The Advocate 11-20-2025 by The Advocate

TRUMP SIGNS BILL TO RELEASE EPSTEIN CASE FILES 9A

SupremeCourt to hear La.coastal lawsuit

$745Mverdict hangsinthe balance

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Jan.12ina highstakes legal dispute that could have wider implications on dozens of lawsuits pitting Louisiana coastal parishes against oil companiesover historic damage to thestate’swetlands.

At stake is a$745 million verdict, handed down in April by ajuryin Plaquemines Parish.But the ruling couldultimatelyaffect arange of cases involving billions in damages.

The Supreme Court agreed in June to hear the case, but the date for arguments was only recently announced.

The case, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish, is one of dozens of lawsuits accusing major oil companies of violating coastal use laws and destroying wetlands. The issue theSupreme Court is taking up, however,does not have to do with landloss or pollution, but rather where the case should beheard

The lawsuits were originally ﬁled in state court. Chevron, Exxon and other major oil companies have long argued that they belong in federal court, ajurisdiction that is seen as friendlier to the companies.

Chevron has argued that it was acting under federal contractsduring World WarII, when the oiland gasitextractedfromLouisiana lands was used to produceaviation fuel for warplanes, andso the lawsuitsbelong in federal court.Lower courts have repeatedly rejected that argument.

The April trial was thefirst of 42 similar lawsuits, all ledbyBaton Rouge-based law firm Talbot, Carmouche &Marcello, on behalf of coastal parishes. The lawsuits all claim that oil companies damaged wetlands and left behind pollution after drilling operations, in

ä See COURT, page 6A

Murder trialopens foralleged serial killer

Sharpe’s attorney raises insanity defense

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

As testimony beganinthe murder trial of an alleged serial killer Wednesday, prosecutors described theterrorthatRyanJoseph Sharpe unleashed on rural parts of East BatonRouge andEastFeliciana parishes eight years ago. Authorities said he went on athreemonth killing spree that saw him shoot four strangers at random, killing three of the men,over the span of 14 weeks between July and October 2017. Assistant District AttorneyDana Cummings opened thetrial by comparing Sharpe’strail of blood to the deeds of another notorious serial killer

“This was abig deal in that area,” she told jurors. “Forthose of you whoremember Derrick Todd Lee here,this felt like theirDerrick Todd Lee. People being shot in their front yards while they’re doing yard work, exercising or ﬁxing their truck.”

Sharpe is being tried forthe killing of former BREC Commissioner Carroll Breeden Sr.Breeden was shot in the chest as he sprayed weed killer in the front yard of his multiacre property along Port Hudson-Pride Road on theevening of Sept. 19, 2017.

Cummings said family members heard twogunshots and came outside to ﬁndBreeden,66, lyingdead near the road in front of his house. Theunprovoked act of violence prompted aseries of questions thatremainedunanswereduntil a multiagency task force tied Sharpe

ä See TRIAL, page 6A

Case againstformerFBI director Comeyfaces newhurdle

Justice Department’s handlingofgrand jury processunder scrutiny

BY ERIC TUCKER and MICHAELKUNZELMAN Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va.— The prosecution of former FBIDirector James Comey hit another hurdleWednesday as the Justice Department

acknowledged apossible lapse in how thecase was presented to a federal grandjury for indictment. The concession risked further imperiling apolitically charged prosecution already subject to multiplechallenges and demands forits dismissal. It came during a

hearing in which Comey’slawyers asked U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff to throw out the case on grounds that the government was being vindictive and as aseparate challenge to Lindsey Halligan, the hastilyappointedand inexperienced prosecutor whosecured theindictment, is pending.

The revelation thatthe full grand jury didnot review acopy of the ﬁnal indictment is the latest indication of theJusticeDepartment’sseeminglydisjointed pursuit of acriminalcase against

one of President Donald Trump’s political enemies. Comey was ﬁred by Trump in May2017 while overseeing an FBI investigation intopotential ties between Russia and Trump’s2016 campaign. The two have been publicly at odds ever since, with Trump deriding Comey as “a weak and untruthful

See COMEY, page 4A

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MATTHEW HINTON

Arusted oil pipeline in the BayouGentilly oil field has been abandoned,according to lawyers representing Plaquemines Parish in their lawsuit against oil and gascompanies.

Sharpe

Judge to proceed with contempt probe

WASHINGTON A federal judge Wednesday asked attorneys to identify witnesses and offer plans for how to conduct a contempt probe of the Trump administration for failing to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in March.

U.S District Judge James Boasberg in Washington said a ruling Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit gave him the authority to proceed with the inquiry, which will determine whether there is sufﬁcient evidence to refer the matter for prosecution.

On March 15, Boasberg ordered the aircraft carrying accused gang members to return to the U.S., but they landed instead in El Salvador, where the migrants were held at a notorious prison

The Trump administration has denied any violation, saying the judge’s directive to return the planes was made verbally in court but not included in his written order U.S. Justice Department attorney Tiberius Davis told Boasberg the government objected to further contempt proceedings.

Iran releases Marshall Islands-flagged tanker

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Iran on Wednesday released a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker with all its 21 crew members, days after Tehran seized the ship without explanation, the vessel’s managers said. Tehran had no immediate comment on the release of the Talara, which marked the ﬁrst ship seizure by Iran in months.

The Middle East remains tense after Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June, and as concerns remain over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement said the crew “are safe and in good spirits.”

It added that “no allegations were made against the vessel her crew and the vessel’s managers and owners.”

Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Talara traveling away from Iran.

The data also suggested Iranian authorities offloaded its cargo of high sulfur gasoil as the ship was traveling in ballast.

The oil shipment website Tanker Trackers, citing satellite photos, said it appeared Iran ofﬂoaded its cargo on Tuesday, before letting it go.

Iran’s military seized the vessel Friday as it traveled through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil traded passes. The ship had been traveling from Ajman, United Arab Emirates, onward to Singapore.

Israel’s military carries out strikes in Lebanon

BY HUSSEIN MALLA, BASSEM MROUE and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

SIDON, Lebanon The Israeli military carried out barrages of airstrikes in southern Lebanon Wednesday on what it said were Hezbollah sites, including weapons storage facilities, after a drone strike earlier in the day killed one person and wounded several others, including students on a bus

The new wave of strikes came a day after an airstrike killed 13 people in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh, the deadliest of Israeli attacks on Lebanon since a ceaseﬁre in the Israel-Hezbollah war a year ago.

Israel’s military warned Wednesday it would strike targets in several villages in southern Lebanon, describing them as Hezbollah infrastructure, and called on people to move away from the locations. More than an hour later, strikes began in the villages of Shehour and Deir Kifa.

Israel’s military said Hezbollah was working to reestablish itself and rebuild its capacity in southern Lebanon, without providing evidence. It said the weapons facilities targeted were embedded among civilians and violated understandings between Israel

and Lebanon. Israel agreed to a ceaseﬁre and withdraw from southern Lebanon last year and Lebanon agreed to quell Hezbollah activity in the area.

Earlier Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike on a car in the southern Lebanese village of Tiri killed one person and wounded 11, including students aboard a nearby bus, the Lebanese Health Ministry and state media said. Staterun National News Agency said the school bus happened to be passing near the car that was hit Israel’s military later said it killed a Hezbollah operative in the drone strike. Palestinian factions in Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps earlier this year began handing over their weapons to the Lebanese state. The government has said that it will also work on disarming Hezbollah, but Hezbollah has rejected it as long as Israel continues to occupy several hills along the border and carries out almost daily strikes.

A senior Lebanese army ofﬁcer told The Associated Press that U.S. ofﬁcials were angered by an army statement on Sunday that blamed Israel for destabilizing Lebanon and blocking the Lebanese military deployment in south Lebanon. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to

speak publicly

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel, after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas. Israel launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon two months ago that severely weakened Hezbollah, followed by a ground invasion.

That war, the most recent of several conﬂicts involving Hezbollah over the past four decades, killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $11 billion worth of destruction, according to the World Bank. In Israel, 127 people died, including 80 soldiers.

Meanwhile, after Israel reported its soldiers were fired on in southern Gaza, health officials in the territory said Israeli strikes killed at least 25 Palestinians in one of the deadliest days in Gaza since the Oct. 10 ceasefire agreement took effect. Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to a buffer zone in Syrian territory that Israel seized last year

On Wednesday Hamas condemned the Israeli strikes across Gaza City and Khan Younis, calling them a “shocking massacre.”

In a statement, the group denied ﬁring toward Israeli troops.

First, second ladies visit troops’ families in N.C.

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C.

Melania Trump and Usha Vance took their ﬁrst trip together, spending time in North Carolina on Wednesday with service members and their families to show appreciation for their service and sacriﬁce as the holidays approach.

The wives of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, a former Marine, visited with military personnel, their children, and relatives at Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast, and Marine Corps Air Station New River

NASA unveils close-up pictures of visiting comet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA unveiled close-up pictures on Wednesday of the interstellar comet that’s making a quick tour of the solar system.

Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas is only the third conﬁrmed object to visit our corner of the cosmos from another star It zipped harmlessly past Mars last month.

Several NASA spacecraft there zoomed in on the comet as it passed just 18 million miles away. The closest the comet will come to Earth is 167 million miles in mid-December. Then it will hightail it back into interstellar space, never to return The comet is believed to be anywhere from 1,444 feet across to 3.5 miles across.

“Thank you for your service. My husband, the president, is sending best regards. We are both thinking of you,” Trump told students at Lejeune High School, where 10 Marines stationed out front had saluted as their motorcade arrived.

The ﬁrst lady added that she and the president always think of U.S. service members but “especially during the holidays” and wished students and teachers a happy Thanksgiving.

She spoke at a gymnasium, where the school was assembling 2,000 care packages for service members stationed far from home. Among the items included in each were dude wipes, handy-wipes marketed toward men, and jerky sticks.

Her speech came after Trump and Vance entered the classroom and met with students in an advanced placement research class from the Lejeune High “Devilpups” — recalling the Marine Corps’ “Devil Dog” nickname — for discussions about technological development and artiﬁcial intelligence.

Trump and Vance sat with four tables

of students with laptops, and listened to them deliver a presentation on electronic media affecting sleep and adolescent well-being, as well as a study on social media addiction and its impact on young people’s esteem and body image.

The students demonstrated how they used AI to generate videos as part of their presentation. The ﬁrst lady could be heard asking one group how they used AI in school, and was seen nodding along as they chatted. The students described rules that kept them from using AI to improperly complete assignments.

Trump and Vance subsequently visited an elementary school, taking seats at separate tables that each had folders from the first lady’s child-focused Be Best initiative.

Trump told one of the girls she was “beautiful.” The youngster had a patriotic ribbon pinned to her light blue top, meaning she’s related to someone who is actively deployed. Vance later chatted and smiling as she talked to a teacher

Woman set on fire on train in Chicago

BY MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged a man with committing a terrorist attack for allegedly setting a woman on ﬁre on a Chicago train.

Lawrence Reed was sitting at the back of a car on a Blue Line L train on Monday night when he approached a woman as she sat with her back to him, according to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrest afﬁdavit. Reed removed the cap from a plastic bottle, then doused the woman with what was believed to be gasoline, the afﬁdavit said.

The 26-year-old woman then ran to the back of the train car Reed ignited the bottle, approached the woman and set her on fire, according to the affidavit. Surveillance video showed Reed at a gas station about 30 minutes before the attack, filling a small container with gasoline, the affidavit says. The federal charge against Reed, 50, of Chicago, carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Chicago outlets reported that Reed was disruptive during his ﬁrst appearance in a federal court on Wednesday afternoon, including yelling over the judge that he wanted to represent himself and claiming that he was a Chinese citizen.

Reed shouted, “I plead guilty!” repeatedly as the judge tried to advise him of his rights, according to local news reports.

After the attack, the train the woman was on pulled into a stop downtown. Reed walked away and the woman stumbled out and fell on the ground, police said. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition with severe burns to her head and body, authorities said. Ofﬁcials have not released her name.

Chicago police said that when they arrested him Tuesday morning he made incriminating statements about the attack. He was wearing the same clothes as the man who attacked the woman on the train, according to the afﬁdavit.

Reed carried out the attack “with the intent to cause death and serious bodily injury to one or more persons” on the train, the ATF investigator wrote. Chicago police did not answer questions Wednesday by The Associated Press on whether it had or would refer charges against Reed to state prosecutors, instead referring all questions to federal authorities.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MOHAMMAD ZAATARI

Palestinian rescue workers check the scene where an Israeli strike on Tuesday night hit the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp Wednesday in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT ROURKE

First lady Melania Trump, right, and second lady Usha Vance arrive in Richlands, N.C., on Wednesday en route to Camp Lejeune.

PHOTO PROVIDED By GIANLUCA MASI

The interstellar comet 3I/Atlas streaks through space, 190 million miles from Earth, on Wednesday. The image was taken from Manciano, Italy

Arrests top 250 in immigration crackdown

voice

BY GARY D ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. Federal agents have now arrested more than 250 people during a North Carolina immigration crackdown centered around Charlotte, the state’s largest city, the U.S Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday The operation that began over the weekend is the latest phase of Republican President Donald Trump’s aggressive mass deportation efforts that have sent the military and immigration agents into Democraticrun cities — from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Immigration ofﬁcials have blanketed the country since January pushing detention counts to all-time highs above 60,000. Big cities and small towns across the country are targeted daily amid higher-profile pushes in places such as Portland, Oregon, where more than 560 immigration arrests were made in October

COMEY

Continued from page 1A

slime ball” and calling for his prosecution.

Concerns about the legal process came into focus earlier in the week when a different judge in the case raised questions about what he said were “profound investigative missteps,” including misstatements of the law to the grand jury and a potential breach of attorney-client privilege in the handling of evidence.

Halligan initially asked the grand jury to return a threecount indictment against Comey But after the grand jurors rejected one of the proposed counts, the Justice Department secured a second two-count indictment that accused Comey of making a false statement and obstructing Congress. Comey has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

In a blistering ruling Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick, also handling parts of the case, said he had reviewed a transcript of the grand jury proceedings and had questions about whether the full grand jury had reviewed the ﬁnal two-count indictment that was returned. The issue arose again on Wednesday when Nachmanoff, the trial judge, pressed the Justice Department about Fitzpatrick’s concerns. After conferring privately with Halligan, Tyler Lemons, one of the prosecutors, acknowledged that the revised indictment was not shown to all of the grand jurors “I was not there, but that

The push to carry out arrests in North Carolina expanded to areas around the state capital of Raleigh on Tuesday, spreading fear in at least one immigrant-heavy suburb.

The number of arrests around Charlotte and beyond during what the government has dubbed “Operation

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Lindsey Halligan speaks on Aug. 20 outside of the White House in Washington.

is my understanding, your honor,” Lemons told the judge

Nachmanoff called Halligan to the lectern and asked her who was in the courtroom when the final indictment was presented to a magistrate. She said only two grand jurors, including the foreperson were there

Comey lawyer Michael Dreeben called the government’s failure to present the final indictment to the entire grand jury grounds for dismissing the case. He also argued that the statute of limitations for the charged crimes has elapsed without a valid indictment.

“That would be tantamount to a bar of further prosecution in this case,” Dreeben said Nachmanoff did not issue an immediate decision, saying “the issues are too weighty and too complex” for a bench ruling.

Dreeben separately argued that the prosecution was improperly vindictive and rooted in Trump’s quest for retribution, cir-

Charlotte’s Web” was about double the total announced by DHS ofﬁcials earlier this week The department said in a statement that agencies “continue to target some of the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens.” Their targets include people living in the U.S. without legal permission and those who allegedly have criminal records.

cumstances requiring a dismissal.

“The president’s use of the Department of Justice to bring a criminal prosecution against a vocal and prominent critic in order to punish and deter those who would speak out against him violates the Constitution,” Dreeben said.

Though vindictive prosecution motions are not often successful Comey’s lawyers have laid out a laundry list of verbal attacks from Trump in hopes of establishing the case as outgrowth of the president’s hunger for retribution against the man who once served as his FBI director Trump amplified his long-running demands for a Comey prosecution with a September social media post in which he complained to Attorney General Pam Bondi about the lack of action against his political opponents. “We can’t delay any longer it’s killing our reputation,” Trump wrote, adding that “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

“If this is not a direction to prosecute,” Dreeben said in court, “I’d really be at a loss to say what is.”

The night of that post, Trump said he would appoint Halligan, a White House aide without prior prosecutorial experience, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, on an interim basis. She replaced a veteran prosecutor who was effectively forced from the job after not charging Comey or another Trump foe, New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Halligan secured an indictment of Comey days later as the statute of limita-

Federal ofﬁcials have offered few details about those arrested. They’ve also remained quiet about the scope of the enforcement operations across North Carolina and where agents will show up next, keeping communities on edge.

The crackdown in Charlotte has been met with pockets of resistance and

tions on the case was about to expire. The charges are related to sworn testimony about whether Comey had authorized an FBI colleague to serve as an anonymous source to the news media.

Asked by Nachmanoff whether he considered Halligan to be a “stalking horse” or “puppet” for the administration, Dreeben demurred and opted against that characterization But, he said, “She did what she was told to do.”

Presidents, Dreeben said, have other tools at their disposal to punish critics, but bringing the full weight of the Justice Department to bear is impermissible.

protests. About 100 people gathered outside a Home Depot store in Charlotte on Wednesday, where federal agents have been spotted multiple times since the surge started. Protest organizers brieﬂy went inside the store with orange and white signs that read, “ICE out of Home Depot, Protect our communities.”

Arrests in Charlotte and the Raleigh area have created a chilling effect in immigrant neighborhoods — school attendance dropped, and small shops and restaurants closed to avoid confrontations between customers and federal agents.

Customers at a laundromat left behind their clothes in washers and dryers and haven’t returned after agents showed up at a Charlotte shopping center on Sunday, said David Rebolloso, who owns the business.

Just days after beginning the crackdown in North Carolina, Border Patrol agents were expected to arrive in New Orleans by the end of the week to start preparing for their next big operation in southeast Louisiana, according to documents obtained by The Associated

“The government cannot use power of criminal prosecutions to attempt to silence a critic in violation of the First Amendment,” he said.

Lemons, the Justice Department prosecutor, insisted that Comey was indicted by a “properly constituted” grand jury because he broke the law not because Trump ordered it.

“The defendant is not being put on trial for anything he said about the president,” Lemons said.

Lemons said nobody directed Halligan to prosecute Comey or seek his indictment.

“It was her decision and her decision only,” he added.

Press and three people familiar with the operation.

Around 250 federal border agents are set to descend on New Orleans in the coming weeks for a two-month immigration crackdown expected to begin in earnest on Dec. 1. Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander tapped to head the Louisiana sweep, has been on the ground in North Carolina this week, leading the operation there as well.

Louisiana Republicans voiced their support on Wednesday The chair of the state party, Derek Babcock, said it shows a commitment from Trump and Republican Gov Jeff Landry to “keeping our citizens safe.”

The head of the state’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter said they were compiling information to help people know their rights and coordinating with legal services and groups connected with the immigrant community

“We urge those with privilege and the opportunity to risk it to stand up for their neighbors and friends,” said Alanah Odoms with the ACLU of Louisiana.

But Nachmanoff, the judge, noted that Trump appointed Halligan as acting U.S. attorney on Sept. 22, three days before she presented the Comey case to the grand jury

“What independent evaluation could she have done in that time period?” he asked Lemons.

Nachmanoff asked Lemons whether he has seen a “declination memo” in which prosecutors had outlined reasons for not seeking an indictment against Comey Lemons responded by saying that the department had instructed him not to disclose that “privileged” information.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT KELLEy Protesters hold signs during the arrival of federal law enforcement Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C

violationofstate coastal regulations that went into effect in 1980

“Theobligation couldn’t be clearer,” attorney John Carmouche said during opening statements in the Plaquemines trial. “You have to restore theproperty back to itsoriginal condition. …That’sthe law That’swhatthe marshdeserves.”

Thecompanies say thelawsuits willunnecessarily hurtemploymentand energy production. They also argue that some of the operations in question occurred before alaw they are accused of violating tookeffect in 1980.

That’swhat

The parishes’ lawyers have said thedecision willdirectly affect asubsetof 11 “refinery ca ses” suits where asingle company both produced and refined oil —but could indirectlyinﬂuence all 42 coastal lawsuits brought by six parishes and the state.

VicMarcello, acofounder of Talbot,Carmouche &Marcelloand one of the lead lawyers for the parishes, has emphasizedthat the high courtwill not be deciding whether theoil companies caused environmental harm. Instead, he has described the forthcoming ruling as “procedural” —focused entirely on jurisdictionand the reach of the federal ofﬁcer removal statute.

“This isn’tabout the merits of our claim,” he said in anearlier interview Still, even aprocedural decision from the high court will be consequential. If the justices side

with the companies and ﬁnd that thePlaqueminescase belongedin federal courtall along, afederal judge could beasked to revisit the $745 million state court verdict. If they rule for theparish, the decisionwould effectively green-light more coastal trials in Louisiana state courts, potentially exposing oiland gascompanies to billions of dollars in additional damages.

The legal battle has stretched over more than adecade. Carmoucheand his firmfiledthe first of theircoastal lawsuits in 2013.

Since then, both sides have repeatedly sparred over theproper venue for the cases, and Carmouche’s ﬁrmhas also pursued settlement

negotiations with several oil companies.

Freeport-McMoRan settled for $100 million. Cameron Parish settled with oilcompaniesfor an undisclosed sum. Carmouchesaid thatShell had also settled for an undisclosed amount

And though the Supreme Court hearing loomsover thecases, Carmouche said that settlement discussions were ongoing.

“We’re discussing with acouple of majors,” he said. “In my opinion, Ithink we’ll get aruling from the U.S. SupremeCourt sometime in March, April. Ithink they’re going to have to makeadecision then.”

The case also pits local Louisiana

Republicans against the Trump administration —one of the only instances in which the state has clashed openly with the White House. Louisianahas intervened in thecases, siding with the parishes andCarmouche; the Trump administration —along with former U.S. Attorneys General William Barr and Michael Mukasey —are backing the oil companies.

Findingmoney to salvage as muchofLouisiana’s eroding coast as possible will increasingly become achallenge in theyears ahead, with proceeds linked to the2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oilspill set to expire by 2032. The state has lost roughly 2,000 square

miles over the last century,and sea level rise linked to climate change is projected to worsen the crisis.

Conﬁning the Mississippi River in place with levees set the crisis in motion, but oil and gas production has greatly contributed to the problem Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has vocally backed the lawsuits.

“Quite simply,Chevron chose proﬁts over people andthe law— and it continues to do so every day it refuses accountability forits actions,” she wrote in aguest opinion column forThe Times-Picayune. “This is not controversial.”

to multiple shootings thatincluded Breeden’sdeath.

“They couldn’timagine who would want to kill Carroll Breeden,” Cummings said. “He wasa former BREC commissioner.Just a nice guytaking care of his lawn.”

Sharpe now faces amandatory lifesentenceifhe’s convicted of second-degree murder in Breeden’sdeath He’salready been tried and convicted of killing Brad DeFranceschi, a 48-year-old Boy Scout leader,lessthan three weeksafter Breeden’sshooting. An East Feliciana Parishjury in August 2024 found him guilty of gunning the father of two down in broad daylight as DeFranceschi was trimming weeds outside his house on the Avondale Scout Reservation along La. 63. Ajudge sentenced Sharpe to life in prison without the possibilityof parole last October

Authorities say Sharpe also shot and killed 62-yearold Tommy Bass outsidehis East Feliciana Parish home on La. 960 in July 2017. He was also charged with wounding aman named Buck Hornsby outside his

residence near La. 63 aweek before Breeden’sdeath.

In the ongoingtrial over Breeden’s killing, Sharpe has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.Ifprosecutors prove he committedthe murder, thatmeans his Baton Rougedefense attorney,Thomas Damico, will have to showjurors by apreponderance of the evidence that Sharpewas insaneatthe timeofthe shooting. In otherwords, he’ll have to prove Sharpe’s insanity was more likely thannot Damico laid out thecruxof Sharpe’sdefense as he gave hisopeningstatements, telling jurors that Sharpe was alicensed master plumber whoran asuccessful plumbingbusinessfor yearsbefore he had amental break. He said friends characterized Sharpe as caring and

inviting, but describeda change that sawhim become paranoid andisolatedinthe year leading up to theslate of shootings.

Sharpe told East Felicianadeputiesthe motive of his killings was to fill government-issued hunting “tags.” Damico said Sharpe became convincedhehad to “earn tags” to protect his loved ones from being captured anddetained by “federal police.” According to Sharpe’s imaginedorders, Damico said he had to earn ﬁve tags. He could earnone tag by killing aperson and two tagsbykillingadeer

Damico said Sharpe turned himself in to authorities after he fulﬁlled his perceived assignment by shooting and killing threemen and adeer

“This change in the mind made him descend into an

unexplained illness and precluded his perception of reality.And it ledhim down apathofdelusion,”Damico told jurors. He argued that Sharpe couldn’tdistinguish right from wrong at thetimeand

was not in control of his actions.

“These actions weren’tthe reasonings of asaneman,” the attorneysaid. “The evidencewill showyou that Ryan didn’tact out of malice, revenge or any rational

motive.Heacted thisway because his broken mind convinced him he had no choice. This case is atragedy foreveryone involved.” Email Matt Bruceatmatt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Trade deficit falls as tariffs reduce imports

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit fell by nearly 24% in August as President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs pushed imports lower

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that the gap between what the United States buys from other countries and what it sells them fell to $59.6 billion in August, from $78.2 billion in July

Imports of goods and services dropped 5% to $340.4 billion in August from July when U.S. companies were stocking up on foreign products before Trump finalized taxes on products from almost every country on earth. Those levies went into effect Aug. 7.

U.S. exports blipped up 0.1% in August to $280.8 billion.

Trump, charging that America’s persistent trade deﬁcits mean that other countries have taken advantage of the U.S., has overturned decades of U.S. policy in favor of free trade slapping double-digit tariffs on imports from most countries and targeting speciﬁc products with their own levies.

Still, the U.S. trade deﬁcit is up so far in 2025, coming in at $713.6 billion through August, up 25% from $571.1 billion in January-August 2024.

A drop in imports and the trade deficit is good for economic growth because foreign products are subtracted from the nation’s gross domestic product. GDP is the output of a nation’s goods and services.

U.S. to become a shareholder in EOS EOS Energy Enterprises Inc. is the latest public company that will have the U.S. government as a shareholder

The zinc-based battery manufacturer, whose main factory is in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, said Tuesday that it signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to issue the government warrants vouchers to buy stock — for 570,000 shares

The Department of Energy can exercise the warrants anytime in the next ﬁve years and convert them into stock at a penny apiece. EOS’s current stock price is $13.48 a share.

The warrants will automatically be converted into shares after one year if EOS’s stock price tops $30 per share, or at the expiration date in ﬁve years regardless of the share price.

The company expects the market for long-duration — up to 12 hours — battery storage to grow rapidly in the coming years DOE is among EOS’s major financiers. The government agency, under the Biden administration, approved EOS for a $303 million loan to expand its manufacturing capacity. The company has already received the ﬁrst $91 million.

It announced last month that it would be building new production lines in a building in Marshall, Pennsylvania. Ford recalls more than 200,000 Broncos

WASHINGTON Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 200,000 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles because an instrument panel can fail, increasing the risk of a crash. Federal auto safety regulators said that the instrument panel may not display at startup, leaving the driver without critical safety information.

The recall includes 128,607 Ford Bronco Sports, model years 2025-26 and 101,002 Ford Broncos, also model years 2025-26, the National Highway Trafﬁc Safety Administration said Ford is not aware of any injuries caused by the instrument panel failure Owners will be notified by mail beginning Dec. 8 and instructed to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealership to have the software updated. The NHTSA recall number is 25V540.

Nvidia earnings clear lofty hurdle

Upbeat forecast quiets AI bubble talk

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP technology writer

SAN FRANCISCO Nvidia’s sales of the computing chips powering the artiﬁcial intelligence craze surged beyond the lofty bar set by stock market analysts in a performance that may ease recent jitters about a Big Tech boom turning into a bust that topples the world’s most valuable company

The results announced late Wednesday provided a pulse check on the frenzied spending on AI technology that has been fueling both the stock market and much of the overall economy since OpenAI

released its ChatGPT three years ago. Nvidia has been by far the biggest beneﬁciary of the run-up because its processors have become indispensable for building the AI factories that are needed to enable what’s supposed to be the most dramatic shift in technology since Apple released the iPhone in 2007. But in the past few weeks, there has been a rising tide of sentiment that the high expectations for AI may have become far too frothy setting the stage for a jarring comedown that could be just as dramatic as the ascent that transformed Nvidia from a company worth less than $400 billion three years ago to one worth $4.5 trillion today Nvidia’s report for its ﬁscal third

quarter covering the August-October period now seems likely to elicit a sigh of relief among those fretting about a worst-case scenario.

The company’s stock price gained more than 4% in Wednesday’s extended trading after the numbers came out.

Nvidia earned $31.9 billion, or $1.30 per share, a 65% increase from the same time last year, while revenue climbed 62% to $57 billion.

Analysts polled by FactSet Research had forecast earnings of $1.26 per share on revenue of $54.9 billion. What’s more, the Santa Clara, California, company predicted its revenue for the current quarter covering NovemberJanuary will come in at about $65

billion, nearly $3 billion above analysts’ projections, in an indication that demand for its AI chips remains feverish.

The incoming orders for Nvidia’s top-of-the-line Blackwell chip are “off the charts,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a prepared statement that described the current market conditions as “a virtuous cycle.”

The results — and ensuring reaction — reﬂected the pivotal role that Nvidia is playing in the future direction of the economy — a position that Huang has leveraged to forge close ties with President Donald Trump, even as the White House wages a trade war that has inhibited the company’s ability to sell its chips in China’s fertile market.

Quarterly profit slide at Target hints at a challenging holiday

Sales slump expected to last through season

BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK Target’s third-quarter profit

tumbled as the retailer struggles to lure shoppers that are being pressed by stubbornly high inﬂation.

The Minneapolis company said Wednesday that it expects its sales slump to extend through the critical holiday shopping season

The company also announced that it’s planning to invest another $1 billion next year to remodel stores and build new ones, increasing the total cost for the makeover to $5 billion

Investors have punished Target’s stock recently, sending it down 45% over the past 52 weeks.

Turning around the 19% profit slide in the most recent quarter is the latest challenge for incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke, a 20-year company veteran who is replacing CEO Brian Cornell in February The handover arrives as the retailer tries to reverse a persistent sales malaise and to revive its reputation as the place to go for affordable but stylish products.

Comparable sales — those from established physical stores and online channels — dipped 2.7% in its latest three-month period. That’s worse than the 1.9% drop in the previous quarter and the third straight quarterly decline.

Target’s troubles stand in stark contrast to rival Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, which is thriving. Walmart reports on its most recent quarterly performance Thursday.

Target announced in October that it was eliminating about 1,800 corporate positions to streamline decision-making and accelerate company initiatives. The cuts represent about 8% of Target’s corporate workforce.

To pump up sales, Target is offering more than 20,000 new items, twice as many as last year, and it has lowered prices on thousands of groceries and other essential items.

“The environment around us continues to evolve, whether it’s shifting consumer demand, changing competitor dynamics, or broader macroeconomic pressures,” Fiddelke said on an earnings call Wednesday ”But let me be clear We are not waiting for conditions to improve. We are driving the change ourselves right now.”

With about 1,980 U.S. stores, Target has

Target officials said Wednesday that it’s planning to invest another $1

to remodel stores and build new ones, increasing the total cost for the makeover to $5

struggled to ﬁnd its footing since inﬂation caused Americans to curtail much of their discretionary spending.

Consumer boycotts since late January, when Target joined Walmart and a number of other prominent American brands in scaling back its corporate diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, have compounded the predicament.

Other headwinds are buffeting the entire retail sector For almost a year retailers have struggled to navigate President Donald Trump’s wideranging tariffs on imports and his immigration crackdown that threatened to shrink the supply of workers available to U.S. companies.

The just ended 43-day federal shutdown is expected to be another drag on an economy Government contract awards have slowed and many food aid recipients have seen their beneﬁts interrupted, both of which can cut into consumer spending at places like Target.

Fiddelke told reporters that the company saw a weaker September but he said it was “tricky for us to isolate” the different factors behind that.

The retailer’s profit fell to $689 million

in the three-month period ended Nov. 1, or $1.51 per share. Adjusted per share results added up to $1.78. That is better than the $1.71 that Wall Street was expecting, according to a poll by FactSet, but below the $1.85 per share the company earned in the same period last year Sales fell 1.5% to $25.27 billion, just shy of analyst projections.

Sales gains in food and beverages were offset by continued weakness in discretionary goods, with anxious shoppers focused increasingly on buying essentials, even during the holidays.

For example, customers this year customers bought candy and costumes for Halloween, but spent less on decorations, said Rick Gomez, chief commercial ofﬁcer for Target. Gomez thinks they will make similar tradeoffs during the winter holiday season.

“We think the consumer will prioritize what goes under the tree versus what goes on the tree,” he said.

Target also announced a partnership with OpenAI on Wednesday that will let users browse Target items through the tech company’s app ChatGPT When customers are ready to buy, they’ll be directed to the Target app.

Labor Department won’t release full October jobs report Federal shutdown halted calculations

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The Labor Department said Wednesday that it will not be releasing a full jobs report for October because the 43-day federal government shutdown meant it couldn’t calculate the unemployment rate and some other key numbers. Instead, it will release some of the October jobs data — most importantly the number of jobs that employers created last month along with the full November jobs

report, now due a couple of weeks late on Dec. 16. The department’s “employment situation” report usually comes out the ﬁrst Friday of the month. But the government shutdown disrupted data collection and delayed the release of the reports. For example, the September jobs report, now coming out Thursday, was originally due Oct. 3. The monthly jobs report consists of two parts: a survey of households that is used to determine the unemployment rate, among other things; and the “establishment” survey of companies, nonproﬁts and government agencies that is used to track job creation, wages and other measurements of labor

market health. The Labor Department said Wednesday that the household survey for October could not be conducted because of the shutdown and could not be done retroactively. But it was able to collect the hiring numbers from employers, and those will come out with the full November report. Wednesday’s announcement means the September jobs numbers will likely get extra scrutiny Thursday They are the last full measurement of hiring and unemployment that Federal Reserve policymakers will see before they meet Dec. 9-10. The jobs numbers have lately been contentious. After the July

jobs report proved disappointing, President Donald Trump abruptly fired the official responsible for collecting the data, Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer McEntarfer herself was quick to say there was nothing suspicious about Wednesday’s announcement. “No conspiracy here, folks,” she posted on the social media site Bluesky “BLS was entirely shutdown for six weeks. Payroll data from firms can be retroactively collected for October The household survey cannot be conducted retrospectively This is just a straightforward consequence of having all ﬁeld staff furloughed for over a month.”

Trump signs bill to release Epstein files

BY SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

months ago.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that compels his administration to release ﬁles on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, bowing to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting those efforts.

Trump could have chosen to release many of the ﬁles on his own

“Democrats have used the ‘Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories,” Trump said in a social media post as he announced he had signed the bill.

Now, the bill requires the Justice Department to release all ﬁles and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in a federal prison in 2019, within 30 days. It allows for redactions about Epstein’s victims for ongoing federal investigations, but DOJ cannot withhold information due to “em-

barrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”

It was a remarkable turn of events for what was once a farfetched effort to force the disclosure of case ﬁles from an odd congressional coalition of Democrats, one GOP antagonist of the president, and a handful of erstwhile Trump loyalists. As recently as last week, the Trump administration even summoned one Republican proponent of releasing the files Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, to the Situation Room to discuss the matter, although she did not change her mind. But over the weekend, Trump

did a sharp U-turn on the ﬁles once it became clear that congressional action was inevitable. He insisted the Epstein matter had become a distraction to the GOP agenda and indicated he wanted to move on.

“I just don’t want Republicans to take their eyes off all of the Victories that we’ve had,” Trump said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon, explaining the rationale for his abrupt about-face.

The House passed the legislation on a 427-1 vote, with Rep Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, being the sole dissenter He argued that the bill’s language could lead to the release of information on innocent people

mentioned in the federal investigation. The Senate approved it unanimously, skipping a formal vote. It’s been established that Trump had been friends with Epstein, the disgraced ﬁnancier who was close to the world’s elite But the president has consistently said he did not know of Epstein’s crimes and had cut ties with him long ago. Before Trump returned to the White House for a second term, some of his closest political allies helped fuel conspiracy theories about the government’s handling of the Epstein case, asserting a cover-up of potentially incriminating information in those ﬁles.

Summers takes leave from Harvard, ends other roles

BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press

Former U.S. Treasury

Secretary Larry Summers abruptly went on leave Wednesday from teaching at Harvard University, where he once served as president, over recently released emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Summers’ spokesperson said. Summers had been retreating from his public commitments amid the fallout of the emails revelation, but he had maintained that he would continue teaching economics classes at Harvard.

Yet by Wednesday evening, Summers had not only retreated from teaching classes but also as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government with the Kennedy Harvard School.

“Mr Summers has decided it’s in the best interest of the Center for him to go on leave from his role as Director as Harvard undertakes its review His co-teachers will complete the remaining three class sessions of the courses he has been teaching with them this semester, and

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON A veteran FBI employee training to become a special agent was fired last month for displaying at his workspace an LGBTQ+ flag, which had previously flown outside a field office, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.

David Maltinsky had worked at the FBI for 16 years and was nearly finished with special agent training in Quantico, Virginia, when he was called into a meeting last month with FBI ofﬁcials, given a letter from Director Kash Patel and told he was being “summarily dismissed” over the inappropriate display of political signage, Maltinsky’s lawsuit said.

The suit, ﬁled Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, said Maltinsky

he is not scheduled to teach next semester,” Summers spokesperson Steven Goldberg said. Summers’ decision to go on leave was ﬁrst reported by The Harvard Crimson. Harvard did not mention Summers by name in its decision to restart an investigation, but the move follows the release of emails showing that he was friendly with Epstein long after the ﬁnancier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008 By Wednesday, the once highly regarded economics expert had been facing increased scrutiny over choosing to stay in the teaching role. Some students even filmed his appearance in shock as he appeared before a class of undergraduates on Tuesday while stressing he thought it was important to continue teaching The emails include messages in which Summers appeared to be getting advice from Epstein about pursuing a romantic relationship with

someone who viewed him as an “economic mentor.”

“im a pretty good wing man, no?” Epstein wrote on Nov 30, 2018.

The next day, Summers told Epstein he had texted the woman, telling her he “had something brief to say to her.”

“Am I thanking her or being sorry re my being married. I think the former,” he wrote.

Summers’ wife, Elisa New, also emailed Epstein multiple times, including a 2015 message in which she thanked him for arranging ﬁnancial support for a poetry project she directs. The gift he arranged “changed everything for me,” she wrote.

“It really means a lot to me, all ﬁnancial help aside, Jeffrey that you are rooting for me and thinking about me,” she wrote.

New, an English professor emerita at Harvard, did not respond to an email seeking comment.

An earlier review completed in 2020 found that Epstein visited Harvard’s campus more than 40 times after his 2008 sex-crimes conviction and was given his own ofﬁce and unfettered access to a research center he helped establish. The professor who

had been a decorated intelligence specialist working in the Los Angeles ﬁeld ofﬁce and most recently was pursuing a longtime dream of becoming a special agent.

In June 2021, the Los Angeles field office displayed a “Progress Pride” flag, which consists of a rainbow-colored horizontal stripes and a chevron with black, brown, pink, light blue, and white colors. It’s meant to represent people of color as well as the LGBTQ+ community Maltinsky was given that flag after it had come down and was then displayed at his Los Angeles field office workstation with the support and permission of his supervisors, according to the lawsuit.

In April, he began training at the FBI Academy to become a special agent and had successfully completed

16 of the 19 weeks of training at the time of his ﬁring, the lawsuit stated.

Maltinsky said in the suit he helped lead diversity initiatives during his time at the bureau as well. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January ending all diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the government.

The suit names Patel, the FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department as defendants.

The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment.

Among other things, Maltinsky is seeking reinstatement to his position along with an order declaring that the defendants violated his First Amendment rights to speech and Fifth Amendment rights to equal protection under the law

provided the ofﬁce was later barred from starting new research or advising students for at least two years. Summers has severed ties

with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT

Livingston library system picks leader

Selection comes after gridlocked votes, 2 years of turmoil

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD

Staff writer

The Livingston Parish Library Board approved hiring a Mississippi library director as its new system director and elected new board leadership after several gridlocked votes. The library board, in a 6-4 vote voted Tuesday to hire Na’Chel Shannon, currently library director of the South Mississippi Regional Library, following a second public interview The search for a new director came after the Livingston Parish president and the Library Board voted in July against renewing former library director Michelle Parrish’s contract. Notably Shannon lives outside the state and has not worked in the Livingston Parish library system.

BR park heading toward auction block

BREC seeking $1.3M for Industriplex site

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

Following a cleanup earlier this year at Industriplex Park that resulted in two dumpsters of trash being hauled away the BREC Commission introduced an ordinance this week to sell the property for $1.3 million. The park was labeled as obsolete after it was evaluated as part of an ongoing BREC study to consolidate resources and sell underused land.

Wallace

Brett Wallace, BREC’s assistant director of planning and development, said at the Planning and Park Resources Advisory Committee meeting Tuesday that the property met three criteria in the ongoing obsolete land study: It has low public value, is in a nonresidential area, and is in an inaccessible area.

“We looked at the overall usage of Industriplex versus these closeby parks that are similar in size and features, and Industriplex is — if you take the total from 2018 to 2025 it’s half of the use of the next lowest park,” he said. Those numbers — compiled from anonymous cellphone data show roughly 9,000 visitors at Industriplex in that time period compared to around 20,700 people at Meadow Park, the second-lowest park in the analysis.

ä See PARK, page 2B

The library’s interim director, Kyla Robertson Webb, did not apply for the job This is a stark contrast from previous appointed directors, like Parrish and her predecessor, Giovanni Tairov, who worked in Livingston Parish before they became directors.

The other ﬁnalist was Leslie Sam, head librarian of Nunez Community College in Chalmette.

“It’s going from somebody who’s working over 12 people to now over 150. That seems like a pretty big jump that I’m not sure this candidate was necessarily prepared for,” said Bobby Green, a Holden resident.

Some members of the public raised concerns about Shannon’s lack of experience with Livingston Parish and a library system that is much larger than her current one in Mississippi.

Parish President Randy Delatte, using his ex ofﬁcio status to vote, approved the hiring and defended the choice, saying he didn’t necessarily have all the experience he needed when he started in ofﬁce. “I really believe she wants to do better professionally and to get that, she has to serve in this library,” Delatte said.

It is unclear whether Shannon has accepted the position, as she was not present during the vote.

FESTIVE TOUCHES

Worker dies after chemical exposure at La. refrigerant plant

Second Mexichem worker hospitalized

BY DAVID J MITCHELL

Staff writer

Two workers were sent to a hospital and one of them later died after they were exposed early Tuesday morning to hydrofluoric acid at the Mexichem Fluor Inc. refrigerant plant in St. Gabriel, company and state ofﬁcials said.

The incident, which the company called “an accidental chemical exposure,” happened about 7:08 a.m. Tuesday at the Mississippi River complex, Mexichem ofﬁcials said

The release was later contained.

“All other employees and contractors were safely accounted for, and there was no environmental impact to the surrounding community,” Erick Comeaux, a company spokesperson, said in a statement

Wednesday Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality officials confirmed the death but referred questions about details to Louisiana State Police, which investigated the incident. Troopers didn’t immediately answer a request for comment Wednesday A business division associated with the eastern Iberville Parish

complex previously had the name “Koura,” following a previous rebranding effort that was phased out earlier this year, but company ofﬁcials said Wednesday the U.S. plant’s legal name remains “Mexichem Fluor.”

The plant is part of Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials, a global company with headquarters in Mexico City, Boston, Amsterdam and Tel Aviv Comeaux said Mexichem Fluor would conduct “a thorough investigation” and cooperate fully “with all agencies also involved in investigating this matter.”

ä See PLANT, page 2B

ABOVE: Public Works employees prepare strands of lights Monday to be installed at Louisiana Square Park in Donaldsonville.

LEFT: Christmas decorations frame the sign at the park.

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL

JOHNSON

ONELASTRIDE

LIBRARY

Continued from page 1B

Agridlockedlibrary board

Afterninenominationsand seven votes, the library board elected Jonathan Davis as the new board president, 6-4.

The board repeatedly nominated the same people and kept ending up in a5-5 tie. Some people nominated even immediately withdrew the nomination. Current President Jennifer Dorhauer was voted to become vice president. They will assume these roles in

Continued frompage1B

The committee unanimously approved the recommendation to rule the property obsolete, andthe BREC Commission introduced an ordinance to declare it obsolete and sell it Wednesday. A public hearing and ﬁnal vote on the ordinance are planned for the commission’sDec. 17 meeting, according to documents attached to the committee’sagenda.

Security problems

The 8.8-acre park at 7505 In-

dustriplex Blvd. consists of two swings, asingle playground set, avolleyball court and aformerly

January

Budget discussions

The LivingstonParish Library Boardturned downa proposed cost-of-living pay increase for employees,despite thesystem experiencing high turnover rates the past twoyears.

Webb said the 3% cost-of-living adjustment would track next year’sprojected inﬂation rate.

“Essentially diminishing their wages in the coming year could lead to increased turnover,” she said. “Weare seeing fairly tremendous turnoverwithin our system.”

Thelibrary system’sturnover ratein 2023 was 17.3%, in 2024

forested area. It was acquired through adonation in 1995. Keep Tigertown Beautiful organizedatrash pickup in May, whichSt. George Police Chief Todd Morrisalsoattended. Two dumpsters of trash were taken away fromthe park after the cleanup,Wallace said.

Wallace mentionedthoseactions as another factor in BREC’sevaluationand said many of thetrees on theproperty were recently cut down for security reasons.

“Wehave amajor encampment issue here, and there was alot of unhoused activity in thispark, in the wooded area speciﬁcally.And there was alot of litter,therewas alot of drug use and drug paraphernalia,” he said. Additionally,he saidthe park

ABOVE: The procession for DeputyJosh Dunaway, whodied last week in an off-duty motorcycle crash, drives by asmall crowd at the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce’s District 2headquarters on Tuesday.LEFT: Mourner Candace Nemmo looks downwhile holding an American ﬂag during the procession.

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

it was 33.1%, and so far this year it is 25.6%, according to the library’shuman resourcedepartment. This is abovethe 13% national average.

“Weare well above it thelast two years,” Webb said. “Given the climate that our staff has been operating in, we feel that they’ve beendoing tremendous work, but we want to retain our talent.”

Board member Patricia Wilson, who also headsthe ﬁnancecommittee, led the boardinvotingto defer thepay adjustment.

“I’m allabout giving people increases, but Ithink we should hold off on the salary increase untilwedoacomprehensive salary

is redundant,since the Atlas at St.George apartment complex next to it hastwo playgrounds.

The park is located behind the Siegen Lane HobbyLobby and only accessiblevia Industriplex Boulevard.

“You have avery limitedservicearea in terms of access for Industriplex Park,” Wallace added. “And really,it’sjustthat apartmentcomplex that really could access this park.”

study,” she said. “I also look at everythingelse that’staxpayers supported Is everybody else getting cost-of-living raises?”

Other board members supported forming acommitteeand asking human resources to investigatesalaries before deciding on any wage changes for2026.

Afew boardmembers, though, wanted to go ahead and approve thecost-of-living increase.

“Three percent is notevena raise, that’snot even cost of living,” saidDelatte,while usinghis ex ofﬁcio status on the board.

Email Claire Grunewaldat claire.grunewald@theadvocate. com.

The sale priceisbased on the appraisedvalue,and Wallace said BREC plannedtoreinvest the proceeds within the same region. He addedthatitwasn’t alegal requirement, following a question from committee memberChristopherToomes, andno onefrom the public commented on the proposal.

Commissioner Carl Stages, who chairs the committee, suggested thatBRECcould work to incorporatebike trails in the contracts for potential land sales.

BREC is in the midst of a yearslong project to build abike trailnetwork across the parish, including up to Airline Terrace and southbeyond Siegen Lane, and Wallace toldthe committee it has taken time to obtain servitude rights.

“What we’re not doing is eminent domain, and so we’re not tellingpeople we’regoing to come and build atrail on your property,”Wallace said. “We’re asking them to partner with us, so that takes alot of coordination to do that.”

PLANT

Continued from page1B

“Wedeeply regret that this incident hasoccurred, andour thoughts and prayers are with these team members and their families,” he said. According to theU.S.Environmental ProtectionAgency,hydrofluoric acid, whichcomes from hydrogen ﬂuoride, can burn the skin and damage thelungs, eyes, nose and respiratory tract with exposure to heavyconcentrations of the colorless gas. The chemical,which has apowerful odor,isone of strongest acids knownand is used by Mexichem Fluortomakethe refrigerant 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane. It’s been used since the 1990s to replace older refrigerants, known as “chloroﬂuorocarbons,” in cars andother vehiclesthat depleted the protective ozone layer in the upperlayers of theEarth’satmosphere

The chemical, which is a“hydroﬂuorocarbon,”also hasa lowerthe greenhouse gasimpact than older refrigerants but, accordingto theEPA,still hasa much higher impact than carbon dioxide and will be phasedout in some uses by 2028.

The company recently asked the state to modify itsair permit,so it could add alinetomake electrolyte for lithium-ionbatteries, astate application says. Likethe refrigerants theplant makes, the lithium-based electrolyte will use hydrogenﬂuoride as afeedstock for its production.

DavidJ.Mitchellcan be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

BLOTTER

Continued from page1B

“While we cannot talk about personnel matters or speciﬁcs related to theongoing investigation, we takethese allegations very seriously. Theemployee, whoworks at an administrative site and does not interact with students as part of their daily duties, has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately,” the statement read. Police say the investigation is ongoing, including additionaldigital forensic analysis.

Man arrested in Tuesday fatal shooting in Gonzales Aman was arrestedTuesday night in thefatal shooting of a 22-year-old, according to the GonzalesPoliceDepartment.

Darius Mosby,24, was booked intothe AscensionParish jailon counts of second-degree murder, illegalpossession of astolen firearmand resisting an officer in the fatal shooting of Jonathan King. King wasshotabout 11 p.m. Tuesday at 920 W. Tony St. in Gonzales and died at the scene, despite first-aid treatments by responding officers and Emergency Medical Services, according to police. Mosby was found hiding in heavy brush along South Darla Avenue,after atipster to 911 directed deputies from the Ascension and East Baton Rouge sheriff’s offices andpolice dogs to the spot, Gonzales police said in a news release.

Amotive forthe shooting remains underinvestigation, according to police.

LOTTERY

TUESDAY,NOV.18, 2025

PICK 3: 8-4-2

PICK 4: 0-7-1-0

PICK 5: 6-4-7-0-3 MEGA MILLIONS: 5-10-23-27-30 MEGA BALL: 10 Unof

Burton, Mary St.GerardMajella

HighlandRd., BatonRouge,LAat 11am

Sarradet, Dorothy WilbertFuneralHome, Port Allenat

12pm.

Saucier, Randolph

CentralFuneralHomeat11am.

Talbot,Barbara

St.Francis CabriniCatholicChurch in Livoniaat11a.m

White,Lisa

OurLadyofMercy Catholic Church 445 Marquette Ave.,Baton Rouge,LA at 10:30am.

Obituaries

Arceneaux, Dianne Babin

Dianne Marie Babin Arceneaux, 72, of Gonzales passed away November16, 2025 surrounded by her family, she was born in Gonzales, LA. She recently retired from St. John Elementary School after 12 years of dedicated service. Mrs. Arceneaux is survived by sons Kelly Arceneaux, Seth Arceneaux (Holly) and Kent Arceneaux (Shannon), grandchildren Ethan Arceneaux (Lexi), Zoe Arceneaux, Addison Arceneaux and Austin Arceneaux and countlessstudents from St. John. Preceded in death by her husband Aymond Arceneaux, Jr, parents Cyven and Lucy White Babin, sister Margaret Babin Burns, brother-in-law Glenn Burns, mother and fatherin-law Aymond Arceneaux Sr. and Rowena Arceneaux Hampton. Pallbearers will be Kelly Arceneaux, Seth Arceneaux, Ethan Arceneaux, Kendall Burns, Danny Madere, and Shane Lessard.

Visitation willbeatSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church on November 21, 2022 at 10:30 AM. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 12:30 PM, followed by her committal service at Hope Haven GardenofMemory in Prairieville. Fr. Pravin will officiate. Arrangements are being handled by Ourso Funeral HomeofGonzales.Friends whoare not able to attend can leave words of condolences at www.oursofh.com.

Austin, Wilfred 'Hines'

Wilfred Hines Austin, dedicated petroleum engineer, avid tennis player, LSU graduate and lifelong LSU fan, passed away at the age of 90 on November 16, 2025. Hines leave behind his loving wife of 67 years, Charlotte Graham Austin; three daughters, Kay A. Theunissen (Randy), Jean A. Benoit (Mike) and Leslie A. Alderman (Richard); andseven grandchildrenand nine great-grandchildren. He will be dearly missed. Funeral arrangements: Fountain Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, 1010 Pandora St., Lafayette, Louisiana is handlingall arrangements. ACatholic Funeral Service will be held on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation willbefrom9:00 a.m.10:30 a.m. ARosary willbe recited at 10:30 a.m.

2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The second-youngest of ninechildren, she grew up with five sisters and three brothers. After the passing of her mother ata young age, Hattie was lovingly raised by her grandmother,Carolina Harris Rooted in aChristian upbringing, Hattieaccepted the LordJesus Christ as herSavior earlyinlife. Her faith remaineda guiding force throughouther years. She later became a devotedmemberofThe Calvary Third Baptist Church, whereshe served faithfully in various capacities including: the choir, UsherBoard, Deaconess Board, as well as amember of the Kitchen Club supporting the Building Fund forthe church. Visitationwillbeheld Friday,November21, 2025, 9AM until religious servicesat10AM., Calvary Third B.C.1911Georgia St Baton Rouge,LA. Interment at SouthernMemorial Garden. Services entrusted to Desselle Funeral Home.

Broussard, Carolyn Dranguet

Carolyn Dranguet Broussard passedaway in her home on November 13, 2025,at the ageof83. She was born on October 14, 1942,inBaton Rouge, Louisiana.Carolyn was the beloveddaughter of Mary Alice Templet of Baton Rouge and Charles Alvin Dranguet, Sr. of Natchitoches, Louisiana,both of whom precededher in death.Carolyn is survived by her brother, Charles Alvin Dranguet Jr. She isalso survived by her two daughters, who werethe joyofher life: ErinPaige Broussard and (Bonnye) Ashlyn Hall along with her husband Lyle,whom Carolyn lovedlikethe son she never had.Affectionately known as "G.G." (Gorgeous Grandmother), she adored her grandchildren, Aaron and Cameron Hall, and was thrilled to welcome their wives, Lauren and Mariah, into the family with allher heart.A devotedwife, mother, and grandmother, Carolynconsidered her family to be her greatest calling. She pouredher heart intoraising her daughters and cultivating strong, meaningful relationships with her grandsons. She was overjoyedat the thoughtofher first great-grandchildonthe way. Her family takes comfortinknowing she will celebrate his birth in heaven. Shelived life with ajoyful spirit. Always eager for new adventuresand memories, she traveled overseas several timestovisit her family. Carolynloved to dance- especially thejitterbug.She hada way of bringingenergy and grace to any situation. Carolyn had many friendships and she never missed an opportunity to make anew friend.Her legacyofkindness, joy, faith, and love willcontinue to shine through the many lives she touched. Shewill be deeply missedand forever cherished. Her passion for goodnutrition and her desire to help others led her to start her own diet counseling business, where she supported countless people as they pursuedhealth and confidence. Many haveremained lifelong friends. Carolyn hada servant'sheart,alwaysready to have an "old lady"inher life, someone to offerher time,attention, andlove without asecond thought Shewas known forher

huge heart, her empathy, and her abilitytocry with astranger making them feeltreasured. Carolyn was afaithful and devoted followerofJesus. As a prayer warrior, she prayed for family,friends, and even acquaintances with sincerity and steadfastness throughout her life Servicesfor Carolyn Dranguet Broussardwillbe held on November 22, 2025, at Rabenhorst Funeral Home at 825 Government Street in Baton Rouge. Visitation willtake place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., followedbya funeral service at 12:00 p.m. Burialwillbe at Roselawn Cemetery at 1:30 p.m.

Albin"Major" Hebert peacefully passedaway in his sleep on November 17, 2025. He was born in New Roads, LA where he lived most of his life.Hespent his final 11 years in New Orleans, LA.Major was a belovedbrother, husband father and friend.He joined theUnited States Air Force and became apilot before returning to LSU and graduatingwitha B.S. in Architectural Engineering.Majorworked as an architect and contractor forover 50 years, designing and building numerous custom homes in thearea, alongwithseveral commercial buildings. His first job was with legendary architect A. Hays Town, which influenced his architectural styling.Hetook immense prideinevery project he wouldundertake,ensuring that they were builtproperly. He was an avid LSUsports fan and duck hunter. Majoris survivedbyhis daughter Kathy of NewOrleans, sons David (Amy) of Baton Rouge and Johnny (Wendi) of Zachary, grandchildren Ella, Alexis, Gunnar and Sandra Grace and sisters JudithStevens of Florida and PeggyVosburg of New Roads. He is preceded in death by wife Patricia Neck Hebert, son Albin Major Jr,wife Sandra Roberts Hebert,parentsLester and JudithMajorHebert, brother LesterHebert,Jr. and sisterEstelleGosserand. The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude forthe patience, kindness and dedication of all thecaregivers who made Major's final journey more comfortableand peaceful We want to especially thank Lody Cook whose dedication and personal touch meant theworld to him and our family.Visitation willbeheldatNiland's Funeral Home in New Roads, LA on Thursday, November 20, 2025, from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm and FridayNovember 21, 2025, from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. The Mass of Christian burial will follow at St. Mary's Catholic Church at 12:00 noon.The entombment will follow at St.Mary's Cemetery.Pallbearers:Lester Hebert, III, Phil Gosserand RexVosburg,Greg Town, Byron Neck and James Laurent,Jr. Honorary Pallbearers: BillStevens and JimMoore

Jones, Antoinette MarySalemi

Awonderfuland loving wife, mother, sister, Gammy, and friend,Antoinette Mary Salemi Jones passed away peacefully on November 15, 2025, surrounded by her family and strengthenedbyher deep Catholicfaith.She was 85, alifelong resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a 1958 graduateofBaton Rouge HighSchool.She was acharter member of St. Patrick Catholic Church and awoman of unwavering faith, grace, and love She found joyincaring for her family,and her devotion to theBlessed Mother was an inspirationtoall who knew her. Her kindness, gentleness and generosity willberemembered by everyone blessed to havebeenpart of her life.Those she leaves behind to cherish her memory are her children, Mark Jones (Ashley) of Baton Rouge, LA;Kelli Mena (Allan) of TrophyClub,TX; Laura Potier(Tim) of Daphne, AL;and Kevin Jones (Kim) of Prairieville, LA;grandchildrenAnna Claire, Drake, and Alex Potier; Haydenand Hunter Mena;Mindyand Benjamin Jones; and AndrewJones. She is also survivedbyher brothers-in-law TomJones (Julie) of IsleofWight,England, and Michael Jones (Ann)ofLiverpool,England; and belovednieces and nephews: Debra Wethey, Ricky Rinaudo, Randy Rinaudo, Michael LaFleur, Scott LaFleur, Paul Donnelly, Adam Jones, Stephen Jones, Peter BurtonJones, Sarah Thorne, Claire Alderson, Cathy Jones, Alexandra Masterman and Michael Jones. She waspreceded in death by her beloved husband of 31 years, Edward Jones; her parents, Benjaminand Rose Salemi;her sisters, Catherine Rinaudo(Joseph Jr.), her twin,Lorraine LaFleur(Rohan), and Lorrine Salemi; her sisters-inlaw, PeggyDonnelly (Chris), Anne Alderson (Joe), and Patricia Jones; her brother-in-law, Davie Jones; her nephew Michael Donnelly; and her nieces, MichelleDeVille (Donald) and Jennifer LaFleur. Pallbearers will be her sons, Mark and Kevin Jones; her sons-inlaw, Tim Potier and Allan Mena;her grandsons, Haydenand Hunter Mena, Drake and Alex Potier, and Benjamin Jones; and her nephew, Ricky Rinaudo. Honorary pallbearers will be nephews, Michael and Scott LaFleur. Visitation willbeheldatMost Blessed Sacrament CatholicChurch on Saturday, November 22, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 1:00 p.m. Interment willfollow at Resthaven Gardenof Memories. The family wouldliketooffer aspecial thank youtoGeraneisha Young and LaVasha Norriswith @Homecare of Louisiana for their loving care and compassionfor Mom over thepastcouple of years. AdditionalthankstoTanner Wilson of Audubon Hospice of BatonRouge; Dr. Adrian Landry and Dr. Pedro Oliveira of The Baton Rouge Clinic; Dr. Andrew Rees with LouisianaCardi-

ology Associates;and Dr JamesYegge with Renal AssociatesofBaton Rouge In lieu of flowers, please considerdonatinginAntoinette's name to acharity close to yourheart LeBlanc,

LeBlanc, Elizabeth Singletary

Elizabeth Singletary LeBlanc, aloving mother, grandmother,and great grandmother passedaway peacefully on November 16, 2025, at the age of 90. KnownasLiz, or Bet to her family, anative of Baton Rouge andresident of Port Allen, Louisiana, shegraduated from Baton Rouge High School andLSU,with adegree in accounting. Shewas active in theWest Side Women's Club, Holy FamilyChurch, andwas a supporter of theWestBaton Rouge Parish Museum. Shewas preceded in death by herparents,A.B. Singletary, Jr.and Floris Ramires Singletary; herhusband of more than 50 years, Thomas J. LeBlanc; and her son, Gregory Thomas LeBlanc. She is survived by herdaughter, Maris Elizabeth LeBlanc; herson, KevinAlfredLeBlanc;and herson,Christoper Mark LeBlancand hiswife Pamela Coleman LeBlanc. Sheisalso survivedbyher granddaughter, Colleen Elizabeth McCrory Gil and herhusband John; and theirdaughters, JuliaElizabeth andOlivia Leigh Gil.A private burialwill be held with theassistance of Wilbert Funeral Home in Port Allen. Please share memories online at www.wilbertservices.com.

Melinda Bringol LeBlanc, beloved wife to herhusbandDarrelfor over 24 wonderfully blessed years, departed forher eternal resting placeonSunday, November 16, 2025. After her retirementfromthe State of Louisiana, she went on to receive hercertification in Spiritual Direction fromthe Archdiocesan SpiritualityCenterinNew Orleans. She holds aMasters of Pastoral Studies degree fromLoyolaUniversity.Melinda was aspiritual director in thediocese of Baton Rouge, LA, where sheofferedindividual direction, groupdirection retreats, andprayer Melinda servedonthe board of the Louisiana AssociationofSpiritual Directors. She considered it a blessing to be apartof others' spiritual journeys Shewas borninNew OrleansonAugust11, 1955, andmoved to Baton Rouge over 40 yearsago. She is precededindeathbyher parents, Ivory Bringol and AudrineSmith Bringol Delarosa, andbyher stepfather,Richard Delarosa. She is survivedbyher husband Darrel;her sister, Dianne Foster (Herschel); her niece, KrissySagona (Nick);great-niece, Grace Sagona; great-nephew, Alex Sagona; stepdaughter, Devon LeBlanc Reeves (Mike);four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; andnumerous beloved cousinsand dear friends. Shewas amember of St. Patrick Parish,whereshe served as aCommunion andhome-boundminister andRCIA director.Serving as pallbearerswill be: Mike Reeves,Bruce Bales, CharlesTramonte,Nick Sagona, Oliver Thomas, andClaude Snoody. Honorarypallbearerswill be CoreyBouquet andRandy Lore. Visitation will be on Thursday, November 20, 2025, from10:30am until Mass of ChristianBurialat

Hebert,Albin 'Major'

OUR VIEWS

EBRdeservesa DA andpublic defenderwho arefully funded

The fallout from East Baton Rouge Parish voters’ rejection of the ThriveEBR planwas always going to be ugly

And almost as soon as thevotes were tallied, Mayor-PresidentSid Edwards was forced to begin laying off hundredsoffolkswithin cityparish government and notifying departments that steep cuts are expected.

Twothat will bear the brunt of thecity-parish shortfall are the district attorney andpublic defender ofﬁces. The twin advocacypillars of the criminal justice system bothreceive asigniﬁcant share of their annualrevenue fromthe city-parish’sgeneralfund, which is nowexpected to have far less revenuethanisrequired

Those cuts will hit hard.Chief Public Defender Kyla Romanach, whose ofﬁce handlesmore than 8inevery 10 criminal cases in East Baton Rouge, saidshe will have to consider laying off attorneys.

“Lawyers can only work so many cases,”she said.

Edwards has said the district attorney can expectan11% cut in what it receives from the city-parish, while the public defender can expect a22% cut. Both also get some funding from the state

The cuts willcompound problems District Attorney Hillar Moore haswithretaining competent staff,especiallyafter voters soundly rejected his proposal for anew dedicated property tax earlier this year

That means that the East Baton Rouge Parish court system, already plagued bydelaysand one of the slowest in the state, will likelyget even slower.And as we have noted before,such delays do not serve the victims of crime nor theirfamilies.Theyalso make livestougherfor the accused.

Edwards has said that theonlytwo departments that won’tbecut are thepoliceand ﬁre, and that’stobeapplauded. East BatonRouge residents deserve fully funded andfunctioning policeand ﬁre protection

But it can’tstop there. Those same residents alsodeserve fairand devotedadvocates in court, and the cuts willmakethattougher to provide. It would be unwise to blame Edwards alone for this problem. He inherited athornyﬁnancial situation greatly complicated by the formation of the city of St. George.

The severity of the problem wascentralto his push for Thrive. But voters didn’tbuy it and rejected all three of the proposals that made up the plan.

Now Edwards is trying to manage thefallout. The budget has not yet been passedbythe Metro Council, which could make adjustments that would affect these departments. Moorehas said he is considering going tocourt to prevent the cuts from taking effect.

This is clearly far from ideal. Thecitizensof East Baton Rouge Parish —the same ones who rejected Thrive and Moore’sdedicated tax must take ahard look at what they expect from their government and how they would like it to be funded.

The next months will not be easy.A weakened district attorney and public defender won’t make it better

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Gov.Jeff Landry has no business injectinghimself intoLSU affairs. From importing alive tiger from Florida to parade around at an LSU football game, tosuggesting that right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk —with no connection to Louisiana —have his statue built on campus to refusing to let former Athletic Director Scott Woodward do his job and hire thenext LSUfootball coach, Landry was out of line. Iwould say that Woodward had agood record at selecting winning coaches, including national championship winners —Kim Mulkey (women’s basketball),Jay Johnson (men’sbaseball) and Jay Clark (women’sgymnastics). Yes, thepayout for ﬁring football coach Brian Kelly is large. However, what qualiﬁed coach will want to come

Another ceaseﬁre in Gaza begins.

To use asaying from the early 1960s, Israel, with thehelp of America, has succeeded in bombing thepeople of Gaza back to theStoneAge. It’s a given that vengeance was deserved and had to be taken for the attack on Israel. The plan to rid Gaza of Hamas failed. Hamas was still standing tall and proud in green headbands at prisoner exchanges.

Housing and infrastructure have been reduced to piles of dust.Genera-

Ijust spent an extendedvisit with my son, who haslived in Portland, Oregon, fortwo yearswith his partner, who haslivedthere all of his life We hadsome heartfelt conversations. When Iaskedhim if he’d consider moving back here,heshook his head; his reason broke my heart. “Mama the worst thing youcan be in the South is Black,gay and effeminate.” He grewupinSouth Alabama. Over the years, he haslivedinOregon, built his own business and found his partnerof17years. He’s hada rough, sometimesalmost brutallife;the churchweattended could notwelcome him; he was mocked at school, by students andadministrators. He

to LSU, knowing that politics and a misguided governor’sremark can disrupt his entire program?

Andthe larger question is, which of these winning coaches will choose to stay at LSU, knowing that their mentor and ultimate LSU fan, Scott Woodward, was unceremoniously ﬁred simply due to agovernor’swhim.Woodward could easily go to acompeting universitywhile bringing along these coaches. Landry’sunfortunate decision may have ripple effects farlarger than coming up with $53 million.

Ihope the other LSU coaches, their student athletes and the next potential football coach will weather this storm and see thelarger picture of the greater LSU.

MAYLEE SAMUELS Baton Rouge

tionsoffamilies havebeen destroyed in the 60,000 victimsofthis tragedy There are always survivors and sympathizers. Generations of hatred have been created in this disaster.The children have no school to attend. While sittingaround campﬁres, forthey have nothing else, plans and wishes will be madefor the future, somegood and somevengefully and regrettably bad. It’sthe nature of the human beast. NORMAN WARNOCK Stonewall

couldn’twaittoleave those places as a young adult In Portland,hehas cordialneighbors andfriends, employees, people he can trust and who trusthim. There’s acenter forLGBTQ+individuals who need support andacceptance. People don’t judgehim because he’s unique It breaksmyheart because Oregon is alongway fromhere. Butmaybe, here in the South, if we can remember that even LGBTQ+ people have mothershere whovery muchhopetheir children can ﬁnd homes andsupport without having to move across the country to ﬁnd it.

PAMHARTMAN Denham Springs

In his column “Why did Democrats ﬁght so long before caving?” on Nov 17, Byron York accused the Democrats in Congress of “stubbornly play(ing) alosing hand as millions of Americans suffered” during the government shutdown. It astounds me that York can promoteour current healthcare system that leaves 41% of Americans in medical debt and over 8% of people without health insurance at all. The United States is the only wealthy industrialized nation without auniversal health care system The closest we have ever come to providing universal health care was with the Affordable Care Act. York seemstoproudly tout that “Republicans unanimously opposed the Affordable Care Act,” which provided an opportunity formillions of Americans to acquire health insurance. It is beyond ridiculous that in this country,ifa middle-class person needs to have expensive medical care, the solution is often to create aGoFundMe account to seek donations foraloved one’smedical care. Another option used around Louisiana is to have afundraising barbecue to help cover medical expenses. And thanks to our Republicans in Congress, this solution to medical debt is preferable, whereas in other wealthy countries, going to the hospital is sometimes free forresidents or $10 per day Fighting forAmericans to access affordable health insurance and access to medical care is honorable. If our current system is getting too expensive, then it is up to Congress to invest timeand energy in helping to create asystem that works forour country Americans should have access to affordable health care. In Louisiana, almost 50% of people are in poverty or close to poverty Universal health care could help create healthier families, workers and prevent medical debt that is burdening so manypeople here in Louisiana.

ALICE DEVALL Baton Rouge

COMMENTARY

Trumpian twists agoodturnfor economy

President Donald Trump is spectacularly mercurial in economic policy decisions, but for now,Louisianais beneﬁting from his latest policy effusions.

Indeed, the state’seconomy received two major boosts from the Trump administration inthe past 10 days, one related tocoffeeand one to energy production —although the ﬁrst boost stems from Trump reversing one of his own, misbegotten policies.

ty in case, Lord forbid, of amajor war

The policy reversal involvesTrump’s bizarre fetish for import tariffs. Every observer with an ounce of sense recognized that at least in the nearterm, U.S. consumer prices would rise on justabout every good or item subject to higher tariffs. Trump all along has insisted that foreigners, notAmericans actually pay tariffs, but of course,that’s just factually incorrect. Now,though, with the average U.S. family paying $700 more so far this yearfor “basic” items, arecent poll showsthe public largely blaming the tariffs, ofwhich the public disapproves by anearly two-toone margin. The publicisright. Froma standpoint of basic economics, most of Trump’stariffs make no sense. Granted, there can be two arguably good reasons for tariffs.One is to punish an unambiguous adversary by deterring demand from theotherwise large U.S. market for the adversary’s products. Even then, though, it helps to acknowledge that U.S. consumers are taking ahit in the name of thenation’s greater good.

The second reason that sometimes holds true, although nowhere near as often as tariff supporters insist, is to bolster adomestic industrywhosevery existenceiscrucial for national securi-

TURKEY DAY

Folks all overthe countryare opening up their homestofriendsand relatives forThanksgiving.Looks likethis Louisiana family has aspecial guest dropping in for the big feast —and he looks hungry!

The strange thing is that ahost of Trump’stariffs have nothing to do with those two, sometimes-acceptable objectives. This is true, without question, withregard to large tariffs Trumpimposed earlier thisyear on imported coffee. Coffee surely is not an essential element of our national security apparatus, and themainland U.S.features almost no domesticcoffee production to protect anyway.Almost nowhere in the country’s mainland is the climateright for growing the stuff.

Still, American consumers love coffee, and they clearly resent the19% single-yearprice hike on coffee caused almost entirely by Trump’stariffs.

That’swhy,asa clear political necessity,Trump on Nov.14abandoned his tariffs on coffee, along with those on bananas, tomatoes and other foods usedalmosteveryday in American home kitchens.

The removal of the coffee tariffs is doublygood news for Louisiana. Not only are Louisiana consumers likely to payless for our cups of joe going forward, but our job base should beneﬁt signiﬁcantly

This newspaper in thepast eight monthshas featured anumber of news andopinionpieces highlighting the importance of thecoffee trade in Louisiana, along with the damage done to it by the tariffs. Coffee comes through severalLouisianaportsand is an especially important commodity at the Port of New Orleans. In 2024, before the Trumpcoffee tariffs took effect, coffee was, by value, the fourth largest item imported in New Orleans, at slightly more than $1 billion In turn, coffee distributors and

roasters here provide thousands of direct jobsinLouisiana (1,600 in coffee production alone, not to mention retail positions),and of course, coffee plays ahuge role in thestate’sdining scene that is akeystone of the tourism industry Trump’sreversal, therefore, is great news for theBayou State. Meanwhile, Trumpneeded no reversal in policies in order tohelp Louisiana’soil and gas industry.Hehas always been strongly pro-oil exploration.OnNov.11, that inclination bore fruit as theadministration released acall for energy-company bids for some80million acres in the central and western Gulf. The leases, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, result largely from new policies adopted in theso-called OneBig Beautiful Bill Act Trumppushed through Congress with a major assist from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, bothofLouisiana. Even better,that samebill raises the amount of revenue from Gulf leases that ﬂows directly to four coastal states, withLouisiana likely to get an extra $46 million per year.Combined with the added jobs from the new leases and related businesses that service theoil industry,and thetax revenues produced from those, this is obviously aconsiderable windfall for the whole state. Once by reversal, then, and once by design, Trump’smoves right now are good for Louisiana. Here’shoping the state’slawmakers and entrepreneurs bothcan ﬁnd ways to make the most of these economic good tidings —before thepresident changes his mindagain. Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

So, what’sgoing on in this cartoon? you tell me.Bewitty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky —just trytokeep it clean.There’s no limit on the number of entries. Thewinning punchline will be lettered into the word balloon and runon Mondayinour print editions and online. In addition, the winner will receive asigned print of the cartoon along with acool winner’sT-shirt! Some honorable mentions will alsobelisted.To enter,email entriestocartooncontest@ theadvocate.com.

DON’TFORGET! All entries must include your name, home addressand phone number.Cell numbers arebest. The deadline for all entries is midnight on Thursday,Nov.20. HappyThanksgiving,everyone! —Walt

In the 1967 ﬁlm “Cool HandLuke, the “Captain” says to Luke(Paul Newman) “What we’ve got here is afailure to communicate.” The same could be saidof the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress.While they have much to brag about —from aclosed border,the deportation of undocumented immigrants and lower taxes —it’snot getting through to especially ayounger generation that seems enamored with socialism as we’ve recently seen with the election of democratic socialistMayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in New York Cityand the disastrous result of that economic philosophy in Oregon.

ment mentality.When we try to tell them why socialism doesn’twork, they seem to care only about “affordability.”

The generational divide means that younger people have not experienced what older generations have experienced. An example: My wife and Iare the same age. We have family members who were in the military.Welike the same music and recall the threat of nuclear war with the Soviet Union which was part of the Cold War. When we speak of such things we understand each other Younger people, especially those born after 9/11, know nothing of our experiences, nor have they similarexperiences of their own. They have led what we used to call“sheltered lives,” which has createdinthemanentitle-

Gas prices are down since the Biden administration (now averaging$3per gallon, but $4.73 on averageinCalifornia as of April 2025). Iwent grocery shopping last week and found prices have dropped on such basics as eggs, milk and bread.

Since January2021, overall prices rose22.7%, but wages rose only 21.8%. Inﬂation hit arecord high of 9.1% in June, 2022. Inﬂation was 3% for the 12 months ending in September2025, according to theBureau of Labor Statistics. Whyisthisnot getting through?

Part of it hastodowith the failure to acknowledgethese facts by themedia, which never hesitate to blame Republicanswhen prices go up and the government closes. But alot of the failure by Republicans to get through to younger votersisbecause they are speaking a different language. Were Iaconsultant for the GOP I would develop several ads. Onewould show two women grocery shopping with alist that has in one column the pricesoffood during theBiden administration and the prices now.One woman saystothe other “Look how theprice of eggs has dropped. That’s notwhatweare hearing on the news.”

Another ad would feature awoman ﬁlling up her car and telling her liberal, college-age son, “$3 agallon is cheaper than it was ﬁve years ago under Biden.”

People have moreoptions than ever when it comes to where to live, work and what to buy.Ifthe rent or housing prices are too high, one can always movetoaplace with no state taxes, cheaper food and gas and less expensive housing. Republicans should get off defense (andthe Epstein ﬁles) and notehow everything was more expensive under Biden. The cost of healthinsurance escalated because of subsidies created by “Obamacare.” Cheaper healthinsurance is available through independent organizations like Medi-Share and Samaritan’sPurse.

These and other truths that prove thingsare getting better because of Republican policies, should be hammeredhome every day It should also be repeated that if Democrats return to power,the public can look to the recent past, thepresent in Oregon and the likely future in New York to see how liberal policies have failed. It shouldn’tbethat difﬁcult to communicate.

Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com

“Votershave spoken, butwhatdid they say?” asks The Economist. Good question, and the magazine provides atrenchantanswer:“Democrats risk drawing the wrong lessons from one good day.Moderate governors offer abetter model than a charming socialist in New York.” The recent elections suggest two very differentpathwaysfor the Democrats: NewYorkers chose as mayor that “charming socialist,” 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani, who certainly galvanized voters —especially youngones— with hissmart andspirited campaign.

But the two moderate Democrats who won governors’ races— Abigail SpanbergerinVirginia andMikie SherrillinNew Jersey —providea more useful template for aparty hoping to win back control of Congress next year andthe White House in 2028.

Binyamin AppelbaumofThe NewYorkTimes interviewed another pragmatic governor of akey state, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and concluded: “Tuesday’selection results have supercharged the debate among Democrats about whether the road to political recovery runs toward the middle or the left. The reason the argument persists is not because the answer is unclear but because, for many Democrats, theclear answer is unpalatable. The party will not return to the White House, nor reclaim Congress, until it learns to embrace centrist politicians like Mr.Shapiro.”

That answer is “unpalatable” to the party’sleft wing because it harborsanalmost unlimited capacity for self-delusion. For years now, theyhave maintained thatthisisa liberal countryreadyto elect aleft-wing progressive as president, but that is plainly nonsense. Three reputable national polls —Gallup, Pew andYouGov —recentlysurveyedthe American electorate andreported remarkably similarresults. Averagingall of theirﬁndings produces this voter portrait: 35.3% conservative,34% moderate, 25.3% liberal. The center of gravity is slightly right of center. That’swhy President Trump has calledMamdani “oneofthe best things to everhappen to ourgreat Republican Party.” And the GOP is alreadyblasting out ads linking every Democrat to the mayorelect.

“I don’tthink there’sany question he will be on theballotnextNovember,”Rep.MikeLawler, a Republican who represents aswingdistrict north of NewYorkCity, told Politico.“This is something that will certainly playinNew York, but Ithink you’ll see it across the country.” Third Way, an organization that supports centristDemocrats,warns that Mamdani’s“policies and message, which are radical and politically toxic outside the deep blue conﬁnes of NewYork City,donot translate.” Agood example is his previous support for defunding the police, perhaps the most suicidal slogan in recent memory.He disavows it now,but the quote is out there —and in every Republican commercial.

If some of Mamdani’spolicies are toxic, however,his strategic sense hasbeen brilliant. Aparty that got badly outclassed on social media by Republicans last year has alot to learn from ayoung digital native who dominated cyberspace.

“Democrats should seek to emulate his relaxed, hipand relatablestyle, his social mediasavvy and his laser-like focus on ahandful of simple,sticky promises voters could understand and remember,” said Third Way.

The successful Democrats all focused on one “simple,sticky” problem: therisingcostofliving. The exact issue thathelpedelect Trump is now dragging downRepublicans, and while the president is in denial, insisting thatprices are coming down, more clear-eyed conservatives are conceding the truth.

“Grocery prices are going up,” says GOP radio host ErickErickson.“Andnow Republicansare perversely doing the same thing Democrats did when they were in ofﬁce with Joe Biden, saying, ‘No, actually,don’tbelieve your eyes at the grocery store, prices arecomingdown!’That’snot helpful to Americans who are feeling higher grocerycosts right now, which is actually happening. The Republicans have gotta ﬁgure this out.”

In refusing to confront the inflation issue, Trump is trying to distract votersbystressing crimeand immigration at home and peacemaking and saber-rattling abroad, but none of those policies affect voters every day.Prices do.

“Trumpneedstoditch the foreign policycrap and focus all his attention on the domestic economy,which is still not working for the majority of people,” writes Sean Davis, head of The Federalist, aright-wing website. “Right nowhelooks weak and rudderless. Be mad all you want, but it’sthe truth.”

So here’sthe winning formula for Democrats going forward: Combinea pragmatic focus on kitchen-table issues with arelentless andrelatable presence on social media. Old message. New megaphone.

Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail. com.

Steve Roberts

Cal Thomas

Quin Hillyer

continued

12pm. Burial will followat Resthaven Gardens of Memory.Inlieuofflowers, please consider adonation in Melinda'smemory to: Women'sNew Life Center in Baton Rouge, ArchdiocesanSpirituality Centerin NewOrleans, or thePulmonary Hypertension Association.

Oliver, Edna Bates Edna Bates Oliver, anative of Eufaula, Alabama anda resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana passed away Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at the age of 95. Edna was born to Robert and CorneliaBates on January 5, 1930. She worked as an administrator for Loupe, Cramer, Loupe and Irwin OrthopedicPhysicians for many years. She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Ward H. Oliver formerlyofMobile, Alabama; two children, RobertE Southerland (Patsy) of Birmingham, Alabama and Gayle Fridell of Goliad, Texas; three stepchildren, Linda Konstanzer of Joplin, Missouri,Michael A. Oliver (Melinda) of Gainesville, Georgia, Edward A. Oliver (Kris) of Mobile, Alabama; ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Relatives and friends are invited to attend theVisitation from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 21, 2025, at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge. AGraveside service will be held in Mobile, Alabama at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at MobileMemorial Gardens, 6100 Three Notch Road. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Family and friends may sign the online guestbookorleave apersonal note to the family at www.resthavenbaton rouge.com

Prophit, Peter Barbay

On Friday, November 14, 2025, Peter Barbay Prophit departed this life from the embrace of his beloved wife, Shelia, as she prayed the Lord's Prayer, into the loving arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Pete was born to Francis G. Prophit and Elizabeth Willie Mae Sword Prophit on January 30, 1945, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Pete residedinCleveland, Ohio, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, during his formative years, before settling in Baton Rouge when he was an adolescent.

Pete attended Westdale Middle School and Baton Rouge High School and formed lasting friendships. Lunch with his Baton Rouge High Class of '63 guys remained ahighlight for him. As aFreshman at LSU,Pete's housing was the old, unairconditioned Stadium dormitory. Upon graduation from LSU with a degree in Business Administration, Pete accepted a job in the corporate world, first with IBM, and later with the Credit Bureau of Baton Rouge. He saw an opportunity to create his own business, launching what would become along and successful career in entrepreneurial and real estate ventures. When Pete married the great love of his life, Shelia Vail Prophit, he gained two children and eventually five grandchildren who called him Grampy. Pete was happiest with all of the familytogether, the grandchildren in his lap, teaching them about everything under the sun, or watching LSU baseballor football together with root beer freezes and popcorn. Pete was amember of First United Methodist Church and worked tirelesslyfor 17 yearswith the Owl CenterSalsa Mission supporting the United Methodist Children's Home in Ruston, Louisiana. He tutored at risk children in the HYPE after school programat FUMC and assisted the Lion's Club in providing food baskets for families in need at Christmas. He played golf and tennis and was amember of Bocage Racquet Club for 32 years

Peteloved travelingthe world with Shelia, was a World WarIIhistory buff, enjoyed museums, LSU Footballand Baseball, Formula OneRacing,dragracing,brewingcraft beer with friends, poker nights, aroaring fire in the fireplace, anddesigning the track to runhis Lionel Trainaroundthe Christmas treewith the grandchildren. Petewas brilliant, interesting, agreat listener,had akeensense of humor and alifelong zest for learning. He was devoted to his family, who willlove and miss him always.

Pete is survived by his wifeof32years,Shelia Vail Prophit; children, Philip Stewart Bonner,IIand wife, Ann, of Mansfield, Texas, and EmilyElizabeth BonnerDeVille and husband Matt,ofBaton Rouge, Louisiana;fivegrandchildrenwho adored him, Marshall BrooksBonner, Sutton Elizabeth Bonner, Stewart Shaw Bonner, Andrew Wesley DeVille, and Jacob Thomas DeVille; brother,David Prophitof Ashville, North Carolina; nephew, Thomas Prophit of Essen, Germany; sistersin-law, Karen Vail Pardee and Peggy Gray Vail of Coushatta, Louisiana,and Judith ProphitofBrownsburg, Indiana; and ahost of cousins whom he loved. Petewas predeceased by his parents, hisbrother BrianLProphit,paternal grandparents, Robert Leake Prophit and Pauline Prophit, maternalgrandparents,Willie Sword and Lydia Barbay Sword, father -in-law, EverettElsworth Vail and mother-in-law, JuanitaLong Vail, and brother-in-law, Michael Everett Vail.

Amemorialservice honoring Pete's well lived life willbeheld on Monday, November 24, 2025,atFirst United Methodist Church, 930 North Boulevard,Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with visitation at 10:00a.m.inthe OryParish Hall, followed by the service at 11:00 a.m. inthe sanctuary.Inurnment immediatelyfollowinginthe Columbarium at FUMC.The service willbe streamed live at: www.firsthmethodist.org/ live Memorial donations may be made to the First UnitedMethodist Church Youth Ministry, United MethodistChildren's Home in Ruston, Louisiana, or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Saucier, Randolph Joseph'R.J.'

RandolphJoseph (R.J.) Saucier, born 4/24/39, in Houma, LA, left along, full lifeon11/17/25. Born to RobertF.Saucier of Saucier,MSand Inez M. Brunet of Houma, LA.R.J. grew up in Watson,LAwithsiblings Catherine Norris, Arnold Saucier, and Elaine Stevens. Educated at LSU and Tulane,and following four years of active duty in the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers,R.J.enjoyeda successful careerasa petroleum/mechanical engineerinresearch and production with Shell Development-Oil Company. Even more important to him than his career washis family.R.J.and Patricia Amond Saucierwere married foralmost 60 years, before herpassing. Together they enjoyedrearing theirthreechildren, Randall Patrick Saucier (Jenny), Cheli Marie Saucier,and RebeccaLynn Owen-Saucier(Terry). R.J. loved developing the family property to host child and family gatherings. He cut trails in the woods, builttree houses, pond rafts, and more. Family

Easteregg huntswere epic!Heespeciallywanted hisproperty to be enjoyed by hisgrandchildren,Ben Saucier(Anna), Amanda Story (Tommy),Jessica Roberson, Samantha Roberson,and greatgrands, Reed and Luke Saucier. Being an active citizen,R.J.was instrumentalindeveloping theCity of Central.Afterretirement,R.J.developed alove and talent for woodcarving.Hefound comfort in his faith and enjoyed studyingthe Bible. In recent years, R. J. found companionship with Lena Lestrapes, dancing, working in theyard,and participating in general shenanigans. Avisitation willtake place on Thursday,November20thatCentral Funeral Home from 9AMuntil 11 AM; witha memorialservice beginning at 11 AM. In lieu of flowers,pleaseconsider adonation to The Alzheimer'sFoundationof America at www.alzfdn.org

Deloris Scott entered into eternal rest at Our Lady of theLake Regional Medical Center on Monday, November 17, 2025. She was a78-year oldnativeof Woodville, Mississippi; a resident of St. Francisville Louisiana; and aretired WestFeliciana Parish Educator.Viewing at Miller& Daughter Mortuary on Friday, November 21, 2025 from 4-6pm; viewing resumes at FaithTabernacle of Jesus Christ, 120 Pinckneyville PondRd., WoodvilleonSaturday, November 22, 2025 at 10:00 am until CelebrationofLife Service at 11:00 am conducted by PastorHenry Dunbar; interment at Cedar Rest Cemetery, Woodville. Survivorsincludeher sons, Lance Monroe (Tamekia) and Olton Scott,Jr.,St. Francisville; sisters,GeraldineGremillion (Thomas), Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and DefroniaKelly (Robert), Birmingham, Alabama; four grandchildren; twogreatgrandchildren; nieces, nephews otherrelatives and friends.

StansberrySr.,Melvin Charles

Melvin Stansberry, Sr. departedthislifeonSaturday, November 1, 2025 at Our Ladyofthe Lake Hospital at theage of 91. He was preceded in deathby his wife: Ruth; twosons: Gerald and Melvin Jr.; one daughter:Brenda; one grandson: Jamal;and one granddaughter:Dalana. Melvinwas bornonApril 14, 1934 to theunionof Josephand Lucille Stansberry. He married his beautiful bride,Ruth Watkins Stansberry, and raised their childreninBatonRouge,Louisiana. He served in theArmy, and he worked forthe USPS and retired after 34 years of dedicatedservice. In addition, he was amember of theAARP-Scotlandville Chapter1828. He lovedto

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bowl. He is survived by 6 children, 17 grandchildren, 2brothers, and ahost of otherrelatives.

Family and friendsare invited to attend theviewing and service on Friday, November 21 2025 at Elm ParkBaptist Church, located at 5150 Landis Drive,Baton Rouge,LA70812. Viewing at 9amuntil services at 11 am conductedby PastorBarry L. Guy.

Sterling, Lorraine Marie

Native &resident of Fordoche, La passed away November 15, 2025 at the ageof80. Visitation service Thursday November 20, 2025 at A. Wesley's Faith Center 152 Hwy 30350 Morganza, La from 4pmto 8pm. Religious servicesFridayNovember 21, 2025 at St.Ann Catholic Church located 182 Church St. Morganza, La 70759. Viewing at 9:45am till religious services at 11am. Conducted by Rev. BabuVareeth Celebrent. Interment ZionTravelers Baptist Church Cemetery 9339 Ravenswood Rd, Fordoche,La. Lorraine was known forher compassion, love forbowling, being a part of the"high stepper" majorettes, and her caring nature. An employeeof Westvaco papercompany and busdriver forPointe Coupee parish, she dedicated over 40 years to her work.

Barbara Joyce Bridges Talbot (Bobbie), astrong caringperson wholoved herchurch,familyand friends passedawayon November 15, 2025 at the age of 98. She was surroundedbypeople who lovedand caredfor her. Shewas born in Pleasant Hill, Louisiana on February 20, 1927 during thegreat depression and moved to Pointe Coupee Parish as a childwhere she spentthe rest of herlife. Shewas preceded in death by her belovedhusband, Norbert in 1982 forcingher to face life'schallengeswithout hersoulmate for thepast 43 years. Shealso dealt with thepainoflosing a childwhenher son, Steven, passedin2022 as well as thepassing of hermom, dad and4siblings. Bobbie obtained her nursing degree from Our Lady of theLake Hospital whereshe workedfor several years before taking herpatientcareskills to theBeamon &O'Neal Clinic in Maringouin. In addition to taking care of thesick andneedy shewas alovingand caring wife, mother,grandmother, and friend. Sheloved playing thecardgame Phase Ten andmany of herfamily andfriends have embracedthe game as well andplayitatfamilygatherings. Sheloved heryard andflowers andwas very meticulousaboutits appearance.She wouldoften make thecomment"it'sso pretty." Shewas amember of theSt. FrancisCabrini Catholic Church in Livonia. Sheissurvivedbyfour children; John Talbot (Dianne) of Bullard TX.; PatriciaTalbot Major(Andy) of Rosedale, CathyMelanson of Baton Rouge,and Casey Talbot of Maringouin,13 grandkids, 28 great grandkids and 2great, great grandkids. Sheisalso survivedbyher daughterinlaw SandraDohmann Talbot. Visitation willbeheld on Thursday, November 20, 2025 from 9:00 am followed

by afuneral mass at 11:00 am andwill be held at St Francis CabriniCatholic Church in Livonia. Internmentwill take place at the church cemetery following themass. Pallbearers will Nick Weber-Zazzu,Lawson Nichols, Drew Major, Eric Major, BradyHurdle, Chad Hughes, SawyerHughes, andJonathan Talbot. The familywishestothank all of herfriends andneighbors whoshe referred to as "her people" for keepinga watchful eye on her particularly as herhealth began to fail.A special thanks to hersitters, especiallyHolli, Tiffany, Kierra, Allisonand Kaneisha who lovedand caredfor her like family.

CarneliusJ."Neil"

Teasett enteredintoeternalrest at OchsnerMedicalCenteronNovember 15, 2025. He wasa 36-year old native of Zachary, Louisiana anda residentof Baton Rouge,Louisiana. ViewingatMiller& DaughterMortuary on Saturday, November 22, 2025 from 8:00 am until Celebration of Life Service at 10:00 am; interment at Southern Memorial Gardens. Survivors include his mother to whom he wasdevoted, BridgetTeasett;aunts, Demetra Teasett andSandraHolliday; Godson,Cash Holliday; cousins including, Carvell(Kimberly), Derek(Courtney -a devoted cousin-in-law), and TyQuincya Teasett; Chavelle andCharlene Holliday; andKneishaGhoram; otherrelativesand friends.

Talbot, Barbara Bridges

Teasett, Carnelius J.

Scott, Deloris

SPORTS

Saints aim to ﬁnd an identity on offense

Moore’sself-scout searched for‘margins’

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

As he reviewed his team’soffense over the bye week, New Orleans Saints coach Kellen Moorefocused on moments he calls“situational football.”

He closely studied the red zone, an area the Saints have struggled in this season.He looked at the team’srun game,which ﬁnally got on track in the last gamebeforethe break butlargely has lacked explosivenessin2025. Moore found the exercise productive

“There’salways all these little margins that hopefully we can improve on,” he said.

The self-scout also may have crystallized how Moore wants his offense to attack over the back half of the season.

The ﬁrst-year coach has fundamentalbeliefs about what his offense should looklike. He wants his players to play fast with tempo. He wants his quarterbackstotake “3s and layups,” which means deep shots and easy completions. He wants theoffensive line to be physical and control the trenches But over the first 10 games, theSaints haven’talways playedtothatstandard.If anything, it seemed that Moore spentlarge chunks of the season ﬁguringout howtoutilize his personnel. Some weeks, the Saints would be aspread-it-out, shotgun-heavy team.Inothers, New Orleans tried to be more under center and establish the run. When it works, such changescan be portrayed as aversatile coach willing to adapt

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

ä Falcons at Saints 3:25 P.M. SUNDAy,FOX ä WKU at LSU 6:45 P.M. SATURDAy,SECN

Fair Grounds to commence 154thmeet

Road to Kentucky Derby series highlightsmeet

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Thoroughbred horse racing returns to New Orleans on ThursdaywhenFair Grounds Race Courseopens its 154th race meeting at this historicGentilly oval. The 2025-26 meet that seemed imperiled months ago will kick off witha nine-race card, starting with firstpost at 12:45p.m. The meet was castindoubtover the summer when the track’sowner,Churchill Downs Inc., threatened to pull out of Louisiana over court rulings thatbar it fromusing acertain type of slot machine, saying that without those games it would beunable to turn aprofit andrun asuccessful racing season. Track executivesand state officials eventually reached acompromise after weeks of intense negotiationsand political intervention.

The meet will feature 70 racing days and 56 stakes worth $8.65 million, highlighted by the Grade II $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 21.

ä See FAIR GROUNDS, page 3C

If Kiffinspurns LSU’sovertures, Tigers will be all rightwith otheroptions

NOT END-ALL

One nameisdominating the Louisianasports scene du jour, and it’snot the name of Pelicans interim coach James Borrego.

LaneKifﬁn. LaneKifﬁn.

LaneKiffin. America’sfavoritegame show is now the Lane Kiffin Watch. Will he stay at OleMiss? Will he leave for LSU or Florida?Will his ex-wife fly to Hawaii to check out the local vibe there,just in case Kiffinscratches an itch to coach the Rainbow Warriors? Just kidding about Hawaii, but there’snokidding that the Kiffin obsession has reached afever pitch at LSU, Ole Miss and Florida. It’sbubbled up to the point that everyone is dissecting every word Kiffin said in anothing burger of an interview Tuesday on “The Pat

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Ole Miss coach LaneKiffin dodged multiple questions about his future Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference, leaving it unclear when he planstomakeadecision andwhat he thinks about theinterest in him from LSU and Florida. Kiffin, 50, emerged early on as a top targetinLSU’ssearch to replace BrianKelly,who was fired in the midst of his fourthseason with a3414 record.Kiffin has a54-19 overall record in six seasons at Ole Miss. LSUofficials arranged for aprivate plane to bring several of Kiffin’sfamily members —including his ex-wife, Layla Kiffin —toBaton Rouge for avisit Monday,multiple sources toldThe Advocate. They went to Gainesville, Florida, theday before. Kiffin declined to answer what they learned from thetrips.

McAfee Show” on ESPN.Same forhis answers —ornon-answers, or non-denial denials —about his future status at Ole Miss that Kifﬁnmade during 11 squirmyminutes on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference.

It’s understandable whyOle Miss wants to keep Kifﬁn, and whyLSU and Florida wanttoland him.He’sa very good coach and an excellent offensive mind, one whohas the Rebels on the verge of their ﬁrst appearance in the College Football Playoff. Whether he will coach Ole Miss in the CFP and next season is the salient question.It’sadecision that has rippling implications for the entire Southeastern Conference and possibly beyond.

I’m not getting into anyspeculationor stories of things having to do withother jobs. ... Ilove it here, and it’sbeen amazing,and we’re in a season that’sthe greatest runinthe history of Ole Miss at this point.”

LANE KIFFIN, Ole Miss coach

“I’m not getting into any speculation or stories of things having to do with other jobs,” Kifﬁn said. “I’ve said that about 10 times, but Iunderstand you got to ask them.”

Kiffin’snext movewill send ripples across the college football job market. Ole Miss wants to keep him and he is considered atop target in the coaching searches at both LSU andFlorida.Kiffin did notprovide any clarity during his 11 minutes on the teleconference. “I’m gonna stay on what I’ve done forsix years, which isn’ttalkabout other jobs and that situation,” Kiffin said, adding he had seen OleMiss athletic director Keith Carter twice Wednesday. “Keith andIhavea great relationship. We communicate daily on alot of things. Ilove it here, and it’sbeen amazing, and we’re in a season that’sthe greatest run in the history of Ole Miss at this point.

“I’m just livinginthe moment that it’s amazing, andour players are, too.” On Tuesdaynight, Puck News

See KIFFIN, page 5C ä See RABALAIS, page 5C

AP PHOTO By RUSTy JONES

Saints coach Kellen Moore speaks during a news conference after agameagainst the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 9inCharlotte,N.C

Scott Rabalais

Is Southern coaching job appealing?

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Southern will play its ﬁnal game of the season against Grambling in the Bayou Classic on Nov. 29 at the Caesars Superdome.

Not long after the conclusion of the contest, a coaching hire is expected to be made, Southern athletic director Roman Banks said a day after ﬁring Terrence Graves on Oct. 20.

It’s fair to wonder how appealing the vacancy is as the team looks for its ﬁfth coach since the 2020 season. The Jaguars are 1-10 overall and 0-7 in SWAC play

To understand how the Southern vacancy is viewed, The Advocate interviewed two reporters and a radio host who have years of professional experience covering HBCU football.

When all three were asked whether Southern is an attractive job today, they all gave a resounding yes. They described the program as a “blue blood” in the HBCU ranks, alongside the likes of Jackson State, Florida A&M and Grambling.

They said Southern’s prestige is rooted in its success thanks to “giants” of the program, such as former 17-year coach Pete Richardson. He won ﬁve Southwestern Athletic Conference titles, including a three-peat from 1997-99, and four Black college national titles. When asked whether the recent turnover has damaged the position’s prestige, two of the media members said it doesn’t affect it.

Baton Rouge radio show host Carlos Brown, who has covered HBCU sports since 1997, slightly differed as he believes it is reasonable for that to be a factor

“I would be naive to say that it won’t,” said Brown, who discusses

of your mind that you are joining a program that has a short leash.”

That “short leash” is something that all three people said exists at Southern because the program is accustomed to success.

“I always say expectations are really high,” Brown said. “I mean, every school in the conference is high. But it is on steroids for Southern.”

Brown said Southern and its fans expect the team to be in the conversation for a championship “every other year.”

Kelley, who graduated from Southern in 2003, said the pressure that exists now lies more in the fact that the team has had one of its worst seasons. She cited how not winning a home game for the ﬁrst time since 1949 is a reality she never imagined.

“It’s going to be stressful for this coach in particular because you’re coming in behind such a bad season,” Kelley said.

Southern officials talk to Faulk, according to report Southern officials traveled to Colorado to interview Pro Football Hall of Famer and current Colorado running backs coach Marshall Faulk to be its football coach, WAFB-TV reported Wednesday Faulk is in his first season as an assistant for Colorado under coach Deion Sanders. Faulk, a New Orleans native, has been connected to job openings at Southern before. It was reported in 2021 that he had conversations about becoming the program’s coach before the university decided to hire Jason Rollins, who lasted a year Terrence Graves was ﬁred on Oct. 20 after Southern (1-10, 0-7 SWAC) lost 24-3 to Prairie View at its homecoming game.

MLB’s deals with ESPN, NBC, Netflix total $800M

ESPN and Major League Baseball appeared headed for an ugly separation after the network opted out of its rights deal in February Nine months later, it appears to be the best thing to happen to both parties.

Southern and HBCU athletics on the “Carlos Brown Show” on the Black College Sports Network. “For some, that would be a concern.”

Keisha Kelley is the CEO of Black College Experience, an HBCU sports-media company she founded in 2016. She said that the ﬁring of coaches in recent years shows potential potential candidates won’t be discouraged by a situation

“I think coaches are up for the challenge,” said Kelley, who has covered HBCU sports for more

than 20 years. “The next coach is going to say ‘Oh, I can do something that this coach can’t do.’

Wilton Jackson has covered HBCU sports since 2017. He’s a co-host on the HBCU Gameday podcast and, most recently, has written stories for ESPN’s Andscape, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The IX Basketball. He also agreed that recent coaching ﬁrings don’t affect the appeal of positions.

“I don’t think the job loses any luster,” said Jackson, who also teaches sports media at Jackson State and sport management at Alcorn State. “I think that whoever comes into this position, you do have to know and keep in the back

HIGH SCHOOLS

They said the geographical advantages of being in Louisiana and near neighboring states such as Texas and Mississippi bolster recruiting and the job’s appeal. Jackson had an internship at the Louisiana High School Coaches Association and said he knows that within Louisiana alone, there’s “no shortage of talent on all levels.” He also can’t foresee Southern having any issue attracting players despite the program’s downturn.

When coupled with a fan base that all three of them described as among the most passionate in the SWAC, the coaching vacancy is far from unappealing.

“I guarantee you, regardless of (whether) the scoreboard is against Southern and Grambling,” Jackson said, “(coaches) are still looking at that opportunity because they see it as a blue-blood program that has a long, rich history and tradition of winning. They feel like they can get the job and resurrect this program.”

Catholic, SJA among favorites at swim meet

BY JACKSON REYES

Staff writer

The LHSAA state swimming meet is this week. Preliminaries for Divisions III and IV took place Wednesday, with the ﬁnals set for Thursday. Preliminaries for Divisions I and II will start Friday, with the ﬁnals for those two divisions set for Saturday

Here’s a preview of what to watch out for

Division I

On the boys’ side, Catholic High will look to win its third straight team title.

The Bears enter the meet with the top-ranked times in the 200yard medley relay and the 200yard freestyle relay Catholic sophomore Noah Vargas ranks ﬁrst for the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke.

The Bears finished first last year with 411 points to top second-place Jesuit’s 350. On the girls’ side, St. Joseph’s Academy finished second to Dominican last season. The secondplace finish broke a streak of 13 straight state titles for the Redstickers.

The Redstickers rank second behind Dominican in the 400-yard freestyle relay and 200-yard medley relay St. Joseph’s junior Molly Mayo ranks ﬁrst in the 200-yard IM heading into the race.

Division II

In Division II, Brusly ﬁnished 18th in the girls’ team standings and 21st in the boys’ standings. The Panthers were the lone Ba-

PREP REPORT

ESPN has a reworked deal that includes out-of-market streaming rights while NBC and Netﬂix will air games as part of a new three-year media rights agreement announced by MLB on Wednesday NBC/Peacock will become the new home of “Sunday Night Baseball” and the wild card series while Netflix will have the Home Run Derby and two additional games. The three deals will average nearly $800 million per year ESPN will still pay $550 million while the NBC deal is worth $200 million and Netﬂix $50 million.

Jets to start QB Taylor vs. Ravens; Fields is benched FLORHAM PARK, N.J Aaron Glenn said he thought the New York Jets’ offense needed a boost, so he made a switch at quarterback. The coach conﬁrmed Wednesday that Tyrod Taylor will start over Justin Fields on Sunday at Baltimore when the Jets (2-8) take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (5-5). The Jets are coming off a 27-14 loss at New England last Thursday night. Fields’ subpar play has been a major reason for the struggles of the passing offense, which ranks last in the NFL with 139.9 yards per game — 20 fewer than 31stranked Cleveland. Fields was 15 of 26 for 116 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots For the season, he has passed for 1,259 yards — an average of just 140 yards per game.

Southern takes Washington to double OT before falling SEATTLE Wesley Yates scored 23 points and Desmond Claude scored 20 points and short-handed Washington escaped a ﬁesty Southern team beating the Jaguars 99-93 in double overtime on Tuesday Michael Jacobs scored 24 points for Southern.

Claude’s jumper to start the second overtime gave Washington an 88-86 lead and the Huskies led for the remainder Washington’s Quimari Peterson made a layup with 1.9 seconds left to force the second overtime. Southern led 85-81 with 11 seconds left in the ﬁrst overtime when Peterson gave Jacobs a head fake from behind the 3-point line and drew the foul. Peterson then intentionally fouled Jacobs and he made just 1 of 2 foul shots for an 86-84 lead setting up Peterson’s layup.

ton Rouge-area school to ﬁnish in the top 23 on either side last season.

Division III

Episcopal will aim for its third state title after winning the girls’ team title last year

The Knights will have to stave off Parkview Baptist, which ﬁnished sixth last year

The Eagles enter this year’s meet ranked first in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay Parkview Baptist sophomore Lydia Talley is ranked first in the 200-yard freestyle and the 500yard freestyle Eighth grader Samantha Johnston is first in the division in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard backstroke. Freshman Faith Kubricht is ranked first in the 100-yard freestyle. Episcopal junior Lilianna Latour is ranked first in the 200-yard IM and 100-yard breaststroke. On the boys’ side, Lutcher was the highest-placing Baton Rougearea school with 272 points. E.D. White won last season with 574 points. Episcopal junior Jack McConnell ranks first in the 100-yard breaststroke. Division IV Dunham took home the best finish on the girls’ and boys’ side in last year’s state swim meet.

Browns rookie QB Sanders to make his first NFL start BEREA,Ohio Shedeur Sanders will make his ﬁrst NFL start on Sunday in Las Vegas as the Browns turn to the high-proﬁle quarterback while fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel recovers from a concussion.

Sanders replaced an injured Gabriel for the second half of last week’s 23-16 loss to Baltimore. It was a shaky debut as Sanders, who was drafted by Cleveland in the ﬁfth round, completed just 4 of 16 passes with an interception. He also was sacked twice and fumbled once. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Gabriel remains in concussion protocol. Sanders will be the 42nd quarterback to start for Cleveland since 1999.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

JAVIER GALLEGOS

The154th racing season at the Fair Grounds Race Course will begin Thursdayatthe historic track in Gentilly.

Jose Ortiz

The dominant winner of last year’s leading jockey competition returns for asecond season in NewOrleans.

The Puerto Rico nativeisthe nation’s third-leading rider with 284 wins and more than $31 million in earnings thisseason. He’ll have first call on mounts from thepowerful barnsof trainers JoeSharp and Cherie DeVaux, among others.

BrianHernandez Jr

One of the track’smost popular riders also will be back.The Lafayette nativerecentlyreturned to racingafter missing sevenweeks of competition because of injuries suffered from a spill. Hernandez was injured in aSept. 21 incident at Churchill Downsthat left himwith sevenbroken ribs, apartially collapsed lung and alacerated liver BenCurtis

The former Irish champion apprentice is in his third season at the Fair Grounds, where he has recorded consecutive topfive finishes in the leadingjockey standings. He finished third behind Ortiz and Jareth Loveberry with 49 wins last year.Curtis, 36, recently returned to racing aweekafter being injured in aspill at Aqueduct on Nov. 8.

Magnitude

The top older horse on the Fair Grounds backside, he burst on the scene by winning the Grade II Risen Star Stakes in Februaryby93/4 lengths.The speedyson of Not This Time was sidelined from theKentucky Derby trail by abone chip in his ankle thatrequired surgery. He returnedto competition this summer by winning the Iowa Derbyand placing second and third in the Grade IPennsylvania Derbyand Travers Stakes, respectively He is expected to be one of the

FAIR GROUNDS

Continued from page1C

The Road to the Kentucky Derby series of stakes races for 3-year-old colts again will highlight the meet. The Grade III Lecomte (Jan. 17), Grade II Risen Star (Feb. 14) and Grade II Louisiana Derby (March 21) have acombined $1.875 million in purses.

Star jockey Jose Ortiz returnsto defend his riding crown. In his ﬁrst Fair Grounds meet ayear ago, Ortiz dominated the leading jockey competition with 97 wins in 340 starts. The 33-year-oldPuerto Rico native won the Eclipse Award as the nation’sleading jockeyin2017.

Brian Hernandez Jr., one of the track’smost popular riders, also is back. TheLafayette native re-

THEFAIR GROUNDS

Brian Hernandez Jr.celebrates in the winner’scircle after riding Mystik

Kentucky DerbyonMay 4, 2024, at Churchill DownsinLouisville,

Grounds for severalyears.

Paco Lopez

Oneof thewinningest jockeysin the nationthis year with 304 firstplace finishes, Lopez will join the Fair Grounds jockey colony forthe first time. Lopez, 40, has ranked among theleading ridersatGulfstream Park and Monmouth Park, but he wassuspended forsix months in Septemberbythe Horseracing

favoritesinthe Grade II Clark Stakes at Churchill Downslater this month.

BellaBallerina

This Godolphin homebred is one of the top young fillies in the nation. Shewas bet down to 7-5 odds in her debutand wonby five widening lengths.The daughterofStreet Sense will likely be amajor factorinthe Fair Grounds’ Road to the Kentucky Oaks series for 3-year-old fillies

FurtherAdo

Perhaps the top 2-year-old on the Fair Grounds backside, he wonhis debut

cently returned to racing after missing seven weeks of competition because of injuries suffered from aSept. 21 spill at Churchill Downs that left him with seven broken ribs, apartially collapsed lung and alacerated liver.

The jockey colony also will include Ben Curtis, Jareth Loveberry,Axel Concepcion, Mitchell Murrill and newcomer Paco Lopez, who wasrankedamongthe nation’swinningest riders with 304 winsenteringthe meet.

Trainer Joe Sharp will return to defend his leading trainer title from ayear ago. He will be challenged by Brad Cox,Steve Asmussen, TomAmoss, Brendan Walsh, Cherie DeVaux andKenny McPeek. Also back arelongtime Fair Grounds conditioners Shane Wilson, Dallas Stewart, BretCalhoun, Al Stall and MikeStidham

Integrity and Safety Authority because of repeated whippingviolations. Lopez hasbeen named to ride sixmounts on opening dayatFairGrounds, which is not aHISA-sanctioned track.

Jareth Loveberry

Loveberry finishedsecond to Ortiz with 55 wins last meet. He grew up in rural Michigan and rode regularly

by 20 lengthsatKeeneland on Oct. 10. It’sunclear whether trainer Brad Cox will pointthe Spendthrift Farmsproduct to Oaklawn or keep him here at Fair Grounds, buthewill be atop contender on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

BlackoutTime

Trainer KennyMcPeek always has abarnfullofKentucky Derby contenders and thistalented son of Not ThisTimemight be at the head of the class. He brokehis maiden by 9lengths at Ellis Park, then finished second to TedNoffeyinthe Grade

Emerging horsemensuch as Whit Beckman, Lindsay Schultz, Brittany Russell, Rob Atras and Adrianne DeVauxwill expand their presence on the backside.

The ﬁrst two weeks of the meet will feature racing on Thursdays through Saturday. On Dec. 7, the racing schedule will expand to include Sundayracing through the end of the meet on March 22.

The meet could be extended by tworacing days in March, if recommended by the Louisiana HBPAand approvedbythe Louisiana Racing Commission.Purses formaidenspecial weightraces have been set at $54,000,while allowance races will range from $55,000 to $58,000. Fansand patrons also will notice some facilityimprovements that took place this summer.Among thetrackupgradesare arenovated

at tracks in the Midwest,including Chicago’sArlington Park, wherehe was the leading jockey at the 2020 and 2021 meets. He relocated to the Fair Grounds afterArlington closed and has gainedattention in recent years forriding TwoPhil’sand Chunk of Goldinthe 2023 and 2025 Kentucky Derbies, respectively.

JeffDuncan

IClaiborneBreedersFuturity at Keeneland in October. It’s OurTime Anothertop Kentucky Derby prospect, the son of NotThis Time is the top 2-year-old in thebarnof NewOrleans nativeTom Amoss.The speedybrown colt wonhis debut at Saratogaby173/4 lengths while earning a94Beyer rating,then finishedatiring but close fourth as the favorite in the Grade IChampagne at Aqueduct

JeffDuncan

paddock, featuring anew walking surface, horse sculpture and coin fountain, with proceeds beneﬁting equine rehabilitationcharities; an improvedbackdropinthe winner’s circle for post-race photos; and a new bar adjacent to the paddock.

Bettors also will have anew wager to consider at this year’smeet.

The FairGrounds will debut a20cent minimum Pick 6wager called the CrescentCity6.The Crescent City 6, whichrequiresgamblers to pick the winners of the ﬁnal six races on the card, will be offered every live racing day and feature a player-friendly 15% takeout.

The meet, as always, will host a range of populareventsfor fans of allages,including exotic animal races (Dec. 6and Jan.13), wiener dog races (Feb. 28) and acollegethemed dayoftwilight races (March 14).

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JEFF ROBERSON

Dantowin the 150th running of the

Ky.Hernandez has been astaple at the Fair

LSU center Nwoko gobbles up ‘baby food’ in the paint

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Mike Nwoko didn’t see his defenders as obstacles to scoring on Tuesday night.

The LSU center shrugged when faced with Alcorn State double teams. No matter what was thrown at him, he saw o ne thing on the basketball court as he scored a career-high 29 points.

“Baby food That’s really about it,” Nwoko said after his team’s 107-81 win against Alcorn State.

The 6-foot-10, 261-pound Mississippi State transfer made 12 of 15 ﬁeld goals, all in the paint, and had nine rebounds and one turnover What was amazing to point guard Dedan Thomas was that Nwoko played just 19:52 in the game

“For him to be able to do that within under 20 minutes, it’s just mind blowing to me,” said Thomas, who had 16 points and six assists.

“He’s just such a great dude to play with He’s just such a great dude off the court. He just puts the work in, so I’m not surprised to see him having performances like this.”

The Toronto native’s ferocious presence was felt from the onset. He had two of his four dunks within the ﬁrst 60 seconds of the game. If there was a missed shot, he battled for it consistently, nabbing six offensive rebounds. The Alcorn State

frontcourt bumped Nwoko’s body repeatedly to prevent him from posting, but it wasn’t enough of a disruption.

“Well, we knew he’s a challenge,” Alcorn State coach Jake Morton said “He’s a beast right now We tried to double him midway through the second half; that didn’t work. We just couldn’t keep him off the boards, and we couldn’t keep him out of getting his position. Like I said, we tried doubling and that didn’t work.”

LSU coach Matt McMahon is impressed by Nwoko’s scoring acumen.

“I think Mike’s been fantastic on the offensive end,” McMahon said. “Been really pleased with his skill level. He’s more skilled down in the post than we had anticipated coming in. He’s worked really hard in the player-development program. See him scoring jump hooks with either hand. And at the end of the day, 6-10, 260, and I thought he’s using his physicality in a great fashion there.”

Nwoko’s hook is a shot that he uses with both hands. The signature move has been in development since he was in high school and will continue to be used throughout the season.

“I know it’s an unblockable shot, and it’s just, you know, it’s my goto shot,” Nwoko said. “I’ve been working on it for so long. I rep it out every day So, you know, until they stop it, I won’t stop shooting it.”

Saints grant receiver

Cooks’ release request

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

In a surprising move, the New Orleans Saints waived receiver Brandin Cooks after the veteran requested his release.

“It took a few days just to kind of go through that process just to make sure it worked for both parties,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said “So his contract was kind of adjusted just to make it something that beneﬁted both parties.

“He’s been awesome about it. Obviously, he’s, this is a personal thing, and he’s been great for us. He’s been great the way he’s handled himself, the way he’s helped our team.”

Because this move is coming after the trade deadline, Cooks must ﬁrst pass through waivers before he is eligible to sign with a team of his choice. A waiver claim is unlikely as a team would take on Cooks’ contract.

The Saints signed the 32-yearold to a two-year, $13 million contract with $7.75 million guaranteed this offseason. The Saints were hoping to get not only a contributing player but also someone who could provide mentorship to the young players at the position.

His teammates have heralded Cooks for his leadership throughout his time on the team On Wednesday rookie quarterback Tyler Shough spoke glowingly about Cooks’ role as a mentor

But Cooks’ production did not materialize. In 10 games, he caught 19 passes for 165 yards

despite playing 65% of the team’s offensive snaps. Moore said he expects secondyear receiver Mason Tipton to step into a larger role. Tipton has been targeted only twice this season and does not have a catch, but he led the team with eight catches for 158 yards in the preseason.

“He had a phenomenal preseason,” Moore said of Tipton.

“He’s been a guy that we felt good about, and so this will provide him an opportunity to hop in there.”

Cooks was rumored to be available prior to the trade deadline but a deal never materialized.

The only trade New Orleans made from its receiver depth was to send Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks for a pair of draft picks.

The Saints originally selected Cooks in the ﬁrst round of the 2014 draft but traded him to the New England Patriots for two picks that would ultimately turn into offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk and defensive end Trey Hendrickson In 12 seasons with ﬁve teams, Cooks has caught 729 passes for 9,697 yards.

WR moves

After waiving Cooks on Wednesday, the Saints made a couple of moves at wide receiver New Orleans signed KevinAustin to the active roster from its practice squad, then replaced Austin’s spot on the practice squad with former Tulane wide receiver Jha’Quan Jackson Jackson, who attended Hahn-

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

the game plan to an opponent. But when it doesn’t, the shifting can be perceived as the offense lacking a true identity

ville High School, was a sixthround pick of the Tennessee Titans last year He appeared in 12 games with the Titans as a rookie, mostly as a returner averaging 7.7 yards per punt return and 25.8 yards on kick returns. In ﬁve seasons at Tulane, Jackson recorded 109 catches for 1,743 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Austin debuted for the Saints last season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Austin caught 11 passes for 151 yards in eight games.

Injury report

The bye week might not have been enough for Taliese Fuaga to make it back from an ankle injury Fuaga was the only Saints player who did not participate in the team’s practice Wednesday ahead of their Week 12 game against the Atlanta Falcons.

The right tackle injured his ankle during a loss to the Los Angeles Rams and missed the following week’s game against the Carolina Panthers. Asim Richards, whom the Saints acquired in a preseason trade with the Dallas Cowboys, started in Fuaga’s place. Running back Alvin Kamara was limited with an ankle injury Wednesday Every other player listed on the injury report Chris Olave (ankle), Jack Stoll (ankle) and Barry Wesley (hip) — were full participants.

Staff writer Matthew Paras contributed to this report.

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

MiLaysia Fulwiley missed her ﬁrst free throw Then she focused and made her second, and when she did, the LSU women’s basketball star breathed a sigh of relief. Ordinarily a free throw like that one wouldn’t elicit such a rea cti on Not on the inconsequential trip that Fulwiley took to the stripe in the last minute of a 30-point win on Monday But the Tigers needed at least one freebie from her, or else they might have ﬁnished their win over Tulane with only 99 points, thus snapping their string of consecutive 100-point outings. The number of points LSU scored that night (101) was its season low But it was still the fifth time in which the new-look Tigers broke the 100-point barrier this season.

“I don’t care who you play,” coach Kim Mulkey said. “That’s a lot of scoring.”

No SEC women’s basketball team ever has scored at least 100 points in six consecutive games. LSU can become the ﬁrst Thursday when it faces Alcorn State at 7 p.m in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center The No. 5 Tigers (5-0) hit the century mark rather comfortably in each of their ﬁrst four matchups of the season.

But they had to make a late push to put up 100 points in their ﬁfth — the lopsided win they picked up on the road against Tulane. LSU had only 88 points with four minutes

left in the fourth quarter Then it threw together a quick 13-2 run with a few layups and free throws, sneaking in just enough buckets to keep the streak alive. Fulwiley started and ended the run. Had she not driven the lane, absorbed contact, banked in a runner and sank her free throw to convert a three-point play at the 3:37 mark of the fourth, then the Tigers might have fallen short of tying the record their national championship team set in 2022. Now this LSU team can have its own. All it needs to do is score 100 points against the Braves, who already have given up 92 points to an Alabama team that ranks last in the SEC in scoring (76 points per game) this season. The Tigers lead the nation in scoring (111.8 ppg). They’re averaging more than six more points per game than any other Division I team.

“We can score the ball,” Mulkey said. “We can also pass the ball, so you better have your hands ready That’s fun basketball. Gotta make free throws. Gotta continue to rebound and not get beat on the boards. Take care of the ball.”

LSU is the only Division I team, according to Basketball Reference data, that’s shooting at least 55% from the ﬁeld and 45% from 3-point range. No team with at least 80 attempts from beyond the arc is converting its 3-pointers at a higher rate than the Tigers (47%), who are also scoring more times inside the arc each night (34.2) than all but one other team across the nation. That hot shooting has allowed LSU to position itself to extend one of the strongest offensive starts in SEC history and potentially one-up its 2023 national title team.

“If it happens,” Mulkey said, “great.”

The ﬁnal stretch will provide answers.

“Each team is different and what they’re really good at,” quarterback Tyler Shough said. “And obviously every team has to deal with moving pieces, so you’re trying to just week to week, really hone in on what you’re good at. And I think continually, you know, (we’re) ﬁnding our identity

“Whenever you can have this thing you can hang your hat on — whether that’s running the ball or throwing the ball — that’s cool from a social-media standpoint, but at the end of the day, teams really want to hang their hat on winning and whatever that is going to be to get it done.”

Before the bye, the Saints might have settled on a new offensive direction. Without Rashid Shaheed, the deep threat who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks, the Saints went with heavier personnel groupings. They opted to run 11 personnel (three wide receivers, one tight end, one running back) at their lowest rate (49.3%) of the year In the nine games prior the Saints deployed 11 personnel 71.5%, the thirdhighest rate in the league. With one less receiver on the field, the Saints saw the run game finally take hold. To seal the win, New Orleans literally ran out the clock over the final 7:35 with nine different rushing attempts before Shough knelt on three straight plays. Moore said the execution was what the Saints “want it to be,” adding there was a “much cleaner operation” that allowed them to avoid negative plays.

“It’s a deeply cathartic feeling when you can (run out the clock),” tight end Foster Moreau said “We had some really big-time plays on thatdrivefromalldifferentpeople.” If the game plan wasn’t a oneoff, Moore said the heavier groupings also open up the playaction game and allow the offense to dictate matchups based on how the defense responds. Moore won’t completely abandon his principles, but he is willing to tinker with his tendencies. Remember how often the Saints ran no-huddle to begin the season? That happens less frequently now New Orleans went from averaging 19 no-huddle snaps per game over the ﬁrst four weeks to 10 such plays over the next six. Moore suggested the shift was more based on the game’s situation than determining they weren’t working—tempoisstillanessential partoftheoffense,hesaid— but he noted that pushing the pace risked going three-and-out too often.

“Seasons always take a lot of different paths, so you’ve got to be able to navigate some stuff from a personnel side or a schematic side,” Moore said. “Sometimes, there’s a humbling process associated with it, recognizing, ‘Hey I love this but it may not be working the same way it has worked in a different place.’

“You’ve got to be able to adjust and find some different paths.” Moore indicated he’ll first look at the data to determine whehter a concept is working, and then dig into the film to see the specific issues.

From there, he’ll either tweak the scheme, adjust the way he teaches it or abandon it all together

“I think you’re learning the whole season,” center Luke Fortner said.

“There’s Week 16, Week 17, Week 18 (where) you’re like, ‘Man, I wish we had done more of this. We’re really good at it.’ But I think it’s deﬁnitely a season-long process.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU center Mike Nwoko lets the ball go in the paint against Florida International forward Ibrahim Olajuwon, left, and forward Hamed Olayinka in the second half last Thursday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

ä Omaha at LSU,

7 P.M. FRIDAy, ESPN+

ä Alcorn State at LSU,

7 P.M.THURSDAy, SECN+

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks, left, moves the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 26. The Saints waived Cooks on Wednesday.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

head coach Kim Mulkey gives LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson a high-

ve on the court against Charlotte on Nov. 12 at the Pete Maravich

Va. Tech preaches alignment with new coach Franklin

BY MITCHELL NORTHAM Associated Press

James Franklin got his first taste of Virginia Tech’s “Enter Sandman” tradition on Wednesday as he walked into Cassell Coliseum for his introductory news conference.

It’s something the 53-year-old Franklin is eager to experience as the Hokies football coach

“I can’t wait. I’ve been watching that intro to college football my entire life,” said Franklin, who was sporting a maroon tie and pocket square. “It’s something special.”

Virginia Tech is the ﬁrst Power Four program to hire its next football coach this cycle, officially bringing Franklin aboard about a month after he was ﬁred from Penn State.

“Today is a statement about where we are headed as an athletic department and as a university, one built on alignment, investment and ambition,” Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock said. “Coach Franklin is a proven program builder, a winner, an elite recruiter, a strong developer of men and a relentless competitor.”

Alignment was a constant theme that Franklin, Babcock and president Tim Sands returned to. In September, not long after former coach Brent Pry was fired, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved a plan to add $229 million to the budget of the Hokies’ athletic department over the next four years, with the primary goal of elevating the football program.

“In today’s college football, there needs to be alignment. There’s no other way to do it,”

Franklin said. “These young men that we’re going to be recruiting, they’re going to be recruited from all the top programs in the country They need to walk into Virginia Tech football and it needs to look, feel, smell and operate like big-time.”

Franklin was often scorned at Penn State for failing to beat Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan consistently He has a 4-21 record against top-10 opponents, but he has won 68.1% of his teams’ games and has eight bowl

Ole Miss coach Lane Kifﬁn gestures after his team scores a touchdown against Arkansas on Sept. 13 in Oxford, Miss Kifﬁn dodged questions regarding his coaching future on Wednesday.

SIMMONS

AP PHOTO By ROBERT

James Franklin, Virginia Tech’s new football coach, smiles after he was presented with a team jersey during an introductory news conference on Wednesday in Blacksburg, Va

wins in 15 combined seasons at Vanderbilt and Penn State. Last year, Franklin coached the Nittany Lions to the semiﬁnals of the College Football Playoff.

“We were a drive away from playing in the national championship, so I know what it looks like,”

Franklin said

The Nittany Lions began this season ranked second in the AP poll, but Franklin was ﬁred Oct. 12 after they suffered their third consecutive loss, falling at home to Northwestern

While Franklin’s results weren’t quite good enough at Penn State, the expectations are more manageable at Virginia Tech. The Hokies have enjoyed just one winning season in the past six years and haven’t played in a major bowl game since 2011.

Franklin received a five-year contract from Virginia Tech. He brings with him deep recruiting ties to the Mid-Atlantic region, dating back to his two stints as an assistant coach at Maryland.

On his way to the stage where he would be introduced, Franklin stopped to shake the hand of the man who held that position the longest and had the most success at it, Frank Beamer In Beamer’s 29 seasons at Virginia Tech, the Hokies played in 23 consecutive bowl games, including the 1999 national championship.

Continued from page 1C

reported on social media that Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry told people at a fundraiser he spoke to Kiffin for two hours. The governor’s spokesperson, Kate Kelly, said Landry has not talked to Kiffin “I wouldn’t comment on that either way,” Kiffin said.

Ole Miss wants a deﬁnitive answer from Kiffin soon. Though Kiffin denied Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Ole Miss administrators gave him an ultimatum, multiple reports have said the Rebels want clarity in the near future — perhaps by the end of the week so they can prepare for the College Football Playoff and begin a coaching search if he leaves Ole Miss has an open date this week before playing arch-rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl

At 10-1 overall, the No. 6 Rebels are on track to make the CFP for the first time. They likely will host a ﬁrst-round playoff game Dec. 19 or 20 if they are not in the top four of the ﬁnal rankings.

Kiffin bristled at the idea he would not coach against Mississippi State.

“Do you know something I don’t know?” Kifﬁn said. “Do I expect to coach next week? Why would I not expect to coach next week? I mean, I expected to coach against Florida, too. I don’t even understand the question how I would not expect to coach next week.” Kiffin did not answer when

QB Van Buren expresses desire to remain at LSU

BY KOKI RILEY and WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writers

LSU sophomore quarterback Michael Van Buren said Tuesday night he wants to stay on the team moving forward as the Tigers go through a coaching change.

“I love it here in Baton Rouge,” Van Buren said. “I love the place. I love Tiger Stadium. I just love everything about this place, and this is where I want to be. This is where I want to continue my career.”

With senior Garrett Nussmeier out of eligibility after this season, Van Buren is one of two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster who can return to LSU. The other is redshirt freshman Colin Hurley, who “took a leave for personal-related matters,” interim coach Frank Wilson said Monday. Hurley missed the past two games against Alabama and Arkansas, but Wilson said his absence is temporary

LSU does not have a quarterback committed in the 2026 recruiting class. It is expected to look for at least one quarterback in the transfer portal, which opens from Jan. 2-16.

Van Buren is in line to start for the second-straight game when LSU plays Western Kentucky at 6:45 p.m. Saturday inside Tiger Stadium.

Nussmeier did not play against Arkansas after aggravating an abdominal injury last week, Wilson said, and he is doubtful against Western Kentucky as of Wednesday morning.

RABALAIS

asked whether there is a possibility he could accept another job before the postseason, saying, “I’m not speaking on other jobs.” He acknowledged a situation like this was “bound to happen” in college football if someone wanted to hire a coach headed toward the CFP, calling it a “systematical problem.”

Ole Miss has won at least 10 games in four of the past five years, the most successful stretch in program history Kifﬁn’s work with the Rebels has made him a central focus for three SEC schools in this hiring cycle, and so he was asked whether that feels ﬂattering or overwhelming. He responded with some humor

“It doesn’t feel good on this call,” Kifﬁn said with a laugh “I said it before: If programs want your coach, that should be looked at as an amazing thing and a great thing by your fans.”

At one point, Kifﬁn recognized he made “really fast decisions” when he was younger about jobs. He said Wednesday “as you get older and more mature and look at things differently, you take longer to make the proper decision,” though he then noted he was speaking in generalities. He sidestepped other direct questions about his plans.

At the end of the call, Kiffin cracked another joke.

“I can’t wait for next week, guys,” he said. Kiffin was reminded by the moderator there will not be another teleconference. The SEC stops holding them after this week because of Thanksgiving.

“Ooh,” Kifﬁn said and the wait

Continued from page 1C

But the Kifﬁn Obsession Syndrome at those three schools and among their fan bases has created a toxic byproduct. One fan base is going to be delighted, but two are going to be devastated and left to feel less-than-worthy about their job vacancies.

And that’s too bad. That’s wrong. Yes, Kifﬁn will bring a lot of credibility along with heightened expectations — if he chooses LSU.

But if he doesn’t, LSU fans shouldn’t feel like the program is destined for failure. Far from it.

Kiffin is clearly LSU’s top choice. That’s fine. There isn’t a better available coach in this cycle, and that includes James Franklin who just got hired by Virginia Tech. Kiffin has won at a high level at Ole Miss, bringing that program success it had not experienced since the late 1950s and early 60s under Johnny Vaught. But if he doesn’t come, LSU fans should not plunge into depths of despair There are other good coaches out there. And the plain fact of most coaching searches is that the first choice is often not the one who’s hired.

Exhibit A: It’s not football, but Jay Johnson was not LSU’s ﬁrst choice to be its baseball coach to replace Paul Mainieri. Thenathletic director Scott Woodward ﬁrst considered Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan, as well as former Oregon State coach Pat Casey and there was a faction of former LSU players who wanted

In his ﬁrst start at LSU, Van Buren completed 68% of his passes for 221 yards and one touchdown while rushing 10 times for 36 yards in a 23-22 win over Arkansas.

After starting eight games at Mississippi State as a freshman last season, the plan was for Van Buren to redshirt this year behind Nussmeier Van Buren will burn the redshirt by playing against Western Kentucky, giving up an extra season of eligibility to get more snaps.

“I’m just focused on getting better,” Van Buren said. “Me going out there and getting those reps will make me a better football player, so that’s my main focus.” Nussmeier doubtful Nussmeier is doubtful to play this Saturday against Western Kentucky, Wilson said Wednesday Nussmeier participated in some individual drills during Tuesday’s practice, but his abdominal injury still “hasn’t changed much since last week,” when the Tigers quarterback suffered a setback and sat out Saturday’s win over Arkansas.

“Those same issues are there for him,” Wilson said. “I would say he’s doubtful.”

Without Nussmeier, LSU will turn to Van Buren at quarterback.

Wilson also provided an injury update on junior linebacker Whit Weeks, who missed LSU’s last four games with a bone bruise on his ankle.

A recurring issue for Weeks, Wilson said, has been the extreme soreness he’s experienced after “pushing himself” at prac-

tice. The ailment is on the same ankle that Weeks dislocated during LSU’s win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl in January

“He wants to play,” Wilson said. “I think he has a chance to play.” Drinkwitz mum on LSU Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz declined Wednesday to discuss whether or not LSU has approached his representatives about the head coaching job.

“I’m not going to make any comments about jobs,” Drinkwitz said on the SEC coaches teleconference. Drinkwitz, 42, referred back to his comments at a news conference Tuesday when he told reporters that he “would not comment on message board chatter, tweets, sources. I’ve maintained with you and our team that my complete focus is on the task at hand.” No. 22 Missouri (7-3) plays No. 8 Oklahoma (8-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday When asked what makes a good job these days, Drinkwitz listed resources that match expectations, money for revenue sharing/thirdparty NIL and institutional alignment He also mentioned supportive fan bases, schedules and the ability to raise his young family

“I think every coach has a little personal feel for what is important to him,” Drinkwitz said. “For me, it’s really important that my family enjoys where they’re living and feels valued by the work that we do. And so for me, that’s going to be always something that weighs heavily on my mind in any decision.”

him to hire Ole Miss coach and former LSU catcher/assistant Mike Bianco. But Johnson, who Woodward said was the best interview he ever had, got the job. The rest is college baseball history Exhibit B: In late 2006, Alabama offered its job to Rich Rodriguez. He turned it down, opening the door for the school to pursue and land Nick Saban. The rest is college football history

Exhibit C: In 2016, Tom Herman chose Texas over LSU, and LSU fandom fell into a serious funk. The school hired Ed Orgeron, appearing to settle for the coach who had his roots in Louisiana but was fired at Ole Miss. He was eventually fired at LSU, but not until after he led the Tigers to their greatest season ever in 2019. Herman is out of coaching. Should LSU hire Kiffin if it can get him? Yes. Do I think LSU will get Kiffin? Yes, in a Lee Corso “Close, close” nod over Florida. I

don’t think after all this time leaving Ole Miss to twist in the wind — with a contract extension there that he has yet to sign — that he can stay in Oxford. So my guess is he winds up in

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Michael Van Buren races from the pocket in the the third quarter against Arkansas on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. Van Buren said he’s happy at LSU and wants to stay.

SCOREBOARD

STATEFOOTBALL CAPSULE

Memphis, 7p.m. College basketball State men’s schedule Tuesday’s games San Diego 78, Grambling68 LSU 107, Alcorn 81 Pepperdine 90, UNO 79 Washington 99, Southern 93, OT Northwestern State at San Francisco,n Stanford93, UL 66 Wednesday’s games Southeastern 71, WilliamCarey 45 Indiana State 60, Louisiana Tech 51 Thursday’s games None scheduled. LATE TUESDAY LSU 107, AlcornState 81 AlcornState 44 37 —81 LSU 50 57 —107 ALCORN STATE(0-6) Hamilton 1-4 0-03,McDaniels 2-61-1 5, Woodard5-12 0-211, Lancaster1-1 2-24, Morris 1-30-0 2, Williams 7-12 1-2 21, Roberts 5-9 0-2 12, Jones 5-70-1 10, Henderson 3-5 0-0 6, Calamese 1-5 1-13,Ellis 2-30-0 4. Totals 33-67 5-11 81. LSU (4-0) Nwoko12-15 5-629, Sutton 6-12 2-316, Tamba 1-2 2-2 4, Mackinnon 1-55-6 7, Thomas 5-9 6-7 16, Miller 2-25-6 9, Reed 2-53-6 8, King 1-5 0-0 2, Reece 3-51-1 8, Carter 1-20-0 3, Mosley 0-0 0-00,Zipper1-1 2-25,Bobbett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-63 31-39 107. Halftime—LSU 50-44. 3-PointGoals—Alcorn State 10-26 (Williams 6-10, Roberts 2-5, Hamilton 1-2, Woodard1-4,McDaniels 0-1, Calamese 0-2, Jones0-2), LSU6-21 (Sutton 2-7, Zipper 1-1, Carter1-2,Reece 1-2, Reed 1-2, King0-2, Thomas 0-2, Mackinnon 0-3) Rebounds—Alcorn State 26 (Roberts 9),LSU 37 (Sutton 10). Assists—Alcorn State 11 (Calamese3), LSU 12 (Thomas6). Total Fouls— AlcornState 25, LSU13. A—6,291 (13,215) LATE TUESDAY Washington 99, Southern93, 2OT SOUTHERN (2-3) Dixon6-9 5-7 17, Jones4-6 0-08,Amboree5-11 7-8 18, Hill 1-2 0-2 3, Jacobs 9-27 4-7 24, Hardy 1-3 1-1 3, Abdelgowad2-4 4-7 8, Oshodi3-5 0-0 8, Manning 0-11-2 1, Magee0-1 0-00,Depron 0-1 0-0 0, Lamar1-3 0-03.Totals 32-73 22-34 93. WASHINGTON(4-1) Kepnang 3-6 0-06,Diallo 3-6 3-49,Mandaquit 3-8 2-5 8, Peterson4-16 5-515, Yates6-149-14 23, Claude6-14 7-8 20, Rencher1-2 6-68,Sommerville 3-5 4-8 10, Muldrew0-0 0-00.Totals 29-71 36-50 99. Halftime—Southern 37-29. 3-PointGoals— Southern 7-19 (Oshodi 2-3, Jacobs2-5,Hill 1-2, Lamar 1-2, Amboree1-5, Depron 0-1, Manning 0-1), Washington 5-17 (Yates 2-6, Peterson 2-8, Claude1-1,Mandaquit0-1, Rencher0-1). Fouled Out—Dixon, Jones, Kepnang, Diallo.Rebounds—Southern 40 (Jones, Abdelgowad 7), Washington 45 (Kepnang 12).Assists—Southern14(Amboree 9),Washington 11 (Mandaquit 3). Total Fouls—Southern University33, Washington 27. A—5,564 (10,000) National scores Wednesday’s games EAST Arizona 71, UConn 67 Binghamton 69, Misericordia 58 Duquesne 92, Loyola (Md) 78 George Washington 89, UMBC 52 Maryland 95, Mount St Marys90, OT Penn State 84, Harvard80 Quinnipiac112, City College of New York 52 Temple 81, Hofstra76 Villanova70, La Salle 55 SOUTH

Aquick, cozy pasta recipe

BY BETH DOOLEY

Aged Gouda makes acozy pastafor chilly November evenings. The dish emerges from the oven steaming andfragrant, urgingmetoplunge aspoon into the bubbling gooey mass. Though simple, its allureis roasted cherry tomatoes. Use whatever tomatoes you have on hand, but the tiny red and gold cherries in the market this time of year have the most spunk. For pasta, Ilike orecchiette or “little ears” in Italian;the concave shape is firm and springy and clings to the sauce. Cream cheese, whisked with milk, brings the dish together without having to make a heavier white sauce of flour and milk. Add apinch of red pepper flakes andgrated nutmeg toliven things up. The aged Gouda, nutty and sharp, gives the dishits depth and finish. Tomatoes, roasted into asticky,jammy-sweet-tart mess, add pops of color and tart-sweet taste. They can be prepared ahead then held ina covered jar in the refrigerator for several days. Double or triple the amount for achunky paste to keep on hand and ready to twist into spaghetti, dollop on fried eggs, smear on focaccia, fold into an omelet or whisk into mayonnaise.

This simple recipe is what home cooks in Italy might call “cucina casalinga,” or home cooking. It’ssimplicity at its best, with just afew simple ingredients. Rich and satisfying, it’sjust the thing as night closes in and hungers rage. For acozy dinner,servethis with acrisp green salad and crusty bread.

Pasta With Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4. Recipe is from Beth Dooley.This serves two very hungry people, four if you’re including acrunchy green salad or steamed vegetables and crusty bread. But feel free to vary the amount; it will keep several days in the refrigerator and is easy to reheat.

Kosher salt

1pound orecchiette pasta

2cups whole milk

8ounces cream cheese cut into

1. Bring alarge pot of salted water to aboil. Drop thepasta intothe water and stir.Cook the pasta until al dente and drain.

2. Preheat the ovento400 F. Line abaking sheet withparchment

3. Pour the milk into alarge pot, setover medium heat and bring to asimmer.Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese, whisking until blended. Add the Gouda and butter and continue cooking until

heatwhile the tomatoes roast.

4. Spread the tomatoes out on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast until they are wrinkled and have shrunk and are very tender,about 15 minutes

5. Transferthe pasta to an ovenproofserving dish andarrange thetomatoes on top. Bake until the pasta is hot and bubbly Serve hot

LIVING

Fora less hectic holiday, here’s how to pregame3items forthe feastkickoff

APRIL HAMILTON| Contributingwriter

Whether you are gathering with afew friends,hosting extended family or are an invited guesttogivethanks, this prep list is for you.

Irecall my mother doing it all every Thanksgiving, prepping abit hereand there during theweek,but mostofitwas done in the style of happy kitchen chaos on Thanksgiving Day. Icount my blessings that most of my late November days were spentwith mom, who ran the show until we said goodbye three years ago.

Butternutsquashthe

Squash Soup Three Ways, Recipe 2D

Citrus Salad

We serve this as apalate cleanser after our Thanksgiving dinner,then roll out the desserts. Make this up to aweek ahead. Stashing it in the back of the fridge keeps it from being sampled ahead of time. The cutting technique is called supreming.

6fresh red grapefruit

6fresh naveloranges

Small bunch of red grapes, rinsed and cut in half (optional)

1. Rinseand dry theorangesand grapefruit. Trim off their tops and bottomsusing avery sharp knife.

2. Set the fruits on end and carefully cut the skin fromthe ﬂesh, beginning at the top and following the curves down. Rotate each fruit as you go, removing all the peel with abit of fruit clinging to it.

3. Cut out each section of the fruit by inserting theblade of the knife between theflesh andthe membranesonboth sides. Thewedges should come out easily,leaving only the membrane intact. As youcut,put allthe fruit sectionsintoa large bowl. Squeeze the juice out of all thefruit membranesand peels by hand into the bowl.

4. Store in airtight containers until serving time, up to 5days. Serve in small dishes or teacups, garnished with halved grapes if desired.

FILE PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

Citrus Salad

BYBETH DOOLEY

TheMinnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

Makes about 1quart.Iturnedto aduet of chef friends,Judy Allen and Valarie Carter, fortheir do-ahead gravyformula andgave it my bacon-infused twist. Please note when removing askillet in the oven, keep the handle covered witha kitchen mittsoasnot to accidentally grab the hot handle on thestovetop

2raw whole turkey wings (about 2pounds)

1tablespoon bacon grease

1largecarrot, peeled and cut intorough 1-inch lengths

1small onion, cut in half

½teaspoon peppercorns

2quarts water or alittle more if needed

1⁄3 cup pan drippings (from the roasted turkey wings)

1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour 1quartturkey stock

1tablespoon chopped fresh thyme Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Roast the turkey wings: Heat the oven to 425 F. Rub a10-inch cast iron skilletor roasting pan with abit of the bacon grease, thencoat the wings with the remainder

2. Placethe skillet in the ovenand roastthe wings until browned and crisp, about 1hour.

3. Remove the wings to a tall stockpot. Pour offthe drippings from theskillet into aheatproof measuring cup and refrigerate while you make the stock.

DENNIS Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

4. Add ½ cup of water to the hotskillet to deglaze and scrapeupthe bits with a wooden spoon. Pour this into the stockpot.

5. Makethe stock:Place the onion, carrotand peppercornsintothe tall stockpot with the turkey wings. Add thewater,making sure the whole wings are submerged (the wing tips mayneedto be separated so it is allcovered with water). Bringtoa boilover medium-high heat, then reduce theheat and simmer for one hour.

6. Press on the wingswith apotato masher to keep the wingsbelow thewater level. Continue to simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes or un-

til thestock has developed a rich ﬂavor (taste aspoonful from time to time).

7. Remove from theheat and strain thestock through afine-mesh strainer into alargebowl or heatproof measuringcup. The goal is to have 1quart of rich stock.(Ipulled themeatoff theturkey wings and mixed with the cooked carrot for my dogs to share in thefeast during theweek).

8. Make the gravy: Heat the drippings in a10-inch cast-ironskilletovermedium heat until shimmeryand hot. Whiskinthe ﬂour and cook theroux until toasted and golden, about 5minutes

9. Add the stock while whisking constantly.Let bubble afew minutes and season with fresh thyme, salt and pepper.Let the gravy cool in the pan,stirring occasionally before transferring to clean,wide-mouth Mason jars.

10. Cool completely in the refrigeratorbefore covering with the lids, labeling and freezing for up to 2months

One-Size-Fits-AllPie Crust

Makes 2disks for one double-crustpie or 2single-crustpies. Making pie dough is simpler than it sounds. Grating cold butter,thenfreezing it, makes it blend more easily intothe ﬂour.Ihave polled friends withthe question,“What’s atreasured ﬁnd in the back of your fridge (or freezer)?” and manyhaveanswered, “Homemade pie dough.”

8ounces cold unsalted butter

2½ cups unbleached all-purpose

flour 1teaspoon granulated sugar

½teaspoon coarse salt

1⁄3 to ½cup ice water

1. Grate the butter usingthe large holesofa cheese grater and freeze for up to an hour

2. Place the flour,sugar andsalt in theworkbowlof afood processor and pulse a few times to combine.

HOLIDAY

Continued from page1D

Her silky gravy was the star of the feast but was the last to arrive at the table Iamthis many years old beforeknowing thiscan be done weeks in advance. Mom’shigh-heat roasted turkey was massaged with bacongrease before hitting the oven. To emulate this, Igive this treatment to turkey wings and turn them into her memorable gravy minus the chaos. Ifreeze it in wide-mouth Mason jars, leaving headroom for expansion, and put the jars into the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge, gently reheatinto liquid gold and transfer into awarmed awaiting gravy boat. The double bonus is hav-

3. Addthe strands offrozen butter andpulseuntil thebutter particles are the size of smallpeas. Add 1/3 cup icewater and process for about 10 seconds, stopping themachinebefore the dough becomesasolid mass.

4. Check to see if there are drybits of flourand if so, add afew sprinklesofice water and pulse again.

5. Lay out two long sheets of plastic wrap on the coun-

ing homemade gravy to accompany asmoked orfried turkey —deliciousbut no drippings for gravy. Thanksgiving would not be completewithout my family’s palate-cleansing citrussalad that can be prepped aweek ahead and refrigerated in Mason jars outofsight so no one dips intothe treasure early

My momcould whittle the peels off abushelof citrus with hereyesclosed, then segment each orb with surgicalﬁnesse.Nowonder they callthese gems supremes. These are thepetit ﬁlet ofthe citrus kingdom. My youngest daughter inheritedthis talent and keeps us suppliedeach season More blessings counted. Now for dessert andhere is my confession— I once entered apie contest with ababy on my hip.Aftera mishapwith thehomemade

Squash Soup ThreeWays

ter.Turn the dough outonto one sheet of the wrap, pressing anyloose particlesinto themass of dough.

6. Dividedoughinhalf and roughly form each half into two disks, about an inch thick each, and wrap each in asheet of plastic wrap.

7. Wrap in heavy duty foil, label andfreeze for up to 2 months. Letthaw overnight in the fridge before rolling out for pies.

dough, Ibroke down and purchased apre-rolled crust which was detected by one of the judges. He wrote this on my judging sheet

Though my pie did not win, Iscored the conﬁdence to makemyown piecrust happily ever after.Flour and cold butter meet and harmonize with justthe right amount of cold water worked in. Pat it into two disks, wrap securely,pop them into the freezer and roll it out on your terms Your canvas awaits— sweet potato, apple, pumpkin or pecan?

Holiday meals areintended to be happy,not hectic; they are often ablend of both. With sometriedand true tipsand recipes, some of the work can happen ahead, leaving time to enjoy thecompany and the blessings at the table.

Serves 4to6.Recipe is from Beth Dooley.Customize this basic squash soup withdifferent ﬂavors depending on yourmood. These are just suggestions, feel freetoadd your own.

on, to taste.

Replacingthe pumpsofbottles

Dear Heloise: When acontainer stops pumping, I removethe pumpand replace it witha screw cap from another salvaged bottle. Then Istore it upside down. For shampoo, Iadd a little water and use it up until it’sgone. Everything gets used until thelast drop. —Dean Garrett, in Arizona Dishwasher pod problem

dishwasher detergent, and Ihaven’thad any problems since. —Michele, via email Peelinggarlic

1medium butternut squash (2¼ to 2½ pounds), halved lengthwise and seeded

3tablespoons oil of choice, such as coconut, olive or butter

¼cup chopped shallot

2cloves garlic, crushed 4cups vegetable or chicken stock, plus more if needed Coarse salt and freshly ground blackpepper,totaste

¼cup whole milk Greek style yogurtorsour cream, for optional garnish

¼cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for optional garnish

2tablespoons chopped parsley, foroptional garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line abaking sheetwith parchment paper

SOUP

Continued from page1D

3. In alarge heavy soup potset over medium heat, addthe oil or butter and sauté theonion and shallot until tender,about 3to4minutes. Scoop the squash out of the peel and add to the pot; no worries if someofthe peel ends up in thesoup. Stirin the stock and puree using an immersionblender.(Alternatively,work in batches and puree in astand blender and return souptothe pot.)

4. Season the soup with one of these ﬂavor proﬁles:

n Curried Squash Soup: Stir in 1to2tablespoons curry powder,1 tablespoon honeyand 1tablespoon lem-

2. Brush thecut halves of the squash with some of the oiland place cut-side down on theparchment. Roast the squash until very tender and wrinkled, about 50 minutes to 1hour. Removeand allow to cool.

n Mexican Squash Soup: Stir in 1to2tablespoons Tajin seasoning, 1tablespoon agave or brown sugar,and 1tablespoonlime juice, to taste.

n Classic New EnglandStyle Squash Soup: Substitute ½ cup apple cider for ½ cup stock, stir in 1to2tablespoons pumpkin pie spices, 1tablespoon maplesyrup and ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar,totaste.

5. Reducethe heat and simmer thesoup, stirring occasionally,for about 8to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust theseasonings.Garnish withsmall dabs of whole milk Greek styleyogurt or sour cream, toasted pumpkin seedsand chopped parsley

seedshide in thebulb. It shouldbe heavy for its size, free of nicks and gashes. Store it in a cool dry place until ready to use. Youcan make this soup ahead; in fact, you should to give theﬂavors time to marry The soup will keep in the fridge for at least three days and freezes nicely,too. Serve withacheese toasty or awarm crusty baguette and tart green salad, for dinner in abowl.

Dear Heloise: I, too, had an issue with dishwasher pods. Itried them in my portable dishwasher and found that the empty plastic pod stayed in the bottom of my dishwasher It was molded to thedrain. My hot water getsextremely hot, so Ithought that they would melt and dissolve.

Inever used them again and went back to powdered

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, Nov.20, the 324th day of 2025. There are 41 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Nov.20, 1910, Francisco Madero led arevolt against Mexican President Porﬁrio Díaz, marking the beginning of the decadelong Mexican Revolution.

Also on this date:

In 1945, 22 former Nazi ofﬁcials went on trial before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany (Almostayear later,the International Military Tribune sentenced 12 of the defendantstodeath; seven received prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life; three were acquitted.)

In 1947, Britain’s future queen, Princess Elizabeth, married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at

Dear Heloise: The easiest waytopeel garlic cloves is also thesimplest: Just put them in abowl of water.In5 minutes or less, both the outer andinnerskins will lift away often in just twoorthree pieces, leaving an intact, fresh clove. There’snobruising, breaking, microwaved edges, or shardsofskin to pickout

Abonus: When dried off, the whole cloves will stay fresh foruptoaweek in ajar in the fridge. Any jar with aseal-type top works. Ireuse pickle jars and other similar jars. —A Reader, via email Suntan lotion stain

Dear Heloise: Ihave black

TODAYINHISTORY

Westminster Abbey

In 1969, Native American activists began an occupation of Alcatraz Island that would last 19 months before they were forcibly removed by federal authorities.

In 1982, the University of California, Berkeley, football team defeated Stanford University by scoring atouchdown on alateral-ﬁlled kickoffreturn on the last play of the game, despite the Stanford marching band entering the ﬁeld of play,thinking Stanford had already won.

In college football lore, the bizarre ﬁnish is often referred to simply as “The Play.”

In 1992, ﬁre seriously damaged Windsor Castle, the favorite weekend home of Britain’sQueen Elizabeth II.

In 2003, music producer Phil Spector was charged

interiors in my car.When I wear suntan lotion, it gets on the door and seats. I have tried everything, and nothing removes the stain. Any suggestions would be appreciated. —Donna, in Poland, Ohio Donna, use something absorbent, such as cornstarch, and apply alight sprinkling over the area to absorb the excess oil. Vacuum off the cornstarch and use aspray bottle with 1cup vinegar,ahalf teaspoon of liquid dish soap, and 2cups of water.Mix well and spray over the affected area. Let it sit for acouple of minutes, then wipe with a clean microﬁber cloth. Repeat as necessary.Warning: Before you try anything, be sure to test it ﬁrst in an inconspicuous place. —Heloise Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

with murder in the shooting of actor Lana Clarkson at his California home. (Aftera ﬁrst trialended with ahung jury in 2007, Spector was convicted of second-degreemurder in 2009 andsentencedto19 yearstolife;hedied in prisonatage 81 on Jan. 16, 2021.)

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Estelle Parsons is 98. Author Don DeLillo is 89. Comedian Dick Smothers is 87. Former President Joe Biden is 83. Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is 79. Musician Joe Walsh is 78. Actor Bo Derek is 69. Actor Ming-NaWen is 62. Rapper Michael “Mike D” Diamond (Beastie Boys) is 60. Actor-comedian Joel McHale is 54. Country singer Dierks Bentley is 50. Olympic gold medalwinning gymnast Dominique Dawes is 49. Rapper

Hints from Heloise

FILE PHOTO By PATRICK

scoRPIo (oct. 24-Nov. 22) Interact as much as possible; network, share your thoughts and collaborate with people you find motivating and creative. Feed your mind, body and soul with new possibilities.

sAGIttARIus (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Put together a budget before you agree to participate. Sharing expenses can help lower your overhead, but before you agree, be sure to get what you want in writing.

cAPRIcoRN (Dec 22-Jan. 19) Donating your time will offer unexpected returns. Someone you meet through an organization or group you fund or participate in will have a positive impact on your life and how you live.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Make necessary adjustments and keep moving forward. The less you have to do with others, the more you will achieve. Premature confrontations or conversations with someone you love will backfire.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Adjust your agenda, explore unfamiliar places and assess your daily routine to ensure your life is functioning efficiently. Look inward and focus on being and looking your best.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Keep your thoughts to yourself. A positive change regarding how you handle your finances and health issues will encourage good results, less stress and stronger resilience.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) If it's change you want, make it happen. Stop waiting for someone else to make the first

WonderWord

move. Set your sights on what you want and make a beeline for the path that will take you there.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Learn, explore and eliminate dead weight. Lighten your load, sell off what you no longer need and take a deep breath. The freedom you gain from the choices you make will encourage you adjust your priorities.

cANcER (June 21-July 22) Effectivemoney management will put your mind at ease, and following advice to curb unhealthy habits will give you the stamina to take care of business. Make special plans with someone you love.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Live and learn. Listen to your gut and rely on your experience and intuition to gain ground when unusual circumstances arise. Trust in your instincts and be ready to act fast.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) What you discover will change your perspective regarding your current lifestyle. A partnership looks promising, and a commitment will lead to a chance to use your skills in a manner suitable to a changing market.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Think twice before you promise too much or let indulgence tempt you. A change requires patience, research and time to weigh the pros and cons. When in doubt, take a pass.

FAMILY CIrCUS

toDAy's cLuE: J EQuALs K

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Joan Konner,who inter alia has more than adozen Emmysfrom the National Academy of TelevisionArtsand Sciences,said, “Procrastination gives you something to look forward to.” Procrastination when the dummy comes downisa good ideabecause it is beneficialtolookforwardtothe13tricks. Thisdealbenefits fromclear thinking at thebeginning.Southisinthreeno-trump. West leads his fourth-highest spade andEast puts up the king (denying the queen). Whatshould declarer do?

South’s auction —atakeoutdouble followed by aminimum no-trumpbid —showed agood 18 to 20 points. North bidthree no-trumpbecausehecounted an extra point for his five-cardsuit and expected his partner to be able to place the missing high cards based on the bidding.

South starts with only four toptricks: one spade,two hearts and one club. He can gettwo diamondand four club winners, but he will presumably have to lose thelead twice because East needs the club king forhis opening bid.

Declarer must let East win the first trick.Thissacrificesonespadetrick,but gainsnineinthelongrun.Southtakesthe third spade, plays aclub to dummy’sace (the king might dropsingleton), and concedes aclub. Here,East has no riposte.

If declarer takes trick one, then when East gets in with, say, the club king, he returns the spade six (higher of two remaining cards) and West plays his three to keep communication with his partner. Then the contract fails, the defenders taking threespades, onediamond and one club.

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle whichcreates adisguisedword,phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

INstRuctIoNs: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns,slang words,orvulgar or sexually explicit words are notallowed.

toDAy’s WoRD MEscALs: MEZ-kals: Colorless Mexican liquorsderived from various agaves.

Averagemark 21 words

Time limit 25 minutes Can you find26ormore words in MESCALS?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —AFFEctED

wuzzles

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard

WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING GOVERNMENT BUILDING 880 North Alexander Avenue, Port Allen Thursday,October 23, 2025 5:30 PM

The Following Minutes AreSummarized For Brevity,For Precise Meeting Information Please Refer To Meeting Audio Or Video

1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER &REQUEST ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES BE SILENCED

ARegular Meeting of the West Baton Rouge Parish Council was held on Thursday,October 23, 2025 and called to order at 06:22 PM. Council Chairman Carey Denstel asked that all electronic devices be placed on silent.

2. OPENING PRAYER Councilman Atley Walker Jr.led everyone in an opening prayer

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Chairman Denstel recognized Mr.Rusty Daigle who led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

4. LOG ATTENDANCE The following members wererecorded as being present:Messrs. Kirk Allain,Daryl “Turf” Babin, Atley Walker,Brady Hotard, Kenneth Gordon, Carey Denstel, Alan Crowe, Gary Joseph, and Mrs. Katherine Andre.

Also, present wereMr. Jason Manola, Parish President, Mr.Phillip Bourgoyne, Executive Assistant, Mr.Chance Stephens, Director of Finance, Mr.Brandon Bourgoyne, Director of Public Works, Ms. Kristen Canezaro, Special Legal Counsel and Mrs. Michelle Tullier, Council Clerk.

5. MINUTES APPROVAL

A. Approval of MinutesFromThe Regular Meeting Of October 9, 2025. Amotion was made by Council Member Katherine Andre, seconded by Council Member Alan Crowe to approve Minutes From The Regular Meeting OfOctober 9, 2025.

Therewerenocomments or questions. The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 9(Allain, Walker,Babin, Denstel, Crowe, Hotard, Gordon, Andre, Joseph) NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT:0 (None)

ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresult of the votes, the motion passed.

6. CONSIDER ANY AMENDMENTSTOTHE AGENDA Therewerenoitems to consider at this time.

7. PARISH PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Manola was recognized and introduced Miss Olivia Daigle, who recently was awarded the WBR Sugar Queen title. President Manola presented Miss. Daigle with aproclamation of achievement, and in closing noted how proud we all areofher.Miss Daigle gave a brief statement and thanked everyone.

Parish President Jason Manola was recognized for his report and covered the following items: Recent La Chemical Association mtg; Nov.1st through 8th is early voting for the drainage tax renewal noting this fully funds drainage dept.; Noting the many different things, the drainage department does daily in the Parish.

8. PUBLIC COMMENTS

Mr.Carue Summers asked for an update on aturning lane on Rosedale Road for high school. Brandon Bourgoyne and President Manola explained that this project is being added to our list of items for CRPC funding for 2026.

9. COMMUNICATIONS WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND/OR ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICIALS Phillip Bourgoyne was recognized and gave abrief report on the ongoing projects of the road and drainage departments.

A. Presentation by West BatonRougeParish SchoolBoard Superintendent Dr.Chandler Smith. WBR Parish School Superintendent Dr.Chandler Smith presented abrief overview of the upcoming tax renewals and explained what they would fund.

10. PUBLIC HEARING ON PREVIOUSLYINTRODUCED ORDINANCES

A. An Ordinance Adopting the 2025 Council Amendments to the FireDepartmentBudgeted Expenses for the Fiscal Year beginning January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2025. The Chairman opened apublic hearing for the purpose of receiving comment regarding the aforementioned item.

Mr.Chance Stephens explained the reasons for the aforementioned amendments to the Firebudget. No public comments for or against said ordinance werepresented. No written protests opposing the ordinance werereceived. The Council Chairman at this point declared the Public Hearing closed. Amotion was made by Council Member Daryl “Turf” Babin, seconded by Council Member Kenneth Gordon to approve An Ordinance Adopting the 2025 Council Amendments to the Fire Department Budgeted Expenses for the Fiscal Year beginning January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2025.

The vote was recorded as follows:

YEAS: 9(Allain, Walker,Babin, Denstel, Crowe, Hotard, Gordon, Andre, Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT:0 (None)

ABSTAIN: 0(None)

Ordinance 47 of 2025 can be found at the end of these minutes.

B. An Ordinance Adopting the 2025 Council Amendments to the Detention Center Budgeted Expenses for the Fiscal Year beginning January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2025.

The Chairman opened apublic hearing for the purpose of receiving comment regarding the aforementioned item.

Mr.Stephens was again recognized and asked the Council to deny this amendment request, noting the Sheriffwanted to look into some of these scanners beforecommitting the funds. No public comments for or against said ordinance werepresented. No written protests opposing the ordinance were received. The Council Chairman at this point declared the Public Hearing closed.

Amotion was made by Council Member Kirk Allain, seconded by Council Member Brady Hotardtodeny An Ordinance Adopting the 2025 Council Amendments to the Detention Center Budgeted Expenses for the Fiscal Year beginning January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2025.

Therewerenocomments or questions. The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 9(Allain, Walker,Babin, Denstel, Crowe, Hotard, Gordon, Andre, Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT:0 (None)

ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresultofthe votes, the motion Passed and the request was thereforedenied.

C. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West BatonRouge Code Of Ordinances, Chapter 22 (Elections), Article I(In General), Section 22-3, Council Meeting Attendance and Roll Call. The Chairman opened apublic hearing for the purpose of receiving comment regarding the aforementioned item. Mrs. Tullier explained this ordinance was to clarify what the Council is defining as roll call to include electronic means with the stipulation that every member’sstatus and vote must be displayed to meet the requirement. No public comments for or against said ordinance werepresented. No written protests opposing the ordinance werereceived. The Council Chairman at this point declared the Public Hearing closed. Amotion was made by Council Member Alan Crowe, seconded by Council Member Daryl “Turf” Babin to approve An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Code OfOrdinances, Chapter 22 (Elections), Article I(In General), Section 22-3, Council Meeting Attendance and Roll Call.

There werenocomments or questions. The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 9(Allain, Walker,Babin, Denstel, Crowe, Hotard, Gordon, Andre, Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None) ABSENT: 0(None) ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresult of the votes, the motion passed. Ordinance 48 of 2025 can be found at the end of these minutes.

D. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances, Part III (“Unified Development Code”), Chapter 109 (“Property Maintenance”), Article V, (Abandoned Vehicles and Junk), Section 109-100 (“Abandonment of Junked Vehicles and Other Items), And Enact Sec. 109- 104 through 109-112. The Chairman opened apublic hearing for the purpose of receiving comment regarding the aforementioned item. Mr.Brandon Bourgoyne was recognized and explained the reasons for this ordinance, being to have astep-by-step process for all junk and abandoned vehicles.

No public comments for or against said ordinance werepresented. No written protests opposing the ordinance werereceived. The Council Chairman at this point declared the Public Hearing closed.

Amotion was made by Council Member Gary Joseph, seconded by Council Member Kenneth Gordon to approve An Ordinance

To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances, Part III (“Unified Development Code”), Chapter 109 (“Property Maintenance”), Article V, (Abandoned Vehicles and Junk), Section 109-100 (“Abandonment of Junked Vehicles and Other Items), And Enact Sec. 109-104 through 109-112.

Therewerenocomments or questions. The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 9(Allain, Walker,Babin, Denstel,Crowe, Hotard, Gordon, Andre, Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT: 0(None)

ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresult of the votes, the motion passed. Ordinance 49 of 2025 can be found at the end of these minutes.

11. CONSIDER STATUS REPORT,CHANGE ORDER AND/OR OTHER MATTERSASREQUIRED ON CURRENT PROJECTS Therewerenoitems to consider at this time.

12. RESOLUTIONS

A. Resolution Of Annual Certification Of Compliance With The State Of Louisiana Off-System Bridge Replacement Program

Chairman Denstel asked if therewereany comments on this item.

Mrs. Tullier explained this was our annual resolution with the State in regardtoour Off-System Bridge Program.

AMotion WasMade By Council Member Kenneth Gordon, Seconded By CouncilMember Gary Joseph To Approve

Resolution Of Annual Certification Of Compliance With The State Of Louisiana Off-System Bridge Replacement Program.

Therewerenocomments or questions.

The vote was recorded as follows:

YEAS: 9(Allain, Walker,Babin, Denstel, Crowe, Hotard

Gordon, Andre, Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT: 0(None)

ABSTAIN: 0(None)

As aresult of the votes, the motion passed.

Resolution 25 of 2025 can be found at the end of these minutes.

B. AResolution To Authorize The Parish President To Sign Intergovernmental Service Agreement Between The Town Of Addis And The Parish Of West Baton Rouge, For Permitting And Inspection Services. Chairman Denstel asked if therewereany comments on this item.

Mr.Brandon Bourgoyne explained this was to continue inspection services for the Town of Addis.

Amotion was made by Council Member Kenneth Gordon, seconded by Council Member Katherine Andretoapprove

AResolution To Authorize The Parish President To Sign Intergovernmental Service Agreement Between The Town Of Addis And The Parish Of West Baton Rouge, For Permitting And Inspection Services. Therewerenocomments or questions. The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 9(Allain, Walker,Babin, Denstel, Crowe, Hotard, Gordon, Andre, Joseph)

NAYS: 0(None)

ABSENT:0 (None)

ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresult of the votes, the motion passed. Resolution 26 of 2025 can be found at the end of these minutes.

C. AResolution Authorizing The Parish President, Director Department Of Finance And Council Clerk To Sign The Louisiana Compliance QuestionnaireFor Audit Engagement With Hawthorn, Waymouth And Carroll, LLC., On Behalf Of West Baton Rouge Parish Council And FireProtection District No. 1, For The Period January 1, 2025-December 31, 2025 As Prepared By The Director Department Of Finance. Chairman Denstel asked if therewereany comments on this item. Mr.Stephens explained this resolution was to sign the Compliance Questionnairefor the upcoming Councilaudits.

Amotion was made by Council Member Daryl “Turf” Babin, seconded by Council Member Kirk Allain to approve AResolution Authorizing The Parish President, Director Department Of Finance And CouncilClerk To Sign The Louisiana Compliance QuestionnaireFor Audit Engagement With Hawthorn, Waymouth And Carroll, LLC., On Behalf Of West Baton Rouge Parish Council And FireProtection District No. 1, For The Period January 1, 2025-December 31, 2025 As Prepared By The Director Department Of Finance.

Therewerenocomments or questions. The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 9(Allain, Walker,Babin, Denstel, Crowe, Hotard Gordon, Andre, Joseph) NAYS: 0(None) ABSENT: 0(None) ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresult of the votes, the motion passed. Resolution 27 of 2025 can be found at the end of these minutes.

D. AResolution authorizing the Parish President, Director of Utilities, and Director of Finance to sign the Louisiana Compliance Questionnairefor Audit Engagement for Ericksen Krentel, LLP.Onbehalf of the West Baton Rouge Parish Natural Gas &Water Systems for the period January 1, 2025–December 31, 2025 Chairman Denstel asked if therewereany comments on this item.

Mr.Stephens was recognized and explained this was the same resolution as previouslypassed, but this was for the Utilities Department.

Amotion was made by Council Member Kenneth Gordon, seconded by Council Member Katherine Andretoapprove A Resolution authorizing the Parish President, Director of Utilities, and Director of Finance to sign the Louisiana Compliance Questionnairefor AuditEngagement for Ericksen Krentel, LLP.Onbehalf of the West Baton Rouge Parish Natural Gas &Water Systems for the period January 1, 2025– December 31, 2025.

Therewerenocomments or questions. The vote was recorded as follows: YEAS: 9(Allain, Walker,Babin, Denstel, Crowe, Hotard, Gordon, Andre, Joseph) NAYS: 0(None) ABSENT:0 (None)

ABSTAIN: 0(None) As aresult of the votes, the motion

Resolution 28 of 2025 can be found at the

E. Approval and Adoption of West Baton Rouge

Flexible Benefits Plan (Cafeteria Plan) To Be Effective January 1, 2026 Chairman Denstel asked if therewereany comments on this item. Mr.Stephens was recognized and showed abrief PowerPoint presentation on the proposed (cafeteria)healthcarerates for 2026, including dental and vision. Mr Stephens also notified the Councilthat open enrollment was November 3rdthrough 7th.

Amotion was made by Council Member Brady Hotard, seconded

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the

of West

become

NOW THEREFORE BE

Rouge, Louisiana, that

2-12 (C) of

FURTHER ORDAINED by

Rouge Parish Council, that all other ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith arehereby repealed in their entirety NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the Parish Council of the Parish of West Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that if any provision or item of this ordinance or the application thereof is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions, items or applicationsofthis ordinance whichcan be given effect without the invalid provisions, items, or applications of this ordinance arehereby declared severable.

THE FOREGOING ORDINANCE AFTER PUBLIC HEARING WAS CONSIDERED, AND UPON MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER DARYL “TURF” BABIN, WHICH WASSECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER KENNETH GORDON, AND AVOTE BEING TAKEN, THE FOLLOWING RESULTWAS

presence of aquorum, the chair shall conduct averbal or electronic roll call to re-verify attendance.

C. Recording of Attendance.The clerk shall record attendance for both in-person and virtual attendees to maintain arecordofwho participated.

D. Voting by Roll Call.All votes taken during apublic meeting shall be conducted by arollcall vote, which can be by either voice or electronic means, so that each member’svote can be clearly identified and recorded in the meeting minutes as per RS 42:17.2. BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council that this ordinance shall becomeeffective upon the signatureofthe Parish President. THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council, that all other ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewithare hereby repealed in their entirety NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Parish Council of the Parish of West Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that if any provision or item of this ordinance or the application thereof is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions, items or applications of this ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provisions, items, or applications of this ordinance arehereby declared severable. THE FOREGOING ORDINANCE AFTER HAVING BEEN SUBMITTED TO APUBLIC HEARING WASCONSIDERED, AND UPON MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER ALAN CROWE, WHICH WASSECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DARYL “TURF” BABIN.THE ORDINANCE WAS SUBMITTED TO AVOTE AND RESULTED IN THE FOLLOWING:

YEAS: 9(CROWE, BABIN, ALLAIN, WALKER, DENSTEL, GORDON, HOTARD, ANDRE, JOSEPH)

NAYS: 0(NONE)

ABSENT:0 (NONE)

ABSTAIN: 0(NONE)

WHEREUPON the ordinance was declared adopted on the 23rdDay of October,2025. ATTEST:

ORDINANCE 49 OF 2025

As Introduced by the West Baton Rouge Parish Council At the Regular Meeting of October 9, 2025 And Adopted on October 23, 2025 An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances, Part III (“Unified Development Code”), Chapter 109 (“Property Maintenance”), Article V, (Abandoned Vehicles and Junk), Section 109-100 (“Abandonment of Junked Vehicles and Other Items), And Enact Sec. 109-104 through 109-112.

WHEREAS,one of the primary functions of local governments is to protect the health, safety and welfare of its people; AND WHEREAS,inexercising its role to carry-out the above, the West Baton Rouge Parish Council utilizes its police powers under the Constitution and laws of the State of Louisiana; AND WHEREAS,such exercise of police power involves fromtime-to-time creating or amending local development (and other) laws in order to protect the public; AND WHEREAS,the West Baton Rouge Council finds that thereisa need to update the property maintenance procedures in West Baton Rouge Parish.

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED that the West Baton Rouge Parish Code of Ordinances, Part III (“Unified Development Code”), Chapter 109 (“Property Maintenance”), Article V, (Abandoned Vehicles and Junk), Section 109-100 (“Abandonment of Junked Vehicles and Other Items), And Sec. 109-104 through 112.

(NOTE: underlined words areadditions and strikethrough words are deletions. Three asterisks -***indicate sections of the code skipped for brevity of this ordinance. Such sections aretobe retained by the code editors.): PART III –UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE ** * CHAPTER 109 –PROPERTYMAINTENANCE ARTICLE V–ABANDONED VEHICLES AND JUNK

Sec. 109-100. -Abandonment of

of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” or parts thereof declared to be anuisance pursuant to this article. (b) When the parish has contracted with or granted apermit to any person or persons, such person or persons shall be authorized to enter upon private property or public property to remove or cause the removal of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” or parts thereof declared to be anuisance pursuant to this article.

Sec. 109-106. Order to abate apublic nuisance; Junked vehicles and other items by the parish; notice; request for hearing.

(a) Whenever any public nuisance exists on occupied or unoccupied premises within the unincorporated areas of the parish in violation of this article, the enforcing agency shall order the owner of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle,” or the owner or occupant of the premises whereon such public nuisance exists, to abate or remove the same. Such order shall: (1) Be in writing; (2) Specify the public nuisance and its location; (3) Specify the corrective measures required; (4) Provide for compliance within fifteen days

(b) The order shall be served upon the owner of the premises by serving them personallyorbysending the order by certified mail, returnreceipt requested, to the current owner address on the parish assessor’s office.

(c) Within the fifteen-day period after service of notice, the owner of the premises or the owner of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle”

so as to fully abate the nuisance in the opinion of the enforcing agency.Anextension not to exceed 30 days may be granted only by the nuisance compliance officer for good cause shown.

(d) If the owner or occupant of the premises or the owner of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” fails to abate the nuisance within the fifteen-day period of notification or fails to timelyrequest ahearing within said time period, the parish office, and/or the parish inspector may issue amisdemeanor summons to the owner or occupant of the premises to appear in West Baton Rouge’sAdministrative Adjudication Court.

Sec. 109-107. FailuretoRemove

a) In instances of “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicles and other items, the Administrative Adjudication Hearing Officer may authorize fines, and in instances wherecourt orders arenot met the hearing office may authorize the parish administration to carry out the necessary removal of work as specified in RS 33:4876.6. With the cost of removing and disposing of said “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” to constitute aspecial lien and privilege on the lot or parcel of ground on which it is located. Said lien and privilege granted under this subsection shall have the same ranking as an ad valorem tax lien on immovableproperty as provided by Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 9§4821(1) (R.S. 9:4821(1)), and shall be collected in the same manner in which special assessmentsare collectiblebylaw not to exceed acost of $500.00 per item of “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicles.” (b) The owner or occupant of the premises or owner of the “junk” and/ or “abandoned motor vehicle” or any holder of any lien or mortgage, beforeobtaining possession thereof, shall pay to the parish all reasonablecosts incidental to the removal and storage of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle.”

Sec. 109-108. Fines Whoever violates the terms of this section shall be fined not morethan $100.00 for each violation of this section. Each day such violation is demonstrated to have continued from the date of the initial citation shall be deemed aseparate offense by the courts when contemplating penalties and shall not require additional citations or charges to be filed by law enforcement and/or the district attorney or other prosecuting entity. Sec. 109-109. Hearing conduct; proceedings thereafter a) If requested by the owner or occupant the council shall hear the request for hearing, as provided in section 109-106, and shall determine whether or not the owner or occupant of the premises or owner of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” is, in fact, in violation of this article. Upon a finding that said person is in violation of this article, said person shall be ordered to remove and/or abate such nuisance as provided herein, and pay all fines incurred by the parish. (b) If the owner or occupant of the premises or owner of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” fails and/or refuses to abate or remove the nuisance, the parish inspector shall request the parish administration to issue carry out the necessary removal work as specified in RS 33:4876.6, with the cost of removing and disposing of said “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” to constitute aspecial lien and privilege on the lot or parcel of ground on which it is located. Said lien and privilege granted under this subsection shall have the same ranking as an ad valorem tax lien on immovable property as provided by Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 9§ 4821(1) (R.S. 9:4821(1)), and shall be collected in the same manner in which special assessments arecollectiblebylaw not to exceed acost of $500.00 per item of “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicles.”

Sec. 109-110. Refusal by certified mail.

For purpose of this article, when the owner of the premises or owner of the vehicle has been served notice by certified mail as set forth in section 109-106(b) herein and such certified mail is refused, the owner is deemed to have received notice in accordance with the provisions herein and the fifteen-day period commences to run on the date of refusal.

Sec. 109-111. When owner’swhereabouts areunknown or notice unclaimed. When thereisany “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” on premises that areunoccupied and the identify or whereabouts or the owner of the premises is unknown or unascertainableafter asearch has been made, or if notice sent to the last recordowner of the property by certified mail has been returned as unclaimed, then the enforcing agency shall place an advertisement in the official journal of the Parish for the whereabouts of the owner allowing for aresponse within aperiod of ten days, and accomplished by posting the notice on the frontage of the premises. If no response is forthcoming after the ten-day period, then the enforcing agency may take possession of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” and remove it from the premises. The enforcing agency shall thereafter dispose of the “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” in the same manner as provided herein.

Sec. 109-112. Immunity from liability (a) No person shall be held to answer in any civil or criminal action to any property owner,owner,lien holder or other person legally entitled to the possession of any “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” for disposing of it as contemplated herein. (b) The parish and its elected and/or appointed officials and employees shallnot be held to answer in any civil or criminal action to any property owner,owner,lien holder or other person legally entitled to the possession of any “junk” and/or “abandoned motor vehicle” for disposing of it as contemplated herein. ** *

Sec. 111-201. Jurisdiction of the court. The court

NAYS:

ABSENT:0

ABSTAIN:

WHEREUPON

ATTEST:

Hotard, Andre) NAYS: 0(None) ABSENT:0 (None) ABSTAIN: 0(None)

As aresult of the votes the resolution was adopted on this 23rd Day of October,2025.

CERTIFICATE

I, Michelle Tullier,Council Clerk of the West Baton Rouge Parish Council do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is atrue and correct copy of aresolution adopted by said body at its Regular Meeting of October 23, 2025 which meeting amajority of the members werepresent and voting.

RESOLUTION 26 OF 2025

AResolution To Authorize The Parish President To Sign Intergovernmental Service Agreement Between The Town Of Addis And The Parish Of West Baton Rouge, For Permitting And Inspection Services.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the West Baton Rouge Parish Council does hereby authorize the execution of the attached Intergovernmental Service Agreements between the Town of Addis and the Parish of West Baton Rouge, by Parish President Jason P. Manola on behalf of the West Baton Rouge Parish Council for the purpose of the Parish issuing permits and performingbuilding inspectionsonall new construction/renovationsoccurring within the corporate limits of said municipality for the period of January 1, 2026 –December 31, 2030.

The Foregoing Resolution WasConsidered, And After Public Discussion, AMotion To Approve WasMade By Council Member Kenneth Gordon, Which WasSeconded By CouncilMember Katherine Andre.

The Resolution Having Been Submitted To AVote,The Vote ThereonWas As Follows:

YEAS:

ABSENT:0 (None)

ABSTAIN: 0(None) AND the resolution