The Advocate 11-23-2025 by The Advocate

‘Weget dirty’

Osprey Initiative,a growingbusiness,

traps

trashinLouisiana bayous —and beyond

BY AIDANMcCAHILL Staff writer

Future generations of archaeologists are likely to scratch their heads at Monte SanoPark in Scotlandville.

In the grass, atoilet bowl lies next to a smoke detector.Nearby,weeds grow through thetrunkofa Ford Roadster, parked next to an abandonedmotorboat.

Underneath a section of Interstate 110, litter peppers the ground. During rains, streams of plastic and Styrofoam ﬂow afew feet down into Monte Sano Bayou, its bankslined with hundreds of car tires

“They had been dumping tires in this bayou for two decades,” said Trevor Besse, regional manager for Mobile,Alabama-based Osprey Initiative. The site, notorious forillegal dumping in Baton Rouge, is strategically located for someoneinthe litter business. Besse’sstaff has already removed hundredsoftires, and he’s working to secure apermittotake the rest —estimated at around 2,500 —toa local recycling facility.Clearing the motorboat, though,involves messier paperwork, Besse said Last year,BREC, the LSUAgricultural Center and ExxonMobil sought out Osprey Initiativetoclean more than 600 pounds of trash from the park. The companyhas led similar cleanups at five other sites in Baton Rouge. Afew hundred yardsdownstream from the interstate, another employee, Seth Ransbottom, maneuvers a canoe toward arubber boom that cuts across the bayou. Osprey installs and maintains devices that harness the water to collect trash in small waterways.

Field technician Luis Vargas throws abag of trash and abag of recyclable materialsinthe back of atruck during an Osprey Initiativeroutine check of a litter trapinMonte SanBayou in north Baton RougeonWednesday.

Fundingfor EBRjustice system in dispute

Parish leaderssay cities are notpaying theirfairshare

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

As the combined government for the city of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish faces another budget deﬁcit, it is planning hundreds of layoffs and steep budget cuts. But, while city-parish leaders look inward, some are also looking outward, saying the parish’s other cities aren’tpaying their fair share. The issue is particularly intense whenit comes to parts of the parish’scriminal justice system that are mandated by the state constitution. The coroner,courts, district attorney and parish prison all serve the whole parish, yet Baker,Central, St. George and Zachary don’t contribute anyoftheirtax revenue to support them As theonce-consolidatedcitygovernment increasinglysplinters into individual cities, somethink that needs to change.

“It sounds to me what we’re dealing with is the city of Baton Rouge subsidizing the parish’sconstitutional ofﬁces,”saidcouncil member Cleve Dunn Jr.ata budgethearing Wednesday

See FUNDING, page 8A

Some challengelegality of theirdetentions

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

“Stopping our litter in thesmall water is way easier than having to try and get it in thebig water,” said Besse. “Wewant to be as close to the source as possible.”

Thecompany’slow-tech devices are its hallmark andare becoming more visible in waterwaysacross the country.Osprey collectsgranulardata to map trashhot spots, and also tackles large-scale recycling initiatives, including leading recycling efforts during this year’sSuper Bowl

As President Donald Trump’sadministration aggressively pursues its massdeportation campaign, the number of immigrants challenging the legality of their detention at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Louisiana —a state that has become amajor detention hub in recentyears—has surged. In the roughly 10 months before Trump took ofﬁce in January,23habeas petitions —atype of lawsuit that claims apersonisbeing illegally detained —were ﬁled in federal courts in the state. Between Trump’sJan. 20 inauguration and Nov.1,that number soared, withatleast 95 Louisiana ICE detainees challenging their detention here,areviewoffederal court recordsfound.

See DETENTIONS, page 6A

101ST yEAR, NO.146

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIERGALLEGOS

Field technician Seth Ransbottomsweeps the accumulation of natural debris likeleavesand twigs under theboom to prevent adam from forming during an Osprey Initiativeroutine check of alitter trap in MonteSan Bayouinnorth Baton RougeonWednesday.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Cargo ship catches fire in Port of Los Angeles

A fire on a container ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles was nearly contained Saturday afternoon, though authorities were still assessing whether enough hazardous material burned to cause signiﬁcant contamination.

The blaze, which broke out Friday night, prompted a shelter-in-place order for surrounding communities over concerns about hazardous materials in the One Henry Hudson’s cargo

The order was lifted in the morning, and the ship was moved out to sea. Fireboats sprayed water on the vessel to tame “a small section” that was still on fire, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Adam Van Gerpen said.

The electrical fire apparently started below deck before spreading to several levels of the ship, leading to an explosion mid-deck, according to the ﬁre department. The cause was under investigation.

Roughly 100 cargo containers burned, and many of them carried dangerous materials, Van Gerpen said. Ofﬁcials said some included lithium-ion batteries and other hazardous waste, though it was not clear if they caught ﬁre.

2 Texas men indicted in plot to ‘invade’ Haiti

DALLAS Two Texas men were indicted this week after federal authorities said they conspired to “invade” Haiti.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s ofﬁce for the Eastern District of Texas, Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, of Allen and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, of Argyle are accused of plotting to murder men on an island of Haiti and use the women and children on the island as “sex slaves.” The two men were also indicted on a charge of production of child pornography

According to the indictment, the two men plotted between August 2024 and July 2025, recruiting several people in their plan to sail to the island of Gonave, which is a part of Haiti The two men planned to purchase a sailboat, ﬁrearms and ammunition and recruit homeless people from Washington, D.C as a “mercenary force” to invade the island and stage a coup d’etat.

Authorities said the two men made operational plans, learned the Haitian Creole language and enrolled in schools to learn skills for the invasion plan. The news release and indictment also said Thomas enlisted in the Air Force to learn military skills for the invasion plan.

Ukraine’s allies push back on peace plan

Countries say U.S. proposal favors Moscow, needs revision

By The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Ukraine’s Western allies rallied around the war-torn country on Saturday as they pushed to revise a U.S. peace plan seen as favoring Moscow despite its all-out invasion of its neighbor President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed Ukrainians “will always defend” their home.

A Ukrainian delegation, bolstered by representatives from France, Germany and the U.K., is preparing for direct talks with Washington in Switzerland on Sunday.

The 28-point blueprint drawn up by the U.S. to end the nearly four-year war sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals, with Zelenskyy saying his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. proposal was not his “ﬁnal offer.”

“I would like to get to peace. It should have hap-

pened a long time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened,” Trump said. “One way or the other, we have to get it ended.”

The U.S. plan foresees Ukraine handing over territory to Russia, something Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out, while reducing the size of its army and blocking its coveted path to NATO membership. It contains many of Moscow’s longstanding demands, while offering limited security guarantees to Kyiv

On Saturday leaders of the European Union, Canada and Japan issued a joint statement welcoming U.S peace efforts, but pushed back against key tenets of the plan.

“We are ready to engage in order to ensure that a future peace is sustainable. We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” the statement said. It added that any decisions regarding NATO and the EU would require the consent of member states.

The leaders of France, Germany and the U.K met during the day on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss ways to support Kyiv, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters at the summit that “wars cannot be ended by major powers over the heads of the countries affected,” and insisted Kyiv needed robust guarantees.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the U.S. peace plan for Ukraine

“requires broader consultation” because “it stipulates many things involving Europeans,” like Russia’s frozen assets and Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Europe’s security issues must also be taken into account, Macron said, adding: “We want a robust and lasting peace.” Merz and Macron said that envoys from Germany, France, the U.K. and the EU will join Ukrainian negotiators as they meet a U.S. delegation in Geneva on Sunday to discuss Washington’s proposal. Zelenskyy confirmed the meeting on Saturday, after Trump set a deadline for Kyiv to respond to the plan by next Thursday Among those expected to represent Washington are Trump’s Army secretary, Dan Driscoll, and Marco Rubio, who serves as both national security adviser and secretary of state, according to a U.S official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the American participants before the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity Driscoll presented the U.S. plan to Ukrainian ofﬁcials last week.

European leaders have long warned against rushing a peace deal, seeing their own future at stake in Ukraine’s ﬁght to beat back Russia, and insist on being consulted in peace efforts.

Israel launches strikes in Gaza, testing ceasefire

Hospitals say at least 24 killed

BY WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

DEIRAL-BALAH,Gaza Strip Israel’s military on Saturday launched airstrikes against Hamas militants in Gaza in the latest test of the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said five senior Hamas members were killed. Health officials in Gaza reported at least 24 people killed and another 54 wounded, including children

The strikes, which Israel said were in response to gunfire at its troops, came after international momentum on Gaza, with the U.N. Security Council

on Monday approving the U.S. blueprint to secure and govern the territory It authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security, approves a transitional authority to be overseen by President

Donald Trump and envisions a possible future path to an independent Palestinian state. Israel has previously carried out similar waves of strikes after reported attacks on its forces dur-

ing the ceaseﬁre. At least 33 Palestinians were killed over a 12-hour period Wednesday and Thursday, mostly women and children, health ofﬁcials said.

One of Saturday’s strikes targeted a vehicle, killing 11 and wounding over 20 Palestinians in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, said Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. The majority of the wounded were children, director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.

Associated Press video showed children and others inspecting the blackened vehicle, whose top was blown off.

A strike targeting a house near Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza killed at least three people and wounded

11 others, according to the hospital It said a strike on a house in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed at least seven people including a child and wounded 16 others. Another strike, targeting a house in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, killed three people, including a woman, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital.

Israel’s military in a statement said it launched attacks against Hamas after an “armed terrorist” crossed into an Israeli-held area and shot at troops in southern Gaza. It said no soldiers were hurt. The military said the person had used a road on which humanitarian aid enters the territory, and called it an “extreme violation” of the ceaseﬁre.

ä Trump paints Zelenskyy into corner with peace plan. PAGE 7A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EFREM LUKATSKy

A war veteran throws seeds at the foot of the monument to victims of Holodomor, the Great Famine, which took place in the 1930s and that killed millions, during an annual commemorating ceremony on Saturday in Kyiv Ukraine.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA Palestinians inspect the damage to a house targeted by an Israeli strike on Saturday in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.

week in New Orleans.

Buoyed in part by corporate sustainability initiatives and demand for urban green spaces, Osprey Initiativehas collected over 230,000 pounds of trash and expanded itsservices to 19 parishes, 30 states and three countries since itsfounding in 2017.

“There is aneed and want to increase wetlands and walking trails, but no one planned for the litter,” said Osprey’sfounder, Don Bates, whogrew up in Tangipahoa Parish.

Litter followswater

In apocket of woods across town, Bates explains the roots of junk.

“Population density drives litter —it’sjust that simple,” he said. When it rains, most litter ﬂows to storm drains, through culverts and into waterways. Junk that doesn’tsink often makes its way to the Mississippi River and eventuallythe Atlantic Ocean, Bates said. “Where the water goes, the litter goes with it.”

He’sataproject siteat theBurdenMuseum& Gardens, 440 acres of botanic gardens, walking trails and an outdoor rural life museum —anoasis among strip malls and hotels where you can still hear the roar of Interstate 10.

Field technician Seth Ransbottom picks up litter witha metalgrabber before collecting it in abin placed inside the canoe during an OspreyInitiativeroutine check of alitter trap in Monte SanBayou in north Baton RougeonWednesday.

Bates’s“litter corrals are vertical nets situated in “borrowpits,” small depressions createdafter the Osprey Initiativerepeats theprocess acrossNorth construction workers,Bates said, along with30part-tim spent to

DonBates, owner and president of Osprey Initiative, explains the function of a ‘litter corral’ during a tour of the LSU Burden Museum & Gardens on Wednesday.

systemsand human health.

Once collected, the immediate challenge is what to do with it all.

In Louisiana, forexample, no onehas quiteﬁguredout what to do with hundreds of thousands of tires dumped on back roads andinwaterways, not yet profitable to dispose of at scale.

“Tiresare probably the biggest waste diversion strategyweneed to work on,” said Besse. Some plastics like PET (think water bottles) and HDPE (milk jugs), along with aluminum,can be easily recycled or scrappedlocally.Styrofoam —the largestcategoryOspreyfinds in waterways —isoftentoo degraded to recycle. Plastics like PVC,orcontaminatedmaterials, are known to be shipped to developing countries, where they may simply endupback in waterways.

“Wishful recycling is the biggest threat to recycling,” said Bates. “The biggest costs: fuel and sorting.”

Of the hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash Osprey has collected, about 14% is recyclable,according to data fromtheir website. Osprey,for theirpart, meticulously sorts it all, then ships it to local facilities that process it forfree. Theyalso run mobile sorting centers at large-scale events likefestivals andsporting events.During SuperBowl week in NewOrleans, employees worked 20-hour days. After the game, Osprey cleared the entire sta-

dium of cans and bottles. They’ve done the same at LSU and Tennessee Titans football games. Bates,who livesonthe road most of theyear,speeding between meetings and cleanups, dreamsofturning Osprey into an incubator for other eco-minded businesses.Meanwhile,Besse hopes to create adetailed map of Louisiana’swaterways, showing exactly where the biggest litter problemsare. “It’s gettingthe data and figuring outmeasures on land to prevent litter from gettinginthe waterinthe ﬁrst place,” he said. Both saythe broader solutionistoeducate people aboutproperwaste disposal. Thanks to anti-litter campaigns ledbygroups like Keep America Beautiful, littering is much more shunnedthanitwas 50 years ago, though with America’s consumption habits unlikely to reduceany time soon wastewill continue to ﬁnd its way into water At MonteSanoPark, wherechildrencan play amid toilet bowls and tires, it’sclear Osprey isn’tgoing out of business any time soon.

“Wehaveplayedinthese ditches and waters our whole lives,” said Bates. “In arapidly growing world, protecting and having these green spaces forpeople to enjoy is abig part of our future.”

EmailAidan McCahill at aidan.mccahill@ theadvocate.com.

Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro arrested

Authorities allege plot to escape, avoid 27-year prison term

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE and LUCAS DUMPHREYS Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil Brazil’s federal police on Saturday arrested former President Jair Bolsonaro over suspicion he was plotting to escape and avoid starting a 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt. The decision laid bare some of the country’s divisions, with many uncorking Champagne outside the far-right leader’s prison to celebrate as his supporters prepared a religious act in his favor

In a dramatic and unexpected twist in the ﬁnal stage of a long and divisive criminal trial, federal agents entered Bolsonaro’s house early Saturday under the order of a Supreme Court Justice to take the former president to the headquarters of the country’s federal police in the capital, Brasilia.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case on Bolsonaro’s attempt to keep the presidency after his defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022, ordered the preemptive arrest after saying the far-right leader’s ankle monitor was violated at 12:08 a.m. on Saturday His lawyers claimed in a statement that did not take place.

A report by custody agents released later in the day — and reviewed by The Associated Press said Bolsonaro

NIGERIA

Number of children abducted in attack rises to over 300

By The Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria

A total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted by gunmen during an attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in north-central Nigeria’s Niger state, the Christian Association of Nigeria said Saturday, updating an earlier tally of 215 schoolchildren. The tally was changed “after a verification exercise and a ﬁnal census was carried out,” according to a statement issued by the Most. Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of CAN, who visited the school on Friday.

He said 88 other students “were also captured after they tried to escape” during the attack. The students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18. The school kidnapping in Niger state’s remote Papiri community happened four days after 25 schoolchildren were seized in similar circumstances in neighboring Kebbi state’s Maga town, which is 106 miles away No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions and authorities have said tactical squads have been deployed alongside local hunters to rescue the children.

Yohanna described as false a claim from the state government that the school had reopened for studies despite an earlier directive for schools in that part of Niger state to close temporarily due to security threats.

“We did not receive any circular It must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said, calling on families “to remain calm and prayerful.”

School kidnappings have come to deﬁne insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation, and armed gangs often see schools as “strategic” targets to draw more attention.

lometers (8 miles) away from where the United States of America embassy lies, in a distance that can be covered in a 15-minute drive,” said de Moraes who has been sanctioned by the Trump administration.

In August, Brazil’s federal police found messages that linked Bolsonaro to a political asylum request to Argentina, where an ally of his, Javier Milei, is president Trump was asked outside

the White House on Saturday about Bolsonaro’s arrest, but said that was the ﬁrst he was hearing of it. “Is that what happened? That’s too bad,” he said. Pressed for further comment, he said: “I just think it’s too bad.”

Trump also said he’d spoken with Lula on Friday night and that the two might be meeting “in the very near future.”

Bolsonaro’s lawyers said in a statement that the former

president’s arrest “causes deep perplexity because, as (de Moraes’) chronology of facts shows, it is based in a vigil for prayer,” not a protest. The preemptive arrest of Bolsonaro, who is an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, will be discussed and voted on Monday by the five-justice Supreme Court panel that both convicted and sentenced him to prison by 4 votes to 1 in September

admitted using a soldering iron to try to open the device. In a court video also seen by the AP, Bolsonaro is heard admitting such attempt. The footage shows the ankle monitor’s cap heavily damaged. Bolsonaro, 70, who had been under house arrest, was ordered to wear the device after being deemed a ﬂight risk. His aide Andriely Cirino conﬁrmed that the arrest took place around 6 a.m. on Saturday. In the following hours, dozens of cars honked outside the federal police’s headquarters as some Bolsonaro supporters protested Police have since tried keep the small, but fierce, opposing sides separated.

De Moraes said the arrest was a preventive measure to avoid a potential escape during a protest organized by his

son later Saturday

“Are you going to ﬁght for your country or are you going to watch it all from your cellphone in your home’s sofa?,” Flávio Bolsonaro said in a video inviting people to go outside his fathers’ house at 7 p.m. “I invite you to ﬁght with us.”

De Moraes said the attempt to break the ankle monitor was a conﬁrmation Bolsonaro would try to escape during “the confusion that would be caused by a demonstration organized by his son.”

The judge said there was a chance of Bolsonaro ﬂeeing to the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia. The Supreme Court justice also mentioned other defendants in the coup case and political allies of the former president leaving Brazil to avoid jail.

“He is located about 13 ki-

ExxonMobil investsinSTEM education that brings learning to life in BatonRouge

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbyExxonMobil.

WhenstudentsacrossEastBatonRougeParish cook food usingsolar energy,growplantsinan aquaponics garden or test an engineeringprototype,theyareworkingonmorethanaclassproject. They areputting STEM lessonsintopractice whiledevelopingcriticalthinking,teamworkand

communicationskills.And,thankstoinvestments totalingnearly$500,000thisyear,studentsacross thecapital region have more opportunitiesthan ever to explorescience, technology,engineering andmathematics in ways that couldshape their futures.

TheExxonMobilFoundationprovideda$200,000 grantearlier this year to theFoundationfor East BatonRougeSchoolSystemtosupportthreemajor initiatives:STEMSaturdayeventsfor students in thefalland spring;hands-onSTEAM kits for K-5publicschoolclassroomsinEastBatonRouge Parish;andtheStarSTEMTeachersgrantprogram, whichgives educatorsfunds to bringinnovative STEMprojectstolife.Together,theseeffortsimpact thousandsofstudentsand empowerteachersto providetruly immersiveSTEMinstruction

“These programs aren’t just abouteducation; they’restrategic investmentsinour future workforce,”saidReginaDavis,IntegratedComplex OperationsManagerforExxonMobilBatonRouge “Byengagingstudentsasearly as kindergarten andexposingthemtoSTEM,we’recultivatingthe next generation of engineersand innovatorswho will help drivethe industry forwardright here in BatonRouge.”

TheﬁrstSTEMSaturdayevent took placeon November 1, with aday of hands-on activities for students andfamiliesand afocus on community-based learning. Localeducators andpartner organizationswerejoinedbyExxonMobilBaton

Rougeemployees,who ﬁndthese events just as rewardingasthe studentparticipants.

“You seethatspark when employeesexplain whattheirjobis,”saidRoryDenicola,ExxonMobil BatonRouge Public AffairsAdvisor.“We have severalemployeeswhosaytheybecameinterested in STEM becauseofanevent they attended as akid.Theybecame curiousand interested and wanted to do more.”

That wasthe case forDavis,who metafemale engineer at asummerevent sheattendedwhile a middleschooler.ThatinspiredDavistopursuean engineeringcareerofherown.Today,sheandother leadersare usingeventslikeSTEMSaturdays to do thesamefor thenextgeneration.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By LUIS NOVA

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro stands at the entrance of his home where he is under house arrest on Sept 2 in Brasilia, Brazil.

Among the petitioners are a Pakistani man with an American wife and kids who took a wrong turn after visiting Niagara Falls and ended up at the Canadian border, where he was detained; a Ukrainian truck driver who was detained when he made a delivery at a military base in Texas; and a Russian who opposed the war in Ukraine and spent a year and a half in detention while his asylum claim was processed

The lawsuits illustrate how the Trump administration’s push to detain and deport immigrants in record numbers is sweeping up many people who previously would not have been targeted. And critics argue it shows how those efforts are sometimes crossing legal lines.

“Any insinuation that the Trump administration is detaining people illegally is another smear peddled by the media,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said in a statement.

McLaughlin argues the spike in habeas petitions is a natural result of increased detention and deportations.

“President Trump and Secretary Noem are now enforcing the law and arresting illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country and reversed Biden’s catch and release policy,” McLaughlin continued, referring to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “We are applying the law as written. If a judge ﬁnds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period.”

Meanwhile, immigration attorneys said the Trump administration’s ﬁerce deportation tactics, which include a push to send immigrants to third countries, and recent decisions from the Board of Immigration Appeals have set the stage for a surge in habeas petitions.

Louisiana has the second most ICE detainees behind Texas. ICE has nine holding facilities in the state, which advocates say house over 7,000 detainees. It also has a staging area by an airﬁeld in Alexandria that has become a hub for deportation ﬂights.

In records filed with the habeas petitions, Louisiana detainees expressed frustration with ICE for failing to provide answers about when they will be released or deported, making their detention feel indeﬁnite. In some cases, they begged to be sent to another country because they did not want to remain in ICE custody

“I gonna go crazy and die in here,” an Afghan contractor who worked with the U.S. military and ﬂed the country after the Taliban retook power wrote in a September letter ﬁled in court. “please Release me or deport me to Latin American countries instead of Afghanistan.”

As of Nov. 20, the man, who said he was detained in May 2024 and ordered removed in late January, remained in custody in Louisiana, according to ICE’s detainee locator

A push for removals

ICE has detained four Sudanese men for months after they won court orders blocking their deportations because they were at risk of persecution, the men’s habeas petitions say Sudan is in the middle of a civil war and images of genocide there have recently shocked the world.

The men were detained in August 2024, according to their petitions, which show judges blocked their removal orders within the ﬁrst few months of the Trump administration The government has not appealed those orders, according to the Executive Office of Immigration Review’s case database.

Their cases are an example of a pattern immigration advocates say is becoming more common under Trump: ICE is less frequently releasing people who are under ﬁnal removal orders but cannot be deported to their home countries, often as the government tries to send them to third countries.

Though third country deportations occasionally occurred before Trump took ofﬁce, his administration is pursuing them far more aggressively

“ICE is detaining all these people that have won their cases, won protection to not be deported to a certain country, and then they’re like, Let’s try to send them to a third country,’” said Jeremy Jong, an immigration attorney based in New Orleans. “Before, those people were, for the most part, released.”

The Sudanese men, like many other habeas petitioners, are using a 2001 Supreme Court case called Zadvydas v. Davis to challenge their confinement Though it is not a hard and fast rule, that case set a precedent that ICE cannot hold an immigrant for more than six months after a ﬁnal removal order without a significant likelihood that the immigrant will be deported in the foreseeable future

In one court filing, the Trump administration argued that the possibility of third country removal allowed them to legally detain an immigrant for longer by increasing the likelihood of his deportation.

Immigrants and lawyers are fighting that notion, sometimes describing cases where people have already been rejected by multiple countries.

The Sudanese men ﬁled petitions more than six months after they received their final, deferred removal orders. ICE has attempted to send at least two of them to third countries, court ﬁlings show.

“Sir, why I’m still here? If you want to deport me which country you try on it? And if release when?” one of the men asked ICE in September through a communications form.

“Your case is in HQ for 3rd country guidance and assistance,” an ICE officer wrote back. “Please be patient your case/response is in progress.”

ICE has denied release requests for the men, deeming

Upon his arrival in the U.S., authorities immediately detained Garaev, who was left to wait for his asylum case to unfold. Two months later a judge granted him asylum, but the government twice appealed the decision, once under the Biden administration and once under Trump.

Once the second appeal was dismissed, Garaev was ﬁnally released — after having spent roughly a year and a half at River Correctional Center, an ICE facility in Ferriday

them “ﬂight risks,” according to court records.

Like many detainees who ﬁled petitions, the men are representing themselves.

Not all the challenges ﬁled in Louisiana have held up in court, and many remain pending. In at least two cases, judges have dismissed habeas petitions as premature. Other cases have been dismissed for procedural reasons.

As of Friday, the four Sudanese men, whose habeas cases are pending, remained detained in Louisiana, according to ICE’s detainee locator

New precedents

As DHS uses the threat of detention to pressure people into giving up on their immigration cases, a recent Board of Immigration Appeals decision has made it even harder for some detainees to be released on bond.

In the Matter of Yajure Hurtado, the board ruled that immigration judges could not hear bond requests from people who had entered the country illegally but lived here for at least two years without being apprehended. That decision upended how bond proceedings had been conducted for 40 years, denying bond hearings to a large group of people who were previously eligible, said Homero López, the managing attorney of Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy in New Orleans.

Now, those immigrants are asking for bond through habeas petitions, he said, adding that some federal judges have disagreed with the Hurtado decision.

The Hurtado ruling is part of a flurry of BIA rulings that have generally made it more difficult for immigrants to win their cases or be released on bond, López said, describing the board as being in “lockstep” with Trump’s deportation agenda.

“The Executive Office for Immigration Review is restoring integrity to the immigration adjudication system, and Board of Immigration Appeals decisions reﬂect straightforward interpretations of clear statutory language,” a spokesperson for the Executive Ofﬁce for Immigration Review, which oversees the BIA, said in a statement

A long wait for asylum

Azat Garaev, a physician and former police ofﬁcer, arrived at a U.S. border checkpoint in California in April 2024 to apply for asylum during President Joe Biden’s administration. He left Russia

after he deﬁed mobilization orders to join the war against Ukraine and encouraged soldiers to resist fighting in a war he considered illegal, an immigration judge later wrote.

Garaev had to leave his wife and children behind because he felt that was safer for everyone, his sister said in a letter to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

“What truly breaks you is the uncertainty — not knowing what’s ahead, or how long you’ll be trapped in it. That kind of waiting eats away at you,” he said through a family member who helped translate. “I found myself sinking deeper into depression, drifting between hopelessness and anger.”

His sister requested his release numerous times, to no avail, she said Garaev himself requested parole at least twice and was denied both times, once because

ICE deemed him a “flight risk,” an ICE official said in a statement filed in the federal district court as part of Garaev’s habeas case. In a court filing, Garaev argued he was not a flight risk because he had strong community ties — his sister, an American citizen and longtime Massachusetts resident, was supporting him, he wrote. Garaev’s detention was likely legal because the government is allowed to hold asylum-seekers while their cases are pending, according to López, the immigration attorney But under Trump, it is becoming more common for the DHS to appeal decisions that allow immigrants to stay in the United States, he said Garaev was released on Oct. 15 and is living in Massachusetts where his sister, an American citizen, is based. ICE did not return his passport or foreign driver’s license, his sister said, and the family has struggled to get assistance from the agency

HILARy SCHEINUK

TrumppaintsZelenskyy into corner with peaceplan

BY AAMER MADHANI and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON With his new 28-point plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump is resurfacing his argument that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doesn’t“have the cards” to continue on the battleﬁeld andmust cometo asettlement that heavily tilts in Moscow’sfavor

Trump, who has demonstrated low regard for Zelenskyy dating back to his ﬁrst term,saysheexpects the Ukrainian leader to respond to his administration’snew plan to end the war by next Thursday

The president said Friday of Zelenksyy,“He’sgoing to have to approve it,” though he was more reconciliatory aday later,saying,“Iwould like to get to peace.”

“We’re trying to get it ended. One way or the other,we have to get it ended,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday

Buffeted by acorruption scandalinhis government, battleﬁeld setbacks andanother difﬁcult winter loomingasRussia continues to bombard Ukraine’senergy grid, Zelenskyy says Ukraine is now facing perhaps the most difficult choiceinits history Zelenskyy has not spoken with Trump since the plan became public last week, but has said he expects to talk to the Republican president in coming days. It’slikelytobe another in aseries of tough conversations the two leaders have had over the years.

The ﬁrst time they spoke, in 2019, Trump tried to pressure thethen newlyminted Ukrainian leadertodig up dirt on JoeBidenaheadof the2020 election.That phone call sparked Trump’sﬁrst impeachment.

Trump made Biden’ssupport for Ukraineacentral issue in his successful 2024 campaign, sayingthe conﬂict hadcost U.S. taxpayers too

Oval Office at the White House in Washington.

much money and vowing he would quickly bring the war to an end.

Then early this year in a disastrous Oval Ofﬁce meeting, Trumpand Vice President JD Vance tore into Zelenskyy for what they said was insufficientgratitude forthe morethan $180billion the U.S. had appropriated for military aid and otherassistance to Kyiv sincethe start of the war.That episode led to atemporary suspensionof U.S.assistancetoUkraine.

Andnow with the new proposal, Trump is pressing Zelenskyy to agree to concessions of land to Moscow, amassive reductioninthe size of Ukraine’sarmy,and agreement from Europe to assert that Ukrainewill never be admitted into theNATO military alliance.

“Now Ukraine may find itself facing averydifﬁcult choice: eitherlossofdignity, or the risk of losing akey partner,”Zelenskyysaid in a video address Friday At the center of Trump’s plan is thecallonUkraine to concede the entirety of its eastern Donbas region,even though avast swath of that land remains in Ukrainian control.Analysts at the independent Institute for the Study of Warhave estimated it would take several years for the Russian militaryto

completely seize theterritory, based on its current rate of advances Trump, nevertheless, insists that the loss of the region —which includes cities thatare vital defense, industrialand logisticshubs for Ukrainian forces —isafait accompli.

“Theywill lose in ashort period of time. Youknow so,” Trump said Friday when asked during aFox News Radiointerviewabout his push on Ukraine to give up theterritory.“They’relosingland They’re losing land.”

TheTrump proposal was formally presented to Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursdayby Dan Driscoll, the U.S. Army secretary.The plan itselfwas asurprise to Driscoll’sstaffers, whowere notaware as late as Wednesdaythat their boss would be going to Ukraine as part of ateam to present the plan to theUkrainians.

Army officials walked away from that meeting with theimpression that the Ukrainians were viewing the proposalasa starting point thatwould evolve as negotiationsprogressed,according to aU.S. ofﬁcial,who spoke on condition of anonymityto discuss the sensitive talks. It’sunclear howmuchpatience Trump has for further negotiation. White House

JFK’sgranddaughterreveals terminal cancer diagnosis

By The Associated Press

John F. Kennedy’s granddaughter disclosed Saturday that she has terminal cancer writing in an essayin“The New Yorker” that one of her doctors said she might live for about another year Tatiana Schlossberg,the daughter of Kennedy’sdaughter Caroline Kennedy, and Edwin Schlossberg, wrote that she wasdiagnosed in May 2024 at 34.After the birthofher second child, her doctor noticed her white blood cell count was high. It turned out to be acute myeloid leukemia with arare mutation, mostly seen in older people, she wrote. Her essay was published

on the 62nd anniversary of hergrandfather’s assassination.

senatorstoreject RFKJr.’s conﬁrmation.

Schlossberg, an environmentaljournalist, wroteshe has undergone rounds of chemotherapyand twostem cell transplants, the ﬁrstusing cells from her sister and the next from an unrelated donor,and participated in clinical trials. During thelatest trial, she wrote that her doctor told her “he couldkeep me alive for ayear maybe.”

Schlossberg said thepolicies pushed by hercousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,the U.S.Health and Human Servicessecretary,could hurt cancer patients like her. Caroline Kennedy urged

“As Ispent more and more of my life underthe care of doctors, nurses, andresearchers striving to improve the lives of others, Iwatched as Bobby cut nearly ahalf billion dollars for research intomRNA vaccines, technology that could be usedagainst certain cancers,” shewrote in theessay

Schlossberg wrote about herfears that her daughter and son won’tremember her. She feelscheated and sad that she won’tget to keep living “the wonderful life”she hadwithher husband, George Moran. While herparentsand siblings try to hide their pain from her, she said she feelsitevery day

press secretary Karoline Leavittsaid Thursday that Trump’snew planreflects “the realities of the situation” and offersthe “bestwin-win scenario,where both parties gain more than they must give.”

Asked about Zelenskyy’s initial hesitant response to the proposal, Trump recalled the February Oval Office blowupwith Zelenskyy:“You remember,right in theOval Ofﬁce, not solong ago, Isaid, ‘You don’thave the cards.’” Trump, though,was also asked Saturday if theproposal was hisfinal offer to end the Ukraine war and said it wasn’t— leaving open the possibility of more negotiation. Still, asked what would happen if Ukraine and Zelenskyy ultimately reject the proposal,the president turned almost dismissive: “Then he can continue to ﬁght his littleheartout.”

Themountingpressure from Trump comes as Zelenskyy is dealing with fallout over $100 million in kickbacksfor contracts with the state-owned nuclear energy company. Thescandalled to the resignations of top Cabinet ministersand implicated other Zelenskyy associates Konstantin Sonin, apolitical economist and Russia expert at the University of Chicago, said, “What Donald Trump is certainly extremely good at is spotting weak spots of people.”

One of the28elements of Trump’sproposal calls for elections to be held within 100 days of enactment of the agreement.

“I think it’s arationalistic assessment that there is moreleverage over Zelenskyy thanover Putin,” Sonin said. He added, “Zelenskyy’s back is against thewall” and “his government could collapse if he agrees” to the U.S. proposal.

All the while, Ukraine is increasingly showing signs of strain on the battleﬁeld after years of war against avastly largerand better-equipped Russianmilitary.Ukraine is

desperately trying to fend offrelentlessRussianaerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country on the brink of winter

Kyiv is also grappling with doubts about the way ahead. AEuropean plan to ﬁnance next year’sbudget for Ukraine through loans linked to frozen Russian funds is now in question.

The Trump proposal in its current form also includes severalelementsthatwould cut deeply into Ukrainian pride, said David Silbey,a military historian at Cornell University

One provision calls on Russia and Ukraine to abolish “all discriminatory measures

andguarantee therightsof Ukrainian and Russian media andeducation,” and“all Nazi ideology and activities must be rejected and prohibited.”Thatelement could be seen by the Ukrainianside as giving credence to Putin’s airing of distorted historical narratives to legitimizethe 2022 invasion. Putin has said the warisin part an effort to “denazify” Ukraine and complainedof thecountry’s“neo-Nazi regime” as ajustification for Russia’sinvasion. In fact,in Ukraine’s last parliamentary election in 2019, support for far-right candidates was 2%, significantlylower than in manyother European countries.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

PHOTO By MySTySLAV CHERNOV

Vice PresidentJDVance, right, speaks withUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,left, as PresidentDonald Trump listens on Feb.28inthe

Schlossberg

District Attorney Hillar Moore,for example, facesan 11% budget cut as the cityparish general fund shrinks. But he argues hisoffice is alreadyunderfunded and his budget should actually be much larger,because it is operating with fewer staff andless money than its peers while serving Louisiana’s most-populousparish —and hemorrhaging employees in the process.

“We’re just forced to do more with signiﬁcantly less,” said JonDaily,Moore’s CPA. “As city-parish coffers erode away by new areas incorporating …that’s less money to scale up constitutional parishwide services accordingly.”

Together,Baker,Central, St. George and Zachary represent33% of theparish population, but none pays adime to fund these ofﬁces.

“It mightbeahardsellfor elected officials tosay you have to pay for something you’ve beengettingfree,” Moore said. “But freedom is not free,and public safety is not free. It comeswith a price tag.”

Raising thestakes

Butsome of theleaders of the other municipalities argue the law is clear on who should pay for those services.

“Under Louisiana law, funding the district attorney and other constitutional ofﬁces is aparish responsibility, not acity’s,”said St George Mayor Dustin Yates. “If thereisadesire to change that, we are happy to engage in dialogue. Iamcertain cities and parishes across Louisiana have perspectives to share on this law also.”

Less moneyinthe bucket

The DA, coroner, 19th Judicial District Court and the parish prison —deﬁned as “constitutional offices” by state law —all receive funding from the city-parish general fund, along with the Public Defender’sOfﬁce.

That fund is made up almost entirely of a2%sales tax collected parishwide except for what is collected in Baker,Central, Zachary and St. George, as those incorporated cities keep that revenue to fund their governments.

When Baker,Central and Zachary incorporated, many say that funding for the district attorney and others was an afterthought, since each had arelatively small population.

But when St. George became acity last year,itinstantly took one-ﬁfth of the parish’sresidents and sales tax base with it.Thatmeant that about20% less money is going into the bucket that pays for Moore’sofﬁce, the court, coroner and prison.

At certainpoints in the past, St. George leadersacknowledgedtheywould pay for constitutional offices uponincorporation. In 2022,during the legal battle overSt. George’sincorporation with then-Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, the newcity’sown proposedbudget included a$6.6 million annual contribution to these ofﬁces

TheCommittee for the Incorporation of St.George’s wrote in 2018 that the “committee has statedthatthe City of St. Georgewill fund 19.2% of the total expenditures of Constitutional and Parish-wide ofﬁces.”

Butsince St. George became acity in April 2024, none of the budgetsithas adopted or amended have included any such funding.

Last year,during negotiations with St. Georgeduring the new city’stransition period, Broome’sadministration proposedthe newcitypay annual fees of $2.1 million for theDA, $2.2 million for courts, $876,000for thecoroner and $190,000 for prison maintenance

But when the Edwards administration finalized the intergovernmental agreement in April this year,none of those payments made it into the deal.

going to come pickupthat body,” said Baton Rouge Judge Tarvald Smithtocouncil membersWednesday

Smith pointed out that “Moore’soffice is goingto prosecute that case” andtold the council it would be tried in his courthouse.

Thecoroner,districtattorney,and other parishwide ofﬁces, “they go to St.George too,” Smith said. Time to payup?

Council memberDarryl Hurst said somecost-related research has been done for these parishwide services for which “Baton Rouge is paying for all of, and if not all, the majority.

If constitutional office costs were dividedevenly parishwide,Hurst said, it would mean Baker,Central, Zacharyand St. George collectivelycontributingabout $11.2 milliontothe city-parish general fund.

Yates emphasized that state laws task parishes, notcities,withfundingconstitutionalofﬁces.

While property taxes don’t fundthe general fund, he said St.Georgealreadysupports other parish functions through its property-tax base.And, while St. George’s creation meant less revenue for theparish,it also meant that government had to provide fewer services.

But other ofﬁcials see adifferentreality

“God forbid there’sahomicide in the parish of Baton Rouge, sayit’sinSt. George, Baker, Central,Zacharyor Baton Rouge, the coroner is

“Everybody should be paying their fair share,” he said. Hurst also noted the amount of civil filings the local court handlesthatoriginate in theother incorporated cities, many related to businesses located in each. Smithpresented a similaridea.

“I’ll give youanexample of freelawsuits,”the judge said. “Let’ssay the city of St. George sues thecityofCentral,Zachary,Baker or vice versa. Nobody’sgoing to pay anything until it getstothe appellatelevel.”

In this scenario,solely BatonRouge and unincorporated taxdollarswould be funding this suit, which might take years to conclude, and would rack up coststothe court.

For2025, the city-parish allotted the district court just over $9 million. The courtrequested $10.9 for next year, but under Mayor-President

Sid Edwards’ proposed budget,itwould get just over $8 million.

Moore tried to decouple his ofﬁce’sbudgetfromthe city-parish earlier this year when he went out for his own property tax,but 60% of parish voters rejected it

Though he requested $22.6 million for next year, Edwards’ proposed 2026 budget would reduceMoore’s budget from $8.3 million to $7.4 million. It would be district attorney’ssmallest budgetsince 2020, even as hiscaseload sits at itshighest pointinthat same period.

DA maysue over funding

If Metro Council adopts the mayor’s budget and cuts his funding, Moore says he will likely ﬁlealawsuit to have a judge stophis budget from being slashed.

He has also been working with legislators to possibly have abill written that would bring state fundingfor hisofﬁce’sfundinguptopar with the district attorney’sofﬁces in Orleansand Jefferson parishes. But it could be along wayoff before he would see any additional state funds, and in the meantime, he says he can’t afford to lose more staff.

Mooresaidhe’slost about 30 attorneys in the past 16 months, most of whom have left becausehis ofﬁcecan’t offer competitive pay Andwithsalaries making up 90% of his ofﬁce’sbudget, there’snot muchtocut other than people.

“Wehavebeen operating under austerity,” saidDaily, Moore’sCPA.“Historically, ourstaff is about 150-160.

Currently,we’re at about 125.

So, we’re barely two-thirds the size of our peers, despite serving alarger population.”

State lawsaysthatparishes must meet “reasonable and necessary” funding requests by their constitutional ofﬁces.

That phrase is frustratinglyvague to Mooreand others. Still, he believes a court would rulethat hisofﬁce’s current ﬁnancial state does notmeet theambiguous wording.

Edwards’budgetwould likely mean theelimination of about220 positions and 200 layoffs of current cityparish employees.

Though it includes roughly

11% cuts to nearly every department, the Fire Department and the Baton Rouge Police Department would not be cut, which some say could addtothe burden on the court system.

“I respect the mayor and what he’s saying about he doesn’twant to cut police,” Smith said. “But when you have the policeout there arresting …you’re going to have abacklog.”

Some council members have made the same point, that BRPD working with the same budget as they did this year and handing the same amountofworktofewer prosecutors,public defenders and courts would force cases to take even longer to go through the court system. Those gaps in funding between police, the constitutional ofﬁces and the public defender can pose athreat to public safety,they argue. “Itstill slowsdown the legalprocessifthese people areonbondfor three years that probably should have had their due process in 12 to 24 months,” Hurst said. “So somebody whoisgoing to get convictedfor acrime of murderoranother heinouscrime is outonbond, potentially committing more heinous crimes, because we don’t have the ability to fast-track through thesystem withadequate defense while we also have adequate prosecution.” The Metro Council will vote on the 2026 proposed budget on Dec.9

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Before comingtoLeBlancSpine Center, Iwas dealingwithlow back pain and an SI joint problem, andIhad no gel betweenmylower joints.I hadbeen struggling with this forabout ayearand hadtried exercisesand wearingbelts just to get by.Since starting care here,I’d sayI’veimprovedabout 80%.The pain relief has made arealdifference,and I’ve also noticedimprovedposture.The staff here is agreat grouptoworkwith-they really care andtreat youwell. Ican’t say there’sanythingIdislikedabout my care becauseeverythinghas been positive Imay notbedoing anything brand new, butI’m doingitwithlesspain than before,and that has made life better.I woulddefinitely recommendLeBlanc SpineCentertoothersbecause they’re agreat grouptoworkwith, they help improve posture, andmostimportantly, they help reduce pain Barry Acy (Retired) Hometown -Gonzales, LA

Ihad been dealingwithpain for about7 yearsbeforecomingto LeBlancSpine Center.WhenI first came in,Ihad pain at alevel 10 andhad only triedshots before whichdidn’treallysolve anything. I’dsay I’mabout 40-50% improved now, andthe staff here hasbeen great.WhatI love most is thegirls andeverythingtheydo-they really make youfeelcared for. Idon’t have anything negative to sayabout my care.I’m able to come home from bowlingand put iceonand keep moving;Istill do some things Icouldn’tbefore, just notasoften,and thepain going down my legatnight isn’tasbad as it used to be.I wouldtellanyone whoneedshelptopleasego-if youneed help,they’ll help you.

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Forthe next 7days, we areofferingaspecial “Decompression Evaluation”offer,atnocostto you! What does this offer include? Everything we normally do in ournew patientevaluations:

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IcametoLeBlancSpine Centerwith pain in my left arm, shoulder,and neck andI hadtwo fingersonmylefthand that were numb.Ihad been dealing with this forover8monthsand had triedshots,therapy,MRIs, andX-rays before,but nothingwas really helping. Sincecominghere, I’ve improved about 90%. Thestaff is amazing-always knowledgeable,friendly,and helpful, andthe servicefromthe doctorsand team hasbeengreat.WhatIlovemostis thepain reduction,because it’s allowed me to take better care of my dadand grandkids, cutthe grass,dohousework andeven fish again.IfeellikeI have more mobility andI’m more relaxednow that Ican do more activities.Honestly, theonlythingI don’t love is thedrivewe need an office in Gonzales!Theyare amazing, though. Please give them atry before anysurgeries.

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U.N. deal boosts money to nations hit by climate change

BY SETH BORENSTEIN, MELINA WALLING and ANTON L. DELGADO Associated Press

BELEM, Brazil United Nations climate talks in Brazil reached a subdued agreement Saturday that pledged more funding for countries to adapt to the wrath of extreme weather But the catch-all agreement doesn’t include explicit details to phase out fossil fuels or strengthen countries’ inadequate emissions cutting plans, which dozens of nations demanded

The Brazilian hosts of the conference said they’d eventually come up with a road map to get away from fossil fuels working with hard-line Colombia, but it won’t have the same force as something approved at the conference called COP30. Colombia responded angrily to the deal after it was approved, citing the absence of wording on fossil fuels.

The deal, which was approved after negotiators blew past a Friday deadline, was crafted after hours of late night and early morning meetings in COP30 President André Cor-

geopolitics today we’re actually quite pleased with the bounds of the package that came out,” said Palau Ambassador Ilana Seid, who chaired the coalition of small island nations. “The alternative is that we don’t get a decision and that would have been a worse alternative.”

“This deal isn’t perfect and is far from what science requires,” said former Ireland President Mary Robinson, a fierce climate advocate for the ex-leaders group The Elders. “But at a time when multilateralism is being tested, it is signiﬁcant that countries continue to move forward together.”

“This year there has been a lot of attention on one country stepping back,” U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said, referring to the United States’ withdrawal from the landmark 2015 Paris agreement. “But amid the gale-force political headwinds, 194 countries stood ﬁrm in solidarity — rock-solid in support of climate cooperation.”

Miliband said the agreement was “an important step forward,” but that he would have preferred it to be “more ambitious.” He added: “These are difﬁcult, strenuous, tiring, frustrating negotiations.”

The deal was approved minutes into a plenary meeting open Saturday to all nations that were present.

After the main package was approved to applause by many delegates — angry nations took the ﬂoor to complain about other parts of the package and about being ignored as do Lago moved quickly toward approval The objections were so strong that do Lago temporarily halted the session to try to calm things down.

rêa do Lago’s ofﬁce.

Do Lago said the tough discussions started in Belem will continue under Brazil’s leadership until the next annual conference “even if they are not reﬂected in this text we just approved.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the deal shows “that nations can still come together to confront the defining challenges no country can solve alone.” But

he added: “I cannot pretend that COP30 has delivered everything that is needed. The gap between where we are and what science demands remains dangerously wide.”

Some countries said they got enough out of the deal.

Colombia’s Daniela Duran Gonzalez objected to sections on helping nations cut emissions and reaching worldwide temperature limits that were previously agreed upon. She blasted the conference’s president for ignoring her, saying: “The COP of the truth cannot support an outcome that ignores science.”

deportation for immigrants from certain countries.

Many gave the deal lukewarm praise as the best that could be achieved in trying times, while others complained about the package or the process that led to its approval.

“Given the circumstances of

“COP30 has not delivered everything Africa asked for, but it has moved the needle,” said Jiwoh Abdulai, Sierra Leone’s environment minister What really matters, he said, is “how quickly these words turn into real projects that protect lives and livelihoods.”

U.K. Energy Minister Ed

An area that usually gets less attention became a big point of contention. The approved deal established 59 indicators for the world to judge how nations are adapting to climate change. Before the Belem conference, experts crafted 100 precisely worded indicators, but negotiators changed the wording and cut the total. Pledge sparks fear and legal questions

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ

Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s pledge to terminate temporary legal protections for Somalis living in Minnesota is triggering fear in the state’s deeply-rooted immigrant community along with doubts about whether the White House has the legal authority to enact the directive as described.

In a Truth Social post late Friday, Trump said he would “immediately” strip Somali residents in Minnesota of Temporary Protected Status, a legal safeguard against

The announcement drew immediate pushback from some state leaders and immigration experts, who characterized Trump’s declaration as a legally dubious effort to sow fear and suspicion toward Minnesota’s Somali community, the largest in the nation.

“There’s no legal mechanism that allows the president to terminate protected status for a particular community or state that he has beef with,” said Heidi Altman, policy director at the National Immigrant Justice Center

“This is Trump doing what he always does: demagoguing immigrants without justiﬁcation or evidence and using that demagoguery

in an attempt to take away important lifesaving protections,” she added.

The Trump administration has until mid-January to revoke the legal protection for Somalis nationally But that move would affect only a tiny fraction of the tens of thousands of Somalis living in Minnesota. A report produced for Congress in August put the number of Somalis covered by TPS at just 705 nationwide.

“I am a citizen and so are (the) majority of Somalis in America,” Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Somali, said in a social media post Friday “Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate.”

Still, advocates warned the move could inﬂame hate against a community at a time of rising Islamophobia.

“This is not just a bureaucratic change,” said Jaylani Hussein, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “It is a political attack on the Somali and Muslim community driven by Islamophobic and hateful rhetoric.”

In his social media post, Trump claimed, without offering evidence, that Somali gangs had targeted Minnesota residents and referred to the state as a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.” Federal prosecutors have in recent weeks brought charges against dozens of people in a social-

services fraud scheme. Some of the defendants hail from Somalia.

“Accountability is coming,” Minnesota Republican Rep. Tom Emmer wrote in response to that story

Minnesota Gov Tim Walz, a Democrat, has noted that Minnesota consistently ranks among the safest states in the country “It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community,” Walz said Friday “This is what he does to change the subject.”

In response to Trump’s announcement, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison his office was “exploring all of our options,” adding that Trump “cannot terminate TPS for just one state or on a bigoted whim.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDRE PENNER

André Corrêa do Lago, COP30 president, sits as Simon Stiell, United Nations climate chief, left, speaks with other U.N. officials Saturday during a plenary session at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit in Belem, Brazil.

Trumpunder pressure to deliverwithEpstein files

Republicans hypedrelease foryears

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON Whatbegan as acampaign-trail promise

to release the Jeffrey Epstein files has become one of the most fraught tests of President Donald Trump’s second term—opening a rift in his political coalition and raising the stakes foran administration now under intense pressure to produce documents that may fall far short of public expectations.

The issue came to ahead last week. After months of efforts by the Trump administration to quash it, both chambers of Congress passed ameasure forcing the release of the Epstein files with nearunanimous support. Trump, who changed course days before the vote to bless the effort, signed the legislation Wednesday,starting a30day window for the Justice Department to deliverthe records.

Expectations are sky-high, fueled by years of conspiracy theories promoted by many now in Trump’sorbit.

Yetwith some claims —such as arumored “client list” of prominent men linked to Epstein —already deemed nonexistentbyfederal ofﬁcials, the anti-establishment coalition Trump builtinpart by elevating those theories is showing cracks that may widen with the anticipated release

“Watching this actually turn into aﬁght has ripped MAGA apart,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said this week, flanked by Epstein survivors aheadof the House vote.

“The only thing thatwill speak to the powerful, courageous women behind me is when action is actually taken to release these ﬁles,” said Greene, who announced late Friday that she will resign from Congress in January.“And the American peoplewon’t tolerate anyother bulls***.”

Epstein’sabuse and 2019 death in aNew York jail cell have generated conspiracy theories foryears,especially on the political right.

On the campaign trail, Trumpexpressedopenness to releasing theinvestigative documents, nodding to anti-establishment demands to open up the government’s files on other high-profile cases such as the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr

WithoutExploitation projection is

on the wall of theNational GalleryofArt in Washington callingonCongress tovote yesonthe Epstein Files Transparency Act.Congress voted and PresidentDonald Trump signed thebill directing the Justice Departmentto makepublic files on JeffreyEpstein later last week.

But once Trumpwas back in office, divulging records from the federal investigations, aswell as satisfying the appetites of conspiracy theorists,became lessappealing. AttorneyGeneral Pam Bondi raised expectations of afullrelease,only to reverse course over thesummer.Her attempt toclose the bookonthe Epstein saga outragedmany on theright. It was the first sign of a rift in Trump’scoalition, and Democrats took notice. In Congress, they began looking for waystoforce Republicans to take votes on releasing the Epstein files. Eventually,theyfound traction with two tracks: initiating an investigation inthe House Oversight and GovernmentReform Committee and putting full support behind ararelysuccessful petition that maneuvers around the House speaker’s control of which bills see the floor.

The Democratic effort, joinedbyafew keyRepublicans, includingGreene, culminated last week in passage of the billwithoverwhelming support from bothchambers of Congress. It was asign thatthe Epstein ﬁles had risen from the realm of obscure conspiracy theorists to apolitical force that neither political party could deny.

Still, it’snot clear whether thecomplete ﬁles will bereleased —or that thepublic interest in them will ever be satisﬁed.

At aTuesday newsconference ahead of theHouse vote, the bill’ssponsors Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., andRep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.,joined Greene and several Epstein survivors in warningthe administration not to hold anythingback.

“The real test will be whether the Department of Justicereleasesthe files,

of Information Act requests.

Lawmakers believethere are reamsmore of documents, but they have receivedlittle indication that theDepartment of Justice is ready to put out that information despite asubpoena from the House Oversight Committeethat was issued in August.

Khanna said he still has concerns about how fully theadministration will comply,but he believespassage of thebill, andthe possibility of contempt of Congress, gives lawmakers leverage. He declined to speculate about who mightappear in the ﬁles but said he expects whistleblowers to emerge if

anything is withheld.

“The president has realized, as Marjorie Taylor Greene said, that this is splitting his MAGA base,” Khanna said.

“It would be foolish for him to have adrip, drip, drip ﬁght. Imean, if he wantsto fight over Epsteinthe remainder of his presidency, Isuppose we can. But that’s not really smart.”

Khanna, aSiliconValley progressive with aspirations for higher ofﬁce, hopes the Epstein ﬁght will evolve into abroadermovement, describing it as amodern version of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s“forgotten class against the economic

royalists.”

“This is aforgotten America against the Epstein class,” Khanna said in an interview

“There’sareal anger at an elite that people think areout of touchand taking away control over the lives,” he added. As Democrats look for ways to reconnect with working-class voters, Khanna thinksthe party should pursue causes like the Epsteinfiles.Hehas already begun discussions with Massie, Greene and others about teaming up again.

“This crack,” Khanna said of theEpstein vote, is the “answer to takingon Trump.”

or whetheritall remains tied up in investigations,” Greenesaid,addingthat whether alist of names is released “will be the real test.”

While Bondi in February said on Fox Newsthatan Epstein “client list”was “sittingonmydesk right now to review,” herdepartmenthas since reversed course, saying such alist doesn’texist

In aletter this July,the JusticeDepartment said its review uncovered no incriminating “client list.”

It’s oneexampleofhow theTrumpadministration helped build hype for the release of ﬁles —and areminder of the political danger in being unable to deliver thematerial his coalition has long believed is hidden.

Before Congress got involved, tens of thousands of pages of recordswere released over the years through civil lawsuits, Epsteinand Maxwell’spublic criminal case dockets,public disclosures and Freedom

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer

Norfolk Southernrailroad

worked with the state of Ohio and YoungstownStateUniversityto revive plans for a$20 million ﬁrst responder training center nearthe site of the worst derailment in a decade in East Palestine,Ohio.

Building atraining center to help prepare ﬁreﬁghters to deal with a railroad disaster was quicklypart of the plan after the derailmenton Feb.3,2023,that forced the evacuation of roughly half the small town nearthe Ohio-Pennsylvania border and left residents with worries about thepotential long-term

healthimpacts But Norfolk Southern said last Januarythat East Palestineofﬁcials

hadagreed with the railroad as part of the town’s $22 million settlement thatthe training center wasn’tgoing to be feasible because of concernsabout theongoing operating costs. The railroad even agreed to give 15 acres of land it hadbought for the centertothe town.

Now the railroad is going to partnerwith Youngstown State to build andoperate the training center to help preparefirst respondersto deal with the unique challenges of atrain derailment that can spill hazardous chemicals being carried in railcars. In East Palestine, the derailed train cars burned for days, and ofﬁcials decided to blow open ﬁve tank cars of vinyl chloride because they feared those cars might explode.

“By working together, we’ve

turned this vision of an economic andeducational center dedicated to enhancing community safety into asustainable reality,” railroad CEO Mark George said. The railroadhas committed morethan $135 million to help the townrecover from the derailment andagreed to pay$600 million in aclass-action settlement with residents, though those settlement payments are on hold because of apending appeal andaccounting problemswith the ﬁrst company that was distributing checks. Local East Palestinefirst responders will have free access to training at the facility.Mayor Trent Conaway said this will “better prepare them to serve ourvillage and the communities in our region.”

Parents: Babies whodrank ByHeartformula gotsickmonthsbeforeoutbreak

BY JONEL ALECCIA AP health writer

As healthofficialsinvestigate more than 30 cases of infantbotulism linked to ByHeart baby formula since August, parents who say their childrenwere sickened with the same illness months before the current outbreak are demanding answers, too. California public health ofﬁcials conﬁrmed late Friday thatsix babies in that state who consumed ByHeart formula were treated for botulism between November 2024 and June 2025, up to nine months before the outbreak that has sickened at least 31 babies in 15 states.

At thetime,therewas “not enough evidencetoimmediately suspect acommon source,” the California Department of Public Health said in astatement.

Even now,“we cannot connect any pre-August 1cases to the current outbreak,” ofﬁcialssaid.

Parents of at least five babies said that their infants were treated for the rare and potentially deadly disease after drinking ByHeart formula in late 2024 and early 2025, according to reports shared with The Associated PressbyBill Marler,aSeattle food safety law-

yer representing thefamilies.

AmyMazziotti, 43, of Burbank, California,said her then-5-montholdson, Hank, fell ill and was treated forbotulism in March, weeks after he begandrinkingbottles

ﬁlled with ByHeart formula.

Katie Connolly,37, of Lafayette, California,saidher daughter, M.C., then 8months old, was hospitalized in April and treated for botulism after beingfed ByHeart formula in hopes ofhelping the baby sleep.

Formonths, neither mother had any idea where the infections could have originated. Such illnesses in babies typically are caused by spores spread in the environment or bycontaminated honey

Then ByHeart recalled allofits products nationwide on Nov.11in connectionwithgrowing casesof infant botulism.

As soon as she heard it was ByHeart, Mazziotti saidshe thought:

“This cannot be acoincidence.”

ByHeart ofﬁcialsthis week con-

ﬁrmed that laboratorytests of previously unopened formula found that somesamples werecontaminated with the type of bacteriathat leads to infant botulism.

Marler said at least three other cases that predate the outbreak involved babies who drank By-

Heartand were treated for botulism,according to their families. One consumed ByHeartformula in December 2024. The other two were sickened later in the spring, he said.

An ofﬁcial with the U.S. Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention said federalinvestigators were aware of reports of earlier illnessesbut that efforts arefocused now on understanding the unusual surgeofdozens of infectionsdocumented since Aug. 1.

“Thatdoesn’t mean that they’re not necessarily part of this,”said Dr.Jennifer Cope, aCDC scientist leading the probe.“It’sjust that rightnow,we’re focusingonthis large increase.”

Because so muchtimehas passed andbecause parents of babieswho gotsick earlier may not have recorded lot numbers of product or kept empty cansof formula, “itwill makeitharder to deﬁnitively link them”tothe outbreak, Cope said. Connolly saiditfeels likeher daughter has been forgotten Cope and other health ofﬁcials said the strong signal connecting ByHearttoinfant botulismcases only became apparent in recent weeks.

Before this outbreak, no powderedinfant formula in the U.S. had tested positive for the type of bacteriathat leads to botulism, California health ofﬁcialssaid. The number of cases also were within an expectedrange. Atest of acan of open formula fedtoasick baby in thespring did not detect the bacterium.

Then, beginning in August and through October,more cases were identiﬁed on the East Coast involving atype of toxin rarely detected in theregion, ofﬁcials said. More cases were seeninveryyoung infantsand morecases involved ByHeart formula, which accounts for less than 1% of infant formula sold in theU.S.

Earlier this month, after asample from acan of ByHeart formula fed to asick infant tested positive for thegermthat leads to illness, ofﬁcialsnotiﬁed the CDC,the U.S Food and Drug Administrationand thepublic.

Less than 200cases of infant botulism arereportedinthe U.S. each year. The disease is caused when babiesingest spores that germinate in the gut andproduce atoxin. The bacterium that leads to illness is ubiquitous in the environment,including soil and water,

so the source is often unknown.

Ofﬁcials at the California Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program track reports of botulism and the distribution of the only treatment for the illness, an IV medication called BabyBIG.

Outside food safety experts said the CDC should count earliercases as part of the outbreak if babies consumed ByHeart formula and weretreated forbotulism.

“Absolutely,yes, they should be included,” said Frank Yiannas, former deputy commissionerfor food policyand response at theU.S Food andDrugAdministration “Why wouldn’tthey be included?” Sandra Eskin, chief executive of STOP Foodborne Illness, an advocacy group, agreed.

“This outbreakistraumatic for parents,” she said. “They may have fedtheir newborns andinfants aproduct they assumed was safe. And now they’re dealing with hospitalization andserious illness of their babies.”

Connolly and Mazziotti said their babies are improving, though they still have some lingering effects. Botulism causes symptomsthat include constipation,poor feeding, head and limbweakness and other problems.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GENE J. PUSKAR Crews work Feb. 9, 2023, on the cleanup of aderailed Norfolk Southern freight train in East Palestine, Ohio.

Pope discusses his Wordle strategy

Leo XIV addresses National Catholic youth Conference via video

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME — Pope Leo XIV

opened a virtual meeting with American Catholic young people Friday by revealing a closely held pontiﬁcal secret: He uses a different Wordle start word each day

Leo divulged his strategy for the popular New York Times online game before ﬁelding questions via videoconference about artiﬁcial intelligence, social media and the future of the Catholic Church.

The Chicago-born pope was hooked up from the Vatican to speak remotely to the National Catholic Youth Conference, an annual Catholic rally held this year in Indianapolis, via a feed from U.S. Catholic broadcaster EWTN.

After Leo’s election in May his brother John Prevost revealed that Leo plays Wordle every day and that the brothers compare scores, as many friends and family do.

Leo was asked about his strategy at the start of Friday’s Q&A, which was otherwise somewhat scripted. Playing along, Leo revealed “I use a different word for Wordle every day, so there’s no set starting word.”

The simple, free online puzzle lets players guess a ﬁve-letter word in six tries with no hints and has millions of daily players around the world. After the big reveal, Leo

spent the hourlong encounter fielding prepared questions from a handful of the conference participants, who asked him speciﬁcally about technology’s hold on young people. Leo, who himself was a Twitter user before his election, said social media was a great way to stay connected and to even deepen one’s faith.

But he warned that it can never replace real human relationships. He urged young

people to follow the example of St. Carlo Acutis, a teenage Catholic influencer canonized earlier this year who set limits on his screen time to make sure video games didn’t monopolize his free time.

“I encourage you to follow the example of Carlo Acutis,” Leo said. “Be intentional with your screen time Make sure technology serves your life and not the other way around.”

Mo. judge who wore Elvis wig to step down

BY HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press

A Missouri judge who wore an Elvis Presley wig in his courtroom and played the singer’s music from his phone during court proceedings has agreed to a deal that would cut his career on the bench short.

Judge Matthew Thornhill in suburban St. Louis faces a six-month unpaid suspension under the deal he reached with a state board to avoid a disciplinary hearing. After the suspension, he would serve 18 more months on the bench before resigning from the St Charles County Circuit Court.

The agreement, reached last month, is pending before the Missouri Supreme Court, spokeswoman Beth Riggert said Friday. The court agreed

Thursday to accept 35 letters in support of Thornhill’s character.

Thornhill wrote that he intended “to add levity at times when I thought it would help relax litigants.” But he added: I now recognize that this could affect the integrity and solemnity of the proceedings.”

Online court records don’t indicate who filed the complaint that triggered the discipline His attorney, Neil Bruntrager, didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press on Friday While the Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline also faulted Thornhill for talking about politics from the bench, it highlighted his affinity for the “ King of Rock ‘n’ Roll ” first. The court file is sprinkled with photos of Thornhill

on the bench or posing with staff in a plastic Elvis wig and sunglasses.

According to the commission, Thornhill routinely wore the wig in the courtroom around Halloween and would offer people options on how they wanted to be sworn in before testifying, including an option where he played Elvis’ music from his phone. Thornhill also sometimes played the songs while entering the courtroom, court records show The board also said Thornhill sometimes mentioned Elvis lyrics or the singer’s date of birth or death during court, even though it wasn’t relevant.

All the Elvis references violated rules requiring a judge to maintain “order and decorum” and “promote conﬁdence in the integrity of the judiciary,” the commission

found, without saying how long the behavior had been going on.

amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

By Amanda McElfresh|

This articleisbrought to youbythe LouisianaFarmBureauFederation.

Louisianaagricultureisfacingadifficultchapter andevolvingchallenges, butthere is reasonfor hope,thanksinparttothe work of theLouisiana Farm Bureau Federation.

Throughout 2025,growers across thestate –particularly feed grainand rice farmers–have facedsofteningdemand,highoverheadcostsand impactsfromnew invasive pests. In addition burdensome regulationsand uncertaintyon thefederal levelhaveleftmanyunsureabout what comesnext.

“You have ﬁnancial stress in theagriculture sector that we haven’tseeninalongtime,”said RichardFontenot, presidentofthe Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation andanEvangeline Parish farmer.“It’s heartbreakingwhenyou work allyearand then can’t payyourbills.Quite afew commoditiesare in dire straitsand aren’t sure if they willbeabletoget aproductionloan fornextyear.

In such hard times, theLFBFhas become a havenfor many farmers, servingasasounding board, aresourceand away forthemtoconnect with government officialsonthe stateand federal levels

“We’re notonlythe voiceofLouisiana agriculture –weare Louisianaagriculture,”Fontenot said.“We’rehereingoodtimes andbad.We thinkit’scriticalfor farmersand growersto sharetheir storiesand seewhatoptions may be availablefor them.Those conversationsalso help them know that they’renot on an island by themselves.There areother farmers, as well as ourown expertsand staff,who listen to your concerns.It’srefreshingtoknowthat somebody hearsyou.”

Taking that feedback into account, Fontenot said LFBF leadershavehad some successes in thepastyear, includingastate legislative sessioninwhich they were able to speak with newlawmakers aboutthe plight of theindustry andits vitalroleinLouisiana’s economy

They have also metwithU.S.Secretary of AgricultureBrookeRollins andU.S.Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, alongwith othernationalleaders. On thefederal level, Fontenotsaidthe OneBig BeautifulBill Actincludedkey supportelementsfor some commodityprogramsthatwere“alifesaver”

formanyindustries, whilealsoavoidingwhat wouldhavebeenthe largesttax hike in history for thoseinagriculture.There arealsoongoing discussionsabout bridge payments from theU.S Department of Agriculturetohelpfarmers get throughthe toughest times.

“Twoofourmaincrops–crawﬁshandrice–are pretty uniquetoLouisiana andveryimpactful to theoverall economy. Ithink that because of theconversations we’vehad with members of theTrump administration,theyunderstand nowwhatweare doingand aretryingtotake action to supportus,”Fontenotsaid. “Itreally feelslikeweare making adifference andmoving theneedleinthe directionofsupport.” WhileFontenotisoptimisticabout potential policies andﬁnancialassistancefor farmers, he said he is most grateful andencouragedbythe continuedparticipation from LFBF members–both longtime farmingveteransand some from thenextgenerationofLouisiana agriculture.

“Without ourFarmBureauvolunteer leadership andactivemembers, we wouldn’t have gotten anyofthisdone. Everytimewe’ve been beaten down or countedout,we’ve risento theoccasion,”hesaid. “I seenew facesinour commoditymeetingsand YoungFarmers and Ranchers programs.Inparishmeetings, Isee passionate membersadvocatingfor theirfarms andranches.Ihearfromfolks allacrossthe stateevery daythatdon’t just want to survive, but grow.I thinkthatisour future.”

Foundedin1922, theLouisiana Farm Bureau Federationismadeupofvolunteer leaders at thelocal,parishand statewide levels.For more informationortoﬁnd an LFBF committee or leader,visit www.lafarmbureau.org

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OBED LAMy Pope Leo XIV speaks remotely from the Vatican to thousands of Catholics on Friday at the National Catholic youth Conference in Indianapolis.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

McFarlandwants Congress to negotiatehealthcare

WASHINGTON

–When state Rep.Jack McFarland, R-Winnfield, isn’tmulling complex finances as chair of the Louisiana House Appropriations Committee, he runs alogging contractor firm in Winn Parish.

As asmall businessmanwithabout20 employees, McFarland frets aboutthe lack of action on healthcare. Time is of the essence, and McFarland wants thewarring partiesinWashington to ﬁgureout asolution.

Mark Ballard

Republicanswanttooverhaul theAffordable Care Act to lower health care costs and increase consumer choice. Democrats are not opposed to ﬁxes but argue thatwill take too much time, so ﬁrst, the enhancedACA marketplace subsidies need to be continued before expiring

About 24.3 million working Americans and small businesses —292,994 in Louisiana —will see their monthly costs double, on average, starting Jan. 1ifthe subsidies are not extended. Disagreement on extending the tax credits was at thecenterofthe government shutdown.

An ardent conservative in aparishthat gave 88%ofits votes to U.S.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, McFarland agrees that substantial changes are necessary Forinstance,his employees can’taccess the ACA marketplace.

Despite the promise in 2010 that theAffordable Care Act, alsoknown as Obamacare, to lower health insurance premiums, it did not.

The policy McFarland provided employees went from about $37,000 annually in 2011 to about $132,000 in 2024.

McFarland said his company had to stop coveringpremiums forhis employeesand now just pays alittle to help.When some of his workers wanted to lowertheir costs by shifting to the ACA marketplace, they could not because his companyoffered health insurance, he said.

“As an employer,Iwould havetostop offering health insurance to all my employees for them to be eligible for subsidies,” McFarland said, adding that now manyof his employees have no insurance.

After Mamdani win, Landrypitches Louisiana

An advertisement withthe headline “In Louisiana, we value capitalism, not socialism”took up afull page in Monday’seditionof The Wall Street Journal

The promotion is directed at New Yorkers who will soon have anew mayor in Zohran Mamdani, astate lawmaker who is ademocratic socialist.

Likemost things that deal with health care and insurance, the Affordable Care Act is complex, with alot of moving parts. Obamacare protected people with preexisting conditions and made insurance available for those who couldn’tafford it.But thepromise that premiumswould decline because more people had insurancedidn’t materialize. Premium costs have risen from an average $177 per month in 2010 for individual policies, like the ones the ACAmarketplace sells, to $467 per month in 2024, ac-

York,weknowwhat that looks like. It’sgoingtobeamess,” he said.“Forthose people that embrace capitalism and don’t wanttocomplain,but do want to compete, we wantyou to come to Louisiana.”

cording to KFF,aWashington-based health

analysis organization. Monthly costs for group insurance, like those offered by employers and cover roughly 170 million people, wentupfrom an average $273 per monthto$512 per monthduring the same period.

SenateRepublicans are looking at various alternatives that align with President Donald Trump’sdemand last week that the ACA subsidiesgo“directly to the people” rather than insurance companies.

In theHouse, Majority Leader Steve

The event comes at atime when his political future is uncertain.

Scalise, R-Jefferson, told reporters TuesdaythatHouse committee leaders also are lookingatvariousideas.

“We’re nothere to bail out insurance companies,” he said. “We’re here to give families lower premiumsand better options.”

But in both chambers, Democrats and Republicans are not talking ofﬁcially to each other

The Senate will need 60 votes to pass any GOPmeasure, which meansseven Democrats have to sign on to any package that all the Republicans support —oreight Republicans have to agree with all the Democrats backing one of their ideas.

Right now,neither scenario looks likely when it comes to the key issue of whether to extend the enhanced ACA marketplace tax credits, which will get avote in midDecember

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,said Thursday on the Senate ﬂoor that Republican ideas are “half-baked.”

“They are deeply ﬂawed and woefully insufﬁcient forour nation’shealth care problems,” Schumer said. “When people’s monthly payments spike next year,they’ll know it wasRepublicans that madeithappen.”

On Thursday,Johnson reﬁned his oftrepeated accusation that Democrats only care about “illegal aliens” to point out what California, Illinois and Oregon spent more on health care for“noncitizens” than for police and roads.

Immigrants who slippedinto the country without authorizationare notlegally allowedtotakeadvantage of Obamacare. Legalimmigrants who have jobs and childrenregardless of their status are allowedtobuy insurance through ACA marketplaces. The Congressional Budget Officeestimatesthatabout 1.4 millionimmigrants have “Everybody’sjust wenttotheir corner and they’re just not coming out,” McFarland said. “It’sabroken system that needs to be fixed, not patched, forthe people and forsmallbusinesses. They need to sit downand figure this out.”

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@ theadvocate.com.

Capitol Buzz

STAFF REPORTS

“As you rethink New York City, rethink Louisiana,” says the ad,which was paid for by Louisiana Economic Development, the state agency that promotes economic growth.

“Wereward success —not punish it. We compete —not complain. We cut taxes to win new business. We grow jobs —not government,”itboasts.

It also invites peopletovisit the website LouisianaNow.Biz to “apply for one of 70,000+ job opportunities or learn more about relocating your business.”

Gov.Jeff Landry took to Fox News on Monday to promotethe campaign.

“While those folks might want to embracesocialism in New

The move comes shortly after Shreveport booster and business owner Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson urged peopletomove to northwest Louisianainthe wake of Mamdani’s mayoralvictory “All Roads lead to SHREVEPORT,” Jackson wrote on social media

Jeffriestoattend Fields’ birthday fundraiser

U.S. Rep.Cleo Fieldsisthrowing himself abirthday bash in Baton RougeSaturday night that will raise money for his2026 reelection campaign.

The featured guestisU.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, theDemocratic House leader from Brooklyn.

Tickets will cost anywhere from $50 to $3,500 per person at Celtic Studios, according to theinvitation Fields isturning 63

Gov.Jeff Landry and the Republican-controlled Legislature created awinnable congressional district for Fieldslast year at the expense of then-Rep. Garret Graves, aRepublican from Baton Rouge. Landry said lawmakers had to act to prevent federal judges from drawing anew congressional map that they couldn’tstomach Fieldswon his race in adistrict that stretches from Baton Rouge to Shreveport.His victory gave Democratsa second Blackmajority seat in the six-member congressional delegation. Rep Troy Carter of New Orleansholds theother Democratic seat.

Butnow Landry is supporting acase before the U.S. Supreme Court that could force lawmakers to redraw theboundaries once again next year by eliminating either one or both of theBlackmajority seats. Onepossible outcome is amap that could pit Fieldsagainst Carter Jeffries appeared with Carter at an event in July where the two, along with three other congres-

sional members, blasted the massive tax bill that President Donald Trumpand the Republican-majority Congress approved. Letlow touts anti-flood funds forBaton Rouge Congress approved and President DonaldTrumpsigned into law a$2million appropriation to help reduce ﬂood risk along the Amite River

“This funding will enable grading to restore the natural slope and width-to-depth ratios, installation of in-stream and bank stabilization structures, and revegetation of bare ﬂoodplainareas along the Upper Amite River to reduce ﬂow velocities, bank erosion, and downstream sediment transport,” U.S. Rep.Julia Letlow,R-Baton Rouge, wrote leadership on the House Committee on Appropriationsonbehalf of the Amite River Basin Drainage and Water Conservative District, based in Baton Rouge.

The project hopes to restore meanders in the river,allow for moreﬂood water storage, reduce theaccumulation of sediment that

clogs lower parts of the river and causes ﬂooding in Livingston and Ascension parishes, according to the Amite River Basin Commission.

The workwill take place in the Amite River,starting near where Louisiana Highway 10 crosses the river just east of Clinton and extending downstream just west of La. 16 to the community of Weiss, about six miles north of Watson in Livingston Parish.

Amember of the House Appropriations committee, Letlow shepherded the project in the Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentAppropriations forthe current 2026 Fiscal Year.The bill was part of the package that ended the 43-day federal government shutdownlast week.

“The funds she secured will help us restore the Amite River’s ﬂood storage capacity and help protect lives, homes and communities,” Amite River Basin Commission President John Clark said in apress release.

“One of the biggest issues facing the Capital Region is protecting our communities from the dangerous flooding that Louisianans know all too well,” Letlow said in astatement. “This significant funding is akey step toward supporting flood mitigation efforts along the Amite River.”

Fields

Jeffries

Letlow

Owlpartially coveredinconcreterecoveringafter rescue

BY SEJAL GOVINDARAO Associated Press

When workers began pouring concrete at aresort construction site in southwesternUtah, they were metwith asurprise: Agreat horned owl appeared in the slurry as it emptied from the truck, its body coated with the mixture. Workers came to the bird’s aid, hosing it downbefore the environmental affairs director at the Black Desert Resort wrapped it in atowel and made acall to state wildlife ofﬁcials.

It took days for workers at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab to painstakingly remove theconcrete from the bird’s face, chest and rightwing. They called the bird a“fighter,” anditisexpected to ﬂy free again.

Joseph Platt, the environmental affairs director, said

Wednesdaythatthere is a conservation area at Black Desert andwildlifecommonly wanderonto its property

He said theresort is adding atwo-story underground garage, and as one of the concrete trucks arrived, the workers heard anoise and thought they hit something. When they began pouring concrete, theowl cameout. Platt said his main concern wasthe concrete dust in its eyes

Luke Matschek, astate biologist whoresponded to the call, said birds thataren’t veryinjuredput up aﬁght but this owl reached aphase of “totalacceptance.”He called the sanctuary to see if they had spacefor it.

“He looked rough, but not to the point of beingunsavable. He looked like he needed alittlebit of care andattention,” Matscheksaid Aftermaking sure the bird couldbreathe,sanctuary

workers spent days cracking apart theconcrete using forceps. They cleaned the

feathers using toothbrushes, dish soap and their ﬁngers. Twoweeks later it was able

to ﬂy again and is continuing its recovery in an aviary “He’sayoungster,which

may be why he endedupin aconcrete mixer, and we do believe he’samale because he’sonthe smaller side,” saidBartRichwalski of the animal sanctuary Great horned owls typically have adowny coating that allows them to fly silently as they hunt. But the concrete frayed the rescued owl’s feathers, Best Friends’ chief sanctuary officer Judah Battista said. Now the bird makes a “whooshing” sound as it flies, andthe sanctuary will not release it into the wild until it sheds its feathers and can againfly silently.That should occur next spring or summer,Battista said. “Once our owlfriend recovers, we anticipate taking him back to near where he wasfound,not on theconstructionsitebut somewhere that is anatural habitat for him,and release him and let him be,” Richwalski said.

Mimmo’srefusal to leaveputs himindanger

BY COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press

MILAN Venice has been charmed by arecent visitor:

An acrobatic, wild dolphin. Thefeeling appears to be mutual —hesofar refusesto leave —but proximity to humanshas put him in danger

The dolphin nicknamed Mimmo has been delighting tourists and Venetians for months with his acrobatic ﬂips. Experts are now eager to move him into open water, especially after verifying wounds indicating that the dolphin had been likely hit by aboat propeller

Multiple agenciesused low-intensity acoustic devicestonudge Mimmo away from the heavily trafﬁcked St. Mark’s Basin on Saturday —and it worked brieﬂy.But the dolphin came back within an hour,asexperts fearedhe would.

“It’svery worrying because it’sahot spot with lots of boat trafﬁc,” said Guido Pietroluongo, aveterinarianatthe University of Padua’s emergency response team for stranded dolphins, whales and porpoises, known by the acronym CERT.

St. Mark’sBasin, the shallow expanse of waterinfront of St. Mark’sSquare connecting to both the Giudecca and Grand Canals, is heavily trafﬁcked by ferries,vaporetti buses, water taxis, and privateboats.

During thefailed operation, experts confirmed Mimmo hadsuffered superficial lesions, likely from aboat propeller,Pietroluongo said. It was the first time they had noted injuries to the dolphin, and his wounds are expected to fully heal. But experts are

worried about hiscontinued safety insuchproximityto humanactivity

Theydon’tplan any immediate action,and are hoping thatcolderseasonaltemperatures will lure him, and his fish prey,out of the lagoon toward warmer waters, Pietroluongo said Mimmo’sarrival in the Venetian lagoon was registered on July 23, and experts say the coastal creature likely followed aschool of fishinto the brackish waters separatedfromthe opensea by barrier islands. He was nicknamed for the sailing instructor whofirst spotted himoff theVenetian lagoon fishing town ofChioggia.

Mimmofollows thepattern of aso-called social loner, typically ayoungmale dolphin that breaks away from the pod for food or forsocial reasons and then comes into contact with the human world, saidSandro Mazzariol, aCERTveterinarian

“Around 100 cases have beendocumented around the world in which these animals are absolutelyatease and remain healthydespitenot interacting with their peers,” Mazzariol saidina Facebook videopost.

Dolphins sightings in Veniceare rare but not unheard of, Mazzariolsaid.

Themostrecent incident involved apair of striped dolphins spotted in February 2021 that were quickly guided back to theopen sea with acoustic devices. They never returned.

Mimmohas beenclosely monitored during his lagoon sojourn, andhas been reported in goodhealthand nutrition as he feasts on adiet beﬁtting any Venetian tourist: mullet,sea bass and sea bream.His behavior also has beendeemednormal,including his playful aerial ﬂips.

The UniversityofPadua team hasbeen going out weekly to check on the animal, and they get regular updates from citizens..

Authorities are warning citizens and boaters not to feed or interact withthe dolphin, which is acriminal offense. Dolphins are protected underItalian,EU and internationallaw.But thefact that Mimmo’sfame is spreading is part of the problem.

“The dolphin hasbecome an attraction. Boats stopping to watch him can stress the animal,” Pietroluongo said. Venice’s

PROVIDED PHOTO

Small animals manager SierraMedlin examines the wingofanowl Nov. 6. The owlwas taken to the sanctuaryinKanab,Utah, after it fell into aconcrete mixer

PROVIDED PHOTO

Mimmo, abottlenose dolphin, leaps out the water withan acrobatic flip in St.Mark’sBasin in Venice.

TurningPoint LSUleaderreflectsongroup’s growth

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

When Ethan Vogin was deciding where to go to college, the New Jersey native knew he wanteda school in ared state.

He chose LSU, where he joined Turning Point USA, aconservative advocacy group for students. Now,more than ﬁve years later and in his second year at LSU’s law school, Vogin ﬁnds himself at the center of arising political movement.

After the recent assassination of right-wing activistand Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, interest in Kirk’sorganization has skyrocketed. In Louisiana, students are looking to form Turning Point chapters at some high schools and colleges, including Loyola University in New Orleans, where the studentgovernmentrecently made national news for denying the chapter formal recognition.

Last month, Gov.Jeff Landry spoke at arallyhosted byLSU’s Turning Point chapter and called on the university to erect astatue of Kirk on campus. LSU ofﬁcials have asked Turning Pointmembers to help organize alecture series honoring Kirk and promoting political discourse.

As vice president and spokespersonfor Turning Point’sLSU chapter,Voginhas witnessed the recent surge of interest in the group. He argues that it is part of alarger cultural shift to theright, which he says is here to stay

The Times-Picayune recently spoke with Vogin, who says he plans to remain in Louisianaafter law school, about Turning Point’s newfound popularity,the support it’sreceived from Republican politicians in Louisiana, andthe current political moment.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

How has the chapter evolved recently?

Q&A

WITH ETHAN VOGIN

VICEPRESIDENT OF LSU CHAPTEROFTURNINGPOINT USA

We previouslyhad stagnated growth. We hada status quo of roster numbers and meeting attendees.

But since theday of Charlie’s death,and probablyfor the monthsafter,my LSUinbox was ﬂooded with emails. “So and so has requested to join Turning PointatLSU.” There were 20 of them aday for weeks. We have 2,000 new Instagram followers andour proﬁle had amillion views

We hadexponential growthafter Charlie’spassing.

Whydoyou think that is?

Richard Nixon said this back in the1970s, butalot of conservatives are thesilent majority.They go to school, they go to work, they pay taxes andthey go homeand raise their families and enshrine conservativevalues in their families.

When you see such amainstream ﬁgure who was not apolitician but who wasa commentator, an organizer,beassassinated like that, it awakenssomething in people.

With that increased support, where do you go fromhere?

It’sahard answer

Ithink we have to keep promoting America’svalues and doing what conservatives do best: show the beauty of America, our system of governance, our documents, ourhistory,our traditions and promote that

Youstood besideLandry last yearwhen he called formorefreedom of expression on college campuses, saying conservative voices had been silenced. How would you describefree speech on college campuses today?

Academia is referred to as a liberal stronghold. Youhave a lot of vocalcritics of conserva-

tiveideologies and conservative politics and conservative ﬁgures in academia to the point where there is areasonable perception that there is achilling effect on conservative viewpoints, students and faculty

The governor’sexecutive order didn’tjust target students. Alot of people thought it was just to help Turning PointUSA or Republican students

Butit(also) was to help that associate history professor who knows DEI and critical race theory are antithetical to America’s founding (principles) and itsvalues and who can stand up in the classroom and not worry about having their tenure revoked or being thrown out of the faculty senate.

What relationship does Turning Point have with Louisiana politicians?

We’ve had such great institutional and structural support from Gov.Landry and his whole team and really the government of Louisiana as awhole.

The Legislature has been overwhelmingly supportive of us. Any time we have aproblem or we have aquestion, thephones are picked up and it’s always, “How can we help?” It’sa responsibility that thechapter leaders and I takevery seriously,tomaintain those relationships and not abuse them.

We have institutional support at LSU from the BoardofSupervisorstointerim president MattLee to incoming president (Wade) Rousse. We haven’tmet with Rousse, but we’re excited to schedule ameeting with him and talk with him about our goals and ourmission.

After Kirk’sdeath, the LSU BoardofSupervisors announced

the“Let Freedom Ring” lecture series in his honor.Interim President Lee told Turning Point chapter leaders that he wanted us to help plan the lecture series to honor Charlie and further civic engagement and political discourse andI think that’sreally important.

How do youfeel about “Free SpeechAlley,”a designatedarea on LSU’scampus where students can promote causes and political views?

As much as Idisagree with limiting where students can organize on campus, Ithink Free Speech Alley is such astoried tradition, such ahistoric place on campus, that when students wantto debate, when students are seeking that engagement, you know where to go. Ithink there has been an uptick

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THESTATEHOW TO TACKLE THEBIGGEST CHALLENGES FACINGLOUISIANA SCHOOLS. HAVE AN IDEA? EMAIL

in engagement and discourse in Free Speech Alley and it’ssomething Iamvery happy to see. I like seeing students engaged in civics and politics, and Ithink Free Speech Alley has been a benefactor of the governor’sexecutive order

Howdoyou feel about this larger moment forconservative young people?

This is anew era of American conservatism.

Youlook at Gen Z18-25 (year olds), they’re going to church at a higher rate, they’re starting families at ahigher rate.

You’re seeing these things that are traditional American values that are also typically associated with conservatism happening at ahigher rate, so it’snatural that Gen Zisbecoming moreconservative.

STAFFFILE

PHOTOByJAVIER GALLEGOS

Ethan Vogin, vice president of LSUchapter of TurningPoint USA,speaks alongside Gov. Jeff Landryduring abill signing at LSU’sMemorial Hall last year

THE GULF COAST

Zillow goes wild over house in town inspired by Hawaii

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Abeige house with aPolynesian design and ashingle roof that nearly droops to the groundison the market in Diamondhead, aMississippi Gulf Coast community where Hawaiian influence runs deep— from the road names to the homes themselves.

Surrounded by palm andbanana trees,the three-bedroom,2.5-bath home, built in 1975, sits on Makiki Drive, according to listing agent Megan Bryant. Inside are amber tile floors,high ceilingswith exposed beams and an open-plan livingarea with abrick ﬁreplace.

The compact kitchen offers a warmer palette than the rest of the house, with an arched-brick column, crimsoncabinets anda marble countertop. Awhite staircase leads to acarpeted bedroom with sage-green walls, and at the very top of the home is what Bryant describes as a“crow’snest” —alofted hideaway accessible by ladder

The 1,760-square-foot home was listed on Zillow for $315,000,with annual property taxes of around $1,712

Earlier this month,itdrew a puzzled comment section on Zillow Gone Wild, an Instagram account that shares unusual listings to more than 2million followers. But in Diamondhead, the newest city onthe Mississippi Gulf Coast, this house is hardly an anomaly

Muchofthe land that became Diamondhead was purchased by Walter Gex Sr.in1937 from theGulf State Paper Company andthe Easy Open Bay Company,according to city records. Still, it didn’ttake shape as aresidential community until 1969, post-Hurricane Camille and after the completion of Interstate 10 andthe John C. Stennis Space Center

At the highest elevation point on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, it was named after avolcanic cone that overlooks Hawaii. In its early days,

Diamondhead was marketed as a resort and retirement enclave, with golf courses, acountry club, ayacht club and condominiums.

Compared with the futurism of the1960s —anera of optimism toward technological progress, when Americans imagined ﬂying saucers and mooncolonies —the 1970s fueled alonging for escapism. The Hawaiian aesthetic, and the dream of an endless vacation, exploded across the United States.

ButDiamondhead’s identitysoon evolved from aresortdestination to aresidential community,cityrecords show.Aninﬂux of employees from Stennis Space Center —along with blue-collar workers who commuted to New Orleans, particularly to theMichoudAssembly Facility —began tosettle there.

That’sbecause the new transportationlink and growing job market made Diamondhead an appealing place to live.Within the ﬁrst year, 100condominiums were occupied,

city recordssaid. By 1973, it had already sold 3,700 lots and completed 30 homes.

That year,housing and land sales dippeddue to the stock market crash and the oil embargo, yet Malcolm Purcell McLean, akey investor in Diamondhead, pledged to invest $25million intothe community.His project endured —the population surpassed 1,000 residentsby1980, city recordssaid.

Through the 1990s, Diamondhead’seconomy resurged, bolstered by the opening of two dockside casinosinHancock County, which drew workerstonearby,affordable communities.

Though the community has weathered disasters like Katrina since, Diamondhead hascontinued to growmodestly— areﬂection of both the resurgence and quiet resilience of the Gulf Coast region. Email PoetWolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

Many Americans arefortunate to have dentalcoverage fortheir entire working life, through employer-providedbenefits. Whenthose benefits end with retirement, payingdental billsout-of-pocketcan come as ashock, leading people to put off or even go without care.

Simply put—without dental insurance, there maybe an importantgap in your healthcare coverage

When you’re comparingplans.



pay formajor services.Some plans may limit thenumber of procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoverage with no deductibles.Some plans may require you to payhundredsout of pocket beforebenefits are paid.

 Shop forcoverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits.Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

for dental care.1 That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meanttocover everything.That means if you wantprotection, you need to purchaseindividualinsurance.

Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones. The best way to preventlarge

dental work canwear out. Even if you’ve had quality dental work in the past, you shouldn’t takeyour dental health forgranted. In fact, your odds of havingadental problem only go up as you age.2

Treatmentisexpensive— especially the servicespeopleover 50

Doughnut shop’s response to scathing review goes viral

BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer

Anew doughnut shop recently opened in Ocean Springs and is going viral after itsresponse to ascathing review left in a popular local Facebook group.

Parlor Doughnuts opened late last month in the old Krispy Kreme building on Bienville Boulevard, abusy thoroughfarethatconnects thecity to U.S.90. Thechainoffers layered, croissant-like doughnuts, pastriesand house-made espresso drinks. In the Ocean Springs Talk of the Town Facebook group, residents hadspent months tracking the renovation process, sharing excitement for anew breakfastoptionintown with adrive-thru. But earlier this week, acustomer posted anegative review of his recentorder in the group, which led to thousands of reactions and comments and an apologetic sign from thebusiness that won over the internet. Ronny Grahamsaidhewent to Parlor twice to try and get a raspberry-ﬁlled doughnut and was given the wrong order He wascritical of the worker takinghis order andsaidthe doughnut wastoo similar to a beignet and was overpriced. “Theywill not have an op-

portunitytorip us offagain!”

Graham posted in thepublic forum

His post garnered hundreds of comments,manycritical of the way he handled hisnegative experience by posting about it publicly rather than reaching out to the business to rectify the situation. Otherssupported Graham, saying everyone is allowed their own opinion.

Butinthe days after Graham’spost begangoing viral, the business took astand of its own, posting “SORRYRONNY”onits drive-thru sign.

Parlormanager Nathan Smithtold theSun Herald Graham called the store multiple times to detail his “very bad experience.” Then the team decided to put up the sign.

“Wedecided to just post it on the boardsothatmaybe if he drove by,hecouldsee ourapology,” Smith said.

Graham’scomments, it turns out, has been great for business.

The shop has been very busy, with dozens of people posting their raspberry-filled doughnuts for the community to see in the Talk of the Town Facebook group.

“I think overall, the response has been very positive; alot of people thought it was good fun,” Smith said.

PROVIDED PHOTO By MLS/ZILLOW

Ahouse in Diamondhead, Miss., made the ZillowGone Wild Instagram account and went viral for its Polynesian style.

SUN HERALD PHOTO

Parlor Doughnuts opened in October in Ocean Springs.

Commemorativeornamentunveiledfor America’s250th

Jennifer Condon, executivevice president of America250, displaysthe front of a commemorativeornament released by America250aspartofevents leading up to the 250thanniversaryofthe signing of theDeclaration of Independence in 1776.

WhiteHouse

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON Gary Walters

saw alot of history in the 37 years he spent working at the White House, where he startedasanofﬁcerassigned to protect thepresident and ended as the longest-serving chief usher in history

The position of chief usher is the top job in the residence, comparable to ageneral manager,overseeing maintenance, construction and renovation projects, and food service,along with administrative, financial and personnel functions. Astaff of about 90 to 100 butlers, housekeepers, cooks, florists, electricians, engineers, plumbers and others report to the chief usher

It was Walters’ job to run the White House on behalf of presidents and ﬁrst ladies, because,ashesays, “They’ve got enough on theirplate to deal with.”

He servedunderDemocratic and Republicanpresidents “and it had nothingto do with politics,” Walters said as he discussed his new book, out Dec. 5, called “White House Memories 1970-2007: Recollectionsof the Longest-Serving Chief Usher.”

“Weserved the presidency,” he said. Walters beganhis career as an ofﬁcer in the Executive ProtectiveService with an assignment to help protect presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He joined the Usher’sOfﬁce as an assistantin1976and, adecade

Design features Declarationof Independence

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON When thenonproﬁt organization planning America’s250th birthdaycelebrations decideditwanted an ornament to commemorate that milestone in history, its leadership knew just where to turn for guidance. America250.org worked with theWhite House Historical Association, which, since1981, has sold apopular Christmas tree ornament honoring apresident or akey White House anniversary More than 1million of those ornamentsare nowsold every year

The twogroups worked togethertoproduce akeepsake to mark the anniversa-

ry —ofﬁcially known as the semiquincentennial —and America250.org unveiled it last week.

The limited-edition, handcrafted ornament features theDeclaration of Independence, the document the SecondContinentalCongress used to announce it was breaking away from Britain on July4,1776. President Donald Trump hasa copy hanging in the Oval Ofﬁce. One side of the keepsake features the document printed on linen and the other side shows American ﬂags wavingatop theWhite House andthe America250 logo with the years 1776-2026 on a red ribbon. The ornament is trimmed in 24-karat gold.

Organizers saytheyview the celebration of America’s founding as an opportunity to help unitea politicallydividedcountry.“It’s amoment for us to reflect on the last 250 years and, even moreim-

portantly,where we’re going forthe next 250th,” said JenniferCondon, executive vice president of America250.org. Condonsaidshe hopes the ornament will play asmall part in that endeavor as “a symbol of, truly,this unity that we’re trying to strive for.” It is rare for the White House association to release an ornamentoutside of itsannual holiday series. Stewart McLaurin, the White House association’spresident, said hisnonprofitorganization had helped create acollector’spiece “thatembodies thespirit andhistory of our nation.”

It is made by theveteranownedRhode Island company that produces the White House association’s ornaments, andisbesoldexclusively at America250.org for $26.95, and in January on the White House association’s website.

By The Associated Press

later,was promot usher,serving Ronald gan, George H.W Clinton and Georg Walters retiredi On 9/11

The White Hous gettingready for Congressional Pic of the Sept. 11a were ordered to their safety,but ahalf dozen others behind.

The South Lawn up with more tha for the event. Wa he knew Presid W. Bush —who an eventinSar ida— wouldwant to the White Hou tables blockedthe ingpad forMar presidentialhelicopte So Walters and ingstaff began lawn by hand, ca of theheavy ta perimetertomake Marine One to touc

hospitals when she traveled abroad. When ashipment of bears didn’tmake it in time forone of hertrips, Walters put it intostorage. Fast forward to Inauguration Day for President

George H.W.Bush. The new president had his entire family with him at the White House that night, including his children and some very bored grandchildren.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

La.plant faultedfor slow fixes

Workplacefatalityanunrelated incident

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

Four monthsbefore aworkerat

Mexichem Fluor Inc. died from a chemical exposure, state regulators threatened to ﬁne the St. Gabriel plant for taking too long to ﬁx safety problems found in 2019 by its own inspectors, astate notice says.

The problems at Mexichem Fluor,whichwerelater resolvedbefore the worker’sdeath, revolved around “process safety.” The industry term encompasses abroad category of practices focused on the safe handling, processing and

BR-area priest from India dies

Rev. NutanMinj was currentlyserving at St.George

BY DEANNA B. NARVESON Staff writer

ACatholic priest with the Diocese of Baton Rougedied Saturday after having taken ill whilevisitingfamily in India, according to St. George Cath olic Church. He was 60 years old. The Rev Nutan Sylvester Minj served in several parishes within the Diocese of Baton Rouge after coming to the area in 2010. His first assignment was atSt. Johnthe Evangelist Catholic Church in Prairieville with the Rev.Eric Gyan,and hislatestwas with St. George Catholic Church. His funeral Mass will be celebrated in India, but there will also be amemorialservice in Baton Rouge, according to asocial media post from the church written by the Rev. Paul Yi

“Father Nutan faithfully served the people of the DioceseofBaton Rougein several parishes, andwe were blessed that he was assigned here at St. George, where he touched many lives with hiskindness, humility,and gentle priestly ministry,” Yi writes in the post.

Minj grew up in an area near Kolkata,India, and was one of 9siblings. He was ordained in 1997 andfirst worked in multiple roleswith the church in India, where he also gotamaster’sdegreein counseling and spirituality, according to abulletin released by OurLady of Mercy on the 25th anniversaryofhis ordination.

“Weare in the process of planning memorial observances here at St. George, and will share those details with you as soon as theyare ﬁnalized. Please keep Father Nutan, his family,the priests of the Indian Missionary Society,and all who mourn his passinginyour prayers,” Yi writes.

storage of dangerous chemicals

Theworker,Jammie Wesley,37, aBruslyfather of three, died at a hospital after an accidental exposure Tuesday morning to achemical state that regulators identiﬁed as hydroﬂuoric acid. It’sa“severe systemic toxin” absorbed quickly throughthe skinthat attacks the bones, blood and other organs, according to aCornell University material safety sheet

Mexichem officials have not provided details about what led to theworkplace fatality,but said that the problems identiﬁed in their internal analysis and pointed out by the state Depart-

ment of Environmental Quality inspectorsin2022wereresolved thesame year

“The ﬁndingsinthe report are notrelated to the incident that occurred earlier thisweek,” Erick Comeaux, aMexichem spokesman, said in astatement.

State troopers, who identified Wesleyasthe man who died, said on Friday they werenot prepared yet to describe thecircumstances surrounding his deathbecause investigators werestill gathering thefacts.

“Theywerestill conducting interviews today,and it’sall still under investigation,” Sgt.William

Huggins, aState Police spokesperson, said. Reached Friday,Wesley’swife said they hadthree daughters but declined further comment.

Another worker,who hasn’t been identified, was also hospitalizedfrom the accidentalexposure,company ofﬁcialssaid.

In addition to the StatePolice, theU.S. OccupationalSafetyand Health Administration opened an investigation intoWesley’sdeath on Wednesday, officials said, a standard step whenever aworkplace fatality occurs.

“The agency has up to six months to complete that process,” said Joanna Hawkins, aregional agency spokeswoman Mexichem officialshave

Angler’s paradise

pledgedtowork with agencies investigating theincident and said thatsafetyis“acore value for the company.”

Acheck of an OSHA database showed that Mexichem hasn’thad asingleworkplacesafetyviolationinthe past 101/2 years. Processsafetyisafocus for OSHA and other state and federal regulators, including the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.

Petrochemical operations up and down the river periodically employ standard“process hazard” analyses to identifyhidden or unresolved problems that could raise safety risks. These problems canrange from

LSU’sPenningtonappoints Malone as adjunctprofessor

Doctor

BYEMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer

Dr.Robert Malone, avaccine adviser to U.S.Health andHumanServices Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.who built awide following during thepandemic for his anti-vaccination stances andothercontroversial views, has been appointed to LSU’s PenningtonBiomedical Research Center as an adjunct professor

The appointmentwas announced to Pennington staff on Wednesdayand conﬁrmedby PenningtonspokespersonErnie Ballard, who said it is aimed at helping the center “facilitate research collaborations.” Malone, aself-proclaimed proud “anti-vaxxer,” wasappointed by Kennedy in June to akey federal advisorypanel that helps set vaccine policy In an emailed statement, Ballard suggested he may help the center deal with the upheavals brought by the Trump administration when it comes to public

healthand research funding.

“Dr.Robert Malone’sadjunct appointment will focusonproviding insightsinto thecurrent federal landscape in Washington, D.C.,” Ballard said, positioning Pennington for “national-level opportunities” with his experience andfederal connections. The position, which is unpaid, runs through June30. It offers Malone aformal academic afﬁliation with one of the state’s leading research institutions, though one that has built areputation for its work in nutrition andmetabolism, notvirology or immunology Pennington also conducts research in epidemiology, chronicdiseaseand other public health fields. Theinstitution leans heavily on federal funding, receiving$1.17 billion sinceits founding in 1988. The center is apublic institution within the LSU system, which falls under theauthority of the state and the administration of Gov.Jeff Landry Landry haslongbeen asupporterofKennedy,a vaccine skepticwho has remade vaccination polices andrecommen-

dations as the HHS secretary In early 2025, Louisiana Surgeon General Dr.Ralph Abraham toldLouisiana Department of Health employees they could no longer directly recommend vaccinations and endedthe long-standing practice of mass vaccination sites like ﬂu shot fairs. Abraham is an outspoken critic of government immunization recommendations. Malone has openly embraced theanti-vaxxer label, callingit “high praise” on social media. In addition to questioning the efﬁcacy and safety of vaccines, he hasalso offeredmedical commentary that challenges mainstream public-health guidance. During the pandemic,hepromoted the use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as a COVIDtreatment.Large clinical trials have not shown either drug to be effective against the virus, and major health agencies now recommend against theiruse for COVID-19outside of clinical trials. He also claimedmRNAvaccineswere “causing aform

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

ABaton Rouge manwas sentenced to 30 yearsinprison this week for killing aman and wounding twoteens near his apartmentcomplexlast year KevontaKemond Williams,21, pleaded guilty to manslaughter during ahearing Wednesday inside the 19th JudicialDistrictCourt, records show He’d been indicted on charges of second-degreemurder, convictedfelon in possession of aﬁrearm and two counts of attempted murder in the March 2024 slaying of 18-year-old Ke’Von London. State prosecutors dismissed the weapons and attempted murder charges in exchange forWilliams’ guilty plea. Chief District Judge Donald Johnson imposedthe 30-year sentenceonthe manslaughter conviction, according to court records. Twopeople wereinjured during the fatal shooting, which happened earlythe morning of March10, 2024, in

Gardens

London wasfound dead with multiple gunshotwounds, according to Baton Rouge police. The twosurviving victims were juveniles who were treated at ahospitalfor gunshot wounds.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

ShelbyLewis sits down on the boardwalk waiting for fish to bite her line

Minj

Museum weighs move to ‘hallowed ground’

N.O. project considers Rampart spot

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

Backers of the Louisiana Music and Heritage Experience — long billed as a cultural anchor of the new River District next to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center — have begun talks to secure alternative locations as uncertainty deepens over the River District’s future.

That uncertainty stems from the collapse last month of a rescue deal for the $1 billion River District development. The new plan to keep the project on track had been negotiated after the developer consortium, River District Neighborhood Investors, or RDNI, missed key payment deadlines in August. Under the failed agreement, RDNI would have relinquished leases on several land parcels — including the one reserved for the $165 million music museum.

With those negotiations now in limbo, museum organizers have reopened conversations on other sites while simultaneously working with the Convention Center on a potential direct lease. But it is unclear how long it will take to untangle any legal issues involving RDNI and determine whether the museum can remain in the River District at all.

“We’re in discussions with the Convention Center about leasing the land directly, but there are still legal constraints we have to work through,” said Chris Beary, the social entrepreneur leading the music museum effort. “We simply don’t know how long that will take.”

The project, described by backers as Louisiana’s long-awaited answer to Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, would tell the story of the state’s music across every genre: jazz, blues, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, swamp pop, funk and hip-hop.

Amid the uncertainty, Beary and his team have revived an earlier option: a cluster of properties in the 400 block of South Rampart Street in the historic jazz district known as

Continued from page 1B

employee training and operational procedures to the inspection and maintenance of metal equipment that is under threat of eventual degradation from handling potent chemicals, often under high pressure and temperature In mid-2019, third-party inspectors hired by Mexichem did one of those

negotiations of

“Black Storyville.” Those buildings — the Karnofsky Tailor Shop, the Iroquois Theater and the Eagle Saloon — are central landmarks in the early history of jazz and were among the sites the museum considered several years ago.

“We had looked at it a couple years ago, and we’ve been back looking at that site for the last three months; we’ve gotten pretty far along,” Beary said The properties are controlled by GBX Group, the Cleveland-based, preservation-focused developer whose partners include former Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Six years ago, GBX unveiled an ambitious redevelopment plan for the Rampart Street block, which included a Margaritaville Hotel, condominiums, restaurants and nightclubs while preserving the historic structures. But Hurricane Ida severely damaged the area, toppling the Karnofsky building. It has since been reconstructed using the original bricks to maintain its historic character A GBX spokesperson conﬁrmed there is a museum concept being considered, though he declined to detail what such a plan might look like.

“We have engaged the local jazz community in discussions about proposals to reactivate and reopen

analyses, known by the shorthand “PHA,” and made 39 recommendations in an internal report to the company But three years later, when DEQ inspectors showed up in February 2022, some of those problems remained unresolved, including those rated “medium high” risk, the agency alleges.

In a penalty notice issued July 14, DEQ acknowledged the company made the fixes afterward, but

these iconic venues,” said GBX spokesperson Seth Unger via email. “We are excited about the prospect of a jazz-themed museum in the neighborhood where Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden and other jazz legends used to play and are optimistic these discussions could result in a plan to bring this ‘Back o’ Town’ neighborhood back to life.

‘Hallowed ground’

Beary said the Rampart Street option brings enormous cultural weight — and complications.

The three buildings together form what he described as a rare concentration of sites essential to the birth of American music. The Eagle Saloon is where Buddy Bolden, widely regarded as the father of jazz, performed his first shows. The Karnofsky Tailor Shop is where a young Louis Armstrong was befriended and supported by the immigrant Karnofsky family, who helped him get his first cornet

Just around the corner, Armstrong famously ﬁred a gun on New Year’s Eve, an incident that led to his stint at the Colored Waifs Home for Boys — the place where music instructor Peter Davis nurtured his talent and, years later, also helped shape the career of bandleader Dave Bartholomew.

faulted it for not doing that work quickly enough.

The agency noted some internal company policies required the recommendations to be addressed within 12 months of their identiﬁcation. The penalty threat, which includes other alleged safety and training violations, remains pending, according to a DEQ database.

Mexichem uses hydrogen fluoride, which becomes hydrofluoric acid when mixed with water, to

“There’s a lot of power in that neighborhood and in those stories,” Beary said. He noted that Armstrong played his first show at the Iroquois Theater, situated between the other two buildings, which also hosted early jazz and vaudeville performers.

Beary said any Rampart Street concept would be built around the historic structures rather than replacing or overshadowing them.

“The idea would be to build the experience around those buildings and not interfere with the facades or the structure,” he said. “You could walk in between the buildings and see what they were like at the time and learn those stories.”

That immersive approach, he added, is powerful — but also far more complex and costly than constructing a new building on the Convention Center site. “There’s a ‘hallowed ground’ aspect to the Rampart Street site, which the Convention Center doesn’t have,” he said. “But it’s also a much more complicated project.”

Delays — but momentum

Despite the uncertainty over the location, Beary said the museum’s recent progress remains solid Over the past three years, state and city lawmakers have begun di-

make a refrigerant used in cars and for many other purposes.

The chemical, which is a colorless gas with a powerful odor, can burn the skin and damage the lungs, eyes, nose and respiratory tract, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The refrigerant, 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, has been used since the 1990s to replace older refrigerants, known as “chlorofluorocarbons,”

recting public dollars toward the project, which has a conceptual design by EskewDumezRipple for a 120,000-squarefoot building in the River District.

This summer, the Legislature approved $28.5 million in construction funding for the museum a key step that keeps the project on track to raise $80 million in revenue bonds and $56.5 million in private donations. Another $1.5 million in state funds and $1 million from the city have supported early design and planning.

But much of the work is now paused while the museum determines where it will actually be built.

“We’ve got the approvals for our bond issuance on hold. We’ve got schematic design work for the architects, exhibit curation, all that stuff on hold until we know where we’re going to be,” Beary said. He estimated the delay would push the timeline back by about four months.

Still, he said private fundraising momentum — including $18 million already pledged — remains strong.

“We’re working on all three options at the same time, with the idea that we want to keep our momentum going and have a location selected by the ﬁrst of next year.”

that depleted the protective ozone layer in the upper part of the Earth’s atmosphere.

The company recently asked the state to modify its air permit so Mexichem could add a line making electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries. The lithiumbased electrolyte will use hydrogen ﬂuoride as a production feedstock.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

of AIDS.” (There is no evidence of any link between mRNA vaccines and AIDS.)

Pennington, which promoted COVID immunization during the pandemic and has participated in a national study on long COVID, did not respond to additional questions about Malone’s role, which was ﬁrst reported by the Louisiana Illuminator

The research center also didn’t address Malone’s public comments on vaccines or other public-health topics. Malone said in a post on social media on Tuesday that he was “very grateful” to accept the appointment as professor

“Gradually, gradually recovering from five years of being defamed, gaslit and blacklisted for speaking truth to power,” Malone said, noting that he was still permanently banned from LinkedIn.

He did not immediately respond to messages.

Malone, 66, received his medical degree from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and completed a global clinical research scholar fellowship at Harvard Medical School in 2016, according to his website, which says he also received scientiﬁc training at the Salk Institute’s molecular biology and virology laboratories, and trained or taught at several other universities.

He has long operated a biotechnology and clinical trials consulting firm with his wife.

In 2021, Malone shared a 2013 video of a high school athlete collapsing on the ﬁeld and falsely linked the death to COVID vaccination, prompting the student’s family to issue a cease-anddesist letter He has also rejected reports linking measles deaths in Texas to a lack of vaccinations. In 2024, he published a book titled “PsyWar: Enforcing the New World Order,” alleging sweeping government mind-control programs and sexual corruption within federal agencies. It isn’t clear how Malone, who does not appear to have any connections to Louisiana or to Pennington and its research focus, ended up with the appointment. According to Ballard, adjunct candidates are recommended, reviewed through an internal administrative process and ultimately approved by the center’s executive director, John Kirwin, who issues a formal appointment letter

LOTTERY

FRIDAY, NOV. 21, 2025

PICK 3: 2-0-3

PICK 4: 8-1-6-9

PICK 5: 5-3-1-8-5

MEGA MILLIONS: 3-4-19-31-63

MEGA BALL: 9

Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

PROVIDED RENDERING

With

a River District site, above now in limbo Louisiana music museum organizers have reopened conversations on other sites while simultaneously working with the Convention Center on a potential direct lease.

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

On Saturday afternoon, a small parade appeared near the Caesars Superdome, accompaniedbya booming brass band. The procession was part of the ceremonial unveiling of anewly ﬁnished mural titled “The Welcoming Committee” by New Orleans artist Annie Moran.

The colorful mural spans thefourlanes of Girod Street, stretching 125 fe long and rising 80 feet the air.Designed to gr visitors as they approach the Dome and Smoothie King Center from the river side, it is one of several large murals that were cre ated across the city duri preparations for the Supe Bowl.

“The Welcoming Commit tee” is aroundup of Louis ana culture, featuring re istic renderings of avoodoo priestess, arider in the Rex parade, jazz musicians, chef, aﬂambeau carrier Zulu costumer,a Cajun dler and other classiccha acters. Wildlife, includ an egret, apelican, alliga tors and anutria, round the scene. In the centero it allstands afemale Mardi Gras Indian.

Queen Elenora “Rukiya” Brown, of theGoldenE gles tribe, who modeled

the painting, was present at theunveiling of themural. Sheled the small parade and anointed the air with sage smoke. Brown saidit was“overwhelming” to be included in the big painting “I didn’tknow Iwas going to be right in the middle,” she said laughing. Moran saidshe waspetrifiedatthe prospect of withthe job.

“It’sbeenfreezing, raining, hot, challenging and physically painful,” she said. But, she added withasmile, “don’t worry, the injuries were minor.”

Moran was born in Natchitoches 46 years ago. She saidshe came by art naturally; her father,Jo

funded the project. Some of themodels whoposed for the painting werein the crowd, as were representatives of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, whichpermitted the use of its signature imagery.

“The We lcomi ng

Committee” was partofthe “Unframed” mural project managed by Arts New Orleans. It wascompleted in increments.The central part was begunroughly ayear ago and ﬁnished in time forthe Super Bowl. Butthe right and left sides of themural weren’tdone until October “It feels like the nearly impossible wasaccomplished in anearly impossible amount of time,” Moransaid. Email Doug MacCashat dmaccash@theadvocate. com.

Featherweight Scooter

Big Queen Elenora ‘Rukiya’Brown second-lines to the unveiling ceremonyfor amural by Louisiana artist Annie Moran on Girod Street in NewOrleans on

Abraham, Emily Ann Bell

Emily Ann Bell Abraham, born on September 23, 1932, in Starkville, Mississippi, to Mayme Loyd and Charles Percival Bell, passed awaypeacefully on November 19, 2025, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,surrounded by her loving family. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, George "Buddy" Richard Abraham, her sonin-law Paul Ralph Jennings, and her grandson-in-law Joseph Edward Gibson. Emily is survived by her children: Charles Lee Abraham (Maria), Linda Abraham Jennings Garrison (Gerald), and Mary Beth Abraham Armstrong (Keith). She also leaves behind her cherished grandchildren: Lee (Colleen) Abraham, Brett Abraham, Ashley Abraham, Jennifer Jennings Gibson, Bobby Jennings (Kate), Emily Jennings Womack (Jonathan), Christian (Ruthie) Armstrong, William (Catherine) Armstrong, Elizabeth Armstrong Pendergraft(Zach), and Chris Garrison. Her great-grandchildren—Wesley, Grant, Keller, Carter, Callie, Davis, and Whit—were among her greatest joys.

Obituaries Rouge home since 1954. Sue is survived by her daughter,Betsy Allen Smith, and her husband, Bob; grandsons Andy Smith and wife Sarah, Patrick Smith and wife Shelley, and Christopher Allen and wife Sarah; granddaughters Katie Thompson and husband Cory, and Morgan Allen Ezell, along with hermother Monica Allen Ezell; and great-grandchildrenCaroline and Drew Smith, Sam Smith, Harper and Amelia Allen, and George andSibley Thompson. She was preceded in death by her belovedson, George L. "Larry" Allen; her mother, Mary R. Stambaugh; her father,Robert Munson; and her brothers, Robert Munson Jr.and Edward Colin III. Sue was blessedwith the love and supportof many dear friends, for which she remained deeply grateful.The family extends heartfelt appreciation to the devotedcaregivers and staff who cared for Sue in herfinaldays, including the compassionate teams at WilliamsburgSenior Living Community, Griswold Home Care, Full Spectrum Senior Care Services, Audubon Home Health, and The Hospice of Baton Rouge Aprivate graveside service will be held. In lieuof flowers, donations may be made to St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge Green, Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, or a charity of your choice

Emily graduated from Mississippi Women's College and later earned her master's degree from Louisiana State University. She met the love of her life, Buddy, while in college, and together they built a beautiful life. The couple moved from Starkvilleto Baton Rouge, where they made their home for 63 wonderful years. Emily devoted her career to teaching— shaping countlessyoung lives. She taught fifth grade at South Boulevard and Magnolia Woods Elementary Schools, and later eighthgrade math and computer science at Kenilworth in Baton Rouge. Even long afterretirement, former students would stop her to tell her how much she had meant to them—a true testament to her impact.

Emily was adeeply loving soul who made everyone feel valued and cared for. She taught her family, by example, the importance of staying close to one another. She was there for every familymember in both joyful and difficult times, offering her unwavering love, generosity, kindness, and genuine interest in their lives. Her compassion extended far beyond her familyand touched many dear friends.

She enjoyed reading, playing tennis and bridge, taking part in her wine club, and spending Friday evenings at "happy hour" with her friends. Though we will miss her endlessly, we take comfort in knowing she is now in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, reunited with those who went before her.

Emily's legacy of love, warmth, and kindness will live on in the hearts of all who knew her. Visitation will be at Trinity Episcopal Church 3552 Morning Glory Avenue, at 10:00 AM on November 29, 2025 with aservice to follow at 10:30 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in her honor to the Buddy and Emily Abraham Endowment Fund at Trinity Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge, LA or to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society at https:/ /donate.nationalmssociety .org/campaign/In-Memory -of-Emily-Abraham-

Allen, Susan Munson

Susan M. Allen, affectionately known as "Sue, passed awaypeacefully on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at the remarkable age of 102. Born on May 20, 1923, in Albany, New York, Sue lived along and fulfilling life surrounded by family and friends. She had called Baton

or, coming Planning

Director in 1995—a role he held until his retirement in 2013. He was hired toimplement the HorizonPlan, Baton Rouge's first comprehensive land use plan and thefirst of itskind in Louisiana. His leadership and vision laid the foundation for responsible, sustainable growththat continues to shapeBaton Rouge today.

Gordon L. Bargas, Jr. died November 21, 2025 surrounded by family. He was 92 years old. He was born July 22, 1933 in Baton Rouge on 14th Street. Gordon is survivedbyhis wife of 54 years, Marie "Mimi" Gary Bargas, and his children Gordon "Trey" Bargas III (Valerie) and Dorothy "Dottie"Bargas Roesler (Greg)and four grandchildren Briggs, Anna-Marie, and Reed Bargas and Grant Roesler. Also surviving him are his brother Al Bargas (Carlisa) numerous nieces, nephews, and theirspouses, as well as an extended Bargas family in Texas. Gordon was precededin death by his parents Gordon L. Bargas Sr.,and Dorothy HolleyBargas and his youngest son Charles Wilton Bargas. Special thanks to his stepmother Adeline KleinpeterBargas, his two grandmothers Elise Holleyand LaviniaBargas and helpful friends J. Wyatt "Jimmy"Morris andRolfe McCollister, Sr. Gordon was aNavy Veteran serving four years from19511953 including duringKorea. He worked his way through LSU with help from the G.I. Bill and graduated with aBSdegree in January of 1959. Gordon and Mimi owned andoperated Ruby's Restaurant togetherfor 25 years andalso owned and operated apartments in the LSU area for over 50 years. Relatives and friends are invited for the visitation at RabenhorstFuneral Home, 825 Government St. on November 28, 2025 beginning at 8:30AM until aEulogy service beginning at 9:30AM. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to Catholic High School and/ or St. Joseph'sAcademy.

Bond, Shirley Raynae Shirley "Raynae"Bond age 46 born in Biloxi, MS passedaway Oct 28. She is preceded in death by her mom Gloria King, her dad Ray Bond, grandparents Sidney &Helen King, &uncles Darrell &Dennis King. She is survived by Uncle Mike King, aunts Vicky Comeaux &Kathy Mitchell, &many relatives. Graveside burial was Nov 1at Pine Grove Methodist Church cemetery. Raynae was laid to rest by her mom.

Joyce Fontenot Brown, a lifelong resident of Whitehall, LA, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, just a few months shy of her 100th birthday. Aquiet, gentle soul, Joyce lived her life with devotion—toher faith, her family, and the values she held dear. Joyce graduated from Maurepas High School and continued her education at Spencer Business College. Throughout her life, she served her community and supported her family throughher work at Charity Hospital of New Orleans and Lemieux Lumber Co. Adedicated member of St.Stephen Catholic Church, she was active in the St. Stephen Ladies Altar Society and the Senior Citizens Club She was known for her love of reading and cooking, and for the simple grace with which she moved throughlife. Though awoman of few words, her love was deeply felt by all who knew her. She was adevoted Catholic and aloving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother. She is survived by her daughters, Cheryl B. Watts(T.F.), GlendaB.Lambert, and Staci Brown; her sister, Marjorie Fontenot; three grandchildren, Todd Watts(Tabatha), Neil Watts(Staci), and Paul Lambert(Nicole); seven great-grandchildren, Amber, Brittany, Brooke, Connor, Bryce, Perry, and Jack; and six great-great-grandchildren. Joyce was preceded in deathbyher husband,Melton "Perry" Brown; her parents, Aynaud and Aurelia Fontenot; her son-in-law, Kenny Lambert; and her brother-inlaw, Donald Fontenot.

Services for Joyce will be held on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at St Stephen Catholic Church, 22502 LA-22, Maurepas, LA Visitation will take place from 9:00 a.m. until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. She will be laid to rest in Whitehall Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Todd Watts, Neil Watts, Paul Lambert, Kenny Fontenot, Connor Watts, and Bryce Watts. Honorary pallbearer is T.F. Watts. The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to ClarityHospice(Christy), Francois Bend Senior Living and to her caregivers, Demetria and Kimberly, for theirexceptional care and compassion.

Mr. Troy L. Bunch, longtime Planning Director for the CityofBaton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.

Mr. Bunch earned his undergraduatedegree in LandscapeArchitecture from Purdue University and aMaster's in Regional Resource Development and Urban Planning from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He began his distinguished career in 1971 as an AssociateProfessorat West Virginia University, later serving as Chief of Design and Special Studies for the CityofSt. Petersburg, Florida, where his innovative work helped shape urban development and community design. Over the next two decades, he brought his expertise to roles across the country, including positions at Purdue University, the CityofMiami Beach, Fort Myers, and St. Augustine, Florida. In each, he balanced growth with preservation and helped strengthen the character of historic communities.

In 1993, Troy joined the City of Baton Rougeand Parish of East Baton Rouge as Assistant Planning Director, becoming Planning

During his 20 years of service, Mr. Bunch guided key initiatives including the City-Parish GIS system, the Zoning Advisory Committee, and numerous ordinances promoting balanced development and neighborhood preservation. He worked closely with multiple mayors, most notably Mayor Kip Holden, and played apivotal role in updating the new comprehensive plan, FUTUREBR following Hurricane Katrina—helping guide the region's recovery and future growth. He also led the successful Brownfields Grant Program, spurring redevelopment in blighted and underserved neighborhoods. Beyond his professional achievements, Troywas devoted to public service. He served on the YMCA Board of Directors, was a past president and leadership member of the Chamber of Commerce, and an active member of Broadmoor United Methodist Church. His faith and leadership reflected alifelong commitment to improving the lives of others.

Mr. Bunch had an incredible abilitytobring people with very divergent views together to build a consensus and move important projects within the City-Parish forward.

Mr. Bunch received numerous state and national honors from theAmerican Planning Associationand the American Societyof LandscapeArchitects. During his tenure in Baton Rouge, he served as President of the Louisiana Chapter of ASLA, Chairman of the APA EducationFoundation, and Chairman of the Louisiana Planning Directors Council. In 2004, he was elected to theFellowship of theASLA—one of the highest distinctions in the profession.

Over more than five decades, TroyBunch shaped communities with vision, integrity, and a steadfast belief in thoughtful, people-centered planning. His legacy endures in the places he helped build and the lives he touched. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by his family, friends, colleagues, and themany communities he served

The family of Jeremiah Joseph Doodyissaddened to announce his passing on November 18th, 2025 at the age of 85 years. Originally from Warsaw, New York, he graduated in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson College of Technology (Potsdam, NY). It was during his studies there that he met his wife of 61 years, Shirley. They married, had their firstborn, Sean, and shortly thereafter moved to Baton Rouge for work. They went on to have two more children, Amanda and Daniel. Jerry had along career as aProfessional Engineer and ultimately retired from Jacobs Engineering. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, sons Sean Doody and Daniel Doody (Heidi) and daughter, Amanda Baker (Kelly) as well as five grandchildren... Alec, Kate &Meg Baker and Olivia &Kellan Doody. He was preceded in deathby his parentsKennethLeo Doodyand Amelia Irene (Motts) Doody and sister Patricia Ann Doody. Jerry was alifelong practicing Catholic and aloving husband,father and grandfather. He will be missed greatly by allwho knew and loved him.

Greene, age 85, passed away in Baton Rouge, LA. Born June 16, 1940, in New Orleans, she was an honors graduate of Iberville High and Southern University. Ms. Dee taught advanced mathematicsin New York for over 30 years. She was amember of the Hebrew Israelite Congregation in Brooklyn and Temple Beth El (House of God)in Suffolk, VA. She will be dearly missed by her loving friends and family.

Arrangements by Church Funeral &Crematory. Memorial details will follow and post on their website.

Higgins, Bliss Maye

Bliss Maye Higgins died peacefully at home in Baton Rouge on November 12, 2025. Born in New Orleans February 25, 1958, to Virginia Faye Petty Higgins and George Joseph Higgins Sr, she was one of 8children. Bliss is survived by Wright Wade Adams III, her beloved husbandof31 years; her children:Chris Adams, Sage Accardo and husband Darren Accardo, Danica Adams, Rye Cooper, Graham Cooper, and Rachel Adams and husband Jaik Faulk; grandchildren: AzaleaAccardo, Lyra Accardo, Delilah Cooper, Frederick Cooper, Vella Accardo, Solan Accardo, Luna Cooper, andAnna Adams; siblings: Colleen Higgins Elam and husband Joseph Barton Elam, George Jay Higgins and wife Felicia Horne Higgins, Bonnie Higgins, Clay Higgins and wife Becca Wynn Higgins, and Tammie Higgins Newman and husband Troy Newman; and many more who loved her. She waspreceded in death by her parents and her sisters, Cindy Higgins Broom and Laurie Higgins. In 1994 shemarried Wright Wade Adams III, at the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, where they made friends andmemories. Wade was adevoted partner, who lovingly cared for herthroughout their marriage andwas her primary care giver during her ordeal with ALS. Arms wide, doors open,and loved ones secure and safe, they lived in ahome filled with love and light and many family events. One of her manyjoys in life wastogather loved ones to participate with her in races nearand far. Bliss ran half marathons in 32 States (with atime of about 2hr 15min). Bliss was proud of herfamily, her work, her running andher life accomplishments.

During her childhood the Higgins family relocated from New Orleans to the Covington area, where Bliss graduated Co-Valedictorian from St. Scholastica Academy in 1976. She moved to Baton Rouge and attended LSU, graduating with aBSinGeology. After years at home, mothering her young children,she built acareer in environmental regulation and consulting. Bliss was atrailblazer: in 1990 she started as an entry-level Environmental Scientist at Louisiana DEQ, and in 1991 Gov. Buddy Roemer issued aGovernor's award to Bliss for her work in creating Louisiana's air toxic program, the first such statewide program in the nation. She was twice appointed as Assistant Secretary of theOffice of Environmental Services at DEQ: First in 2000 by Gov. Mike Foster andagain in 2022 by Gov. JohnBel Edwards. From 2002 to 2022, Bliss built astrong andrespected environmental consulting career with Ramboll International (previously Environ Int). She retired from Ramboll in July of 2025. Bliss was diagnosed with ALS in October 2023 and was swept away from us in two short years. Bliss was adaughter, a sister, amother, awife, a stepmother, agrandmother, an aunt, afriend, a trusted consultant, aleader, arole model, andso much more. She loved immensely andunconditionally. She joyfully celebrated achievements big and small. Sheworked hard, ran races, read books, assembled puzzles, and drew trees. Bliss lived and died with dignity. She loved music, playingfamily DJ with music from her phone and tapping her feet along with it, even in her last days. Her overflowing joy and gratitude through her final days were agift to those who loved her.

ACelebration of Life will be held at The Unitarian

Rebecca "Becky" Jackson was called to her heavenly home on Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 3:15 PM. Becky, 102 was aresident of Baton Rouge, La. She is survived by five daughters: Linda Boyd, Wanda Williams, Pamela Claiborne, Melissa Robinson, Jennifer Johnson. 20 Grandchildren,47Great Grandchildren,thirty-three great- great grandchildren Visitation will be held from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM on November 24, 2025 at Hall Davis &Son, 9348 Scenic Hwy. The celebration of life will be at 10:00 AM at Hall Davis &Sons.

III,

F. Kennedy, III, fondly knownasTrey, passed away on November 11, 2025 in Lewisville, Texas. Trey was anative of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and like manybefore him, he had an unwavering love for the LSU Tigers. Trey was raised in Baton Rouge, the son of Emile F. Kennedy, Jr., knownto many as Tank, and Mary Fisher Kennedy. He attended Woodlawn HighSchool and was voted "Class Favorite" of 1979. He was his happiest watching sports, being with his family and was the ultimate dictionary of music. He is preceded in death by his Mother Mary, his father Tank", and sister Jennifer Lynn Kennedy. He is survived by his 2daughters; Susan Kennedy Vest and Jessica Kennedy, son-inlaw Alex Vest, 3grandsons; Andrew Vest, Jack Vest, Tate Kennedy, and his former wife of 25 years Mary Mills Kennedy. Trey will be remembered for his unparalleled sarcasm, being the life of every party, and his ability to take down adance floor if aDJ played disco. There will be acelebration of life at a later date to remember our beloved father, grandfather, cousin andfriend.

Mark LeFore, Sr., 97 years old passed away at OurLady of Ascension on November 15. He was born to the late Myrtle Bergeron LeFore and the late Joseph Wilmot LeFore. He served our country for 23 years as a United States Navy Chief Petty Officer. He is survived by his children Anthony Dennis LeFore, Leonard Mark LeFore Jr, Carl Gregory LeFore, Kerin Lynn LeFore Meza, Sylvia Ann LeFore Shumate, and Alan Michael LeFore, his sisters Cynthia Ann LeFore and Hazel Bette Cailler, 11 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.Leonard is preceded in death by his wife of 54 years Marie Carol DomingueLeFore, his sons Gearard Wayne LeFore and Joseph Gilbert LeFore. His brother Joseph Gilbert LeFore and his sister Laura Lee LeFore Enos. Leonard was fortunate later in life to have met Geneva Richardson which he shared therest of his life with. Visitation will be held at St. Johnthe Evangelist Catholic Church, 15208 Hwy 73, Prairieville, LA, on Friday, November 28, 2025, from 9:30am until theMass of Christian Burial at 11:00am in the church. Burial will follow at Grace Memorial Park in Plaquemine, La where he will be laid to rest next to his wife Marie with military honors.

Brown, JoyceFontenot

Jackson, Rebecca Turner

Kennedy

Emile F. 'Trey'

Emile

Bargas Jr., Gordon L

Doody, Jeremiah Joseph

LeFore Sr., Leonard Mark 'Lin'

Leonard

Bunch, Troy Lee

Greene, DeLories Audrice 'Ms. Dee'

DeLories Audrice Greene, "Ms. Dee" age85,

Marvin Owen Morgan of Prairieville, LA, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 21, 2025. He was born on January 17, 1938, in El Dorado, AR to Thomas M Morgan and Sybil Hughes Morgan. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Marlene Taylor Morgan; daughter Cindy Morgan of Prairieville; sonJames "Jamie" Morgan (Jaime Mancuso) of Burton, TX; closefamily friend Angela LeBlanc; grandchildren Jennifer Evans (Jay), Justin Morgan (Paisley), Katie Zarazua-Dover (Jay), Taylor Robinson (Ben), Brian May and Carter May; nine great grandchildren Cade and Hannah Evans, Grahamand Grayson Morgan, Mia, Ava and Molly Zarazua-Dover, Penny and Brooks Robinson, and Rylee and GreysonMay; and sisters-in-law, Fran Morgan and Lillian Morgan. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Thomas and Sybil; brothers William T. Morgan and John R. "Richard" Morgan, father-in-law Aubrey G. Taylor, mother-in-law Martha A. Taylor, and brother-in-lawDonald G. Taylor. Marvin started his career in the oil fields of Central Louisiana and retired as asite executive for Shell Oil.Hewas aman of deep faith and few words so when he spoke, his words were usually profound, and people tended to listen. He had adry wit and ahumorous way of turning aphrase. Even in his final days, his dry humor brought laughter and smiles to all. Marvin had an engineer's mind, always ready to tackle aproject and plan anything from duck blinds to decks and everything in between.He was an avid fisherman.He loved LSU football and baseball and spent many hoursatbaseball fields watching his son and grandson play ball. He loved deeply, especially his wife Marlene. They were inseparableand exemplified the true meaning of love, sacrifice, loyalty and commitment. The family expressesits deepestgratitude to Dr. Donald Brignac and his nurses Shelley and Kim, Clarity Hospice of Baton Rouge and Marvin's caregiversat the end of his life Catherine Tillery, Gaynell Wilkins, and Tracy Howard. God bless you and keep you. Services for Marvin will be held on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at Ourso FuneralHome 13533 Airline Hwy, Gonzales, LA. Visitation willbefrom 9 am until the funeral service at 11 am.Hewill be laid to rest in Carpenter's Chapel Cemetery. Pallbearers willbeJustin Morgan, Graham Morgan,

Grayson Morgan, Cade Evans, Jay Zarazua-Dover, and Carter May. Honorary pallbearers are Jay Evans Ben Robinson, Scott Taylor, Gene Taylorand CurtTaylor.Inlieuofflowers, please considera donation to MD Anderson Cancer Center or St. Jude Children'sResearch Hospital If Igoand preparea place foryou, Iwillcome again and receive you to Myself, that where Iam, thereyou may be also."

RichardFoster Murphy, alifelong resident of Baton Rouge, passed awayunexpectedly on November 19, 2025,atthe ageof71. Richard was an avidgolfer and adevoted LSU sports fanwho never missed a game. He also loved to cook, and nothingmade him happier thangatheringeveryone togetherover agoodmeal—especially when he was makinghis famous chicken wings that became abelovedfamily staple. His love of golftook him across the world,including two unforgettable trips to Scotlandtoplay the courses he'd always dreamed of. RichardattendedSt. Paul's School in Covington before later graduating from Lee High School in Baton Rouge. He went on to serve the State of Louisiana with pride, including his time as Director of the Louisiana State TaxCommission, arole he held with dedicationand integrity. Above all Richard cherishedtime spent with his family, especiallyhis grandchildren, who were the joyofhis life. He is survived by his daughter,KatelynMurphy Hodges (Scott); his son, WilliamFoster Murphy (Meagan); and hisbeloved grandchildren: Jackson, Mia, Hudson, and Brooks Hodges, and LoganElizabethMurphy. He is also survived by his brother, Benjamin R. Franklin (Allen); sister-in-law, Harriet Murphy; and nephews Eric, Christopher, and Patrick Murphy,and RogersFranklin.Hewas precededindeath by his parents, LewisPrescott Murphy and MaeAdele GleasonMurphy;his brothers, JosephPrescottMurphy and Michael G. Murphy; and his nephew, Hansen Franklin. Amemorial visitation willtake place on Tuesday, November 25, 2025,atSt. Aloysius CatholicChurchbeginning at 9:30 a.m., followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00a.m. Thefamilywouldliketo extendheartfelt gratitude to the Our Lady of the Lake

Emergency Room physicians and staff for thecare and compassion they provided. Honorary PallbearerswillbeButch Knight, SteveDaniel,Ronnie Onofry, RogerBajon, David Galasso, Rick Dendy, Jonny Parker, Ben Franklin, Rogers Franklin, Tim Morrison, Toby Reese, and GarrettLacour.

Neldare, Ardra Malrea

Ardra Malrea Neldare, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2025. Ardrawas adevotedearlychildhoodeducator who had apassion forshapingyoung minds. She worked in East Baton Rouge and Calcasieu Parishes.Visitation willbe held Friday, November 28, 2025 at 9AM, followedby thefuneral service at 10AM at Hall Davis &Son Funeral Services, 9348 Scenic Hwy. BatonRouge,Louisiana. Interment:Southern Memorial Gardens- Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Services Entrusted to Hall Davis and SonFuneralServices. www.halldavisandson.com

Robert Gerald Nettles passed away peacefully on November 18, 2025. Born in BatonRouge,LAonOctober24, 1938 to Robert and GeraldineNettles, Robert Gerald was theoldest of their four children. Robert lovedcookies, ice cream, science, and quality family dinners paired with awellexecuted Cosmopolitan. His dailycreed was "there is always room for dessert". Robert was a dedicatedengineer, continually learning; always thefirst one in and last one to leavehis job. Robert was tenacious and goal-oriented. When faced with difficulties, he analyzed and workedtowards solving every challenge. Robert overcame a diagnosis that he would never walkagain and

spent almost 60 years proving Army doctors wrong walking off theairplane to his fiancé, Helen, in 1963. Robert and Helen married on AprilFool's Day; thehilarity of the date not lost to them. Together they raised threechildren, one much smarter than the rest.

Robert is preceded in death by his wife Helen and son William. He is survivedbyhis daughter Karen, son-in-law Keith, son Steveand his partner Chuck, granddaughter Lauren and husband Jake, grandsonSethand wife Randi, abonus granddaughter Leslie, three great-grandchildren, Teddy, Charlotte,and Bryce as well as his sisterCynthia and husband Rip, his brother Edwin, and numerous cousins,nieces, and nephews.

The family wishes to thank Christaand Lindafor their kindnessand caregiving over thelast four years.

Aprivateburialwas heldonNovember 22. A CelebrationofLife willbe held on December 6, 2025 at Bradshaw Carter Funeral Home in Houston,Texas from11am- 2pm. In lieu of flowers,the family requests adonation in his memory to theMichaelJ FoxFoundation for Parkinson's Research or the HoustonFoodBank.

Alfred Robvais, 86, of BatonRouge,LA, entered eternal rest on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, surrounded by his family.He was adeaconatNew JerusalemFaith Fellowship Church and aretired foreman at theEXXONMOBILE Refinery.Heissurvived by his loving wife of 59 years, Mary Dummons Robvais; children: Karen Weston (Kurtis), Rodney Keith Robvais (Raquel), and Kellye RobvaisWashington; grandchildren: Kaleb Weston, Kathryn Weston, Grace Robvais, Jordyn Robvais, Timothy Washington II, and TisonKeith Washington; god-daughters, Gail Turner, Bethany Linton, NatalieCrump Stringer; godson Kolby dummons; sister, Mary Ann Robvais; and brothers: Clyde Robvais (Audrey) and NolanRobvais (Connie).Hewas preceded in deathbyhis parents, Frank and Roseanna Bradford Robvais; sisters: Claudette Johnson, Patricia Carey, Linda Bradford Bell, Audrey Augustus, Marion Byrd and Vivian Fenley; brothers, Frank RobvaisJr., AmosHenry Robvais, and William Bradford,and a special brother-in-law, LukeDolford Dummons II. Visitation willbeheld Tuesday,November 25, 2025, at Hall's Celebration Center, 9348 Scenic Hwy., from8:00 am until services

at 10:00 am. Pastor Robert Hayesofficiating. Entombment: Heavenly Gates Mausoleum. ServicesEntrustedtoHallDavis and Son.

Tate,JuanitaWilda Reed Juanita Wilda Reed Tate, passed away Monday, November 17, 2025, peacefully at Harvest Manor. She was95. Juanita was a member of The Pentecostal Lighthouse Church, Denham Springs. Shewas alovingand devoted mother, grandmother,sisterand friendand will be missed dearlybyall who knew her. Shewas preceded in death by herhusband, Willie CecilTate, Sr.; son, Willie "Billy" Tate, Jr.; grandson, Hugh Errol Bertrand; great-grandson, Cody Ray Corkern;parents, Alice LeFleurand Edward LawrenceReed; siblings, June Sebastian,Edward L Reed,Jr., Mamie Godso, Dorothy Fontenot, Jimmy LeFleur, and Violet LeFleur Celestine. Juanita was survivedbyher daughters, Katherine Spradley,Madeline Tate, andJoy Woolfolk (Michael); 8grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren;30 great great-grandchildren; andsister,JessieRichard Visitation will be held at Seale Funeral Home,Denham Springs, Tuesday, November 25, from 9a.m. untilservice at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Louisiana NationalCemetery. Pallbearers will be DustinGrimmett,John Corkern Sr,JoelBertrand, KevinHicks, Dusty Stewart, andJames Desmond. Honorarypallbearers will be Bryce Tassinand Huey Bertrand. Serviceswill be performed by Brother Mike Allen. Averyspecial thank you to thestaff of Harvest Manorfor thecareand

love given to Juanita and ourfamily, especially the CNAs, Krystal Jolla, Dianne Robinson,BerniceSelf, BrittanyPerry,Lavisha Sanford, DanielleCooner andTaliah, Casey Keith andBarbara Miller, and the nurses, Lakeatha, Chelsey, Michelle,Shawn,and Morgan

WatsonJr., John E.

John E. "JohnnyK"Watson, Jr anative andresident of Clinton, La, passed away on Monday, November17, 2025, at the age of 77. John was aretired employee of Louisiana Department of Transportation (DOTD)and theTown of Clinton.Heissurvived by hiswife Brenda Watson, Clinton La; threedaughters, four sons, twenty grandchildrenand ten great grandchildren. Visitation Monday, November 24, 2025, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Richardson Funeral Home Clinton,La. Religious ServicesTuesday, November25, 2025, 11:00 am at East FelicianaSteam Academy, 9414 Hwy67, Clinton,La. Internmentin Asbury United Methodist ChurchCemetery,9296 Beechgrove Road,Clinton, La. Arrangemententrusted to Richardson Funeral Home of Clinton (225) 6835222.

'JohnnyK'

Murphy, Richard Foster

Robvais, Alfred

Nettles, Robert

OUR VIEWS

RememberingJim

Bernhard, who showed dedication to both business andcommunity

We were saddened to learn of the recent death of business titan JimBernhard, atrue Louisiana success story,whose contributions spanned continents and decades.

Bernhard rosetoprominence as founder of The Shaw Group, the engineering and design behemoth with aglobal portfolio, but his inﬂuence transcended the business world. Indeed, few Louisianans who haven’theld the titleof governorhavehad an equivalent impact on our state.

Born in Baton Rouge in 1954, he was raised in Lafayettebefore graduating LSU in 1976 with adegree in construction management

He joined pipe fabrication company Sunland Services, becoming its executive vice presidentand general manager.In1987, he saw an opportunity and decided tostrike out on his own. With two friends, he purchased the assets of acompany headedfor bankruptcy for $50,000 and founded The Shaw Group. Thus began aquarter-century run that saw the company grow to aFortune 500 stalwart, providing services to major industries worldwide. It went public in the early 2000s and eventually sold to CB&I in 2013.

When it sold, Shaw Group had nearly $6 billioninrevenues and 4,000 employees in Louisiana and another 23,000 worldwide. At the time, it was the only Fortune 500 company with headquarters in Baton Rouge.

After the sale, he started aprivate equity ﬁrm, Bernhard Capital Partners, withahandfulofothers and quickly built that into the largest private equity ﬁrm between Atlanta and Houston, with 21 companies currently under management.

Bernhard was known for telling folks that Louisiana was agood place tostart abusiness, to grow abusiness and to stay in business.

And he used his success to promotehis visionfor Louisiana. He was engaged in politics, especially Louisiana’s DemocraticParty, buthe alwayspitched himself as more of aproblemsolverthan apartisan.

He chaired Kathleen Blanco’sgubernatorial campaign in 2003 and was chair of the party when Katrina hit, though he resigned after the storm. Shaw became an important contractor in the rebuilding effort. He even considered a run for governor in 2015 and 2019, but declined todosoindeference to John Bel Edwards, who won bothelections.

He also gave back to his local community The Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge helped inject new life intothe downtown area. The Shaw Group donated$4milliontohelp get the project going. He also donated toSt. George Catholic Church and School, The Dunham School, No Kid Hungry in several states and other charities.

As luminaries from the business and political worlds gather for his funeral Monday,wehope they see the lessons of Bernhard’slife. Certainly anyone as successful as he was could have moved his businesses and his family anywhere. ButBernhard was committed tomaking Louisiana better.Weneed more like him. Godspeed.

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

What watergradesmakecrystal clear

First,the good news: Louisiana’s drinking water earned ahigher grade in 2025 from the Louisiana chapter of theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers than it did in 2017.

Andnow for the bad news: That grade went from aD-to aD,joining the roads category in earning thelowest score awarded on the survey What’s more, Louisiana was largely able to improve its water grade through theuse of federal funds doled out in various programs, especially theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, theAmerican Rescue Plan Act and the Inﬂation Reduction Act.

next 20 years. Without another federal infusion, that’smoney the state doesn’t have.

they’d be ready to retire. Despite all this, the report notes someareas forhope.

Andthe challenges to drinking water supplies are getting more severe.

Those laws, which some decried as federal handouts, gave thestate a needed boost to begin ﬁxing someof themany aging and crumbling water systems, especially those in rural areas. Buteven withthose shots in thearm, problemsloom on the horizon.

According to thereport, Louisiana ofﬁcials estimate that the state’snearly 1,000 public water systems will need some$9billion in upgrades over the

In thepast fewyears, low levels in the Mississippi River allowed salt water to creep up the channel and threaten drinking water systems in Plaquemines, St.Bernard, Orleans and Jefferson parishes Lesswell known but perhaps moreworrisome, the state’saquifers are also vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, especially as industrial pumping increases, according to the report. That meansthat rather than afew parishes at the river’smouth, some30% of parishes could face saltwater intrusion problemsinthe future. Buteven for systems that can get clean water,their infrastructure is so old and decrepit that it requires more effort, expense and equipment to makeitdrinkable. More than half the state’swater infrastructure wasbuilt before 1960, the report notes. In other words, if those systems were people,

The state’swork with agencies like the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and nonproﬁts like the Water Institute has raised awareness and sought solutions. And the water system-focused state initiatives have helped address someofthe issues. But still moreisneeded. The state needs to build on federal-state partnerships to keep upgrading systems, ensure that policy is based on research and ﬁght back attempts to divert funding from what is currently allocated forwater system upgrades. It seemsweird in astate where water is never very farawaytotalk about it like it’savanishing resource. But that’swhere we are headed.

We haven’tquite got to the point of the sailors in Coleridge’sfamous poem “The Rimeofthe Ancient Mariner,” surrounded by water but none of it ﬁt to drink, but we’re closer than we think.

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.

Sharinggratitude makesadifference

As Thanksgiving approaches, thoughts naturally turn to gratitude. Expressing gratitude can be as simple as saying “thank you” to someone. ButI’m always inspired by our readers who go further than that. They write a letter to the newspaper so the wider world can know about thekindness of some individual or group. Sometimes it’sa relatively small thing they are thankful for —ahelping hand, awarm greeting —but it’s clear in their writing that the gesture meanta great deal to theauthor.Ialways hope that when the letters are published, it might prompt others to realize the impact everyday interactions can have on others. We are so used to giving feedback online these days, in the form of likes or Yelp reviews, that it’salmost become routine to ratethe service we receive. Butgratitude, true gratitude, comes without prompting. It is more than feedback; it’sa feeling that comes

from theheart. It’smore about conveying genuine appreciation than bestowing aseal of approval. That’swhy gratitude often brings us such joy.And some studies show gratitude is even good foryour health.

give you an update on the letters we received forthe last twoweeks of October

Idon’tknow if people still write “thank you” letters anymore, but there’snothing like receiving aheartfelt note of gratitude. Ionce was told that you should keep someofthe best thank you notes you receive to read on your worst days. Idon’talways remember to do it,but Idohave a small collection of notes from friends and acquaintances over the years that always bring asmile when Iremember to look for them. So consider this my thank-you note to you, readers, if you wanttostart such acollection. Itruly do appreciate those who takethe time to write and who read us every day.I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. Turning to our letters inbox, Ican

From Oct. 16-23, we received 68 letters, and the mostpopular topic was the No Kings protests in cities around the country.Wereceived seven letters on the subject. Then we received six letters on the government shutdown, ﬁve letters on the Voting Rights Act after aLouisianacase was arguedbefore theSupreme Court andfourletters on thedemolition of the White House’s East Wing.

From Oct. 23-30, we received 71 letters. Topping your list of concerns wasthe government shutdown, which wasthe subject of seven letters. LSU football and coach Brian Kelly wasthe next mostpopular topic, prompting four letters. Lastly,wehad four letters on the ongoing immigration crackdown.

Want to seeyouropinion published in The Advocate |Times-Picayune? Submitaletter to theeditor

Arnessa Garrett

Faimon Roberts

COMMENTARY

Cheney’s funeralappealedtocivic virtues

In the immediacy of returning from the memorial service for former Vice President Richard Cheney,which ended just two hours ago as Iwrite, what stands out is the sharp difference between the man accurately described in the ceremonies and the public caricatureofhim.

Quin Hillyer

The real Cheney,as was recounted Thursday and as almost everyone who actually dealt with him experienced, was unassuming, thoughtful andkind. (Forhis ﬁrst quarter-century in public life, that also was the public image of him, until thenational media needed abogeyman in the ﬁrst two months of the G.W.Bush presidency and wronglybut effectively turned him into Darth Vader.)

The memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral, stunningly beautiful in tone, tune and substance, featured not a whiff of partisanship or politics andonly athimbleful of policy.It was about the grandfather who attended all his grandson’s foot-

ball games and regularly drove hisgranddaughter for hundreds of miles for rodeo competitionsinWyoming. It was aboutthe father who spent untold hours withhis daughters while transmittingalove of history and country.It was about the avid ﬂy-ﬁsher who cherished the outdoors. And,when his actual careerwas discussed at all, it was notabout hispolicy battles or convictions; it was about what a good and caringboss he was. Retired NBC News correspondent Pete Williams, hispress secretary whenCheney was secretaryof defense, told two great stories. One was when amagazine was aboutto“out” Williams’ homosexuality,which back then usually was apolitical career killer, so Williams called Cheney and offered to resign. Cheney not only told himinnouncertain terms that his job was safe but checked in on Williams regularly in the next fewweeks tomakesure he was doing OK as he faced some nasty public blowback.

Andonce when the elder President Bush was ready toadopt a new nuclear weapons strategy, Williams and apolicy expert asked Cheney what to do when theNew York Times got wind of it and wanted them to discuss it on “background.” Cheney said it was ﬁne with him as long as they checked it with the White House ﬁrst;but somehow Williams got his signals crossed on the timing, so thestorycame out afull day before Bush had planned amajor public announcement on the subject. All heck broke loose.

Cheney called Williams and the policy guy intohis ofﬁce and said he had bad news and good news.

Bad news ﬁrst:The president was absolutely furious at the premature disclosure. “The good news,” Cheney said in somber tones,“is I’ll only need to ﬁre one of you.”

Butthen, before their panic could fully sink in, Cheney gave ahalf smile, winked at them, and said: “Just kidding, fellas. Itold thepresident it was all my fault. He’ll get over it.”

Cheney’sbedrock decency was an “old school” sort of politics. It

is atrait sorely lacking in today’s political world.

In thefallof2016, at the UniversityofMobile, Iwas teaching aclass on the history of presidential elections. Ishowed video excerpts from what then were recent national “debates,” full of invective and discord —and then Ishowed several minutes from thevice-presidential debate between Cheney and Democrat Joe Lieberman in 2000.

As they watched, the students’ faces turned puzzled, then outright surprised. Here were two people quite signiﬁcantlydiffering with each other on numerous policies, but they were respectful of each other,even friendly.They weresober and seriousbut also relaxed, and their words and tone were entirely constructive.

By thetimethe video clip ended, my students were nodding with approval. They weremanifestly impressed. Dare Isay it, they were inspired.For perhaps one of very fewtimes in their short lives, they now saw that politics could be ennobling.

And they loved it.

Speaking of inspiration: Cheney’sdaughter Liz, the former House Republican Whip, said that although her father (obviously) wasaRepublican, he wasﬁrst motivated to go into public service when he was in the stadium bleachers in Wyoming foraspeech by Democratic thenPresident John F. Kennedy,who gave someversion of his famous “ask what you can do foryour country” message. Somehow,some way,this nation must rediscover that sense of higher purpose, pursued assiduously and with adegree of toughness, but without appeal to baser instincts.

As perhaps 1,500 mourners exited the National Cathedral, an acquaintance said to me he felt a sense of “catharsis” in the atmosphere.

Maybe, just maybe, somesimilar catharsis can “go national” and at least somewhat ennoble our politics again.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin. hillyer@theadvocate.com

Agreat nation is reducedtofancifulhoping

Before the South boomed as America’sexemplary region of economic growth, some Southern states with low indices of social progress (concerning poverty, health, education, etc.) used to think: Thank God for Mississippi. It generally ranked lower Until recently,Italyand Greece, Mediterranean polities with grand cultural inheritances but deplorable recent habits, were derided as developed nations exemplifying incorrigible ﬁscalincontinence. Today, they might think: Thank Zeusfor the United States. The International Monetary Fund forecasts the U.S. governmentdebt will be above 7% of GDP every year until 2029, with the debt reaching 143.4% of GDP by the decade’send. The Congressional Budget Ofﬁce projectsthe debt increasing for decades. As a percentage of their GDPs, Italy’s and Greece’sdebts are expected to decline, and to be exceeded by the U.S. debt’spercentagein2030. Recently,the undiscourageable Peter G. Peterson Foundation,

George Will

which shouldersthe Sisyphean task of warningAmericans about their ruinous fiscal habits, published fiveessays by six fiscal and economics writers on “Lessons from History for America Today.” The essays probably will make no difference in this sleepwalking nation’sbehavior,but they are, in their way,asrivetingasWalter Lord’s1955 “A Night to Remember,” aboutthe “unsinkable” Titanic sinking. The essays say: Federal debt has increased for 24 consecutiveyears. In constant 2025 dollars, it has more than tripled. Debt problems were successfully addressed in the 20th century,following World WarII andinthe 1990s. Debt fell in the period1946 to1974 from more than 100% of GDP to lessthan 25%, and from 48% of GDP in 1994 to 31% in early 2001.

Buttwo post-World WarII decades’ average growth (4.2% and4.5% inthe 1950s and 1960s respectively) was the 20th century’s fastest in peacetime. This was powered bywar-developed

technologies (e.g., electronics, aircraft, early computers), and air conditioning that opened the South. Interest rates were low; often negative as inﬂation averaged 7%, 1947-1951. There was an average primary budget surplus (budget balance net of debt service payments) of 0.9% of GDP, 1947-1973. The primary balance was negative in just three years (1953, Korea; 1959, arecession; 1968, Vietnam and Great Society spending) In 1960, however,Social Securitywas less than 13% of federal spending (today,23%). Medicare and Medicaid did not exist. And federal revenue as ashare of GDP was slightly higher than today.Inthe 1990s, there was the post-Cold War“peace dividend.” Digital technologies of the “new economy” accelerated productivity.Furthermore, in 1993 Congress trimmed Medicare spending and modestly increased tax revenue. None of these panaceas are now available. Andfew expect growth spurtscomparable to the 19461973 or 1995-2000 eras of low political polarization. With annual deﬁcits approach-

ing $2 trillion even with the economy humming, and with defense spending downtoaround 3% of GDP (above 13% during the Korean War; above 9percent during peak Vietnam), what can cause sustained economicgrowth of at least 5percent to cope with the debt’s growth?Artiﬁcial intelligence? Arisky reliance. Revenue from thepresident’sperhaps unconstitutional tariffs? Anet drag on the economy Anation that used to borrow for emergencies now is mired in a perpetualemergency because it is borrowing —$2.6 trillion annually projected by 2034 —tofund current consumption of governmentgoods and services. The president’spoliticizing of economic information —can the Bureau of Labor Statistics still be trusted? —generates uncertainty and complicates attracting foreign purchasers of U.S. debt. Uncertainty is cubed because amid today’sloosening constraints on executive behavior,Congress is losing control of spending. If theFederal Reserve must raise rates to counter decreased global demandfor this debt, growth will

slow,and today’sslow-motion crisis will accelerate.

We are spending our rainy day fund during (relatively) sunny weather.Agreat nation is reduced to fanciful hoping —that, forexample, AI eliminates economic rain.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s1961 farewell address is remembered forhis forebodings about “the acquisition of unwarranted inﬂuence …bythe military-industrial complex.” Ike ended, however,warning against:

“…the impulse to live only for today,plundering, forour own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow.We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage.”

When he spoke, the national debt was52% of GDP.Today’s $38 trillion is 125%, projected to reach 143% by 2030. This assumes, rashly,that government behavior does not makethings even worse sooner

Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com

Donation to Xavier is huge,but HBCUsneedmore

Will Sutton

A$38 million donation to Xavier University of Louisiana,the largest in the institution’shistory, was announced only days ago. The gift came from MacKenzie Scott, the philanthropist whofounded Amazon with former husband Jeff Bezos. Within the last couple of weeks, acouple of Atlanta HBCUs —Spelman Collegeand ClarkAtlanta University —also got $38 million each. Earlier this month, Philander Smith University in Arkansas got $19 million from Scott’sfoundation, Yield Giving, and Prairie View A&M UniversityinTexas and North Carolina A&T State University each received$63 million. Morgan State University in Baltimore got $63 million last month. The day the Xavier contribution was announced, campus faculty,staff and students and Xavier alumni went crazy with excitement. Of course, therewere plenty of unsolicited social media commentsabout how themoney should be spent.With recent news in Octoberabout university layoffs, some thought those decisions might be changed Icaught Xavier University President ReynoldVerret just

before hewenttobed in Rome afteralongday of travel to Italy He and adelegation of Xavier alumni, friendsand supporters were on apilgrimage in honor of the25th anniversary of thecanonization of St. Katharine Drexel, whofounded theuniversity.He told me that the Scottmoney has been designated forinvestments so theuniversity can use theyield to supportstudents.

“The value of what we’re doing is signiﬁcant, and this will help students who may not be able to payall thecosts,” he told me. “To get such an expression of conﬁdence fromsomeone likeScott is big.”

Verret andother HBCUleaders hope that there will be other “creativegivers” whosee the value of Xavier andother HBCUs, the importance of getting students into these institutions, keeping them in school andseeing that they graduate. These were notﬁnancial commitments or promises.These were deposits. Each of these schools was awinner getting so much money in alumpsum.The biggestdonation went to Howard Universitywith an $80 million contribution, including $17 million for its medical college. Verret is good at keeping secrets. He knew about the multimillion-dollar contribution earlier

this month.Even withthe excitementand fun during homecoming weekend, Verret kept his word when he promised on Nov.6not to say anything. It’snot Thanksgiving yet, but certainly these and other HBCUs are morethan thankful and blessed to end the year with more money in their accounts than they had anticipated. Lots of HBCUs are underfunded, but none morethan land-grant HBCUs that were supposed to get equal ﬁnancial support from states and the federal government. Even theU.S. Department of Education had to admit that landgrant HBCUs in 16 states have been underfunded by about $12 billion.

This is the second round of big HBCU contributions by Scott.

In 2020, about $560 million was provided to 23 HBCUs. This year, she’sgiven HBCUsabout $700 million Every penny,dollar,$20 or $100 helps HBCUs that have been woefully underfunded throughout their histories. Millions donated to the likes of Harvard University,Columbia University or GeorgetownUniversitymean alot. It means alot moretoHBCUs. Oneestimate puts the combined total of HBCU endowments and investments between $3 billion and $4 billion. Yes, that’salot of money.But spread across more than 100 institutions, it’ssmall potatoes compared to the$800 billion combined total forpredominantlyWhite institutions. Harvard alone has endowment assetsofmore than $50 billion. HBCUs are 3% of allU.S. higher education institutions and, collectively,they have less than one percent of the total forhigher education institutions.

Let that sink in, and consider theimpact. According to the United Negro College Fund, which regularly collects andanalyzes HBCU and higher education data, HBCUs account for10% of all Black college students and graduate 20%

of all Black students whoreceive diplomas.

Add this to the HBCU recipe for success: Of all African American college students whograduate with science, technology, engineering and math(STEM) degrees, about 25% of them are HBCU graduates. Of all Black attorneys, 50% graduate from HBCUs. Of all Black judges, 80% graduate from HBCUs.

Clearly,Scott sees value in HBCUsorshe wouldn’thave given millions to HBCUsinthe first place. She certainly wouldn’thave given millions moretoHBCUs this year if she didn’tsee the value. And she definitely wouldn’t have given Xavier and other HBCUsanother round of millions if she didn’tthink that her first investment waspaying off. Scott has been an institutionsaver in someinstances. She’s been an amazing encourager and motivator to others.

Let there be no doubt that Xavier and the nation’sother HBCUs continue to provide tremendous value while having asigniﬁcantly disproportionate impact on the future of our country

Look at Scott’smillions. Look at the results. Consider what difference billions might make.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

FILE PHOTO By EVAN AGOSTINI Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott

BY WILSONALEXANDER

Staff writer

Boos came from what was left of the crowd inside Tiger Stadium as frustrationand disappointment spilledout in the thirdquarter Saturday night. Those fanshad watched LSUsquander another triptothe red zone, this time because it could not score fromthe 1-yard line and quarterback Michael VanBurenfumbled during ahandoff on thirddown.

VanBurenpicked up theballand tried to improvise, but he was tackled short of the end zone. He jogged to

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

TylerShoughdoesn’t live in abubble. He knows football means something different with the Atlanta Falcons coming to townthis weekend.

And because Shough lives in NewOrleans, that feeling and meaningare impossible to ignore anyway

the sidelineassome fans booed.Van Burenput his hands on his hips and shook his head. LSUhad its best ﬁeld position of thenight against Western Kentucky after an interception by freshman cornerback DJ Pickett, and it settled for an 18-yard ﬁeld goal.

LSU won its last home gameofthe season 13-10, but its offense played its worst game of theyear —a week before facing the best defense in theSEC. Western Kentucky gave up more points to LouisianaTech last month. In agameLSU should have

LaneKifﬁn can’tget to LSU fast enough.

Athoroughly underwhelming LSUfootball season saw theTigers play their ﬁnal homegame Saturday night, arock ﬁght of a13-10 victory over Western Kentucky

This story may be apocryphal, but to anybody who hasbeen here forany amount of time,itsounds true. After his breakout 282yard, two-touchdown performance against the Carolina Panthers on Nov.9,Shough said the people he saw in and around town greeted him like this:“Greatjob.But,you know

It was little more than away to kill an unusually balmy November evening until LSU hires its next football coach.

Will it be Kifﬁn, who theoretically has one gameleft to coach at Ole Miss before he is expected to take theLSU job?

That’scertainly the wayit looks. Frustrated LSU fans have to hope looks aren’tdeceiving. WasKiffin, whose Rebels wereidle this weekend, watching this? He had to be at least mildly curious. He also had to be considering switching to Netflix foranepisode or two of “Death by Lightning” when LSU trailed 3-0 until the final 92 seconds of the first half At onepoint,LSU athleticdirector VergeAusberry was spotted on the

go beat Atlanta next week. Don’treally care about anything else.”

“You’regoing to line up on Sunday against theFalcons, and (the past isn’t) going to matter,” offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier said. “What’s going tomatteriswhat you do now.”

Shoughrepresents thelatest and maybe greatest hope forafranchise quarterback in New Orleans since the great Drew Brees

announced his retirement in March 2021. Saints fans have watched Jameis Winston, Derek Carr,Spencer Rattler and others have moments, yet never meet the moment. Now he’sabout to make his ﬁrst career start in front of those fans, fresh off the

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Michael VanBuren scrambles away from WesternKentucky linebacker Jaylen Wester in thesecondquarter of their game on SaturdayatTiger Stadium.

On TV MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

noon Clemson vs. Georgia ESPN

1p.m. Butler vs.Virginia CBSSN

2:30p.m.West Virginia vs. Xavier ESPN

3p.m.Howard at Duke ACCN

4p.m. Northwesternvs. S. Carolina CBSSN

5p.m. Bryant at UConn TRUTV

5:30 p.m. Tulane vs. Boston College ESPN2

8p.m. Utah St. vs. Davidson ESPN2 WOMEN’S COLLEGEBASKETBALL

11 a.m. Syracuse vs. Michigan FS1

11:30 a.m.Miami (Ohio) at Purdue BTN

1:30 p.m. GeorgeMason at Maryland BTN

BROADCASTHIGHLIGHTS

1:30 p.m. UConn vs.Utah FS1

5p.m. UNC-Greensboro at UNC ACCN

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

11 a.m.FCS Football Selection ShowESPNU GOLF

noon PGA: RSM Classic Golf

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL AP TOP25ROUNDUP

Oregon derailsUSC’s CFPhopes with awin

By The Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. Dante Moore threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns as No.6Oregonlikely dashedNo. 16 SouthernCalifornia’shopes of making the College Football Playoff with a42-27 victorySaturday.

Kenyon Sadiq hadsix catches for 72 yards and two scores, and Noah Whittington ran for104 yards and another touchdown for theDucks (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 7CFP), who improved their chances of not only making the playoff butalso hosting agame.

Jayden Maiava threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns,including apair to Makai Lemon, who also threw atouchdownpass for USC (8-3, 6-2, No. 15 CFP).

USC hasn’twon in Eugenesince 2011 and the Trojans havelostfour straight to the Ducks overall. Once again, the Trojans fell short on the road against aranked opponent, with previous losses this season to Illinois and Notre Dame.

“We’re disappointed, didn’tplay our best. We had somepenalties that we haven’tbeen having that showed up and deﬁnitely hurtus,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “We were gutsy,madea lotofplays,but in the end we were just acoupleof plays short.”

No. 1OHIO ST.42, RUTGERS 9: In Columbus, Ohio, Julian Sayin threw two touchdown passes despite missing his top two playmakers, Bo Jackson rushed for 110 yards and apair of scores and the topranked Buckeyes pulled away in the second half for avictory over the Scarlet Knights.

The Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) started off slow with wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate sidelined because of injuries.

No. 8OKLAHOMA 17, No. 23 MISSOURI 6: In Norman, Oklahoma, John Mateer threw two touchdown passes, and Oklahoma defeated Missouri to inch closer to aCollege Football Playoff spot.

Mateer went 14 for 30 passing for 173 yards and ran for 60 yards Isaiah Sategna caught three passes for 109 yardsfor the Sooners (9-2, 5-2 SEC, No.8CFP), who likely will make the playoff ﬁeldwith awin at home against LSU next Saturday. No. 3TEXAS A&M 48, SAMFORD 0: In College Station, Texas, Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passes in the ﬁrst quarter before sitting down early in the second as the Aggies built ahuge early lead

androlledtoawin over FCS school

Samford.

TexasA&M is 11-0for the ﬁrst timesincegoing 12-0under coach R.C. Slocum in 1992and looks to capaperfect regular season when theAggiesvisit rival No.17Texas on Friday No.4GEORGIA 35,CHARLOTTE 3: In Athens, Georgia,freshmanBoWalker ran for hisfirst threecareer touchdowns, Nate Frazier added twoscoring runs andthe Bulldogs rolled to awin over the underdog 49ers in its bid to protect itsCollege Football Playoff standing. Georgia was looking to play well enough to retain its No.4CFP rankingand positionfor aﬁrst-round bye in the playoff. The Bulldogs overwhelmed Charlotte fortheir seventh consecutive win. The 49ers suffered their eighth straight loss. No. 13MIAMI 34, VIRGINIATECH 17: In Blacksburg, Virginia, Carson Beck threw for320 yardsand four touchdowns to lead the Hurricanes to a victory over the Hokies.

Malachi Toney had career highs in receptions(12) and yards (146) andhad atouchdown, lifting the Hurricanes(9-2, 5-2 ACC, No. 13 CFP) to their third straight winand keepingalive their hopes of making it to the Atlantic Coast Conference championshipgame. No.10ALABAMA 56, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0: In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, sixdifferent playersscored touchdowns, including two apiece from Kevin Riley and AK Dear,and Alabama cruised to awin against lower-division EasternIllinois.

Alabama (9-2)held out afew key players —receiver Germie Ber-

nard, center Parker Brailsford and tight end Josh Cuevas— with the Iron Bowl on tapnext week. Cuevas was injured in practice, andhis availability moving forward is up in theair,said coach Kalen DeBoer

TCU 17, No. 25 HOUSTON 14: In Houston,Josh Hoover threw for 293 yards andtwo touchdowns and TCU took advantage of Houston’s missed ﬁeld goal in theﬁnal minute to beat theCougars. Afterstopping TCU on the 5with just under two minutes remaining, Houston drove to the TCU 20 and hada chance to tie it,but Ethan Sanchez’s38-yard attemptwith 46 seconds remainingwentwide left.

No. 18 MICHIGAN 45, MARYLAND20: In CollegePark,Maryland, Bryson Kuzdzal ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns to help Michigantoavictory over Maryland, a week beforethe Wolverines host top-ranked Ohio State. Michigan was without injured running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, but theWolverines were still superioronthe ground, and Michigan ﬁnished with its highest scoring output in conference play this season.

No. 12 VANDERBILT45, KENTUCKY 17: In Nashville, Tennessee, Diego Pavia threw for acareer-high484 yards and ﬁve touchdowns and Vanderbilt beat Kentucky as the Commodores kept their hopes for aCollege FootballPlayoff berth alivegoing into theregular-season ﬁnale. Pavia,who struck yet another Heisman Trophypoise celebrating with teammates,set the program record,topping the 464 yards Whit Taylorhad at Tennesseein1981. Pa-

viaalsoran for48moreyards and aﬁfth score. No. 17 TEXAS 52,ARKANSAS 37: In Austin, Texas, Arch Manning passed for four touchdowns, ran for one andcaught another as Texas beat Arkansastokeep the Longhorns clinging to hopes of making the CollegeFootball Playoff. Manning becamethe ﬁrst Texas quarterback with passing, running and receiving touchdowns in a game.Hepassed for acareer-high 389 yards, andhis do-everything day showed howfar he’scome fromthe beginning of theseason, when Texas struggled to a3-2 start.

No. 24 TULANE 37,TEMPLE 13: In Philadelphia,Jake Retzlaff passed for twotouchdowns and rushed for another score, and Tulane beat Temple to move closer to aspot in theAmerican Conferencechampionshipgame Tulanecan secure aspotinthe Dec. 5title game with awin over Charlotte at home next weekend.

No. 20 TENNESSEE31, FLORIDA11:

In Gainesville, Florida,DeSean Bishopran for 116 yards and two touchdowns, including one that endedwith aflip into the endzone, andTennessee overwhelmed rival Floridatowin in the Swamp for the first time since 2003. TheVolunteershad dropped10 in arow at Florida Field, one of the longest skids in serieshistory Although therewereplentyof lopsidedmeetings over theyears, this one could go down as the most stunning —evenwith the Gators (3-8, 2-6) spiraling and waiting to find outthe future of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.

Low-scoringPelicanslose9th straight game

BYLES EAST Contributing writer

The New Orleans Pelicans’NBAworst offense was worse than usual Saturday night. The Pelicans (2-15) scored 11 points less than their scoring average and dropped their ninth game in arow 115-98 againstthe Atlanta Hawks in the Smoothie King Center New Orleans played without leading scorer Zion Williamson andstarting guard Herb Jones, and flirted with theirlowest-scoring game of theseasonbeforea late push enabled the team to surpass itspoint totalina 122-88 loss at Denver on Oct. 29.

“They’re an aggressive defensive team,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said of the Hawks, whocame into the game ranked 15th in scoring defense (115.7)and 12th in ﬁeld-goal percentage defense (46.3%). “They’re very good defensively.Ball movement hasto continue to be afocus for us along with ﬁnding higher-quality shots.”

New Orleans shot41.7% (35of 84) from the ﬂoor and 29.6%(8of 27) on 3-pointers while Atlantashot 46.2% from the ﬂoor (42 of 91) and 37% (17 of 46) on 3-pointers Derik Queen scored 20 points, Trey Murphy had 19, Saddiq Bey

added 18 points and 11 rebounds forhis ﬁrst double-doubleofthe season,and Jeremiah Fears scored 11 to lead the Pelicans, who play theChicago Bulls on Mondaynight in the Smoothie King Center Kristaps Porzingis scoreda season-high29 points, VitKrejcihad 21 offthe benchbymaking 7-of-10 3-pointers, Jalen Johnson had 18 pointsand 11 rebounds, former Pelican Dyson Daniels scored 14, and former Pelican Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 11 to lead Atlanta (10-7). Williamson didn’tplay because of load management on the back end of games on consecutivenights justthree days after he returned

from an eight-game absence becauseofastrained hamstring. The PelicanslostatDallas,118-115, on Friday night. Jones (right calfsoreness/lower back strain) was sidelinedfor the ﬁrst timethis season, leading New Orleans to use its 11th different starting lineup Rookie second-rounddraftchoice Micah Peavystarted in Jones’ place, joining fellow rookies Queen and Fears in the starting lineup, andﬁnished with fourpoints, three rebounds andone assist in aseasonhigh 27 minutes. “The bestteacher is experience,” Beysaidinreference to therookies. “I think themhaving the op-

TwoUAB football players stabbed by teammate

BIRMINGHAM,Ala. AUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham football playerstabbedtwo teammates Saturday morning, hours before theteam’sgame against the University of South Florida, the university said in astatement.

Both wounded players werein stable condition,and theteammate suspected of stabbing them wasincustody,the statement said. The university did not release the names of the players involved.

The stabbing occurred on campusatthe footballoperations building.

Theteam elected to play theafternoon game at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, where 29 players were being honored on senior day.South Florida won48-18.

“UAB’s toppriorityremains the safety and well-being of all of our students,” the statement said.

portunity to playheavyminutesas rookies is going to be good for them in the future.” Borrego saidbefore the game thatitlooked like the Pelicans were “beginning to formanidentity” with their aggressiveness on defense, which had produced an average of 19.8 turnovers in the four games sincehereplaced Willie Green as head coach, aper-game averageof3.4 higher than their season average But New Orleansfellshort in that area, too, forcing just seventurnovers that led to nine points while committing 18 turnoversthatled to 25 points for Atlanta

“Weneeded to turn them over in order to score (enough) against that team,” Borregosaid. “Obviously, we had ahardtime doing that.”

Murphy madea 3-pointertostart the third-quarter scoring and pull New Orleanswithin sevenpoints, butthe Pelicanscouldn’tkeep pace.

Porzingis scored seven points andZaccharie Risacher hadsix during a23-11spurtthatgavethe Hawks a79-60 lead before they held an 88-70 edge entering the fourth quarter

TheHawks led by as manyas24 points in thefourth quarterbefore the Pelicansscored 24 points in the ﬁnal61/2 minutes.

Spaindefeats Germany, reachesDavisCup fi

nal

BOLOGNA,Italy Spain reached the Davis Cupﬁnal thanks to doubles pair Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez, who defeated Germany’sTim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz 6-2, 3-6, 6-3onSaturday fora 2-1 wininthe semiﬁnals.

Alexander Zverev had kept the Germans’ hopes alive with a7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win over JaumeMunar after Pablo Carreño Busta got Spain off to awinning start against Jan-Lennard Struff.

Carreño Busta saved five consecutive set points in the tiebreaker before beating the German veteran 6-4, 7-6 (6).

ButGranollers andMartínez shocked Pütz and Krawietz by dealing them just their second Davis Cup loss.

Spain now willfacetwo-time reigning champion Italy,which defeated Belgium on Friday,inthe ﬁnals on Sunday

Thitikul is running away in LPGA Tour Championship NAPLES,Fla.— Jeeno Thitikul made nine birdies for the second straight day,thistimegiving heran8-under 64 that allowed the Thai star to pull away Saturday and build asix-shot lead going into the ﬁnal round of the CMEGroupTour Championship.

Thitikul, the No. 1player in women’s golf, is oneround away from sweeping all the awards on the LPGATour,along withthe $4 million check for winning.

She hasall but clinched LPGA player of the year and the Vare Trophy forthe lowest-scoring average, andshe could setanLPGArecord depending on her closing round. Nelly Korda shot a65and still lost ground. She was six shots behind, along with Pajaree Anannarukarn.

Valimakitakes two-shot lead in PGA Tour finale ST.SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Sami ValimakiofFinland ranoff four straight birdies to close out the front nine on his way to a5-under 65 that gave himatwo-shotlead Saturdayinthe RSM Classic going into the ﬁnalround of the ﬁnal eventofthe PGA Tour season. Valimaki was at 19-under 193 and two ahead of Michael Thorbjornsen andPatrick Rodgers, each with a68.

The groupthreeshots behind featured Zac Blair (64), whowill have to win to have any chance of ﬁnishing in the top 100 in the FedEx Cup. Also at 16-under196 were Andrew Novak (70) and Johnny Keefer (67), the Korn Ferry Tour player of the year

Ex-WakeForest star,NBA player Rogersdies at 54 Former Wake Forest star and 12year NBA player Rodney Rogers has died.Hewas 54. The school announced Saturday that Rogershad died on Friday Rogers —the No. 9overall NBA draft pickin1993 —had been paralyzedfrom theshoulders down since adirt bike accident in November 2008. Rogers died of natural causes linked to his spinal cord injury,according to astatement from the National Basketball Players Association on behalf of Rogers’ family Rogerswas theACC rookie of the year in 1991 andplayerofthe year in 1993. He went on to score nearly 9,500 points in the NBA while beingnamed league sixth manofthe year in 2000.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Pelicans guardMicah Peavyattempts to score against the Atlanta Hawks at the Smoothie King Center on Saturday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByLyDIA ELy

Oregon quarterbackDante Moore, center,calls out instructions against USConSaturdayinEugene, Ore.

a99-73 victory.

Tigerscrank up defensive intensityinwin vs.Omaha

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

Satisfaction isn’tsomething LSU basketball attains easily this season. In the team’s98-81 victory against Florida International on Nov.13, Mike Nwokosaid he’d give theteam a“D-” grade forits performance.

In theTigers’ 107-81 winoverAlcorn State on Tuesday,lead guard Dedan Thomas said they “just didn’tcome out ready to play” after trailing for more than 14 minutes in the ﬁrst half. Those recent outings inspired LSU’sstrong performance when it beat Omaha 99-73onFriday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Whilethe season-high number of 3-pointers, 15,initially popped off the box score, the playersand coach Matt McMahon were more complimentaryoftheir defense, which allowed 39%shootingfrom the ﬁeld. The players credited the defensive intensity to spirited practices

ä Drakevs. LSU 8:30 P.M. FRIDAy,CBSSN

Wednesdayand Thursday

“The last few practices, coach was really on us,”said Thomas, whohad 15 points and11assists on Friday.“It was physical, competitive, because, you know,the last two games we haven’tlooked likeourselves. So just coming in tonight,wejust hada lot of energy andjust got back to what we were doing.”

LSU’sactivityled to nine steals (a season-high), ﬁve blocksand a number of tough shots from Omaha This was alevel of aggressiveness that McMahon said was missing in recent games.

“I didn’tlove our defensive demeanor forthe last 50 minutesof basketball, the final 10 minutes versus firstFIU andthe 40 we played against Alcorn,” McMahon said. “Sothatwas reallythe emphasis, buildingmore of ourteam defense.I thinkwe’ve done agood

job of takingteams outofwhat they’re trying to do, and then it becomes,can you guardthe dribble one-on-one?Thathas been giving us some problems. Ithought we were much better tonight.”

Omaha coach Chris Crutchﬁeld felt LSU’sdefensive growth.

“LSU turneditupdefensively forcing us into four turnovers in our first five possessions,” Crutchfield said about the second half. “We talk about the first four minutesall the time, and in the second half, how importantthose minutes are. They came outand punchedusreally hard and took that 20-point lead.”

As thelevel of the LSU defense rose, so didits shooting prowess, going 15 of 33 from 3-point range.

“It’sprobably acrazy thought, but Ijustthought our energy on thedefensive side of the ball was alot better,and Ithought that just led to some better execution offensively,” McMahon said.

The overall effort was rewarded with not only awin but also “L-SU” chants when the finalbuzzer sounded.

La.Techrallies to down LibertyinOT

By The Associated Press

RUSTON AndrewBurnettehad three touchdown runs that included a25-yarder in overtime, Jakari Foster hadtwo of Louisiana Tech’sfour interceptions,and the Bulldogs overcamea21-point, third-quarter deﬁcit to beat Liberty 34-28 on Saturday night. Foster pickedoff an Ethan Vasko passonthe secondplay of overtimebeforeBurnette broke loose for the game-winner on the next play.

Vasko threw a6-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Jenkins that stretched Liberty’slead to 28-7 with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter,but he ended the Flames’ next three driveswith interceptions.

Trey Kukuk completed 13 of 20 passes for118 yards andscored twice on the ground, finishing with 143 yards on 19 carries. Burnette added93yardsrushing on 17 carries for Louisiana Tech (6-5, 4-3 Conference USA).

Kukuk hada31-yard touchdown runand a29-yarder,sandwiched around aBurnette 3-yard TD run, thattied it 28-allwith7:05 left in the fourth quarter Evan Dickensran theball30 timesfor 228yards andhad two touchdowns forLiberty (4-7, 3-4).

Vasko was 8-of-21 passing for141 yards with atouchdown pass and the four interceptions.

McNEESE STATE21, LAMAR 19: In Beaumont, Texas, Phillip Bradford returnedaninterception 21 yards for akey fourth-quarter score, the McNeese defense stopped a two-point conversion attempt to preserve atwo-point lead, and the Cowboys defeated Lamar Theloss maybedamagingfor Lamar, ranked No. 19 in the Stats Perform FCS poll. The Cardinals (8-4,5-3 Southland Conference) will learn on Sunday whether they will receive an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs. Trailing 13-6 through three quarters, McNeese(5-7, 4-4) scoredtwice in thefourth. Devin Lippold connected with Reed

Boyd on a5-yard touchdown pass and the extra point gave the Cowboys a14-13 lead. On Lamar’s first play on the ensuing possession Bradford, who playsdefensive end, intercepted Aiden McCown andthe resulting TD and extra point made it 21-13. Lamar, which hadn’tfound the end zone sinceMcCown’sshort touchdown pass in thefirstquarter,finally gota touchdown on LaDamianMcDowell’s9-yard run with 5:41 remaininginthe fourth quarter.The Cowboys stopped Major Bowden on atwo-point conversion attempt. On Lamar’sonly remaining possession, Dominick Bolden broke up McCown’s fourth-and-5pass fromthe McNeese 43-yard line. Senior runningbackColeby Hamm,who played in only13 games the previous two years, matched his career high with 131 yardsrushing for McNeese.Lippold, afreshmanwho was1-for-5 passing before Saturday,had only 69 yards passing, going 11 for23. Xavier Coleman had acareerhigh 141 yards rushing for Lamar It washis second-career 100-yard game.

TEXAS STATE31, UL-MONROE 14: In SanMarcos, Texas, Brad Jackson accounted for four touchdowns andTexas State beat LouisianaMonroe.

Jackson completed 25 of 32 passes for201 yards and threw two touchdown passes. He had a19-yardtouchdown runinthe third quarter and a7-yard scoring run late in the fourth, and ﬁnished with 88 yards rushing on 15 carries. Beau Sparks had 10 receptions for 68 yards for Texas State (5-6, 2-5 Sun Belt Conference). Sparks andLincolnPare each hada touchdown catch forthe Bobcats. Aidan Armenta was 19-of-26 passing for166 yards forLouisiana-Monroe (3-8,1-6), which has lost sevenconsecutive games. Armenta’s12-yard touchdown run capped a10-play,75-yard drive for theWarhawks that cut the deficit to 24-14 with 7:37 remaining.

ONE

STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

LSUforward Marquel Sutton defends against Omaha guard Lance Waddles on Fridaynight at thePete Maravich Assembly Center. The Tigers limited theMavericks to 39% shooting in

THE VARSITY ZONE

Regionals feature upsets, shining stars

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

The second round of the high school football playoffs brought upsets, elite performances and school records. Here are ﬁve takeaways from the second round for Baton Rouge-area schools.

Zachary upsets Denham Springs

In the Division I nonselect bracket, Denham Springs was the lone Baton Rouge school to earn a ﬁrstround bye. The Yellow Jackets ended the season on a six-game winning streak and won a share of the District 5-5A title.

Denham Springs took on No. 13 Zachary, which defeated Salmen 48-15 in the ﬁrst round.

The Broncos (8-3) ended Denham Springs’ hopes of a state title run with a dominant ground game.

Zachary ran the ball 43 times for 270 yards. Tylek Lewis ran for 134 yards and four touchdowns. Jeremy Patton ran for 109 yards.

Zachary ran away with a 44-21 win on the road to move on to the quarterﬁnals, where the Broncos will get a rematch with Central,

which beat them 35-33 at Zachary in Week 9

Central’s offense shines

With Zachary set to face Central again, it’s key to see how Central reached the quarterﬁnals.

The No. 5 Wildcats’ offense went off for 46 points and 515 yards of offense against No. 12 East Ascension. Central (10-2) only punted once all night.

Quarterback Max Gassiott went

19 of 26 for 308 yards. He threw two TDs and ran for another two.

“It’s built in the trenches,” Gassiott said about the offense. “Offense was really dialed in.”

Gassiott took a hit that sidelined him for a few plays in the second quarter He came back to lead the Wildcats to a win.

“My teammates are going to fight for me,” Gassiott said. “I’ve got to go out there and fight for them. We’re going to battle and we’re just going to keep fighting.”

Central went on the road in its first game against Zachary, but the quarterﬁnal matchup will be played at Wildcat Stadium.

“Super tough to beat a great football team like Zachary twice,” Central coach David Simoneaux said. “We’re glad that we’re getting them here. It’s going to be a great challenge, but always fun to be playing on Thanksgiving week.

Ascension Catholic record set

The No. 5 Bulldogs (9-2) rolled past No. 21 St. Mary’s 62-9 in the regional round of the playoffs

Ascension Catholic’s focus will now move to No. 4 Catholic-PC in

the quarterﬁnals, but the regional win did provide history

Senior running back Trevin Simon ran for 379 yards on 13 attempts and had six rushing touchdowns. He now has 3,001 rushing yards on the season, which sets a new school single-season record.

Chad Elzy set the previous record with 2,911 rushing yards in 2023.

Simon also now sits at 46 rushing touchdowns this season. The singleseason record for rushing touchdowns at Ascension Catholic is 48, set by Germaine Williams in 1987.

Rematch set in Division II select

In Week 9, Madison Prep went to the Cub Complex to take on University High to decide District 6-3A. In a contested defensive battle, the Cubs came out on top 14-8.

Now, after both teams won their regional playoff games, the No. 5 Chargers (9-2) will go back on the road to face No. 4 University High (9-2) in the quarterﬁnals.

U-High defeated No. 13 Booker T. Washington-Shreveport 50-16 in the regional round. Madison Prep took down No. 12 John F. Kennedy 42-26. In the Week 9 matchup, the Char-

gers’ lone touchdown came off a punt return by Landon Johnson. The Cubs used two interceptions in the second half to maintain their lead and get the win.

Other notable results

After trailing 24-7 to No. 6 Brusly, No. 11 West Feliciana rallied to win 27-24 in overtime on a field goal. The Saints (8-4) now face No. 3 Belle Chasse in the Division II nonselect quarterfinals. West Feliciana joins fellow Baton Rouge-area schools Plaquemine and Lutcher in the Division II nonselect quarterfinals. No. 10 Lutcher (8-4) took down No. 7 Franklin Parish 42-41. The Bulldogs will take on No. 2 Iowa in the next round. No. 5 Plaquemine (11-1) will face

BY JACKSON REYES

Staff writer

Baton Rouge area schools excelled at the LHSAA Division I Swimming Championship meet.

St. Joseph’s won the girls title, and Catholic took home the boys team title on Saturday in Sulphur

Bears win third straight

The brotherhood at Catholic runs deep. Coach Sion Cavana pointed to his team’s chemistry as the leading factor behind a third straight state title.

“We continue to rely on each other,” Cavana said. “When we have 38 guys on the side of the pool deck, just getting behind one another and sharing the load, it just makes swimming faster that much easier.” Catholic finished first with 437.5 points. The Bears ﬁnished ahead of Jesuit, which had 327.5.

The team’s culture helped the Bears feed on each other’s successes and create great energy for the meet, Cavana said The Bears were in the top three in the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 400 freestyle relay Catholic entered the first event, the 200 medley relay, looking for a quick start, but placed second to Jesuit.

“I think our boys handled that well and we bounced back,” Cavana said “Closed out the meet out with a really spectacular performance in that 4x100 freestyle relay to put the icing on the cake.” Catholic sophomore Noah Vargas won the 200 IM with a time of

Catholic swimmer Noah Vargas

1 minute, 51.67 seconds. He also won the 100 breaststroke with a time of 55.83 seconds

“I saw a lot of heart, a lot of grit from him,” Cavana said.

I’m proud of the way that he was able to handle his four swims between the relays and the individual swims.”

Catholic won the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:09.71. Senior Blake Talbert, juniors John Kirk and Benjamin Faulk and Vargas swam in the relay

“We had all four guys on that relay swim lights-out,” Cavana said “It was all four guys swimming well above and beyond anything they’ve done this season.”

Redstickers win girls title

St. Joseph’s returned to a familiar spot at the top of the podium this year

The Redstickers won the girls team title with 366.5 points.

Dominican finished second with 335 points. St. Joseph’s 13year streak of state titles was snapped last season, and coach

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL

JOHNSON

Jimmy Roberts emphasized the team culture to get his team back to the top. He said the team spent the majority of the season working on building bonds and learning to trust each other, which helped spark their effort in the state swim meet.

“We had a theme for the whole season of bringing a whole team together,” Roberts said. “I think that’s what carried us through to the title. That bond and that sisterhood and that team mentality that we were able to use.”

The Redstickers ﬁnished top three in the 200 individual medley 100 butterﬂy 200 freestyle relay, 100 breaststroke, and the 400 freestyle relay

Junior Molly Mayo was ﬁrst in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:07.63.

Roberts pointed to the team’s depth, also helping bring home the state title. He said they were able to rely on their experienced swimmers to rack up points but also use their knowledge to help lift up their teammates to better ﬁnishes.

1. Noah Vargas, Catholic 1:51.67. 2. Jamison Lange, Lafayette 1:55.35. 3. Doruk Sayal, Brother Martin 1:56.55. 50 freestyle: 1. Gustavo Castilho, Northshore 21.02. 2. Blake Talbert, Catholic 21.37. 3. Gordon Baio, Ponchatoula 21.67. 100 butterﬂy: 1. Aidan Villars, Jesuit 48.09. 2. Alex Chehebar, Fontainebleau 50.9. 3. Gordon Baio, Ponchatoula 52.01.

100 freestyle: 1. Gustavo Castilho, Northshore 45.82. 2. Van Nguyen, Brother Martin 47.65. 3. Ben Breithaupt, Jesuit 48.0.

500 freestyle: 1. Hunter Fudge, Southside 4:37.1. 2. John Kirk, Catholic 4:42.84. 3. Jake Bergeron, St. Paul’s 4:45.87.

Jollands,

Daigle,

54.71. 3.

Roedel, St. Joseph’s 57.96. 100 freestyle: 1. Andi Clement, Southside 50.97. 2. Embry Palmisano, Dominican 52.79. 3. Annalise Gagliano, Dominican 52.86. 500 freestyle: 1.

St. Joseph’s 3:40.3. Division II BOYS Top teams: 1. Ruston 272. 2. Holy Cross 244. 3. Rummel 178. 4. Ben Franklin 167. 5. David Thibodaux 158. 6. St. Thomas More 156.5. 7. Caddo Magnet 152. 8. Pineville 116.5. 9. Teurlings Catholic 110. 10. Willow 104. Top individuals and relays 200 medley relay: 1. Holy Cross (Drew Launey, Donald Frisard, Kaiden Lammer, Daniel Long) 1:39.33. 2. Rummel 1:39.47. 3. Ruston 1:41.99. 200 freestyle: 1. Dominick Paternostro, David Thibodeaux 1:44.17. 2. Ethan Phillips, Teurlings Catholic 1:45.41. 3. Gasper Coulon, Ben Franklin 1:46.85. 200 individual medley: 1. Curtis Malone, Pineville 1:51.29. 2. Wesley Wynn, Caddo Magnet 1:58.3. 3. Cole Stokey, Rummel 1:58.41. 50 freestyle: 1. Daniel Long, Holy Cross 21.03. 2. Samuel Jackson, Ruston 21.64. 3. Nathan Crochet, Rummel 22.11. 100 butterﬂy: 1. John Hoover, Ruston 49.7. 2. Liam Alletag, Pineville 51.76. 3. Joseph Amiano, Ruston 52.99. 100 freestyle: 1. Daniel Long, Holy Cross 46.48. 2. Samuel Jackson, Ruston 48.31.

200 freestyle relay: 1. St. Paul’s (Daniel Eversgerd, Dominic Barcelona, Christopher Lobue, Jake Bergeron) 1:28.17. 2. Catholic 1:28.85. 3. Jesuit 1:31.41. 100 backstroke: 1. Aidan Villars, Jesuit 48.38. 2. Jamison Lange, Lafayette 49.77. 3. Blake Talbert, Catholic 51.05. 100 breaststroke: 1. Noah Vargas, Catholic 55.83. 2. Doruk Sayal, Brother Martin 57.99. 3. Sam Naffa, Northshore 58.0. 400 freestyle relay: 1. Catholic (Blake Talbert, John Kirk, Benjamin Faulk, Noah Vargas) 3:09.71. 2. Jesuit 3:11.31. 3. St. Paul’s 3:15.76. GIRLS Top teams: 1. St. Joseph’s 366.5. 2. Dominican 335. 3. Mount Carmel 237.25. 4. Mandeville 223. 5. C.E. Byrd 202. 6. Northshore 183. 7. Fontainebleau 82. 8. Lafayette 81. 9, tie. Baton Rouge and Denham Springs 80. Top individuals and relays 200 medley relay: 1. Mandeville (McKenzie Douglas, Emma Cate Dobie, Avery Daigle, Sydney Eagan) 1:45.3. 2. Dominican 1:46.46. 3. C.E. Byrd 1:46.62. 200 freestyle: 1. Kendall Jollands, Dominican 1:52.49. 2. Sydney Eagan, Mandeville 1:57.48. 3. Terese Vocke, Dominican 1:38.16. 200 individual medley: 1. Molly Mayo, St. Joseph’s 2:07.63. 2. Blair Foss, Dominican 2:09.75. 3. Emma Cate Dobie, Mandeville 2:10.67. 50 freestyle: 1. Andi Clement, Southside 23.43.

LSU 13, W. KENTUCKY 10

BOX SCORE

Weeks link makes LSU history

BY REED DARCEY and SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writers

LSU football finally found a way to get it done Saturday It put all three Weeks brothers on the field at the same time. The Tigers did it in the first quarter of their game against Western Kentucky West Weeks, Whit Weeks and ZachWeeks each played all five snaps of the Hilltoppers’ third drive which ended in a punt. It’s believed that the defensive series marked the first time in LSU history that three brothers ever have shared the field.

West is a ﬁfth-year senior Whit is a junior and Zach is a freshman who reclassiﬁed and enrolled at LSU, in part so he could play with his two older brothers.

Continued from page 1C

won comfortably, it had to recover an onside kick with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter to secure the victory

“They gave us some issues for our offense,” interim coach Frank Wilson said. “They changed up some things. They shifted and moved and stemmed and showed one picture from a secondary perspective, only to camouﬂage it and be in something different. That was challenging at times for us, but I thought we did enough to ﬁnd a way to win the football game.”

Scattered boos could be heard at least three times while LSU (7-4) was on offense. It punted seven times, turned the ball over on downs twice and had two turnovers. LSU went 3 of 15 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down. The Tigers ran for only 126 yards against a run defense that was ranked 109th in the country and had not played another power-conference team.

The ﬁnal score proved LSU may have its worst offense in nearly 50 years, if not longer The Tigers still have not scored more than 25 points against an FBS team this season, and their chances are low next weekend against Oklahoma. Since Division I split in 1978, LSU has not gone an entire season without scoring more than 25 points against an FBS team.

“You do the things that you can do with the personnel that you have,” Wilson said. “And sometimes it’s ugly, and sometimes it’s tough. I believe in our kids I believe they’ll continue to get better We’ll continue to coach them to get better.”

As has been the case all year, LSU won because of its defense. After Western Kentucky (8-3) kicked a ﬁeld goal on its opening possession, it did not score another offensive touchdown. The Hilltop-

The stars didn’t align until Saturday Zach found his way into two previous games — the one the Tigers played against Florida in Week 3 and the one they played against Southeastern Louisiana in Week 4. But Whit was flagged for targeting and disqualified on the Gators’ first series, and West sat out the win over the Lions with a calf injury.

Whit was in danger of missing the Western Kentucky game. A bone bruise in his ankle forced him to miss LSU’s previous four matchups, starting with its Oct. 11 win over South Carolina. But Whit was healthy enough to suit up for Saturday’s game, and the Tigers decided to give him a chance to play alongside his two brothers before the season ends.

West will run out of eligibility at the end of the year

On the series the brothers played together, West tackled a runner on second down. Zach was credited with a hurry on third down. Whit changed into sweats at halftime and did not play in the second half.

Anderson sits LSU wide receiver Aaron Anderson did not play Saturday against Western Kentucky Anderson, a redshirt junior, has battled various injuries throughout the season. Last year, he caught 61 passes for 884 yards and ﬁve touchdowns to lead the Tigers in receiving. This season, he has only 33 catches for 398 yards.

Entering the game against the Hilltoppers, LSU’s top receiver was Kentucky transfer Barion Brown He began the night with 44 receptions for 449 yards and a touchdown.

Anderson is a native of Algiers and a former Edna Karr star who played his true freshman season at Alabama. He has one more year of eligibility

Moore injured LSU center Braelin Moore was ruled out of the game against WKU on Saturday after he suffered a midfoot sprain in the first half, according to the team’s radio broadcast Moore — a redshirt junior who transferred from Virginia Tech in the offseason — started each of the Tigers’ first 10 games. He suffered a high-ankle sprain on the first play from scrimmage in Week 2 against Louisiana Tech, but that injury did not force him to miss any time.

In Moore’s absence, LSU put redshirt sophomore DJ Chester at center The Tigers were already missing one starter on their offensive line for their game against the Hilltoppers. Left tackle Tyree Adams has missed four consecutive contests after he suffered his own high-ankle sprain on Oct 18 in a road loss to Vanderbilt. On Saturday, LSU also lost right

tackle OryWilliams to an injury in the ﬁrst half.

After those injuries, the Tigers slotted Carius Curne and Weston Davis into their two tackle spots. Coen Echols and Josh Thompson were the guards.

Saban talks Kiffin

Nick Saban seems to think Lane Kiffin taking the LSU job would be a good idea.

Speaking on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday morning in Eugene, Oregon, the former LSU and Alabama coach indicated that building a roster and being a national contender at LSU was easier than at Ole Miss, where Kifﬁn is currently coaching.

“LSU has won three national championships since 2000,” said Saban, who led the Tigers to the 2003 BCS national title. “There is opportunity from that standpoint (at LSU). Look at the recruiting rankings. Ole Miss typically is not one of the top teams in the country.”

Ole Miss has been an effective program in the transfer portal under Kifﬁn, but Saban indicated that a dependency on transfers can be problematic.

“If you’re trying to build your team through the portal all the time, that’s very dangerous,” he said.

pers ﬁnished with 152 total yards and averaged 2.3 yards per play They gained only 19 yards in the second half Pickett and sophomore cornerback PJ Woodland both had interceptions. LSU forced back-to-back turnovers on downs in the second quarter, including one at its own goal line. After Van Buren threw an interception, Western Kentucky drove to the 6-yard line Quarterback Rodney Tisdale dropped a wide-open touchdown on a trick play on second down, and LSU forced an incompletion two plays later

The stand was critical. Making his second straight start in place of injured senior Garrett Nussmeier, Van Buren went 25 of 42 for 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He threw an 11-yard touchdown to Trey’Dez Green in the second quarter for LSU’s only touchdown. After LSU forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, wide receiver Zavion Thomas returned a punt 39 yards to set up the offense near midﬁeld with 1:14 left in the half. Van Buren threw three straight incompletions, and LSU punted again.

Late in the fourth quarter, LSU tried to put the game away But Van Buren threw an incompletion on fourth and 2, and when LSU got the ball back a few minutes later, freshman running back Harlem Berry fumbled. Western Kentucky returned it for a 71-yard touchdown. Wilson pointed out LSU has several injuries. Nussmeier has not played the past two games Left tackle Ory Williams and center Braelin Moore both left Saturday with injuries. Running back Caden Durham may have suffered a concussion, Wilson said. But the rest

Kifﬁn was Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama from 201416. He is believed to be advising Kiffin as he decides whether to move on to LSU or Florida or stay at Ole Miss.

Kifﬁn has been nationally criticized for possibly leaving the Rebels, currently No. 6 in the CFP rankings with a 10-1 record, on the cusp of a potential ﬁrstever playoff appearance for Ole Miss.

Saban said blame the college football calendar, not the coach.

“We need to take a better approach to the business approach of college athletics,” Saban said.

“In the NFL, you can’t talk to another coach in the regular season. We should match the academic calendar with the football calendar.

“This is not a Lane Kifﬁn conundrum. This is a college football conundrum. We need some leadership to step up and change the rules on how this gets done.”

LSU has reportedly offered Kifﬁn a seven-year $90 million contract that would place him among the sport’s highest-paid coaches. Sources told The Advocate that LSU also has promised at least a $25 million investment in building the team’s roster if Kifﬁn chooses to come to Baton Rouge.

of the offense could not step up.

“Our depth was tested tonight, and it limits the things that you want to do to protect the quarterback, to protect those linemen, to protect the play call,” Wilson said. “When injuries start to occur the way they do, the playbook kind of condenses to give yourself the best chance of doing whatever it takes to win the game.” Another game in which the offense struggled does not bode well for LSU in the regular-season ﬁnale. Oklahoma already had the best defense in the SEC before it held Missouri to six points on Saturday Missouri star running back Ahmad Hardy, who rushed for 300 yards against Mississippi State last week, was limited to 57 yards. At this point, the offensive issues don’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. LSU is already bowl eligible. It soon will hire a new head coach, who already needed to ﬁx the offense.

It’s increasingly unlikely that coach will want to keep any of the current offensive structure.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Michael Van Buren takes a hit from Western Kentucky defensive lineman Mackavelli Malotumau in the second quarter on Saturday at Tiger Stadium

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK LSU interim coach Frank Wilson speaks into his headset during the first half of a game against Western Kentucky on Saturday.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

The Weeks brothers, from left, Zach Weeks, West Weeks and Whit Weeks pose together after the win over Western Kentucky on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. The brothers played one series together Saturday

UN-OFFENSIVE

LSU’sstreak of not scoring more than25points against an FBS opponent is still aliveand scuffling.The Tigers didmanageadecent 328 yards total againsta Western Kentucky team allowing 23 points and400 yards per game againworking with backup quarterbackMichael VanBuren behind an alreadychallengedoffensive line thatlosttwo starters Saturday.Still, there’s little excusetobethis unproductive against amid-major team likethe Hilltoppers.

2

THREEWEEKS FROM NOW

Three Weeks from now, LSU probably will have named anew coach. Fornow,LSU’s linebacker-playing Weeks brothers —Whit,West and Zach finally got on the field together to highlight an LSU defense that limited WesternKentucky to 152 total yards, only 19 of those coming in thesecond half. Freshman cornerback DJ Pickett set up one Damian Ramos field goal with an interception foraunitthat has allowedjust 38 points in the last three gamescombined.

SPOILING FOR AFIGHT

After OklahomasubduedMissouri17-6 on Saturday, LSUclearly finds itself in therole of spoilergoing into next Saturday’sregular-season finale.The 9-2 Sooners need to beat the Tigers to secureaCollege Football Playoff berth. It’salmost hard to remember LSUstarted this season of massivechangeasa bona fide CFPcontender.Tospring an upset, the Tigers will have to find away to generate much more offense against one of the SEC’sbestdefenses.

NO ORDINARY FRESHMAN

CB Pickettshows hisvalue, if LSU canretain him

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Freshman cornerbackDJPickett made his ﬁrst career start on Saturday night against Western Kentucky Normally for afreshman, not earning aﬁrst start late intothe year wouldn’t be asurprise. But Pickettisnoordinary freshman.

The five-star signee was the No. 2 cornerback in the nation and the No 11 player overall, according tothe 247Sports Composite, and he’s lived up to his lofty recruiting proﬁle. Pickett has allowed just 11 receptionson22targets heading into Saturday,holding opposing quarterbacks to a45.8 passerrating on throws made in his direction,according to Pro Football Focus.

With senior Mansoor Delane and sophomore PJ Woodland starting and performing at ahigh level, Pickett was LSU’s third cornerback. Butwith Delane sitting out Saturday’sgame with acore muscle injury,astarting spot openedfor Pickett.

He tookadvantageofthe opportunity immediately.Pickett had an interception, asack and six totaltackles, helping LSU hold Western Kentuckytojust130 yards passing in the Tigers’ ugly 13-10 win over the Hilltoppers.

“He was our MVP,” interim coach Frank Wilson said. “I thought he played lights out.”

At 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, there are few traits Pickettfails to possess.He has elite length, enoughquicknessto stay with receivers and has improved his physicality since arriving on campus. Saturday was his career-highin tackles. He had five quarterback pressures headinginto this weekend. His sack on Saturday came on athird down deep in Western Kentucky territory in the third quarter.Heblitzed offthe right edge to force Western Kentucky to punt on its opening possession of the second half. On theHilltoppers’ next series, he intercepteda deflected pass to set up ashort field goal for fifth-year senior kicker Damian Ramos. The pick was hissecondofthe year

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

ﬁeld texting someone. It was easy to imagine him sending amessage to Kifﬁn that read something like: “Hey,can you come next week? Could you just send us afew plays? Anything? Thx.”

I’ve covered LSU since 1992 and watched the Tigers play football since the late 1970s. This is probably the most anemic LSU offense I’ve everseen. In fact,the numbers bear it out. In 11 games, the only time the Tigers have scored more than 25 points was in a56-10 victory against Southeastern Louisiana, an FCS-level opponent. Since 1978, whenthe NCAA split Division Ifootball into I-A andI-AA divisions —now known as FBS and FCS —LSU never has failed to score at least 25 points against

“I thought he was good in run support. Ithought he shed blocks and came off as asquat corner in zonecoverage and negated runs,”Wilson said. “I thought he blitzed well and wasdisruptive.I thought he contestedpassesand, of course, (had) the interceptionaswell.”

With Delane off to theNFL, keeping Pickett around for next season will be paramount LSU alreadymust remake its offense, much of its front sevenand may need to

an FBS team.

With one regular-season game left next Saturday at Oklahoma, a team that possesses one of the most fearsome defenses in college football, that low water markappears to be wellwithin the Tigers’ grasp. Yes, LSU played its second gamewith backup quarterback MichaelVan Buren as the starter Yes, two starting offensive linemen, center Braelin Moore and tackleOry Williams, left the game with injuries. Butthere is little excuse for theTigers to be this toothless against aConference USAopponent.Toonce again fail to punchthe ballinthe end zone when they had ﬁrst and goal at the 4, settling for an 18-yard DamianRamos ﬁeld goal.

Do you know how hard it is to getclose enough tosettle for an 18-yard ﬁeld goal?

This season ended for alot of LSUfolks when theTigers got routed 49-25 by Texas A&M on

ﬁnd newstarters at both safety spots. Pickett and Woodland returning would provide stability at akey position for the next LSU coach Cornerback likely will be astrength for the Tigers next season if that becomes the case. Woodland surrendered receptions on just 51.5% of his targets heading into this weekend, per PFF He had ﬁve pass breakups before Saturdayand hasn’tallowed atouchdown. He also snatched LSU’s secondinterception of the night on theseries after

Oct. 25, with Brian Kelly ﬁred thenext day.That loss, which ended LSU’schampionship hopes and College Football Playoff aspirations, essentially turned the rest of this season intoawaiting game. Agame that had LSUstudentschanting “Wewant Kifﬁn!” during thesecond half.

Kiffin is expected to answer that call, especially after Friday’s statement from Ole Miss athletic director KeithCarter that Kiffin’s status at the school would be announced after this Friday’sEgg Bowl gameatMississippi State. If Kiffin was returning to Ole Miss next season, that would have been thetime to tell theworld. Instead, it looks for all theworld like Kiffinwill depart Ole Miss for LSU, or possibly Florida, leaving his Rebels before they make a likely first-ever trip to theCFP Nothing is done until it’sdone, but everything Saturday —even an otherwise innocuous in-sta-

Pickett’stakeaway

“Wewere absolutelydominant defensively,just lights out (tonight),” Wilson said. “I thought (defensive coordinator) Blake Bakerand the defensive staff and ourplayers playedlightsout.”

Forecasting the LSU roster in 2026 is anear-impossibletask.But if Pickett proved anything against the Hilltoppers, on anight Tigerfanswill soon forget, it’sthat Saturday can’tbehis only start wearing the purple and gold in TigerStadium.

dium advertisement ‚seemed to point toward Kifﬁn.

In thefourth quarter,the stadium’s videoboards flashed the logo of the MMR Group, the Baton Rouge-based contractor.That’s MMR,“The Official Airline of the Kiffin Family.” For those not paying the obsessive attention that Imust do, Kiffin’sex-wifeLayla and other members of the Kiffin family flew Monday to Baton Rouge on oneofMMR’sprivate jets to tour the city

There has been adizzying amount of change in and around theLSU footballprogram this season. Kellyand offensive coordinator Joe Sloan wereﬁred after theA&M rout, followed out the door shortlyafterward by athletic director Scott Woodward. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier,once aHeisman Trophy favorite but lately reduced to an injured spectator,didn’tplay forthe second straight week.The ovation he got

when he ran onto the field forpregamesenior night honors was one of the best parts of the evening, just appreciation foraplayer who gave his all to LSU forfive years but in the end found the end of his career wanting. As the last of Saturday’sthin crowd of fans trickled out of Tiger Stadium and the players headed fortheir locker rooms, I looked downfrom the press box at the now lonely goal posts at the north end of Death Valley Who, Iwondered, will lead the LSU team under those goal posts and onto the field to start next season? Will it be Kiffin? Someone else? Who will be playing forthe Tigers from this team? In this transfer portal/NIL era, it’salmostimpossible to predict. Better times are almostcertainly ahead forLSU football. Right now, in theTigers’ last anxious days of November,those times,and Kiffin, can’t come soon enough.

STAFFPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU cornerback DJ Pickett runs the ball back after an interception in the second half of agame against WesternKentucky on Saturday at TigerStadium.

INJURY REPORT

SAINTS

OUT: WR Brandin Cooks (personal)

QUESTIONABLE: TTaliese Fuaga(ankle),RBAlvin Kamara (ankle),TBarry Wesley(hip) FALCONS

OUT: SBilly Bowman Jr.(achilles), LB MalikVerdon (shoulder),WR DrakeLondon(knee), DE Zach Harrison(knee)

QUESTIONABLE: DE Leonard Floyd (hamstring),G MatthewBergeron (ankle), GChris Lindstrom(foot)

Saints’ regular-season gametoParis in the next two years.

“I’m really,really excited about Paris. When Ifound out that we had thepossibility of gettingFrance(in theGlobal Markets program), and we would have achance to play over there, Iraised my hand in the NFL meetingand said, ‘I want France,’ “Benson said. “I wanted France because Louisiana and France have alwayshad this close connection.” The Saints’ plans in France go beyond thepotential regular-season game there.

Benson is in constant contact with Charles Kushner,the U.S. ambassador to France andMonaco. Likewise, she has met multiple times with Prince Albert II of Monaco, who was her guest at Super Bowl LIX in February.During their visit

team contingent in Europe, with teams seeded across the continent, say in NFL strongholds such as England, Ireland and Germany.Each team would conduct camp at its respective sites, then play their preseason games at various European locations in around-robin format.

“It’s apossibility,” Benson said. “These thingsare all possibilities and potential right now.But nothing is promised or concrete.”

If you’re in that number that frowns upon theNFL’s international outreach or someone who prefers the Saints play their homes games at, you know,home, then Iempathize. The NFL’s global interests are only going to grow in the years ahead. Andthe Saints, like every NFL team, are going to be abig part of it.

Europe is the ﬁrst step in the league’s global expansion plan. And while France might lack the zealous interest level in the NFLof, say,Great Britain or Germany, it offers untapped marketing potential.

“It’sreally exploding,” Paris Musketeers coach Jack Del Rio told WDSU-TV recently.“It’s very popular.The people of Europe are embracing the sport of American football.”

NewOrleans will always be hometo the Saints, but France is going to be their homeawayfrom home.

For ateam whose logo is the ﬂeur de lis, it just makes sense.

Email JeffDuncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.

lker

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

And he’sdoing it against the rival that people in town take pride in beating as if they were on theteam, too. And when he steps onto theﬁeld, the franchise icon whoseshoes havebeentoo bigfor anyone to ﬁllwill be watching fromthe broadcast booth.

It’salot, but it doesn’tseem to bother the rookie quarterback “It feels alittle bit different,for sure,” Shough said. “And Ithink that’sagood thing. Ithink everyone has rivals. And,you know,you don’tchange your process, but you (can) change the emotion of the city. Ithink youwant to go out thereand play harder.”

Shough hasstarted twogames,played in four and has put together one unquestionably strong performance. TheNo. 40 overall pick has much more to provebefore the words “franchise quarterback” can be attached to his name, and that will remain true even if he has another impressiveperformance against Atlanta on Sunday But there are encouraging signs. Start with that most recent game against the Panthers. It was an outing that can’tbequantified effectively by the numbers, as good as they were. It was the nuance that inspired optimism the way Shough navigated dangerwithin the pocket, two hands on the ball, eyes downﬁeld looking for explosive plays.

also encouraging. TheSaints have watched arookie step intothe most visibleand important position in sportsand not blink.

Shough has pressure on him. From afan base eager to see the return of excellent quarterback play,from themedia members whoquestion him and dissect his play,from his teammates who relyonhim to keep them in games, and from afront ofﬁce and coaching staff thatmustdecide whether he is someone theSaintscan build around.

That can make someone try to be someone they are not. Andthat is actively what Shough is trying to avoid. He understands the dualityofthe spot he’sin: He has to earn his place as arookie, buthealso needs to have avoice as thequarterback.Hepicks his spots to vocalize where things need to be cleaner,but he does it in away that won’t betray whom he is.

“There’sanelement that Ireally believe in, (which) is just being yourself,” Shough said. “You have to authenticallybethat, and understand whatroleyou’re in. I’mnot afraidtosay something within the group, theoffense, all that stuff —but Igot to continue to build on that. Ihaven’treally earned theright to (say) something profound. “. I’m in this role of quarterback,I’ve played some football, too, but I haven’tinthe NFL. My job is to be consistent, have a lotofjuice, have alot of energy.And when there’s somethingthatneeds to be said, I’llsay it.”

You’re going to line up on Sundayagainst the Falcons, and (the pastisn’t) going to matter

And yes, it was the way he connected on those explosives. A52-yarder on the ﬁrst drive of the game. A63-yarder to his star wideout for atouchdown. A30-yarder later in the game for another touchdown —all of them coming in third-and-long situations where the Saints had wilted for much of the year That was what head coach Kellen Moore, aformer quarterback himself, loved to see The play he kept coming back to wasthat 52-yarder,which converteda third and 12 on the opening drive.Shough evaded two potential sacks on the play,keeping italive long enough to ﬁnda wide-open JuwanJohnson for the big gain.

What’sgoingto matter is what you do now.”

DOUG NUSSMEIER, Saints offensivecoordinator

And, finally,Shough is seeking waystolearn He sought out Brees for some advice before he took over thestarting job, andhetook an interesting tackfor wherehewanted to start theconversation. It wasn’tabout allthe great things Brees did in New Orleans,atleastnot directly.Shoughwanted to knowabout Brees’ time in San Diego, beforehe became asuperstar with theSaints.

“I talked to him about his mindset through his journey,” Shough said. “...I wanted to hear howhedeveloped into who he was here. Andwetalked about his daily routine and process. He hada lot of great things andinsight. And it wasreally cooljust to be able to pick his brain.”

OFFENSIVELEADERS

DEFENSIVELEADERS

TEAM STATS

“We’re in achallenging situation, andfor him to pullthrough alot of trafﬁcand step up and make that play …Ithought that was ahuge play in that game,” Moore said. “Just kind of spin the momentum in that game to create abig play that obviously sparked us.”

That is what’s available foreveryone to see. The stuff that happens behind closed doors is

Saints quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien has been in Shough’sshoes before, spendingseveral seasons as abackup NFL quarterback before transitioning into coaching. He wasimpressed by how Shough handled beingthe No. 2, legitimatelytreating every week as if he was in the starting role.

When it came time forShoughtotake over forRattler,Tolzien did not expect themomenttobetoo bigfor him because of the way he prepared.

“Now you get to reap the beneﬁts of it, because you have aplan, youhave aroutine,” Tolziensaid.

The ﬁnalseven games of the season shouldhelpdetermine what New Orleans has in Shough. There is achancethe Carolina game wasa one-off, butthere is also achance it was aspringboard for the rookie.

And if it is ajump-off point, what better waytofollowit up than to win his ﬁrst home start against the team his neighborsare telling him to beat,withBrees in the house?

Nobody on the team could understand that better than tightend Foster Moreau, aNew Orleans native who grew up watching those great offenses led by Brees.

“It’sawesome,” Moreau said “It’s awesome, but not to be enjoyed before. We canhaveall the fun in theworld after.”

EmailLuke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PREDICTIONS

JEFF DUNCAN

SAINTS 19,FALCONS 16: TheSaints arecatchingthe Falconsatagoodtime, in themidst of a five-gamelosingstreak andafter losing starting quarterback MichaelPenix forthe rest of theseason to akneeinjury. Theserivalry games arealwaystough,but this onefeels like amatchup of twoteams headingin opposite directions

LUKE JOHNSON

SAINTS 23,FALCONS 20: I’mhesitant to puttoo much stockintoone strong performancebyTyler Shough and theSaintsdefense,but thankfully theFalcons have givenmea larger sample size.Atlanta beingthe losers of five straight andbeing withouttheir starting quarterbackand toppass catchermakeiteasier to pick New Orleans.

MATTHEWPARAS

SAINTS 27,FALCONS 17: Scoring more than 20 points hasbeena challenge forthe Saints,but they arecatchingthe Falconsatthe righttime. NewOrleans cancontrol Sunday’s game with asolid running attack andchunk plays. The Falconshavea respectable runningback duo, butKirkCousins is past hisprime andiswithout toptargetDrake London

RODWALKER

SAINTS 23,FALCONS 20: Before the season began, Ipickedthe Falconsto winthe division.Whata disappointment they have been.The Saints have been adisappointment, too, butthe expectations were much lower. I’m giving aslightnod to theSaintsfor two

Mayﬁeld to battle Rams, who helped save his career

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Baker Mayfield joined the Los Angeles Rams three years ago at an extremely low point for both the quarterback and his new team. By the time he left just five games later, Mayfield had been revitalized both on and off the field. The wonderful experience led him straight to his current successful tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “It was pivotal in my career and in my journey,” Mayfield said. “It helped me find the fun in football again.” Mayfield is eager to show Sean McVay exactly what he got from the Rams (8-2) when his Bucs (6-4) visit SoFi Stadium on Sunday night for a showdown between NFC division leaders. Mayfield was claimed off waivers by the Rams in December 2022. Carolina had dropped the Heisman Trophy winner and former No. 1

pick after a dismal seven games with his second NFL team.

The Rams were in no better shape. They were deep in their only losing season of McVay’s nine-year career, wrapping up the worst title defense by a Super Bowl champion in NFL history with star quarterback Matthew Stafford out for the season.

Mayﬁeld arrived on a Tuesday night, about 48 hours before the Rams hosted the Raiders. He crammed a big chunk of the Rams’ game plan and impressed McVay enough to get in the game on the second series. With the Rams trailing in the ﬁnal two minutes, Mayfield led a cinematic 98-yard drive ending in a sensational touchdown pass to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds left.

Mayfield credits McVay, Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen (now the Jaguars head coach) and quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson (now the Falcons offensive coordinator) for putting him in position to succeed McVay said Mayﬁeld is selling himself short.

“What he did was, he was himself,” McVay said. “I think when you look back on it, I don’t know that many people are surprised. It’s an impressive feat that’s a real testament to his competitiveness, but also his mental capacity to be able to handle and absorb so much information in a short amount of time.”

Mayﬁeld coaxed the Rams’ injury-plagued roster to another victory on Christmas amid three road losses in which they were largely more competitive than expected in their 5-12 season.

The performance boosted Mayﬁeld’s market as a free agent, and he signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay that led to his current threeyear, $100 million payday The Bucs have won division titles and made playoff appearances in both of his ﬁrst two seasons in town.

“It was instrumental in my career, something I am forever grateful for, and it will be fun to go back and see some familiar faces,” Mayﬁeld said.

NFL BRIEFS FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Burrow out again; Flacco set to start

Joe Flacco will make one more start at quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals after Joe Burrow was not activated for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.

Burrow was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report after taking ﬁrst-team snaps this week as he continues his comeback from a turf toe injury The six-year veteran was downgraded to out on Saturday instead of being taken off injured reserve.

Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback suffered the injury during the ﬁrst half of the Sept. 14 game against Jacksonville.

Niners WR Aiyuk gets $27M voided on deal

San Francisco 49ers injured receiver Brandon Aiyuk had approximately $27 million in guaranteed money voided in his contract for next year in what coach Kyle Shanahan described as an “unusual” situation that developed over the summer The Athletic reported Friday that Aiyuk had his guarantees voided because he failed to participate in meetings and other team activities, and that he didn’t plan to contest it.

Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension last year Now the 49ers could cut him next year without paying him any more money

Rams sign LB Landman to three-year extension

Linebacker Nate Landman has agreed to a three-year, $22.5 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams after his dynamic start to his ﬁrst season with the team. The Rams announced the deal Saturday for Landman, who will make more than $15 million guaranteed after seizing a key role on their defense. He leads the Rams with 91 tackles and four forced fumbles. Landman joined the Rams on a $1.1 million veteran minimum deal this year after playing his first three NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.

TE Kelce to decide future after season

Four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, 36, plans to wait until after the season to make a decision on retirement, though he did say Friday that he wants to make that decision early enough that the Kansas City Chiefs have time to prepare. The new league year ofﬁcially begins March 11, which also marks the beginning of free agency But teams can speak with potential free agents in the days leading up to that date.

Kelce has 50 receptions for 631 yards and four touchdowns this season.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIRK IRWIN

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders runs with the ball during a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov 16 in Cleveland.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF DEAN

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow looks on after a game against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 3 in Cincinnati

OUTDOORS

Mother Nature speaks

Warm spellhas chased ducks, butcold front coming soon

BY JOE MACALUSO Contributing writer

Notebook

If there arewords most Louisiana waterfowlhunters know and understand, it’s“Mother Nature giveth and Mother Nature taketh away.” Remember the days leading up to our West Zone’s opening weekend?A strong cold front. Rain, much-needed.North winds. Perfect, right?

Yep. And that strong, early November frontal passage sent more ducks into our state than any Novemberin recent years. The smiles —and reports —from West Zone hunters showed their appreciation for what Mother Nature sent their way

The most unusual report came in thenumber of greenwing teal showing up at the cleaning sheds

Historically,bluewing teal make up alarge percentage of the take in ﬁrst segment hunts. Gray ducks and pintails usuallymake up the rest in early-season reports, and they did. That was the “giveth” part

The “taketh away” showed this weekend for the opening of the East Waterfowl Zone. Warm, foggy conditions cut into West Zone action last week, and those conditions lingered into Saturday’sEast opener. APaciﬁc cold front that blew in Friday didn’thelp.

Paciﬁc fronts don’tbring the Arctic chill, just rainand some wind, but not the cold that pushes ducks from the Midwest into our marshes and agricultural ﬁelds. Ah, takeheart! Rain predicted Tuesday through Thursday —and we need rain —heralds another Arcticcoldfront in here for Thanksgiving weekend. It couldn’tcome at abetter time. This week

There’snot another week like this on the calendar in our Sportsman’sParadise.

Deer,duck, goose and small-game hunting seasons are open —woodcock is the only gamenot on the list (opens Dec. 18) —and freshwater and marsh ﬁshing is hitting mid-autumn stride.

With all that activity,remember safety first. Wearing life jackets is amust, especiallyfor duck hunters traveling far and wide to reach blinds.Water temperatures are falling, which means getting wet brings on another set of problems should you fall into the water With hunters toting firearms and deer hunters climbing into stands, make sure to load rifles and shotguns only when readyto hunt —and only after safely climbing into your stand. Make sure the safety is engaged until the target is acquired, and make sureof your target. It should go without saying, but scoped rifles should be sighted in before going afield. Been on too many

PROVIDED PHOTO

Ahandful

Lane Lerayhas his handsfullwith the bass limit he caught to win the 11- to14-year-old agegroup in last weekend’s Junior Southwest Bassmasters tournament held from the NorthPass Landing at Pass Manchac. The fish weighed 6.98 pounds. Reese Forbestookbig-bass honorsinthatage group with a3.03-pounder.Ponchatoula’sBranson Sheridan had the top catchamong the young anglers at 7.37 pounds. Pass Manchac bass and other freshwater species are recoveringfromhurricanes and amajor freezeduring thepast 10 years, and the number of small fish shows a succession of successful spawns in these tidal waters.

BASS FISHINGRESULTS

Southwest Bassmasters PASS MANCHAC— Age-groupresults from the

Bassmasters-Denham Springs’ November tournamentheld from the North Pass public landing with anglers, their hometowns, number of bass weighed in parentheses (5bass limit; 14-inch minimum length), total weightinpoundsand big-bass winners: 15-18 age group: 1, Branson

hunts whena hunter who believed thefirearm used remainsighted afteritwas stored nine months ago. And, make sure you’re using the correct ammo: 20-gauge shotshellsdonot work in 12-gaugeshotguns. Then,remember to take the youngsters.Huntingand fishing is part of our heritage, and passingonhunting and fishing skills —and the memories of grandholiday trips —adds to the lure and lore of our diverse environs. Make sure young hunters and fishers are prepared forthe day.Warmclothes, if needed, snacks and warm or cold liquidsare required. Don’tmake the day laborious for ayoungster.When theducksstop flying and the fish stop biting, then it’stime to head homeortothe camp. On afishing note, it appearstopwater lures are workingonbass, redfish and speckled trout.Agood second choice is ajerkbait. Know thebest days this weekwill be Monday throughThursday. Catches usuallyslow theday or two after acold frontpasses and that’ll be Friday and Saturday. And, with the cold front, remember northwinds push volumes of water from the marshes.Knowyourfishing and duck hunting areasand don’tget stranded on mud flatslater this week.

OurAll-American Bennett Fontenot,ajunior

(5)6.98. 2,

(5)5.58. 3,

3.03. 7-10

(1)3.03.

Sholty

MONDAY

RED STICK FLYFISHERS FLYTY-

ING: 7p.m., Bluebonnet Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge. Open to public. Handson clinic covering basics of ﬂy tying.Materials and tools provided. Website:rsff.org

HUNTINGSEASONS

DOVES: SouthZone, through Nov. 30. North Zone closed.

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Through Nov. 30, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8&10.

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Dec. 1-Jan. 4, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8, with/without dogs.

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Through Dec. 2,State Deer Area 2, still-hunt only

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Dec. 3-Jan. 11, State Deer Area 2, with/without dogs.

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Through Dec. 5,State Deer Areas 1, 4&6

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Through Dec. 5,State Deer Areas 5&9,bucks only except either-sex takeallowed Nov. 28-30.

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Dec. 6-Jan. 4, State Deer Areas 1&4, with/without dogs

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Dec. 6-Jan. 18, State Deer Areas 5&9,with/without dogs bucks only except either-sex takeallowedDec. 6-7 &Dec. 13-14.

DEER/MODERN FIREARMS: Dec. 6-Jan. 18, State Deer Areas 6, with/without dogs.

CALENDAR

DUCKS/WESTZONE: Through Dec. 7, includes coots & mergansers.

GEESE: Through Dec. 7, West Waterfowl Zone.Includes Canada, blue,snow& Ross’ &specklebellies. Take of Canadageese prohibited in portions of Cameron& Vermilion parishes.

SNIPE: Through Dec. 7, ﬁrst split,statewide.

DUCKS/EAST ZONE: Through Dec. 8, includes coots & mergansers.

GEESE/EASTZONE: Until Dec. 8.

RAILS/GALLINULES: Through Jan. 7, statewide.

DEER/ARCHERY: Through Jan. 15, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8&10. Either-sex take allowed.

DEER/ARCHERY: Through Jan. 31, State Deer Areas 1, 2 &4.Either-sex takeallowed.

DEER/ARCHERY: Through Feb. 15, State Deer Areas 5, 6 &9,either-sex takeallowed. QUAIL, RABBITS &SQUIRRELS: Through Feb. 28, statewide, private landsonly AROUND THECORNER

DEC. 1-2—STATECOMMERCIAL FISHINGLICENSE

RENEWAL: 9a.m.-noon & 1-3:30 p.m LDWF office 1025 TomWatson Road, Lake Charles. Also: 9a.m.-noon & 1-3:30 p.m Dec. 3-4, LDWF office,200 DullesDrive, Lafayette; 8a.m.-noon & 1-3:30 p.m Dec. 8-10, LDWF office,2045 LakeshoreDrive, Suite438, NewOrleans;

8a.m.-noon &1-3:30 p.m Dec. 15-17, LDWF ofﬁce,468 TexasGulf Rd., Bourg.Call (225) 765-2898.

FISHING/SHRIMPING

SHRIMP: Fall inshore&outside watersopen statewide. OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Gray triggerfish;lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers &wenchmen among other snapper species; all groupers exceptclosed for goliath &Nassau groupers in state/federal waters. CLOSED SEASONS: Red snapper; flounder (recreational/commercial take closed through Nov. 30); greater amberjack; bluefin tuna; gag, goliath& Nassau groupersinstate/federal waters. Commercial greater amberjack seasonclosed.

LDWF UPDATES

■ Woodworth& Bodcau shooting rangesclosed Thursday& Friday ■ CLOSED: Hope Canal Road/boat launch (MaurepasSwamp WMA, levee construction). ■ ROAD CLOSURE: Sectionof La. 975 through Sherburne WMA closed through June 12, 2026 (replace bridge) access from U.S. 190 and I-10 open ■ DRAWDOWNS: Underway on Henderson Lake, LakeBistineau,Saline,

at Port Barre High School, is oneof12young anglers selected to the 2025 High School All-American fishing team sponsored by theBass Anglers Sportsman Society. Calling Krotz Springs home, Fontenot, avarsity baseballand footballplayer,won Louisiana Youth B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier on the Red River and HendersonLakeand was among the top five in five other basstournaments. He added to that list with asecond-place finish in theBassFederation High School WorldFinals and an 11th-place finish in last year’s 2024 MLFNational Championship.

Going beyond playing ﬁeldsand ﬁshing,anational panel of judges noted Fontenotco-foundedaprogram for underprivileged children withthe Darby Foundation that offers instructional fishing classes and water andboater safety classes, andworked on aTakeaKid Fishing event

The 12 anglers were selected from among 200 nominees in grades 10-12 and will be invited to the 2026 Bassmaster Classic set March 13-15 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Trustisn’t given.It’searned. Just like athletes on the ﬁeld, ourdoctors earn it every day through commitment, precision and passion.Whether you’repushinglimits or recoveringfrom them,you can trust the team that understands both.

From championship athletes to everyday champions, FMOLHealth |Our Lady of theLakeiswheretrusted carebegins.

Chris Hilton LSU,WideRecei J.MichaelRobinson,M Sports Medic J ve in r. r D e

LEARN MORE

LIVING

PROVIDED PHOTO

Cajun fiddler CourtneyGranger

BelovedCajun

ﬁddler has

ﬁnal

recording released in collection

‘All Iever heardwas LSU’

In 2021, beloved Cajun fiddler Courtney Granger had a weary look that matched the old soul in his voice. Granger, 39, was in the final round of alifelong fight with diabetes, which forced musical retirement and faint hope of akidney transplant APO Records founder Chad Kassem never forgot the jaw-dropping moment of seeing Granger play as ateen. The fiddler remained on Kassem’sto-do list of recordings.

Herman Fuselier

But Yvette Landry,afriend of both, knew that opportunity was fading. With Kassem’s blessings, she brought Granger to Dockside Studio in Maurice with another old soulina young body,Creole musician Cedric Watson. Still, Landry wondered ifit was too late.

“When Courtney got there, you can tell he wasn’tfeeling good,” said Landry.“Itoldhim, ‘If you’re not feeling good,we can reschedule.’

“He said he wanted to do it right now.Wecould tell in his voice, and overall, he was feeling really bad. So we recordedit.”

Granger died seven weeks later.That last recording has become “Courtney Granger &Cedric Watson: Cajun & Creole Music of Louisiana,” a two-vinyl, 16-song collection on APO Records of Salina, Kansas. Landry served as producer and played triangle, guitar and accordion throughout these acoustic performances In the liner notes, historian Barry Ancelet writes thatthe recordings, “...aren’thiding under abunch of production.

…The two performers often sound like one.”

Landry describes the experience in mystical terms

“I think Courtney and Cedric both lived before in other lifetimes,” said Landry,aresident of Breaux Bridge. “They came back as these old souls that have experienced so much.

“They have so much feeling and passionatsuch young ages. Cedric has probably lived 100 livesbefore. Those two guys are just amazing to me.”

Soulful experiences are also highlights for Landry,a

Dolores ‘Bitsy’ Hadskey holdsher four season tickets to the LSU/Arkansas game. Hadskey has heldLSU football season tickets for 70 years and only missed six gamesuntilthis season when her health prevented her from attending

With 70 seasonsofTiger love in BatonRouge,one fanhas missed 6homegames in 7decades

BY JANRISHER Staff writer

Seventy seasons is more than ahabit —it’salifetimewoven in purple and gold.

LSU has been playing football since1893 —that’s132 years of football. Baton Rouge’sBitsy Hadskey,88, has been there for 70 seasons. The roar of Tiger Stadium is her favorite song. Her real nameisDolores Hadskey,but everyonecalls herBitsy Sheboughther firstLSU season ticket package in the fall of 1955. She hasrenewed them every year since. Until this football season,

shehad missed only sixgames most of those forwhat she calls “legitimate reasons,”including the birth of achild and the death of her husband.

But at the beginning of this season, Hadskey wastold she would have to begin dialysis and wouldn’t be able togotothe games. Though she hassincerecovered enough to avoid dialysis, she reluctantly handed her beloved tickets over to hersons, grandchildren and younger sister,who have been makingthe best of herseats in Section 212, Row 25, Seat 35 —Seat 35 being Hadskey’sfavorite.

ä See GRANGER, page 4D ä See FAN, page 4D

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

The Louisianastate historic marker near thePinhook Bridgesays two battles took place there in 1863: “Bayou Vermilion,”itsays. “Battle of Pinhook BridgeApril 17, 1863. Battle of Bayou Vermilion Oct. 9, 1863. We honor thememory of those soldiers who valiantly fought on these banks.” The listed dates place the events in the Civil War, but the

Dolores ‘Bitsy’Hadskey’s devotion to LSU football beganher senior year at Baton Rouge’sIstrouma High School. She graduated in 1955 ayear ahead of classmates Billy Cannonand SmileyAnders

rest is pretty vague. Itslack of detail sparked Phyllis Hall’scuriosity

“Were there really twoCivil Warbattles fought near the Pinhook Bridge?” the St. Martin Parishcommunity of Catahoula resident asked Now,that’snot saying the information on this Lafayette historic marker is wrong, but inaccuracies have been discovered on somehistoric markers in the past.

“I wasn’tfamiliar with these battles, so Iwas curious to know if they are true,” Hall said. The short answer is yes, though it’shard to imagine Union and Confederate troops slugging it out at in the middle of Lafayette. Then again, there wasnoLafayette back then. The city’sname wasVermilionville. At the time, Confederate Gen. Richard Taylor —son of former

STAFFPHOTO By JANRISHER

Romany

The 2026 Royal Court of Romany is, from left Maid Shaunnessy Rose, Maid Audrey Greely King Romany LXXVI Matthew Vaughn, 2026 Ball Captain Ashley Day Fabre, Queen Romany LXXVI Amelia Lambert and Maid Faye Buco.

Krewe of Romany celebrates ball captain

The Krewe of Romany honored 2026 Ball Captain Ashley Day Fabre Oct. 4 at a poolside celebration hosted by her parents, William and Leslie Day Guests dined on a menu catered by Bergeron’s, Bites and Boards, and complemented by desserts, including a cheesecake bar, from New York’s Magnolia Bakery

At twilight, T-Ray theViolinist gave a performance blending modern favorites with timeless classics Fabre, a third-generation Krewe of Romany ball captain, toasted the family legacy that inspired her path

WBR Garden & Civic Club

Twenty-two members of the West Baton Rouge Garden & Civic Club met for a guided tour by Keith ‘Kicka’ Guedry at the Cora Texas Manufacturing sugar factory on La. 1 in White Castle on Oct. 14. After the tour, club members enjoyed lunch at the Grapevine in Donaldsonville. Garden club member Debra Salvadras hosted the event

Romany

The Krewe of Romany board includes, from left, Secretary Adrienne Vaughn, Vice-President Chelsea LeMieux, Special Adviser Leslie Day, 2026 Ball Captain Ashley Day Fabre, President Collette Lambert, Treasurer Carla Brown and Publicity Officer Kristi Hammatt.

Members of the Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club met on Sept. 30 for a presentation given by John Krupsky and Jon Reise on the use of the Weak Signal Propagation Report (WSPR) system. The WSPR system is used worldwide to probe the best parameters such as time of day, radio frequencies, and transmission power for radio communication. Shown are, from left, Todd Huovinen, Krupsky, Reise, Matthew Mapes, Laura Mapes, Jennifer Curry, Daniel Csaszar and Joe Roppolo.

Plaquemine

Garden Club

The Plaquemine Garden Club celebrated its Art Club winners for their 2025-26 yearbook on Oct. 21. Shown are, from left, Katherine Desselles, Caroline Doyle, Riley Martinez, Emma Ourso, Jane Boudreaux and Donna Carville.

ON THE ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE

GFWC Lagniappe Woman’s Club

The GFWC Lagniappe Woman’s Club heard Michael Mamp, curator, discuss the LSU Textile & Costume Museum’s current display on Oct. 20. Gathered are, from left, Lana Merliss, hostess; Monica Watson, guest; Hollen Brown, Lagniappe and Museum member; Mamp; and Cathie Ryan, Lagniappe president.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Stargazing

The Louisiana Art & Science Muse-

um, 100 S River Road, Baton Rouge will host Family Hour Stargazing from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Nov. 29 in the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium. For more information, visit lasm.org.

Opera Louisiane

Tickets are on sale for Opera Louisiane’s “Opera Royal” concert, featuring sopranos Lisette Oropesa and Susan Graham, at 5 p.m. Nov. 23, at First Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, 529 Convention St. General admission tickets are $76.50. Visit operalouisiane.com.

Closed for holidays

The LSU Museum of Art in the Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge, will be closed from Nov. 26 to Nov. 30 for the Thanks-

giving holidays. The museum will reopen on Dec. 2 For more information, visit lsumoa. org.

‘Rudolph’ tickets

Tickets are on sale for Playmakers of Baton Rouge’s production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” opening Dec. 5 in the Reilly Theatre, Tower Drive, LSU campus.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for students and children. Visit playmakersbr.org.

‘Home for Christmas’

Tickets are on sale for UpStage Theatre’s production of “Home for Christmas,” opening Dec. 6 on its stage at 1713 Wooddale Blvd., Baton Rouge.

Tickets are $27. Visit upstagetheatre.biz.

‘Elf’ at Sullivan

Tickets are on sale for Sullivan Theater’s production of “Elf,” opening Dec. 4 on its stage at 8849 Sullivan Road, Baton Rouge. Tickets are $28-$29. Visit sullivantheater.com.

‘Miracle on 34th’

Tickets are on sale for Ascension Community Theatre’s production of “Miracle on 34th Street,” opening Dec. 11 on its stage at 823 N. Felicity St., Gonzales.

Tickets are $18-$33. Visit actgonzales.org.

Holiday Brass

Tickets are on sale for the symphony’s annual Holiday Brass concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, 401 Main St., Baton Rouge. Tickets are $40. Visit brso.org

‘Nutcracker’ tickets

Tickets are on sale for Baton Rouge

Ballet Theatre’s annual production of “The Nutcracker — A Tale From The Bayou,” set for four performances on Dec. 20-21 in the Raising Cane’s River Center Performing Arts Theater, 240 St. Louis St., Baton Rouge. Tickets are $55.85-$83.30 plus taxes and fees. Visit batonrougeballet.org.

Cangelosi ‘Nutcracker’

Tickets are on sale for the Cangelosi Dance Project’s annual “Holiday Nutcracker,” set for two performances on Dec. 20 at the Dunham School’s Brown-Holt Theatre, 11111 Roy Emerson Drive, Baton Rouge. Tickets are $25-$45. Email cangelosidp@gmail.com or visit cangelosidanceproject.com.

8 Fluid Ounces’ The LSU School of Art’s biennial “cup show,” “8 Fluid Ounces,” will be on view, with works for sale, through Dec. 12, in Glassell Gallery in the Shaw

PROVIDED PHOTO

PROVIDED PHOTO Romany

The Day-Fabre family includes, from left, William Day, Leslie Dease Day, Adelaide Fabre, Ashley Day Fabre, Evangeline Fabre and Travis Fabre.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club

TRAVEL

VisitLa.’s Indian mounds

BY ELIZABETHDEAL Staff writer

Have you ever carried a 50-pound bag of dirt? It’sso heavy,I’m not sure Icould

It’sestimated that the people who built the tallest moundatthe Poverty Point UNESCO World Heritage Center in northeast Louisiana carried 15.5 million 50-pound basket-loads of soil,or 390,000 tons, to build it.

The people of Poverty Point were hunter-gatherers,and atthe time it was built, its earthworks werethe largestinthe Western Hemisphere.

The Poverty Point visitor center has asmall museum, bayou overlook, picnic tables and earthworks including aplaza, fields, Indianbuilt ridges and mounds, large wooden post circles (now marked in white), ahiking trailand aroad to each location. The people who inhabited the arealeft around 1100 B.C. The name comes from a historic plantation at this location that was established by 1850. When visiting Poverty Point, there’sa$6entry fee. The museum featuresashortvideoonthe history,and the building is full of Indian artifacts discovered at this location, including arrowheads, atlatl weights, decorated objects, figurines, scarce bone awl tools and plummets used as fishing weights. Behind the visitors center is the Bayou Macon overlook. The signage says that the Mississippi River was probably closer during the time period (1700 B.C. to 1100 B.C.) and may have formed a shallow backwaterlake here.

The earthwork complex includes aseries of C-shaped concentric ridges, which varied in height up to 6feet and are thought to have been used for living areas. Excavation found cooking pits, hearths and numerous artifacts, including cooking balls, knives, blades and other tools.

To see the ﬁve mounds, visitors can take ahiking trail (2.6 miles total), drive your own vehicle on apavedroad or take the open-airtram with apark ranger guide. The tram runs Wednesday through Sunday for $4 perperson and takes approximately 45 minutes. On those days, you can also try throwing an atlatl.

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

Aviewfromthe top

Parts of the ridges and mounds at Poverty Pointhave disappeared duetofarming and erosion,but what remains is worth seeing.

The tallest mound, Mound

A, standsat72feet and can be viewed fromthe ground. Or visitors can takethe wooden walkway with about 35 stairs on a slight elevation to go to theapex, with aview of the surrounding forest and farmland. From above,

themound is shaped like abird in ﬂight,though researchers debate the“bird efﬁgy” idea.

It was looking at this mound, from afar,surrounded by ﬂat land, with acar driving in front of it, when Iwas struck by the magnitude of the size, theeffort to build it and how unimaginably long ago it was: 1350 BC.

Mound Bisconical in shape and measures about 21 feet in height, while Mound Cis6 feet high and is thought to be originally loafshaped. Mound Dissmall, built

by alater community of the Coles Creek culture, and Mound Eis ﬂat-topped andstands at about 13 feet high.

My husband and Ilove both historyand the outdoors, so this was agreat outing forus. We drove theroute to each mound, which was nice because we could keep to our own schedule. We took our time, and our whole visit —including watching the video, touring the museum,asking several questions, anddriving and stopping at each mound —took less than two hours.

Poverty Point is handicap accessible if visitors ride in their own vehicles, andeach mound is easy to see from the road. The walkway from the street close to each mound is amowed grass path. Interestingly,nobones have been recovered,soresearchers do not think the Poverty Point mounds were burial sites of Indigenous people. Mound Dhas the 1851 headstones of two women,almost illegible: Sarah Wilson Guier and Amanda Malvina Dawson VanRensselaer.Abrochure says that early Euro-American settlersoften used Indian mounds for their cemeteries. The Guiers owned Poverty Point plantation,

but there was no grand plantation homethere. VanRensselaer lived on property across Bayou Macon.

The whyofthe Poverty Point mounds still remains amystery, but we came away debating our own theories on what the mounds were used for. The area is still under archaeological discovery, and asixth mound, Mound E, is expected to open in the future, according to museum ofﬁce staff.

Wheretoeat

Poverty Point Reservoir State Park is about 10 miles south in Delhi, which has afew locally owned restaurants. We opted forhome-cooking style food at Tammy Fay’sRestaurant, atiny brick building one block south of Interstate 20 off La. 17, open for lunch and dinner

The special of the day was grilled or fried pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy,yams, field peas, cornbread, dessert and adrink. We asked what they were knownfor,and our sweet and funny server said burgers, so that’s what we ordered with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions. The burgers were8ounces, which was morethan Icould finish in one sitting, and the buns were outstanding. They were square, with the option of sourdough or jalapeno, which was flavorful but not spicy.The onion rings were homemade and huge and deliciously lightly battered. Itried another customer favorite —fried mushrooms—and loved them too.

Tammy Fay’sCafe is located at 113 Rundell Loop, Delhi. Lodgingand otheractivities

The state park also has waterfront cabins that are great for ﬁshing, lodges in the woodedarea and acampground. Just up the road at the marina in the state park, there’sabeach that incudes a separate entrance. The Black Bear Conference Center,atthe Black Bear Golf Club in Delhi, is open to the public and has arestaurant. Poverty Point is located at 6859 La. 577 in Epps, and is open from 9a.m. to 5p.m. every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and NewYear’sDay

Email Elizabeth Deal at elizabeth.deal@theadvocate. com.

Locked outand then charged$385for gettingintoAirbnb

My partner and Ibooked an Airbnb near Joshua Tree National Park for my birthday.

On the second day, heavy rain causedthe keypad lock to malfunction —wecouldn’t enter anyinformation after the first digit.

Christopher Elliott

We immediately contacted the host, who assumed we caused the keypad to malfunction with incorrect passcode attempts and senta locksmith hours later

The locksmith suggested the rain had damaged the lock, andthe hostgaveusamanual key.

Twoweeks later,Airbnb demanded $385 for lock repairs, claiming we causedthe damage.We provided video proof of the

malfunctionand texts where the locksmith cited weather,but Airbnb sided with the host. Howcan we fightthis unfair charge? We just want to clear our nameand avoid payingfor something we didn’tbreak. Paula Lee, San Francisco

Airbnb should have dismissed this claimimmediately. Its terms of service says hosts aren’tliable for issues beyond their control, so why not guests as well? When the locksmith attributed the problem to rain, Airbnb had all theevidenceitneeded to side with you.

Your case raises an interesting question, which Iseem to answer with some regularity: Who is

Airbnb’scustomer,really? Are they on your side or on the host’s side? In your case, it appears Airbnb almostreﬂexively sided with the host. In fairness, I’ve had cases wherethe opposite happened. Butgenerally,Airbnb favors the hostinmyexperience —and that’ssomething guests don’treally understand. They think they’re thecustomers, but they aren’t Youdid everythingright by documenting the issue with videos,texts and timely communication. Youwere patient and allowed the process to work maybe alittletoo patient. Iwould have escalated your casetoa

higher levela little earlier in the process. Airbnb oftenresolves disputes fasterwhenyou involve itsexecutive team. Airbnb’s managers read andrespond to theiremails, making it oneofour highest-rated companies for customer service.

I’m troubled by your case. Based on the papertrail you furnished, it looks like you did absolutely nothing wrong. You handled the resolution process by thebook andwerepolite and patient.Itappearsyourhost (who, Ishould add, wasalso polite) wantedsomeonetobuy a new lock afterhis stopped working. That’s nothow the system is

supposedtowork. If you’d pried the lock open with acrowbar, thatwould be adifferent story, but it lookslike youjust pressed onebutton.

Ireached outtoAirbnb on your behalf. Aspokesperson acknowledgedthe casebut declined to explain why the charge was initially upheld. Fortunately,after ourinquiry,Airbnb struckthe $385 charge fromyour bill.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

An unexpected airportfriendship, lessonsincluded

BY BRUCE MAGEE

Contributing writer

Human Condition

The shoeshine stand was strategically placed by the men’sroom outside of the security checkpoint near the SouthwestAirlines Concourse B. Catchingﬂights, Iwould usually move swiftly to get through security at the old New Orleans International Airport. There were a few times when my shoesneeded attention, and Iwould stop fora quick, convenient shine. While my shoes were being tended to, Iwould read the newspaper,check email,and maybe chat about what was happening with the Saints. There was small talk, nothing overly engaging. One day,Ihad alittle extra time. As Iwalked past the stand, Inoticed aU.S. congressman sitting in the chair grabbinga shine. Ibegan to see, and take notice of, the interaction of passersbywith those at the stand. The exchanges,

PROVIDED PHOTO Darral Kendrick shines alot of shoes and makesa lot of friends at theLouis Armstrong NewOrleans International Airport.

the chatter,was directed not to thecongressman,but withthe aproned attendant, Darral Kendrick. There was little doubt there was much respect for the man

was born. The love for LSU has been apart of their relationship all of Henson-Hamilton’slife.

that Ihad walked past so many times before. After that, Ifelt that Icouldn’t walk by without either getting a shine or stopping for abrief visit Over time, Ilearned afew things from Darral and about him, and we developed afriendship that I value. Ilearned alot more about the shoeshine business too. The stand had been his father’sbusiness. Darral handled the stand on the Southwest Airlines side, and his brother tended thestandatthe other concourse.

Ialso learned that the shoeshine business in an airport is heavily dependent on business travelers. To support them, Darral arrived early and worked until 3p.m. The old terminal shut down on Nov.5,2019, and the new Louis Armstrong New OrleansInternational Airport opened immediately thereafter.Things would be better for business with the stands on the gateside of TSA. This had to bode well for Darral’s business. Then, in early 2020,

mosttravel was abruptly interrupted by the pandemic. Business travel came to ahalt formeand mostothers. Iwondered how Darral wasdoing. As travel restrictions began to ease and Iflew out of New Orleans the first couple of times, the stand was empty —noDarral. It was after one of my returns that Ifirst jotted aquick note on theback of one of my business cards —“Hello, thinking about you, hoping you are well.” —and left it for Darral. Imade apractice of leaving cards with messages, hoping they would get to him Oneday,I got acall from Darral, lettingmeknow that he was gettingmymessages. Not long after that, Iwas in the airport and so was Darral, afriend that I was never sure I’dsee again. We hugged each other,and caught up. Weeks later at the airport, Darral toldmethat he had kept all thenotes Ihad leftfor him.He said if Ihad gone to the trouble of leaving notes, he should hang on to them. He said they meant

something to him

Ihave learned alot from Darral. If you go through lifewith blinders on, and never take the timetospeak to people, you miss the opportunity to get to know them.I know that Ihave been guilty of that, and Iamtrying to be better at this. Ilearned that someofthe people that we interact with, even if only forashort time, do genuinely care about us, and do care if our shoes look good. Ihave learned that aquickly jotted note letting someone know that they matter to you can liftaperson’s spirit. Years on from the ﬁrst note, Istill leave notes and Iknow that he still keeps them Thank you, Darral.

—Magee lives in Baton Rouge.

HumanConditionsubmissions of 600 wordsorfewer may be emailedtofeatures@ theadvocate.com. Stories will be kept on ﬁle and publication is notguaranteed.There is no payment forHumanCondition

OleMisshatredperseveres

Hadskey’sdevotion to LSU football began her senior year at Baton Rouge’sIstrouma High School. She graduated in 1955 —a year ahead of classmates Billy Cannon and Smiley Anders —and that fall, as anew LSU freshman, she bought her ﬁrst seasonticket package. She was in Tiger StadiumonOct. 31, 1959, when Cannon returned the punt89yards against Ole Miss, securing the SEC championship, solidifying his Heisman Trophy season, and helping LSUtoa7-3 victory She still considers watching her high school friend clinch the win as her favorite momentin Tiger Stadium —and she’sbeen chasing that feeling ever since.

Forthe record, Hadskeystill hates Ole Miss.

“Used to it didn’tmatter who we were playing, the chant was always ‘Go to hell, Ole Miss,’”she said with asmile.

Old rivalriesage,but sometimes they don’tsoften.

Her second-favorite moment came 60 years later: the 2019 national championship season.

‘A walkingencyclopediaofLSU’ Hadskey was 16 whenher baby sister,Debbie Henson-Hamilton,

GRANGER

Continued from page1D

Grammy-nominated musician and singer,teacher, sign language interpreter, tour guide and author.She and musician Jourdan Thibodeaux operate SOKO Music Group Tours, which educatesvisitors with shows about local music, food, language and culture at Cypress Cove Landing near Henderson. Landry is celebrating the release ofher fourth book, “The Wild Girl of Catahoula,” on Pelican Press.The children’sbook recalls the folktale of aferal, gypsy girl living in the swamps of St. Martin Parish.

While her account is ﬁctional,Landry found 1930s newspaper articlesthat reported sightings. The book contains areader’s guide and glossary to spark discussionswith young readers. Landry believes the story has wide appeal.

“The book is for ages 9 to 99. It’slike Bigfoot.Isit real or is it not real? Is she real or is she not real?” she said. “It’snot reallyscary It’s more suspenseful than scary.” Landry has already ﬁnished another book. She will reveal more projects in 2026.

“None of this is work,” Landry said. “It’sjust something else to do that makes me happy.”

Herman Fuselieris executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Alongtime journalist covering Louisiana music and culture, he livesin Opelousas. His“Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.

“I didn’tknow youcould goanywhere else —all Iever heardwas LSU,” Henson-Hamiltonsaid of her alma mater

Henson-Hamilton now lives three doors down from herbig sister

The pair still spends alot of time together

“Bitsy is awalking encyclopedia of LSU sports information,” said Henson-Hamilton. “She knows who the quarterback was. She knows who the coach was.”

Hadskey pipes in withamemory of her timeatLSU when PaulDietzelwas coaching.For therecord, Dietzel coached LSU from 1955 to 1961.

After seven decades, she’sseen more ups and downsthanmost and she’smade friends with the peoplearound her section in Tiger Stadium —but not beingthere this season has been thehardest. That said, LSU football’soff-the-field drama in recentdays has frustrated Hadskey “It makes me sad,” shesaid. “The ﬁrst year Brian Kelly started and he endedwitha 10-4 record, fans were cryingfor him to get ﬁred. Thenext year he was10-3— and he faced the same thing.”

She thinks the criticism has been unfair.

She’sseen enough seasonsto knowstormspass —and good coaches deservea fair shake.

CURIOUS

Continued from page1D

President ZacharyTaylor —instructedhis troopsto burn thebridge in an attempt to stop Union Gen. Nathaniel Banks’ troops’ northward advance. Today thewaterway is called the Vermilion River In 1863, Banks and his troopsmarched through Bayou Techeinthe spring to push backConfederate forces in southwest Louisiana to seize Alexandria, therebyclearing aroute to Port Hudson near Zachary Port Hudson would be thelast Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River after thefall of Vicksburg later in thesummer, on July 4, 1863. Banks’eventual arrival in Alexandria would morph into the Red River Campaign of 1864, but that’s another story.

This one focuses on Banks’troops’advancement to Bayou Teche by way of New Orleans and Taylor’sconstantly throwing wrenches into the route to make things moredifﬁcult forthe Union general.

“Banks was comingup from Morgan City,” said MichaelMartin,professor of history at theUniversity of LouisianaatLafayette.

“He would eventually meet up with Admiral David Porter andUnion Navy in Alexandria. Once Port Hudson fell on July 9, 1863, Banks could divert his attention to Alexandria.”

Martin explains that Bankswas goingthrough what is now Lafayette.

On the Confederateside, Alfred Mouton was taking the lead at Gen.Richard Taylor’sinstructions. Mouton’sjob was to slowing Banksdown

“I neverunderstood why they were so against (Kelly). Some teams neverwin 10 gamesina singleseason,” she said. “You just got to supportthe team anddon’t be so ready to write ’em off.”

Youcan’t win’em all Seventyyears of watchingthe Tigers has given her perspective: nobody wins them all. But forHadskey,supportingthe team regardless is part of being areal fan. Her favorite coaches over thedecades include Les Miles (2005-16) and Charles McClendon (1962-79).

Afterfootball, her Tiger loyalty extends to other sports. She still makes it to all LSUwomen’sbas-

ketball home games.

“Because my parking pass is closer,” Hadskey said. “I just can’twalk that farfor the football games anymore.”

She says it with ashrug, but it’s clear thewalk —not the will is what has kept herfrombeing there in person these days.

She gave up hermen’s basketball tickets last year,even though she really likes head coach Matt McMahon.

Adevotionlikenoother

Hadskey’s ties to LSU go beyond athletics. When she arrived on campus as afreshman, she wanted to major in computerscience

LEFT: Gen.Richard Taylor, son of ZacharyTaylor,the 12thpresident of the United States, commanded the Confederate troops at the 1863 battles at BayouVermilion.

RIGHT: Major General Nathaniel Banks, Union occupation commander,commanded the Union troops advancing up BayouTeche to BayouVermilion.

“I don’tthink Taylor and Mouton hadany illusions that they were gonna beat Banks, but they were trying to cause as much trouble as possible,” Martinsaid.

On that April day,the two armies struggled for about four hours, with few casualties.

Someaccounts of that battle include that the next day as Union troops built a pontoon bridge, about half of the soldiers decided to takeadip in the water

They stripped off clothes and jumped into Vermilion —just as the Confederate cavalry doubled back and opened ﬁre on the bathers. Madness ensued, as naked and half-dressed Union soldiers scrambled amidst

shotsﬁring.

Circumstances surrounding thesecondbattle seemed to perplex several state university historians. Jerry Sanson, retired LSUatAlexandria professor of history,suggested abook called “Yankee Autumn in Acadiana” to ﬁnd theanswer “Ifany source hasthe answer,thatwould be it,” he said He was right. The 1979 bookbyDavid C. Edmonds examines how Uniontroops again advanced from New OrleanstoAcadianainOctober 1863, this time to gain afoothold in Texas Onceagain,Confederate troops burnedthe pontoon bridge in October

—but it didn’texist yet. Electrical engineering was the closest option, so she chose that and graduated in three and ahalf years. When companies came to campus to recruit, Hadskey said she showed up, only to be told, “Wedon’t hirewomen engineers.”

Sheremembersthose interviews vividly—not withbitterness, but with the quiet pride of someone whokept showing up anyway

She couldn’tget an engineering job, so she spent two years teaching high school math before landing ajob at the phone company

“Well, they told me that Iwould be doing thework of an electrical engineer,but they would have to payand hiremeunderthe titleof clerk/typist,”she said. “I did that for eight months and then they changed my title and my pay.”

Today, company recordsstill cover her dining room table. She continues to handle the accounting for the business her husband started.

Seventy years later,Hadskey’s love forLSU hasn’tdimmed— even if she has ﬁnally,grudgingly, handed over her seats.

She’sstill watching and rooting forher Tigers,justnow from her living room instead of Section 212, Row 25, Seat 35.

Even so, her devotion hasn’taged aday

Email Jan Risheratjan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

“Great clouds of billowing smoke,rising high above the treeline of Vermilion Bayou, indicated thatonce more Pinhook Bridge was ablaze,” Edmonds writes. “The Pinhook,socalledbecause it opened andclosed like apin to permit river trafﬁc,had also been burned in the spring.” Tensions beganrising as Uniontroopsbegan anticipating abrutalbattle

“But the Federals, who believedthe enemy strength to be on the order of from two to three thousand, had comeprepared,” Edmonds writes. “The road to Texas lay beyond the Vermilion, and they were not going to be stopped here. In short order,General Williams Franklin, the brilliant West Point engineer,began ordering his meninto position for assault.” The battlebegan at 11 a.m.

“For amoment, with all the horses, men,polished guns and caissons ﬂying in all directions, it seemed as though all werehopelessly confused,” Edmonds writes. “But as quickly as it started, the eight-hundred pound cannons, resting on their spoked carriages, wereunlimbered in line, the cannoneers at their posts —ram-rods at the ready —and the piece limbers caissons and horses stood at the prescribed dis-

tance to the rear.” In the end, the battle proved to be more noise than destruction as the Confederates evacuated, leaving the Union soldiers in chaos.

“The battle of Vermilion Bayou, such as it was, ended in abloodless victory for the Union,” Edmonds writes. “In spite of all the shooting, the massive artillery bombardment and the impressive display of strength, only ﬁve Yankees were wounded.”

In the end, the Union troops wouldn’tmake it from Acadiana to Texas due to limited supplies and inner logistical problems. Meanwhile, Banks’ troops began pushing through Alexandria to Shreveport gathering cotton in the Red River Campaign.

Banks once again would come face-to-face with Taylor’sforces, which would beat his troops back at the Battle of Mansﬁeld.

Louisiana culture editor Jan Risher contributed to thisreport. Do you have aquestion about something in Louisiana that’sgot you curious? Emailyour question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

Mugs, shirts,hats, posters,books

Something for everyone at the Advocate Store!

PROVIDED PHOTOS

PROVIDED PHOTO

Dolores ‘Bitsy’ Hadskey withLSU’s Mikethe Tigeratthe Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.

AT THE TABLE

Tastypecan cookie helpscreateholiday memories

BY DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN

Contributing writer

For many,the fall season conjuresupvisions of leaves falling and changingcolor from green to yellow,orange or brown. They may evendesire to travel to the Northeast to witness nature’sbeauty with the changing of the leaves.

But for me, it’sthe sounds. Thecrow’scaw always catchesmyattention as Ilooktothe skies to catch aglimpse of aﬂock

About 25 pecan trees were spread across our farm property.The soundofthe cawing crows signaled the beginningofpecan picking season. Its arrival meant bundling up and spending time out in the cold andwind under the trees collecting them

We would gather pecansfor our own consumption, but also to sell. Manya Christmas gift was funded with the proceedsfromselling pecans.Wewould even have folksstop and ask to pick pecans “on halves.” Whatever amount they collected,half wasfor us, and they kept the remaining half.

“Hey,Byron, don’tpick pecans under that tree.That is Aunt Rita’stree,” my mother would call out. “Aunt Rita will come on Sunday afternoon to pick pecans.”

Every year,Aunt Rita would make a platter of candies, pecan logs included, for Christmas. We weresure to help her becauseweknewofthe treatstocome. We would be on our hands andkneespicking pecans off the ground, but Aunt Rita had a pecan pickertomake her collectingeasier The long stick with awire cage basketat the end of the pole allowed thenutstobe pushed into the wirecage. Once thesmall basket was full, the basket wasinverted, and the nuts were collectedina larger bucket.

The holiday seasoncan beabusy time. As modern society moves at afaster andfaster pace, oldtraditions of cooking special holiday treats seem to have fallen from fashion. Youcan create special moments bypassing some of that precious timemakingtreats with your family

This recipe is perfect for such an occasion. It has few ingredients, does notneed special equipment for mixing and baking and even the smallest member of thefamily can help to bake up these pecan cookies.But don’tlet the simplicity of thisrecipefool you—itispacked withdelicious, toasted pecan ﬂavor Make abatch and sharewithfamily and friends. Happy holidays to you.

Pecan Cookies

Pecan Cookies

Makes 20-24 large cookies. Ialways serve these on apedestal cake stand, as these tasty cookies can’tberesisted and deserve such apresentation

2eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1dry yellow

PHOTO By DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN

Former Angola lawyer tellshis storyoflegal work

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

”Jailhouse Lawyer,” by Calvin Duncanand Sophie Cull, Penguin Press, 385 pages

Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull’s“Jailhouse Lawyer” is adirect account of Louisiana incarceration and injustice, yet its overarching story is of Black men who bonded together within prison walls to fight for one another —not with fists, but with petitions and filings.

Duncan shares his storyin “Jailhouse Lawyer” as oneof manyinmate counsels or jailhouse lawyers who persevered under harsh conditionstolearn the law,use the law and win in the courts. Attorney Sophie Cull partners with him in co-authoring the book.

From 1982 until 2011, Duncan was imprisoned for acrime he did not commit. For 23 of those years, he served as inmatecounsel, or jailhouse lawyer,atthe Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

This nonﬁction memoir starts withDuncan’srough life as an orphan, shuttled between family members’ homes with his younger sister.The instability and lack of consistent care led to Duncan stealing for himself and his little sister

After some conﬂicts with the law,Duncan got out of New Orleans and found afuture in Oregon at aJob Corps site. The independence was short-lived, however,when Duncan was wrongly implicated in amurder in New Orleans. Time in the Orleans ParishPrisonslammed the doors of opportunity shut. Because of poor legal representation and dishonest law enforcement, Duncan was convicted and sentenced to life in prison at Angola.

Appalled by the injustice, Duncan started collecting cases to

study from newspapers. Then he petitioned the court for acopy of the CodeofCriminal Procedure legalrule book in 1984 to continue his legal knowledge journey

Duncan fell in love with the law when he witnessed ﬁrsthand the power of awin.

He ﬁled an emergency suit on behalf of elderly inmates who could noteat because they didn’t have teeth. To end the suit,the sheriff agreed to give themen dentures. Watching themen eat and being able tochew was what sealed Duncan’spassion for what could be achieved.

He was so set on learning the lawthat he requested to be moved to Angola from Orleans Parish Prison so that he would have access to the law library there. In 1986, Duncan arrived. He would spend the next 25 years there.

When Duncan learned of the inmate counsel program —alegal program that trained inmate counsels so they could represent fellow inmates —hededicated himself to being one. While working tirelessly on his own freedom, he taught alaw class and represented many others, including those in the hospital andmental healthunits, where

he fought for fair treatmentand better conditions

About practicing law within the state prison, he writes:

”Lawyers on the outside could never graspwhat it was like to representthe people you lived with —towitnessyour clients in front of thetelevision at night or lying under asheet in thedark, theirglassy stares absorbing a recentcourt denial. Their victories andlosses became yours, theirfates intertwined with your own. Each man dangled above thesame ﬂoodwaters, one defeat away from drowning.”

Duncan was oneofthe ﬁrst clients of Innocence and Justice Louisiana, whichwas known as The Innocence Project New Orleans at the time Through their assistance and his own perseverance, Duncan won his freedom in 2011. He graduated from law school and is currently pursuing justice through practicing law. On Nov.15, Duncan was elected as the New Orleans clerk of criminal court. Through his legalwork, Duncan met Cull, an Australia native who was defending individuals

on Louisiana’s death row.They established afriendship and partneredtowrite his story ”Jailhouse Lawyer” is adetailedand vulnerable look into howaninnocentman usedhis intelligence andcompassion to represent fellow incarcerated individuals while ﬁghting forhis ownfreedom. It is aheartbreaking, infuriating true story that readslike aJohnGrishamnovel andends with hard-fought liberation.

Email Joy Holdenatjoy holden@theadvocate.com.

Some bookstohelpbrightenthe holidayreading season

Since his death in 2022, I’ve really missed the calm and thoughtful voice of David McCullough, whose presidential biographies and popular histories reminded Americans what we could be at our best.

That’swhy Iwas so glad to greet the arrival this year of “HistoryMatters,” asmall posthumous collection ofMcCullough’s essays and speeches. One especially charming essay recalls McCullough’s family traditionofleaving abook for each of his children at the foot of their beds as their ﬁrst present each Christmas

It’sanidea McCullough borrowed from his parents, who graced his childhood with thischerished Yuletide custom.

“Christmas and books have been tied up in my mind for so long,” McCullough writes,“I’m not altogether sure whether it’sbecause of my feelings for Christmas that Ilove books, or if it’sthe other way around.” That idea has shaped my own tradition, an annual column in whichImention afew books that might help brighten your holidays. This isn’tso grand as a best-of-the-year list. These are just afew books that I

enjoyed this year thatyou might like, too, either as a gift for others or yourself.

One of the things Iadmired about McCullough’s writing was hisrestraint. He hadimportant things to say,but evenwhenhis message was urgent, he didn’t raise hisvoice on thepage. I’m also drawn to that quality in “Marce Catlett,” anew novel by Wendell Berry,the Kentucky man of letters who’sstill work-

ing at 92. Revisiting ﬁctional Port Williams, the rural community at the heart of many of his other novels, Berry reveals howthe title character,astriving

farmer at the startofthe 20th century,learns alesson about the sharp elbows of the marketplace and the redeeming power of community

Its reﬂection on the bonds of friends and neighbors is an eloquent answer to this season’sheadlines.

Equally redeeming is “A Beautiful Year,” in which spiritual thinker Diana Butler Bass offers “52 meditations on faith, wisdom, and perseverance.”

These are bite-sized explorations of wonder’sabiding presence in the everyday —something to savor in those steel-gray January weeks after the holidays have passed.

Ihad modest expectations when “The Land of Sweet Forever,” acollection of the late Harper Lee’soccasional writings, crossed my desk.

Many of us were disappointed in 2015 when “Go

Set aWatchman,” anovel discovered in her papers and hailed as anew treasure, failed to approach the beauty of Lee’ssignature work, “ToKill aMockingbird.”

This new collection of her assorted stories and essays isn’talandmark event, but there are quite afew gems, including a1961 essay in which Lee recounts a momentous Christmas gift that enabled her to write “Mockingbird.”

“Mockingbird,” of course, was her gift to the world. That’swhat good books are —gifts that we can treasure long after Christmas is over

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com

Danny Heitman DannyHeitman

PROVIDED PHOTO

Calvin Duncan and Sophie Hull, authors of ‘Jailhouse Lawyer,’ signbookstogether

Alistofhints

Random people arebody-shamingmydog

for someonetoask me that.

Dear Heloise: Iread your column daily for advice. Ihavebeen compilinga list of helpful hints that I hope some ofyourreaders might ﬁnd useful:

Dear Heloise: Twoofyour letters in arecent column addressed recycling plastic. Please consider reusing it as well. Small cup-sized plasticcontainers (such as yogurt containers) can be tub or pool toys for little ones. (Everything is fun when used in the tub, even aketchup container.)

Hints from Heloise

They can also be used in the bathroom for rinsing water when brushing teeth, and they can be used as dispensers for trail mix and other snacks. For larger containers such as those that contain peanut butter and cottage cheese, as well as other taller and narrow containers, freeze water in these and use them in your cooler.There’snomess in the cooler or any food damaged by water,and you can use the melted water for drinking on acar trip or when camping. Use the largest containers (think bulk-sized) to freeze waterfor blocks of ice. The ice comes out easily and lasts for along time in awater dispenser. And, of course, use any of these containers for sending things home with others. Youdon’thave to care if it comes back.

As another reader mentioned, deli trays and such work well in place of plates or bowls.While I detest all the plastic in the world, using it until its end makes sense. Once you start, the ideas are endless. —JoAnne, via email

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,Nov 23, the 327th day of 2025 There are 38 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Nov.23, 1984, Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie completed one of the most famous passes in college football history, connecting withGerald Phelan for a48-yardtouchdown withnotime left on the clock as Boston College defeated the Miami Hurricanes 47-45.

Also on this date:

In 1863, thousands of Union soldiers under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant marched out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and battled Confederate forces through Nov.25, forcing their retreat into Georgia in asigniﬁcant blow to the South in the American Civil War.

In 1939, early in World WarII, the British armed merchant cruiser HMS Rawalpindi was on patrol when it was shelled and sunk in an engagement with two German warships southeast of Iceland, leaving more than 200 dead aboard the Rawalpindi and only afew dozen survivors. In 1963, President Lyndon

n Regarding grocery carts, Inever place anything in the child seat on grocery carts. Iamsure that they are occasionally cleaned,but all Ican think of is diaper leakage. As I tell the checkout clerkat places who reloads your items directlyback into the cart, this is where children sit, andI was a germaphobe way before COVID.

n Regarding keeping greens freshfor longer:I keepbroccoli, lettuceand undressed coleslaw (to name afew vegetables that this would workfor) fresh for at leasttwo weeks, if notlonger.I clean and cut the items if necessary, place themina damp notsoggy —paper-towellined airtight container, andthenlay another damp papertowel over the top.

n Forsavingwater: When brushing myteeth Ionlywet thetoothbrush for asecond.Then Iturn off thewater,brush my teeth, then turn on thewater again to rinse. Imagine howmuch water we as a planetcouldsaveifeveryonepracticed this. When I’m at abig-box store, nursery,oranywhere that uses ahose, and Isee it running when no oneis using it, Iﬁnd the water source andturn it off. —Tracie T.,inRichmond,Virginia Send ahint to heloise@ heloise.com

TODAYINHISTORY

B. Johnson proclaimed Nov 25 aday of national mourningfollowing theassassination of President John F. Kennedy In 1971, the People’sRepublic of China was seated in the United NationsSecurity Council.

In 1980, an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people were killed by aseries of earthquakesthat devastated southern Italy

In 1996, ahijacked Ethiopian Airlines Boeing767 ran out of fuel andcrashed into the Indian Ocean near the Comoro Islands, killing 125 of the175 people on board, including all three hijackers.

In 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president of Liberia, becoming Africa’sﬁrst democratically elected female head of state. She guided hernation throughrecoveryafter its exit from adecadelongcivil war

In 2006, former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenkodied in Londonfromradiation poisoning after making a deathbed statement blamingRussian President Vladimir Putin

In 2008, theU.S.government unveiled abold plan to rescue Citigroup,inject-

Dear Miss Manners: My pet dachshund is slightly overweight. The vet saidheshould lose3pounds. When we are out walking, people will occasionally make hurtfulremarks about him, like “He really likes his food, doesn’the?” or “His belly is really dragging.”

such incidents and resolve to do better,which we believe is genuine in that moment. But inevitably,something will happen again.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hisbelly is not dragging on the sidewalk. It makes me sad to see asweet little dog being insulted like this.Most people say how cuteheis or ask his name. What can Isay to the people who remark on his physique in such ahurtful way?

Gentle Reader: “I’m glad he can’tunderstandyou.”

Andthen add, in ahorrormovie-child’swhisper,“As far as we know.”

Dear Miss Manners: Carrie and Ashley areboth good friends of ours. We enjoy theircompany and accept theirsocial invitations when offered.

Afew years ago, they had akerfufﬂe that put astrain on their relationship. My wife and Ididn’twant to play games or favorites, so we would invite them both to events.

So far,everyevent where they’vebeen in the same room has resulted in some sort of unpleasantness public enough to detract from theevent itself—and usually ends withone of them storming off.

In private conversations, when we try to mitigate future occurrences, they bothexpressregret for

ing afresh $20 billion into thetroubled ﬁrm as well as guaranteeing hundreds of billions of dollars in risky assets.

In 2011, Yemen’s authoritarian President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down amid aﬁerce uprising to oust him after 33 years in power.(After formally ceding power in February 2012, he was killed in 2017 by Houthi rebels who were once his allies.)

In 2024, Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more, the latest strikes in renewed ﬁghting between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants.(AU.S.-brokered ceaseﬁre would be reached on Nov.27, with sporadic violations of that truce for monthsafterward.)

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Franco Nero(“Django”) is 84. Singer Bruce Hornsby is 71. TV journalist Robin Roberts (“Good Morning America”)is65. Composer Nicolas Bacriis64. Poet and author Jennifer Michael Hecht is 60. Olympic gold medal sprinter Asafa Powell is 43. Ice hockey player Nicklas Bäckström is 38. Singer-actor Miley Cyrus is 33.

Other friends at these events are aware of the issue and kind of shrug theirshoulders when it happens, but we all areabit sad about it.

Now my wife’sbirthday is coming, and shewants to inviteour friends to a fancy restaurant— including Carrieand Ashley, knowing there will be tension, and perhaps worse. No one would deliberately want to put theirfriends in unpleasant situations, but excluding one or the other also seems hurtful

Anyrecommendations for better handling this?

Right now,we’re planning

to continue to invite them both to things —hoping for the best, but expecting some drama

Gentle Reader: Howbadly do youwantyourwife’s birthdaytobedrama-free? Enough to attempt to play peacemaker?

If so,you and/or your wife might invite the two to lunchtogether before the party andtry to broker atreaty. But if thatfails andasall of your guests seem to be expecting a showanyway—atleast the entertainment at your wife’sparty will be free.

DearMissManners: Both of my sons have recently become engaged. Whensharing this good news, more thanhalfthe people ask me, “Do youlike her?”

Howshould Irespond to this, otherthanjust saying, “Yes,ofcourse”? I’ve thought aboutsaying, “You know, I’ve just been dying

Letmeshare this with you …”

Gentle Reader: “Whata question!” is auseful, all-purpose response that may be said with varying degrees of shock,outrage andamusement, depending on your relationship with the asker.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at dearmissmanners@gmail. com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St Kansas City MO 64106.

$BIG

“We’re tired of watching talent, money and decisions flowing out of state. When we invest in our startups, we’re saying we want to ownour future.”

JOSH FLEIG,Louisiana chief innovation officer

PENDERS

managedata and improve safety.Francishas been steadily

Innovation Catalyst has catapulted Codegig’sexpansion

artificial intelligence

theGulf South.

Louisianaventure capital firms, once an afterthought, aremajor fundersoflocal startups now

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Tech entrepreneur Kellen Francis grew up in St. Charles Parish near oil reﬁneries and petrochemical plants, far from the multibillion-dollar world of venture capital in Silicon Valley,Austin,Texas, or other technology hubs.

So, in 2017, whenhelaunchedCodegig, asoftware and artiﬁcial intelligence company that helps industrialfacilitiesand others streamlineoperations, manage data and improvesafety, he didn’tgolookingfor abig check to get off the ground. Instead,

the Southeastern LouisianaUniversity IT managementgrad took things step by step, expanding steadilyto10employees as he took on more customers and grew his sales. That all changedlast year when he received a$400,000 investmentfrom Innovation Catalyst, aBaton Rouge-based nonproﬁt venture capital fund, that helped himexpand his business to more area plants and reﬁneries.Now,he’spreparing to close alarger fundraisinground ledby the 9-month-old Louisiana GrowthFund, a venture capital initiative from the state’s economic development agency Francis said he’ll use theinjection of cash

to hire moreemployees and expand across the Gulf Coast.

“This is validation we’re on the right path,” he said. “When you close around of this size, it sends out signals to the world that there’sbelief, backing and real promising tech in this company.” For Francisand dozens of other Louisianaentrepreneurs like him, cash to power their startups is increasingly available from anew batchofin-state investors that didn’texist afew years ago. Using federal matching dollars that originated withthe ä See FUNDERS, page 2E

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

With estate planning,should allkidsget an equalshare?

When yourfamily gathers for Thanksgiving and everyone is settling in for postturkey conversation, consider bringing up the “Great Wealth Transfer.”

FUNDERS

Continuedfrom page 1E

Michelle Singletary

How great?Baby boomers and older generations are projected to transfer $105 trillion to their heirs by 2048, accordingtoa2024 report by Cerulli Associates.

Before youreyes roll back, hear me out.

All too often, families don’twant to engage on estate planning because it raises the specter of someone you lovenot beingthere. It can be overwhelming, and some may view it as ghoulish

But I’m all too familiar with the consequences of inaction: Some of the nastiest battles I’ve faced both personally and within other families —come from alack of a well-thought-out estate plan when passing on wealth.

I’ve written about the long, drawn-out court disputes after Aretha Franklin and Prince died. However,you don’tneed to be famousorwealthy to plan how your assets will be distributed. The most loving thing you can do for your familyistotake care of your affairs.

Still, Iunderstandthe hesitancy To break the ice, check out one of my favorite comedy routines by the late Joe Recca. It’sfrom aperformance he did on BET’scomedy competition “Coming to the Stage” and can be found on YouTube.

Recca starts by talking about the high cost of funerals andthen shares his story of the ﬁrst Thanksgiving after acousin’smotherdied. She was cremated, and hiscousin placed her urn on the dinner table. No one wanted to say anything, and he marveled how she had “her mama sitting there right by the salt and pepper shaker like she’sa condiment.”

The video is areminder that we often need agood sense of humor to deal with loss. But you know what’s not funny? Avoidingthe conversation.

That’swhy Iwas so moved by an email Ireceived from areader asking for advice on how to fairly divide assets among children. Both parents are in their 80s.

“Wehave three adult children, and onehas needed far more ﬁnancial assistance over the years,” he wrote. “I view that help as an advance on his inheritance. Am Icorrect in (calculating)… what the estate would be worth if we had not advanced money to that son? We would divide by three and subtract the present value of those advances.”

“The result, of course, is that the two adult children who were never advancedfunds get much larger shares of the estate,” he concluded. “Am Ibeing fairtoall three children?”

The son in question is in his50s, earns amodest income and has struggled with some mental health issues, the father said. He and his wife purchased asecond home and

HOLIDAY

Continued from page1E

Fleurty Girl owner Lauren Haydel estimates holidaysales at her New Orleans-basedchain of nine regional stores, whichsell festive apparel, accessories and gifts, will be about 10% lower than last season.

“And we will be working just as hard if not harder because the customer is alot more cost conscious and paying attention to where they’re spending,” she said. Overall, business in 2025 got off to aslow start,Haydelsaid, andtariffs made the situation worse —as did the Saints’ dismal season.

“When the Saints don’tdowell, we don’tsell as much,” she said. “They didn’tdowell lastyear either,but we had Taylor Swift last fall. We need Taylor to come back.” Recent bump

Across the state, retailers have mixed projections, some moreoptimistic than others. Big-box retailers and malls say they’re hopeful.

At the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, Gene Satern,senior general manager,isexpecting “good, solid” sales,driven, in part by Dick’s House of Sport, which opened an expanded location in the mall, as well as apparel retailersMango and Zara.

Satern said he thinks shopping in-person is gaining in popularity again amid growing fatigue from onlineshopping.Shopperscan touch the items, get it the same

are renting ittotheirson,where he lives with hisfamily.The rent coversthe mortgage payment. Between thedown payment and repairs, they’ve spentabout $92,000. They’ve discussed having theson assume responsibility for the mortgage when theydie. The couple used loans to pay for college for one daughter,who attended an elite university,and provided a$20,000 down payment to their other son to buy ahouse.

“The siblings now have agood relationship,” the father added. As for outside help, the couple has consulted an attorney,but they haven’t yet ﬁnalized an estate plan.

Here’sthe advice Ioffered based on my experience working with individuals andcouples involved in estatedisputes.

First, Idon’tthink they need to treat their assistance to theolder sonasanadvance on the inheritance. As parents, we often care for each childbased on their speciﬁc needs, which can leadtoanunequal distribution of resources to support them. In thiscase, theparents shouldn’texclude the ﬁnancial assistance to theirother two children.

This suggestionreﬂectsaninsight Igained over years of hearing from disappointed heirs. Iused to think youshould do whatever you want with your money.But now I realize that many people left with less aren’tjust grieving the loss of money; they’remourning what it symbolizes —whether atangible sign of love or acritique of theirrelationship with thedeparted.

Youmight be tryingtodecide whether to leave more money to the adult childcaregiver who has done significantlymore for you than your other children. Or perhaps one adult childhas been very successful, and may not needthe money However,leaving less to the more financiallysecure children can make them feel like you didn’tappreciate theirhard work.Additionally, awell-off adult child’sfinancial situation may change becauseofa jobloss, divorce or serious health crisis.

Ihave ason on the autism spectrum. He requires more of our attention and resources. His needs are greater than those of his sisters. However,when creating our estate plan, my husband and Ihaven’t adjusted for theextra ﬁnancial support he has received. Our three children willinherit equal shares, with instructions to oureldest, whowill manage our estate, that if her brother needs more, she should give it to him. She and her sister agree. Distributing an inheritance equally can demonstratetoyour adult children that theyare equally loved and valued. If you’re concerned about an heirwho iscareless with money,you can establish atrust. Ultimately, it’s your money,and you have the right to decide how to distribute your assets based on your judgment However,I’m not afan of keepingapre-deathledger. If one has received more, it’snot an injustice; it’s grace.

Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost. com.

2021 American Rescue Plan Act, these venture capital funds are investing in early-stage companies in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and other parts of thestate.

Nine locally run funds are now actively investing in Louisiana startups and participating in the StateSmall BusinessCredit Initiative program. They include newcomers Boot64 Ventures, Tulane Ventures,Ochsner Ventures,1834 Ventures, The Idea Village MomentumFund, Propeller Ventures and Corridor Ventures. The New OrleansStartupFund and Innovation Catalyst, both foundedmore than adecadeago,also areprogram participants, while ahandful of other venture capital-type funds operateinthe state but do not participate. The programgot off to aslow start in its ﬁrst year, hamstrung by red tapeatthe state and federal level. Butnow,ﬁrmsare adding investmentsata quickening pace andmoving the needle for new companies in need of capital.

In 2024, about$2million in credit programfunds were usedinVC dealsthatbrought about$18 million in total investment in new companies, according to LouisianaEconomicDevelopment. So far this year,both numbers more than doubled.

The VC funding is asmall part of the record$330 million in totalinvestment in Louisiana companies in 2024, but theﬁrmssay they are targeting the newest,and often riskiest, businesses, giving them an opportunity to grow and expand much more quickly than if they were going it alone.

“We’retired of watching talent, money and decisions flowing out of state,” said Josh Fleig, thestate’s chief innovation officer.“When we invest in ourstartups, we’resaying we want to own our future.”

Busy year

cludesseveral software companies, includingDataHaul, which helps truckers prioritize the most profitable jobs, and Chckvet, which creates software to make life easier for veterinarianofﬁces.

Riskybusinesses

“Wetend to focus on unsexy industries,things that aren’tsuper flashy or in your face but will have major impacts on daily life,” said MeganBalch, Idea Village managing director

Most of the funders areusing investment tools that allow the exact percentage of equity to be determined later

Patrick Hernandez, of 1834 Ventures, which thisyear has invested in four companies with connections to Tulane University, said afund’sstake will vary widely basedoncompany valueand thestage of an investment, but his SSBCI peersingeneral are taking small minority ownership positions in the companies they are backing.

Battling burnoutinschools

Of thenew funds,none has made as manyinvestments as quickly as Boot64, a21/2-year-old Metairiebasedfirmthatexpects to close its 35th deal by the end of this year.Led by formerconvenience store owner John Roberts andattorneyMickal Adler, Boot64 has doubled itsdeal flow two years in arow

“Activity hasincreased,and that’s attracting more founders to come out of woodwork with their ideas,” said Roberts. So far,his fund has taken stakes in Hampr,alaundry pickup and deliveryservice; Hello Gravel, an online vendorofaggregate products; and awide variety of other ventures, including many in the softwarespace.

TheIdea Village’sMomentum Fund, launchedin2023, invested in two companiesthe next year.In 2025, the number has climbed to 11 with two morethatmay close by year’s end. This year’sbatch in-

day and ensurethe item is quality before theypurchase it, he said, rather than waiting fordelivery, notknowing if theitem will ﬁt or whatits quality will be.

At Perkins Rowe in Baton Rouge, marketing managerChelsea Jones said the mixed-use development has seen abump in traffic. The number of shoppersinOctober was 10%higher thanthe same month a yearearlier Jones saidshe’santicipating heavy trafﬁc,especially with Santa Claus making his ﬁrst appearance this year at Perkins Rowe on Black Friday

“Communityisa big part of what we do,”she said.

In Lafayette, saleswill likely increaseover ayear ago, said Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.Total retailsales in Lafayette Parish in November and December 2023 topped $1.5 billion, and last year thattotal inched up to $1.53 billion, according to LEDA data not adjusted for inflation. Sales for the year through September areup8%fromayear ago, outpacing the 3% generalinflation rate “It’sinteresting (because) we do hearconsumersgriping about inflation and costs are up,”Mitchell said. “But forsomereason,althoughconsumers are cautious,

Many of these Louisiana investorsare looking for people like ClaireSmith, aformer middle school math teacher who saw plentyoffrustrationsduringher time in the classroom and not enough waystoshare signs of hope In 2022, shejoinedforces with hercollege friend Krissy Taft to launchHilight, arecognition systemthathelpsteachersand staff celebrate impactful moments.

School districts pay annual subscriptions foraccesstosoftware that lets members of the school community acknowledge an excellentlessonplanoranact of kindness, like ateacher volunteering time to style kids’ hair for picture day

The platform, which has revenue but is not proﬁtable yet, is active in 15 states. This year,Smith raised $1 million from Tulane, Boot64 and Idea Village, among others.

consumers are still spending. Fueling some of the optimism is arecentuptick in activity after a slow year.AtLeJouet, aMetairie toy store that opened its doorson Airline Highway in 1968, owner Buddy Wood said sales have graduallypickedupinrecent weeks— moresothan usual for this time of year —and that the activity is helpingmakeupfor theﬁrst sixmonths of 2025.

“It looks promising, but who am Itoknow?” said Wood.“Ican go fromoptimistictopessimistic in a matterofhours.” Pokemonand classicbrandslike Barbie and Hot Wheels are selling well so far this fall. He hopes it continues.

Tasc ownerToddAndrewsisn’t sure whattoexpect from thecoming holiday season. His family owns the NewOrleans-based brandof sustainable athleisurewear and, like Fleurty Girl, hasbeen hit hard by tariffs and sluggish sales.

Butthe company has seen growth in some categories, especially online salesofwomen’stopsand men’spolos. He’s hoping, overall, that holiday shoppers can help boost sales for theyear by 10% to 12%.

“All things considered, we’re planning forgrowth this holiday, butitwill be incremental,”said Andrews, who added that he was forced to raise prices on some Tasc items earlier this month.

‘Clutching pursestrings’

Others are more cautious. Michael Ingle, whoowns Blue Sky Clothing in Lafayette, says consum-

TheSSBCI-backed funds are still arelatively small contributor to the overall investment in Louisiana companies, but they target the newest and riskiest ventures that would otherwise have ahard time ﬁnding funds.

Tulane business professorRob Lalka said the goal is to support as many entrepreneurs as possible while knowing only afew will succeed.

“Venture capital only needsafew dealstowork to make everything pay off,” he said.

“We’reinthe stage of making big bets andproviding mentorship and connections. Even with allthat, most will probably fail.

That’sthe way startups work.”

Mark Graffagnini, managing partneratCaraStone, aNew Orleans-based law ﬁrm that specializes in angel and venture capital deals, said data shows that Louisiana software companieshistorically have attracted the most investment, followed by energy agricultural technology,and food and beverage startups. Looking ahead, he predictsan increaseinhealth andbiotech deals,particularlyinﬁelds like diagnostics and wound care.

Among the current crop of Louisiana software startups, Graffagnini said many are using AI to develop asales funnel, design strategies and write marketing copy “AI frees up foundertomeet with customers, talk with investors, andmakesales pitchesto more potential clients,” he said. Jimmy Roussel, whose 15-yearold New Orleans Startup Fund will closeatleast10dealsthis year,said the state has done a good jobofprioritizing AI, but it’sfar from alone in that regard.

“It’sabit of aland grab, and we’ve got to move quickly,” he said. “We’reinafoot race to bring these solutions to market.”

“Wehave aproduct and customers wholove it, and we want to capture marketshare as quickly as possible,” she said. “Wecan do that with moreresources up front to maximize our sales efforts.”

Email RichCollins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

ers aren’tspending as muchashe anticipated whenhetook over the year-old business from itsoriginal owner in October.The store is afﬁliated with the Canadian Co. Blue Sky Clothing, whichsells apparel made from natural ﬁbers, including bamboo, cotton, linen, wool and cashmere, but it is astand-alone operation without aweb presence.

“There’sdefinitely areticence. The overall feel is people are clutching their purse strings alittle tight,” Ingle said, though he also has noticed sales pickupinthe past weekorso.

Haydel said Fleurty Girl has tried to absorb price increases from tariffs as much as possible but that somehave been passed on to customers, which hasdampened sales and will likely continue to throughout the holiday season.

Mitchell said consumers are deﬁnitely price conscious, focused on “value forwhatthey’re buying, discounts like crazy and convenience.”

She said sheand her staffwill promote shopping local again this year as away to encourage shoppers to support homegrown retailers.

Wood at Le Jouet said his store will promote customer service as a way to drive up local trafﬁc.

“Peoplecome in andlike the shopping experience, so we try to help themany way we can,” he said. “Wewrap gifts, we hold open the door and help people out to their cars. Anything we can to keep them coming back.”

Staff writers Adam Daigle, Stephanie Riegel and Ianne Salvosa contributed to this report.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

Shoppers walk throughthe outdoor shopping area of the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Across the state, retailers have mixed projections, somemore optimistic than others for2025 holiday shopping.Big-box retailers and malls saythey’re hopeful.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Hilight co-founders Claire Smith and Krissy Taft developed atool to help document the good things happening at schools.

Fleig

Roberts

Balch

Lalka

THE COLOR OF MONEy

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Tourism leader: To stay competitive, N.O. must ‘evolve’

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Stephanie Turner, the senior vice president of convention sales and strategies at New Orleans & Co., the city’s tourism marketing agency, spends her days selling New Orleans as a meeting and convention destination for associations and corporations around the globe.

Someti mes, her team members are planning a small doctors’ gathering a few months in advance. Other times, they are clearing calendars for a 20,000-person event 15 years from now

It’s a job that’s getting more challenging.

In October, Turner attended the annual IMEX gathering in Las Vegas, an annual meetup for the global meetings and events industries, where buyers and sellers network and plan upcoming events.

Turner said the big takeaway from the event is: The meetings industry is more competitive than ever, raising the stakes for those selling Louisiana as they face competition from familiar names like New York; Orlando, Florida; and, of course, Las Vegas, as well as newly built-out meeting destinations that have invested heavily in rooms, attractions and meeting spaces.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity

How competitive is your industry these days?

A lot of people will recall when associations would rotate between three to six

cities. But, over time, buying patterns have changed as people want to go someplace they haven’t been, and cities are investing in the industry Convention travelers spend differently than leisure travelers. They engage speakers, audiovisual companies and small businesses. And they typically stay a little bit longer and spend a little more. So cities want that.

We’re one of the nation’s top 25 markets even though we’re a small city, but 13 of our competitors are going through different phases of renovations or additions

Las Vegas and Orlando always come to mind. But Louisville, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio, are investing a lot and hosting a lot of industry shows

Even our neighbor Houston had not been a huge competitor in the meeting space, and in the past couple of years, it has absolutely come on. Dallas and Austin, Texas, have completely knocked down their convention centers, building new and bigger ones to host bigger meetings This is something that has been happening for years and accelerated during and after the pandemic. How is technology affecting the industry?

It’s allowing people to source tons of places

This is an extreme example, but we got one request for proposals where they sourced 43 cities, and it was a small meeting. Back in the old days, you’d source what you knew because you had to use human capital to do it.

Now, technology puts a lot of different places at your ﬁngertips. You can ask questions, send an RFP to 20 cities and see what comes back It sounds like a meetings arms race.

So what’s your focus?

The bigger the meeting, the larger in advance that you need to plan it. And that’s where our organization, and organizations like it around the country, really matter How do you accumulate 5,000 hotel rooms on one night? You have to search and get availability The competition process is very similar to other industries, but we’re just selling something in many cases far into the future.

Relationships are the foundational part of this business, because you have to shepherd something from the point of courting it, identifying it, competing for it, winning it, and then you help them as they plan for that meeting to take place.

These relationships last for quite some time, sometimes decades.

How far in advance are you planning?

We have things on the books as far as 2040.

Think about something that is going to require the entire convention center that’s a million square feet, plus it requires 10,000 or more hotel rooms on one night You don’t have that kind of availability just sitting out there.

To secure those large meetings, you have to work into the future.

Between Mardi Gras, festivals and other big events, how do you make sure you have the rooms you need for a customer?

We’re managing a book of business for the next decade, so it is a highly technical business. We have multiple

Beyondthe Complexities.

JonesWalker’sEstatePlanning &Administration practice provides avariety of estate planningand personal planningservicesfor individualsand families,including wills, lifetime trusts,and marital property agreements.Our trustand estatesattorneys administer decedents’ estates, both domiciliaryand ancillary, andprepare estate andgifttax returns. Ourattorneys,several of whom aremembers of the American College of Trustand Estate Counsel, are experiencedin structuringestateplans forestates of allsizes,including estatesofbusiness owners, as well as in designingcharitablegivingplans

Stephanie Turner the senior vice president of convention sales and strategies at New Orleans & Co., said the meetings industry is more competitive than ever, raising the stakes for those selling Louisiana as they face competition from familiar names like New york; Orlando, Florida; and Las Vegas.

people selling multiple things at the same time We use software that is made speciﬁcally for destinations.

Hotels can feed into and respond to it, but it’s absolutely attention to detail, and at the end of the day, people make that happen.

The industry is looking at AI tools to help make it easier

What are the different types of events you are hosting?

The two biggest buckets are associations — like the American Society of Landscape Architects, which just visited — and all types of corporations.

What are the differences between the two?

Associations are in the business of providing education Corporations could be launching a product or new initiative. Or they could be hosting a sales kickoff or rewarding people. Associations tend to book longer-term. Corporations book more short-term. We need them both.

People belong to associations. They pay dues And they go to a meeting for con-

tinuing education. It’s in those settings that people meet and exchange ideas and present papers or see new products or new technology that helps them move forward.

For the associations, the events are revenue generators as opposed to a corporation that has a meeting that’s typically an expense. For an association, good attendance is important. When we see these organizations committing to us into the future, that really signals their belief in New Orleans as a place that can execute at a very high level, from a technical point of view

We don’t have all the corporate ofﬁces that they have in Dallas or Houston or Atlanta, so we don’t have the same amount of individual business travel.

Do you consider something like the Super Bowl or Final Four almost like a weeklong conference with a game at the end?

It’s all about putting the hotel package together

Our organization led the charge on that with our partners at the Greater New Or-

leans

It’s one of the tenets of our “built to host” motto. It is absolutely foundational to how we position ourselves in terms of walkability and proximity

The preservation in the Superdome is something I’m most proud of. It’s a 50-yearold structure that is continu-

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Managing Partner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000

201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100 joneswalker.com

Attorney Advertising. No representation is made that thequality of legal services to be performedisgreater than thequality of legalservices performedbyother attorneys.

LA-25-19639 William H. Hines

Thefederal taxcodeiswidelyregardedas oneofthe most complexlegal frameworks in theworld. Spanningthousands of pages, it includesintricate rules, exceptions,and frequent updates that challenge even seasoned professionals Itscomplexitystems from overlappingprovisions,specialized deductions,and theneed to reconcilefederal, state, andlocal taxlaws. Charitablegivingrules areparticularly convoluted

Recent legislation introduced majorchangestocharitable giving taxrules,startingin2026. To maximize beneﬁtsbefore thenew limits take effect, 2025 is akey year forcharitable gift planning. Individualsshould consider taking action before theend of theyeartomaximizefederalincometax charitable contribution deductions

JonesWalker is proudtohelpleadthe wayforwardfor Louisianaindividualsand businessesnavigatinganevolving andcomplex taxenvironment

Rose Sher

LSUreleases liststouting grad-led businesses

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

KCPC Holding Co., aGeorgia-based specialty contractor,topped theLSU 100, an annual ranking of the fastestgrowing businesses around the world that areowned or led by LSU graduates.

Jeremy Corbett, who earned abachelor’sinconstruction management from LSU, is the co-owner and CEO of KCPC. The company providesservices suchas painting, ﬂoor coating, concrete staining andsealing to clients rangingfrom museums to athletic facilities.

The university also released its Roaring 20, aranking by revenue of thetop 20 businesses that applied for the Top 100. Turner Industries, aBaton Rouge industrial construction corporation, topped the list for the fourth year in a row Turner CEO Stephen Toups earned a bachelor’sinfinance and amaster’s in business administration from the university Turner was one of 16 businesses to make both the Roaring 20 and the LSU 100. The others wereAudubon Engineering, B&G Food Enterprises, Block Cos., Danos, HNTB Corp., ISC Constructors, JP Oil Co., Lemoine, NewEdgeAdvisors, Performance Contractors, Provident Resources Group, PSC Group, Royal Automotive Group,Sealevel Construction and The Newtron Group Nominationsare submitted by individuals, colleagues, clients,former classmatesorthe businesses themselves. Businesses submit financial details confidentially to be considered for theLSU 100 list and the Roaring 20.

Email Timothy Boone at tboone@ theadvocate.com

Fool’sTake: Investingin

artificial intelligence

LSU100 for2025

1. KCPC Holding Co., Alpharetta, Georgia

2. American Safety,Belle Chasse

3. Marex Services Group, BatonRouge

4. Environmental Science Servicesdba ES2, Denham Springs

5. Southland Partners, Atlanta

6. Legacy Construction Group, Jefferson

7. RedBison Services, Kenner

8. JH Operating Co., Baton Rouge

9. International Pumps and Parts, dbaIndustriﬂo, BatonRouge

10. SSE Steel Fabrication, St. Bernard 11. Lloyd JBourgeois Injury &AccidentLawyer, Luling 12. Leblanc &Fresina Builders, Baton Rouge

13. Bronco Industrial Services, BatonRouge

14. DAAMedia +Marketing, Baton Rouge

15. Gros Flores Positerry Architecture &Interior Design, Thibodaux 16. Haltzman LawFirm, Fort Collins, Colorado 17. Paciﬁca Engineering Services, Delray Beach, Florida

18. Paystar, Baton Rouge

19. Mandatory Fuel Management, Baton Rouge

20. Bear Process Safety, BatonRouge

21. Currency Bank, Baton Rouge

22. HargroveRooﬁng,

Shreveport

23. Triform Therapy, Baton Rouge

24. Brousseau &Lee, Falls Church, Virginia

25. Lemoine,Lafayette

26. ImmenseNetworks, Baton Rouge

27. Bear General Contractors,Pensacola, Florida

28. Trichell LawFirm, Baton Rouge

29. Performance Contractors,BatonRouge

30. Argent Financial Group Ruston

31. SBSB Eastham,Houston

32. Sealevel Construction, Thibodaux

33. Gregory SwitzerArchitecture, Montclair,New Jersey

34. AudubonEngineering Co., Metairie

35. NewEdge Advisors, New Orleans

36. Next LevelSolutions, Baton Rouge

37. Crescent Payroll Solutions, Metairie

38. JoubertLaw Firm, BatonRouge

39. SEJ Services, Mount Pleasant, SouthCarolina

40. RoyalAutomotive Group,BatonRouge

41. Paperless Environments, Baton Rouge

42. Wesley Construction

Co., Baton Rouge

43. Highﬂyer Human Resources, Baton Rouge

44. Mansﬁeld,Melancon, Cranmer &Dick, New Orleans

45. SecureShredding and Recycling,BatonRouge

46. Sigma Engineersand Constructors, Baton Rouge

47. BC Restaurant Holdings, Bossier City

48. IT Inspired, Baton Rouge

49. Connectly Recruiting, Baton Rouge

50. Alexander Contractor Services, Jonesboro

51. August Events, Baton Rouge

52. Fairway Consulting and Engineering, Covington

53. The Newtron Group, Baton Rouge

54. HNTB Corp., Kansas City,Missouri

55. Fitness Evolved, Baton Rouge

56. DDG, Thibodaux

57. ArkelConstructors, Baton Rouge

58. Moran Consultants, Baton Rouge

59. McClure, Bomar& Harris,Shreveport

60. RedRiver Bank, Alexandria

61. Daigrepont &Brian, Baton Rouge

62. Sustainable Design Solutions,BatonRouge

63. Gatorworks,Baton Rouge

64. School Food and Wellness Group,BatonRouge

65. Success Labs, Baton Rouge

66. VGraham, Baton Rouge

67. J.P. Oil Co Lafayette

68. SITECH Louisiana, BatonRouge

69. Four Corners Wealth Management,Peachtree Corners, Georgia

70. Mind RubyTechnologies, Indore,India

71. B&G Food Enterprises, Morgan City

72. RedSix Media,Baton Rouge

73. PSC Group,

Stuart &Co. General Contractors, Baton Rouge

LawOfﬁcesofHoward

Social media giant Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: META) hasbeen using artiﬁcial intelligence technology to carve out greater efﬁcienciesand increase its competitive advantage. It’s spending so much on AI, though, that some investors balked at its thirdquarter earnings report,sending the stock down.

But its results were not bad at all. Revenue rose 26% year over yearto$51.2 billion. Meta’sbase of daily active users on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads rose 8% to 3.54 billion.

However,operating expenses climbed 32% to $30.7 billion.Meta hasspent heavily onemployees with AI skills and on buildingout AI data centers. But the company is already reaping the beneﬁts of its previous investments. CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted, “our AI recommendationsystems are delivering higher qualityand more

relevant content, which led to 5% more time spent on Facebook in Q3 and10% on Threads.”

Meta’srecentstock price decline represents abuying opportunity for long-term believers. The stock seems attractively valued, with arecentforward-looking price-to-earnings ratioof22.5. (The Motley Fool ownsshares of andrecommends Meta Platforms.)

My SmartestInvestment: Appreciating son-in-law

One of my smartest investing movescame

about thanks to my son-in-law. He told me about theAxonEnterprise company, which wasproviding bodycams to his big-city police department, and he suggested that I shouldbuy the stock.I bought 100 shares at $21 apiece. Sadly,months later, he was killedbyadrunk driver,and Ididn’tlook at that Schwab account again for years.When I finally did, Idiscovered that the stock had risen to $800 per share! Ikicked myself for not having trusted him more Imisshim, but he did provide me with one last partinggift. —T.H., via email We’re saddened to hear of your son-in-law’suntimely death, but you’re right to appreciate the gift he gave you. Your investment of

around $2,100 grew into one worth $80,000! (With the stock recently trading near $557 per share, your stake would be worth around $55,700 today.) Axon has proﬁted greatly as many law enforcement units have purchased its body camera technology,software, Tasers, drones and more. The company is rolling out body cameras for corporate use, too —which could drive even more growth.

Do you have asmart or regrettable investment move to share with us?Email it to tmfshare@fool.com.

Motley Fool

AROUND THE REGION

Oil industry insider joins LSU Energy Institute

“I have the experience to be able to connect the dots between needs of the industry, to interpret what they need, but then, at the same time, align that with things that actually bring value to the agency.”

TyLER GRAy, LSU Energy Institute inaugural director of energy innovation

Tyler Gray left job leading state agency

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Tyler Gray, a veteran lobbyist for the state’s oil and gas industry, has been tapped to help lead the newly created LSU Energy Institute which brings together several energy-focused departments and research initiatives under a single umbrella

Gray, whose title at LSU is inaugural director of energy innovation, says the creation of his position and the broader reorganization within the state’s ﬂagship will foster better communication and coordination among those working in one of the state’s most important industries.

Gray brings nearly a decade of industry experience to the job. An attorney by training, he spent nearly eight years at the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, an industry advocacy group, including more than two years as president. He then became the director of governmental affairs at Placid Reﬁning Co., as the operator of a 50-year-old reﬁnery in Port Allen relocated its headquarters from Dallas to Baton Rouge

He segued into the government sector in early 2024, when Gov Jeff Landry tapped him to lead the reorganization of the Department of Conservation and Energy, formerly the Department of Natural Resources

Gray resigned his state job in September to take the $300,000-a-year position at the recently reorganized LSU Energy Institute It integrates the Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana Geological Survey and the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, which was funded three years ago through a $25 million contribution from Shell.

“Every position that I’ve ever had led me to the place that I am here today,” Gray said.

LSU officials say the new structure will improve coordination. But some

renewable energy advocates question whether merging independent research centers with an institute funded by the oil and gas industry — led in part by a former industry lobbyist will undermine the university’s credibility.

“I think what’s going to happen is this is a center that’s going to be used to provide the authority of and the branding of LSU research to serve the interests of industry, without necessarily being truly scientiﬁcally rigorous or independent research,” said Jackson Voss, government affairs and policy coordinator of The Alliance for Affordable Energy Gray said that won’t happen and that his experience allows him to speak the language of the fossil fuel industry, while also ensuring he won’t be “bamboozled” by it

“Sometimes the funding will be questioned, but that’s why the only thing you can do is the results, to produce information that is trustworthy,” he said. “And that’s just gonna take time, and that’s something that luckily I have now.”

‘Positioning the research’ Gray said the goal of the new institute

is to build a trusted source, so that the general public can know that complicated questions are being analyzed in an accurate and unbiased manner

“You can’t be a trusted source if you don’t tell the truth,” he said. His new role will involve connecting funding to research into the answers to the most pressing policy questions of the day It will also involve bringing in more money from the industry, which could come from donations, like Shell’s, as well as from ﬁnes or settlements with environmental regulators, he said.

“It’s positioning the research that’s creating value for the state,” he said.

“Because, whether it’s a penalty or a donation, you’re answering questions that the communities have or you’re addressing issues that have come up.” Landry said Gray had been central to his administration’s efforts to modernize Louisiana’s management of energy and natural resources.

“His move to the Energy Institute will continue building a cohesive, trusted pipeline from research to execution so projects are safe, technically sound, and delivered with conﬁdence,” Landry

Tyler Gray resigned his state job leading the reorganization of the Department of Conservation and Energy in September to take the $300,000-a-year position at the recently reorganized LSU Energy Institute. It integrates the Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana Geological Survey and the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, which was funded three years ago through a $25 million contribution from Shell.

PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU

said in a statement announcing Gray’s hiring.

Despite cuts in federal funding for renewables, Gray said the governor continues to support an “all-of-the-above” energy policy, with a role for wind, solar, and fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage.

Last month, Landry issued an executive order imposing an indeﬁnite moratorium on new applications to dig carbon capture wells, directing companies to increase public engagement and allowing regulators to dig into a backlog of existing applications.

The new technology, aimed at collecting industrial carbon dioxide emissions and sending them into long-term storage, is now “synonymous” with oil and gas, even though some people are uncomfortable with it, Gray said.

“I know that the governor is still comfortable with all these things; it’s just finding a place in which the public is comfortable,” Gray said “To do that, you need a trusted source. To build that trusted source, you need something that people don’t get confused on what the Energy Institute is.”

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EDUCATION NOTICE OF VACANCY Applications arebeing accepted forthe following position(s): POSITION(S)AssistantPrincipal LOCATION East Iberville School STARTING SALARY Basedonteacher salary schedule x 1.375 Factor (12months) APPLICATIONPROCEDURE Anyone interested in beingconsidered forthispositionshouldsubmitanap‐plication@ www.ipsb.net- JOIN OUR TEAM DEADLINE FORAPPLYING UntilfilledorDecember8,2025 AllIPSBemployees must pass acrimi‐nalrecords check. TheIbervilleParishSchoolSystemisan EqualOpportunityEmployer

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LOUISIANA

STUDYING MELATONIN

Researcherssay supplement’s connection to heartfailure doesn’tprove cause-and-effect relationship

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staffwriter

In their November Scientiﬁc Sessions in New Orleans, the American Heart Association releaseda preliminary study showingthat long-term use of melatonin supplements could be connected to heart failure —a connection that has caused muchworry for millions of Americans who use the sleep aid. Melatonin, anatural compoundfound in the body that helpstoregulatethe sleep-wake cycle, gained popularity

after it wasfeatured in Newsweek in the 1990s as agame-changing aid for jet lag.

In 2023,the syntheticrecreation of melatonin was taken by approximately 5million American adults and 4million children at leastmonthly —that’s 2.1% of adults and 6% of children nationwide.

Researchers of thestudy fromthe American HeartAssociation looked at theelectronic medical records of 130,828adultsdiagnosed with insomnia over aﬁve-year period.

The AmericanHeart Association’s

analysis of thedata found that longterm melatonin users, using the supplementconsistently for at least ayear or more,had “a 90% higher chance of incident heart failure thannon-melatonin users” but rulesout adirect relationship between melatonin to heart failure.

Researchers looked at both United Kingdom and American health records, comparing each of the65,000 long-term melatonin users with one on-melatonin user by matchingpatients using 15 pairs of co-morbidities.

Dr.Thomas Champney,a professor and faculty member of the University of Miami, studied melatonin for 25 years before moving on to work on the

See MELATONIN, page 3X

“While the association we found raises safety concernsabout the widely used supplement, ourstudy cannot prove a direct cause-and-effectrelationship,” said Dr.EkenedilichukwuNnadi, lead author of the study and chief resident in internal medicine at SUNYDownstate/Kings County Primary Care in Brooklyn, NewYork. “This means more researchisneeded to test melatonin’s safety forthe heart.”

Experts: NewHuntington’sdisease treatmentshows promise

At leastone Louisiana patient involved in trial

BY MARGARETDELANEY Staffwriter

Researchers have found anew treatment for Huntington’s disease, an inherited genetic brain disease that affects over 41,000 Americans, in breakthrough clini-

cal trial that involved at least one Louisiana patient Huntington’sdisease is aneurodegenerative disease long considered untreatable that gradually deteriorates aperson’sphysical andmental abilities, often leading to death within 10 to 30 years of diagnosis.

lasting implications could change manylives here in Louisiana.

“Itiswonderfulnewsafter many research disappointments,” Patersonsaid. “Weare grateful for a breakthrough and areasontohope at last.Wehave lost toomany of our Huntington warriors to this horrible diseasewhich is saidto be like thecombination of Parkinson’sand Alzheimer’s.”

herited disease, aparent with Huntington’sdisease has a50% chance of transferring the disease to their child. Most people whoare diagnosedwith Huntington’sdisease are between the ages of 30 and 50.

The trial, which started in 2021, was conducted by the University College London in multiple sites across Europe andNorth America. Resultswere released Sept. 24.

Long-termuse of melatonin supplementshas beenconnected to increased risk of heartfailure, according to apreliminarystudyreleased in November fromthe American Heart Association. ä See TREATMENT, page 2X

Although researchers cannot name participants of the clinical trial, Karen Paterson,who hosts aHuntington’sdiseasesupport group in Baton Rouge, said the

The brain disease is diagnosed through genetic testing, apractice thatstarted 30 years ago. As an in-

The studyinvolvedinjecting 29 people in the early-stages of Huntington’swith AMT-130 in 8-

to 10-hourbrain surgeries. The treatment, AMT-130, works by producing aprotein in the brain that targets and suppresses the gene responsible forproducing the toxic huntingtin protein. By targeting the messenger RNA that carriesinstructions from DNA to produce this protein, AMT-130 prevents its formation without altering the DNA itself akey safety advantage over other

GETTy IMAGESPHOTO By ALONA SINIEHINA

HEALTH MAKER

La. doctor, national leader talks vascular health

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

Dr W. Charles Sternbergh

III grew up in Chattanooga Tennessee, before moving to Providence, Rhode Island, to study at Brown University for undergrad and medical school, followed Emory University for a fellowship in vascular surgery In 1996, he made the move to New Orleans.

At Ochsner, Sternbergh serves as the system chair of vascular services and vice-chair of the department of surgery He is also a professor of surgery with the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine.

He has served on the national Board of Directors for the Society of Vascular Surgery and is a past president of both the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society and the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery Outside of his work, Sternbergh spends time with his wife, Tasha, and occasionally can be found on a sailboat.

”Being by the water is a balm for my soul,” he said. In 2024, he received the John Ochsner Award of Excellence in recognition of his contributions to the care of vascular patients. What is one accomplishment in your career that you are most proud of?

My proudest professional accomplishment has been growing the Ochsner Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Division into a nationally recognized, cohesive group known for excellent patient care, important research, and superior culture

My “North Star” has been to nurture a culture that embraces kindness, respect and intellectual curiosity

After Hurricane Katrina, the vascular surgery group had been reduced to just two people a graduating fellow and me. We now stand eight strong, with additional growth planned in the near future. What are some of the current issues, difficulties or strategies in vascular health today? How do you want to change that in the future? Building and preserving trust in medical science is crucial. The practice of

medicine relies on accurate data and evidence-based approaches to deliver the best possible care for patients. Efforts to enhance transparent communication and provide clear reliable information play a key role in safeguarding public health.

In patients with vascular disease, the single most impactful decision for their health is to stop smoking. Doing so will literally add

years to their life and reduce their chance of stroke, heart attack and leg amputation. I warn patients with advanced blockages in their legs that they are “smoking their leg off.”

Sadly, nicotine is exceptionally addictive. Even with aggressive interventions to help a patient stop smoking, 75% will not be able to stop.

What has been the most impactful moment of your career? Are

there any patients or cases that come to mind?

While I have published more than 150 scientiﬁc articles and book chapters on vascular disease, I am most proud to be a primary coauthor of an upcoming publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, set to appear in late November 2025. This landmark study will transform how patients worldwide are treated for stroke risk caused by severe blockages in the carotid arteries.

As Ochsner’s principal investigator for this decadelong trial, our multidisciplinary team, including our cardiologists, ranked among the top 10 recruiting institutions out of more than 140. It is incredibly rewarding to play a role in bringing high-quality, impactful clinical research fruition.

Clinically, one of the most impactful and dramatic interventions a vascular surgeon performs is the emergency repair of a leaking aortic aneurysm, a condition with a 100% mortality rate without swift and successful intervention. At the beginning of my career the only option for these patients was an extensive open abdominal operation with massive blood loss and a long recovery Today, over 90% of these cases are performed minimally invasively through a half-inch incision at the top of the legs. It has been an honor and privilege to play a small part in the development of these lifesaving devices.

Tell me about the technological shifts in your career How did you go about learning each new technique, device or theory?

Perhaps nowhere in medicine has there been a greater paradigm shift

than in the revolution of minimally invasive, endovascular treatments for vascular disease. When I ﬁnished my formal vascular surgery training in 1996, I had not performed a single minimally invasive endovascular technique. I learned many of these catheter-based techniques from my Ochsner colleagues in interventional radiology and cardiology

Dr Sam Money and I became early adopters of this groundbreaking technology, allowing us to be national leaders in the development, testing and teaching of minimally invasive treatment of aortic aneurysms in the early 2000s. Like many areas of medicine, AI is having a positive impact. For instance, advanced AI-augmented imaging will allow us to perform complex endovascular procedures using only a small fraction of the radiation currently required. Reduction of radiation exposure makes these procedures safer for patients, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and techs. What part of your job would people find surprising? The majority of patients who come to me for their vascular issues ultimately don’t need surgery or even a minimally invasive procedure. Many patients are best treated with medications and lifestyle changes like better exercise and smoking cessation. An integral role of vascular surgeons also includes functioning as vascular primary care doctor for their patients, guiding long-term prevention and management.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

Experts caution that water bottles need to be cleaned

BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN

AP science writer

NEW YORK You keep your trusty reusable bottle ﬁlled with only clear, delicious water. Do you still need to wash it?

Experts say reusable bottles get grubby no matter what liquid they’re ﬁlled with, and it’s important to clean them regularly

Water bottles pick up germs from our mouths when we take a sip, and from our hands when we touch the straw or lid. They’re covered in tiny, tough-toreach nooks and crannies, which can become breeding grounds for mold, bacteria and other microbes if left unscrubbed.

“It seems like something mundane, but it is extremely important,” said nurse practitioner Michele Knepper, who works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Unclean water bottles can cause stomach aches and itchy throats and even exacerbate allergies and asthma. Experts disagree on

Continued from page 1X

genetic therapies. Of the 29 patients, 17 received a high dose of AMT-130 and 12 received a low dose of AMT130. Results three years after trial brain surgeries from global gene therapy developer uniQure indicated that those who received a higher dose showed a 75% slower disease progression compared to those who did not receive the treatment. Although the trial was small, the implications for future use are huge for patients with Huntington’s disease, according to Dr Victor Sung, a researcher and director of the Huntington’s disease clinic at the Univer-

when and how you should wash them, but they’re all in agreement on one thing: Give your water bottle a tender loving clean, because something is better than nothing at all.

“Is it that big of a deal? No. But it’s also not difficult to just wash your water bottle,” said Dr. Mike Ren, a family medicine physician at Baylor College of Medicine.

Tips

Experts say the gunk doesn’t care what your water bottle is made of Reusable metal, plastic and glass bottles all grow germy, but plastic bottles are more likely to get scratches or dings on the inside where microbial life can cozy up The best cleaning routine is a simple one: Use a sponge or bottle brush to scrub inside and out with warm, soapy water, rinse it out and let it dry so it’s ready for the next reﬁll. A narrow or pipe cleaner-shaped tool can be useful to get into straws and tight crevices.

For a deeper wash, scien-

sity of Alabama at Birmingham

“We don’t have anything th at will sl ow t he progression of the disease, which is why there is so much excitement about the results of this trial and treatment,” Sung said.

Sung treats six of the 17 high-dose patients at UAB and monitored those patients’ progress since the one-time treatment administered in 2022.

“What is also impressive is that progression does not just slow in total, in composite scores It’s not just the total measure that shows separation,” Sung

tists recommend popping the bottle in the dishwasher if it’s safe to do so, or dissolving a denture or retainer-cleaning tablet in the bottle overnight. Scrubbing with a warm water solution of vinegar or baking soda works too.

Many experts recommend doing a simple, soapy water clean every day and a deeper clean once a week. If daily cleaning feels a little extra, Ren said to try to get to it at least every other week or so while maintaining other good habits like rinsing the mouthpiece over the sink during each reﬁll.

Dumping old water

Some say to dump the dregs out every reﬁll, while others recommend emptying every few hours. Ren says it’s likely OK to leave some inside overnight, but to empty old water at least every few days.

said. “When (researchers) broke down all the individual measures like the motor separately, the cognitive separately, the behavioral separately — they all were showing improvement after three years in patients who received a high dose of treatment.”

The path to approval

The therapy is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but uniQure is seeking accelerated approval for the treatment. Accelerated approval would allow patients to receive surgery and gene therapy covered by insurance, but acknowledge that they receive treatment voluntarily in a study and let their data be collected.

The accelerated approval results would then be used

But if you fill your reusable bottle with other beverages like protein shakes or exercise drinks, it really is important to clean every day Sugary drinks leave a residue that bacteria love to snack on.

to determine a full FDA approval status.

“Yes, this data is exciting, but it’s a small number of patients. And it’s not approved yet,” Sung said. “We’ll see what the FDA says.”

UniQure is set to submit their findings and request for an accelerated approval

Is it OK to leave water in a reusable bottle overnight? Experts disagree.

to the FDA at the beginning of 2026. Sung does not expect a decision from the FDA for another year, in 2027.

“Guidelines are guidelines,” Ren said. “Everyone’s going to do it a little bit differently.” If there’s visible mold on the bottle or the liquid inside has a weird smell, don’t drink it. Avoid reﬁlling disposable plastic water bottles since chemicals can leach into the water, and they’re even more full of cracks and crevices that can harbor germs. Water bottle cleaning routines may not all look the same — but it’s important to keep up the habit, said Ivy Sun, a hospitality expert at Georgia Southern University who has studied water bottle contamination. She washes her and her kids’ bottles with soapy water every day “This is just a very small step that we do, but it can largely help with our health,” Sun said.

“I think there’s applicability outside of Huntington’s disease, too,” Sung said. “We don’t have gene therapies approved in Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s or any of our other big brain diseases, either There’s still a lot of learnings that we can have. There are things coming. That’s exciting.”

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By PATRICK SISON

A reusable water bottle is

PROVIDED PHOTO By DR. CHARLES STERNBERGH

Tasha Sternbergh, left, and Dr Charles Sternbergh attend the John Ochsner Award of Excellence ceremony in 2024. Charles Sternbergh was honored for his contributions to the care of vascular patients.

Eat Fit Live Fit

WBROUGH TT OY OU BY Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Staying grounded when the holidays get messy

etalkalotabout“healthy holidays”—howtolighten upthedressing,ﬁtinawalk beforethebigget-togetherorswapsugar forsomethinglessspiky.Andyes,those thingsmatter.Butasmuchaswellnessis aboutfoodandmovement,it’salsoabout ourmentalandemotionalbandwidth— andformanyofus,thatgetstestedmore thananyseasonalindulgence.

Togetabetterunderstandingofwhat’s happeningbeneaththesurfaceofholiday stress—especiallythesubtleemotional strain—Ispokewithneuropsychologist JohnSawyer,Ph.D.,medicaldirectorof ProfessionalStaffExperienceatOchsner Healthandco-directoroftheCenter forBrainHealthwithintheOchsner NeuroscienceInstitute.Healsoholdsa master’sdegreeinmarriageandfamily therapy,whichgiveshimadeeperview intohowfamiliesblendtraditionsand navigateunspokendynamics.

Dr.Sawyersaidmanyholiday frustrationstendtofallintoafew commonthemes.Hesharedthree stressorsthattendtohappenoverand overagain,andadviceonhowtostepout oftheholidayfrustrationloop.

WhenItFeelsMoreLike ObligationThanChoice Amajorsourceofstresscomeswhen wefallintothemindsetofwehavetodo itthisway.Dr.Sawyerexplains,“People gettangledinthisideaof‘wehaveto travelhere,hostthesepeople,include everytraditionwe’veeverhad.’”

Insteadofjumpingintologistics,he encouragesustoaskourselves:‘What doIrememberfromholidaysthatI actuallyvalued?WhatcouldIletgoof?’ Itsoundssimple,henotes,butitcan shifteverything.

Anotherstressorisfeelinglikeyou’re carryingmorethanyourshare.Ifyou’re alwaystravelingoradjustingyour

schedule,resentmentbuilds.Dr.Sawyer callsthis,“relationalreciprocity—amI gettingasmuchasI’mgiving?”Hesaid sometimesthenextstepissimplysaying, ‘Hey,thisyear,Idon’twanttotravel.Can wetalkaboutdoingsomethingdifferent?’

Ifsomeoneelseistheonealwaysdoing theheavylifting,Dr.Sawyerencourages thoughtfulacknowledgment.“Buytheir dinner.Pickthemupfromtheairport. Makesuretheyfeelappreciatedforthe effortthey’remaking,”hesaid.

WhenConversations

FeelOne-sided

Anotherquietstressorcomesfrom gatheringswherenooneseems interestedinwhatreallymatterstoyou. Dr.Sawyershared,“Thereareholidays I’vewalkedawaythinking,‘Nooneasked mehowIam.’”Buthenotesit’susually notpersonal.“Oftenthey’renotasking anyone,”hesaid.“They’rejustfocusedon what’sintheirownhead.”

Ifthereissomethingyoudowantto share,hesaidagentlepromptcanopen thedoorwithoutfeelingforced.Examples include:‘Workhasbeeninterestinglately, and‘CanItellyouaboutsomethingcool that’sbeenhappening?’

Then,therearelifestyleclashes.For some,watchingfootballforhoursor snackinglateintothenightisfun.For others,it’sexhausting.“Everyoneistrying torecreatetheirnormal,”Dr.Sawyersays. “Butwhenwe’retogether,we’renothere

toreplicateourindividualroutines. We areheretobetogether.”Thatdoesn’t meanlosingyourself;itmayjustmean steppingoutforawalkorbringing somethingthathelpsyoufeelsteady. Inmoreseriouscases—suchasearly recoveryfromaddiction—Dr.Sawyersays it’sOKtooptoutentirely.“Itmaynotbe forever,”hesays,“butitmaynotbethe rightenvironmentrightnow. WhenPerfectionTakesOver Fewthingsdrainholidayjoyfasterthan tryingtogetitalljustright.“Whenwe wantsomethingtobeperfect,”Dr.Sawyer explains,“whatwe’rereallytalkingabout

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsner’sEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

BY THENUMBERS

OVER 300K LOUISIANAADULTS HAVE VISION IMPAIRMENT

Approximately7 million people in the United States have vision impairment, includingabout 1million people with blindness.

As of 2012, 4.2 million Americans aged 40 orolder have uncorrectable vision impairment.This number is predictedto more than double by 2050, according to the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention.

The U.S. has arapidly agingpopulation, which means more people living with diabetes and other chronic conditions, which can lead to vision loss. In Louisiana, an average 7.4% of adults are living with avision disability

These parisheshad the lowest percent of adults living with avision disability in 2023, in ascending order: n Ascension Parish with 4.9%, n St.TammanyParish with 5.1%, n Livingston and St. Charles

MELATONIN

Continued from page1X

the data. The rationale for the decisions,however —what it really means —wedon’t know yet,” Champney said. “You would have thought with thethousands of people taking(melatonin), if there was adirect effect, we would see it.” The results and publication of this data have caused astir in the sleep healthcommunity Dr.Prachi Singh, an associate professor and director of the Sleep and Cardiometabolic Health Lab at Pennington BiomedicalResearch Center in Baton Rouge, has been expecting apushlike thisinthe supplement community for years.

“I’m very happy to see this data come out,” Singh said. “This is an area that has always made me un-

isaveryspeciﬁcsensoryexperience—the exactlookofthetable,themusicplaying, theenergy.Butdoesthatactuallymake youhappy?”

Instead,hesuggestsaskingyourself: ‘WhatdoIwanttodaytofeellike?Calm? Light-hearted?Connected?’Thenlet decisionsﬂowfromthat,whichmaymean focusinglessontablescapesandmoreon askingyouraunthowherhealthhasbeen orcatchingupwithyourcousin.

Beforeheadingintoagathering,Dr. Sawyerencouragesustobegrounded ratherthanblindlyoptimistic.“Remind yourselfwhatitusuallyfeelslike.Then decidehowyouwanttoshowup—who you’llsitby,whenyoumighttakebreaks, whohelpsyoufeelgrounded,”hesaid

Andyes—hisﬁnalrulestands: “Everyoneshouldhelpwiththedishes Notjustthemomsandaunts.”

Foradeeperdiveandmorepractical tips,listentomyFUELEDWellness+ NutritionpodcastepisodewithDr. Sawyer’sfullinterview—availablenow whereveryougetyourpodcasts.

parishes with 5.3%, n West Feliciana Parishwith 5.7%, n Cameron Parishwith 5.8%, n Bossier,Calcasieu and Lafayette parishes with 5.9%, n Beauregard and Jefferson Davisparishes with 6%, n East Baton Rouge,Terrebonne and Vernon parishes with 6.2%

These parishes had thehighestpercentof adults living with avisiondisabilityin2023, in descendingorder: n East CarrollParishwith 13.3% n Tensas Parishwith 11.5%, n Madison Parishwith 11.3%, n Claiborne Parishwith 10.9% n Bienville Parishwith 9.9%, n Evangeline and Morehouse parishes with 9.7%, n Concordia Parishwith 9.1%, n Avoyelles Parishwith 9%

comfortable. Peoplekeep using melatonin each night and are often very liberal when giving it to children

Because melatoninisproduced naturally in the body,supplemented forms are not regulated by the Food and DrugAdministration In the U.S.,over-the-countersup-

plementsdonot requiregovernment approval to ensure quality and consistency,soeach brand of supplement can vary in strength, purityand more.

“What(brands) put on supplement labels, for anysupplement, is very unregulated,”Singh said. “You may think you aretaking a

certain milligram amount, but it couldbemuch, muchhigher sometimesoff by morethan 400 times.”

Champney and Singh both agree that allsupplements should be treated with caution, whether they arewidelyusedornot.Whatworks for one individual may not work for another

“I don’tthink this studyisa game-changer,”Champney said.

“But it is agood wake-up call for non-FDA-regulated supplements. We all need to be careful about utilizing supplements like that.”

The most important thing going forward, according to Singh, is research.

“Asscientists, it is our jobto make sure we address the growinguse of melatonin,” Singhsaid.

“Weneed to do moreresearch. We need to address it.”

In 2000, 0.4% of adult Americans were taking melatonin at least monthly.In2017 to 2018, that number jumped to 2.1%. Additionally,many Americans are “self-diagnosed insomniacs,”

which means they are likely not addressing critical concernswith their doctor.Experts estimate between 50 million to 70 million adults in the U.S. meet the medical criteria for sleep deprivation at any point in time, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Acontinuous lack of sleep increases the risk forconditions like Type 2diabetes, high blood pressure, vasculardisease, heart attack, stroke, depression, anxiety and more.

Singh advises both American adultsand childrentoconnect with physicians and doctorsbefore making thedecision to takemelatonin supplements.

“Taking melatonin, even the gummiesfor children, is something we needtorethink, revisit,” Singh said. “Maybe it’sOKtotake (melatonin) once in awhile, but maybe it shouldn’tbecome ahabit.”

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.

GETTy IMAGES PHOTO

Melatonin, anatural compound foundinthe body that helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle, gained popularity after it wasfeatured in Newsweek in the 1990s as agame-changing aidfor jet lag

Giving Thanks

Duringthisseasonofgratitude,wepausetoreﬂectonthemeaningful connectionsthatﬁllourliveswithjoyandpurpose.

Toourteammembers,thankyouforyourunwaveringcommitmenttocare. Wearegratefulforthepassion,purposeandheartyoubringtocaringforour patientsandcommunities.

Toourfriendsandneighbors,thankyoufortrustingOchsnerasyourpartner inhealth.Wearehonoredtowalkbesideyoueverystepoftheway. Tothecommunitychampionsandpartnerswhocontinuetoinvestinour region,thankyou.

Together,weareinspiringhealthierlivesandstrongercommunities.

ochsner.org/community

LOUISIANA

‘A real force’

Starting Blockbuilds communityfor N.O.

youth throughsports

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

On the last Monday in October,more than 50 New Orleans-areahigh schoolers sat in rapt attention during an evening classatTulane Law School. Eric Blevins, the university’ssportslaw programmanager,played aclip of Steve Gleason’sinfamous 2006 blocked punt against the Falconsduringthe Saints’ ﬁrst game at the SuperdomesinceHurricane Katrina ravaged the city just ayear earlier

When the clip ended, Blevinsaddressed his newest cohort.

“People coming together in the face of the greatest adversity —that’swhat sports is about,” he said. “It can be arealforce for society and community.”

Creating astrongcommunity is one of theprimarygoals of the StartingBlock, amultifaith nonproﬁt foundedin2021by several prominent local families that preparesNew Orleans high schoolersfrom diverse backgrounds for careers in the sports industry

The program, which operates alongside organizations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Museum ofthe

SouthernJewish Experience, imbues professional training withculturally-relevant lessons that acknowledge the city’srich history,particularly that of its Hispanic, Jewish andAfrican American communities.

Thethird andlargest cohort

The Starting Block’spurposeistwofold, according to co-founderArnie Fielkow: give local high schoolstudents interested in acareerinsports management aleg up, and bring youth from different cultures together to learn from oneanother and connect over theirsharedloveofathletics

“Wehelp them with the substance of these topics,and we try to help them navigate the educational process,” Fielkow said. “It really is gratifying to watch these kids bond witheach other.”

Thisisthe third and largest cohort to embark on the 18-month course, which Fielkow believes is theonly one of its kind in the nation.

During the ﬁrst class Monday,students, many accompanied by parents, spent theﬁrst hourofthe lesson breakinginto groups to learnabout one another where do you go to school?What sports do you play? Why areyou here?

TJ Green,astudent athlete and sophomore at St.Martin’s EpiscopalSchoolin Metairie,said that, likemostofthe program’sparticipants, he wasdrawn to thecourse simply because of his love of sports. While he already recognized some facesinthe room, Green saidhewas

quickly becoming acquainted withhis new classmates from other schools.

“It’sdefinitely anew experience,” he said. “It’sgood to get outofthe school environment and get to knowpeople from different areas of the city.”

Anew idea

Fielkowwas inspired to create the Starting Block whensearching for ways to honor his good friend, celebrated author activist and Creole chef Leah Chase, after her deathin2019.

Fondly recalling the countless hours he spent chatting with Chaseinthe kitchen of DookyChase’s,the restaurant she coowned alongside her husband that also served as acornerstone of New Orleans’ Civil RightsMovement, Fielkow said that he hopedtodosomethingthatwould carry on Chase’slegacy by passing on herloveof herhome city andits diversecommunities to younger generations.

And as an attorneyand formerexecutive with theNew Orleans Saints andthe National Basketball Retired Players Association, Fielkow also wanted to ﬁnd away to pass on his own expertise

“I wanted to create aprogram that would incorporate Leah’sinterestswithmine,” he said, “and the one commonelement of that was bringing people together from different walks of life.”

Fielkowapproached Chase’schildren, Edgarand Stella,aswell as philanthropists Morrisand Melinda Mintz, to broach the ideaofstarting aprogramthatwould do just that. Soon,everyone wasonboard. With thehelpofthe Tulane Centerfor Sport, the Starting Block held its ﬁrst-ever class in thefallof2021. Since then, Fielkow said,the program has graduated two cohorts and has quickly grown in popularity.

Aleg-upinthe industry

To apply,studentsare asked to submit a one-page essay explaining why they want to takethe course. Once accepted, theyattenda90-minute class every other month for ayear and ahalf, where different instructors cover various topics pertaining to sports law and career development woven into lessons on local history andculture.

Studentswill eventually take afieldtrip to Birmingham, Alabama,tovisit sites important to the American Civil Rights Movement, including theoldest baseball field in theUnited States, Rickwood Field. During segregation,Black teams could only play on the field during the day, while Whiteteams played at night, Fielkow explained.

ä See FORCE, page 2Y

From Slidell to thepalace

Roger Clark started his message to me in the way that so manypeople do: “I sure do miss Smiley ..” Clark is not alone in missing the legend Smiley Anders and his 50 years of writing forthe newspaper Ithink of Smiley often and still have his pile of pencils on my desk. They remind me of his humor,kindness and mischievous nature.

Since he couldn’ttell Smiley Clark decided to share the latest story about his granddaughter Frances with me —and I’mglad he did.

“Frances is my 7-year-old granddaughter,and she is blessed with an abundance of optimism and innocence,” Clark wrote. “She wrote aletter to Kate Middleton after seeing aphoto of her and her children, asking the Princess what her favorite hobbies were and what games she played with her kids.”

Early last week, to Clark’ssurprise, Frances called from her homeinSlidell to tell him that the Princess had responded. The child was overjoyed as she read the letter to her grandparents. She continued to explain that she had already started sewing a purse forKate.

“Later,she zoomed us to show us the purse. It had awhale drawnonthe side, and Iasked her why,”Clark wrote. “She said in all seriousness, ‘Well, you know,she is the Princess of Whales.’” Here was agirl after my heart. So, Icalled her mom.

“Frances is the mostunique little bird I’ve ever met,” Katie Clark Case said at the top of our call. “She just loves to write letters to people.”

Case said that Frances’ technique to delay bedtimeoften revolves around important questions.

“Around the timethat Queen Elizabeth died, she had alot of these questions,” Case said. “She would say,‘Ineed to know,like did Queen Elizabeth like pizza?’ Frances ﬁgured out that she can write letters to the people she’s interested in —and often they write her back.

When young Frances discovered her mother’scalligraphy pen and wax seal, she wanted to send Princess Katealetter

“She thought Princess Kate would get abig kick out of the waxseal,” Case said. “She asked her about her hobbies and about her children —and told her a little bit about our lifeinSlidell.” Itold Case that Frances shared an interest with my older daughter.Around that sameage, Greer becamefascinated with William and Kate—enough that, on a spur-of-the-moment trip, she and Iﬂew to London forthe royal wedding.

ä See RISHER, page 2Y

TJ Green, center,a participantinthe Starting Block Initiative, raises his hand during aNov.3 pre-practice huddle with hisSt. Martin’s Episcopal School teammates in Metairie.

Christian Lacoste,far left,gets ahigh-five from passing students as he and his football teammates walk to the practice field at St. Martin’s Episcopal School.

ASK THE EXPERTS

College job fueled passion for animal welfare

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

LSU alumna Jen Hollas started

working at Companion Animal Alliance Baton Rouge over four years

ago as a student part-time worker

Originally from Houston, but a longtime resident of California, Hollas stayed in Baton Rouge after graduation to continue working for Companion Animal Alliance.

She started as a pet adoption counselor, moved to rescue manager and now she is the communications and events senior manager What started as a part-time job became her occupation and her passion.

This interview was edited for length and clarity

How has your role and involvement changed since you started with Companion Animal Alliance?

After being one of our adoption counselors, I was our rescue manager for a little bit. We do ﬂight transports with the Bissell Pet Foundation twice a month, and I was in charge of that. We work with all of our local rescues here, like Friends of the Animals Baton Rouge and Dante’s Hope.

It was a bit of a transition going from the operational side of the shelter to an administrative role. It’s deﬁnitely a different perspective, but I do miss interacting with the animals.

What is the operational structure like at the shelter?

We’re the open intake shelter for East Baton Rouge Parish. We took over animal sheltering from Animal Control in 2010, so this is our 15th anniversary Animal Control is currently still in charge of picking up the animals and handling the law enforcement side of animal cruelty We shelter about 9,000 animals per year

What should more people know about Companion Animal Alliance? People don’t expect that we’re still involved with animal control operations, so they don’t realize

FORCE

Continued from page 1y

schoolers, adding that

important

of the course is that it gives participants an opportunity to network with industry professionals whom they otherwise may not have a chance to connect with.

“I was blessed with a 25-year career in professional and college sports, so this is my way of giving back to young people,” Fielkow said.

This program “will give New Orleans-area youth a leg up in the industry, because they’ll already have learned a lot of the basics.” An investment in the future

Back in the classroom, Stella Chase, daughter of Leah Chase, observed the evening’s activities. Despite the late hour, she was pleased to see students enthusiastically getting to know one another

how many animals we take in, or the types of conditions that we see animals in every single day

We also are not a no-kill shelter

With the amount of animals that we have coming in every single day, it’s just not possible for us.

We’re actually trying to get away from the no-kill versus kill shelter language, because we ﬁnd that it villainizes the shelter and the animal shelter workers, who are doing everything day in and day out to avoid those decisions.

We focus on letting people know everything that we’re doing to get animals out the door

We have an extensive foster program, local rescues and rescues across the country to get these animals out and into homes. We also have reduced fee adoption events.

Every single Tuesday we have a $10 Tuesday special for all of our animals that are completely ready to go. It has turned into our busiest day of the week.

What are some other programs that the shelter offers to the community?

We have so many different foster opportunities and volunteer opportunities for all ages. We host a summer camp every single summer for ages 7 to 11.

And then, of course, we also try to provide as many resources as we can to our community Sometimes people aren’t able to afford pet food for their animals, so we have a pet food pantry that we host. We also do vaccine clinics and spay/neuter outreach in the community

When the shelter receives an animal that is in bad shape, how does the staff handle that process?

We have an in-house vet clinic, so if it’s an emergency case during operating hours, we can take care of it here However, if it’s anything after hours that Animal Control has picked up, they’ll take it straight to the LSU Vet Hospital and triage it and then send it over to us. We do biweekly rotations with

Q&A WITH JEN HOLLAS CAA COMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTS SENIOR MANAGER

the LSU vet students, so they get a chance to learn animal sheltering and shelter medicine.

What do you love about working for Companion Animal Alliance? It’s hard to pick one thing for sure. Everyone that you talk to here is going to say the animals.

Starting

To watch the program grow into what it is today has been a rewarding experience, she said.

“Not only do we learn about sports, which uniquely bring everybody together to cheer for

our home team,” Chase said, “but it also gives us a way to learn a little bit more about each other.”

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

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People actually get to see more of what we do a little bit more behind the scenes now

It’s a really powerful tool, especially when we’re over capacity and we really need emergency fosters. We’ll make that call out on social media, and our community absolutely steps up for us.

I have a LSU intern who does our social media currently, so it’s fun for her to be able to get pictures and video of the animals to capture their personalities for our website. It gives people a glimpse into who that animal is.

How can someone in the community help Companion Animal Alliance?

We have our volunteer program. Volunteers have to sign up on our website by making an account, attending orientation, taking a tour of the building and meeting the volunteer manager for guidelines and expectations.

Once that orientation is complete, they’re good to go. Volunteers can socialize with dogs, take dogs on walks

That’s why we’re all here.

We all have a passion to help the animals, to be around them, and it’s such a rewarding job to be able to see them come into the shelter and then go out to their new home.

How has social media changed the game for animal welfare?

RISHER

Continued from page 1y

To get a front-row spot, we camped out the night before along the procession route. It was a long, cold, oddly magical night, made memorable mostly because of a ridiculous detail: behind us stood a row of portable toilets with springs strong enough to snap a bear trap. Every time someone opened a door, it slammed shut with a bang that shook the ground and jolted us awake.

Months after we returned home, I watched an interview with Prince William. He mentioned being exhausted on his wedding day, and when the interviewer guessed it was nerves, William explained it was actually “those portable toilets outside St. James Palace — their doors kept slamming all night.”

When I told Case the story, she said, “What a funny thing to have in common with the future king of England!”

Maybe stories like Frances’ remind us the world isn’t as big or distant as we think.

A little girl in Slidell can write to a princess and get a letter back and somehow the future king of England and I can lose sleep to the same ridiculous row of portable potties. Life is absurd, yes — but full of small moments that pull us closer than we expect. Clark is right. Smiley would have gotten a kick out of this one.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The beginnings of Frances Case’s purse for Princess Catherine. Frances chose to draw a whale on the purse in honor of the princess.

Program faces funding gap despite reduction in youth crime

BY ALAINA BOOKMAN

Contributing writer

Editor’s note: This story, created by Alaina Bookman for AL.com is part of the Solutions Story Tracker from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonproﬁt organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities solutions that can be adopted around the world.

RESTORE, a Birmingham juvenile re-entry program, is saving and transforming young people’s lives every day

Carrie Buntain, executive director of RESTORE, said the program needs additional funding to expand and continue changing those young lives.

After a year of record breaking homicides, local leaders are working to make Birmingham residents safer and happier The juvenile reentry program has proven to be an example of a successful violence prevention tactic that helps put young people on better paths. The question is: Will city ofﬁcials help to expand RESTORE as Birmingham grapples with an ongoing homicide crisis?

“Those are lives that could have gone completely differently…It gives me goosebumps. It’s taken a while to see that impact, because we’re starting with some kids who don’t even know how to correctly sign their name who are justice impacted, and don’t have a state ID to now really focusing on getting them involved in the workforce and making them a productive community member and showing them their potential for incredible self-sufﬁciency,” Buntain said.

In 2023, RESTORE launched with the goal of helping young people and their families impacted by the juvenile justice system. By offering tailored support, advocates say they can intervene in cycles of crime and help more young people make positive life choices

In two years, the program has blossomed, expanding to support even more young people and their families.

“We really try to focus heavily on what the whole family’s needs

are and make sure those are met.

A strengthened family unit serves to strengthen our kids too,” Buntain said.

In this year’s first quarter, RESTORE has already served 98 active clients and 344 young people have attended workshops. Buntain says the program is on track to serve more than 400 young people this year

Buntain said 19 participants have graduated with their high school diploma, GED or a certiﬁcation.

One client came into the RESTORE program as a teen mom struggling with her foster care placement She left the program with her high school diploma and is now working to become a certiﬁed nursing assistant

Since RESTORE’s inception, the number of Jefferson County youth ages 13-22 years old who were charged with murder decreased by 80%, and homicide victims in the same age group dropped by 61%

While it is difﬁcult to determine how much impact RESTORE has had on those numbers, anecdotal evidence suggests there is a connection.

“I thank the mayor and the city council for their support, because without their support, we would have zero funding. But we started this program in 2023 with the expectation of serving 120 clients.

We ended up serving 249 but the original funding of $225,000 has not changed,” Buntain told AL.com.

“We have such a proven and ef-

fective program, our struggle really just comes down to the fact that our funding doesn’t match the need that’s obvious. And so this year, we look forward to more support from the city and more support from the community.”

The RESTORE Impact

Young men ﬁle into the RESTORE workshop, sitting around a large wooden table.

Some are silly and loud, while others sit quietly, head down, hands in their pockets Some are middle school age, most are teens. Some of the young men who attend the workshops are no longer involved in family court or juvenile detention. Some have lost loved ones to gun violence and wear their loved ones’ faces on their chains. They come from different sides of town.

One thing that unites them, is that they come to RESTORE because they want to.

Twice a week, RESTORE participants diligently attend the workshops to talk “man business” with the program coordinators.

During a January workshop, RESTORE Program Manager Antski Williams and Program Coordinator Carmone Owens took turns talking to the young men about the importance of making good decisions. Williams leads the workshops for the young men. Before the session starts, he invites them to stand up and recite a pledge: “I stand on man business I stand on self-discipline I stand on self-respect. I stand on

self-accountability. I stand on selfcontrol. I stand on self-observation. I stand on man business.”

In the beginning, many of the participants quietly mumble the pledge As the workshop progresses, the young men flip through the RESTORE curriculum workbook, reading along with their mentors about goal setting, accountability, healthy relationships, conﬂict resolution and how to express their emotions.

Williams and Owens speak with conviction, using their own experiences to set the young men on better paths. They make a point to know all of their participants’ names and remind them that the workshops are a safe space to express themselves.

By the time the workshop is over and the young men recite the pledge to leave, they all say the words loudly and with pride, their entire demeanor having changed in the span of one hour The young men leave with their shoulders squared and smiles on their faces.

Some of the RESTORE participants said Williams and Owens are like uncles and even father ﬁgures. When the workshop ends, Owens can be found standing at the door sending some of the young men off with a hug and an ‘I love you.’

When asked what they think would happen if the RESTORE program no longer existed, one participant responded, “My honest opinion, if this program didn’t exist anymore, there would be a lot of bad stuff happening, people relapsing for real. They’d go back to doing the same stuff they’d been doing. If they don’t have nobody putting good news in their ear, they’d probably be out here killing, catching murders.”

One of the participants said the program coordinators treat him fairly, treatment he said he is not accustomed to receiving from other authority ﬁgures.

Another participant said the program has helped him become a man.

Multiple participants said that before the program, they were walking down a bad path, but RESTORE set them on the right one.

“We’re saving lives,” Williams told AL.com in November “That helps us work on prevention because for two hours, twice a week, every week, they are able to put down their street beef until they

change the politics in the street. That means that they’re not out there dying or killing. We touch their lives every day We’re restoring lives, restoring communities. That’s a life saved.”

Expanding youth programs

Mayor Randall Woodﬁn formed an independent Crime Commission in October 2024, made up of residents and leaders from business, community, criminal justice, healthcare and non-profit sectors to identify strategies to address the city’s high homicide rate.

In December, the Birmingham city council approved $2 million to support the Mayor’s Ofﬁce of Community Safety Initiatives strategy

The Commission’s report, published in January, is one of the most recent steps in the effort to combat crime in Birmingham.

The report called for a multi-faceted crime-ﬁghting strategy including recommendations to “expand mentorship, after-school programs, and recreational opportunities to divert youth from criminal behavior and foster positive development (and) increase funding and expansion of the RESTORE juvenile reentry program.”

In February, the city of Birmingham released a statement with an update on the progress of implementing the report’s recommendations.

The updated report indicated that additional funding for expanding RESTORE was completed and supported by a Department of Justice grant.

The problem is that the federal grant is reimbursement-style for $443,407.20. RESTORE does not currently have the funding to get reimbursed because the city funding, $225,000, does not match the federal allocations.

RESTORE would still need additional ﬁnancial support from the city

“We did get the RESTORE federal expansion grant, which has allowed us to add more coordinators But the amount of funding that we have hasn’t grown enough to meet the capacity that we have,” Buntain said. The report also states that additional funding for RESTORE and youth violence prevention programs like it, is in the “in progress stage.”

Celebrating

ThePower of Partnership

Southern U transforma expand in theCo in

Universityand A&MCollegehas receiveda ative$5million investment from Shellto itiativesinthe CollegeofBusiness and ollegeofSciences and Engineering. This nvestment directlysupports theSouthern UniversitySystem’sStrategic Pillars, includingStudent Success and Academic Excellence

“Withthis investmentinengineering education and studentsuccess,weare further strengthening Shell’spartnership with SouthernUniversityand empowering thenextgeneration of innovators and leaders. We can’t wait to see howtheywill shape thefutureofenergy and technologyfor our industryand theworld.”

EMMALEWIS Executive Vice President,Shell Chemicals

PROVIDED PHOTO By WILL McLELLAND

RESTORE executive director Carrie Buntain and program manager Antski Williams with their team outside of the Jefferson County Family Resource Center in Birmingham, Ala.

FAITH & VALUES

Women riding the streets of Tehran on motorbikes

Sight the latest sign of Iran’s societal change

BY MEHDI FATTAHI Contributing writer

When Merat Behnam ﬁrst gathered enough courage to ride her yellow scooter through the gridlocked streets of Iran’s capital to the coffee shop she runs, traffic wasn’t her main worry She instead girded herself for disapproving looks, verbal abuse and even being stopped by the police for being a women riding a motorbike in Tehran, something long frowned upon by hard-liners and conservative clerics in Iran.

But Behnam, 38, found herself broadly accepted on the road — and part of a wider reconsideration by women about societal expectations in Iran.

It’s not all encompassing, particularly as hard-line politicians call for laws on the hijab or headscarf to be enforced as Iran cracks down on intellectuals in the wake of the 12-day IranIsrael war in June — but it does represent a change.

“It was a big deal for me,” Behnam told The Associated Press after riding up to her café on a recent day “I didn’t really know how to go about it. In the beginning I was quite stressed, but gradually the way people treated me and their reactions encouraged me a lot.”

‘Exposed to the wind’

Two things in the past prevented women from driving motorbikes or scooters. First of all, police

regulations in Iran’s Farsi language speciﬁcally refer to only mardan” or “men” being able to obtain motorcycle licenses. It’s a very gender-specific wording in Farsi which broadly is a gender-neutral language grammatically

“This issue is not a violation but a crime, and my colleagues will deal with these individuals, since none of these women currently have a driver’s license and we cannot act against the law,” Gen. Abulfazl Mousavipoor, Tehran’s trafﬁc police chief, said in a report carried by the semiofﬁcial ISNA news agency

in September

Then there’s the cultural aspect. While women can now hold jobs, political ofﬁce and a car license, since its 1979 Islamic Revolution the country has imposed a strictly conservative, Shiite Islam understanding of conduct by women. That includes Iran’s mandatory hijab law, which sparked mass demonstrations in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, who had allegedly been detained over not wearing a headscarf to the liking of authorities.

In the beliefs of some conservative clerics and hard-liners, a woman rid-

ing a scooter or a motorbike is “tabarruj,” or an excessive ﬂaunting of her beauty prohibited by Islam.

“Keeping proper covering for women while riding a motorcycle is very important,” hard-line lawmaker

Mohammad Seraj told the semiofficial ILNA news agency in September “A woman sitting on a motorcycle cannot maintain the modest attire expected of her since both of her hands are occupied with steering the vehicle and she is exposed to the wind.”

Avoiding Congestion

For many, the motorbike

ban runs directly into the reality of Tehran’s streets, crowded with an estimated over 4 million cars and another 4 million motorcycles on the road daily

For decades, women in the all-encompassing black chador could be seen riding side-saddle on motorbikes driven by men.

But after women began forgoing the hijab, more women began taking the risk and riding their motorbikes through Tehran as well, avoiding the congestion charges levied on cars that run over 20 million rial ($20) a month.

While still a small percent-

age of the overall traffic, their presence on the road has become more common.

“There is not any political manifesto or social agenda here,” Behnam said. “It’s just that since my workplace is downtown and I had to commute every day from (the western neighborhood of) Sattarkhan, the traffic there and the parking issue, plus the traffic zone restrictions — were driving me crazy.”

But for others, it is a political issue. There’s been speculation the administration of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who campaigned on openness to the West before the war, may try to change the regulations to allow women to be licensed. Reformists — those who seek to change Iran’s theocracy from within — also have called for the change.

“It’s time to move past the invisible walls of cultural judgment and bureaucratic rules,” the Shargh newspaper said in September “For women, riding a motorcycle is not just a way to commute but a symbol of choice, independence and equal presence in society.” Benham, says riding her motorbike also gave her the first positive interaction she’s had with the police.

“For the first time, a police officer — well, actually, a traffic officer made me feel encouraged and safer I could feel that there was some kind of support,” she said. “Even the times they gave me warnings, they were technical ones — like where to park, not to do certain things or to always wear a helmet.”

Nonprofit serves young adults in foster transition

Tiny home community to be built in Northwest Louisiana

BY ELIZABETH DEAL Staff writer

The mantra of Faith and Fostering, “Every young person should feel safe and supported when entering adulthood,” serves as a guiding light in the nonproﬁt’s work to help homeless young adults in Caddo, Bossier and DeSoto Parishes by way of housing, counseling, life skills, transportation and career readiness.

The group provides Christ-centered acceptance and maintains a nonjudgmental environment serving the homeless aged 18–24, those unaccompanied or aging out of foster care or in extended foster care. They must be self-referred and dedicated to working toward independent living.

“We don’t do court-ordered referrals or people required to work the program. They have to want it. Because that’s the only way that works,” said executive director Christi Robinson “When they come in, we really try to form some structure.”

The housing program is a three-step process. The entry home is shared with other residents and a volunteer house parent. Each resident has their own room.

“We really want them to feel safe, like they have their own space,” she said. Strong foundation

The volunteer house parent establishes chores and a routine, and the residents are taught skills like menu creation, grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning.

“We get them a job. We help them with education. We help them with budgeting through coaching and case management. So we really start to form a strong

Jayden Williams, a Faith and Fostering client, recently participated in a class as part of a Faith and Fostering program in Shreveport

foundation in that phase one,” she said.

Residents are required to be in school or have a job while they’re in the program. Robinson noted that the decision to offer transportation assistance was important to her

“When we were creating this structure, I really, really felt led that the Lord said ‘Serve them like you would want your kids to be served if you and your husband weren’t here.’ And part of that was transportation,” she said.

Faith and Fostering volunteers drive the young adults to and from work or school and life skills seminars, held weekly

The organization teaches them how to save money and the process of buying a car, along with insurance and maintenance.

“Sometimes people donate vehicles, and we’ll have them buy that for $500, and then we will pay half of any repairs that’s needed,” she said.

‘I’m so proud’

In the second step of housing, residents move to a shared house but with no house parent, so there’s less supervision and more responsibility They still have access to transportation, life skills seminars and career help.

The third housing step including the young adult moving into their own space. Faith and Fostering offers step-down rental assistance, providing support while they learn to live independently

“We teach them how to apartment shop and budget, and we help with all the furnishings through a partnership Renesting,” Robinson said.

Longtime volunteer Julie Colvin gave a life skills seminar to the young adults in early November on gratitude and positivity Parts of it included reading a Bible passage and having them list 15 things they are grateful for

Colvin taught the group how to write thank-you notes and ended with a prayer circle One of the young men was looking forward to turning 20.

Program participant Jayden Williams was excited about getting her ﬁrst car that week — a donated one. She said she paid half of the repairs, while Faith and Fostering helped with the license, registration and car insurance.

“I’m so proud. I got my license, and I’m a donor, too,” said Williams, who works at a veterinarian’s office where “getting to see the puppies isn’t a bad perk of the job.”

PROVIDED PHOTO

A vision board shows the Faith and Fostering tiny-home community to be built in

Fostering independence

Robinson noted that residents are allowed to stay in the housing program for three years to ensure that participants aren’t dependent on the organization.

“We want them advancing to the next phases on time,” she said.

Ashila Jacobs completed the Faith and Fostering program and now lives independently with her boyfriend and baby, with a second baby on the way She said the non-profit taught her things like “cooking and cleanliness and timeliness, important things that you can take with you, even after the program.” They helped her write a resume and apply to school, and she now attends Remington College where she’s studying to become a medical assistant.

“I think the main thing with Faith and Fostering is that they don’t give up on you,” Jacobs said “They really do not give up on you.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes, even within the program,

but I also was able to come back from them, and still always had that support. They were never judgmental — we were able to open up about some of the darkest things that we’ve experienced. You know, we’re coming out of crazy situations, but at the end of the day, they always, always picked us back up.”

An expansion in the works Faith and Fostering is expanding, thanks to the generous donation of a home on ﬁve acres of land in south Shreveport. They are planning a tiny-home community on the property with 12 homes for young women and young women with children.

The ﬁrst phase of the tiny house community is complete, which was clearing the trees and renovating the house on the property for the site administrator to live in.

Skipping ahead to phase three — building the tiny homes — looks promising.

“We already have people interested in sponsoring

the tiny homes, whether through donations or contractors,” Robinson said. “I think it’s going to go pretty quick We just got to get to phase three.” Faith and Fostering is currently in phase two, which involves doing the dirty work. The next steps are dirt elevation work, building roads and installing utilities.

“This is the hardest phase to fund,” she said. “Phase one was easy, but it’s like, who wants to do sewage and electric and all that stuff?” Faith and Fostering’s faith-based approach to its offerings is what makes Jacobs and other participants feel a genuine connection.

“It wasn’t to gain anything — if anything, it was to gain that bond with us coming out of situations where we are broken,” Jacobs said. “At ages 18 to 24, they just really cared about us at the age where a lot of people don’t care.” Find more information at faithandfostering.networkforgood.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Merat Behnam prepares to ride her yellow scooter through Tehran, Iran.

STAFF PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

Shreveport.

SUNDAY, November 23, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

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

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 not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — PerVAsiVe: perVAY-siv: Existing in or spreading through every part of something Average mark 51 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 66 or more words in PERVASIVE?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

goren Bridge

Dangerous king

South’s jump to game was a reasonable decision. He caught a miserable dummy, however, with not much to work with. The opening heart lead went to East’s ace and South won the heart continuation with his king. He cashed the ace of spades, relieved to see the suit splitting 2-1. Still, it looked like he had four losers South cashed the king of spades, drawingthelasttrump,andledaspade to the jack He ruffed dummy’s last heart back to his hand. There wasn’t much to be done, so South decided to run the rest of his spades and hope something good would develop. This was the position after all the spades had been cashed:

Instead, he led a club to dummy’s king and a diamond back to his ace. West was not napping now West realized that the king was a dangerous card to keep — he could be end-played with it. He alertlyplayeditundertheaceand South had no winning options.

wuzzLes

super Quiz

question asks, “How many?” (e.g., Days in November? Answer: 30.) FRESHMAN LEVEL

Letters in the English alphabet? Answer________

Planets in our solar system? Answer________ 3. Dwarfs in the story of Snow White? Answer________ 4. Soccer players for one team on the field to start a game?

the

might have tried cash-

of diamonds now. He might have caught West napping.

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec. 21) Consistency matters. Don’t jump to conclusions or believe everything you hear Research, verification and secrecy will help deter others from taking advantage of you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Evaluate relationships and choose who you want to spend time with Using the skills and talents you enjoy most may not be lucrative, but it will be worth its weight in gold if it makes you happy

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) High energy will promote positive change. Choose a healthier lifestyle and strive to look and feel

your best. Avoid risky events, travel and situations. PISCES (Feb 20-March 20) Not everyone will appreciate your time, effort and input. It’s important not to waste energy on people, places and pastimes that are not a good fit for your plans and perspectives

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Think, formulate, take the lead and curb your emotions. Sticking to the facts, figures and what you want without letting your feelings interfere will get you where you want to go. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Put your energy where it counts, tidy up

loose ends and consider alterations that will add to your emotional well-being. Reach out to someone you want to spend more time with and make plans and proposals.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Ensure you check all the boxes before committing to something with variable options. Mistakes and misinterpretations are prevalent. When in doubt, take a pass.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Take the lead, and you will find out where you stand. Share your feelings, intentions and long-term plans. Create the life you want,

and personal growth will be yours.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Choose to act, and you’ll avoid criticism. Follow your heart and concentrate on what makes you happy A reminder of the past will help you determine what you want your life to be like moving forward.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Refuse to let anger set in when rational action is necessary. Visiting a place that offers inspiration will prompt you to invest more time in personal growth and learning.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Don’t give up or give in to the emotional

whims of others. Trust and believe in yourself, and take the road that promises personal happiness. A tranquil destination will satisfy your soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Look for change, and you’ll find something or someone interesting. Love is in the stars, but it begins with loving yourself first. Self-appreciation is key to how things will shake out.

1. Twenty-six. 2. Eight. 3. Seven. 4. Eleven. 5. Three.6.Six.7.Seven. 8. Eight. 9. Six. 10.Three. 11. Four (2, 3, 5, 7).12. Forty-two. 13.Five. 14. Six.15. 1,760.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: Some of the days in November carry the whole memory of summer as afire opal carriesthe colorofmoon rise. Gladys Taber

jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly

by BillAmend

The Advocate 11-23-2025

Osprey Initiative,a growingbusiness,

trashinLouisiana bayous —and beyond

Fundingfor EBRjustice system in dispute

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Ukraine’s allies push back on peace plan

Countries say U.S. proposal favors Moscow, needs revision

Israel launches strikes in Gaza, testing ceasefire

Hospitals say at least 24 killed

Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro arrested

Authorities allege plot to escape, avoid 27-year prison term

NIGERIA

Number of children abducted in attack rises to over 300

ExxonMobil investsinSTEM education that brings learning to life in BatonRouge

A push for removals

TrumppaintsZelenskyy into corner with peaceplan

JFK’sgranddaughterreveals terminal cancer diagnosis

ELIMINATE BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA

Dr.Scott LeBlanc, D.C. Dr.DanaLeBlanc,D.C.

U.N. deal boosts money to nations hit by climate change

Trumpunder pressure to deliverwithEpstein files

Republicans hypedrelease foryears

Parents: Babies whodrank ByHeartformula gotsickmonthsbeforeoutbreak

Pope discusses his Wordle strategy

Mo. judge who wore Elvis wig to step down

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

McFarlandwants Congress to negotiatehealthcare

Owlpartially coveredinconcreterecoveringafter rescue

TurningPoint LSUleaderreflectsongroup’s growth

Q&A

WITH ETHAN VOGIN

VICEPRESIDENT OF LSU CHAPTEROFTURNINGPOINT USA

THE GULF COAST

Zillow goes wild over house in town inspired by Hawaii

Doughnut shop’s response to scathing review goes viral

Commemorativeornamentunveiledfor America’s250th

WhiteHouse

Design features Declarationof Independence

La.plant faultedfor slow fixes

Workplacefatalityanunrelated incident

BR-area priest from India dies

Angler’s paradise

LSU’sPenningtonappoints Malone as adjunctprofessor

Museum weighs move to ‘hallowed ground’

Featherweight Scooter

OUR VIEWS

RememberingJim

Bernhard, who showed dedication to both business andcommunity

What watergradesmakecrystal clear

Sharinggratitude makesadifference

COMMENTARY

Cheney’s funeralappealedtocivic virtues

Agreat nation is reducedtofancifulhoping

Donation to Xavier is huge,but HBCUsneedmore

BROADCASTHIGHLIGHTS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AP TOP25ROUNDUP

Oregon derailsUSC’s CFPhopes with awin

Low-scoringPelicanslose9th straight game

Spaindefeats Germany, reachesDavisCup fi

Tigerscrank up defensive intensityinwin vs.Omaha

La.Techrallies to down LibertyinOT

THE VARSITY ZONE

Regionals feature upsets, shining stars

LSU 13, W. KENTUCKY 10

BOX SCORE

Weeks link makes LSU history

2

NO ORDINARY FRESHMAN

RABALAIS

INJURY REPORT

SAINTS

OFFENSIVELEADERS

DEFENSIVELEADERS

TEAM STATS

STAFF PREDICTIONS

MATTHEWPARAS

TOP TOPICS FOR WEEK 12

GAME OF THE WEEK

Mayﬁeld to battle Rams, who helped save his career

NFL BRIEFS FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS