The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has started the process of eliminating about 20 civilservice positions.
Theeliminations arepart of the70-position eliminations announced by formerinterim President Jaimie Hebert in October,UL leadership told staff during aFridaymorning town hall. Civil service employees are af-
forded certain protections under state law.Aspartofthose protections, all employees who could be impacted are notified.
The university then sends aplan to the state civil service board, which ultimately approves the plan andhelps civil serviceemployees find jobswithin the state’s system that matchtheir current
skill set,when possible. There are about 390civil service employees at UL.They all received emails Thursday afternoon notifying them their position could be eliminated.The notice wassent as the University of Louisiana system board was appointing Ramesh Kolluru as the new interim president
Kolluru previously served as the vice president of research. Hebert will return to his position as university provost.
During Friday’stown hall designed to address faculty concerns and questions, Chief Human ResourcesOfficerPaulThomas
EC TI ON 20 25
Voters return to polls formillage votes
Lafayette Parish will go to thepolls Saturdaytovote on apair
Services forsexualassault
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
Lafayette Parish voters are being asked to return Saturday to vote on two millages they previously voted against They include taxes that fund road and bridge maintenance, aself-explanatory measure that provides for road improvements and repairs to thetune of $12.8 million at 4.47 mills.
victimsamong theissues
Theother may be morevague —$10.8 million at 3.81 mills to fund public health and safety
The failure of this tax could result in Lafayette losing its“no-kill” animal shelter status, gaps and lags in essential servicesfor victimsofrapeand domestic violence, andimpacts to fire protection in the ruraland unincorporated regions of theparish, according to officials with Lafayette Consolidated Government
Other services include mosquito abatement, drainageand public health services.
The Lafayette ParishCoroner’sOffice began takingover sexual assault exams in March, said Keith Talamo,the coroner’schief investigator.The service was once handled by Hearts of Hope, alocal nonprofit
GayleBensonbacks Saints GM Loomis
Team ownerpushesback againstfans’ criticism
BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer
New Orleans Saints ownerGayle Benson issued her strongest public endorsement yet of general manager Mickey Loomis, calling demandsfor her to fire the football team’slongtime executive “ridiculous.”
During an exclusive interview with The Times-Picayune on Thursday,Benson strongly backed the Saints’ embattled general manager,saying she holds him
in “high esteem” and is “pleased” with hiswork. “It may not be what the fans want to hear, but as farasfiring Mickey Loomis, that’sridiculous,” Benson said. “(He) doesagreat job.” Loomis has become alightning rod of fan criticism in the wake of the team’s slow start to the 2025 season. The team’s 1-8 start wasthe franchise’s worst since 1980. At 2-8,the Saintsare tied with the New York Giants for the worst record in theNFC.
TheSaints, meanwhile,have lost 21 of their last 26 games, dating to lastseason, andare on track to miss theplayoffs for afifthconsecutive year.It’sthe club’s lon-
gest postseason drought since the early 2000s. “You don’tthink Mickey Loomisislosing sleep at night over all of this? He is,” Benson said. “It’shard.It’snot an easy job. It’snot likehe’ssitting on hisbutt, not worrying about things.”
In his 24th season as the club’stop football executive, Loomis, 68, is the longest tenured general manager in the NFL. His tenure hasincludedthe most successful run in franchise history,including seven NFC South division titles, nine playoffappearances andthe club’sonlySuper Bowl title in 2009.
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Amid public uproar over the news that aLafourche Parish girl was expelled forhitting aboy who allegedly sharedAI-generated nude photos of her, local officials shared new details on Thursday about the case —including that seven additional girls were depicted in the explicit images. At least eight middle school girls andtwo adultswerethe subjects of thefake nude photos, which reportedly circulated on social media in August, saidLafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre and Lafourche Parish Schools Superintendent Jarod Martin in ajoint statement Thursday.They said their goal was “to correct rumors and misinformation.”
The Sheriff’s Office arrested one male student on 10 counts of unlawfully spreading explicit images of another person created by artificial intelligence,and an additional arrest against asecond personispossible,according to the statement.
Webre also said Thursdaythat social media posts about the case had“fueledhostilityand provoked violent rhetoric”toward LafourcheParish school officials andadministrators at SixthWard Middle School in Thibodaux, where both the femalevictims and one accused perpetrator were students. Webre said his office is
2adultsalsodeepfake victims, Lafourche officialsreveal ä See AI PHOTOS, page 4A
STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
of millagesthat were previously voteddown.
STAFF FILE PHOTOBySOPHIAGERMER
NewOrleans Saints coach Kellen Moore,from left,poses with owner Gayle Benson and general manager Mickey Loomis on Feb.13atthe Saints practice facility in Metairie.
Protesters arrested at immigration facility
CHICAGO Authorities arrested 21 protesters Friday and said four officers were injured outside a Chicago-area federal immigration facility that activists say functions as a de facto detention center and is plagued by inhumane conditions.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said most faced charges of obstruction, disorderly conduct, and walking on a highway One also faced a charge of mob action. Their ages ranged from 23 to 67.
The office said the four officers were injured while trying to redirect protesters off a roadway and back behind a barrier Two Broadview police officers and one Cook County Sheriff’s Police officer were taken to a hospital.
Just moments before the clash demonstrators were singing and chanting. Around 10 a.m., a large group, knowing they were going to be arrested, allegedly crossed the protest barrier and attempted to walk up toward the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility
Some protesters carried signs reading, “God’s Love Knows No Borders” and “God Demands Freedom.” Some of them prayed. The crowd numbered about 300 before it began to disperse
Trump drops tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruit
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to get rid of tariffs on a broad swath of commodities, including beef, coffee and tropical fruits. It’s part of a response to pressure from consumers who complain prices are too high.
Trump slapped tariffs on most countries in April. He and his administration have been long insisted that tariffs don’t increase consumer prices despite economic evidence to the contrary Record-high beef prices have been a particular concern.
Trump’s tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter, have been a factor
The executive order also removes tariffs on tea, fruit juice, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes and certain fertilizers.
Bus crashes into bus stop, killing 3, injuring 3
STOCKHOLM A double-decker bus crashed into a bus stop in Stockholm on Friday, killing three people and injuring three others, police said.
Authorities were alerted to the crash at 3:23 p.m. on Friday
The vehicle rammed into the bus shelter on Valhallavägen, a street in the Swedish capital’s Östermalm district.
Police were treating the crash as “involuntary manslaughter” but were still investigating. It wasn’t immediately clear what the cause was.
Swedish news agency TT said police confirmed that the driver had been detained and would be questioned. The front of the bus appeared to be have been seriously damaged.
Emergency services said the vehicle — a regular city bus — was not in service and no passengers were on board at the time, TT reported.
Iran seizes tanker in strait, U.S. official says DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Iran seized a Marshall Islandsflagged oil tanker as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz on Friday, a U.S. official said, turning the ship into Iranian territorial waters in the first-such interdiction in months in the strategic waterway Iran did not acknowledge the seizure. The ship, the Talara, had been traveling from Ajman, United Arab Emirates, onward to Singapore when Iranian forces intercepted it, said the U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity A U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone had been circling above the area where the Talara was for hours on Friday observing the seizure, flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center separately acknowledged the incident, saying a possible “state activity” forced the Talara to turn into Iranian territorial waters.
FAA takes steps to restore flights
BY RIO YAMAT and JOSH FUNK Associated Press
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday halved the number of flights that U.S. airlines must cut from their schedules at 40 airports as the country’s aviation system recovers from a shortage of air traffic controllers during the record government shutdown.
The agency said airlines will only have to cancel 3% of their flights beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday instead of 6%. Citing safety concerns, the FAA first ordered flights reduced at the busy airports on Nov 7 as absences mounted at air traffic facilities and airport towers. Controllers were among the federal employees who were required to work while going unpaid during the shutdown.
The number of cancellations peaked last Sunday at nearly 3,000
flights, about 10% of the ones scheduled, as a result of the FAA order combined with continued controller shortages and severe weather in parts of the country
The rollback comes amid improved staffing levels after the 43day shutdown ended Wednesday night, the FAA and Department of Transportation said, adding that they will continue to monitor the situation throughout the weekend and evaluate whether normal operations can resume.
Before the FAA released its updated guidance, airlines already seemed to be anticipating a change or a full rollback of the order By Friday afternoon, the flight-tracking site FlightAware was showing just 159 cancellations for Saturday And United Airlines, which had been posting several days’ worth of cancellations online in advance over the past week, didn’t list any
cancellations after Friday Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly said safety metrics must improve before the order is lifted entirely
The FAA originally had a 10% target, but officials held off on further rate increases because they said more controllers were coming to work amid news that Congress was close to reaching a deal to end the shutdown.
The unprecedented order started with 4% cuts that later grew to 6%, leading to the cancellation of more than 11,800 flights between Nov 7 and Friday
Duffy hasn’t shared the specific safety data that prompted the cuts, but he cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, more runway incursions and pilot concerns about controllers’ responses. How long it will take for the avia-
Russian attack on Kyiv kills 6, injures at least 35
BY HANNA ARHIROVA, SAMYA KULLAB and VASILISA STEPANENKO Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine Russia unleashed a major missile and drone barrage on Kyiv early Friday, killing six people, leaving gaping holes in apartment buildings and starting fires as the sound of explosions boomed across the city and lit up the night sky
A pregnant woman was among at least 35 people wounded, Ukrainian authorities said
Russia used at least 430 drones and 18 missiles in the nighttime attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Friday’s aerial assault, which also targeted Odesa in the south and Kharkiv in the northeast, was mostly aimed at Kyiv where drones and missiles smashed into high-rise apartment blocks, according to Zelenskyy It was “a specially calculated attack to cause as much harm as possible to people and civilians,” he said in a post on Telegram.
Moscow denies targeting civilian areas, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying Friday it carried out an overnight strike on Ukraine’s “military-industrial and energy facilities.” Ukrainian officials scoff at those claims, showing repeated damage to homes and public buildings.
The attack was the biggest on Kyiv in almost three weeks. Most recent Russian aerial attacks have aimed at electricity
infrastructure ahead of winter
Ukraine used its American-made Patriot air defense systems to repel the attack and shot down 14 missiles, Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian leader has pleaded with foreign supporters to send more of the sophisticated systems.
In the Odesa region, Russian drones struck a busy street on market day in Chornomorsk, killing two people and wounding 11 others, including a 19-month-old girl, regional military administration chief Oleh Kiper said.
Kyiv resident Mariia Kalchenko said it was a miracle she survived after her building was hit. “I didn’t hear anything, I just realized that my hair was on fire,” the 46-year-old volunteer rescue dog handler told The Associated Press. She turned on her flashlight and saw her dog had moved away in fright. “I turned around and saw that there was no wall, and there was a neighbor’s apartment, the neighbor was screaming, there was no door, and the flames were going from the front door into the apartment,” she said.
Iryna Synyavska, 62, said three people were killed in two apartments next to hers. “My neighbor and his father were killed by the ceiling that collapsed. In the next door (apartment), an elderly woman lived there, she was over 80,” Synyavska said. “Her daughter was visiting her Her body was only just recovered because the walls fell down.”
Charlotte officials vow to resist looming immigration crackdown
By The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Officials and community leaders opposing a pending federal immigration crackdown in North Carolina’s largest city characterized it Friday as an invasion, and urged Charlotte residents to protest peacefully and record agents’ actions from a distance.
“We are living in the strangest of times,” said Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, the granddaughter and wife of immigrants. “A time when a felonious reality TV personality is occupying the White House. Unfortunately, we have seen this movie before, and now they want to film an episode of Shock and Awe show here in our city.”
The gathering comes a day after Sheriff Garry McFadden confirmed that federal officials, whom he declined to identify, told him U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents would start an enforcement operation there by Saturday or early next week. The Department of
Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, won’t comment on future or potential operations.
“We’ve seen what has taken place in other cities across this country when the federal government gets involved,” said state Rep. Jordan Lopez. “We have seen the undisciplined agents pointing weapons at unarmed civilians, the indiscriminate rounding up of civilians who are sleeping in their homes in the middle of their night in Chicago. We have seen the worst of law enforcement.”
Local and state officials say they have received no formal notification from President Donald Trump’s administration about a mission to Charlotte. But local organizations are training volunteers on how to protest and to safely document any attempts to perform a sweep, as well as informing immigrants of their rights.
Héctor Vaca, training and immigrant justice director for the group Action NC, said they’re reacting to an “invasion” and “racist campaign of terror” by the Trump administration.
tion system to stabilize is unclear
The flight restrictions upended airline operations in just a matter of days. Many planes were rerouted and aren’t where they’re supposed to be. Airlines for America, the trade group of U.S airlines, warned there could be residual effects for days.
Some experts predicted the problems could linger longer But airline executives were optimistic that flying could quickly return to normal ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel week once the FAA order to cut flights is lifted.
The nationwide shortage of controllers isn’t new, but the shutdown put a spotlight on the problem and likely made it worse.
Duffy said that by the end of the shutdown, 15 to 20 controllers were retiring daily and some younger controllers were leaving the profession.
Coach featured on Netflix series killed
BY MIKE CATALINI and HAVEN DALEY Associated Press
OAKLAND Calif. — Celebrated former football coach
John Beam, who was featured in the Netflix series
“Last Chance U” that showcased the connections he made with players others wouldn’t gamble on, has died after being shot on the college campus where he worked, the Oakland Police Department said Friday
The suspect, who police say knew and targeted Beam, 66, has been arrested. Beam’ s death a day after he was shot at Laney College rattled the community with scores holding a vigil outside the hospital before he died and remembering him as someone who always tried to help anyone.
Oakland Assistant Chief James Beere said the suspect went on campus for a “specific reason” but did not elaborate on what that was. “This was a very targeted incident,” he said. Beere did not say how
Beam and the suspect knew each other but said the suspect was known to loiter around the Laney campus. The suspect had played football at a high school where Beam had worked but not at the time the coach was employed there. The suspect was taken into custody without any altercation and a gun has been recovered, the assistant chief added. Charges were still pending. Authorities credited technology, specifically cameras at the college campus, private residences and on public transit, with helping arrest the suspect, who was not named.
Police said the shooting happened Thursday before noon, and officers arrived to find Beam shot. It was the second shooting in two days at a school in Oakland.
The Netflix docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges striving to turn their lives around, and Beam’s Laney College Eagles starred in the 2020 season. Beam gambled on players nobody else wanted. He developed deep relationships with his players while fielding a team that regularly competed for championships.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EFREM LUKATSKy Rescuers work on the scene of a building damaged after a Russian attack Friday in Kyiv Ukraine.
Bondi: U.S. will investigate Epstein’s ties to Clinton
Trump says ‘all arrows’ point to Democrats
BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press
NEW YORK Acceding to President Donald Trump’s demands, U.S Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that she has ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Trump political foes, including former President Bill Clinton Bondi posted on X that she was assigning Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the probe, capping an eventful week in which congressional Republicans released nearly 23,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate and House Democrats seized on emails mentioning Trump.
Tr ump, who was friends with Epstein for years, didn’t explain what supposed crimes he wanted the Justice Department to investigate. None of the men he mentioned in a social media post demanding the probe has been accused of sexual misconduct by any of Epstein’s victims.
Hours before Bondi’s announcement, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he would ask her, the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate Epstein’s “involvement and relationship” with Clinton and others, including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn founder and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman.
Trump, calling the matter “the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, not Republicans,” said the investigation should also include financial giant JPMorgan Chase,
which provided banking services to Epstein, and “many other people and institutions.”
“This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam with all arrows pointing to the Democrats,” the Republican president wrote, referring to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of alleged Russian interference in Trump’s 2016 election victory over Bill Clinton’s wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
For decades, Trump himself has been scrutinized for his closeness to Epstein — though like the people he now wants investigated, he has not been accused of sexual misconduct by Epstein’s victims.
No accusations of crimes
A JPMorgan Chase spokesperson, Patricia Wexler, said the company regretted associating with Epstein “but did not help him commit his heinous acts.”
“The government had damning information about his crimes and failed to share it with us or other banks,” she said. The company agreed previously to pay millions of dollars to Epstein’s victims, who had sued arguing that the bank ignored red flags about criminal activity Clinton has acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s private jet but has said through a spokesperson that he had no knowledge of the late financier’s crimes. He also has never been accused of misconduct by Epstein’s known victims.
Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, but was spared a long jail term when the U.S. attorney in Florida agreed not to prosecute him over allegations that he had paid many other children for sexual acts. After serving about a year in jail and a work release program, Epstein resumed his business and social life until federal
prosecutors in New York revived the case in 2019. Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
in a statement that he has “great regrets in my life” and that “my association with Jeffrey Epstein was a major error of judgment.”
BY BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press
LONDON As the man formerly known as Prince Andrew was drawn into the news surrounding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he sought to distance himself from the scandal.
“I can’t take any more of this,” a sender identified in Epstein’s contacts as “The Duke” wrote to him in 2011, in one of thousands of partly redacted emails released
Wednesday
Fourteen years later, the former Duke of York has been stripped of all his titles, including the princeship bestowed at birth. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — as he’s now known — was royally demoted two weeks ago by his brother, King Charles III, and faces eviction from the mansion where he’s lived rent-free near Windsor Castle.
Summers and Hoffman had nothing to do with either case, but both were mentioned in the documents released this week a collection of emails Epstein exchanged with friends and business associates in the years before his death.
Nothing in the messages suggested any wrongdoing on the men’s part, other than associating with someone who had been accused of sex crimes against children. Summers, who served in Clinton’s cabinet and is a former Harvard University president, previously said
Emails reveal Epstein’s network
BY JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press
By the time Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, he had established an enormous network of wealthy and influential friends. Emails made public this week show the crime did little to diminish the desire of that network to stay connected to the financier
Thousands of documents released by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday offer a new glimpse into what Epstein’s relationships with business executives, reporters, academics and political players looked like over a decade.
They start with messages he sent and received around the time he finished serving his Florida sentence in 2009 and continue until the months before his arrest on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019.
During that time, Epstein’s network was eclectic, spanning the globe and political affiliations: from the liberal academic Noam Chomsky to Steve Bannon, longtime ally of President Donald Trump. Some reached out to support Epstein amid lawsuits and prosecutions, others sought introductions or advice on everything from dating to oil prices. One consulted him on how to respond to accusations of sexual harassment. Epstein was charged with sex trafficking in 2019, and killed himself in jail a month later Epstein’s crimes, highprofile connections and jailhouse suicide have made the case a magnet for conspiracy theorists and online sleuths seeking proof of a cover-up. The emails do not implicate his contacts in those alleged crimes. They instead paint a picture of Epstein’s influence and connections over the years he was a registered sex offender
Diverse political network Epstein emailed current
and former political figures on all sides, sending news clips and discussing strategy or gossip often in short choppy emails laden with spelling and grammatical errors In several emails in 2018, Epstein advised Bannon on his political tour of Europe that year Bannon first forwarded Epstein a news clip that described the German media as “underestimating” Bannon and that he was “As Dangerous as Ever.”
“luv it,” Epstein responded. Just a few months earlier, Epstein was insulting Trump — whose movement Bannon was a representative of — in emails to Kathryn Ruemmler the former White House counsel under President Barack Obama. Ruemmler sent a message to Epstein calling Trump “so gross.” A portion of that message was redacted, but Epstein replied, “worse in real life and upclose.”
In other emails with Ruemmler, Epstein detailed a whirlwind of well-known people he appears to have been meeting, hosting or speaking with that week. A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs, where Ruemmler now works, declined to comment Wealthy social circles
The financier emailed often with people in the upper echelons of wealth around the world, brokering introductions and chatting about politics and foreign affairs. That included Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, who Epstein sent an email to in 2014 saying “that was fun, see you in 3 weeks.”
Four years later, Epstein asked if Thiel was enjoying Los Angeles, and, after Thiel said he couldn’t complain, replied “Dec visit me Caribbean.” It’s unclear if Thiel ever responded. In emails with Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, an Emirati businessman, Epstein complimented Bannon, saying in 2018 that “We have become friends you will like him.”
“Trump doesn’t like him,”
responded Sulayem.
In January 2010, biotech venture capitalist Boris Nikolic was attending the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and Epstein emailed to ask, “any fun?”
Nikolic replied that he had met “your friend” Bill Clinton, as well as then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy and “your other friend,” Prince Andrew, “as he has some questions re microsoft.”
In touch with academics
The theoretical physicist and cosmologist Laurence Krauss was among them. In 2017, Krauss reached out to Epstein via email for advice on responding to a reporter writing a story about allegations of sexual harassment against him.
“Is this a reasonable response? Should i even respond? Could use advice,” Krauss asked Epstein.
In an explicit exchange, Epstein asked Krauss if he’d had sex with the person in question and then suggested he should not reply to the journalist.
“No. We didn’t have sex. Decided it wasn’t a good idea,” replied Krauss.
Krauss said in an email to The Associated Press that he never hid the fact that he knew Epstein and interacted with him several times.
“I sought out advice from essentially everyone I knew when false allegations about me were circulated in the press in 2018,” said Krauss.
“I was as shocked as the rest of the world when he was arrested” in 2019.
In an August 2015 email exchange, Epstein told Chomsky, the famed linguist and social scientist, to only fly to Greece if he feels well, joking he previously had to send a plane for another “lefty friend” to see a doctor in New York.
Chomsky, Thiel, Bannon, and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem did not immediately respond to requests for comment, which were sent through email.
Message seeking comment were left for Hoffman through his investment firm, Greylock Hoffman bankrolled writer E. Jean Carroll’s sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit against Trump.
After Epstein’s sex trafficking arrest in 2019, Hoffman said he’d only had a few interactions with Epstein, all related to his fundraising for MIT’s Media Lab. He nevertheless apologized, saying that “by agreeing to participate in any fundraising activity where Epstein was present, I helped to repair his reputation and perpetuate injustice.”
Bondi, in her post, praised Clayton as “one of the most capable and trusted prosecutors in the country” and said
Mountbatten-Windsor, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has vehemently denied all allegations by Giuffre, who took her own life earlier this year But he did settle a lawsuit out of court that reportedly paid her millions of dollars. When MountbattenWindsor’s ties to Epstein — who had been convicted of soliciting prostitution in Florida — were first reported in 2011, he was forced to resign as Britain’s special trade envoy The scandal, however resurfaced in 2019 when Epstein was arrested for a second time on charges of sex trafficking. Giuffre said she was 17 when she was trafficked to have sex with MountbattenWindsor ‘I can’t take any more of this,’ then-Prince Andrew wrote during Epstein scandal
The recent trove of documents has renewed the sexual assault allegations against MountbattenWindsor and undermined his denials that he ever met his accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre. They also reveal some of the efforts made behind the scenes to attack her claims.
the Justice Department “will pursue this with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people.”
Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term, took over in April as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York — the same office that indicted Epstein and won a sex trafficking conviction against Epstein’s longtime confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2021.
Trump changes course
Trump suggested while campaigning last year that he’d seek to open up the government’s case files on Epstein, but changed course in recent months, blaming
Democrats and painting the matter as a “hoax” amid questions about what knowledge he may have had about Epstein’s yearslong exploitation of underage girls.
On Wednesday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three Epstein email exchanges that referenced Trump, including one from 2019 in which Epstein said the president “knew about the girls” and asked Maxwell to stop. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of having “selectively leaked emails” to smear Trump. Soon after Republicans on the committee disclosed a far bigger trove of Epstein’s email correspondence.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS
Protest art representing President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein sits outside Busboys and Poets restaurant in the U Street neighborhood of Washington on Thursday.
Bondi
Epstein
ELECTION
Part of the $10.8 million millage will fund full-time sexual assault nurse examiner positions. Since March, the coroner’sSANE nurses have seen 115 patients,comparedto64victims in 2023.
“The (previous) program had inconsistent coverage. Lafayette General, Lourdes and Lafayette Consolidated Government andCoroner’s Office got together and felt that having full-time SANE nurses out of the Coroner’s Office would be abetterfit for Lafayette,” Talamo said.
The Coroner’sOffice also receives $600 in federal funding per appointment, which helps pay for its program, administered through the Acadiana region.
Lafayette Parish tax dollars do not go to exams in other parishes, Talamo clarified.
The tax also funds aprogram that helps document domestic violence incidents, creating aclearerpathway for victims to seek justice and secure convictions against abusers in conjunction with Faith House of Acadiana, adomestic vio-
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investigating threatening messages directed at the district officials and school employees.
“Weabsolutely support everyone’sright to free speech and voicing their opinionon any given topic,” the sheriff said in astatement, “but threats of violence and harassment are crimes that are not protected under the First Amendment.”
The newly released information —including the schoolresource officer’sinitial incident report —makes clear that adults at Sixth Ward Middle School tookaction after learning about the AI-generated nude photos, or deepfakes. However, theinformation also raises some questions about how school leaders handled the situation and
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apologized that the email came with little explanation.
“I got really focused on doing what was required: Sending out anotice to start aprocess,” Thomas said.“I didn’tdowhat was necessary.The thing that was necessary was to make sure that you got the message in away that makes sense to you, that took care of your questions, took care of yourneeds and didn’tscare you.”
The entire process, which started whenemployees were notified about possible eliminations and concludes when affected individuals receive anotification with a potential end date, will take aboutfourtosix weeks, leaders said.
When Hebert wasappointed interim president in
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But the Saints have struggled to replicate the success of the Sean Payton-Drew Brees era. They have not made the playoffs since Brees retiredin2020 and haveseentheir win totals decrease in each of the last three seasons. In defending Loomis, Benson listed several highlights of his tenure, includingthe hiring of Payton, the free agent signingofBrees and the historic NFL draft classes of 2006 and 2017.
“Mickeyisone of thelongest-tenured and most respected general managers in theNFL. In 2006, he was the lone voice in our building to hire Sean Payton,” Benson said. “When Iam askedtohold Mickey Loomis accountable,I do.Not everydecision works out; they
Polls in Lafayette Parishwill be open from 7a.m.to8 p.m. Saturday.
lencecrisis center and nonprofit
“If themillage fails,it’s gonna go back to unfortunate,but some sexual assault survivors will not get their sexual assault nursingexams that are needed We’reback to inconsistent coverage,” Talamo said.
Lafayetteanimalshelters Lafayette, at least compared to the rest of Louisiana, couldhave been seen on the forefront of gaining its “no-kill” animal shelter status.
It’ssomething that Lafayette Animal Shelter and
whether they couldhave done more to prevent the altercation that led to the girl’s expulsion
Disturbing fake photos
On the morning of Aug. 26, several girlstolda school counselor that fake naked images of them were spreading on social media, accordingtothe incident report. Under Louisiana law, it’sillegal to createordistribute explicit deepfakes of minors.
Theschool resource officer, whoisadeputyinthe Sheriff’sOffice, began interviewing students. Students’ parents were contacted “during the course of the day,”according tothe statement by Sheriff Webre and Superintendent Martin.
Lawyers forthe girl who was expelledhavealleged that the school did not allowher to callher father Aspokesperson for theLafourche Parish School Dis-
August, he announced a$25 million budget deficit.Inthe three months he served as interim, he said he worked to decreasethat deficitto about $5 millionthrough a series of actions,including position eliminations.
There were 56 noncivil service positions cut.
Hebert also asked that eachdepartmentreduce itsbudget by 10% and that academicaffairsreduce its budget by 5%
Kolluru said duringFriday’smeetingthat he may askdepartments to make even deeper cuts and is imploring department leaders to start evaluatingwhere more cuts can be made.
UL has been without apermanent leader since July, when Joseph Savoie abruptly stepped down ayear before his contract was set to expire.
TheULsystem board, which oversees the university, announced during its
never do. …Ihold him in high esteem,and Iamvery pleased with what he hasaccomplished,acquired and is building.”
Benson’scomments came four days after the Saints defeated theCarolina Panthers 17-7 at BankofAmericaStadium in Charlotte, NorthCarolina. The win snapped afour-game losing streak and came in rookie Tyler Shough’ssecond career start at quarterback
“I’m very disappointed, as everybodyis, but we’re in a rebuilding mode,” Benson said. “Mickey said thisfrom thevery beginningofthe season. …I understandhow fans feel. Ireallydo. AndI feel bad for the fans, butwe told everybody inthe beginning, this was going to be a toughyear,and it has been a tough year.”
Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@theadvocate com.
Care Center Director Shelley Delahoussaye has been proud of since achieving the status in 2020. “Tohave acommunity as great as ours and the people in it, but to have ashelter that’snot compassionate towards its pets, just wasn’t liningup,” Delahoussaye said. “Since that year,we’ve been no-kill since thenand we’vemaintained that. It’shardbecause we’re an open municipal shelter,so it’sopenintake,meaning anyanimals that come in through the front door,we are obligated to take them in and care for them.”
trict said Friday that school employees contacted the girl’sfather and mother that day
During the investigation, theschool resource officer was told that male students were sharing theimages on TikTok andSnapchat, according to the report.
“Despite everyone’sbest efforts”thatday,the joint statement said, investigators could not immediately track down theimages or “evidence of the existence of the images.” Webreand Martin added that there was “no indication of thepotential forphysical violence” and “no reason to consider delaying normal dismissal.”
But the incident report shows that the girls named three boys whotheybelieved had created thefake nudes. One was acurrent SixthWard Middle School student, while the others were aThibodaux High School student and amiddle
Thursdaymeeting it would create apresidential search committee to find aleader
Before itsupdated status, the outlook for Lafayette’s strays and surrendered pets was bleak, with only 40% of animals beingsaved;that figurenow stands at over 90%.
To stayinline with the community’swants, adequate funding is required, officials said.
The millage, passed in 2016,fundsabout 90%of the shelter’soperations, which hasa $3.5 million annual budget, with yearly revenue only generating around $300,000. If the millagefails, the shelter would have to look at staffing and programmingcuts.
Those programsinclude adoption services,capturing straysand dangerous animals, and ensuring the safety of pets before police enter homes.
“Wewant to continue the goodwork that we’re doing, and in order to do that, we need this millage to pass,” Delahoussaye said.
Rural fire protection
The ScottFire Department, though primarily a volunteer force, hasits work cut out for it. The department covers the largest fire protection district in the parish.
schooler in another parish. Despite having that information before dismissal, the school apparently allowed at least one of the girls who reported the deepfakes to board aschool busthatafternoon withaboy accused of sharing the images. On the bus, the girl andtwo male studentsstruck the boy multiple times, officialssaid.
Gregory Miller,one of the attorneys for thefamilyof the girl, said she was expelled from school for more thantwo months after the bus altercation. He said the school could have asked the boy’sfamily to pick him up thatafternoon, rather than allow him to ride thebus.
“It’sjustoutright incompetence,” he said.
Probeuncoversdeepfakes
Tanya Bolton, the school district spokesperson, acknowledgedthat“with the limited information available at the time,” the school
That decision came as rumors swirled that it would bypass its ownrulesand
“Werun more calls than anybody else, so ourmaintenance costs go up, our fuel costsgoup, ourinsurance costs go up, so it’svital that we have these funds from LCG,”saidScott Fire Chief Chad Sonnier
The departmentisone of seven rural fire departments in theparish andisreimbursed for its coverage in the unincorporatedcommunitiessurrounding it.That moneygoes toward supporting itsvolunteer force, covering maintenance costs, andproviding protective gear forfirefighters.
If voters decide to reject the tax, fire responsetime couldbeimpacted,but ultimately, funding would have to come from elsewhere, Sonnier said.
“Where do we go from here? We have to have asolution to keep these trucks on the road,” Sonnier said. Failuretocommunicate
In March, thetax renewals failed to garner voter support. Elections officials agreed it wasdue to alack of widespread publicization by Lafayettecity-parish leaders and possibly because of largely unpopular state constitutionalamendmentson the ballot.
did not attempt on Aug. 26 to separate the girls who reported the explicit images fromthe boy whothey said wassharing them
Aspokesperson for the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, Capt. Brennan Matherne, said school administrators madethe decision to allowthose students to ride the bus together “They wereawareofthe allegationsand had their own investigation,parallel to ours,” he said in an email Friday
After astudent-recorded video of the bus attack surfaced on Facebook that afternoon,commenters expressed “outrage” and demanded “thatthe students involved in the fight be held accountable,” Webre and Martin said.
They said the video promptedlaw enforcement to obtain statements about the altercation and warrants to search phones and
The roads and bridges tax was defeated 53% to 47% The public health and safety failed 52% to 48%.
“I don’tthink it was targetedatour renewals,”Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Bouletsaidatthe time.
Boulet, in aSeptember meeting hosted by the Lafayette League of Women Voters, said the millages provide “very basic services” that are “critical.” If the millages fail again, LCG has one more shot to bring them back to voters before they expire.
Earlyvoting turnout has been dismal, just as it was in the October tax election. Voters,thoughinlow numbers, did show up on Election Day to support a continuation.
ALafayette Parish school system tax that generated around $20 million in revenue passed with 68% in favor.Another,which funded the Bayou Vermilion District’scleanup efforts, passed with 70% approval. Polls will be open from 7a.m. to 8p.m. Saturday To find avotingprecinct, see sample ballots, check voter registration or find other voting information, visit geauxvote.com
social media accounts for evidence. Theinvestigation into thebus incident ledauthorities to discover theAIgenerated nude photos, they added.
“The focus of the criminal investigation then pivoted to the creation and dissemination of the pornographic images,” the statement said. At aNov.5 meetingofthe Lafourche Parish School Board, attorneys forthe girl argued that expelling her for hitting aboy who was allegedly sharinggraphic images of herwas unduly harsh. The board voted to uphold herexpulsion, but allowed her to return to school. Monday was her first day back since the Aug. 26 incident, her lawyers said. “She’strying to readjust,” Miller said, “but it’sbeen very difficult.”
Email Patrick Wall at patrick.wall@theadvocate. com.
appointKollurupresident without asearch. Atimeline has not yet been released for the committee’screationorsearch process.
BELEM, Brazil Protesters in Pokemon costumes stomped around the United Nations climate conference on Friday to send a message to Japan: end financing of coal and natural gas projects across Southeast Asia and other regions of the Global South.
The Stop Japan’s Dirty Energy Plans protest aligned with the first of two thematic days with a focus on energy during the annual climate conference known as COP30, held this year in Belem on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon. Organizers of the protest said the investments are a major blind spot for Japan, typically a regional voice in climate negotiations that often touts itself as a decarbonization leader in Asia.
“Japan is actually delaying the fossil fuel phase-out across Asia” by funding energy projects, mainly liquefied natural gas developments, in countries such as
Activists, including one dressed in a Pikachu costume, protest Japan’s financing of coal and natural gas projects during the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit in
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, said Hiroki Osada with Friends of the Earth Japan, one of the protest organizers.
The government-owned Japan Bank for Interna-
tional Cooperation financed
$6.4 billion in loans for coal projects and $874 million in loans for gas projects from 2016 to 2024, according to a 2025 study by the Philippines-based research and
advocacy organization Center for Energy, Ecology and Development based on public government and banking data. The bank, which is Japan’s major conduit of overseas aid, did not respond to
requests for comment.
The Japan Delegation at COP30 responded to The Associated Press but declined to directly comment on the claims made by activists.
Instead, Japanese officials said Japan’s cooperation with Southeast Asian nations to achieve “decarbonization, economic growth and energy security simultaneously through varies pathways” was supported by those countries.
A pair of bobbing Pikachus
The protest centered on a pair of people wearing lifesized, inflatable Pikachu costumes who flanked a handful of activists.
The event included activists from across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is home to multiple Japanbacked fossil fuel projects.
One banner read: “Don’t gas ASEAN.” Ian Rivera, national coordinator at Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, led chants of “Only Pokemon, no fossil fuels” and “Sayonara fossil fuels.”
The bobbing Pikachus later visited the country pavilions of India, Indonesia and Malaysia to “to reveal how Japan is exporting its fossil agenda.”
“If Global North countries, like Japan, decide to double down on fossil fuel production and export, that is going to make it impossible for countries across the Global South to make the just energy transition,” said Amiera Sawas, head of research and policy at the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty Initiative.
The Pikachu protest, a frequent one during recent summits, was sandwiched between other anti-fossil fuel demonstrations and came after a Friday morning demonstration blocked the main entrance to the conference and increased COP30 security measures. Earlier, activists hosted a “Kick Out the Suits” event demanding the removal of fossil fuel lobbyists, who environmentalists accused of undermining the negotiations.
Texas A&M professors now need approval for race, gender topics
BY JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press
COLLEGE STATION,Texas Texas
A&M University System regents on Thursday required professors to receive approval from the school president to discuss some race and gender topics, tightening rules months after a viral video of a student confronting an instructor over her lessons threw the flagship campus into upheaval.
The new policy will apply to all 12 schools within the system, including at Texas A&M, one of the largest universities in the country
The new policy states that no academic course “will advocate race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity” unless approved in advance by a campus president.
The new policy appears to be the first time that a public university system in Texas has put in rules on what faculty can talk about in their classroom on the topics of race and gender Other university systems in Texas have also placed restrictions
BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press
on classroom instruction or have begun internal reviews of course offerings following a new state law
Critics of the new policy say it would impede the ability of faculty to teach, undermine academic freedom and could be a violation of First Amendment rights.
“It really strikes at the heart of what education means and what universities do, which is circulate the exchange of knowledge without fear of retaliation, without fear censorship,” said Rana Jaleel, chair of the American Association of University Professors’ committee on academic freedom.
Various universities and their presidents around the country have come under scrutiny from conservative critics and President Donald Trump administration over diversity, equity and inclusion practices and their responses to campus protests.
Last month, Trump asked nine major universities, including the University of Texas at Austin, to agree to various provisions, including commitments to eliminate race and sex from ad-
meat allergy
NEW YORK Researchers have reported what they believe is the first documented death from a meat allergy that can be triggered by tick bites.
A 47-year-old New Jersey man died last year from alpha-gal syndrome, which in 2011 was first linked to bites from the Lone Star tick. The case report was published this week in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology The lead author was the University of Virginia’s Dr Thomas Platts-
Mills, who led the 2011 paper that first linked Lone Star tick bites to the meat allergy. The new report tells of a healthy airline pilot who in the summer of 2024 went on a camping trip with his wife and children. They had steak as part of a late supper That was unusual — the man rarely ate meat. He woke up at 2 a.m. with severe stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting He gradually felt better, went back to sleep, and the next morning he felt well enough to eat breakfast and walk 5 miles. Two weeks later back
missions decisions and to promote conservative views on campus.
The new policy defines “race ideology” as a “concept that attempts to shame a particular race or ethnicity, accuse them of being oppressors in a racial hierarchy or conspiracy” or assigns “them intrinsic guilt based on the actions of their presumed ancestors or relatives.” The policy defines “gender ideology” as a “concept of self-assessed gender identity replacing and disconnected from the biological category of sex.”
“The goal is transparent and document cocurricular review not policing individual speech,” James Hallmark, vice chancellor for the Texas A&M University System’s Office of Academic Affairs, told the regents.
A spokesperson for the A&M system didn’t immediately reply to an email Thursday seeking comment on how the policy would be implemented.
Regents also approved a related policy saying faculty “will not introduce a controversial matter that has no
relation to the classroom subject or teach material that is inconsistent with the approved syllabus.”
In approving the policy on race and gender topics, regents did not refer to September’s firing of Melissa McCoul, a senior lecturer in the English department at Texas A&M University, after video was made public in which she argued with a female student over gender identity being taught in a children’s literature class. McCoul’s firing came after political pressure from Republican lawmakers, including Gov Greg Abbott.
Shortly after McCoul’s termination Texas A&M’s thenpresident, Mark A. Welsh III, resigned. He didn’t offer a reason for stepping down
but he and the school had faced political pressure and criticism, including from Abbott, after the video was made public.
Leonard Bright, president of the American Association of University Professors A&M chapter said he believes McCoul’s case opened the door for regents to put this policy in place.
“Our job is to teach facts, teach the truth, and if we have to use a litmus test of whether or not it meets someone’s approval, and it could be quite frankly their political approval, then we have no truth,” Bright, who is a professor at Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, told the AP ahead of the meeting.
During Thursday’s meet-
ing, eight Texas A&M professors and instructors, including Bright, spoke against the policy with many calling for McCoul to be rehired. Two A&M professors spoke in favor of the policy, including Adam Kolasinski, with the Department of Finance, who said “academic freedom does not mean you get to teach whatever you want.”
Regent Sam Torn said the policy was being put in place to “make sure we are educating, not advocating.”
A Texas law took effect on Sept. 1 that forbids Texas K-12 schools from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity The law does not apply to universities and other institutions of higher education.
home in New Jersey, he went to a barbecue, where he ate a hamburger About four hours later, he grew ill. A short time after that, his son found him unconscious on the bathroom floor The son called paramedics, but the man was declared dead that night at a hospital.
The researchers said blood tests revealed evidence of alpha-gal syndrome. Proof that it came from a Lone Star tick is incomplete. The authors made the link based on a statement from the man’s wife, who had said he had 12 or 13 “chigger” bites around his ankles.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FERNANDO LLANO
Belem, Brazil, on Friday.
Broussard road project now uncertain
AG sends letter on widening costs in contract
BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer
CHEEK TO CHEEK
Kedrick
COURTNEY PEDERSEN
ABOVE: Couples dance to music at the Bayou Teche Museum’s ‘Music on Main’ at the Bayou Teche Trading Company in New Iberia on Thursday.
Musical performances by Fifth Editon, Sharona Thomas Band and Mike Jamez Entertainment highlighted the evening LEFT: Dr. George Cousin plays the keyboard with Fifth Edition on Thursday.
RIGHT: Lisa and Pat Norris, from left, and Brady Judice have a good time at the event on Thursday.
PHOTOS By LEE BALL
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
A Lafayette Parish grand jury has indicted three men in connection with the fatal shooting of a 6-year-old girl at a vigil in August.
Daylon Andrus, 21, of Lafayette; Rickey Cheney, 20, of Lake Charles; and Kimmy Dauntain, 19, of Beaumont, Texas, were indicted Wednesday on manslaughter charges, according to court records.
The men were charged upon arrest with manslaughter Charges were upgraded to second-degree murder after the girl died, but the indictment is for the lesser charge of manslaughter Andrus, Cheney and Dauntain (whose name was spelled Dauthain by law enforcement) are scheduled for arraignment Dec. 2.
Records show Andrus and Dauntain, as of Friday, remained in the Lafayette
Parish Correctional Center on a $750,000 fine. Cheney was not listed as an inmate at LPCC.
The 6-year-old girl, Rylie Watson, was shot on Aug. 24 while attending a vigil in the 500 block of Saucier Parkway in Lafayette.
The vigil was in memory of Phillip Francis, who was killed in an Aug. 22 shooting at WoodSpring Suites Hotel following an alleged altercation with a former Lafayette police officer Watson, who was in first grade at Alice Boucher Elementary School in Lafayette, was hospitalized at a Baton Rouge hospital several days before succumbing to her injuries on Sept 5. Four people were arrested in connection with the child’s death. Police arrest-
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
research center and lobbying for the university, died last week in Baton Rouge. He was 74. Baumann spent the final chapter of his career lobbying the Legislature for his own consulting firm, Hood Baumann & Associates, representing oil and gas companies. At the time
Keystructure of oldShell refinery demolished
Closed Convent structures removed forexpansion
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
Acentral piece of aclosed crude oil refinery in Conventrecently came crashing down as Shell Oil shifts the nearly 60-year-old complex toward making renewable fuels, company officials confirmed
The cat cracker and catcracker reactor structure were demolished in aplannedtakedownthispast weekend that was capturedonvideo and posted on social media
AShell spokesperson and the St James Parish president confirmed the demolition this week after being informed of the video.
“This was part of Shell’splanned demolition exercise, and theyhave been communicating with the par-
ishfor quitesometimenow,” Parish President Pete Dufresne said in astatement.
The video shows thefamiliar bulbous reactorvessel at the topofthe catcracker andanother structure of entwined pipes coming down, with dust and audible cheers rising in the aftermath. The person who shot thevideo andposteditonsocial media couldnot be reached by Friday for permission to publish it It has since been deleted.
Acommon piece of equipment in oilrefineries, acat cracker turns heavy crude oil into gasoline, which was one of the old oil refinery’s mainproducts.
Evenbefore thedramatic removal ofthe cat cracker,Shell had demolished other pieces of the oil refinery in ayearslong process to remake itsoperations in the parish and was continuing the work Friday morning with another expected “controlled demolition.”
“Someresidents may notice loud
noises during this time,” St.James Parish sheriff’s deputies said in a Facebook notice. “Shell has safety measures in place andwill monitor the area during and after the demolition.”
Shell plans to locate afuture renewable low-carbon fuels plant on 99 acres of the former refinery wheredemolition has been happening. About200 moreacres next to the refinery that hasbeen in sugar cane production will be used for arailspur and loading complex, according to statepermit records.
Replacingproducts
The refinery was amajor employer and taxpayer in the region before Shell idled it in late 2020. Built andopenedbyTexaco in 1967, the refinery later became part of joint ventures before Shell owned it fully in 2017.
In 2020, theoil major announced the shutdown after failing to find buyers for the 240,000-barrel-per-
day oil complex.Atthe time, Shell said it was trying to reduce the number of its petroleum refineries and focus on integrated chemicaland oilcomplexes and renewable fuels. Shell says it is striving to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to help limit global temperature increases tied to those emissions.
Located near the Sunshine Bridge,the refashioned facility alongthe Mississippi River is expected to turn up to 6,000 tons per day of waste animal fats and vegetable oil into renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, propane, butane and naphtha.
“Produced products will provide environmental benefits by replacing fossil fuel-based products in the marketplace,” Shell officials told regulators in an August 2022 permit application.
BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer
Aman who shot apolice officer andwas laterwounded during a chase and shootout in Tangipahoa Parish was identified by Louisiana State Police as 34-year-old Trey
Ramey,ofBrusly State Police said late Thursday that Ramey was in a2016Chevro-
BAUMANN
Continued from page1B
congestive heart failure, Baumann’sclients included Shell Oil, ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. Many people in Baton Rouge associate Baumann mostly with LSU, where he headed the Center for Energy Studies and held other senior positions until he retired from the universityin 2007. In his role at the center, Baumann established close working relationships with the oil and gas companies that played an important role in Louisiana’seconomy Legislators,business groups, public entities and others used the center’sreports and findings. “Bob authored influential research, advisedgovernors and legislatures and shaped major debates with acalm, steady clarity that made eventhe most
NICHOLAS
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aspecial board meeting in Lafayette.
“Five, seven, 10 years ago, Inever would have thought Iwould be sitting in this seat, not because of my abilities, but because my aspirations were not that at that time,” Nicholas said during the meeting.
“I appreciate the board
…Thank you all so much for having this faith and vision about me that Ican keep things together at McNeese.I’m more than certain that Ican.” Nicholas was recommended for the position by Rousse, and the board unanimously votedtoappoint him.
AstatementfromMcNeese says that for more than ayear,Nicholashas served as senior vice pres-
complex oiland gas issues understandable,” said Tyler Gray,the newlynamed directorofLSU’s Energy Institute andformerlysecretary of the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy under Gov.Jeff Landry. “He was atremendous mentor to generations of students, colleagues and policymakers.”
But Baumann was capable of fielding issuesbeyond energy,asthen-Chancellor Jim Wharton recognized during the 1980s. Baumann becamepartofWharton’s inner circle as Wharton overcameresistance from LSU’sBoard of Supervisors to institute more selective admission standards requiring higher grades and test scores. Previously, anyone with ahigh school diploma could enter the university Wharton also began sending Baumann to theState Capitol when theLegislaturewas in session to win morefunding forthe uni-
ident and worked with the presidentonuniversity efforts, budget management, external partnershipsand relationships with governing authorities.
“Weare prepared as a team to continue themomentum that we have had, and there will be no changetoour approach. We will continue to focus on therecruitment, retentionand job placement of thestudents at McNeese State University,” Nicholassaid at the Thursday meeting.“The strategic planthatwas developed under the Rousse administration will remain in place and will continue to be the catalyst of ourcontinued success.”
Before he was named senior vicepresident of studentaffairs in July 2024, Nicholas guided an institutionaltransition at the University of New Orleansduring the2023-24
versity.
Ramey then allegedly carjacked two people,fleeing on U.S.51in their2015 Toyota Camry. He later crashed thecar and headed into a wooded area on foot, accordingto StatePolice. Atrooper also fired at Ramey,though officials didn’t saywhether it was the trooper or Tickfawofficerwho woundedhim
letTrax on U.S. 51 just outside of Independence at 3a.m.Wednesday when he allegedly fled as a Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy attemptedtopull over the vehicle for an equipment violation During the subsequent chase, Rameyallegedly opened fire on officers and exchangedgunfire with aTickfaw Police Department officer and wounded an Independence Police Departmentofficer, according to State Police.
Wharton “saw Bobasa real asset. He was very good at talking with legislators,” said Jim Richardson, an economics professor at LSU for decades. That might have been a surprise to anyone after first hearing hisnortheast accent. Baumann grew up in the New York City borough of Queens and graduated from the University of RhodeIsland In 1974, he movedto Baton RougetodograduatestudiesatLSU in the wetlands andgeography Twoyears later,hebegan working at theuniversity He neverreturned to the northeast.
“He ultimately fell in love with LSU and theBatonRouge community and things he was researching,” saidhis son Frank.
During his timeatLSU, Baumann was especially closewithWhartonbut developedrelationships with his successors as well.
academic year as aspecial assignmentfromthe University of Louisiana system.
Nicholas began his career at McNeese in 2005, serving in avariety of roles, including dean of student affairs, dean of students, associatedean of students, director of campus life andengagement, assistant deanofstudent services, coordinator of student activities and a verificationofficer in the financial aid office, accordingtothe university “… I’ve been at McNeese through theups and the downs, through the positive times, through thenegatives, the challenges that we have to overcome, everything that we experienced in 2020. While Imay have been a behind-the-scenes person, Iwas at the table making thedecisions that allowed our university to dig outof
The shift at Convent is projected to mean sharp reductions in particulatepollution, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and greenhouse gases, but less so for toxic air pollutants, though some, like sulfuric acid and hydrogen cyanide, will be nearly or completely eliminated.
Ramey wasarrested about three hours after the initial traffic stop and brought to ahospital, where State Police said he remained Thursday night.Staffersatan areahospital also treated the Independence officer fora gunshot woundtothe leg, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators later learned that
“He was aconfidante, friend and adviser to multiple leaders in theLSU system,” said Jay Dardenne, a former lieutenant governor and state senator who is a family friend Baumann is survived by his wife,Brenda, andhis two sons, Frankand Kyle. They areholdinga celebration of life for him on Sundayathis office, 616 SpanishTown Road. With hislongassociation at LSU, he createdthe Robert H. BaumannFamily Scholarship Fund and seeded it with $50,000. Aportion of thatmoney will provide a one-year scholarship grant each year to an outstanding student in the sciences. Anyone who wantstocontributetothe fund can do so through the LSUAlumni Association, 3838 W. Lakeshore Drive,Baton Rouge, LA 70808.
Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.
the turmoil thatwewere in at that time andwhere we aretoday,” Nicholas said at the meeting.
Nicholas attended McNeese to receive his bachelor’sand master’s degrees and played footballfor the Cowboys. He then headed to the University of LouisianaatLafayette to earnhis doctorateineducational leadership.
Nicholas is set to take over as interim president Nov.17, which is when Rousse will start at Louisiana State University
PROJECT
Continued from page1B
Even with the reductions, the complex expects to remain amajor emitter of all those pollutants. Due to the large reductions, Shell was not required to model the cumulative impact of future air emissions, according to permit documents. Toxic emissions areexpected to totalupto673 tons peryear. VOCs are expected to total nearly 1,854 tons per year.Shell told regulators that background airqualityis expected to remain within federal and state limits. Shell expectsthe facility to have about 85% less greenhouse gas emissions than the refinery did about252,100 tonsper year —and produce arenewable diesel that has reduced tailpipe emissions on the road.
Ramey hadactive warrants for hisarrest. State PolicesaidRamey will be booked on those counts hit and run, careless operation of a vehicle, filing false police reports and injuring public records —and counts related to the Tangipahoa chase— and further chargesstemming from the incident. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
suggestedthe newapartment complexwould only result in a4%-5%increase in traffic along the roadway, afigure that he felt should be somewhat closelyreflected in his share of the financial burdenofthe road project. In addition, witha need to widenalonger stretch of road to accommodate a newturning lane,the total cost significantlyexceeded Guidry’sinitial estimate of $153,000.
TheAG’sletter,whilenot legally binding, was made a contingent factor in the decisionofwhetherthe road-widening effort would move forward. The city has until the end of this year to make that decision. Notably,the matter wasnot brought forward at the Broussard City Council meeting earlier this week.
According to Bourque, the city is still processing theattorney general’sopinion.
“Over the next fewweeks, we will determine the best path forward thatisinthe bestinterest of the city,” Bourque said. “It would be inappropriate to make any other comments until further consideration is given to this issue and thorough discussions are complete.” Following an approved change to reduce thenumberofcouncil meetings fromtwiceamonth to once a month, the city will have until Dec.31todecide whether to move forward with the road-widening project before the city’s contract with Guidry expires.
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
U.S. drops reciprocal tariff on Argentine beef imports
WASHINGTON The Trump administration said it will drop a 10% tariff on Argentine beef imports and will quadruple the amount of Argentine beef that can enter the U.S. before imports reach a quota that triggers a 25% levy
The White House announcement comes despite criticism of President Donald Trump from lawmakers and ranchers last month over his plan to boost imports from Argentina in an effort to bring down beef prices for consumers.
“There is a reciprocal tariff of 10% on Argentina. We expect that to be eliminated,” a senior White House official said in a briefing on new trade framework agreements with Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador The agreements are expected to be signed within two weeks, the official said.
The duty-free amount for Argentina is currently 20,000 metric tons of beef, but the administration plans to boost that to 80,000 tons although the increase isn’t part of the framework agreement. When imports reach 80,000 tons, the 25% tariff would take effect.
The administration is also dropping the 10% reciprocal tariff on other items that can’t be produced in the U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said her department would “immediately expedite deregulatory reforms, boost processing capacity, including getting more locally raised beef into schools, and working across the government to fix longstanding common-sense barriers for ranchers like outdated grazing restrictions.”
Railroads’ shareholders support $85B merger
OMAHA,Neb Shareholders of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern backed the railroads’ proposed $85 billion merger to create the nation’s first coast-to-coast rail network.
Roughly 99% of both railroads’ shareholders voted to support the largest rail merger in history Friday but the U.S. Surface Transportation Board must still approve it before the deal can be completed.
The merger has picked up the support of the largest rail union and hundreds of shippers, but chemical manufacturers and competing railroad BNSF have raised concerns about whether the merger would hurt competition and lead to higher rates.
The proposed merger announced this summer was designed to link Union Pacific’s vast rail network in the West with Norfolk’s rails that crisscross the Eastern United States. The combined railroad would include more than 50,000 miles of track in 43 states with connections to major ports on both coasts.
The STB will closely scrutinize the merger to determine if it can meet the very high bar the board established for railroad deals after previous consolidation in the industry led to massive backups and snarled traffic.
FDA adds warning to Sarepta gene therapy
WASHINGTON The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it will add a new warning and other limitations to a gene therapy for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy that’s been linked to two patient deaths. The infused therapy from Sarepta Therapeutics will carry a boxed warning — the most serious type — alerting doctors and patients to the risk of potentially fatal liver failure with the treatment, the FDA said in a release. The one-time therapy, Elevidys, has been under FDA scrutiny since the company reported the first of two deaths of teenage boys in March. Following a second death reported in June, the FDA briefly called for halting all shipments of the drug. But the agency quickly reversed course after facing pushback from patient families and libertarian activists close to President Donald Trump. Elevidys is the first U.S.-approved gene therapy for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, a fatal muscle-wasting disease that affects boys and young men. In addition to the boxed warning, the FDA is also limiting the drug’s approved use to patients who are 4 years old and up and can still walk. Previously the FDA had allowed the drug’s use in immobile patients, who generally have more advanced disease.
Walmart CEO announces retirement
Doug McMillon to leave at age 58, with successor named
BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO Associated Press
NEW YORK Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who turned America’s largest retailer into a tech-powered giant and spearheaded a period of robust sales growth since becoming chief executive in 2014, plans to retire early next year, the company said Friday in a surprise announcement.
John Furner, 51, the head of Walmart’s U.S. operations, will take over on Feb. 1, the day after McMillon’s retirement becomes effective, the company said.
Unlike Amazon’s Jeff Bezos or Tesla’s Elon Musk, McMillon isn’t a household name, but he has played a key role in the U.S. economy Walmart’s performance serves as a barometer of
consumer spending given its size and vast customer base. The company maintains that 90% of U.S. households rely on Walmart for a range of products, and more than 150 million customers shop on its website or in its stores every week.
Walmart, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, also is the nation’s largest private employer, with 1.6 million workers. That includes corporate personnel and people working for Sam’s Club, the membership warehouse-store chain that Walmart owns. Globally, Walmart employs 2.1 million people.
McMillon, a University of Arkansas graduate, started with Walmart in 1984 and became chief executive three decades later During his tenure as CEO, he invested heavily in employees
Judge says he will approve OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s latest deal
BY GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press
NEWYORK A federal bankruptcy court judge on Friday said he will approve OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma’s latest deal to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids that includes some money for thousands of victims of the epidemic.
The deal overseen by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane would require members of the Sackler family who own the company to contribute up to $7 billion over 15 years. The new agreement replaces one the U.S. Supreme Court rejected last year, finding it would have improperly protected members of the family against future lawsuits The judge said he would explain his decision in a hearing on Tuesday It’s among the largest in a series of opioid settlements brought by state and local governments against drugmakers, wholesalers and pharmacies. It could close a long chapter and maybe the entire book — on a legal odyssey over efforts to hold the company to account for its role in an opioid crisis connected to 900,000 deaths in the U.S. since 1999, including from heroin and illicit fentanyl.
Lawyers and judges involved have described it as one of the most complicated bankruptcies in U.S. history Ultimately, attorneys representing Purdue, cities, states, counties, Native American tribes, people with addiction and others were nearly unanimous in urging the judge to approve the bankruptcy plan for Purdue, which filed for protection six years ago as it faced lawsuits with claims that grew to trillions of dollars.
Purdue lawyer Marshall Huebner told the judge that he wishes he could “conjure up $40 trillion or $100 trillion to compensate those who have suffered unfathomable loss.” But without that
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and SOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press
WASHINGTON The U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause new California laws expected to require thousands of companies to report emissions and climaterisk information. The laws are the most sweeping of their kind in the nation, and a collection of business groups argued in an emergency appeal that they violate freespeech rights. The measures were signed by
by increasing wages, expanding parental leave and launching a program for employees seeking advancement and education opportunities to earn certificates and degrees. Under his leadership, Walmart has been laser-focused on maintaining low prices while embracing new technology like artificial intelligence and robotics. McMillon also helped to improve the company’s reputation, softening its image as a ruthless low-price operator by personally connecting with hourly workers and committing to goals such as reducing the carbon emissions that cause climate change. Furner started at Walmart in 1993, working as an hourly store associate in Bentonville. He has lived and worked in multiple coun-
tries, and served as president and CEO of the U.S. division of Sam’s Club before taking the same roles at Walmart U.S.
When McMillon became CEO, stores were messy, sales were stagnant and worker morale was low McMillon thought the company needed to increase pay and create pathways for hourly workers to advance in their careers. In 2015, Walmart announced a threeyear, $2.7 billion investment to increase wages and create new education and training opportunities. But when McMillon briefed investors that year and cut the annual sales forecast, investors weren’t happy, sending Walmart shares down and destroying $21.5 billion in market value in hours. The company gradually regained investors’ confidence with higher sales, new customers and greatly improved employee retention rates.
possibility, he said: “The plan is entirely lawful, does the greatest good for the greatest number in the shortest available timeframe.”
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a previous deal because it said it was improper for Sackler family members to receive immunity from lawsuits over opioids. In the new arrangement, entities who don’t opt into the settlement can sue them Family members are collectively worth billions, but much of their assets are held in trusts in offshore accounts that would be hard to access through lawsuits
This time, the government groups involved have reached an even fuller consensus and there’s been mostly subdued opposition from individuals. Out of more than 54,000 personal injury victims who voted on whether the plan should be accepted. just 218 said no. A
Democratic Gov Gavin Newsom in 2023, and reporting requirements are expected to start early next year
Lower courts have so far refused to block the laws, which the state says will increase transparency and encourage companies to assess how they can cut their emissions.
The Chamber of Commerce asked the justices to put the laws on hold while lawsuits continue to play out
One requires businesses that make more than $1 billion a year and operate in California to annually report their direct and indirect carbon emissions, beginning in 2026 and 2027, respectively That includes planet-warming pollution from burning fossil fu-
larger number of people who are part of that group didn’t vote.
Besides contributing cash, members of the Sackler family would formally give up ownership of the company
None have been on its board or received payments since 2018. Unlike a similar hearing four years ago, none were called to testify in this week’s hearing.
The company would get a name change — to Knoa Pharma — and new overseers who would dedicate future profits to battling the opioid crisis. That could happen in the spring of 2026. Family members would be barred from involvement in companies that sell opioids anywhere in the world. And they would not have their names added to institutions in exchange for charitable contributions. The name has already been removed from museums and universities.
els directly, as well as releases from activities such as delivering products from warehouses to stores and employee business travel. The Chamber of Commerce estimates it will affect about 5,000 companies, though state air regulators say it will apply to roughly 2,600. The other law requires companies that make more than $500,000 a year to biennially disclose how climate change could hurt them financially The state Air Resources Board estimates more than 4,100 companies will have to comply
“Without this Court’s immediate intervention, California’s unconstitutional efforts to slant public debate through compelled speech will take effect and inflict
irreparable harm on thousands of companies across the country,” the companies argued. Companies that fail to publish could be subject to civil penalties. ExxonMobil also challenged the laws in a lawsuit filed last month.
The state has argued that the laws don’t violate the First Amendment because commercial speech isn’t protected the same way under the Constitution. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a rule last year requiring some public companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, but the agency paused the regulation amid litigation.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH Jen Trejo holds a photo of her son Christopher as she is comforted outside the Supreme Court on Dec. 4, 2023, in Washington, D.C.
OPINION
ANOTHERVIEW
Is democratic socialism the flip side of MAGA?
The Democratic Party is searching for something new —much like Republicanswere 10 yearsago.Republicans wanted atougher,more effective approach toward their enemies and abolder agenda that could ignite passion and capture power.Today,Democrats want the same. When Donald Trump enteredthe 2016 presidential race and electrified Republican voters, party leaderswondered about the impact. Could he replaceRonaldReagan’ssunny conservatismwithhis ownbrandofcultpopulism?
Republican leaders were initially skeptical of Trump’s electability and staying power. But over time,Trump struck achord the party’sestablishment didn’tfully grasp. Since 2016, he’sleveraged his MAGA basetowin threepresidential nominations and twoelections. Hecurrently holds ahammerlock on the RepublicanParty,perhaps the tightest in American history How long it lasts remains uncertain. Now,Democrats —frustratedwith their own party’sleadership and alarmed by Trump’sferocious exerciseofpower —are searching for generational, ideological and tacticalchange. Rather than move toward the center,aspragmatism might suggest,theyseemtowant something louder, bolder,more populist in appeal and more sharply defined
This renewed passion to fight sentlarge numbers of Democrats to the polls on Nov.4
But here’sthe seriousquestionDemocrats may be faced with:Will democratic socialism be forthem what MAGA has beenfor Republicans?
While most Democraticofficials scoff at theideathat their party might turn to socialisminany form, polls show they may not fully grasp what their ownvoter base really wants.
According to Gallup,nearly two-thirdsofDemocrats now have afavorable view of socialism —up16points since 2010. Democrats prefer socialismtocapitalism bya wide margin, 66%to42%. (As expected, independents andRepublicans are farless accepting.)
The latest Economist/YouGov poll finds that nearly6in10 Democrats would consider voting for asocialistcandidate. And perhaps more tellingly,only 10% ruleout thepossibility How voters define “socialism” is akey question. While meanings vary with political perceptions and intent, Merriam-Webster offers atechnicaldefinition: socialismis “anyofvarious egalitarianeconomic and politicaltheories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administrationofthe means of productionand distribution of goods.”
Democratic socialism,ascommonly used, refers to apoliticalphilosophy that seeks to achieve socialisteconomic goals through democratic means —elections,civil liberties and political pluralism Republicans have been trying to pin the “socialist” tail on theDemocraticdonkeyfor decades.But eventhe most liberal Democrats havemade apoint of rejectingthe label. In recent years, however,the tectonic plateshave begun to shift.
NewYork Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani —a selfdescribed democratic socialist —has quicklybecomea star among the national Democratic base.The Economist/ YouGov poll gives him a68% favorableratingamong all Democrats, with only8%unfavorable. Less than ayear ago,almost no one had heard his name. Other self-identified democratic socialists, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, command strong support among Democrats.This week, Seattle elected ademocratic socialistmayor, KatieWilson. Defeating the incumbentand the city’sestablishment, Wilson campaigned for affordable housing, help for thehomeless, climate action, ahigherminimum wage and new taxes aimed at businesses andwealthyhouseholds In the Economist/YouGov nationalsurvey,only 21%of Democrats say they’resatisfiedwith “the way democracy is working in the U.S.” Meanwhile,65% say thatina fair society,“there wouldbenobillionaires.” Amere 8% of Democrats believe government is “run for thebenefit of all the people,” while astriking 83% think it’s“mostly run by a few big interests lookingout forthemselves.” Together,these attitudescouldignite politicalcombustion within the Democratic Party Whether democratic socialism, or some variation of it becomes thepath for Democrats,asTrumpism wasfor Republicans, depends largely onwhathappens in 2026 and 2028 Lookingtofuture elections, Democratic leaders will be tempted to harness the fiery rhetoric and passion that come with aMamdani, withoutembracing the socialist label or the substance of its agenda. The really big question is whether their base will letthem.
Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.
“This isn’tus” was the headline in theOct. 9edition of the newspaper on astoryabout theshooting of a sheriff’s deputy. It could be equally applied to our politics, namely tothe extreme, defamatory rhetoric that emanates from our political leaders and dominates the media. The two cases are not unrelated: Words have consequences, and they can be toxic. This rhetoric paints an inaccurate picture of the actual views of most Americans. According to multiple polls, we are in fact less divided than our leaders would have us believe. Agood example is in the field of religion. Arecent letter to the editor characterized Democrats as “godless,”whereas 58% of Democrats identify as Christian. In Congress,
thenumbers are even higher: 75% of the Democrat representatives and senatorssoidentify. On the liberal side, misperceptionsofevangelical Christians abound: 55% are estimated to believe that good Christians must support Republicans, whereas only 20% of evangelicals do so. According to aPew study this September,one can disagree about politics and still be agood Christian, according to 80% of the Christians polled. To be sure, Americans are less tolerant of opposing viewsthan they were 20 years ago. But 72% still believe that violence is never justified in pursuit of political goals. The solution is to lowerthe rhetorical temperature —and vote forcandidates who do so.
DAVID LINDENFELD member,BraverAngels Baton Rouge
As aproud graduateofthe UniversityofNew Orleans(bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees), I am not happy that the LSU system is takingover UNO. However,Idounderstand that financially,this is anecessary move. What is not necessary is for UNO’s school colors of blue and silver to be changed to LSU’scolors of purple and gold.
Iwas diagnosed with IgA nephropathy at 22 while serving in theArmy National Guard. For decades, Imanaged my condition with medication and regular visits to anephrologist. Butbythe time Iturned 50, my kidneys began to fail, and Ibegan dialysis.
At first,Iwas able to do peritoneal dialysis at home.
When COVID hit,everything changed. Ilost what kidney function Ihad left and had to switch tohome hemodialysis. Still, Iwould travel and camp with my machine because Ibelieve life doesn’tstop with kidney disease. Fortunately,Ireceived atransplant about ayear ago.
Butnot every patient is as fortunate. Many can’taccess treatment for thingslike anemia, severe itch-
The University of New Orleans still should be able to retain its own identity.Ialso hope that the LSU system willnot makewholesale changes at UNO,merely forthe sake of change. Ihope that the successful programsatUNO will continue to thrive.
REBECCA F. HALE NewOrleans
ing, phosphorous control or to managethe risk of infections. These complications can makelifeondialysis extremely difficult. Earlier this year,I had the opportunitytomeet with Speaker Mike Johnson’sstaffduring avisit to Capitol Hill to discuss this very issue.
I’m grateful fortheir timeand am hopeful thespeaker will help move theKidney Care Access Protection Act forward, whether as astandalone bill or as part of other bipartisan legislation later this year I’ve lost both my father and grandfather to this disease. Iknow what it looks like when people don’thave access. We deservebetter,and this legislation is astep in the right direction.
KENNETH
STEPHENS Shreveport
Iwas thrilled and moved by the story about Sarah Watkins, the eighth grade English teacher at Worley Middle School in Westwego, whowas awarded the Milken Award forexcellence in teaching. Just afew days ago, my brother,sister,mom and I werereminiscing about the teachers from 50 years ago whoinspired us and madeus into the people we are today God bless Ms. Watkins, her fellow teachers and students, and congratulations! What she does is the mostimportant job in the world.
STEPHENMONROE NewOrleans
Look at what Trumpdoes, not what he says,on vaccines
The president and Ihave something in common. We both got flu and COVID-19 vaccinations this October Neither of us heeded the obstacles and swirling doubt around the shots by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr Seemskinda like it’s“do as I say,not as Ido.”
FAYE LIEDER NewOrleans
CLAUDETTE OSTER Baton Rouge Here’s where National Guard mightbeofuse
Maybe Gov. Jeff Landry should request President Donald Trumpsend the Texas National Guard to Baton Rouge to help protect LSU fans at homegames.
GAMEDAY
ArKAnSAS AT LSu • 11:45 A.m. SATurdAy • Secn
nussmeier had heisman Trophy and cFP aspirations entering his fifth season as LSu Qb. now he’s fighting just to stay on the field.
SE N SI YS
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
arrett Nussmeier stood on the outskirts of the huddle as his replacement jumped up and down in the heart of the flock.
This was not how this year was supposed to go for Nussmeier The fifth-year LSU quarterback and second-year starter came back to school for moments like this — a prime-time matchup on the road against Alabama.
But instead of getting ready for the next drive in a game that was still within reach — trailing by 11 in the third quarter — Nussmeier found himself at a distance from the action, powerless as sophomore backup Michael Van Buren entered the game.
Nussmeier had been benched
“We knew there could be opportunities in the quarterback run game, and then at the back end, as they tried to bring closure to it, they would make it difficult to just sit in the pocket,” LSU interim coach Frank Wilson said last Saturday when asked why he decided to replace Van Buren with Nussmeier “And so we wanted to move (Van Buren) around and do some things. We thought that he gave us a chance to do those things.”
Nussmeier hasn’t been officially replaced as the LSU starter, but to claim that his spot is in jeopardy may be an understatement. Wilson said Monday that LSU will play both quarterbacks Saturday against Arkansas (11:45 a.m SEC Network).
Even if he trots out as the starter this weekend, Nussmeier’s season already has gone off the rails. After entering the year as a potential first-round pick and the top senior quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, he is last in the Southeastern Conference in average depth of target and second-to-last in yards per attempt among quarterbacks with at least 250 drop backs, according to Pro Football Focus.
He threw for more than 4,000 yards in his first season as a starter This year, Nussmeier hasn’t eclipsed 2,000 yards.
“He had a lot of hype coming into the year, and there were a lot of people really looking forward to seeing how he would play this year,” said Jordan Reid, an NFL draft analyst at ESPN “I just think things really have come off the rails at LSU.”
The start of Nussmeier’s struggles began in the preseason, when an abdominal injury limited his reps leading into the season. The ailment lingered through the first five games and left Nussmeier unable to generate the torque he needed to drive throws downfield.
“They floated out there that he wasn’t hurting,” Reid said, “but clearly, you could tell that something was definitely hurting him throughout the season.”
An off week after LSU’s loss to Ole Miss in Week 5 allowed him to rest and recuperate, but a healthier Nussmeier didn’t translate into better results for the quarterback or his team.
The Tigers lost three of their next four games. They failed to
score more than 20 points with Nussmeier at the helm of the offense a garbage time touchdown with Van Buren at quarterback against Texas A&M got LSU to 25 points — and he failed to throw for more than 260 yards in any contest as he attempted fewer passes downfield each game
Before getting benched against Alabama last Saturday, Nussmeier’s average depth of target was down to 2.9 yards. He attempted just one pass over 20 yards downfield.
“He has looked more and more conservative each game, to the point where it’s hurting the offense,” said Dane Brugler, an NFL draft analyst at The Athletic. “There’s a third down right before halftime against Alabama where he had the backside dig open. He just couldn’t find it, couldn’t pull the trigger He’s averaging a full yard less in yards per attempt this year.”
Multiple factors have contributed to Nussmeier’s struggles, including his sudden inability to make plays downfield with his arm. It starts with the LSU offensive line.
He has looked more and more conservative each game, to the point where it’s hurting the offense. One of the areas that scouts really loved about Nussmeier was that short memory where he would get over a mistake (and) come back firing. (That’s) not what we’ve seen from him this year.”
DANE BRUGLER, NFL draft analyst
STAFF PREDICTIONS
WILSON ALEXANDER
ARKANSAS 27, LSU 24
Arkansas has the worst defense in the SEC, but can LSU take advantage of that? The Tigers still have not scored more than 25 points against another FBS team. It’s hard to put trust in them to keep up with dual-threat quarterback Taylen Green, even though LSU has one of the best defenses he will face this season.
REED DARCEY
ARKANSAS 35, LSU 27
Don’t let the record fool you. The best unit that will take the field Saturday is the Arkansas offense If this thing turns into a shootout, then the Razorbacks will have the clear edge, especially because they have a mobile quarterback and know how to use misdirection The LSU defense still hasn’t proven it can stop that kind of offense.
LSU lost four starters upfront to the NFL draft last offseason, and the Tigers’ lone returning starter redshirt sophomore DJ Chester, lost his starting spot. They added two transfers — center Braelin Moore and right guard Josh Thompson — but neither veteran has been able to mask LSU’s issues at tackle. Redshirt freshman right tackle Weston Davis has allowed 26 quarterback pressures and four sacks this season, and he was benched during the second half against Alabama. Redshirt sophomore left tackle Tyree Adams allowed 11 pressures before injuring his ankle against Vanderbilt.
Adams hasn’t returned since undergoing surgery and has been replaced by freshman Carius Curne, who has given up five pressures and two sacks over LSU’s last two games.
These issues have affected Nussmeier’s aggressiveness as a playmaker and internal clock in the pocket.
“One of Nussmeier’s best quali-
SCOTT RABALAIS
LSU 31, ARKANSAS 28
I’m going out on a limb here believing that the Tigers can score 31 points on well anyone The Razorbacks have a potent offense, but remember that LSU won a dominant game in Fayetteville last year, 34-10 If Whit Weeks can give the Tigers anything, they may win by more Like two years ago, Damian Ramos’ late field goal is the difference
KOKI RILEY
ARKANSAS 35, LSU 17
Arkansas is a matchup nightmare for the Tigers The Razorbacks run the ball effectively and have a mobile quarterback and LSU has struggled defending offenses with both traits. Even more concerning is LSU’s inability to score points against anyone The Tigers have yet to drop more than 25 points against an FBS team in eight such games
LSU
Continued from page 1C
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier walks on the sideline after being pulled out of the game in the second half against Alabama on Nov. 8 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
ties is hisability to navigate muddypockets, but the constant pressure has just really diminished his trust in theprotection,”Brugler said. “One of the areas thatscoutsreally loved about Nussmeier was that short memory where he would get over amistake (and) come back firing. (That’s) not what we’ve seen from him this year.”
Combined with arunning game that is secondto-last in the SEC in yards per game andhis early-season injury,Nussmeier’ssituationhas become untenable for almost any quarterback to operate effectivelyin.
“Schematically,they’re doing alot of quick (throws), and then whenever you’re hurt or you don’thave that trust in the scheme (and/or your) offensive line, you’re going to get the ballout much quicker than what younormallydo just becauseyou don’twant to take those hits,” Reid said. “So that’sprobably what’sgoingthrough his head right now in thisseason. He just wants to get the ball out to avoid turnovers, and then also to avoid those hits, especially with him being banged up.”
Scouts have told Reid that Nussmeier’srough year has resulted in his draft stock falling to the middlerounds. But both Brugler andReid believe pre-draft events such as the draft combine and Senior Bowl could go along wayindetermining where he eventually lands in thedraft.
Strong performances at those showcases could help separate Nussmeier’squalities as a prospectfrom asituation that played afactorin his eventual benching.
“LSU doesn’thave aquarterback problem,” Bruglersaid. “LSU has an offense problem, and that absolutely includes the quarterback. But you can’ttalk about Nussmeier’sstruggles without also talking about the contributing factors around him.
“Too often, we think about quarterbacks as superheroes. They should havethe power to make everything else better on offense, andwhile
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is sacked by Alabama linebacker yhonzae Pierre in the second half of agameagainst Alabama on Nov. 8atBryant-DennyStadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
that canbetruetoa degree —withespecially theJosh Allens and Patrick Mahomes of the world —the vastmajority of quarterbacks in the NFL(and) college football need help around them to succeed.”
Nussmeier had to be Batman or Superman to save the LSU offense. But when he couldn’tbe, the unit brought him down withitand left the preseason Heisman Trophy contender standing alone on the sideline, likely wondering what went wrong. “I think that we have not done thethings necessarily best for us as an offense in amultitude of ways,” Wilson said, “and (Garrett’s) just one of many that have not played up to their desire or their wantto.”
Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@theadvocate.com
Nussmeierdowngradedto questionable vs.Arkansas
BYWILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer
LSU quarterbackGarrett Nussmeier has been downgraded to questionable forthe Tigers’game Saturday against Arkansas, accordingtoanavailability report releasedFriday night by the SEC. LSU hosts Arkansas at 11:45 a.m. inside Tiger Stadium. If Nussmeier does not play,sophomore MichaelVan Burenwould make his first start at LSU. LSU ruled out junior linebacker Whit Weeks (ankle) and sophomore defensive tackle Ahmad Breaux. Weeks was tryingtoreturn after missing the past three games. Breaux(undisclosed)
was added to theavailability report for the first time this week on Friday
Interim coach Frank Wilson said Thursday that Nussmeier aggravated an injury at practice that day VanBuren transferred to LSU from MississippiState,where he made eightstartsasa freshman. He has completed 66.7% of his passes (18 for 27) for 224 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptionsinthreegames this season. He hasalsorushed15times for24yards andascore. VanBuren replaced Nussmeier in the second half of LSU’s20-9losslastweekendtoAlabama. He finished the game 5of11for 52 yards in his first significant action of the year
Saturday’s games TOP25 No. 1OhioSt. (9-0) vs.UCLA(3-6), 6:30 p.m. No. 2Indiana (10-0) vs.Wiscon. (3-6), 11 a.m. No. 3Texas A&M(9-0) vs.S.Car.(3-6), 11 a.m. No. 4Alab.(8-1) vs.No. 11 Oklah. (7-2), 2:30p.m. No. 5Geo. (8-1) vs.No. 10 Tex. (7-2),6:30 p.m. No. 6Ole Miss (9-1) vs.Florida (3-6), 6p.m. No. 8Texas Tech (9-1) vs.UCF (4-5), 2:30 p.m. No. 9ND(7-2) at No. 23 Pitt. (7-2), 11 a.m. No. 12BYU (8-1) vs.TCU (6-3), 9:15 p.m. No. 14Georgia Tech (8-1) at Boston College (1-9), 2:30 p.m. No. 15Utah (7-2) at Baylor (5-4), 6p.m. No. 16Miami (7-2) vs.NCState (5-4), 2:30p.m. No. 17USC (7-2) vs.Iowa(6-3), 2:30p.m. No. 18Michigan (7-2) at NW (5-4), 11 a.m. No. 20Virginia (8-2) at Duke (5-4), 2:30 p.m. No. 21 Tenn. (6-3) vs.N.Mex. St. (3-6), 3:15 p.m. No. 22 Cinci. (7-2) vs.Arizona (6-3),11a.m. No. 24JMU (8-1) vs.App. St. (4-5), 2:30 p.m. No. 25S.Florida (7-2) at Navy (7-2),11a.m. EAST CCSU(7-3) at Duquesne (5-5), 11 a.m. Penn (5-3) at Harvard(8-0),11a.m. R.Morris (3-7) at Mercyhurst (4-6),11a.m. NewHampshire(6-4) at Bryant (3-7), 11 a.m. Air Force(3-6) at Uconn(7-3), 11 a.m. LIU Brooklyn (4-6) at St. Francis(Pa.) (0-9), 11a.m. Stonehill (3-7) at Wagner (4-6),11 a.m. Yale (6-2) at Princeton (3-5),11a.m. Brown(3-5) at Columbia (1-7), 11 a.m. Davidson (2-8) at Marist(4-6), 11 a.m. Notre Dame (7-2) at Pittsburgh (7-2), 11 a.m.
Merrimack (3-7)atSac. Heart (7-3), 11 a.m. South Florida (7-2)atNavy(7-2), 11 a.m. Holy Cross(1-9) at Bucknell (5-5), 11 a.m. Towson (4-6)atAlbany(NY) (1-9),noon Cornell (4-4)atDartmouth (6-2), noon Fordham (1-9)atGeorgetown (5-5), noon Howard (4-6)atDelaware St. (7-3),noon Lehigh (10-0) at Colgate (4-6),noon Rhode Island(8-2) at Maine (6-4), noon StonyBrook (5-5)atVillanova (7-2), noon Georgia Tech (8-1) at Bos. Coll. (1-9), 2:30 p.m. SOUTH Morgan St. (3-7)atNorfolkSt. (1-9), 11 a.m. North Dakota (6-4)atMurraySt. (0-10), 11 a.m. ETSU (5-5)atW.Carolina(6-4), 11 a.m. UTSA(4-5) at Charlotte (1-8), 11 a.m. Monmouth (NJ)(8-2)atNCA&T (2-8),11a.m. VMI (1-9)atFurman (5-5), noon William &Mary (6-4) at Hampton (2-8),noon Bethune-Cookman (5-5)atJackson St. (7-2), noon
(3-6)atTenn. (6-3), 3:15 p.m. UNC (4-5)atWakeForest (6-3), 3:30 p.m. Liberty (4-5)atFIU (4-5),4 p.m. MVSU (1-8)vs. AlabamaSt. (7-2)atMobile Ala., 4p.m. Coastal Carolina(6-3) at GeorgiaSouthern (4-5), 5p.m. Florida (3-6)atMississippi (9-1),6 p.m. UT Rio Grande Valley (7-3)atMcNeeseSt. (4-6), 6p.m. Texas(7-2) at Georgia(8-1),6:30 p.m. Vir. Tech (3-6) at Florida St. (4-5),6:30 p.m.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier rolls tohis left before making athrowfor atouchdownagainst Southeastern in the secondquarter on Sept. 20 at TigerStadium
THENATION
THINGS TO WATCHINWEEK12
Who, what andwhere to keep an eyeoninthisweek’sgames around thenation
USCLOOKS TO BOOSTCFP CHANCES
Iowa must contain SouthernCal walk-on King Miller,who has topped 100 yards rushing in three of his four games since becoming the Trojans’ primary ball-carrier.He has been one of the nation’s most effectiverunning backs after contact. Iowa’splayoff hopes likely disintegrated last week when it lost18-16 to No. 7Oregon (No. 8College Football Playoff), but USC still has ashot at reaching the 12-team field. Iowa’sdefense is fifth in points allowedper game (13.7)and fourthinyards allowedper game (250.2).
RED-HOTIRISH LOOK TO FEND OFFPITT
UGA, TEXASCLASH IN KEYMATCHUP Texashas an opportunity to strengthen its chances of aspot in the CFP on Saturday with awin against Georgia.The Bulldogs are ranked fifth in the AP Top25and CFP rankings, and they’re likelynext in linefor the first-round bye if atop-four team falters.The Longhorns are on afour-game winstreak, beating Oklahoma, Kentucky,Mississippi State and Vanderbilt in consecutiveweeks.The Bulldogs have become knownasa second-half team, but awin against aTexas team putting it togetheratthe right time will need astrong four quarters. 2 1 3
Pitt has won five straight behind freshman quarterbackMason Heintschel,which is why, regardless of the outcome at Acrisure Stadium this weekend, the Panthers (7-2) canearnaspot in the ACCtitle game by toppling No. 14 GeorgiaTech and No. 16 Miamitoend the regular season. Notre Dame (7-2) hasnosuchwiggleroom forthe CFP.A sevengame winning streak by an averageofnearly four touchdowns has put the Irish back in the CFPmix, though another misstep likely leaves them on the outside looking in.
Yes, it’strue, this matchup haslost some of its luster.Though you can easily make the argument that you havetohave luster beforeyou can lose it.
Scott Rabalais
It’sLSU, the biggest disappointment in college football west of Clemson,against Arkansas, the team so desperate it called on once-disgracedcoach BobbyPetrino to be its interim after firing Sam Pittman
Calling the Hogs to be the interim coach would have been preferable.
Still, this game fairly bristles withstorylines. Let’sdive into afew: WhoshouldLSU startatquarterback?
Interim LSU coach FrankWilson said Garrett Nussmeier has worked as the starter all week but alsorevealed Thursday that Nussmeier reaggravated his abdominal injury in practice. Wilson hassaid Nussmeier will be the starter Saturday, though he will be closely monitored According to an availability report released Friday night by the SEC, Nussmeier has been downgraded to questionable for Saturday’sgame.
Let’smakeabig butreasonable assumption: Nussmeier has beenphysically compromised all year.You cantell by the velocity,orlack of it,onhis throwsin most of the Tigers’ games. Youcould seeit Saturday compared to thezip with which backup quarterback Michael VanBuren threw when he relieved Nussmeier in the third quarter
And, unfortunately,playingbehind this shaky offensive line and in thisshaky offense, Nussmeier looks likehehas lost some confidence.
Football is an unsentimental game,especially at this level. If Nussmeier isn’t 100%, LSU should start VanBuren. Heck, even if Nussmeier is fullyhealthy,LSU probably should start VanBuren. Hismobility and willingness to takeoff and run gives the Tigers more optionsagainsta bad Razorbacks defense. That’s amajor consideration as LSU needs to score plenty of points to keep up with Arkansas’ Taylen Green-led offense.
Should VanBuren redshirt?
Wilson said VanBuren wantstoplay in LSU’sremaining games. He’salready played in three games this season,meaning he can only play in onemore (minus abowl game) and maintain his redshirt status. Atrue sophomore,ifheredshirts he could play through 2028. There are reasonablearguments to be made on both sides of whether VanBuren should play.Myfeeling is if he wants to play,play him.
VanBuren knows he faces amightyuncertain future with LSU’scoachingchange He may be the Tigers’ starter in 2026, he may again be the backup to someone out of the transfer portal or hemay beback in the portal and playing somewhere else. Whatever the case, he can benefit from putting film out there for LSU’snext staff or another staff to watch And again, Iwould start him Saturday.
Wilson vs.Petrino
There are reports that this is the first Southeastern Conference game betweenin-
also made millions in NIL money to return this season, making him and other wellcompensated college athletes fairer game for criticism since they’re now basically professionals. ButNussmeier did return in 2025 and gave his all for the school and state he loves. Will he go down as one of the great LSUquarterbacks? No, but his kind of loyalty to aschool in this modern era deserves respect,not ridicule. What’s theattendanceSaturday?
It will be abeautiful day for apotentially ugly game, withtemperatures in the upper 70s for the very early kickoff by LSU standards. Given that it’shunting season and folks already have daytime plans and the Tigers have lost four of their past five in a lost season, I’ll put the actual attendance at 60,000.
terim coaches. That would be interesting if true, but the SEC office could not confirm. If they don’tknow,then it probably isn’t.
WhitherWhitWeeks?
The LSU linebacker was ruled out Friday from the Arkansas gamewith that bone bruise onhis ankle he broke in theTexas Bowl, an injury that had kept him out of the past three games. Wilson indicated that Weeksdid some work thepast few days, but Ithink at this point we’re leaning more toward Weeks having played his last footballfor LSU this season. What may be the bigger question is whether he will return in 2026 since his NFL draft status may have been hurt
Will Nussmeierget booed?
Isincerely hope not. Say what you will about Nussmeier,and clearly he’sbeen the face of this disappointing LSU season. He’s
LSUwill announce amuch higher attendance because of ticketssold, but it won’t be apretty sight on the SEC Network. Just another example of the current diminished stateofLSU football. Does this game matter?
Youare only guaranteed 12 games a season. So, yes, everything matters. It’s important to try to win, and not just to retain The Boot, believed to be the heaviest trophy in college football. On the face of it, thegame will only determine whether LSU is bowl eligible. But who knows? Perhaps if LSUsecures awinning season (paired with awin against Western Kentuckynext week) it convinces aprospective coach that he can turn things around here relatively quickly.Inother words, every little bit helps.
For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter
Thisweek: at Missouri, 6:45 p.m. Saturday (SECNetwork)
14.SOUTH CAROLINA
Record: 3-6 overall, 1-6 SEC
Previous rank: 13
Last week: Idle
Thisweek: at Texas A&M, 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPN)
15.ARKANSAS
Record: 2-7 overall, 0-5 SEC
Previous rank: 15
Last week: Idle Thisweek: at LSU, 11:45 a.m. Saturday(SEC Network)
16.FLORIDA Record: 3-6
STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier tries to outrun Ole Miss linebacker Suntarine Perkins on Sept. 27 at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford,Miss. Nussmeier recently reaggravated an injury, and QB Michael VanBuren has said he wants to playinLSU’s remaining games
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK
LSU quarterback Michael VanBuren, right, and defensivetackle Bernard Gooden walk off the field after aloss to Alabama on Nov. 8inTuscaloosa, Ala.
CLEARING UP
Path to play in Sun Belt championship game easier to see for some
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
The possibility for some late-season drama in the Sun Belt West Division race took a hit last week when Southern Miss turned five interceptions into a critical 27-21 road win over Arkansas State.
Add that to Troy’s loss at Old Dominion on Thursday and the odds are really in the Golden Eagles’ favor to reach the Sun Belt championship game. The only way to keep that from happening is Troy beating Georgia
Tigers defeat FIU but some players say it wasn’t their top effort
BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer
Mike Nwoko was grateful for the win but not pleased with his team’s performance.
“I’d give us a D-,” the LSU center said while grading his team’s 98-81 win over Florida International on Thursday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center The junior Mississippi State transfer got chuckles from point guard Dedan Thomas and small forward Marquel Sutton in the postgame news conference. Thomas said he would have given LSU (3-0) a C- and Sutton said a C in a game where LSU led FIU (1-2) 43-38 at halftime.
Nwoko, who finished with a team-high 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting, defended his stance.
“I feel like we’re better than that,” Nwoko said. “They played Nebraska, and Nebraska beat them by, what, 30. I think we’re better than Nebraska, respectfully So, you know, we gotta just look at the film. I feel like it was a bad performance.”
State; Southern Miss losing to either Texas State or South Alabama; and then the Trojans winning in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Nov. 29.
As for the East race, all signs point to a Nov. 29 showdown between division leader James Madison at Coastal Carolina, but first the Chanticleers must survive a trip to Georgia Southern on Saturday
ä See SUN BELT, page 7C
day said that he was pleased with how Thomas performed.
“Still a pretty good night at the office,” McMahon said. “I think he had our highest plus-minus. We were plus-22 when he was on the floor tonight. So some areas, I know he wants to get better, but overall, I thought he did a tremendous job for the team.”
When asked for a letter grade of his team’s play, McMahon flashed a smile and declined. However the fourth-year coach started his opening comments with how he was glad his team faced adversity He later explained how the outing was instructive.
Extra incentive
Alabama seeks revenge as Oklahoma tries to keep CFP hopes alive
BY KENNINGTON SMITH III Associated Press
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 4 Alabama stopped short of calling Saturday’s showdown against No. 11 Oklahoma a revenge game, but the Crimson Tide players admit they haven’t forgotten last year’s outcome.
The Sooners beat the Tide 24-3 in Norman, Oklahoma. It was a shocking result considering the Sooners had lost four of five and Alabama was on the verge of securing a spot in the College Football Playoff That letdown surely will provide extra motivation for Alabama (8-1, 6-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 4 CFP) in the rematch.
“There are (new) players that didn’t experience that,” Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said. “The ones that did certainly better remember and understand, more importantly, that you’re facing a really good program that obviously we went to their place and got beat up pretty good last year, and that’s who’s coming to town this week.”
A loss Saturday in Tuscaloosa wouldn’t derail Alabama’s playoff chances, but it could knock the Tide out of the SEC title game in Atlanta. It’s a must-win game for Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2, No. 11 CFP) and its playoff hopes. The Sooners are 2-2 over their last four games, with losses to Texas and Ole Miss and wins against South Carolina and Tennessee.
“We all know,” Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer said “We have a chance to determine our own destiny and keep it right in front of us. So that’s our goal.”
The Oklahoma defense is the class of the SEC this season, leading the conference in yards and points allowed. It will need to have a memorable performance against Alabama, which has won eight in a row and has the longest home winning streak in the FBS at 17 games.
The Tide’s average margin of victory during its home streak is 40-11.
“They’ve got a really good roster,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “They’re playing really well on both sides of the ball. Their defense leads the SEC in turnovers caused and turnover margin, and offensively they’ve been just incredibly efficient.”
Mateer averaged 303.8 yards passing, with six touchdowns and three interceptions in four games before having thumb surgery In four games since, he’s averaging 183.5 yards passing, with two touchdowns and four interceptions. He bounced back a bit against Tennessee, rushing for 80 yards and a score. Finding his rhythm against Alabama, which leads the SEC with 16 takeaways, should be key Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, a Heisman frontrunner, will have a similarly hard time against Oklahoma. The question for him and Alabama is whether they can create explosive pass plays to mitigate a struggling run game.
Last week against LSU, Simpson connected on four passes that gained 30 or more yards, but he also left several big plays on the field that could have broken the game open.
“The low-hanging fruit there is complete the big, open ones,” Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said.
“I think there’s a little bit of carryover there from the previous (weeks), just getting the ball out earlier and on time and making sure that we give our guys a chance at the football down the field.”
The Tigers beat Tarleton State and UNO by 36 and 35 points, respectively, in their first two games. Thomas elaborated on his evaluation of the game.
“Obviously, I didn’t play my best game, either,” the junior UNLV transfer said. “Just some dumb turnovers. Just collectively as a group, we just made bad mental mistakes. But, I mean, it’s good to have that early in the season, get those kinks out. Just move on to the next game and we’ll be better.”
“I’m glad we got tested,” McMahon said. “Obviously, don’t want to give up 81 points. So there’s some areas we want to clean up But overall, to score 98, to live at the free-throw line the way we did, to handle some of the adversity we faced there at the end of the first half, it was a good step forward for us. And now, we can get back in the practice gym this weekend and get better.”
Thomas had 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting with five rebounds, six assists and three turnovers. Coach Matt McMahon, who spoke after his players on Thurs-
LSU went 30 of 34 from the free-throw line. It was the most free throws made by LSU since McMahon became head coach.
Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
UL coach Michael Desormeaux, left, greets Southern Miss coach Charles Huff after their game on Oct. 18 at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. Southern Miss is closing in on the Sun Belt Conference West Division title.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU forward Pablo Tamba battles Florida International forward Hamed Olayinka for a rebound on Thursday night in the PMAC. LSU won 98-81 to improve to 3-0 on the season.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VASHA HUNT Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard just misses a fingertip catch during last Saturday’s game against LSU in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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Coastal AD reprimanded for berating CWS officials
INDIANAPOLIS The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee on Friday issued a public reprimand to Coastal Carolina athletic director Chance Miller for misconduct after Game 2 of the College World Series finals against LSU in Omaha, Nebraska, in June.
Committee members cited Miller for berating the NCAA national coordinator of umpires in a public setting and later NCAA staff in the hallways of Charles Schwab Field. It was the committee’s understanding Miller was frustrated by an umpire’s decision to eject coach Kevin Schnall and assistant Matt Schilling in the first inning against LSU on June 22. Miller won’t be allowed to attend the first game of the next NCAA baseball regional in which his team plays.
Jefferson strives to get back in ‘savage mode’
BY DAVE CAMPBELL Associated Press
EAGAN, Minn. — Justin Jefferson still draws constant double coverage. He’s made plenty of clutch catches this year The Minnesota Vikings continue to keep him as the heart of their entire offensive scheme.
Over the first half of the season, though, Jefferson hasn’t been the same high-impact player His averages of 13.5 yards per reception and 76.2 yards per game are both career lows for the two-time AllPro wide receiver
The transition to a developmental quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, and the five-game switch to Carson Wentz while McCarthy recovered from a sprained ankle, has predictably been a factor But Jefferson acknowledged this week that he hasn’t felt like his usual self, smiling as he said he’s seeking to return to the “savage mode” he has previously played in.
“Just different things going on in my life,” Jefferson said, without elaborating when asked during his regular interview session with reporters why he’s been missing that extra edge. “Just wanting to get back to that kid phase of overly loving football and overly loving just being out there on Sundays and making the big plays and just being a part of this great organization.”
For all the route-running clinics he’s put on and highlight-reel catches Jefferson has produced, the relentless competitor in him has made just as much of an impact on the team over his six seasons During the third-to-last game of the 2023 season against Detroit, with the playoffs nearly out of reach, Jefferson sprinted 20 yards to recover a fumble by quarterback Nick Mullens and keep a lastditch drive alive, a play that coach Kevin O’Connell has frequently
cited in his praise of Jefferson. Jefferson, too, has always been keenly self-aware. Without directly addressing the rare online criticism that went his way for a lackluster performance in the 2719 loss to Baltimore last Sunday, he made clear the perception — fair or not — that he failed to give full effort to pursue the defenders after two passes to him from McCarthy were intercepted didn’t sit well with him. He said essentially that the frustration with those plays going against the Vikings in another game in which the offense had substandard production overrode in those situations his in-
stinct to immediately chase after the ball.
“Emotionally things get heated sometimes, and things weren’t going our way at that moment. Just wanting a better outcome and of course with the offense that we have, I feel like we should be playing better than we are,” Jefferson said. Jefferson was on social media on Thursday when he spotted a post highlighting the anniversary of the one-handed catch he made on fourth-and-18 to help Minnesota win at Buffalo during the 2022 season after which he was voted as the Associated Press Offensive
Player of the Year The highlight clip stirred in him that competitive desire to get back to “Year 3 Jets,” referencing his nickname and that award-winning 2022 performance.
“I love the job and I love being here with these guys and being here with this organization, so there’s definitely a lot of great things to be grateful for and to be happy about,” Jefferson said.
“I’m just an ultra-competitor, and I hate to lose at the end of the day.”
The Vikings host Chicago this Sunday “And nobody will lead the charge more than Justin,” O’Connell said.
Eagles keep winning despite Brown’s frustrations
BY ROB MAADDI Associated Press
A.J. Brown is right that the Philadelphia Eagles need to fix their offense.
His constant complaining isn’t helping the situation, though Brown has made it clear through cryptic posts on social media and public comments that he’s not happy with his role.
It hasn’t been a distraction to the team — yet.
Commentary
There was drama surrounding Brown last season when veteran pass rusher Brandon Graham said on his radio show that Brown and Jalen Hurts had a damaged relationship It didn’t stop the Eagles from winning the Super Bowl. And, they’ve continued winning.
The Eagles are 7-2. They beat the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Vikings and Packers on the road They beat the Rams at home. All were impressive victories. Some were ugly But wins are wins. They’re in position to become the first NFC East team to win consecutive division titles in two decades. But the goal in Philadelphia is to repeat. Anything less than another Super Bowl parade on Broad Street wouldn’t be considered a success.
That’s why Brown is frustrated He sees the offense underachieving. He knows it won’t be good enough to win important games in January unless the Eagles can get on track.
“It’s not that I don’t care about winning, all I care about is stats, no,” Brown told reporters on
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J Brown walks off the field after a win over the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 19 in Minneapolis. Brown has been vocal about the Eagles’ underperforming offense.
Wednesday “It’s been week after week, sometimes we’re not contributing, we’re not doing our job on offense. You can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over that if you expect to win later in the year
You think you’re just going to go to it at the end of the year? It’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen
“Last year, what it was, thank you for the ring, but it’s a new season. They adapted. We have to adapt and we have to continue to get better and find new ways.
That’s where the frustration comes in. Because it’s not about winning, you guys. I want to win, yes. I want to help contribute as well. Do our thing on offense as well. I think that’s fair.” Brown only has 31 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns.
He has caught one or two passes in three of the eight games he’s played. Brown is an elite receiver who has been a second-team AllPro three straight seasons. Hurts and first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo simply have to find ways to get him more involved in the offense.
Playmakers need the football.
“A.J. Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, so of course we’re trying to get him involved in the game every single time,” Sirianni said. “Sometimes, it goes like it did in the Rams game or the Vikings game and sometimes it goes like it did in this last game.” Hurts is super cautious as a passer He’s only thrown one interception. He prefers safe throws. He doesn’t give Brown as many one-
on-one, 50-50 opportunities as he’d like. It’s hard to blame Hurts. The Eagles are winning games, and winning the turnover battle is a big reason for their success.
Hurts did throw an ill-advised deep ball to Brown on fourthand-6 from the Packers 35 with 33 seconds left in a 10-7 game on Monday night. Coach Nick Sirianni insisted he called the play even though players indicated Hurts and Brown changed it.
“I think it’s fair for me to even say that we do need to do a better job of creating for me, trying to help put me in situations to help to contribute,” Brown said. “But right now, it just feels as if I’m just freeing it up for everybody.”
While Brown’s production has decreased, DeVonta Smith has stepped into the No. 1 wideout role. He has 48 receptions for 657 yards and three TDs.
Overall, the Eagles are 25th in the NFL in passing offense and 21st in the run. That’s been the biggest surprise because Saquon Barkley set an NFL record with 2,504 yards rushing in the regular season and playoffs in 2024. This season, he’s averaging just 3.9 yards per carry down from 5.8.
The offensive line isn’t opening up the same running lanes, and Philadelphia’s inability to have success on the ground has had a negative affect on the passing attack.
The Eagles have a huge test on Sunday night against the Detroit Lions (6-3). They face the Bears (6-3), Chargers (7-3) and Bills (63) over the final seven games. Brown and Barkley have to get going for the Eagles to have a chance to repeat.
Grant shoots 63 for share of lead at The Annika BELLEAIR, Fla. — Linn Grant shot a 7-under 63 on Friday for a share of the lead with Grace Kim in The Annika. Defending champion Nelly Korda made a big move with a 63 of her own, while Kai Trump improved by eight strokes and still finished a distant last.
Kim had a 66 to join Grant at 9-under 131 at Pelican Golf Club. Kim won the Evian Championship in France in July for her first major title and helped Australia win the recent International Crown. Trump is the granddaughter of President Donald Trump. Playing on a sponsor exemption, the high school senior followed an opening 83 with a 75. At 18 over, she was last in the 108-player field by six strokes.
Hadwin leads at windy Bermuda Championship SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda Adam Hadwin held onto the lead Friday in the windy Butterfield Bermuda Championship in a late bid to retain full PGA Tour playing privileges, shooting a 5-under 66 at Port Royal to take a one-shot advantage into the weekend.
Hadwin is 147th in the FedEx Cup standings, with the top 100 next week after the RSM Classic keeping their tour cards for next year The 38-year-old Canadian, a PGA Tour winner and two-time Presidents Cup player, missed the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in his tour career Hadwin had an 11-under 131 total after opening with a 65. Chandler Phillips (64) and Braden Thornberry (65) were tied for second. Max McGreevy (64) and Noah Goodwin (67) were 9 under
Auger-Aliassime reaches ATP Finals semifinals
TURIN, Italy Felix Auger-Aliassime beat two-time champion Alexander Zverev and claimed the last spot in the semifinals of the ATP Finals on Friday The Canadian’s reward? Carlos Alcaraz, who is fresh from claiming the year-end No. 1 ranking after winning all three of his group matches.
The eighth-seeded Auger-Aliassime won 6-4, 7-6 (4) to join Jannik Sinner in advancing from the Bjorn Borg group. Earlier Sinner completed a sweep of his roundrobin matches by dispatching already-eliminated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (3). Sinner will next face seventhseeded Alex de Minaur The final is on Sunday
FSU freshman LB back on campus after getting shot TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard, who was shot in the back of the head following the team’s season opener in August, is expected to attend the Seminoles’ home finale Saturday Pritchard rang a bell and got a standing ovation while being released from Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville on Thursday He returned to Tallahassee on Friday and visited with teammates and coaches from an electric wheelchair Pritchard, a four-star recruit from Sanford, Florida, was “not doing anything wrong” when he was shot outside an apartment complex on Aug. 31 near Tallahassee, authorities said. He was dropping off an aunt and a child following a family party when he was attacked in
was
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIE PARR Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson reacts after missing a pass on fourth down during a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Minneapolis. Jefferson’s yards per catch and per game are down this season.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIE PARR
1. JamesMadison
Records: 8-1 overall, 6-0Sun Belt
Previous rank: 1
Last week: DefeatedMarshall 35-23
This week: vs. Appalachian State, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)
Extrapoints: The Dukes had to strain abit to remain undefeated in league play during last week’s win at Marshall. The Herd rushed for248 yards against thevaunted JMUdefense. Alonza Barnett threw for 270 yards and 3TDs and added 32 yards on the ground. JMU musttakecareofold rival App State before the showdown with Coastal Carolina.
2. Southern Miss
Records: 7-2 overall, 5-0Sun Belt
Previous rank: 2
Last week: Defeated Arkansas State 27-21
This week: vs. Texas State, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)
Extrapoints:The Golden Eagles showed the power of turnovers in their six-point road win over Arkansas State last week. Southern Miss collected fiveinterceptions and six overall turnovers to hold offalateRed Wolves’ charge. QuarterbackBraylon Braxton threwfor 228 yardsand spearheaded an offense that posted528 total yards. The win kept the Eagles in the West Division driver’s seat.
3. CoastalCarolina
Records: 6-3 overall, 5-1Sun Belt
Previous rank: 3
Last week: Defeated GeorgiaState 40-27
This week: at Georgia Southern, 5p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)
Extrapoints: The mission is pretty clear for the Chanticleers. Playing South Carolina next weekend may be fun, but it doesn’tmean awhole bunch in the big picture. If Coastal can beat Georgia Southern on Saturday,itwill play for the Sun Belt East Division title against James Madison on Nov.29. Former UL reserve quarterback Samari Collier has led Coastal’sunconventional recipe for success lately by passing for 120 yards and three scores and also running for 123 moreand a fourth touchdown againstGeorgia State. The Chanticleers collected 444 total yards and limited Georgia State to 3of13onthird down.
4. OldDominion
Records:7-3 overall, 4-2 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 6
Last week: Open date
This week: Defeat Troy 33-0 on Thursday
Extrapoints: The Monarchs deliveredadominantperformance with 20 first downs to nine for Troy.ODU outgained Troy 503138, thanks largelytonine sacks for 54 yards. ColtonJoseph didn’t have one of his better games with 10-of-20 passingfor 147 yards and aTDtogowith90yards rushing and two TDs, but it didn’tmatter The defense dominated the game for the Monarchs.
5. Arkansas State
Records: 5-5 overall, 4-2 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 4
Last week: Lost to Southern Miss, 27-21
This week: Open date
Extra points: ArkansasState’s bizarreseasoncontinued last week Initially,itappeared theRed Wolves wouldn’tbeinthe race, but three fortunatewins put Arkansas State in position to hostSouthern Misswith ashot to get in thedriver’sseat in theWestrace. Instead, theRed Wolves threw fiveinter-
ceptions and hadsix turnovers in front of just 15,441 fans in asixpoint loss to the Golden Eagles. Arkansas Statemust win one of its final two games toget bowl eligible.
6. Troy
Records: 6-4 overall, 4-2 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 5
Last week: Open date
Thisweek: Lost at Old Dominion
33-0 on Thursday
Extrapoints: Early in conference play,itseemedlikethe Trojans wereusing some smoke and mirrors to claim afew wins. Butafter converting 9of13thirddowns in a35-23 home win over theCajuns, theTrojans appeared to be progressing. Since then,problems on theoffensive line have undone the progress. For the secondtime in three games, Troy allowed nine sacksduringThursday’sblowout loss against Old Dominion.
7. UL
Records: 4-6 overall, 3-3 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 9
Last week: Defeated Texas State 42-39
This week: Open date
Extra points: UL gave up 528 total yards and toomany easy touchdowns in the shootout against Tex-
as State, butthe offense’s27first downs and37:58-22:02 advantagein timeofpossession was enough to keep the Cajuns’ bowl hopesalive.
The Sun Belt hammered the Cajuns with seven player suspensions after apostgame fight that visiting Texas State seeminglystarted That will makenext week’s tripto Jonesboro more challenging.
8. Marshall
Records: 4-5overall, 2-3 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 7 Last week: Lost to James Madison 35-23
Thisweek: at Georgia State, 1p.m Saturday (ESPN+)
Extrapoints: Marshallprobably deserves amatchup with cellar-dwelling Georgia State after losing tough games to Coastal Carolina and James Madison the last two weeks. The Herd rushed for248 yards against the Dukes and outgained James Madison 414-409 in the loss.
Quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson continued to be dangerous with 154 yards passing anda scoreand 73 yards on the ground, although his passing was shaky at 16 of 35. Antwan Robertsgot 121 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
9. Georgia Southern
Records:4-5 overall, 2-3 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 12
Last week: Defeated Appalachian State 25-23
Thisweek: vs. CoastalCarolina, 5p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)
Extrapoints: Thelofty preseason goals are long gone, but the Eagles’ bowl hopes are still alive. Thechore doesn’tget anyeasier, though. Needing twowins in the lastthree, the Eaglesplayred-hot Coastal Carolina before OldDominionand Marshall. Twowins withthatschedule andGeorgia Southern will deserve abowl trip.
10.Texas State
Records: 3-6 overall, 0-5 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 10
Last week: Lost at UL 42-39.
This week: at Southern Miss, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+)
Extrapoints: It wasa near-miss for the Bobcats, who trailed 42-20 earlyinthe fourthquarter. But allsigns pointed to Texas State pulling awin out of the jaws of defeat fora change, but UL quarterback Lunch Winfield displayed enough composure to hold off the Bobcats. TexasStatehad sixplayers suspended forthe road tripto Hattiesburgfromthe UL altercation. TymereJackson’sactions in
victory formation andthenonthe field after the game ignited trouble forboth programs.
11.AppalachianState
Records: 4-5 overall, 1-4 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 8
Last week: Lost to Georgia Southern 25-23
This week: at James Madison, 2:30 p.m.Saturday (ESPN+)
Extrapoints: After an encouraging starttothe season,the Mountaineershavelostthreeina rowand must wintwo of their last three to achieve bowl eligibility.The first problem is they play at James Madison this week and then must playMarshall andArkansasState at home. That sounds challenging. 12.UL-Monroe
Records: 3-6 overall, 1-4 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 11
Last week: LosttoOld Dominion 31-6
This week: vs. SouthAlabama, 2:30 p.m.(ESPN+)
Extrapoints: TheWarhawks continued to struggle on offense in last week’s loss to OldDominion. UL-Monroe must winits last three games to get to six wins. That starts this week with awinnable home game againstSouth Alabama. Afterthat, there areroad games againstTexas State and UL 13.South Alabama
Records: 2-7 overall, 1-4 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 13
Last week: Open date
This week: at UL-Monroe, 2:30 p.m Saturday (ESPN+)
Extrapoints: It’s simply amatter of playingfor pridefor theJaguars. There’salso the idea of playing spoiler.After traveling to Monroe for awinnable game, South Alabamawill host Southern Miss before being TexasState’sfinalSun Belt opponent.
14.Georgia State
Records: 1-8 overall, 0-5 Sun Belt
Previous rank: 14
Last week:Lost at Coastal Carolina 40-27
This week: vs. Marshall, 1p.m. Saturday
Extrapoints:There was another T.J. Finley sighting forthe Panthers in last week’sloss at Coastal Carolina. Quarterback Cameran Brownhad played well as of late but suffered an injury to push Finleyintoaction.The formerLSU andAuburn quarterback was 16-of-26passing for177 yards with aTDand an interception.
Back to the final
STM sweeps South Lafourche, moves to title game
BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer
For the sixth straight year, St. Thomas More is headed to the volleyball state final.
It was another dominant performance by the topseeded Cougars, who swept No 4 South Lafourche 26-24, 25-13, 25-15 in the Division II semifinals Friday at the Cajundome.
“We are very excited and super honored,” coach Jessica Burke said. “Every year it is definitely a goal of ours. I always want every group that we have to play for a state championship. We always want to get every group there. Sometimes we won’t get there, and it has happened in the past.
It’s not easy to do.”
Burke said it’s not something that gets old.
“It feels just as good as the previous times because it is new girls,” she said. “It’s the same old me, but each year
there are new challenges, new adversity, new dynamics and new growth. It’s always a lot of newness and every year there is a new group of seniors.”
In the win over the Tarpons, the Cougars were led by Morgan Dunn, Marvel Potier, Clare Thomson (13 assists three aces), Audrey Wheeler (23 assists), Eleanor Guidry (11 digs) and Virginia Blanchard (10 digs).
Dunn finished with a match-high 13 kills and three aces, while Potier chipped-in with eight kills, three blocks and three aces.
“Marvel and Morgan did excellent jobs,” Burke said. “Marvel is such a great athlete. She has so much range and such a high IQ. Morgan is just steadfast, and she quietly and humbly makes a difference.”
When asked about the struggles in the first game, Burke cited needing to adjust to the Tarpons’ style of play
“South Lafourche plays differently from what we are used to,” Burke said.
“They hit a lot of off-speed shots, and that play isn’t typically seen in our gym It took a second for us to settle in and adapt. They didn’t make a lot of mistakes, and we were making a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes in the first set. We know how to play through chaos, and we just found our way out.”
The Cougars (38-5), who have won four consecutive state championships, will look to extend their title streak to five when they face No. 2-seed St. Scholastica at 4:30 p.m. Saturday
“St. Scholastica is a good team, and they are very fundamentally sound,” said Burke, whose Cougars defeated the Doves in the regular season. “We know that we can’t take anything for granted. If it is ours to take, we will have to go earn it. Because we aren’t going to be given anything.”
Westminster Christian falls to CCMC
BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer
All season, it appeared Westminster Christian and Country Day have been on a collision course to meet up in the Division V state final for a fourth consecutive year
While the top-seeded Cajuns did their part by sweeping No. 5 Ascension Catholic, the No. 2 Crusaders (35-10) did not. Despite winning two of the first three sets, the Crusaders were stunned by the No. 3 Central Catholic of Morgan City in a five-game thriller, 15-25, 25-23, 20-25, 26-24 and 18-16 in the semifinals Friday at the Cajundome.
“I thought we played good,” Crusaders coach Keith Leon said. “I just think Central Catholic was the better team (Friday). We couldn’t pull it out. Sometimes the ball doesn’t fall your way for them, the ball fell their way It happens, but they deserve every bit of it. They are a good ball club.”
The Crusaders, the state runner-up each of the past three seasons, weren’t able to contain the middle blockers Jorden Geason and Addison Grizzaffi.
“Their middles played really good,” Leon said. “We had trouble stopping them. Both of them are really good ball players. They are solid.”
Geason finished with a match-best 25 kills and four blocks, while Grizzaffi had 16 kills and nine blocks for the Eagles (27-5).
“We knew what we were going to be facing,” Leon said. “We played them last year, but we had big Bethany (Stutes) in the middle. We had a sophomore and a freshman in there trying to slow them down and I think they did a great job, but it is hard to slow those big girls down.”
LHSAA VOLLEYBALL REPORT
“I guess it’s disappointing But at the end of the day, I have got to be proud of my girls and what they did all season.”
KEITH LEON,Westminster Christian coach
Leon said size and the way the Eagles use Geason and Grizzaffi makes them difficult to defend.
“They are so big and everything they do with them is high,” Leon said. “They don’t run fast with them, they run high balls and so they are able to turn that ball in a heartbeat. That’s what they were doing, and our young middles were struggling trying to read where they were going with the ball. You’ve got to give them credit.”
“I guess it’s disappointing,” Leon said. “But at the end of the day I have got to be proud of my girls and what they did all season. We beat some top teams. We just didn’t pull it out (Friday) and again, that happens.” Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.
The Eagles will face the Cajuns, who have won nine consecutive Division V state titles and 15 of the past 16, in the final at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Cajundome. The Crusaders’ top performers were Laila Gauthier (24 kills), Londyn Pickney (12 kills, 2 blocks), Jules Angelle (29 assists, 10 digs, two aces), Isabella Guy (19 digs) and Aidan Magee (27 assists).
SCOREBOARD
Giants at Detroit, noon N.Y. Jets at Baltimore, noon New England at Cincinnati, noon Pittsburgh at Chicago, noon Seattle at Tennessee, noon Cleveland at Las Vegas, 3:05 p.m. Jacksonville at Arizona, 3:05 p.m. Atlanta at New Orleans, 3:25 p.m. Philadelphia at Dallas, 3:25 p.m. Tampa Bay at L.A. Rams, 7:20 p.m. Open: Denver, L.A. Chargers, Miami, Washington Monday, Nov. 24 Carolina at San Francisco, 7:15 p.m. New England 27, N.Y. Jets 14 Late Thursday N.Y. Jets7070—14 New England0147627 First quarter NYJ — Fields 5 run (Folk kick), 6:56 Second quarter NE — Henderson 7 run (Borregales
New England, Diggs 9-105, Henderson 5-31, Hollins 4-64, Henry 4-45 Douglas 3-36. MISSED FIELD GOALS — New England, Borregales 45. College football Scores, schedule Wednesday’s games N. Illinois 45, Umass 3 Toledo 24, Miami (Ohio) 3 Cent. Michigan 38, Buffalo 19 Thursday’s game Old Dominion 33, Troy 0 Friday’s games TOP 25 No. 7 Oregon (8-1) vs. Minnesota (6-3), n No. 19 Louisville (7-2) vs. Clemson (4-5), n SOUTH SC State (7-3) at NC Central (7-3), n Clemson (4-5) at Louisville (7-2), n FAR WEST Minnesota (6-3) at Oregon (8-1), n Men’s college basketball State scores, schedule Thursday’s games Grambling 75, Southern Miss 70 LSU 98, FIU 81 Houston Christian 72, UL-Monroe 61 Friday’s games Northwestern State 95, Ecclesia College 75 UL at McNeese, n UNO at Tulane, n Saturday’s games Southeastern at Mississippi State, 2 p.m. Nicholls at Murray State, 4 p.m. Jackson State at Louisiana Tech, 6 p.m. Champion Christian at Southern, 6:30 p.m. National scores MIDWEST Central Michigan 82, Coppin State 59 LSU 98, Florida International 81 Late Thursday FG
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
St. Thomas More’s Marissa Billedeaux, left, and Marvel Potier go for a block against South Lafourche’s Nyla Lyons on Friday at the Cajundome. The Cougars won 26-24, 25-13, 25-15.
Iconic Fleurde LisPizza officially returning
Landmark eatery
couldreopeninspring
BY JANRISHER Staff writer
Fleur de Lis, an iconicBaton Rouge pizza place that originally opened in 1946, is on track to reopen in spring2026, according to Sydney Duhe, studio manager for Tiek Byday,the restaurant design and architecturalfirm workingon the project.
“Things are going well. They are progressing. We are finishingfinal details on construction drawing,” Duhesaid.
The spot, which previously only took cash and checks, announced it was closing over the FourthofJuly weekend in 2022, after 76 years in business.
FleurdeLis,known fortheir square pizzas, was among Baton Rouge’soldest restaurants.
The news caused shock among its loyal fans and created awave of nostalgia for many,particularly for their Round the World Pizza (anchovy, Italian sausage, mushroom, pepperoni, salami, onions— no free substitutions).
“Fleur de Lis has been such abig part of Baton Rouge,” Duhe said. “At this time, we are working to hit thedeadlines we’ve set to keep the project on track.”
The Fleur de Lis pizza building at 5655 Government St. sold in June for $1.1 milliontoBig HornRiver LLC. Carl Batson, of Big Horn River,said the group planned to bring back the landmark Baton Rouge restaurant with “the same funky vibe” andits iconicsquare-style Roman pizza pie.
Fleur de Lis pizza sold for$1.1 million, new owner to bring it back with ‘same funky vibe’
The longtime Baton Rougepizza restaurant originally wasput up forsale in March 2023 with an asking price of $4.5 million,whichincluded the 1,800 square-foot building, the 1.13-acre lot, the name of the business, equipment, furnishings and the Fleur de Lis recipes. Moredetails are on hold until construction getsmoving,according to Duhe.
Email Jan Risheratjan.risher@ theadvocate.com.
STAFFPHOTO By
Asign for Grant Construction stands outside Fleur de Lis Pizza, 5655 Government St.,inBaton Rouge.
MARCHING INTO HISTORY
BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer
Of allthe leaders on the field during LSU game days, Catherine Mansfield is probably the least banged up at this point in theseason.
“Noinjuriesyet,” she reports. “Sometimes a little bit of asoreshoulder. But other than that, I’m on the top of my game.”
“I feel abit of that pressure, but alot of it is self-imposed,” said Mansfield, 21. “People are going to watch me closer but are rooting me on more. They see that thedrum major is alittle different, but they’re allfor it, forthe mostpart It’sbeen avery positive overall experience.”
Learning to ‘march adot’
BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer
What’sthat sound? Gobble gobble cluck quack! Surely,this must be asign. The holidayseason is cranking up, and families from all over are delegating food assignments for theannual Thanksgiving feast. Whatbetter way to wow grandma, pawpaw,aunts, uncles, cousins and kiddos than bringing a three-bird
Mansfield
Mansfield is the LSU Tiger Marching Band’sdrum major Duringthis turbulent, challenging LSU football season, she and the 325 bandmembers she leads have done theirbest to fireupfans.
Along the way,she’smade history
In theTiger Band’sentire 132 years, she is only its fourth femaledrum major
Growing up in Metairie,Mansfield learnedpiano at age 5, then flute. She chose St.Mary’sDominicanHigh School, in part because it is one of the only all-girl schoolsinthe NewOrleans area with amarching band.
By hersenioryear,she was Dominican’s drum major.
ä See MARCHING, page 10C
STAFF PHOTOSByHILARy SCHEINUK
LSUTiger Marching Band drum major Catherine Mansfield leads the 325 instrumentalists, Golden Girls and Colorguard membersontothe TigerStadium field Oct. 25 before the startofthe Tigers’ game against the Texas A&MAggies
Today is Saturday, Nov.15, the 319th day of 2025. There are 46 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On Nov.15, 1864, late in the U.S. Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman began their “March to the Sea” from Atlanta; the campaign ended with the capture of Savannah, Georgia, on Dec. 21.
Also on this date:
In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation.
In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike sighted the mountain now known as Pikes Peak in presentday Colorado.
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In 1959, four members of the Clutter familyof Holcomb, Kansas, were found murdered in their home. (Two men were later convicted of the killings and hanged in acase made famous by the Truman Capote book “In Cold Blood.”)
In 1966, the spaceflight of Gemini 12, the final mission of NASA’s Gemini program, ended successfully as astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr splashed down safely in the Atlanticafterspending four days in orbit.
In 1969, aquarterof amillion protesters staged apeaceful demonstration in Washingtonagainst the Vietnam War.
In 2012, the Justice Department announced that BP hadagreed to plead guilty to araft of charges in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill and pay arecord $4.5 billion, including nearly $1.3 billion in criminal fines.
In 2019, Roger Stone, alongtime friend and ally of President Donald Trump, was convictedof all seven counts in afederal indictment accusing him of lying to Congress, tampering with awitness and obstructing the House investigation into whether Trump coordinated with Russia during the 2016campaign. The president commuted Stone’s40-month sentence days before Stone to report to prison and fully pardoned him in December 2020 In 2022, the worldpopulation reached8billion, based on United Nations projections.
Today’sbirthdays: Singer Petula Clark is 93. Actor Sam Waterstonis85. Classical conductor Daniel Barenboim is 83.Pop singer Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad (ABBA) is 80. Fashion designer Jimmy Choo is 77. Actor Beverly D’Angelo is 74. Former “Tonight Show” bandleader Kevin Eubanks is 68.Actor Jonny Lee Miller is 53. Actor SeanMurray is 48. Golf Hall of Famer Lorena Ochoais44. Actor Shailene Woodley is 34. NBA All-Star KarlAnthony Towns is 30
TURDUCKEN
Continued from page 9C
n 18135 E. Petroleum Drive, SuiteJ,BatonRouge (225) 408-0092 n 14790 WaxRoad, Suite 110 BatonRouge, (225) 4270099
Hebert’s SpecialtyMeats
This spot has atraditional turduckenstuffed with pork and cornbread dressing for $104, which feeds up to 25 people. There’salso amini turducken (that feeds 10-15 people) for $90 and three turducken sausage links for $12 Hebert’sSpecialty Meats, 13375 La. 73, Geismar,(225) 677-6300
Hints from Heloise
know? —ChuckSmoley,inSiouxCity,Iowa
Cursivewriting
The only exception to this is if a bolt has an “L”stamped on it. If it has the“L,” you do thereverse of theabove. It stands for left-hand threads. Inever could understand why the righty-tighty,lefty-loosey idea ever started. Are youlooking at the toporthe bottom of the nut or bolt when you use it, and how do you
Dear Heloise: Concerningthe rightytighty,lefty-loosey confusion, I’mfrom theold school when clocks were round and had 12 digits on them. To tighten anut orbolt, you wouldjustturn the nut or bolt in a clockwise direction.Toloosen,you turn it in acounterclockwise direction
Dear Heloise: Over 70 years ago, when Iwas alittle girl, my mother, my sister and Ilived with my mother’s parents. My grandmother thought Ineeded to know how to write my name before Istarted school, so she taught me how to write it in cursive of course.
At this time, we learned how to write in cursive in the first grade. It would be auseful skill forparents and grandparents to teach children nowthat it is no longer taughtinschool.The childrenwould have an advantage in their work lives. —Patricia Roberts, in Bellaire,Texas Sendahinttoheloise@heloise com.
MARCHING
Continued from page9C
“I’m really glad Iwent there,”she said. “It’swhat enabledmetocontinue my music journey.”
Other than MardiGras parades, Dominican’sband mostly performs in concert settings or at volleyballand basketball games. After earning aspot in theLSU Tiger Marching Band as a freshman, Mansfield had to learn how to “march adot” —playmusic whilemarching in apattern on the football field.
“Itwas awhole new world. Most of my peers had come from co-ed public high schools in Louisiana, and they’d been doing thatfor years. It was alot to catch up with, alot of skills to learn.”
Hersophomoreyear, she was named co-leader of the Tiger Band’spiccolo section. Ahead of her junior year,she tried out for drum major,but ended up as the piccolosection’ssololeader
She resolved to audition fordrummajor againher senior year
The Golden Band From Tigerlandnamed its first female drum major,Kristie Smith,in1999. Mindy Hebert Aguillardfollowedin 2000, then Mary Bahlinger Motes in 2014
That scanttrackrecord didn’tdiscourage Mansfield.
“Coming from aplace
Day’sSmokehouseand SpecialtyMeats
At $89.95, this turducken at Day’s comes stuffed with either cornbread dressing or boudin.Itcomes frozen and mustbe defrostedfor twotothree days. Cooking time is four hours, anditserves 12-14 guests. Allorders must be prepaidand placed before Nov. 24. Day’sSmokehouse and Specialty Meats,35770 La. 16, Denham Springs, (225) 271-8709
Bergeron’s Boudin and CajunMeats
Bergeron’ssells turduckens stuffed with boudin dressing, seafood dressing
“I trytoupliftgirls and women in the marching band space. There is room for them.”
CATHERINE MANSFIELD
like Dominican, where it’s very much by women for women, Iwas used to an environment that’s dedicated to uplifting girls. Iwas used to women in leadership Coming to LSU… Ididn’t have any reason to think I couldn’tdoit.”
The weeklong band audition assessedboth technical and subjective skills.
“It’saholistic analysis of you as amember of the band and as aleader,” Mansfield said. “They’re looking at what your peers think of you.”
Being one of only two female candidatesauditioning for the 2025-26 drum major “could feel isolating. But Ihad alot of support from within the band, andfrom my family and friends.
Feedingoff fanenergy
The adrenaline is “pretty crazy” when she leads the band down VictoryHill through agame day gauntlet of cheering fans to Tiger Stadium. “It’s honestlyhard to notjust black outand forget all of it.”
During the excitement, shemustmaintainmilitarylike precision.
“Everything is calculated down to thesecond. I’m try-
or cornbreaddressing. Customers must call and place their order before Nov.21 to join thelist. It comesraw or frozen. This spothas six locations across thestate,and the closest onetoBaton Rouge is in PortAllen.
Bergeron’sBoudin and Cajun Meats, 760 La. 415, Port Allen, (225) 338-0921
Tramonte’s
For $129.99, folks can graba turducken stuffed with cornbreaddressing. Turduckens must be heated andare available forpickup from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving day. Orderscan be made in person or on the phone. Tramonte’s, 12451Jefferson Highway,Baton Rouge, (225) 751-7665
ing to make sure I’mgoing theright speed so we get to thebottom of the hill at the right time, andthe team can start walking down at the right time. It’s abig production.”
The musicians are“at attention”onthe walk, not reacting to the crowd. “We’re notsupposedtobelooking (to the side), waving or smiling at family.You have to look straight ahead and be all business.”
Thegameitself involves “a lot of moving pieces.” During timeoutsand other pauses, Mansfield mostly selectswhat the band plays. Aclassic rock fan, she’d love to insert Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” intothe playlist
She hastobe“very intune to what’shappening on thefield and the energy in the stadium. That dictates what we’re going to play in thatmoment.Myfriends will yell suggestions from theirspot in thestands,and the directors will give input. Butmostlyit’smecontrollingwhat theband’splaying “I don’thave alot of time to turn my brain off. It’s mentally exhausting, but funand exciting, because we sound good.”
She says it’s“definitely
easierfor us to feed off theenergyfromthe crowd whenit’sabigger game. It’s notaseasy to be hyped when half thestadium has left alreadyinthe fourth quarter.”
But when the Tiger Stadium lights sync up with the marching band’smusic and the student section is rocking, “it’sreally fun to be at the helm of thatenergy.”
Asharedcamaraderie
During the halftime show Mansfield is the equivalent of an orchestra’sconductor, signaling tempo andmeter changes.The musicians, dancing Golden Girls and Colorguard memberswho can’t seeher takecuesfrom the drumline.
“It’sbasically me andthe drumstrying to lock in with each other so no one gets lost andthe sound doesn’t tear.Thatcan happenifthe wind players are going at adifferent speed than the drums. We have to make sure everyone knows how fast we’re going.”
The Tiger Band logs 90-minuterehearsalsTuesdays through Fridays duringfootball season.For home games, theyrehearse againongame days.
The entire band typically
travelstoone away game perseason;this year,itwas Ole Miss. For other away games, only 100musicians make the trip.
“It can be discouraging when we bus allthe way to an opposingstadium and the outcome(of thegame) isn’tsogreat,” Mansfield said. “But at the end of the day, we always have agood time performing, andwe’re there for each other.
“We’re all there because of ashared interest. We all wentthrough the same thing to be in the group.”
She’llmiss that camaraderie after she graduates this spring as an arthistory major with adouble minor in Italian and business administration. Sheplans to pursue amaster’sdegree at adifferent university
But she hopes more young women follow in her drum major footsteps. “I’d love to seeamorediverse group representing the band in the future. We have tons of qualified people fromevery walk of life
“I trytouplift girls and women in the marching band space. There is room for them.”
EmailKeith Spera at kspera@theadvocate.com.
STAFFPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK Drum major Catherine Mansfield conducts The Golden Band from Tigerland on the field before the Oct.25kickoff of the football game between the Tigers and the Aggies at LSU
scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Look for opportunities and take advantage of what you discover. Askquestionsand apply informationdirectly to what interests you. Patience, focus anddiscipline will help youachieve your goal.
sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Domestic issues will requirethought andchange Letyour heart chooseand your head dictate the most suitable waytomove forward. Move forward, do what's best for youand don't look back
cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Put your emotionalenergyinto learning, discovery and figuring out what's best for you. Consider how to present whoyou are, what you can do and how youcan benefitothers.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Refuse to let insecurity set in or someone's criticism stand in your way. It's time to prop yourself up and to make theadjustments thatboost your energy andconfidence. You'vegot plenty to offer.
PIscEs(Feb. 20-March20) Anger,laziness and negativity arethe enemies. Engage in social events and carry yourself with poiseand apositiveattitude. You'll attract attention, support andnew relationships.
ARIEs (March21-April 19) Achange of plans or directionwill encourage youto speak up andparticipate. The people you connect with will be instrumental in helping you movetoward greater opportunity.
TAuRus(April20-May 20) Your heart and your head won't be on the same page.
Try to channel your energy intoselfimprovement, learning new skills and taking better care of yourself andyour surroundings.
GEMInI (May21-June 20) You're in the zone andreadytoact. Listen carefully andaddress issues with charm, and you'll attract positive feedback that allows youtoshine andwin favors.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Be open to suggestions and to trying something new and exciting. Yourparticipation will open doors to new faces and uplifting pastimes that give you something to look forward to.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Alifestyle change will clear the waytobetterhealth, fitness andfriendships. Be open andhonestregarding your feelings and intentions, andyou'llresolveany unanswered questions.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Refusetolet anger or ego stand in your way when an opportunity is apparent. Don't miss outbecause youcan't letgoofthe past. Embrace new beginnings with apositive attitude
LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) Put more thought into howyou can utilize your skills, talents and experience to fortify your future. Laboring over something you cannotcontrol is wasteful; put your energywhere progress is possible.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipherstands for another.
TODAy's cLuE:H EQuALs J
CeLebrItY CIpher
SALLYForth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle basedona9x9 grid with several given numbers Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squaressothat eachrow, each column and each3x3 box contains the same number only once.The difficulty levelofthe Sudoku increasesfrom Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
Joyce Cary,anEnglish novelist who died in 1957, said,“The will is never free —itisalways attached to an object, apurpose. It is simply the engine in the car —itcan’t steer.”
At the bridge table, surprisingly often onedefender cansteerhis partner in the right direction.The problem is that somedefendersprefertobackseatdrive, ignoringtheirpartners’signalsandheadingdown their own side roads —and letting defeatable contracts make.
In this example deal, how should the defendersplay to beat four hearts?
After East opened onediamond, that Southhandwasstrongenoughforatakeoutdouble followedbyaheart bid. But South reasonably decided that his short spades made an initial doubledangerous. (Yes, it wasunlikely to backfire, but oneheart would be themajority expert choice these days.)Then, when North raised hearts, South hadaneasyjump to game.
First,Westmustleadthediamondfour, hispartner’s bid suit. East wins with his queen and cashes the diamond ace. West discards theclub two,denying interest in that suit.Easttakes thediamond king, West pitching the spade three to say that he does not have the spade ace.
