals —will follow fivenights at New York City’sBirdland jazz club withtwo deep South performances in Baton Rouge and Oxford, Mississippi. Thegroup’s Wednesdayshowatthe Manship Theatreispart of the River CityJazz Masters concert series.

As the10thanniversaryyearofArtemis’ foundinglooms,the band canlook back at avery good 2025. High pointsinclude aDownbeat magazinecover story;

ARTEMIS

7:30 p.m.Wednesday ● Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St Baton Rouge ● $56-$71 ● manshiptheatre.org and artemisband.com

afeature story in The NewYork Times; the group’sVillage Vanguard debut; summer and fall tours of Europe; and thereleaseofathirdBlue Notealbum “Arboresque.”

Rosnes, pianist and musical director, andtrumpeter Ingrid Jensen have been in Artemis sinceits formation. Saxophonist NicoleGlover joined shortly after the band formed, andbassist Noriko Ueda anddrummer Allison Miller have been members since 2018.

See ARTEMIS, page 2D

Louisianaartists fill 2026 Grammysballot

BY LAURENCHERAMIE Staff writer

Batiste Guy

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM NETFLIX

Eddie’ leads fans on an insightful journeythrough Hollywood titan EddieMurphy’s career andlife.

PROVIDED PHOTO By BEN ROSS

PROVIDED PHOTOByJOHNABBOTT

City JazzMasters concertseries.

WEEKEND’S FAIRS & FESTIVALS

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

ALLEN PARISH FAIR: Allen Parish Fairgrounds, Tiger Lane, Oberlin. Friday events include a 10 a.m. parade, 7 p.m. youth rodeo and music by Morgan Lemelle & the Zydeco Playmakers. The chili cook-off begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, with judging at noon followed by People’s Choice tasting ($5); rodeo starts at 7:30 p.m. Fair midway by Midwest Rides. Follow the fair’s Facebook page

SATURDAY-SUNDAY; NOV. 22-23; 28-30; AND DEC. 6-7

LOUSIANA RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL: 46468 River Road Hammond. Travel back to 14th- through 17th-century Europe, an experience with over 600 artisans, entertainers and educational dem-

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, Nov 14, the 318th day of 2025. There are 47 days left in the year Today in history:

On Nov 14, 1970, a chartered Southern Airways plane crashed while trying to land in West Virginia, killing all 75 people on board, including the Marshall University football team and its coaching staff

Also on this date:

In 1851, Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale” was published in the United States, almost a month after being released in Britain.

In 1889, journalist Nellie Bly began an attempt to travel around the world in 80 days; she would successfully complete the journey in a little more than 72 days via ships, trains and other means of transport.

In 1910, Eugene B. Ely became the first aviator to take off from a ship as his Curtiss “Pusher” biplane lifted off the deck of the

TRUE

Continued from page 1D

The couple’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, and Brad Pitt are among the documentary’s executive producers. (Rated R) “Love + War” (Disney+)

From Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin comes this look at the life and career of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario.

cruiser USS Birmingham off Hampton Roads, Virginia. The flight by the civilian pilot marked the beginnings of naval aviation. In 1940, during World War II, German bombing raids destroyed much of the English city of Coventry In 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges, under escort by federal marshals, became the first Black child to desegregate an all-White elementary school in New Orleans.

In 1965, the U.S. Army’s first major military engagement of the Vietnam War began with the start of the five-day Battle of Ia Drang. In 1969, Apollo 12 blasted off for the moon, three months after Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to land on it. In 1972, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 1,000 level for the first time, ending the day at 1,003.16

In 1993, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula became the NFL’s winningest

onstrations. Tickets start at $20. larf2023.org.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

PORT BARRE CRACKLIN

FESTIVAL: Veterans Memorial Park, 129 Park St., Port Barre. First held in 1985, this multiday event hosts a street fair, pageant and parade while raising money for the Port Barre Lions Club. cracklinfest.com.

coach with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Including an earlier stint coaching the Baltimore Colts, Shula finished his 33-year career with 347 victories, 19 of them in postseason play In 2020, supporters of Republican President Donald Trump — unwilling to accept Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory — rallied around the country, including Washington, D.C., where thousands turned out.

Today’s birthdays: Britain’s King Charles III is 77. Filmmaker Zhang Yimou is 75. Musician Yanni is 71. Five-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault is 71. Basketball Hall of Famer Jack Sikma is 70. Rapper Joseph Simmons (Reverend Run of RunDMC) is 61. News anchor Bill Hemmer is 61. Actor Josh Duhamel is 53. Rock drummer Travis Barker (blink-182) is 50. Actorcomedian Vanessa Bayer is 44. Tennis player Sofia Kenin is 27.

FRIDAY

“WILD KRATTS LIVE 2.0”: Heymann Performing Arts Center, Lafayette, 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

DAVE BRUCE: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

AUDREY BROUSSARD: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Naq’s-n-Duson, Duson, 6 p.m.

MARLON G: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

PHI MU’S CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK FUNDRAISER: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

BUTCH TINKER & RICHARD

COMEAUX: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

THE CAST: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

MAJOR HANDY BAND: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

ISAAC LEJEUNE: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7 p.m.

HIGH NOTES FEATURING THE GOOD DUDES: Chez La Fête, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

IN HONOR OF JEAN-MICHEL

BASQUIAT: The Theatre at Baranco, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

CHÈRE ELISE: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8 p.m.

NIK-L BEER: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

JEFFERY BROUSSARD & THE

CREOLE COWBOYS: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park, Lafayette, 9 a.m.

SATURDAY MORNING JAM

SESSIONS: Savoy Music Center, Eunice, 9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

JAMMIN’ ON THE BAYOU: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 1 p.m.

SUGAR JAM FEATURING AL-

LIGATOR BLUE: Sugar Mill Pond, Youngsville, 6 p.m.

Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

MEAGAN & CLAUDIA: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

BAYOU BEATS: Pat’s Atchafalaya Club, Henderson, 7 p.m

JILL BUTLER COMBO: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

DOYLE TAUZIN: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7 p.m.

ANDREW DUHON: The Sidecar, Lafayette, 7 p.m.

HIGH PERFORMANCE: La

Poussiere Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m.

JULIAN PRIMEAUX: Gloria’s Bar & Grill, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

OEUVAL CAJUN BAND W/BEAU

THOMAS: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

POCKET CHANGE WITH SOL ROSA: Artmosphere, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

REPTILIAN WAR MACHINE, THORNPRICK & GHOST

PRISM: Freetown Boom Boom Room, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

DUKES ’N’ BOOTS: O’Darby’s Pub & Grill, Carencro, 8 p.m.

JAMIE BERGERON & THE KICKIN’ CAJUNS: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 8 p.m.

SPANK THE MONKEY: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

ONE TRICK PONY: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.

SUNDAY

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

LES FRERES MICHOT: Prejean’s, Carencro, 11:30 a.m.

CICO’S SONGWRITING CIRCLE: NUNU Arts & Culture Collective, Arnaudville, noon

BAL DU DIMANCHE – HOR-

ACE TRAHAN & THE OSSUN

EXPRESS: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m

CAJUN JAM WITH TOMMY MICHOT: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2 p.m.

WAYNE TOUPS, JAMEY BEARB & FRIENDS: Cypress Cove Landing, Breaux Bridge, 3 p.m.

FORET TRADITION: Pat’s

MONDAY

PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Café Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

SAM SPHAR: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

BLUEGRASS JAM: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

JAZZ TRIO – PAUL TAUSSIN, TREY BOUDREAUX & GINO

VALLENCILLO: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

ROB SAXY: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.

PAUL PIAZZA: The Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

SAM SPHAR: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

T’MONDE: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

ANDREW WAIN JAZZ: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: The Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m. CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

SCOTT’S BIRTHDAY

“King of Them All: The Story of King Records” (PBS)

Cincinnati-based King Records was founded by Syd Nathan in the early 1940s, an underdog label and one of the few racially integrated ones, and led American

Well-known war photographer Addario has turned her lens to not only the U.S., but also South America, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, then Ukraine and more, often focusing on conflicts and human rights issues. She also was one of the four New York Times journalists held captive and released five days later by the Libyan army in 2011. The film also touches on the challenges of juggling being a wife and mother while working in some of the world’s most dangerous places. (Rated R)

GRAMMYS

Continued from page 1D

has gone to artists like Chappell Roan Chance the Rapper, Sam Smith, Adele, Amy Winehouse and Zac Brown Band.

Other Grammy nominees with Louisiana ties include:

JON BATISTE: Best American roots performance for “Lonely Avenue,” best American roots song for “Big Money” and best Americana album for “Big Money”

COREY HENRY & THE TREME

FUNKTET: Best regional roots

music album for “Live At Vaughan’s” PRESERVATION BRASS & PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND: Best regional roots music album for “For Fat Man” KYLE ROUSSEL: Best regional roots music album for “Church of New Orleans” TROMBONE SHORTY AND NEW BREED BRASS BAND: Best regional roots album for “Second Line Sunday” A.J. HAYNES, CJ CHENIER, SONNY LANDRETH AND OTHER VARIOUS ARTISTS: Best regional roots music album for “A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco”

SULLIVAN FORNTER: Best jazz instrumental album for

music and culture in new directions.

“’King of Them All’ unfolds like a listening session with history From James Brown’s soul to the Stanley Brothers’ bluegrass, King Records shaped genres that still echo today,” PBS’ synopsis states. “Guides by voices like Stein, Vince Gill and Christian McBride, the film restores a lost legacy.”

King Records continued releasing original material until 1975. In 2008, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame placed a historical marker at the former King Records headquarters. (Rated PG) Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

“Southern Nights”

GREER GRIMSELY: Best opera recording for “Tesori: Grounded”

CARTER LANG: Album of the year for co-write on Justin Bieber’s “SWAG”

JOHNAYE KENDRICK: Best arrangement, instruments and vocals for “Big Fish”

KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD: Best traditional blues album for “Young Fashioned Ways”

The 68th Grammy Awards air Feb. 1 on CBS. Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.

ROUGAROU STOMP: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

JACK WOODSON: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

CLIFF BERNARD: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

KEN HOLLOWAY: SHUCKS!,

ARTEMIS

Continued from page 1D

Rosnes’ requisite for Artemis membership simply is “nice people, excellent players,” she said. “Life is too short to not have nice people in the band, but they must also be excellent musicians, which all of these women are.”

Rosnes’ work as bandleader includes making setlists, honing repertoire and arranging music not composed by the group’s members.

“With everybody’s original music, it’s a democratic process,” she said “Whoever’s composition it is leads the band. And I don’t recall a time when we said, ‘We don’t want to play that.’ If somebody brings in a piece that they think is great for the band, we work on it and play it.”

After performing together for years, the group’s members know each other’s playing well enough to compose to their strengths. “We

Atchafalaya Club, Henderson, 4:30 p.m.

RUSTY METOYER: Rock ’n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 5 p.m.

JAKE SPINELLA: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m

DOUG BROUSSEAU: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7 p.m

compose for this band and these players,” Rosnes said.

While excellent female jazz instrumentalists, such as brass woodwind, bassists and drummers, are easier to find now than a generation ago, an all-female jazz band is still uncommon. “Art forms transcend gender,” Rosnes said. “It’s about time that jazz caught up, and not a weird thing that there’s all-women bands. Yes, we are women, but by the time the first selection ends, audiences aren’t thinking about that anymore. They’re just digging the music.” Rosnes moved to New York from Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1985. She soon was touring and recording with Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, James Moody and more jazz greats She’s recorded 10 solo albums for Blue Note, the latest being the Brazilian-themed “Crossing Paths.” She’s also won many Canadian Juno awards and is a guest on the Grammy-winning 2015 album by Tony Bennett and

for the following Friday’s paper

her pianist husband, Bill Charlap, “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern.” All of Artemis’ members moved to New York and its jazz scene from somewhere else. Like Rosnes, Jensen is from British Columbia; Ueda is Japanese; Miller comes from Washington, D.C.; and Glover is from Portland, Oregon. Besides being international, Artemis is multigenerational.

“That feels good,” Rosnes said. “When we perform and do master classes at universities, young women and, actually, men, come to hear us. It’s gratifying when these young musicians tell us that we’ve made them feel like they can do this, too. We are an inspirational band for young musicians, especially young female musicians. They’re the genuine thing, too, just as much as the men are. We all have the capacity to create and be part of this thing we call jazz.”

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@ msn.com.

FRIDAY MIKE ESNEAULT: Stab’s Restaurant, 6p.m.

BRYCEBROUSSARD: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville,6 p.m.

SHADES OF GRAYDUO: Crowne Plaza, 6p.m.

LUCAHHOLLAND: Court To Table, 6p.m.

BURRIS: BLDG 5, 6p.m

RACHAEL HALLACK &ERIC

CANTRELLE: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6p.m.

HISTORICAL HAPPYHOUR FEATUR-

ING CAPITAL CITY CAJUNS: West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen, 6p.m.

KEEPIN’ TIME BAND: T’Quilas, Denham Springs,6p.m.

JIMMY DELATTE: T’Quilas, Zachary 6p.m.

KYBALION: El Paso,Gonzales, 6:30 p.m.

UNITED WE JAM: El Paso,Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

SPIRITISTE ALBUM RELEASE SHOW WITH SLOWHOLE, QUILT, &PANAMA PAPERS: Mid City Ballroom, 7p.m.

JENNA &DON: Bin77, 7p.m.

2DOMESTIC 1IMPORT: Pelican to Mars, 7p.m

CAMPYLE: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7p.m.

DON POURCIAU& KONSPIRACY: VFW Hall-Choctaw, 7p.m.

JOEY &THE JUMPER CABLES: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 7p.m

SUZY BOGGUSS: ManshipTheatre, 7:30 p.m.

FUTUREBIRDS WITH JOELTON MAYFIELD: Chelsea’s Live, 8p.m.

DENTON HATCHER: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge,8 p.m.

JOEL COOPER &HEATH RANSONNET: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville, 8p.m.

T-BOY& JUST US: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 8p.m.

BOX& KEVIN: Spanky’s,Dutchtown, 8p.m.

HENRYTURNER JR. &ALL-STARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s ListeningRoom, 8p.m

BETTER THAN EZRA: L’Auberge Event Center, 8p.m

DALE HARRISBAND: Phil Brady’s, 8p.m.

I-10 BOUND BAND: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St.Amant, 8:30 p.m.

SOUL TRIBE: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

REGENERATION: Icehouse Tap Room, 9p.m.

WEREWOLF: The Edge Barat

L’Auberge, 9p.m.

WILL WESLEY: T’s Country,Denham Springs, 9p.m.

TNT: Churchill’s, 9p.m

JOHN RUIZ JR.: The Vineyard, 9p.m.

JOVIN WEBB: Jack’sPlace,Port Allen, 9p.m.

WHISKEY ROW: Murphy’s, 9:30 p.m

SATURDAY

KYBALION: LSUTiger FanZone, 1:30 p.m.

THE LEE SERIO BAND: Mike Bruno’s Freedom Harley-Davidson, 1:30 p.m.

CHRISOCMAND: HiltonCapitol Center, 5p.m.

BRITTON MAJOR: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

SHADOWROADDUO: Court To Table, 6p.m.

DERRICK LEMON: T’Quilas, Zachary 6p.m.

MELISSASINGS: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

FLOYDBROWN BAND FEATURING

JODYMAYEUX: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

JOVIN WEBB: El Paso,Gonzales, 6:30 p.m.

FLORIDASTREET BLOWHARDS: Curbside Burgers, 7p.m.

DIZZY: Bin 77, 7p.m.

CHRIS ALLEN: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7p.m.

CHRIS ROBERTS: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 7p.m

GRAND COUNTRYJUNCTION: Suma Crossing Theatre,Satsuma, 7p.m

THYROIDS,THE BOMBOMBOMS,

PROVIDED PHOTO

Better Than Ezrawill performatthe L’AubergeEvent Center in Baton Rougeat 8p.m.Friday. Tickets startat$53.

GRATITUDE JAR&FIEND: Mid City Ballroom, 8p.m.

WILL WESLEY: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8p.m

2DOMESTIC1 IMPORT: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8p.m

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYSW/HENRY

TURNER AND GUESTDIXIE ROSE: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m

RYAN PURSER: Spanky’s, Dutchtown, 8p.m

TRUESPIN: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 8:30 p.m.

CONNOR MARTIN: Court To Table, 8:30 p.m.

CHASE TYLER BAND/BEN RAGSDALE: The TexasClub, 9p.m.

DAMONKING &BOJAMISON: The Vineyard,9 p.m.

IANWEBSTER &TAYLORCLARK: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9p.m.

SWEET SOUTHERN HEAT: Churchill’s, 9p.m

LAUREN LEE: Murphy’s, 9:30 p.m.

SUNDAY

ERIC BASKIN: Watermark Hotel, 10 a.m.

KIRK HOLDER: On theHalf Shell, Prairieville,11a.m

JOSIE MENARD TRIO: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

JUSTIN BURDETTETRIO: Superior Grill MidCity,11a.m

JOVIN WEBB: RedStick Social, noon

CAJUNJAM: West Baton Rouge Museum,Port Allen, 3p.m.

RHETT GUILLOT: IcehouseTap Room, 4p.m

KEEPIN’ TIME BAND: Floyd’s Morley Marina,4 p.m.

SONGWRITERSUNDAYS: La Divina

ItalianCafe,5 p.m. OPEN MIC JAM: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville,7 p.m.

MONDAY

KATIE KENNEY: Superior Grill MidCity,6 p.m.

ACOUSTICRATS: Phil Brady’s, 6p.m.

MIKEESNEAULT: Stab’sRestaurant, 6p.m

TUESDAY

SHANE MADERE: Bin 77,5:30p.m.

RALPH DAIGLE: Rio VerdeMexican, Gonzales, 6p.m

CHRIS LEBLANC DUO: Superior Grill MidCity,6 p.m.

MIKEESNEAULT: Stab’sRestaurant, 6p.m

EDDIE SMITH: On theHalf Shell, Prairieville,6:30p.m

WEDNESDAY

2DOMESTIC1 IMPORT: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

LSU JAZZ BAND: Classic Vinyls, 6p.m

GARRETT REMSONDUO: Superior Grill MidCity,6 p.m.

JOSHMARTIN: On theHalf Shell, Prairieville,6:30p.m

LEON ANDERSON: CarySaurage Community Arts Center, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPENMIC: Le Chien Brewing Co DenhamSprings, 6:30 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERSOPEN MIC W/HEATH

RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7p.m.

ANDYPIZZOTRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7:30 p.m.

ARTEMIS: Manship Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s IrishPub, 8p.m.

THURSDAY

FLORIDA STREET BLOWHARDS: Garden House, 6p.m.

2DOMESTIC1 IMPORT: Thai Kitchen, 6p.m.

CHRIS ALLEN: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6p.m.

DON POURCIAU &KONSPIRACY: Pedro’s,Denham Springs,6 p.m.

ALLISON COLLINS TRIO: Superior Grill MidCity,6 p.m.

PRESS1 FORENGLISH: T’Quilas, Denham Springs,6 p.m.

KYBALION: El Paso-Sherwood

6p.m.

DANIEL LEE COMEAUX: La Divina Italian Cafe, 6p.m.

STEVE GUSTAFSON: Stab’s Restaurant, 6p.m.

ROCKIN’ ROUGE: El Paso,Denham Springs,6:30p.m.

PAPO YSON MANDAO: El Paso Gonzales, 6:30 p.m

JOEL COOPER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

DAMON KING &BOJAMISON: On the Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m

LOUISIANA HARDCORE PRESENTS

CORPSE PILE, REALMS OF DEATH,

HUMAN INSTINCT &POT OF GREED: Mid CityBallroom, 7p.m.

ENUF: SwampChicken Daiquiris,St. Amant, 7p.m.

ANNA CLAIRE &BRADYGEORGE: Lil Daddy’s, Plaquemine, 7p.m.

BEN BELL &THE STARDUST BOYS: The Brakes Bar, 7p.m.

THE BISHOP ELLIS TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7p.m.

ASHLEY ORLANDO: Manship Theatre’s Hartley/Vey Studio Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

HENRYTURNER JR. &ALL-STARS

WITHGUEST MARK WINTERS: HenryTurner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m. THE DRUNK UNCLES: IcehouseTap Room, 8p.m.

CHRIS LEBLANC: The Vineyard

8p.m.

LAURIE GRIMES &SHANE MADERE: Spanky’s, Dutchtown, 8p.m. N’TUNE: Churchill’s, 9p.m.

BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s, 9p.m.

OUTLYING

SATURDAY

BOOTS &BLUES II FEATURING DJ TROYD,CUPID,CHRISARDOIN AND MARCELLUS THE SINGER: Mári Showroom at Paragon Casino, Marksville,7:30p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’smusic listed? Email info/photos to showstowatch@theadvocate. com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper

BY KEITHSPERA Staff writer

The current incarnation of classic rock band Journey will embark on along farewell tour,dubbed the “Final Frontier,” in 2026. The first legincludestwo stopsinLouisiana Journey visits the Smoothie King Center in NewOrleans on March 28 followed by the Brookshire Grocery Center in Bossier City on March 29. Following apresale forCiti cardmembers, tickets go on sale to thegeneral public on Friday at 10 a.m. Lead guitarist Neal Schon is thelone remaining original member of Journey.For the tour, he’ll sharethe stage with keyboardist Jonathan Cain,who joined the band forits hit“Escape”album, plus vocalist ArnelPineda,keyboardist JasonDerlatka,drummer Deen Castronovo and bassist

Todd Jensen. “This tour is ourheartfelt thank you to the fans who’ve been with us every step of the way— through every song, every era, every high and low,”Schon said in anewsrelease.“We’re pulling outall the stops with abrand-new production —the hits,the deep cuts, theenergy, thespectacle.It’s afull-circlecelebration of themusic that’sbrought us alltogether.” The initial60-city legofthe “FinalFrontier Tour”kicks off Feb 28 in Hershey, Pennsylvania,and runs through aJuly 2showinLaredo, Texas.

There is no opening act forthe tour; Journey will play theentire show.AEG Presents is the promoter for the tour Formoredetails, go to journeymusic.com.

Email KeithSpera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

AROUND BATONROUGE

FRIDAY

KENDRA GIVES BACK EVENT: 5p.m.-

7p.m Kendra Scott, Perkins Rowe 20% of purchases go to Baton RougePride

BUTTERR &FRIENDS: AN IMPROV

COLLIDER SHOW: 7:30 p.m Hartley/ VeyTheatre, Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.Rated R-ish. $14. manshiptheatre.org

FRIDAYNIGHT LECTURE: 7:30 p.m.8:30 p.m.,BREC’sHighland Road Park Observatory,13800 Highland Road. Skygazing tips, physics phenomena, space programs and famous events arecovered. For ages 14 and older.Free. hrpo.lsu. edu. Also, evening skyviewing from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.Saturday.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

“PETER PAN(GOOD ENOUGH)”: 7p.m.Friday-Saturday,and 2p.m. Sunday,Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, 233 St. Ferdinand St. A comedic stage adaptation by 225 TheatreCollective. $37.40. eventbrite.com

FRIDAY ANDSUNDAY

“MISS BENNET:CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY”: 7:30 p.m.Friday and 2p.m.Sunday(an ASL-interpreted performance), LSU’s Reilly Theatre, TowerDrive.ASwine Palace production. $9-$32. lsucmda.com.

SATURDAY RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8a.m.-noon,Fifthand Mainstreets, downtown.Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art &Science Museum,100 S. River Road.Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky,followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

SUNDAY

“CASABLANCA” (1942): 2p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. The romance/warclassic presented by FilmsatManship. $5. manshiptheatre.org HIGH HEEL DANCE CLASS: 4p.m 225 TheatreCollective, 7338 Highland Road.Inspired by Taylor Swift’s “Life of aShowgirl” album. Limited spaces. $25. 225theatrecollective.com. PREMIERE SCREENING: “THE AMERICANREVOLUTION”: 5:30 p.m., reception; 6p.m film, Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd. Presented by Louisiana Public Broadcasting and OSC. Free, but seating limited. Sign up at eventbrite.com. RED STICK RHYTHM CONCERT SERIES: 6p.m.-8p.m Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Withmusical artists Levi StevensonCollectiveand The Bedlamville Triflers. Free.ebrpl.com.

TUESDAY PRESSED &PRESERVED —FALLEDITION: FLOWER PRESSING WORKSHOPPARTTWO: 2p.m., LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road Forage the Hilltop Meadowfor seasonalblooms and foliage and learn howtoassemble aflower press to preserveyour gathered finds. $60, students, Friends of Hilltop and Louisiana Master Naturalistmembers; $75, general public.https:// www.lsu.edu/hilltop/. RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 3p.m 6p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

BATONROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6p.m.8p.m La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road,Unit 360. Achance to playand learn; all levels welcome. Free.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 18303 Perkins Road.Collect your team and jockey for first place.loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9a.m.-noon, ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket. TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 27350 Crossing Circle,Suite 150, DenhamSprings. Collect your teamand jockey for first place loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

CAPITAL CITY COMEDY: 7p.m Cary Saurage Community ArtsCenter, 233 St. Ferdinand St. Hosted by Jay Thibodeaux. $15. 225theatrecollective.com.

“A CHARLIE BROWNCHRISTMAS TOUR”LIVE ON STAGE: 7p.m Raising Cane’s River Center Performing ArtsTheatre, 240 St. Louis St. $39 and up. raisingcanesrivercenter. com.

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8a.m.-noon, Pennington Biomedical ResearchCenter, 6400 Perkins Road.Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket. “ALICE’SRESTAURANT”-THEMED PRE-THANKSGIVING FEAST: 6p.m The Garden House, 705 St. Joseph St. With music by the Florida Street Blowhards. $40. https://www.facebook.com/Nancy3356/. WEEKLYSOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. ThirdSt., SuiteA Free. fareharbor.com.

CompiledbyJudy Bergeron Have an open-to-the-public eventyou’dlike to promote? Email details to red@ theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5p.m FRIDAY forthe following Friday’spaper.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Trust your instincts. It's your precision and detail thatwill stand out and give you an advantage in competitive situations. Attend social events, and your charisma will invite romance.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Pay attention to what's changing around you. Focus on sensitive issues and observe how othersreact.Not everyone will be truthfulorhave stellar motives.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Keep an eye on your expenditures and avoid joint ventures or sharedexpenses. Your best course of actionistoinvest in yourself and your talents andtomove forward alone.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) It's up to you to initiate changeand to make the first move. Let your imagination wander andyourtalents lead the way. Step into thespotlightand shine.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Refusetolet what otherssay or any criticism you receive daunt your desire to pursue what or who you love. Consider what things cost, set abudget and stick to it.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Take notes, keep tabs and measureeveryaspect of whatever youconsider doing. Prioritize intelligence and timing in your plans, and somethinggood will transpire.

TAURUS(April 20-May 20) Invest in yourself and your surroundings, and enjoy thebenefitsthat comewith the

choices you make. Maximize your time and energy, and stick to an affordable budget.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Be cautious about who you listen to and how you respond. You'll receive false information thatcan push you in thewrong direction.

CANCER (June 21-July22) Anew look will boost your confidence and encourage you to be forthright regarding your feelings and intentions. Love is in the stars, and adventure is within reach.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Be smart when it comes to money matters, taking arisk, gambling or anyother indulgent behavior. Recognize when someone is taking advantage of you or using emotional manipulation.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You are in abetter position than yourealize.You know what's best for you. Stand tall, use your experience to guide you forward and refuse to letwhat others do influence your decisions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.23) Chitchat and charm your way forward. Achange at home will improve your lifestyle and give apositive spin to how you look, feel and present yourself to the world. Keep the momentum flowing.

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

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in the cipher stands foranother. TODAy'SCLUE:F EQUALS G

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Bridge

BY PHILLIPALDER

Our man A.N.Other continues in good form:“Anybodycouldgetrichifhecould guess the exact moment at which apiece of junk becomes an antique.” Any bridge player couldget rich if he couldworkout theexact momentto makeanunusual play thatiscorrect. In this deal, Westleads his heartsix againstthreeno-trump:jack,king,seven. East returns the heart three, covered by South’s four. How should West analyze theposition?

North was right to blaze straight into three no-trump. Presumably, he is putting eight winners down in the dummy. He needs only for partner to be able to wina trickbeforethe defenders have taken five. Admittedly, here South rates to have club length because he did not show amajor or raisediamonds, and five diamonds might makewhenthree no-trump fails. But do notspend your life looking for that distribution. It will arise only rarely. If this deal were played in atournament,almosteverydeclarerwouldmake hiscontract. West would automatically takethesecondtrickwithhishearteight, cashtheheartace,andfindhimselfstuck on lead after taking the fourth trick with his heart 10. South would win the last nine tricks.

The bidding marks South with at most threehearts because he didnot respond one heart. So it cannot hurt Westtotake the second trick with his heart 10. Then after cashing theace, he can continue with his eight, which East can overtake with his nine to cash the five to defeat the contract. ©2025 by NEA,Inc dist.ByAndrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzleisaword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIOns: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four lettersbythe addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

tODAY’s WORD cEPHALIc: sih-FAL-ik: Of or relating to the head.

Averagemark26words

Time limit 45 minutes

Can youfind39ormore words in CEPHALIC?

YEstERDAY’s WORD—DRAGOns

magnify the Lord with me, andlet us exalthis name together. Isought the Lord,and he heard me, anddelivered me fromall my fears.” Psalms 34:3-4

wuzzles

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato